Couldn't Be Easier - Asian Chicken & Veg

No informal chit chat with this one, we're all hungry. Let's eat.

Ingredients:
Two breasts free range chicken
Sesame oil
Shoyu (reduced salt soy sauce)
Sesame seeds
1/2 a head of brocolli
Bunch of silverbeet
2 carrots
6 mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
Sprinkle of chili powder
Umeboshi paste, if feeling flash, not essential. See below.

Method:
Cut your chicken into chunks and fry in the sesame oil.
When the chicken is about half cooked, wash, chop and add your silverbeet. 
Splash in some shoyu.
In a seperate pan dry fry the sesame seeds, which means fry them with  no oil, stirring constantly until brown.
Wash, dice and add mushrooms.  Might need a bit more shoyu.
Cut and add brocolli.
Peel, crush, dice and add garlic.  Adding garlic further along in the meal, instead of first thing, preserves it's volatile oils, which is what gives garlic it's smell, flavour and medicinal properties. Much tastier, much healthier.
Sprinkle in your chili.
Peel, slice and add carrots.
Add about 3 big Tablespoons of the roasted sesame seeds.
Drizzle a little more sesame oil on at the end if it needs it.
Voila.
Damn that sh*t's tasty.

This is an umeboshi plum.
Try not to judge it on it's slightly
nutsack-like appearance.

You can serve this with umeboshi.  Umeboshi is a japanese paste, made out of pickled plums. It's a light pink colour. It is very sour and salty and has another flavour that is impossible to describe.  But it goes really nicely with Asian flavoured meals. You can find it in health stores and Japanese sections of the supermarket. It is really worth a try, if you like Japanese flavours.

How high maintenance is it: 2/10
And only 2 because of experimenting with umeboshi.

Is it worth it:
Definitely, if you're hungry and you need to eat in 15 minutes.

Nutritional/Health Tip:
Did you know that the tongue has different area's to taste different tastes, like a map?  And each of those tastes stimulates a different aspect of digestion, or digestive secretion.  Tasting food is really important and informs your body and brain what food is about to come in. 


This is a bit rudimentary, but it sort of works like that.
This picture also gets weirder the longer you look at it.

To fully satisfy your taste buds, and to feel satisfied by a meal, all meals should contain all five/six of the flavours, they are: salty, sour, sweet, bitter and pungent.  Astringent is kind of the sixth flavour, the way ESP is the sixth sense. You find it all over the place, but it isn't talked about much.
In japanese cuisine they have another flavour called umami.  It means 'a pleasant savoury taste'.

There doesn't have to be alot of each flavour in a meal, for example a carrot is sweet, it doesn't need to be sugar.  In fact, the less sugar you eat, the sweeter food tastes, like avocado's, they are very sweet.

Green foods have the bitter taste.  Garlic is pungent and astringent. Sesame oil is sweet and salty. Shoyu is salty.  Sesame seeds are salty and sweet.  You can get really good at this game, think about your foods as you eat them.

So the Umeboshi is to add sour taste.  Sour stimulates digestive juices in your tummy, just the way it makes your mouth water.  You will notice a meal feeling rounded and complete when it has all the tastes.  The one we overlook the most is sour, if a meal is lacking something, try adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and KAPOW: Yummyness.

Happy tummy happy life :)

Things You Can Eat When It's Not About Cooking

Ham. There's some ins and outs to ham, but ultimately, ham.

Almonds.  Or other nut.  Waist watchers: 15 max.
Interesting fact: a peanut is not a nut. It's a legume. Legumes come in pods. Nuts come in shells.

Eggs. Plural. Why stop at one. 
To boil an egg so that the white is completely cooked but the yolk is completely runny (more yummy, more healthy) put them into already boiling water for five minutes. Five minito hombre!

Half an avocado, with a little balsamic, salt and pepper.

A carrot. (same goes for a tomato, a few sticks of celery, raw mushrooms, brocolli raw (it's quite nice), or cauliflower, capsicum cut into sticks. Not courgette).

1/2 a cup of frozen berries.
If you eat yoghurt, and honey, food process these three ingredients and close your eyes and pretend you are at Dine, it's that good.

A cat. No i'm not serious don't eat your cat you CRAZY PERSON. This is not a movie where we all get stuck on a mountain because our plane crashed. Or is it...

Gherkins. Why the hell not!

Small tin of fish. Or chicken, but i personally tried that once and thought it was too similar to cat food.  Not the flavoured ones, what is IN those tins?!? Always read labels.

Cold meats from the deli.  These are less expensive than you think.  Just because something's in a glass case, doesn't make it fancy.  Try chicken, beef slices, and you know, the crazy sausages.
Did someone say crazy sausages.

And here's an idea.  Roast a chicken and keep it in the fridge for snacks. Okay that is cooking. But it goes a long way.
I never knew how to roast a chicken, and it seemed elusive. Until I found out you put it in the oven.
That's it. You can go all fancy. But you basically just put it in the oven, on about 160 for 25 minutes per 500grams.

A few sheets of nori (seaweed paper) folder over and over and over.  Crunchy, chewy, salty. Sometimes you're not really hungry, you just need something to chew on.

If you eat dairy, 1/2 a tub of cottage cheese.

There, that's a good weeks worth of nibbles. Sans carbs, crap and sugar.

Green Chicken & Shiitake Mushroom Curry

I was just watching Julie & Julia, a great lazy saturday afternoon movie about a woman who sets herself the task of making every recipe in Juila Childs recipe book The Art of French Cooking in one year and about Julia Child living in France in 1949.  It's delightful. And has made me think I might need to buy this book and scrap my diet and start making outrageously delicious French food. Actually, I bet alot of the recipes are pretty 'paleo' - processed-crap-free.  The French know where it's at for good, wholesome food.  You'd never see some Frenchie passing up butter for margarine. Erk. Margarine, even the word makes a greasy, plasticy feel in my mouth.

Anyhoo, the recipe.

Green Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
2 spring onions
3 cloves garlic
2 red chili's
6 medium sized shiitake mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
1 carrot
1 courgette
1 cup frozen peas
3 FR chicken breasts
1 Tbs sesame oil
Splash of shoyu (soy sauce)
1 tin coconut cream
Juice of 2 limes
pinch of stock
Green Curry paste!!

This is a good meal to experiment with eating shiitake mushrooms, if you haven't had them before.  You buy them dried from the Asian supermarket, and when you want to eat them you soak them in boiling water for about 5 minutes, the longer the better though.  Then you take them from the water and squeeze the water out of them, chop off their stalks, and thinly slice them.
Shiitake mushrooms are very meaty in taste and texture and really add something to a meal.

Method:
Soak your shiitake. They are very buoyant and float, so you put them in a bowl with the water, and then put a smaller bowl on top. Genius.
Slice the spring onion and start to fry in sesame oil, garlic next, then chili, as it starts to dry out splash in a leetle shoyu.  Chop your chicken up and add that to the pan to cook, plus the juice of one lime.
Squeeze out the shiitake, slice thinly, into the pan. Give the chicken some alone time in the pan with the mushrooms, so the flavours combine, and when pretty much cooked, add courgette, carrot and very last, peas.
Stir and make sure it is all pretty nicely cooked, then crack open and add your coconut cream.
I use a whole tin, which makes it really soupy, which I like.  I think I should probably drain off the excess if I intend to parade around in a bikini this summer but.... coconut creeeeeeam!
Add about 1 heaped teaspoon of green curry paste and the juice of one more lime and sprinkle in a pinch of stock. I am liking to use stock in place of salt sometimes, because it is salty, but has more body.
Let it simmer a little bit, then serve. Coriander would be nice on top too if you have it.


I know using pre-made curry paste seems a bit like cheating, but you just can't make your own that easily, you would need a diverse range of fresh herbs.

And this green curry paste (I can't get the picture the right way up but doesn't matter because none of the words on it are English), is my hot little curry paste tip.  You can find it at Asian supermarkets, and the ingredients is just herbs.  No sugar, no MSG, no preservatives, just herbs. And it tastes great. They have lot's of different kinds, but as the writing on the front is not in English, you have to just try them out to find out what type of curry they make.  Hee.

How high maintenance is it? 4/10
Only gets a four because of the shiitake, which may be foreign to you. But aren't foreign things a little bit exciting.

Is it worth it? Yup.

Nutritional Benefits:
Shiitake, and the other Japanese mushrooms, are actually medicinal, as opposed to just being nutritional, which means they have therapeutic benefit.  As well as lots of enzymes and vitamins (folate, calcium, magnesium, selenium), they contain polysaccharides that stimulate immunity and are anti-viral and anti-bacterial.  They have been used to treat cancer. Put's a new spin on the words 'magic mushrooms'...

I like to think of them as the 'meat vegetable' - because they are so meaty.  They are very sustaining. And high protein, for a vegetable.

You can keep the water that you soak them in, and add it back into food, as this will contain lots of the vitamins.  It makes good stock.

Happy tummy, happy life.

Here is a pic of the chocolate cake in process that my flatmate was making on the bench next to me.  It is 50% white sugar. OUCH!  :)

Healing Injuries (and post workout pain)

Everybody who exercises will get injured at some point, and even if it isn't a full on injury, all that pain you feel after training? Those are injuries too!

Those aching traps from farmer's walks, tight calves from double under's, tweaky shoulder from kipping, knee pain from squats, that bad back that goes out when you deadlift... yep those are all injured tissues crying out for some TLC.  

When most people get injured, they will immediately do one thing - nothing. 

Kiwi's are total hard-outs.  It's like there's a silent competition going to see who can take the least care of themselves and live with the most injuries. This is moronic. The only thing your body has on it's side is youth and time, both of which will run out, and then your injuries will become your worst nightmares.

If you want your body to perform to it's highest ability (as in, cross fit), and you want to be one of those rad, fit 75 year olds with a six pack of doom doing 75 pull ups... you need to treat your body like a princess.  Yes, like a precious little princess.

Healing injuries and general post work out pain

Do something STRAIGHT AWAY, or as soon as possible.
Why? Because the second after you injure yourself, your body has started the healing process.  It is going to heal whether you help it or not, but through the actions you take or don't take, you can influence whether it heals fast and heals well, or leaves behind a niggle that never really goes away. The best time to look after your injury is right now.


Okay Clare, so what do I do?


For the very short attention spanned among us, here is the in and out, uber quick version:
Ice it.
Heat it.
Rub it.

For those who can put down their calorie counting app for five minutes, the longer version:

1. Ice. 
Why? Icing does two things:
One, it reduces swelling.  When you injure tissues they swell with lymphatic fluid and blood, bringing in nutrients and immune cells for repair.  This is great but this inflammatory response comes flooding in like someone broke the dam and jams up the whole area, and then nothing can flow in or out.  This is bad.
Two, icing numbs pain.  This is good, not only because pain is uncomfortable, but because pain inhibits movement.  You will accommodate this pain by adjusting your body position to protect the injury, muscles stiffen and shorten, locking up the area and causing an imbalance across surrounding joints.  If you start healing in this position, new tissues are built with bad motor pathways, and laid down in a messier, unaligned way pattern. These compensations and adjustments can cause a ripple effect of other injuries, rippling out from the first one. Booo.

How? 
Get two tea towels and tie them together at the end.  Take frozen vegetables out of the freezer and wind the bag up into one of the tea towels.  Wrap the vege's around your sore bit and tie the tea towel ends together.
Leave on for up to ten minutes and no more.  Now you can carry on and make dinner while nature works it's wonders.

The swelling should go down, pain should ease, the area will whiten.  If this does not occur, it's more serious than we thought Batman.  Take anti-inflammatories if you can't sleep and call your phsyiotherapist first thing in the morning.

But Clare, isn't pain my friend? I think I love Pain, I think pain is 'the one'!
Yeah I hear you.  I'll tell you when you DON'T want pain though, and that is when you are trying to sleep. Because you heal when you sleep, and if you are in pain, you aren't sleeping restfully, and you are not healing.

Okay step two!

2. Heat.
Now as long as the swelling has reduced, we warm the area with a hot water bottle, like this little friend.  Not scalding hot.  Rest it on the area. For up to ten minutes and no more.

Why? Now we are bringing the blood rushing back in with all it's yummy nutritional goodness and clever little cells to patch you up.  By using cold, then heat, we are basically 'pumping' the area, to create greater perfusion of blood throughout the tissues. And, both heat and cold will numb the pain.

Then what?
3. Massage. 
This is where things get a bit saucy.  It's time for some self massage. You do not need a degree to do this, just a hand. 
I recommend massaging antiflamme into the area.  That stuff is good.
Massage massively speeds healing.  One thing massage does is help the new tissues to be laid down in an aligned fashion, rather than in a knotty fashion which causes what is basically scar tissue.  This means you are still a rubber band, instead of a rubber band with knots in it.
Find the sore spots and dig your fingers into them, rub it all around, it should hurt but not be excessively painful.  By now you will have had a shower and eaten dinner and you watch tele and get your rub on.

4. Make an appointment with your physio
Awww Clare! But I haven't got time and it's nothing really and it'll be sweet by tomorrow and it's only my arm and I've got two and and and and....
Yes I know. You are afraid to ask for help.  But trust me, real men go to physio. Because then they can win competitions and impress all the girls (whatever motivates you I say).

Why?
Because you do not know what is wrong and you do not know how to fix it.
It could be nothing, or it could ruin your barbell grip for the rest of your life. Sucks to be you. 
The longer you wait to do the right thing, the longer your rehabilitation period will be.  Something you could have fixed in three weeks, could end up costing you three months.
Guess who said 'I wish I had never seen my physio, it didn't help at all'.
No one.
I highly recommend Vaughan at www.sportslab.net.nz
No physio I have met knows more about the movement function and dysfunction of the body than Vaughan.

All going well, your injury will not be too serious and this little routine will allow you to train again the next day, or maybe the next.

Recap
Anything that hurts after training: Ice, Heat and Massage. Even if it's just a little strain, as this will allow you to train harder the next day.

Hey Clare, what about anti-inflammatories?
Yes.  These drugs were designed for short term use for acute pain. That's you my friend. The best time to take them is at night before bed so you can heal better while you sleep.

Clare, you're a herbally witchy pants, any other cool things I can do?
Loads.  But that's another blog.  A couple worth a mention though are:

No Paine - never has a product name been more truthful.  This little guy is a roll on with cayenne in it that is SO UNBELIEVABLE at relieving pain it is like wizardry.  Better than staying on neurofen, which will put a hole in your gut after a few days.  That one bottle will last you a life time.

Vitamin C
The best thing to take internally is vitamin C, and lots of it.  1-2 grams every couple of hours.  Vitamin C helps reduce inflammation and is required for the production of connection tissue, which is what is being made when you are healing.

A word of caution

If there is the possibility that you have broken or fractured a bone, ice it, and go to A and E.
You can't fix that shit with a rub down.  You might have heard a crack or snap?  Or the pain is in your bone, not the joint or soft tissue? Or, you can't bear any weight on it.  That may be a a break or serious tear. A and E Batman, and step on it.

Japanese Salad Junior

There have been a few Japanese salads... I think this is the fourth generation.  If you like Asian flavours, i.e. sushi, you will dig this.  But no rice! So nice.

Ingredients: 
1 large tin tuna
1 Tbs toasted sesame oil,
1/2-1 cup cider vinegar
2-4/ Tbs shoyu (reduced salt soy sacue)
6-8 sheets of nori (seaweed paper, can be obtained from Asian vegetable shop)
4-5 little tomatoes
1 Tbs mayo (either good quality eggy stuff, no sugar, or make your own, recipe to come)
Truck loads of Greens (1 large bunch of parsley, you know i'm crazy about it, or baby spinach, mesculin, coriander, yup any greens)
Roasted sunflower seeds

Method Man: 
Put it all in a bowl.
Okay no. Yes actually, put it all in the bowl.
Drain and biff in your tuna, splash on the cider vinegar - do this to taste, start with 1/4 cup and increase, splash on the shoyu, you don't need much, drizzle on your sesame oil - to taste.  Chop up and throw in the greens. Diced toms, in they go.  Whack in a big ole spoon of mayo.  Rip the nori sheets in half again and again til they are little squares, throw these in. Add your roasted sunflower seeds.  Stir it all.
Dude that's it!
Taste it... it's good.

Optionals:
Of course other salady things can be added to this, but that's your basics.
If you want to get fancy with your dressing, and like the taste of wasabi, put your sesame oil, shoyu, cider vinegar in a jar, and add in some wasabi, how much is up to you.  Put the lid on and shake shake shake, then pour over your salad.  Wasabi!

How high maintenance is it? 1.5/10
If you consider tearing up nori a difficult task, I feel for you son.

Is it worth it?
Definitely.  You won't look back.





Nutritional Benefits?

Nori

Nori, or seaweed sheets, are sheets of pressed, roasted seaweed.  Seaweed, being from the sea, has a really high and diverse mineral content.  In fact did you know that all 84 minerals found in the body (about 84) are also found in the sea.  Evolved from fish much?
Nori is high in iodine, a mineral that is not found in our volcanic soils in NZ, that is required for healthy thyroid function.  It is also contains quite good levels of iron, vitamins A and C, and chlorophyll, which is cleansing.
Nori, all seaweed, is also really really high in fibre.  This is important for your bowel health.  Bowel health becomes important when you don't have any.  Be nice to your bowel.
Go Nori!

Pad Thai Chicken

Did you know Pad is Thai for 'fry'.  So translated, this is 'Thai Fry'.
Sounds good to me.

Ingredients: 
3 breasts of free range chicken. 
If you don't buy free range chicken, you are going to hell, to live out your eternity in a small wire cage, that you can't turn around in, standing in your own poop, unable to stretch your legs or arms, with all your skin rubbed bare, and no natural light.  Would you want that for wee chicky? Didn't think so.
1 large bunch spring onions, 1-2 chili, fresh root ginger, toasted sesame oil, shoyu (reduced salt soy sauce), lime juice (3-4) or lemon if you can't get limes, 2 carrots chopped, 6-8 mushrooms diced, 1 red capscium thinly sliced,  handful of fresh peas or beans (if in season, not essential, anything green will do), 1 bunch fresh spinach, 1 bunch fresh coriander, 1 bag mung bean sprouts - these are the big cispy white ones, not essential, but alot of fun.  Maybe some nuts.

Method:

Aren't limes beautiful...

Dice and fry spring onions in a wee splash of sesame oil and a wee tiny splash of shoyu.  Dice chili and add, I use two birds-eye chilis.  These are the hot red little suckers.  Don't eat one whole for kicks (I saw Andrew Hooper do this once, it didn't look like fun).  Grate in the ginger (see hot tip on ginger at bottom of page).

While this is sizzling, chop the chicken into small chunks and add.  Chicken seems to get bigger when it is cooked.  As it's cooking juice some limes, and drizzle some liquid in.  You're trying to get it to be cooking and not sticking, but not swimming, this is the goal with pad thai.
As chicken is cooking, dice and add your other mushrroms, courgette, carrot and spinach last.  Keep splashing in a little lime, a little oil, or a little shoyu, whatever you think it needs.  Not too soupy, not to dry.

Once all is cooked turn off the heat and stir through the fresh, chopped coriander.

Put this steaming hot pile of goodness onto your favourite plate and top with the fresh mung beans.  Looks totally authentic.

When I used to eat peanuts, I would then drown it in peanuts. 
If peanuts aren't your thing (they're not my thing anymore) you could throw on a few dry roasted cashews, or almonds.  Any crunchy nut is going to add to this meal.

An alternative to chicken is eggs, break in 4-5 eggs at teh beginning, after the springonions, chili and ginger, before the other veg. Stir stir stir and don't let it become a pancake.  Carry on as above.

How high maintenance is it? 5/10
The only thing is getting the right ingredients.  Might mean a trip to the Asian vege shop.  

Is it worth it?
Do you like thai food?

Hot tip: 
If you buy fresh ginger and freeze it, it will not go rotten in the fridge, AND can be grated on the finest setting of the grater, to add ginger 'mush' that distributes evenly through your meal, or can be grated into hot water for a warming, digestive, ginger tea.
Thanks Martha! You're welcome.

Better Than A Shop One - Salmon Quiche

Okay bit of a salmon theme going here, I promise there will be recipes without salmon!  But first this one...

When my vegan flatmate saw this quiche he said 'that looks like the best quiche ever made' and I know his hungry little vegan tummy was thinking about turning for this quiche...
It has potatoes it in, and feta.  But these can be subbed for those on zee diet.

Ingredients: Butter, 1 leek, 3-4 cloves garlic, 6-8 mushrooms, 1 smoked salmon steak, 1/2 block feta (optional), 5 eggs, 4-5 medium sized potatoes (or courgettes and egg plant), 1tsp thyme, 1 tsp stock, 1 cup milk (oat, almond, whatever you drink), roasted sunflower seeds.

Method: Slice your potatoes into thick slices, about 8mm to be precise.  Boil these guys until they are edible, but not soft.
(If you are going to use courgetts and eggplant instead, slice the courgies length ways, and the eggplant across. lightly fry in butt and garlic.)
Whilst this is happening on the back of the stove, slice, wash and fry 1 leek in butter.  When the leek is getting soft, add diced mushrooms, garlic, stock and thyme.  When all this is totally cooked, turn off the heat and flake in your salmon. 
In a separate bowl (thank you Martha), whisk (stir with fork) 5 eggs, 1 cup milk, and the feta.  The feta is optional for strict paleo peeps, but takes this quiche from kumbaya to kowabunga.  Add salt and pepper, don't hold back.
Grease a baking dish with more butter.
Put down a foundation layer of potatoes (or courgette/eggplant).
Next, layer the leek/salmon mix.
Drizzle on half of that eggy liquid.
Repeat: Potato. Veg. Egg.
Sprinkle your good old roasted sunflower seeds on top.
Cook that puppy on about 160deg celcius for about 20 minutes until firm to the touch and light brown on the outside, like a good man (oh Martha! Sorry couldn't resist).

How high maintenance is it: 3/10
Surprisingly low.  Whip this up before your workout and love yourself later.

Is it worth it:If you want to make friends with someone, share this quiche with them.

Nutritional Benefits:
Mainly you are eating this becuase it is outrageously good tasting.  But yes, it's good for you too.

Praise the Lord Kumara Salmon Salad

This salad is so delicious you will be saying AMEN after each bite.
This is a slightly sweeter and more hearty take on the previous salmon salad recipe.  Starchy vege's like kumara are best eaten after a WOD to replenish your glycogen stores, and most suitable for people not trying to lose body fat. Feta is not strictly paleo, but for those 'dairy sensitive' people out there, it's one of the better ones. Go to town.



Mizuno!

Ingredients:
Greens - mizuno, rocket, mesculin, NZ spinach are all good together in this one. If you grow them yourself (easy) and eat them fresh it's like WHAT!

1 golden kumara, 1 smoked salmon steak, 1/3 block feta, 1 Tbs sundried toms, 2 Tbs roasted sunflower seeds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, S&P.


Method:
Cut kumara into big chunks, just whack it into about 10 pieces.  Boil these until soft, but not falling apart - about 10-15 minutes.
Pick and wash your greens, shake the water off, into a bowl.
Chop sundried toms pretty finely and add.  Crumble in feta.  Flake in salmon with your fingies.  Sprinkle in roasted sunflower seeds.
(Buy these unroasted, and then 'fry' them in a dry pan, shaking and stirring constantly so as not to burn any. Everything is better roasted. It does somewhat detract from their healthyness, but it massively ups their deliciousness.)
When the kumara is cooked and cooled a little, throw it in.
Drizzle on olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste.  Stir it all around.  It's kinda goopy and soft but also crunchy and.... Oh lordy can i get an AMEN!

How high maintenance is it: 3/10
If you can boil a jug, you're in.

Is it worth it:
Can I get an AMEN!?

Nutritional benefits: You name it. But let's talk about kumara, the humble sweet potato that founded this great nation.  Root vegetables have their place, they have grounding, warming, contracting energy which is good for warming up your whole body and grounding you in winter.  Kumara are a really great source of vitamin A and the carotenoids.  These vitamins are essential for healthy vision, skin and immunity.  Don't shake a stick at a kumara.

Quick As & So Delicious - Salmon Salad

Here is a pic of it! Presentation is a bit lack, I was in a rush cuz I was hungry!

I eat this meal at least twice a week, it saves my ass because it is so quick and easy it stops me eating something unhealthy, oh and it is so damn delicious and insanely healthy!



Ingredients: 
1 smoked salmon steak - now don't whine about price.  These puppies are such good value for money, all that healthy fat and insanely good flavour, and the price works out to about the same as tinned fish and if you get a big one it will go you two meals.
Greens - I personally use parsley because I Love it, but you can choose from parsley, coriander, baby spinach, mixed mesculin, any salad greens.
3-4 medium tomatoes, 2 Tbs capers, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper.
Optional additions - diced red capsicum, diced roasted capsicums, feta, sundried tomatoes.

Method:
Roughly chop up your greens (maybe washem first I guess).  I do one whole head of parsley at least. You want to use about the amount of greens that fits in two hands, and then some.
Wash and cut tomatoes.  Sprinkle in your capers, you can't have too many capers.  Squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons and pour on.  Add lashings of olive oil, don't hold back.  Crank on some sea salt, and some pepper to taste.  Stir that all around and dish it out onto a big ass bowl.  Take the skin off your salmon steak and flake it into the salad.  Depending on how hungry you are, you can use half a steak or a whole.

That's it! Ready to eat.  Your eyes will be all shiny after a meal this healthy.
If I was going to add one of the optional things, it would be half a block of feta, which makes it all creamy.  It depends what diet you're on.  If trying to lose weight, skip the feta.

How high maintenance is it? 1/10
It isn't. This is the dream girlfriend of meals, quick to make, always ready, brings out the best in you.  You aren't going to want to share.

Is it worth it?
It is, because if you like this meal, you will eat it until it has gone out of fashion.

Nutritional benefits?
Endless.  Green leafy veg are the healthiest food group alive, full of minerals like magnesium and calcium to calm your nervous system, help you sleep, help you exercise, and carotenoids which help you see better and support immunity.
Salmon is the king of fish, all those long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids make your brain and eyes healthy, which means good moods and no glasses.  They also help you burn fat, improve insulin sensitivity, make your skin nice and your hair pretty. 
The bitter (greens), sour (lemon) and pungent (capers) tastes in this meal stimulate your digestive system to produce digestive juices like hydrochloric acid and pancreatic juice.  This means your digestive system is revved up and cranking to digesting food well.  Traditionally, salads were eaten first before main meals, to promote good digestion.
Olive oil provides monounsaturated fats, the people who eat alot of these, live forever (nearly).
Have another one Martha! Alright I will!

Bread Free Burgers

Recipe one!  Here is a recipe I was just playing around with last night, because I had burger cravings...

This recipe is free of: gluten, grains, sugar, dairy.

Ingredients
500gms beef mince, butter, 2-3 cloves garlic, 6-8 mushrooms, 1 onion finely diced, 1-2 chili (if you like things spicy), 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1tsp oregano, 1 tsp moroccan spices, 1/2 tsp stock, (other herbs and spices optional), 1 heaped Tbs tomato paste, 1-2 eggs, 1-2 cups ground linseed, worsterschire sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper.
To serve: balsamic vinegar, sliced beetroot, gherkins, grated carrot, sliced tomatoes, ice berg lettuce, avocado.

Method
Start by frying onions in butter, when softish add mushrooms diced, and garlic, peeled and crushed, and chili, finely diced, splash in some worsterschire sauce and some soy sauce, just to wet it.
In a bowl add the onion mix (once cooked) to the mince and then add the eggs (I put in three but it was way too wet, start with one and increase if you need more 'stickyness'), ground linseed (the ground linseed is in place of breadcrumbs, breadcrumbs work better because they are more crunchy, but ce la vie), all herbs and spices, stock, more worsterchire, a little more soy and tomato paste.  Mix it all together and if it is not wet enough to hold together, add an egg, if it is not dry enough to hold together, add more linseed.

Butter a pan on medium heat, roll mince mix into balls, squash flat and fry on both sides for 5-10 minutes until brown and cooked through.

Put a big, washed ice berg lettuce leaf on a plate and top with the patty, sliced gherkin, sliced tomato, pile of grated carrot, drizzle on some oil and some balsamic, slice of beetroot, avocado to top, salt and pepper.
Wrap the leaf up like a parcel and chow down. 

Avocado is where it's at for getting some good, satisfying fat content in this meal.  You could make like Martha (stewart) and mix it up into a guacamole first.

N.B. if you're not so worried about having dairy, you could add a few thin slices of cheese on top of the patty's when you are making the burger. Cheese. Nom. 
N.B. you can chop and add all sorts of herbs and spices to this, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley - all good.


How high maintenance is this meal: 7/10
It definitely takes a bit of prep, a fair few ingredients, and a bit of standing around cooking.


Is it worth it?Yes, if you want a burger, but you don't want to eat bread.  Sometimes you just gotta put in the effort.

Nutritional benefits?
Yes. Red meat is the place to get your iron and B12.  Nutrients essential for energy and nervous system function.
Salad is high in fibre which keeps things healthy south of the border and just to the front and round to the left, you know where I mean.  
Cautionary note - try and get mince with not that much fat, organic is really good because it means no antibiotics and chemicals, and nitrate free would be nice.  Supermarkets spray their meat with nitrates to make it look healthy an pink.  Nitrates are known carcinogens (cause cancer).  So yeah. Pick your battles.