This is the last day of August, the last day of this beautiful flexi of the month! Click the photo to check it out.
8/26/12
Update: Paleo Results
I have been officially starving eating Paleo for 2 weeks and guess what? I am not starving, I am actually eating a ton, making sure I'm getting enough calories for the nursling baby and all. Mr. Pilot and I make passing jokes about starving, but we really aren't. We are awaking new taste buds and learning to appreciate food.
I was doing fine, even though I had to bring my own food for our Wednesday night Bible study meal. I love potlucks. Not as much here as in Mississippi, they sure know how to cook down south, but I digress. I wasn't really missing food. At least not until I went to the farmer's market last night to pick up some grass feed beef and some veggies. That is where I smelled the jalapeño cheddar twisty bread that I bought every week last year. That would taste really, really good right now. Scrumdillioumptious. And Boy smelled the carmel kettle corn. He mumbled "6 months" and I reminded him it might be forever for me. Ah, but it's worth it.
I had some super crazy stomach aches every day for the entire first week on Paleo. I am not sure what it was caused by, but it made me scared to eat. At first I thought it was the ridiculously expensive almond flour, but I ruled that out. Then I thought it was the Cod Liver Oil, ruled that out, too. I next thought it might be the bovine adrenals, or the Green Tea extract? No...Blackberries, ? Maybe Paleo Flu, or a yeast die off? I don't know, but I was sweating! Seriously killer stomach aches every single day. I was avoiding different things each day, keeping a list while doubled over... Thankfully I have been great for the last few days, I assume my body was adjusting to the new diet, and whatever nasty bugs were living in my gut were crying out.
I am not going to deny this has been challenging, primarily it is expensive. Grass feed meat cost. I have NINE people to feed.
My children are "hunry, hunry, hunry Mamma!" I am having to pull snacks out left and right.
But the difficulty has mostly been emotional. I tend to panic when I don't know what to make for dinner. And I get food bored easily. Anyone want to buy me a Paleo Cookbook?
~On to the Fantastic~
Some great things we have noticed:
We have been having lots of yummy snacks (Sis)
We have been having lots of yummy desserts (Sis) (recipe ideas that I have tried to follow)
~Heightened Taste-
Boy remarked the other night that raspberries taste like candy now. (that explains the raspberry stains on the floor and the blue teeth, ha.) We found some wild bushes and have several freezer bags full now, free food is extremely yummy!
Fast food looks disgusting. Dad even had an emergency day (that means I didn't make him lunch) and he chose on his own accord to eat oatmeal instead of a cheesy-bacon drippy gross thing. Yes, fast food looks disgusting!
~We are trying things that we never would have before~
There a slew of recipes (at least a list of ingredients) to follow, but wow!
I never knew I liked butternut squash.
And we all like Pollock! I have made fish 3 times in the last two weeks. That equals three times in the last 13 years. (Once, my mom made some for us when she was visiting and I am not counting that because I didn't eat it.)
I haven't needed a nap. At all. I am still wide awake at 10 am and at 2 pm when 2 weeks ago I had to be scraped off the couch with a cup of extra strong coffee to drag my feet around. (that was one reason I went to the doc.)
Oh, and I haven't had any coffee. I thought that was going to be a killer for me. I haven't even missed it. When I realized I didn't have enough grocery money left for coffee for Mr. Pilot, he said no worries, just make the tea that we have. What? Crazy!
~Reduced Cravings~
I no longer wake up looking for cookies at 2 am (my family has lovingly called me the cookie monster for years) and I haven't even missed my potato chips!
Mr. Pilot hasn't even had his chocolate-before-bed treat. I really need to do this diet, but he does not. I am so thankful for him sticking through this with me!
I have lost 10 lbs. By doing nothing. I actually can't exercise right now, doctors orders. That is because my system is so messed up that if I exercise, my body thinks I am running from a bear and stops metabolizing and starts panicking instead. Nice, huh? I was discouraged about that. Who likes flopping around when you are used to being 30 lbs lighter?!
At least now I know why I have been hanging onto some extra weight for a few years and exercising wasn't helping. Right??
I thought my clothes were fitting a little different the other day and then I saw my friend Lacy's comment to my first Paleo post. I hadn't even considered loosing weight, didn't really care about that actually, but imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale two weeks since my last time. Crazy! I got a little snicker across my face. Who needs grains anyway, lol.
~Not "Eating" of this World~
No, seriously, If you know me well, you know that I already ate really, really healthily according to the Standard American Diet (SAD)
but obviously, my body was still being tore up by the 10% of junk I was eating. I can't even imagine what my health would look like if I was eating SAD. No wonder America is Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead!
Yum!
So far, I am in it for the long haul. I know full well the Lord has already chosen what day I will go to glory. I cannot add a single moment to my life. But I have the responsibility to do well with what I have been given, and I have the choice to use what I have been given well. I often fail miserably. I am so thankful for His mercy and grace.
I was doing fine, even though I had to bring my own food for our Wednesday night Bible study meal. I love potlucks. Not as much here as in Mississippi, they sure know how to cook down south, but I digress. I wasn't really missing food. At least not until I went to the farmer's market last night to pick up some grass feed beef and some veggies. That is where I smelled the jalapeño cheddar twisty bread that I bought every week last year. That would taste really, really good right now. Scrumdillioumptious. And Boy smelled the carmel kettle corn. He mumbled "6 months" and I reminded him it might be forever for me. Ah, but it's worth it.
I had some super crazy stomach aches every day for the entire first week on Paleo. I am not sure what it was caused by, but it made me scared to eat. At first I thought it was the ridiculously expensive almond flour, but I ruled that out. Then I thought it was the Cod Liver Oil, ruled that out, too. I next thought it might be the bovine adrenals, or the Green Tea extract? No...Blackberries, ? Maybe Paleo Flu, or a yeast die off? I don't know, but I was sweating! Seriously killer stomach aches every single day. I was avoiding different things each day, keeping a list while doubled over... Thankfully I have been great for the last few days, I assume my body was adjusting to the new diet, and whatever nasty bugs were living in my gut were crying out.
I am not going to deny this has been challenging, primarily it is expensive. Grass feed meat cost. I have NINE people to feed.
My children are "hunry, hunry, hunry Mamma!" I am having to pull snacks out left and right.
But the difficulty has mostly been emotional. I tend to panic when I don't know what to make for dinner. And I get food bored easily. Anyone want to buy me a Paleo Cookbook?
~On to the Fantastic~
Some great things we have noticed:
We have been having lots of yummy snacks (Sis)
We have been having lots of yummy desserts (Sis) (recipe ideas that I have tried to follow)
~Heightened Taste-
Boy remarked the other night that raspberries taste like candy now. (that explains the raspberry stains on the floor and the blue teeth, ha.) We found some wild bushes and have several freezer bags full now, free food is extremely yummy!
Fast food looks disgusting. Dad even had an emergency day (that means I didn't make him lunch) and he chose on his own accord to eat oatmeal instead of a cheesy-bacon drippy gross thing. Yes, fast food looks disgusting!
~We are trying things that we never would have before~
There a slew of recipes (at least a list of ingredients) to follow, but wow!
I never knew I liked butternut squash.
And we all like Pollock! I have made fish 3 times in the last two weeks. That equals three times in the last 13 years. (Once, my mom made some for us when she was visiting and I am not counting that because I didn't eat it.)
I haven't needed a nap. At all. I am still wide awake at 10 am and at 2 pm when 2 weeks ago I had to be scraped off the couch with a cup of extra strong coffee to drag my feet around. (that was one reason I went to the doc.)
Oh, and I haven't had any coffee. I thought that was going to be a killer for me. I haven't even missed it. When I realized I didn't have enough grocery money left for coffee for Mr. Pilot, he said no worries, just make the tea that we have. What? Crazy!
~Reduced Cravings~
I no longer wake up looking for cookies at 2 am (my family has lovingly called me the cookie monster for years) and I haven't even missed my potato chips!
Mr. Pilot hasn't even had his chocolate-before-bed treat. I really need to do this diet, but he does not. I am so thankful for him sticking through this with me!
I have lost 10 lbs. By doing nothing. I actually can't exercise right now, doctors orders. That is because my system is so messed up that if I exercise, my body thinks I am running from a bear and stops metabolizing and starts panicking instead. Nice, huh? I was discouraged about that. Who likes flopping around when you are used to being 30 lbs lighter?!
At least now I know why I have been hanging onto some extra weight for a few years and exercising wasn't helping. Right??
I thought my clothes were fitting a little different the other day and then I saw my friend Lacy's comment to my first Paleo post. I hadn't even considered loosing weight, didn't really care about that actually, but imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale two weeks since my last time. Crazy! I got a little snicker across my face. Who needs grains anyway, lol.
~Not "Eating" of this World~
No, seriously, If you know me well, you know that I already ate really, really healthily according to the Standard American Diet (SAD)
but obviously, my body was still being tore up by the 10% of junk I was eating. I can't even imagine what my health would look like if I was eating SAD. No wonder America is Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead!
This is the Paleo Pyramid:
So far, I am in it for the long haul. I know full well the Lord has already chosen what day I will go to glory. I cannot add a single moment to my life. But I have the responsibility to do well with what I have been given, and I have the choice to use what I have been given well. I often fail miserably. I am so thankful for His mercy and grace.
8/24/12
Liver and Onions
Ok, so I had already decided (pre-Paleo) that I needed to include some organ meats into my diet. They are SUPER good for you. But, this is coming from a girl that just a few years ago would even touch chicken on the bone, despite her rabbit loving upbringing...
My solution is to sneak it in and let it grow on me. This is actually my third meal of adding some organs, here is my trick:
That is a cow liver and a grater.
I keep the liver frozen and grate it right into my sauteeing onions.
You can hardly tell its there, and you can't taste a thing!
Almond crusted chicken breast and savory asparagus with caramelized mushrooms and onions (and liver) on a bed of greens. Yum!
(no one (besides me) even noticed the liver, too bad I can't trick myself)
8/23/12
Something-or-rather
If you know me, you know I do not use recipes. I think I am allergic to the rules or something. Here is one of my first Paleo concoctions.
Some eggs and some Geek Yogurt (yogurt is a contested Paleo ingredinet, but I used it anyhow.)
mix it with some ground grass feed beef and a can of organic tomatoes
layer it with eggplant
and fresh mint
Why in the world did I forget to take a picture of the finished product? I guess I was hungry and there were no leftovers. The only request was to make it with zucchini next time.
It was good.
8/21/12
Exciting News!
For Mother's Day I received some special gifts from some precious people! Some of the gifts were:
and the children pooled their money together and Daddy purchased this beautiful Lilla Rose Flexi Clip.
It is so beautiful, elegant, and well made. I simply love it! We are constantly looking for ways to fix our hair in a lovely (not plain ponytail) way that is easy enough for the girls to do it themselves (at least the older ones) and this clip is it! All of my daughter's wanted one, and I have a lot of daughters.They come in several sizes and many beautiful designs.
My girls and I like them so much, after purchasing another for Sis's birthday, we have decided to sell them!
Please check out my website and take a look. There are even elegant bobby-pins and tiny clips for short hair, as well as jewelry! I am sure you will find something you enjoy, and my family will be greatly blessed by your purchase.
Belle made me breakfast in bed
(especially sweet since I had a 3 day old baby, you can tell by my hair, lol)...
Yes, it is salad for breakfast, I have always been breakfast weird.
Pops gave me a tonka truck.
and everyone made cards.
and the children pooled their money together and Daddy purchased this beautiful Lilla Rose Flexi Clip.
My girls and I like them so much, after purchasing another for Sis's birthday, we have decided to sell them!
Please check out my website and take a look. There are even elegant bobby-pins and tiny clips for short hair, as well as jewelry! I am sure you will find something you enjoy, and my family will be greatly blessed by your purchase.
Beet-Browns
For breakfast today we had beet-browns. I just made that up. The name and the recipe anyway, but the meal we did actually eat.
It went something like this:
I grated a beet "uh, what is that?"
and a turnip "that doesn't really look good, momma!"
and cooked it just like hash browns in a little bit of coconut oil "are you sure there isn't something else we can eat?"
then scrambled some eggs into it.
There were a few wrinkled noses, but that isn't allowed here.
Upon eating it, everyone actually loved it and some even said it was better than real hash browns.
That meal was a winner!
Note to self, I should have taken a picture.
It went something like this:
I grated a beet "uh, what is that?"
and a turnip "that doesn't really look good, momma!"
and cooked it just like hash browns in a little bit of coconut oil "are you sure there isn't something else we can eat?"
then scrambled some eggs into it.
There were a few wrinkled noses, but that isn't allowed here.
Upon eating it, everyone actually loved it and some even said it was better than real hash browns.
That meal was a winner!
Note to self, I should have taken a picture.
It has been 8 years.
I can't even believe it. 8 years ago the Lord gave me a blessing I couldn't even comprehend. If you know much of my story, you might know that Peanut represents so much to me. A beautiful gift for which I am ever so thankful.
My lil Peanut is 8 years old. She might be small but she packs a big punch. She never lets anything get in her way and she figures out how to make things work. She wants to be a big, and is determined to prove it. She requested to have laundry duty this month, so I let her try. I get a little chuckle when I walk by and see her half way in the wash machine to do her chore. Even as a tiny tot she would go through great effort to stack things up to climb on the counter and sneak candy of the top of the fridge. She is a tremendous big sister, she absolutely loves to entertain Bucket. She is also a very sweet daughter, always asking how she can help me, especially in the kitchen. She really cares about others!
In our family you get to choose your meals on your birthday. Sis chose the ever popular Peanut-butter and jelly french toast for breakfast. This was followed by mexican rice and beans for lunch, and Grandma Craven's tacos for dinner. Even though she doesn't care for spicy, she sure loves her mexican food. She also has the most mexican looks of all my children, resembling the dark skin and hair of her daddy's family.
My lil Peanut is 8 years old. She might be small but she packs a big punch. She never lets anything get in her way and she figures out how to make things work. She wants to be a big, and is determined to prove it. She requested to have laundry duty this month, so I let her try. I get a little chuckle when I walk by and see her half way in the wash machine to do her chore. Even as a tiny tot she would go through great effort to stack things up to climb on the counter and sneak candy of the top of the fridge. She is a tremendous big sister, she absolutely loves to entertain Bucket. She is also a very sweet daughter, always asking how she can help me, especially in the kitchen. She really cares about others!
Our newest birthday tradition is courtesy of our BFTKC's, and it brings much excitement!
A birthday scavenger hunt!
Peanut's first gift was a new bible.
her very own Lilla Rose Clip!
contemplating with a special friend what the next gift could be...
boots for the cowgirl!
In our adventures of gaining weight struggles in Peanut's toddler years (hence her nickname), avocado became her favorite food as it is high in fat and was offered often. I home-made avocado ice-cream as a surprise, and even my guys that dislike avocado loved it and asked for thirds. I will be making this again!
A Happy Birthday Girl!
plus a Bucket and "Roses" sharing some birthday treat.
She insisted on helping in the kitchen
her sisters as well...
to make her peanut butter ice cream cake served on Great Grandma's plate.
Don't let her sweetness fool you, this girl is goofy to the core!
8/19/12
Gone Crazy. I mean Paleo.
As if I don't have enough to make my life interesting! Well, to make a long story short, I got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and we have gone Paleo.
What in the world is that?! I'll explain, but I must declare in advance, I do not believe in cavemen.
I have Hashimoto's (a crappy auto-immune disease) caused by something (some allergen or toxin) and it is going to eat away at me until my thyroid is gone and I would inevitably get lots of other crappy stuff like rheumatoid arthritis, crohn's disease, celiacs, lupis or some other bad stuff. At least, that is what I was told by an endocrinologist (when we lived in Colorado)- for many years I believed there was no hope and I just had to take a prescription and live with however cruddy I felt. I could cry about it. Or~
While I do have Hashimoto's I finally decided that no hope is crap and I am done feeling like this (anxiety despite prayer, panic despite peace, tired despite sleep, fat despite exercise, freezing despite warmth, you get the idea) and I need to do something about it.
With our research of Hashimoto's Auto Immune Disease (I was diagnosed with it in 2004, but probably had it since adolescence) added to my desire for real health (not covering up the symptoms with allopathic care, eating living foods and cutting out junk) we decided to do a full elimination/aggravation in hopes of discovering what is causing my disease, and pay to see a doctor that actually knew about my disease.
Since the most common allergens are wheat/gluten, grains, and dairy, the diets are pretty strict. Here is what we came up with:
Paleo~
Here is a Start Guide for Paleo. I am against the name Paleo, as I do not believe in cavemen, evolution, millions of years, order from chaos, big bang, yadda yadda, but the greenies that started this diet happen to actually understand a whole lot about the body and I don't have a problem gleaning from the grace that has been given to them.
There is a plethora of recipes and information available since it is all the new rave.
My sweet husband agreed to do it with me (mostly) and my children, by default are along for the ride. We planned to do full Paleofor 30 days and then add in one by one certain foods and watch for a reaction when new foods are introduced for six months.
Yes, for half a year I am eating no grains. I started this post before I went to the doctor and I thought I was going to be smart by going on Paleo on my own, the conclusion from my own research and all. Imagine my surprise when my doc said I needed to go grain free for 6 months. Oh me, Smarty Pants.
Basically the immune system lives in the gut, my immune system is shot, and I need to let my gut heal.
Well, if it is going to be an adventure, I thought I would share some meals with you along the way.
What in the world is that?! I'll explain, but I must declare in advance, I do not believe in cavemen.
I have Hashimoto's (a crappy auto-immune disease) caused by something (some allergen or toxin) and it is going to eat away at me until my thyroid is gone and I would inevitably get lots of other crappy stuff like rheumatoid arthritis, crohn's disease, celiacs, lupis or some other bad stuff. At least, that is what I was told by an endocrinologist (when we lived in Colorado)- for many years I believed there was no hope and I just had to take a prescription and live with however cruddy I felt. I could cry about it. Or~
While I do have Hashimoto's I finally decided that no hope is crap and I am done feeling like this (anxiety despite prayer, panic despite peace, tired despite sleep, fat despite exercise, freezing despite warmth, you get the idea) and I need to do something about it.
With our research of Hashimoto's Auto Immune Disease (I was diagnosed with it in 2004, but probably had it since adolescence) added to my desire for real health (not covering up the symptoms with allopathic care, eating living foods and cutting out junk) we decided to do a full elimination/aggravation in hopes of discovering what is causing my disease, and pay to see a doctor that actually knew about my disease.
Since the most common allergens are wheat/gluten, grains, and dairy, the diets are pretty strict. Here is what we came up with:
Paleo~
“But what does all that really mean?” you may ask. Most of our day-to-day eating involves:
- Protein, in the form of lean meats, poultry, seafood, and things we (or others) could hunt/catch/spear.
- Carbohydrates, in the form of vegetables and some fruit. Lots and lots of colorful, nutritious vegetables. Yes, veggies are “carbs.” So are fruits. So are bagels. We don’t eat the bagels.
- Fats, in the form of coconut oil or coconut milk, nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, clarified butter.
- All kinds of herbs and spices. (http://paleocomfortfoods.com/what-is-paleo/)
Here is a Start Guide for Paleo. I am against the name Paleo, as I do not believe in cavemen, evolution, millions of years, order from chaos, big bang, yadda yadda, but the greenies that started this diet happen to actually understand a whole lot about the body and I don't have a problem gleaning from the grace that has been given to them.
There is a plethora of recipes and information available since it is all the new rave.
My sweet husband agreed to do it with me (mostly) and my children, by default are along for the ride. We planned to do full Paleo
Yes, for half a year I am eating no grains. I started this post before I went to the doctor and I thought I was going to be smart by going on Paleo on my own, the conclusion from my own research and all. Imagine my surprise when my doc said I needed to go grain free for 6 months. Oh me, Smarty Pants.
Basically the immune system lives in the gut, my immune system is shot, and I need to let my gut heal.
Well, if it is going to be an adventure, I thought I would share some meals with you along the way.
8/17/12
Bucket is Terribly Two.
A beautiful two!!
I baked my first ever pie. I have determined that homemade crust is no fun,
but rhubarb and berries from your own yard are awesome.
Siblings are the best, the ball is from Butter and
brothers are the fun!
everyone is excited, what did she get?? :~)
She needed clothes and hair bows. Since I am el cheap-o a wise spender of my husband's hard earned dollars, I shop the deals. And since I never win anything, I bid on several lots on ebay. I won them all. She got 11 dresses and 8 hair bows. Happy Birthday! Lol!
She doesn't seem to mind, besides she is incredibly adorable.
Happy Birthday Sweet Bucket!
Where have I been?
Extremeo Busy. I have a billion posts swimming in my head for you all. I have even been "photo journaling" for you. When I was taking a picture at dinner, my husband asked what I was doing. Then he said something about me only blogging in my head. He's right.
I'm not making any promises, but I do plan on me blogging in the near future, so check back... :~)
I'm not making any promises, but I do plan on me blogging in the near future, so check back... :~)
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