I'm going to be honest, it hasn't been an easy past few days. So much life has been happening- juicy life, the kind you remember forever- finding the deliciousness within the struggle and the trying times. Those tiny moments you reach to glean and savor so that you aren't crushed by stress, worry... pain. Just so much life- to accept, to adjust to, to truly and fully experience before it's gone.
That said, I'm an emotional eater and I always have been. I stuff people full of my most delicious adoration to show my love, and when I need a crutch myself, I savor... food.
I know it isn't the greatest crutch, but I'm working on it. I have actually been pretty darn good. A little extra dark chocolate, a drizzle of raw honey, one too many apples, but nothing that throws me off track. I've been awful at exercise the past few days. I probably need it more right now. I'll get on that today I think. I need a break from the abundant cortisol!
Okay, enough about me. You want to hear about the food I've made?? Of course you do.
I've taken up this beautiful primal habit of using food up until there's nothing left in it. Animals especially. I've been reading some great stuff over on Mark's Daily Apple (because it's chalk full of great stuff!), and I just can't throw away a carcass anymore! We've been trying to get more meats that aren't chopped, trimmed and scoured down to presentable bits. Our very first official primal day, after a nice long primal shopping trip and with no time to cook before the ravenous tiny new cave people began throwing fits, we brought home a rotisserie chicken. That night I started my first homemade stock. I stuck the carcass- bones, fat, skin and all in a pot with some celery and garlic, covered it in water and boiled it for about 4 hours. It was my first time, and it was delicious, but I could do better. Since then I've made 4 or 5 batches of good chicken and beef stock- fat and mineral rich. And it's as easy as sticking the bones or carcass in the crockpot (sometimes just back in the same crockpot it was cooked in with all the fat and drippings), covering it with water and a touch of apple cider vinegar (to leach out more minerals) and letting it cook for hours. Usually at least 10 hours, sometimes up to 24 hours. It's SO good!! I've taken to freezing some of it in muffin tins and then transferring the 1/3 cup "pucks" of stock into a gallon ziploc to keep in the freezer for future use.
This morning my oldest son asked, "Mom, when is this challenge going to be over? I miss sandwiches and treats." I told him we'd be eating this way for a long time and that treats every once in a while will be okay after our bodies have fully adjusted.
It made me realize I needed to try to make some paleo "breads" and other substitutes now and then to keep things fresh- especially for my kids. So I went upstairs and made some awesome Primal Pancakes and allowed the kids some fresh local raw honey on them.
That brought a lot of smiles!
I've talked about these before, but I feel like little changes have made a big difference!
Primal Pancakes
6 large eggs
6 heaping tablespoons almond butter (about 2.5-3 oz)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla (or scrape out a bean)
a dash of sea salt
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Preheat griddle or pan to about 350˚ melt down a pat of butter and pour your batter on in whatever shapes or circles you deem necessary. Flip once bubble surface in the center of the pancakes and cook for another minute or so. Serve with melted butter and cinnamon, apple butter, sliced pears warmed in melted butter and vanilla or yogurt with a drizzle of raw honey. They also taste pretty great on their own and the texture is awesome!
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