Ready to Rock... And get in shape

Everyone knows about the Wii with its “Fit”, “Sports” and “Resort” games. Xbox and Playstation are each coming out with their own versions of body mechanics controllers and games as well. Its obvious that this is a definite trend in the video gaming world and it is here to stay.

The question is… “Is there really any validity to exercising with a TV and a video game console or is it all just a joke?”. “Does fitness gaming have any true business claiming itself in the fitness world?”.

My answer may surprise you…

YES

I say “Yes” these games and this movement absolutely have a PLACE in fitness and staying healthy. Anyone that goes out and buys a Wii Fit and expects to instantly lose 200 pounds is an absolute idiot but that does not mean that it is not exercise and that it isn’t good for you at all. I used to scoff at these type of video games and laugh them off as a complete joke. As I am getting older though and care less about my dignity and image I am much more open to trying new things even if they may make me look like an idiot. I have actually tried most of these new body movement and fitness related video games and straight up… they are not only exceptionally fun but you can work up a mean sweat in the process!

I don’t think that a fitness program can or should be based on any of these activities but they make a great supplement to or part of any healthy lifestyle or fitness routine.

One of the most important aspects of these types games is that they are fun. I am a firm believer that getting your exercise through fun activities kicks the crap out of planned, scheduled, repetitive workouts anytime.

I recently picked up a couple of Dance Dance Revolution games and pads for my xbox and am absolutely hooked. I used to make fun of the kids that played DDR but it is SO much fun now that I gave it a fair shot. I play this game until I am pouring sweat, exhausted and about to collapse. My main regret is that I can’t play it more often because it IS truly hard and it IS truly a work out so I actually need recovery time between marathon sessions!

I haven’t stopped working out because I am getting exercise by playing this game but it has offered me unbelievable fitnes related benefits. I can tell you that because of these DDR sessions, my stamina is on a level I have not experienced in an extremely long time.

So my advice is to embrace these new activities and this movement and to enjoy it and reap the benefits and the entertainment. Just don’t expect a miracle as you shouldn’t with anything these days. If you have scoffed these types of activities I challenge you to at least give them a try.. you may find them more challenging, and heck more fun than you ever expected. When you are ready to challenge the SoG in a DDR dance off… you let me know!

- The SoG

Anyways, if you don’t have a copy of Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint yet and have been wanting to pick one up, now is a pretty good time. If you order Mark’s book today, he is throwing a bundle of freebies at you.

Here is what you get:
1) A personal invite to a 2-hour Live Webcast Q&A Session. Ask Mark anything you want. He’ll be answering as many questions as he can about weight loss, muscle building and anything else that interests you.

2) Access to a password-protected audio interview – “Special Report: 20 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight (And How to Fix Them)” ($24.99 value, yours free!)

3) Access to a password-protected audio interview – “Special Report: 10 Reasons You’re Sick (And How to Get Better)” ($24.99 value, yours free!)

4) A convenient and exclusive e-book (PDF) of 25 Primal Blueprint Recipes from Mark’s Daily Apple

5) A free preview edition (PDF) of Mark’s upcoming, hardbound cookbook with 5 select Primal Blueprint Recipes

All you do is buy the book from Amazon.com for the regular price of $18.81 and email Mark you receipt by 12pm PST to get the goodies.

Mark is trying to bring his book to #1 on Amazon which I think would be a great step for the primal community so if you want to support Mark then head on over and buy a copy. You can find out more info if you like at Mark’s Daily Apple.  If you don’t then that is just fine as well. Keep enjoying all the free information that is out there on Primal Lifestyles.

I will try to get some more SoG original content up here soon for you but for now… I am off to work!

It is confession time.

I have been slacking. I could make a million excuses (which I have), but fact of the matter is that I have been lazy. I have not fallen of the primal wagon per say but I have not been doing everything I could/should.

I have been eating healthy, but not with my same primal intensity and attention to detail fitting to the SoG and I have only been averaging one, yes one 30 minute workout a week. This has been going on for the past 3 months now since I left for work travel.

The result is that I am not out of shape (its is hard to get out of shape even when slacking and living primal), but I am not in the shape or the health that I truly want to be in and that I know I can be in.

It is time for a resolution of sorts. Time to get back to what makes me the SoG… not the Slack-o-G. So here, I say to you… I am going to get Primal. I am going to get dirty, hardcore and happy Primal and I want you to join me.

If you are interested, post your own confessional if you have one and post your dedication to the most important cause their is… your own health and well being. Not doing everything you know you could/should? For the next 4 weeks lets dedicated ourselves to kicking our own buts in gear. You could call this a challenge of sorts but I am not going to bait you with crappy prizes. Our rewards will be our results.

Here is how I am going to help:

1. You may notice 2 new tabs at the top of the page. Back when I actually had more time I started putting together some fitness plans. I almost completed the first of these but never got around to adding the polish and posting. I will make this available over the next couple days… polished or not. I have also had enough interest in an SoG cookbook that I am going to start putting one together… for free. I don’t have an ETA on the cookbook yet but it will be a mash-up of basic Primal cooking advice, my favorite recipes and some new recipes.

2. Email me. If you fall off the wagon, feel free to email me your woes and I will be happy to help you get back on track. Need some help or advice? Or do you just have an inspirational post for yourself or your primal compadres that you would like to see me post? E-mail me. SoG@sonofgrok.com

To kick this off right, Wednesday will be official Primal Enchiladas day. I really promise this time…

Now I better get to work on the Fitness Programs and Cookbooks!

Yummy Waffles

I was perusing through my kitchen cabinets the other day when I came upon a waffle iron. Of course I immediately got a huge craving and decided that I had to create some Primal Waffles.

Here is what I came up with and it will definitely not disappoint. These were quite good. It has been long enough since I had a “normal” waffle so it is hard for me to compare but I would say that these are easily as good if not better!

Old… OLD World Waffles

Ingredients:
- 8oz Organic Cream Cheese
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 half cup shredded coconut.
- 4 eggs
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla
- dash of cinnamon

Waffle Syrup:
- Fruit! Any you like but I have found that frozen strawberries that are put in the microwave and then chopped and mashed makes a great natural syrup!

Directions:
1. Pulse half cup of shredded coconut in a food processor or blender until you have a kind of coconut flour. (some people may remember this from some of my other recipes) This makes a great coconut flour that is full fat and less dry than pre-made almond flour which is usually de-fatted.
2. In a mixer or mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well to create a batter.
3. Cook your batter on the waffle iron. If you dont have a waffle iron, you could probably make them pancake style in a pan on the stove.
4. Enjoy them how you like them! We did some organic butter and the heated frozen strawberry natural syrup.

Came out perfect!

Cavemen Cookies from the Cavemen Bakery

Last week I received in the mail a beautiful bag of these Cavemen Cookies from the Cavemen Bakery.

I know… I know… cool name right?

It gets better… this is the slogan on the bag “Just like your great, great, great, great, great… grandmother used to make!”

Anyways, they are available from the online store and are available in select deli’s and store’s around the NYC area (hear that you crazy black box crossfitters?). They claim to be a paleo friendly cookie for the masses. I know that I have featured my own “Caveman Cookies” here on the site but these are actually very different

So how do they add up? Here is the skinny on them:

Taste:
The taste is great! Way… way… WAY to sweet for me and my sensitive palette but aside from that they are quite good. They remind me of a cross between a ginger snap and an oatmeal cookie.

Texture:
This is the best part of these cookies. They are so soft and chewy that I have to wonder exactly how they managed to do it (ok, actually I know… it’s the honey and raisins but shhhhhhh). If you could think of the best possible cookie texture to have… this would be them.

Presentation:
From the packaging to the product, these look great. They are done in such a way that they would make great gifts in the bag or you could take them out of the bag for a party or the like and no one would be the wiser.

Ingredients:
There are no chemicals and the ingredients are almost completely benign which is a nice thing. Almond flour, nuts, raisins, ginger and nutmeg are all pretty darn safe. The only thing I don’t really like about the ingredients is the honey. I am of the opinion that refined sugar is refined sugar whether it is refined by man or by bee’s albeit the bee method is probably more natural. There is plenty of honey in these cookies too, you can tell from the taste and the texture. Still it is a far better option than the typical cookie floating out there.

Nutrition:
The nutrition info is easily available right on the website which is commendable.
Per 2 cookies it is:
Fat: 7g (Sat: 0.5g, Poly: 3g, Mono: 3.5g
Chol: 0
Sod: 0
Carbs: 15g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar:13g
Protein: 3g
Yeah a little high in sugar for 2 cookies… so eat only 1!

Conclusions:
These taste awesome and truly are a worthy investment. I wouldn’t make a habit of packing them back but one here and there is definitely a reasonable treat. Also as I said, these would make an excellent gift! I have bantered back and forth a little in email with the owner of the Cavemen Bakery and I can assure you that she has the right motives and intentions. This means that not only can you enjoy eating a yummy cookie but you can also feel good about supporting a good business.

You can order Cavemen Cookies from the Cavemen Bakery online at:
www.cavemencookies.com

Cracklin Chicken with peppers and salsa

I know I promised this last week but here it is… sorry… better late than never right?

Do you miss your chicken/veal parmesan? How about breaded tilapia or any other delicious breaded or fried meat? Well here is a perfectly primal solution… and it is delicious!

I give you Cracklin Chicken. It is so easy and so delicious. This same principle can be applied for fish, beef, pork or any other meat that you would like as well (Just change the cooking times accordingly of course).

Ingredients:
- Chicken tenders or breasts
- Egg (white and yolk mixed)
- Crushed Pork Crackling or Pork Rinds. You can either collect all the crumbs that are left over from your normal stash or crush some up on purpose.

Prepping the chicken

Directions:
1. Paint your chicken with egg.
2. Cover with crackling crumbs using the egg like a glue.
3. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cooked.
4. Enjoy!

You can add some additional seasonings to the chicken if you like but I have found that it is not really necessary because of the salty nature of the crackling or pork rinds.

You can eat your Crackling Chicken straight up, use it in a chicken salad or use it in other delicious recipes like this:

Primal Chicken Parmesan:
Top your crackling chicken with this simple sauce:

Ingredients:
1 Can Tomato Paste
1-2 Cups Water (To desired thickness)
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Garlic

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Use water to desired thickness. We like ours pretty thick. Feel free to add more spice if you want it, too.
2. Simmer on stove for approximately 15 minutes.

Serve with or without spaghetti squash noodles!

I hope you all enjoy this one… I can’t wait to try my Crackling Tilapia!

Sorry that I have not posted in a while. I have been extremely busy. My car broke down  and I had to fix it and we have added a new addition to our family.

His name is Egon.

Already checking out the grill

He is a GREAT dog. Absolutely amazing in fact. We saved him from the middle of a busy street about a week back and when no one claimed him (people abandon dogs in the desert out where I live all the time), we decided to legally adopt him. Unfortunately though he got an infection from his surgery (the animal shelter neuters all adopted dogs) and he has been very sick and has required a lot of extra care and attention.

Anyways… here is a simple labor day recipe for everyone. This salad dressing is my grandmothers recipe and is by far my favorite dressing. It also happens to be completely primal. Not only is it my favorite primal salad dressing though, it is my favorite dressing period!

My batch is almost gone!

Primal Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tblspns balsamic vinaigrette
- 2 teaspns dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic glove finely chopped or minced
- 1 tbslpn shallots finely chopped or minced
- 1 tblspn red onion finely chopped or minced

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl
2. mix thoroughly
3. Store in sealed container (I got mine form the $1 store) in the refrigerator
4. Shake well before use and Enjoy!

Like many of the best things in life.. it really is that simple!

Enjoy your labor day! I have an extra special chicken recipe coming to you later in the week!

Wow my legs were pasty when summer started!

Most of you have probably met John Sifferman in the comments section of my posts. John operates a website Real World Strength Training that is definitely worth checking out.

John has some really cool ideas and methods for training. I must admit that I stole the squat jump movements that I am currently doing from him.

The thing that amazing me most about John is his commitment to barefoot training.

I love everything barefoot. I workout barefoot at home, wear my Vibram Five Fingers shoes when I am hiking or sprinting etc. This has really helped my posture and has helped me to build strength in my feet, ankles and legs. Knee pain is now also largely a thing of the past. I have to laugh when someone tries to tell me that I “need support” (which happens all the time) because when you are used to going barefoot… twisting an ankle does not even seem like a realistic possibility… until you put shoes on. It is hard to explain but so true.

I thought I was pretty cool…. but no… I am not. I read posts on John’s site about him climbing mountains and taking long hikes barefoot.

I must admit… this makes me awfully… awfully…

JEALOUS

I really want to build my feet up to this level of toughness and get to the point where I can even ditch my Vibrams.

I do have some reservations about this:
#1. The New Mexico desert is full of cactus, goatheads, thorny things and spiny things.
#2. The New Mexico desert is absolutely littered with broken glass.
#3. In the New Mexico desert, the ground gets awfully hot!

I can picture myself happily padding along a cool, packed dirt and rock mountain trail barefoot but I am having a harder time picturing myself trudging through a sweltering, sandy, sharp, spiny and painful desert.

Still I am going to go for it.

Any thoughts or advice out there? John?

I will try to remember to update everyone on how I am coming along.

This snack is Crackalakin!

A Primal Snack More Addictive Than Crack!

Ok, well maybe that is an exaggeration because I hear that crack is indeed pretty addictive. And also it is pretty unhealthy for you where as this is perfectly primal but anyways…

… I give you Crackling!

Roger de Rok introduced me to this stuff and I can’t put it down. They have it available made fresh at our local Mexican Mercado style “Ranch Market” (it’s pretty much a big grocery store where everything is in Spanish and has really cool exotic foods).

So what is it?

My understanding is that Crackling is what is left over after rendering lard. Picture a pork rhine with a pad of butter stuck to the underside. That is crackling.

How is it primal?

It is pork fat… fried in its own pork fat. All natural, deliciously fatty and ready to go.

Crackling makes a truly awesome, truly primal snack. It is the perfect primal substitute for chips or popcorn. It is easy and delicious to eat straight by itself but I am absolutely dying to make some nachos or primal frito pie with it.

If you can’t find Crackling then pork rhines still make a pretty good primal snack by themselves but Crackling is the way to go!

Are you familiar with Crackling? Do you love this stuff as much as I do?

Primal BBQ Sauce

My good buddy Roger De Rok and I were out doing arroyo sprints yesterday (sprints in a sandy arroyo.. they will WRECK you). It is about a 45 minute walk to and from the arroyo through the desert with the lizards and jackrabbits (100s of them)  and it makes for good talk time. Roger told me about a debate spurred recently on MDA about what the most primally acceptable BBQ sauce was.

Well it just so happens that I created a 100% primal and 100% delicious barbecue sauce last week when I made some BBQ brisket. I wanted to make bbq but I wanted it primal so I researched a bunch, made myself an expert on bbq sauce and adapted a primal recipe version. I decided to replicate the results for measurements so I could give the recipe to all of you. Here it is and wowzas is it good. I could (and did) eat this stuff by the spoonful.

SoG Zesty Barbecue Zauce

Ingredients:
- 1 6oz can tomato paste (preferable organic)
- 1 to 1.5 cups of beef stock (I made my own but if you buy, you want it without salt)
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- .5 of an onion
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions:
1. Dice your onions and garlic as fine as possible. You want your BBQ sauce a little chunky but the more fine you dice these, the better the flavor will spread through the entire sauce.
2. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Whether you use 1 cup or 1.5 cups of beef stock will depend on how thick you want your sauce.
3. Bring sauce to heat on stove with a low setting.
4. Cover and simmer. Stir frequently and taste regularly. The longer you simmer, the more consistent your flavor will be. I simmered for 20-30 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Extra can be stored in refrigerator.

Who said BBQ can’t be primal? I can just imagine this spread over a nice Bacon Explosion! I am using some of my sauce for rotisserie chicken tonight.

P.S. You can probably substitute garlic and onion powders for the fresh garlic and onion for a slacker sauce.