Saturday, December 8, 2012

Eggs and veggies

I liked the mix, so I tried it with eggs. This one is easier and more morning-friendly, just chop the veggies, add the egg and salt, stir, and cook. 





Breakfast: 1 egg, 2 (small) sticks of celery, 6 white mushrooms, 5 (1mm) slices of eggplant (separate).

Dessert: Strawberries, Kiwi fruit. Milk (milk is non-paleo, this was my cheat for the week - use almond milk instead if you like milk).



Beefy meals: Beef and veggies.

This turned out so insanely delicious. The camera doesn't do it justice. (I have a rather crappy camera.)






Dinner:


Ingredients: 

- 200g lean beef steak,
- 6 mushrooms,
- 1 big green pepper,
- 2 big sticks of celery,
- 6 (2mm) slices of eggplant.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- A bit of (whole) black peppers

Half a lemon on the side, for a change of flavor

Instructions: 

1. Green pepper, celery: 

  • Cut the celery into big chunks
  • Cut the green peppers into strings
  • Put in pot 
  • Cover for 1 minute

2. Meat: 

  • Cut the beef into bite-sized chunks
  • Add to pot
  • Add the pepper and salt
  • DO NOT COVER.
    (Covering would dry out the meat. If it starts sizzling for lack of liquid, add oil, or water if you're trying to lose weight). 

3. Mushrooms: 

  • Cut the mushroom 
  • AFTER the meat and other veggies are cooked: Turn off the stove, and add the mushrooms
  • Mix them in, and place in the plate
    (Mushrooms taste much better/fresher when they're barely cooked)

4. Eggplant: 

  • Slice the eggplant into 2mm slices
    1mm or less results in a dried out crispy texture, 2mm or more results in a bendable chewy texture
  • Place in pot for a few minutes until they start coloring
  • Move to the plate, and serve. 
I used the eggplant to wrap the meat and veggies.


Dessert:
- Banana (I like ripe fruits)
- Orange.






I'm a PhD student, finishing my dissertation on the syntax and semantics of number morphology in the University of Southern California. I am currently living in London as a visiting research associate, because my advisor has permanently relocated to London.

Around the beginning of 2011 or a bit before that, my best friend started eating Paleo, and she started preaching about how great it is. At first, I just tolerated it, but by the beginning of 2012, I was sold.

The main attraction, for me, was that (she claimed) it's more filling, that starchy food makes you feel hungry even when you've eaten enough, and that it makes you stronger and more energetic. I had always had issues with feeling sluggish and tired for no reason, and I did not want to use caffeine.

An independent motivation, for me, was that it was actually not a huge leap from my normal diet: I have always loved meat, and many vegetables. So much so, that they knew my name, face, and usual order, at my favorite Korean BBQ place in Los Angeles (ribs, tongue, and extra cabbage kim-chi). I also grew up eating a lot of fruits, and I always loved them: my dad used to make us fruit bowls after lunch every day. But that habit stopped when I moved out of my parents house (around 2002), because I couldn't be bothered to make my own.

The only reason I ever ate anything else was because it was more easily available, cheaper, or faster to get to.

So I started experimenting. I gave up the ramen noodles meals, bags of chips, and junk food, which I often just grabbed because it's easier/closer than a steak. After a few months of experimenting, I came to the conclusion that she was absolutely right. Whenever I was consistently eating paleo foods, I was more satisfied, I was SIGNIFICANTLY stronger and more energetic, and I didn't feel cravings. The minute I ate potatoes, bread, or sugar, I would fall back into the same old cravings.

I've only started cooking it myself since I moved to London, because it's MUCH harder to find paleo-friendly restaurants or ready meals in London than it was in Los Angeles (their salads seem to all be side-salad material). To add, I don't have a car here, and (assuming there are better options in other areas of London) I'm not getting on a train every day for a meal.

So now I'm cooking, and coming up with my own paleo friendly meals, with the veggies that I like, and experimenting with veggies and fruits I didn't know before.

I'll be posting the stuff I come up with here, for my own future reference, and for anyone who might be looking for creative high protein meaty meals.

My special treat for myself normally is Salmon Sashimi. This is the only thing I order in, and I eat it roughly twice a week.