Thursday

Woke up with a slightly swollen lip this morning. Not sure if its a reaction to the tiny bit of dairy I had yesterday or something else. I’d had a few very small lesions already, and the swelling is because one of them got worse overnight. All the other lesions (5 of them) are still barely noticeable.

Another weird symptom I noticed this morning is a rash around several mosquito bites on my legs. One of the rashes is pretty big, but none of them hurt or itch at all. Usually, when a bite or injury (any kind of “trauma” that triggers the immune system) is turning into a skin lesion, there’s a lot of itching, and it eventually forms a white crater at the site of the bite, which takes a long time (several months) to heal and always leaves a scar. It doesn’t seem like that is what’s happening here, but I feel like my immune system is still doing something wonky with these bites.

On to today’s food… Breakfast was a homemade granola recipe from the Immune System Recovery Plan’s chapter on Healing the Gut. GF oats, shredded unsweetened coconut, Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, honey, coconut nectar, coconut oil, maple syrup, raisins, banana chips, and lots of cinnamon and ginger. This was so easy to make. I’ll definitely try to keep this jar filled with homemade granola at all times. Should last a while, and will be such a quick, easy breakfast on busy days. Can’t wait to make coconut kefir to go with it.

Lunch was leftover gf spaghetti with pastured meat sauce. And topped with daiya cheese.

Dinner is a Brazilian fish stew called Moqueca. Could also be called coconut-lime fish soup. Here’s a link to the recipe I looked at, but didn’t exactly follow. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moqueca_-_brazilian_fish_stew/

I used culantro instead of cilantro, and added red potatoes and a cup of rice, among other things. It ended up being a coconutty cross between chowder and Puerto Rican asopao. Delicious.

Side note about the fish I used, Swai. It’s a type of catfish, which doesn’t have scales. I’m noting this, because I’ve been reading The Maker’s Diet, which mostly suggests what I’m doing already. But one of the distinctions of this diet is that it restricts foods considered biblically unclean. The idea is that our Maker knows how our bodies are meant to function and has given us clear direction on how to stay healthy. Among the foods that are restricted: pork, shellfish, fish without scales (such as my swai). These animals apparently eat indiscriminately, and are sort of the cleaner-uppers of nature, so their flesh is “unclean” and not fit for human consumption.

The swai had been in our freezer for months. I’d purchased it a while back, long before reading the Maker’s Diet. I also have some shrimp in my freezer that I may or may not eat eventually. But moving forward, I’m going to try not to purchase “unclean” foods. I need all the help I can get to get well, and who better to rely on than the Great Physician?

Served it with a spinach and fennel salad with roasted beets and orange vinaigrette.

I’ve been reading that fennel contains a compound that acts as a TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitor. Not really sure what that is, but I know it’s common for Behcet’s patients to be prescribed TNF blocker medications. So I figure it can’t hurt to get more fennel in my diet. I put this one through my spiralizer to get that thin, circular cut.

Wednesday

Breakfast was a yummy avocado fruit bowl with pears, grapes, and hemp seeds.

I’d been reading my Clean Eating magazine and they had an article on homemade jellies and jams. They showed these jams on cheese and crackers. It looked delicious, so I satisfied the resulting craving with gf crackers (they do contain some milk fat as part of a butter flavoring, so it’ll be interesting to see if this causes any reactions), dairy free/soy free cheese, and grapes. Perfect!

I did a P90X workout today. Shoulders and arms, and ab ripper. Still slightly sore from Monday’s workout, so it felt good to get loosened up. And, for once, I was able to do the ab exercises without the extra 30 pounds of wiggling resistance that is usually climbing all over me as soon as I lay down on the yoga mat. She was preoccupied watching a fairy movie on my phone and didn’t even notice I was on the floor.

Post-workout treat was a glass of almond milk with stevia and 2 squares of dark chocolate with orange flavor. The chocolate contained some milk fat, but since there’s no milk protein, I don’t think that’ll be a problem with my elimination diet, but I’m going to keep an eye out for reactions. The chocolate also has artificial flavors. Don’t know how this slipped by me at the grocery store. I almost spit it out when I read that, but decided to consider it a treat and let it go. Hopefully my other healthy behaviors will balance it out.

And dinner was classic Italian. Spaghetti with meat sauce. Used pastured ground beef, canned tomatoes, frozen carrot and greens juicing pulp, herbs from the garden, and Himalayan sea salt.

And for the salad, plucked some leaves off of our Swiss chard plants from the garden. Plus chives and chopped basil, and a handful of store bought spinach. Can’t wait to get to the point where I can make a whole meal just from what’s growing in our back yard. Maybe next year…

Soooo, I was a little premature in declaring my husband naturally healed from his sickness. He took a turn for the worse tonight and ended up going to urgent care and being diagnosed with pneumonia. He’s now on strong antibiotics. I’m going to do what I can to support his immune system (probiotics) and minimize the negative impact of the medication. But pneumonia is way beyond my healing capabilities at this point. Praying for lots of healing rest and quick recovery.

Tuesday

Tried to make a double batch of waffles this morning, but apparently brain wasn’t completely functioning- I doubled all the ingredients except the almond milk, and didn’t notice until after I’d already scooped the extremely thick batter into the waffle maker. Soooo, it only made one batch. But, amazingly, they were still very tasty. Not sure how that worked out.

Picnic in the park for lunch. Sandwiches (black bean hummus, roasted red peppers, spinach, sauerkraut), grapes, watermelon slices, and sweets/beets chips. And iced mullein tea.

Dinner was leftover chicken soup. Still so delicious.

Early in the afternoon, I was feeling pretty tired. Actually fell asleep in the car on the way to the park (I wasn’t driving!) I’ve got several teensy tiny lesions cropping up, and I was feeling a twinge at the back of my throat and some slight congestion, signaling that I’ve probably caught what’s been plaguing my daughter and husband all weekend.

So I bumped up my fluid intake to try to flush things out, took an Epsom salt bath, put a few drops of therapeutic grade frankincense oil under my tongue, sprayed an air freshener/disinfectant made with thieves oil throughout the house (boosts immunity and kills germs), and put Young Living’s Purification Oil blend on the soles of my feet. As I lay down for the night, I feel really good. The twinge in my throat is gone. I don’t feel exhausted, just ready for sleep. And the lesions seem like they will be minor and heal quickly. I am feeling so grateful for so many things right now. Grateful that I was well enough to enjoy a day out with my family (and that my husband and daughter were well enough, too- and that I was able to nurse them through their recent illnesses with NO toxic medications whatsoever). Grateful that I was well enough this evening to read to my daughter. That doesn’t sound like much, but it can be painful to talk with lesions in your mouth, so nighttime reading had become a rare thing for a while. Instead, we were using “read to me” books on my phone from ABCmouse (LOVE technology!) But it’s so much more engaging to read actual books and she gets to hear MY voice telling the story.

And just grateful that I am here with my family. The sister of an old friend was hospitalized around the same time I was back in January. Her condition was much more serious than mine, but I identified with her experience, having just gone through something similar myself. She got better and was released, but had to go back a couple of weeks ago, and had been on a ventilator and fighting for her life until her heart gave out this morning. She was just a few years older than me, and her youngest child is the same age as my daughter.

I sometimes forget how serious and scary my hospital experience was. It’s not something I can dwell on. I get caught up in day to day life and forget how fleeting it (life) can be. Even with my health issues, I think, “I’m young, I’m doing all the right things (that I know of)… I’m still sort of invincible.” The loss of my friend’s sister is a reminder to actively cherish the life I have right now. It’s not perfect. I have struggles. But it’s wonderful. And it’s mine.

Monday

Still playing nurse today, though much less so. Baby girl is 100% better. Husband is much better, but still feels a bit feverish now and then. Gotta keep working on him. But he’s been up and about today, out working on the pool and poking around in the garage. And he’s playing his video games again. That’s how bad it was- he didn’t even have the energy to fire up the playstation (and he’s a BIG gamer). So he’s definitely getting back to normal, but not there yet. Still giving them both vitamin C supplements, though not as frequently. Using lots of thieves oil. Did a modified raindrop massage for the hubs when he started feeling feverish again, plus peppermint on his scalp and feet to soothe the pain and fever. Seemed to work, because that’s when he got up and started working outside. Maybe he was trying to escape my remedies. Lol. Also continuing thieves oil and honey mixtures periodically and have been giving him frankincense oil in a capsule diluted with grapeseed oil.

I… am feeling fabulous. Little bit of frankincense under the tongue morning and night, plus added vitamin C to my usual supplements, and so far so good. Knock on wood.

Breakfast: reheated delicious buckwheat cinnamon rolls with sweet potato “cream cheese” icing.

Lunch was leftover chicken soup and salad with black beans and sauerkraut.

A couple of hours after lunch, I had a 16 oz glass of grape juice with L-glutamine powder. The juice was way too sweet, but I felt I needed a boost. L-glutamine is helpful in repairing a leaky gut, which I’m pretty sure I have. I’m having trouble taking this supplement on a regular basis because it has to be taken on an empty stomach, as do the samento and banderol that I take for Lyme. And none of them can be taken together. So there’s not many opportunities to get them all in. For now, the Lyme herbs are the priority, but I’ll take the L-glutamine when I get the chance.

Did a little P90X today (Chest and back, plus ab ripper). Averaging 10 push-ups per set (from knees) and pull-ups (with a jump to the bar) where I used to do 15. That’s alright. I’ll get back to where I used to be and then some. Got baby girl some little 2 pound pink dumbbells so she’ll stop trying to pick up my 8 pounders. Didn’t work. She still wants mine. And she adds a whole new level to the ab ripper. Crunchy frog and fifer scissors are not easy while being straddled by a hysterically giggling toddler.

Post-workout smoothie and treat. Ate 6 squares (half a serving) of the chocolate. (Baby girl ate the other 2 squares in the photo.) The smoothie has kale, strawberries, banana, hemp protein powder, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and almond milk.

And dinner was black bean burgers (recipe from the Immune System Recovery Plan- in the Support Your Liver/Detox section). You can’t really see the burgers in this photo. I actually ended up making them slider size, because my batter was too moist and full size patties wouldn’t hold together. Maybe because I used homemade beans that were a bit over cooked. Put three sliders on homemade gf egg free “everyday sandwich bread” with tomatoes, sprouts, and greens tossed in garlicky homemade dressing. Served with sweets and beets chips. Great mix of flavors.

Sunday

Spent most of the day taking care of my “patients”. Baby girl’s ear infection is, as far as I can tell from her behavior, completely resolved. I’m still alternating between apple cider vinegar and garlic oil ear drops, giving her a vitamin c supplement, and slathering her with antimicrobial essential oils. She has a very mild and infrequent cough, and is a little grumpier and needier than usual- which tells me she’s not 100% better, but she has not complained about her ear at all and seems to feel much better than yesterday.

Patient #2 (the husband) had a pretty good day and seemed to be feeling marginally better until the sun started going down and his fever came back. Throughout the day, I gave him 1000 mg of vitamin C every hour until it started to bother his stomach (that didn’t happen until 8pm). He also drank several cups of mullein tea and took thieves oil with honey a few times. After his shower, I rubbed him down with essential oils again. And kept refilling his water glass, trying to keep him as hydrated as possible.

This is the breakfast I made for him. Lots of antioxidants, protein, and carbs.

This was my breakfast. I just really loved the soup from last night and this was easy since it was already made. I also snacked on lots of berries and avocado through the morning.

Awesome salad for lunch. Spring mix, yellow tomatoes, roasted red peppers, black beans, sauerkraut, and homemade dressing. Super delicious.

Smoothie time: macadamia nuts, almond milk, frozen bananas, pie spices, vanilla extract. Very good.

And dinner was mostly bread. That always happens when I bake a fresh loaf. Just can’t stop myself. This is the everyday sandwich bread from nourishing meals.

Saturday

I went to bed last night with a barely noticeable headache. I figured I was just tired and it would be gone by morning. When I woke up this morning, it was throbbing so bad it made me nauseas. This was the worst headache I’ve had since I resolved to not take painkillers, and I really didn’t know if I’d make it through this one without having to take something. With all the work I’ve done toward detox and building my immune system in my gut, knowing medications like Advil/Tylenol are detrimental to that process is a big deterrent, but it HURT! I had to do something.

So I guzzled 16 oz of water. Then 32 oz of coconut water. Then took an Epsom salt bath with baking soda and essential oils (wintergreen, clove, helichrysum). I was feeling mildly better after the bath. No longer nauseas, but still in a lot of pain and very tired. My two-year old snuggled up on the couch with me and watched tv while I napped. Again, felt marginally better when I woke up. But not great. At this point the headache was sort of coming and going. If I was very still or laying down, I couldn’t feel it. But if I stood up or tried to do anything (particularly if it involved bending over) the pain came shooting back.

I ate these.

And drank more water. And slathered helichrysum oil over my neck and shoulders. By 1pm, my headache was completely gone, my energy was back, and I felt fantastic. 100 %. Good thing, too, because I was going to have a lot of nursing to do in the evening…

But first, lunch. Soy-free vegenaise, basil, yellow tomato, and roasted red pepper on homemade gf/egg free farmhouse seed bread. With black bean hummus and carrot sticks

And a smoothie. Kale, strawberries, 3 dates for sweetness, almond milk, sexy chocolate mix (cacao, carob, maca), 5 brazil nuts, and vanilla extract.

So, my husband came home early this evening from a work trip because he wasn’t feeling well and my daughter has had a very mild cough with slight congestion all week. And they both decided to have their sicknesses peak this evening.

As soon as I found out my husband was on his way home with a sore throat and feeling achy (aka fever), I started this soup. A whole organic chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, celery, splashes of white wine and apple cider vinegar, herbs from the garden (rosemary, thyme, sage, and basil), and 8 cups of water.

I’m pretty sure this soup is one of the top 5 most delicious things I’ve ever made. It was amazing.

But on to tonight’s nursing duties. As soon as my husband walked in the door, I made him get in an Epsom salt/baking soda bath with oils geared toward fighting infection and relieving pain (myrrh, eucalyptus, lemongrass, wintergreen, and clove) and made him use eucalyptus castile soap for washing. I gave him a mug of mullein tea and a spoonful of honey with a drop of thieves essential oil to soothe his throat and fight the infection at the source. Then gave him a foot, hand, and back massage attempting to follow the raindrop technique championed by Young Living Oils. The technique calls for the following oils: Valor (a blend), oregano, thyme, basil, wintergreen, marjoram, Aroma Siez (another blend, which I do not own, so I substituted helichrysum), and peppermint. I also put rosemary and helichrysum on his feet, and peppermint on his scalp and forehead to help with the fever.

When I was almost done with his massage, our daughter woke up from her nap. She was generally fussy (which is nothing new this week), but then started complaining about her right ear. She’s almost 3, and has never had an ear infection before. But it was very clear that her sinus funk had morphed into an ear infection. GREAT!

I rubbed her down with myrrh, eucalyptus, and helichrysum oils diluted in a carrier of grapeseed oil. And put thieves directly on the soles of her feet.

They both ate their soup.

And she drank two baby bottles of mullein tea before falling asleep.

I felt my headache coming back as soon as everybody else was asleep, so I forced myself to drink 32 oz of water before going to sleep myself. Problem solved! Oh- I also put 2 drops of therapeutic grade frankincense oil under my tongue to protect myself from whatever nastiness has invaded our family. And sprayed the whole house down with a thieves disinfectant concoction: clove, cinnamon, lemon, and rosemary oils with a bit of witch hazel and lots of filtered water in a spray bottle. It smells like Christmas around here.

Of course, after all those liquids baby girl consumed, her diaper couldn’t handle her overnight output, so we were up changing sheets at 4am, but it was obvious that she was feeling much better at this point. She was happy and not complaining about her ear at all. I put a few drops of apple cider vinegar in her ear anyway, to help fight the infection at the source. Gave her a bottle of almond milk laced with probiotics and put her back to sleep.

The husband woke up, too, and was obviously much improved. Was even talking about going back to work. Considering how sick and out of it he was a few hours ago, that’s just crazy talk. He needs to take at least one full day to rest.

But let me just say that I am utterly impressed with the power of essential oils, natural remedies, and food as medicine. The more I experiment with these things, the more I trust their efficacy. And I’m so happy to be able to do something for my sick family that supports their healing systems rather than being toxic to their bodies like conventional medicine. And I’m so grateful that I was physically well enough to care for them during this time. After 3 years of being the sick one, it’s nice to care for others for a change.

Friday

I totally prepared this breakfast in the mindset of food as medicine and didn’t think it was going to taste all that great. It was absolutely delicious. Homemade black beans, sauerkraut, and chives from the garden.

And a cinnamon roll with “cream cheese” frosting.

Leftover lentil soup with grass fed beef meatballs and greens.

Chia cherry energy gel to fight the mid day slump.

Finally got to the store for some produce. They had these gorgeous yellow tomatoes. Perfect on a farmhouse seed bread sandwich with homemade black bean hummus (just puréed in some garlic and parsley), sprouts, and soy-free vegenaise.

And juiced! Ahhhhh, how I’ve missed it! My cells are like, “glug, glug, glug!” Yum!

Thursday

Breakfast was 2 slices of homemade farmhouse seed bread with coconut spread. Tried to take a photo, but phone was acting up.

Spent the day out running errands. Came home to this quick lunch of grape leaves and kombucha.

Snacked on trail mix and diluted cherry juice throughout the day.

Dinner was a can of tuna (not Albacore- because that’s higher in mercury) mixed with raw sauerkraut. This was really good. I’ll be including fermented veggies in my tuna salad from now on. No need for mayo.

Since I haven’t been juicing, I drank a few shots of frozen wheatgrass and about 12 oz of green drink mix (lots of spiruluna, barley grass, mushrooms, probiotics, etc).

I’ve got to get to the store or farmer’s market soon for juicing produce. Maybe tomorrow…

I don’t want to jinx it, but I have been feeling really, really good the last couple of days. I still have a couple of healing lesions, but the thrush has receded, my energy levels are up, and I feel a deeper sense of wellness than I have in a long time. Hoping this is a response to the elimination diet and will continue.

Wednesday

Cinnamon rolls!!! Fantastic recipe from Nourishing Meals. Made with buckwheat flour. No gluten, no eggs, no soy, no dairy, no processed sugar. Topped it with their recipe for “cream cheese” frosting, made with sweet potatoes, applesauce, coconut oil, arrowroot, maple syrup, and vanilla. Crazy delicious. I made a double batch of the frosting to freeze for later.

Smoothie time. Kale, strawberries, tart cherry juice, almond milk, banana, hemp protein, and some probiotics (sneaking them in for my toddler).

Threw the leftover meatballs in the leftover soup and added some frozen greens. Stretched to feed 3 adults and a toddler with more leftovers for tomorrow.

Veggie sushi rolls. Spiralized jicama, shredded carrots, and julienned yellow peppers with the homemade salad dressing I made a few days ago. The dressing was way too garlicky the first day, but it has mellowed out now. Still has a garlicky bite to it, but much better.

Amazing gluten free, egg free bread recipe in Nourishing Meals. Farmhouse Seed Bread. All the gf bread recipes I’ve encountered have included TONS of eggs, so I was really excited to try this one. It’s super hearty, and will work nicely as a sandwich bread.

Drank the whole thing. So thirsty. Haven’t been juicing since I’ve been out of juiceable produce and stalling a grocery trip by trying to eat through what we have on hand. I’ve really missed it and have inadvertently been consuming less liquid. Gotta be careful with that. Hydration (with the right kind of liquids) is important to maintaining an alkaline pH.

Tuesday

Leftover egg-free whole grain waffles for breakfast. With avocado, pear, and kiwi sprinkled with lime juice and hemp seeds.

Had a moment today between breakfast and lunch when I felt like my blood sugar suddenly plummeted and I got weak, shaky, and sweaty, and felt an urgent need to eat something. This used to happen to me all the time when I would wait too long to eat or tried to survive on caffeine and sugar (the career-focused years). But it’s been a while since I felt this way. I guess I may have waited to long to eat lunch, but I figured it was worth noting. Breakfast was really nutritious, so should have been very sustaining and kept my blood sugar on an even keel.

Anyway, GF burrito for lunch. It’s also soy, egg, dairy, and corn free. So it fits with my new super-restrictive elimination diet.

Lentil soup for dinner. Absolutely delicious. Used vegan bouillon cubes and umeboshi paste for saltiness, and added sage and rosemary from the garden. Plus the usual carrots, garlic, and onions.

And a quick gluten free dinner roll using a gf ap flour mix. I subbed in egg replacer. Definitely edible, but not super delicious.

Attempting fermented carrots and cauliflower today. Will check back in a week and see how they’re doing.

And a carbonated drink I had today. Not 100% sure how healthy it is. The ingredients seem good, aside from the vague “natural flavors” which could be anything.

Monday

Breakfast was millet porridge, with leftover cooked millet, almond milk, vanilla, stevia, pie spices, and pomegranate seeds.

After a couple of hours messing around in the garden, I was exhausted and hot. This pomegranate chia fresca was the perfect solution. Sweet and hydrating, and the chia seeds are like little balls of energy. Totally reinvigorated my day.

Lunch was tomatoes with daiya cheese broiled in the oven, then topped with homemade fermented radishes (super excited they came out great!), chives, and avocado. Delish!

Here’s my radishes. Spiralized them, then put them in a jar with peppercorns, rosemary, and salty water. Put the jar lid on loosely, covered with a cloth, and waited a week. I just knew I’d open that jar and discover a bunch of mold and horrific smells. But they are absolutely delicious. Tastes like sauerkraut. I can’t wait to ferment more veggies. They should now last about 6 months in the fridge, and are chock-full of probiotics.

Dinner was Mexican meatballs (seasoned with homemade salsa verde) and sautéed Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.

Meatball ingredients: 1 lb grass-fed beef, 1/2 cup carrot pulp (from juicing), 1 cup cooked millet, 1/2 cup raw salsa verde (garlic, onions, green tomatoes, poblano peppers, green peppers). All processed in the food processor (this eliminates the need for a binder like eggs), rolled into balls, browned with olive oil in a pan in the stovetop, then finished off in the oven for half an hour or so.

The veggies were just garlic and onions sautéed in olive oil with the frozen Brussels sprouts. Then I added a previously underbaked sweet potato until everything was nice and caramelized. My original plan was veggie-stuffed sweet potatoes, but had to improvise when I realized the potatoes were way underdone.

Oh- and salsa verde dipping sauce. Cooked raw salsa verde with some veggie stock and arrowroot powder.

Sunday

Had a great day. Intense service at church, then got some one on one time with the hubs. Not much improvement in my mouth, but it’s certainly not any worse, and my energy level was high all day. So I’m extremely happy and grateful for all of that. As soon as the sun went down this evening, I started to feel some exhaustion setting in and the pain in my mouth was amplified a bit. Not a big deal. Hopefully just a sign I need some rest and will be recharged by morning.

Today’s breakfast was an avocado fruit bowl with pear, persimmon, hemp seeds, and macadamia nuts. Delicious, but a little difficult to eat (given my jacked up mouth situation), so I ate half before church and finished the other half after we got back. Eating certain things is just a long process when you can’t manipulate your food with your tongue and you have to try to avoid irritating the tender spots, which is hard to do when they’re all over.

Here’s the recipe from Nourishing Meals. (Please see my resources page for a link to purchase this book.  It’s amazing.)

We didn’t have any fresh mango on hand, but if you’ve never tried a persimmon, they’re really sweet and delicious. Great substitution.

Easy comfort food for lunch.

With a smoothie. That’s frozen strawberries, half a banana, kale, and 3 dates in the blender cup. I added almond milk, vanilla, sexy hot chocolate mix (cacao, carob, maca), and a few drops of stevia.

Dinner was frozen leftover red lentil soup from a couple of months ago. I’ve got to make that stuff again. It was really really good. And I ate half of a mini raw vegan cheesecake I made a few weeks ago and froze.

Saturday

Feeling great this morning! Mouth is significantly better (thanks to all who were praying for me!)

Excited to try this recipe from Nourishing Meals. (You can buy the book here- http://www.nourishingmeals.com/ – it’s awesome.)

Based on what I’m reading in The Immune System Recovery Plan, I’m considering a more strict elimination diet. I’ve realized that dairy definitely triggers an inflammatory response for me (sinus congestion and headaches). Without having eliminated it, I never would have noticed the difference. Cheese has always been one of my favorite foods, so this is a little sad for me. I remember seeing one of those tattoo shows where a dude got a tattoo in memory of cheese because he couldn’t eat it any more for medical reasons. My love of cheese is close to his level. Not quite, but close.

The Immune System Recovery Plan recommends that you initially eliminate gluten, dairy, corn, and soy. Based on my self-assessments, I likely have leaky gut syndrome. She (the author, Susan Blum) suggests also eliminating eggs if you have this issue. I have already eliminated gluten for some time now, and eliminating dairy will be pretty easy since I’ve severely limited it and I now know the negative effects it has on me. I’m going to try to eliminate the other 3 (corn, soy, eggs) for three weeks or so, then slowly reintroduce to see if any of these have similar negative effects (like dairy does).

This pancake/waffle recipe is perfect! I made a double batch of the mix to fill up my container. Then made a double batch of the waffles to have enough leftover to freeze. I was skeptical of the no-egg situation. No need. They’re awesome. Topped ours with ghee (yes, it’s dairy, but from what I understand won’t cause a reaction because all the proteins have been removed and it is actually very healing to the digestive system because of its high levels of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that reduces inflammation and balances immune cells in the gut) and a sprinkling of xylitol for sweetness.

Lunch was a veggie rice bowl. I mixed in some umeboshi paste with the rice. Sautéed frozen veggie mix (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) with onions, and topped it off with vegan cheese sauce. This was the first time I’ve used umeboshi paste, and I used just a bit too much, so the rice was pretty salty, but it was still good. Umeboshi plums are supposed to be great for the digestive system (my biggest concern) among other things. Here’s a link for more info about umeboshi. http://www.earthclinic.com/mobile/Remedies/umeboshi.html

Dinner was Moroccan Roasted Chicken from Nourishing Meals.

And mixed greens with this homemade salad dressing. I didn’t pay close attention to the measurements. Just kind of eyeballed it. And mine came out really garlicky. I think it’ll be fine after it marinates overnight and the vinegars mellow out the garlic, but it was overpowering.

And an alkalizing green juice. This yielded more than 32 ounces. Yum! I missed my green juice yesterday.

Friday

Woke up feeling great again today. Until I started to pay attention to what’s going on in my mouth. Tongue is swollen, and upper lip is visibly swollen because of a lesion near the gum line. Thrush is still going strong, and there are lots of smaller lesions with the potential to become more problematic.

I’m obviously in the midst of a mild flare. But remember, I said I woke up feeling great today. Typically, when I’m flaring, it’s accompanied by extreme exhaustion and general discomfort/sensitivity that makes regular activities tiring and painful. I don’t have any of that today. I feel fantastic- as long as I’m not trying to eat or talk. So, though I’m flaring, I still see this as progress.

Breakfast was very difficult to eat and took foreverrrrr. GF cinnamon raisin toast with earth balance spread, orange/carrot juice, and dandelion root tea.

I don’t have much in the fridge for juicing, so I’m subbing in some wheatgrass for my usual green alkalizer today.

Walked 3.6 miles with baby girl in the stroller today. I was considering doing a body pump class at the gym, or doing the next P90X workout, but I figured today wasn’t a day to push myself, even though I feel good. It’s clear that something is “off” since my mouth is out of control. But being as consistent as possible with exercise is an important part of my treatment plan, so I felt like I had to do something.

Came home and had this leftover almost vegan Alfredo lasagna for lunch. It wasn’t too hard to eat.

Was still hungry, so supplemented lunch with this pouch of baby food. Along with juicing, this is the easiest way I know to get nutrients in my body when my mouth is all jacked up.

And snacked on these banana chips. Slightly painful to eat, but the sweetness of them motivated me to keep going. Enjoyed them with a cup of herbal orange tea.

Dinner is puréed roasted carrots with organic vegetable stock. Topped with sage from the garden. Dressing it up this way makes it seem less like baby food, and more like a gourmet soup. Though its basically just baby food.

My daughter has had a bit of a cough today. Seems like she picks something up every time I leave her in daycare at the gym or the nursery at church. She’s been to both this week. I gave her Similisan (a homeopathic remedy for kids) and made an essential oils concoction to rub on her chest and back: eucalyptus, myrrh, clove, and lavender oils in a carrier of coconut oil. I would’ve added peppermint and rosemary if she’d had a fever. And rubbed Young Living’s Theives oil blend on her feet. Haven’t heard a single cough all day. Will repeat this process tonight (coughs always rear their ugly heads when the sun goes down) and see how she does. Also, I’ve been sneaking a bit of probiotics in her bottle at night. (Breaking the capsules apart and giving her a little less than half.) That should help with boosting her immune function.

Thursday

Woke up feeling great, despite not getting much sleep. My body didn’t cooperate with my attempt at getting to sleep early last night. But I think I may have gotten my toddler on an earlier schedule now, so that was the first step anyway. I’ll try again tonight.

Had the breakfast bowl filled with brown rice, roasted carrots, kimchi, avocado, and an egg.

And this immune boosting carrot-orange juice.

Went to a yoga class at the gym today. It was very relaxing, which I needed, since my arms, shoulders, and back are slightly sore from yesterday. Felt great while I was there.

But almost immediately started feeling tired when we got home. My tongue started to feel too big for my mouth and I can see thrush (fungus) all over it. I have one problematic lesion on my tongue. Also have that general all over discomfort/sensitivity that makes everything hurt more than it should (like when my daughter bumped my smoothie glass and it hit my lip- not hard, but it was excruciating for a moment, when it really should NOT have been that painful).

Made these melon ball skewers as a snack before lunch.

Had trouble eating them (because of all the inflammation and pain in my mouth) so settled for this smoothie. It’s a repeat from yesterday. Neapolitan.

Laid down and napped with my daughter for a bit and woke up feeling marginally better. Definitely less tired and less overall pain. Not sure what’s happening in my mouth. It’s crazy how things can change so quickly. I felt fine this morning, if only a bit sore from yesterday’s workout.

Feeling significantly better by dinnertime. Bit of a roller coaster today, I guess.

Here’s dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever had sardines before, but I’ve been reading how healthy they are. Read about them here- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=147

Topped them with a bit of oregano from the garden, since it has lots of health benefits, too. Read about them here-

Oregano: 10 Natural Health Benefits & Healing Uses

Wednesday

Woke up slightly congested today. Thinking it might have been the yogurt yesterday. Dairy really seems to mess with my sinuses. Used the neti pot to get cleared up.

Quick breakfast of leftover quinoa muffins and earth balance spread with orange spice tea before heading to the dentist. I have really good teeth, but cleanings can be uncomfortable since the hygienist has to dodge lesions all over the place. I have at least 5 right now, but they’re all small, with only one seeming to have potential of becoming a problem.

For lunch, I broiled tomato slices with uncured salami and put them on a bed of spring greens and fennel fronds, and topped them with chives and dill from the garden. I can never keep dill alive for long. Only had it for a few days and it’s already looking sad. Anyway, I topped the salad with a homemade vinaigrette: oj, champagne vinegar, olive oil, and dijon mustard.

I think this is my new favorite smoothie. Neapolitan. Strawberries, my sexy chocolate mix (cacao, carob, maca), vanilla extract, and almond milk. Enjoyed this outside while baby girl played in the yard and we both dodged bugs constantly. Almost lost my smoothie several times due to involuntary swipes.

Also, snacked on cinnamon date and Brazil nut smush. I could have rolled it into balls or pressed it into bars, but we just ate it out of the food processor with a spoon.

It’s not green, but I’m pretty sure it’s alkalizing. And it was delicious. Beet greens, celery, apples, cucumber, and parsley.

Dinner was leftover gf vegan mac n cheese and this microwave meal from the freezer. They used white rice instead of brown, and there were maybe 2 teensy broccoli florets in there. But it had good flavor.

Did the P90X Shoulders and Arms, and Ab Ripper workout today. I didn’t push myself too hard and used light (5 lb) weights. I’ve cycled through this program several times over the last few years, so playing my own music (thanks, Pandora) to work out to was a nice change and helped to keep me motivated through the whole thing.

Going to try to get to bed early tonight. And planning on doing some yoga tomorrow.

Tuesday

Breakfast bowl: brown rice, an egg, sautéed garlicky broccoli, avocado, raw sauerkraut.

Pomegranate Chia Fresca

Snacked on pomegranates, carrots, cashews, and raisins. And had this leftover frozen lasagna for lunch. Almost vegan Alfredo.

Organic plain yogurt with pomegranate seeds. Generally avoiding dairy, but this was a treat.

Alkalizing green juice.

The last of the coconut banana breakfast cake. Melted two squares of 70% dark chocolate on top.

Red beets and apples. Super sweet.

Today is my last day on doxycycline. Starting banderol and samento (herbals to treat Lyme) tomorrow. If all goes well, the only prescriptions I’ll be on for the next few weeks are prednisone (steroid) and nystatin (antifungal). What an improvement from a couple of months ago when I was popping at least 7 different prescription medications. I’ll also be using dexamethasone mouthwash as needed when having mini-flares.

Gotta get focused on sleep, exercise and meditation to move to the next level. I feel like I’m at a good place with nutrition. Not perfect, but consistent. My supplement plan is working. And I’m working on minimizing toxin exposure. But I’m not getting to sleep at a decent hour (though we sleep late, so I get enough sleep, just not at the optimum hours between 10 and 7). I’m not exercising regularly. And I don’t have a consistent stress relief/meditation practice going on. I think making changes in these areas will have the biggest impact on my health. Following through is the hard part.

Anyway, for dinner tonight: tuna salad (vegenaise and organic Dijon) on a bed of spring greens, with yellow tomatoes and roasted red pepper, drizzled with champagne vinegar, lime juice, and hemp seed oil.

Monday

Breakfast is an openfaced egg sandwich with gf bread, ghee, romaine, tomato, and sauerkraut. With pear slices and blueberries.

Lunch is gluten free, dairy free mac ‘n cheese. Loving this cheese sauce. Have quite a bit leftover. Thinking of adding some salsa or taco seasoning for nacho cheese. Mmmmmm- haven’t had cheese dip in foreverrrrrrr! (I used to LOVE cheese!)

Here’s the recipe from Nourishing Meals. Mine came out fine using brown rice flour instead of the sweet rice.

Getting low on laundry detergent, so it’s time to make a batch. Here’s the ingredients. I ended up doubling this recipe (but didn’t add more soap- 6 bars seemed like enough), and I always play around with essential oils- added lemongrass and lime to the original lavender for this one. I call that combo L3- it’s my home’s signature scent. For body care products or topical application, I typically use therapeutic grade oils. But for laundry (and most other household cleaning purposes) this jug of cheap oil saves us a lot of money. It’s supposedly 100% pure lavender oil, but the quality is obviously inferior.

Fels Naptha processed into itty bitty bits.

Dump all the boxes in and mix, mix, mix. This takes a while because you have to get everything incorporated. I put in the EOs at this point, too. I’ve found the easiest way to mix is just using my hands. That way, I can feel and break up any big clumps as I’m mixing.

My ginormous glass jar. I think it’s like 4 or 5 gallons or something. Huge!

And extra to share with family and friends (or to refill the ginormous jar).

Start to finish, this took me about half an hour. Not bad for a year’s worth of laundry detergent (depending on how much I give away). I originally started doing this to save money, but now I prefer this formula to anything else out there, regardless of cost. Conventional detergents just smell weird. Conventional fabric softeners smell horrific. We use vinegar if needed as a softener. Works great partnering with the sodas in the detergent, and rinses completely clean and fresh- no smell at all.

Just as my tastes are changing with my diet, my sense of smell has changed as we cut out more and more conventional products. What used to smell nice sometimes strikes me as toxic and chemical-ly these days.

A little orange-carrot juice to build up my immune system and eliminate those toxins…

Dinner was black bean tacos with my vegan cheese sauce (taco-fied with seasonings). De-lish!

Green juice to alkalize my system, give the good bacteria in my gut some yummy prebiotics, and assist my body’s detox efforts.

Sunday

Happy Mother’s Day! I’m feeling great again! It’s amazing how being sick for an extended period of time makes “normal” or “not sick” feel so much better than you remember. Ecstatic.

Smoothie time!

Coconut Banana Breakfast Cake. Thanks, Nourishing Meals! Totally grain free. I did add a tablespoon of coconut sugar since my bananas weren’t very ripe.

Topped with cashew butter and raspberries.

Yummy sandwich on gf bread: romaine, heirloom (ugly ripe) tomato, vegenaise, 2 small slices of uncured salami. Delish. Served with veggie booty.

I also had 32 ounces of green juice today: Swiss chard, parsley, cucumber, celery, ginger, apple, and yellow squash.

Amazing dinner thanks to my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. Spoiling all us moms with healthy food.

And a treat. It is gf, but had quite a bit of sugar. Had this portion and another, equal portion of the butterscotch version. Hoping I don’t pay for it later…

I have been a bit tired today, especially this evening.

Saturday

I’m on a roll- feeling great 3 days in a row! Have another busy day today. Breakfast is a bowl of brown rice, diced roasted carrots and parsnips, an egg, avocado, and raw sauerkraut.

Had a picnic for lunch. Sorry no photo (forgot). It was pecan crusted chicken strips drizzled with honey (local, raw) mustard and wrapped in romaine leaves. Plus apples, grapes, and gf sweet potato oatmeal cookies. And pirate’s veggie booty.

Drank lots of this today. May not be the best brand, since it does have added citric acid. But it’s the only one my local store had in stock. There’s another brand (coco one? I think) that is just pure coconut water. That’s a better option if it’s available.

Snacked on the last of the healthy brownie bites, 2 pieces of dark chocolate (with chili pepper!), and a glass of unsweetened almond milk with stevia and pie spices.

Side note about almond milk: the Almond Breeze brand contains carrageenan. Silk does not. You do NOT want to be consuming carrageenan. Here’s why.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-18/health/ct-met-carrageenan-0318-20130318_1_carrageenan-fda-scientists-food-additive-safety

Considering that nearly all chronic illnesses are a result of inflammation, and often originate in gut inflammation, whether it causes recognizable digestive issues or not, the available science seems pretty clear that this stuff should be avoided. I’m appalled that they put it in infant formula. So glad my girl was mostly breast fed.

Dinner was leftover Alfredo lasagna (almost vegan) and grilled chicken.

Quick note on the headache I had last night and a miraculous performance by an essential oil blend. I was having a hard time falling asleep and the headache was getting worse. I drank 16 ounces of water with a tincture of milk thistle and rubbed Young Living’s PanAway essential oil blend where it hurt- my neck, shoulders, temples, and forehead. If I could’ve rubbed it behind my eyeballs, I would have. The pain started to subside almost immediately. Within half an hour, it was completely, COMPLETELY gone. I’ve never had serious migraines, but my headaches are no joke. I learned in high school that if I didn’t quickly take something for the pain, I’d end up wanting to cut my head off. So this practice of avoiding pills in favor of natural remedies has been a little nerve-wracking. I’m always scared it won’t work and I’ll regret not taking a pill sooner, before the pain sunk its claws in. But, so far, so good. I love being able to do something to relieve my pain that isn’t toxic to my body. When it comes to essential oils (and possibly some other kooky home remedies) I have to say I am becoming a believer. That was just crazy how fast my headache went away. Crazy!