pimg class=”alignright” title=”Grilled Octopus” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/octopus2.jpg” alt=”octopus2″ width=”320″ height=”212″ /There are few animals as visually stunning as a baby octopus when cooked. Purple-tinged arms curl and twist into an eye-catching swirl that looks more like a sculpture in an art museum than a meal on a plate. When it comes to food, however, beauty only goes so far. Eventually you’ve got to stick a fork in it and satisfy your hunger./p
pEither as an appetizer or main course, this recipe for grilled baby octopus is a stunning meal that will please both the eyes and the palate. An easy three-step cooking method (blanching, marinating, then grilling) creates tender, crispy octopus drenched in a garlicky, herby marinade and dressing./p
pspan id=”more-29770″/span/p
pPlain octopus has a delicate flavor that’s slightly sweet and similar to that of a scallop. In fact, the flavor of octopus can be so mild that it’s hard to dislike but octopus […]

Original post by Worker Bee

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Tough Mudders” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/ScreenShot2012-06-14at40753PM.png” alt=”ScreenShot2012 06 14at40753PM” width=”319″ height=”186″ /A couple weeks ago, I received an enthusiastic email from a group of Aussies. They were planning on competing in the a title=”World’s Toughest Mudder” href=”http://toughmudder.com/events/worlds-toughest-mudder-series-finals/” target=”_blank”World#8217;s Toughest Mudder (WTM)/a, a perversely-warped, extreme version of the regular Tough Mudder that has contestants complete as many 8-10 mile circuits as they can in a single 24-hour period. To get the spot in the WTM, their four-man team had to place in the top 5% of finishers in the Melbourne Tough Mudder, so they aren#8217;t physical slouches by any means. They#8217;re also Crossfitters, rugby players, and avid Primal eaters. Simply put, these guys make us real proud./p
pspan id=”more-29745″/span/p
pThey weren#8217;t writing just to say #8220;hi,#8221; however. They also needed Primal fueling advice, especially since the guy who won last year#8217;s WTM ate anything but Primally. For a single, one-time, all-out event, I#8217;d […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Office Work” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/outdoorwork.jpg” alt=”outdoorwork” width=”320″ height=”212″ /Last week, I told you why a title=”Why You Should Work Outside” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-you-should-work-outside/”working outside/a #8211; at least from time to time #8211; can be helpful, relaxing, and even performance-enhancing. A number of you emailed me directly, or left comments thanking me for the idea. Most people were on board with working outdoors, but mostly in theory, because let#8217;s face it #8211; being outside on a workday with the sun shining and the birds chirping and the breeze blowing sounds fantastic, but how realistic is it, really? Even if you#8217;re able to convince your boss to let you take the work outside, or you find a job that gives you the freedom to work where you like, the logistics of seamlessly moving a traditionally-indoor activity to the outdoors just seem insurmountable. How are you gonna get Internet access? How will you read your […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Everybody look at the moon, everybody seeing the moon.” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/moon.jpg” alt=”moon” width=”288″ height=”287″ /It#8217;s time for another edition of #8220;How to Conduct a Personal Experiment.#8221; Last week, it was the a title=”How to Conduct a Personal Experiment: Cold Water Plunges ” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-conduct-a-personal-experiment-cold-water-plunges/”cold water plunge/a. Today, we#8217;re going to talk about running a biphasic sleep experiment. First, though, I#8217;d like to know: how are the cold plunges going? Are they, well, cold? More importantly, did you have any difficulties setting up the experiment, identifying variables, and choosing what to a title=”Why Self Experimentation Matters” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-self-experimentation-matters/”measure and track/a? This whole personal experiment stuff is likely new to most of you, and while there#8217;s no real #8220;wrong#8221; way to go about it, there will be some initial difficulties. Be sure to keep us posted in the comment section./p
pOkay, on to the new experiment./p
pspan id=”more-29683″/span/p
pstrongBiphasic sleeping is exactly what it sounds […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Raspberries” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/raspberries.jpg” alt=”raspberries” width=”288″ height=”265″ /What would you do if someone gifted you with a 5-pound tub of lard? Jump for joy? Grab a spoon? All reasonable responses, but what if that tub of lard had a label that said #8220;contains BHA and BHT#8221;, two antioxidants commonly used to preserve processed food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals #8211; how would you react? That#8217;s the first question I tackle in today#8217;s edition of a title=”Dear Mark” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/category/dear-mark/”Dear Mark/a. After, I discuss whether or not acesulfame potassium, an artificial sweetener, is safe to consume, whether Joe should venture into the creepy raspberry forest threatening to overtake his house, and how organic dairies handle their male calves./p
pReady? Let#8217;s get to it:/p
pspan id=”more-29671″/span/p
blockquotepMark,/p
pI was recently given a huge tub of lard that says it contains BHA and BHT. I read on your site that they are antioxidants but their safety isn#8217;t very proven./p
pI would […]

Original post by Mark Sisson

pimg class=”alignright” title=”Grilled Eggs” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA%202011/GrilledEggs2.jpg” alt=”GrilledEggs2″ width=”320″ height=”212″ /Grilling isn’t typically an early morning activity, but emGrilled Eggs with Mexican Chorizo/em might change that. Of course, just because eggs are involved you don’t have to serve this tasty meal for breakfast. It’s also great as a side or main dish for dinner./p
pThe method for grilling eggs is simple but ingenious: crack a raw egg into a bell pepper half and then grill until set. Cradled in the pepper, the egg cooks perfectly and the pepper is roasted by the flames, taking on a smoky, charred flavor. Fantastic as-is, you can bump the flavor up another notch by adding Mexican chorizo, a type of pork sausage that’s intensely seasoned with dried chiles, herbs and spices./p
pspan id=”more-29636″/span/p
pUnlike Spanish chorizo, which is cured and more similar to salami, Mexican chorizo is raw and needs to be cooked before eating. It’s sometimes sold […]

Original post by Worker Bee

div class=”breakout”
pIt’s Friday, everyone! And that means another a title=”Success Stories” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/category/success-story-summaries/”Primal Blueprint Real Life Story/a from a Mark#8217;s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me a title=”Contact Me!” href=”http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-book/share-success-story/” target=”_self”here/a. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!/p
/div
pimg class=”alignright” title=”Primal Blueprint Real Life Story” src=”http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA2009/real_life_stories_stories-1-2.jpg” alt=”real life stories stories 1 2″ width=”320″ height=”240″ /Mark,/p
pI have to start by saying thank you for providing me with the tools that allowed me to change my life./p
pI live in New England and as a former #8220;New Englander#8221; you know very well that we enjoy our food, especially in the winter months. I grew up eating what my parents fed me which was mostly comprised of the typical standard American diet foods. […]

Original post by Mark Sisson