Rosie's Mean Green Quiche

I love a quiche as you know if you have tried my Primal Quiche Recipe.  This quiche is a bit different as the pastry crust is a lovely blend of seeds as well as almond meal.  I am conscious of almond meal as it is in every primal baking recipe.  Too much is too rich for me anyway.  So I was glad to mix some seeds in the base this time.  The pumpkin seeds make even the base green, but it this is way too green for your liking you could use other seeds, or all sunflower seeds. 

 

Dare I say that this is really a fool proof filling.  Use whatever greens you have to hand, whatever is cheap and in season.  This was a great go to dinner for the other night when the pantry was bare (this is happening a lot as I get carried away with my creativity for my business!) but the veggie patch was abundant with green stuff and the chooks had done a good job on the lay.  The base is adapted from a recipe for chicken pot pies by the talented Jo Whitton, you can try that cracker recipe here. Whereas Jo's recipe is great for a cold winter night, Rosie's Mean Green Quiche is perfect for spring and summer.  I love the leftover factor from a quiche. Ok here goes....

 

Ingredients:

 

Base:

150g almond meal (or 300g almond meal if don't have seeds)

75g pepitas (or other seeds)

75g sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon salt

2 free range eggs

30g butter/ghee/coconut oil or lard

 

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees

Measure ingredients into Thermomix bowl, combine 20 seconds on speed 5, or using your mixer or food processor until the mixture resembles pastry.

Roll the pastry out in between two pieces of grease proof paper or baking paper.

Leave in fridge to chill until manageable - will fall apart more on a hot day.

When manageable put into greased pie or quiche dish.  Leave the baking paper on top, put some baking beads on paper and blind bake for 10 mins.

 

Filling:

Ingredients

2 big handful of anything GREEN such as spinach, silver beet, asparagus, broccoli, kale (I haven't tried peas...)

6 eggs

1/2 cup of cream/milk/coconut cream or milk/nut milk

1 clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon of salt

 

Method:

Put all ingredients into mixing bowl and blitz on speed 9 for about a minute until your filling resembles a smoothie!

 

Once the quiche crust is pre baked, remove the beads and baking paper and pour your filling into the quiche crust.

 

Bake until firm for about 30 mins.

 

Leave to sit for 10 mins before slicing.

 

Serve up with more green stuff like a salad or some chips.

 

Enjoy! 

Many thanks to my best friend Rosie for allowing me to share this recipe with you all.  I love you maxis doll bag. xx

 

 

How going Primal fixed my hayfever - how you can fix it too in threeeasy steps!

Hay fever ruins Spring
Ahh I am writing this blog as some of my friends have lately posted on social media saying how their weekend has been ruined by the dreaded hay fever!  I remember the symptoms well!  On the one hand you were so glad to be having the first spring days and on the other hand wanted to remain inside with the windows closed!  Itchy eyes that you can't stop rubbing, sneezing, runny nose, maybe you blow your nose so much you get a blood nose (that was me), breathing through your mouth, scratchy throat, maybe even skin rashes.  Bloody awful that is for sure.  But it doesn't have to be that way and you are not alone!

Having had hay fever all my life - I no longer get it anymore
I managed to 'cure' my hay fever by going Primal, it was one of those many positive side effects that I experienced like not having such sore feet or not having as many headaches.  For those of you who don't know, I went Primal (or Paleo) to cure chronic nausea.  Changing the way I ate fixed my nausea and my hay fever too.  I want to write this blog to help create awareness that we don't need to suffer with hay fever year in year out and to provide some alternatives to dealing with it, in the hope that this information will empower you to make the changes you need to make in order to start feeling a million dollars!  So  please read on, share with friends who have hay fever and if something isn't clear then please ask me for clarification!

Sciencey bit
It helps to understand that your body (as always) isn't working against you but trying to protect you.  Hay fever is really called "allergic rhinitis" rhinitis means inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose, caused by an allergic reaction. Basically your body is mistaking something harmless (pollen) as a threat and goes over board in it's reaction.  The reaction is inflammatory - think itchy nose, scratchy throat and sore itchy eyes.

The drugs don't work - they just make you worse
(Are you singing that Verve song now?) You can dose yourself up on antihistamines for the whole next six months.  I know I did!  Snort of Becanase every day and a Telfast or similar as well - I won't Google the potential side effects of such drug consumption! The drugs don't work - sure they relieve the symptoms but don't treat the root cause. Anti histamines basically work by tricking the body to misidentify the allergen as a threat.  So next year your hay fever will be back just as it is now.  What if you could treat the root cause and clear up your hay fever for good?  How cool would that be? I have to report that I would much choose to enjoy spring than to have another year with eyes like pee holes in the snow! So let me share with you what I did and how you can do it too - by the way it was easy and I didn't even know I was doing it! So is this the magic secret to potentially ridding yourself of hay fever?

Heal your gut
You gut is your first line of defence.  One way to modify how your gut reacts to things is to modify your gut!  Here is your three step gut healing protocol:

1. removing inflammatory foods
2. soothing the gut with gelatine, bone broth or L Glutamine
3. improving beneficial bacteria by including probiotics such as Kombucha, Kefir, fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut or by taking probiotic supplements

Going Paleo or Primal encompasses all of the three steps.  Even though there haven't been any studies of people on a Paleo diet and their allergic rhinitis there is much anecdotal evidence to show that going Primal can really relieve hay fever symptoms.  My suggestion would be to do your own N=1 and do your own science experiment on YOU!

Going Paleo includes removing seed oils, legumes, grains, gluten and dairy from your diet as well as reducing sugar and alcohol consumption.  Going Primal just means you can keep the dairy - if you can tolerate it, I would suggest an elimination period of at least 21 days before re introducing. Eating a standard Australian diet can cause chronic inflammation - your immune system is already on high alert before hay fever season even starts - it makes sense not to layer inflammation on top of inflammation right?

So there you have it folks, healing your gut can really help with hay fever - any much more too!  If you have kids be sure to let them get as much exposure to dirt as possible!  Studies show that our immune systems grow more robust over time and that farm kids - who have had much exposure to dirt and soil have less allergies than city kids in disinfected houses.

I am in my fourth hay fever season since going Primal and apart from the odd sneeze - it's nothing!  So why don't you give Primal a go?  Set yourself a 21 day challenge and see if you notice any changes? What do you have to lose?  I would love to hear how you go.  Be sure to let us know in the comments below or join our group on Facebook at The Primal Alternative.

Have a great start to your week! Love, H xx

Anzac Biscuits

I wanted to make some Anzac Biscuits but most recipes contain rolled quinoa which I avoid so I decided to come up with my own version that's Paleo and thermomix friendly. 

These biscuits are sweet and although they are grain and gluten free if you have issues with insulin or are trying to lose weight they are best avoided. If however, you fancy making these biscuits around Anzac Day then go forth and enjoy with a cuppa! 

In a workshop I held recently, a participant asked for an Anzac alternative as her husband eats them regularly. I have a similar biscuit munching husband which is why I made my Choc Chip Cookie recipe. If biscuits are going to be eaten daily then maybe it's better to pack them with nutrient dense ingredients rather than grains, gluten and crappy oils?

INGREDIENTS

125g organic butter (or coconut oil)

2 tablespoons of honey (or maple syrup)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

125g coconut (shredded gives better consistency but desiccated worked fine)

25g coconut flour 

150g chopped macadamia nuts (5 sec/speed 4)

70g coconut or Rapadura sugar

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.

Place butter (or coconut oil) and honey into mixing bowl and heat 2min/60 degrees/speed 2, or until butter has melted. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Add bicarbonate soda and mix 5 sec/speed 3.

Add all remaining ingredients and mix 10 sec/ reverse/speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix a further 10 sec/reverse/speed 4.

Place small spoonfuls of mixture into prepared baking trays and flatten to approx.5cm in diameter, leaving space between each one for spreading during baking.

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or allow to cool completely before placing into an airtight container to store.

As well as my blog I have a range of grain and gluten free alternatives to bread, biscuits, Gellies and pizza bases. I also run workshops and private consultations on how to implement a primal lifestyle and how to make it work for you. Helen Marshall 0423 678639 

Persian Love Cake

I've had a real urge lately to post some of my favourite recipes here to share with you so here we go with the first one, Persian Love Cake.

I 'found' this cake last year at my friend Rachel's birthday, it was lovingly baked to share by Kira.  Usually birthday cakes will be full of wheat and so off the menu for me, but I was excited to hear this one was gluten free (my bottom line) so I indulged it was absolutely delish. 

Kira kindly shared her recipe and I am sharing with you today.  The original recipe calls for twice the amount of sugar in the ingredients here and I really think it is sweet enough.  When you switch from sugar to fat for a fuel you start to taste the sweetness in formerly savoury foods such as pumpkin, carrot and beetroot.  If I accidently eat something sugar laden I am transported back to the racing heart, shakes and slight manicness of too much sugar - better avoided.  Yes there is quite a lot of sugar in this cake but you are only having a small slice, and I find the good fats from the nut meal, eggs, yoghurt and butter help to slow down the sugar metabolism.

I made this for the markets last week and as it flew off the plate.

Make this in a small round tin mine was 20cm.

Ingredients

360g (3 cups) almond meal
220g sugar (coconut, rapadura, raw)
120g organic butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250g Greek style or plain natural organic yoghurt
1 tsbp nutmeg
45g pistachios chopped or bashed

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease tin and line bottom with baking paper.
• Combine almond meal, sugar and butter in mixing bowl and mix SP5 20secs or until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, or rub with fingers in a bowl
• Spoon half of the mixture into your tin and press down to cover evenly, this is your cake base.
• Add eggs, yoghurt and nutmeg to remaining crumble mixture and mix SP4 20secs or until a creamy smooth consistency is achieved.  Mix with a spoon if you're sans TM.
• Pour creamy mixture over base. 
• Scatter bashed pistachios around the edge.
• Bake for about 30 mins until lightly golden
• Cool in pan on a wire rack until room temperature.
• Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt.
• Keeps for a week in an air tight container.

My alcohol - poor sleep - sugar - caffeine viscous cycle, can you relate?

Feeling 'charged'
It's a year now since I 'went primal' and I've been on a gradual incline in terms of health.  I'm pleased to report that I never have any stomach pain anymore, never feel nauseous or anxious and I've been sleeping so well.  My headaches have gone, my energy is steady and lasts all day, my niggling aches pains, and plantar fasciitis have gone and well, the list is endless, but I've felt better than ever before.

I even felt really 'charged' a real connection.  Every day has endless possibilities and I feel full of enthusiasm to greet each day, it's a truly wonderful way to exist, almost, like it's meant to be. 

Would you like a drink?
Last week I had a particularly great week, just feeling great, all going well....and then I had a glass of red wine.

Now, this isn't a blog about the evils of alcohol.  Alcohol is a grey area in the Paleo/Primal world.  I reckon you should do what feels right for you.  If I am honest I definitely do better without the alcoholic stuff, but it's such a part of our culture (how lame does that sound?) and anyway I don't want to be one of 'those' people that don't drink.  Having said that my two good friends Nic and Kirsty don't drink and I don't think of them as 'those' people, so...?
 
Alcohol did me in
Alcohol was a major contributor to my gut ill health.  Gluten and Alcohol are two if not THE two main causes of leaky gut. Alcohol consumption feeds gram-negative bacteria such as E. Coli to create bacterial overgrowths of these more toxic bacteria and therefore excess endotoxin production in the gut. I ended up with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) one of the main symptoms was nausea. I used to drink lots of wine, in fact I craved it, well the bad bacteria craved it, I would drink a bottle of wine all to myself and do that 3-4 nights a week.

Moderate
These days I drink between 2-4 drinks at one time and that's two to three nights a week.  It's usually two, and it doesn't give me a hangover.  It just makes my sleep a bit poor.  I may drop off easier but I tend to wake in the night more, and have trouble getting back to sleep.  Alcohol reduces REM (Rapid Eye Movement) which is the dream state and the restorative part of sleep.

The next day I am tired  - my sleep being interrupted by the alcohol - this affects my hormone leptin (which tells me how hungry I am) and also affects my blood sugar, it's lower, so I crave sugar.  A poor night's sleep also increases cortisol levels (the stress hormone) so I'm a bit on edge all of a sudden.  I'm craving sugar so I have something, it will still be Paleo but it will be sweet, sweeter than I'd normally have.  For example, I'd start the day with pancakes instead of eggs and avocado. 

Before you know it, I'm hungry again, the high sugar brekky has increased my blood glucose, thus insulin and crash again and hello more cortisol.  It's a bit of a viscous cycle for me at the weekend, when we usually have a wine, a dessert, pancakes etc. 

I can't take deep relaxing breaths, it feels like I have a fat cat sat on my chest!  My neck, shoulders and jaw tighten and I lose that connected feeling and go back to old 'means to an end' feelings.

I just find it so interesting how you notice how much food (and drink) affects you once you have peeled back layers of inflammation, bad bacteria and are working from a place of true health. I wanted to share this with you, in case you feel the same.  So that, instead of lying in bed on a night wondering "what's wrong with me" ask "what's wrong with what I ate!". 

Remedy?
I always breath a sigh of relief on a Monday!  A whole week of no drinking!  A calmer time with husband and kids out all day and I can focus again on ME! Walking on the beach, yoga, dancing, mediating, seeing friends and 'working'.  I am usually still sugar hungry on Monday but try to avoid that last slice of chocolate cake from the weekend and stick to loads of veggies, especially leafy greens, good fats and grass fed protein.  Then before I know it, I'm back on track, aligned with all that is again! Pheweeee.....

I'd also like to add that I think the sulphites in the wine affects me, and makes me more sensitive to caffeine in my dark chocolate and coffee than usual, anyone else experienced this?

Primal Plateaus

I believe that 80% of how awesome you feel comes from the food you put into your mouth.  The other 20% is a myriad of other magic and key elements to the whole picture and they include things like: adequate sleep, management of stress, chewing food properly, making time for fun, getting adequate sunlight, spending time in nature as well as social health i.e. with relationships and the community and also financial health. But it doesn't end there, its a really exhaustive list and it's up to you to work out through trial and error what works for you and what you need to stop your bucket from over flowing.

In my personal experience I have found that I have periods of feeling really awesome, bounding with energy, connected to the wonders of the universe, can see the fun in everything and ideas and creativity flow to me.  I get over excited and get really busy, buzzing about from this to that, no time to meditate today, I'm on a mission, doesn't matter if I stay hooked into Facebook til right before bed...enjoying a few more sweet treats than normal....OR if things out of my control take over like recently, it's not been anything that overly serious, just more the perpetual stresses of life that sort of gnaw away at you: behavioural 'issues' with one of my children, said child waking up nightly at 2:30am, after it taking 90 mins for me to get back to sleep then being woken by a bloody cat at 5am, or body clock waking me for the day at 4:30am, husband going on a fishing trip for 9 nights, financial stresses (i.e skint as) and a minor operation at hospital. 

Suddenly, my body encounters a steady flow of general busyness really, with a handful of stress thrown in and a dash of anxiety and before you know it I'm on fight or flight more than rest and digest.  My neck and shoulders get tight, I feel like I am constantly fighting a cold, there is a headache around the corner most days when I get like this. 

I found myself walking on the beach, zero energy, flat as a pancake wondering - what am I doing wrong?  I am eating all of this amazing food and yet I feel like shit.  Then I started to realise that because I hadn't been feeling as great I hadn't been bothered to make my usual bowls of leafy green salads for lunch and was just getting by on some fruit toast or a chia pudding (good choices, def paleo but not if they are pushing veggies out of my day).  My daily mediations had been more like 2-3 times a week and I wasn't giving myself enough time to REST.  With my head banging I didn't feel much like exercising, sprinting or lifting heavy things.  Anyway I was too busy with my busyness.

Then it dawned on me, you can't eat your way out of being too busy or too tired or out of a mountain of bills!

Even though I was loving what  was doing every day and it was just washing, cleaning cooking and kid stuff, I was all busy and no rest and running around like a headless chook.  I had a cold about a month ago, it lasted about four days and then left but every time I push it too far, the aches and the headaches come back.

With hindsight I reckon this was probably the norm back in the pre primal days, I used to always have Nurofen on hand for my regular headaches and haven't taken them much at all over the last 9 months. But now that I have experienced the baseline of awesome health I can feel it so much more when things aren't balanced, even though there is some discomfort to this I am thinking it is a good thing that I can feel the cues from my body....slow down....log off.....b r e a t h e!  There is no masking these feelings with five glasses of wine of a night or starchy snacks anymore!

I considered trialling the auto immune protocol...maybe I can't have nuts (I don't have an auto immune disease...) or maybe it's the eggs?  No Helen, you're too busy and not resting enough!

So here is my new intention:
I am committing to a bowl of leafy greens every day.
I am committing to meditate every day.
I am committing to exercising a la Primal Blueprint every day.
I am committing to being more present by noticing my breath, when I remember.

Can you relate?  Do you have cycles of awesomeness then a drop? Do you think it's normal, inevitable?  Have you got some wisdom to share, please comment below.  Have a great start to your week.

Can you be a Primal Die Hard on holiday?

If you are lucky enough to live in a Paleo mecca such as Melbourne with it's trendy eateries serving paleo and primal meals then I would say eating out when you are out of town, would be a breeze. Even fun!  However, when you live somewhere like Western Australia where Paleo is still quite new and 'out there' and there are only a couple of Paleo joints and they are in Perth CBD...then it's not so easy.

Last week my Mam, Dad, husband, kids and I stayed at a beautiful resort in Busselton. It was what I call a 'proper holiday'.  It was hot and sunny, there was a pool to jump in and lounge by, you could walk to the beach and walk for a coffee, the apartment was large, clean and comfy. We drank champagne, had breakfast by the beach and ate at restaurants for dinner.  Bliss.  A good time was had by all.

Now that I realise how crappy my old 'food pyramid' diet made me feel, I have no desire to indulge or pig out - not even on holiday.  Reverting back to old staples such as gluten, excess sugar, alcohol and dairy leaves me feeling bloated, sore, bunged up, snappy, foggy, nauseous and I don't sleep well.  So you can understand I wanted to stay as primal as physically possible whilst away.  As much as holidays are advertised as relaxing experiences the reality is (especially for parents) that there is a lot of organising and extra thinking to do, a different routine,  a long road trip, different beds not to mention the over excited children. Not that any of those lessen the enjoyment, I am just mindful that they contribute to the load on the body - see my bucket analogy here.

So you can see that it's not just food that can contribute to you feeling less than tip top when away from home, but everything else about it too.  I think that the best way to handle a change in routine is to focus on making sure the food you eat stays as primal as possible.  Aim for 100% but accept 80%. In my opinion this is probably the biggest impact you can have on your stress levels when out of your comfort zone.

What I took from home
Every day staples:

• Paleo Bread
• Nut Milk (which I take to cafes and ask them to make coffee from)
• Grass fed meats for the obligatory holiday BBQ
• Coconut Oil
• Organic Yoghurt
• Avocado, salad leaves, asparagus and other seasonal veg
• Eggs from our chooks
• Organic milk and organic butter
• Kombucha
• Fruit for the kids
• Rain water (I know...)
• Snack options like gelatine lollies, macadamia nuts, 90% cocoa chocolate

Primal Substitutes for our favourite holiday food:

• Paleo baking like banana bread 
• Vegetable chips for platter with champers
• Organic Wine

 
It really depends on how long you are going away, how organised you are feeling and if you can be bothered. Road trips are a good time for some intermittent fasting, if you don't feel hungry, don't eat.  A handful of nuts may be just enough to get you through the trip. If going on holiday for you means a break from cooking then read on...

What to chose in restaurants & cafes
What food makes you feel the worst?  Is it dairy? Alcohol? Sugar? Grains? Gluten?  Chose your worst offender and avoid that the most.  For me I try to remain strictly gluten free at all times as that is my worst offender.  In WA most cafes and restaurants have GF options and are often more than happy to make meals GF for you, it may mean removing the gravy and that's all, don't be afraid to ask.  When ordering it's really pretty simple if you stick to meat and veg or salad.  It's safe to assume that all pasta and pizza dishes are off the menu.

After that I try not to drink too much, two glasses of wine seems to be my limit these days.  Two glasses of wine several nights a week with breaks in between that is.  Remember that the bucket fills over time so two glasses of wine every night of the week spells bucket overflow! When I am on holiday I allow a bit more sugar into the diet but am usually majorly disappointed when I share a GF cake from a restaurant - so sweet, so fake, so plastic, so bleugh.

As a treat I like to have some GF bread with breakfast, it is usually super carby and filling and makes me happy to stick to my Paleo Bread when I get home (mainly eggs, zucchini, almond meal.) For lunch on a super hot day I chose a veggie juice, I normally advocate eating food as opposed to removing the fibre and drinking them but remember to 'do the best with what you have at that moment in time'.

The other thing I noticed on holiday is the smells!  So much perfume! Perfumed soaps in the loo, perfumed air freshener squirted at regular intervals, cigarette smoke, car fumes, perfume on men, perfume on women, perfumed fabric softeners, perfumed sunscreen  - it was an annihilation on my nostrils I tell ya! All of the perfume can contribute to headaches, nausea and an inability to taste and smell your food properly and is another toxic load on your old bucket. Oh and don't get me started on the crappy tap water!

Some things to let go of and accept

• Accept that the food in the restaurant probably isn't going to be organic.
• Accept that it will be cooked in crappy oils. 
• Accept that most things in the restaurant will have been ordered in processed and ready made (the pesto I ate with breakfast didn't look like basil and pine nuts to me!)
• Accept that some gluten will be present maybe from cross contamination or just from innocent mistakes - did you know hot chips contain gluten? 
• Accept that if it doesn't say GLUTEN FREE then  it isn't.
• Accept that you will consume a myriad of artificial colours, preservatives, flavours and other toxic additives. 
• Accept that you can fix it all when you get home!

How did I go?
So you know I was pretty strict, one time my husband and I fell out because it was the third café and I couldn't find anything suitable.  It was hard but I felt necessary as I just can't stand those crappy feelings anymore.  On the drive home I made a list of my symptoms on my iPhone here they are:

• groggy
• dry lips
• sore tummy
• bloated
• light sensitive
• irritable
• very tired
• film on my teeth
• itchy skin
• sneezing in the night
• itchy nose

I found this to be quite fascinating as I had forgotten about these symptoms! I just don't have those anymore.  I also found it amazing how the offending foods had crept in anyway even though I tried really hard to choose from the primal plate.  And that makes me conclude that you really do need to shoot for 100% all of the time as it will inevitably be 80%. 

Apologies to my kids
It was an avalanche of pure shite for the kids.  Fish and chips, ice creams, juice boxes you name it.  It was practically impossible to find anything that they would eat that was primal. They will eat a plate of spag bol with zoodles and home and a zillion veggies in the sauce but not chow down on salad for lunch in a restaurant, especially now my son can read the menu! "No you can't have chicken nuggets".  That's OK, it was only four days and then back to normal.  I could see a change in their behaviour and mood from the different food too which is more motivation to feed them nourishing gut soothing food now we are back home.

Primal Quiche

I like quiche. Quiche makes great leftovers and travels well in lunchboxes and 'chilly buns' to work. Quiche is an easy fridge to plate in 0.3 seconds leftover easy lunch  or snack at home.  My Grandma, Gran and Mam all made quiche.  Pre primal quiches ended up being off the menu.  The traditional method using wheat flour can cause heartburn (acid reflux), and then the low fat fad meant that the butter laden short pastry was off the menu for a long time too.  But now quiche has made a come back to our dinner table. 

It's a hit with the kids, we usually serve with some chips (which are really just potatoes with skin on cut into wedges, smothered in coconut oil and baked in the oven) and salad, or coleslaw.  I think it is reasonably low carb since the pastry contains almond meal and coconut flour and lots of good fat with the coconut oil.  The filling contains eggs so good fat with great protein and the variations are endless so it can suit a dairy free or vegetarian diet too. (Side note: the research I have seen says that vegetarians will thrive on a primal diet if they are lacto-ovo vegetarians, that means they eat dairy and eggs.  Nutrients rival full paleo omnivore if fish and shellfish is eaten too.)  I sometime have a few sweet potato 'chips' with this or just a big side of salad.  With all the fats and protein in the ingredients it is a very filling dish, without much of an insulin spike and crash thanks to the different flour.  If you know differently then please comment below.

Short Pastry (adapted from Pete's Family Food book page 147)

Ingredients
100g (1 cup) almond meal
100g (3/4 cup) coconut flour
60g (1/2 cup) arrowroot or tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
250ml (1 cup) chilled lard, ghee, coconut oil or butter, I use butter
2 eggs

Method

• Combine the almond meal, coconut flour, arrowroot and salt in the thermomix 10 sec/speed 4.
• Add the butter and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  15 sec/ speed 5.
• Add the eggs and mix well to produce a soft dough 20 sec/speed 5.
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and sandwich between two sheets of baking paper and roll out.
• Chill in fridge while you make the quiche filling (that's the pastry, not you)

Quiche Filling Ingredients (adapted from Adina's recipe)
6 slices of bacon (optional, I prefer without)
1 onion
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups of cream, or any milk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of grated full fat organic cheese
1 tablespoon of arrowroot

I make this part on the stove and oven.

• Pre heat oven to 165 degrees and grease your quiche dish with coconut oil or butter.
• Fry bacon and onion in coconut oil or ghee, set aside.
• In a large bowl mix together cream, salt and eggs, stir in bacon and onions.
• In a separate bowl toss cheese and arrowroot together and then add to the egg mixture. Be sure to mix well.
• Roll the pastry out into the quiche dish and blind bake for 10 minutes, using baking beads.
• Pour quiche mixture onto baked pastry.
• Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Let stand for ten minutes before serving.

In this picture I have added sliced tomato on top of the quiche mixture.

My blood results are in - how the paleo diet is affecting my cholesterol

Before I adopted a primal lifestyle six months ago I was in that horrible fog of not knowing what was wrong with me.  I had numerous blood tests, amongst every other test under the sun, to try and find out what was wrong.  At the time my blood test results were 'unremarkable' to use my Doctor's words. I was fine, there was no sign of inflammation, diabetes, autoimmune, high cholesterol. I think there may have been a quick question regarding depression as there was seemingly nothing wrong with me at all.

Skip forward six months and we now know what I'm dealing with - gut dysbiosis, SIBO and leaky gut. I have turned my food pyramid on it's head.  Gone is the low fat high carb diet of 25 years and in came the high fat low carb paleo primal style of eating.  Ditching the carby grains was easy but I was a little bit more apprehensive about eating the fat.  Fat? Really?  Once I realised how calm eating fat makes you feel, how satisfied you can be for literally hours, none of that jittery 'dothery' mad scramble to eat every couple of hours - it made sense.

How is all this fat affecting my cholesterol?
Although I had read the convincing research that fat doesn't give you heart disease (I am sparing you the research but if this is new to you read more here.) in the back of my mind I was still slightly concerned - 'are you sure all of these tablespoons of butter aren't clogging my arteries?' So I booked in for some more blood tests as an exciting before and after pre primal and primal experiment.

The results?

Cholesterol down 5.6 to 5.4 (<5.5 NHF ideal)

HDL (good) Cholesterol up 1.5 to 1.7 (>1.00)

LDL (bad) Cholesterol down 3.8 to 3.4 (< 3.0 low risk)

Triglycerides same at 0.6 (<2.0 fasting)

Risk for coronary heart disease down 3.7 to 3.2  (3.0 - 5.0 average risk)

 

 

So overall an improvement and a reduction in the risk for coronary heart disease by eating fat and reducing sugar and carbs in my diet.  The thing I was most excited about was that my iron levels.  My iron has always been abysmally low.  On the scale of 30-300 ug/L my last blood test came in at a sorry 9!  Off the scale.  Take an iron supplement the Doctor had advised but this led to constipation so I stopped.  Rae my fab Naturopath said that it was likely that the overgrowth of bacteria in my small intestine were feasting on my nutrients and I wasn't absorbing all the good stuff from my food, so this makes me think that maybe I am on top of the overgrowth situation.  My energy is amazing so maybe this is what it feels like to be running on my own iron wise?  My number now?  It's 35!  It's still pathetic and I am keen to see if it creeps up as I continue to nourish myself with primal food!

 

 

I'm not a sexy example

My Doctor said again that my blood results are 'unremarkable' and this would have been a much more exciting blog post if I had been on Statin medication and could show some amazing turn around, so my apologies.  However for me it is reassuring to know that even though the research is out there that fat doesn't cause heart disease it was nice to know that I am living proof. I explained to my Doctor why I wanted to do the tests and her eyes stood out on stalks - after all she knew I had done my research.  My Doctor said to me,

 

"There has been a shift.  We now know that it's not fat that causes heart disease, it's the carbs and sugar.  That's the death sentence.  All these people walking around stuffing their faces with cakes and pastries.  You add trans fats to that and there is your triple decker death sentence."

 

 

 

I have to say I was more than impressed with my primal aligned Doctor, I was talking to Conventional Wisdom, not my clued up Naturopath who has known this for years!  My Doctor told me to keep doing what I was doing, because it's working.  Sweet as.

 

How has eating primal affected your blood test results?  Have you got a more sexy story to share than mine?  Please share and help me spread the primal word.

Gelatine

 

Up until now the only gelatine I knew was what comes in packet jelly mixes at the supermarket, a sugary chemical cocktail that kids love!  Jellies in our house were a school holiday or birthday party 'treat' (I use that term treat loosely as a sugary chemical bomb isn't really a good way to treat ourselves now is it?).    Gelatine also came in the form of 'natural' lollies for the kids.  But I used to feel grossed out by gelatine, all those bones and hooves, we've all seen the Facebook visual right.  Now I am super excited to have jelly back on the menu and I am going to tell you why I've done the 180 on the gelatine and why you could consider it to...

 

Gelatine used to be part of primal diets and it is basically dehydrated broth powder made up of bones, cartilage, collagen and minerals.  You may have heard of the benefits of bone broths already and I certainly have and I have been trying to incorporate them into my gut healing protocol.  In case you are unsure why it's good to incorporate gelatine into your primal diet here is a list of what gelatine does for you (thanks Grass Fed Girl)

 

Skin Health - as gelatine is a rich source of collagen, which makes the skin strength and firmness

 

Anti aging - as our collagen levels drop after our 20's this helps to top them up, bring on the radiant youthful skin

 

Wrinkles - Proline is an amino acid that is abundant in gelatine and helps keep up youthful skin

 

Teeth, nails and hair - gelatine contains beneficial minerals that are lacking in the Standard Australian Diet. Gelatine delivers loads of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous which build strong nails, teeth and hair

 

Stretch marks - gelatine helps prevent them as it improves the skins elasticity and functioning.

 

Cellulite - is caused by a breakdown in collagen, which can be made worse by nutritional deficiencies. Gelatine helps get rid of cellulite as it contains collagen - did I say that already?

 

Liver detox - gelatine is rich in GLYCINE which the body needs a lot of to help with the detoxification process from exposure to chemicals and our toxic environment. People without enough glycine will not produce enough glutathione which is crucial for the body's Phase II liver detoxification and fat burning ability.

 

Weight loss - this wobbly stuff is full of protein which makes people feel full.

 

Digestion - the amino acid Glycine can help increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach which is essential for digestion and the assimilation of nutrients. Although a lot of people suffer from acid reflux the majority of us are in fact deficient in hydrochloric acid which happens as a result of stress, aging and when we don't eat mindfully (e.g. in front of the television, or driving, you don't do that do you?) As a side note all of you heartburn sufferers may benefit from increasing your hydrochloric acid.  If you suffer from other digestive issues further down the GI tract it may be a result of not chewing enough and lack of hydrochloric acid in your stomach. 

 

Leaky gut - (my reason for eating this stuff but researching the other reasons makes it even more appealing!!) Gelatine helps to heal the gut lining and can even nourish Celiac patients who are malnourished from gluten reactions.

 

Strong bones - forget the milk - bones are living structures that can be built up or broken down daily by our nutritional choices.  Gelatine contains highly bioavailable calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals which helps build a healthy bone matrix.

 

Arthritis Support - gelatine contains Chondroitin which has long been used as a supplement to ease arthritis suffering. Ditching grains as part of your primal lifestyle will also help your arthritis.

 

High metabolism - the amino acids help to build muscle and the glycine also helps regulate insulin sensitivity keeping us from storing abdominal fat.

 

Adrenals - when are bodies are under stress they need more minerals and amino acids, which gelatine delivers and may even help to rejuvenate the renal organs which are the kidneys, adrenals and bladder, which help us deal with the stress hormones such as cortisol.

 

Hormone balance - as mentioned above this wonder stuff contains glutathione which helps remove excess oestrogen which is a risk factor for female cancers.

 

Wound repair - thanks to the glycine and arginine found in connective tissues.

 

Allergies - gelatine can help alleviate allergic reactions and sensitivities because it helps repair inflamed and porous gut linings (see above leaky gut).

 

Lowers inflammation - because of the low fat message of old a lot of people get too much lean protein in their diet, this imbalance can be remedied with gelatine (and healthy fats) if added to meals.  Lean protein in excess can be inflammatory but gelatine provides proline and glycine that balance it out.

 

So now you're sold you are wondering where can I buy this stuff and how can I make some of that good looking Jelly? Well you can buy Buy here and quote code ZVN 935 for a discount off the already doable price of around $21 delivered, and one container makes a lot of jellies and lollies.

 

I have mucked around with various recipes and had my super critical critics be the judges (my kids) and after many disasters I am pleased to bring to you the best recipe so far.  I have adapted this from Pete Evans Family Food book on page 277.

 

Ingredients

 

500g punnet of organic strawberries (hulled)

half a cup of rice malt syrup

juice of one lemon

2 teaspoons of natural strawberry flavouring essence (I used the Queen Brand) - optional but boosts the flavour to rival shop bought jelly

1-2 tablespoons of Great Lakes Gelatine

 

Method

• Place the strawberries, rice malt syrup and lemon juice in a saucepan with 500ml water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Strain.

• Pour 3 tablespoons of water into a small cup, sprinkle in the gelatine, stir until all covered with water and soak for 2 minutes. Stir the gelatine through the strawberry mixture until dissolved. Pour the mixture into individual cups or bowl to set, will take about 4 hours.

 

The best Gummy Bear recipe I have found so far is from Mommypotamus which I have adjusted slightly.

 

Ingredients

 

3 tablespoons Great Lakes Gelatine

1/3 cup of lemon/lime juice

3 tablespoons of rice malt syrup

Teaspoon of Natural Lemon/Lime/Strawberry/Orange Flavouring Extract (optional but if you want them to taste like shop lollies then do it)

Non toxic, vegetable based food colouring (I haven't found any yet but can't wait to try)

 

Method

 

• Whisk lemon/lime juice, rice malt syrup and gelatine in a saucepan until there are no lumps

• Heat over a low heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly

• Add food colouring and flavouring

• Pour into moulds (or a tin if you don't have moulds and you can chop up later)

• Freeze for 5-10mins

• Pop out of moulds, they come out reassuringly easily!

 

Are you going to try these easy peasy super nutritious recipes?  If so I would love to hear about how it goes in the comments below or at www.facebook.com/primalsoapbox or email me at primalsoapbox@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book review: Pete Evans Family Food

OH EM GEE Pete 'P for Paleo' Evans has totally nailed it with his new book Family Food which has just been released.  You can order your copy delivered to your door for $32.66 if you click here.

When I bought his other book Healthy Every Day (originally called Paleo Every Day but title changed probably as to not put the general public off in KMART!) I thought it was well weird!  The recipes have slowly become more normalised as primal eating becomes more and more the norm for us.  However when I opened up the new book Family Food I was totally excited to see stuff I used to cook and bake there, but just paleo versions.  Therefore I think this is a great first cookbook to start you off on your primal transition. 

If you are used to having sugar soaked dry gluteny flakes for breakfast (AKA cereal) then you could try the Almond and Goji Berry Museli on page 14 and still enjoy your cereal for breakfast.  There is a mixed berry and hazelnut pancake recipe which I am itching to try (we have his almond and berry pancakes every sunday).  If a slice of toast is your thing he has a couple of paleo bread recipes to try out too not to mention the Paleo BLT (I am currently typing so fast due to major excitement factor).  Hidden amongst these tried and true aussie breakfasts he has snook in Nasi Goreng, a Breakfast Burrito and some Licorice sausages just to mix it up a bit!

There is a section on Baby and Toddler food, although I have to say I am a fan of all eating the same stuff and a fan of Baby Led Weaning but still great ideas there too.  There is a whole section on Kids Lunchboxes wahooo I am always running out of ideas for those this includes recipes for Veggie Fritters, Hot Dogs, Chicken Nuggets, Sushi, Lettuce Wraps, Pizzas and more dubiously Tuna Nicose Salad and a Kale Caeser Salad.

THERE IS A RECIPE FOR PALEO PARTY PIES!!

That alone was worthy of shouty unique paragraphing.  OK so I don't think Pete is aiming this book at those aiming for a Low Carb diet, there is a lot of almond flour and arrowroot flour usage which I view as Paleo treats and thus sometimes food.  Still these recipes are creating food we have been brought up on yet using more body compatible and gut friendly ingredients.  Mostly all meals for us are made up of veggies, fats and some protein but for godsake every now and then we fancy a pie right or a pizza and it's liberating to be able to make these and still be paleo.  We are in this for life right.

Ok so what else, what else....meatballs with zucchini noodles, prawn laksa, some vego options for my vego primal pals like dear Rosie such as Margherita Pizza, Zucchini Noodles with Basil and Parsley Pesto and Fritattas not to mention all of the sides, heaps of the breakfasts and all the baked goodies!!  Flicking through more I see... Fish Tacos, Lamb Shank Pie, Pulled Pork Tortillas, Butter Chicken, Spag Bol, Meatloaf, stir fry, Burger....I defy anyone who can't find something they fancy from this fine line up!!

Theres a great section on sides as well as broth recipes, tips to start your own cultured veggies and even a kombucha recipe. Yay yay!!

Snacks wise we can make seed crackers, beef jerky, a zillion dips, parsnip chips, kale chips, beetroot chips.....

In the sweet section the banana bread made with almond meal and six eggs and no added sugar is calling my name. There are apple and carrot muffins for lunchboxes or what about velvet cupcakes, chindi cookies, lamingtons, jelly, cheesecake and an awesome looking birthday cake with coconut icing.  There is an easter egg recipe and a whole section on Christmas with recipes such as mince pies, triffle and egg nog.  Did I mention all the drink and smoothie recipes?

Every recipe is Gluten Free, Sugar Free and Dairy Free and he even dared put PALEO on the front cover. 

Oh Pete you have so smashed it, I am so excited by this book.  The pictures and illustrations are gorgeous, the food really jumps of the page and once you've got the basic ingredients in you're covered (no mention of Pau d'arco powder in here Della).  I really recommend this book to anyone on a paleo and primal journey.  Clever Pete helping to make paleo mainstrain and help with our huge health epidemic. BIG FAN. You can order your copy here.

But one question...are his eyes really THAT blue?

Pantry clean out!

For me going primal and especially gluten free has been a gradual process. I eliminated all of the ususal suspects such as bread and pasta but it's taken me a while to really clean the whole pantry up. This weekend I chucked out a few lingering remnants of our less than ideal lifestyle! Among those chucked out were some peanut oil (causes free radical damage and leads to inflammation) orange essence (contains carcinogenic chemicals and anyway I won't be making that sugar rich choc orange mud cake with jaffas anymore, sorry babe). Some gluten free plain flour (this is what I call gf junk food and I prefer to make my own gf flours from wholefoods) various Asian sauces (laiden with MSG and sugar) and various other condiments and sugary sauces. The last to be binned was the soy sauce. I'm avoiding all soy so this is a no Brainer but did you know it contains wheat? As an alternative you can use Tamari but I am going to try Coconut Aminos. I'm using them in a Quirky dish tonight, I'll let you know how it turns out!

Read your labels v carefully and if it doesn't say GLUTEN FREE assume it isn't. Foods that contain gluten make us crave them more so obviously manufacturers want to sneak it in there.

I was a bit excited to see the PALEO label on the coconut Aminos, that's a first!!

Chilli cheese meatballs

My kids love this meatball recipe, no wait...everyone loves this meatball recipe. It's dead easy and really tasty and a great quick mid week or weekend no fuss ready in 20mins meal. Also, it binds well and seldom falls apart in the pan, tres annoying when THAT happens.  

This is again from my first ever cook book "Meals in minutes" by Ainsley Harrison. The book was a gift for Easter from my Mam and Dad in 1998! Chances are if you've dined at our house you've had this meal! It too has been subject to being primaled up. Here goes:

30g organic pecorino cheese, plus extra to serve

4 salad onions

2 cloves garlic

1 red chilli

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

400g organic free range pork mince

Tablespoon of coconut oil

100ml red wine, organic preservative free, a course

Zucchini noodles or any GF noodles

400g can chopped tomatoes

Cup of any bone broth (optional)

1 bay leaf

Pinch of coconut sugar

Salt and pepper

Method

Cut the Pecorino into 1.5cm cubes and grate 10secs SP9 (grate cheese)

Add garlic to bowl then roughly chop spring onions and chili then chop 3secs SP6 (finely chop ingredients)

Add pork mince to bowl and combine on REVERSE 10secs SP4 (combine all ingredients)

Roll into small firm balls. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the meatballs for 3-4 mins, shaking the own frequently until well browned. 

Pour in the red wine and bubble vigourously for 1-2 mins.

Cook the zucchini or GF pasta according to the packet instructions. Stir the chopped tomatoes, bone broth if using, bay leaf, sugar and salt and pepper into the meatballs; bring to the boil and simmer 8-10mins until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

Drain the zucchini or pasta. To serve place pasta on plate and spoon over the meatballs with the sauce. Sprinkle liberally with extra pecorino and serve with a large green salad.

This served 2 kids and 2 adults with intentional leftovers but Mike was hungry tonight and it all got manged!

Bon appetite!

Finally found some nitrate free bacon...

So excited to finally have tracked down Dr Goodness at Albany Farmers Markets for some decent free range bacon! I don't recall EVER having bacon that wasn't pink, what about you? The natural colour is this rather I appealing greyish meh colour! My fussy 7 year old already said he wants to keep the pink bacon and we haven't cooked it yet! Man it does look different. I CANNOT wait to try it. Stand by for taste test on Monday Soapboxers. 

Dr Goodness (love that name) is located Bakers Junction King River, his number is 98422687 this bacon was $28.00 a kilo. He said the pigs lead a great happy life and only have one bad day!

I love the vibe and energy at the farmers markets people on a similar quest. Happy days.

Chicken Curry in a hurry - can be grain free and dairy free

I love this recipe which I have adapted from an ancient, well thirteen year old, cook book I have of good old Ainsley Harriott's.  When I left home I couldn't cook a thing and so self taught through books like Ainsley which are fuss free and 'meals in minutes' kind of thing. 

This is a book back from the bad old days of low fat and vegetable oil usage.  I can see how I have adapted the recipe to suit my high protein low fat CSIRO diet regime of old and can only snigger and sympathise with the old way of eating which was such a kin struggle!  Wasn't it?  Monitoring calories and eating extremely low fat (disaster) and excess protein (not good news either) feeling hangry most of the time.  Oh such a shame. 

So here is my classic chicken curry recipe, it's ready in half an hour (provided you have the broth pre made).  Easy nutritious meals that appeal to the whole family (one hard working tradie husband, one fussy seven year old and one fuss free four year old) are essential for me.  They need to be easy to make too as I am usually, bathing kids at the same time or sorting laundry, feeding animals, or making seventy five other food items concurrently - relate? 

If you wanted to be super awse you could make your own rogan josh paste from the numerous recipes accessible on Google.  I am only three months into eating primal and have made a decision to eat up some of the notgreatbutnotsobad pantry items as chucking everything out deemed non primal is too much of a waste to me.  So I used the Pataks or Sharwoods jar curry paste, which contains vegetable oil (yikes) however all the other ingredients are fine.  I just used the last of it for this tea so if you have a recipe for a good paste please pass it on.  I used rogan josh, Ainsley used Madras, just use whatever Indian curry paste you have lurking in the pantry or fridge.


Ingredients  Served us 4 with some leftovers for lunch

• 2 teaspoons of garam masala
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 500g free range boneless chicken, I used thighs, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup chicken bone broth (or water)
• 1 tablespoon of chicken stock (or quality stock cube)
• 2 tablespoons of rogan josh paste
• 150ml double cream (I used Gippsland) or crème fraiche (Meander Valley is divine) buy ones that contain just cream and cultures OR coconut cream or milk
• 50g ground almonds
• 25g desiccated coconut
• handful of coriander chopped to garnish
• Cup of basmati rice, or you could serve with cauliflower rice if low carb or grain free I also like this on wilted silverbeet.

Method

1. Rinse your rice and bring to the boil with double amount broth or water.  I use one cup of rice and two cups of broth. Once the liquid has gone, pop the lid on and turn off the heat.
2. Mix chicken pieces with garam masala and some freshly ground Himalayan/Celtic salt (contains great trace elements and aids with absorption of other minerals) and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Gently sauté the onion in the coconut oil until translucent then add chicken and until golden brown, about ten mins
4. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 mins. 
5. Add the broth or water, stock and curry paste and stir and bring to the boil for about five minutes taking care not to over cook your chicken.
6. Stir in the cream/coconut milk, almonds and coconut, and simmer gently for a further five minutes.
7. Divide rice between plates, add chicken curry on top, garnish with extra cream, crème fraiche or sour cream for extra beneficial cultures and coriander.
8. Serve with a generous portion of steam greens e.g. beans, spinach, kale, silver beet, broccoli.

I hope you enjoy my chicken curry in a hurry.  If you do why not send me a picture of how yours turned out, you know I love a good plate perv. Bon appetite!