Recipe time: MAN FOOD* (*also good for ladies)

Clif Harski is in town for the MovNat workshop on Saturday and he's been staying at my place for the past few days. Most of you are aware of my, shall we say, healthy appetite. Well, Clif is a fellow Brother of the Fork and between the two of us we've given all the local grocery stores an early Christmas. 

If you want to be strong and athletic, you need to eat - and you need to eat the quality and quantity of food that supports your activities and promotes recovery. Combine that with plenty of rest (this means both sleep and socialization) and you'll make progress. Recently, I've heard a saying pop up a few times - "There's no such thing as overtraining. There's only under-recovery." I'm pretty sure I agree.

So, what does it take to fuel up me and Clif at breakfast time? Behold, The Nuclear Option:

Ingredients: 1 dozen eggs*; 1 small red onion, diced; 1 package Applegate chicken & maple breakfast sausage; 6 tbsp butter, approx; Your choice of fruit.

Directions: Melt butter in pan and sauté the onion. Slice the sausages into little circles and toss them in as well. Mix everything around for a minute or two, then add the eggs (we just crack them right into the pan) Cook the whole mixture until the eggs are just a tiny bit runny, then remove, plate and eat!

This will feed 2 brawny fellows or a regular family of 4.

Expensive? Yep, it is. But I'm going to throw a little MBA at you right now...  food is an investment, not an expense. You get a return from it. That return is energy and functionality. You can eat cheap-o foodlike products for breakfast, sure. Some even claim to be good for you (FYI, a "breakfast bar" isn't fruit. It's a cookie.) But you'll quickly gas out, lose focus, and go scrambling for the next quick fix. OR, you could eat something substantial, with plenty of fat and protein, and be ready to kick ass for the next 6 hours. Improved energy, improved productivity, improved feelings of well-being. Sounds like a good investment to me!

*The eggs for today's feast were generously provided by the chickens of Dr. Gangemi, aka the Soc Doc, who is a scholar and a gentleman and an incredible source of health information.

Update on Friday, September 9, 2011 at 9:38AM by Colin Pistell

For extra super duper awesomeness, add two plantains and a little bit of coconut oil to the mix. Rawr.

Recipe time: Chicken soup fixes everything

You've probably seen/read/heard about all the various "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books, right? It's become engrained in our culture that chicken soup is a comforting, nourishing food that will cure whatever ails you.

Unfortunately, not a whole lot of proper chicken soup is being eaten these days. That canned junk isn't soup - it's industrial yellow brine with the occasional tasteless veggie or mystery meat floating in it. And if the packaging proclaims it to be "heart healthy" or "low sodium" it's even worse. If you're used to eating mass produced canned soup, your first taste of real home-made soup is going to be nothing short of a revelation.

Soup is extremely easy: various combinations of vegetables, meat, spices, and bone stock. It's ripe for experimentation, so play with it and discover what variations you like best. The one I present below is easy, hearty, cheap, and delicious.

 One note: You can only use this recipe if you use real, home-made chicken stock. If you used pre-packaged, store bought, Marry Shelleian "chicken" stock I will know. And there will be consequences**. The Eye of Colin sees all. If you want some guidance on making chicken stock, may I suggest you sign up for the Fifth Ape newsletter? There may just perhaps be something relevant in the next issue :)

Ingredients: 3 large-ish potatoes, peeled & chopped into small pieces; 2 large onions, chopped; 8 medium sized carrots, peeled & chopped; 6 celery sicks, chopped; 1.5 lb. chicken thighs, boned, skinned, and cut into small pieces; 6-ish quarts, chicken stock; a bunch of parsley, chopped; salt; black pepper; cayenne pepper (optional); olive oil

1) Place a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil, onions, & potatoes and sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

2) Add the chicken. Continue to sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Add the celery and carrots.

4) Once the veggies are starting to get soft and the chicken appears partially cooked, add the stock. Cover the pot and bring the whole thing just to a boil.

5) Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.  If you want to give the soup a little extra kick, add some cayenne pepper as well.

6) Let the whole pot simmer for a couple hours, then remove from heat, spoon some into a bowl, and enjoy!

You can store the soup in a few tupperware containers - if you're not going to eat it all in the next few days, it keeps very well in the freezer. I guarantee that once you see how easy and delicious making soup is, you'll never go back to the canned stuff again. Enjoy!

 **consequences may include: Colin showing up and eating all your food. Colin demanding to be taken out to breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. Colin asking to be brought at least 2 pies (fruit or meat). Colin constantly asking if you'll play Settlers of Catan with him. Colin showing up at inconvenient times for hugs.

Recipe time: Fish power, part II

How's that fish stock coming along?

As promised here's a potential application: a delicious coconut fish soup.

Ingredients: 6 cups, fish stock; 1.5 cups, coconut milk; 1 pound fresh fish, cut into small pieces; 3 jalapeno chiles, diced; 1 tablespoon, fresh ginger; 2-4 tablespoons, lime juice; 5-6 basil leaves, finely chopped; cilantro, chopped to taste; sea salt, to taste.

- Combine stock, coconut milk, fish, chiles, & ginger in a large pot and bring it to a very very brief boil before reducing heat to a simmer.

- Add lime juice and basil, then let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes.

- Remove from heat, season to taste, garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!

This recipe is also adapted from Nourishing Traditions - are you sensing a pattern? You should probably go get that book today...

While you wait for the soup to simmer, I strongly recommend you read this post by my friend Josh Leeger. Great stuff.

In other news, there are still some slots available for this weekend's immersive Fundamentals session. Find out more HERE!

Also, I've been asked to potentially expand on my Reese News interview on barefoot running. The concept is to let me strap a headcam onto my head, then head out for a run where I "ramble about barefoot running and other fitness topics." These people clearly don't know what they're getting into...