Leaves Falling and Recipe Gathering

It's the Holiday Season...but not that one!

So I was walking into Costco a couple of weeks ago to pick up a couple of things, and I saw all the lovely Christmas decorations.

It was the BEGINNING of September. What???!!!!

Really, Christmas decorations being out before the middle of November, in my humble opinion, is a sin! Before my birthday is an abomination! (My birthday is at the end of September, in case you were wondering.) It's Autumn, people! We should be eagerly watching for the leaves to be falling from the trees, not looking for snow falling from the sky.

My brother doesn't even acknowledge Christmas decorations are in the store until the weekend after Thanksgiving. He will look at the shelves and comment, "Look at all those empty shelves. You would think the store would want to put merchandise on those shelves."

My brother cracks me up. Never a dull moment around that man.

But this does make me start thinking about that wonderful holiday tradition that everyone in my family loves...cookie baking season. I'm going to start hunting around for awesome Paleo/Primal cookie recipes. Keep coming back for more yummy ideas as I find and test them out.

Since it's currently Autumn, what are your favorite Fall recipes? Do any include cookies?

A Long Time Gone...But Now I'm Back

I dropped the ball. I'm sorry.

I admit it. I said I would post once a week, and then several weeks past with...nothing. I swear I didn't fall off the face of the world.

I got a contract job. And it ate my life.

And I wasn't prepared!

I should have had some posts back-logged, so I could just go in and post instead of needing to take the time to write one out (because time was something I didn't have).

My excuses are lame...I know. But it is what it is. And I'm back, ready to blog again...and backlogging like a mad woman!

Heart Healthy? Or Not?

My mother has a congenital heart defect that causes holes to develop in the heart muscle. Recently she had heart surgery. Again.

This is the second heart surgery she has had in her life, but the procedure was totally different. The first time she had surgery, they cracked her breast bone and opened her up. Then they put in a plastic piece to fix a hole in her heart.

That was 40 years ago.

 

Now, however, they didn’t even put her completely under anesthesia; she was in “twilight mode.” They used a catheter that went up from her groin arteries to reach her heart. Once there, the doctor used a tool that entered the holes (there were four of them!) in her heart, injected a glue-like substance, and removed the tool. The substance expanded and stuck to the heart muscle around it, closing off the hole.

We joked that my mother had her heart spackled. Ever having an awesome sense of humor, she thought that was funny.

I love my mother.

While visiting her in the hospital, though, I noticed something that bothered me. They had her on a “heart healthy” diet…makes sense when you consider she just had heart surgery! But the first thing they fed her was spaghetti with meat sauce, salad with Italian dressing, and a breadstick. Really?! That’s heart healthy?

When the attendant came and took her order for breakfast the next morning, her options were 1 of the following:

• Cream of Wheat
• Oatmeal
• Rice cereal

She also had the option of applesauce or bananas, turkey sausage, and wheat toast or an English muffin.

I sat appalled at what they were feeding my mother, and it took everything in my self-control to not throw a fit in the hospital! Pasta and bread stick? Cream of wheat AND wheat toast? Really?

Feed her meat, I wanted to yell! Feed her an avocado slice and some sauteed onions or tomato slices with her turkey sausage. Add some strawberries (she loves them!). And for goodness sake, add an egg to the plate!

I realized I would be in serious trouble if I went into the hospital for any cardiovascular issues. Between my allergies and intolerances, the “heart healthy” diet that the FDA encourages heart patients to follow would either starve me or kill me!

Apparently they brought her fish that evening…she’s allergic to the mercury in fish. Thankfully they listened to her and brought her something else to eat. I think she said it was a chef salad…and it was wonderful! 

Have you encountered any dietary issues while staying in the hospital? How did you address those issues with the staff? Did they listen? Please share, so we can all get some ideas on how to handle this situation.

"Primal" Parfait? Really??!!

I was at the Howard County 4-H Fair last week, waiting for the 4-H Junior Miss Queen Pageant to start. My niece was competing. So while waiting, I did what most people do at fairs in the Midwest.

Eat. Of course. Why else do people go to fairs and festivals? It's not like we can get elephant ears, walking tacos, and deep fried Oreos just anywhere.

As I was wandering around, wondering if there was anything even remotely Primal/Paleo that I could eat at this deep fried fest, I came upon Porky's BBQ of Lafayette, Indiana, home of the Pork Parfait.

Pork Parfait. Really. Check this out!

The Pork Parfait. Yes, I had already taken a bite out of it. But...you get the idea.

I had to ask. How could I not?

A Pork Parfait is barbecued pulled pork, mashed potatoes, and barbecue sauce layered an ice cream parfait cup. Ignoring the soy and corn syrup that is probably in the sauce (and the milk in the potatoes...or the potatoes), this might be the closest thing to Primal/Paleo at the entire fair!

Of course, I had to try one. It was quite yummy. A little too heavy eating for the hot Indiana summer sun for my taste, but I would happily sit down with this parfait anytime in the other three seasons here in the Hoosier state.

Porky's BBQ also has pulled pork you can get without the mashed potatoes and parfait cup. They also have beef brisket, which is quite yummy (I had a sample). Their meats are slow cooked to moist, melt in your mouth perfection.

I highly recommend them if you're at the Indiana State Fair this August 2-18. According to Porky BBQ's Facebook page, they're going to be there. And their website has a coupon for 10% off at the fair. An excellent deal for excellent barbecue!

Back and Ready to go!

Good ole Chicago...home of some tasty Primal eating

Yes, I'm back. Sorry about the pause in thoughts. My full time job ended, and I was in the process of starting up my new endeavor, SDG Scribal Solutions. Check out my writing website.

I admit I wasn't as good about my eating habits in the past month or so as I should have been. But I'm back on track and ready to post on a regular basis.

This week there will be two posts. After this week, look for me on Tuesdays to see what crazy adventures I've been on in my Primal/Paleo journey.

A Good Paleo Dinner

Now THIS is more like it!

Top sirloin steak broiled to a medium rare. Baked sweet potato with some Kerrygold butter and cinnamon, and steamed Brussels sprouts. This is more like it.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Riding the Sugar Roller Coaster

I have been a bad girl!

For 3 days straight I resisted temptation and ate mostly Primal meals. Granted, I've eaten out a lot this week (shh! don't tell my doctor), but that's been more to laziness and poor planning than anything. But I was making my meals as Primal/Paleo as I could. I was feeling pretty good about myself. Had lots of energy and felt really focused.

Yesterday...it all came crashing down!

We had an ice cream social at work...I know, I know! I shouldn't succumb to that temptation because of the milk allergy (which, if you haven't figured this out by now, only causes internal inflammation and not an anaphylactic reaction with me). But the opportunity to be social was too tempting to pass up. And it got me away from my desk for a few minutes.

That wouldn't have been so bad, but when I got home, I washed what few dishes were left over from breakfast (note to self, make it a habit to do the dishes as soon as I finish eating). The kitchen was nice and clean...and I couldn't bear the thought of messing it up! I just didn't feel like cooking (which is a clear sign that something is wrong with me).

I broke down and asked my husband to bring home pizza. I also asked him to bring home wings, since they're not breaded. I tried to be good!

He brought home pizza...and cheese sticks...and the wings. And I ate a little of all of it. I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't seem to stop myself from the self-destruction. By the end of the evening, I was exhausted...and feeling a little sick. Why, why, why do I do this to myself?!!

Today wasn't better. I started off well. Ate the leftover wings. Probably not the healthiest of choices, since they were drowning in barbecue sauce, but it could have been worse. Then lunch rolled around, and I found myself eating a Taco Bell chicken quesadilla and taco (granted, the taco was fresco, but still...corn, anyone?). Now I sit here, fighting sleep (which I haven't done in the afternoon in a very long time) while my body asks me "What WERE you thinking?!!" in a Molly Weasley-like voice.

I now realize why I've been feeling tired, run-down, swollen, constantly hungry, and a little sick. Too much:

• Dairy
• Sugar
• Grain (wheat in particular)

Way too much of it! Eating those foods causes your blood sugar to spike way up, only to crash back down within an hour or two, leaving you feeling tired and craving something to bring that sugar back up (usually more sugar). It's a vicious cycle that causes this horrible roller coaster ride of highs and lows, spikes and crashes.

I hate roller coasters, by the way!

Seriously, spin me around all day long, and I'm fine. But don't take me up to a great height, then drop me quickly. I don't enjoy it. That's why I avoid theme park roller coasters.

I don't enjoy the sugar roller coaster, either. These last couple of days are a reminder of why I went Primal/Paleo in the first place. I don't like feeling this way.

We're cooking at home tonight. I know top sirloin is on the menu. Maybe we'll roast the rest of that cauliflower and saute some greens, as well?

What are you having for dinner tonight?

No I Didn't Get Lost, But I Did Get to the Doctor

Sorry about not posting. Life got a little crazy with the final product push at work. But I did get good news at my doctor's office.

My blood pressure was normal!! That's rare for me. It's usually a little elevated at the doctor's office, because I deal with "white coat syndrome." What's that? It's a condition some people experience when they go to the doctor's office. It causes a feeling of anxiety, which often translates into a slightly elevated blood pressure reading.

I was a happy woman. This "Paleo thing" must be doing some good.

The doctor did advise me to follow a slightly more strict version of Paleo/Primal than what I've been following (which has been much closer to 65/35 than the 80/20 to 85/15 that Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf recommend). So I'm back to coming up with some newer Paleo/Primal recipes. I'll post them as I experiment, I promise.

My doctor also advised me to get away from the computer and get at least an hour of movement in every day. I'm open to suggestions, folks. What do you think I should do?

No More SAD

Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, and Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Diet Solution, refer to the diet most Americans follow as the "standard American diet," or "SAD." This diet consists of:

• Lots of carbohydrates in the form of grains and legumes.
• Plenty of calcium in the form of dairy.
• Limitation on meat and fat intake.
• Processed foods that are loaded with sugar and chemicals.

The SAD diet has been proven in several studies to cause problems with inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel disease, and a host of other issues. Robb Wolf gives a great comparison of the Paleo diet to SAD.

I, however, have another name for SAD.

Swollen
Anxious
Depressed

I was a bad Hoosier cave girl a couple of weekends ago and ate far more wheat and sugar than I ever should. It started with a birthday cake that I bought (I have a major weakness for butter cream icing) for my husband and brother, because their birthdays are within about 3 days of each other. We had friends over, so cake was a celebratory offering.

Yeah, I know. I have GOT to stop thinking like this!

I figured one piece would not kill me. My body may be unhappy the next day, but I would deal with it. I had a great idea and plan, until...

No one took the leftover cake home with them. We were stuck with over half a cake!

My husband didn't take it with him to work the next day, so it stared at me ALL DAY LONG!

Did I mention I have a major weakness for butter cream icing? I ended up eating several pieces over the weekend (the pizza we had Saturday night probably didn't help, either).

I ate more of that cake than I ever intended. And, man, did I pay for it! My legs have swelled to the point I feel like I have rubber bands around my knees. My digestive system is sluggish. I'm feeling slightly anxious and depressed at the same time (which really messes with your head, believe me). Trust me, the cake was NOT worth this misery.

I think, the next birthday that crops up in my group of friends, I'll make the cake myself with "Paleo" ingredients (at least without lots of wheat, milk, and processed sugar). Hmmm...maybe I'll try my Paleo Pineapple Upside Down Cake again (that will be another post).

For now, it's back to the Paleo eating and calisthenic exercise to get the swelling back down. Maybe I'll go harvest sage from the garden before I cut back the sage bush. That might help, too.

Has your diet been making you feel sluggish? Share your thoughts with me.

Grinding Your Own Hamburger Part 1

So I was listening to America's Test Kitchen on NPR yesterday, and I heard you can grind your own hamburger meat using a food processor.

Yes...you read that correctly...a food processor.

According to the chefs, using a food processor breaks up the connective tissue in the meat, so your burgers won't shrink up into tennis ball shapes when you fry/grill them. The show recommended using flank, skirt or flat iron cuts instead of chuck or round steak, though you can still use those cuts.

I'm curious to see if the meat will "stick together" less when you fry it in bulk instead of in patty shape. I have some flank or skirt steak in the freezer (can't remember which off the top of my head). I may just have to try this! Once I figure out the process, I'll present it in Part 2. I will make sure to try both bulk and patties during the test (lots of cooked beef makes for a happy household in my family).

What cuts do you think would be used for ground pork? Feel free to weigh in with a comment.

The Paleo Solution Changed my Life

Amazing! Saw this on Robb Wolf's Web site and had to share.

The Paleo Solution Changed my Life

Starting the Paleo Journey

I love to eat!

Seriously, I love food. I love talking about it, writing about it, thinking about it, cooking it, and eating it. It's one of my bigger passions in life (I have several passions, but those are more appropriate in other blogs).

But love must have some challenge to make it more enjoyable, right? So here's my challenge...

I have food allergies.

Lots of them!

Trust me, it's an extensive list. Cow dairy, legumes, grapes, melons, peanuts (which, yes, I know, are legumes, though most people don't realize that), and lobster are just a few in the long list. And loving food while being allergic to some of it can be quite a challenge.

When I discovered some of my allergies, I started looking for ways to adapt my diet so I can get the nutrition I need and not "cheat" with my allergens (none of which cause an anaphylactic shock reaction except, oddly enough, hemp).

At one time, it was thought I was allergic to wheat, so I tried a gluten free diet. I CRAVED wheat the whole time I was following the diet (or not following, since I was "being bad" on far too regular of a basis). I did manage to get some of the swelling in my legs under control and lose a little weight, but that was it.

When I had another allergy test (by the way, don't get me started on the back-pricking allergy test!) and discovered I wasn't allergic to wheat, it went back in my diet with a vengeance! And any weight I had lost found me again.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and my chiropractor suggested the Paleo diet. Actually, so did his office assistant. Her exact words were, "Try it for a month. That's just 30 days. See what happens." So I picked up Robb Wolf's book, The Paleo Diet Solution, and started reading.

The book suggested focusing on the following foods:

• Healthy, grass-fed meats
• Healthy fats like avocado (yum!), walnut oil, and coconut oil (which I love!)
• Vegetables (I was the one weirdo in my family that always loved these)
• Some fruit
• Some nuts and seeds

Mr. Wolf recommended removing these foods from you diet:

• Dairy
• Legumes
• Grains
• Processed sugar

Wait a minute!! What?!!

I realized I was allergic to two of the four things listed that I should avoid. I also realized, after looking over my old food logs, that most of my processed sugar intake comes from baked goods. So I was halfway following the diet already! I thought, cutting out grains would cut out most, if not all, of my processed sugar intake.

I should try this! I thought.

So I gave it the 30 day try. Dropping grain from my diet took care of the wheat/grain craving I had suffered from in my GF days. And the health benefits were awesome!

•  I lost about 13 lbs in a month!
• My swelling went way down.
• My energy level went way up!
• I could get up and down from the floor again (after breaking a knee in 2010, this was a big accomplishment for me).
• I started sleeping better.
• My mood improved (something that makes my husband very happy).
• My blood pressure went down, and my blood sugar evened out.

Once my 30 days was up, I moved to an 80/20 version of Paleo eating. I’ve seen some sources say you should follow an 80/20 and others say 85/15. I seem to bounce between 70/30 and 90/10 (depending on the day and occasion, because I still cannot seem to shake my obsession with buttercream icing!).

Have you tried this diet? Or read about it? What do you think? Leave me a comment, because I would love to hear your ideas.

Breaded Pork Chops and Almond Flour Fritters

The old saying is that “necessity is the mother of invention.”

It seems that “waste not, want not” causes more invention in my house.

I was raised poor. I mean dirt poor. As in “eating out of church boxes, one missed rent payment from living in a box on the street” poor. So the idea of wasting food, even to this day, makes me sick to my stomach.

So when I decided I really wanted breaded and fried pork chops the other night, I hit a small conundrum. Okay, maybe a few small conundrums.

Conundrum 1 (I love this word, by the way): What am I going to bread the chops with? Regular flour is right out, because a) I don’t eat wheat and b) there isn’t any in the house.

Solution to Conundrum 1: Almond Flour. Why not? The texture of almond flour is closer to corn meal than wheat flour, so it would make a nice, crumbly crust. I thought, I’ll just dredge the chops in some egg and then the flour mix and fry them up. So here is the mix I used to make 2 chops. You'll want more oil if you make more.

Breaded Pork Chops

1 cup almond flour (you can use Bob's Red Mill or Trader Joe's)

1 tsp Trader Joe's 21 Salute Seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

2 tsp bacon grease

2 tsp coconut oil

Heat the oil in a skillet. Mix the almond flour, seasoning, and salt together in one pan. In the other pan, whip the eggs (don't cook them!). Dip the chops into the egg mixture, then dredge in the dry mixture on each side. Place in the skillet and cook on both sides until done. Don't turn them too much. I actually only turned the chops once.

It worked! The chops had a nice, fried, breaded coating...what? I'm a Hoosier! We like our fried food. And my husband and I don't cook like this often.

Then I hit…

Conundrum 2: What do I do with the leftover breading? Throwing away almond flour is completely out of the question! Even if it has had raw pork meat rubbed in it. Almond flour is way too expensive to waste! For that matter, so were the leftover farm-fresh grass-fed eggs I had used.

Solution to Conundrum 2: I’ll add a little more salt to the almond flour and seasonings then add the egg. I’ll fry them in the pan after the chops are done, and voila! Almond Flour Fritters!

What?

They’re kind of like a hush puppy, but shaped more like a pancake. But they were tasty! I stumbled upon a great idea! And here’s the recipe.

Almond Flour Fritters

Makes about 8-10 fritters

1 cup almond flour (I had to add some to get back up to a cup)

2 eggs (about 1 egg had been used to coat the chops)

1 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning

¼ tsp salt

Oil for frying

 Mix the dry ingredients together, then blend in the eggs. Let the batter sit about 5-10 minutes. In a skillet, heat enough oil to be about ½-1 inch of oil. Drop teaspoon servings of batter into the skillet. Cook until done on one side, then turn and cook until done on the other side. Drain on a paper towel and serve warm. Though I had one the next day straight from my fridge, and it actually tasted better cold.

I served the chops and fritters with some boiled red potatoes (yeah, I know they're not Paleo, but I'm a little too Irish to give them up). Dinner got my husband, David's, grunt of approval.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think of these tasty morsels.

You're the What?

"You're the Hoosier Paleo Gourmand?"

What?!!

Let me break it down.

Hoosier: I’m a Hoosier, born and raised. It means I come from Indiana. Love me or hate me for it…I really don’t care. It’s taken me years to reach this point, but I love the fact that I come from the Midwest. We’re an interesting set of people. Polite and friendly, but sometimes a little distant (until we get to know you, then we're often as loyal as you can get). A friend of mine claims we Hoosiers are a lot like our German ancestors that way (he’s from Lichtenstein, so I’ll take his word for it).

Paleo: I eat following (somewhat loosely) the Paleo eating style. It’s a healthy way of eating a lower carbohydrate diet that has a lot of health benefits (at least, to me it has). I’ll explain more about that in the next post. Is everything I follow “hardcore” Paleo? Lord, no! Being “hardcore” about eating is too stressful, and I live by this motto…

“Stressing out about eating healthy defeats the purpose!”

Gourmand: I’ve been cooking since I was 9 years old, but I’ve never been “professionally” trained, unless being trained by a short-order cook and bakery/deli counter worker counts (Hi, Mom!). And a “gourmand” is someone who loves and appreciates food (and knows a lot about it) but doesn’t have professional training regarding it (that would be a “gourmet”).

So that's me...the Hoosier Paleo Gourmand!

Join me on my journey as I explore the wonderful world of food, through both the adventures in my kitchen and the amazing foraging I do out in the world of grocery stores, farmers markets, and restaurants. Buckle up! It’s going to be a wild and crazy (but tasty) ride!