Stuffed Tenderloin, "Toe Shoes", and flourless cookies

Chandra and I promised ourselves that once my work expense check was deposited for mileage we'd purchase some Vibram Five Fingers.  This weekend we picked up a pair each.

We walked into Mountain Equipment Co-op and promptly moved ourselves to the shoe department.  (We tried Fasttraxx, but they were closed, so we went elsewhere...)  Chandra and I asked the staff at the back where we would be able to find the Vibram Five Finger shoes and we were met with a blank stare.  Luckily, one of the customers overheard our request and we were directed to the paddling section. 

The cashier, however, had seen them before.  "These shoes are..." as he looked around to see if his boss was around and in a slightly lowered tone of voice, "fucking awesome."



I couldn't really put it better myself either.  These shoes are to your feet what a condom is to your junk.  You get nearly all the enjoyment & feeling of being barefoot but with greatly reduced risk. 

The concrete feels cool, you can feel the warmth from the deck.  I feel more grounded and aware.  Grass is bloody amazing.  Rocks are noticable, but they don't hurt.  The puddle was, unfortunately, wet and cool, but I got over it. 

Finding the proper size takes a bit of time, and getting into them the first few times is like trying to solve a rubix cube.  After a couple days of wearing them, putting them on is like slipping on a pair of sandals.  Sizes are based on the european sizing - so there are alot of shoes to try on.  I think the best way to fit yourself would be to start at your regular shoe size and move smaller by one size at a time until you have the proper fit.  One size in either direction of the proper fit is very noticable so you should be able to figure out when its correct.  (my pinky toe barely sneaks in because it is deformed, but the rest of my toes are pretty much to the end of the toe socks).

What do you wear them for?  Anything you'd wear regular shoes for.  Seriously. 

Workout - I did a Back the Truck Up workout in them (see previous post on truck workout).  Noticed my sprints weren't as fast because I was concerned about the impact from the pavement, but I was still pushing pretty hard and my heart rate was up.  On the grass, my sprint speed would probably remain unchanged. 

Run - I went for a 5 k run in them on Sunday morning.  Its good - my running form changed for the better almost immediately - striking more to the front of my foot instead of a heel strike, faster turnover, shorter stride.  My hips, knees, and lower back aren't as sore as they would be (probably from the stride), although my calves are a different story.  They were tender yesterday and today.  I wouldn't clock more than 5k right now in them, but in a couple weeks once fully adjusted I should be able to run an 8-10 trail run just the same as 2 weeks ago.  I don't know whether I'd be successful trying to clock mega miles on them, but I've committed to only running once a week so this should be great. 

Walk - Amazing.

Jump - Combined with working out + running I jumped on everything.  Blocks, benches, over signs, onto the truck, off the truck, just jumped.  There is an added sureity with being able to grip and flex with the toes of my feet that makes me feel much more confident doing this sort of stuff (I've definately scuffed my knees in runners missing my mark...). 

Go to work - Yep I wore them to the office.  Pretty comfy. 

Around the yard for light yard work - sure thing!  Just don't use the spade (you should probably wear boots for that sort of stuff).  I'm curious to see how long they actually last - so I'll keep you posted. 

I also decided this weekend I would try making a  Mediteranean Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.  It was pretty easy, I subbed spinach for asparagus. 

My olives weren't great, unfortunately, but the meat turned out beautifully.  I roasted mine in the oven for a bit and then turned it loose on the BBQ for some browning/flavour. 

I'll be looking to get creative stuffing meats in the future here - look to see other stuffed recipes show up.  I was dreaming about roasted peaches as well so we'll see what I create. 

On a side note, I find kitchen twine makes a more secure roll/stuffed meat than toothpicks, especially if you're grilling it. 

I served it with a Greek-ish salad and a home made dressing that was pretty stellar (EVOO, Balsamic, Red wine vinegar, basil, oregano, garlic).

I found a primal cookie master recipe here. and used it to make some cookies to serve to guests.  I was extremely suprised at how they turned out (especially since I hadn't tried them prior).  Shelly's blog is like my go-to spot for primal sweets/deserts.  These cookies had an AMAZING texture and a pretty good flavour balance.  The cookies shown include:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

shakes of salt

1 mashed overripe bannana

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp (1/4 cup) melted coconut oil

2 tbsp coconut flakes

1 tbsp cocoa

2-3 chocolate chips placed ontop prior to baking

Baked @ 350 for about 13-15 minutes. 

I also made some almond flour pancakes - cooked on a griddle (like all pancakes that I make).  These turned out much better than the cottage cheese ones I tried before.  I subbed honey for the agave nectar and served them with almond butter, bananna, and some syrup.  The texture was pretty good, it didn't seem off to me, but they were much more dense than regular pancakes and stuck around for a lot longer.  I also tried some lettuce tacos that I saw on Karl's blog, but I'm not graceful enough to eat them.  They ended up chopped up and served with extra lettuce as a salad. 

Have a good one!

Pat