Monday, October 15, 2012

Article from Caveman Strong...

I found this very interesting and enlightening article from cavemanstrong.com. It explains, very succinctly, the "why" of Paleo.


Paleo



Paleo or Paleolithic or Caveman or Low Carb or etc, etc, etc…
This style of eating is all about history. It’s all about figuring out what worked for our ancestry and then adopting the same way of feeding our bodies.
Paleo is based on the idea that humans and their ancestors evolved eating certain foods. These foods included meats, eggs, seafood, nuts and seeds, and fruits and vegetables.
When farming began we as human begins started to decline in the whole health department. The diseases of civilization (or what we at Caveman Strong refer to as ‘The human condition’) started appearing and mutiplying at a rate that is hard to keep up with!
People are sicker, fatter, and more depressed than ever. We are all quick to dismiss food as the culprit – which makes absolutely no sense.. Instead we rush to the doctor and he gives us the latest miracle drug that will simply mask our symptoms until something else pops up.. This recipe has proven false and is definitely not working!
The harsh reality is as follows:
WE’VE BEEN TRICKED! PROCESSED FOOD, MIRACLE SHAKES, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES, AND BIG BUSINESS LIKE ‘THE GRAIN INDUSTRY’ AND ‘THE DAIRY INDUSTRY’ SIMPLY WANT TO SELL THEIR POISON. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH.
THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IS TO EAT WHAT YOUR ‘GENES’ OR EVOLUTIONARY ANCESTORS ATE… PERIOD!
I know this sounds intense or ‘over the top’… but take a minute and think about it??
With ALL of our advancement in the fields of science and technology why is it that we continuously get fatter, disease rates are always going up, and new diseases are popping up..
It’s simple.. We are not treating food as medicine – instead we dismiss it’s affects and blame everything else..
“If you put sludge in your Porsche how can you expect it to run efficiently??”
The combination of Paleo and CrossFit will take you on a journey to superior health!! Have patience and always fine tune both and you will be happier and healthier than ever!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Paleo Birthday Party

So, my dear Zoe is turning 6, and we are having her birthday party next weekend. Not quite sure that anyone other than family and island friends will be here, but, it is what it is, right?

We are, of course, having a Paleo birthday party, cowgirl-themed, nonetheless! I am trying to figure out the nom-noms, and I think I have a few ideas:

natural, nitrate- and nitrite-free bite-sized hotdogs
fruit salad
veggie tray with salsa and dairy-free dip
grain-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free chocolate chip cookies
Paleo chocolate cake or cupcakes
(As much as I frown on pre-packaged juice boxes...) juice boxes and water

I'll post recipes as I try them or invent them!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Best Laid Plans

Sick babies ruin even the most well-planned days. Poor Carrie! Bi-lateral ear infections.

I'm making chicken & veggie soup from chicken carcasses I've had simmering in the Crock Pot overnight. I have to work @ 6:00, so it's an easy dinner for Jason to feed the munchkins.

I have a quick minute to search for Paleo kid birthday party ideas, since Zo-Zo's party is next weekend. There are some good ideas out there - I'll share some when I have more time.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

I really wish there was a CrossFit place here. Not that I am in physical condition to do it right now, but I am hoping to be soon. Start where you are, right? So I have started where I am.

I'll admit it: I've never been really excited about exercise. I always end up sore, and I don't like being sweaty. BUT, I do have to say that, since changing to Paleo eating, I feel stronger. I feel more able to take on the challenge of working out. I'm still not entirely excited, per se, but I feel like I am more able. It feels good.

So with that, I head off to get some workout time in!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I just made my... umm... 4th (?) batch of Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Added Refined-Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies that I adapted from PaleoPlan.com. YUMMY! It's really hard to eat just one! Maybe I shouldn't make them so often...

Here's the recipe (People have been asking!):

Makes 12-24 cookies (depending how big you make them)

Approximate time before you can snarf them down: 45 minutes

          3 cups almond flour/almond meal (same thing)
          1 tsp. baking soda
          1 tsp. salt
          1/4 cup raw, local honey
          2 large organic, pastured eggs
          1 tsp. gluten-free, sugar-free organic vanilla
          1/2 c. organic coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
          1 package gluten-free, dairy-free organic dark chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a SilPat. In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer (what I use), beat the eggs, honey, and vanilla until well blended. Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture a little bit at a time. Add melted coconut oil and continue to mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips with a spoon. Drop heaping Tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, or when tops of cookies are browned. Enjoy!

First Post on FTP!

Yes, I am doing it again! Even though I pretty much sucked at my other blog (Kickin' It With the Kiddos), which I haven't posted to since November 2011, I have decided to start another blog in an attempt to chronicle our journey as a family into the realm of the Paleo lifestyle.

Why, you ask? Well, it's quite simple, actually. This truly is a journey for us. We are learning so much, every single day, about what it means to live a Paleo life. What better way to keep track of it all and have a testament of our progress than a blog?

Now, the more pressing question for many of you (especially our families) is: Why are we doing this in the first place? Again, at the risk of sounding redundant, it's quite simple. So simple, in fact, that it can be summed up in a single word: HEALTH.

As many of my family and friends know, I have been on a quest of sorts for natural healing modalities that would help my family. It is my belief that allopathic medicine and natural healing should work together, not against each other, to affect the health and well-being of each individual. 

Because of my tireless quest, I discovered Young Living Essential Oils, which I firmly and without a doubt believe contributed to the degradation of my 9-year-old son's pituitary tumor. In other words, I used Young Living Essential Oils' Frankincense (known for its tumor eradicating properties because it is able to pass through the blood-brain barrier) on my son, and now his tumor is GOING AWAY. He had a MRI in May, and the tumor had decreased in size by about half and had hemmoraged, which is good when it comes to a tumor - it means it's dying. I am so confident in the ability and efficacy of these oils that I became a distributor. You can find my website at: http://camano.younglivingworld.com/ for more information and to embark on your own natural healing journey.

That being said, my son, Troy, still has trouble with migraine headaches. And, though we use YL Peppermint oil for the headaches and it does make them go away, we all would like it a lot better if he didn't get the headaches in the first place... which led me to the Paleo lifestyle.

My almost-6-year-old daughter, Zoe, and I have gluten intolerance, I used to have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (It has corrected itself after my first pregnancy which occurred while I was on a low-carb diet.), Troy has migraines, and my almost-4-year-old son, Devon, has extensive vitiligo (where melanin patches in the skin dies causing white spots). All of these issues are auto-immune conditions. Auto-immune is, of course, when the body attacks itself, causing problems. So I did some research.

I found countless references to Paleo when dealing with auto-immune issues. Many people have had great success in decreasing - if not completely eliminating - symptoms by changing the way they eat. 

After discussing it with my husband, Jason, we decided it would be a good thing for everyone in our family, since both Jason and I are wanting to lose some extra body fat and gain strength, and Paleo has the added benefit, when combined with exercise, of creating lean bodies.

Now, I am by no means a Paleo expert! I want to make that perfectly clear, which is why this blog is called Fumbling Toward Paleo. We are total NOOBS! And, I also want to make clear that we are doing what works for our family. So, if we occasionally let our kids eat popcorn, don't be a hater. We do cook it in coconut oil, and if it needs it, add ghee instead of straight butter! ;-)

We do try to stick to Paleo as much as we can. We have a very busy schedule and aren't always home to make the wonderful recipes that I have found in Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo book and online at such places like fastpaleo.com/ paleoplan.comhttp://www.health-bent.com/, www.elanaspantry.com, and others. Occasionally, though, we do eat at Red Robin. Again, no Paleo Police, please.

So, that's why this blog is called Fumbling Towards Paleo and not Paleo Perfect! =)

I plan to post experiences that we have figuring this whole thing out, great recipes we find or augment, and any other musings about this lifestyle that my husband, my four kiddos, and I have along the way. Feel free to comment, just, please be kind. REMEMBER, WE ARE NEWBIES! Hopefully, some of you will get something of value from this blog. I know we will. 

And, so here begins our journey, Fumbling Towards Paleo...