The Food and Pics
Entries are coming in for the silly Free the Animal Rant Contest. So be silly. Give it what you can.
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…The last three weeks or so have been gruesome with the move, et al. Worst of all, I came down with another instance of what I firmly believe I have Google diagnosed as trochanteric bursitis. I believe I’ve had it before, mistakenly thinking it was sciatica — which I have also had long time ago..but thought is was a different manifestation last time. I think it happened from just over use in the move, i.e., hundreds of squats and bed-overs per day for days straight (packing / unpacking boxes, assembling furniture, ceiling fans, mounting flat screen TVs to hidden wire perfection, and such all contributed).
The pain is awful — nearly constant and it’s worse when sitting standing, or laying down (you should see how I have to contort to sleep — I quit taking the 800mg Motrin I was taking for a while before bed). Walking is the best relief. So, after nearly three weeks of it and no gym — and it’s getting better — I did a relatively light workout at the gym today and had substantial relief for several hours. Now, the constant pain begins to set in, again, but diminished. I’m definitely on the downslope. I’m hitting the gym again Friday. Of note, I did 10 reps deadlift at 135 just to test, then went to other things to see if the hip stayed calm. No problem, so I came back and did a very easy 185 x 6. I may go for my 295 x 6 on Friday so I can move to 305. I really hate that I got set back from hitting that 300# deadlift mark through this period.
But I’ve been eating well. So disappointed I didn’t get any shots of the three pounds of tri-tip, two pounds of boneless pork ribs and a 1 1/2 pound roasted chicken on a single big platter I did this weekend for Bea’s local family. There was no meat left. This is my deal: no bread, pasta, rice, beans or any other woefully inferior cheap "nutrition," but, I’m fuckin’ gonna fill you up on meat if you’ll have it. How good a deal is that?
Click all photos below for the hi-res versions.
Roast Chicken & asparagus. Dried Italian herbs & olive oil. Lightly coat fresh asparagus with EVOO, some sea salt, and cookie sheet it for 20-40 minutes @400 until you like it. Crunchy tops are great. French fry subs.

Chicken & Stinky Pee
We have a fig tree in the new backyard, two lime trees, and a pomegranate in the front yard. Since we moved in I’ve been moved about how I might be able to use the figs. Ready. How about in a sauce with jalapenos?

Fig & Stuff
All that including the fresh chopped garlic & onion you see, went in the saute pan with a bit of butter. Then, all of it went into the so-called "magic bullet." I say that cause it sucks. I’m getting a Vita-Mix. Fuck bullshit.
So because there was a total lack of magic in the bullet, I ended up having to strain anyway, and so reduce more because the liquifies fiber — if i had magic — would’ve alleviated the need to strain.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The very first step is to reduce red wine to a syrup. Do not introduce it to an ongoing reduction. Do this first.

Shitty Photo
Then you add your stock & fixins and continue to reduce. I needed no thickener at all, so maybe a little magic happened.
Then I was done, with some Caprese salad left over and an heirloom tomato.

Apples & Oranges
Oh, yea, all the peeps in attendance wanted grilled burgers even though I offered steaks.

Salisbury?
Last night was just Bea & I, and I had in mind an enormous salad of butter and green leaf lettuce with tomato (heirloom), finely sliced onion, peeled and cubed cucumbers, and blueberries…

Salad
I just drizzled olive oil on it, and the juice from a half of fresh lime or so, from the backyard.
And then I grilled "country style boneless pork ribs" @ about $3.50 per pound. Get The Salt Lick dry rub, which I get at BBQs Galore here in CA, rub down the meat liberally and let it set 30 minutes or more at room temp. For these kinds of ribs where you don’t need to get them to fall off bones as there aren’t any, a low BBQ will do the trick, turn every 15-30 minutes for a total of 45-60, but watch. Done is done and you don’t want to dry them out.

Boneless Pork Short Ribs
Today, I ate about a pound of those leftover, right outta the fridge, post workout.
Oh, I almost forgot. Sashimi on app, last night.

Sash
You know what? Upon serious reflection; Fuck vegans. Uh huh?
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Trochanteric bursitis – I had that once from lots of lunges in a workout, very painful and makes even walking hell. (It had been niggling for months, but the lunges aggravated it big time) I have a truly incredible physiotherapist, and it was gone in a week. He did a lot of release work on the spasming muscles around the joint and also the tight illeo tibial band, which had rubbed against the bursa when doing exercise. I’d recommend him but he is in New Zealand!
Since his treatment it’s never returned.
OK, I believe this is what I had about 15 years ago when I was playing competitive Ultimate Frisbee 6 days a week. We flew out to Chicago for a huge tourney and by the end of the second day, I was in the worst pain of my life. My teammates said I looked like a wounded bear running around the field. Not good.
I couldn’t sit in a normal chair without propping up my right buttock with a pillow to take any incidental pressure off the point of my hip. I was in the back seat of a car driving off the fields on dirt roads and a huge pothole nearly made me pass out.
Anyway, at the time I was diagnosed with hip bursitis caused by a tight IT band. Most people have knee problems, including bursitis, when they have a tight IT band, but the doc told me it can hurt the hip too. It really could have been anything including trauma because of the way I lay out for discs — I grew up a soccer goalie, so the ground is my friend — but who knows. I think the IT band was the culprit.
After the inflammation died down — after months of ice and ibuprofen horse pills — I worked on IT band stretches, and from that day forward I have been vigilant about stretching my IT band, especially when I feel tightness in my knees or hips. No bursitis since.
So, look up IT band stretches and see if that alleviates the pain. The IT band stretches right over the hip pointer area, and if it’s tight, it rubs. Loosen that bad boy up, and the pain goes away. Good luck.
Yummy eats, and creative use of figs! When I have a fig tree in my backyard, I will know I’ve “made it” (because it means I won’t have to endure any more &%@%^&* snowy-icy winters). So envious, though in the nicest way possible! Enjoy their glorious, succulent bounty….
That food looks amazing!
It’s 4:30 AM here and those pictures are seriously messing with my intermittent fasting!
I hope the bursitis clears up soon. Loving the food photos. Thanks for your comment on my blog, nice of you to visit and I appreciate the courtesy. Paleo/Primal/Low carb is rapidly gaining momentum in New Zealand, though not rapidly enough considering our obesity stats.
Richard,
Start foam rolling or pvc rolling. I use 4in pvc pipe about 3 ft long. The pain is addictive and wish I had been doing it years ago. Also 2 tennis ball tied in sock to massage muscles along the spine is very effective.
Craig
Richard, Think about trigger points in the muscles around the hip.Get a tennis ball and start rolling around on it looking for those OMG spots.I find leaning against a wall and moving the ball around quite effective. You might be suprised how simple your condition might be.The connection between clinical signs and functional(or dysfunctional) state of the tissues is a paradym that is being shattered much like the fat hypothesis.Good luck
You ate this all in one sitting didn’t you? Admit it…
In related news, I had a short rib at a Shula’s Steakhouse last night, and tried a new wine from Chile. I had a smile on my face for the rest for the night.
I have to remember to read Free The Animal after eating. The food porn is simply too much for me right now. Everything looks delicious!
Hi Judith,
Great to see another Kiwi low carb blog.
I’m planning to give a bit of a push and get more people paleo eating in NZ. I had huge success with the group of volunteers (people on my nutrition email list) who switched to paleo / primal eating for 6 weeks and that has inspired more to give it a go. Small beginnings!
Did you know Robb Wolf was planning a trip to NZ early next year? Hopefully there will be a lot of publicity surrounding his visit.
Wow, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve commented here. Well, all I have to say on this post is I agree with Travis and I need to remember to read Free the Animal AFTER I eat. I’m starving now!
Cheers,
Rafi
Hi Richard, is there any chance you can post the macro breakdown for you posted meals so we cann have an idea of the nutritional content we are eating so as not to make any mistakes. Many thanks in advance. Orinn
Nope, not a chance, Orinn. I mean, it’s not like I keep a record in an archive or anything.
No worries, but how then do you know the macro breakdown of each of your meals or do you estimate? Thanks
I do it on the fly, in my head and with a scale and yes, sometimes estimate. But I don’t keep anything recorded.
Me too, once I have prepared a meal more than I few times I more or less know what the macro content is.