My New Favorite Snack (aka I Love Bacon)

If someone gave me the choice between never having sweets again for the rest of my life and never eating bacon for the rest of my life, I would choose to forgo the sweets. Yes, I said it. I chose bacon over sweets. Not just any bacon, but pastured pork, uncured, thick-sliced bacon. Heaven.

After having just received my copy of Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals Cookbook I was inspired to try bacon in a new way. Although the cookbook touts claims of meals in 30 minutes or less on the cover, you are warned in the intro that for those new to certain cooking processes, these meals may take more than 30 minutes. I was kind of bummed because being a single mom half of the time who happens to have a child with an ardor for food, I want something I can get on the table quick. That letdown accompanied with the fact that many of the recipes call for unusual or unique ingredients that are not every day household purchases was kind of lame.

Never fear....there is a silver lining! In the intro Mark reveals some of his go-to super quick and easy paleo meals and snacks. He mentions using an avocado as it's own little bowl and crumbling bacon on the top. Holy awesomeness. I hope heaven is filled with bacon.

And with the other ripe avocado I bought today, I made my own homemade guacamole! I just added the following to my mashed up avo:

1/4 diced vidalia onion (red onion would have been better, but I didn't have one)
3 cherry tomatoes, diced
dash of lime juice
a few shakes of garlic powder

Perfect with raw veggies of any kind! Even Eli was digging it (yes, that's his little hand in the pic trying to snag some more of my home made guac).

What To Do With Ground Venison

My little man and I returned to GA on Monday after almost 3 months at my mom's. WOW! Long time, right? And she and I only got into one minor tussle the whole time. I was so thankful that mom and her husband Rob let me and Eli disrupt their day to day for so many weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all the help with Eli since Rusty has been gone since January. Obviously my return home means that his return home is drawing near as well, so YAY for that!

One advantage of being back home however, is that I control what is in my kitchen. Bye-Bye temptation of vanilla wafers and Nutella. So long to the call of the Moose Tracks ice cream in the fridge. And adios to the days where I would just cave and have a sandwich because my mom offered to make one for me. Nope, in this house there is no bread, no sweets, no grains of any kind actually. No CAFO farmed beef. No Perdue or Tyson chicken here.

What I do have a lot of is ground venison from a deer a friend of mine killed. I love ground meat of any kind because its ususally the cheapest cut. But it can get redundant. A few days ago I concocted a lovely dish of what I had on hand and it turned out superb. I'm calling it Venison Hash, and it's easily modifiable to whatever veggies you prefer. Also, I don't really measure when I cook, so I may guess or tell you to wing it.

1.5 lbs of ground venison
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 bag frozen green peppers, diced
1 bag of frozen cauliflower
chili powder and sea salt, to taste
a few handfuls of fresh spinach or mixed greens of your choice
1/2 avocado

As many of my favorite recipes start....heat the coconut oil in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers (if using fresh peppers, do not add until after meat is browned), saute until limp. Add venison and cook until it is brown all the way through. Add chili powder and sea salt to taste (or something with a little more kick if you desire). While the meat is browning, boil bag of cauliflower for approx 5-8 minutes, or until you can easily pierce it with a fork. Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor or blender. Pulse until it has a rice-like consistency.


Transfer cauliflower rice to bowl, throw a couple of handfuls of spinach on the rice, cover with venison hash and top with diced avocado. I made this dish for me and Eli, so I waited to add my kick until I had my own serving. The Original Cholula sauce. Yum. Eli added his own garnish...he dipped his bites of hash in his applesauce before eating it. Cute kid. Sorry I'm lame and I never take photos of my food, but trust me, it was good. Besides, most of the time someone is clinging to my leg crying because he is hungry and ready to eat, so I am not really thinking about taking a photo of my food at that point.


Enjoy!

Music You Need to Hear Now

So, I have a couple of friends who I've known since college. One was a chill dude named Ben and the other was his rad girlfriend Dorothy. Dorothy and I lived across the hall from each other one semester and then we were roomies for a summer. Dorothy has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. It's very smooth and velvety. And Ben can jam a guitar with the best of them. So fast forward several years. This lovely couple is now married, living in Nashville, and making music together. And they are awesome. I mean, don't they just look awesome? Like people that should make awesome music?

If you like good music, and by this I mean people who can really play and sing, not just wear something provocative and chant some catchy anthem (ahemladygagaahem), then you owe it to yourself to check out The Danberrys. Their music is a nice blend of folk, country, and blues. Their voices harmonize and blend so beautifully together. I got the chance to hear them perform live at one of their gigs here in Nashville (which ended up being at This Bar on Charlotte Pike, formerly known as Doodles, aka the place where our infamous Halloween Party of 2002 went down and Rusty stayed the weekend with me for the first time....and I was afraid he would think my friends were crazy and he'd never want to see me again. But instead, he married me!) But I digress....

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them play together, and it was so refreshing to watch people perform who are passionate about their music. You can check out The Danberrys on their Facebook Page, their website, on ReverbNation or download their EP, Company Store, on iTunes. It's awesome.

Let me know what you think, or better yet, let them know and tell them I sent you!

How Time Flies

Last April we took Eli to the beach for the first time. Mom and I went back again this April and took Eli too. Wow! What a difference a year makes! Can't believe it was already a year ago we were there with him for the first time. Some this year vs last year pics for all you Eli fans.

April 2010

 

April 2011

Cloth Diapering: My thoughts after 16 months, and one buddah-belly baby

Many of you know that Rusty and I decided to embark upon the adventure of cloth diapering once we found out we were pregnant. I can't really remember why I decided to begin researching cloth diapers. I did not personally know anyone who cloth diapered, and to be honest I don't quite remember what turned me on to the idea, but it was what we decided to do. Needless to say, I am so happy with cloth diapering. In fact, I would use the word PASSIONATE to describe my feelings about it. I am to the point now where I love researching different kinds of diapers and what might work better or differently and experimenting with other options. When I first started researching cloth diapers, I started my research online. I found a friend of a friend who cloth diapered and got a ton of great info from some of her blog posts. She referenced a great site, Cotton Babies, which is where I got most of my cloth diapering info and all my diapers and supplies. I won't go into all the ins and outs and how-tos of cloth diapering here, as there are so many great resources on the web already. But I will tell you a little about why I am passionate about CDing and what brands/types have worked for us.

Why I LOVE cloth diapers:

1) COST. In my research I found them to be WAY cheaper than disposables. There are a myriad of price options when deciding to cloth diaper, but in total I paid about $400 for all my diapers and supplies. Of course I found out later that I could have done it for cheaper, as I learned what stuff I didn't really need or use. But even at a total of $400, it's much cheaper than disposables. I have been using the same diapers for 16 months now, so that averages out to $25/month on diapers, and that number will only keep going down as long as I use them. I don't see any reason why E won't be in the same diapers until he's potty trained. If I assume he's potty trained at 2 (wishful thinking) that would be only $16/month. How much do you spend/month on disposables? I'm sure it's more than that!


2) Impact to the environment. When we went to Costa Rica for 5 days in September, I did take disposables with me as we would not have access to launder our own clothes there. It killed me watching the massive amount of waste we would throw in the garbage daily. And those diapers don't break down quickly either.

3) Better for baby. With so many babies experiencing problems with skin sensitivity and diaper rash, this was one concern I had when I found out I was pregnant, and one of the main reasons I was curious about CDing. Rusty had really sensitive skin as a baby and his mom had to cloth diaper him because he was allergic or had a reaction to every disposable she tried. Needless to say, we have only had one instance of diaper rash with E and it was due to an upset stomach and the product of that and not his diapers. (Hope that's not TMI).

4) They work...better than disposables. This is one question I get from non-cloth diapering parents. "Do they work as good as disposables?" I would say a resounding "YES!" (even better in my opinion). I had always heard other moms referring to the dreaded "blow out" diaper situation, requiring a change of outfit, etc. I have never, NEVER had one with E in his cloth diapers. I won't say that I haven't had a leak where he got wet, but that was more due to me not changing him soon enough. It can only hold so much, ya know.

5) They are cuter. Yes, this is personal opinion. But I think disposables are ugly. I don't like the silly fray thing that pokes out of the top of their pants. I can't stand it when E has to wear one. And they smell funny. Cloth diapers can be so cute! I just recently bought E a grey diaper with a skull and crossbones pattern on it. How cute is that?

I know there are several reasons that people choose not to cloth diaper (up front cost, extra laundry, etc), and I totally understand those reasons. However, I think that if more people tried it, they would see that it is NOT as difficult or expensive as they probably think. Even many daycares now will accept CDing. Honestly, I can't imagine NOT cloth diapering my child. And this post is in no way a dig on those parents who don't CD. It's just my take on why I do it, and how much I love it. I feel like if I can spread the word to some people, maybe I can win some converts. (In fact, I have 4 friends who had babies after me that are now CDing as well! yay!)

Now, for a little trial and error research on what has worked for us as far as types of diapers are concerned.

We ended up going with the BumGenius 3.0 One-Size diapers. The 3.0 version offered only the hook and loop (velcro) closures. The updated 4.0 version offers a choice between hook and loop or snaps. After having tried the snaps, I am glad I purchased the velcro. I seem to get a better fit with the velcro, and they are much quicker to get off and on. The One-Size diapers have been great. I have very little negative feedback about the diapers, only great things to say. We decided to go with the One-Size option because they adjust with the baby from 8-35 lbs. That seemed like the most efficient way to do it. We were able to start using them on E when he was about 4 weeks old. We purchased 24 diapers, and that turned out to be the perfect amount. I do a load of diapers every other day usually, sometimes every third day.

When E started getting a little older (and chunkier) I started having some problems with the bumGenius diapers chafing his thighs around the leg casings. So, I embarked on a quest to find either a trimmer diaper or one with different leg casings to accommodate my chubby man.  I was looking for a diaper that has the elastic casing on the inside of the diaper vs the outside like the bumGenius does. bumGenius makes an organic option that does this, but they are the most expensive diaper I've found, so I wanted to keep looking before trying that option. I really liked the Grasshopper diapers, but they are pretty pricey as well, and they are never in stock! You have to purchase them like, 5 minutes after she restocks or they are gone! Even if you can manage to snag one or two, the shipping is outrageous.

Instead, I tried the Happy Heinys fitted pocket diaper. I didn't opt for the one-size because the elastic on those is just like bumGenius, on the outside. I purchased both a velco and a snap option. Again, much happier with the velcro. I do like the Happy Heinys pocket diaper, however, I ordered the size according to weight (Large), which were too big for Eli. I probably should have taken rise and waist into consideration, as E is built like a powerlifter. So, I ordered some Mediums and they are perfect.  And they are much kinder to his thighs as far as the chafing goes. Downside with these is they are hard to find because everyone wants the one-size option. So, I had to search a bit to find some.

I have also recently discovered a brand of diaper I had never heard of before called Bottombumpers. I was perusing a local shop here in Franklin, called The Shop Around the Corner. They have a room in their store called Green Pixie Baby that is dedicated to natural parenting, so it has all sorts of hippy goodies like cloth diapers, organic clothing and natural baby and mama care items. I stumbled upon the aforementioned Bottombumpers there, and I loved them! They are very similar to the Grasshopper diapers, except they were actually in stock! I like that they are side snapping, which makes for a trimmer fit, and they have elastic inside, which is good for chunky thighs. They are snap-in inserts as opposed to pockets, which was new to me, but I really like them. Plus, you can throw the covers in the dryer and they are one-size, adjustable from 8 lbs through potty-training.

So, those are a few of the diapers I have tried, and I've been happy with them for sure. The bumGenius are a great fit and value and they work great. I highly recommend those to anyone. The others work really nice too. If you are interested in any more of my CD research, let me know, I'd be happy to share my thoughts or experiences with you!

Basil Coconut Curry Chicken

One of my favorite recipe websites is the fantastic Simply Recipes run by the amazing Elise Bauer (no relation to Jack). I love her site because it's essentially an online index of her family's homemade recipes. And they value "real food". An exerpt from her website describes her take on food as such:

" The recipes shown here use mostly whole food ingredients and only occasionally a few things from cans or prepared foods. We believe in a varied, healthy diet, using real butter, real cream, eggs, lots of green vegetables, and protein from meat, fish, beans, and cheese."

This is, of course, very similar to the primal eating lifestyle concept, minus the beans and cheese. So, she gets mad respect from me. More people need to eat real food. Anyway, on to tonight's adaptation....


Tonight I modified one of her yummy creations, Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce, to fit my Paleo-friendly preferences. I chose this recipe because I love anything with coconut, and anything that only invovles using one pan to make an entire meal. Can I get an amen for less dishes to wash? The results = yummy. And super E approved. He was turning his bowl upside down after he was done searching for any remaining remnants of our delicious meal. Below is the recipe as I prepared it:

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs

• 1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (I did not include these so E could eat it, although normally I would love anything with a kick)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons coconut flour
• 2 Tbsp basil leaves
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger

• shredded cabbage (pre-made bag for making cole slaw)

Method

1 In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, black pepper, chili powder, and turmeric. Set aside.

2 Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

3 In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.

4 Add 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.

5 Add the coconut milk to the skillet. Add the coconut flour. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Add chicken mixture, basil, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.

Serve over cabbage or pre-made cole slaw.

I wish I had gotten a picture of it after I was done cooking, but bay-bay was hungry. At least I got a cell phone pic of E digging in.

Instead I will share a super cute pic of my little man from today, sporting his new BMX shirt and wanna-be ChuckT's. I can't believe how big he looks in this pic! He is such a funny kid, he makes me laugh every day!

 If you try this recipe or any of Elise's fabulous family creations, let me know!

A Little Experimentation of My Own

So, I had a follow up appointment with a doctor here in Franklin at Vanderbilt Bone & Joint in regards to my little stress fracture in my foot. And the verdict wasn't what I was hoping for. He said all my bone regrowth looks great, but the fact that I am still having some discomfort when performing certain activities concerned him. I could choose to follow his advice based on this one visit, or go get an MRI and be certain. I chose not to mess with the MRI. I really hate having to go to the doc. Seems like such a waste of time. ANYWAY....doc said no running until May. LAME. But I can do a lot of walking. If I can do that and my regular CrossFit workouts without discomfort, then I can start running before May. Considering my CF training involves lots of heavy weight, box jumping and jump roping, I'm not sure it's the best thing for my foot. But I. CAN'T. GIVE. UP. CROSSFIT.  It's like, one thing that I'm decent at. Not Games decent, but decent as in putting up respectable times using prescribed weight (sometimes more than Rx'd).

So, with that in mind, I am making a few adjustments to my training and lifestyle for a while. Yesterday was kind of a bum day for me. One of those days where you kind of pout and throw a pity party and bemoan how lame you are. Yeah, that was my day yesterday. Then I read this totally motivating post from fellow CrossFitter and Paleo eating machine, Melissa Joulwan. She linked up a great article from Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple entitled 17 Reason's You're Not Losing Weight. And not that I'm all crazy thinking I'm so overweight, but I'm still not where I'd like to be. So I decided to implement a few changes and see how it affects my body composition. After reading Mel's list I was inspired to start my own. Starting today, I'm adding the following "experiments":

1) Walking- crazy, right? But getting 3-5 hours per week of low-level activity (only 55-75% of max heart rate) is a super awesome fat burning activity. And since I can't run right now, this is a great time to see how walking can benefit me. My goal is at least 3 hrs per week, and with the weather warming up, should be totally do-able...now, if I could only overcome my fear of those evil red wasps that lurk all over this neighborhood! If you see a girl walking around Westhaven in a beekeeper hat, it's me.

2) Core Work daily- Obviously things aren't quite the same in the core area as they were about 2 yrs ago before I was with child. This is one of my biggest complaints. That even though I have lost most of my baby weight, I have this mushy grody belly skin. And I know the only thing that can fix it is diet and core work. Or a surgical procedure, but that is like cheating, right? So, I have to commit to daily core work, even if it's only 10-15 minutes.

3) Intermittent Fasting- I had heard some chatter about the topic but never really investigated it. Until now. I am intrigued with the idea and curious as to how it will affect my metabolism. You can read more about it here if you wish. But essentially it is the practicie of periodic elimination of meals for several hours. Different people will practice it in different ways, some skip one or two meals, some do a 12-hour fast, some a 24-hour fast. There's no wrong way to practice IF. It is very flexible. If you are new to the practice, it is recommended that you start off slow. I plan on taking this approach by picking a day to eliminate one meal and see how I feel. If it goes well, I will elimante two meals the next time. I hope to work up to a weekly 24-hour fast period, with flexibility. Keep the body guessing!

4) Whole30 Round Two- Yes, I said it. I embarked upon my second attempt at TheWhole30 starting today. Wish me luck!!!! The one exception is I AM allowing myself red wine. Yesssss :) It's great at reducing stress, which can also be a barrier in weight loss (increased levels of cortisol).

So, this is my list. Please ask me how I'm doing! It will help keep me accountable. Also, I'd love to hear any "experiments" or changes you'd like to do or have done for yourself that you were really stoked with.