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Dear Reader,
Introduction
I hope you’ve had a good week.
My week was busy. Thursday was Anzac Day. Kathleen and I went for a drive. We took a look at Windy Point Lookout.
What have I been watching?
Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space 9
I’ve now finished watching Star Trek: Voyager (VOY). It’s been an enjoyable rewatch. I will finish Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (DS9) soon. I will start watching Enterprise (ENT).
I’ve also started watching Bosch and there are Star Trek connections. Jeri Ryan from VOY and Linda Park from ENT.
I’ll share more on Bosch in another post.
National Rugby League
This has been a ripper season for footy. The Dolphins and Brisbane Broncos are in the top 8, and I’m happy. I enjoy having a decent TV with free-to-air access to watch live NRL footy.
I am looking forward to the State of Origin series to begin this year. The Queensland Maroons have a depleted side this season with many players injured. The “away” game this year is in Melbourne.
Four corners
Uncovering the Ozempic and Mounjaro black market
If you have the time, I recommend watching this. The drugs were designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drugs have gained favour with people who are clinically obese. The mechanism of action slows the stomach (the organ and not the vague description some people use to describe their abdomen).
The drugs have serious adverse reactions, such as gastroparesis. It is not surprising that medical practitioners who advocate for low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating prefer a lifestyle change to bring T2DM into remission and to remedy clinical obesity.
Banana Boogie Bakery Vanilla Slice
Did I eat a Banana Boogie Bakery vanilla slice?
Yes, I did.
Aren’t I low carbohydrate, healthy fat eating?
Yes, I am.
Is the vanilla slice low in carbohydrates and healthy fat?
No, it isn’t.
Why did you eat the vanilla slice?
It was Anzac Day, and Kathleen and I went for a drive. I wanted to do something special with Kathleen. When I cook, it’s usually biased toward my way of eating. I wanted to do something together with Kathleen.
What was the vanilla slice like?
It was good. It reminded me of the vanilla slice from the Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral. The custard pastry interface had notes of caramel, and the vanilla flavour was well balanced with the sweetness. The mouthfeel of the custard and pastry combined well. The icing was not excessively sweet.
Would you eat another one?
Maybe. If I want to do something special with Kathleen again, I might go for one of the other vanilla slice options.
Were there any after-effects worth noting?
A couple of hours after eating the vanilla slice, we drove into the city, and I started getting an anterior compartment cramp in my right leg. Not long after, my left leg had a similar cramp. The pain was moderate, and the cramping persisted for about an hour. It made walking uncomfortable. When I weighed myself the following morning, I was 2.0 kg heavier. I assumed it was retained water.
What have I been eating?
An animal-based diet means great leftover meals. Because my local supermarket doesn’t have a great meat selection, I’ve been buying beef short ribs from Baa Moo Oink.
Leftover rib meat is on par with leftover cold lamb shoulder. The protein and fat content of the rib meat is perfect.
The method I use for heating the rib meat is simple. I cut the cold meat into one cubic centimetre pieces and put them into a frypan. I then add about 100 mL of water and turn on the heat. As the water simmers, the meat softens, and the muscle fibres separate. The fat is released as the meat breaks down, and the water evaporates. I’m left with a soft, tender, and moist bowl of meat. I often finish with butter and pure cream to improve the mouthfeel.
The leftover cooking liquor is an added benefit of cooking with a pressure cooker or slow cooker. I keep it in the refrigerator, and when it’s cold, I lift the solid fat off and put it into a container for later use. I then use a tablespoon or two of the jellied meat broth and make a hot drink with boiling water.
Recipe
I had some beef chuck and speck cooked in the pressure cooker tonight.
Equipment
- Pressure cooker.
- Carbon steel frypan.
Ingredients
- Chuck steak.
- Speck
- Meat broth.
Instructions
- Dice the beef and pork and put the meat into the pressure cooker.
- Add the meat broth.
- Cook under pressure for 1 hour.
- Open the lid and remove the mixed meat with a slotted spoon when the pressure equilibrates with atmospheric pressure.
- Sieve the cooking liquor and refrigerate the broth.
- Transfer the meat to a frypan and turn on the heat.
- Gently cook with a little butter and cream.
- Transfer the meat to a dinner plate.
- If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger.
- If you’re eating a low-carbohydrate diet, meat and plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
- If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
- If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this meat won’t be suitable.
- Always give thanks to the Lord.
- Eat with whatever implements you prefer. I used a spoon.
Thoughts on the meal
The more I eat meat, the more I like it and the more I’m enjoying this way of eating. The speck was a good addition to the chuck. It gave the dish a nice smoky flavour.
There are sufficient leftovers for a few meals this week.
Final thoughts
- Do you occasionally deviate from routines like a diet?
- Have you watched the TV show “Bosch”? What did you think?
Disclaimer and comments
This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.
For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.
That steak looks fantastic Gary! And I like what you did with the rest of the meat too. The vanilla slice looks worth the leg cramps-was it?
I agree, Lorraine. The leg cramps were worth it. 😊
Being a person with T1D for all of my adult life, I went from attempting to not eat anything I wasn’t supposed to to eating more than I should. Usually the latter is when moods pop into play. However, I’ve also learned that every day is a new start and not to beat myself up each time I fail in my carb intake..or maybe it is over enjoying my carb intake???? I’m off to bake some chops and I’ll add liquid smoke because the oven isn’t a bbq. I’ll also need to peel taters for the others and add gravy. I have very few taters, mostly because they are my high carb for the night. I’ll have blueberries and zero sugar yogurt for dessert while they have ice cream. We have on VHS all the STNG episodes and, alas, haven’t watched them since. TV isn’t as fascinating as books. Usually. NOTE: why do black and white Perry Mason episodes make you watch them, even whey there is no time and you only came in the living room to mention dinner was soon??????
Hi Kris,
I remember watching Perry Mason on an old black and white TV when I was a small boy. Those old TV shows were really good.
I’m with you on the banana cake. It would be a bummer to think that you could never have it, but very reasonable to think that you wouldn’t normally have it.
Every now and then, Jeff; I will deviate for special reasons. 😊
I think that’s smart. In fact, I should have them put “will deviate for special reasons” on my tombstone, because I’ve kind of lived my life that way!
Hi Jeff,
I hope you don’t have to worry about tombstones for a long time.
Hi Gary, I wanted to let you know that I found the video very interesting. My husband takes Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes. He is monitored by both his gp and kidney doctors every 3 months. So far it has worked well for him using the minimum dosage without any side effects. I’m happy to know that you and Kathleen had a nice celebratory day and that you enjoyed that delicious looking slice. You are right, doing something special with someone else is very nice.
Thanks, Karen. I hope your husband continues to do well with Ozempic® and that supply of the medication remains trouble-free for him.
That vanilla slice looks amazing! I love splurging with Nate and Alex–especially on vacation. Cheers!
It was good