If you haven’t yet heard, there’s a new documentary in the works called, “In Defense of Fat: Rethinking the Bad Science Eating at America’s Health.”  The film, created by Kennon Hulett of Falling Whale Films, will focus on obesity, nutrition, and the politics of health. Yesterday was a big day for “In Defense of Fat” with Kennon’s launch of a Kickstarter campaign to help with the creation of this important film.

I’m also pleased to announce that I have been asked to participate in the film, and I am honored to have the opportunity to do so. This documentary will bring together many of the most respected scientists, nutritionists, trainers and authors in the Paleo and Ancestral Health communities. In doing so, “In Defense of Fat” clarifies the complex relationship between human evolutionary history and the science – and politics – of nutrition and health.

The film is firmly rooted in current scientific research on Ancestral Health, a theory which proposes that the human body is not adapted to an agricultural diet, and especially not to the many processed foods in our daily lives. “In Defense of Fat” turns the microscope on media and medical research, deconstructing the “diet talk” that informs and misinforms while shaping our understanding of bodies, size, health.

Please help Kennon in her quest to help the public realize the importance of the ancestral movement as we all stand together “In Defense of Fat.”

In Defense of Fat!! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Everyday Paleo Workshop Coming to Palo Alto, CA on June 9th!! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

When I first decided to give Paleo a try, I made it a national declaration in our home….I called the family together, stood tall and boasted we were all going Paleo. Gave them the details and told them this was how we were going to eat from now on…Hmm not the greatest approach when I look back now.

I am usually a much easier going person with life’s changes. I usually laugh at everything. In fact, I confess, I can’t even get mad at my kids with out laughing. Nothing in life to me is ever that serious. Unless it’s serious….if you follow that one!?

Anyway….they all kind of looked at me like who are you, where is our mom, and while you’re at it, please get rid of this Sargent major, we don’t like her.

Now don’t get me wrong they were all totally one board for me doing this, feeling better, and all for supporting me..…But that was about it. It was kind of like the proof is in the pudding thing. You show us it works, and then we will talk.

Out the door that family event went. At first I was very disappointed, but as time went on, I was glad. I quickly realized it was kind of like “put the oxygen mask on yourself first” theory.

Cleaning up my eating protocol was a bigger change and challenge than I had thought. I was having a hard enough time trying to survive, figure out what to eat, and fight those nasty carb cravings..…The thought of a whole house full of carb craving, crazy people all at one time. Well, I can’t even bear the thought.

As the weeks and months went on my family started noticing things. I had more energy, I was happier, I laughed all the time, I say ALL the time because as I mentioned, l laughed a lot to begin with…..I wanted to be outside walking, talking, gardening, anything. I just wanted to enjoy and live life.

Slowly I notice the kids where saying, “What are you having tonight mom, we want the same” Hmm, good sign.

Then I noticed the “yucky” foods where sitting in the fridge and cupboard longer and longer, and “my” foods where disappearing faster, and faster….Hmm, great sign.

Now it is just a natural family affair. I did not have to beg, borrow, or steal to get them on board; I just had to live it, love it, and show by example.

So going Paleo alone at first is not all bad, in fact it just might the best thing ever.  Just like they say on the airplane: put your own mask on first…..

Until next time,
Much joy and happiness
Lisa

Put Your Own Mask on First. is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

To wrap up the weekend in Seattle, on Sunday May 20 at 5:00p.m., there will be a catered banquet that is open to the public.  During the banquet there will be entertainment, speakers (myself included), and prizes.  For more details and to register, please click here. I hope to see you there!

You are Cordially Invited! Primal Chef Banquet in Seattle, WA on May 20! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Here’s a video and a few fun pics from our last event!

Less than 2 Weeks Away: Everyday Paleo Workshop in Redding, CA : Register Now! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

So, let me guess.

You know lack of sleep leads to hormone disregulation and increased cortisol. You’ve read that Robb Wolf says “Just one night of missed or inadequate sleep is sufficient to make you as insulin resistant as a type 2 diabetic.” You know it leads to possible weight-gain plus you just feel plain crappy.

But you’re still sleep deprived.

You delay bedtime by procrastinating, fall asleep early in the evening then wake up, and maintain habits that are the antithesis to a good night’s sleep. And then you feel awful in the morning.

That’s not paleo, you know. We need to get a restful night’s sleep. It is essential for our health, our thinking, our weight-loss.

But what to do? How do you shove yourself off the sofa and get yourself off to bed on time? Try these 15 tips:

1. Set yourself a bedtime. Seems simple but so many people don’t give themselves a deadline. They spin it out for as long as they can. It’s so easy now that we have light and distractions twenty-four hours a day. But instead, tell yourself you will go to bed at a certain hour and plan backwards from there. And keep the same bedtime night after night.

2. Stop lights and major action one hour before bedtime. Dim the lights, slow your activity. Don’t watch TV. I read by torchlight – this way I’m winding down towards sleep and my body is mostly in darkness, making the melatonin that will send me to sleep.

3. Get ready for bed early. We often stay up because we’re too tired to go to bed! We often snack for that reason too – we eat to give us the energy to stay up. Perverse when you think about it. Get into your bedclothes, clean your teeth, take out your contacts. Whatever you do before bed, do it well before bedtime so you’re ready to just fall into it when the time comes.

4. Know your caffeine limit. When I drank caffeine, I couldn’t drink it past 4pm or it would keep me awake. Chocolate in the evening also did the same thing. If you are a person kept awake by caffeine, know your limit and keep to it. Same goes for alcohol.

5. Think ahead to the next morning. Remind yourself how it will feel to wake up refreshed, without an alarm, getting ready for work without a rush, with time to make breakfast and keep a calm family. The benefits of a good night’s sleep are enormous and the avoidance of early morning stress is huge for the family unity.

6. Create a bedtime ritual. Make it the same every night. It can be a ten-minute getting the house ready for the next morning, setting breakfast, a hot drink, a book, dim lights, bed. Whatever works for you but keep it the same night after night.

7. Get up at the same time each day. No matter what time you go to bed, get your day started on the same schedule every day. Routine, routine, routine. Plus, your wake-up time determines your bedtime sleepiness. Don’t put it off.

8. To adjust to daylight savings, alter your bedtime by 15 minutes each day for four days. Too often we are discombobulated by daylight savings. This is what I did with my kids when they were little and it works great for adults too!

9. If you get sluggish after dinner, do something slightly stimulating. It will keep you awake – try picking up toys or washing dishes. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep early in the evening only to wake later shortly before your bedtime. If you tend to fall asleep with your kids, keep yourself upright and leave them if you notice yourself getting sleepy (or simply sleep on their schedule, if that works for you. )

10. Exercise (or not.) For some it helps to exercise before bed, for others it keeps them awake. It doesn’t make any difference to me but if I struggle to get to sleep, this exercise helps me every time. I’m asleep in minutes.

11. Blackout the room. Melatonin, the hormone that induces drowsiness, is produced on darkness. Blue light inhibits production of the hormone so no strong light bulbs, TV, laptops in bed – that kind of thing. Cover the windows to prevent light pollution from outside. And if you use an electronic reader make sure it doesn’t use light that will disrupt your sleep.

12. Take melatonin as a supplement for jetlag. I often travel to Europe and the time change can be a bear. My trips are often short and I can be jet-lagged the whole time I am there so I take 3mg of melatonin before bedtime. It is pretty quick acting and makes me feel drowsy enough to sleep. That way, I offset some of the effects of the 8-hour time difference and can hit the ground running.

13. Use an alarm! I hate alarms to wake me up and haven’t used one in years but I do use an alarm to tell me to go to sleep. I have a timer I carry around and when it goes off (in a non-startling way,) it triggers me to pack up what I’m doing and head off to bed.

14. Use an app. There’s an app for everything including getting yourself to sleep. Guided meditations, soundtracks, breathing cues – there’s something for everyone. If you are a smartphone junkie, this may be just your thing. 

15. Give sleep priority in your life. Some people think sleep is a waste of time. There’s also a thought process in our society that being able to live with less sleep is a noble endeavor enabling you to do more, (and therefore be more.) I argue against that. If you can somehow truly thrive on just a few hours sleep, well, I guess that’s great. But if you can’t and you need more, then make it a priority. It serves no-one to skimp on sleep. Studies have shown over and over how important sleep is for our health. It’s more important than your Facebook friends, cleaning up,  and your favorite TV. So make a date with yourself. In bed.

Is lack of sleep a problem for you? What have you done to combat it? Let us know in the comments!

Alison Golden has two kids, two cats, but only one husband who thankfully agrees with her on everything, eventually. She likes to get lots of sleep and blogs about living paleo in a non-paleo world over at PaleoNonPaleo.

Get Your SLEEP!!! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Read and enjoy!

Erika Knows No Bounds

Sometimes we make excuses for why we don’t have the results we want.  If you are someone who makes more excuses than progress, you might want to stop reading this right now.  There’s a good chance that the obstacles you face are about to seem really trivial.  Especially if you erected all of them in your own path.

Erika has been a member of my gym for a little over a year and she is a monster.  See for yourself.  Here are some of her numbers.

Deadlift – 285 lbs (current gym record for the women)
Back Squat – 220 lbs
Shoulder Press – 95 lbs
Bench Press – 115 lbs

Here she is with a 275 lb deadlift.

And here she is locked out at the top of a 105 lb push press.

Okay, so Erika is strong and that’s impressive, but there are lots of strong girls out there, why should you care?  Because Erika is in a very elite class of strong girls and few can hold a candle to her drive and motivation.  Erika has Multiple Sclerosis.  She is supposed to be losing her ability to move her body.  Instead she is consistently increasing her ability to lift weights at loads that most women will never approach.  Before you assume any of this was somehow easy for her, check out her story as she described it to me in a recent email.

“I was diagnosed just before Christmas 2007 when I was 16.  In March 2007, I ended up in the hospital for two weeks because my whole left upper body was severely numb, and they were having a difficult time figuring out what was wrong (it took nine months.)  I could barely use my left arm or hand…I was put on harsh steroids for a month or so after my hospital stay, then when I was diagnosed, I started on a weekly injection called Avonex (interferon).  After about a year, my left torso returned to normal, but there was still quite a bit of numbness in my left arm and new numbness of my right leg, random muscle spasms, and fatigue (I would take 2-3 hour naps most days.)  After a MRI, my neurologist deduced that the medicine was not working because my brain lesions were progressing faster than they were supposed to.  So, I was upgraded to Rebif which is three injections a week (terrible side effects from these, by the way.)  I started paleo shortly after you spoke to our class in October 2010, but have only been very strict since summer 2011.  I had a check-up a while ago, and my neurologist said I have no clinical symptoms of MS; the MRI is the only proof.  My numbness, muscle spasms, and fatigue have disappeared.  On rare occasions (probably when I’m over-stressed) my left hand will feel a little numb, but it goes away within 24 hours.  I am due for another MRI next month, and we’ll see if there’s any improvement, as I have been trying my best to comply with Terry Wahls‘ protocol and have been off my immunosuppressant injections for a few months.”

March 16 marked 5 years since the first of her symptoms.  She told me that when she sees her doctors they always ask her if she is experiencing any weakness.  Haha!  I can only imagine what they would say if she told them about her gym exploits.  They might even think she was lying.

So what is holding you back from results like this?  Let’s be honest, some of you are here because you want to look better naked, not because you are trying to overcome a life threatening disease, or even because you want to be healthier.  Of course, there are also some who are tying to escape the day to day trials of ill health, and there is no doubt that I can’t pretend to relate to your situation.  But what if we all trained and lived with the same kind of motivation that we find in Erika?  Or even Deb, who felt awful but hadn’t been diagnosed with anything chronic.  These people that we use as examples on this site and on EPLifeFit each have the same things in common.  They don’t come to us because they hate their bodies and desperately want to change them.  And they don’t come to us because they feel like victims.  They come to us because they love themselves enough to know their bodies deserve better than what they have been getting.  I’m not trying to sound like a zen master when I say this (over and over again), but it truly is all about perspective.

Anyway, how are those excuses sounding now?

Go forth and be awesome.

Erika Knows No Bounds is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

The kids are on spring break this week and it’s been nice to avoid the usual hectic morning rush and sleep in a little bit! This morning, after John left for work, it was only Jaden and I who were awake so he created this frittata to share with his brothers and with all of you!

Jaden’s Frittata Creation

1 cup diced ham

1 small yellow summer squash, diced

1 cup finely diced broccoli florets

1/2 cup finely diced sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

7 eggs, whisked

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In the bottom of an oven proof 10 inch skillet, melt a big spoonful of coconut oil over medium heat.

3. Add the onions and broccoli and saute until the onions are translucent.

4. Add the squash, ham, and sun dried tomatoes and saute together for another 4-5 minutes or until the squash is tender. Evenly spread the mixture over the bottom of the skillet.

5. Whisk together the eggs and pour them over the veggie/ham mixture in the skillet, turn down to medium low and cook until you see the edges firming up around the frittata.

6. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the frittata is set all the way through. You can finish it under the broiler on low for a minute or two if you like.

7. Slice like a pizza and enjoy! Serves 3-4

Jaden’s Frittata Creation! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

In late February of 2012 was my four year anniversary of living Paleo.  For the first year, I was very focused.  I would wake up in the morning and think about how my day would look, how I would manage breakfast, lunch, AND dinner, and how I would tackle any adversity, problems, or temptations that came my way.  BUT, I was determined.  You can see my before and after pictures here and read a bit more about my journey but in a nutshell, I wanted so badly to feel good that I was willing to push through what was one of the more challenging and yet rewarding years of my life.

After that first year of very hard work, I was transformed.  I no longer woke up wondering, I began to finally LIVE!!!

I was so inspired and excited by my journey that I jumped at the opportunity to become a strength and conditioning coach at Norcal Strength and Conditioning and I shelved my dreams of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and realized that I was meant to help people who like myself prior to paleo, were searching for what “healthy” really felt like.  I wanted to intertwine what I knew about children, psychology, fitness, and paleo and shout from the rooftops that I think I had something figured out!!!

Next, I rekindled my love for cooking! As a child I was my mom’s constant cooking companion and had always been comfortable in the kitchen. Eating paleo forces you to find skills to make food that isn’t straight from a box, and I was glad that I had a few of those skills stored away.  So, with encouragement from Robb, I started this little blog.  Of course; being that I was incredibly technologically deficient I needed some help with the blog starting process and out of the clouds dropped my workout buddy and angel Dain, who said, “Sure, I can help,”  and the next thing you know, people actually began paying attention!

I’ll never forget that call from Dain when he said to me, Holy S*#@ Sarah, people are reading your blog!!!  In fact, a LOT of people are reading your blog!

I was humbled. Scared. Excited. Grateful.

Fast forward to year 2 and I met with this guy named Erich who owns this cool publishing company called Victory Belt and I showed him some of the stuff I had been writing that I hoped someday would be an E-Book that I could offer to my blog readers.  He liked what he read and suggested that I could write a REAL BOOK if I was interested!  I nearly fell on the floor; and the work began.  I am so proud of my first book, Everyday Paleo.  

My husband John and I and our boys, Coby, Jaden, and little Rowan all worked so hard to create Everyday Paleo.  We cooked together, my husband took all of the pictures, and we worked late into the evening and jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn to get this project done and ready for all of you.  I wanted badly to share what had made us all incredibly healthy.  I’m still humbled by the opportunity.  I know how hard it can be to get a book published.

My mom was a children’s book author and it took her almost 15 years to get her first book published and she was a damn good writer.  I will never forget the day we danced together in the driveway as she held the letter above her head from Puffin, the publisher who decided that my mom had a great story to tell; so much so that they asked the amazing Steven Kellogg to illustrate her first book!  Here’s a link that will take to you an article written in my mom’s own words about her experience as an author.

I sometimes dream of that day, my mom smiling and laughing and I felt so proud and warm inside, knowing that my mom’s hard work had paid off.  I’ll never take for granted that moment.  I wish that my mom was here to share this journey with me and she remains in my heart as my constant strength and inspiration.

Fast forward to today. I have so many amazing contributors that make Everyday Paleo what it is today.  John and I met Jason Seib and together we created Everyday Paleo LIfestyle and Fitness, another avenue that is reaching folks who are ready to take things to the next level.  Next I  met Katie of Wellness Mama who is now part of the team and fills a much needed gap with her awesome articles.  Erika is on board, showing us that on a budget, in college, and with little time to spare, there is NO excuse to avoid living paleo!  Finally, Lisa has been sharing her paleo journey with all of us and now has her own Facebook page. And I now have Dana, my amazing Director of Operations who still needs to give me a picture and bio to put up on my about page.  Maybe reading this will give Dana some motivation to get that over to me ASAP so all of you can put a face to the name that has been responding to your emails!!

To wrap it all up, I’m not sure what else I can do but say a huge thanks to all of YOU.

I have been very busy with Paleo Pals, a project near and dear to my heart – I wrote this book for my little boys with hopes that your kids would enjoy and embrace the story as well.  I also have another cookbook coming out in July, The Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook, and I’m working on a second edition to my current best seller, Everyday Paleo.  The work never seems to end but I embrace each day with gratitude and hope that lives are changing.

Tonight, as I write this blog, I celebrate 4 years of really living and to wherever you might be in your journey, please know that you are NOT alone!! I realize that being able to share my paleo journey is something that not so very long ago, I could have never imagined possible.  So once again, thank you, be well, and as always, enjoy.

4 Years of Living – Paleo is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Homemade Natural Remedy and First Aid Kit

Just as the foods we eat can have tremendous healing or harmful properties, so do medicines, chemicals and herbs that we come into contact with. When I had our first child, I realized that I wanted to find the most gentle, natural and beneficial options for everything that he would come into contact with. From cloth diapering to herbal relief for teething pain, I began my search for the most natural options for our family.

In the end, this led me to replacing many of the traditional remedies and keeping more natural options on hand. The following are remedies and herbs that I keep on hand as part of our natural illness and first aid kit. I am just a mom on a mission, not a doctor, so make sure to consult with a doctor or qualified professional for any medical condition and don’t use these remedies in place of medical care.

Herbs in My First Aid Kit:

Note: Almost all of the below herbs are available here and are good quality. Since they are just loose herbs, they do take preparation in some cases, but buying them here is a less expensive alternative to capsules or pre-made remedies. I personally get most of my herbs this way and make my own tinctures and salves. If you decide to order through Mountain Rose Herbs, just use the search box in the top right hand corner to find the herbs you’d like to order.

Activated Charcoal: For acute use in food poisoning, intestinal illness, vomiting, diarrhea, ingestion of toxins, etc. Also keep the local poison control number on hand in case a child ingests a toxic substance and immediately take a child to the hospital if he/she has swallowed a battery or magnet!

Arnica- Topical creme that can be used for muscle pain or injury, bruises or any type of trauma. We’ve found that it greatly reduced healing time or bruises and sore muscles when used topically right after injury. I also use it on my stomach after delivering a baby. Not for internal use or use on open cuts.

Cayenne Powder- Though this is a good addition to many foods, it is even better to have in a medicine cabinet. I keep a few cayenne capsules in my purse as well. Topically, cayenne powder helps stop bleeding rapidly (yes it burns!). I’ve read cases of it being taken internally during heart attacks to increase blood flow and help clear blockage, though thankfully, I’ve never had to test this one. It is also a useful remedy to take internally during illness as it increases blood flow and speeds recovery. (Obviously, consult your doctor as well, especially if you think you are having a heart attack!)

Chamomile- I buy in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs (store in the freezer). I use it to make a relaxing tincture that helps calm kids if they are ill or just have trouble sleeping. The tincture also works wonders on teething gums. The dried flowers can also be made into a poultice with some gauze and placed on an eye for 15 minutes every hour to reverse pinkeye rapidly (usually works in a couple of hours). Brewed as a tea, chamomile is a relaxing drink at night and the tea can be cooled and rubbed on the stomach of colicky infants to help sooth them. I sometimes add some brewed chamomile tea to the kid’s bath as it is great for the skin and promotes relaxation. I keep the tincture in my purse at all times.

Comfrey-An external herb that promotes healing from injuries and broken bones. A poultice made with plantain and comfrey that is placed on a wound can greatly reduce the healing time and help prevent and reverse infection. I make a homemade “neosporin” with this and other herbs and use it on bug bites, cuts, bruises and poison ivy. It is available here and it is best to keep the dried herb on hand for poultices and homemade salves.

Eucalyptus Herb and Essential Oil- I keep on hand for respiratory type problems. We use eucalyptus herb in a face steam for congestion or sinus troubles and I make a mild (and petroleum free) version of Vapo-Rub for coughing and respiratory illness. The essential oil can be diluted with coconut oil or olive oil and be applied externally to the feet and chest to help open nasal passageways.

Ginger Capsules- Ginger is great for nausea, reflux, stomach trouble and morning sickness. I also keep some in the car for motion sickness. It helps sooth the stomach after a digestive illness or food poisoning.

Echinacea- I keep a homemade echinacea tincture on hand for severe illnesses. I don’t use it as a first resort, but it is helpful in prolonged illnesses.

Peppermint Herb and Essential Oil- Another great digestive herb. For upset stomach or digestive illness, the herb is made into a tea. The tincture can be used internally or externally for headache or digestive troubles and when combined with a few other digestive herbs, it makes a highly effective digestive aid and nausea remedy. The essential oil applied behind the ears and on the feet helps alleviate headache or nausea and a weak tea made from the herb and rubbed on the skin can help sooth a colicky baby. We also use the essential oil in our homemade toothpaste. The herb and oil are both available here.

Plantain-Good to have the loose herb on hand. It actually grows in most places in the summer and looks like the picture above. You’ve probably pulled it as a weed without knowing it.  It is a natural remedy for poison ivy, cuts, scrapes and bites. In a pinch, I’ve picked some from the ground, chewed and put it on a bee sting… it immediately relieved the pain. I keep the dried herb on hand at all times to make into a poultice for bites, stings, cuts and infection. My most recent use was on a confirmed brown recluse bite and a combination of plantain and comfrey in a poultice kept the bite from eating away the tissue and helped it heal completely.

Slippery Elm-Helpful for sore or irritated throat or when you lose your voice. These lozenges taste great and are helpful for kids with sore throats. The herb itself can be used in tinctures or teas for sore throat relief.

Other Remedies:

Apple Cider Vinegar- I keep a bottle of organic Apple Cider Vinegar with “the mother” on hand for digestive troubles, indigestion, food poisoning and more. Taken in a dose of 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces of water every hour, it helps shorten the duration of any type of illness, though it is tough to get kids to take it willingly.

Vitamin C- Helpful for all illnesses, but especially flu-related illnesses. I keep the powder on hand because it is additive free and can be mixed into food or drinks to get the kids to consume it.

Aloe Vera Plant-We have one growing in the house for burns and blisters.

Epsom Salt-Good as a bath soak for sore muscles. Dissolved in water, it can also be a good soak to help remove splinters.

Hydrogen Peroxide-I keep several bottles on hands at all times. Besides using in my homemade OxyClean and for cleaning out wounds, it can help prevent ear infection and shorten duration of respiratory illness. At the first sign of ear infection or illness a dropperful of Hydrogen Peroxide can be put in the ear. The person then leaves the peroxide in for 15 minutes or until it stops bubbling and repeats on the other side.

Homemade Neosporin (recipe here)-  I make my own “Neosporin” Healing Salve (no petroleum needed). I keep it in small tins and in lip chap containers for on-the-go size. This “boo-boo lotion” as my kids call it, is used on cuts, bruises, rashes and anything else antibiotic ointment could be used on.

Witch Hazel- I keep a gallon on hand for use on cuts, scrapes, and in cosmetic uses. It makes a great skin toner and is good for postpartum bottom.

Gelatin- I take gelatin regularly for its health benefits, but I also keep it on hand for first aid and illness. The natural gelatin in homemade chicken soup (from the bones and tissue) is one of the things that makes it so nourishing during illness. During any type of illness, the afflicted gets gelatin in various ways: in food, homemade jello, smoothies, in hot tea, etc. After surgeries or when there are especially bad cuts that might scar, I also give gelatin to speed skin healing. There is evidence that it is also effective in improving blood clotting when used externally on a wound, though I have not tested this. Since it is taken from animal tissue, just make sure that your gelatin is from an organic source, just as you would with meat. (I verified with the company that Great Lakes brand is from a grass-fed source)

Baking Soda-Also a good remedy to keep on hand. For severe heartburn or urinary track infections, 1/4 tsp can be taken internally to help alleviate quickly. It can also be made into a poultice and used on spider bites.

Probiotics-These are the strongest probiotics I’ve found and we use them during any illness and after the illness to repair gut bacteria. I’ve seen clients improve skin conditions with regular use of probiotics, and I especially recommend them to pregnant mothers, as newborn babies receive their gut bacteria from their mother and this can make a tremendous difference in if baby will get ear infections or illness in the first months. For children who get constant illness and ear infections, probiotics can also really help.

Coconut Oil- I’ve said it before, but I am to coconut oil as the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding is to Windex. From skin salve, to diaper creme, to makeup remover, to antifungal treatment, I use coconut oil for everything. I keep some in the first aid kit to add remedies to to take internally, to use to apply tinctures and help absorption externally and for dry skin and chapped lips. There is also growing evidence that daily consumption of 1/4 cup or more of coconut oil can help protect against Alzheimer’s and nourish the thyroid.

Other Supplies I keep in the First Aid Kit:

Butterfly Bandages

Gauze

Superglue- On minor to moderate skin cuts (not puncture wounds) use superglue and butterfly bandages. I’ve used this instead of stitches several times and it healed faster and left less scarring than the places I’ve had stitches. Especially good for face and other visible areas that scar easily or in hair where other bandages can be difficult to apply. I’ve also use on fingertips or knuckles (I’m infamous for grating knuckles while cooking) or other places where band aids won’t stay well.

Other items to have in your first aid kit:

Strips of sterilized muslin cloth in plastic bags for wrapping wounds.

Cut off wool sleeves from old sweaters to cover bandages and hold ice packs

Hot water bottle

Bulb syringe

Assorted bandages and gauze

Homemade ice pack (just freeze liquid dish soap or rubbing alcohol in a double-bagged- ziplock bag and use as an ice pack.

Ever used a natural remedy for illness or injury? Do you have a natural first aid kit? Share below!

Homemade Natural Remedy and First Aid Kit is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

* Here’s another budget friendly recipe by Erika, our college student contributor to Everyday Paleo!  

Note from Sarah: The cost per person for this meal is based on folks who would have to purchase an entire bottle of olive oil, vinegar, and mustard and also if they purchased the more expensive brands available.  Furthermore, this meal although MADE for 2 people would most likely produce leftovers or feed at least 3. Erika has posted budget friendly recipes in the past and has left OUT the cost of staple ingredients and has been given grief for leaving those items out. Also, these reflect HER costs.  I’m sure that many of you will be able to find better deals.  I also am assuming that she bought an entire package of zucchini from Trader Joe’s and only 3 zucchinis would probably only cost around $1 or $2.  If you have on hand olive oil, vinegar, and mustard and you spend the SAME amount as Erika did on her other items, the actual cost of this meal per person for the Chicken and the Vegetables together would be around $8.50 plus leftovers, or a meal for another person.  Also, think about all the money that Erika is SAVING by walking home on her break and cooking rather then driving to an eating establishment and spending way more than the cost of this meal and not having any leftovers for later and also eating less healthy options. The cost at the bottom of this post reflects the cost of ALL ingredients, including oil, vinegar, and mustard.

Thank you so much Erika for taking time out of your busy college schedule to show us how this can be done!!

Balsamic Mustard Chicken and Oven Roasted Veggies

Here is another quick and easy meal for two on a budget! Talk about simple and yummy I put this meal together in 20 minutes while I was in between my classes. Luckily I live close enough to school that I can walk home during my inconvenient hour long breaks. I used simple ingredients that I always have stocked up in my pantry and put them together with the fresh veggies and meat I had in my refrigerator from my Sunday stock up shopping trip. Today’s ingredients included: chicken breast, bacon, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, balsamic (I find I love to cook with balsamic I love the tangy flavor it adds) spicy brown mustard, extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, and salt and pepper!

Balsamic Mustard Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breast (each cut in half long way) (5.97)

1/4 cup Balsamic (3.89)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (3.99)

3 cloves of minced (or chopped) garlic (.50)

2 1/2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (2.59)

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse off your chicken breast and place them on a cutting board season both sides with salt and pepper to your liking. Place them in a ziplock bag add the balsamic, extra virgin olive oil, spicy brown mustard and garlic. Zip up the bag and massage the chicken in the bag to ensure it all gets coated nicely! place in the refrigerator and let marinade for as long as you want (mine marinated for about 3 hours, the longer the better).

Cooking the chicken:

I like to use a medium size sauce pan; place it on medium high heat and let the pan get nice and hot! Put just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, place your chicken breast in the pan  and brown on both sides. Once you have browned both sides you can turn your heat down just a little to about medium and add in some of the marinade juices cover with a lid and let the juices reduce down in the pan with the chicken. Occasionally checking on the chicken and stirring around the sauce to make sure to pick up all the yummy chicken bits on the bottom of the pan until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink on the inside (you can flip the chicken one more time if you would like).

Oven Roasted Bacon Veggies 

11 strips of your favorite bacon (one package) (5.49)

3 zucchini’s (4 if they are smaller) (3.68)

1/2 lb of Brussels sprouts (1.49)

extra virgin olive oil (not included in cost because you needed it for the chicken)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut your bacon into bit size pieces and fry them up till they are nice and crispy.  When they are done cooking set the bacon pieces on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the left over bacon grease and set them aside.

Next, wash and dry your veggies. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half place on a cookie sheet  that is already covered in foil (easy clean up!!).  Next cut the end of of your zucchini’s cut them in half length wise then cut them into half circle shapes and place them on your cookie sheet with your Brussels sprouts. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until they are starting to get a little golden brown color to them and the Brussels sprouts are tender. For the last 5 minutes you can add your bacon on top of your veggies just to rewarm your bacon. When the veggies are done take them out and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste.

Total Cost of both Chicken and Veggies: 27.60 

serves 2-3: 13.80 

(These prices will vary dependent on where you shop and whether or not you already have some of the staple items already in your pantry. I included the prices for all ingredients, as if no one had  any of the ingredients on hand except for salt and pepper)

Happy Cooking

Erika

Budget Friendly Balsamic Mustard Chicken and Oven Roasted Veggies is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

*Please note, none of the companies or products  mentioned in this post asked me or paid me to write this blog post, these are all items that I use and trust personally and feel happy to recommend all on my own doing in hopes that this helps all of you!

Grass Fed/Pasture Raised Meats and Eggs:

US Wellness Meats

TX Bar Organics (Yes, it says “organic” but this beef is grass fed AND finished!!)

Grass Fed Traditions (Soy Free Eggs and Grass Fed Meat Options)

EatWild.com (search your area for local suppliers)

Coconut Oil, Jarred Tomato Product, Spices, Skin Care, etc…

Tropical Traditions

Hands down best coconut oil I have ever tried and if you look at the sidebar on the left and do some exploring you’ll find organic strained tomatoes, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, spices, coconut flakes, lotions, soaps and much more!

I love using their tomato products as they all come in glass jars and I can avoid cans!!  I am in no way a freak about always avoiding BPA and will still use canned tomatoes here and there as well as canned coconut milk (more on that later) but it’s nice to have options.  If you read this article, I mirror her sentiments on the subject of BPA.

Penzeys Spices (Always fresh and tons of options!!)

Simply Organic (Lots of selection and good quality!)

Canned Full Fat Coconut Milk

Native Forest (Claims to not use BPA in their cans but more than that, I just like the stuff)

Thai Kitchen (Love how thick and creamy this brand is and it’s easy to find in most major grocery stores!)

Chaokoh (Like Thai Kitchen, yummy, fatty, coconut goodness)

Soy Sauce Replacement

Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos

Bragg Liquid Aminos (Yes, it’s soy based but it’s gluten free and fermented soy does not tend to be as problematic for folks, unlike other soy products. Overall, I highly recommend to avoid soy but a couple occasional tablespoons of fermented soy like Bragg Liquid Aminos for most folks is fine. BUT, like with anything else, if you can’t tolerate it, don’t eat it! Read this article for more information soy in general in which Mark also talks about fermented soy.)

Fish Sauce

Red Boat Fish Sauce (The awesome blogger over at NomNom Paleo turned me on to this stuff and I never looked back!  I use it religiously to season my stir fry and curries.)

Kids Lunch Containers 

Planet Box (Jaden’s all time FAVORITE lunch box.  It’s sturdy, cute, and doesn’t spill all over the place. HIGHLY recommended for your school age kiddos)

Lunch Bots (I use these to pack Rowan’s snacks in for on the go!)

Klean Kanteen Insulated Thermos (Really and truly keeps hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold for HOURS!!)

Beef Jerky

Steve’s Originals (I simply would die without it. Period.)

US Wellness Meats (Their Beef Snack Sticks are yummy!!)

Community Shared Agriculture

GRUB (Where I get my veggies in good ol’ Chico CA)

Local Harvest (Where you can find a CSA near you and any farmer’s markets in your area!)

Almond Butter

Ammin Nut Company (a local Chico family making the best darn almond butter I have EVER had in my life. I have to make myself stop from eating the whole jar with a spoon. Consider yourself warned.)

Olive Oil

Bionaturae (Another one to add to the shopping cart thanks to Tropical Traditions)

Isern & Sons

Bacon, Sausage & Deli Meats

US Wellness Meats

Niman Ranch

Applegate Farms

So that just about wraps it up.  I’m sure I have left something off so post to comments your questions about anything I may have missed and we will round this post out by filling in any blanks by YOU!  What are YOUR favorite go to paleo supplies?

Recommended Food Suppliers and Brands is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

*Note from Sarah: Here’s a fun blog from Lisa!  To catch up on Lisa’s journey, click here. Enjoy!

Ten Changes Living Paleo

     PAST                                                                                                       PRESENT

Cried (a lot)                                                                                      Laugh so hard I cry (a lot)

Foods with a 13yr expiration date                                                    Foods that expire!!!

Bloated                                                                                              Hip bones!!

Chocolate cravings                                                                            Lettuce cravings

Arm chair athlete                                                                                Outdoor enthusiast

Ate till I burst                                                                                       Bursting with joy

Exhausted                                                                                           Energized

Muscle and joint pain                                                                          Gumby

Food Intolerances                                                                               Food fanatic

Paleo skeptic                                                                                      PALEO ROCKS!!!

What are your top 10 (5 or even 1) changes you have had following Paleo?

Until next time, much peace and happiness

Lisa

Ten Changes Living Paleo is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

So life in general is pretty crazy, right?  We are all busy beyond belief, pulled in a million directions, overwhelmed, overworked, and the list goes on and on.  Currently, my family is on a mission to figure out how to slow down a bit.  We have done some serious rearranging of our lives to hopefully conquer this goal.  One big change we made recently; we got rid of the television.  Not just canceled the cable, not just unplugged it, but it’s gone, adios, sayonara, out of here.  I will admit, Rowan facilitated the lingering idea by breaking our flat screen during a passionate imaginary sword fight, but it was meant to be and a sign to go ahead with what we had been discussing. We didn’t watch a lot of tv before we tossed the box, but it was enough to kind of nag at me that there were other more productive or connective things we all could be doing besides being inundated with cereal commercials or reality shows.  Was our decision extreme?  Maybe, but I don’t care.  It’s been almost two weeks with no TV and I LOVE IT.  I can’t quite explain exactly what I love about it, but I love it.  As far as the other changes we are making? Let’s just say that downsizing is a good thing.  Our house is much smaller but our dining table is larger which means it’s less space to clean and more room at the table for the ones that I love.

Now, here’s a recipe to share with you all.  I made this a couple of days ago when I knew my evening would not allow for any time to cook so in the morning, I went to my trusty slow cooker for some help and came up with what I’m sure will now be a staple at our house!

Cumin Spiced Slow Cooked Pork

2 lbs of Pork Loin (I used 2 – 1 pound loins)

Cumin, Sea Salt, Pepper

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

Sauce

1 1/2 cups green or red salsa (I used the salsa verde from Trader Joe’s)

1 1/2 cups strained tomatoes

1 tablespoon Cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat.  Sprinkle the pork on all sides generously with salt and pepper and then with the cumin powder.  Use your fingers to rub the cumin into the pork loin.  Sear the cumin spiced pork in the hot coconut oil for about 3 minutes per side or until the pork is nice and brown all the way around.  Move the pork from the skillet to the slow cooker and top with the sliced onions and mushrooms.  In the same pan that you seared the pork in, add the salsa, strained tomatoes, the 1 tablespoon of cumin, and garlic, and whisk together until bubbly.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.  Pour the sauce over the pork, onions, and mushrooms in the slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Cumin Spiced Slow Cooked Pork is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

“Oh No!” Celiac…“Oh Wait!” Gluten Free?? 

?????????

Gluten intolerance and celiac disease are two words we are hearing about more and more. (Words I am personally familiar with) You can be gluten intolerant and not have Celiac, but you cannot have Celiac without being gluten intolerant.

Running right behind all the talk of gluten intolerance and celiac, is a fast and furious health market filled with a glorious (or so we are to believe) gluten free world of  processed foods. You name it, and there is probably a gluten free substitute for it; breads, cookies, brownies, cakes, muffins – check, check and check.

Once diagnosed the next words you usually will hear are, “Go on a gluten free diet and you should feel better.” Hmmm what happens when you don’t?  Let’s be honest, most of us will switch a gluten filled processed crappy eating lifestyle style, for a gluten free proceeds crappy eating lifestyle. One is no better than the other, and I found that I felt no better either as I too fell into this trap.

I have 2 children who were also diagnosed with Celiac at the same time as I was, so not only was I trying to stay afloat in this new world I was trying to learn but I was also dealing with two young children afraid of how different their lives would be.

“Will we look different in the lunch room at school?”

”How will we eat at friend’s birthday parties?”

“Will we still even be invited to birthday parties?”

Questions and panic was coming at me in every direction.

After a few hours, ok let’s be honest, I will admit it, it was more like a few days that turned into weeks of me crying hysterically, as I walked the grocery store isles (yes I really did this) not knowing where to start, what to do, or what to eat. I was trapped in fear. All I put together was that when we ate, we felt sick, and when we didn’t, we felt better. The latter is obviously not a healthy solution.

Once my head cleared and I dried my eyes. I thought for a moment, “Wait! What about this grand gluten free world I had heard about”? Apparently you can eat just like before but without the pain and discomfort…GREAT!! win, win.

My kids where thrilled, and so was I. Problem solved……Not so fast….  I am here to say; don’t make the “just go gluten free” decision, we never got better. In fact, in time we felt worse. My daughter and I gained weight, my son lost more weight, we were still always hungry, malnourished and in no time had most of our celiac symptoms back.

Bloating, digestive troubles, IBS, DH, fatigue, headaches, active hashimoto, the list goes on. Why where we not feeling better, we were doing what we were told, we were eating gluten free!! It might have been processed junk, but it was gluten free and hey, that’s all that was supposed to matter, right?

The search for our health once again began. The amount of “plans” that I had tried to make us feel better is too long to mention, and as fast as I was trying one new plan, the next new book was quickly approaching. One day that new book was Everyday Paleo. I could not put it down, I was hooked, jackpot!!

ROCK ON THERE’S PALEO!!

From the first page, something about this plan made sense, especially the no grains. I had noticed all three of us complained about how we felt every time we ate any gluten free grain, even rice.

I liked the foods, her words, the theory behind it. It was kid friendly, in fact they were downright encouraged to be involved, and the fact that there was research and scientific proof that it worked made it the whole package. There it was in black and white, a delicious new world of foods, health and renewed energy ready to nourish our bodies.

To this day, the more I read, search and learn. The more I see most celiacs do not seem to do well on a diet filled with gluten free processed foods or gluten free grains. In my opinion, gluten free just seems to be another name for Celiac approved processed junk.

** Please note this is just my opinion and experience. I know some people have found success just going gluten free.

Until next time

Good health and much joy.

Lisa

“Oh No!” Celiac… “Oh wait!” Gluten Free?? is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

We are in the middle of packing up and moving.  Not out of Chico, just across town; but holy cow it’s a lot of work.  I’ve been trying not to buy a lot of food this week and just eat what we have so that I don’t have to pack and move an entire fridge of food and this morning we were down to the bare bones but somehow I made a breakfast worth sharing with all of you!!

I hope you enjoy!

Southwestern Frittata

1tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced

1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sweet potato, peeled and grated

1 pound grass fed ground beef (check out the grass fed beef from Tropical Traditions, just tried it for the first time and YUM!!)

1 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup salsa verde (I used Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde)

12 eggs

Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large saute pan, saute the onions and minced jalapeno in the coconut oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent.  Add the ground beef and cook just until it starts to brown and add the grated sweet potato and garlic.  Cook until the beef is completely browned and the sweet potato is soft.  Add the chili powder, cumin, and salsa, stir and cook until heated through.  Taste and season with a little sea salt if desired.  Transfer the meat mixture to a 11×7 glass baking dish and spread the meat mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the 12 eggs add pour over the meat mixture in the baking dish.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle when you jiggle the pan.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Frittata is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Yes, It’s Worth It!

Here’s another success story to remind you that what your doing is worthwhile.  When you see the transformation below, many of you will think, “Wow!  I wish I had results like that.”  Stop wishing.  There is no magic here.  This is just another story of someone who wanted these results more than she was willing to suffer the alternatives.

Meet Angela.

Angela has 2 girls, one 4  and one 8 months.  Since all the way back in high school she dieted by restricting calories, sometimes by denying herself whole meals.  She told me, “There was a period of time in high school when I was anorexic. I was never successful at dieting for very long because I was always hungry and miserable, and I inevitably ended up gaining the weight back plus a couple extra pounds. It was very disheartening and I have carried a lot of guilt throughout my life due to my repeated failures.”  Well, short story shorter, here she is today.

These results happened in approximately 10 weeks.  You can read her whole testimonial on my gym’s web site here.  No magic.  No tricks or gimmicks.  Just good old fashioned dedication applied to human nutrition and sensible exercise.

Alright, let me get to the point that I’d like to make today.  Let’s pretend that a curse was cast on Angela and she was magically returned to her “before” picture state in the blink of an eye.  And let’s also pretend that the same curse would limit her future success such that it would take her exactly 5 years of paleo and exercise to return to her pre-curse fit body, even though it only took her 10 weeks last time.  Do you know what her response would be, after a little disappointment, of course?  I am absolutely positive she would say something like, “Can I get started today?”

Why should her reaction this time be different from all the other times she lost and gained weight?  Because now she knows what it’s suppose to feel like.  She is actually healthy and fit and she knows, without anyone pointing it out, that she can keep this body forever.  Tricks and gimmicks don’t feel like that.

Just some more food for thought.  Go forth and be awesome.

For all the nutrition and fitness support you could possibly ever need, visit Jason and Sarah over at Everyday Paleo Lifesytle and Fitness.

Yes, It’s Worth It! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

My family and I are spending the weekend with our good friends in beautiful Southern California, soaking up some sunshine, and tomorrow I’ll be at CrossFit Anaerobic, holding a very special half day Everyday Paleo Workshop with special guest Jason Seib!

For lunch today, I made my friends and family a quick and delicious go to meal that my family often enjoys. For some reason, I have never blogged this recipe so I guess that means that today is the day!!

Here is my quick and easy version of Beef Bulgogi.  I hope you enjoy!

Beef Bulgogi

Marinade

¼ cup braggs liquid aminos or wheat free tamari

3-4 garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoons sesame oil

½ cup pineapple juice

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger

A few shakes of black pepper

3 green onions, sliced

Meat and Veggies

2 pounds tri tip or rib eye, sliced into very thin strips

1 head of green cabbage, shredded

3 tablespoons coconut oil

In a large mixing bowl, whisk all marinade ingredients together.  Thinly slice the ribeye or tri-tip and place into the bowl of marinade. Using your hands rub the marinade into the meat. Marinate for at least 15-30 minutes in the fridge.  While the beef is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a large skillet and saute the shredded cabbages over medium heat until the cabbage is  soft, remove from heat and set aside. Add the beef and all of the marinade into another large skillet and cook over medium to medium high heat just until the thin slices of meat are browned.

Serve the Bulgogi over a scoop of cooked shredded cabbage topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a few more diced green onions if desired.  Also good with a few drops of Sriracha!!

Beef Bulgogi is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Today is the official release date of Paleo Pals, Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship!  Although Paleo Pals is a storybook for kids, I also threw in a small handful of recipes at the back of the book so that the kiddos can get right into the kitchen after reading the story!  If you haven’t seen the reviews that have been popping up yet for Paleo Pals, there are plenty here on Amazon and several bloggers who received advanced copies have shared their thoughts on the book as well.  Here’s the list of folks who have reviewed the book on their websites; all with interesting things to say regarding their personal reactions to Paleo Pals.

Robb Wolf.com by Amy Kubal

Nom Nom Paleo  (And while you are at Nom Nom Paleo’s amazing site, check out her awesome socks - yes SOCKS – I have a pair and I love them….)

Jimmy Moore

The Clothes Makes the Girl

The Primal Parent

Wellness Mama

Following My Nose

The Paleo Project

Free the Animal 

I’m so sorry if I missed anyone, if you have also reviewed Paleo Pals on your website or blog and I missed you, chime into comments!

I’m so proud of this book and I truly hope your little ones enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Now, here’s one my our families favorite recipes that you will find in the back of Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship!

Champion Chicken Skewers Recipe and The Paleo Pals Have Arrived!! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Wow -tomorrow, February 14th, is the official release of my new storybook, Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship and also the last day to enter to win one of our final giveaways!!  I have just received notification from Lodge Cast Iron that they will also be donating to the final prizes and in addition to the following list of prizes, one lucky winner will receive a free skillet from my favorite cast iron brand!!!  Thank you all so much for your support of this book, and I hope it’s a helpful addition for your family.

And The Final Giveaways Are:

A one year subscription to Zinio for Paleo Magazine!

A signed copy of The Healthy Gluten Free Life! (This is NOT a paleo book but it does have many recipes that are paleo as well as grain, dairy, and egg free treat recipes for those who want that option for special occasions.)

A free Planet Box Lunch Box!! This is the lunch box that I use for my kids and we LOVE this product!

A signed copy of Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship

A signed copy of Everyday Paleo!

A free cast iron skillet from Lodge Cast Iron!

So here’s how to enter:  Please send an email to contests@everydaypaleo.com with your order number or proof of purchase for pre-ordering Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  You can also enter to win by emailing me a link to where you have tweeted, Facebooked, or blogged about Paleo Pals.  Thank you so much for your support!  Winners will be picked by random drawing and announced on my Facebook page and on the blog at the end of the day on February 14th, so hurry and enter for your chance to win!

Her

Tomorrows the Big Day! Official Release Date of Paleo Pals, Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Dancing with the Devil

Oh no, just when I think I have it figured out, those gooey, milk chocolate, melt in your mouth, sweet yolk filled eggs appear. Just when I think I have a handle on things, happily skipping through the grocery store, fruits, veggies and lean protein in hand. I stop in my tracks, and, what do I see peering at me across the way. When did they get here?

It can’t be, I finally have control, or so I thought. But oh yes, sitting cute and cozy in their little box, they called my name, so sweet and chocolaty. It’s the Easter crème egg. Those delightful, creamy, gooey filled eggs.  Once a year they come out, that’s it. ONCE A YEAR!! And now they are here to taunt me.

At first I loved seeing the eggs, they brought me back to a happy place filled with memories. I quickly ran to them, grabbed them, began smelling them and started filling my basket with them. The world was spinning!!  Oh my Gosh what was happening. This was no longer a place I wanted to be. That’s when I got mad. “Snap out of it”, I said to myself, “Get out of the store now” J

When I got home, I sat and thought for a while. What just happened? How had I given food; sugar to be exact, the power to bring me happiness over health? Why had so many of my happy memories become about food, and not tasty healthy, clean Paleo food, but processed sugar filled food!! How had I let that happen?  Or had I, did I really have a choice?

My childhood days went something Iike this. I woke to a nice warm set of eggo waffles swimming in a sweet tasty syrup. Later I would sit down with my friends, innocently eating my pb and jam on white bread, topped off with chocolate milk or a tasty fun colored beverage in a box. After school came the snack for champions, Oreo cookies, dipped so lovingly in a big cold glass of milk. Dinner was always good, a nice delicious salad with chicken or steak, yum I would devour it like I had not eaten in days (My body probably actually was starving). I thought Saturday nights where the best, I got to go to the market and pick out the biggest frozen dinner I could find!! Usually pot pie or scarios, with a side of mashed white potato and that little cup of goo they called a brownie.

I know my parents loved me. They only wanted the best for me, it was the norm, everyone ate this way. It was all over the TV, and accepted by society. The problem is, that was 30 years ago and sadly not much has changed.

We are a nation of sugar addicts, you can sugar coat it (yes pun intended) all you want. We are addicted, I am addicted, sugar is only one addictive bite away and once you take the first bite it is almost impossible to fight the next one. It is everywhere, and in everything. With all the names sugar now goes by, you practically have to be a scientist to even figure out if it is in the food you are eating.

For me sugar is a daily struggle and probably always will be. I still long for it, some days I morn it, some days I even cry for it. But now, most days I am stronger than it, I look it in the eye, stare it down and know I will win.

I wish I had never shook hands with sugar, or those processed boxed foods. I crave them as a memory, a comfort to my past, something that brings me back to my childhood, my mom, dad, and that warm feeling of acceptance and safety.

I can say though, eating Paleo and following the paleo rules has truly rid my physical cravings. The way I feel and the energy I have, is bigger than any sugary treat will ever be. ” I once again quickly discovered another reason it is so important that Paleo becomes a lifestyle. It really does become more than just changing the foods you eat, it become about changing YOU!!

 My kids are still young enough that I can change their future, break the cycle of what society says is normal. Set it up so that their warm comforting memories will one day be taking the family walk, laughing, playing soccer, dancing, or cooking a great Paleo meal in the kitchen together (check out Everyday Paleo). Basically creating a new normal, or should I say bringing back the old normal? ….oh wait I think they call that a Paleo lifestyle!!!

What’s your sweet memory?

Until next time.  Much joy and happiness.

Lisa

To come chat with Lisa and learn more about where she is getting her support visit Everyday Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness!

Dancing with the Devil is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Last Chance to Register for Laguna Niguel Workshop! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Paleo and Autoimmune

What Works for you is what matters

I have been trying to figure out Paleo for a while now, figuring out what works for me and my health. Over the past few weeks this journey has been anything but smooth. I am not a one day wonder or two week success story and will not pretend to be. I will write this journey as it goes, the good, the bad, the truthful and ugly side of it all.

One of the things that drew me to Paleo was that there were no gimmicks, set rules or unrealistic promises, no counting points, or pre-boxed meals, just clean healthy foods to be eaten however YOU choose. Right from the beginning it just all made sense. For the first time ever, I wanted this food journey to work for a life time, not to just look good for an event or because summer was quickly approaching.

However; for some of us even starting the Paleo diet with the best intentions is not so cut and dry and it can throw us off. In an earlier post I touched on how emotional eating can derail us, today it is about autoimmune issues.  If you are like me and start out a little behind the eight ball, Paleo can be a little less straight forward.

I have been blessed with (2) autoimmune issues (I don’t like the word disease, it sounds so final).  I have what I like to think of as a beautiful dancing butterfly in my thyroid called Hashimotos and a little thing called celiac, that reminds me to stay on the straight and narrow every day.

Believe me, I am in no way trying to minimize either of these issues by giving them pretty visuals or calling them “little things” I have been deathly ill from both, suffered years of not knowing what was wrong, been from Dr to Dr and had every blood test possible until I finally got my answers, and I also have 2 children with celiac, so I know firsthand the struggles, but I do try to look at them and find some sort of peace and joy in living with them.

On my goods days, when I feel strong and well, I feel bless to have both. They say something good always comes from something bad. One I inherited from my father who has passed on, so every time it flairs, I find a little smile on my face somewhere beneath my abdominal pains, cause I know he is looking down on me holding my hand and gets it. I also found Sarah, the Paleo world, the wonderful community on Everyday Paleo, EPLifefit and the deep inner strength that autoimmune issues gives you to never give up, even on those day you really want to.

So in this situation one would think Paleo would be perfect, no grains, no gluten, no intestinal pain, no thyroid inflammation, right?….wrong! sometimes we can do everything we think is right and still innocently slip up or put trust in the wrong hands. I had not been feeling very well as of late, I knew the signs (swollen thyroid, IBS, fatigue so bad I could barely walk, nausea morning noon and night, loss of appetite, bloating, the list goes on). But could not figure out where they were coming from, and why after hearing all these great success stories on paleo was I still  not becoming one of them. I was eating clean whole foods, following the Paleo rules but actually feeling worse than before. What was going on??

Don’t get me wrong I was not an A+ student in the healthy eating department before Paleo, just a gluten free, vegan version of bad. Gobbling up lots of carbs and gluten free processed foods, hey there are really good vegan, gluten free cookies, cakes and muffins etc. out there and I found them all!!. But I had taught myself how to keep the lion in me tamed this way and it was working, it was keeping my autoimmune symptoms away, I still felt like crap, just in a different way.

Situation one which I had not dealt with while being vegan, where eggs and meats (there seems to be some controversy over this comment but here it goes) It seems that depending on your level of sensitivity to gluten, eating meat and eggs that have been grain feed as opposed to grass feed can set you off. For me this seems to be true. I was eating what Paleo told me, but was feeling my autoimmune symptoms come on worse than before; how could this be? I had eliminated all grains and was definitely not eating gluten; or was I? It seems for me the grains in the meats and eggs were enough to irritate my symptoms!  As soon as I switched to grass feed meat and took out the eggs, things seemed to improve for me.

Second setback came from a restaurant chain that has a gluten free menu, (again not something I dealt with being Vegan, I usually would have ordered salad with oil and vinegar on the side) this time I ordered a nice gluten free paleo dinner and within a few hours was so violently ill I could not move for days.  Mistake number two …cross contamination!! It may have been a gluten free menu, but certainly was not a gluten free meal…

So does Paleo still make sense, Yes.  Is this journey still amazing, yes, even with its ups and down. But in my opinion it is only amazing once you make it your journey and have figure out what is best for you and your situations. And there we are, back to the reason I loved the Paleo Plan in the first place, it is NOT a one size first all…..

Until next time, much peace and health

Lisa

Paleo and Autoimmune: What Works for You is What Matters is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

“Creamy” Chicken Tomato Soup
4 frozen skinless boneless chicken breast
Garlic salt to taste
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 clove garlic
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk (full fat)
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes and juice
1 cup of chicken broth (I used homemade chicken broth but you can use store bought)
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the above ingredients into the crock-pot, cook for 9 hours on low. After 9 hours take two forks and shred the chicken, set the crock-pot on warm till ready to serve (making sure to taste it before serving to make sure there is enough salt and pepper)

Served: 6 (with left over’s for lunch the next day)

Total cost: 17.48 (this is the price if you had to go buy all the ingredients; chicken, chicken broth, spices, coconut milk and diced tomatoes.. if you are buying spices at Safeway they always have a buy two get one free deal going on if you buy their brand)

Total cost per person: 2.91

hope you all enjoy my pocket friendly college budget paleo meal

Another Budget Friendly Paleo Meal by Erika: “Creamy” Chicken Tomato Crockpot Soup is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Readers often send me recipes that they have created, and this one looked so good I had to give it a try! Thank you Staci for sharing such a delicious dish with us, our whole family loved it!  Now, I’ll pass it on to all of you.

Yummy Greek Meatballs

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons minced chives

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 egg, room temp

1 tablespoon dried mint (I used fresh)

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 tespoons cumin

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8-10 dried apricots, chopped

8 (or a many as you want) kalamata olives, chopped

Mix all the above ingredients and form into meatballs (I made about 1-2in meatballs).  Place on a cooling rack which is on a baking sheet so that they brown all the way around.  Bake at 450 about 15 mins, depending on size.

Makes approximately 15 meatballs.  Serves 3-4.

Enjoy!

Yummy Greek Meatballs is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License