I Dream of Chickens

I want chickens.  I want to hear them cluck and watch them run around the backyard, feathers flying and everything.  They're not cuddly and they stink, but I want something only they can give me - eggs.  Fresh eggs every day.  We eat a LOT of eggs in this house, especially we now eat the Paleo way.  I can't keep enough eggs in the refrigerator these days.  I think my husband may turn into one.  You are what you eat, right?

But, alas, my HOA and Harris County does not allow for backyard chickens (although there is a rebel in the neighborhood next door  - I hear suspicious clucking sounds coming from his house when the kids and I are at the park).

Having backyard chickens that are allowed to roam and eat grass and insects to their hearts desire is very beneficial to our health as egg consumers.  The eggs are (almost) free.  And, more importantly, the eggs are simply better for you.  I never knew the difference in egg quality between cage-raised hens and free-range hens until recently and I was stunned at the difference.  Sure, they cost more at the super market, but I just don't feel comfortable supporting industries that care more about money than they do about the quality of food and the treatment of animals.  Why should you pay the extra dollar or two?  If you care about the condition of the animals, that's one reason.  If that doesn't tug your heart strings, then maybe this will convince you:

Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1/3 less cholesterol 

• 1/4 less saturated fat 

• 2/3 more vitamin A 

• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

• 3 times more vitamin E 

• 7 times more beta carotene

Read more at Mother Earth News.

Why the difference in nutritional value?  It all comes down to how the chickens are raised.  Most commercial chicken houses fill their walls to the brim with as many feathered friends as they can squeeze in.  These cluckers don't get much (if any) sunlight and many of them cannot even walk due to the growth hormones they are being fed.  The lack of sunlight causes them to produce eggs with a low amount of vitamin D.  Plus, free-range chickens eat the kind of foods that God intended them to eat.

"True free-range birds eat a chicken’s natural diet — all kinds of seeds, green plants, insects and worms, usually along with grain or laying mash. Factory farm birds never even see the outdoors, let alone get to forage for their natural diet. Instead they are fed the cheapest possible mixture of corn, soy and/or cottonseed meals, with all kinds of additives." - Mother Earth News

This makes sense. The same principle is applies to people, too.  Eat good nutritious foods and you'll be healthy.  Eat junky sugar- and carb-filled processed foods and you won't be healthy.  Have you ever seen the documentary called "Supersize Me" by Morgan Spurlock?  If you haven't, you should.  In the documentary, Morgan puts himself on a strict diet of McDonald's for 30 days.  The results were nothing short of astounding.  He started out as an overall healthy person and ended up with so many health issues that even his doctors were concerned about his condition.  

Why should we expect anything different from animals?

 

If you live in the Houston area, check out Yonder Way Farms.  They raise grass-fed meats and free-range eggs and everything we've purchased from them has been absolutely delicious!  Plus, I love supporting family-owned local farms.

 

Maybe someday I'll have my own chickens.  When I do, I'll blog about it for sure :o)

Real Food Nutrition & Health Homeschool Curriculum

My husband and I have made great strides in taking care of our health and fitness.  With all that we've learned about food, our bodies, and fitness, it would be a crime to not pass down what we've learned to our children.  How could we sit there and eat our grass-fed steaks and spinach salads and fill our children up with unhealthy processed fried chicken nuggets, french fries and chips?? 

Advertisers are smart and they know how to market to our kids.  My kids want the brightly colored, character adorned boxes of crap they see in the snack aisle.  And I'm a mean mommy because I say "no".  Please don't get me wrong - I would not deny my child a slice of cake at a birthday party or an occasional ice cream cone here and there.  I even occasionally make homemade cookies for them (made with healthier ingredients, of course).  It's just that we refuse to keep unhealthy items in my house on a regular basis.

My husband and I eat Paleo, however, unlike us, our kids do consume whole grains.  We just try to limit the amount they consume and we choose snacks and bread that are free from corn starch and high fructose corn syrup (organic when possible).  I also had to get creative and spend some extra time searching the grocery stores for healthy alternatives to their favorite foods.  We even managed to make their diet mostly dairy-free.  They love chocolate and vanilla almond milk!  In fact, almond milk has WAY more calcium than cow milk.  So far, the kids have been more than happy with their healthy snacks at home.

I think it is key is to teach children WHY they should eat certain foods and WHY they should avoid other foods.  Simply saying "no" is not enough.  I found a resource for teaching the 'whys' of nutrition on the Food Renegade website.  It's a curriculum called Real Food Nutrition & Health.  I haven't read this book yet so I can't give it a 'yay' or 'nay', however, I was happy to find a book that is more in line with what I know to be true about food & nutrition.  The government can reinvent the food pyramid all they want, but the truth is that their pyramid has done nothing but help make America fat and unhealthy (Wanna read more?  Click here.)

I want my kids need to know that I care more about their long-term health than I do about their immediate gratification.  If that means that I'm "mean" because I said no M&M's, then so be it.  When we truly love someone, we give them what they need before we give them what they want.

I want my kids to grow up healthy, strong and happy, just like any mom does.  I believe proper nutrition plays a big role in accomplishing that.

After all, we are what we eat.

No Toast French Toast Recipe

I have to give my husband credit for this one.  One of our favorite Paleo breakfast recipe's is Robb Wolf's Peach & Pecan Scramble (found in 'The Paleo Solution' by Robb Wolf - full recipe can be found here).  A couple months ago, peaches were no where to be found in Houston since they weren't in season yet.  We often substituted using apples or pears, which is still just as delicious.  However, one day we were out of apples and pears so my husband decided to make this without fruit.  He took it a step further and made it into an omelet, versus being scrambled, and topped it with agave nectar.  The end product tasted exactly like French toast - no kidding!  

Don't believe us?  Try it for yourself - I dare you not to like it!

This recipe serves 1 - adjust quantities according to how many people you wish to serve.

1. In a small bowl, crack two eggs and scramble them with a fork, mixing the yolks and the whites.

2. To the eggs, add approx. 2 TB no sugar added apple sauce, chopped pecans to taste and cinnamon to taste (maybe 1/2 tsp?)

3. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (Optional)

4.  Mix all ingredients well.

5. Heat olive oil in frying pan (the amount of oil depends on whether you cook with a teflon coated pan or a stainless steel - we use a bit more oil because our pans have no teflon coating). 

6. Once the oil is heated, add egg mixture and cook it like a flat omelet, flipping once to cook both sides.

7. When the egg mixture is cooked through, place omelet on plate drizzle agave nectar over top.

Enjoy!

Another Favorite Food Blog:

OK, so when I first posted about the Primal Palate blog several months ago, Court & I were just dabbling with the idea of eating Paleo.  After much talk, Court finally talked me into giving up my beloved morning oatmeal with blueberries and tall glass of skim milk and we've gone completely Paleo.  This diet change immediately sent us in search of recipes and the blog that I use the most is The Foodee Project.  So far, everything we've made has been FABULOUS!

Giving up whole grains and dairy hasn't been as traumatic as I thought it would be.  In fact, I don't miss those foods at all.  When I do cheat on occasion, I regret it.  I feel fat, bloated and spend part of the night in the bathroom (sorry for the visual).  We've been eating this way since mid-March and I've even lost a few extra pounds that I'm certain I won't miss!

Check 'em out!

My New Favorite Food Blog!

 image via The Food Lover's Primal Plate

Court and I are doing our best to eat 'au naturel'.  This means lean meats, fish/seafood, lots of veggies, some fruits, some whole grains, no dairy and little to no processed foods.  This also means doing more food preparation and cooking, which I don't mind.  In fact, I prefer it!  Eating out too often upsets my stomach and makes me feel boated.

I was getting a little tired of simply grilling a meat and cooking a vegetable or preparing a salad so I began searching for a good paleo diet recipe site.  The Paleo Diet is simply this:

"With readily available modern foods, The Paleo Diet mimics the types of foods every single person on the planet ate prior to the Agricultural Revolution (a mere 500 generations ago). These foods (fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and seafood) are high in the beneficial nutrients (soluble fiber, antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, omega-3 and monounsaturated fats, and low-glycemic carbohydrates) that promote good health and are low in the foods and nutrients (refined sugars and grains, saturated and trans fats, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and processed foods) that frequently may cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous other health problems. The Paleo Diet encourages dieters to replace dairy and grain products with fresh fruits and vegetables — foods that are more nutritious than whole grains or dairy products." 

(from Paleo Plan)

If you're used to eating out often and frequently intake processed foods (chips, cookies, pizza, etc.), then eating this way would seem pretty severe.  However, over the past year we have slowly been drifting this way, as far as diet goes, so it's not such a shock to us.  In fact, it can be enjoyable (thanks to herbs, olive oil & spices) and I no longer feel controlled by food (i.e. 'I must have a cookie!').  Granted, I have my moments...after watching a chocolate competition on TLC I told my husband that he needed to turn it off so I wouldn't leave the house to go purchase a chocolate bar.  I've found that if I don't keep junk in my house then I won't eat it, so temptation to cheat isn't much of a problem.

We all know that we're supposed to 'eat healthy' so I won't go into that - most Americans know they should eat better, but they choose not to (like we did for years).  So, if you want to try a healthy diet then check out the recipes from The Food Lovers' Primal Palate.