The power of word of mouth is phenomenal. There are so many times that I personally have been influenced or influenced someone else’s decision by a simple referral or recommendation (or avoided a situation or product based on someone’s negative review). According to Nielsen, 92% of all consumers trust and believe recommendations from friends and family members over all other forms of advertising and even anonymous online reviewers have a 70% trust rate. And beyond just purchasing decisions we can be persuaded or dissuaded to pursue certain goals, activities, or decisions in our careers and personal lives. Researching which is best or what we should do is often only more confusing, because science is frequently conflicting. Therefore hearing about or seeing someone else’s success or positive outcome can be more persuasive and impactful than even the most impressive double blind study. We often are compelled to buy or try something or adopt particular habits based upon the influence of others.
This is not new news of course – back in early days of the Roman Empire, the Stoic philosopher Seneca admonished adherents to “associate with people who are likely to improve you” and the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that “bad company corrupts good character.” They were right. Today, a major area of study in social psychology is focused on what is referred to as goal contagion, which argues that we may automatically adopt and pursue a goal that is implied by another’s behavior. A more widely understood variant, although often with a negative connotation, is peer pressure. And even though many, if not most of us, were trained up to think for ourselves and do what is right or in our own best interest, a lot of research and anecdotal evidence suggests that frequently people unconsciously adopt the goals and habits they observe in others almost by osmosis. In both overt and more insidious ways, we do become more and more like those that we spend time with. So it is important to recognize and understand that the actions and words of others do dramatically impact us as we build healthy habits or kick the bad ones. Birds of a feather do flock together after all.
This is why I love being a part of the Flex in the City community. It’s both reinforcing and exhilarating to be surrounded by people who are all pushing themselves to build or maintain the foundational habit of exercise. We challenge ourselves through gritted teeth and sweaty brows and then chat, laugh and/or grab coffee after class. We share tips and tricks on new athleisure, hair cuts, and the best places to eat. And recently at Flex, a few of us expats were discussing a new Mexican restaurant in town (my FAVORITE type of food). Based on their recommendation, I plan to check it out once all this flying around calms down a bit. In the meantime, I’ll be perfectly happy to fiesta with my own Paleo Fish Tacos! Everything – the coconut crusted fish, the tapioca flour tortillas, the pico de gallo and the guac are all paleo, gluten and grain free, dairy free, sugar free, and MUY DELICIOSO! Pair with the Mojito Kombucha Mocktail and you have the ideal meal for next week’s Taco Tuesday or a Fiesta Friday!
Serves: 6 Tacos
- Cod - cut into small strips or pieces 14 oz (400 g)
- Juice from 2 limes
- Sea Salt .25 TSP
- Black Pepper .25 TSP
- Chili Powder .5 TSP
- Ground Cumin .5 TSP
- Egg 1 each
- Paprika .5 TSP
- Shredded/Dessicated Coconut .5 cup (60 g)
- Almond Flour .25 cup (30 g)
- Eggs 2 each
- Full Fat Coconut Milk 1 cup (225 ml)
- Olive Oil 1 TBSP
- Tapioca Flour .75 cup (90 g)
- Coconut Flour 3 TBSP
- Sea Salt .25 TSP
- Large Tomato 1 each
- Medium Red Onion .5 each
- Green Chile/Jalapeno 1 each
- Juice of .5 Lime
- Fresh Coriander/Cilantro .25 cup (10 g)
- In a glass bowl combine the fish, lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Allow the fish to marinate refrigerated for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours
- Once marinated, preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg well and in a separate bowl combine the paprika, coconut, and almond flour
- Dip the fish in the egg in the egg and then into the breading mixture, shaking off excess and place on the baking sheet. Make sure you leave a little space between the fish as you go.
- Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.
- Mix together the tapioca flour, coconut flour, and sea salt in a small bowl.
- In a larger bowl, whisk the egg, coconut milk and olive oil well and then slowly add the dry ingredients as you whisk to achieve a smooth consistency.
- Heat a very small amount of coconut oil (or other cooking oil) just to coat a small skillet over medium heat
- Pour a small amount (little less than .25 cup or 60 ml) of the batter into the pan and allow to cook for 2 - 3 minutes, like a pancake, so the edges are cooked and it can be easily flipped.
- Flip and allow to cook for at least 1 -2 minutes more.
- Add more oil, allow to heat and then repeat.
- Chop all ingredients finely and mix together in a bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Layer the fish and pico de gallo in the tortillas and top with some guacamole or smashed avocado. Buen Trabajo!
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
- Kombucha - Unflavored 8 oz (235 ml)
- Fresh Mint Leaves - Loosely Packed .25 cup (7 g)
- Juice from 1 Lime
- Sparkling Water - Unflavored 8 oz (235)
- Use a frozen glass or fill a glass with ice as you prepare the drink to chill
- In a separate glass, muddle the mint leaves (I don't have a muddler, so I just used a spoon!)
- Add the lime juice and kombucha and stir gently to combine all the ingredients
- Pour into the frozen/chilled glass and then add the sparkling water
- Top with a lime wedge and enjoy!
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