November's Clean Eating Challenges.

If you have joined our Companion FaceBook Page, you know that some of us are attempting a 5 day clean-eating challenge.

Those of you that are successfully paleo remember what it's like when you are starting out, trying not to cheat.  Some of us were having difficulty getting thru a straight 30 day challenge, so I proposed going slower, and thru the month of November we started with a one day challenge, the next week a 2 day challenge, etc.

Starting Monday 11/26 we are doing a 5 day challenge.  I've been cheering our peeps along, reminding them to prep early and often, providing tips like eating lots of beneficial fats to keep us satiated so that we aren't tempted to processed foods.

Have you thought about eating clean, whole foods, and slowing down or giving up processed foods?  Does the idea of a 21 day or a 30 day challenge scare you?

How about you try the 5 day challenge with us? It can't hurt, and I can pretty much guarantee that you'll feel better because of it.

Come on over to our FaceBook Page and join in on the conversation...we give great support!

from prevention.com

Recipe: Joie's Eggplant "Happeh for your Mouf."

Eggplant: Wash it. Cut it into cubes. Salt and toss. Let sit  few minutes. (I kept the skin on. I like eggplant kind. Your choice to peel.)

Olive oil: you’ll need more than you think.

Onions and mushrooms: chopped.

Can of petite diced tomatoes: do not drain.

Basil, oregano, garlic, black pepper: to taste.

1. Dump eggplant into hot oil with onions and ‘shrooms and spices. Cook till soft.
2. Lots of stirring.
3. Add can of ‘maters, simmer and stir often till you get a pot of deliciousness.
4. Top with some shredded cheese (optional) and you have a Happeh in Your Mouf!

Rachael: Review of Grass-Fed Traditions' Steaks

One of the main reasons I started this blog was because I kept hearing over and over how expensive it was to eat the foods that are promoted by going Paleo or Primal to people I was talking to about it.

My standard answers were always:

1. When I stopped buying processed foods, I had plenty left over for good, whole food.
2. You spend money to buy decent food now, and save yourself on medical bills in the future.

and when I was slightly less sarcastic, I would say

3. Eat the best you can afford, see how it makes you feel, and go from there.

I never intended on getting all snobby about the food I eat. I certainly can't afford to feed my family 100% organic, 100% locally grown 100% of the time, but I have made some changes to what I buy, and I do my best to support my local farmers.

(I'd do better to support my local farmers if the Government would get out of the way and let me buy from them the way I'd like to, but that's another rant for another time.)

Anywhoo....the point of this blog post was specifically to talk about grass-fed beef.  I figured it would be a long time before I'd be able to afford to purchase this on a regular basis, and had even started working on a fund to buy a half or a quarter of a locally grown cow and pig in the future.

But first I wanted to see if it was really worth the hype.  I know, nutritionally it is. I've done the reading on how grass-fed meat is higher in Omega-3s, and all that.  One thing that really stuck with me was that if our bodies cannot digest grains and corn...how is eating animal products that were fed on grains and corn going to be handled by our bodies?

Stew on that for a moment, and see if that doesn't give you an "AH-HA!" moment in your brain...well, then I doubt I can help you much.

DaHubster and I wanted to try grass-fed beef in order to see if there was a real flavor difference, too.  I get squiggy on some meats, and I really cannot stand gamey-ness in any way, shape or form.

But seriously, buying steak and having it shipped is wicked expensive.  Is it really worth it?

I'm a newish fan of Tropical Traditions. The Paleo blogs I frequent generally have them as an ad on their site. A few even host giveaways with their products.  I started haunting the site, and bought some Coconut Cream Concentrate to liven up some of my Paleo-ized sweet treats.

Oh yeah, that Coconut Cream Concentrate stuff is heavenly. And evil all at the same time.

But again, I digress....

I started getting their emails, and when I got an email that said their sister-site Grass-Fed Traditions was having a Mega-% off sale on some of their beef, DaHubster and I decided to try it out.  It was for 4 grass-fed beef Top Rounds, about 3 lbs worth, I think. After shipping (they offer ground shipping for a slightly cheaper option), the cost was just under $80.

Yeah, that was a tough hit.

But we knew it wouldn't be until next summer before we could get our half of a cow anyway, and we wanted to try it, so we indulged and ordered it.

The order was delivered about 3 business days after placing it, and it was totally frozen, having come in dry ice.  We thawed one for the grill that night, and....


OMG.

Top Round steaks, as you might know,are not that special a cut of meat. They tend to be tough or chewy, and are great for marinating and using for dishes such as fajitas and what-not.

We just slapped it on the grill. We didn't even throw any garlic powder or anything on it. We wanted to see what this highly expensive, usually tough cut of meat had to offer.

OMG.

It was NOT tough.  It was NOT chewy.  You really could have cut it with a butter knife, though I didn't try it.

It had great flavor. Nice Grilled Steak Flavor. The kind of flavor that makes your mouth happy. That kind of happy that makes you wanna roll on the ground and wriggle your tummy like a puppy...

OK, so I get carried away sometimes....but seriously the steaks were *that* good.

We've eaten 2 dinners out of the 4 steaks that came our way.  And when those last 2 steaks are gone, I'm going to cry. Srsly.

So, is there a difference? I'd say yes, based on the fact that I ate a "lowly" top round steak that rivaled any Prime/Choice/Gold/Black Angus/Whatever from my local big box grocery store.

Will I buy again? Probably. I don't intend to bankrupt myself by only buying grass-fed from now, but it did give me justification to continue to put away money for bulk purchase for next year.

Then I will be eating like the Paleo Queen that I am.

Our Facebook companion page is growing!

Howdy,

If you are reader here, and like what you see...we have a FaceBook companion page, where we support and encourage each other, have little challenges, share recipes and successes.

It's a pretty cool place.

It is also growing. I just added our 59th member.  I'm pretty chuffed about that!

So, I'm thinking of having a give away for our 100th member to sign up.

Not for any real reason other than I'm a big fan of having lots of people cheer each other on.

Rachael: Review of The Best Paleo Bread Recipe We've found to date

I think the one thing that most people miss when they go Paleo/Primal is bread. 

You just don't realize how much of a staple it is in your life, do you? Because what's easier than slapping a sandwich together for lunch, or popping a couple of slices in the toaster for breakfast??

AMIRIGHT?

On our Companion FaceBook page, we've been cheering over the "Best" and "Easiest" Almond Bread Recipe.

It started with Sara's blog post: Battle of the Breads! And has gone on from there.

We agree that the recipe for the best for bread-like consistency is this one from Cooking Caveman. 

(which I confuse all the time with The Civilized Caveman. I don't know why, but I need to stop it.)
 
Sara and I have both doubled our recipes for a more full-looking bread slice (there is baking soda in there, but no yeast, so there is very little rise.) A single recipe looks will look like a quick bread, such as banana bread or zuchinni bread. but it's yummier.

Trust me.

Or don't trust me....try it your dang self.  And then come back here and thank me.  Or thank Sara. Or thank Cooking Caveman, since he made the recipe what it is. I'm just crowing about that dude's success....

Being that it uses almond butter as it's main ingredient, it's a very dense bread. It's also pretty darn moist, and that works in our favor, because it means you can slice it vereeeee thin for toasts and sandwiches.

Mmmm....toast.  How I've missed you...

Sorry. Where was I?

Oh yes.

Bread.

Make it....and you'll never have to pine for toast again...

Rachael: This Week's Blog Round-up

I read a ton of blog posts every week. If you following me on FaceBook, you know this, because I share a lot of what I read.

What can I say? I'm a giver. :)

 But I thought it might be nice to gather the truly inspiring ones, new and old, and put them up here once a week or so, and give you a one-stop shopping spot. So here's some of what I've read this week:

7 Shades of Paleo, from Robb Wolf's site. A slightly humorous title, but a pretty ingenious breakdown of the types of peeps who choose to try the Paleo Lifestyle.


How the Primal Blueprint Helped End My Struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, from Mark's Daily Apple. Definitely worth the inspirational read.

 My Paleo Slump and 6 Simple Ways to Bounce Back from Cheats,  from SimplyPaleo. This woman is proves that falling off the clean-eating wagon isn't only for losers or the weak-willed, it just happens.

And this picture is pretty eye-opening, isn't it?  All are 159lbs, all are different heights, and all look entirely different.

 

Apologies in advance, here's a little social commentary on GMOs....

 

But I will leave you with a little aggressive inspiration:

 

Ta!

~Rachael

A few Changes to the place...

Ch-ch-ch-anges!

We updated our Recipe Page with all the recipes we've put on this site. I have also added some of our favorite go to recipe pages from the interwebz. Click on the link to see what's new!

We also have added an Amazon Bookstore Page.  We've either read them, or we want to read them. Maybe we got a glimpse of them, or they had pretty decent reviews in the comments section. Either way, there they are, and we'd really liked it if you clicked through to look at some of them yourself!

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Recipe: Joie's Primal "Granola" or "Cereal"

Joie's Primal "Granola" or "Cereal"

Adjust amounts as needed or wanted.   (Use nuts that YOU like)

½ cup almonds. 

½ cup pecan pieces.

½ cup walnut pieces.

½ cup pumpkin seeds.

½ cup sunflower seeds.

½ cup cashews.

½ cup dried fruit – craisins, raisins, diced prunes mix

2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut.

½ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

¼ cup flax seed  (optional)

1-2 scoops of egg white powder (optional)

• In a small bowl, mix a large dollop of coconut oil
• Maybe ½ cup (more or less depending on taste) raw unfiltered honey
• A good splash of vanilla (or other extract as desired)
• Melt it down in double boiler or microwave to blend and liquify
• Pour over nuts.
• Mix till coated.   
• Taste for flavor and check for consistency, adjust as needed.
• Using a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper,
• Bake in oven at 350F for 20 min
• Check often to make sure you don’t burn it.  
• Allow to cool.  
• Crumble into an air tight container.

And a Word of Warning:
Take care to keep watch while baking, as this recipe can scorch easily. If your oven runs hot, lower the temp and check often. You might want to discard any charred bits as they get rock hard and milk won’t soften it up and you end up with a broken back tooth on the upper right side of your jaw.
(Yes, that happened to me recently. It’s ugly. I see $$$$ at the dentist coming up)