Potter - All-American paleo table : classic homestyle cooking from a grain-free perspective

ALL-AMERICAN PALEO TABLE CLASSIC HOMESTYLE COOKING FROM
A GRAIN-FREE PERSPECTIVE Caroline Potter, NTP creator of the blog colorfuleats.com and contributing author
of The Ultimate Paleo CookbookThank you for buying thisPage Street Publishing ebook. To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters. Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the authors copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy. DEDICATION To StephenThank you for believing in my dreams, supporting and encouraging me in every aspect of life even when you are out to sea, and loving me more every day.

This book is filled with so many memories of us cooking together that I will forever treasure. To my CreatorThank you for giving me a story to share, a second chance in life and the opportunity to choose joy daily. To me, life is celebrated at the table. It is the thought of gathering, making memories, laughing and filling our hearts with joy and mouths with delicious foods. It is in the quiet moments of sharing a cup of coffee with a friend, coming home after a long day to a warm meal or the endless preparation of a Thanksgiving feast. The table represents so much of lifedaily life that is worth celebrating.

Your table may be small and wooden or it may be grand; it may be a small breakfast nook or a picnic table outside. But this table is a place that brings comfort, where stories can be told, tears can be shed and life can truly be lived. When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in college and started eating grain-free and Paleo, it was always the foods associated with memories and gatherings that I missed the most. It was the cold fall mornings tailgating before football games. It was Thanksgiving Day when I wanted to reach for a slice of apple pie. It is many Friday nights when all I really want to do is curl up on the couch with a box of pizza and watch movies with my husband.

With this new way of eating, I was scared beyond belief. I was scared I would never be able to enjoy normal-people foods againI was scared I would never be able to cut a wedding cake with my husband (which you can find ). Being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease was beyond difficult, and its something I have to work at each day, but it has also brought me a huge sense of joy and passion for creating foods that are nourishing, comforting and happy. Looking back, I would never trade my diagnosis for anything, and I hope that I can continue to help others on their journey of health. Well, with a husband from Texas serving in the U.S. Navy, a golden retriever by my side and my belief that hamburgers are their own food group, All-American Paleo Table was born! I wanted to re-create these classic American favoritesmeals that are familiar to us and hopefully bring back lots of memoriesfrom a healthy perspective, so that you can eat and feel great.

Many of these recipes are a collection of my childhood favorites, or dishes that you usually will find on my breakfast or dinner table. With the recipes, you will hear stories that make them come alive, and I hope that they remind you of your own memories as well! Just because you are making a lifestyle change does not mean that you have to eliminate those recipes you hold dear, but it does require a few ingredient swaps, creativity and a whole lot of patience. My goal with this book was to re-create as many of those foods that we treasure as Americans, but using healthy ingredients. As much as I hope that you savor every tasty bite, I hope you also savor the memories made by cooking and eating together! Life in your 20s seems pretty grandyou feel powerful, youthful and energized! Dreams seem within your reach, and challenges appear to be conquerable. Then all of a sudden, college bliss turns into doctors offices and waiting rooms. After six months of feeling sick all the time, countless tests of all forms, vague results and no answers as to what was wrong with me, I was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, Type 1 diabetes.

When I came home from college for Christmas break, I lay on the couch for most of my vacation with little energy. I was constantly starving, but losing weight. Finally, one day while out to dinner with my family, I broke down in tears because my mouth was so dry, I could barely talk. I was experiencing dry mouth, one of the major symptoms of diabetes. Barely able even to walk up a flight of stairs, I checked myself into the emergency room and was given the news that I was diabetic. To say this was a dark and difficult time in my life is an understatementI was scared, confused and completely hopeless.

I felt alone and had no clue how I would get through the rest of my life with this disease. The days that followed were miserable. Shortly after going on insulin, I gained 20 pounds within two weeks, nearly fainted multiple times every day and was completely embarrassed by my condition and looks. My legs, arms and stomach were black and blue from giving myself shots. Although I kept a smile on my face, emotionally I was struggling. The doctors just kept telling me I would be fine, that this was the way life would be from now on and to continue counting my carbs.

I have never been one to take no for an answer, and I knew there had to be a better way to live. Refusing just to be another statistic in the diabetic charts, I took matters into my own hands. I read and researched everything I could, from scientific studies to clinical trials and from nutrition books to old-fashioned homemade remedies. This is when I discovered a grain-free and Paleo way of eating. Growing up in a home where my mother fed us very healthilyno sodas, candy or white breadI was familiar with the basics of healthy eating, but never fully understood how it actually impacted everyday life. Through my research, I learned how sugars and carbohydrates affected my health at a cellular level, and, in turn, my condition.

I discovered that the more carbohydrates I consumed, the more insulin I would need. So I cut out all refined sugars, grains, gluten and most carbohydrates and instantly watched my insulin need decrease. For a while I ate strictly fats, proteins and leafy vegetables. I discovered that fatsbutter, steak and eggswhich just so happened to be some of my favorite foods, were actually good for me! With the help of a nutritionist, endless encouragement from my family and following a very strict diet, I was slowly able to wean myself off insulin for about the next two years. Currently, I am back on a very minimal, daily amount of insulin. My strict eating habits allow me to take such a small dosage that my doctors are amazed at how well I function.

Yes, my body needs the insulin and I am beyond thankful that modern medicine can support my health, but to me that is not a reason to ditch a real food based lifestyle. My health journey shaped my passions and gave me a love for cooking, teaching myself how to photograph and studying nutrition. In 2013, I became a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), certified by the Nutritional Therapy Association, so I could better grasp the foundations of real food nutrition and understand how the body works on a cellular levelthis all from the girl who barely passed biology in college! This way of eating takes a bit of time and creativity, but now that I have seen firsthand how diet and nutrition allow me to feel so great, I could never go back to any other way of eating. Countless people have encouraged me never to give up on my health, and I hope these recipes bring cheer to your daily meal, no matter what your story or situation may be.