I wanted to share a tasty, easy dish I made tonight, along with an interesting anecdote.
First, the anecdote...
I really started to cook a lot of my own meals about two years ago when I moved into my own apartment and decided to start taking my health seriously again. I wouldn't cook anything extravagant, but I would try a little bit of experimentation here and there (as much experimentation as you can do when you are eating about the same two dozen "healthy" foods over and over again). Also, during those two years, I traveled regularly for my job and had the opportunity to dine at many trendy and expensive restaurants on the company dime - the side effect of which has been that I have been slowly developing into more of a "food snob." I have always had an adventurous palette and was willing to try anything, and my job afforded me the opportunity to do so regularly these past couple years.
So how does this relate to a paleo diet? Well, I started getting serious about the diet this year, and it has really taken my cooking game to another level. Being constrained by the inability to fall back on easy, safe, go-to carb dishes has caused me to experiment quite a bit more in my on-going quest to make easy, delicious, primal/paleo-friendly meals. I'm buying new cuts of meat I would have never bought before, testing new herbs and spices, sampling almost any vegetable I can get my hands on, and I've purchased a few kitchen utensils I would have never previously considered purchasing. Sometimes I even almost feel that I'm evocative of a paleolithic hunter/gatherer as I wander about and forage around the grocery store with an amazement of all the different healthy options there are outside of the middle carb-laden aisles.
Personally, I can never see food as merely "fuel." To me, good food and all that comes with it is one of life's greatest pleasures. Luckily, I can't remember consistently eating food that is so good - in regards to both taste and healthiness - compared to what I'm eating on this diet.
And now for that "recipe" you've been waiting for...
Julienne Peeler + Zucchini = Primal Spaghetti! I sauteed some fresh garlic with it, topped it with some all-natural marinara sauce, and threw in a couple handfuls of Italian-style meatballs. So simple, tasty, and healthy, and it really hits that "comfort food" spot that you feel when you eat a big bowl of regular pasta.