Paleo on Vacation

Diets are often and very easily distracted during vacations. Many times, experiencing a new culture is not only about visiting places of interests or watching cultural performances, it is also about trying its local food and delicacies. If travel is not for leisure and for the purpose of visiting loved ones, family meals often consist of comfort foods that are carbs and sugar laden. This August, Pau and I will be visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia to celebrate my birthday and our 1st wedding anniversary. I've been thinking about how we're going to keep to our regular eating routine as much as possible. Here are a few tips I thought of:

1. Read up on potentially paleo-friendly restaurants in the city from tripadvisor.com. 

Besides hotel rankings and reviews, there is also a section for restaurants. Closer to date, Pau and I will read up on restaurants we can dine at in Siem Reap and take down notes. With the help of photos and reviews from travelers, we can get a glimpse of what the type of food served, its cleanliness, service and affordability. Food blogs are also another good source of information but tripadvisor is still my go-to website.

2. Find a hotel that serves breakfast international-buffet style or american breakfast. 

With the international buffet selection, there are pros and cons. The good part is, there are often a good selection of paleo-friendly food, all the eggs and bacon you can eat. The bad part is that you can get tempted by non-paleo selection, such as the assorted breads and jams and cereals. So stay focus and think about how you will be better off without a bloated or upset stomach while enjoying the sights. Our hotel in Siem Reap serves the American-styled breakfast, which is likely to include baked beans, toasts, bacon, sausages and eggs. My plan is to skip the beans and toasts and keep the rest. Even if the sausages are not entirely paleo, and the bacon is probably pan-fried in canola oil, a little of non-paleo ingredients is not going to kill. It's worst to be ultra-picky and end up being hungry the entire trip and more likelihood of eating something junky. 

3. Pack your own snacks.

I'm sure we're going to get itchy-mouth/hungry while touring the Angkor Wat, so I intend to make Pau roast us some almonds before the trip and pack them in ziplocks for us to snack on. I may throw in some dried cranberries for variety and to satiate my sweet tooth, but not too much! I'm sure we can get almonds from the supermarkets in Siem Reap, I just thought it'll be nice that we're in control of the type of oil used for roasting. Oh, don't forget to stay hydrated!

4. Get exercise

I'm not too sure if our hotel has a gym but it does have a pool. So I intend to bring my bikini and swim a few laps. If not, I do foresee us doing abit of walking, so I will definitely pack in a pair of comfortable walking shoes/runners. 

5. Bring a paleo-read to keep motivated.

Everyday, I surf a bunch of paleo websites to stay informed, motivated and for new recipes. In case the hotel has no wifi, bring a book, or download the ebook version onto the ipad/Kindle. Also, in case someone questions you about the diet, the book will come handy.

Last but not least, don't be too hard on yourself if you eat something non-paleo. Let's face it, vacations are not part of our daily routine, it is difficult to stay on course and we are not perfect. If you have to eat something non-paleo, don't feel bad and let it slide. If eating that apple pie Grand-aunt Mary specially baked for your visit is going please her, eat a small piece, enough not to be rude and make you guilty. Like what Pau always reminds me: 100% paleo 80% of the time, is good enough. For me, it is currently 100% paleo 60% of the time. Baby steps, people! 

Have a wonderful vacation :) 

 Pau, please don't kill me for using this photo. I love you!

Sun-dried tomato beef patties

Beef patty is one of the most consumed form of protein in the paleoporean household simply because it is so convenient to prepare! It's just throwing a bunch of herbs and seasoning into the meat, mush, and cook. However, we often face the problem of super dry patties after cooked and part of the reason was that we used "weight watchers" minced beef, (which could be purchased from Huber's if anyone is interested) and it contain less fat and hence less juicy. Previously, we incorporated minced pork into the beef patties, hoping to add some juice, but was of little help. Yesterday, I saw on everydaypaleo.com a recipe for sun-dried tomato meatballs, and decided to give it a shot. FYI, this will not be a very comprehensive recipe as I originally had no intentions of posting it, because it turned out pretty juicy and delicious, I decided to share our version (which is not far from the original). 

Reactants:

1. ~600g of minced beef

2. 4 cloves of garlie, minced

3. 10 big basil leaves, chopped finely

4. 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped finely (bought ours from Cold Storage. The ingredients list on the bottle should only be sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil).

5. 2 gigantic portobello mushrooms (the ones we bought were as big as my boobs)  

6. Molten sea salt

7. black pepper

8. Red Boat fish sauce

Procedure:

To the minced beef in a huge mixing bowl, was added minced garlic, chopped basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, stem of 1 portobello mushroon, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 10 shakes of black pepper and 5 splashes of Red Boat fish sauce. The mixture was then mixed thoroughly with hands, ensuring all the ingredients were evenly mixed. After 10 minutes of kneading motion, it should result in a meat dough. 

The baking tray was greased with desired fat, in this case, we used olive oil since we'd be oven roasting at 190 degree celsius. The portobello mushrooms were placed on the tray, with the undersides facing upwards and sprinkled with some garlic powder and few specks of sea salt. Taking a handful of meat dough, spread it across the mushroom such that it formed a 1cm thick patty, and baked in the oven at 190degC for 20 minutes. After which, serve while warm and with desired sides. As you can see, we had ours with rock melon, wrapped with prosciutto De Australia and fresh butterhead lettuce. 

 

The remaining meat dough was further shaped into 5 smaller patties and pan-fried using coconut oil. I packed a couple to bring to work in case I get hungry around early evening. The color may not look appetitising, but it sure was juicy! 

I couldn't resist taking a bite from my tea-break snack!

Sweet Potato Muffins

So there's been a few requests for these little guys, and even though I actually made them last week, I'm finally getting around to posting the recipe.

Step 1: 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup roasted sweet potatos. You can boil or microwave them if you're in a hurry, but roasting is the way to get those natural sugars going. I used the orange sweet potatoes in this one, and they're a lot less sweet than the purple Japanese potatoes. I also peeled here, but I've tried unpeeled, and you get a more "whole wheat" taste.
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
A few pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg
Fruit, nuts or whatever else you want to throw in, on or around.
1-2 tbs. Stevia or other non-sugar sweetener (optional) I don't bother, but if you like you're muffins sweeter, Stevia is apparently approved by the Paleo Police.

Step 2:

Throw everything in a food processor, blender, mixer or kick it old school and mix by hand until smooth. Some recipes call for a runny-ass batter, but I've had way, way better results with a thick as mud consistancy.

Step 3:

Use a clean spoon if you're a delicate flower, or your filthy hand like a real man (or really real woman), and scoop out some big balls of batter. I used the muffin paper cup things because I'm a lazy bastard and don't like washing up. They also transport better, and with that raspberry I stuck on the top of each one, showing these to family, friends and co-workers makes you like like a damned pro-fessional!

Step 4:

Bake at 180 C or 350 F for 20+ minutes, or until you can stick a fork/knife/toothpick in the middle and withdraw without taking any gooey muffin guts with it (and people say 'pulling out' doesnt work. Rubbish!). These things do take a bit longer to cook than flour based muffins, I suspect due to the lack of gluten holding things together.

Let them cool, and eat them up!

- Mr. Paleoporean

Fruitti Tutti

I have absolutely no inspiration on what to write about this week, so I will leave you with a collage of my breakfast eats for this week. 

Unfortunately, the blueberry promotion is over and its price is back to ~$4.50 per 125 grams. I did purchase almost 3 KG of it during the sales period but cos Pau and I are such big blueberries lover, we are down to our last 125 grams. However, I did find an interesting fruit at the wet market last week: the passion fruit. It was rather affordable, at $3 per KG and that came to about 6 fruits. When I first got them last Sunday, most of them were smooth. The fruit uncle was really nice to remind me that I had to leave it out till the exterior skin turned wrinkly, then it will be ready to be eaten. So I left them out for a couple of days and fridge them later. Actually, I have been a huge fan of passion fruit since I was a teen- when bubble tea first came into the scene, I'd always order a passion fruit milk tea or passion fruit green tea. Till now, it is still my go-to favor! When I sliced the fruit, I can immediately smell its tangy-ness, the unmistakable scent, which I have been smelling the past 12 years from my bubble teas. The pulp and seeds were stuck to the fruit but easily removed by scraping with the spoon. If you're not a fan of sour, you will probably not enjoy it, BUT I LOVE IT! Hopefully, I can get more this weekend and the auntie in me may just haul a crate back!

Big Fat Lie?

Sorry for the lack in entries lately, I was really busy at work to research about my latest entry and pole classes took up many days of last week that my shoulders and wrists were begging me to stop. But hey, no pain no gain, I was finally able to hurl my ass up into the 'DVD cover'! You probably have no idea what I mean, but in the future posts when I talk more about my workouts, you will know what I am talking about.

As we all already know, fat is the root of many medical problems. Consuming large amounts of fatty food not only added inches to one's waistline, many studies have confirmed that the accumulation of fat around essential organs, such as the heart, leads to heart attack and stroke. Hence, when we talk about diet and losing weight, the word 'fat' will never ever appear in the same sentence. 

This is not a real photo of myself, but it depicts 100% of how i fit into my jeans everytime.

I was very surprise to learn that in the paleo diet, I am allowed to consume fat- it's more than allowing, the paleo community actually embraces fat like a good friend! You must be thinking: sure or not? Eat fats and still lose weight?! Don't bluff laa~! Too good to be true isn't it. I don't believe either, until I delve into the subject and realize that fat is actually quite misunderstood.

Besides maintaining body temperature, fat is actually the densest source of energy in our body at 9 calories/gram! That is the reason why our body stores fat, for times when food is scarce or just for basic activities like walking or running. Carbs is recommended if one is doing crazy triathlons, or doing the insane Tough Mudder. But for anything else, fat will always be the preferred and most reliable source of energy. Fat also plays many beneficial role within the body. It is often required for the absorption of nutrients that are present in other foods, like leafy vegetables. On a cellular level, fat makes up half of the cell membrane structure, it is required for cell generation/repair and allowing nutrients to penetrate.

You're probably thinking: but isn't all that fat going to clog my arteries, increase my cholesterol and worst, make me fat!!?! 

First of all, fat is not the cause for clogged arteries, but low density lipoprotein (LDL). Atherosclerosis is caused by oxidised LDL penetrating the arterial wall, causing inflammation and damaging the arterial tissue. It is not like fat mechanistically attaching itself to the surface of the arteries like fat in a kitchen pipe. Atherosclerosis is really a complex process with many other factors beyond what’s in your diet, let alone the fat content. Next, choesterol has nothing to do with fat, at all. Lastly, fat is very very filling that I don't think one can overeat fat. A diet comprising of high fat and low low carbs makes the body easier to access fat for energy, as compared to a diet of high carbs. Cos when one consume more carbs, together with fat, the body definitely hits up the carbs first for energy as it is easier to break down. And what happens when the amount of energy one uses is less than the amount of carbs consumed? The excess carbs AND fat will be stored in the body as fat. Simple. Ooooo, bad news for the skinny jeans/ bandage dresses but good news for for London Weight Management! Therefore, the point I am driving at is, you want your body to use fat for energy, NOT carbs or sugar. And with that, it will be helpful for fat loss, aka weight loss. (YEAY!)

OK, you may be 50% convinced that fat is not that bad after all, but does that mean ALL types of fat are good? No no no!!! You need to choose the good fat of course! 

There are several types of fat: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, essential fatty acids (omega 6 and omega 3), saturated fat and trans fat. Out of this list, we should be consuming the 'good' fat, namely, the monounsaturated fat and essential fatty acids, specifically omega 3.

• Monounsaturated fat is known to be very healthy and help reduce bad cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, provide nutrients to help develop and maintain your body’s cells. It can be found predominantly in olive oil, avocado, nuts (almond, macadamia) and nut oils (walnut oil, macadamia oil) , as well as seeds (flux seed).
• Omega-3 fatty acid needs no introduction at all. Many already know it for being a memory booster, reduce the risks of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases, depression, and so on. Food rich in omega-3 fatty acids include flax seed, wild caught salmon, sardine, shrimp and tuna. 

So, the next time you see the 'kong bak pau' (pork belly bun) or that expensive piece of wagyu beef, go ahead and sink your teeth into those juicy fatty meats. Cos as long as you do not eat them with any carbs, you need not worry about "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips".

Grains no good? Impossible!

Last week, I mentioned that I am going to talk about my best friend and it is already Thursday! Where is the entry??? Honestly, this week hasn't been the smoothest. The failed experiments at work took up quite a chunk of my thinking bandwidth. More so, I did not feel educated enough to write about my best friend. I still feel the same now, but then if I never start writing, I will never feel educated. So please bear with me if I make any mistakes. 

Grains. My bestest bestest friend in the whole wide world and ubiquitous in all cultures, thanks to the Agricultural Revolution. Bread, chicken rice, gnocchi, curry puff, pizza, char kway teow, chai tow kuay, pasta, etc. The list goes on and on. Another point to prove how entrenched grains are in my culture- Chinese people, especially Singaporean Chinese, instead of saying 'ni hao' (how are you) as an initial greeting, we would often say: 'chi fan le ma', which literally translate to 'have you eaten rice'. And boy, we Chinese turbo love rice! Breakfast: congee, lunch: rice, dinner: also rice! Sick of rice? Don't worry, there are rice cakes! Sick of rice cake? Nevermind, can have rice-noodles! What type of rice noodles you prefer? Chor bee hoon, thin bee hoon, mee sua, kway teow? The Chinese really doesn't run out of ideas to modify rice into different forms! And why are grains my best friend, cos I super super LOVE noodles AND bread. Unfortunately, ever since I started eating paleo in February, it has put a strain to our (27 years long and loving) relationship. Which leads to the reason why I am not 100% onto the paleo-bandwagon, I'm still in love with it.

Besides making one fat from heavy consumption, there are actually scientific reasons why grains are bad for our health. Before I start, I will like to credit Mark's Daily Apple for a big part of my knowledge. He has written many awesome and convincing posts on why we should avoid eating grains and my mission is to read the articles, decipher the information and rewrite them in layman terms, that even your grandmother can understand. 

Ok, as with Mother Nature, ALL living things do not want to be eaten and the ONLY purpose of existence is to survive, procreate and propagate. Humans and animals employ various defense mechanisms to stay alive. For instance, those tiny bright-colored frogs produce venom in their bodies to prevent themselves to be eaten, knowing they will be easy targets, porcupines have thousands of spikes on their back to warn any starving predators, Pau has been learning BJJ for self-defense and to protect me. Plants are no exception. Their defense mechanism: toxic anti-nutrients, such as lectins, gluten and phytates. And plants know that humans cannot break down those anti-nutrients, so when consumed, it leads to a series of medical problems, such as autoimmune diseases, like lupus and thyroid disorders, gastrointestinal issues, etc.

• Lectins attacks and degrades the protective lining in stomachs and the intestines. 
• Gluten triggers celiac disease, which is an immune reaction in the small intestines. It damages the inner surface of the small intestine, resulting in inability to absorb certain nutrients.  Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment. 
• Phytate, or phytate acid acts as a main storage of phosphorus in plants, aka, energy storage. We, humans, lack the enzyme to break down phytates and when that doesn't happen, phytates bind to magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron in intestines and take them OUT of our bodies! Talk about iron deficiency anemia! It could be part of the reason many people are deficient in magnesium, which can contribute to everything from muscle cramping to PMS. Zinc is SUPER important to our immune systems and reproductive abilities. Phytates chelate calcium out of our bodies, enuff said.

In short, our body lacks the enzymes to break down these anti-nutrients and hence not designed to consume grains. If these information are insufficient enough for you to think twice about cutting down, I don't know what will. Hence, the internal struggle inside me between a life-long love vs how detrimental it is for my health. Apart from maintaining social conventions, such as daily lunches with coworkers, eating big meals with family or an occasional birthday dinner, I am 60% grain-free. It is not easy as my body craves and expects grains but I am taking a slow, steady steps towards no grains. Eventually.

-Mrs Paleoporean

Slow Cooked Beef Brisket

Source: Huber's Butchery
Cut: Brisket
Feed: Grass, what else?

Ah, the humble brisket. This rather large and thankfully cheap cut comes from the front shoulder of the cow, or bull, or whatever. Being used a lot, by the whatever, for walking, jumping, maybe some beach vollyball, it gets tough and sinewy. Consequently, it needs to be slow cooked, at a low heat, over a long, long time. Like 7-9 hours long, depending on how bloody you like it.

Step 1:

Get a brisket. If you didn't already realize that was step 1, turn of the computer, and go lie down. You've got enough on your plate already, my poor, simple friend. We picked up our meaty monstrosity from the fantastic Huber's Butchery. They've supply beef, lamb, veal, sausages and seafood, in a wide selection of grass fed/organic/free range, and not so free range. I paraphrase Wu Tang Clan when I say that Huber's Butchery ain't nothin' to fuck wit.

Now season that big bastard. Lots, and I mean lots, of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and the dry rub of your choice. I used a blend euphemistically called "Mexican". Since I was neither stoned nor kidnapped after using it, I'm not sure how authentically Mexican it is.

During previous attempts, I've slathered the brisket in cayenne pepper and tomato paste, and besides making the brisket resemble a freshly hatched xenomorph emerging from a host, it didn't do much for the flavour, so I skipped it this time around.

Step 2:

On a high heat, in a big ass pan, pour a few splashes of coconut oil, or any paleo approved oil that can take the heat, and sear the shit out of that meaty bastard. Really, sear it like you've never seared before. Show no mercy. Let the brisket cook on all sides until dark brown. You need to almost burn it. Don't burn it, but almost burn it. I said almost!

Step 3:

In a slow cooker, combine some carrots and sticks of celery. You can chop them up into large pieces if you want, but I just broke them up with my hand, like the Hulk, if the Hulk hated vegetables, followed by a big manly handful of peeled shallots, and the same for cloves of garlic.

Step 4:

Stuff in your meat...hehe...meat. My brisket was so large, my wife came in while I was staring at the brisket, confused and full of doubt as to how I was going to jam it all in the slow cooker, and remarked "wow, that's a big piece of meat" to which I wittily replied "ya, that's what she said." Comedy gold people, comedy fricking gold.

In the end, I had to chop it in half and cram it into the pot with not so much as a half a cm to breath. As my dad would say, virgin tight. He's a very classy man. Unfortunately, the wily beast was so determined not to be cleaved in two, I went through a giant butcher knife, a steak knife and finally a now very gory pair of scissors getting through it.

A half-cup of free-range, organic chicken broth and you're all set. Put the slow cooker on low, put on the lid, and brew the beef for around 8 hours. I set it to cook before heading to bed, and turned of off when I got up for work, and voila, or, as the French say, voila. Tender, flavourful beef brisket that quite literally melts in your mouth, or anywhere else you feel like putting it, which is frankly, none of my business.

Eat some meat!

- Mr. Paleoporean