How I Eat Healthy, Cheap, and Often – Lunch

Since my last food post seemed like it got the attention of more comment spam bots than normal, I figured it was worth continuing on to the next meal of the day. So without further ado, lunch!

There was a carrot here…but I eated it.

As you can see, my normal lunch consists of assorted vegetables and some kind of meat (usually fish, sometimes a pork chop if I’m feeling indulgent). My choices of vegetables tend to include bell peppers, spinach, carrots, eggplants, and pretty much anything else which tastes good with minimal preparation. The only thing I need to prepare this is a contact grill, and it doesn’t take that long, either.

I start by plugging in the contact grill and letting it warm up, which usually takes a few minutes. While this is happening, I do whatever prep I have to do for the vegetables – peel the carrots, etc. – though there really isn’t that much. Grill the fish for a few minutes, it shouldn’t take too long to cook, especially if it’s thawed already, and then throw the spinach on for maybe 30 seconds and the eggplant for maybe 1-2 minutes. Add salt/pepper/any other condiments to taste (I occasionally add sweet chili sauce or Tapatio hot sauce), but if you’ve got a flavorful fish, like salmon, you may not need anything. Also, there isn’t anything that needs to be cleaned except the dishes you use and the grill, which is easier to clean when warm. I’m not sure exactly what the recommended protocol for cleaning a contact grill is, but I only clean mine once a week or so and I don’t seem to have much of a problem with it.

In general, fish and nutrient-rich vegetables like spinach and carrots (both of which show up in Berardi’s superfoods!) are a good bet for a healthy meal. The fish is a good source of lean protein, and if you include the skin (which gets nice and crispy on the grill, mmmm) you get a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids as well.

Advanced nutrition/fitness geeks might note that this meal lacks any carbs outside of vegetables – if I’m eating lunch an hour or two post-workout, I’ll usually add a small handful of pasta with olive oil and a little bit of parmesan to this dish. Yum. Lose the pasta, though, and it’s fine for an any-time meal.

This meal manages to hit the wallet pretty easily, too. Of course, I’m in Japan, so the prices here might not be quite applicable to the US, but it goes something like this:

3-Pack of salmon fillets: $3

Pack of spinach (don’t really know how much is in here, but I use about 1/3rd of it per meal): 70 cents (average – I’ve seen it as low as 40 and as high as $1.80. Shop around and stock up!)

Pack of 7 carrots: $1.20

Pack of four small bell peppers: $1

That means each meal costs about $1.80. Not a bad bang for your buck, if I do say myself – and this is in Japan, when food prices are rising. Yum!

pat m.

Links 4.30.08

This is the stuff that’s caught my attention lately:

One is a video series called “Underground Wellness” that I came across on YouTube a few days ago. The specific episode that caught my attention was on the amount of sugar that’s in a bottle of Pepsi – complete with a visual aid at the very end – but if you check his other videos, there’s plenty of interesting stuff on diet tips and working out. That’s a lot of sugar.

Two is the first installment of a biographical story about Carlson Gracie – a good read for anyone interested in boning up on their BJJ history, though it sounds a little bit hyperbolic at times.

Three is an hour-long interview with John Berardi that’s up on YouTube. I haven’t watched the whole thing – the first segment or so seems to be mostly just an advertisement and basic explanation of his stuff – but it might be worth checking out if you’re thinking about checking out Precision Nutrition or the Grappler’s Guide to Sport Nutrition.

Four is a list of Fifty Ways to Use Bacon. I don’t think bacon is exactly the best fuel for MMA/BJJ competition, but god damn do I miss it. Mmmmm.

pat m.