New Beginnings

In late August of this year, I went to pre-op to have my tonsils removed.  Instead, I ended up in the emergency room and eventually ICU due to malignant high blood pressure.  After a week in the hospital (and still having my tonsils), I found myself weak, on a lot of new medication, and concerned about my BP, my health, and my blood sugar (which presented high in the hospital).

After some research, I made an appointment with a nutritionist and trainer to get a little extra guidance.  My first appointment with Debbie was helpful.  A lot of the same information I have been slowly been implementing into my diet she also holds true, along with a Christian philosophy.  But I only had wishful thinking about going gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and sugar free by myself.  But with someone to guide me, tell me exactly what to eat, check in on me, and adjust my programming based on my responses and her expertise I think I can do it.  I have to.  I don't want to be on mega-medications forever.  And I truly believe I am too young to be on a bad path already.

So, I met with Debbie on Friday, bought a house on Saturday, and prepped food on Sunday.  Monday, I begin this new journey.

I'm basically starting with some extra supplements and going sugar free, grain free, and dairy free.  Whew!  It seems overwhelming when I think about what I have to cut out.  However, it seems easier when I focus on what I *can* eat.

I started with the extra supplements tonight and a tablespoon of flax seed oil straight from the bottle.  That was a trip!  I have a flavored version, so it definitely tastes better than plain.  But, I still knew what was on the spoon.

I'm hoping tomorrow goes okay!  I have planned out my meals, meds, supplements, testing schedules for BP and BS, water intake, and walking schedule.  It sure seems like a lot!  But I know that if I don't take the time to write it out and then mark of my list, I won't follow through.  I pampered myself by starting a new handwritten pretty journal today to do all of this.  Never underestimate the power of a beautiful journal.

Shopping Trip!

I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm going to get back in the swing.  This is mainly going to be to keep me accountable (because honestly, who wants to post that they ate at McDonald's three mornings this week).

Today, I went grocery shopping with a dream in my heart that I won't eat out this week.  This goal is for my health, my weight loss goals, and my pocketbook.  The only budget item I consistently bust every month, by a lot of moolah, is eating out.  UGH.  Just so tempting because it can be a time saver.

So, I wanted to post what I bought at the store today.  I'm currently budgeting $225/month for groceries, which is quite generous.  I did that in hopes of being able to buy organic for dirty dozen items, farm eggs, buying quality grass-fed milk (raw when I can pick it up), and grass-fed meats.  All of this is, let's face it, expensive!  The eggs, especially.  What are conventional eggs at the store, like $1.50 a dozen?  Mine cost at least about $4.50.

I would love some tips from other consumers or ideas for recipes with what I bought!  If you have a better source for getting what I get, let me know. :)

Saturday 5/11/13 Shopping Trip:

[Dierberg's]
*Daisy Sour Cream - $2.19
*Simply Lemonade - $2.79
*Shredded Parmesan Cheese - $2.50 (sale)
*1 lb. baby carrots - $1.99
*2.49 lb. Fresh Broccoli Crowns - $2.49 (sale)
*1 head Cauliflower - $2.50 (sale)
*Organic Ranch Veggie Dip - $3.99
*Organic Strawberries - $6.00 (sale, 2 quarts)

[Trader Joe's]
*Fruit Frenzy Frozen Bars (oh, impulse buy!) - $1.99
*Whole, peeled garlic cloves - $1.99
*2 bags Organic Fruit Berry Medley - $6.98
*2 bags Organic Vegetable Foursome - $3.38
*Organic Whole Milk Vanilla Yogurt - $2.99
*2 Kerrygold butter - $5.98
*3 pkg. Organic Chicken Drumsticks - $10.28 (sale, $1.99 lb.)

[Whole Foods]
*1 bottle Kombucha (experimenting...) - $3.69
*Organic Strawberries (before I knew they were on sale at Dierbergs, boo) - $4.99
*Organic Fuji Applies - $5.98
*Organic Celery - $3.01
*Organic red Leaf Lettuce - $2.92 (sale)
*Grass-Fed Organic Milk - $4.99 (overpriced, but worth a try)
*Naturally Fermented Red Cabbage Sauerkraut - $5.69 (experimenting...)

[Vaccaro's] - (local produce stand)
*3 sweet potatoes
*3 yellow onions
*4 oranges
*4 lemons
*5 avocados
*3 slicing tomatoes
***Total: $11.36

Other things to note...I have some meat in my freezer that I need to use up.  In fact, I have a lot of stuff in my freezer that I want to use up.  So, I didn't plan on buying those drumsticks today, but they were on a decent sale.  So, I stocked up a little bit.  I realize I got screwed on the organic strawberries at Whole Foods, but now I know they are on sale at Dierbergs.  Now, I need to meal plan and decide what I'm going to do with all this stuff.  I feel like I bought tons of produce, which is good, but also a challenge.  And, yes, I'm working backwards this week.  I shopped before I meal planned.  BAD Mary, BAD.  However, I'll work it out! :)

What do you think?  What essentials am I missing from my list?  What can I make with all this?

The Foodie Wagon

 

For a while now, I've been working on eating more at home, eating more real food, eating more traditional foods, and trying to (*trying*) cut out sugars.  Well, this summer and with the beginning of the work year in August paired with working a part time job, I've slacked and fallen back on my healthy journey.  After gaining a few pounds in the past month and a half paired with an increase in headaches and caffeine dependence, I'm trying desperately to get back on the food wagon.

With so many opinions out there about diet and what to eat (and what NOT to eat), sometimes I feel like I'm barely treading water in an ocean of conflicting information.

Right now, I'm working on the caffeine addiction because I think it is the most concerning.  Oh, this week the headaches, sweats, and fatigue have been horrible!  However, today I feel better and my sleeping, heart rate, anxiety, and overall "up-tight-ness" seem so much better.  Still a little fatigued, but I'm sure I'll get used to that.

The next step, not as easy.  I'd love to try going a little more primal/paleo for a while to see how it effects me, but let's get practical.  I have a LOT of grains in the house that need to be eaten.  Oatmeal, pasta, rice...as someone who is a closet prepper I have things stashed away that should really be eaten in the house.  So what is a girl to do who is thinking about going grain-free?  

Here's what I'm thinking...moderation.  A lot of real food websites I visit employ the 80-20 rule.  80% of the time I'm going to try super hard to have the healthiest organic, non-GMO, real food, paleo, primal, grain-free whatever I'm trying.  The other 20% is up for grabs.  That boils down to 1 out of 5 meal planning days can be off a little.  I'm not exactly saying that 20% will be McDonald's fries, Coca-cola and cheetos, but if I plan a meal with pasta that I have in my house I should just let it be.  Or, if my boyfriend wants to take me out for ice cream, I'm not going to throw a hissy fit.  I'm going to enjoy it.

How do you reconcile eating off your plan at times?  What do you do when you fall off the foodie wagon?

{Recipe} Homemade Chicken Stock

Mom's Turkey Soup

I grew up eating homemade stock only in the winter and during Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  Every year, my Mom would make a turkey and create the most lovely turkey stock which was turned into turkey soup.  For her, this included the "innards", bones, meat still on the carcass, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, and LOVE.

The smell of the turkey stock cooking would permeate the house while cooking for at least a whole day.

She would then strain the broth, then pick the turkey from the bones (not a funtastic task at all!).  The Broth and meat was then portioned together and frozen for use throughout the winter.  YUM.

I have longed to do the same at my own home, and I have tried to do this for over a year without getting that perfect stocky flavor using chicken.

Mistakes I made:
*using onion (end result was onion soup)
*using carrots (bitter tasting)
*using too many spices (not good tasting)
*not cooking it long enough (not a good chickeny stocky flavor)

This week my house finally smelled similar to my Mom's house the day after Thanksgiving when the turkey stock was cooking all day.  Hooray!

Here's what I did...

First, I cooked a small whole chicken in the crockpot.  I seasoned it with garlic salt, pepper, and paprika.

Then, I picked the chicken.  You know, taking the meat off the bones after it is finished cooking.  I really dislike this part...but it is worth it!  Since I want to make soup from this, I left a good amount of meat on the bones to cook with the stock (mainly the dark meat, which is awesome for soup!).

Next, I put all the trimmings back into the crockpot.  This included everything...bones, meat, skin.  I filled the crockpot with cold, filtered water and let it sit for 30 minutes before starting it up on low.

I didn't add any veggies or any extras this time.  I figured I could season it later if it was a little bland.  And, oh am I so glad I didn't season it!  It smells amazing, and I finally achieved that sort of golden color with stock!  Yay!

Then, I cooked the heck out of it!

 I let the first batch cook for at least 12 hours on low in the crockpot.  I actually cooked two whole chickens this time and put all the trimmings together in the crockpot.  I got 3 batches of stock out of this which yielded about 3 gallons.

When it has the color taste you are looking for, strain the trimmings from the stock using a mesh strainer.  I put the stock in gallon sized canning jars.  Let it sit on the counter to cool before putting in the fridge.

2nd batch of broth, a little lighter than the first but still pretty!

After it has cooled in the fridge for a while, the fat will harden and rise to the top.  Skim this part off before storing or using.  Although, I might keep the fat separately this time and use it in other cooking...we'll see...

And the trimmings?  Well, my least favorite part is picking the trimmings.  My Mom always had 3 bowls for sorting:  one with the trimmings, one to keep, one to pitch.  This can be super tedious, but so worth it in the end!

Portion, freeze, and soup's on!

Raw Garlic

I have been wanting to use more natural medicinal remedies for a while now.  However, I have been a little too chicken to do so!  I mean, who really wants to eat raw garlic?  There is the big ICK factor with actually consuming raw garlic.  Plus, the bad garlic breath.  PLUS, the bad garlic body odor...

But today, I ate a raw clove of garlic.  OH, yes I did!

TMI ALERT.

I've been a little sluggish this whole week, having a bit of a "lady parts" problem, and I had a sore throat this morning.  So, I told myself I was going to try the garlic thing.

First, I did a little more research. 

Here's what Dr. Mercola says about garlic.

Here's what one of my favorite blogs says about natural antibiotics. 

I did also take a vitamin supplement that I take when I'm feeling down today, my fish oil with Vitamin D, and a little ibuprofen because my throat was bothering me.

I plan on updating this after more consumption, but here is what I have experienced so far:
*Eating the crushed garlic was less than pleasant.  I held my nose and chewed it. 
*My mouth was on FIRE.
*I felt like I was going to vomit.
*I had to drink a load of water immediately after.
*I chose to eat right before I took the garlic, which I think was a good idea considering the nauseated feeling.
*I also ate a piece of bread after I took the garlic because, well, yeah.  Refer to mouth on fire.
*It is now about an hour and a half after taking the garlic, and I am sweating.  I hope that is just a detox reaction.

Why is garlic so awesome?

As I read on one website, it is a quadruple treat:  it's antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, AND anti-vampire!

It's probably the best way to treat sickness, and getting antibiotics from the doctor should be a last resort only.  Your body won't build up a resistance to garlic like it does antibiotics.  Just do your research, know the side effects, and make your own personal and family decisions.

This post is part of Try It Out Tuesday!

{Recipe} Super Garlic Chicken Drumsticks in the Crockpot

This post is part of Try it Out Tuesday!

It is so HOT in St. Louis right now, it is difficult for me to choose my meal plan because I really don't want to use the oven or stove.

Enter crockpot.

Chicken drumsticks were on sale at the store this week, so I was looking for a great crockpot chicken recipe.

I found a garlic chicken drumstick recipe.  I heart garlic!  You can see my pin here in my recipe board.

First, I went shopping!

Since this recipe called for mega garlic, I treated myself to prepared garlic to save some time.  I love this package from Trader Joe's.

I put the chicken stock in the crockpot and turned it on low.  I used a whole can of broth so I could make gravy from the stock after cooking.

I layered the drumsticks in and sprinkled with spices and garlic.  I did not measure the spices.

Then, I made a second layer of chicken.  In order to cook all the drumsticks, I had to make two layers (10 drumsticks).

That was it!  I just waited for it to cook for about 5 hours on low (my crockpot has a strong low setting).  My house smelled heavenly!  When it was done, I plated with some zucchini and enjoyed!

It turned out great!  Next time, I would take the skin off the chicken before cooking, but otherwise I loved it.  Just adjust the spices to what you like.

{Recipe} Parmesan Zucchini

Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies.  This recipe is something my family always made for fresh zucchini from the garden.  I made a few changes, but it is still delicious!

 In my fridge, I had half of a ginormous zucchini that my family gave me about a week ago from the garden.  It needed to be cooked, so today was the day!

First, I chopped up this bad boy while I melted a little pastured butter in a small skillet.

Next, I added the chopped zucchini to the skillet to cook.  I seasoned it with some pepper and Lawry's seasoned salt.

I let the zucchini cook until the consistency I like best - soft, but not mushy.  It took a while to cook down because I used my smallest pan.

When it was finished, I plated the zucchini and grated parmesan cheese on top.  The cheese helps to give it just a little zing-a-ling!


This post is part of Try It Out Tuesday!