Easter can be an unnecessarily junk-filled and wasteful time of the year so we wanted to put together some ideas and tips to help you, the family and the environment get a little healthier over this period!
You’ll find a new recipe at the end too: Gooey Caramel Easter Eggs!
“I use Easter as a time to be creative and have fun. I LOVE Easter hat parades… and NOT just buying cheap bling to stick on a cheap hat and then throw away pull out the recycled paper and cardboard and MAKE something unique! We also enjoy blowing real eggs out and then painting them, and storing them like Christmas decorations to bring out each year! We have an ‘Easter Tree’ that tends to be minimalist branches/sticks foraged and painted white to hang the painted eggs onto.
And our egg hunt is more cryptic with lots of clues and the kids having to search all around the house and yard for the next written clue and location to search “
Some great ideas and inspiration there for a more eco-conscious Easter with the family this year!
Check out their shop and special Easter items! What a great local Sunny Coast biz!
“My children are 12 and 6 and for them it is about the chocolate hunt. Key is to keep away from any chocolate that is wrapped or presented in plastic. Foil can be recycled. Collect the foils of your chocolate and form them into a big ball or disk. They have to be as big as your hand balms for the recycling machine to pick it up. “
YES!
The recycling promoters such as Planet Ark suggest say it’s essential all alfoil (not the ‘made from recycled materials’ kinds though) is rolled together into large balls before being placed in the curb side recycle bin.
“You can get eggs in bulk or per unit at any The Source Bulkfoods stores and it’s deliciously package free”
Love this idea for reducing plastic use and waste! Bulk foods stores usually have paper bags for scooping bulk foods in to buy, usually you can take a jar or your own bag too, as long as they can weigh it first. If you buy some healthier eggs or treats, place in a jar and pretty it up it makes a gorgeous and eco-friendly gift for loved ones!
Thanks Larissa!
#6 from Kayley Farraway Tree Family Day Care
Egg Threading craft activity!
“- Recycled cereal box cut into eggs
– Hole punch
– Rainbow wool
**Tip – wrap some sticky tape around the end of the wool to make a needle like point, making threading easier for little hands.”
What a great way to use up scraps of yarn, to recycle/upcycle some cardboard laying around the house (or raid the recycle bins in the street for some) and to keep the kids occupied these holidays!
Also a fantastic activity for improving fine motor skills!
We love this great choc egg swap idea using timber eggs from a craft store (or get the hubby to make in the garage if he’s clever enough!) decorated with safe eco-friendly paints. Perfect for n Easter Egg Hunt, as decorations around the home in bowls or hanging with string, as gifts (you could personalise them for the recipients)… so much creativity to be enjoyed with these!
If you can find a local maker of something like this and prefer to buy instead of make, that’s an option too. These guys are in the UK so for any followers of ours over there, hit them up!
I also suggest sourcing ingredients produced locally when possible, fresh and organic meats, eggs, fruit and veggies, or at least use the Dirty Dozen Clean 15 list and make as many dishes and foods from scratch as you can so you have full control over what’s going into them.
RECIPE: Gooey Caramel Easter Eggs
Ingredients
100g chocolate (your fave block from the health food section/store or chunks from the bulk bin – dark is best)
1/4 cup raw honey (locally sourced is best)
1/2 cup pure coconut milk
Pinch of pink salt
Water for the double boiler
Handy items to have
Tray
Easter egg moulds
Silicon spatula
Spoon
Small saucepan
Whisk
Measuring cup
Double boiler of some kind (I use a glass container that sits nicely on top of a saucepan)
Method
Make the caramel by simply heating the coconut milk, honey and salt in a small saucepan, whisking regularly and letting it thicken up to no longer have a runny consistency. Have the temp up high initially to allow the mixture to boil then turn it right down to simmer until ready. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down completely before using
Melt the chocolate using a double boiler method
Spoon the runny chocolate into the moulds and half fill them, ensuring the sides to the tops are coated. It can help to have had the moulds in the fridge beforehand, as the chocolate will then stay on the sides easier
Place the moulds on a tray and into the freezer to become firm
Remove them from the freezer and use a small spoon to place a dollop of cooled caramel sauce in the centre of each on top of the firmed chocolate
Spoon more runny chocolate over the top to fill in the rest of the space in the moulds then return to the freezer to finish setting. Keep a couple of teaspoons or so of runny chocolate aside for putting the egg halves together. Use a silicon spatula to tidy up any chocolate spillage and drips.
Once the rest of the chocolate has set, it’s time to bring the individual halves together by gently scoring the flat parts, rubbing on the last of the runny chocolate and firmly placing the halves together to make whole eggs then allowing, once again, to set (fridge or freezer). Try to fill in any gaps along the seems by using your finger to spread the chocolate
These eggs should then be able to stay out of the fridge and can be wrapped in foil pieces from the craft store for gifts, egg hunts etc.
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
Quite a unique topic because it’s a little outside of the usual zone of health and wellness we focus on, but just as important as any of the usual modern paleo lifestyle content.
We’re as modern and ‘normal’ as the next couple in so many ways… we love to get our dance on at live music gigs, going to the movies, chilling out to Netflix, wearing regular clothing, getting dressed up to go to something fancy, we live in a built-up urban area, we drive a nice 4×4, we have ‘normal’ hobbies, we even own an Xbox!
But we also like to incorporate primitive living elements our ancestors used into our modern lives because it connects us to our roots are humans and provides a type of satisfation and inner confidence not comparible to anything else.
From as primal as possible, to more modern versions, we love dabbling in primitive and ancestral skills ourselves, and teaching them to others when we can.
In this post we’ll talk about some of our favourite skills and activities, their emotional and physical benefits, how to take them up no matter where you live, for kids AND adults alike. The benefits and positive changes we’ve seen in those we’ve shown this stuff to, and with others who practice these skills have been quite amazing. So we hope you feel inspired to try some of these yourself!
Basket Weaving 🗑️
Let’s kick this blog off with a great intro activity… making coil weave baskets with natural materials.
There are loads of types of traditional basket weaving and making techniques, from different parts of the world, but back in the day when the first humans had to come up with a way to make food and other items transportable and for storage they would have used whatever was available to them in whatever way was most practical and functional. Different cultures have different methods and rituals of course but at the end of the day there are no real rules when it comes to this type of activity. Creativity and ingenuity are encouraged!
The method of coil weave is very basic and one that took me a few goes to get right and I used different materials in different ways, I wasn’t taught but I found out the general basics online before starting. I knew a local beach spinifex grass was an option as the material, as well as lomandra which is a really common and useful native plant. The only only non-natural part of my baskets has been the yarn needle used but one of my to-do-eventually projects is to make a needle from bone so it’s all totally natural!
Basket weaving can be a mindful, calming, relaxing, frustrating, annoying, fun, painful and enjoyable activity. As with most traditional activities all kinds of things can go wrong, there’s almost always physical and mental challenges involved, and the intention you have before starting and while doing it can change how you feel about the experience and the outcome.
It’s sometimes nice to do alone, or with others, like any craft really. Kids, adults, anyone can give it a go and benefit. It can be quite tough on the fingers as well as time-consuming so it’s helpful for building resilience and patience – attributes sadly becoming less common these days.
If you’d me to make a video on how I create simple natural coil weave basket, let me know!
Alternatively there are heaps of tutorials online and in books.
Star Gazing 🌟
“We’ve been fixated on the starry sky since our inception. We have stared at the cosmos as humans, as Neanderthals, as base simians, and, no doubt, as the scrabblers who came before the primate. There are recordings in chalk, cuneiform, tablet, scroll, paint and stonework from every era of man, in every corner of the world, dedicated to the mapping of heavens we knew we would never touch. Mapping the stars was a method of early compassing, aiding travellers and sailors with their recognizable constellations. If you knew the stars, a clear night could always guide you home. But these reasons for stargazing have staled with the advent of modern solutions. We have GPS now, and the pagan beliefs which spawned the first gods and heroes who populated the cosmos have been consigned to history books, labelled as mythology rather than religion. So, why stargaze in our modern age?
Beyond the fact that the stars are beautiful to see, same as any fine art, the main reason may be that it helps and heals us on a mental level.
Piff (a psychologist) defines awe as a crucial social function; a requirement for shifting our focus from individual, self-focused concerns and expanding our perspective to include others’ well-being. What’s felt when experiencing the grandeur of nature–be it Earth’s or the stars’–is a catalyst for inspiring goodwill and broader social-thinking in us. Looking on the galaxy, we recognize that we are one small piece of an enormous whole, and we become more likely to act on our ability to help others within our own small world.” – Optics Max
We absolutely agree with that take on why star gazing is so important. Not only that but it’s calming, relaxing, interesting, and a sky full of twinkling stars is just so beautiful.
🔭 There are apps you can download to help you and your kids learn about what you can see above you at night time, some astronomy groups hold public get-together and education sessions, and of course, just going out to a dark area to see a sky full of stars at night is just a nice thing to do. There are plenty of ways to learn about the night skies above or just to enjoy them.
Are you already into star gazing or is it something you’d like to start getting into?
Using Sticks to Make Fire 🔥
+ why everyone should try it at least once!
Whenever we demo this primitive skill to others they get really impressed and say “I couldn’t do that” because it seems so hard to do. The reality it is.. it can be hard but doesn’t have to be. If you’re lost in the bush and are unfamiliar with the natural materials around, there’s nothing artificial or modern to use to make fire and you’re experimenting with what you find then yeah, that’d be hard. But if you have access to materials that you know can work and you’ve practiced the method then it’s really not hard to do.
Once the materials are ready it can take just 10 seconds to make fire!
It’s more complicated than just picking two random sticks and rubbing them together quickly, there are a few other key elements. And when you understand the process and actually manage to get am ember then a flame, it’s honestly one of the most satisfying human experiences.
There are quite a few different friction fire methods, we’ve tried two popular ones: Hand Drill and Bow Drill (modified version). Hand Drill is one of the hardest and the first type Clint attempted and achieved. It was a huge and exhilarating achievement! We actually partnered up and got fire together one night, he did most of the work but I helped, something we’ll never forget!
Since then we’ve taught our nephew and his best mate (AKA The Jacobs) the steps to take to learn fire making using a flint and steel with natural materials up to a modified bow drill method they achieved on the weekend with help from Clint. It’s physically challenging and tiring, so when it’s successful it’s such a huge reward and the boys were over the moon when they eventually got it.
Clint and I have achieved it with this method first go together which I’m super proud of and it’s re ignited (pardon the pun!!) my passion for this stuff, it’s now more of a priority to fit these projects and activities into my super busy modern life. Why? Because it makes me feel good. It brings me closer to my roots as a human being. It makes me a more capable human. It gives me confidence and inner strength. Learning and doing well with skills our ancient ancestors used for not only survival but, in many cases, to thrive, brings a connectedness and deep satisfaction I can’t compare to anything else.
Not only is learning fire making extremely practical and functional should you find yourself in a situation where it’s crucial and can save your life, it’s also just incredibly rewarding, interesting and enjoyable in general.
Stay tuned for our next newsletter when we include info on HOW to get started, even how to get the kids into it safely and other important benefits it can have for them.
Many of you will already know this is one of my fave things to do! I love foraging! I got into it quite a few years ago, when, like with all the primitive/ancestral/traditional skills we dabble in, came from an interest in expanding our knowledge and experience within this sphere of health and well-being, further to just how our ancestors ate (i.e. ‘Paleo’). Eating paleo is just one element, our ancestors did a lot more than just eat! But eating is a big one, and since supermarkets and even farms and markets weren’t around for an extremely long time (until the Agricultural Revolution) humans had to hunt and gather their own food.
Now, I believe hunting for animals is far more beneficial than foraging for plant foods, as animals did give us, and still do give us, the most nutritional benefit and energy to sustain life, but plants were a supplement and also used medicinally.
It’s interesting because from what we’ve learned about humans in history, in primitive times generally men were the hunters and builders while women were the gatherers, cooks and creators. Not always of course but generally speaking, because often everyone had to be capable at every task, but in most cases men and women had different roles. Clint and I feel very connected to those roles and interests respectively today, just naturally. He’s naturally more connected to tracking, hunting etc while I can’t help but look for edible plants around me!
Once I learnt to forage for wild foods I couldn’t ‘un learn’. I’ve never lost interest. I go through periods where I’m not overly active in foraging but I’m always noticing what natural foods are available wherever I am. Native and introduced, I’m fascinated by it all and I love nibbling on a few berries or fruits while I’m out and about, or taking a few home with me to cook and use in interesting ways. Or to turn into healing balms and poultices. It’s a very handy and rewarding skill to have that definitely enriches my life. I’ve been lucky to teach this skill to many groups of people of all ages and have even inspired our niece and nephews to enjoy foraged food when they’re with us which I love.
Disclaimer: I never ever ever consume a wild food without being 100% certain of identity and edibility. And I’m always extremely conscious and protective of the eco systems.
Hunting 🏹
Or simply learning about + using the tools!
Another eventual transition for us within the Paleo Lifestyle sphere was hunting. The idea of being able to source food to eat, from absolute scratch, with an incredibly basic weapon… well it doesn’t get much more ‘human’ and natural than that! Clint, more so than me, grew a very keen interest for primitive hunting, in particular using traditional bows and spears. He was gifted a beautiful recurve bow and taught himself to shoot arrows still and moving targets (in our garage and driveway believe it or not!!). He managed to hunt a hare on a solo camping/hunting trip to the country after learning safe, ethical and smart hunting methods and a lot of practice. It was an emotional and meaningful experience for him and one I hope to experience myself some day as I want to become a trad hunter like him. We’d practice way more often if we could but we just don’t get the time needed, or the space, to become really good at it or to provide lots of food and useful materials.
He used almost every bit of that hare and it fed us so well for many meals. Meals we’ll cherish the memory of no doubt forever.
Besides using bows for hunting we enjoy simply using them for target practice. Clint even made a bow (for me!) and just that whole process was an amazingly fulfilling and interesting experience for him. Making and practicing using a ‘weapon’ is not the same as hunting, can have huge benefits physically and emotionally and hunting doesn’t have to be about actually killing an animal for food, it can be about every part of the process up until that point.
Ever watched a child build a hunting tool and pretend to go for prey?
It’s a natural and instinctual practice.
Other than traditional-style bows, Clint also dabbles in spear making and loves to teach kids how to make and use spears. Throwing is a natural human movement and skill (because we once had to throw as part of surviving) and shouldn’t be limited to balls and frisbees. Making and throwing a spear well for physical fitness can be more challenging, more rewarding and more enjoyable.
With spear making comes whittling and knife skills, understanding and appreciating natural materials used, learning safety, patience and gaining confidence. Honestly, the joy these kinds of practices and skills have brought us is indescribable. We hope this inspires you to start looking into traditional hunting practices and methods in a modern way, even if not for the end purpose of actually hunting.
Clint’s tips on how to get started making hunting tools:
Spear making:
Start with a basic whittling knife (there are rounded blade end versions for kids) and use green, light and soft timbers for practicing, either fallen, cut or bought. Bamboo makes a great fishing spear and Macaranga (native to Australia) makes great atlatls and throwing spears.
Remember (and teach to kids) the ‘blood bubble’ rule where you outstretch your arm with the knife held and if you can touch someone around you they’re in your blood bubble, therefore you can’t start until you move away from them so they’re no longer close enough to be inside it.
For bamboo spears, slice one end into 4 points and sharpen each point, wedge a stick across each direction about 3 inches deep and tie in place with string
You can make rock and glass spear heads if you want to get right into it too
Make green wood spears stronger and harder by hardening in fire (in the flames)
Look on YouTube for “traditional spear making” videos
Traditional Bows:
Start with a Board Bow and use a piece of straight-grained timber from the hardware store. Spotted Gum works really well and was used to make Aimee’s bow
Watch YouTube videos for tutorials and to find out what equipment you need for the process
I built a timber shave horse and used a draw knife to make bows but more modern tools can be used
Kids Bows:
These can be made with any slightly bendy sticks with string attached to each end. Saplings work well.
Arrows for Kids Bows:
Find small, straight, light sticks, whittle one end into a point, glue 3 feathers onto other end for the ‘look’ of a proper arrow
Proper Arrows:
Buy these from a local supplier or online or make some with dowel, proper feathers, points or blunts, nocks etc. Certain pieces of equipment are needed for this, much like the art of fly making for fishing, so if just starting out it’s definitely easier to buy ready-made arrows suited to the bow you’re using.
Building Basic Shelters 🏕️
Most survival shows talk about how to use the tarp you just so happen to have in your backpack to make a basic shelter if lost in the wild. What if you don’t have a tarp or similar?!
Knowing how to build a basic and functional shelter using natural materials makes sense. And it’s a great activity kids can do just in the backyard. Not only does it teach them about their environment and what they could use if they needed to construct a survival shelter, it also teaches them about structure (what works and what doesn’t), patience and resilience.
When we take the Jacobs’ out for Primal Kids Camps we get them to help with putting the tents up and the next level for ‘shelter building’ is to make one from natural materials that actually works. They did this a few months ago using the debris hut method, a finger saw and knives and they achieved the Silver ‘shelter building’ Primal Kids Badge, with the next being Gold for using ONLY natural materials they can find, and being able to sleep in the shelter for a night (or some of a night at least!) which will be done in Spring when it’s warmer.
It’s a tiring task. And for kids with ASD even more so, and when they get frustrated it’s not happening as fast as they’d like it’s a test of patience and resilience. Supporting them to complete the project, to stick it out (ah, accidental pun!) and feel the pride that comes with making a legit shelter with their own hands is so important and rewarding, for them and for us.
This is the basic debris hut style of shelter, a great beginner design:
Shelter building is a handy skill for all ages!
Putting Our Ideas into Action 🔪
I said I planned on making a spoon and I’ve started!
We went camping on the weekend to get lots of hunting and project time in. Hunting wasn’t successful but making stuff was!
I found a small piece of timber perfect for spoon making and went about cutting it down, well, starting to, it’ll be a slow process and I need to get my fingers used to it, they’re sore today! Such a nice activity to do while Clint was out hunting and one I can do at home in my downtime.
Stay tuned to see how it goes!
Also during a creek exploration Clint cut some weed trees down and turned them into a stand to hang the camp oven from for paleo chicken curry dinner. It worked brilliantly!
If you have any questions for us regarding traditional bushcraft and hunting methods, email us at info@primalinfluence.com or comment below.
I hope this information and our perspectives and experiences help you and your family on your journey to better health + more happiness!
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
There are so many natural and organic skincare products on the market these days, ranging in price and sustainability, with some being marketed and advertised as “natural” which in fact aren’t! No one wants to waste their money when they’re trying to do good for their skin, their health and for the planet.
So how do we know what to buy and try?
I often choose the DIY route when it comes to skincare as I don’t use a lot of different products and I’m extremely budget and eco-conscious.
Making skincare concoctions from scratch is rewarding but can be time-consuming and hard to sustain. So when I met the maker of a local skincare range who guaranteed me all of her products are totally natural and sustainable I had to try them!
Not only am I looking for good products for myself, but also to recommend to my Primal Health Coaching clients and Clint’s Private Kids Coaching client parents.
Introducing… Skin Muk!
I met the lovely Serenity at the first 2-day business coaching workshop a couple of months ago, she was sitting next to me for one of the days so I found out about her business and could tell right away how passionate she is about creating quality, effective and clean skincare products.
Not long after, she gave me a box of samples to try and OMG, I was instantly impressed, the packaging and the products looked so beautiful! I felt like I was being spoiled, which is a rare experience for me, but one every girl should have regularly I think!
Local ✔️
Natural ✔️
Sustainable ✔️
Luxurious ✔️
Face oil, sugar scrub and 2 different clay samples arrived at my door step looking as pretty and well-presented as anyone could want. I was already impressed just opening the box!
CASSIOPEIA MINI – FACIAL OIL
I usually use a pure rose hip oil on my skin at night which absorbs in easily and never feels heavy or ‘oily’ after, so I was interested to see how this face oil would compare.
Really well actually! It definitely smells nicer; it has a beautiful aroma. And made my skin feel super soft after gently applying a few drops.
I really like this product. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling oily and it’s luxurious but so simple.
The dropper bottle is good quality and travels easily (no leaking!).
This can easily be for daily use, even before applying makeup, or used occasionally as a self-love pamper day treat.
MOON DUST – CLAY MASK + STAR DUST – CLAY MASK
My go-to clay mask option is just boring old bentonite clay but it always leaves my face feeling dry. Ugh.
Neither of these do which is a nice change! I tried the Moon Dust first and definitely noticed the incredible softness the powder has just dry in the hand before adding a bit of water. After rinsing off my skin felt soft and not dry at all.
Serenity says this one can be used as a quick cleanser or mask left on for a few minutes.
I tried the Star Dust powder last night, as a mask left on my face for about 10 minutes, and besides absolutely LOVING the colour (pink!!), I loved how my skin felt afterwards, and even today, it still feels really nice.
I noticed, too, that my skin isn’t breaking out today which it normally would after eating some not-so-great foods after camping on the weekend! Yay!
Very little clay powder is needed when, combined with water, to cover the face so this product goes a long way.
It’s a definite tick of approval from me for these two! ✔️✔️
Now for my favourite of al the Skin Muk goodies I’ve tried…
PINK NEBULA – SUGAR SCRUB
Absolutely dee-vine!
As a body scrub to exfoliate my skin I always use DIY coffee and coconut oils scrub. It’s great on my skin but boy it’s messy! It’s something I only use right before housework day otherwise it leaves my bath and shower (combo) oily and with tiny bits of coffee grounds everywhere!
When I first opened the tub of Pink Nebula I was pleasantly slapped in the face with the most gorgeous aroma. Strawberry + vanilla = yum. Even better than coffee and coconut oil, if you can believe it!
I used it on my legs, torso and arms and was so happy with how it worked. The sugar dissolves after a bit of scrubbing with the hand but not too quickly that it doesn’t do it’s job of exfoliating.
Also, it didn’t leave ANY mess. None whatsoever. Woo!
It leaves my skin feeling so soft, not oily at all after use, and a small quantity really does go along way which is a bonus. I am in love with this product and my jar of homemade coffee scrub isn’t getting used at the moment while I enjoy this much nicer scrub tub!
Thank you so much Serenity for gifting me these gorgeous creations. They’re perfect for eco-conscious ladies wanting to look after their skin naturally, and feel a little pampered without much cost or effort.
I’m more than happy to recommend these items, this company, and I hope you check out the full range here ❤️
If you have any questions for us regarding these products or what other skincare products we use, email us at info@primalinfluence.com or comment below.
I hope this information and our perspectives and experiences help you and your family on your journey to better health!
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
It can be so stressful trying to create a healthy space in the kitchen, for ourselves and for the planet. So from what we buy, use, eat and do in the kitchen we’re sharing our top tips for making healthier choices (and reducing stress!).
We hope it helps you and your fam!
DIY Flavour Mixes
If you’re used to buying and consuming pre-made flavour products like sauces, marinades, spice mixes etc it can be pretty daunting at first to think of making your own versions from scratch, but I promise, it’s really not hard and once you start you’ll find it gets even easier pretty quickly!
I like to buy organic dried and herbs from bulk stores such as The Source, especially when trying out new flavours and I don’t want to commit to owning heaps of something, and sometimes the mixes I create are from recipes, based on recipes but tweaked, or just totally random. Often those random creations are the tastiest!
Don’t be afraid to play around with herbs and spices. If you don’t absolutely love a mix you’ve created at first, you can usually change it and get it ‘right’. Start out with just a few simple flavours you know you like then get more adventurous when you feel like it.
Here are some flavour combo ideas to try:
– Rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano for pasta sauces – Coriander and cumin powders with pink salt mixed well into mince for patties (great with turkey mince!) – DIY Mexican sauce: coriander powder, lime juice, tomato paste, sweet paprika – Oregano is subtle and goes nicely with veggies (mash, cauli rice, on roast veg, everything) – Rosemary on roast veggies including pumpkin and cabbage is delish, especially with ghee drizzled on
Once you find the combos you and your family like, make larger amounts (dry stuff only) and store in jars in the cupboard.
Remember to try and avoid using sugars, white vinegar etc, as the point here is to make HEALTHY swaps!
Bulk-Buy When Possible
It’s not always doable but when you can buy meat and produce in bulk amounts it’s better for the environment and usually better for the bank account too.
Butchers will often sell (or make on request) larger quantities of meat for a lower price. E.g. 2kg mince for a few dollars less. Farmers offer 1/4, 1/2 and whole beast options which is almost always cheaper. Many health food stores these days have bulk food bins (but check the per kilo price compared to packaged products just in case they’re way more exy), local co-ops offer bulk buy options, produce sections at shops and markets all allow for bulk buying, plus you can often find larger sized canned and jar products depending where you shop.
For example, Clint and I like to get a huge 1.6kg tub of grass-fed ghee when we visit my mum in Brissie cos it’s cheaper and uses less packaging. Win!
We often buy 2-3kg of offal mince mix from a local butcher in just 2 bags instead of 500g packs. I recycle the plastic and separate the mix up into smaller containers at home. Easy!
Sometimes though, bulk buying food is cheaper but not eco-friendly and sometimes it’s the other way around. E.g. going in on 1/4 an animal from a local farmer may save you bucks but they might use packaging that isn’t recyclable. Same with buying a big bag of veggies already made instead of choosing your own loose pieces.
You need to be savvy, work out what your priorities are and why you’re looking into bulk buying, and find the best options that meet your needs and goals.
With more businesses adopting sustainable practices today, and some even contributing to a circular economy, there are more eco-friendly options than ever before. But some are more expensive.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙠 𝙗𝙪𝙮𝙨?
Reading + Understanding Labels
So you can make healthier choices when buying food, cleaning products + more!
Labelling laws in Australia are ok, but they’re not great. For instance, the code for a mixture of ingredients needs to be listed but not what that actually contains. When I first went gluten-free and was doing a lot of research I found out that the code for the caramel colour in a lot of food products may actually contain hidden gluten but that didn’t have to be listed on the nutrition label! Scary!
As a general rule in terms of health for us and the planet, if you can’t understand what an ingredient is then it’s probably best avoided.
𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙨: – avoid highly processed cane sugar (non-organic) – white vinegar isn’t a healthy preservative. Apple cider vinegar is – numbers and codes = toxins and hidden nasties – “low fat” usually means high sugar – added / fortified ingredients such as folate and fibre = bad news – ignore the government star rating, it’s BS – soy in any form isn’t good – look for products with clean and organic ingredients when possible – foods cooked/fried in vegetable oils are highly toxic
𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙨: – avoid products containing phosphates, sodium carbonate, optical brighteners, surfactants, chlorine-based bleaching agents and ingredients derived from palm oil and petrochemicals as they can all harm our waterways and the environment – Planet Ark says to look for… “Biodegradable certifications, such as Australia’s AS4351 standard. Plant-based (rather than petroleum-based) ingredients. A concentrated formulation. This also has the benefit of less packaging, fewer chemicals per wash and smaller carbon footprint for transportation. Specific ingredient information, such as solvent-free non petroleum-based ingredients, rather than unregulated greenwash claims like ‘natural’ and ‘eco-friendly’.”
Learn to read and understand labels, do some research, ask questions to the manufactures if you want clarity and transparency, and try to choose products with simple and natural ingredients.
Go Green But Don’t Get Green-washed
By “go green” we mean to choose more eco-friendly products and behaviours but to avoid being ‘green washed’ which is a whole new and annoying part of today’s semi-eco-conscious world!
‘𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮’ 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚: – Using paper and glass when possible, over plastic – Recycle effectively – Use biodegradable or recycled material cloths and scrubbers – Use natural eco-friendly cleaning products – Using good quality long-lasting cooking implements such as cast iron pans, high quality stainless steel pots and pans, glass baking dishes etc
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 ‘𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙’ 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: Basically, very clever marketing and branding! – ‘Degradable’ plastic items. These do not help the environment, these plastics just break up into smaller pieces, that’s it! – Products made with recycled plastics. These often cannot be recycled again as recycled plastics reach a limit of recyclability. Check with Planet Ark, on the packaging for what to do with the packaging after use, local council. – The words ‘plant-based’, ‘natural’, ‘green’ and ‘eco’ on packaging. If, for example, a dishwashing liquid is cheap like around $2-$3 for a bottle and contains these words it’s more than likely not all that “green” and isn’t safe for the waterways.
The legit biodegradable, compostable, recyclable and eco-safe packaging (bin liners, foil, cling wrap etc) cost a bit more. Those starchy thin bin liners you see in the health food stores cost a lot more then the supermarket ‘degradable’ varieties that still feel like actual plastic (because they are!)
We have 2 small cast iron pans permanently on our stove top, we use them at least 3 times a day and y’know how often we wash them? Maybe once a year if that. It’s so good!
Not only is cast iron one of the healthiest cooking surfaces, it’s incredibly easy to maintain, energy-efficient, can be used in the oven or on the stove, and can make food cook and taste better!
𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙤𝙣:
– Fortifies food with iron- Can be bought second hand, easily brought back to life if rusty and therefore reduces the need to buy brand new cookware
– Extremely durable (possibly never having to throw out or replace if looked after)- Really low and easy maintenance
– Sears meat well because it gets hot quickly and easily
– Because it gets hot easily the cooking temp can be reduced quicker making it more energy-efficient
– Creates an even cooking temp BUT the good-health factor can depend on how you season it. If using a seed or vegetable oil then that ruins any chance of it being a healthy cooking surface. Use quality animal fat and it’s soooo healthy!
We do love taking our cast iron camp ovens and pans cooking but even more we love using cast iron every day and will never go back to buying Teflon or any other unhealthy cooking items!
How to look after cast ironused often
Keep a jar of grass-fed tallow or lard (rendered beef or pork fat) by the stove and after cooking with cast iron and while the pan is on the hot plate used (turned off but still warm after cooking) add a little bit of fat to the pan if it looks dry, and spread around evenly for a thin coating
Do not wash your cast iron unless absolutely necessary, and if you do wash it, follow the steps below to season in the oven 1-2 times
After cooking, if food remains, just scrape it off with a spatula and season slightly with a bit of fat if the pan looks dry. We cook eggs and meat on our pans every morning and just scrape off any excess food into the bin or sink
It’s important to only add a thin layer of fat to season after use, or none at all if fatty meat was cooked and left some fat behind. Scrape off excess fat if the meat was really fatty
If wiping down the stove with a wet cloth often, be sure to check the bottom of the pan every so often for signs of rust, then do a seasoning round in the oven as mentioned below if needed
Tomato and other acidic foods break down the seasoning layer so keep that in mind if regularly cooking tomato in the pan
How to bring rusty cast iron back to life
Use natural salt flakes and an old cloth/scourer to scrub any rust flakes or old food off
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
Remove any non-oven proof bits (such as timber handles on camping pans which should easily screw off)
Use grass-fed tallow or lard (rendered beef or pork fat) and rub a thin layer all over the pan/pot
Place in the oven upside for 1-hour
Carefully remove from the oven to cool down (or turn the oven off and leave the door open for it to cool down before handling)
Repeat the fat layering (when cool enough to handle) and another round of 1-hour in the oven
1-3 rounds should be plenty, depending on the state of the cast iron. An old rusty piece may take 3 rounds, whereas a simple re-seasoning of a well-looked after piece may only require one round
‘Cleaner’ Cleaning!
Swapping from chemical cleaning products to natural and eco-friendly doesn’t mean cleanability is reduced. Often, the chemical cleaners we’re told are so effective actually just hide the dirt and stains, they don’t actually clean it off!
A major downside of using chemicals to clean with is how they reduce our immune system, not just impact the environment. Let’s implement more “clean living” practices in how we actually clean!
There are generally 2 main options: – buy ready-to-go eco-friendly natural cleaning products and solutions – make your own
I’m as time-poor as the next person so I don’t go to great lengths to DIY everything but simple vinegar and tea tree oil is pretty much all I need for cleaning the kitchen during my weekly or fortnightly housework day. The rest of the time we use WATER to clean surfaces. Because there is such a thing as being “too clean”! Meaning… in an attempt to clean away nasty germs we clean away all the good stuff which also can reduce our immunity.
Using chemicals and over-cleaning are both sure-fire ways to reduce our heath.
Swapping chemicals for natural and safe alternatives and cleaning only when necessary are good for us and the environment. Yay!
There are stacks of natural eco-friendly cleaning products on the market these days. Be careful of green-washing when buying the lower cost items but you’ll find legit options at any health food store, some markets, some supermarkets, online, at local co-ops etc.
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙨: – Vinegar and bicarb or Bon Ami powder for the sink – Micro fibre cloths that last aaaaages and don’t need products added – Vinegar, bicarb and tea tree oil paste left on a stain for a few mins (great for laminate surfaces) – Vinegar and lemon spray – Castile soap, washing soda and borax can all be great
If I go out to the communal recycling bins at the front of our complex right now and look inside any one of them I can bet you a decent sum of money there are items in there that shouldn’t be. It drives me insane!
Unfortunately our local Council does very little (almost nothing) to educate residents on how to recycle properly. I’ve been extremely proactive, cos I really care about this, and have taken it upon myself to find out what can and can’t be recycled, through contacting Council directly, using info provided by Planet Ark, RedCycle, TerraCycle + other organisations who deal with this stuff.
Even just the other day I was chatting alfoil recycling with someone (not sure how that came up in conversation lol) and they didn’t know it has to be saved up to be made into a large ball before it can go in the recycle bin. Most people don’t know this!
So you could be trying to recycle but not quite getting it right. It’s really common!
𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙮𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙨: – Rinse and dry plastics, cans etc that go in the recycle wheelie bins – Put soft plastics into a soft plastic bag to eventually fill and take to the supermarket soft plastics bin to recycle – ensure they’re NOT WET though. Food/dirt is ok but moisture creates mold. ‘Degradable’ plastics can’t be recycled. – Don’t recycle oily stuff like the section of the pizza box that’s oil-stained, oil on packaging etc – Check with your Council if they accept empty gas canisters and aerosols – Check with your Council for what they can and can’t take in general! A lot of kitchen and household items can be dumped free or charge if not able to go in the wheelie bin at home – Check product packaging to see the new ARL (Australiasian Recycling Label) so you know what can be done with each packaging element – Buy recycled/eco-friendly paper towel (we use Who Gives a Crap) – Buy products with packaging made using recycled materials if they can be recycled or disposed of cleanly (as per ARL) – Don’t put your recycling items in a plastic bag into the recycle wheelie bin!! – Don’t recycle oily stuff like the section of the pizza box that’s oil-stained, oil on packaging etc
We didn’t include this bit on our SM posts, so it’s a bonus bit for you!
Making the switch from plastic to glass for food storage and heating is so important. It can be expensive to do it all in one go, so my best advice for you with this is to transition slowly if money is an issue.
Whether a plastic container is “BPA-free” or not, it’s bad for the environment and bad for our health. Plastic is plastic!
Glass is the healthiest and most eco-friendly option.
When we first swapping plastics for glass we waited until the shops near us had Pyrex on sale. We also went to a kitchen outlet store to grab some bargains.
Now, you could easily go online for some, even Kmart and other ‘cheaper’ stores sell glass containers. Grab some from wherever you can access and afford!
The downside of some brands though, including Pyrex, is the lids are made of plastic which cracks and breaks easily and can’t be recycled in the recycle wheelie bin collected by Councils. So look for more eco-friendly lids that will last a long time.
We still use plastic containers but really only for camping because we need the spill-free factor which many glass containers don’t have! But for al fridge and freezer storage and food re-heating we use glass.
The pantry is an easy place to go-more-glass because you can simply wash and re-use jars that had other food inside. Use washable labels or blackboard paint and a chalk pen to label, buy organic herbs and spices, cocoa, oils etc from plastic-free bulk food bins at health food stores and store in the re-used jars.
MORE BONUS STUFF!
Not included on our SM posts, here’s some bonus advice for you!
Spotted at IGA: a huge variety of eco-friendly cleaning goodies…
How to remove tough kitchen stains naturally…
Make a paste of vinegar, bicarb soda and tea tree oil then place on food stains on laminate surfaces. Leave for an hour or so then scrub off using a cloth. Gone!
Especially handy for turmeric and organic curry powder stains!
A better option for baking paper…
There are definitely a few greenwashing baking paper products on the market but Glad now have a “compostable” option which we’ve started using recently. It’s not waxy and it’s quite tin but it does the trick when cooking foods such as our primal pizza on baking paper on the pizza stone.
If you have any questions for us regarding what other eco-kitchen items we use, email us at info@primalinfluence.com or comment below.
I hope this information and our perspectives and experiences help you and your family on your journey to better health! Please comment if you have any questions.
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
Make the most of seemingly boring ground meat by learning about how nutritious it is on it’s own, how to give it a mega nutrient-boost, how to utilise it for meals and make it more interesting, how to source the best types, healthy recipes and lots more in this post!
How to choose the best quality mince
If you have a mincer at home you can buy a huge variety of meat cuts and make amazing mince mixes and then it comes down to choosing the best cuts, taking into consideration health and the environment. While buying mince as-is can be a bit different and more challenging. A packet of mince patties, for example, could contain a whole heap of junk so it’s important to read labels but buying 100% meat is always the best option.
Here are the main types of mince in Australia + recommendations for what to look for:
𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙣: Free-range or organic. Organic is best but can be hard to find. You can make your own by using a food processor to blitz thigh and breast (then it’s not dry like chicken mince tends to be!)
𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙗: Grass-fed or organic. BUT lamb in OZ is usually from regions with lush pasture and grain feed isn’t needed so most lamb mince should be ok but you won’t know unless you ask the farmer/butcher. “Grass-fed” is the safest and because lamb is fatty it’s important it’s not fed on grain otherwise the omega 3 and 6 ratios are out of whack.
𝘽𝙚𝙚𝙛: Grass-fed or certified organic. Most beef in Aus is given grain unless the farmers choose to rain their cattle on pasture only. Organic doesn’t equal grass-fed but it means there were no chemicals used on the farm or the animal.
𝙆𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙤: Wild is best. If farmed then it’s likely to have been fed grains and soy.
Roo mince can be more gristly then other meat and is incredibly lean. I often use it as I would beef mince. Stronger flavour though.
𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙠: Definitely free-range at a minimum or organic if possible. Hard to come by good pork and can be expensive but worth it as conventionally-raised is reeeeeeally unhealthy.
The better quality mince the better it is for your health + for the planet.
Why mince is so healthy
Good quality mince (see previous post) is great for our health. Beef, for example, is a good source of protein, zinc, vitamins B3 and B12, iron, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2, and B6 – essential for everyday functioning
Fatty mince (beef and lamb) raised on healthy pasture contain a high Omega-3 to 6 ratio which is ideal.
Kangaroo, an underdog, is low in fat but high in essential minerals like zinc, and vitamins like B12 which helps produce red blood cells and maintain the nervous and immune system, 80% of the RDI for Vitamin B6 which helps to release energy from the protein we eat, Niacin which helps to release energy from food and reduce fatigue, Riboflavin which plays a role in transporting iron around the body, and Thiamine, an important B-group vitamin necessary for normal energy production.
Good quality chicken contains a range B vitamins, high protein levels, folate, Vitamins A, E and K, and a full spectrum of minerals from selenium to manganese. Fatty chicken from healthy farms has a better Omega-3 to 6 ratio too.
Pork too contains a long list of important nutrients like zinc, niacin, phosphorous, riboflavin, B6 and B12, thiamine and zinc.
“The human body is by mass about 65% water and 20% of what is left is protein, meaning most of the non-water weight of our bodies is made from proteins. This includes our muscles and internal organs, and all of our protein comes from food.
There is a near infinite number of possible proteins that can be assembled from amino acids. Amino acids are the body’s building blocks and we have identified just over 500 so far. The human body requires 20 amino acids but there are 9 that are are of special interest to us: these are the ones that are essential for life; without them, we will die. The other 11 we can manufacture in our bodies for use.
The 9 essential amino acids: Histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
It’s not just recommended that we get these aminos; it’s vital. All of these essential amino acids are found together in meats and animals based foods. All can be found in plant foods, but rarely at the same time and never in the same proportions as meats.
Plant based proteins are not clean proteins
We consider a protein to be clean if it is complete without other substances which may or may not be healthy or desirable.
Plants fight back
Plants, and especially plant based sources of protein, contain many other compounds which might not be so good for us, because they don’t want to be eaten. While it’s true to say all organisms seek to preserve life, animals are able to run away or fight; their defences against being eaten are external things like claws, scales, teeth, fur and stingers. Plants can’t run away so they’ve evolved to deter being eaten chemically.” – The Ethical Butcher
We eat it for brekkie every morning and no, it doesn’t get boring, because we sometimes use different types, in different ways, not the same thing day in day out.
There are just so many ways to use ground meat, here are some, best as paleo versions of course…
Patties Pasta sauce Meatballs Cottage Pie Lasagne Nachos San choi bao Meatza pizza base Pizza topping Koftas Nuggets Raw with egg yolk (beef mince) Chilli con carne Inside jaffles Terrine Cabbage rolls
Phew that’s a lot!
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚?
My fave mince recipes
We eat mince every single day. Sometimes for multiple meals. We love it, obviously! And we never get sick of it because there are so many ways to use it.
Here are my fave cooking methods + recipes:
– Lamb mince fried on cast on, cooked down so most fat is gone and the meat is crunchy – Beef mince jerky (or with beef heart added, so much nicer and healthier!) – Paleo burgers either with cos lettuce leaf ‘buns’ or baked green banana flour buns – Beef mince, kidney and liver patties with 2 fried eggs for brekkie – Meat waffles (any mince and eggs) – Turkey mince patties with Original Mingle Seasoning – Spaghetti bolognese – Chicken nuggets (using thigh and breast, not mince) – Shepards Pie with a savoury mince base (fine diced veg, tomato paste, broth and coconut amino with beef mince) topped with mashed white flesh sweet potato – Lamb lemon thyme mini meatballs, baked, as a yummy finger food – Meat muffins – savoury mince of choice with egg, baked in muffin trays, makes a great easy healthy brekkie option to simply heat up in the oven and eat – Pork mince as a primal meat lovers pizza with my green banana flour pizza base recipe, and paleo bbq sauce on top, along with bacon and GF salami
Clint’s good, he’ll try any food and he’ll eat foods he doesn’t necessarily love but knows are good for him, if he can stand them. But kids and partner’s aren’t always that easy to please when it comes to food. Our niece used to be super fussy with meals, she loved the choc avo pudding I made for sleepovers but would not have had it if she knew avo was in it, because at the time she hated avocado! Eventually she started like it and was happy to know she’d been eating it all those years lol but I was quite ok with her not knowing until that point!
Mince is brilliant food for hiding other healthy foods inside. Such as…
– Adding small amounts of minced up offal to make meatballs, patties etc – Finely dicing or mushing veggies to add into almost any mince dish, meatballs, patties – Adding herbs and spices for flavour – Using bone broth for a mega nutrient-boost instead of stock (tastes like stock but is way better) – Mixing pure grass-fed beef collagen and gelatin powders in, easiest when there’s some liquid or fat that’s liquidy – Egg is NOT essential when making rissoles, patties and meatballs but egg (pastured) is super nutritious so adding even just the yolk into mince meals for those who won’t eat eggs as is, is a great option
What other ways can healthy ingredients be added to / hidden in mince?
Have you had to be a bit tricky like this for your family members?
Special bonus: new recipe!
Easy Peasy Pasta Sauce!
A much easier and quicker version of my original paleo bolognese recipe, this pasta recipe only needs a few ingredients and minimal cooking.
I hope this information and our perspectives and experiences help you and your family on your journey to better health! Please comment if you have any questions.
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
What’s one of our favourite ways to utilise beef fat?
Rendering it to become tallow and using the tallow to make MOISTURISER!
As mentioned in the previous blog, tallow is incredibly good for human skin. But in it’s pure form it doesn’t make for a practical moisturiser because it’s so firm and hard to spread.
If you ever get tallow on your hands while making it from suet/other fat, or while cooking with it, and you rub it into your skin you’ll realise how nice it feels and you’ll probably notice it doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy afterwards. Compared to how coconut oil feels on the skin, there’s a big – and welcome – difference!
To make it more use-able it’s recommended to add 1-2 other ingredients in, and whipping it up with some air in there also makes it easier to achieve good coverage with.
It’s actually really easy to make a soft, silky, whipped tallow cream for the body. It’s also incredibly economical because it goes a long way and lasts a surprisingly long time. Especially if it’s applied while skin is still slightly damp after having a shower or bath. Applying it to warm damp-ish skin helps it spread further, so you can really use the ‘less is more’ principle with it which is a bonus!
Keen to try making your own whipped tallow body cream?
Here’s a quick video tutorial!
But what about the smell? Won’t it be too ‘beefy’?
To change the aroma you can add a good quality pure essential oil in during the hand-mixing, toward the end. Quantity will depend on the scent in particular and your preference as to how strong you’d like it to smell.
We usually add a subtle variety such as sweet orange, lemon, or lime. The essential oil can help reduce the ‘tallow-y’ smell the cream gives off initially. But we find that smell goes away pretty quickly anyway, once the cream has been rubbed into the skin.
So it’s up to you if you want to include essential oils in your cream or not.
Are you going to give making tallow moisturiser a go? We’d love to hear how you go with it!
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
From making tallow to cook with to moisturisers… let’s look at the best ways to utilise this healthy wholefood.
How we utilise beef fat as food
There are 2 ways we like to use beef fat:
Raw mince suet sprinkled on some of our meat meals – usually on our mince and eggs or mince/liver/kidney and eggs for brekkie, with some pink salt. Or topped on a piece of rump steak.
Suet sitting between a juicy rump and fried pastured eggs
The fat melts on the just-off-the-fry-pan food and has quite a nice taste and texture.
If eaten totally raw and still a bit firm it can be quite chewy and stick to your teeth. Some carnivore-diet followers enjoy this texture but we don’t. You might, so give it a go!
As mentioned in previous posts (Part 1, and Part 2), beef fat in it’s raw state is said to be more nutrient-dense and bio-available than cooked fat (tallow) so it’s a good idea to add it to meals when possible to boost good calories, create satiety and increase energy levels.
2. Tallow to consume as is and to cook with.
We always have a jar of homemade tallow beside the stove to use on our two permanently-placed cast iron pans and to use on food we’re roasting or to dollop on our cooked meals.
Cast iron is a super healthy cooking surface and requires almost no cleaning (less washing up, always a nice thing when you don’t own a dishwasher and cook all meals from scratch!) and tallow with it’s high smoke point and high nutrients / low anti-nutrients makes a great seasoning and cooking fat.
You only need to add a very thin layer of tallow to cast iron pans to keep them seasoned and for cooking, so tallow goes a really long way and lasts a really long time.
Essential healthy cooking tools
How we utilise beef fat on our skin
By making and using tallow moisturiser!
Why is grass-fed tallow good for our skin?
Tallow closely mimics the fats and oils we have naturally in our skin.
This includes the fatty acids and cholesterol in the cell membranes of all our skin cells as well as those that sit in between skin cells, forming the protective barrier function of our skin.
Strong, healthy cell membranes help keep skin cells plump and well hydrated. It helps protect skin from moisture loss and leaves skin looking soft and hydrated. It will also help replenish any missing components in our skin’s barrier function.
Grass-fed tallow also contains fatty acids that closely copy the oils that we produce naturally as sebum.
As we get older, our skin slows down on the production of these oils that keep our skin soft, supple and youthful looking.
So, grass-fed tallow helps put back what time takes away. Rejuvenating the appearance of skin, as well as smoothing out the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
Good quality tallow also contain essential vitamins such as fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K which are all really important for healthy glowing skin.
The other bonus is it’s high in essential Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, with a ratio of 1:1, to help protect the skin and boost immune function.
Tallow moisturiser is super easy to make and an affordable natural skincare product, or you can simply lather on some pure tallow if you like, it feels so nice on the skin!
How else do we use tallow on our skin?
By making tallow soap (or a combination of coconut oil and tallow)!
Making natural soap is so good for our health and the environment, and is a great way to utilise healthy tallow. Especially with any tallow that went a little too far in the rendering process and ended up slightly over ‘done’. We like to label these containers “for soap” and keep in the fridge until it’s time to make a batch of about 24 bars.
Have you made natural soap before? It’s so rewarding and so so so cheap!
To get started with these you’ll need to buy yourself some grass-fed tallow or make it from scratch. Making tallow is definitely the less expensive option and the one we always choose.
Here’s a video on how to do just that!
Let us know how you go making your own tallow then stay tuned for the next post…
The next blog will include:
How to make tallow moisturiser
Until then, please let us know if you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
A deeper look into this hugely underrated nourishing wholefood + comparing it to plant fat products
Which is better + why?
Why animal fats are better than plant fats
Plant oils are a staple in most pantries. Olive oil, canola, sunflower. Plus a lot of fridges these days have a tub of plant oil margarine on the shelf. Many of these products are touted as “good for lowering cholesterol”, being “heart-healthy” and healthy because they’re low in saturated fat.
If you asked everyone you know “Hey do you think olive oil is healthier than beef fat?” most likely at least 99% of them would say yes. That’s the sad reality of sneaky marketing and BS health advice… it teaches the majority of the population the wrong thing!
One of the main reasons these oils and products are classed as “heart-healthy” is because they contain Phytosterols.
Science shows they can lower cholesterol but there’s a couple main problems with this…
We actually NEED cholesterol for basic cell function, to prevent depression and more.
We’re consuming Phytosterols in larger then recommended quantities due to the inclusion of grains and legumes in the diet.
High ‘bad’ cholesterol is often misdiagnosed as most conventional practitioners don’t fully understand it or the levels we need to have to be ‘healthy’. Dr Chris Kresser has some great info on this and busts a few common myths around cholesterol. Read more here.
Another issue with Phytosterols is they may actually contribute to heart disease, not prevent it. Read more here.
Also, plants contain toxins. How they function in the human body is not how they function when tested in a lab. They contain more anti-nutrients than nutrients. Animal meat and fats don’t.
And how often have you picked an olive from a tree and squeezed out oil to use on your meal or in cooking? Never! Because to extract oil from olives the olives have to go through rigorous processing including high-temp heating. That’s never healthy!
Meat and fat from animals contain almost no anti-nutrients and lots of essential nutrients that are bio-available for the human body. Meaning we can process and use them efficiently without negative effects. This is ideal when eating food. Traditionally, plants were used more for survival situations, to get humans by between animal kills. Dr Paul Saladino talks a lot about this in his podcast interviews and on his website. We highly recommend his book The Carnivore Code too!
And… saturated fat is healthy, in particular, long-chain saturated fats from ruminant animals. Vegetable oils are higher in poly-unsaturated fats which cause insulin resistance. Dr Paul Saladino talks about this in this Facebook video.
The environment impacts
Mono-cropping is a major problem to the environment and it’s the method used for the production of most plant oils. Unless regenerative agriculture practices are used, farming large-scale crops extracts nutrients from the soil. Regenerative agriculture does exactly what the name suggests… it regenerates the land and improves the eco-system!
Rapeseed flour field
Sure, factory farming of cattle is bad. And this goes back to the point in the last blog post of why choosing grass-fed animal products from quality producers using healthy farming techniques is so important.
Diana Rogers– Sustainable Dish uses the message “it’s not the cow, it’s the how” and has some amazing information on the environmental impacts of unhealthy animal farming vs healthy methods, and also the problems with mono-crop production. Her book and doco Sacred Cow are out soon and we’re so excited!
Healthy pasture and environment = healthy cattle
We’ve experienced first hand the benefits of regen ag for both the health of the environment and ourselves. We work part-time on a biodynamic beef and egg farm run by a former bio-chemist (aka scientist!), have hosted educational farm tours there, and have learnt all about the farming practices used and eaten the food produced there. When you understand the full cycle from how an animal is raised to how it can nourish the planet and us, you appreciate the importance of consuming good quality animal products!
Another environmental factor to consider, particularly with consuming the fat, is how much waste is reduced. Apart from eating note-to-tail being a natural and traditional thing for humans to do, from a modern-day viewpoint with how much waste, landfill and pollution we’re tackling we need to incorporate ways to reduce these. If a butcher is including the suet and other fat from an animal in his product range that means less food he’s throwing out. It means we’re making the most of the animal that died for our benefit, and we’re putting less waste into landfill.
Beef is one of the most highly produced and consumed foods in Australia and the supermarkets stock mostly lean cuts or the cuts with minimal fat included, you never see tubs of the fat for sale, so imagine how much goes to waste that isn’t being used in products. Beef fat is actually quite hard to get a hold of, when it should be easy to access because it’s so easy to utilise and so healthy! This has to change!
So there are some good reasons there to do some more research on the benefits of animal fat vs plant fat and make the switch.
Do we consume any plant fats?
Yes, but very rarely now and only good quality. We buy organic olive oil and organic macadamia oil that we really only use for raw purposes and not even on a weekly basis. We used to make paleo ‘mayo’ regularly with olive oil but since going mostly carnivore created an animal-fat alternative… ghee-daise! Using grass-fed ghee to make a sort of hollandaise! Find the recipe here
Creamy homemade ghee-daise
The next post will include:
How we utilise beef fat (as food and on our skin)
How to make tallow
Until then, please let us know if you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
An intro to beef fat + why it’s important to consume
We’ve really upped our beef fat intake since we went mostly carnivore in 2019 and enjoying continually learning about why it’s such a smart move. It’s an incredibly health fat to consume (and use topically which we’ll get into in later posts) but so feared because of the stigma still attached to it in regards to ‘fat being bad’ and ‘saturated fat is harmful’.
Us humans need to be rid of that old outdated and just plain WRONG way of thinking once and for all, do our health a favour and get on the good fat train!
We’re creating a 4-part blog series covering the benefits of beef fat for our health inside and out, how to consume and use it including how to make natural skin products!
This first post is all about why beef fat is so healthy.
The health benefits of good quality beef fat
Beef fat from good quality sources (i.e. grass-fed, organic, bio-dynamic farms) contains essential nutrients the human body needs to functional optimally and it’s thought that raw beef fat in particular contains more ‘bioavailable’ forms of nutrients, then say cooked/rendered fat (e.g. tallow).
What does “bioavailable” mean?
The term “bioavailability” means biological availability and it describes the proportion of a mineral or vitamin in a food, which is available for absorption and utilization in the body. In nutritional science, the bioavailability of vitamins and minerals depends on your nutritional and physiological status. This means that a high nutritional status of a specific vitamin or mineral limits the absorption in the gut and vice versa. The bioavailability of vitamins and minerals is defined as the part of the substance that is absorbed and ready to use. (Sourced from NJORD Nutrition)
Beef fat, raw or rendered, has been proven to contain bioavailable nutrients but we’ve heard a few carnivore diet experts (including doctors) theorise that bioavailability is better in its raw state.
We’ll go into more detail in later posts but there are basically three types of beef fat:
Raw suet – the fat from around the organs such as the kidneys
Raw fat – the fat from other areas of the body
Tallow – any fat that has been rendered
Tip: tallow should be yellow in colour. That’s a sign it’s from grass-fed cattle.
Raw organic minced beef suetRendered grass-fed beef tallow
Now that you have a basic understanding of the types of beef fat let’s talk about specific nutrients their benefits to our health.
Beta-carotene: a natural form of Vitamin A – an essential nutrient – which the body can convert to Vitamin A as needed. Beta-carotene is also an antioxidant, important for protecting the body against free-radicals. Grass contains beta-carotene, grain does not. So grass-fed beef fat is where it’s at!
Vitamin A: the human body converts beta-carotene to Vitamin A as it requires and is the safest form of this Vitamin because supplements can actually cause more harm than good.
Vitamin D: helps the intestine absorb nutrients, prevents osteomalacia and rickets, regulates blood pressure, and assists in the absorption of calcium in the body, that prevents osteoporosis or arthritis. The best form of this is from direct sunlight daily, but foods can help boost our levels safely, as opposed to supplements.
Vitamin E: a group of eight compounds called tocopherols and tocotrienols which reduces cholesterol and the risk of developing diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer
Vitamin K: good for the heart, immune-boosting, bone density, cognitive function, dental health, quicker healing, reducing PMS symptoms and more.
Selenium: a powerful antioxidant, may help prevent some cancers, can help prevent heart disease, important for mental health, thyroid health, immune-boosting, and can help reduce the severity of Asthma.
CLA: Tallow is rich in conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid which, according to some studies, can help burn fat.
Omega-3: helps fight depression and anxiety, improves eye health, promotes brain health during pregnancy and in early life, can improve risk factors for heart disease, can reduce symptoms of ADHD in children, reduces inflammation, may help prevent cancer and many more diseases and symptoms. Beef fat does also contain Omega-6 which is often suggested as something to avoid. It’s all about getting a good ratio of both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which is easier to do when the beef and fat is from grass-fed cattle, as grain-fed meat and fat is extremely high in Omega-6.
The nutrients in beef fat help improve the immune system.
Beef fat is also an excellent form of energy for the human body to use, as opposed to sugar, caffeine and empty carbohydrates
Lean vs fatty cuts of meat
With the importance of balancing out Omega-3’s and 6’s it’s ideal to consume fatty cuts of meat only from good quality sources (farmers using organic and grass-fed/finished methods) but when you can’t access grass-fed beef then that’s when you should opt for the leaner cuts and try to add good quality grass-fed FAT to your meal to make up the fat content.
Keep some grass-fed tallow or suet handy to cook in and top your cooked meats with. We always have minced raw organic suet in the freezer and a jar of rendered grass-fed tallow beside the stove.
The other element to consider when choosing which cuts of meat to buy is the gelatin-factor. This could easily be a post on it’s own as there’s quite a lot of detail with this but basically, we need gelatin with our meat when we consume it and we need to include offal because over a long time if we’re only consuming muscle meat (lean or fatty) such as chicken breasts, thighs off the bone, rump, backstrap etc we can easily get high homasistine levels in the blood which contributes to making us more susceptible to the big diseases such as Diabetes, Heart Disease etc.
This is due to the lack of glycine – a crucial amino acid needed when consuming protein.
It’s found in the collagen and cartilage which is not available with muscle meat alone. The liver produces a small amount but not enough to sustain us, we need it mostly from our food.
An easy way to add it in is to use pure collagen and gelatin powders from grass-fed beef. Collagen powders dissolve without needing to be mixed with hot liquids, you can place a spoonful in cold water and it’ll dissolve perfectly. Gelatin that gels is for making other foods such as fruit gummies or even egg-noodles.
Bone broth contains all the nutrients required to break down meat properly to it’s a good idea to drink some with a muscle meat meal. It contains collagen, gelatin and a stack of essential vitamins and minerals that all work together.
Make your own (ideal) or buy organic bone broth from health food stores, online, local markets etc.
Homemade nourishing bone broth
So the bottom line here is we can become pretty darn healthy from eating good quality meat, fat, and collagen daily. But not on their own – they work best in the body when consumed all together.
The next post will include:
Animal vs plant protein/fat
How to source good quality animal fats
Environmental benefits of using animal fats
Until then, please let us know if you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!
This disclaimer governs your use of Under the Primal Influence Blog. By using this website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, do not use Under the Primal Influence Blog or any affiliated websites, properties, or companies. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. You should therefore check back periodically for changes. By using this website after we post any changes, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
All information and resources found on Under the Primal Influence Blog are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet.
The author of this site encourages you to consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. No information on this site should be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.
None of the posts and articles on Under the Primal Influence Blog may be re-printed without express written permission of the author. Primal Influence will respond to written requests to re-print parts of posts and excerpts/quotes (10% or less) may be reprinted with attribution as long as all links are left intact.
The very first Family WildTime Camp event was held 31 June – 2 July 2017 on the Sunshine Coast, and it was absolutely fantastic!
We’d worked with our co-host Carly from Natureweavers previously and we all knew we just had to organise a sleep-over version of what we all do and love with our regular services and programs. So we made it happen!
The goal was to provide families with a true nature camping experience, including some ‘wild’ elements with the environment around and the activities, plus some ‘luxury’ by doing all the cooking, washing and organising for them so it was an ‘easy’ camping trip for them and they could get the most out of the workshops and time there.
On the Friday afternoon we welcomed 16 campers to our semi-wild space camp facility in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland, helping them set up their tents and bedding, sat their camp chairs around the fire pit, showed them around the property and kicked off the activities with Clint’s Primal Play Class for the kids to join in on.
Because it’s Winter the sun set fairly early so dinner time crept up quickly. We were a little late getting the roast chickens from Cotton Tree Meats and veggies into the camp ovens but when dinner did finally come campers had a selection of plain roast chicken meat or freshly picked lemon myrtle flavoured, alongside a variety of hearty Winter veggies.
Dessert, of course, was marshmallows! And because the food element of this event was themed around ‘healthy and simple’ eating, the ingredients used were Paleo-friendly meaning this usually ‘naughty’ fun camping treat was actually healthy! Bonus!
The kids had earliersearched for the perfect marshmallow stick so were well equipped for optimal toasting and eating!
Some campers were tired after a big day of driving and playing so they hopped into their cosy beds in their tents while a few stayed up to chat around the fire. The fire area is where some really fantastic conversations are had and connections are made – a hugely important element to any camping trip.
Saturday morning campers bellies were filled with beautiful campfire-cooked foods including bacon and eggs from Piggy in the Middle , cooked veggies and yummy Eclipse Organics Paleo muesli with coconut milk, raw Hum Honey drizzled on and some fresh fruit. Oh and of course plenty of hot coffee, tea and hot chocolates were made!
Everyone all fueled up, the sun shining, Carly and Tanya took the kids for a nature adventure where they learned how to make fire and build cubby houses!
While the kids were off having fun the adults were invited to join in on Clint’s Natural Fitness Class where he introduced them to a variety of natural human movement activities and fun games. Our littlest camper Tilly also joined in, being held by mum Madeleine during some of the activities, as well as Clint, and giggled throughout the Pool Noodle Jumping games! It was so cute, and everyone had a lot of fun moving and playing.
Trying new games like those played in the class can be daunting for some adults, whose perception of adult play and also their own capabilities being quite limited, but every parent got in there and had a go. With the laughter I could hear from the kitchen and the smiles on faces as they walked down the hill after class, Clint’s goal of ensuring everyone had a great time was achieved!
Before the kids were due back we utilised that time for the parents and gave them the opportunity to learn some healthy camp meal ideas, getting stuck intoPaleo Burger Making which would be everyone’s lunch.
Each person helped with preparing the different elements of the burgers, including making melting ‘cheese’, Paleo mayo, slicing up the salad ingredients, stacking the huge cos lettuce leaves (used as buns), slicing the Paleo Rolls buns and cooking the Highbrit Beef patties over coals so everything was laid out and ready to assemble as desired come lunchtime.
It wasn’t a sneaky ploy of mine to have the campers make lunch as one less meal for me to do, but it was nice having others chip in to get it done and enjoying the process as well.
The small tribe still weren’t back and the parents realised it was the perfect chance to feast before having to worry about their kids’ meals. Smart thinking! They made their burgers, dug in, and finished eating just in time for the kids’ return.
Then the littlies tucked into goodies and everyone was fed and happy!
For an hour or so it was then ‘free-range’ time; campers could do whatever they felt like.
Some of the kids played in the creek, some explored the bushes around the camp area, some made up games to play with each other, and adults chatted, napped and relaxed.
The day wasn’t over though, there was still plenty more fun to be had!
Tanya held a fantastic Lantern Making Workshop where the kids and their parents could sit together in a shady part of the property and learn how to make beautiful lanterns using simple household items. A great way to recycle, work together, and use creativity and imagination.
Later the fiinished creations were hung from trees with tea light candles placed inside so they could be seen come nightfall.
That morning’s Fire Making adventures had been really successful so now it was time for the kids to show their parents what they’d learned about making fire and keeping it going.
Carly chatted to the parents about what this activity was all about, the benefits, the challenges, and the parents were able to see it firsthand.
Some frustration and impatience were noticeable but one of the main points was to allow the kids to work through and overcome these emotions.
All of them achieved fire, eventually! Yay!
And they were excited to be able to toast a marshmallow or two on the fire they created! What an exciting moment!
Of course, while all this was happening, dinner was being made and we knew it was going to be a cold night so we wanted to ensure campers had a big plate of hot food and mugs of hot drinks to warm them up.
Oh and a toasty fire to sit by too!
On the menu on Saturday night was Cotton Tree Meats grass-fed diced lamb with veggies cooked in the camp ovens for a few hours to become nice and soft and mushy.
Marshmallows were enjoyed again (not too many, they are made of honey and too much sugar right before bed is not fun!)
A very cold start to Sunday saw early risers heading straight for the jugs of boiled water at the drink station to make hot drinks to warm up with, as well as congregating around the fire egging Clint on to make it bigger!
Hands were warmed, brekkie was had, hot chocolates with marshmallows were downed, bellies were filled with food, and a morning full of activities was about to begin…
Carly and Tanya took the kids for another nature adventure where they explored the area just outside of the property, identifying useful plants, and becoming more aware of their natural surroundings.
The parents stuck around to learn about all the bushfoods in season at the time, being able to forage for and taste them, ask questions, and get ideas for native edible plants they could perhaps grow at home.
We’re very lucky to have access to this beautiful property that just happens to be covered in bush tucker plants thanks to the owner who’s a local bush tucker guru.
The group found and tried Lilly Pilly, Finger Limes, Wild Currants, Lemon Myrtle, Aniseed Myrtle and a few greens as well. Unique and interesting flavours and a unique and interesting experience!
To round off the activities, the parents then were able to benefit from some Forest Therapy and a Rock Stacking Mindfulness Workshop at the creek. Forest Therapy is basically about using all of our senses, preferably in a forest setting, to absorb a huge dose of earthing and healing from nature to greatly benefit our health. It’s also a form of meditation without actually ‘meditating’ as it’s typically performed, and it’s time-out to unwind and de-stress from our busy lives.
Once everyone felt calm and relaxed the rock stacking activity was for them to stack rocks however they desired and then to look back over the whole experience noticing their thoughts and behaviours. Not to judge or try to change those thoughts and actions, but to simply recognise them and get to know themselves better – how they handle challenging situations, how they go about achieving tasks set out for them, what their attitude is, and how they find joy. Awareness is key.
Each person approached the activity differently and it was really insightful to hear their thoughts about that afterwards.
It was a lovely way to end the weekend and as if on cue, the kids ran back just as we finished!
Then it was time to pack up <sniff> so we could hold a Closing Circle around the fire, where we drank some freshly brewed billy bushfoods tea, Carly gave out small gifts to the kids, and we thanked everyone for coming along to the first ever Family WildTime Camp.
Wow, what a weekend! Even though we experienced a few ticks and ant bites, dirt, dropped gooey marshmallows, and cold nights… everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Phew! And hey, that’s bush camping right?!
We hope our campers have implemented some of what they learned throughout those days into their regular lives and noticing changes and benefits. We sure learned a lot and are grateful for the experience, especially meeting so many wonderful people and being able to bring them to this beautiful space and enjoy a stack of nature for a few days.
If you liked the sound of this event and would like to attend one in the future simply register toPrimal E-newsto stay up to date with all of our nature-based events and activities. And feel free to get in touch with us, we’d love to connect with you!
A HUGE thank you to all of our amazing sponsors (mentioned above) who kindly supplied us with top quality food and products, plus Sunshine Coast Spring Water for our delicious drinking water!
Also, thank you to our helper Sarah who gave a lot of valuable time with the cooking and washing.
And thank you to Carly (and Tanya) from Natureweavers for all of your magic! Clint and I love you!
Aimee (and Clint!) x
Nature-based Health, Fitness + Food Coaching
pull out the recycled paper and cardboard and MAKE something unique! We also enjoy blowing real eggs out and then painting them, and storing them like Christmas decorations to bring out each year! We have an ‘Easter Tree’ that tends to be minimalist branches/sticks foraged and painted white to hang the painted eggs onto.
Under the Primal Influence 