Stuffed Avocados

I’m venturing back into the paleo-ish world and y’all- it’s so much easier to be paleo now than it was 6 years ago. Publix has coconut aminos! Whattttt??? Plus all these dressings and marinades. I’m stoked!

Recent health struggles have reminded me that I can’t out-supplement a bad diet, so while I don’t plan to be as strict as I was back in 2013, I know my body functions best when I’m following Paleo principles. So this was dinner last night…

Spring mix greens and avocados (stuffed with mushrooms, onions, and garlic sautéed in pork lard) drizzled in paleo ranch. Roasted red peppers, grapes, and 2 fried eggs, over medium.

Simple. Fast. Yum.

What I’ve been eating (when I’m not eating crap)

Despite my best efforts at sticking to strict paleo, my emotional wounds have called for emotional eating. As these wounds slowly begin healing, I find it easier to take better care of my health. But it’s a process and I have to go easy on myself. So I’m not going to post the photos of the crap I’ve eaten lately (delicious and sometimes very well made, high quality crap- just not good for my body and physical healing process). This “crap” has included KFC, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell; cupcakes and snack food at parties; midnight PB&J’s (though I often use sunflower butter and organic jam); Keebler cookies and Quaker granola bars; and whatever I feel like eating at social functions and when out at restaurants with friends.

I quickly destroy all evidence of “bad” food- receipts, wrappers, etc. But here is some evidence of good, healing foods I’ve been eating.

Grass-fed beef burger on a bed of Bubbie’s sauerkraut, topped with all the usual suspects (organic mustard and ketchup, homemade paleo mayo- recipe below). A big slice of tomato and a blob of guacamole. All on a butter lettuce “bun”.

Tomato slices topped with mustard, Applegate ham, and chopped fresh basil, broiled until warm, juicy, and delicious.

Homemade dried fruit. (Thanks, Mom, for the dehydrator!) Apples, strawberries, bananas, and peaches. This stuff is seriously like candy.

Grassfed meatballs with ketchup, sauerkraut, guac, and a boiled egg. With a side of Brussels sprouts and olives. This was one of those random “pull things out of the fridge and make a meal out of it” dinners.

Lunch with my munchkin. Applegate, uncured, grass-fed beef hot dog with ketchup, sauerkraut, and the only pickle I could find without yellow #4. The carrots are also pickled. And a cup of unsweetened applesauce to balance all that saltiness.

Tuna-avocado boats with carrots. The tuna salad has sauerkraut and homemade paleo mayo, which is super easy to make and tastes soooo much better than store bought. Just make sure you’re using high quality eggs. Bring all ingredients to room temp, then blend 2 eggs, juice of a lemon, and a tablespoon of mustard in a blender. While blending, drizzle in avocado (or olive, or coconut, or whatever’s healthy) oil until it “sets up”. You’ll know when that happens. So yummy.

And homemade veal jerky. I got the recipe from Eat Like a Dinosaur by the Paleo Parents. Fantastic cookbook with an illustrated story for kids to help explain the whys behind eating paleo, and each recipe is kid-friendly with lots of tips on how they can help in the kitchen. Munchkin loves helping cook (and eat) dinosaur food.

Living Grain Free

I’m on day 6 of 4 mg on the prednisone taper. And this is the best I’ve felt since I began the taper 2 months ago. I’ve been feeling really good for a few days, but was afraid to talk about it too much- didn’t want to jinx it. I’ll be dropping to 2 mg on Sunday. I’m almost there! Almost done! Almost free!

Here’s some examples of what I’ve been eating lately. Grain-free isn’t nearly as tough as I thought it would be. As the Paleo Mom says, it’s only effort until it’s routine.

These are grass fed burgers on a lettuce bun with tomato, avocado, and mushrooms. With rutabaga fries. Seriously delicious.

Breakfast for the family: sautéed sweet potato and beet greens with garlic. Applegate naturals chicken and apple breakfast sausage, and sliced fruit- pluot, banana, and Granny Smith apple. This meal would almost fit within the guidelines of the autoimmune paleo protocol. The sausage is seasoned with spices that include pepper, and nightshades are restricted on the AIP, but it’s pretty close.

Loving my vitamix and it’s ability to turn large amounts of fruits and veggies into delicious smoothies! Here, I puréed a cucumber (not organic, so I peeled it before blending), a plum, a whole head of romaine, and a beet. I drank 2 big glasses, then blended what was leftover with a frozen banana for my 3 year old. Super sweet and she loved it.

Super salty lunch salad: 2 cups of baby spinach topped with Applegate naturals uncured salami, raw sauerkraut, and Sicilian style olives. It was tricky to find jarred olives without nasty additives. These have lactic acid and acetic acid (which I think is basically vinegar), but are otherwise just olives, water, and salt. Most of the jarred olives had preservatives, so this was the best option I could find.

This is now one of my all time favorite recipes. Nut-free, Coconut-free Paleo Muffins from the Paleo Mom. I doubled the batch, made 12 plain muffins, 12 blueberry muffins, and then made blueberry pancakes with what wouldn’t fit in the muffin tins. Everything came out perfect.

Quick lunch for me while my daughter’s at school: 2 grassfed beef uncured hot dogs with organic ketchup and mustard, olives, raw sauerkraut, and jarred organic shredded red beets.

I often send these in my daughter’s lunch. Great substitute for a ham sandwich. A grain free crepe from the Against all Grain cookbook, Applegate naturals uncured ham, and raw sauerkraut for a good dose of probiotics to help with digestion.

And when I eat them myself, I dip it in mustard, and pair it up with a pickle spear, olives, and shredded beets.

And, in case you missed it in previous posts, this bread recipe is part of what has made my transition to grain-free so easy. Crazy delicious.

Entertaining (mostly) Grain Free

Had a wonderful time catching up with our old friends (and watching our toddlers get to know each other- so cute!) We ate every meal here at the house during their visit, and the only time I spent in the kitchen (about 20 minutes) involved making this AMAZING grain free bread. (Click here for the recipe from Against All Grain). I misread the recipe and used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for the vinegar. I actually think it turned out even better. Gave it almost a sourdough flavor. We (four adults and two toddlers) ate the entire loaf in one sitting. I served it smothered in grass-fed butter alongside a roasted beet salad with citrus vinaigrette and organic chicken soup- all of which had been made ahead of time and just had to be warmed up and plated. I had a frosty glass of pomegranate kombucha with mine.

Our friends supplied the steaks for dinner, which the boys grilled while I warmed up the pre-baked sweet potatoes and sautéed the sprouts mixture I’d put together ahead of time. Dinner was on the table in 15 minutes. I love being prepared.

Dessert was not grain free. I made and froze this dish before I made the switch. Though I’m pretty sure it would be easily converted to grain free. I’ll have to try it soon. Anyway, it was a pear/peach cobbler made with brown rice flour (so it IS gluten free at least) and sweetened with honey. I adjusted my Granny’s old peach cobbler recipe to eliminate the refined sugars and wheat flour. Topped it off with coconut whip cream (the delicious white stuff from the top of a refrigerated can of coconut milk, then mixed with vanilla extract and agave). Mmmmmmm. So good.

Food Sensitivities and Girlie Problems

The consequences of my week of rebellion extended further than I originally expected. As the yeast infection cleared, it left in its wake a pretty severe autoimmune flare “down there”. I’m assuming the infection triggered my immune system, which went overboard and didn’t know when to quit. This was a new experience for me, as my issues have always been oral flares, which are exponentially more painful and debilitating in comparison. At least with this one, I could still eat.

And recovery was pretty quick, thanks in part to helichrysum essential oil. That stuff is crazy expensive, but works wonders when it comes to general healing and pain relief. And a little goes a very long way. I’ve been using (topically) a 95/5 blend of olive oil/helichrysum oil- and it’s been very effective.

I’m still playing with my nutrition plan. Based on recent and past experiences, there are a few things I’ve learned about my body. One, I have a hard time processing sugar- whether it’s white sugar, agave nectar, or honey- I can feel it almost immediately when I’ve had too much and I know this negatively affects my metabolic processes. Two, caffeine exacerbates this issue with sugar and makes it even more difficult to keep it balanced- leaving me with lots of cravings and panicky moments of low blood sugar. Three, dairy (whether raw or pasteurized, organic or not, cultured (like yogurt and kefir) or not) makes me slightly congested. Ghee (clarified butter) does not have this effect, but I’m not sure about regular butter. This congestion lets me know that my body is having some sort of immune-reaction to dairy, so I really should avoid it. At least until I give my gut more time to heal. I may have to experiment more with goat milk and the products made from it, since I’m not sure if it affects me the same way, but for the time being, I’m going to avoid cow milk and anything made from it.

Then there’s soy, corn, and gluten. None of which I’ve noticed a reaction to, but read enough about that they all make me nervous. So, to avoid that crazy, insect-stomach exploding BT toxin in GMO corn, I will not eat any corn, or anything made from corn, that is not organic. When it comes to soy, I will only eat organic, fermented versions (tempeh, miso) or completely unprocessed organic soybeans (edamame). And, until this disease is in remission, I’ll still be avoiding gluten. Once I’m well, I may incorporate some sprouted/soaked organic wheat or sourdough.

So that’s my basic plan. Plus I’ll be sticking to organic meats and eggs. And avoiding pork, shellfish, and fish that don’t have fins/scales (like catfish) in an attempt to implement (sort of) the Maker’s Diet (book by Jordan Rubin).

This week, I’m down to 14 mg on my prednisone taper. Dealing with a few uncomfortable oral lesions, but not a big deal.

Here’s some of what I’ve been eating.

Breakfast: 2 organic eggs, Applegate farms turkey breast (no nitrites/nitrates, humanely raised), spring mix greens and fermented veggies.

My new favorite treat- dried figs with goat cheese and cinnamon. Sooo good.

Chicken salad for dinner, dressed with homemade mayo watered down with fermented veggie juice.

And a chocolate milkshake: frozen banana, cup of ice, dates, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla extract, sprinkle of cinnamon, carob powder, maca powder, 2 cups of spinach, and a few drops of stevia. I swear it tastes like a Frosty from Wendy’s.

Friday

Scrambled eggs with spinach, goat cheese, and avocado.

Smoothie time! Waited too long to post and now I don’t remember what I put in it. I think bananas, cherries, carob, maca, and dates.

Alkalizing greens: kale, cucumber, yellow pepper, apples.

Leftover moqueca (Brazilian fish stew).

Spinach, cranberries, and goat cheese in orange vinaigrette.

Carrot-beet juice. Nice nutrient boost before bed. TMI side note- I no longer experience beeturia (red/pink urine and/or poo after consuming beets). I’d read somewhere that beeturia was a sign of weak digestion, but figured that might be bogus since pretty much everyone gets it when they eat beets or drink beet juice. Yet, I’ve noticed in the last couple of weeks that beets no longer have that effect. I’d love to think this means I’ve made improvements in my digestive system. I’ll take it as a sign I’m moving in the right direction. Not much matters if I keep flaring and I I can’t get off prednisone, but I’ll take a small win where I can get it. (And I’m not currently flaring, so… Yay- Big Win!)

Thursday

Feeling fantastic today. Got a great night’s sleep (9 1/2 hours!) and woke up energized and refreshed. This energy lasted ALL. DAY. LONG. I did not experience a single slump (which is unheard of!) When baby girl went down for her nap, I deep cleaned the bathrooms. I also mowed the front lawn as a surprise for my husband (he never looks at the blog, so it’ll still be a surprise). I’ve NEVER mowed our lawn before. EVER. Raked the leaves once last year… Anyway, I’d love to know where all this energy is coming from and how I can hold onto it.

What I ate today:

An alkalizing green juice to start the day right.

That’s a half gallon jar, so I was drinking on this all day.

After spending so much time juicing, ran out of time for breakfast before our play date. Scarfed down these crackers and pear goat cheese. And juice.

Lunch salad to counteract all the cheese and chocolate I’ve been eating today: mixed greens, chicken breast, fermented veggies, all drizzled with orange vinaigrette.

My friend served these cupcakes at our play date. Gluten free, egg free, soy free, corn free, dairy free, and sweetened with agave nectar. The texture was fantastic. Sooooo good. I ate 3.

Dinner was “cookie dough” and watermelon. The cookie dough is made from pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, medjool dates, and cinnamon. Once you blend them up enough in a food processor, they start to stick together and you can form yummy raw cookies or truffle balls. But lately I’ve just been skipping that step and eating the “dough” by the handful. (You can do this with almost any nut and dried fruit, by the way.)

And a little more cheese. I’m really making up for lost time with these goat cheeses. Should probably lay off and stick with 1 ounce a day. I read somewhere that goat’s milk (and it’s products) are actually alkalizing to the body (whereas cow’s milk makes you acidic), but I don’t understand the science behind that and I’m not sure I believe it.

Sunday

Happy Daddy’s Day!

Feeling great. Have a busy day ahead of us with lots of family coming over for a cookout, so we got up and went to our church’s early service after having this avocado fruit bowl for breakfast. That’s banana, blueberries, and almonds sprinkled with lime juice.

Great service at church. I cry every. single. Sunday. Not sure if my pastor’s really, really good, or if I’m just at an emotional point in my life. But we’ve been going there pretty consistently for about a year now, and I’m still crying at every service. Thankful for God’s presence in that church.

Took communion at church today. Pretty sure the communion wafer had gluten. Oh well. It’s the body of Christ. How bad can it be? 😉

Came home to a lunch of chicken salad- salad. Used canned chicken with some questionable ingredients (modified food starch and some preservatives). Not the best choice, but I was rushed. Mixed in soy-free vegenaise and organic dijon mustard. Then put it on a bed of spring mix greens and sprinkled a bit of paprika overtop.

Snacked on a full serving of organic dark chocolate and a mug of warm almond milk and vanilla extract.

Dinner. Here we have mashed cauliflower with Basil, a sweet potato stuffed with avocado, sautéed onions and beet greens, grilled veggie skewers, rosemary garlic roasted root veggies (carrots, parsnips, purple potatoes), massaged kale salad with cranberries and sunflower seeds, and a collard wrap filled with raw sunflower pate and a modified version of the kale salad. Yum! I thought the collard wraps were going to be weird, but they turned out pretty tasty. Plus had a second plate of snapper and mashed cauliflower. And a plate of tropical fruit salad and raw vegan cookies for dessert. Also, drank caffeinated black tea for the first time in forever- sweetened with pomegranate juice and agave nectar.

Saturday

Feeling great this morning. Headache is completely gone. Good thing- cause I’ve got a busy day.

Pepper-egg “flower” fried in garlicky olive oil. And lightly sautéed Swiss chard from the garden with fermented veggies.

An alkalizing green juice to start the day right. Also had a ginger lemonade.

Raw vegan “cookie”: almonds, cashews, dates, vanilla extract, allspice, and ginger (I’m out of cinnamon). Making these for a big cookout we’re having tomorrow, but I ate the equivalent of about 7 of them before they made it on to the pan.

We went to a birthday party this afternoon. I wasn’t expecting to be able to eat anything there. But there was a big fruit bowl and a chicken dish that fit within the constraints of my diet. So that took care of lunch. I didn’t feel deprived at all, except for a brief moment when everyone was eating cake. I do miss cake. I hope there comes a time in the future when I’m consistently well enough to be able to have an occasional slice of birthday cake.

Dinner was spring mix greens with roasted beets and avocado, plus an orange vinaigrette. Minor tongue issues eating the greens, but they really make me feel good. I’ve said this a lot recently- but I really need to incorporate more leafy greens (preferably raw) into my diet.

And another alkalizing greenie to finish off the day.

Tuesday

Breakfast: avocado fruit bowl with hemp seeds.

Lunch: rosemary garlic farmhouse seed bread with daiya cheese dipped in homemade chunky marinara. Pizza craving? Crushed.

Green juice: fennel, cucumber, celery.

Peppermint and lavender from the garden made into tea, with just a smidge of honey.

Dinner: spring greens with grapes, tuna salad, and orange vinaigrette, plus purple potatoes and Brussels sprouts sautéed in garlic infused olive oil. The whole purple/green theme was completely unintentional, but delicious.

I felt alright most of the day. Maybe just a bit better than previous days. But started feeling significantly better this evening. Wonder if its all the leaves I’ve been eating. It’s really hard and time consuming to eat leaves with an injured tongue, but green leafy vegetables are great prebiotics for beneficial gut bacteria, they’re alkalizing for the body… they have to be the foundation of any healthy diet- whether you’re paleo or low carb or vegan or doing a candida cleanse- nobody ever says to cut back on greens. I’m going to focus on getting even more of them into my diet. If I can’t eat them, I’ll juice them. But as long as my tongue is in reasonably good shape, I’ll be having lots of salad in the near future.

Also, in an effort to further alkalize my body, I’m putting a couple of drops of YL peppermint oil and lemon oil under my tongue throughout the day. Gross TMI alert: oral lesions, especially the bigger ones, are basically chunks of dead, rotting flesh in your mouth. They create a prime environment for fungus (like thrush) and give you what my family calls “lesion breath”. It’s disgusting. The oils are really helping with all of that. Regular gum and mints just cover up the problem and either feed the fungus with sugar or expose me to awful artificial sweeteners. I think I’m going to start carrying peppermint oil around in my purse…

Monday

Breakfast was homemade granola with almond milk.

Lunch was this delicious salad. I’ve been really craving raw leafy greens, but they’re so hard to eat when my tongue is jacked up. There’s a lot of maneuvers and manipulations that go into chewing up lettuce. This salad was worth the effort. It took forever to eat, and it was very tiring. But it hit the spot. I felt like it was what my body needed. Spring mix, raspberries, balsamic vinegar, garlic infused olive oil, and slivered almonds.

Followed that up with a snack of natural peanut butter on a rice cake. And a glass of unsweetened almond milk with stevia, pie spices, extra clove (for the antioxidants), and vanilla extract.

Dinner was gf pasta with homemade marinara (canned tomato purée, juiced carrot pulp, garlic, onions, herbs from the garden- basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, chives), sweet potato with ghee, fermented carrots and cauliflower, and a greens with strawberries, balsamic vinegar, walnuts, and cabbage beet salad.

And juice for dessert: carrots, sweet potato, cucumber, ginger, lemon, apples. Weird mix of flavors. Sweet, spicy, and tart. Not the greatest.

Sunday

Physically, feeling about the same as yesterday. Emotionally, feeling much better. Amazing service at church today. Feel recharged and ready to keep fighting.

Also came across this statement in my devotional from Joyce Meyer: “It has been said that fear is the opposite of faith, and that is true. We can’t live in faith and fear at the same time. Fear paralyzes us and keeps us from receiving God’s promises. It keeps us from stepping out and obeying what God has called us to do.”

I’ve definitely been dealing with a little bit of fear lately. Fear that this is as well as I’m ever going to get. Fear that I’ll never be able to contribute financially again. Fear that if I push myself too hard, I’ll end up back in the hospital. I’m afraid to make commitments because of the fear of getting sick and not being able to keep them. But each of these fears is completely irrelevant in God’s bigger plan for my life. They just don’t matter. And allowing myself to focus on them just holds me back.

Breakfast was homemade granola (gluten free oats, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, coconut oil, honey, and maple syrup) and blueberries with almond milk. And a green juice (kale, celery, fennel, apple, cucumbers).

Lunch was leftover chicken soup (the last of it 😦 ) and more of the same green juice.

Dinner was tuna salad. Canned, chunk light tuna (lower mercury than albacore) with raw sauerkraut, soy-free vegenaise, and organic Dijon mustard. I desperately wanted to put this on a big bed of leafy greens, but knew I wouldn’t be able to eat them. Need a few more days of healing for my tongue to tackle raw leaves.

My version of a milkshake. This juice tastes incredibly sweet to me, so it’s a perfect dessert/sweet treat. I should try blending it with frozen strawberries! That would be sooo good! It’s 3 beets, one HUGE carrot, a sweet potato, and a big chunk of ginger. Adding an apple would’ve made it even sweeter, but it didn’t need it.

I’ve been struggling to get in my samento and banderol treatments. They’re the herbal tinctures I take to treat Lyme. They have to be taken on an empty stomach, at least 15 minutes apart from each other, and at least 15 minutes before eating a meal. This is easy to do in the morning, but I’m supposed to do it twice a day, and I forget to time it correctly. I’ve usually just eaten or am sitting down to eat when I think of it. I’ve also been trying to take L-glutamine to heal my leaky gut, but it also has to be taken on an empty stomach. I know it’s possible to get all these supplements in during the day, I just need a better system for taking them correctly. I did get in 2 servings of L-glutamine today. Mixed it in pomegranate juice. That’s motivation to remember to take it- it’s the only way I’d allow myself such a sweet, processed juice.

Took my end-of-day probiotics with a few watermelon slices. I’m currently taking 3 high potency probiotic capsules and 3 probiotic HSO (homeostatic soil organisms) tablets. Since I’m still taking nystatin and other herbal antifungals (grapeseed extract, oregano oil) during the day (even though it doesn’t appear to be working) I can only take the probiotics before bed. The antifungals would kill off the probiotics before they got a chance to colonize.

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.

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.

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.

Sunday

My favorite pancake recipe. 1 egg + 1 banana. Done.

I added pie spices and vanilla, but its totally unnecessary. We’ve made the switch to organic eggs, despite the cost. In the past, I’ve only purchased them when they were on sale (which is almost never). But I’ll be getting the public greenwise brand until I can figure out how to get them straight from a local farm.

Did a Zumba class today. Always so fun and liberating. Sweated like crazy, so I’ve been craving coconut water all afternoon. Downed at least 32 ounces. And had a Larabar as a snack before class.

Lunch was a humongous, delicious salad. Love it when my mouth is healthy enough to handle crunchy leaves and citrus based dressing.

There’s about four cups of organic spring mix greens in there. With goat cheese, walnuts, avocado, tomatoes, and a big ol’ roasted beet. And everything is drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette: olive oil and hemp seed oil, lemon juice, raw apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar, Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

And today’s juices… Alkalizing green: cucumber, celery, and parsley. And the orange is carrot-ginger. Very gingery.

Dinner was a microwaved burrito, dressed up with vegan sour cream and chopped culantro. It’s Amy’s brand. Gluten free and dairy free. Basically just rice and beans inside a gluten free tortilla. Simple, but good. And quick. And easy.

Had another Larabar as a snack before bed. It was the peanut butter cookie flavor. Delicious. And I totally think I can recreate it. It’s just peanuts, dates, and salt. How hard can that be?

I’ve had an odd pain in my cheek the last 24 hours or so. I thought it was a lesion at first, but it seems to be inflammation inside my cheek, rather than in the lining of my cheek inside my mouth. Totally not a big deal at this point, but just making note of it in the event that it happens to progress.

Otherwise, I’m feeling great! Lesions are healing, no thrush (super-excited about that since I’m not taking the anti-fungal medication anymore!), and energy level is good. Gonna talk to my doc tomorrow about attempting a prednisone taper. Hopefully my adrenals are working again and my hormones are more balanced than before, so I should be in a better position to tackle this. There may be some setbacks, but I’m heading in the right direction. And hey- maybe there won’t be setbacks.

Monday

Dejavu breakfast… exactly the same as yesterday. I really, really like bee pollen.

Also drank about 24 oz of lemon water to try to finish off this headache I’ve had since yesterday.

Lunch was frozen leftover shrimp stir fry with flax and cashews, and raw broccoli soup (microwaved, so no longer raw, I guess).

Also did quite a bit of juicing today. About 32 ounces of alkalizing greens.

My dad lost 10+ pounds during the 3 day juice cleanse, and he seems to be feeling revitalized and energized. Says he walks with less pain than he’s had in years. And, apparently, there was a dancing incident in the grocery store yesterday. At any rate, he’s hooked and wants more juice.

Dinner was a roasted beet salad… spinach greens, goat cheese, walnuts, avocado, and orange balsamic vinaigrette. It was prettier before I dug in, but I forgot and started eating before taking a picture.

And cookies my mom made based on a friend’s recipe (thanks Mrs. V!). Delicious.

And I attempted the flavored water that’s all over Facebook and Pinterest. Blackberry Sage. I think it needs to sit a bit longer. It was only slightly sage-y, and not at all blackberry-y.

Sunday’s Dinner

Massaged kale salad left over from lunch.

I posted this recipe before, but it’s worth posting again. Break kale into bite size pieces, squeeze a bunch of fresh lemon juice over it and sprinkle with sea salt. Massage for several minutes until it starts to wilt down a bit. Add some olive oil and massage for a few more minutes. Then add chopped apple and raisins. Toss everything together. Delish. Top it off with feta or goat cheese if you have it. (We didn’t.)

Also had an imuno-build greens drink.

Thursday’s Dinner

I was desperately craving greens and really missing my fresh green juices. This salad was slightly painful to eat since my tongue is still healing and I used lemon juice and olive oil as a dressing, but it satisfied my greens craving.

And for dessert, a larabar and some blueberries.

Later on, my dad made popcorn with dill which was really good. Dill makes things taste salty to me. I also ate a Glutino cereal bar.