Primal Staples

Thought it might be interesting to list what I consider staples in my primal pantry:

Protein and lots of it.
I always try to keep frozen fish, chicken, and ground beef. As well as tuna, preferably packed in oil.
Eggs (easy quick protein source)
avocados
Spinach
Mushrooms
Squash
cauliflower ( I am OBSESSED with cauliflower right now)
Usually some sort of berry (almost always have frozen berries on hand as well)
Almond butter
Almond Milk
Canned coconut milk
Almonds or pecans maybe even pistachios
Coconut oil (not only do I use this in cooking, it is what I moisturize with as well)
Heavy cream (a few tablespoons in my morning coffee is just not something I ever intend to give up)
Butter (this is paleo controversial but I freaking love butter so I use it.)
Dark Chocolate (70% or higher)


Occasionally I will buy a banana or sweet potato here and there, or some parsnips etc. It just depends what I am craving and what looks particularly delicious at the grocery store/market. You would be surprised at all the many different things you can do with these ingredients. I love to cook and I love to eat so I am constantly creating new and interesting meals.

There are lots of Paleo/Primal Blogs out there and one part that I find the most ingtriguing about them is when their authors keep food logs. Learning to eat without bread, crackers, chips, pasta, tortillas etc can be extremly challenging for many people. So my goal is to write on a relatively daily basis what I consume. Hopefully it will give anyone who is debating this type of lifestyle a chance to see how completely possible it is.

The key is to start thinking about food in a new light. Snacks can now be nuts, jerky, a boiled egg, a protien shake, half an avocado etc.

Here is an example of a typical dinner I might prepare.

This was completely satisfying and 100% healthy. Yellow califlower, seasoned with a little chicken base, butter, garlic/onion powder wrapped in tin foil and steamed on the grill. Chicken breast with grill seasoning, 1/4 of a grilled red onion and last but not least, my paleo take on a caprese salad. A typical caprese salad is comprised of tomato, basil and mozzerella, often with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I simply replaced the mozzerella with avocado. It was delicious! In a lot of recipes if you look at the components that are not paleo friendly and think of what they are representing in the recipe (fat/protien/carbohydrate) you can find a paleo friendly substitute that is equally as delicious but actuallly good for you.  
Learning to eat this way takes some time, it is always important to have love for yourself, and if you make a mistake, acknowledge it, and then move on. Being kind and loving to yourself is imperative to success!

Sunshine, not so bad for you after all.

Today is absolutely gorgeous! And after doing quite a bit of research I have decided to forgo sunscreen for the rest of the summer. Primal, yes? Think I have gone off my rocker everyone? I haven't I promise!

I expiremented with this whole no sunscreen idea yesterday. I spent approximatley 30 minutes outside around 1 o'clock, when I started to feel I had gotten enough sun I went inside and cooled down, then around 4 I went back out, still no sunblock and comfortably spent the rest of the day basking in the glorious vitamin D giving sunshine. Today, I am sunburn free, and pretty happy with my first sunshine filled, sunscreen free day.

Now, getting burned is definitely not good for you, but managing and accepting Vitamin D is something I feel most people neglect to do. We are bombarded by the media basically since birth to apply as much sunscreen as possible for our entire lives. Sunscreen though blocks Vitamin D and  Vitamin D is extremly important for our skin, and our general well being. Have to be out side for a long time? Bring light long sleeved clothing and a hat to cover up with. (Also, who knows what scary chemicals we subject ourselves to everytime we apply sunscreen.)

Here are a couple links about this whole sunscreen debate....
http://gizmodo.com/5823058/tanning-can-cause-cancer-but-not-tanning-could-cause-a-lot-worse
http://freetheanimal.com/2008/12/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-all-cancer.html
http://www.grassrootshealth.org/_download/GarlandF_Can_Diabetes_be_Prevented_VitaminD120208.pdf

Out enjoying some vitamin D!

Primal Tacos

A little while ago I was craving taco's. So I created a recipe for them without dairy, corn or wheat! And Oh. My. Goodness. They were delicious! 

Taco Shell: Crisp Romaine lettuce leaves


Meat:
1lb ground beef
1 can stewed tomatoes
cumin- 1.5 tbsp 
Salt- 1 tsp or to taste
red pepper to taste
red onion- 1/4 cup


Break up ground meat over medium heat. Add Cumin/Salt/Red Pepper/Onion. Saute until brown. Add the entire can of stewed tomatoes and break them up with your wooden spoon. Simmer the entire pan over medium heat until it has reduced and is thick. Drain any excess fat. 


Mexican Cauliflower Rice:
One head of Cauliflower
Garlic- 1 Clove finely minced
Cilantro- 1/4 cup finely chopped
Butter- 1-2 TBSP 
Salt- According to you taste


Remove the florets from the Cauliflower and throw away the core. Place about 1/2 in the food processor. Grind until about the size of rice, continue with the other half. In a pan place the 1-tbsp of butter and once melted add the garlic. Gently saute the garlic, being very careful not to burn it. Should only take 1-2 min. Then add the Cauliflower, toss gently and leave to cook covered for about 5 min, or until tender. Then add a liberal amount of salt and about 1/4 of freshly chopped cilantro. 


Coconut Cream: (instead of sour cream)
Salt
Cumin
Coconut cream


1/2 cup coconut milk, chilled in the fridge (should be nice and thick when it is cold), stir in around 1/2-1 tsp cumin and salt according to taste. 


To create the tacos I layered the ground beef with the 'rice' spooned over the top, some store bought salsa and then the Coconut cream over that. The crunch of the ice berg really satisfies that need for a shell and you would be shocked at how delicious the coconut cream is. The varying textures and flavors really trick your mind into thinking this is a normal taco! I think guacamole would also be a delicious addition to this but my avocados were just not ripe enough. 


Even if you aren't Paleo, or into low carb you will love this recipe! My dad thought I was completely insane when I described my taco plan and after his first bite he declared he could have eaten many many more. There was not a scrap of any of this left over. Success!