Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Nuggets
Author: Amber Butcher- www.primalmom.com


Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken Breast (cubed: bite size pieces)
• 1 C Tapioca Starch/Flour
• 1 t  Celery Salt
• 1 t Garlic Powder
• 2 T Chili Powder
• 1 t Salt
• 1 t Pepper
• 2 T White Vinegar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 T Coconut Milk
• 1-2 C Olive Oil or other clean oil for frying*

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the eggs, coconut milk and vinegar.
2.  In another bowl, mix the tapioca flour, celery salt, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.
3. Dip each chicken piece into the egg mixture, coating it. Then, coat it with the tapioca mixture. Set aside. Repeat until all chicken bites are coated.
4. In a large skillet, heat your oil. When hot, carefully add one chicken piece, at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes, on each side.
5. When done, let nuggets drain on a clean paper towel.

*You can use bacon grease, lard or any other clean oil of your choice.



Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Author: Amber Butcher- www.primalmom.com

Ingredients:

• ½ C  Hazelnut Flour
• ½ C  Coconut Flour
• 1 ½ C  Pumpkin Puree* (about ½ a small pumpkin)
• 4  Eggs
• 2 T  Maple Syrup
• 1 ½  t  Ground Nutmeg
• 1 t  Ground Cinnamon
• 1 t  Ground Allspice
• ½ t  Ground Ginger
• ½ t  Baking Soda
• 2 t  Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1  Ripe Banana

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients, except Apple Cider Vinegar. Be sure the banana is mashed and everything is completely blended.
3. Once it is mixed, add Apple Cider Vinegar. Mix well, then immediately spoon into muffin cups. Fill each cup to the top, since muffins will not rise much.
   Note: I use silicone, which does not require greasing. You may need to use oil, such as coconut oil.
4. Bake muffins for 30-40 minutes. Let cool on counter, until middle is no longer soft, before trying to remove.
5. Store in the refrigerator.

*Pumpkin Puree:
Cut pumpkin in half. In a glass baking dish, place pumpkin upside down, in 1 inches of water. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the shell is completely soft. Spoon out pumpkin for homemade pumpkin puree.

Primal Mom Trail Mix

Primal Mom Trail Mix
Author: Amber Butcher- www.primalmom.com

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Raw Nuts*
• 1/2 C Sunflower Seeds
• 1/2 C Coconut Flakes
• 1 T Maple Syrup
• 1 T Cinnamon
• 1/2 C Dark Chocolate Chips (optioonsal)
• Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200.
2. Grease a glass baking dish with coconut oil.
3. Pour mixed nuts and seeds into your glass dish and mix well.
4. Drizzle the maple syrup over the nuts, then sprinkle your cinnamon
5. Bake nuts for 10 minutes on 200. Remove and stir nuts.
6. Bake for another 10 minutes, then let cool completely.
7. When cooled, mix in coconut flakes and chocolate chips.
8. Store in individual snack bags, for easy on-the-go snacks.

Optional: Any spices will work! For a spicy mix, add 1/2 t paprika with 1/2 t cayenne pepper

*For my nut mixture, I use:
- 1/2 C pecans
- 1 C almonds
- 1 C macadamia nuts
- 1/2 C cashews

Primal Mom Pizza Cups

Primal Mom Pizza Cups
Author: Amber Butcher- www.primalmom.com

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Sausage (uncooked)
• 12 Bacon Strips
• 2 Cups Grassfed Cheese (grated and divided in half)
• 1 Cauliflower Head (grated and divided in half)
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Cup Spinach (finely chopped)
• 1 T Dried Parsley
• 1 T Dried Oregano
• 1 T Dried Basil
• 1 T Garlic Powder
• 1 T Onion Powder
• 1 t Dried Sage
• 1 t Dried Rosemary
• 3 Tomatoes (finely chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your muffin pan with unprocessed oil or fat of choice (olive oil, butter, etc).
2. In a large bowl, mix half of the cauliflower, half of the cheese, 1 egg and dried parsley. Mix well!
3. Wrap one bacon strip around the inside of your greased muffin cups. Using the cauliflower mixture, make a "crust" in the bottom of your muffin cups (approximately 2 T in each cup), pressing it in firmly. Save remaining mixture for more muffins.
4. In another large bowl, mix the sausage, remaining cauliflower, chopped spinach, 3 eggs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, rosemary, tomatoes and 1 cup of cheese. Mix well!
5. Spoon sausage mixture into each bacon-wrapped muffin cup. Save remaining mixture for more muffins.
6. Bake on 350 for 45 minutes or longer. The top of muffins should be browned and a toothpick should come out completely dry. Remove from muffing pan, while still hot. Store in an air-tight container. Refrigerate.

Optional: You can add other ingredients, to taste: peppers, onions, mushrooms; however, it may change the consistency of the pizza muffins. I have made them with ground beef, instead of sausage, but prefer the sausage taste.

Primal Mom Unprocessed Protein Bars

Primal Mom Unprocessed Protein Bars

Author: Amber Butcher-www.primalmom.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almond Meal
• 1 cup Hazelnut Meal
• 1 cup Pecan Meal
• 1 cup Shredded Coconut
• 2 T Grass-fed Butter
• 1/2 cup Honey (or 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar)
• 1 cup Almond Butter
• 1 Bar of Dark Chocolate (90%+)

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine all of your nut flours. Set Aside
• Heat a small pan on medium heat, then Add butter, almond butter and honey. Heat and stir, until melted.
• Once melted, pour butter mixture into the bowl of nut flours. Mix well.
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper, making sure the sides of the pan are covered with parchment paper. Pour mixture onto parchment paper and firmly press mixture onto paper, getting it to the sides. Set Aside.
• Using a knife, cut your dark chocolate bar into crumbles, then sprinkle the crumbles over the top of your nut mixture.
• Place in freezer for several hours (3-4), while they set. When done, carefully slide parchment paper out of pan and onto a flat surface. Cut bars into rectangles.
• Store in freezer. Can store for several months in the freezer.



Primal Mom Protein Bars

Primal Mom Real Food Supplements: Paprika

Let's talk about Paprika!

If you have ordered my Crockpot Cookbook  or done any of my 21-Day Clean Eating Challenges, you will find an abundance of recipes with Paprika! Why? I consider it a perfect spice! It adds a kick of spicy sweetness to any recipe, plus it is packed with health benefits!

What is Paprika?
It is a blend of dried sweet red peppers that you grind into a fine powder. Its flavor and "kick" really depends on the type of peppers used to make this spice. I prefer a more pungent taste, because I often pair it with other bold flavors, like fresh peppers or something super sweet, like honey, which is what I use for my BBQ marinade recipe. When combined with just the right ingredients, it offers a taste explosion... and you will forget you're eating something healthy!

Why is it so healthy?

First, one tablespoon of paprika is packed with your entire daily need of Vitamin A! Vitamin A is essential for healthy eyes, skin and cells. Health skin? That's right... it helps prevent wrinkles! It can help heal or prevent acne, diminish spider veins and I even use it (mixed with honey) for a homemade facial mask!

It has Vitamin B-6... aka Healthy Hair! This vitamin helps prevent hair loss and hair discoloration (yep... gray hair? You should have been eating some paprika soup!)

Other Vitamins found in paprika, include Vitamin E and Iron. Vitamin E helps neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage. Plus it aids in proper blood clotting. Iron  is one of the most important minerals you need... it keeps your red blood cells healthy. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies, which can result in major fatigue, muscle weakness and headaches. Anemic? Try paprika in your foods!

Do you suffer from an auto-immune disease , like fibromyalgia, MS or even Vitiligo? Paprika helps! Its anti-inflammaroty properties will help reduce swelling in joints, muscles and arteries, while also helping get your cells healthy. It will lower blood pressure (which is entirely caused from inflamed arteries).

Take Away...

Use food to fuel your body. Use food to heal your body. Don't rely on supplements or medications... Use paprika to keep your skin and cells healthy!

Primal Mom Success Story: 70 Pounds Lost, No More Lupus or Fibromyalgia Flare-Ups... And New-Found Confidence!

Thank you, Candy S., for sharing your journey with me! This is Candy's REAL life journey to HEALTH, weight loss and an amazing new confidence!
Candy, you serve as an inspiration to so many people! I am so extremely proud of you and cannot wait to see all of your goals continue to become a reality!

Here is Candy's story"

 

"Last year, I was struggling with ways to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.  I was getting sick a lot! In the years before, there were times I could not get out of bed from Fibromyalgia and Lupus flare-ups. The pain was so severe, it was difficult to work and live my life. I began to do some research on how to begin to eat right and help cure my health conditions, plus lose unwanted weight. 

 

I stumbled across Primal Mom's page and, in October, I emailed Amber and asked to start on her detox and meal plans.  I began the detox on October 20, 2014. That first week I lost 5 pounds and felt great, so I decided to continue on the primal journey. Now it is June, eight months later, and I have lost 70 pounds! 70! I have more energy than I have ever had. Plus, I haven’t gotten sick or suffered any fibromyalgia or lupus flare-ups! Not One!

I started doing crossfit almost 3 weeks ago, which I would not have been able to do half of the workouts I do now, if I did not cut out the processed food, sugars, and grains. I have also developed a confidence I did not have before and am beginning to succeed in other areas of my life. I just got a promotion and a raise at work, because I was assertive and went for it. In the past, I would have just assumed I was not good enough for it.  Now I know I am worth it, I am good enough and I choose to treat my body and life like the temple it is, rather than a shack. Taking that first step and emailing Amber (aka Primal Mom) was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life!!

 

Candy S."

Primal Mom Success Story: From Years of Fertility Issues to 27 Weeks Pregnant with a Healthy Baby Boy

Thank you, Melissa M, for sharing your amazing, raw, unedited, uncut, REAL LIFE journey with me. I get so excited to see your weekly pregnancy posts and cannot wait to meet Baby Mateo in September!

Here is Melissa's story:

"Amber asked me to share my story with you all. I am a primal & essential oil success.

I have lost a pregnancy every year since 2011. I've tried naturally, I've tried fertility treatments (clomid, femara, follistim injects) and got tired of Reproductive Endocrinologists & Obstetricians telling me I'm fine to keep trying. I obsessed, researched, read books and combed forums & finally decided to fly to Chicago to see a reproductive immunologist in August 2013. She diagnosed me with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, blood clotting factors (Pai-1, beta fibrinogen, compound heterozygous mthfr), elevated natural killer cells & cytokines,a to name a few. She gave me prescriptions for metformin, lovenox injections blood thinner injects, prednisone, metanx & recommended I spend thousands upon thousands on Intravenous Imnune Globuline infusions, which insurance denied to cover. I had an ectopic pregnancy June 2014, which led to emergency surgery and I lost my right tube.

I was forced to take a break for minimum of three months to heal. I quit all prescribed medications & knew, deep down inside, I needed to do the one thing I hadn't tried.....change my eating habits. Not only for my autoimmune disease, but for my overall health. I tried and failed to cut gluten several times before. I researched autoimmune paleo and other similar ways of life.....it was so overwhelming. I told myself I couldn't commit... Until I saw a post about Primal Mom.

Amber makes eating real food simple and easy: Eat until you are full, eat real food, no counting calories, no starving yourself & recipes/shopping lists are so simple.

Long story short - I purchased her meal plan at the end of August and started in September. I  noticed my frequent migraines started to happen less. I no longer felt sluggish & I started losing weight (hard to do with thyroid issues). My thyroid specialist even asked what I'd been doing, as my thyroid antibodies had dropped from 7,323 to 245 and my thyroid panel numbers had never been so in tune.
In November, I started using an essential oil blend for natural progesterone support.
I purchased meal plan 2 &, most recently, Amber's Crockpot Digital Recipe Book, as well! I have LOVED everything and I felt like I could finally cook! haha. That says a lot for a woman known to make a mean spaghetti & boxed Mac-n-Cheese!
Overall, my TMJ and migraine issues have continued to improve, I feel better, my skin looks better, I have vastly improved digestion & my sweet tooth has disappeared.

BEST part of all, thanks to the above lifestyle changes, I got the surprise of a lifetime in January! Random positive pregnancy test, which led to the best ever HCG levels I have ever received, out of FIVE pregnancies. Here I am, getting choked up at 27 weeks pregnant, with my miracle boy, due in September. All the tears, the heartache, the brokenness, the crushed dreams, and money spent on fertility treatments ONLY to have eating real food heal me.

I'll forever be grateful to Amber for her help.

Don't wait, don't make excuses, don't continue to eat crap food thinking it's not you who has "that" problem. Make a change for the better and live the best life you can.

If you've tried everything else under the sun and nothing has worked....there is a reason! Can't never could!

Melissa G. M."

Breakfast Hash

Author: Amber Butcher-www.primalmom.com

Ingredients:

• 2 organic sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed in small pieces)
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 lb natural ground pork sausage
• 1/2 lb bacon: chopped (minimally processed: no sugar added, uncured)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In an oven-proof dish, add the cubed sweet potatoes, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 30 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, cook sausage. Set aside
4. Cook the bacon pieces. Set aside.
5. When sweet potatoes are done, add the cooked sausage and the cooked bacon and mix together. You may cook the mixture an additional 10 minutes, but it is not necessary. This additional 10 minutes, crisps the mixture.
6. Cool and store in an air-tight container. Refrigerate.

Optional: You can add other ingredients, to taste: peppers, onions, apples, etc.

Primal Mom Apple Chips

Author: Amber Butcher-www.primalmom.com

Servings: 1 apple makes approximately 20 chips.

Ingredients:

• Apples (organic)
• Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200.
2. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Slice apples into thin slices (approximately 1/8 inch thickness).
4. Lay apple slices in a single layer on parchment paper. Do not let slices touch.
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Bake for 2 hours.

Optional: These will turn out crisp. If you want chewier apples, cut apples into thicker slices.

Why you should let your child "starve"...

Your. Child. Will. Not. Starve.

Please, please, please show me a case study, research or a personal story where a perfectly healthy child sat at the dinner table, in complete protest against eating unprocessed foods, and, literally starved to death. You can't? I didn't think so... Children will not let themselves starve. I do not care how much they love and live off chicken nuggets and french fries only. Throw a hungry human being into a pack of other hungry human beings and nature will kick in... those "chicken nugget only eaters" will fight over a piece of raw broccoli! I guarantee it.

I often spend so much time catering to young moms that are trying to make better choices for their Littles, that people often forget that I do have an almost 17 year old son! When we made the decision... errrrrrr... when I made the decision (because no one else was on board!) to change our diet 3 years ago, my son was 14. You think you have it tough trying to convert a squealing toddler to eating only unprocessed foods? Take that adorable little toddler, add 100 pounds, 4 more feet, a much louder voice and throw in some "teenage logic"... That is what I was working with!

At one point, that teenager summoned his grandmother (my mother-in-law) to have an intervention, because I was "starving" him. Yup, there's that word... starve. Someone call Child Protective Services (which, ironically, is where I worked, as an investigator, prior to staying home with my Littles),... I was S.T.A.R.V.I.N.G. my child. So... my well-meaning mother-in-law, sat us all down and made us listen to my teenagers "logical" points of why he needed grains, why he should be allowed peanut butter, why he needed donuts and ice cream and yada-yada-yada. Guess who won that conversation? #primalmom

So how do I do it? How do I get my children to eat this way? I just do it! They don't have a choice in the matter. I am the parent and I am in control of their diet. It is my job... no, it is my responsibility... to ensure I am giving my Littles and my Teenager the best possible diet. Do I have to deal with fits? Of course! They eventually become less and less and quieter and quieter... The key, for me, is to not keep [insert cringe-worthy "food"] in the house. If my Little wants to throw a fit over a snack, it is between grapes and oranges, pistachios or almond butter. They wouldn't know what it is like to open our pantry and make a decision over whether to eat ding-dongs or donuts (or are those the same thing? I cannot even remember). They have no clue what apple juice and grape juice are. Their options are water, coconut water or coconut milk in our house.

YOU JUST DO IT! You just wake up one morning, just like I did, and throw everything boxed, packaged, processed, labeled, canned and toxic item in the garbage and never bring those things back into your house. That is it. That is my secret! Be prepared for tantrums... and stay the course.
Your child will not starve.

Blessings!

Primal Mom Brussel Sprout Chicken Salad

Primal Mom Brussel Sprout Chicken SaladAuthor: Amber Butcher- http://primalmomintheburbs.blogspot.com/

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• brussel sprouts: stems removed and quartered
• 2 pounds chicken thighs (boneless, naturally raised, free roaming chicken)
• 1/2 pound bacon (minimally processed, uncured with no sugar)
• 2 avocadoes
• 2 limes
• dried cilantro
• 1/2 T garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Salt and pepper chicken thighs, to taste.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon. Set aside.
3. Using left over bacon grease, cook chicken thighs, approximately 10 minutes per side. Cut chicken thighs into pieces. Set aside.
4. In the same skillet, add your quartered brussel sprouts. Sauté brussel sprouts for 5-10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add avocadoes, lime juice and garlic powder to a blender. Puree into a dressing.
6. Plate the brussel sprouts and chicken thighs. Top with dressing and crumbled bacon. Sprinkle dried cilantro over salad. Done!

Optional: Add other unprocessed toppings: diced tomato, onion, fresh olives, etc.

Primal Mom Crockpot Orange Chicken

Primal Mom Crockpot Orange Chicken
Author: Amber Butcher- http://primalmomintheburbs.blogspot.com/

Servings: 4 with leftovers

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs chicken breasts (organic, free range, boneless, skinless): cubed
• 4 T organic orange juice: approx. 4 oranges squeezed
• ½ cup coconut aminos
• ½ cup raw honey
• 4 T sesame oil
• 2 T garlic powder
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 T garam masala powder (fresh blend only!)
• 1 T ground ginger
• sesame seeds
• arrowroot powder (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large crockpot, place the cubed chicken.
2. In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients (except arrowroot powder). Mix well, leaving no clumps. Dump liquid mixture over the chicken.
3. Place lid on crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours, until chicken is done. Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of your chicken cubes.
4. Serve over cauliflower rice and top with sesame seeds. Done!

OPTIONAL:
If you want a thicker orange chicken sauce (pictured), when the chicken is done, transfer the sauce to a saucepan. Add 1-3 Tablespoons of arrowroot powder. Mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously, until sauce gels. Mix it back with chicken to serve over the cauliflower rice.


SUGGESTION:
I mix broccoli and green onions with my cauliflower rice, sautéed in grass-fed butter.

Label Lies Series: Ella's Kitchen: Coconut Milk Nutrtional Shake

Look, I get it, you're tired, the kids  are screaming and sometimes you just want them to hush!
Ok, sometimes they are whining so much and screaming so loud that you want to run into the closet, shut the door and imagine you are sitting poolside, drink in hand, with your perfect pre-baby body and pre-baby "no responsibilities" life! Back in reality, your only resolution is to reach for the most handy "hush tactic"...

What if these "hush tactics" are actually doing more harm than good? What if these "hush tactics" are actually what is causing these emotional breakdowns in your Littles? 

Even the most well-meaning parent can be misled by marketing! This has led me to my new series: "Label Lies"... I will break down the most well-known, yummy-licious kid (and mom) favorites and explain why they are deceiving and potentially dangerous for you Littles!

Let's Begin...

Who has seen these on the shelf?

 



 

At first glance, I would be thrilled to find this (FYI, this was found on a shelf at Target)! Who doesn't want NATURAL NUTRITION for their Littles?!?!

I mean, look at this label heaven:

"Natural Nutrition"

"Coconut Milk Nutritional Shake"

"To Help Little Ones Grow"

"I'm full of (insert pics of real fruit)"

"USDA Organic"

"Gluten Free"

 

They even added an extra bonus of coconut milk spewing from a real coconut! That, my friends, is a marketing genius! Sadly, that is all it is. Flip this beautiful cover around and here is what you will find:

 

Having a hard time reading that?? That isn't photoshop... That is because these items are written so small that it is blurred when the photo is uploaded. Funny how "Natural Nutrition" was not blurred... Again, marketing genius. What busy mom, rushing through Target with an antsy, growing-ever-so- bored-with-every-stop, toddler is going to have time to stop and read this tiny print? Let me ZOOM in for you:

 

 

 

Ok, so now that it is actually big enough to read, at first glance, it doesn't look so bad. You have organic milk, organic banana, organic raisin, organic expeller pressed canola oil... ummmmm, wait, canola oil??? They are putting canola oil in a toddler's Coconut Milk Nutritional Shake? When you think about making a nutritious shake or smoothie in your blender, do you reach for the canola oil? Sounds delicious... hmpfh...

 

What does all of this mean?

 

Organic Grade A Low-fat Milk: My first thought on this is the ever-growing number of people that are lactose and casein intolerant. Most people do not even realize they are intolerant of these things and think "gassy bubbles" in your stomach are just a normal part of the digestive system. However, lactose intolerant or not, WHY are they removing the fat from milk for a little? Here is a great study showing how low-fat milk actually contributes to weight gain. Aside from it doing nothing to prevent obesity, removing fat from milk is basically just removing the cream... the most nutritious element of milk! The cream is what helps keep your blood sugar stable when consuming milk. Take it out and what happens? Blood sugar spikes... and what goes up must come back down. Insert: toddler meltdown!

 

Organic Fruit Purees: Just like canned baby food, in general, the thought of pureeing a piece of fruit, sticking it in a cardboard box, labeling it, shipping it, stocking it and allowing it to then sit on a shelf or pantry, along with a 1-2 year (or even one month) expiration date, then proceeding to feed it to my little is enough to make me sick... Need I say more?

 

Canola Oil: For a parent looking to remove processed foods from their Littles diet, they should just keep pushing that cart right along and pass up this little "heart healthy" gem. The processing that Canola Oil undergoes is cringe worthy and completely removes the "heart healthy" aspect of this product. While I appreciate the fact that they are using expeller-pressed Canola Oil, it still involves an extensive heating process, then the oil is bleached and separated. What does all of this do? Causes it to stink! So, then what do they do? Deodorize it! With what, I don't know... but... As a side note, canola oil is made from Rape Seed, which is actually toxic. Thanks to the over heating and over processing of this oil, only trace amounts of the toxic substance, eurcic acid, is left. Hooray!

 

Agave Syrup: Aka Sugar!

Kudos to Ella's Kitchen for giving Agave Nectar its proper name of Agave Syrup, because that is truly what it is after the processing it undergoes. You can read a lot more about the misconception of agave in this great article.

 

Coconut Water: Finally! They are using some form of coconut something in their "Coconut Milk" drink. It scares me that this word is listed first in the name, yet 7th in the line of ingredients. I actually love coconut water and occasionally will give it to my Littles too... in its purest form, where "coconut water" is on the label and "coconut water" is listed as the first and only ingredient.

 

Soy Lecithin: We have a pretty firm rule in our house, which is that if you cannot pronounce it, you should not consume it. Aside from that, this explains how soy got in this product. Yuck. According to this article, soy lecithin has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, fertility problems and issues in brain development. Furthermore, it is not regulated by the FDA.

 

Carob Bean Gum: This is used as a stabilizer and texturizer in processed foods. Basically, when you add milk and pureed foods together and stick it on a shelf for a few months, something gross would happen inside that cardboard box. This keeps that grossness from happening. I guess...

Finally, I will close with this: This "Natural Nutrition" contains 17 grams of sugar in one tiny drink, which is the equivalent of almost one tablespoon of table sugar. To put this in perspective, there are 39 grams of sugar in a 12 ounces Coke can. These little cardboard boxed sugar drinks are 8 ounces. That is a lot of sugar in one tiny little body. And we wonder why they throw tantrums when they want more of this drug...

 

PRIMAL MOM UNPROCESSED FOOD ALTERNATIVE:
Grab a blender, a cup of spinach, some yummy organic fruits, along with some protein (I use pure almond butter!) and blend away!

 

BLESSINGS...

 

 

Don't go Paleo?!?! Here's the Real Reasons Why Jane is wrong...

This morning, I had something pop up in my Facebook newsfeed that annoyed me. Instead of responding to it on there, I figured it would make a great addition to my blog.

Here is what popped up: "If you believe in science, don't go Paleo. Here's the real reasons why."

First, I do not eat Paleo. My family and I eat unprocessed foods, which are mostly in the original form you would have found them in the Paleolithic era. In two and a half years of eating as clean as possible, I have ran into an abundance of naysayers!

"Meat gives you cancer."
"Eating meat is the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day!" (my personal favorite!)
"This is not sustainable!" (hmmmm)
"You need the iron from grains." (soooooo wrong!)

And now... "If you believe in Science, don't go paleo!"

She points out that real cavemen would have eaten insects. Thanks. I will pass and take my chances. She babbles on about how uncredentialed the original founder of the "Paleo Diet" really is, because her PhD was actually in exercise physiology... while Jane has a degree in journalism.

She acknowledges a few positives about eating fresh produce, lean meats (FYI, I also eat fatty meats!) and eliminating processed foods by saying that these paleoers "lose unwanted pounds, rack up personal best with each 10k, and generally feel reborn." Dang... that sounds miserable!

What Jane so astutely left out is the fact that people have eliminated body aches, skin problems (like eczema, psoriasis, acne), had complete reversal of post partum depression, migraines, Tourette's syndrome, high cholesterol problems, low blood pressure, vitamin/nutrient deficiency and everything related to being overweight... ALL by ONLY eliminating processed foods from their diet, including grains and poor quality dairy. I say all of this because these are the problems that MY family eliminated in just a few short weeks after removing this garbage from our diet. I suppose it could all be in our heads. That would require some amazing brain power!

Next, Jane says that she turned to an actual evolutionary biologist to get her take on going Paleo. This actual evolutionary biologist says that "you cannot assume (yes, she says assume) that it's impossible for us to change. Sometimes evolution is slow, sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's in between.[...] The poster child for evolution in humans is dairy tolerance." First, which is it? Have we evolved to be able to handle processed garbage fast, slow or somewhere in between? She doesn't say. Yet, we are crazy for assuming there is a possibility we have not evolved to handle these things that could potentially be making us sick, fat and everything "in between". Next, this actual evolutionary biologist (who has a book coming out against going Paleo. Shocker... $$$), points out that the fact that we tolerate (yes, she says tolerate) dairy is proof of quick evolution. Funny, because I can give you a list of people I personally know that do not tolerate dairy. Furthermore, just because you tolerate something does not mean that it is the OPTIMAL thing to put in your body. I could probably tolerate a line of cocaine...

To be clear, my family does eat dairy in moderation. To be even more clear, "I can't believe it's not butter" is NOT the dairy we eat.

Jane's final point, after she uses the word "assume" a few more times, is that eating Paleo "can be construed as uncomfortably elitist," because of the "expensive meat- especially if you hew to the only certified-organic and grass-fed caveat." She even says that this expensive meat "means all of God's children can't come to the table." Jane, my dear, let me show you my grocery bill. $125-150 a week to feed a family of five: breakfast, lunch and dinner! Let me show you my past dermatology bill with the expensive creams my husband had to use to treat his severe eczema (for years!), which vanished two weeks into eating unprocessed foods. Let me show you the medical bills from the doctors and allergists that poked and stuck needles in my one year olds back to try and determine what was causing his red, inflamed cheeks every single day. Come to find out, they found nothing and I took it upon myself to remove poor quality dairy (you know, the stuff we have evolved to 'tolerate') from his diet and his skin is perfect. Let me show you the expensive steroids they wanted to treat my teenage son with to help 'control' his severe tics, caused from Tourette's. Guess what? He never took a single dose of those steroids and his tics are gone after we dropped processed foods from his diet. Let me show you the price of the medication my doctor wanted to prescribe for me, after the birth of my middle son, in order to treat post partum depression. Guess what? Every single symptom of my PPD disappeared a few weeks into removing processed food from my diet and never came back. Furthermore, I went on to give birth to my daughter a year later, while eating NO processed foods, and rocked my post partum recovery. I could go on and on, but you get my point, Jane.

I will not even touch the Carnegie Mellon "Greenhouse Effect" study that you closed your article with, because you clearly have 1) not read it 2) know nothing about what eating clean really means 3) must have horrendous gas from all the junk you put into your body, just like the grain-fed cows in the study.

I did learn something from Jane's article. Eating unprocessed foods, as a key to health, was actually brought into light by gastroenterologist Walter Voegtlin in 1975. I want to get a copy of his book now. Thank you, Jane!

If you want to read the original post, here it is:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/30/jane-says-if-you-believe-science-dont-go-paleo

Primal Mom Easy Chicken Nuggets

Primal Mom Easy Chicken Nuggets
Author: Amber Butcher- http://primalmomintheburbs.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds organic boneless chicken breasts: cubed
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 eggs (cage free/free range)
• 1 cup organic coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1 T salt
• 1 T pepper
• 1/2 cup raw, unfiltered honey (preferably local)
• 1/2 T paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, coconut milk and honey.
3. In another large bowl, mix the coconut flour, almond flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Break up any clumps in the flour.
4. Mix your cubed chicken into the egg mixture. Using your hands, coat all pieces of chicken. Transfer the egg covered chicken into the flour bowl. Using your hands, coat the pieces of chicken with the flours.
5. Transfer the chicken pieces to a foil lined pan. Bake 15-20 minutes. flip the nuggets halfway through cooking. Cut into a piece to make sure they are done, as oven temperatures vary. Done!

Suggestion: Great served with sweet potato fries!

Primal Mom Ginger Sauce

Primal Mom Ginger Sauce
Author: Amber Butcher- http://primalmomintheburbs.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

• 4 T tamari
• 1/2 T raw honey
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 2 T ground ginger
• 1 T sesame seeds
• 1/2 T sesame oil
• 1 t garlic powder

Mix all of the above and pour over your favorite cauliflower rice dish!

Primal Mom Chocolate Chip Muffins

Primal Mom Chocolate Chip Muffins
Author: Amber Butcher - http://primalmomintheburbs.blogspot.com/

Servings: 10-12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup organic dark chocolate chips
• 2 eggs: whisked (free range)
• 2 t apple cider vinegar
• 1t baking soda
• 1/2 cup organic, pure maple syrup
• coconut oil for greasing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease the muffin pan with your coconut oil.
3. In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, coconut four and baking soda. Break up any clumps in the flour.
4. Mix in the whisked eggs to your flour, then mix in the maple syrup.
5. Add the chocolate chips and apple cider vinegar. Stir and immediately fill each muffin cup with your mixture.
6. Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes. Done!