Well, it happened.  I bought a paleta cart.  I hadn’t really planned on getting one, but seriously, how can you be a paletero without a paleta cart?

I found it, secondhand or more, off of the internet, out in East Texas.  And like so many of the things that I come across, this one had a lot of character to it.  It had seen some better days, and I already had my doubts about it.

While kicking the tires (literally), I asked the man selling it about it, and that’s when he got me, hook, line, and sinker.  This gent had traded a lawnmower for it to the guy who had bought a house from him, and told him that this very paleta cart came from the streets of New York, where his father had pushed it, day in and day out, in order to provide a better life for his family.

In that moment, a common bond of love for, and dedication to, family was shared between a man I’d never met and me.  My family is the driving force and reason for being in what I do, and the foundation on which and for which this tiny company is built.
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And so, Senor Adiel, thank you for your cart.  It will continue on its journey as now I will use it to provide for my family.
                                                       
Greg


​Update:  Anybody know a good wrapper? Like the ones for cars, not like Snoop or Biggie.

​Good evening, all!  I know it has been a minute since I’ve done any work on the blog.  It has been a busy year, and in a good way (much better than last year, that’s for sure!).  This small business has grown a little bit, I’ve met a bunch of great people, and we took the family to Disneyworld (for the first time).  Busy, but good.  No complaints (okay, maybe a few, but it wouldn’t be life if everything was always perfect).

I wanted to bring you guys up to speed with some of the developments that we’ve got going on.  Its getting into the fall season, and there is a rumour that it might actually cool down some.  Then again, this is Texas, so I’m pretty sure that it will be warm enough to wear shorts up to the day before Christmas.  I’m using this time to develop some new Protein Paletas, with the goal of having them ready for you guys by the spring.

The first one that we (Noah, my resident paleta chef and foodie, and also my oldest son) have been working on is a Key Lime Pie flavor Protein Paleta.  We wanted to make another fruity flavor that would really be a hit after a workout, and thought that the twang of the lime pie would do wonders here.  However, this guy has so far been a bit of a bear to work with (the paleta, not my son, although he can be cranky too.  Like his father, I’m sure).  Two batches in, and while the macros look great, the taste is a little…..off. We have been using some ingredients that we haven’t worked with before, and it seems that there is a bit more of a learning curve involved.  No worries, we will just keep on keeping on.

The second one is the first in a series that I want to call the Hardcore Series Protein Paletas.  I’ve had the honor of working at some pretty awesome events (such as The Dallas Five event at Crossfit Heat, The Festivus Games at Ambush Fitness, and soon too at Crossfit Lavon, the Camp Gladiator Games, and the Battle for the Brave at Crossfit Forney, to name a few.  I’ve got to meet a lot of people, and one of the things that I heard a lot was a call for a healthy treat that was (pick one: dairy free, sugar free, paleo).  I looked around, and I didn’t see much there that really fits with what I do here, so I decided to give it a go.

One of the young ladies that I met at the Camp Gladiator Games told me that while my ice cream looked delicious and sounded really good, she couldn’t have one because of a bad food allergy to dairy.  She recounted the headaches, rashes, and malaise that she suffered through until she was able to narrow it down to dairy and red meat.  She also told me that she is now able to control it through her diet, and hasn’t had any outbreaks.  And she is just one of a many who have asked me for something that they could fit into their specific diet.  That completely dovetails with what we do; happy and healthy, right?

So the first in the Hardcore Series of Protein Paletas will be the Power Berry.  It has got a gorgeous purple hue to it, and is made with a vegan protein (a blend of pea, hemp, and rice proteins) with a complete amino acid profile, and mixed berries (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and there’s one more but I’m tired and cant remember right now.  Update – its blackberry).   The first round I made looked great! But the taste definitely needed some work to it.  Maybe a little bit too hardcore.  It was very healthy, no doubt, but lacking in the happy section.  I just put the second draft in the freezer, and will have my friends from Ambush Fitness taste test them for me this weekend.  With this round, I’m experimenting with different sweeteners (other than cane sugar) to see if I can offer up a happy and healthy treat for my friends that eat vegan.
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Thanks for reading, and thank you for your support!
Greg