I'm excited!

I am excited because several of my friends and family have become interested in Paleo and many of them are beginning to try it. Since it's something I've become passionate about and it's working so well for us, it really encourages me to see people around me trying it too!

I weigh what I did in High School... HIGH SCHOOL. And I have had 2 babies. Plus, I haven't begun working out yet. These results are simply from changing my diet. AND I'm still losing. 

Speaking of working out... I'm mentioning it here to give myself some accountability. It seems impossible to start working out when I have 2 high energy children and there are no guarantees of getting a moment of free time. I've made excuses and have not had the desire to start... but it's seriously time to lose the extra skin from my last baby (6 months old) and tone up! Not to mention, my hubby keeps challenging me to join him at CrossFit on Saturdays, and I don't want to be embarrassed or cry because I'm so out of shape. ;)

This morning I'm adapting a Better Homes and Garden pancake recipe to make Paleo pancakes. I'll post what I did if they turn out. ;)

Paleo Scones

Okay, so the cavemen probably would not have gone to the trouble of milling almond flour and they wouldn't have had an oven but this recipe contains mostly ingredients they would have been able to find. There is a lot of controversy amongst Paleo eaters and there is quite a large gray area. I'm not trying to rock the boat here. I just want to make Paleo more accessible to those of us who LOVE baked goods. :)

Paleo Scones

Makes approximately 6 scones

2 large eggs, beaten until frothy

1/4 C Agave Nectar or Honey (Sometimes I use even less)

1 tsp vanilla

1 C Almond Flour

*1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 

1 pinch of sea salt

1-2 tsp of Cinnamon

Fresh ground Nutmeg

1/2 C Berries or other fruit (My favorite so far is a combo of peaches and raspberries)

*This isn't really Paleo so use your judgement here. Some consider substitutes like whipped egg whites or even the 2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking soda more acceptable. I choose to pick my battles and since this is a miniscule amount per serving and doesn't seem to affect my progress, I use baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 and line pan with parchment paper (or don't, it's just a little harder to get them off)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Fold in berries/fruit, or leave plain! 

Using 2 tablespoons or a cookie scoop, drop batter on pan into about 6 even scones. Each scone is usually 1-2 heaping tablespoon(s).

Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. (You're looking for golden brown tops.) 

Now here is the most important part. I'm not kidding... You have to let these guys cool for at least 10 minutes before digging in. Please don't skip this step. The cooling process gives them that crispy, delicious outside that scones have. :)

Enjoy!

This recipe is super easy to change up so have fun with it! Just be sure you end up with a thick batter, because if you don't, you will end up with something that resembles muffin tops. Not that that's a bad thing, they're just not as good that way!

This recipe was adapted from George Stella. (stellastyle.com)

Gluten Free?

In the past when I heard the term "Gluten-Free," my initial reaction was "eeewwwww... I bet that has no flavor. It must not be good." I'm not sure where those thoughts came from, but I know I loved my homemade breads and pastries. How could one make a delicious anything without flours and sugars? 

Well, it took a little bit but I honestly feel like I've done a 180. Since switching our diet, I have learned that those foods that I LOVED before make me feel sick and sluggish. And that "gross" gluten-free food makes me have energy and feel good. Also? A lot of it tastes AMAZING! 

You do have to be careful though, because just because it is gluten-free, doesn't mean it's Paleo. A lot of g-f items have rice powder or soy which are not Paleo friendly. Is it the worst you could do? Probably not, but I actually prefer those items that don't have anything "extra" in them.

The easiest way to eat g-f treats? Make them! For example, I found an incredible scone recipe that is completely versatile and literally only takes maybe 5 minutes to put the ingredients together. I would say maybe 10 minutes total prep time, 10-15 minutes oven time, and then 10-15 minutes to cool before you enjoy them. So really? Under 10 minutes hands on time to make a delicious and healthy treat? I think it's worth it. There are also websites that offer Paleo snack items and I've even heard of catering companies that will make Paleo food. The times they are a changin'.

I have honestly not ventured into g-f bread making land, but my husband has been begging me to try. So supposing I have time between chasing kiddos and running errands, I'm hoping to try this week. I'll let you know how it goes.

Later this week... I'll share that delicious scone recipe! ;)

Almond Flour 101

Questions are raised all of the time about the cost of almond flour and where to purchase it. It is significantly more expensive than regular flour and when you're replacing a cheaper staple item with a more expensive one, it's important to find ways to cut costs. Well... the best price I have found is in bulk online. You may want to make sure you like almond flour and know you're going to use it all the time before going this route. 

The first time I purchased it was just to try it, and I bought a 5lb bag for what seemed like a good deal. Once I found out I LOVED it and knew I would use a ton of it, I moved on to a 25 pound box.

                                   

Oh yes. That's right. 25 pounds... Crazy, I know. BUT when I added up how much I would be saving with less shipping costs, plus the savings of buying in bulk, it was worth it. Like $13 per 5lb bag savings worth it! 

I ordered it through Honeyville and even read in the reviews that someone with celiac disease (absolutely can not have any sort of products when gluten at all) checked to make sure nothing else could possibly be in it, and they assured her that it was 100% natural almonds. Nothing else was processed on that machinery. 

Side note: Around holidays, Honeyville runs a sale that usually offers a 15% or 20% off any product on their website. This is when I purchased our almond flour. Also, shipping is always $4.49 no matter how much your order weighs! 

Other side note: I promise I am not advertising for Honeyville. I found this product on my own and have reviewed and tested it on my own. No one paid me or sent me product to write this. ;)

                                   

You might be thinking... What on earth does someone do with 25 pounds of almond flour??? Good question! You store it in ziplock bags and freeze most of it for use later on!

Here's how I do it...

I get out my trusty scale, a big bowl, and label a freezer safe ziplock bag with the date, Almond Flour, and # of lbs. (I do 3lbs per bag because...well... it just seemed to work best.)

Then I ZERO my scale! I don't ever forget, because I NEVER make mistakes and wouldn't want to have a random 2.47# bag. ;)

Then I scoop out my 3# into the bag of my ZEROED scale. ;) 

I try to get as much air out of the bag as possible because I want to take every precaution possible to preserve the $ I spent. (Air in freezer bag= higher chance of freezer burn. Yuck.) I use the fancy shmancy straw method. (Yes, I know. I know. Shmancy is not actually a word.) You put the straw in the corner of the bag, zip the bag up with the straw in the corner, and suck the air out. Then pull the straw out and close the bag the rest of the way. 

It may take a couple tries... I even had to go back and reseal bags and get more air out of them.

It will be worth it in the end when your freezer is stocked and you don't have to worry about almond flour for several months!

So, if your willing to take maybe 30 minutes to bag your own flour, it's totally worth the $ saved if you want to start using almond flour! 

Here's the link to where I purchased mine... Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour

(Ends up being roughly $19 per 5lb bag shipped to your door if you buy it on a sale day. If you go to the grocery store, it's around $10 per 1 pound bag. That's not a typo. $10 for ONE pound.)

Almond flour is my new best friend

I am not certain I had even heard of almond flour until I started researching the Paleo "Diet." Now I feel shameful. Almond flour is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Even if you don't want to change your diet, please do yourself a favor and bake with it a little. You have to have the right recipes and you have to give yourself a chance to get used to a slightly different texture than a "normal" baked good, but it's SO worth it.

 The possibilities are endless. I've made moist chocolate cookies, cinnamon streusel muffins, peach and blueberry scones, and pancakes. You can also make breads, and well pretty much anything really. It's not exactly the same as flour, but I'm starting to think it's better and not just because it's better for you. The almond flour adds flavor to baked goods. Mmmmm! Who would have thought that every element to your baked goods would play such a critical role in flavor?

 And also? You can use it to "bread" things like, chicken, eggplant, and fish. I just add seasoning and pretend the almond flour is breadcrumbs. I really don't miss the breadcrumbs.

Paleo

Paleo... When I first heard about the "Paleo Diet," I was intrigued. I had heard that it was a different way of eating and a different way of looking at food, but I wanted to know more. What was so different about it? Why was it supposedly a better way of eating? I had so many questions and the more I researched the more I wanted to know. The basic concept is that we should be eating more like people during the Paleolithic Period. Meat, fruits, veggies, nuts, and eggs.

There is a ton of research and background that I won't get into, but one thing I read in Robb Wolf's, "The Paleo Solution," talked about the skeletons of people prior to farming. The farmer's teeth were terrible, broken, brittle, rotten, while those prior to that era had nice, strong teeth. The foods they were eating contributed greatly to the strength of their teeth, and other areas of their bodies, I'm sure.

 My main beef with this whole thing? Flour and corn. Everything that they say we should be eating is natural. What is so bad about flour and corn? God made wheat, just like he made berries. Why can't we eat it? Well, it's been genetically altered by us, to the point that it is nothing like original wheat. We have been mass producing wheat and corn for decades. Agriculture has found ways to make it grow faster, more efficiently, and bigger. It's to the point where many of our bodies can not properly process it correctly.

Once again, if you want the science behind all of this, please read Robb Wolf's book. The proof that I have is the fact that when we altered our diet and did "hardcore Paleo" for 30 days, I noticed significant changes. I had more energy, felt better, lost weight in areas that I have never been able to lose weight in, and had clear skin for the first time since I was 6 (that might be a slight exaggeration, but I can't remember the last time I had clear skin.) When we had a "cheat meal" to celebrate making it through our 30 days, my husband and I felt awful; bloated, sleepy, our stomachs hurt, and we just wanted to eat and eat and eat. Not fun.

 We try to eat at least 90% Paleo. Sometimes we have "cheat meals" and sometimes I need a scoop of ice cream. I'd like to transition to eating closer to 100%, but we're just doing the best we can. There are a million more things I can say about Paleo and what it's done for us and why I was skeptical, but I'll save some of that for future posts.

This style of eating has been known to REVERSE diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, and at minimum, make them better. Robb Wolf himself was in the doctor's office and hospital often with varying stomach issues. He ate "healthy" as a vegetarian and he just couldn't understand why his body was failing. They wanted him to take all kinds of medicine and basically told him he would have to deal with this for the rest of his life. Well? After doing some research, he decided to change his diet. His issues? Completely resolved. The doctors couldn't believe it and most of them even denied the fact that eating meat, fruits, and veggies without whole wheats and such could have possibly cured him. I think the "proof is in the pudding."

 If you're intrigued, I encourage you to do more research or just try eating this way for 30 days. 30 days is not very long and I promise you will notice changes. I don't want to beat anyone over the head with this, but I want you to know that it really has made a difference for us.

It's been a while

That moment when you have a million things on your mind that you want to write and then as soon as you sit down and try to put your thoughts into words, you draw a complete blank... That just happened.

It's been a while. I miss blogging. But having 2 kiddos, visitors, a husband who just started a new job, and you know, daily tasks like cooking and cleaning makes it difficult to sit down and write about it all. I plan to write some more personal(ish) blogs here, but I am also going to add something new to this page.

Our family has made a lot of changes to our eating style and a lot of my friends have been asking about it. So, I'm going to start posting some of our recipes and tips for eating Paleo. In those blogs, I'll talk about what "Paleo" is exactly and why we decided to change our diet completely. These recipes are delicious, and I think you will enjoy them whether you are eating 100% or 1% Paleo.

 Also? I make no promises. Any time I get all bushy tailed and bright eyed about blogging again, life happens and I give up within a week. I make no guarantees to the number or frequencies of posts. I hope to eventually move all my "Paleo posts" to separate blog, but I'm going to see how it goes here first.

Things you should NEVER say to a pregnant woman

1. So you're due any day now, right?
2. When I respond with, "well I have 6 1/2 weeks or so left," you DEFINITELY should not widen your eyes and say OHHHhhhh.
3. Was it planned?
4. Are you having twins?
5. Make predictions about the gender based on the woman's size/shape... No No. It doesn't always work like that and you will probably say something that won't go over well.
6. Make comments about the fact that the woman chooses to birth a certain way. You don't know all of the details of why she came to the decision that she wants a drug free birth or a cesearean and quite frankly, it's not your business.
7. You look bigger today.
8. You're really packing on the weight with this one, huh?
9. Do you exercise? (Why is this your business?)
10. Ask her the same question or questions every time you see her? I guarantee she's already answered the "when are you due?" and " are you having a boy or girl" question 9 million times. Please write it down, look it up on facebook, or ask a mutual friend. 1-2 times asking is probably okay, but it's not necessary every time or every other time you see them.
11. Don't judge or give your input about a decision they've made unless they ask.

I know there are many more, but these are some of the ones that have gotten under my skin lately.

So...how can you have a conversation or be nice or cordial to a woman who is pregnant?

1. Pretend that they aren't pregnant. They are still the same person with the same basic needs they have always had... Treat them as such. Ask them how they are doing, if they have any plans for the weekend,...
2. Compliment them profusely. Tell them they look radiant and beautiful, that they don't look like they've gained a lot of weight. That you hope you look that good when you're pregnant.