Thanksgiving

I have been so busy these past few weeks that I cannot believe today is the 18th. I felt like Halloween was just a couple of days ago. My posting has been more sporadic then I had planned but such is life. I have been making a bunch of paleo recipes and not taking pictures because I'm slowly learning to slow down and enjoy cooking and eating.

Life has been very busy for me because along with getting settled back into our Iowa City home I have also been taking 18 credit hours of classes through UIowa and taking care of Nicholas. After a long talk with Laura, I have decided a program at UIowa that I will be begin working towards next spring. As I stated before I desire to teach, but in my perfect world I would love to homeschool my children. So this is the reason I am choosing a major in Microbiology. Now before you think that I am way off base here this major actually opens a lot of doors for me. First of all, I find it incredibly interesting. Furthermore if I desired I could try my hardest to get into research after college or after completing a higher degree. I could complete a lab tech program and work in a hospital. Or I could try an alternative licensing path to become a science teacher. I will probably end up in a hospital but with this I could work part time and then achieve my dream of homeschool. So if I am absent this is the reason.

Now on to the real reason that this post was created. I have decided that for Thanksgiving I will be using Gather by Bill Staley & Hayley Mason. I will be using the Thanksgiving Menu which includes Cranberry Relish with Dates, Poached Pear Salad, Lemon Green Beans with Shallots, Apple Veal Stuffing, Stuffed Turkey Rubbed with Duck Fat and Herbs, and a Pecan and probably Pumpkin Pie. Although all of these recipes are designed for a gathering of 10 people I will divide them in half to fit the family I will be cooking for. I cannot wait to try this menu and I promise I will work on pictures this time through the whole process. On of the other things I like about the Gather book is it tells you what you should be doing in the week leading up to serving the menus. An example would be putting the frozen turkey (assuming it is frozen) in the fridge 3 days prior to thaw. This is a very simple and basic example but I think they are helpful to have in mind when life is going crazy like mine normally is.

Hopefully soon I also hope to make a post regarding Nicholas. I have been busy lately trying to find good paleo recipes that he likes,but things that are simple enough to make for lunches. 95% of the time he enjoys dinner with us but lunch is normally a different story. I also hope in the future to purchase the book Eat Like A Dinosaur which is a kid friendly paleo book. I hope that this further helps. Of his most favorite items at the moment I would have to say he LOVES sauteed spinach with garlic. At the rate we eat/use garlic in this family I think I will need to go find my own personal garlic farmer.

Until Later
- Christina

Breakfast

It has been several days since I last posted. It has been a very hectic time. My son Nicholas has been learning lots of new things, one of which is climbing a ladder. I'm always proud of him for being a quick learner but sometimes I don't like the things he learns.

Anyways on to better things. One of our favorite things in the morning for breakfast is a Frittata. We love eggs and veggies and the way you can do almost anything with it. For our most recent one we included chorizo and it was amazing. I need to get better about taking pictures through the whole process, but I did remember to take some right before I ate my piece. For me the appearance does not matter so my plating will never be pretty but rather how it looks when I serve my family and myself. The reciepe I used can be found here - Frittata.

For dinner tonight we had acorn squash with a beef, tomato, red bell, onion, and garlic mixture in the center. I wish I had taken some photos but life is always crazy before Laura has to go to work and I don't get to concentrate on making food they way I like. 

I promise to post more often. 

Until Later 

- Christina  

Cookbooks

I was hoping this morning that I would be able to do a post about breakfast, but since Laura has decided to sleep in I am eating the leftovers. Instead I thought I would talk about the cookbooks I have.

Although the paleo diet is pretty new for us. I have collected several cookbooks already. To let you in on a little secret, I cannot cook. Ok well obviously I can cook, but really all I do is follow directions. I am very good at following directions. I would not have what you call a knack for cooking. I very rarely change a recipe to fit me. I almost never cut recipes in half because I somehow always ruin them. I am not very good at making my food look pretty afterwards. I regret that I did not think cooking was cool as a child and I did not spend time in the kitchen with family members. I should probably take basic classes like knife handling. But I love to cook! Even though I know that I'm not amazing and I would be terrified to cook for other not in my immediate family I still love to do it. Because of this lack in some natural cooking talent I rely on a good set of cookbooks. In fact it is probably the one thing Laura cannot go wrong in when she buys gifts, cookbooks and kitchen supplies.

Current paleo cookbook stash

  These are the books I am currently working with. I use Make it Paleo and the 30 day guide a lot! I have yet to use gather by Hayley and Bill because I have not found the right time quite yet. I am thinking about doing their holiday spread. Paleo Comfort Foods is the book I use next but it is still newer for me. I recently purchased the slow cooker book and Well Fed. I have made a soup from the slow cooker book and have some things marked in the Well Fed book. The two books I have not used at all because I lost them during the move is The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and Healthy Sauces, Dressings & Toppings by Mark Sisson. I have been reading the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and love it.

I think that I am drawn to Hayley and Bill's books because they have recipes for two people. I also enjoy the fact that they give you an estimated prep time and cook time. This helps me a lot plan on when I need to be doing what.  I know that I gave you their link lasy night but I want to make sure I post everyone's again. http://www.primalpalate.com/

You can find more information about the Mayfields here http://paleocomfortfoods.com/about-us/. I am not as familiar with their site as I am with primalpalate but I've checked it out a few times.

Mark Sisson's site is a wonderful site http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2jPD5ald0. I highly suggest anyone who is thinking about paleo or just interested to check it out! I have been there many times and there is a wealth of information and knowledge there.

Finally we have Melissa Joulwan's site The Clothes Make the Girl. I have only been to here site when following the links from another blog. I have wanted to take the time to really go through it, but I haven't had the chance.

Until Later
- Christina