Barefoot Girevik

First of all, sorry I haven't posted anything in over a week.  It has been a busy week.  I have picked up some extra classes at work and we had friends in from Halifax this week so I was busy cleaning and converting our work-out room to a guest room complete with chocolates on the pillows.  I have also run myself down enough to have picked up a sinus infection so at the completion of my very busy days the choice of blog or bed was definitely bed, no contest.  Anyway, to the task at hand.  When I was a kid my mom found a recipe for Bisquick Impossible Cheeseburger Pie.  It called for Bisquick mix of course but my mom never bought processed food and made her own homemade biscuit mix and used that instead.  When I started eating clean a couple years ago I took the old recipe, cleaned it up and added a bit of kick.  It is one of my boys' favourite meals so even though we have switched to a Paleo diet I don't want to take it away completely. I thought there must be a way to make

The other night I was very low on ingredients and badly needing a trip to the grocery store but having no time, I grabbed what I had on hand and threw together a quick meal.  It ended up being my Paleo version of the Impossible Cheeseburger Pie with Salsa to make up for the missing cheese.  I have some great recipes for fresh salsa and they are good.  This one though, I cooked in a skillet and it turned out much more like the jars of salsa that you can buy in the store.  It was very good on top of the pie. Homemade Salsa Ingredients: 1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatos (the kind with no salt added) 1 small can sliced Jalapenos with juice 1 small green pepper seeded and chopped 1-2 tsp Paprika (I was in a rush and just dumped some in) Pinch sea salt Fresh ground black pepper to taste Put all of the ingredients into a large pot or skillet over med high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer gently until desired consistency.  Voila, homemade Salsa, easy peasy lemon squeezy as my son w

Every year I make Valentines goodies for my family and a Paleo Diet has not changed that.  We are having grass fed steak tonight and this delicious chocolate cake that contains no gluten or sugar! Ingredients: 1/4 cup Coconut oil 1 cup Paleo All Purpose Flour Mix 1/3 cup 100% Pure Cocoa Powder 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon 1/2 Tsp Allspice 1/8 Tsp Nutmeg 1/8 Tsp Ginger 1 Tsp Gluten Free Baking Powder 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda 1/8 Tsp Sea Salt 3/4 cup Maple Syrup 2 eggs 1 small can (398 ml) Pumpkin Puree 1 1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract How To: 1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8" square pan (or a heart shaped pan if you have one) with coconut oil. 2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt). 3.  In a large bowl whisk together the oil, maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. 4.  Whisk the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until combined. 5.  Pour batter into prepared pan. 6.  Bake 40 to 50

1 small bag (approx. 3 cups) Teff Flour 1 small bag (approx. 3 cups) Sorghum Flour 2 cups Arrowroot Flour 2 cups Tapioca Flour 1/2 cup Coconut Flour 1/4 cup Xanthum Gum Measure all ingredients into a large ziploc bag and shake to mix. Use in place of wheat flours. *Note: see comments at the bottom for more information on this flour mix.*

Since I started eating a Paleo Diet I have had to answer many, many questions and I am beginning to sound like a broken record.  I have also had supposed "well wishing" relatives attack my lifestyle without provocation.  I decided to put down some of the more common questions and arguments in text so that the next time someone asks I can direct them here rather than explaining the same thing once again.                                                                       Q.   What is Paleo Nutrition? A.   It is eating the way that our Paleolithic ancestors did. It can also be called a 'hunter,gatherer diet'. One of the main rules is no grains, the proteins in them wreak havoc with our bodies. Our ancestors did not have access to grains as they can not be consumed without a large amount of processing. Corn, rice, legumes and dairy are not allowed either as the proteins they contain are similar to those found in grains and can cause similar problems. Q.   What about

When I was trying to decide what to make for a main dish on Superbowl Sunday that my husband would love, I thought of cabbage rolls.  They are one of his favourite foods and no big dinner can go by without them (Thanksgiving and Christmas for example).  I found a great recipe for Paleo Cabbage Rolls so I figured we were all set.  When I got to the grocery store however, there were no sour cabbage heads.  I had to think quick and improvise and it hit me that we could turn those babies inside out and they would still be pretty awesome.  Here is what I came up with.                                                                          Ingredients: 2 lbs extra lean ground beef (or bison) 1 red onion, chopped fine 2 eggs 2 tsp oregano 2 cloves garlic smashed, peeled and finely chopped Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper 1 large can diced tomatoes (approx 700 ml) 1 small can sauerkraut (approx 400 ml) How to: 1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Celsius 2. Puree the tomato

When you think of manly and macho what image pops into your mind?  For me it's a caveman.  It doesn't get much manlier than that.  In my mind right now as I write this is the grunting thing from Home Improvement.  One of the biggest displays of testosterone in our modern society is - you guessed it - Superbowl Sunday.  Don't get me wrong, I know that there are lots of us females who love football too.  I am one of them.  I will spend the entire day on Sunday in the kitchen preparing but come kick off my eyes will be glued to the tv.  I won't say that my butt will be glued to the sofa because I'm not that kind of fan.  A game is more of a workout for me than most people.  If you like to sit and watch in silence, you probably don't want to invite me over to your house on game day.  When the game is tense I can't stay still, I will stand up, sit down, stand up and pace, sit down again in a different spot (squats?), if my team makes a sweet play I will jump up a

There is nothing better than a steaming bowl of chili on a cold, snowy day.  This is another good recipe for cold and flu season because spicy foods help to clear out your sinuses.                                                                      Ingredients: 1 small can chopped green chili's or Jalapenos depending on how spicy you like it. 1 lb bacon diced 2 lb ground beef 6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled (no need to chop, we will be pureeing them) 2 tbsp chili powder 2 tsp crushed cumin 2 tsp dried oregano leaves 1 tsp ground coriander 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 large can diced tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 small can pumpkin puree How To: 1. Saute bacon in a dutch oven until it is brown and has left some nice brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Drain and discard fat. 2. Return the dutch oven to heat (leaving the brown stuff on the bottom for flavour) and brown the ground beef.  Drain and return to pot with bacon

This recipe is from one of the Clean Eating cookbooks but I made a few changes because I always do.  It is so good all on it's own and an awesome Paleo eat. Ropa Vieja INGREDIENTS: 3 lbs flank steak, trimmed 4 cups low sodium beef broth 4 cups water 2 cups coarsely chopped carrots 1 bay leaf 3 garlic cloves smashed + 3 minced 1 tsp dried oregano ¼ tsp whole black peppercorns 2 green bell peppers, cut into strips 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips 2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips 2 large carrots, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 2 chilies, minced 4 Tbsp olive oil, separated 1 x 14 oz/398 ml can diced tomatoes (the ones with no salt added) 3 tbsp/45 ml tomato paste (I like to use pumpkin puree sometimes too) 1 tsp ground cumin ½ cup chopped fresh parsley HOW TO: 1) Combine meat, broth, carrots, bay leaf, oregano, salt, peppercorns and smashed garlic in a large saucepan. Simmer, uncovered for 1 ½ hours or until beef is tender. Remove from heat and let cool

One of my husband's biggest complaints with the Paleo Diet is that he can't have a sandwich.  That led me to spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen concocting different variations of breads with several failures I might add.  This one is a nice sized loaf with excellent flavour and texture.  It is good alongside a big bowl of stew and slices well for the occasional sandwich.                                                                    Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups almonds 1/4 cup ground flax seeds (or flax seed meal) 3/4 cup arrowroot powder 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 eggs + 3 egg whites 1 tsp maple syrup 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 cup walnuts chopped 1/4 cup flax seeds How to: 1.  Set the oven to 350 degrees C. and prepare your loaf pan by lining with parchment paper. 2.  Grind the almonds in a food processor in quick pulses until a flour like consistency.  Be careful not to over process and end up with nut butter. 

I don't push the Paleo Diet on my kids.  They are very smart 14 and 12 yr old boys who tend to rebel against change as is natural at that age.  I give them the information and guide them towards healthy choices and then let them make their own decisions.  My 12 yr old is very good with eating healthy and will try almost anything.  My 14 yr old is a bit more difficult as he has always been a picky eater.  They like to make their own lunches, it is just their one little bit of freedom.  I make sure that we have good snacks and lunch options for them to pick from but there is always a loaf of bread and some sliced meat just in case they are feeling like a sandwich that day.  My husband had an early meeting this morning where there were to be muffins and pastries provided for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.  I had to make sure he had a good breakfast in him so that he didn't have to settle for a muffin and pack a lunch so he had something to eat instead of a sandwich.  Since