Sick Crazy Credentials

March 22nd, 2012

Lest any of you think that I have not really been that poor of an eater, or been really sick and crazy enough that this dietary change of mine is significant, let me share these little vignettes;

Brisket/Bratwurst Dog – I have in the past taken great delight in wrapping a bratwurst with a big slice of brisket and then putting in on the bun.  If I thought about it at all in terms of fat and calories, I would think, ‘well I’m already eating the bratwurst, so adding brisket is just adding more meat, so, no difference really.’ If someone else had tried that rationale on me I would have said, ‘no, fool, it is different – it’s TWICE AS MUCH fat and calories.’

Brisket Blanket Turkey – When you think of Thanksgiving dinner and all the glorious fat therein, the turkey isn’t always the first thing you think of, right? Dark meat and skin aside, turkey CAN be low fat, low cholesterol. Oh but wait! If you really work at it, you can also make the white meat really horrible for you! Here’s how – smoke a nice big brisket the day before you are going to cook your turkey, then put it in the fridge whole, after it cools. The next day, before cooking the turkey, slice the whole big layer of smoked and seasoned fat off the brisket and lay it over the breast of the turkey like a cold greasy blanket. As the turkey cooks, all that brisket fat will soak down through the turkey breast. Yep, I came up with that a few years ago. And no, I will not give you detailed instructions, you sick freak.

Roller Grill – Have you had the roller grill? It’s most commonly found in gas stations, that area in the attached zippy marts where the hot dogs and other foods shaped into logs turn slowly on the heated metal tubes. Ah, the roller grill…taquitos, hot dogs, sausage loaf, and my favorite – the mixed meat log, usually called the Big Bite or some such it’s ‘beef’ mixed with ‘cheese’ and something spicy. Often there is a dispenser for chili and cheese sauce! Yummo! And just to make it healthy, there are some fresh vegetables (jalapeno and onion) to add on, plus mustard, which you should know, has no fat. Yep, I’ve knocked back plenty of roller grill in my day. It’s best with a glazed donut chaser and a Dr Pepper.

On a happier note, we’ve found a fantastic lentil chili recipe, that make a bunch, so it can be eaten for many meals over the course of a few days. It goes like this;

Ingredients:
·         1 onion, chopped
·         1 tsp cumin
·         10 cups water
·         1 ½ pounds lentils
·         2 tsp salt
·         2 cups salsa (we use the Costco brand Kirkland Organic Medium, it rocks)
·         29 oz canned tomatoes, crushed (the tomatoes, not the can)
·         1 tsp chili powder

Brown the onion in a pan, add lentils and water. Simmer 1 ½ hours. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. That’s it! Chili is done! If you enjoy cooking at all, I’m sure you can see that this can be altered a hundred ways. On the other hand, it is REALLY fantastic, as is.

Pictured above is my bowl full for lunch, with some sautéed spinach, and red pepper flakes on top. Don’t the chili and salad together make a lovely looking combo? This way of eating is so not dull. As my 6 year old, Canon, would say, ‘It is too not!!’

Here's what I put through my head hole today;

March 22, 2012
breakfast	French toast (made with banana instead of egg), blackberries
snack	whey protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk, and frozen blueberries
lunch	lentil chili with spinach added, salad with tomato, 1/4 avocado, and tomato hot sauce, 2 Barbara's Whole Wheat Fig Bars
snack	small handful of dried banana chips
dinner	tacos and beans
activity	20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes with the dumbbells