Hello, again!

Bob and I took the summer off! We did this for several reasons:


-I lost a lot of weight January-May on the unprocessed diet. I burn at least twice as many calories in the summer months as I do in winter and eating healthy is a commitment in cooking. When I work 13 hour days, I don't have time to cook OR even to eat. I've mentioned before just how much eating I do on an unprocessed diet- A LOT of eating to get the calories I need. Not having time to get that calorie intake would have been both stressful and detrimental to my health as I only had about another 10lbs between me and an unhealthy weight. In the off months, I've maintained a weight about 3lbs over what I weighed on the diet, which is just right.


And...


-Summer food is fun. Summer is a fun time for food. Not only is there an abundance of fresh local produce, but there's carnivals, parades, vacations, and -for us- birthdays and anniversaries. We LIKE cupcakes and cheese curls, fresh bread and funnel cake. Part of my goal in going unprocessed was to strengthen my digestive system so I COULD indulge every now and then without incident.




So...What did we eat?
We're still a soy-free household both because my allergy still affects me and because we believe in a soy-free diet, but GAPS cut out all grains, all starches, all processed sugars. We love hummus, and guacamole, and salsa- so we finally started eating them with corn chips again! I LOVE to bake which means fudge, and cupcakes, etc. reappeared. Usually, I take half a batch of anything I make to work and share it there so there isn't just a whole pan of fudge on our counter. French fries and mashed potatoes were definitely missed. We also joined a CSA (Crop Share Agreement) in which we pay a membership fee that helps support a local farm, and each week we pick up a box of fresh produce. This runs May-October so we've been receiving it since we went back to traditional eating.


How are we eating NOW?
We both agreed that while there are great benefits to an unprocessed diet, we like moderation. Our general diet is farm-to-table scratch cooking. If baked goods are there, they are homemade with control over ingredients and portions. We still don't eat soy, and we generally don't eat things from a bag. However, we're allowing ourselves organic cornchips for dipping in all those yummy dips, and there is no limit on produce (potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, etc are all back on the table). During our time off, our local grocery store started carrying organic and nitrate free meats which we are super thrilled about. We still take the same digestive aids (fiber, probiotics, enzymes, gelatin).


I've started a new blog, The Copper Kitchen, following our new lifestyle. When I find a new favorite recipe, I post it there and try to mark them as paleo, vegetarian, etc. ALL of it is delicious!


Follow us in our new lifestyle- which we are hereby dubbing "Scratch!" eating!

Honeyed Cayenne Chicken

This is a dish that I've made for years (pre-diet) and a favorite in our house. I have put all the ingredients into a pyrex and baked it for ~15 minutes in the past, but since I've been cooking up chicken breasts once a week to keep in the fridge, I just left 2 in the pan to make dinner tonight.

• 1 boneless chicken breast per person
• 1 Tbs floral "blossom" honey (orange blossom, cherry blossom, plum blossom, etc)
• Cayenne Pepper to taste

In a pan, cook chicken til done. Lower to med-low heat. Sprinkle chicken liberally with cayenne pepper. Add Tbs of honey and allow to melt. As it melts, flip the chicken over in it to coat. Serve warm.


*You can use other honeys, but I find floral honeys to add extra dimension, be less cloyingly sweet, and smell divine when cooking.


Sidedish;
This week I served this with sliced button mushrooms and bokchoy, sautéed in olive oil with montreal steak seasoning.

Getting Enough Calories on an Unprocessed Diet

In a previous post, I mentioned that I've lost more weight than I wanted to. I'm not sickly, but I was an appropriate size when I started this diet and I've lost 10lbs which means my pants are too big. I would like to add some toning exercises to my life (pushups and squats) but am afraid of burning more calories when I'm already having trouble keeping up. Whether I add more exercise or not, I spend ~8hours a day on my feet as a waitress speedwalking at least an hour of that time. In the summer I spend closer to 12 hours a day on my feet speedwalking around 8-10 hours a day, which means like it or not, I'm going to need to find more calories.


I started pre-cooking chicken breasts and leaving them in the fridge as a grab and go option when I don't have time or don't want to cook. everytime I make soup, I make 4 servings and freeze half. I also keep uncured, nitrate-free deli meats in there (pepperoni and salami) and cheese. I keep cups of pudding and pot de crème in the fridge beside the chocolate. I have freeze-dried fruit and nuts around the house, but I'm still hungry a lot, so I've been adding smoothies (mango, banana, juice, and flax) and a paleo friend suggested adding healthy fats (olive or coconut oil) to my smoothies to up their fat content without adding bad cholesterol. I'm using the coconut water left from the pot de crème once a week too.


The obvious truth is that eating well takes a lot more effort, not just in grocery bills and prep times but in the amount of food you need to consume to get the same calories you got from grains and starches. Having easy access to immediate calories is helpful, but I still have a long way to go.

Acorn Squash Soup

Roasted squash has the texture of mashed potatoes and the sweet nuttiness of pumpkin pie. This was my first foray into Acorn Squash and I found it surprisingly easy. Start by cutting your squash in half, scooping out the seeds and roasting it cut side down at 400* for ~30-40 minutes. Let it cool for 20 minutes.


Scoop your squash into a medium-large saucepan with a spoon. *If you do not have an immersion blender (I bought mine for $15 on amazon and I love it), put these items directly into a food processor instead of the pan. It should scoop out very easily and leave you with a clean shell. Top with 1 carton of chicken stock (we buy organic and read the ingredients labels, but you can make your own or use veggie stock). Add 1 tsp cinnamon. We also added 1/2 tsp cayenne for a little kick. Use your immersion blender to puree til smooth. This is going to be very thick on its own. If you'd like a bisque, you can add cream but it really doesn't need it. Heat through at medium heat and reduce to a simmer. Serve whenever you're ready to eat it.

2 Months- What I've learned

yesterday was my 8 week mark and Friday is my 2 month mark, so I thought I'd summarize some of the ups and downs on my journey.


I am hungry ALL the time. And I eat ALL the time. I am officially down 10 lbs since the beginning of this diet and that really wasn't my goal. Some of my pants are too big. I can pinpoint those last few pounds to this past weekend. Work was really busy- I left around 1:30am each night and had very little time to eat so my calories out v calories in was way unbalanced. Working on ways to address this. One of those ways is that I intend to start adding smoothies to my mornings. ADDING not in place of anything. I think I'm also going to start keeping some pre-cooked proteins in the fridge in addition to hardboiled eggs.


My system is healing!!! We've mentioned here that I have "cheat days" a couple times a month because my goal is to be able to partake in food life, not have to abstain from it. Ultimately, I intend to maintain a healthy gut lifestyle with weekend cheats. Some things that I used to react badly to pre-diet were jalapenos and beer. I am happy to report that jalapenos no longer affect my system at all and beer has a much much lessened effect. The 2 month cheat was pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) and summer rolls. The grain here is primarily rice which is the easiest grain. I could only eat about half of my normal order, because I was full very quickly. DH had no problem with his usual order but mentioned that he could probably switch to a smaller size. I am a fan of cheat days, because you don't feel as regretful about giving up little things when you get to have bigger things. I do, however, have cheat rules:

1.  Don't bring your cheats home-cheats are supposed to be special occasions and bringing it home may make you want to do it all the time
2. Don't cheat at work- I work in a restaurant and am used to buying myself dinner, but I don't let myself cheat at work because that is a slippery slope to step onto
3. If you have obsessed over the same cheat item for more than 20 minutes, just eat it- it's not worth messing with your psyche over.

It seems like more coconut than it is. Everytime I see a recipe calling for coconut milk/cream/butter, I tilt my head and think, this much coconut does NOT seem like moderation to me. At the beginning of this diet I bought a 12-can case of coconut milk. In 2 months, I've used about 8 cans if you include the 2 I bought before the case, so about 1 can/week. Not as big of an overload as I thought. I don't bake a lot on this diet and on cheat days (like cupcakes for st. pattys day) I still bake with wheat flour (sorry but nut flours just aren't the same). Nut flours have definite flavors and textures and I have to report that coconut flour just doesn't behave the way I want it to. it has an obvious coconut flavor and texture, and is highly absorbent of fluids. When choosing for a recipe, I definitely pick almond flour over coconut flour any day. So as it turns out, my coconut consumption isn't that crazy. I don't bake a lot in general, but because I use almond flour for baking, I choose other nuts (cashews, pistachios, walnuts) for my snacking. Moderation, my friends

Pudding/Flan/Panna Cotta

I've been craving pudding lately, but haven't really been keeping liquid dairy in the house (I didn't eliminate dairy for my healthy gut diet, but I have primarily cut it back to cheese with very occasional yogurt, sour cream, or butter) and if you've ever made real custard- the whole egg thing is kind of a pain in the ass. I was a big fan of instant pudding pre-diet so I wanted something just as easy as instant pudding, if not as fast. I adapted this Coconut Panna Cotta recipe for my pudding and was pretty pleased with the results. It uses gelatin (remember how great gelatin is for you! healthy amino acids and anti-inflammatory properties!) and texture-wise comes out similar to flan.

• 1 can of Coconut Milk (I actually used the whole can, but you could just use solids)
• ~1tsp Gelatin (I use grass fed gelatin but I wouldn't stress over that too much)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1-2 tsp of Honey

Dump the coconut milk into a pan and sprinkle the gelatin over top. You can stir or not stir but let it sit while the gelatin softens. (I don't stir because gelatin always kind of glops at this stage and I prefer the glop floating on top rather than sticking to the bottom). After 5 minutes, turn on the heat, stir it all together, add in the other ingredients (I also like to add cinnamon which gives it a bread pudding flavor) and stir until everything is melted and incorporated and STEAMY. Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes before pouring it into containers (this recipe is about 3-4 quarter cup servings. I like to pour it into mason jars because they have their own lids). This does take several hours to chill so you don't get to enjoy it right away like instant pudding, but it tastes great and would make an excellent custard pie poured over fresh berries.

Crackers

One of the things I crave the most is salty crunchy stuff. I've adapted this recipe for crackers with great results.


In a food processor:

• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 2 Tbs Cold Water
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Tbs of textural seed such as: sunflower, hemp, flax, or mustard seed
• Cayenne Pepper and Garlic Powder to taste

1 Flavor profile of your choosing from below:

• ~3-4 sundried tomatoes with 4-5 big basil leaves
• 1/4 c grated cheese (these will take longer to bake and are generally chewier)
• 3-4 Dates and 1 sprig Rosemary
• 1 tsp of cumin or curry

Blend everything in a food processor and remove sticky dough. Form into a ball and roll it out between sheets of waxed paper to 1/8" thickness. Place on a baking sheet and use a knife to score out a grid of squares on the dough. Bake at 350*F for ~15 minutes turning halfway through. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool for approx. 10 minutes before breaking apart.

Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Butter (because nothing quite tastes like butter)
2-3 cloves of Garlic-minced (you can also use garlic powder)


Melt Butter and Oil in a pan. Toast garlic until fragrant. Add in:


1 small bunch of broccoli florets


Add 1 Tbs of Water, cover and steam for ~5-7 minutes until broccoli is cooked through.


Add 1lb of shrimp (for 2 people) or substitute another lean protein, like diced chicken. Cook 3-5 minutes until done. Serve topped with cracked black peppercorn

Thai Lettuce Wraps w/ Cucumber Salad

*If you aren't allowing yourself peanut products (because of an allergy, or because they're a legume, you can leave them out and everything will still taste spectacular.)

 

For The Wraps:
Time to prepare: ~15-20 minutes

• 2 large lettuce leaves per person (I use iceberg, but romaine or bib would work too)
• 2 Tbs of Cooking Oil (For thai food, I love to start with Ziggy Marley's Coco'Mon coconut oil in ginger lemon)
• 2 Tbs julienned carrots
• 2 Tbs shredded cabbage
• ~ 1/2 tsp Garam Masala seasoning from my Curried Squash recipe
• 1/2 tsp honey(or to taste)
• 2 Tbs cashews or peanuts
• 1 Chicken Breast per person, diced
• 1 Tbs Chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbs Chopped Basil

Melt the oil in a large skillet. Add seasoning and sautee til fragrant. Add in honey, nuts, carrots, and cabbage. Cook for 1 minute to start veggies to soften. Add chicken, Coat in sauce (which is oily to keep it from sticking to the pan) and cover, letting it steam, stirring occasionally until cooked thoroughly. Lay out your leaves on a plate, 2 leaves deep to help with tearing issues. Pile Thai chicken in the center and garnish with basil and cilantro. Wrap it up and devour!


Cucumber Salad
Time to prepare: ~5-10 minutes. I prepared this while the oil was heating and while the chicken was coking. it was finished before I filled my wraps

• 2 cucumbers, spiraled or slices (I spiral mine on basically an apple-corer-peeler-slicer)
• 1 Tbs peanut butter- melted
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (I keep this in the cupboard because I love Asian cooking)
• 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Toss all ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also use this sauce for "Asian slaw" with cabbage and carrots

Numbers

I had a health screening today, and spent a large part of the afternoon freaking out about some of the numbers.




Height- 5'6"
Weight- 125lbs
BMI (height/weight ratio)- 20.5 (should be between 18.5 and 24.9)
Body Fat- 25% (should be between 21% and 31%)


Blood Sugars(fasting)(should be 70-105--> mine is 107)
*Update July: My mother-in-law is a dietician and diabetes specialist so she set me up with my very own accucheck nano blood glucose meter. my most recent fasting reading was a 94!


HDL=good cholesterol (should be over 40--> mine is 81)
LDL= bad cholesterol (should be under 130--> mine is 87)
Triglycerides= basically blood fat (should be under 150--> mine is 186)


Total Cholesterol= LDL + HDL + 20% Triglycerides (should be under 200--> mine is 205)
*Because my HDL (good) is really high, my overall cholesterol number isn't really indicative of my cholesterol health. If my HDL were less awesome, my total cholesterol would be normal.


HDL Ratio (Heart Risk)= Total/HDL (should be less than 5:1, ideally 3.5:1 --> mine is 2.5:1)




After much reading, and discussion, I understand that almost all of my numbers are perfect. Even my Overall cholesterol, when viewed as a heart risk ratio and acknowledging my kick-ass HDL cholesterol is actually very good. So when we narrow down what my bad numbers actually are, an elevated level of triglycerides and blood sugars is an indicator that I could be at risk for diabetes, or that my pancreas isn't functioning as well as it could.


What to do about it?

• Get a second opinion- having the tests done again will assure that these numbers are consistently bad.
• Up Omega 3s which lower triglyceride levels and are great for inflammation in the body too. I have good blood pressure and am not on blood thinners, so supplementing with these essential fatty acids that our body doesn't make (we get them from food) can only be helpful with my current situation. Also great for skin and hair! I am supplementing my omega-3s with krill oil which is less fishy than fish oil!
• Eat more pancreatic-friendly foods: antioxidant rich foods (like blueberries and cherries and cacao!!!) and allium rich foods (like garlic and onions) help with healthy pancreatic function

Salmon over spinach salad

*Purchase same day salmon
Time to prepare: 10-15 minutes

 

• Salt & Pepper
• 2Tbs black walnut oil
• 1 Salmon fillet per person
• Baby Spinach
• Crushed Walnuts
• Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 c Olive Oil
• 1/4 c Unsweetened Grape Juice
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Oregano, garlic, thyme, etc)

1. Prepare the salad of baby spinach topped with crushed walnuts and cranberries.
2. Prepare vinaigrette by mixing olive oil with grape juice and Italian seasoning.
3. Heat walnut oil in a large skillet. The flavor of the black walnut oil will neutralize the fishy tendency of the salmon.
4. Dry off salmon with a paper towel. Salt and Pepper both sides. Place in pan and cook approx. 4 min per side.
5. Remove place over prepared salad. Dress before serving.

Crab Cakes

Time to prepare: ~25 minutes

• 1 small container of jumbo lump or special mix crab meat
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 Tbs Almond Flour

Mix ingredients until fully coated. Shape fist-sized crab cakes, compressing with hands and squeezing out excess fluid. Makes 3 medium- 2 large crab cakes. Place on a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400*F. Serve over greens with a poached egg and a dusting of cayenne pepper.


*Baking will allow these to cook fully and hold their shape better than sautee-ing in a pan will

Chicken Soup

This is a fast and easy chicken soup that serves 4. We eat half and freeze half.


2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1-2 Carrots, sliced
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 Carton Organic Chicken Stock (read ingredients labels)
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts- diced
Salt to taste
2 Stalks Bok Choy (flavor of turnip, texture of celery)


In Medium saucepan, sautee carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper. In a separate sautee pan, pre-cook chicken. When onions are translucent, pour chicken stock over veggies and stir. Simmer for approx. 10-20 minutes. Add Chicken and bok choy before serving.

Almond Flour Waffles

I adapted this recipe from Taylor Made It Paleo


3/4 cup canned coconut milk
3 Tbs Honey


3 egg yolks (*keep the whites)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nut butter- I used hemp butter. Soak your nuts/seeds with boiling water for approx. 30 minutes before blending.
1 tsp vanilla


1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon, to taste


3 eggs whites- beaten til stiff



-I always begin by melting my coconut solids in a saucepan. Since I use a lot of raw honey, I add that to the pan too. Heat until melted but do not boil.
-Mix ALL wet ingredients except whites in a mixer (egg yolks, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, honey, and nut butter).
-With the mixer on, blend in almond flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
-Fold in the beaten egg whites. Most recipes tell you not to overmix your egg whites. I say "to hell with that!" Whisk in your egg whites until the mixture is fully incorporated. If you don't, you're going to have random sections of cooked egg white in your waffles. They will still come out fluffy, I promise.
-Spray down your waffle iron, I use a misto spray bottle filled with olive oil. Cook waffles following waffle iron instructions (Mine has a light that indicates when they are done). These waffles tend to stick so I like to use a chopstick to help remove waffles from the iron.


Drizzle with topping of your choice: Butter/Ghee, Maple Syrup (not GAPS), Honey melted with cinnamon, reduced fruit juice, fresh fruit or fruit puree.
* These waffles aren't super sweet so I recommend toppings.

Bread

At the beginning, the hardest thing to give up is bread. My favorite bread substitute recipe comes from Deliciously Organic/The Unprocessed Kitchen and used nut butter and gelatin to give it texture. This recipe makes a large loaf. For a small pan (4x7 which is not a common size pan) cut recipe in half or just click the link to the original recipe at deliciously organic. The small batch makes 2 mini loaves, which are perfect for breakfast with apple butter, and bakes for 25-30minutes

• 1 cup cashews 
• 3 cups almond flour
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1teaspoon Sea Salt (I use Himalayan Pink)
• 3 teaspoons baking soda

• 8 Eggs
• 
 8tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

-Place cashews and 1/2 cup water in a blender/food processor and let soak for 30 minutes.

-Preheat oven to 325ºF. *This is a lower temp than linked recipe to accommodate for longer cook time.

- Blend cashews until smooth, scraping down the sides a few times to ensure all cashews are pureed. Transfer to mixing bowl.

-Add almond flour, coconut flour, gelatin, salt, baking soda, eggs, butter, honey and cider vinegar to the cashew mixture. Mix until smooth 

-Pour batter into oiled loaf pan and loosely shield the top with aluminum foil

- Bake for ~60-70 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Because this is a doubled recipe, edges tend to cook before center. If the outside is "crusty", remove a small piece of "crust' before testing for accurate done-ness

 Cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outer edges of the bread and then invert bread onto a cooling rack and remove from loaf pan. Serve smeared with unsweetened apple butter for a delicious treat.


*The first time I did this in a big pan, it looked done at 30 minutes, and I left it in til 45 minutes and when I unmolded it the center was not done. What I did do, was put the cooked part back into the pan and scoop all the uncooked batter off my clean counter and back into the center of the pan, squish it a little and cook it longer. It wasn't the prettiest loaf ever, but it did cook solid and could still be sliced in whole pieces so if this happens to you, it is salvageable.

Steak Fajitas

I usually just eat this out of a bowl, but lettuce is a good handheld wrap as are the coconut paleo wraps.


6-8 oz Steak- we usually choose a grass fed flat/flank steak or a sirloin. Slice into strips
1/2 Onion- peeled and sliced
1/4 c Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes


Add all ingredients to pan or marinate steak in advance. When steak is half-cooked, add 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook steak to desired done-ness.




Cherry Chipotle Salsa
In a blender, combine:


2-3 Chipotle Peppers
1 Clove Garlic
1 tsp Honey
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs diced Onion
1/4 c Basil Leaves
1+ c Black Cherries


Serve fajitas in a bowl or diet-friendly wrap of your choosing topped with salsa, cilantro, and julienned cabbage for crunch

Cheat Day

My end goal is a healed digestive system with healthy gut bacteria that can break down whatever I choose to eat, while still eating a very healthy diet. During this healthy gut diet, I made a deal with myself: once a month, I can choose a reward- a cheat day if you will. I saved my first cheat day for a holiday- Fat Tuesday. Here in Pennsylvania we make/eat fasnachts- potato doughnuts- on Fat Tuesday and so I made my famous fasnachts (I always make them bite size) and had the equivalent of 1-2 average sized donuts. I even took 2 and sandwiched them around a spoonful of coffee ice cream! Given that it was cheat day, I also treated myself (and shared with DH) to a favorite off-limits meal- a pub sandwich! This sandwich is open faced, piled high with roast beef, cheese, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, onions and gravy. I had them serve it on top of soft pretzels.


Results: My digestive system seemed to handle the donuts pretty well, which I ate with digestive enzymes. The sandwich caused a lot of gas, but otherwise was tolerated well. I did not eat it with digestive enzymes and I have noticed those make a huge difference in how much gas is produced when I eat in general. I enjoyed cheat day and don't regret allowing myself to have it. I suspect part of my lifestyle change in general will be to limit non-legal foods to specific days (like only on weekends)

Easy Peasy Guacamole

I generally am not a fan of guacamole. I don't particularly care for avocados. However, my husband loves guacamole and so I started making it for him and found that- SURPRISE- I like my own guacamole where I control what gets added to the mix based on my own flavor preferences. The best part? I mix this all in a plastic zip bag. I wrote measurements but honestly it's more a shake of this a scoop of that.

• 1 Avocado- ripe (cut in half, remove pit, and scoop meat out with a spoon. It should come out whole)
• 1/2 tsp Hot Sauce of choice -OR- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp Lime Juice
• 1/4 tsp Cumin (what makes tacos taste like tacos)
• 1/4 tsp Garlic
• 1 Tbs Sour Cream (optional)
• 1 Tbs Cilantro-chopped (optional. Add to bag just before eating)

Place all ingredients in a plastic zip bag and squeeze most of the air out before sealing. Smush it all up with your hands until smooth. If your avocado wasn't quite ripe enough, you can use a rolling pin. If you want to eat it right then, eat directly from bag or snip of a corner of the bag and squeeze guacamole into a bowl. Since corn is a grain, serve with veggies or vegetable chips (like squash or beet chips). I sometimes cheat with plantain chips for dipping which ARE starchy but also high in vitamins A & C.


If you are NOT going to eat immediately, squish all of the guacamole to one end of the bag and try to get any extra air out before resealing. Avocados oxidize quickly (they turn brown) so you want to expose as little of it to air as possible. The color change can be off-putting but there is nothing wrong with your guacamole and it will still taste great!

Pot de Creme

This dessert is rich and delicious and super easy. I make it about once a week and store it in the fridge where it can satisfy a sweets craving.

• 1c Coconut Milk -hot but not boiling (use just the solids from the can if it is separated)
• 6oz Chocolate- chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Almond Extract (or orange or mint- just make sure it's an extract)
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Stack the chocolate, eggs, and extracts in a blender. In a personal blender, make sure the wet ingredients are closest to the blade. Blend til chocolate is ground and incorporated. Pour scalded coconut milk into blender (the heat is going to cook the eggs.) and blend til smooth. Pour into cups and chill for 1+hours. Makes about 4 quarter cup servings.

Homemade Chocolate

Homemade chocolate is better for you because it doesn't contain things like soy lecithin and absurd amounts of sugar. It also tastes better because you're using better ingredients. I use a chocolate bar mold I bought at a craft store which is 2- 6oz bars. Cacao Ingredients often come in blocks, which I grate and store in original packaging.


Basic Recipe:


1c Cacao Butter -OR- 2-3Tbs Coconut Oil or a combination of the two
1c Cacao Powder or grated Cacao Paste (They're basically the same thing)
2-4 Tbs Honey or to taste
1 Tbs Vanilla or other extract flavor


Melt oil/butter in a double boiler. Add cacao and honey til well combined and melty. Stir in flavors and pour into mold. Chill.


*My favorite recipe is a 1:1 ratio of cocoa butter to cocoa paste. I source from nuts.com and pay $32 for 2 lbs of chocolate which comes out to ~$3 per 6oz bar which is about on par for gourmet chocolate. Flavor-wise, i love adding almond or orange extracts to my chocolate. For a harder bar, use a little less cocoa butter and a little more cocoa paste.




*Coconut oil is generally liquid at room temperature and melts almost instantly with body heat. Chocolate made with coconut oil with have similar melting points and needs to be kept cold. Cacao Butter also has a relatively low melting point, but is not liquid at room temperature.




For a chewy freezer treat, mix equal parts coconut manna (coconut butter or crème- basically finely ground coconut with some oils still added) and cacao paste with honey to sweeten and pour into individual portion sizes (like a silicone mini muffin pan) and keep in freezer. It will remain chewy straight from the freezer and makes a great treat, but I do not use it for baking/recipes.

Curried Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is a sweet, slightly nutty and delicious healthy food you'll want to try at least once. You can google how to microwave it, but since we don't use a microwave in our house, I'll give you the traditional recipe. Hyperlinks are to recipes I've used, but posted here are my tweaks and how I make it.


Step 1: Prepare your squash

• Cut the squash in half lengthwise (this is actually kind of hard, and I make DH do it every time)
• Scoop out ALL the seeds and that stringy pulpy innard stuff. You can strain the seeds and roast them later if you want.
• Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and make sure all the cut sides have been coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place cut side/flat side down on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 375*F for 1 hour. It really doesn't need watched
• Remove from oven and gently scrape out squash meat with a fork. It will separate into strands like spaghetti.

Step 2: CHOOSE A RECIPE!!!
Once you have the squash cooked, you can prepare it however you want. Add marinara and meatballs, make a Primavera like my good friend, Nik, or my favorite- Curry


I usually like to start making the sauce ~5-10 minutes before I pull the squash out of the oven.

• Heat 1Tbs of oil in a pan. I like to use Ziggy Marley's Coco'Mon Lemon Ginger Coconut Oil in this recipe.
• Add 1-2 tsps. of grated ginger or gingerpowder and 1 tsp of garam masala spice to the oil. Heat a minute until fragrant.
• Stir in 2Tbs of Lemon Juice and 1-2Tbs of Honey.
• Pour over spaghetti squash and toss with cilantro. Serve

You can buy garam masala seasoning, but it's really expensive and pretty easy to make at home. I made it with spices I had in my cupboard. It doesn't need to be perfect but make sure everything you put in it gets well blended. The recipe below is based on what comes in a store bought spice rack and in my cupboard. Substitute seed or powder based on what you have. Blend in a personal blender or spice grinder and store in a mason jar in your spice cupboard. Makes ~1/4 cup

• 1Tbs of Coriander Seed
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Ground Cardamom
• 1 tsp Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp Fennel Seed (which I didn't have when I made mine- still great)
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seed
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Turmeric

Homemade Instant Mexican Hot Chocolate

I embarked on this diet in wintertime and naturally, I want hot cocoa during all the snow. Pre-mixes were out because of the sugars. Luckily, making your own instant hot cocoa really isn't difficult.


In a standard cup (~10oz cup), combine:


1Tbs Cacao Powder
1Tbs Honey
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Cayenne Pepper (to taste- a small shake is good or you can leave it out)


Top with hot water or heated nut-milk of your choice (almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk- NOT soy milk which is illegal on healthy gut diets and in my opinion, just bad for you in general).
Stir & enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

The biggest adjustment in switching to a primal diet is the concept of "from scratch". If you weren't into cooking a lot before, this can be really difficult. Here are some tips to make things easier:


Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is liquid at room temperature. In the summertime, I just leave it on the counter until it's melted and in the wintertime, I sit the jar on top of the stove while I'm baking. Once melted, I pour the coconut oil into silicone molds (I have one of ~1Tbs squares, or mini-muffins are ~2Tbs) and pop it in the freezer. When the oil is solid, I have individual pre-measured portions that I can keep in the fridge, preserving the shelf life and making cooking with coconut oil much easier.


Coconut Milk
Only buy the full fat kind. In general, you want to use the solid stuff in the can (I melt it on low heat), and discard most of the coconut water. Recipes just turn out better this way.


Nut Flours
I really love baking so nut flours were a bit of an adjustment for me. My nut flour of choice is almond flour because it translates fairly easily to traditional recipes. Coconut flour has a definite flavor, texture, and absorbency issue causing everything else in the recipe to be significantly adjusted. Also note that nut flours are expensive and baked goods are still supposed to be treats, so paleo baking recipes tend to be half batch sizes.


Nut Butters
A lot of grain free baking calls for nut butters to add moisture and texture. To make, just soak the nuts in hot water and blend til smooth.


Hard-Boiled Eggs
These aren't my favorite but DH likes them for a high protein portable work snack. Some things to note: fresh eggs will always be super hard to peel. Hard boil ones that have been in the fridge for a week. I've tried the hole in the bottom and I've used vinegar. The first doesn't make it easier to peel if the eggs are fresh and the second does help keep the eggs from leaking all over the pan if they crack or you poked a hole.  The rule for eggs is to cover them with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. When they start boiling, turn off the heat, pop on a lid and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. They will cook all the way and it's harder to overcook them this way.


Starch
Starch isn't really allowed on this diet so arrowroot powder is still out. You can decide whether or not small cheats are allowed or not (I sometimes eat plantain chips which are high in starch but also in vitamins A & C). Butternut Squash bakes well into a French fry or chip and is allowed on the diet. I haven't tried it mashed yet, but the addition of bacon and garlic to mashed cauliflower made a pretty great substitute for mashed potatoes and I imagine squash would have similar flavorful results.


Homemade Chocolate
Store bought chocolate usually contains sugar, dairy, and soy. Most primal diets allow for super dark chocolate (~80+% cocoa) and 100% baking bars contain no sugar or soy.You'll be surprised by how easy homemade chocolate can be, but recipes calling for coconut oil will have the same low melting point that coconut oil does. Purchasing cocoa butter (I buy mine on nuts.com along with raw cocoa powder) will allow you to make chocolate that stays a bit more solid at room temperature.


Cooking for 1 or 2
use your fist as a guide for portions. Some things, like soup, you can make extras of and freeze for later

Food Favorites

Changing the way you eat can be expensive, and a challenge. Let me share some of my favorite go-tos:


Restaurants: Most cities have at least one farm-to-table sustainable restaurant these days. We live in central Pennsylvania and Lancaster restaurants, POUR on Prince and John J Jeffries, as well as Harrisburg's "Smoke" are favorites. Federal Taphouse (locations in Lancaster & Harrisburg) is also noteworthy if you are still allowing yourself the occasional drink (I drink cider on this diet but DH is unrestricted on this front). While their menu is a little less grain-free, it's still wholesome, fresh, and they offer seafood happy hour and lettuce wraps.





Nuts.com
Based out of NJ, nuts.com ships products to your door in about 48 hours. This is where I buy nut flours (coconut flour and almond flour), and some of our favorite snacks: like dates(the cheapest pitted dates I've found anywhere!), nuts, and supplies for making homemade chocolate.


Featured Favorite: Mushroom chips- these have the gratifying flavor and texture of sourdough pretzels. Expensive but great if eaten as single portion snacks.





Smile.Amazon.com
We have a prime membership (so most items have free 2-day shipping to our door) and putting the word "smile" at the beginning of the link means your purchases help a charity of your choice. In general, prices on amazon are about the same as everywhere else, and the variety of items we can purchase is great. Amazon is where I source my Native Forest Coconut milk,Coconut Oil, Stretch Island Fruit Leather (cherry is my favorite), raw bars, Larabars, paleo people "granola", and paleo wraps (made from coconut)


Featured Favorite: Paleo People Granola in Cappuccino Crunch- addicting, crunchy, and just plain satisfying



Wegmans
See also: Whole Foods, Trader Joes
In our area, the "big" healthfood store is a wegmans. This is a great place to buy grassfed beef and organic if your local grocery store is lacking. I like to buy parmesan chips, freeze-dried fruit, proteins, and snackbars here. Wegmans also carries uncured, nitrate free salami and pepperoni. It's also where I purchase:


Featured Favorite: Herbal Water by the case. Our favorites are Cinnamon Orange and Lavender Mint

The Allergy Diet

On January 28th, I embarked on an allergy reversal diet.


This diet is sometimes called the Gut & Psychology diet (GAPS) or The Specific Carbohydrates Diet (SCD), while similar diets include Primal/Paleo (eating what your body was meant to digest), or Hashi (for hypo-thyroidism), all of which (in my opinion) are WAY easier than the Allergy Elimination Diet. We're just going to refer to mine as a Healthy Gut Diet or Allergy Reversal Diet since that's my goal.


The basic principle of this diet is that adult onset allergies may be caused by leaky gut syndrome- basically that the lining of digestive tract and intestinal wall has been damaged and is allowing what would normally be discarded as is "toxic" or "waste material" to pass into your bloodstream through holes in the lining of your digestive tract. There it mixes with your blood and illicits immune response to attack the toxic waste that shouldn't be there. To reverse this damage,  we want to eliminate digestive irritants- processed sugars, starches, and grains- and up healthy gut bacteria and enzymes as well as amino acids to rebuild damage done to your intestinal lining. My damage was done via klutziness= I spent 6 years on NSAIDS, steroids, and occasionally antibiotics, tearing up my digestive tract one injury at a time, and developing adult-onset food allergies to soy and antibiotics at the same time.


GOAL:
The goal is to heal my intestines completely so that I don't have leaky gut syndrome and therefore eliminate allergic immune responses. While much of this diet will be adapted as a lifestyle change, a healed gut should be able to tolerate special treats and eating shouldn't be an "at my own risk" activity anymore.


Our Healthy Gut Diet
*I am not a nutritionist or medical professional and all information contained on this blog is a record of my personal experience.


Existing supplements: Daily multivitamin, Probiotics, No Soy
Eliminate: All grains and legumes, almost all processed sugars, most starches, and most dairy
Add: Digestive Enzymes, Amino Acids(L-glutamine), and increased gelatin in diet


Why?
Existing supplements:

• Multivitamin for Hair, Skin, & Nails: Among other things, is rich in b vitamins, folic acid, and biotin which are all good for growing new cells and healing damage while promoting healthy cell metabolism.
• Digestive Advantage Probiotic Gummies: Good tummy bacteria, helps your body break down foods and sort them into what your body needs to use and what can't be used.
• NO Soy: I have an allergy to soy, and it's a legume so against the healthy gut diets regardless,  but you probably didn't know that soy is also really bad for your body. In addition to phytates, lectins, saponins, and protease inhibitors, soy contains
• goitrogens/isoflavones: severely anti-thyroid
• phtyoestrogens- mimic estrogen. While some claim this is insignificant, women with estrogen related cancers are told to avoid soy and 2 glasses of soymilk a day can change the timing of a woman's menstrual cycle. It can interfere with the natural hormone balance in both men and women. Disrupt endocrine function.
• Aluminum: Soy is often processed by acid washing in aluminum tanks. Aluminum is linked to neurological disorders and not FDA safe.
• Pesticides: 90% of US soy is genetically modified to be "round-up" resistant. Who modifies it? The same people who make round-up (Monsanto)!
• http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/whole-soy-story
• http://authoritynutrition.com/is-soy-bad-for-you-or-good/

Eliminating:

• Grains/Legumes: Basically, our bodies aren't meant to digest plant proteins found in grains and legumes. The plant has built in defenses to insure its own survival which attack the digestive system.
• Protease inhibitors: interfere with digestion of protein
• Phytates/Phytic Acid:Tie up minerals your body needs(zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium...)
• Lectins: Dissolve cell mucous membranes. Plant defense, attacks your cells
• Saponins: Dissolve gut lining. Another plant defense that attacks your digestive system. Can't be "cooked" out
• http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/Paleo-diet-reasons-to-avoid-grains.html
• Processed Sugars: Irritate digestive system
• Dairy: Cows grow much faster than people do, and the proteins found in cows milk (lactose) isn't really digestible by humans leading to severe gastric distress and inflammation. Fermented dairy will have broken down proteins and cheese is made with rennet (comes from baby cow bellies and contains the enzymes needed to digest lactose) and harder cheese is cured which denatures the proteins, but limiting dairy intake and/or switching to more digestible forms of dairy (such as goat's milk) will be easier on your digestive system.

Adding:

• Digestive Enzymes: Help your body break down foods faster so they don't irritate your digestive system later
• L-glutamine: amino acids are basically your body's building blocks for binding protein and healing damage. It's what rebuilds your sore muscles after a workout, grows new skin and hair, and will help rebuild holes in your intestinal wall too. promotes healthy immune function!
• Gelatin: more amino acids! The amino acid glycine is anti-inflammatory and speeds up healing!

How it IMPACTS us:
 My husband and I both embarked on this, and I think that support is really helpful. We were already a soy free household which meant we didn't eat much from a box. Though eliminating grains, dairy, sugar, and starch is a big change, I don't compromise on flavor, and we still eat delicious food. Making healthier choices does not mean making blander ones. We both eat the same things now, but the diet has impacted us differently.


For me: I eat a lot more food in quantity, but consume roughly the same to slightly fewer calories. I lost 5lbs the first week and 2 in the following 4 weeks. I walk 5-10 miles per day as a waitress. My goal is not weight loss. Pre-diet, I consumed a lot of dairy, sugar and starch(potatoes). During the first week of withdrawal, I suffered from migraines and vivid nightmares. I have noticed a marked decrease in pain from old injuries. I've always had good skin, but my skin is pretty enviably perfect now. I also had a lot of issues with gas and things just generally not digesting well. Alcohol, especially, did not digest well. Digestion in general is way improved.


For DH: My DH renewed his in-home 1-hour workout program when we embarked on this diet and his goal does include weight loss. In 5 weeks, he's lost over 10lbs and is seeing great muscle tone and definition. His skin is much clearer too. His snack of choice is apples and dates.


*Though I have given up almost all sugars and grains, I do allow myself 1-2 cocktails when we go out, 1-2 times per month. My digestive system tolerates these drinks much better than pre-diet