Category Archives: Food

Paleo Bread Follow-up Thoughts

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Here are my thoughts on the new Coconut Flour Paleo Bread from Julian Bakery:

Fun Saturday Finds in La Jolla!

Without gluten, most breads can be quite dry (thinking of my baking experiences with almond flour here), but this bread is exactly the opposite. It is extremely dense, and quite moist. It has a bit of an egg smell, as it’s made with egg whites, and is almost a little sticky after you first refrigerate it. It has no coconut flavor, at all. You can read about the ingredients and see nutritional facts here: http://www.julianbakery.com/paleo-bread/ This is also an awesome option for those with nut allergies!

We had it Sunday morning toasted with our (organic free range pastured) eggs and (uncured) bacon, it was a really nice addition to our breakfast. We each had just one slice with apple butter, and it was great toasted because it dried it out a bit.

I was making a new recipe the other night with melted extra dark chocolate, and I had a little bit leftover-because chocolate must never be wasted, I decided to take out a slice of Paleo Bread and just roughly tear it into bite size pieces dipping it into the remaining melted chocolate-what a pleasant surprise that was! An added bonus for me living with type 1 diabetes, it has zero effect on my blood sugar = WIN!

Although we no longer eat bread of any kind, this will make it into our Paleo lifestyle rotation. I’m looking forward to trying the Almond Flour Paleo Bread, to compare.

Fun Saturday Finds!

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Seth and I have a tradition, breakfast on at least one weekend day each weekend, and in San Diego, the opportunities for breakfast are endless, lucky us. We get up early, get to a yummy spot and catch up, or as we say, have “talky time.” This morning, we headed for La Jolla because there was a specialty bakery I wanted to swing by afterward, also in La Jolla.

We went to one of our favorite spots in La Jolla, The Cottage http://www.cottagelajolla.com/. They have a fabulous patio, great food and service, and will let you sub the best looking fresh fruit you’ve seen for anything that comes with your meal (i.e., grains). I highly recommend the Mediterranean Omelette, with the best sweet Italian sausage you’ll taste!

After we finished up, we headed for Julian Bakery http://www.julianbakery.com/ where I wanted to buy a loaf of their new, only one of it’s kind, Paleo Bread. Yes, that’s right, Paleo Bread, and they even make two kinds (almond and coconut). I opted for coconut this morning, and also found a small jar of organic, natural apple butter, which I’ve been in the market for too. Can you imagine, bread that doesn’t have an ingredient list the length of the Great Wall of China? Welcome back bruschetta!

Fun Saturday Finds in La Jolla!

Farmers Market Success!

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Last night Seth and I went to the North Park Farmers’ Market http://www.northparkfarmersmarket.com/ which takes place every Thursday evening from 3-7pm. It was our first time there, and we really enjoyed it. Small, yet covered all the bases quite well! We ended up with some great local and organic finds:

  • New York Strip and Filet Mignon, grass fed, pastured beef
  • Raw alfalfa infused honey
  • Heirloom and roma tomatoes
  • Peaches, nectarines and pluots

    North Park Farmers’ Market Finds

Looking forward to dinner tonight 🙂

Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen

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The dirty dozen and clean fifteen list changed the way I eat and buy produce, ever since I learned of it. Published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) each year, it lists the 12 worst and cleanest 15 produce items based on pesticides, insecticides and toxins. I’ve included the lists for 2012 below, but more information can be found here: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

Some highlights from the lists:

  • The most contaminated fruits, in alphabetical order, are apples, domestic blueberries, grapes, imported nectarines, peaches and strawberries
  • The most contaminated vegetables are bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes and spinach
  • Every sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides, followed by apples (98 percent) and imported plums (96 percent)
  • As a category, grapes have more types of pesticides than any other produce, with 64 different pesticides
  • Bell peppers had 88 different pesticide residues, followed by cucumbers (81) and lettuce (78)

I always try to buy organic produce from the dirty dozen list, and even organic on some of the “clean” items because I feel more comfortable eating them. It isn’t always possible, but I sure try, which I think counts for something. Apples happen to be one of my favorite fruits, and the best organic apples I’ve found are at Trader Joe’s-they have organic Gala apples that are to die for! I’ve watched the evolution of organic options at the military commissaries change dramatically over the last several years, which is encouraging, too.

For me, it’s about caring what I put in my body, and how I choose to fuel it, and I prefer not to eat chemicals.