As much as I adore my husband, he is one of those annoying people who can eat anything he wants, as much as he wants, never work out and still maintain his long, lean physique.
What’s even more annoying, he can not work out for months, step out the door, and run a 2- mile sprint without breaking a sweat. He even breathes out of his nose the entire time, unlike me — open-mouthed, gasping for air and dripping with sweat even though I clock eight or more hours of exercise every week. I mean, could he not just pretend to breath hard for my benefit?
On one hand it seems like such a waste, to be so good at something yet have zero interest in pursuing it as a hobby. But on the other hand, if I was naturally thin would I work as hard as I do at the gym? In all honesty, probably not. And as we all know, regular physical activity has many more health benefits than simply keeping extra pounds at bay.
Don’t get me wrong. Ryan works hard at American Eurocopter and here, in our home and yard. And he loves an array of veggies, fruit and lean proteins, but he also loves his chips, potatoes, butter, ice cream and lots and lots of salt.
Ryan’s disdain for an exercise routine and his affection for salty, carby foods does make me wonder what’s going on inside, behind the gangly exterior. I’ve made my peace with it, as long as he continues to get a clean bill of health at his yearly checkup. Now, when he comes home with high blood pressure from all that sodium in a few years, that’s a different story.
Ryan is an avid outdoorsman: Fly fishing, bow hunting and turkey hunting are his favorites. And I’m always happy to see turkey season come around every spring because I know he’ll be getting lots and lots of exercise for six weeks or so, walking the countryside in pursuit of that trophy gobbler.
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening he comes home blistered and drained, claiming he must have walked 10 miles chasing an elusive Tom. When I hear his truck pull into the drive before sunset, I know he’s had a successful hunt. And that means several pounds of healthy, lean, free protein for me to cook with for the next couple of days.
Wild game cooking
This cooking with game and fish is a new endeavor for me, which is shameful, I know, as I grew up with a family full of legendary hunters and fishermen. Maybe I watched “Bambi” too much as a child, who knows? Anyway, once I got over the initial fear of touching the raw slimy mess, it’s not so bad. Really.
The trick to cooking wild turkey (and really any wild game) is to be very careful not to overcook it, which is easy to do because it is so very lean.
This is what I do: Have your hunter clean the turkey and remove the breasts. Soak the breasts in salt water overnight. Rinse and pat dry. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and rub with a mixture of sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and brown sugar.
Now you can either grill or roast them. I prefer the grill and find that low heat for a longer time works the best. Grill the breasts on low, turning once, until the juices run clear. I take them off the grill a little early and let them rest to finish cooking through.
Turkey breasts are pretty huge, so you can enjoy them for a few different meals. Usually we’ll have grilled turkey breast with a steamed green veggie and a baked sweet potato the first night, and then enjoy the leftovers on a turkey sandwich with melted light Swiss cheese and wholegrain bread.
But my favorite way to prepare the leftover turkey breast is to make my yummy wild turkey salad that is so very easy and has lots of colorful vegetables.
All you do is dice up one whole grilled turkey breast, 10 celery stalks, 1 purple onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 cup matchstick carrots, 1 cup purple cabbage, add 1/2 cup of dill pickle relish, and toss with your choice of a little light ranch dressing, Miracle Whip or light mayo. Season as desired with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Serve with whole grain crackers or bread, or on a bed of baby greens, halved cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.
Now that’s my kind of hunting, gathering, and living off the land!
Leah Sullivan of Columbus has been on a productive journey to a healthier lifestyle and shares some of her experiences with readers. Follow {Nourish} on Facebook.
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