Older Bolder Life

Stronger | Leaner | Sharper | Longer - From Older Bolder Fitness

Older Bolder Mark

Question of the Week: A 30-Day Booster Program

By

I had a great discussion with a former client early this morning, he reached out in fact while I was on my morning walk enjoying the cool morning before today’s preview of the upcoming summer heat here in North Texas.

He had experienced quite impressive results in a program starting over two years ago, dropping over 100 pounds of excess weight, resolving a clinical metabolic syndrome and T2DM, reshaping his body, revitalizing his family relationships, and re-engaging with several sports and leisure pursuits he’d long abandoned given his health.

It seems the combination of a very stressful business transition and the COVID-19 black hole we’ve all fallen into this spring got him off track; he’s regained some weight, lost the spark in his exercise, and has several impressive stress markers impacting sleep and daily well being.

He called to asked if I’d be able to help him get back on track with a short interval of support and coaching; he actually used the term “booster program” as we talked, which sounds like a perfect description of what I’m hearing friends, family, and clients wanting as well – a virtual (or in some cases perhaps literal) kick in the pants to get back on track, and fine tune some challenging areas along the way.

I’ve started working on a 30-day booster program curriculum of sorts today, and will be sharing bits and pieces as this comes together, focusing on some of the very unique challenges we’re all facing these most unusual of days.

More to come.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: TAGG (Turmeric Ancho Ginger Garlic) Wings

By

I’ve shared many times before that around our camp, a great wing recipe – whether it’s grilled or roasted to a golden brown crispiness via a hot oven – almost always scores big with my clan.

Here’s a recipe that comes our way via our friend Chef Libby in Austin; she’s been making her TAGG (Turmeric Ancho Ginger Garlic) wings for years now, and from her expert view, they’re better (and easier to get crispy without risking too much char) roasted in the oven under a watchful eye.

Aficionados of ancestral eating understand well the long list of health benefits of turmeric, which needs black pepper to unleash its full potential; we like turmeric even more because of the taste that it brings to the culinary table.

Libby crafted two genius strokes into this recipe. One, the addition of just a bit of ancho chile powder – anchos bring a deep, fruity flavor to the wing game without a lot of heat; too much ancho darkens the final crust a lot – there’s not enough in this recipe to completely cover the golden goodness of the turmeric.

And two, in part to satisfy her Austin-based audience that’s used to savoring a bit of heat in their food down here in Tex Mex country, she adds just a whiff of cayenne to the rub.

You’ll note there’s an optional teaspoon of sugar listed in the ingredients; when Libby developed this recipe, as a professional chef she defaulted to adding a bit of sweet to the rub mixture (also very classically Southern, not necessarily Texan however), though she (and we) prefer to leave it out.

The spritz of citrus at service brightens the flavors even more; classically you might think of lemon with turmeric, but our years in Texas-land have us reaching for the limes.

4 pounds chicken wings (or wing pieces), trimmed, patted dry

1 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp (generous) ground turmeric
Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
Optional: 1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp avocado oil
3-4 inches of ginger root, peeled, grated (fine)
4 large garlic cloves, grated (fine)

Lime or lemon wedges for serving

Trim the wings if needed, pat dry, set aside in a large bowl.

Grind the peppercorns, ancho chile powder, salt, turmeric, and optional sugar if using in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Now sprinkle the run over the wings and toss to coat.

Now combine the grated ginger, grated garlic, and oil, then drizzle over the spiced wings, tossing once again to coat. Cover with wrap or pour into a bag to marinate in the fridge for up to overnight, be sure to scrape out all the spice mixture from the bowl.

When ready to cook, spread the wings on a foil-lined baking sheet, along with any remaining spice paste distributed as evenly as you can, and throw into your trusty oven before turning it on.

Now fire the oven to 425, and bake until the wings are beginning to brown and you see a bit of a turmeric stain on the foil, roughly 30-35 minutes. Turn the wings, and bake another 30-40 minutes until the wing skin is crispy and browned.

Pull the wings, artfully place on a platter along with the citrus wedges of your choice, and go to it.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Podcasts, Recipes and More 27 May 2020

By

Coronavirus and the sun: A Lesson from the 1918 influenza pandemic.

An oldie but a goodie covering the open-air treatment of pandemic influenza.

More on vitamin D and COVID-19 mortality rates.

Other Interesting Non-COVID Reads This Week

The “optimal” oral health diet is low carb they say…

The internal, external, and extended microbiomes of hominins.

Been saying this for months now – video calls won’t cut it forever.

A Podcast Bonanza This Week

Results of Chris Smith’s 90 day farmer’s carry challenge on Mark Bovair’s podcast.

Sisson talks the Ketogenic Diet on Mark Harmon’s podcast.

Dr. Anna Cabeca, DO on keto and women’s health.

Gary Foresman, MD on COVID-19 via the Primal Blueprint podcast.

Dr. Mariza Snyder and Mark Sisson on metabolic makeovers.

Animal Proteins in the News: Good News and a a Couple to Laugh At

During the UK lockdown, meat free product sales dropped.

A swing and a miss from Wired on “rebuilding the meat industry without animals”.

Despite being proven wrong, the anti-meat gang won’t let this go.

Food, Glorious Food

25 keto coffee recipes.

Our take on Tex Mex Migas.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Migas

By

Living roughly half of our lives in Texas, and in particular spending a chunk of that time in San Antonio and parts South toward the Rio Grande and the border with Mexico, my lovely wife and I have unabashedly enjoyed our share of what is called around these parts Tex-Mex cuisine over the years.

Since becoming Primally-aligned in our food plan now pushing five years ago, we don’t often indulge in some of the most beloved Tex-Mex classics (I’m looking at you Mr. Cheese Enchilada plate), though we both hold a soft spot for a great breakfast taco enjoyed now and again.

Besides the various preparations for skirt steak we’ve shared here on the Older Bolder Life, probably the most common Tex-Mex inspired food we cook at home is Migas.

Cooking great migas at home isn’t rocket science, and we’ve not used a recipe for the past twenty years or so in making these at home, though one key element of the classic preparation has changed for us as follows.

Classically when making migas fresh corn tortillas are cut into thin strips and fried prior to folding into the egg and vegetable mixture before serving; no doubt in most eateries the tortillas are fried in some ghastly seed oil (yet are delightfully crunchy). Since becoming primally-aligned we debated how to address the tortilla issue – migas (at least for some) wouldn’t be migas without the corn tortilla crunch; there are three decent options to address this below.

One option, and perhaps the most obvious, is simply to leave the tortillas out of the recipe for those avoiding grains altogether; this prep is still delicious using that approach. Another option is to use a gluten free tortilla substitute, like those made by Siete, prepping them in the oven with a spritz of avocado oil and spices. They’re surprisingly crunchy and tasty, to our palate very close to a traditional tortilla. In the image below, Siete tortilla strips on the right look almost identical to an artisanal corn tortilla strips on the left.

Finally of course you can add a small amount of the best corn tortillas you can source; we’d never fry them, but instead spritz with oil, dust with a bit of salt, cumin, and chili powder, and toast to a crispy crunch in the oven. It just takes a tablespoon or two to make a serving of migas more interesting, and frankly, we’re willing to take the grain exposure hit for what these bring to the migas table now and again.

Our daughter is visiting from Montana again, and I just stirred up a batch of migas for the three of us. Our approach is to make this a kitchen sink sorta cook – we throw in what’s handy and add three eggs per person if this is a main meal of day event. Almost always we use a fairly large onion, poblanos, a red bell or several Fresnos, and a jalapeño or serrano chile or two as our base vegetable medley. The recipe below is modeled after this most recent cook intended to serve three, adjust according to suit your diners.

Most migas, at least those in the southern half of the Lone Star State, have a sprinkle of cheese (cotija or Monterey Jack most often) and are topped with fresh cilantro and perhaps a spritz of lime. You make the call…

Optional tortilla crisps
3-4 artisanal corn tortillas or Siete gluten free tortillas
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp good salt

1 large yellow or white onion, medium-small dice
2 poblano chiles, trimmed, medium-small dice
1 red bell pepper, trimmed, medium-small dice OR
4-5 Fresno chiles, trimmed, medium-small dice
1-2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, trimmed, small dice
4 tbsp grass fed butter
9 eggs, lightly beaten
3-4 ounces grated cheese of your choice
Salt to taste

Optional
2-4 tbsp chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
1-2 tbsp chopped jalapeños
Salsa or hot sauce of your choice
A spritz of fresh lime juice

IF making the tortilla crisps, cut the tortillas into thin strips approximately 1/8-inch by 2 inches; throw in a small bowl, add the avocado oil, cumin, chile powder, and salt and stir to coat, then spread out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350 until toasted, turning half way through the bake.

Prep the onion and various peppers, then melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the vegetables until crisp tender, note you’re not trying to brown or caramelize the vegetables, just soften a bit.

Now stir in the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft set and well combined with the vegetables. I often stir in just a bit more cumin and chile powder at this point too.

Remove from the heat, sprinkle with 3/4’s of the grated cheese and the toasted tortillas if using, then serve immediately with a sprinkle of more cheese and the toppings of your choice.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Podcasts, Recipes, and More 20 May 2020

By

For the first time now in almost two months our list of interesting reads for the week won’t open with a litany of COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 links and articles; human science and lifestyle research as continued otherwise over the past months despite all the distraction…

Critically related to current events, the global fat pandemic continues, and is probably worse than reported.

Speaking of excess body fat, it appears to contribute to your memory decline.

Fatty liver in kids?

CNN appears shocked that “sugary drinks” are linked to CVD (wait – there’s no saturated fats!); here’s the study that caught their eye.

And speaking of “sugar” issues in the diet, a long time med for T2DM – metformin – is back in the news (looking at autophagy and mitochondrial function changes).

From the Exercise and Activity Matters File This Week…

Fascinating study showing that LCHF athletes have a functional glucose intolerance (and unimpaired, even enhanced fat oxidation) that isn’t harmful/pathological.

Posture can improve self-confidence in kids.

A Few Other Interesting Reads from the Week

With all the attention vitamin C has been getting the COVID-19 era, here’s an interesting look at how vitamin C and fasting is augmenting treatment of some cancer types.

Not baring it all is sexier?

Will a dystopian travel future come to pass?

Don’t let sh*tty science distract you: a perfect example to avoid here.

And don’t let the hype fool you – this won’t come to pass.

Food, Glorious Food

My daughter and I have been discussing this very concept on a long drive this week – local meat sources will become more valuable than ever.

Grilled Gochujang Skirt Steak.

A Few Quick Thoughts From the Road

By

Pushed by a bizarre set of circumstances I’ve been on the road for the past five days; these are very strange days in which to travel, and I thought it’d be worthwhile to share a couple of quick observations.

The full story is immaterial, but to provide a bit of background, last week it became clear that I needed to procure some documents in storage in the suburb of a large city in the Pacific Northwest. Reflexly I attempted to arrange a direct flight out of DFW, and was thwarted on essentially every attempt with regard to local regulations imposed by the destination regional airport options and the communities in which they were based. The only viable option evolved to driving, which would / has involved basically traversing half the country in a mater of days by car.

My personal status of having recovered quite successfully from a dalliance with COVID-19 made me a bit more comfortable with travel-related exposures, though the decision was one my lovely wife and I pondered carefully.

Three quick observations (and I do mean anecdotal, personal observations) of note, and it goes without saying that conditions, risks, and restrictions vary MARKEDLY from state to state.

Food on the Road. In states more tightly locked down, food options in terms of accessing prepared, restaurant foods travelers are accustomed to seeking out largely don’t exist. I noted even fast-food type establishments that primarily serve drive-through menus were not consistently open, and when available (Laramie, WY for example) restaurant seating and service was able but limited.

My circumstances were a bit unique, in that in the few weeks prior I’d pre-planned a push into a 3-month run of fairly tight nutritional ketosis, therefore I packed 90% or more of my food into our trusty cooler and have thrived on a one meal per day approach, with excellent energy, endurance, and mental acuity/clarity.

I’ve outlined some of our favorite road trip foods here and here.

Fuel on the Road. Despite some reports to the contrary from friends, there’s been no difficulty whatsoever finding fuel along major travel routes, at what – from a historical perspective – are damned inexpensive prices.

Interestingly, only one fuel system (Costco) appears committed to cleaning pumps between users (and not consistently from store to store), therefore personally I took the highest level precautions (gloves, meticulous sanitation after) whenever stopping to refuel.

Lodging on the road. Relative risk to a traveler seeking lodging is all over the map when it comes to lodging; after some research I chose to seek out a chain with at least the highest level standards of cleaning and resting rooms (do your homework) as per their articulated plans, and found rooms spotless every time. It’s also incredibly easy to carry sanitizing wipes in and wipe down every surface you will touch, a likely unnecessary precaution but one I chose to exercise every time.

Overall, I’ve noted via observed traffic and lodging demands that travel remains, pending the region, MARKEDLY reduced.

Caveat emptor as you get out and about.

Images: Entering the Columbia River Gorge above and New Mexico vista below.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Gochujang Skirt Steak

By

As the world begins to wake back up and we move onward toward summer (at least here in the northern hemisphere), perhaps like many of you we’re looking forward to gatherings around the grill with friends and family. Hell bells, we’re only two weeks away from Memorial Day, the more or less official kick-off of the summer season (at least up until this alternative universe year we’ve been living in of late).

Though we’ve lived in the Northern Rockies for most of our married lives, my lovely wife and I both grew up in Texas and have enjoyed the Texas food scene for years, not only its classic roots in barbecue and classic Tex Mex, but also the various fusion variations that have arisen (i.e. the Vietnamese fusion cuisine in Houston and beyond).

That said, we’ve also over the past few years become huge fans of gochujang, the spicy, fermented Korean red pepper paste that’s packed with a peppery, funky umami that’s not blisteringly spicy-hot.

I’ve written about using gochujang here with chicken and we’ve been fiddling with a Gochujang Skirt Steak off and on for a couple of years now, finally settling more or less on this version.

Many would argue skirt steak’s truest, and most delicious, destiny is to be marinated lightly, rubbed with fresh garlic, then quickly grilled to medium-rare, rested, and thinly sliced across the grain to be placed in a taco, along with a spicy salsa, avocado in some form, and any of the dozens and dozens of options that make tacos sing for you.

For most of us in the Primal and Paleo worlds, tacos made from traditional corn and wheat flour aren’t often on the menu (or at all), and I’ve yet to shake hands with an “alternative” tortilla product that didn’t make me longingly wish (or even beg) for the traditional version.

The traditional skirt steak position in culinary history duly noted, sliced skirt makes a powerfully tasty salad topper or as the protein component of your favorite bowl over a nifty cauliflower rice (or whatever).

This one is best with 12-hours or more in the marinade and the ginger grated in, though even a couple of hours in the marinade imparts flavor you’ve probably not enjoyed in your grilled skirt steak (or flank, or London broil) before.

2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed, cut into 4 to 5-inch pieces
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp gochujang
5 tbsp avocado oil (olive oil works as well)
5 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 medium red onion
2 gloves garlic, grated
1 tsp kosher salt
Optional: 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

Prep and trim the skirt steak, lightly sprinkle with salt.

Combine the gochujang, oil, rice vinegar, grated garlic, and ginger if using in a large resealable bag. Grate the onion using the largest holes on your trusty box grater and add to the mixture. Now add the skirt steak pieces and mash around until well coated. Seal and throw in the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, fire the grill, and drain the excess marinade from the skirt steak (don’t wipe off the clinging marinade). When the grill is ready, grill for 5-8 minutes (pending your skirt thickness and fire) until lightly charred and cooked to medium-rare. Rest the meat for 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.

When we have an irresistible urge for a taco (hey, we are in Texas) these are unbeatable wrapped in a hot tortilla with some quick-pickled onion, a dollop of additional gochujang, and maybe a slice of firm avocado.

See you at the grill this weekend.

Enjoy.