why hello thar!

i hope everyone out there in the wonderful wide world of web has enjoyed their tuesday.  i certainly did.

what i plan to do for every update, is to outline the meals i created for that day, and any struggles, wins, or nuggets of wisdom.  however, this one, being the inaugural one, will perhaps be longest.

the past few meals i've concocted, i  have attempted to take pictures of the finished product.  however, i have not had a good enough handle on my self-control, and have devoured the meal almost immediately.  so, to you, fair readers, i give you my pledge:

i, the paleo ninja, pledge to you, the reader, to take moderately focused, almost entirely well-lit picture of mostly intact food.

anyhow.

we have a two-person household, with only one of us having any (and i mean ANY) aptitude for cooking.  i love my gentleman dearly, but a food savant he is not...not to mention he has the palate of a picky eight-year-old.

today, cooked us breakfast of some scrambled eggs, i worked, had leftovers and flax crackers for lunch, went shopping for a suit for the gentleman, and instead of  me cooking dinner, we went out to Mongolian BBQ...which really, around here, is the only place that easily (and perhaps unknowingly) caters to us paleolithic mimickers...

anyhow, if you're new to the paleo game, here's some words of advice:  it is easier to stick with the life change when you find delicious things to make and eat.  also, don't mourn the loss of things like BREAD, like CHEESE...there is seriously amazing paleo replacements to ALL your comfort foods.  some taste exactly like it, so taste BETTER than it...and some are acceptable replacements.

that being said, here are a few recipes i discovered that are on frequent rotations in the house.  only problem being that they're SO DELICIOUS they never last for long :)

Recipe: Italian Flax Crackers
craving some snacky things?  how about potato chips?  these are not only delicious, healthy and crispy, they're great for your pooper!  you can actually have lots of fun coming up with your own concoction of flavors; i've done apple cinnamon, plain, and spicy pepper.  I like to add chia seeds to some, being since they're so awesome for you and all :)  also, you do not need a food processor or dehydrator (but i HIGHLY suggest you invest in both...either never seem to stop running), you can use an oven or hand mixer.


* 2 cups flax seeds
* 3 cups water
* 1 red bell pepper
* 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
* 2 cups fresh tomatoes
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 1 clove of fresh garlic +/or 1/2 large onion, chopped

1. mix flax seeds (and chia seeds) and water in container.  let sit for 30 minutes, or until it reaches a gelatinous globular texture.

2.  blend all ingredients together in a food processor. 

3. press mixture flat onto parchment paper into a large square or rectangle, making sure that the mixture stands only a few millimeters tall. (The thicker the cracker the harder to eat and the longer to dry).

4. score the size of crackers you'd like with a knife or spatula before dehydrating. (I usually score the large square 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 depending on what I want to use them for).

5. dehydrate around 115°F - 125°F overnight and flip over once one side is dry. Dry to completion.

***if you're using an oven, go as low as you can, and prop the door open just a leeeeeetle bit, so the steam can escape

now, the next two recipes are for paleo-friendly bread.  the biggest differences between these breads, and store bought (besides the grain stuffs), is that they don't rise very tall, and are more dense.  now, when i saw more dense, i'm not talking dry and heavy; i'm talking moist and filling!

Recipe:  Delicious Delicious Bread

in need of some dinner bread, or wanting to make brinner?  this paleo recipe i found on Against All Grain, this awesome website that has some amazing takes on traditional foods.  this bread i would suggest more for sweeter things, since its super moist and sweet...PERFECT for homemade preserves or french toast :)  you can link to this specific recipe here.  they actually explain the process perfectly there, so have at it :)  also, as a note, they use cashew butter in the recipe; it can be rather pricy, but i've substituted other nut butters (besides peanut butter, shame on you!) for a less cost, and it still came out wonderful.

Recipe:  Paleo Fluffy Bread

this recipe comes from a website that was the first of its kind i stumbled upon and we LOVED everything i've made from it.  The couple from Paleo Effect have so many recipes on here that are flavored from different cultures around the world.  make visiting their site a habit!  this recipe is so close to regular sandwich bread, you can't really tell the difference.  promise!  so go here and get to cooking!




i hope you enjoy those, and i promise i'll have more for you next time!