Friday Funday = Recipe day - a bit of a "treat"

You've been good (for the most part) now for 33 days and still going strong. Reading people's Evernote comments is pretty awesome, and it seems as though people are realizing: more energy, skin clearing up, muscle definition, sleeping better, clothes fitting a bit looser, etc. I know most people say, "Yeah, but how much weight did you lose?" Trust me when I say that life is not about the scale, or at least it shouldn't be. Your measures of success are all what you choose for them to be. If the scale is your only measure of succcess, and the numbers went down during this, but the size clothing you wear went up, which do you prefer (or vice versa)? If your skin cleared up, you lost your puffiness, and your upset stomach is no longer upset, but the numbers didn't change on the scale, does that mean you weren't successful?

I digress. Today is about a sort of "treat" recipe, one that still takes paleo-approved ingredients, but isn't one you want to eat every day if you're not yet to your leaning out goals. However, like in the instance of Charles' brother's wedding, where we were asked to make a dessert, you better believe I made these (in mini form) topped with cream cheese frosting, giving people the dairy/sugar hit, but avoiding the gluten. And no one knew the difference!

Give them a shot someday, and see what you think!

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey (optional)
1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a standard-sized muffin pan.
2. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple, coconut and raisins and combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and vanilla extract together.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be very thick.
5. Spoon the batter out into muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full, and place on upper or middle rack of your oven for 30-45 minutes.
6. When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.
7. Cool muffins in the pan for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

**If you are looking for variety, sub out currants or chopped dates for the raisins.  You can also add a little orange zest to give them a bit more citrus flavor.

It's Super Bowl Sunday - What Can I Eat?

Super Bowl Sunday. Commercials. Funny ones like these.   Oh yeah, and very often, chips, dip, and...beer. 

Here's the thing: you do not have to fall completely off the paleo reservation this weekend. Matter of fact, if I was a betting woman, I'd bet more money on many of you sticking to your guns this Sunday than I would on either team. That's just how I roll (or, you could say I'm just not a huge fan of either team). 

Let's give you a few appetizer ideas first - munchies/snacks for you to bring/make/have on hand/choose from for the big day: 

- Shrimp cocktail
- Veggies (just beware the dip, as many these days have all kinds of additives and stuff. Or you could make your own dip, like this spinach/artichokeish dip I once posted)
- Deviled eggs (solid protein choice, might have conventional mayo, but a far better choice than baskets of crackers - better still, make your own! )
- Satay or kabobs of meats and veggies
- Prosciutto wrapped melon, apricots, etc. 
- Spiced nuts (if these are out on the table and you did not make them, sometimes there's a little sugar or something in there, but if they are homemade won't have all the preservatives and what not). 
- Smoked salmon on cucumber rounds.
- Olives and nuts are always good choices! My grandpa used to always have a big bowl of nuts in their shells (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, brazil nuts) where you'd have to crack your own to eat them. Makes you have to work for your food!

 If you want to make something super easy, give this a shot: Prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Sure, it might make some people's pee smell funny, but the salty sweet is totally worth it. Here's the basic how-to: Preheat oven to 400degrees. Wash about 1 pound of asparagus (I prefer thin stalks over thick), and cut or break off the woody stem end. Wrap 2-3 stalks in 1 small piece of prosciutto, and place on a sheet pan. Repeat with all asparagus. Sprinkle bundles with fresh cracked pepper. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until asparagus has softened. You can drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic for some extra tastyness.

Now, as for beer. If you can, stay clear of the beer. We'd rather you keep your system clear of gluten during these first 30 days. If you absolutely cannot imagine NOT having beer, try the Estrella Damm Daura gluten-free beer (available at Whole Foods). Jeff described it as "like a cross between PBR and Heineken." In comparison to other gluten-free beers I've tried, this one tasted much more like real beer to me. I've also become really partial to hard ciders.

Chime in - what are YOUR Super Bowl plans? Are you going to make/bring something, or do you plan on imbibing?  

Friday Funday = Recipe day - the saucy kind!

Before you start thinking this is some R-rated blog, we're talking something that can change everyday scrambled eggs to something that will knock your socks off: SAUCES.

Melissa and I joke about her love of the chipotle dipping sauce. I'm not gonna lie: that sauce on burgers, on eggs, breakfast egg muffins, tossed in with grilled veggies, dipping sweet potato spears in it, well it is an absolute favorite. Same thing is true for chimichurri. Dipping some regular old grilled chicken in that, or drizzling some as a salad dressing, or serving alongside a steak....DELISH!  Fried green tomatoes with chipotle dipping sauce. Photo courtesy Mark Adams - Paleo Comfort Foods

Sauces are an absolute favorite of mine. Remoulade Sauce. Not Peanut Sauce. Tartar Sauce. Barbeque Sauce. All of these can and should be staples in your house!

HOWEVER, store bought sauces are not the same as you making your own. No, this is not a PSA for our cookbook, however, we do have a lot of sauces in there. Melissa Joulwan's new book Well Fed has some great sauces included. Bill & Haley's Make It Paleo includes some sauces. You can google "paleo barbeque sauce" and get some ideas. Don't let your basic grilled chicken be sad and lonely. Look up a sauce, make one, and serve it up!

Let's give you a few to try out:

JULES' CHIMICHURRI:

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems 
3-4 garlic cloves 
2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves 
1/2 cup olive oil 
2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar 
1 teaspoon sea salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce

My instructions are to dump all into a food processor and process! However, others say to finely chop up the parsley, garlic, oregano, etc.  Whatever! Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving.

CHIPOTLE DIPPING SAUCE:

½ cup (125 mL) Paleo Mayonnaise (see recipe posting here or the video here)
½ cup (12 g) cilantro
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
~ juice of 1 lime

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients in a mini-blender (like the Magic Bullet!) or food processor until mixed well.
2. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Variations - feel free to get all creative with this. Melissa sometimes uses orange juice instead of lime juice. Super tasty and slightly sweeter. Go heavier on the chipotles if you want it hotter, go with less if you want not as hot!

Ingredient Notes—Chipotles (smoked jalapeños) in adobo (sauce) are found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores and at any Mexican mercados I’ve been to. Just check the ingredients, as some use less-than-ideal oils and others actually contain wheat flour. La Morena is one brand we like.

What sauces do you love? Any condiments that are your paleo saving graces? Share some recipe love!

Why No Grains?

(This is a posting Melissa did a while back. I've added a few things in here that might be of interest). 

One of the toughest concepts to swallow when it comes to Paleo eating is the No Grains rule.  How in the world could bread, the manna from heaven be bad for you?  I had the same reservations as the rest of you.  I just couldn't wrap my brain around it.  Grains provide Fiber, B-vitamins, whole carbohydrates, FIBER, right?  Well, that is true but grains also provide: phytates, gluten, and lectins.  What is wrong with that group you ask?  

Well, phytates bind to iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium making them nonabsorbable in the human gut.  

Gluten destroys/damages the intestinal microvilli causing a host of problems.  Think you don't have an issue with gluten?  Think again.  A recent study showed 29% of asymptomatic (non-Celiac) folks tested positive for a reaction to gluten.  I have seen other studies showing a 90% reaction when looking at another marker.  Take home message: even if you do not have gut irritability, you still have a reaction to gluten.  That "reaction" may not rear its head now, but more and more studies are linking gluten issues to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type I diabetes, Lupus, and a medley of other maladies like migraines, acid reflux, reproductive problems, arthritis and asthma. If you would like science to back this up, hop over here.

Per the British Medical Journal, Lectins are toxic, inflammatory, bind to the human GI tract and are indigestible in humans.  More on lectins here.

FIBER: non-starchy vegetables can have up to EIGHT times the fiber of grains.  That's eight.

Dr. William Davis, New York Times best-selling author of Wheat Belly, has a slightly different perspective on grains. His 30 second elevator speech: "You have been part of a grand deception. The wheat you are being sold is not the wheat of 50 years ago. The genetics changes introduced by geneticists that made it to your store shelves in the 1980s has been largely responsible for the increased calorie consumption, weight gain, and epidemic of diabetes experienced by Americans. Incredibly, we are blamed for these problems, accused by our own government agencies of being gluttonous and lazy. No, I say it is the fault of our own agencies, either through ignorance or turning a blind eye to the incredible changes introduced into this plant. Saying goodbye to modern wheat is reclaiming control over weight, impulse, and health. And it works."

Now you have a bit of an expanded explanation on why grains might not be the best choice.  But how do you handle friends and family that are skeptical of your new approach to food?  Here is my (Melissa's) elevator speech:

Believe me, I was skeptical too.  I thought grains were really good for me.  However, I did a little research because I knew eating grains was making me sick with: x.....issue.  For me it was IBS.  Turns out grains have anti-nutrients which bind to all the great minerals we think we are getting out of bread and pasta.  It also has the kind of fiber that kind of scratches the inside of our intestines making them inflamed just like the redness we get around the area when we skin our knee.  That inflammation keeps our immune system busy so it might miss a real bacteria that it might need to squish.  That bacteria gets through and we get sick.  Once I quit grains (and beans for that matter), I really don't get sick.  Maybe once a year!  The best thing about removing grains and adding more vegetables is that you are getting tons more vitamins and minerals than ever before because your body can actually absorb and use them now!

So, my speech was a little longer than I wanted, but you get the idea.  When I get tired of discussing I always give them a challenge: why don't you just try it for a couple of weeks and see if you see a difference!  Most folks see or feel an immediate change and your work is done!

What is your elevator speech when it comes to grains? (Beans have similar issues, I lump them into one when emplaining).

(Jules here. I like to put it simply as this: "What do huge factory farms feed cows to quickly fatten them up for slaughter? Instead of grasses, they are fed a diet of grains, soy and corn. This enables the farms to fatten those cows up really quickly. If you're wanting to lean out, might it make sense to try to avoid the very things that enable cows to put on a couple hundred pounds in just a few months?")

So here's one other anecdote: this weekend I was around an awesome, intelligent, handsome 3-year-old who does not eat grains. When he was - once - accidentally exposed to grains, it caused some serious vomiting. Now, I know some people say "well that's because he's not had grains as part of his life! He needs to build up "tolerance" to them!" Of course that makes absolutely no sense. It's like saying we should be making sure our kids drink alcohol to "build up their tolerance" so that in case they drink some by accident, they're okay.

I know there are some blog readers here who have done our BTB45 challenges before, and then introduced grains/gluten/soy/dairy back into their lives afterwards. How did it feel?

Friday Funday = Recipe day + Bonus Pictures!

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say. I thought it would be fun to showcase a few Evernote pics from a few folks in the BTB45 to share with all of you on our recipe days. Maybe some photos will inspire you - you can look for more in the future!

Photo courtesy Mark "The Grizz" Adams

But before we do thatl, let's toss out a recipe. This one is straight out of our cookbook (Paleo Comfort Foods - maybe you've heard of it?). The story behind it goes something like this: I (Jules) was up in Philly visiting my family, and my sister-in-law, Shada, had made this amazing kale salad. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a super big fan of cooked kale. I think it kind of tastes like dirt. However, this salad totally changed my perspective on kale. And, it has a ton of fresh parsley and fresh mint, which gives me ample opportunity to use the goods from our garden.

The great thing about this salad is that you can get all sorts of creative with it. When my sister-in-law made it, she had used some of her homegrown sundried tomatoes, along with some feta cheese and other delicious mix-ins. We've made this with lime vs. lemon juice, pears instead of apples, pine nuts instead of pecans. Even without any mix ins, just the mint and parsley with olive oil and lemon juice, this salad is super tasty! Get creative and have fun!

SHADA'S KALE SALAD

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale washed and tough stems removed
• 4 radishes, chopped
• 3/4 cup (75 g) sundried tomatoes, minced
• 2 granny smith apples, chopped
• 3/4 cup (20 g) flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
• 3/4 cup (12 g) mint, chopped
• 1 cup toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:

1. Chop the kale into very small pieces.
2. Mix all the greens, herbs, veggies and fruit in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, then pour over salad and toss (I like to massage it all with my very clean hands).
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

So there's a new way to get some veggie matter into your life/mouth.

As promised, here are some photos from all of you to give you some other mealtime ideas!

Just like last week, share your own recipes and food fun ideas! Got a good restaurant suggestion for paleo eats? Feel free to share that too! I know some of you eat out *a lot,* so I'm guessing you might have some dining out ideas?

Beef stew. Tasty comfort food!Chipotle. Double meat. Yummm. Rabbit and sauteed spinach.Meatloaf "cupcakes", roasted veggies and cauliflower mash
Eggs, smoked salmon, tomatoes and guac