Lunch Is Served

I've spent the last week having lunches that consisted of foods such as:  cheeseburgers, fries, noodles, pizza, and all other manner of high calorie greatness.  Now that I'm back home, its time to buckle down and stop the pigging out madness.  The wife prepared this fantastic healthy lunch for me.  It is a salad of artisan lettuce, chopped turkey breast, onion, and quinoa salad on top.  The strange thing is, after all the gorging I've done over the past week, I think the body is all off kilter.  My tum-tum feels full and satisfied but my brain is saying "Where are the fries dawg?" and "When does the ice cream start?".  I may have overdone it a bit over the past seven days.

Its Pronounced Keen-WAAAH But Its No Kung Pao!

I'm having some quinoa salad for lunch today since yesterday I feasted on Kung Pao chicken and chow mein.  The quinoa salad is refreshing and healthy and very affordable at Coscto if you want something you can have on the go.....awww shit, who am I kidding here, lets talk about that Kung Pao chicken!

Seriously, who invented Kung Pao chicken?  If that person never won the Nobel prize for kickass, then we have a serious problem with our society.  All my Asian friends (including my wife) make fun of me for digging the Kung Pao.  "Oh...its not REAL Chinese food" and "Yuk, how can you eat that crap??".  I guarantee you, every one of those naysayers secretly craves the Kung Pao.  Who gives a flying fuck if it's not real Chinese food.  Do the Germans criticize us because Frankfurters aren't real German food?  Do the Danish criticize people who like Hagen Daz even though its from New Jersey?  Do the people of Caprica criticize others because their double latte frappucino half caf with cold soy and chai drinks weren't actually made by Lieutenant Starbuck?  Hell freaking no they don't!  So why do my Asian friends criticize my love of Kung Pao?  Its because Kung Pao is awesome, they know it, and they want to eat it without shame the way I do.  So there...its settled, Kung Pao rules.

The Day is Upon Us! IT IS TIME FOR MY ANNOUNCEMENT

Without further ado, I'm finally going to make my big announcement:  I quit my day job.  That's right, you heard me...done, quit, jumped off the cliff and there's no safety net.  I am a free agent and I'm going to set the artist free! (Probably just end up getting another job).

There, announcement over, and now its time to fully commit to Operation Savage Fist.

Since I'm now unemployed, I figure its going to take a bit of time to find a new gig and I plan on using that time to throw myself at my nutrition and fitness regimen.  Gone are the days of me snacking and boozing and carrying on like some kind of cretin.  Operation Savage Fist isn't about decadence, Operation Savage Fist is about enjoying life, taking care of the body, and getting myself ready for whatever comes next.  Respect Operation Savage Fist or be run over by it!

I got on the scale this am and have determined that I need to lose 42 pounds.  If you're about to rapidly scroll down hoping for a 'before' photo with me being shirtless, you can just fucking forget it.  I don't need public scorn and ridicule, I need motivation.  I need Operation Savage Fist to work like a champ and be slicker than Katie's legs.

This morning I hit the gym for a massive upper body workout.  Tomorrow will be cardio day, and so forth.  I plan on mixing in many adventures with my beloved bike Serena too!

If you follow the Gut Chronicles, you'll note that exercise really isn't my issue.  My issue is shoveling massive amounts of food and booze into my gullet and just going for it on a daily basis.  So clearly, if Operation Savage Fist is going to work, I need to get back on the nutrition plan as well.

My lunch today was a delicious tortilla crusted talapia served over micro greens and salsa with a nice side of quinoa.  Check it out folks (first pic is just the food, 2nd pick is the wife enjoying her post workout portion)

Hoarders

Behold, the bounty of my quinoa stash!

Upon reading my alarming post about skyrocketing quinoa prices and looming shortages of this Bolivian food of the gods, the wife went out yesterday and topped off our supply of quinoa just in case the shit hits the fan!  Check it out folks, that's four pounds of high quality, organic, quinoa from the Bolivian highlands, a virtual lifetime supply.  Last night we decided to dip into our stock of the red quinoa to give it a try and it was darn good.

Here's the wife mixing up a batch of red quinoa for the family to feast on.  Deeeeelish!

There it is, the finished product.  Rotisserie chicken, peas and corn, yam and parsnips, and a healthy dose of red quinoa to nourish the temple that is my body!  Yes folks, the quinoa stock is strong at my compound but before any of you get all crazy thinking you're going to raid my stash, just know that I've got a semi-accurate bb gun and the will to use it!  Stay the f*ck back!

The Quinoa Wars of Bolivia: Hard Hitting Journalism at its Best

I figure I've posted enough photos of Quinoa so here's Miss Bolivia!

This morning I was given insider information (by an article in Yahoo news) on a looming battle for control of Quinoa on the Bolivian highlands.  According to Time magazine:

"Over the past decade, the "Andean superfood" has become a pinnacle product for First World foodies. Often mistaken for a grain, quinoa is actually a chenopod (cousin to a beet); rich in minerals, it's the only vegetable that's a complete protein. To the added delight of politically correct health nuts, it's produced by small-scale Andean farmers like Huarachi who reap direct benefits of its international popularity. Recently, those benefits have skyrocketed: quinoa's price has tripled since 2006, triggering a boom in the poorest region of South America's poorest country"

While this all sounds fine and dandy for those Bolivian folks, I guess the influx of money for the greatness that is Bolivian quinoa has caused some squabbling including a three day land battle between farmers over land this past February where people were temporarily kidnapped, dozens were injured, and some wild man took it to an all new level and blew up some dynamite which made another guy lose his freaking arm!  I think the dynamite chuck must be the Bolivian equivalent to a 'shoot up in da club' here in the U.S.

All told, prices for quinoa on the world market are skyrocketing and this is causing a huge issue with land usage in Bolivia where, up till now, 90% of the quinoa grown was completely organic.  Bottom line...those dynamite chucking Bolivians aren't going to keep up with exploding demand so that means we should do what Americans to best and that's panic and start hoarding quinoa!  Get the fuck out of my way, I'm going to go raid every Trader Joes from here to the Mexican border!


Full Article Here

Beware Quinoa

WARNING:  QUINOA HEATS UNEVENLY

I was just sitting here, feeling proud of myself for a great workout at lunch, ready to eat my healthy lunch of mahi mahi, peas, and quinoa.  I took a huge mouthful of quinoa and it was so mother-scratching hot that the inside of my mouth reached the same temp as one of those giant ovens that melts steel.  F8cking hell man!  Quinoa is delish and its really good for you but watch out for that stuff, it'll get you in a bad way if you're not careful.

Consider yourselves warned.

Holy Quinoa!

This weekend, my sister, who is an actress, was over at my place making funny talk about her favorite vegan bakeries and restaurants, and yoga, and products that make her poo like blocks of Jell-O and I tuned in when I hear her mention Quinoa.  I've heard of quinoa before (pronounced Keen-WAAAA) but have never had it.  I don't know if it was a combination of me being semi drunk or just my natural sense of adventure but once I heard my sis going on about the greatness of quinoa, I ordered my wife to buy some at once (that's not how it happened but that's how I remember it).

Flash forward to last night when I got home and my wife had purchased this sack of quinoa (above) and was preparing it so we could have it for dinner.  To my surprise, quinoa is fan-f@cking-tastic!  This stuff is high in protein and would be something you'd have instead of a starch like rice or potato, etc.  I'm sure there are other uses for it than just a side dish but I'm not ready to go full hipster yet.  According to the package, quinoa comes from Bolivia, and let me tell you, other than the burrito, and the soccer fans below, quinoa has to be the greatest invention Bolivia has given our planet!

Open up your trap and put some quinoa in it todaaaaaay!

Nutritional value:



http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2