Farmers Markets

Go shopping at the farmers market... support your local community, it's fresh and organic, and not to mention tasty!

Downtown CDA - 5th and sherman - Wednesdays 4pm-7pm

Prairie & 95 - Saturdays 8am-1pm

Primal Hooves

Just got back from a natural hoof care clinic in Washington, and had a great time. I learned alot and got to do some fun stuff with Dottie....

In other news, my diet has been slacking so I better shape up for the sprint triathlon end of this month! Or it's gonna be a sad day :( 

Camping

Had a fun camping trip along the St Joe, it was beautiful...we got some sun, rain, clouds, and stars :D Also had a pretty tasty paleo dinner (other than the marshmallows) Roasted chicken with asparagus and onions...

Read a very interesting post about fats on marks daily apple, be sure to check it out.

Primal Cookies

Hey everyone, sorry I have been slacking on my blog lately...but I will make it up to you with this awesome recipe! Enjoy

1 1/4 cup almond meal, 1/4 cup maple chunks (only @ health food store) 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/4 cup butter (melted) 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp baking soda

-Mix well in bowl, refrigerate 30 minutes

-preheat oven 350

-Spoon into about 1'' balls onto cookie sheet, flatten with fork

-Bake about 8 minutes, do not let them brown/overcook

-cool 2 minutes before eating!

whole batch - fat 112.6  carbs 123.9  protein 33  <---divide with how many cookies you make to see individual cookie counts

Get Out!

Had an awesome day out in the beautiful sun...first hiked around and over Tubbs Hill with Jarod and my mom, then got home and loaded up the bikes and headed off to ride the trails of the Coeur d'Alene. It was about a 15 mile ride or so, and it was sooo gorgeous! 

Breakfast: curried cashews & blackberries

Lunch: Blackened ahi salad (from the beacon)

Dinner: Italian meatball salad (from chaio mambo)

I am on a total salad kick, last night was the rasberry vinegarette (from moontime) been eating out more than usual because my mom is in town, and we've been out and about. Try these salads if you go to any of these restaurants, they are really tasty! NO CROUTONS THOUGH!

Congrats to Luis for getting some on his first marathon in LA!! A smoking time of 3:34 too! 

daily intake

Breakfast: Berry&Protein Smoothie

Snack:Trail mix

Lunch: Bacon wrapped filet steak with pepperchinis

Dinner: Steamed artichoke w/ garlic, onion powder, and lemon..served w/ cajun chicken breast

Desert: 2 primal almond cookies (will be posting that recipe soon because WOW)

Gotta Love It

Indian Almonds

1/2 tsp: cumin, chile powder, curry powder, garlic powder

1/4 tsp: cayenne, ginger powder, cinnamon

1 tbsp sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil

In a skillet, heat oil/spice mix on low for 3 minutes. Toss with 2 cups raw almonds and spread on baking sheet. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes, shaking pan every 5 minutes. Let cool a couple hours.

May 18

In loving memory of the most wonderful grandma ever on her birthday. She will be greatly missed. Not a day goes by where I don't thank God for the blessing of knowing her. She enriched the lives of all who came to know her, and her legacy of love will endure forever. 

Primal Pizza

Golden Flax Crust:

2/3 cup flax meal, 1/3 cup almond meal, 1-1.5 tsp baking powder, salt to taste, 3 tsp olive oil (or coconut oil/butter)  2 eggs, water (enough to pour batter). I added a tsp of thyme, oregano, and pepper to the batter

Double these ingredients if you want a larger pizza

-Preheat oven 375

-Mix contents well to form dough

-oil pan or pizza stone, and form dough into shape(thinner on inside, and thicker around the edges)

-Cook for about 15 minutes or until golden brown

-Meanwhile heat a can of pizza sauce stove top on low, precook/sautee any meat/toppings you'd like. 

-Take out of oven, spread sauce over crust, then top with cheese of your choice (I used fresh mozerella)

-Then put on toppings and cook another 15 minutes or so....

This is a really easy recipe, and you can also just make the flax bread to use for sandwiches, or if you want something sweet, instead of adding the spices to the batter, add some honey or agave, cinnamon, and some fruit!

Let me know your thoughts or suggestions :D 

Want to donate to a great cause?

Got the Fingers!

Check out the new kicks! An early b-day present from Jarod :) As close to barefoot as shoes get....Vibram 5 Fingers 

Mother's Day

Had a great Mother's day...here is a pic of what we brought over to dinner last night.

Chop Salad

-2 heads romaine

-1 cucumber

-6 radishes

-1 red onion

-1 small can chopped olives

-crumbled blue cheese

-cherry tomatoes

-pine nuts

-cilantro

-avocado

and....the dinosaur droppings, served with berries. Jarod just gave me the idea of dipping some strawberries into the melted chocolate before putting them in the fridge to harden....sounds good to me :D 

Dinosaur Droppings AKA Paleo Fudge

For those instances when you have a sweet tooth, (like me...alllll the time) I found this recipe from Son of Grok

Ingredients:
- 1 bar ghirardelli 100% cocoa baking chocolate
- 1/2 can or 7oz of coconut milk
- 2 tblspns coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tblspoons egg white powder. I am not entirely sure about the necessity of this ingredient but i used it and it worked so I am keeping it in here.
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup almond butter. This is where I really failed keeping track. I just spooned it right into the pan.
- Crushed walnuts (or another nut you would like to use.
-(Optional) Add in some stevia or sweetener if you need it sweeter. I don’t think it needs additional sweetening at all.

Directions:
1. Slowly warm coconut milk in a saucepan on low to medium heat.
2. Add in almond butter and stir until smooth. Keep pan on low-medium heat.
3. Add chocolate bar. It will melt easier if you break it into its section. Stir on low-medium heat until smooth.
4. Add coconut oil and once again stir while keeping mixture on low-medium heat.
5. Stir in egg white powder and vanilla.
6. Once all stirred and melted. Remove from heat.
7. Stir in crushed walnuts (or other nut) and allow mixture to cool enough to handle. You can do this in the freezer or refrigerator to speed it up.
8. After sufficiently cooled, use your hands to roll the mixture into whatever size fudgeballs you would like.
9. Cool the fudgeballs in the freezer or refrigerator.
10. Once cooled and hardened… enjoy! Store in refrigerator.

"The most used phrase in my administration if I were to be President would be "What the hell you mean we're out of missiles?" 

-Glenn Beck

10 Pounds

Breakfast:egg, bacon, mixed berries

Snack: sliced cucumber w/ cream cheese and smoked salmon

Lunch:small slice spinach bread (100% paleo) with chicken cilantro sausage, tomato, avocado, & onion.

Dinner: I will be having left over spicy sweet potato fries, and salmon salad.

Weighed in at 128 this morning, that's 10 lbs I've lost in just over a month...with just eating primally. Now, I am excited to see with my working out what will happen. I am signed up for Race the River triathlon in July, hopefully I will stomp my last years time. 

"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general."
-Mark Rippetoe

Crockpotin Artichokes

4-6 artichokes-washed and trimmed

1 1-1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves of garlic-minced

2 cups hot water 

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp garlic powder

juice from a fresh lemon

Stand artichokes upright in crockpot, they may be stacked. Add garlic, water, and lemon juice. Cook on low 6-8 hours. YUM! If you go to costco, they have 4 packs of artichokes pretty cheap :)

Real Foods vs Fake Foods

This is a great article, check it out!

http://lifespotlight.com/health/2009/03/16/selling-ill-health-real-foods-fake-foods/

Paleo Poser

That's right...I had some ice cream today, and let me tell you...it was worth it! Happy Derek?

Breakfast: Eggs, avocado, tomato, bacon, little fruit
Snack: half apple with some cheese
Dinner: low carb jalapeno burger

My mom was just in town the last couple days, and we had a blast! Miss you mama! See ya next month...here's a pic of her with the spotted monster.

Paleo Crepes

Shea overlooking lake Ponderay <--spelling?

-4 eggs, 1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1 pinch nutmeg, 1 pinch cinnamon, 1 tbsp honey or agave nectar, 1/4 cup coconut milk. Mix all together to form batter, let sit 5 minutes.
-Oil pan, heat over medium. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each crepe, heat until golden brown and flip.

You can wrap some bacon, avocado, salsa into the crepes for a mexican taste OR some berries and a light cheese spread like the little laughing cow wedges (at costco)

This is a REALLY good breakfast recipe that is simple and fast.

My Baby

Breakfast: spicy thai trail mix, unsweetened dehydrated apple, little protein drink
Snacking on that throughout the day...
Lunch: spinach salad w/ tomato, pepperchini, and chicken
Dinner: turkey bacon, raw broccoli with some cheese

Probiotic Packed Greek Yogurt

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:
24oz Greek Gods Traditional Plain Yogurt
1 medium English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons Greek Extra Virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Pinch of Dill

This sauce is great on anything...a veggie dip, meat, salads, etc. Greek yogurt itself is awesome with some berries, or blended in a smoothie.

My New Fav

Why you should try White tea today.
Studies have shown that white tea has a concentration of antioxidants that is three times higher than in green tea.

White Tea Antioxidants
Antioxidants are nutrients that protect the body from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are nasty things that go around wreaking havoc on your body, damaging DNA and accelerating aging. Antioxidants scoop them up and neutralize them. White tea is loaded with these protective nutrients.

Cancer Prevention
White tea may have profound power against cancer-causing cells and against many different types of cancer, such as colon, prostate, and stomach cancers. Flavonoids, a class of antioxidants, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the development of new ones. In some cases, white tea has been found to work as well as prescription drugs, but without the side effects.

Lower Blood Pressure
Studies show that white tea can thin the blood and improve artery function. It helps lower high blood pressure and maintain a healthy one. By promoting strong and healthy blood vessels, white tea guards against the ravages of stroke.

Lower Cholesterol
Catechins, another group of antioxidants, have been found to reduce cholesterol, and white tea is teeming with them. Cholesterol is a special type of fat and is necessary for health. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and white tea increases the good while decreasing the bad. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and blockage of blood flow.

Heart Protection
By thinning the blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cholesterol, white tea protects the heart and the entire circulatory system. Researchers have also discovered that people who drink 2 or more cups of tea a day are almost 50% less likely to die after suffering a heart attack. White tea is truly a remarkable heart tonic.

Stronger Bones
Studies have found that people who drank tea regularly had greater bone density and strength than non-drinkers. White tea may also have beneficial effects for sufferers of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Antibacterial & Antiviral
White tea is a natural killer of bacteria and viruses. The antioxidants so abundant in white tea tone the entire immune system, providing protection against a variety of invaders and a wide range of diseases. Its helps guard against the common cold and flu, and can ease the symptoms of HIV.

Healthy Teeth and Gums
White tea contains small amounts of fluoride and other nutrients which keeps the teeth strong and healthy. It also kills the bacteria which causes plaque, tooth decay, and bad breath.

Healthy Skin
Free radicals from staying out in the sun too long, stress, and a poor diet can damage the skin and cause it to prematurely age. By scavenging these free radicals, white tea protects the skin and helps to reverse some of the damage. Drinking white tea promotes healthy and radiant skin.

Other Health Benefits
White tea has many other benefits to offer. It may reduce blood sugar and help prevent and alleviate the symptoms of diabetes. It reduces stress and increases energy.

White tea may or may not aid in weight-loss. Studies suggest tea may increase metabolism and encourage the body to burn more fat, but a balanced diet and regular exercise are more likely to produce results. Still, adding white tea to your weight-loss plan can't hurt.

Cajun Fries

Preheat oven 375
2 lb sweet potatoes-peeled and cut into fries
Place on cookie sheet and toss in sesame oil & cajun seasoning
bake 20 minutes, stir fries, bake another 20-25 minutes

Soooooo Good!

Paleo Ice Cream

Breakfast: yogurt w/ blackberries, almonds
Snack: grapefruit, almonds
Lunch: can o' tuna w/ some spicy mustard, avocado, hard boiled egg, and some pepperchinis...sounds weird but actually pretty good, and filling too!
Dinner: Broiled buffalo steak chunks w/ red pepper, garlic, jalapeno, tomato, and onions. (all marinaded in stubs, the best store bought marinade EVER)
Desert: Paleo Ice Cream

1 can coconut milk (full fat)
2 cups frozen berries
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend together, pour into cups, freeze, then serve!

Cajun Slaw

Breakfast: Berry/yogurt smoothie
Lunch: Cajun cole slaw, left over hen
Snack: more slaw, almonds, piece of 88% chocolate
Dinner: Egg Plant roasted with feta cheese and egg.
Snack: Blackberries

Cajun Slaw
-Chop about 1/4 head of green cabbage
-Mix in package of shredded broccoli
-Mix in chopped red onion
-Add red hot or tobasco to taste
-Add 1 finely chopped jalapeno
-Add about 1/4 cup chopped parsley, or use dry
-Add about a tbsp agave nectar or raw honey
-Add about 1/2 cup of mayonaise substitute, I used naysoya which is vegetable based
-Add 2 tbsp white vinegar
-Add 1 tsp celery seed
-Salt/pepper to taste

Go by what looks good to you, I didn't go 100% to the recipe, just eyeball the amounts and use these numbers as a guideline. This turned out soooo good though, pretty spicy too :D Enjoy

Fun with the BC

Took Shea out for a little hike today, we got a couple inches of more snow for her to romp in...speaking of snow..here's a pic of her last big snow day :D


Breakfast: apple w/ almond butter
Lunch: roasted head of garlic w/ sun dried tomato, parmasean, artichoke hearts on some lettuce.
Snack: piece of 88% dark chocolate with a few almonds
Dinner: Cajun cole slaw (recipe from performance menu) cornish game hen

yummy

For dinner last night I crockpot a buffalo roast with onions, a yam, and a bottle of newcastle. Slow cooked low 10 hours and WOW...it was sooooooo good. Also made some broccoli which was the best I have ever had, even Jarod loved it :D I will post the recipe because it must be tried.

Pre-heat oven to 425
get about 4 pounds of broccoli, for this to work the broccoli must be dry, so if you wash your broccoli made sure to dry it completely, I just bought organic and didn't wash it that way I didn't have to worry about it.
Cut in kinda large florets and place on baking sheet, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper. Also, slice up a few garlic cloves and toss them in.
Bake 20-25 minutes, they should have some browned tips to them
take out, sprinkle some lemon peel or zest a lemon over top, then squeeze the juice on top of broccoli
then drizzle a tiny bit more olive oil on top, finally top with some grated parmasean cheese.

Let me know how it turns out :)

today's menu...
breakfast: applesauce concoction, hard-boiled egg
Lunch: leftover roast,yam,broccoli
Dinner:Lettuce wrap jalapeno burger, and a bunch a dried fruit (had a sweet tooth)

Amber Waves of Pain

The following is an article from MDA, and is awesome in describing the negative effects of grains

Among my many beefs with grain, the first and foremost is the havoc it plays with insulin and other hormonal responses in the body. For the full picture, visit the previous Definitive Guide to Insulin from some months ago. Guess what? The same principles still hold. We developed the insulin response to help store excess nutrients and to take surplus (and potentially toxic) glucose out of the bloodstream. This was an adaptive trait. But it didn’t develop to handle the massive amounts of carbs we throw at it now. And, yes, we’re talking mostly about grains. Unless you have a compulsive penchant for turnips, the average American’s majority of carb intake comes from grains.

The gist is this (as many of you know): Whatever the carbohydrate, it will eventually be broken down into glucose, either in the gut or the liver. But now it’s all dressed up with likely no place to go. Unless you just did a major workout or are finishing tying your running shoes as we speak (which would allow those grain-based carbs to be used in the restocking of depleted glycogen stores or burned as secondary fuel, respectively), that French baguette will more likely get stored as fat.

Why? Because carbohydrates elicit a physiological response that favors fat storage. That blasted baguette has already set off a strategic chain of hormonal events akin to a physiological-style Tom Clancy plot: the ambush of baguette glucose, the defensive maneuver of insulin, (if you ate the whole baguette, in particular) the entering reinforcements of adrenaline and cortisol. Why the drama? Because, remember, this was not the standard mode of nutrition in our body. And every time it happens, the body is a little worse for the wear. This whole hormonal production taxes the adrenal system, the pancreas, the immune system, and results in a tiny amount of inflammation. We all know what we say about inflammation, right? (Hint: the blight of modern existence.)

And as for the nutritional value of grains? First off, they aren’t the complete nutritional sources they’re made out to be. Quite the contrary, grains have been associated with minerals deficiencies, perhaps because of high phytate levels. A diet high in grains may also reduce the body’s ability to process vitamin D. Why not get the same nutrients from sources that don’t come back and bite you in the backside? If you have the choice between getting, say, B-vitamins from chicken or some “whole wheat” pasta, I’m going to say go with the chicken every time. Is pasta cheaper? Yes. Is it healthier? No. The B6 in chicken is more bioavailable, for one. The fact is, you pay too high a physiological price for the pasta source. Let’s get this point on the dinner table as well: whatever nutrients you can get from whole grains you can get in equal to greater amounts in other food. In terms of nutrient density, grains can’t hold a candle to a diverse diet of veggies and meats. (And if the label says otherwise, look closely because the product is fortified. Save your money and buy a good supplement instead.

But, wait, there’s more. Enter the lurker substances in grains that cause a lot of people a whole lot of obvious problems (and probably all of us some kind of damage over time). Grains, are frankly hard on the digestive system. (You say fiber, I say unnecessary roughage, but that’s only the half of it.) Enter gluten and lectins, both initiators of digestive mayhem, you might say. Gluten, the large, water-soluble protein that creates the sludge, err, elasticity in dough, is found in most common grains like wheat, rye and barley (and it’s the primary glue in wallpaper paste). Researchers now believe that a third of us are likely gluten intolerant/sensitive. That third of us (and I would suspect many more on some level) “react” to gluten with a perceptible inflammatory response. Over time, those who are gluten intolerant can develop a dismal array of medical conditions: dermatitis, joint pain, reproductive problems, acid reflux and other digestive conditions, autoimmune disorders, and Celiac disease. And that still doesn’t mean that the rest of us aren’t experiencing some milder negative effect that simply doesn’t manifest itself so obviously.


Now for lectins. Lectins are mild, natural toxins that aren’t limited to just grains but seem to be found in especially high levels in most common grain varieties. They serve as one more reason grains just aren’t worth all the trouble that comes with them. Lectins, researchers have found, inhibit the natural repair system of the GI tract, potentially leaving the rest of the body open to the impact of errant, wandering (i.e. unwanted) material from the digestive system, especially when these lectins “unlock” barriers to entry and allow larger undigested protein molecules into the bloodstream. This breach can initiate all kinds of immune-related havoc and is thought to be related to the development of autoimmune disorders. Some people are more sensitive to the damage of lectins than others, as in the case with gluten. Nonetheless, I’d say, over time we all pay the piper.

The bottom line is this: grains = carbs. Unnecessary at best, but flat out unhealthy at worst, they’re not the wholesome staples they’re made out to be. Talk about double taxation: Our bodies pay for what our trusty government subsidizes Big Agra for. The best – really the only way – to achieve a low carb, whole foods diet is to ditch the grains. (Your body will be better off without inflammation, the insulin roller coaster, not to mention the constant onslaught of creepy gluten and lectins.) A diet very low or entirely without grains (low-carb) has been shown to decrease risk for problems associated with diabetes, to lower blood pressure, alleviate heartburn symptoms, andshed abdominal fat. Finally, low carb diets have been associated with significant “reductions in a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules.”

The idea here is not to demonize grains. Well, O.K., it is. (But only because our society and medical establishment spends so much time exalting them.) Just as I choose to steer clear of grains as a regular part of my diet, I do occasionally indulge a bit. A tiny bit. And that’s where the Primal Blueprintenters: it’s about informed, not dictated choices. That French bread at an anniversary dinner, a sample of the pasta salad at your Uncle Billy’s steak fry, the saffron rice your daughter cooks for you when you visit her first apartment – they’re thoughtful, purposeful compromises. (And they’re perhaps very worth it for reasons that have nothing to do with the food itself.) The point of the Primal Blueprint if this: When you understand the metabolic effects of eating grains, you’re empowered to make informed decisions about the role grains will have in your diet. You’re free to enjoy good health and self-selected compromises with a clear conscience and full epicurean gusto!

today's intake

Breakfast: Yogurt/berry smoothie
Lunch: Huge Salad
Snack: Nuts, apple
Dinner: Buffalo/cabbage meatballs

Day 7

The most wonderful, beautiful, caring, thoughtful woman I have and ever will know. My Nana, I will miss you

Day 7 and going strong...I have completely eliminated all forms of grain from my diet, and it feels so good! The second day was rough, I experienced a long lasting head-ache that I am positive was my body going through sugar withdrawls, but now, only a week in, I have relatively no junk food cravings and health issues I had before so far have not resurfaced. I will continue to post my meals, health articles, my progress, tasty recipes, and the occasional random rabbit trail.

Breakfast: Blackberry Primal Pancakes made w/ almond meal
Lunch/Dinner: Salad w/ Huckleberry vinagarette, sliced fruit, steak
Night snack: Bear sausage (that's right) if that's not primal what is?

Most of the recipes I use come from marksdailyapple.com unless otherwise stated