“My Fitness Pal” is my pal

Week four till surgery

I have found a new weight loss tool online that I am jubilant about! It is “My Fitness Pal” (known as MFP). It is a little like facebook rolled up into a fitness /food tracker. I’ve been using “Fit Day” for the last year, (on and off), due to a recommendation by Mark Sisson, but I found it to be stale, sterile and lonely. A friend turned me onto MFP last week and I have been enjoying it and the people there immensely.

It works a little like facebook where you find yourself “friends” of like mind. There is a wonderful paleo/primal group that you can join and that the cavepeople there are very supportive and helpful. When I was a bit bummed about not losing any weight one day, the encouragement bolstered my spirits and kept me on track.

Some nice features about it are you can re-set the calorie, fat, carbs to whatever you want to, which is very nice. (It is under the tab “my goals”) Another nice feature that I like is that you do not have to log in every. single. time. you go there, like Fit Day. (So annoying) Your food dairy can be made public to your friends, if you like, so that they can take a peek and help you figure out what you are doing wrong or right. Pop on over and check it out. If you do, “befriend” me! My user name is cavewomancafe, of course.

So I lost 2 pounds this week. Happy? Yes! I do wish I could get the scale to move just a wee bit faster but I am happy it is moving at all after my 10 day stall at the beginning of January. This week I changed eating all my major carbs to before 3 pm. Night time I eat light and lots of vegetables and protein. I have also upped my exercise and am really enjoying water aerobics.

I am honestly enjoying eating hungry now, where in the past it frightened me to be that hungry. Eating hungry makes each bite so wonderful that I find I am satisfied with eating less. I actually couldn’t finish my breakfast the other day, when that size of breakfast would usually be a slam dunk. (shock and awe!)

This week I went out of my way to make interesting and delicious meals to spark things up a bit as well. Our favorite meals were Mark Sisson’s “Coconut Curry Meatballs” (minus the liver) and a recipe of my own invention, that was so good that Caveman Hubby said it called to him all night long. Here it is for you to enjoy. Thanks for the support and interest.

Spicy Tuna Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Spicy Grilled Tuna Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Any fish will do here. Salmon is spectacular and halibut is magnificent! Omit the honey in the salad dressing if you are doing Whole 30 or no sugar. You can find smoked paprika in health food store in the bulk spices section or at specialty gourmet shops. It really is worth the effort!

For the tuna
1 pound of fresh-frozen albacore tuna loin(s)
3 – 6 cloves of garlic pressed
¼ cup of olive oil
2 tsp of fennel, slightly crushed
2 tsp of smoked paprika or regular paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix up your marinade and rub all over the tuna and let rest for about ½ hour in the fridge. When you are ready, heat up your grill and get it good and hot. Sear the tuna 5 to 7 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the loin, till it is just barely cooked through. Set on a plate, sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little more paprika, then let it cool to room temp while you prepare the salad. (Smoked salt is really splendid on this!)

For the salad;
2 boiled eggs, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, cubed and sprinkled with lemon juice
Enough mixed salad greens for 4 (about 2 cups each)
Green onion, minced
2 carrots, grated
1 cucumber, cubed
1 apple, cubed

While the tuna is resting, awaiting it’s grand moment, peel and prep your boiled eggs and avocado then set aside. Prepare your salad and toss together. Divide the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle with the boiled eggs and avocado. Divide the tuna into four pieces and set right in the middle of each bowl of salad. Drizzle the dressing equally over the tuna and salad and serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.

The dressing,
4 pieces of bacon, cut up into little pieces
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp of fennel, slightly crushed
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1 tsp of honey (optional)
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Make the dressing right before you put the tuna on the grill so it is nice a warm to serve up. Fry up the bacon in a big heavy skillet, When it is cooked through add the shallot through the paprika to the bacon dripping and fry over medium heat just a bit longer till fragrant and you are drooling. (It happens!) Add the coconut oil and honey then continued to sauté till melted and blended well. Stir in the vinegar and keep stirring to de-glaze the skillet and you have scraped up all the bacon bits from the bottom of the pan, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and reduce skillet to low to keep warm while you grill the tuna.