A Month of New Things

Something about the paleo lifestyle just forces me to try new things. It's wonderful! As an at-home mom and an introverted, homebody creature of habit I am very rut-prone, but transitioning our family to a paleo way of life a year and a half ago has drug me into more fresh experiences that I'd ever have anticipated.

Here are some new things that I have done for the first time - in the last few weeks alone!

• Crossfit. Oh yes, this is by far the biggest immediate overhaul. I'm still getting to bed early, still rising well before dawn. Every workout is shocking my body - but thankfully, the extreme soreness from last week is slowly starting to dissipate. And...dare I say? Even though every exercise makes me well aware of my current physical limitations, I am having fun. Today was my first day using a weighted bar instead of a PVC pipe, and though it was still relatively light, it was satisfying. I'm also grateful to have a set of very patient and attentive instructors who have helped me to scale some exercises appropriately around a lingering preexisting injury.

• Half a cow. We did it! We have committed to buying half a grass-fed cow from a local farm. It will take a certain amount of budget accommodation on our parts -- which is making me glad that I've already thought through some of our budget and options for making or acquiring Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, I need to start clearing out our freezers a bit to make room!
  
• Beef tongue. AND beef liver. TOGETHER. My first stab at making offal was in today's batch of chili. I had picked up the tongue and liver at the same local farm this past weekend. I was very suprised to see how well the tongue cooked - overnight last night on low in the crock pot, then the outer rough skin came right off this morning, revealing a very tender pot roast type meat (I used the recipe at Primal Palate as inspiration for how to approach cooking the tongue). I took the advice of Lindsay over at Wildness and Wonder and pulsed our pastured beef liver in the mini food processor until it was super fine, and then added it to the chili in the crock pot. The result was very savory, definitely reminiscent a bit of liverwurst, and tasty with sour cream and shredded cheese. I enjoyed it, and my girls definitely enjoyed it (my four year old asked for seconds!) - but next time I may add even more muscle meat in a bid to tone the robust liver taste down.

• A touch of bourbon in whipped cream with vanilla seeds. I don't think this requires much of an explanation. :)
  
  

What new things have you been trying lately?