CHICKEN STOCK, MEATBALLS (BEEF, PORK, WATER, BREAD CRUMBS [WHEAT FLOUR, NATURAL CANE SUGAR, YEAST, SEA SALT, CANOLA OIL], SEASONING [SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SUGAR, ONION*, SPICE, GARLIC*, BEEF FAT], SALT, SPICE EXTRACT), SPINACH, MACARONI PRODUCT (WHEAT FLOUR, EGG WHITES), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: LOWER SODIUM NATURAL SEA SALT, ONIONS*, GARLIC*, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, FLAVORING, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE, SALT, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), PARMESAN CHEESE (MILK, CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), CHICKEN BROTH*, SUGAR, FERMENTED WHEY (MILK), CHICKEN FAT, YEAST EXTRACT, TURMERIC EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), SOY LECITHIN, TOCOPHEROLS, SPIC *DRIED.

Why avoid canned foods?

BPA

Most canned foods have a plastic coating inside the can to keep the food fresh inside. The inner plastic lining is Bisphenol or BPA, and it is a harmful poisonous coating that has shown to kill rats in laboratories even at concentrations 1000 times lower than what an average American consumes per meal. BPA is a toxic chemical that causes hormone imbalances and a wide variety of other health issues like hypertension, obesity, aggression, cancer and heart disease. The Environmental Working Group conducted a study and found that more than 50% of cans with brand names have toxic BPA in them. Cook your beans and veggies from scratch if you can!

Here is a great reference for BPA free canned food brands: http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-canned-food-brands/
Here is a BPA Canned Food Pocket Guide to take with you to the store: http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-pocket-guide/

Nutrients

Canned foods have around 80% less nutrients than fully ripe fruits and vegetables, and have about 15 times the amount of sodium you are required to eat for the day. This, of course, leads to nutrient deficiencies and heart and blood problems.

Aluminum

Aluminum cans leak (just like aluminum pots and pans). Most people are unaware that when food is packaged in a can, it is then heated up again to supposedly retain freshness. Heating up these aluminum cans actually leaks aluminum free radicals into the food. Over time, too much aluminum in the body can cause memory problems like Alzheimer’s. More than 5000 million pounds of aluminum is used every year for making aluminum cans – they are more light weight, and are a cheaper material to use for big corporations. Most canned foods like soups, vegetables, chicken or beef broth as well as tomato sauces are made out of aluminum because it is cheaper for the company. Even though these cans are lined (with BPA lining), this lining does not completely protect the food from leached aluminum particles during the can heating process.

Preservatives

There are so many preservatives in canned food, and all are referred to as something different. Every few months a new name is established for the same ingredient to come up with names that are more friendly-sounding. To counteract the effect of preservatives rotting the canned food, manufacturers add in copious amounts of salt (sodium).

Quality

The quality of food inside canned goods is really not that great. Companies will do anything to save a dollar, and this means packing in the lowest quality foods at all costs.

This recipe comes from The 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley. The meatballs were a tad time intensive because I rolled them small, however you can roll them as small or as large as you prefer. My local grocery store sells organic ground pork, which is a bonus if you can find it. This soup was a hit with my son and everyone else who tasted it and the noodles were not missed. You can double the recipe and freeze for later use.

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Real Italian Wedding Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground pork (preferably organic)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 head escarole

Instructions

1. Place the ground pork in a large mixing bowl, and season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Mix thoroughly to evenly combine.
2. Roll the ground pork into 1/2-inch meatballs. Set them aside to add to the soup later.
3. In a large soup pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
4. Add the chopped carrots and celery.
5. Once the broth has reached a rolling boil, add the meatballs slowly and carefully. Adding too many cold meatballs at once will cool the soup.
6. Allow the meatballs to boil for 10 minutes.
7. Lightly chop the escarole, and add to the soup.
8. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
9. Enjoy!

Real Italian Wedding Soup

• 2 pounds ground pork (preferably organic)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 head escarole

1. Place the ground pork in a large mixing bowl, and season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Mix thoroughly to evenly combine.
2. Roll the ground pork into 1/2-inch meatballs. Set them aside to add to the soup later.
3. In a large soup pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
4. Add the chopped carrots and celery.
5. Once the broth has reached a rolling boil, add the meatballs slowly and carefully. Adding too many cold meatballs at once will cool the soup.
6. Allow the meatballs to boil for 10 minutes.
7. Lightly chop the escarole, and add to the soup.
8. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
9. Enjoy!

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“When you know better, you do better.”

This was also a great dish to let my daughter help prepare.  I chopped all the veggies and let her sauté them in the pan.  I have found that my kids are much more likely to try new foods if they help to prepare them. And she truly was a help!  I was able to prepare the pork while she focused on the vegetables.

When purchasing your sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, try to purchase ones in a glass jar to be sure you are avoiding BPA.  “The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, or BPA, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s bodies exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. You can get 50 micrograms of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young.” http://www.rodale.com/food-ingredients-avoid

Here is a great reference for BPA free canned food brands: http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-canned-food-brands/
Here is a BPA Canned Food Pocket Guide to take with you to the store: http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-pocket-guide/

The Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute found that BPA levels in families who ate fresh instead of canned or plastic-packaged food for THREE days dropped by 60%!

Here is a breakdown of the ingredients and why they are good for you:

Pork Tenderloin (purchase organic if possible): One of the leanest cuts of pork available. A 3-oz. serving of pork has 2.98 g of fat, while chicken breast has 3.03 g of fat.  This cut of meat is a good source of B vitamins and a great source of protein with a 3-oz serving containing 14.99 g of protein (USDA.gov). According to The Pig Site, a serving of pork tenderloin includes thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin B-6. When it comes to thiamin, pork tenderloin is one of the best natural sources, and the meat contains nearly half of the recommended daily allowance of niacin. Pork tenderloin contains phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. With each serving of pork tenderloin delivering 36 percent of the recommended daily intake of zinc, the meat is considered to be a rich source of this mineral.   Information provided by: www.livestrong.com
Eggs (purchase organic if possible): Packed with vitamins A, D, E, B2, B6, B9, iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and choline. When shopping for eggs, keep in mind pasture raised, free-grazing hens produce a superior quality egg and are less prone to salmonella contamination. Free hens lay eggs with 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta-carotene, 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, and 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids. Learn more here.
Onions: Prevents cardiovascular disease, dissolves blood clots, lowers risk of developing cancer, fights against infections, improves lung functions in asthmatics, helps detoxify the body, lowers triglycerides, reduces blood pressure.
Sun Dried Tomatoes: Anti-oxidant & promotes heart health. In addition to containing 6 percent of the daily intake of calcium, 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes has 25 percent of the recommended intake of magnesium and 27 percent of phosphorus. Calcium combines with phosphorus to create the primary bone-building mineral hydroxyapatite, while magnesium helps form the matrix that supports the other minerals. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-eating-sun-dried-tomatoes-2314.html
Artichokes Hearts: Contain high levels of antioxidants, which help prevent heart disease, cancer and birth defects. Boost the regeneration of liver cells, improve digestion, contain potassium, vitamin C and folic acid.
Sage: Enhances memory and concentration, regulates circulation, promotes blood flow, relives inflammation.
Thyme: Anti-bacterial, cancer fighter, immune booster.
Nutmeg: Lowers blood pressure, cleanses & detoxifies the liver and kidneys, relaxes anxiety, aids with encouraging effective sleep cycles.
Garlic:  Aids in weight loss & digestion, anit-fungal, boosts immune system, “Garlic is one of the foods that specifically inhibits cell growth in certain cancers. Dr. Beliveau’s laboratory was able to test crude extracts from different foods on the cells of several different cancers. Garlic, onions and leeks rank high among the most effective foods for the following cancers: brain, lung, prostate and breast.” – David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD.

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Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Number of servings: 4

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Ingredients

• 1 2 lb pork tenderloin
• 1 egg
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 large artichoke hearts, chopped
• ½ tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1/8 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet over a medium-high heat, saute the onion, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, sage, thyme, nutmeg and garlic in olive oil or ghee. You can also add the olive oil that the sun-dried tomatoes come in if your are using jarred sun-dried tomatoes. This oil is healthy and full of delicious spices and flavor.
2. Saute everything for about 3 to 4 minutes, just until the onions become slightly translucent and the tomatoes and artichokes begin to become tender. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside for later use.
3. Place the pork tenderloin in a 9×13 baking dish, rub some cooking fat all over and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In order to stuff the loin, create a seam in the meat by cutting it down the center lengthwise, essentially, you want to be able to unfold the meat. Set the meat aside until the stuffing has been prepared.
4. Preheat oven to 450 F.
5. Once the ingredients from the skillet have completely cooled, whisk in an egg. The egg is essential to the stuffing, it is used in place of breadcrumbs and works to hold everything together. However, to make this work best, the sun-dried tomato/artichoke mixture must be cool, otherwise it will cook the egg before it is even stuffed in the meat and the egg will no longer act as a glue, since it cannot be cooked twice. If you need to cool the stuffing quickly, place it in a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
6. Take the stuffing and begin spreading it across the seam of the meat. Avoid filling the meat too much, as you will not be able to fold the pork closed. Use some toothpicks to ensure the tenderloin does not pop open while cooking.
7. Cook, uncovered, at 450 F for 30 minutes. Once the first 30 minutes have passed, reduce the heat to 300 F and cook for another 20 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the oven, but allow the meat to remain in it for at least 15 minutes. This cooking method is perfect for keeping the meat from overcooking and becoming dry.

Notes:

This recipe specifies using fresh herbs. However, sometimes fresh herbs aren't available, or it just isn't practical to buy a bunch when only a teaspoon is needed. In such cases, dried herbs can usually be substituted. To do so, use 1/3 the amount of dried herb called for in the recipe. For example, substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herb for 1 tablespoon of fresh herb. When substituting a ground herb for dried leaf herb, use about half of the amount of the dried leaf herb called for in the recipe. Add the dried herb to a recipe at the beginning of the cooking time; this allows its flavors to seep into the dish.Purchase all organic ingredients if possible. Recipe adapted from www.paleodietlifestyle.com.

1. In a medium skillet over a medium-high heat, saute the onion, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, sage, thyme, nutmeg and garlic in olive oil or ghee. You can also add the olive oil that the sun-dried tomatoes come in if your are using jarred sun-dried tomatoes. This oil is healthy and full of delicious spices and flavor.
2. Saute everything for about 3 to 4 minutes, just until the onions become slightly translucent and the tomatoes and artichokes begin to become tender. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside for later use.

3. Place the pork tenderloin in a 9×13 baking dish, rub some cooking fat all over and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In order to stuff the loin, create a seam in the meat by cutting it down the center lengthwise, essentially, you want to be able to unfold the meat. Set the meat aside until the stuffing has been prepared.

4. Preheat oven to 450 F.
5. Once the ingredients from the skillet have completely cooled, whisk in an egg. The egg is essential to the stuffing, it is used in place of breadcrumbs and works to hold everything together. However, to make this work best, the sun-dried tomato/artichoke mixture must be cool, otherwise it will cook the egg before it is even stuffed in the meat and the egg will no longer act as a glue, since it cannot be cooked twice. If you need to cool the stuffing quickly, place it in a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
6. Take the stuffing and begin spreading it across the seam of the meat. Avoid filling the meat too much, as you will not be able to fold the pork closed. Use some toothpicks to ensure the tenderloin does not pop open while cooking.

7. Cook, uncovered, at 450 F for 30 minutes. Once the first 30 minutes have passed, reduce the heat to 300 F and cook for another 20 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the oven, but allow the meat to remain in it for at least 15 minutes. This cooking method is perfect for keeping the meat from overcooking and becoming dry.

~ If you don’t eat junk, you won’t crave junk. If you eat healthy, you’ll keep eating healthy.