Back on Track, my coffee love affair, and a new Trailblazer added...Gary Taubes

After my Chinese debacle on Monday evening, I got back on track yesterday. I started my day with black coffee/no sugar as usual. I have a love affair with coffee that continues to be very satisfying. My most faithful travel companion is my AeroPress coffeemaker. I discovered this about 3 years ago after getting fed up with the absolute crap that hotels serve for coffee. Since my AeroPress and I became acquainted, I am always able to start my day with a rich and satisfying cup of coffee...or two, or three. This is probably the best $30 I ever spent. After 3 years it works as well as the day it arrived. Yesterday I ordered a new travel companion, a mini coffee grinder that I'm hoping to get to know on my next trip. One of the benefits of travel in America is the growing number of specialty small-batch coffee roasters that are popping up everywhere. With my new mini-grinder, I can find fantastic coffee beans and grind them for each cup...and I'll report next week on my results. I'm pretty excited about this new companion.
My day ended with a trip to Jim's Rib Haven in Rock Island, IL. One of the students in my class recommended it and Jim looked after my dinner last night. I had a "significant" portion of beef ribs, along with a side of coleslaw. I had a couple tablespoons of Kerrygold butter on the side, not because it really went with the meal, but rather because I had to throw out the bread, which is always tough for me. If I can't have the bread, I at least can enjoy the butter and enjoy it I did! I ended the night with my homemade "Peanut Butter Pudding", and that, my friend, was a successful High Fat, Low Carb day. The ribs had a very modest amount of sauce that was spicy and not too sweet, so they were definitely a good choice. They were a little on the lean side, and next time I would probably choose the pork, just to ensure I got enough fat.

In closing, if you are still reading along, make sure to check out the Trailblazers page where another one of my favorites has been added. Gary Taubes. Gary is all over YouTube, and his book, Why We Get Fat should be required reading for anyone who still believes you can trust the American Heart Association, or the FDA, or the government in general. When I first read this book it actually made me angry when I understood that we have been lied to by the very people that were pretending to be the experts on what we should eat. It is a very compelling book and I highly recommend it to everyone.