It's PALEO! And I'm going to help you make it taste good...real good. Why? Because food should taste good- otherwise, why bother. The premise of paleo, the "caveman" diet, is to go back (waaaaaay back) to our primitive roots and to eat more natural, unprocessed foods that our bodies should be able to process more effectively. These are also the days when man and woman ate what they killed and what grew naturally from the earth. Well that's all fine and dandy but humans did naturally evolve and invented fire, the stove, the microwave, and an amazing assortment of cooking utensils. Why not take advantage of all we have to create foods that meet the primitive digestive needs and the refined, modern foodie taste buds?
Am I a foodie? A true, hardcore foodie? I have no idea. That term both annoys and appeals to me. There is a certain pretentiousness that comes from self proclaimed foodies. Whether they are chasing down the latest trendy food truck, or waiting eagerly for French Laundry to call back with a last minute cancellation, foodies often seem to use their food experiences to make a social statement.
Having said that, yes, I have chased down the latest trendy food truck, and I have eaten at the French Laundry (well, ate most of my meal at least...long story that will have to wait for another blog). And yes, I’ve always liked to eat good food whether it's a greasy burger with the good ol’American orangey cheese, mayo and all the fixin’s, or whether it's an overpriced, oversized "burger" concoction that includes artisan brioche buns, foie gras schmear, Roquefort bleu cheese, beefsteak tomatoes, 100% organic grass-fed bison meat, all with a side of duck fat fries.
Bottom line is that I want to feel full and warm inside when I eat, and I want all my taste buds to be happy. Fortunately, and unfortunately, my taste buds have multiple personalities and they can find comfort and satisfaction from a very simple, crisp Fuji Apple to a decadent piece of chocolate cake in raspberry sauce. And yes, I like to taste the latest and greatest, and (just between us) I feel a bit of pride for knowing an obscure food fact, or for knowing about a food trend before my friends do. So I may not call myself a foodie…. But you certainly can and I will accept with both embarrassment and pride. ;-)
So where am I going with all this talk of cheese, brioche buns, and cakes when I am supposedly blogging about the paleo way of eating? About 7 months ago, my fiance, Andrew joined a crossfit gym and he has found a tremendous amount of satisfaction from his training and workouts. In order to elevate his potential and to maximize the benefits of crossfit, Andrew reconsidered his diet and wanted to adapt the paleo diet into his (our) lives. I wanted to support Andrew so I read about paleo, and I started to add paleo recipes in my cooking. The paleo diet is popular diet among the crossfit community, which is also growing and gaining more attention and popularity, so it is easy to dismiss the paleo diet just as a fad diet. But everything is a fad if you're only using it to achieve short term results.
From what I've seen and read, the paleo diet is not meant to be a short term weight loss program or quick fix. The diet is a lifestyle, and a reconsideration of what should make up our foods. Being the "foodie" that I am, I can certainly reconsider food (especially since health and fitness is also very important to me), but I will not reconsider taste, or the fundamental idea that food nourishes the soul and the heart just as much as it nourishes the body.
All of this is what has led me to this blog (my very first blog, by the way!). As I adapt more of the paleo diet into our lives, I want to share my foodie journey through the prehistoric paleo world and bring to you my paleo recipes that are healthy and that are "foodie" worthy! Bon appetit!
Woot! So excited to read and share your blog!
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