Green Pea & Mint Pesto

-A great compliment with grilled salmon and other summer dishes!

10 oz frozen peas
1/2 c pine nuts
1/2 c mint leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
*1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not necessary for the dairy free crowd)

Place peas, pine nuts, mint & garlic in the food processor. Pulse to a rough chop. With the machine running add the olive oil in a steady stream and process a smooth paste. Remove from food processor add *cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

The Philly Cow Share

Following closely after our Primal/Paleo Challenge I received an email from Jessica Moore from the PhillyCow Share. Asking if we had interest in a Cow Share. You might wonder what it is...well, it's similar to a crop share. You go in with others to buy high quality, local, grass-fed beef in bulk by splitting the purchase of a cow with other people. We at CrossFit believe in the Paleo-lifestyle and low and behold, Jessica had them fresh as can be...Yes, they just stepped off the farm. This Cow, grass fed since it came off it's mothers milk came from a family owned farm, straight to a family owned butcher and then delivered directly to our door at CrossFit KoP! I posted a blurb on the blog to get a gauge of interest shortly after hearing about the prospect, it was ON! We had enough interest to buy a cow and a half. Click here to see the pricing.

It was delivered looking like this - Yep, that's JB getting his 2 shares.

Cate and I helped carry in the extra shares for the CrossFitters to arrive at 4:30PM.

An 1/8 of a share was two boxes measuring 13" x 13" x 8" and enough to fit in an empty standard size freezer.

And the meat, well it speaks for itself, it was AMAZING!

The London Broil above

and

The T-Bone and Delmonico below

Here are few tips on cooking Grass Fed Beef:
Grass Fed Beef has less fat and less water so cook at lower temps, you can use regular beef recipes but cut the heat back by 25 degrees F. They defrost faster and when seasoning make sure to use less salt.

Thank you Philly Cow Share!

We will hopefully be making another delivery soon, to contact Jessica her email is info@phillycowshare.com

2nd Annual Paleo Party

Click here to get all the recipes

Paleo Coconut Truffles

2 cups walnuts (soaked for 3 hours and drained)

1 cup pitted medjool dates

1 tablespoon raw almond butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Shredded coconut (garnish)

What You Do:

1. In a food processor, blend walnuts until finely chopped.

2. While food processor is running, add dates one at a time until a sticky ball forms.

3. Open lid of food processor and add almond butter and cinnamon. Process until mixed. Form into small balls and roll in shredded coconut.

4 Tips to transition from a Modern Diet to a Paleo Diet

If you are just starting out down the path of paleo, then making the transition to a paleo diet from the diet you have been accustomed to for so many years might seem like a difficult step, but in actual fact, once you start, nothing will seem more natural than eating like your caveman ancestors.

Here are 4 essential bits of advice to help you make the transition to the paleo diet.

1. Remember Why You're Doing It
Keep reading about paleo and reminding yourself why you want to live this way. Knowing the terrific improvement you are making to your well being and the years by which you are extending your life will make the transition easier and more exciting.

2. Don't Worry About Getting Your Carbs
We simply aren't built to process grains, dairy and other processed foods healthfully, and the fact is that we don't need these things. On the paleo diet you'll be increasing your protein and fat consumption whilst naturally lowering your carb intake. Your carbs will come from fruits and vegetables providing you with a wealth of healthy micronutrients and plenty of energy stores.

3. Increasing Your Protein Intake
Many of your calories will come from protein, and you will be naturally eating more protein than with a modern day diet. The best protein comes from lean meats such as organic chicken and turkey and grass-fed lean beef. Lean organic meat has low levels of saturated fats, and fish - also a great protein source - will also provide you with high levels of Omega-3.

4. Make Sure You Have a Plethora of Choice
The paleo diet is effortless once you know how. The body will adapt very well to the transition and the food it is biologically engineered to consume.

The one aspect of paleo people tend to struggle with though, is knowing what to eat, when to eat it and how to cook it.

So arm yourself with enough recipes to be able to draw inspiration at any time, don't go back to anti-nutrients and fake foods, eat well and hear your body hum like the well-oiled machine it's meant to be.

To give you a helping hand in clearing out your cupboards of non-paleo friendly foods for the new year, here is a quick 6-point list of things you don't want to find in your kitchen.

Once you have expelled these demons from your kitchen be sure no-one tries to sneak them back in!

1. Corn-Fed Beef - Cattle evolved to eat grass, not corn. This is no secret, but something that is generally hidden and not spoken about by government health agencies. Many farmers feed animals corn, grains and soya beans to fatten them up faster for slaughter, all at the detriment of our nutrition. Grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, Omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; and lower in saturated fats.

2. Milk (Dairy) - Milk is not part of the paleo diet, simply because the human body isn't biologically designed to consume dairy. Dairy cattle are treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to boost milk production. Milk also contains IGF-1, which contributes to breast, prostate and colon cancers.

3. Farmed Salmon - Salmon are not meant to live on a diet of grains and soy, neither are they supposed to be crammed into pens. Farmed salmon is nutritionally weak and contains carcinogens, PCBs and pesticides. For safe and healthy salmon switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon.

4. Sweets - Refined sugar causes a plethora of health problems, not limited to causing a spike in insulin and playing havoc with your hormones and energy levels (causing unnatural peaks and lows).

5. Grains - Our ancestors thought of grains as starvation food, only to be considered where death by starvation loomed. Historically grains were near impossible to eat because it takes a ton of manual work just to make them edible. Then there is the gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley. This is causing 1% of the population celiac disease and a further 40% problems with bloating and digestion.

6. Snacks - Be careful of snacks that appear paleo friendly on the surface but underneath are coated with corn syrup or added preservatives. Beware of banana chips dipped in vegetable oil or dried fruit with added sugar. If you are unsure about which snacks to buy then why not make them yourself?

Go for nut bars and other healthy on-the-move paleo friendly snacks such as those found in the Simple Paleo Recipes cookbook.

Here's the link:
Paleo Recipes

Some worthwhile links!

Download Paleo Characteristics

Paleo Food List

Nice Paleo Intro

Some reasons grains are bad

Inuit Paradox

Paleo vs Osteo

Omega 6=bad Omega 3=good

Paleo vs Diabetes