This past 2 weeks, almost 3 now, I have found myself spending more and more time with my backyard grill. Less time dining out, more time doing my own thing with fire, meat and veggies......evoking some primal, evolutionary tie to the early days when men would hunt, kill, prepare and "grill" their kills for the clan to devour. I enjoy being able to bypass the prep stage and just go right from grocer to my kitchen, done! None the less it does seem some deep down desire to feed the need of fire and meat has gotten to me bad this past couple weeks. In part because I am now in dieting mode for my NPC August 20, physique contest I am competing in. My first show in 3 years now at that. I have only done a couple powerlifting meets since my last fitness show in Sept 2013. I got the bug really bad with 4-5 of my own fitness clients also doing shows late this summer. It rubbed off on me bad and now I have made plans to get up on stage myself!
So back to the home grilling subject......you will notice now that I only dine out a couple times a week and even then its at pretty fixed places like Souplantation (where I have 53 Yelp check-ins just in the past year) or Chipolte, Subway, Boston Market, Flame Broiler and 1-2 more. I go to these places because I can customize the whole meal as I need/want it, its affordable, found almost any place I travel to, its quick, and I like it! For those road warriors who follow me I suggest you look into thee places as they can be a lifeline to good eating when bringing your own or making your own is just not possible.
So again, the grill, below are some recent shots of the goods I have been whipping up in my backyard.
Grilled veggie egg white omelette with grilled green bean side
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Grilled mushrooms, sprouts, asparagus and blistered shishito peppers with dry rub pork ribs
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Dry rub beef ribs with grilled parma green beans
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Cinnamon-pear marinated pork chop with roasted sprouts and shrooms with applewood bacon over the top baby! Yes bacon on the grill is right!
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The dry rub I use is simple and freaking A-mazing: paprika, salt, pepper, cyanne pepper, chipolte seasoning. Dry the rack well first then season liberally with the mix. Cover in foil and then place on the grill for 2 hours at 225 degrees. It will start to smell outstanding within an our or so....be strong and let them sit, don't peak or mess with them, the outcome is so worth it!
Outside the grill I have also made some unique little food items to keep me entertained while going into contest prep dieting. Below are some pretty regular items I make during the week.
post workout frozen junk bowl: 2 scoops gaspari myofusion vanilla protein powder, 2 skinny cow ice cream sandwiches chopped up, 1 ripe banana mashed, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk. mix up well, stick in freezer for 2 hours. serve up and enjoy!
midnight muscle mush(my last meal before bed): 2 scoops gaspari chocolate myofusion, 1 tbsp hershey dark cocoa powder, 2 tbsp pb2 chocolate, 115g frozen wild blueberries, 1/2 cup unsweet almond milk, 10 crushed ice cubes (use food processor to make ice like a slushy consistency) I then mix it all up and eat.
I may have a couple outings with my out of state younger brother being in town this memorial day weekend as I show him some of SD's best dining venues. I have my short list of "must try" places for all my out of town visitors to see at least once. Beyond that we will be spending out days outdoors at the beaches for the most part......cant find that back in Wisconsin after all.
That is all for now folks. Take care and remember....always look here for places and ways to find "A better bite in San Diego."
Where to find the best bites in San Diego.
