Alter Ego: Guest Food Blogger #4

Bill Staley and Hayley Mason over at The Food Lovers’ Primal Palate recently invited Ruby Reduction to review their cookbook Make it Paleo, a collection of over 200 grain-free recipes.

When our copy arrived in the mail, we couldn’t wait to begin.

I should preface this by saying I don’t classify our lifestyle as being Paleo (at least not in the full-fledged, card carrying sense).

Granted, the meals we prepare generally follow many of the principles that form the Paleo or Primal diet: lots of vegetables, a high quality protein source, and a healthy serving of fat.

We also tend to eschew grains and legumes; limit our intake of sugar (including high-sugar fruits); and avoid processed foods altogether.

However, despite the similarities in dietary choices, we still love the occasional pizza or cold pint (or pitcher) from one of our favourite craft breweries. (Just kidding, try this one).

To read the rest of the entry, please click here.

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Alter Ego: Guest Food Blogger #3

The following is an excerpt taken from my recent turn as guest food blogger for A Ruby Reduction, published 18 May 2012.

It’s funny how our taste preferences have a tendency to change or evolve with age. If I were to sit down little nine year old Jamie and ask him to name his three favourite vegetables, I can almost guarantee the list would not include broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. However, 25 years later and rarely a day goes by in which I’m not enjoying a combination of all three.

My mother must be so proud.

(Wait a minute. If I could travel back in time and meet the me from 1987, am I really going to waste that ability by asking him what his favourite vegetables are? Of course, not. I’m slapping a copy of Gray’s Sports Alamanac in his hand and telling him to not put some money on the Cubbies).

To read the rest of the entry, simply click here.

Alter Ego: Guest Food Blogger #2

The following excerpt is from my occasional turn as guest food blogger on A Ruby Reduction. In this entry, I discuss life wtih a seemingly insatiable sweet tooth and attempt to temper my cravings through a rather unusual treat – bacon chocolate chip cookies…

To the surprise of absolutely no one who knows me, I have a confession to make: I am the proud owner of an unbelievably potent sweet tooth.

I know, such a shocking revelation.

For me, temptation from all things sugar is at times too hard to resist. One indulgence in particular, whose appeal I am utterly powerless against, is the cookie.

One cookie leads to two. Two lead to three. Three lead to a number greater than I care to admit.

But at least my craving is satisfied, right? Not exactly.

Every time I venture down this slippery slope, I naively believe this sense of contentment will last. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a mere appetizer, inevitably followed by an entrée of regret coupled with a heaping side of self-loathing (and eventual tummy ache).

To frame this pattern in somewhat simpler terms: sucrose, fructose, glucose, comatose. Ugh.

To view the rest of the entry, simply visit RubyReduction.com (originally posted 02 December 2011).

Alter Ego: Guest Food Blogger #1

The following is an excerpt from my recent turn as guest food blogger for my wife’s site, A Ruby Reduction. If you prefer your food full of flavour and your food blogs light on pretense, then her site is definitely for you.

Shortly after Connie launched A Ruby Reduction, I briefly entertained the thought of creating a companion blog focused entirely on the hamburger.

It seemed like a splendid idea at first … until I began to realize that in order to maintain such a site, I’d have to eat an (almost) ungodly number of burgers (and buns) on a regular basis.

Hey, I love hamburgers, but a man’s got his limits.

So, rather than subject myself to the perpetual “meat sweats”, I offered to submit the occasional post on hamburgers to A Ruby Reduction. From a health (and creative) perspective, it’s probably a more reasonable rate.

The rest of the piece is available at RubyReduction.com (originally posted 02 March 2012). Featured in the entry are two original hamburger creations inspired by comedian Bill Burr.

You can also follow Ruby Reduction on Twitter: @Ruby_Reduction