CrossFit Portland

After a hard night at CrossFit, a bunch of us head over to New Seasons for their Hot Plate Special. For $6.99, it is hard to beat a hot meal of fresh organic produce and free range poultry. You can pick your items and create a meal easily devoid of processed foods. Add an avocado to the plate from the produce section and give your body what it wants – delicious and necessary fat!

There is one particular item, Dragon Thighs, that sometime shows up and is always in high demand. A sweet and spicy marinated chicken thigh baked until it can do no wrong…mmhhh. We decided to make the New Seasons recipe and couldn’t believe how simple it was. Get chicken thighs (bone and skin), put into marinate for 24 hours, and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes[CORRECTION: Picked up some experience baking chicken, 20 minutes ought to do it. Keep it moist!]. The marinate is sweet soy sauce, chili garlic paste, ginger puree, and some lemon or lime juice.

Here is another easy, cheap veggie idea. Buy a bag of ready made broccoli slaw. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds. Cover and cook until the seeds stop popping. Add the whole bag of slaw, plus 1 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp of turmeric. Saute for 3-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the slaw is soft. Add 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. Stir and serve. This can even be a good breakfast, just top with eggs.

Here is a simple and inexpensive way to get a good dose of vegetables into a meal. It’s really tasty, as well!

Buy a head of cabbage, and a slice or two of bacon. Choose bacon without nitrates. Bacon ends work well for this recipe. You’ll save going with the bacon ends – it’s just bacon that couldn’t be cut into nice, neat slices. I spent a whopping $1.13 for this filling, nutritious meal at New Seasons market. Don’t say that you cannot afford to feed yourself properly!

Heat a dash of olive oil in a large skillet, chop the bacon, then heat the bacon for a few minutes until it starts to get soft. Meanwhile, chop the cabbage in half, cut out the core, then chop it into wedges. Add to the skillet, breaking up the cabbage a bit as you do. Reduce the heat to medium-low . Add about 1/4 cup of water, cover, and cook for around 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft and tender. Stir the cabbage several times while cooking.

I will often eat this all by myself as one meal (with some other protein, usually), as I try for 1/2 lb of vegetables or more at most meals. Enjoy!