Happy thoughts, what's your pixie dust?

Do you ever have days or even weeks when you seem flooded with reminders of something from days gone by? I’m not talking bad memories here either, I mean the good ones, the ones that were deemed important enough to be stored in that ever important memory bank, locked somewhere in that brain of yours. I ran across a song the other day and it reminded me of a very important phase in my life and quickly uploaded the utube video to my facebook page and tagged a girlfriend of mine so she too could share in that memory bank experience.

Funny how that works, all I had to do was give her the song and not say anything more and it totally opened up her memory bank as well and flooded her with those good times. A simple song, a simple picture, a name, a place, all reminders of happy thoughts (no pixie dust required). Now don’t get me wrong, we all have those bad memories that we’d like to forget but I’m not talking about those so leave those locked up and reserve them for reminders when you need to find strength or courage or when you need to simply look back and see just how far you’ve come since that time.

So, what’s stored in your memory bank? Friends, destinations, songs, thoughts, feelings? You know you’ve got’em all, now find yourself some time to give yourself a chance to open that flood gate and take in some of those feel good feelings, we all need them and deserve that break.

I just finished a course on Body Mind Nutrition, the course reviewed a lot of information about stopping the aging of the brain and how you can boost your brain power and how your nutrition affects your brain. Maybe this is what has prompted the recent flood gate opening, I’m not sure. The statistics are real and the chance of it happening to you and me is high. It just goes to give a friendly reminder that what you do today will certainly reflect upon you in the future, don’t forget that.

The thought of losing those memories scares me. If you lose those memories then how do you get to your happy place, your mooring post, your grounded two feet on the ground with the head in the clouds spot that just puts you at ease and makes life all good?

Think about it.

Now, the next time something prompts a good times memory and the flood gates open be sure you don’t quickly snap them shut because you think you’re too busy to travel down that path. It stares you in the face for a reason people, so take note and don’t ignore it. You have every right to let yourself go there and take in a moment or two to let that smile hit your face and let that sunny memory warm your heart.

I started out saying no pixie dust required, but really, maybe whatever it is that sparks the memory bank to open is your own version of pixie dust (the thought, the feeling, whatever the reminder is).

Find your pixie dust and open up the gate

Update and Quinoa Cookie Recipe

So, a quick update on this elimination diet. I am still holding off on adding a lot of items back in and have actually removed a few more which seem to be possible offenders.

With doing this elimination diet I have been fairly diligent in keeping track of what I am eating and by doing so seem to be finding a few more items that may be contributing to my eczema.

It is still not fully cleared, however it is way better than it was and I have not had any more flare ups since last weekend when I noticed the few more offenders.

Nightshades have now been completely removed. You may be asking yourself, what are nightshades?

Well, let’s sum this up:

Nightshades, also known as Solanaceae family are mainly – Potatoes, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Eggplant, which also include such items as pimento, papricka, cayenne, Tabasco, tobacco and morning glory plants.

If nightshades are an issue it would explain why this eczema got progressively worse when I was in early high school (as I smoked), although I quit smoking years ago (10-11 years ago) my diet has changed and I tend to consume a lot of the offending nightshade foods.

This is not a definite diagnosis, at this point it is a suspicion. I have also eliminated bananas and lemon to ensure they are not an issue but have shown no issues with almonds, coffee and dark chocolate….ok so I have my priorities and as always there is room for improvement here but I still love my comforting cup of java and had decided I wanted that comfort back and if the worst of my habits is a caffeine addiction, well, for right now I'll take it....and enjoy it!

Recipe post of the weekend, Quinoa Cookies!
My teacher at school sent out this link a few weeks ago:
http://www.peggyk.com/recipes/peggys-quinoa-cookies/

So, this weekend I decided to test it out and made a few variations, which I actually plan to vary again the next time because lets face it, who really likes to follow the rules, let alone someone else's directions when you can put your own mark on it.

Here is my version (which is not that different, yet!) - makes 24-30 depending on your drop size

Preheat oven to 375
Cream together the following:
Mash 4 bananas (mine were frozen/thawed so a bit too liquidy)
1 scoop of chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c coconut sugar (palm sugar) (will decrease next time)
1/4 c almond butter (optional)

Add
1 cup cooked Quinoa
1 cup oatmeal flakes (or quinoa flakes if gluten intolerant)
1 cup unsweetened coconut
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional)

Mix all together then add
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instead of chocolate chips you could do the following variations:
1 - add 1/4 cup of cacao powder instead and make them chocolate cookies
2 - 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup of raw walnuts or nut of choice

Drop by spoonfuls on parchment or silicone lined baking pans and bake for approximately 30 minutes

Enjoy!

These are gluten free (if omitting the oats) dairy free, egg free and low in sugar.

Coconut sugar is low glycemic therefore does not send you on such a roller coaster sugar effect, therefore better for you.

Quinoa is actually a seed, although it has all of the regular characterics of a grain. It cooks like a grain, you utilize it like a grain and it looks like a grain.

Quinoa ia a complete protein, it is a great source of magnesium and manganese. It is high in fibre, a great source of minerals, vitamin E and B2. Quinoa is gluten free and an excellent protein source for vegans.

If you happen to check out Peggy's link to the cookie recipe she notes that you can utilize this recipe in 3 ways, as a cookie, as a breakfast cereal and as a pancake. All fantastic ideas. I had a hard time getting the cookies into the oven as I quite enjoyed the cookie dough.

p.s. I borrowed the cookie photo from Peggy's site

Happy Baking!

Pancake Tuesday!!

For as long as I can remember, Pancake Tuesday meant and still means Pancakes for Dinner! Who doesn’t love pancake Tuesday!

So, technically it is "Shrove Tuesday" which is the day before lent and traditionally it is the day that everyone would use up the sugar, fat, flour and eggs prior to lent as these foods are restricted during that time. This recipe below is a lighter cleaned up version but still tastes extra yummy and my kids have never ever complained.

I thought I would share one of my go to pancake recipes seeing that Tuesday is Pancake Day! (ok, so no pancakes for me this year, but the kids will enjoy it for me I’m sure!)

Rice Pancakes (makes approximately 14 (4) inch pancakes)

1 ½ cups almond milk (or alt milk of choice)

1 ½ tbsp white vinegar

1 ½ cups rice flour

½ cup oat or millet flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ sea salt

1 Tbsp apple butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 eggs

(optional ingredients I like to add include cinnamon and mashed bananas or chopped bananas)

Mix the almond milk with the vinegar and allow to stand for 5 minutes until it curdles. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat apple butter, oil, eggs and milk. Add dry mixture and stir gently.

Cook on a preheated pan, silver dollar size

Recipe adapted from the Ultracare for Kids parent guide (we had this from year’s ago when Abby was on an elimination diet and still use the recipe to this day)

Ooey gooey fudge balls!

Well, after almost 3 weeks on this elimination diet and my “issues” are still doing much better but I have had a few flare ups, so either there is still something in my diet that is causing the issue or the change in weather has prompted its return, the verdict is still out.

I am still continuing on the clean eating (meaning better than the clean eating I was doing, just kicked it up a notch, or two) however decided that I needed something ooey, gooey and delicious! So, I decided to make some Fudge Balls, also known as Fudge Babies, Energy Bites, Date Balls, really you can call them whatever you like, I call them YUMMY and so does Ab's, which makes them that much better.

Who doesn't love a healthier treat! The only problem with these is having self-control, I don’t make them very often because I find I certainly can’t stop at just one and have a hard time limiting the consumption at all!

These can be made a billion different ways, as you know I love options and tend to use whatever is available in the house at the time. I have made these without nuts and used coconut, I've used raw almond butter, raw peanut butter, raw cashews, raw walnuts, seeds, no seeds, really whatever you want! I've even made them without cocoa, all in all they are fantastic and fudgy just like a brownie!

You can shape these into balls, bars, bites, and cookies, whatever you wish.

Today’s version was:
Ingredients (makes approximately 20 balls)

½  c dates

½ c almonds

2 tbp sunflower seeds

1 scoop chia seeds

2-3 tbsp cocoa powder (or cacao if you have it instead)

1-2 tbsp water (if needed)

Process all in a food processor

Roll into balls

Consume this totally awesome yumminess!

A few nutritional tidbits on Dates:

They are an excellent source of soluble fibre, they contain minerals, antioxidants and are an easily digested form of carbohydrates. Do keep in mind that they are naturally high in sugar content, with most varieties containing glucose or fructose, however they are a natural sugar so if you're going to eat sugar you are far better to consume the natural form.

This little treat is not weighed down with flours and flavorings, sugars and butter, they are chock full of natural whole ingredients so when you're looking for a sweet treat, these are far better than anything you're going to pick up at the store.

Enjoy!

Chia Seeds - Chia Pudding, who would have thought?

Ok, so I’ve had a fascination with these little seeds now for quite a long time. I typically love them on a bowl of fruit or mixed in a bowl of oatmeal and love them in the Pumpkin Chia Muffin recipe that I have posted on this blog too. Since I can’t eat oatmeal right now and have been trying to find some new breakfast ideas (as that’s my only real complaint so far about this current diet plan I’m on) I decided to try something totally different, pudding!

So, not your average pudding, but chia seeds gel when you put them in liquid and seeing that I used some leftover canned coconut milk this was super thick and creamy!

Chia seeds are a total superfood, you know the one, chchchch chia from the commercial, well those little seeds pack a powerful punch:

-          High in antioxidants

-          High in fibre

-          High in omega 3’s

-          Great source of calcium

-          Great source of protein

-          Great source of magnesium

-          ….the list goes on!

  Chia Pudding (typically serves 2)

·         3 scoops Chia seeds (some recipes call for 1/4 cup chia to 1 cup milk of choice - so this is still in experimental stage)

·         1 cup coconut milk (or use non dairy milk of preference)

·         1 tsp pure vanilla (or vanilla bean) – optional

·         A few dashes of cinnamon - optional

·         1 small or ½ large banana smashed – optional

Mix the above together and refrigerate overnight (or if you don’t have that kind of time, mix thoroughly and let sit 15 minutes, stir again and should be ready)

In the morning top with a1-2 tbsp of hemp seeds (again, optional)

Fresh fruit of choice (I used blueberries)

 You can mix and match this however you wish.

(Apple and almonds, nut butter and banana, berries and cinnamon, unsweetened coconut, as always the options are endless)

You can add some raw cacao to make it chocolaty, you can use a teaspoon of honey or pure maple syrup to make it sweet, again the options are endless!

I'm totally seeing a healthy chocolate version of this on the horizon, will be sure to take pics and post an update. Totally hoping the kids like this one.

Recap on this elimination process

So just as a recap and to clarify a few things.

I've been following (well, as a rough guideline) Dr. Cranton's Caveman Diet for the past few weeks. I decided to take this on as I have some health issues that have been bothersome for the past few years and I've finally decided to stop and take a look at myself and utilize some of my knowledge that I have gained over the years.

I chose Dr. Cranton's diet as I found it to be fairly straight forward, restricts most foods that I could possibly find to be offending foods, gives my internal systems a break and, well, I thought it was well written. Really it's an elimination process - limiting the toxins, however I'm going to call it "the diet".

This diet was not intended to lose weight, this diet is intended to give my body a break, allow my immune system to relieve itself of some stress and to possibly diagnose some food allergies or intolerances.

Now, I knew I would lose weight following this plan as it does what any good diet and really what all of us should be doing anyway and that is:

CUTS ALL OF THE CRAP

Seriously people, if you're eating shit your body will show it! This applies to you and me and everyone else out there, it's not new's it's a fact.

My weight has been at the higher end of my preferred range for the past quite a few years (although I am not overweight, however carrying a few more pounds than what I like the scale to read) and I know what needs to be done to lose weight, hell I've been there, done that but sometimes it's just hitting the wall and looking at yourself and realizing that it's simply another decision and you have the reigns so it's up to you to change your direction.

Do I plan on eating like this the rest of my life, well YES in some aspects and already do/did in some aspects. I don't want to be as restricted as this detox has made me, and although I eat very healthy as it is, this detoxification process has opened my eyes to show me just where I've been slipping for the past few years. It's not difficult but it does require an open mind.

I have stumbled upon loads of great recipes lately and from there have a few thoughts of my own, however until I can add a few items back into my eating plan I am holding off on attempting any.

Happy day to you all!

Turkey Vegetable Soup

Being that I am still following my elimination diet/detox I have been eating alot of turkey these days, since my alternate protein sources are limited to mostly nuts and seeds.

Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of seeds, nuts, fish etc, however I needed to expand my eating and needed a warm comforting soup. This one summed it all up and even Bill (my non soup eater) ate it up and loved it.  It just goes to show that you never know how something is going to turn out, you just have to be open to try.

I love creating something out of whatever I happen to have on hand. I've varied this soup a few times over the past two weeks and tried more carrots, used sweet potato, omitted the cabbage, left it chunky, pureed it all. The possibilities, as usual, are pretty much endless.

Clean out the fridge Soup

·         1 large carrot – peeled and diced

·         2 celery stalks – diced – leaves and all
·         ½ acorn squash – peeled and diced
·         ½ bag cabbage coleslaw mix
·         2-3 cups leftover turkey
·         2-4 cups of broth (depending on how thick you want it)

1. Cook the first 4 ingredients in a soup pot for approximately 20 minutes – until tender and cooked down
2. Add water or stock to the pot if required
3. Once cooked add 1 cup of turkey stock (or chicken or veggie stock)
4. Run through the blender until smooth
5. Add an additional 1-3 cups of broth to reach your desired consistency –continue running through the blender
6. Add back to pot
7. Add 2 – 3 cups of leftover turkey
8. Sea salt to taste

Serve warm

This can be seasoned to your liking (suggested seasonings include garlic, pepper, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, savoury, poultry seasoning).

I am on an elimination/detox, therefore kept it fairly simple. I used homemade turkey stock and found that this soup did not require any further flavour. It creates a thick rich broth with a generous amount of protein from the turkey.

My stock was homemade:

·         Turkey bones

·         3-4 whole celery stalks – leaves and all
·         4 good slices of ginger
·         Water to cover

1.      Let cook on low overnight in the crock pot

2.      In the morning strain through a colander or sieve

3.      Discard everything but the liquid (you can pick off any remaining meat from the bones at this point and set aside

4.      Once cooled pour into mason jars and freeze for up to 6 months or keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Uses for homemade stock:

·         Use in soups and stews

·         Use it to cook rice or pasta or to boil your potatoes in

·         Use it to make mashed potatoes

Possibilities are endless, use your imagination.

Meet Meghan Telpner

I just wanted to pass on info on the coolest chic that I have stumbled upon. Ok, well maybe not stumbled. I think I happened to find out about her from one of my teacher’s at The Edison Institute of Nutrition. She mentioned her name in an email to me so as usual I did what I always do and went online and looked her up. God I love technology!
 
Anyway, everyone meet Meghan Telpner – Nutritionista from AwesomeTown! Check out her wicked website here:

www.meghantelpner.com

 

This girl completely rocks. I have not met her in person, YET but she is now on my list of must meet peeps. I absolutely love her humour, her knowledge, her zest, her honesty and love of life.

Please check out her story, her shop, her amazing recipes that I am drying to try and all things fun that you will come across on her website.

She’s totally got it going on. Check her out and let me know what you think.

And just to review why I think she’s so awesome, check out her conversation on Poo Juice! Now you totally know why I talk like I do sometimes, it’s the Nutritionist in me!

 
http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2012/01/31/wilder-returns-to-play-and-talk-deto/

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Elimination Diet Update

Well, 14 days into this elimination/detox diet and I have many positive results to report:

-     my eczema, although not fully cleared, is exceptionally well, no itchy skin, no new eczema spots and my hands don't feel so terribly dry and cracked

-     digestion – well, the verdict is still out on this one, although I’m not feeling nearly as bloated as I had been

-     weight loss – this is strictly an added bonus. I did not start this with the intent of losing weight. I’ve been sitting 5-10lbs higher than I’ve wanted to for the past few years, however it also hadn’t bothered me enough to push me to take care of the issue. As of Day 13 and I was down roughly 6% in my weight. I am wishing now that I would have had Lorri at Real Bodies test my body fat percentage prior to taking this elimination diet on, however did not, but may need to see her about that this week.

-     I started a new program at the gym roughly around the same time that I started this elimination and am happy to say that I have had success in increasing my weights each week.

-     I’ve created some really yummy soups these past few weeks as a result of being a little more creative with my cooking and tried a few other things which I will post up

Although this elimination has been easy to follow and I certainly am not going hungry, it does take time and preparation. However, eating should always take thought, time and preparation, eating healthy is not difficult, however you need to prep and be sure to have a good stock of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds and be creative in your cooking adventures.

I have had many people tell me in the past few weeks that this diet is crazy, you could never live like that, how can you be so limited, etc. Really, it’s not difficult. My body is responding perfectly to it. Eating out does not have to be an issue, however that certainly depends on where you go. I don’t plan on following exactly like this forever, I would like to try and add in beans and legumes, eggs, some alternate grains etc but am trying not to hurry this along either.

It's simply about eating real, whole foods in their most natural state and eliminating all of the processed crap that only weighs our bodies down. Do I miss certain things, yes I certainly do. Will I try them again, yes more than likely. However, I do hope to take this adventure as a reminder that my once very clean diet had certainly been starting to slip.

I've been purusing the internet alot lately and as usual have come across some really cool ideas and really yummy looking recipes that I'm looking forward to testing out and adding my own twist to them once I am able to put a few new foods in.

On a side note, I started to write this post yesterday morning then I went for a visit at my sister Julie's and decided that I would enjoy a cup of her coffee (even though I've been off it nearly two weeks) and can report that by the time I got home a few hours later my eczema on my hands had flared up and was itchy all night. I'm not ready to fully blame the coffee yet as the weather had turned extremely cold (which makes it flare) and I had done alot of cooking and cleaning in the morning which meant my hands were submersed in alot of water over and over again (which also makes it flare). So, it was a small slip and I am back off coffee again and at this point am not planning on attempting anything else until I see if I can fully clear the eczema.

More updates to follow.

p.s. the elimination that I've been following is Dr. Cranton's Caveman Diet http://www.drcranton.com/elimination_diet.htm
which I made a few exceptions to as I thought it best to remove a few other foods that I was consuming on a daily basis.

Clean Salad

Detox/Elimination diet continues, here is a salad I threw together earlier in the week and it simply hit the spot so I thought I would share.

I take my lunch to the office everyday, personally I can't justify buying my lunch daily, plus the options are not always that healthy. I figure I shop at least once a week and have a full fridge/freezer and pantry most of the time,therefore there is no reason to waste money on buying lunch everyday, so I bag it from home. It takes a few minutes the night before but its usually well worth it and my pocketbook thanks me as well.

Clean salad (part of detox week)

v  Chopped raw broccoli (I probably used 2 cups)

v  Chopped celery (I probably used 1 rib)

v  Chopped cooked turkey (leftovers – probably used ¾ cup to 1 cup)

v  A few tablespoons of raw unsalted sunflower seeds

v  A drizzle of sesame oil ( a little goes a long way, great flavour!)

v  A sprinkle of sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, top with a lid; give a liberal shake prior to eating. Works well if made the day ahead and left to sit overnight in the fridge for all flavours to mingle!

Adjust your serving size accordingly. By lunch time I need a good deal of protein and fats, this salad seems to have it all for me. After a spin class last night, this serving size worked for me.

If you don’t like sesame oil why not sub in extra virgin olive oil or some flax seed oil.

As per usual, don’t be afraid to experiment, add some grated carrot or radishes for color, use leftover fish opposed to turkey, cashews as an alternate protein would work great here as well.

Let what’s in your fridge and your imagination guide you, happy eating!

A few nutritional tidbits:
Sesame seeds would be a good addition to the above salad as well. Sesame seeds aid in digestion. In traditional Chinese medicine, sesame is known to produce yin (body fluid).

Sunflower seeds are a favorite of mine, I add them to most salads, how can you not love these, they come from the most cheerful looking flower. They contain a high source of nutrients including vitamin E, protein, magnesium, selenium, vitamins B1, B5, B6, phosphorus, copper, iron, folic acid and fibre. Sunflower seeds contain a high amount of monounsaturated fat and arginine. Arginine is an amino acid which plays an important role in immune functions and detoxification reactions. Arginine is also known to promote the secretion of insulin and growth hormone. (Growth hormone is responsible for stimulating muscle and skeletal growth.)

Nuts and seeds contain many important nutrients, essential fats and protein. When buying nuts and seeds you should always ensure they are raw and unsalted. They are best purchased and stored in their shells and cracked open when needed, however this is not always overly convenient.

Detox - into day 4 and still going

Well 3 days, now beginning day 4 and I can say my eczema is not so bad, my legs are not itchy and my hands don't look as dry as usual. My digestion still hasn't gotten any better yet, however my body is probably still trying to figure out exactly what it is that I am putting it through.

I would love a coffee, really I would, however I will not have one. The headaches are gone and I'm certainly not experiencing any withdrawal symptoms, however it's my "comfort drink" and I am longing for it. At the same time, I don't wish to revisit day 1 and day 2's headache and flu feeling so I will continue on my "detox" and avoid the beloved coffee...knowing that one day I will enjoy it again, or at least I hope so.

So far this detox is proving to be quite easy to follow, again thought and preparation is required, however it's quite manageable nonetheless.

I taught a great spin class last night and although I was sweating my ass off I was feeling full of energy (withouth caffeine, sugar and crap running through my system), just goes to show it's really not needed afterall!

I'm hoping for some more noticable changes over the next few days, only time will tell at this point.

Happy Thursday all, updates to follow