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I have been eating Paleo/primal for about six months. Prior to that I was a “clean-eater” for two years, so it really wasn’t a far stretch for me to become a cavegirl! I would say my turning point was after I watched Food, Inc. It was so powerful and eye-opening for me and I set out on a food journey.

Struggling with my weight my entire life and having two young girls of my own, I did not want to pass along “diets” or a “negative body image” to them. I decided early on to never verbalize negative thoughts about my body. Even when I’d walk down the beach with them, my internal dialogue was, “My ass is jiggly, my ass is jiggly”…but my outward dialogue was, “Girls, isn’t the beach beautiful?! How lucky are we to be here?!”.

Regarding food, we never diet. Instead, we talk about nutrients and eating a rainbow of colors. When shopping at the grocery store or a Farmer’s Market, I have my girls look around the produce section and meat department and choose something that they want to try ~ the stranger, the better. We then go home and Google our items and not only learn about the nutritional value but look for interesting recipes. My girls have learned to try anything once, especially if they are involved in the process!

In two years, I have dropped 45 pounds at a moderate pace (something I’ve never been able to do in the past…it was always all or nothing). I would be happy with another 15, but I’m taking it slow and steady. Eating clean foods, eating “Paleo-style”, has been tremendous. I feel better ~ I sleep better ~ I look better.

The reason I started Cavegirl Cuisine was to share my Paleo experiments in the kitchen. When you’ve been cooking with white flour your entire life and eating fat-free products, frozen dinners, rice and cottage cheese as your primary diet food, cooking with coconut flour and raw honey becomes a bit of an obstacle with a family of four. I would say that I encompass a sort of “balls to the wall” philosophy. I’m not afraid to try new things (or things that are new to me). There have been several fails…but many more successes. I’m learning along the way and I hope my audience can do the same.

Here is a link for my Hazelnut Chocolate Coconut Cookies:

Happy Eating!