Who Says?

I got up this morning really dragging! I went out to sit on the deck to just chill for a bit. While I was sitting out there, I kept thinking things like “I really should go for my walk, I really should get ready to go to town, I really should do some house work” etc. etc.!! Then the thought occured to me-“WHO SAYS that I have to exercise in the morning instead the afternoon or evening, and WHO SAYS that I have to be in town by a certain time, and WHO SAYS that I have to spend my day off cleaning when that is what I do all week as my job”? So, I ended up talking on the phone with my mom for a while and just chillin’. It felt good to not pressure myself for a change!

I eventually came inside for breakfast but couldn’t decide if I wanted eggs or a smoothie. Well, WHO SAYS I can’t have both?! I fixed some eggs and this yummy spinach smoothie:

strawberry spinach smoothie

I have learned that I don’t do real well with bananas, so I usually use strawberries in my smoothies. I have also learned that strawberries aren’t quite sweet enough to take the green taste away. So, I have been sweetening with this:

strawberry stevia

I only have to use about an 1/8 of a tsp. and my smoothie taste like a strawberry shake. WHO SAYS I can’t have a shake for breakfast? 🙂 I used 1-1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 Tbs. hemp seeds, stevia and gobs of spinach.

For lunch, I really wanted a sandwich. I found some all natural turkey that I think I’m in love with. I had seen on Greek Yogurt’s blog some buckwheat pancakes and the thought occured to me to use that for my ‘bread’. WHO SAYS I can’t have a sandwich on pancakes?

turkey and lettuce sandwich w/ broccoli and toffuti sour cream

And for dessert (you know I HAVE to have dessert:)

1/4 piece of bread w/ smidgen of sunbutter and all fruit preserves

I then ended up having to take Samson to the vet which was VERY traumatic for him! He is okay–on antibiotics and deworming meds. He also has a boo-boo on his head that she had to shave and clean up a bit. The visit cost me an arm and a leg, but hey, at least I know he’s okay 🙂

I don't think he likes my camera!

 He wouldn’t let me get a good picture and the ones I got turned out too dark.

I finally got around to exercising! WHO SAYS yoga can’t make ya break a sweat?! I did this yoga circuit workout and it always kicks my tail!! When I first found this workout online, I thought it looked pretty easy–well, the first time I did it, I was VERY sore the next day!! Depending on what kind of yoga you do, it can be just as good a workout as weights or anything else. And the advantge of doing yoga–you get to lay on the floor when you’re all done 😉

What are some ways that you tend to pressure yourself to do things a certain way–ex. exercise at a certain time etc.? Can anyone else relate to me on the WHO SAYS revelation?

The Bible says that we are accepted because of Christ-NOT because we do things a certain way!

Eph. 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast.”

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Everyday Should be Pancake Day!

I have decided that pancakes are in order, not just on Sundays! I have had pancakes for the past three mornings!

My first set of pancakes was on Saturday:

Coconut Flour pancakes with Sweet Almond Sauce

The Sweet Almond Sauce is on Ricki’s blog, here. The recipe for the coconut flour pancakes is:

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

2Tbs. coconut oil

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla (I never use it because I don’t care for it much)

1/8 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. packed coconut flour

1/8 tsp. baking soda

Warm coconut milk and oil a little if your coconut oil is solid. Then I simply throw everything in the blender and give it a whirl. Easy Peasy! Fry as usual.

I couldn’t find the blog that I originally found this recipe on. It was called Starch Free Recipes, but when I went to look it up, it was not found. So, I figure it’s okay for me to go ahead and share it with you with much thanks to the original blogger!

Then on HEAB’s traditional pancake Sunday, I had these:

Heather's protein pancakes with carob Sunbutter sauce

Heather’s Protein Pancake recipe is here and pretty yummy I might add. I   always look forward to seeing what kind of pancake creation she will post each Sunday. This time, she posted (a day early) pancakes with Mole sauce. I had every intention of making the Mole sauce, but I didn’t have any instant coffee. I ended up making Carob Sunbutter sauce. DELISH!!

I basically followed the Mole sauce recipe without the coffee. I added unsweetened almond milk to make it the consistency that I wanted. That looks like a ton of Sunbutter on my pancakes, but it only had 1 TBS. in the sauce–not that I’m worried. It just looks like half a jar of nutbutter there 😉

Today I had:

Pecan Flour pancakes with eggs

That isn’t the best picture, but trust me these pancakes were REALLY good! I got the recipe on Diet, Dessert and Dogs. The original recipe called for almond flour, but I don’t do well with too much almond flour or almond butter. I had pecan flour on hand and they turned out great! I just topped these with a little Smart Balance and had eggs on the side.  Just a side note here–I used to have this horrendous fear of eggs!! Back in the ED days, I was SO afraid of the fat in them. Now, I am eating them (1 egg + 2 whites) almost every day! LOVE them and they make me feel GREAT 😀 Anyway, these pancakes had the perfect amount of lemon taste. Next time, I may add poppy seeds and have lemon poppy seed pancakes!

The cool thing about all of these pancakes on this post is that they are ALL sugar free and grain free!! WooHoo!! They fill me up and keep me satisfied for hours!

What is your favorite pancake recipe? I think next on my list may have to be German Chocolate pancakes like I saw near the bottom of this post on Cindy’s blog 🙂 Mmm, can’t wait!

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By George, I think I’ve got it!

Hello all you lovely bloggers/readers! First of all, I am officially 40!! My B-day wasn’t exactly what I had planned because I woke up with a TERRIBLE bladder infection! Wow–talk about PAIN ALL day long! But, I was able to go to a really cool vegetarian restaurant for dinner. By the way, this post will be picture-less because my camera battery is DEAD and I didn’t realize it until it was too late to charge it:( Anyway, I was a little a lot concerned about my hubby going to this veggie place. He is all about the meat and tators! After looking the menu over, he decided to get grilled Salmon with asparagus and roasted sweet potatoes–there’s his tators. He ended up LOVING it!! He just went on and on about how yummy it was. Well, he didn’t exactly use the word ‘yummy’, but he raved about it none the less. I got a tofu and veggie dish that was to die for! The waitress made sure it was gluten free and I ordered it without the rice. It had this amazing sauce that had kind of a peanutty taste but was a little spicy too. All I can say is YUM! I thought I might try to recreate a dish similar to this at home. I’m pretty sure Heather has a sauce recipe that would be great–like tahini:)

Okay, on to the ‘I think I’ve got it’ part of my post. I have been taking a break from blogging a bit lately. Part of my reason was to have more time for other things, but I have also really been trying to figure out what works for my body. Sometimes, when reading a lot of other blogs, I can get a little sidetracked from what is best for ME. I tend to follow the crowd more times than not and it was getting me in trouble. So, after less blogging/reading, I think I have a semi-plan that will work for ME. Here are the basics:

1- I have finally accepted the fact that my body can NOT handle grains of any kind! I know grains are not bad themselves and carbs are not bad. But, MY body does NOT like them no matter how much I tried to make it conform to what I wanted! Therefore, I am now on a totally grain free diet. I could tell a difference in TWO days of cutting them out:)

2- I have also learned that I can not do sugar of any kind–no agave, honey, etc. I have only been using Stevia and am a-okay:) I can have really dark chocolate though!!:) YeeHaa!

3- Fruits: cherries, blueberries, strawberries–okay all berries, green apples(tart), and very small amounts of banana every few days.

4-Veggies: all veggies except potatoes, yams, and corn. Do NOT do well with starches! Veggie choices are endless and I LOVE trying new ones!! Still juicing some and making sure I eat some raw veggies every day.

5-Dairy: the jury is still out on dairy! I have started introducing homemade yogurt that is fermented 24 hours the SCD way. Once it ferments that long it is virtually lactose free. I do a little Parmesan and other than that, that’s about it for now. I have mostly been making homemade coconut milk yogurt, but hopefully can handle the organic cow milk some too.

6-Protein: I have decided that a vegetarian diet is what feels best to me. I will have eggs occasionally because I feel like my body needs them. I have been back and forth about the whole soy debate and have decided that a little soy once or twice a week should be fine. I also do really well with beans that have been soaked 24 hours and had the water changed several times during the soaking. Soaking breaks down a lot of the starches and they are a good source of protein.

7-Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds are also good sources of protein. I have found that I can do pecans and a smidgen of almond butter every now and then. I can make grain free bread from pecan flour that is really yummy! I also do well with sunflower and pumpkin seeds–and of course, LOVE sunbutter!

8-Fats: nuts/seeds, coconut milk, coconut oil, olive oil

9-Exercise: Can’t forget exercise! Yoga is what I LOVE best, but have found that I also like doing walking/running intervals. Nothing too long or strenuous, but enough to get my heart pumping. Usually, thirty minutes on the treadmill 3-4 days a week is what feels best to me. More than that really seems to bring me down physically.

I think that about covers it! I know this was really long, but it helps me to get it on ‘paper’. Hopefully, I will start posting some yummy grain free recipes soon:) Have a lovely weekend! I’m hoping I get to go skating tonight since I didn’t feel like it on my B-day.

P.S. Thank you SO much for your comments and support over the loss of my dog:) Still missing him like crazy!

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Don’t cry over spilled…

COCONUT!!

I don’t know what is up with me and coconut mishaps lately, but boy am I getting annoyed! Okay, let me back up. In my last post I was sharing how my blender was messed up and caused all sorts of problems in my attempt to make coconut milk. Well, a couple of days ago, I was making raw coconut milk–in my NEW blender–and I was planning on using the pulp from the coconut milk for something else.

After making this milk, I had the towel that I squeezed the milk through laying on the dehydrater. I was planning on drying the pulp to use it in some raw coconut treats that the ND said I could try. Well, about two minutes before I was ready to put the pulp in the dehydrater, my son walked in. He proceeded to pick up a towel to dry his hands and guess which one he picked?! Yep, the one that had coconut pulp in it! My beloved coconut went ALL over the floor! It was a total accident, but I cried none-the-less. No pictures of the mishap because who wants to take pictures when they are crying! Well, I got over it and my hubby went and bought me more coconuts the next day:) I just have to start over now for the raw dry coconut treats.  I have heard the saying all my life–“Don’t cry over spilled milk” but in my case it was coconut!

Here is another new coconut experiment that I made lately.

Wine cooler anyone? This isn’t really a wine cooler, but I bet if I drank enough of it, I could get pretty toasted! This is coconut water kefir diluted with plain coconut water and cherries. This kefir is POTENT!! You can read here how to make it and the benefits of it. It does have sort of a wine cooler taste which I am not a big fan of. It’s not bad diluted though because the plain coconut water sweetens it some. There is NO way I could drink this kefir straight! Anyway, just some food drink for thought.

Another experiment:

raw sweet tator chips

These were pretty tasty, but a little hard on my sensitive gut. If I make them again, I would also try to slice them a little thinner. I put them in a gallon size bag with coconut oil, cinnamon and a little salt and shook to coat. Then dehydrated until crispy.

Lunch yesterday:

raw spinach and sunflower seed 'burger'

This is something else the ND told me about (only she used carrots). I blended up spinach, soaked sunflower seeds, green onions, cumin and I don’t remember what else. Made into patties and dehydrated.  I made these pretty thin, so I actually had two patties in this ‘burger’.

raw 'burgers' with raw cheese

Last, but not least, is my breakfast from this morning:

100% raw breakfast cookie

This is NOT the typical cookie with oats. I have found that I do better when I don’t eat oats–even gluten free ones. This cookie is made with Quinoa Flakes. I know some people (Heather:) are not a fan of these flakes, but when it’s the ONLY ‘grain’ you can digest, you learn to make the best of it:) Quinoa is not even technically a grain. Anyway, I put quinoa flakes, 1 Tbs. hemp protein powder, 1 Tbs. raw sunbutter, raw coconut milk, organic raisins(new food for me–keep your fingers crossed), raw agave,  and cinnamon. I try not to use agave much at all, but felt like this would need it since quinoa does have a distinct flavor. I am allergic to stevia so that is not an option for me. I let the cookie sit in the fridge over night and gobbled it up after yoga this morning! I WILL be making this on a regular basis! You can find the original recipe here.

So, these are just a few of my yummy eats lately! Have you tried anything new lately? I would love to hear about it:)

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More to life

My hubby and I ended up going to Gatlinburg, TN for our over-nighter! We had a really good time, but I didn’t take a single picture of my food because it really wasn’t anything to write home about. I did learn a very important lesson though–THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN FOOD/EATING:) I seem to have forgotten that lately as I am trying to figure out how to get well. It seems that my brain has been overloaded with thoughts of what I can and can not eat. So, hubby didn’t want me to pack any food for our trip. That was a HUGE stretch for me! I did however manage to take along my Sunbutter and a little Gluten Free Sprouted Bread. I had taken the bread to my ND appt.(more about that another day) to see if she thought I could start eating some occasionally.

I mainly survived on salad while we were away–by salad, I mean very plain simple ones that my body could digest. Still not able to eat certain veggies raw. I realized while eating salads at restaurants that fresh organic veggies are SO much better and worth the price! We couldn’t find (due to time and fighting traffic) any really nice or unique places to eat, so that left us with pretty ordinary choices. My first meal(salad:) was at Shoney’s. Let me just say, it wasn’t even worth chewing. Everything tasted ‘dead’ compared to the fresh organic produce that I am used to having at home.

I also ate some of my bread and Sunbutter and we picked up a few things at Kroger. Saturday afternoon was extremely hot and I wanted ice cream!! The ND said I could start having a little agave and I already could have coconut milk. Do you know what that leads to? Coconut milk ice cream of course! We bought a pint and sat outside and ate the whole thing–so much for a little agave. Hey, when you have been living on non-filling, tastless salads–some ice cream is a must!

We walked around all the shops in Gatlinburg until about 3pm and decided it was time to get out of the heat. We headed towards home, but made a pit stop first to see this little beauty:

Reagan Rene'

4 days old:)

This is my cousin’s daughter’s baby. They live in Kingsport, TN which is where I was born:) These are the only blog worthy pictures I took while I was away.

All in all, we had a very relaxing weekend. I may not have had all the foods I would normally have at home, but I was content–even with tasteless salads. I was just glad to be with my husband and away from all the things at home that require so much attention and work. My tummy was out of whack by the time we got home but I was okay with that. I am really trying to learn to relax about my health and to enjoy life going on around me:) This trip was VERY good for me!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

p.s. For some reason this is not putting spaces between my paragraghs! Sorry if it’s hard to read:)

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So, THIS is what ‘normal’ feels like!

I had a REALLY good day today! Last week, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it. I ate TERRIBLE and couldn’t figure out what was going on. No matter what I ate, I could NOT get satisfied! It felt like my body was completely flipping out on me and it was scary. By Friday, I realized that maybe my body was screaming for more protein–DUH! The diet that the ND put me on is so limited that it made it very difficult to get enough. I had been using Hemp protein powder and decided I was going to have to make a change–or else I was going to eat everything in town!! The Hemp powder only has 8 grams per 4Tbs. So, I went back to the trusty old PlantFusion protein powder. It has 22 grams per scoop! Today is the third day of upping my protein and I am beginning to feel somewhat ‘normal’–wow, is this even possible?! Okay, let me back up to the start of my day.

I tried a new breakfast this morning instead of juicing or having a smoothie. Can I just tell you–I have been REALLY hungry!!

This isn’t a very good picture, but oh well. Last night, I soaked 1/3 cup raw buckwheat in 1 cup SoDelicious Coconut Milk. This morning, I added a scoop of PlantFusion protein powder and a little water and cooked the buckwheat on low. I then added some organic mini blueberries–and 1 tsp. honey–which I’m not supposed to have. Buckwheat just has such a distinct flavor that I HAD to put a little honey. It turned out pretty good and kept my belly happy until lunch–NO tummy pain, bloating etc. WooHoo:)

For lunch I had this salad:

The salad had:

spinach

homemade veggie kraut

cooked summer squash & onions

raw soaked/sprouted seeds

Around 3pm I had a protein smoothie.

My smoothie had 1 cup coconut milk, scoop of PlantFusion, BIG handful of spinach, 1Tbs. unsweetened Sunbutter. That held me about 5 hours!

I had HOT Yoga at 5:30pm. Is it possible to be addicted to yoga–most definitely! Is it possible to get too much Yoga–NEVER:) I am SO happy because the studio is doing another 6 week round of Hot Yoga. Count me in!

I drank coconut water with lime on the way home from yoga. Then I had this: Again–not a good picture!

Is that OATGURT? Oh Yeah!!!! After putting my thinking cap on, I realized that I may have been reacting badly to the oatgurt because I wasn’t using gluten free oats!! DUH! Where is my brain when I need it. I wanted to try regular oat grouts because they are way cheaper than gluten free oats. Oats themselves do not contain gluten, but they can be cross contaminated with wheat. That makes them a no-no for most Celiacs. Well, I learned my lesson. I am doing gluten free oatgurt again with NO PROBLEMO! Doing the happy dance now:) I put some chocolate hemp protein powder, a little coconut milk, and 1 tbs. unsweetened Sunbutter in my oatgurt and gobbled it up!

Not only is my appetite getting back to normal, I also had more energy today. I was able to get things done around the house that I haven’t been feeling like doing. I did still have to have my afternoon nap (or rest I should say–I didn’t go to sleep) but overall, I got a lot more done today. This in itself helps me feel better. I can’t stand it when my house is messy and I can’t muster up the energy to clean it.

I had a minor melt down at church yesterday which I think also helped me feel better today along with feeling better physically. I don’t feel quiet as overwhelmed as I did:) My brother, who is the Associate Pastor at our church, stopped me as I was getting ready to leave and talked to me for a long time. It was SO helpful just to be able to be real with someone and have his support and prayers. I am SO blessed to be a part of the church I go to! By the time I left church, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me and it felt really good! I felt my faith increase and the strength to keep working toward health. It IS taking a LOT of work–but I have to have faith that God is with me every step of the way.

Anyway, I say all of that to say that I am doing better this week and God IS giving me strength. I look forward to getting stronger and seeing how God is going to work in my life through my ‘illness’. I realize that I will most likely still have bad days (maybe even tomorrow), but I can rejoice in the good days:)

Oh, one more thing–Hubby is back on day shift!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta run now. I’m tired and about ready to collapse, but it’s a good kind of tired. I had a productive day and am ready to chill out:)

Have a great week and count your blessings!!

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STOP the Clock!!

My days just seem to be getting away from me lately! I wish I could just stop time for even a little while–only if I’m NOT working though:) The last couple of days have been busy as usual. I stayed home from church today just so I could have a FULL day of rest. I have been going and going and going like the ever- ready bunny!

Friday morning I woke up to a monsoon!!

My poor kitty feared for her life! I guess she had never heard thunder before.

Thankfully, the storm didn’t last too long. Friday afternoon was my appointment with the ND (Dr. of Natural Med.) It was an hour drive and my hubby was kind enough to go with me:) My appointment lasted two hours and was very interesting. I can’t really go into all the details about it, but I am now on a VERY strict diet for the next three weeks until I see her again. Here are a list of foods that she feels like my body can handle:

Kale, spinach, romaine, onions, garlic, cabbage(fermented only), carrots(fermented only),celery(juiced only), cucumber(juiced only), cherries, blueberries, banana(very small amounts), yellow squash, zucchini, acorn squash, lime, soaked/sprouted buckwheat or quinoa,  fermented buckwheat or oats(Yay oatgurt!)–no other form of grains, hemp protein, coconut milk/yogurt.  So, if something is not on this list–then I’m not eating it!!

She also wants me to make and drink some stuff called Rejuvelac. This is most of the time made with wheat sprouts but I can’t do wheat so she told me how to make it with Quinoa or cabbage. It’s basically a fermented drink when it’s done. NOT looking forward to that. It is fermenting as I type:) I was also put on some herbs three times a day. They taste like whiskey!!!YUCK!!!

She also told me that she didn’t think my fatigue was caused by my diet, but from my work, stress and the fact that I am probably not absorbing nutrients very well. Anyway, I am going to do what she says and see what happens. Oh, I almost forgot–I can still have Sunbutter in small amounts. Whew, I think I would have croaked if that was a no-no! The other day, I had sunbutter on a romaine leaf with frozen blueberries. It was extremely yummy!

One of my favorite meals I have been having though is Oatgurt with 1/2 cup frozen cherries, hemp(chocolate), and coconut milk all blended together. I may just live off of this for the next three weeks!

My food will be interesting to say the least, but I am hopeful that it will give my body time to heal some. Then maybe I can eat more variety without tummy issues.

I also wanted to update on the Buckgurt. DO NOT TRY IT!!!!!!!! It was the most disgusting smell EVER. I think it smelled like a mix between a dirty diaper, stinky feet and rotten eggs all at the same time. GROSS!!!!! What I have found that works though is to soak and sprout the buckwheat grouts for a couple of days. Then, I can blend them up and put in the fridge for a creamy raw buckwheat cereal without fermenting it. It’s just about as good as the oatgurt and it keeps my tummy happy and full:) I am also dehydrating some of the sprouted buckwheat for times that I want a crunchy cereal–like this:

This is sprouted and dried buckwheat grouts with frozen blueberries and coconut milk.

Yesterday was spent going to the Farmer’s Market and the health food store. Then we went to a cookout at my in-laws. I took acorn squash to eat and had snacked on some zucchini chips before I left. Sorry, no pics.

I have to go to a different health food store today–I am all out of sunbutter (heaven forbid!) and the store I went to yesterday doesn’t carry the unsweetened kind. So, I’m headed out–AGAIN. Later, we are going to a drive in movie. At least I can sit in my car and lay back if I want:) My hubby always enjoys the food at the drive in. I’m going to have to plan well what I can take and eat. I don’t want to be tempted by all the food there!

Hope everyone is having a restful Sunday afternoon:)

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