Persimmons and Chestnuts Go Together

Before I dive in to some recent eats I came across this post on healthy living and how to burn fat the other day and think it really sums everything up in a clear and straight foreword manner.

My first Squash and Sweet Potato Parfait! (kabocha as always)

This is definitely as good or better than your standard fruit and granola parfait. I used leftovers that were herb and turmeric baked and then some Full Fat Strauss Yogurt and a little extra plain whey protein. Delish. Extra Cinnamon of course.

Just ate chestnuts for the first time... and now they are a go to carb source! Pure carbs unlike a normal nut. I found some cooked and vacuum packed although also enjoyed roasting my own.

So delicious to get some glucose/starch recovery going in addition to the fructose heavy Persimmon in my smoothie.

If you just use fructose (fruit=mostly), you replenish liver glycogen more than muscle, and also don't absorb the carbs as well compared to when you get some of each.

Roasted yumminess.

I was afraid of consuming any fructose before, but now use it in moderation and don't feel any negatives. Whey, Persimmon, and Cinnamon for the win. Almost like last year! So much has changed.

 Pretty stoked on finding this Persimmon Tree when a friendly fellow customer at Good Earth in Fairfax (can't wait for the new one!) told me about it as I asked the staff if there were any more Persimmons. Used some in a feast of epic proportions which I may post soon.

One of my better meals enjoyed recently. It didn't take much, but each thing was so good individually and together.

• Wild Smoked Alaska Salmon (8 oz)
• 2 Soft Boiled Free Range Eggs (Sous Vide)
• Prather Ranch Bacon
• Baked Yam w/ Cinnamon
• 1/2 Avocado
• Bubbie's Raw Sauerkraut
• Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil

I poured the bacon grease over my Yam which is already so delicious with Cinnamon. The creaminess from the mushy egg yolks, avocado, Salmon, Bacon fat, and even the Yam to some degree, combined with the crispy skin of the Yam and meat from the bacon, combined with saltiness/savory sun dried tomato and kraut, PLUS the smokey Salmon and bacon, is amazing.

Also, I started making some quick videos for my parents to learn about nutrition and good eating without me repeating myself in person all the time! Here's a recent one but they are all available on my Youtube Channel.

Aussie Treats

This post is simply a collection of yummy eats/views from my stay in the Land Down Under!

 View from a road ride.

 My host Joel from Tahoe at the top of a MTB ride. View of Bateman's Bay

 Beets from the neighbors! In a Balsamic Salad w/Avo and Grass Fed Beef Rump Roast.

 A glass of Aussie Cabernet-Sauv at a fine restaurant called Terrace Restaurant in Thredbo (rated on of the best in Aus!).  Since I can legally drink here I have a half -full glass of Dry Red Wine 5 nights a week. I've decided it really is healthy and quite enjoyable (read 4-Hour Body).

 My dish was Prosciutto (almost cooked like crispy bacon!) wrapped chicken with Sage (a whole leaf on top turned into a 'Sage chip'), Lemon, and on top of Roasted Pumpkin and Spinach! Divine.

 We got stuck in Jindabyne for 4 days with a broken car and this was my staple meal downtown.  A large salad half Roasted Veggies Salad (thin sliced Eggplant, yam, Onion, Pumpkin w/ basil)- half Feta Arugula Salad (w/ Sundried Tomatoes and Olives and local Goat Cheese), and the Tandoori Chicken from their wraps on top. I also had it with thinly sliced lamb another time.

 My kind of meal!

 For dinner while stranded we went to Brumby's Bar twice which was also my kind of place! Choose your favorite grass fed meat and then an all you can eat salad bar/ buffet with lots of sald and roasted veggie options. Including lots of beets/yams/carrots/mushrooms. And watch them grill perfection right in front of you.

 I got a sirloin stuffed with scallops one night and the lamb shank the other.

 The beach across the street from home away from home.

Not beef lamb heart, a lamb heart sliced and marinated with garlic, red wine leftover, olives, Rosemary from the garden, and Salt and Pepper.

 This is what bacon back home looks like in my standard breaky.

Look at all the fat! Now this is what we have here... And at half the price for free range. (both egg/meat)

Like extreme Canadian Bacon!

It's good but i'm not partial to either kind. Harder to get crispy but still extra tasty. Yes that yolk is separate from the white, but more on that in my next post...(very stoked on this)

 Now for a big-ass Kangaroo Filet! Green Thai Curry Marinade soooo goood!

 After Green Curry Paste, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Pepper, Garlic, and Turmeric, seared both sides.

 In a roast veggie salad!

 With Cinnamon Pumpkin Coconut Oil Pumpkin Squash of course!

 Another beach pic...

 The rest of the Kangaroo in a Garden Salad with Fresh Herbs from the Garden! Kangaroo is awesome because it's grass fed since it is always wild, it's higher in Iron (you can taste it), it's helping the environment because they have too many in Oz, and it's cheaper than grass-fed beef!

 Including lovely Garlic Chives.

 The view from the Quay West Hotel in Sydney, last night before my flight home.

An Epic Thanksgiving Feast

Man I should have started making all this food the day before!  This year easily beats last year. More skillz and better ingredients thanks to the superior Paleo way of eating (sorry Vegans, I believe these recipes are healthier than last years dairy and almost meat free ones!).

I won't bore you with my description of all the recipes so this will be more of Thanksgiving Food Porn. Enjoy.

I was excited weeks before for this Heritage Turkey, thanks to El Salchichero. Yes that means eat all the delicious fat possible for those desirable Omega 3's and fat soluble vitamins.  A Torchon cooked Sous-Vide so all I had to do was brown the outside (in Ghee, which I am obsessed with all of a sudden) and then heat in the oven for 2 hours.  And make stock! But that deserves a whole separate post coming soon for various good reasons.

The Lemon, Sage and Spices wrapped in the inside were absolutely insane!

The 'Gravy' I made by simply reducing some of the stock I made was amazing on everything.  No cream or flour included! (I got 3 delicious containers of stock...going to be slurping turkey jelly all day!-stay tuned)

Now onto my plate before dissecting each component:

In the bottom middle is my stuffing. Pictured below steaming in the light! I omitted the sausage/mushrooms and used coconut oil. It was a hit (only dish at the table to compete with a standard 'normal' stuffing). I didn't miss the bread at all.

This had no recipe, just a bit of guidance from SnackingSquirrel and my own experience of eating baked sweet potatoes and squash a couple times a day.

A mix mash of Parsnips, Colored Carrots, Delicata Squash, Acorn Squash, and Kabocha Squash. With a bit of Ghee. Nothing like delicious buttery (better yet-Toffee like thanks to Ghee) squash, especially the mushy Acorn.

A salad dressing thanks to Oh She Glows, followed exactly for once.

I liked the dressing (above) even better than our cranberry sauce, the perfect blend of tart, sweet, and sour and tasty on everything.

Cranberry sauce. Enough said.

Mashed Yams/Sweet Potatoes like last year. This was über popular once again. Simply steam, mash, and mix in 1/2c Coconut Milk and 1 generous Tbsp of Coconut Oil. Creamy, sweet, and delicious, nice with a touch of cranberry sauce/dressing.

 Onto making pies. Above are the Pecan Pie filling ingredients about to be processed, it called for 3 eggs but 1 had a double yolk so I got a bonus yolk! I was stoked since that's never happened to me before. Thank you Farm-Fresh Eggs.

 Close and personal, this pie ended up quite delicious but a little bit nut buttery/energy bar like.  I love it like Almond paste/Marzipan, especially with Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream but am more of a liquidy pecan filling kind of guy.

 The epic crust for the Pumpkin Pie. I followed this for both crusts but got way more pecans into the pumpkin one, which made it way better. I could just make it as a cookie if I added a hint of ginger!
 Boom. 

Pre-Oven Pumpkin Pie. 

Pre Oven Pecan.

Donezo! I should of cooked it longer but couldn't because of the crust getting overdone, next time I'll do the crust less the first time around.

 I enjoyed with a bit of Fage Greek Yogurt as well as Coconut Bliss Vanilla Bean (which was so good, the bean part so strong it was almost like coffee ice cream).  The Pumpkin filling was a bit like Pumpkin pudding, not super firm and very creamy.

They go together quite well. In fact I had a slice of each for breakfast today and again after training.

 The whole table, this year only my dishes were present! Except for one imposter stuffing...

Ok I can't take credit for the gourmet turkey, El Salchichero I don't know what I'd do without you.

Cooking from 7 to 5 was well worth it for the 30 minutes of eating (plus several leftover meals).

Now leftovers for days if they last and the wonders of stock coming soon.

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway.