Have your paleo pie (thickened) and eat it, too!

I have found thickening sauces for pies to be difficult since moving toward paleo/primal eating.  Arrowroot seemed to be the universal recommendation for this situation, but I never had luck with it.  With arrowroot, you have to be careful not to heat it too high or too long, or it will lose its ability to thicken your sauce.... and you are back where you started with a thin sauce... and frustrated. This happened to me every time.

Lately, I've been experimenting more with tapioca flour.  Since discovering Primal Girl's Wonder Dough recipe, I always have a large supply of tapioca flour on hand.  It is a versatile "flour" with a neutral flavor that I have used successfully in many baked paleo treats.  The Cook's Thesaurus at foodsubs.com says, "Tapioca is a good choice for thickening pie fillings, since it thickens at a lower temperature than cornstarch, remains stable when frozen, and imparts a glossy sheen.... The starch is also sometimes used to thicken soups, stews, and sauces, but the glossy finish looks a bit unnatural in these kinds of dishes.  It works quickly, though, so it's a good choice if you want to correct a sauce just before serving it."

As I was preparing my (non-Paleo) husband's favorite shepherd's pie today, I figured I would try tapioca flour in place of the usual wheat flour.  I followed the advice of several web sources to use the same amount of tapioca flour as the wheat flour called for in the recipe.  I mixed it in some cold water to form a slurry and stirred it into the hot bone broth that was already bubbling away with the meat and veggies.  And it thickened like a charm!  The pie still had a lot more cooking to do in the oven, but I felt safe that the tapioca wouldn't lose its thickening power like my failed attempts with the arrowroot.  And voila, after another hour in the oven, I was rewarded with a lovely thick, rich sauce that had a pretty sheen.

I imagine this method will come in handy making Turkey Pie after Thanksgiving!  If you include dairy in your pies, another bonus is that tapioca doesn't turn dairy-based sauces slimy the way arrowroot does.  Happy Thickening!

Please checkout www.nolapaleo.com for the full blog and website.

This is a collaborative blog

and each post is the opinion of the person submitting it.  

Not everyone will agree with every post, but our individuality is 

one of the things that makes our group great !

Join the Facebook group from New Orleans with 360 members: 

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Disney World Paleo Style by Kelly Miller

 

So, yes, I am a self-professed “Disney snob”.  I can’t help myself…I’m addicted to a mouse.  We go several times a year.  Well, about two years ago, I got sick and tired of living on caffeine and Imodium, while waiting for my Fast Pass time to come up.  My two children used to say that my favorite ride at the parks is the bathroom! 

I started doing research and discovered that gluten was causing my autoimmune issues to take over my life.  During this research, I also discovered that I have sensitivities to nearly every food on the planet.  What? No Mickey ice cream on a stick?  I wasn’t going to stand for this, but I was also not giving up the mouse!  I would cook at home every meal, everyday, if I could just enjoy that little rodent!  Thankfully, I’m on the email list for about 15,000 Disney websites that are chockfull of information.  Can you tell I have a flair for the dramatic?  What I have learned is that, beyond my own kitchen, Walt Disney properties are probably the safest, and most delicious, places to eat and maintain a Paleo lifestyle or eat within food allergy/sensitivity boundaries.  I look forward to the food as much as the rides and entertainment!  What?  I’m from New Orleans, eating is what we do! 

Let me tell you how I do this:

1. Plan where you will eat. I like to plan my trips ahead of time.  Which parks will we go to on which day?  From that point, we start looking at restaurants.  I personally like to chose a sit down restaurant without a buffet because I pack half of my food in a container and Ziplock bag in my backpack so that I can have it in the room for breakfast the next day or later the same day.   However, sometimes at buffet restaurants they cook food especially for you and would rather you take the leftovers with you than throw it away.

2. Plan what food you are avoiding. Before you make reservations, sit down and decide which food items/additives you are really going to avoid.  Remember you are on, possibly, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, and you will probably make allowances for certain food items. (Yes, I will have a Mickey-on-a-stick on my last day!)     Either bring NOLA PALEO Restaurant Cards with you, they are FREE and can be customized to your exact needs!  This will solve any communication issues that could arise with wait-staff. 

3. Time to make reservations.  Although it is easier online to make reservations, if you call the dining reservation number, you will be able to specify right away what specific “food allergies” you have, and the cast member you speak with will be incredibly helpful in noting exactly what you cannot have.  Please keep in mind that the restaurants in the various countries are a bit more difficult when it comes to food allergies because of the language barriers.  They ARE NOT impossible.  I have eaten safely in most of the countries. 

4. Time to go!  Pack your snacks!  They are expensive and that’s probably the one place where I really wouldn’t bother to try to find something that perfectly fits within your guidelines.  That, however, is a great time to enjoy some fruit, nuts, or boiled eggs you brought with you.  They sell fruit and nuts, but why pay triple the price!  Also, every quick service vendor must give you a cup of ice water if you ask for one.  Bring refillable water bottles with you.

5. Want a quick service meal?  Go for it!  Skip the line and go straight for the first cast member you see.  Tell them you need to see the “allergy book” and speak with the cast member responsible for special needs.  It is usually the manager and he/she will cook your food themselves in a specially designated area so that you won’t get glutened.  And, don’t forget the turkey legs.  They are a great meal or a snack for you to share.
   

6. If you want to do one of the dining plans, that’s okay too.   Keep in mind though that dining plans are a lot of food.  Pack a leak-proof container with a Ziplock bag in your backpack for leftovers.   Every meal you get will come with dessert.  Don’t sweat it.  If you want dessert, they will come up  with a gluten-free creation that is usually delicious! (My daughter just avoids gluten right now, and thinks she is a Disney princess when she eats because of the extra lengths they go to.)  At quick service restaurants, they will offer you a packaged gluten-free brownie or you can get fruit or an extra bottle of water instead of their desserts listed if you let them know of your needs.  Keep in mind if you are just avoiding gluten, most (if not all) of the eating establishments offer gluten-free products now.

7. Your dining reservation is here, now what?  When you check in, remind the host/hostess that there are food allergies.  They should have your reservation ticket stamped bright red with the word “allergy”.  If not, remind them again.  Once you are seated, remind the wait staff if they don’t mention it.  Once your drink orders are taken, the chef will come out and discuss your options.  Browse the menu and see what protein and vegetable items are available, and think about what you would like to eat.  Once you do that, tell the chef what you feel like eating.  (You get the pick of the menu, pretty much!)  Even though I can only eat a handful of items, sometimes I don’t know what I feel like eating.  I will often let the chef make a suggestion.  They so rarely get to “create” something off the menu that they really create wonders when given the freedom to do so.   And ASK, ASK, ASK if you want something!  They can often make a version of it for you.

Finally, remember, you are on vacation.  Try new things; don’t sweat the small things if they aren’t going to make you physically ill.  I know that if I start the trip with anything sweet, that I will be on the “sugar roller coaster” the rest of the trip, not being able to get enough of the stuff.  I wait until all of our bags are packed to go home, we run to the gift shop in our hotel, grab a Mickey Mouse ice cream, and sit on our balcony as a family and enjoy it.  Just a moment to enjoy our treat, talk about our trip, and get ready for the long ride home.  We know the ice cream will come at the end of the trip so it’s not a week of hearing “can I have…?”  It will come! 

Who is Kelly Grose Miller? I am a stay-at-home mom of two children, ages 6 and 12.  I spend my time working in the church preschool, teaching parenting and family classes, cooking, and trying (miserably) to grow vegetables.  I love my family, and their health and wellness is my primary job in life!  I spend my spare time working to expand restaurant options  in New Orleans for the NOLA PALEO group.  And if you are looking for me and can’t find me, I am either in Disney or watching a Saints game!

This is a collaborative blog

and each post is the opinion of the person submitting it.  

Not everyone will agree with every post, but our individuality is 

one of the things that makes our group great !

Please checkout www.nolapaleo.com for the full blog and website.

Join the Facebook group of 360 members: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nolapaleo/

Mind Yourself, Nicholas Johnson

This is a collaborative blog

and each post is the opinion of the person submitting it.  

Not everyone will agree with every post, but our individuality is 

one of the things that makes our group great !

It's amazing to me the potential of the human body and mind. Think of a free diver setting records or the precision of gymnast, the ability of some human to reach strengths and speeds that seem impossible. "Yeah, but they've done that from birth, and train 4 hours a day."  The same is said of those that can meditate to a point they feel released from their body, or those who can control their body temperature using their mind: YouTube Video of TEDxAmsterdam

You are what you eat and practice makes perfect, true. You can do whatever you want with a little dedication, as we all have pretty much the same potential.

Where do we start and how do we stay focused? This is where I believe the power of the mind comes in as a necessity for success and where the most problems arise.

Sometimes people think they want one thing but aren't really sure what they really want in the end. Lack of an honest, simple answer to oneself can really make it hard to finish something.  How do you know you're finished, off-track, or behind?

So with the potential to do just about anything, putting it simply, ask yourself what it is that you want. Do you want to do yoga or to reduce stress, or do they work together for you? Do you want to eat Paleo or lose 15 lbs, or are they the same? Are you really unable to move?  Are you truly intolerant to everything but kale and grass-fed beef?

When it came to what I eat, I have to be honest and say I read Dr. Loren Cordain's book and jumped right in scared that I would die by 40 if I didn't change everything. I think I was a little stressed between nutritional perfection and exercise.

It wasn't until I heard a question from Erwan LeCorre, the founder of MOVNAT, that I was able to slow down and actually change myself and make progress.  LeCorre asked, "Why do you move?" Another coach had me thinking with: "Do you do pull ups to be able to do more pull ups or to be able to pull up and see a lady in the next yard."  He had me asking what I wanted from myself. This was a question that made me reflect. My goals were to get jacked but for what?  What would I do and how would I benefit? I adapted my fitness approach by asking what I was training for and what I wanted to gain. I wanted to be able to do a back flip, so I found a gymnastics place and learned. I wanted balance, throwing, and combative skills, so I followed that path and I've gotten better.

This is a simple concept that is well understood but what I'm asking people to do is to be super open and honest with themselves. Slow down, take a deep breath more often, and ask "Why? What do you really want?"

This concept stripped all the stress for me out of nutrition, stress management, and exercise, because I started listening to myself. I keep up with blogs and podcasts but primarily, I listen to my body's reactions and needs.

Eating naturally available foods are what we are supposed to do. I know how I feel when I eat real food according to my plan, and I know how I feel when I, gasp, cheat. Just as everyone in the New Orleans Paleo group, I've done the low carb, no carb, post carb, butter coffee, late eat, early eat, IMF, and everything in between over the last 3 years, as I'm certain a lot of others have done, too.  When people ask if this or that is paleo, I try to keep it simple. I do not like that question at this point. Eat natural meats, veggies, and fruits then listen to your body to figure it out. These things take time, but if you learn to enjoy natural foods and take time to listen to yourself, you'll figure it out.

Sometimes we do not have to question things as our intuition warns us or directs us. But we often don't have time to slow down from work, kids, bills, etc. to hear that voice that tells us not to eat that or go to bed and turn the TV off. Everyone knows they need more sleep, more movement, and more self awareness but we choose to say no.

Challenge yourself to be selfish for a month and observe the way things make you feel and to go to bed when you are tired.   The busy life we have often causes people to accept the easy way out, because we tell ourselves we deserve it.

We deserve the ability to comfortably and efficiently move around our environment. We deserve the ability to easily find natural resources to fuel our body. We deserve to rest from work and external stress. Listen to yourself and evaluate what it is you really want.

Please checkout www.nolapaleo.com for the full blog and website.

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Pressure Cooking Bone Broth

I love to cook and I love bone broth, but I don’t love smelling it for days. I found a way around this!  You can easily achieve a flavorful bone broth with nice gelatin in about an hour using a pressure cooker!

First and foremost, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR PRESSURE COOKER.  If the instructions differ from what I have done, follow the manufacturer's instructions! Trust me on this one!  :-)

Ingredients:

2lbs of quality bones (be sure to throw in a few chicken feet or joint bone to ensure a good gelatin)

8 cups of water (enough water to cover the bones but no more than ⅔ of the pressure cooker capacity)

1 Onion

2 Carrots

4 Stalks of Celery

2T of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 bunch of parsley

1T Sea Salt

1t Peppercorn

Possible additions:    

Ginger root

Garlic

Fish sauce in place of the salt

Instructions:

If you are using raw bones, you might like to roast them to add a richer flavor.  Put them in a pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Give your veggies a rough chop and toss everything into the pressure cooker.  Unlike your normal bone broth, you’ll need to babysit this one since it’s in a pressure cooker.

Set the pot to high heat and watch closely.  Once the pot indicates the pressure is high, you should lower your burner heat to the lowest setting while maintaining the high pressure on the pot (usually the burner will be turned to the lowest heat at this point).

Set a timer and cook for 30 minutes (50 minutes for meatier, dense bones). Remove from heat and let the pressure release on its own.

Once the pressure is down, release the lid.  Strain the bones and the veggies.  Let the broth cool completely.  

I freeze the broth two ways. Half is poured into freezer bags and laid flat on baking sheets until frozen.  Be careful not to fill the bag more than about ⅓ full.  It makes it easier to defrost and less likely to leak.  Then once frozen, move frozen flat bags into one freezer gallon-sized freezer bag.  To defrost, I typically take a bag out of the freezer and put in a bowl in the fridge. If you’re doing a quick defrost, be sure to add it to a second bag first.  The frozen corners are sharp and can easily put little pin holes in the bag.

The other half is frozen in ice cube trays.  Once frozen, I also store the cubes in gallon sized freezer bags.  I love having these cube readily available in the freezer. They are perfect addition to most veggie dishes.

Please help promote us by "pinning" the recipe to Pinterest!  :-)

Paleo Frozen Blueberry Balls!

Need a super quick dessert? This is my favorite dessert when I have unexpected company, even that non-paleo kind.  You will be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't love this dessert.  My 6 year old calls them "Frozen Balls".  I snicker a little every time she says it.  And there too many other reasons why I can't name them Frozen Balls!  But they have a very similar taste to ice cream but without regret later. 

One habit I've gotten into is always having a can of coconut milk in the fridge. It always seems to come in handy.  Mostly I add it to my coffee but I'll leave that for another post. 

Ingredients:

Frozen blueberries

Cold canned (full fat) Coconut milk

Honey  ( you can cheat with vanilla stevia if you'd prefer)

Vanilla Extract

The coconut milk will seperate while in the fridge and the cream floats to the top.  It's the cream you're after here. Pour a little coconut milk in a small bowl and add some honey and a 1/2t of vanilla extract. Stir.  Have a spoon ready before getting the blueberries out of the freezer. Stir the blueberries into the coconut milk so the milk freezes around the berries. Serve immediately. YUM!

You can use this recipe for almost any fruit but since we have great blueberry farms so close to New Orleans.  I always have a gallon bag (or 7) in my freezer. I WILL NOT run out of blueberries, LOL!

Check out Dannemann Farms in June and STOCK UP on the perfect paleo treat. They provide the pail and you pick them yourselves. This year they sold for $7 per gallon.

Crockpot Chile-Lime Chicken, Christina Wilson

This is a collaborative blog

and each post is the opinion of the person submitting it.  

Not everyone will agree with every post,but our individuality is 

one of the things that makes our group great !

As a teenager I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona.  Growing up in the southwest I think you begin to take the lively flavors of Mexican-fusion food for granted.  In fact, I can't recall the last time I craved treating myself to Mexican food. With my conversion to a Paleo lifestyle, this hadn't really improved... Until recently.  

I mean, have you had green-enchilada sauce on fried eggs, sweet potatoes, and bacon?  No?  GO TRY IT NOW AND THANK ME LATER.  

However, I digress.  Because that's not the delicious goodness that you came for.

Around this time of year in Arizona there are a lot of tortilla and rice soups, as well as lime infused chiles.  This is actually perfect for the season of sniffles and the flu, if you think about it.  Limes for the vitamin C, chile for the immunity and thermodynamic boost.  I'm always amazed at how intuitive our food choices are, when we listen to ourselves and our surroundings.

In an act of rarity, I became nostalgic about these local staples whilst trying to concoct a couple of "big meat" basics for the week.  And then this little piece of genius salsa'd out of my head and into a slow-cooker.

Your mouth is going to dance with a perfectly quintessential alchemy of fresh summer and hearty fall flavors.  All this, rolled into one delicious and seriously easy meal.   Preparing this meal in your slow cooker almost has a ceviche effect--really ramping up the summery lime to compliment the hearty chile in the chicken and tomato sauce.  

The cooked chicken can be used for lettuce-wrapped tacos, omelets, salads, lettuce wrap sandwiches; you could also make a stew out of it by throwing the finished chicken and tomato sauce into some big stew-tomatoes, fresh herb, greens, and various veggies... The possibilities are endless.  I personally made some Mexican faux-rice (cauliflower) and piled chicken, sauce, and various veggies into a bowl.

Don't be shy in sharing the creative ways you use this chicken for your meals in the comments!

Crockpot Chile-Lime Chicken

Ingredients: 

1 whole chicken

1 sixteen oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion quartered

1 handful of cilantro

4 cloves of fresh garlic

2 jalapeños deseeded (optional)

3 green onions, diced

3 limes

Dried oregano

2T Chile powder

2T Cumin powder

2T Cayenne powder

Sea Salt

Pepper

Directions: 

Wash and dry your chicken on the inside and out.  Salt and pepper your chicken from the inside out generously, and place it in the fridge for 2-24 hours.  The longer it sits the more tender it will be after you finish cooking it.

In a bowl combine equal parts chile powder, cumin powder, and cayenne powder to create a dry rub.  You may need to adjust this depending on the size of the chicken.

Take your chicken out and allow it to come to room temperature.  Then generously rub (and I mean RUB) your dry-rub mixture into your chicken.  Make sure you have a little dry-rub seasoning left over.  Place your chicken in your slow cooker.  Some people might want to stick this in an oven bag for easy clean up.  

Now take your limes out, and roll them like tennis balls on the counter, gently pushing your palm into the lime as your roll it.  This helps to loosen it up a bit.  Now cut them in half.  Squeeze 4 of the lime halves all over the top of your chicken.  Roll the remaining 2 halves in the extra dry rub, and stuff in the cavity of the chicken. 

In a blender or food processor, combine your diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeños (optional), and oregano to taste.  Puree, and then pour into your slow cooker around your chicken.  

Sprinkle your green onions on top of the chicken.

Set your cooker on high for 6-8 hours.  I did mine for about 7 hours and 20 minutes.

Allow it to cool a bit when the chicken is finished cooking.  Your chicken is going to fall apart at the touch--be prepared!  Take your chicken out and shred it up, removing the bones (I saved mine to do a bone broth later).  Then run your sauce through a sieve to catch any missed bones and the 2 lime rinds.  Store shredded chicken with sauce in a container for up to 4 days.

Nom and prepare for a post-meal siesta.  :) 

Christina Wilson is a proud single mother and online business owner.  When she's not taking over the marketing world, she's spending hours perfecting Paleo goodness in the kitchen and exploring the crescent city on bike with her toddler.

You can reach her directly at:

Christina Wilson, Founder, Paint Your Brain

www.PaintYourBrain.com
Facebook.com/PaintYourBrain

direct: 480.381.8543

Christina@PaintYourBrain.com

about.me/wilson.d.christina

A Crapatarian's Migraine Solution - Tamara Warren

Please disregard the Oompa Loompa!  :-)

My life has changed drastically in the last few years.  Until four years ago, I had been a vegetarian for 22 years.  Well not exactly a vegetarian, I was more like a carbotarian.  I stayed sick and my weight steadily increased.  I lived from one weight watchers meeting to the next. I read labels and counted calories. I ate those little 100 calories packs and sprayed the margarine spray on everything.   There is no way I was eating more than 1200 calories a day.

Apparently, I wasn’t reading the right part of the nutritional label.  I had been jumping from one neurologist to the next trying to deal with my daily migraines.  I was taking meds to stop the migraines then medicine for the side effects.  I also had special “booster” meds for those migraines I couldn’t shake within the typical four days (after I had maxed out all other medication).  I desperately wanted off the drugs.

I was miserable in almost all aspects of my health.  I felt like I lived in a fog and had to write everything down on notepads.  I wasn’t sleeping.  My skin was riddled with cystic acne. I seemed to have constant sinus infections and never ending belly issues.

On a mission, I was willing to see every neurologist in New Orleans, if nesseccary.  The third neurologist told me that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say, but I was miserable and open to anything!  He said that I was my own worst enemy. He said that I probably had a food allergy, but he couldn’t follow me around and watch everything that I ate.  He said it especially gets difficult when you eat nothing but processed foods that have so many ingredients.  It makes it almost impossible to  narrow down to the problematic ingredients. 

I honestly didn't believe that I was allergic to anything.  How can you discover an allergy in your mid-thirties? I've had these migraines since I was in elementary school. I don't even have seasonal allergies!

His suggested I only eat meat, veggies, nuts, seeds and fruit.  He even suggested that I give up the flour until I could rule it out.  I had nothing to lose and still convinced that I wasn’t allergic to anything! I was determined to prove it to him so I followed his instructions. I still was apprehensive about eating meat but gave in quickly.  Without the bread and the pasta, I couldn’t continue for long.  I honestly thought I was going to starve to death on veggies alone!  LOL! The transformation was pretty quick.  Within a few days, I noticed my migraine lifted until they were completely gone.

I continued to follow the neurologist's instructions for three week before reintroducing items back into my diet.  I didn’t get past the first day before I ended up with a severe migraine.  Come to find out, I’m allergic to MSG and most things hydrolyzed, modified, or autolyzed. 

Life began to change. My weight fell off. My skin cleared up.  My head colds disappeared.  I began to sleep deeper and become more satisfied with my food.  

I can't imagine ever going back to a SAD (Standard American Diet).  Of course, my cravings outweigh my better judgement at times, but I pay the price every time!  I need those occassional bad days to realize what I've really given up.

I researched the Paleo diet and decided that was how I was going to live the rest of my life. It was hard at first but got easier and easier over time.  The only down side to my new paleo lifestyle was I felt so alone in New Orleans.  I wanted to connect to other paleo people who understood,  who knew I wasn't going to die from lack of those "heart healthy grains". 

I joined an inactive group on Meetup and pushed for get-togethers.  I then moved the group over the Facebook and it took off! We started with 10 of us and now the NOLA Paleo group has over 300 member and steadily climbing.

My new mission is to push the Paleo movement as far as I can in the New Orleans! I want people to know that with the right support, this lifestyle can be easy.  And if we join together we will be a force that local restaurants in New Orleans won't be able to ingore. They will have to acknowledge our paleo, primal, and gluten free lifestyles. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Tamara Warren, founder of NOLA Paleo

Email: nolapaleogroup@gmail.com

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nolapaleo/ (please join us!)

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NolaPaleo

Website: www.nolapaleo.com