The other day the June/July 2011 Paleo Magazine arrived in the mail. I quickly flipped through to see what it had in store this issue. Lots of recipes, stories and research – the types of articles we Paleo/Primal folk love to read.

Photo Credit: Paleo Magazine | www.paleomagonline.com

However, on page 21 I stopped and thought, “here it is.” This particular page features Tracey’s Journey – The Adventures of a S.A.D. girl finding happiness with Paleo. If you don’t recall from previous posts or if you’re new to the Paleo Child, S.A.D. stands for Standard American Diet. 

The article shows photos of Tracey and she looks like most of the people I know. She’s not wearing “toe shoes” and there’s not pictures of her doing any WODs. She’s relatable to the average American. So here it is: she’s the one who will draw in all the skeptics to the world of Paleo and Primal living. Tracey’s journey is what the average person wants to see. Her journey starts at Day 1 of the switch to Paleo and I am VERY interested to see where she goes from here.

Anyways, I’m not going to go into much more as you’ll have to buy Paleo Magazine yourself (check out Whole Foods in select cities or subscribe and get it delivered to your door) and read the whole article. Let’s just say that the photos from Day 1 to Day 30 already show such a huge difference. You’re doing great, Tracey! Keep it up!

Check out Tracey’s Blog over at http://www.paleomagonline.com/traceysjourney/

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs ground beef
• Seasonings: Salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste
• Mango
• Onions
• Cilantro
• Shredded Cheese (optional)
• Mayo (optional)
• Ketchup (optional)
• Mustard (optional)

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet on medium-high, adding seasonings to taste. 
2. Meanwhile, dice the onions, mango and cilantro then mix together in a bowl and set aside.
3. Drain excess from beef then sprinkle with cheese. 
4. Keep it on the burner until the cheese is melted.
5. Top with the mango mixture. 
6. Add mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard or other toppings as desired.

This is one of Quinn’s favorite meals to eat so I always make sure that I’ve made extra to put in the freezer. You can imagine that this could be changed up. Bell peppers instead of mangos, different seasonings for flavor. The options are pretty endless!

IN THE MEANTIME: Check out what Peggy has to say at The Primal Parent about pregnancy and raising a child from birth to school-age in the modern world all while Paleo / Primal. You’ll find similar information and ideas over at The Primal Parent as you would here. So head on over and make it a regular stop! Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.

However, before we left we ran into a problem. Lunchtime was coming and I had nothing to make. So, what to eat until we head to the store? Easy! Run out to the garden and chop a head of lettuce and pick some strawberries. It will work in a pinch. And so we did.

I washed and chopped the lettuce then rinsed and sliced the strawberries. Drizzled with some (Paleo-friendly) french dressing, it was lunch! The strawberries were amazing. They were warm from the sun and the juiciest, best tasting I’ve eaten in a while. Quinn had her fair share of them, although she wasn’t a fan of the lettuce. Sidd even got treated to a handful, too.

(I must make a disclaimer: Normally I do not let my fridge run this bare, but Mr. Husband is out of town and I noticed we were running low on food last week. We had been eating our meals out during the past few days and just picking while we were home so I never had to worry about preparing lunch or dinner. Not until today when I was home did I realize I didn’t have enough to make something that sounded appetizing.)

I’ll admit that while I LOVE grocery shopping, being able to harvest our own fruits and veggies right in the backyard packs much more of a satisfaction punch.

What do you garden and how do you garden?

Let me know what you think! It’s just an easy facelift in time for summer. We’re still sticking to our minimalist, white background theme for now. Nothing too fancy here. Just ease of use.

If there’s anything you’d like to see design or layout wise on The Paleo Child, leave a comment or get at me on Twitter. I try to take into account what you’d like to see, too!

The point of the first visit at around one year old isn’t so much teeth health but to verify home practices and get used to visiting the dentist.

Our dentist office is great, it’s all pediatric so the waiting area has a Wii and PS3, tons of toys and books and even a big saltwater fish tank with a friendly puffer fish. The exam rooms have TVs on the ceiling playing Nick Jr and the whole space is designed to please and calm a child.

After singing to the fish and playing with a few other children, our names were called and we headed back. Quinn sat on my lap facing me and leaned back on a little chair.

Quinn surprised me and did fabulously well. She kept her mouth open wide while the dentist peeked around. I don’t know why she won’t do that for me at home. Anytime I want to peek in she chomps my fingers!

After the exam, our dentist said to use water in sippy cups and avoid carbohydrate-heavy foods as well as sugary foods to protect the teeth best.

I laughed a bit and nodded when she said that, explaining that we avoid grains and processed sugars. I added that water goes in her cup except on select few occasions and she so rarely eats Goldfish crackers (she sometimes steals from the other kids at La Leche League)  or any other type of grain snack for children. We don’t even have a loaf of bread in our house in case she were to raid the cabinets.

Our dentist was very happy to hear we were raising Quinn on a Paleo or Primal diet because it was best for her health and especially the health of her teeth. She was supportive of our choice to breastfeed without bottles or pacifiers. If only all doctors were like that.*

As we left, the dentist told Quinn she was doing good at brushing her teeth (one of Quinn’s favorite things to do) and we smiled for a photo on the Cavity Free Club wall.

And yes, she got a little orange fish as a prize for being so good.

*For what it’s worth, our family doctor supports our choice in a Paleo diet and while doesn’t agree 100%, does concur that it’s a very healthy lifestyle choice. Granted, our family doctor also does acupuncture and other alternative medicine. There are Dr. Sears books in the rooms to read and natural health and living magazines in the waiting room. They are very much pro-breastfeeding and if I recall correctly, a few of the staff members were LLL leaders and members.

We begin to enjoy life and the great weather. Then, before I know it, weeks have passed since my last worthwhile post.

Let’s be honest – enjoying life is much more Paleo than writing a blog post on the computer.

SO you just get a few photos for now. I plan to get back to posting shortly. A few topics have been rattling around in my brain and I need to share them with you.

Mr. Husband was working on his “new” (impulse buy) ’89 Bronco when Quinn decided she’d help, too. How can a one year old help her daddy with the truck, you ask? By sticking a flashlight in the exhaust pipe, of course!