Made a torta kinda..

I write these to add a healthier, more nutrient packed meal. I post every Friday at 5:00 pm Central time, 6:00 pm Eastern time, and  3:00 pm Western time.
How I chose what was made this week is from my blog http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/

What I made was torta inspired sandwich. Now its going to be very similar to the burger I made last week with a few tweaks. My sandwich will have some torta qualities but have a few good nutrient packed swaps. Now with most restaurants they are supplied by a company called US foods for most of their ingredients. Unless the restaurant chefs go to the local market themselves or use a personal supplier it's very common for restaurants in your area to be supplied by the same company. But in my sandwich I used grass raised beef (I tried a different company this time), romaine lettuce, sprouted grain bread, can of organic black beans, onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapenos, avocado, herb infused goat cheese, lime, and baby spinach.

Some the Ezekiel sprouted grain bread.

Delicious delicious grass raised beef.

So I started with heating up the cast iron griddle. I took out the meat and placed in a zip lock bag with the various ground chili spices(paprika, guajillo pepper, and ancho pepper ), black pepper, and pink Himalayan salt. The same seasoning blend I used for tacos and burgers. I have a lot of spice to use plus this flavor profile parallels South American flavors. I mixed the meat with the seasoning while the griddle was heating up with a 1/2 table spoon of coconut oil. I used the leftover fats to toast and flavor the bread. While the meat was frying I prepped produce by washing and slicing.

Meat cook time is up to you I went for medium rare so a few minutes on each side for a quick fry. Produce is all about how you like it; I sliced the produce into manageable portions for the size of the toast. I made guacamole with red onion, jalapeno, whole avocado, juice from half of a lime, and cilantro. I seasoned with a few pinches of Himalayan salt. Few pulses in the blender some stirring; not too hard really quick spread to put together.

I was going to incorporate beans by making a black bean spread. The spread is basically cooked black beans and some seasoning, I used the pepper mix from the meat seasoning and some Himalayan salt. The beans were cooked I just heated them up in the microwave in a glass mason jar. I put everything in a blender to make it into a paste. But I had too much water so it turned out really thin. I'm going to boil out some water and add it to the next sandwich.

It still turned out awesome. I had a great sandwich of grass raised beef, and greens. With spices and avocado spread inspired by my favorite sandwich a torta. I added the last of the zucchini to give a nice crunch and added nutrients to the meal. Next time I will add the bean spread and have some raw onion and tomato on top of that. The sandwich is simply grass raised beef, lettuce, spinach, goat cheese, the guacamole spread and zucchini. I also added some sriracha with a few bites.

You are going to get rich minerals of iron, zinc, magnesium and such. As well a plethora of vitamins K, E, and such in the greens. The avocado and goat cheese provide a healthy dose of Omega-3s and essential fats. Then you have lycopene from tomato and various nutrients from the zucchini. The anti-inflammatory effects from the spice of jalapeno pepper. Its very easy to get a huge amount of nutrients with the various amounts of produce you choose to eat in your meals. So with all of this combined in a sandwich like a torta it's very easy get a lot of your daily needs in a delicious bite.

With any Hispanic or Hispanic inspired meal I must enjoy a delicious Mexican Coke.

I don't recommend eating sugar in general but I make quality exceptions for certain treats. If you are going to eat or drink something bad make it worth it to you. Make it a treat that you want to sacrifice a moment of healthiness for something of bad for you but excellent quality.


Cost $30 cost per sandwich $6? You can make around 5 sandwiches roughly maybe 6? But you can make a small side salad or an added side of chips and make extra guacamole. So very cheap meal super full after each one. Couldn't enjoy my lunches more than I already do. Take care guys and enjoy the food!

I'm also testing some methods of human optimization personally and on selected individuals. If you are interested in joining my health plan study group you can email yourhealthkits@gmail.com

The blog I'm getting the food ideas from will be from another personal blog of mine. That blog is http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/ the subject of the blog is to explore various neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. With that exploration comes food inspiration for the rest of the week. So please follow if you would like to see some food to try out and my experience with it.


Follow me on Instagram: benjaminear and Twitter: @benjaminear
Hope that you guys will leave a comment and tell me what you liked or would like to see out of my posts.
If you are an artist help me out please and see what I can swap out this picture for.

Burger TIME!

I write these to add a healthier, more nutrient packed meal. I post every Friday at 5:00 pm Central time, 6:00 pm Eastern time, and  3:00 pm Western time.
How I chose what was made this week is from my blog http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/

This time I made burgers and fries! Hahaha everyone loves burgers and fries. So I had a regular cheeseburger and fries this week with bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, and such. But what I made was packed with flavor and healthier than what US foods provides most of restaurant industry. I made two burgers one with bread and one without. I used sprouted grain bread, organic produce (purple yam, tomato, romaine lettuce, avocado, onion, zucchini, mango and a mix of super greens spinach, arugula and such.) Phil's organic free range eggs, goat cheese, and grass raised beef of course.

Some the Ezekiel sprouted grain bread.

Sorry for the eggs and greens being a little out of focus.

So I started with heating up the cast iron griddle. I took out the meat and placed in a zip lock bag with the various ground chili spices(paprika, guajillo pepper, and ancho pepper ), black pepper, and pink Himalayan salt. The same seasoning blend I used for tacos; I used on the burgers to give extra flavor. Mixed the meat with the seasoning while the griddle was heating up with a 1/2 table spoon of coconut oil. I used the leftover fats to fry an egg and fried some chunks of purple yam. While the meat was frying I prepped produce by washing and slicing. I had just enough time to get the meat ready for the produce that I just chucked them all on a plate; before assembling them as a burger.

Meat cook time is up to you I went for medium rare so a few minutes on each side for a quick fry. Produce is all about how you like it; I sliced the produce into manageable portions for the size of the toast. I also fried the egg after the meat and slid into onto the burger.  I also put a tablespoon of Kerry Gold salted butter on the meat when I placed it on the plate. And while I was eating the burger the I fried a few chunks of purple yam home fries.

It was a delicious success. Assemble at your leisure, I loved the combo of fried egg and herby goat cheese. Great flavors of onion and spices in the meat. All around I'm having a few great meals for the next few days. The crunch of lettuce wrap was super satisfying. I added Sriracha to the lettuce wrap; along with a slice of mango. The mango and Sriracha created a great spicy, garlic, and sweet combo of flavors to the very fresh taste of greens. All in all great meal to whip together in a snap and rich in nutrients from all the produce. And sprouted grains if you choose to have them.

You are going to get rich minerals of iron, zinc, magnesium and such. As well a plethora of vitamins K, E, and such in the greens. The avocado, egg, and goat cheese provide a healthy dose of Omega-3s and essential fats. Then you have lycopene from tomato and beta carotene from the mango. Just huge amount of nutrients with the various amounts of produce you choose to eat along with your burger.

Cost $30 cost per burger $6? You can make around 5 burgers roughly maybe 6? But you can make a small side salad with the burgers and the fries. So very cheap meal super full after each one. I couldn't eat another meal the one day I had two. Take care guys and enjoy the food!

I'm also testing some methods of human optimization personally and on selected individuals. If you are interested in joining my health plan study group you can email yourhealthkits@gmail.com

The blog I'm getting the food ideas from will be from another personal blog of mine. That blog is http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/ the subject of the blog is to explore various neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. With that exploration comes food inspiration for the rest of the week. So please follow if you would like to see some food to try out and my experience with it.


Follow me on Instagram: benjaminear and Twitter: @benjaminear
Hope that you guys will leave a comment and tell me what you liked or would like to see out of my posts.
If you are an artist help me out please and see what I can swap out this picture for.

Tacos carne molida con cilantro, cebolla, y aguacate

How I chose what was made this week is from my blog http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/ I write these to add a healthier, more nutrient packed meal. I post every Friday at 5:00 pm Central time, 6:00 pm Eastern time, and  3:00 pm Western time.

The dish that was prepared is tacos with a side of black beans and quinoa. What was in the taco special that I had that week; was just standard ingredients provided by US foods or a local market. Because they were probably grown on a factory farm the ingredients are not as nutrient dense as the should be. The pesticides and other growing chemicals are not what I would prescribe for a healthy diet either. So what I did was replaced the rice with quinoa, used grass raised beef, and organic produce (avocado, cilantro, onion, and can of organic black beans) Why I did this was to get extra amino acids from the quinoa, extra iron and other minerals from beef, and the produce was more nutrient dense.

So I started with slicing up some produce and getting things ready. I took out the meat and placed in a zip lock bag with the various ground chili spices(paprika, guajillo pepper, and ancho pepper ), black pepper, and pink Himalayan salt. Mixed the meat with the seasoning while the pan was heating up on the stove with a 1/2 table spoon of coconut oil. I like going heavy on the oil because I used whatever fat and oil was left to cook the quinoa and beans. Tacos are super fast just pan fry meat and heat up tortillas on stove top or griddle; pan fry if you you want the tortilla crispy.

After I finished the meat; I started an electric kettle with 2 cups of water. After prepping a taco and trying it out. I poured the now hot water into the pan and brought it to a very quick boil.  I think I learned this very cool trick from Jaime Oliver's 15 minute meals or the Food Network Snapchat channel; can't remember which. I put in the beans and quinoa together and left the heat on high.

Mmmmmm grass raised beef and spices. I love tacos.

I should have just started the quinoa before the beans; until it looked like it only needed a few more minutes. It was a bit of a wait the water was absorbed really quickly by the beans and such. So starting the quinoa would be my tip and what I will do every time from now on. But what I flavored the mixture with was the spice blend I used in the tacos and garnished with some onion and cilantro.

The end result was a very simple meal with some super grains, grass raised beef, organic produce and a some organic black beans with a smokey spice flavor. I had some great tacos with spice and smokey flavor with grass raised beef; so clean meat and fuller flavor. Clean produce as well as more vitamin nutrient rich plants. Quinoa with some organic black beans instead of rice and pinto beans or whatever the usual Mexican restaurant go to is. I could have also added spinach; I love spinach and recommend it so much because of how rich in essential minerals like magnesium that the plant is blessed with. I didn't use the mango I bought to make salsa because the mango wasn't ripe enough I'll save it for something else.


Cost $24 cost per taco and serving of beans and quinoa $6? You can make around 4 servings of 2 tacos and a cup of beans and quinoa if you use just the right amount of ingredients so it's super close in cost to most places. But you are getting organic ingredients and instead of rice, you have quinoa which is so much better in flavor and nutrient content.




I'm also testing some methods of human optimization personally and on selected individuals. If you are interested in joining my health plan study group you can email yourhealthkits@gmail.com

The blog I'm getting the food ideas from will be from another personal blog of mine. That blog is http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/ the subject of the blog is to explore various neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. With that exploration comes food inspiration for the rest of the week. So please follow if you would like to see some food to try out and my experience with it.


Follow me on Instagram: benjaminear and Twitter: @benjaminear
Hope that you guys will leave a comment and tell me what you liked or would like to see out of my posts.
If you are an artist help me out please and see what I can swap out this picture for.

Spicy Basil Leaves (Food Friday)

My dish of week choice  is chosen from what I have tried that week; from my blog http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/ I write these to add a healthier, more nutrient packed meal. I post every Friday at 5:00 pm Central time, 6:00 pm Eastern time, and  3:00 pm Western time.

The dish that was prepared is called Spicy Basil leaves; at least that was what I ordered on the restaurant menu. What was in the food was probably just standard ingredients provided by US foods or a local market. Because they were probably grown on a factory farm the ingredients are not as nutrient dense as the should be. The pesticides and other growing chemicals are not what I would prescribe for a healthy diet either. So what I did was replaced the rice with quinoa, used grass raised beef, and organic produce (peppers, herbs, and onions). Why I did this was to get extra amino acids from the quinoa, extra iron and other minerals from beef, and the produce was more nutrient dense.

I started with breaking everything out and getting basil leaves and garlic ready. I opened up the meat and started seasoning with Chinese five spice and Himalayan salt. Mmmmmm Himalayan salt...  Next after I seasoned the ground beef I got the pan ready by turning the heat on high and dropping in some coconut oil. As it started to heat up I dropped in the garlic and basil; then proceeded with the meat by peeling off small chunks and tossing them into the pan.

With that I started to slice up the peppers and got the onion ready. After everything was sliced up I tossed it with the meat and herbs as well. Once everything was in the pan simmering away I grabbed small bottle of fish sauce and dashed a few drops every few minutes for three rounds. After all of that I dumped the contents of the pan into a small bowl. 

 I started the next step just before I finished the meat and peppers; by starting an electric kettle with 2 cups of water. After I transferred the meat and peppers to a small bowl; I poured the now hot water into the pan and brought it to a very quick boil. I added in some quinoa and quickly made some grains for my spicy basil leaves and ground beef. I think I learned this very cool trick from Jaime Oliver's 15 minute meals or the Food Network Snapchat channel; can't remember which.

The end result was added to the bowl; along with some spinach mmmmmm........




























The end result was a very simple meal with some super grains, grass raised beef, organic produce and some added greens. With the extra greens I got some magnesium, zinc, and various things in the leafy greens; along with vitamin K and E. The dish was flavorful; although I wish it had a stronger herby flavor like the one I ordered earlier in the week but I just need to fine tune it. So all around a bowl full of vitamins, nutrients, minerals and packed full of extra amino acids.



















Cost $25 cost per bowl $6.5? You can make around 4 bowls if you use just the right amount of ingredients so it's super close in cost to most places. But you are getting organic ingredients and instead of rice, you have quinoa which is so much better in flavor and nutrient content.




I'm also testing some methods of human optimization personally and on selected individuals. If you are interested in joining my health plan study group you can email yourhealthkits@gmail.com

The blog I'm getting the food ideas from will be from another personal blog of mine. That blog is http://benear-in-chicagoland.blogspot.com/ the subject of the blog is to explore various neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. With that exploration comes food inspiration for the rest of the week. So please follow if you would like to see some food to try out and my experience with it.


Follow me on Instagram: benjaminear and Twitter: @benjaminear
Hope that you guys will leave a comment and tell me what you liked or would like to see out of my posts.
If you are an artist help me out please and see what I can swap out this picture for.