Today I went to the C & F Meat Co., Inc. right outside of M'boro as you pass over the 840 while on Hwy 96 towards Franklin. It is about a 10 minute drive. It is a processing plant and market that is family owned. Beefalo is their primary emphasis, but they also carry pork, rabbit, goat, and free range chicken. When I asked if they were grain or grass fed, I was told that they were grass fed, but grain fed the last 2 months. All meats are USDA inspected (which doesn't mean all that much to me after seeing Food, Inc.! I don't really want the govt. involved in the food I eat!). Anyway, you can buy from them Monday through Saturday. You can call 615-395-4819 with questions or orders. The woman that helped me was very friendly, even though I did not get greeted right away. It has a small town feel to it, which I like. They carry rubs and sauces and jams and honey to accompany their meats!
Here's some eye raising facts about Beefalo!:
-naturally raised (no hormones, grass fed, but grain finished)
-less calories than tuna!
-1/5 the fat of regular beef!
-3/4 the cholesterol of chicken!
I found this chart very interesting on test results that compared 3.5 oz portions of the following cuts of protein:
Cholesterol Fat Calories
Fish 70mgs .3 gr 76
Tuna 70 .8 127
Chicken 60 1.9 117
Beef 70 19.6 352
Lean Beef 63 6.0 130
Beefalo 47 4.2 119
What is Beefalo exactly? It is bred of bison and domestic cattle. It contains 3/16ths Buffalo. Beefalo retains the nutritional advantages of buffalo, while preserving the taste of quality beef. Because it is leaner, it is more digestable and it cooks in 1/3 to 1/2 the time of beef with less shrinkage. C & F raises their beefalo without the use of growth hormones, steroids, and unnecessary antibiotics. The lean red meat of Beefalo is a finer more digestable texture, and a slightly sweeter flavor. So, try some Beefalo today! :)
I will post later how our New York Strip Beefalo and our Beefalo sausage patties cook and taste. I also bought some free range chicken breasts and their very own ground beef. They were out of ground beefalo, so I plan on going back to get some in a week or two. It may be premature to tell you about them before I try the product, but I was too excited about this nutritional info to not pass it on right now! Plus, they have been there for 15+ years- I have driven by them for that long, anyway, over the years. Many people around here buy whole pigs to roast at gatherings. And even more, it is a beautiful drive to College Grove (Before Triune).
About this blog
In other words, the Zone + Crossfit = Optimal Heath!
This blog focuses on nutrition, using the Zone Diet as the basis. However, I often eat Paleo foods in Zone proportions.
I love to investigate anything having to do with food- what we eat and why. And what happens within our bodies, our organs, our brain, when we do? My precious mother struggled with eating disorders. I want to avoid this delimma based on research, common sense, and the natural consequences on my body. The Zone shows me where the balance lies between eating too much and eating too little.
My husband runs a Crossfit gym. Exercise and choosing the right foods have become a mission for ourselves and our children. We don't want to be nerds about it, we just want to be healthy.
I have been asked by several friends what I feed our family, especially our kids. My husband and I follow the Crossfit prescription to nutrition (meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar). If you know me, you know that the sugar part of this equation will be a life long struggle given my love for chocolate! Evan adheres to the stricter version known as the Paleo-Zone diet (and I do on my good days!) which requires the same foods in a ratio of 40% protein, 30% carb, and 30% fat. Children require 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. If you're wondering how to figure this out, I do it on a per meal basis and I have a "block" chart from the Zone website.
It seems like a headache at first, but if you're interested, just know that it is not that bad once you practice it for a couple of weeks. All you need is a $10 scale and some determination. It really is quite simple and makes my life easier at the grocery store and when cooking dinner. Most of all, I feel great when I eat well- mentally and physically, and we all know that the physical can affect the mental and visa versa!
Evan and I are hunter/gatherer wanna-be's! This blog will track my journey of health as it should be, and the honest reality of living in a sugar fried culture. When it comes down to it, I get excited to talk about nutrition, but I am definitely not perfect at it! If you have the desire to eat well, but it is often a challenge to overcome the temptations along the way, then you are in the right company!
I hope you leave this blog feeling enlightened and encouraged as you go throughout your day!
Today I cooked the New York Strip Beefalo in olive oil. I usually just cook meat in our cast iron skillet on the stove top with Oil and salt and pepper. Beefalo, however, needs more. Since it is so low in fat, it has virtually no flavor on its own! It was pretty odd!
ReplyDeleteI started the heat at level 4, but this proved to be even too hot. I will try it at 2 or 3 next time. Evan ended up cutting it into strips so the middle would cook enough without the outside becoming burned. It was tender, it just needed flavor, so I dipped it in honey mustard. I will definately buy again!
My brother Jonathan, and his girlfriend, Caroline, joined us for dinner and we ate hamburgers made from the ground beef I bought from C&F Meat, Co. Again, their cattle are grass fed, grain finished, and processed there on their premises. I thought that our hamburgers had a richer flavor than what I might normally buy at the grocery store. The color of the meat was such a pretty red- you might say, fresh! I cooked them on extra low (heat level 3)! So, this was regular ground beef. In another couple of weeks I will experiment with the beefalo ground beef. This is angela and not sea monster.
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