Sneaky "Fast-Food" Options at Panera...

I don't like fast food, I don't get any pleasure out of stopping somewhere and grabbing something to-go, and if I'm going to a restaurant, I generally prefer that it is something quite special. However, I ran across something online today that impressed me: Panera Bread has a Paleo Menu. Actually, the dishes are called "Power" dishes. It is secret. It looks pretty delicious, and definitely a compromise that might be useful when dad-just-wants-a-quick-bite or friend-wants-to-meet-to-practice-her-upcoming-interview times. They definitely look higher quality than your typical make-shift fast-food salads. I don't see any ice-berg and the site identifies "extra virgin olive oil" and lemon juice...... sweet.

Perhaps its worth checking out... well played, Panera. Secret Menu found online or apparently can be asked for in-store.

Product Pick: Tessemae's Dressing

Alright. Something very good is happening in foodland right now. Within weeks of one another, two brilliant, clean, safe products have graced the shelves. Tessemae's is one of them.

One of the easiest things you can do is make your own salad dressing. It really is one of the number one most simple things to do. Yet, for years, I have taken the journey from hunting for to giving up on the perfect commercially available salad dressing. I'm all for doing something yourself, I'm all for simplicity-- but really, sometimes I just want to grab a bloody bottle of salad dressing and not worry about soybean-canola-oil-corn-syrup-sugar-and-crap within. I JUST WANT SOME SALAD DRESSING!

A gentleman named Caleb introduced me to the bottle that (finally) fits the bill. Dipped elegantly in red wax (taught to the company by Maker's Mark), the glass bottle with its popping, clean packaging contains only the finest of ingredients. There are a few varieties that shine brighter than the others-- Lemon Garlic, Balsamic, and Southwest Ranch stand out to me. For example, Southwest Ranch contains:

Olive Oil, Organic Lemons, Organic Garlic, Mustard, Sea Salt, Spices, Cracked Black Pepper

The most bizarre thing about the Ranch is how good it is and yet-- it isn't anything near the creamy-white substance we hold near and dear. Nope. It is neon orange and translucent. What? Whatever. Eat it. It would make a perfect marinade, too. I mean, I imagine all the things, dripping with this dressing. Shut up, it is an entirely reasonable image. I imagine chicken marinated in the ranch. I imagine avocado chunks tossed in the lemon-garlic. I imagine swimming in-- wait. Not that.

Please support this incredible family and their delicious, safe, healthful foods. Please please please make yourself some good things, and pour this all over it. I asked Caleb what it was that he wanted everyone to know. He responded: "We keep it real."

This might be the look that a dull salad receives before dousing.

TOPS. Winnah. On a scale of 1-10:

Ingredients: 10
Ease of use: 10
Nutrition: 9
Convenience: 10
Price: 7
Over-All: 9.2

WHY AREN'T YOU BUYING THIS ALREADY???

Product Pick: Epic Bars

For our product pic today, we have Epic Bars, a novel snack that I'd best describe as a sort of jerky-bar. Yes! A snack! A protein-filled snack without any questionable oddities inside! Absolutely delightful to have something that I can throw into my gym bag in anticipation for errand-running, or take on a hike with me, or nibble secretly in the pantry at 2:30am. What?

This comes in Turkey, Bison, and Beef. It is made with Grass-fed meat (in some form or another) and each variety has something awesome in it, like bacon, or almonds. Really. I would call them a modern version of real pemmican, but without the tallow. Because hey, we aren't literally living only off of them while trekking across the great plains. And hey-- another secret-- the turkey one is my favorite. Yeah, really. I was surprised, too. They're all EXTREMELY good, though. I can proudly hold these and strut around with them. Also, eat them.

Portable delights. I mean, just getting back to the beef-jerky goodness of dehydrated meat is an "Epic" thing. They do ring in at $2.50 each, though, so be prepared.

On a scale of 1-10:

Ingredients: 7
Ease of use: 10
Nutrition: 8
Convenience: 10
Price: 3
Over-All: 7.6

Eat your meat!

Five shoes in one: the Nike Studio Wrap

Five shoes in one: the Nike Studio Wrap

Just calling out the most awesome, innovative barefoot thing I've seen a company do since Five-Fingers. Instead of looking at what other companies did (and did right), ie: Making another five-fingered shoe (like Fila, etc), they came up with something brilliantly new, ancient, and minimalist. I'm a big fan of wrapping my feet-- but these solve the problem of wrap slippage, kinks, etc. Kudos to them. The price is insanity, though. Good job, Nike... you surprised me. I want these. 

Minimilist Shoes for Work: Zem O2 vs Minimil

Zem O2 vs Minimil, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

Ding, ding! That was a boxer's bell. You got that, right? As you may know, I have had quite a time finding minimalist shoes that are "Slip-Resistant" to wear at work. Today I finally am able to speak with the authority of someone who has purchased two pairs of slip-resistant shoes and worn them to work. Actually, I don't know that this gains me much authority. But here it is:

ZEMgear Oxygen 2 VS Belleville Mini-Mil

First and foremost, a huge shoutout to the folks at ZEMgear. I never saw an actual name, but the ZEMgear support team blew me away with their attention to inquiry #553191. Not only did they address my question with knowledgeable responses, they weren't afraid to tell me that something 'might not work' for my particular situation. They didn't try to make a hard-sale, they didn't try to trick me, they were just honest, prompt, and complete. They kept up communication and even emailed me a few days later to see if I'd found one, how I liked it, etc. What a follow-up. I mean, they were really brilliant to work with. These little shoes do not come cheaply, though, so I waited a little bit and-- to my surprise-- saw them pop up on my secret addiction Fab.com, with whom I had a small amount of credit for something, and grabbed them there. It took a long time for them to come in.

Minimil: 5mm Drop

Belleville Mini-Mil

In the meantime, I had purchased my Belleville Minimils online, for more than double the price of the Zemgears. I expected them to perform well and be tough-- definitely boots-- as Belleville knows what they're doing with military gear. When I received them, however, I had quite a shock. It has been a very long time since I had to break-in a pair of shoes. And boy oh boy, was this a break-in. I mean, these shoes have a deep, painful, stiff heel cup. They have all kinds of ankle-support. They are sturdy and rugged-- I don't think I'll have (another, cough cough) mesquite thorn enter the arena of my foot while wearing these guys. But HOLY BLISTERS, Batman, this was a painful break-in. I referred to my favorite military-man, who told me to soak them in hot water and wear them while they're wet. I did this twice. I hiked in them, walked in them, wore them around the house. It was a long and painful journey. At the point they're in now, they're alright-- but still not very flexible. They look great and I feel safe in them, but I need you to know: This is not an easy transition for someone used to minimalist shoes. Be prepared. Also, they're a little tight-- I wear a size 38 Fivefinger and I'd probably have been better one size up.

ZEMgear Oxygen 2

These guys took forever-and-a-half to come in, probably due to my buying them on Fab.com (meaning that the company ships to Fab after a certain period and then Fab sends them to me). I finally got them today and wore them for the first time tonight. First impressions: WOW!! Awesome! Great! I felt totally aligned and honestly, quite energized. Simultaneously, I observed: These probably won't last me very long. As you can see in the photo below, the fabric on the edges doesn't actually touch the ground, but only by a scarce millimeter or two. If you're walking on anything with less clearance than linoleum, this could be problematic. For example, simply walking up concrete stairs with grit on them for grip, I worried for my shoes. These feel great. They are snug and comfortable, neoprene, and feel like Fivefingers without the toes (I do truly wish I could've gotten the tabi 'Ninja Style' shoe as well, for my own daily wear, but that wouldn't be legal for a work-shoe. Sad day). They're comfortable and super-light. I love them very much and felt like dancing all day. I mean, I may or may not have skipped everywhere I needed to go at work. Quickly, with zest, fervor, and a happy back. Be aware, though: These will indeed soak up the moisture the moment you mop the floor or drop an ice-cube on your foot (yeah, that happens). They felt like water-shoes on the drive home but I didn't care. I feel like hugging them. After all, they feel like secure little foot-hugs. Did I mention they made me prance? I got a lot of double-takes, so they're not subtle shoes (though I thought they would be) and many people asking about them. Lots of people thought they were "cool," lots of people thought they were "sooo cute!" I even had an enthusiastic "Shut UP!" (I hope that was the New Orleans style of "Shut up" that really means "with all due respect, chum, this is unbelievably neat.")

Please ignore the swollen scarred ankle. It ignores you.

Final Notes

All in all, I'd say that I am actually quite pleased to own both of these, even if it put me out quite a bit of money. My vote is both. I know I'm not supposed to do that, blah blah, and its not like I owe anything to either of these companies. I am pleased that they both had something available and helped me figure out if these shoes would work. I feel able to work better and within the guidelines of my workplace. I vote the ZEMgear O2 for daily wear, ease, cost, and minimalism. I vote the Minimil for durability and protection. They both have very sure niches: If you work in a wet or dangerous enviroment, go with the Minimil. If you have a softer job that can handle a light shoe, go with the ZEMgear. I'd say its my favorite, but I fear the day when I wear it out. Fortunately, my job rides the line between the two so that both have their benefits-- but both definitely have their quirks. I'd be happy to work with some company somewhere to develop the perfect work-shoe. Until then, mi amigos, enjoy the images of my dirty floor and silly little foot. Keep on truckin... and let me know if you need to know more! Certainly if you'd like to send some shoes my way............ mwahahaha. 

Lifestyle and Something Publicly Paleo: A tangent?

You know, something that I've come to realize is that when people can categorize something they tend to analyze how they feel about it and either approve or shut it down. Categorization makes things easier. OK-- so that is a little vague. I believe the "paleo/primal" crowd tends to be more quiet about their eating than many of the other (categorized) eaters of any particular food-choice, but it seems that the general public has this instant urge to tell you how they feel about it. If you met someone and said "I prefer chocolate pudding to vanilla," they would probably take it at face value. If you told someone "I don't eat spicy food," same gig. As soon as yous start with "I try to avoid grain..." or anything of the sort, they will immediately become defensive and, surprisingly, quite self-righteously expert on the subject. Can you imagine in the first case if you told someone that you prefer "Chocolate Pudding" if they quickly scowled and said "What are you, on a diet? You are wrong and Vanilla Pudding is perfectly fine and actually it is better for your health. I'm just saying. You are wrong."

For some of us (I'm trying to avoid the self-righteous, hipsteresque "I did it first" feel here) Paleo living is a nice kind of thing to have a name for because it organizes and categorizes what we largely already believed. It makes it easier to find your lifestyle compadres and recipes you trust or activities you'd like. I remember when I was a little kid, growing up with mom's old Tabi socks and an affinity for Tabi-boots, designing three-toed (like a paw) boots that would help you run while letting your toes spread out, and then a foot-shaped shoe as well. Cool, Vibram made a move years later and made such things available. I remember making my favorite dinner, Salmon and Broccoli, as soon as my parents had somewhere to go in the evening. It doesn't mean I knew everything, or that I "was there first," but that primal living definitely was not a difficult transition for me. I always wanted to be strong and I believe my best-friend and I were the only girls in the high-school weight-training class. I went dove-hunting with dad. I live the way I live because it is my lifestyle, tried and true, and I would hope that most humans can say the same-- though every day we are faced with things that make us wonder.

Now why is it that the general public seems bent on belittling the choices of the other part of the general public? I don't mind if you're a boxer. I don't care if you like country. I'm alright if you're a vegan, just don't preach to me. Part of what I like about 'this' 'lifestyle' is that I have seen, thus far, the lack of general evangelism-- but as time progresses, and popularity increases, there will inevitably be those radical 'Primal Preachers' that give us a bad name. Please, guys. Leave the preaching in your dining room and eat with the world in peace. And certainly-- if you and I eat differently-- either have an intelligent, open-minded conversation, or better yet... shut up and eat.

Work-Safe, Slip-Resistant, Approved Non-Slip Minimalist Shoes. Or the lack thereof.

I have again been re-faced with the seemingly constant challenge of finding "work-approved" footwear. Maybe that is what has started my pondering. It seems that if you have any kind of problem with "normal" shoes, you are "being difficult" or it is because of "that thing you're doing." Of course, the fact that I spend more time at work in those shoes than I don't, and the fact that I am in great pain in my legs, my kness, my hamstrings, my back, and my neck-- those things don't matter.

I feel so fortunate to exist in a time when zero-drop, minimalist shoes have become widely available, when much of the population has awoken to the facts involving body-alignment and foot-strength and all that jazz. However, it hasn't been a large enough portion of the population to become the norm. This is unfortunate-- for them and for us. I have been told a number of times about the "arch support" in the work-available shoes and how if the shoes I'm wearing hurt me then I need more support. Brilliant.

Run Amoc

Mini-Mil

Dash Glove

If a minimalist company would manufacture and focus on work-approved footwear requirements, they would bank. I have been hunting, and hunting, and hunting for any minimalist shoe that met the requirement. I did find one that absolutely strikes my fancy-- congruent with both my current requirements and my own sense of style (pffft. That suggested I had a sense of style). Belleview, the trusted maker of American military and law-enforcement boots for a ridiculous amount of time, offers a minimalist combat boot called the Mini-Mil. The only limiting factor is the price. They're lightweight and only have a 5mm drop, which is pretty good for what they are offering you. I also think it would be nice to have a minimalist shoe that I didn't feel like I was going to destroy (my Vivobarefoot mesh has begun to show tears from simple, every-day use, the sole of my KSO Sports began to come loose a week after purchase, the top fabric of my Jayas got a hole busted through them when I tripped at the LAX airport).


Other shoes that may work, such as the Merrell Dash Glove and the Softstar RunAmoc, and the incredible Zemgear shoes, do not actually post a claim of being slip-resistant, which is a requirement for approval in many workplaces. Including mine. Great. I'll keep you guys up to date on what I discover and see if I can't get a guide going.

UPDATED

Claypot Trout

There is no way that the person who took this photo has a cinematography degree. 

First of all... apologies for the lighting. I didn't realize how awful the photo was until I ate all of the foods. Hungry times, what can you do? You can eat.

This was a simple meal tossed together on the simple inspiration of taking out my claypot the other day. If you haven't tried this method of cooking, please do. Its delicious, comforting, and simple... delivering results much like a slow cooker but without the slow part, and especially without the hard-to-clean part. Soak it, cook, rinse, and put away.

Into the claypot I tossed (in order, from the bottom layer):

Thinly sliced onions
slivered garlic
2 small trout fillets
1/8 cup light red wine (it was what I had in the fridge)
1 TB coconut aminos (or shoyu if you like soy)
slivered celery stalk
julienned green onion
Juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

I soak my clay-pot every time under warm water before using. I don't think you have to, but I'd rather not find out later that I should have, when the contents of my dinner are under broken pottery inside the burner. I served this with some steamed bok-choy, daikon, and blood orange.

If only I had made volumes more...

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

Mostly, the little sprout is just adorable. Secondly, I may have perfected scrambled eggs. I don't usually scramble eggs-- I prefer them poached or soft-boiled-- but I did fancy a good fluffy breakfast that morning, and achieved a moist and fluffy scramble like never before. I also had a few vegetables, a bit of spinach, cherry tomato, onions, that I softened up in a skillet and tossed with the eggs after they were set. This worked much better than cooking them all together at once. Radish sprouts finished the dish and a lovely morning it was.

Pomegranate October Summer Salad

Pomegranate October Summer Salad, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

Yes, that is right. I live in Texas. It is indeed an October Summer Salad. This is a nice, simple, refreshing thing to sprinkle atop salads or have as a snack on its own. I usually use crumbled Coconut Butter (which hardens pleasantly when chilled) but this time I felt moved to try sheeps milk feta.

1 Pomegranate, Peeled
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/8 cup cocoa nibs
1/8 cup crumbled feta/chilled coconut butter

Chill, stir, and chill again before eating. Also good with chipped mint and orange-zest.

Not food. YET.

Ikea Colander, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

I saw these colanders at Ikea and immediately imagined them as planters. I figured they were lightweight, strong, and inexpensive, as well as having proper drainage already in place.

1. Buy colanders.
2. Lay down three coffee filters, overlapping, or coir, cut to fit. (Like in my wine-crate planter)
3. Wet filters and fit down, sticking to the edges.
4. Fill with soil. I laid down soil in layers, misting between each layer, because my soil was pretty dry and I didn't want to mess with mixing it with water. Lazy.
5. Stir seeds together with seed-starting mix. This helps distribute and .. well.. start the seeds.
6. Sprinkle seeds mixture over soil in an even layer.
7. sift over another half inch of soil, water, and PAU!

Will update when these become food....!

Dad's Egg Frisbees

My father is a genius. I say this because I believe it, and because he alone has given me faith that human determination and ingenuity can win against laziness and the not-yet-known. My father has never looked at a project, object, or goal, and thought "I can't," but always "I wonder how I can." And he doesn't rely on others to figure out how he can, either-- he just sets to dissasembling and angle-cutting, welding and soldering, sanding and painting, or whatever else he deems the activity require. He opens the hood, he listens, and he figures things out. He never sat down and studied how to fix a car, how to build a wall, raise a barn, or turn a propane tank into a smoker (true story), he just simply never believed he couldn't.

I talk to my dad about everything. I talk to my dad about frisbee, machinery, dogs, philosophy, marketing, art, thunderstorms, cutting glass bottles, changing serpentine belts, the smell of wood. I confide in my dad more than most people do their best friend. All of that being said, it is usually my mother with whom I talk about food. Mom and I talk about food a LOT, all of the time, and have a good time with it as well. When Dad and I talk about food, it is usually of the following list: brisket, guacamole, dark chocolate, guacamole, brisket, guacamole, brisket, or dark chocolate.

However, wanting a light meal and having a pound of ground bison that needed using (which is usually not something I feel is very 'light' feeling, rather filling and hearty), I was suddenly struck with the urge to call my father and ask if HE had any ideas.

He told me that the other day he thought up the following:

Dad's Egg Frisbees

Large sliced rings of onion or bell-pepper
Ground Meat, browned with Salt and Pepper
Egg, whisked

After browning meat, place rings of onion or bell pepper into an oiled skillet. Fill up with crumbled meats, pour egg in, and let set. Flip. Done.

These little delights were exactly what I wanted-- something fun, different, and light. They were tasty-- I mashed up a bit of tarragon, onion, and garlic with coconut oil and placed that in the bottom before putting the meat in. The egg mixture that leaked out was easy to lift out with chopsticks and didn't hinder the final product at all. I ate with a little dollop of dijon mustard, beside a shredded salad, and it was perfect!

Thanks dad-- I love you!

Flickr Upgrade

I have many updates, but they are all on hold until my my Flickr account can be upgraded! Just lettin' you guys know I'm still out there.

S

Blueberry Walnut Salad With Lemon Vanilla Vinaigrette

Blueberry Walnut Salad, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

This salad struck me whilst strolling through the produce section at work, eyeing some blueberries. Well, not literally struck me-- though I wouldn't be too bothered by being pummelled with a box of delightful food (as long as it were intact, edible, and I was conscious enough to eat it). I splurged on my favorite soft goat cheese, Capricho Di Cabra, a few days prior, and I imagined the two together, married with the deep, earthen flavor of walnuts. From there came some kind of salad recipe.

Blueberry Walnut Salad

Walnuts
Avocados
Blueberries
Soft Goat Cheese / Mild Blue
Meaty, smoky lardons.
Chopped hardboiled egg
Spinach

Lemon-Vanilla Vinaigrette

Lemon Juice
White Balsamic Vinegar
Poppyseeds
Good Olive Oil
Vanilla Extract*
Sea Salt
A bit of mayonnaise
Water to taste

*I actually used the 'vanilla salt' that I picked up at the night markets in Cairns, QLD, AU.

Cantaloupe and Capsicum Dressing

Cantaloupe and Capsicum Dressing, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

Today is a big concert at the farmhouse that the land-owner is hosting, with a couple of Texas country artists. A few weeks ago, she and some mutual friends were up at my house having lunch, and brought a cantaloupe along. I don't usually buy melon-- but I do like it. I tossed the cantaloup, balled, with some of my chopped pineapple-mint and some Black Lava Salt that I brought back from Hawaii, and that was it. Simple and quick. Everyone loved it, though, and requested that I make it again for the big concert cookout barbeque--...thing.

As I scoop-plopped each sphere into the bowl with a damp plop, I pondered the juice pooling at the bottom of the little valleys in the melon skin. I had a smidge of cantelope left on the rind, and quickly shaved it off and put it into a bowl with the juice. I added a few things, pureed, and suddenly-- magically-- a wonderful dressing emerged. It could be thicker (more cantalope and bell pepper for body) as a dip-- as I tried it on broccoli and was amazed. It would also be good as the base of a cold, hearty vegetable salad-- cold broccoli florets with chopped macadamia, for instance. Recipe (sort of) as follows:

Cantaloupe and Capsicum Dressing

1/4 C Cantelope
1/4 C Red Pepper, chopped
3 TB Olive Oil
1 tsp Lime Juice
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar*
Many Mint Leaves (I used Pineapple-Mint)
Dash Salt
Dash Cayenne
Puree, add solids or liquids as desired to thicken or thin.

*it'd be great with all (3 tsp or 1 TB or so) lime instead of vinegar, but I ran out of lime.

Salted Cantaloupe and Mint

Smoky Tea Roast

This post shall also known as: Lessons from a world-travelling farmhouse-dweller. It shall seek to inform you of not-enough in too-little-words, and finish with a grand pile of shredded beef. 


I'll give you a tiny bullet-list of things that I have learned in the past few months, before getting 
onto the lovely recipe. 

•  Melbourne's weather is as crazy as DFW's
•  New Zealand has a thing against delightful beef jerky
•  Take notes and take pictures
•  ALWAYS zip up your camera bag. Do NOT EVER leave your camera in an unzipped bag OR outside of a bag. EVER. 
•  DON'T TOUCH THE TURTLES
•  Mulch. 
•  I feel better with very little carbohydrate. 
•  Just plant things. Sometimes you can have an entire farm and the best place ends up being your front flower-bed. 
•  Presents are fun
•  People will listen to anything the TV says
•  Don't forget about yourself.

OK, so, philosophy lesson over? Discussion may continue after class. Uh, after post. Post-post. Comment. 

Smoky Tea Roast, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

ONTO THE BEEF: I just got a little bit of grass-fed rump-roast with no clue about what I'd like to do with it. I've been developing tea-based recipes (as I'd like to lead a class in Fairview on this subject!) and decided I'd try one out, measurements and all. Lapsang Souchong is a black tea that is dried over burning pine-needles, giving it a robust, complex, smoky flavor. Typically a cup that I'd drink in the wintertime, the possibilities are endless and evergreen when it comes to recipe incorporation. Braising in it, marinating chicken, creating sauces-- all ideas that I encourage you to experiment with.

Being roast and having hot weather, I figured either the slow-cooker or the pressure-cooker would be my options, and when I got home from work I certainly didn't approve of the 'slow' part of the former. Out came my pressure-cooker, and then transcended the following:

Smoky Tea Roast

(Set One)

10 grams lapsang souchong (?? Approx 1/4 cup) (brewed into 1 - 2 cups)
1 tsp pink salt
2 tsp powdered ginger
2 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 TB coconut shoyu

(Set Two)

1 lb rump roast
Sprinkling of Hawaiian Black Salt/Alaea
dusting of garlic granules
1 thinly sliced onion
2 cloves chopped garlic

Whisk together first set of ingredients.
Sautee onion and garlic until onion is carmelized in the bottom of a pressure cooker, push to the side. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides and add liquid from above. Pressure cook on high pressure for 40 minutes and let naturally cool.

I served this with Mark Sisson's Creamy Basil Pesto Coleslaw, from his Quick and Easy book, but replaced the walnuts with sesame seed and half of the cabbage with shredded mustard-greens. I shredded the meat on top, and the flavor really surprised me with its complexity-- carmelesqe, almost chocolatey in nature, deep and robust. Ah!

Auwe... Ono... BROKE DA MOUT...

Stay tuned for more Tea Recipes, and as always, happy eating.

...And an Organic Farm

One of the many changes that I had mentioned in the previous post is the fact that I have moved to an Organic Farm. I had decided to post this later, but seeing as it snuck its way into the HTML address, I thought I'd go ahead with it. I'm in a sweet little house with a sun-room for my art, helping the owners of the property with farm-chores and gearing up for the vegetable season. I'm 15 or 20 minutes from work, having ousted the hour commute from my life. I have a little gym inside the guest-room, with a benchpress, and a place where I can leave my freeweights and kettlebells. I have thousands of acres of core-of-engineer-land to run. I can listen to the forest, its just out the back, past the horses.

There are goats: Yitzy and Yaya, India and Arie. Yitzy hurt her foot the other day. There is a chicken-yard and we get 7-10 eggs a day. There are horses, a pony, two pigs and six dogs.

So here it is: One new adventure, in which I will try my hand at growing things and will be so much more connected to the earth and the sun. I will be the best farm-hand I can be-- and I will become stronger and happier. Here we go, right?

COMING UP SOON: Ode 003, and a new Product Pick

Chocolate, Tea, and Your Personal Grocery-Store Bodyguard (you can call me Betty)*

So, my friends, since we have last talked, many changes have seeped into my life like watercolors and told me that some things are going to be different. All for the better, but definitely different.

I had mentioned quite a while back that one of my goals was to be more forthcoming with who I am and what my life is, and I believe that this is a very good time. I am Shaleah, the Tea, Chocolate, and Hosewares Specialist at Whole Foods in Fairview, Texas. While I believe that mentioning your workplace specifically can be a touchy subject, I have decided that with the amount of Primal/Paleo people that I have helped at work, I would be good to do so.

I'd also like to welcome you all to my blog! There are a lot of guests from the local boxes-- CrossFit FX TX, CrossFit 380, and West Plano CrossFit.

Being the store's resident cave-chick, I have kind of an awesome opportunity. I have worked with the company for a while, coming from the Parkway store in Arlington, TX before this one, in which I was on the grocery team. I have read nearly every label in the store, and an generally quite used to what is 'safe' for our beliefs**. I would love to become your resource. Depending on what your views are-- ie: how strict, your allergies, what you love, what you hate-- I can help you find exactly what you want and what you do not. No cheese? Raw cheese, goat cheese, sheep cheese? No sugar? Pure stone-ground Mexican chocolate with only three ingredients (cough, Taza)? Chicken stock without yeast extract? Tomato sauce without sugar? Unsweetened almond milk? Macadamia-nut ''hummus''? Roasted red peppers without canola oil? It can be a dangerous and dodgy world to traverse! I'm even considering building very specific paleo-safe shopping lists that someone in a hurry can come grab or download without having to read every label.

Okay, okay-- this is not an advertisement here. I'm not here with any sort of ill-intent, nor am I a salesmen. But working where I do, I am in a position to be there for ya. Its just me extending a strong hand and telling you-- look here, you have a buddy. You have a buddy who knows stuff about stuff and you have a buddy who comes bearing chocolate and tea. I mean, if you're into that kind of thing.

Come see me at the coffee bar and we'll see what we can do!

*( first person to get the reference in the title gets a free high-five.)
** (That being said, I take pride in being able to help everyone who needs help. I can help a vegan find a chai without honey, I can help a mom find a nut allergen-free granola, I can help some guy find an interesting new beer, and I can tell someone all about our Waxahachie Local Honey.)

Product Pick: PureWraps

PureWraps, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

I gave PureWraps a test-run after seeing their ingredient list: Coconut Meat, Coconut Water, Himalayan Salt. I got in touch with the people from the company and had a long (VERY long) conversation through email with them. They're great people and I got a very good impression. I decided that, while expensive, these were worth a try. I ordered them at $5.99 for four wraps.

When I received them, I knew that I'd have to do something very special with each one. Something that I just missed wrapping up, with clean dry fingers and well-bundled ingredients.

The people at Improveat assured me that these weren't easily tearable and they were indeed something you could pick up and eat. They were right-- they were pliable enough and didn't crack like lettuce does. It was nice to have something dry in my hands. I don't know that they would hold up in a lunch-box (though I'd be willing to give it a try, as that was what I originally wanted them for!). The taste was great-- pleasant and mild, but not invisible. It had a good tooth-feel.

The four tests (in no particular order):

1. Blueberry, Almond, and Coconut Butter Flute: One of my favorite snacks pre-primal was almond butter or peanut butter on a lavash with blueberries. Here, with almond butter and coconut butter, the delightful burstiness returned with proper squish-and-pop feel. Wonderful.

2. Turkey Wrap: Actually, the last thing I did. I don't often have deli-meat around, so it took me a long time to finally get around to making this one. I wanted to make a "real wrap," so I did the normal sandwich fillings. This turned out very well, too-- though, being a few months after making the other three, the wrap was still pliable yet a bit crackly. I solved this the sushi-making way: liquid. I spritzed on balsamic vinegar to soften it up and encourage it to stick to itself.

3. Chicken Wrap: This was filled with guava fajita-meat and served as my taco-test-run. Er, burrito. Taquito? Some other American bastardization of the Mexican cuisine? Hang on, lets get this right: This would be a test-run of a Tex-Mex Burrito.

4. Spring Roll : The first thing I thought of was the dear-to-my-heart gỏi cuốn, or Summer Rolls, that I grew up with. Paired with seaweed noodles, this would work.

All in all, I feel that they're something fun to change things up. They're convenient, and delicious, but for me they'll have to be a special-occasion kind of treat. The reason is two-fold: 1) The price is so limiting that at more than $1 PER sheet, they're too high for even a proper taco-night. 2) They're a higher carbohydrate option than I'm used to (8 grams per sheet) but their ingredients check-out just fine, so as a fun little indulgence, fine. I didn't try the curry flavored one (though I gladly would) and while I understand why the cost is high, I think it would make the product more successful if it were more accessible.

All in all, I rate these very high. On a scale of 1-10:

Ingredients: 10
Ease of use: 8
Nutrition: 7
Convenience: 9
Price: 2
Over-All: 8 (Mathematically, 7.2, but I really to love them and the price was the only thing bringing them down!)

So, get some and have some fun with it. I purchased mine at NaturalZing, a blast off a website on its own.  Let me know what you think.

Happy Eating!

Tacos: Simplicity

Tacos, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.

I maybe, sometimes, often over complicate things. For one of the Mark's Daily Apple contests that I really have my eye on, readers were asked to choose a recipe posted in a previous thread and take a photo of it. I just got back from a long trip out of state, so I had just above nothing in the kitchen. I had put some frozen beef in the fridge to thaw overnight (lucky move) and had a tiny head of cabbage in the fridge, as well as an avocado from the trip. Basically, I chose a recipe that looked extremely simple and required few ingredients. The one I found: Primal Tacos from Hollykelsey.

I used what I had and I whipped the rest up after a short bike ride to the Farmers Market and produce store. I made a few tweaks here and there, but didn't have high hopes for the recipe (no offense, Hollykelsey, read on!). I'm a Texan and I have made some seriously involved taco meat. I have put a lot of effort into past primal tacos, and with great results.

I am also, as it turns out, a naive and arrogant little chef.

These were AMAZING. This was GREAT. One of the best recipes I've ever made from a blog! It was so simple-- yet somehow, with the first bite-- I was left astounded, with a familiar burst of flavor dancing on my tongue. These, my friends, are TACOS!

Thanks MDA and Hollykelsey! You humble me (and fill me up).

Happy eating!

Note: The coconut sour cream is something I pride myself in and whipped up my own way. Coconut milk powder, creamed coconut, lemon juice, salt, and a sprinkling of garlic powder sat out on the counter during my ride to get ingredients and chilled in the fridge while I cooked.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/contest-share-your-wisdom/#more-23277

http://hollykelsey.blogspot.com/2011/08/primal-tacos.html