Grill, Baby, Grill! (and a bit about Vitamin D)

So, so tasty! My mouth is watering just looking at this...

It's been rainy as hell (which would actually be pretty useful in hell, now I think about it...) Um... it's been rainy as Scotland the past couple of weeks, but it's warming up and the best days of spring and summer are just ahead! During the long months of winter it's vital that we take vitamin D, but now we're reaching the time of year when we Midwesterners can get it from the best natural source; the Sun. Or, speaking more accurately, we can use the Sun to make our body produce it's own vitamin D.

I'm certainly not saying “go spend all day in the sun.” However, if you ramp up your exposure periods over time, starting off with just 10 minutes or so in direct sunlight, and work up, your body will adapt and you'll be able to spend more and more time in the sun without burning. Obviously, if you're of a very fair complexion, adjust accordingly. You've lived in your body a long time and you know best how you respond to sun exposure. However, it's definitely true that it's far more effective for your body to produce vitamin D naturally than it is to ingest it, so make sure you get your butt outside and play when the weather is nice!


As a quick aside, there is some evidence to suggest that you should forgo using sunscreens, but if you have to spend a long period in the sun and haven't had an opportunity to build up your tan, as it were, it's probably preferable to occasionally wear sunscreen rather than get a nasty burn.

Speaking of getting outside to play... everyone owns a grill, right? No? Go buy a freakin' grill (I am vehemently on the side of charcoal, but if gas is your thing I won't judge you... to your face. :) ). Meat + Fire = Dinner is about as Paleo as it gets, so here's a simple, amazingly tasty method for grilling up some awesome chicken:

Ingredients

1 whole Chicken, w/ skin

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

(seriously, that's it)

Chicken Prep: is easy; cut out the backbone, and flatten it out. Coat it thoroughly with olive oil, then liberally sprinkle the salt and pepper.

Grill Prep: once your coals are ready, put them all on one side of the grill. If you have a gas grill, turn the burner on on one side only.

Place the chicken breast-up on the side of the grill away from the heat, and cover. Optionally, you can toss a piece of smokewood on the coals (or however you Philistines with gas grills do smoke) for some extra flavor.

Come back in 30-40 minutes to temp it, but it will usually take about an hour. It is super tasty, and the skin is one of the top ten flavors I've ever had in my mouth.


Enjoy!