I Gained 92 lbs in one day.
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caribougal
Posts: 865 Member
Yes, I gained 92 lbs. Or rather, my chest freezer did.
Note to vegans... you might want to click off of this post now.
I've been a big fan of Michael Pollan's books for several years now, and have been trying over the last few years to do my share of locavore consumerism by buying produce from local sources. I've been part of a veggie CSA for several summers now, and I try to choose the local version of whatever I buy at Whole Foods. But it was an off-on kind of thing.
I started my weight loss journey in July and decided to eat according to the Primal Blueprint (www.marksdailyapple.com). I realized that this way of eating really works for me, it fits with my food philosophy, and is something I can enjoy and maintain well after I get to my weight loss goal.
One of the major principles of eating "Primal" is to eat the best quality meat you can afford. If that means eating less meat in order to afford the best stuff, that's what you shoot for. And best quality meat means humanely-raised grass-fed/finished beef, pastured eggs and chicken (meaning they actually walk around freely and eat bugs and worms), hogs raised the old-fashioned way in a pen with room to move and eating healthy stuff... you get the idea. These animals eat what they are meant to be eating, are healthy and less stressed, and that means their meat is healthier to consume.
The thing is, buying best quality meat from the store is EXPENSIVE. Yes, your money is well-spent because it's going to support sustainable farming practices, and usually your money is going to small local businesses rather than industrial farm kingpins, but still... it's hard on the wallet. I definitely have saved money eating Primal overall, because I no longer buy as much processed stuff (I still by for my family, but I don't eat it) or on-the-go meals. But it's hard to swallow when you fork over $14.99 for a sirloin, or $7.99 for ground beef.
So, I decided to bite the bullet and commit to a cow. I did some searching to find a source for local grass-fed beef. I found an awesome little farm a couple of miles away, emailed them, and found out that they had just delivered some cows to the local butcher, and it was perfect timing for me to buy into a 1/4 cow.
I picked up my share yesterday. The butcher was awesome... a small processing operation run by a husband and wife team. They had signs all over that said that they treated the animals humanely, and only certified employees could handle moving animals. Of course, sterile certificates all over the place also. They old guy who loaded up my car was a riot... a 70-year old flirt.
Here's what I got:
92 lbs of packaged grass-fed beef.
- 4 T-bone steaks
- 4 arm roasts (I looked this up, because how could the cow have 4 arms? It's not the arm. It's part of the chuck.)
- 1 Oxtail (which I thought always came from an ox, but I guess not)
- 3 Round Steaks
- 2 packs of liver
- 1 MASSIVE Tongue. That I could have done without. It looks scary. I ate tongue as a kid, tasted like corned beef. Yikes.
- 2 Cube Steaks
- 6 packs of stew meat
- 1 Heart. I never ate cow heart before, but I know how important organ meat is, so.. eventually I'll cook that up somehow.
- 1 Flank
- 1 Tenderloin Filet
- 4 Sirloin Steaks
- 3 Ribeye Steaks
- 1 Rump Roast
- 4 Chuck Roasts
- 1 huge pack of short ribs
- 1 Brisket
- 2 packs of soup bones for broth
- 28 lbs of ground beef, packed in 1 lb packages
and, not counted in the weight total, were 30 marrow bones for the dog (or soup stock).
That's a hell of a lot of meat. It will definitely last a whole year, and I'll gift some of it to my mom.
After paying the farm their share and the butcher their share, the total cost came to $560, for 92 lbs of meat. Cost per lb is $6.07 for grass-fed beef. Now THAT is a price I like seeing. And, I don't have to buy any more red meat at the store for a year.
I was thinking I would buy a goat or a bunch of whole pastured chickens to vary the protein I eat, but that will have to wait until there's some room in the freezer. As of now... it's filled to the brim. I'll have to buy those as I go until I have space for bulk.
If you've thought about wanting to eat better quality meat and supporting local farmers, now is the time. Go to www.eatwild.com to find some local sources. I'm so glad that I did.
Bon appetit and Santé.
Note to vegans... you might want to click off of this post now.
I've been a big fan of Michael Pollan's books for several years now, and have been trying over the last few years to do my share of locavore consumerism by buying produce from local sources. I've been part of a veggie CSA for several summers now, and I try to choose the local version of whatever I buy at Whole Foods. But it was an off-on kind of thing.
I started my weight loss journey in July and decided to eat according to the Primal Blueprint (www.marksdailyapple.com). I realized that this way of eating really works for me, it fits with my food philosophy, and is something I can enjoy and maintain well after I get to my weight loss goal.
One of the major principles of eating "Primal" is to eat the best quality meat you can afford. If that means eating less meat in order to afford the best stuff, that's what you shoot for. And best quality meat means humanely-raised grass-fed/finished beef, pastured eggs and chicken (meaning they actually walk around freely and eat bugs and worms), hogs raised the old-fashioned way in a pen with room to move and eating healthy stuff... you get the idea. These animals eat what they are meant to be eating, are healthy and less stressed, and that means their meat is healthier to consume.
The thing is, buying best quality meat from the store is EXPENSIVE. Yes, your money is well-spent because it's going to support sustainable farming practices, and usually your money is going to small local businesses rather than industrial farm kingpins, but still... it's hard on the wallet. I definitely have saved money eating Primal overall, because I no longer buy as much processed stuff (I still by for my family, but I don't eat it) or on-the-go meals. But it's hard to swallow when you fork over $14.99 for a sirloin, or $7.99 for ground beef.
So, I decided to bite the bullet and commit to a cow. I did some searching to find a source for local grass-fed beef. I found an awesome little farm a couple of miles away, emailed them, and found out that they had just delivered some cows to the local butcher, and it was perfect timing for me to buy into a 1/4 cow.
I picked up my share yesterday. The butcher was awesome... a small processing operation run by a husband and wife team. They had signs all over that said that they treated the animals humanely, and only certified employees could handle moving animals. Of course, sterile certificates all over the place also. They old guy who loaded up my car was a riot... a 70-year old flirt.
Here's what I got:
92 lbs of packaged grass-fed beef.
- 4 T-bone steaks
- 4 arm roasts (I looked this up, because how could the cow have 4 arms? It's not the arm. It's part of the chuck.)
- 1 Oxtail (which I thought always came from an ox, but I guess not)
- 3 Round Steaks
- 2 packs of liver
- 1 MASSIVE Tongue. That I could have done without. It looks scary. I ate tongue as a kid, tasted like corned beef. Yikes.
- 2 Cube Steaks
- 6 packs of stew meat
- 1 Heart. I never ate cow heart before, but I know how important organ meat is, so.. eventually I'll cook that up somehow.
- 1 Flank
- 1 Tenderloin Filet
- 4 Sirloin Steaks
- 3 Ribeye Steaks
- 1 Rump Roast
- 4 Chuck Roasts
- 1 huge pack of short ribs
- 1 Brisket
- 2 packs of soup bones for broth
- 28 lbs of ground beef, packed in 1 lb packages
and, not counted in the weight total, were 30 marrow bones for the dog (or soup stock).
That's a hell of a lot of meat. It will definitely last a whole year, and I'll gift some of it to my mom.
After paying the farm their share and the butcher their share, the total cost came to $560, for 92 lbs of meat. Cost per lb is $6.07 for grass-fed beef. Now THAT is a price I like seeing. And, I don't have to buy any more red meat at the store for a year.
I was thinking I would buy a goat or a bunch of whole pastured chickens to vary the protein I eat, but that will have to wait until there's some room in the freezer. As of now... it's filled to the brim. I'll have to buy those as I go until I have space for bulk.
If you've thought about wanting to eat better quality meat and supporting local farmers, now is the time. Go to www.eatwild.com to find some local sources. I'm so glad that I did.
Bon appetit and Santé.
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Replies
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AWESOME on all accounts. Good food comes from farmers not corporations.0
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Michael Pollan is one of my favorite authors and I have used CSA's. I love the local farmers market and grow some of my own veggies. Kudos to you for researching and finding a great local butcher for local healthy meat!0
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My family used to ev ery year get either a whole pig or a whole cow from a raiser/butcher and it was seriously the best stuff ever. I can't remember why we stopped but you made me want to look into it!
Also my uncle is a cattle rancher in Illinois and I swear to god those cows are happier than I am. They have 42 acres to do whatever it is cows do all day. And they end up delicious! haha.0 -
Why do I keep reading your posts; you are always making me so jealous! And hungry!
But glad that more and more people are concerned about the quality of meat, not just for our health, but for the health of the animals and environment. There is nothing unethical about consuming other life, because we aren't able to harness our own energy from the sun. Plants and animals are both living beings and we must eat them (or at least one of them) to live. There's no need for an ethical stance (imo) on what kind of life we consume EXCEPT that every life form has the right to a healthy, happy life while they are living and to be treated with respect while harvesting. I hate abuse, and that even extends to plants in regards to what is happening in the food industry in the last century.
I'm not perfect, except the wild food that I occasionally get given to me, I do have to rely on the garbage in the store, but I do the best I can and I am researching to find a meat supplier who will ship to me.
I love your posts Caribougal. I have moments of thinking that I need to move to Colorado (or other places where food choice exists in abundance)... but this Arctic dweller doesn't transplant well to the south.
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MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm0
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I have rancher friends I am excited to say that when the butcher comes a calling I am getting grass fed, antibiotic free, hormone free beef in my freezer! SO EXCITED! It is SOOOOO good! They were worried we would not like the flavor and had us over to sample a last years cow. They are crazy best beef EVER!0
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My family does this too!!! But one idea, which we take part in, is to find someone to 'go halfsies' with lol. Our family, and another family that we are associated with through work, both had the same interest, but not NEARLY enough freezer space to fit an entire cow, so we split it
It has worked great for about five years now! 0 -
oh man....I am drooling at the thought.0
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YUMM!! Did our first vegetable CSA this year and I fell back in love with the great natural flavors of veggies - Our eggs are farm fresh straight from the chicken and the flavors really are so much better - our next venture is to find a local butcher to get great fresh meat!!0
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this post is bad *kitten*. way to go girl. my parent's have been doing this for years. they go all in with a friend and split a whole cow, so i usually end up with about 20 pounds of different cuts. and, i recently got a 15 pound pork share from my local veggie csa for $40 bucks! booyah.0
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just got 1/2 a cow about 2 weeks ago
super money saver!0 -
That's pretty awesome. I was thinking about doing this with a goat, haha.0
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I'm not a huge meat eater, but honestly- if you're gonna eat meat, make it GOOD. Local farmer, fresh critter, GOOD JOB
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Thanks for that link to eatwild.com I had never heard of them before and just a quick look should me a ton of local producers.
This is something I've been wanting to do for awhile, as I grew up on beef and pork that we raised and butchered ourselves and nothing from the stores even comes close. Step one: convince my husband that I really, really need a chest freezer (and a space in the garage cleaned out to store it in).0 -
Wow!! We live in a little apartment with no space for half a freaking cow, but if I could do it, I would! Nothing more delicious than a happy, well-raised cow.0
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How long does the meat last? My food budget is $1000/yr, so the cow would be over half, and I don't think I could eat that much cow without getting sick of it if the meat lasted only a year.0
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It seems my invitation to supper at your house got lost, so could you send it again? :drinker:0
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Love this! I love Michael Pollan and I love local eating and gardening. Another fun read for you if you like this stuff is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - I LOVED THIS BOOK. It's a genuinely entertaining read in addition to being informative.
There's a farmer who comes in to town every other weekend to sell his grass-finished beef and eggs from his free-range hens. His steaks are the best I've ever had. We haven't committed to a whole cow yet (or half, or a quarter..), but I think with two dogs we could totally justify it (beef heart doesn't appeal to me, but I think it will appeal to them!)0 -
Wow - thats a lot of cow. Sounds like a great deal - and great job supporting local farms!
As for the goat.... Im assuming you have had it since you are looking to buy it. My husband is from Ghana and goat is a staple - he loves it. I dont. More so, I dont like the way my house smells after he cooks it. Eww. So, if by chance you havent ever cooked it - be warned, it stinks! 0 -
That is just super! I would really love to go in on a beef quarter from a local rancher but my current freezer situation will not allow it. I do not eat a lot of meat (for multiple reasons) which means that I can afford to buy the grass fed, locally raised, free range, delicious stuff. I joined a CSA this year and all the fresh veg was so good. I am really dissapointed that I have to buy so much at the grocery now that CSA is on a brief break between seasons.
This is another good place to start looking for local producers in your area: http://www.localharvest.org/
It's where I found my CSA and I absoluetly love my farmer!0
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