Easy Week Day Breakfast

Do you think following the Paleo lifestyle is too hard? To someone who isn't used to cooking very often, I think it can be hard. Maybe they don't know how to cook or maybe they don't have the time to cook. That's why today, I'm sharing with you my easy, make-ahead breakfast! I'll show you that having a home cooked breakfast everyday can be easy and delicious!

My husband and I have eaten basically nothing but fried eggs for our work day breakfasts since we started eating Paleo in April 2013. I've gotten tired of eating the same thing over and over. I also wished I could just have something as simple and easy as cereal. 

So I started making Struesel Apple Egg Muffins (click for recipe) from the book Practical Paleo, on Sundays for the work week ahead. It only takes about 15 minutes of active prep time with 40 minutes of baking time. You start out by sauteing green apples with lots of cinnamon. If you like cinnamon, you'll like these muffins. Then, after the apples look like chunky applesauce, you mix them in with eggs, coconut flour and some other ingredients and pour them into muffin liners. Then you're free to do whatever you want for the next 40 minutes. 

Since I won't be eating these immediately, I let them completely cool and put them in a gallon sized bag and store them in the fridge. The freezer would keep them longer, but I can't figure out how to stop crystals from forming on them. It makes them watery and throws the texture off. One batch only lasts us 3 days, so I don't need to keep them in the freezer anyway.

When we're ready to eat, I just take two muffins out of the fridge and pop them in the microwave for 40 seconds on high.  I think I've mentioned this before, but my husband has to leave for work really early in the morning (or you could look at it like late at night!). I don't usually feel like frying up eggs that early, so I really love that it only takes 40 seconds from fridge to table.

Just so you're aware, these muffins are eggy, as they're made of mostly eggs. They will not be like a grain muffin. When I first made these, I thought they would be like a grain muffin because they had a little coconut flour in them.

If you don't like the Apple Cinnamon flavor of these, there are a lot of variations on egg muffins out there. Just google it! I've seen pizza flavored ones, ones with just sausage and egg and veggie muffins. If you get tired of the streusel apple muffins, make a different kind and you'll still have a quick and easy week day breakfast!

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

Where do most people get their health and food knowledge from? The media, government, doctors and word of mouth, basically. Should we trust them? It seems that these sources aren't very trustworthy, so why don't people do their own research?

My impression of they way people 'research' their food is this: they'll click on an article on Yahoo.com, if it's convenient, or listen in when the news channel reports on the latest diets. They probably think the food pyramid, er, food plate, created by the government,  is healthy because that's what they've been told. They don't know that canola oil is bad. The labels say it's heart healthy and full of Omega 3's. Why give it a second thought?


Before I started researching for myself, never in my life would I have thought that 'healthy' whole grain was bad for me. I mean, to doubt this common knowledge is like believing in conspiracy theories! It goes against everything we've come to know. 

The USDA's recommendation to eat whole grains is based on what they call "Moderate Evidence". Sounds solid (can you sense the sarcasm?). They define "Moderate Evidence" as something that "reflects somewhat less consistent evidence or less consistent evidence. The body of evidence may include studies of weaker design and/or some inconsistency in results. The studies may be susceptible to some bias, but not enough to invalidate the results, or the body of evidence may not be as generalizable to the population of interest.".

I want more than 'moderate evidence' before I go eating 'whole' grains again. I've eliminated grains completely from my diet and I feel so much better now. If I do eat grains for whatever reason, I can tell a difference in my body almost immediately after eating them. Not a good difference, either. THAT is enough evidence for me. 

A little off subject, but the term 'whole grains' bothers me. I see it all the time plastered on packaged bread, cereal, flour, pasta, etc. When was the last time you bit down on a whole grain (in one piece) from one of those things? It's processed, not whole.

You've heard that cholesterol is bad, haven't you (from your doctor or the government, no doubt)?Well, have you heard that every cell in your body is made with cholesterol? Or that your liver makes your body's cholesterol? To me, it doesn't make sense that if our bodies need cholesterol and our liver makes cholesterol, that it would be bad for us. Here's a quote from the article "The Cholesterol Myth That Could be Harming Your Health" talking about cholesterol:

"It is taking it back to your liver so that your liver can recycle it; put it back into other particles to be taken to tissues and cells that need it," Dr. Rosedale explains. "Your body is trying to make and conserve the cholesterol for the precise reason that it is so important, indeed vital, for health."

Stay with me here, I'm laying bread crumbs. Grains cause inflammation in the body. It could be anywhere in your body - stomach, skin, arteries, etc. Remember, doctors and the government tells you that whole grains are heart healthy. Well, inflammation is linked to many, many diseases, one of them being heart disease. So, the very thing that is supposed to be helping our heart (grains) is hurting it (inflammation). 

What is inflammation?A small example of inflammation is if you were to get cut -  inflammation springs into action.  The blood vessels constrict to keep you from bleeding too much, the blood becomes thicker so it can clot, cells multiply to repair the damage, etc. Then the cholesterol comes in to replace your damaged cells. No cell can be made without it. So, your liver will make more of it if it needs to. 

I think the doctors and medical researchers are seeing the increase of cholesterol with heart disease present and thinking that the cholesterol must be causing the heart disease. When in fact, the cholesterol is only at increased levels because it's trying to replace the damaged cells because of the heart disease.

Now that you know a little about cholesterol, do you trust the government when they say that cholesterol is bad and chemically made vegetable oils and whole grains are good? 

Alright, so what about the doctors in this country? They're in line with the government on what's healthy and what's not. It's not surprising. In medical school, they require medical students to only have 25 HOURS worth of nutrition study. As in, they only study the way food affects our bodies for less than one week! A recent study found that most medical school students don't even meet the required 25 hours! How will Doctors know if whole grains or anything else for that matter, are healthy or not?

It drives me crazy that people don't know that what they're eating is so unhealthy and that there are doctors telling them otherwise. How will they ever find out if they don't take the time and effort to do the research themselves? Will they ever know that they don't need to take prescription drugs if they just changed their diet? The doctors won't tell them, they get too much money from the drug companies. They'd be shooting themselves in the foot.

Ideal Weight ≠ Healthy

There's a certain mentality in America when it comes to health and food. People think just because they're skinny that means they're healthy. If I tell someone I'm on a 'diet', they'll usually tell me that I don't need to be because I'm skinny. I try to explain that I'm just trying to be healthy, but they usually don't seem to understand why. 

It's like some people think all food is good for is taste and body weight only. It's so much more than that!

A person could look like the picture of health on the outside, but on the inside they could be having all kinds of health problems (heartburn, constipation, low energy, etc.). They don't realize that what their eating is causing these problems. They probably think it's just apart of life like I used to. For example, I thought you were supposed to have an unpleasant full feeling after eating and I though burping was normal, too. I don't deal with those things any more! FYI - Too much burping after eating is a sign your body is not digesting the food well.

The reason I eat Paleo is that I don't want to be miserable with problems like heartburn, headaches, stomach issues and conditions like diabetes and heart disease. When I get older, I don't want to have to take multiple prescription drugs that give me horrible side effects. I want to live a good life in a healthy body. 

I think some older people don't know if their health problems are because of their old age or the pills their taking! I don't want to end up like that and I don't want anyone else to be like that either.

 I hope this post helped you realize that food is important to your health and well being. Research the food you eat. Don't take someone's word for it, find out for yourself! 

Books I Love // Practical Paleo

I'm going to start reviewing Paleo books I've bought. So far, I have quite a few and I've got a lot more on my wish list! Here's the review on the very first Paleo book.

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I really love the book, Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. It has it all. It answers questions like, "Why shouldn't I eat grains?" and has awesome recipes like Pumpkin Pancakes, in the same book. I make those Pumpkin Pancakes all the time, they're easy to make and so tasty! Anytime someone asks me what Paleo book should they buy first,  I always tell them Practical Paleo.

The first part of the book is all about the why's of the Paleo diet. Why is grain bad? Why is dairy bad? She also explains how the body digests and uses the food we eat in an easy to understand way.  To me,  it was very important to have all of this information, especially when I first started Paleo. I needed to know why I was eating this way, especially if I was struggling to eliminate a certain food. It's a lot easier to eliminate bad foods from my diet now that I know the affect it has on my health. Like the other day,  someone brought in a store bought Pecan Pie - my all-time favorite dessert.  I really wanted to eat it, but I didn't. Instead,  I looked at the ingredients on the box it came in - lots of corn, wheat, chemicals and sugar. No thanks.  The Pecan Pie didn't look good anymore because I knew why that stuff was bad and what damage it would cause. You know what they say... knowledge is power!

Diane includes handy guides to hang in your pantry or take with you to the grocery store.  Want to know if a certain cooking oil is safe?  There's a guide for that!  Something else that ready helped me is her restaurant & travel guide.  She goes through each type of restaurant and goes over safe food choices. I went on vacation when I was newly Paleo and the guide helped me stay on track.  The only time I went off the diet in the 3 days, was when I had ice cream. I couldn't not have ice cream!

The next portion of the book is nothing but meal plans for specific health problems and some for people with specific needs like weight loss.  Diane tells you what foods you need to avoid or eat more of for your particular situation.  It's like a custom Paleo template. Each plan also has a 30 day menu all planned out using the recipes in the book. She makes it so easy!  There's even a list of what supplements to take depending on your situation. Some of the plans are weight loss, blood sugar regulation, digestive health, neurological health and heart health.

The rest of the book is all recipes.  Delicious recipes!  Everything I've tried so far I've loved!  She has a spicy chili recipe that uses butternut squash instead of beans. The squash is the perfect replacement.  Recently, I started making her Apple Streusel Egg Muffins ahead of time for my and my husband's weekday breakfast. They're packed with cinnamon and reheat well. 

The newest recipe I've tried was her Zucchini Pancakes (they're a savory flavor, not like a typical pancake).  It was Saturday and I was searching for something to make for lunch and remembered that she says they make good hamburger buns.  We eat hamburgers without a bun all the time,  but my husband misses being able to pick the hamburger up with his hands. So I thought I would try it. Just like her other recipes,  this one was easy to make and it made the perfect bun!  Bonus- my husband ate a lot of veggies that day, too! He's not a fan of veggies,  but he liked the "bun". 

Other recipes that look good,  but I haven't tried yet are Carrot Gingerbread Muffins, Fiery Jalapeno Buffalo Burgers, Thanksgiving Stuffing Meatballs, Candied Carrots, Butternut Sage Soup and Pumpkin Pie Custard. I think I just planned my meals for next week!  Diane has some recipes from the book on her website- BalancedBites.com (If mentioned a recipe that's on her site, I linked to it above). Check it out!

Now, go buy the book! You'll be glad you did!

Saturday Picnic

On Saturday, we went to the mountains to see the leaves change! We had a picnic, went for a hike, rode a ways on the Blue Ridge Parkway, found a car show (!) and ate at a BBQ restaurant. It was perfect!

Since moving to North Carolina from Florida a couple years ago, it's become a yearly tradition to try and catch the leaves at their peak in the mountains. Before moving here, we had never saw the leaves change anywhere. Florida doesn't do that. Florida doesn't do a lot of things. It makes you hot and that's it.

We went to the Elk Knob State Park near Boone, NC. The leaves looked amazing! Everyone in the Jeep kept pointing and saying, "Oooh, look at that tree!" or "Look how red that one is!". Sooo pretty! It was even prettier because there was a lot of fog on the ground and on the mountains.

We ate lunch at one of the picnic tables at the park, in the fog. It was eerie and cold. I wished I had brought hot soup! Instead, we had Applegate Farms sliced Ham, apples, banana chips, black olives, boiled eggs and grain-free mini chocolate chip cookies I made at 6:30 that morning. My husband had to work for a couple hours, so I got up with him and made the cookies after he left. Anyway, that's basically my standard picnic spread. Everyone likes it and it's quick and easy to put together.

After we ate, we went for a hike. The hike wasn't strenuous at all, which was nice, I didn't want to be exhausted for the rest of the day. The photos below are from the hike. Everything was so pretty in the fog, so magical.

Then we rode on the Blue Ridge Parkway searching for more leaves and scenic overlooks. Unfortunately, the peak leaves were in places over 4,000 feet in altitude and we were in lower mountains, so they weren't as colorful. Still, the views were amazing!

On the way back, I remembered my sister telling my about a BBQ restaurant that Bobby Flay, AKA "Baby" Flay (that's what we call him), visited on the Food Network that was nearby.

When we got to the North Wilkesboro, NC (where the restaurant is), it was too early to eat. So to kill time, I wanted to go antique shopping in the downtown area. When we got there, they we're having a car show! We've been trying to go to a car show for a while. I loved looking at the classic cars with the mountains in the backdrop. I took a photo with my phone.

At the restaurant, I ordered pulled pork with potato wedges (not fried in bad oils like french fries), BBQ slaw, green beans (canned, ew) and hush puppies. Hush puppies are not Paleo, but I can't resist eating a couple bites! Side note, I hate getting vegetables at restaurants. You never know if they're going to be canned or not. The pork was nice and smoky, but I don't know why Baby Flay liked the restaurant as a whole, so much. Baby doesn't like canned green beans.

Something really cool about that place was that they make their own ice cream! And waffle cones, too! I have a soft spot for 'from scratch' made things. I saw that they had pumpkin pie ice cream and I couldn't resist! I know it had grain in it, but I was hoping it'd be worth it... and it was! The ice cream was so creamy, I don't think I'd ever had ice cream that creamy before. I want to know their secret! 

And just so you know, the ice cream made me feel gross. I could only eat half of it. 

I saved the rest for the next day! 

Weeknight Meal // Taco Salad

Last night for supper I made a Taco Salad. We usually have this once a week. It's inexpensive to make and really easy. 

I've made this with flank steak, skirt steak and ground beef. You can use pretty much anything that would go in a taco. I made it with ground beef this time because it's easier than steak. I used Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning even though it has some sugar added to it. One day I'll make my own, but I really like the TJ's seasoning for now. As you can see from the photo, the salad consisted of store-bought guacamole (I can't bring myself to make my own, Avocados gross me out), no sugar added salsa, romaine lettuce and black olives.

I started making this meal after we went to Chipotle for the first time after starting Paleo. I'd heard that it's a fairly Paleo-friendly restaurant. If you've ever been to Chipotle, you know that every dish comes with rice and beans. We skipped that and it left us with salsa, lettuce, guacamole and pork. It was tasty, but it was around $25.00 for just my husband and me.  That's too much money for something I can make at home for under $10.00, plus we're not getting the rice and beans that we're paying for. Just an FYI - Chipotle uses soybean oil on every meat choice but pork.

 Here's a breakdown of some of the goodies you'll get from eating this meal.

Grass-fed Beef  - Omega 3's, Omega 6's, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene, Zinc, Iron, Potassium (Grain-fed will not have as much of these nutrients or will not have them at all)

Avocado (Guacamole) - Omega 3's, Omega 6's, Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamin C, B5, Potassium and B6

Black Olives - Omega 3's, Omega 6's, Oleic Fatty Acids, Iron and Copper

This meal is a win, win, win, win. It's got everything. It's healthy, filling, easy to make and quick! The meat and healthy fats will fill you up for sure. You won't need the tortilla! Try it!

A Family's Drastic Change

It seems like a lot of people don't think they need to worry about what they eat. Like someone who is at their ideal weight and they don't have any out of the ordinary health problems. They may have the occasional heartburn, acne and low energy. But that's normal, right? Everyone has that stuff. It may be normal, but it doesn't have to be that way. 

Eating healthy food should be a priority for everyone. Even kids! What if a kid's asthma could be stopped by eliminating certain unhealthy foods? It can.  Read this family's success story from following the Paleo diet. They healed themselves from the food they ate! Absolutely amazing! No prescriptions needed. Thanks to eating Paleo, they stopped their pet allergies, depression, their kids' behavioral problems, skin issues and asthma!

If you needed a reason to eat better, I hope this family's story helped you. Even if you don't have the noticeable problems like this family did, a Paleo lifestyle could still make a huge difference in how you feel. I thought how I felt before Paleo was normal. Now I feel so much better. Give the Paleo Lifestyle a try and see for yourself!

Saturday Breakfast // Sausage Gravy & Biscuit

Every Saturday, I try to make a breakfast my husband will love. We only have one day off a week together, Saturday, so I make it count!

Not long before switching to the Paleo lifestyle, I mastered biscuits made from scratch and I made sausage gravy for the first time. I'm from the South, so I had to be able to make a good biscuit. No one ever says this, it's just an unspoken truth. After we switched, I thought I would never eat a plate of sausage gravy and biscuit again, but I was wrong! The cookbook, Beyond Bacon came into my life and showed me the way to make sausage gravy and biscuit. 

The sausage gravy was amazing! My husband loved it and thought it tasted like the real thing! But it wasn't. Instead of milk and flour, it was made with coconut milk and arrowroot starch. I know I will definitely be making this again and again. Unfortunately, I had to use someone else's recipe for the biscuits. I forgot it called for tapioca flour and I didn't have any. I wish I would've had some because the recipe I used called for coconut flour and they turned out a little dense. I'm hoping the tapioca flour makes a fluffier biscuit. I'll report back when I try it. 

I also decided to throw together some blueberry jam. If there are biscuits, there has to be jam. I only made about ½ a cup. Here's how:

½ Cup frozen or fresh blueberries

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice - fresh or bottled

1 Tablespoon Raw Honey

I just eyeballed the measurements, jam is very forgiving.

Over med-high heat, add all ingredients to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Let it cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Keep in mind it will thicken as it cools, too. If the jam gets too thick as it cooks, add a little water.

What About Your Cooking Oils?

Have you ever thought about the oils you cook with? Until I started researching the Paleo diet, I didn't give them one thought. Everyone uses pretty much the same ones - canola or olive oil, right? Everyone on the Food Network does. So, you would think they were safe to use, but they're definitely NOT safe.

Why Vegetable Oils are Bad

Vegetable oils are unsaturated fats. They are liquid at room temperature and oxidize easily. If you were to leave them out, uncovered, in a week (maybe sooner) they would be rancid. If you were to do that same thing with a saturated fat, such as coconut oil, it would be perfectly fine. Unsaturated fats are susceptible to damage from not only air (like being left out), but also light and heat. Yes, it damages the fat when you cook it. 

When you eat unsaturated fats, like Canola Oil, your body won't recognize it as food. It will be treated like a toxin and will be stored in your fat cells instead of being digested like food. Too many toxins leads to inflammation. 

According to the University of Florida - 4.6% of the fatty acids in Canola oil are plastic due to the refining process.

Canola Oil

A few things I noticed when watching this video was:

70 Minute Chemical Solvent Wash

20 Minute Sodium Hydroxide Wash

Bleaching for Color

We're supposed to eat that? 

The chemical solvent used Canola extraction process is usually Hexane. According to EPA.gov, in addition to Canola Oil, it is used in Rubber Cement, Varnishes & Inks. It's also used in the processing of other oils, like peanut oil. I was most surprised to see this on the EPA site:

"No information is available on the reproductive or development effects of Hexane in humans."

Seriously bad! I didn't know what sodium hydroxide was, either. I found out that it's in floor stripping products, brick cleaners, drain cleaners, metal polishes and oven cleaners! I don't want to eat something that is used for cleaning out drains. 

Lastly, they didn't like the ugly color, so they BLEACHED it. Bleach is good for you, right? Cleans your insides.

*Olive Oil can be used for cold applications, like in salad dressings.

Transfats

Transfats are in man-made saturated fats like Crisco, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Country Crock and others. Transfats are know to wreak havoc in your body and are linked to cancer, diabetes, decreased immune function, reproduction problems and obesity. Obviously, this not a good food choice.

Heart Disease and other heart problems are the #1 cause of death in the US with most Americans eating unsaturated fats that claim to be heart healthy. If they're so healthy, why so many deaths?

So, what should we cook with instead?

Cook with saturated fats, of course! most Read this article on why Fat is GOOD for you. My favorites and most widely available  fats are Coconut Oil and Grassfed Butter. They are safe for high heat cooking and you don't have to go to a grocery store like Whole Foods to find them, even Walmart has coconut oil. 

Coconut Oil, It's a Good Thing

Coconut oil has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal & antioxidant properties.

It's also a high source of Medium Chain Fatty Acids. Why is that good? The longer the chain is, the harder the fat is for the body to digest. Shorter chains are good for people with Diabetes or gallbladder problems, too. 

Grassfed Butter Benefits

Grassfed Butter contains the following: Vitamin A, Vitamin K2, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Omega 3 fatty acids & Omega 6 fatty acids. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) helps the body combat cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis & food based allergies. It cannot be made by your body, it has to be ingested. The best sources for CLA are grassfed dairy and grassfed beef. If you can't afford grassfed beef, grassfed butter would be a great cooking fat to use (and if your body tolerates it, of course). Grassfed Butter is a super food!

Places to Buy

Look for unrefined Coconut oil. As you can see from the photo above, I did not buy unrefined. Sad face. I mainly use butter, so I'm ok with that. THE BEST coconut oil is made by Tropical Traditions, which you can only order online. Watch for sales. Like today, they are having their gallon size 50% off!  Regular grocery stores carry coconut oil, too, even Walmart.

Good grassfed butter brands are Kerrygold, Anchor and Organic Valley (be sure it's the grassfed kind). Do a search to see if your grocery store carries it. Chances are, it does.

The Bottom Line

Whether you are Paleo or not, you should switch out your cooking fats. It's a simple, easy change that will make a huge difference in your health! Next time you go grocery shopping, buy some coconut oil and grassfed butter!

My Morning Coffee

I thought I would share the way I prepare my morning coffee with you. I try to go without it,  but I wake up in the early AM to send my husband off to work. I'm a good wife like that. After he leaves, I do get some sleep in, but it's not good sleep.  I think my alarm wakes me up right when I get into a deep sleep.  Not cool. So, coffee it is!

I usually make my coffee in a regular coffee maker,  but I prefer cold-brewed. If you haven't tried cold-brewed coffee yet, you must! It's really smooth and you can make a large batch ahead of time.  Here's how to make it. Today, I used just regular coffee. 

When buying your coffee,  read the ingredients list. Would you believe they have ingredients other than coffee listed most of the time? Watch out for natural flavors (that could be anything!) and soy lecithin.

I don't usually flavor my coffee but recently,  I've gotten into Pumpkin Spice coffees. Fall does that to me.  I make a batch of pumpkin spice syrup ahead of time. I've tried these two recipes and I cut way down on the sugar- A Beautiful Mess & Annie's Eats.

I also like to add full-fat coconut milk to my coffee (from a can not a carton).  It's soooo good! It adds a richness to the coffee.  Some people like to add home made almond milk,  coconut oil or even grassfed butter to coffee. If you add the coconut oil or butter,  is best to blend it together.  I'm lazy,  so I'll stick with coconut milk.

I usually put a Cuppow lid on my Ball jar, but it was dirty today. If you haven't heard of a Cuppow, you should check it out! They're so convenient!

There you have it.  My morning coffee.

Don't Like to Read? Listen Instead!

I just finished listening to an excellent podcast on grains, dairy and a few other topics.  I think it would be great for someone who is still on the fence about Paleo or new to Paleo. Seriously,  listen!

It's only an hour long and you don't need an iPod. You can probably use whatever device you are using to read this blog.

Balanced Bites - Episode #18 Paleo 101 Part 1