Thursday, July 27, 2017

Elderberry syrup instructions/recipe/dosing

Disclaimer: This is not intended to treat, diagnose, or prevent illness.
Herb pack contains: organic, non-irradiated herbs and spices from Frontier Co-op and Mountain Rose Herbs.

*Raw, local honey is in the jar of syrup.  (Do not give to infants under 12 months of age.)*


Ingredients -

Original: Elderberries, hibiscus flowers, chamomile, lemon balm, marshmallow root, lemon peel, ginger root, and cinnamon chips.

Super Berry: Elderberries, aronia berries, white mulberries, maqui berries, hibiscus, marshmallow root, and lemon peel.

Holiday spice: Elderberries, hibiscus, marshmallow root, orange peel, cinnamon chips, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg.

Chai: Elderberries, hibiscus, marshmallow root, honeybush tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Thanks for getting an elderberry herb pack or jar of syrup from me!  Dosing is towards the bottom, the recipe follows.






Recipe:
simmer the contents of your bag in 3 cups of purified water for 20-30 minutes with the lid on.  I often leave it on the stove with the burner off for a bit too!

strain into mixing bowl or large 4+ cup measuring cup. (you can leave in fridge overnight unstrained!)

let it cool on the counter for 30 minutes or more, or covered in fridge overnight.

add 3/4 c - 1 cup of your local raw honey to the cooler syrup.
(do not give to infants under one year old)
It should yield 20-24 oz of syrup.  It will be thicker than water, but runnier than cough syrup.  This is normal.  Store bought syrups are usually thickened with gums or other stabilizers.  This is just pure syrup.  It will last up to 3 months in the fridge!

Enjoy!


Dosing:

Children:
.5 tsp - 1 tsp for kids as young as 1.  My three year old loves it.  We give him quite a bit more with no adverse effects.  He feigns a cough, just to get a little more ;)

Adults:
.5 - 1 Tbsp for adults and older children.

You can take it once or twice a day - for prevention.   Or, you can take it several times a day, if symptoms are present. I usually double the maximum dose and take every few hours when symptoms first present.  And cut down to max dose after 24 hours.

In health,
Becca H.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

#Whole30ish "samosas"

In my efforts to stay healthy, we've cut a lot of grains from our diet...trying to keep sugar out too.

I made a samosa chaat inspired dish for dinner that turned out easy and delish!  Samosas are usually spiced potatoes and peas in a pastry and fried.  I need more protein than that and I definitely don't need deep fried foods :-P  So here's my take on that idea...peas, potatoes, ground beef, and warm, yummy spices.

Potatoes (for baking - I used organic from BJ's)
half a can of tomato paste
1 pound of grassfed beef (90/10 or 80/20 - or anywhere inbetween)
about 2 cups of organic frozen peas
1 small vidalia onion, diced/minced
various Indian spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, chili powder, ginger, black and/or green peppercorns, salt, vindaloo curry powder.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and pop your rinsed potatoes into the oven.  Put your meat in the skillet and brown it.  Do not drain the grease.  Add the onion and spices.  I put quite a bit of coriander/cumin/paprika/chili powder...then I add ginger, black pepper and green peppercorn, salt...and vindaloo curry and add little by little, until I think it tastes "right".  You can look up recipes for true samosa seasoning, I just used stuff I knew would taste good :P  I have used this recipe for samosas before and it came out good!  Add your tomato paste and mix together evenly and a little water if you want.  Add your peas and cook everything down until cooked thoroughly.

  I put sour cream on mine, because I wanted to keep the fat content high on our dinner, in whole30 fashion ;P  But a cilantro(coriander) chutney would be just as good, or even in addition to the sour cream!

It's fast, cooked in one pan, and everyone liked it.  I opened the potato into wedges and topped it with the meat and peas...then the sour cream.


Hope you enjoy!  Sorry I didn't measure ingredients!
Bex

Thursday, June 15, 2017

My chocolate chip cookies...

I spent a good deal of junior high and high school making large quantities of cookies...They were good...but I have been working on them the last several years....to improve on them even more...and I think I found the perfect recipe!
(use organic or non-gmo when possible.  Please use King Arthur brand, or unbleached unbromated flour.  I never use anything but!)

2 sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract (REAL vanilla...don't ever use imitation)
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups, or 1 12oz bag, of chocolate chips.  I prefer guittard or ghiradelli.

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare 2 or 3 cookie sheets with parchment.  Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add ONE egg and the vanilla.  Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the mixer.  Mix on low until just combined.  Add the second egg.  Then add the chips until barely combined.  Scoop out with dough scoop onto parchment on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size you make them.

Enjoy warm, with a super cold mug of milk!


Not in that much health,
Becca H.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

my #whole30ish

So, back in January, my husband I I did a round of the #Whole30.  If you haven't, and you want to get your diet and body back on track, I highly HIGHLY recommend.

We set new weight loss goals afterwards...we were so happy - Daniel lost ~20 pounds, I lost ~15....feeling great...clothes fitting better...

Us:


Well, then we finished the Whole30 we were like, "Ice cream...well, just a small scoop..."



Needless to say, we didn't continue to lose weight!  Shocking, I'm sure.  #Whole30 has a lot of rules...which are very important, if you are trying to determine what is making you less healthy than you should be.  Dairy, grains, soy, sugar, etc - all of these things can really impact a person's life!  But things like cooking with wine aren't allowed.....and no cheese (if you followed my Whole30 blogs, you'll know that cheese and yogurt were the biggest hangups for BOTH of us!) And no legumes (we all love peas, beans, and lentils.....but especially peas!  Our Bj's has a huge organic bag for cheap!).

So when we re-introduced foods, it was pretty clear what our problem was - grains and sugar.  Often, combined into delicious cake form!  Daniel also loves soda, and I adore me some rice/pasta....like, eating 3-4 servings is like no big deal for me....and a huge amount of calories.  Dairy caused us no digestive issues, neither did soy sauce (I use gluten free), and many other generally "healthy" options that aren't considered compliant, on the whole30.

So we're doing a modified "Whole30ish" - my affectionate term...my schedule has been crazy, but will wind down for this month of June...so back on it we are!  Except...my hangups!  We will keep fermented dairy, like kefir, certain cheese (like peccorino romano), BUTTER (ghee just doesn't cut it for me!), and yogurt (we use organic, whole, greek yogurt).  These are easy ways for us to add protein, that aren't so expensive, and are very satisfying for us.  I will keep cooking with wine or beer as needed, and we will eat legumes in moderation.  Legumes are cheap, have protein and fiber for days, and who doesn't love chili!?  I may even use a smidge of raw honey on my plain yogurt or a splash of half and half in my iced coffee....

Here's an example of our day 1 - 3 fried eggs in butter and an apple for breakfast. 16oz of iced organic coffee with splash of organic half and half.  Went on a 4.5 mile walk with BOTH kids (wearing Emilia for most of it).  Coconut flakes and raisins for snack after the walk, and cod with spinach and lentils for lunch.  Dinner will be spaghetti squash with meat sauce and peccorino romano cheese.

We won't eat desserts, or dessert substitutes, but if we are out to eat, I won't worry if the salad dressing has a little sugar or soybean oil...or if the baked potato has sour cream and cheese on it.  Definitely won't be eating any grains or sugar at all.  (unless the sugar snuck in somewhere that I was unaware of!)   I realize there is a science to why the Whole30 works...but I need something that works for us and pushes us on towards our goals a little easier and better than being quite so strict.  Also, I'm a foodie and chef...we have people over for game nights on a REGULAR basis....feeding crowds on whole30 gets very expensive and it isn't nearly as fun!  All people who aren't intolerant love cheese and butter....and they just make good food better...

Anyways, I'll try to devise a whole30ish meal plan like I did before, and post it on this blog with, hopefully, helpful recipes or my inspiration for certain dishes!

More to come...in health,
Becca H.


Saturday, May 13, 2017

Becca's Frittata and onion butter!

I recently got into making frittatas and onion butter...this is what I do...roughly.


Frittata:
You need:
cast iron skillet
choice of meat to be put in eggs (breakfast sausage, bacon, ham, etc.)
at least 1 dozen eggs (depends on size of skillet) and scramble them.
choice of cheese (A nice cheddar works great!) and grate it.
choice of veggie (spinach, broccoli, peppers, etc.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook your meat in the cast iron skillet with a little butter or oil.  When it is done, put in a separate bowl, and cook your veggies in the skillet.  When they have released most of your moisture, take them out also.

Put cast iron on medium heat, put two or so tablespoons of butter in, and then add your eggs to the pan.  Let it sit and cook for about a minute, then start layering the veggies, meat, and finish with cheese on top.  Put in the oven.  Check it every 5-10 minutes.  After about 20-25 minutes, should be raised evenly on top, won't jiggle if you shake it, and has a nice crust of cheese on top.  Let it set for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Onion Butter:
Cook an onion in 2 sticks of butter, in a small sauce pan, on low for at least 30 minutes, making sure it doesn't brown - onions should be clear and extremely soft.  Easiest way, is to dice the onion and salt it, then add to pan with melted butter and let it simmer for a bit.  Put it all in blender or use immersion blender to emulsify.  Enjoy on the frittata or basically anything...cause it's amazing...

Friday, May 5, 2017

I'm THAT mom: my Chernobyl Child

You may have seen me before...I'm that lady at the mall, with a baby strapped to my chest, that soft mom-pudge belly, a messy hair-do in a scrunchy...the look in my eyes is a mixture of bloodshot, droopy, and overcaffeinated...but that isn't what you notice...

It's the screaming 3 year-old I'm dragging through the mall, quite literally kicking and screaming.

I used to judge moms like me with thoughts like:
  • she just really needs to get it together!
  • that poor kid, he must have NO discipline!
  • yikes...she probably works all the time and the daycare raises him...
  • I bet that the dad is out of the picture...
  • he must LIVE on sugar!
  • why in the world does that mom let it happen?!  How ridiculous...
  • maybe they are just autistic ...
  • It's probably cause he needs more attention because of the new baby the mum has...
95% of the time, my son is quite literally amazing.  He can hold conversations, he is strong and bold, he is confident and funny, friendly and smart, and sweet and kind....really, an exemplary specimen of a little 3 year old boy!

Annnnnnd the other 5% - he melts down, in nuclear proportions...my Chernobyl child.  Kicking, screaming at the very top of his lungs, freaking out, weeping - you'd think I was torturing him...taking him to military school...or kidnapping him...

I am not the mom I thought I would be...I thought I'd "have it all together"....I thought I'd be firm and disciplined and that would equate to a well behaved child...I thought a good diet, with no sugar, would mean my kid wouldn't be so explosive and impulsive...I thought all his breastfeeding and organic food would make him into perfection...I thought I'd take my kid jogging every day and be this fit mom with this easy kid...

But that's not how it is...we are firm and strict with him, but he talks back to me, yells at me, he explodes when we try to leave anywhere that he wants to stay....I don't work that much, and his nanny is awesome...he isn't raised by a daycare....my husband is the most involved father out there...my son rarely eats sugar(or even processed food) at all....and I'm not "letting" it happen....in fact, my soul weeps that I don't know how to help him.  We don't even go for walks, because he either wants to run his own way, climb out of the stroller, or freak out when we head home....so we just don't do walks anymore...

And I'm exhausted...I'm exhausted of giving 10, 5, 2, and 1 minute warnings, only to still be kicked when the time comes.  I am so so tired of being stared at when my child is screaming "NO!" at the top of his lungs while I put his shoes back on, because he decided to brawl with the girl that took her (or someone's...) toy out of his hands when he wasn't ready to give it up...I'm tired of all of it...I walk on eggshells, hoping and praying that maybe today...mayyyybe today, we won't have a Chernobyl meltdown....maybe we can leave happily and continue about our day...maybe I won't leave here embarrassed that we've disturbed everyone's day...

Sometimes, it happens...sometimes all goes well...

Most of the time, there are tears involved, there's screaming, and it's usually on both of our parts....I have no idea what to do at this point(not an invitation to offer advice)...it has been TWO YEARS of researching, efforts, dietary changes, and discipline methods, only to yield SQUAT....nothing....nothing has changed...this is WHO HE IS, and it isn't my fault!

So I'm writing this to you, so have compassion for "me", when you see "me" with a Chernobyl child...It probably has nothing to do with their parenting...it might just be that the child is insanely strong-willed and you caught them on their 5% of nuclear meltdown mode.  If you could only walk a week in my shoes...

Please, do not offer advice....it isn't helpful...I know that whatever we are doing "isn't working"...I'm aware of the glaring issues we have in our family...I'm glad you are at level "excellent" in parenting, and I'm clearly at level "beginner"...but please...I've spent most of my waking, and even sleeping, moments worrying, and researching, about my child...we've tried it all, done is all, and that's all that needs to be said about that.

Pray for Daniel and I...Pray for Samuel....every.single.day is a struggle....and coupled with very little sleep, because of my nursling infant, I'm just so exhausted, with every fiber of my being...with every way to be exhausted....mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausted...

Thanks for reading,

A melting down mommy with a weeping soul....

Friday, April 21, 2017

My sleeping rant...

If you whine about your dinner not being made well at a restaurant on your facebook...do you see people comment about how you should have had a completely different meal, at a completely different restaurant, because, it was better when they ate there?

 I.e. "Ugh, I went to Carrabba's and had a pasta dish that was only ok...I wish I had chosen a different sauce...oh well"

Commenter:  "Well, I went to Wendy's and had a delicious baconator...you should try that instead!  Trust me, it is way better."

Would that be odd?

Or how about..

2nd Commenter:  " Well, I don't know about that sauce, but I went to my local Japanese place and got hibachi, and it was the best thing I ever ate...won't eat anywhere else ever again...you should too...it'll change your life"         ....

Well people, I'm here to say, I've been eating the "wrong sauce" for 3.5 years...I haven't slept "well" in 3.5 years.  My children do.not.sleep.

Things I've tried: a variety of essential oils, epsom salt baths, magnesium oil, vitamins, probiotics, no sugar at all during the day, lights out super early, a super dark room, a night light, lights on, a noise machine, sleepy rubs, back rubs, singing songs, reading books, a gentler cry-it-out, nurse to sleep, chiropractic care, rocking to sleep, a crib, co-sleeping, blankets, no blankets, music, no music, praying over the house, over the room, over the child, over myself....I hope you are getting the picture...I have tried EVERY SINGLE THING.

I've spent nearly 4 years of sleepless nights researching the heck out of why my children don't sleep...do you think I'm just sitting here, exhausted to the point of tears, spending all my spare cents (literally, the last cents I have to my name) on another shot of espresso in my coffee just to survive my day...because I'm too lazy to try other options to make my kids sleep?!  Do you REALLY think that lowly of me, that I haven't tried all manner of things, in the last THREE AND A HALF FREAKING YEARS, and haven't researched worth a darn, to figure out why my kids don't sleep!?  I'm just sitting here, in tears, just thinking "why don't they sleep?  Oh well....guess I'll just go about my day, even though my body can barely function....even though my mind doesn't work, and I can't form complete sentences by 10 pm...oh well."

My face...literally...today...as I write this...

That's what it sounds like...every time you offer advice like "my kids slept great...we had a rhythm to our day...weird your's don't sleep good"  - this sounds like "why can't you get your act together....maybe if you weren't a hot mess all the time, your kids would sleep better!"

"have you tried bath?  Bath's make babies sleep better!"  Really...novel idea...yes, we've tried...a freaking bath.  Believe it or not, I've bathed my kids more than once, and they only sleep worse for it.

"have you let them cry it out...that always works!"  Yes, it works if you have a child that doesn't have the energizer battery in them...with the stubbornness of a viking warrior(we are legit descendants of the Vikings in the show, Vikings)..."cry-it out" in our home meant, not even kidding, 4 hours of screaming, at the top of their lungs, to the point of physical exhaustion...I dunno about you, but that isn't "getting them to sleep..."  that is torturing them to the point of passing out.

We've tried playing with them so long and hard, they are "tired" and fall asleep...guess what...they didn't.  We were exhausted, they were exhausted and cranky...and didn't sleep.

We've tried every manner of things to get them to sleep...

They don't.

Trust us...we've spent basically four years NOT SLEEPING and not for lack of trying...

I understand you are trying to help...please stop.  This isn't a dinner that didn't go well, this is our LIFE...EVERY....SINGLE....exhausting hour of it...IF Samuel naps, it is when Emilia isn't napping...if she naps, he's up.  I promise...I've tried everything to get them to nap at the same time, it doesn't work...

I'm not sitting back, kicking up my heels, just letting 'nature take its course'...

I'm freaking tired.  I'm so spent - I've already cried while typing this.  Samuel is actually sleeping, and Emilia is bouncing away in her jumper.

BOTH of my children hit milestones way and above the "norm" as listed by the CDC.  They are active, overly intelligent kids.  They don't sleep.  Period.  Please stop asking why they "should" be sleeping a certain way.

Samuel eats way better and more varied diet than an average 3 year old...if you told me your five year old ate only chicken nuggets and only cheerios and I commented back "hmm, that's weird, your child SHOULD eat chicken vindaloo and pad thai...mine does!  Worked for me!"

Maybe I do that...maybe I'm overly into giving advice...if I've done that ....I'm so sorry...

I'm so so so TIRED of people telling me how my kids "SHOULD" sleep, or what "NORMAL" sleep is....

Let me remind you...I haven't slept in about 4 years....I'm a hair's breadth away from losing my mind...

I work a fairly physical and stressful job - feeding hundreds of people.

I make elderberry syrup for a multitude of friends...

I also cater event in addition to making homemade, from scratch meals for my family most days..

I cloth diaper, and exclusively breastfeed, a 16 pound infant.

I'm not looking for ways to not sleep, people.  I've done it all, tried it all, nothing has worked...

Please excuse me while I continue to cry from sheer exhaustion...and stop offering me sleep advice...I'm glad your mom skills are at level "excellent", while mine are obviously "beginner"...I'm doing my freaking best and it obviously isn't working...thanks for pointing that in my bloodshot eye...

The end.
Becca

Monday, March 27, 2017

Health and wellness - Becca Style ;)

I have been asked what I do for certain remedies for common ailments.  I hope this will be of help to you.  Many of the things are virtually the same, and they've either worked on me or one of my family members.

I'll refer to acv, colloidal silver, essential oils, elderberry syrup, and tinctures often. ACV is apple cider vinegar.  It needs to be organic, raw, unfiltered and "with the mother".  Bragg's is a popular brand, but there are many brands available that are just as good...many are even sold at wholesale stores.  Colloidal silver - I use the Sovereign Silver brand, because it is so readily available.  Walgreens, health food stores, and basically any natural grocer carries it.  I use doterra essential oils, but plant therapy is also a good brand, from what I hear.  I've also used mountain rose herbs, but their shipping cost is outrageous.  I make my own elderberry syrup, using a variety of herbs, elderberries, local raw honey and filtered water.  You can also buy elderberry syrup at health food stores, most pharmacies, and online.  Try to find a local momma near you that brews it!  It is generally much cheaper from her, and helps her make a little money too ;)  Tinctures are essentially extracts - just like vanilla extract.  You soak an herb or root in alcohol for a long time, and you've made a tincture.  Health food stores and natural grocers have many of them in dozens of different herbs/roots.  

Headaches- headaches can be caused by a variety of things.
Causes:
Tension in the neck - see a chiropractor! (usually caused by tension in the back and as far low as your feet.  Literally, a tight foot muscle can effect your legs, up to your butt, to your back, and then your neck/head)

Mineral imbalance -Take a bath with epsom salts and some good quality watered down juice or coconut water.  Replenish those electrolytes!

Dehydration - drink coconut water, watered down juice, or just plain water!  Don't just chug - drink about a cup every 15 minutes or so.  Chugging usually just gets flushed out.


Food - please don't downplay this option.  Many MANY foods cause me headaches.  Pay attention!  Aspartame and sucralose BOTH give me horrible headaches!  Daniel also gets headaches from certain foods, we're pretty sure we've determined it is erythritol (in stevia products).  Drinking water and caffeine to help flush it out are helpful.

Don't know the cause?  Just take some willow bark tincture to help take the edge off.  A full dropper dose is equivalent to a baby aspirin - enough to take the edge off.  Take two or three doses if needed.  A cup of coffee or tea is often helpful too.  Try to rest as much as you can and take good, deep breaths.  A drop of essential oil - like peppermint or lavender - rubbed in the palms of your hand and inhaled is helpful too!

Fevers:
Please...please stop lowering fevers.  I'm over it.  I can't yell it loud enough.  People do not combust...if you are at risk for febrile seizures, then you know what is best for your family...for the rest of you...just stahp!  A fever is the way that your body is fighting off the illness and essentially detoxing yourself from the other side effects.  If you lower the fever, that is like taking the sword from the knight, and the rifle from the soldier.  Stop.  Just.don't.do.it.  Tylenol is a MESS.  Read the ingredients...most sodas has cleaner ingredients than infant tylenol!  Parabens, food coloring, splenda, high fructose corn syrup, propylene glycol(also found in antifreeze)...  Tylenol is actually so toxic, it takes glutathione to detox it out of the body, and the fever is lowered because the body is so preoccupied and driving all of its energy to remove the tylenol!  My favorite blog, written by a doctor, on the matter.

If you need help managing the sickness associated with the fever:
Willow bark extract will take the edge off, epsom salt baths, lavender essential oil - VERY diluted (1:100) and rubbed on feet, lots of fluids, elderberry syrup, hot tea, time and rest.  Yes, your child/yourself will be cranky, tired, and over it.  But you'll recover much quicker.  More and more research is showing the benefits of the fever.  Stop getting "scared" because you have one, or it goes "too high"...research, be informed, and stand strong in your decisions.  Samuel has had a handful of fevers in his life, and I haven't lowered them ever, and one was over 104 - no brain damage!  After that time, I stopped even taking his temp if he got a fever.  We hydrate and let him rest - this is the same thing I do when I have a fever, as well. I had dengue a few years ago with a raging fever and I mainly stayed in bed, with water, and nursed Samuel as needed.  This is an amazing book on children and illness I highly recommend you read!  It is short too, and very easy to get into it.


Ear infections:
Let's get some things straight - ear infections, 80% of the time, are viral.  Please reread the former sentence.  VIRAL....when you go to the pediatrician or the doctor, what is the first thing they tell you?  "Here's your script for antibiotics".  Antibiotics are for bacterial infections ONLY.  They do nothing for a viral infection, except to make it worse.  It lowers the immune system by destroying your gut flora and fauna, and allows for the virus to get worse.

What I do: first thing I do, is colloidal silver drops in the ears.  You can find this in the vitamins and natural remedies section of Walgreens and basically any health food store.  If you have access to breastmilk, alternate drops of breastmilk with drops of silver.  Putting a garlic clove in the ear might help (if it is bacterial) as well as taking elderberry syrup (antiviral), taking fresh chopped garlic (antibacterial) and vit c.  I also tend to drink copious amounts of apple cider vinegar too.  If I come down  with anything, I want to hit it with everything so it goes away faster.  Some people use essential oils for ear infections, I have had nothing but bad luck with that, resulting in rashes behind my ears (with diluted oils) and you can't put oils IN your ears.  I DID have some pain relief from putting a drop or two of wintergreen on a cotton ball and shoving that in my ear.  Here's an excellent article by one of my favorite practitioners about treating ear infections without antibiotics.

Pink Eye:
This is easy - breastmilk or colloidal silver in the eye every couple hours, or as often as needed.  The end.


Flu:
I wrote a blog about the flu already...see here.

Strep:
Everyone says you "need" antibiotics for strep, because of the risk of acute rheumatic fever(ARF). It seems that this is not really a risk anymore, though.  I encourage you to take a long hard look at this article and the sources.  What we do for possible strep/sore throats, is apple cider vinegar - gargle 1:1 with water(I mix in small glass, like a shot glass or aperitif  and gargle every hour or so.  Also, drink 2 tbsp in a large glass of water, with honey and cinnamon.  Do that as often as possible.  You can also take tsp of colloidal silver.  (Do not take with the acv- alternate.)  Again, this has worked for my family.  Taking chopped garlic would also be helpful, as it is a powerful antibiotic.  Rubbing extremely diluted oregano essential oil on the feet will also be helpful as it is extremely effective as an antibiotic as well.

UTI:(urinary tract infection)Again, I defer to acv!  I would basically follow the strep remedy, except the gargling of it.  Just drink lots of glasses a day.  Also, you can take something called D-mannose.  It is the sugar found in cranberry juice that kills off the UTI bacteria.  Also, I usually dose up on lots of organic green tea, to help me eliminate lots of fluids.  This method worked in 24 hours for me...no antibiotic fixes THAT fast!  You can also use straight up cranberry juice - the real deal - but it is quite bitter and rough to take down in large quantities.  You can add it to the acv mixture, drink it on its own, or mix in cherry juice (very helpful).

Anxiety: overlooked health issueAnxiety is overlooked as something that is just purely stroke of luck.  Some people have it, some don't.  But this simply isn't the case.  Yes, medication can treat it...however, in some cases, so can the consumption of certain foods, vitamins, and the avoidance of others.  I would definitely start on a probiotic to start healing the gut, avoid processed foods - like hot dogs, soda, and pre-packaged sweets, take a B-complex (as that has been shown to help restore proper brain function), and a high dose omega 3 supplement (Garden of Life Oceans 3 "better brain" is what I would start with).  There are also essential oil regimens that would be helpful.  PastTense from doterra is excellent, as well as lavender, frankincense, all citrus oils, and Peace and/or Cheer  (from doterra).
(DoTERRA has an emotional roll-on kit for about 100 bucks - ask me about wholesale pricing...with 6 different oils, already in roller bottles.  If that is something you are interested in.)

Constipation:While pregnant, I get constipated pretty easily...it's unpleasant....like, REALLY unpleasant.  I used magnesium, and it made me regular, as well as helped my morning sickness!  My infant daughter was also "constipated" as much as a breastfed baby can be...I used probiotics on her first - and we aren't able to take to her to the chiro right now.  And when that didn't work, because I believe the constipation is due to teething anyways....I used magnesium oil on her belly, and 10 minutes later - voila!  We had a crying baby, ready to be changed, near blowout level poop!  :)

Prevention of illness:I can't say this often enough...stop getting flu shots.  Yes....it might build up flu antibodies - science says it probably won't do so very well.  The Cochrane Collaboration said that it is about 1% effective.  See my flu blog for more info - in the flu section above.  Plenty of science says that it'll contribute to worse sickness - like upper respiratory infections, and make you more susceptible to flu as the years go on.  I have never had the flu, as long as I can remember...I've never had a flu shot either.  I have been in food service and a teacher and lived in extremely cold weather conditions.  Maybe I have a ridiculous immune system, or maybe I just nourish my body properly.   Yes, I'm sure I'll get the flu one day....if so, I know what my game plan is.  When I see tons of people I know, get a flu shot, and subsequently ill about a week or two later, and on and off ill for the rest of the year, I know I've made the right choice.

Take quality vitamins.  I use Garden of Life brand vitamins for virtually everything.  I have found them to be very effective, and often have a variety of options, depending on your need.  They have a vit c spray that my 3 year old LOVES.  They have a chewable vit d that he will take also.  I love their women's prenatals and fish oil supplements also.  If you have a need, they probably have the solution.

Heal your gut.  HEAL.YOUR.GUT.  80% of the immune system lies in the gut - not the blood stream.  Eat/drink fermented foods, take probiotics, eat fermentable starches...whatever you need to do...get your gut in order!  This may take an overhaul on your diet, it might require cutting out certain foods or adding others...or even a detoxing cleanse.  You SHOULD be pooping 2-3 times a day.  Even your moods are often dictated by gut imbalances.  It is enormously important you get your gut under control.  Antibiotics ruin the gut.  If you have had antibiotics recently, you absolutely need to start doing this.  Sucralose also kills gut bacteria, as well as foods sprayed with harsh pesticides(specifically glyphosate "Round Up") - drinking conventional tea, having that sugar free lemonade at Chick-fil-a, that diet pepsi, etc...this also effects the gut because of the ingredients - seen and unseen - that lurk in those foods.  And this brings me back to vaccines...if your gut bacteria isn't optimal, you won't respond as well to the vaccine, you won't be able to detox all of the toxins (yes, there are toxins in vaccines...it's not vitamins and nutrients they put in them!  There is no health benefit in injecting aluminum and polysobate 80...and the slew of other things in shots).  All this to say, the gut is extremely important in immune function and protection from environmental sources.

Eat a balanced diet - I'm actually a poster child for what you should NOT do in diet.  In the last 24 hours I have had - taco bell, five guys, homemade organic whole grain oatmeal, and Marco's pizza...see the disconnect?  When I eat well, I eat REALLY well, when I eat bad, I eat really bad.  We stay healthy though...so I'm lazy about our diets more than not. Samuel eats better than we do...we're pretty careful about what he does and doesn't eat.  We recently completed a round of the Whole30...and it was awesome, but then we got super busy and very lazy and went right back to eating normally again....*sigh*....part of the problem lies in that I have a potty training 3 year old, my husband works from home, 7 days a week, and we share a car...and I work too.  Getting to the grocery store isn't always possible, neither is finding time to cook...I know these are all terrible excuses, but we make it work somehow.  I'm just being honest with you. I also haven't had any vaccines in 14 years, and no antibiotics in over 10 years...It's been even longer for Daniel.

 Try to lower your toxin load - use more natural soaps, cleaners, water, etc.  The better the quality of the things in and around your body, the better your immune system will work.  Stop using antibacterial soaps as well...you keep killing off the bacteria that is protecting you on your skin!  Even the FDA is now worried about the effects of triclosan (used to be in most antibacterial soaps) because, by their own admission, they haven't ever thought to study the effects of in...it is now banned....but I wonder, what other soap ingredients should be banned also.  I use the Think Dirty app for a resource to know how potentially dangerous a cleaning product is(you'd be surprised the things that end up on our shelves...).  We don't ever use hand sanitizer.  We use soap nuts for our clothes, shea moisture and Dr. Bronners for our skin/hair, Dr. Hauschka for makeup, and if we use sunscreen, we use Absolutely Natural.  We try to eat organically whenever we can, and we drink purified water (we get it by the gallon at Aldi.  Another affordable way is to get refillable pitchers and refill at your grocery store as well.  We intend to buy a home filter one day...but it is a huge investment up front.)

Take and leave what you want from this blog...but this is how I stay healthy and the go-to remedies I turn to in the event that I feel like something is coming on and need to nip it in the butt.

In health,
Becca H.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Whole30 - looking behind and ahead...

Looking behind...

28 days ago, I started a journey with my husband, to get healthy, hopefully lose a few pounds, and start a healthier relationship with food, and my husband to break his sugar addiction...

I planned recipes...

I shopped at several stores every week...

We haven't had cheese in 28 days...  ...

I worked very hard at being prepared for each day, so that we could cope with such a strenuous diet!

And there were failures...
        I didn't always make what I planned to...some recipes weren't as good as others...we got REALLY tired of soups/stews...as delicious as our "egg bakes" are, we really want something ELSE for breakfast...

And successes...
        We eat our meals at home now - usually at the dinner table too....I'm planning ahead for our meals, so I'm not so stressed out cooking each day...I'm in a much better "life routine" of doing the dishes each night - which in turn, prompts me to keep up with laundry (washing and drying...folding and putting away is still a struggle with a nursing newborn and a toddler that is overly "helpful"...) I have a routine...sorta...and that is helpful...I learned to get used to food without that starch/grain component that so many meals depend on...I got used to no more desserts...no more emergency breakfasts at Starbucks or Chick-fil-a....my husband doesn't immediately go out for a soda when running errands...he drinks water, tea, and coffee- all unsweetened and from home, generally...Samuel has been eating all this food - vegetables, meats, everything!  And mostly loving it! He still eats "regular" food too, but I'm so happy to see him eating meals not dependent on grains/sugars for his nutrition!  We eat better, feel better, live better.

Living this way is harder - going to a restaurant isn't so easy - most of the food there is "non-compliant"...even the salad I wanted at Outback had a soy dressing, and I'm sure sugar also.  A normal part of our week used to be going to Chipotle on Thursday night.  After a grueling Wednesday at work, not making dinner on Thursday is wonderful....but I found, with the right pressure and determination, I apparently have no problem rising to the occasion and making dinner Thursdays...yes, I was tired...but I was usually ok, and we all ate a healthy, homemade meal.

Ahhhh pb&j - how I miss thee...We both really really REALLY miss cheese!  (#Whole30 peeps, please make pecorino romano "compliant"...it'd be a game changer for this family to be able to eat that...)  I honestly miss my protein shakes in the morning....it was SO convenient to just chug my breakfast every morning, and not worry about warming up and chewing my food....I know, a pain, right?!

I don't think most the off limits foods are inherently bad.  I think we eat far too much grains/sugars in American lifestyle choices.  I think that beans are great, and dairy is also great (when sourced well).  So somethings need to be in moderation, and something are simply eliminated for the end goal of less starches/inflammatory foods for a therapeutic purpose.  Once that time is over, we will definitely be adding dairy and beans back in for our norms, and limited grains/sugars.  I think soy is inherently bad, though - I only think that traditionally fermented organic soy products should be used(soy sauce, miso, natto, etc.).  Unfortunately, soy lecithin is in SO many products and many restaurants fry their foods in soy oil...so it is unavoidable, to an extent.

Honestly, I'm torn....living this way is clearly better for us...but it is a lot more work, it's tiring sometimes...and not having cheese is basically killing our souls (sensing a theme yet?!)...

So going onward...I'm striving to make healthier, better changes...be more determined to be the one cooking...I started this journey with an 8 week old baby, a high maintenance 3 year old, and a sugar addicted husband...We can do better...we know better...we can most definitely do better.  So after a splurge meal or two, we will likely remain on the basis of Whole30 and paleo principles, but add in dairy(specifically cultured dairy - sour cream, cheese, cream cheese - minimal milk and ice cream), and moderate/no grains.  I will make our chicken verde - but I'll probably make coconut tortillas and drizzle sour cream and shredded cheese on it.  We will have our stew we love so much, but probably with a little mac and cheese or a roll (not both!) One of our favorite meals thus far - has been a winner as far as value- very cheap to make - and tastes great - and EASY - the egg roll in a bowl.  I use ground beef - because we're a beefy family.  And I will not use liquid aminos as recommended - either traditional soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos.  And I might serve it on some rice noodles or a little jasmine rice in the future.  But eating it as is, has been great, on multiple occasions. Our pork roast that I blogged about last week is also a winner with all of us - in fact, it is our dinner on Saturday this week.

By the numbers:
Daniel has lost 20 pounds...I have lost 15.  Daniel has chipped off 1/3rd of the weight he wanted to lose this year - by just eating better!  He hasn't cheated even once on this diet!  Neither of us have exercised.  I fit into my size six jeans that I haven't worn since early 2015!!  what a rush - slipping those jeans on easily!

Some parts were incredibly hard, some were extremely easy.  If you are trying to jump start your health, I highly recommend this route! Onward to a healthier 2017!

I get cheese in two days...

Cheese....two.more.days.

In health and wellness,
Becca H.

P.S. links to all my other weeks - week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

My paleo/whole30 pork roast...

I am in the throws of Whole30 at the moment...and on every Friday night, we have people over and have "game night".  I was going to make the lemon rosemary chicken, but decided last minute to make a pork roast.  Here's my "recipe"...

I used a 3.5 pound pork tenderloin from BJ's.  Their "good nature" brand - antibiotic free, humanely raised, etc.

I had organic fingerling potatoes from lucky's market, as well as half a head of cabbage, and 4 organic braeburn apples.

I hope you see where I'm going with this...

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
You'll need:
2 pounds of potatoes (I used organic fingerlings)
half a head of cabbage (more if you really like cabbage)
a pork tenderloin (Mine was over 3 pounds)
A variety of spices (paprika, salt, pepper, dry mustard, etc.)
3-4 apples (I used braeburn apples)

So I took the pork, put it in a 9x13 pyrex, and put a dry rub on it - I rubbed it lightly in bacon grease, then sprinkled quite a bit of paprika on, a little dry mustard, a good bit of garlic powder, some of my "veggie pepper" blend from frontier, and a lot of salt, and then I sprayed my avocado oil on it to sorta "seal" it in.  I let it come to room temp while I prepped other stuff.  Cook to at LEAST 145 degrees - I cooked mine to 160.  I think it took just over an hour and a half!  I can't recall specifically...sorry - I'm terrible at recipes.

I sliced the cabbage and put it UNDER the raw pork roast.  I salted it a little too.  Don't worry, it'll cook down in the pork juices.

I got the pork in the oven, and started on the potatoes.  I used 2 pounds of fingerling potatoes - I just rinsed them and checked for bad spots and took the little sprouts off.  I put them in a greased pyrex and just put it in the oven with the roast.

Then I rinsed and sliced my apples.  I'm sure any apple would work, I've just heard of braeburn being a typical "pork" apple.  So I sliced it into 1/8ths slices, and heated my cast iron skillet up.  I smeared a bit of bacon grease in it, and a little refined coconut oil....I put the apples in and caramelized them on each side.

Cook the pork to at LEAST 145 degrees - I cooked mine to 160.  I think it took just over an hour and a half!  I can't recall specifically...sorry - I'm terrible at recipes.   

I served the pork sliced up, with the cabbage, the potatoes, and the apples.  We served it with stone ground mustard on the side. My 3 year old loved it!  He ate the pork and apples like a champ!  I don't remember if I gave him cabbage or not...but his bowl was essentially cleaned out!

It may have been the most "German" meal I have ever made(I didn't even intend it to be that way...it kinda just all came together that way)...but it was loved by all and there was NOTHING about it that screamed "whole30" or "paleo" or anything...it was a delicious, hearty meal and will henceforth be referred to as my German dinner and will be added to our regular menu!

Enjoy!


In health,
Becca H.

P.S. I would have posted pictures, except I forgot to take any, and we devoured it...whooops....maybe next time!

#paleo #whole30 #cleaneating #yummo

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Whole 30 - Whole Meal Plan - week 4 + day 29 and 30...

AHhhhh...week 4...I thought it would take so long to get to this point...but it really hasn't.  We've been incredibly busy, I keep cooking, life trucks on....and here we are - looking at the end.  Here's links to week 1, week 2, and week 3.

Breakfast:
So for our egg bakes this week - I'm going to make 3(to last us through the last two days PLUS some), just like I made them last week - only more bacon...there definitely wasn't enough bacon in them :-P  I also save the bacon grease and it has been awesome for my cast iron!

Lunch:
We've been doing well with our lunch crock pots, tuna, random leftovers...it's been going well...that's still our plan for the upcoming week :)

Dinner:
Monday - verde chicken from week 3.  It is super good - easy to make.  I use these tomatillos and makes         things easier.  Once you get it in the crock pot, it is smooth sailing. We also got a LOT of food from one       batch, so it'll be on our diets AFTER whole 30...it's healthy and easy and great with cheese and a corn         tortilla (so I hear 😜 ).

Tuesday - egg roll in a pan from week 1.  This recipe doesn't cease to disappoint - easy, cheap, and yummy.     This dish will also stay on my meal plan after Whole30 is done - but we might add some rice noodles in         moderation.

Wednesday - We mainly eat leftovers from the weekend on Wednesdays - and I modify something from           work for Daniel and I - sometimes it's just a grilled chicken breast with a big salad - but hey, it's food!

Thursday - the paleo beef stew from week 2.  It has been staple in our home now...and will stay so!  I make     a huge batch - gets us through at least two meals, very heartily.

Friday - lemon rosemary chicken from week 1, or perhaps me make my coconut lime chicken I used to             make years ago - I marinade the chicken in coconut milk and lime juice and a few crushed red peppers.  I     grill it on my cast iron and serve with basically anything :-P I might even buy some plantains and roast them     up!

Saturday - spaghetti squash with bolognese.  I'll probably buy the organic marinara at Aldi and doctor it up        with spices and a pound of ground beef.  Roast off the spaghetti squash and call it a day!

Sunday - leftovers - Sundays are very busy days for us and we usually have plenty of leftovers after this busy      food week.

Monday(day 29) - thai chicken from week 1 or egg roll in a pan...something "asian".  I have the ingredients        for both.  The thai chicken doesn't yield much though, and I will only make it if we have enough leftovers        for Tuesday - when I'm at work.

Tuesday(day 30) - we made it...so I want to make something that we will continue to like when we rejoice!       The verde chicken is a great recipe for that.  I even used some leftovers of this today - I fried up some           shredded zucchini and shredded potato in my cast iron and made it a little crispy, and served this over           that...it was really good.

Favorite snacks: unsweetened organic toasted coconut flakes 2.48 at Walmart!, apples and coconut oil, and tuna with mustard.

Pros:  My energy is so good now - I basically don't need naps - I handle all these meals from scratch much better now, I look forward to cooking at home again!  and Samuel is eating all this food like a champ!  Meal planning has made my week SO much less stressful...I'll be keeping this habit! My breastmilk supply hasn't diminished, even though I stopped oatmeal.  YAY!

Cons: We both still want dairy something fierce...we want sugar - yes, but dairy obviously has a huge strong hold in us.

So going forward - we are optimistic we can finish strong!  But we eagerly await Feb 1!  I hope we arrive with better self control, better health, and a better relationship with good (especially saccharides!)

I hope this helps you understand Whole30 and helps you in your own health journey, should you choose to take one!  😁


In health,
Becca H.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Whole 30 - Whole Meal Plan - week 3

Well, here we are...about to embark on week 3 of the Whole30.  I knew we would make it to here, but I didn't know how hard it was going to be this past week.  I'll enlighten you later towards the end.  Here's my week 2 and week 1 posts.

My meal plan...
Breakfast - we did "egg bakes" and that worked great for us!  See week 2 for the recipe!  This week, I'm changing it up.  Lucky's Market carries an excellent bacon that is Whole30 compliant, so we will be doing bacon as our meat and kale and spinach as our veggie, instead of spaghetti squash - we've had a lot of that in our eggs for the last two weeks and I need a change!

Lunch - we did lettuce wraps today with tuna and mustard...it was pretty tasty, but not enough fat.  We also ate a carrot with it.  We generally do chicken or tuna salad for our lunches when we don't have leftovers.  We have leftovers from dinner last night, which we will eat Monday for lunch...so I am not going to worry about the rest of the week right now.  We have been doing well with our leftovers in our baby lunch crock pots on Tues/Wed and even sometimes on Thursdays...

Dinner:
Monday - roasted chicken with zucchini zoodles cooked in chicken broth and ghee.
Tuesday - the paleo beef stew from week 2!  It was a hit with Daniel and Samuel and very hearty for my               Wednesday work day.
Wednesday - food I'll prepare at work...we'll see what I end up making.  Last week was chicken breast with         a large salad.
Thursday - I didn't get around to the thai chicken last week...so it's definitely gonna be on for this Thursday!           See week 1 for the recipe!
Friday - the roasted lemon chicken and potatoes from week 1!
Saturday - the power protein salads from week 1...possibly the egg roll in a pan...either way, see week 1.
Sunday - it is sort of "play by ear" with church and a variety of other factors...so I'll just make sure I have                food on hand, and just see how the day goes.

Favorite snacks:  apples dipped in cinnamon coconut oil, nuts, bananas, carrot/celery sticks dipped in dressing or mustard!

Pros:  So my body odor is basically gone...I forget to put deodorant on still smell less than I did when I wore deodorant!  I am guessing the microbials that produced the odor lived on sugar or the food I was eating caused me to be quite toxic.  Either way - no more BO!  My energy was great all week - I didn't get a nap the entire week and was fine!  I had a horrendously busy week too!  And collectively, Daniel and I have lost 25 pounds!  It is like weight is just jumping off of both of us! (you aren't supposed to weigh yourself...but I'm doing an incredible amount of shopping and cooking, so I'm DEFINITELY checking my weight and Daniel has a 5 pound per Christmas board game going on right now...so he wants to know what he can open or not...I think that's fine...we are excited by both non-scale victories, just as we are with regular ones.  I am fitting back into pre-prego clothes really well now!  I'm ten pounds UNDER pre-pregnancy weight and she just turned 2 months!!!!!)  Because I am dairy free, I was able to donate breastmilk to a friend who needed it for her baby who has a dairy allergy - such an honor for me.

Cons:  The mind games my mind is playing with me...trying to trick me into eating non-compliant food is awful.  I stopped my oatmeal too...but I made 22, yes 22, batches of cakes this week and I so desperately wanted just a lick of that sweet goodness...I didn't...but I didn't feel a physical craving, as much as a "mental" craving, if that makes sense.  Daniel isn't so much "bored" with the food, as he is just not looking forward to it...he says it's good, but it is not "pleasing" to him in the way that other food used to be....I'm hoping this is just a mental hurdle we both have to work through and we'll get through this.  Daniel has not even once cheated on a single bite....never.  I'm so freaking proud of him!!!  Emilia is very gassy sometimes - probably because I am eating so many veggies.  I was thinking her gas BEFORE was from dairy, and I'm now thinking it was really veggies all along.  She's incredibly pleasant most of the time, so a little gas is ok....

So here's to a new week, full of more energy and good things ahead!  Excited for bacon this week and revisiting some of the meals we enjoyed the last two weeks!

In health,
Becca H.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Whole 30 - Whole Meal Plan - week 2

It's day six as I type this... my breakfast for next week is in the oven, and my meal plan is rolling around my head.  Here's last week's blog as a reference.

The breakfast cups I did last week were both time consuming and only okay.  This week, I did two egg bakes.
Breakfast:
2 spaghetti squash
2.5 pounds compliant sausage
3 peppers
1/2 an onion, or as much as you like.
36 eggs
2 9x13 pyrex pans
oil, salt and pepper for drizzling.

  I prepped two spaghetti squash and started baking them (cut in half, lengthwise, put in pan with a little oil and s&p - bake skin side up, at 375 for about 45-55 minutes, until skin breaks when pushed with a little effort) I bought a 5# pack of Botto spicy sausage at BJ's. I froze two, 1.25 lb packages, and cooked the other two while the squash was cooking..  I removed the casing and seared the sausage off in my cast iron skillet with 3 small, sweet peppers and some onions.  I cooked it all down till there was almost no liquid left in the pan.  Separate it out into 2 9x13 pyrex pans.  Crack 18 eggs into a bowl and whisk them.  The squash came out not long after I finished that (I'm also chasing a toddler and nursing a baby during this time).  I shredded the squash and treated it like my "cheese".  I put it on top of the sausage in the 2 pans evenly.  Then I poured the 18 eggs over one pan.  You might have to sorta convince the eggs to cover everything.  Do the same with the second pan and 18 more eggs.  Bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes. (just leave the oven on from when you had the squash in)

The end result:



So, that's done - I'll cut them into 14 slices per pan, and assume 2 slices per person, per day = 7 days of breakfast.  They look great and the cuts came out nicely and I tasted a bit and YUMMO!

Lunch:
The fiesta chicken salad was great that we made last week.  Will be making that again.  We also ate a lot of tuna salad.  I made my own mayo (super easy - one cup of light oil, 1 egg, 1/2 a lemon juiced, 1/2 tsp acv, 1/2 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp dried mustard - put in a container and mix with immersion blender)

The tuna salad had half a green pepper, one other smaller pepper of choice, two cans of tuna, and enough mayo to keep it all together.  I added paprika and onion flakes also.  Served it with celery and carrot sticks.  Yum!  Works as a great snack also!

Dinner last week was mostly success.  All the things we made were good.  They were.  But after 2 days of soup for dinner and leftovers of soup for lunch, we were pretty souped out.  This week, we will have some other stews and I'm just planning on Wednesday being leftovers.

Dinner:
Monday - we will have the chicken tikka masala from last week's Wednesday.  It never got made, because I was working and stupid and forgot to give Daniel the instructions to prepare it.  So he ate leftovers and I ate at work - a chicken breast and salad.  I froze the chicken tikka and will cook it Monday.

Tuesday - paleo beef stew - I will omit the red wine and do extra broth, since we aren't even supposed to cook with wine, to my knowledge, on Whole30.

Wednesday - we will have plenty of leftovers from Monday and Tuesday.

Thursday - I did the thai chicken last week and it was uh.maze.ing.  I adjusted it a little, to our tastes.  Here's my take.

Friday - we did the chicken and potatoes for our game night yesterday!  It was a hit!  This week, we will be doing a chicken version of these carnitas!  I'm catering a banquet that night, so I wanted something easy my husband and his friends could easily work out.

Saturday - egg roll in a pan again.  I have leftover cabbage from this week's dinner.  I added a smidge of sesame oil to the sauce, as well as sesame seeds to the final dish as garnish.  I also put a few tablespoons of refined coconut oil in the pan while it cooked, to up the fat content to make it more Whole 30 friendly.

Sunday - paleo power bowl again.

We will keep tuna and chicken salad options on hand as both snacks and lunches.  Celery, carrots, apples, bananas, and nut packs are at our disposal as well.

Struggles:

We seriously wanted pretzels/rice/grains on again, off again.
Daniel craved ice cream and sweets something fierce!
We both had slumps in energy, grumpy/moody sometimes, etc...but, now, on day 6, we seem to be on the            tail end of that.
THE COST - good Lord, it is expensive to eat like this.  We are eating MOSTLY plant based foods here,             and it is NOT cheap.  We are spending about 200 per week in groceries right now...no bueno...it's               worth it...but seriously, no bueno.  You know what's cheap - grains...dairy...beans - stuff not allowed.           The snack I love is pretzels dipped in cream cheese...and now I eat macadamia nuts instead....it's FAR         more costly to eat nutrient dense like this...but the benefits come basically right away...

Benefits:

Much more clear headed (for me anyways).
Not hungry throughout the day - I eat a hearty breakfast, solid lunch, a great dinner and feel full most of the        day!
 Weight loss - you are not supposed to weigh yourself on this diet...just let your body be for 30 days.  Well,        Daniel has certain weight loss goals tied in with opening new Christmas presents he got - board/video            games.  So he's been weighing himself...and I thought, well, if he is, I AM TOO!  So we've collectively          lost 15 pounds in 6 days - while not being hungry, not exercising, and not restricting fats.


So far, I'm nothing but happy with this diet, except the cost of it.  I'm excited to see how week 2 goes!

In health,
Becca H.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Modified spicy "peanut" thai chicken

THAI CHICKEN WITH SPICY "PEANUT" SAUCE
 
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
 
Author: 
Serves: 3-4 servings
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 date
  • water
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/2 T fresh ginger, finely grated
  • ¼ C sunflower butter
  • Juice of ½ lime(or lemon)
  • 4 T coconut aminos
  • 1 T sesame oil
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • red pepper flakes
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 1 lb. chicken tenders
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 3 medium zucchinis, spiralized
  • 1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 2 sweet peppers, thinly sliced
  • sesame seeds
  • cilantro, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Put date in a small cup and add enough water to complete cover date. Microwave on high for 1 minute and allow to soak until date is needed later.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together garlic, ginger, sunflower butter, lime juice, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and salt.
  3. Remove date from water. Cut pit out of date and discard. With a fork smash date until it turns into a paste. Whisk date paste with the rest of the "peanut" sauce.
  4. Add a dash of red pepper flakes to sauce, enough to add as much heat as preferred.
  5. In a skillet warm 2 T of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders and saute on each side for 3-4 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside to rest and cool.
  6. In the same skillet add the remaining 2 T of olive oil. Toss zucchini, carrot shreds and sweet peppers in the oil. Stir constantly with tongs and allow to cook for 2 minutes, just long enough to warm the vegetables thoroughly and slightly soften.
  7. Dice chicken and toss with the veggie noodles. Stir in the sauce just before serving.
  8. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro