Was I successful in losing weight? Yes. I lost 10 pounds this month. Did it make a difference in belly fat? OMG – yes! Was I 100% faithful to the tenants? No. Will I continue doing Paleo after this month? Hmmm. No. Read on to learn why.
Just as a quick recap here are links to all the previous posts in this series:
I have been reading the “Four Season Harvest” by Eliot Coleman and am becoming more intrigued about cold frames and greenhouses. The author promotes a laissez-faire method of protecting winter crops, working with nature, instead of against her. He builds simple, passive cold frames and uses low and high tunnels for protecting cold-hardy crops rather than forcing heat-loving plants to thrive in a heated greenhouse.
Instead of relying on hothouse tomatoes and citrus flown in from exotic climates down south, his family dines exclusively on the bounty nature provides in their own yard during the winter. Cold-hardy crops include such things as arugula, beets, carrots, celery, chard, chicory, cabbage, escarole, kale, leeks, lettuce, mache, parsley, radicchio, radishes, scallions, sorrel and spinach. Continue reading
This week, while having a relaxing lunch with one of my favorite girlfriends, I came upon an amazing discovery. I think I might have a gluten allergy. My friend was telling me all about her symptoms and diagnosis (while we enjoyed a fabulous gluten-free, dairy-free pizza together at one of my favorite restaurants nearby – OMG, I am so thankful for living here!) when I realized I hadn’t experienced any of those (formerly regular) symptoms since going Paleo.
So I did a test. A few days later I made a regular pizza crust for my family and had a couple of bites. The following evening I had all of these crazy (and previously unexplainable and unrelated) symptoms: upset stomach (which prior to going dairy-free, I attributed to the cheese on pizza), dizziness (which I usually just attributed to the wine I used to drink with my pizza), tingling in the arms and hands while sleeping, itchy scalp and hands, irritability, shortness of breath (which was so weird given how healthy I’ve gotten these past few years), severe abdominal bloating (I can’t wait to show you before and after photos) and excessive anemia (something I already struggle with because I don’t eat red meat.) All symptoms of a gluten allergy.
Then I noticed the symptoms in my baby son. His constant loose stools, eczema, (unexplained) mouth sores, severe abdominal bloating and general abdominal pain. All symptoms of a gluten allergy, or Celiac Disease, in children – often delayed by extended breastfeeding. Thank God I felt compelled to nurse him until he was 14 months old! I can’t imagine dealing with these symptoms in an infant. I would have been scared out of my mind. Continue reading
I feel fantastic! My belly seems a lot smaller, but I forgot to measure at the beginning so I can’t *prove* it to you. My pants fit way better, though. Some that were tight right after Christmas are now loose – W00t! I don’t get heartburn at night anymore and I have way more energy. Come to find out that on top of all my other allergies I might just have a gluten sensitivity, too. So this new diet – this new way of LIFE! – is perfect for me. I’ve learned so much. I can’t wait to share with you.
First, though, a recipe review. Here are a few of my favorites. Continue reading
Posted in Dairy-Free
Tagged dairy-free, diet, gluten sensitivity, paleo, primal, weight loss
As I am sure it is true of most families, life has been a little hectic lately. While I have done a pretty decent job of sticking with the Paleo Meal Plan, I’ve slipped up a couple of times with regards to lunches and snacks. Continue reading
New Year’s day I enjoyed a traditional Southern supper with my family and then Went Primal with this awesome Paleo Meal Plan.
The traditional Southern meal for New Year’s is pork, collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread but this year we changed it up by going with a coastal favorite and substituting shrimp and grits for the pork (which I don’t eat anyway).
I also made the traditional collard greens with bacon and hot sauce as well as black-eyed peas – rehydrated and boiled with more bacon! (My husband is loving this part of the Primal Plan 
)
And RockstarDad experimented with the and a bottle of Riesling to make an incredible homemade champagne! (The kids had bubbly apple juice – organic and homemade! They LOVED it.)
January 2nd we got into the Paleo thing full-swing, starting our morning with a chorizo/egg casserole made with leftover onions, greens and red peppers. Continue reading
I use coconut oil daily for almost every aspect of life. I use it for cooking – both as a butter/vegetable oil substitute and to fry up pretty much anything in the skillet – from eggs and pancakes to sweet potato fries. I use it for beautiful skin – as a moisturizer, as the primary component of lotions and salves, as a make-up remover and “personal” moisturizer. (Remember the post I did on how it is a lifesaver for sore nursing mommies with teething babies?)
Going Paleo this month I am sure to use a ton of coconut oil for cooking and fat/oil supplementation. It seems like nearly 90% of the Paleo recipes I’ve found call for either coconut oil or coconut cream concentrate. And the only place I’ve been able to find coconut cream concentrate is through this great company called Tropical Traditions. Come to find out they also carry great deals on bulk coconut oil and coconut flour, too!
After writing them to find out if they have an affiliate program, which they totally do, I received a free sample of their Gold Label Virgin coconut oil to review and found out that they are willing to offer you readers some, too! Continue reading
New Year’s day I plan to enjoy a traditional Southern supper with my family and then Go Primal with this awesome Paleo Meal Plan.
(We decided to go low-country this year and have shrimp-n-grits instead of pork, but here’s a link to a great description (plus photos) of what the meal means and what it should look like.)
That’s exactly what I’m looking forward to as we Go Primal this January! Let’s learn something new, lose some weight, get healthy and save some money!
I have a bunch of great offers and giveaways so please tell all your friends! To start, here is a great offer from Plan To Eat: a free one-month trial of their software and then an automatic 20% off discount for all Cube2Farm readers! W00t!
Plan to Eat is a fantastic family-run business that doesn’t make you give up your credit card info before giving you the free month’s trial; it really is completely risk free, so please do yourself a favor and at least check them out!
I have planned out all my meals for the first half of January and if you sign up for Plan To Eat you can have access to all of the recipes! And, oh boy, have I searched and saved all sorts of delicious recipes for you all. Already I’ve prepared and frozen the following.
Continue reading
One of my favorite college professors had a wonderful wife who would teach us how to cook authentic Greek food. As someone who loved food, but had no idea how to cook, this was a huge opportunity. (Additionally, as a geeky girl who hung out with the “Classics Department” for fun on the weekends it would also be beneficial in the future to know how to cook in order to get a date, but anywho…)
Pastry: 1 package of phyllo dough leaves (thawed)
Filling Ingredients:
