all right so its been forever since i last posted, life gets in the way, i will do better i swear!! I have been working on perfecting moroccan lemons which take about a month to preserve so its been slow going, i think I’ve got it. What are moroccan lemons you say?? well there lemons that have been pickled in salt and used mostly as a garnish or condiment. now because its pickled in salt these can easily be very!!!! salty but when done right you get a nice bright yellow product that is a soft chew on the palette and is slightly salty and it allows you to keep those lemons in your fridge from going to crap for way longer in fact they can sit in your fridge for a good year before being concerned of whether or not they are going off.

the recipe!!

•  cut yer lemons in quarters length wise then you will make a large lengthwise gash thru the center of each lemon half scoring thru the pulp into the rind but not all the way thru
• Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don’t be skimpy with the salt: use about 1/2 teaspoon per lemon quarter.
• Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.add about a tablespoon of salt between each layer of lemons  at this point you can add additional herbs and spices i tried it with pink peppercorns and bay leaves
• Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Cover and let stand overnight add lemon juice to cover the top of the lemons.
• then next day flip containers upside down and proceed to do so every couple of days just to keep things nice and agitated
• After one month, when the preserved lemons are soft, they’re ready to use. Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for at least 6 months to a year. Rinse before using to remove excess salt.

To use: Remove lemons from the liquid and rinse. Split in half and scrape out the pulp. Slice the lemon peels into thin strips or cut into small dices. You may wish to press the pulp through a sieve to obtain the flavorful juice, which can be used for flavoring as well, then discard the innards.note of caution it is the rinds that you want. the pickling process makes it palatable and tasty MMmm the pulp on the other hand ends up sucking in the vast majority of the salt so if you use any of it you will definitely notice!!!

so what do you use moroccan lemons you say?? well cous cous salads for one you can also mince them and use them to liven up sauted grean beens, buttered carrots and the like go nuts!!. just dont use to much and add before seasoning your food!! so enjoy and good luck

Joel

Sorry for the lack of posts, new computer needed building, new kitten be needed loving and life needed living. On the upside todays weigh in was 172 :) booya!

Carmen

In a previous post I explained how to identify your road blocks. To summarize, you are you’re own primarily. As such, recognition should be paired along with action. It’s one of the laws of inertia really, for every action there is an equal or greater reaction. Time to start using the universe around us for guidance.

I pledge to remain Primal all weekend long. I pledge to follow some primal blueprint laws.

-I will lift heavy things

-I will eat plants and animals

-I will avoid poisonous things

-I will exercise my brain

-I move around a lot at a slow pace

-I shall get lots of sleep

-I shall play

-I shall get sunshine

What shall I do you may ponder? Well Sashimi tonight at a great Sushi spot called Aji Sai around the corner from my place (I live in the trendy Queen West fashion district) with my wife, family and friends. Saturday I shall endeavor upon a reorganization journey of the mancave (that sounds so dirty! but really it’s not). Cleaning and organizing makes me happy, must be a Capricorn thing. Then a wild game night. Sunday shall be perfect for an afternoon stroll. Perhaps a random adventure. Some foraging at the local grocery. I do know that I am cooking up chicken and ribs!

Happy Friday y’all!

Carmen

Well I cannot keep delaying the inevitable, It is time I start getting pumped for regular exercise. This part though for me is never the most exciting. I really wish I was instilled with the jock spirit when I was young. Unfortunately though I was not. Instead I enjoy learning and general laziness. Talk about a major booooooooo. I will say though that once I get back into it I do get motivated.

What sucks though is I will be exercising at Goodlife (very similar to Bally south of the border). Yup you heard it, just a plain ole boring gym. Goodlife is really convenient for me to hit during the cold months. Right near the subway and a 10 minute walk in the morning from home.

Now I really wish I could get into the Crossfit movement. Why have I not you ask? Well quite frankly the cost of it. When you are trying to live without debt and save for retirement it is bloody hard to find the kind of money they charge. More so it makes me sick that they rippoff SOOOO much from people. How much do they charge here you ask? Well the cheapest monthly rate is $156 per MONTH!!! What do you get with that? Three classes a week and you must commit for a year. The most expensive package is $230 per month which includes unlimited classes and requires a year commitment (this would be the package I would prefer as I prefer to gym 5 times a week). There is NO way the operating costs equate to what they charge. It seems these days that if you want to have fitness cheap you either gotta figure it out all on your own or work in the industry, both of which are not easy for an office worker.If you can figure it out on your own then you need to have the equipment and space to work with, which both are also not cheap. Then you have the Paleo/Primal lifestyle which also is not cheap (I certainly cannot afford the grassfed and pasture raised meat that they promote).

Aside though, I do plan to start doing crossfit exercise when the warm weather starts. The plan will be to make my own equipment to use. I will be that weird guy running around the neighborhood with weird contraptions and using common green-space as my gym. I guess it’s time to start planning……..

Carmen

Getting back on track is something we all do weekly. Friday hits, you get happy and indulge. You drink, eat, party, whatever you do on the weekend in excess, and have a whole lotta fun till Monday morning rings. I myself go through this often. I always find the day to day management of responsibilities keeps me in check. However I do find from time to time that getting back on track is just plain annoying. So this is when I ask, “Why am I always going off track all the time?”. Is this normal? 

This is where one needs to examine their surrounds to look for clues. For me there are a few things. For 1, I live in the heart of Downtown Toronto. I can stumble out of my bed and find every ethnic food under the sun. It makes it really really easy to pick something up when you have a fridge full of food waiting to be cooked. Another problem I have is when I try to “stay in” for the weekend. Sitting around is always painful for me. I get into uber lazy mode and BAM, I be eatin. Thirdly a night of drinking always ensures for a lazy Sunday filled with bad comfort food. My willpower to refrain from looking to food is terrible. Generally I hear a voice in the back of my mind saying “F*ck it”.

So what have I identified here? Well for one I need to have more willpower! For another I need to get out and be more active. If I was working exercise into the weekend then I would be kept busy. Easy enough right? Well not so much. Living downtown presents many challenges for this especially. I just cannot go to the regular gym unless its convenient for me. So this means that the gym slots in easily Monday to Friday before work, not Saturday or Sunday. Now I could get a little primal out in the yard right? Well not really. My yard is tiny and not even fit for a garden. So with all this being said I think it’s time I try to work exercise into my weekends, regardless of my roadblocks. On top of that I need to start finding other activities. Drinking needs to stop. It’s easy for us to identify roadblocks but hard to over come them. At least we know the biggest roadblock is always yourself.

Carmen