It's the smell, the taste, the instant eye-opening on those early mornings. I have a love and a desire for coffee. I have gone a few weeks without it in the past but I always cave and end up with a bag of grounds in my hand at the local grocery store. Do I think this is terrible? No. I always have it black and have never liked it with sugar or cream (recently I purchased some coconut milk coffee creamer...) But then I read articles like this --> The cruel calling of coffee and I want to cut it out of my morning routine instantly. Or do I? This is THE one thing I just can't say no to for an extended time. It's my drug.
What do you think? Try another period of elimination? Keep drinking? I think I hate the idea of me being addicted to something more than I like coffee. So there, I think I've just answered my own question ☔
One of the blogs I regularly follow (you can find a good chunk of them on the links page) is titled The Paleo-Project and yesterday's post really got my attention and got me thinking. Are you familiar with CSA (community supported agriculture)?
I had heard of a food co-op before and even considered being a part of one here in Orlando but I guess just got lazy and never took the leap to cease my weekly trips to the one-stop shop mega grocery store just steps from my doorway. Shame on me, I know.
After reading Jenna's post on her consideration of CSA participation I REALLY want to do the same. And if reading her post wasn't enough to get me motivated... I was on Netflix this morning and ran into this
Broken Limbs documentary. This film gave me chills and even made me teary-eyed. For real.
If you haven't heard of or read any pieces from Dr. Ikerd, I recommend it. Intelligent and passionate man.
He speaks of sustainable agriculture in the documentary and says
"we lost our sense of purpose in agriculture. The purpose was to meet the needs of people, to enhance the quality of life of people. By focusing so narrowly on productivity and economic efficiency we drifted away from that fundamental purpose."
My intention was not to start your day with a frown but to get you thinking! Support local farmers.
Now, meet Henry :)
Henry House Finch
Evan and I were given a window bird feeder as a gift and this little house finch guy, along with his lady friend, has been making regular appearances. Humphrey is a big fan, of course. Still waiting for the day we possess a house with a yard and a porch and a garden, etc. so we can be welcoming to many more furry and feathered friends.
I have been craving cereal a good bit lately so I went to the store for some milk and nuts. Believe it or not, I have never had coconut milk to drink before yesterday. We had always used almond milk and now, after tasting the coconut milk, I dare say I will never go back! I love it. Probably because it tastes like dessert. I also decided to try out some coconut milk coffee creamer for the heck of it. Delicious as well, of course.
snack size cereal with nuts, coconut and raisins
Last night's dinner: beef and broccoli over cauliflower rice
Today's breakfast: eggs, bacon and sweet potato hash with some avocado on the side
Mmmmm
And then there's this.
Evan and Humphrey cozy on the couch last night while we watched a movie :)
Yeah yeah, I know I already posted once today but I've been browsing around several paleo blogs and found some posts I really enjoyed and felt the need to share :)
AND if you weren't already aware (as I was not), a new book will be available this summer from Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites. Available now for pre-order so check it out! --> Practical Paleo
I saw this recipe back at Christmas time as that is when Evan and I acquired the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. Sweet potatoes are probably one of my favorite foods and I enjoy them in any form (well, except for raw, but that goes without saying I think). We typically mash them or cut them into fries and season them sweetly or spicily. Cinnamon is my favorite sweet potato sidekick and I haven't tried it at home but Whole Foods makes paleo-approved mashed sweet potatoes with cranberries that is so tasty!
I have nowhere to be until noon today so I'm up early again and in the kitchen. I ate breakfast with Evan before he had to scurry in to work at 6 and we chowed on some eggs paleo from the Make it Paleo cookbook. Always delicious.
Post-breakfast I just wasn't ready to leave the kitchen. I made myself a "personal brew."
(the set-up was a Christmas gift and came from Barnie's)
Our traditional 10-12 cup coffee maker is now stored away in the back of a cabinet...
It was mid-sip when I decided to break out the sweet potato casserole recipe. A quick trip to Publix was made for a couple sweet potatoes and nuts (for the topping!).
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
there are no raisins in the recipe but I wanted a snack...
mix 'em up after boiled soft and add in all your other ingredients
(all paleo of course)
top with nuts and ready for the oven! 350 for 20-30 mins
The house is smelling heavenly :)
I saw this article about Grassfed meat on the Weston A. Price Foundation Facebook page yesterday and liked it so much I wanted to share it on here. It can definitely be tough to choose grassfed meats over the conventional, cheaper meats but it's MOST DEFINITELY worth it.
I miss those lazy Saturday mornings with my bottom-less cereal bowl, comfy p.j.s and a spot on the couch perfect for viewing my favorite cartoons. I woke up today craving a morning like this. Needless to say, traditional, sugar-laden cereal is out of the question for a paleo-minded individual like myself so I had to tweak my desire to relive a childish morning... Paleo cereal would definitely hit the spot but unfortunately I don't have all the ingredients in the pantry at this time. Here's another: paleo cereal recipe. SO, coconut nested eggs it is!
All it takes is an egg and some unsweetened, shredded coconut (if you're not a fan of coconut- shame on you!- you can experiment with substituting other ingredients). Start by separating your whites and yolks, use a hand mixer to stiffen your whites. Fold in a bit of coconut and then place the "nest" on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place your yolk in the nest and bake for 10 minutes at 350〫
My sister just sent me this picture yesterday where she used bacon and chives in one of her eggs. I have yet to try this combo but it sounds fantastic! One day we'll open that paleo restaurant we want so badly! One day...
Once I had the eggs and coffee (of course there must be coffee) made, I cozied myself up on the couch and turned on the blu-ray to start searching Netflix for old cartoons (I refuse to watch any not from my kid-hood). This is what I was longing for:
But this is the best I could find:
I'm on season one, episode 3 as I type this.
Happy "Saturday" morning to anyone else with the day off! And happy Tuesday to all you "normal" Monday-Friday, 9-5ers. Make it a good one :)
Check out the new artwork we got over the weekend! Evan's friend Alex from college does exceptional work with a paintbrush and was nice enough to create a piece for us.
Last post: February 28. Today's date: March 22. Oops. Come on, are you really surprised? What's the longest I've gone with typing on a daily basis? A week? Maybe. Maybe not even that long. I never said I was good at this. I'm most certain that all those folks out there with the picture perfect blogs that are constantly updating and posting photos and offering contest giveaways, etc A: do not have lives or B: the blog is their job. Now don't get me wrong, I definitely admire those that can find the time to post daily and keep the attention of followers and would LOVE to be able to spend more time writing. AND I could be mistaken about these spoken of folks but I'm pretty confident in my A and B :P Also, I have never been much of a journal keeper growing up either so maybe I'm just not meant for this sort of thing. Ah well, it's still fun to post from time to time :)
So. Let's play catch up.
It's definitely been a busy March so I have an excuse for not being around this part of the internet town.
First, there was the annual Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL. Yes, I had to try some non-paleo Strawberry Shortcake... and a strawberry shake and strawberry fudge. I was good after that day though, I promise!
make your own...
Yeah, it was devine.
Loads of silly chickens
Score!
There was Fun. at The Beacham in downtown Orlando. Great show!
The Beacham in Orlando
There was Myrtle Beach. Evan and I drove up (8-ish hours) to M.B. to visit with my sister and her family. My nieces turned 3 and 5 years old this month and we consumed paleo coconut cake as part of the celebration. Delicious!!
Mya Ann
cake!
After Myrtle Beach, my younger sister Heidi came back to Florida with Evan and I! She just flew back to Maryland today :( BUT I got her started on Paleo and today is day 8 for both of us! She is still living at home and my parents are stubborn about changing their eating habits so she's sort of on her own now. Wish she could have stayed to finish out the 30 days here.
While she was here she saw SeaWorld and met some of my bird friends. We traveled to Busch Gardens and hung out with some really cool creatures AND made lots of yummy paleo meals :D
Aztec- blue fronted amazon
roo
lorikeets
Busch Gardens
our animal hats
mega breakfast
she became a lover of sweet potato fries
our dessert of baked apples and walnuts
I told you I've been busy! And finally today, I'm comfy on the living room floor and it's glorious. The windows are open, Humphrey is lounging on the couch and the birds are chirping cheerily right outside. Sigh.
