Resistant Starch Experiment and Kefir

I have spent most of the morning reading up on resistant starch (which is NOT a real starch, it is a fiber.) I got interested recently in it when Steve Cooksey (The Diabetes Warrior) started posting about his experiments with it and where he got the idea. So, I have been reading more about it all on Richard Nikoley's blog, Feed The Animal. I am going to start on it and by next month, I will have my mom on it. I am not diabetic, but she is. The LCHF (adapted Paleo) lifestyle has done wonders for both of us. But, this may help a bit more. I am starting with 1 tablespoon of Bob's Red Mill Unmodified Potato Starch a day and will work my way up to 3 or 4. I am splitting it up. A teaspoon, 3 times a day, mixed in liquid. Right now, I have 1 teaspoon in my milk kefir with vanilla and maple syrup. I'll have some in water later and also in my milk with dinner. Potato starch has no real flavor, so can be put in many things easily. I think this would help a lot of people to add this to their food, as it works a bit like a pre-biotic and helps feed the pro-biotics in your gut. Most of us, at some point in our lives, took antibiotics and killed most (if not all) the good bacteria in our bodies and absolutely HAVE to re-populate them to thrive. Grocery-store yogurt WILL NOT do it. (If you are outside of the US and Bob's Red Mill is cost prohibitive, I think Encona Farina is the equivalent in the UK - from what I read on the Feed The Animal blog comments.)

As for my milk kefir. I've had it hibernating in the fridge since my farmer dried up his last cow. The other is due in January, so hopefully, I will start getting colostrum and then milk soon after from them. But, I have missed my kefir. So, I just changed out the milk. The kefir is a bit more sour than I like, but still very good. The weird thing is, the jar that had raw milk had HUGE kefir grains. The jar that had pasteurized (Straus Whole Milk) hadn't grown at all. That is after more than a month in the fridge. My grains had gotten used to the raw and thrived on it.

Peppery Bacon Squash recipe

This was a simple, quick recipe to use up a couple of little green summer squashes before they went bad. Just 3 ingredients!

1/2 lb. bacon, cut in 3-inch lengths
2 small summer squashes, cut in 1/2-in slices
1/4-cup grated pepper jack cheese

Fry bacon in cast-iron pan until crispy, on medium heat. Lower heat, then add squash. Cook until squash is tender and slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Turn onto plate. Top with cheese. The heat from the bacon and squash will melt the cheese nicely.

This was really good and served one. Moi!

Lunch - March 16, 2013

Ground pork sausage and scrambled pasture eggs:

So simple, but so good. Why buy packaged faux foods when you can eat real food!? It can't be the cost since this meal cost less than $2.00! The media and government have done a great job of brain-washing the past 40 years ...

Lunch & Dinner - February 10, 2013

Today I turned 50. If I had kept eating the way I had for the first 47 years of my life, I doubt I'd be saying that. I was in constant pain and nearly bedridden and had started walking with a cane. My asthma and allergies were getting worse every year. No more! You, too, can take control of your health by eating like our ancestors. Not our recent ancestors of the 19th and 20th centuries! They had already succumbed to the greed of the processed food and man-made drug barons. I'm talking about ancestors from 200 years ago and more. Simple, whole foods were what made humankind survive for thousands of years before corporations decided to take over the food chain and brainwash the masses.

This was my lunch and dinner. It was very good!

Lunch:
Lamb steak and sweet potato hash browns fried in bacon grease.

Dinner:
Hot wings!!

The picture is a bit blurry. The camera decided to act up.

Dinner - February 6, 2013

Another simple and quick dinner. Very Paleo-friendly.
Sliced sweet potato fried in bacon grease and sprinkled with dried rosemary and white pepper. Baked beef heart, rubbed with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, parsley and Italian seasoning.

~~~~~
My farmer is great
Fresh raw milk and eggs daily
Just like the old days
     Haiku by Kim Moreno (QuinGem's Creations)

Chocolate-dipped Kiwi Popsicle Recipe

I originally found this recipe here: Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles. I modified it slightly.

2 kiwifruits, peeled and sliced
1 cup baker's chocolate or other high-cacao content unsweetened chocolate bar, broken in pieces
1/2 cup coconut oil
popsicle sticks or popsicle mold handles

In an oven-safe glass bowl, melt chocolate with coconut oil in a 350F oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes. Stir until completely mixed. Cool to room temperature.

Stick each slice of kiwifruit on popsicle stick.

Dip into cooled chocolate. Place on a wax-paper lined tray. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

This can also be done with large strawberries, chunks of banana or other fruits!

Cinnamon Butter Bites Freezer Candy Recipe

I originally found this recipe here: Cinnamon Butter Bites. A modified it slightly.

1 pound pasture butter, softened
1 tablespoon local honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add butter, cinnamon, honey, and vanilla extract to your food processor. Process for a couple of minutes, mixing ingredients until it looks like whipped frosting. Stop food processor and scrape down the sides of bowl, as necessary.
Line a baking sheet that will fit into your freezer with parchment paper. Place bite-size spoonfuls of butter mixture onto parchment paper-lined tray.

Freeze for an hour or two until hard, then remove from parchment paper and store in a covered container in your freezer.

These will literally melt in your mouth!

Bacon and Butternut Squash Soup recipe

I originally saw this recipe here: Bacon Butternut Squash Soup. I modified it slightly.


1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks (or use baby carrots)
1½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 pound raw bacon or bacon ends, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small apple, chopped
2 cups homemade bone broth
1 cup raw milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg

 (Bacon is not pictured.)

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Toss squash and carrots with coconut oil.

Arrange in a large glass baking dish and roast, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until tender.
In a cast iron dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp.

Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onion and apple to the dutch oven and sauté in bacon fat over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the roasted butternut squash, carrots, stock, milk and spices to dutch oven and bring to a boil, stirring often.

Remove from heat.
Working in several small batches, blend soup in food processor until smooth.

Return to dutch oven, bring to a simmer until warmed through.

Serve soup in large bowls, mixing in bacon. You can freeze up to 2 months.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake Recipe

4 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 pastured eggs
3/4 cup raw milk
1-15 oz. can organic pureed pumpkin
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

coconut oil, butter or lard
pecan halves, optional
creme fraiche or raw whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9x13 glass baking dish with coconut oil.
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (first 6 ingredients.) set aside. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients (next 5 ingredients) until well blended. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour  batter into greased baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
If adding pecan halves, place them on top of cake after about 15 minutes cooking time, so they will not burn. Continue baking for remainder of time, until toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Top with creme fraiche or whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 12.

Almond Flour Biscuits Recipe

I found the original recipe here: Almond Flour Biscuit

2 cups organic almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons organic butter
2 organic pastured eggs
2 Tablespoons local organic raw honey
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

Preheat oven at 350°F.
Mix flour, baking soda and butter by hand until you have a crumbly consistency. Add eggs, honey and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Spoon batter onto parchment-covered baking sheet. (You can also pat them into biscuit shapes or roll out the dough and use cookie cutters.)

Bake for 7 minutes or until golden. Eat them plain or top with favorite nut butter or butter!

Enjoy!

Food Lifestyle

I have been doing a lot of experimenting with the things I eat and what they do to me as far as allergies and other reactions. I've always had a lot of irritating health issues and the more I learn the more I find that they were nearly all related to food choices. My allergies and asthma are essentially gone. My other lung issues are nearly a thing of the past. I no longer have heartburn or the stomach & intestinal issues I used to have. And, my chronic joint issues/synovitis that I have had since childhood are almost non-existent. (I'm still working on the occasional migraines I still have, though.) How? Eliminating processed foods and modern grains, mostly. Organic, real foods are what our bodies were meant to consume. Plant AND animal sources. The way I now eat is nothing radical. It's the way humans used to eat until about 100 years ago, with very few exceptions. Before rampant obesity; before chronic health problems. Another plus for me is that my mom is seeing the benefits, too. She is recalling how she ate as a child. She used to think it was because her family was poor, but now she remembers she was never sick & she was skinny. That really didn't change for her until the 1960s. She has lost nearly 50 lbs. in the past year & is feeling much better now. She is down to about 5 prescriptions from 19 less than a year ago. She was diagnosed 12 years ago as diabetic, obese, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, et al. What caused all this? The food she WAS eating for about 30 years. Processed foods. High carbs/grains. She is now 72 & feels better than she has in almost 20 years. She is walking more now. She is eating the way her body needs and eliminating symptom-suppressing medications. We are getting to the source of our problems, not hiding the symptoms. We've done this in baby steps. So, it has taken a better part of the past year, but we have seen progress every step of the way. One little thing at a time. We're patient! Anyone can do it. Just say no to anything that is sold in a can, plastic bottle, styrofoam box, etc., or that has ingredients that you cannot pronounce or that didn't exist 100 years ago. And, stay away from restaurants (not just 'fast food'.) Trust me. You won't miss it after a while. Personally, I would rather pay for good food that I make myself than pay the exhorbitant prices charged by restaurants and doctors. I'm looking toward the long-term, not the quick fix.
How do we eat? We eat organic meats. Mostly organic/pasture-fed pork, lamb, poultry & rabbit as I have found local organic sources. I am still looking for local beef. Occasionally, trout or other seafood. We get pastured eggs from a local farmer (the hens roam on grass & eat bugs and other things chickens are meant to eat.) We eat and/or juice lots of fruits and veggies (organic & mostly local - go to your local farmer's markets and talk directly with the source!) We also grow a bit of our own fruits and veggies in our small space. We drink filtered water (and occasionally buy real spring water - sadly we don't have a local spring nearby.) We eat & drink organic and/or raw dairy from local creameries (WHOLE milk, WHOLE cream, real cheese - not that dyed orange pretend cheese crap, real butter from pastured, grass-fed cows.) Check out the following websites to help you start on the path to better health through food:
Local Harvest
Weston A. Price Foundation
Daniel Vitalis' blog
David Wolfe's blog
Mark's Daily Apple
These are just a few that I visit regularly. There are MANY more.
Remember, most doctor's are NOT taught nutrition while pursuing their medical degrees. Yet, many take the Hippocratic Oath (which in truth has been adulterated over the years.) One of Hippocrates' original lines was, "I will apply dietic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.
I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art." He also originated the phrase, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food".
Many will tell you to go what I consider the radical route (you must eat raw only, you must avoid all animal-sourced foods, you must eat or not eat this, etc.) Honestly, there is not a 'one-size' fits all 'diet' plan for everyone. I was vegetarian (almost vegan) for 10 years. It was not for me. I felt like crap all the time & it exacerbated many of my health problems. But, for others, it may work. But, the main thing I profess is to eat as closely to what our ancestors ate as you can - this is NOT necessarily a strict Primal or Paleo-type diet. They did not go to McDonald's or Starbucks every day. They did not use microwaves. The did not eat out of boxes or cans. Pick one or 2 things that you can do 'right now' to start your journey. Once you have that working, pick another and another, until you have the healthy diet that works for you. It doesn't have to happen overnight, but gradually it will. And, you will see and feel the difference!

Jedha's Breakfast Melody recipe

Usually, I take pictures of every step when I share a recipe. Today, I'll just link to Jedha's page, as she's done all the work.
http://paleoweightlosscoach.com/2625/paleo-diet-breakfast-recipe/
I was out of the zucchini-type squash, but I did have some butternut squash that I substituted!

Epigenetics article

Your DNA is NOT Your Destiny (Epigenetics)

A post discussing epigenetics and how your genetic code does not dictate your future. You can change outcomes... by changing inputs.

Paleo Diet article

How Does a Paleo Diet Benefit Your Health?

A Paleo diet can help you achieve weight loss while reducing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which are risk factors for many health problems.

Paleo Lunch

I decided to have a somewhat Paleo lunch. Two organic, pastured chicken eggs and two slices organic chicken breast lunch meat (http://www.applegatefarms.com/products/roasted_chicken_breast.aspx). Both cooked in organic pasture butter (http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/butter/pasture/product/pasture-butter-8-oz/) in an iron skillet. Pinch of black pepper added.

Dangers of HFCS article

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Dangers Of Consumption

In this article you will find out about High Fructose Corn Syrup: Dangers and facts. It's important to know how this commonly consumed item affects our health.

Are Potatoes In The Paleo Diet? article

I've been learning a lot about various 'diets' that various people promote. I have never really 'dieted' since I have never been what's considered overweight ... until about 4 or 5 years ago, I was considered very underweight and probably still am compared to others. But, I like to eat healthy and more often want to eat right (organic, non-processed, whole foods like our ancestors ate!) I've noticed a lot of people promote what's called the Paleo diet, which is closer to what our early ancestors ate. This article about potatoes by Jedha is very good, so check it out!
http://paleoweightlosscoach.com/1584/are-potatoes-in-the-paleo-diet/
I LOVE potatoes, but I have noticed that I do tend to eat more sweet potatoes lately.