Cast Iron Cookware Information

The best thing to cook on is a grill in my opinion, regardless of if it uses propane or is able to use charcoal, wood, ect. Smokers are my second choice half the time and first choice the other part of the time. The taste you get from a well smoked piece of meat can not be beat. However, you can't bring your grill and smoker inside, so what are you going to do? There are some rather nice non-stick pans out there but those are not all that healthy as studies now show. The best solution? Use cast iron!

For most of us, cast iron is a mysterious metal, with the care and usage of it is nearly magical that only grandmothers understand. Do not let the skill of using cast iron die out and reclaim the ability to use it! The added flavor that the cast iron imparts makes dishes unbelievably good. To help everyone better understand how to use cast iron, I've provided an excellent guide below.

The following is from an article from Backwoods Home Magazine:

The Military May Be The Ones To Force School Lunch Change

School lunches called a national security threat - Diet and nutrition- msnbc.com:

"The school lunch bill, currently awaiting a Senate vote, would establish healthier options for all foods in schools, including vending machine items. The legislation would spend $4.5 billion more over 10 years for nutrition programs.

The Army is already doing its part to catch the problem earlier, working with high schoolers and interested recruits to lose weight before they are eligible for service, says U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Mark Howell. He added that he had to lose 10 pounds himself before he joined the military.

'This is the future of our Army we are looking at when we talk about these 17- to 24-year-olds,' Howell said. 'The sad thing is a lot of them want to join but can't.'"

Though I might have problems with the way the military is being run, I feel that the military's involvement in our school lunches and health might be the only way for them to see improvement.

Fried Ham and Veggies

Tonight's dinner was ham (fried in coconut oil), carrots, and zucchini (both fried on coconut oil, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar), with fresh strawberries.  It's simple, but that's pretty much how we roll.

My Wife, the Contributing Author

My wife and I both noticed that I rarely write about what I eat and pondered it. We came to the same conclusion: I eat once a day, and when I do, it is usually just leftovers of what my wife had made earlier for herself and the kids or it is some type of meat that I have grilled. My wife asked if she could add content to the Retrospective Caveman blog, like the lunch she made today for herself and the kids consisting of ham from the bone fried to bacon-like consistency and taste. I readily agreed.

So expect to see posts by either myself or my wife from now on!

Are Flowers Paleo?

My children actually brought me to this question. Ever since they learned that some flowers could be eaten, they ask about every flower that they come across it seems. Would not our ancestors have done the same thing? I was curious to understand why those of us who are living a Paleo and Primal lifestyle get into the macro and micro nutrients of nearly everything they eat, but flowers are never brought up. Perhaps it is because flowers are seen as non-edible by most.


For example, everyone should know that dandelion leaves are edible, I mean, they have salads with dandelion leaves for sale in Wal-Mart. But did you realize that the roots and flowers are edible as well? I especially like the tea produced by roasting the roots, but the leaves and flowers have that distinct pungent flavor as do the ilk of healthy vegetables like collards, spinach, chards, etc. If you think about calcium and phosphor when eating the dandelion, you'll understand why it has the flavor it does. You are tasting health. The dandelion has, in addition to fiber, the following particularly good concentration of:

The End of West End Games (WEG) Is Nigh

Eric Gibson, the owner and writer for West End Games (WEG), is selling TORG according to an interview given to the Wild Die blog. Accordingly, TORG is still in the process of being sold and not even Mr. Gibson knows what the new owners of TORG plan on doing with it. What makes me really happy about this is that he is giving Bill Coffin back the rights to his Sci-Fi/Space-Opera d6 game, Septimus.

Also, he is going to give to the gaming community Open D6. As he stated in this forum post at the WEG Fansite, he wants to make changes to the OGL that allows the community to make use of the D6 system text copyrights, as well as the Open D6 trademark.

According to what he said in the interview, WEG will be closed when all the properties have been sold off.

I really have no love for Eric Gibson due to the way he mangled WEG and the d6 system... but I am glad that he is finally washing his hands free of it. And while I have nothing but love for Bill Coffin's work with Palladium (even though I have some SERIOUS issues with the owner and other personnel at Palladium Books, as well as their fanbase), as well as having less respect for the man due to some of the more recent things that he has said and done, I am happy for him that he is able to get back the rights to Septimus. The poor guy was screwed over by Kevin Siembieda and then he was screwed over by Eric Gibson just as he decided to get back into RPG writing after nursing the wounds Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books gave him.

Paleo/Primal Ice Cream w/o the Cream

While I am not one to eat bananas due to their high fructose content and that I am looking to loose weight, this does look very good and a great way to eat a Paleo- and Primal-friendly treat. Especially since my wife's recent journey into a Paleo-friendly ice cream utilizing coconut milk and almond milk did not turn out so well; It froze too quickly along the sides of the ice cream maker, meaning we just froze it, turning it into more of a shaved-ice sort of thing rather than a creamy sort of thing. Still good, but nothing that would make you think of ice cream.

Step-by-Step Instructions for One-Ingredient Ice Cream | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn:

"That mystery ingredient, of course, is banana! The smidgen of fat in bananas makes a magic trick when they are frozen and blended up. They turn creamy instead of crumbly, with a smooth texture any home ice cream chef would love to have in their frozen treats.

The major tips can be summed up as:

• Peel your bananas first.

• Cut them into small pieces.

• Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate.

• Blend, blend, blend - scraping down the bowl when they stick.

• Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream!"

Primal Hell for Eaters in San Fransisco on Mondays

Meatless Monday Reports:

This past week, the city by the bay raised the bar in both arenas by becoming the first Meatless Monday city! The resolution passed by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors ensures that residents will gain greater access to healthy, meatless options while learning about the connection between what they eat and their health.
The resolution to make Mondays meatless was introduced by supervisor Sophie Maxwell, who hopes that residents will use this opportunity to make nutritious, sustainable choices. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors agreed that Meatless Monday is a smart way to start the week, passing the resolution unanimously! According to ABC news, Maxwell’s Meatless Monday declaration will “encourage restaurants, schools and grocery stores to offer plant-based options”.

So what does this mean? For one, it means that San Fransisco is pandering to the vegetarians and are not listening to all the new research and studies proving how healthy meat is for you. For another, it means that those Primals and Paleos that are living in San Fransisco are not going to be dining out on Mondays.