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Pummus (grain free, dairy free, egg free, GAPS-legal)

Pummus | Homemade Dutch Apple PieI love both pesto and hummus. And I eat quite a bit of both lately…great snacks that keep me satisfied and away from sweets. I’ve even recently started eating them for bedtime snack. Last night I had this with sliced cucumbers.

After having to make pesto without cheese I wanted to find a way to boost the nutrition and flavor.

Then I thought…why not combine the two dips I love into one? So I did…YUM!!! Pesto hummus…pummus 🙂  So good, so healthy and so easy to make.

I’ve been using peas lately to make my pesto since they are easier on my tummy than raw spinach (plus raw spinach has oxalates). And I like the bit of sweetness from them. You could use any combination of greens you like. Maybe next time I’ll add some of our basil. You can use any kind of nuts. And you could even leave the nuts out. It depends if you like to have more of a pesto taste or a hummus taste. This is so versatile.

This is great to have on hand for snacks. It is a great way to get more vegetables in your diet that are easy to digest. And even better, its a great way to get healthy fat in your diet. You can even mix egg yolks into pummus for more nutrition.

Do you like pesto? Do you like hummus? Put them together and try a batch of pummus!Pummus | Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

 

Pummus (Pesto/pea-sto Hummus)

3/4 cup peas/spinach/basil (any greens you like)
1 cup navy beans (soaked and cooked)
1/2 – 3/4 cup cold pressed EVOO (depends how thick you like it)
unrefined sea salt to taste
garlic powder or fresh garlic to taste
1/4 – 1/2 cup crispy nuts (optional)
(egg yolk)

Combine all of the ingredients (except egg yolk) in a food processor or blender and process until well blended. Add more seasoning and EVOO to get desired taste/texture. Add egg yolk to individual serving if desired.

Meal Plans Week of 7-17-11

I know I keep saying this, but seriously, how is it the middle of July already?? This summer is just flying by. We are very excited today to celebrate Abram’s baptism. What a special day!! And we are blessed to share it with all of our family.

Last week I was busy prepping for today. I think I got it all done 😛  At least I hope so. Rebecca had her first dentist appointment…and did great! It helps that we are good friends with the hygienist 🙂  Abram had his 2 month check up and passed with flying colors. He’s in the 75th% for weight (14 lbs. 7 oz.) and 50th% for height (22 3/4 in.). He’s growing well 🙂  He’s also sleeping well. Friday night he slept from 9:30 pm to 4 am!! I couldn’t believe it…it actually scared me 😛  Rebecca never slept that long until she was about a year old. It’s nice to feel a little more rested 🙂  In the kitchen aside from all of the party food I made fermented veggies, sauerkraut, a couple batches of kefir, pesto and froze another gallon of cherries.

This week is going to be fairly busy. And HOT!! It’s supposed to be 90’s all week. And we don’t have AC. So that means…no oven. Which is challenging. I think Justin will have to put the little pool back up so we can sit out there all week. Today is Abram’s baptism, and we’re having all of our family over after church. That will pretty much fill up today. Tomorrow is Meijer and we finally get to meet our new niece, Esther. My BIL and SIL are in MI and are having a baby shower Monday evening (it sure will be nice not to have to cook and to be able to relax the day after hosting a party :). Tuesday is farmer’s market. Wednesday we need to pick up our tart cherries from the orchard. And it’s co-op pick up. We don’t have any other set plans this week. But we have a lot of potentials. We might go to the beach. We might go on a farm tour on Saturday (the farm we get our beef from). I might go shopping…if time allows…to get a swimming suit…if I’ll need it this week. Our anniversary is next week, and we had talked about possibly doing something to celebrate that this weekend. Or maybe we’ll just feel like taking it easy and staying home. Who knows. Lots of maybes. With it being so hot there is a chance I’ll try to take the kids to some air conditioned places too…children’s museum, library, etc. We’ll just have to see how the week goes. Our meal plans are a little uncertain right now too because of the weather and not knowing for sure what we’re doing. And depending on our leftover status from today. I’m sure I’ll be doing some updating throughout the week.

A few health updates from last week. I think I’ve lost the battle with dairy 🙁  I tried smoothies again…and again had stomach problems (still do this morning :(. So I think that is on the way out for me. Maybe next month it will be a firm goal. For now I’ll do my best to avoid it for the most part. And then after I’ve been dairy free for a little while I can try to reintroduce it very slowly before I do GAPS intro. I’m also thinking about starting taking my vitamins again. I think Abram is stealing all of my vitamins 😛  I’m back to having random bruises all over. And my skin is looking worse. So I think I’m lacking somewhere. I just hope they don’t bother my tummy. I also stopped taking the Betaine HCI. Hard to know if in only a few weeks I got my stomach acid levels up to where they need to be or not, but I was having quite a bit of stomach pain. It could have been related to the dairy. But it wasn’t something I’m used to feeling/not my normal stomach upset. So I stopped the pills. And haven’t had the pain since. This is all still a big learning experience. I seem to learn something new every day. On the bright side, cutting out dairy and gassy veggies, etc. has seemed to really help Abram. I don’t notice any reflux anymore. And he only rarely has a tummy ache…usually seems to happen when I eat dairy. That’s good motivation for me to not give in to cravings. It doesn’t just impact me. I’ve also been doing pretty well with bedtime snack. Eating things like olives, pesto, meat, crispy nuts. More nutrient dense, non-sweet foods. I did do some smoothie experimenting last week and came up with some really good ones. Now that I can’t have the kefir I’m going to have to do more experimenting to see if I can make a decent smoothie without it. Smoothies sure are nice for lunch when I’m trying to play with Rebecca and feed Abram or he’s sleeping in my arms. So easy to just have something to drink. Plus I add lots of nourishing stuff and it’s all blended. Easier to digest.

I still haven’t started the baby probiotic. Hopefully this week!

I’ve been wanting to do some kind of reward chart with Rebecca. And there are various approaches to take with it. But I think we finally figured out what we’re doing. We currently have one chart that is a daily task list. These are things she is expected to do. She doesn’t necessarily get a “reward” for doing them. But she does get to mark off each item as she completes them…which she seems to enjoy and is good motivation for her. It has things like brush your teeth, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, take a nap, pick up toys, etc. She likes to see that everything is marked off at the end of the day. We’ve only done it 3 days so far, but she’s really getting into it. And already adding things to the list herself 🙂  The other thing we’re going to do we haven’t actually started yet. We want to teach her about money/about earning/saving. So at some point we’ll have a separate “chore” sheet…things that aren’t part of her daily routine, etc. Things she can do do to earn money. Maybe we’ll give her one chore each day or something. Justin and I haven’t figured out the details yet. Then she’ll have a bank and can put her money in. We’ll teach her about saving, spending and giving. I’ll update more on that when we figure out the details. But the idea is that she’ll be earning her money…not just getting an allowance for no reason.

On to the food. Like I said we’ll be getting tart cherries this week. I’d like to do some baking with them. Maybe a pie? At least a pie plate can fit in the toaster oven 🙂  I’m afraid food preservation is going to be in full swing this week. Blueberries and peaches are in season. I want to freeze lots of blueberries (my favorite fruit! And Rebecca loves them too…straight from the freezer). Not sure I’ll be canning any peaches again this year. I just don’t think I have time. But we’ll enjoy them fresh. And maybe I’ll have time to freeze some. The beans are starting in our garden. Justin picked a few yesterday. So that means freezing beans for weeks to come. I hope we have enough room in the freezer. I think I still have 3 or 4 gallons in there from last year! Our lettuce is about done. Some of it is getting bitter. At least one of the varieties. So not too many salads any more. I also bought lots of nuts last week. I need soak/dry them and make some almond butter and cashew butter. And our hot fudge is just about gone. So I want to make a new batch. I might experiment with that recipe too. We’ll see. I’m sure that will keep me plenty busy in the kitchen. On top of the food work I need to start think about vacation planning. We have a couple trips planned for August and that will be here before I know it. So I want to start planning meals, etc. I’ll have to bring a lot of food for myself so I don’t starve on our trips 😛

I think that’s enough for now. Hopefully all goes smoothly today with the baptism and party. And hopefully our house doesn’t get too hot 😛  At least I don’t have to cook anything today. Here’s what’s on the menu…for now.
———————
S (church, baptism/party)
  B – broth, avocado, egg (me), leftover quiche, strawberry bread (Justin)
  L – ham and chicken on buns w/ cheese, tomatoes, homemade mayo, mustard, homemade honey mustard; jello salad (MIL bringing this), layer salad (my mom bringing this), fruit salad, cucumber, peppers, carrots and cauliflower w/ ranch dip, chips w/ salsa, sunchips,  m+m’s (Rebecca’s pick), blueberry jubilee, cherry jubilee (using fresh fruit), pb chip brownies
  D – leftovers from lunch/salad/snacks or leftover quiche – whatever we feel like 🙂

M (Meijer, baby shower, soak nuts, soak beans, dry cashews)
  B – broth, avocado, quiche (me), hot cross buns, fruit (Justin)
  D – at shower (I’ll hope for the best…that there is something I can eat)

T (cook beans, prep soup, fm, dry almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, freeze blueberries, make dip, put away laundry)
  B – avocado, beans, olives, cucumber w/ pesto (me), hot cross bun, fruit (Justin)
  D – cp ham and bean soup, corn muffins

W (prep potatoes, cherry pick up, co-op pick up, make almond butter and cashew butter, freeze blueberries and cherries, make cherry pie)
  B – leftover soup (me), yogurt, granola, fresh fruit (Justin)
  D – salad (if lettuce ok, else misc./eggs) (me), “favorite casserole”, applesauce (Justin) cashew avocado chicken salad on buns/in tomatoes, roasted cauliflower, beans (first ones from the garden!)

Th (prep smoothie, prep dinner, make hot fudge, Children’s museum)
  B – kefir smoothie, oatmeal muffins (Justin), leftover soup (me)
  D – cold beet soup, hot ham and cheese, broccoli

F (clean, library, freeze beans beach?)
  B – leftover soup (me), oatmeal muffins, fresh fruit (Justin)
  D – picnic? else nachos w/ sauteed peppers and onions, fresh tomato, cheese, avocado, sour cream, salsa

S (laundry, GF farm tour?, shopping, anniversary celebration?, soak beans)
  B – beet soup w/ beef and avocado (me), pumpkin pancakes (Justin)
  D – scrambled eggs, homemade sausage, beans, toast

Fermented Vegetables (GAPS-legal)

I finally got around to making some fermented veggies yesterday. I followed the directions in the GAPS book. It doesn’t give quantities, but it tells the method. I used cabbage, beet and carrot. GAPS also suggests cauliflower, but I’m avoiding that right now. I hope I do ok with the carrot in this form. It was super easy to do. I made 3 quarts. It takes about  week to ferment. I’m anxious to try this when it’s done! This is a great probiotic food that will aid in digestion. The veggies and liquid should be added to your diet gradually because of the probiotics.

Fermented Vegetables
makes ~ 3 qts.

1/2 large green or red cabbage
2 large carrots
1 large beet root
cauliflower (I didn’t use this)
salt
garlic (I just added some garlic powder)
3/4 cup kefir whey
water

Chop veggies into bite size pieces or shreds. Season with salt to taste. Add chopped garlic or garlic powder. Mix. Distribute evenly between 3 wide mouth quart jars. Add 1/4 cup whey to each jar. Fill with water so that all of the veggies are submerged. Seal jar. Let ferment on the counter for 1 week before transferring to the refrigerator.

Egg Wraps (grain free, dairy free, nut free, GAPS-legal)

Last night for dinner we had wraps. A fun, easy Friday night meal. But instead of the traditional tortilla/bread I made wraps out of eggs. I’m sure it’s not a novel idea, but I had never done it before. I got the idea from a cooking magazine at my OB’s office (I guess those long waits are good for something :P).

The wraps are so easy…just beat some eggs and cook in a pan. And they taste great!! What a fun, nourishing GAPS friendly way to enjoy a sandwich/wrap.

The whole family loved them. Even Rebecca…and she will rarely eat eggs. She thought it was so fun to make little sandwiches with hers. You can use any kind of filling for them. We had them with pesto, chicken and bacon…YUM!!!!

I cooked the eggs in palm shortening (so they wouldn’t stick). You could use any kind of fat – butter, coconut oil, etc. They were a little “greasy” to hold. I could have put them on a paper towel to dry before serving I’m sure. But we don’t mind messy fingers when you’re getting healthy fat 🙂  This would also make a great, quick breakfast (if you don’t mind cold eggs…I sure don’t :). Cook the wraps the day before. Then fill them with whatever you want in the morning (cheese, veggies, etc.). I’ll keep these in mind the next time I have leftover meat/veggies…stick them in an egg wrap. I used about 1 egg per wrap.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager.

Egg Wraps (makes ~ 4)

4 eggs
salt

Whisk eggs and salt.

Heat a small pan on low/med-low heat. Add butter, shortening, coconut oil or lard. 

Ladle about 1/4 of eggs into the pan, covering the bottom.

Let the eggs cook a few minutes, until set. Flip and cook another 30 seconds or so.

Serve warm or cold with desired fillings.

Pesto (grain free, GAPS-legal)

Yesterday I made a batch of pesto. And I realized I don’t have a recipe for it posted on my blog. I guess I don’t normally use a recipe. I just toss in what I have on hand and taste as I go. But I figured it might be a good idea to post a base recipe. So I’ll do my best to give quantities. Yesterday I used basil, spinach, walnuts and pine nuts. You can really use any combo of greens/herbs and nuts you like. Pesto is good on so many things (pasta, pizza, quiche, sandwiches, salads, etc.). I realized yesterday it’s a great way for me to get more evoo in my diet. I LOVE pesto. I eat it plain…by the spoonful 😛  So I’ll be making it more often now I think. The veggies are pureed, so easier on my tummy. Plus lots of healthy fat. And no sugar. And ready to go any time. Exactly what I need. I had it yesterday for lunch mixed with avocado and raw egg yolks. YUM!!

Pesto

1/2 cup crispy nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios or almonds work well)
3-4 cups spinach or basil (or any other green/herb you like) washed well
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup cold pressed EVOO (you may need more or less depending on what consistency you like)
celtic sea salt to taste
chopped garlic or garlic powder to taste

Process nuts and greens and seasoning in food processor until smooth. Pour in EVOO while processing until pesto is desired consistency. Add cheese and process again. Adjust seasoning if needed. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Health Update – June 2011

I normally give my weekly health updates in my weekly menu posts. But this week it seemed like there was just too much to share. So I’m doing a separate post on updates. I wasn’t even sure what to call this post because it has a lot to it. So I’m just calling it a health update. Be prepared. It’s long 😛

I’ll start with GAPS updates. I’m doing well with sticking to full GAPS. I really think having broth/soup every morning is helping. Now I just need to add it in more often (and I’ll be on GAPS intro before I know it :P). I do intend to wait until the fall at least to do intro. I don’t want to have to worry about it when we travel, go on vacation, have fresh (raw) summer produce, etc. I am now taking a full dose probiotic every day. And I’m up to 2 Betaine HCI capsules each day. I’m really hoping that will help with digestion. I can say that even after just one week I think I have less gas and bloating. It doesn’t feel like the food is just sitting like a brick, rotting in my gut. I am eating sauerkraut before dinner every day, and chewing much more thoroughly. One thing I would like to do is bump up my intake of cod liver oil. I currently take 2 capsules a day. I know that it really isn’t that much. Maybe I can be brave and start taking some of the gel (like Rebecca does) in addition to what I now take. A recent post on Cheeseslave said you should be taking 24 capsules a day when nursing! That would get WAY too expensive. So we’ll see if I can start using the gel in addition to what I currently take. Overall I am so excited to be where I am and that I found out about GAPS/started down this path. I have already experienced incredible amounts of healing, and I haven’t even done the full thing yet. And it seems like day by day, step by step God is leading me down this path. And that each day there is another piece of the puzzle that fits. Like learning about stomach acid and how much that impacts digestion (and why things were so bad for me for years). One step closer to healing and truly living. For the first time I’m really learning what works for me and what doesn’t. What my body can and can’t handle at this point. I’ve recently learned that I still have to go light when it comes to raw veggies. Even though I want to dive into all the fresh produce available right now, I have to be careful. My leaky gut can’t handle much raw. One way to “indulge” without harming myself is to eat raw veggies without really eating them. It sounds kind of gross, but I can chew the veggies until only the fibrous part is left and then spit that out. So I get the vitamins, etc., the flavor, the crunch, but not the fiber. It’s kind of like juicing…with my teeth 😛  I’m also learning that I am very sensitive to anything sweet…even fresh fruit and honey. I think that is part of what still causes me gas issues. Until my gut is healed anything sweet feeds the bad stuff in my gut and ferments. So I’m really trying to eat anything sweet very sparingly. Even fruit. Although I will indulge in some of the fresh summer fruit. How can I not? 😛  Sweets are the toughest for me. I have a huge sweet tooth. And for years I lived on sweets (when I didn’t know any better, when I was only worried about eating low fat). So this is going to be tough. But worth it. Slowly but surely I’m figuring this out. And enjoying each day more and more.

But GAPS has not only helped me with my physical/gut problems. It has had a huge impact on my mental state. I have been battling OCD, eating disorders and body image issues for many years. I have been seeing a psychologist for 5 years now to help treat them. And it helped…some. But I have never experienced as much progress and healing in those 5 years as I have in the last few months.

My OCD is centered around my gut. So naturally as my gut heals the OCD is getting better. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But I’m getting there. Having 2 children has actually been a big help too. I don’t have time to feel sick or to spend on compulsions. I have to take care of them. Having baby #2 has been a way for me to start over…to create new routines, to get out of old habits. That’s what it takes for me…I have to be forced to change. And God knows me. He knows what I need and when I need it. He knows exactly when I’m ready for change. At my psychologist appt. last week my doctor said something that really stuck with me. And it surprised her too. She said I now have a choice. I’ve never had that before. I always “had” to do the compulsions. Now I have a choice. The OCD doesn’t control me. Yes, I still think about it a lot (the obsession). No, it will never go away completely. But yes, I DO have a choice…to give in to it or not. And that is amazing. It’s still a daily struggle. And some days are harder than others. But I have to try each and every day to choose to live. To choose not to give in to the OCD. To choose to let God take control, give him my anxiety, and keep pushing on. This is not only evident in my personal daily routine. It’s very evident in my parenting. With Rebecca my parenting was focused on me…fitting her into my schedule, what worked for me. With Abram I am shifting the focus to him. What are his needs. How can I adjust to meet them. Instead of feeding him on a strict schedule I feed him on demand. With Rebecca by 3 weeks she was on a feeding/sleeping schedule. We still are not on any kind of schedule with Abram. Sure natural routines are starting to develop…there are times of the day that he usually sleeps, etc. But nothing is set in stone. And our days are all different. Monday he napped in my arms, played with me a lot, ate, etc. while Rebecca napped. Yesterday he slept almost the whole afternoon. Every day is different. And I can handle it. It’s a huge step for me to focus on others (especially my family) instead of myself. And I have to say life is much less stressful without a set routine. Who knew? 😛  Before Abram arrived I wondered how I was going to handle two children. I should not have worried. I know God will provide and give me exactly what I need when I need it.

In addition to my OCD about my gut I’ve struggled with eating disorders and body image. It’s not something I talk about much. I was never diagnosed with an eating disorder. But I know I’ve had issues with food for many years. And it was part of my OCD. I obsessed about food. I compulsively exercised. I was always worried about how I looked, wondering what other people thought, wondering if I was too fat. I was scared to eat too much. I was scared I wasn’t eating enough. All around food gave me anxiety. Ironic coming from someone with a food blog that loves to cook 😛  But it was all about control. It was one thing I could control…what I put in my mouth. Sadly for way too many years I was putting the wrong stuff in. I was scared to eat fat. I was not eating anything nourishing. I had such restrictions, but I was still never happy with how I looked. I like getting attention for being very thin. Even though I knew I wasn’t happy. But I am so thankful that things have changed. I seriously can’t believe how differently I view food and eat now. I eat to nourish my body. Food is not the enemy (well, REAL food isn’t :P). It makes me so happy when I feed my body what it needs. Each bite gives me pleasure. No more low fat. No more worrying about calories. No more exercising extreme amounts for fear of gaining weight. No more restricting and then binging on sweets. It’s been 7 weeks since I gave birth to Abram. I have not tried at all to lose weight. And yet I’m only a few pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight (after gaining over 45 lbs.). I eat when I’m hungry. I don’t restrict myself. Honestly some days I feel like I’m eating “too much.” But I don’t gain weight or anything. So my body must need it. For the first time I’m listening to my body. Not just eating because the clock says it’s meal time. But eating when my body tells me I need something. And I’m not overexercising. Yes, I still exercise every day. But the difference is it’s because I enjoy it. I like to be active. I like to stay toned. But I don’t go overboard. And I don’t have to do a specific routine every day. And I just do what fits in my day. One day I might be able to jog for a while. The next day I might just be able to bike for 10 min. And that’s ok. Some days I have tons of energy. Others I need to take it easy. Again, I have a choice. And I listen to what my body needs. Not what an obsession tells me. It’s kind of funny how in college I exercised intensely every day (probably for at least an hour each day). And I ate low fat. I never snacked. And I gained weight. And here I am now. I bike, walk or jog for about 15 min. a day. I eat what I want. I eat tons of fat. I nourish my body. I’m munching on food all day it seems. I take it easy when I need to. And I weigh less now (7 weeks postpartum) than I did in my early 20’s. The other thing (and maybe the biggest thing for me) is that for the first time I’m happy with the way I look. Even just after having a baby I can look in the mirror and love my body. For so many years I had this ideal in my head of what I thought I wanted…stick thin. And now when I see others that are stick thin I don’t like it. I look back at pictures of myself when I was very underweight and I cringe. I want to have a body. I want to embrace my curves. I’m a woman. And I love it. I’ve always been obsessed with my belly/having a flat stomach. Which is part of what fed my gut OCD (maybe I’ll explain more about that some day. I will say the bloating and gas from my gut issues definitely did NOT help with this at all). I would do hundreds of crunches every day. Now I’m accepting the body I have. I know it’s in my genes to carry my weight in my abdomen. And I’m short…not much I can do about that 😛  But I can love myself the way I am and not try to make myself into something else. It’s pointless and frustrating. In a way I feel like I wasted so many years. I think anyone with that overcomes OCD will say that. But it’s part of my life. Part of my journey. And I’m thankful for what God has taught me and for the struggles I’ve been through. I can say that I’m so excited to be able to go shopping soon…and buy clothes that flatter my figure…and love all of me 🙂

A few other misc. items:

I just had my thyroid rechecked. It’s still in the normal range. I do still take a low dose of medication for that. I’m hoping some day I don’t have to. But my levels are WAY more normal than they were a year ago.

I do also still take miralax every day. I have ever since my colon surgery in 2006. It is still my goal to be able to stop taking it some day. And I truly believe that by doing GAPS I will be able to. Every once in a while I try lowering the dose. Sometimes I do ok. Sometimes I have to bump it back up. But I’ll get there.

Finally, my psychologist mentioned something to me last week. I generally print some of my blog posts for her to read/help give her an update on me. She always enjoys reading them. And then last week she told me she thinks I should write a book. And she was very serious. Me? Write a book? I’m not a writer. Am I? I would have laughed at her had she said that a few years ago. But I know that God has different and better plans than we can ever dream up. Maybe he has a much different plan for me. My doctor said I already have a good start with a lot of the personal posts I’ve written. And she enjoys my writing. And that there isn’t much out there like it…personal stories relating to OCD, etc. There are manuals and guides. But nothing personal/relatable. So it’s in the back of my mind. Not something I would try to tackle any time soon. But maybe in a few years. When I’ve gotten a little farther on my journey. And when I don’t have an infant 😛  I don’t know. Maybe it is just a passing idea. But I’m not counting anything out. God is continually surprising me. And I am open to however he wants to use me and use my trials to impact/help/serve others. Now if he told me to go speak in front of people…I think I might just run and hide 😛  But you never know. God’s plans are much bigger and better than mine.

So, where do I go from here? Believe me I’ve still got a long road ahead on this journey. Yes, I have come a LONG way. But it’s far from over. I’m still battling the OCD. It’s still a daily thing. I still have to push myself outside my comfort zone and try new things. I still have anxiety over the unknown/over past issues. But I’m trying. I’m trying to do more traveling and outings this summer. I’m trying to do things with other people. I’m trying to shake up routines. It’s not easy at all. But I’m trying. And every time I tackle something it gives me more drive and energy to keep pressing on. I have no idea what the end result will be. But I know it’s much better than I can imagine. I do have to listen to my body and its limits. I had major colon surgery 5 years ago and had a foot of my colon removed. My digestive system does not work the same way a “normal” person’s does. Plain and simple. I have to accept that. And work with it. And just keep on living. I may have some limitations that others don’t. And that’s ok. But I will keep pressing on. I am also anxious to see how all of this will impact fertility. I am hopeful that one day my body will start working again. Who knows what God has in store for us and for growing our family.

I am trying to pass on what I’ve learned to my family. I want my children to grow up healthy…both physically and mentally. I want to teach them what it means to nourish their bodies. What it means to live. And to not be afraid. So I do my best to provide my family with healthy food. I’m doing my best to give my kids a good start with proper gut health. I’m hoping to start Abram on a probiotic this week. I have already started giving some to Rebecca each day with her cod liver oil (I LOVE that she likes the gel…thinks it’s a treat :P). One fun way I try to give Rebecca good stuff is by letting her have a milkshake (milk, fruit, 1 egg all blended together) with lunch every day. She thinks it’s a treat. I  see it as a way to get her to “eat” a whole (raw) egg every day (she’s picky about eggs) and give her the nourishment she needs. She’s going to drink milk anyway. Why not add an egg and a little fresh fruit to it? And sometimes some kefir too. It makes me so happy that Rebecca doesn’t know what fast food is. And that she doesn’t live on processed/packaged food. She already has a love for baking and making food from scratch. I try to let her help me cook when I can. And hope that some day she’ll love cooking real food as much as I do. Our whole family has benefited from this. And I am so thankful for that.

Finally, a few encouraging words. In the sermon I heard on Sunday the preacher talked about being held by God. The Bible says “don’t be afraid” 366 times! That’s a lot. Apparently I haven’t been listening 😛  I don’t need to be afraid. I have been for so many years. Anxiety had controlled my life. But I don’t want it to anymore. God is in control. One thing the pastor said really stuck with me…God has a tighter hold on us than anything else ever will. What a comfort. The OCD and anxiety have had a tight grip for so long. But God’s grip is even tighter. And he will never let go. God is good!

Digestive Enzymes and Stomach Acid – What and Why

On my journey towards healing my gut I have focused a lot on probiotics. By now most people know about probiotics. They are the good bacteria in your gut and help digestion. So I’ve been taking those for quite some time. And thought that was enough. But it wasn’t until I read GAPS that I heard about the impact of digestive enzymes and stomach acid on gut health. If you have abnormal gut flora, chances are you have low stomach acid. Which makes it hard/impossible for your body to break down/digest proteins properly. The solution? Bump up the acid! Sounds counterintiutive in our culture where everyone is popping antacids like candy. So here’s a short explanation.

Pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme, breaks down proteins into peptides and amino acids. The acid in the stomach is what activates the pepsin. The pH in the stomach needs to be 3 or less to do this. So if the stomach acid is insufficient, the digestive process goes wrong from step 1…which only leads to more trouble as the process continues. Maldigested proteins pass through the small intestine. The intestinal wall and pancreatic enzymes then don’t get the proteins in the form they expect…and can’t do their job properly (step 2 gone bad). Food coming from the stomach should have a pH of 2 or less to stimulate the production of the hormones secretin and cholecystokinin. Secretin stimulates the liver to produce bile…to continue the digestive process. More importantly it stimulates the pancreas to produce alkalising bicarbonate solution to reduce the acid in the food (a more alkaline environment), which the small intestine needs. It is critical for pancreatic enzymes to digest protein, carbohydrates and fat. And these enzymes are only produced if cholecystokinin is first produced. It tells the pancreas to make the enzymes necessary to digest the food. Without these 2 hormones digestion does not happen.

So what does that mean…if food is not digested? Maldigestion and malabsorption. Partially digested food “leaks” through the intestinal wall. Maldigested proteins cause allergies and autoimmune reactions. Maldigested carbohydrates get converted into toxins. Nutritional deficiencies are a big problem when this happens. Vitamins, amino acids and minerals are not absorbed. Fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K and essential fatty acids are not absorbed since fat is not digested. And the undigested food rots in the digestive tract, becoming toxic. Doesn’t sound too good to me. But wait, that’s not all.

Stomach acid is also critical for killing microbes that you ingest from food. If stomach acid is too low the microbes can survive and colonise in the intestines and even the stomach. This can cause stomach cancer, ulcers and gastritis.

These microbes particularly feed on carbohydrates. When stomach acid is too low, microbes start fermenting carbohydrates. This produces toxins and causes excess gas. Also, some pathogens grow around the sphinchter muscle, which can paralyze it and cause reflux. Sadly antacids are usually prescribed for this. Although it does stop the immediate burn from the acid in the throat, in the long run it just perpetuates the problem.

Finally, the solution…take a supplement that bumps the stomach acid back up. This is called Betaine HCI with added pepsin. You take it with the first bite of each meal. Thankfully this is a short term problem. And can usually be fixed by taking the supplement for a couple months.

There are a couple other simple steps you can take. Chewing your food very thoroughly will kick off the digestive process and make less work for stomach. Also eating sauerkraut and drinking its juice just before a meal will help. Drinking broth with a meal will also help in digestion.

There are also other digestive enzymes you can take. But usually once stomach acid is restored to normal levels the body produces them naturally. So they aren’t usually necessary.

What does this mean for me? I’m guessing that I, like other people with messed up guts, have low stomach acid. So I just started taking the Betaine HCI supplement. I started with 1 pill a day (with dinner). This week I will bump it up to 2 meals a day, and all 3 next week. I can’t report on the impact yet, since I just started. But hopefully it will be very helpful. Especially in reducing gas…my biggest problem since starting this journey many years ago. It makes so much sense now why I had such extreme amounts of gas and bloating when I was living on bread and sugar 😛  I was told to avoid fat and eat bland/starchy food. The complete opposite of what I really needed. I need to avoid carbohydrates/sugar and get my stomach acid levels up. What a concept now to truly be digesting my food for once and not having it ferment in my gut 😛  I’m also hoping it will help Abram with his reflux and gas (by me taking it). Only time will tell. But I’m hopeful.

So if you struggle with reflux or gas…increase your stomach acid! Don’t neutralize it. Without enough stomach acid you can’t digest your food.

GAPS Pancakes

When doing the true GAPS diet from start to end, the first baked good allowed/suggested is nut pancakes (in stage 3). Why I haven’t made them yet? Who knows 😛  Maybe because the GAPS book doesn’t actually give a recipe…just the ingredients (no amounts). But I did a little searching and found a few versions. I made a small batch yesterday to try. So easy!! And very good. I used some leftover roasted summer squash in mine. It wasn’t totally pureed and still had some seeds…and they still turned out great. Rebecca and I both liked them (Justin hasn’t tried them yet). They only take a few minutes to make. Great snack to have on hand when I need something more solid/filling. And they work well in place of bread/buns. I used one last night for an open face sandwich (with cashew avocado chicken salad). So good. I’m anxious to try them as hamburger buns. And just as regular pancakes too. I like how simple they are…and you don’t have to add sweetener. I’ll be making these often now. I’ll have to make a bigger batch and freeze them to have on hand.

GAPS Pancakes (nut butter pancakes)
makes 8 – 10 small pancakes

2 – 3 Tbsp. squash or zucchini, deseeded, pureed
2 – 3 Tbsp. nut butter
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Fry in butter or ghee on hot skillet.

GAPS – It Does A Baby Good (and Mommy too :)

When I first got serious about wanting to try the GAPS diet I was pregnant. So I was a little apprehensive. Would it be ok for the baby? Would I be getting/giving proper nourishment? Don’t I need to eat whole grains and lots of fiber? I was nervous. But I read the GAPS book and other blogs and continued to pursue it. I took baby steps so as to not have any strong reactions in my body that could harm the baby. I slowly added probiotic food/supplements, increased my fat intake and cut out grains. I did experience some die off at various points, but not too bad. I finally got to full GAPS. I had a very healthy pregnancy. At almost every check up the nurse said my blood pressure was “perfect.” I had no complications. And on May 9 gave birth to a very healthy baby boy.

And here we are now 5 weeks later. Abram is growing like a weed. I had my postpartum check up yesterday. The first words out of my OB’s mouth when she entered the room…”Is that a toddler or a baby?” In 5 weeks he went from 8 lbs. to 12 lbs. The nurses and OB kept saying he looks like he’s 3 or 4 months old and he looks so healthy (and cute :). My OB just could not get over the fact that he is exclusively breastfed and as big as he is. The nurse said I must be producing pure cream 🙂  The OB even had to “show him off” to one of the receptionists that is expecting her first soon. She kept going on and on about him and that he is EBF. And said I should bottle my milk and sell it 🙂  Needless to say, GAPS is definitely doing him some good! Did I tell them I eat raw egg yolks and lots of saturated fat every day? No 😛  There was another baby in the waiting room at my OB’s office. She was the same age as Abram (mom there for her pp check up too). She was soooo tiny. She and Abram looked like they were months apart…when in reality she may even be older. Must be something in his milk 🙂

And what about mommy? Well, 2 weeks post c-section I was running errands with both kids and walking outside or on the treadmill every day. 3 weeks post birth I had put away all maternity clothes. And now…after gaining over 45 lbs. (a very healthy weight gain in my opinion) during pregnancy, 5 weeks later I’m only about 5 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight (and yes, I try to eat as much fat as possible). My blood pressure is great. I’ve been walking or jogging daily. And I have experienced a lot of digestive and mental healing already. My OCD is much more under control than ever. And I’m not uncomfortable/in pain all the time. I can keep up with my crazy kids that seem to not want to sleep/are not on a schedule. I’m excited about getting out and doing things this summer. And my milk supply is obviously good.

What I’m trying to say is…GAPS is definitely doable and very healthy while pregnant and breastfeeding!! It will give both mommy and baby everything they need. No, you don’t need 10 servings of whole grain every day. No, you don’t have to OD on fiber. Keep it simple. Lots of broth, meat, healthy fats (animal fats, butter, evoo, etc.), eggs and veggies. Don’t be scared of GAPS. It has done wonders for me and my baby. I would suggest doing full GAPS while pregnant. And being cautious if trying GAPS intro while breastfeeding. Work your way to it gradually so there aren’t any strong reactions.

Just for a visual. Here is Abram at 1 week old. And yesterday at 5 weeks old (already wearing 3-6m clothes). I think he wants to be bigger/older than he is. He always wants to hold his head up as much as he can and look around. He’ll be keeping up with his big sister before we know it 🙂

Homemade Golden Grahams

We used to eat cereal every day for breakfast. It’s been over a year since we stopped doing that, but every once in a while Justin still would like a bowl. But I can’t justify buying cereal knowing how bad it is for you and what a rip off it is. So I did a little brainstorming. And yesterday I made a new batch of graham crackers. But I used part of the dough to try making homemade golden grahams. I used the same recipe. I just rolled it out much thinner. Then I added a little sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on top and cut it into small squares.

Did it work? I think so. Not sure if they are more like golden grahams or cinnamon toast crunch, though. Either way they taste good. Justin tried them this morning with milk. He likes the flavor. The down side is that I was baking them with the regular grahams. So I couldn’t leave them in the oven to crisp up (grahams were still baking) else they would have burned. So they didn’t get as crunchy as I would have liked. Aside from that they do look and taste like cereal 🙂  I’ll have to make another batch that I can leave in the oven long enough to crisp. A great, healthy way to get your cereal fix. Even if we don’t use the rest of this batch as cereal it makes a great snack for little ones. Great finger food.

12/5/12 – I updated the recipe this week after making a new batch. It got two thumbs up from the whole family (even our little guy that doesn’t normally like sweet stuff)! Do you miss having a bowl of cereal once in a while? Try some homemade golden grahams. Crunchy, sweet, delicious!! Eat them plain, mixed in yogurt or with milk. So good.

Homemade Golden Grahams

2 cups whole wheat flour (or a combination of organic whole wheat and all purpose)
1/2 cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar) or brown cane sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. honey (sometimes I substitute molasses for some of the honey to give extra graham flavor)
1/2 cup butter, coconut oil or a combo of both, melted (butter works best for golden grahams to give the crunch; coconut oil works best for cinnamon toast crunch to get the lighter/crispier texture)

cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling on top (optional…if you want it more like cinnamon toast crunch)

Heat oven to 350. Melt butter/coconut oil in sauce pan. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the liquids: honey, vanilla and butter. Stir well until a nice ball of dough is formed – not crumbly (if too dry add more honey or butter/oil).

Split dough into 3 equal parts. Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper the size of a cookie sheet. Lay one piece on table. Put 1/3 of dough on the paper. Lay a 2nd piece of parchment on top of dough. Squish the dough down a little with your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the parchment paper. Roll the dough until it is very thin (1/16th” or so). Remove the top piece of parchment paper.

Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Put parchment paper back down. Roll over lightly to press cinnamon in – if making cinnamon toast crunch.

Cut into small squares (with pizza cutter). Place on a baking sheet (on the parchment paper…just move the whole thing onto the baking sheet). Repeat for rest of dough.

Bake for 8 minutes*. Turn the oven off, but leave the cereal in to get crisp. Remove after 5-10 min. Let cool completely. Store in airtight container or in the freezer.

*The cereal should be baked on the top oven rack. It works best to do one pan at a time to avoid burning.