Discovering Health: One Week YEAR Later

A year! You guys, so much has changed, and I want to share the BIGGEST change.

I have unofficially be diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

Unofficially, because I haven't had a endoscopy to confirm.

Unofficially, because the diet changes suggested by my doctor and through my research are helping.

After going gluten and dairy free and not seeing significant improvement. The doctor suggested the low FODMAP diet. But yet, I was still spending days unable to leave the house and always carrying a change of clothes and mapping where the nearest bathroom was. Something, I have done for years.

At the first of year, I switched to the Paleo diet, and the road hasn't be easy, but I have seen amazing improvements, and have been able to start running again.

What is the Paleo diet?

Well, if you ask different people you'll get different answers. The basic guidelines are:

DO EAT:                                                                     DO NOT EAT:

Grass fed meats                                                           Cereal Grains

Fish/seafood                                                                Legumes

Fresh fruits and vegetables                                          Dairy

Nuts                                                                             Refined Sugar
Healthy oils                                                                 Potatoes
                                                                                    Processed Foods
                                                                                    Refined fats and oils

What does this mean for me?

I already can't eat gluten and dairy. But I have no cut out all grains, on top of being gluten free. It seems like I can't eat anything, but there is a lot that I can eat. Namely:

Bacon
Eggs
Sweet Potatoes
Fruit and most vegetables

I don't want to become another "mommy blogger" or another "food blogger". But I do want to share my recipes, trials, failures, and other food related topics with you. I love to eat, and not that I am not spending half my life sick from food, I am really enjoy it.

Look forward to some recipes on Fridays and more Discovering Health posts on Tuesdays.

One year Later

I am BACK!!

Sorry, this year has been a crazy one. A lot has happened, a lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same.

Getting back into blogging post baby has been hard. So I am trying to set aside a specific time for writing along with everything else I need to do.

I plan to write 3 times a week.

Tomorrow I plan to tell you about the biggest change to my life. (And no is not another baby)

Later this week we will talk a bit about emergency preparedness, which is going to me my main focus this year. I hope for to try for at least one post a month about different aspects of emergency preparedness.

Until tomorrow!

Tasty Tuesday: Santa Fe Chicken

This is a recipe that I have modified from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. The first time I made it was before Mr. Z was born. I made a double batch, and put half in the freezer for the postpartum period.

Then a few months ago, I decided to make it again. Wonderful Man, told me that this was something to add to the regular rotation.

It is a easy, one pot meal, especially, if you have a deep ovenproof skillet.

It is also a meal you can customize to your tastes.

Vegan? Just skip the chicken

No need to be gluten free? You can use all purpose flour instead of brown rice flour.

Want it spicy? Add some cayenne pepper.

Santa Fe Chicken

Recipe modified from Better Homes and Gardens

Printable Version

Chicken:

1-2 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks

¼ cup Brown Rice Flour

1 ½ tsp Chili Powder

½ tsp Black Pepper

Rice:

½ cup chopped Onion

½ cup chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 ½ cup cooked black beans (or 1 14.5 oz can black beans)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup Tomato Juice

1 can Corn, drained (or 1 cup frozen Corn)

⅔ cup Long Grain White Rice

½ tsp Chili powder

½ tsp Cumin

2 cloves Garlic, minced

In a medium bowl combine the rice flour, chili powder, and pepper. Add the chicken chunks and stir to coat.

In a nonstick deep oven proof skillet, brown the chicken, about 5 minutes per side over medium high. Remove from pan, place on a plate and cover with a foil tent to keep warm. Wipe out the skillet.

Return the skillet to medium, and saute the onion and bell pepper until transparent and very tender. Add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, corn, rice, chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and add the browned chicken on top. Cover and bake at 375F for 45 to 50 minutes until chicken is fully cooked, and the rice is done.

Serves: 4-6

Before Baking

After baking

This is a great dish to double and save half for a night you don't want to cook.

To freeze, just get ready to bake, and freeze instead. I like to put it in a foil pan, that way, I am not having a pan tied up in the freezer, and I can just toss the pan. Quick, simple, and fast!

This is our meal ready for the freezer.

Covered in foil, and then directions written on a ziploc.

I like to write the directions on the meal before freezing, either on the foil or the ziploc, or on a card.

Hope you can enjoy this meal, as much a Wonderful Man does.

Closer

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I rarely share my beliefs, mostly out of fear. This post is not to try and convert you, it is just about the thought I had driving home from church this afternoon. I feel that no matter your belief system, you can get something out of this. Please, open your mind and heart, and think about who you can get closer to.

I have been struggling with my faith, for quite some time now. Events in life, have led me to start asking questions. Questions, that sometimes, I do not want the answer to.

I was never one to just accept what I was being taught at church. I remember making a few Sunday school teachers mad with my questions.

When my mom died, I had a really hard time, I didn't let on. I didn't want to appear weak. I was pregnant, I kept telling myself,  "I needed to be strong, I HAD to be strong. If not for me, for my baby."

About a month before my son was born, I had the realization, that I needed to start finding my faith again. I needed to know what I believed, so that I could have the hope that so many at church would talk about. This hope that told them, despite how awful the world is, they know everything will be alright, if not now, in the eternities.

My husband and I were married in the Temple. We participated in a special ceremony, that as members of the LDS faith, we believe that if we are true and faithful, we are bonded together as husband and wife for all eternity.



Even with my wavering faith, I knew, that I loved my husband, and I wanted to be with him for all eternity (even on the bad days). I knew, that the promise to be together in the eternities, would be fulfilled, but I just needed to find the faith to continue to live the way needed for that fulfillment.

It has been over a year since, that realization.

I don't feel that much closer to my Heavenly Father (God), nor do I feel much stronger in my Faith.

Lately, I have been asking myself, why? Why do I feel such a disconnect from Him?

Is is because, even after 5 years in the same congregation, I still have no close friends?

Is it because, we don't live in an apartment complex? (90% of the congregation lives in apartments, and most live in one or two different complexes. We live in a duplex, away from "apartment land".)

Is it because, no one sits next to me?

Is it because, of who I am?

Sometime, when I get depressed, I start to wonder, do I stink, is that why no one sits next to me? Is it my personality? Do I have no social filter? Does no one, want to be my friend, because I am judgemental? Or have done something to ostracize myself?

I have a hard time going to church, mostly because of these feeling. I want people to come and WANT to be my friend, and to sit next to me. I want to feel welcome and wanted at all of my church meetings.

These feelings have started to creep into other parts of my life. I go to a mom's group, and sometimes if I get there early, I feel like the people I would normally sit with don't sit with me. I makes me feel very unwanted. I have started to come late so that I don't have to sit at an empty table and pray someone sits with me. This is how I feel at  EVERY SINGLE CHURCH FUNCTION. 

But if I get there too late, I have to sit alone anyway.

As I was driving home from church, I had a sleeping baby in the back, and I was listening to the radio, the song Get Closer, by Seals and Crofts came on.

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer to me

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer to me

Darling if you want me to love, love only you

Then love only me

Darling if you want me to see, see only you

Then see only me

There's a line that I can't cross over

It's no good for me and it's no good for you

And there's a feeling deep down inside me

I can't explain it and you're wondering why

You say we been like strangers

But I'm not the others you can hang by your fingers

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer to me

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer to me

Darling if you want me to love, love only you

Then love only me

Darling if you want me to see, see only you

Then see only me

There was a time when you would come running

You dropped everything for the touch of your hand in mine

I was blind and know I regret it

I can't forget it, it's locked in my mind

And I can't go on living

Wondering if you'll be here tomorrow

People change and you're changing

And I've given you my all

There's no one can borrow

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer to me

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer to me

Darling if you want me to be closer to you

Get closer, closer, closer, closer

If I want to be closer to my Heavenly Father, then I need to get closer to him. That was the first thought that popped into my head.

Sometimes, the answer to our problems isn't ME, but that we aren't letting THEM in.

We need to let others, help us, we need to let them in. I want to be closer to my God, and I need to let him in at the same time.

Getting closer to someone, is a two way street.

Finshed Friday: Clutter to Art

It has been a while since I have done a Finished Friday post.

I want to share with you something we have been working on all year.

It is a process, and we are in the "worst stage". You know the stage where everything is in shambles before the calm.

It is driving me crazy.

I just want to pack everything up and toss it, but there are things I know we do not want to lose.

We had on our bookshelf a shelf devoted to nick nacks. Most of them were from our wedding, and just collecting dust.

Mr. Z is a climber and I wanted to try to make our bookshelf less of object of desire.

This year we are in a MASSIVE de-cluttering movement, and I didn't just want to box them up and store them. And to make the bookshelf less of an obstacle. I took the bottom shelf off and moved everything up.

Doing that, I had to find a new home for the nick nacks. This finally got me to make two shadow boxes, something I have been wanting to do for years.

I made one for Mr. Z of some of his items from the hospital, his homecoming outfit, and the notes on the birth from the doula.

Then I made a shadow box of some things from our wedding and honeymoon.

It took use a couple of days, but we found the perfect home for them.

Shadow boxes, are not cheap, actually the cost for them has put me off for years. But we wanted a nice way to display these happy memories and mementos.

Everything else, was from stuff we already had, the pins used, and even the background paper. They did take some time to set up, but we love them.

What is a recent project you have recently finished?

Discovering Health: Accepting Food Allergies

In November of 2011, I found out I have a food allergy. After YEARS, of being told my digestive problem was IBS, I finally found a real answer.

This one food allergy started me down a path of wanting to know more about the food I was eating, and how it was prepared.

I started reading about food, and watching food documentaries, and researching how to eat.

I felt like there was a different diet for every person who has ever lived on this planet.

Cutting out DAIRY has been hard, I still struggle.

A few months after having Mr. Z, I went on an Elimination Diet, I didn't stick with it long enough to find anything. After Mr. Z started solids, he started to show signs of food allergies.

I started back on the diet, and we started to find out what Mr. Z is allergic to.

I thought since I had this DAIRY allergy, I might also have a WHEAT/GLUTEN allergy. They tend to go hand and hand.

I ignored this for years, as I wasn't ready to go through the grieving process that would follow the change needed.

This last weekend my sister was visiting. And after being good for a few weeks, I lapsed, and we gorged ourselves. It didn't help any that she was pregnant and I have little to no will power.

As I write this, my gut is churning and gurgling. I have been farting non stop, and my joints ache.

It is time for me to mourn the loss of the staple of the American diet.

It is time for me to let go, and let my body heal.

I have cleaned my house out, and we don't allow any gluten into our house.

I have a menu planned.

I have groceries and full cupboards of SAFE foods.

I need to find the WILL POWER to be strong.

I have some great examples around me of friends who have made this change. I need to lean on them more. I hope they don't mind. I need some cheer leaders.

Here is to one day at a time, gluten free for a healthy body.

Yesterday, I had my last meal. It wasn't a healthy one, but sometimes you just need some comfort food. Goodbye, dear friend, Gluten, Goodbye!

A New Life to Leftovers

Sorry there were no posts last week, but I had a sick baby. He is doing much better and now I can blog!

Leftovers are a thing that contribute to refrigerator stink. They also, are one of the major contributors to food waste. That and not using food before it spoils, which reminds me I have a head of cauliflower...

This is a topic I hope to hit on a few times, there is so many directions it can go in.

Here are my 5 leftover tips.

1) Think Simple

Having a simple meal, not to extravagant on the spices and flavoring, and then you can easily reuse left overs. One of favorites is reuse spaghetti sauce for pizza.

2) Use the Freezer!

I really wish our freezer was twice its size... There is so much you can freeze! We freeze a lot of left over soup, we easily get two meals out of a batch of soup since there is only two of us. Here is a great resource on what and how to freeze a lot of common items.

Here is a link to a printable list of how and what to freeze. You do have to sign up for the email list to receive the printable.

Here is a third link on how and what to freeze.

Be sure to check out my Pintrest board, Leftovers, for more links to how, what, and what not to freeze.

3) Make Broth!

It is slightly cheaper to buy meats with the bones (and skin for chicken). Save those bones and some extra meat and make broth. I like to add some veggies to my broths, and I will save a lot of the skins, peels, and little leftover parts. I actually keep a bag in my freezer for them and when it is time to make broth I just dump it in the pot. You can also just make vegetable broth from the leftover scraps from everyday cooking.

4) Plan Ahead!

Similar to number 1, but schedule your leftovers. If I try to schedule them so that they don't just spoil. Here are a few of our meals that get a second life.

Ham to Navy Bean Soup
Roasted Chicken to Chicken Salad Sandwiches or taco meat or soup
Tacos to Taco Soup

5) Vegetables

Vegetable leftovers are a great way to "beef up" a meal. We have a side of steamed veggies with a lot of our meals. and I always steam extras to use in our next meal, just to help a make it rounder. You will be surprised at how great pasta sauce and broccoli and carrots go together.


What do you do with leftovers?