As we embark upon the fantastic foods of fall, I should let you know that our family continues to learn more and more everyday about the best ways to achieve nourishment.  As we do so, we find ourselves moving closer and closer to more of a "paleo" way of eating.  Again, some may be familiar with the term "paleo" others not so much.  The Paleo movement is, in my opinion, an excellent step in the direction of nourishment.  However, there are a few holes in the logic and so if you're a "die-hard paleo person" you may find some of my foods to be questionable.  

But enough about that.  Let's get on with the point of this post, and that is to share a quick, delicious, weeknight recipe.  I try to serve my family fish at least once a week.  This week, I had lots of wild caught cod fillets in my freezer and was anxious to try something a little different with them.  My children are NOT fans of fish, so whenever they hear we're having fish for dinner, they generally cringe.  However, after this meal, I heard comments like "It's actually not bad" and "Can I have another piece?"  Music to my ears!

So here's the recipe:

8-10 cod fillets (wild caught)
coconut oil
1 egg (mix with a bit of water and beat)
1-2 shredded unsweetened coconut (maybe more if you need)

Melt 1-2 T coconut oil in large skillet over medium high.  Dredge each fillet in egg, then in shredded/grated coconut, then fry about 3 min. per side or until coconut is lightly browned and fish is slightly flaky.  Fry in batches and keep warm in oven.  Enjoy!

Do you know what you're eating?

Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted on this blog and some of you may think I've fallen off the face of the Earth.  However, that is not the case, and I look forward to getting back into the game and sharing more of my family's journey to nourishment.  Here are just a few more thoughts on the whole genetic modification issue, but I'd like future posts to be geared specifically toward my family and the lessons we're learning as we travel this road of food freedom and knowledge.  

Yesterday, I posted some information about things to keep in mind when you're grocery shopping.  GMO - might be something you've heard before, maybe not.  Genetic Modification is pretty self-explanatory:  the changes made to an organism at the genetic level.  Simply put:  re-wiring plants and animals to grow and develop the way certain folks think they should rather than the way nature intended; changing them at the cellular level so that every part of their being is un-natural (for lack of better terms), and "man-made."  Of course we could take off here into a philosophical debate, but we'll save that for another time.  



If you haven't ever looked at the labels on your food or thought two thoughts about what you're feeding your family, please start now!  Stop relying on someone else to tell you what's good or bad for your body.  Do your own research and make educated decisions about your food.

Are YOU Genetically Modified?

The best way to avoid Genetically Modified foods at your grocery store, is to know which ingredients are likely to be genetically modified.

  Dairy/Eggs Unless the label says "organic" or rBST-free, everything in the dairy case probably contains milk from cows injected with rBST, a genetically modified hormone.

  Meat Genetically modified corn and soy are so prevalent in the US that almost everything in the meat case comes from animals fed GM crops.

Fresh Produce Watch out for genetically modified sweet corn!

  Cereals Unless they're organic, cereals probably included GM ingredients, mainly high-fructose corn syrup and other corn products. Be careful choosing "natural" cereals - that doesn't really mean non-GMO.

  Cookies/Rice/Beans You're fairly safe here (as far as genetic modification goes), but be careful about "heat-and-eat" pasta meals (which you should avoid anyway) that include GM ingredients.

  Ice Cream/Frozen Prepared Meals Unless labeled organic, these are pretty much guaranteed to have GM ingredients like corn, soy products, and even GM beet sugar.

  Oils/Fats/Shortenings Olive oil in non-GMO. However, any "vegetable oil" (corn, soybean, and canola) is usually genetically modified. Solid shortening is no better in this case, unless you rendered it yourself from your own animals/plants.

  Condiments/Prepared Foods ALL of these things contain genetically modified soy, corn, and/or canola, unless they're labeled organic.

  Breads/Crackers Almost ALL bread from your grocery store is made with corn syrup and soy-based ingredients. So, I'd say avoid them all-together....but more on that thought next time. ...