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Coconut Flour Bread & A Confession

Posted in bread, dairy free, low oxalate diet on February 5, 2011| 22 Comments »

I have had a couple of people ask about the recipe for the coconut flour bread that I am eating these days so I thought I would post it today. I originally found the recipe at Life As A Plate. I just found this blog not long ago and I am ever so glad that I did! I have made several changes though and thought I would show you what I do. Actually, my daughter usually makes this for me 😉 I think I’ve only made it once.

Coconut Flour Bread

I didn’t change much from the original recipe but I needed it to be dairy free. I used to use real organic butter in the bread before I realized I needed to cut out dairy. It was SUPER yummy with real butter! Now, I am using Earth Balance dairy free/soy free butter. It’s good that way too. Anyway, here is the recipe my daughter makes for me:

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup flax meal

2 Tbs. arrowroot

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1/8 cup sesame seeds (I leave these out due to tummy)

7 eggs (you can get away with only 6 eggs)

1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil (original recipe calls for 1/2 c.)

2 Tbs. full fat coconut milk (original recipe calls for sour cream)

Combine dry ingredients except 1 Tbs. sesame seeds if using.

Combine eggs and coconut milk (or sour cream) and beat into dry mix~then add butter or coconut oil.

Pour into greased loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbs. sesame seeds if using. I use a small loaf pan~not a regular size but not mini loaf either~not sure what size mine is exactly because I’ve never measured it 🙂

Bake @ 325 for 40 minutes. I always cover mine with foil after the first 15 minutes to keep top from burning but your oven may be different than mine.

Let cool in pan for a bit then take out of pan and cool the rest of the way on cooling rack. Slice and enjoy! A BIG thank you to Life As A Plate~this bread has changed my life! 🙂

Okay, now I have a small confession to make. I ‘cheated’ on my ‘diet’ last night! I ate a couple of things I wasn’t supposed to! Cereal has always been one of my favorite foods and when I’m tired and don’t feel like making anything else, I WANT CEREAL!! Why am I telling you this? Because I don’t want people to think that I have it all together and I never cheat!! I am not always the best at doing what I’m told to do to better my health 😉 I WANT to stick to the ‘diet’ that has been prescribed for me, but sometimes, I’m weak and cave. Any tips you may have would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

Hope you enjoy the bread recipe and have a great weekend!

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Who Says?

Posted in almond milk, bread, breakfast, buckwheat, exercise, pancakes, smoothie, stevia, sunbutter, Uncategorized, yoga on July 16, 2010| 7 Comments »

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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Eat, Spit and be Merry=)

Posted in bread, breakfast, candida, celiac, chicken, devotions, grain free, test, yoga on January 5, 2010| 4 Comments »

Okay, that has got to be the dumbest post title EVER! BUT, they all pertain to my day so far. I’ll start with the ‘spit’ because I know that one had to have gotten your attention 😉

As many of you know, I have been struggling with chronic yeast problems for the last year (at least). I was doing some reading online yesterday about Candida and read about a spit test. I had seen this before but never gave it much thought. I did my first spit test yesterday afternoon and it wasn’t looking good. They say that you get better results first thing in the morning, but mine was pretty bad in the afternoon! So, I decided to do it again this morning and see what happened. I’m sure you will be glad to know that I did NOT take pictures of my spit in a glass 🙂 Anyway, this morning’s spit was REALLY bad!! Was I surprised? NO! I’m guessing my Candida is worse than I thought. I also sent off a test that the ND had me do and should hear the results of that soon. I think I am a walking yeast molecule!! ( Just for the record, my daughter thought this was pretty cool and did it herself. I think she’s fine though as far as yeast goes.)

So, after my science experiment this morning, I proceeded to do my devotion. I am reading through the Book of Mark and still praying about a particular Bible study. Then I did a glorious 75 minutes of yoga on my own. I really like Yogadownload and going to classes when I can, but I think my favorite is just doing what my body feels like doing all on my own. This makes me very happy and content 😀 I was looking at a yoga book this morning and found this quote that I liked:

“If your practice doesn’t increase the joy in your life, it is the wrong practice for you.”

For my eats today, I had eggs and grain free bread for breakfast–no picture. How interesting can eggs and bread be anyway? For lunch, I had my heart set on some poached salmon that I made for dinner last night. My tummy was feeling pretty out of whack last night, so I skipped the salmon thinking I would just eat it for lunch today. Well, what happens when there are three teens and a hungry hubby in the house? They ate ALL the salmon–and roasted asparagus!! I ended up having chicken salad -hold the mayo- with raw veggies.

I used organic gluten free canned chicken and added green onions, red peppers, 1 tsp. olive oil and salt and pepper.

I have an appointment with the ND this Friday that should be pretty interesting so stay tuned 🙂

Now, I know all of you want to go spit in a glass, right?

Added note: After more research, I just wanted to say that I would not use the spit test for an official diagnoses for Candida. I mainly did it for fun and out of curiosity. It is important to note that I have a gazillion other symptoms and am having an actual lab test done to see where I stand with candida. So, if you go spit in a glass and it looks all funky but you have no other symptoms–no worries 😉

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Learn Something New Everyday

Posted in black beans, bread, breakfast, candida, diet, pudding, quinoa, raw cheese, salad, smoothie, squash on November 17, 2009| 8 Comments »

Here are some things I am learning:)

1-I need to start a strict anti-candida diet! The ND is going to have me do a test that we send off that tells how bad it is and what strand of yeast I have. We can then proceed to treat accordingly with herbal/natural supplements. Main point-I have severe candida!!

2-I learned today that green monsters without ANY fruit are REALLY nasty!! ‘Nuff said! That also means I learned that breakfast on high raw, anti-candida is going to be tricky! Any ideas?

3– I learned that I like raw rutabaga blended with garlic, olive oil, salt etc. These were supposed to be patties, but didn’t quiet work the way they were supposed to. So, I learned that they make great croutons!

This is my salad I packed for lunch today. It had:

romaine, english cucumber, yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, carrots, sprouts, sprouted black quinoa, and broken up rutabaga “patties”

4-I learned that raw broccoli is NOT my friend. I didn’t take a picture. For snack today, I had raw broccoli with some black bean dip.

5-I learned that I LOVE Gena’s BEST. SOUP. EVER.!!

I do not typically like raw soups at all, but this one, well it was a different story!

6-I then proceeded to learn that butternut is probably not good for candida. Not sure about that though. Raw foods have less sugar and carbs than cooked food. Any info. here?

7-I learned that chia pudding has a very weird texture that I’m not sure I like.

Raw cocoa chia pudding

I tasted this and stuck it back in the fridge. Will taste again later:)

8-I learned that this is my favorite raw meal so far:

Raw bread with tomato, sprouts and raw cheese with coleslaw

9-I learned that cheese is a no-no for anti-candida diet:( I rarely ever have it, but it’s nice every once in a while. So long cheese!

10-I learned that functioning on VERY little sleep is TORTURE when you have to go clean someone’s house!! I NEED SLEEP!!!

There– I learned at least TEN new things today!! Never too old to learn!:)

Have you learned anything new today? I also learned that I can’t spell or type very well today!LOL!

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Raw Fun

Posted in balance, bread, chocolate, coconut, dessert, diet, juicing, quinoa, recipe book, squash on November 15, 2009| 12 Comments »

If you read my last post, you will remember that I was not too thrilled about going back to a high raw diet. I am doing this at the request of my ND, although I do feel better eating this way. Anyway, it has been 5 days since I went back to high raw and I’m not dead yet:)! I have actually found some recipes that I really like and am feeling more satisfied. I’m trying not to worry about doing everything perfectly and I think that is helping. I am also trying to plan ahead a little better. I just wanted to post a few of the things I have been enjoying over the last few days.

First, is my first attempt at raw bread! I really was surprised that I like it-a lot! Today, I had a piece with a little raw almond butter and frozen blueberries.

blog pictures 860 I got this recipe out of this book. I changed a few things and don’t even remember exactly what, so I’m not going to attempt posting what I did. All I know is it is much better than I anticipated!

Next up is a yummy coleslaw out of the same book. This is currently my new favorite book by the way:)

blog pictures 863 Sorry the picture is VERY dark–oops! I loved this slaw! I pretty much followed the recipe except for one thing. The recipe called for cumin–which I LOVE–but I also added a touch of cinnamon. If you have never paired those two spices together, you should give it a try.

Next up, a treat from my hubby:) We were at the health food store the other day and he was so kind to buy me some raw cocoa powder. I wouldn’t buy it for myself because I see it as not essential, but it sure is nice to have a treat.

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You may be wondering what I made with some of this yummy stuff. Well, I was SO pleased today when I found a whole page of Low-Sugar Treats on Gena’s blog. THANK YOU, THANK YOU GENA!! I think you have saved my life! I made Carob Cocoa-Coconut Sweeties(on the Low-Sugar Treat page).

blog pictures 861 Now I have a low-sugar version of Katie’s fabulous looking Fudge Babies!! Oh, SO excited! Don’t forget to stop by Katie’s blog to help out with Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness!

Other than these new treats:

I have been eating lots of salads, juicing, green smoothies and some cooked spaghetti squash and a little cooked quinoa. I know I said here that I was cutting out ALL grains, but the ND wants me to try quinoa some.

All in all, this high raw thing hasn’t been so bad after all. I just need to stay positive, plan ahead and try new recipes:) I am trying to focus on what I CAN have, not what I can’t have. And just a little side note–I AM feeling a little improvement in my gut and my energy levels. My stomach has NOT been hurting these last several days–YAY! Hopefully, the better I feel, the more motivated I will be to eat right:)

Have you ever tried something new that you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving it (a.k.a. like me with the raw bread:)?

P.S. I don’t know why the lighting was so bad in all of these pics! Will try to put more appealing pics next time:)

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Speaking out of Ignorance & some randomness:)

Posted in bread, brussel sprouts, coconut milk, juicing, rambling, raw cheese, smoothie, spinach, yoga on September 26, 2009| 18 Comments »

I had an interesting conversation with one of my clients the other day. Well, it was more like she did all the talking and I just let what she was saying go in one ear and out the other. For those of you that are fairly new to reading my blog, I clean houses for a living. Sometimes the people are there and sometimes they aren’t. I would much rather them NOT be there. So anyway, this lady I was cleaning for is a Christian. I am also a Christian and it’s nice to have clients that are. I was talking to her and just mentioned the word Yoga and it opened up a whole nasty can of worms! She was telling me that yoga can cause people to worship satan and not realize it. Okay, first of all, I think if I were worshiping satan–I WOULD KNOW IT!! Secondly, I know that my God loves me enough to let me know when something is a little cooky!!

This conversation got me to thinking about how people–even me sometimes–can speak out of total ignorance. I’m not saying they are stupid. I just mean that they don’t really know enough about what they are condemning to judge it negatively. This has happened to me SO many times with my diet. When this client first started saying this stuff to me about yoga, I was tempted to get angry. Then I realized that she just really doesn’t understand yoga. She went to ONE class that was a negative experience. Therefore, in her mind, ALL yoga is BAD! I thought it was interesting that I had this conversation right after I had read this blog entry at Yogiclarebear’s blog. When I read the post by Clare, I thought it must be a very uncommon thing for people to say that yoga is of the devil. Well, I think differently now. I guess a lot of people can have a negative view of yoga, but I’m not one of them. I’m also thankful for Polly’s blog. Her blog is what helped me realize that you can be a Christian and still enjoy Yoga. I don’t know if I would have ventured into yoga otherwise. Thanks Polly:)

Okay, enough about yoga! Here are some random pics I have been taking and haven’t had time to post:

Hubby bought me a new juice bottle:) Holds almost a whole quart which is my juice for the day!

To make juicing a bit easier, place a Kroger bag in the pulp catcher. Easier clean up!

Had my first taste of Jicama this week. Like it!

Lovin' me some Coconut Kefir smoothies:)

Coconut Flour pancakes w/ strawberries and coconut kefir. YUMMO!

Hummus, spinach and raw cheese sandwich w/ roasted veggies

That sandwich was made with Gluten free/ grain free sprouted bread. I still need to post the recipe for this, but haven’t had time. Trust me it’s yummy! It seems like brussels are all the rage these days in the bloggie world. I know I’m lovin’ em!

Hope you all have a fabulous Saturday! I am hanging out at home feeling a little (okay, a lot) drained. I have been at my mom’s more than I have been home this week. She is recovering well from her knee surgery, but still needs lots of help.

Question: Have you ever had someone judge you about something they know nothing about? How do you handle it–get angry or let it go?

P.S. Just wanted to say a BIG thank you to all you lovely people that have been visiting and commenting on my blog!!!!

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Jackpot!!

Posted in balance, bread, breakfast, buckwheat, carbs, celiac, coconut milk, diet, grain free, ice cream, juicing, menopause, protein powder, quinoa, smoothie, snacks on August 31, 2009| 6 Comments »

blog pictures 696

Check out this load of stuff my hubby won at the health food store!! I don’t think I have EVER won anything in my life, so I don’t even bother to sign up. He signed up and told me he would win–guess he was right! This nice backpack was loaded with all kinds of goodies! I think pretty much all of it is gluten free, but not corn, rice etc. free:) So, my hubby will be doing most of the munching on this bunch of goodies. I bet there are almost a dozen snack bars! There was a bottle of body wash, coconut water (which I will gladly drink), hemp protein, acai fruitein, gluten free ‘granola’, single servings of peanut butter and almond butter and more!! There were also some herbal remedies, but no thanks! I am on enough of those already:)

Speaking of remedies, I think I am finally getting closer to what really works for me–I think:) I went to the ND last Friday and was complaining to her about my terrible cravings for things that I am NOT supposed to have. I thought it was because I was eating a high raw diet and not feeling satisfied. Well, come to find out, it was my hormones!! You can read about my journey into Peri-menopause here. She told me to increase my natural progesterone cream and I am feeling WAY more balanced (I have opted to NOT use any prescription hormones for my symptoms.) Man, hormones can do scary things to our bodies. She is also ordering yet another herbal remedy to help balance my wacky body. I am already feeling a HUGE difference though. I have not touched anything ‘illegal’ since my visit on Friday!! Whew!

So, now that I am not wanting to eat everything in my town, here is what I am doing. I have been fixing this raw cereal every night before bed to have the next morning and it is really satisfying me.

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I know, it’s not very pretty, but it works for me:) Before bed, I put the following in a bowl: 1/2 cup quinoa flakes, 2 tbs. sunflower seeds, 2 Tbs. pumpkin seeds, 1 Tbs. hemp seeds, and 1-2 Tbs. raisins. Then I add 1/2 cup coconut milk and 4 Tbs. coconut water (which sweetens it all). I put this in the fridge until morning. Then I add 1 Tbs. hemp protein powder and some cinnamon. Mix and dig in:) Soaking things is key for me to have a happy belly! Last night, I actually soaked the seeds and raisins seperate in some water left out on the counter. I think they ‘soak’ better that way. That keeps me happy for a good while.

Then about mid-morning, I make some green juice. Today, I tried cabbage in my juice after seeing that on Maggie’s blog. It was yummy. No picture though, because it went down the hatch:) Thanks for the idea Maggie!

I have been able to wait longer to eat drink lunch since doing the raw cereal and juice. I have really just been wanting smoothies for lunch.

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I’ll usually have a snack involving a little fruit in the afternoon. Yesterday, I was inspired by Averie to pull out my ice cream maker. I made a sorbet with frozen cherries, strawberries and half banana. Oh, I also added 2 Tbs. raw cocoa nibs. Blended it up and threw it in the ice cream maker:

blog pictures 691

If anyone makes this, you may want to add some agave or something. It wasn’t quiet sweet enough, but it worked for me.

For dinner, I have been having a BIG salad! No pictures–oops!

I also recently came up with a bread recipe that I can finally feel good about eating. I will post more about it another day, but I made my own flour with sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat, quinoa, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. The only other flour in it is a little coconut flour. I have always hated the fact that gluten free breads are loaded with all kinds of starches–that I can’t digest–and they are usually pretty refined and high carb. My homemade bread doesn’t have any of the typical starches in it, is pretty good in protein and not refined and high carb. I took a piece to my ND to let her try it and she loved it! So, now I have a sprouted bread that is technically grain free and very healthy:) YUM!

Gotta run now, today is our first day of another year of homeschooling:)

God Bless!!

Added note: I think I have had too much of a good thing with the seeds in my raw cereal! I tend to quickly forget that I can’t do so many seeds three days in a row! My belly is NOT happy at the moment. So, I am trying a new raw breakfast in the morning. Stay tuned:)

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More to life

Posted in anniversary, bread, coconut milk, eating out, rambling, sunbutter, thankfulness, traveling GF on August 10, 2009| 6 Comments »

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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BUSY week and SWEET surprises!

Posted in bread, buckwheat, chicken, chocolate, cookbook, diet, juicing, oatgurt, thankfulness on July 16, 2009| 12 Comments »

Boy, this week has completely flown by! My cleaning schedule has been intense lately! For those of you new to my blog, I clean houses to put food on our table. One of my sweet surprises was actually at a new client’s house. I started cleaning for a lady I go to church with. We had never even really talked before due to the fact that they are a pretty new family. She has some pretty severe health issues and hired me to help her out. She has FIVE daughters ages 9 and under–whew! Anyway, so I go to clean for her and we just really clicked. I went to ‘work’ and made a new friend! I love it when I can be friends with the people I work for:)

Another sweet surprise I got this week was this:

blog pictures 587 In case you can’t see it, this is a very sweet handmade card (from Kristin) and a gift card to Barnes and Noble!!! WooHoo!! This just happened to come on a day that I was really struggling. I had worked really hard that day and was feeling a little down in the dumps. I got home and had this wonderful surprise waiting in the mail for me–well, it was actually for me AND my hubby:) We house/dog sat for our friends a few weeks ago and they sent us this as a ‘thank you’. Bet ya can’t guess what I got with this gift card! Okay, first of all, my hubby is NOT a book person. But, I told him we would split the card half and half. He could spend his on coffee etc. and I could get a book–since I can’t drink coffee:) Do you know what he did though? He gave me to whole amount. He always does things like that to bless me. He doesn’t usually ever want to buy for himself. SWEET surpirse! So, back to what I got. If you guessed a cookbook–you are one smart cookie:) Speaking of cookie, I sure would like to have one right now. FOCUS KIMBERLY!!! Thanks for the book Kristin!!!!:)

blog pictures 598 This book has tons of good info. and even more yummy recipes. Only a few pretty pictures though. That’s okay, the pages are nice and shiny:) This book is about raw living food. I will say that it is a little extreme. I have learned that I will NEVER agree with EVERYTHING in any book–except the Bible🙂 I did learn some new things about food etc. but the recipes are what really sold me on this book. As for the info., I will take what I like and throw out the rest. I think this dude is into some different spiritual thinking than I would agree with:) That doesn’t mean I can’t use his recipes though.

Okay, on to my next SWEET, AWESOME surprise of the week. I am SOOO excited about this one! I mean if I had the energy, I would seriously be doing the happy dance:) My hubby has worked all sorts of weird off shifts our whole 19 years of marriage. He has been on midnight for a while now and it gets pretty lonely sleeping in a bed all by myself (with my kitty). Our meals are all out of whack because he wants breakfast when it is our dinner time. Anyway, HE GETS TO GO TO DAYSHIFT!!!!! Is that not awesome?! He has one more week of night shift and then we ‘might’ have a ‘normal’ life.

So, what have I been doing when I’m not working?

blog pictures 597 Sprouting (buckwheat and broccoli sprouts)

blog pictures 596 Started a batch of buckgurt (oatgurt only with buckwheat). I tried this once before and it was a complete flop but I really think I had a bad batch of buckwheat. The buckwheat grouts I am using for this smelled and looked completely different. The first time I tried it, the buckwheat smelled really strong (in a bad way). What I started today had a really good fresh smell. We’ll see how it goes. I will update in a couple of days on this.

As for my ‘experiment’–I am still experimenting:) I am pretty much doing raw until dinner, juicing(only once a day though), and ‘trying’ to watch my food combinations. I can’t always worry about perfect food combining because there are times that I feel like that is too restrictive. I don’t want to fall back into restricting my food so much. For the most part though, I think I’m doing okay most of the time.

How am I feeling? Well, I am VERY tired but I think that is just because I have been working more than usual. My stomach is doing well–most of the time. There are a couple of foods I have noticed cause me problems though. One of those is Stevia. EVERY time I use it, I notice I just do not feel well and I get headaches. I do better with pure raw honey. I use so little of it though that I am not going to worry about it (sugar wise). Another very unfortunate thing that has been bothering me is chicken!!! It was NOT my intention to go back to vegetarian when I started eating more raw. But, I can NOT deny that my tummy feels MUCH better when I don’t eat meat of any kind. Have tried chicken twice (each time a week apart) lately, and both times–it got me! I do plan on trying fish in a few days.

Overall, I think the change in my diet has been a good one. I am shocked and totally amazed that raw food is NOT killing my tummy! I am still eating some cooked foods –like my sprouted gluten free bread, 70% chocolate, a little sunbutter etc. My energy IS an issue, but we’ll see how I feel next week when I’m not working as much. This raw ’til dinner must not be too bad because ‘something’ keeps motivating me to do it:) I got up this morning and was thinking I would just eat whatever–and then I found myself wanting to eat fresh ‘living’ food! If anyone has ideas about energy–I would love your input! I’m open to try new things:)

I go to the ND tomorrow. I’m still not sure what to think about it but it won’t hurt to check this lady out. Who knows–maybe she can figure my gut out!

I really didn’t mean to write a novel. That’s what happens when I don’t blog for a couple days! Anyway, God has been SO good to me this week with all the sweet surprises! What are you thankful for this week?

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The Avocado Lady

Posted in avocado, balance, body image, bread, chicken, eating issues, protein powder, pudding, quinoa, rambling, salad, yoga on July 5, 2009| 9 Comments »

blog pictures 544
I have been enjoying avocados immensely lately! But, I have also been reminded of a funny story about avocados. A couple of years ago, I was in the store picking through the avocados when this complete stranger came up to me and proceeded to tell me which avocado I should buy. Now, her advice was not bad and in fact I probably needed to be told which one was the best. I had just discovered avocados at that time. There were a couple of problems though. First of all, I did not ask for her advice and most importantly, I let her tell me what to do and I did NOT even know her!! You may ask what the big deal is. Well, I was SO mad at myself because my whole life has been about pleasing other people. I let a complete stranger tell me what was best for me! When I got home from the store and was telling a friend what had happened, she laughed at how easily swayed I am. Now, every time I do something JUST to please someone else, she reminds me of the avocado lady.

Why am I bringing this story up? Well, I have really been struggling with doing what other people say is best–even if I KNOW it may not be what is best for me. This happens mostly with my diet and health. I read something and think–‘oh, I should do that’. I think what brought this on is the fact that I stopped doing a food diary–after THREE years of doing it EVERY single day. I know it sounds silly, but somehow that food diary was a comfort for me and a way to still feel in control. Eating disorders are all about control and I ‘thought’ I had let go of all that. I am finding out differently. Since not doing my food diary, I find myself FREAKING OUT at night trying to add up everything in my head. I couldn’t even watch a movie the other night for going over my food a gazillion times in my head!! Then, that turns into—‘I should do this diet or that diet because so and so is doing it and it is working for them’. I HAVE come a LONG way in my healing from an eating disorder. I’m not saying that I am still in the grips of it. I’m not! I just get angry with myself for not listening to MY body. I was telling someone the other day about an ND (Dr. of natural medicine) that I was thinking of going to. I felt like it would be a really good thing for me to do—until I talked to this person and heard their negative opinion. Then, all of a sudden, I didn’t think it was such a good idea anymore. Why do I have to be SO influenced by what others think? I have no idea. I am thankful that I am aware of it and that I can work on it though. I need God to help me listen to HIM, not what everyone else tells me!

Now, on to some yummy eats–with avocado of course!

blog pictures 476 Salad with avocado and sprouted quinoa

blog pictures 528 Raw zucchini salad from Heather’s blog. I added sprouted mung beans. This is one of my new all time favorites:)

blog pictures 480 Avocado pudding with Hemp protein powder(chocolate)

blog pictures 541 Avocado, tomatoes, and sprouts on gluten free sprouted bread

blog pictures 542 Guacamole chicken salad with broccoli sprouts wrapped in romaine

Now, before you gasp over all those avocados I have consumed–never fear, I did NOT eat all of that in one day. This is food I have eaten over the last week or two. Had I eaten all of that in one day, I WOULD have something to worry about:) Man, I’m eating a lot of sprouts too! Didn’t realize that.

As for my struggle with doing what is best for ME, I will continue to work towards a diet that is healthy and works for MY tummy. I CAN NOT worry about low-carb, grain free, raw, veggie or any other ‘diet’. Pray for me:) My stinkin’ thinkin’ gets me in trouble every time!

Oh, I have signed up for a HOT Yoga class!! I can’t wait! It starts tomorrow night. I have been reading up on it so that I kind of know what to expect–that would be SWEAT–A LOT!! I’ll let ya know how it goes–if I survive:)

What are your favorite ways to eat avocado?

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