Chocolate Chip Cookies (for M)

M has been begging me for chocolate chip cookies.  I had not found a good real food recipe yet, so I didn't have one on hand when he asked.  I spent some time perusing Teh Interwebz for a good recipe to modify, but nothing really spoke to me.  Then I remembered that my sister T has a good recipe in the Martha Stewart Cookies book that I had made before.  So I tracked that one down, modified it with real food and it turned out beautifully!

I haven't been making much food in the past several days, since developing a nasty cold given to me lovingly by my boys.  It was nice to mix up some cookie dough and make the house smell warm and homey while knowing that the next morning my little M would wake up to cookies for breakfast.  I didn't worry about the fact that they were eating cookies for breakfast, and here's why:

• grass-fed butter is good for you
• palm shortening is good for you
• sprouted whole grain flour is good for you
• sea salt is good for you
• pastured eggs are good for you
• rapadura is good for you (in small amounts, not at every meal)
• cacao nibs are good for you

I made these cookies, and they were not only good for my kids, but tasted pretty good too.  The recipe yields a flatter, chewy cookie.  The rapadura and homemade vanilla give a nice earthy, carmel flavor.  The cacao nibs give a nice chocolatey crunch.  Enjoy it with glass of crisp, clean raw milk and afternoon snacktime is a big hit.

This recipe makes quite a bit of dough.  Feel free to freeze half the dough in logs wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer bag.  That's what I did.

Real Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) grass-fed butter (I used Kerrygold)

1 cup palm shortening* (I used Tropical Traditions, it's made by non-exploited workers)

3 cups rapadura, or other whole sweetener* (I used Rapunzel I bought from Azure Standard)

4 large eggs (I used duck eggs.  Yes, duck eggs!)

2 teaspoons Homemade Vanilla Extract

3 1/2 cups sprouted whole grain flour (I used soft white wheat berries)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (I used Celtic Sea Salt)

2 teaspoons baking soda (I used aluminum-free from Food Wise)

1 1/2 cups cacao nibs (I bought these in bulk at Whole Foods)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In a stand mixer, cream butter and palm shortening until creamy.  Add rapadura and cream together until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  

2.  Into a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda.  Whisk with a wire whisk to remove lumps and sift ingredients together.  Add to wet ingredients in stand mixer slowly.  Mix until combined.  Fold in cacao nibs.

3.  Drop by large spoonfuls (2-3 tablespoons) either with a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop.  Space at least 2 inches apart to give them room to spread.  Bake two cookie sheets at a time with racks placed in the upper and lower thirds of your oven.

4.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.  Remove from cookie sheets and let cool on cooling racks.

Results After Two Weeks

I'm losing weight!  I have lost 3-5 pounds now, depending on which part of the day I weigh myself.  I'm going to continue on with recipes in the Eat Fat, Lose Fat book, as well as modeling my tried and true dinners and recipes to work within the framework I have started.

For example, last night I had grass-fed ground beef flavored with homemade taco seasoning.  I topped it with shredded raw, grass-fed, mild cheddar, salsa and cubed avocado.  Add one cup of milk, and lacto-fermented carrot sticks and all the bases are covered.

(The only thing I would have liked would have been to make my own lacto-fermented salsa like this recipe over at Nourishing Gourmet.)

I'll post new recipes soon.

Dinner: Indonesian Coconut Steak, Sauerkraut, Salad, Milk, Macaroon

This recipe for dinner was pretty good.  I made it two nights ago and am just getting around to posting it.  I'm getting tired of coconut-flavored everything though, so tonight I am making a plain ol' grass-fed steak and a green salad with milk and a pickle.  I ate these coconutty leftovers today for lunch, so I'm ready for a savory change.

I will probably make this one again because it incorporates beef stock so nicely though.  That's a big plus.  I am aiming for more calcium in my diet, so bone broths are one surefire way to increase my intake.  I am also drinking a cup of raw milk twice a day instead of once like before I started my Operation Lose Baby Weight challenge.

Coconut Oil:
Dinner:

• Indonesian Coconut Steak
• Homemade Sauerkraut
• Green Salad with Carrots, Celery, and Parmesan Cheese with Basic Salad Dressing
• 
  

Indonesian Coconut Steak

serves 4

3 tablespoons lard or Mary's Oil Blend

1 large onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 1/2 pounds boneless sirloin or skirt steak, sliced into 1/2-inch strips (I used grass-fed NY strip steak from Sprouts, it was on sale)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander (I omitted this, I was out!)

1 teaspoon chili powder

2/3 cup desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons coconut or maple sugar (also called palm sugar)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I also added the zest to add flavor after having no coriander on hand)

1 1/4 cups beef stock

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin, for garnish

2 to 3 small green chiles, seeded and sliced thin, for garnish (I omitted)

small onion slices, for garnish (I forgot to reserve some, so I cooked them all and had to omit these)

1.  Heat lard in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion slices and garlic and saute 5 minutes, or until soft.  Add beef slices and saute, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes.

2.  Stir in ginger, cumin, coriander and chili powder and cook 2 minutes.  Stir in coconut, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and beef stock.  Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced and meat is well coated.  Garnish with slivers of bell pepper, green chiles, and small onion slices.

Basic Salad Dressing

1 cup olive oil (I use Chaffin Family Farms from CA, it's very mild and buttery)

1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's)

1 teaspoon onion powder

2-3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon sea salt (I use Celtic Grey Sea Salt)

1.  Add ingredients in order to a jar or salad dressing shaker.  Shake together to emulsify and pour over salads.  Store in the refrigerator.

Why I Eat Liver, and Dinner: Liver Stir-Fry, Broccoli, Sauerkraut, Fruit, Milk

Today was a momentous day.  I bravely purchased liver, committed to try liver, and then made it for dinner.  Little did I know that after it came out of the pan, breaded in seasoned sprouted flour and surrounded by diced bacon and browned onions, that I would fall in love.  I know it sounds strange, but liver is delicious.  Liver not only tastes good cooked this way, but is immensely good for you.

Organ meats have been traditionally consumed and revered for their healing properties by our ancestors.  We can learn a lot from the way our forepeople valued organ meats.  The added benefit of looking into the science behind what our ancestors did can help us wrap our heads around incorporating organ meats into our diets.  (Though make sure that you differentiate between studies done on grass-fed organ meats and feedlot organ meats, since the nutritional difference is vast.)

Liver contains all kinds of nutrients, most strikingly a very high amount of vitamin A.  Even the difference between grass-fed red meat and grass-fed liver is striking.  Liver contains over three time more iron, 27 times more vitamin C, over 100 times more vitamin B-12 and folic acid, and that's not even mentioning the vitamin A.  Grass-fed red meat contains 40 IU and grass-fed liver has 53,400 IU!  Liver is also a source for vitamin K2, sometimes called "Activator X" by real foodies and Weston Price foundation folks.  However, chicken liver is much higher in vitamin K2 than beef liver.  Still, liver is good for you.

Vitamin K2 does many things, like promote bone growth and make your teeth grow in straight and strong.  Here is a list of vitamin K2-rich foods, which include chicken liver, pate, grass-fed butter, grass-fed hard and soft cheese, and natto.  I eat all these items except for natto.  But I am determined to try it on a day when I feel especially brave.  My boys love natto, which is very fortunate.  You can buy natto at Asian markets, and they are cheap.  Make sure you buy organic natto, so that you know the soybeans they fermented are non-GMO.

I have been easing into the idea of sauteing liver.  I started by purchasing braunschweiger from U.S. Wellness Meats, which is 60% beef and 40% liver.  Braunschweiger is a nutrient-dense, satisfying organ meat sausage that is wonderful on sprouted crackers and cheese.  Now that I know I have the tastebuds to handle liver, I think I will try some more unusual organ sausages.  Their liverwurst contains grass-fed liver, heart and kidney and looks like a good segue way into even more adventurous organ meat sausages.  Maybe I will even try ordering some head cheese, which contains grass-fed tongue and heart.  Baby steps, my friends.  This is where they can get you to.  This coming from me, the gal who thinks the texture of yogurt is gross.  If I can eat liver, anyone can.

Oh, and my boys loved it.  They happily chewed it, no problem.  Liver is very velvety if you cook it right.  They even asked for more until they were both stuffed.  I know they got their nutrients, and I know that I got mine.

Coconut Oil: two tablespoons taken 20 minutes before dinner in raspberry leaf tea

Dinner:

• Liver Stir-fry with Onions and Bacon (I cut the recipe in half)
• Steamed Broccoli with Butter (I was too full to eat this)
• Sauerkraut (homemade jar was finally done!)
• Fresh fruit with Coconut Sprinkles (I had half a grapefruit)
• one cup of raw milk

Liver Stir-Fry

serves 4

1 pound beef or calf's liver, cut into strips

juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup sprouted flour, or unbleached white flour

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound sliced bacon, cut into pieces (I did a small dice)

2 large onions, chopped

1.  Place liver in a large bowl with lemon juice and marinate for several hours in the refrigerator.

2.  Pat piece dry and dredge in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper.

3.  In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a heated platter (I used a glass pie plate set on a burner that was warm but turned off).

4.  Cook chopped onion in bacon fat until browned.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on warmed platter/pie plate.

5.  Stir-fry liver in remaining fat until browned on each side, only about 1-2 minutes per side, until medium-rare.  If you overcook, it gets that "liver" taste.  Serve immediately with bacon and onions.

Breakfast: English Breakfast--Eggs, Sausage, Toast, Tomatoes

This breakfast was quite tasty though the sausage I bought was a little too herbaceous, even for me.  R gave me a hard time for it, but he was still glad to have a yummy breakfast besides that.  I'll look for a different brand for next time.

I made this yesterday, and even though I intended on repeating it for today, the thought of all those herbs in the sausage again was too much.  So I made a triple batch of Coconut Smoothies and fed them to the little ones and myself.  R opted for something coconut-free, as per usual.

Coconut Oil and Fermented Cod Liver Oil: two tablespoons coconut oil taken in raspberry leaf tea, and 2 capsules FCLO.

Breakfast:

• English breakfast: sourdough bread, eggs, sausage or bacon, and tomatoes
• one cup of raw milk

English Breakfast

serves 2

2 ounces additive-free sausage or nitrate-free bacon
2 slices whole-grain sourdough bread
1 tablespoon lard or Mary's Oil Blend
4 eggs
1 tomato, thickly sliced

1.  Cook the sausage or bacon in a cast-itron skillet over medium-high heat.  Transfer to a heated platter and keep warm in the oven on low heat (170 degrees).
2.  Place bread in skillet and then turn so that both sides soak up the fat.  Transfer to platter.
3.  Add lard to pan, fry eggs to desired doneness, and transfer to platter.
4.  Raise heat and cook tomato slices on both sides until nicely browned.  Transfer to platter.
5.  Return bread to pan and cook on both sides until nicely browned.
6.  To serve, place a slice of bread on each of 2 heated plates.  Place eggs on bread and surround with tomato and sausage or bacon.

Dessert On Hand: Coconut Macaroons

When I was cheating last night, I decided to make some macaroons for the boys and me.  On my meal plan it says that I can have a macaroon after dinner, thought I forget which day.  After looking at the store I decided to make them.  I had saved my egg whites from when I made those coconut smoothies, so I was good to go.

I got the Macaroon recipe from my copy of Nourishing Traditions, a necessity in my kitchen.  Full of recipes, sources for hard-to-find items, breakdowns of fats, carbs, and proteins, meal ideas, and deatiled instructions for soaking, sprouting, culturing and lacto-fermenting, it's one of those books you will use forever.  It covers all the basics.  Now I just need to get my hands on the two volume set of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and I will be busy for a few years!

Nourishing Traditions is the book Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig wrote before Eat Fat, Lose Fat.  The books share a few recipes, but I am glad to own both.  NT has hundreds of recipes and "how to"s, while Eat Fat, Lose Fat has practical meal plans and explanations of how to lose weight.  They complement each other.

A note on ingredients: 

• Always use grade B maple syrup.  It contains more trace minerals and nutrients.  Also make sure to get organic syrup, since conventional syrup is processed with formaldehyde.  
• Arrowroot powder is a handy item to use in place of cornstarch or white flour.  It thickens sauces without the phytic acid problem of flour, and replaces cornstarch that is most likely genetically modified. 
• Try to find pastured eggs in your area, asking the farmer if s/he uses soy in the feed for the chickens, and if the chickens spend their days outside in the sun.
• Vanilla can be wonderful, and I prefer bourbon vanilla from Trader Joe's.  It's cheap and has a fantastic flavor.  However, I did recently try my hand at homemade bourbon vanilla.  (It was easy!  And very cheap to make.)
• The cheapest dried, unsweetened coconut meat I have found is at Azure Standard, my online co-op choice.

Macaroons

makes 2 dozen

4 egg whites 

pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups dried/desiccated coconut meat, finely cut

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Beat egg whites with salt in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks.  Beat in the arrowroot and slowly beat in syrup and vanilla.  Fold in coconut gently.  

3.  Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment.  Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, until lightly browned.  Then reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake for about 60 minutes, or until completely dry and crisp.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Homemade Bourbon Vanilla

I love the bourbon vanilla from Trader Joe's.  So I figured I would make my own and see how it compared.  I love my version, but it tastes different than the TJ's brand.  I recommend either one.

(I may make another batch with rum or vodka, and then experiment with mixing bourbon vanilla into the new batch.  Perhaps a combination will yield a similar flavor to the TJ's bourbon vanilla?)

Regardless, this vanilla is pretty kickass.  And if you want to save money, this is a biggie.  I have also thought that homemade vanilla would make an excellent, frugal Christmas gift.  Get some cute bottles and give the gift of great flavor.  You could even experiment with different flavors.  But remember to start by November!  It takes about a month to get the right flavor.

Homemade Bourbon Vanilla

one bottle good, spicy bourbon (I used Wild Turkey)

6-8 vanilla beans

1.  Pour bourbon into a glass canning jar.  Split vanilla beans down the middle to release all those delicious vanilla bits, but do not cut all the way through.  No need to scrape the beans or do anything else, just put split beans into bourbon and screw on a lid.

2. Put the glass jar in a paper bag to keep light out.  Shake it once a day for 2-4 weeks, to get the vanilla beans to release their flavor.

(Justified?) Cheating

Today's breakfast and lunch were totally legit.  I repeated the same breakfasts and lunches from the last two days, to keep it simple: super scramble, bacon and milk, and then salmon roll-ups, carrots, celery, kefir and kvass.  I even started my dinner out on the right foot: leftover lamb curry.  But then I gave in to something I had been thinking all day.  That I wanted to eat something whole grain that had NOT been soaked, sprouted or sourdoughed.  And I wanted to do it on purpose to get rid of the heavy metals I had been feeling build up in my body the last few days.  Let me explain.

The point of soaking grains, beans, nuts, and seeds is to reduce phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors (this is true for nuts in particular).  Here is a good "how to" on soaking.  And here is one on sprouting.  If you don't soak or sprout your grains, then the phytic acid doesn't allow your body to properly soak up nutrients in the grains, like trace minerals including calcium, magnesium, etc.  It also can pull these good minerals from your body.  You can become depleted of calcium, and have problems with your teeth, for example.  Like me!

I am to the point where I never consume a grain, legume, nut or seed without preparing it properly.  My body takes too much of a beating if I don't follow this rule.  I have been suffering from adrenal fatigue this year, and my body has been hormonally out of whack ever since I conceived E.  I have noticed that the more real food I consume, the better I feel.  I'm not as tired, I have more energy, my emotional ups and downs are manageable, I'm happy.

I have recently started to oil pull every morning.  Oil pulling help pull toxins out of your body.  It helps keeps your teeth strong and plaque-free.  It helps with adrenal fatigue.  Since I suffer from the fatigue and poor tooth health, I committed to oil pull daily.  I learned later, however, that if you have silver fillings oil pulling can cause them to leak heavy metals, like mercury.

I noticed last week that one of my silver fillings was very sore.  I stopped oil pulling for a couple of days, and the pain went away.  I started oil pulling again and the pain returned.  So I decided two days ago to stop for good.  Once my silver fillings are replaced with white ones, I will take up oil pulling again.  The pain was my indicator that my fillings were being affected.  Only after that did I realize that I had been feeling very fatigued the last several days.  I have been affected by this extra heavy metal dose in my body the last few days.

So that brings me back to eating non-soaked whole grains, on purpose, to pull the mercury out of my body.  So I did.  After I had my bowl of curry, I had a bowl of multi-grain Joe's O's with raw milk and a spoonful of rapadura.  Maybe it's the placebo effect, but I have already been feeling better.  I am hoping the phytic acid in the oats and wheat of that bowl of cereal gives me a boost to get the excess mercury out of my system.  Then tomorrow morning I can start afresh, following the meal plan, and not needing a nap. :)

Lunch: Salmon Dill Cream Cheese Roll-ups, Crackers, Celery Sticks, Carrot Dilly Sticks, Kefir, Kvass

That's a really long title, but everything fit onto one small plate.
Coconut Oil: two tablespoons coconut oil taken in raspberry leaf tea
Lunch:

• Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups With Dill Cream Cheese
• Rich, Whole Grain Spelt Crackers (soaked)
• Lacto-fermented Carrot Dilly Sticks and celery sticks
• Strawberry Kefir Soda
• Beet Kvass

Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups with Dill Cream Cheese

serves two

6 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried

salt salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces sliced smoken salmon, preferably wild*

(*I found very reasonably priced wild smoked salmon at Trader Joe's, woohoo!)

1. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese with dill and season with salt and pepper.  Spread mixture over salmon slices and roll up.  Chill well.  Slice into 1/2-inch rounds.  Serve with toothpicks, or on crackers.

Rich, Whole Grain Spelt Crackers

1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3 1/2 cups freshly ground whole grain flour (I have used spelt and whole red winter wheat, both with good success)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Cream yogurt and butter together. Add flour and salt and stir to combine.

2. Cover with a towel and a plate, find a warm place to soak 12-24 hours (or overnight).

3. After the soaking period, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. At this point you can add any herbs, cheeses, or spices to your dough you might like to try. I have only attempted cracked pepper and parmesan cheese, but it was delicious! The possibilities are endless, but the crackers are truly delicious all on their own. Don't feel you need this step, it is optional.

5. Use white flour, sprouted flour, or arrowroot powder (because each of these options have no phytic acid) to roll your dough out very thin. Use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut dough into small squares or rectangles.

6. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can put the crackers fairly close to each other, they do not spread. You can prick with a fork, but I have not seen much of a need for it.

7. Bake 8-12 minutes, checking every minute or so after 8 minutes have gone by to make sure they do not overbrown. You know the crackers are done when they are slightly brown on the edges and the middles of the crackers look drier.

8. Remove from baking sheet to cooling racks immediately, but be gentle so they do not break. Enjoy!

Lacto-fermented Dill Carrot Sticks

several carrots, peeled, cut into sticks (to fit into your glass jar)

1 tablespoon whey

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dill

filtered water

1. Put carrots into a glass canning jar, packed tightly.  Add whey, salt, dill.  Then add water to fill the jar, screw on a lid tightly and leave at room temperature for several days.  It's normal for the water in the jar to get cloudy.  Taste after 5 days and see if you like the flavor, if not, wait a few more days and taste again.

Strawberry Kefir Soda

1 package hydrated kefir grains

1/2 cup organic sugar

1-2 tablespoons molasses

1 pastured egg shell, rinsed clean

1 cup diced fruit

Note: do not use tap water, it will kill your kefir grains; do not use Brita water, it doesn't remove flouride and other toxins that can kill your kefir grains

1. Fill a half gallon glass jar with filtered water.  Now pour a little of the water out into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and add sugar to boiling water, stirring until sugar dissolves, and then pour sugar-water back into the jar to fill it up again.  

2. Add molasses to the jar of water and stir with a wooden spoon to mix in.  Gently add water kefir grains and egg shell.

3. Cover with a dish towel or cheesecloth to keep out dust and bugs and so the kefir can breathe.

4.  Let sit on the counter for 1-2 days.  Then, pour contents through a strainer into a new jar.  Discard egg shell.  Reuse kefir grains for your next batch.

5.  With the strained kefir in the new jar, you can now choose a fruit to flavor the kefir.  I like using strawberries.  Add diced fruit to kefir jar, cover again, and let sit at room temperature for 1 more day.

6.  Remove cover and replace with a screw top lid.  Leave at room temperature for a couple of hours to build up fizziness.  Place in refrigerator to stop the fermentation process.

Beet Kvass

2-4 beets, peeled, and cut in a large dice

1/4 cup whey

1 tablespoon sea salt

1. Place beets into a half gallon glass jar.  They should fill the jar about 1/3 of the way up.  Add whey and salt.  Add water to fill the jar.  

2.  Cover with a cloth to keep bugs and dust out, leave at room temperature for 2 days.  

3.  Using a strainer, remove diced beets from kvass.  Then using a screw top lid, transfer to the refrigerator to stop the fermentation process.

Breakfast: Super Scramble, Bacon and Milk

I'm really exhausted today, so I'm just going to post the recipes and expound more on things tomorrow.
Coconut Oil and Fermented Cod Liver Oil: two tablespoons coconut oil taken in raspberry leaf tea, and two capsules FCLO
Breakfast: 

• Super Scramble and sausage or bacon (I had bacon)
• Cup of raw milk

Super Scramble

serves two

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon cream

pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, or one teaspoon dried parsley

1.  Whisk eggs and cream together in a bowl, breaking up the yolks.  Add salt and parsley and scramble over medium low heat until eggs are cooked through.

Dinner: Red Lamb Curry, Watercress Endive Salad, Lacto-Fermented Sour Pickles, Raw Milk

Tonight's dinner was not only surprisingly delicious, but surprisingly easy to make.  When I read "curry" I imagined being in the kitchen for an hour chopping things and doing various steps.  Not so.  And I was so glad, because I am bone tired tonight.  I should mention that it really helped that I didn't need to go to the store for anything either, since I had planned ahead and bought all the ingredients last Sunday.

Coconut oil: 2 tablespoons taken in pomegranate white tea 20 minutes before dinner
Dinner:

• Leftover red meat curry: I used leftover lamb from Wednesday
• Watercress Endive Salad with Balsamic Dressing
• Lacto-fermented sauerkraut: I subbed Bubbie's pickles, since my kraut is still fermenting and Bubbie's uses lacto-fermentation
• Choice of Quick and Easy Beverage: I drank raw milk, but I could've done kefir or kvass

Watercress Endive Salad

serves 4

2 bunches watercress, stems removed

4 heads Belgium endive

1 head radicchio, or 1/4 head red cabbage, finely shredded

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup Balsamic Dressing

2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

1.  Wash and dry watercress.  Remove outer leaves of endive and slice at 1/4-inch intervals.  In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except cheese with dressing and divide among 4 plates.  Sprinkle cheese over salad and serve with dressing.

Balsamic Dressing

makes 3/4 cup

1 teaspoon grainy Dijon-style mustard

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or Mary's Oil Blend

2 teaspoons expeller-pressed flax oil

1.  Shake all ingredients in a small plastic container with a lid.  It's a lot easier than whisking :D

Leftover Red Meat Curry

2 tablespoons lard or Mary's Oil Blend

2 cups leftover beef or lamb, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 can whole coconut milk

2 cups beef stock

1 teaspoon red curry paste

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes

1 teaspoon coconut or maple sugar (coconut sugar is sometimes called palm sugar)

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1 cup Chinese peas, ends removed and cut on an angle into 1/2-inch pieces (I used sugar snap peas, I couldn't find Chinese peas)

1. Warm lard in a large pot over medium heat.  Add meat and saute, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until meat has browned. 

2.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender (it took about 10-15 minutes).

(Cross-posted.)

First Hiccup

You may notice that I never posted dinner on Friday.  That's because I was about to make the Lamb Curry last night when M came out of my room and said that there were ants all over my bed.  It was most unfortunately true.  Blaaahhhh!!  We have had ants bombarding our house for a week now.  They win not win this war, haha!  But I digress.

So needless to say, I spent dinnertime cleaning up ants with a vacuum and doing several loads of laundry.  But do not fear, gentle reader, I improvised a dinner that passed muster with Eat Fat, Lose Fat.  I made eggs and bacon and put them on a sprouted hamburger bun with raw cheese, had a glass of raw milk and called it good.

As far as today goes, I ate the same breakfast and lunch as yesterday.  Coconut Smoothie and milk in the morning, and Hazelnuts, Cheese, Fruit, Kvass, and Kefir for lunch.  Although today I opted for organic strawberries instead of the apple.  So there you go, it's a Real Food Miracle!

Lunch: Crispy Nuts, Raw Cheese, Kefir, Beet Kvass, Honeycrisp Apple

This is my kind of lunch for a hot day: no cooking!

Coconut Oil: taken 20 minutes before lunch in tangerine ginger tea
Lunch:

• Crispy nuts, I used hazelnuts
• Raw Cheese, I had raw cheddar
• One piece fresh fruit, I had a honeycrisp apple
• One cup spritzer or purchased kombucha, I used kefir and a little beet kvass (I don't know if that's allowed!)

The health benefits of kefir and kvass are numerous.  They are both lacto-fermented beverages rich in probiotic bacteria.  The more probiotic foods you eat, the better your body can balance itself against the toxins and germs out in the world.  This is why so many people in the real food community trouble themselves with homemade yogurt, pickles, kefir and the like.

The good bacteria that grow when you make homemade lacto-fermented foods and drinks are good for your gut.  Most of the probiotics you may have heard of are in the form of capsules at the store or pharmacy.  Ever wonder where they originally came from?  Traditionally fermented foods!  These days the only fermented foods we are familiar with are beer, wine, and yogurt.  There are so many more than that.  And they can be truly delicious.  This is what we need to be truly well.  It is how we evolved.

Water Kefir

1 package hydrated kefir grains

1/2 cup organic sugar

1-2 tablespoons molasses

1 pastured egg shell, rinsed clean

1 cup diced fruit

Note: do not use tap water, it will kill your kefir grains; do not use Brita water, it doesn't remove flouride and other toxins that can kill your kefir grains

1. Fill a half gallon glass jar with filtered water.  Now pour a little of the water out into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and add sugar to boiling water, stirring until sugar dissolves, and then pour sugar-water back into the jar to fill it up again.  

2. Add molasses to the jar of water and stir with a wooden spoon to mix in.  Gently add water kefir grains and egg shell.

3. Cover with a dish towel or cheesecloth to keep out dust and bugs and so the kefir can breathe.

4.  Let sit on the counter for 1-2 days.  Then, pour contents through a strainer into a new jar.  Discard egg shell.  Reuse kefir grains for your next batch.

5.  With the strained kefir in the new jar, you can now choose a fruit to flavor the kefir.  I like using strawberries.  Add diced fruit to kefir jar, cover again, and let sit at room temperature for 1 more day.

6.  Remove cover and replace with a screw top lid.  Leave at room temperature for a couple of hours to build up fizziness.  Place in refrigerator to stop the fermentation process.

Beet Kvass

2-4 beets, peeled, and cut in a large dice

1/4 cup whey

1 tablespoon sea salt

1. Place beets into a half gallon glass jar.  They should fill the jar about 1/3 of the way up.  Add whey and salt.  Add water to fill the jar.  

2.  Cover with a cloth to keep bugs and dust out, leave at room temperature for 2 days.  

3.  Using a strainer, remove diced beets from kvass.  Then using a screw top lid, transfer to the refrigerator to stop the fermentation process.

(Cross-posted.)

Breakfast: Coconut Smoothie

Coconut oil and Fermented Cod Liver Oil: 2 tablespoons coconut oil taken in tangerine ginger tea, and 2 capsules FCLO

Breakfast: Coconut Smoothie, and Raw Milk

I really enjoyed breakfast this morning.  The smoothie was smooth and slightly sweet, and not very coconutty.  It is a great quick breakfast.  I even drank it in the car like people on the go do.

Coconut Smoothie

1 ripe banana
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Blend all ingredients together in a blender.  Enjoy!

(Cross-posted.)

Dinner: Leg of Lamb w/ Root Vegetable, Coconut Corn Soup, Sauerkraut and Raw Milk

Coconut Oil: 2 tablespoons taken in tangerine ginger tea
Dinner: 

• Leg of Lamb with Root Vegetables: carrots, turnips, new potatoes
• Leftover Coconut Corn Soup
• Sauerkraut (mine isn't ready because it's still fermenting, so I am subbing lacto-fermented pickles)
• Raw Milk or Coconut Milk Tonic (I am having raw milk)

I just put my leg of lamb into a broth of white wine and water herbed with several teaspoons of dried thyme and dried rosemary, several cloves of unpeeled garlic, and several bay leaves.  It is going to braise for 3 hours and then I will add my root vegetables for another hour.  Therefore: 4 hour leg of lamb.  

I looked at the recipe in Eat Fat, Lose Fat and sort of combined it with this recipe for 4-Hour Lamb I saw from Ina Garten when I was watching Barefoot Contessa a few weeks ago.  I did that because Ina's recipe uses a Dutch oven to braise the meat over a long period of time, and that sounds delicious.   She also browns it first before putting it in the oven.  I will post the hybrid recipe I used.  Someday I will try the book version, it sounds good too.

A note about ingredients: I found the best price for lamb at Whole Foods, where a leg of lamb was on sale for $4.99/lb.  I always buy Kerrygold butter from Trader Joe's, because they have the best price.  Kerrygold is the cheapest grass-fed butter I can find around here.  Sea salt is much better for you than iodized salt which has additives.  Most of my root vegetables are organic, which I buy in bulk on Azure Standard.  You can do your own searching in your area, but make sure you know where your food comes from.

4-Hour Leg of Lamb

by K

1 small leg of lamb
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter
sea salt and pepper to taste

1 bottle (750 mL) dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

2 cups water

15 sprigs fresh thyme, or a palmful of dried thyme

15 sprigs fresh rosemary, or a palmful of dried rosemary

6 bay leaves

2 heads of garlic, broken up into cloves, unpeeled

4-6 carrots, peeled, cut into large sticks

2-3 turnips, quartered

6 new potatoes, cut in half or quartered

1 onion, sliced

3-4 cups beef stock

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.  Meanwhile, rub leg of lamb with 1/4 cup melted butter (reserve other 1/2 cup) and season generously with salt and pepper.  Sear in hot Dutch oven on all sides until browned all over.  Remove leg of lamb and set on a plate.  

2.  Add entire bottle of wine and water to the Dutch oven, scraping all the browned bits up with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Add thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic to the liquid.  Place leg of lamb back into the Dutch oven, cover with a lid and place in the oven.

3.  Cook, covered, for four hours.

4.  Meanwhile, peel and chop vegetables.  Put onto a roasting pan or jelly roll pan lined with parchment. Brush or drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and put in the oven on a rack underneath the Dutch oven during the final hour of the four hours of cooking.

5.  In a saucepan, reduce 4 cups of beef stock down to 1 or 2 cups of stock.  This way it will be concentrated down to add later to the sauce.

6.  Remove Dutch oven from oven and remove lid.  Remove leg of lamb from the Dutch oven, set on a plate, and cover with foil.  Check vegetables to see if they are tender.  If they are, remove them from the oven and cover with foil as well.  If not, let them roast a little longer while you make the sauce.

7. Add reduced beef stock to the Dutch oven, over medium high heat on the stove.  Bring liquid in the Dutch oven to a rapid boil, reducing down to one cup or so.  Season with salt to taste.  Serve over lamb and vegetables.

(Cross-posted.)

Breakfast: Soaked Oatmeal w/ Raw Milk

Coconut Oil and Fermented Cod Liver Oil: 2 tablespoons coconut oil taken in tangerine ginger tea and two capsules of FCLO, taken 20 minutes before breakfast


Breakfast: Soaked Oatmeal with butter, maple syrup, and Coconut Sprinkles, one cup of whole raw milk


Breakfast was surprisingly good this morning.  I have made soaked oatmeal before, and I like it fine but it isn't usually my favorite.  I prefer eggs and bacon to grains in the morning.  But I was very pleasantly surprised by this particular bowl of oatmeal.  I usually don't add butter to my oatmeal but it was a welcome addition indeed.  The buttery, mapley smoothness was punctuated by the crunchiness of the coconut sprinkles.  No kidding, this is my new favorite way to have oatmeal.

It was also nice to have a warm breakfast after waking up with cramps and a baby who was feeling a little...grumpy.  I have been feeling pretty good the last couple of days on the new food regimen.  I like having my meals planned out for me, and I like trying new things.  Tonight I am trying lamb for the first time.  And last night I had blue cheese salad which I am really trying to like!

Soaked Oatmeal with Butter, Maple Syrup, and Coconut Sprinkles

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons whey, lemon juice, or yogurt

• Combine oats, warm water and whey in a glass bowl, cover with a towel and let soak overnight or 24 hours.

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup filtered water

• Transfer soaked oatmeal to a saucepan, add sea salt and water and bring to a boil.  Then lower to a simmer for 1-2 minutes, until oatmeal thickens.

1-2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)

2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (or other wholesome sweetener like Rapadura, Sucanat, honey, maple sugar, date sugar, palm sugar, etc.)

sprinkling of Coconut Sprinkles

• Scoop oatmeal into bowls and add butter, wholesome sweetener, and coconut sprinkles.  I also added a little raw milk from my cup to thin it out a little.  Enjoy!

(Cross-posted.)

Preview to Breakfast: Soaked Oatmeal

Before I go to bed I wanted to give you a quick update on the day.  I ate all the same meals today as I did on Monday.  I had a lot of leftovers, and it was a lot of work!  Plus I don't mind the repetition, the simplicity of having nothing to cook today was a welcome change.  Here are the links to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When I checked the schedule for tomorrow's meals, I realized that tonight I need to start soaking the oatmeal for tomorrow's breakfast.

Soaked Oatmeal

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons whey, lemon juice, or yogurt

1.  Stir all ingredients together in a glass (or other non-reactive) bowl, cover with a towel and let soak overnight at room temperature.

Dinner: Baked Chicken w/ Coconut Peanut Sauce, Salad, Green Beans, Pickles, and Kefir

Wow, that's quite the title.


Coconut Oil: taken 20 minutes before dinner, in pomegranate white tea


Dinner: 

• Mesclun Salad with Balsamic Dressing
• Baked Chicken with Coconut Peanut Sauce
• Green Beans fried in coconut oil
• Kimchi (homemade or purchased)--(I couldn't do it!  I had Bubbie's pickles instead, they are also lacto-fermented)
• choice of Quick and Easy Beverage--I chose kefir

By the time I made it to dinner today I realized how much I don't like making three meals a day.  But no problem, I will just eat the leftovers for a day or two and then move on to the next "day" of menu items.  R goes a little crazy eating the same thing over and over, but I love it.  Simplicity, less work?  Hooray!

Mesclun Salad

4 cups mesclun salad (baby lettuce)

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup Balsamic Dressing

2 ounces blue cheese

4 croutons (I omitted them)

Balsamic Dressing

1 teaspoon smooth or grainy Dijon-style mustard

2 Tablespoons plus one teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or Mary's Oil Blend

2 teaspoon expeller-pressed flax oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix mustard and vinegar in a bowl.  Add oil in a steady stream, whisking until the dressing is well-mixed and emulsified.  

Baked Chicken

1 whole chicken, including head and feet if possible

1 tablespoon melted butter (I just rubbed room temperature butter on the chicken)

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 3/4 cups Coconut Peanut Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut up chicken, reserving back, feet, head and wings for chicken stock. Place breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, skin side up, in a roasting pan or Dutch oven.  Brush with butter and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 2 hours or until golden brown.

Coconut Peanut Sauce

6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Asian hot chili oil (I couldn't find it, so I omitted; plus the boys don't like it spicy)

3/4 cup natural peanut butter

3/8 cup naturally fermented soy sauce

3 tablespoon rice or coconut vinegar

1/2 can whole coconut milk

1. Place garlic, ginger, and cilantro in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Add all remaining ingredients and pulse until well-blended.  To warm sauce, place in a medium bowl set in a pan of hot water over very low heat.

(Cross-posted)

Lunch: Coconut Corn Soup, crackers and cheese, spritzer

Coconut oil: 2 tablespoons taken 20 minutes before lunch, in tangerine ginger herbal tea

Lunch: 

• Coconut Corn Soup
• whole grain (soaked) crackers or Coconut Crackers, with raw cheese
• spritzer or purchased kombucha

Coconut Corn Soup is simmering away on my stove right now, in my new Le Creuset Dutch oven no less!  I got this recipe from Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. This soup is part of the two week meal plan I am following from the book, as part of my Operation Lose Baby Weight project I started this morning.

I made crackers a couple of weeks ago, so I am using the soaked spelt version I made then.  When I run out I will try the Coconut Crackers recipe from the book.

I am going to drink spritzer with grapefruit juice in it today.  I was really digging my half a grapefruit from breakfast, so I'll use a little more of it for my lunch drink.  The citrus juice aids in digestion.

Coconut Corn Soup

1 can whole coconut milk

4 cups chicken stock

28-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes

kernels from 4 ears of corn

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve.

Basic Rich Crackers

1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3 1/2 cups freshly ground whole grain flour (I have used spelt and whole red winter wheat, both with good success)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Cream yogurt and butter together. Add flour and salt and stir to combine.

2. Cover with a towel and a plate, find a warm place to soak 12-24 hours (or overnight).

3. After the soaking period, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. At this point you can add any herbs, cheeses, or spices to your dough you might like to try. I have only attempted cracked pepper and parmesan cheese, but it was delicious! The possibilities are endless, but the crackers are truly delicious all on their own. Don't feel you need this step, it is optional.

5. Use white flour, sprouted flour, or arrowroot powder (because each of these options have no phytic acid) to roll your dough out very thin. Use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut dough into small squares or rectangles.

6. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can put the crackers fairly close to each other, they do not spread. You can prick with a fork, but I have not seen much of a need for it.

7. Bake 8-12 minutes, checking every minute or so after 8 minutes have gone by to make sure they do not overbrown. You know the crackers are done when they are slightly brown on the edges and the middles of the crackers look drier.

8. Remove from baking sheet to cooling racks immediately, but be gentle so they do not break. Enjoy!

Spritzer

sparkling water

juice from 1 lime, 1/2 lemon OR 1/4 grapefruit

pinch salt

1. Add juice and salt to a glass of water.  Stir to combine.

(Cross-posted.)

Ready, Set, Go!

Coconut oil: taken 20 min. before breakfast in pomegranate white tea, along with two capsules of high vitamin cod liver oil

Breakfast:

• two eggs fried in butter or coconut oil
• one piece of whole grain (sprouted) toast with butter or coconut oil
• half a grapefruit with coconut sprinkles
• one cup of whole raw milk or coconut milk tonic

I am sitting here eating my grapefruit with Coconut Sprinkles, having already finished my eggs, toast, and milk. But before I ate anything I took my two tablespoons of coconut oil.

As you will recall, one of the methods of this weight loss plan is to take two tablespoons of coconut oil 20 minutes before each meal. If I was braver I would have just taken them off the spoon, but I am a squeamish sort. I took the author's recommendation from Eat Fat, Lose Fat and drank my coconut oil. I have a pomegranate white tea that I like, so I used that pink concoction as a vehicle for my coconut oil this morning before I shuttled M off to preschool.

I woke up this morning looking and feeling different. I can tell that it is the right time for me to take on this weight loss goal. I feel energized. I feel capable. I am excited. In fact, I had a good omen as I made the eggs this morning: one of them came out as a double yolk. That's never happened to me before. I think it is significant that my first breakfast became a little bit magical.

I have struggled for years to gain a healthy relationship with my body and my body image. As many of you readers know, I was raised by abusive parents. My dad sexually abused me, which has really done a number on my sexuality. I have steadily gained healthier ways of seeing myself. My mom, being a severe emotional abuser, criticized how I looked and what I ate as I grew up. So I have also struggled with how I see food as an enemy or an ally.

I am to a place where I simply see food as food. I am noticing how fast or slow I eat, and why. I am noticing my connection to food in terms of it's history. It is becoming sacred and cleansing to understand my food and where it came from, and then lovingly prepare it for me and my family.

Well, I must be off to Trader Joe's to get some corn and other produce for the rest of the day's recipes. Up next for lunch: Coconut Corn Soup, raw cheese and crackers, and spritzer or purchased kombucha

Still Preparing: Mary's Oil Blend

I have never made this blend, but Eat Fat, Lose Fat calls for it in several recipes. I understand that this oil blend doesn't burn as easily as pure coconut oil during cooking. You can also use it in salads and to make mayonnaise.

Mary's Oil Blend

1 cup coconut oil, gently melted

1 cup expeller-pressed or cold-pressed sesame oil

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Mix all together in a glass jar, cover tightly, and store at room temperature.

(Cross-posted.)

Preparing for Monday: Sauerkraut

Okay this one I am saving for last because I am a little scared. I have never made sauerkraut, but several recipes reassure me that it is very simple to make. There are some with just cabbage, salt and water, and others add caraway seeds. For simplicity I am going to stick with the cabbage-water-salt recipe.

I have done a similar lacto-fermentation process with these Dilly Carrots, and it was VERY easy. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and various other naturally preserved condiments are all lacto-fermented and therefore contain beneficial bacteria.

By way of clarification, lacto-fermentation includes whey and salt in the preserving process. You can use the term "cultured", by using just salt, usually twice the amount called for in the lacto-fermented recipe. For example, if I am making sauerkraut with 1 Tablespoon salt and 1 Tablespoon whey, then I can omit the whey and just add two Tablespoons salt.

Lacto-fermentation is sometimes called lactic acid fermentation. I like this definition from "The Benefits of Lacto-Fermentation" by The Nourishing Gourmet: "Lacto-fermentation happens when the starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit convert to lactic acid by a friendly lactic-acid producing bacteria." So there you go! This is how you can awaken your foods into live, cultured, probiotic foods. Think yogurt, but with way more possibilities.

Cultured Sauerkraut

2 heads organic green cabbage

3 1/2 Tablespoons salt

1. Shred cabbage, mix in salt, and put into a non-reactive bowl for 15-30 minutes. The salt will draw the water out of the cabbage, making it unnecessary to pound it.

2. If you have a fermentation crock or fermenting jar, like this one I have, then transfer cabbage to the fermenter. That will ensure that no air is in contact with the cabbage. Cover with a towel to keep light out of the jar. If you do not own one of those fermenters, you can weight down the cabbage with a plate, or bowl, or jar, or bucket filled with water, placed directly on top of the cabbage in the bowl. Just make sure the cabbage is completely submerged. Cover with a kitchen towel to keep dust and bugs out.

3. Let ferment for several days at room temperature. Just taste it every day and see how the flavor is. If using a weight method, make sure you take the weight off and clean it every day, and skim any scum that might appear.

Try to have one lacto-fermented item per day, preferably per meal. Enjoy!

(Cross-posted)

Preparing for Monday: Crispy Nuts

Soaking nuts is important, so that the enzyme inhibitors will be neutralized and your body can digest them better. There is also a small amount of phytic acid in nuts which will be neutralized in the soaking process, also helping with digestion.

I have read about this process in Nourishing Traditions and on several Real Food Media blogs. If you google "phytic acid soaking" you will find a plethora of information on why people go through the trouble of soaking nuts, seeds, and grains. I am partial to this overview on The Nourishing Gourmet, and this overview on GNOWFGLINS.

Soaked Nuts

4 cups of nuts

1 Tablespoon of sea salt

filtered water

1. Put the water and salt into a non-reactive bowl or a glass canning jar. Stir to dissolve salt. Add nuts and stir. Cover with a sprouting screen or kitchen towel to keep dust and bugs out, but let it breathe.

2. Soak for different amounts of time, depending on the nut:

• pumpkin seeds, pecans, peanuts, almonds, macadamia, pine nuts, hazelnuts: 7 hours-overnight
• walnuts, 7 hours-overnight (store in fridge, walnuts have a high oil content that can spoil at room temperature)
• cashews, 6 hours only!, otherwise they get slimy

3. Dehydrate at 150 degrees or less until completely dry and crispy.

(Cross-posted)

Preparing for Monday: Coconut Sprinkles

According to Eat Fat, Lose Fat coconut sprinkles can be used on desserts, salads, and curries. It looks pretty easy, too. I am going to try it on my grapefruit on Monday morning's breakfast.

Coconut Sprinkles

2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut

1/2 cup maple syrup

1. Mix coconut and maple syrup together, spread out on a baking sheet, and dry out at a low temperature in the oven: 200 degrees or so.

2. Break up with hands and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

(Cross-posted)

Preparing for Monday: Beef Broth

I have a lot to do in preparation for Monday. I am making beef broth, coconut sprinkles, sauerkraut and crispy nuts. While the beef broth gets started I will start soaking the nuts and cutting up the cabbage for the sauerkraut. After all those are done I will make the sprinkles.

In Eat Fat, Lose Fat they point out that one of the most important weight loss tools is to have a calcium-rich food three times a day. Raw milk is an obvious choice. And in the book they offer a Coconut Milk Tonic recipe that includes dolomite powder which provides calcium. But another excellent source is bone broth. Between milk in the morning, raw cheese or cream with lunch, and a bone broth included in dinner, I will be getting my three servings of calcium per day.

In bone stocks, minerals and marrow are leached from the bones of healthy, pastured animals (chicken, beef, fish, lamb) over the course of 24 hours of slow cooking. I use my slow cooker plugged in in my garageI have already made chicken stock, but I am in need of some beef stock. I will make fish stock later in the week, as long as I can find bonito flakes or fish carcasses somewhere! I will have to make another trip to LeeLee's Asian Market tomorrow.

First for today, the beef broth. If I start it this afternoon, then it will be done by tomorrow afternoon.

Brown Beef Broth

2-3 pounds of beef marrow bones

one calves foot, cut into pieces, optional

2-3 pounds meaty bones (rib or neck)

filtered water

1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

3 onions, quartered

3-4 stalks celery, cut in half once or twice

3-4 carrots, cut in half once or twice

sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine

1 teaspoon peppercorns, whole or crushed

1 bunch of parsley

1. Place marrow bones and optional calves foot in a very large stock pot or slow cooker, add the vinegar, and cover completely with water. Let sit for one hour.

2. In the meantime, brown the meaty bones: place in a roasting pan and cook at 350 degrees until browned. After they are browned, add them with the vegetables to the stock pot or slow cooker.

3. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan and discard. Add cold water to the roasting pan, bring to a boil, and loosen the browned bits and coagulated juices from the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add to the stock pot or slow cooker. If needed, add water to slow cooker to cover all the bones and vegetables.

4. Bring to a boil. With a spoon, skim off any foam or scum that rises to the top. After skimming the broth, add thyme and peppercorns, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid.

5. Simmer stock for at least 12 hours, and up to 72. I always aim for 24 or so.

6. Add parsley about 10 minutes before the stock is finished.

7. Remove large pieces with a slotted spoon and throw away. Strain remaining broth through a fine mesh sieve, possibly lined with a paper towel or cheesecloth, into a bowl. Let cool, and then put in the refrigerator to let the congealed fat rise to the top. Remove this with a spoon. Your stock is done! Keep in the fridge for about a week (?), or freeze for longer storage.

(Cross-posted)

Monday is THE day: Operation Lose Baby Weight

It's official. Monday September 27th is my day. I have gotten my goal sheet out. I have marked down my steps: prepare stocks and lacto-fermented condiments, go shopping, write out menu. I have committed to my two week span. I feel emotionally ready. I even feel excited. It's time.

I am embarking on a two week schedule of real food designed for weight loss. I will document my progress and share the recipes I make here on my blog.

I have tried so very many things over the last 10 months since weaning E. I exercise. I don't eat sugar. I sleep well. I take my cod liver oil and adrenal supports. I oil pull every morning. But the weight is stubborn, and I believe it to be hormone-related and toxin-related. It's time to follow a schedule made by people I trust who believe in real food. Real food is raw, pastured dairy, fresh vegetables and fruit, soaked and sprouted grains, healthy fats like coconut oil and lacto-fermented condiments.

I bought and read Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. There are two phases I can try in the book: Phase One and Phase Two. My two weeks from September 27-October 11 will determine whether I need to move to Phase Two or not. If I lose weight on Phase One, then I will continue with it. If not, then I will move onto Phase Two and use that plan. No matter the Phase I end up with, my long goal after these two weeks will be to lose 50 lbs.

The basics:

1. Take coconut oil 20 minutes before each meal, it curbs appetite and provides nutrients.

2. Three meals a day, with no snacks, will set up a proper dynamic between satiation and hunger.

3. Follow Phase One to see if you lose weight, if not then follow Phase Two.

The book comes with recipes and schedules. It's perfect for a control freak like me :)

Monday's menu looks like this (recipes in the book are capitalized):

Breakfast:

1/2 grapefruit with Coconut Sprinkles

2 eggs fried in butter or coconut oil with 2 pieces nitrate-free bacon

1 slice sprouted whole-grain toast with coconut oil or butter

1 cup whole raw milk or warm Coconut Milk Tonic

Lunch:

Coconut Corn Soup

raw cheese or butter on whole-grain (soaked) or Coconut Crackers

spritzer or purchased kombucha

Dinner:

Mesclun Salad

Baked Chicken with Coconut Peanut Sauce

Green Beans with Coconut

Kimchi (homemade or purchased)

choice of Quick and Easy Beverage

New Look

I like green, and I like the streamlined, clean, easy-to-read format I found in the Blogger templates. If I was more tech-savvy, I would incorporate more of the "green grass"/country look. But I am going to think on it first.

Things E Says (Part Ten)

E, at night as either R or I walks out of the room: "Nigh-niiiigh!!"

Things M Says (Part 33)

Whilst singing the revised "Spider on the Floor" song today in the car:

M (singing): "There's a spider on the switch on the swiiiitch,

there's a spider on the switch on the swiiitch

...(thinking of a rhyme)...

he looks like Harry Potter looking for the Snitch,

that spider on the switch,

there's a spider on the switch,

on the swiiiiiiiiitch!!"

Things M Says (Part 32)

On the way home from preschool lately, M and I have been singing "There's a Spider on the Floor", but with silly words put in. It's a good way to learn rhyming, and creativity, and just be plain ol' silly. (Though it's not like we have a shortage of silliness at our house.)

M was singing his own version of "There's a Spider on the Floor" when he came up with this rhyme:

M, singing: "Oh there's a spider on the flag, on the flag. Hey mom, 'gag' rhymes with 'flag'. There's a spider gagging on a flag, gagging on a flaaaag!"

Things M Says (Part 31)

While M and R are playing "20 Questions", M's new favorite game:

M: "Is it something we can go inside?"

R: "Yes."

M: "Is is a big dinosaur bone with cracks in it so that people can walk inside it?"

R: "Uh, no."

M: "Oh, I should have said a big dinosaur skeleton."

R was thinking of a house. Lol!