Main Dish – A Blog About REAL FOOD-REGENERATIVE FARMING-SAFER BEAUTY-FIBER ARTS

Blog, cancer, health, Healthy Living, Low Carb, Lunch, Main Dish, Real Food, Whole 30

The Magic Pill is Real Food – So you’ve decided to be healthy. Now what?

So much information, so little time. We all want to be healthier, but with so many experts telling you what you should be eating or what supplements you should be taking it can be confusing. I say strip it down to the basics. Just eat real food.

What is real food as I define it? Sustainably raised meat, poultry & eggs, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds. What isn’t it? Processed food like bread, pasta, cereal, or pretty much anything with a label. Most of what’s in the grocery store actually. Typical SAD (Standard American Diet) food. Does it mean you can never have a treat again? No. Once you make improvements in your health, you can have occasional splurges. For me personally, my digestive health and overall wellbeing improved so much typical SAD food isn’t even tempting. I’ve become a much better cook and I’ve learned to genuinely enjoy whole food based treats.

I’m not a nutritionist and have no medical credentials, so what I offer here is not in any way medical or nutritional advice. I think of myself as a whole food facilitator. When you have decided to make improvements in your diet, it is hard work. Most of us are so entrenched in our food preparation and eating habits we don’t even know where to start. I’ve been down the path and regained my health. I no longer rely on allergy medicine, heart burn medication, Nsaids or acetaminophen to feel operational. My migraine frequency continues to diminish. So I want to help you if you want to try it out! If you are ready…dive in.

STEP 1: Clean the crap out of your kitchen. Box up unopened SAD food and take it to the food bank. If it is opened, throw it out. This includes cereal, bread, crackers, chips, anything with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, vegetable oils-canola, soy, safflower, corn, etc. JUST GET RID OF IT! This is not negotiable. If it is in your house, you will eat it. Set yourself up for success.

STEP 2: Meal plan. This includes making shopping lists and cooking several meals for the week. Plan on at least five hours to get yourself set up for the week. The upside is you’ll have free time during the week because you’ll have planned so well. No need to spend a bunch of money on cookbooks to start off, there are plenty of free resources to get you started. Here are some great links for recipes and information on real food eating:

http://www.thepaleomom.com/ http://everydaypaleo.com/ http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/ http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex

STEP 3: Sleep. At least 8-9 hours a night. This is not negotiable. Get a sleep mask and earplugs if it helps.

STEP 4: Get more sunshine & increase your activity. Find a walking/workout buddy. If that isn’t an option, use a website like http://www.meetup.com to find other people in your area that have the same health and fitness goals. Make plans, not excuses.

That’s all I have for now. Hope it helps! If you have questions or need tips or encouragement, e-mail me at: haclife@outlook.com

Healthy Living, Low Carb, Main Dish, Paleo, pizza, Primal, Real Food

Zucchini Pizza

What to do with all those zucchini? That is the question. Every. Single. Summer. I always promise myself to plant only one, singular, solitary zucchini plant. Somehow I now have three. Plus one ‘summer squash’ plant, which let’s be honest, is really just a yellow zucchini. So long story short, I have at least 10 lbs of zucchini/summer squash and for some reason I have a hard time tossing it. This is where my 15 (or more) paleo cookbooks come in handy and I began scouring them for ideas. Zucchini Pizza was the best. I of course modified it to what I had in my kitchen and what I felt like putting in it. Yes, I’m going to post an annoying list of ingredients that I used, otherwise known as a recipe, and you will have to use your own expertise, tastes and culinary skills to mold it into your own. They turned out delicious and I highly recommend them as a way to use up the endless supply of zucchini you undoubtedly have growing in abundance in your garden.

Zucchini Pizza

* 2 Medium (9 inches or so) Zucchini

Cut in half long wise and cut out seedy section

* 1 lb Italian pork sausage

* 10 pieces salami

*10 pieces pepperoni –

Cook the pork until done, chop the salami and pepperoni and stir in with pork sausage

*add one small can sliced, black olives to meat mixture

Pizza sauce– buy premade OR…

* 1 cup of diced onion in olive oil until translucent (5-7 min)

Saute for 5-6 minutes

*Add garlic to taste and chopped parsley (about 1/3 cup) and cook a couple of minutes more

*Add a can of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes 14 oz size

*Small can tomato paste (or drain the diced tomatoes and skip the paste)

*Tsp or so each of basil, oregano and pinches of rosemary & thyme

*1/2 cup red wine

Cook, gently bubbling, for about 30 minutes

Mix the meat mixture with some of the sauce (you will have some sauce left over, freeze it for later) and spoon into the zucchini. I topped mine with fake cheddar cheese (Daiya brand) and my husbands with a bit of Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until it all looks bubbly and the zucchini is soft.

Feel free to wing it on the sauce if you have a family recipe or want to use a jar of spaghetti sauce. Recipes are not fixed and the more you experiment, the better you’ll get. Be free and joyful in your cooking 🙂

Enjoy!

p.s. Tomorrow I’m making zucchini muffins or bread. I’ll post that too.

Main Dish

Paleo Shepard’s Pie

As usual I modified what I’m sure was a delicious recipe in order to suit my particular tastes, available resources and food intolerances. The 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking by Haley Mason & Bill Staley of http://www.primalpalate.com has a ton of great information, meal plans and shopping lists. If you are a person who likes to have plans, lists and tasty recipes, buy their cookbook.

I have three, 6’2″, 210+ lb males that frequently require feeding in my life. All eat paleo and in addition to that I am gluten, casein and nightshade intolerant. Why is this important? Because it means I have to find satiating, delicious, high volume meals that occasionally allow me to leave the kitchen. This Shepard’s Pie fits the bill. Although, next time I will be doubling the quantities to have leftovers.

As always, read all the directions before you start. This is a skill I’ve only gained in my 40’s. Whether it is recipes, knitting or sewing instructions. READ ALL THE DIRECTIONS BEFORE YOU START ANYTHING. Trust me, life will be easier.

Shepard’s Pie– Ingredients: ground beef, zucchini, yellow squash, onion carrots, cauliflower, marjoram, thyme, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ghee (or other cooking fat)

2 lbs. grass fed ground beef (lamb or buffalo would work too)

2 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. thyme

1 Tbls granulated garlic

1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

–Mix above ingredients into meat (if this grosses you out wear clean, rubber kitchen gloves while mixing), pat into 9 x 13 pan, bake for 35-40 min at 350 degrees

1 ½ cups each coarsely chopped zucchini, yellow squash & carrots

1 cup chopped yellow onion (Medium sized onion?)

-Saute the veggies in 2 Tbls ghee or grass fed butter

-Put sautéed veggies on top of cooked meat

1 Large (or 2 small) heads of cauliflower

Boil a large head (or two small heads) of cauliflower in water (or bone broth if you have it) until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain, cool a bit and place cauliflower into a food processor. You need a food processor. It will change your life. Puree until creamy and season to taste. Meaning, put ghee, salt & pepper as needed. Spread this fake mashed potato creation on top of your meat & veggies and proceed to browning your cauliflower topping. About 15 minutes on a high broil setting. Watch it so it doesn’t fry to a crisp. Slightly brown is perfect.

This is an ugly picture, but it is a realistic expectation. It may not look fantastic, but it tastes great!

Enjoy!

Low Carb, Main Dish, Seafood

Paleo Crab Cakes With Garlic Aioli

Seafood is something that I’ve been trying to incorporate into our diet on a more regular basis. It’s a great source of protein, omega 3’s and a variety of minerals. However my disgust of shrimp, prawns and most fish make it a bit of a challenge. Two of my favorites are crab and salmon and I always try to eat wild caught. Fortunately the price of crab has been almost affordable and is my go to lazy meal choice. I had a package in the freezer and decided to try my hand at crab cakes. I looked through a few recipes, made adjustments and cooked up the following. It was very tasty.

Crab Cakes with Garlic Aioli

Crab Cakes

1 lb crab meat

3 green onions chopped

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 tsp prepared mustard

2 tsp garlic granules

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup almond meal

1 large egg

1/3 cup homemade mayo (see previous post on my blog)

Whisk the egg in a bowl and add all the ingredients except crab and almond meal. Mix until blended and then blend in crab and almond meal. You can add more or less almond meal so you have crab patties that will hold their shape when you fry them up.
Form 6-8 patties and fry them in bacon, ghee or your fat of choice for 5 minutes on each side.

Garlic Aioli

½ cup homemade mayo (see previous post on my blog)

1 tsp garlic granules

1-2 tsp minced garlic

1-2 tsp garlic juice

2 TBLS lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

I like to buy the organic, chopped garlic in a jar and drain the juice out of that.

Feel free to adjust the amount of garlic to your own preference. I like garlic.

Mix the above ingredients until well mixed.

After frying the crab cakes and plating them, put 1 to 2 TBLS of the garlic aioli on top. Enjoy! 🙂

Main Dish, Paleo

Paleo Crockpot Pot Roast

It is an exciting time in the paleosphere! Recent research reports in the media are reaffirming the importance of healthy fats in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, improving autoimmune conditions and diabetes through eating real food, as well as the important message that activity and movement throughout the day is imperative for longevity and health. If a person desires reclaiming or maintaining their health, the information is out there and it is free. Eating the right food is but one piece in having health. You must also get exposure to daylight, sleep, exercise and movement throughout the day to be the specimen of vigor we seek. All the best to everyone in their pursuit! If you don’t know where to start and want a mentor and guidance, reach out to someone in your life that has started down the path already. It can be scary to start what might be a drastic change in your life, but people (like me) want to help. Just ask!

Paleo Crockpot Pot Roast

(Please note that my method is not a traditional one and chefs everywhere would disapprove, but it works.)

I took a frozen 7-bone pot roast out of the freezer, put it in my cast iron skillet and threw some salt, pepper and garlic granules on top. I heated the oven to 375 degrees and put the frozen roast in for 30 minutes and then flipped it for 10 more minutes.

From there I placed the roast in my crockpot on low and covered it with a couple cups of bone broth, yams/sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, kale & onions. I cooked it on low for 6 hours before serving. As I had already seasoned the roast and bone broth with salt, pepper and garlic I didn’t add any additional seasonings. However, I sometimes throw in a tablespoon of Italian seasoning or rosemary if I need to.

Here is a before & after:

Breakfast, Main Dish

Paleo Is Not All About Meat

One dietary challenge for me is eating enough vegetables. Meat and other proteins (eggs, fish, poultry) are easy as they are quick and satiating. I have come up with a few ways to sneak more greens like spinach, kale and broccoli into my everyday eating and the frittata is one of them.

I like frittata’s not only because my granddaughter calls them “tata’s”, but because they are quick and easy to make. I use my cast iron skillet to sauté the meat in veggies in before I pour the eggs over the top and slip it into the oven. Easy one pan nutritious breakfast.

Here is the recipe without amounts, because I want you to exercise your intuitive cooking abilities. You do have them. Flex those cooking muscles and experiment!

Breakfast Frittata

Breakfast meat of your choosing chopped. I like bacon and some kind of sausage. Cut and cook in your oven proof pan.
Onion, garlic, kale, spinach and broccoli. Cut in small pieces and sauté with the cooked meat until tender.
Scramble your eggs with salt and pepper and dried herbs and pour over the evenly distributed meat and veggies.
Bake in the over at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

These keep well and can be made ahead and pulled out as a quick leftover meal when you are in a rush. You can cut up and freeze if you want to do a large batch.

Enjoy 🙂

Blog, cancer, health, Healthy Living, Low Carb, Lunch, Main Dish, Real Food, Whole 30

The Magic Pill is Real Food – So you’ve decided to be healthy. Now what?

What is real food as I define it? Sustainably raised meat, poultry & eggs, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds. What isn’t it? Processed food like bread, pasta, cereal, or pretty much anything with a label. Most of what’s in the grocery store actually. Typical SAD (Standard American Diet) food. Does it mean you can never have a treat again? No. Once you make improvements in your health, you can have occasional splurges. For me personally, my digestive health and overall wellbeing improved so much typical SAD food isn’t even tempting. I’ve become a much better cook and I’ve learned to genuinely enjoy whole food based treats.

http://www.thepaleomom.com/ http://everydaypaleo.com/ http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/ http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex

STEP 3: Sleep. At least 8-9 hours a night. This is not negotiable. Get a sleep mask and earplugs if it helps.

That’s all I have for now. Hope it helps! If you have questions or need tips or encouragement, e-mail me at: haclife@outlook.com