General brands we love
Within these brands it’s hard to go wrong!
- Primal Kitchen. salad dressings, ketchup, mayo, mustard, collagen bars, and more.
- Epic Provisions. we love their meat bars! also their pork rinds.
- Country Archer Provisions. especially for their beef jerky and meat bars.
- Siete Family Foods. chips, tortillas, and hot sauces!
- Nutiva. coconut oil, coconut butter, and more.
Bars and jerky
Everyone needs some good bars for on-the-go and in a pinch. These are our top picks.
- Epic bars – LOVE THEM. seasoned meat bars made from the highest quality animals, and they all taste amazing.
- Country Archer beef jerky – TOP NOTCH. 100% grass-fed, and all ingredients check out.
- Primal Kitchen collagen bars – made with a scoop of collagen, low in sugar, perfect.
- Chomps meat snacks – high quality and amazing.
- LÄRABAR! basically a dessert bar, so only on rare occasions and in small amounts. the ingredients are simple.
Sauces, dressings
Remember, as long as the ingredients check out, condiments can complement our real food way of eating!
- Love ALL of these salad dressings from Primal Kitchen.
- Our favorite mayonnaise from Primal Kitchen. we also love this one by Chosen Foods.
- Best option for organic ketchup, Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup. We also love this one.
- Organic yellow mustard.
- Several BBQ sauces including Primal Kitchen and Bone Sucking.
- Love this fish sauce, we put it on everything!
- Gluten-free organic tamari sauce is gluten-free soy sauce, in the deal, and amazing. But if you insist on a soy sauce alternative, try these coconut aminos!
- We love this sriracha sauce.
- We love Cholula hot sauce, and love JoJo’s Jerky sauces!!!
Chips, crackers, pork rinds
- Looking for a dipping chip? Try our favorite from Siete Family Foods!
- We love these potato chips from Jackson’s Honest.
- Hu Kitchen grain-free crackers.
- Julian Bakery Paleo & Primal Thin Crackers.
- We love these salt & pepper pork rinds from Epic Provisions. Their BBQ seasoning ones are amazing too.
- We also love these jalapeno pork cracklings from Epic Provisions. And these maple bacon ones.
Canned seafood
animal meats
conventional meats are fine < hormone antibiotic free better < grass-fed / pasture-raised best.
remember we’re looking for maximum nutrients and nutrient synergy = bone in, skin on, fatty cuts when possible :)
- We love getting local bulk meats from VegasFoodCoop.com if in Vegas.
- ButcherBox butcherbox.com.
- U.S. Wellness Meats grasslandbeef.com.
- Nosetotail.org great place for meat and organ meats.
- Whiteoakpastures.com for online ordering of meats.
- My favorite place for organ blends – Force of Nature Meats.
For healthy fats
healthy fats need to be included in every meal, for a signal of fat-based energy, and to help absorb fat-soluble nutrients. ideally, healthy fats are traditional, minimally processed, and good quality such as hormone antibiotic free, grass-fed, and/or organic.
- Butter. Any butter will be great, as long as it’s real butter. For better quality options, look for grass-fed such as KerryGold.
- For coconut oil, look for organic, cold-pressed such as this one from Nutiva.
- For ghee (clarified butter), we LOVE this one from Ancient Organics and this one from 4th & Heart. Remember, ghee can be used just like butter, esp if you have dairy intolerances.
- For olive oil, we only recommend California Olive Ranch, always. Many other olive oils have been tested as fraudulent! Visit truthinoliveoil.com.
- Try this avocado oil from Primal Kitchen.
- Our preferred coconut cream / milk, this is our absolute favorite, and then here is our favorite canned version, and we also love this one.
- Animal fats, we LOVE FatWorks for lard, tallow, duck, chicken, lamb, goose, wild boar fats. Check them out here.
Sweets, sweeteners & powders
- We love this raw, unfiltered, and unpasteurized honey.
- Our favorite Vermont maple syrup.
- This is the best stevia product, it has the least ingredients and NOW is a great company.
- Try this cocoa powder.
- For making desserts, try these dark chocolate chips by Enjoy Life.
- A low / non-sugar option for dark chocolate chips.
- These have to be our favorite dark chocolate bars.
Ice creams
Although there are probably many that check out as far as ingredients go, these are our top picks:
- Straus ice creams are our top pick! look for them in most health food stores.
- Jeni’s Ice Cream. expensive but very high-quality.
- Halo Top Creamery. MOST check out but please read the ingredients! and also be aware – sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol are fine, but some people experience digestive issues with them, so test it out.
Basic spices
- Get some black pepper http://amzn.to/2nsz4KQ
- For unrefined sea salt try:
- Redomond’s Real Salt https://amzn.to/2EaZXf8
- Celtic Salt https://amzn.to/34ltMoh
- Organic ceylon cinnamon, the best for blood sugar handling (and tastes great) http://amzn.to/2oewKXE
Nut and seed butters and spreads
- SunButter is my favorite nut/seed butter spread! http://amzn.to/2nrXgwM
- Nothing but roasted almonds in this one! http://amzn.to/2oe7osP
- Roasted macadamia nut butter http://amzn.to/2nemTiT
Sparkling / carbonated beverages
Use sparkling water as a compliment to your overall hydration goals. The majority of the water you drink should be pure, and then mineralized yourself. And then you can have sparkling water periodically to add variety and flavor.
- My favorite is Topo Chico.
- My second favorite is Gerolsteiner.
- La Croix has some great options http://amzn.to/2o2YVeM
- Zevia checks out, stay with their soda line, do not venture into energy drinks http://amzn.to/2odSenu
For mineralized hydration
- We love LMNT packets.
- For liquid trace minerals to add to your water:
Seafood – Vital Choice
have you heard of Vital Choice?! we could all do better about getting quality seafood in our diet. Vital Choice IS THE PLACE! Vital Choice is a trusted source for fast home delivery of the world’s finest wild seafood and organic fare, harvested from healthy, well-managed wild fisheries and farms. ALL FRESHLY CAUGHT AND FLASH FROZEN, DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME.
Sweet Potato Awesome
this guy lives in Vegas and his stuff is AMAZING. these “slices” go great with everything. looking for a “chip” to dip with? something to make a sandwhich with? or check out any of these other 333 ways to use them!
my favorite knives
- Global G-4 – 7 inch, 18cm Oriental Chef’s Knife http://amzn.to/1WugNXF
- Global GS-38 – 3 1/2 inch, 9cm Western Style Paring Knife http://amzn.to/1R1q5do
- how to cut properly :) https://stellaculinary.com/cooking-videos/culinary-knife-skills
recommended cookware
recommended items for your kitchen, check out this video on real food cooking and food prep tips :)
- enamel cast iron http://amzn.to/1Wuhb8E
- 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Lid http://amzn.to/1SWIFVs
- Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet http://amzn.to/1WuhDn6
- Crock-Pot Programmable Cook and Carry Oval Slow Cooker, 6-Quart http://amzn.to/1pOTiy8
- Weber Original Instant-Read Thermometer http://amzn.to/1SWJ4Ho
- Pyrex Basics Clear Oblong Glass Baking Dishes, 2 Piece Value Plus Pack Set http://amzn.to/1pOTAVK
- Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil, 200 Sq Ft http://amzn.to/1WuijJb
reusable stuff
we all care about our planet and environment. reduce your toxic consumption of all these “to go” things, and replace them with your own reusable stuff! I carry my spork and canteens everywhere!
- TOAKS Titanium Spork http://amzn.to/1WuiAfm
- Klean Kanteen http://amzn.to/1SWJT2T
- Hydro Flask http://amzn.to/1pOUbqm
- Eco Vessel http://amzn.to/1pOUbqm
basic cleaning recommendations
Conventional Wisdom would have us believe that we need a separate cleaner for every surface and every situation! counter-top cleaner. toilet bowl cleaner. shower cleaner. sink cleaner. etc.
all you need are some basic things, and they can do it all for you.
- I would highly recommend getting these glass spray bottles.
- fill one of them with half distilled vinegar and half water. use this as a natural cleaner, deodorizer, and disinfectant on any and all surfaces, especially those that may come into contact with food. vinegar can be used for so many things, it’s natural, safe, non-toxic, and versatile!
- fill one of them with 1/3rd Miracle II Miracle Soap and the rest water. use this as your multi-purpose cleaner for all situations.
- right now, Miracle II Miracle Soap is my favorite all-purpose cleaner. I use it for EVERYTHING. counter-tops, floors, toilets, showers, you name it.
- I love Miracle II Moisturizing Miracle Soap for my shower soap. I just put a squirt in my hand and use it to bathe my entire body.
- my next favorite choice for all-purpose cleaner is Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soaps. this can be used for anything as well.
- Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar Soaps are great for using on your body in the shower.
- for dish detergent for washing dishes in the sink, we recommend Seventh Generation Dish Liquid.
- for dishwashing machine detergent, we recommend Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent Packs.
- for laundry detergent, we recommend Seventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent.