Posts Tagged ‘healthy-living’

The Healthy Potatoes

Posted: August 2, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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Another little side dish I can’t say no to is sweet potatoes. I love everything about them from their taste to how easy they are to prepare. Like almond flour, they are used as substitutes for a number of Paleo friendly dishes. They contain many of the vitamins and nutrients that we need on a daily basis including ones that keep us energetic. Best part about preparing them is that you don’t have to do much, you can bake, fry, steam, or roast them with minimal additional ingredients. Next time you are out and you really have to have fries, make them sweet potato fries.

For Sahoor

Since I’m on an egg hiatus, I’m moving on to one of my favorites (after avocados) meal additions. For Sahoor I turned to sweet potatoes. I took two sweet potatoes, skinned them, cut them into pieces and place them in boiling water. I put a lid over the pot and let it broil until the the potato pieces got soft. I then drained the water and mashed them up. I squeezed half a lemon into it and added about 1/2 tsp of chaat masala. It was more than enough to fill me up.

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Workout of the Day

I decided to take on this stupid ab challenge I saw on Facebook. It’s basically a series of ab exercises that increase in length and difficulty over the course of 30 days. Here is day 1:

  • 15 situps
  • 5 crunches
  • 10 second plank
For Iftar

This was a cheat meal. Honestly I ran out of time to make anything. It’s funny how I’m off from work yet a million things have found their way into my schedule. Well I guess a certain large purchase is keeping me busy. Anyways. The cheat meal as usual is my secret. This should be the last one until Eid, inshAllah.

Speaking of Eid, it’s just around the corner! Less than a week! Do you have your fancy clothes ready? Not sure if I’m going to wear something traditional or a suit this year. Whatever is clean I guess.

Hey Want a Date?

Posted: August 1, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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I realized I have left out one of the most important things I eat for Iftar. Well maybe not important but traditional? I open every fast with a date or two… or three. They are delicious, naturally grown in Saudi, and despite being a little on the higher end of sugar content, carry tons of great vitamins. They are a great source of fiber, vitamin A, and magnesium. Some studies have linked them to health benefits for your brain and heart while reducing risk of stroke and high blood pressure. If you haven’t had some before, I encourage you to try them. Like I said though, they are high in sugar so just don’t go overboard (even though it’s natural).

For some comic relief, a video I ran across a couple of weeks ago by some goofy kids in NYC:

For Sahoor

I had chicken leftovers from the night before that I had intentionally made extra of. I keep forgetting how much of a challenge eating chicken is in the morning. It tastes good but requires effort for me. Any how I finished that up and then had a protein shake.

Workout of the Day

3 rounds
15 Ring dips*
Kettlebell swings 53lb – As many reps as possible without stopping
Rest 2 minutes
15 Sumo-deadlift high pulls with KB – 53lb*
Wall balls 20lb – As many reps as possible without stopping
Rest 2 minutes

Your score is the lowest amount of reps you were able to complete for each movement
*this must be done unbroken. If you stop/pause, you must start your reps from 0

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I think I might be done with metabolic conditioning workouts for the remainder of Ramadan. I don’t remember feeling like this last year but I definetly require a lot more rest after finishing the workout. I don’t think I’m going any harder than I was last year. Maybe the workouts are more challenging? Maybe I’m just that out of shape? I enjoy the workouts very much but I hate that feeling afterwards of not wanting to move. I think I will stick to strength training for the remainder and maybe throw in some short met-cons.

For Iftar

Thai spiced chicken

  • 1/2 lb of boneless chicken
  • sea salt
  • chili powder
  • about two fist-fulls of lettuce
  • 1 scallion
  • 2 tsp of thai curry paste, Mae Ploy brand
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 cup of broccoli, cut into pieces
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  1. Heat up a skillet and add in coconut oil.
  2. Marinate the chicken with the desired amount of salt and chili powder.
  3. Place the chicken into the pan and let it brown. When it starts to brown, flip it.
  4. Cook both sides of the chicken on high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add in the curry paste and mix it around a little bit.
  6. Cut up the lettuce, carrot, broccoli, scallion and add it to the skillet. Squeeze the lime onto it as well.
  7. Stir everything up and then lower the heat to low-medium. Continue to stir until the vegetables are soft and the curry paste has mixed in with everything.

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I honestly was a little unsure how this would turn out, especially since I’ve never used curry paste without using coconut milk. It took a lot of mixing and some lemon juice but it spread out real well across all of the ingredients. I love Thai food so anything with that type of kick to it I will enjoy. Needless to say I finished it pretty quick. Feel free to add as much green to it; it will fill you up better and of course the nutrients don’t hurt.

With that said, less than a week left! Wow..

Revitalizing Through Mercy

Posted: July 31, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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For those of you who reached Surah (chapter) Rahman last night during taraweeh can probably concur that it’s the fastest taraweeh prayer of the month. To me it’s the most powerful and emotional chapter in the Quran and it really puts this whole month into perspective. It talks about the free will we have and what we are blessed with yet warns us about disobedience. It’s a very poetic chapter and very soothing to hear. The content of it really makes you reflect on your life but at the same time brings calm knowing that the title of the Surah translates to Lord of Mercy.

For Sahoor

I made a quick dish of salmon and eggs. Look before you write me off for caving into eggs…again. The eggs were only a compliment to the salmon so it doesn’t count. I used a minimal amount so the taste didn’t take away from the salmon but gave me the protein and nutrients I needed for the day.

  • 3-4oz of salmon filets(smoked salmon would work well here too)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 scallion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • sea salt
  • chili powder (optional)
  • coconut oil
  1. Heat up a pan and add in coconut oil.
  2. Marinate the salmon with sea salt and chili powder.
  3. Place the fish into the pan and let it cook.
  4. Meanwhile, add a little bit of water to a bowl and beat the eggs in it.
  5. Once the fish is ready to be flipped, flip it and add the eggs into the pan.
  6. Mix it all around so the eggs get scrambled.
  7. Add in the tomatoes and scallions.
  8. Keep mixing around until the salmon is finished. Should take less than 10 minutes from the time you put it into the pan.

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You can add more salt and spices after it’s on your plate if you want but I don’t recommend it for Sahoor. You can also add an avocado which would go real well but I was too lazy. Oh and I’m out of avocados. 10-15 minute meal, done.

For Iftar

I decided to revisit a recipe I tried last Ramadan that didn’t turn out too well. I’m referring to the apple chicken recipe. I made some modifications to it using ideas from Paleomg.com and the results were great. The recipe for the chicken portion of the dish is a bit excessive since I intended to use some for Sahoor the next morning. Here is the recipe for sweet and spicy lemon chicken:

  • 1lb skinless chicken breast, diced
  • 1/2 onion, sliced thinly
  • 1 medium sized apple, sliced thinly
  • 2 lemons (juiced)
  • 2 Tbsp of raw honey
  • 1 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp of black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp of coconut oil
  • separate mixture of sea salt, chili powder, black pepper and chaat masala for the chicken
  1. Mix the sea salt, chili powder, black pepper, and chaat masala to your taste with the chicken and set it aside.
  2. Fire up the stove and add in 1 Tbsp of coconut oil to a hot pan.
  3. Add in the apples and onions. Stir them around until they become translucent.
  4. Add in juice from 1 squeezed lemon, salt, garlic, black pepper, 1 Tbsp of honey, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Keep mixing it and let it caramelize.
  5. Let it cook on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  6. Heat up another skillet and add 1 Tbsp of coconut oil. Add in the chicken to it and let it cook.
  7. Add the remaining honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice to it. Let the chicken cook and flip it as needed.
  8. Crank the heat to high and put a cover over the pan. Check on it every couple of minutes to stir and flip as needed.
  9. Once the chicken is brown/done, remove the apple mixture from the pan and lay it down as a base on a plate. Add in the desired amount of chicken over it.

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I added a couple of slices from a bell pepper to garnish it. If you want, you can add more lemon or honey as well.

This recipe was a much improvement from last year’s attempt. It tasted great and the best part is I knew I had some chicken left over for the morning. I had planned on staying up late for extra prayer since it’s the last 10 days of Ramadan, so I stashed some chicken away for the morning so I wouldn’t have to cook much.

After what felt like the shortest night of taraweeh prayer, we power on as the end is in sight.

Breaking Away

Posted: July 31, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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This post is for July 29th. Yeah I’ve gotten busy/lazy, take your pick. Actually I just blame my sister for dragging me out to Richmond to help her move into her new place after Sahoor. Luckily the weather was nice that early but by the time we finished, the sun was out full blast and it fatigued us all. Note to self, research why being in the sun brings induces narcolepsy.

I finally did it! I broke away from the egg trap. I woke up with just enough time to cook up some Paleo Pancakes (minus the syrup this time), and felt great about life. I then learned that evening that Paleo Pancakes are probably not something I should eat on a day I plan on working out. I’m not sure what it was but even warming up for the workout, my stomach didn’t feel right. Once I had finished the metabolic conditioning workout, I just laid on the floor. Of course I did run outside in the heat but I do think it also had something to do with the almond flour. Another note to self, check its expiration…

For Sahoor

I made Paleo Pancakes and they tasted just as good as last time. One addition I made this time was that I added a smashed up ripe banana to the mix. Changes the taste up a bit so the taste of almonds isn’t over abundant. That taste to me does get annoying after a while. I didn’t have time to make the syrup so instead I drizzled some raw honey on it. Like I said, it tasted great and I used the same recipe but I definitely felt different throughout the day. I’ll experiment some more with this another day.

Workout of the Day

Run 1/4 mile
15 Dead lifts at 275lb
20 hand release push ups
Run 1/4 mile
30 Dead lifts at 225lb
20 hand release pushups
Run 1/4 mile
45 Dead lifts at 135lb
20 hand release pushups

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This is a chipper style workout which means you have a task list that you accomplish in order one time through to complete the workout. As you can see I had to modify it a bit so I could do it without destroying myself. I was already pretty dehydrated from moving my sister’s stuff to the point where I had been craving slurpees (gasp, I know). I didn’t want to push it by running and dead lifting (which can make you dizzy pretty fast on a normal day).

For Iftar

Since I switched things up for Sahoor in the morning, I decided to shake things up for Iftar and step away from the chicken for a little bit. I ended up making some Chili Lime Salmon. It’s extremely easy to make and doesn’t take a lot of effort. It’s great for those days you are drained from helping your sister move and craving slurpees. There are a couple of ways to make it but I chose the quick and dirty way which was to fry it up in a skillet. If you have time and are sick of coconut oil, you can bake it as well.

  • about 1/2 lb of salmon (or tilapia)
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp of chaat masala (optional)
  • 2 limes
  1. Heat up a skillet and add in coconut oil.
  2. Place the fish into a bowl and cover the filets with salt and chili powder.
  3. Squeeze both limes into the bowl. Make sure all of the filets are in the lime.
  4. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so the fish can soak up the lime and spices.
  5. Place the filets in the skillet and leave them for a few minutes, moving them around occasionally. Make sure you add all of the lime juice in the bowl as well.
  6. Flip them over and cook for another few minutes.
  7. Once it starts to brown, flip one more time, lower the heat and let it simmer with a top over the pan.
  8. It’s done when it flakes easily as you poke it with a fork.

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I served it with some green and red bell peppers to make it look pretty. I also had some more functional additions like the lettuce. I think it took me about 15-20 minutes to make this after I had worked out. Oh as you can see, I had a Kill Cliff with it. It’s a recovery/energy drink. I love that stuff and the ingredients are legit. I needed one after how I was feeling post workout.

So today I got away from eggs and chicken as well as got a workout in. That sounds like a successful day for me. I pick on my sister in this post but she has been my assistant chef on many of these meals so I actually owed her! I’ll count that as part of my workout and reminder that I still need to hydrate better.

For the Boring Salad Days

Posted: July 28, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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Not a lot to say but I show a quick way to make a tasty salad for those days you just don’t have time. Salads can be great, but watch the dressing!

For Sahoor

Since I vowed never to eat eggs again, I went a different route. I ate a bunch of random things to fill me up. I had a protein shake, then moved on to left over chicken from the night before, and lastly an apple and peach. I drank 3 or 4 glasses of water and called it a morning. The chicken was no easy thing to eat that early in the morning though. They were leftovers that I warmed up. Not the easiest thing to chew and digest at 4am. Mission wake up earlier to make something better starts now. I guess Mission go to sleep earlier should begin before that.

For Iftar

A couple of days ago I talked about showing everyone quick ways to eat delicious Paleo meals without eating boring salads every day. I do however want to show a quick way to make a good tasting salad for those days that you are too busy to make something else.

  • a layer of lettuce
  • half of a cucumber, sliced
  • 1 banana pepper
  • hand full of olives, sliced
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 1/2 tomato, sliced
  • any left over meat. I used extra ground beef that I had left over from taco night
  • Paleo salad dressing. Keyword Paleo, don’t let me catch you dousing it with Kraft Ranch.

Lay down a layer of lettuce in a wide bowl. Then, add in all of the ingredients, leaving the meat for the end. Do your self a favor and make it look pretty. It makes eating a salad a little more enjoyable. I added Tessemae’s zesty ranch dressing all over it. It tasted great and the greens really filled me up.

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See, looks pretty, tasted good, and it took all of 5 minutes to make it. Where people usually go wrong with salads is the dressing. There really is no point in wasting a meal on a salad if you plan on letting it swim in high caloric, fat enriched, processed dressing.

Be wise and stay Paleo my friends.

Say it isn’t so

Posted: July 27, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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Yesterday I got lazy and creative at the same time. I didn’t have enough time to cook a full dinner so I stopped by Chipotle to pick up a salad bowl. Wait a minute, Chipotle?? The place everyone thought was healthy until calorie and fat calculators broke down the truth of what goes into a burrito? Or how they have slowly started to admit that their stuff may not be as natural as it may seem. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, Chipotle came out last month and labeled their ingredients that contain GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms.) Turns out , there’s a lot of them…

For Sahoor

I’m done with eggs. That is all.

For Iftar

I got my self a bowl from Chipotle but here is how I navigated all of the pit falls. Start with a salad bowl which contains a base layer of lettuce. Skip the tortilla every time. It has tons of carbs and sugar that you don’t need, not to mention heavy on GMOs. Skip the rice (even the brown rice) and beans. The chicken believe it or not is heavy on GMOs as well as the other meats. The only meat that is GMO free is the pork, if that’s your cup of tea. Add in the fajita peppers, mild salsa, and the other salsa that you want. Corn is one of those debatable paleo items but with that quantity you aren’t going to hurt your self. Next add the guacamole, heck double the guacamole. Turns out the guac does not contain any GMOs and is heavy in nutrients your body loves. Skip everything else including the cheese and sour cream (which turns out does not contain GMOs).

Oh you want meat? No problem, use your own! I added some of my GMO free chicken to a pan after marinating it with a little bit of salt, pepper, and chaat masala. I added it to the bowl as well as some Tessamae’s dressing (skip Chipotle’s) and it was as good as ever!

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So there, disaster avoided. I do love Chipotle and learning about their ingredients was disappointing, but like I said, eating healthy is not cheap. It’s a sad thought if you think about it. Obesity is the underlying cause of many illnesses in this country. It’s a driving factor in our health care costs yet to truly counter it, you have to be able to afford it. What’s one to do when they can only afford the unhealthy option today but then suffer the health care costs later? Lifestyle and budgeting is a whole other topic that this blog is not intended for but something to think about.

Maybe I’ll do a few recipes that are healthy and filling yet low cost. Oh and they won’t involve eggs because I think today I hit my threshold on the amount of eggs I can eat in a month.

Pay to Play

Posted: July 27, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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So I know I’ve missed a couple of days worth of posts here so I’m going to combine those two into one. Nothing too exciting happened except I started getting sick of eggs and I ate out successfully.

For Sahoor

On both Wednesday and Thursday I had an omelette. It tastes just as repetitive as it sounds. I did switch it up a little bit on Thursday by only putting in one whole egg and 5 egg whites. It’s really not helping. After Friday I am off till Eid so I will have some time for better Sahoor meals. It’s about time. I’m starting to get a list of stuff I plan on making so be on the lookout for that!

For Iftar

Wednesday was a cheat meal. I wasn’t in the mood to cook and I had dinner with the family. The cheat meal came sooner than I wanted after my previous cheat meal but that just means I won’t have another one for a while. This one was with my favorite bad food so I may have gone pretty close to the border of overboard. It didn’t derail me though so I think I’m ok.

On Thursday I had a friend’s birthday dinner to go to so Iftar was done at a restaurant. I touched on eating out last year as I had to do it while I was traveling and not much of my advice has changed. If you can, look at the menu ahead of time. Find what looks to be healthy and compliant with your diet. Now this doesn’t mean go to the salad section and hate your life. You can still enjoy something that tastes good but you have to do your homework. Prepare questions for the waiter regarding the meal. Ask them what’s in it, how they cook it, and what kind of quality the meat is. Don’t shy out!! You have every right to know what’s going into your stomach so exercise it. Generally speaking, go for the grilled section but be careful with everything it might be cooked in or comes with. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for substitutes. If the meal looks good but comes with fries, ask them to sub it for fruit or a vegetable. I found that most places are willing to accommodate these requests and a lot of times without charging extra. Be in control!
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I had looked at the menu ahead of time so I knew what to get. A little Google help and you can see what goes into the grilled salmon that I went with. It was lightly marinated with salt and pepper and some lemon. It was grilled and served with shredded squash. I had a side of salad with guacamole as well.

Workout of (that) day

5 rounds
30 Second Max Effort Air Squats
Rest 30 Seconds
30 Second Max Effort  Kettlebell swings 53#
Rest 30 Seconds
30 Second Max Effort Hand Release Push Ups
Rest 30 Seconds

Sadly, eating healthy isn’t cheap, especially when eating out. However in the long run, I’d rather pay the price at the meal table than at the doctors table.

Hydration FTW

Posted: July 19, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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The heat wave in DC continues but it’s ok, I was able to make it to the gym on time today after work and the heat wasn’t going to stop me. Today’s workout was mostly strength related so I didn’t expect there to be a lot of sweating (or at least as much as one would during a met con). I guess I underestimated the heat, even for 6.30pm because the pool of sweat I saw people swimming in as I walked into the gym disproved my assumptions real fast. This brings up a point I’ve mentioned in several entries now: hydration. I feel myself getting back on track with hydration and that I believe is the key to me being able to have enough energy when it’s time to workout. On days like today, had I not hydrated the night before and at Sahoor, there is no way I could have performed the workout successfully.

Now when I say hydrate, that also doesn’t mean you should be forcing a gallon of water into your body in the last 5 minutes of Sahoor. As good as water is for you, it can be damaging if it isn’t consumed properly. My 19 year old self can tell you a story about when he accepted a challenge to drink a liter of water in a minute. Clearly I wasn’t bright when I was 19 and it led to a painful rest of the day. Anyhow, the point is, know your body and use common sense. If you aren’t used to drinking a lot of water, start increasing your intake slowly. Your body will reject any sudden increase in water intake and pass it right through.

Here is a great calculator to determine how much water you need a day: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

The results will seem like a lot, but keep in mind that the food you eat contains water as well so that goes towards your final count. Enough about water for now. Tomorrow I will get into the importance of electrolytes, especially during days like today and yesterday.

For Sahoor

I had been hydrating the night before so I continued that this morning. I had a tall glass of water before I started eating my typical 2 egg/ 4 egg white omelette. Then as I ate, I consumed another glass or two. Then when I finished I had more water. I didn’t keep a count but it was probably close to 40-50oz over the course of 45 minutes. My body is used to doing that so I had no problem with it.

Workout of the Day

Today’s workout was all about Power Cleans. Normally one would squat when doing a clean so you can get further underneath the bar which means you have to pull the bar up less. However, with the power clean, you are working on building a strong pull which will inevitably help you get stronger for squat cleans.

Warmup: Run 400 meters, inch worms, 2 rounds – 10 pull ups, 15 kettle bell swings, side straddles, 2 rounds – 10 squats, 10 ring rows, pvc pipe pass throughs

Spend 20 minutes to find a 1 rep max Power Clean.
-then-
at 90% of your one rep max weight – every minute on the minute do 1 power clean.

The workout felt great. I clearly didn’t have 100% percent of my strength as you can see in the video.  My legs did not land properly on some of the reps but it wasn’t terrible either. I was able to max at 225# and failed at 235#. It wasn’t a PR (personal record) but it will do. I attribute the success to being properly hydrated otherwise there is no way I could have maintained composure while lifting that bar.

For Iftar

For Iftar I made chili chicken. It’s another quick recipe that you can put together but it does require some prep ahead of time.

  • 1 lb of chicken breast, diced
  • 1/4 tsp of cumin
  • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp of chaat masala
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 scallions, diced
  • coconut oil
  • small amount of cilantro to garnish
  1. Marinate the chicken with the cumin, chili powder, chaat masala, and salt. You can either put it in a bowl and do it or you can put the ingredients into a plastic bag and shake it up.
  2. Set the chicken mixture aside, or put it in the fridge for about an hour.
  3. Heat up a pan and put in the coconut oil
  4. Add in the chicken and let it cook. Stir often.
  5. Once the chicken starts browning, add in the scallions and peppers
  6. Add in lime juice and cilantro and stir some more.
  7. Place a top on the pan and let the chicken simmer for a few minutes before you eat it

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You can serve this with guacamole and it would taste amazing. That was my plan until I went for the avocados and saw that they were spoiled. Fail. Lesson learned, Wegman’s avocados don’t last 10 days. Oh well it’s on my shopping list for this weekend. Speaking of which, it’s the weekend! If you have any recipes or dishes you want me to try out, please let me know!

Away from the Kitchen

Posted: July 18, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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So today I had one of those situations that everyone faces during Ramadan, having to eat away from your kitchen. This usually involves going to someone’s house for Iftar and being force fed fried egg rolls and samosas before the rest of the carb and sugar loaded dinner is served. When you think it’s almost over, a tray of kulfis are busted out and well, how can one say no to that.

I’m here to say you can say NO! It may get you some weird looks and you may deeply insult the aunty who cooked but sometimes it needs to be done because at the end of the day, it’s your body. Become comfortable saying no and picking out what you want to eat rather than feeling pressured into having to try everything.

This was my first experience having to go out for Iftar this year but it wasn’t as bad as they usually are. It was an interfaith dinner at the local mosque and a commission that I serve on along with other elected officials in the county were invited to it. It’s an annual tradition and one that I really enjoy. You get to break your fast with neighbors in your community, many of which may never have known what Ramadan is. Everyone has a good time enjoying the food while sharing what Ramadan is about and also learning about cleansing, purifying, and fasting in other religions. If you don’t have one of these in your community but have some pull with the mosque leadership, I highly recommend you look into organizing one and invited local elected leaders, pastors, rabbis, etc to it. If you need help or advice on organizing this, feel free to contact me. A little (paleo) bread breaking with the community goes a long way.

For Sahoor

Before I talk about Sahoor, I do want to mention that I did start hydrating better. The night before I had some watermelon which has tons of water and then I paced myself in drinking about 32oz of water in between Iftar and when I went to sleep.

For Sahoor, I started hydrating while I made my eggs. It was the typical 2 egg/4 egg white omelette with onions, green peppers, sea salt, and tomatoes. I had everything cut up already the night before so in the morning I just threw everything together to make it in coconut oil. I added half an avocado to the plate as well and had about a handful of almonds. I finished up with probably 40-50 oz of water consumed. That’s a lot of water and not the best idea for someone who’s decided that today is the day they are going to start drinking water.

For Iftar

So while standing in the buffet line to get my food, I did my snooping to see what was being served so I could develop a game plan. First up salad, check. Second, fried rice. Yum… I mean no, pass. Next, tandoori chicken, don’t mind if do. That station will always get me looks because I will pile on for a while. Usually it’s the most Paleo thing there so I have to take advantage. Then there was a spinach dish; paleo-ness was questionable because of the type of oil I tasted in it but I had some anyways. Lastly, grilled beef kabobs, check.

Like I said, I’m not shy with the tandoori chicken. I should have gotten some more greens but other than that, it was solid. Paleo (for the most part) while being away from my kitchen so I didn’t have to worry about cooking, check, check, and check.

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Lastly, I’m not sure how many more of these rest days I have left before you guys write me off about this being a workout blog as well. It’s been a rough, long week but it’s almost over. Have I blamed traffic yet? If not I would like to blame that for not letting me make it to the gym in time so that I could get home in time after that to cook. For those that are wondering why I don’t workout after Iftar, here is my (attempted) schedule in the evenings:

6:30-7:30 – Workout. This means I have to make it to the gym before 6.30 from work.

7:30-8:30 – Getting home from gym, clean up, and cooking my Iftar meal.

8:30-9.30 – Break the fast, pray Maghrib prayer, and then dinner

9:30-9:45 – Do a couple of things for work

9:45-11:30 – Drive to mosque, pray taraweeh, drive back.

11:30 – sleep – Write this blog and prep for sahoor. Oh and then be up by 3:30 to make Sahoor.

So basically, if I don’t make it to the gym by 6.30, everything else will be thrown off if I do decide to stick around for a workout. Oh well, I’ve had 10 days to adjust to this schedule. I should be good after this weekend!

Asian Invasion

Posted: July 15, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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I can’t believe we are 1/4 of the ways done already! I’ve now gotten to the point where I don’t even feel hungry or thirsty anymore. Rest is normalizing as much as it can as my body gets used to being able to sleep at certain times and with a certain amount of food in my stomach. Eating clean is a huge part of how good I’m feeling. With fun dishes like this past weekend and the one tonight, the time is just flying by!

For Sahoor

Alright so there isn’t much of a recipe here. I had left overs from the weekend so I had enchiladas and meatza. I then had some watermelon to fill any remaining spaces and aid with hydration. Food still tasted great and got me through the day just fine.

For Iftaar

Today I made one of my favorite Asian dishes, Thai Red Curry. It’s a really straight forward recipe and I’ll show you how to make “fried rice” for it too. Of course rice isn’t paleo so I will be using cauliflower in its place. This recipes serves about 4 people.

For the Curry

  • 1 lb chicken thigh, sliced or diced
  • 1/2 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1-2 Tbsp of Thai Curry paste. Look for the brand Aroy-D or Mae Ploy.
  • 1 cup of coconut milk, full fat
  • 1/4 cup of basil leaves, shredded
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • Other optional vegetables – Mushrooms, squash, broccoli, etc
  • Coconut Oil

For the “Fried Rice”

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 2 eggs
  • small ginger root, minced
  • 2 scallions, diced
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • small handful of chopped cilantro

For the Curry

  1. Heat up a pan and add in coconut oil
  2. Add in the chicken and let it brown, stirring occasionally. Once it browns, take it out and set it aside.
  3. Add the scallions to the pan and saute until they are soft.
  4. Bring the chicken back into the pan and add in the curry paste. FYI, the more curry paste you add, the spicier it will be. Start with less if you aren’t a fan of spices
  5. Stir-fry it for a couple of minutes until the smell of spices is pungent.
  6. Pour in the coconut milk, bell peppers, carrots, and any other vegetables
  7. Raise the heat to High and stir it up. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat back to medium-low and let it simmer.
  8. Leave it for about 10 minutes (or until veggies are soft) stirring occasionally.
  9. Add in the basil leaves

For the Rice

  1. Place the cauliflower into a food processor and hit go.
  2. Add eggs to a pan with coconut oil and whisk. Make it an omelette and remove it from the pan
  3. Add in the scallions and salt to the pan.
  4. Saute until they are browning and then add in the ginger. Stir for about 1/2 a minute and then add cauliflower.
  5. Put a lid on it and turn the heat to low. Leave it that way for about 10-15 minutes.
  6. Slice the omelette and add it and the cilantro into the mix. Stir it all up again and leave on the stove for another couple minutes until the cauliflower is soft.
  7. Remove it from the pan and into a dish.

Serve the curry with the rice. Keep it separate until you are ready to eat other wise everything gets soggy.20130715_205619 20130715_20563620130715_205936

It turned out to be great. The cauliflower obviously has a little more pungent taste than regular rice but when mixed with the curry, you could barely tell that you were eating a paleo meal. It tasted great, wasn’t super complicated to make, and most importantly, it’s healthy.

I’m craving some right now. Luckily there were leftovers so it will probably make an appearance tomorrow morning. Can’t wait!

No WOD today. I had a busy personal day and wasn’t able to cook early enough to go work out. Tomorrow for sure though! If not, someone yell at me to keep me accountable. Thanks.

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