Paleo Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

This recipe is perfect on a cold day when all you want is some warm, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. It's also easy to make ahead of time, and then throw in the oven for a quick heat-and-eat meal on busy school nights. I prefer to make mine with ground turkey, but it's probably more authentic using ground beef. Either way, it's always a hit! 

Ingredients

For the sweet potato mash:

• 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 2 tbsp grass-fed butter
• 1 tsp rosemary
• Sea salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

For the filling:

• 1½ lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp coconut oil 
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped/sliced
• 8 baby carrots, sliced (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ¼ cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp liquid aminos
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2 shakes of ground cinnamon
• Sea salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Prepare the sweet potatoes:

1. Put the sweet potato chunks into a medium pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chunks can be easily pierced with a fork.
2. Drain the water, and put potatoes back into the dry pot (no heat). Add the butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes with a masher, and stir everything together thoroughly. Cover pot with a lid and set aside.

Prepare the filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. Drain the fat, and transfer beef to a large bowl and set aside 
3. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in the large skillet you just used for the beef. Add the onions, and saute for 3 minutes until they begin to soften.
4. Add the celery, carrots, and cauliflower to the skillet. Stir, then cover with a lid and allow to saute/steam for 6 minutes. Remove lid, add the garlic, and saute for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add everything else to the skillet: cooked ground beef, beef broth, tomato paste, aminos, rosemary, cinnamon, sea salt, and pepper. Stir everything thoroughly and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until most (but not all) of the liquid has been cooked off.

Put it all together:

1. Scoop the beef mixture into an 8x8 (or similarly sized) casserole dish so that it covers the whole bottom. Layer the sweet potatoes on top of the beef mixture, spreading it out evenly. 
2. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

One Marinade, Three Ways!

I found this recipe for southern style buttermilk grilled chicken on paleoleap.com. When I first made it I had every intention of throwing it on the grill. But as it happens, life got in the way. I ended up putting in the oven instead, and loved it! Later on in the week, I knew we would have no time to grill, so I adapted the same recipe for the crockpot. Again, it was a hit!! Finally got around to grilling with this marinade (as the recipe was originally intended) and of course it was great. But it turned out that we actually liked it better in the oven and the crockpot!!

Anyway, here's the recipe, along with the time & temps for cooking it all three ways. You can decide for yourself which one is your favorite! 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, legs, etc);
• 3 cloves garlic, minced;
• 2 tbsp. chili powder;
• 2 tsp. ground coriander;
• 2 tsp. ground cumin;
• 1 tsp. turmeric;
• Zest and juice of 1 lime;
• Fresh cilantro; (optional)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Ingredients for the coconut buttermilk

• 2 cups of coconut milk;
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation

1. In a bowl, combine the coconut milk and lemon juice. Mix well and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chilli powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, garlic, lime zest, and lime juice to the coconut buttermilk mixture. Season to taste and mix well.

For The Grill:

Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Preheat a grill to a medium-heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill until cooked through and golden on both sides (about 15 to 20 minutes total). Sprinkle with fresh cilantro to serve.

For The Oven: 

I found that this method works best with chicken thighs. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cook for approximately 40-50 minutes. 

For The Crockpot: 

I used chicken breasts for the crockpot, rather than thighs because I prefer it for shredding. Simply put your chicken breasts (I used four) in the bottom of the crockpot, and pour the marinade on top. Cook on low for four hours. Remove the chicken and shred the meat before returning to the marinade. This method has a completely different flavor. It almost ends up tasting like a chicken curry! We usually eat it over rice (or cauliflower rice if you're strict paleo). 

Put Your Ass Into It! Identifying faulty movement patterns in the squat

By far, the most common mistake that I see athletes make is the improper loading of the glutes in the squat. Learning to squat properly is arguably the most important skill to develop as an athlete, regardless of sport, simply because the squat is literally the only exercise that directly trains the complex human movement known as "hip drive". Hip drive refers to the active recruitment of the muscles of the posterior chain, which includes the hamstrings, glutes, and adductors (inner thighs). These muscles contribute to every movement involving the lower body, so it is important to get them as strong as we possibly can. The most efficient way to do this is to squat, and in order to squat correctly, we must make sure that we are loading the posterior chain efficiently.

The gluteus maximus is the primary mover involved in the hip drive. Without getting too deep into the concepts of loaded human movement, there are some easy to identify patterns that can tell us whether or not the glutes are being actively recruited during the squat:

"Butt Wink"

The first--and probably most common--indication that the glutes are being neglected is known as the "butt wink". Although it sounds like a cute little nickname, make no mistake, this movement pattern can wreak havoc on the body. The "butt wink" occurs at the bottom of the squat, at the moment when the hips have gone so low that proper lumbar curve can no longer be maintained. It is at the point that the pelvis rotates posteriorly underneath the torso (think of a dog going to the bathroom), leading to low back pain, knee pain, and leaving the muscles of the quadriceps to move the load without the help of the posterior chain. This failure to activate the glutes sets off an unfortunate chain of events under the load.

Not only does this position make it impossible to reload the large muscles of the posterior chain to help you stand back up, quad-dominance means that the hamstrings are not doing their job in keeping the tibia from moving from where it should be in relation to the femur. Thus causing the medial collapse of the knees. Medial collapse (knees caving in) means that the ACL, MCL and medial meniscus are under stress, leading to patellofemoral pain.

The "butt wink" often takes place when squats are performed too fast. Rather than engaging the muscles of the posterior chain in a slow and controlled motion all the way down, the individual will instead appear to simply fall to the bottom of the squat and quickly rebound back up. This can be observed most frequently when attempting high volume reps for a set amount of time, such as in  AMRAPs (As Many Reps As Possible), or Tabata style workouts, where the faulty movement pattern is reinforced repeatedly under minimal load. Because the muscle memory has now been thoroughly ingrained, the motor units fire in the same manner when attempting a max effort squat under heavy weight, and the glutes are again neglected.

At the same time, the stretch reflex at the bottom of the squat can be observed as a bounce out of the hole. This is proper technique when the posterior chain is engaged. But when the hamstrings are relaxed at the bottom of the squat, this results in a failure to properly control the weight as it hits. The knees inevitably travel forward, absorbing the stress of the load along with the quadriceps, leading to knee pain and early degeneration.

The "butt wink" also results in a movement cycle in the low back that is a contributing factor for disc injuries. The fact that the lumbar spine is placed under a heavy load while undergoing an extension-flexion-extension pattern can lead to SI joint issues (the ligaments that connect the pelvis to the spine), and under a heavy enough load, can even cause fracture.

The term "butt wink" doesn't sound so cute anymore does it?

Forward Torso

Stripper style squats may look good in a dimly lit room, but leaning excessively forward under a barbell is a sure way to turn off any lifter. As you squat down, if your glutes are weak or not firing, they will push your torso forwards. As you near the bottom of your squat, this lack of glute stabilization along with a forward trunk angle will force your hips into an anterior pelvic tilt. This is bad for many reasons, but also very common in amateur lifters.

As you rise, if your trunk is not vertical enough coming out of the squat, it means that your hips are rising first, placing the load on the lower back instead of driving hip extension through your glutes. You have now turned a leg movement into a lower back movement, resembling more of a good morning than a squat. While the good morning is a great exercise for strengthening the posterior chain, performing this movement mid-squat (and especially under heavy load) is guaranteed to take the "good" out of your morning! Reinforcing this movement pattern is an easy way to suffer a disc injury while leading to a number of other nasty and nagging problems in the knees and hips.

Caving Knees

Knees caving in is a direct result of over engaged hip flexors combined with weak glutes. This is not to say that some advanced powerlifters can't write this off as a "valgus twitch", but they are in the minority. Women in particular are more prone to buckling knees, due to their wider hips and increased q-angle of the pelvis in comparison to men. You’ll often see this knee collapse take place during squatting, lunging, jumping, landing, climbing and descending stairs, and even during running. Failure to strengthen and engage the glutes during these movements can lead to IT Band syndrome, ACL tears, as well as generalized pesky knee pain.

So What Can We Do About It?
There are several exercises specifically designed to correct these posterior chain imbalances. Wall squats are one of my absolute favorites.

To perform a wall squat, begin with your normal squat stance and face the wall. With your arms extended above your head, slowly lower yourself into the squat. The goal is to get your toes as close to the wall as possible without any of your body touching.

There is no cheating in a wall squat. You have to immediately lead with the hips and butt going outward, the knees have to stay behind the toes, and you have to keep your spine straight. Otherwise you either press your face into the wall, or you fall backwards. If you cannot perform five wall squats in a row, you probably shouldn't be squatting with weight.

Another exercise I find useful for identifying potential glute imbalances is the split squat. The split squat is a squat using a staggered stance, where the rear foot is placed on a bench to isolate the muscles of the posterior chain in the forward leg. Squat down by flexing the knee and hip of the front leg until it reaches a ninety degree angle, and the knee of the rear leg is pointed directly at the floor.

Often people will find that they have more difficulty performing this movement with one leg over the other. This is because the split squat utilizes the muscles of the hamstrings, external obliques and gluteus medius muscle, but less of the quadriceps muscle than the back squat. With less quads firing to take over the load, we are better able to identify posterior chain weakness.

These are just two of my favorite correctional exercises, but there are several others out there. Of course, the best way to make sure that the glutes are being used efficiently is to simply be aware of what your muscles are doing while squatting. Pay attention to movement patterns. Use a mirror, or a spotter, or videotape your lifts if you must. Keep your motions slow and controlled until you have the squat adequately mastered. It is only after cementing proper muscle memory that you should progress to introducing speed or weight to the squat. Once you are adept at this, be prepared to see your PRs take off!

Paleo Scotch Eggs

For those who may be unfamiliar with scotch eggs, it's simply a hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage. This recipe for the paleo version is always a crowd pleaser at our house, and it only has five ingredients!! I make these all the time when I'm feeling lazy, or I've simply forgotten to thaw something out for dinner. They're also great for a quick breakfast option! 

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 1/2 pounds ground pork sausage

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Sea salt & Pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put your eggs in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once they are done to your liking, remove the eggs from the water and let them cool before peeling. 

*helpful tip: if you shock the eggs in an ice bath immediately after removing from the boiling water, they are much easier to peel*

While the eggs are cooling mix your sausage, chili powder, paprika, chives, and salt & pepper until well combined. Divide sausage mixture into six sections. Flatten each section and mold it around the peeled egg before placing on a foil lined baking pan. Repeat with remaining sausage sections and eggs. Bake for 30 minutes or until sausage is cooked through and slightly browned on top. Eat just as they are, or you could dip them in mustard, maple syrup, whatever, get creative!

Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade

With warmer temperatures right around the corner, it's time to start thinking of ways to take the cooking outside! This chicken marinade is super simple, and amazing on the grill 

Ingredients:

• 2 T lemon zest
• ⅓ C fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp fresh basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary or 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Just throw it all together in a ziploc bag with your chicken. (I used 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs, or this amount would work with 4-6 chicken breasts)

I would let your chicken marinate in the fridge overnight at the very least, but the longer you leave it in there the more flavor you'll end up with! 

The Lie of Targeted Fat Loss

With spring right around the corner, I'm seeing more and more fitness traps being set for the gullible consumer. Buzzwords like "tone" and "slim" and "trim" and "sculpt", are being splashed onto magazines, commercials, and even thrown around by people who ought to know better--like certified trainers trying to sell you their latest ebook bundle. Why you would take fitness advice from a late night commercial or Vogue magazine is beyond me, but what really bothers me is when these fitness "professionals" promote the spot reduction myth in order to boost their own product sales.

For those who may not be familiar, spot reduction is the idea that subcutaneous body fat can be reduced in specific "trouble spots" by targeting those areas with specialized exercises. This has been scientifically proven impossible. It is this idea that if an individual tends to store their fat around their hips, resulting in "love handles", that this can be corrected by doing an inordinate amount of side bends or abdominal twisting exercises. Or that if an individual stores fat in their legs, all they have to do is buy some Instagram star's 30 minute "thigh thinning" workout ebook and see that cellulite disappear! This myth that you can actually choose which areas of the body burn fat is absurd to anyone even halfway educated in human biology. The pattern in which fat is burned is determined by each individual's genetic makeup and hormone fluctuations.

Performing those exercises may strengthen the muscles responsible for those movements, but they have negligible impact on reducing the amount of fat stored there, all other factors being equal.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be nice if we could choose where our fat went. Think about it. If we could determine which areas lost fat and which areas kept fat, we would all have Kardashian asses, paired with the waistline of Giselle, and the rack of a playboy bunny. Not to mention, we would have cured cellulite with a fanfare equal to eliminating cancer! Sounds pretty ridiculous right? That doesn't stop the recesses of our minds from holding out some small glimmer of hope that it may someday become reality. Therein lies the marketing ploy. These fitness gurus know that this is what everyone secretly wants, and they're peddling the ultimate weight loss dream. They're capitalizing on the deep dark hopes of consumers everywhere that "maybe...just maybe, this program is the one with all the answers".

The truth is that all exercise helps to burn fat. The more muscle you carry, the higher your metabolism. However, building the muscle of one particular body part does not burn fat any more efficiently in that area than it does in any other muscle group. So yes, working your abs will help you lose stomach fat — but no more than it will help you lose weight from the rest of your body. When the body burns fat stores, it doesn't burn the fat closest to the area being flexed. Fat from the entire body is utilized. Working a specific muscle group will help build those muscles, which is valuable exercise--just don't expect it to target the fat in that region.

If you want to lose fat in your trouble areas, you have to lose fat in ALL areas. This is done with regular exercise, which would ideally include a good mix of weight training and cardio, along with a healthy diet. In order to see muscular definition, you must build the muscle underneath the subcutaneous fat. Simply doing hours of cardio will leave the number on the scale smaller, but you will still appear flabby and lacking that "fit" look. Not to mention, lean body mass maintains a higher resting metabolism. This is why weight training is a crucial component of any fat loss regimen.

One of the most important things to remember is that each person's body is different, and therefore will utilize and store fat in a different manner. Some people will lose fat from their stomachs first, while others get slimmer hips. This is just the natural pattern, unique to each individual body type. It doesn't mean that they flexed one muscle group exclusively until it gave up its fat stores before all the rest.

Don't become a victim of the marketing gimmicks. If it sounds too good to be true, I guarantee you it is!

Going Paleo While Breastfeeding

 

In a way, human breast milk is the original Paleo food source. It is rich in nutrient-dense saturated fats and provides a perfectly balanced nutritional foundation for a growing infant. However, if the mother's nutrition is suboptimal, her bodily reserves of vitamins and minerals will be drained with breastfeeding, which could result in deficiencies. The standard American diet is 70% grains, dairy, refined sugar, refined vegetable oil and alcohol. Not the most nutritionally sound for a nursing mother. The Paleo menu on the other hand, consists of meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds--all free of added sugars and refined ingredients. These are low GI, nutritionally dense foods that we have evolved to thrive on. By eating a mostly Paleo diet while breastfeeding, moms can influence their children's developing palate through the flavors in their milk, giving them a head start on the road to healthy eating habits!

This is not to say that nursing mothers should be expected to adhere to a strictly all-Paleo diet. Breastfeeding moms require approximately 200-500 additional calories per day, and stressing out about every single meal is contraindicated when attempting to establish a successful nursing relationship with a new baby. The 80/20 rule of 80% Paleo and 20% whatever-you-want-to-eat will keep mom and baby well nourished in a food climate that is flexible and non-stressful.

Everything a nursing mom needs can be found in Paleo food sources!

Protein
The recommended daily intake of protein for nursing women is almost twice that of non-pregnant, non-lactating women. And the protein content of breast milk is directly related to dietary protein intake. There is a rich variety of Paleo fare available to satisfy these needs. Everything from eggs (which contain about 7 grams of protein each), to grass fed burgers (which contain approximately 21 grams of protein in a 4oz serving).

Carbohydrates
The extra energy expended by the body to create breastmilk means that the nursing mom is in need of additional carbohydrates. There is a widespread assumption that because Paleo cuisine eliminates grains, it is therefore low-carb. Nothing could be further from the truth! By eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and including plenty of starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and winter squash, you’ll give your body the energy it needs to produce milk…and hopefully keep your energy up, as well!

Fats
Last but not least, Paleo meals are chock full of healthy fats. More than half of the calories in breast milk come from fats. Some of these fats are made in the body, while others are passed through breast milk by way of the dietary fat you consume. Babies need fats in their diet for proper development, and these can be found in a wide range of Paleo staples. Foods like fish, nuts, avocados, red meat, coconut are all great sources of an assortment of healthy fats. The most important of these fats however, is Omega-3. Omega-3 plays a distinct role in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, not to mention supporting nerve and brain development for a growing infant. Omega-3 can be found most abundantly in fatty fish and flaxseed, but can also be supplemented with a high quality fish oil.  See my previous post on supplements for more on fish oil.

A few tips for eating Paleo while breastfeeding:

Listen To Your Body
It is important to remember that while breastfeeding, your dietary needs will change with your baby's. If baby is going through a growth spurt, you may need additional calories to support the both of you. This is why you shouldn't try to achieve a caloric deficit during breastfeeding (much as you wouldn't during pregnancy). Don't attempt to shed the baby weight faster by starving yourself. Baby needs those calories! If you find yourself hungry, eat! But don't just get in the habit of simply eating more. Make sure you are listening to your body's cues.

Pay Attention To Cravings
If you are craving a certain nutrient it usually means your body is deficient, and it is trying to tell you something. If you're craving pizza you may need more fats in your diet; if you're craving chocolate you may be deficient in magnesium; if you're craving bread you may be lacking nitrogen; the list goes on. There are healthy and satisfying Paleo-friendly alternatives to all of these, that ensure you can stick to your goals. But don't beat yourself up if you do decide to give in and have that piece of pizza once in awhile!

Snack Smart
When you're breastfeeding, hunger can strike out of nowhere. In my experience this most often occurs as soon as baby latches on, making the thought of getting up and going to the kitchen equivalent to climbing Everest. Try to keep healthy Paleo snacks on hand. I have a table next to the glider in my daughter's room where I keep almonds, Lara bars, and other foods that won't go bad if left out. Sometimes if I'm about to start a feeding I'll grab a banana or an apple to take with me just before I sit down with her. It's all about planning ahead to stick to your goals.

Most Important Of All, Don't Stress!!
I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that nobody is perfect. Being a new mom comes with enough stress, so don't worry about it if your friend brings you a thoughtful and very un-Paleo casserole to welcome your new baby! Do the best you can, but if you end up eating fast food one night, just go with the flow and try to make healthier choices going forward. Plus, laid back moms tend to have better milk supply!