After my frustrations this week, I'm accepting the fact that we can't completely change our lives overnight :) The pollen this season is exceptionally bad, and it's just seasonal allergies. So, really it's not that big of a deal :)
I came across this article in the Mercola newsletter this week that discusses one of the main reasons why we wanted to do The Maker's Diet in the first place: 80% of your immune system is in your GI tract. [The article does advertise quite a few supplements...I'm not supporting these particular supplements...I just think that the information is exactly what I've been running across in many sources.]
The Maker's Diet is essentially a 5 week plan to allow the gut to rest and heal. The first two weeks take out all foods that generally "back-up" the gut and potential allergens that would be harming the gut. I've read that the intestinal lining regenerates itself every 3-8 days. So if you give it two weeks of rest time (Phase 1 of The Maker's Diet), then it should be able to fully heal.
Our intention in trying out this diet was mainly to allow our "bellies to heal" as the kids say and to hopefully strengthen our immune systems in the process. As we add back in foods, we should also be able to see if there are any foods that cause a reaction in our bodies as well. It's really a form of an elimination diet as Phase 1 is so restrictive and most of the allergenic foods are eliminated for 2-4 weeks and then slowly reintroduced.
Since I did not chronicle much this week, here's a look back at our dinners this week. Breakfasts & lunches have been much stayed the same.
Sunday: Rotisserie chicken, green beans, cantaloupe
Monday: Lemon chicken for the adults; salmon patties for the kids
Tuesday: Deer steaks; green salad
Wednesday: Meatballs with marinara sauce
Thursday: Hubs and I had a dinner out; kids had Tuna salad
Friday: Taco bowls
Saturday: ?? maybe go out
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Makers Diet Day 17: Frustrations
So, five days ago we were flying high...feeling good, in a routine on the diet. Then a rainfront moved through, so I felt terrible over the weekend and the first part of this week. And something different must be blooming (thus, different pollen), because both kids are sneezing and the 3 year old woke up with a stuffy nose! They were both outside last night just before going to bed... hubs actually feels really good right now!
The only thing different we've done this week is eat some black beans on our taco salads on Sunday and we've eaten a few more corn products this week but not many at all. The five year old ate corn taco shells on Sunday, and they both have had some corn Chex this week. But, I really don't think that has anything to do with the sneezing & stuffy nose... they've had a few corn products off and on through this diet, because of snacks at school and the church nursery. It really is more like seasonal allergies. But, it's frustrating, because you would think with the diet and the ACV tea and all of their vitamins they might be strengthened!
I know that nothing happens overnight, and that this might still be doing really great things...still frustrating though! So that's where I've been for the past five days.
We did enter Phase 2 of the diet on Monday. Phase 2 adds in more nuts/seeds, some beans/legumes, many more fruits and corn/sweet potatoes/yams. So that broadens our diet considerably!
I will try to get back into the routine of chronicling our foods and where we stand. Phase 2 lasts for two weeks, and then we enter Phase 3 which is pretty much back to where we were and where we will stay. So, we're getting there. Like I've said before, if nothing else this diet has broadened the foods that the kids eat and has broken all of our reliance on grains. We will definitely have to be careful not to go nuts when we reach Phase 3 though :) But, honestly we don't crave them anymore at all! I think that it will be fairly easy to not make grains the largest portion of our diet from here on out.
The only thing different we've done this week is eat some black beans on our taco salads on Sunday and we've eaten a few more corn products this week but not many at all. The five year old ate corn taco shells on Sunday, and they both have had some corn Chex this week. But, I really don't think that has anything to do with the sneezing & stuffy nose... they've had a few corn products off and on through this diet, because of snacks at school and the church nursery. It really is more like seasonal allergies. But, it's frustrating, because you would think with the diet and the ACV tea and all of their vitamins they might be strengthened!
I know that nothing happens overnight, and that this might still be doing really great things...still frustrating though! So that's where I've been for the past five days.
We did enter Phase 2 of the diet on Monday. Phase 2 adds in more nuts/seeds, some beans/legumes, many more fruits and corn/sweet potatoes/yams. So that broadens our diet considerably!
I will try to get back into the routine of chronicling our foods and where we stand. Phase 2 lasts for two weeks, and then we enter Phase 3 which is pretty much back to where we were and where we will stay. So, we're getting there. Like I've said before, if nothing else this diet has broadened the foods that the kids eat and has broken all of our reliance on grains. We will definitely have to be careful not to go nuts when we reach Phase 3 though :) But, honestly we don't crave them anymore at all! I think that it will be fairly easy to not make grains the largest portion of our diet from here on out.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Makers Diet Day 12: Benefits of Coconut
This second week has flown by! We've really settled into this diet, and I have not had to really plan out meals nearly as much as last week. Hubs said yesterday that when we started this diet, he was afraid he wouldn't get full or stay full. But, he's found plenty of things to eat and he's doing just fine :) It's really true. We both agreed that even after two weeks of this diet (really after 10 days), it had broken our reliance on grains to make up a really large portion of our diet (rice, crackers, bread, etc). We were eating many more real, nourishing foods (vegetables, fruits, good fats, chicken/fish). I've been amazed at the kids! We ate healthy before embarking on this diet, but the kids still heavily relied on (gluten-free) dry cereal, crackers, bread, rice for most of their snacks and a large portion of their meals. Now they are filling up on nutrient-rich smoothies, carrot sticks with homemade Ranch dressing, green salad, fish, etc. Even at the end of this diet, I see us gradually adding in grains as a side dish and not as the main portion of our meals.
One addition that we have all enjoyed is coconut. I blogged a few days ago about the coconut flour waffles and the coconut flour cupcakes that were both huge hits around here! I think I also mentioned using coconut milk as creamer in my coffee or drizzled on berries or in plain goat yogurt for a delish dessert!! And we've been putting coconut oil in the smoothies, which makes them more filling and tropical :) Last night I "breaded" chicken strips with coconut flour and unsweetened finely shredded coconut -- I baked them in the oven and they were a huge hit with the kids!
Here are some resources on the benefits of coconut oil:
*Mercola--
promotes heart health
promotes weight loss if you need it
supports immune system health
supports a healthy metabolism
provides an immediate energy source
helps keep your skin healthy
supports proper function of your thyroid gland
*Weston A. Price Foundation/Mary Enig--
dated from 2000, but a good overall look at coconut oil's effect
*Passionate Homemaking--
various uses for coconut oil
lots of great recipes using coconut oil on her blog
*Nourishing Days--
lots of coconut oil recipes
*The Nourishing Gourmet--
many health benefits of coconut oil
One addition that we have all enjoyed is coconut. I blogged a few days ago about the coconut flour waffles and the coconut flour cupcakes that were both huge hits around here! I think I also mentioned using coconut milk as creamer in my coffee or drizzled on berries or in plain goat yogurt for a delish dessert!! And we've been putting coconut oil in the smoothies, which makes them more filling and tropical :) Last night I "breaded" chicken strips with coconut flour and unsweetened finely shredded coconut -- I baked them in the oven and they were a huge hit with the kids!
Here are some resources on the benefits of coconut oil:
*Mercola--
promotes heart health
promotes weight loss if you need it
supports immune system health
supports a healthy metabolism
provides an immediate energy source
helps keep your skin healthy
supports proper function of your thyroid gland
*Weston A. Price Foundation/Mary Enig--
dated from 2000, but a good overall look at coconut oil's effect
*Passionate Homemaking--
various uses for coconut oil
lots of great recipes using coconut oil on her blog
*Nourishing Days--
lots of coconut oil recipes
*The Nourishing Gourmet--
many health benefits of coconut oil
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Makers Diet Day 10: Still Here :)
The pollen around here is horrible right now...worst we've seen it! My 5 yr old is very sensitive to it and we usually end up having to give him a Children's Claritin so that it doesn't get really bad and turn into a sinus infection. We had given him a few around the beginning of pollen season, but we have not even needed to since we've been on this diet!! I can't remember the last time we gave him one, but it definitely has not been in the last week! He sneezes sometimes, but no watery or red eyes, no sniffing and rubbing on his nose...nothing that looks like he's really reacting to the pollen! We're so hopeful that since they are so young and we've been so diligent for the last 4 years with our food choices and delayed vaccinations and limiting toxic chemicals in the house, etc that this diet might "reset" their systems.
My husband has been really, really feeling this pollen season. He's had to take a Claritin D every day to stay on top of the congestion so that he doesn't have to get an antibiotic (and he still ends up with an antibiotic during this season when it turns into a bad sinus infection). He has much more of a history of health issues to deal with, so I think it will take longer to reset his system. He's been very strict with this diet so far, and I know that yesterday he did not take any Claritin. We'll see how the next few weeks play out.
As for myself...I usually have a really bad headache every day, and that has been much better. I have a slight headache if at all...much improved! I've lost about 4lbs, so that's an added bonus. I wouldn't say I have bounds of energy or that all of my symptoms are gone. But, I'm feeling pretty good and hope to improve in the next few weeks as well.
The quote of the morning:
K (3 1/2 yrs old): "Mom, can you make me some oatmeal for breakfast?"
H (5 yrs old): (shocked!) "NO, K! We are not eating grains right now! Oatmeal is grains! We'll eat that again after our bellies heal." (and then he sighs, like..."whew, took care of that") LOL!
So, the kids are doing fine on our "diet." I think we're on day 5 of their morning "tea," and they are doing very well with that...no complaints at all now...just drinking it down :)
We had to restock on goat cheese (in a block that tastes like Cheddar, not the really tangy soft goat cheese)...raw almond butter & berries. Those have been staples around here for the last week and a half.
Here's our menu plan for today:
Breakfast:
Deer sausage, scrambled eggs (5 yr old traded his eggs with 3 yr old for more deer sausage!...too spicy for her), fresh blackberries, morning "tea" (warm water, ACV, honey)
Lunch:
Everyone has something different today.
Dinner:
Chicken Stirfry (chicken, sugar snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, onions, soy sauce, chicken broth), green salad, fruit
My husband has been really, really feeling this pollen season. He's had to take a Claritin D every day to stay on top of the congestion so that he doesn't have to get an antibiotic (and he still ends up with an antibiotic during this season when it turns into a bad sinus infection). He has much more of a history of health issues to deal with, so I think it will take longer to reset his system. He's been very strict with this diet so far, and I know that yesterday he did not take any Claritin. We'll see how the next few weeks play out.
As for myself...I usually have a really bad headache every day, and that has been much better. I have a slight headache if at all...much improved! I've lost about 4lbs, so that's an added bonus. I wouldn't say I have bounds of energy or that all of my symptoms are gone. But, I'm feeling pretty good and hope to improve in the next few weeks as well.
The quote of the morning:
K (3 1/2 yrs old): "Mom, can you make me some oatmeal for breakfast?"
H (5 yrs old): (shocked!) "NO, K! We are not eating grains right now! Oatmeal is grains! We'll eat that again after our bellies heal." (and then he sighs, like..."whew, took care of that") LOL!
So, the kids are doing fine on our "diet." I think we're on day 5 of their morning "tea," and they are doing very well with that...no complaints at all now...just drinking it down :)
We had to restock on goat cheese (in a block that tastes like Cheddar, not the really tangy soft goat cheese)...raw almond butter & berries. Those have been staples around here for the last week and a half.
Here's our menu plan for today:
Breakfast:
Deer sausage, scrambled eggs (5 yr old traded his eggs with 3 yr old for more deer sausage!...too spicy for her), fresh blackberries, morning "tea" (warm water, ACV, honey)
Lunch:
Everyone has something different today.
Dinner:
Chicken Stirfry (chicken, sugar snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, onions, soy sauce, chicken broth), green salad, fruit
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Maker's Diet Phase 1 Menu Planning Ideas
Here is a consolidated list of menu ideas for Phase 1 of The Maker's Diet. I also previously posted a "shopping list" for Phase 1 here.
Breakfast:
*Anything with eggs: scrambled, fried, poached, boiled, crustless quiche, omelets (stuffed full of veggies...onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, goat cheese, etc).
*Turkey bacon (no pork)
*Turkey or 100% beef sausage or deer sausage (no pork)
*Smoothies (spinach, goat yogurt, raw almond butter, coconut oil, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, fresh or frozen raspberries/blueberries/strawberries, water)
*Goat yogurt (plain) with strawberries/blueberries/raspberries/blackberries
*Grain-Free muffins or Grain-Free Waffles
*Veggies sides to any of the above: sliced tomato, sliced avocado, salsa, sauteed spinach & onions
Lunch/Dinner:
*Tuna salad over lettuce with tomato, avocado, celery, cucumber, etc.
*Chicken salad over lettuce or with veggie dippers
*Green salad with lots of veggies and leftover chicken/beef/boiled eggs/fish/etc -- easy dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, herbs whisked together -- add a little plain goat yogurt to make it creamy
*Fish patties (you could also use canned salmon or tuna)
*Turkey or 100% beef hot dogs (preferably nitrate/nitrite free)
*Baked or roasted chicken and veggies (carrots, onions, squash, zucchini, etc)
*Grilled chicken and veggies/Greek Grilled Kabobs
*Taco Salad/Bowl (seasoned ground turkey or ground beef, lettuce, avocado/guacamole, cilantro, tomato, shredded goat cheese, plain goat yogurt, salsa, onion, etc)
*Chicken or beef fajitas (without the tortilla) with sauteed peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa, plain goat yogurt, shredded goat cheese
*Baked or grilled fish with steamed/grilled veggies
*Chicken (or beef) stirfry (use soy sauce or tamari sauce instead of a bottled high-sugar stirfry sauce) with lots of veggies (sugar snap peas, snow peas, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, squash, etc)
*Meatballs: Asian with chopped spinach & tamari sauce/soy sauce or plain with spaghetti sauce served over them or meatballs/meat sauce served over baked spaghetti squash (the "meat" shreds like noodles)
*Bunless hamburger patties with toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, etc)
*Any other meat besides pork grilled/roasted/baked (grilled steaks, baked roast, grilled lamb chops, etc)
Snacks:
*Fruit (fresh or frozen): strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, grapefruit
*Raw nuts/seeds (soaked/dried): pumpkinseeds, almonds, sunflower seeds
*Smoothies
*Plain goat yogurt with berries
*Carrot & celery sticks with guacamole
*Grain-free muffins/waffles
*Trail mix: raw nuts/seeds (above) with Just Veggies (dried peas, blackberries, blueberries)
*GoRaw Flax crackers or chips (check ingredients for correct Phase 1 foods)
Breakfast:
*Anything with eggs: scrambled, fried, poached, boiled, crustless quiche, omelets (stuffed full of veggies...onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, goat cheese, etc).
*Turkey bacon (no pork)
*Turkey or 100% beef sausage or deer sausage (no pork)
*Smoothies (spinach, goat yogurt, raw almond butter, coconut oil, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, fresh or frozen raspberries/blueberries/strawberries, water)
*Goat yogurt (plain) with strawberries/blueberries/raspberries/blackberries
*Grain-Free muffins or Grain-Free Waffles
*Veggies sides to any of the above: sliced tomato, sliced avocado, salsa, sauteed spinach & onions
Lunch/Dinner:
*Tuna salad over lettuce with tomato, avocado, celery, cucumber, etc.
*Chicken salad over lettuce or with veggie dippers
*Green salad with lots of veggies and leftover chicken/beef/boiled eggs/fish/etc -- easy dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, herbs whisked together -- add a little plain goat yogurt to make it creamy
*Fish patties (you could also use canned salmon or tuna)
*Turkey or 100% beef hot dogs (preferably nitrate/nitrite free)
*Baked or roasted chicken and veggies (carrots, onions, squash, zucchini, etc)
*Grilled chicken and veggies/Greek Grilled Kabobs
*Taco Salad/Bowl (seasoned ground turkey or ground beef, lettuce, avocado/guacamole, cilantro, tomato, shredded goat cheese, plain goat yogurt, salsa, onion, etc)
*Chicken or beef fajitas (without the tortilla) with sauteed peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa, plain goat yogurt, shredded goat cheese
*Baked or grilled fish with steamed/grilled veggies
*Chicken (or beef) stirfry (use soy sauce or tamari sauce instead of a bottled high-sugar stirfry sauce) with lots of veggies (sugar snap peas, snow peas, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, squash, etc)
*Meatballs: Asian with chopped spinach & tamari sauce/soy sauce or plain with spaghetti sauce served over them or meatballs/meat sauce served over baked spaghetti squash (the "meat" shreds like noodles)
*Bunless hamburger patties with toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, etc)
*Any other meat besides pork grilled/roasted/baked (grilled steaks, baked roast, grilled lamb chops, etc)
Snacks:
*Fruit (fresh or frozen): strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, grapefruit
*Raw nuts/seeds (soaked/dried): pumpkinseeds, almonds, sunflower seeds
*Smoothies
*Plain goat yogurt with berries
*Carrot & celery sticks with guacamole
*Grain-free muffins/waffles
*Trail mix: raw nuts/seeds (above) with Just Veggies (dried peas, blackberries, blueberries)
*GoRaw Flax crackers or chips (check ingredients for correct Phase 1 foods)
The Makers Diet Day 9: Coconut
We are still going strong. I feel like my cravings for grains have really subsided (almost nonexistent, except for chips & salsa! I could always eat those). But, I am not missing bread, rice, quinoa, oatmeal, cereal, etc at all. And I really think the kids are doing fine as well. They've been asking for more fruit (esp bananas) more than anything. But, I added clementine oranges and some apples in this week, so they're satisfied as well.
I found a link to a great blog post about the benefits of coconut here on the Broccoli Cupcake blog :) I used coconut flour in these delicious cupcakes...I use coconut milk as creamer in my coffee (I use a lot too and it's so good!) or drizzled on top of berries as a dessert...and we use coconut oil in our smoothies. If you look at the fat content in the coconut products, it looks really high. But, it's good fat...and I can vouch for actually losing weight while eating a good bit of coconut products. I've lost 4lbs now since starting The Maker's Diet! Hubs has not lost any weight, but he didn't need to lose. So, I really think that if you're hanging onto extra weight, then it will come off eating this way. Otherwise, it will just stabilize your health.
So far, the only foods from phase 2 we have added in are clementine oranges & apples on a daily basis. We all had black beans on our taco salads on Sunday, and the kids and I have had a bit of corn products in taco shells for the kids on Sunday and corn chips for myself Friday night. Other than that, we're still fully eating phase 1 foods.
Breakfast:
Kids: 2 turkey sausage links, 2 Grain-Free Blueberry Muffins (they asked for the zucchini ones this morning, but I had run out of zucchini!)
Hubs: 1 egg, 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 blueberry muffin
Myself: 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 blueberry muffin, coffee with coconut milk
*The kids are still drinking their cup of "tea" in the mornings (1 Tbsp of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 Tbsp raw honey in warm water), and I've been drinking 1 Tbsp in a cup of water...sour without the honey!!
Lunch:
Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs (with spinach added in...the kids don't mind it at all) with fruit & leftover veggies
Dinner:
probably Turkey hot dogs with quick sides (we're going to a baseball game at dinnertime)
I found a link to a great blog post about the benefits of coconut here on the Broccoli Cupcake blog :) I used coconut flour in these delicious cupcakes...I use coconut milk as creamer in my coffee (I use a lot too and it's so good!) or drizzled on top of berries as a dessert...and we use coconut oil in our smoothies. If you look at the fat content in the coconut products, it looks really high. But, it's good fat...and I can vouch for actually losing weight while eating a good bit of coconut products. I've lost 4lbs now since starting The Maker's Diet! Hubs has not lost any weight, but he didn't need to lose. So, I really think that if you're hanging onto extra weight, then it will come off eating this way. Otherwise, it will just stabilize your health.
So far, the only foods from phase 2 we have added in are clementine oranges & apples on a daily basis. We all had black beans on our taco salads on Sunday, and the kids and I have had a bit of corn products in taco shells for the kids on Sunday and corn chips for myself Friday night. Other than that, we're still fully eating phase 1 foods.
Breakfast:
Kids: 2 turkey sausage links, 2 Grain-Free Blueberry Muffins (they asked for the zucchini ones this morning, but I had run out of zucchini!)
Hubs: 1 egg, 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 blueberry muffin
Myself: 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 blueberry muffin, coffee with coconut milk
*The kids are still drinking their cup of "tea" in the mornings (1 Tbsp of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 Tbsp raw honey in warm water), and I've been drinking 1 Tbsp in a cup of water...sour without the honey!!
Lunch:
Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs (with spinach added in...the kids don't mind it at all) with fruit & leftover veggies
Dinner:
probably Turkey hot dogs with quick sides (we're going to a baseball game at dinnertime)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Menu Plan Monday: April 12, 2010
We are entering week 2 of The Maker's Diet. You can read more here about the "diet" and why we are doing it. So, here is our menu plan for the week:Sunday: Greek Chicken Kabobs with Greek Salad
Monday: Baked Tilapia
Tuesday: Asian Meatballs
Wednesday: Chicken Stirfry
Thursday: Taco Bowls/Salads
Friday: Turkey Burgers
Saturday: Leftovers
Breakfast (rotating): with fresh fruit
Smoothie (spinach, berries, almond butter, coconut oil) with turkey sausage
Scrambled eggs & turkey bacon
Grain-Free Muffins with turkey sausage
Squash Pancakes with turkey bacon
Lunch (rotating): with fresh fruit
Meatballs
Coconut Chicken Nuggets ("breaded" in finely shredded unsweetened coconut)
Tuna Salad
Chicken Salad
Turkey lunch meat roll-ups
Check out more menu plans at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!
The Makers Diet Day 7: One Week Down!
We've made it to the end of Week 1 of The Maker's Diet! While some foods are becoming repetitive, it's amazing in this past week how much we all have branched out of our normal foods to find other satisfying foods. From the Grain-Free Muffins & Waffles made with almond meal to Coconut Flour cupcakes, there are plenty of alternative tasty treats out there! Just six days ago I looked at our cleaned out pantry and wondered how in the world I was going to keep the kids (much less my husband and myself) full and satisfied on the phase 1 limited food list. But, with plenty of fresh berries available and the addition of coconut oil/milk to smoothies, we really have stayed full and satisfied.
I've seen my cravings for chips subside (although that's partly due to the fact that I did eat a few when we went out Friday night!), and I've seen the kids really branch out to more than sandwiches for lunch and more than pasta/rice for dinner.
Here is a great article entitled "Spring Clean Your Body with Real Foods." She suggests as spring approaches to take a 4-10 day break from foods that overload our bodies and allow our bodies to take a rest. Through the winter, we store up and eat warming foods, so it makes sense to allow the body to take a break as spring and summer approach. She suggests taking a break from the following foods:
*Sugar
*Caffeine
*Dairy
*Gluten
*Grains, beans, nuts, and seeds
*Animal flesh
Phase 1 of The Maker's Diet follows this same logic, although it allows for a small selection of nuts and seeds (preferable raw and soaked/sprouted to break down the enzyme inhibitors, allowing for better digestion) and meat/poultry (preferably organic as to not overload the body with more toxins).
As we move into Week 2, I will probably add in a few foods from Phase 2: black beans, apples, clementine oranges, and raw walnuts.
Here's our food list from today:
Breakfast:
scrambled eggs & turkey sausage for all
Apple Cider Vinegar & honey "tea" for all (the kids are doing so well with this!...day 3 today)
Lunch:
We ate out at a Mexican restaurant...grilled chicken taco salads for hubs & myself; grilled chicken tacos for the 5 year old (his first corn/chip of the week!); grilled chicken for the 3 1/2 year old (ready for a nap...not too hungry)
We need to head to Whole Foods this afternoon to restock some items for this coming week...more yogurt and raw almond butter for sure.
Dinner:
plan to grill kabobs: chicken, zucchini, squash, red onion, mushrooms
*a clementine orange for the kids' dessert :)
I've seen my cravings for chips subside (although that's partly due to the fact that I did eat a few when we went out Friday night!), and I've seen the kids really branch out to more than sandwiches for lunch and more than pasta/rice for dinner.
Here is a great article entitled "Spring Clean Your Body with Real Foods." She suggests as spring approaches to take a 4-10 day break from foods that overload our bodies and allow our bodies to take a rest. Through the winter, we store up and eat warming foods, so it makes sense to allow the body to take a break as spring and summer approach. She suggests taking a break from the following foods:
*Sugar
*Caffeine
*Dairy
*Gluten
*Grains, beans, nuts, and seeds
*Animal flesh
Phase 1 of The Maker's Diet follows this same logic, although it allows for a small selection of nuts and seeds (preferable raw and soaked/sprouted to break down the enzyme inhibitors, allowing for better digestion) and meat/poultry (preferably organic as to not overload the body with more toxins).
As we move into Week 2, I will probably add in a few foods from Phase 2: black beans, apples, clementine oranges, and raw walnuts.
Here's our food list from today:
Breakfast:
scrambled eggs & turkey sausage for all
Apple Cider Vinegar & honey "tea" for all (the kids are doing so well with this!...day 3 today)
Lunch:
We ate out at a Mexican restaurant...grilled chicken taco salads for hubs & myself; grilled chicken tacos for the 5 year old (his first corn/chip of the week!); grilled chicken for the 3 1/2 year old (ready for a nap...not too hungry)
We need to head to Whole Foods this afternoon to restock some items for this coming week...more yogurt and raw almond butter for sure.
Dinner:
plan to grill kabobs: chicken, zucchini, squash, red onion, mushrooms
*a clementine orange for the kids' dessert :)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Maker's Diet Day 6: Adding in "Tea"
Our taco salads at the Mexican restaurant last night were great!! (And my addition of a few corn chips were really good as well!).
Back on track today...I've added in a new addition for the kids (and a more regular addition for myself...hubs has been using this regularly for several months now): Apple Cider Vinegar "Tea." You only get the benefits from using real Apple Cider Vinegar, such as Bragg's. Here are some of the benefits:
*rich in natural minerals, vitamins and enzymes
*helps the body eliminate toxins by binding to them
*fights bacteria and fungus (esp Candida)
*breaks up mucus throughout the body
*cleanses the lymph nodes to allow the lymphatic system to work better
*aids in digestion if taken before meals
My husband takes a Tbsp or so in the mornings along with warm lemon water. I've started putting some in a glass of water before each meal (aiming for 1 Tbsp/day). And the kids are now drinking a cup of "tea" each day -- warm water with 1 Tbsp ACV and a little honey.
Breakfast:
Kids: green apple, 2 zucchini muffins each, 1 piece turkey bacon each, bowl of plain goat yogurt with fresh strawberries
Not sure what we're having for breakfast yet...not super hungry yet. I've had one piece of turkey bacon so far :) -- made smoothies and some more turkey bacon for hubs and myself.
Lunch:
"Bunless" turkey burgers with avocado slices, lettuce, (tomatoes & onions on mine) Bubbie's dill pickles and fresh blackberries.
Snacks:
Raspberries + goat cheese + turkey rolls for the 3 year old
Dried blackberries for the 5 year old
Sunflower seeds + almonds for hubs
a turkey roll for myself
Dinner: (birthday party barbeque)
Turkey hot dogs
Deer sausage
Fruit
These AMAZING cupcakes!! (without the frosting)
Back on track today...I've added in a new addition for the kids (and a more regular addition for myself...hubs has been using this regularly for several months now): Apple Cider Vinegar "Tea." You only get the benefits from using real Apple Cider Vinegar, such as Bragg's. Here are some of the benefits:
*rich in natural minerals, vitamins and enzymes
*helps the body eliminate toxins by binding to them
*fights bacteria and fungus (esp Candida)
*breaks up mucus throughout the body
*cleanses the lymph nodes to allow the lymphatic system to work better
*aids in digestion if taken before meals
My husband takes a Tbsp or so in the mornings along with warm lemon water. I've started putting some in a glass of water before each meal (aiming for 1 Tbsp/day). And the kids are now drinking a cup of "tea" each day -- warm water with 1 Tbsp ACV and a little honey.
Breakfast:
Kids: green apple, 2 zucchini muffins each, 1 piece turkey bacon each, bowl of plain goat yogurt with fresh strawberries
Not sure what we're having for breakfast yet...not super hungry yet. I've had one piece of turkey bacon so far :) -- made smoothies and some more turkey bacon for hubs and myself.
Lunch:
"Bunless" turkey burgers with avocado slices, lettuce, (tomatoes & onions on mine) Bubbie's dill pickles and fresh blackberries.
Snacks:
Raspberries + goat cheese + turkey rolls for the 3 year old
Dried blackberries for the 5 year old
Sunflower seeds + almonds for hubs
a turkey roll for myself
Dinner: (birthday party barbeque)
Turkey hot dogs
Deer sausage
Fruit
These AMAZING cupcakes!! (without the frosting)
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Makers Diet Day 5: Keeping the Pace...
We're still keeping the pace...no more detox symptoms, feeling good. The kids woke up this morning asking for cereal or oatmeal and made faces at me when I told them we were still not eating those foods :) But, after offering to make another batch of Zucchini Muffins they were happy! I definitely have to be ready and creative to keep the pace with the kids. But, it still seems to be working out fine.
Hubs and I are going out to eat tonight with some friends at a Mexican restuarant, so that should be interesting. I know we should be fine with a grilled chicken taco salad (omiting cheese, sour cream and whatever else we can't eat!). I've decided I'm adding a small quantity of corn in (a phase 2 food) tonight (aka: CHIPS for the salsa) -- ha! But, I still think we'll do fine with the taco salad...and a small amount of chips :)
So, here is the plan for today:
Breakfast:
Kids: 2 zucchini muffins each, turkey sausage, fresh strawberries
Hubs: turkey bacon, 1 egg, 1 zucchini muffin
Myself: turkey bacon, fresh blackberries, 1 zucchini muffin & cup of coffee (no, I haven't dropped it but I have been using coconut milk in it instead of any sort of creamer...my blood sugar does not drop doing that & it is filling)
Snack:
3 year old: fresh blackberries, goat cheese, 1 boiled egg
Lunch:
Kids: turkey lunch meat, fresh blackberries & raspberries, raw sprouted pumpkinseeds, raw seed "crackers" & smoothie (spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries, almond milk, coconut oil)
Leftovers for Hubs
Greek salad (cucumber, tomato, red onion, dried dill, dried parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper) with tuna & a smoothie for myself
Dinner:
Leftovers for the kids (chicken salad, chicken/apple sausage, carrot sticks, fruit)
Adults out to eat!
Hubs and I are going out to eat tonight with some friends at a Mexican restuarant, so that should be interesting. I know we should be fine with a grilled chicken taco salad (omiting cheese, sour cream and whatever else we can't eat!). I've decided I'm adding a small quantity of corn in (a phase 2 food) tonight (aka: CHIPS for the salsa) -- ha! But, I still think we'll do fine with the taco salad...and a small amount of chips :)
So, here is the plan for today:
Breakfast:
Kids: 2 zucchini muffins each, turkey sausage, fresh strawberries
Hubs: turkey bacon, 1 egg, 1 zucchini muffin
Myself: turkey bacon, fresh blackberries, 1 zucchini muffin & cup of coffee (no, I haven't dropped it but I have been using coconut milk in it instead of any sort of creamer...my blood sugar does not drop doing that & it is filling)
Snack:
3 year old: fresh blackberries, goat cheese, 1 boiled egg
Lunch:
Kids: turkey lunch meat, fresh blackberries & raspberries, raw sprouted pumpkinseeds, raw seed "crackers" & smoothie (spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries, almond milk, coconut oil)
Leftovers for Hubs
Greek salad (cucumber, tomato, red onion, dried dill, dried parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper) with tuna & a smoothie for myself
Dinner:
Leftovers for the kids (chicken salad, chicken/apple sausage, carrot sticks, fruit)
Adults out to eat!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Maker's Diet Day 4: Detox
I shared that yesterday morning hubs was feeling some detox symptoms...well, I woke up at 5:30am today feeling some major detox symptoms as well (nausea, heart beating fast, thirsty, etc). After downing a bunch of water and eating some applesauce, I went back to sleep and felt much better later in the morning (enough to spend 3 hours at the zoo with my 3 year old!). I've felt these same symptoms before when detoxing, so I'm pretty sure that's what it was.
I'm also thinking of adding some phase 2 foods into my and the kids' diet right now. The Maker's Diet consists of 3 phases, and if you complete each phase you do so in 40 days (2 weeks on phase 1, 2 weeks on phase 2 and then finishing out on phase 3). However, Rubin states in the book that you can start on any phase that you choose. He says, "If you are significantly overweight or obese, or if you have health problems, I recommend you start on phase one. If you are extremely healthy and want to stay that way, or even improve your health, you may start on phase three....However, I believe it is a good idea for everyone to start on phase one at least for a few days in order to restart your metabolism and attack the three i's (insulin, infection and inflammation)."
I feel like we are full enough, but it also feels very repetitive at this point without a whole lot of choices of foods. I don't forsee us sticking completely with phase 1 for another 10 days for sure! I have lost about 3 lbs, which is nice :) ...and added bonus for sure! And I feel like my head is clearer (not as foggy as many people with Fibro would describe their norm). And I also have not had the really bad headaches that I get almost daily (not migraines, but I usually have a bad headache nearly every day). I'm not feeling wonderful, but I do feel some improvements. I'll take that!
As I look over what we have been eating for the past few days, I feel like I want to add a few foods from phase 2 into our diet, namely lunch meat (and I always buy nitrate/nitrite free anyway), green apples (apples come in at phase 2 but green apples are lower on the glycemic index), black beans and possibly a sweet potato or two (or the puree in muffins). I feel like we need just a bit more, and then we can stay there for a few days and reassess.
Breakfast:
1 zucchini muffin each for the kids; 3 pieces turkey sausage; handful of fresh raspberries & 1 piece each of turkey bacon (rushed morning!)
an egg & 2 pieces of turkey bacon for hubs
smoothie for myself (plain goat yogurt, raw almond butter, coconut oil, fresh strawberries, frozen blueberries)
Snack:
green apple
Lunch:
kids -- turkey hot dogs; strawberries/raspberries; goat cheese for the 3 year old
chicken salad; guacamole on lettuce; strawberries & green apple for myself
leftovers from last night's dinner for hubs
Snack:
trail mix for the kids (raw/sprouted sunflower seeds, dried peas, dried blackberries)
Dinner: (t-ball night)
organic chicken & apple sausage links; green peas/green salad; fruit (a throw it together night)
I'm also thinking of adding some phase 2 foods into my and the kids' diet right now. The Maker's Diet consists of 3 phases, and if you complete each phase you do so in 40 days (2 weeks on phase 1, 2 weeks on phase 2 and then finishing out on phase 3). However, Rubin states in the book that you can start on any phase that you choose. He says, "If you are significantly overweight or obese, or if you have health problems, I recommend you start on phase one. If you are extremely healthy and want to stay that way, or even improve your health, you may start on phase three....However, I believe it is a good idea for everyone to start on phase one at least for a few days in order to restart your metabolism and attack the three i's (insulin, infection and inflammation)."
I feel like we are full enough, but it also feels very repetitive at this point without a whole lot of choices of foods. I don't forsee us sticking completely with phase 1 for another 10 days for sure! I have lost about 3 lbs, which is nice :) ...and added bonus for sure! And I feel like my head is clearer (not as foggy as many people with Fibro would describe their norm). And I also have not had the really bad headaches that I get almost daily (not migraines, but I usually have a bad headache nearly every day). I'm not feeling wonderful, but I do feel some improvements. I'll take that!
As I look over what we have been eating for the past few days, I feel like I want to add a few foods from phase 2 into our diet, namely lunch meat (and I always buy nitrate/nitrite free anyway), green apples (apples come in at phase 2 but green apples are lower on the glycemic index), black beans and possibly a sweet potato or two (or the puree in muffins). I feel like we need just a bit more, and then we can stay there for a few days and reassess.
Breakfast:
1 zucchini muffin each for the kids; 3 pieces turkey sausage; handful of fresh raspberries & 1 piece each of turkey bacon (rushed morning!)
an egg & 2 pieces of turkey bacon for hubs
smoothie for myself (plain goat yogurt, raw almond butter, coconut oil, fresh strawberries, frozen blueberries)
Snack:
green apple
Lunch:
kids -- turkey hot dogs; strawberries/raspberries; goat cheese for the 3 year old
chicken salad; guacamole on lettuce; strawberries & green apple for myself
leftovers from last night's dinner for hubs
Snack:
trail mix for the kids (raw/sprouted sunflower seeds, dried peas, dried blackberries)
Dinner: (t-ball night)
organic chicken & apple sausage links; green peas/green salad; fruit (a throw it together night)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Maker's Diet Day 3: Grain-free Waffles
I woke up with slightly more energy than usual this morning :) I didn't feel like I needed a cup of coffee as soon as I made it to the kitchen! So, maybe I'm starting to see some improvements.
Breakfast:
I made these Grain-Free Waffles this morning, using coconut flour & almond meal and coconut oil. They were SO good! I have a regular size waffle maker that makes two square waffles. This recipe filled the waffle maker one time. So, I doubled it to make 4 waffles. They were very filling...the kids ate blueberries on theirs and some turkey sausage.
Lunch:
*Both kids are at school today for lunch, so I sent leftover meatballs for the 5 year old and turkey hot dogs for the 3 year old with strawberries and one zucchini muffin.
*I had a chicken salad, and hubs took leftovers from last night to work.
Snack:
Trail mix (pumpkinseeds, sunflower seeds, dried peas & dried blackberries)
Goat yogurt with blueberries
Fresh raspberries
Dinner:
Taco bowls (turkey taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, plain goat yogurt, goat's milk cheese, salsa)
End of day recap: We seem to be holding on :) The kids are doing great! They are eating such a variety of foods now that we've taken out their staples of crackers & bread. And they have not complained at all (amazing for a 3 yr old & 5 yr old!). :) Hubs and I are both craving "crunchy" foods right now...chips! Everything right now is soft! But we're staying full, so there really are no complaints. He felt some possible die-off effects this morning...dizzy and drugged feeling. He drank a ton of water and started to feel better and was fine through the rest of the day. I have not felt any of those effects yet, but I have been doing other detox things before starting this diet where I felt all of that. So, maybe I'm not going to? Or maybe later? So far so good though.
I've made several trips to the store this week as I've seen what we need to really stick with this diet for the first two weeks. So, here are my recommendations if you choose to try this out :)
-almond meal (the bulk bins at Whole Foods are MUCH cheaper than the packaged version)
-coconut flour (I've only found it packaged...Bob's Red Mill)
-unsweetened coconut flakes (I'm going to try baked chicken nuggets using this instead of flour)
-coconut oil
-coconut milk (really good drizzled over berries for a dessert!)
-frozen blueberries, raspberries, cherries
-fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries
-lemons & limes (for water or salad or seasoning meat/fish)
-raw almonds (I did soak them overnight and then dried them in the oven on the lowest setting)
-raw sprouted sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds (I found these -- easy!)
-dried berries & vegetables (I bought these blackberries & peas -- make sure to only buy the ones that are allowed in the first two weeks)
-fermented veggies are highly recommended for aiding digestion, but I'm not up to fermenting my own yet :) I have found that Bubbie's products are recommended, so I did buy 2 jars (pickles & sauerkraut) to try it out.
-plain goat yogurt (we have been using Meyenberg for quite some time now...works for all of us!)
-local raw honey (or at least local honey used in small quantities)
-LOTS of fresh/frozen veggies
-chicken, turkey (beef and game are also allowed)
-turkey hot dogs and turkey sausage is still a must for our family right now with young kids
-canned tuna/salmon
-fish to bake
Breakfast:
I made these Grain-Free Waffles this morning, using coconut flour & almond meal and coconut oil. They were SO good! I have a regular size waffle maker that makes two square waffles. This recipe filled the waffle maker one time. So, I doubled it to make 4 waffles. They were very filling...the kids ate blueberries on theirs and some turkey sausage.
Lunch:
*Both kids are at school today for lunch, so I sent leftover meatballs for the 5 year old and turkey hot dogs for the 3 year old with strawberries and one zucchini muffin.
*I had a chicken salad, and hubs took leftovers from last night to work.
Snack:
Trail mix (pumpkinseeds, sunflower seeds, dried peas & dried blackberries)
Goat yogurt with blueberries
Fresh raspberries
Dinner:
Taco bowls (turkey taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, plain goat yogurt, goat's milk cheese, salsa)
End of day recap: We seem to be holding on :) The kids are doing great! They are eating such a variety of foods now that we've taken out their staples of crackers & bread. And they have not complained at all (amazing for a 3 yr old & 5 yr old!). :) Hubs and I are both craving "crunchy" foods right now...chips! Everything right now is soft! But we're staying full, so there really are no complaints. He felt some possible die-off effects this morning...dizzy and drugged feeling. He drank a ton of water and started to feel better and was fine through the rest of the day. I have not felt any of those effects yet, but I have been doing other detox things before starting this diet where I felt all of that. So, maybe I'm not going to? Or maybe later? So far so good though.
I've made several trips to the store this week as I've seen what we need to really stick with this diet for the first two weeks. So, here are my recommendations if you choose to try this out :)
-almond meal (the bulk bins at Whole Foods are MUCH cheaper than the packaged version)
-coconut flour (I've only found it packaged...Bob's Red Mill)
-unsweetened coconut flakes (I'm going to try baked chicken nuggets using this instead of flour)
-coconut oil
-coconut milk (really good drizzled over berries for a dessert!)
-frozen blueberries, raspberries, cherries
-fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries
-lemons & limes (for water or salad or seasoning meat/fish)
-raw almonds (I did soak them overnight and then dried them in the oven on the lowest setting)
-raw sprouted sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds (I found these -- easy!)
-dried berries & vegetables (I bought these blackberries & peas -- make sure to only buy the ones that are allowed in the first two weeks)
-fermented veggies are highly recommended for aiding digestion, but I'm not up to fermenting my own yet :) I have found that Bubbie's products are recommended, so I did buy 2 jars (pickles & sauerkraut) to try it out.
-plain goat yogurt (we have been using Meyenberg for quite some time now...works for all of us!)
-local raw honey (or at least local honey used in small quantities)
-LOTS of fresh/frozen veggies
-chicken, turkey (beef and game are also allowed)
-turkey hot dogs and turkey sausage is still a must for our family right now with young kids
-canned tuna/salmon
-fish to bake
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Maker's Diet Day 2: Grain-Free Muffins & Meatballs
I baked these Grain-Free Blueberry Muffins yesterday...SO good!!! I have the Zucchini Muffins mixed up to try today. I reduced the amount of honey from 1/4 cup to 1/8 cup for the zucchini muffins, so we'll see how they turn out. I thought the blueberry ones were plenty sweet and would probably be fine with less honey.
**Update: The Zucchini Muffins are SO good & only using 1/8 cup honey was perfect. With all of the spices, there was no need for more honey.
I'm also planning on trying out these Chicken Pancakes. I will leave out the banana right now as those are not allowed until week 5. I'll probably add in flaxmeal and maybe a little honey since the sweetness from the banana will not be in there. So, we'll see how they turn out as well.
I have Turkey Meatballs cooling right now for lunch.
1lb ground turkey
couple of shakes of wheat-free teriyaki sauce
couple of shakes of garlic powder, onion powder and ground ginger
1-2 Tbsp of flaxmeal (since I didn't use oats or breadcrumbs)
1 handful of spinach, chopped
Roll into 15 meatballs.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
**Update:
Breakfast:
2 grain-free blueberry muffins + 1 slice turkey bacon for the kids
2 scrambled eggs with purple onion/spinach + sliced cherry tomatoes + 1 slice turkey bacon for myself
Snack:
fresh raspberries and goat cheddar cheese for my 3 year old
Lunch:
grain-free Turkey Meatballs + fresh raspberries + Bubbies bread & butter pickles + frozen cherries
Snack:
Grain-free Zucchini muffin + smoothie (fresh strawberries, frozen blueberries, plain goat yogurt, raw almond butter, coconut oil, water)
Dinner:
Baked teriyaki chicken + stirfried veggies + grapefruit slices
**End of day recap: We did not seem nearly as hungry today between meals as yesterday. I think the grain-free muffins REALLY helped today! And adding coconut oil & almond butter to the smoothies really makes them filling as well.
What I'm most amazed about (after only 2 days) is that my kids are NOT begging for their snacks! They typically snack on gluten-free crackers, dry cereal, GF bread and fruit (with other things thrown in). My 3 year old always wants sandwiches for lunch. And they have not asked for the other food really at all. Again, I think the muffins have helped in that as well. But, they are eating more food at each meal and trying more foods. My 3 year old ate roasted cauliflower last night at dinner and ate all of her fish (she usually picks at dinner), and my 5 year old is eating tons of food as usual...but it's all good choices.
Tomorrow I'm trying out this recipe for Grain-Free Waffles using coconut flour and almond meal. I've decided that we really need something along these lines once a day...we cannot do just eggs/meat/fish, fruit, veggies, almonds/pumpkinseeds/sunflower seeds all day long for two weeks.
**Update: The Zucchini Muffins are SO good & only using 1/8 cup honey was perfect. With all of the spices, there was no need for more honey.
I'm also planning on trying out these Chicken Pancakes. I will leave out the banana right now as those are not allowed until week 5. I'll probably add in flaxmeal and maybe a little honey since the sweetness from the banana will not be in there. So, we'll see how they turn out as well.
I have Turkey Meatballs cooling right now for lunch.
1lb ground turkey
couple of shakes of wheat-free teriyaki sauce
couple of shakes of garlic powder, onion powder and ground ginger
1-2 Tbsp of flaxmeal (since I didn't use oats or breadcrumbs)
1 handful of spinach, chopped
Roll into 15 meatballs.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
**Update:
Breakfast:
2 grain-free blueberry muffins + 1 slice turkey bacon for the kids
2 scrambled eggs with purple onion/spinach + sliced cherry tomatoes + 1 slice turkey bacon for myself
Snack:
fresh raspberries and goat cheddar cheese for my 3 year old
Lunch:
grain-free Turkey Meatballs + fresh raspberries + Bubbies bread & butter pickles + frozen cherries
Snack:
Grain-free Zucchini muffin + smoothie (fresh strawberries, frozen blueberries, plain goat yogurt, raw almond butter, coconut oil, water)
Dinner:
Baked teriyaki chicken + stirfried veggies + grapefruit slices
**End of day recap: We did not seem nearly as hungry today between meals as yesterday. I think the grain-free muffins REALLY helped today! And adding coconut oil & almond butter to the smoothies really makes them filling as well.
What I'm most amazed about (after only 2 days) is that my kids are NOT begging for their snacks! They typically snack on gluten-free crackers, dry cereal, GF bread and fruit (with other things thrown in). My 3 year old always wants sandwiches for lunch. And they have not asked for the other food really at all. Again, I think the muffins have helped in that as well. But, they are eating more food at each meal and trying more foods. My 3 year old ate roasted cauliflower last night at dinner and ate all of her fish (she usually picks at dinner), and my 5 year old is eating tons of food as usual...but it's all good choices.
Tomorrow I'm trying out this recipe for Grain-Free Waffles using coconut flour and almond meal. I've decided that we really need something along these lines once a day...we cannot do just eggs/meat/fish, fruit, veggies, almonds/pumpkinseeds/sunflower seeds all day long for two weeks.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Menu Plan Monday: April 5, 2010
This is our first week of The Maker's Diet (you can read more here about why we are doing this and what it's all about). The first two weeks are basically grain-free, sugar-free, preservative-free, and bean/legume-free in order to regulate blood sugars and begin the healing process. The Maker's Diet does allow for a variety of meat and game, however we usually just eat chicken and turkey. So, I want to slowly try other meat to see if that affects us or not.
So, here is our menu plan for this week (I'll add in green salad, steamed veggies and other cooked veggies):
Monday: Baked Tilapia
Tuesday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken with stirfried veggies
Wednesday: Turkey Taco Salads
Thursday: (t-ball night) quick Grilled Chicken and Apple Sausage links with fruit and green salad
Friday: Turkey Burgers (no buns) and toppings
Saturday: Turkey Hot Dogs
Sunday: Roast Chicken and Veggies
Breakfast (rotating)
blueberry/strawberry/almond butter smoothie with turkey sausage
Grain-free Blueberry muffins with Boiled Eggs
grain-free pumpkin pancakes with turkey sausage
scrambled eggs with pancakes/muffins
Lunch (rotating) -- for the kids (hubs eats leftovers from dinner & I eat a salad with various toppings)
chicken salad with fruit and celery sticks
tuna salad with fruit and almonds
meatballs with fruit
turkey hot dogs with fruit
Snacks
raw sunflower seeds and dehydrated peas
raw almonds (soaked & dried)
plain goat's milk yogurt with flaxmeal and frozen berries
smoothies
strawberries/blueberries/grapefruit
goat's milk cheese with fruit
So, here is our menu plan for this week (I'll add in green salad, steamed veggies and other cooked veggies):
Monday: Baked Tilapia
Tuesday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken with stirfried veggies
Wednesday: Turkey Taco Salads
Thursday: (t-ball night) quick Grilled Chicken and Apple Sausage links with fruit and green salad
Friday: Turkey Burgers (no buns) and toppings
Saturday: Turkey Hot Dogs
Sunday: Roast Chicken and Veggies
Breakfast (rotating)
blueberry/strawberry/almond butter smoothie with turkey sausage
Grain-free Blueberry muffins with Boiled Eggs
grain-free pumpkin pancakes with turkey sausage
scrambled eggs with pancakes/muffins
Lunch (rotating) -- for the kids (hubs eats leftovers from dinner & I eat a salad with various toppings)
chicken salad with fruit and celery sticks
tuna salad with fruit and almonds
meatballs with fruit
turkey hot dogs with fruit
Snacks
raw sunflower seeds and dehydrated peas
raw almonds (soaked & dried)
plain goat's milk yogurt with flaxmeal and frozen berries
smoothies
strawberries/blueberries/grapefruit
goat's milk cheese with fruit
The Maker's Diet
I've taken a break from blogging the last few weeks...I've been reading more online about various healing diets. I've known this is the direction that I would like to take our menu planning, but I was not sure exactly which direction that would be :) We have several chronic health issues (Fibromyalgia in myself, sinus infections in both kids & my husband and stomach issues in all). We have mostly followed the Eat Right for Your Type diet (we are all blood type A's) and find that we really do much better while eating the foods that are right for our type (mostly chicken/turkey, vegetables, fruits, and gluten-free grains).
However, I think we need to take things to a new level. I know that certain foods have negative effects on our bodies, but I truly believe that certain foods can be healing to our bodies as well. So, we are starting The Maker's Diet today. I went to the health food store last night to stock up on more foods that we can eat, and I removed (and hid) all of the foods in our pantry that we cannot eat right now. The first two weeks on the "diet" are the most restrictive, but in stage 2 (the next two weeks) more foods are added back in. And finally in the 5th week, more are added back in and you reach the maintenance stage. It's a 40 day diet at the end of which I hope just mostly stay at that level. We are not taking their supplements, but we are all taking a high-quality probiotic as well as other vitamins/supplements. So, I feel that we are ok in that area.
I hope to chronicle what we are doing so that I can look back and see what did or did not work for us. In the first two weeks, the diet consists mostly of good quality meats/fish/poultry/eggs (no pork and no shellfish being the main restrictions), only goat's milk yogurt and goat/sheep's milk cheese (we already eat plain goat's milk yogurt), coconut oil/organic butter/extra virgin olive oil for fats/oils, lots of vegetables, a good variety of raw nuts/seeds (no peanuts at this stage), fresh seasonings, berries/grapefruit/lemons/limes and mostly purified water to drink. So the biggest restriction in stage 1 is no beans/legumes (except for lentils) and no grains! That will be the biggest issue with my kids as they snack on dry cereal, granola, and crackers! But, I am finding some good recipes for muffins and pancakes made with almond meal instead of grains. I'll post about those when I try them out.
So far for day 1 we've had:
Breakfast:
**smoothie for the kids (& sent one to work with hubs for a snack)...small handful of spinach, water, goat yogurt, raw almond butter, frozen blueberries & fresh strawberries, maybe 1 tsp of coconut oil -- SO yummy!!!!! And they also had some turkey sausage (allowed but probably not the best as it's not nitrate/nitrite free).
** scrambled eggs with tomatoes & turkey sausage for hubs and myself.
Mid-Morning snack:
**raw sunflower seeds and dehydrated peas for the kids
**they also finished up our banana/clementine supply with one each (not allowed on this stage but they were in the refrigerator!)
Lunch:
**nitrate/nitrite free turkey hot dogs for the kids
**then later, tuna salad for the kids with strawberries & raw almonds (soaked & dried in the oven)
**egg salad & green salad for myself
**leftovers for the hubs (chicken, okra & green salad)
Afternoon Snack:
**plain goat yogurt with flaxmeal and frozen blueberries for the kids
Dinner:
It will be baked tilapia for all with a large green salad for the adults (still working on getting the kids to really eat salad) and carrot sticks/fruit for the kids.
I can see all of us being hungry between meals during these first two weeks without beans and grains. We'll see...
However, I think we need to take things to a new level. I know that certain foods have negative effects on our bodies, but I truly believe that certain foods can be healing to our bodies as well. So, we are starting The Maker's Diet today. I went to the health food store last night to stock up on more foods that we can eat, and I removed (and hid) all of the foods in our pantry that we cannot eat right now. The first two weeks on the "diet" are the most restrictive, but in stage 2 (the next two weeks) more foods are added back in. And finally in the 5th week, more are added back in and you reach the maintenance stage. It's a 40 day diet at the end of which I hope just mostly stay at that level. We are not taking their supplements, but we are all taking a high-quality probiotic as well as other vitamins/supplements. So, I feel that we are ok in that area.
I hope to chronicle what we are doing so that I can look back and see what did or did not work for us. In the first two weeks, the diet consists mostly of good quality meats/fish/poultry/eggs (no pork and no shellfish being the main restrictions), only goat's milk yogurt and goat/sheep's milk cheese (we already eat plain goat's milk yogurt), coconut oil/organic butter/extra virgin olive oil for fats/oils, lots of vegetables, a good variety of raw nuts/seeds (no peanuts at this stage), fresh seasonings, berries/grapefruit/lemons/limes and mostly purified water to drink. So the biggest restriction in stage 1 is no beans/legumes (except for lentils) and no grains! That will be the biggest issue with my kids as they snack on dry cereal, granola, and crackers! But, I am finding some good recipes for muffins and pancakes made with almond meal instead of grains. I'll post about those when I try them out.
So far for day 1 we've had:
Breakfast:
**smoothie for the kids (& sent one to work with hubs for a snack)...small handful of spinach, water, goat yogurt, raw almond butter, frozen blueberries & fresh strawberries, maybe 1 tsp of coconut oil -- SO yummy!!!!! And they also had some turkey sausage (allowed but probably not the best as it's not nitrate/nitrite free).
** scrambled eggs with tomatoes & turkey sausage for hubs and myself.
Mid-Morning snack:
**raw sunflower seeds and dehydrated peas for the kids
**they also finished up our banana/clementine supply with one each (not allowed on this stage but they were in the refrigerator!)
Lunch:
**nitrate/nitrite free turkey hot dogs for the kids
**then later, tuna salad for the kids with strawberries & raw almonds (soaked & dried in the oven)
**egg salad & green salad for myself
**leftovers for the hubs (chicken, okra & green salad)
Afternoon Snack:
**plain goat yogurt with flaxmeal and frozen blueberries for the kids
Dinner:
It will be baked tilapia for all with a large green salad for the adults (still working on getting the kids to really eat salad) and carrot sticks/fruit for the kids.
I can see all of us being hungry between meals during these first two weeks without beans and grains. We'll see...
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