Accountability

It’s rough to try something on your own.  I have good intentions each Monday morning . . . but they typically fail by 10 AM.

For example, I wanted to drink just chicken broth today.  Didn’t happen.  I got hungry and was trying to be a nice homeschooling mom.  Didn’t work.

The end of July welcomed vacations.  Glorious vacations and time off.  And with vacations came poor eating habits.  Enter grain.

The Engineer, Asher, and Gabe do dandy eating grain, whether it is sprouted or not.  {ahem}

But Ezra and I require an almost grain free lifestyle to maintain um . . . optimum emotional control.  (To put it nicely.) 

And Naomi – she has yet to eat grain and I probably will restrict her diet until she is 18 months. 

That’s right.  My sweetie won’t have a traditional birthday cake next month. 

Well, I got giddy this afternoon when I received an email from Cara, from Health, Home and Happiness, who has radically made my attempt at a grain free life relatively easy this past spring and summer. 

 

She is having her own sort of Biggest Loser competition . . . or rather “challenge.”

The timing is good.  It is being launched with cooler weather . . . the perfect time of year for chicken stock, a must when it comes to healing your gut. 

I’m excited because I don’t have to do this alone . . . this intro diet thing.

Cara’s 30 Day Intro Diet Recipe book is so amazingly helpful . . . but the whole thing is a bit daunting if you are attempting to do it on your own. 

But what if . . . what if you had fellowship?  A community?  Or someone sending you a reminder email every day for 6 weeks encouraging you?

I’d say that is perfect.  Just what I need.  Thanks, Cara!

Join me. 

Get your GAPS 30 Day Introductory Diet recipe book  (use coupon code 30days) and sign up to be a part of this healing group.

I am!

Confused?  Don’t know what the GAPS diet is?  In short, it is a great way to rest and restore the gut lining, which can help with food allergies, skin rashes, digestive trouble, behavior issues, yeast, and more.

To learn more, click and visit:

• GAPS Intro Protocol
• More Information About Grain Free Meal Plans
• Sign Up For Grain Free Meal Plans Here

(PS.  There are affiliate links in this post . . . but I use them only because I actually USE Cara’s meal plans.  They rock!)

Serious Yum Kimchi

The first time I ate kimchi was on an airplane flying towards Seoul.  I didn’t order the kimchi specifically, I ordered a meal called a bibimbap.  I figured that because it was so much fun to say,

bibimbap (link to listen)

. . . . that it had to be as much fun to eat. 

Bibimbap means “mixed meal.”  According to Wikipedia (which we all know is the world’s most trusted source of known facts {grin}) bibimbip is,

served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.  It can be served either cold or hot.

Ours was served cold.

And I pronounced bibimbap wrong. 

The bibimbap was great, despite the fact that at the time I had NO IDEA what I was eating.  It looked like eel and who knows what else. 

I tried the kimchi . . . and we didn’t like each other.  My taste buds were not used to such an acquired taste.  Kind of like vegemite. 

Fast forward six years.  I like to ferment.  I enjoy a satisfying, zesty, and crisp sauerkraut.

Kimchi is my newest and latest fermentation endeavor and love.  It tastes NOTHING like what I had on the noisy airplane.  And yes, I do remember what the nastiness tasted like.  Your taste buds change every 7 years.  It has only been six.  I think.

It has passed the kid test, the teenager test, and the grown up test.  It just might surprise YOU!

Kimchi

Ingredients

• 1 Napa cabbage
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 3 peeled carrots
• 1 bunch of radishes
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 chili peppers (mild or spicy – to do it over again, I would go for spicier)
• 4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon Whey per mason jar (optional)

Directions

For the majority of my chopping, I allowed my Cusiniart to do the work.  I have also found that various sized cheese graters can do the job.  Use a small grater for your carrots and ginger, and a large hole cheese grater for your cabbage (or just chop it finely). 

Mix the vegetables with salt.

Place kimchi mixture into mason jars, pounding down to release juices. 

Add whey over the top (optional), cover with a lid, and set at room temperature to ferment for 2-3 days without opening. 

Transfer to fridge after that and use with food!  I suggest chopped vegetables, chips (if you eat them), chicken, lamb, hamburgers . . . . even plain! 

For more great recipes, click on the piece of blueberry pie!  Cara has got some great Grain Free Meal plans! 

Grain Free Meal Plan Giveaway

I am about to date myself.

Growing up there was a commercial on television.  The entire goal, as far as I can remember, was to encourage children to read . . . or rather parents to read to their children. 

Guilt them into it. 

It was quite effective.  (My mom always read to me . . . I just mean the jingle was effective.) 

I still know it. 

Perhaps, I did watch too much TV . . .

“The more you read, the more you know. 

The more you know, the farther you go.”

I heart reading.  Not because the TV told me to . . . it’s just that my imagination does a much better job. 

 Pumpkin Seed/Sesame Crackers

And reading has given me great knowledge, both spiritually and worldly.

I am also a big fan of applying what you know to your life.   James 1:22-24 will forever be ingrained in my mind.

You see one of my dearest friends in college (Larra)  was studying to be a physical therapist.  She applied her learning a bit too literally and would stick my feet in ICE COLD water*  as we tried to memorize the following verse together,

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.   Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Though this verse applies to learning scripture and actually putting in to practice what you have learned . . . I try and apply what I learn in all areas of my life. 

waffles with honey syrup 

Thus far, God has yet to steer me wrong . . . with my spiritual walk and with the food that we eat.  (I’m far from being perfect in any area though I have been guided well!)

I am in the process of applying what I am learning . . . so that as a family we can go farther . . . live better . . . serve with vigor . . . shout from the mountain tops (that our God not only reigns, but heals).

Which brings me to our adventure for the next couple of weeks, if not months, towards healing our guts and following the GAPS diet, which you have heard me talk about before. 

turkey sandwiches with homemade mayonnaise 

I’m kind of excited, and kind of nervous.  By following the “protocol” it will mean that at times we will be eating differently than others . . . family functions, church meals, fellowship gatherings . . .

But there is a purpose to it.  A hope.  A healing. 

home prepared sausage 

I’ve learned so much reading the actual GAPS book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (from the library) that I have to act upon this knowledge (and buy the book). 

I have to do what it says. 

So, while we are waiting for Cara from Health, Home and Happiness to come out with her introductory meal plan for the GAPS diet, we have been munching away through her monthly meal plans in preparation. 

crepes

They are great. . . . especially if you are overwhelmed by the list of what to eat and what not to eat to support a nurturing environment to heal your somewhat fragile insides.  So far the kids have LOVED every meal I have cooked from Cara’s Grain Free Menu plan.

 

What do her meal plans contain?  Pretty much everything but the grocery store!

Each month you can expect to find:

• Food that can be made by busy families (you do have to plan ahead, though)
• Packable lunches for busy schedules (it would behoove you to read the menu plan before your workweek starts in order to prepare certain items)
• Child and husband friendly meals
• Nutrient dense foods including liver and fish at least once a week as recommended by the Weston Price Foundation (I am still struggling with the liver . . . )
• Simple alternatives to expensive gluten free mixes
• Directions to remind you to soak, sprout, and do other preparations ahead of time (Cara’s reminders are perfectly timed and sooooooo helpful!)
• Fermented foods to encourage the growth of healthy bacteria (and you know how much I love to ferment!)
• Cooking tips and tricks- all recipes have been tested multiple times in Cara’s own kitchen

pancakes

I’d like to offer 3 readers a free 1 month subscription to The Grain Free Meal Plan .  If you have been on the fence about whether or not to

1. go on the diet
2. purchase the monthly grain free meal plan ($16/month or $130/year – only 35 cents a day!)
3. consider an alternative to your current daily diet . . . this is the giveaway for you.

Cara is the real deal.  She’s a mom who has a beautiful daughter, who happens to have autism.  She is also a mom who is proactive.  And she figured if she wanted a meal plan that followed the GAPS diet . . . there must be others.

pizza

And there are. 

Just remember, GAPS isn’t just for autistic people . . . 

It’s for people like me and others in my family – thyroid issues, arthritis, food allergies, chemical sensitivities, eczema, psoriasis, and mood swings. 

Want to win 1 month of 3 meals a day, 7 days a week?

Think of the time you will save by not planning . . .  

I thought you might . . .

I’m going to make this easy. 

Mandatory Entry:  Why do you want to win?

Extra Entries:  blog or tweet, leaving a comment and link that you did (as much as you like).

Bonus Entry:  Sign up for the Reversing Food Allergies course and give yourself 10 separate entries.

Giveaway Ends:  April 19, 2011

Please note, Cara has graciously given me a subscription to her Grain Free Meal Plans in exchange for an honest review of her product.  I tell you . . . she has done such a great job that it caused me to think, study, and change.  Thanks, Cara!

*In Larra’s defense, I think I had a genuine injury.  She wasn't torturing me with the Word of God. 

Taking the Food Out of Me

Even though I didn’t get pinched today . . . I realized that I’m still kind of angry. (Although it’s hard to be angry when you are holding Miss Sweet Pea.) 

(By the way, I wore my green U2 “I went to the concert” shirt. No St. Patrick’s Day pinches for me!) 

I’m angry at Adam and Eve.

I simply want to blame someone else for my issues. 

I just wish they could have mustered up a bit more self-control (than myself) in that meticulously manicured, seed bearing, organic haven of a garden.  (OK . . . so I’m also a little jealous that they had a tutorial with The Big Guy on horticulture.  Seriously . . . I can’t imagine having God show me first hand the lush leaves in Eden!)

I know that I need to get over it. 

The reality is that until perfection comes (1 Corinthians 13:10) my imperfect is going to be glaringly obvious. 

I have three choices:

• to accept the facts and embrace the large fat molecules that are antagonized by my thyroid,
• stay on medicine forever
• or seek positive change that will offer a better quality of life though difficult for a season. 

And that is just me. 

There are five other reasons why some harsh better changes most likely need to be made in our home.  I actually crossed out harsh this time . . . not to be funny . . . but to help myself believe that some changes don't have to seem like the end of the world.

When the Hottie and I discuss my ongoing attempts to lose my baby weight (that is exacerbated by having PCOS and Hashimoto's thyroiditis– two great reasons to be fat but in actuality are EXCUSES) he often points out that I have to realize and believe that the changes . . . the discomfort . . . the self-denial are worth it for the end result:  feeling better.

God, please!  Please let that be forever present in my thoughts.  Because on my own, I am failing.

I want to be the fit soccer football mom who jumps out of her Loser Cruiser minivan wearing a tiny tank (though I never would) and have the Hottie nudge his oldest son . . . and say . . . “That’s your mom; she’s my girl.  I gotta’ a woman.”

OK . . . not really.  I feel like I jumped into a Hallmark card or something. 

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.  (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Not only do I want to know – really know – Scripture, but I want to offer my body to the Lord for His work.  His.  Not mine.

I can’t do that if I am tired.  Or if I am afraid I’m going to bust my knee.  Or worse . . . pee in my pants. 

I can’t tell all of you to go buy organic and ferment and sprout and load up on that coconut oil, if I am stuck at the very bottom of the 5 gallon barrel of Tropical Traditions coconut oil that was delivered by the huffing Fed Ex driver this morning.

I don’t want to be disqualified. 

I don’t want my life to disqualify you.  Give you an excuse to be fat.  Or for you to continue to eat unhealthy.  Or chow down on raw milk if your gut is unhappy.  Or indulge in that sprouted whole wheat cookie if you need to step away from grains for a season.

I told you before that I need to change.  Maybe you do to?

And I have been.  Thanks B.E.E. 90x.

Yes . . . I have been. 

But more is in order.

And wouldn’t you know it . . . God provided just the lifeline that I needed. 

My guide into this journey will be Ann Marie, from The Cheeseslave.  I’ve silently stalked her for some time.  However, she knows who I am now.  I’ve been leaving comments on her blog(s) and emailing her. 

For once . . . I don’t want to study alone.  I’m tired of figuring things out on my own laurels. 

(Nursing Naomi at the St. Patrick’s Day parade today. What I eat affects her.)

Seriously, I heart bread and chocolate.  Barley.  Quinoa.  Sweet brown rice.  These aren’t evil foods.  But myself and perhaps even others (more so) in my family need to get some food out of us (for a season).

Not our entire lives. 

(a meal from Cara’s GAPS menu plan ) 

The subject/course:  Reversing Food Allergies 

The textbook: probably Ann Marie’s life (which is testimony itself) and the GAPS book

What am I going to learn?  I’ll highlight what I desperately need help with --

• Why the GAPS Diet Works
• How Long to Stay on the Diet
• Stocking the Kitchen
• Healthy Fats & Smoke Points
• preparing breakfasts and lunches (Cara has helped me a lot with her GAPS menu plans.)
• snacks, appetizers, desserts, and sweets
• Probiotics & Other Recommended Supplements
• The First 4 Weeks: The “Intro” Elimination Diet
• How to Introduce New Foods

Curious?  If you have some of the same symptoms as us in your family such as moodiness, arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, or an autoimmune disorder . . . you might consider learning more about Ann Marie’s online course, Reversing Food Allergies. 

Other issues that can be helped by following the GAPS diet: autism, heartburn (reflux), indigestion, bloating, cramping, constipation, diarrhea, asthma, dyslexia, ADD or ADHD.

Phew.

The cost is $149, but use the code HEAL and receive $20 off (valid until March 28th)!  The course includes:

• 12 lessons
• 50 video tutorials
• over 200 printable recipes!
• lifetime access to our online support forum.

Simply reading a book, won’t give me all of that information.  And I need information quick.  And not to be whinny (since we don’t speak that language in our house . . . very much), I want someone to teach me. 

Classes start April 6th.

A real person.

Maybe one day I’ll meet Ann Marie.  Maybe she can help me like liver.  Or brain. 

Maybe.

And just maybe by the end of the summer . . . I will have taken the food out of me.

Grain Free Meal Plan SALE!

Sometimes you have to do things in life that you never thought you would have to do. 

For example, this week we had to take Gabe to the oral maxillofacial doctor to have his impacted front tooth removed.  The pediatric dentist could not perform the outpatient surgery due to the depth that the tooth had plunged itself deep into his toddler face. 

I held my child as he slowly became somewhat catatonic. 

I had to willingly force my child to receive pain.

We did the right thing for him . . . but never did I imagine sitting across from my high school sweetheart singing “Jesus Loves Gabe,” before being asked to step out of the room while a stranger took a scalpel to my child’s gum line.

Though not nearly as brutal, I never thought that I might maneuver  my family through some looming health issues by radically changing their diet.

I mean, we already eat unusual.  Some people might deem our food choices weird.  Perhaps even smelly.

I considered the majority of our eating healthy.  Whole foods. 

But what I’ve come to realize in the last month is  that we can eat whole foods . . . we can do all the fermenting . . . we can consume all the stuff God intended for our bodies to eat BUT that doesn’t mean our bodies are going to cooperate . . . or function as intended. 

I see a new era dawning . . . a new style of cooking emerging from my kitchen.

Grain free.  Potentially dairy free.  (Already I have been dairy free for 4 days.  I miss my milk.) 

I have to read the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book before I make my final decision.

The boys are still drinking raw milk and enjoying fermented dairy products, but not I or the Hottie. 

Eczema is the symptom on my little Naomi.  And milk could be the culprit.  Certain foods can irritate our immune systems . . . leading to things like eczema, little white bumps, anger, or a case of the itchies.

I am super duper excited BECAUSE now Cara’s Grain Free Menu plans feature dairy free options!  This makes my life so much easier!

To celebrate this development, Cara is offering a sale! 

For first time subscribers, use the coupon code SPRING to receive 50% off of your first month (valid until March 20th, 2011). 

To see what the grain free menu plans look like check out this sample . . . see if it might interest you. 

If you are new to your dietary changes . . . feeling overwhelmed  . . . and want to help heal your gut . . . Cara’s meal plans ROCK!  She follows the guidelines for the GAPS diet.

We heart her Coconut Pancakes, which I will share with you soon (along with a giveaway.)

But if you can’t wait . . . download a simple the Grain Free Meal plan or subscribe for a month (or more) at 50% off using the code SPRING.

And soon . . . I’ll be hosting a little Grain Free Meal Plan giveaway.

More Information About Grain Free Meal Plans