Thanksgiving- A Big Success!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  This was my first big holiday after changing my eating to grain & sugar-free, and it was great!   We celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family at my parent's house.  I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures.  I was in charge of bringing pomegranate salad and sweet potato casserole.  I also decided to make a gluten-free pumpkin pie so I could enjoy some dessert.

The pomegranate salad is so easy- you just mix the seeds from two pomegranates, one can of pineapple tidbits, cut up two apples (I used gala), and add sweetened whipped cream and pecan bits.  I should've tried honey sweeted whipped cream, but I wasn't brave enough & used a tiny bit of powdered sugar in it.  This recipe is so forgiving, too.  You an pretty much just add whatever amounts of the different ingredients you want & it will work.  I would've added more pomegranate, but they were stinkin' expensive:  2 for $5.  My sister found them at her grocery store for $0.70 each!!!!  If I would've know I would have had her pick up 10 for me!  We love them around here.

The sweet potato casserole turned out AMAZING!  I am always in charge of the sweet potatoes, because I love them.  I always have candied them up & made them more like a dessert.  This year I used the sweet potato casserole recipe from gnowfglins.  It was a lot like my old recipe, but it asked for honey instead of sugar.  I also added a couple eggs, even though they weren't called for.  Everyone raved about them, and yes, I agree they were amazing.  I wish I had a picture.

Here's the recipe:

Sweet Potato Casserole (from http://www.gnowfglins.com/)

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons tablespoons butter or unrefined coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup chopped crispy nuts*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and chop sweet potatoes coarsely. Place in pot and cover with filtered water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover and let sweet potatoes cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain.

While still hot, beat or mash until smooth. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of butter or coconut oil, sea salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg; beat or mash until the mixture is light and fluffy. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 3 quart casserole dish. Arrange the nuts in a single layer on top. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey. Top with 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil in chunks. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and bubbly**.

When I printed off the recipe to take I forgot to grab the 2nd page, so I didn't remember to drizzle the top with honey or top with extra butter.  They were amazing, just the same, so I probably won't do that in the future.  My kids are begging me to make them again, so I'll probably make them again during the week.  I'm going to make another Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy the leftovers.

I think I'll try this recipe for celery root mash (from Recipes to Nourish) instead of mashed potatoes.  I've never used celery root before, even though I bought some.  I planned to use it in a recipe about a month ago, but I never got around to the recipe & I think it's still in the back of my fridge.  I'm a bit nervous, considering how awful my other mashed potato substitute went. 

I'll review the pumpkin pie recipe I used tomorrow.

Soaked Oatmeal- My First Time Using Whey

Last week when I was at the dairy buying my raw milk I overheard a customer talking about whey- she had soaked her oats in it overnight, and said she had a yummy breakfast.  Here and there I have seen recipes with whey in them, so I asked the salesperson about it.

She showed me the whey, which was only $1/bottle!  I bought some, and last night at the last minute decided to soak my oatmeal.  (When you soak your grains it helps break down the phytates found in whole grains. Phytates prevent the absorption of various vitamins and minerals, so if you break them down, it makes a healthier food.)

I had already turned my computer off and didn't know the recipe, but I decided to wing it.  I took about 4 cups of oats, and then put about equal amounts of whey, covered it loosely, and let it soak overnight.

In the morning it looked like this:

Looked pretty good.  I just wasn't sure how much liquid to put in it on stove, so I decided to Google it. 

Gulp.  In all the recipes I found I was supposed to put a few tablespoons of whey, not CUPS full!  I also saw one blog where the writer was talking about her oatmeal disaster when she tried soaking her oats.  It made the oatmeal all pasty & gooey.  Great.  I decided to go forward anyway. 

I ended up adding about a cup & 1/2 more water, put it in a pot, and then let it simmer until most of the liquid was gone (about 7 minutes).  I dished it up, and served. 

Nobody suspected a thing.  I was nervous that it would taste all sour and they would hate it.  But they didn't even notice!  Grace mentioned something when she was almost done.  She said it tasted funny.  But I said it was fine.  I put cinnamon and stevia powder in mine, and it tasted just like normal.  

So I was counting this as a success... UNTIL...    Me to self:  "hmmmm.... my throat feels funny.  It feels kind of itchy.  Is it swelling?  Wow, behind my knees is really itchy today.  "  Then it dawned on me.  I AM ALLERGIC.  So from they very start they told me I was allergic to milk and needed to stick with raw milk.  I even stayed away from raw for about a month & 1/2.  I haven't felt anything out of the ordinary when I drink raw milk.  The only problems I've had is when I EAT CHEESE.  Hel-lo!  The whey is what is left over when they are making the cheese out at that dairy.  I looked it up & the two proteins in milk that cause allergies for people are casein and WHEY.

I Googled "allergy to whey", and found that you can be lactose intolerant where you body doesn't break down the lactose properly, or allergic to milk, where your body has an immune system response (like swelling, itching, etc).  Well, that's me.  What I'm reading, too, is that you need to cut out all dairy.  :(   (Maybe a reason to reconsider GAPS?)

Another reason I might have had such a reaction is because I used so much whey compared to what I was supposed to.  Maybe a blessing in disguise, because now I know I'm actually allergic, it not being just an "intolerance".  I wonder if Jimmy is having any sort of reactions at work.

Recipe Review: Squash Pancakes

Happy dance.... happy dance!  Okay, Janae, you're my first non-related blog follower.  Welcome.  I know it was a huge step for you to follow a sugar-free blog.  That's okay.  I won't tell! :). 

Today was a super busy day- I spent most of it getting ready for my group piano lessons today and tomorrow.  When it was time for dinner I hadn't even planned anything.  I threw together tacos for the kids, and Jimmy ended up eating them too (He's been really good about his eating and has lost about 15 pounds in the last month).  He decided that they were better than the alternative:  Squash pancakes.

I had leftover cooked squash in the fridge, so decided it was time to try out this recipe from gnowfglins.com:

1 cup cooked, pureed squash [I used a little butternut and mostly acorn squash].
4 to 5 eggs [I used 4]
1/4 c. coconut four [I used this] OR whole wheat flour OR 1/3 c. sour dough starter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 to 2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
butter

Serves 6

Separate eggs.  In one bowl, whip egg whites a few minutes until frothy/foamy.  In a separate bowl, combine yolks with squash, flour, sweetener, vanilla and spices.  Fold in egg whites.  Fry slowly in lots of fat in cast-iron skillet over med-low heat or on a griddle with a bit of butter at about 300 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Watch for the bottoms to begin browning when the edges look dry and flip once.  If you find the pancakes are very thin and breaking apart, add a bit more flour or sourdough starter to the batter. 

The lazy way:  Instead of separating the eggs, just mix everything together in one bowl.  The pancakes might not have as much height or fluff, but they're still perfectly fine, especially for a weekday morning. 

Check out that crazy batter!  I'm glad I didn't put an extra egg in because they were moist enough without.    My first mistake:  I just hand mushed the squash instead of blending them.  Second mistake:  I think they would be better with the 1st recipe option of folding in stiff egg whites so the pancakes are fluffier.

The first flipping went better than I thought, but they still looked pretty rough!  The second side brown really fast and got a bit burnt looking.

Here's the final product.  Some real beaut's, eh?  They tasted pretty good, but then about an hour later.....  BLEH.  I feel SO yucky.  I have no idea what caused it- The new Grade B maple syrup I used?  The acorn squash I haven't ever used before?  Some of the spices in it ? (cloves, nutmeg, etc.)  All I know is that this is not on my list of favorites.  They're heavy in my stomach, and I just don't feel well at all.  They get one out of five stars.

Regrouping.... AGAIN.

This week I've been kind of down... overwhelmed... discouraged.. however you want to say it.  I think it stems from my disappointment of my Dr.'s visit last week.  I guess I was hoping to get some praise or validation from the doctor showing that what I was doing was making a difference.  I know that seems silly, because of course it's making a difference when you've lost 25 lbs & that's what a lot of people talk about when they see you (especially if they haven't seen you for awhile).  But I guess I wanted more excitement from my doctor.  I still like him, of course, but I'm a "pleaser" type, and I that would've really meant a lot if he would have mentioned it.

And then I was bummed about the sour dough not working out for me.  I'm still happy about having it for my family, but still.... disappointed.

I'm still eating very well, but I want to have something I'm working toward.  I still feel some candida symptoms, so I think I need to step back, look at the candida diet foods again, and make sure I'm cutting out what I need to.  I've been more lax in eating regular cheese, but I don't feel well when I have it.  I need to go back to raw.  I eat brown rice, quinoa, and buckwheat pretty regularly, but I think I need to scale back on those for the next few months until my next dr.'s visit.  I also need to cut out my natural sweets like honey & maple syrup.  I'm having them 3-4 times a week, when they should be out for candida.

I wish that I could find a meal plan that meets all my needs, and that would work for my family too.  I've looked at & tried a lot.  I think that I'll use the gnowgflins meal plan, but also tie in recipes from the grainless meal plan & gaps diet.  I just need to get it organized in a way that is easy to follow, including shopping lists & recipes.  Now to just find the time...

I hate being down.  I'm very blessed, and I know it.  I'm grateful for my family, my health, my church- everything.  I'll get this organized, and get used to these changes.  I need to remind myself not to stress it and bite off more than I can chew.  One step at a time.  Everything will be alright.

How do you get through discouraging times?

Sour Dough- Could This Be IT?

For those new to my blog, I found out in August that I am sensitive to gluten.  I seriously had no idea!  I was also told that I had an incredibly high Candida level, and I was sensitive to milk.  Basically I went off of most grains, all sugar (both processed and natural), and most milk products (except butter & eventually raw milk).

Once I had been off of wheat for a few weeks I could feel a reaction to it when I would have it.  Part of our sacrament at church is eating a small piece of bread (like the size of my thumb-nail), and my throat gets tickly when I eat it (I could have something gluten-free if I wanted, but I haven't thought it was worth the hassle).  This reaction, though, has been enough to make me pretty cautious.  I've been pretty good about not eating gluten (although I've strayed a bit more with the sugar!).

I've heard that some people who are gluten sensitive can handle sour dough or soaked grains with no problem (thanks, Kelsey via comments on THIS entry), so I decided to give it a try.  Kelsey also suggested going to http://www.gnowfglins.com/, which I had never even heard of before.  I LOVE this site!  So much great info. 

Well, one thing led to another, and one of my sweet friends surprised me by bringing over a pint jar with a sour dough start in it on Saturday night.  The timing was perfect, and it made my day!

I quickly started the gnowfglins foundation course, then jumped to the course on sourdough, because I wasn't even sure what to do with it, or how to feed it. 

My friend also gave me a recipe for sour dough pancakes, so I decided to try them on Sunday morning.
[I was going to post the recipe, but my ds cleaned up the counter, and I'm not sure where he put the recipe card!  I hope not in the trash.  I'll post it when it's found]

I ground some wheat and got the dough soaking the night before.

In the morning I added the rest of the ingredients, and the pancakes turned out amazing!  Much better than my standard whole wheat pancakes.

I ate a couple with Greek yogurt (with a bit of cinnamon and stevia).  It was SO yummy!  But soon after.... bummer!  Itchiness!  My throat itched, my skin itched, and I started getting a slight headache.  So, guess I won't be eating sourdough breads, either!  Bummer.  I'm still going to make them for my family, though, because they are really missing bread.

My friend also gave a cute little loaf of bread.  She didn't say it was gluten-free, but said it was made out of a bunch of grains like spelt & millet, and I can't even remember the rest.  I decided that since I had had the pancakes that morning, then I was going to eat the bread, too.  It was SOOOO good.  I need to get the recipe from her.  But of course, more itchiness.  This time I could see a faint read lacy reaction on the undersides of my arms.  It went away pretty quickly, but still.  Oh well.  None of that either.

Oh... and few other things that I noticed after having the pancakes/bread:

*  I get out of church at noon, and eat lunch by about 1:00 pm, and yesterday I was VERY hungry by lunch time.  Much hungrier than I have felt in a long time.  On my low sugar/gluten diet I don't feel those hunger pangs.

*  This morning when I woke up I was HUNGRY.  When I first started this diet in August I was worried I would feel hungry all the time, and thought I would wake up starving.  But I NEVER did.  Not once.  It's kind of comforting to have that full feeling, and not be anxious about eating again.

~This post is linked to Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist.com~

Productive Day with My Chef!

You may remember how I'm doing a trade where I teach my friend's son piano lessons, and she's bulk cooking for me once a month (see HERE). 

Yesterday we had our second cooking marathon, and it was great!  This time I took some pictures. 

Cindy's first project:  Cauliflower Pizza Crusts

These are SOOOOOO good!  One of my favorite recipes right now.  They are so easy, too.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

2 Cups Cauliflower

2 Cups Mozzarella

2 Eggs

Blanch Cauliflower and shred. Put in a strainer to remove excess water.

Combine with mozzarella and eggs.

Place in mounds on parchment paper making sure that it is distributed evenly.

Bake at 450 for aprox 10 minutes.

You don't really taste the cauliflower much at all.  I've also made them with raw goat's milk cheese, and they were great, too.

I just freeze them, then we can use them for a snack or dinner by putting a bit of marinara sauce on it, sprinkling a little more cheese, and then you can put any toppings you want.  YUMMO.  5 out of 5 stars.

Other projects from the day:

Two different types of lara bars.  Nice to have on hand for after school snacks.

Cranberry Scones.  These are made with almond flour, egg, butter, honey, and cranberries.  Super easy, and I LOVE THEM.  The weird thing?  The rest of my family doesn't get in to them.  I served everyone one this morning, and none of the kids ate it.  Strange.  I think they're almost like a cookie for breakfast.  For me?  5 out of 5 stars.  Not so good with the kids, though.  I'll just save them for my lunches or snacks now.

A couple of nice big pans of meat balls.  No, no liver this time.  Cindy doesn't do liver :).  We had some last night, and they're very yummy.  I froze the rest.  I found out something very interesting today, though!  I was watching a free video on www.westonaprice.org  (Check it out HERE) about cooking materials recommended for your whole foods kitchen, and they mentioned how you shouldn't be using aluminum.  I just realized that my cookie sheets are aluminum.  Whoops!  They said you could cover them with parchment paper and be okay, though.  That's what I'll have to do next time.

Yes, a very productive day.  It's so fun to have my own "personal chef".

It's Been Three Months?

Boy, does time fly.  It seems like ages ago that I had a dietary overhaul, but it's only been three months.  It's still hard for me to believe that so much can change in such a short period of time.

In 3 months I have: 

*Lost 22 pounds (it was 25 pounds one day, but I'm not going to count it until it stays consistent).

*Become incredibly in tune with my body... I know which foods affect it negatively, and have learned it's not worth the reactions of eating those foods (mainly wheat).

*I've eaten liver... twice!  That's monumental and worth mentioning (see post HERE).

*I've learned that there are a bazillion and a half ideas on what makes up healthy eating, and it is incredibly time consuming and difficult to sift through it all.

*Become more mentally clear.

*Learned about body brushing, bath detoxing, and coffee enemas.  I had never even heard of these before.

*Learned about colonics (see HERE), although I can't afford it right now.

*Learned about soaking grains.

*Learned about the Gut And Psychology Syndrome and how one should eat to heal the gut.

*Learned it takes an incredible amount of time to plan, prepare, and cook everything from scratch- more than I even imagined.

*Learned that my food budget has gone up by about $500 a month.   (I'm probably going to start soaking my grains and making things out of wheat, which is cheaper than meat, nuts, and produce).

I really could go on and on.  I've learned so much in this last little while it's hard to narrow it down. 

Today I had my first follow-up visit with Dr. Porter, the doctor who diagnosed my Candida.  I was looking forward to it because I thought we would do blood work and we would follow-up in two weeks and go over the results.  Turns out we have to wait until February to do the blood work again, because not enough time has lapsed.  That really bummed me out.  He didn't comment on my weight loss or anything, either, which surprised me.  He did say it seemed that I was doing a good job, and to keep doing what I was doing.

It was nice to ask him a bunch of questions I had- I asked him if he had heard of GAPS, and he was so surprised.  He said he loves it, but he doesn't think I need Intro to GAPS.  I also asked him about amalgam fillings (he thinks ideally they should come out), sore teeth, hair loss, and any other worries I've mentioned on this blog.

My next visit is in February.  Here's to a healthy and successful three more months!  That will be the test- to see if I can keep plowing forward, full steam ahead, with as much gusto as before. 

Gotta Read This- Wheat Belly!

I've read more in the last three months than I have in a long time.  I'm REALLY glad that my daughter has a Kindle that I can borrow- I find a book that looks good, and I can download it right then for about $10.  Guess it's time that I get my own so I can give hers back.

Last week I came across the greatest book!  It's called Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health, by William Davis, MD. 

Dr. Davis is a cardiologist that witnessed many of his patients regaining their health after giving up wheat.  In this book he explains how eliminating wheat from our diet can prevent fat storage, shrink bulges, and reverse a lot of health problems.

Okay, okay.  I know this sounds extreme.  I think if I had found this book before I started this transformation three months ago I would have laughed it off, and considered it too extreme, or just a big fad.  But the thing that I'm amazed with is how time and time again what he explains in the book I HAVE EXPERIENCED.  I am reading this book after the fact, and what he's saying is right.

He starts off by bringing out the point that men & women in the 1950's and 60's were much thinner, but they didn't exercise much at all (especially women- it was considered unseemly).  Today many people are exercising like crazy, but they're much heavier than people from back then- many even overweight (YES! That was me!)

Here he brings out the point that our wheat of today is much different that wheat of 50 years ago, altered by genetic research.  He makes the case against wheat by stating documented peculiar effects of wheat on humans such as:  appetite stimulation [makes complete sense!  I am not abnormally hungry any more!  I feel in control!], exposure to brain-active exorphins, exaggerated blood sugar surges that trigger cycles of satiety alternating with heightened appetite, the process of glycation that underlies disease and again, inflammatory and pH effects that erode cartilage and damage bone, and activation of disordered immune responses.

He states that a complex ange of diseases result from consumption of wheat, from celiac disease, to an assortment of neurological disorders, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, curious rashes, and schizophrenia.  He talks about "flop over the belly fat" vanishing when his patients eliminated wheat from their diets [YES!  I did too!  You know how low rider pants are popular for women?  I've hated that style because of my roll of blub hanging over the edge.  Now?  3 months after no wheat?  Not a problem any more. I mentioned this to Jimmy- how amazed I was that I could get so flat with out tons of sit-ups and ab work- Sorry Jillian.]  And he says that typical weight loss totaling 20, 30, or 50 pounds within the first few months was common [Right there, too!]

Here is the Table of Contents:

Introduction

PART ONE  WHEAT:  THE UNHEALTHY WHOLE GRAIN

Chapter 1  What Belly?

Chapter 2  Not Your Granma's Muffins: The Creation of Modern Wheat

Chapter 3  Wheat Deconstructed

PART TWO  WHEAT AND ITS HEAD-TO-TOE DESTRUCTION OF HEALTH

Chapter 4  Hey, Man, Wanna Buy Some Exorphins?  The Addictive Properties of Wheat

Chapter 5  Your Wheat Belly Is Showing:  The Wheat/Obesity Connection

Chapter 6  Hello, Intestine.  It's Me, Wheat.  Wheat and Celiac Disease

Chapter 7  Diabetes Nation:  Wheat and Insulin Resistance

Chapter 8  Dropping Acid:  Wheat as the Great pH Disruptor

Chapter 9  Cataracts, Wrinkles, and Dowager's Humps:  Wheat and the Aging Process

Chapter 10  My Particles Are Bigger Than Yours:  Wheat and Heart Disease

Chapter 11  It's All in Your Head:  Wheat and the Brain

Chapter 12  Bagel Face:  Wheat's Destructive Effect on the Skin

PART THREE  SAY GOODBYE TO WHEAT

Chapter 13  Goodbye, Wheat:  Create a Healthy, Delicious, Wheat-Free life

Epilogue

Appendix A  Looking for Wheat in All the Wrong Places

Appendix B  Healthy Wheat Belly-Shrinking Recipes

Acknowledgments

References

Index

So, even if you're skeptical, read this book!  I would love to hear your take on it.

The main that I've had to grapple with is how this book ties in with my church's Word of Wisdom, which is

revelation that contains specific instruction about beneficial and harmful health practices.  In one of the church manuals on gospel doctrine it states:  "Each of us will be healthier as we follow the Lord’s counsel to (1) use herbs, fruits, and vegetables, (2) use grains as a central part of what we eat, and (3) eat the flesh of animals sparingly. Each of these groups of food provides essential body nutrients."

I wrote to a fellow Mormon blogger, Newell Wright at http://www.lowcarbwisdom.blogspot.com/ after I found a post he did on the word of wisdom and low carb eating.   He had a great take on it. 

In his email to me he said: 

I have had some issues with the Word of Wisdom and wheat, and Wheat

Belly effectively gave me a great answer: the wheat in 1829 is not the
wheat we are eating today. Plus this: in 1829, the average 30-year-old
had consumed as much sugar in her/his lifetime as the average
2-year-old today. Most sugar came from either honey (which had its own
collection difficulties) or from fruits in season. Honey and fructose,
combined with man-made seed oils, have caused a lot of problems.

When we abuse our bodies by eating wheat, fructose, and seed oils, I
am convinced we are violating the spirit of the Word of Wisdom,
whatever it says or doesn't say about wheat. We need to contextually
interpret it: it is about not defiling our temples (bodies). If my
temple becomes diabetic, then I am defiling it when I eat things that
cause it harm.

Well said, Newell.  I love the insight.

*This post is linked to The Healthy Home Economist's Monday Mania.

The L.I.V.E.R.

WARNING:  Don't read this post if you have a weak stomach. 

I couldn't wait to write this post!  I needed a video camera yesterday- I wish you could've been there.

My challenge yesterday was to make meatloaf that included liver along with the hamburger.  I got my liver soaking the night before.  [Remember that I'm a newbie here, and had no idea why I was soaking it (I haven't gotten that far in my Nourishing Traditions reading yet).  After a bit of research, I found that it's to tame the strong flavor, not to get rid of impurities, as some suggested.]

I decided that I better get the meatloaf ready to cook before my kids got home so they couldn't see me & wouldn't know.  Best decision ever!   

First off, in the recipe it doesn't say what to do with the liver!  It talks about adding the hamburger, but never mentions the liver, other than there is a 1/2 lb in it.  I thought that if I cut it up it would be too noticeable in the meatloaf in little chunks, so I thought I had better mush it up more.  I don't have a food processor, so I just threw it in my Vitamix blender.  Oh. My. Word.  

What to do?  I considered tossing it out, but decided I couldn't give up now.  So here's what I was working with:

Gives me shivers just looking at it.  I pulled little bits of vessels here & there that were too fibrous to blend in.  I didn't get a picture of the fibrous tissue wrapped around the bottom of the blender blade that I had to pull and tug at to get off.  I went ahead and added the liver to all the other ingredients, but increased the hamburger from 1 1/2 pounds to 2 pound hoping that it would give more substance since the liver was so.... mushy.

Here are the two loaves before baking:

They actually don't look as bad as I thought they would.  I also added a glaze that had tomato paste, mustard, honey, garlic powder, and a dash of cayenne pepper in it.  Perfect for a disguise!

Here's the final product:

Not so bad, eh?  Everyone ate it!  And they didn't even suspect a thing.  It didn't taste that bad, but wasn't as good as my normal meatloaf.   Not too bad considering we're eating something that is so repulsive to me.

As for the side?  Looks pretty good, right?  Like some yummy mashed potatoes?  Well guess what?  It's PUREED PARSNIPS  (7 peeled parsnips boiled until soft, then blended with some butter, garlic, and basil added).  Even the description doesn't sound so bad.  But they are HORRIBLE.  Awful.  Yucky.  I ate all of mine, but was the only one (and felt a bit nauseous for the next hour).  Couldn't be because I knew what I was eating in the meatloaf, could it?

What an adventure.  I give the meatloaf 2 out of 5 stars, and the parsnips 0 out of 5 stars.

Regroup, and Back at it!

Halloween threw me off a little bit.  A lot, actually.  It was go-go-go from 5:00 am until my head hit the pillow at 11:30 pm.  Or was it midnight?  I can't remember.   I'm still trying to catch up on regular household chores, because it was such a whirlwind on Monday.

I did my grocery shopping and stocked up on a lot of what I'll need for the month (plus some.  I might have enough meat now for TWO).  Good thing Costco has those big flat carts- A regular cart wouldn't have cut it. 

I have one more month of my Grainless Meals subscription, so I'm still going to follow that for my family.  Today we're having a lovely surprise... liver in the meatloaf!  Shhhhhh.... don't tell them.  I'm going to see if they even notice, because it will be mixed in with the ground beef.  They didn't notice the chicken liver that I put in the chili a few weeks ago. 

I have to say, though, that preparing the liver is DISGUSTING.  Chicken liver wasn't so bad, but beef liver....  I was gagging as I was cutting it (1/2 a pound covered with a cup of water & the juice of one lemon, to soak over-night).  And I'm supposed to eat it?  I keep reading how great it is for you, and even read that some people EAT IT RAW, to get the full benefits (after freezing it for 14 days to kill any bad things in it).  I think that it's time that I write a post about the great benefits of eating liver, so that I can get motivated (kind of like the detox bath post).

This morning I made cranberry scones from a recipe from HealthHomeHappy.com grainless meals menu plan. 

Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups almond flour (I made my own)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
4 tbsp honey
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I used fresh)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a baking sheet with butter or coconut oil (I used parchment paper).  In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and honey.  [I completely skipped over this step.  I just threw it in all together, and it was fine.]  Combine wet and dry ingredients.  Fold in the berries.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes [I made mine bigger, so they took more like 20 minutes].

I know they don't look like much, but they tasted really good!  You can't see it very well in the picture, but the cranberries turned a bright pink, and I thought the tangy sourness matched the sweet honey taste very well.  On the down side, my kids didn't eat them very well.  I think they just need to get used to them, and I'll make them again.  I also don't like the heaviness I have in my stomach now.  I like it when I have fresh juice or a soup that leaves me feeling lighter and refreshed.  I give this recipe 3 1/2 stars out of five.


Projects I'm working on today: 

Pumpkin seeds- I saved all the seeds from our jack-o-lanterns, soaked them in salt water, laid them out to dry overnight, and I'm going to roast them all day in my 170 degree oven (the lowest it will go).

There are quite a few there, so I'm going to make sure to stir them often.  I didn't have room for another pan.

Crispy Nuts-  I soaked three pounds of walnuts last night in some salt water, and am baking them along with the pumpkin seeds.  Normally they would be ready by tonight, but we'll see how much longer it takes having them in at the same time as the seeds.

Roasting two chickens (then broth tomorrow)

Making two quarts of yogurt (ready for tomorrow)

Making sauerkraut (if there is enough time!)