dani - Ancestral Nutrition

Blog March 18, 2015

Paleo Greek Green Beans

There’s a Greek restaurant that Scott and I regularly go to. I would go all the time if he agreed to it. It’s so good. They have authentic Greek food and olive oil on the table that’s damn near green. There hasn’t been one thing on the menu I disliked and they serve Greek green beans with almost every entree. They aren’t like any green beans I’ve ever had before and they’re so, so good. Stewed, soft, dill-y and delicious. Paleo Greek Green Beans These Paleo Green Beans aren’t like any green beans I’ve ever had before and they’re so, so good. Stewed, soft, dill-y and delicious. 1 lb green beans1 can diced tomatoes1 tbsp butter1 onion (diced)1 garlic clove (minced)1 tbsp dill1 tsp oregano Melt the butter over medium heat in a big pot. Toss in the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir.Add the…

Blog March 16, 2015

Ten Minute Greek Salad

Originally, Scott and I wanted to go to Greece for our honeymoon. But after weighing the pros and cons (read: the million hour flight to get there and both of us needing to get back to work) we decided to stay a bit more local to the US. Don’t get me wrong, our honeymoon was ridiculously amazing, but I’m hoping we can still get to Greece someday. The food, the people, the architecture, the beautiful beaches and especially all that delicious food, really draws me to Greece. I especially love that they have such amazing food that is still healthy. Fresh seafood and veggies, delicious local cheeses, amazing wines and everything is cooked in Greek olive oil. I can’t wait to get there someday. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for making Greek recipes. I came across some real Greek feta, from Greece, with Greek writing on it and…

Blog March 12, 2015

Paleo Bacon, Arugula and Tomato Risotto

BLT risotto! Sometimes I’m pretty sure I’m a culinary genius. Now is one of those times. This was so, so good and I made a ton of it to eat throughout the week. It works really well as a side dish or you can grill up some chicken or steak, slice it and serve overtop of this. I love me some risotto and the cauliflower works really well in place of rice. Paleo Bacon Arugula and Tomato Risotto I love me some risotto and the cauliflower works really well in place of rice. 1 medium head of cauliflower1.5 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)2 tbsp butter1/2 cup bone broth (recipe here or you can purchase it here)large handful of arugula1 garlic clove (minced)salt and pepper to taste Rice the cauliflower using a hand grater or using a food processor. Food processor is much easier for this, here’s the one I use.Melt…

Blog March 11, 2015

Organic Ranch Mushrooms

When I was a kid, my parents would order pizza with mushrooms. Always. They didn’t care that I hated mushrooms, I had to pick them off. I guess I don’t blame them. Mushrooms are delicious. It’s one of those foods that I absolutely loathed as a kid. I thought they tasted awful and were slimy. Now I can’t get enough and I get mad if they skimp on the ‘shrooms when I order a (gluten-free) pizza. I also love ranch dressing (seriously, who doesn’t). Except, most ranch dressing ingredients look like this: Yeah, not something I’m willing to eat. So I had to come up with an alternative to ranch mushrooms, because most recipes call for adding ranch dressing to mushrooms and that wasn’t happening. So here is my recipe for organic ranch mushrooms. Organic Ranch Mushrooms These organic Ranch Mushrooms make for the best healthy side for steaks or grilled chicken! Easy to make…

Blog March 10, 2015

DIY Moisturizing Body Wash

For the past several months, DC has basically been Antarctica. It seems like winter has been so long, so cold, so grey and so unending. At first I love winter, the holidays, the snow. But by February, I’m over it. I just want summer to be here. Especially because winter doesn’t do my skin any favors. It’s been so dry that it itches. Like, really itches. Keeps me up when I’m trying to fall asleep because it’s so freaking itchy. And it doesn’t help that I take a million really hot showers every winter just to warm myself up. In fact, that makes the whole situation way worse. Which is how I got the genius idea of making my soap super moisturizing. This is pretty much the easiest thing ever and I’m not sure how I didn’t think of it sooner. You probably have these items laying around your house,…

Blog March 9, 2015

Superfood + Paleo Shamrock Shake

I’ve been trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet to hit nine cups a day. Nine cups of veggies is a lot. It’s tough to get that much plant matter. My jaw would hurt from chewing it all. So lately I’ve been making smoothies. And I kind of hated smoothies before, but I now realize that’s because most of them are made with a shit ton of fruit, which is just way too much sugar, especially for me. I’ve been making low sugar smoothies and it not only ensures I’m getting a lot of veggies at once, they actually taste good. Turns out you don’t need a ton of sugar or fruit to make a tasty smoothie. This shake is upped to superfood status not because of the spinach, but because of the egg yolks and gelatin. Egg yolks are an incredibly nutrient dense food, rich in choline, omega 3s…

Blog March 4, 2015

Paleo Mexican Egg Muffins

I’m a big fan of making food in bulk on Sundays so that we have food throughout the week. I eat these for breakfast but more often than not I end up eating them post-workout or as a snack. They’re SO good. If you don’t like to set your face on fire like I do, you don’t have to use a whole jalapeño. I always urge my clients to prepare food in advance, it makes it much less likely that you’ll reach for something unhealthy when you don’t feel like cooking or are short for time. These egg muffins are a great, healthy option because they’re filled with protein, healthy fats and a bunch of veggies. Paleo Mexican Egg Muffins These paleo egg muffins are a great, healthy option because they’re filled with protein, healthy fats and a bunch of veggies. 4 eggs1/4 onion (diced)1/4 yellow pepper (diced)1 small jalapeno…

Blog March 3, 2015

Detox Salad

To be truthful, before I made this salad I thought there was a good chance it would taste like sh*t. Detox salad? It even sounds like it tastes bad. Detoxes aren’t fun, they don’t taste good, and more often than not they’re boring as f*ck. And let’s review the major ingredients: broccoli cabbage cauliflower It’s basically a small child’s nightmare. But, I was determined to make it taste good. Don’t get me wrong, I love cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. But I usually cook them individually, with a lot of butter. If you’re wondering why I would even attempt to make a raw broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower salad taste good, or make a detox salad in the first place, it’s because I’m trying to eat more cruciferous veggies. They’re packed with nutrients and you guessed it – they help you detox. And promotes, you know, regularity. As a health coach, I…

Blog March 2, 2015

Paleo Frosting

Honestly, I’m not super big on sweets but I’ve always loved frosting. It’s the best part of the cake or cupcake. And also, my husband is a sugar fiend. That man LOVES sweet. He’d eat several treats a day if I let him, and if it wouldn’t give him diabetes and make him gain weight. So because I know a lot of times it’s either make him a healthier dessert or have him eat a dessert when we’re out and about (that’s full of either gluten, sugar, vegetable oils, GMOs, etc) I try to make some sweets at home, then portion out them out and freeze the rest. My latest creation was cake. I’m still working on the cake part but the frosting I threw together was awesome. It actually tastes like real buttercream frosting, minus the genetically modified dairy and sugar. I prefer to use maple syrup in this…

Blog February 25, 2015

This Is Your Baby’s Brain On (Prescription) Drugs

I took my first Xanax when I was three years old. I had the flu and my grandmother was taking care of me. My mother and her friend stopped by, saw me puking and decided it would be a good idea to give a toddler Xanax. While we no longer speak, I once asked her why she thought it was appropriate to give a toddler such a dangerous drug. You were puking, what was I supposed to do? Considering my mother is completely nuts, I guess I shouldn’t have expected a logical answer. I sort of assumed that anyone with half a brain and basic common sense would understand that giving an addictive benzodiazepine to a child was not just dangerous, but pretty horrible. That’s until I came across an article on the drugging of toddlers. An analysis of 2013 IMS Data, found that over 274,000 infants (0-1 year olds)…