The Primal Home

Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken

2011-09-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

I found the recipe this is based on while ~~wasting time~~ browsing on Pinterest.

Are you on Pinterest? It's such a fun way to collect ideas and recipes. It's much more efficient than my old system of a million bookmarks! Your welcome to follow me. I collect paleo/ primal recipes, kitchen and home ideas, preschool homeschool ideas and just stuff that makes me smile. Also if you have a paleo/ primal board let me know in the comments so I can follow you!

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Honey Vs. Stevia

2011-09-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Photo by Siona Watson

Before I get into this subject I need to say that the best thing for health and weight loss is to avoid sugar in all it's forms. However, even though this blog is called "The Primal Home", I am not some super fit, never eat a carb, crossfitter. (Although I greatly admire these types- I'm just not there yet.) For my family, especially the kids, we enjoy something lightly sweet on occasion. I usually use honey to accomplish this.
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Grain Free Zucchini Bread

2011-09-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when we all seem to have way more zucchini than we know what to do with. In the past I've always made use of it in bread. So this year I had to come up with a grain free, paleo/primal zucchini bread. It turned out every bit as good as the wheat based version. Your friends will never know the difference!

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3 Alternatives To Soda

2011-09-01T23:13:00.000-07:00

Photo by MzScarlett

I love to drink water but sometimes I find myself craving something different. Something with a little flavor- especially during these hot summer days. Here are 3 great alternatives to soda:

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Bacon Muffins- Grain Free

2011-08-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

I came up with this recipe while trying to think of a grain free substitute for corn bread. (yes, corn is a grain) And so the grain free bacon muffin was born! These have the same sweet and savory mix as cornbread. They are great for breakfast or served with bbq.

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Primal Lemon Bars

2011-08-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

I had to play with this recipe for awhile to get it right but now I'm really happy with the results. I love that even though I'm eating a treat it still has tons of protein from all the eggs. You will need a total of 11 eggs for this recipe!

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10 Ways To Make Dinner At Home Special

2011-08-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Photo by woodleywonderworks

Going to a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion seems to be the norm in our culture. Someone's birthday? Let's go out! Got a promotion? Let's go out! Got an A on the big test? Let's go out!

But eating out on the paleo diet can be tough. It's not impossible but it's hard to know when your really getting quality food. It can also be hard on your wallet.

Below are some ideas for making dinner at home special when you have something to celebrate. Or you just want to have a little fun on a smaller budget.

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Save Your Bacon Grease!

2011-08-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Southern cooks have been doing it for generations but growing up in the north I had never heard of saving bacon grease until I was an adult and became interested in traditional foods.

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Time Saving Tip: Freeze Chopped Onion & Garlic

2011-08-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Photo by flavorrelish

I use onions and garlic in almost every savory recipe but I hate chopping them! Especially the onions. Recently I came up with the idea of chopping a whole bunch at once and freezing for later use. It's been such a time saver on busy nights.

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How To Beat Junk Food Addiction- Free E-Book!

2011-08-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Photo by jenny downing

Can you be addicted to junk food? This may be shocking but junk food addiction displays many of the same symptoms as drug addiction.

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Guest Post Today on Modern Alternative Mama: Summer Sunburns

2011-08-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Be sure to head on over to Modern Alternative Mama today and read my guest post on how to naturally relieve sunburns.

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Sugarless Italian Soda

2011-08-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just want something cold and yummy to drink other than water. That's why I came up with this sugarless Italian soda. It's bubbly and refreshing, creamy and delicious but not sweet.

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My Favorite Herbal Remedy Reference Book

2011-08-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not the kind of parent that calls the doctor for every little cough. I prefer to treat my children at home if possible. That's why having a reference book is really handy. I have several but my favorite for herbal remedies is Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm, MD.

I've used this book when my son's asthma was acting up. By using the tea and massage techniques she recommended he was able to breath normally and we avoided having to use his nebulizer.

This book covers almost every subject from colds to bug bites to food sensitivities. It lists basic information, what to look out for, when you need to seek medical care and herbal remedies.

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Coconutty Paleo Fudge

2011-08-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

I know paleo fudge is kind of a oxymoron. But while most fudge is made with tons of powdered sugar this one is sweetened with only honey. It's super delicious!

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Why You Should Limit Raw Broccoli

2011-08-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Photo by: www.bluewaikiki.com

Raw broccoli and cauliflower are standard on party platters and coleslaw is a picnic favorite but did you know that eating too many raw cruciferous vegetables can interfere with your thyroid function?

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Back From The Hospital and Our Plan

2011-08-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a quick update since I haven't posted in a few days. I've been busy because this weekend my eldest son was in the hospital. He came down with Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura (HSP). It's an autoimmune disease where your antibodies start attacking your own body. He had a painful rash and his joints all swelled up. He was in a lot of pain and was not able to walk, stand or really move at all.

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How To Make Coconut Milk

2011-07-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

We use a lot of coconut milk in our house and it gets pretty expensive. The average price of a can of coconut milk is about $2.00. And then there is the concerns over BPA in the cans and the guar gum that's usually added.

A few days ago I decided to do some investigating to see if there was a way to bring this cost down. Low and behold- I found out it's super easy to make your own coconut milk using shredded coconut and water. Shredded coconut is significantly cheaper than canned coconut milk.

Chocolate Chip Cookies- Grain Free, Egg Free

2011-07-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed I have a disproportionate amount of primal "treats" on this blog. It's a weakness. I'm working on it.

I've mentioned before that my son is allergic to eggs and almonds. Unfortunately almost every grain free baked good recipe I could find called for a huge amount of eggs. So I decided to come up with a cookie recipe myself that my son could enjoy.

I'm really happy with the way these turned out! Even my mom, who does not eat primal, said they were good.

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Dehydrating Carrots and Celery

2011-07-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to try out the dehydrator. I've never used it before but have been wanting to learn more ways to preserve food. I used some carrots and celery in the fridge that I knew we would not be able to eat before they went bad.
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Cooking With Kids: An Exercise In Patience

2011-07-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

Over the last month I've been focusing on involving my children in the cooking process. Right now they are not much of a help to me in the kitchen. In fact they make it much much harder. The 2 year old mostly makes a mess. She'll get food all over the counter, the floor, her clothes, her face.... My 4 year old does a decent job of completing a task like chopping vegetables but he's sooooo sloooooooow. It takes him about 25 times longer than it would take me to just do it myself.

However I've come to realize that if I want them to love cooking real food and help me when they are older I need to make it a pleasant experience. That's where patience comes in. I need lots of it when the kids are in the kitchen.

Bacon Rosemary Deviled Eggs

2011-07-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

My husband said these were amazing! Who doesn't love the classic combination of bacon and eggs? I added rosemary because that's what I had on hand but I bet it would also be good with chives.
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Emergency Prepardness For The Primal Home Part 3- Where Do I Store All This Food?

2011-07-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

This post is part three in a series. Don't miss part one and part two.

Photo by thebittenword

Now that you have read through the list of shelf stable primal foods you may be wondering where in the heck you are going to keep all this extra food.

The good news is that even in small apartments there is room for food storage. If you make it a priority.

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Rosemary Chicken With Mushrooms

2011-07-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

If only you could smell this...

This stir fry is super fast, easy and makes a delicious dinner.

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How To Decode Produce Stickers

2011-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by athrasher

Have you ever wondered what the number on the little produce sticker means? It can tell you some useful information.

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The Best and Worst of Everyday Paleo

2011-07-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've had my copy of Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso for a couple of months now and I've really been enjoying it. She gives lots of great advice on eating paleo with a family.

One of my favorite features is the exercises you can do with babies and kids. It's simple stuff but seeing it there on the page reminds me that having kids is not an excuse to skip workouts.

It's also full of great recipes. I've had a chance to try about half of them. Some are fantastic but there are a few that have been flops. Here's my opinion of the best and the worst recipes in Everyday Paleo:

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