A Meaty Dish Sure to Please any Carnivore

In light of Tricia's recent post on coconuts.... presenting.... a dish using COCONUT MILK! Sure to please Crossfitters/non-believers alike, and perfect for this cold weather!




Super Steph's Scrumptious Shoulder Roast:
Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 3-4 hours




Ingredients:
1-3 lbs. of shoulder pot roast (or just your favorite cut of cow)
10 whole garlic cloves
1 yellow onion, chopped/sliced
1 can of coconut milk (~16 oz.)
1 splash of red wine vinagarette (~ 2 tsps... more if you're feeling frisky)
1 tsp. of thyme
1 tsp. of rosemary
1 tsp. of parsley
Salt and pepper over the whole dish when it's all put together
Optional: carrots (I don't particularly like cooked carrots, but I know they're sort of a staple with pot roast)




Combine all ingredients into a pan, stove top. I like to put the onion, garlic, and seasoning directly on the meat and then pour the coconut milk over the entire dish. I like to refill the can of coconut milk about halfway and swish out the remaining contents for some added liquid. Cover and cook on medium heat for ~30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then reduce to "low" heat setting and keep covered for 1 hour. Flip the meat over and then simmer on low heat for another 1.5 hours or so. You can't go wrong on cook time with this-- the longer, the better! But it's good to go after 3 hours.




Serve with some greens (my favorite is a brocoli/cauliflower stir fry cooked with coconut oil, or asparagus drizzled with free-range butter) and enjoy! This is, obviously, an awesome recipe for the crock pot but I just use what I've got. Feel free to experiment and get creative-- you can't go wrong with any of your favorite spices on a big hunk of meat, but this is just the concoction that I've fine-tuned and like the best.

The Truth about Coconut

Who does not like coconut??? It is a great way to kill a sweet craving, can be a dairy replacement, is used to create so many delicious paleo dishes, and the shell is a natural cup!

Coconut does contain a high amount of saturated fat, however about half of it is lauric acid that does not raise cholesterol level, it actually strengthens your immune system. (there are so many yummy paleo recipes that include coconut)

Coconut products help normalize blood lipids and protect against damage to the liver by alcohol and other toxins, it can play a role in preventing kidney and gall bladder disease, and is associated with improved blood sugar and insulin control and therefore the prevention and management of diabetes. It also has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Superficially, coconut oil helps strengthen mineral absorption, which is important for healthy teeth and bones, and also helps improve the condition and appearance of the scalp, hair and skin when ingested or topically applied.

Ethnic Sections of your local grocery offer the most authentic products at the cheapest prices. Don't be fooled into buying the "light" versions they are only watered down.

For more information on coconut products check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-wonderful-world-of-coconut-products/ and http://www.thecholesterolscoop.com/chlesterol-coconut.php .

Random Fact
Water inside a coconut is so sterile that it was sometimes used in place of glucose in I.V. solutions for wounded soldiers in World War II.








Amazing Coconut Ice-Cream Recipe (warning: do not over consume)



http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-coconut-vanilla-ice-cream/


Enjoy!
Tricia

The truth about the incredible egg

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-larrowe-bergersen/the-misunderstood-delicat_b_773243.html?ir=Health

Valuable nutritional information is beginning to leak into our society. Beginning with the infamous egg. Remember, eggs are not the enemy. They are not "high" in cholesterol and essentially have nothing to do with such nonsense. It is actually the diet filled with unprocessed and nutrient-less foods we put into our bodies.

Naturally occurring cholesterol in our body can be our friend if we take the right steps to monitor it. Cholesterol is nothing but protein lipids that transfer fat to and from the liver in order to maintain a healthy system. We really F this up by consuming crappy foods that promote inflammation and that is where the cholesterol builds up within our body.

Eggs are good. Eat them. Eat them as a WHOLE. The yolk "contains more of the nutrients and 50% of the protein". This aint no lie so don't be scurred no mo folks.

We should be more cautious in where we get our eggs as it states in the article and is quite evident in our nation today that most livestock and chickens are fed a grain/corn/crap based diet. If the animal is coming from a big factory farm, it is almost inevitable. This transfers into their eggs and thus upon ingestion, infects our body with inflammatory byproducts. This is no bueno. Buttttttt, like I preach day in and day out, fish oil (Omega-3) can help our systemic inflammation problems. It is not the answer, but can certainly aid in the inflammatory build up within our bodies. We should all be consuming at least 4 - 5 grams a day or .25g/10lbs of bodyweight (dependent on athletic level/goals/health issues/non-issues) to be more specific. Yes, depending on the potency of your fish oil this may be a shit-ton of pills. So what. Break up your dosages if needed, but get them down the hatch! No excuses!

In conclusion, read the article. I just wanted to hit on some main points and make sure you guys are taking your fish oil and eating your eggs. If you can get better quality eggs, do so. Be cautious of your labels though because some are misleading and downright LIESSSS. (See http://whole9life.com/2010/11/the-conscientious-omnivore-eggs/).

Train hard, live smart and EAT EGGS.

-Aja

"Healthier chickens = healthier eggs = healthier you!!"

A very interesting read about eggs from whole9.

http://whole9life.com/2010/11/the-conscientious-omnivore-eggs/

Pay attention to:

EGG CARTON LABELS: YOUR BEST CHOICES

These certifications actually mean something, either on their own or in conjunction with another (meaningful) label like “certified organic”. Look for these labels at your local health food store, Whole Foods or other independent food co-ops, as you’re not likely to find these at a normal grocery store.

Certified Humane: Certified Humane is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care. The birds are un-caged inside barns or warehouses, but may or may not spend time outside in their natural habitat. (Refer to the specific farm and product to determine whether their birds are outdoors – “pastured” – or not.) They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density and number of perches and nesting boxes. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, however minor beak cutting is still allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing.

Food Alliance Certified: Food Alliance Certified is a program of the Food Alliance. The birds are cage-free and access to outdoors or natural daylight is required. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. There are specific requirements for stocking density, perching, space and nesting boxes. Starvation-based molting is prohibited, but minor beak cutting is still allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing.

The following labels hold no legal definition, but are used by farmers to indicate their eggs were produced in a manner healthy for the environment, their chickens and you. Don’t immediately dismiss them just because they aren’t regulated, but don’t take their claims at face value either. Do some research to find out whether the eggs in your cart meet your standards of healthy, humanely raised animal products.

Pastured: While there is no legal definition for the term “pastured”, it refers to chickens allowed to roam in open pastures. They don’t just have “access to the outdoors” – they actually are outdoors for a good portion of their lives. Advocates of pastured eggs believe that the chickens are happier and healthier, and nutritional analysis has shown that pastured eggs are also richer in useful nutritious elements like omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C. Usually used in conjunction with “organic”, indicating that the hens are fed an organic diet, and aren’t given antibiotics or exposed to synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. These two elements combined (“pastured” + “organic”) are a “best choice”.

Happy Hens: We’ve seen this claim on more than one egg carton, and when it’s used in conjunction with other terms like “certified organic” and “pastured”, we’re more likely to believe the claims. We’ll also do our research, however, calling the farm or checking out their web site to learn more about the manner in which their hens are raised and fed. (Check out this description of the “dream life” of hens living at Soul Food Farms in Vacaville, CA. We’d buy their eggs, despite the fact that “dream life” isn’t a legally defined term.)

Ethically Raised: Again, not a legally defined term, but indicates that the producers are thinking about the health and happiness of their animals. Do your research, as above.

***Let me remind you these guys are coming to our box in January. If you haven't already signed up, do so now!! I was fortunate enough to catch them the first time they came through and let me tell you, I will be there again this January! Yes, they're that good! Melissa and Dallas have incredible information and valuable knowledge to share with us all and I strongly suggest we all make an effort to visit their site Whole9life.com to check out what they have to say on nutrition and if we can, try and make it out to their seminar this January 8th!***

Delicious Dish #2: Sweet Potato Pancakies

This morning I felt the need to break out of the monotony of my typical weekend breakfast and spice things up. I did just that with a little assistance from the internet and the help of everyone's favorite Aunt Jemima. For some reason the scent, the texture and the taste of pancakes were on my mind and who else better to think of than Miss Jemima and her famously thin, fluffy, delectably-delicious cakes of batter! Now, lord knows I'm not actually going to cook up a batch of her delightful yet deadly blend of enriched flour and anti-nutrient infested cake mix, but rather search for a healthy alternative that will leave my taste buds satisfied and my gut intact. Here is what I found, compliments of health-bent.com.

Ingredients:

*3 eggs
*1 large sweet potato
*2 healthy spoonfuls of almond butter (.5 C)
*.5 C coconut milk
*1 tsp baking soda
*1 tsp baking powder
*2 tsp cinnamon
*.5 tsp nutmeg
*.5 tsp salt
*spoonful of coconut oil


Directions:

Boil your sweet potato until it's fork tender (30-40 minutes). The best/easiest part is you can simply add all of your ingredients into a blender or a food processor and blend thoroughly.

The batter should be liquid-y. It should run off a spoon. If you follow the ingredient list, this should not be a problem.

Heat your griddle/large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan begins to heat up, melt a generous bit of coconut oil and begin to pour in the batter in whatever shape or size you'd like. When the pancake begins to have surface bubbles near the center, flip and cook the other side (each side 2-3 minutes). Add a little more coconut oil to the cooking surface as needed between batches. Since the batter already has coconut oil in it, you don't need to overdo it.

The tricky part here is getting your heat right. You don't want it to hot or the cakes will burn before being fully cooked through. If you oil is smoking at any point, most likely the pan is too hot. Adjust your heat accordingly during cooking and you'll be fine. This wasn't too difficult but for safe measures keep an eye on your cakes.

Once the cakes are finished, I skipped the maple syrup and just drizzled a bit of honey over them so I could really preserve the flavor of the pancake. The honey makes for a great addition but don't overdo it, a little bit will go a long way.

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks Auntie J!!

-AB