A Journey into Going Primal: Day Ten

Sorry for the late post. I was out all day and didn't get home until later. Come to think of it, after yesterday I am probably not even qualified to write this post. haha Just a quick run-down. I woke-up yesterday and worked out before class. A few minutes into it my back tightened up and it suddenly became a game to just get through the 12 minutes. I was doing good with food choices, until I went out with a few friends. I ate fajitas without the shells, but felt the need to eat a french fry. I was just trying to be normal (although I should give up hope that that will never happen) and the worst part was it didn't even taste good. (I blame the bacon on top of the fry for causing this lapse). Next I had ice cream and mousse class. I didn't expect to come out unscathed, and I didn't. Overall, it was a successful day.

My goal in writing this is to hopefully show that mishaps will happen. Sometimes you have a hectic or crazy day or week and your nutrition and lifestyle slip to the back of your mind. It's easy to eat well, work out, and take care of your body, when you have nothing else going on. In reality, if you are having a rough day, you will feel better by taking care of yourself, not sleeping in and missing your work out or eating a whole package of double stuff Oreos. Changing our lifestyles isn't just about toning our bodies or losing weight, it has a lot to do with changing how we feel and our perspective.

Here's Steve's recipe from the potluck that everyone was asking about.

Chorizo Mini Meatloaves with Chipotle, Tomato Relish

Yield: ~18 mini loaves

For the Meatloaves

· 1 lb fresh chorizo, casing removed

1 lb ground beef from grass-fed cows
2 T adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo, read the labels, some contain gluten)
2 eggs
3/4 c almond flour
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely diced
Tallow

For the Sauce

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 chipotle in adobo sauce (1 pepper, not 1 can)
2 T olive oil
handful cilantro, chopped
salt
lime
avocado

Preheat your oven to 350F. Saute the onion and garlic in tallow, until translucent. Place 1/2 the onion/garlic mixture in a large mixing bowl and the other half in the smallest bowl of your food processor.

In that same large mixing bowl that you just added the onion and garlic to, add and mix together the chorizo, ground beef, eggs, adobo sauce and almond flour. Your hands will do the best job of incorporating the mixture, so don’t even bother trying with a utensil. Get out 2 normal sized muffin tins. Dollop the meatloaf mixture into the muffin tins, filling them up about 3/4 of the way. If you fill them to the brim, the rendered fat will spill over and make a terrible mess in your oven. Place the tins in the oven and bake until you see rendered fat in each muffin tin, along with a slightly browned, crusty bottom on each loaf, about 25 minutes.

While the meatloaves are baking…To the saute pan, add the tomatoes. Let them cook until the skin starts to blister and blacken and you see them pop open. Add the tomatoes, along with the chipotle pepper, olive oil and some salt to the food processor (Where the onions and garlic have been patiently waiting for you.) and pulse until a nice saucy consistency forms. If the sauce is too wet for your liking, you can pour the contents into the saute pan and let it simmer down until some of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the cilantro.

Garnish the meatloaves with a spoonful of relish, sliced avocado, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of fresh lime.