Posts Tagged ‘Seafood’

Quick Win

Posted: August 6, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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Alright so I really don’t have a great excuse for not posting this on time. This post is for the 4th. Although I’m off from work, I have another project that kept me busy all day. Well at least procrastinating about it kept me busy. I do feel myself dragging a lot more these days. It almost feels like the beginning of Ramadan even though I am much more rested these days, not to mention fully adjusted to the schedule. Maybe I’m resting too much? I’m not one to sit around idle so maybe being off work this long is making me lazy.

For Sahoor

This one is for you eva626. I tried your silly recipe of sweet potatoes and milk (I used almond milk). I boiled the potatoes, mashed them up and then added warm almond milk as well as some cinnamon. I don’t know if the excitement of the night and lack of sleep kept me unhungry (is that a word?) but I found it difficult to eat. It tasted good but maybe I just made too much since I used 2 sweet potatoes. I had been snacking on almonds and other things throughout the night as well. Where did I go wrong? Here is what it looked like:

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For Iftar

I had stopped procrastinating and gotten pretty busy around Iftar time so I had only a few minutes to throw something together. I had marinated salmon with sea salt and chili powder earlier. When it was almost Iftar time, I heated up a pan and cooked it with coconut oil. I added green peppers, scallions, and tomatoes to it. I cooked both sides of the fish and when it was nearly cooked, I added some raw honey to one side of the filet. I let it simmer on low heat and put a top on it.

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This was extremely easy to make as you can see. It took maybe 10 minutes with the exception of marinating the filets. Adding honey to one side of the filets left it with a great sweet/spicy combo. It was the perfect touch that made it taste like something I had put effort into.

Workout of the Day

The ab challenge has a rest day today so I did a body weight metcon workout;

5 Rounds
10 Push ups
15 Squats
10 Pull ups
15 Lunges
5 Handstand Push Ups
*Every 30 seconds do 5 burpees

I will be writing the post for the 5th right after this so I will be caught up. It’s almost over, not the time to start getting lazy!!

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.

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!