So Many Catchy Titles, I Couldn't Decide...

Here are some of the possible choices - leave a comment to tell me your favorite or give me another suggestion!

Parasites: Friend or Foe?
My Parasite Likes Your Parasite
What the Helminth?
The Helminth Within
Should They Stay or Should They Go?

So, I have been researching parasites lately. And guess what - you all have them! There is no way possible that you don't have a parasite right now, unless you have recently been "de-wormed" and by recently that means probably within the last six weeks.

While I would love to write long posts on this topic, I simply can not (my parasites are tired), so I am going to share some of the gleanings of the research and information I have come across via some links below so you can read and research too.

Even if your parasite doesn't want you to know about it (ha, ha!- really them), and so a little voice is saying inside you that you don't need to know this stuff (also called denial), you'll probably want to read the links so that you can come up with some catchy titles for this post and also so you can understand the references I make in my options above. Incidentally, worms and yeast are good buddies, so expect some forthcoming information on yeast-overgrowth.

Enjoy!

First, this post - Parasites: the root of ALL evil?, by a mother of a child with food sensitivities (and more). I really encourage you to go and read this post and the comments. She has done some wonderful research and is/has actively dealt with parasite removal.

This one is so interesting: from the New York Times, an article exploring the links between inflammation and autism (as well as asthma and allergies) during pregnancy and the lack of parasites and it's potential impact on our immune system, as well as information about research being done to restore domesticated parasites - don't you love that phrase "domesticated" parasites?!

I stumbled across the posts at the Real Food Forager blog by chance a couple weeks ago when I was looking for a good roll-out cookie recipe (here's the one we used and it was great! and talk about yeast overgrowth - oof!). Got to reading about helminths - that's a friendly name for parasites - this post reviews some research being done using helminths to treat IBD (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Celiac's), MS and asthma, with improvements shown by the patients in every study; this post discusses the Hygiene Hypothesis and how certain helminths who live in us can protect us from inflammation. Did you know that inflammation is the root of many diseases/autoimmune disorders our society faces today?

From Real Food Forager, I came across this post and this one. Again, another mother seeking health for her child and herself. She is using helminth therapy for both of them. The second link talks more about that.

I reviewed the GAPS FAQs. You might like to do the same (use the Find button to search for parasites). I don't want to misrepresent Dr Campbell-McBride's suggestions on dealing with parasites, so if you want to know for sure, please read her responses; however, she does state in the FAQs that an overgrowth of parasites and worms can keep your gut lining damaged, so you may need to deal with them in order to heal. She also states that their are many natural supplements which can help, including garlic extract, olive leaf extract, oregano oil and grapefruit seed extract. Prescription medication (Mebendazole) is faster than the herbal treatments; however she says worms generally always come back. She mentions that raw meat can be a source of parasites and so can raw fish - such as sushi - so does not recommend people eat it.

Here is a quote "Generally speaking, we all have worms. The important question is: are they affecting your health? If yes, then it is a good idea to fight them. But if they do not bring any symptoms, then there is no need to attack them, as they are a part your inner eco-system and may fulfil some useful roles, such as regulating immunity and preventing autoimmune disease. The typical symptoms of common worms getting out of control are crampy pain in the middle of your abdomen, particularly after food in the mornings, difficulty putting weight on, persistent anaemia (usually hookworms) and bouts of irritating dry cough (the larvae travel up the breathing passages into the throat to be swallowed again)."

and another quote in response to a question about eradicating Borrelia, a bacteria that causes Lymes disease, but I felt it was helpful also in response to thinking about and dealing with parasites.
"What every one of us has to do is to find a balance, a harmony between the myriad of microbes living on us and inside us and our immune systems. So, focus on feeding, nourishing and nurturing your immune system, rather than killing, attacking or eradicating anything."

Obviously this is a topic that is very rich and one that could allow this post to go much deeper, but I am going to stop here for now. Please remember that I am not a medical professional, just one woman trying to take care of her family, so my diagnosis of your parasite is only in jest. But really, my parasite does like your parasite!





 

Dairy Fail

Last week in honor of our six-month mark on the GAPS protocol, I thought we could try the dairy intro. We've already introduced ghee and we do take the High Vitamin Butter Oil, which complements the Fermented Cod Liver Oil.

We did the skin test. It was fine. So last Sunday we all ate a little bit of butter in our soup. The only person who showed a slight reaction was N, with a bit of eczema on the back of her upper thigh the next day. She used to get it there when eating butter once a week at our co-op in WA. On Tuesday, I thought hot buttered muffins sounded good, so we tried some more butter. Perhaps too much?

Both girls woke Wednesday with the sniffles and sneezes and L went on to get runny eyes and the worst allergic shiners! A little too coincidental. So I am pulling the butter for now (back to ghee making) and will hope to try again at some point.

The good news is, I haven't shown any physical signs of reacting to butter - the last time I had a small acidenttal dairy exporsure, I was sick. I am glad we tried because it lets me know that we need to carry on in our healing efforts.

So, now I am very inspired to find good coconut milk yogurt and kefir recipes!

GAPS Diet Three Ingredient Pancakes

Sometimes you don't want soup for breakfast. Sometimes you don't want eggs either.  Sometimes you just want....pancakes.  This might be the simplest pancake recipe you will ever try.  It only has three ingredients... well four if you count the coconut oil used to grease the pan. Keep in mind that the recipe may require some slight adjustment -i.e. if you use a larger banana you may need another egg to balance it out. 

My photo below isn't the best and I slightly overcooked these pancakes - you shouldn't expect yours to be so brown.

Three Ingredient Pancakes

2 eggs
1 small banana
vanilla extract
coconut oil

Blend the eggs, banana, and vanilla in a blender until smooth.  Heat a pan over medium heat and grease with coconut oil. Cook using about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.  Sometimes I cook all of the batter in the pan at the same time and finish the pancake off under the broiler. Then it is one delicious giant pancake.  You can also experiment by adding berries, nuts, cinnamon, etc. to make different flavors.  I typically serve my pancakes with a pat of butter and goats milk kefir... I know...that sounds weird.  It's good, trust me.

If you aren't the goat's milk kefir type then these pancakes would also be nice served with a blueberry honey 'syrup'.  I've made this sauce before sans the honey... essentially just cooked blueberries and lemon zest. It was still good. Of course I imagine it would be better with honey.

Blueberry Honey Syrup
1 c. frozen or fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon of honey
lemon zest (if you want to be fancy)

Gently heat the blueberries and honey until the honey is distributed and the blueberries are syrupy. Add the lemon zest and a tablespoon of water if the berries are too dry. Serve over pancakes.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin!

I'm posting up some treats for Emily in honor of her pumpkin obsession.

First, inspired by this Pumpkin Spice Creamer from Coconut Mama, I made this the other morning. I didn't use it in coffee, we had it as a warm breakfast drink (also known as soup!). You'll get fats and gelatin in this one.

Sweet and Creamy Pumpkin Spice "Notte" (Rhymes with Latte!) a la Kathryn

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or make your own)
3 cups coconut milk (canned (Natural Value is organic, BPA and guar gum free!) or make your own but if you make it, make it thick)
Seasonal spice - nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon
a pinch or two of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla.
6 egg yolks
a big hunk of coconut oil, maybe a 1/4 cup
grass-fed gelatin (yes, this is GAPS, after all)
optional honey if you want the dessert feature

Mix it all together and gently warm. I don't like to heat raw honey so I didn't let this get too warm. Let your gelatin "bloom" by sprinkling it and letting it rest before you stir it in. Both girls liked it and it was quite filling!

Then later you could make these:

Pumpkin Spice Coconut Muffins

I found a recipe for basic coconut muffins and highly modified it, so you may have to adjust the cooking time just a bit. Keep checking them. They turned out great and didn't last 24 hours. Makes 12.

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks and 1 cup coconut milk to replace whites (or use whole eggs)

1.5 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup, plus 3 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon each of cinnamon and ginger

a few grates of nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda (saw that it is now considered GAPS legal)

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare your muffin pan.

I like to put all wet ingredients together and all dry ingredients together then mix them. Let sit 5 minutes. Fill your muffin pan and then bake 20-25 minutes until starting to brown and not soft when lightly touched on the top. We put coconut oil and a drizzle of honey on them. No gelatin in this one.

I like the looks of the recipes on the Coconut Mama site. I have to go back and peek around there some more. I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Fudge and was thinking I could modify it too (less honey) or maybe not!   Might make for a tasty muffin topping or would that be too much pumpkin for you, Em?

Fall Weather and Pumpkin Pie Smoothies

Today is the most beautiful day - quite a change from the wind and rain of the hurricane the other week and the cold, wind and whipping snow we had last week from a nor'easter that followed on the heels of Hurricane Sandy.  It is one of those days where the sky is bright blue and cloudless and even though it is warm, the falling leaves and chill is a reminder that the warm weather won't last.

There is something about the change from Summer into Fall that triggers something in me. It is a little hard to explain, but Fall makes me think. It, more so than any other season, reminds me of the passage of time. Although most people think of Spring as a rebirth, Fall is my rebirth. It makes me remember where I have been and where I want to go. It makes me antsy to start new projects to refocus on old goals...and the funny thing about Fall is that even though they days are getting colder and darker, it makes me believe that anything is possible again. 



 

One of my favorite things about Fall is pumpkin – I love pumpkin in everything.  At the farmers market the other week I bought a few pumpkins, chopped them in half, scooped out the seed (salt and roast at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes - delicious) and put the halves in the slow cooker for about 6 hours. Then all you have to do is scoop out the flesh and freeze. Homemade pumpkin puree is much more flavorful than the canned variety, but of course, canned also works and Farmers Market brand uses BPA-free cans!

I've been making this smoothie as a dessert - it tastes like pumpkin pie filling to me. If you wanted more sweetness a date or some honey could be added.

 Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 frozen banana (unfrozen will also work)

¾ c. pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or ground ginger)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract                                                       ½ cup almond milk, coconut milk, or kefir (I used goat’s milk kefir)

Blend all ingredients in blender and drink!

Expect more pumpkin recipes to come... Like I said I'm an addict.

Halloween Duck

Downtown Manhattan, Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Well it has been a crazy couple of days here in New York post Hurricane Sandy.  We were very, very lucky given the amount of destruction caused by the storm surge and winds.  Seeing the photos of cars floating in downtown NYC where I work and houses under water across the river in Hoboken it is hard to believe that we were relatively untouched other than some downed trees and branches.  It is hard to know what to do and how to help.  The subways are still not running.  Manhattan is powerless from 39th Street down. Limited bus service is available with people spending hours waiting to get on a bus and traffic is even worse - lines for gas stations take hours due to power problems.  So we have been staying local.  I went to the gym yesterday and it was packed.  Everyone else must have cabin fever too.  I haven't seen that many people in the gym since January when New Year's resolutions are fresh in everyone mind.

 Warren Street, Brooklyn

Since I have had a lot of unexpected free time, I have been doing a lot of cooking - kale chips, roasted vegetables, roasted red pepper and tomato soup, chicken stock, apricot nut bars, sandwich bread, Mexican style chicken soup... etc.  Alex commented that if we did lose power we'd have to throw out all of my newly made food.  I responded that we may have to throw out some stuff, but we would most certainly be drinking the 6 quarts of chicken stock I just made. Luckily for us we didn't lose power.

Yesterday,  I decided I would cook up a duck breast I bought a few weeks ago at the farmers market for dinner. I haven't had duck in...well, I can't remember the last time... and I have to admit it was pretty amazing.  I served it with a cherry sauce and roasted vegetables.

Pan Sauteed Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce

1. Salt and pepper both sides of the duck breast and let come to room temperature - about 15-20 minutes. 
2. Score the skin side of the breast with cross hatch slices - this way it will cook up very pretty in your pan. 
3. Heat a pan over medium heat (I used cast iron) and place breast skin (aka fat) side down.  Let cook for about 8-10 minutes until browned and flip to the other side, cooking roughly the same amount of time.  You could also choose to finish this off in the oven if it is getting too brown - I try to limit turning on my oven since it makes our apartment a sauna so I just cooked it on the stove the entire time. My duck was about medium-rare with this cooking time.
4. Remove duck from pan when done and let rest while you prepare the sauce.



Cherry Sauce
1/2 small onion minced
1 orange juiced
1/2 c. organic Bing cherries (important to use organic here)
1/3 c. chicken stock
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (check to make sure there is no sugar hidden here!)
2 tablespoons dry red wine
Salt/Pepper

1. Pour off the fat left in the pan from cooking the duck breast leaving a thin coating to start the sauce.  Reserve fat in the fridge for cooking eggs/vegetables later.
2. Saute the minced onions until soft and translucent.
3. Deglaze the pan with the wine and balsamic vinegar, scraping up any brown bits.
4. Add the orange juice, chicken stock and cherries to the pan breaking up cherries with the back of a spoon to release juices.
5. Let the sauce simmer until thickened, adding more chicken stock if sauce becomes too thick.
6. Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary
7. Sit down with your small glass of red wine, sip slowly and enjoy your duck!

GAPS Diet Sandwich Bread

It is hard to believe that I have been on the GAPS for just over 5 months and in that period of time I have not eaten any bread. I have thought about it a few times but I never really got around to baking any.  The GAPS diet bread recipes all use between 8-10 eggs and I always shied away from using that many eggs in one recipe.

But yesterday, as there was a impending hurricane, I questioned what I would eat should the power go out.  The GAPS diet is not exactly conducive to eating your typical non-perishable foods. So I decided to that instead of running out to the store to stock up like everyone else - I would do some cooking so that I had prepared food on hand should the power go out (hopefully it won't - I have a lot of money in that freezer!!)

My recipe was based off of the one over at Nourished and Nurtured - click here for that recipe.


The flavor of the bread was very good and the texture reminds me of Food for Life GF Brown Rice Bread.  I won't say it is as good as some of the gluten free breads I have eaten - granted those did have starch to make them lighter, but for a first try it was good.

GAPS Diet Sandwich Bread
2/3 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
8 eggs
1 date
1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Add coconut and almond flour to bowl along with salt and baking soda. Mix in eggs, vinegar, 1 date and 1 stick of melted butter into the flour mixture using an immersion blender.  If you do not have an immersion blender sift the coconut flour otherwise you will have lumps in your batter.  The batter should be like thick cake batter.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Once cooled, remove from pan, slice and store in freezer or the refrigerator.

The Soup We've Been Waiting For!

A long time back I came across this post by Monica at the simply being well blog and I filed it away in my mind. I was really impressed with how excited she was about this soup, but I really didn't know how to go about sourcing oxtail. A few weekends ago I ordered "soup bones" from the farmer where we buy our meat and she gave me oxtail. So it was obviously a sign from the universe!

I would just like to share that both my children say something along the lines of "Yum. Yum. Yummy!" as they slurp this soup up! Coming from children who used to scream, "This tastes like chicken feet!" not in a complimentary way, a triple yum followed by slurping speaks highly of this soup.

I did not follow Monica's technique or recipe exactly, because I didn't want the meat to cook for 20 hours. That just seemed like it would be too long. So I searched around and found this post from the Cheeselave blog and then this is what I did:

My Version of Oxtail Soup

First make the Stock

1.6 pounds oxtail
3 carrots, washed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
peppercorns, lightly crushed

In some tallow, brown the oxtail on all sides. Then add the vegetables, peppercorns and water to cover and bring to a boil. Skim stock, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 12 hours. At this point I removed the bones/meat and pulled the meat from the bone. Tossed the bones back in and let them continue to simmer for another 8 or so hours.

Now for the Soup

I chose to make a very-thick-with-vegetable soup so you could adjust this for your preference.

5 carrots, washed and sliced in my food processor
2 onions, also sliced thin in the food processor
1/2 of a small green cabbage, finely shredded (by hand)
two big handfuls of yellow wax beans, chopped in to bite size pieces
2 - 3 quarts of oxtail stock
All the meat, fat, soft parts from the oxtail, chopped into very small pieces
a nice knob of ginger, sliced in the food processor (this makes it easy to take out of the girls soup)
5 leaves of chard, destemmed and chopped
one bunch of parsley, chopped
Himalayan salt to taste
tallow or some other fat for cooking

Put the carrots, onions, cabbage and wax beans in your soup pot with some melted tallow. Cover and let those start to cook. After the vegetables are becoming tender, add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the ginger, chard and parsley closer to the end, so they can just wilt into the soup. Add the meat to warm through and season with salt.

When you serve, be sure to add some extra fat to your bowl! Enjoy!

Tasting notes: This soup has a sweet flavor to it and the meat is tender, despite having simmered for 12 hours. In my next batch I will try leaving the meat in for the full 20 hours just to see how it turns out  I used my dutch oven to brown the oxtail and make the stock and soup and I think I put too much water in so didn't get the gel in the stock as I would have liked. I am going to try again. And soon!

Apricot Energy Bars

The other weekend I was down in DC visiting my friend, Allison and while we were in a coffee shop she pointed out some gluten free baked goods from a 'paleo' inspired local bakery that she thought I might be able to eat on the GAPS diet.  At first I figured that I probably couldn't because they were using agave nectar as a sweetener. But the bar Allison usually gets didn't have any sugar in it, just fruit, nuts, eggs, and vanilla and she was right, I could eat them. So I bought one for the bus ride back to NYC.  After 2 hours of driving I opened up the package and took a bite.  At first I thought I might have bought the wrong bar because it tasted bread-like and the ingredients on the package didn't sound like it would result in a bread-like texture. Allison and I determined later that it must be the eggs that created that texture.  Since I really liked the bar I decided I would try to recreate it myself.  The original recipe had raisins and coconut and no almonds, but I like my version and think there is a lot of room for variety with different nuts and spices.



Apricot Energy Bars
1 cup organic apricots
1 cup organic raw pecans
1 cup organic raw almonds
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pulse the apricots in a food processor until they are relatively small pieces. Add pecans and almonds and pulse again until the nuts are chopped. Add eggs, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and mix until the dough comes into a ball. Spread mixture into an 8x8 pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Layers

Now that we have been following the GAPS protocol for a bit more than five months, I am starting to get some other clues as to other elements that are effecting well-being around here.

Histamines - could these be an issue for L? I notice that when she eats improperly fermented foods (like Bubbies sauerkraut) she will sometimes get a rash wherever the liquid touches her skin/ Rubbing sardines on her arm created a rash that lasted a week (fish are high in histamines). When she had an skin prick allergy test the control spot - histamine - was the one that had the highest reaction. It created a satellite of hives down her back. In short what I have learned about histamines is that they are present in most foods, but some foods are higher than others. I thought this article did a thorough review  but I still need to understand this better and what, if anything, I can do about it while on GAPS.


Oxalates - could these be an issue for N? We notice symptoms of UTI's without an actual infection. Been testing certain foods by taking them out and adding them back in to her diet - like carrots are high in oxalates - and seeing if her complaints change. Here is some info on low-oxalate diet and a post by another person following the GAPS protocol on oxalates.

I think the symptoms people who have issues for histamines and oxalates are interesting to compare!


Candida - Yes, we have it. Confirmed via testing for the girls. No doubt that it is effecting all of us. This will involve dietary changes - less fruit, if any, and no honey. I found this post on GAPS versus the Body Ecology diet to be very interesting. We likely will also use grapefruit seed extract as a treatment to help bring the levels of candida down as we work to regain normal gut flora.

So these are some of the layers we are uncovering around here. In the meantime, we are enjoying soup, upping our probiotic supplement and still enjoying fermented foods. Got some fat in the freezer that I need to render so we can add that to more of our meals. Been busy around here!

Farmers Market Tomatoes

On Tuesday I got home a little early from work and walked through the Borough Hall farmers market. I wasn't really planning on buying anything, but then I saw a huge basket of tomatoes with a sign saying that the entire basket was $12. Tomatoes typically go for about $2-2.50/lb so I knew I would be getting a good deal if I bought them. I didn't really realize how good of a deal I got until the woman running the stand dumped the tomatoes into cardboard box and I realized that the basket contained 25 lbs of tomatoes. Being me of course, I was so excited to get this amazing deal that I wasn't really thinking about the fact that, one, I was wearing a suit, two, I going to have to carry home a huge (and surprisingly heavy) box full of tomatoes about 8/10s of a mile back to my apartment and three, what I was actually going to do with all of these tomatoes.  Alex laughed when he saw them and said that a good deal could get me to buy anything - and well, he might just be right.

So what did I do with 25 lbs of tomatoes?  Most of them I deseeded, cooked, and froze in mason jars (about 8 quart mason jars worth of tomatoes are currently in my freezer).  I also made a huge pot of chili (just onions, ground beef, tomatoes, garlic and spices). I also ate a lot of tomatoes - on salad, with avocado and sauerkraut, with cooked with chicken and mushrooms.  I am proud to report I only had to toss about three tomatoes - which I think is pretty successful.  I am predicting a lot of tomato recipes in my future since I currently have no room in my freezer to freeze anything else!

GAPS Dehydrator Snacks

We've been experimenting lately with making some snacks in the dehydrator. I generally prefer to provide snacks that are not dried, as it can be hard keeping N hydrated and I do count the water in food toward her hydration. However making some snacks in the dehydrator has been really fun and gives us some healthy foods to enjoy, especially when we've been traveling.

One of the things that is great about dehydrating snacks is you don't really need a recipe, you can make the quantity you want, pop it in your dehydrator and wait a while. Test them as you go. Our dehydrator has a timer and a temperature control and I like drying at 105 degrees or less to retain enzymes.

Some favorites so far:

Kale Chips
You can use any kale but I like using the curly variety as it holds the oil and flavorings and seems to dry better as it is lifted off the drying sheets. We wash the kale, then tear it in to pieces, stems removed and spin dry in the salad spinner. (Save the "scraps" for juicing if you want.) In a large bowl add olive or coconut oil and season to your taste. Give the kale a nice massage so you get the oil and seasonings all over. I use about three tablespoons oil for about three bunches of kale. Sea salt is a classic flavor, but we have also tried curry powder with coconut oil for a change - yum! Place into the dehydrator at 105 for 6 -12 hours or until done.

Butternut Squash Chips
We have tried butternut squash and summer squash in the dehydrator using this recipe.
The butternut one are ...hmmm.... buttery and very rich. The summer squash was more mild and N especially liked them.

Onion Rings
I sliced up some onions and seasoned them and popped them in. Tested them along the way. They didn't come out crispy and the flavor got stronger. I liked them in soup and on salad and N really liked them and ate them from a bowl.

Apple Rings
The girls and I just made them and they are fun and taste great. Again 105 temp and put them in for about 12 hours.

Crackers
We've made crackers from vegetable pulp and those were ok (I made up the recipe and didn't use Em's!) and have also made these seed crackers using a blend of sunflower and pumpkin seeds since we don't use sesame here yet. They were great!

Crispy Seeds and Nuts
You must soak seeds and nuts before eating them to increase digestibility and decrease the anti-nutrients in seeds and nuts (google for phytates). Soaking and then dehydrating them makes the taste so great! We generally soak 12-24 hours, covered with spring water with a teaspoon or more of sea salt (depends on how big of a bowl of seeds or nuts), covered with a towel. Then drain and rinse well and dehydrate at 105 for 24 hours. The time it takes to make these, though hands off, surely makes one appreciate this snack. I give the seeds out in small portions. The nuts are for Chris.

Jerky
This is the snack - that's why I saved it way down here at the bottom - so you'll be sure to go make it! We followed this recipe but I suggest increasing both the sea salt and the seasonings. I don't mind flavor! However, the girls gobble, gobble, gobble it up. We used two pounds grass finished ground beef and used the seasonings in the recipe following her measurements (which are for three pounds of beef). I am sure this would also be great with turkey, but we want a higher fat content. I wonder how lamb would be?

There are recipes for using a roast, like this one, but I think the ground meat is easier to get to an even thickness.

Enjoy!

Our First Illness While on GAPS

We are having our first real illnesses while on GAPS. L started a cold on Friday, which after a bowl of soup took a three-day hiatus and started again today. N started with congestion on Sunday, after our weekend camping trip. No doubt the mountain air, which was fresh but also filled with dust, campfire smoke and likely some sort of pollen, contributed to it. She is following her typical pattern of congestion, followed by not enough nose-blowing which leads to an asthma attack. She literally can't catch her breath. It's painful to witness and gives me flash backs to my childhood asthma experiences. She also runs a fever.

So last night at midnight I discovered that her inhaler expired in July. But Albuterol for her nebulizer is good until December so she basically had a treatment every two hours through the night - which is too much to not be seen by a doctor.

So we visited our Osteopath today. It's hard to explain how it works, but it helps N a lot to get a treatment from her. She has by far given me the best advice for managing these respiratory/asthma situations of all the doctors we've seen. She advises taking magnesium because it helps relax the whole system, including the lungs, Espom salt baths (more mag), a homeopathic remedy called Pulsatilla, rubbing small circles on the upper back/shoulder blades, lots of liquids. Today she also recommended garlic-mullein oil drops for the ears. N spent almost the entire day on the couch reading, doing a puzzle, being read to and having a few more sessions with the nebulizer.

On the plus side, both children got probiotic foods, broth, fats, and juice into their systems today as well as TWO detox baths(one at 5 am and the other a 6:30 pm) - oh - and so did I! I told L that the cold butternut squash soup I was spooning to her was ice cream and she ate it, though when I served it warm earlier in the day as soup she told me she did not like it. Good thing I worked in sales and marketing for so many years!

I am hopeful that tonight will bring easy rest for all of us and that more healing foods will be consumed tomorrow. This is N's first respiratory illness since March and that is an amazing stretch of time for her.

Garlic-mullein oil is great for ear infections, congestion in the ear/nose/throat and you can make it yourself (or buy it). So since cold season is coming, here's a GAPS friendly health care recipe, which if you make simply from garlic you could also use as a nice garlic flavored oil for eating. Find dried mullein in a bulk herbs section at your local herb supply store or online.

This is from Aviva Jill Romm's book, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children, a wonderful resource for health via herbal remedies and nutrition. It is a great way to learn more about herbs and how to use them in infusions, tinctures and more.

Garlic-Mullein Oil

Makes one pint - so make less if you don't need that much

1 whole bulb finely chopped fresh garlic
1 ounce dried mullein flowers
1 pint olive oil

Today I used about 5 cloves of garlic, a scoop of mullein and a 1/3 cup olive oil.

Slow method: Place all ingredients in a pint-sized jar, stir, cover and place in sunlight for one week. Strain into a clean jar, cover and store in refrigerator for up to two years.

Need it soon: Place all ingredients in a small pot, simmer very gently for 30 minutes being careful not to brown the garlic. Strain and store.

To use: Place 3 to 7 drops in each ear 2-4 times per day and do a gentle massage. I like to have the girls lay down on their sides for this. I also warm the oil by holding a lit match under the spoon or dropper for 1-2 seconds. The warm oil feels really nice. The garlic is antimicrobial and works on both bacterial and viral infections. The mullein is an analgesic, so is a gentle pain reliever. Plus you smell like garlic bread and that is always a treat!

Happy Golden Birthday, Natalie!

Happy birthday to my amazing seven(!) year-old! This child has taught me so much about who I am and who I want to be - she's the gift that transformed my life. She has a strong and sweet personality - curious and persistent and full of creative ideas. She can be shy and tentative at times too. Almost daily she writes me a love note, I am a lucky mama!

We recently celebrated Natalie's golden birthday and what a fun celebration it was! We started a few weeks in advance by reading Isabel Wyatt's Seven Year Wonder Book and I loved hearing N's intake of breath when we read the chapter (first thing birthday morning) where the main character turns seven. This book is very sweet and full of fantastic stories, which we really enjoyed and will read again! It really set the stage for the joys of being seven.

On N's birthday, she woke covered in gold sparkles! They are still evident in her hairline, despite repeated swims and baths. (Found a lot under the bed too!) There were some magic gifts from the fairies and the friendly dragon who visits our home, gifts from us, and a bouncy house! Both girls had been adamant that a bouncy house was going to appear for their birthdays, so we thought since a golden birthday comes but once a bouncy house would be fun. And it was.

We had a lovely family celebration with N's requested dinner of rabbit and squash and used the coconut cake and frosting recipe with some new changes, inspired by this recipe. We liked it even better this time! I used about a half cup extra coconut milk and I did use the 1/2 tsp of baking soda, as well as added 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar. The ACV is a tip I learned from a sugar free cookbook for providing some lift without egg whites. This cake had a bit more moisture than L's, but was still nice and dense.

I used the same frosting recipe as L's and colored it a nice golden yellow using the juice of a golden beet and a bit of turmeric. I also added in the zest of half a lemon and that was really lovely. A hint about the frosting is that it doesn't spread like buttercream  I worked with it like one probably does with fondant. I patted out pieces and smoothed them on. The frosting requires refrigeration and creates quite a solid layer!

We celebrated further with a party with friends, serving all GAPS foods we could think of that were golden-hued - yellow peppers, tomatoes, grapes, carrots - there were even golden eggs laid by N's hen (my first knitting project - I woke in the night and finished her as a gift for Natalie - she is purple with gold tail feathers, stuffed with golden wool and lays gold eggs of course!). Both L and N ate some egg white that day and seemed to have no issues. I wasn't anticipating introducing egg white that way to L, so watched carefully for the week and noticed nothing amiss. We will likely introduce eggs whites to her in the proper way at some point this fall. But I digress....we also had mango coconut ice-cream courtesy of the Vitamix. To serve four: blend 1/4 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice) and 2 cups frozen fruit and serve! What a nice easy treat that is. Birthday picture at some point! :)

Farmer's Market Fun

We LOVE the Farmer's Market here (we go to the Little Italy one). The farmers we frequent know us now and often treat us to extra eggs or a special item...you know like beef heart and chicken feet. We are the best egg customers at one stall and I was called "hard core" at the meat farmers, because I obviously bought enough to last the month. As she put it, most people don't buy all their meat straight from the farm and she said it with a thanks.

My helpers love to come and buy flowers and often ask for other special items like purple artichokes or fresh figs or honey sticks. It's always an adventure. I love being connected in this way to where our food comes from. Here's a feature (pg 24-26) on the folks who grow the eggs, chicken and rabbit that we get!

The double doll stroller is full of eggs and fresh herbs! See N's cute market basket?

Beautiful quail eggs...given as a gift.

Our haul that day way back in June.

Happy Birthday, Laurel!

 Our little sweetie, impetus for the GAPS Diet for our family, turned three this past week! She has such a strong and determined and sparkling personality - it is amazing and an honor to know her and to be her mother.

I love celebrating birthdays and milestones, and often celebrations involve food. That seems tricky when you are on a special diet, but does not have to be. Creativity and a celebratory spirit are what is needed!

Here is how we celebrated:

On her birthday she received three kisses from all of us in the morning. She found a special gift from her dragon friend, named Chou Chou. It was a beautiful green stone. The fairies left her a "3" that fits in wooden celebration ring on our table. She opened some gifts - a book (Goldilocks and the Three Bears), a bike bell, a ring. We had our morning juice and eggs.

At lunch we told the story of her birth. I wonder now if it was a coincidence that I went into labor with her in the produce department of the Skagit Valley Co-Op? We had homemade chicken/vegetable soup and sunflower sprout salad for dinner three hours before she was born. I  made a snack of red peppers and salami for Natalie to eat during the birth and labor was so fast I didn't even need to eat the honey sticks we had for energy.

We baked her GAPS friendly birthday cake in the afternoon. I used this recipe, for the cake and frosting. I did not use egg whites but added extra coconut milk to replace whites, used less honey for both cake and frosting and used the juice from half a beet to turn the frosting pink. Funnily enough this is her first birthday cake that looks like a birthday cake - previous years the cakes have been made with garbanzo bean flour and butternut squash "frosting." Put a candle on anything though and it is a celebration!

We went to the pool for an hour and came home to make the birthday girl's requested dinner: squash, beets, peas and eggs! While dinner cooked we made paper birthday crowns to wear, even some for the dolls.

We sang songs, opened some more gifts and took pictures. We shared the meal and the cake and L was most excited about the blueberries decorating it - sweet girl.

We continued our celebration later in the week with a simple gathering with our close friends from down the street. The children played outside, the adults talked and played and blew up balloons. We served chicken, squash, broccoli and the Vitamix made a wonderful mango coconut ice cream. Popped a candle in L's dish and sang her happy birthday. It is amazing the silence ice cream can bring on a summer night.

Happy birthday, sweet Laurel!

A French Inspired Dinner - Ratatouille and Cherry Clafoutis

Last week when I made eggplant lasagna I thought I was going to use a lot of eggplant, so I bought three.  I ended up only needing one.  That left me in the predicament of figuring out what to do with the extra eggplant.  Lying in bed the other night, it struck me - I'd make ratatouille.

Ratatouille is thick vegetable type stew that can be eaten hot or cold, as an appetizer with bread or as part of a meal with chicken or fish.  I have only made ratatouille once before and that was 12 years ago in France when my sister and I were staying for a few weeks at the home of our aunt's friends who had a daughter our age.  I vividly remember making the dish, cooking the vegetables in batches, stripping the thyme leaves from their woody stems and peeling off the skins of the fresh tomatoes, but I couldn't really remember at all what it actually tastes like. 

So with ratatouille in my mind I decided to make a whole French themed Sunday dinner out of it - with a roasted chicken and a clafouti for dessert!

Clafoutis is a french country dessert that is basically an thin pancake-type batter that is poured over fruit and baked in the oven until it is golden brown on the top.  Traditionally, it is made with cherries, but other stone fruits or even peaches/pears/apples would work well too. I went with the traditional cherry and it actually came out pretty amazing. I also used real butter in this dish - I am moving forward with introducing dairy into my diet and that is the first step.  It has been about 18 months since I last had butter and I forgot how amazing it tastes. 

First the Ratatouille -

Ratatouille
3 medium zucchini
2 small eggplant (I used the light purple Italian eggplants)
2 peppers (one red, one yellow)
2 large tomatoes
1 onion
14 oz jarred tomatoes (I use Eden Organics)
3 cloves garlic (or more if you like)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Bay leaf
Basil
Thyme

Chop eggplant and zucchini in cubes and set in a colander.  Sprinkle with salt and let stand as you chop the remaining vegetables.  Pat dry any moisture that has released from the zucchini and eggplant. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and saute just the zucchini and eggplant until tender, about 5 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside.  Add a little more oil to the pan and saute the onions and peppers for a few minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes, jarred tomatoes and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes then add the zucchini and eggplant back into the pan along with the seasoning and herbs.  Let simmer on low heat for about an hour.



Cherry Clafoutis - I based my recipe on this one attached. 

4 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk (homemade - dried, unsweetened coconut flakes, water, salt blended in Vitamix)
3 dates
1/3 cup almond flour (not homemade, I am lazy)*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 cup frozen cherries
1 tablespoon butter*


Preheat oven to 325°F.  Put the butter in your casserole dish and place in the oven to melt while you prepare the custard.  Put the coconut milk and three dates into a blender and blend until smooth. Add the eggs, almond flour, vanilla and spices to the blender and mix until incorporated. Remove the warmed casserole dish from the oven and swirl to coat the bottom with butter.  Pour in the custard and place the cherries throughout the custard.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until the center is set and the top is brown.  Clafoutis can be served warm or chilled - it is good either way.

*This recipe could probably be made with a few tablespoons of coconut flour instead of the almond and coconut oil or ghee for the butter.

Who says a GAPS diet lunch is boring? Eggplant Lasagna

 

 

While I was visiting my sister last weekend we had some grilled eggplant for dinner. Eggplant is something that never really sat well with me, but I tried a few slices and didn't have a problem. So when I went to the farmers market this past weekend I was inspired to pick up some eggplants and make some lasagna. It turned out really well - it would be even better with some cheese!

I served it alongside some sauteed green beans with red onions and yellow cherry tomatoes and had lunch (and a few dinners for the week).

Eggplant Lasagna
(makes one large casserole and one small casserole)

2 lbs ground beef
1 large eggplant
2 large tomatoes
24 ounces tomato puree ( I like Eden Organic)
1 pepper
3 zucchini
2 medium carrots
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
bunch of basil

Saute minced onion and garlic in a pot until soft. Add tomato puree and chopped basil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  While this is cooking brown the ground beef in a skillet, season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano.  Slice circles of eggplant as thinly as possible (very important - these are the 'noodles') Using a vegetable peeler, peel strips of carrots and zucchini to make ribbons.  Using a large casserole dish make layers with the vegetables and meat starting with a layer the eggplant on the bottom, then tomato sauce, ground hamburger, zucchini, basil leaves, pepper etc.  Top the last layer of the lasagna with fresh basil leaves and cover with fresh slices of tomato.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until vegetables are soft.

GAPS Diet - 3 Month Update

Yesterday was my three month anniversary on the GAPS diet. It is hard to believe that it has already been three months.  Like any new way of eating, the GAPS diet protocol has become somewhat second nature and now that I am in more of a routine it is certainly not as challenging as when I started.  To celebrate, Alex and I went out to dinner. It was my first dinner out since I started the diet.  We went to a fancy burger place down the street from our house called Mooburger - I got a bison patty with some grilled vegetables stacked on top and an arugula salad on the side.  It was very nice to go out to dinner so hopefully we can do that every once and a while.

I would now say that I have moved out of the 'intro' portion of the diet and am now considered to be on the full GAPS diet.  This means that I can include:

•  Meats (no deli meat or processed meats with additives, grass fed and ideally organic
• Vegetables (no starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes/potatoes/parsnips)
• Fruit
• Eggs
• Fats (olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, animal fats)
• Beans - navy beans and lentils (these are the only beans allowed on GAPS)
• Nuts and seeds
• Honey (the only 'sugar' allowed on the diet.  I am still not really tolerating it - it gives me asthma/breathing problems)
• Fermented dairy (I have not introduced this yet, but plan to soon)

I still have positive things to say about the diet despite my earlier rant and am happy with how everything is going.

Here are a few updates -

• I recently purchased new probiotics.  I am using GutPro, which is great because it doesn't have any additives, has lots of different bacteria strains, and is concentrated.  I balked at the price initially, but it will last over a year and I have easily spent over $150 since January on probiotics.  So far it seems to be fine.  I haven't noticed any 'die off' symptoms (which for me seem to be headaches and muscle cramping), granted I have been taking the children's dosage... probably time to increase.
• I visited my sister, Caroline and her husband, Kris, this weekend and they sent me home with some water kefir grains so I will now be able to make my own fizzy probiotic 'soda' drink.  I sampled some of Kris' blueberry flavored kefir water and thought it was great so I am excited to make some different flavors and maybe convince Alex to try it :)
• I have been making my own dill pickles and will start eating the sauerkraut I made a few months ago (it takes 8-10 weeks to ferment).  I started my sauerkraut during the middle of May, so it has been well over 2 months, but it just didn't taste ready to me so I have been letting it sit in the fridge.  I tried it again today and it seems to be ready.
• Alex installed the 'portable' screen door today, which I am excited about because it means I can air out the apartment when I am cooking broth, soup, etc. without worrying about mosquitoes (or worse) crawling in through the gate.
• I ordered the 'Oslo Orange' fermented cod liver oil in liquid form (the pills are just too expensive - $70 for a months supply!).  I was initially nervous that I wouldn't be able to handle the taste, especially after watching a YouTube video that was embedded on the Green Pastures website. But believe me, it doesnt really taste that bad at all, certainly not bad enough to gag like some people do, apparently.  My accupunturist has given me Chinese herbs to drink that make FCLO taste like candy so I think that is what I was expecting.  Guess it is all just perspective. 

I think that is it for now!

What to do with Vegetable Pulp?

I mentioned a few posts back that I have been using my Vitamix to make green juice - which is surprisingly delicious. 

The first few times I juiced I put the leftover vegetable pulp into the compost bag that I take down to the farmers market every week.  After a few days of doing this though I started to feel like I was wastingfood and since these are all organic vegetables, I also started to feel like I was wasting money.

So I decided to use up the pulp by making some crackers in the dehydrator.  I thought it was going to be complicated, but it was really quite easy. I went for a 'pizza' type flavor and they actually came out quite well flavor wise.  In the future I will score the dough so I get nicer cracker shapes and maybe try some different flavors.



Vegetable Crackers

3-4 cups vegetable pulp
1.5 cups sunflower seed flour (soaked, dehydrated and ground)
1 cup whole sunflower seeds (soaked and dehydrated)
1/4 c. black sesame seeds
1/4 c. tomato paste
Salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper & cumin (nutritional yeast would also be really delicious to give it a cheese flavor)

Mix everything up and spread it out on parchment.  I used my dehydrator on 115 degrees for about 12 hours, but you could also use an oven.  Note that you may need more or less flour depending on the dryness of the pulp. I would also recommend scoring the sheets so the crackers break apart easily. You could also do this half way through baking/dehydrating.

Still At It - GAPS Intro Stage 5/6

We've had lots of fun summer visitors and that has kept me from posting our latest on the GAPS diet for our family. We are still working through the stages and continue to try to focus on the basics for healing.

We've tried some different raw fruits (apples, peaches, blueberries, grapes, plums, mango, fig, banana) as well as honey, and tested for fish but only introduced it to N. I rubbed some of the fish (canned sardine) on L's arm and one week later she still has a raised rash on the spot! Needless to say, no sardine for L. Maybe we'll try salmon at some point.

L seems ok with some of the fruits (grapes) and not others (apple, peach), so I am trying to figure that out. The same for N. I am learning more about oxalates and am wondering if they may be an issue. More on that another time.

The honey is probably ok, but not in great quantities.

I also took N off the ghee these past two weeks. She has major nighttime congestion and I wondered if ghee might contribute to it. We're undecided on if this had made a difference. We'll probably reintroduce it and see.

We have also discovered the love of coconut butter (think nutbutter not cow butter!) and just saw this great recipe to make it at home. We have also tried some coconut flour and that seems to be tolerated just fine. This was the recipe I adapted yesterday for a big pancake (adaptions included: halved the recipe, used 1 cup home made coconut milk in place of egg whites, no baking soda, only vanilla extract and cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stove top for a while, then in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes and broiler for 4 minutes to toast the top). Nice to have a flour option for some baking. We can also use ground sunflower or pumpkin seeds (we soak and dehydrate the seeds at home).

This past week we haven't had any soup because the last batch of bone broth I made gave me such migraines that there were two days where I couldn't function, so we are using gelatin powder until I make some meat broth. I made some coconut milk jello and we also sprinkle it on our food - it is plain but does have a texture when you don't dissolve it.

The fermenting and juicing continues, though I really need to get a digital scale to aid in brine making for the ferments. Our favorites are ginger carrots, beets, onions. Our kraut will be ready in a few weeks - it takes 10 weeks for cabbage based ferments to be ready to eat.

A bit slack on the detox baths - but we have spent time in the ocean and to me that counts as a salt bath!

I have to remind myself that we have significantly expanded L's (and my) diet since starting GAPS  egg yolks, ghee, beef, duck, lamb, coconut products (oil, butter, flour), some fruits are now all part of our diet - or can be any way! This is very positive, though I know we still have lots of healing work to do, especially for L.

In other news, we are leaving on Saturday for a visit to Washington to see our friends there. I am thankful that I feel like we can travel and have enough foods that we will be fine. Our hotel has a little kitchen so I can bake squash and make chicken and we can cook eggs and vegetables. And we can eat avocado, cucumber, grapes, peppers and Bubbies pickles and kraut so we certainly won't starve. We won't be eating out, but we will enjoy the time with friends!

No Grains No Problems - 'Spaghetti' and Meat Sauce

Although I can't really justify another kitchen gadget after buying a dehydrator and a Vitamix.... I seriously want one of these.

 

Then you can turn zucchini into spaghetti. How cool is that?

Until then, I have been enjoying my own version of 'Spaghetti and Meatsauce' using cabbage cut into thin slices, sauteed and then topped with ground beef and vegetables.  It is pretty delicious and has helped me squash those pasta cravings.

It would also probably be pretty good with pesto and chicken.  Stay tuned for that one...

 

'Spaghetti and Meatsauce'

- 1 head red or green cabbage
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1 medium onion
- 2 small zucchini
- 1 carrot
- 1 jar Eden organic tomato sauce
- garlic
- oregano, basil, salt, pepper

Slice cabbage into thin strips and saute in the fat from chicken stock. Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of stock as needed until cabbage is soft.  While this is cooking, saute onion, zucchini, and carrot until softened. Add beef to skillet, breaking up while cooking. Add spices and garlic and heat through. Enjoy!





The Vitamix and My First Green Juice

So after a week and a half of patiently waiting, my Vitamix finally arrived.  I got the red one - since that seemed to be the most festive of the color options - plus it matches my other red kitchen items.

The Vitamix came with a book of recipes and a CD which I haven't watched yet.  Instead, I spent my time researching how to make a green juice that doesn't taste horrible. And guess what, I succeeded on my first try!

Here is my first green juice recipe:

1 large handful of organic broccoli slaw (from Trader Joes)
2 large handfuls of organic kale
1/2 small cucumber
1 lemon peeled and seeds removed
1 chunk of ginger
1/2 cup of frozen mango
filtered water

I was impressed how easily the Vitamix turned this concoction into a beautiful green pulpy mess.  Once I strained it out it was a slightly sweet and gingery drink that was surprisingly delicious.  I am looking forward to experimenting some more with different recipes and vegetables like celery, cabbage, and tomatoes, plus making coconut milk and 'icecream' - yum!

GAPS Diet Gripes

Don't get me wrong, I believe in GAPS and I can honestly say I can see and feel the results... but there are a couple a ton of things about this diet that are driving me up a wall.  Here are my top five GAPS diet gripes.

#5. Planning
Nothing can be done on a whim when you are on the GAPS diet. Traveling or even a trip into the city requires some planning because for the most part you can't eat anywhere - not easily at least. Even my previous gluten free/dairy free diet wasn't this challenging. It is getting better as I can eat more things, but easily transported snacks are hard to come by on this diet.

#4. Getting the 'Right' Things
You run out of _______ (fill in the blank) - it's not just 'oh, let me go to CVS and buy some more', it's 'let me try and figure out what product is going to expose me to the least amount of toxins'. I was in CVS the other day and realized I need more rewetting drops for my contacts and I couldn't find one that I felt comfortable buying, so I just left without it. Even something simple like buying new bath towels requires thinking and research, unless you just get sick of it and just go to TJMaxx and buy some because you don't have time to research or pay for the organic cotton ones with natural dye. There are also so many things needed for this diet, from kitchen equipment, to detox bath supplies, to natural home products, I feel like I am always having to replace and restock. I want to choose the best products for me - I just wish it was simpler to identify and locate them!

#3. Time
As you might imagine, cooking three meals a day from scratch takes a lot of time, as does preparing and packing food for breakfast and lunch to take to work 5 days a week. I usually spend 5+ hours on Sunday in the kitchen cooking food for the week and even with this prep I feel like I am always in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, washing dishes - and there is only one of me to feed! Nothing on the GAPS diet is simple - you can have nuts, but you should buy raw, organic nuts, soak them in salted water for 24 hours and then dehydrate them for another 24 hours. You can have yogurt and kefir, but shouldn't eat the store bought kind, you should find the appropriate yogurt culture or kefir grains, then hunt down a farmer that will sell you raw milk (and good luck finding one that will deliver in NYC at a time when you aren't at work) and then make your own yogurt or kefir yourself. You want mayo, ketchup, relish - make it yourself. You want to eat lacto-fermented and raw pickles/sauerkraut/etc. that don't cost $9 a jar - make it yourself. See a theme here?

#2. Money
I've said it before, this diet ain't cheap. One dozen pastured eggs are $8, the chicken I buy (which is the cheapest of the farmers market options is about $5/lb roughly $27-$30 for a bird, grass fed pastured ground beef is $10/lb and organic vegetables and fruits, you know those aren't cheap. I spent over $500 last month on food and that's just whats on the credit cards from the grocery stores, not the farmers market which is cash only....I can't wait til I have a house so I can have a garden and grow my own food and a giant freezer so I buy in bulk and freeze. Til then, I am going to feel broke.

#1. The GAPS Diet Stink
Yes, all the planning, time, money, and frustration of trying to buy the right things is annoying, but my #1 complaint is the seemingly permanent stink due to the GAPS diet - my clothes stink, my house stinks, I stink. I am sick of stinking like boiled chickens and garlic and ground hamburger and soup!

Well, I might have just spent the last few days thinking about and writing up my gripes on the GAPS diet, but in the end, even though it is time consuming and expensive, the diet is totally worth it. As a wise person reminded me when I was tired of spending money trying to figure out why everything I ate seemed to make me feel like garbage, "What do you have if you don't have your health?" The answer is - not much.

GAPS Overview - Detoxification

Continuing our GAPS Overview series, in combination with healing and nourishing through food and aiding our bodies through supplementation, we also must consider detoxification.

Our bodies do this everyday, since we breathe in and out, sweat, use the bathroom and cry. Our bodies have many ways to detox, but when overloaded from toxins in the air, in our homes (that new couch/bed/paint job), in our food and water, in our medicines and our beauty products, then we start to store toxins. Our bodies store them in different places - but mainly in fat. Interesting, yes? Just keep thinking about that for a while. Toxins are stored in fat. Your brain is made of fat. Your breasts. Internal fat layers resting next to your organs. You get the idea.

So, we need to include detox on this protocol to both clean our bodies from years of stored toxins and to help our bodies detox while on the protocol.

Some of the GAPS recommended forms of detoxing include detox baths, juicing, spending time in nature and surrounding yourself with healthy houseplants, as well as not putting anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat. Sounds great, right?

Go detox! But go slow, so as not to overwhelm your body. You don't want all those toxins breaking free overloading your system and being stored again.

Again, go please read more about this, as there is much more to know.

Emily

Since removing items that could tax the body will help the body heal and repair itself, it is essential to take an inventory of the products you use in your home and on your body to ensure that you aren't setting yourself back. I still have a long way to go on this, but here is what I am doing so far:

We removed almost all of the chemical cleaning products from under the sink. I never used these anyways because they gave me asthma, but it is nice to have them out of the house. For cleaning I am using Seventh Generation products and some Method products as well as just water and vinegar for the floors and bath tub.  We also use Seventh Generation for laundry detergent, but I have also made my own out a combination of borax, washing soda, vinegar - here is the recipe I used. It works well and is sooo much cheaper.

In the kitchen, it is a minimal use and/or elimination of plastics that could (and probably do) have BPA. I still use plastic water bottles as the stainless steel ones leave the water with a metallic taste I don't like. No non stick pans and no microwaving food.

We struggle with getting enough light in the apartment to keep plants alive. All of my plants live in the kitchen windows but I plan to get some that like the dark (do those exist?!).  Another issue is lack of fresh air since the air conditioners are in the only two windows that open. We do have a back door that we can open but it does not have a screen and that allows mosquitoes and other unwelcome critters to come inside.  I have a portable screen that can be hung in the door (thanks Mom!) so we will be able to open it and get some fresh air and hopefully let out some of that seemingly permanent chicken broth smell.

I have been pretty consistent until recently with the detox baths (using the shower filter to fill up the tub). I do a rotation of Epsom salt, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar. I add lavender oil or lemon oil to the tub too. Shampoo/conditioner is organic as are any body washes. For toothpaste I use Tom's of Maine - no fluoride.  For body lotion if needed I use coconut oil or Yes to Carrots. Face wash is Burt's Bees and hand soap is Mrs. Meyer's. I'd also like to experiment with some homemade face washes or shaving creams in the future.  Makeup is an area where I know I need improvement.  It is not really regulated by the FDA (shocking I know) and I can only imagine the things I put on my face every day.  I am slowly transitioning over to more 'natural' makeup.

I am not taking any type of medicine (Aspirin, Advil, etc.). For headaches I am using peppermint oil on the point of pain - and it actually works! Plus you smell like a big peppermint :)  I get acupuncture treatments about once per month which make me feel good and help me relax.

Getting substantial time outside is a challenge for me since I am in an office all day- but when I do it I feel so much more peaceful - even if it is just sitting on the bench at the park around the corner from our apartment. I must make an effort to do this more often!

 Kathryn

Clean home: 

We clean with water mostly and have for years. Some times we add in white vinegar and essential oils, like lemon or tea tree. For a scrubber we use baking soda. We use Seventh Generation dish soap and Biokleen dishwater detergent and Ecos laundry liquid. Made sure no enzymes are used in these as those irritate asthmatic lungs. But chemical smells irritate me in many ways both mentally and physically.

No Teflon pans.

Buying some more house plants is on my list and so is the tub filter. We do air out the house often.

Clean bodies: 

We all love the detox baths. Rotate apple cider vinegar, baking soda, Epson salt (include vitamin C powder in all to counteract nasty water chemicals) and sometimes add in sea veggies or dark greens. Out of lavender essential oil but would add that. Nice little site that shows you some of the purposes of each ingredient and ideas for more blends.

Skin brushing is something we need to get back into. It feels good and aids the lymph system in detox.

For the children:

Pre-GAPS for the girls we used water and occasionally Dr Brommer's baby castile soap, now just the water in the bath and soap for hand washing. I have a lovely homemade salve with olive oil, beeswax and herbs as the ingredients we use for any rough spots. We also use coconut oil, olive oil or any other fat that's on our fingers for moisturizing. We used a spry tooth gel and now we use water to brush their teeth. We used Badger sunscreen, sunshirts and hats, now we use the sunshirts and hats and avoid long term sun during peak hours. We will use Badger if needed.

For me:

Well, I'm on day 51 of no-shampoo. Actually I have just scrubbed my head with water and very diluted baking soda. And the transition is going fine to no-poo. I did this a few years back using baking soda and ACV, but just going with mostly nothing seems to be working really well. My children use nothing and it seems to work well for them. I'm not using deodorant and have no complaints. Funk Butter, my favorite, has corn starch which is a no. I'm using water for tooth brushing, but also playing around with baking soda, tooth soap and the occasional natural toothpaste (which has no's in it). I'm using a sunhat and scarves for cover-ups. I rarely used makeup or moisturizers, so not a big change for me and usually just used water and a wash cloth for my face, so all that is no change. I like coconut oil on my skin and the very ends of my hair, but no doubt duck fat would be lovely too.

Clean Food

No dyes, no sugar, no preservatives, no funny sounding ingredients that I can't pronounce. Organic, local/sustainable, pastured. Spring mineral water delivered.

Juicing is great!

Clean Medicine

We are going to the osteopath for the girls. I will also use acupuncture and professional massage at some points during GAPS. Herbs in the form of tinctures and infusions as needed!

Clean Spirits

We go barefoot, we get in the dirt, we climb trees, we play on the sand and in the ocean. We take a daily walk and also try to get the girls out on bikes. I go to yoga at least once a week and sometimes strike a pose at the park. We got a pet fish (instead of introducing fish oil) and we try to laugh as much as possible. Sometimes that last part is hard, but I'm working on it.