Kombucha

A few months back I bought some kombucha from the grocery store to try after hearing folks rave about it on the forums over at Everyday Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness. My kids aren't totally on the sauerkraut bandwagon, and so I figured it was worth a try to see if I could get them some other form of fermented food. I liked the bubblyness of it, but didn't find every flavor that great. Kera really didn't like any of them, and Lindsay fell in love with all of them. So I began buying a bottle or two, mostly for Lindsay, every week. But then I got to thinking about how I like to make my own of almost everything and surely that's cheaper in the long run. I'd seen several blog posts about how to make your own, so I decided to try my hand at homemade kombucha.

The first thing you need for kombucha is a SCOBY, or a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. You can order them online, try to find one locally or grow your own. I don't know anyone locally that makes their own kombucha so I decided to try to grow our own since it was much cheaper than ordering one online. I figured if I couldn't grow one than we'd try ordering. I found this great blog post about how to grow your own SCOBY and followed the directions. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I peeked in on it after a week or two and found a film growing on top just like it was suppose to. After about three weeks I had this beautiful 1/2" SCOBY:

Once you have a SCOBY, you get to brew your kombucha tea. I used a combination of directions from this post, this post and this post.

Basically, you make a gallon of tea, either regular or green tea. I used cheap ice tea in the family size bags. Four bags total for a gallon of boiling water.

Steeped it for 5 minutes and then added 1 cup of sugar. I don't use regular sugar anymore, but the SCOBY has to have something to eat, and there isn't any left after it's fermented, so no worries here.

Then, once the tea has come to room temperature, or the same temperature that the SCOBY is, you pour the tea into a large glass jar. I found mine at Walmart, I think it was originally a cookie jar but this is a much appropriate use. Carefully place the SCOBY on top with about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the SCOBY jar. My SCOBY actually sank the first time, which is suppose to be fine, but when I checked my kombucha a week or two later I found mold growing on top, so I ditched it all and started from scratch with growing the SCOBY. Now I make very certain my liquids are both at the same temperature before combining because I don't want to kill my SCOBY.

You cover it with a towel, secured with a rubber band and set aside for a week or two. This summer mine was brewing in 2-3 weeks, but this winter it will probably take longer because we keep our house pretty cool. I just leave mine on the counter completely covered by the towel.

After it's done brewing, which you can test by slipping a straw into the tea under the SCOBY and tasting it. It should be kinda tart but sweet. The longer it sits the less sweet it will be. Then you can do a second ferment with fruit juice which gives it flavor and makes it bubbly.  This is the fun part. I've tried a variety of fruit juices to see what is our favorite. Lindsay loves hers made with grape juice, while Kera likes hers made with this juice called Razzleberry. (I like them all.) I love that I can make it in a way that both kids will drink it! Score one for fermented foods that the kids will eat!

I followed the directions in those prior links about second fermentation. Unless I give my SCOBY a break, I end up with a constant supply of kombucha in the frig at a fraction of the price of the store-bought stuff, which is great because we drink a little bit everyday, more if it's a flavor everyone likes!

Have you ever tried kombucha? Do you like it? Have you thought about making your own?

365 Days!?

I can hardly believe that it all started exactly a year ago, tomorrow. It was simply a month long challenge to myself. I recently re-read that blog post and found this part ironic:

"This might be a lifestyle change, which is what it has been for tons of folks out there, but it might just be an experiment. I won't know until I try."

What started as 30 days has continued on for 365 days, but it has evolved into more than that. It has indeed become a lifestyle change for me. Not only have I changed the way I eat, but I've changed the way I workout and even now gradually, the way I care for my hair and skin. And I don't foresee me turning back to my old ways anytime soon. I may not look much different on the outside, I feel great and I know I'm getting healthy from the inside. I'm free from the ups and downs of insulin crashes and the awful grumpy hunger I use to suffer from. I'm free from counting calories and all my thoughts revolving around what I could and couldn't eat. I'm free from feeling deprived. My hormones are more under control now than ever, too. And I'm getting stronger and fitter--I know that after some time I'll be more healthy and fit than I ever was doing all that stupid running. I am excited to see what I can do, now, that I couldn't do before.

And I haven't been alone in this change, my family has joined me on this transition. Of course, at first it was by default because I'm the grocery shopper/cook of the household, but they've slowly come around as well. In the past couple months I've heard both my hubby and youngest say they feel better when they don't eat all the carbs/gluten. Specifically here's a conversation worth relaying:

A dad at church looking for his lil girls plastic ring, to the kids around that were "helping": Whoever finds M's ring, I'll give you a candy bar.

Kera: "I'd rather have a salad."


Yes, she said that. And she's even thanked God in her nighttime prayers for the fact that her family eats healthy. She has figured out that she feels better not eating all the sugar/carbs/gluten and she's only 7! Isn't that too stinkin' cool? I love it, it totally warms my heart. I've also noticed some benefits to the change in the rest of them: Hubby's pants keep getting baggier and Lindsay (oldest daughter) hasn't hardly had to use any lotion this winter and she's been my dry skin/eczema girl since a baby. So, we are all seeing some benefits to this.

It's been a year and I'm still tweaking things, like today I've decided to give up chewing gum. Why? Several reasons: when you taste something sweet, your body secretes insulin, so even though you aren't eating the gum, you're body will produce insulin in response to tasting it. Artificial sweeteners are bad news, as well. So, as of today, I'm done with it and I'm sure it won't be the last tweak I make as I read and learn more and more about optimal health. And I'll probably continue to share with you along the way, just as I've shared my journey thus far. :)

A Biblical Perspective on Health

There is a ton of science to back up why eating a paleo diet is better than the "standard American diet" (SAD), but I've heard (and thought) the following,

"If bread is so bad for us than why is it in the bible? or more specifically, Why is it eaten all over in the bible and why is Jesus referred to as the "bread of life"?

Well, to be honest, it has stumped me for  awhile. I have read some great posts around the blogosphere about meshing ones spiritual beliefs a paleo health perspective, which have helped me kind of reframe my thoughts a little:

http://paleospirit.com/paleo-nutrition/what-is-the-paleo-diet/
and
http://wellnessmama.com/2359/does-the-bible-say-we-should-eat-grains/

I was encouraged to read other spiritual perspectives on this issue and hear those wonderful ladies' ideas. But, like anything one believes in, I wanted to have my own convictions about why I eat this way. So, I started doing my own reading and searching for answers. One of them I've recently shared with you via the review on "Wheat Belly" a couple days ago. Basically, the bread that Jesus talks about, the bread that was served with the fishes to the 5,000, the bread broken in the upper room, is completely different from the bread we have on the grocery store shelves. Modern day wheat is so far genetically from the wheat grown in biblical times. Then of course there's the processing of the wheat that has been refined and then all the other additives in our "bread" that make it so different. And then there's all the other "grain products" that are so super processed that have taken the place of bread nowadays.

So, my first point is, if our bread was Jesus's bread, and eaten in the same frequency as Jesus' bread, with a diet that was also otherwise identical to Jesus' diet,  we could eat it and be fine.

And there is scripture to support this idea, as well. 1 Corinthians 10:23 says,
"I have the right to do anything," you say, but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything," but not everything is constructive.


Yes, in theory God created all our food because he enabled us to come up with it all. But if we follow that theory there are many things that are not good for us that he created as well, like illegal drugs or some plants that are deadly if eaten. So just because I can eat something doesn't mean I should. 


Well, I don't know about you, but this body is the only one I'm gonna get, so I want to take care of it as best I can.  A little bit further in Corinthians it says:
"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31).  I'm choosing to eat what I believe is the healthiest for me because I want to do it for the "glory of God". It's not going to glorify God very much if I just eat whatever junk comes my way.

Oh, and another thing about this body, I think it is very easy for us to be critical of ourselves, especially when we are striving to get healthier, fitter, stronger, etc. I know that in the past I've looked at parts of my body and been discouraged that they aren't skinny/firm/smooth enough. I've lamented my big bones and my plethora of body hair. I've wished for a less round face and a more defined waist. Honestly, some of my strongest motivation for losing weight in the past has been seeing myself in a less than flattering photograph. And all that garbage has to stop.


Check this out, in Psalm 139:13-14 it says:

For you created my inmost being; 

   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

   your works are wonderful, 

   I know that full well. 

So, basically, God made me exactly the way I am, on purpose. God, the creator of the universe who thought up gravity and seasons and the water cycle, he also made me. And all his 'works are wonderful'. So that means, I am wonderful just the way I am. Frizzy hair, big bones, hairy arms and all. Who am I to criticize God's creation? I have no place to do that. All I can do is do my best to take care of myself! And I do that by eating and cooking for my family whole, real, inflammatory-free foods (which basically is paleo/primal) and being active.

"The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick - And What We Can Do About It

You know me, give me a book about the evils of our current food industry or of a certain food in particular, and I'll be all over it. And this book, "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick - And What We Can Do About It" by Robyn O'Brien and Rachel Kranz, is that but so much more. It tells the story of how Robyn's, a mother of four, discovery of a food allergy in one of her children led to the discovery/realization that the food we eat and feed our kids is not the same food our parents fed us.

I highly suggest anyone with an interest in how food affects our health and our children's health should read this, but as always, I'd like to share a few tidbits. These are the things that stuck with me, opened my eyes and hopefully will inspire you to read the book to get the whole picture....

*At least one out of every 17 kids under the age of 3 has a food allergy. That's more than double what it was 10 years ago.
*One out of every three kids currently suffers from allergies, asthma, ADHD, or autism
*The number of children with peanut allergies has doubled between 1997 and 2002.
*Many childhood ailments (chronic ear infections, coughs, runny noses, headaches, eczema, itchy skin, sleepiness, listlessness, crankiness, sickness) may result from diet. These could be inflammatory reactions by the body trying to rid itself of what it perceives as a toxic invader, a.k.a. an allergy.
*The author believes some of the answers to the potential causes behind the allergy epidemic include:

• the shift from a natural to an industrialized environment
• excessive exposure to antibiotics, both as prescribed and as consumed through antibiotic-laden meat, milk and poultry.
• the rise in pollutants and environmental toxins
• our tendency to eat more processed foods loaded with chemical additives and preservatives and eat far fewer natural whole foods.

*All of Europe, Great Britian, Australia, Japan and even Russia have very strong labeling laws that require food manufacturers to state when a product contains genetically engineered ingredients.

*GMO's are crops such as corn and soy whose DNA has been modified by the insertion of a protein from a different organism. The genetically engineered crops are suppose to be more resistant to insects and disease. So, if food allergies are an overreaction to a protein that the immune system reads as foreign and dangerous, our kids' immune systems could be reacting to the GMO's. This could be the trigger behind the new surge of allergic responses.

*Soy's evils:

• Soy has a tendency to block our absorption of essential minerals.
• Soy contains toxins that interfere with the enzymes that we need for digestion--one being trypsin, which is essential to the digestion of protein, which coincidentally kids with food allergies have problems with.
• Soy is "non-digestible" in animals who have only one stomach, such as pigs. Guess what, that's us too!
• Soy plays at least a small part in 20,000 to 30,000 products on the market today, whether directly as an ingredient or indirectly as feed or nutrient source. 
• Infants given soy formula had high levels of isoflavones. Isoflavones help produce estrogen and might be toxic to the thyroid. High levels of estrogen have been associated with breast and reproductive cancers, weight gain, obesity and early puberty.
• In the U.S., nothing has been done about this "soy danger" whereas the United Kingdom's chief medical officer and the British Dietetic Association have warned parents and pediatricians that soy formula is an absolute last resort. Other countries followed suit in some sort of way including New Zealand, Israel, France, and Germany.  Our own FDA has remained silent. Scary, huh? Even scarier is the reason why. The author goes into great detail to explain how the multibillion dollar soybean industry has great influence on our doctors and government agencies.

*92% of soy grown worldwide is genetically modified. (As is 80% of corn and 86% of all U.S. cotton).
*The authors information and study of how genetically modified crops were not tested to make sure they wouldn't generate new allergies before being released into the food supply.
*The story of how rBGH (the growth hormone given to cows to increase milk production) was allowed to be used even though it's been linked to cancer.
*And so much more! She brings up the big company Monsanto and it's less than stellar reputation, the issues of gmo corn, and even the affects of artificial food coloring, flavorings and additives.

I learned a ton from this book and am so grateful to have been able to benefit from the years and hours she spent researching this information. I think the thing that bothered me the most was how poorly the light was that shone on our own government and companies. For example, the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese sold in Great Britian is not the same as the boxes you buy here. Over there they've taken out the artificial colors.Why not here? One reason is that the moms and dads over there are more informed, but the British government actually regulates their corporations unlike us. It was so discouraging to me to read about how our governmental agencies whose job it is to make sure that the public is safe has basically revolving doors with the companies making these GMO's and hormone-laden meat and milk. It's all about the money and I find that very disturbing.

Although it is disturbing, Robyn gives some great tips/advice on how to make a difference not just in your families' diet but also in the bigger picture of it all (and she doesn't suggest moving to Australia). Her tips are very practical and she shares her own experience in changing her own family's diet, which is helpful.

Again, I would highly recommend this book as the detail she gives regarding what I've shared is thorough and extremely educational!

Paleo, Two Months!

It's already been 2 months? Wowzers. That seems like such a long time. I can remember when I was just gearing up to do the whole "30 day challenge" thing and I kept telling myself that I could "do anything for 30 days. It's just 30 days." And now look at me, 60 days in and no problems. This has seriously been one of the easiest changes in eating styles I've ever done. It feels sort of like second nature now. That makes me happy.

You wanna know what else makes me happy? 

The results! 

So far I have seen/felt some very encouraging benefits:

-Weight loss--I lost another 3 lbs this past month which puts me at a total of 6 lbs lost! Seriously, even with  all the calorie counting and chronic cardio of the past few years and I didn't lose weight (and feel good doing it!) like this.

-Clothes--my pants are getting baggy--I have to cinch up my belt to a notch I've never used before and I've been able to pull a couple of tops out of the closet that I wasn't wearing because they were too tight. I think my bathing suit is getting too big as well and I'm going to be due for new bras, too, (unfortunately).

-Although I've been struggling with a cold, my only real one this season, on and off for the past few weeks, I feel great other than that. I don't get starving between meals, which I love and I do not miss the sugar crashes at all. Like I said before, my kp is looking better and actually my skin in general is not too shabby. You ladies will appreciate this next one--I was amazed that during my monthly I didn't get the "got to have salt/sugar" cravings like normal. Well, I did get some but they were so much calmer than they would've been before.

So yeah. I like this new me. :-)

On to the food!

Leftover salsa chicken cooked in the crock pot, over spinach, topped with beets. 

Yum! I seriously cannot wait until I can go to the farmer's market and my in-law's garden and feast on some fresh out-of-the ground beets. These were tasty!!

Another Nom Nom Paleo recipe--"Damn Fine Chicken".

Instead of only using thighs/drumsticks, I used a whole chicken cut up and this was yummy. Even the girls loved it. There is just something about eating chicken meat off the bone that is way more satisfying than cutting up a chicken breast. I ate this with some coleslaw, more beets, part of a roasted sweet potato and some cauliflower mash. 

Another view.

This picture does no justice to the tastiness of this meal. This keeper came from Sarah Fragoso over at Everyday Paleo (the cookbook comes out soon!), it's called "Pot Roast". (he he he). The first thing was that it cooked in my crock pot all day making my house smell oh so good. Secondly, it was meat and veggies all in one--I love easy dinners like that. And thirdly, it just tasted wonderful. Moist, tender meat and tasty veggies. The only thing that would've made it better was a side of mashed cauliflower. 

Salmon. You either love it or you hate it. I love it. And I especially loved this recipe. Super easy and all of my family ate it up, even the picky one. But she did help me cook it, so that might've helped too. This one came from The Food Lover's Primal Palate, "Lime Pepper Salmon". I can't wait to eat some leftover salmon on salad today for lunch!

So, there you have it. Not all the meals we ate, I've been rather lazy about capturing everything on camera. Like last night we had tasty spare ribs but I forgot to take pictures. Oh well! Next time, I suppose!

Week 3 Review of "Paleo"

Wow, it's been three weeks already? Crazy. What can I say about this past week? Well, I feel great for one. I have noticed that I don't get nearly as hungry feeling as I used to. I'm still ready to eat at mealtime but I don't get that shakey-gotta-eat-or-I'll-die feeling I use to. I love that! I also got back into working out, which felt wonderful. And I met a friend for lunch and successfully stayed clear of foods that would've normally tempted me into gluttony, which I am just so pleased about. I am starting to get antsy to weigh or measure myself just to see if there's been any weight lost, but I am sticking to my month free of any of that. I can't say I've noticed a huge change in how my clothes feel, but that's fine, this whole thing is not just about weight loss, it's about feeling good and being healthier all around. And for now, I feel great so I'm sticking with it.

As for meals, I've eaten some yummy things this past week....

A wonderful tilapia recipe from Robb Wolf's book.

Kera had hers with raw cauliflower (her favorite veggie right now) and some sweet potato rounds. I got that recipe from a link on Everyday Paleo to this site. I have horrible luck with trying to make sweet potato fries and so thought this different recipe would work for me. It did turn out pretty good, but not my favorite...

Remember how I was tired of eggs for breakfast? I got this wonderful Sausage Stir-fry breakfast recipe from Wolf's book too with some wonderful nitrite free sausage I found at Rosauers. And spinach for breakfast, it was wonderful. Yes, I tossed an egg in there with it too, it just seemed to go well and oh it did!

Another wonderful "recipe" I got from Wolf's book was what he calls a "Norcal Margarita". I love a good margarita, but those mixes they use are all sugar and crap, so I was interested to try something less unhealthy. All it entails is gold tequila, juice from a lime and soda water. Oh.my.word. It was awesome. Refreshing and tasty and not too sweet or too strong on the alcohol. All it needed was like a sprig of mint and it would've been perfect. I'm officially done with those high-sugar margarita's from here on out!

No recipe here, but I've started to cut down quite a bit on my fruit intake except for right after a workout, I throw some water, half a banana and some frozen berries in the blender, throw in a dollop of almond butter and blend up an after-workout smoothie. Delicious!

An upside down picture of dinner the other night. A tossed green salad, some leftover cooked asparagus and peppers and a little casserole dish called Chicken Dive In. It was tasty!

My own concoction for breakfast: Leftover veggies of asparagus & peppers, mixed with some of the sausage leftover from the other breakfast dish scrambled up with an egg and a couple slices of avocado. Yum, yum, yum. I am loving avocados with my eggs these days!

The girls are still loving their cereal and English muffins for breakfast. However, I have gotten them to eat eggs a few more times a week and they have even done a fruit smoothie (with some added protein powder and flax seed meal) in place of the bread/cereal for breakfast once and it was well received, so I'm hopeful for their continued transition.

The other night Erik took Kera out to dinner for a "Daddy-Daughter Date" night, which left Lindsay and I at home to eat leftovers. Which is fine, but I wanted to make it a little more special, so I whipped up these Coconut flour drop biscuits to go with our strawberries for desert. They were yum. So yum in fact that I ate like three of them--a pretty clear indication to me of my carb-addiction! These will be a special-occasion only type of food, but still cool to know I can "bake" without grain!

Lindsay's left arm, which I cut out of the picture on accident, is giving a thumbs up to the coconut flour drop biscuits.

A few other goodies that I neglected to take pictures of include:

-Taco night with yummy grass-fed ground beef and I used iceberg lettuce cups instead of tortillas. Filled with meat, cilantro, olives, more fresh salsa and avocado. Yum!

-Aujus sandwiches (minus the bread for me) like before, served with a big ol' green salad and these awesome sweet potato fries for a big family dinner on Friday night. Topped off with the chocolate custard, again. Everyone loved everything and this sweet potato recipe is definitely my favorite so far!

-Trail Mix made up of almonds, cashews, pecans, dried blueberries, raisins, coconut flakes (the big ones not the imitation tiny ones) and banana chips. I mixed this up for an all day scrapbooking thing on Saturday and it was a great little snack to munch on through the afternoon with some jerky. In the past I would've eaten tons of candy, chips and chocolate during a scrapbooking day. This was way healthier and even Kera liked it!

Last, but not least, my new guilty pleasure. Inspired by this recipe, I had a couple of these with my lunch the other day. Wow. Yum. This is just some avocado spread on a slice of bacon (nitrite free of course) and it was sooo yummy.

I've got some good looking recipes lined up for this next week, which will be week 4 of eating Paleo. I can't wait to finish the week and take a look back on it. I'm not sure where I'm going to go with this style of eating, but after all the reading I've done and based on how I feel right now, I have no intention to going back to eating how I was before I started this. That's all I know for now.

Eye-Opening

It happened first when I first read about meat factories. And it happened again when I read a bunch of Michael Pollan's books. Well, it's happening again. My eyes are being opened in regards to the food we eat and our health. This time as a result of reading "The Paleo Solution:The Original Human Diet" by Robb Wolf. You know that I've been doing the whole 30 days of eating paleo thing, well I wanted to read up more on it, and read some reviews about how this book explained it all but in a down to earth way (in other words, a little less technically for those of us without a science background). So I downloaded it onto my kindle and as I lounged around the house yesterday feeling pretty crummy, I read it.

Can I just say, "Wow"?

Wow.

Reading this made me want to run to my kitchen and throw out anything and everything with gluten in it. Seriously. I wouldn't be that drastic, at least not with Erik and the kids--they'd need more time to get use to the idea, but I'm more than ready to pull the plug, for myself. I wasn't really surprised to learn that all the federal suggestions/guidelines/etc are so completely off of what our bodies genetically need. I was interested to find out how our bodies digest and use protein, carbs and fat. And how what we eat has a huge influence on our health. I mean, I've known that what you eat determines health for a while--starting a couple years back when the naturalpath had me change my diet to help my cholesterol. But now it's all so much clearer to me really how big of a difference it makes. It's like a puzzle in which I've slowly been putting the pieces together. I can almost see the whole picture now.

Some of the pieces include...

-Back when I thought I had PCOS and did a bunch of reading on ways to help it, I discovered that a low-glycemic diet helped with some of the symptoms.
-Then when I went to see the naturalpath, and she had me go on a low-glycemic diet to help my cholesterol--which seemed soo weird. I thought to help cholesterol it would be all controlly of meat/fat intake, but it was more limiting of bread and dairy.
-And then again when I sought weight-loss advice from my regular doctor and she suggested trying to cut out gluten and dairy (remember, just last spring when I did that whole "gluten-free" thing?) and increasing healthy fats.

While reading this book, I realized that it's all connected. And unfortunately, it's all related to eating a "standard American diet". No wonder it's referred to as S.A.D..

I have some more reading to do on the subject, and I definitely have questions, but for the most part, I am sold. I'm going to finish my "thirty-days" and probably even start the workouts recommended in this book (I was looking for something different to do anyways). And depending on how I feel at the end of 30 days and what else I learn, I will act from there. I casually mentioned to Erik last night about thinking it might be worth it to stop eating grains and he wasn't thrilled. And Kera wasn't either when I casually asked the girls this morning what they'd think of not eating toast and cereal in the morning. It would be a tough sell, I think, which is all the more reason for me to be sure myself first.

If you are interested in your health and how it relates to what you eat, I would highly recommend reading this book. It is eye-opening!

Week 1 Review of "Paleo"

So, what does eating "Paleo" look like?

 And, do I feel any differently after eating this way for just seven days?

First off, let me say that this is actually pretty easy to do. Remove all the foods you normally eat in a day that you unwrap or take out of a package (i.e. processed things like crackers, bread, granola bars, etc), all the dairy and sugar and replace them with loads and loads of vegetables, a little more fruit and some healthy fats and yummy lean meats. I've continued to provide some bread, pasta, tortilla for my hubby and kiddos, but they've reaped the benefit of the increase in vegetables, too. The only complaint I have is that I'm getting rather tired of eating eggs for breakfast. I could eat any other protein+veggie/fruit+healthy fat, but I just can't quite get my head around sitting down to eat leftover beef or chicken for breakfast. I've been a pretty regular toast+peanut butter kinda gal for a while now, so that's probably my biggest hurdle.

Here's a look at what I'm eating now:

Slow cooked beef roast leftover from Monday over spinach with salsa and guacamole for lunch on Tuesday.

Provencal Stuffed Tomatoes (without the goat cheese) with Garlic Roasted Broccoli --Dinner on Tues

Wednesday Night I made SlowCooker Beef & Aujus Sandwiches. Everyone else got sandwiches, but I found that the meat dipped in the aujus was pretty good without the soggy bread around it. And a crisp green salad. Yum!

The girls like dipping the aujus sandwiches...

Yum!

A really cool thing about this new way of eating is that I've had to find new recipes. I have a few go-to ones that I normally cook that I probably could tweak to fit, but in the process of researching it, I found so many new ones that sounded so good, I had to try them. I think all of my recipes besides the Aujus night this week were new. One great blog I found is The CaveWomans Kitchen. There I wrote down a ton to try, including a great make ahead egg muffin recipe that has been great for mornings I don't have a ton of time to cook. Erik even likes them, which is great! I also made a wonderful shrimp recipe that I neglected to take pictures of, Lemon Basil Shrimp that I found at the CaveWomans Kitchen blog. It was wonderful and everyone loved it. She also had a recipe on there for easy mexi-style chicken breasts cooked in the crock pot all day. It was a perfect recipe for Sunday to be ready when we got home from church. Really easy and tasty, too.

Another place I found some great looking recipes was over at EverydayPaleo. She has a cookbook coming out and I seriously want it. Unfortunately it isn't available until May. She's still got lots of recipes on her blog, including a simple yet tasty dessert, "Chocolate Custard." I made this for dinner guests the other night and they and Erik and myself all loved it. It has coconut milk in it which I have decided is my new favorite food. 

Lunches have been mostly leftovers from previous nights' dinner, which is super easy. I've had quite a few salads but I can't complain when they are as colorful as this!

Here's one I made up to use up stuff in my frig: browned Italian pork sausage, added to partial jar of marinara sauce, threw in some artichoke hearts chopped up, chopped kalamata olives and a thawed container of frozen/chopped spinach. Served over spaghetti squash for me, fettuccine for the rest, paired with some sauteed asparagus. Supper is served. Everyone gave it high reviews except Kera who didn't like the sauce, but she never does. Hee hee. I can't wait to have the sauce & squash as leftovers.

So, how do I feel? I feel great actually. Well, today not so great but it has nothing to do with what I'm eating and everything to do with the time of month and the fact that almost everyone we know has had some horrible bug lately. *Crossing my fingers to not get sick*.

I don't miss sugar, although I did have a moment of silence the other day when the Girl Scout Cookies were delivered. (I put most of the boxes in the freezer so maybe in the future I can partake) I haven't been having any huge sugar cravings or energy crashes, although I've probably eaten more fruit than I should have for weight loss. But that doesn't bother me. My focus is on eating quality/real foods and if that means I have an apple at 4pm because I'm starving, then so be it. The fact that I'm eating an apple instead of crackers or a candy bar is the whole point. I've discovered that I don't miss my morning latte as much as I thought Iwould. I like the flavor of a strong americano with a splash of cream instead. (I'm probably not 100% sticking to the strictness of the Whole30 plan, but like I said before that's not really my goal, so yes I have some heavy cream in my coffee and yes I had some air popped popcorn with the family this weekend. I don't feel guilty and I didn't feel horrible afterwards. I think each person needs to figure out what works for them and don't get too hung up in "the rules.")  I am geared up for another week of healthy eating and trying out new recipes and really enjoying real food. Stay tuned for week 2! :-)

It's only 30 days...

Tomorrow I will be starting on a month long experiment of sorts. After reading quite a bit of information on eating "Paleo" I was thinking that it might be worth a try. And in that process of googling it, I found this website that has a thirty-day challenge to try eating that way. It appeals to me on so many levels, and so I am going to do it, starting tomorrow.




So what does it entail? Basically eating real food. Cutting out all the garbage that fills our kitchens and bellies on so many occasions but that doesn't really do anything for us. Filling up on lean meats, fish, eggs, tons of vegetables, a little fruit and some healthy fats. It's as simple as that. I figure I can do that for at least a month, you can do almost anything for 30 days. And once the month is over I will see how I feel and gauge it from there. This might be a lifestyle change, which is what is has been for tons of folks out there, but it might just be an experiment. I won't know until I try.

I am looking forward to the change it will bring. Part of the "Whole 30 Program" is giving yourself a break from being focused on the scale or measurements, and they want you to not weigh or measure yourself for the whole month as a way to focus more on how you feel. That just feels refreshing to me for some reason.

Hopefully I will be sharing about my experience with you on this little journey as I go!

Sometimes you just have to do it

Erik sent me a text yesterday asking me to pick up some pepto bismal and saltines on my way home from a playdate I'd taken the girls to. Needing those two items is never a good sign. So, despite my desire to feed my family only whole, real foods, I honored his request and picked them up. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought saltine crackers. I stopped because there is no nutritional value to them and because both hubby and the girls could sit down and eat a whole sleeve at a meal. They love them. But I know how miserable you can be when sick, and sometimes a saltine is truly the only thing you crave, so I brought a box home.

Luckily and thankfully, he never got as sick as he thought he would but he still opened a sleeve at dinner. At that point he was still "iffy". The girls saw it and immediately wanted some, so I got out a new sleeve (didn't want to touch anything he had just touched!). And, because you can't just eat saltines plain, I got the butter and some jelly.

Yes, I just said butter & jelly. But, you don't put them on simultaneously. You take turns. One cracker deliciously spread with butter, then the next one with jelly. We used elderberry jelly.

They are so good like this.

The girls and I ate cracker after cracker.

Until I realized we'd almost polished off a whole sleeve. Then I put it all away and proclaimed we'd had enough. The girls were happy and our bellies were definitely full.  It was wonderful, even if it was totally not healthy at all!

Sometimes, you just gotta break the rules!

Food Rules

(source: freedigitalphotos.net)

I've been sharing with you some of the things I've been learning about our food and some of the changes I've made in how I purchase/prepare what my family and I eat. Remember how, not too long ago, I decided to go gluten & diary free in hopes of it helping my weight loss? And then how even less long ago I decided that was too complicated? Well, after reading Michael Pollan's book, "Food Rules" I have decided I was on the right track. There is no reason to make things complicated, and when you boil it down to the basics, its pretty easy to eat healthily. Pollan is really great about giving the reader lots of information, and usually its more than I need, but in this book he kind of strips off all the scientific data and just gives you the basic points, or practicals, which is exactly what I needed.

Here is what it boils down to:
1. Eat food

2. Mostly plants

3. Not too much.

Of course, he gives several "mini-rules" for each main rule to help make it clear, all of which I thought were great. There were a few that struck a chord with me more than the others, though.

~Buy snacks at the farmer's market & limit snacks to unprocessed plant foods (i.e. fruits, veggies, nuts)

This one hit me because my kids are snackers, especially my youngest who has a hard time eating enough at each meal to last until the next meal. I've slowly made the switch to buying organic snacks for them, but they are things like cereal bars, crackers, fruit snacks, cereal, etc, which are all still processed. Just because they are made from organic products doesn't make them less processed. I've decided that I'm not going to buy those things at all (if I can manage that) and focus more on having the girls snack on fruits (both fresh and dried), veggies and nuts. This goes for me as well, too.

~Use your freezer.

I do use my freezer, but I'm going to try to do more purchasing of fruits/veggies when they are in season and freezing them or canning them. If I'm the one preparing them than I know exactly what is in them! I am in the process of trying to get my hands on some cucumbers & tomatoes so I can can some pickles & salsa with my mom.

~Have a glass of wine with dinner.

I love this advice since sometimes I do enjoy a glass of red wine in the evening. The key of course is to make it a glass instead of glasses.

~Want junk food? Cook it yourself! & "Treat treats as treats"

I love, love, love this advice. It means there is flexibility and leeway when eating clean like this. Just like in the "old" days, when someone wanted fried chicken or french fries or ice cream or cake, instead of going out and buying it, they put in the work of making it themselves and then cleaning up the kitchen mess when they were done. Not only do you then know what is exactly in your food, but if you are the one putting in the work, you are less likely to eat that kind of stuff everyday and it becomes more of a treat, what it was meant to be. He mentions a rule some people use, the "S-rule" = No snacks, no seconds and no sweets except on days that begin with the letter S. Cool, huh?

~Eat less & Slow down & Consult your gut. I need to work on this. Following my gut instead of my eyes, slowing down to eat and paying attention to if/when I feel full (stopping before I feel full) and just enjoying the process of eating more. Like another of his rules states, "Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it." I need to view meal times as more than just "fuel time", its also time to enjoy being with my family, enjoying the food we've worked hard to bring to the table (through Erik's job and my cooking/gathering) and being grateful for how God's taken care of and provided for us. This one is a biggie for me, I usually eat pretty quickly and so I really need to slow down.

So, if you want to change the way you eat and get back to real food, I highly suggest this book. Its an easy read and yet so practical. Some of the rules and reasons for them are hilarious, I was laughing as I read them out loud to Erik.

Ignorance is Bliss....

Over the past 6 to 9 months I've read several books on health and how its linked to what we eat. Most of the books I've read have recommended choosing organic food items whenever possible. I have kind of done that--I make sure to buy organic milk & yogurt, cereal and snack items for the kids, but not with veggies and meat. I just figured that if I grew up on it and I turned out fine, than my kids will be fine too. I also knew that if I really looked into it I would probably be disgusted and go all oranic, and, well, organic is more expensive. It's already a huge part of our budget to buy groceries anyways, I figured saving the $ was more important and hoped it would balance out. By that I mean, if I am making sure my kids (and us parents) are eating all the fruits, veggies & whole grains we should that it wouldn't matter if they were organic or not, that we'd still be getting the nutrients we needed. At least that's what I told myself.

But a friend forwarded this article to me today:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2008-02-01/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-the-Beef-You-Eat.aspx

And its really, really eye-opening in a disgusting & scary way. Ignorance is bliss, but not necessarily healthy bliss. I'm totally changing my viewpoint on organic meat as of right now. I would like to say I'll do organic veggies, too, but a part of me wants to research that a little bit first.

It's crazy how different the food supply is today than 50 years ago! So, go read that article--it is long, but well worth the reading. Go, go now!