What are Traditional Foods?

It's amazing how many sites and blogs are dedicated to traditional foods. Lately, I've had folks asking me what 'traditional foods' really are. I usually say they're foods your grandparents or in some cases, great grandparents would eat. Raw milk, fresh eggs, etc that lack today's processing. I found this lovely summary of traditional foods from the Traditional Foods Guild.


What Are Traditional Foods?

Traditional foods ARE the foods that our ancestors ate.

Traditional foods ARE the foods available to our grandparents and great grandparents, before modern processing.

Traditional foods ARE often referred to as ‘real food’ and ‘slow food’.

Traditional foods ARE delicious, full of diverse and naturally occurring flavors.

Traditional foods PROMOTE health and vitality and protect us from disease.

Traditional foods OFFER nutrients needed for healthy conception, pregnancy, growing infants and children

These ARE foods grown on small to medium-scale, organic farms or ethically wild-gathered from largely local sources.

Animals ARE cared for with traditional and humane husbandry techniques and fed their natural food diets.

Traditional foods ARE nutrient-dense.

Traditional foods ARE foods prepared in ways that maximize nutrients & digestibility.

They ARE prepared in ways that anyone with home kitchen tools could do.

Traditional prepared foods ARE composed of recognizable food ingredients and generally few.

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Traditional foods ARE NOT new, industrial, machine-made foods that were not available to our ancestors. Industrial foods displace traditional foods in modern commerce. Industrial foods are have few or synthetic nutrients and promote modern ailments

Traditional foods ARE NOT foods grown on large scale and industrially managed farms.

They ARE NOT food grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

They ARE NOT from animals or fish that have been industrially raised in inhumane conditions and fed foods that are not natural to their species.

They ARE NOT foods that are transported over long distances when similar foods are available locally.

Traditional foods ARE NOT industrially prepared foods.

Traditional foods DO NOT have ‘empty’ calories nor synthetic vitamins added.

Traditional foods ARE NOT foods that are processed in a way to unnaturally alter or preserve foods.

They ARE NOT foods that have been processed with solvents, high heat, irradiated or otherwise treated in factory machines. They DO NOT have any chemical additives, flavors or preservatives.

They DO NOT have large ingredient lists composed of unfamiliar or chemical items.

From Traditional Nutrition Guild

I am almost baked out! Two sausage quiches, 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies, 2 dozen white chocolate chip cookies, 40 peanut butter ritz crackers covered in white chocolate and assorted other goodies = ready to throw in my oven mitt. Can't stop now. Have a pecan pie to make for tomorrow's gathering and a white chocolate peppermint cheesecake to make for Sunday's shindig. It's going to be great! My sweet friend, Candice came up to rock the bake-a-thon with me. Her three children and my niece watched Christmas movies and helped with 'quality control'. :) Good times!

I'm more than a little stoked to try these homemade gluten-free brownies! Divine Health is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to gluten-free recipes.

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Coconut Flour Brownies (Gluten Free)
By lydia, on December 15th, 2010

Since going gluten free and pretty much grain free this past spring, I have had to come up with a lot of new recipes to replace old favorites. Brownies are one of our favorite easy family snacks, therefore I was determined to come up with a recipe for gluten free brownies using coconut flour. I picked out one of my favorite brownie recipes and attempted to convert it to a coconut flour brownie. It took much trial and error, while I was still learning how to work with coconut flour, but I think I finally nailed it!! This brownies are a huge hit in my home and even people who are not health conscious or gluten free rave about them!! So I am happy to share this recipe hoping others will benefit from it! Let me know how you enjoy these if you try them!! I call them ‘Brownies Divine.’

Brownies Divine
Makes 1 – 8×8 pan

12 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil
1/2 cup organic cane sugar or rapadura (if you like use a 1/3 cup of sugar instead)
3/4 cup sifted good quality cocoa powder (Hershey’s or Nestle’s will simply not do, unless of course it’s all you can get!)
pinch of sea salt
Half of a 73% dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s ( or half a cup of chopped dark chocolate, preferably organic fair trade without soy lecithin in it)
3 pastured eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (gluten free)
1/4 cup coconut flour

Melt together butter, sugar, cocoa, salt and chocolate in a pan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add in the eggs one at a time. Mix well, at first it will not be smooth, but keep whisking until you get a smooth consistency. Then add in the vanilla.Sift in the coconut flour. Pour mix into a parchment lined 8×8 pan.
Preheat oven to 325. Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes. (I do it for about 22 minutes)
Remove from oven, let cool 10-15 minutes before digging in.
These brownies are the perfect palette for some homemade vanilla ice cream!!! Or for a dairy free dessert, use some coconut whipped cream recipe above. Enjoy


From Divine Health

Made gluten free sausage cheese balls and they were a hit! (no one knew they were gluten) BBQ pecans, chex mix (which is gluten free) and some yummy desserts! Going to keep trying to alter recipes to make them more 'natural' and healthy. The cheesecake needs a...BIT more altering :/ This was the first time I had ever made a cheesecake so I used regular sugar but will try a sub next time. The good news is that everyone loved the food! When the cheesecake was served the conversation came to a grinding halt with exclamations of 'this is delicious!' peppered throughout. Now time to lay down in exhaustion and happiness :)

I think I found a second rabbit hole...

So naturally when one researches real foods and what it takes to make a healthier future for oneself, they discover other things...such as the beauty of natural childbirth.
Mercy, folks. As if there isn't enough stuff to research in just the 'raw/real foods' area, now I've found another love! I do think it's rather ironic that I'm making a birth plan and I don't have a boyfriend, let alone a husband but it's all in preparation, right?? I'm going to be the most educated pregnant gal out there!

So far my choices are thus:
No epidural, home birth, and possibly unassisted! I'm still researching the last bit but all I've read about epidurals lead me to find that they aren't a good choice. I love the idea of having a baby naturally, listening to my body and doing what women have done for thousands of years!

Well butter my biscuit

I just made a grilled cheese sandwich with amish butter and it was, quite literally, the best GCS I had ever had! Before slowly moving to 'real foods', I'd always used Can't Believe It's Not Butter and always thought the taste was fine. It's almost like living with vanilla ice cream and then suddenly having chocolate! And it's amazing to think that cooking with butter is better than using margarine and fake sprays! LOVE IT!

Fabulous Pumpkin Brownies

I'm trying to be unbiased while researching the different options for birth and raising children but I have to admit, I'm much more inclined to choose home birth vs hospital birth and no epidural vs epidural. The biggest thing I'm looking at now is what to do *before* you're pregnant. The years leading up to pregnancy are as important as the time you are pregnant. Some ladies start popping prenatal vitamins when they decide to try to get pregnant and while that may do some good, it won't do as much good as eating right and *planning* your pre-pregnancy time. If I want to have a baby in 5-6 years, then I need to start now making sure I'm on the right path! I want to be well prepared before becoming pregnant is anywhere close to being in my near future.

But now onto some Real Food happiness - Look at this deliciousness on a platter! Gluten Free!

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Brownies
Makes 16 Brownies

8 tablespoons butter
6-8 ounces organic dark chocolate (Lindt 85% is a good brand)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
6 pastured eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (gluten free)
1 1/4 cups organic pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
1/4 cup coconut oil, unrefined expeller pressed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cayenne

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over lowest heat until melted, watch closely.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
4. Pour half of batter into the chocolate mixture, mix well.
5. In another bowl, stir in the pumpkin, coconut oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add half of the batter to this mixture
6. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.
7. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Be sure to get your knife all the way to the bottom of the pan.
8. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

This recipe is from Divine Health

I'll have the placenta burger, please!

Livermush festival was pretty fun despite the fact that there was only ONE livermush vender!! I'm not sure what I was expecting...livermush from around the world? Chocolate covered livermush? Livermush plush toys?? I definitely was thinking there would be more livermush than just the one spot as one vendor does not a festival make. HOWEVER the bright spot of the day was the fact that they had a farmer's market set up. By the time we got there there wasn't a ton of variety left but I did get some yummy squash I plan on cooking later and a few new contacts for fresh goods. We also sat on the courtyard sidewalk and listened to some awesome bands. We went out to try to find a spot called the 'Biggerstaff Hanging Tree' only to find that there was no longer a tree, just a plaque. Didn't have a chance to see paranormal activity 2 as I ended up going with a couple of friends to another friends house for a bonfire and dinner. Good times were had by all, however! I'm looking forward to adventures this weekend as it is my all time favorite day of fall ~ HALLOWEEN!! Can't wait to see all my nieces and my nephew in their spooky finery! I hope everyone has an exciting weekend and gets a least ONE drive with the windows down and some bluegrass playing. I've managed several a week. Nothing makes your day brighter than that! :)

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So, I've always been inquisitive and a researcher. The past few months have given me on a 'prepare for the future' mentality so in addition to reading up about Real Foods, I've been thinking about my future as a wife and mother. Even thought there aren't any babies dancing on my horizon, I still want to prepare. For years I've been researching ways to educate your baby from birth. I learned a decade ago that babies see best in black and white, thus use 'Black and White' board books to help strengthen their eyes and help them focus. I've looked into the 'Your baby can read' program and must say that it's quite intriguing! Recently in my search for all natural foods and how to make your own baby food, I've discovered a few 'all natural' parenting sites...and these include all natural births!

I found out today something called 'unassisted birth'. UB is basically you, your husband and the baby. I like the idea of home birth but want to research more about UB. I definitely don't want to have the 'hospital' birth. I remember my sister itching from morphine after her c-section and not being able to hold Parker at times due to carpel tunnel flaring up. (related to the morphine? I don't know but I couldn't imagine having to have someone hold my son so I could breast feed him)

I also saw a post on 'crawling babies' and how a baby, if not taken away from the mother right after birth, will naturally crawl up to the mothers breast and root. Yet another reason to avoid hospitals. I believe I'd want a midwife for my first birth, only because every new mother is a bit more worried than women who have gone through the process a few times. I read in 'Mothering' magazine online that one lady had her first 2 in the hospital and had horrible experiences. (Not the first time I've heard about such) and she tore so bad she needed stitches during both times but when she had her home births, she didn't tear at all. She says its due to listening to her body. The crazies thing I discovered? A practice known as 'placentophagia' which is where the mother eats the placenta in order to 'reclaim' nutrients, etc. Benefits include increased milk production, decreased risk of postpartum depression and many other things. Interesting!

But like I said, giving birth is a LONG way off but it's never too soon to research to make an informed decision! I'd love any info you guys want to email me! Experiences, tips, links, etc!

Real Life Adventures vs Real Foods Adventures: Duel to the Death

Agh! I haven't posted in far too long. I've had ton of stuff going on and my real foods adventure has been replaced with real life adventures. :) Got a touch of a cold that's taken down everyone around me but I think I'm back to my A-game! My most recent adventure before the cold was a trip to the Corn Maze! Talk about fun autumn times! This weekend: Paranormal Activity 2, Livermush Festival (oh please let them have a vendor with local livermush), finishing up costumes for the costume party and possibly going to see the Brown Mountain Lights. For those of you not from around here, the BML are apparently a phenomenon much like a mini Aurora Borealis but right in our own NC back yard! So needless to say, adventures plus work plus masters classes have left me little time to explore my Real Foods world at the rate I'd like too!

So onto some Real Foods yumminess -


Coconut Flour Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup of either yogurt or kefir
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 TBS honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
butter for frying

METHOD:

Preheat cast iron skillet over low heat and preheat your oven to 250F. In a large, using a hand mixer, bowl beat eggs until frothy. Mix in milk, vanilla, and honey, salt and cinnamon. Then add in coconut flour and baking soda, and blend together until you have a smooth consistency.

Grease pan with butter. Ladle approx. ¼ cup of batter into pan for each pancake. This batter will be slightly thicker than your usual pancake batter. So you will have to spread out slightly with the measuring cup or back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2-3 inches in diameter and fairly thick.

Cook for a few minutes on each side, until the tops dry out slightly and the bottoms start to brown. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add butter to the pan before each new batch.

Once the pancakes are finished cooking, place them on a cookie sheet in the oven to keep warm while you cook other batches. Makes approx. 10-12 pancakes, depending on the size of your eggs.

Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

This is from the Leftover Queen. She goes onto say that she uses this as a base for desserts and included the most amazing idea for sauteed apples (with rapadura sugar and cinnamon) over one of these delicious little pancakes. Can you say happy guests?

Oh, Baby (food!)

Despite the fact that I won't be able to raise my own chickens for a while (grumble), I've been studying up on what I've deemed The Art of Not Killing Poultry. I don't exactly have a green thumb so I'm hoping my attempts at caring for livestock won't become my attempt at starting a pet cemetery. I love the idea of not just raising chickens but living a self-sustained life. Something deep inside me felt joyous at the thought of one day being as self-sustained as possible. I was talking to a friend the other day about what went into baby food and how I was absolutely excited at the thought of making my own baby food one day. Can you imagine? The thought makes me so happy. I want to know exactly what goes into my own body but the thought of being completely in charge of planting, growing and making my babies food is so amazing to me. I've already decided that unless there is some God-designed reason that I can't breastfeed then I'll be doing that (and if I can't, I've already found an all natural alternative!) It amazes me how much 'power' in breast milk.

It feels weird to think about these things now as I have no plans to have kids w/i the next 3 years minimum but I want to get myself as ready as possible. Not just physically so I'll be the best 'lil baby grower ever but I want to gain the knowledge I need to make sure my baby grows up to be as healthy and intelligent as possible. I've been looking up birthing methods and am leaning towards a home birth. Not 100% sure about doing it at home but I'm definitely going natural. I want to do more research but I'm afraid some hospitals may not be fans of all natural birth. I've always been a 'wuss' when it comes to pain. Not a big fan of it but I'm going natural for a number of reasons - I don't really want the drugs you get to be in my body in case it effects my baby. Sure, an epidural might not do any damage but why chance it? Secondly, I'm sort of looking forward to the 'challenge' of all natural birth. I want to experience what my ancestors experienced. So many people these days just hop on the epidural without a second thought. I just like the idea of everything from before conception to everything after the child is born being as natural as possible! :) What an awesome feeling it would be.

An awesome article to read from the Weston A. Price Foundation

Would some apple butter a day keep the doc away?

I gave it the old college try for my first attempt at apple butter today from apples I picked myself! It smells absolutely heavenly! I can't wait to mix it with some peanut butter and slather it onto some fresh homemade buttery biscuits. This is one of my first steps into my 'sustainable' journey. :)

I posted the photo of my first starter on FaceBook earlier. A friend saw it and asked me to send her recipes for gluten-free things as she has celiac disease! It was a definite boost to my journey to know that something I posted led someone to ask for recipes. I love the idea of being able to help someone with something I've learned on my journey!

Here's the recipe!





Update: The apple butter is complete and it tastes amazing! Put it on some biscuits, mixed some peanut butter into it and voila ~ A tasty treat. I won't be canning this batch, only because I'm still learning about canning and would rather not kill my friends and family by doing it incorrectly. :p I think I'll make some homemade peanut butter for my next batch.

My first gluten-free starter!

I made my first starter! Gluten-free flour, so we'll see if it goes as planned. I'm not sure why I thought the world of starters was on par with the world of all things unknown and mythical. I suppose because it seemed TOO easy! I'm very excited and can't wait to make some yummy gluten-free bread!

I've been looking for a local cheese making course but haven't had any luck. I heard of one in the next county over AFTER the first mandatory class had finished. Argh. It's ok though because I'm a trooper and WILL be making cheese soon!

Lately, I've really been studying up on a self-sustaining life. I actually looked into raising chickens up here on the mountain but was informed that they were considered 'live stock' by the home owners association and therefore, no go. My dream is definitely to have my own garden, chickens, etc within the next five years. How great would it be to be able to walk outside and get eggs for breakfast? To have a craving for okra and pick it right off your own stalk. And the most appealing thing? I'll know everything about each vegetable and chicken! I love the idea of teaching my children and grandchildren things that my grandparents taught me. To have my children pass these traditions onto their grandchildren.

How does an ant eat a bear?

One bite at a time.

I have to keep remembering this little bit of wisdom on my NT journey. It's been 4ish months since I was given my NT book and sometimes I feel like I haven't learned a thing while other times I'm taken back by how much I have learned. I find myself talking as if channeling Sally Fallon herself in a very twilight zone type of way. :)

Days like today though, when I think 'there is no possible way to fully switch to the NT way of life I'm so longing for', I think of that little ant and realize that I can, one bite at a time, get to where I want to be. It's very encouraging to read other NTers who have been at it for years say that they're still learning and adapting. One lady wrote that she and her family did it little by little, one change at a time.

The last two months have been a real eye opener to me as to what I've been eating. And it's not like I've even gotten close to a full NT change over! I feel like I've been doing so much research the only things getting any good out of all this are my fingers. But boy can I type fast now. :p I love talking to the folks at the local health food store. One gal I spoke with a few weeks ago basically said the same thing that I'd been thinking this whole time..."When you're changing up your lifestyle so completely, you're not going to do it overnight." (or in a few months, I silently added with a grimace...) But in the long run it'll definitely be worth. Not just for myself but I want to pass this knowledge onto my children one day. I want to nourish them before they're even born. I don't have plans for kids anytime in the near future. I just know that the type of changes I want to make can't be done properly after the stick turns blue so I'd best be on top of my game now, eh? My 'dream' is to one day raise my own chickens and grow as much of my own food as possible. I want to know exactly what's going into my body and my family's bodies. Luckily, I have a little bit of time before I need to build my chicken coop. :D
This link is a real inspiration for me and reminds me why I'm on this journey. http://nourishedkitchen.com/real-food/ I love the thought that one day, my child will have memories of shucking corn on the front porch, picking okra and eating veggies and fruits straight from the earth. I love the thought of living these traditions and passing them onto another generation.

The coolest thing is that it almost feels like I'm been in Nourishing College. I've been doing the book work, with the occasional lab but haven't gotten into the real world of Nourishing. But I'm getting there. :D For the most part, it feels like my entire journey thus far has been stalking the WAPF site and abusing google to find other NTers. It's amazing how many people are out there and willing...no..rabid to help and discuss ideas. So, I'm not going to be discouraged. I'm going to keep thinking about that little ant. If he can tackle such a big task, then by golly, so can I! :)

So you're saying I shouldn't eat plain crackers made with 42 ingredients?

A month or so ago I stumbled upon an online class, "Real Food for Rookies", and quickly signed up. Having counted down the minutes until the class started, I could hardly wait to log on the first day. The first class was entitled "Reading labels to avoid junk." Well, the first day showed me exactly how little I know about the foods I'd been eating for so long. I assumed that if they could sell it at the grocery store then it would be fine to eat. Don't get me wrong, it won't kill you but nourishing? Um..no.

I've been plucking and savoring this first class with pleasure. At the start of my 'nourishing journey', I found that the ideal foods to eat are the foods with less ingredients. In other words, don't eat a food that comes from nature if it lists words you can't pronounce. Cheese shouldn't have 14 ingredients. Milk straight from the cow is best (and Heaven help you if you buy fat-free "milk") :p Also, it would be ideal to buy foods without labels. Hit up the farmers markets, know who grows your foods. This class has shown me exactly what is in the foods I eat everyday and why it's probably not such a good idea to be putting these things in my body. My goal in the long term is to eat foods that come straight from nature, plant my own garden (already have the space picked out), and turn 100% to the natural way of eating. Nourished foods, healthy foods, food the way God intended. Farm to fork. This is a challenge that I can't wait to tackle!

So my goals for this week? 1. Head to SC and pick up some delicious raw milk, raw cheese and other delightful goodies straight from the farm. 2. Go to the farmers markets in Forest City on Saturday morning and meet the growers of the vegetables I'll be eating. 3. Find 'real foods' replacements for 5 foods I normally eat.

OMGhee.

A few months ago, I was introduced to Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" and I quickly felt like I had fallen in love and down the rabbit hole. Don't get me wrong...I knew all about butter, lard and bacon. I was raised in the South, after all. But this book took everything I thought I knew about 'healthy foods' and thoroughly demolished it. What? Popping a lean cuisine into the microwave each night wasn't healthy? Switching over to diet instead of regular sodas wouldn't win me an award for my brave attempts on the battlefield of nourishment? Huh.

I have to admit, learning about real foods isn't at all as easy as it sounds. I thought that if I just threw together a meal using real butter and raw milk then I'd be considered "nourished". Not so much apparently. There is a lot that goes into changing up your lifestyle so completely. From bagel bites and dr pepper to beef stocks and kefir is quite the jump. I decided that I wasn't going to try to go cold turkey. I would learn as much as I could about the process, the foods and the concepts and slowly integrate it all into my life. I still have no clue of 'starters', 'soaking grains' and so many other things that at times I feel like I should just throw my raw milk soaked towel into the ring. But ever the fighter, I've continued stumbling through google search results and blog posts. The Weston A Price foundation website and my Nourishing Traditions book have become my best friends in the fight against processed foods. I've found a few online classes that seem to have a lot of promise. The forums for the classes alone get me excited ~ a chance to talk to an entire group of people who are striving for and interested in the same thing? Sign me up, Captain.

Now onto the guts of why I'm here. I decided to start this blog for two reasons. One: to give hope to other Nourishing Noobs out there so that they'll realize they aren't the only ones struggling and will continue to fight the good fight. Two: so I can see my own real foods journey. It'll be nice to see the difference of where I am now and where I'll be in few months or years. And please, please let there be a difference...

OK, Sally Fallon. You have my ear and my mixing bowl, let's see how this goes.