Paleo Thanksgiving Feast

Posted on November 2, 2011 by paleopassage

Now that Halloween is over, I am getting started planning my Thanksgiving feast for this year.  It really shouldn’t be too difficult to tweak the traditional Thanksgiving foods to make them Paleo.  Here’s what I have planned so far:

  • BBQ Turkey: I ordered a fresh, free-range turkey from Willie Bird, which is a local firm
  • Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Soup:  I tried a new recipe for this last year and was underwhelmed.  I’m going to do something with coconut milk and cinnamon.  I’ll do a practice run on my concept next weekend
  • Mashed Sweet Potatoes
  • Green salad:  with any luck we’ll still be harvesting lettuce from our garden
  • Roasted Root Vegetables:  Carrots, beets, parsnips
  • Cranberry Orange Sauce:  I found a recipe in Make it Paleo:
    which is very similar to the one I have used for years.  The primary difference is that orange juice is used for the sweetener instead of sugar.
  • Pumpkin Pies:  I’m doing one with a nut crust and one with a traditional gluten crust  I think TMOTH (The Man of the House) and The Offspring would have a revolt if I did not make the pumpkin pie that they love and are used to.
  • Whipped Cream

I need to come up with a plan for these things:

  • Mashed Potatoes-If I have Mashed Sweet Potatoes do I need to also make white potatoes?
  • Gravy-I need to explore some gluten-free options
  • Stuffing-I’m also going to go out of the box with this and do something different (and gluten-free).  I may get resistance, but honestly I think that I have been the one most interested in the stuffing in the past.
  • Rolls-I don’t think I will make them this year.  If one of The Offspring asks if they can bring anything, I’ll suggest bread if they want to have some with the meal.

I’ll post some of my recipes in the next few weeks.  I’d love to hear how others handle diverse dietary requirements at holiday meals.   If you have any suggestions, add them to the comments.

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Review: Paleo Magazine

Posted on November 1, 2011 by paleopassage

I just received my first copy of Paleo Magazine last week.   I was very impressed with the quality and breadth of this publication.  The magazine is printed on heavy, glossy paper.    The layout and artwork are attractive and interesting.

 Paleo Magazine – Sept/Oct 2011 Issue

The first issue I received was the Sept./Oct, 2011 issue.  This issue is the third issue that was published.  The Sept./Oct. issue contains 17 articles and recipes.  There are seasonally appropriate articles such as:  Paleo Lunch Box School Lunches for Kids, and Paleo Trick-or-Treating.  The six recipes in the issue include School Thermos ideas and Harvest Spiced Drumsticks.  The magazine has articles in the following categories: Kids, Movement, Nutrition, Learn, Inspiration and The Food.    There are also four columns:  Paleo RD, From The Doc, Paleo Body and Average Joe Paleo.

Editor, Cain Credicott has pulled together an impressive list of contributors.  This issue includes pieces from David Csonka, Peggy Emch, Diane Sanfilippo, Sarah Fragoso, Clifton Harski and Liz Wolfe.  The magazine contains advertising for items which complement the Paleo Lifestyle.

I found the articles to be interesting, entertaining and well-written.  I am looking forward to getting my next issue.  Back issues are available to purchase, so I may check them out and get a complete set.  If you are interested in checking out this magazine, click the link below the cover photo to get a subscription or individual copies.

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Paleo Sweet Potato Chips Recipe

Posted on October 31, 2011 by paleopassage

The one food that I really miss since the switch to eating Paleo is Maui Onion Kettle Cooked Potato Chips.  Yesterday I was jonesing bad for some and I decided to attempt to make a Paleo version.

Ingredients:

  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Coconut Oil
  • Salt
  • Onion Powder

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into thin slices (about 1/8″ think.  Put the slices in a large bowl and cover with cold water.  Swish around in the water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Pour off the water and repeat twice.  Pat dry with paper towels. I did this to remove as much starch from the chips as I could prior to cooking.

Melt ½” of coconut oil in a large pan.  The tall sides will help contain the oil.  Heat the oil to 350 degrees.  Place a single layer of the sweet potato slices in the water and cook until they are browned and bubbles are no longer coming off the slice (one source I read said you need to do this to ensure the water is out of the potato slice).

Remove from pan with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to cool.  Season to taste.

I have to make a confession here.  Some of the chips were nice and crisp.  I attribute this to learning the trick with the bubbles.  I made a fatal error after the chips had cooled.  I placed all the chips into a plastic bag.  There was a mixture of both crisp, and not crisp chips.  While they were stored in the bag together, the moisture level equalized and softened all the chips.  TMOTH had the brilliant idea to try to put the chips in the dehydrator to see if that would fix the problem.  It didn’t.  The chips got tougher, but not crispy.  They taste great, but the potato chip crunch I was craving is not there.

I did get a taste of crisp, delicious chips before I bagged them all together.  It’s actually probably a blessing in disguise that I accidentally softened the chips.  Otherwise, I would have eaten far more than I should.

There will be more experiments with this food item.  If any of you have any tricks or tips that you would like to share, add them to the comments.

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From The Internet: Dr. Oz and the Prehistoric Diet

Posted on October 30, 2011 by paleopassage

Last week Dr. Oz attempted to jump on the Ancestral Diet bandwagon by debuting his Prehistoric Diet.  Here’s a web page outlining it.  The Dr. Oz Show last Friday presented the results of his “extensive testing” of this diet.  His test protocol was to take three woman who were displaying health problems as a result of eating the SAD (Standard American Diet) and lock them in a cage at the zoo with only raw fruits and vegetables to eat for three days.

At the end of the three days there were some improvements.  I will agree that removing highly processed foods from the diet and replacing them with whole foods will cause rapid improvements.   That’s why some Vegans see dramatic health improvements initially.  The true test is whether the diet can sustain health over years of time.

I’m not even going to bother to outline all of the problems that exist with Oz’s “research” design.  In the article, Oz displays a lack of knowledge and understanding of what went on in the Paleolithic/Prehistoric era that rivals Sarah Palin’s lack of knowledge regarding Paul Revere’s ride to warn the colonists of British attack.

The “Prehistoric” diet outlined in the article is a vegan diet.   It includes highly processed foods that were not available during the Prehistoric era.  Our hunter/gatherer ancestors did not gather tofu or soy beans in the forest.  They did not add grains into the diet until fairly recently, with the advent of agriculture.  The diet presented by Oz as a Prehistoric diet does not resemble what was actually eaten in that era.

I think that Oz is trying to capitalize on the recent positive buzz that the Paleo/Primal diet and Ancestral Health Movement are getting.  He’s hedging his bets.  When /if the Paleo diet is recognized as being a healthy, sustainable way that humans should eat, Oz can point to his Prehistoric diet and claim that he was there in the forefront of it all (I expect there’ll be a few tweaks to it over the years ).  If the Paleo/Primal diet is found through research to be detrimental to human health, Oz can beat his chest and state that HIS Prehistoric diet was different.

The thing that disturbs the most is the muddying of the waters this will cause with people’s perceptions regarding actual Ancestral based diets.  I have no problem with Oz pushing the raw Vegan diet.  He should be up front about and tell it like it is.  What I have a problem with is Oz trying to say that this is the type of diet that humans ate historically.  That is just not the case.   In the future, if I’m discussing an Ancestral type diet with someone and they say they are familiar with it, I’ll have to clarify whether or not they are referring to the Vegan diet that Oz has cloaked with Prehistoric Diet mantle.  It complicates things.

When you get right down to it, the Dr. Oz Show is Reality TV, on par with The Jersey Shores and The Jerry Springer Show.  Entertainment trumps facts every time.  Unfortunately, Dr. Oz’s association with Oprah has given people the perception that he’s an authority in matters of health.  Many people accept what Oz says as fact, without further research into the matter.  Doesn’t the Hippocratic Oath say that physicians should do no harm?

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Musings on My Evolution to the Ancestral Diet

Posted on October 29, 2011 by paleopassage

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.“ Don Williams Jr.

I’ve been thinking lately about all the twists and turns that I have made on my journey to the Paleo Lifestyle and way of eating.  In retrospect, I’m surprised that the journey has been so long.  Nutrition and biologically appropriate foods have been an ongoing interest of mine.  However, the focus was on providing nutritious, quality foods for my pets.  Apparently I cared more about their health and well-being than I did about my own.

My first foray into developing and feeding biologically appropriate foods for my pets began in the 1990s.  I had a large reptile collection, including a Green Iguana.  I was an active member of a number of email lists devoted to various reptile species. Prominent amongst these lists was the Iguana Mailing List (IML).   At the time, this was my intellectual obsession.

Note:  My loyal readers may have noticed that my current intellectual obsessions are the Ancestral diet and lifestyle.  I have a tendency to become very focused on topics that capture my interest.  I research and build my expertise in the area of interest.  After a time, I either lose interest and move on, or incorporate the interest into my persona.  The focus reduces somewhat, but I still follow the topic.  I should also note here that I scored a 34 or 35 on that Austism Spectrum test that has beeen going around the Internet.

At that time, Melissa Kaplan was generally recognized as one of the foremost authorities on reptile care and husbandry.  She built and maintained a website which is still a valuable resource on these topics.  I absorbed the available studies and resources on reptile diet, and began implementing what I learned with my menagerie.  They thrived.  Here’s a photo of my baby boy, The Z-Man.

Dietary disagreements and warfare break out on a regular basis on the IML.  It’s like any other Internet mailing list or forum.  There are strong personalities there who like to “discuss” and create controversies.  One of these skirmishes heated up, and I was asked to help write and edit a paper outlining the position of my faction in the fight.  I was honored that people I considered very knowledgeable wanted my contribution.  I am proud of our work.  If you are interested, you can find it here:   Iguana Diets:  Setting the Record Straight

My interest in reptiles has waned.  I currently have only one lizard left in my collection (it’s a C. similis for those who are interested).  It’s 14 years old now and still going strong.  When that lizard crosses the Rainbow Bridge TMOTH (The Man of the House) and I will be reptile-free for the first time.  It’s difficult to travel when you have a lot of reptiles.  Pet sitters that are qualified to care for them are few and far between.

After I got the reptile diet dialed in, I turned my focus on the dogs.  TMOTH and I had four elderly dogs.  We’re a blended family, and we both came into our relationship with a number of pets.  I did research on biologically appropriate diets for canines.  Out of all the models, I felt the whole prey model outlined by Tom Lonsdale, DVM made the most sense.  You can find information regarding this diet here if you are interested.

I implemented the diet with our dogs.  They appeared to feel like they had hit the mother lode.  It was very well accepted and tolerated.  We saw some health improvements, particularly with allergies and skin conditions.  I feel like it gave several of them an extra year or two of quality life.  The four of them remained on this diet until they crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  They were 15, 16, and 13 (both labs).

The Airedale Terrierists have been eating according to the whole prey model since they came to live with us.  I’ve been pleased with the results.  They had slow, steady even growth.  They are sturdy and well-muscled.    Queen Barktifah is currently 7 years old.  Muffie Stuffie Sucker is 5 years old.  They have been quite healthy and all signs point to that continuing.

Queen Barktifah

So, why did I never consider that I might benefit from following a biologically appropriate Ancestral Diet until a few months ago?  I’ve certainly seen the benefits of this type of diet with the animals in my care.  Why did I put more importance on caring for my animals than I did in caring for myself?

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to answer these questions.  I think part of the reason is that I believed I was feeding myself a healthy diet.  I had nutrition courses in college.  I followed all the guidelines (sporadically).  I found it impossible to follow them all the time.  I was always hungry.  Even when I did everything CW (conventional wisdom) advised to me to do, the results were not there.  I was carrying extra weight and always hungry.  Every ounce I lost was a struggle.  I was often tired and had low energy most afternoons.

My Ancestral Diet and lifestyle are a work in progress.  The research I have read makes sense to me.  I believe this is the best way for me to live for long-term health.  As far as results go, I’m still a work in progress.  I’m seeing health benefits beyond weight and body composition.  I will admit that one of my goals is to LGN (Look Good Nekkid).  I’m not there yet, but things are headed that way.  Most importantly, I feel good.  It’s not a struggle to eat this way.  With every day that passes this way of life and way of eating is becoming an integral part of my life.

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It’s Five Finger Friday Again!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by paleopassage

Guess what?!!!  It’s Five Finger Friday again.  I must confess that I have started my descent down the slippery slope.  I wore my pink VFF Mary Janes to work on Tuesday.  One person commented “hey it’s not Friday yet.”

Well, we finally have made it through the week to Friday.  Here’s the ensemble du jour.

I am starting to feel the need for a basic black pair of VFFs to round out my wardrobe.  Here are some of the options.
This is the classic model. It has a low vamp which is good for elongating leg length.  Having that much foot exposed might be a bit cold in the approaching inclement weather.

Or I could go with the Mary Jane in black.  I’m finding the pink ones to be very comfortable.  I also like how they look.  Again, this shoe would not be a good foul weather shoe.

The KSO Treks offer good foul weather coverage.  However, I’m concerned that I’d look like I had gorilla feet while I was wearing them.

I’d love to feature some of my loyal readers rocking their Five Fingers along with me. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming Five Finger Friday post, email me a photo of you rocking your VFFs at paleopassage@gmail.com

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Paleo Recipe: Pork Chops with Sauerkraut

Posted on October 27, 2011 by paleopassage

Today’s recipe is an example of free form cooking.  I had a concept and I set out to create it.  This is a very simple, yet tasty meal.

This concept was born in the kitchen at work.  I was talking pressure cookers with a co-worker of mine (who happens to be German).  She mentioned that one of her favorite pressure cooker recipes was Pork Chops with Sauerkraut.    The pressure cooker reduces the Sauerkraut down to a tangy sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 TBS Olive or Coconut Oil
  • Ground Mustard
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Bone in, extra thick Pork Chops
  • 1 cup Raw Sauerkraut (for more authentic flavor, get some flavored with Juniper berries)
  • 1  ½ cups water

Rub the pork chops with dry mustard.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.   Heat the oil in the pressure cooker.  Brown the pork chops on both sides.

Add the water to the pressure cooker and place the pork chops inside.    Cover the pork chops with sauerkraut.

Lock the lid into place and bring up to pressure on high heat.  As soon as the pressure is up, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain the pressure (on my stove this is medium).

Cook 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and  use the natural release method before opening the lid (let the pressure reduce on its own).  Serve the pork chops topped with the sauerkraut along with your favorite vegetable for a delicious meal.  We had Roasted Asparagus.

The variations on this are endless.  I think I’m going to try it with the Kim Chi I am making for an Asian flair.  Sliced apples or pears would also be very tasty, especially combined with some Dijon mustard.

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Creative Paleo Cooking

Posted on October 26, 2011 by paleopassage

Paleo cooking has given me a new creative outlet.  It’s been fun to alter my cooking style to create meals that adhere to Paleo guidelines.  Purchasing seasonal, locally grown ingredients at the Farmer’s Market has added an additional level of complexity to meal preparation.

In my mind, this is not a bad thing, it’s added challenge and creativity to a task that can become routine and boring.  Instead of sitting down, planning a menu for the following week and then going to the store to purchase the items needed to prepare those meals, I go to the Farmer’s Market and purchase the available ingredients.  Then I come up with a meal plan that utilizes the bounty I was able to gather.

I have not relied much on recipes for cooking for many years.  I will get a concept in my mind, and then look for something similar in order to get a general idea about cook times and temperatures.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my cookbooks.  However, I use them more for entertainment (Food Porn) than I do for cooking.  Cookbooks are also useful for providing new ideas for combinations of foods to put together.  I do cook recipes from my cookbooks sometimes.  I generally tweak them a bit to suit my tastes as well as the peculiarities of my cooking equipment.

When I started eating Paleo/Primal I purchased several cookbooks to help me figure out meals beyond a slab o’meat with a side of vegetables.  That type of meal is wonderful sometimes, but can get repetitive and boring very quickly.  I needed some inspiration and ideas on how to move beyond that.

The first two cookbooks I acquired were Everyday Paleo

and Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals.

Both of these books helped jump-start my Paleo cooking.

I have especially enjoyed Everyday Paleo.    There are several good stuffing recipes which can be utilized for everything from winter squash, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers and more.  This book inspired me to get a pressure cooker and see what I could do with it.  The pressure cooker brings extremely thick pork chops, beets, winter squash and artichokes into the work night rotation.  Without a pressure cooker these things take too long to cook for us to eat them during the week.

I have just recently received Paleo Comfort Foods.

I’ll be doing a review of this book very soon.  My initial reaction is that the sauce section is very creative and awesome.  I like to use sauces in my cooking.  In the past I’ve relied a lot on prepared sauces.  Prepared sauces contain many ingredients that I have eliminated from my diet.  I think I am going to enjoy making a lot of the Paleo Comfort Foods sauces and incorporating them into my gastronomic creations.

Amazon just shipped my copy of Make it Paleo.

I’ll do a review of that book after I check it out. I love the authors’ blog, so I have high hopes for this book.

Cookbooks can be fun to look at, and nice to refer to on those occasions when the creative juices just aren’t flowing.  Most of the time I free form cook.  I look at the meats and vegetables that were available at the Farmer’s Market.  I also have stock pantry items on hand at all time to fill in the gaps.  I select a protein source and vegetable(s).  Then I decide what cooking method and spices I will utilize to prepare the food.

When I was a young adult and new to cooking, I cooked almost exclusively from recipes.  As I gained experience with cooking, and basic cooking techniques I moved away from using recipes.  I cook more by feel now.  If I do use a recipe, it’s usually a very revised and altered version of the original.

My advice to people who don’t have a lot of cooking experience is to get educated on basic cooking techniques.  Once a working understanding is achieved of basic cooking techniques and their intended effects on the food, the only limit on what can be made is your creativity and imagination.

For those nights when you just can’t come up with an idea, Robb Wolf has put together a matrix that can help.  It’s included in his book, The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet .  Select one item from the protein column, one from the fat column, and one or two items from the vegetable and spice columns.  Voila!  You have dinner.

Note:  If you have any creative Paleo favorites you would like to share, tell us about them in the comments.

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My Paleo Plate 10/25/11

Posted on October 25, 2011 by paleopassage

Most of you are probably familiar with the plate icon that has replaced the old food pyramid.

The folks at Fitbomb came up with a Paleo version.

When people find out that I’m not eating grains, legumes, dairy or processed foods they often ask “What do you eat? Don’t you get bored?”

I eat tasty, real food.  I don’t get bored.  The possibilities are endless and limited only by my own creativity.  From time to time I’ll do a post on My Paleo Plate and show you what I eat in a day.

Breakfast:  This is an omelet made from pastured eggs from the Hector Alvarez Farm.  I used one duck egg and one chicken egg.  The eggs from this farm are the best that I have found.  The omelet is stuffed with Wild King Salmon and Spinach.  The topping is Sriracha sauce.

Lunch:  Slow-cooked grass-fed London Broil topped with Bearnaise Sauce.  Veggies are beets onions and beet greens sautéed with bacon.

Dinner:  We had dinner out at Smokehouse BBQ in Sebastopol.  I had the West County Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad and an appetizer portion of Smoked Chicken Wings.  I forgot to ask them to hold the croutons.  I had to pick them out before I ate.  The food was FABULOUS.  It is possible to eat out and still follow a Paleo eating plan.

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Dream Interpretation

Posted on October 24, 2011 by paleopassage

I think this Paleo lifestyle is starting to be hardwired in me.  Last night I dreamed that my family and I had been involved in a horrible flood.  We all survived.  My focus then turned to how I was going to find enough meat to eat…  😀

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