Gourmet cooking is an art for some, a profession for others, and a big huge hassle for others
Back in 2005, when I started the paleo diet, I fell prey to the trend that the primal diet is a commitment to cooking – that we have to learn to cook and to cook well in order to achieve vibrant health and satisfy our cravings for delicious food. Today I realize that that notion is false and can be a detriment to ones success.
When I first made the switch, I was trying to replace the foods on my favorite restaurant menus, the best packaged dinner mixes, and all the bottled sauces. I was accustomed to a great variety of flavors and textures.
I believed that eating should be an adventure with each and every meal. So, now that I was giving all that up, obviously, it was my job to take on the creativity of the chef and the manpower of the professional kitchen.
If only someone had just told me that I didn’t need to make such a big deal of food.
But it seemed that all the Paleo people were converted chefs themselves and they were all selling their cookbooks. So clearly this was the path then. If you wanted to do the Paleo diet you had to make Paleo friendly mayo and catchup and gourmet this and gourmet that. And so, I did.
Within a couple of years I was a great cook. I started with the recipes in The Paleo Diet (the cookbook wasn’t around back then) and then moved on to invent my own dishes. I prepared a pretty labor intensive breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day.
And I hated it.
There are so many things I would rather be doing than standing in the kitchen playing with food. No offense to all the chefs out there, of course. I realize that for some people cooking is creative, even meditative, but for me it is annoying and stifling.
Well, one day, about 4 years ago, I threw my apron down for the last time and swore never to cook again.
I had been learning about the raw primal diet from Aajonus Vonderplanitz and started eating all my food raw, which consisted mostly of meat. This diet was extreme but it was what my body needed at the time. When I started eating raw food I instinctual simplified food preparation. Eating carrots, fish, beef, or whatever when in their whole and unprepared form seemed natural and sensible. I did that for a couple of years until I started to crave cooked food again.
I started including the same minimalism I applied in the kitchen to all aspects of my life so that when I started cooking again my approach was dramatically different. Influential minimalists like Leo Babauta and Joshua Becker helped shape my approach to the primal diet and meal preparation through a general appreciation of the simple life. (Although all the minimalists out there seem to be vegans, their simple, non-materialistic approach to life is commendable and there is no reason why us meat eaters can’t adhere to similar values.)
While eating simple food with very few ingredients seems normal to me now, I realize this is not what all the paleo bloggers out there are talking about.
A few days ago I ran into this post at Wellness Mama about how she stocks her kitchen and it reminded me of those old days, slaving over the stove. The photos of her kitchen are a sight to behold. Her cupboards are organized – everything in baggies and jars, stacked perfectly on shelf after shelf as though it were a carefully prepared fallout shelter.
A contrast is in order here.
My own kitchen is not on display for all to envy, but it is one that busy, simple people can relate to. It’s not terribly messy, but it’s not clean as a whistle either. I know many of you would prefer the Wellness Mama’s kitchen over mine any day (shoot I would too!), but for those of us that don’t have the time or energy to make such extensive preparations, take solace in the fact that you’re not alone.
What my kitchen looks like
The fridge:
- Blood that leaked out of a beef package coats the top refrigerator shelf. Maybe I will clean that up one of these days, but it’s really not hurting anything. There are some dried leaves that fell out of a vegetable bag and two dozen pastured eggs which we pick up from the CSA drop off. There are a couple of carrots for tomorrow’s soup, as well as a bag of kale, an onion, some chicken on the bone, cilantro, and broccoli. Once the soup is made the fridge will be nearly bare but for some bacon, a little raw beef, a bottle of water, and some fish oil. My boyfriend has some kefir in there too along with some jam and maple syrup which he seldom uses.
The freezer:
- There is some ice and about 4 lbs of pemmican, some turkey jerky, frozen berries and frozen peas.
The counter top:
- An almost continually warm crock pot of bone and vegetable broth, plus about a square foot section of a variety of fruit.
The cupboard:
- I don’t have a pantry and, in fact, only use the tiny little spice cupboard above the sink for my dried goods. There’s not much of anything up there really. There is a honey bear, some unsweetened cocoa, 4 boxes of various teas, a few bottles of herbal supplements, a bag of organic candy that we bought for Evelyn to replace her Halloween candy which nobody ever touched, and some macadamia nuts that nobody is ever going to eat because we don’t eat nuts. There is also a bag of oatmeal which Julian and Evy dip into every so often.
The shelf above the stove:
- I keep few spices these days. There is a bottle of sea salt, of course, some cayenne pepper, 3 bottles of mixed herbs, a jar of tallow, a jar of ghee for Julian, and some liquid aminos which nobody uses because we don’t eat soy.
That’s it. And that’s how it’s been for many years. In addition to feeling more at ease in my low pressure kitchen, keeping it simple and sparsely stocked keeps me from eating stuff I shouldn’t be eating and helps me achieve my goal for intermittent fasting.
I pop in at the market every couple of days to forage for what I’ll need over the next couple of days. I absolutely don’t allow junk food into the house. If I crave something which I don’t consider “legal” like sweet potato chips (a favorite cheat, screaming with omega 6s) then I have to actually leave my warm house to go get it and I don’t always want to do that. I usually end up eating a bar of pemmican instead, with honey if I really need to be bad.
I find that good health is easier to maintain when I take the focus off of food all together in my life. I tend to eat the same foods over and over again, putting less emphasis on taste and pleasure. I think it is this minimalist approach to food and cooking that has led to my long term success with the paleo diet. That’s not to say that great chefs won’t succeed. They certainly will! But most of us aren’t great chefs.
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April 20, 2011 at 7:17 am
Hi, just wanted to say great site, I’m really enjoying it! I also wanted to concur with your minimalist-primal approach to food. I love cooking but when recipes get too complex or ingredient-filled it ruins it for me. Although she’s not strictly primal/paleo/etc., Jules at stonesoup (http://thestonesoup.com/blog/) has some great ideas and recipes for minimalist kitchens and cooking. Her “thing” is 5 ingredients or less.
April 20, 2011 at 2:50 pm
I’m thrilled you’re enjoying my posts, Sid! I checked out Jules’ website. I wouldn’t be able to eat her recipes myself but the idea is fabulous! I can’t even remember the last time I cooked with more than 5 ingredients… Thanks for sharing. I love to hear about other minimalists in the community. She is spreading some positive energy to be sure.
May 21, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Wow. I think I just found a soul mate.
I just restarted paleo recently & came across your site on MDA. Love it. I am blessed with a husband who knows how to cook so sometimes he fixes fancy schmancy london broil, shish kebob, Indian curried-something- or-other for me. But when I am on my own, it’s bacon, steaks, roasted chicken (from the store), eggs, frozen asparagus, berries & brussel sprouts, a bag of salad, some kefir for morning smoothies & cashews for a snack. Done. 
Happy to find a likeminded blogger.
May 22, 2011 at 10:10 pm
I love your menu! It’s so simple. It frees you to do and think about other things. Glad to have you on my side.
May 23, 2011 at 8:34 am
Great post! I love all those fancy recipes, but I don’t have the time or energy to make them. It has been a little intimidating to try and make healthier food when so many things seem to involve gourmet cooking. It’s good to hear you talk about *simple* healthy food!
June 28, 2011 at 11:59 am
I love to cook, but I love to cook simple meals. Every once in a while I’ll experiment with something new. We have the same thing over and over in our household and haven’t gotten sick of it.
Variety sparks appetite.
July 8, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Thank you for reminding me that it is truly simple. Not everything needs sauces or to be dressed up. We just need to eat the food and retain the nutrients. It is as hard or as easy as you want to make it!
July 23, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Peggy,
Thank you so much for your blog! I can’t thank you enough.
Is there a recipe for bone broth on your site?
Thank you!
July 23, 2011 at 8:54 pm
You are welcome! I don’t have a recipe on my site but check out http://cavegirleats.com/2011/04/06/b-r-o-t-h/ She has several articles on bone broth.
August 30, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Hi Peggy, I also found your blog through MDA and wanted to say, lots of insightful info and great post. I find my meals getting stripped to the bare minimum these days and it takes so much stress out of meal-planning. Not that I plan. I don’t, unless planning means what I’m going to defrost on the counter in the morning for the evening’s meal. I’ll brown beef and serve it with a side of roasted onions and cauliflower, or pan-fry some salmon and then roast some green beans in the same pan and then done. Not that you eat the veg, but we do. Salads are easy too. the thing I’ve learned is, quality meat tastes so good on its own that it needs little to dress it up. Back when I was a panicky vegetarian I used way more ingredients, mainly to dress up a base that tastes like paper—pasta, rice, beans, what have you. So yeah—digging your point of view!
August 31, 2011 at 6:19 am
Good point Elise! I was a vegetarian once too and cooking really was all about sauces and spices and fancy dressings. Now I use salt.
December 5, 2011 at 6:22 am
I LOVE YOU!
ha ha you had me at “some spilled beef blood on the shelf that’s not hurting anyone!” Love the minimalist thing.. am about to read about how your diet changed your world, cured you of pcos… depression … etc. 
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January 29, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Hi Peggy. Long-time reader and very big fan. I’m 21 and have hair loss, thyroid, adrenal, etc symptoms. All the usual modern chronic crap. I’m quite poor right now because it is in-between the job season where I live, and I go back to school in the summer. I was just wondering, do you think it is alright to eat exclusively bone broth, veggies, and offal? I might throw in some fish now and then because I live on the ocean and it’s so fresh. But I live with my mother and aunt, and, despite my very restricted budget while trying to restore my health, they insist on eating things I buy. I know it may be somewhat callous, but that’s money that I don’t have to share, and I don’t feel it is correct to outright tell them to abstain. The kitchen is filled with SAD food that I have not touched once.
I am also a minimalist and, honestly, the less food I have to buy, the happier I am. I don’t need variety- I just need health. So, I was thinking it would be a heck of a lot easier for me if I just bought things that they weren’t remotely interested in. I don’t think anyone is going to try to snag a bit of my beef liver. This seems reasonably healthy to me. Are there magic components housed in muscle and fat that I should regularly consume? I look forward to your input.
I hope you’re doing well. If I remember reading correctly, congratulations on your pregnancy!
January 30, 2012 at 7:40 am
Thanks Emily! It’s funny, I was in a similar situation before. I really didn’t have the money to share but somehow my food always showed up missing. And when you spend a lot of money on food, it’s tough! Your situation is temporary so I would say do whatever you can to eat the best foods while you’re there. Do try to eat fat and protein. They are very important for healthy hormones. Also, eating fish when you can would be great for your thyroid. Maybe you can just eat these things when you’re out, rather than bringing them back into the house. You’ll be ok. You won’t be there for long and at least you’re eating nutrient dense foods and not junk for 3 months. You’re a smart girl!
January 31, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Aw, thank you! That’s so very kind. I realized immediately upon clicking the “submit” button that I asked if I should eat fat. I think I meant protein and fat together. Silly me.
I WILL definitely be getting some pemmican. Never tried it! Probably going to go with not grass-fed meats until my budget is otherwise reasonable, though.
At least it’s 60 degrees right now at 10:30 pm in January. Can’t complain about that.
Thanks again, Peggy.
November 9, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Haha I love you you keep items that you don’t eat around even once you’ve acknowledged them. I do the same: I have a bottle of tamari and a big container of nuts in the cupboard even though noone in the house eats soy or nuts! I wonder what the train of though behind keeping these things is
I do love cooking though- I find it creative and meditative. I love that my boyfriend never wants to eat out, giving the reason “your food tastes better anyway.” Certainly eliminates us having to navigate through all the grains and vegetable oils on a menu. Although it’s great that here, all beef and lamb is grass-fed unless otherwise specified (it’s something that gets bragged about in Australia because grain-feeding is so expensive that it’s seen as a delicacy for some ridiculous reason.) Could do without the cooking mess though- I need to become more efficient to avoid it in the first place.
December 27, 2012 at 2:16 pm
I am slowly working my way through your blog here and enjoying all of it! I think you are speaking to where I am in my Primal journey. My cooking has gotten a lot simpler than when I first started eating Primal, and while I’m always tabbing recipes on MDA, I never make them because they take too much time. I just want to deal with whatever I have hanging around the kitchen.
My husband is about to go to basic training, joining the National Guard, and while he’s gone I plan on starting over with my kitchen. What a shame to waste that food, but now all it is is slowly rotting clutter.
February 22, 2013 at 9:50 am
This post is a breath of fresh air for me. I love simplicity/minimalism, but it takes me a while to get there. The kitchen is the last complicated area in my daily life, and I intend to simplify.
I have never seen (you painted a clear picture in this post) such a minimalist AND primal kitchen… that somebody actually eats out of. Thank you! It gets me thinking.
Last night we had a simple dinner: I cooked a chicken and cracked open a coconut – We ate until we were full. It was lovely. I am weaning myself off of the mindset that a meal consists of three, four, or even five different components. And it just makes a difference see someone else doing it, so thanks! Thank you for sharing your long journey to simplicity.
~Amber
February 23, 2013 at 7:01 am
What a fun dinner! I love coconut! It’s true though every one of our three meals a day does not need to be a three or four course meal. That’s just asking too much of a busy parent, or college student, or entrepreneur, or whatever!