Posts Tagged ‘Iftar’

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.

Restless

Posted: July 24, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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Sorry I didn’t get a chance to post last night. I came down with a slight fever and the lack of sleep the night before didn’t help the fatigue. We are half way through and I still haven’t figured out a good sleeping pattern. I’m pretty sure there isn’t one that’s possible unless I skip out on things. On another note, more than half way through and everything (outside of sleep) has become a solid routine.

For Sahoor

Same 2 egg/4 egg white omelette. I had a large peach as well which helps with replenishing electrolytes. Also, since I found that protein powder the other day, I had another protein shake. I had about 32oz of additional water. This breakfast seems to hold me up real well throughout the day. I really don’t feel hungry at all now. If anything, the heat makes you thirsty, especially while working out but other than that it’s great. I’m still experimenting different ways to hydrate enough so I can make it to Iftar time without over doing it and having my body pass the water right through.

For Iftar

I made some Paleo Tacos by making some almond flour tortillas and ground chicken (beef can be used as well). It’s fairly easy to make with the challenge being in your flipmanship with the tortillas. Here is how it’s done:

  • 1/2 lb of ground chicken or beef
  • olive oil
  • 1 banana pepper
  • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed ginger
  • 1/2 tsp of crushed garlic
  • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 tsp paprika

For the tortillas, I used the same recipe as I did when I made the enchiladas.

  1. Add the olive oil to a hot pot.
  2. Once it’s warm, add in the beef, garlic, and giger. Stir it up occasionally until it starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes
  3. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir.
  4. Cook for another couple of minutes and then let it simmer for a few minutes after that on low heat.
  5. Serve on tortillas

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The third tortilla might have been a bit much. It was a lot of food but it tasted great. I sprinkled some lime juice on top of them and added a little bit of Cholula hot sauce. The tortillas were a little thick but other than it was fine. I had some fruit a little bit later in the evening and crashed early since the fever was kicking in stronger.

I guess I can complain about sleep but I stop when I think about the purpose of this month. It’s a month to sacrafice and to put yourself in the shoes of those who are less fortunate. I have a bed to sleep on and the ability to make any meal I want. That’s a lot more than what others around the world have. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I wake up fussy because I’m tired!

Hydration + Electrolytes

Posted: July 23, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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A couple of days ago I talked about hydration and it’s importance, especially if you are working out in this heat. Today I wanted to touch a little bit on electrolytes. For those that are drinking high volumes of water and/or involved in lots of physical activity, replenishing your electrolyte levels are a must. They’re essentially minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge and affect things like the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood, your muscle functions, etc. You lose them when you sweat or in some cases are flushed out if you over-hydrate. Good news is that it’s not hard to replenish them. My favorite fruit, watermelon is extremely rich in electrolytes. I usually have a bowl every other night or so. While there are plenty of sources for replenishing electrolytes, like sports drinks, additives, etc, stick with natural sources like fruit, leafy greens, coconut water, and sodium. I say stay away from sports drinks because their sugar content negates a lot of their benefits.

For Sahoor

Today I fried 2 eggs in extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled a bit of a sea salt and chili powder on them and ate them with a fork. I also had a protein shake mixed with water. I don’t often drink shakes post/pre workout because I don’t find them to be that effective. However, I will sometimes drink one as a meal supplement or addition when I remember I still own some. It has plenty of protein and fills you up so it’s not a bad thing to have in the morning. Is it 100% paleo compliant…eehhh.

Workout of the Day

Since I had hydrated a lot in the morning, I decided to do a met con today. To step up the challenge, the whole met con took place outdoors. It sounded like a great idea since it was super hot inside the gym. Funny how the sun works, it wasn’t much better outside once I started the workout with the sun beating down on me. Oh well, I survived and it was a fun one:

4 rounds for time
Run 400 meters
15 Wall ball shots to a 10′ target with 20lb ball
15 Toes to Bar

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The first round went smooth but after I had run about 1/2 a mile, I started to feel the fatigue and hunger kick in. After that I ended up taking a break in between the runs and breaking up the toes to bar reps. I stuck with it though and got it done, slowly. It was a great workout that involved cardio, squats, coordination, and gymnastics.

For Iftar

I tapped into my chicken and beef patties that I have pre made and frozen for busy days and made a bunless burger. The patties consists of ground meat (chicken or beef), grounded with tomatoes, chaat masala, paprika, chili powder, salt, egg, and lemon juice. I grill them and then freeze them for days if I want a quick dinner. They last for a while so you can make a lot ahead of time. Of course they don’t taste as good as when they are fresh off the grill but they get the job done.

I ripped off a bunch of a lettuce and then laid down 2 chicken patties and 2 beef patties. I cut a little bit of tomato and cucumbers to dress it. I used some Tessemae’s ranch salad dressing to give it a nice zing. If you haven’t tried Tessemae’s dressing, I highly recommend you check it out. They have a whole lineup of healthy Paleo dressings that taste great.

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Later in the evening I filled up on some electrolytes through the means of watermelon and called it a night.

Also, I didn’t realize it until someone asked but we are half way done with Ramadan already! It’s become pretty routine now but it was a nice surprise to realize how far along we are already!

Technical Controversies

Posted: July 22, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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Today’s Iftar meal consists of a much debated paleo food, green beans. Green beans have been long debated by the paleo nerds of whether it’s truly considered paleo or not. I’m here to tell you that there is no need to get so technical. If it tastes good and your body reacts well with it, just eat it. There is no perfect recipe or meal that covers everything each human body needs. Take Rich Froning for example, the worlds fittest person and CrossFit Games winner of 2011 and 2012. He has said many times that his diet consists of a lot of chocolate milk and PB&J. That obviously works for him but I don’t suggest you and I try that on a daily basis if we expect to get anywhere. The point is, do what feels right to you within the general guidelines of healthy eating.

For Sahoor

This morning I put a little more effort into Sahoor and made a shrimp frittata. This can be made with any leftover meat you may have. I had some cooked shrimp so I used that.

  • Shrimp or other leftover meat
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp of coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup of broccoli
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Warm up a deep skillet with coconut oil and add in the broccoli.
  3. Once the broccoli starts to get tender, add in all of the ingredients and mix everything up.
  4. Cook for a few minutes on the skillet as everything starts to set (3-4 minutes).
  5. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes.

The frittata should puff up and be cooked all the way through. You can serve it sliced, pizza style. I added some cholula hot sauce to it and ate with a fork. It’s a subtle way to eat meat in the morning without feeling sick. Of course, hydrate!

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For Iftar

Continuing on the seafood trend for the day, I cooked up a tilapia dish for Iftar with vegetables and (gasp) green beans. This requires marinating the fish beforehand so the spices can seep in.

  • A couple of slices of tilapia
  • 1/2 tsp Sea salt
  • 1 tsp of chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp of chaat masala (or to taste)
  • 1/4 cup broccoli
  • 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 small banana pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 cup of green beans
  • 1/2 tsp of olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  1. Marinate the fish with the salt and spices and let it sit for about 30 minutes to an hour.
  2. Warm up a pan and add in the coconut oil.
  3. Add in the fish and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes. Flip it.
  4. Put a cover over the pan and let it cook for another 4 minutes.
  5. When the fish is starting to look done, add in the broccoli, tomatoes and banana peppers.
  6. Place a cover on it, lower the heat, and let it simmer until all of the vegetables are tender.
  7. Place the greens in boiling water and place a top on it. Let it cook for about 7-10 minutes or until tender
  8. Drain the water and add in the olive oil to the pot of green beans. Mix it up.
  9. Add in a little bit sea salt and let it simmer for a few minutes on low heat.

Serve the fish with the green beans. If you want, cut up half a cucumber and dress the fish with it.

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So there you have it, a controversial paleo meal and I still feel great. Just remember, listen to your body and learn to give it what it needs, not what it wants. There is no need to dive into the technical details of what might work and what might not because truth be told, the chances of that fitting you are slim to none. At the end of the day, nutrition should be a fun thing so it doesn’t seem like a task but more of a lifestyle.

Lifestyle my friends. I hope everyone has a happy Monday!

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!

Heat Wave

Posted: July 17, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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For those that have lived in the DC area know what kind of messed up weather we get. It’s either super cold or super hot and occasionally those conditions happen in the wrong time of the year. On days like the one today and yesterday I can’t iterate enough the importance of hydration. I am the biggest hypocrite regarding this recently and am paying for it. My genius self went for a walk in todays Code Orange, humid, scorching weather and it really took a toll. A few days ago I mentioned that I would be hydrating the night before. Well I have done that a few times but not as consistently as I should be. Also this morning I barely hit 32oz of water. Epic fail on my part so as I type this, I’m chugging on water. God willing I will make sure I follow my own advice in the morning. I had planned on WODing today but have not been feeling good, probably because of the lack of water in my system. Lesson for the day, hydrate hydrate hydrate!

For Sahoor

Nothing special this morning. I fried two eggs in olive oil and added some spices to it. I wasn’t in the mood to eat a lot so I didn’t have any extra egg whites. I had some left over guacamole from the night before that I added to the plate. If you haven’t had guac with eggs, you  don’t know what you are missing out on! I recommend you try it the next time you make an omelette.

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For Iftar

Today I got to enjoy momma’s cooking. Like I said I wasn’t feeling well but I was fortunate enough to have Iftar with my family and it turned out to be a Paleo meal. Well, at least the parts I chose to eat. The recipe below is for baked chicken. Extremely easy to make but it does require some time in between the prep and actual baking.

  • chicken, any part with bone-in
  • sea salt
  • ground black pepper
  • chaat masala
  • coriander
  • lemon juice

All of the ingredients are done to taste. Just make sure there is enough to cover the chicken.

  1. Mix the salt, pepper, chaat masala, coriander, and lemon juice into a bowl.
  2. Marinate the chicken in the mixture and leave out for 2-3 hours
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  4. Bake the chicken in the oven until it’s done. Check on it every 10 minutes or so and turn over if necessary

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I added some salad to the plate and ate a bowl of fruit salad. The fruit salad contains apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes,  chaat masala, and a little bit of pure orange juice. Although this meal requires some time to complete, it’s super simple to make when you have a busy schedule. You can even marinate the chicken in the morning or the night before and then bake it when you are ready.

Workout of the Day

Went for a walk….forgot to avoid the sun. Fail.

 

Guac Cameo

Posted: July 16, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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Those of you who followed this blog last Ramadan must be wondering where the guacamole has been hiding. Honestly I’m not sure what happened to it. I still love guac but haven’t gotten around to making it the past 7 days. Well today, even though it really didn’t fit into the dish, it made its appearance. I still love the stuff and still think it’s something I could eat everyday.

For Sahoor

I had a decent amount of Thai Red Curry from last night left over so instead of making anything new, I had a healthy serving of it with the cauliflower rice. I had a peach to go with it and plenty of water. I need to start doing this more often, making enough food the night before to eat for Sahoor the next morning. It takes a lot of pressure off of you and allows you to just sit down and eat with one eye still closed (yeah you know what I mean).

For Iftaar

This was just a bunch of randomness tonight but in the end, it filled me up and tasted great. First I had even more leftovers of the Thai Red Curry (still not complaining since I love that stuff) along with cauliflower rice. I scraped what was left of it onto my plate. Second, I made a little bit of tilapia. I followed the same recipe I did last week, minus the olives, green peppers, and shallots. Last but not least, I had some guac. The recipe was the same as last years but over time I’ve reduced the amount of garlic I put in it. I guess garlic and I have grown apart recently. Here is the recipe again:

    • 2 ripe avocados, peeled
    • 1 lemon
    • 1/2 lime
    • 1/4 tsp of cumin
    • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
    • 1/2 clove of garlic (or less, or none), minced
    • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
    • 1  tomato, diced
    • 1/2 red onion, diced
    • handful of cilantro to garnish, finely chopped (how-to)

Instructions: Put everything in a bowl and mash it up with a fork until the avocado chunks can’t be seen anymore.Simple enough and it only takes a few minutes. It tastes best served right away. If you want to save some as leftovers, make sure you put it in tupperware and refrigerate it asap.

This is what all of this randomness looked on my plate:

2013-07-16

Workout of the Day

I was actually able to refrain from doing the metcon today and stuck with strength training. Ok fine it wasn’t that hard to stay away. The metcon was for one of my coach’s birthday and was 35 minutes long in this heat wave. No thank you (sorry Sara, I’ll make it after Ramadan!). This workout involves olympic lifting and then a sprint metcon.

7 rounds: 1 Snatch then 3 snatch grip push presses
*heaviest weight possible
-then-
50 Burpees for time

This is what a snatch + snatch grip push press looks like:

Today overall was a good day. I didn’t have to worry about preparing much food since a lot of it was already done ahead of time. It allowed me to relax a little in the morning and get my workout on in the evening.  8 days done folks!

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.

Trading the Grain for Almond

Posted: July 14, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Today I made a couple of dishes that are usually heavy in starch, carbs, sugar, and everything else that leaves you with a stomach ache. For the most part, it’s as simple as swapping out the grain for almond flour! I made pancakes for Sahoor and enchiladas for Iftar. The recipes below are examples of how you can still enjoy everyday food without feeling guilty or fat.

For Sahoor

This is a recipe for about 2 servings of Paleo Pancakes with syrup. Huh? Syrup? Just read on..

For the Syrup:

  1. Pour the juice into a sauce pan and and heat over high. Bring it to a slight broil.
  2. Once it starts to broil, lower the heat to medium and let it reduce. This takes about 10 minutes but in my experience, once it starts to reduce, it goes fast and becomes thick. You want it to thicken up a bit but too much is annoying.
  3. Once it’s at syrup thickness, take it off the stove and let it cool for a little bit before pouring it on your pancakes.

For the Pancakes:

  1. In a bowl, mix the almond flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon.
  2. In a seprate bowl, mix the milk and eggs. Mash in a banana if you want to.
  3. Combine into a cup that you will use to pour the mixture into the pan. I use a measuring cup that has a spout. Mix it all up.
  4. Heat up a skillet and add a little bit of coconut oil to it
  5. Pour less than 1/4 cup of the mixture into the skillet at a time.
  6. Cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes or until the sides start to brown up
  7. Flip and cook the other side for only a minute or so. Be careful while flipping, these are very fragile and take one or two rounds to get the feel of it before you can flip them without breaking them. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Once everything was done, I placed the pancakes on to a plate, put a little bit of the Kerrygold butter on top and then drizzled syrup on it. Tasted better than packaged pancake batter and kept me full in a healthy way throughout the day.

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For Iftar

I love Mexican food. Mexican food does not like human bodies or else it wouldn’t be so evil. It helped Mexico beat America in becoming the fattest country in the world! I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. Today with the assistance of my sister, I made open enchiladas. This dish is a little more time consuming to make so plan ahead and have a partner. It serves 2-3 people.

For Enchiladas:

  • 1 lb of chicken, diced (you can actually use whatever meat you want)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups of tomato puree
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2-3 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 tsp of cumin
  • 1 tsp of dried oregano
  • 1 tsp of sea salt
  • coconut oil

For Tortillas

  • 4 tablespoons of Almond Flour
  • 1/4 tsp of baking powder
  • 4 egg whites
  • 2 table spoons of almond or coconut milk
  • 1 tsp coconut oil per tortilla
  1. Preheat your oven to 370 degrees
  2. Place the meat onto a baking dish and bake it for about 15 minutes
  3. Heat up a pan and saute the onions on medium heat until they become soft.
  4. Add in the tomato puree, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir it up while it simmers on low heat for about 15-20 minutes
  5. Pour the mixture into a food processor and blend until it’s a smooth sauce.
  6. Place the tortillas in the baking dish and place the almost cooked chicken on top of them.
  7. Pour the enchilada sauce on top.
  8. Cover the enchiladas with aluminum foil and place back into the over for about 10 minutes.
  9. Cut up an avocado and some lime to enjoy with the dish.

Making the tortillas is pretty simple. Adjust the amount of ingredients to make how many you want. I would make these during step 4 above.

  1. In a bowl or cup that has a spout, mix in the almond flour, baking powder, eggs, and milk. Mix until all of the lumps are gone.
  2. Heat up a pan and add in coconut oil.
  3. Pour the batter into the pan. Move the pan around to thin it out. You can make the tortillas small if you want to make open enchiladas like I did or make them large if you plan on wrapping them closed.
  4. Cook for about 1 minute and flip them. Cook for another 30 seconds or so and they are done.

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So there you have it. Delicious meals that normally would have you feeling guilty for a week done in a healthy way. I hope you enjoy them!

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