Paleo Blackberry Cobbler and Biscuit Adventures

Last summer marked quite possibly the height of my glutony and food indulgence.  We discovered a few years ago that most natives of this area consider blackberry bushes to be the most obnoxious weed known to man and nothing more.  They hack at the bushes, spray them, curse them, and yet they come back each year bigger and pricklier than ever.  Sometime last August, we decided to take advantage of the poor neglected plant for the benefit of our tummies.

Most of the local parks have nearly endless blackberry bushes scattered throughout, and one in particular had easily accessible berries.  So one sunny day, we grabbed our largest plastic bowls and some scissors, and paid a visit to the park to raid the lucious berries.

I'm pretty sure I baked about 3 or 4 blackberry cobblers in about 2 weeks...I honestly can't remember.  You see, I was in a bit of a sugar/gluten/fat coma.  I was tripped out on cobbler.  I would have injected it into my eyeballs if it would have made the taste linger a little longer on my tongue (how injecting anything into your eyeballs can directly affect your taste buds is beyond me, but just roll with it).

I was addicted.  And I could hide behind my husband, point to him and say, "HEY, he ate most of the cobbler!" but I would be lying.  I daresay I ate 3 of the 4 cobblers I fixed by myself...

I was addicted.

Fast forward a year, and blackberries are starting to show themselves at farmers markets, and naturally, all I can think of is, "How can I have my cobbler this year???"  I might have fought back a tear a few times as we passed by the berry stands...

So I decided to go out on a limb and actually try to make some GF/DF (gluten-free/dairy-free; Josh doesn't eat dairy) cobbler.

I knew I wanted a biscuit top because...well, that's just cobbler to me!  So I found this excellent recipe for drop biscuits:

http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/archives/how-to-make-gluten-free-drop-biscuits/

The only problem is that the flour mix she suggested is definitely not Paleo (shhhh, I know rice isn't Paleo either, but we can talk about that another day), so I knew I would have to improvise, and here's what I came up with.

Semi-Paleo Blackberry Cobbler

Topping

2 cups flour mix (I measure out about 1 cup of brown rice flour, 1 cup of sweet white rice flour, and 1/2 cup of tapioca flour to make my flour mix.)

1 tsp baking powder (I don't use baking powder - instead, I put in a bit of baking soda and a pinch of vinegar)

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

6 tbsp shortening (I used palm shortening)

1 cup milk (I used whole fat coconut milk)

1 egg beaten

Sugar

Filling

Berries - I used 4 pints of blackberries, but you can put in as much as you want.  Try mixing different berries!

Agave nectar or honey

Sugar

1 tsp arrowroot powder (though tapioca starch would probably work)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Pour the berries into a baking dish.  Start with maybe 1/4 cup of agave or honey and coat the berries.  Mix well.  Sprinkle some sugar on top and mix again.  I like to crush the berries a bit, but do whatever you want there.

Set the berries aside and click on the drop biscuit link above, and follow the directions.  When you've got your biscuit mixture, drop spoonfuls of the dough on top of the berry mixture and spread it out a bit.  Then sprinkle sugar liberally on top of the dough, and place the cobbler in the oven.

Honestly, I don't know how long it takes, so stick the timer on 35 minutes, and check on the biscuits every few minutes after that - you'll know it's done when the berry mixture is bubbling and the biscuit top is a nice golden brown.

I suggest topping with some gluten free ice cream - <3

Enjoy!  If you make this recipe, let me know how it went!  I'd love to hear stories or see some pictures of the finished product.

Peace out my hommies.

PS:  I also tried making a few drop biscuits w/ the leftover dough.  Good stuff.  Give it a try!

You know you're fully immersed in a Paleo lifestyle when...

...you question what's in your shampoo.  Then you look up all those chemicals in your shampoo.  Then you wonder why in the world companies put chemicals that harsh in your shampoo.  So you buy shampoo that consists of probably 95% organic, natural oils with only 1 slightly bad chemical in it.  And even that bothers you.

...you feel guilty about wearing eye makeup - have you ever looked up all the junk they put in those tubes?!  Petroleum, really?  As in, if I had a ton of this, I could possibly run my car with it?!

...you feel guilty about wearing any kind of make up, moisturizer, or sunscreen.  Seriously, if I'm not putting crap into my body, why would I want to smear crap onto my body?  Enough said.

...you stop using your Bath and Body Works products because they're just as creepy as your old shampoo.  Sad days...

...you stop buying nasty chemical cleaners and start buying locally made "yuppie" soaps which you have to dilute with water and pour into reusable spray bottles.  And then you have no idea what to do with the chemical cleaners you have left over...ugh.

...you throw out all your plastic wear (it didn't say BPA free on the package), and you purchase Pyrex bowls, etc.  BPA is of the devil, and it's EVERYWHERE!

...you realize that since you've stop putting crap in your body and onto your body, it's probably time to stop bringing unnecessary crap into the house.  So you decide to be more frugal and get rid of things in life that you never use.  You buy things when you need them.  You stop impulse shopping (except for today when I found an awesome shirt at Ross.  Yeaaaah).

**********************************************************

A Paleo diet has not only helped me lose weight, but it's also led me to new ways of thinking.  It's taught me to question the "norm" and seek out, for myself, what I feel is best for my body and my life.  I don't need the media to tell me what works for me.  I don't need big agriculture telling me that my health will suffer if I don't eat their GMO grains.  I don't need the government to tell me what proper nutrition is.  I don't need to buy into all those fad diets.

I need to consume the fuel my body was meant to process - you don't put helium in the gas tank of your car, do you?  I would hope not (I wonder what liquid helium would do in a gas tank/engine...I'm guessing it would just freeze it).  The same goes with your body - processed foods, pesticides and preservatives don't grow on trees.  And they ain't meant to fuel your body (definitely wouldn't try liquid helium here - just sayin').

I'm starting to feel like the same concept can be applied to the outside of my body as well as my environment.  You're not only what you eat.  You're how you act and interact with your world.  I choose to be as naturally me as possible, inside and out.  One step at a time.

Sasha and the Great White Potato

So while on vacation last week, I decided that it might be time to allow a food back in my life which I had abstained from eating for 6 months, and one that used to be among my favorite foods - the Great White Potato.

Yes, it deserves to be capitalized.

I reintroduced it back into my diet with style (style meaning about 3 heaping tablespoons of real butter and 3 tablespoons of whole-fat sour cream atop the great baked beast).  Man, was it freakin' good! 

Which brings me to my next point - last night, I convinced Josh that since he's in the clear, he should try nightshades again (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, etc).  So we bought red potatoes, and I sliced them up to look like McDonald's french fries.  They were pretty darn good - even the slightly burnt ones had a great taste, especially smothered in ketchup.

Only one small problem with all this.  I've started getting heartburn symptoms (which for me means I'm not producing enough acid oddly enough), and I can't help but wonder if it might be the potatoes.  Okay, I lied.  There's another problem - I'm also VERY scared that I might get on a potato kick and gain all my weight back (This was not encouraging to see on googlenews today "Pound for Pound, Worst Foods for Weight Gain").

What's the plan, then?  I'm thinking for now, I'll limit my white potatoes to a max of 2 times a week and only on days I exercise a decent amount (moderate cardio for around 30 min should be good).  I also need to take my Betaine HCL on a more regular basis...ugh.

Do you have heartburn problems?  Have you ever tried taking Betaine HCL to see if it helps with heartburn symptoms?  You might give it a try - you'd be surprised how many people inhibit their stomach acid thinking it'll help, when in turn it actually hurts the stomach/gut. 

(Note - I'm not a doctor; I'm just sharing what I know. Below are some informational links on low stomach acid and Betaine.  If you're not sure, ask a doctor.)

http://www.modernherbalist.com/betaine.html
http://www.leakygut.co.uk/Hypochlorhydria.htm
http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=13388

Paleo eating while...traveling. Good times...

I don't know how many of you are seasoned Paleo enthusiasts, but I'm a mere 6 months into this commitment, and I haven't yet had the extreme joy of having to figure out how the heck I'm gonna eat while flying 9 hours across the country.  No more stopping at airport restaurants!

Needless to say, the very idea of having to meal plan for a trip to TN sent my head spinning and my eyes bonking out of my head like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Then I took a breath, remembered that the Paleo blogging community is swimming with oodles of ideas, and started searching.  That's when I came across this idea:

http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/01/beef-jerky.html

It's so simple, so perfect for a long plane ride.  I was a bit intimidated when I saw that it called for Coconut Aminos, but our local health food store, PCC, came to the rescue.  And, the best part of all??  It's not a liquid food, so I don't have to worry about TSA examining it and deeming it unfit or more than 3 oz or whatever.  Hurray!

Another thought, which looking back, I can't help but wonder why it didn't immediately come to mind... 

TRAIL MIX!

Here's my plan:

1/2 cup organic raisins
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
3/4 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried banana chips
1/2 cup dried strawberries

We have a food dehydrator, so whatever else I can think of tossing in it will probably also end up in our trail mix.  (By the way, I totally just made up the numbers on the fly - you can put in whatever you want however you want, but I think this will be a good ratio of nuts to fruits to coconut.)

I also plan on bringing some Larabars - they're fantastic.  The only draw back is, they're loaded with sugar, and while it's natural sugar from the dates and fruits they use in the bars, it's still a bit much.  Especially when you're strapped to a plane seat for 4 hours at a time and your only exercise is climbing over people and seats to get to the bathroom.

I could kinda use a veggie to round out Friday's day of snacking, so I'm thinking I might bake some kale chips.  Surely between the jerky, trail mix and kale chips, we'll have enough chow to get us through until we get to my mother's house at 11pm Friday night. 

What snacks do you take with you on trips?  Anyone have any Paleo traveling tips you'd like to share?

Tea time

One of the ladies at church is holding a tea party at her house today.  Naturally, the first thing that comes to my mind isn't so much what am I going to wear - it's more like what am I going to eat???

Food is my vanity.  Wait...does that even make sense?

Whatever.  Anyways, I don't have a ton of Paleo desserts in my repertoire yet.  So off to the internet I go!  And what do I find, you ask?

Yummy things.  When I first saw "Vegan Avocado Scones" in my search results, I gagged a little.  Then I wondered why in the world that would make me gag (I think it was probably the Vegan part).  I mean, avocado is an amazing fruit.  Why not throw one of those magical foods into a scone recipe, seriously?!

If you're interested in the recipe, check it out:  http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2011/05/04/avocado-scones-vegan-and-gluten-free-recipe/

I would also love making these, if only I had enough time today...

http://www.paleoplan.com/2010/01-04/almond-macaroons/
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/04-14/paleo-ice-cream-2/
http://www.paleoplan.com/2010/01-04/almond-muffins/

EDIT:  Just found this recipe, and it looks AMAZING.  Obviously, one would need to swap out Oat flour and corn flour for something more "kosher" like almond flour, coconut flour, (rice flour if you're okay using rice products), etc.

http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2011/04/06/gluten-free-ratio-rally-strawberry-snack-cake-recipe/


Alas, there's only so much time in the day, and that time happens to be only 2 1/2 hours from when I've gotta leave.

So enough chatting - TIME TO GET MY BAKE ON!

The Chart

I just happened to be playing around on SparkPeople.com - taking a look at some old data, etc.  I happened upon something quite eye-opening.  It made me realize how long I had been in denial over my weight; how long I was complacent with being obese. 

It was my weightloss chart.  I've been using the website for about two years trying to lose weight.  There were chunks of time I chose to stay far away from the tool that was my mirror, the tool that tried to show me I was so unhealthy.

Here it is.  Can you tell when I started the Paleo diet?

This chart makes me sad, and in the same breath makes me joyful that I found a way to finally get healthy.

Here's some pictures of me in 2009.  I didn't take many of myself...

Yeah...chubby.

Here's the most recent picture of me.

I wish I had better pictures to show how I've gone from a fluffy puffy obese chick to a leaner, healthier, only-14-lbs-overweight gal.  These will have to do for now.

Besides, once I get down to 155ish, you guys might get tired of my new found vanity and over-taking of pictures of myself...mwhaha!  ;)

Are you label literate? I'm guessing no...

It's shocking what hides in our food. Are you drinking a soda right now? Maybe eating a candy bar or some chips? Take a look at the nutritional label, and read the ingredients. No, go ahead, I'll wait...

Do you really know what most of that stuff is? Or do you assume that since someone put it on the shelf, it has to be benign?

I challenge you to take one of those weird words you found on the label, and type it into a search engine. That's right - learn what you're putting into your body. Because whether you choose to believe it or not, you most definitely are what you eat. And I personally don't want to be "partially hydrogenated soybean oil."



Here's a picture of a can of refried beans I found in our cabinet. As someone following a Paleo lifestyle, what are some of the things that stand out to you that make this food a no-no?





Alright, so after taking a long look at the picture above, what are some of the no-no foods/ingredients you found?

You should have found that:

1. BEANS - no-no on Paleo! Beans, part of the legume family, are an off-limits food. If you don't know why, Google it.
2. Autolyzed yeast extract. My rule of thumb is, if I don't know what it is, I probably shouldn't be eating it. Click here to learn more about autolyzed yeast extract.
3. Partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Two bad things here - one, no one should eat anything with any degree of hydrogenation, partial or otherwise. It's not natural, and it's not healthy. Two, soybean oil - soybeans are another food group Paleo dieters stay away from. Again, if you don't understand why, Google it (you need to learn some of this stuff for yourself).
4. May contain Soy. Okay, the very idea that they would say "may" when they list "partially hydrogenated soybean oil" as one of the ingredients just cracks me up. DUR.

There are probably a few other things I would add to the list as something I personally avoid (excessive sodium, non-organic, etc.), but those things aren't worth going into right now. The whole point is to show you what is in your healthy food.

BTW: If you are avoiding gluten, it's really important that you read ALL the labels and packaging that comes with your food. Gluten is in nearly everything, and if it doesn't specficially say "Gluten free" somewhere on the label, there's a really good chance that there's gluten in the food.

Take a look at that soda or that can of Pringles you're consuming. Having second thoughts yet? Oh, and heaven help you if you're drinking a diet drink. Might as well chug a few beakers from a chemistry lab. Nasty.