The husband and I are proud of our gluten-free, dairy-free and grain-free lifestyle. Yeah, it's weird. It's not mainstream. It goes against the grain (no pun intended).
But we feel so much better eating this way.
Despite this, I find myself trying to explain ourselves during family get-togethers, like I need to justify our food choices. I usually start with the random comment, "Well, we eat kind of weird . . ." But that frustrates me because really, what's strange about bacon and eggs for breakfast? Or a chicken salad for lunch? Or a steak and sweet potato for dinner?
It's real food. So how can that be so strange?
That got me thinking: is real food not the norm anymore? And If society doesn't eat real food, what are we eating? And what is that doing to us?
Then that got me feeling a little depressed and sad for all the people I know who are inadvertently sickening themselves with processed junk. Because they may know that processed food is not the best for them, but most people wouldn't think that kind of food is actually making them sick.
Wow, this post is turning in to a real downer!
Time for a pep talk: Let's enjoy our real, whole-foods meals, our salads and crusted salmon. Our sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli. Our chicken thighs and glazed carrots. And the king of food, our bacon!
Phew, bacon always saves the day.
This next recipe has been sitting on my "to post" list for a while -- Paleo Breaded Pork Chops. By now, you know my oldest daughter is one picky eater, but she actually loves these grain-free chops full of lots of good fat. And it gets her to eat meat other than chicken, so that's a bonus.
Breaded Pork Chops
4 bone-in or boneless pork chops
1/2 cup almond flour
2-3 T melted bacon fat, lard or coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
dash of paprika
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat pork chops dry and put on a broiler pan (the kind with the slits so the juices drop below into the pan). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In a shallow dish, mix almond flour, melted fat, salt, pepper and paprika with a fork until a paste is formed. Using your fingers, press almond flour paste onto the top of each pork chop, about 1/8th inch thick.
4. Bake about 20 minutes until pork registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. Then turn on the broiler to high and place pork chops about 6-8 inches away from the heating element.
5. Broil for about 5 minutes until topping is browned. Keep a close eye -- the topping burns quickly. Rotate the pan if needed during broiling. Serve!
But we feel so much better eating this way.
Despite this, I find myself trying to explain ourselves during family get-togethers, like I need to justify our food choices. I usually start with the random comment, "Well, we eat kind of weird . . ." But that frustrates me because really, what's strange about bacon and eggs for breakfast? Or a chicken salad for lunch? Or a steak and sweet potato for dinner?
It's real food. So how can that be so strange?
That got me thinking: is real food not the norm anymore? And If society doesn't eat real food, what are we eating? And what is that doing to us?
Then that got me feeling a little depressed and sad for all the people I know who are inadvertently sickening themselves with processed junk. Because they may know that processed food is not the best for them, but most people wouldn't think that kind of food is actually making them sick.
Wow, this post is turning in to a real downer!
Time for a pep talk: Let's enjoy our real, whole-foods meals, our salads and crusted salmon. Our sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli. Our chicken thighs and glazed carrots. And the king of food, our bacon!
Phew, bacon always saves the day.
This next recipe has been sitting on my "to post" list for a while -- Paleo Breaded Pork Chops. By now, you know my oldest daughter is one picky eater, but she actually loves these grain-free chops full of lots of good fat. And it gets her to eat meat other than chicken, so that's a bonus.
Breaded Pork Chops
4 bone-in or boneless pork chops
1/2 cup almond flour
2-3 T melted bacon fat, lard or coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
dash of paprika
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat pork chops dry and put on a broiler pan (the kind with the slits so the juices drop below into the pan). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In a shallow dish, mix almond flour, melted fat, salt, pepper and paprika with a fork until a paste is formed. Using your fingers, press almond flour paste onto the top of each pork chop, about 1/8th inch thick.
4. Bake about 20 minutes until pork registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. Then turn on the broiler to high and place pork chops about 6-8 inches away from the heating element.
5. Broil for about 5 minutes until topping is browned. Keep a close eye -- the topping burns quickly. Rotate the pan if needed during broiling. Serve!