olive oil - Ancestral Nutrition

Blog February 3, 2015

Bacon Mayonnaise – BACONNAISE

At the Super Bowl this past Sunday, something I truly don’t care about unless the Redskins are playing, we had some friends over. My friend Molly brought thick cut bacon from Whole Foods to crumble over some organic fries. She baked it in the oven and left me with a bunch of beautiful, beautiful bacon fat. I know some people are going to think I’m crazy for recommending bacon fat mayo, but hear me out. Bacon actually isn’t highest in saturated fat (which is not bad for you, by the way) but in monounsaturated fat – like olive oil. Now, take a look at the ingredients in Hellman’s Mayo: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVORS. GLUTEN-FREE. The very first ingredient is soybean oil, which is not only extremely unhealthy but from soy has been genetically…

Blog December 30, 2014

How I’m Preparing For Pregnancy AKA My Preconception Diet

True story: to freak me out and annoy me, my husband used to awkwardly rub my belly and in a disgustingly creepy voice whisper to me, “I’m gonna put a baby in there.” It was the worst. But now we’re actually planning on getting knocked up in 2015. I’ve talked a lot about preconception diets, how important they are, how I plan on doing one before I get preggo, etc. Actually, we both are doing a preconception diet. Don’t forget that dudes need to do this too! It’s just as important for the husband to take steps to detoxify as well as nourish himself to be able to make a healthy baby. It takes two to tango ya’ll, in more ways than one. Why You Need To Do A Preconception Diet When Dr. Price traveled the world studying indigenous cultures, he discovered that they prepared for pregnancy from three months…

Blog December 11, 2014

Spinach, Apple, Blue Cheese & Turkey Salad

This was one of the things I made with the approximate 7,475 pounds of leftover turkey I have from Thanksgiving. It was simple, crisp, healthy and tasted really good. What more do you need in a salad? I’m honestly usually not the biggest fan of salads. I’m not the best at making them. I like when you go to a restaurant and the salads are huge with all these cool ingredients and topped with a tasty protein. I know most people shy away from salads because they’re boring and don’t taste that interesting, but this has all ya need. Greens, sweetness from the apple, creaminess from the cheese, crunchiness from the walnuts and all topped with turkey (protein) and olive oil (fat) to keep you full. Check out the recipe: Spinach, Apple, Blue Cheese & Turkey Salad This easy and healthy salad is a great way to use up leftover…

Blog October 23, 2014

Fermented Dill & Cucumber Salsa

Recently I surprised Scott with a trip to Rehoboth Beach for his birthday. We love going to Rehoboth but didn’t get the opportunity to make the trek this past summer as much as we normally do. Rehbooth is one of my favorite beaches. Not because it has the clearest water and uncrowded beaches (it doesn’t – at all). But damn if that quaint-ish beach town doesn’t have some good food. Fresh seafood, good veggies, tons of gluten-free options and even an a juice bar called Green Man that sells awesome food. We go every time we’re in Reho. This last time, I ordered the smoked salmon on gluten-free bread. And I ordered an egg sandwich. I was hungry! I only ate half of each anyway. See that caper, cucumber, tomato topping? It was the f’ing bomb. I don’t even like capers and I loved it. I decided two things after…

Blog September 16, 2014

Gluten-Free Moussaka

This Healthy Moussaka is a delicious gluten-free version of the classic Greek dish. It’s still rich-tasking like the original and ideal if you’re health conscious and on a grain-free diet! Healthy Moussaka with Gluten-free Bechamel Sauce: I LOVE me some Greek food. It’s my absolute favorite type of food and I could literally eat it every day. Every time Scott and I have date night, I try to make him go to Parthenon with me (my favorite Greek spot in DC). I am obsessed. The great thing about Greek food, which is especially important when dining out, is that they use olive oil instead of other rancid vegetable oils like canola and soy. They use olive oil when they cook, in their dressings, to flavor food, etc. So I know that I don’t have to worry about GMO veggie oils (unless it’s not…

Blog September 4, 2014

20 Minute Meal: Lamb Steak, Salad and Mash

Truth be told, most of the time I don’t love coming up with new and exciting recipe ideas (actually, I’m not sure I even do that in the first place). But my point is – complicated meals aren’t really my thing. While I love to cook, at the end of the day I mostly just want to eat something delicious and as fast as possible. I definitely don’t want to bake anything, measure, or cook something that takes a ton of time (unless it’s been simmering in my crockpot all day). That’s why I love twenty minute meals like this. They’re so easy to prepare and are super healthy. The idea that it’s impossible to cook healthy food in under twenty minutes just isn’t true. That’s what I call an excuse. And guess what? This meal was under $5 and was 100% organic. The lamb steak came in a pack…

Blog September 2, 2014

Natural Hair Dyes AKA How To Dye Your Hair Without Toxic Chemicals

Natural hair dyes. We need ’em! Did you know that typical hair dyes are completely toxic? Probably. But did you know they’ve also been linked to cancer? According to the National Cancer Institute, Over 5,000 different chemicals are used in hair dye products, some of which are reported to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in animals (2, 3). Because so many people use hair dyes, scientists have tried to determine whether exposure to the chemicals in hair coloring products is associated with an increased risk of cancer in people…Over the years, some epidemiologic (population) studies have found an increased risk of bladder cancer in hairdressers and barbers (2, 5). A 2008 report of the Working Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that some of the chemicals these workers are exposed to occupationally are “probably carcinogenic to humans” (6). On the plus side, it’s completely possible to dye…

Blog July 17, 2014

Guest Post: What This Health Coach Eats and Why

Carly Shankman is a Wellness Activist & certified Holistic Health Coach on a mission to create a happier, healthier world through whole food nutrition & personal transformation. She believes that mental, spiritual and physical health are not exclusive of one another. Connect with Carly on her website,Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. It’s time I tell my story, my journey – I hope it helps you on yours. This is simply my personal experience with food. I was never a huge meat eater. I can recall having meat on the dinner table and asking my mom to cut it up into perfect little pieces so there were no veins, skin, bones or anything that would remind me that I was eating an animal. I wanted to disassociate between the food I was putting in my mouth and the fact that it had once been a living, breathing animal. At 18, when I left…

Blog July 10, 2014

20 Tips To Help You Look and Feel Your Best For Your Wedding and Honeymoon

I’m getting married in nine days. NINE DAYS! I’m incredibly excited, but also incredibly nervous. I’ve really enjoyed being engaged and planning the wedding. I want everything to go perfectly. I want to feel good. I want clear skin. I want to avoid getting a cold sore (which happens when I’m stressed!). I want my hair to look awesome. Like every bride, we just want what we want, how we want it, and when we want it. And it’s totally okay to want these things for yourself, you deserve it! So here are my top 20 tips to keeping your body healthy, your mind healthy, your skin clear, your hair hydrated and just making sure that you’re prepared for your big day and the honeymoon. Eat well. No stupid diets or juice fasts. EAT. GOOD. FOOD. This includes pastured meat and butter, wild seafood, fermented foods, raw and veggies, low-sugar fruits like…

Blog May 23, 2014

How To Get Rid Of Greasy, Lifeless Hair

About six months ago, I had the greasiest, grossest, oily hair. Except for the ends, which were extremely dry. The roots to mid length of my hair would seemingly become greasy overnight. If I washed my hair one day, it would be oily by the next. So I would wash my hair every day or every other day just to get rid of the greasiness at the roots. Turns out, this is exactly why my hair was producing so much oil. Just like with your skin, if you strip your scalp of its natural oils, it’s going to produce more oil! Then you wash it to get rid of the oil, then it produces more. It’s a vicious, annoying and not cute cycle. But the good news is that you can break the cycle and it’s not about buy new or expensive shampoos. It’s about using the right shampoo and…