Smoked Mashed Potatoes & Ribs

In case you haven't noticed, i only post now when something REALLY gets me fired up, and this recipe is a good example. Smoked mashed sweet potatoes are SO good, you want to roll in them.  Granted, it's a little work, but this is not a dish you find anywhere.  Sadly, I didn't think of it.  I had them a few months ago at a restaurant in Boulder called Boulder Cork.  I think this place has been around since the earth was flat, and the patrons look it (they know a good meal by now).  The food is awesome. I had the waitress ask the cook how they achieved the smoky flavor and it's been on my to-do list every since. It's easy yet AMAZING.  But first, THE CROSSFIT OPEN IS HERE - WOOOOOHOOOOO!! When I left the Games last year, all i could think was "I have to get back".  That 7 months passed pretty fast.  I made massive changes, i'm free of injury, I feel good. Life is good.  How about you? Is your nutrition dialed? Are you strategizing? Are you not leaving a single extra second on the table? In case you didn't notice, the pool seems to ~double every year in this sport.  You need to get stronger, smarter, tougher.  By now you're as strong as you're going to get, but you can still get smarter and tougher.  Analyze the hell  out of each work-out and eat gunpowder for breakfast because this is it buddy. At the end of the week, relax a little, eat well, and enjoy the ride because this just comes around once per year and even though i dread the stress, it's damn fun.

Now for the "recipe".  Excuse the format - don't need a list of ingredients.  Everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes.  However, you will need a smoker.  If you don't have one, get off your lazy arse and get one.  I had one and then found out some mice turned it into a condo, even brought in their own bedding, but never changed it.  So i chucked it and got a new electric one from home depot for ~$80.  It will smoke chickens, ribs, whatever - I'm gonna start using it. So you need one of those and some wood chips - i bought apple. Now make up your mashed potatoes a good hour before you need them. I prefer WHITE  sweet potatoes since they're on the mild side and look more like regular potatoes.  Peel, chunk and boil in water until soft.  Drain the water (of course) and add spices - we like smoked paprika, celery salt, and pepper.  Add butter and sour cream if you do the dairy thing (who doesn't these days?), or not if you're a fanatic (i pity you).  Plug in that smoker and throw your chips in (that you soaked in water for 30 min).  Now simply take your pot of mashed potatoes, w/out the cover, and place in the smoker (warning: not your best pot - it will look a little "smoky" afterwards). I smoked mine for a solid 45 minutes and added more chips halfway thru.  Every 15 minutes, give them a stir. Then bring them inside, cover, and keep warm until the rest of the food is ready.  We combined these with pork ribs, which i've posted before (super easy - dry rub and bbq for about 10-15 min per side) and broccolini with dried mushrooms which we reconstituted (these are better than fresh - more flavorful).  You will be shocked at how fantastic these potatoes taste.  It's like going back in time 1,000 yrs and being served sweet potatoes cooked over an open fire. Exquisite, really.

LASTLY - I want to bring some attention to FitAID.  A few months ago I was looking for something to aid my maintenance and recovery.  I found FitAID thru another masters athlete (12th in the world after 13.2).  I love this stuff because it has supplements that have already proven themselves to me (glutamine and glucosamine to name just a few), is all natural, carbonated, and just mildly sweet. In short, this is a top shelf sports drink loaded with supplements.  If you want to give it a try, FitAID made a special coupon code for me to share "paleosteve" which will get you FREE shipping. They are helping to support my quest to get back to the Games.  Please support them if you're in the market for a really top quality sports drink.

Eat Well!   Steve "Paleo"

Paleo Stuffing

About 3 yrs ago, i ate a traditional Thanksgiving meal - and was promptly, and miserably, comatose on the couch.  I swore not to do that again.  However, i love the traditional foods.   But before i go there, how's your training going?!?!? I've upped my training big time because i'm convinced it will take nothing less to get back to the Games.  I'm one of those poor saps that earns a living behind a desk so i had to get creative.  I brought crossfit to my work - SO fun!  Training a hardcore group of guys and making up weird $hit since we train outside (often in the dirt).  For example: 200 m 90 lb atlas stone toss for time.  Try that one at your box :)  Or these babies - cannonball farmers' carry.

Rogue Cannonballs chained to 90 lb atlas balls.

These are 90 lb stones, with a 7/8" hole drilled in them, and galvanized chain that attaches to rogue cannon balls.  Definitely a challenge to carry any great distance.  If you need to borrow them for any demolition projects, let me know.

PALEO STUFFING

1/2 large cauliflower
1 Cup chopped shitake mushrooms
1 Cup chopped celery
1 Cup chopped onion
3 slices bacon
2-3 cloves garlic - chopped
1/2 Cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 TBS (heaping) chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
Smoked paprika - several shakes.

To start, chunk the cauliflower and put in food processor. Just pulse the processor until cauliflower has a consistency like rice.  I only do about 1/4 at a time - it's critical not to overdo it.  Then put the cauliflower in a bowl and microwave until it steams.  Again, don't overdo it.  We're just pre-cooking it but you don't want it mushy.  Next,  fry the bacon and remove from pan.  Divide the bacon fat into two pans. Pan fry the cauliflower in one.  While that's going, saute the mushrooms and onions in the other.  Slowly add in garlic and pecans.  When nearly done, add the celery for maybe a minute then combine all ingredients (including spices, parsley,  and crumbled bacon) in one large pan.  This would be an excellent time to add a few pats of butter and turkey drippings if you have them.  Enjoy!   Steve "Paleo"

Fried Burro Bananas

Fried Burro Bananas (seriously- these are amazing) - by now you've figured i don't post unless something particularly rocks my boat. Laurie and I have had these burro bananas a few times now, and each time we're just so stoked that we're eating desert for dinner. Laurie said it well tonite "The perfect combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy."  They're super easy! But first WE GOTTA TALK ABOUT THE GAMES!!!

With 2nd place finisher Matt Chan and Chris Spealer

People bash Crossfit here and there, perhaps because there's a hint of arrogance (Glassman's defenses of his Hope poster as an example) and some goofiness, but i have to tell you, my Games experience in Carson was extraordinary and borderline surreal. If you don't know, i competed in the Master's Division 50-54. All those dudes were super cool.  Ironically, the very first guy i met, Pete Ryder from Crossfit Dunidin in New Zealand, tied me for 3rd place in overall points but he won the tie breaker based on pervious event finishes and he stood on the podium instead of me.  All the same, he was super cool and a great sport.  I'm sure we'd be best friends if we weren't continents apart.  Regarding the more well known faces of crossfit, I had a chance to chat with Adrian Bozeman - the dude was friendly and professional. I had a short chit chat with Pat Sherwood - exactly the same friendly, genuine guy you see on the camera.

Spealer & young fan -  by Laurie

 I saw how Annie and Spealer interacted with their fans - nothing but gratitude.  Shook hands with Spealer - no attitude with that guy.  Just a cool dude.  The place was PACKED with super friendly, super fit, crossfitters. And of course all the athletes were spoiled with AC tents, food, gear, chiros, PTs, dinners, you name it - UNBELIEVABLE.   So PEOPLE - if you dig crossfit and fitness, the GAMES is the place to be.  As usual, i'm just super stoked to be a part of it and it was surreal walking around with "the fittest on earth". It's SO much work preparing for the Open, then doing the OPEN, then preparing for the GAMES.  Leading up to it, i wondered if i'd want to do it again.  Looking back, if there's any chance in hell for me to get back (which there is!), then i'm on it.  Want to know how much time i took off? 1 day (and that's probably the day i bought a few hundred pounds of concrete to make atlas balls).

FRIED BURRO BANANAS
Burro Bananas (or ripe plantains)
Cinnamon
Smoked Paprika
Pink Himalayan Salt

Coconut Oil  I got this from Tropical Traditions - they sent it to me to check out.  Honestly, i was a little suspicious of their 2 for 1 promotions etc but it's certainly as good as any other i've tried.  If you order by clicking on that link, and you've not ordered from them before, you get a free book on Virgin Coconut oil, and i get a discount coupon (talk to me later about kick-backs :)




This is easy stuff.

Burro Bananas

Get yourself some Burro Bananas.  They look like this.  If you can't find burros, get plantains.  Here's the important part - they need to be ripe, not green.  We're not adding any sweetness.  1 per person is enough.  Slice them about as thin as you reasonably can and pan fry in the coconut oil.  When they're nice and brown, sprinkle with smoked paprika and cinnamon.  Lastly, sprinkle with the pink himalayan salt - why pink himalayan salt? - because it's made from monk piss, which has essential minerals.  Eat Well!  Steve Paleo

2012 Reebok Crossfit Games

My dog is more PALEO than you

Yes, it's true. My dog Bear is more paleo than you. He eats raw, he eats the bones, and he doesn't gag on chicken liver. So why am i posting dog meals now? Well, just to get you thinking about your best friend. They're getting cancer and fat, just like us - makes you wonder huh? More about that in a sec.
So how did the Crossfit Open go for you. I was a nervous wreck the whole time. I thought the programming was good and the scoring was fair. If you're a data geek, check this post by my friend Mike Deskevich. Bottom line, he checked out various scoring methods and came to the conclusion that the method used is as "fair" as any. Not much movement in athlete placement at bottom and top - where it counts. I was very fortunate to qualify for the Crossfit Games in the 50-54 Master's group. My GF Laurie and I took off to climb in Spain for 10 days the week after the Open and now i'm in serious training/eating mode - as i know many of you are. My diet has evolved over the years, but if you're curious, i'm currently eating 150g P, 120g F, 80 g C per day. That's right - 1/2 my calories are fat and that will increase the closer i get to July.
OK - raw food diets for your dog. Do you know that corn is a primary (top 3) ingredient in most dog foods? Bear gets terrible "hot spots" if fed corn, and maybe your dog doesn't. But what's happening inside him? Let's face it, no one ever saw a wolf run down a corn stalk. This is not canine food (nor is it human food). So, what to do? There are many resources, so study up, just google "dog raw food diet." There are many myths out there, just like with human diet. The biggy is chicken bones. Cooked = No Bueno. Raw = Bring-It. It still freaks me out a bit because Bear pretty much inhales his food. Read up and use your own judgment. Chicken drumsticks are nearly small enough for him to gulp. The turkey drumstick he ate tonite forced him to chew and i felt a lot better about it. The other concern is bacteria, etc. Really? Raw chicken? Yes. I'm feeding Bear all "human grade" food and sure, there is still some risk of nasties in there, but hell, the bacteria in his gut could kick the shit out of Mel Gibson any day of the week. How do i know this? You'd be surprised what a dog wandering thru the woods will eat. Now you're wondering about the cost right? I did my research. Med quality food, like "Blue Buffalo" w/out corn cost $51 for a 30 lb bag. Seriously, that's redonkculous, but it gets worse. Bear eats 3 cups - that's $1.43/day. The "good" stuff, truly w/out any grains, is $32 for 11 lb bag - dog food for crying out loud! That's $2.40/day for Bear. What does raw food cost? Here's what i bought today.

Pork Neck Bones $1.79/lb
Turkey Drumsticks $1.49/lb
Chick Gizzards/Hearts $1.21/lb
Chick Livers $1.24/lb
Avg Cost: 1.43/lb.
As a starting point, your dog should get 1 lb "meat" for every 50 lbs bodyweight. About 10% of that should be organ meat.( I also add olive oil to bring the fat up a bit.) That's about 1.5 lbs for Bear/day at a cost of $2.14/day. So not as expensive as "Top Shelf" dog food and much cheaper than Chemo. So, do a little research, and consider it. Do you really want your dog to be eating the equivalent of Cap'n Crunch? Not my buddy. If paleo is good for you, it's good for your dog.
Good Luck to all the athletes heading to Regionals and to the GAMES!

Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

Broccoli Latkes with Baramundi

I didn't even know what a latke was a month ago, and i probably still don't, but the texture and smell of these is becoming a quick favorite. First though, CROSSFIT OPEN coming down the pipe! Ready? I cranked down on my macronutrients a month ago and quickly dropped about 7 lbs. The least i can do is not give anyone else advantages in the bodyweight exercises. I actually started weighing and measuring again - for a bit. I'm reminded what a fat-fest this paleo stuff has become. Touchy subject i know but look around you. Who's paleo and who's shredded? Why and why not? I'll tell you why - it's a fookin nutbutter fest out there. And that's not all, there's a zillion almond flour recipes that are DAMN good. Like paleo bread and ginger snap cookies. (not joking here - MAKE these) If you have glutton (not gluten) tendencies like me, you need to do a little math on this stuff, or risk getting soft. Don't get me wrong, a 5 lb sack of almond four landed on my porch a couple weeks ago. There's not doubt that eating like a pig is anabolic. You WILL lift more weight but those burpees are gonna SUK. Better to train like a plough horse and eat like a race horse. For those interested, i'm on about 18 blocks but i'm skimping carbs - close to 100 gm per day. For an averaged sized male crossfitter, this is a pretty bullet proof way to lean up - so get on it and good luck during the Open!

Broccoli Latkes with Baramundi (4 blocks, skimpy carbs)

5 oz Baramundi (wild caught frozen at Costco - i spiced it with Old Bay seasoning)
3oz Broccoli florets (steam these)

Latkes
Heaping Cup of shredded broccoli stems
1/2 TBS almond flour (fine ground)
1/2 TBS coconut flour
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp shallot salt (or onion salt)
1 egg
1 tsp coconut oil

Shred the brok stems.
Mix in the egg, flour, and spices and get the coconut oil heating in a pan on med-high. Divide the shredded brok mix and place in pan - flatten out. Start steaming the broccoli florets and get the baramundi going in another pan coated with olive oil spray. Flip the latkes - they should be crispy brown like hash browns. A little smear of butter goes a long way on those latkes! Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

Buffalo Pumpkin Chili

Can't post this without talking about evil nightshades - pretty interesting stuff actually, but first, I'd like to thank Front Range Crossfit in Denver for putting on the FRCF Master's Championships last month. Well run, 2 day event that reminds me of the original Games at the Ranch. No need to buy a spectator ticket (for a change) but still quality work-outs, equipment, food, planning, etc. If you're 35+ and want to prove yourself, keep an eye out for this one next year. But don't think it's cake walk! There were some tough muthas there. I landed in 2nd place behind a Games podium finisher - so was pretty happy with that :)
Now, nightshades - pretty intimidating title for a tomato! Nightshades, which include the likes of tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers of ever sort, and even tobacco, contain alkaloids which vary from mildly irritating to fatal - eff!. Seriously, i didn't know salsa had such a DARK side. Hmmm... doesn't SOUND very paleo but maybe we need to think about this. If you google around a little, you'll find the experts tend to bash them pretty hard then back pedal and say that unless you suffer from autoimmune disease, like rheumatoid arthritis, they're not so bad due to beneficial vitamins/nutrients. Apparently, there's only anecdotal evidence of the detrimental effects of nightshades on your health - I could not find one single formal study that condemns them - surprising. Here's a good article by L. Cordain on toxicity in tomatoes and here's one on peppers and here's one on potatoes. Here's my take-away: There is a HUGE range of toxicity depending on the ripeness or type of pepper. Ripe tomatoes and green peppers have almost zilch of the toxins representative of this family. SO, you can shun all nightshades or be a little objective and consider the "safer" ones - meaning try them and see if you grow big knuckles. There's no auto-immune buggers in my family - instead they all die of heart disease, so given the low carb nature of this recipe, i'm GOIN' FOR IT!

Buffalo Pumpkin Chili - just in time for Thanksgiving...

2 lbs ground bison
1 Qt Tomato Juice
28 oz Can of peeled/diced tomatoes
1 large onion - chopped
1 large portobello mushroom - chopped
1 large green pepper - chopped
15 oz canned pumpkin
2.25 oz canned sliced olives
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1 TBS hot sauce
1 TBS chili powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Brown the bison in a large pot then add onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add everything else, bring to a boil then back off and simmer for 1 hour. DONE. Makes, ummm... A LOT. Enjoy.. and don't eff-up this Thanksgiving. If you've been on the paleo wagon for awhile, you might just start on the couch because you'll end up comatose there anyway - been there!!
Eat Well! Steve Paleo

Bison Ribs w/Egyptian Walking Onions & Sorrel

I have a ribs obsession, which i'll talk about more in a bit, but first a little on the Crossfit Open. I tip my hat to them - that format was bold and they took a lot of heat for it. I still would like to bitch. Crossfit HQ bowed to the general populous. Their goal was CLEARLY to not discourage people from crossfit, and show any ninny could do it. That bummed me out a little, but this IS a business after all. Geez i was hoping to feel just a little "F^cking Elite" but there really was none of that in the Open programming. In the end, i think they indeed rounded up the best athletes. Those that barely made it, or barely missed it (me), can argue but realistically their chance of winning THE GAMES are probably on the order of getting raptured to heaven. Looking at the Regional workouts, it seems more in line with what I consider crossfit and i'm happy to see that kind of programming. I'll keep paying my membership dues ;-)

OK, bison ribs. HOLY $HIT THEY SELL THEM AT COSTCO! Good call whoever is buying the meats there. Bison is expensive, after all, they can walk thru fences that keep lesser animals (beef) at bay, so sure, charge a little more. But seriously, the nice cuts are kind of ridiculous. Not ribs though - $20 for a HUGE rack. I have no idea if Costco outside of Boulder sells this stuff. If not, you can go on-line but they won't be nearly as reasonable.
Now about those egyptian walking huh? We have a great Farmer's Market here in Boulder and they caught my eye. Basically HUGE scallions that form a bublet on top. As it gets heavy and falls over, it lands in the dirt and "plants" itself - so essentially "walking" across your garden. I also grabbed some mixed mushrooms while i was there and sorrel - very lemony and tart. To be eaten in small quantities because it contains oxalic acid. As a garnish though, it really adds a unique taste (if you can't find it - just give the dish a squeeze of lemon towards the end). One more note about ribs. I'll say it again, i'm LAZY. I know some people parboil them and do a little dance, blah blah. Heck i'm so lazy I literally threw away ALL my socks and bought just woolie boolies three years ago. Hiking, biking, work, crossfit - whatever - SAME socks. Best thing i ever did. So, I really don't care if the meat falls off the bone, that's what teeth are for and this is WAY less work. Don't get me wrong - they're still pretty tender. Here's the recipe:

Bison Ribs with Egyptian Walking Onions & Sorrel

1 rack of ribs - dry rub with spices. Smoked Paprika is a "must have" spice. Besides that, i use garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, etc. Put on the barbecue - took mine about 1/2 hour or so.

1 plate of mixed mushrooms, garlic, pecans, and "egyptian walking onions" or equivalent (leeks) - chopped.

Get 2 slices of bacon and cook it up. Put bacon to the side and saute ingredients above in the bacon fat. Start with the pecans - then add the rest. Salt and pepper to taste. It doesn't need much more - pretty rich. Just before it's done, add sorrel (just a few leaves chopped) and bacon pieces.
Enjoy! Steve "Paleo"