Snack time

My kids love "chewy" bars. I'm not a huge fan of the ingredient list so I'm attempting to create my own, healthier, recipe. Attempt one today worked well but I will make a few changes next time. If these were for me to snack on I would definitely use almond flour ( which I'm out of today.) So this batch is for the kids. 

Chocolate "granola" bars:

Mini semi sweet chips

Honey

Flour

Baking powder

Unsweetened apple sauce

Vanilla

Almond milk ( unsweetened) 

Egg

Coconut oil

Oats

 

Put a little South in my dinner

Tonight's menu: 

Whole chicken all day in the crockpot

Collard greens

Boiled beets with sea salt and butter 

It was excellent! My first time making collards and I loved them. I could have set the chicken and beets aside and eaten that entire bowl of greens. To my two year old the beets were "red potatoes" and after eating one he told me that he did in fact like red potatoes. 

Mom 1

Toddler ... Well I got a point for the red potatoes tonight! 

Lactose!!!!!

So I added back in dairy products, butter, cheese, eggs and half and half being the ones I use the most. I had no issues and all was well. My hands have been doing amazingly well the last few days and I thought no tomatoes, no white sugar, no white flour were the reason. Yesterday I made some sugar free, wheat free, gluten free brownies with no issues, but then drank a big glass of milk after both that I ate (afternoon and evening) and suddenly I was having a hand flair up as well as asthma symptoms. I started looking at the common dairy-mucus-asthma idea and only found very mixed reviews to the legitimacy. Reading further I found the two big issues with milk are lactose intolerance and milk allergy from the casein protein. So I started to dig deeper. For those with lactose intolerance I went on a hunt for what products triggered and what products did not. Butter, Cheese, Half and Half and Full Fat Greek Yogurt are all lower in lactose or in the case of the yogurt, have probiotics to help digest the lactose so those who have a LI are not as impacted by the lactose. So while some folks with a high intolerance can still see issues even with the low levels of lactose in these foods, most people with a LI can eat these without issue. BINGO! So it would appear one of my triggers is not dairy- but lactose! For cooking I can easily sub almond milk, and I already take extra calcium. I will have to dig into options for those times I do want a nice tall glass of whole milk. I know there are lactose free/reduced versions. I may also experiment with local dairy milk as opposed to grocery store milk and see if there is any difference in reaction dependent on how they are processed.

Hand update

So I've been : 

No tomatoes

Very little/no white flour

No sugar (sub honey) 

Also cut out 90% of all processed foods but still eating some crescent rolls about twice a week and non ketchup/tomato condiments once a week. Eating out about once a week. 

Hands are amazing. I even washed dishes today without feeling like they were on fire and no skin issues. 

Amazing! 

Finding a good middle ground

Today I dove into some old recipes made a new way. For lunch I made poppyseed chicken. Instead of canned soup I used chicken broth, seasoning and milk. I added Greek yogurt for the sour cream

And I prefer it with a little cheddar cheese. It was amazing. I made a friend's rice recipe- brown rice made with chicken stock and butter.  It may have turned me into a regular rice eater. I served the chicken dish over the rice. Lunch was so good I couldn't wait for dinner to eat leftovers. 

This afternoon I decided to make some chocolate chip bread. The dough was more of a cookie consistency so I decided to bake them as cookies instead. They are very good cookies but I probably could have baked them as muffins as well given that they are a more cake-like consistency. The cookies are almond flour, egg, baking powder, rolled oats, almond butter (unsweetened), honey and applesauce also unsweetened with mini semisweet chips. 

My two year old has loved them all day. He just walked up to tell me they were good chocolate cookies. I call that a win! 

Moving forward

While it has not been perfect I consider this elimination diet project a success. (See hand photos) Going forward I will continue to work on diet, whole food, clean eating and avoiding trigger foods. I'll maintain this as a food blog in that journey and try to share some great recipes along the way. Other positive impacts include a complete lack of sugar cravings, junk food and processed food cravings are down. That alone is huge. 

Hands day 1:

Left

Right palm

How far I could open right:

Approx day 3:

Same progression- left-right-open right 

6 days in:

 

9 days 

So now we come to today: 16 days after I started, after adding back a few things to check reaction, overall my hands are in great shape from where I started. 

While they are far from perfect it's easy to see that cutting out so much junk in my diet and clean eating really had a positive impact. I feel like things are moving in a good direction. 

Triggers

So I've added some things back into my

Diet regularly and this is what I have learned...

Not triggers: 

Eggs

Cheese

Caffeine

Cream

Yogurt

Oatmeal

Honey

Potatoes

Red meat

Shellfish

Legumes

Peanuts

Wine

Ham

Bacon

Chicken

Appear to be triggers:

Sugar

Tomatoes

Soy

Still on the fence:

Wheat

Yeast

Gluten

Citrus fruit

Beer :( 

Sad story at the end there!

I apologize..

Being as sick as I've been I have not let my diet entirely fall to the wayside but have not been as diligent as I was the first week either. 

I started adding back in some dairy with no negative response to eggs or cheese. 

Adding back in pizza ( one slice the night I was at the hospital) definitely triggered some stuff. I don't know which was the bigger culprit the wheat or the tomatoes. I have not had tomatoes since. I have had a bit of wheat/gluten most of it today. I will see what tomorrow brings. It appears possibly milk itself is a trigger even though other dairy products did not cause problems. Is it te lactose or the sugar? Hmm.

I have not gone back to full blown sugar or processed products. I'm still cooking/baking and using whole foods for most of my meals. I don't really intend to jump back into that right now. I have no taste for sugar at the moment. Not only am I not craving sweets, the idea of them turns me off. I will run with that for as long as I can before really adding any back in. 

I'm also questioning my biggest trigger and its role here currently. Water! As I have been sick I have been washing my hands a lot. I have done dishes a few times and was taking baths daily to help with the pain. Is this making the biggest impact? I don't know. My hands are cracked but don't seem to really be flairing up with new blisters too much. I will see if that changes tomorrow morning after having some bread today. 

So the moral of the story is that I am still here and still trying to find some answers in all of this. Getting sick threw a curve ball in the game but I don't want it to derail everything. 

Day 9

So yesterday I spent most of the day at the hospital.  Because of that, due to a bought of pneumonia, I didn't eat must yesterday and what I did eat was far from notable. This morning as I was feeling much better I tried to keep up with my diet as I started to eat more. 

Breakfast:

Blueberry pancakes - made w coconut oil, honey and almond flour 

Banana

Lunch

Grilled chicken 

Corn

Dinner ( when I finally got the camera back out):

Home made chicken nuggets- almond flour, brown rice flour, old bay, salt, pepper, garlic and chicken cooked in olive oil

Mashed rutabega with nutmeg and coconut oil

Home made applesauce - apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey hand mashed 

My mom is here helping with our boys as I have spent most of the last 48 hours in bed. It was nice to make a meal that fit my diet that everyone could enjoy. 

Here's to a better tomorrow. 

Half-way there

Tonight marks the end of day 7. 7 days left of the strictest part of this experiment. 

Breakfast:

Brown rice "oatmeal" style

Home made applesauce on top

Black coffee

Banana

After breakfast I had horrible cravings for some comfort food. It was a tough morning and I'm feeling worn out. I broke down with my first big cheat. I kept out the wheat, gluten, sugar and tomatoes but had eggs with ham and cheese. Not the worst damage I could do but not great either. Damn, they were good! 

Lunch was a tasty turkey burger with califlour sautéed in garlic and coconut oil.

I attempted making a bread like substance this afternoon that did not work well. I will eat it but it is not even close to bread... Oops! 

Dinner was a super mega tasty taco salad. And by taco salad for me I mean ground turkey, lettuce, home made guacamole ( 1 avacado, garlic, onion and salt) and home made oil and vinegar dressing. It was 90% gone before I even thought about taking a picture. 

7 days down and mostly I just feel worn out. I have had a headache almost every night but hoping it passes soon. Hoping I get some answers from all of this. Here's to a better tomorrow...

6

Today has been a good day. Good food, good friends, and a wonderful swim at the gym this morning. 

Breakfast:

Banana, strawberries, turkey sausage with blueberries, brown rice "oatmeal" style 

Lunch was a salad after the gym with home made guacamole and dressing 

Snack time brought about another yummy banana cake 

Dinner was leftover chicken veggie stew with extra chicken and a "biscuit" 

Lots of water and black coffee and it's time to call it a day. Half way there tomorrow! I got this! 

Day 5-leftovers

Yesterday's menu primarily contained leftovers from various meals before. The biggest exception being my biscuits-almond flour, br rice flour, coconut oil, baking powder and sea salt 

They don't look fancy but they tasted good. They had a nice buttery richness from the coconut oil and a flakiness/crustiness that satisfied my craving for baked goods. I used them to make sausage biscuits with my turkey sausage and crumbled them into my turkey and veggies stew for lunch. 

Dinner was lamb cooked in evoo onions and garlic with butter beans. 

I was ready to throw in the towel last night with the awful headache I have had for days now. Also I've been generally feeling worn our and tired. Instead of eating everything fried, baked and sugar filled in the house, I had some apple cake with almond milk and drank some more water. I had a better nights sleep and went swimming this morning. I still feel foggy but overall better than the last two days. I'm almost halfway to 14 days so I'm pushing on. 

4

Day 4 was not so easy. I woke up to not one but now two sick kids and my first thought was to throw the diet out of the window for the day. 

But I did not. I found easy options and stayed strong all day. I'm feeling very run down myself and I don't know if I'm getting sick, it's lack of sleep or just my body adjusting to all of the changes. Hopefully tomorrow is better. 

Breakfast 

Brown rice oatmeal style 

Turkey sausage cooked with blueberries

Lunch

Spinach salad with grilled chicken and home made dressing 

Snack

Apple crumble/cake stuff. Apples, brown rice flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, honey. I ate it warm in a bowl with a little unsweetened almond milk. It was good comfort food. 

Dinner

Chicken and 7 veggie stew - grilled chicken, onion, spinach, turnips, carrots, green beans, califlour, bok choy, chicken stock, brown rice, almond milk,  seasoning 

3 days down

So today has been the hardest so far. I did ok all day until we had company tonight. I planned ahead so I had options for appetizers, entree and dessert I could easily have among what everyone else was eating. It sounds so good in theory. Once there was a bar of apps, crackers, cheese, dressings, dips and many other grab and go snacks I couldn't eat I had to use a lot of restraint. I'm learning a lot of my eating is done without thinking. I eat a lot as it passes by even if I'm not hungry but just because I see it. I caught myself a few times tonight reaching out for things I wasn't allowed without realizing it. There were a few dishes brought that looked amazing and were things I would have loved to eat. I said no to all of the above. It was a challenge but I'm glad I got through the day without cheating. 

So without further adieu:

Breakfast 

Blueberry "pancakes" ( brown rice flour, almond flour, vinegar, baking soda, almond milk and blueberries) 

Turkey sausage cooked in blueberries 

Lunch

Turkey burger with sautéed veggies 

Dinner (for me)

Grilled chicken breast and tossed salad ( homemade oil and vinegar dressing) 

I just finished round three of chicken and salad now that everyone left. Tomorrow will be an easier day. 

Day 2 Meals

For breakfast I had home made turkey sausage, brown rice ( oatmeal style- almond milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and cranberries) coffee with almond milk and a handful of vitamins. I will be adding blueberries to my sausage next time I make it. 

Lunch was veggie and chicken stir fry and a side of brown rice with coconut oil

Dinner tonight was blackened ginger marinated salmon and baked turnips with garlic. It was awesome! I had a piece if banana cake ( see previous post) and I am stuffed! 

So far this has been a lot of fun. Thanks to trader joe's I added almond flour to the mix today and got more avacadoes for more guacamole! Tomorrow night we are hosting a dinner with friends from church and I'm trying to eat/cook without making anything special for me. I'll post tomorrow's fare at the end of the day and let you all know how it goes. 

Satisfying my sweet tooth

For this afternoon I have been craving sweets and baked goods. So I tried to make myself a cake from what I can use. 

Say hello to some banana spice cake with coconut almond drizzle:

Mashed banana, unsweetened apple sauce, brown rice flour, almond meal, ac vinegar, baking soda, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, honey and nutmeg. Drizzle is coconut oil and almond milk w a touch of honey. 

Today's Menu

1/2/14

So breakfast:
Home made turkey sausage (very basic ground turkey with spices)
Brown rice cooked as oatmeal ( almond milk, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg)
(no photos)

Lunch:
Stir fried veggies with chicken (Bok choy, water chestnuts, broccoli, onion, carrots, grilled chicken breast and cashews all cooked in EVOO)
Blackberry cobbler (Fresh berries with a topping of coconut oil, chopped cashews, brown rice flour and a touch of honey)

Afternoon snack:
Brown Rice "biscuits" (brown rice flour, coconut oil and almond milk)
with Fresh Apple butter/chutney (Fresh apple cooked in coconut oil with cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg)

Dinner:

Grilled chicken breast

With fresh made quacamole( minus tomatoes and lime)

Steamed green beans 

A new Adventure..

So I decided to revive this old blog for a new adventure.

I have recently started an elimination diet to try to learn more about how/what food impacts my body. I have severe eczema that has just grown increasingly worse over the years. This winter has been the worst by far. My hands are the worst and I have had constant severe blistering and cracking for over 10 years now. When I was younger it would show up and I was able to get it under control and it never spread past my right hand little finger. Now it has spread to both hands, palms and all fingers. Many days I wake up and cannot open my right hand. I drop things... a lot. I have trouble gripping most things most of the time. One of my biggest triggers is water. Yeah, try to avoid water in a normal daily life ( shower, dishes, house cleaning, hand washing, cooking, etc) but add to the mix that I have two little boys under the age of two(dirty diapers, more hand washing, bath time, etc etc etc.)-so to avoid water is an impossibility. Also this winter my asthma has gotten significantly worse with my skin. After seeing over 8 doctors in this area who have all tried something as well as docs who made attempts when I lived in Colorado and Pennsylvania, and trying over 100 different creams/ointments/oils in script and OTC form, I have decided to try this elimination diet to try to pinpoint what the biggest triggers are. I usually have a major flair up in my hands every morning when I wake up so it would imply it was coming from something I am eating the day before. So after some research I have cut out most major allergens from my diet. I will keep it up for 2-3 weeks and then start the reintroduction process. I am journaling everything I eat/make and will see what happens as time goes on.

So the rules I am trying to follow:

NO:
*Gluten
*Dairy
*Sugar
*Potatoes
*Eggplant
*Wheat
*Soy
*Red Meat
*Pork
*Shellfish
*Tomatoes
*Peanuts

The things that I am not being so strict on that are normally included:

*Coffee
*Tree Nuts
*Black Beans
*Very small amount of honey
*Grilled Chicken Breast
*I may allow 1 glass of wine twice a week but I haven't decided yet

My staple items are brown rice flour, coconut oil, brown rice, turkey, veggies and fruit.

I have been on Metformin for insulin resistance for over 8 years now. I also take cinnamon which helps with this issue, as well as many other issues. So I am dropping the Met and sticking with the cinnamon for this time. I am going to stick with my daily vitamin combo at this point but will drop them if I don't see an improvement soon. That includes B-complex, D3, Saw Palmetto, Cinnamon, Women's Multi, and Calcium + D.

So other than learning what foods have the biggest negative impact on me hopefully I can lose a little weight and start my cholesterol moving downward during this process. The goal is to determine what has the biggest negative impact and cut that out permanently or find other ways to incorporate those foods that have less of an impact. I've already found a few recipes I intend to keep around after this because they are healthy and tasty.

I'll try to post every day or so what foods I am eating and after a few weeks we'll get to the fun part- adding stuff back in and watching what it does.

Thanks for going on this adventure with me.