Paleo Spirit

Paleo and the City: Bareburger (New York City)

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Lea

When the boys are out of school in the summer we like to take a few trips into nearby New York City. We always have fun adventures. Recently, we trekked to Bareburger, a restaurant I have been interested in trying ever since hearing about it from a friend at Paleo FX in Austin. We journeyed to the heart of Midtown Manhattan to find this Paleo-friendly burger joint.

It was well worth the trip.

Benjamin was excited. He gave me his best suave look.

B at Bareburger

Bareburger’s Food

Bareburger offers organic, all natural, free-range, grass-fed meats; organic and all-natural cheeses; and organic vegetables. They partner with local artisans and sustainable farmers and emphasize old-fashioned quality.

Here’s a description of some of the ingredients they use:

Meats:
Beef: 100% organic, grass-fed, 85% lean
Bison: 100% organic, grass-fed, 91% lean
Turkey: 100% organic, free-range, 94% lean
Elk: 100% all-natural, pasture raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, 92% lean
Wild Boar: 100% all-natural, pasture raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free
Ostrich: 100% all-natural, pasture raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, 95% lean
Lamb: 100% all-natural, pasture raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, 90% lean
Chicken: 100% all-natural, free-range, hormone-free, antibiotic-free
Portabella Cap: 100% organic
Veggie Burger: Made with organic grains and local vegetables
Bacons: 100% all-natural, hormone-free and nitrate free
Sausage: 100% organic

Cheeses: 100% all-natural, made from pasture raised cows, rbgh-free (growth hormone)

Vegetables and Fruits: 100% organic, pesticide, herbicide and ammonia free

Dairy and Eggs: 100% organic, made from grass-fed cows

Pretty impressive.

Gluten-Free Options at Bareburger

Book Review and Giveaway: “Eat Like A Dinosaur”

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Lea

(The Giveaway is over now. We have a lucky winner! See below)

The recipe and guidebook for gluten-free kids called “Eat Like a Dinosaur” by Paleo Parents has been our kitchen companion for a few months now. Our family has been following a paleo way of eating for quite a while. I buy and prepare the food and pack the school lunches so Benjamin and Nathaniel have not had much choice in the matter. We work hard to make sure eating this way is fun, tasty, and not a constant battle. And while they may put up a fuss about certain dishes now and then, for the most part, the boys have been on board. But Eat Like A Dinosaur has made getting my kids to enjoy eating whole, healthful foods even easier. Reading about and seeing photos of Stacy and Matt’s kids, Cole, Finian and Wesley has helped my boys understand they are not the only kids eating a paleo diet. It has given them more confidence when talking to their friends about their food choices. Nathaniel especially liked the illustrated children’s story that makes up chapter two and has read it several times. Most of all, my boys have enjoyed the recipes in the book. They have fun going through Eat Like a Dinosaur on their own, letting me know what they want to make and then helping me make it.

I think girls as well as boys would enjoy and benefit from this book. But one reason it has gone over especially well with our family is the general love of all things dinosaur. Here are my guys at the newly opened Field Station Dinosaurs in Secaucus, New Jersey just last week. The 30 animatronic dinosaurs were super cool and, not surprisingly, the T-Rex (with the Empire State Building in the background) was the favorite. (We enjoyed ourselves there in spite of the 95 degree temperature!)Back to the book….

Here is a summary of the key features of “Eat Like A Dinosaur”

288 pages – more than recipes, includes a “how to” chapter for parents and “projects” to get the family spending time together

illustrated kids story aims to get kids excited and thinking positively about embracing food changes

over 100 recipes and projects which are grain-, dairy-, legume- and refined sugar-free, but not lacking in flavor or fun!

all recipes have full color, bright, fun layout with corresponding photo – enticing to kids

allergy-friendly book has top 8 allergens on each page and easy index in the back

written & photographed by normal suburban family who turned their health around with switching to a “real foods” diet (lost over 200lbs, kids no longer have asthma, eczema, allergies, behavioral issues, etc.)

All recipes are Paleo, but it’s not a Paleo specific book – it’s for all kinds of families with a wide range of food habits – including those with allergies, WAPF, GFCF or simply trying to eat better.

A few of our favorite recipes from Eat Like a Dinosaur:

50/50 Bacon Burgers
Apple Bacon Slaw
Deviled Bacony Eggs
Baconnaise
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Notice a pattern?

Well, the Banana Bread doesn’t have bacon in it….although I’m sure we could find a way to work it in somehow…

Just yesterday we made Deviled Bacony Eggs. Here’s what they looked like. Continue reading →

The Paleo Perspective on Babycakes NYC™

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Lea

It was the last full day of school for my two boys (yes, school ends late around here) Taking advantage of the time, I trekked into New York City for a little fun on my own. One of my stops was a bakery I first visited last summer: Babycakes NYC™. Found on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Babycakes Bakery serves

“all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemia index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependant diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly.”

As someone with food allergies and intolerances, as well as some strong preferences, I greatly appreciate owner Erin McKenna’s vision. She set out to create a bakery that would serve, not a “vegan” cupcake, but a delicious cupcake that just happens to be vegan. I love that.

Let’s take a peek inside and learn a little more about Babycakes.

Paleo and The City: Greensquare Tavern

Posted on May 26, 2012 by G

Greetings, everyone! “G,” here, filling in for Lea to write a glowing review of Greensquare Tavern, a very Paleo-friendly, “farm to table” restaurant in New York City.

Lea and I really enjoy dining out – probably too much, if my wallet has anything to say about it – but her celiac disease adds an extra dimension of difficulty to finding a suitable restaurant. On more than a few occasions we’ve found great restaurants unfortunately using ingredients that make it virtually impossible to dine safely, so we have been forced to cross them off our list. Therefore, it was a genuine pleasure to come across the Greensquare Tavern.

Located at 5 West 21st Street in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, Greensquare Tavern is spacious, airy, and inviting. A picture window in the front by the bar and a large, overhead skylight flood the dining area with soft, bright light even on a gray rainy day like the day of our visit.

We arrived just before the lunch rush and were greeted by Renee Typaldos, one of the managing partners. There were still plenty of seats, but that didn’t last long. Within 10 minutes, most of the tables were full of hungry office workers and assorted cube mice looking for a healthy, delicious lunch.

I started off as I usually do, by checking the beer list, and was pleased to inform Lea that Estrella Damm DAURA, a gluten-free ale from Spain, was available! She clapped her hands with delight and promptly ordered one in a large, frosty glass. There aren’t many gluten-free beers, and seemingly fewer restaurants that serve them, so a nice, tasty bottle of DAURA was an unexpected treat.

After delivering the gluten-free beer, our waiter returned to tell us about the daily specials. Lea and I both started off with the Chilled Beet Soup. Continue reading →

Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Ben

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET THE 74th ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES BEGIN! AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR…

Hi, my name is Ben. I am an enormously, epically, hugely, giantly, largely-big fan of THE HUNGER GAMES! I am here to do a quick book review before Paleo Spirit (aka my mom) shares a Hunger Games related recipe: Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums!

The Hunger Games is set in North America near the capitol city Panem. Panem is surrounded by twelve districts which specialize in the production of one or more goods. Each year, the districts are forced to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the Hunger Games. During The Hunger Games the tributes are forced to fight to the death on television while the nation watches.

Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old hunter. She helps feed her mother and younger sister, Prim, by hunting outside the borders of their home in District 12. Katniss’ younger sister was selected for the Hunger Games. But Katniss stepped up and took her place in the Games. Before the games begin, the tributes are well fed and treated like royalty. During this Pre-Hunger Games time Katniss finds that her favorite meal served is the lamb stew with dried plums and wild rice.

The Hunger Games is overall a great book. (or series if you’ve read the other books) When recommending the book to others I commonly say: “This book is not under any circumstance to be used as a bedtime story for young children!” I think that kind of sums up my intensity rating for the book. My parents have not let me see the movie because it is rated PG-13. The thing I really like about the book is that the storyline plays itself out perfectly, keeping the reader excited, so excited in fact that it is hard to put the book down. There are almost no gaps that confuse the reader or unnecessary repetition of the same situation.(I have read books that repeat similar situations over and over again!) The book is great… But so is the lamb stew…

Now for the recipe Continue reading →

A Grass-Fed Elevation Burger

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Lea

During Spring Break week the boys and I took a little side trip to a burger joint called Elevation Burger. We had heard good things about this restaurant and decided to make the drive to a nearby city to check it out.

Before going into Elevation Burger, the boys spied some interesting characters walking down the busy street.

It was a serious “pants on the ground” situation.

Once we regained our composure we ventured into Elevation Burger for lunch. It turns out we were somewhat color coordinated.

Elevation Burger supposedly gets its name from the aspiration to “elevate” the burger to a higher level. When it comes to ingredient quality that certainly is the case. After hearing that Elevation Burger serves organic beef from grass-fed cows I knew we had to visit. The importance of organic, free-range, grass-fed beef is one of the first things I learned when I adopted the paleo diet.

Elevation Burger Serves Better Beef

Continue reading →

Paleo and the City: Peking Duck House

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Lea

This week is Spring Break for my two boys. While we may not be going on a big vacation, we are determined to find a few fun things to do in the nice weather. We kept our eyes on the forecast and picked the perfect day for a jaunt into New York City. I initially dragged Nathaniel (aka Sweet Pea) and Benjamin (aka Big Boy) to B&H Photo/Video Superstore where I did a little shopping. (That place is absolutely mind-blowing. But I’ll save that post for another day….) Our primary destination was Chinatown, which is my boys’ favorite part of the City for a few reasons. Our first stop was Peking Duck House at 28 Mott Street for lunch. The three of us were able to enjoy the full Peking Duck experience with a little twist in the appetizer department.

The boys ordered soup to start the meal but I was drawn to the cold appetizer menu which boasted such things as Spicy White Cabbage.
And…drum roll please….Boneless Duck Feet.

Ordering duck feet was more for the culinary adventure than a strong desire to dine on feet. Let’s be honest, eating duck feet does not sound especially awesome. But I have to say they were not half bad. The waiter seemed a little surprised I ordered it and I suspect the dish is enjoyed more by locals than the tourist crowd. The duck feet were mildly flavored like broth and soft enough to be cut with a fork. As nutrition goes, duck feet are full of cartilage which is a really great food for joint health -assuming you can get past the texture.

Benjamin was unconcerned with his joint health. Even though he was initially willing to give it a try, once he realized the duck feet are served cold, he changed his mind. Imagine that! But Nathaniel decided he wanted to go for it and I am completely impressed by his courage and adventurous spirit. Here are a few shots of Nathaniel on his culinary adventure.

In love with LOVEBEAN Fudge

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Lea

While back in my home state of Texas for the Paleo FX Symposium – Theory to Practice in Austin, March 14-17, I encountered LoveBean Fudge.

It was a magical meeting. (The symposium was good too….)

The husband and wife team behind LoveBean are huge believers in high-density super foods. Together they have created some chocolate products that are really nutritious and absolutely delicious! One thing that caught my attention about LoveBean Fudge is the fact it is made with organic coconut nectar instead of evaporated cane juice. I have used coconut nectar or coconut crystals in several recipes, such as Paleo Coconut Cream Pie and Paleo/Primal Chocolate Cheesecake. I even use it in my popular Paleo Pancakes recipe. Coconut nectar/sap is very low glycemic (GI of only 35), is an abundant source of minerals, 17 amino acids, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins, and has a nearly neutral pH. Some may argue there is not much difference between cane syrup and coconut nectar. But even if the insulin response to either form of sugar is largely the same, I would choose coconut nectar for the added nutrition and the unique and delicious flavor.

Here’s Sweat Pea eating some LoveBean Fudge. Hmm. Funny but he doesn’t seem to notice the insulin response! (And BTW Austin DOES rock.)

AntiGravity Yoga at Core Connection Studio

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Lea

Over the past month I have had the wonderful opportunity to experience what is known as AntiGravity Yoga. Prior to a friend telling me about Core Connection Studio I had never heard of AntiGravity Yoga. After visiting their website and seeing photographs and videos of this most unusual practice I knew I wanted to find out more about it.

AntiGravity Yoga (also known as “Aerial Yoga”) is part of an emerging exercise field known as “suspension training”. It was developed by dancer Christopher Harrison (in the 1990s) as a training technique for gymnasts. It was launched to the public in 2007 in New York City. Harrison contracted Lyme disease in 2008 which caused his joints to freeze up and his muscles to atrophy. He used his own techniques in suspension training to get back to health.

The Core Connection Studio website describes it this way:

“AntiGravity Yoga combines traditional yoga principles with elements from aerial acrobatics, dance, Pilates and calisthenics. AntiGravity Yoga helps students realign their body and Spirit with the tool of gravity that serves to achieve physical and mental decompression. You will learn to fly, hold and balance in challenging yoga poses longer, gain better kinesthetic awareness, build cardiovascular and muscular strength, become more flexible, increase joint mobility, decompress the vertebrae of the spine without strain and utilize the agility you’ve gained from yoga to play with gravity! The class emphasis is to have fun while learning new skills while experiencing a total body workout.”

Class begins, like other yoga classes, with meditation, and then transitions to strengthening and stretching activities as well as traditional yoga poses modified for the hammock. You end the class in shavasana while cocooned in the hammock.

One of my favorite things about AntiGravity Yoga is the inversions. Inversions are poses that turn the body upside down to a point where the feet are above the head.

Here’s what an inversion looks like:

The above photo is my attempt at “Monkey Pose”. The picture was shot before I got all the way in the pose which would have shown my knees bent and my feet touching. But you get the idea. The first time I got into this pose my initial urge was to tighten up my back and core muscles. But once I felt comfortable I was able to relax the muscles and enjoy the lengthening sensation. Several people have documented an increase in height from doing inversions with the hammock. Even though I have not measured myself, I can attest to the intense stretching and feeling of spinal decompression and alignment. Being wrapped in the hammock ensures your bodyweight is more evenly distributed than if you were using “Anti-Gravity Boots” or something similar. This means the inversions are very comfortable. The AntiGravity class also provides what can only be described as the equivalent of a deep-tissue massage in certain poses when the hammock is tight across the hip flexors.

Here are a couple more examples of inversions. Continue reading →