You Really Gotta Meet… Joshua Weissman

I’m fortunate to know some pretty amazing people. Thanks to CrossFit, Roller Derby, paleo nutrition, this blog, and other wacky/fun/scary/silly adventures, I’m able to surround myself with best-quality people to humor me when I want to lift heavy things and comfort me when my frexcitement gets the best of me. Good things are even better when they’re shared, so you really gotta meet…

Joshua Weissman

I met Josh on Twitter and, honestly, was kind of blown away. He’s 17, and he already has a popular paleo food blog — called Slim Palate — with photos that look like this…

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

and this… Chipotle Dijon Turkey Meatballs. (And you know I have a thing for meatballs!)

Want to be even more impressed? Josh lost 100 pounds. You’ll learn more about that below…

I had the pleasure of meeting Josh in person at PaleoFX, and he’s just as sweet as I expected him to be. Here’s a Q&A we did so you can get to know him a little bit, too… then head on over so Slim Palate and check out more of his recipes.

What’s your fitness/nutrition background?
Originally I wasn’t much about fitness or nutrition at all. In fact quite the opposite. When I was a kid I ate okay, but then as I got older I started eating really bad and didn’t care about anything I ate. This led to some health complications and severe problems with “size.” I struggled and struggled with my problems and got constantly ridiculed and made fun of because of the weight. I was bullied, shunned from groups and a lot of the times physically harassed. So one day I had enough. I was simply fed up with the ridicule, feeling sick, and unattractive. So I began eating healthy and learning more and more about health and started re-exploring my love for food. Yes, believe it or not you can be a food lover and still be healthy! After a grueling and back-breaking year and a half, I managed to lose over 100 pounds. So now I’m 17, fit, healthy, and happy.

What’s your favorite song to listen to while working out or cooking? Why?
When I’m cooking, I like my music to be as relaxing and fun as possible. Anything by Bob Marley or Frank Sinatra will always do well! As for working out, I have this strange attraction to the song “Shoot to Thrill” by AC/DC. It just gets me pumped up every single time, and I’m always able to get in that extra rep.

What’s your favorite healthy meal/snack?
My favorite healthy meal. Now that is a difficult one!  don’t think I can pick just one favorite so I will go with my two most loved. They would have to be a slow roasted leg of lamb with fresh herbs and garlic (recipe here) and a slow cooker chicken. My favorite healthy snack is easily a spoonful of almond butter. It’s easy, simple, and incredibly satisfying and delicious.

It’s Friday night and you’re ready to watch your favorite movie. What are you eating?
My beef short ribs recipe over a bed of cauliflower mash and a beautiful hearty pan sauce with chunks of aromatics. Seriously amazing and an incredibly relaxing and warming meal perfect for sitting down and watching a movie. It’s almost hallucinogenic how relaxed this dish makes you.

You can have dinner with any characters from movies, TV, or books that you want. Table for 8. Who’s at the table?
Brian from Family Guy… Fry from Futurama… Tony Stark… Bilbo Baggins… 007… Thor… and Finn and Jake from Adventure Time.

Garlic: Minced with a knife or crushed with a garlic press? Discuss.
It depends on what you’re cooking and how. If you mince garlic with a knife and fry it, you risk browning it too much and ending up with bitter tasting garlic — but mincing it with a knife is excellent for rubbing on meats before it goes into the oven for  roasting. I don’t specifically think one is better than the other.

Do you have any advice/tricks for people who are thinking about paleo but need a kick-in-the-pants to start?
Decide whether or not you want to eat real food or the crap that companies are selling you to make profit. If you take a look at the actual definition of food, most of the products in the store do not match that definition. Which is more important: a lifetime of happiness, strength, energy, and well being — or 5 minutes of guilty pleasure? Plus, is it really so bad to be able to eat things like real bacon, fried to smoky perfection, served with a side of creamy and luscious scrambled eggs for breakfast? Or a melt-in-your-mouth recipe for beef short ribs that fall apart at the touch of a fork?  Everyone has to decide for themselves, but once you begin to start eating real food, you will realize how many options you actually do have. Not to mention they all taste so much better!

Got a favorite quote?
“Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.” – Auguste Escoffier

What do you like to do that doesn’t require a) firing up the stove and b) wearing workout clothes?
I used to play some video games but rarely find time for it anymore. I really enjoy watching movies and TV shows and also enjoy improving my food photography.

One thing you will not, cannot, do not want to eat…
Anything artifical or heavily processed.

Get more Joshua!
Slim Palate
Josh on U.S. Wellness Meats
Twitter 
Facebook