Paleo Burger night

My friend Adrian started eating Paleo about a week before I did. I didn't know this until after he found out I'd made the switch too. He's in need of some food-inspiration.

Last night I made burgers for the family. The burger itself is just ground beef formed into a patty. Instead of having a bun (since grains are a no-no on Paleo) I put my burger on top of a portabello mushroom cap. Topped with Homemade mayo, a slice of tomato, some homemade guacamole and caramelized onions. It was phenomenal.

Mayonnaise is a finicky thing to make. If you try it and it doesn't work take some deep breaths and try again. Homemade mayo is far superior to anything you can get in the store. It is well worth the time and effort.

Mayonnaise (Paleo friendly):

2 egg yolks
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
pinch of salt
3/4 cup olive oil

1. Whisk everything except for the olive oil together until well combined.
2. VERY slowly drop the olive oil in while whisking hard. If whisking by hand it's easier to have someone else slowly drizzle it in. It should take 5-7 minutes to drizzle that much olive oil in. If you go too fast you'll break the emulsion. Keep whisking until it reaches your desired consistancy.
3. (Only applicable if you are whisking by hand) Go get a KitchenAid.

Making the Choice: Paleo

Alright, in blatant contrast to my previous post on gumdrops, I've decided to go Paleo.
I've been feeling the effects of the traditional American diet. Fatigue, weight gain, headaches.
I made this decision a reality about a week and a half ago and have already noticed a tremendous improvement in my mood, energy and productivity.

What is Paleo?
My 4 year old will happily tell you that I now Eat Like a Dinosaur. Focusing on foods that are minimally processed, with particular emphasis on Meat, Vegetables and Fruit. Processed sugar is off limits, while more natural sources such as maple syrup and honey are ok in small quantities. There seems to be some debate on the allowance of dairy. I'm personally going with a more limited restriction of it until it is out of my system and I can reintroduce it and feel how it effects me.
Grains and legumes are out. I already know from previous stints with going Gluten-free that passing on grains makes me less lethargic and keeps my guts happier.

Why am I doing this?
I've been noticing my energy disappearing and my waistline expanding for a while now. I want to change that. At the same time, I've found that when I am strict with myself I'm more apt to fail. What this means is that I'm not going to beat myself up over any slips. That said, I'm making informed decisions and learning more about how these foods make me feel. Finally taking notice of how my diet effects my mood is all the feedback I need to keep going in the right direction.

Yesterday I slipped. The girls and I had some gummy worms. I ate about a quarter of the amount I would have eaten in the past. The rest of the afternoon I felt awful in comparison to how I've been feeling since I started. Reinforcement like that is more than enough to keep me on track.

Gumdrops

I love gummi candies. It doesn't matter what shape. Bears, worms, frogs, I'll eat them all. I even once ate an enormous gummi rat. When I found a recipe for them I was so excited. I've altered it a bit enabling me to make some really great flavors. These ones are cheesecake, rootbeer and raspberry flavors.

Gumdrops Ingredients:
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup gelatin
1 1/2 cups boiling water
4 cups sugar + extra for coating approx
1/8 tsp candy oil (like Lorann Oil's) per pan
food coloring

Bloom the gelatin in a dutch oven by sprinkling it on top of the cold water. Wait 5 minutes.
Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir in the sugar. Bring to a boil over med-high heat and boil for 20 minutes.
Ladle mixture into pans. Divide mixture between 3 5x7 pans. Add 1/8 tsp of candy oil and a few drops of food coloring to each pan. Stir to combine.
Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

If using silicon pans the gummi should pop out easily, if using a rigid pan like I do loosen the edges by running a knife around the sides of the pan, then peel the gummi off the bottom. It helps to sprinkle some sugar on the outside as you peel it off so it doesn't stick. Cut into shapes and coat with sugar. The recipe this is based on says to let them sit at room temperature for 2 days before eating them. They've never lasted that long, they are way too good fresh!

Macarons

My brother got married a couple weekends ago. We flew to Seattle WA, rented a car and drove the rest of the way to the suburbs of Vancouver BC.

As one of the bridesmaids, the morning of the wedding, I got to enjoy and amazing breakfast at The Little White House in Langley BC. They had and amazing platter set out for us that included some French Macarons. Very few of the others there had heard of them but my mouth was watering as I raced through the other goodies in anticipation of trying one. They were fabulous!

I went back a couple days later and bought several more. I've been debating trying to make them myself for a while now and those few that I had solidified my resolve.

For my first attempt I decided to use just the most basic recipe from Not So Humble Pie. They turned out great! To fill them I made a simple buttercream icing and added flavor with some honey-butterscotch sauce I had left over from making ice cream the other day.

I can't wait to try other flavor variations!

Cutting Knit Fabric

I have sewed many dresses for my girls. For some reason or another they never get worn. It wasn't until I started working with knit fabric that they started to pick clothes I've made to wear everyday. One dress in particular I had to make twice because I couldn't coax Tea out of it. There was a bit of a learning curve though. Trying to cut knits was near impossible for me until I figured this trick out. Ditch the scissors. But using a cutting mat and a rotary cutter I don't accidentally stretch the fabric while I'm cutting. Using pattern weights to keep the pattern pieces in place help, but I use whatever I have on hand. Usually my cell phone and a Quilter's ruler will keep my pieces in place. I definitely recommend trying this trick. It's well worth it.

Hurricane Sandy

Last year I had to evacuate my home. Irene came through and flooded our basement with over 5 ft of water. We lost a lot in the flood last year. Mostly things that were replaceable but a few things that were not.


This past Sunday, with the threat of another Hurricane looming, I pack up the girls and headed north, to Canada.
Monday was spent in my pajamas watching the news unfold online. It was very emotional to be stuck, helpless, watching the area I have come to call home get devastated.
My father in law is in an area that isn't expected to get their power restored for another 2 weeks. We don't know how long it will be before we see power at our house either. Our neighbor has let us run an extension cord to our fridge from his generator.
As sad as I am that we can't return home for a while yet, my heart goes out to the people who lost everything. 
It wasn't until I experienced it that I realized just how awful the experience of flooding is. Where a fire is the heart attack of homes, a flood is like a slow cancer that you see coming but are helpless to do anything to stop.
I have been trying to simplify our home. I'm going to take this opportunity to purge and donate.

Sewing time

 

This morning I dragged the family out to the bookstore and picked up Sewing MODKID Style: Modern Threads for the Cool Girl. It was the only book on the shelves that covered sewing with knits, and it's EXACTLY the sort of things I want to be sewing. I've decided I need to overcome this irrational fear of knits.

I couldn't decide which thing to make first. I started with the headband pattern, made it in a solid lilac color. Tea wore it for most of the day. Then I made leggings in an aqua striped jersey I've been saving for leggings. Turns out there was enough to use in a matching "swim suit cover up". I made it in a solid interlock with jersey sleeves and pocket. 

This is the first time I've made something and she's been excited to wear it. She asked for another one in pink. A few changes I'll make next time though. She doesn't want a hood. I want her to have something long sleeved. Fortunately the front and back pattern pieces are also the same pieces for several other patterns in the book. This makes it really easy for me to just swap around pieces. 

There's also a pattern in the book for a swimsuit. Dahlia has already requested one in black, another in purple and one in green... I'll be busy.