Blogs of note

You may have noticed that I've got links posted to about 25 blogs. Please check them out when you have a minute or 5,000. Not to blow my own horn or anything, but I have really good taste when it comes to blogs, and if I think someone's posts are worth reading it's likely you will agree. Not all my blogger peeps are health and/or fitness professionals, but all share a passion for fitness and a dedication to getting results, and they're all pretty cool and interesting individuals with great things to say on a variety of topics.

Just as an example, if you've got an interest in grain-free living you'll definitely want to check out Bob Garon's latest post at the Synergy Kettlebell Training site. He lists a whole slew of grain free, Primal-friendly alternatives to bread, muffins, pasta, mashed potatoes, and so forth. These are not necessarily low calorie foods, and they certainly aren't low fat, but enjoyed in moderation it's hard to see how they wouldn't be a worthy addition to just about any eating plan. Most of us get way more starch than we need, and especially as we get older it's not doing us or our waistlines any favors. So why not try replacing your whole wheat toast with a wedge of wheat-free, gluten-free, EFA-rich flax bread?

Here's a wonderful-looking recipe for Golden Flax Bread from The Medicine Woman's Roots (http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=394):

Ingredients:

2/3 C flax meal
1/3 C almond meal (optional, but nice, other nut meals such as acorn can be substituted)
1 - 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
Salt to taste (I like more salt in my flax bread than I would in regular wheat bread)
appr 3 tsp olive oil or butter or unrefined coconut oil (depending on what kind of flavor you want)
2 eggs (1 egg will suffice, but 2 eggs holds together just a bit better)
water to texture desired (it makes a big difference, and the wetter it is, the harder it is to get it to cook all the way through, I go for minimal water needed to get things fluid enough to pour the batter)

Mix dry ingredients together well. Gently beat eggs together before adding (optional, but it blends better that way.

The recipe will work for a regular sized pie tin or small loaf pan. Double the recipe for a more normal sized bread loaf pan.Don’t forget to oil the pan well before pouring the batter in.

Get your oven nice and hot, about the temperature at which you would cook cornbread. Bake for appr. 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Toothpick or butter knife should could out clean if you insert it into the center of the bread. Enjoy fresh out of the oven or at room temperature for a nice sandwich.

Variations:

For an herbed bread: add small chunks of sharp chedder cheese, a TB of crushed thyme, a Tsp of crushed sage, a tsp of oregano or beebalm, small handful of fresh chopped Rosemary, fresh ground black pepper to taste and maybe some coarse salt on top. You can even add some green onion, broccoli or nettles for extra panache if you like.

Sweet Bread: add cinnamon, honey, cardamom, vanilla and even some fresh fruit like sliced strawberries.

Pancakes: just make the batter thin enough to spread on a hot cast iron pan or griddle. Unsweetened applesauce is nice in the pancakes instead of water.

This is only one of the great recipes linked at Bob's site. So check it out if you like to cook, or eat, or you know someone who does.