Paleo Cookies for Cavemen

My wife was lucky enough to get a sampling of Caveman Cookies and I was lucky enough to get to eat them.  We've been on a journey, changing the way we eat and workout, following the Paleo lifestyle.  Treats have changed as well.  Caveman Cookies are a gluten-free, all natural paleo cookie treat. 

The cookies were sweet and chewy, with subtle flavors. I was partial to the New World Cookie, with pumpkin and cranberries and the little bit of spice in the Rain Forest cookie.  Sadly, they don't have a chocolate chip cookie (made with dark chocolate to keep it paleo). Yet.  They've since added a hazelnut and carob based cookie which would be pretty nice to try.

These cookies are not crisp cookies, but soft and chewy. That's not something that everybody goes for, but I'm a chewy cookie kind of guy. A nice, chewy molasses cookie.

These are great cookies to keep around as snacks. I have two still in my messenger back, waiting for when I need a paleo treat.  But, keep in mind, its a paleo treat. That doesn't make it the same as a cookie with wheat flour, sugar and butter.  Save those for your cheat days and grab a Caveman cookie on the day that you want to be good, but still treat your self.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post, other than cookies. I'll do a lot for cookies (like donate blood), but it'll still be ethical and honest.

Changing a timer switch with Dad

"Hey, do you want to get electrocuted," I yelled up the stairs.

Slightly interested, Kid 3 came down the stairs. I knew how to lure in an 11 year old.

"Let's do some electrical work. You always get electrocuted when you do electrical work."

I had to swap out the timer for the whole house fan.  It hasn't worked all summer and since summer is almost over (I actually hope it sticks around for a while), I really needed to get it changed.  It would  be a simple job, pull out the old one, wire cap the new one in and BOOM, the whole house fan would be on a timer.

He had a slight look of chagrin. "Okay, we can do it together, and it's best to turn off the electricity when you do electrical work."

So, he and I went out to the garage, I turned off the furnace circuit and he verified it (team work!) was off and we got started.  He removed the old face plate and loosened the switch from the box. I showed him to check for any contacts before pulling out the switch, but he pulled it out.

I removed the old wire caps and showed him how to put on new ones.  He got the wires spliced together and then screwed everything back in again.

Now we have a working timer on the whole house fan and he knows a bit about electrical work.

And I didn't even make a shock sound as he touched some bare piece of metal.

International Food Blogger's Conference 2013

Later this month, I'm going to take a day off from work. Yep, a vacation day. I've been looking forward to this one for a while. The third weekend of September, Seattle is hosting the International Food Blogger's Conference. It's going to be three days of tasting, learning blog techniques and meeting other foodies!


The breakout sessions look to be pretty interesting.  I'm particularly looking forward to several of them. 

As my family has made the transition to living Paleo and eating clean, I've been taking many food photos on Instagram. I've been working on my food presentation because food that looks good tastes better.  Andrew Scrivani, from the New York Times, will be giving a food photography presentation. It looks to be pretty interesting and many people on the internet are excited about it too!

I'm a geek and a geek that likes to cook.  I've read about Sous Vide and how you can make a DIY sous vide cooker.  Combining science (and geeky science) with cooking is just awesome.  Scott Heimedinger is going to lead a breakout session on "everything you've ever wanted to know about cooking sous vide at home."  His title is Director of Applied Research at Modernist Cuisine, how cool is that? I'm hoping to learn a lot about this technique (and maybe hoping for some really cool swag like a sous vide machine).

I blog to keep my writing skills up, which does pay off.  But there will be a few breakout sessions on how to make your blog more effective and make a bigger impact.  I'm a fan of continual learning and self-improvement, so these sessions have made my list.  And when the presentation is made by a writer for the New York Times, I'm sure I can learn a thing or two (or three or four).

Through out all this, I'm looking forward to eating samples from interacting with brands I already know and love like Dry Soda, LaraBar, Chipotle and Bob's Red Mill.  It'll be neat to learn about Northern Divine, a caviar producer in British Columbia!

We're going to get to taste some of the great local Seattle food scene with tastings and even a dinner with a sampling menu from some excellent Seattle restaurants.  Send me to Cupcake Royale for dinner, please!

I hope I didn't make you drool on your keyboard, but you've got to agree, it looks like its going to be a fun few days.

If you're going to be at IFBC, let me know in the comments, maybe follow me on Twitter or add me to your IFBC list. I've got my IFBC list and I'd be happy to add you to it! I look forward to meeting other bloggers who love food like I do!