Venison for the Freezer

Growing up in Mississippi, I'm very much used to hunting. My brothers are hunters, my cousins, even the girl cousins! I married a Kentucky boy, who is also a hunter, so it's no surprise that my two boys are also avid hunters.

Joseph, who is 14, is a great shot! Below is a pic of the deer he shot on this year's hunt. This was a 256 yard shot, according to my husband.

This is about as Primal as it gets!

Caleb (almost 7 years old), as you can see, is chomping at the bit to get his hands on a gun and a license, so he can bring in some game as well. I love watching my boys in their element and how excited they get when they get to hunt with their Daddy and bring in game for our freezer. I'm still working on getting the girls and myself to eat what the boys put in the freezer. I'm not a huge fan of the strong, gamey taste of venison, but I'll try.

A Bountiful Basket

If you've never heard of, or tried Bountiful Baskets, here's a peek into what you actually get in their baskets.

Bountiful Baskets is a local co-op for produce and other goods. I absolutely love getting my baskets. It's like Christmas morning, you never know what you are going to get, but you are so excited to go pick it up! This entire basket was only $22. NO WAY I would ever walk out of the grocery store with this bounty for that price.

There are Bountiful Basket co-ops in Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Texas.

Check it out here:

Bountiful Baskets Website

Getting Back On The Wagon, When You've Fallen Off

So over the past few weeks, I've lost track of where the Primal Wagon is. I'm certain I may not even be in the same zip code as this so called wagon. With the amount of stress in my life, I've kind of let my Primal ways go by the wayside and given in to stress eating, which I've struggled with my entire life. TODAY I will no longer give in to quick options when it comes to food. I will make the time to prepare meals that are good for me and eliminate the junk from my life, once again. I will say no to things that I know are poison for my body, and put myself and my well being first. It's all in the journey, right? We all fail, but success is in getting up when we fall and getting right back on the horse. I refuse to let the stress of life take me back to 48 lbs overweight and unhappy.

Drive, Discipline, & Determination.......The three "Ds" I live by.

Coconut Pancakes

These are AMAZING! They are a bit higher in calories and fat than I typically like to eat, but technically if you are eating primally, you aren't supposed to be concerned so much with fat and calories, but with avoiding grains. I limit how often I cook these, because I will over-indulge for sure! Caleb loves them and everytime I cook flour pancakes for the rest of the family, he asks if they are coconut pancakes. :)

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

6 Tbsp Milk

Splash of Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp Honey, Splenda or other sweetener

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

6 Tbsp Coconut Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

Mix all ingredients together and cook over low/medium heat. These take a bit longer to cook than flour based pancakes.

I top mine with just a tiny bit of sugar free maple syrup and fresh berries. They have a bit of a macaroon taste, from the coconut, so they are sweet enough on their own.

The leftovers keep well in the fridge for several days.

Crustless, Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie

My daughter and I decorated our house for the Fall season today, and being in the spirit of Fall, I decided to play around with a Pumpkin Pie recipe, to see if I could work one out that I wouldn't feel guilty about eating during the holiday season. The holidays are so hard to navigate, while trying to eat healthy. I absolutely LOVE Pumpkin Pie, next to my Mama's famous Pecan Pie, that is! My ten year old even loved it! *Sorry for the not-so-good photo. I had to use my cell phone, since my oldest daughter has the camera at her homecoming game/dance.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin (Not Pumpkin Pie Filling!)

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

3/4 to 1 cup skim milk

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup splenda (I used a tad bit less than 1/4 cup, as that's all I had in the house and it was plenty sweet)

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

This recipes makes 6 ramekins. You can double it and make an entire pie.

Bake in a 300 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into filling comes out clean.

Let cool and top with Sugar Free whipped topping, (optional)

The entire recipe is only 240 calories, so only 50 calories per serving, when topped with 1 tbsp whipped topping. (when baked in ramekins)

*I plan to work on a grain free crust before Thanksgiving, using Almond Flour.

Tiny Turkey Meatball Soup

Another recipe that freezes well, this has become a staple in our house. I frequently make double batches of this soup and freeze in individual servings for lunches or for a quick meal when we aren't cooking for the entire family (i.e, days when the kids have activities and we are home alone). I saw this recipe on "The Biggest Loser" and tweaked it to our liking.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Turkey

2 Cups Marina Sauce (I use Trader Joe's. It's not ideal in that it has soybean oil in it, but I'm willing to deal with that in place of sugar and other preservatives)

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Can of Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed (the original recipe called for chickpeas, but my husband hates them, so I substitute with white beans)

1 Bunch of Broccoli Rabe (I use 1 can of mustard greens, drained, because I can never find the broccoli rabe)

Kosher Salt

Dried Red Pepper Flakes

Asiago Cheese (optional)

Combine marinara, broth, and beans in saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat.

While the soup base is heating up, mix ground turkey, kosher salt(to taste) and red pepper flakes (to taste) in mixing bowl. Yes, you'll have to use your hands. :) Roll meat mixture into small meatballs.

Once the soup base has come to a boil, drop meatballs into the soup base. Add the mustard greens. (We like it spicy, so I add red pepper flakes to the soup base, as well, to give it an extra kick) Let boil for about 10 minutes.

Serve immediately and top with shredded Asiago cheese.

Cabbage & Sausage

This recipe is so simple. It's from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook. One of my favorite veggies, growing up, was my Mama's cabbage. I love it! So, when I found this recipe, I had to try it. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for days. Since I am the only one in my house who will eat cabbage (I don't know what is wrong with these people!), I have lots of leftovers for lunches at work.

Ingredients:

1 Head of Cabbage

1 Package of Sausage (I use a hormone free, nitrate free, MSG free, smoked sausage from Sprouts)

Bacon Drippings

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and slice cabbage into strips. Place in a greased casserole dish (I use my Pampered Chef stoneware casserole dish. You'll need a large one.) Slice the sausage into coins. Place on top of cabbage. Dot with bacon grease. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes (to desired done-ness), stirring several times while cooking.

Healthy Cherry Macadamia Muffins

This is a favorite of mine. These muffins freeze well and are great for on the go meals. I frequently freeze these and grab one or two to throw in my lunch box for breakfast or a snack at work.

Ingredients:

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl

2 1/2 cups almond flour

3 eggs

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (I prefer Siggis. It's all natural, withough HFCS or other additives. You can find it at a health food store such as Sprouts or Whole Foods)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey (I used 4 tbsp of Splenda, as I was out of honey)

Then fold in

1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped (I get mine raw at Sprouts)

1 cup cherries, pitted

Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 300 degree, preheated oven.