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We’re back! Yeah, I know it’s been over two months since our last podcast, but we think you’ll really dig this hour-long episode packed with juicy details about my favorite Hawaiian-inspired summer dish, our exciting new Ready or Not! cookbook, volunteering with the family at the food bank, and my favorite green powder: Matcha! Download the episode and take us along with you on your next road trip, mountain hike, or traffic-packed slog to work! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read all about Episode 19. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market—if you’re a new user, you can get 25% off your entire purchase and free shipping on your order!

At long last, our whole family is back with Season 2 of our podcast! Did you miss us? It’s been over a year(!) since we last released an episode of our podcast—and one of our voices now is unrecognizable! But we’ll try to make it up to you with this catch-up episode that’s crammed wall-to-wall with all our totally reasonable excuses for being radio silent. In this episode, we go over the trials and tribulations of developing a new recipe, Wonton Meatballs. Who knew that a seemingly innocuous ingredient would cause me so much agita? Also, we talk about everything that went down between episodes of our podcast—namely, our brand-spankin’ new cookbook, a wall calendar, a complete blog revamp, and moving to another state. Last but not least, I share two crushes of the week! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read all about Episode 18. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market—if you’re a new user, you can get 25% off your entire purchase and free shipping on your order!

Did you miss the sound of our voices? We’re sorry that it’s been more than a month(!) since we last release an episode of our podcast—it’s been a bit crazy around these parts. But we’ll try to make up for our tardiness by presenting an extra-long episode that’s packed with juicy details about our bucket-list trip to Vietnam. Sound good? This episode is all about a whirlwind trip that Henry and I took to Vietnam together with a small group of awesome chefs and food writers. We traveled to Saigon and Phú Quốc Island to learn firsthand about Vietnamese cuisine and to visit the home of Red Boat Fish Sauce, where we got an up-close look at how my favorite fish sauce is made. We’ll also talk about our year-end crushes, tips for pantry prep in the New Year, and fill you in on the newest update to our Webby Award winning app. So if you’re sick of the cold and ready to be transported to Vietnam for a spell, stick with us for a very special Viet-nomtastic episode! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 17. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

We’re ba-aack! In this episode, our family chats about our favorite autumn produce, my time as a headmaster at Camp Nerd Fitness, our crushes of the week, and we answer a reader’s question about how to handle snack time at a non-Paleo preschool. For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 16. That’s right—no need to take note, my fellow nerds! Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

Have you missed listening to our voices? At long last, we’ve got another podcast episode for you!  In this episode, we’re departing from our usual format. Rather than sharing our crushes of the week or what we ate, this episode is all about YOU. Or more specifically, it’s all about answering your burning questions. Recently, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I put out a call for questions from listeners of this podcast, and the floodgates opened. Given the volume of questions, we did two things: We focused mostly on the food, cooking, and family questions. I got a ton of questions about health and weight loss, but despite my nutrition background, I’m not a medical expert by any means. And besides, the focus of my blog, podcast, and book is Paleo cooking rather than Paleo science. We answer these questions in rapid fire succession, ’cause to be honest, we don’t have time or patience for a three-hour episode. Instead, we’re going to tackle 20 questions for today, in rapid-fire speed. Ready for a whirlwind Q and A session? Here we go! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 15. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

I’m an adventurous cook in my own kitchen, and I know my way around all the wacky gadgets I stockpile to make cooking easier—from electric pressure cookers to sous vide water ovens and even my handy-dandy blowtorch. But strangely enough, the one cooking method that’s always struck fear in my heart is grilling food over coals. There was always something intimidating about making a fire and cooking outdoors—something that felt uncontrolled and wild. Whenever we grilled, it was always Henry’s job to do it. Well, that was the case until I spent the weekend at a women’s only meat camp at Belcampo Farm. Yes, you heard that right: MEAT. CAMP. What is this magical retreat I speak of? Well, listen in as I tell you all about the stuff I learned: including how to build my own fire, butcher small animals, and grill like a champ. ’Cause really: what’s more Paleo than throwing raw meat on an open flame? Plus, we chat about potatoes, soffritto, cancer risk of grilled meat, and packed lunches! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 14. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

Natural disasters can strike at any time, so don’t just cross your fingers and bury your head in the sand. Of course, we should all hope for the best, but we also need to prepare for the worst—I’m talking about fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes—even Lil-O’s dreaded H.F.O.Z.s (a.k.a. House Full of Zombies)! If the point of Paleo is to optimize health, we’re not doing ourselves any favors if we’re caught in an emergency without food, water, and basic tools for survival. To be perfectly blunt, you can’t thrive if you’re not alive. So listen up as we teach you how to put together a Paleo-friendly emergency preparedness kit. Also, you won’t want to miss our rundown of our recent trip up to Portland for Chef Gregory Gourdet’s super-insane 40th birthday party! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 13. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

Is the term “Paleo dessert” an oxymoron? Are grain-free sweets the devil? Or are they a healthy bridge that helps people transition to a whole foods lifestyle? In this episode, we’ll dive head-first into this controversial subject, and decide together whether we should all just stuff our faces with grain-free cake! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 12. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

I love big butts and I cannot lie. Specifically, I love pork butts—also known as pork butt roast, Boston shoulder, or Boston Butt. Why is this my favorite cut of pork? ‘Cause it’s inexpensive, flavorful, super versatile, and tough to mess up. Besides: despite its name, it’s not the part of the animal you’re thinking of. Ready to learn more about butts? Then listen in as I list the many ways butts reign supreme! If I have to pick a favorite cut of meat to cook at home, I will always choose a big pork butt roast. In the main course of this podcast, we’ll chat about why I love this cut, how it got its wacky, butt-tastic name, how to find it, and how to cook it. Also, Henry will share his favorite eats from his business trip to Dublin, Ireland and the kiddos chat about their crushes of the week! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 11. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

Stocking up your kitchen for the very first time? Or maybe you’re just sick and tired of your cruddy old culinary tools, like that plastic spatula with that melted front edge. It’s time to level up! Having the right cooking implements on hand can mean the difference between having dinner ready in a flash and being frustrated and defeated in the kitchen. In this episode we’ll tell you all about our favorite tools. And don’t worry—we won’t recommend anything crazy expensive, or any one-trick ponies that’ll clutter your countertops. We won’t even suggest any items that require electricity. Listen in and we’ll let you know which kitchen tools we can’t live without! For complete show notes, links, and recommendations, go to our podcast archive and read about Episode 10. Please visit our sponsor, Thrive Market, for 2 months free membership and 20% off your first order!

Episode 9: The Perfect Steak A great way to impress a dinner guest—or treat the dad in your life for Father’s Day!—is with a perfectly cooked steak. Still, a high quality steak can be expensive to purchase, so the last thing you’ll want to do is mess it up during the cooking process. But don’t worry: I’ll teach you how to cook the perfect steak! I’ll go over the best cuts to buy and the foolproof cooking methods you’ll need to know to sear your beef the right way. Ready to tackle the perfect steak? Show Notes & Links for Episode 9: What We Ate: We just spent a week in Maui, and savored tons of tasty bites while chilling out on vacation. Our family heads to Maui about once a year ’cause we were suckered into buying a timeshare many moons ago, when my resolve was weakened by an mind-altering affliction called pregnancy. (But to be honest, we haven’t regretted it!) As usual, we visited our favorite restaurants and hunted for new culinary finds while we were on the island, but my favorite bite of the week was on our final morning on Maui, when we cut up a sweet, aromatic, shockingly yellow organic pineapple that I’d plucked straight from the fields at Kumu Farms the day before. On this episode of our podcast, Henry and I chat about our Maui eats, and share details about our fantastic farm-to-face dinner at The Mill House, a new restaurant located right in the middle of the same plantation where I harvested my ripe, sunshine-yellow pineapple. Chef Jeff Scheer makes it a point to source virtually all of his ingredients straight from the organic farms on-site. Henry’s favorite dish of the night was the umami-packed Dashi Cioppino, and I can’t forget the Lilokoi Posset, a chilled dessert made with thickened cream flavored with tangy passionfruit, or the grilled Mahi Mahi with corn puree, blue oyster mushrooms, and piperade. (Okay, okay—calm down. Corn may not be Paleo, but I will always make an exception for organic local corn grown just a few feet from the kitchen.) To peek at some of my Maui eats, check out my Instagram feed and the hashtag I used to organize my island photos, #NomNomMaui. Want to check out the neon yellow pineapple that I picked myself? Check out this pic—and this one, too. If you happen to find yourself on Maui, get yourself over to Maui Tropical Plantation so you can visit Kumu Farms, fly across a zipline, and dine at The Mill House. (Preferably in that order.) The official Grand Opening of the restaurant is July 3, 2015, but Chef Jeff Scheer and his team already have their ducks in a row, and are serving diners now, during The Mill House’s soft launch. By the way, not only is Jeff the Chef (I’m a poet and didn’t even know it!) Maui’s Chef of the Year for 2015, I think he also looks strikingly like Bradley Cooper. And for those of you clucking with disapproval because you spy some beans or corn in my photos from Maui, listen up: when I’m on vacation, I don’t eat 100% Paleo. You can learn more about how I travel while Paleo in Episode 7 of our podcast, but in short, it’s not much of a vacation if I’m freaking out over everything I’m eating. After all, stress management is an important part of health and happiness, too—right? Main Course: In this episode, Henry and I focus on how to select and cook the perfect steak. This premium cut isn’t an everyday food; steak is an indulgence both because of the expense and the sheer primal joy that we derive from enjoying a seared, juicy cut of properly aged meat. The animal sacrificed its life so we could thrive, so it’s important that we take the care to cook it the right way. Unlike other cheaper cuts of meat (like brisket, short ribs, or oxtail) that are super forgiving with low and slow cooking methods, a premium steak really needs to be cooked properly to be delicious. We discuss the importance of sourcing 100% grass fed beef, where to buy it, and how to cook it—no matter if your method of choice is grilling, pan-searing, oven-roasting, or sous vide cooking. Does the thought of cooking and eating meat make you gag? Then go check out Podcast Episode 4: Viva Las Veggies! My favorite cut of steak is rib eye and my go-to cooking method is written up with step-by-step pictures in a blog post entitled, How To Make The Perfect Steak. (Really imaginative title, am I right?) My two favorite tomes devoted to meat cookery are The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book and Bruce Aidells’s The Great Meat Cookbook (affiliate links). J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who writes The Food Lab column and is the managing culinary director over at Serious Eats, posted three comprehensive steak posts that every serious home cook should read: The Food Lab’s Definitive Guide to Grilled Steak, The Food Lab’s Complete Guide to Pan-Seared Steak, and The Food Lab’s Complete Guide to Sous-Vide Steak. If you’re a visual learner, Bruce Aidells, a.k.a. America’s Meat Guru, has an online course on Craftsy that’s all about cooking the perfect steak. By the way, the myth that grass fed steaks doesn’t taste as good as grain-fed steaks has been debunked. Don’t believe me? Check out these blind taste test results from America’s Test Kitchen and The Great Steak Debate. Find a local rancher near you by checking out Eat Wild’s website. In the San Francisco Bay Area, you can buy high quality cuts of meat at Belcampo Meat Co., Brandon Natural Beef, Marin Sun Farms, and Good Eggs. You can also have meat shipped to you from US Wellness Meats (affiliate link), TX Bar Organics, and Tendergrass Farms. My best farmer friend, Diana Rodgers, points out that pound-for pound, grass fed beef is cheaper and far more nutrient dense than a Snickers bar in this enlightening post. Crush of the Week: The kids talk about how Snuba, a hybrid of scuba and snorkeling, trumps eating shave ice and watching television. By strapping on some Snuba gear and exploring the reef just off the beach near our place on Maui, the four of us were able to get up close and personal with sea turtles, eels, and tons of exotic fish. The boys have already requested another Snuba session on our next visit to the island. Question of the Week:  Sarah, one of our listeners, asked me this question via email: I’m new to Paleo and the Whole30 (1 week)…so far so good.  Since we cook with so much raw meat, I would appreciate if you would do a refresher course on food handling safety (for my husband because he does most of the cooking.)  In my opinion, the only thing worse than overcooking an expensive piece of meat is to get sick from it. When it comes to handling raw meat, keep these basic food safety tips in mind: Avoid cross contamination!  Use a special cutting board and knife for your raw meat, and don’t use those same tools to cut veggies for a raw salad. I set aside a small ramekin to hold salt and pepper that I use to season my raw meat, ’cause if you just pour salt out of a container, your meat-juice-covered hands will muck up the box and spread the stuff around. Also, don’t place your cooked steak back on the same plate you used to marinated raw meat, and don’t reuse the marinade if you just soaked some uncooked meat in it. If you want to reserve some marinade, do so BEFORE you put raw meat in it. Know where your meat comes from and the likelihood that safe handling practices were used in raising the meat. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: after handling raw meat, wash your hands with soap and water, people. Don’t just wipe your grody paws on a kitchen rag like they do on TV.  Also, wash all the stuff that touches raw meat with hot, soapy water. Now if I haven’t completely grossed you out: go forth and make a steak!

Episode 8: A Day In The Life In this episode of the Nom Nom Paleo Podcast, we’re gonna shake things up a little bit. Instead of the usual format (which involves sitting around our dining room table and marching through different segments), we thought we’d drag you through a typical day in our lives—from the time we get up in the morning to when we collapse in bed at night. It’s not that we think we’re super-interesting people. The opposite is true, actually. But when we asked you, our listeners, about what you’d like for us to cover on this podcast, one idea that came up more than once was going through a day in the life. For our cookbook, Henry drew me a comic about a day in the life of a zombie drug dealer – in other words, me, or at least me a year ago. That’s because at that time, I was working as a full-time night shift hospital pharmacist. In other words, I was a professional drug dealer. However, ever since I quit my night job about a year ago, our lives have changed a lot—and it’s about time we provided an update to reflect what our life looks like now that I’m a full-time mom, cookbook author, blogger, home cook, app creator, podcaster, and whatever else it is I do. (Spoiler: We reveal that our lives are totally ordinary, and that we’re not much different from most busy families.) Zombie Drug Dealer No More For those of you who didn’t know, in my former life, I worked as a night shift pharmacist (a.k.a. zombie drug dealer) for 12 years. Even though I thought I’d hacked shift work—check out my post on Surviving The Night Shift—I eventually realized that working graveyards wasn’t sustainable. After I was interviewed for an article about night shift work in Psychology Today, I thought seriously about the sacrifices required of long-term shift workers: family time, sleep hygiene, health. A month later, I quit my job and wrote about my decision in a blog post entitled Independence Day. The Early Birds Get the Coffee Henry wakes up at 4:20 am three days a week to attend the 5 am class at CrossFit Palo Alto. (Yes, he knows I think it’s crazy of him to wake up that early to exercise.) He starts his morning off with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, which we both agree is fine if you’re healthy and well rested. My new morning routine starts two hours later, and is loosely based on the one described in Hal Elrod’s bestselling book, The Miracle Morning. My modified routine involves chugging a large glass of water, meditating, and exercising before the kids wake up at 7 am. Truth be told: most mornings I only have time to drink some water and stretch out my creaky joints before Big-O bursts out of his bedroom. (Not Lil-O, though. He doesn’t get up until and unless we awaken him.) While Henry makes breakfast for the kids, I pack their school lunches. Afterwards, when Henry drives off to work, I herd the kiddos to school. Our favorite (and quietest) coffee maker is an Aeropress (affiliate link). We even take it with us when we travel. We both agree that coffee can be a healthy part of your morning routine—here’s a good article that summarizes the benefits. Hal Elrod’s book, The Miracle Morning, has helped tons of folks boost their productivity and happiness by teaching them how to implement a daily morning routine. Like a good techie, I use the Brain Wave app on my iPhone to help me meditate. You can see how Henry has outfitted our garage gym here, here, and here. The standard breakfast Henry prepares for the kids: Thai-style omelets, a recipe in our cookbook. We always pack our kids lunches in LunchBots stainless steel containers. We usually include eggs for Lil-O, leftovers or deli meat (Applegate Organics or Belcampo Meat Co.) for Big-O, fresh fruit, SeaSnax seaweed snacks (affiliate link), and an occasional gluten-free treat. Looking for inspiration for packing Paleo lunches? Check out this roundup. The Business of Nom Nom Paleo My daily routine is never the same, but I always work on Nom Nom Paleo business while the kids are in school. Before I tackle my tasks for the day, I scarf down a quick breakfast and catch up on social media posts and emails (yes, I even read my hate mail!) from the night before. Next, I power walk to a WiFi-enabled café, public library, or co-working space and do my best to squeeze in as many meetings and calls as possible. Content creation can mean recipes, blog posts, podcast outlines, or projects with business partners. But it’s not all fun stuff; I also ship Nom Nom Paleo action figures and socks, meet with our app developer, and book events and travel. Throughout the day, I personally respond to our readers on all my social media channels; after all, I’m a one-woman show while Henry’s at work. And then, at around 1 pm, I walk home and make myself lunch before I pick up the kids from school. Sometimes I change up my breakfast by eating leftovers, but I usually make a couple of crispy fried eggs. The way I cook and season the eggs is described in Episode 2 and Episode 5 of the podcast. When I’m walking to my workspace for the day, I listen to my favorite podcasts, including The Tim Ferriss Show, Start Up, Reply All, and America’s Test Kitchen. We’re working on an iPhone version of our Webby-award winning Nom Nom Paleo app with the fine folks at Y Media Labs. If you want your very own Mini Michelle action figure, go buy one here! I read everything sent to me via email and social media, but I don’t always have time to respond. But here’s a secret: your best bet for a speedy and brief response from me is to tweet at me (@nomnompaleo). I use the productivity app Trello to track my ever-growing to-do list. My typical weekday lunch consists of leftovers, salad, garbage stir fry, or a simple frittata. Other quick and easy lunch ideas were discussed in podcast Episode 5: Desperation Dinners! Afternoon Delights At 2 pm, I put away my computer and rush to pick up the kids from school. Lil-O gets out of school before Big-O does, so during the 45 minutes between pick-ups, I socialize with the other parents waiting for the bell to ring. After school, I help the kids with their homework and/or shuttle them to their activities—and if I have time, I’ll work on recipe development, which also doubles as dinner. The kids aren’t allowed screen time on school nights, so when they’re done with homework, they read or play together while I cook. And believe it or not, these days, I don’t photograph the food as I’m making it. If I’m developing a new recipe, I’ll diligently write down my steps and notes, but time is of the essence—my goal is to just get food on the table quickly so the kids can eat and go to bed. I might take a shot or two of my dinner plate to post on Instagram, but nowadays, we only shoot recipes for the blog or cookbook on weekends, when Henry and I are both home. An example of one recipe that I tweaked over and over again until the flavors were just right is my Carrot + Cardamom Soup. Frankly, after an intense week of testing it meal after meal, I’m sick of it—though many people tell me it’s their favorite recipe from our cookbook. House rules dictate that tablets, computers, and TV are prohibited on weekdays, so the boys make do by building with Keva blocks (affiliate link), drawing superheroes and villains, sculpting sad faces with clay, or playing  Bacon’s Big Adventure (affiliate link). Follow me on Instagram to check out my latest meals and recipe testing. Evening Ritual On weeknights, our family dinner is served at 7 pm, and Henry does his best to join us before we finish eating. Invariably, Lil-O’s still eating when my husband gets home. Despite eating the least amount by volume, my seven-year-old is the slowest eater in our family—he almost always finishes close to 8 pm. By the time he’s done with dinner and the dishes are cleared, it’s time for the kids to hit the sack. The kids brush and floss their teeth, and then – if they don’t dawdle, they’ll get a bedtime story. Lately, they’ve been demanding that Henry tell them a funny story. And by “funny,” they just mean gross. It doesn’t even have to be witty or smart. They just want Henry to replace certain words in their books with words like POO or PEE or FART. But, hey—whatever makes them go to bed. After the kids are in bed, we spend the last few hours of the day cleaning up the kitchen and working on our computers. I don a pair of amber goggles and write my Nom Nom Paleo posts or edit recipes. Henry, on the other hand, helps with editing, photography, illustration, web design, and book layouts. Lately, though, all of his free time is consumed with editing our podcast. (He makes it look easy, but it isn’t.) Because I don’t want to end up a widow, we’ve decided to take a break from our weekly podcast schedule next week and see how it goes. Lil-O will eat super slowly, unless I serve Cracklin’ Chicken and Roasted Broccoli and Bacon. I wear these super cheap amber-colored goggles to block out the blue light that emanates from all the screens we use, and from the lights in our house. I also installed f.lux on our Macs to automatically dim the screens on our laptops. The blue light suppresses melatonin production, and this hormone is important to induce sleep at night. We keep our bedroom pitch-black with an Indow Window blackout insert, and we don’t allow any electronic devices in our room. We also throw a shirt on top of our alarm clock to block the light. I do like to unwind in bed with a book, so our reading lights are fitted with orange party bulbs. Yes, I know all of this makes me sound like a weirdo—but I’m a weirdo who sleeps well, thankyouverymuch. No, really: thanks for listening! If you like our podcast, go subscribe and rate it in iTunes!      

Episode 7: Traveling While Paleo! Heading out of town with your cave clan? How do you fuel yourself on the road and when you finally arrive? We’ll fill you in on how we find food at an airport, fuel ourselves on the flight, and how we grab grub once we get to our destination. Pack your bags and listen to our Paleo travel tips! What We Ate: Let’s face it: no matter how many costumed characters roam the Strip, Las Vegas ain’t the most kid-friendly vacation spot in the world. Still, our family decided to take a surprise weekend trip to Sin City to attend a “Weird Al” Yankovic concert. In this episode, the kids gleefully fill everyone in on what they ate and observed in Las Vegas. Big-O loved the steak and eggs at Bouchon Bistro, as well as the seafood options at B & B Ristorante. Lil-O enjoyed the beefy options at B & B Ristorante and B & B Burger and Beer. (But he did not have any beer.) Lil-O also reveals that I treated him to a couple of macarons at Bouchon Bakery. (We aren’t 100% Paleo when we travel, though we try to stay gluten-free.) Main Course: Travelers: we’ve got tons of tips and tricks for you on how to stay Paleo on the road! In this episode, we tell you how we scope out Paleo eats when we’re out and about. What to Pack: The amount of food I pack in our carry-on luggage depends on the length of the flight. If it’s a short flight, I typically bring a small bag of non-perishable snacks (e.g., a packet of jerky, salami, dark chocolate, seaweed, snack bars, or nuts). For longer flights, I simply increase the amount of snacks in my bag—or I purchase something at the airport. I also bring some of my favorite condiments and seasoning, assuming our final destination has a kitchen. My go-to travel size condiments include: Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link) Red Boat Fish Salt (affiliate) Jacobsen Salt (affiliate) Magic Mushroom Powder Airport Eats: When I’m taking a short flight, I usually don’t eat anything at the airport. On longer trips, or when I’m stuck at the airport on a layover, I’ll seek out airport grub by going online and searching Yelp or Trip Advisor for gluten-free options at the airport. Other great resources for top airport eats include this article in the Wall Street Journal, and this post in Thrillist which rank airports by their food and drink options. Choice eats at select airports include: At San Francisco International Airport (SFO), opt for the takeout choices in Terminal 2. Some of my favorite options are Lark Creek Grill, The Plant Cafe Organic, Napa Farms Market. At Denver International Airport (DEN), check out the locally sourced gluten-free friendly eats at Root Down. At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), chow down on a BBQ platter (hold the bread and beans) at The Salt Lick before boarding your flight. Food & Drinks on the Plane: I don’t always eat during flights, but I routinely request bottled still or sparkling water (with no ice!) as my beverage. The reason I leave out the ice is because the ice is often contaminated with harmful bacteria. If you’re hungry and didn’t pack any food, most airlines sell gluten-free snacks that can tide you over until you land. (For example, Virgin America offers gluten-free snack packs, Hail Merry nuts & macaroons, and jerky.) I once made the mistake of ordering a gluten-free meal on an international flight and I was disappointed that all I got was a bunch of tasteless rice cakes. It turns out that most airlines will serve the same meal to anyone who requests a special meal due to a dietary restriction—which means a gluten-free meal will also be devoid of fat, salt, animal products, and, well…flavor. Stocking Your Fridge At Your Vacation Rental: Our drive from the airport normally includes a pit stop at a local grocery store before we reach our vacation rental. We usually stock up on breakfast items (e.g. eggs, sausage, butter, pre-cut fruit and produce, cold brew coffee) and grab-and-go snacks. Now that we travel with kids, we prefer staying at a vacation home or condo instead of a hotel room because we prefer getting more space at a reasonable price. Plus, we can start our day off right with a hearty homemade breakfast that doesn’t break the bank. If you’re staying at a hotel, you can still prepare some meals in your room. Simply call the front desk ahead of time and request an empty refrigerator to store your perishables. Also, you can evidently cook lots of different things with the appliances in a hotel room (though to be honest, I haven’t tried this—yet). I use Yelp to find the closest grocery store between the airport and our vacation rental. We’ve had lots of luck with vacation rentals through Airbnb and VRBO. If you want to learn how to cook with hotel appliances, check out this article. Dining Out :  I’ve always been a gastrotourist, and my prime objective when vacationing is to find and taste the best local cuisine. In this segment, I reveal how my research starts before we leave on our trip. I start by checking local newspapers and online magazine for the top places to eat in the past year. Next, I narrow my choices after reading the latest restaurant reviews. Finally, I ask my readers for Paleo-friendly restaurant recommendations via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. After sifting through all the data, I curate a restaurant list for each city, and figure how to combine sightseeing with the restaurants on my list. My favorite sites for restaurant research are Eater, Zagat, Time Out, and local newspapers. You can be the ultimate gastrotourist and dine at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Read the latest reviews and learn about gluten-free options via Yelp, Trip Advisor, gluten-free blogs, and gluten-free apps. Crush of the Week: The Double-Os discuss how much they enjoyed the “Weird Al” Yankovic concert in Las Vegas and their favorite songs at the show. Afterwards, Big-O and I talk about how much we love cherries—specifically, Bing cherries. Find a Weird Al show near you! I like to buy our cherries from CJ Olson’s in Sunnyvale because that’s where my mom used to buy them when I was a kid. Pro tip: store cherries the same way as strawberries. Listen to our first podcast episode to hear how I keep them fresh for up to two weeks. If you’ve got some extra cherries, make my Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce! Question of the week: Rebecca asked via email: Is it possible to eat Paleo at a dim sum place? As a Chinese-American, that is the one meal/cuisine that I love more than anything else. Can you help me maneuver through the different choices? In all honesty, it’s really hard to eat gluten-free dim sum, let alone Paleo—though there is a restaurant in New York City called Nom Wah where certain dim sum items are labeled as gluten-free. I haven’t tried the restaurant because I don’t love dim sum, but it looks promising. That’s right—I’m not a dim sum fan. But if you are, and it’s worth it to treat yourself to a dim sum meal, don’t stress out about whether it’s Paleo or not. Just be mindful of your food choices, and once you’ve made the choice to take a delicious detour, be sure to savor every bite!

Pat yourself on the back: you have the Paleo thing down at home, and you can order like a champ when dining out at a restaurant. But what about parties? Do you know how to navigate a non-Paleo shindig? Don’t worry—we’ll fill you in on how to be the best guest ever. Follow our advice, and you might even get invited back! Show Notes & Links for Episode 6: What We Ate: While Henry was away on business, I experimented with Fiona’s Green Chicken to see if it freezes and reheats well. Answer: yes! The moral of the story is to always make a double batch of Fiona’s Green Chicken so you can eat half and freeze the rest for a future meal. Check out the original recipe for Fiona’s Phenomenal Grilled Green Chicken and my post on how to prep it ahead of time and store it for later. Don’t fret about safely thawing frozen meat with hot water. Harold McGee writes in The New York Times that this method is A-OK! My chef sister’s Instagram feed never fails to inspire me in the kitchen. Go follow Fiona! Main Course: In this episode, we dish about how to be a gracious guest at a non-Paleo party. Sure—if you’re hosting the get-together, you have nothing to worry about. After all, you’re in control of the food. But what about non-Paleo parties thrown by people you don’t want to put off with your finicky food choices? Never fear: I have recommendations for plenty of flavorful dishes you can bring to share—without triggering any suspicions or questions about your platter of Paleo-friendly fare. Here are some crowd-pleasers you can bring to a party: Salads: Giant salad with greens, vegetables, protein, nuts, and a Paleo-friendly dressing Tomato & Basil Salad Fruit salad Appetizers/Finger Foods: Simple Crab Salad in Endive Spears Asian Meatballs Prosciutto-Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins Prosciutto-Wrapped Broiled Asparagus Chile Lime Chicken Wings Magic Wings Paleo Shrimp-Stuffed Mushrooms Devils on Horseback Main Courses: Slow Cooker Kalua Pig or Pressure Cooker Kalua Pig Orange Sriracha Chicken (Substitute ketchup for the sriracha if you’re serving kids. The original recipe is best with my homemade 20-Minute Paleo Sriracha or Whole30 Sriracha.) For a kid-friendly party, cook up a bunch of mini hotdogs. (I like the mini ones made by Fork In The Road.) Hot Dog As The Bun! I also have tips to help you avoid coming across as a boorish caveperson in front of the other guests. (Yeah, I know you’re always on your best behavior—but I learned the hard way that we Paleo eaters sometimes forget how we come across to our friends and family.) Above all else: chill out, be gracious, and a good guest! Have a good time at the party and if you’re famished, eat the food that you brought to share rather than face-planting into the box of cupcakes. If you’re offered food that you can’t or don’t want to eat, follow the example of my good friend Melissa Joulwan, and respond with a simple “Not right now.” Say the phrase with a polite smile and sunny attitude, and no one’ll feel bad that you just declined a slice of cake. Even if the host insists on putting food on your plate that you’ve declined, just remember: no one can force you to stick anything in your mouth. My savvy brother-in-law, for example, will just pretend to eat unwanted food that my dad piles onto his plate. Melissa Joulwan writes one of my favorite Paleo food blogs, The Clothes Make The Girl, and her two cookbooks, Well Fed and Well Fed 2, are filled with fantastic Paleo-friendly party fare (affiliate links). I’ve been known to sneak an Exo Bar or some jerky in the bathroom if I start feeling hangry at a party. Crush of the Week: Ollie sings his favorite song from Adventure Time, “Bacon Pancakes.” Owen tells us why watermelon is the love of his life. I gush about how I’m obsessed with The Glitch Mob, the coolest electronic music band in the world. Plus, one of the band members, Justin Boreta, is Paleo! You can enjoy my Bacon Pancake Sandwiches while you watch Hugh Jackman’s lip-synched rendition of the song here. Learn more about The Glitch Mob on their website. Go see The Glitch Mob live in concert in a city near you—start by checking out their tour dates. My two favorite songs from The Glitch Mob are Fortune Days and We Can Make The World Stop. Justin Boreta gave away jars of my Magic Mushroom Powder as gifts, and you can, too! Question of the week: As the mother of two young boys, what do you with your boys at parties? Do you let them run wild and gobble up everything in sight? Do you put them on a leash and not let them touch anything that is “Paleo-approved”? Or something in the middle? At home, our kids eat the way we eat. But when they’re at parties, we trust Big-O and Lil-O to make their own decisions. Lil-O gets GI distress when he eats gluten, so he knows to steer clear of gluten. Big-O, on the other hand, sometimes opts to indulge his love of pizza. Both kids choose to eat non-Paleo things at times, but we’re okay with it because: (1) we control what they eat 90% percent of the time, (2) they don’t have life-threatening food allergies, and (3) we want them to be empowered to make their own food choices and not develop a complex about what they eat. But don’t take our word for it; listen in as our boys tell us what they eat at parties. That’s it for this week! If you like what you heard, subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review on iTunes!    

It’s time for the next installment of the Nom Nom Paleo Podcast! Picture it: You finally get home after a long day at work, school, or just lying around the house, and you don’t feel like cooking dinner. I totally know where you’re coming from, because I feel the same way most days of the week. Luckily for my family, I’ve figured out how to get food on the table ASAP. In Episode 5 of our podcast, I’ll share my favorite tips and tricks to keep you well nourished—even when you’re totally unmotivated. No more falling face first into a bowl of cereal! Show Notes & Links for Episode 5: What We Ate: I reveal the blend of seasonings I love to sprinkle on my daily dose of crispy fried eggs. Big-O chats with his younger brother about his love of camarones al ajillo, Mexican-style garlic shrimp. And Lil-O throws Henry under the bus by revealing one of his regular non-Paleo indulgences. My fried crispy eggs recipe and video can be found here. I top my eggs with Jacobsen Sea Salt, Urashima All Natural furikake, and Rinaldo’s Organic Garlic Gold Nuggets. Main Course: The bulk of this episode is all about desperation dinners. In other words, how do you get food on the table when you don’t want to cook? I don’t know about you, but I like to eat way more than I like to cook. Whenever someone asks me “what’s your favorite dish?” I almost always answer, “a meal someone else cooks for me.” But in all seriousness, the only way to make a Paleo lifestyle sustainable is to get off your butt and get cooking—even when you don’t want to. Here’s what I stock in my pantry, fridge, and freezer for desperation dinners: Eggs — raw & hard-boiled Leftover roast chicken Canned fish — I keep a bunch of salmon and tuna tins in my pantry Refrigerated canned crab Paleo Mayonnaise — If you don’t make your own mayo, Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil mayo is a great alternative to homemade; Sir Kensington also makes a pretty good mayo Avocados or guacamole — I like Wholly Guacamole brand, but more often than not, I just ask Henry to whip up some homemade guacamole using his famous recipe Nori sheets and butter lettuce — Toasted seaweed and lettuce cups are my favorite alternative to tortillas Salad greens — Toss with oil and vinegar, and you’ve got an instant side dish! Frozen mixed vegetables Fresh herbs Spice blends Flavor-boosting acids — e.g. lemon, lime, assorted vinegars Quick-Cook Dinners (15-20 minute meals): Sunnyside Salad with Crispy Eggs Easy Paleo Frittata Sweet Potato Hash (topped with your favorite protein) Garbage Stir-Fry Garbage Soup No-Cook Dinners (5-10 minute meals): Lazy Devils (the recipe can be found in our cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans) Madras Chicken Salad Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites Chilled Cream of Avocado Soup with Crab Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho Crab + Avocado Temaki For even more inspiration, check out my 10 Fast & Easy No-Cook Paleo Meals post or my pal Charissa’s site, No Cook Paleo. Lastly, the kiddos reveal that their desperation snacks include fresh fruit and SeaSnax seaweed snacks. Crush of the Week: Big-O tells us about how he likes flipping through my old school, out-of-print Quick & Easy Chinese cookbooks. Lil-O and our little buddy Matthew talk about their love of Cracklin’ Chicken—particularly when it’s doused with Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos Teriyaki Sauce. Question of the week: In my blog comments, Kadie asked: I would love for you to describe your greatest inspirations—are there particular people, places, or things that especially inspire your kitchen creations? In a nutshell, my travels, my sister, and my mom are my culinary inspirations. I even admit that I’m turning into my mother. *Gasp!* Thanks for listening! If you have questions for future podcasts, please leave them in the comments below. Like what you heard? Subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review by clicking here!  

Ready or not, we’re dishing up Episode 4 of the Nom Nom Paleo Podcast! In this installment, we dive into our love of vegetables and how to get more of it into our bellies. Despite what everyone outside of the Paleosphere may think, we don’t eat only meat. In fact, I eat more vegetables now than I did when I was a semi-vegetarian! Listen in as we chat about our favorite vegetables and how to buy, store, and cook them. You’ll be vegucated in no time! Show Notes & Links for Episode 4: What We Ate: Henry fills us in on how he hacks a rice-noodle-free salad bowl at Vietnamese restaurants, while I let everyone in on my favorite crunchy snack, Yucan Crunch. It’s a delicious cracker made with just one Paleo-friendly ingredient: yucca root. Toast the crackers, slather on a bunch of savory toppings, and you’re good to go! You can pick up Yucan Crunch at Mission Heirloom in Berkeley or order it via their online store. (I buy it through Good Eggs SF Bay Area.) Main Course: Surprise! In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t hoover meat down our throats 24/7. In fact, our plates are usually crammed with vegetables—so let’s talk about how I buy, store, and prep our favorite edible plants. I discuss the benefits of joining a CSA (community-sponsored agriculture), how to make the most of the veggies in our CSA box, and the best time to pick up a box at your neighborhood drop-off spot. If you don’t have access to farmers’ markets or CSAs, just do the best that you can. Refer to the Evironmental Working Group’s helpful lists to check which produce items are best bought organic and which ones have less pesticide. Once you stock up on healthy produce, I let you in our family’s favorite vegetable recipes and my inexpensive kitchen gadget picks to make the most of your vegetables. Plus, I share my favorite salad hacks, and the kids crack some vegetable jokes, too. Click here to find a CSA near you. I was a member of Mariquita Farm’s CSA for many years. Starting in 2015, Mariquita now offers veggies through their Ladybug Buying Club. Caroline Randall Williams is one smart cookie, and her cookbook, Soul Food Love, is must-read. The Environmental Working Group’s Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen Plus lists can be found here. The Kitchn has a bookmark-worthy post on the best way to store your veggies. Click here to read it. Yotam Ottolenghi’s ourtrageously popular vegetable cookbook, Plenty More, is a constant source of inspiration for me. On most nights, I use my trusty toaster oven to roast the bulk of my veggies. My favorite inexpensive kitchen gadgets are a vegetable peeler and a reliable salad spinner. I learned how to simplify my vegetable cooking after spending a day at a Thai organic farm. You can read about our life-changing farm to table experience here. Recipes referenced in this section: Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Asian Cauliflower Fried “Rice” Zoodles and Meatballs Garbage Stir-Fry with Curried Cabbage Tonnato Sauce Spatchcocked Chicken over Vegetables Crush of the Week: Big-O reveals that he’s crushing on asparagus, Lil-O tells us about how he loves broccoli even though he’s not sure how I cook it, and I let everyone in on the secret that I can’t live without frozen vegetables. Also, Henry and I fight over who loves April Bloomfield’s new vegetable cookbook, A Girl and Her Greens, more. I win. Big-O’s favorite asparagus dish is Broiled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus. Ollie asks me to make roasted broccoli and bacon several times a week. He like to douse it with Coconut Secret’s Teriyaki Sauce. I like to throw frozen vegetables into my Thai Chicken Curry. If you’re looking for a crazy-good vegetable cookbook, check out April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Greens. Visiting NYC? Go order the English Breakfast at The Breslin. Question of the Week: Sandy asks via email: How do you get Big-O and Lil-O to eat vegetables? Instead of answering this question myself, I ask my kids how I do it. (Spoiler: The Double-Os reveal that they have no choice but to eat their mother’s cooking.) Ciao for now! Thanks for listening—and if you have questions for future podcasts, please leave them in the comments below. Like what you heard? Subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review by clicking here!

Today’s episode is a special one, and not just because we taped most of it on a handheld recorder on location in our rental house in Austin, Texas. Listen in as we chat about our trip to Austin and interview our good friend and housemate, Chef Gregory Gourdet, the runner-up in this latest season of Top Chef on Bravo! We’ll also gab about some of our favorite eats of this trip, and my pal Dr. Emily Deans pops in to help answer the Question of the Week, too. So listen up, y’all – and you might just find out which Spice Girl Gregory identifies with! Show Notes & Links for Episode 3: What We Ate: While vacationing in Austin, I ate a lot of great barbecue and gluten-free, Paleo-friendly “fun stuff.” Specifically, I had a memorable meal at Picnik Austin, where I basically bought one of everything. To beat the heat while the rest of the house was at Paleo f(x), Henry and the kids enjoyed a movie and gluten-free eats in the dark at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. You should definitely grab an iced butter coffee at Picnik Austin and lots of other yummy Paleo-friendly eats. If you’re looking to eat well at the movies, head to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. When in San Francisco, eat at my place for favorite dinner and a movie, Foreign Cinema. Main Course: The bulk of today’s episode is a dining room INTERROGATION of our friend Chef Gregory Gourdet. GG’s a fascinating fellow because under his humble exterior lurks a trendsetter, fashionista, Executive Chef, world traveler, ultra runner, hot yoga devotee, and CrossFitter too. And you can see his focus on health in his Portland restaurant, Departure, where guests have the option of delicious gluten-free, vegan, and Paleo menus, in addition to the nightly dinner menu. Plus, he’s won a slew of prestigious awards, including Portland’s Hottest Chef of 2012, Chef of the Year 2013 by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Eater’s 2014 Chef of the Year, and a 2015 James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef Northwest. This year, he became a bona fide celebrity chef when he placed second on the 12th season of Top Chef, Bravo TV’s award-winning cooking competition. But more importantly, GG’s a fiercely loyal friend, and we love spending time with him. This past weekend, we cornered him at the dining room table just minutes after he woke up (and well before he even had a chance to eat breakfast), and ambushed him with an interview for this episode. As rookie podcasters, we only had a handheld recorder with us, but hopefully, you won’t mind the extra ambient noise. (We keep it real, people.) Besides, GG’s an incredibly engaging and revealing interview subject. He’s honest about his path to professional cooking, his recovery from addiction, fantastic cooking tips, his flavor of Paleo, all things related to Top Chef, and how he keeps sane with a jam-packed plate. At the end of the interview, Big-O jumps in on the action and peppers GG with a list of rapid-fire questions that range from his last meal on earth to his favorite Spice Girl. We had a ton of fun recording this interview, and hope that you enjoy being a fly on the dining room wall during our laughter-filled conversation. Don’t forget to connect with Gregory via Instagram (@gg30000), Facebook, and Twitter. And if you find yourself in Portland, you must partake of his fabulous Asian-inspired creations at Departure Restaurant + Lounge. Crush of the Week: Big-O reveals that he’s crushing on BookPeople, one of the coolest (and largest) independent bookstores in Austin. Lil-O reveals that he doesn’t love books, but he digs his pack of DC Heroes & Villains playing cards (affiliate link)—which he bought at BookPeople instead of, you know, a boring old book. Question of the Week: A reader, Natalee, shares in an email: I became Paleo because of a nine year HORRIBLE struggle with bipolar 1 disease. I was desperate to try anything to help with this…and under the care of a forward thinking amazing psychiatrist, I was able to come off all of my meds and remain stable through food and supplements. And I’m actually better than I’ve EVER been…I have my life and family and marriage back. All of this to say, I would LOVE to hear how food can help stabilize mental illness. I was literally told by doctors that I would always be on meds…and MANY mentally ill people believe that their lives will always have to be a certain way…because they can’t be fixed. My friend Dr. Emily Deans, a specialist in evolutionary psychiatry, was hanging out with us at our house in Austin, so I strong-armed her into helping me answer this question. You can find more of Emily’s articles about food, mood, and microbiome here. Ciao for now! Thanks for listening! If you have questions for future podcasts, please leave them in the comments below. Like what you heard? Subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review by clicking here!

Ready for another episode of the Nom Nom Paleo Podcast? In the second installment of our family’s show, we delve into all things umami. Join Henry and me as we chat about the history, science, and magical flavor-boosting potential of the fifth taste. We also cover everything from crispy fried eggs with gooey yolks, the wonders of wedding rings made out of silicone, and how we really feel about MSG—and the kids chime in with their Crushes of the Week, too! Show Notes & Links for Episode 2: What We Ate: In this segment, I reminisce about a meal I recently shared with my pal Diana Rodgers at Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C. We enjoyed a fantastic gluten-free meal, and my favorite dish of the evening was the appetizer: wood oven-roasted bone marrow with bacon butter and a pistachio crust. (I’m such a Paleo cliché.) Henry, on the other hand, was excited that his favorite coffee joint, Blue Bottle Coffee, has finally opened up an outpost in our hometown and he won’t have to trek all the way to San Francisco to get a prime cup of java. The roasted bone marrow at Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C. rocks my socks off. Henry digs the bone marrow at Marlowe in San Francisco. Diana Rodgers is my favorite conference spouse. HanaHaus is the new Palo Alto outpost of Blue Bottle Coffee Henry hasn’t read many cookbooks from cover to cover, but The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee is one of them. (affiliate link) But I still prefer my occasional jolt of caffeine from Philz Coffee. Main Course: We spend the bulk of the episode chatting about the wonders of umami and how it’s the guiding force in my kitchen. Henry recounts how his art skills snagged us a seat at an umami-themed dinner cooked by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto twelve years ago. We also discuss the science behind umami, how to utilize it effectively, which foods are naturally high in umami, and our position on MSG. Even though I think umami-rich foods are the bee’s knees, I recognize that they may not be right for everyone. Chef Masaharu Morimoto was our gateway to umami. Here’s a peek at me and Henry from twelve years ago, posing with Chef Morimoto in front of Henry’s umami painting. Umami Information Center is a great resource on—what else?—umami. Mission Heirloom is a Paleo-friendly restaurant in Berkeley, California that specializes in low-glutamate dishes. Chef Gregory Gourdet of Departure Restaurant cooks my favorite umami-forward dishes. Red Boat Fish Sauce is the secret weapon in my pantry. (affiliate link) Here’s a list of the umami-packed recipes I reference in the episode: Garbage Stir-fry Magic Mushroom Powder Slow Cooker Kalua Pig Pressure Cooker Kalua Pig Slow Cooker Cheater Pork Stew Crush of the Week: Lil-O crushes on his stuffed cat, aptly named Cat. Cat has followed Lil-O everywhere since he was a baby. Big-O reveals that he’s a huge podcast fan, and especially loves episodes of This American Life in which people are sadistic to each other. Me? I can’t remember if my crush of the week is crispy eggs or Twitter. And lastly, Henry loves his silicone wedding band. Here’s Big-O’s favorite episode of This American Life. He also eagerly devours new episodes of Radiolab and Invisibilia. My Twitter exchange with Andy Cohen and the chicken dish I’d serve when he comes over for dinner. (Follow me on Twitter here.) Both Henry and I love our Qalo rings. (affiliate link) Question of the week: I post pictures of crispy fried eggs on Instagram several times a week and many readers have asked: How do you make crispy eggs with yolks that are still liquid and edges that are crisp, golden brown, and frilled? Here’s my recipe and video for Sunnyside Salad. I fry my crispy eggs in a small Lodge cast iron skillet (affiliate link) and baste them with Michael Ruhlman’s offset spoons. I protect my hands from burns by wearing an Ove glove (or two). (affiliate link) I was inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for crispy fried eggs. Follow me on Instagram! Thanks for listening! If you have questions for future podcasts, please leave them in the comments below. Like what you heard? Subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review by clicking here! We’re so thrilled that folks are downloading and listening to our show!

This is our very first episode of the Nom Nom Paleo Podcast, so what better way to begin than by telling you how we got started with Nom Nom Paleo? We’ll introduce you to our regular segments on the podcast, including What We Ate, The Main Course, Crush of the Week, and the Question of the Week! What We Ate: In this section of the podcast, I discuss how I’m excited that strawberries are back in season. I share how you can store ’em in your fridge for up to two weeks, and how I like to pair them with balsamic vinegar and vanilla almond milk (but not at the same time). Henry, meanwhile, talks about how Lil-O ate Indian food at a family wedding—and liked it! My recipe for homemade Vanilla Almond Milk Three Trees Almond Milk The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (affiliate link)—an encyclopedic look at all the best ingredient combinations The Main Course: We discuss how we first learned about Paleo five years ago—and how Henry converted an eye-rolling skeptic like me. I decided to go cold-turkey on an Alaskan cruise, and learned from personal experience that you can’t convince your friends and family to “go Paleo” when they’re not (yet) open to it. We discuss our own flavor of Paleo, too. Spoiler: we aren’t trying to reenact what cavemen ate or how they lived. Everyone’s a special snowflake, so you just have to find the lifestyle and foods that work for you. The exercise DVDs we used prior to starting Paleo: P90X and ChaLEAN Extreme (affiliate links) Henry’s (sadly defunct) fitness blog where he wrote about P90X: Fitbomb Mark’s Daily Apple—Mark Sisson’s site The books Henry oh-so-casually left on my nightstand: The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (affiliate links) Crush of the Week: Our seven-year-old, Ollie (a.k.a. Lil-O) announces (to no one’s surprise) that he loves scrambled eggs. He eats them every day—cold or hot. Meanwhile, Owen (a.k.a. Big-O) and I are fighting over my copy of Mimi Sheraton’s 1000 Things to Eat Before You Die (affiliate link). Henry gives shout-outs to three websites that helped us put together this podcast: Podcastanswerman.com, Podcastmethod.co, and Lynda.com. (Full disclosure: Henry works for LinkedIn, which—coincidentally—is acquiring Lynda.com.) Also mentioned (by me): Pat Flynn’s Smartpassiveincome.com, which offers a good amount of podcasting tips. Question of the Week: This question comes to us from a reader who emailed me after getting my weekly newsletter, which you can sign up for here: “Michelle, I have a hard time trying to figure out how to make my budget stretch and still get the spices and seasonings that will make the most difference in my cooking. What are your go-to seasonings?” Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link) Magic Mushroom Powder (my recipe) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (affiliate link) Unicorn Magnum Pepper Mill (affiliate link) Pure Indian Foods Ghee (affiliate link) And here’s an Instagram pic of all the stuff I keep on my kitchen counter. Thanks for listening!