Easing the Teething, Naturally.

Poor Lucy, she has been cutting teeth this week. It's been a painful experience for her with all the classic symptoms of swollen gums, red cheeks, nappy rash, general grumpiness. 

I always like to try my best to keep her away from anything unnatural, she's only 9 months old and this means that any chemicals or harsh ingredients will effect her more strongly than an adult. So, here are a few ways we have gotten through the week....

1. Amber Beads: I don't really know for sure if these work, or if it's just a placebo effect. Apparently the naturally occurring oils have anti-inflammatory properties and these are released when the amber is warmed up against the skin.
2. Cold vege slices:  Cucumbers, capsicums and celery are nice and cold for sore gums.
3. Cornflour: And nappy-free time for nappy rash.
4. Soft rubber toys: to chew on.
5. Weleda teething powder
6. Extra sleep time: I've just been going with the flow here, teething is hard work so an extra little nap has been needed some days.

P.S any other natural teething tips out there??....I may need a few more up my sleeve for when the next ones pop through!

Pink Dip

Jacinda clearly enjoying her pink dip with baby carrots

Our garden is brimming with beetroots at the moment, we traded some with our neighbour for her abundance of green beans and then whizzed up the rest into a simple dip.

Ingredients:

4 small beetroots 

1 pottle of greek yoghurt

2 cloves of garlic 

Method:

Peel and dice the beetroots and garlic.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and whizz.

Going Against The Grain Part 1: Insulin

Eliminating grains is THE most essential element of the Primal diet. It is also the most controversial, challenging and misunderstood aspect. So, I'm going to break this down into a series of posts. The first one being Insulin.........

Insulin is a hormone. Hormones tell our body how to react to our environment and can fluctuate with exercise, sunshine, sex, sleep, pregnancy and food. Insulin levels are determined by the amount of glucose (sugar) in our diet. Now, the sneaky thing about grains is that they eventually end up as glucose in the bloodstream, identical to how pure sugar would look. This means the body doesn't know if you have eaten a handful of lollies or a slice of bread, it's the same thing!

Now, that glucose (sugar) is also toxic when it enters the bloodstream. This isn't a bad thing it just means that it needs to get out of there ASAP. Firstly, it will see if the muscles need it, if not (because the muscle cells haven't been depleted of glucose via exercising) it gets stored as fat. Therefore, the more glucose in the bloodstream (from grains or just pure sugar) the more insulin rises, and the higher the level of insulin the louder and more urgent his message of "Store Fat!" gets.

Insulin levels can be kept low by eating vegetables and a little fruit for carbohydrate. This allows the body to maintain enough glucose in the muscles yet keeps Insulin's message of "Store Fat!" to a whisper.

From an evolutionary perspective, a big insulin rush had it's purpose. Imagine a Apple tree full of ripe fruit, a scarce and valuable find for the primal people. They would most likely devour as much as possible, embrace the insulin rush, store a little fat and then use it during a tough day of hunting and gathering.

Things are drastically different these days. A day without food is unheard of unless your doing the '40 hr famine' or are unwell. We eat vast amounts of sugar, including cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner...... and our body drowns in insulin screaming "Store Fat!, Store Fat!, Store Fat!"

Fridays, Out and About on the Web.......

The Sunday morning Hobsonville Point Farmers Market  is now on Wednesday evenings too

I wish someone like Mike  would drive down my street

The 11th Crossfit Skill? 

and 

"Float like a Butterfly, sting like a Bee".......Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali!!

Enjoy Your Weekend x

The Primal Lunchbox....10 Ideas.

For Lucy: Sweet Potato and Apple Puree, For Jacinda: Beetroot dip, Water, Bacon bits, Cherry Tomatoes, Sultanas & Walnuts, Celery Sticks for the dip and a Nectarine.

1. Any kind of Deli meat
2. Biltong
3. A Boiled egg
4. Paleo style baking*
5. Dried Fruit
6. Fresh Fruit
7. Dips & sliced veges*
8. Leftovers
9. Greek yoghurt
10. Baby carrots and cream cheese

* Paleo style baking and dips quite often have nuts in the ingredients which may not be allowed in some childcare centres. 

Mini Lunchbox Muffins

Pre-schoolers often aren't allowed any nuts in their lunchboxes due to the high number of children who now suffer from nut allergies. Most paleo baking recipes use almond flour, which is a no-no for Jacinda's lunchbox, so these mini muffins are a good alternative for creche days. I keep them in the freezer and pop one in her lunchbox in the morning, being so small they defrost well before morning tea time rolls around.

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
3 Tbsp Butter
1/3 cup Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius 
2. Whisk the eggs
3. Melt the butter. Use a little to grease the mini muffin tin, then mix the rest into the beaten eggs.
4. Sift in the Coconut Flour, Baking Soda and Cream of Tartar and mix well.
5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins and bake for approx 15mins or until golden.

Makes 12 Mini Muffins

P.S For variety, how about adding some dried fruit, blueberries or dark chocolate chips to the mix?

The Cafe Brunch - 4 Ways to Keep it Primal.

The "Vege Grill with a side of bacon but no toast" at Tongue and Groove Cafe, Birkenhead

1. Add and Subtract.
Think Bacon & Eggs, add side of spinach but no toast or maybe an Omelet, add a side of avocado but no toast.

2. The Triplet.
Don't overlook the awesome meal that can be created out of 3 'sides' ....how about Bacon + Salad+ Avocado or Scrambled Eggs + Tomatoes + Creamy Mushrooms. These combinations often work out cheaper than the big meals on the menu and you can mentally tick off your servings of Protein, Fat and Carbs.

3. The Long Black with Cream
Why this is not on the menu surprises me (maybe because technically it is called a 'Vienna', although I hesitate to use the word since my 'Vienna' once arrived with ice-cream and a chocolate fish?!) however, if you ask you'll be in for a treat.

4. Downsize Me
If you have little ones, most cafes are happy to give smaller portions of the above. Mixing up some 'sides' and getting creative can be fun for kids. Jacinda's favourite is sausage + avocado + hash brown or sometimes I can get a half portion of fruit salad + greek yoghurt for half the normal price.