Man, who would have thought that crazy bastard I saw on Wife Swap that time was right? This guy would store pieces of food in jars around the house and wait for them to go bad. Meat especially. Then he, and his family, would eat it. I saw that a couple years ago and just shook my head. Now, I get where he was coming from. He said that none of his family had been sick in 4 years, as I recall.
Why? Because inside of us are armies of bacterial soldiers that protect us. I like to imagine them like the Dirty Dozen or the Inglorious Basterds (spelling is correct!) They help keep our gastrointestinal tract in order. They keep us pooping regularly. They strengthen and augment our immune system. They let us eat things and flush them out without us getting ill. Have you ever wondered how cavemen avoided getting hit with "listeria outbreaks"? Listeria was around and available, I am quite sure. But humans were not susceptible to it until we started MASSIVELY OVERUSING ANTIBACTERIAL PRODUCTS, including antibiotic medecines and cleaning supplies.
Doesn't that keep us clean? Yeah. Like a nuclear warhead cleans up people. It kills everything, even the good bacteria leaving us wide open to outside attack. We become as weak and available as the Martians on War of the Worlds.
What do we do? This is an accepted phenomenon which is proven by Jamie Lee Curtis and her probiotic yogurt commercials. Look at all the advertised foods that tout the lable PRO-BIOTIC! Honestly, they are too clean to do you much good. You need powerful, real, unrestrained bacteria.
You need homemade saurkraut.
Or KimChi or fermented pickles or carrots or a dozen other fermented foods like relishes. You can't just buy them from a store. The USDA makes sure that whatever we get from the store is so devoid of active bacteria, we will never see results. That's why I do it at home using one of these.
The natural process will give you powerful but helpful bacteria inside of delicious food. Here's on of my absolute favorites, Onion Relish
ONION RELISH FERMENTED
- 2 tablespoons Sea Salt
- 5 onions, Thinly Sliced
- 2 Red Bell Peppers, Thinly Sliced
- 3 shakes Hot Pepper Flakes
1. Mix all together and allow to sit out for 2 hours.
2. Pack into Fermenters crock and ferment for 4 days.
3. Enjoy on burgers and anything else!
A lot of folks ask me what I use as a "sympathy soup". I don't much believe in it, but I can tell you that "Bone Broth" is a soothing, nutritious, and an amazing supplement to anyone's diet. It's also better than chicken soup for helping you feel better while feeding your body.
I have had several people also ask me if I like the TASTE of bone broth. If you use the bay leaf and rosemary, it will have distinct herbal flavor. Some people do not like it. If you want it to taste better, I recommend adding some coconut aminos to a cup before you heat it up. It will increase the beefy flavor and make it go down better.
- 1-2 Beef bones (grassfed recommended)
- 2 Carrots, sliced
- 1 Onion, quartered
- 8 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 stick Celery, chopped
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 1/2 cup Red Wine
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
- Bay Leaf
- Water to cover
Place all the items in stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a medium-low simmer and allow to simmer for about 3 hours. Strain and then eat right then or cool in the fridge and use to cook with.
The collagen and fat from the bones will coagulate into a jelly as it cools. Use it as a cooking liquid in sauces or for veggies. Delicious all by itself, soothes a stomach, feeds a soul! It also provides the body with a ton of minerals. It has been credited with many other miraculous powers, which I mostly accredit to its ability to feed the body a lot of nutrients in a small package that can even get past nausea.
You can also make chicken broth with the same recipe, using a chicken carcass with the leftover skin too. Add a few sprigs of fresh sage too. It's delicious, but the beef ones make the best jelly-like stuff. Much more satisfying.
I was Fat, Sick, and Headed to a Scary Middle Age.
And then I got better by eating real food. I also did the same for my family and several clients and friends. Finally, I wrote a book. It is the story of my journey from sickness and obesity to a healthy, strong body that I thought was gone forever. All in just 8 months of research, experimentation, and of course... wicked good recipes! It also contains the humor and crazy commentary that those who know me are pretty used to. :)
What is in the Book That I can't Get on the Website?
Plenty! I include several of the meal plans I have used that keep the family happy, the budget trim, and the nutrition right on the money! I also include some of my shopping lists and how I to cook these things up when you have almost NO TIME TO COOK! I include information on how a lazy person can eat the way my family does, both at home and when eating out. Plus, I include a ton of recipes not published on my site!
A massive and thankful shout out to all my friends in the IPMG!
The book is shipping now and the pre-order has ended!
I have a lot of friends and clients who have tol me that could never go "Paleo" because it is extremely expensive. This excuse makes a lot of assumptions about what is Paleo and what is not. If you are extremely strict, meaning you need to not eat dairy, not eat grain-fed meat, and not eat eggs unless they are from pastured chickens. I do have a list for that, but the one below is one of my "Super Cheap" lists. I have several in the book that show how a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens) can get by on around $50 a week.
It's not easy and the menu is not varied. The food is satisfying and nutritious and acceptable to most people. You could do it even cheaper if your family is cool with organ meats. Chicken and beef liver, hearts, gizzards, etc are great nutrition for cheap money. Lard rendered from extremely cheap beef fat (I got grass fed beef fat for $1.50 per pound, not sure if this is just my supplier though). The lard added to soups and other cooked foods is satisfying!
BUDGET ONE: For When My Kids Play Sports (The Potato Plan)
| Food | Amount | Cost | Total | Day | Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner | ||
| Ground beef | 3 | $2.68 | $8.04 | Sun | Eggs & Homemade Sausage | ||
| Heavy Cream | 1 | $3.49 | $3.49 | Chili & Potato | |||
| Onions | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | Chicken Thighs & Potato | |||
| Butter | 2 | $2.99 | $5.98 | ||||
| Chicken Thighs | 2 | $3.98 | $7.96 | Mon | Eggs & Homemade Sausage | ||
| Tuna | 2 | $0.99 | $1.98 | Chicken Thighs & Potato | |||
| Tomato Sauce | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 | Chili | |||
| Potato - 5lb bag | 1 | $2.50 | $2.50 | ||||
| Eggs - dozen | 3 | $1.89 | $5.67 | Tues | Eggs & Homemade Sausage | ||
| Tea bags | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 | Chili & Potato | |||
| Ground Pork | 1.5 | $1.80 | $2.70 | Tuna Cakes | |||
| Cheese Block | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Beef Bones | 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 | Wed | Omelett | ||
| Taco pie | |||||||
| Potato Soup | |||||||
| Thurs | Frtittata | ||||||
| Potato Soup | |||||||
| Chili | |||||||
| Fri | Eggs & Homemade Sausage | ||||||
| Chili | |||||||
| TOTAL COST | $50.06 | Leftovers of anything | |||||
| Sat | Eggs &Homemade Sausage | ||||||
| Leftovers | |||||||
| Leftovers |
BUDGET 2: Straight Paleo (Weight Maintenance or Loss)
| Food | Amount | Cost | Total | Day | Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner | ||
| Ground beef | 4 | $2.68 | $10.72 | Sun | Eggs & Beef-n-Gravy | ||
| Heavy Cream | 1 | $3.49 | $3.49 | Chili & Cauliflower | |||
| Onions | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | Meatloaf & Broccoli | |||
| Butter | 3 | $2.99 | $8.97 | ||||
| Frozen Spinach | 4 | $0.99 | $3.96 | Mon | Eggs & Beef-n-Gravy | ||
| Tuna | 4 | $0.89 | $3.56 | Spinach Pie | |||
| Tomato Sauce | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 | Chili | |||
| Frozen Cauliflower | 4 | $0.99 | $3.96 | ||||
| Eggs - dozen | 3 | $1.89 | $5.67 | Tues | Eggs & Homemade Sausage | ||
| Tea bags | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 | Spinach Pie | |||
| Ground Pork | 3 | $1.80 | $5.40 | Tuna Cakes | |||
| Cheese Block | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Beef Bones | 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 | Wed | Omelett | ||
| Bag o Salad | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | Tuna Cakes | |||
| Meatball Soup | |||||||
| Thurs | Frtittata | ||||||
| Meatball Soup | |||||||
| Chili | |||||||
| Fri | Eggs & Homemade Sausage | ||||||
| Chili | |||||||
| TOTAL COST | $62.46 | Leftovers of anything | |||||
| Sat | Eggs &Homemade Sausage | ||||||
| Leftovers | |||||||
| Leftovers |
I have no problem killing an animal and eating it. I would eat nearly every part too! My problem is that I have to get a hunting license to do that, take a safety course, learn to use a bow effectively (as I like that idea better than a gun because there are too many idiots in the woods with beer and a gun during hunting season), and then take time away from work to go and hunt. Oh, and hope I am smart enough to find the animal and kill it. (I have several wild game and organ meat recipes in my new book!)
This is asking a lot, but I am already on my way to making it happen. Still, I want wild meat now! The picture shows a tube of ground Elk, ground, Venison, and a package of ground bear I got!
Why is wild meat something I want so badly? Many Paleo-ites expound upon the virtues of grass-fed beef. Grass is what the cows naturally would consume, as their ancestors did. They should be eating grass, so grass makes them even better for us to eat. It changes the composition of the nutrients in their meat and fat! Wild game is the same way. Not only have they consumed a wild diet, they have also lived a wild life, free from medications and fences.
How do I get wild game meat without hunting? Rarely from a "game" farm! Most farmed venison and its like are usually fed on some grasses and lots of grain. You might as well go buy some grain-fed beef at the store. There are exceptions to this rule, and they are becoming more plentiful (like BrokenArrow Ranch), but the price is very high, like $20 per pound for venison.
The best way is to get it from the hunter! Hunters cannot sell their meat to you, but they can gift it. They cannot sell it because it would need to be inspected by a Federal Inspector in order to be certified fit for sale. That is expensive and uweildy unless you do this for a living. Many people think it is just plain illegal to sell wild game, but it is not. It's that pesky inspection thing. No, you cannot eat the Inspectors.
Way #1: Know a Prolific Hunter
I have several good friends who are addicted to hunting the way other people are addicted to chocolate. They base their entire lives around hunting trips, hunting gear,hunting season, and weapons practice. I can understand this addiction. Plus, they get a lot of wild meat. They get more than their families could use in a very long time. The other bonus is that MOST of their families HATE wild game!
I have been gifted 40-50 lbs of deer and moose this year from these folks, and it is much appreciated.
Way #2: The Meat Processor
During deer season in New England, there are a lot of folks who hunt and take their kill to be processed at a game butcher. The meat is processed and packaged and the hunter is notified to come pick it up and pay the butcher's bill. Sometimes, the hunter cannot afford it and the processor is left with a pile of packaged meat.
Contact game butchers in your area and ask if there is anyone who has not picked up their meat that they are now willing to sell. They are basically going to charge you for the processing only.
Way #3: Traders
I have some new friends who are avid modern traders. They trade for everything! They pickup food from stores that can no longer sell it and trade it to farmers who use the food to feed animals. The traders get a portion of the processed livestock, eggs, and some wild game! Sometimes, it's a LOT of wild game.
I traded a cookbook for 5 pounds of wild game including elk, venison, and bear!
So, I am taking the safety course soon and I practice with my used bow from eBay nearly every day. That, will be another and probably very comical story to be sure!