Homemade Dark Chocolate

Homemade Dark Chocolate (not SCD legal)

1/2 cup Organic Cacao Powder
1/4 cup Organic Coconut Oil
2-4 TBSP Organic Honey or Pure Maple Syrup

Melt coconut oil in small saucepan. Remove from heat.
While coconut oil is still hot, add Cacao Powder and Honey or Maple Syrup.
Stir well until smooth.  The longer you stir, the creamier the chocolate.  You will see it thicken.
*Pour into a parchment paper lined 8x8 freezer dish, smooth out even across paper.
Place in freezer 30 minutes, then break into pieces.  Store sealed in a container in refrigerator.

EDITED: * Pour into candy molds.  Place in freezer 30 minutes then remove from molds and store in a mason jar in refrigerator.

This will taste sweeter once it cools.

This is my favorite brand Cacao Power HERE

NOTES:  I have seen several recipes on line to make dark chocolate.  Some add vanilla extract but mine got lumpy when I tried that. I usually use 3 TBSP of honey, and that tastes about like 70% dark chocolate to me.

Yellow Squash Casserole, AIP legal

Yellow Squash Casserole SCD legal            1-2 servings

2 medium organic Yellow Squash, sliced NOTE TO HUBBY...please peel my squash and take seeds out
1 medium Vidalia Onion or organic sweet onion, sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup homemade 24 hour yogurt
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cook onions in olive oil until caramalized about 7-10 minutes.  Beat eggs and yogurt together, then add squash and onion mixture, stir well.  Grease or spray square 9 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Pour mixture into dish.

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until it looks done, the egg and milk will be "set".

ALMOND FLOUR ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

ALMOND FLOUR ZUCCHINI MUFFINS     makes 12 muffins
2 cups Blanched Almond Flour (Honeyville is by far the best that I have used)
1 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Sea Salt
1 TSP Organic Ground Cinnamon
2 TBSP Organic Coconut Oil, melted
3 Organic Eggs
1 TSP White Vinegar
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Organic Applesauce
3 TBSP Organic Honey or local honey
1 1/2 Cups Organic peeled, shredded Zucchini (about 1 medium)

 Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

• Lay peeled, shredded zucchini on paper towels and mash moisture from zucchini, zucchini needs to be as dry as possible.
• Mix Almond Flour, Baking Soda, Salt and Cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside. 
• Crack eggs into another bowl.  Whisk eggs by hand with a fork.  Add Vanilla Extract, White Vinegar, Honey and Applesauce.
• Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir.
• Add zucchini and stir in.
• Add coconut oil and continue to mix by hand until all the dry ingredients are mixed well.
• Prepare muffin tins with brushed on coconut oil.  Divide mixture into 12 muffins.  About 1/3 full.
• Bake 25 minutes.  Loosen edges and remove from pan while still hot.  Place on wire rack to cool.

I freeze these muffins in freezer safe mason jars.  I am not sure how long they will stay good in the freezer, they don't last long enough in this house to know.  LOL

Almond Flour Banana Muffins, gluten free. SCD legal

ALMOND FLOUR BANANA MUFFINS     makes 12 muffins

2 cups Blanched Almond Flour (Honeyville is by far the best that I have used)
1 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Sea Salt
1 TSP Organic Ground Cinnamon
2 TBSP Organic Coconut Oil, melted
3 Organic Eggs
1 TSP White Vinegar
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
2 ripe Organic Bananas, mashed
(optional: add blueberries to muffins)

 Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

• Mix Almond Flour, Baking Soda, Salt and Cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.
• Mash bananas.  I just lay them on a plate and mash with a fork. 
• Crack eggs into another bowl.  Whisk eggs by hand with a fork.  Add banana and continue to mix well until banana is mixed in eggs.  Add Vanilla Extract and White Vinegar.
• Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir.
• Add coconut oil and continue to mix by hand until all the dry ingredients are mixed well.
• Prepare muffin tins with brushed on coconut oil.  Divide mixture into 12 muffins.  About 1/3 full.
• Bake 25 minutes.  Loosen edges and remove from pan while still hot.  Place on wire rack to cool.

I freeze these muffins in freezer safe mason jars.  I am not sure how long they will stay good in the freezer, they don't last long enough in this house to know.  LOL

GREEN EGGS & GUACAMOLE, SCD, CLEAN EATING IDEAS

GREEN EGGS & GUACAMOLE, AIP, CLEAN EATING

 

Doesn't that look like green deliciousness just waiting to be eaten!  I decided to try eggs for breakfast for the first time since doing the Autoimmune Protocol AIP diet for three months and now transitioning to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet SCD for two months.  Prior to these lifestyle changes, if I ate eggs for breakfast, I would be in the bathroom within 20 minutes cramping, bloated, painful diarrhea and generally ruined the remainder of my day in and out of the bathroom.  So far, no issues after eating my "Green Breakfast".

 

There are quite a few variables that could be making the difference in my gut health.  Let's start with the pan I cook in, I only use stainless steel pans now, no nonstick surfaces.  The eggs are organic instead of non organic.  I didn't cook them in margarine, butter or with non-stick spray. I cooked the eggs in organic coconut oil.  And perhaps the most important thing is this...my gut has had a total of five months of no refined sugar, no eating out, only organic homemade real food with three months to heal on the elimination diet and two months to continue healing on the SCD diet.  And did I mention homemade chicken bone broth every day for 5 months!

I used two eggs and a half cup of very finely chopped spinach in my eggs.  The guacamole is pretty simple.  I used an avocado, 1 TBSP lime juice with a sprinkle of salt and just mashed it up. 

 



Using Freezer Meat Meal Starters Equals Savings?

When I decided to start making Freezer Meat Meal Starters, it was more for convenience than anything but I am realizing that I am actually saving a little money this way.  Generally, I go to the grocery store weekly and just buy what we need for the week.  Since my diet doesn't have a lot of variety right now, I found myself buying what I had planned for the week without much regard for what I was paying.  But this week I realized we actually saved a little money by making Freezer Meat Meal Starters!

The Publix Greenwise boneless, skinless chicken breast that I buy are packaged two breasts to a package and range in price from $5.99 a pound on sale, up to $7.99 a pound not on sale.  Prior to making Freezer Meat Meal Starters, I would buy four packages of chicken breasts a week for four meals with leftovers for the hubs lunch or we would just overeat at that meal. Sometimes they were close to a pound and sometimes they were closer to a pound and a half which can really add up fast.  When paying $7.99 a pound that is $31.96-$40 (depending on weight of each package) just for chicken breasts for four meals!!   Not to mention what I paid for the meat for the other three dinner meals each week.

This week I paid $5.99 a pound for chicken breasts.  I bought four packages with a total cost of $25.96.  Each package was just barely over one pound.  I made Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal Meat Starter and ended up with enough cooked shredded chicken for six dinners, each freezer jar has 6-7 ounces of cooked meat which is plenty for the hubs and I per meal.  Not only did I save money buying on sale with each package closer to a pound, but we got six meals instead of four.  This also forces us to not overeat at meals and forces the hubs to eat healthier and not rely on leftover sandwiches for lunch (yes, he still eats bread with Hellman's mayonnaise and tater tots with eggs for breakfast and did I mention sweet tea LOL).

I know there will be blog readers who think paying $5.99 a pound for chicken instead of $2-3 a pound for conventional chicken is ridiculous.  Sometimes I am not sure if Greenwise Chicken is worth the added expense either. I am just hoping that in the long run, my health improves and I don't have to take medications to feel good. 

Even if you do buy less expensive chicken breasts, give the idea of Freezer Meat Meal Starters a try...it can save you time and money too.

P.S...I actually went back and bought more chicken while it was on sale and made Chicken Meat Balls and Ground Browned Chicken...my freezer is almost full!

Stuffed Summer Squash from Freezer Meat Meal Starter, SCD, AIP, grain free, egg free

Stuffed Summer Squash Recipe from a Freezer Meat Meal Starter  of Browned Ground Beef

Dinners are easier and healthier now that I have a freezer full of cooked Freezer Meat Meal Starters.  Even if you forget to take something out of the freezer to thaw, it doesn't take long at all for the meat to thaw enough to use in a recipe, especially the browned ground beef.

Sometimes our meals are a little repetitious not to mention the flavor is boring.  I am trying to come up with simple recipes that are SCD legal and don't contain any of the other foods that I haven't added back yet especially nightshades. It is too hard to follow a recipe and make substitutions so I just make it up as I go and use what is available from my local store.  Hence, the reason for stuffed organic summer squash...all the organic zucchini were gone.

STUFFED ORGANIC SUMMER SQUASH          2 SERVINGS

6-8 ounces browned cooked ground beef or use one container of Freezer Meat Meal Starter, Browned Ground Beef, thawed
3/4 cup No Tomato Red Sauce thawed  (I make this once a month and freeze in 3/4 cup servings)
2 medium organic yellow squash
1 large sweet onion or 2 small, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 TSP olive oil, divided
2 cups organic baby spinach, chop really small like you would herbs (I dislike the texture of big pieces of spinach)
1/4 cup black olives, sliced

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Peel squash, slice in half, remove seeds.  Brush with olive oil.  Place in glass baking and cover.  Bake 25 minutes.
• Slice onions, sautee in olive oil about 7 minutes, add garlic cook 2 minutes.  Add browned ground beef and spinach.  Cook about 3 minutes longer just to mix ingredients together.  Add olives to the mixture after you remove the pan from the heat and stir in.
• Scoop meat mixture into the squash. 
• While stuffed squash are roasting, warm No Tomato Red Sauce in a small saucepan.  Once you remove stuffed squash from the oven, spoon warmed sauce over them. 

Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins, gluten free, SCD legal

ALMOND FLOUR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS     makes 6 muffins (I have another recipe for 12)

1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1/4 TSP Sea Salt
1/2 TSP Organic Ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Organic Coconut Oil, melted
2 Organic Eggs
1/2 TSP White Vinegar
1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 ripe Organic Banana
1/4 to 1/3 cup Organic Blueberries, can use frozen

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

• Mix Almond Flour, Baking Soda, Salt and Cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside. 
• Crack eggs into another bowl.  Using either a mixer or by hand, whisk eggs.  Add banana and continue to mix well until banana is mashed.  Add Coconut Oil, Vanilla Extract and White Vinegar.
• Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir to mix well.
• Add Blueberries and gently stir in.
• Prepare muffin tins with brushed on coconut oil.  Divide mixture into 6 muffins.
• Bake 20-25 minutes.  Loosen edges and remove from pan while still hot.  Place on wire rack to cool.

What I Am Eating

I realized today that I haven't posted a "What I Am Eating" since starting the transition to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.  Not much has changed, except I have added homemade yogurt, eggs and almond flour.  And I am starting to try tiny amounts of raw vegetables...not going to push that very much though.

BREAKFAST:
 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon and Lemon when I first wake up
 1 cup homemade chicken broth I drink this in the morning before eating

  3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
  1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
  1 Vidalia onion in 1 TSP olive oil

SNACK:
 Homemade Yogurt
 Almond Flour Muffin (recipe to come)
  
LUNCH:
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Lemon Chicken Soup with Carrots and Spinach

DINNER:
Chicken Salad with a few tiny pieces of raw broccoli added
Baked Carrot Fries

SNACK:
  10 Gummy Gelatin Bites
  1 cup warm water with Cinnamon and Lemon
  Boiled Egg

Weekly Menu # 1 Using Frozen Meat Meal Starters

• Shredded Chicken Salad - seedless grapes, celery, Granny Smith Green Apple, dripped yogurt cream cheese, lettuce, spinach
• Browned Ground Beef - Baked zucchini stuffed with beef, sauteed onions and spinach, black olives and No Tomato Sauce over it
• Chicken Meatballs - Butternut Squash Medallions, Green Beans
• Hamburger Patties - Zucchini Fritters, leftover Butternut Squash Medallions 
• Browned Ground Chicken -  in salad of lettuce, spinach, black olives with dripped yogurt cream cheese and cucumber dressing and baked carrot fries, Green Beans
• Beef Meatballs - Roasted or stir fried yellow squash, carrots, onions, spinach and No Tomato Sauce for top of meatballs
• Chicken Soup - carrots, onions, spinach, celery

Shredded Chicken Salad Specific Carbohydrate Diet Clean Eating

Having chicken in the freezer that is already cooked and shredded is such a time and money saver.  I love freezer meat meal starters.  The hardest part is remembering to put them in the refrigerator the night before to thaw. Tonight's chicken salad dinner was done in 30 minutes. All I had to do was wash the apples, celery, grapes and lettuce, do a little chopping,  mix in some dripped yogurt cream cheese and it was ready to eat!

FREEZER MEAT MEAL STARTER CHICKEN SALAD SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET
makes 2 servings

6-8 ounces cooked, shredded chicken, or use one container shredded chicken meat meal starter, thawed in refrigerator
1 organic Granny Smith Apple, washed, peeled and chopped
1 cup organic seedless grapes, washed, cut in half
1 large organic celery rib (piece), washed, chopped very tiny
4 ounces dripped yogurt cream cheese
4 organic Romaine leaves
sea salt to taste
(optional) 1 cup organic spinach, chop very fine like one would chop herbs for a recipe

Wash, peel and chop Apple.  Wash grapes, cut in half.  Wash celery, chop tiny. Wash lettuce. Add container of shredded chicken meat meal starter.  Mix in cream cheese.  Add salt to taste.  Chill for 30 minutes before serving. Serve on lettuce.

Recipe for Shredded Chicken Meat Starter Specific Carbohydrate Diet Clean Eating

Frozen meat starters...I like this idea and think it will work well for following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.  Actually, this could work well for any diet where chicken is eaten!  This is a huge time saver and money saver! My version of non processed, clean eating freezer meals.

SHREDDED CHICKEN MEAT STARTER RECIPE FOR FREEZER MEAL COOKING

8 Chicken Breast, about 4-5 pounds, pastured antibiotic free
2 organic carrots cut into 2 inch long pieces
2 organic celery ribs (pieces) cut into 2 inch long pieces
1 large onion chopped into chunks
2 TSP Himalayan Pink Salt
enough water to cover all of the ingredients

I used a 6 quart crockpot.  Place ingredients in crockpot or slow cooker.  Cook on HIGH 4-6 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.  Let cool.

Remove chicken from crock pot and place in a large bowl to shred, or use KitchenAid mixer with the paddle blade to shred.  Place in labeled *freezer safe Mason jars in amounts that are suitable for your family and place in the freezer.

I weighed the cooked chicken and estimated 3 ounces per person. Since it is just me and the hubs we only need 6 ounces per meal.  That fit in the one cup freezer safe Mason jars by packing it really tight.  I cooked 4 pounds of chicken breasts (8 breasts). By dividing the cooked chicken into equal 6 ounce amounts, I was able to get 6 meal starters.  Generally, I cook 2 breasts per meal for me and the hubs.  This gave me 2 additional meals from 8 breasts and the hubs and I didn't overeat!!

Plus you have a bonus!!  The broth left in the crock pot can be frozen for use later on.  Remove the vegetables and strain the broth.  Place in *freezer safe Mason jars and label.  Use this broth for recipes that call for chicken or vegetable broth.  I don't know about you but I think boxed vegetable broth is very expensive and the ingredient list is a little bit scary.

*NOTE:  Use whatever freezing method you like. I prefer freezer safe Mason jars but I do use BPA free Ziploc freezer bags sometimes for items that won't fit in jars such as ground beef patties.

Freezer Meat Meal Starters Clean Eating Specific Carbohydrate Diet

I love the idea of freezer meals.  Do all the prep work one day and have delicious meals for a month that you pull out of the freezer and put in the crockpot.  Unfortunately, I haven't been very successful finding recipes that are Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) legal with food options we will/can eat.

Most freezer meal or batch cooking, contains canned tomatoes/vegetables, cream soup, soy and teriyaki sauce, pasta, potatoes or rice and lots of processed ingredients that I can't/won't eat.  There are foods that are SCD legal but I still can't eat them, such as tomatoes and all peppers and spices derived from peppers, also known as nightshades.  I think the best I can do right now, is make some meat entrees that can be thawed in the refrigerator the night before, then added to some simple dishes.  Our side dishes are frozen or fresh vegetables and salads - no pasta, rice or potatoes.  Just keep it simple and healthy and generally on the low carb side.

Specific Carbohydrate Diet Freezer Meat Meal Starters.  These are so easy it is probably silly for me to post but I hope to help others who were as overwhelmed as I was starting out eating clean and following the SCD.  From each of these basic meat/meal starters, I will add recipes for meals as I come up with them.  Click on the links below to be taken to the recipes. 

Freeze in portions that are the best size for you and your family.  I have a digital kitchen scale so I can weigh cooked portions before freezing.  It is really a big help with portion control for weight loss and in the long run save money by not overcooking or wasting leftovers.  When I was on a weight loss program years ago, I was told to eat 3 ounces of cooked meat so I generally freeze 6-8 ounce portions of cooked meat for the hubs and I. 

So far, I have decided on these 7 choices, one for each day of the week.  Make enough of each Freezer Meat Starter to feed your family once a week for a month or more, freezing in individual containers for one meal. 

1.  Shredded Chicken (cook chicken breasts in crockpot, shred, freeze)
2.  Beef Meatballs no eggs, no flour but full of vegetables
3.  Chicken Meatballs no eggs, no flour but full of vegetables
4.  Hamburger Patties  (press out a couple of pounds of ground beef, put parchment paper between the burgers so they come apart easily and freeze)
5.  Scrambled Ground Beef ( brown 4-? pounds of ground beef, divide into the amount you need for a meal according to your family size, freeze)
6.  Scrambled Ground Chicken Breasts ( brown 4-? pounds ground chicken breasts, divide into the amount you need for a meal according to your family size, freeze)

Homemade Dripped Yogurt Cream Cheese Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Specific Carbohydrate Diet dripped yogurt cream cheese is delicious!  I was really surprised how thick it is and how good it tastes without any additives or sugar!  It is so nice making a new recipe knowing it won't hurt my gut.  In fact, since I started eating homemade yogurt last week, my weight loss has increased so the yogurt must be doing something right in my gut.  Adding homemade, 24 hour fermented, Specific Carbohydrate Diet yogurt to my diet is the only thing I changed.   This recipe is adapted from the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall.  I simplified it by using a coffee filter draped over a small mason jar.  I might get some cheese cloth to make a larger amount but I may as well use up all my coffee filters first, since I don't drink coffee any more.  I can't wait to start using dripped yogurt cream cheese in some of my old recipes.

DRIPPED YOGURT CREAM CHEESE

4-5 ounces 24 hour fermented yogurt per these instructions
coffee filter
mason jar

Place yogurt in coffee filter.  Drape filter over the edge of the mason jar and push the paper down around the outside edge of jar, hold while screwing the jar cap on over the coffee filter.  Let it drip for about 8-12 hours in the refrigerator.  The liquid will collect in the bottom of the jar and the coffee filter holds the cream cheese up and out of the liquid.

I am not sure how long this will last in the refrigerator.  I am guessing about 4-7 days storing it in the mason jar with the lid on it.

Herb Rub for Chicken SCD Legal

While my daughter was visiting, she made the best Herb Crusted Chicken that I had ever had!  She rubbed the herb mixture under the skin and on the outside of the whole chicken then roasted it at 325 degrees.  It was beyond delicious!  I enjoyed the flavor so much that I started thinking that the rub would also be good for boneless, skinless, baked chicken breasts or to saute chicken strips with.  So I adapted the recipe just a tad to be Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal.  The small packages of fresh herbs were just the right amount for this recipe.

Herb Rub  makes enough for 2 whole chickens or about 10 TBSP

Use fresh herbs:
1/4 cup packed each:  Thyme, Basil, Tarragon, Oregano
3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TSP Kosher salt
(optional) black pepper to taste

Place fresh herbs, garlic and shallots in food process.  Grind into a rough paste, scrapping down frequently.  Slowly drizzle olive oil into food processor.  Continue to process until mixture is smooth.

I froze the mixture in one tablespoon blobs on parchment paper squares about 2 inch x 2 inch on a plate in the freezer.  Once frozen, I placed them in a freezer safe mason jar with the parchment paper between them.  I tried freezing them in ice cube trays but had no luck popping them out when it came time to use them.  Each tablespoon is just enough for one chicken breast.

NOTE:  if roasting a whole chicken, use one half of the recipe and freeze the remainder.  Rub mixture under the skin of the breast and on the outside of the chicken coating well.  Place the chicken on a wire rack in a roasting pan.  Roast in 325 degree preheated oven 20-30 minutes per pound. Roast chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  Remove from oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving.  The skin should be crispy and the meat tender and juicy.

Yogurt for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet Good Gut Bacteria

 

This was my first attempt at making homemade yogurt, more specifically yogurt that is allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) yogurt. When I first decided to transition from the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) to the SCD, the biggest difference I saw was SCD uses yogurt for good bacteria and AIP doesn't.  My tummy has always been fine with plain, organic Greek Yogurt.  So I am hoping this homemade yogurt works for me.  I also hope my explanation of how to make it will help blog readers have the courage to make it also!  I am pretty convinced that this yogurt is healthier than store bought processed yogurt.  Although it is more tart than even Greek yogurt, it tastes good.  Add some fruit or honey, once it is cooked, and you have a delicious, healthy yogurt.  I can't wait to make cream cheese with it and start using yogurt in my recipes again.

In the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Elaine Gottschall suggests yogurt is a way to add good bacteria into the gut. I have tried several OTC pro-biotics over the last few years that didn't help me and they are pretty expensive.  And store bought yogurt has too many unknown additives, especially all the different kinds of sugar which I know from experience hurt my gut. 

I was terrified to make yogurt.  It was so confusing to me.  I have seen so many different ways to make yogurt but I wanted to try and stick with what was in the book.  I tried to find commercial yogurt for the starter that was described in the book but couldn't.  Then I read about Yogourmet freeze dried starter and decided to use it.  I didn't want to spend a fortune on a yogurt maker either so the one I purchased was only thirty dollars.  Only time will tell how much it is helping me.

I am using this yogurt maker, made by Euro-Cuisine.  This model yogurt maker doesn't have a timer on it so I can leave it on to ferment 24 hours per the instructions in the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle.  Most yogurt makers have timers that shut off at 4-15 hours, but then I would have to remember to turn it back on, so this one without a timer will be easier for me.  I also like the seven individual glass jars, not plastic jars.  And the yogurt maker was not very expensive, just in case I can't add dairy back and won't be making more yogurt.  The yogurt ends up being much less expensive than organic store bought.  Each 5gr yogurt starter is about $1 each and 32 ounces of organic milk was about $2.50, so roughly $3.50 for 32 ounces of yogurt, plus the cost of the yogurt maker.  That is about what I was paying for 16 ounces of organic plain Greek yogurt.

This is the yogurt starter I used, Yogourmet.  It is a freeze dried yogurt starter that doesn't contain Bifidus which Elaine Gottschall doesn't recommend eating and most commercial yogurt contains Bifidus. This starter contains Skim Milk Powder, Sucrose (Sugar), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Active Lactic Bacteria (L.bulgaricus, S.thermophilus, L.acidophi).   I ordered both the yogurt maker and a few packages of Yogourmet starter from Drugstore.com and got free shipping for ordering over $35.

This is how I made SCD 24 hour yogurt.  I used half of the half-gallon of milk so I can get two batches of yogurt out of it.  The jars are only about 2/3 full, about 4+ fluid ounces.

32 ounces organic milk
one package ( 5gr ) of Yogourmet freeze-dried yogurt starter

• Bring the milk to a boil, I used medium heat on my stove top setting.  The temperature will be over 180 degrees when it starts to boil, and it will quickly climb to 200 degrees so work fast to take it off the heat.
• Remove from stove to let cool to 108 to 112 degrees F, according to Yogourmet package directions.  I put the pan in the refrigerator and stirred a couple of times until it was 108 degrees.
• Remove about  2 TBSP of the 108 degree milk into measuring cup and stir yogurt starter mix into that, it makes sort of a paste, then add about 1/2 cup more of the warm milk, stir.  Then pour back that back into the pot of warm milk and stir gently to mix well.
• Pour into the 7 individual glass jars, without lids, place into the yogurt maker, turn on and leave for 24 hours.  A sticky note with the time to turn it off might be helpful.
• After 24 hours, gently remove the jars and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours before eating.  This stops the fermentation process. 
• I am not 100% sure how long this yogurt stays fresh.  I have read sources that say it stays fresh for 1 week, others say 3 weeks. 

Interesting research about yogurt and the gut!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2219330/

Eggs, Specific Carbohydrate Diet Allowed Food

Eggs are one of the foods that I was never too sure about.  If I ate eggs for breakfast, I generally got a tummy ache right after eating them.  I would be in the bathroom sometimes ten times in a 2 hour period making it very difficult to even leave the house before noon.  Eating them later in the day or for dinner could go either way. 

But, was it the eggs or the coffee full of high fructose corn syrup creamer that I used to drink while eating them.  Or was it the processed bread, full of gluten and lots of additives including high fructose corn syrup, that usually accompanied the eggs.  Or was it because they were not organic eggs...what had the chickens been eating and how much of that was in the eggs I ate!  Or was it just my very unhealthy gut!  So many variables.

I started eating pastured, organic eggs about a week ago.  I really don't like eggs very much but thought I should try them first before reintroducing any other foods.  That way I would know if I can use them in recipes. The recipes in the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, use a lot of eggs.  I am not sure how much I will use eggs but it gives me options. 

I have eaten eggs for lunch and dinner boiled, scrambled and fried in olive oil with the yellow cooked well.  I still haven't eaten eggs for breakfast, only for lunch or dinner.  I am too afraid that first thing in the morning would be too much for my gut to handle just yet...don't push my luck. 

So far, my tummy is happy and I haven't noticed any increase in pain, brain fog or increased fatigue or insomnia after eating eggs.

I think the three months of following the anti inflammatory diet has had a very positive impact on my gut and my overall health. 

Chicken Vegetable Meatballs

I have enjoyed my beef meatballs so much that I decided to try making ground chicken breast meatballs.  You can use any kind of ground chicken that you like, but I am very picky and ground two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about a pound, using a food grinder on my Kitchenaid mixer.  I also like sneaking vegetables into my meatballs.  These would be great for picky eaters who don't like greens, you can't taste the spinach if you mince it small enough.

CHICKEN VEGETABLE MEATBALLS                 makes about 14 small meatballs

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 1 lb) ground
1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 large organic carrot , finely shredded
1 stalk organic celery, finely minced
1-2 TSP olive oil, or coconut oil for sautéing vegetables
1/2 TSP sea salt
1 TBSP olive oil (to add to mixture)
**(optional) 2 cloves garlic, minced (cook last 2 minutes with veges)
**(optional) 1 cup organic spinach, finely minced (don't add if you plan to freeze)
**(optional) 3 TBSP homemade basil and spinach pesto mixed into meatballs (don't add if you plan to freeze)
*(optional) 1/2 - 3/4 cup No Tomato Red Sauce for dipping or to serve over meatballs.  When I make the beef meatballs, I mix the sauce right into the meat mixture before baking.  So far I haven't tried that with the chicken but will let you know how that works out.

Preheat over to 375 degrees.
Saute onion, carrots and celery in olive oil about 7 minutes. Let cool.
Mix into the ground chicken along with olive oil and salt and **optional ingredients if using.
Roll into small meatballs, about 1 rounded TBSP.  Place them in a glass baking dish.  Cook for 20-30 minutes.  Mine didn't brown.

Transitioning to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet SCD

I have been following an anti inflammatory diet from my chiropractor for three months now.  The diet is very similar to the Autoimmune Protocol, AIP, which is based on Paleo foods. I have been reading about another diet called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, SCD, which is more gut specific in my opinion.  Many people think it is more restrictive than the Autoimmune Protocol.  But I feel the legal/allowed foods are more like what I already know doesn't cause gut distress for me. 

My diarrhea has subsided, with the exception of the coconut macaroon incident a few weeks ago. But, my energy level is still not good.  My pain has improved so much.  I can't really say I am totally pain free, there are days I feel horrible, but I am much improved from three months ago.  I know I can feel better if my gut gets healthier, my activity level increases and I continue to lose weight.

I have decided to transition to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, instead of the Autoimmune Protocol as initially planned.  Since my health issues started with my gut almost forty years ago with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis after having mononucleosis and six weeks of penicillin shots for it.... what was my sweet, elderly, country doctor thinking.  And more recently a diagnosis of diverticulosis and IBS after a colonoscopy.  I think the SCD is more gut healing specific and probably a better choice for me.  I am curious why no physician has ever mentioned this diet to me.  My last GI doctor told me to figure out what foods cause my diarrhea and stop eating them!

I have read the book, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall, several times and it just makes sense to me.  SCD uses homemade yogurt that ferments 24 hours which gives the lactose in milk (a disaccharide) time to break down into galactose (a monosaccharide) which requires minimal digestion.  The gut benefits from the good bacteria in the homemade yogurt.  I know from past experiences, plain organic Greek yogurt agrees with my gut, but milk doesn't. 

Also in the book, it is suggests eating cooked vegetables and fruits until diarrhea subsides.  I figured this out the hard way.  I can eat raw spinach and romaine lettuce, but only 1/4 cup of each a day.  Any more than that and I bloat and cramp.  I eat at least 1-2 cups of cooked baby spinach every day that I cut very tiny, almost like you chop herbs for recipes because I really don't like the texture of big pieces of spinach.  There are also several allowed foods that I already know I can't eat without symptoms so I will leave those alone.

I talked to my medical doctor before making the decision.  He agreed that our health can be affected by what we eat and he didn't think it would hurt to try this diet.  I was hoping to get more input from him but he didn't have much to say.  He said we could re-evaluate in 4 months, after I have a colonoscopy in November.

Carrots, Organic Baked Carrot Fries

We eat a lot of organic carrots!!  The first time I saw a five pound bag of organic carrots, I wondered who eats that many carrots.  Well guess what, my husband and I eat five pounds a week! Once I realized that cooked carrots don't bother my tummy, they are on the menu every day.  I use carrots as the base for many recipes.  Carrots can be used for baked carrot fries, baked carrots and onions, stir fried carrots, carrots in soup and in No Tomato Sauce, similar to spaghetti sauce without the inflammatory nightshade vegetables, ie. tomatoes.  Plus, they are one of the less expensive organic vegetables usually priced about five dollars for five pounds.  So between my happy tummy, versatility and cheap price, we eat five pounds a week!

One of my favorite carrot recipes is baked carrot fries.  I have seen several varieties of this recipe but I like the recipe my daughter shared with me that a friend shared with her.  This is easy and not really much of a recipe but tastes soooo good.

BAKED CARROT FRIES 

I usually plan one to two carrots per person depending on how big they are.  Use carrots that are similar in size so they cook evenly.  Simply wash and clean up the outside of the carrots with a peeler to remove any outer dirt.  Slice the carrots in half to decrease the length and then cut each half into four long pieces (shaped like French fries).  Toss in about 1 TBSP olive oil or more depending on how many carrots you use.  Make sure to coat them well.  Place in a baking dish and put in a 400 degree oven.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  If your carrot pieces are big, you may need to add additional baking times.  Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Weekly Dinner Menu 4

WEEKLY MENU 4

• Chicken and vegetable patties, strawberry spinach salad with homemade strawberry dressing
• Lemon Chicken, carrot and spinach soup
• Meatballs, baked carrot fries, sautéed squash
• Chicken breast sliced and sautéed in olive oil, butternut squash medallions, salad
• Stir fry London Broil with broccoli, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini, squash
• Herbed Chicken breast, baked carrot fries, sautéed squash, spinach salad
• Chicken meatballs, butternut squash hash browns, sautéed yellow squash and spinach

What I Am Eating

BREAKFAST:
 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon and Lemon when I first wake up
 1 cup homemade chicken broth I drink this before eating

  3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
  1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
  1 Vidalia onion ( about 1 cup sliced) in 1 TSP coconut oil
  2 Butternut Squash Baked Medallions

SNACK:
   5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 
LUNCH:
  1 pouch of Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
  1 organic summer squash sautéed  in olive oil
  1 organic Banana

DINNER:
Lemon Chicken Spinach Carrot Soup  
Spinach, Romaine, cucumber salad with homemade olive oil lemon dressing

SNACK:
 5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 2 Butternut Squash Baked Discs
1/2 cup blueberries
  1 cup warm water with Cinnamon, Lemon and honey an hour before bed

Butternut Squash Recipes

Who knew that butternut squash increases serotonin in the brain?  According to the Dr Oz show that I watched this afternoon, eat one 1/2 cup serving per day to boost serotonin to the brain.  Move over antidepressants, butternut squash is moving in!

I have been eating butternut squash more frequently now that I know how to cook it several ways.  I used to get the hubs to split it in half and bake it in the oven for an hour which is delicious. Then I saw on Facebook how to peel butternut squash, slice and bake it.  Butternut squash can also be peeled and boiled until tender then mash it, add some cinnamon and honey and it is delicious.  I also saw several recipe that used grated butternut squash for hash browns!

Since I am cooking for two, a butternut squash is definitely more than we can eat in a day.  Generally, I peel and slice the end that doesn't have the seeds in it and bake that part the first day.  The bulb end that has the seeds can either be grated to make hash browns or boiled to make mashed squash the second day.  And most of the time we have leftovers of both to eat for breakfast or lunch.

Baked Butternut Squash Medallions

Peel the squash using a potato peeler. Depending on your peeler, this might take a couple of swipes around to get all the peel off.  Cut off the bulbous end of the squash that has the seeds and use that for the next recipe, butternut hash browns. Slice the straight part into medallions about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Try to be consistent with the thickness so they cook evenly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush olive oil or coconut oil on both sides of the discs. Prepare several baking sheets with parchment paper or use glass baking dishes.  Place the butternut squash discs on the prepared baking sheets/dishes.  Bake 20 minutes, then turn and bake additional 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your slices.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Butternut Squash Hash Browns

1-2 cups grated squash (I used the bulb end of squash)
1/4 cup grated onion
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil

Remove the seeds from the bulb end of the squash that has been peeled.  Grate the squash.  Press the moisture from the squash between layers of paper towels, so it doesn't end up soggy.  Heat a medium skillet over med-high heat with 1 TBSP of olive oil.  Place the grated squash and grated onions into the heated pan, cook about 3-4 minutes on one side, flip and continue to cook until squash is tender and starts to brown.  You may need to reduce the heat once you flip the squash.  Salt to taste.

Strawberry Dressing

STRAWBERRY DRESSING   makes about 1 1/4 cup

1 cup washed, trimmed, organic Strawberry halves
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP Organic Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 TSP ground organic ginger
1/4 TSP Sea Salt
2 TBSP organic raw honey  (or leave this out if your berries are sweet)

• Combine ingredients in a bowl. 
• Using a blender or immersion blender, process until smooth.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds.

NOTE:  Substitute Raspberries for Strawberries

Weekly Dinner Menu 3

Weekly Dinner Menu 3  (organic green beans and collard greens were on sale!)

• Meatballs, collard greens, spinach and strawberry salad with homemade raspberry dressing, baked carrot fries
• Chicken breast (cooked in crockpot while making chicken bone broth) dip in No Tomato sauce, baked carrot fries with cinnamon,  green beans
• Chicken Spinach & Carrot Soup  cucumber rolls with smashed avocado and carrots sticks
• Stir fry London Broil with broccoli, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini, squash
• Chicken breast, caramelized onions, green beans, sautéed squash
•  Homemade Chicken/Vegetable patties with butternut squash medallions and salad
•  Sauteed shrimp in olive oil, spinach salad with strawberries, leftover butternut squash medallions

Coconut Is Not My Friend...

I have been doing so well on the anti inflammatory diet.  My stomach pain, diarrhea and bloating has been minimal.  I was actually leaving the house not fearful of needing a bathroom ASAP.  I had more energy and the mysterious pain in my feet, knees and shoulders were gone!  Then I got the big idea to try a new recipe ...

I made these amazing Coconut Macaroons.  They were so easy and delicious.   Then the bloating and cramping started and by 4 am I was in misery, pooping my brains out for the next 20 hours. I haven't had a reaction like this in a very long time.  Then two days in bed.  Three days later, I am still not feeling good...stomach gurgling, bloated, no appetite, no energy and a headache.  I am pretty sure I may never eat shredded coconut again.  I may still give coconut concentrate and coconut oil a try later on down the road, but for now no coconut for me.

Digestive Problems from Coconut

What I Am Eating

BREAKFAST:
 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon and Lemon when I first wake up
 1 cup homemade chicken broth I drink this before eating

  3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
  1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
  1 Vidalia onion in 1 TSP coconut oil

SNACK:
  1 organic banana, slightly green
  5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 
LUNCH:
  1 pouch of Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
  1 organic summer squash sautéed  in olive oil
  1 Orange

DINNER:
Meatballs
Collard Greens with Caramelized Onions
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Dressing

SNACK:
 5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 1/4 cup Organic Cranberry Juice mixed with 1/4 cup Organic Concord Grape Juice over crushed ice

 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon, Lemon and honey an hour before bed

Lemon Honey and Cinnamon for Weight Loss

Three of my favorite flavors might actually be beneficial for weight loss.  Lemon, honey and cinnamon can help with weight loss.  Too bad I didn't take Richard Simmons advice, way back in the 80's, and start each morning with a glass of warm lemon water instead of coffee.  I remember trying it, but after adding a huge spoonful of sugar, pretty sure it didn't help me very much! 

For me, this has been a much healthier option than taking appetite suppressants and shots for weight loss.  Believe me, I have already been down that road and it was great for getting the weight off in a hurry, which I think is great, but did nothing for keeping the weight off long term!  I am hoping for long term weight management and getting my guts healthy for overall health.  So until I find out otherwise, this is the healthiest option for me in my opinion. 

I squeeze a lemon every morning and get about 4 tablespoons of juice from it.  I use one tablespoon each morning and evening in my lemon and cinnamon tea.  The remaining two tablespoons I add to my filtered drinking water.  Lemon increases metabolism and has Vitamin C and folate as well as phytonutrients, with antioxidants and antibiotic effects.

Cinnamon is a good source of manganese, fiber and calcium plus blood sugar control.  Cinnamon helps with anti clotting by keeping platelets from unwanted clumping.  It is also beneficial for regulating blood sugar levels by slowing the rate the stomach empties which keeps blood sugar from rising and dropping too quickly as well as helps the cells respond to insulin which helps keep blood sugar levels normal.

Honey has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. But the quality of the honey is so important.  Try to buy local raw honey from reputable sellers.  Or buy organic raw honey.  If I had some property, I would find a bee keeper and let him use my land and he could pay me in honey!  Or maybe the hubs would learn how to become a bee keeper LOL!!  Maybe I need to check into that. 

LEMON HONEY AND CINNAMON TEA  makes 1 cup

1 TSP  organic ground Cinnamon or use Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks
1 TBSP organic raw Honey (optional)
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup hot water

• Pour hot water over cinnamon and let steep, covered, about 5 minutes.  Strain through a fine mesh coffee / tea filter if you don't like the texture as cinnamon doesn't mix very well with water.  Or use cinnamon sticks.
• After cinnamon has steeped 5 minutes, add honey and lemon just before drinking.  Stir well.
• Drink every morning and about an hour before bed.

Breakfast Patties

I decided to make breakfast sausage with a mixture of ground chicken and beef.  I mixed the two meats because I accidentally thawed chicken instead of beef.  I was actually impressed with the flavor, but totally grossed out trying to mix the meat...next time I am doing it in the mixer not by hand.  YUCK!  The hubs was making meatballs and I was too impatient to wait.  If you don't love the flavor of cloves, like I do, you might want to reduce the cloves to 1/4 teaspoon.

Breakfast Patties  makes 6

1/2 pound grass fed ground beef
1/2 pound ground chicken (buy free range when possible)
1 TSP Sea salt
1 TSP ground organic Sage
1 TSP ground organic Thyme
1/2 TSP ground organic Cloves
1-2 TSP olive oil for pan
Optional...1 TSP organic maple syrup to smear on sausage after they are cooked, yes I like syrup on my sausage

Mix well.  Use mixer.
Divide into 6 parts and press into patties.
Cook in olive oil over medium low heat.

Weekly Dinner Menu 2

• Baked Fish (your choice of fish), steamed broccoli and yellow squash with Plantain Flatbread 
• Ground Chicken with home made strawberry sauce on leftover Plantain Flatbread, with sauteed onions and spinach and stir fried squash and carrots
• Meatballs, sweet potato, green beans
• Chicken Spinach & Carrot Soup  cucumber rolls with avocado and carrots
• Stir fry London Broil with broccoli, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini, squash
• Chicken breast sweet potato with stir fried onions, spinach and carrots
• Smoked Salmon on salad ( romaine lettuce, cucumbers, homemade avocado dressing)

Gummy Gelatin Bites

Using gelatin, as a healthy food and not just dessert, is new to me.  There are quite a few blogs that address the healthy benefits of gelatin. I haven't read any actual scientific studies, I am trusting someone has done their homework.  I had never heard of Great Lakes Kosher Beef Gelatin before starting my gut healing process.  There are a lot of uses for it.  I even saw a cookbook totally dedicated to gelatin!

I have seen multiple recipes for gummies on the internet.  But they all seem to add honey or pure maple syrup.  I decided to make them without any additional sweetener, these are sweet enough for me.  I want to make some with lemon juice so I might add a little honey to those...ie. sour gummies or lemon heads!

 I used organic Just Concord Grape Juice from R.W. Knudson.  This juice is $8 for 32 ounces, which in my opinion is ridiculous, but it tastes so much better than any I have ever had.  I have also used fresh squeezed orange juice.  I am happy that these little yummy gummy bites have agreed with my tummy so far. 


GUMMY GELATIN BITES  makes about 30 one inch pieces

3 TBSP Great Lakes Beef Gelatin
1 cup organic juice, or fresh squeezed

• Sprinkle gelatin, 1/2 TBSP at a time, over juice in a small saucepan but don't heat it yet.  Stir in trying not to make bubbles. The mixture will get thick, just be patient and keep stirring until mixed well.
• Heat over low heat until dissolved and mixture gets thin.  Don't boil.
• Pour into candy mold
• Refrigerate a few hours then pop out of the mold.

Lemon Chicken Spinach and Carrot Soup



Lemon Chicken soup from our local Greek restaurant has always been a favorite of mine.  But the last two times I had it (before starting the anti inflammatory elimination diet) I became very sick within minutes of finishing it.  Possibly the eggs or thickening agents but my tummy really didn't like it.  So when I thought about making lemon chicken soup that is safe on my anti inflammatory elimination diet, I decided to only use ingredients that I knew my tummy was ok with.  I am keeping it simple these days and trying hard to have flavorful meals.

 

I started with my usual trilogy of Vidalia onions, carrots and celery, along with some homemade chicken bone broth, chicken breasts, spinach and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  I like hiding vegetables and thickening my broth with vegetables that I put in the food processor with just a little broth.  I need all the help I can get eating more vegetables.  I wanted to keep this broth on the thin side, so I only used one onion.  You can also add some cooked chicken with the onion in the food processor for a little more texture to the broth. 

 

I made this in the crockpot.

 

EDITED:  When using already cooked chicken breast, I don't cook this in the crockpot.  I saute the onions and celery in a little olive oil about 7 minutes.  Using immersion blender, blend until creamy.  Add all of the ingredients to a medium size stock pot, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, or until the carrots are tender.  Add chopped spinach and cook an additional 10 minutes.

 

LEMON CHICKEN SPINACH CARROT SOUP             3 SERVINGS

 

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in half ( Greenwise from Publix)

4 cups homemade chicken bone broth (make and keep in the freezer in Mason jars)

1 Vidalia onion, rough chop

1 rib (piece) organic celery, rough chop

6 organic carrots, sliced

2 cups organic baby spinach, finely chopped

1/4 lemon juice, fresh squeezed

• Put the onion(s) and celery in food processor with 1/4 cup broth, pulse several times until you can only see tiny pieces of veges or until smooth.  Place in crockpot.
• Add chicken breasts, the remaining broth and lemon juice.
• Cook on HIGH 3 hours
• Add spinach and carrots and cook on HIGH 1 hour.
• Before serving, cut chicken into large chunks

What I Am Eating Today

BREAKFAST:

1 cup homemade chicken bone broth I drink this before eating

3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
1 Vidalia onion

SNACK:
1 organic banana, slightly green
5 gelatin protein discs (recipe to come)

LUNCH:
1 Avocado mashed with 1 TBSP lime juice and sea salt rolled up in lettuce leaves
3 ounces chicken breast (it was frozen from the chicken I made bone broth with)
1 sauteed yellow squash

DINNER:
 Beef  Stew   grassfed Beef, carrots, onions, celery, spinach, beets, sweet potatoes

SNACK:
 Blueberry ice slushy with 1 TBSP grass fed gelatin added

one fresh squeezed lemon used during the day in my water

Green Beans, Quick and Delicious

GREEN BEANS  

1/2 - 1 lb fresh organic green beans
1 TBSP organic coconut oil (or olive oil)
2 garlic cloves minced
sea salt to taste

• Wash green beans.  Snip the ends.
• Prepare your steamer, get water boiling.
• Prepare large saute pan with the coconut oil and garlic in it.  While green beans are steaming get oil hot over medium heat and ready for green beans to be sauted once they are steamed.
• Place green beans in steamer and cook 2 minutes.  Immediately place steamed green beans into saute pan, quickly toss in the olive oil and cook 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle with sea salt and eat.

The green beans will be bright green and crunchy!

Meatballs, SCD

  I don't like crunchy onions and celery so I have learned to just saute them before adding them to my recipes.

 
MEATBALLS  makes  8 big meatballs

1 pound grass fed ground beef, on the lean side
1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 TSP olive oil, or coconut oil
1 large organic carrot, finely shredded
1 rib (piece) organic celery, finely minced
1 cup organic spinach, finely chopped ( don't add spinach if you plan to freeze the meatballs)
2-3 organic garlic cloves, minced
1/4 TSP sea salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Saute onion and celery in olive oil about 5-7 minutes, add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Let cool. Mix into the ground beef along with the remainder of the ingredients.
Roll into 8 meatballs.  Place them in a glass baking dish.  Cook for 45 minutes.  I like my meat balls crispy so I cooked them for 55 minutes.

You can make smaller meatballs also, just adjust cooking time less.

**Freezer meal starter - make a double or triple batch of cooked meatballs.  Freeze. I use freezer safe mason jars.  Thaw in the refrigerator.  Warm in toaster over. **

Blueberry Ice Slushy AIP

In the past, the only way I would have eaten blueberries was in muffins.  I have tried to eat fresh blueberries but I don't like the texture and they were never sweet enough for me.  Blueberries are so much sweeter now that I don't eat sugar all day long!  Or maybe it is because they are organic and in season.  I really don't know, but I love eating them now.

See all those 8 ounce mason jars full of organic blueberries in my freezer... my local store had a sale!  It was so nice to finally find something organic on sale.  The blueberries were half price so I bought twice as many!  I can't believe how expensive they are. 

To freeze blueberries:  Wash berries with cool running water and pat dry.  Place berries in a single layer on parchment paper lined, rimmed pans that will fit in your freezer.  This will keep the berries from freezing into a big blob,  Freeze the berries at least 6 hours or overnight.  Once frozen, transfer the berries into your freezer container of choice.  I love my Mason Jars for freezing.

So in my quest to drink something other than plain water, I realized I don't hate fresh blueberries that have been pulverized in the blender!  I saw several recipes for blueberry smoothies but they all had ingredients I am not eating while doing the anti inflammatory diet.  Maybe down the road I will use organic coconut milk in this recipe but for now it is just a blueberry ice slushy.  This is so simple it is silly.

BLUEBERRY ICE SLUSHY  one serving
 
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup ice
1/4 cup filtered water
1 TBSP Great Lakes Beef Gelatin (*optional)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender that will crush ice or I used "the bullet". 
Blend until it looks like a slushy.  You may need to add a little more water depending on your blender speed.

*gelatin adds 6 grams of beef protein

Sugar Detox

It is amazing that I no longer crave sugar!  I used to drink a pitcher of sweet tea every day...2/3 cup of white sugar per pitcher.  I craved butter cream frosting, donuts, frozen yogurt, you name it!  I ate high fructose corn syrup at every meal without even knowing it. It was ridiculously hard for me to give up sugar.  It took a little over a year, but I have finally kicked the sugar habit.  No carb cravings, and fruit actually tastes sweet to me!

I wish I had a magic formula to help you give up sugar, but I don't.  It was hard work for me.  I found all sorts of ways to justify using sugar.  I was convinced that I could get healthy, get to my goal weight and still use sugar.  Well guess what, I was only kidding myself.  At some point last year, I realized there is no such thing as just using a little bit of sugar.  For me, I had to just quit using it all together.

I didn't follow any set rules for sugar detox.  I looked at my biggest source of sugar and high fructose corn syrup and stopped buying it.  It started with my coffee creamer, I weaned from sweetened coffee creamer to half and half, and then I quit drinking coffee.  I didn't need the caffeine in coffee either.

I also quit buying processed foods, period, end of story.  It is ridiculous how much high fructose corn syrup is in processed food.  About nine months into my slow sugar detox,  I ate half a cupcake at my granddaughter's birthday party and paid dearly for it, ending up in the bathroom with horrible cramping, bloating and diarrhea.  I learned my lesson, not even a bite is worth that pain.

I squeeze a lemon every day and that is what I add to my drinking water.  I have also tried adding a variety of fruits and cucumbers to my water.  I haven't perfected any of those drink combinations yet, but this is a work in progress.  I have tried a few organic herbal teas that are naturally no caffeine, but haven't found one that really quenches my thirst yet.

When I started the anti inflammatory diet from my chiropractor, I had an advantage.  I had already detoxed sugar.  For me, that has been the hardest thing.  I don't mind giving up dairy, gluten, nuts and nightshades during the elimination phase.  If it is going to make me feel better, I will give it my best shot.

Since starting the anti inflammatory diet about a month ago, I generally try recipes that don't have any added sweeteners. I get enough fructose from the fruit I eat. But I do still use organic raw honey or organic pure maple syrup in recipes every once in a while.  But I don't crave sweets anymore, that is what is important to me.

And I have never, ever used any type of artificial sweetener.  I read a study in 1984 about aspartame that scared the pee wads out of me!  It was enough to keep me from ever using it or allowing my children to use it. Even as adults, they still won't use it.

Spinach, Baby Organic, finely chopped

As I have mentioned before, I really don't like the taste or texture of most vegetables.  In the past fifteen months, I have learned to like a few more vegetables and continue to try new vegetable recipes. But I am afraid I have a long way to go.

A few years ago I started eating raw baby spinach salads after trying it at my niece's.  She had made this beautiful spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries, feta cheese and Girard's raspberry dressing.  I was hooked after the first bite and forever grateful to my niece for introducing me to raw spinach!  But when I started the anti inflammatory diet I realized the salad wasn't the same without the feta and dressing.  I needed to find a new way to eat spinach!

After trying quite a few spinach recipes, I realized it was the texture that grossed me out, not the taste.  I accidentally discovered how I can easily eat 2 cups of spinach a day.  I stack the leaves, cut the stem off, and then chop the heck out of it like it was fresh basil or cilantro.  Duh!!  Why didn't I know this when my kids were little so they would eat spinach.  I can add it to just about any recipe and not ever taste or feel the texture of it but still obtain its healthy benefits.  I add finely chopped spinach to stir fry vegetables, caramelized onions, soup, chicken broth and just about anything else I cook.

By the way, I am working on a raspberry dressing recipe that is AIP approved.  It might not taste as good as Girard's, but my taste buds really want a spinach salad.

What I Am Eating Today

BREAKFAST:
1 cup homemade chicken bone broth
3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
1 Vidalia onion

SNACK:
1 organic banana, slightly green
5 gelatin protein discs (recipe to come)

LUNCH:
1 Avocado mashed with 1 TBSP lime juice and sea salt rolled up in lettuce leaves
1 cup leftover homemade lemon chicken soup (recipe to come)

DINNER:
1 burger patty made from Green Wise ground beef with organic mustard
1/2 cup Eden Organic Sauerkraut warmed
4 small pieces steamed broccoli ( I have found this small amount is all I can tolerate)
Sautéed yellow squash, onion, zucchini and 1 cup finely chopped spinach

SNACK:
Coconut Milk homemade popsicle (recipe to come)

one fresh squeezed lemon used during the day in my water

Chicken Bone Broth Anti Inflammatory Elimination Diet

Chicken Bone Broth  good for healing my gut / makes about 12 cups broth

1 Green Wise Chicken from Publix without giblets (or antibiotic free / pastured chicken)

2 organic carrots cut into chunks

2 organic Celery ribs (pieces) cut into chunks

1 Vidalia Onion cut into chunks, you can use any onion you want, I have just found these don't make me sick

2 TBSP Braggs Organic Vinegar

1 TBSP Pink Himalayan Salt (health food store) or you can use Sea Salt

enough water to to fill your crock pot (mine is a 6 or 7 quart pot)

• Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
• Remove chicken and pull the meat off the bones ( we eat this for a meal ) leave veges and broth in the pot.
• Put the bones, skin, cartlidge and any meat that you won't eat like the back bone back into Crock pot.
• Add water to fill the crockpot all the way up, cook on high about and hour then cook on LOW 18-20 hours.
• Remove lid and let it cool about an hour.   Remove all of the bones and veges and discard.
• Strain the broth into a fine mesh strainer to remove any small chards of bone or you can use cheese cloth over a regular strainer.  I do this 3 times.

I have Mason Jars that I bought at Walmart that you can also freeze in.  I have several sizes but I like the half pint jars (8 ounces) for freezing the broth, that way I can just thaw one at a time for each day.  I drink one or two of these a day or use it to make soup.

No Tomato Red Sauce, Tomato Free Spaghetti or Pizza Sauce

Tomato Free Red Sauce, use in place of spaghetti or pizza sauce.  Make a big batch, it freezes well.

I first saw this recipe for no tomato sauce on The Primordial Table via Pinterest.  This tomato free red sauce is beyond amazingly good!  For anyone with allergies to tomatoes or nightshades, just give this a try, it is delicious.  I do recommend that you make this a day ahead of time, as it tastes even better the second day!

* I also want to add that I melted my blender gears by not waiting until the sauce was very cool to blend after cooking.  I now use an immersion blender.*

I have made this sauce for my family several times and they can't get enough of it.  My grandson used it for dipping his chicken into instead of using ketchup.  So much healthier!

The following is the way I make no tomato red sauce.  I encourage you to use the original recipe.  I am posting this mainly for my family and friends so they know the changes I made to the orginal recipe.

I also found another version of this recipe called No Tomato Pasta Sauce and it uses canned carrots and beets.  I am not a huge fan of canned vegetables, but in a pinch I might try this!

There is this version also, No Tomato Sauce, but it uses red bell peppers which aren't good for some people on special diets.

Here is how I adapted The Primordial Table's recipe for my family. 

No Tomato Red Sauce   makes about 5 cups

6 organic carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped small
3 organic celery ribs (pieces), chopped small
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 organic beet, peeled and shredded (about a cup)**
3 cups homemade chicken bone broth
1 1/2 tsp dried Basil
1 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
2 TBSP organic Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

*1 cup organic baby spinach, chopped very fine - don't add until you are ready to eat the sauce - if you plan to freeze sauce, don't add spinach*

**I steam my beets ahead of time and freeze them so I have them all ready for this recipe but I think you could use beets that have been washed, peeled and cubed small, then just cook with the rest of the ingredients until beets are soft.**

Put all of the ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about an hour until veges are soft.  Remove from heat, let cool slightly.

Using an immersion blender, blend until sauce is smooth.  Reheat the sauce before serving.

If you are using a regular blender, please be careful and let sauce completely cool before blending.  I melted my blender gears because the sauce was too hot.
 
I plan to try and freeze some sauce to see if it freezes and thaws well.  So far, we have eaten every ounce that we make...might be time to double or triple this recipe.

EDITED:  I have frozen this sauce several times now and it thaws great in the refrigerator.

What I Am Eating Today AIP

What I am eating today:

 

 BREAKFAST: saute together:

1 Organic Chicken Apple Sausage 

1 Vidallia Onion, sliced

1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach, chopped very tiny like you would parsley

SNACK:  1 cup beef bone broth that I made yesterday

LUNCH:

1 whole Avocado mashed with sea salt and lime juice

1 whole organic banana, skin was light green

 

SNACK:

3 ounce package Alaskan Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon, I squirted a little lemon juice on it but I need to get some pickles (with no sugar) to cut up in it

 

DINNER:

3 ounce Green Wise Chicken Breast cooked in crock pot

Baked Sweet Potato (not organic)

1 cup organic broccoli steamed then mix into the following:

Saute the following three veges in olive oil:

1 cup organic yellow squash

1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny

1 Vidallia Onion

 

 

SNACK:  Granny Smith Organic Green Apple cooked in coconut oil topped with cinnamon