A Friendly Nudge - Seeing is believing
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
“Aging shouldn’t suck” has sort of become my unofficial tagline, because I absolutely believe it. You notice that I say that it shouldn’t suck and not that it doesn’t suck, because I know that for some people it absolutely does. My goal is to help those folks find a way for it to suck less.
Even with my optimistic view of aging, I’m not oblivious to the fact that aging changes us. On the positive side, I love to think that all of these years lived gives me a better sense of perspective, but I also know that all these miles and birthdays have come with some physical costs.
I used to eat whatever I wanted and my weight would stay pretty steady. Over the years I’ve gained a few pounds but during that time the clothing manufacturers have implemented their own changes. The material is a little stretchier and forgiving and they’ve adopted something that I think of as vanity sizing. It tells me that the pants have a 34” waist but a tape measure tells me that someone is trying to seduce me with flattery.
Nothing can reel you back to reality quicker than stepping into a pair of dress slacks that fit perfectly a few years ago only to find out that you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re going to button that top button.
So for the past week or so, I’ve been tracking meals with a food scale and the Carb Manager tracking app. There are a lot of tracking apps but I’ve used this one with some clients and I think it’s pretty intuitive. I’m using the free version.
I probably do this every few years. The food tracking gives me some helpful insight. I recalibrate what 6 oz of protein looks like again, and just the act of tracking causes me to make subtle changes that start melting off a few pounds.
I don’t want to trivialize weight management because I understand that not all metabolisms and relationships with food are created equal, but for a bunch of us simply reacquainting ourselves with what a portion of protein looks like or in my case how many calories had creeped into my morning coffee in my attempt to maximize its “healthiness.” What I used to jokingly refer to as my poodle coffee (chocolate protein powder, chocolate collagen protein, cold pressed cacao, ¾ cup of milk) had turned into an unintended caloric Great Dane.
Sometimes tracking something for a few days helps us figure out where our blindspots are. Just logging my meals for a few days gave me some easy ways to hit my protein goals without saddling myself with a bunch of extra calories. It’s hard to manage something if you never measure it.
This week’s meal is a great and delicious way to get a head start on hitting your protein goals and yes, the olive oil adds some calories, but it packs a big flavor punch.
Grilled Flap, Skirt of Flank Steak and Chimichurri
When it’s over 100℉ outside standing over a 600℉ grill just hits different. Now that we’re in the lower 90s here in Texas, and some days even flirting with highs in the upper 80s, I’ll be grilling more often. So flap steak or if that’s not readily available, then skirt steak or flank steak sounds like a perfect option for the long weekend. We’re also making some chimichurri because it’s perfect for grilled meat, but it also works with just about anything.
This meal gives you options. For my vegetarian friends, you may pass on the steak part of this, but the chimichurri will make just about anything you put this on delicious. For my omnivore followers, the flap, skirt or flank steak cooks quickly, gives you multiple delicious meals and the chimichurri makes the steak or anything else you put it on delicious.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Italian or flat leaf parsley
1 fat pinch of dried oregano or a few sprigs of fresh
2 cloves of garlic minced
1-2 fresno chilies, seeds removed and chopped
¼ cup of red wine vinegar
½- 1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A few turns of fresh cracked pepper
Flap, skirt or flank steak
Salt
I suggest making the chimichurri first so it’s ready when you pull the steak off the grill or out of the broiler.
Remove and discard any tough stems or discolored leaves from the parsley and then chop it thoroughly. Place it in a mixing bowl.
Remove the seeds from a fresno or jalapeno pepper or peppers (depending on how spicy you want your chimichurri, mince and add to the mixing bowl.
Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add to bowl.
Add a fat pinch of dried oregano or chop a few sprigs of fresh oregano and add to bowl.
Add a fat pinch of salt and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper.
Add ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
Add about a cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Taste and make any adjustments to align with your palate (play with your food).
Preheat your grill - gas or charcoal, you want a hot fire.
Flap or skirt steak will cook quickly, flank steak may be a little thicker and will take slightly longer to cook. After you get a good sear, flip the steak over and after just a minute or two, check the temp and pull when it reaches your desired level of doneness.
If you don’t have a grill, you can do something similar using your oven broiler.
Cut the steak into slices across the grain of the meat as opposed to with the grain and top it with chimichurri.
Enjoy!
Now let’s build an assortment of exercises that can be done as a circuit or individually as exercise snacks! (Skip any that you don’t feel comfortable with)