It's all about organic

Bff Melissa and I joined a food-buying club for organic and natural foods in Eugene, which is a quirky, old-hippy town with many outlets for natural foods. Growers Market is run entirely by volunteers. Members are asked to work one half hour for each week's shopping – then get a discount of 13% at the checkout counter.

Went for orientation on Thursday then bought some lovely broccoli, zucchini, and other produce. All produce is organic unless marked otherwise! The club also has bulk nuts and grains, yogurt, cheeses, nut butters, etc.

I can make my order online Tuesday and pick it up on Thursday. Hmmm, I noticed celeriac root on the order form – Celeriac Root Dian anyone?

BTW: the cauliflower in last night's dinner was from my garden

Growers Market
454 Willamette St.
Eugene, OR
http://www.growersmarket.net/

Primal Tandoori Chicken

6 pieces of chicken, skin removed
3 TBL lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBL grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 TBL paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup plain yogurt

Make shallow slashes in the chicken so the marindate will be absorbed. Combine the remaining ingredients.

Place the chicken in a plastic storage bag and pour in the yogurt mixture. Gently squeeze the chicken through the bag to evenly distribute the marinade.

Place in a baking dish large enough for the bag to lay flat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning the bag over from time to time.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove chicken and marinate from the bag and place in a shallow baking dish that doesn't crowd the chicken. Cook uncovered for 40 minutes or until the chicken is done. Time will depend on size of chicken pieces.

As shown: served on a bed of Primal Riced-Cauliflower with pomegranate seeds.

Nutrition information: For an average size chicken half-breast:

Primal Blueprint, a brief overview

Blood work last summer resulted in slightly elevated cholesterol levels, high enough that the docs wanted me to take statins. The medical profession is prescription happy and I am contrary enough to take a more holistic approach to my life and body. I figured there must be a way to control cholesterol by diet – but not by any diet I’ve tried in the past.

My cholesterol has hovered in the 200 range for years: when I’ve been thin; when I’ve been fat; when I’ve followed a vegetarian diet; when I’ve followed a Mediterranean diet. So I did some research and came up with the Atkins diet – whose very simplified premise is a diet heavy in carbohydrates results in heart problems and diabetes.

I began following the Atkins plan summer 2010 for weight loss and to lower cholesterol. So I gave up bread and pasta and fruit, it was easier than I’d thought.

It worked while I was charting my weight loss but then I stalled. Keeping a daily food diary has been my most effective weight loss tool – but I’d forgotten that… Besides, I want to eat fruit.

So more research. And up pops the Primal Blueprint.

The Primal plan is similar to Atkins with regard to low-carb intake. Primal focuses on the superior nutritional value of organic and hormone-free foods (makes sense to me). Primal also prohibits legumes or rice. I like beans and rice so this restriction has proven harder for me than no bread.

Primal has an equation to figure one’s daily caloric requirements whether to maintain current weight or for weight loss, based on basal metabolic rates and activity factors, (I’m a numbers person so I love this kind of stuff!) This results in daily calories, fat, protein, and carb goals. I found a free online diet journal (www.fitday.com) and I’m off and running.

Meal planning takes time - I've been printing a daily report of foods eaten for reference.

I’m not due for blood work yet but will post my levels once tested. I hope to be under 200 – otherwise I’m gonna be hearing about my incessant yammering about nutrition and weird diets from my friends…