Friends, Weight Loss and Calorie Series

Timing is a wonderful thing…

If you have not already, you MUST go over and read the following two posts from what have become over the years my true Internet friends Matt Metzgar and Chris Highcock. The reason I’ve developed so much respect for them over the years is because their HONESTY! Chris has always been on a quest to get to the heart of the fitness/diet matters without bias, arrogance or ego. Quite the contrary, not a paper tiger but ready to jump into the ring and to find out for himself through careful N=1 analysis and application what works and what doesn’t. His common sense and integrity has given us all THIS PERSONAL ACCOUNT. (read NOW)

Matt wrote an ebook in 2002 called Stone Age Power. I read it somewhere in late 2004 early in 2005 when I was devouring and hanging on every word from Art Devaney whom I had then just discovered. As much as I loved the information Devaney shared, I had a hard time back then not paying attention to his overall demeanor. He reminded me of some of my own professors, that seemed to get more satisfaction from letting me know I was dumb, than inspiring me or developing my ability to think critically on my own. What I found with Matt, very much like Chris, was a professor that was not only happy to share information fit for debate and discussion but also always open to different opinions and angles to consider. In Matt I found an academic that is also blessed with no ego and a sense of integrity that has him speak his mind when he believes he needs to. Not for the sake of being heard, but for the sake of making sure people have all the facts and to have them consider another angle. What I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed about Matt also, is his ability to keep asking questions. It’s his honesty I believe that allows him to ask the questions and to formulate and share his conclusions. Because of this ability, the paleo/primal/EF/AW community now has this POST from Matt.

These two posts by my “friends”, CAN and WILL put you on the road to weightloss. Everything you need to apply is in these two brilliant posts. BOTH, have grown out of TRUE  N=1 analysis and years of careful paying attention to the many “experts” in the fields. I invite and advise you to pay close attention. If you are still “searching” and have not found/achieved the success you’re after, APPLY the advice in the posts. Chris and Matt both are very much trying to help, for the sake of helping. No agenda. They are much better writers and analytical thinkers than myself, I try and express some of these ideas, but it’s hard for me, soooooooo….I will just cook

I’m still committed to trying to show you how easy it is to eat REAL FOOD and how to make superbly delicious, satisfying and satiating meals. Now for the next 10 days or so trying to give you a complete calorie breakdown of the recipes and hopefully do my little part in helping you achieve your weight loss goals. Let’s EAT!

You can make this in the oven/ under the broiler, but as you know by now, I love to grill.

So I start with some charcoal and a good grilling wood. Here in Texas, Pecan wood is plentiful and used by the old timers for BBQ. Oak is most widely used, but I prefer the more subtle and tasty Pecan. The wood is not there for HEAT but for FLAVOR.

I marinated 2 pounds of organic boneless skinless chicken thighs with 3 tablespoons of “jalapeno pesto” and 2 tablespoons of “chipotle crema”. (recipes to follow below) I marinated them for about 5 hours. Make sure your grill is the right temperature, which you can measure simply by putting your hand right above your cooking grate and holding it there for a few seconds. This is how it breaks down;

• 5 Seconds – Low
• 4 Seconds – Medium
• 3 Seconds – Medium High
• 2 Seconds – High
• 1 Second – Crazy and goodbye hair on your arm    Now for chicken thighs you want medium high. RESIST the temptation to turn them to soon, they will stick if you do. About 8-10  minutes on the first side depending how thick they are and how hot your fire is.

I also made some miniature fresh peppers stuffed with a bit of goat cheese that I add a tiny bit of fresh garlic and fresh mint too. I use my cool “pepper griller” for that.

They get a few minutes of direct heat, (no charring though) and then in-direct heat for the remainder. The Pecan Wood smoke makes these babies taste truly unbelievable.

By the way, these pepper grillers are easy to find now and have great versatility. (Making Shrimp with it being one of them). All together now;

I like chicken thighs so much better than chicken breasts. For calorie counting, buy them without skin and try and find organic or pasture chicken. Commercial chicken in the USA is a disaster and a disgrace.

Getting closer to supper time now….

With the peppers and the chicken I made a super fresh and simple arugula salad. dressed with a bit of EVOO. (YES, I am aware of what’s happening in the olive oil world. Caveat Emptor folks…try the fridge test if your curious, it’s the best indicator)

A few words about eating dairy and paleo/primal/EF/AW. First and foremost you need to know about yourself if your tummy handles dairy. (Mine does, as does my wife and families) I strongly feel that dairy is part of a real food lifestyle. The many components that make up aged fermented cheese are very good for us. Obviously there’s dairy and than there’s dairy….this is NOT dairy NOR cheese

So let’s see what this nice meal came in with on the calorie count thanks to our friends at MyFitnessPal:

An unbelievably delicious and satisfying meal for four (4) and coming in UNDER 600 calories per person.

Let’s cook for a minute:

Jalapeno Pesto (NO CHEESE)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

5 green fresh jalapenos charred with skins removed.

Handful of pine nuts or walnuts

Combine ingredients in food processor with a pinch of salt. add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the paste at the end, slowly.

Chipotle Crema:

 Take 3 small chipotle peppers in adobo and pulse them in your food processor. Now add 4 tablespoons of sour cream. Mix together well.Chipotle crema.

In a large ziploc bag or container marinate your chicken in your chipotle crema and 3 tablespoons of your jalapeno pesto and 1/2 tblspoon olive oil.

Arugula salad. add 1 and a half tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Goat Cheese stuffed small peppers:

Mix 3 ounces of goat cheese with 1 small clove chopped garlic and teaspoon of fresh mint (chopped). Mix together well and stuff inside of the peppers.

And plate it;

Let me stress again, the recent posts from Matt & Chris have all the information you need to get the results you desire, but you must APPLY them. Hold yourself accountable and enjoy the process. Failure doesn’t exist….trust me on that one.

Smile a lot today and BE HAPPY