Coming backAs I sit here at my laptop, I think ... "How am I going to do this?" Where do I start? What am I going to talk about? HOW am I going to even begin writing about the journey that I have been on?
Countless times have I started typing and set aside a few words, a paragraph or two, or even a whole page. Though, I never did post. I didn't think I was ready. Thoughts, feelings, insights, etc... entries in my email or journal, in personal texts, on scraps of paper, or swimming in my mind. And I am finally deciding to bring it all together. To share my burdens, my joys, my strengths and weaknesses, my insights, ... my life; this blog is no longer just about food. And if there's an ear out there, I am blessed. And perhaps I can bring truth to your world, as God has brought it to mine. Truth. About our purpose here. Truth. About my struggles. Truth. About my joys. Truth. About health. Truth. About our world. There are so many lies we were born or taught into believing and their manifestations are far beyond UgLy. But when we learn the Truth, we can make the changes we need to be better for our Lord and Savior. The changes that perfect us and make us new. I am becoming new. It is no easy journey and I am certainly not through, but I will no longer let the waiting period dictate the postponement of sharing my story. And so let it begin. This is my story... |
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight." |
Better Breakfasts?The slideshow below shows just a few of the breakfast items I was eating. Since I could not have bananas or citrus fruits in the beginning, my breakfasts were very fibrous but lacking in protein and fats. Thus, a few times, I added Sardines or Alaskan-caught salmon to the mix with a bit of white rice. Likable LunchesAnd here are a few dishes of items that I had for lunch. They really could be dinner dishes as well. The last few images were when I was coming off of the highly restricted diet. We went to a tea house for a baby shower and they were able to accommodate my gluten free and dairy free requests! Dinner DishesAnd, alas, here comes dinner! Dessert never was an option ... It was always "hmmmm what should I have for dessert? Fruit? I had 5 apples, a whole cantaloupe, and a million grapes. The last thing I want is more fruit!" But I made do and ate clean. And so there you have it.... just a little bit of insight into what this diet looked like. Every day is a challenge, but when given those moments of what feels normal, I take it, thank God, and savor it for as long as I have it.
My next post is going to be homemade Kombucha! Thanks to my wonderful friend, Laura, I have acquired a new addition to my family and its name is SCOBY and she makes the most wonderful of drinks. Until then, cook, brew, steam, and dig for more culinary adventures!
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For those who do not know, I have had stomach issues (among some other issues) for months now. Last week I went to an acupuncturist and natural medicine doctor who put me on a hypoallergenic diet for a week (which lasted 8 days). I will admit to feeling healthier, but my stomach issue certainly did not clear up; it just took on a different face.
During those short 8 days, I realized a lot about myself and the world around me. It helped me to gain different perspectives and appreciations. I believe that this diet was a sacrifice and a die-to-self. It taught me to rejoice in suffering. It broke me and it built me up again. It taught me discipline. It showed me where I can place my idols and where they should be instead (God). We are always running some race and, like any race, there are moments where we are energized and can run in leaps and bounds. But there are other times when we feel crippled and are as slow as a snail. And then, we have moments where we just are. I’ve been all over the charts with this diet. Except for cheating it; I never broke the diet or let it break me. … Have you ever experienced those moments when you are running or lifting and, though fatigued, you keep pushing yourself because the burn feels so good? That was how I felt when I was on this diet. I felt like I was exercising my digestive tract every time I thought about quitting and then rejecting the thought. I felt like I was accomplishing something. The thought is similar to school: when you score badly on a test, but your hard work and discipline pay off for a high grade, in the end. We are all working toward something and though we suffer while we race, we end up stronger and in a better spot than before. Take this post as one of encouragement: keep running your race. Since Wednesday (Day 8), I have been given the freedom to add things back in. I will admit to advancing a bit too fast with this green light; I am adding more than one thing back into my diet per day. Now, I am saving gluten and dairy for a while now, since those tend to be the culprits of several stomach issues. To add, soy, corn, peanuts (though I’ve already snuck a few), and unnatural sugars are also still omitted. When I say that I am adding more things back in, I am talking about bananas, eggs, beans, walnuts, almonds, etc. Why do I feel so free to add these back in so quickly? Because I am certain I do not have an allergy to them. I don’t think I have an allergy to any foods, but just because we think something does not mean it to be true. Also since Wednesday, I have been given some supplements and herbs. Being almost deficient in vitamin D (yes, I am aware that I live in the sunshine state), I have been taking higher doses of vitamin D3 and my mood has been awesome. Moreover, I have been given a high B6, B12, folic acid complex to help with food breakdown and normal body functioning. I am also on fish oil for healthy omegas. Also recommended to take apple cider vinegar before each meal due to a lower stomach acid. AND (yes this is a lot, but my doctor’s goal is to fix my body and get it to the point where it can function on its own) iodine and a thyroid herbal supplement to help my thyroid (slightly underactive) and hypothalamus function more normally. My gut and appetite (lacking) is still not 100% by any means, but my brain activity and things that I cannot even begin to explain are back (when I did not even realize that I was missing them!) I mean, the past two days I have had the energy to run and workout. I feel like myself again and I had no idea how much of myself was lost. I won’t go into specifics, but the cause of all of this is going off of a medication after being on it for so many years. Modern medicine is great for some things, but if you can avoid medication, do so and seek a more natural path. Your body won’t torment you so much when you decide to get off of it (and even when you may be on it!). I will post pictures in another post after this one soon. Until then, here’s a tip: If you ever need to go to the bathroom, but prefer not to look for an outside public restroom, find a nearby restaurant. All you do is walk in as though you know exactly where you are going and then locate the bathroom. This allows you to experience the restaurant and food vicariously through other people. This especially works well in fun places like Disney Springs or Universal Studios, where the restaurants are themed and hopping. Well this should have gone out days ago... Apparently my title posted, but the content? Not so much. I am now on day three of this diet and I can't say that I am terribly missing regular food (since my stomach has been so off anyway), but from time to time I hear, see, or smell a few things that remind me of my current limitations. For instance, when you're at work (Animal Kingdom's Animal Nutrition Center) and the tour guide mentions to the group about our milky colored containers for our carnivore diets while all you can think about is how you thought he was going to say milky way. Also. When your co-worker takes a bite from a huge, delicious red velvet cupcake or your other co-worker mentions the leftover cake having whipped cream frosting... Moments when you pass by a microwave and smell a lean cuisine meal. Only day three and my primary sources of protein are cold-water fish (salmon and sardines). My carbs sources are sweet potatoes and white rice. My spices are salt, pepper, and olive oil. And then I'm left with several fruits and vegetables excluding white potato, night shade vegetables (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes), bananas, plantains, and possibly citrus. Am I hungry? If my stomach worked properly, I would say 'heck yes'; all the time. But for now I get hungry every few hours or not at all. It's weird... I will elaborate more as time passes, but I recommend that you read on! ------------------------- Yes, I got my hands on deer. No I did not help with the hunt. It came to me in ground form. I cooked it in the crockpot. It was DELICIOUS. Need I say more? Well, YES, because you need to know how to make this. A few weeks ago, I was at my grandparent-in-laws’ house for Easter and a bit before we left, Travis and I were gifted with some ground venison, prepared from his uncle. Anytime I can get my hands on wild game, home grown produce, or fresh herbs, it is a good day. It took me about a week to get the time to work with it, but this past Sunday I took it out of the freezer and jumped right in. For those who may not know, venison is the term for deer meat. Like lamb, it has its own unique flavor. Not everyone may like it, but it is certainly a meat to savor when you do. Since venison is wild game, it tends to be on the leaner side and needs fat to help its taste and texture. Since my venison came to me ground up, all I had to do was sear it in olive oil and salt and pepper and then throw it in the crockpot. I also sautéed crushed garlic, worcestershire sauce, chili spice, tarragon, garlic spice, salt, and pepper together in olive oil and then added that into the crockpot. And then we ran out the house to get to church. Several hours later, upon entering the apartment, a wonderful aroma permeated throughout our home. I couldn’t help myself but to sample a bit of the meat. It certainly was delicious, but I had a few more ingredients to add: tomato paste, one diced tomato, lemon juice, more worcestershire sauce, and cooked brown rice. When this was all stewing in the crockpot, I started on the peppers: cut the tops off, take the seeds out, place them on a cookie sheet, and bake them at 350 for 15 minutes or so. Once those are cooked, you STUFF them. Since the meat mixture is already hot, you can serve immediately. I recommend pairing it with a good red wine, but I couldn’t for the life of me tell you which is best (Cab? Pinot? Merlot?). In other news, my diet is about to change drastically. For the next week I am going to be on an elimination diet. So what does that encompass? Basically, all that I can eat are white rice, wild-caught fish (salmon, cod, halibut, herring), fruits (excluding citrus, banana, plantain), and vegetables (excluding tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, garlic, white potatoes, and maybe onions). This is to test sinus and digestive issues. I can use olive oil and salt to flavor my foods, at the least. The diet sounds terrible, but since it is short-term (hopefully), I’m not too concerned. Now I won’t deny the fact that I tried eating and drinking anything that I soon will not be able to (chocolate, caffeine, etc), but I am oddly looking forward to going on this diet. Firstly, it is a cleanse, in a sense, so I am hoping to at least feel really good. I am also hoping that it will show some results. The other thing, however, is that this will permit me to really appreciate the natural, earthy flavor of our foods and may even change my eating habits in the future. Here is what I have purchased: white rice, Alaskan-caught salmon, blackberries, strawberries, apples, cantaloupe, pineapple, prunes, raisins, beets and greens, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, celery, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, avocados, rutabagas (from my friend’s garden) … I think that identifies most, if not all, of the foods. I will be eating these either in their raw, dried, roasted, or sautéed form. Though, I’m thinking of doing a lot of roasting with my vegetables. For those curious, I will let you know how this goes and what I learn from it. Until then, eat chocolate, ice-cream, yogurt, pizza, meat, and whatever else I am missing out on!! (Or better yet, go on a cleanse yourself;)) |
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February 2017
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight."
From Pennsylvania to France to Washington DC to Florida, I've had myself many an adventure. Now it's time to indulge in the life of a Floridian. With great food, great friends, and great experiences, I offer you stories and pictures to take you away, into my world at Disney. Categories |