Paleomantic

Chicken, Green Bean and Beetroot Salad, with a Ginger Balsamic Dressing

One-bowl meals: the essence of summer simplicity. In this Chicken, Green Bean and Beetroot Salad, you get all your healthy macros, a kick of balsamic and ginger, and toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch.

Green beans and beetroot come together as the basis of this colourful main meal salad. Fuss free, the balsamic and ginger dressing doubles as the marinade for tender cubes of chicken breast, and lightly toasted pumpkin seeds add a little textural crunch. Serve up generous portions for an easy summer dinner, or pack it for a picnic, or for a lunch on the road. Chicken, Green Bean and Beetroot Salad, with a Ginger Balsamic Dressing - A Main Meal in a Bowl Just want the recipe without the chat? Scroll all the way down.Easy, lazy, relaxed, the essence of summer. Geranium-red nail polish, dusty feet from barefoot tramplings, the late afternoon lullaby of crickets and invisible insects. Getting as naked as possible to soak up the Vitamin D. Wiggling to lounge music in the kitchen. Wild plums, cherry tomatoes, figs and berries, straight off the branch or the vine and into the bloodstream: simple blessings.We’re in a state of full appreciation. Being some distance from the equator, the summer season is too short, and we're lucky: my father’s place in the hills not having been sold, we can escape the stifling humidity of the valley. Down there, people are wishing away the days, anxious for the meteorological shift that’ll bring respite from the heavy pressure systems that drift up from Africa. When that heat settles in, it’s sticky for days on end. Venice is ok - where there’s water, there’s fresh and moving air. But in the valley, it’s either air con, or simmering sufference, and tempers run short.Not up here. It’s amazing, the difference of 600 meters, it’s a pleasure to be outdoors. We’re sleeping under a very light duvet, which means we’re sleeping deep and long. Everything has switched into slow. Walks are uphill, and when they go down the tracks are rough, so footsteps are mindful. Unless there are real deadlines, it’s best to let go of time-based concerns. Whether you head up towards Folgaria, down to the beautiful village, or in towards Murari where ...

Intermittent Fasting has health benefits and side effects. Whether you win or lose depends on where you're starting from: Sugar Burner or Fat Adapted. When the body is efficient at burning fat, then fasting is a great way to lose a few extra pounds and detox the body. It's regenerating on the cellular level, and boosts the functioning of the immune system. But when Glucose/Sugar is the default energy source, then an Intermittent Fast will send the body into crisis. Intermittent Fasting and Carbohydrate Dependency Carbohydrate Dependancy creates chronically high insulin levels. Insulin, the 'Master Hormone', facilitates the transport of nurtrients and hormones around the body. When we ingest food, the body metabolizes the proteins and glucose which it needs straight away. The rest is placed into storage. (Excess protein is also converted into glucose.) A limited amount of excess glucose can be stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, which serves the body in moments of high physical stress. All the rest is transformed into triglycerides and stored in the fat cells. Triglycerides, in order to get back out of the cells, need to be converted into free fatty acids. Glucagon is the hormone which activates this process.The problem is that when blood insulin levels are chronically high, glucagon is suppressed. Thus, it's impossible for the energy inside the fat cells to get back out. When blood sugar levels run low, the body/brain goes into crisis. Quite literally, it doesn't have enough energy to survive, even though there's fat locked in storage. The crisis sets off cravings. The Carb Dependent human will find a way to get that quick carb fix - a museli bar, a wholegrain sandwich, ice cream, beer, whatever. This new flood of glucose into the bloodstream triggers the release of more insulin, and the roller coaster ride is never ending: insulin spike, sugar crash and craving. Trapped in this pattern, fat-storing genes are up-regulated, and ...