Hi everyone,
The release date of Primal Chef is inching closer everyday. The editor is just finishing up final touches and then the product will be released shortly after. Please, if you would send as many people as possible to the Facebook fan page, that would be awesome. The more support we get, the more likely this will continue to be a regular thing.
Click here to stay up to date and to view the photo gallery and episode 1 trailer!
I’m not sure why it took me so long to post this one, because it is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Ipanema serves a style of cuisine called “Rodizio” where you pay a fixed amount of money and get all you can eat privilege to as much of their slow charcoal roasted meats as you please. They come around with the different cuts and then slice you off whatever you like.
During lunch they have around 9 different cuts, and during dinner around 19. Also included in the price is an all you can eat salad bar (think more of deli salads, not just plain vegetables).
Some cuts of meat to expect are: bacon wrapped steak, garlic steak, top sirloin, rib-eye, tri-tip, pepper steak, chicken legs, and more. You can see their full selection here:
http://www.ipanemabraziliangrill.us/meats.php
Two examples:
House special top sirloin
Bacon wrapped steak (It was Halloween so the server was dressed up)
All you can eat meat = very happy blogger
Taste: 10
Nutrition: 10
Filling: 10 (If less, its your own fault!)
Price: $$ (Lunch) $$$ (Dinner)
I have no idea if the meat is seasoned or marinaded with anything non-paleo. Honestly I don’t want to know. If you find out, please don’t tell me. I’ve never felt sick after eating here so unless you are severely allergic to something, just enjoy it! (I did pass on the obvious offenders, like Parmesan pork).
My suggestions for your best experience:
1. Lunch Monday – Friday is only $17.00. When I’ve gone there for lunch, it was my only meal for that day and I wasn’t hungry again until lunch the following day. To get the most out of your money, go to lunch during the week. Dinner costs $40 and while you get 10ish more cuts to choose from, since for the lunch price you can go twice and still only be at $34, I’d rather do that.
2. Don’t go on a holiday. When they are super busy, the quality of the cooking drops and so does your experience. I’ve been there during some really busy times where they only come around to your table every 10 minutes and the food is only decent. I’ve also been there for lunch during the middle of a work day and it was the best damn food I’ve ever had.
3. Don’t eat anything before you go for at least 16 hours. You’ll be glad that you didn’t.
4. Don’t plan anything strenuous or sedentary for the rest of the day. You’ll be too full to workout, but also too full to sit down.
5. Drink lots of water before and after (but not during). The salt will dehydrate you.
6. Skip the salad bar. That’s how they get’cha. People fill up on cheap greens. No rabbit food for me. I’m there for the meat.
7. Try not to fill up on the sausage. It’s really good but will fill you up to quick!
8. Pace yourself, say no every so often. Take your time. You’ll be there a good 1-2 hours. Plan accordingly. Don’t stuff yourself full in the first 20 minutes.
That’s it. Gil’s guide to Rodizio eating. Now get off the internet and go to Ipanema! I hear they are serving meat tonight.
Just a few blocks away from Seattle Center is a “typically” lively place with a good paleo friendly menu. I say “typically” because it just so happens that when I was there yesterday with 7 family members, we were the only ones in the entire restaurant from the time we got there until the time we left. It is a huge restaurant and normally very busy. Was extremely weird to see it empty, but in their defense, it was a Monday. One thing I really like about this place is that they have a gluten free menu and are very quick to inform you if the specials and other items are at all questionable. The regular menu has more meat options and they said they can prepare them to be gluten free if the GF menu is too limited. Customer service bonus points.
Started with:
Grilled Romaine Salad: feta, kalamata olives, English cucumber, smokey grilled tomato vinaigrette. Asked for no feta.
Main Course:
Washington Chicken: garlic-crusted pan-roasted Washington chicken, rosemary garlic fingerlings, seasonal vegetable, pan jus. They did extra vegetable for me instead of potatoes. First time ever having that vegetable in my life too. Its basically the consistency of cauliflower but green. Chicken was served with some fried leeks on top.
Taste: 7
Nutrition: 10
Filling: 8
Price: $$$
Overall Value: 7
I’ve been here once before yesterday and it was excellent. This time it was not. Maybe the head chef took the night off yesterday. It was fine, but wasn’t great. For $20+ an entree, it needs to be great. But if you are in the area and looking for an upscale place to try, definitely keep it in mind as it has the potential to be great, and at the very least has even more options other than what I chose.
For those of you who didn’t hear about it, around a month ago I hosted a paleo themed cooking competition. If you’ve seen Chopped or Iron Chef, you get the idea. Robb Wolf made a guest appearance as a judge and chef. We had a professional video crew there running three cameras, as well as a still photographer. The photos from the event are being released to the facebook fan page. As soon as there is an update on the video, it will be posted on the fan page.
If you’d like to follow the progress of Primal Chef! please click here. It was an awesome event and will be an awesome video!
Now that I’ve told you it is possible to eat well on a budget, it is time for me to prove it. Using a combination of the four cheaper Seattle area grocery stores (QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway) I will show you just how cheap 4 days worth of eating can be.
Minimum Wage in Washington State is $8.67. The goal here is to stay under that for the whole day. One hour of working would pay off your whole day of eating.
Things To Note:
Disclaimer: This post is aimed towards people who are already spending at least $7.00+ per person per day. If your budget is lower than this, I realize this may not work for you. Do your best.
DAY 1: SAFEWAY
You Bought:
-Eggs: $2.50 / 18 count
-Broccoli Crowns: $0.99 / pound
-Oranges: $4.99 / 8 pound bag
-Chicken Breast: $2.99 / pound
-Pork Chop: $1.79 / pound
Breakfast: $1.34
-4 hardboiled eggs ($0.52)
-1/2lb steamed broccoli ($0.49)
-1/2lb orange ($0.31)
Lunch: $2.73
-3/4lb boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: ($2.24)
-1/2lb broccoli ($0.49)
Snack: $0.44
-1 hard boiled egg ($0.13)
- 1/2lb orange ($0.31)
Dinner: $2.59
-16oz Bone-In Pork Chop ($1.79)
-1/2lb steamed broccoli ($0.49)
-1/2lb orange ($0.31)
DAY 1 TOTAL: $7.10
DAY 2: QFC
You Bought:
-Eggs: $0.99 / 12 count
-Asparagus: $1.49 / pound
-Apples: $1.00 / pound
-Chicken Thighs: $1.99 / pound
-Seedless Grapes: $1.28 / pound
-Boneless Pork Loin: $2.99 / pound
Breakfast: $1.58
-4 hardboiled eggs ($0.33)
-0.5lbs Asparagus ($0.75)
-0.5lbs Apple ($0.50)
Lunch: $3.38
-1lb Chicken Thighs ($1.99)
-0.5lbs Asparagus ($0.75)
-1/2lb grapes: ($0.64)
Snack: $0.16
-2 hardboiled eggs: ($0.16)
Dinner: $3.49
-0.75lbs Boneless Pork Loin ($2.24)
-0.5lbs Asparagus ($0.75)
-0.5lbs Apple ($0.50)
DAY 2 TOTAL:$ 8.61
DAY 3: FRED MEYER
You Bought:
-Eggs: $3.00 / 36 count
-Avocado (Large) $3.00 / 2 count
-Cantaloupe: $0.53 / pound
-Salad Mix: $5.00 / 2 count
-Beef Back Ribs: $1.69 / pound
-Apples: $0.88 / pound
-Roasted Chicken: $0.88 / pound
Breakfast: $1.34
-4 hardboiled eggs ($0.33)
- 1/2 Avocado ($0.75)
-1/2lb cantaloupe: ($0.26)
Lunch: $3.69
-1lb Beef Back Ribs ($1.69)
-1/2 Avocado ($0.75)
-1/2 box salad mix ($1.25)
Snack: $0.60
-2 hardboiled eggs: ($0.16)
-1/2lb apple: ($0.44)
Dinner:$2.57
-1lb Roasted Chicken: ($0.88)
-1/2 container salad mix: ($1.25)
-1/2lb apple: ($0.44)
DAY 3 TOTAL: $8.20
DAY 4: ALBERTSON’S
You Bought:
-Boneless chicken breast: $1.88 / pound
-Grapefruit: $0.69 / each
-Broccoli: $1.29 / pound
-Chicken Thighs $1.29 / pound
-Apples: $0.88 / pound
-Baby Carrots: $1.50 / bag
-Pork Chops: $1.99 / pound
Breakfast: $2.39
-3/4lbs Chicken Breast: ($1.41)
-1/2lb Broccoli: ($0.64)
-1/2 grapefruit: ($0.34)
Lunch: $2.37
-1lb Chicken Thighs: ($1.29)
-1/2lb Broccoli: ($0.64)
-1/2lb apple: ($0.44)
Snack: $0.81
-1/2lb Apple: ($0.44)
-1/4 bag baby carrots: ($0.37)
Dinner: $2.97
-1lb pork chops:($1.99)
-1/2lb Broccoli: ($0.64)
-1/2 grapefruit: ($0.34)
DAY 4 TOTAL: $8.54
Well there you go. Four days of eating, each below the goal. As a reminder, this is more food than you probably would go through and when you factor in things like a carton of eggs lasting multiple days, your spendings may very well be lower than these calculations. Is this realistic for you? How much do you typically spend per day with a regular American diet? How much does your Paleo menu cost?
One of the most common things I hear from people who choose not to do Paleo is that it is too expensive and there is no way they can afford it (or want to spend their money that way). The reality is first that this often (not always) is just one of many excuses people have in response to not wanting to give up the foods they are addicted to. From this post, hopefully, at least this excuse will be defeated. You can do it, if you follow these simple rules.
1. Quantity Over Quality:
This seems backwards from most nutritional advice. But within this requirement of “quantity” we are still talking about only Paleo friendly foods, not jumbo soda packs. As a general guideline for this post, for the most part, forget quality. We aren’t doing grass-fed meats or organic produce. In comparison to the typical western diet, a low quality Paleo type eating plan is still better than the heavy amounts of grains, dairy, sugar, and processed foods that you may be eating. You can get good bulk deals if you follow rule #2.
2. Shop at Multiple Stores
Ok yes, this may be a pain for you depending on where you live, but the reality is if you want to eat well, and your budget is low, this is typically a mandatory step. Here comes the other excuses (I don’t have time to shop at two stores). Yes you do. Find your motivation and you will make time for it. You also don’t even have to go to multiple stores on the same day, but during the course of the week, you should shop around. Now where do you go? Rule number 3 covers that.
3. Read Online Sale Flyers
Since you are reading my online blog, chances are you have internet access. The four main cheaper grocery stores in Seattle (QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway) all publish weekly ads with the items that are on sale. This includes things from all departments, including meat, seafood, and produce, the three important sections for a Paleo shopper. There is enough food on sale each week between these stores to do all of your shopping on sale items. Yes, this may mean visits to multiple grocery stores, but if you know what you are looking for (you read the ad), the extra stop shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. You may also find some coupons on their websites for items you are buying. Unless you suffer from veganism (or any other odd condition), you likely are already buying things from the meat and seafood sections already. How can you start to afford more? There’s a rule for that. Number 4.
4. Stop Buying Unnecessary Crap
While individual bags of chips, cookies, crackers, sodas, and other processed foods may seem cheap, they really do start to add up. Once you stop buying all of these unhealthy “food products” you may be surprised at how much farther it gets you. Let’s say you buy two $1 sodas per day and a $1 bag of chips. Thats $3.00. Doesn’t seem like much. Turns out, depending on the store, that could have easily bought you at least a full pound of ground beef. Following these simple steps of removing unessential food products, again really starts to open things up. Also, spending all your extra money on fancy clothing, electronics, and latest trends when it could be put towards quality food, is not a very good way to extend your health and life.
5. If You Can’t Afford It, Don’t Buy it
This relates to a few things. Everyone knows Seafood is good for you. Everyone also knows it can be crazy expensive. Same with some types of nuts. Remember, we are doing our best here. Don’t feel you need to have something if you can’t afford it. A Paleo eating plan that never sees seafood is still better than a “See Food” diet that never sees Paleo. Also, while eating out is fun and convenient, we all know it is always overpriced for profit. When trying to stretch your dollar, eat home more often. Even cheap restaurants like McDonald’s aren’t really as cheap as they seem when you factor in just how low their quality is. But if you are out and need something cheap, sure go there, order a cheese-less burger and toss the buns in the trash before you have time to try to justify eating it for your “energy needs.”
6. Simple Preparations of Food
You are making eggs. If you scramble them, you typically need some sort of lubricant (oil / butter) on the pan. This costs money. How about hardboiling or baking them? Water and dry heat are cheaper. Same idea with vegetables. Steaming can save you money. Not much, but it all adds up.
The next and final rule is actually a 2-parter so read carefully. It also relates back to rule #1
7. Buy Value Packs & Clear Out Your Freezer
Shopping at QFC the other day, they had chicken breast for $4.99 / pound. Not too bad, but still not that good. Here’s the cool part. Buy one get one free. You could have spent $15.00 on chicken and gotten $15.00 additional for free. That’s 6 pounds of chicken which should last you quite a while. Now if your freezer wasn’t full of frozen pizzas, ice cream, and Otter Pops, there would be room to store this for later use. Shop value packs, stash up, and freeze it for later use.
Part 2 of this series I will actually show you multiple days worth of eating at the different stores using sale flyers, and the low price that it can have. According to one source, the average American spend $7.00 per day on food. Think you can get that low on Paleo? Stay tuned!
Here’s a fine dining option for those of you looking for a fancier Paleo option. Located in Madrona area, this restaurant is a small local place with some nice, tasty options including kebabs, seafood, and shanks.
Here’s what I had:
| Kuzu Incik | Lamb Shank with bone braised accompanied by onions, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes. |
They were very willing to leave out the potatoes and substitute more salad instead of grain based sides.
Taste: 10
Nutrition: 10
Filling: 8
Price: $$$
Overall Value: 9 (Fine dining is expected to be overpriced, so do expect).
Sweet!
Tucked in the Ballard Blocks area of Seattle is a gourmet burger chain that happens to be one of the most Paleo friendly restaurants in the city. You know how when trying to order at most restaurants you have to make a list to the waiter / waitress of the stuff you don’t want? Well here it is the opposite as the “build your own burger” option lets you express exactly what you do want.
After studying the allergen statement, this beautiful display above shows the items that are all gluten, dairy, and soy free. There is some conflicting and confusing information (ie why is the chicken breast not gluten free?) I will try to clear these up and report back. The fried egg is delicious but it says it contains soy, meaning they likely fry it in soybean oil. Keep in mind these items still could have added sugar, but the 3 big allergens are not present if you go by this selection.
Bonus: As stated on the menu, all their meat is natural, with no hormones, antibiotics, or CAFO conditions. Not grass-fed but close enough for the type of place it is!
Now, the part you’ve all been waiting for…pictures of the food!
This was the market selection, which happened to be Bison. Was it good? Yes. Did it taste exactly like beef? Yes. That being said was it worth $6 extra for the bison instead of beef? No!
Bison, mixed greens, grilled onions, hard boiled egg, black olives, bacon, avocado, sauteed mushrooms, dijon balsamic dressing
Taste: 9 (Meat was over-cooked)
Nutrition: 10
Filling: 8
Price: $$
Overall Value: 9 (Could have pretty much made this exact same thing for 1/3 the price in my kitchen. But for a restaurant, I’ll give it a 9).
Rock-on The Counter!
So while at work one day I had a good idea of having a iron chef style competition among employees. After thinking about it a minute, I realized I could make this idea great. So I did. I am happy to announce the first ever Primal Cook-Off being put on at Whole Foods Market Roosevelt Square.
“Are you a health minded cook? Enjoy a good culinary challenge? If so, you are invited to witness a cooking challenge with a healthy twist! Our experienced chefs will compete against local chefs to see who can come up with the best tasting, health conscious dish using the provided ingredients and within the allowed time limit. Your $20 entry fee will get you a admission to view the competition and the possibility to win one of four fabulous door prizes! All proceeds will be donated to the Whole Planet Foundation to help end global poverty.
Plus we’ll have a very special guest, author Robb Wolf, will join us to talk about his New York Times bestselling book “The Paleo Solution.” The ingredients for the challenge will be inspired by the recipes included in his book. The judges will be comprised of members of the “Western Washington Paleo Enthusiasts” group, chefs, and community members.
Just for attending you’ll be enter to win one of the following door prizes:
-5 personal fitness or boxing training sessions donated by Ballard Barbell & Boxing Club ($375 value!)
-A $50 gift card to Whole Foods
-A signed copy of “The Paleo Solution,” by Robb Wolf
Or -A seat at the judges table
Register in store or call (206) 985-1500. Seating is limited to 25 so RSVP today! Payment is due at the time of registration to hold your spot.”
So there we go. The vegan centered grocery store will finally be there to spread our cause. Hopefully this may be the start of something as people worldwide compete to earn the title of “Primal Chef.” Who knows, if this does catch on, maybe someone with some Food Network ties could get us a show (nudge nudge wink wink).
See you all there!
Red meat is the topic of many debates about its role in the cause of cancer and heart disease. As you have read from my other blog posts, it does not, and even the American Heart association now agrees.
I’d like to share with you two fictional yet highly occurring stories. The first person’s intake of red meat may actually be contributing to an increased risk of disease. As you’ll see, there are many components that when accumulated, are definitely problematic.
The second story really explains why this is and how to avoid it. The purpose of this entry is to show how there is are 3 important steps in eating good food. Sourcing (where the food came from), preparation (how it is made) , and delivery (how the food is eaten).
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John – The average American, eating the average American diet.
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Meet John, a sedentary, overweight man, similar to the average American. Already based on these two things you’ve been told, he is at higher risk for chronic disease (1). John is heading over to the grocery store to pick up dinner for himself and family. He’s running late for a TV series airing, so he has to do the shopping fast. Already stressed out (2), he enters Safeway and heads straight to the meat counter. It’s steak and hotdog night! He picks up a generic piece of steak (3) and the cheapest hotdog pack he can find (4). Money is tight now after spending $1,000 on a top of the line 60 inch LCD HDTV. But that shouldn’t affect his choices as claims such as “100% beef” makes him know he is getting a quality product. The steak claims to be “100% corn-fed” so he figures that is a sign of quality too. Before heading to the checkout counter he rushes over to the bakery and grabs a bag of buns to go with the hotdogs (5).
Finally home, John heads straight to the kitchen and fires up his indoor grill. He rubs the steak with canola oil to give it a nice coating so it doesn’t stick to the grill (6). His preferred style? Well done and charred! (7) Once it is cooked he leaves the well done, charred piece of meat off to the side to rest while he fires up his hotdogs and toasts his buns. When finishes he dumps a fair amount of Heinz Ketchup on (8), the most trusted brand of Ketchup in the entire country. Finishing barely in time, him and his family sit down in front of the TV and chow-down. Within a few minutes, their plates are already empty and are going back for seconds (9)
Let’s breakdown the issues:
(1) Just by being overweight and sedentary, John is at a significantly higher risk of chronic illnesses.
(2) By being constantly stressed out, John’s risk of disease is also greatly increased.
(3) Corn is not what cows are supposed to eat. When they do, your health greatly suffers.
(4) Processed meats may have an increased risk of disease. The preservatives such as sodium nitrate that are in the hotdogs also do.
(5) Refined carbohydrates such as bread significantly increase your risk of disease.
(6) Cooking with liquid oils at high heat is a bad idea
(7) Eating charred and well done meats may increase your risk of cancer by up to 60%.
(8) Cancer cells feed on fructose. Eating fructose increases your risk of cancer a lot.
(9) Eating and digestion require full attention. Watching in front of TV, eating quickly with minimal chewing, can cause issues. There is less science behind this one, but you may notice it yourself.
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James – An active man, following a solid diet
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James is fit due to his commitment towards following a solid diet and staying active. He is always looking for ways to improve his health, not just in food and fitness, but in stress management and getting enough sleep. He decides not to buy expensive electronics so he doesn’t have to worry about money stress. James is grocery shopping at PCC or Whole Foods (your pick) and is having meat for dinner. He heads over to the meat department’s very small acceptable selection of 100% grass-fed meat, free of anti-biotics, hormones, and corn. He chooses a potroast, grabs a bunch of vegetables to with it, and heads to check out. In no hurry he heads home to cook for his family. He gives the meat a light sear in a solid oil such as coconut, palm, butter, ghee, lard, or tallow, and then throws it in the oven at a very low temperature to slow cook it. While there are vegetables in the potroast that he added he also makes a big salad to go with it full of fresh vegetables. When done, he sits down with his family and eats a long, stress free dinner.
Can you see the difference? Are you more like John or James? I think we should all strive to be a little bit more like James.
If I was a scientist who was determined that red meat causes cancer, I could take John’s story and easily come to the conclusion that it does. Someone who follows this type of life, which unfortunately many do, has an increased risk of disease. Was it the fact that he had meat on his plate the cause? The reality is that there are so many destructive behavoirs going on here, from the food’s sourcing, preparation, and eating that there is no way to accurately attribute the meat with cancer. For a good video on why the studies are flawed, check this out.