We get this question a lot. We use several different kinds of noodles at Evolve and the one we get the most is “What are sweet potato noodles?”
Sweet Potato noodles are a variety of cellephane noodles. Some other varieties that you may have seen are called mung bean noodles, glass noodles and vermicelli.
But what are they made of?
Sweet potato noodles are made from Sweet Potato Starch and Water.
What is the nutritional values?
Where can I find these to cook at home?
You can find these at most Asian markets.
Why aren’t they orange like normal sweet potatoes?
To make sweet potato noodles they are only using the starch and water. There are also two different colors of sweet potatoes, white and orange. The orange ones are most common here in the US. But that is not always the case in the East.
There is alot of to do about bacon and Paleo. Some non-paleo people seem to think that is all you eat on the Paleo diet. We have shirts about bacon, we buy it in bulk and make everything from meatballs to tacos and ice cream exclusively from bacon. But is it Paleo?
I have two thoughts about bacon.
(1) It is delicious.
(2) No. Bacon really hearkens
back to a blog post that I will do later. If you look at the ingredients, are each of the ingredients
Paleo? No. Would Paleolithic people have eaten bacon? Yes, if it was around. Was it around in the Paleolithic era. No
Bacon traces its earliest roots to the Roman time when the word “Petaso” was used to describe a food item was pork and it was boiled with figs and eaten with a pepper sauce.
The way we see bacon was first seen in the 15th century when peasants would eat a version of it because it was cheap. Generally it was just cured at that point. Then in the 1770’s the first bacon manufacturing plants was opened in Wiltshire, England.
It wasn’t until the 1920’ts that Oscar Meyer started producing and selling sliced prepackaged bacon as we know it now. So bacon does not go back as far as the Paleolithic era, nor does coconut four, coconut oil, or cashew butter.
So what makes coconut oil distinctly Paleo and bacon gets a cold shoulder? Neither were around in the Paleolithic era.
One of the goals of Paleo is to stabilize the glucose level in the body. If you look at bacon it has the ingredients of (and these vary depending on what package you read) Pork belly, sugar, celery salt) It also could include celery juice, coconut sugar, and various spices. The the key word is SUGAR. Sugar is sugar no matter how you look at it. I can make bacon with no sugar and reduce down dates and bacon in date sugar. There is no difference in the sugar content, but one is Paleo and one isint? Fig bacon doesn’t sound very good.
So my answer is that (1) Bacon is delicious, which leads me to conclude that for me, bacon is Paleo. I eat sugar in my fruit, in my coffee, on my pancakes in the form of maple and in Paleo balls in the form of honey. I can make bacon with any of these sweeteners and get the same sugar content.
The Paleo lifestyle is more than watching labels, it is watching what I am eating. If I eat nothing but bacon, I should not expect great results, but bacon is not what I am living on, just as I am not exclusively living on honey.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a cheapskate. If I had my way (which I rarely get) and have the time, we would buy nothing. Before culinary school, I was an avid coupon clipper, I would wash my own car in the drive and I even made my own laundry detergent. I still do not wear jeans that cost over $25, I buy my t-shirts in 5-packs and can squeeze a penny until it cries. I’ll save money on anything, except food. I love food, and for good food, I would pay almost anything.
This is the major reason I love the holidays! It starts with Thanksgiving (Halloween is not a holiday, there is no food involved), followed by Christmas, then the new year and in my world it wraps up with my birthday (yesterday) and this little thing called “KC Restaurant Week”. If you are not familiar with restaurant week, it is my favorite two things in the whole wide world, great food and a BARGAIN! Jason and I are going out every meal period of the week (lunch and dinner) and eating. These are a few of my favorite things.
Needless to say, when we wrap up Restaurant Week, I need a plan to get back to reality. This year, Evolve has teamed up with Pilates 1901 to take part in their 21-day sugar detox followed by 9 more weeks of 100% Paleo. I am so excited to go on this journey and have help doing it. The program offers classes (some taught by me), grocery store tour, and all the support you need to eliminate ALL sugar (including fruit) from your diet.
If you have never done a strict sugar cleanse you should try it. It is harder than Army Basic training, but way more rewarding. If you are having a hard time getting weight off, or you want to look and feel better than you ever have, ridding yourself of sugar will do it.
This was not meant to be an advertisement, but I am really excited about this. The staff at Evolve love supporting events held within our community whether it be a food challenge, a Crossfit competition or a local charity. We just like being involved.
If you have any questions, or want to sign up to do this with me, feel free to email me at caleb@evolvepaleochef.com. You have until the end of this week to get started with us.
Live Paleo!
Chef Caleb
Caleb Summers is the Founder and Chef Owner of Evolve Paleo Chef. His objective is to be the one stop for all things Paleo in the Kansas City area. When he isn’t busy trying to be a leader in the Paleo Lifestyle world, he likes to convince people to try things like Paleo or Sugar Detox because after all “You can do anything for 21 days!”.
Jan 19
Cavegirl Reboot
Anyone who knows anything about my health and wellness philosophies knows that I am a big 
believer in moderation. I’ve lost over 60 pounds by being pretty much fanatical about moderation (wrap your head around that one, kids), largely because I don’t believe in dieting - I believe in lifestyle change. Although I do the Paleo thing, I’m not super strict - I shoot for eating 80-90% Paleo. I am simply not going to spend the time seeking grass-fed, antibiotic-free, organic meat that has been blessed by the Pope. I also am not giving up good cheese - I don’t mind giving up bad cheese or mediocre cheese, but I am a firm believer that life without cheddar so sharp that it can beat you up and take your lunch money is not worth living. Yep, I’m an 80/20 kind of girl.
Except when I’m not, which is far too often lately.
Last Saturday, I stepped on the scale after 4 days in Minneapolis, which made 17 days out of a period of 23 days that I was gone, and saw weights that I hadn’t seen since 2012. The combination of air travel,dehydration, too much work, poor sleep, less working out, and what I’d guess to be about 60/40 track record of eating well took a huge toll.
That afternoon, after I’d recovered a bit from looking at the scale, I went to Evolve to meet with Caleb about some marketing stuff. He told me about a program called T School that Pilates 1901 is starting up later this month. T School is 12 weeks long, and consists of 21 days of complete sugar detox, followed by your choice of 3 clean eating meal plans - two of which are Paleo derivatives. Caleb told me he had signed up, and that Evolve would be doing some activities to support the program. Even though I’m not typically a fan of participating in programs like this, I’d never tried a sugar detox before. It simultaneously frightened and intrigued me, so I took some info home to read.
While reviewing the program, I learned that one of the recommendations is giving up anything with “Diet” in the name, which means my Diet Coke has to go. I immediately messaged Caleb to tell him that this was my biggest concern. Caleb may be cute and friendly, but he also does not mess around AT ALL. He told me, more than once, that the Sugar Detox part was only 21 days and that I should be able to do anything for 21 days. The message was clear.
So, I’m doing it. I signed myself up for the program, and 21 days of Sugar Detox starts on Monday, 1/27. But knowing my weakness, I am starting NOW on the Diet Coke issue. I had my last caffeinated Diet Coke this morning, and I am switching to decaf Diet Coke this week to try to get off the caffeine merry-go-round, and will ditch the decaf when the challenge starts - along with all the other natural and artificial sweeteners in my life. I’ll be writing about this from time to time on the Evolve blog and my blog, sincerelydianablog.com, and probably will spend some time whining about caffeine withdrawal headaches on Facebook. But if Caleb believes I can do anything for 21 days, then I should believe it to!
Live Paleo - and sugar free, too!
Diana
Diana Alt is Marketing Director and Cavegirl In Chief for Evolve Paleo Chef. When she is not trying to detox from Diet Cola, she works as an Account Manager for a local marketing services firm and does marketing consulting for small businesses in the KC area.
Another year has come and gone and a lot of people are asking us what we think 2014 will hold. 2013 was such a great year and we want to build on our successes and learn from the numerous mistakes that we made. I want to share with you some of the plans for this next year; I want you to be as excited about these as I am, after all, none of this would be possible without you.
A few weeks ago, I had a man come in to pick up his order. He had just moved from Boston and he was eating Paleo up there. As we got to talking he was commenting how Boston, with as large as it is, does not have a Paleo service, such as Evolve. And here Kansas City has multiple services - who would have expected that?
This year, we want to spread the Evolve love. It is our goal to move to new markets and open Evolve. We are slated to finish opening Wichita, Northwest Arkansas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma - and we are researching new markets all time to see where Evolve can make a splash.
It is also our goal to start a new company called Evolve Pantry. A lot of the food from Evolve is just that - food. There is nothing inherently special about it other than it’s really good and it’s Paleo. But some of the pantry items we have created are VERY special and unique in the market. We will start shipping these across the country this next year.
In the next few weeks, you will start to see some aesthetic changes at the catering center in Kansas City. We have some new furniture, coolers, art, and retail stations coming. We want to be THE place for Paleo in Kansas City. When we started Evolve, our goal was to be the place that you could go to get everything you to live the Paleo life for a whole week.This is why we have breakfast, soups, salads, and snacks. We want eating Paleo to be as easy as possible and this is our next step. When we finish this effort, you will be able to walk in 7 days a week to our place and get food, Paleo balls, trail mix, supplements, books, t-shirts and other non-Evolve items to help you stay Paleo all in one place. We will truly be a one-stop Paleo shop.
One of my goals this year is to write a Paleo cookbook. There are a lot of these out there, but I feel I have something to add to the collection. Recipes that are tested, that are accurate and recipes that take Paleo cooking to the next level. Check in with me throughout the year, a cookbook is a major undertaking!
And finally, there is something to be said for small businesses. Knowing your customers on a one-on-one basis and I feel we have not done a great job at that this year. We are going to make strides to get back to that. Hopefully you will be seeing more correspondence, more effort on our part to make you feel as if you are important, because to be honest, you are!
Have a happy new year, and if there is anything we can do to make your year better, do not hesitate to ask. Thanks again!
Live Paleo!
Caleb Summers
Owner
Evolve Paleo Chef
Have you picked up your Evolve meals before and thought to yourself, “Who ARE these two crazy people working the
front desk?” Well, when it’s not Chef Caleb and Jason, it’s me, Megan and my husband Preston. We have been working for Evolve since April 2013, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves - our Paleo story starts before that. Before we started to work for Evolve, we were two healthy individuals, but we worked too much and did not have time to cook. Well, let me be completely honest…. we did not have the time, but we also hate to cook, which led us to unhealthy food choices.
It seemed the more unhealthy food choices we made, the worse we felt. Imagine that, right? As Chef Caleb, Jason, Preston and I started to become good friends, we couldn’t help but want to understand, what the heck is Paleo anyway?
Man, did that question open the flood gates or what?!? But it was the best flood gate that could have been opened for us. I am a milk girl, my husband is a milk and Oreos guy. Little did we realize what an impact those choices made on our bodies. One night, during a trip to St. Louis, Chef Caleb challenged us to a 20 day Paleo challenge. I was a little skeptical at first, I won’t lie, but Caleb said, “What do you have to lose? If you hate it after 20 days, you can stop.”
The first week was rough. I CRAVED milk, pasta, and bread. But you know what, the cravings decreased and I quickly realized that those things I craved the most made me feel bloated and gassy and all of those things woman hate to admit really happen to them. As our second week concluded, we felt comfortable with what worked for us. I found a schedule that worked for my body and my busy life. If it wasn’t for the key lime Paleo Balls I might not have made it…WOW. they are delicious! The third week came and went and by that time I was hooked.
I was hooked on the Paleo way of life, but I was even more hooked on Evolve. After those 20 days, we felt better, looked better and had more time to do the things we love to do. Today, my husband and I live by the 80/20 rule. For us, it works. Sometimes though, it may be more like 50/50, but that’s okay, everyone has to find what works for them. Feeling the best I had felt in a long time, I decided that wanted to share my experiences with others. That’s when we joined the Evolve Team. Chef Caleb and Jason have made such an impact on our lives and we want to continue to make that impact with others whether they are looking to eat healthier, lose some weight, or eat great food that meets dietary restrictions. We have truly enjoyed sharing our stories, answering questions, and expanding Evolve Paleo to the community and look forward to continuing this work in the new year.
Megan and Preston Steele are responsible for managing the front office on Sunday evenings at Evolve. They are responsible for making sure our pickup customers feel welcome and leave happy. They are also in charge of keeping Caleb and Jason in line, which is arguably the most difficult part of their job.
Dec 08
Probiotics, what? And why?
These days, if you are in tune with trends in the health and wellness world, you can’t avoid hearing
the term “Probiotic”. From the supplements aisle at the health food store to those Dannon Activia commercials starring Jamie Lee Curtis, probiotics are everywhere. But what are they, and why should we be interested in them?
The word “Probiotic” is translated from Greek word pro, meaning “promoting” and biotic meaning “life”. So, probiotics are about the promotion of life. Probiotics are claimed to help or prevent several health problems related to the gut and digestive tract. When we start a new diet or tend to eat foods filled with processed sugars, dairy or wheat, our digestive tract takes a huge hit. The purpose of a probiotic is to help introduce more of the “good” bacteria into the gut and decrease the “bad” bacteria, in effort to find a balance. Medications, certain foods, diseases and the environment are all causes of increased “bad” bacteria.
Probiotics are typically found in fermented dairy products such as yogurt with live bacterial cultures, unbaked cheese, miso, some juices, kimchi and sauerkraut to name a few. However, the Paleo diet doesn’t promote the consumption of several of these items, which is why taking a supplement form of Probiotic is an excellent option, especially for people following the Paleo diet.
When the gut is filled with “bad” bacteria as a result of poor diet, disease, medications, stress, etc. the body has a difficult time absorbing nutrients from digestion of food and water that are crucial to our cells. When we have an increase of bad bacteria in the gut, symptoms such as diarrhea, muscle pain, fatigue or urinary tract infections are common.
Probiotics help to support the gut flora, support normal bowel regularity and consistency, improve nutrient digestion and absorption, support the body’s natural immune system and contribute to absorption of calcium and magnesium.
The downfall: Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so make sure the product your taking is from a reputable company. I prefer Standard Process. However, before taking any supplement you should consult your healthcare professional.
Dr. Jason Fechter, D.C. received his degree from Cleveland Chiropractic College is Overland Park, KS. Dr. Fechter plays a critical role for Evolve Paleo by providing valuable health and wellness insight on a daily basis.
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and if you are like most people, you made it through without too much damage to the waistline, largely thanks to the fact that there are only a small number of opportunities to make a complete glutton of yourself. But even though Turkey Day was days ago, and Hanukkah is almost done, the majority of us are trying to figure out how not to go completely out of control for the next month.
So what’s a health conscious person supposed to do if they don’t want to be a party pooper but they also don’t want to feel like Mr. Creosote from Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life at every party? Fortunately, there are a few options. Chef Caleb outlined some great tactics in his recent blog post, 11 Practical Tips for Staying Paleo for the Holidays. All of them are great, especially in the context of individual events. But as Chef Caleb Says “Thanksgiving is one day. Christmas is 12. There’s even a song about it”. Every day, there are new situations to test your resolve. How do you manage?
1) Decide which events are worth the indulgence. Notice I said events, not foods. Why choose it based on event? Because this results in fewer decisions overall, which means fewer opportunities for your willpower to be taxed. By saying to yourself “no snacks at work except for the team Christmas lunch” you keep yourself from having to decide whether it’s OK to sneak a bite every time you go into the break room for a cup of coffee. Many eating plans call for a person to get one or two cheat meals a week, so stick to that by choosing which events will constitute your cheat meal.
2) Eat vegetables every time you eat. I heard this piece of advice from Amanda Stites, who leads all the nutritional counseling efforts at CrossFit On Track in Olathe. When I first heard it, I thought it sounded kind of silly because I thought I was already doing that but I wasn’t. When I started, I immediately felt more satisfied and less tempted to indulge in things that were not on my eating plan.
3) Get extra exercise. Most of us have a few extra days off during this time of year, even if they are just a couple of paid holidays on the job. Schedule some extra gym time to help counteract any overindulgence you do engage in - and also you will shake off those sluggish feelings we often encounter when we get crazy busy this time of year.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and with a little perseverance, it can be a healthy time as well….as long as you don’t let others convince you that “Eet’s Wafer Theen” too many times.
Live Paleo,
Diana
Diana Alt is the Marketing Director and Cavegirl In Chief at Evolve Paleo. Her favorite Monty Python movie is actually Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Chef Caleb doesn’t let her in the kitchen because he is afraid of the flesh wounds.
Ah, the holiday season….6 weeks of dinners, cocktail hours, family feasts, and fun. It’s a double edged sword, because despite all the great traditions, it can be stressful to figure out how to stay healthy. Caleb wrote a little about how to navigate events in last week’s post on 11 Practical Tips for Staying Paleo for the Holidays, so I asked him to expand a little bit on one of my favorite tips this week - Bring Paleo.
When the suggestion to bring Paleo comes up, a lot of people just think of heading to their local grocery store and grabbing a veggie tray or some fruit, but that can get really old, really fast. I asked Caleb how to apply the “Bring Paleo” principle to one of the trickiest meals for any Paleo eater faces - Thanksgiving - and one of the most anti-Paleo dishes most people can think of - Cornbread dressing - and he was kind enough to share his recipe for Paleo Cornbread and Cornbread Dressing. I only wish that I could bring this to my Thanksgiving this year, but I’m down for salad this time and I don’t want to upset the apple cart.
Paleo Cornbread
Yield - 30 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond butter
- 8 oz coconut oil, melted
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 tsp honey
- 8 cups almost flour
- 2.5 Tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all wet ingredients together, set aside
- Mix all dry ingredients together, set aside
- Combine wet and dry ingredients
- Spread evenly into a greased sheet pan
- Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife comes out clean when inserted
To make breadcrumbs, crumble the cornbread into small chunks and place on a sheet pan in a 250 degree over until completely dry, or leave out on the counter for a few days until dry.
To make honey cornbread, add 8 oz honey to the wet ingredients.
Paleo Cornbread Dressing
Yield - 30 servings
Ingredients
- 1 sheet pan of cornbread breadcrumbs
- 1 pound of ghee
- 8 cups celery, chopped
- 4 onions, chopped
- 4 quarts chicken stock
- 4 tsp salt
- 4 tsp black pepper
- 4 tsp sage
- 20 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Melt ghee in a large skillet over medium heat
- Add onions and celery and cook until onion is transparent
- Pour the vegetable mixture over the cornbread and mix well
- Add the stock and sage to the mixture
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Add in the beaten eggs and mix well
- Pour mixture into greased sheet pan and spread evenly
- Bake at 325 degress for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean
YES, this recipe makes an insane amount of dressing, because people tend to invite an insane amount of guests to their holiday meals. If your party is smaller, this recipe can be scaled down.
Diana Alt is the Marketing Director for Evolve PPC. She hasn’t made a full Thanksgiving dinner very many times, but knows the difference between stuffing and dressing, which is more than a lot of people can say. In case you don’t know, stuffing goes inside a bird. Dressing does not.It’s that time of year where we all try to trick ourselves into believing that this time, we are actually
going to be a Paleo Zealot for the next month and a half of parties, dinners, happy hours, and family gatherings. We tell ourselves this every year, and more than a few of us fail every year - I am at the front of that line. Not even Superman can avoid those cream cheese laden holiday cookies. So the question becomes, what are some REALISTIC ways that we can stay Paleo through the holidays? We all need some real solutions because let’s be honest, the advice to “always host the party” or “eat before you go to a party” is bullcrap and a cop-out, and we all know it.
Here are some practical, no bologna tips for staying Paleo during the holidays, as well as some just plain good thoughts that will make your holiday better, and you a lot more fun to be around….
- Admit from the get-go that you are not perfect. This is not an admission of guilt, but more of a freedom you are giving yourself. You will drop the Paleo ball and it is ok. You will not die. Just understand the difference between dropping the ball occasionally and not trying at all. Eating a pack of red and green M&M’s during the afternoon holiday party at work is dropping the ball. Eaten them every day is not trying.
- Figure out now what compromises you are and are not willing to make. If wheat kills you, but sugar doesn’t affect you too much, then maybe when you are faced with an office party filled with cookies and candy, you do the candy.
- Take some time for you. Lots of time. Holidays are stressful, more so than life. Take some time out to focus on you, whether that is Pilates, gym-time, CrossFit, yoga, reflection or quiet reading. In short, remember what takes you to your “happy place” and make sure you visit there often.
- Plan ahead. This is the hardest thing to do. Stop. Figure out where you are going and what is going to be there, and make a plan before you go. For example “I am only going to eat the little smokies and vegetable tray” or “Life without a piece of Aunt Marge’s pumpkin pie is not worth living.” Whatever your plan is, remember the immortal words of Nike - Just Do It. No excuses.
- Bring Paleo. If the dish you are bringing to the party isn’t Paleo, then expect there to be nothing there to be Paleo. Duh… Fruit tray, vegetable tray, mashed rutabagas, turkey…..that’s all caveman, no question.
- Follow the 2/3 rule. This is a great technique when you are faced with some non-Paleo holiday favorites and don’t want to completely deprive yourself. Fill your plate with 2/3 Paleo foods and 1/3 non-Paleo treats. This provides a great balance and 1/3 of your plate ought to be just about enough room for the aforementioned pumpkin pie by Aunt Marge.
- Holiday dinners are easy to eat Paleo. It generally is not a matter of “What can I eat” it is a matter of “What CAN’T I eat.” Turkey, vegetables, fruit platters, homemade gravy and mashed potatoes (if this is you). My family is probably the worst offenders when it comes to lack to vegetables and I can still eat Paleo at the main holiday meal, and so can you.
- Give thanks for your family. Even when it feels they might be trying to sabotage your efforts by bringing you another slice of that irresistible cake or helping of cornbread dressing, remember they are most likely trying to show you they love you through these offerings. Love them for it, because they are probably the only family you will get.
- Eat out for Thanksgiving. Eating out can be the biggest Paleo blessing. You will not offend Granny by not eating her marshmallow salad when everyone eats at Denny’s. Avoid the “Thanksgiving” dinner when you go out. Order off the regular menu. It is way easier to pick through what is in that than to stick to your Paleo plan ordering off the special menu.
- Make it a team effort. If you have a Paleo buddy, you can help each other stay on the right path. Either that or you will not feel as guilty when you both cheat… Just sayin’.
- Last but not least, eat at home before you go. You may be saying “Now wait just a darned minute, Caleb, didn’t you just say at the beginning of this article that that the advice to eat before the party is a BS cop-out?” And, yes, I sure did say it was a cop-out – because most people just toss off this advice without thinking it and without understanding why this advice works. If you are full before the party, or at the very least not starving, it is less likely you will cheat at the party. It is highly likely that you will be exponentially less fun.
I’m not going to pretend that staying Paleo throughout the holiday season is the easiest thing you will do – it’s not. It can be very difficult. But if you adopt the same no-excuses attitude that led you to success with the Paleo lifestyle the rest of the year and use some of the tips above, you can start 2014 healthier than you are today.
Live Paleo,
Caleb
Caleb Summers is Chef Owner for Evolve Paleo. When holiday celebrations roll around, Chef Caleb rarely eats before the party, preferring to fill 2/3 of his plate with turkey, green bean casserole, and sweet potato casserole and 1/3 of his plate with apple pie, Cool Whip, and other things that would make a caveman cry. Or drool. We’re not really sure which.
