Nell Stephenson, Paleo Nutrition & Fitness

Christmas Bake Sale? Can I Bring Something Paleo?

Nell,

HELP!  My church holds an annual Christmas Bake Sale with proceeds to benefit the local food bank.  I love contributing to this worthy cause, but now that I've been Paleo for almost a year (this will be my first Paleo holiday season), I am completely at a loss.  I definitely want to be a part of this but I am really torn about trying to make something Paleo and just throwing my hands up in the air and making a traditional recipe for Toll House Cookies, since they're always a hit.  Is there ANYTHING I can bake that would be Paleo but would still appeal to people who are... well, very NOT Paleo?  In fact, I don't even want to tell them I'm baking something Paleo; many of my friends already think I'm weird for not eating wheat, let alone everything else I avoid on Paleo!
Thank you and Merry Christmas,

Laura, Omaha

Hi Laura!
You can definitely bake something Paleo.  While I wouldn't suggest baking goodies on a daily basis, I think having the option of a treat that is still made with Paleo friendly ingredients makes the Paleo lifestyle that much more doable for those who might be skeptics.

I'd suggest choosing a seasonally appropriate theme and deconstructing it, then using the flavors and colors to make up your own concoction, or choosing a recipe that you may already have and Paleo-izing it!

For example, you could grind almonds and pecans coarsely, add cinnamon, mix in some honey, press into a lined glass baking dish, refrigerate to let harden then top with a puree of pumpkin (also mixed with a little honey and some egg), then baking until firm and cutting into squares. Package in mini, foil cup-cake wrappers.  (If you have extra pumpkin left after baking it, and you want a dessert you can serve when entertaining at home, you can make a Paleo Pumkpin Trifle:  layer ground, raw cacao nibs, with the same pumpkin-honey puree and fresh coconut cream- the last of which is always rather decadent!

You could also try my Paleo Truffle Recipe- always a hit.

Finally, and this is my favorite, always, play around with seasonally popular fruits like apple, pear, cranberry, and spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove, and nuts.. and see what you make up!

Feel free to share if you come up with something interesting; I'm sure many other readers have the same conundrum!

 

Another Far-from-Paleo Race Goodie Bag

This time it's an Iron supplement tablet, a mini Clif Bar and a tube of peanut butter...awesome!

I'll stick with a huge bowl of raw garlic spinach with an orange for my iron (eaten with Vitamin C, so the body absorbs four times the iron) and of course, a nice piece of rare beef, far better sources of iron than a pill.   Coconut oil in lieu of the peanut butter to use in my signature smoothie and yams to starch up rather than a grainy Clif Bar....I'm all set by myself, thank you very much!

Wouldn't it be cool if there were a race in which the title sponsors were a a fruit, vegetable, meat or fish distrubutor?

Think of something like...

"The first annual "X" marathon, sponsored by "X" Grass-fed beef farms and "X" raw kale"

Daydreaming?  Maybe, but all great ideas start with a dream!

Horseradish & Beef

Pretty common pair, isn't it?  And seemingly Paleo... or is it?

Well, horseradish itself IS, but most commercail preparations contain vinegar, which would exclude.

However, that doesn't mean you have to shun it!

I had an amazingly creative dish at lunch the other day and I just HAD to blog about it.  My main course was a petit filet (rare, or course), with a very interesting 'sauce' on the side.

Typically, I'm not one for sauces and as a rule, I'll ask for 'no sauce' or 'sauce on the side' (the latter, only because sometimes that seems to be an easier message to get across... go figure), but in this case, the restaurant was already aware of the fact that I would not be eating soy, dairy or gluten.   This had been confirmed by the host, the maitre'd as well as the server, by the way.

So, when I chose my entree, and double checked again with the server, she told me the ingredients: horse radish, d'anjou pear and baked butternut squash, all whizzed into a lovely puree and then heated just a touch, then served in a beautiful presentation atop my  meat...leaves underneath.

Voila! It was as delish as it sounds.

Give it a whirl- throw in a little of each, taste as you go and make up your own ratio of sweet to savory!  Could definitely work for Thanksgiving, too...in the event you're opting to serve a red meat in lieu of turkey!

 

 

Paleo Mocha...Can It Be Done?

Hi Nell!
    I came across your site while searching for a paleo mocha so I figured I'd drop you a line as I've been unsuccessful in my quest as of yet.  I'm a CrossFitter, and I am fairly strict paleo, with the exception of the occasional (weekly or so) Starbucks Venti 8 pump, whole milk, no whip, no foam mocha.  It's a sugar nightmare, and I can stop anytime I want...no really....I can....but they're so good.

 
    Actually, I've gone without for a couple of weeks now, but am getting the urge again.  I've made various attempts at creating a palatable substitution, but they've all fallen woefully short.  I've used unsweetened cocoa, I've used 85% cacao chocolate and melted it in the mix, I've used heavy cream, coconut milk, almond milk, I've added cinnamon, vanilla, banana...even dates, all in various combinations,  but no luck so far as of yet.
    

I was wondering if you have any ideas, thoughts, recipes, gems, pearls...you get the picture..to possibly give me a recipe that I can embrace and indulge so I can stand proudly upright and enjoy a paleo treat!

I'm glad you asked this. It actually can be thought of as seasonally appropriate as well, since we all know that the holiday season is officially here once we see all the Starbuck's Christmas Beverages in the red cups! (Kidding... sort of...)

So first, let's deconstruct the current indulgence you have.  8 pumps.  OK.  Just this morning I popped into Starbucks for a black espresso and had a chance to spy behind the counter at the labels on the syrup containers.  

Oh, dear.

ONE PUMP is 100 kcals of liquid sugar.  There's 800 in your Venti Mocha right there.  Add two and a half cups of whole milk (20 oz), about 350 calories and you've got a 1,150 calorie, non Paleo 'sugar disaster' as you put it!

I'm a purist. I love a black espresso with nothing.  Premium beans and a top of the line grinder and espresso maker are must haves!  Yes, I'm admittedly a coffee snob.  I see it they way I see wine.  If you have a sip of red wine and it doesn't taste good, hopefully you don't drink it, but you certainly wouldn't add anything to it to change the taste, the way people do with their coffee.  

Poor quality coffee that comes from a vending machine, for example, might be doctored with all kinds of real or fake sugars, real or fake creamers and real or fake flavors.  

I say, just leave it. If the coffee is THAT bad, do you really want to drink it in the first place?

And now, moving along to the rest of your question.

If you're trying to create the OCCASIONAL, Paleo-OK 'mocha', here's what I'd do:

1. Pour yourself a ristretto shot or two.
2. BLEND, then WARM over medium, stirring constantly

• REAL coconut milk (do NOT use canned- it usually contains guar gum- bean derived and laden with Saponins)
• Honey 
• Raw cacao nibs

    3.  Pour warmed coconut mixture onto espresso

    4.  Garnish with freshly ground cinnamon & nutmeg

Paleo Thanksgiving with a Mexican Spin

Hi Nell,

We just got invited to a friend's house for Thanksgiving, and she wants us to bring a Mexican-style dish. Any suggestions on what to bring that is Mexican and Paleo? She is making a TON of cheesy, non-Paleo foods so whatever I bring has to have lots of goodness in it since it's probably going to be all I end up eating.

Thanks!

 

I love the idea of a Mexican Food/Thanksgiving Food/Paleo Food fusion!  

I love Mexican Cuisine.  NO, it is NOT all about rice & beans, by the way... if you've been avoiding dining at this type of regional restaurant for fear that you wouldn't find anything Paleo suitable, I'm happy to tell you that you can!

I'd have to say my personal fave to prep would have to be fajitas.  Granted, some traditional recipes call for Worcester Sauce (I've been told off for not using it buy non-Paleo, die-hard-Mexican-Food-Aficionados) but since you're making it, you're in control!

Since there will quite likely already be turkey (hmm.... maybe), I'd opt for steak (shrimp is SO easy to overcook, thus the choice of red meat) fajitas.

So easy, too..

Since you're making the dish at home and bringing it (assuming this), just julienne cut assorted colors of bell peppers, onion, carrot and saute in garlic & olive oil. I'd marinate some grass fed skirt steak in garlic, lime and olive oil, then cut into strips and saute that, too.  Mix them all together and place on top of a bed of steamed kale in a large glass or ceramic baking dish.  Sprinkle some minced cilantro on top.. and cover with foil with the intention of serving it warm.

I'd also make some guacamole, which is a good idea any time of year!

Speaking of Thanksgiving Help...

Great article in the TIMES on Wed.- all about 'not too complicated side dishes that break up the motonony a little'... featuring several recipes for veg that are almost Paleo, and very easy to change the ingredients that are not!

Click on the link above for ideas for 'Curried Cauliflower' (use olive or coconut oil where they call for butter), 'Braised Carrots' (already PALEO!), 'Cabbage, Apples & Onion' (again- swap out the butter), 'Persimmon & Orange Salad' (use fresh citrus in lieu of vinegar), 'Carmelized Turnips with Lemon & Parsley'.

 

Quite a nice change from 'bread stuffing'!

Thanksgiving "Relish Tray" PALEO Style!

Our first Thanksgiving question is here!

Dear Nell, 

Thanks for your invitation on your blog for questions!  My husband and I are doing great on Paleo; the biggest challenge is time management and organization. I’m either training, working, sleeping, eating, cooking or washing dishes! My question is a pretty simple one: I have been assigned the relish tray this year. I did the whole meal last year; any thoughts on how to mix it up or make if more cool & fun? 'Relish' beyond carrots & celery.  Any olive tips? Take care and have a great holiday, Susan  Thanks for your question, Susan!  Agreed; celery and carrots alone can be... well, a bit boring.  In addition, if your guests or friends at the gathering you're attending think that's all one can eat on a Paleo diet, it would be doing Paleo such a disservice! 'Traditional' relish trays would tend to include all sorts of olives, pickles and pickled foods including sauerkraut (and even kim chi!)  as well as an assortment of veggies like whole carrots in red, yellow, orange with a bit of their tops still on, artichoke heart,  haricot vert, cauliflower, mushrooms, radishes, celerey stuffed with peanut butter, cherry tomatoes; jicama sticks; red pepper spears; fennel and, of course 'dips' like those based on sour cream or hummus. Easy enough to pick out which things are (or are NOT) Paleo friendly! Let's address olives first.  You CAN find olives that are organic and NOT soaked in a sodium laden brine. Yes, they're harder to come by but you've got a week until you'll need them, so you might want to consider an online source if you cannot find them locally.  For example, there is a company called Natural Zing that sells salt- free olives that just contain... OLIVES!  You can then infuse them with your favorite herbs (I like rosemary and garlic) , toss them with some raw pecans, and serve them warm. As far as the veggies go, I feel that if presented nicely, they're quite appealing, so this will go beyond 'just carrot and celery sticks'.  Go for TONS of color; all of the rainbow can be represented and cut even sized pieces of red bell pepper, carrots, yellow bell pepper or julienned yellow squash, blanched broccoli and/or asparagus, purple carrots, served on a bed of kale (or kale chips!  Why not?  SO easy to make!) on a large platter.  I always tend to opt for serving that with guacamole. Who cares if it's not a 'traditional' Thanksgiving food?  It tastes great! I also like to offer 'toppings' as people are often used to having the option of cheeses or sauces to top off their food.  Instead, minced green onion, finely-chopped hard boiled egg tossed with paprika, diced radish and chopped raw walnuts make nice options. To keep it 'seasonal', add the tradtional spices wherever you see fit; dust the olive and nut mixture with dried sage and thyme or sprinkle nutmeg atop the crudites platter. Hope this helps!

 

Well put!

Loved this sign @ the farmer's mkt- gluten kills!! :)

Paleo pic of a meal on a plane... From client in flight on UAL.. It can be done!

Scared of Sausage? It CAN be Paleo!

No, I'm not giving license to head out to the local diner and pile up on the Farmer John's...BUT you can actually eat sausage AND keep Paleo, if you make it yourself.

AND, you don't HAVE to have a sausage stuffer; in fact, you don't even have to use pork casings if you choose not to.

If you think in terms of a 'sausage patty', you can easily get creative and make some at home with no special equipment (although, I will remind you that if you grind your own meat, you REALLY know exactly what you're getting), any meat you choice and whichever your favorite mixtures of spices might be.

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Combine ground meat (I used chicken most recently) with spices (I opted for minced garlic, onion, a dash of red chili pepper flakes and some turmeric- why not?) and press into a flat shape, less than an inch thick on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.    
• Douse with olive oil and pepper and bake for about 20 minutes- you'll see it's done when it looks nicely browned, and the internal temp has reached 160F.
• Remove from oven, let cool on a rack for about five minutes, then, when cool enough to handle, use an inverted cup or glass to 'cut' out circle shapes.  (Use the remaining crumbly bits to mix in with a salad or spinkle on top of some veggies).  Serve for breakfast with soft boiled eggs and sauteed spinach, or lunch on top some cress, sliced pear and pecan, or dinner with avocado, homemade salsa, shredded zuchini and lime!