My New Favorite Charlottesville Paleo Spot

I have eaten in dozens of restaurants since I went Paleo and had plenty of good Paleo meals but nothing has really stood out.  In many cases even the soundest Paleo choice has some sort of cheat attached unless you significantly stray from the menu.  That was all true until today.  My wife had a doc appt this morning and by the time she was done it was well after lunch and we were starving.  We decided to try something new and I conducted my standard search for Paleo restaurants and came up with the same old results.  I had seen Eppie's pop up before but for some reason it never sparked my interest.  It was the only one I saw that we had not eaten at so we decided to try it out.  I was not disappointed.

Eppie's has a gluten free menu with a meat and veggies section that is perfect if your Paleo.  I chose the dark meat jerk chicken plate and since I dropped the cornbread got to choose three sides.   I chose collard greens, broccoli, and the sweet potato.  My wife got the white meat lemon pepper chicken with fruit, a salad, and broccoli.  Each of these plates was a reasonable $10 but the jury was still out.  I picked up the plates and took them to our table.  The food looked wonderful and there was a lot of it.  I started out with the chicken and it was perfect, the jerk flavors were awesome and the meat was perfectly cooked.  On to the veggies, with expectations of over cooked mush, these were the biggest surprise.  The collard greens had a hint of vinegar and were cooked just right.  The broccoli was bright green and also cooked just right.  Then there was the sweet potato, ok so I am pretty sure it came with a bunch of butter on it, but either way it was spectacular.

If I had any idea of how fantastic this lunch was going to be I would have taken a picture but then again it gives me a reason to get back to Eppie's as soon as I can.  This was hands down one of the best lunches I have had for $10 and easily my #1 Paleo choice.

Thanks for stopping by,
Chuck

Paleo vs Vegan

It is easy to assume that as an individual following a Paleo lifestyle that I would have nothing but bad things to say about vegans.  You wouldn't be wrong to assume that, since many of the well known Paleo evangelists tend to quickly put down vegans or anything that isn't at least in the low carb realm.  In reality I think there are far more things that these two communities have in common.

I have a close friend that went all-in vegan about 6 months ago.  He has shared his before and after blood work, body fat, and I run with him regularly.  It is remarkable how close our results align to one another.  He has lost just about the same amount of weight. His body fat change is nearly identical.  He is running at about the same level.  And while our blood stats are somewhat different he has also had very significant improvements, especially in triglycerides.  So with all that it is a little hard for me to look at him and explain why he should eat steak instead of beans and grains.  

Who am I really comparing

Many vegans start out as vegetarians and ultimately make the choice due to ethical convictions. I am not going to address those differences. The remaining vegans are dietary vegans and have made the switch as an attempt at losing weight and/or get healthy basically the same reason I am Paleo.  

A breakdown of the similarities

• It's about getting healthy
• It's about whole foods
• It's about sustainable and ethical food production
• It's about eating and living naturally

And the differences

• Vegans don't eat meat
• Vegans don't eat eggs
• Paleo don't eat legumes 
• Paleo don't eat grains

Ok, I admit if you really dig there are lots of nuances to both vegan and Paleo lifestyles that could make these lists very long.  You can even find differences between vegans themselves or individual Paleo.  What I listed above are the fundamental similarities and differences I think most can agree on.

So what does this really mean 

Look around you, head out to any restaurant, grocery store, or any public place.  It is amazing how few lean people you will see.  It is amazing what you see in people's carts at the grocery store.  Look at your friends and family.  How many are overweight?  How many are 20, 30, 40 pounds overweight but believe they are healthy because so many people are 50, 60, 70 pounds overweight.  How many people do you know that eat something and assume it is healthy but you know better.  Here is the reality, our country and most of the developed world is in a total health crisis.  The solution to this crisis is actually pretty simple and straight forward.  Individuals are so inundated with false information partnered with a dependency on processed calorie rich, nutrient sparse foods that they lose the forest in the trees.  I eat meat and my friend eats beans and grain but ultimately we want the same thing.  We want to live a long happy healthy life.  We want to impact the lives of others around us and show them what we were able to accomplish and that it is not impossible.  We want to change the path our society is on.  Vegans and Paleo should be arm and arm and save the grain vs meat debate for a time when a majority of our bothers and sisters are eating healthy whole foods.

Thanks for stopping by,

Chuck

New to Paleo? Start Here

Take a couple minutes to read the Brady Nutrition Paleo Philosophy This is a quick rundown of some core Paleo guidelines mixed in with some of our own perspectives.  After you run through that here are a few additional tips to keep you moving in the right direction.


Paleo Movies
I started Paleo immediately after watching "The Perfect Human Diet" and never looked back.  So I guess this would be a pretty good place for anyone to start and get a jolt of motivation.

Paleo Websites
The number of Paleo websites out there can be dizzying.  There is no shortage of Paleo lifestyle and recipe sites and most are actually very good.   The hard part can be navigating the sometimes contradicting content of the sites.  Here are a few pointers when navigating the Paleo-Web.

• There are a number of grey areas in Paleo and many sites provide lists of foods that are or are not Paleo.  Many of these directly conflict.  Instead of following a list exactly use them as a general guide as you shape your own personal plan.  Develop an understanding of the general philosophy and develop your own as you get familiar with Paleo.  
• I have run into a number of people who have come to believe something is Paleo because they saw it in a recipe on a Paleo site.  Don't make that assumption.  Many recipes out there use ingredients that some strict Paleo will not touch and others do occasionally.  Again keep your mind open, think philosophy, and make your own choices.

Here are a few good sites to start with:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com
http://thepaleodiet.com/
http://www.fatburningman.com/
robbwolf.com
http://nomnompaleo.com
http://paleomg.com
http://www.thepaleomom.com/
http://ultimatepaleoguide.com

Podcast
There are a lot of Paleo podcasts out there and they can be a great resource. Podcasts are an excellent way to stay motivated and learn a lot about Paleo in a short time.  My two favorites are the Abel James' "Fat Burning Man Show" and Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution".

Paleo Books
For every website you run across there are probably two, three, maybe ten books.  Keep in mind many books suffer the same inconsistency as the web, so follow the same guidelines I laid out above.

Recipe Books
I would stick to the web as a resource for your recipes until you think you have exhausted that approach.  There are so many great recipes freely available and you will soon find that you cook things using the skills you already have or learn through others recipes.  I am sure if you spring for a recipe book or two you won't be sorry.  The Paleo community loves to cook delicious things and many of the recipe books I have seen are beautiful.

Educational Paleo Books
You can't go wrong picking up one or two books that are aimed at sharing the science and philosophy behind Paleo.  These can be a great reference especially when you are wondering why or if you should add or remove something from your diet.  Initially stick with the founders, Dr. Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, and Mark Sisson.  I would also recommend Gary Taubes.

Shopping
The first week or two shopping food is tough.  We didn't buy nearly enough and ended up being pretty hungry the first week.  Depending on how you ate before will depend how different your shopping will be.  Here is a good rule of thumb.  Get as much eggs, meat, fruit, and vegetables as you think you will need, then double the vegetables, double the eggs, add about 50% to the meat, and you will probably be good.  You also want to stock up on a few Paleo staples like fresh ground almond butter, extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and sweet potatoes.

30 Days
Whether your intent is to do Paleo for a short period to get in shape or make a full lifestyle shift the adjustment takes time.  The first week will likely be very hard.  You will be hungry, you will want sugar bad, you will want carbs bad, shopping will drive you nuts, and you will constantly be wondering what you can eat while seeing things everywhere that you can't.  If you are fairly strict, sometime during the second week you will begin to feel fantastic.  At this point you will likely be seeing results at the scale too.  By the end of 30 days you will have felt and seen the benefits and gained some excellent habits.  If you can stick it out for the first 30 days there is a huge chance you will not want to go back.  After the 30 if you are still going strong but don't want to be very strict you can start to consider things to try re-incorporating in moderation

You and Your Doctor
Don't forget to talk with your doctor before starting out.  If your doctor is not supportive or doesn't know anything about Paleo try shopping around.  I have a doctor that is a huge supporter of my lifestyle and I believe he is starting to recommend it to others.

Summary
I am certain, if you can stick with it, Paleo will make you feel great, lose fat, gain muscle, and give you a whole new perspective on life.  Commit for 30 days, spend some time reading up, and jump in head first.  Please let me know if you decide to give it a try, shoot me any questions you have, and let me know how it works out for you.

Hope you have a great day,
Chuck

Is Adventure Racing the Perfect Paleo Sport?

Is adventure racing the perfect Paleo sport?  If you have read some of my early posts or hung around me much then you know I have participated in a few adventure races and am pretty much hooked.  As far as I can tell adventure racing has not broke into the paleosphere nearly as much as I would have expected.  Adopting a Paleo or primal lifestyle means more than just food.  It is truly about evolving all aspects of your life around how we are naturally designed to operate as human beings.  I have heard many people speak on natural body movement, body weight exercises, getting outside in the sun, etc.  Certainly all of these things are a way to get closer to our primal roots but what about adventure racing?

A beautiful adventure racing vista

Adventure Racing is not an Obstacle Course

When I tell most people that I adventure race they immediately assume that I am talking about an obstacle course race.  While I have run one or two of these and they can be fun they are not adventure races. 

So what is an adventure race then?

Ready to go

Adventure races involve a broad range of skills that are tested for an extended period and range.  Exactly what a particular race involves varies a bit but in general an adventure race is comprised of orienteering through a natural environment over land and water, by foot, canoe or kayak, and mountain bike.  Some unique races may include other water activities, rappelling, etc.   Adventure races range in duration from 6 hrs all the way up to multi-day events. 

Maps

Prior to the start of a race you will receive a topographical map which may contain the entire course or be one of several you will receive.  You will have some period of time, depending on the length of course, to plot checkpoints, and develop a strategy. 

Checkpoints are important!

There's a checkpoint

Every race has checkpoints.  Checkpoints come in many flavors; some are mandatory to finish, some are optional, some you must get in order, some you must get on foot, some on water, some on bike, and there may be unique requirements on specific race courses.   When developing your strategy it is very important to read the directions very closely or you may end up back tracking or worse be disqualified. 

Passports

Each team has a passport. When you arrive at a checkpoint there will be a special stamp that you use to mark your passport in the appropriate area.  This is how the race officials will know that you made it to a specific point. 

Strategy

Your team will have its strength and weaknesses.  Are you good at canoeing, or biking? What is the general physical condition or your team?  Are your good at navigating?  Did I mention there are no GPS units allowed? Your strategy will depend on the skills and weaknesses of your team and the layout of the course and drive which points and in what order you will attempt to knock them out. 

Fuel and Hydration

Adventure races are long so you absolutely have to fuel.  If you are extremely fit you can get by on a 6 hour with very little fuel but it is easy to under estimate.  If you don't fuel and hydrate enough you will find yourself cramping and unable to complete the course.  

Equipment

Hills suck

There will be a decent amount of mandatory equipment and you will be tempted to pack in a lot of additional items.  There are some things that are essential and others that might seem essential but are not.  What to carry and when will be learned over time and from other racers but also vary depending on the length of race.  Some races will also have staging areas where additional gear can be left.  Depending on where these are on the course they may drive what you carry and your overall strategy.

Orienteering

You’re all packed up, have your strategy, and hit the trail.  Now you have to find your first point.  Orienteering is challenging!  It involves taking all your senses into account and observing your surroundings in ways that you are likely not used to doing.  Many of the 6 hour courses are designed for the novice, like me, so finding points is not extremely difficult but there are usually a couple curve balls that may send you in circles.  Bottom line here is, practice makes perfect. 

So why is adventure racing the perfect Paleo support?

Comradery Being Bred

Ok, you can argue that our ancestors didn't have mountain bikes but with that aside it is really pretty simple to see how Paleo adventure racing is.  In adventure racing you must navigate through a natural environment, at speed, under stress, for many hours at a time.  These activities force you to become very close with the environment around you, with your own personal needs and limitations, and those of your team mates.  I can’t think of a more perfect sport to simulate the kinds of pressures and activities that our Paleolithic ancestors experienced during their day to day lives hunting and gathering.  Many people listen to me explain adventure racing and wonder why I would pay to participate in a race there is almost no chance that I will "win".  To be honest with you I am not so sure I know the exact answer.  It doesn't really sound all that fun but the reality is that adventure racing makes me feel completely alive.  Maybe it has something to do with that primal connection to the natural world and your team mates.  As my good adventure racing buddy says "Misery breeds Comradery" 

If you are in Virginia check out these links.  I have run races with these guys and they are both awesome.

http://www.adventureaddictsracing.com

http://www.oarevents.com/

Also feel free to drop me an email if you have any question about adventure racing or anything else.

Thanks for stopping by,

Chuck

Discover Coconut Water

I tried coconut water for the first time before I started down the Paleo track and while I liked it I wasn't willing to shell out $2-3 per drink. Since going Paleo it has increasingly become a staple in my house.  This cloudy water may be a little strange at first drink but once your palate has adjusted to not having so many processed sugars there a lot of wondrous flavors that emerge.  It’s also great for hydration and an excellent source of electrolytes.

Watch out for added sugar!  There are a couple mainstream coconut waters that taste especially delicious but that is because they dump in a bunch of sugar.  If you haven’t done so check the ingredient list and avoid those that don’t have the purest ingredients. 

For the budget conscious consider getting the Whole Foods 365 Coconut Water.  It is about the best deal you can find, especially if you get the one that looks like it is in a broth container. 

A few days ago I was headed out of the checkout and snagged a C2O Coconut Water.  It was close in price to the 365 and to my surprise had pulp.  I didn't know what to expect but after checking the ingredients noticed the pulp was from young coconuts.  If you have ever busted open your own young coconut then you know the meat is soft and a little slimy but very delicious.  I cracked open the can on the way home and to my surprise the water was packed with pulp.  The pulp was just like little spooned out chunks of a young coconut’s flesh.  It was awesome.  The water also had a much fresher flavor like you get when drinking the water directly from a young coconut. 

For those of you who have made coconut water a regular item in your shopping cart or if you just want to try something different grab one with pulp.  You won’t be sorry they are delicious!

Coconuts are amazing!

Thanks for stopping by,
Chuck

Developing the Training Plan for the St. Patty's Challenge

Developing the training plan for a lifestyle

Cville Fall Classic 10K 2013

I started running when I was pretty young and think I ran my first 5K when I was 11 years old. I ran track for a year and cross country for part of a season in high school before getting injured. I then ran to stay in shape on and off most of my adult life. As an adult I routinely found myself getting talked into 5Ks which would get me motivated to head out and run a little more. The goal was always to train for the distance to gain that minimal confidence I could finish without walking or worse. Eventually I ran a couple 10 milers and had the same distance focused approach.  After running a race I would generally reflect back on prior times and determine if I was in better or worse shape. If I had recently ran a few races I had an expectation I would be faster and if I hadn't I just hoped I hadn't lost too much ground. I developed expectations for myself without any plan for getting there and in many cases hitting the finish line meant a met the main goal and was done training for a while, maybe years. This was not a prescription for improving or maintaining my health.  

I talk about lifestyle a lot. If your training plan is too focused on a specific event, isn't something you can maintain before and after an event, or is so intense you run the risk of injury, then it is not going to stick and become part of your lifestyle. Training in these ways almost always results in falling off the wagon. 

One of the main purposes of my St. Patty’s Challenge is to aggresively7 document and find things that work for me and can become part of my family's and hopefully others lifestyles.  These things include how we cook, train, eat, etc and they have to be things my family can sustain so we keep up on that wagon. The following are the key things I have studied and considered when developing the my training plan.

What are the training goals?

Before mapping out any training plan the first question must be, “What are your goals?” Your goals can be a variety things.

• Are you trying to reach a distance, number of reps, or weight?

• Are you trying to hit a personal record for a particular race?
• Are you trying to maintain cardio for general health?
• Are you trying to reach your peak fitness level?
• Are you trying to beat your buddy (BIB 130) at the next race who keeps betting you by 30 seconds? (uh this one is all mine)

Your goals should ultimately drive how you train but without some thought and planning your results will not be optimal.  For me at this point my goal is optimal total performance and the last bullet up there on the list.

What is lactate threshold and why should you care?

Nothing that I am going to say here is new or revolutionary but when I learned what my lactate threshold was and got a little education on how to train based on it, several light bulbs all went off all at once.

Lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the blood stream. Prior to reaching this threshold lactic acid levels stay fairly constant due to the body’s ability to metabolize the lactic acid. As exercise intensity increases lactate acid production increases and at some point exceeds the body’s ability to keep up. In many athletes the threshold occurs at a fairly specific level of exercise intensity followed by a very rapid build-up of lactic acid and in others the buildup occurs more slowly over a period of time. As this build-up occurs one’s ability to perform decreases rapidly. The lactate threshold is one of the best predictors of an individual’s performance. Understanding where your threshold is and the rate of increase of lactic acid at different exercise intensities can help you predict your peak performance over different spans of time and help shape an optimal training plan. An individual’s lactate threshold can be increased over time through an increase in training volume and by training above the threshold.

How can your lactate threshold shape your training?

If you are looking to maintain cardio vascular health it will likely be adequate to exercise at or slightly below your lactate threshold with consistent or slightly increasing volume. But that’s not very exciting. If your goal is to increase your distance for a race or personal goal, it will likely be adequate to exercise at or slightly below your lactate threshold with a continuously increasing volume of 10-20%. If you are looking to reach your peak performance, hit a new PR, significantly increase your speed or cardio vascular capacity then you need to incorporate training at levels well above your threshold.

What if I don’t know my lactate threshold?

While you may not know your lactate threshold or want to go through the test there are ways to get a good approximation. The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale and a heart rate monitor can be great tools and give you an idea of where you lactate threshold might be. 

Grab an RPE chart like the one on the right and head out for a run. Start off with an easy jog and slowly increase your pace. At regular intervals note your pace, heart rate, and your RPE. It may help to have someone with you to help record the measurements. When training below or at threshold you should be able to exert yourself for a significant period of time without any notable drop in performance and your RPE is likely to be around 11-12.  For high intensity training your RPE should be around 15-16. 

An individuals RPE should fairly consistently map to heart rate. With the measurements you took you can identify target heart rates for both low (11-12 RPE) and high (15-16 RPE) intensity training sessions. You will want to re-run the test every 6 months or so as your RPE, heart rate, and lactate thresholds will change over time.

Slow-Twitch vs. Fast-Twitch

As you exceed your threshold there is a transition from the use of slow-twitch muscles to fast-twitch muscles. Slow-twitch muscles are those used to do slow steady activity where fast-twitch are those used for more explosive activity. According to Dr. Weltman, of the UVA Exercise Physiology Lab, recent studies are indicating that fast-twitch muscle recovery times are around 72 hours while that of fatigued slow-twitch muscles is closer to 48 hours.  Keeping high intensity sessions for a particular muscle group or cardio 72 hours apart is likely to produce optimal recovery and forward momentum.

Increasing Volume

To avoid injury due to over training, increase the volume by no more than 10-20% per week. I have ignored this and spent months with a physical therapist as a result! It's also a good rule of thumb to take a few days off to stretch and roll if anything is not fully recovering.

Fueling, Back-Loading, and Protien

This is a subject of pretty wide debate and this is purely my opinion based on the various information I have and personal experience. Even on a fairly low carb diet like paleo you are most likely receiving plenty of carbs and fats to fuel you through low to mid intensity workouts of less than an hour. For those workouts that are of significant intensity or for duration close to or over an hour fueling and back-loading is a good idea.  Fuel before and during for long endurance activities, and back-load with carbs and protein.

The Training Guidelines Emerge

All of this information along with a desire to meet the lifestyle requirement led me to series of guidelines. This post has a bit of a cardio flavor but these concepts and guidelines can be applied to any type of training. 

1. Training for performance should include two high intensity workouts per week well above the lactate threshold, ideally at an RPE of 16.
2. Training can include as many short to medium volume at or under the lactate threshold as desired.
3. Do not exceed the weekly total volume by more than 10-20% week over week.
4. Endurance training sessions at or below threshold should be placed as far from high intensity sessions as possible.
5. Fuel before high intensity sessions with simple carbs
6. Fuel before and during endurance training sessions with simple carbs
7. Fuel after high intensity and endurance training sessions with simple carbs and protein
8. Have at least one full rest day per week or more if not recovering fully.
9. Training should be easily conducted wherever you find yourself.
10. Training sessions should be brief and focused as to ensure they get done.

With these guidelines I developed two primary plans.

• Performance Focus
• Two high intensity workouts per week
• One endurance training session placed at the furthest point between the high intensity session
• One rest day best after the endurance day
• Two days of low intensity training up to weekly volume limits 

• Maintenance Focus
• Five low intensity workouts per week
• Two rest days

Here is the weekly schedule I came up with.  I will be following the performance plan for the challenge unless I am injured or fatigued and will then follow the maintenance plan.  The performance plan brings together both cardio and resistance training intensities on similar days. One could certainly take these guidelines and apply them per muscle group and cardio allowing for low and high intensity training on a daily basis and effectively allowing one to train much more. I did not do this since I was aiming for something easy to follow both in terms of schedule and duration per day, that whole lifestyle thing.

So here goes nothing, let's see if this plan produces results you can see.

Thanks,

Chuck

A St. Patty's Challenge Update

The past couple weeks have been a bit crazy so it has been a while since the last St. Patty's Challenge update.  The challenge has now been going for 14 days and I still have a lot of work to do.  I have developed the training plan for both myself and my wife.  We should actually start implementing it this week.  I have tracked all my food as accurately as possible using http://caloriecount.about.com  The site is really pretty good.  You can create custom entries, scan foods that have bar codes, and the website provides pretty good analysis of your eating even if it is based on generally accepted guidelines.  If you eat out it's a little more challenging but not impossible to get a good approximation of the food.

Nutrition:

Up until now I had been estimating my calories and macro-nutrient content based on nothing more than my general intuition.  It has been nice to see some numbers that approximate reality.  My carb intake was right on with my estimates at 125g per day on average.  Checkout the full breakdown below.  My goal for the challenge is to not worry about exactly what I eat but keep tracki of what it is so ultimately I can understand how things are working or not.

 Fat - 43.9%
 Pro - 25.7%
 Carb - 26.8%
 Alcohol - 0%
 Other - 3.6% 

	Cal (kcal) 1,900	Carb (g) 238	Pro (g) 95	Fat (g) 63	SFat (g) 21	Chol (mg) 300	Sod (mg) 2,400	Fib (g) 25
AVERAGE INTAKE	1,868 98%	125 53%	120 126%	91 144%	33 156%	574 191%	2,328 97%	17.3 69%

Exercise:

I ran the Charlotteville Fall Classic 10K on the 13th of October so much of my exercise was with that in mind.  I did a handful of pull-ups, push-ups, and dips during the time but nothing structured or regular.  

September 30th: Ran 1 minute on 2 minute off sprint intervals for 15 minutes and then a slow 2 mile jog.  Total time 30 min.

October 2nd: Did my VO2 Max test which was 26 minutes of running

October 3rd: Ran 5 miles at a real easy almost 12 minute pace.  Total time about an hour.

October 5th: Ran 3.5 miles at a comfortable 11 minute pace. Total time about 40 min.

October 7th: Ran 1 minute on 2 minute off sprint intervals for 15 minutes and then a slow 2 mile jog.  Total time 30 min.

October 8th: Ran a little less than 3 miles at about a 9 minute pace.  Total time about 30 min

October 13th: Ran the Charlottesville Fall Classic 10K.  Total time about 53 min.

Total for the first 2 weeks, 4.5 hours of mostly jogging, which averages to about 20 minutes or 2 miles per day.

Stats:

So far my weight has stayed steady between 172-175.  As I expected my weight loss has plateaued but while it is difficult to tell from day to day I believe my body composition is still improving.   

General Wellness:

I have felt very good overall but did have a few nights in week two where I did not sleep well.  This was likely due to various work and family stresses that had my brain running overtime.  I think this led to a very difficult set of sprint intervals on OCT 7th.  This just highlights to me how huge a factor sleep can be in both performance and general well being.  I guess I need to jump on some meditation and get to bed a little earlier. 

Summary:

The first two weeks have gone great.  I have not got everything organized to keep me on track for the challenge but have taken some significant baby steps.  I am in the habit of tracking my food daily and it has really shed to light some of my good and bad habits as well as given me a good understanding of my macro-nutrient breakdown.  This will be very valuable tool as I may need to make some adjustments if I plateau for too long. I have put together a good training plan based on my families time constraints and what I believe will give us the best results with the least time.  I will give a rundown on the training plan after we have had a few weeks to burn it in and fine tune were necessary.

More details to come, thanks,
Chuck

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Going paleo has meant dropping some of my life long comfort foods. Mashed potatoes is a big one of those.  I love me some mashed potatoes and gravy. Mashed cauliflower is not quite mashed potatoes but it is pretty darn close.  The flavor is a bit different and the consistency thinner than the originals (at least our attempts).  We may try some things to thicken them up potentially with coconut flour and/or less steam time.  We'll let you know if it works out. The results at the dinner table were pretty good.  One out of four of us do not like them at all and considering it is my son, the pickiest in our crew, I think they will grow on him.  Not being a big cauliflower fan I expected I would have to choke them down but I actually love these and always polish off the left overs.  Of course if you eat dairy I am sure some cheese on top of these would send them to some new stratospheric level.  Cauliflower is one of those super veggies that has a pretty decent amount of a broad array of essential nutrients, so this recipe may just be they way to work them into your meal plan.

• PREP5 mins
• COOK15 mins
• READY IN20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 Head of cauliflower
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 tsp. and a pinch or two of fresh ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. grass-fed butter (We use Kerrygold)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut the head of cauliflower into 1" pieces 
2. Coarsely chop the cloves of garlic 
3. Place the cauliflower and garlic into the steamer and cook for 10 mins. 
4. Dump contents of the steamer, butter, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, salt, and pepper into a food processor.
5. Pulse until smooth
6. Serve warm with a pinch of nutmeg sprinkled on top.  

Crispy Duck Breast

My wife and I had a few minutes without the kids and decided to check out Charlottesville's Organic Butcher,  We were mainly interested in what kind of game meats were available.  The prices were comparable to other gourmet meats in the area and with the other specialty shops in the West Main Market this is a perfect destination prior to preparing a special meal.  As far as I can remember I have never had duck but have heard how wonderful it can be.  I saw some very good looking duck breasts in the cooler and snatched them up.  I had no idea how to cook these but wanted something simple so that I could fully savor the meat.  I found a recipe at theawl.com   This page very thoroughly explains how to handle duck.  I slightly modify the recipe times and ended up with a perfect medium rare.

My daughter and I are the adventurous ones and according to my daughter the duck was "deeee-licious".  The other half of the family was a little less enthusiastic.  This dish will have to be a special treat for Dad daughter diners.

• PREP5 mins
• COOK20 mins
• READY IN25 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 Duck breasts
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Separate the two duck breasts
3. Season both sides with fresh ground salt and pepper
4. Slice the skin on each breast in a diagonal pattern creating diamonds shapes
5. Place the duck skin down in an oven safe room temperature frying pan
6. Slowly increase the heat to medium high
7. Periodically pour the rendered fat off and reserve (We used a smaller pot lid to hold the breasts while pouring of the fat.  Careful, the fat is a lot like bacon grease and is very hot!
8. When the skin is a crispy brown, after about 7-8 min turn the breasts and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
9. Turn the breasts back skin side down and place in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.
10. Remove and serve with your favorite paleo sides, this time we chose garlic mashed cauliflower and zesty sweet potato chips.