Carrot & Chicken Pancakes & Ghee

EPIC FAIL!

In trying to get creative with my breakfast, I found a recipe on Pinterest that seemed pretty easy, quick, and healthy, but can't find it now to share with you---- but will keep looking. I think I might have added more than 2 oz of chicken as instructed since I don't have a small kitchen scale, but I'm not sure it would have made a difference. This was nasty. Healthy but nasty and will NOT be on my list of repeats.  

 I also made ghee for the first time. I made store bought butter healthy. It was pretty simple, but we haven't used much of it since I cook with coconut oil most of the time, but at least I have it for when a recipe calls for it.

Saving My Way to Health

 

It's been over a year (aside from a few months in the summer) since I replaced my store bought mouthwash with coconut oil and my teeth are noticeably whiter (at least to me). I can't smell my own breath in the morning. My ulcers have completely disappeared and my morning sneezes are almost gone, although I'm not sure if it's because of the coconut oil or other dietary changes I've made recently.

In trying to get healthy and cure my allergies and my children's eczema, I've been doing a LOT of research about not only getting healthy and clean on the inside but also getting healthy from the outside in. Chemicals in your body don't just come from the things you eat, but from the products you put in your body whether you ingest them or not.

About 2 weeks ago, I started using coconut oil as a fash wash/make-up remover and moisturizer. I LOVE it! My face is smoother and I've only had 1 or 2 small zits that dried out almost as quick as they appeared. Normally, I can predict mother nature's visit by what my face is doing. I've been dealing with acne for over 20 years so this is EXCITING for me! I really did NOT want to be fighting acne at the same time my kids were... I mean come on! A mom needs to be able to guide her kids through some things that she's experienced and conquered right??? Now that I've conquered it, hopefully they won't have to worry about it and can save $$$ from what I've learned.

I also use coconut oil for lotion on my legs. It doesn't take much and it smells and feels fabulous. My husband isn't a fan of coconut, but he hasn't said anything about me smelling like a coconut yet.

 

I replaced ALL of this...

 with this!!!

I just started eating 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil every morning to help fight any candida or parasites I might have (and don't know about) and I cook with it. No more PAM spray for me! I guess I should have added that to the picture above.

Next on my list is to remove store bought deodorant since it has high levels of aluminum which has been link to Alzheimer's as well as many other illnesses.

 

My friend pinterest has helped A LOT in giving me recipes to use around the house.

This website shows 160 ways and benefits to using coconut oil.

Eczema... It's Back with a Vengeance!

If you've been following this blog for the past few days or week you read that I took my 4 year old off of dairy. Well, then we had friends over and I let him indulge in smores, marshmallows, and chocolate and from there we had Christmas parties and I slacked as a mom and let him indulge. On Thursday, at his sister's Christmas party he had a piece of double doozie chocolate chip cookie cake, pizza, and hot chocolate. Then Friday, he had HIS Christmas party which also included a cupcake and candy from the parents. He LOVED it, but his body not so much. By the time we left the Christmas party on Thursday, his rash was SO bad that he had been scratching it and it was bleeding and his ears were not only completely red, but were swollen. They were so red that even his brother noticed and that says a lot!

We went to the doctor just to make sure it wasn't any thing else because his rashes had never been this severe and he confirmed what I already knew. Yep.. he had eczema which was "probably" triggered by an allergy, but since he's never been tested he couldn't say what since he has never had allergy testing. I've been doing enough food elimination and research that I know what he's sensitive to and this just confirmed it. The doctor gave me 4 prescriptions. Honestly, I'm not even sure what they are,  but one was an ointment. One was an oral prescription and I'm not sure what they 3rd one was. Can you tell I didn't get them filled. I know the cause. I know how to help him heal from the inside so no need to spend extra $$$ for things that will actually cause more damage.

 

 

 

 It has taken my body over a week to heal from the smore and chips and dip I ate. I can't imagine how long it's going to take his poor little body to recover, but just by restricting his sugar and dairy intake for a 1 day and removing dairy and candy from his diet for a day (today), he's already improving and not scratching anymore.

Healing on the outside has started simply because we reduced and are restricting the things that cause even though he'd drink milk and have ranch with EVERY meal and in between meals if he could.

He probably isn't looking forward to it (because of dietary restrictions), but I'm looking forward to him healing and being able to eat what he prefers (in limits) once he is healed. He's a picky eater so I'm going to gear up for a battle, but it will be worth it.

Kombucha

I have a friend that makes Kombucha tea and she walked me through it the other day and even offered me a scoby so I can start brewing my own. Before starting my own brewery she suggested I try GT's Kombucha tea from our local grocery store. We only have 1 grocery store (30 minutes from me) that carries it. Not even our health store has it. I definitely wanted to try it prior to going through the initial brewing because I have NO idea what it's supposed to taste like and I wasn't sure if I would even drink it despite it's great benefits. As you read from the previous posts, I am currently making my own Kefir and I can't seem to acquire a taste for it.
Anyway, my friend suggested getting lavender or ginger, but I settled for green tea because that's all they had. I'm not a fan of green tea so I honestly wasn't expecting to like it. Upon taking the first sip, it had a carbonation that I'm not used to since I don't drink sodas and it almost had a beer like taste. I don't like the smell of beer, much less the taste, but as I took more sips it grew on my taste buds and before I knew it I was ready to drink the entire 16 oz bottle. Fortunately, I was reading about the side effects of drinking Kombucha and was reminded to stop at a few ounces as my body adjusted to the probiotics.

Chicken Zoodle Soup a.k.a. Bone Broth Soup

 It's been 4 days since my cheat (when I ate the smore) and although I haven't been eating like I used to, I haven't been eating whole foods like I had been and my sinuses are suffering. The past few days have me realize even more how much better eating right really does make me feel and how much more I need to be sugar free, dairy free, and as of now legume free. This isn't going to be so easy when my husband and I go on dates, but it will be possible.

I made my first bone broth soup tonight and am eating as I type this. I put a little chicken in it hoping my kiddo will eat it, but used zucchini instead of noodles and used carrots. It's a little bland because I didn't use seasoning, but other than that, it's not bad. The broth itself actually tastes like the broth in chicken noodle soup.

Kid's Probiotics

My kid's probiotics came in last week. My daughter who loves ALL things sweets loves them and asks for them daily because they taste like candy. My youngest who would eat chocolate all day if I let him does NOT like them. He says they're too sour. At least 2 of the have started their journey of cleansing and repair.

 

I was WRONG!

Last week we had a few friends over for a small Christmas party. I had been doing SO good on my new lifestyle diet that I decided ONE cheat would be OK. Just one... it's OK right... I mean everyone else is eating it. I was SO wrong!!!! I had one s'mores that turned into one bite of apple cobbler and WOW has my body been letting me know how much it does NOT like all of the sweet delights. That night my throat and ears started itching but after about 30 ounces of water it finally stopped. Here it is 3 days later and my throat is starting to burn, my nose is running a little (again) and I am exhausted. My 4 year old being awake from 12 AM - 3 AM the night before last didn't help with the exhaustion, but I can't help but wonder how I'd feel if I had not rebelled and "treated" myself. Lesson learned... back to square 1.

 Today, I'm planning to get my GAPS diet binder prepared so I can officially start the changes next week while the kids are out... or maybe I should wait until they start school... hmmmm... either way, I want it ready and prepared with LOTS of recipes so I have to do as little thinking and a lot of preparing as I can.