Last week we delivered a ton of grass fed beef to our sea-sky and vancouver residents. The feedback on the beef has been phenomnial, and were so happy everyone was so stoked! Our customers received a number of different cuts of the cow. Ater dividing up the meat, we had a lot of offal leftover. For those who are unfamiliar with offal; websters disctionary states:
1.the waste or by-product of a process: as
a: trimmings of a hide
b: the by-products of milling used especially for stock feeds
c: the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal removed in dressing
2: rubbish
If I were to ask the majority of our customers who purchased the beef, they just may agree with this definition. We asked our customers, "hey we have a bunch of offal left over, did you want some?" A.k.a., free food? Do you know how many customers said yes to free offal? Big fat ZERO. I think many of us have no problem gnawing on the muscle of an animal, but the livre, or heart, gross! I will admit, I'm not all that fond of offal. In countries like France, offal is used in some the highestet regarded delicacies. In China, there is a dish called luzhu, which uses the pig lungs, intestines and a slice of head meat. The Chinese specialty came about when the poor could not afford to buy meat. Even in today's day and age where more of the chnese population can afford to buy meat, offal is still very popular. As you look at the different countries across the globe, it seems North America just isn't down with their offal. Where did we miss the message that offal is tastey and good for you? Well if these points don't get you to at least try, well then you my dear just aint' getting the message!
You are a caveman, right? So do you think that our ancestors ate only the lean, nice looking parts of the animal? Of course not, you better belive after a tough hunt, you are going to use every single piece of that animal.
Offal is chalked full of vitamins that pack a punch in a small portion
It's cheap - I always hear people complaining about how expensive a paleo diet is, well here is your chance to cash in those chips! My advice, befriend your local farmer. I'd say currently at least 80% of people do not want the offal when they order a cow, a lot of times the packing plant will throw away the offal because a lot do not want it
Anti-fatigue factor - Weston A Price produced a study on rats, 1 out of 3 rats were given powdered livre. The rats were then put in drums with water and basically performed a test of sink or swim. The rats that had no livre only swam for around 13 minutes, the rats that had livre were able to swim for 63 minutes or longer. -click here for more on that study .
Are we ready to get adventurous? Make sure your offal is free range, and grass fed. You will be missing out on the many benefits if you are consuming grain fed offal. Look for organ meats which are plump, glossy and bright. The offal will have a different smell than meat muscle will, just be sure the smell is not off.
It is recommoned that we get 1-2 servings/week of offal. That does seem quite a bit for someone who doesnt include it regularly in their diet. Fear not, as we are here to save the day and recommend tips and tricks for sneaking it into your diet.
puree the livre and pour into ice cube trays, take out whenever you need and sneak into your meatloafs, burgers, or stews.
Place the offal in cold water with a tablespoon of salt for a couple hours and this will help cut down on the strong taste
livre goes great in burgers, simply freeze your livre and blend in a food processor. Add your processed livre to your ground beef and it will hide super easy!
make a pate - I really can't frame a better picture of real paleo food othen than dipping veggies into meat! Oh and u can add bacon! Say what? Bacon, ok, so now I have you attention back, check out one of our favourite recipes for livre pate.
check out our kid tested liver and beef burgers, if a picky little girl can eat them, then so can you!
So have we inspired you? What will be the first organ you try? Beef livre or chicken hearts. Their are endles recipes out there. Make a big batch of meatballs or pate and freeze half in the freezer for later. Your PR's is the gym will thank you!
This sauce is a star ingredient in many recipes, marinades, dips and sauces.It is a great base to start with.It tastes, looks, smells and cooks like a traditional soy sauce.Coconut aminos are crucial for any paleo chef who needs something to grab and make quickly.My favourite for any veggie, beef or chicken is coconut aminos, coconut vinegar, onion, garlic and ginger.I’m always looking for quick cheats around the kitchen, and this one is frequent in our kitchen.
Coconut aminos come from the sap of a coconut tree.The sap of a coconut trees blossom is super versatile and a lot products come from this; coconut nectar, coconut vinegar, and coconut sugar.The sap is aged or evaporated, depending on the product they are trying to make.To get the sap from the trees they use hollow bamboos tubes and tap into the thick fleshy stems of the flower of the coconut tree.The best part of this harvesting method is that the tree will continue to give sap for the next 20 years.This sustainable method will yield 5000 litres of sap per hectare. That is a lot of sap for a small piece of land.
Aminos acids are the building blocks of protein.They make up 75 % of the human body.Coconut aminos has 14 times more glutamic acid than regular soy.Failure to get enough essential amino acids can result in protein degradation because the human body does not store them for later use as it does with fats and starches.The coconut secret aminos are totally raw.The sap is simply left to ferment for around a year, they add sea salt and voila!The raw product is enzymatically alive; no nutrients are taken away through the processing.
The coconut aminos is becoming more prevalent in our shelves in Canada as the paleo/gluten free diet grows.Where to buy coconut aminos in Canada?Well right here of course.We will ship directly to your door.We charge flat rate shipping free so feel free to put together a group order.Be sure to be careful once you receive your coconut aminos.It is a fermented product so keep it upright, in a dry cool storage.Exposing the aminos to any kind of heat (like being left in a car on a hot day) will cause the sauce to continue to ferment, thus leaving you with a big ol’ mess!You can keep your aminos in the fridge too if that is what you fancy, but cupboard or fridge, doesn’t seem to matter.Perhaps if we had an opened bottle for longer than a couple weeks we would know better.Check out some of our favourite recipes from our favourite bloggers.
1. Invest in a good food processor- ok so the caveman didn’t have a food processor, but that doesn’t mean you should be cutting everything by hand or using a brick and mortar!A good food processor will save you tons of time and will give access to the thousand recipes that call for this tool.
2.Don’t let yourself get to hungry – We really can’t stress this one enough.Being overly hungry may lead to poor choices.I’m sure to never leave my house without a snack of some sort to get me through.Let’s not forget, your days of being able to quickly grab something on the road are over!
3.If you have to ask if it’s paleo, well, then it’s probably not. – Stick to the food pyramid guide provided in the beginning of this paleo pack.“Paleofying” is not what we want to do either.Sure there are lots of recipes for paleo brownies, paleo cookies or even paleo doughnuts.Even though you now use unrefined sugars, natural sweeteners will still raise your insulin levels too, so be careful.
4.Plan ahead – I usually know when I wake up in the morning what we are eating for the day.Using a slow cooker can really get you ahead of the game.There is nothing better than hitting the slopes all day and coming home to a readymade meal!Always cook for leftovers.Leftovers will be your saving grace with this way of life.The less time we have to spend in the kitchen, the better.If you know you have a really busy week coming up, then you should prep all your veggies.I precut my veggies so they can be ready to go in a flash.Sometimes I spend an entire day baking muffins, paleo breads and casserole dishes.Muffins hold up great in the freezer and taste fresh when defrosted.
5.Be careful with what your read – As stated before, new bloggers are emerging on the scene all the time.Some bloggers seem to take it upon themselves of what is paleo and what is not.Use common sense and good judgement. A good forum that I turn to is www.paleohacks.com.Lots of good information there!
6.Never ever, I mean ever, purchase something from the grocery store that is not paleo.Since starting the paleo diet 2 years ago I made a commitment to myself that neither my grocery cart nor shelves at home should contain any processed foods.This really helps down the road.You should never have “cheats” on hand.If a craving does come on for something bad, try and make it paleo!You could be the next great paleo chef and not even know it!
7.Pay attention to how you feel – this is so important.Now that you have cut out foods like dairy and gluten, you have a real chance to listen to what your body is telling you.Do you have an autoimmune disease (i.e. Asthma, crones, eczema?).Nightshades such as tomatoes or bell peppers can have some nasty effects on people with autoimmune diseases.
8.Get your meat in bulk – We purchased a freezer 2 years ago just so we could start buying cow shares, pig shares, etc.We all know what happened this year with XL plant scare.Buying directly from a source gives you better buying power.Talk to the farmer/distributor.It may say grass fed on the packaging, but do they finish with grain?Dealing directly with your meat gives you back the power on what goes on the plate at dinner time.Support your local farmer.It is imperative we restore our control of the food supply chain.
9.Save money when you can – I do shop in the clearance isle quite often, and base my meals around my cheap finds.The other day I bought a 5 lb. bag of green apples for .50 cents, I made a paleo apple pie with these apples (with lots leftover!)I also like to keep my eye out on local grocery store flyers.I love buying roasts on sale.Make a big roast and have leftovers for days!
10.Eat your offal! – Good offal is super beneficial for your health.I don’t know about you, but I hate offal!To get my family to eat it, I use it in sauces and stews where it is chopped up small and you can’t really tell that it’s there.Not mention offal is cheap!Again we must stress the importance of knowing the source of the meat.No sense in eating beef liver if the cow gorged on grains and spent its entire life in a small cage ingesting hormones and antibiotics.
11.Shop at www.cavemangrocer.com !!!!! Ok so I had to do it, one little bitty plug.Did you know we offer paleo products that are super-duper hard to find?We are the only guys on the west coast to offer coconut wraps and one of the few to sell coconut aminos (a replacer for soy, a real staple in our cupboard, and I do believe Jordan drinks this stuff by the litre :-P).We are constantly searching for new and interesting products.We adhere strictly to the paleo diet, and we stick to our guns that everything we sell must be PALEO!Of course there is no gluten, no dairy and no refined sugar, but we also ensure that the correct oils have been used; no sneaky preservatives or soy shows up in our foods either.From time to time you will see fresh made paleo foods in the top shelf of the fridge.All pre-made food we bring in is designed to be eaten cold/hot and on the go.If you see Travis or me in the gym, don’t hesitate to ask us with any questions you may have.We love our community, and without you guys, we would be nowhere.
12. HAVE FUN – And thank yourself constantly for allowing your body to eat and perform the way nature intended.
Life just got a little bit simpler! For the past 2 years of my Paleo life, I have struggled with bags of containers, forks and knives. You have to keep the tomatoes separate from the salad, or you will have wilted salad. If your almonds are around anything moist then they lose their crunch. Not only do I usually carry around all my containers in a very large bag, but also have to bring utensils and a bowl or plate. This is really not an ideal situation. Living paleo definitely has its challenges. Our team is constantly looking for ways to make the paleo lifestyle easier, accessible and most importantly, convenient. It only made sense we bring our valued customers what made our paleo lives easier.
The bento is ameal,usuallyservedin a elaborately decorated box that is divided into sections for holding individual portions of food. It is a staple in Japanese homes. Bento boxes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and compartments. Keep all of your food separate, without the need for a million containers.
The bento box allows you to be creative, and express yourself through food. A lot of moms are using bento boxes to get their little ones at school to eat. You could use fun shapes and arrangements. Using colourful combinations can make lunch time more appealing.
Why go bento? See our top 5 reasons:
1. Convenience.
Leave the house with just one container under your arm. Plus, you will only have one container to wash at the end of the day.
2. Cost:
Save a ton of money! Packing a lunch is a lot cheaper than $10 for a salad, a salad which is probably going to consist of just lettuce, because chances are the toppings and dressings aren’t paleo. Owning one container keeps you from having to purchase multiple containers.
3. Trendy:
My little oval bento is cute. I feel so much pride when I pull it out to see what goodies I have for the day. My ladies out there know what I am talking about, fellas; get ready to impress the ladies!
4. Leftovers:
What a great way to eat up your leftovers. Why not create a little buffet for yourself, perhaps a paleo Sheppard’s pie, pad Thai and some pear with almond butter.
5. Green
No more seran wrap, plastic bags or alumium foil. The compartments, tins and muffin cups allow you to stay green.
So, ready to change it up? Have a look at our new selection of bento boxes. Prices start at $9.99. We have stainless steel and BPA free plastic bento boxes. Don’t forget to check out the little condiment jars. These are great for salad dressings, almond butter, etc.
This question seems to come up quite often. What are the good ones and what are the bad ones? Well this blog post would be a lot longer if I listed off all the oils you couldn't have. I'm sure your tired of constantly being told what you can't have, so lets start with what you can and should be using.
Coconut Oil
Any paleo enthusiast should always always always stock this in full in the cupboard. It should be noted that not all coconut oils are created equal. Some are unpasteurized, some are organic. Did you know some have a better flash point than others? Now if you had to ask yourself what is a flash point, perhaps you need to brush up on your paleo 411! Most coconut oils have a high flash point. So this refers to when the oil is heated to a certain temperature and starts to discolour and decompose. Decomposition of your oil is very bad. This is where carcinogenics become active in your food and you'll be missing out on all those wonderful fats our bodies so desire. Check the label of you coconut oil to see where yours rates. In our cupboard, we have 3 different kinds of coconut oils (I don't mess around with my coconut oil). 2 of these oils I use for general cooking. The major difference in the 2 oils is that one is virgin and other is not. The regular organic coconut oil is cheap and has no flavour to it at all. The virgin coconut oil is a little more pricey but does give a nice hint of coconut oil when your looking for that sweet taste. The third coconut oil you will find in our cupboard is the piece de resistance. The finest, most pure, gourmet coconut oil there is on the market. Yes it is pricey, but worth every penny! I owe organic lives a big thanks for it being a star ingredient in my paleo, raw organic chocolate. I sold my chocolate throughout the sea-sky corridor this summer through various events and farmers market. Man what a hit that was! There is no doubt that had I used any other coconut oil ( and i tried) it just would not have been the same. I use this same oil for anything i put on my skin. (torn hands from crossfit? another amazing ointment!). Your budget will be a deciding factor on which coconut oil is right for you.
Olive oil
Of course we love a good extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. This is a great ingredient to use in any dressing. Use it to lightly toss some veg in a pan, but you should not cook with high heat when using olive oil. It is very easy to over heat olive oil, so take precaution!
Nut Oils
So nuts are paleo, right? So does that mean that nut oils are as well? Well, there seems to be some debate as to whether nut oils are paleo or not. Some say that it is to concentrated of a form and that our paleolithic ancestors would not have been able to pick that many seeds and eat them all in one sitting. Some have argued that it can help with your omega 3 ratios. Well we say use it in moderation. A nice nut oil can give a nice little bump or kick to a special recipe. Put these oils in the treat category.
If your unsure of what your using is paleo or not, chances are, its not! There are some great lists of whats in and whats not. Do your research and listen to your body.
If you dont have these 5 items in your kitchen, you are missing out! Don't make your paleo lifestyle any harder than it has to be!
1. Freezer:
This is number one for so many reasons! Its now more apparent we pay attention to our meat sources, so when you can find it locally you need to snap it up. Plenty of local farms sell whole pigs, chickens, cows and lamb to their loyal customers. You get a good deal when your buying a whole pig. Whether you buy your meat from us or your local farmer your getting a great product, saving a ton of money, and doing a great service in supporting your local community. Oh lets not forget the coming zombie apocalypse which you are now stocked for!
2.Slow Cooker:
Our team at caveman grocer plays outside a lot in the mountains on the beautiful West Coast of Canada. After spending a day of hunting powder, we look forward to coming home and smelling the sweet aroma as you walk in the door. A slow cooker is also another great way to cook a really cheap or gamey piece of meat; low and slow. There are a ton of great recipes out there. Simply throw in your ingredients, set it and come home to a fantastic meal!
3. Spiralize/Mandolin:
OK so being the amazing paleo chefs we are (ahem, yes I am, my mom tells me so!) I have both a spiralizer and a mandolin. What is the difference? Well a spiralizer will take a vegetable and make long noodles. A mandolin will julienne or quickly chop up vegetables, great for making your own sweet potato chips!
4. Pyrex Glass containers with lids:
I use these for everything, storing, cooking organizing or to take food with me. After I come home from grocery shopping I cut up most of my veggies and sort into glass containers. When I make any sort of casseroles, meatloaf's or baking dishes I will usually divide into smaller portions and put into the pyrex glass containers. On busy days (who am I kidding, every day is a busy day!) I pull out some veg, throw on my garlic olive oil and bake in the oven. There a great way to help organize your busy paleo lives.
5. Food Processor:
I myself am wondering why this one is last. My little food processor gets a workout just about every single day. Without this baby, there are few recipes I can pull off. Investing in a good one is key! With a processor you can make your own mayonnaise, creamy avocado sauces, become a mix master! Look for one that has a good warranty and has parts that will be easy to clean. It should be said for any blades that are used to cut or process should not go in the dishwasher as this will dull the blade.
The
evidence has finally hit us in the face, mass production of our food is getting
us into big trouble!I’m sure you have
been paying attention to what is going on in the media with the e-coli scare
and the XL packing plant in AB.Did you
know that they produced 40 % of Canada’s meat?And now they have brought in a new management team from a Brazilian
owned company.This is a company who
once had their own e-coli scare (which is why they were chosen).Is no one else paying attention?Why are we bringing in a foreign company to
further along the mass production scale.We need to dial it back, back to where it all started.
Our laws for the transportation of
animals in Canada are archaic.Third
world countries have better laws than we do.A lot of our meet is raised in SK, MB and AB.The Canadian transportation laws state that livestock
can be in transportation for up to 50 hours without a break, food or
water.Can you imagine the journey in AB
in the -40 weather?
It is time we the Canadian people
took back the responsibility of how our food is raised and produced.If you are unsure of where to start, the
easiest is your local farmers market. I know a lot of our “Whistlerites” took
advantage of the whistler farmers market.We had it 2 days a week this summer.We had our booth there every Wednesday and Sunday.We talked to you, listened to your concerns,
and some of you did enquire as to who our sources were.We quickly networked in our community and got
on board with some great farmers from the Pemberton area.It was an amazing system.We really couldn’t make our food any
fresher.Our farmer would go out on
Tuesday, pick the fresh vegetables and deliver to us that day.We would then prepare the food on the
Wednesday morning and sell our goods later in the afternoon.Where else in the world are you going to get
prepared food that is that fresh?It was
so beneficial for all parties involved.We paid our farmers a good price for the produce, promoted their farms
and were able to help speak on their behalf and explain to the public where the
food comes from.
We are so excited to be working with
Snow Bound Ranch in Pemberton.We
visited their farm, had tea, and talked about business, the old school way.The farm has set aside 6 grass fed cows
from this season.There is a possible
additional 32 cows next year if all goes well.This is a program we really want to see work.The Whistler community has an opportunity to
ensure a farming family can take a step in the right direction which is humanely
producing grass fed cows and making the short trip to your plate.The first delivery of grass fed beef is
November 6th.We deliver to your door at no charge.Different boxes are available so you can pick one that suits your family
size needs.Contact us with any
questions or comments you have.Get your
deposit in today as we only have one cow left for November 6th delivery.More may become available at a later date,
but we cannot guarantee our same great price.
Yes you have read about it many times, heard different gyms, coachs, athletes, moms and regular Joes tackling the tough challenge of a strict 30 day paleo diet. Some of you may have completed one before or perhaps you have no idea what it entails. Well the team at Caveman Grocer is taking up the challenge for the month of October. We will be publushing recipes, food journals, before and photos and measuring our strength before and after the challenge.
The Rules:
No Grains
No Dairy
No refined sugar
No Soy, beans or Legumes
To help measure results the Caveman Grocer team has taken a measurement of weight, waist circumference, biceps, chest and thighs. We have also completed a Crossfit Total and the famous wod Fran. We have also taken before and after photos
The Caveman Grocer team has been Paleo for some time. However, we are pretty relaxed on how strict we do things around here. This is a strict 30 day program. It is important to remember that just because it is paleo does not mean you can gorge away. We will eat lots of fresh veggies, good fats and grass fed meat but take it easy on the nuts and fruits. Make sure to check back over the coming weeks to check our progress, look over food logs and see what recipes we have been using. Feel free to email us with any questions you may have. I am not an expert, nutrionist or Chef by trade, just passionate about this way of life.
Yum! I absolutely love this chocolate. I love this chocolate so much that I now make it and sell it at farmers markets in the sea to sky area. No matter what your diet may entail, it is hard to not fall in love with this chocolate. My recipe I use for the markets is a little different (sorry, a few secrets I am keeping in my pocket for now). This chocolate is as paleo as can be, but just because it is paleo does not mean you can eat it all the time. It is still a treat, but, a treat that wont leave you feeling guilty or ill. The recipe takes about 25 minutes. I use chocolate molds to make my chocolate. You can also make chocolate balls or a big block of chocolate, its up to you. Careful not to overheat your coconut oil. If the oil is to hot it will burn the cacao nibs and will give a very bitter after-taste. The amount of dates, agave or goji berries you use is up to how sweet or dark you like your chocolate. Once the chocolate is in the shapes desired, place in your freezer for 20 minutes. Since the ingredient that binds together the chocolate is coconut oil, it can melt at room temperature. It is best to keep in freezer.
1)Mix your cacao nibs, powder & coconut for over a minute in a food processor
2)add in the dates, hot coconut oil & agave nectar and process for another minute
3) Once the batch is thoroughly mixed, you should have a fudge like consistency. Take your spoon and put chocolate into molds. Press chocolate down and firm if using molds.
4)Put chocolate molds in freezer for 20 minutes and EAT!
I am
sure the lot of us who have followed paleo for some time have been to a paleo
pot luck party or two.I always see a
lot of the same appetizers show up.Bacon wrapped everything shows up on the table.Usually
at least 4 kinds of bacon wrapped
dates, (which really in hindsight is probably a good thing because if 4
different people didn’t bring them then I would not be able to stuff my
face into a bacon coma, totally allowed at a paleo party, right?).We are all very busy and resorting to the
tried and tested is the easy option, but so boring!You can still bring a star appetizer and take
5 minutes to throw together.We really couldn’t
have made it any simpler.We encourage
you to play around with all of our recipes.Being creative with new foods makes being paleo so fun.The final product was we came away with 3
different flavours to top the JK Gourmet’s biscottis.
The dried peach and pistachio are actually
very thin and resemble much more of a melba toast.This makes the perfect start to your paleo
appetizer creation.
Here we used one of BC's finest
exports, wild pacific sockeye salmon. Use the oil and brush on to
toast. Flake off large chunks of salmon and place onto toast and top
with dill.
Creation #2:"Bacon jam on toast"
Yes, you heard right, bacon jam! A very goof friend of mine made me some delicious bacon jam that I slathered all over!
Creation #3:Mangoes and strawberries, yum!
Oh this one was my favourite! I
used freshly pick strawberries grown in Pemberton. I sliced the
strawberries in half and then drizzled a mango balsamic vinaigrette all
over. The tart and sweet was a great combination, especially when you
got the extra bit of crunch from the pistachio.
As you can see, it is so easy
to throw something together. You really do not have any excuse when it
becomes so simplified. Let us know what creations you came up with.
Use your local farmers market for fresh produce and herbs, the
possibilities are endless!
Caveman grocer is a one stop shop for all your paleo, primal, gluten free, and whole food needs! We are a Canadian owned and operated business in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia.
Food is our passion and we have sourced for you the highest quality of ingredients for the everyday caveman. We strive to offer great prices while offering the highest quality of product.
Allow us to do the research for you. All products must meet our strict standards void of gluten, dairy, soy and refined sugars. So in short, if you can't spell it or read it, guaranteed, the caveman did not eat it.
Caveman grocer is a one stop shop for all your paleo, primal, gluten free, and whole food needs! We are a Canadian owned and operated business in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia.