Earlier this year I wrote about making chicken soup with bone broth and why bone broth is good for you. To recap, broth made from animal bones and the bits that hold it all together (think ligaments and cartilage) is where lots of good, nutritious stuff is hanging out. When you simmer these parts in water over a long period of time, you can make a broth that rich in vitamins, minerals, supports immune function and bone health. Best of all, it’s delicious!
Author Archives: Alison Spath
Summer Garden Frittata (+ the Fastest Whipped Sweet Potatoes Ever)
August 27th, 2013 | Posted by in Dinner Time - (5 Comments)Are you sick of zucchini yet? Well hang tight, we’ve still got a few weeks of summer left.
With a frittata on the dinner menu, I gathered up the latest round of CSA zucchini (both yellow and green) for shredding and salting before I made it sit in the corner to think about what it did wrong.
Oh Zucchini, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re just so… so… plenteous! So abundant! I’m at my wits end trying to come up with ideas for you.
11 Things I Learned During 11 Weeks of Paleo
August 24th, 2013 | Posted by in Healthy Habits - (6 Comments)
Years ago I thought the answer to the question How are we supposed to eat for longevity and optimal health? meant following a vegetarian diet. Obviously there are many varying views and opinions about this subject, but as my understanding of nutrition deepened, I started to believe that high quality animal products played an important role in the human diet. Chicken patties and fish sticks? No. Pasture raised animals and wild caught seafood? Yes.
Zucchini and Yellow Squash Noodles (without a spiralizer)
August 15th, 2013 | Posted by in Vegetable Lovin' - (4 Comments)This is officially my new favorite way to eat summer squash. I made this for dinner and I didn’t even need to add any salt because I garnished these zucchini and squash peel “noodles” with tears of joy.
I’ve been curious about “zucchini noodles” for a long time, but don’t own a spiralizer.
(If you’re not in the know – a spiralizer is a kitchen gadget that will spin your vegetable while carving off long, thin strands to make something that resembles a noodle.)
I’ve been making my own coconut ice cream at home for a couple weeks now. I will totally eat regular, dairy ice cream – but I love coconut ice cream too. So whether you can’t eat dairy or simply choose not to – or if you’re just nutty for coconut, let’s talk about this!
I must tell you upfront that coconut milk ice cream making is an art as much as it is a science. There are also some pros and cons when it comes to making it yourself versus shelling out the bucks for a pint of the already-made coconut milk ice cream you can find in the grocery store freezer case. For instance:
Warning: Feet Picture Ahead
A little story about a natural remedy for foot fungus. Love, love, love coconut oil! (Love these guys too.)
Zak says:
I wish I had taken a “before” picture of my feet. I’ve had serious athletes feet for about three years. They were very itchy, peeling, painful, occasionally bloody; an all around hot mess. Then one day Alison mentions to me that coconut oil has anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, so I started rubbing some on my feet every day after a shower. I’d rub in the oil and put socks on and just leave socks on until the next shower. After only three weeks my feet are looking pretty normal and the pain/itchy is completely gone!
Oh Parsnip Fries! Where have you been all my life?
No, seriously. Why have I never eaten a parsnip?
I have no idea, but I stumbled upon these guys (not literally) while looking for vegetables that are higher in carbohydrates to help fuel me through my floor-sweeping, baby-chasing, laundry-toting days. Me and my orange hands need something besides carrots and sweet potatoes to eat. Parsnips and their lack of beta carotene fit the bill, so let’s do this!
(To the paleo/primal curious and my gluten-free friends, it took me a while to figure out that I feel crummy if I go too low with carbohydrates.)
What’s for (Grain Free) Breakfast These Days?
August 7th, 2013 | Posted by in Breakfast - (17 Comments)I’ve had a number of conversations with some friends and family about breakfast recently, and so I decided to put together a collection of morning food photos from the past few months. Once upon a time I ate overnight oats for breakfast every day! As I’ve mentioned more than once lately, I’m going the grain free route most of the time and don’t even miss my beloved oats, cold cereal or cinnamon raisin Ezekiel toast with almond butter and banana.
(This [sorta scary] blog post is a good but lengthy explanation of why I’ve chosen to follow a mostly grain free lifestyle. The Paleo Solution, Wheat Belly and The Primal Blueprint are loaded with convincing info and studies too.)
I’m writing this post quickly just to illustrate my point.
August 3rd, 2013 | Posted by in Life - (7 Comments)This is my new mantra when it comes to getting stuff done around the house:
(even this image is not perfect, but I’m leaving it! It’s done!)
One day last week I was feeling particularly frustrated with how far behind I was on the house work. Life with a busy, active, won’t-stop-climbing-the-tables-and-chairs toddler makes things… interesting.
There was a pile of dishes in the sink, pots and pan on the counter, more kitchen clutter and dishes on the other counter, the floor was dirty – the mess was driving me nuts and I just couldn’t get to it with Monkey Boy Kaz in the kitchen with me. I’m also sure I was procrastinating because I felt so buried by it all I didn’t even know where to start.
A few weeks ago I was out with all three kids (not unusual) and had nothing packed for any of us to eat (quite unusual). Hunger levels were quickly rising, morale was rapidly falling. Given time and location, our best option was a small pizza place in order to save us (or save myself, really) from a hunger-induced group meltdown.
The girls each got a slice of pizza, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover there were a bunch of decent side dishes on the menu. I got three meatballs and some sauteed summer vegetables to share with 13 month old Kaz, who does not yet know that the children in this family are supposed to demand pizza and shun vegetables. (Shhhh!)
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