Fuel

I was out to dinner with a good friend who commented on my choice of appetizer - sashimi salmon. He questioned the risk of eating such a thing. Extemporaneously, I barked that bears eat this stuff all the time, and, well, just look at bears. Just as quickly, he retorted that bears have wet noses. We had a good laugh. Since then, I've come to notice that, by and large, my diet is a lot like a bear's.

To wit, I eat lots of salmon - mostly poached, but some raw, and some smoked. I also eat lots of berries and nuts.

I used to cook a lot more than I do now, living alone. I used to be good at it, but I don't miss it. Instead, I've farmed most of my cooking duties out to Trader Joe's. I find their selection of high-quality, mostly organic foods, to suit my needs. I'll typically take a few things they've mostly, or completely, prepared and throw them together.

A favorite example of the above is to combine with 14 ounces of Trader Joe's Wild Pacific Poached Salmon as a soup. It's a LOT to eat, but I down it in a single meal of three bowls of soup after a heavy workout. It's a bit high on the sodium, and way high on the protein, so I find it the perfect fuel after a sweaty session in the gym.

I cut milk out of my diet, completely, in October of 2007, out of concern over the level of hormones pumped into the cows in the US for the purposes of increasing milk production. In October, 2008, I put milk back into my diet in the form of Trader Joe's Organic Low Fat Milk. This was done largely for the use of milk as a cereal delivery system. Man, I missed cereal, even though bears don't, except in Yellowstone, eat cereal.

As a delivery mechanism for all the major food groups, it's hard to beat the sammich. Think about it, you got your meat, dairy, vegetables, and grain right there. Plus, if you're on the go, it's a meal that can go with you. Plus, the wrapper that contains all that gooey goodness is edible.

Trying to shave a few calories out of your diet? Try thinking outside the box when it comes to condiments. For instance, here's a tasty morsel that's an entire meal that can be prepared in two minutes. Toast two slices of Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Tuscan Pane to a rich, dark color. Slather on healthy amounts of Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Marinara. Add one Trader Joe's Grilled Rosemary Vinagrette Chicken Breasts , and two slices of Trader Joe's Sliced Asiago Cheese. Add some crushed red pepper and ground parmesan cheese to taste. Yummy.

I'm out of time this morning, so, more will have to follow later. Hasta.