Older Bolder Life

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

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 13 July: Lemony Spiced Salmon Kabobs

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Years ago, living and working in the Salt Lake City valley, we befriended a couple who, among a bevy of interesting quirks, were partners with another guy in a small Alaskan fishing business.

This ‘other guy’ had a boat and spent a fair part of every summer up there and fished (commercially); he sold some of his take to the big canneries, but some, he packed up on ice in coolers, threw on a direct Delta flight, and were then sold by our friends out of their garage, most often 24 hours or less out of the water. And at prices far, far less than local fish markets (there weren’t multiple hands clamoring to take a cut out of the pie).

The halibut was amazing, but the salmon was simply stunning.

I’ll share in the next few weeks our all time favorite fresh salmon marinade (thanks, Judy!), but these kabobs are also one of our favorites (we just did a batch last week).

The kabobs are delicious and Instagram worthy as written, even more so with some thinly sliced vegetables threaded on the skewers, but a tip from a chef friend now has us grilling separate vegetable skewers as cook times differ a bit…

For the spice mix
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 T dried)
2 tsp white sesame seeds
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp good smoked paprika
1 tsp good pink or kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 lemons, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
2 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil

1 and 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into approx. 1.5 inch pieces

Optional: Thinly sliced baby zucchini, summer squash, red bell pepper squares, etc

For the spice mix, we find it easier to dump all the spice mix ingredients into a mini-processor and whirl them together.

Onto pairs of skewers thread salmon and half-slices of lemon (alternating of course); if you choose to throw some vegetables into the mix, either artfully thread them onto the skewers with the lemon and salmon, or construct several vegetable only skewers.

Brush each skewer with the oil, dust generously with the spice mix, and grill, rotating every 1-2 minutes, until the fish is done to your liking.

Enjoy.

Older Bolder Foundations: Making the Best Poultry Protein Choices

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Last week we talked a bit about making the best possible choices for the red meat proteins (wild game, beef, bison, pork, lamb, and goat) you choose to enjoy in your meal rotation.

Today lets cover quickly some key concepts regarding poultry, which for most of us purchasing poultry are talking about chicken and turkey (as opposed to harvesting wild birds – think wild turkeys, ducks, pheasants, geese, quail, and doves for example).

The objective here is to look for and consume pastured poultry (as opposed to CAFO poultry), though it’ll likely take a bit more effort to find than comparable options in the red meat arena.

Pasture-raised birds are so much more tasty and nutritious than their confined (CAFO) kin; folks tend to forget than most fowl are omnivorous, and CAFO operations in essence force feed birds a vegetarian (grain based) diet along with the flood of other unhealthy and in some instances downright offensive supplemental feed products, antibiotics, pesticides, and more.

We’d join the chorus of folks who suggest the very best option is finding a local producer with whom you can verify that birds are truly pasture-raised; they may be feed supplemental grains as well.

Chickens certified as organic by a mass producer are likely indeed fed organic grains but are most often not pastured; their vegetarian diet produces an inferior product compared to pasture-raised birds.

Buy whole chickens (if you never learned to cut one up, check out the video below) and use everything, including the organs, bones (chicken stock is a great thing to keep in the freezer), and render that delicious chicken fat.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 11 July: Grilled Leeks

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We’re huge fans of the lovely leek around our camp, and love it when big bundles show up stacked in ice at our favorite Central Market here in the metro.

Leeks play well in so many different recipes, but one of our absolute favorite preps is to grill them, though given their size they can be a challenge to cook through on the grill without burning the outer leaves (pending your fire and degree of attention nursing them along, some might take as long as 30 minutes to cook through).

Our friend Chef Libby in Austin showed us this trick a few years back of starting the cook with a quick (no more than 5 minutes!) par-boil, followed by a shock in cold water, then followed by a much more reasonable, olive-oil-basted, 6-10 minutes on the grill.

Don’t forget to prep your leeks carefully, the coarse greens must be trimmed, the body of the leek split and the layers washed thoroughly to remove all the sand they grow in. It’s worth the extra couple of  minutes to do this right.

And a sprinkling of good salt really makes these sing hot off the grill…

4-6 large leeks, trimmed and prepped (see above)
Kosher salt
2 tbsp good EVOO or avocado oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Prep your leeks are detailed above; while you’re doing so bring a large pot or skillet of salted water to a boil. Now gently boil the leeks for just three to five minutes; you’re looking for them to soften a bit but you don’t want their bright green color to fade.

Immediately plunge into an ice water bath; keep the leeks in the cool water until they’re cool, then remove and pat dry.

Fire the grill, brush the leeks with your oil of choice, and grill over direct heat for 3-5 minutes per side. We like ours to crisp up and brown a bit with nice grill marks.

Pull the leeks, and season to taste with good salt, fresh ground pepper, and perhaps even another drizzle of good oil.

Enjoy.

Older Bolder Foundations: Making the Best Red Meat Protein Choices

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For those who have (wisely) chosen to consume animal proteins as a tasty and nutritious component of a rational, healthy eating plan, here are a few (fairly concise) thoughts on making the best red meat protein choices possible.

First, Let’s Clear the Deck of a Couple of Red Meat Protein Issues

One, there’s no question that the anthropological data overwhelmingly supports the fact that early man obtained a significant portion (some say up to 85%) of daily calories from animal foods. It’s also fairly clear that among other nutrients, it was protein and omega-3 fatty acid consumption that facilitated the development of the human brain as document in historical records. Despite what may be passionate arguments otherwise, human physiology appears to require animal-derived proteins to optimally develop and function, particularly when considering the simple math of nutrient and caloric density of various foods.

(For those who can’t conceptually separate issues regarding saturated fats from a discussion of red meat proteins, see discussion here on the Fat Paradigm.)

And of note, for many of us, making the best protein choices can’t be done without casting a responsible and thoughtful look at cost issues. A common criticism (and one not necessarily unearned) of popular ancestral eating philosophies (i.e. Primal and Paleo) has to do with the recommendations to eat organic, grass-fed meat.

Choosing these types of meat products, as opposed to the much more widely available CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) meats clearly does most often cost more, though there are fairly simple ways to address meat quality and cost concerns (like cow-pooling, or ordering meat in larger quantities). The principle clearly is to make the best choices you can within your budget.

Just Say No to CAFO

When speaking of proteins, beef cows in particular are grazing animals and are meant to eat various grasses, not grains and other substandard feeds in CAFO operations. In CAFO operations they’re crowded, often in filthy and what some would define as inhumane conditions, and fed grains and other feed products far, far from their historical diet. In addition, cattle (pigs and poultry as well) are often exposed to hormones (to speed growth), antibiotics due to their filthy living conditions, antacids due to the aberrant feed affects on their guts, and pesticides to control pest infestations.

The answer? Fairly simple – find and purchase grass-fed, pasture-raised red meat products. While it’s arguable grass-fed and grain-finished meat has a bit more marbling, it’s best to review with a grower / rancher how they manage split-feeding to ensure animals are primarily pasture fed and not finished with offensive grains or supplemental feeds.

For those with the inclination and access, the best quality red meat available on the planet is probably wild game harvested ethically and managed in a timely and careful way in the field. My son and his wife living in Montana harvest their own game and 90% or more of the red meat protein they consume is wild elk, venison, and bison.

Making the Best Red Meat Protein Choices

So what are the best array of red meat choices available to us today?

As noted above, the very highest tier of red meat quality would be the lean, tasty, omega-3-rich wild game animal ethically harvested and managed well in the field.

In terms of beef, the top choice would be 100% grass fed/pasture-raised stock from a local grower you can interact with personally. Cow-pooling, sharing a full animal or a side of beef is a great way to dip your toe into the water so to speak. Look around, regional cattle operations are a cinch to find on the web these days.

The next tier choice would be certified organic beef, which is often grass-fed and grain-finished, with the next level being conventionally-raised (likely CAFO) beef. IF budget constraints limited grass-fed beef options, limit fat consumption of CAFO animals as many of the toxins introduced in CAFO operations accumulate in fatty tissue.

In terms of pork, wild pigs are growing in popularity, and if you have the means to harvest one, by all means eat all from nose to tail. Pasture-raised pigs are much less common that pastured beef, but if you look around locally odds are you can find some (pig-pooling works too!).

Lamb is another great option, and at this point in time it appears that while American lamb is generally grain-fed during their life cycle, New Zealand and Australian lamb is typically grass-fed and tasty.

And while not common in much of the United States, here in Texas there’s a fair amount of goat meat produced. Goats are interesting in that they’re what a friend calls ‘very opportunistic browsers’, eating brush, weeds, various leaves (even shrubs), and grass. We have several sources of pastured goat available close by, and there’s more and more available online.

Where’s the Beef? (And pork, lamb, and goat)

Finding a local beef (and other red meats) producer aligned with these objectives can become something akin to a treasure hunt; some useful resources to search out local beef, lamb, pork, and goat in your area include:

Grass Fed Guide
Eat Wild
Ranch Meat

Upcoming posts will cover optimal choices for fish and seafood as well as poultry.

Healthy Take From Home Road Trip Food Ideas for Summer 2018

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Seems like we’ve been peppered of late with people asking about our favorite approaches to taking food on the road while traveling; after all, it’s high summer and time for folks across the fruited plain to get out and play.

We happen to be headed out ourselves later this month; we’re fairly hardcore Primal eaters around our camp, and I’m now in week 13 of a nutritional ketosis run that’s been nothing short of extraordinary, so we’re shaping our ‘road food’ plans accordingly for this trip.

A Quick Thumbs Up for the Power of IF and/or a Compressed Eating Window

Last year, several months into a fairly diligent run restricting my own personal carb intake down below 70 g/day initially and later fairly consistently under 50 g/day, as so many have before, I found my typical hunger diminishing, with increased cognitive and physical performance along the way.

It became second nature to simply not eat until hungry, which for me personally on most days means not eating my first meal until somewhere between noon and 2 PM (and most days include a very early walk and another morning to midday workout or active play at least 5 of 7 days/week).

Intermittent fasting or use of a compressed eating window like this plays very, very well on the road.

Worth Its Weight in Gold: A Good Cooler

We’d argue that no matter what the length of your trip, investing in a decent to good (maybe even great) cooler is worth the money. There are a number of great brands to choose from (not just YETI); we happen to prefer the Orion line and find it the best buy and most fully featured on the market today.

From prior days floating multi-day trips on Western Rivers, we learned of the value of picking up (or freezing your own) a block of ice to fit the cooler, though on this trip we’re taking up a couple of pieces of grass-fed beef and pork to family in Montana, so we’ll freeze them both solid and use them to chill the cooler all week (it works great actually, the meat will still be frozen solid on day four).

Our Favorite Road Trip Foods for the Cooler

Pre-cooked meats often include either steaks or a grilled leg of lamb (try the Ancho Grilled version coming up on Friday); a roasted or smoked pork shoulder works too, though we find meat from ruminants (beef, bison, elk, venison, lamb) tend to keep better over several days.

For the first day out, one of my wife’s favorites is our tamari-lemon-dill grilled salmon; she insists it’s better cold than hot off the grill…

Another first day out treat that’s worth the effort is a container of deviled eggs; we’re both children of the South and a zesty deviled egg is simply part of a longstanding tradition in these parts. Boil extra eggs, leave them in the shell, and pack along for snacking down the road too (probably good for a week with consistent ice in the cooler).

We also almost always pack a high-quality cured meat or two for variety, this trip will include our current favorite – a German mustard seed salami thickly sliced, along with several quality sliced cheeses (baby swiss with the mustard seed salami is heavenly). Speaking of dairy, my wife likes to have a bit of a good full-fat yogurt in the cooler as well, particularly if we’ve packed some fresh, seasonal berries along.

If there’s room (and there usually is) we like to add a few organic avocados to slice in half and simply eat out hand with a spoon, along with some colorful cherry tomatoes so common this time of year.

Finally, the cooler wouldn’t be complete without a container of our cold-brewed coffee that’s become a staple around the house (the current flavor of the house is a Mexican Chocolate); it’s perfect poured over iced with a bit of cream or a cold sparkling (unsweetened of course) water.

Favorite Grab and Go (Non-Perishable) Road Trip Foods

We’ve long been fans of homemade jerky, and have crafted various versions using beef, elk, venison, bison, turkey, pork, fish, and even goose. Not only is home-prepped jerky much healthier, as you control everything from start to finish, you’ll save astounding amounts of money compared to the commercially-prepped stuff.

Everyone puts nuts of some sort on their list, and while nuts have their downsides (caloric density and omega-6 baggage among others), we’ll often include some macadamias, walnuts, dry roasted pecans, or even pepitas.

If you really want to get down to nit-picky details, high-quality canned seafood might be the most nutrient dense option you can pack in the road trip bag, with ‘whole fish’ options like sardines, herring, and mackerel arguably the very best choices, though oysters, tuna, and salmon (pick the olive oil packed versions for an even higher bolus of good fats). Years ago I worked as a backpacking guide in the Weminuche Wilderness of southwestern Colorado; we always had a ‘seafood night’ on my trips, and lugged the relatively heavy (from a backpacking perspective) tins of seafood goodness often for days. Opening the various tins, usually along the shores of a high altitude mountain lake, made whatever meal seem like a banquet.

We’ve been playing with making root vegetable chips of late, and here’s a recent video (30 June 18) detailing the process nicely.

Other odds and ends that occasionally make it in the ‘snack bag’ include –

Coconut butter ( just a tablespoon is a great treat)
Dried, flaked coconut (unsweetened!)
Dark chocolate
Dried seaweed / nori
Plantain chips fried in coconut oil
Rarely a pork rind or two

There are no doubt dozens more we’ve missed; update post to follow.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 8 July: Smashed Cucumber Salad

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Summer brings to mind a host of things, but say the word summer around our camp and before too long we’ll be talking about grilling various proteins and lining up our favorite salads and fresh vegetable sides to accompany them.

A couple of years ago I’d picked up my wife from a long day at her work and dropped into one of our favorite eateries in the DFW metro – Smoke – alas unfortunately now closed; it was there that we first tasted this unique salad.

They featured (back in the day) a fusion of Tex-Mex and old school, low and slow barbeque, and offered up an astounding array of sides, one of which was this Smashed Cucumber Salad.

We’ve tweaked it around the edges a bit, but keep coming back to this version of the recipe; simple, minimal prep, and very tasty make it a winner any time of year.

1 pound English (or Persian) cucumbers
3-4 green onions (scallions), sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded, sliced into thin rounds (optional)
1 tsp good salt
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil
1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
1-2 tbsp chile oil (optional)

Here’s the fun part (after washing and trimming the cucumbers) – grab your rolling pin and (gently) whack the cucumbers until they begin to fracture and break apart. With your hands tear the cucumber pieces into bite-sized chunks, drop them into a colander and sprinkle with the salt.

After resting for 10-15 minutes, shake any remaining water out but don’t rinse the cucumbers. Now pour into a medium bowl and add the rice vinegar, EVOO/avocado oil, green onions, and the serrano pepper pieces (if using), then stir well to combine.

Taste for salt and adjust as needed, hold covered in the fridge for a short time if needed. When serving, drizzle with a good dollop of chile oil and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 6 July: Columbian Marinated Flank Steaks

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Flank steak has been a workhorse beef choice of discerning home grilling enthusiasts for decades, and for good reason.

It’s readily available, won’t break the bank, offers a rich, beefy flavor, is relatively quick to cook, and has a great tooth when not overcooked, rested, and then sliced thinly across the grain.

A super-simple teriyaki flank was one of the first grilling recipes I was ever able to reproduce consistently, though these Columbian Marinated Flank Steaks have become one of our favorites during the past decade.

I honestly can’t remember, but it seems like the first version of this popular preparation we ever cooked was featured in the Wall Street Journal of all places (they do have a great food section), and the cumin, oregano, dark beer, and Worcestershire work magic on an otherwise good but oft unadorned cut of beef.

To our way of thinking this prep needs to come of the grill medium-rare, rested, then thinly sliced and served with whatever version of a great salsa verde you’re good at (chimichurri is the Argentinian version, though try Columbia’s ahi sauce sometime too – we’ll post a recipe in the next few weeks…).

You’ll come back to this one…

Trimmed flank, approx. 2 and 1/2 pounds
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp good coarse salt (or more)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup EVOO or avocado oil
6-8 green onions, trimmed, then thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle dark beer

Chimichurri sauce, Quick Columbian Guacamole, Tomatillo Avocado Salsa, or your favorite

Mix together the cumin, oregano, salt, and fresh ground pepper (we use as much pepper as salt) in a small bowl.

Trim your flank steaks as needed, then lightly score them on both sides in a crisscross pattern (only an eighth of an inch or so deep) roughly 1/2-inch apart. Now dust both sides of the steaks with the spice mixture, drizzle with the olive oil, and rub it in with your hands, working the spice mixture and oil into the score marks and making sure the steaks are well-covered.

Drop the rubbed steaks into your marinating container, add the Worcestershire, beer, parsley, and green onions, then cover and throw in the fridge for a minimum of four hours; overnight is better.

When ready to cook, fire the grill and grill these over medium-high heat, taking care not to overcook. We’re medium-rare folks around our camp, and pending the size of your steaks and the heat of your fire, you could easily be at the medium-rare point in only 3 minutes per side.

Pull the steaks, let them rest for at least 5 minutes, then (as always with flank) thinly slice across the grain. We love this served with chimichurri (and yes, I know that’s Argentinian) or Columbia’s version – Ahi sauce, or a great creamy guacamole (see links above).

Enjoy.

Keto Thursday 5 July 2018: Summer Time (or Anytime) Keto Snacks

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As friends, family, and other folks we run into every week notice the results I’m having personally with my nutritional ketosis run (now in week 12), one of the inevitable questions that comes has to do what do I reach for when the urge to snack pops up?

There are really two answers to that question: one, the true urge to snack (much less the actual hangries) frankly rarely happens in my world after starting my NK run, given my current level of fat-adaption (which has basically erased the need to  snack between meals). And two, on the rare occasional when I do get hungry and for whatever reason it’s not time for a sit-down meal, a little advance planning makes a huge difference, and here’s what’s been on the ‘reach for’ list of late.

The Lowly Radish

Perhaps related to the lowly radish being the first vegetable I ever grew in a Texas Panhandle childhood garden, when in season (much of the year) we keep a small container of trimmed radishes in water in the fridge. They offer a number of health benefits, including a healthy dose of vitamin C and a number of other micronutrients, are packed with fiber and detoxifying agents called indoles, and carry almost no soluble carbs in their tidy red and white packages. And in their quirky, crunchy,  savory way, just taste good with a healthy sprinkle of pink salt.

Boiled Eggs with a Twist

The mighty egg is clearly one of nature’s most perfect foods, and we often keep a few boiled eggs in the fridge for snacking or a quick lunch. They’re great sliced into a big lunch or dinner salad, make a quick egg salad or deviled egg platter, and we’re particularly fond of marinated eggs – try this recipe from Serious Eats.

A Tablespoon of Coconut Butter

Like many of you, we keep a jar of Artisana Coconut Butter in the pantry for all sorts of things, but sometimes just a tablespoon right out of the jar (high fat, very low carb) just tastes great and hits the spot without any kitchen prep or cook time at all.

Butter Pecan Fat Bombs

There are probably hundreds of recipes out there for various iterations of “fat bombs”; I tend to favor an uber-simple recipe of 1/3 cup coconut butter, 1/3 cup coconut oil, 1 T good butter, and 1/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans. Molded in a mini-muffin tin they’re perfectly bite-sized and easy to store in the fridge.

Feta and Olives

My lovely wife and I have long been fans of great Greek cuisine, and try to keep a nice block of Feta cheese in the fridge (in brine); try an ounce topped with a drizzle of very good olive oil (and maybe a sprinkle of oregano – try fresh), along with 5-7 Greek (or your fave) olives. Wow, isn’t that good?

Crudite and Quick Guacamole

We’re of the mind that guacamole with anything is pretty danged tasty, and love this Quick Columbian Guacamole or this Tomatillo Avocado Salsa for dipping crudite into when the impulse strikes (we often end up making that a dinner, maybe with a little bit of cold, leftover protein from the day before…).

Almond Butter and Dark Chocolate

This combination is kinda’ve a no-brainer to include on a snack list; you don’t need much, even a half tablespoon on a few squares of good dark chocolate can hit the spot.