Always something new to learn

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Mobility:
Keg drill, 2 minutes
Pigeon, 1 minute each
10 PVC dislocates
10 Overhead squats
10 Hang squat snatch (pvc or light bar)

Strength/Skill:
15 minutes to work up to a heavy weight of:
1 Squat Snatch from each position: hi hang, knee, and floor.

Notes: Feel free to drop the bar between reps, but no rest between positions.  Focus on hitting those hips!

Workout:
Five rounds for time of:
275 pound Deadlift, 5 reps
10 Burpees

Cool down:
50 Abmat sit ups (no anchor, butterfly feet)
25 Good mornings w/bar

My paleo journey feels like it’s always evolving.  I find myself always wanting to know more. Basically, I feel like a little kid who keeps asking “why? why? why?”. So every couple of months I reflect on the things I’ve learned in the previous months from the blogs I’ve read, the podcasts I’ve listened to, and discussions I’ve had with  fellow paleo friends . The part that intrigues me the most is the constant “trial and error”. Constantly expanding my pallet and learning about new foods forces me to learn how all these foods are digested and how they directly impact your body. It reminds me that every person’s stomach is different so a ‘trial and error” process is so necessary. It’s really quite nuts. Food digestion can get super sciency and sometimes be really hard to understand, but most of the time it just makes so much sense. Consuming REAL food just makes so much ridiculous sense.

As I reflect the questions start to stack up… “Will C-Rose’s kale salads make me back squat her body weight? How is soy affecting the hormones of children? If I put corn in my guacamole, is it still paleo? Why are seed oils so scrutinized? Did Dino break his foot because he ate too many donuts?” You get the point…

Now, a good portion of you have been eating real foods for quite some time and some of you are still just putting your feet in the water. Regardless, your questions should never cease. If you were to get a free 1 hour consultation with your favorite paleo blogger or primal nutritionist, what question or topic of discussion would be at the top of your list?

Post answers below.

– Jamie

Easy Eggplant Bolognese

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons bacon fat or coconut oil (I highly recommend using bacon fat for awesome flavor!)

2 medium sized Italian eggplants peeled and cubed (approximately 3-4 cups)

1 red bell pepper cut into bite size pieces

1 small red onion, sliced

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste

2 tablespoons red wine (you can sub with balsamic vinegar if you like)

3-4 garlic cloves minced

1 ½ cups tomato sauce 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Black pepper to taste

Process:

1. In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat over medium heat.  Add the eggplant and saute until tender, approximately 5-8 minutes.

2. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of bacon fat to the pot and saute the bell peppers and onions until tender, about another 5-8  minutes.  Remove the peppers and onions from the pot and set aside as well.

4. Crumble the ground pork and ground beef into the pot and brown. Add the teaspoon of salt and stir.

5. Add the red wine and garlic and bring to a simmer.  Stir the simmering meat and wine until the alcohol smell starts to subside.

6. Add the eggplant, peppers, and onions back to the pan with the meat, pour in the tomato sauce, add the oregano, and some black pepper and bring to a simmer.

7. Taste and season with more sea salt if desired.

8. Serve in bowls and enjoy!

9. Feel free to serve over sauted or steamed veggies of your choice like zucchini, broccolini, julienned carrots, kale, etc.