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My husband tends to get a sinus infection at least 3-4 times a year.  He is not patient enough to let the natural home remedies work, so he usually runs to the clinic and gets a shot.  Well, it's that time of year for him to get sick again, and he is actually worse than the kids about covering his mouth when he coughs or sneezes.  The kids have been saying, "Dad, Cover!"  I am the one who usually never gets sick, but when I do, it seems to linger for quite some time!  So as I am shipping my sick hubby off to Iowa for a week long hunting trip, guess what he left behind for me?  Yep, that's right, his sinus cold!  I guess when you kiss someone daily and your toothbrush is in the same drawer and they do not cover their cough, and you sleep in the same bed face to face with them, eventually you will get sick too. 
Friday night was rainy here and we had our annual downtown Christmas event that supports our small town businesses.  So naturally I threw on my rain jacket and boots and the girls and I went out shopping!  Then Saturday morning I woke up with a sore throat!  I took 1 tsp SOLE Himalayan sea salt in 4 oz water and the soreness was immediately gone!  Thank goodness for that!  Then I took 1 tsp of colloidal silver holding it under the tongue  for 30 seconds before swallowing. Throughout the day I sipped on chicken broth infused with fresh garlic and red pepper flakes.  Feeling much better I went to bed at a decent hour feeling confident I would be all better in the morning.  However, I woke Sunday with some serious sinus pressure that was so bad my upper jaws hurt up into my eye sockets and my forehead.  Talk about a MAJOR headache!  I immediately went to my herbal stash and pulled out the chamomile and brought a pot of water to a boil.  With a few drops of tea tree essential oil and a handful of chamomile flowers, I placed a lid on the boiling pot and removed it from the heat.  After 2-3 minutes, I removed the lid and placed a towel over my head and breathed in the steam through my nose.  Long slow inhale to fill the sinuses completely.  Chamomile is a natural sinus healer.  After doing that for about 5 minutes, I felt a little relief.  I repeated this steam again every 2 hours until the pressure was gone.  Taking more colloidal silver 3 times a day and drinking the broth as often as I felt like, I also drank a cup of Echinacea tea.  Trying to rest and save all my energy for healing.  Being sick is never fun, so hopefully I can nip this in the bud in the next day or two!  When doing natural healing, the key is catch it early and be diligent! 

 

Build your own gourmet salad at home for much less

A greek gourmet salad at home

 

I know it sounds weird, but I hate to eat lunch!  Most people hate to eat breakfast, but I find that I struggle with lunch!  My kids are creatures of habit and tend to eat the same things day after day.  I do not like to eat the same thing 2 times in a row.  My husband jokes that in the 12 years we have been together I have never cooked the same thing twice.  This is not entirely true, but I probably only have 5-8 things I will cook more than once.  I love food and recipes and am always creating new ones to try and share.  I get bored easily so I like variety! 

I buy my veggies from a local farm at the farmers market once a week.  They are an organic and non-GMO farm and provide my family with more than enough veggies to feed us for a week!  Pictured is my salad that is my "go to" lunch when I need to pack something while I am on the go! 

 

Gourmet salad recipe:

Lettuce of your choice (preferably not iceberg because it does not have any nutritional value)

cucumber sliced

bell pepper diced

grilled chicken shredded

feta cheese crumbled

artichoke hearts chopped (I have a artichoke spread I buy at Trader Joes that I love and it's what's pictured here)

black olives

salt and pepper to taste

homemade dressing (optional)

 

*the dressing I like to make that's quick and easy is:

olive oil, Dijon mustard, dried parsley flakes, lemon juice

combine and shake well 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast and lunch ideas that you can prep ahead

Assembling the burrito

Ingredients of the burrito

 

One recipe is for a burrito.  This can be used as a lunch burrito or changed up into a breakfast burrito.

Either or both, if you have the meat cooked ahead of time, this is a quick, easy and tasty go to breakfast and lunch! 

 

Burrito Recipe:

1-2 pounds of grass fed beef or venison (for lunch)

1/2-1 med onion diced

taco seasoning (make your own of use a premade mix that does NOT contain MSG, or added sugar)

1-2 limes

fresh cilantro (optional)

salt

tortillas (homemade or gluten free)

organic cheddar cheese or raw cheese shredded

sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)

toppings as you wish: avocado, black olives, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, bell pepper

 

Brown your meat, salting to taste & cooking the onion in with the meat, drain if necessary.  Add the taco seasoning and stir to combine.  Squeeze the juice of 2 limes over 2 pounds of meat and add chopped cilantro, stir to combine all.  Store this meat mixture in fridge or freezer until ready to use and then assemble burrito as you wish.

*to make this a breakfast burrito, use ground turkey sausage instead and add scrambled egg, cheese and salsa.  Serve with a side of fresh sliced avocado.

 

Individual pizza crusts, before and after baking

Assembled breakfast pizzas

This is another breakfast or lunch idea that you can have easily at your finger tips if you do a little prep ahead of time!

 

Personal Pizza recipe:

First make your crust.  I use the recipe from www.paleospirit.com and simply make it onto smaller individual pizzas baking for 12 min.  Everything else is the same as their paleo pizza crust recipe.

Once those crusts are prebaked, let them cook completely and the store in a zip lock bag in the fridge or freezer.  Also precook some turkey sausage or beef or venison and keep it in the fridge.  Then when ready to assemble, top the crust with sauce, meat and cheese, and microwave or toaster oven heat till cheese is melted!  If making a breakfast pizza, I scramble and cook in a microwave safe bowl, some egg to also top my pizza with.  Get creative and make it how you like it!  If you want lots of veggies as a topping, be sure on your prep day to go ahead and finely chop those veggies so they are at your finger tips when you are ready to eat!  You could also send this pizza as a homemade lunchable in your kids lunch to school. 

Comment below on what you add to your pizzas and how the kids like them!

 

*We have also use a waffle as the crust of our pizza when we didn't have any crusts premade for our breakfast pizza!  *

 

 

 





Eggplant Pizzas

We have been getting LOTS of eggplant from our CSA (community shared agriculture) and so I've been trying to find different things to make with it.  Especially things that the kids will eat too!  I am happy to say that I have successfully made little eggplant pizzas that I tested on 3 kids and they gobbled them down! 

Eggplant Pizza
1 med sized eggplant, sliced into 1/4-1/2" thick slices
organic baby spinach leaves
fresh mozzarella sliced
organic tomato diced or sliced
olive oil for drizzling
Italian spices for seasoning

place the sliced eggplant on a cookie sheet and generously drizzle with EVOO (olive oil), and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 min. 
Top each with one spinach leaf, slice of mozzarella, tomato, and spices.  Put back in the oven until cheese melts!  Eat them up while warm! 

Are you "weight loss resistant"?

What is "weight loss resistance" you may be wondering?!?  It is basically where you can NOT loose weight no matter how hard you try.  You are eating right, working out, and nothing is happening, in fact you may even be gaining weight instead!  This is a problem that affects about 70% of the population and it is under the umbrella of Auto Immune. 

I wrote a post a little bit ago about Auto Immune and what it even is.  http://trottingthrulife.blogspot.com/2014/09/autoimmune-problems-what-does-it-even.html
I talked about my ups and downs with health and eventually becoming weight loss resistant.  At the time of the post, I was doing a SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) detox.  What this did was KILL off all the bacteria in my gut, both good and bad.  It was pretty intense as I was very limited to what I could eat because carbs and fiber feed all kinds of bacteria and make it multiply and grow.  How did I know I had bad bacteria in my gut?  I had previously worked with a Nutritional Therapist and she did a stool sample on me to see what was going on in there.  This is how we initially found out.  I took an all natural anti-microbial for 3 months to kill the bad guys off, but they just came back.  So after learning more about bad bacteria and how it grows, it was necessary to eliminate the carbs and fiber and take the supplements all together in order to truly get the bad guys gone!  Some people can rid their bodies of this in 15 days, however my body was stubborn and it took 30 days.  After those 30 days were over, I was able to reintroduce carbs in the form of veggies.  I did this in very small amounts and did not take the extra supplement of fiber this time!
Also while doing this 30 days of detox, I made sure to consume plenty of healthy fats. I did this in the form of "bulletproof" coffee and "fat bombs".  http://trottingthrulife.blogspot.com/2014/09/eating-fat-to-burn-fat.html  Which believe it or not, my body actually started burning fat again and I lost 11 pounds! 
Now I am on the phase of healing the individual cells through a "CORE cellular healing" program.  You can look this up by doing a Google search of Dr. Pompa.  He's the guy who developed this program.  There are plenty of you tube videos also where he explains everything in great detail.  It really does make sense! 
So as of today...I am on my second round of the CORE supplements, feeling great, and working towards healing my individual cells.  My heavy metals test revealed that I still had some in my system that were in the yellow, Aluminum & Mercury to name the top 2.  There were some other ones too but not commonly known.  I have 2 silver fillings and I am meeting with a holistic dentist on Nov 17 to have a consultation about having those properly removed and replaced.  This will help because those fillings are constantly leaching out into our system making our cells inflamed and when the body is inflamed that's when diseases thrive!  This doesn't happen over night, but over a LONG period of time.  Also there is Mercury in our mascara, and aluminum in our deodorant, so considering our skin is like a big sponge, we are absorbing toxins by simply using beauty products.  I don't mean throw out everything you have and go buy new, but you can check out  what you have by using www.cosmeticdatabase.com.  They rate products on a scale of 0-9 with 9 being highly toxic! 

I know this is a LOT of information and you may be feeling overwhelmed, trust me I know!  I did not begin to feel sick over night, nor did I begin my healing journey in one step.  Feeling sick came on over the course of 4-5 years and I baby stepped into this healing journey which I am still on that started about 2 1/2 years ago.  I don't have all the answers nor do I claim to, however, writing this blog I am hopeful that through my transparencies I can encourage others to take control of their health and begin their own journey to healing! 
*Please consult you health care practitioner before going off any meds or taking any supplements.  I am not a Doctor nor do I claim to be one.  (I just play one on TV!  LOL)

After school/Pre-workout Snack

If you follow this blog then you know that my kids are competitive gymnasts.  I am a RYT (Registered Yoga teacher) and we are pretty active!  So fueling our bodies is very important to me.  This is a quick and easy snack to fuel anyone before a workout.  I easily mix this up in  a disposable bowl and have it in the car, ready for my girls to eat on the way to gymnastics after school.  Our days are so jammed full that it is very easy to fall off the wagon and not have the right nutrients for proper fuel and nutrition.  This is why planning ahead and being very structured is key for me to be able to always be prepared.  (Well, most of the time! LOL)

This is so easy, even the kids can make this themselves!
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder
Mix till well combined!
Eat with a spoon!

Breakfast Pizza

I use a medium small cast iron skillet for this recipe.  It makes the perfect personal size pizza for me, although with all the toppings I use, I can only eat half of one pizza in one sitting. 

Recipe:
Ghee or coconut oil (enough to grease the bottom of the skillet)
3 eggs, scrambled
cooked sausage
homemade marinara sauce
diced fresh tomatoes and bell peppers
diced onions (optional)

heat the oil on the stove top in the skillet
pour in the scrambled eggs and let set until the edges are set
gently loosen and flip the "crust"
top with toppings and place in 350 degree oven and bake for 12 min till all is heated through.

optional toppings: salsa, avocado slices, shredded cheese or goats or feta crumbles

Healthy School Lunches Part 2

 1. Applegate Farms Organic all Beef hotdog (chopped), stick of Sargento Colby jack cheese, banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, baby carrots with homemade hummus, and jello jigglers.

 2. Watermelon chunks, gluten free Rudi's wrap with Applegate farms Turkey Bologna and sliced Colby jack cheese (rolled up and halved), homemade hummus and carrot coins.

 3. Another wrap, except with Applegate farms ham this time.  Again with Colby jack cheese and I heated it to melt the cheese and then rolled and halved it.  Gluten Free pretzels (I found at Aldi) and fresh raspberries.  Celery from our organic and non-GMO farmer with homemade hummus.

4. Leftover dinner from the night before.  Spaghetti squash with meatballs baked into a nest from PaleOMG.   Sourdough rolls that I made, which are gluten free.  And organic strawberry Trader Joes' yogurt cup.

Again, keep in mind these are not just for the kids!  These lunches can also be used for the office too.  Incase you missed it... also read my previous post Healthy  Lunches for School (and the office too!)

Healthy FRIED veggies? And some game day food!

 Hand cut organic and non-GMO potatoes

Jalapeno peppers stuffed with herb infused goats cheese

 

 

I am lucky enough to have access to an organic, non-GMO farm that I am a CSA (community shared agriculture) member of in which I pick up a weekly share of 8-10lbs of fresh veggies at my local farmers market.  Since it is football season and we LOVE college football, we entertain quite often and host football parties on most Saturdays.  To keep the party foods to my standards and pleasing to our guests, I have come up with a delicious way to use our veggies and copy some of the traditional appetizers. 

 

At COSTCO, they sell a large container of coconut oil for $16.99.  I buy 2 of these and we fill our outdoor commercial grade deep fryer with this MCT oil which is actually good for you!  After heating the fryer to temperature, my husband does all the frying.  I am the one who cuts all the veggies and gets them ready to be cooked. 

Some things we fry:

okra, all I do is simply cut each piece into bite sizes and we fry them till crispy, that's without anything coating them!

Yellow squash, again, all I do is slice each one into rounds and fry them until crispy!  No breading!

White potatoes and sweet potatoes, I do not peel them, I simply slice them up into "Fries" and cook until desired doneness.

 

For the jalapeno poppers:

cut each pepper in half and remove seeds

using herb infused goats cheese and shredded grass fed cheddar (kerrygold, I shred myself) mixed

stuff into each pepper half and bake in a 375 degree oven until the pepper is soft and the cheese has begun to lightly brown.  (I cooked mine for 15 min)

ENJOY!!!



Jello Jigglers

 This is the brand of gelatin that I use.  I order it on Amazon.  This is the only brand that I am aware of that is from grass fed cows.  Gelatin has protein in it and also has many beneficial properties that we should be consuming daily!  www.hollywoodhomestead.com  has lots of interesting info on gelatin and the benefits for you.

 Using juice such as this, is low in sugar and tart cherry has beneficial properties as well for reducing inflammation.  Juice that is not from concentrate is the best choice. 

I heat 1 cup of water to boiling and then remove from heat.  I then add 5 TBSP of gelatin sprinkled over the top and let dissolve.  Once it is dissolved, I add 2 cups of the juice and 1/2 cup of raw honey and whisk until combined.  Then I pour into a glass 8X8 casserole dish and put in the fridge until it is set up.  Cut into squares and eat!  Store in a container in the fridge!

Hummus

 When I get my veggies from my CSA at the farmers market, I always wash them and chop them up for easy access to the kids for lunches and snacks!  They love to dip them in hummus!

 I use organic garbanzo beans and drain about 1/2 the can, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves, 1/8 cup raw sesame seeds, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin and salt to taste.  I put everything in my vitamix and blend until smooth.  You could use your blender or food processor also.

I portion out the hummus into individual serving size containers for lunches.  Also my kids double dip and this way they can double dip in their own container without contaminating anyone else's!

*adding a few roasted red peppers would also be a nice addition and a different flavor and color hummus!

Fueling the kids for performance

 Almond Butter packets to squeeze on apples, applesauce squeezers (strawberry and carrot flavored), nut and dried fruit individual pack, fruit leather.  Bananas, apples, and grapes.  Individual servings of Wholly Guacamole. (organic blue corn chips to dip in the guac- not pictured)

Perfect Food bar (carob chip flavor), has 16g of protein, GF cheese crackers in a small individual serving packet, GF pretzels for dipping in hummus.

 Watermelon chunks (I freeze these and they are a nice refreshing treat like a popsicle), tart cherry jello jigglers (made with all natural ingredients unlike the boxed kind), homemade hummus (which they also used to dip sliced up veggies- red pepper strips, cucumbers, and celery, not pictured).

Colby-jack cheese sticks with Applegate Farms deli meat wrapped around them (not pictured), magnesium chocolate drops (to replenish the lost electrolytes lost due to sweating), mini burgers on GF sourdough rolls.

Yesterday my girls had a gymnastics competition and since they are on different levels, that meant that we would be there all day from 9-5:30!  Since the concessions usually has nothing we can eat, I needed to make sure we were fully prepared and would not need a thing!  This meant me too since I am doing the gut healing cleanse currently and only eating protein and healthy fats!  Call me crazy, but this is what makes me happy!  Fueling my kids for their best performance!  I enjoy it, I take pride in it and I know I am doing the best I can for them! 

No one went hungry!  We had plenty of food and we shared with our team mates too!  Competition was fun, but LONG!  This momma was really tired by the time we made it home!

*I will post recipes to the jello jigglers and the hummus soon!
*And the girls also ate a fat bomb each about 30 min before they went on to compete!  I brought a thermos with a "bullet-proof" coffee in it for me, and lots of boiled eggs, mini burger patties and a steak!

Gluten Free Sourdough

 This is an example of my first loaf, which is an artisan loaf (crunchy outside, soft inside)

In the left upper corner of this lunch box, is an example of my original recipe for sourdough rolls.

The process of growing the starter is the lengthy process that can be a little complicated!  I used 2 resources to help me get the perfect starter!  From www.culturesforhealth.com I ordered water kefir gains and followed the package directions for making water kefir and BONUS, you have a fermented beverage to consume and a wonderful additive to help grow your starter!  Then I purchased the book "The Art of Gluten-Free Sourdough Baking" by Sharon A. Kane, also from www.culturesforhealth.com for my recipe for the starter.  I use the Boosted Brown Rice Starter on page 50 in the book.
Once I have the starter ready to use to bake, this is the recipe for my sourdough rolls:
2 cups starter
2 cups white rice flour
1 TBSP xanthan gum
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 tsp salt
*mix all these dry ingredients well
then add:
3 eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup warm water
*mix well until combined and the dough is sticky
I used my kitchen aid stand mixer
Using the Pampered Chef medium scoop, I scooped out the dough into rolls and baked on the pizza stone at 350 degrees for 10-15 min.  Don't over cook, as you can see in the picture, mine did not brown on the top.  They are softer this way.  I store them in a zip lock bag in the fridge and get them out as needed and nuke them in the microwave for 15 sec.  Serve warm with some butter! 
My kids said these rolls are better than O'Charley's!  That's good enough for me!

You could use this same recipe and bake the dough as a loaf.  I did not try this, so I do not have loaf pan sizes or times it would need to cook.  I would recommend starting with a small loaf pan and trying maybe 20-25 min at 350 and checking it periodically.  Again, not letting the bread get browned on top so that it will stay soft.  That's what I think of when I think of sourdough, soft bread! 

The artisan loaf that is pictured at the top of this post, is not an original recipe.  I did find the recipe at www.naturalfertilityandwellness.com if you want to visit this site and get the recipe.  It is really good and freezes well.  My family enjoyed this bread before I discovered this other recipe on my own.  The artisan loaf is more dense and not as soft as I like sourdough to be.  Try them both and see which one works best for your taste buds!

Healthy lunches for school (and for the office too)

 1. This lunch consists of a turkey bologna (Applegate farms) sandwich on my homemade gluten free sourdough bread, Trader Joes nuts and chocolate chunk trek mix, cucumber dices with some homemade ranch in the container with the green lid, and organic strawberries.

 2.This lunch consists of two rolled up pieces of Applegate Farms Turkey, cubed pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, wholly guacamole mini, organic Trader Joes blue corn tortilla chips (in the baggie).  And 2 Trader Joes gluten free ginger snap cookies.

 3.  This lunch consists of Applegate farms ham, Kerrygold Dubliner cheese chunks, my homemade gluten free sourdough mini rolls, fresh organic peach sliced, organic celery with Trader Joes almond butter.

 4. This lunch consists of cucumber slices, kiwi, and a cutie, Almond butter and Trader Joes fruit sweetened strawberry jelly on grain free silver dollar pancake sandwich, and Applegate Farms ham and Colby jack cheese slice.

5. This lunch was one at home.  3 slices of a mini loaf of my gluten free sourdough bread topped with Colby jack cheese, oregano, and uncured Applegate Farms pepperoni.  Not pictured she also ate 1/2 a peach and a banana, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookie (gluten-free). 

This is a weeks worth of easy and healthy lunches that are for school or the office, or home!  I will work on posting the recipes for some of the items mentioned!  In the mean time, email me or FB message me if you need a recipe before I have time to post them!
ENJOY!

Autoimmune problems, what does it even mean?

If you have been following my blog since the beginning then you know I have been struggling with my health on and off for the past 6 1/2 years.  I have discovered a few things along my journey and most have given me knowledge, power, and relief from my symptoms.  Some on the other had have only given me relief for a limited time.  I have tried may different things, chiropractor, yoga, nutritional therapist, western medicine, all kinds of testing, labs, procedures, you name it, I have had it done.  Now, I know what you must be thinking about now...this girl is crazy and a hypochondriac.  Let me defend myself first of all by saying, I may be crazy, but these symptoms are REAL!  And I am not alone in how I feel!  The symptoms are all encompassed under the umbrella of "Autoimmune Disease".  Now what is autoimmune?  It is basically where your body starts to attack itself because it thinks of itself as a  foreign substance.  Scientists have found out that almost all of these diseases begin in the gut.  Due to the highly toxic world we live in, our guts can get these tiny holes in the lining and we get "leaky gut" which is what causes the attack on self.  You may be thinking, I don't think I live in that toxic of a world, but let me point out a few things here. 
~chemicals in pesticides from non-organic foods we eat
~pesticides in GMO foods we eat (this means genetically modified and that means the seed contains the pesticide in it so that bugs and pests won't eat the produce)
~Beauty products
~water
~medicine
~cookware
~plastic storage containers
~aluminum foil
~bad oils used for cooking
~pollution in our air
The list could go on for ever! 
So if bugs and pests wont eat GMO grown produce, then why would we want to?  It's like eating pesticide!  Products that are most heavily GMO, corn, soy and rice! 
What can you do about all of this?  Buy local from your farmers market where you can talk to your farmer and ask these questions.  Buy from Trader Joes who's mission is to always sell NON-GMO foods!  Whole Foods, Kroger, Wal-Mart and Publix also carry a variety of non-GMO foods, just look for the label on the product! (most always found in the organic section)

Most recently my adrenal fatigue symptoms started sneaking back in a little bit.  The ones of feeling like I was spinning and going to pass out, and the inability to cope with the issues of daily life.  It was not as debilitating as it was, but now I can recognize the symptoms and get to the bottom of things in the beginning instead of letting them get me DOWN!

So I attended a health speaking engagement that one local chiropractor put on for the community for free.  He talked about leaky gut, inflammation, heavy metal toxins, thyroid issues, and weight loss resistance. 

Things I knew I had were, bad bacteria in my gut from the stool samples the NT had discovered and how baffled she was after 3 months of antimicrobials that some were killed , but even more came back.  Also I was always in pain in my back!  I have scoliosis and have since I was 11, but I have had severe back pain since I was 22.  That's been 15 years of suffering a bad back that flares up from simply mopping my floors.  I occasionally had a metallic taste in my mouth, but never thought much about it, and over the past 6 months, I had began gaining weight at a rapid rate.  I was eating like I always do, paleo/primal, and working out 5-6 days a week, so this continual weight gain was so discouraging! 


I decided to do the initial testing with this chiropractor and was shocked to find I had the highest level of inflammation you could have and that I failed all parts of the heavy metal toxin test.  This immediately brought concern to my mind.  I know that diseases LOVE to live in an inflamed environment, especially cancer!  With my family history so strong on both sides of cancer, I do not want to take any chances!  So I told him I wanted to do his CORE cellular detox program. 

In the beginning of the plan I had to make homemade beef broth from grass fed beef bones and could only consume broth and water with salt and coconut oil for 4 days.  This was SO hard!  I did not feel well at all and (sorry for the details), I felt like I was prepping for a colonoscopy for all 4 days.  During this time I was also taking supplements to kill of all the bacteria in my gut, good and bad, along with any yeast, and fungus.  Then a binder to flush all the dead stuff out.  After the 4 days, I could introduce beef, lamb, venison or chicken as long as it was wild, grass fed or free range.  It had to only be seasoned with salt and could be topped with real butter or coconut oil.  I could also eat eggs.  I followed this all protein for 11 days, still drinking broth and taking the supplements.  On day 16, I was allowed to introduce fiber and carbs in supplement form and through veggies and more healthy fats in avocados.  I was reinnoculating my gut with the good bacteria though kefir drinks and whey water along with fermented veggies and probiotics.  The fiber and carbs feed the bacteria so this good bacteria will flourish and grow!  After about 4 full days of this part of the plan, I began to feel very bloated and miserable!  I contacted the Dr. and he said that I should stop all carbs and fiber and back up to the protein again. Apparently I had not killed off all the bad guys and the fiber and carbs were also feeding them.  I have been back on the protein now for 5 days and the killing supplements again for 3.  I am feeling better, so I feel very confident that he was right about that being the problem.  Here's the crazy thing...when I started this plan my weight was about 12-15 pounds more than my normal.  The first 4 days on the broth it went up 2.5 more pounds, due to the fluid volume overload.  Then once I was on the protein for a week, I had lost 6 pounds.  When the carbs got reintroduced, the weight shot back up 3.5 pounds.  Then once I went back to the protein, I lost the 3.5 pounds in 3 days.  To me that was crazy how much weight can fluctuate from bloat caused by bad bacteria growing in the gut and taking over.

I am such a strong willed person that I do plan to stick this out all the way to the end no matter what!  I am hoping and praying that this will be the solution to my leaky gut.  Heal and Seal it!  That's what I am going for! 
I have not had any pain whatsoever in 24 days, which is huge for me!  And my belly is flat again without having to try so hard to hold it in all the time!  I have tons of energy and  I am sleeping better than I have since before I had kids! 
I can tell by taste and smells that my body has detoxed the heavy metals, but I will have those checked again once I am done with the fast.  You may wonder how I was so toxic...mercury, titanium dioxide, aluminum, are all found in beauty products, medicines, cookware, foils, and gum.  Read your ingredients and you'll be shocked!  (mascara, "natural" gums and toothpaste, mineral makeup)
I also had my thyroid checked, which is more than just the typical TSH test.  My TSH was always normal, however my reverse T3, was off the charts.  That's a whole other blog post, talking about the many tests for thyroid that are not being performed! 
So...stay tuned for more results and hopefully a cure to the autoimmune problems I suffer from!  One that will last forever! 

Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins

I am once again embarking on another 21 day food challenge.  The one I did back in November was very successful for me in that I lost almost a whole 7% Body Fat.  Since then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas, a trip to Punta Cana, and well...I gained back 3% of that lost BF during that time.  Not too bad, but its quickly approaching time for bathing suit season, and I am challenging myself again to lower the BF 4% this time and tone up as well as lean out!  I am adding some new recipes, and also incorporating a workout program.  I will be following Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer which you can find for FREE at www.bodybuilding.com


Follow me on Instagram daily for exactly what I am eating.  If you didn't request it last time, I can still email you the original 21 day jump start diet plan if you are eager to get your body ready for swim suit season!  (@alicia_trotter is my instagram username, so come on aboard and follow along!)


Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins
6 eggs (farm fresh is best)
chopped broccoli (leftover steamed from dinner works well)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
6 pieces of bacon (nitrite free and uncured)
fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Chop the veggies, this doesn't have to be done very small because we will be blending these in the blender with the eggs.  Sautee the veggies all but the tomatoes, and basil in 1 TBSP of coconut oil (buy this online at Vitacost.com )  Once the peppers are tender, remove from heat and add to blender.  Crack the 6 eggs into the blender, salt & pepper and puree the mixture.  Take the 6 pieces of bacon and on a microwave safe plate, lined with paper towels on top and bottom, cook only long enough to start the cooking process but still be plyable enough to curve inside the edge of the muffin cup.  (I did  3 min)
Grease the bottoms of the muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or bacon fat.  Wrap the outter edges of each muffin cup with one piece of bacon.  Then fill with egg mixture, and top with tomato pieces and basil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min until eggs are set.
(my computer is on the fritz, so for pictures of this recipe, see my instagram account!  Sorry for any inconvenience.)

Fried shrimp "pasta" Alfredo

Unfortunately I don't have a wonderful picture to show you my delicious dinner from tonight. We were so hungry that we scarfed it down so fast before I thought of it. Sorry about that, but I will share the recipe with you now!!!

Ingredients: 

Uncooked deveined and no tails frozen shrimp

Cashew meal

Gluten free all purpose flour

Plain unsweetened almond milk

Coconut oil

Heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup

4 TBSP butter

6 TBSP farmers cheese (it's the cheese like you get when you drip all the whey off yogurt) 

1tsp crushed garlic

Salt & pepper

Spaghetti squash

Directions: 

Take a knife and pierce the skin of the spaghetti squash about 4-6 times around the squash. Put it on a plate and microwave for about 15 min. You will know it's done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. Once it's done, cut in half long ways and let set to cool a bit. Once cooled some, scoop the seeds and pulp out and discard. Then take a fork and shred the "meaty" part of the inside into noodle like strings. Toss with butter and season with salt.

Dip thawed shrimp into gluten free flour first, then almond milk, then cashew meal and then add to a skillet of hot coconut oil. Cook till browned and flip and cook other side. You will have to do this in batches. Once cooked, remove to a paper towel lined plate. 

For the Alfredo sauce, melt butter over med low heat in a sauce pan. Once melted, add cream, and cheese. Stir to ,melt, then add garlic. Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Serve squash "noodles" topped with shrimp and Alfredo sauce. Serve along side a salad!

Enjoy!

Cold or Flu?

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Like I have mentioned before, sometimes you do all the preventative stuff and someone still gets sick.  That's just the way it is and I have no idea why?  My kids take vit C, coconut oil, cod liver oil, and probiotics everyday and yet my oldest still managed to get the flu.  My little one only had a cold, and somehow I escaped them both. The hubby had the flu the week after Thanksgiving, so he was already immune. 
So how do you know the difference between the cold and flu?  Mainly I think it comes down to 2 things.  1. fever over 99.9 & 2. body aches and pains, these are the symptoms that mean flu instead of cold.  Both of my girls started feeling bad on a Friday.  By that evening they both had a low grade fever, 99.8.  The next morning, the little one still had a low grade fever and was playing like she usually does.  The older one, fever was higher and she was sleeping a lot!  The news goes on and on about how dangerous the flu is and how 36K people die from the flu each year.  This is a true statistic, but what they don't tell you is that most of the deaths are from complications due to either a preexisting respiratory condition, or from dehydration.  Fevers can dehydrate the body, and in children it can happen very quickly.  My personal rule of thumb is to let the body run the fever as a way to fight the infection as long as the fever does not get higher than 102.  When it reaches 102-102.5, I go ahead and give Motrin.  I also use rice bags that I keep in the freezer to help the body cool down.  I place them on the back or forehead.  Also for body aches, I put the child in an Epsom salt bath.  If respiratory issues are also present, I sprinkle some eucalyptus essential oil drops in the bath water as well. 
So since my oldest did get the flu this is what we did...  I made sure that she drank plenty of fluids (water & homemade Gatorade) and that she rested lots. I administered Motrin when necessary and then I gave her elderberry syrup and Colloidal Sliver every 2 hours.  She was pretty sick for about 8 days.  We did not leave the house.  Washing her pillow case and blanket everyday, rinsing her toothbrush out with peroxide after each brushing, using disposable paper cups in the bathroom, washing her thermos water bottle before refilling it each time, and steaming the sofa each day along with wiping down all surfaces is what I think helped the germs to not spread.  At one point I started to feel like I was getting a weakened immune system, so I used Zicam mouth spray and Cold Ezzee throat drops to help boost my immune system.  These are both homeopathic and natural. 
Once her flu symptoms where gone, she had a lingering non productive, dry cough.  To make sure this did not turn into pneumonia I found a natural expectorant at Walgreens that I gave her to help break up the congestion and get it out of her lungs.  There are several homeopathic brands on the market today and that are available at most local drug stores.  I encourage you to read the labels and try one of these next time. 
So even though we do not do the flu shot, and one of my kids got the flu, we still managed to survive the worst of it.  Being wise about when to use Western Medicine and when to stick to the natural stuff is key.  Western Medicine is there for us for a reason. I especially do not mess around with a fever and letting it get too high.  Use your God given instincts and consult with your health care provider.  Respiratory issues and high fever can still cause death and do daily, so don't be too laid back with some of the more serious illnesses.  Take care of those little ones and yourself as well!
Stay healthy and warm the rest of this FLU season.
If you are interested in more, read my posts on "Elderberry Syrup" & "What I do when my child gets sick"