Fighting stagnancy November 24, 2008
Posted by Dr Dan in weight loss.Tags: paleo diet, recipe
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So I am a little disappointed. This is the first week that I only dropped half a kilogram (not including the week that I went off paleo but kept my carbohydrate intake low). I know why and I only have myself to blame. It was a week of many good byes and social occasions and so I drank more alcohol than I normally would. Not a lot every night but obviously enough to stall progress. I see this as a little hypocritical because I am so strict at only eating foods that our ancestors would have eaten and then at the same time I am happy to go and down a wine. As a result I feel like I have derailed a little and its time to get that train back on track. So for the next two weeks I will refuse to have even a glass of alcohol. Tonight became my first test as my flatmate came home early and asked if I wanted to drink some red wine. I said no! So at least I have started off well.
Another reason I think I was derailing was due to boredom of the same old meals. I have been on a bit of a tight budget and so my choices have been somewhat limited. Consequently, I have been making bland, boring meals. Then I read this post by McBloggenstein and it got me thinking. There is a world of vegetables and fruits along with another world of spices and herbs to cook them with. So why do I choose the same meals over and over and not explore this abundance of paleo food combinations. When I first started this blog I really did this well and was cooking, and on the look out, for exciting new paleo recipes. I seemed to have stopped, in large part due to the budget. But I decided that enough was enough and it is time to get back on that food exploration path.
So I went to the supermarket and there was my first challenge – a globe artichoke. So I put my skills to the test. Here is the recipe.
Globe Artichoke and a Lemon Aioli Sauce
Artichoke and Lemon Aioli
Ingredients
Globe Artichoke
Lemon
Olive Oil
Egg Yolk
Garlic
Salt (if you want it)
Wash the artichoke and cut off the stem. Place the artichoke onto the base of its stem in a pot full of water. Place a small plate, or pot lid, that fits into the pot, onto the artichoke to keep it from floating. Bring the water to the boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. While this is happening place the egg yolk into a bowl and then beat with an electric beater. Ever so slowly (and Im serious here) add in olive oil. Usually a teaspoon each time at first. The mixture will start to become quite thick and when this happens squeeze in the juice from one lemon, garlic and the salt. Beat again and it should reach a nice consistency. If you want to make the mixture less thick keep adding lemon juice or water, or alternatively if you want the mixture to be thicker add more olive oil. Remember this will get thicker when you chill it in the fridge, which is what you do when your finished. Remove the artichoke and serve with the lemon aioli. You eat the artichoke by removing each petal (it is a flower), dipping it in the sauce and then scraping the fleshy part of the petal with your teeth. On no account eat the fibrous fleshy choke – not a good idea. Then eat the artichoke bottom, which is the best part of all.
This was a real treat and I felt quite rejuvenated and re-focused back on paleo foods. It made me realise that their is no reason/excuse to be bored, its all about challenging yourself and been creative with food. There IS a lot of paleo foods out there and there are plenty of combinations to keep me satisfied I just need to push myself to keep trying them.
In the end, I need to remind myself that half a kilogram is the recommended weight loss by most diets and so I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. But it was not really about the weight but rather the stagnant mental space I was in.
Food
Well you already know most of it. But first thing in the morning I had some strawberries and guacamole (mashed avocado, lemon juice, olive oil). I bought some really good quality olive oil and it is making all the difference. Now I did NOT have these two in combination but ate them separately. But I will confess that I did try it and it actually worked. No Im not joking. The flavour in my mouth started off with an explosion of strawberry flavour, and then moved into the savoury tang of the avocado, followed up with another explosion of sweetness. Trust me do try it.
Guacamole and Strawberries
Then I had the artichoke and lemon aioli, along with a scotch eye fillet steak, for both lunch and for dinner.
Artichoke, Lemon Aioli and Scotch Eye Fillet Steak
Nutrition
Grams % Total Calories
Carbohyrate 90 18
Protein 120 24
Fat 131 58
TOTAL CALORIES – 1930
Exercise
Day Off
I’m with you on variety! And I love artichokes: it’s perhaps my favorite vegetable – my son’s, too. So fun to eat, too. I usually make a couple extra for later meals, snacks, my son’s lunch at school. But when we moved to California I served them too frequently and now my husband is burnt out on them. I even grow a few artichokes in the garden, because they are such a beautiful fern-like plant with a striking purple thistle bloom.
Though I know I’m marching to a slightly different drum beat, I find my weight stays at a better level best (a bit lower) when my fat intake is a bit higher.
Have you considered less costly cuts of meat to economize, not to mention add some texture and flavor variety? I know they aren’t as fast and easy to cook as steaks, but how about short ribs, shanks, oxtail, etc? They do require long cooking times, but only a few minutes hands-on prep, then a slow simmer that can be done one evening and then eaten the next day (actually the flavor improves with a day) (or over the weekend/during the day in a slow cooker appliance). And if you want to avoid the fat
, it’s solid after a night in the fridge and can easily be pulled off.
North African Moroccan tagine spices and Indian curries especially, are great with inexpensive lamb cuts, and Southeast Asian stews with coconut milk and beef or pork are also nice. Basically these are stews with some variation in spices. An added benefit are the minerals that leach into the sauce from the bones. Our ancestors chewed and sucked on bones a lot and we don’t tend to do much of that. Bone broths provide great bioavailability of those minerals in a tasty way.
Pot roasts are another easy “make one day, then eat for a couple days strategy” (or freeze some cooked meat for later portions). Pot Roast also tastes a bit better the 2nd day. The rather plain meat can then be dressed up as Mexican, British, Italian or whatever garnishes.
Its funny you should say that I was going to cook a chicken in the slow cooker today!! Those are also some great ideas for recipes!