I haven’t worked out in over a month.

Call it burnout or just not having the time anymore. I haven’t walked into a gym, haven’t done pilates, haven’t ran (other than a 5K race I did for Breast Cancer Awareness) in a month. ::GASP:: “What a lazy fatty” you are probably thinking.  However I feel great! I don’t feel like I’ve been a lazy slob the last month.

You see, Americans now have this presumption…

…in order to feel beautiful, you must workout.

…in order to feel healthy, you must workout.

…in order to work off that pastry and chocolate, you must workout.

…in order to feel socially accepted, you must workout.

…in order to feel balance, you must workout.

Here’s a question for you, why were women in the 1950′s more healthy, burned more calories, and had more sex?

Yes, that last part is a fact! Weren’t they just stay-at-home-moms and housewives? How did they do it? They didn’t Crossfit, Pilates, Water Aerobics, or marathon training. They didn’t lift weights in a gym or attend a local spinning class. However, according to studies, they were able to burn close to 1,000 calories a day.

So, how did the post-war, 1950′s, generation of women do it?

1. Well, first of all they consumed a WHOLE LOT less calories than we do today. The average 1950 woman consumed around 1800 calories. The average woman today consumes nearly 2,200 calories!
2. They cooked with REAL fat. They used butter, lard, tallow, duck fat, and real, raw cream.
3. They cooked their meals from scratch…eating no processed foods.
4. They ate lots of fresh eggs.
5. They cooked their meals with lots of fresh vegetables.
6. They spent 3 hours a day doing housework. This housework consisted of walking to shops to find groceries, prepping and cooking meals, and gardening.
7. The 1950 woman had to shop around for her groceries. Most the shops were specialty stores (butcher, baker, farmers) so they had to go to several stores to get what they needed. This was a lot of moving and walking for the woman. Nowadays, women drive to one store to get all they need. We also have deep freezers so we can store food. This requires much less walking.
8. Owning a car was very rare for the average 1950 woman. So, she had to walk to take her kids to school (that is, if she wasn’t homeschooling).
9. They played with their children MUCH more. Few families had TV to entertain the family, so they couldn’t plop their kids in front of the TV or iPad or Nintendo DS. At night, the family played board games or listened to music.
10. Most women had gardens to tend to and food to harvest.
11. The average 1950 housewife was having MUCH MORE SEX than women today because their time wasn’t divided up between their career, children, and socializing like it is today. \
12. They didn’t have iPads, iPhones, Pinterest, and Facebook to keep up with. If they were in a social club, they walked there.
13. Their career was being a housewife and they didn’t sit in an office all day.
14. They didn’t sit on a phone all day. They walked to who they needed to talk to.
15. Their hobbies were more skilled-involved like knitting, basket weaving, quilting, canning, candlestick making, and painting. Many of our hobbies today are blogging (ahem…I know), reading Kindle, watching your shows on TV, cruising Pinterest, and playing on iPads.

Let’s face it, we just don’t live up to this. I am trying, I’m seriously trying to apply these things…some of these things… to my life. The advancement of technology has changed so incredibly much in the last 20 years. We are a part of Google + circles and Facebook groups without ever meeting anyone or walking to a group meeting. Trust me everyone, I am preaching to the choir here. This is why I have been trying so hard to give up some aspects of technology because I look around and see how women have become so engulfed in it. Kids bring there iPads to playgroups! This is insane!

We workout more but we are fatter. Ironic.

We don’t have to keep up with the times. Our family has made some decisions to remain in THIS time, our time…because life is short and vanishes so quickly.

Here’s some practical ways I have created a more “traditional” lifestyle in our family:

1. My husband and I got rid of our iPhones about a year ago (read post here on why). It has been the BEST thing we have done for our family.
2. The kids are allowed to watched (3) 20 minute shows a day, equaling one hour of TV a day.
3. We are going to be buying a house with acreage so that we can live sustainably and have a homestead.
4. I am homeschooling my kids because I want them to understand OUR family values (and so many other reasons).
5. We got rid of cable over a year ago. We use Netflix for the occasional show or movie.
6. My daughter rarely uses my iPad. I know all the apps and how awesome they are for educational development, but I am old fashioned. I would rather her use her imagination and find something to play with.
7. Weekends are family time. We go lots of places and discover new things to do outdoors.
8. We play games in the evenings. We dance. We rough-house. Our evenings do not revolve around the TV.
9. I have chosen to stay home with the kids instead of pursuing my career. I know that not everyone can afford this choice and I am, by no means, judging. We are blessed that we were able to make this choice.
10. The kids don’t have many toys. Instead they are forced to create things and do things with each other. We spend lots of time outdoors.

What ways are you incorporating older traditions into your family?

I have to say…I am quite impressed. They have MUCH more organic produce than Costco even does. I love Costco and find a lot of Paleo items there, but it’s a 20 minute drive for me. BJ’s is right down the road!

Here’s a few things I loved about BJ’s:

***Note: I buy organic when I can find it and when I can afford it into our budget***

• They are CHEAP! REALLY cheap…even their organic foods are cheap.
• They have Kerrygold butter!
• They have a MUCH larger selection of natural household cleaners.
• They have large quantities…but they also have small quantities. So, if you are single, or it’s just you and your partner, then BJ’s would still be awesome! They had large packages of their meats (5lbs) and smaller packages (2lbs)!
• LOTS of organic produce!
• A good selection of healthy snacks for the kids (nuts, fruit leather, Buddy Fruit applesauce pouches, organic yogurt (if you do dairy), cases of olives, and good selection of fruit (some organic).

Here’s a few things I bought at BJ’s and what I spent:

1.  Stretch Island Fruit Leather (all fruit), 30 pieces: $6.99 – These are usually $0.50 a piece in the grocery store.  At BJ’s, you can get it for half the price!
2. Organic Girl Superfoods Green Mix, 1lb: $4.99
3. English Cucumber, 2ct: $2.79
4. 1lb bag of Kale: $1.99
5. Green Pepper, 4ct: 4.99
6. HUGE bag of Organic Peas: $6.49
7. Red Pepper, 4ct: $4.99
8. Bananas, 3lbs: $1.49
9. Almond Milk, 86oz: $3.49
10. Organic Celery, 3 hearts: $3.79
11. Applegate Smoked Turkey Deli cuts, (2) 7oz packs: $7.69
12. Applegate Forest Ham Deli cuts, (2) 7oz packs: $7.29
13. Applegate Beef Hot Dogs, (2) 12oz packs, $8.29
14. Organic Fuji Apples, 5lbs: $8.99
15. Black Olives, 6 cans: $6.89
16. Organic Carrots, 5lbs: $4.49
17. Blueberries, 18oz: $6.99
18. Ground Pork, 2.5lbs: $4.98
19. Beef Stew Meat: 5lbs: $17.08
20. YoKids Organic Yogurt Squeezers, 16 tubes: $5.99 (this is the only dairy my kids get…I freeze them)
21. Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes, 6 cans: $5.99
22. Kiwi, 3lbs: $5.49
23. Buddy Fruit Applesauce Pouches, 12ct: $7.79
24. Lara Bars, 12ct: $10.99 – *unfortunately, these were the Uber Lara Bars which have brown rice syrup in them…so not 100% Paleo

Non-Paleo Food Items (yes, I am human) and Household Stuff:

1. Giradelli Chocolate Chips, 5lbs: $8.99
2. Veggie Straws: $4.99
3. Jimmy Dean Turkey Links: $8.99
4. Basmati Brown Rice: $4.99 – (I buy this to go with my Asian foods at parties where some people don’t get Cauliflower Rice)
5. Kids Shampoo, 4pk: $5.99
6. Hydrogen Peroxide, 2pck: $2.29 (I use this for bleaching)

Total Spent: $210.00 – $10 over my weekly food budget

I allot $200 a week to groceries. This covers all household supplies, dog food, cleaning supplies, and anything else. This week, I am using these meats from my freezer: Tilapia, chicken breasts, and Salmon. I, always, buy my meat in larger portions and split them up, then freeze.

What else do you find at BJ’s Wholesale Club that is Paleo-worthy?

…how she won’t take the average answer to be the ONLY answer

…how she KNOWS her son…truly, knows him

…how she heals her baby’s seizures with proper diet.

Yes, I love this story, and I know you will too!

The end of May marks a special anniversary for us:  Our son, Kaiden, has been seizure free for 3 years.

Kaiden has Down Syndrome, and was diagnosed with benign myoclonic seizures (infantile spasms) when he was almost 8 months old.

Doctors told us to expect global delays and low muscle tone in regards to Down Syndrome, but they didn’t talk about dietary needs.  After the seizures began, I noted that sweet potatoes and carrots intensified Kaiden’s seizure activity.  The neurologist said outright that diet had absolutely nothing to do with the seizures. He also told us because of Down Syndrome, this type of seizure would not affect Kaiden cognitively and that he may outgrow the seizures within a few short years. So, with that knowledge and because of the possible permanent side effects of allopathic anticonvulsant drugs, we chose to go the holistic route, which significantly reduced, but not eliminated his seizures. I still felt very strongly it had to do with food.

 A few months into the seizures, I became concerned over Kaiden’s cognitive and motor delays.  Everyone said it was Down Syndrome; that I needed to expect these delays.  But I just couldn’t accept that.  In the midst of the seizure-ridden days, he had lucid moments.  Moments where he’d do things, normal baby things.  The most memorable one was four months into the seizures.  He looked directly at me, said “Mama,” smiled at me, repeated it, and then repeated the performance again the next day.

Most of the dietary research I was able find was actually on autism, rather than Down Syndrome.  All I could find about treating Down Syndrome holistically was that individuals were more likely to be gluten and lactose intolerant.  Since I knew many autistic individuals also were gluten and lactose intolerant, I began to look into it.  Because Kaiden was still on breast milk, he wasn’t yet getting any extra dairy.  I chose to remove grain from his diet as well.  If he got any lactose and gluten, it was solely through breast milk (I exclusively pumped for him). I knew from very early on (pre-seizures) that through breast milk,  fresh green peppers gave Kaiden a rash and painful gas, so I had stopped eating them long before.

By his first birthday, Kaiden was pretty well on table foods.  I thought that his seizure activity was spiking after eating foods like spaghetti and tacos, but wasn’t sure as the activity didn’t seem much worse than average.  As far as the carrots and sweet potatoes went, it’s not like I gave them to him once and noted activity.  I tried on 3 separate occasions with the same, repeated result.  A day and a half later each time, his seizure activity spiked.  I was already keeping a log of his daily seizure activity; I began to add in what he ate.

 About a month after Kaiden’s first birthday, I ate an eggplant dish. And boy, did Kaiden’s seizure activity spike. Once I figured out it was the eggplant, I pumped and dumped all my fresh breast milk and gave Kaiden frozen breast milk for a few days, and his seizure activity went back down.

 A couple of months later, I tried fresh green peppers again.  I ate a tiny amount, and didn’t notice any significant difference in Kaiden’s seizure activity – no rash, no gas, so a few days later, I had a good helping of them.  And a day and a half later . . . on Mother’s Day no less . . . Kaiden’s seizure activity spiked like it had done with the eggplant. He spent Mother’s Day having seizures and screaming.  We both cried a lot that day.

 For several days after that I literally walked around the house saying, “what the @*#&%& do eggplant and green peppers have in common that Kaiden reacts so badly to them?”

Then finally, I typed in Google, “green pepper eggplant have in common“. And the connection came up . . . they are both members of the nightshade (solanaceae) family. As are tomatoes, potatoes, all peppers, paprika, ground cherries, and lots more foods I wasn’t familiar with. It was a smack-myself-in-the-forehead moment.  The light bulb switched on.

 Being into natural remedies, I am familiar with some of the properties of deadly nightshade but never thought about foods of the nightshade family. I was cooking with tomatoes, potatoes, paprika, and chili peppers on a regular basis.

Immediately I eliminated nightshade foods from my and Kaiden’s diets, and within a few days, his seizure activity reduced down to 1 – 3 seizures per day. Then I ate a grilled chicken sandwich (contained mayo, which has paprika in it, and a slice of tomato). A day and a half later, Kaiden’s seizure activity spiked. When it went back down, I ate a hamburger with mustard (contains paprika) and a day and a half later his seizure activity spiked again. That was enough of a “lab test” for me, and I completely eliminated nightshade foods for both of us.

Kaiden’s seizure activity dropped again, and within a few days, on May 28th 2010, he had his last seizure!

 The more I observed him, and the more research I did, I came to the conclusion that the seizures were merely a side effect of what the nightshade foods were actually doing to him.  He gained so much in development so quickly that I knew there must be more to it.  My current theory, which may or may not be correct, is that nightshade foods over-stimulated his nervous system, allowing it to become overloaded, too noisy; he was not able to filter out that noise.  

 I may not know what caused his seizures in the first place, but I am thankful for them every single day; if it hadn’t been for those seizures I’d never have discovered the connection between nightshade foods and my son’s ability to process sensory input.

This began our journey into Paleo.

There is so much more to Kaiden’s story – you can keep up with us at here!

Keep up with our cooking adventures here!

And now, one of my favorite recipes from Cavemom’s Cooking:

Lemon Ginger Baked Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• Pork chops
• Water
• Sprinkle on:
• Fresh rosemary
• Fresh thyme
• Garlic granules
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Washed raw sugar
• Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

Sear chops top and bottom in a skillet.  Place chops in a baking dish with about 1/4” of water.  Sprinkle on herbs, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Bake at 350F covered for 25 minutes, uncovered 10 – 15 minutes.

]]> http://thepaleomama.com/2013/05/guest-post-cavemoms-cooking-down-syndrome-how-paleo-eliminated-my-sons-seizures/feed/ 0 http://thepaleomama.com/2013/05/paleo-weekly-meal-plan-1/ http://thepaleomama.com/2013/05/paleo-weekly-meal-plan-1/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 12:41:56 +0000 The Paleo Mama http://thepaleomama.com/?p=1367

Ok people, I’m giving in. You asked for it…here it is. I’ve decided to post a weekly meal plan for you all who are in such dire need. Trust me, I’ve been there. It’s overwhelming. You just don’t know where to start. You don’t know how to afford real food. You don’t know how to cook real food. You just don’t have time. Start here…start fresh. Take a deep breath. You can do this.

I’m going to post a weekly meal plan every Thursday. This meal plan is going to be VERY budget friendly with the options of upgrading the meats to something else more expensive. I will menu plan for 5 meals and on the bottom is a printable shopping list! This way you can save one day for leftovers and another for eating out or choosing your own recipe.

Serving size for all these recipes is 4-6 servings.

Paleo Weekly Meal Plan #1

***Bookmark this page so you can come back over the week to find the recipes you need***

Day 1: Creamy Chicken Skillet Over Spaghetti Squash (recipe is on the bottom of blog post)

Make a whole chicken using my crockpot method. You will use the meat for 2 meals.  Go see my guest post on Paleo Parents on how to crockpot cook your whole chicken and then immediately make chicken stock. This first meal uses 1/2 the chicken.  Reserve the other half of the chicken for Day 4′s dinner. Three cups of the stock will be used in tomorrow’s dinner; freeze the rest of the stock or sip on it throughout the week like I do!

Day 2: Italian Meatloaf with Green Bean Amandin

Your stock should be done by this evening so just scoop out 3 cups of the fresh stock out of your crockpot to make the Green Bean Amandin with. Freeze the rest of the stock or drink it throughout the week.

Day 3: Beef Kabobs with Grilled Peaches

For those who need to watch their budget, ask the butcher to cut roasts into steaks for savings! Then you may use these cuts for the kabobs. Usually roasts are cheaper per pound than steaks. If you can afford it, buy sirloin.

Cut peaches in half and remove the pit. Grill on both sides while grilling the Kabobs.

Day 4: Asian Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Rice with fresh Pineapple

Asian Lettuce Wraps

My recipe calls for raw ground. Just ignore that part and stir in the reserved 1/2 chicken meat with the cabbage and red bell pepper.

Day 5: Salmon in a Bag (or Tilapia) with Mexican Coleslaw

If your budget allows, then get Salmon.  If not, grab some Tilapia (not from China) or other fish you prefer!

The Mexican Coleslaw is a family favorite with us. The kids LOVE it! I have had much success using Broccoli slaw instead of cabbage. Also, add some cilantro to your Salmon bag to bring the flavors together!

Please come back and tell me how you enjoyed these meals!

<<<Printable Shopping List>>>

Save Time in the Kitchen by Batch Cooking

When we first made the switch to the Paleo lifestyle,  one of the things we struggled adjusting to was how much more time it took  to make real food versus boiling water for some pasta and opening a jar of pasta sauce. It felt like hours from prep to dishes.  We soon learned that spending a couple hours on a Saturday or Sunday would make the weekly meal prep a whole lot easier!  It also saves dishes to be washed since I, strategically,  use the food processor in a way that I only have to wash it once or twice during the big cookfest!  This is multi-tasking at its best.  I actually much prefer doing this than cooking one individual meal since I feel the cost-benefit time wise is much more favorable!

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is soooo filling! My kids LOVE when they hear the blender going! Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Monkey Smoothie (or Monkey Popsicle)

Ingredients:

• 16 0z of unsweetened coconut/or almond milk
• 4 TB Almond/or some other nut butter
• 2 teaspoons of raw honey
• 3 TB of cocoa powder
• 2 (frozen) bananas
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• Optional add ins: ice, carob nibs, avocado, coconut butter, pastured egg yolk, coconut oil

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend. If using frozen bananas then you may not need any ice cubes. If you are using unfrozen bananas, then throw in 5-8 ice cubes.

2. Top with raw carob nibs and enjoy!!! Makes enough for 2-3 servings so you can enjoy the smoothie now and freeze the rest!

3. POPSICLES: pour into popsicle molds and freeze! Makes 7 popsicles!

The first time I tried to make this was a complete fail. What was I thinking throwing butter into the blender with ice?!! What a sticky mess! However, I found the key!

I live in Florida and the thought of a hot coffee in the afternoon just makes me start sweating. So, I wanted to try to make an iced Bulletproof® because I love my Bulletproof® and sometimes I just need that mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Sometimes, I just need the extra fat too in the afternoons. Whatever your case may be, you NEED to try this!!!

Iced  Bulletproof® Coffee

Step 1: In the morning when you are making your coffee, make about 2-3 cups extra and make it a little stronger. Add an extra scoop or two of coffee.

Step 2: When the coffee is ready grab a mason jar and pour 2-3 cups of coffee into it. (Make your morning Bulletproof® at the same time.)

Step 3: Put (at least) 2TB of Kerrygold butter into the mason jar and 1-2 TB of MCT Oil . This mason jar coffee is going to be your Iced Bulletproof. Blend until frothy with a stick blender. If you don’t have a stick blender you can do this in a blender.

Step 4: Stick your mason jar coffee in the fridge for later or put a lid on it and bring it to work for later.

Step 5: When you need your mid-afternoon coffee pick-me-up, pour your mason jar coffee over crushed iced (or regular ice).

Step 6: Enjoy your fatty coffee and the buzz!

***This method worked for me because I had already emulsified the butter with the hot coffee in the morning. Once it cooled, it didn’t not chunk up. There may be tiny, tiny pieces that stick to the side of your jar or cup, but you will not taste any chunky butter.***

(*‘Upgraded™ and Bulletproof® are trademarks/service marks of Better Baby LLC’*)

Stealing my Kombucha!

Here are a few things I have heard (and innocent bystanders) my kids say that make me literally LOL:

1. “Can I have my seaweed chips, MOM?”

2. “Mom, can you stop hogging all the KUMbucha and share?”

3. “Can I have some olives?”

4. “Mom, can you give me some coconut water?”

5. “My brother was born in a bathtub.”

6. “Can you wear me this time and not Frankie? I’m tired.”

7. “We drink milk from the hairy coconut.”

8. “My mom puts vinegar in my hair.”

9. “Why do we come to McDonalds to just play and not eat?”

10. “Mom, this milk is GROSS.”

“Oh honey, that is baby milk.” (pumped breastmilk)

11. “Mommy, I didn’t have my honey today yet.”

12. “Stop putting garlic in my ears”

13.  ”Stop putting onions beside my bed.”

14. “Can I have my vitamin d drops?”

15. “Can we have brussel sprouts tonight?”

16. “Why is he eating French fries and I have fruit?”

17. “Mom, there’s a diaper in the toilet. I need to go potty. Can you wash this diaper?”

18. “There’s a dryer ball in my pile of clothes.”

19. “There’s a soap nut in my pile of clothes.”

20. “Mom, can I have some more bacon?”

21. “Can I have some more bone broth?”

22. “Can I have some more almond butter on my spoon?”

23. “Why are you putting coconut oil in your hair?”

24. Why are you putting coconut oil on my toothbrush?”

25. “Why are you putting coconut oil on my butt?”

26. “Why are you putting coconut oil in my smoothie?”

27. “Daddy got poop in his eye when he was using the diaper sprayer!”

28. “Papa gave me lots of candy today. Am I in trouble?”

29. “Can I hold those chicken feet before you throw them in the soup?”

30. “Why do people call me weird?”

What do your Paleo kids say that you find funny?

Anyways, I would like to share something that has been on my mind for years but wondering if there, actually, is a solution to the problem.

Let’s talk about food pantries…

Food pantries give food to the homeless and needy. They are set up by churches and non-profit organizations and we donate to them.  We clean out all our old canned food, you know the “pre-Paleo” food that we don’t eat anymore, and give it to our church’s food pantry.  I am so torn by this. Would you feed your kids food from a food pantry? I know we all would if we were starving and homeless. But I mean RIGHT NOW…if you had the choice, would you feed your kids that food?

I’m sorry…but they are getting our leftovers. I just feel it is wrong. They are getting junk food, processed garbage, and nothing to nourish their tired bodies. I just think we could do better than this! Couldn’t we? Isn’t there something more we could do to get REAL, whole food to the homeless and needy?

Are there any projects set up that do this? I am searching and searching and haven’t found any. This weighs my heart heavily. My passion and dream would be to one day have a community vegetable garden and real food pantry. I would work with local farms and local hobby farmers that have the same heart and would be willing to donate fresh eggs, meat, milk, veggies, and fruit. I would also buy beans and rice in bulk and separate them in gallon-sized baggies for each person.

However, I realize that when you are used to just opening a can and heating it up, then some education might need to happen. So, I plan on writing out meal plans and instructions to go in each bag!

Can you do this too? Talk with you pastor or find a needy family. Prepare a bag of fresh food with a simple meal plan included and give it to a single, working mother! Let’s try to help the needy a little bit better by not serving them our leftovers and unused, almost expired canned goods! I know we can do better!!!

In my last house, I had a fridge in the garage and 2 deep freezers. It was great! I used to get 15 dozen eggs at a time and store them in the fridge in my garage. However, we are limited on space now, and I just have the fridge in our kitchen.

Most of my foods I get at a local farmer’s market. I also shop at Costco. Check out my list of 50 Paleo food items I found at Costco and 36 Paleo food items I found at Sam’s Club!

Here’s a peak at what is inside my fridge…

1. Farm Fresh Eggs – I’ve said this a few times before. Look on Craigslist for a local hobby farmer who has excess eggs. I found a lady about 4 miles from me who has the BEST eggs I’ve ever had! I love the deep orange yolk color, because it’s a sign of nutrients!

Farm fresh Eggs!

2. Sweetleaf Liquid Stevia - we sweeten with stevia. We love it in our coffee, smoothies, and homemade nut milks. We have tried a few different flavors of it and we really like the English Toffee, Chocolate Raspberry and Vanilla!

3. Coombs Grade B Maple Syrup - we prefer grade b syrup for its dark color. This is a great deal on Amazon.

4. Homemade Kombucha - Kombucha is a fermented tea loaded with healthy bacteria and probiotics. Our family drinks a ton of this stuff!

Homemade Kombucha

5. Homemade Mayo or Store-bought Mayo – I try to make mayonnaise ahead of time but sometimes that just doesn’t happen. In a crunch, I use Woodstock Organic Mayo which is NOT Paleo but it is the best of the store-bought kinds. This falls into our 12-20% non-Paleo part of our diet.

6. Renew Life 50 Billion Probiotics - I keep probiotics in the fridge for when we get sick, have upset tummies, flu-like symptoms, or need immune boosting. We do not take probiotics on a daily basis though because it’s just too expensive for our family of 4. Instead, we drink Kombucha daily which has probiotics in it.

7. Eden’s Yellow Mustard: I love the Eden brand and I love this mustard. It made with raw apple cider vinegar and comes in a glass jar!

8. Bionature Strawberry Jam: we still love jellies and jams! We use them on our pancakes and other baked Paleo goods. This brand I buy at Tropical Traditions and has no sugar and sustainable ingredients.

9. Kerrygold Butter - you may have seen this in my freezer, as well. I keep a lb in my fridge and a backup in my freezer! Can’t ever have too much butter! I buy the Kerrygold butter at Costco for super cheap!

10. MaraNatha Almond Butter – Costco sells a HUGE jar of this stuff for only $6! If you don’t have a Costco, you can get it for pretty cheap on Amazon.

11. Organicville BBQ Sauce - I get a huge 35oz jar of this stuff at Costco for like $4.99. I looked at the Amazon prices and they aren’t even comparable. Please note, this is another condiment that falls into my 20% non-Paleo. The ingredients are pretty good and they are organic, however it uses Agave Nectar to sweeten. So, if you have the time, make your own BBQ sauce!

12. Homemade Sauerkraut - we love sauerkraut! Not only is it another “cheap” probiotic, but it is soooo easy to make. I make them in my quart-sized mason jars.

Homemade Sauerkraut

13. Lots of produce from our local Farmer’s Market! I buy in season and local, which makes produce cheaper and fresher!

Fresh Produce from the Farmer’s Market!

14. Almond or Coconut Milk - my kids had raw cow milk for a while, but we have, once again, switched back to be completely dairy free. Their pediatrician recommended we take them off raw milk because of their seasonal allergies. I try to make a Coconut Milk Tonic for my kids when I have the materials and time. Read my post here on choosing the right coconut milk for your kids.

15. Land O Lakes Heavy Cream - my husband uses this for his coffee.

16. Meat, Bacon, and Deli Slices

17. Dates - I get a 2lb box of dates from Sam’s or Costco. I love them with almond butter inside!

18. Mason Jar Salads – ever since my friend, Dusti, wrote a guest blog post on how she makes mason jar salads for her family…my life has changed! These are genius, time-saving, and convenient.

Mason Jar Salads

I think that is just about it! What else do you have in your fridge that I didn’t include?