Grokfeast in Florida

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Updated on December 19, 2013

On September 8th I asked my readers to host picnics and to send me the results. The following is one of 27 amazing submissions, the best of which will win an entire cow, courtesy of US Wellness. Vote for your favorite on October 8.

My Grokfeast started out very early as some of us were running in a local two mile racing event. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for a morning run. When the run was finished it was still a little early and the official start of the feast wasn’t scheduled for another couple hours, so the group disbanded while I headed over to the park in order to ensure our location. Groks and Grokettes showed up just after the start of the Grokfeast with a bang, with everybody arriving within a minute or two of each other; which ended up working really well. The overall attitude of the group was fatigued and hungry so we fired up the grills right away while Joshua set up the slackline. The running “events” were canceled since there was already a race that morning. The slackline proved challenging to get up using a five carabineer system but eventually was rocking and ready for play!

While everything was getting set up the coals were warming up. Things hit the fire as soon as they were ready and we were off! The food was fantastic and even the non-Primal folks in the group seemed to grasp the idea well enough and we had no mistakes or mishaps. The dish that really stole the show was Primal Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers, but since they are pretty basic (Stuff jalapenos with guacamole, wrap with bacon, grill, enjoy) we’ve included a different recipe with this submission.

Once everything started rolling, it turned out to be a ton of fun. There were many people from different groups who had no idea who each other were but everyone got along great and there was a strong sense of community and friendship throughout the group… so much so that we attracted attention from passers by. By the time the day had come to a close, I had numerous people come up to me and say how we should do more Primal Pot-lucks even if there is no contest. I wholeheartedly agree!

The Feast

Tandoori Chicken
Bacon Jalapenos Poppers
Beef and Squash-kabobs
Lamb and Squash-kabobs
Scallop Seviche
Primal Tabouleh
Kale Chips
Shrimp Salad
Avocado Salad
Guacamole

Recipe: Tebouleh Joshua Style

1 bunch of parsley. Discard stems, mince the leaves.
2 or 3 small tomatoes, minced. I use either plum tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine.
4 or 5 scallions, chopped finely
2 or 3 garlic clove, minced
Juice from 2 lemons

Pour olive oil over it to get it wet. Then stir it up. Sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Note: Real Tabouleh has Bulgar wheat, but I never put that in it.

The Tribe

Adam Fatka (Fatkid), Joshua Williams, Heath Powell, Russell Pellow (Russ), Melissa Pellow, John Meek, Jeff January, Michelle Garcia, Joe [Michelle’s BF], Justin Wills, Jen [Justin’s GF], Bobby Goldschmidt

TAGS: health challenges, reader-created content

About the Author

Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.