Living without...

   The detox is over.  It lasted three weeks and it was a good thing to do.   The foods that I ate  were simple and nourishing.  I didn't eat potatoes or grains or alcohol during that time. I ate organic meats, vegetables and drank lots of water. During that time  I noticed my leg pain went away,  that achiness that I felt when I stood up in my knees and shins.  I even remarked to my family that it was gone, but I didn't know why.  


   It's been a week since I've been eating "normal".   And the pain is back, even worse.  This morning when I got out of bed my knees buckled, the pain was so great.  What is going on? 
Today I picked up an old copy of Living Without, a food magazine for those with food allergies and sensitivities. The article I turned to was about being allergic to nightshade vegetables.  It seems that tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers and chili peppers can, in some people,  cause arthritic pain,  nerve pain and other central nervous system problems.  Really?


    Then I remember that two nights ago I had made a delicious roasted chicken dish with roasted potatoes and  I had the leftovers for lunch the next day.  The next couple of day my legs were killing me.  I couldn't figure out why, until I read that article.  Not more food problems.


  What's a girl to do?  I am already GF, I tried meat free  and now I am to be free of certain vegetables too.  I just don't understand why.  Do I want to give up more foods?   Yes, if it means I can run and  hike and chase my granddaughter... pain free.  What a sacrifice!  Yet it is doable.


  I am going to give it a try for three more weeks.  No more roasted potatoes, mashed or baked.  No fajitas with peppers.  No Eggplant Parmigiana.  No spaghetti sauce or fresh tomatoes on my salad.  I will let you know if it works and is worth it.


 It will be if I can walk without grimacing.


http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/nightshade-vegetables.html

Gabriela, so happy and carefree on the swing, (her mother was within reaching distance!)
I love the smudge of dirt on her nose:)

Happily sitting and posing for her Easter portrait.

Not so happy now.

See what I mean about keeping up with her!

All girl.

These great pictures were taken by my daughter, Cate Gordon.  She did a great job of photographing Gabriela Aylen Hull.

Satisfaction

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  Psalm 63:5

This verse has become my mantra lately.  This is day three of my detox and of just plain eating good food.  When I say good, I mean good for you, and it does help that it also tastes good.  I am following  a yeast-free, grain -free eating program for 30 days.  The purpose is to get rid of yeast, eliminate foods that contain or nourish yeast, and to repopulate my gastrointestinal tract with friendly bacteria. Why do I need to do that?  I'm not sure really, except that I've been praying for God to show how to eat  and to restore my body to it's youthful ache free ways, to restart my metabolism.  I wish I could say I did it in the first place for spiritual reasons, yet it has become more and more of that.

Back in February,  I  prayed about what God wanted me to surrender during this Lenten season that was coming up.  Not getting a clear answer or maybe I wasn't listening well, I gave up my great love, chocolate.  I felt that was hard, a real sacrifice, because I really did (and still do) crave it.  Lent began on February 22 and I still would love a bite of dark chocolate--right now!  But later in the month I felt God speaking to me about more, giving up more.  When I found this eating plan in one of my health books, I knew this was it.

My food is simple.  I eat organic vegetables, beans, eggs, and if I want it organic meat.  So much of the way I used to cook for Nan when she had all her many food sensitivities, but she couldn't even have eggs back then.

As I have gone through these past three days I can see how I have depended on food to fulfill a part of me, a place that would bring me joy, by sipping a glass of Petite Syrah with a nice piece of chocolate.  I could go into the kitchen and indulge in any treat I wanted, a homemade granola bar, a smoothie, whatever.  But not any more.

Right now I am not eating rice, potatoes, milk , any dairy, any baked goods-- GF or not,  corn, any alcohol or any type of sugar, ie honey, maple syrup, etc.

The good news is I can have lots of vegetables, salads, dried beans, eggs, oatmeal, avocados, nuts and nut butters , olive oil, coffee and tea.  In two weeks I will add fruit and butter.  I already like all of those foods, but I like a lot of others too.  That's the catch.


God has shown me that he is the one who will satisfy every longing and that I can sing to him while I fix my dinner and my girls dinner who are not on the plan.  But, my sweet Hart is on this journey with me.  He and I will sing together.







Here is a recipe that I made on Monday.  I noticed that I have three bags of split green peas in my pantry.  I do love split pea soup so I found this vegetarian one and it was really quite delicious.

Two cups of pretty green peas

Cooking the peas in my big red pot

Removing a large cupful of the cooked, but still slightly firm peas.

Pureed peas, my handy hand held mixer.

A satisfying bowl of split pea soup.

recipe by www.101cookbooks.com


Very, very good.

Granola love!

Who doesn't love granola?  I don't mean the hard, tasteless kind, but the soft chewy oat-walnut-honey kind.  I love this kind on my plain yogurt and on my cereal, whenever I eat any of that.  It's hard to find GF granola, so I make my own. Later I will include the recipe, but this post is about TO DIE for Granola Bars. Again I'm talking about the soft, chewy, slightly crunchy kind (with lots of chocolate chips!!).  My family LOVES these.

It doesn't take long to mix these up and get them right into the oven.

I used a 9 x 13 here, but I think they are even better in a 8 x 8, thicker and softer.

The finished bars! Ready to grab!

So yummy!

Pretty too.  These have butterscotch chips instead of chocolate, because I gave up chocolate for Lent.

They get eaten really quickly.

See what I mean...

Chewy Granola Bars

1/3 c agave
3/4 c honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 c Brown rice flour (or Whole wheat)
1 c walnuts
1/2 raisins (optional)
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
2/3 c Natural Peanut Butter/Almond Butter
2 TBs hot water
2 1/2 c rolled oats

Mix agave, PB, honey, water and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in rolled oats, flour, walnuts, dark chocolate and raisins.  Press mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan. ( for  8 x 8 cook 5 mins longer) Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cut into 24 bars while still warm.  Cool completely before removing from pan.

Thank you Lisa for the recipe!