Warrior Dish of the Week

Atlantic Cod with Green Garden Mix 

Interesting in fueling like a Warrior?  Well you my friend....are in luck because over the next few months I'll be posting dishes I've created that are nutritionally balanced, environmentally responsible and fit to fuel a Greek god. 

Ingredients: 

                  2 large stalks of organic Kale- about 1.5 cups chopped

                  6 wild mushrooms

                  1/2 cup of Diced green bell pepper         

                  2 Scallions /diced

                  1 pinch of sea salt

                  1 slice  orange

                  1 Fillet of Atlantic Pole Cod

                  Ground Cayenne Pepper
                  Organic mustard

Cooking directions:

Include all ingredients in a covered pan with 3/4 cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Turn Burner on medium heat and steam until veggies are warm and kale appears deeper green. No more than 5 minutes...probably more like 4 depending on how hot your stove top cooks. (*Note to Chef) The goal in heating the veggies is preparation for digestion, they should not be soft, burnt, or flaccid....ha..I said flaccid. This portion of the dish should be extremely crunchy and full of texture, overheating leeches out an excessive amount of vitamins and minerals.  In fact it's rare that I eat at a restaurant that can grasp this. Hence my addiction to cooking my own food (whenever possible). On the flip side..eating this dish raw would not yield the best digestion either. Let's find a happy medium.

* flavoring option: Two heaping tablespoons of organic mustard an sea salt (1 pinch)Also a big table spoon f oil oil may be added but only after ingredients are removed from stove top.

                  Step 2. 

    Pre-Heat your Over to 340 deg Cook for 15-17 minutes or until flaky. 

    Place your Fillet on a cooking sheet and dress in the following way.:
Heavy Cayenne pepper, pinch of  sea salt and a tea spoon of coconut oil to prevent sticking. 

 Coconut oil/:why we like it? ....it withstands high heat unlike olive oil it's slower-uglier-red-headed step child cousin:

In principle, organic, unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil should have the lowest smoke point of all forms of olive oil since this form of the oil is the least refined, most nutrient dense and contains the largest concentration of fragile nutritive components. Oxidation of nourishing substances found in extra virgin olive oil, as well as acrylamide formation, can occur at cooking temperatures very closer to the 300°F/148°C range. For these reasons, I don't recommend cooking with extra virgin olive oil. Sometimes it's all you have but in general I like coconut or sunflower both with smoke points over 425 

Cayenne Pepper: why we like it? The main active ingredient in cayenne pepper is capsaicin. It is said to be a "thermogenic chemical" which will help speed your metabolism and decrease your appetite. It's actually a wonderful herb. It not only can promote weight loss, but it does many other wonderful things such as: increase blood flow, maintains healthy blood pressure, increase your sex drive, may help reduce ulcers and promotes a healthy digestive system

Atlantic Cod: Why we like it? Besides being an excellent low-calorie source of protein (a four-ounce serving of cod provides 52.1% of the daily need for protein for only 119 calories), cod contains a variety of very important nutrients and has also been shown to be useful in a number of different health conditions.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Fish, particularly cold water fish like cod, have been shown to be very beneficial for people with atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Studies show that people who eat fish regularly have a much lower risk of heart disease and heart attack than people who don't consume fish. Cod, specifically, promotes cardiovascular health because it is a good source of blood-thinning omega-3 fatty acids, but is also a good source ofvitamin B12 and a very good source of vitamin B6. Snap. 

So enough data......wait one more chart on the kale to shows it's glowing 4 star rating and Why we like it!  Are you serious on that vitamin A content?!!! enough said( in addition notice  the 2 grams of protein)

Now that we've discussed the inner workings of our foods chemical makeup let's look at the finished product:

 

Alright that's it everyone, your mission if you choose to accept it: Make your own, take pictures and report  back! Feel free to post your own version, modifications and photos under the comment section. 

As always feel free to click on the donation tab to keep this blog running and sending out information to the masses! be well, eat well, live well.!

                    

Cleansing : Cornered and Questioned.

         As of late... I’ve had a myriad of questions that have addressed the topic of Cleansing. I know if you are walking around with a respectable pulse you’ve heard of one or all of the following. The master cleanse, the juice cleanse, the 7 day detox, the 14 day cleanse, Apple Cider vinegar and lemmon water diet, fruit juice cleanse, and a slew of others that have crept their way into the fitness magazines, infomercials, or your local yoga studio (so sad). Well before you reach for that liquid diet or 1/5 serving of calories to maintain your current muscle mass…let’s talk.

This one is going to be short because it pretty cut and dry. Cleansing crash regiments…. you don’t need it.

The end.

Ohh…you’d like me to justify my point? OK, here it goes.

Your body is built to cleanse. That’s what is does naturally…it’s not something you can jumpstart, cheat and skirt around in a 14 day plan.  What goes in must eventually come out, and so goes the vicious cycle. Altering what you eat is a great idea….but focus on whole foods consisting of dark leafy greens, colorful veggies some fruit, some nuts and organic proteins raised in sensible/ friendly manner.( your cow or chicken should be able to roam in the field, feed on clean grass and lay down in something other than his own feces) And make this choice for life, not a two week period that satisfies your short term goal of fitting into those Jordash tapered white wash jeans …GOD that’s a hot visual. 

Instead shoot for an eating regime that puts you in a place to high kick without sticking…yes, this is a real add.      

                                                  

Did I just date myself? Yes, yes I did. But…I digress….

Whole food, healthy portions, and lots of water will do a great job of fueling your body and trust me baby…you were born this way…you will rebalance and cleanse very well.  Your body will rebalance itself/ unless you have a major digestive issue: IBS, Crones, Leaky gut, food allergies or lower G.I. issues. If this is the case seek out a naturopathic doctor to evaluate your issues and set you up with a program for rebalancing.

         We probably all have toxins accumulated in our system. And what is the best way to deal with them? I believe undertaking several long-term measures are a better approach than drastic short-term steps (although perhaps a minority of those trying a drastic diet may notice some benefits such as mental clarity or a sense of wellbeing, others may get worse). Probably because you stopped eating the shit you normally do and not because of strict regimen of lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, etc, etc. The body does not like going off balance too much and for too long. Our body tries to maintain homeostasis, a balanced state where everything is functioning properly. Fasting, or these drastic detox regimens alter this homeostasis, often in a harmful way. Liver glycogen stores are depleted, alterations occur in the mineral and electrolyte balance in the blood, muscle and bone tissue start breaking down (reduced metabolic rate), changes occur in the acid base balance, alterations occur in the fatty acid composition of cells, and immune function may be impaired.

         Let me explain it in another way.  If we try to live with honesty, treat yourself and others with respect, and not lie or steal…. a cleanse: is in direct violation of these principles.  You are stealing and robbing your body of the nutrients it deserves.  You are lying to yourself because you will never be able to maintain this standard you are setting for yourself for an extended period of time.  You are tricking your body (master cleanse/simple sugars) into an altered state of stress and manipulating your body’s natural talents to survive and burn fat, in a quest for vanity.  And trust me when your body finds out…i.e. after the fast is over.... it will NOT BE HAPPY. Just substitute “cleanse” for “masturbate” in the following picture and you get the idea…woooooww. 

     The weight / clarity/ clean feeling will not last and you will end up in a deeper hole than when you started. With fitness and nutrition there are no short cuts as with life. Trust me the easy button just doesn’t feel that good unless you climb up a mountain to push it.

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Please feel no obligation to click the donation button at the top of the page.  Know that when donating, 10% of your gift is going towards Sloan Kettering Medical Center for cancer research and the rest is driving this author towards publishing a cook book, an educated research article per week and health receipts with detailed instructions. Send around the love and dig deep for the cause. 

Disclaimer *Again I am not  a medical doctor, and while I have played one onstage, this article is an summary of many studies, and opinions through out the nutritional and medical community. Take everything with a grain of *sea salt, and find your own truth. Find what speaks to you. shanti!