Showing posts with label paleo. Show all posts

Thursday, May 1, 2014

My Favorite Podcasts And Resources

I thought I would share some of my favorite podcasts and websites that I frequent to get information and entertainment. People often ask me how I know the things that I know about so many different topics. I don't do anything special, I just research what I am interested in. It's simple really, I read books, listen to a ton of podcasts and Google is a thing. Plus I mess up all the time, which I find is a great way to learn something new. The important thing is to know how to learn and do proper research, "knowing" the specific details about a topic is secondary.

Here are some of the informational podcasts I listen to on a regular basis. Some of these podcast are still going strong, some have stopped creating new content, but still have their episode archives up.

Homesteading - Permaculture - Survivalism

Guns - Hunting

Science - Space - History

Health - Nutrition - Paleo

Brewing - Cooking

Interesting - Random

Here is a list of video sites I am subscribed to or watch often. Some are just funny, some are very informative. I want to Highlight two of the most interesting and useful video sites I frequent.

T.E.D stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED's mission is to bring scientist, entertainers and inspirational people together to speak in a video format about whatever topic they are passionate about. I have watched every TED video on this site that I am interested it, that is a lot. Check it out, you will find something you like.

Khan Academy is the direction I believe education, not only of children, but anyone who wants to further their education, is going now and into the future. The days of the modern education system are numbered. Before I go off on a long tangent about the systemic problems of the modern education system, let me just say, you should check out the Khan Academy. You would have to try not to learn something new.

YouTube is a great resource. The following are all channels I am subscribed to.

I know the above list is long, but it is only a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the information available to anyone who wants to look for it. All of these links and resources are free, some have voluntary yearly subscriptions, which I have a couple of.

These are just some of the things I am interested in. If you are into spinning wool, you would be amazed at how many resources are available for free online. Just Google it. ;)

The important thing is to know how to separate the bullshit from the well meaning uninformed writer, from the truly valuable information. Make sure to get your information from more than one source, three is a good start. If you come across something you are interested in, and there are links from the article to the source material, read it and make your own conclusions.

I could do a longer post on all the books I recommend, but one in particular comes to mind that will help you sift through the bullshit in life. It was written by my personal hero, Carl Sagan. Read this book before you die, the sooner the better.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Obviously Wikipedia is a great resource. Just remember, anyone can go in and change things. Most of the time, if there is incorrect information, it is corrected very quickly. The community is very good at self policing.

There is a specific survivalism wiki set up through The Survival Podcast community. Check it out here. TSP also has a great forum that I have been a member of since 2009, check it out here.

Google is such a great resource. If you really want to delve into something you can do a search on Google Scholar. This search will pull up any published scholarly articles on the subject you are interested in.

I hope this post helps some people find new and interesting sources of information and entertainment.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Paleo-ish Zucchini Lasagna

Remember those giant zucchinis I picked? Well we found a use for one of them at least. Lasagna noodles!!!

So, I made this lasagna out of yard veggies and local beef. The cheese I used was Kerrygold (I must say their Dubliner cheese is my favorite cheese ever). The cottage cheese was Kalona SuperNatural. Tasty stuff.

I chopped up a couple peppers and some onions to add to the ground beef. I think I used 5 garlic cloves as well.

I sliced up the noodles and put them in a colander. I read that you should sprinkle with salt and let sit a bit so the excess liquid drains off. I combined two scrambled eggs with a container of cottage cheese and fresh parsley (don't use as much as I have pictured above unless you really, really love parsley).

I layered the prepared meat sauce (Seasoned tomato sauce, 1 lb of beef and veggies), zucchini strips, egg and cottage cheese mixture, topped with cheese and I did this three times. The top layer I sprinkled with fresh oregano and parsley.

Here is the precooked finished product. I baked it covered until I decided it was done (probably like 45 minutes) and then took the foil off and bumped up the heat to brown the cheese on top.

Sorry there were no after pictures. It was devoured almost immediately after it came out of the oven.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Green Quiche

So, I just think this is the best thing I've ever made and I had to share. Since we've started Paleo we haven't been able to eat crust. I was driving home from work with an awful craving for quiche (odd, right?) and I was frustrated because it's just not the same without crust! I've made those little egg muffins but the egg is stiff on the edges... anyway, I was struck with this amazing idea. Plantain crust!!!

The best part about this recipe is that because the crust took so long I just put the rest of the ingredients in the blender and so it became GREEN QUICHE!! And here it is (hope it works out because I don't measure anything):

A few green plantains
Eggs (7? also ours vary in size because we buy from a local farm)
Cream cheese (Organic Valley, I think I used half a thing)
Butter (lots)
Bacon (half a package)
Handful of spinach
Seasoning - salt mostly
Anything else you want in your quiche

Fry bacon and set aside. Save some of the bacon fat in the skillet and then add butter.
Slice plantains about an eighth inch thick and fry til golden brown and slightly crisp - let cool.
Put eggs, cream cheese, spinach and everything else in blender and blend until totally mixed.
Line pie plate with a couple layers of plantain chips.
Crumble bacon and anything you don't want pureed over top.
Pour filling in and bake at around 350° until middle is solid and top is lightly browned
Eat.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

And... we're back!

Right so, now that we're all caught up on the last three seasons of Dexter we thought we ought to start posting again. Quick post though, we need to plant seeds tonight!! Amazing how fast things roll around.

Anyway, we started this Paleo thing. Awesome! I feel great. Never, ever eating wheat again. But supplements are recommended so I went to get a couple things from the vitamin store like fish oil, vit D, common things we don't get enough of. Well I also needed probiotics. The girl working, who was helpful about most everything, confused the hell out of me about the probiotics. They need to be live not freeze dried, well even the refrigerated kind are dried, and the liquid kind, these are more but they help you culture your own unique bacteria (am I not doing that already?). So I said to hell with this, I'm just going to ferment cabbage and make my own bacteria. Everyone should do this. It tastes good and it's good for you.

I put 2 TBS of sea salt (MUST be sea salt) and a cup of filtered water into a mason jar. You'll need to stir it until the salt has disolved completely and then add shredded cabbage (or whatever other veggie). I also added a celery stalk to mine. It works as a preservative, totally optional. Fill the mason jar up to the top with filtered water. Place it on a saucer to catch the overflow and stick a slightly tapered glass in the top. This allows air to touch the water but not the veggies. Don't let the veggies touch the air... at least not for very long. As the water evaporates (or as you eat cabbage) just pull the glass out and add more water. I liked it best after 3 days but we're still eating it after a couple weeks. YUM!