The Weekend and SkinnyTaste.com

How was your weekend?  I had a good one by my standards.  I didn’t have anything planned and had a lot of time to spend just doing the things I love doing.  This is where I need to give a big thank you on here to my husband who sent me off to Barnes & Noble on Saturday morning so that he could vacuum and dust the house (stay away ladies, he’s mine J ).  I have been having trouble with hives popping up, which happens every year at the beginning of allergy season, and he’s being diligent about keeping things in the house as allergy free as possible.

On Sunday I spent a good portion of the day playing in my studio.  I made several Easter cards and plan to spend some time tonight making the rest of the ones I need for family.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute huh?  I think I mentioned that my husband gave me a Cricut for my birthday.  I had so much fun just experimenting with it.  I cut out way too many Easter bunnies, my family better watch out for bunny confetti in their cards.  I did realize that I need to get more storage for the things I cut that I don’t use right away otherwise the piles on my work surfaces are going to get high.  I did see something on Pinterest over the weekend (that I pinned, of course) about how to deal with all of the scraps that result from paper crafting.  The best part of working in my studio?  Time passes and I don’t even notice it.  I went in there around 11 and didn’t look up until 3:30 when my husband suggested maybe we should have some lunch (or, at that time, early dinner). It is good for my spirit to be creative and lose track of time, a great stress-reliever!

I did finally make the chicken and veggie enchiladas on Saturday, they turned out really good.  I think the only adjustment I made to the original recipe I posted was to add some chipotle peppers which are my favorite.  I used the veggies that were in the fridge; zucchini, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onion and a tomato.  I even used the avocado I had and made a little bit of guacamole to go along with it.  Yum.

Since I didn’t have one of my recipes to share today I thought I would direct you to a blog that I reference a lot, www.skinnytaste.com.  If you are a WW person and haven’t been to this site you need to go, now.  She has bunches of recipes for just about everything.  You can search by meal, ingredient, WW points values and she even has her GF recipes tagged.  It’s a site I go to at least a couple of times a week, I always want to see what’s new.  The recipe I found when I went there today sounds amazing and is gluten free, Sweet Potato Tandoori Salad, I can’t wait to try it!  Go to her site today if you haven’t already, you will be addicted to it like I am after you do.

I will be travelling for work for the next few days so you may not see  a post from me until Friday or Saturday, unless I find a really great GF place to eat in Charlotte that I just have to share.  Have a great week!

A day in the life...

A day in the life, I named today’s entry that, but really it is a little more than that.

I can tell that I’m having one of those times where my immune system has gone haywire for whatever reason stimulated it this time (maybe it’s the flu epidemic running through my office?).  Anyway, since last Thursday I have been achy, tired, feverish, brain foggy and just generally blah.  I can’t get enough sleep, I’m cold, I’m hot, I can’t focus for more than two minutes, my joints ache, then my muscles do, sometimes together.  I get up from my desk chair at work or the couch at home and have to steady myself from the pain that comes.  It’s not a lot of fun, just an example of a few days in the life.

I found a blog recently that has provided some valuable information along with some validation about the ups and downs.  She talks openly about her “thyroidy” days, something I found comforting because there are times you feel like you might just be going crazy.  Her blog is here:  http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/category/autoimmune/ She’s got a great sense of humor and a good amount of knowledge about what’s going on with her and what works for her.  She’s also quick to say that what works for her may not work for everyone.  I think the key I got from reading many of her entries is that you have to take control of your own health.  There isn’t anyone else that’s going to be as much of an advocate for you as you can for yourself.

Moving down the taking control of my own health path I have learned to spend more time really paying attention to what my body is telling me.  If I’m really tired I sleep (I slept 9.5 hours last night), if I have brain fog and can’t concentrate I do those things at work that require less of my concentration, if I’m hungry I eat, making sure to eat lots of veggies while making sure I get the protein I need.  I gave up gluten which helped. However, with the ups and downs I have been experiencing since then, my body is telling me there is more I should do.  Now I’m considering giving up dairy and possibly soy.  One at a time so that I can measure the difference it makes.

There is so much to consider.  Selenium, yes or no (I read I can get what I need by eating a Brazil nut daily), what about iodine?  Do I need to look at other supplements beyond the ones I’m already on (iron, vitamin C, vitamin D, B12)?  There is always more research to be done.  The thing I’m sticking with now though is listening to my body when it talks to me, being gentler with myself.  The world will not end if I don’t vacuum/clean/do laundry and make a gourmet homemade dinner every night.

So, if you are having health issues, even if they are very different from mine, take time, slow down, listen to what your body really needs.  The world will not end if you take a needed break. Take care of you!

One last thing…..a recipe!  I make this soup every couple of weeks, blend it up and freeze it in small containers for those hungry periods when I want to take advantage and get lots of nutrients into my body:

Blended Veggie Soup

(This makes a lot of soup, be sure you have freezer space!)

½ T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic (I actually use 4 but that’s too much for some people)

1 tsp cayenne pepper (I add more but I like things spicy)

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 small zucchini

1 lb mushrooms

1 bag spinach

1 bag of kale

1.5 big boxes of fat free or reduced fat chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.      Heat a large pot over medium to medium high heat, add olive oil

2.      Drop in the onion, garlic, cayenne, carrots and celery and cook until slightly soft

3.      Add in the zucchini and mushrooms and cook for about 1 minute

4.      Add in the chicken broth then put the spinach and kale on top, pushing down with a spoon to get it in the liquid

5.      Cover and let simmer (not boil) about 15 minutes, check to see how everything is doing….stirring everything up at this point is a good idea

6.      Check for seasoning, does it need salt and pepper?

7.      Cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes, everything should be soft at this point

8.      Cool slightly then blend everything together using an immersion blender.

9.      Store in small serving size (about 1 cup) containers in the freezer, it warms up well in the microwave when you need it

Gluten-Free Transition and Health

My goal is to write in my blog at least every other day.  I have been bad about keeping up with it lately with good reason.  Managing stress and getting as much rest as possible have been my primary focus for the last couple of weeks.  I ended up with a sinus infection and bronchitis, and was told by my doctor that it is likely that my immune system is just plain tired right now.  So, I need to watch the stress, get lots of rest and try to stay away from germs!

The last couple of weeks have been good otherwise, I’m settling into the gluten-free thing pretty well.  I am getting good at noticing what does and doesn’t work when feeding my body.  For instance, I think I may be allergic to soy.  I’m not positive it’s an allergy, but there may be a sensitivity there.  I often have headaches after eating it, and I no longer have gluten to blame for that.  So, I’m watching the things I consume, note when I am having soy and make sure to note how I’m feeling a little later.  I had a headache after eating my chicken/veggie “fried” rice.  I’m having it for lunch today, right now I don’t have a headache, we’ll see what happens.

One good piece of news is that my body finally seems to be settling out when it comes to weight.  I have been tracking what I’m eating, entering it into my WW journal, but haven’t seen any losses, there were a couple of weeks where there were slight gains.  This past week I broke even.  I’m hoping that’s a signal that I’m finally leveling out.  Now I can get the exercise worked back in, keep on tracking, and (hopefully) see the results.

I have been doing some research on gluten-free recipes, there are a ton of resources out there, including some recipes on the WW site that look really good.  I have even discovered that there are a lot of things in the store that are GF as well.  It’s a whole new world.  I miss bread though, I’m not going to lie, whenever I smell it I am tempted.  I try to remember the pain I was in before, that usually keeps me from having anything.  I haven’t given in, and I’m getting used to the bread made with rice flour (it isn’t too bad when it’s toasted).  It’s a good thing I’m not a sandwich for lunch type of person, I usually only had toast with my eggs in the morning.

Dinners (and leftover lunches) for this week have been….Sirloin Black Bean Chili (~6 points/serving, my own recipe), Chicken and Veggie Stir Fried Rice (~7 points/serving because I opted to add in some sesame oil), Baked Pork Chops (~7 points/serving, they are covered in a great salty/sweet/sour sauce that is amazing).  When I need a side I will usually add a cooked veggie of some sort and a salad.  Sometimes I will have some potato, but not often because my husband is diabetic and they aren’t great for him.

In the next post I will share some things I have found on GF eating….happy day everyone!

Lessons

I have learned quite a bit on my journey so far.  Learning to listen to my body about what it needs to function correctly has been a looong journey this year!  Having two autoimmune diseases has really reinforced that I need to do a lot of listening. 

Hashimoto’s has taught me the value in slowing down and making sure that I’m taking care of my body, particularly my sleep schedule and overall stress level.  The Celiac’s has taught me that natural eating is the way to go.  There is wheat in nearly every processed food out there. I never realized just how much wheat product I was eating.  The gluten-free way of eating has made me shop the perimeter of the grocery store out of necessity…which is the way that all of the health gurus say you should be shopping.  I choose to look at the two diseases as my body telling me that improvements are necessary, thank goodness I’m listening.

Now I’m weaving in my WW points too.  I gave myself a week of experimenting, seeing what I needed to eat, and what I could do without, then came back to start tracking points.  I’m seeing that I’m staying more within my DPs than I was before.  Why?  Because I’m eating a lot of fresh veggies and fruits along with lean meats which means that my points are mostly coming from those lean proteins.  It’s great!

It will be interesting to see where I end up on weigh-in day.  I have given myself permission to have a couple of weeks where I may not lose much; my body is still in the process of adjusting to food and medication changes.  For now it just feels good to be eating well and treating myself well.

Oh, tonight is pizza night!  Woo hoo!  I found a recipe to make the gluten-free dough and bought all of the necessary flours.  I made the dough last night; put it in the fridge, fingers crossed that my all roasted veggie pizza has a good crust!