January 8th, 2010

Soup And Salad

Today was a much better day. My kids let me sleep in a little, 8 AM is sleeping in to them. And, I woke up with a lot more energy and a lot less crappy head cold.

Breakfast was my wife's left over chicken fried steak with two freshly cooked eggs. I'm not going to say that the chicken fried steak was a great decision, but it was too delicious to let go to waste. For lunch I made Watercress and Bacon Soup from Mark's Daily Apple. Let me tell you it was one of the most delicious things I have ever cooked. Even my 1 year old could not get enough. It was like I was feeding her chocolate cake, only healthier.

Recipes: Watercress and Bacon Soup

1x bunch of Watercress
1x chopped Red Onion
3x chopped Garlic Cloves
4 cups Beef Stock
4x Celery Leaves
8x chopped slices of Bacon

Directions:

Start by frying the bacon in a large, deep frying pan. Then remove the bacon, chop it up and set it aside; use the bacon grease (or olive oil if desired) to sauté the onion and garlic until browned. Then add the watercress stems, crumbled bacon, stock and celery leaves.

(If using cream or potato, add now) Simmer for at least 30 minutes with a lid on then add the watercress leaves and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Pluck out the celery leaves. Add salt and pepper if needed, but the watercress and bacon should already provide adequate seasoning.

I used uncured Pepper Bacon from Whole Foods. This dish really required very little effort for a big payout. There was no need for additional seasonings. The author suggests adding cream or a russet potato for a thicker soup, but it is really unnecessary.

I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who likes a savory meal. For some reason it reminded me of the flavors of really good sushi.

My wife took the 2.5 year old shopping today. It was just me and the 1 year old. We had a blast; reading books, watching Yo Gabba Gabba, and eating delicious soup. When her sister is not around, she is the most well behaved little girl. She even let me take a small nap when she was down for the count at 4 PM until 5:30 PM. She never takes those kind of naps when sister is up and making a ruckus.

I had so much extra energy that I decided to start working on my push-ups. I would do a set of 5 followed by the Front Leaning Rest Position for as long as I could hold it. I do believe that one of the best reasons for smoking privates in BCT is to improve their push-ups. Holding a plank for extended periods of time will work all of the muscles that assist with push-ups, including all of your abs and even your legs. So much for the idea that push-ups are only upper body.

I found this on a pretty solid blog, Fitness Spotlight, and I thought it was worth re posting to supplement my own set of rules:

Eliminate (Just Say No)

• No sugars (yes even artificial sweeteners)
• No processed foods (including canned items, frozen dinners or anything that is not in its most natural state - read the label ingredients as it should not have any additives/additional chemicals)
• No pasta, breads, crackers, baked goods, muffins, bagels
• No cereals, grains, breads, wheat (allergenic, take time off to clear your gut/system)
• No fast food, no burgers, no hot dogs, no fried foods, no deli meats
• No dairy - mainly milk, yogurt, and cheese (allergenic, take time off to clear your gut/system)
• No vegetable oils - ditch the margarine and any veg oils for cooking (see healthy cooking oil post for alternatives)
• No soda, diet soda, fruit drinks
• No coffee/espresso (cut out the high caffeine for 2 weeks, drink tea instead if you like)
• No alcohol (wine, liquor, beer)

Say Yes to:

• Eat Real Foods only (real means in it’s original packaging and source, like an apple and not apple juice). This means such things are all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats (beef-steak, chicken, fish-salmon/herring), eggs, nuts/seeds, healthy fats (butter, olive oil, coconut oil). If you need more lists then download and use our “real food” shopping list (click here)
• Don’t worry about ratios of protein/carbs/fat, feeding windows (this means no “IF” focus right now) or counting calories
• Drink water (and plenty of it), lemon in water, tea
• Move/Exercise for at least 30 min a day (do something/anything to get the blood moving such as walk, jump rope, resistance bands, lift weights, shadow-box, dance or whatever you enjoy)
• Get to bed early and sleep 8 hours

They are hosting a 30-day weight loss challenge to their readers. I thought it fitting to re post their rules since they are so similar to mine. I agree with all of it. Even the part about dairy with no cheese makes sense. Dairy is just such a touchy subject. Cheese is just so... cheesy... it's hard to resist. It compliments so many other foods so well... and the fact that it is technically a fermented food makes me feel a little more accommodating to cheese.

My Meals Today:

Breakfast:
Chicken Fried Steak w/ Country Gravy
2x Eggs, sunny side up, fried in Butter

Lunch:
1/2 Watercress and Bacon Soup (minus the contribution of my 1 year old)

Dinner:
Roasted Chicken Leg Quarter (seasoned with salt and pepper)
B.A.S. (Big Ass Salad w/ Lettuce, Spinach, Grape Tomatoes)
3x tablespoons of Marie's Ranch

Review:

1. No Sugar. I will give myself an A. I had nothing sweet, or even fruity today.
2. No Grains. I will give myself a D. My breakfast was not at all Primal. Breading plus country gravy? Not gravy at all.
3. Move around a little every day. I will give myself a C. I played with my 1 year old and rolled around on the floor a lot, but I could have taken her for a walk in our new single jogging stroller and I did not.
4. Move really fast every once in a while. I will have to pass on this one again. Tomorrow is my deadline for some sprints. I will get out of the house and work on this one.
5. Lift heavy things. I will give myself a C. I worked on some push-ups and some planks. I threw in a few sets of body weight squats as well. Not a bad start, but it was also not very intensive.

Overall Grade: C+ I am definitely doing better than yesterday.