Custom Paleo-Chummus from Chef Mike

Home-made chummus and organic tahini with fresh veggie medley and ground beef. Drizzled with world famous Eretz-Gshur extra-virgin olive oil. Topped with Zatar. Authentically Mediterranean AND completely paleolithic (no grains, dairy or processed foods or sugars).

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Healthy Valentines Day Meal

The Brooklyn Grill will be running a Healthy Valentines Day Meal.

It is a FULL 4 course healthy meal.

Check here for details

 

Protein Shake Q & A

The world of protein shakes can be a daunting one for the novice exerciser.

We’ve put this quick Q & A together to help alleviate some of the confusion about this complex yet essential and often misunderstood workout element so you can get fit and healthy no matter what your level:

Shake Q & A

Q. Why should you have a protein shake?

A. Exercising puts pressure on muscles, this pressure actually creates micro tears in muscle fiber. These tears are repaired by laying down new muscle on top of the old, creating a new, larger muscle. Protein and carbs are the body’s fuel for this amazing rebuilding process. If this fuel is not given to the body within moments of exercise then the body gets it from within, which means it will break down one muscle to rebuild another, resulting in no gain at all!

Q. When should you have a protein shake?                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

A. Before or after a workout, but ESPECIALLY within 10-20 minutes after exercise.

Q. Are protein shakes fattening?

A. Not at all! Of course there are some calories, carbs and fat content in our shakes but your body needs these essential macro-nutrients to replenish your energy stores after an intense or even a moderate workout. Our shakes have 0 trans or saturated fats.

Q. Protein shakes usually taste gross and “chalky”, do yours?

A. NO! Our shakes are delicious. We purposely don’t overload them with protein powder so the taste remains fresh and fruity. The powder lends a hint of vanilla or chocolate (depending on your choice) without dominating the flavor of the shake. We also use “instantized” powder which dissolves fully in our industrial strength blender. No clumps or chalkiness!

Q. Can I mix and combine flavors?

A. Absolutely! Mix and match from our 4 fruit AND 2 protein flavor varieties

Q. But won’t I become big and brawny? I don’t want to look like some dumb muscle-head!

A. No one does! And unless you workout excessively and obsessively, you wont!

Q. OK I get it already, the shakes taste great and are a must if I am to maximize both muscle gain and fat loss but WHERE do I get one?

A. Right here at The Brooklyn Grill !!!


The Brooklyn Grill in Brooklyn: Get Discounted Gift Certificates, Menus and Info | Restaurant.com

Cardio Day Meal from The Brooklyn Grill

Its cardio day again so Chef Mike treated me to a twice baked, stuffed baked potato to go along with my grilled salmon steak and sauteed veggies

 

Before

After

How pure is your EVOO?

Interesting article about the purity of so called Extra Virgin Olive Oil here: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/12/143154180/losing-virginity-olive-oils-scandalous-industry

As an avid EVOO user this is more than a bit concerning to me. The fact that a company can make claims about a food product without those claims being true in the least bit and STILL pass USDA and FDA food regulations is appalling.

The government can tell us what supplements to take or what we can or can not post on the internet or which of us deserve health insurance but they have no interest in upholding our nutritional standards.

Time to start researching on how to make my own Olive Oil!

The original article credited to NPR.

Daily News names Brooklyn Fitness as having the best view of any health club in New York!

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-03-16/local/27059072_1_henna-nail-salons-brooklynites/

From the article:

” BEST VIEWS AT A HEALTH CLUB
Mill Basin Health And Racquet, 2350 E. 69th St., Mill Basin, (718) 444-5600
You’ll forget you’re stuck on a treadmill thanks to the spectacular waterfront views of boats docked in East Mill Basin at this neighborhood gym. There’s a full lineup of fitness options, from free weights to group classes and cardio machines, all for just $365 a year. “

Article by DENISE ROMANO AND ELIZABETH HAYS

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
And here’s that award winning view:

Hamburger Deluxe, the Caveman Way

I got fresh veggies in place of fries. The roll will give me enough carbs to do cardio tonight.

Thanks Chef Mike!

Before

After

Also check out The Brooklyn Grill’s new virtual menu HERE

Special Order From THE BROOKLYN GRILL, the Paleo Way

Knowing that I’m on a modified Paleo Diet, Chef Mike prepared a special meal for me today.

He cooked up a beautiful piece of Yellow Tail Snapper which he served with some organic whole wheat cous cous (today is a cardio day so I’m having some whole grains for carb energy) and fresh sauteed veggies. The fish had a delicious Teriyaki/West Indian thing going on with just the right balance of sweet and spicy.YUM!

Check out THEBROOKLYGRILL.com for more of Chef Mikes handy work.

BEFORE

AFTER

My Paleo Diet Experiment

Part 1

After reading The Paleo Answer by Dr. Loren Cordain over the holiday break I became intrigued about the Paleolithic Diet and have decided to give it a trial run.

If you’re new to it, the Paleo Diet is “a modern dietary regimen that seeks to mimic the diet of preagricultural hunter-gatherers, one that corresponds to what was available in any of the ecological niches of Paleolithic humans. Based upon commonly available modern foods, it includes cultivated plants and domesticated animal meat as an alternative to the wild sources of the original preagricultural diet…” or simply put, no grains or any other source of nutrition that was not available to our caveman ancestors. This means tons of veggies, fruits, meat, seafood, chicken, nuts and seeds. Theoretically, if you can eat something raw when its fresh, then you can eat it on the paleo diet. The diet is somewhat controversial and has many followers as well as many who oppose it. You can read a little more about it here and of course as always you should consult your physician, nutritionist and/or dietitian before making any lifestyle decisions or changes.

Currently I am in day 5 of my Paleo Diet and I feel pretty good. My stomach feels much calmer and more settled (which might mean I might be slightly gluten intolerant) but I already see that I might have to make some modifications. As a Certified Personal Trainer, working out, exercising and being fit is basically my job. I exercise everyday, on most days I’m lifting weights in the afternoon and then I do my cardio at night. I love to run and normally I’m logging about 15-20 miles per week on the treadmill but I noticed a definite drop off in my performance on my first cardio day of this year and my first session since I started on the paleo diet. Normally I don’t break a sweat or start breathing heavy until around the 2nd mile but this time I was dying after only 1 mile! My carb stores were obviously too low (there must be a reason why marathon runners practice carb loading before a big event) I think on cardio days I’ll treat myself to some whole grains or yams before I hit the tread.

Also, having enough variety in your diet is difficult when you’re limiting your carb and grain choices. Luckily I have The Brooklyn Grill and Chef Mike to help me with that. Today I had a Raw Fresh Veggie Rainbow Platter with a beautiful, lean cut of Marinated Skirt Steak . The portions were so huge I was able to split it up into 3 meals!

Stay tuned for more of my Paleo Diet Experiment Updates!

 


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.