Jurk Turtle | The food and travel blog of Madz and Mick

Paleo/Primal/Real-Food Eating Update

By Madz Mar232012

So its been quite a while since Mick and I embarked on our new way of eating/living and I figured its about time for an update. I think we are sitting pretty at 75 days since we started eating better, cutting out crap and enjoying life some more. Sounds schmalzy I know, but hey, its true!

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Tagged Food, Life, Paleo |
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Free Style Cafe

By Madz Mar212012

Go back a few years to 2009… Mick and I first decided to pack our bags and head to Thailand in search of an adventure, and to volunteer at an organisation who worked with Burmese refugees (specifically Shan) who were in Chiang Mai. This was an incredible, challenging and at times very hard assignment but I don’t regret a minute of it (well…maybe a few ha!). Anywho the education centre we worked at had a school AND a cafe that was started to support the work of the school and help pay the bills. The girl in charge of running and cooking at the cafe was Nong. Read More »

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Crispy Skin Chicken with Creamy Sauce

By Madz Mar102012

Chicken is a staple in most peoples homes. Its grilled, fried, baked, crumbed and everything else in between. It can be bland if cooked poorly but oh so delicious when cooked well. This way that I have been cooking it lately has satisfied a number of cravings we have had for roasted chicken and also makes up a really great stock too! This is also a perfect way to prepare chicken with bones for a bbq – how many times have you had a chicken drumstick straight from the bbq that is raw at the bone?! yuck. Read More »

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Tagged Cooking, Food, Recipes |
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Mexican Meat Sauce

By Madz Mar52012

Mexican (or tex mex or whatever bastardisation you eat of it) is one of those cuisines that is pretty popular and pretty damn tasty. I will admit that I haven’t probably had true Mexican food but I do enjoy eating the tex-mex american style stuff. All that spice and sauce and corn chips n stuff. yum yum! Being paleo though, the tortillas, corn chips and all that good stuff is out of bounds so I have had to get creative with the cooking in that respect. I thought that using iceburg lettuce a-la sang choi bow would be a good replacement for a crispy shell taco and I was right! Read More »

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Paleo Banana & Blueberry Pancakes

By Madz Feb262012

So things on the health side of things are coming along really well. Both Mick and I are loving the new found energy we have, we feel great and are looking good too (if I do say so myself!). I have lost about 6/7 kilos in the past 50 or so days which is AWESOME. And before you say “ohhh you must be starving” – I so am not. We have been eating really nutritious, hearty and yummy foods. Like crispy skin salmon, pork patties, beef stew, pulled pork and many more. It’s been really fun cooking up heaps and I am happy to say that I think this will be a long term health change. Bring it on! Read More »

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Tagged Cooking, Food, Paleo |
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Delicious Pork

By Madz Feb212012

Since getting into Paleo food ‘n’ living, I have gotten a lot more creative with cooking. It makes you really think about what to eat and how to make it the most yummy ever without adding filling empty carbs. This pork dish is one of those dishes and it is also a great all-round dish that can be used in many different ways. You could say its become a staple dish in our house. It’s super easy to make and is good to put on and let it tick over while you are doing something else, like cooking steak. It lasts up to a week in the fridge and I am sure if would also freeze well. Unfortunately, our fridge is about the size of a bar fridge so freezing anything larger than an ice cube tray is not really possible. Read More »

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Beef and Mushroom Ragu with Vegetable Spaghetti

By Madz Jan252012

First, apologies for the terrible picture. This was taken on my phone where the camera is no where near as good as Mick’s camera…anywho, this recipe is totally delicious and totally paleo. Excellent! Read More »

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Paleo

By Madz Jan72012

Last week Mick, Marshy and myself (Triple M) decided that we would embark on a bit of a change of life together. That change of life is nothing religious, spiritual or crazy. Its a 30 day food change. We are all supporting one another on eating Paleo. For those of you who are wondering what this madness is, its simply a “diet” (for want of a better term) that focuses on removing unnecessary processed foods from our diet and eating fresh, nutricious meals instead. Sounds simple enough…right? Read More »

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Lanna Interbrew Beer Festival

By Mickstah Dec292011

It’s hard to pass up a beer festival at the best of times, but when there’s one right on your doorstep—offering tasting paddles, Laab Pizza and German Sausages—then attendance becomes essential.

We managed to drop in for two evenings and found the set-up small but very well decorated and cosy. The addition of fire-pits was very welcome on those cold evenings (yeah it actually gets cold in Chiang Mai!). Read More »

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DIY Refried Beans

By Madz Jul212011

I recently purchased a bag of black beans. I saw them, I think I was feeling healthy at the time, so I bought them…and then they sat in the cupboard for a while because I really had no idea what to do with them. Put them in a soup? A stew? Then it came to me – refried beans! No worry that actual refried beans are made from kidney beans or something, I was going to make do with black beans (aren’t all beans the same anyway?!).