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Celebrating the BIG 10K with a GIVEAWAY! (Or Three!)

January 9, 2013 in Giveaways

Wow!  I can not thank you all enough!  You support and enthusiasm is what makes this hobby-turned-career-blog-adventure-thing so fulfilling and motivating and just plain old awesome!

Er, in case you missed it, I just hit 10,000 likes on Facebook last night.  I also recently hit 2000 followers on Pinterest.  Twitter is not that far behind.  I also recently hit over 1,000,000 page views just since I switched the blog over from Blogger to WordPress in September.  Crazy!

I promise not to let it go to my head. :)   Well, maybe a little, just for a little while (because weeeeeeeeeeeee!)–but I’ll come back down to Earth quickly.

So, what am I doing to celebrate this big milestone?  Why, of course, another giveaway!  Actually, THREE giveaways!  Gotta share the love!

What am I giving away?  Three packages:

Package 1

A jar of NaturAlmond Almond Butter
A package of unsweetened noGRAINola from Primal Paleo Concepts
A $30 gift certificate to Itsumo Ahi Jerky

Package 2

A jar of NaturAlmond Almond Butter
A package of unsweetened noGRAINola from Primal Paleo Concepts
A $25 Gift Certificate to Massa Natural Meats

Package 3

3 Paleo Chocolate Bars
AND
3 Packages of Grass-Fed Jerky
from Hunted & Gathered

These giveaways are entirely sponsored (and I thank my sponsors profusely for letting me share their fabulous products in this way!).  Packages 1 and 2 are limited to US Residents only (due to shipping restrictions).  Package 3 is available to anyone anywhere!  Woot!

Want to know more about the products I’m giving away?

NaturAlmond is a family-owned small food business based in Atlanta, GA that makes the best almond butter I’ve ever tasted.  It’s crazy good!  NaturAlmond hand selects the highest quality of almonds from California.  Their almond butter is handcrafted in small batches to ensure freshness and flavor.  By slow roasting the almonds, the essential oils are released to maximize the taste and then ground to the ideal consistency. A touch of natural sea salt is then added to each batch. By not outsourcing production, they personally monitor each step in the process and guarantee quality in a peanut free environment.

Primal Paleo Concepts‘s motto is “the best nature has to offer with 0% Yucky Stuff”.  Their granola  is naturally low carb, no sugar added and paleo-friendly.  Yay for crunch and convenience!  My husband’s first words when he tried this granola were “Ohh!  Me likey!”.  My youngest is equally as addicted–straight out of the bag, too.  Ingredients are super simple: Organic Coconut, Almonds, Prunes (unsweetened, unsulfured), Carrots, and Himalayan Sea Salt.

Massa Natural Meats is a family-owned and operated farm raising purely grass-fed beef in the valley and foothills of Northern California.  Massa Natural Meats and the Massa Ranch in rural Glenn County is an active participant in numerous conservation efforts geared towards agricultural sustainability.  For large orders (i.e.: 1/4 or 1/2 beef) that are going to be shipped a long distance, Massa Natural Meats is now able to ship “airport to airport” via airline at VERY reasonable rates.  They do not have a minimum purchase of any sort and are now offering free shipping for “by the cut” orders over $100 with code “FreeShip100″ (good for anyone who wants to stock up on quality grass-fed meat!).  This gift certificate can be used toward your meat order and/or shipping expenses.

Itsumo Ahi Jerky makes a paleo-friendly tuna jerky that just rocks.  High in DHA and EPA omega-3 fats, easy to digest protein, sustainably fished, free of processing and artificial additives, and produced in an environmentally-concious way.  Plus talk about convenience food!  I keep a pouch of this tuna jerky in my purse for emergencies.  The ingredients of the paleo tuna jerky are: yellowfin tuna, pineapple juice, rock salt, ginger, garlic, onion, nutmet, black pepper and liquid smoke.  I happen to know that they are also working on some new paleo-friendly products that will launch soon.  You can also use the coupon code PALEOMOM for 10% off!!! (good for anyone who want to try these products!)

Hunted & Gathered are dedicated to providing high-quality, environmentally-friendly goods for people who care about what goes into and onto their body.  They have a great appreciation for handcrafted, functional goods, which is why their chocolate and jerky are so famous in paleo circles.  The ingredients of their Paleo Chocolate are: organic cacao solids (60% min), organic virgin cacao butter, organic dark agave nectar, organic cacao powder, organic coconut oil, organic carob, organic cinnamon, and Himalayan crystal salt.  The ingredients of their Grass-Fed Jerky are: strictly pasture-fed beef, salt, herbs and spices, vinegar, organic brown sugar (less than 1 gram).

So, how do you enter?

For EACH of the items below that you do, leave A COMMENT on THIS POST saying what you did.  Yes, that means that you can enter up to 9 times.  And yes, that also mean that you could win more than one package!

Make sure to include your e-mail address (the comment form asks for it) so that I can contact the winners.  Please also mention what country you live in for each comment you leave (or you can mention “USA” or “Outside the USA”) because only one of these giveaways can be shipped internationally.

To enter please do any or all of the following:

  1. Check out NaturAlmond’s website and/or like them on Facebook.
  2. Check out Paleo Primal Concept’s website and/or like them on Facebook.
  3. Check out Itsumo Ahi Jerky’s website and/or like them on Facebook.
  4. Check out Massa Natural Meats’ website and/or like them on Facebook.
  5. Check out Hunted & Gathered’s website, like them on Facebook, and/or follow them on Twitter.
  6. Support me by liking me on Facebook, following me on Twitter or Pinterest, and/or subscribe to my RSS Feed (to get my posts e-mailed to you).  If you already do, share your favorite post (like maybe this one?) or recipe of mine with your friends and help spread the word!
  7. Support me by linking through the links on the sidebar of my page any time you make a purchase from Amazon, Tropical Traditions or US Wellness Meats (you don’t need to buy the item you link from with any of these sellers).
  8. Support me by buying and wearing The Paleo Mom swag.
  9. Support me by making a donation of any amount through Paypal.

Three winners will be chosen at random from the commentors below.  This contest will close in 1 week.

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Beef Tongue with Rosemary Mustard Reduction

November 5, 2012 in Organ Meat

If you haven’t tried beef tongue, you are missing out.  It is the most tender and delicious meat and can be prepared in a variety of ways (tongue tacos being especially popular).  Although it is a muscle, it is more nutrient dense than other muscles, and like the heart, is really considered an organ meat.  It’s also typically quite inexpensive.  I buy 2.5-3lb grass-fed beef tongues for $6 each from my local farmer.  You can also buy them from US Wellness Meats (although, they are considerably more expensive).

 It can be a little strange cooking something that looks so much like exactly what it is (and I think we’re all a little used to being very dissociated from the animal our meat comes from).  But, if you can come to terms with handling a giant tongue, then this recipe is absolutely exquisite.  (Note:  the whole tongue appearance thing doesn’t bother me at all.  But if it does bother you, you could slice the tongue very thin, cube it, or even shred it before eating.)

 Tongue is delicious but this sauce is crazy awesome.  My only big mistake the first night we had this meal was that I didn’t make a side dish that could absorb all that extra sauce.  I highly recommend serving with something like mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice or even paleo biscuits just to mop up all that tasty goodness.

 Variation:  If you’re lucky enough to get lamb tongue, you can use several in place of the cow tongue.  They only needs to be boiled for about 1 hour 15 minutes

 

Ingredients (Beef Tongue):

  • 2.5-3 lbs beef tongue
  • 1 large sprig fresh rosemary (about 1½  Tbsp dried rosemary)
  • 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme (about 2 tsp dried thyme)
  • 8 whole garlic cloves
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Water to cover, about 6 cups

Ingredients (Rosemary Mustard Reduction):

  • Cooking liquid from beef tongue
  • 2 Tbsp brown or Dijon-style mustard (something grainy is especially good)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice (wine could be substituted)
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter

  1. Place the whole beef tongue in a large stock pot.  Place vegetables and herbs around the tongue (ideally, it should be a pretty tight fit in your pot).  You don’t even need to bother peeling the garlic or onions here.  They are just in the pot to give flavor to the broth.  Pour water over the top, just enough to cover the tongue.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 3-3½ hours.  Check the level of the water every half hour or so and top up as required.
  3. Remove the tongue from the pot and let cool.  Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve (or a few layers of cheesecloth) into a smaller pot and discard all of the vegetables and any other bits.
  4. Bring broth to a boil and maintain a rolling boil until it has reduced to 1½ cups or less (about 10-15 minutes, depending on how much liquid you started with).
  5. Add rosemary to broth and boil another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add butter, mustard and lemon juice.  Wisk to combine.
  6. Meanwhile, as soon as beef tongue is cool enough to touch, peel off the white leathery skin on the outside (you might need a knife to get it started, but then it should come off very easily) and discard.  Slice as you like it (if your reduction is still going to be a few minutes, cover with tin foil to keep warm).
  7. Pour rosemary mustard reduction over the tongue and serve!

 

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TPM Tidbit: A Coupon Code for US Wellness Meats

September 27, 2012 in TPM Tidbits

I love US Wellness Meats.  Our whole family is addicted to their grass-fed all beef nitrate/nitrite-free bologna and their sugar-free nitrate/nitrite-free pastured pork bacon.   US Wellness Meats definitely has the best selection of grass-fed unprocessed deli meats, but also has amazing fresh grass-fed beef, grass-fed lamb, pastured pork, and  free-range chicken!  They even have bison and rabbit! Not to mention all the other great products they have!  They also have free shipping on orders above 7 pounds and $75 (a $7.50 handling fee applies).   If you’ve been thinking about placing an order, the coupon code “fall12” will get you 15% off until October 31st.

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Cinnamon-Braised Beef Cheek

September 12, 2012 in Main Dishes, Organ Meat, Soups and Stews

When my local farmer offered me 25 pounds of grass-fed beef cheek for a mere $2/lb, how could I refuse!  It didn’t matter that I had never cooked beef cheek before!  A quick scour for recipes on the internet revealed that the only way to cook beef cheek is to braise it.  But what you add for flavor is completely up to you!  I also happened to have some gorgeous fresh organic butternut squash from the Farmer’s Market.  These two ingredients inspired this delicious, comfort food.  Yes, beef cheek equals comfort food.

Never had beef cheek?  After braising, it really is so tender you can cut it with a spoon.  It is a muscle, so the flavor is very familiar (not organy), but it also has a lot of connective tissue which becomes soft and gelatinous after braising.  The braising liquid becomes ridiculously rich and flavorful.  The butternut squash in this dish is optional, but the flavors work very well together.  It makes the meal feel very much like a stew.  If you prefer, after braising, you could remove the meat and puree the squash in the broth for a thick gravy (making this dish more like a pot roast).  I also think this would be delightful served on a bed of spaghetti squash, in which case you might want to leave the butternut squash out of the recipe (of course, who says you can’t have two kinds of winter squash with supper?!).  This recipe serves 7-8.

Can’t find a good source of beef cheek?  This recipe would work with any stewing beef or pot roast.

Ingredients:

  1. I preferred to leave my beef cheeks whole (the pieces were varying sizes).  If you like, you could chop into 2” cubes.  Slice onions into ¼” thick half-moons.  Peel, seed and cube butternut squash into 1-2” cubes.
  2. Preheat oven to 300F.
  3. Heat 2Tbsp tallow in a medium stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add beef cheeks in batches to brown on all sides (mine took three batches).  Remove beef cheeks from the pot and set aside.
  4. Add onion to stock pot (you may need to add an extra Tbsp of tallow here) and brown until slightly caramelized, 7-8 minutes.
  5. Return cheek to pot, arranging tightly together over the bottom of the pot (it’s okay if you have 2-3 layers).  Add broth, cinnamon sticks and salt. Add butternut squash on top of the beef. (The broth should just barely cover the beef.  It’s okay if not all the squash is covered, but make sure the cinnamon sticks are submerged).
  6. Cover and bring to a simmer on the stove top over high heat (shouldn’t take long), then place in the oven.
  7. Cook for 3 hours.  Enjoy!

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