This dish is dedicated to my Mama Claudia who has made the yummiest roast beef I have ever had. I remember that this was a staple we would often enjoy with friends for a Sunday meal 👩🏻🍳
I would watch her slice the juicy pink meat and steal a piece when she would look away (I guess I always knew what’s good 😉) and was amazed how something so simple could be so tasty!
Today my mom showed me how simple it is to turn a great piece of meat into a nourishing meal, thank you Mama 🥰
You only need a handful of ingredients to feed 2-3 hungry humans 😌:
1) a grass fed and finished beef tenderloin roast, (about 2 lbs) 🥩
2) grass fed tallow or ghee for frying 🍳
3) flaked sea salt and black pepper for seasoning 🧂
Begin by preheating the oven to 450°F and heat up the cooking fat in an oven safe dish.
The meat has a healthy red coloring and fat profile
Next, sear the meat on each side until it’s a nice brown color, then season it with salt and pepper and pop it into the preheated oven
Searing on all sides to seal the meat to ensure that the moisture is retained
Cook the meat for 20-30 minutes depending on how well you’d like it done. I prefer mine rather rosey so I cut off a piece after 20 minutes and put my parents back in. The meat does continue to cook after you remove it so beware and I would tend to take it out sooner than later 👩🏻🍳
Lastly, thinly sliced it against the grain and serve with the meat juices and grass fed butter 😍
We are part of a local farmers co-op and this week we received a boat-load of fresh onions and tomatoes 🍅🧅
Since we love to eat seasonally and locally, we seized the opportunity to make a quick lunch of chicken meatballs (with a touch of oregano) and a homemade tomato sauté to go along with a fat-fueled salad 🥗
Making the meatballs is simple, you need only a handful of ingredients and a short amount of time to create a nourishing dish 😋
Of course this recipe can be scaled up for for 2-3 people gather up:
1) 1 pound of ground chicken, ours was from US Wellness Meats 🐔 (I would use a full fat grind, the ground breast has a tendency to dry out plus we want the healthy fat! ) you can also use ground lamb 🐑
2) 1 pasture raised egg 🥚
3) half a chopped onion 🧅
4) 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
5) salt, pepper, ground garlic and oregano (of course you can choose different spices as well)
6) ghee or lard for frying
Begin by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and form little meatballs with your hands. We like to make them the size of a golf ball.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mash it together
Heat up lard in a pan and fry the meatballs on each side until they are golden and crispy (approximately 20 minutes).
So crispy 😋
If you are planning to make a tomato sauté remove the meatballs from the pan, and add another half of a chopped onion and as many chopped tomatoes as you like in addition to some salt, pepper and garlic powder🍅🧅
If you don’t make a sauce, you can just eat them as is or use some Rao’s brand Marinara
After the veggies have cooked down to a sauce like consistency, add the meatballs back into the pan and let everything simmer for a bit.
Tournedos are small pieces of tenderloin that are fried in the pan (usually from beef or pork) and are a quick and easy method to prepare a tasty dinner 👩🏻🍳
Tonight, we decided to eat pork tournedos after having purchased a beautifully red colored pork tenderloin from US Wellness Meats 🥩
At first I was surprised since I always thought that pork was “the other white meat”, but actually learned that pork is supposed to be a deep red color like beef. Regular industrial pork is unfortunately never that color because the pigs are so malnourished that they are anemic, creating a pale flesh that resembles chicken meat.
Pigs, like chickens are omnivores and are meant to forage on pasture where they can eat plants like acorns and insects. When fed there natural diet, heritage breed pigs boast a super healthy nutritional profile and are not an inflammatory food source as they are often called out to be (industrially farmer pork is a whole different story…I don’t buy that ever!) 🐖
I love this diagram from Nutrition with Judy that explains how healthy a well raised piece of pork can be 🙌🏻
2) fat for frying, lard from Fatworks is a good option but ghee, tallow or avocado oil work well too!
3) Salt and Pepper for seasoning 🧂
To make, begin by trimming and slicing the tenderloin into pieces that are about 1.5 inches thick. Depending on the length of the piece of meat, it’s usually 4-6 pieces 🙌🏻
Heat up the cooking fat in the pan and sear the pieces of meat until they are brown on each side and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side!
We are also making a sauce so we are sautéing onions in lard at the same time
Traditionally, we eat it with crispy onions and a cream sauce. My dad is the only one who eats heavy whipping cream so we made a sauce for him using: onions, lard, salt, pepper, garlic powder and grass fed heavy whipping cream 🙌🏻
First, sauté the onions in lard with salt and pepper
When the onions are crispy and brown, remove them from the pan to serve on the side and add salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Also remove the finished Tournedos from the meat pan and pour on heavy whipping cream into the meat juices. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder 🧄🧂😋
Let the sauce simmer and bit and serve over the meat 🙌🏻 We are currently working on a coconut cream version for those who cannot tolerate dairy protein 🥥
A few weeks ago, I discovered wild pheasant online and wanted to give it a try. Being a huge fan of a roast chicken and turkey, I got to work in the kitchen.
After realizing that the bird still had feather and organs, I did my best to pluck it and decided that a few feather where not a big deal (I guess I can’t eat the skin)😂. When cleaning the bird, make sure that the shot isn’t in the bird anymore. If you see any bullets, it’s better to diehard the bird since there is a potential for lead contamination. It’s a pity but it’s better for your health 🙌🏻
The pheasant meat is a lot darker and leaner than that of a chicken, but felt very tender. Since the bird is a lot smaller (only about 2 pounds), it needs a lot less time in the oven and needs to be supervised to make sure it does not dry out.
After cleaning it, I decided to go for a dry brine of just salt so that the bird retains some moisture and does not dry out. Some people also opt for a wet brine (like you would with a chicken or Turkey) but I’m very unfamiliar with that so I went for what I know 😎
My dry brine was just a generous amount of salt in the cavity and outside of the bird. Prior to preparing it, I removed it from the refrigerator (it had been brining for about 6 hours), and seasoned it with a bit of pepper (I didn’t add any salt as it had been salted before).
I decided to pre-sauté the bird in the pan with a bit of ghee before transferring it into an oven preheated to 400°F for about 20 minutes.
When I seared it in the pan, I propped it up so that the legs where mainly being cooked because those need longer than the breast (the oven can take care of that…). Overall, the searing process took about 7 minutes.
I then propped it up again on a roasting rack and popped it into the oven for about 20 minutes.
After removing the bird from the oven, I loosely covered it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes before I carved it. I normally would have eaten the skin, but I decided to take it off since I was not very good at plucking it completely 😅
So to sum it up, to prepare a wild Scottish game pheasant (to feed 2-3) you need:
1) one wild game pheasant 🦃
2) ghee (we love Pure Indian Foods)
3) salt and pepper
To serve, I recommend steamed veggies like broccoli 🥦, Brussels sprouts, carrots 🥕 and mashed cauliflower, a big helping of grass fed butter and homemade cranberry sauce 😍
If you’d like to make a “gravy”, you can put some garlic, onion, and carrots into the bottom of the roasting tray, they will cook and soak up the drippings in the heat and you can blend the mixture together into a sauce with some butter. We didn’t do that since I don’t do very well with garlic and onion, but my mom has done this method a lot of times when we roast a chicken or a turkey!
Omega Fatty Acids (3-6-9) are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are needed in the proper ratios to maintain balance in the body, fight inflammation and build healthy cells 🙌🏻
It is important to note that like essential amino acids, these are essential fatty acids meaning that the body cannot make them on it’s own and is reliant on food to receive them.
I included some recipe suggestions to help incorporate this vital fats into your diet, they are at the end of the article 👩🏻🍳
Omega 3 fatty acids are famous for their anti-inflammatory properties and are abundant in fatty fish like salmon, anchovies, sardines and mackerel as well as grassfed meats like beef and bison and pastured eggs!
Wild caught salmon is a great way to incorporate healthy omega 3s! We love a grilled salmon filet or smoked nova lox 😍
The most famous and most bioavailable omega 3 acids include DHA and EPA which are critical for proper brain function and development. A steady supply of omega 3s protects the brain from Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and mood disorders like depression and anxiety 🧠
Studies like the one cited below show that:
“The essential DHA is selectively enriched in neuronal tissues especially in neuronal and synaptic membranes, oligodendrocytes, and also subcellular particles such as myelin and nerve endings. With aging, and especially among patients with AD, DHA levels in the brain tend to decrease.”
and
“Studies in animal models of AD suggest that deficiency of DHA in neural tissue leads to behavioural deficits, ultimately leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction similar to that in patients with AD. Furthermore, experimental evidence suggests that DHA decreases with age, particularly in regions of the hippocampus which are crucial for higher brain functions such as memory formation and cognition.”
A study from 2000 showed that omega 3 fatty acids from fish (namely DHA and EPA) are very beneficial in regards to cardiovascular health 🫀
“Habitual fish oil supplementation is associated with a 13% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 16% lower risk of CVD mortality, and a 7% lower risk of CVD events among the general population.
These findings indicate that habitual fish oil supplementation could have a marginal benefit for CVD outcomes, but further studies are needed to examine how the dose of fish oil supplements affects its clinically meaningful effectiveness.”
The study also showed that supplemental omega 3 fatty acids helped lower triglycerides, blood pressure and inflammation in the arteries!
Out of all omega 3 fatty acids, ALA (which is found in plants like walnuts and flax) is the least bioavailable since the body is not very efficient in converting it to DHA and EPA. Since the body needs a large supply of DHA and EPA for optimal function, I would not rely on plant based omega 3s for optimal health.
If you’re not a fan of fatty fish, the best way to get enough EPA and DHA is with a krill oil supplement. Krill oil is superior to fish oil as it does not oxidize as quickly and contains other antioxidants and help with mitochondrial function 💪🏻
Omega 6 fatty acids are found in seeds, nuts and grains and also have a place in our diet when eaten correctly and in balance with omega 3. The problem in our modern world is that we consume too much and processed (oxidized) versions of these fatty acids (vegetable oil, processed foods, restaurant foods, old nuts/seeds).
To make sure your nuts and seeds don’t go rancid, always store them in the fridge or freezer. Especially nut flours. If you supplement with flaxseeds, do not buy ground flax but grind it yourself prior to eating to make sure the fats are still intact 😉
Since omega fatty acids are polyunsaturated, they oxidize easily when processed and exposed to heat, creating trans-fats which are very damaging to our bodies. You can learn about PUFAS here.
Omega 9 fatty acids are the only monounsaturated essential fatty acid (oleic acid for example) and are found primarily in olive oil, macadamia nuts, pistachios, almonds, and avocados. The body can make omega 9s from the other essential amino acids but the process is not very efficient so it’s best to make an effort to consume them to make sure you get your fair share!
They are important in managing LDL and HDL cholesterol levels in the body, are anti-inflammatory and are critical for healthy brain and heart function!
Having a healthy omega 3:6 ratio is critical for our health. As mentioned before, we are currently consuming too much omega 6, especially the oxidized versions. Our hunter and gatherer ancestors consumed about a 1:1 ratio, but today the average American has an omega 3:6 ratio of 1:20 which is dangerously high.
Like humans, animals on conventional farming operations struggle with similar omega fatty acid imbalance which makes them metabolically unhealthy, there they are not healthy for humans to consume.
For example, chicken and pigs that are fed a soy and corn based diet (naturally they should be on pasture where they can forage and eat insects) have super high levels of omega 6. The is can be corrected if they are kept how they should be. The same goes for beef. While grain-fed beef boast omega 3:6 ratios of up to 1:30, Grassfed beef contains omega 3s in the correct ratio to omega 6 (1:4-2).
The graphic shows the rise in omega 6 fatty acids in chicken meatWho can resist a juicy piece of grassfed beef 🥩?
To counter the abundance of omega 6 in our diets, make sure to eat a lot of animal and fish products which are rich in omega 3, and cut out any vegetable oils and processed foods. You will get your healthy omega 6s by consuming nuts and seeds in their natural form!
Make it a goal to implement meals rich in omega 3s and healthy omega 6s in your meal plan to give your body the fuel it needs 😎
Imagine that you need to repair sofas and to do that you need 3 pieces of wood, 6 nails and 1 hammer for each sofa. You are given, 11 nails, 10 pieces of wood and 3 hammers, but with those supplies you can only repair 1 sofa and the remaining supplies to to waste.
Your body makes and repairs over 50,000 proteins each day (structural, messengers, hormones, etc), and to do that it needs an ample supply of amino acids! That’s where Essential Amino Acids come into play 🦸🏻
Essential Amino Acids are amino acids that the body cannot make on its own and need to be consumed exogenously ! The body is very smart and can make the other amino acids that it needs from the essential amino acids. There are 9 essential amino acids (this includes the branched chain amino acids which are found in muscle tissue) and a protein source is considered “complete” if all 9 EAAs are present.
Animal based protein sources like meat, dairy and eggs are always complete sources of protein and some vegetable protein can be combined to create a complete protein profile (for example rice and beans).
When taken as a pure supplement, EAAs are much more bioavailable than other protein sources as they go straight into the blood stream where they can be used by the body for repair. Food sources of protein vary in bioavailability based on how well they are digested. Whole eggs, for example, have the highest bioavailability of all food sources of about 48%, while plant sources of protein and whey are about 16% bioavailable.
One 5g serving of EAAs is equivalent to about 30 g of Whey protein, that is basically pre-digested and your body can use 99% of it!!
When taking EEA supplements, absorption is maximized when they are taken at least 30 minutes before a fat or protein meal, or 2 hours after. They are best taken before bed or after waking.
The essential amino acids help increase your home density, build lean body mass and improve your overall physical health. It’s important to note that unlike branched chain amino acid supplements, EAAs do not spike your blood sugar/trigger an insulin response, which makes them very suitable for a keto diet.
Additionally, it’s important to note that the body needs to receive all essential amino acids in order to start repair. If the balance is off, the amino acids present are converted to fat and stored for energy and are not used to repair the body. For example, the typical person needs to have 2.5 g of leucine in the blood stream to trigger muscle protein synthesis (that’s about 30 g of whey protein).
In the worst case, your Body becomes so desperate for building blocks that it begins to break down its own tissues (this is called cachexia and is often observed in cancer patients).
We like to use Perfect Amino by Body Health, they have a very clean formulation either in form of a powder (we love mocha boost) or as a protein bar that we love to use as a super fuel before our CrossFit workouts 🙌🏻
You can save 20% on your first order if you use my referral link
Most people only need one serving a day, but those recovering from illness or who are wanting to build muscle can benefit from 1-3 additional scoops! The Perfect Amino website has some useful resources for determining your ideal protocol 🙌🏻
For those who want to learn more, check out this awesome article
The Good Chocolate: the mini bars and squares are super purse friendly and make a sugar free high quality fat fuel for those on the run! My favorite flavor is the dark chocolate ginger 🍫
The snack sizes are practical especially when traveling with others since not everyone likes the same flavor and wants to share a full size bar…
If you use my link, you can save 15%! For starters I recommend the square sampler where you can try each flavor without committing to a whole bar.
Bulletproof Collagen Bars: these collagen protein bars are full of healthy fats like MCT and collagen which is essential for tissue growth! They make a line of their regular bars which include flavors like lemon and cookie dough and they also have a chocolate dipped line 🍫 (who can say no to that?)
You can save 10% if you use code CURE.EATED at checkout
Marigold Bars keto fat bombs and keto nuts: these bars are full of healthy fats and come in 5 super yummy flavors! They are clean, high in fat and full of healthy MCTs and Collagen!
Our favorite is pecan chocolate crisps but all flavors are super yummy and make a great pick me up! They also taste delicious out of the freezer or fridge 🍫🌰
The company also makes grass fed whey based protein bars but I have not had them since I do not tolerate milk protein but I have heard that they are quite tasty and are a super good option for those who do well with dairy🥛
You can use code CURE.EATED for a discount on your order!
These are the favorites 🤩
Body Health Protein Bars: this is a protein bar that also contains essential amino acids and MCT. It comes in brownie, mocha and blondie flavors and my mom says it satisfies her baked good craving 🍪🍫
Evolved Chocolate: we do not leave the house without keto cups in our purse! My mom loves the hazelnut butter but I am an original (coconut butter) gal 🌰🍫🥥
The keto chocolate bars are also super yummy but are pretty big so we prefer to eat those at home 🏡
Evolved also has a cool custom chocolate maker where you can play around with your own flavors and their 3 keto chocolate bases (we careful though, not all of their chocolate is keto, their regular line is with coconut sugar which unfortunately spikes insulin).
We are subscribed to the bulk keto cup case …
Jo-Jos Chocolate Bites: in addition to their full size bars, Jojo’s also makes individually wrapped bite size and full size bars which are super handy when traveling! The coconut-macadamia and raspberry-pistachio are the 2 keto options and are super good 🥥🍓🍫
Singing Pastures Roam Sticks: pork meat sticks from heirloom and pastured pigs 🐷
Bacon (the red one) is the favorite in our house 🥓
Bubba’s Fine Foods Keto Nut Mixes: we love pepperoni pizza, sour cream and chive, chocolate chip cookie dough, and praline for a healthy fat fueled snack! They taste super good and are a great alternative to chips and cookies 😍 the bags are too big either making them very travel and purse friendly 👛💼
Olive Snack Packs: these are so handy for on the go and are a great fat based fuel, my favorite are the organic Kalamata olives from Gaia, but any organic brand will do. Make sure that the olives aren’t packed in a bad oil though 🫒
Hard Boiled Eggs these are a healthy fat and protein bomb and can be easily prepared ahead of time 🥚
Homemade Trailmix: grab a handful of your favorite nuts (we love macadamia, pili nuts, sancha Inchi seeds, almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts), dried coconut chips and some keto chocolate or chocolate chips and enjoy a fat fueled snack 🌰🍫🥥
Whole Avocados: yes, I’m that weirdo that carried a whole avocado on their purse…but it’s so yummy and convenient. Simply slice the avocado when you’re ready to eat it and scoop out the flesh with a spoon! The new banana 😉
Happy National Keto Day! What better way to celebrate than with burger night 🍔 and thanks to some helpful swaps, you can enjoy a super nourishing burger without missing out on taste 🥰
The first thing about a burger that isn’t keto is the bun, which can be replaced with either a keto friendly grain free bun like that of Unbun food or a lettuce wrap! Both are super tasty 🙌🏻
Unbun burger buns from Unbun Foods 🍞 simply heat up on the grillIceberg Lettuce Wrap 🥬
The burger patty is made from 75% lean grass fed and finished pastured beef from US Wellness Meats! The patties are super high quality and really tasty/juicy! My mom and dad also decided to enjoy some sugar free grilled bacon from heritage breed pork, that we get from Butcher-Box 🥓🍔
Of course, no burger is complete without a garnish of lettuce (which we got from a local hydroponic farm- Fare House Farms), tomatoes, cucumber and onion 🍅🥬🧅🥒
We also made some crispy onions with lard from Fatworks 😍 you can also add some avocado slices or guacamole(we love our avocado organic subscription 🥑🙌🏻)
Last but not least, we love a good burger sauce! Our go-to is a mix of mustard, primal kitchen primal ketchup and chosen foods keto Mayo which is based on MCT oil 🙌🏻
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare venison, it is minimally seasoned bringing out the rich flavor of the deer. The collagen and marrow come together to create a nourishing and gelatinous texture in the mouth! A real treat for a cold and rainy day 😋
This is also a great way to incorporate nose to tail eating into your life!
If you have high quality meat, you only really need salt and pepper to season it and a lot of time, the only the shanks can cook, the more of the collagen and fat will render out of the meat, creating insanely rich melt in the mouth flavors, and the bone marrow will be released as well which is not only a flavor boost but incredibly nutritious! This is really a bang for the bite meat 💪🏻🙌🏻
I buy my venison shanks from Broken Arrow Ranch where I know that the animals lived in the wild, grazed on what they wanted and were humanely killed in their natural habitat (no rounding up, etc).
All you need to make this dish is:
1) a large pan with a lid , I like my Staub cast iron 🥘
2) venison shanks, I used 5 pounds and that’s about 7 portions for me 🦌
3) salt and pepper 🧂
4) grass-fed cultured ghee to sear the meat
Making the dish is also incredibly simple, simply heat up the ghee in the cast iron and liberally season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
When the ghee is warm, sear the venison shanks on both sides until they are browned. Then put them lid on and let them simmer on low. You may need to add some broth or water but the key is the length of time yoh cook them. Ideally 5-6 hours until they fall off of the bone.
You can use the remaining bone marrow to make a whipped bone marrow butter (recipe will follow) or simply use the molten marrow as a drizzle for the meat 😋
This is very freezer friendly and can be reheated in the oven (covered in foil). The leftovers are almost even tastier than the original 😂
I like to enjoy the shanks with butter and sea salt flakes 🧈🧂
Searing the shanks with ghee in a cast iron pan! Flip when the shanks are browned and sear from the other side! Then put on the lid and let them simmer on low, the longer the better!
Avocados are a super fat fuel full of monounsaturated fats which are critical for heart health and cell health in general. The healthy fats also help absorb nutrients from other foods and help with brain and nerve health. They are a great food to support both growing bodies and those who want to maintain a healthy body composition!
Avocados are also rich in vitamins C, E, K and folate, niacin and potassium, as well as antioxidants (including some that are particularly beneficial for eye health) and fiber 💪🏻
Avocados are said to look like a uterus and they are in fact helpful for maintaining healthy reproductive hormones!
The high vitamin C content helps with collagen and elastin production which is critical for healthy skin!
I love that avocados are so versatile and that they can be enjoyed with almost everything. My favorite way to eat avocado is with my breakfast egg cake, it it can also be enjoyed as a guacamole, on bread, or even straight out of the skin with a spoon (my guilty pleasure 🙃)
Other ways to enjoy include in salads (if you mash it a little it helps create a creamy dressing) or as a base for tuna/crab/chicken/egg salad 😍
Avocado is always a go-to on my breakfast plate 😍
Some people also use them as a base for smoothies, mousses or to bake with but I have not tried that yet!
Guacamole goes well with just about any meat, grilled vegetables, carrot fries, burgers or with crackers!
Another pro tip is to take a whole avocado with you when traveling (like some people take a banana). The skin protects it from damage and it can be easily sliced open and eaten out of the skin as a quick power snack 💪🏻
As with everything, sourcing is very important, and it’s best to get avocados that have no been gassed. I really like the Avocado organic subscription service which picks the avocados the day of shipment and delivers them to my front door! The taste difference is incredible and I cannot buy them at the store anymore 🥺
Through the subscription service, I learned that there are many varieties of avocados apart from the Hass avocados you can buy at the store including bacon, fuerte and reed avocado. Each boosts a slightly different nutrient and flavor profile, I really love the bacon avocados!
I am lucky enough to have a subscription from Avocado Organic that delivers freshly picked avocados to my doorstep! These are picked the day of shipment and are never gassed or treated with pesticides/herbicides! The fruit is delicious and huge 😍
Avocados can also be made into a cooking oil which is relatively stable and a great option when cooking up to medium high heat. It has a neutral taste which makes is great for salad dressings, frying eggs or grain-free pancakes 🥞🍳
When buying avocado oil, always make sure it’s pure avocado oil and that it’s in a small dark glass bottle. It’s always better to buy smaller bottles that you can finish quickly to minimize oxidation! We really like Chosen Foods and Primal Kitchen brand and they also make a very yummy avocado oil mayonnaise/salad dressings!
