Trader Joe’s Grocery List
February 1, 2012 | Filed Under Economics, Health | Leave a Comment
So I went on my quarterly pilgrimage to Trader Joe’s. Spent $697. Does that not look big? The people at Trader Joe’s always do a double take when they see me check out with 12 cans of protein powder and 12 more cans of almond butter.
Here’s what I bought. Lots of each:
- BBC Nut Brown Ale
- Framboise Lambic Raspberry Ale
- Almond Butter
- Dark Chocolate
- Crab stuffed flounder
- Jumbo Scallops
- Scallops mixed with mushrooms and peas
- Mojito Salmon
- Seafood Chowder
- Seafood mix
- White protein powder
- Chocolate protein powder
- Super Red Powder Drink
- Seaweed flakes
- Lara bars
Blackberry and Coconut Milk Green Smoothie
January 26, 2012 | Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
So lately in an attempt to get more vegetables into my system, I’ve been making this awesome green shake that includes:
1 can of coconut milk
1-2 cups of spinach
A bunch of frozen blackberries
Variations:
- Add some whey protein powder
- Add a spoonful of sugar
- Add some honey
Macadamia Nuts & Dark Chocolate
January 23, 2012 | Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
I love creating new taste sensations. And lately I’ve been popping a few buttery macadamia nuts into my mouth followed by some 85% dark chocolate. Too good for my own good. But the good news is that it’s really hard to over indulge on these healthy treats.
Natural Eating – The only diet you need
January 19, 2012 | Filed Under Health | 1 Comment
I have come to the conclusion that there are multiple ways to eat in a healthy way, but that the major obstacle to each of these methods is our dependence on convenience.
The common theme to healthy eating is the idea of natural eating. Eating things that require very little processing. Things that our ancestors could have eaten thousands of years ago.
Vegetables, Meat, Fowl, Fish, Nuts, Seeds, Fruits.
The major groups of healthy eaters these days, in my mind are: Paleo/Primal, Vegetarian, Vegan.
What they all share in common is an emphasis on natural, unprocessed foods. However, practitioners of these eating systems tend to cheat for the sake of convenience.
Paleo/Primal people rely too much on meat and nuts and don’t get enough veggies.
Vegetarians rely too heavily on grains, soy and legumes. And fruit.
Vegans struggle to get enough calories and to compensate rely too heavily on grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
I’m a strong believer in the Paleo/Primal way of eating because I think it is the only system that is available to the average man. Meat satiates and satisfies and keeps people from the never ending cycle of insulin spikes and empty carb addiction. However, to be truly natural, those who eat Paleo/Primal should be intentional about eating waaaaayyyyy more veggies than otherwise. Don’t just eat eggs and bacon for breakfast. Eat eggs, spinach and bacon. Don’t just have fish for lunch. Have fish with a salad. You get the point.
The biggest challenge to natural eating is getting enough vegetables. So most of your energy should be focused on beating this challenge.
The Most Important TED Talk You’ll Ever Watch
December 6, 2011 | Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
Share this with the people you love.
What you value matters
December 6, 2011 | Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
There’s a bunch of ancient wisdom that says as much, but which is sort of cliche to our ears. So I won’t quote it;-)
But the fact is: besides biological impulses (hunger, etc.) there are two primary sources of motivation. And they are both related to *caring*
1. Where do you locate your own value?
2. What do you value externally, socially, materially?
If you believe that your entire self-worth is wrapped up in finding the perfect girl, then you will spend enormous amounts of mental energy and time looking for that girl. If you believe that your value lies in the things you own… the houses, the cars, etc. then you will exert tremendous amounts of energy chasing these things. If you believe that a great deal of your self-worth is wrapped up in playing by the script and becoming socially respectable (the education, the wife, the kids, the job), your entire life will be directed at achieving these things. If your primary value in life is sleeping with as many women as possible, you will exert a great deal of energy on this project. If you want to become a world-renowned biochemist, plan to spend an enormous number of tedious hours in the laboratory or writing papers. If your value is in presenting to the world the idea that you have the perfect, non-divorced family with well-dressed, smiley kids who’ve never played in mud or gotten sick and with eternally happy parents who never fight … then you’ll exert a whole lot of time and effort shaping and upholding this illusion for the world to see.
Let me be clear. I’m not passing judgement on what you choose to value in life. I’m simply pointing out that our life takes the shape of the things we care about.
I will offer some recommendations though because my mind has considered all kinds of “value points” – life is a whole lot more rewarding when you care about the sort of things that human beings are *meant* to care about. Now you might suggest that I have no idea what human beings are *meant* to care about or at least that there is no *right* answer to the value question. But I would suggest that you are wrong.
Human beings share a common nature.
The food we eat is critical. So care about the food you eat (maybe even learn to grow some). Our local community, including our families (not just nuclear), are critical to our well-being. So care about being part of your local community. Keeping low-levels of stress is critical to well-being. So take yourself less seriously. And play. Play. Play. Find ways to play (and laugh) every day. Being productive is critical to happiness. So spend some time learning and perfecting a skill. Make sure that you find your work rewarding. Or else take the risk of walking away and doing something that makes you feel valuable (don’t be lazy though… easy jobs aren’t always the most rewarding). Being at peace with reality, is critical. So be thankful for your existence, and to the Source of your existence.
As a general rule, I think the most important value to have is this: be the best human being that you can be. Live life like a sparrow… according to its nature and in harmony with it’s intended environment. Once you have that as your foundation, you can set off on a lifelong journey that drives closer and closer towards the true root of health and happiness: namely, living life with confident expressiveness and appreciating it as a gift, not to be hoarded, wasted or endured.
Scallops & Broccoli with Butter – Cheap Primal/Paleo Meals
November 28, 2011 | Filed Under Health, Tips | Leave a Comment
Bay Scallops with Broccoli & Butter
I made this for lunch today in 10 minutes, straight from the freezer. It was awesome. Plus it’s Primal/Paleo. And cheap!
Total Cost: $3.50
Ingredients:
2/3 cups bay scallops
2 cups frozen broccoli pieces
1.5 Tbsp butter
Approximate Macronutrient Profile:
28g of protein
16g of fat (all healthy fat)
16g of carbs (all healthy carbs)
15 Things I’m Thankful For in 2011
November 25, 2011 | Filed Under Health, Small Talk | Leave a Comment
My life is amazing. A dream life. Doing exactly what I want to do, day in and day out. How I got here, I don’t really know. But I’m thankful.
Here are 15 specific things I’m thankful for this year: Read more
Mexican Beef Casserole
November 13, 2011 | Filed Under Health | 2 Comments
I make this dish about every two weeks and it lasts me about 4-5 meals. For me, it’s become one of those Primal staple foods because it’s quick, easy and you can make it in bulk and it reheats very well (I just reheat my portion in a skillet and in about 3 minutes it’s good to go)
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of Ground Beef (I use grassfed)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
Salt & Pepper
Shredded Cheese
1 Block of Cream Cheese
Salsa
Preparation:
1. Brown the beef in a skillet and then add spices, garlic and Rotel tomatoes
2. In oven-safe dish, put these layers in this order: cream cheese, beef, salsa, shredded cheese
3. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes
This recipe supposedly serves 8, but I get about 4-5 meals out of it for myself.
Health & Money Tip: Home Temperature
November 13, 2011 | Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
This tip isn’t for everyone. But it has helped me quite a bit so I’m going to share it with you.
Instead of setting the temperature of your home at 72, set it to 65 and use a combination of activity and clothing to keep your body comfortable. Not only do you save money (not my primary interest) but you create a powerful reminder that you should be active throughout the day. This is especially important for me as a guy who works from home and sits in front of his computer a lot.
Setting the temperature in your home so that you are required to be active throughout the day (or at the very least so that you have to bundle up) in order to remain comfortable is a powerful reminder to be active. Plus it involves you more deeply in your consumption and production of energy. Being mindful and intentional is a very healthy thing.
So get up. Move around. And save a little money in the process.
