What's fer dinner?

We had Grilled Cod w/ homemade BBQ sauce over "Zughetti" noodles, tomatoes and onion from the garden.. gotta eat that fish!     Hubby's recipe here

17 months into our journey

I have not been posting any pictures on this blog at first because I wasn't ready and then waiting for a big reveal ,...so we had that today being featured as a success story on Mark's Daily Apple website

read more here :-)

we could not be happier with our progress thus far, and as always its a journey and we will continue on it,... always improving and tweaking what works for us and our family in this new lifestyle :-)

Here's one of my favorite pictures from the last year

I would like to lose another 10-15 lbs ,....but if it happens, it happens. We recently finished up a very clean Whole30 and i only lost about 3-4 lbs,...and that was the cleanest I could eat. I will continue to workout and walk and if the weight comes off then great,..if not I am happy to continue to become more fit and toned.

I know Ed is happy where he is at and expects to gain some weight back while adding muscle

-PP

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Making homemade vanilla extract is so much easier than you think! We started out new extract project to save money and to make sure we were getting a pure and quality extract for our occasional gluten free baked goods. All you need to start is vanilla beans and vodka. I found good prices on ebay buying in a larger quantity. Here is the EBAY seller I used - shipping was VERY fast and they included a few free beans! The vodka was 80 proof obtained at the local liquor store - they say the cheap stuff is just fine.

 DAY # 1

 

You simply cut or split the whole beans exposing the vanilla seeds on the inside of the pod and place in glass bottle of vodka. The bottle needs to have a tight fitting lid and enough vodka in it to cover the beans. It needs to be stored in a cool dark place and every few days you give the bottle a shake, within 2-3 months you have pure homemade vanilla extract with no additives!

DAY # 10

Here's is another blog post with additional info and pictures: 

 http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-vanilla-extract/

I'll report back in a few months when our first batch is complete - I'm thinking about doing more and bottling it for holiday gifts!

-PP

Make your own Kombucha!

Here is our home brewed kombucha that we have been tending to for a couple months now. After reading about the possible health benefits of kombucha, we tried out a few different commercial brands at the health food store (very expensive!) and decided to start brewing our own at home.  First, you have to find a person willing to give or sell you a scoby starter. After having no luck around here, we ended up buying one off of Ebay, which worked out just fine for us, but I have read mixed reviews from others. You can also search your local farmers markets, Craigslist, Locavore email groups, or maybe you have a kombucha mentor already brewing.

The person you get your baby scoby from should be able to give you directions on how they started out with theirs (brew methods vary from person to person). Now that we have a routine down, we spend about 30 minutes every 7 days brewing new tea, mixing in the sugar, and replacing the "mother scoby" into the new batch. We bottle up the ready-to-go batch and enjoy it over the week. We have tried several different types of teas in our Kombucha such as green, black and yerba and are now keeping better records to see which we like best.


The whole kombucha brewing process seems a little overwhelming at first, but like everything, once you go through the routine a few times it begins to seem like 2nd nature. I have always been super funny about things left out on the counter overnight, fermented foods, etc, so I really surprised myself about how willing I was to take on and consume something that looks very alien and just seems wrong at the beginning. As far as health benefits I can't say 100%  what they have been, but it is nice to have an alternative other than water to drink. I do feel strongly that it has helped me in the intestinal tract and keeps things healthy and regular.

 All I can say is its just one of those things that make you feel better just by drinking it :-)

-PP

Will Eating Red Meat Kill You? | Mark's Daily Apple

 Once again, this Mark's Daily Apple article provides a great breakdown of the recent "study" finding that red meat is bad for you.

Will Eating Red Meat Kill You? | Mark's Daily Apple

-pp

So good I made it twice in one week!

I was so impressed with my first attempt at Paleo on Main's coffee cake that I decided to make it again in less than 7 days - it tastes so typical for a coffee cake - it's amazing!



This time I use local White Mountain Honey Farm honey that I'm in LOVE with,  that made it even SO much better!

Going in the oven,....

and the wonderful finished product!

Paleo on Main: Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Paleo on Main: Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake: This recipe is down-right A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! You can not tell me that Paleo is bland, not a chance!!! Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake Cake: 1/2 ...

Thanks Paleo on Main - another awesome recipe!

just look at this cakey goodness! 

a good watch - finally starting to get it right!!

(click video link below to video)


HealthWatch: Caveman Diet Trend Starting To Catch Fire « CBS San Francisco

66 pounds down!

As of today I'm at the 66 pounds gone mark after almost 9 months of a paleo/primal lifestyle change. My weight loss stalled most of September,....but then again I was allowing myself foods that were closer to the "naughty" list than the "nice" (meaning too much fruit, dairy, and GF baked goods). To reel myself in, I have found if I fast in the morning and don't eat til lunchtime, and eat my dinner earlier (6pm ish instead of 8 pm ish) , thus shortening my "feeding window" I get back on track and start moving the scale again in the right direction. Right now I am 15 pounds away from my "dream" goal. Dream meaning I never again thought I'd get back to that weight in this lifetime,..now thanks to Paleo,..it's well within my reach. Once I get there (hopefully by my 1 year paleo anniversary) I may reassess and even go lower,.... but I was quite happy at that weight in the past. A fit 150 would make me incredibly happy - and that's where I'm headed!

-PP

Celebrating the big 60!

As of today am I sixty pounds less than I was in January 2011 :-)   I always dreamed and wished for this kind of weight loss,...but never truly in my heart thought it was possible while still eating well and enjoying myself at the same time. To lose such an amount I thought I would have to eat tiny portions minimally for the rest of my life and workout like a mad woman,..doubtful if that was even feasible. When I lose 3 more pounds, I will be at the same weight i was when I got married 13 years ago. On our 13th wedding anniversary this October, I hope to be even less. I would like to lose 20 more lbs and then I will still be at the high range of "normal" for my body type/height,...but I will be very very happy with that. I am gradually allowing cameras back into my life and hope to find a picture that pleases me soon :-)

When people ask my secret,.. I tell them the secret is to stop listening to "common wisdom" and everything you read and hear on tv. Low fat and restrictive calories don't work on the long term. You have to give your body the foods that it needs,.....whole fresh meat, vegetables, healthy fats, and fruit,....pretty soon your bread cravings will change to salad cravings and a steak will never have tasted so good,..

Read the books I recommend on the right hand side bar,....and then think about it,... a paleo lifestyle change might start making sense to you too!

From a size 20 to size 12 in six months!

Yes, you read that right. I went shopping yesterday and was pleasantly surprised!  We just passed our 6 month mark of our paleo journey. On the 6 month anniversary I had lost 50 pounds and my husband 35 pounds. It is time for some new clothes, but I hate clothes shopping!  I am just a t shirt and jeans sort of gal, but I saw a good sales rack on my way thru the store and decided to look. I was previously a size 18 or 20 depending on material and manufacturer. So I took and 16 and 14 in the dressing room with me. to my shock both were too big and I had to get re-dressed and go find a sz 12 - wow! Also purchased two women's medium sized shirts,..again not something I would have thought possible just last year. I am now at 53 lbs gone and just 3 pounds shy of my "end of the summer" goal ,.. and it's still July :-) 

Excited to see what the next 6 months will bring!


-PP

We are almost at the 5 month mark of beginning our Paleo lifestyle journey - as of this morning, my husband and I have lost a combined 75 lbs and feel better than we ever have in our entire lives. At first getting started seemed complicated - but it got easier everyday and now it's simple. We eat whole fresh food - done. period. the end. Meats, vegetables and some fruit and nuts,..occasional high quality dairy. The bad foods that we use to crave no longer look good. I never feel deprived, I never go to bed hungry and I never count calories. We have WONDERFUL filling dinners and try to get 8 hrs or more of sleep every night. When we started i was given the advice to not workout if I didn't feel like it - that I would want to down the road when my body had found better balance,.... I thought that sounded crazy,..because I couldn't imagine "wanting" to workout or be physical ever,...but it's happened and it feels so great. You hear the old wisdom "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear"  -- I feel that is exactly what has happened to us. We got so down and unhappy and truly ready for change - that it was the exact right time for Paleo to enter our lives. I am thankful everyday.

PP