Thursday

Had a weird feeling in the back of my throat/sinuses for most of the day. Felt kind of swollen, like I might be getting sick. It’s been there for a couple of days, but seemed worse today.

Doing a sort of modified juice cleanse for the next 3 days. The last time I did the cleanse, I lost weight. And that is NOT something I want to do. So I’ll continue to eat healthfully as usual, just incorporate the detox juices.

For breakfast, I had an alkalizing greens drink, ginger lemonade, red beet elixir, and dandelion root tea. Plus homemade granola with strawberries and almond milk.

Did a yoga class today. Relaxing and centering. Didn’t feel like much of a workout, but we’ll see if there’s any muscle soreness in the next couple of days. Sometimes yoga surprises me like that.

Lunch was navy beans with rice, greens, and chow chow. And leftover purple potatoes and Brussels sprouts, plus a pineapple carrot juice.

Dinner was an Amy’s gluten free dairy free frozen burrito. I didn’t even dress it up with fermented veggies. But I did drink another green juice with it. And celery sticks with cashew butter. And an almond milk drink with stevia, vanilla, and pie spices.

In an attempt to combat this weird sinus inflammation, I’ve been taking colloidal silver a few times a day and added extra vitamin C to my supplements. I’ve also been using a neti-pot, even though there’s really no congestion to speak of. Did it 3 times today. I have a jar of salt in the medicine cabinet to use for this purpose, and I added a drop of high quality frankincense oil to the salt. Hoping that will help boost my immune system and clear out that inflammation. I’m still feeling it tonight, but it seems better than this morning.

Sunday

Feeling really good today. Lip is healing well. Energy level is great.

Frozen waffles leftover from a previous meal. Just threw them in the toaster, just like store bought. But way healthier and cheaper! With ghee and maple syrup, plus apples, kiwi, and cherries.

We have a busy day today, so lunch had to be quick. I spiralized a cucumber, soaked it in apple cider vinegar for a few minutes, and layered it on small slices of rosemary garlic farmhouse seed bread with sun dried tomato hummus, a dollop of soy free vegenaise, and paprika. This would also be a great appetizer or hors d’oeuvre.

Went to a Zumba class today. So fun, great workout. Had this smoothie when I got home. Strawberries, maca powder, 5 dates, hempseed oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and a splash of agave. I made it a bit sweeter than usual, and the maca powder gives it a rich, malty flavor. Totally tasted like a strawberry milkshake.

We went out to eat with family for dinner. Buca di Beppa. I looked at their gluten free menu online, and knew the only thing I’d be able to eat on this elimination diet was the green salad. So I brought my own food to supplement. Roasted beets in citrus vinaigrette, sandwich bread and black bean hummus, and granola for dessert.

I dipped my gluten free/egg free/soy free/corn free/dairy free bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar while everyone else did the same with the restaurant’s bread. When the appetizers came out (calamari and caprese salad) I broke out the black bean hummus and kept working on my bread. I intended to order the green salad with the restaurant’s signature vinaigrette, but found out from our server that the dressing has both soy and eggs in it. No biggie, just bring me oil and vinegar.

When my salad came, it was a huge bowl of mostly iceberg lettuce, sprinkled with chopped tomatoes, four (FOUR!) olives- 2 black and 2 green, and 2 pepperoncini peppers (that were just too spicy for me, so I couldn’t eat them). If I hadn’t brought my own food, at this point I would have been extremely hungry, disappointed, and irritable. I would’ve been drooling over everyone’s cheesy pastas and ginormous meatballs (which I did a little bit anyway, but more in a “How can I make something similar at home that will fit my diet?” kind of way, rather than a “OMG, that looks so good! Why am I struck with this stupid sickness while everyone else get to eat whatever they want and they don’t even have to think twice about it?” kind of way). But if I had been hungry and irritable, I’m sure my thoughts would’ve led to the more whiny, self-pitying type.

As it was, I was disappointed that I only had four olives (they were the only ingredient I was really looking forward to in the salad) but I was plenty full on bread, hummus, and beets. The salad was really just another side dish, not what I was depending on for nourishment. So I was happy and satisfied with my meal. And munched on granola while we sat around and laughed at my daughter’s antics (I think she was a little high on gluten since she rarely gets it, and she was acting nuts!)

Lesson confirmed that one cannot eat well at a conventional restaurant on a healthy, but restrictive diet. The measly offerings they do have are often not that good anyway (limp lettuce, grainy tomatoes, FOUR olives). It’s certainly not worth the money.

But, time spent with family is priceless, so it’s important to have solutions available that will allow you to stick with your diet, but still participate in a world that does not always make healthy choices easy. Bringing your own food isn’t always an option, but it worked for me in this case, and I’ll do it again anytime I doubt that I can find something suitable on the menu. It may sound melodramatic, but my life depends on it.

Friday

Waffles and apples for breakfast. Actually made the recipe correctly this time. Topped it with ghee and honey.

Lunch was an open faced black bean burger with tomato and sprouts, roasted beets, and fermented carrots and cauliflower. Second successful ferment. Woo-hoo! Made four jars of this stuff. When I get the dysbiosis in my gut under control, eating these on a regular basis should help maintain all the work I’ve done. They’re loaded with natural probiotics.

Had two spoonfuls of cashew butter and honey before working out. And had a glass of L-glutamine and a teaspoon of coconut sugar in water post-workout. Did P90X Legs and Back, and Ab Ripper. Felt good. Will probably be sore in the next couple of days.

Pumpkin smoothie snack time! Just canned pumpkin, frozen bananas, 5 prunes, vanilla, and pie spice.

And leftover fish soup for dinner. Topped with smashed avocado. Perfect.

Still have some odd lesion-action going on my lower lip, but it’s minor. And I’m doing great otherwise. Still seem to have avoided the plague that hit my daughter and gave my husband pneumonia. Not sure if I’m in the clear yet, but so far so good.

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.

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.

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.

Monday

Mini quiches with sweet potato crust from nourishing meals. Used a yellow and zucchini squash and spinach for the veggies. And several herbs from my garden: sage, chives, oregano, thyme, and basil.

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They were taking too long in the oven, so I ate this while waiting. That’s earth balance spread on gf toast and a glass of iced chamomile tea. And the veggies, of course. Tongue is weirdly swollen today, so eating is a slow process, and tiring. I only ate half the veggies on this plate and saved the rest for later (see dinner).

I decided yesterday that exercise has been a major component missing from my healing regimen lately. I’ve been so tired and weak some days, and other days I’ve been so focused on researching nutrition and figuring out what plans to follow. Exercise really took a back seat. I’m going to try to change that in the near future, starting today. Walked 3.6 miles with baby girl in the stroller. Not sure if it was my weakness, or her increased weight, but it was slow going. Kept a 20 min/mile pace. It was a gorgeous sunny day, so I put some lemon essential oil in my hair and let the sun do its work while we walked… free highlighting beauty treatment. Sweet! 😉

After that mileage, the balls of my feet were burning and my leg muscles were already a bit sore. Crazy! I can’t believe I regularly ran close to 10 miles less than a year ago, and now walking such a short distance is so hard. I put peppermint oil neat (not diluted) on the bottoms of my feet- worked just as well as biofreeze, by the way. Instant cooling relief.

And drank this smoothie to refuel. Macadamia nuts, kale, sexy chocolate mix (cacao, carob, maca), pumpkin seeds, almond milk, stevia, frozen banana, plus extra maca for more adrenal support.

And made these raw brownie balls to snack on, but they were so filling, they ended up being lunch. I just started throwing stuff in the food processor based on ultimate nutrition and paying little attention to taste. As a result, the brownies are edible, but not super delicious. I really should stick to other people’s recipes.

Anyway, they are mostly walnuts, with chia seeds, hemp protein, prunes, cinnamon, sexy chocolate mix, and a smidge of molasses. Baby girl likes ’em. But she likes anything chocolate.

And dinner was a twist on Kris Carr’s Buddah Bowl. Brown rice topped with leftover veggies and an avocado. And drizzled with Bragg’s liquid aminos. After I took this picture, I added kimchi on top to aid with digestion. Naturally fermented vegetables and all their probiotic benefits are going to be a staple in our diet soon, but I’ve got to figure out how to make them first. Till then, it’s store bought kimchi. I was worried that the hodge podge of flavors would be less than yummy. But it was really, really, really good.

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.

Sunday’s Lunch

Dropped the baby off at the in-laws and scarfed this down before heading to a Zumba class with a friend.

This does have dairy cheese and chicken in it, which I am trying to limit. But I think the chicken is free-range and all that. I like that the bowl is compostable.

Thursday’s Breakfast

Bag of trail mix on the way to the gym.

Spin class followed by yoga. Spin was pretty chill- worked up a sweat, but nothing too heavy. Almost fell asleep in yoga. Which is a good thing- my mind goes faster than my body needs to right now, so yoga and meditations help me tune in to what my body needs and help me be more patient with it. I think this applies not only to what I’m capable of physically (on the treadmill, etc.) but also what to expect from my body in terms of healing. Patience is key here, especially when trying to handle things more naturally.

Thursday’s Breakfast

Quick smoothie before heading to the gym.

Spent 45 min on the elliptical and 45 min on the treadmill. Felt really, really good. I didn’t break much of a sweat, but got winded easily and definitely had to pull back quite a bit when the side stitches kicked in (while walking “hills”).

The elliptical.

And 2 treadmill shots.

And post-workout breakfast. Rice cakes with sunbutter and sliced plum. And an alkalizing green juice (32 ounces total).

Ingredients for the juice. Arugula, cucumber, celery, broccoli (spears only- we’ll eat the florets later), a bell pepper, and an apple. I added an additional pear for more sweetness to balance the bitterness of the arugula.

Feelin’ energized and alkalized today!

As I looked back over this post, I realized that was nearly 600 calories burned. Not too bad, not too bad. I’m gonna be hungry tonight and/or tomorrow.

Sunday’s Snack

Munched on homemade popcorn, cooked in olive oil, seasoned with salt and nutritional yeast (makes it seem kind of cheesy). Had a hot chocolate (half coconut milk, half unsweetened vanilla almond milk, bit of sorghum syrup, and cocoa powder). And an alkalizing green juice. All this while holding my sleeping baby and watching a movie on Netflix. It was a relaxing afternoon.

And yes, that’s vegan whipped cream floating there in the chocolate. Of course I’m going to put that on everything possible today.

Also worked out this afternoon. Just 20 minutes from a video- kind of kickboxing/dancing. I thought baby girl would get into it with me, but she was absorbed in her computer learning games.

I’m still surprised at how weak I am. I was winded within 2 minutes of starting the video, and it’s very low-impact. I’m aching to get back into some sort of serious training plan. And, though I know I need to take it easy for a bit, I do need to be doing something strategic every day. At least some yoga, walking, or stretching.

Thursday’s Snack

Put together a snack mix following Elie Krieger’s recommendation of 2:1, nuts and seeds: dried fruit. Used raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, raw almonds, salted/toasted pistachios, dried figs, golden raisins, dried cranberries (sweetened with sugar), and banana chips (sweetened with sugar).

And then divided it into 1/3 cup serving sizes, perfect to grab on the way out the door.

This was the perfect fuel for my 3 miler today. That’s right. Three miles! Granted, it was very slow. And I didn’t know you could get a side stitch walking a 20 min/mile pace. But I did sprint a stretch (though I’m using the term sprint very loosely), and I know I’m going to be extremely sore tomorrow. This body is a lot weaker than my mind at this point. I’ll need to be careful not to push too hard. But it felt really really good to be moving again.

This was additional fuel on our “run.”

That’d be a peach.

I also had some leftover green juice from yesterday, several cups of tea (green, cinnamon, and chai with rice milk), and some additional figs and cashews.