Primal Kitchen: A Family Grokumentary

On the Positive Flip Side of Learning My Body Fat Percentage

2012-02-07T05:18:00.000-05:00

I recently had a skin fold calipers test to roughly estimate my percentage of body fat - as part of baselining me for my Crossfit box's nutrition challenge. While I predictably had some anxiety about discovering my body fat percentage, I found a strangely uplifting number on the flip side of that data: my lean body weight. It happens to currently be 126.65 lb.

Which is to say, if all of my body fat were to suddenly, spontaneously melt away - beside that being rather unsettling yet decidedly convenient - I'd have 126.65 lb. of muscle and sundry accounting for me.

A healthy body fat bare minimum for women is quoted at around 10-12%. So, even at my extreme leanest while still remaining healthy, I'd weigh roughly 140 lb.

140 lb?! That's essentially what I weighed in high school. I was an athlete in high school, but I never trained at the intensity levels and frequency that I now train in Crossfit.

So what?

So, if I continue to eat a paleo-oriented diet, and to train responsibly, I may very well add some more lean muscle mass, even as I continue to lose body fat. My lean muscle mass may increase to the point that a theoretically "healthy" extremely lean 12% body fat me could still weigh over 150 lb. - and I am 5'6"...5'7" on a fluffy hair day.

I could ultimately end up my leanest, strongest, healthiest self without ever coming close to the low prescribed total body weights that I've seen for my height on various tables and formulae. If I'd have to sacrifice what hard-earned strength and muscle mass I already possess to fit some preordained one-size-fits-all metric for a 5'6" woman's body weight, then you can count me out of ever hitting that milestone.

Ladies: On Comfortably Avoiding Muffin Top Exposure at Crossfit

2012-02-06T06:22:00.000-05:00

This is my contribution to the health and fitness world today. No, not exhaustively and wittily analyzing the hottest new published study. Not philosophically exploring the benefits and disadvantages between 80/20 paleo and perfect paleo.

I want to talk about the dreaded escapee muffin top.

Because I have one. And you might, too. Ain't no shame - if you have a muffin top and you are working out, you are working on it! That said, feeling a bit drafty because you suddenly feel your midriff exposed while trying to exercise can be at best distracting, at worst, fairly mortifying. It helps to know that you can work on the muffin top while keeping it in its place - which is to say, away from the cruel light of day, or overhead fluorescent lights at 5 a.m. workouts.

By now, four months into Crossfitting, I've managed to hone a very serviceable system that keeps my muffin top fully and reliably covered through overhead weighted walking lunges, scaled handstand pushups, and sledgehammer swings. My method also happens to be exceedingly comfortable!

Here it goes:

Foldover style yoga pants. Get thee some! My favorite pair - of which I have two, in black - are the prAna Amber knickers, which are a foldover yoga capri. Roll up that foldover top up all the way - halfway up your stomach - to give you maximum coverage.

On top of that, pull on a:

Very lightweight, long stretchy tank top or cami. Buy this in one body length longer than you usually do. If you're petite, get a regular. If regular, get a tall. There are a lot of options out there - I've heard very good things about the Reebok long bra tops, though personally, for comfort, I'd still rely on my favorite sports bra, the Moving Comfort Maia, underneath any tank top, even those with built in shelf bras. Pull this long tank all the way down at the bottom - then you should have at least a good 6 inches where your yoga pants and your tank overlap.

Final layer (as colder temps dictate):

A workout shirt that is comfortable and breathable. If you pick something that lets you move comfortably and gives added coverage, you can run, jump, pull up, and do what must be done. Since you have two layers of yoga pants/tank overlapping underneath that shirt - no matter which direction it may pull, you can focus on your workout instead of whether you're going to find yourself overexposed.

What wardrobe tricks do you use to make sure that you're comfortable and able to concentrate on your workouts instead of wardrobe malfunctions?

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Thinking About Grandpa

2012-02-05T10:07:00.005-05:00

This time of year, I start to get nostalgic about my grandfather. He was born in 1930, of a flinty, resourceful generation of Depression era children. When he was a grade schooler, it was routine for him to return from school and head out with a gun in a hunt to shoot that evening's supper.

When my mom was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, a lot of food came from friends and family's farms - indeed my great-grandpa's nearby farm still yielded a good amount of fresh milk and eggs that my grandpa and mom would pick up when visiting.

Source: Flickr Creative Commons
Library of Congress

In my grandpa's eyes, breakfast cereal didn't constitute "breakfast" - that status was reserved for bacon and eggs, while breakfast cereal was usually relegated to the category of "snack". Even in his 70s, his fridge's supermarket fare was routinely supplemented with venison, turtle, and fish his friends and associates had hunted down.

Beside his time spent repairing things in his garage, gardening was his major hobby. It was at my grandpa's house that I'd survey his vast supply of canned produce and hear about less mainstream vegetables like kohlrabi. My grandpa's one indulgence was full fat vanilla ice cream, often topped with fresh or canned fruit from his garden.

My grandfather wasn't the paragon of healthy habits - indeed, he smoked cigarettes throughout his life and drank more than his share of alcohol as well. He died in his mid-70s of cancer in early February a few years ago, living much longer than we'd have predicted, owing to a handful of major health scares in the decade leading up to his death. Many of us marveled that he lived so long, but now I'm inclined to wonder if it wasn't his diet that was rich in animal proteins and fats and a huge variety of homegrown produce that kept him with us for much longer than he would have been otherwise.

Now I find myself trying to slowly cultivate the whole foods wisdom that was so hard-won by his generation, and I'm wondering what my grandfather would be thinking of the modern traditional foods renaissance.

Getting Your Family's Buy-In for Real Food Lunchboxes

2012-02-04T06:55:00.001-05:00

For many of us who've resolved to do better with our eating this new year, the biggest obstacle to conquering that resolution is making packed lunches that we and our loved ones look forward to eating. This is especially true if you have a spouse or kids who are determined that lunchtime means a trip for some fast food, or a sandwich, or a slice of pizza from the cafeteria. Here's a few suggestions on dodging those pitfalls:

Don't be afraid to compromise sensibly, especially in the name of initial buy-in - doing this gracefully can help you to dodge protests. Learn the art of the meatza. Make some paleo bread for a die-hard sandwich fan. Find some good quality coconut wraps to make a wrap. That said, be sure to mingle your compromises with some classically paleo meals over the course of the week, which brings me to the next idea.
Try to do mostly "meat and veggies" lunches each week. A lunch that is predominantly high quality animal protein, with some veggies included and some healthy fat, is the kind of lunch that will satiate and keep you and your loved ones humming on even blood sugar for the whole afternoon. Remember, protein keeps you awake, sugars make you sleepy. Lots of wonderful, nourishing paleo foods are nonetheless higher in carbohydrates, so keep the lunchtime carbs low to moderate (unless you've just worked out or are just about to work out and your muscles could use them right away!). Hurdle that afternoon slump by emphasizing quality protein!
Involve them, if they want to be involved. This one has absolutely been key for our household. My daughter - who is almost 5 - is greatly interested in making suggestions for her lunchbox, and she always wants a sneak peek before it gets zipped up in its case before we go drop her off at preschool. Here's how to involve your kids and spouse:

:: Solicit grocery list and grocery shopping input. Your kids and spouse are likelier to eat lunches made of ingredients they've selected themselves. The bonus here is that - if they are skimming grocery ads for produce deals and accompanying you to local markets or farmers - they become more aware of seasonal crops and prices.

:: Discuss a quick preview before the packing starts. Tell your kids or spouse the night before what you have in mind for the next day's lunches. If they aren't up for what you're planning, you can ask them to survey the fridge and pantry and come up with a healthy plan of their own.

:: Have them do the packing. You can preprep some ingredients or set out some options and help them along the way, but getting your family to put their own effort into packing the lunch helps them to get mentally invested in the process. Keep things age appropriate in the packing process - an adult should slice fruit and veggies ahead for younger kids, for example, but the same younger kids can possibly spoon almond butter into a dip container by themselves.
Serve a rainbow. No, not only for the oft-touted benefit that foods of various colors have a wide variety of phytonutrients. Packing lunches with a rainbow of color is also very appealing to kids and results in them eating more of these healthy foods.
Mix up a selection of leftovers, fresh foods, and nonperishables. Having a good mix of these three categories means that your packed lunch will come together faster. It also generally provides a good variety and a nice selection of textures for your lunch eaters to explore. Examples:

:: Leftovers. Last night's chili, or slices of the beef roast. Pieces of cubed leftover chicken.

:: Fresh foods. Cut fruit and vegetables. Boiled eggs. Sliced cheese or whole fat unsweetened yoghurt (if you do dairy).

:: Nonperishables. Nuts and natural nut butters. Sea Snax. Freeze dried unsweetened fruits. Coconut flakes. Paleo Kits. Canned tuna or salmon. Beef jerky.

Make fun shapes. If you're looking for buy-in from kids, getting familiar with bento lunchbox art is a great strategy. In one case for us, I learned about a four pack of stainless steel mini bento cutters that was around $5 - and they've been so durable and versatile for us, creating all kinds of adorable flower-shaped fruits, veggies, liverwurst, and cheese pieces in my daughter's lunch.
Make dips and dressings available. Dips are magical in their ability to win over reluctant lunch eaters! Here are a few ideas:

:: Read your labels and try straight mustard or mustard horseradish for dipping steak or chicken pieces.

:: For veggies, try combining coconut cream or sour cream with a bit of tamari (wheat free soy sauce) or coconut aminos and a little onion powder - this makes an onion dip!

:: Almond butter is a great dip for apple slices or celery sticks.

:: Tahini dressing could be a nice change of pace, or even try a cauliflower hummus.

:: You could also make your own ranch dressing at home and be dazzled by the taste that fresh ranch can provide.

:: Homemade mayo is stunningly simple to make, and could be a nice addition to a BLT salad as well.

:: For a premade option, Wholly Guacamole makes some very handy and (last I checked the ingredient label) paleo-compatible guacamole that comes in a 100 calorie pack option - presealed premade guac that isn't brown by the time your kids get to it? That's convenient.
Finger foods! Who doesn't love a hands-on lunch? Roll quality lunchmeat (additive and preservative free when possible) around a pickle, or a piece of cheese if you do dairy. Serve up fresh snow peas, sliced up sticks of squash, cucumber coins, and baby carrots (don't forget the dip!). Stuff mini peppers with tuna salad (use the homemade mayo!) or another protein filling. Make muffin-size quiches with meat and colorful veggies added in.
Treats can facilitate buy-in. Yes, as mentioned above, conscientious carb consumption can keep you from plotzing mid-afternoon, but it's also true that a small treat can make a surprisingly big difference, especially to family members who are not totally sold on a lunchbox overhaul. Some ideas here:

:: A trail mix with your spouse's favorite nuts, dried fruits, and unsweetened coconut flakes,

:: A square of high quality dark chocolate,

:: A coconut manna cup,

:: A honey straw. These hold a teeny amount - about 1 tsp. - of honey, so they're more about the novelty factor,

:: A lightly-honey-sweetened grain free coconut macaroon, or

:: A delicious chocolate mousse made with (yes!) overripe avocado.

Relearning lunch-packing can be challenging - there's no question about that. But be encouraged - it does have a learning curve, and before long the practice of doing it adds up and lets you pull together lunches very efficiently.

How have you changed the lunches that you and your family are eating these days?

This post originally appeared as a January 18, 2012 guest post at Paleo Parents. Big thanks go to Stacy and Matt for giving me the opportunity!

Midwestern Red Beef Rutabaga Curry

2012-02-03T20:36:00.001-05:00

I have a real attachment to red curry. It is so super savory - my favorite comfort food taste in the cold weather. This time, I paired it with beef, rutabaga, and fresh baby spinach and very much enjoyed the collision of midwestern staples with the rich fragrant sauce.

Midwestern Red Beef Rutabaga Curry
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 rutabaga, peeled and diced into 1"x 1/2" chunks
2-3 lb. thinly sliced strips of beef
1/2 onion, diced (optional)
3 cups fresh baby spinach
2+ tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or butter (or other high heat cooking fat of your choice)
1 can coconut milk
4 tablespoons red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ginger powder (optional)
Salt, to taste

Directions:
In a large pot on medium high heat, combine the cooking fat, the rutabagas, and the onions. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and ginger powder and stir to combine. Mix in the red curry paste. Allow the rutabagas to cook for at least 15 minutes, adding cooking fat if necessary.

Toss the beef strips into the pot with the rutabaga and stir continuously as it cooks for 3-5 minutes. Just as most of the pink is gone from the beef, pour in the coconut milk and mix well. Taste the broth and salt to taste. Just before serving, throw a handful of baby spinach in each person's bowl, and ladle the curry over the spinach. (The spinach will wilt to "just right" consistency within 2 minutes.) Serve while piping hot.

Lunchbox #167

2012-02-02T20:03:00.000-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Eggs scrambled with diced onions
A piece of organic dark chocolate
Hard full fat cheddar cheese
A tossed mix of lacto-fermented kraut with some mild kimchi

Lunchbox #166

2012-02-01T20:00:00.005-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

A Clementine
A mini roast beef sandwich made with some leftover (grain free) Chebe
A couple of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
Half a banana
Some Japanese purple sweet potato, soft cooked. You can find these delicious tuber at Asian grocery stores

Lunchbox #165

2012-01-31T19:59:00.006-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

A couple of pieces of bacon
A Clementine
Lacto-fermented sauerkraut (Bubbies!)
Organic dark chocolate with raw almonds
Soft cooked potatoes tossed with salt, paprika, and a tablespoon full of whole milk yoghurt

Everything But the Oink

2012-01-27T09:36:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week we committed to join two other families in splitting up a pig raised at a Nourishing Traditions leaning farm. Great price, no soy feed, no GMO feed. How could I resist an opportunity like that? :)

Since we are blowing through the half grassfed cow that we bought last fall, we actually have enough loose freezer space for the pork. I'm geeking out at all that we're going to learn. I'm teaming up with the two other traditional foodie mamas from these families - we'll be doing our first attempt curing and slicing our own bacon and ham! Fortunately for us there are a myriad of tutorials and videos showing how to do this, and one of these mamas already has her own smoker. I'll probably be on the hunt for a value-priced meat slicer for us, which we'll be sure to use a lot anyway for slicing up roast beef and other meats.

I'm excited that we'll also be receiving some pork jowl. I need to be on the lookout for some good pork jowl recipes, so if anybody has any ideas or links to post in the comments, I'd be so grateful!

Besides meat geekery, I've gone through a "try new produce" kick lately. I've made turnips, jicama, and rutabaga lately, and I am finding myself surprised at how much I enjoy these root veggies, even more than potatoes, sometimes. Earlier this week I did up a nice midwestern red curry with rutabaga and beef that I will post, probably later tonight. Savory and very sating!

Meanwhile, I type this sipping the last bit of heavy cream from our fridge in my coffee. Our Crossfit box's challenge officially starts February 1. It's a good thing that I've been experimenting with these lower carb veggies! There are four top prizes, two per gender. Best body recomposition (fat loss/muscle gain) - Male/Female, and best WOD improvement (Male/Female). Our box has given participants three options: classic balanced diet, Zone portions, or paleo eating.

Exactly how eager am I to tackle this challenge? Well, for one example, I'm giving up my beloved dairy for the six weeks, so you might see a few more dairy free recipes around here. (My family's not giving up dairy, just me. I'm the only one doing the challenge, after all.) I'm also going to be very, very strategic about when I eat the limited amount of carbs that I consume - post workout, as a rule.

Wish me luck!

Lunchbox #164

2012-01-26T19:58:00.007-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Some preservative free salami blanketed around some hard full fat cheddar
1/3 of a banana
Coconut flakes, raisins, and walnuts
Full fat plain yoghurt stirred with frozen raspberries
Leftover rutabagas from the Midwestern Red Beef Rutabaga Curry

Lunchbox #163

2012-01-24T19:48:00.001-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Tostones (coconut oil fried plantains with sea salt)
Apple slices, with sunbutter (bottom) to dip
A couple of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
Some pieces of Braunschweiger liverwurst, cut with mini bento flower cutters

Lunchbox #162

2012-01-24T19:47:00.005-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Eggs baked inside a slice of ham - think I got this idea from Paleo Comfort Foods!
A Clementine
Walnuts and organic dark chocolate chunks
Spaghetti squash tossed with sesame oil, sun dried tomatoes, sesame seeds, and spinach

Lunchbox #161

2012-01-19T11:56:00.005-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Fried egg, in pieces
A few slices of full fat cheddar
Banana "pudding" with cinnamon stirred in, topped with raw walnuts and a dusting of raw organic cacao powder (believe it or not cinnamon and chocolate can be a great combo!)
Kale chips sprinkled with a few bacon pieces

Lunchbox #160

2012-01-18T11:55:00.004-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Bacon sour cream and onion tuna salad: Canned light tuna, full fat sour cream (one ingredient: cream), pieces of bacon, and onion powder. Tasty!
A third of a banana
Some whole milk unsweetened yoghurt with frozen blueberries and a bit of honey stirred in
A few cherry tomatoes

Lunchbox #159

2012-01-17T11:54:00.006-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Eggs scrambled with peppers and onions, and a few soft cooked carrots
A few cherry tomatoes
Some Kerrygold Dubliner cheese
A half banana and a piece of dark mint chocolate

Updates on Crossfitting in 2012

2012-01-13T22:34:00.001-05:00

I am still totally honeymooning with Crossfit -- after a day of doing handstand pushups on the backs of synchronously swimming dolphins, Crossfit and I are chilling in the infinity pool of fitness, watching a beautiful sunset with a tropical drink in hand.

OK, maybe not that idyllic, but I love that for the first time in my life, I can see and document tangible results from my workouts. I'm getting stronger - two days before Christmas I did a 200 lb. x 3 reps deadlift and it was exhilarating knowing that I could stare down that 200 lb. on the bar and say, I'm going to do this! I'm going to break 200 before Christmas so I can savor that for the next week. It is so thrillingly foreign, this concept that I - lifelong poster child for participation trophies - could actually improve and reach personal fitness goals. Besides lifting records, I've scaled up in a few ways - in December I went from the thickest (black) resistance band in my pullups to the next band - the green one.

You guys, I woke up on Christmas Eve excited to go exhaust myself working out at the box. I have never before in my life conceived of working out or wanting to work out so close to a holiday - now I'm stoked that it's possible.

I just received a Buddy Lee adjustable jump rope I'd ordered, because I'm harboring hope for this year and me learning double unders, and as I understand it, having a personal high quality rope can make a huge difference in that. I'm also brazen enough to hold hope for handstand pushups - not any time soon necessarily, but the other day I did manage to push myself up into handstand position against the wall unassisted, so I know that what remains is building the strength in my arms and shoulders.

It has not by any means been effortless - I usually train 5 days a week, sometimes broken up with a rest day in the middle and a Saturday makeup WOD, sometimes Monday through Friday. I take a day's break when my body feels as though it's had enough. I've also made strict efforts with myself on average diet-wise in recent weeks. Fortunately my Crossfit box is kicking off a potentially very lucrative nutrition/fitness/body composition challenge in a couple of weeks, with some hefty prizes to the victors at the end of several weeks, so I am very, very excited to have that start soon as I think it will help to keep me on track just in time for spring weather to emerge!

And - this is so ridiculously exciting - my brother has joined his local Crossfit box and signed up for a year's membership! I am super, duper stoked. I think just from my initial conversations with him that he might find a love for the weight work and the challenges the same way that I have. We are about 45 minutes away from each other, so I can't wait until we can try to do a workout of the day together, maybe during a holiday hours WOD or a charitable cause WOD. Maybe it will even draw a few other spectators from our family who can see what a difference Crossfit makes for us. ;o)

Lunchbox #158

2012-01-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today, my lunchbox featured (clockwise):

Leftover crock pot chicken
Mustard, for dipping
Almond butter, for dipping
Sliced apples, to dip into the almond butter
Soft-cooked leftover crock pot carrots

Lunchbox #157

2012-01-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Preservative-free ham
Frozen pineapple chunks tossed in coconut milk
Sliced Kerrygold Ballyshannon cheese
Clementines

Lunchbox #156

2012-01-10T21:38:00.003-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

A corned beef and cheese omelette
Cherry tomatoes
Pistachios
A mint dark chocolate

Lunchbox #155

2012-01-05T21:36:00.001-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunchbox featured (clockwise):

Sliced corned beef
Kerrygold Dubliner cheese
A banana
Cubed baked sweet potato, sprinkled with cinnamon

Lunchbox #154

2012-01-04T21:32:00.005-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Mozzarella, olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, and cherry tomatoes, tossed together. (I always drain the excess olive oil before capping these kinds of salads to reduce mess potential.)
Leftover beef roast
Fresh green zucchini squash slices with a sour cream and onion dip. (My preschooler reminded me afterwards that she only likes squash when it's been cooked. Oops.)
Fresh pineapple with toasted unsweetened coconut flakes. (You could also do this with frozen pineapple! To toast the flakes before sprinkling, put under a 450 degree broiler for about 2 minutes - but watch closely to avoid burning the flakes!)

Lunchbox #153

2012-01-03T21:29:00.003-05:00

Today, my preschooler's lunch featured (clockwise):

Sliced leftover steak, with mustard for dipping
Dried apples and cashews
A chocolate avocado mousse, similar to this one
Clementines

Favorite Challenging Paleosphere Posts from 2011

2012-01-02T09:14:00.005-05:00

2011 featured a huge explosion of blogging in the paleosphere. There were many posts that I read that made me challenge previously dearly held notions! I think that it is good to seek and think through different takes, because it keeps us accountable and because it keeps us on our toes, prevents us from relying on half-baked justifications of nutritional concepts. Also, sometimes, reading up on ideas and evidence contrary to our own beliefs actually does change our minds on topics.

Here are just a few of the 2011 posts that I enjoyed because they took on popular ideas.

By Denise Minger of Raw Food SOS:

If you've never read Denise Minger's blog, you're missing out. This is one smart lady, and she isn't afraid to take down sacred cows, no matter their provenance. Vegan myth, paleo myth, mainstream myth - no theory is safe! She is diligent about going through data sets and presenting the statistically significant patterns, making data geeks everywhere go squeeeeeeee!

By Karen of Paleo Periodical:

The Argument for Slow Entry

Some ambitious folks manage to transition to paleo overnight. Karen says that, for the rest of us, a slow entry may be just the ticket.

By Lea of Paleo Spirit:

Does the Paleo Diet Make Sense Only in Light of Evolution?

The paleo community has a strong emphasis on evolutionary principles, but Lea argues that you do not need to agree with some or all of those principles to benefit from a nutritious diet that doesn't rely on grains or sugar. She embraces the "as God intended us to eat" aspect. A must-read if you're a Christian who has been interested in the paleo diet but hesitant because of the evolution angle.

By Jimmy Moore (of Livin La Vida Low Carb) and contributors:

Is There Any Such Thing As Safe Starches on a Low Carb Diet?

This one was convicting to me. The paleo zeitgeist in late 2011 was drifting heavily toward consumption of safe starches like peeled white potatoes and rice. While I think that the metabolically healthy (say, my husband and girls) can handle these just fine, I often strayed from my usual low carb routine, hoping that I could, too - and it seemed I was wrong! Maybe after reaching a goal weight and becoming more used to regular exercise I could indulge more, but for now, I err on the side of caution and stick to modest quantities of lower-GI carbs right around workouts.

By Chris Kresser:

3 Reasons Why Coconut Milk May Not Be Your Friend

Kresser reminds us to be diligent in sourcing our coconut milk due to concerns of bisphenol-A (BPA, an endocrine disruptor) lining canned products.

By Krista Scott-Dixon of Stumptuous:

F*** Calories

"An irreverent, foul-mouthed, yet surprisingly useful guide to what to put in your eating hole. Guaranteed to offend, surprise, and delight."

I love the no nonsense / common sense approach in this free PDF. I also adore Krista Scott-Dixon's special compassion for the practical and social/cultural challenges that women face in fitness and healthy eating.

By Dallas and Melissa Hartwig of Whole9:

The Bacon Bummer

...a good reminder that, as much as I love bacon, it probably shouldn't be a core source of calories. ;-p

Also:

Sex with Your Pants On

Err...This one had me thinking twice! I think that there are some paleo treats that are super delicious and very worthwhile in their own right, but I have also personally experienced trying to replicate non-paleo delights to end up with a C- version that's technically paleo-legal, and also leaves me only wishing for the real thing due to the paleofied version's taste inadequacy and blood-sugar-bumping honey or maple syrup content. While I don't advocate the idea of foods as inherently "good" or "bad", "sinful" or "guilt-free", I do think that in the spirit of being honest with oneself in light of personal health, weight, and fitness goals, each person has to figure out where their vulnerabilities lie and whether the paleofied version of an old favorite will only increase pining or even searching for the real version of the old favorite.

By Melissa Joulwan of The Clothes Make the Girl:

Friday Flashback: Convictions and Goals and Knowing Oneself

This classic (that I saw for the first time when reposted) explores the sometimes fraught balance between having fun (the short term) and being happy (the long term).

By Stacy of Paleo Parents:

Paleo IRL: Stacy's Confession

To me, this post goes against conventional attitudes because it shows how the scale doesn't have you destroy your day, or your week, or your month. Stacy's already lost a super-wow-inspiring 135 pounds in her paleo journey, so by now she's honed a maturity and can-tackle attitude that doesn't let the tiniest uptick on a scale stop her positive outlook or momentum in the least. Check out how she, her husband, and her three young boys have done paleo in their blog!

By Amanda of A Slim Winter:

Something Lighter and Cleaner

Amanda and her family are mythbusters of the canard that doing a natural, nourishing whole foods lifestyle inherently means destroying one's budget. While it may take more thoughtful budgeting, Amanda has admirably and impressively steered her family through a tough season of unemployment with many shrewd budgeting tactics, including making bone broth with low-cost chicken feet, and relying on inexpensive and natural liquid castille soap for cleaning purposes. Check out this blog to glean more tips from real-life experience.

What posts from the paleo blogosphere did you enjoy for their mythbusting or thought-provoking value?

Road Tripping, Paleo-ish-Style

2011-12-30T22:53:00.003-05:00

I just returned home from a five day road trip with my family. Setting aside for a moment the obvious challenges of spending lots time on the road with little ones, I also had the challenge of keeping us on even keel, blood sugar and food-wise.

Here is how I approached road menu planning this time:

Overnight-soaked oats as a breakfast option. Since I didn't have a lot of advance details about where I'd run into a fridge or microwave, I needed a doable nonperishable item around for breakfast. I flexed for my daughters' breakfast a couple of mornings and had overnight-soaked gluten free rolled oats - which involved all mostly shelf-stable items. I had brought some fresh lemons, which I sliced open for a bit of lemon juice (the acidic element) and added some buckwheat flour (kept in the cooler) to the rolled oats and water as well. Buckwheat has phytase, which helps to eliminate the phytate present in grains - and since phytic acid typically binds to minerals in the digestive tract and keeps your body from absorbing them, phytic acid degradation via soaking with buckwheat works for us! We also added nutritious toppings to the oatmeal - in this case we chose from dried apple pieces, unsweetened dried coconut flakes, pastured ghee, and honey. (Since I'm lower carb for weight loss, I avoided oatmeal in favor of other options.)
Longer shelf life fruits. Apples, grapefruit, and bananas were our choices.
Nuts. Dry roasted pistachios with sea salt and raw cashews were on our journey this time. (since I'm working on weight loss I avoided the nomnomnomable cashews - they were more of a rare a treat for my husband and older daughter.)
Coconut manna. This was a go-between option for me - a sating low carb snack that usually only took a couple of bites to take the edge off hunger.
For low-carbers, Chipotle salad bowls, Chili's steak and veggies, sashimi and fast food bunless burgers. Yup, I'm the only lower-carb eater in my family - my husband and girls eat lots of natural carbs from fruit, tubers, and (as mentioned above) the odd dose of soaked oats or white rice. But for me, in order to keep my blood sugar steady and cravings at bay, I had to chose shrewdly during our 7 restaurant meals on the road. I went with Chipotle salads, sashimi (which is raw fish only - basically sushi without the rice), a steak and broccoli meal, and bunless burgers of various kinds, while avoiding sugar and grains.
For moderate-carbers, other options. Chili and baked potato (at Wendy's, but chucked the non-real "buttery spread" that came with), a split order of steak and veggie fajitas, with extra sides (at Chili's, but avoided the tortillas), and a meal of meat, veggies, and rice at the hibachi grill. No, none of the choices were perfect, but they were the best that could be figured out in the moment.
Flexibility on meats and (if you do dairy) cheeses. It turned out that we did have some fridges in our hotel rooms, so I took advantage of that by storing some preservative free lunchmeat and cheeses in them - and in our small insulated zip cooler in between stops. These were often a big part of my breakfast, along with the fresh fruit and Sea Snax. Speaking of which...
Sea Snax. I first heard of these snacks through Dallas and Melissa of Whole9 - they are sheets of seaweed toasted with olive oil and sea salt. They provided a nice savory, slightly crispy, low calorie/low carb snack. The Whole9 page has a coupon code good for free shipping until tomorrow night, so if you're interested in trying them out, this is a good time.

And yes, there were a few instances of my husband and girls having special treats (ice cream, etc.) on the road. The key, I think, isn't to aim for 100% compliance, but learning when on the trip it is worthwhile to make those compromises thoughtfully, so that you don't end up with a whole week of wall to wall food you're not used to eating, and thus potentially sick while travelling. In my case, having avoided sugar and grains, I managed to dodge sickness and riding the blood sugar roller coaster, and I ended the week 1.6 lb. lighter.

How do you manage to do a paleo / primal lifestyle while travelling?

Acknowledging My Weaknesses, and His Grace

2011-12-24T20:49:00.001-05:00

I'm not a perfect parent. I don't do paleo perfectly (whatever that means, depends on who's been asked!).

I'm not a perfect Christian. I'm a less than perfect wife.

By now you've guessed I'm a less than perfect blogger (hellloooooooo, backup of Advent and lunchbox posts...).

I'm awful at some things, like keeping up with laundry. I'm terrible at loading the dishwasher efficiently (my husband manages to pack in at least 50% more dishes, and they still get cleaner).

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses,
in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I am full of frailties and contradictions. I'm impatient with my kids and my kitchen projects. I'm at one turn legalistic, the next turn, irreverent. A reluctant believer and a born skeptic. Easily distracted yet capable of hyperfocusing on the things that matter least. Irritable, yet also tenderhearted to a fault.

I am a human. My personal character weakness and my biochemistry all but predestine me to overeat hyperpalatable processed foods. Due to their engineered combinations of sugar, salt, fat, and easily-broken down carbohydrates, they are biochemically addictive and they feed something else deep in my psyche.

I grew up overweight, and after some slimmer high school years, I continued to battle weight on and off through adulthood, but especially after my pregnancies. If you have been overweight as a child, you know the pain that comes with the endless teasing. The awful moment when you realize that your gym class is picking teams again. The panic attack that results when some school authority determines that heights and weights need to be taken, or that the skin calipers are coming out, in front of all of your classmates.

It is for these reasons - my childhood pain from being overweight and athletically inept, and my acknowledgment of my ongoing biological and emotional vulnerabilities to processed foods - that my husband and I have chosen to generally follow the paleo lifestyle for our family. I see favoring a nourishing whole foods lifestyle as giving us the best chance to sidestep that fate as my girls grow up.

Do I know for sure that paleo is the perfect way to health? No, but I can continue my research - doing my best to counter bias by reading opposing studies and viewpoints - and allow my choices to be shaped by an evolving knowledge of how human metabolisms react to certain foods. Will a paleo lifestyle forever guarantee myself and my family members everlasting health, fitness, and wellness? Nope. I could still develop cancer (as a matter of fact, I already have, prepaleo). We could meet an untimely death through an auto accident or some other tragedy. Though no fate in this life is guaranteed - except, ultimately, death - my main comfort is that I am working toward avoiding health calamities as logically as I can, which results in our paleo-style framework, based on the evidence I've read from peer reviewed studies published in various medical journals.

In the meantime, I treasure the grace promised in Jesus' arrival here on Earth - because my efforts are human and imperfect, and thus my results will never be perfect. I am so thankful that it is not me, but He who bridges that gap instead, sustaining us all along!

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Sixpence None the Richer on Grooveshark

Merry Christmas to you all!