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The Paleo Perspective on Babycakes NYC™

06.19.1206.16.12 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

06.25.1205.26.12 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.

Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

06.26.1804.23.12 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 … Read more

A Grass-Fed Elevation Burger

04.16.1204.16.12 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

Read more

Paleo and the City: Peking Duck House

04.04.1204.04.12 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

02.05.1503.19.12 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

02.01.1202.01.12 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.

Paleo at Penzey’s

01.07.1212.28.11 by Lea

It was a cold autumn evening and I was on my way to a Christmas concert in a nearby town when I spied a brand-spanking-new Penzey’s store. Had it not been for a slew of paleo food blogs I have seen referencing Penzey’s, the significance might have been utterly lost on me. But I knew immediately I would be making the trek back the following day to check it out up close and personal. In fact, I even managed to convince G to come along which meant we dragged our two boys as well.

Penzey’s is the top on-line seller of over 250 herbs, spices and seasoning blends from around the world. They have also branched out with several retail stores. Ordinarily when I see a recipe that contains a spice mix ingredient I just move on to something else. It has always seemed a bit presumptuous on the part of the person creating the recipe that we readers would necessarily have that particular spice mix on hand. Not only that, but while my kitchen cabinets are filled with a fairly respectable assortment of herbs and spices, I have never been big on spice mixes. So many of them have salt or sugar or MSG or the confounding “natural flavors” or all of the above that I was simply not interested. But after seeing Penzey’s referenced so many times I figured it would be worthwhile to investigate and I’m glad I did.

penzeys-banner — Penzey's bumper sticker

While ordering spices online is a perfectly reasonable thing to do – especially if you do not have access to a Penzey’s retail store – there is just something wonderful and sensual about being able to see and smell the offerings before making a selection. The Penzey’s store we visited was warm and inviting with a peaceful ambience and a friendly staff. The spices were well organized and most, if not all, of them were available to smell. There was even a small area for children to sit where they could draw pictures to be displayed on the store walls. While the boys were safely ensconced in the art area, G and I proceeded to sniff almost every herb, spice and mix in the store. A few more than once.

Here is what we brought home with us.

Applegate Farms Uncured Hot Dogs for a Paleo Diet

02.05.1512.19.11 by Lea

Trying to follow the Paleo diet as closely as possible is definitely worthwhile. But going strict Paleo is not easy in the beginning and it can be confusing and frustrating. If you are responsible for feeding a family and they are not as motivated for change it is truly challenging. Rather than getting discouraged and giving up or having a mutiny on your hands it is important to find ways to optimize your diet while keeping everyone onboard as much as possible.

I always appreciate blog posts that have hints and tips for staying focused and not getting overwhelmed when making radical changes. In that vein I would like to discuss a product that has been a big help for our family. Applegate Farms Uncured Hot Dogs*.

Now I know what you are thinking – there is NO WAY a hotdog is healthful.

Estrella Damm Daura: The “Star” of Gluten-Free Beers

12.19.1112.09.11 by G

Estrella Damm Daura? Da…I mean Darn! That’s good beer!

My wife Lea and I have been drinking gluten-free beer for about a year now, and not surprisingly, some are better than others.

Beer-lovers who drink gluten-free beer usually do so because…well, because they want a beer, right? Well, yes and no. Undoubtedly, there are some folks who prefer gluten-free beer to traditionally brewed beer. I mean, some people like wine coolers…but I digress. Anyway, many beer-drinkers reach for gluten-free beer because like my wife, they have Celiac Disease.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in people of all ages. It’s caused by a reaction to gluten protein that is commonly found in wheat, barley and rye. Additionally, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation (http://www.celiac.org/), approximately 1 out of ever 133 Americans (about 2.5 million people) have some degree of intolerance to gluten, so it’s not surprising that the market for gluten-free food, including beer, is growing.

As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, the biggest difference between gluten-free beer and traditional beer is…drum-roll, please…the taste! Gluten-free beer tends to be sweeter due to high sugar content. That’s because gluten-free beer is often brewed with sorghum, a type of grass used for a variety of purposes, like making syrup for pancakes or feeding livestock. Speaking for myself, some gluten-free beers taste pretty good, and I don’t mind drinking them, but others do NOT. Bottom line: if you like beer but have Celiac Disease, adjusting to the taste of gluten-free beer is pretty much a priority.