Getting Blown Away in the Badland's!!

I Grew It Myself!! Relishing the Excitement!!!

     This pandemic we are in has been crazy!!  While having to adjust to a different way of life I have realized I have grown as a human.  Skills that have been hidden in my closet, I found and I opened the box to the path of  independence.  My diet that the wonderful doctors at Cleveland Clinic and University of Michigan is getting back to simplistic food.  Gluten free, Sugar free, Dairy free! UGH!  I have cried, screamed, fell off the wagon and felt the pain and nausea for it! Felt sorry for myself! This is not easy everything has sugar in it, many items have dairy products in it.  Shopping is daunting! So I decided to convert recipes.  Most are just as delicious as if I put all my no-no's in the mix! I am going to be sharing some of those recipe's.  I purchased an electric rototiller that is lightweight enough that  I can handle and I plotted off some ground on our property and I tore it up!!  Got myself some seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and planted a garden.  This was therapeutic to get back to skills I learned in my youth from my father.  My garden is growing and producing !! This is so exciting!  One thing this girl loves is relish on my hot dogs and burgers.  I was able to convert this simple relish recipe and it turned so wonderful I wanted to share! 

Dill Pickle Hot-dog Relish

You will need about 8 pounds of fresh cucumbers.  Any cucumber will do,  I picked my heirloom pickling cukes I planted in the garden.

 The skins were a little tough so I peeled and left stripes of skin on them. 

Next I used a knife and spoon and sliced the cucumbers in half and scooped out the seeds.

Because these cucumbers are heirloom cukes I saved the seeds and put them in water to save for next year's garden.

After getting the pulp and seeds from the cucumber we will chop it up or you can use a food processor just be careful to not process it too long as it will turn into cucumber mush!I used a knife and chopped. 

Next the fun begins!.....

Combine 2 teaspoons of tumeric and 1 cup of pickling salt with the chopped cucumber

 
Add 1 Quart of water to cucumber mixture in bowl, cover and put in refrigerator to soak for two hours.
Get your jars and lids ready! Finely chop up your sweet onion and red pepper.  After soak time rinse your cucumber mixture thoroughly and gently squeeze out the excess water.   I am taking a break on the photos here..  In a stock pot combine 1 quart of white vinegar,  1 teaspoon of dried dill, 1 teaspoon of dill seed,1 Tablespoon of sugar,  the chopped pepper, sweet onion and the chopped marinaded cucumber, about 4 drops of green food color (if wanted to brighten color) . Simmer and stir pot for 10 minutes.
Get the water in your canner going I normally put about 4 inches of water in there.
Almost there for your amazing hot dog relish!!
Take your hot jars and ladle the goodness from the stock pot into the jars leave 1 inch head space, use paper towel and soak with white vinegar wipe the rims around the jars clean. Put your hot lids and rings on jars finger tight.                                                                            Time to put them in the canner!             Make sure after placing the jars in canner the water level covers the tops of jars.(Note if you have to add water make sure it is hot water you add) Bring canner to a boil and then time for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take out of water bath and set on a towel to cool.  You will love hearing the jars seal knowing that you will have fresh canned relish for your next cookout!!  Best yet YOU made it!!

Ingredients: Makes 8 half-pints

8 pounds of fresh cucumbers

2 teaspoons of ground tumeric

1 cup of pickling salt

1 quart of water

1 medium sweet onion

1 red pepper

1 teaspoon of dried dill

1 tablespoon sugar ( I used Lakanto brand monkfruit sweetener)

1 teaspoon of dill seed

1 quart of white vinegar

Saying Goodbye to Our Home

Breakfast Smoothie -Gut Friendly

So for those following us on the Facebook Group know, this past few weeks we have been prepping our home for sale.  This is super busy and tough work!!  Most days are on the go and there isn't a whole lot of excess energy or time to make complicated meals.  I have two amazing fur babies, Chloe and Miggy.  Because they are high shed pups we had to move into the RV while our home is listed.  This has been a great learning experience on down-sizing.  Breakfast being a most vital meal needs to be packed with  proteins, slow burning sugars, and other essential nutrients to maintain energy throughout the day. I am also on a Gluten-free, no refined sugar, Dairy-free except for greek yogurt diet. It is an anti-inflammatory diet ordered from my doctors from Cleveland Clinic.  My favorite go to tool in the RV for these smoothies is the Cuisinart hand mixer and my glass mason jar.

Ingredients:

1/2 C  Unsweetened plain Almond Milk
3/4 C  Blueberry(or other fruit of choice whole)
2 1/2 TBSP Organic Flax Seed Meal
5.3 oz FAGE TruBlend vanilla yogurt

Use a cereal bowl to mix ingredients in.

Mix blueberry, yogurt and flax-meal together then fold milk into mixture to desired consistency. I use a ball jar funnel and pour into mason jar then cover with my multi-top lid and sip on my way to the house to get more work done! This will give you approximately 17 G of protein to get you going for the morning and only 256 calories  in a very nutrient packed breakfast!!!!  Any idea's you may have please share on our Facebook page or Instagram!!!!  Always looking for new tips and recipe's!!!!


Links to Products:

Almond Milk
Stick Mixer
organic flax seed meal
Mason Jar Multi-Top Lid

NO!!! It's IOWA!!

Hook 'em UP!!... Alone!

As promised- HealthyTruth!

Everyone does it. We are all human. It is hard to live by what you know instead of  your desires.  As we walk the pathway through the vendors at the fair, the aroma of corn-dogs, cotton candy and elephant ears tickle our nostrils.  It isn't long before our stomach starts rolling around like a bowl of jello in yearning and hunger.  We position ourselves in line as we fumble for our money with great anticipation.  AND... it is our turn!  What do we order??   Corn-dog and waffle fries for the main course and don't forget that fresh squeezed lemon flavored sugar water.  Then for dessert??  Elephant Ears sprinkled with that white powdery sugar!!  Snacks for on the go???  Candied almonds , cotton candy or caramel corn!!  Ok so this is an extreme example, or is it?  Could you imagine what your blood sugars would be after one evening like this? 

I remember when I was younger(about 15-20 years ago) and I had all the energy in the world. I would work double shifts.  I was constantly on the run.  My weight was always a stable 132-138 lbs.  I would catch lunch on the go of a burger, fries and sweet tea.  Fridays were always pizza night.  I seldom ever got sick.  I visited the doctor once a year with labs and they were always perfect!  Never was it suggested I was doing anything wrong or that I needed to change my ways.  But I knew my lifestyle was not "healthy".  I took it for granted that my health was good and I was an exception to the "health" rules.  I was going to change my ways tomorrow.   I would go get some fresh foods for snacking and clean food went home fixed a meal felt great that I was going to make a change.  Next morning I would wake up and back to the race of life. Healthy snacks and lunch went to the wayside due to no time for the prep and I was back in the hustle and bustle in my old ways.  

Gradually with this lifestyle my energy stores became depleted.  It crept up on me so gradually that I didn't even notice.  To add fuel on the train-wreck... my body was desperately trying to heal itself from a period of time of extreme stress and a severe shigella infection. My children and I contracted shigella eating while on the go at a fast food joint, and,  even-though we were very careful to wash hands before eating we all got sick.  So we were all put on antibiotics.  My digestive tract stayed unhappy, I would get heartburn, my belly always hurt and yet I resumed my chaotic lifestyle, on the go.   I had physical events start happening at more frequent intervals and yet it did not make me stop.  Burger Mondays,taco Tuesdays, pizza Friday's.  Stress??  I turned to beer, wine,cigarette's (sorry if I shock anyone who knows me with this)... my actions were not only hurting me but they were injuring everyone around me!  I always knew that I was eating and drinking(smoking) all the wrong things and it was destroying my health both physically and mentally and yet that was not enough to stop me from making poor decisions. I rationalized that tomorrow I will try again and I would go out and get healthy foods  and cook a great healthy meal. The next day I would wake up and would be back into the hustle and bustle of life. 

My mind and body became weaker and weaker but I was tough and I could push through it, yeah right!  I noticed that my brain wasn't as sharp as it used to be.  I would forget things often and in the past it was always said of me that I had the memory of an elephant!  This was frustrating to me.  I had developed a labile mood. Either I was on a super high or a super low and this was damaging relationships.  I was extremely active and out of the blue I would just fall.  I had one sided weakness.  Concerned  I went to have this checked out. MRI's were done and It showed that I had an area that demonstrated as an Multiple Sclerosis Lesion.  I was informed that there was not evidence to diagnose with or to rule out this diagnosis so I needed to be followed as MS effects everyone differently.  This stimulated the brakes on my lifestyle a little. However the hustle and bustle continued and back to the same habits. (See a pattern??  Identify??  I know this is long but I promised y'all I would share what is going on with me)  

My weight started increasing, my lifestyle didn't change much then all of this started effecting my lab-work it indicated that I wasn't getting enough oxygen(ohh yeah I was still smoking).  doctor at that time just looked at me and stated as a matter of fact.."You already know what you need to do, If you need help I am here for you. When your oxygen levels go down and stay down I will be more than willing to order the oxygen tank."  It was called a cold dose of reality. I left the office in tears.  I thought about it as I began to light up(a what the hell am I doing moment) and I took out my full pack of cigarette's and threw them in the trash bin after soaking them with water.  I am an ADULT responsible for my own actions I made the conscious decision to quit and did so.  Enlightenment happened.  See I can go anytime and purchase a pack of cigs and smoke them all ! I had to change from the mental state of denying myself of something to allowing myself of something greater!  Breathing!! 

My life was moving forward full speed. Incidentally my husband also quit smoking shortly after I did and we both remain non-smokers!  However, in our busy life our diet was still in the quick and easy!  We both knew better, he having had a heart attach and well me having worked in healthcare for many years.  My symptoms persisted and it seemed as though I had a feast or famine immune system, in other-words, either I would get super sick or I was well there was no in-between.  I got sent to an allergist, testing came back that I was very allergic to almost everything in my environment.  We attempted to go through immuno-therapy but I started have reactions to the treatment so it was halted by the doctor.  I had IBS with abdominal pain, back pain, insomnia, anxiety.(seems our good health as well as bad health stacks up!) As time moved on I had abdominal surgeries(bowelrupture repair, radical hysterectomy and gallbladder removal), back surgery. ( this is not a whaaa whaaa poor me post I promise!)

Last year in desperation, feeling a sense that there is just something going on here that everyone is missing, I set up an appointment (per recommendation from a trusted friend) at Cleveland Clinic.  

Cleveland Clinic is ranked #2 in the WORLD.  I started with what I felt was the most critical and that was for a second opinion on my Brain seen by one of the best MS doctors in the world she stated to me that there was just not enough there (lesions) and I had been stable enough that she could tell me that my issue was not MS.(WHEW!!) However without me even asking she went on with her recommendation. She wanted me to see a colleague of hers at integrative medicine and disease.  I was able to get in the very next day!  He did a very thorough assessment and he had already reviewed my history before seeing me and he ordered a bunch of labs he wanted me to do at the clinic.  He seemed to have a path that he was going with me that just needed confirmation with labs.  My instruction for going home was NO refined cane sugars, NO gluten, NO dairy with the exception of greek yogurt.  Wow, I thought this sounds easy enough if this will make me feel better!  ( Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., MD, reversing heart disease... ok we know where this is going for me!) 

Labs came back.  Due to exposure to prolonged stress, poor diet, and not taking care of myself I have a systemic blood infection that stems from an imbalance of my gut flora(aka leaky gut) Candida A.... when the doctor told me this I was like ohh cool I will eat lots of yogurt and take probiotic... but unfortunately at the state my body is in and the fact that it is multiplied in the bloodstream it needs treatment medically. This infection can attack linings in my body such as in my lungs, heart and brain.  It weakens the immune system.  It seems that my moment to face reality is here about my lifestyle.  

This diet is an extremely hard one to follow due to the prevalence in store purchased foods.  I have not been perfect in it.  We travel alot, always on the go, so there is that here and there trip to fast food.  Even-though I have been on 3 rounds of treatment and have been versed in the consequences of not getting this in check.This was ordered by a very knowledgeable and experienced doctor in a top medical institution in the world. With very specific instructions on sugar, dairy and gluten. There is no hiding habits they KNOW.  I have yet been put on a 4th round of treatment. I was told that I must be vigilant on the diet. (In otherwords ... no cheating!)  I want this to work and I want to feel better.  I was also prescribed a supplement to support my pancreas.  He wants to meet in six months to discuss treatment and what the next step is.  

So yeah, lots of owning it here!  One thing I will forever be grateful for is that my dad taught me that the very first step to getting help for anything is accountability.  That what is my deal in this whole situation.I have to take responsibility for how I got here and  I have to look at this whole getting well thing much like I gave up smoking.  Instead of seeing everything I cannot have I need to start enjoying everything I can have.  I need to choose wellness over illness and/or possibly death.  

No one is perfect. We all have desires, cravings, weaknesses.  Living by what you know you should do can be very difficult at times.  One thing I have learned as you step forward is to change your perspective from "I can't" to an "I can". Write your current goal down and put it where  you are going to see it daily.  Your new way of doing things such as  .....  not smoking.... non dairy... vegan....no soda...make it a part of your identity.   I found when I quit smoking.   I was that pain in the butt person that had to let everyone know ... I am a non-smoker!!    Now my identity is I am.. dairy, gluten, sugar free person!!!!  YUMMY!!     What ever it is IDENTIFY with it!!!  Affirmations in the mirror will help you in the morning start with "  I AM....."

I  hope my story helps someone.  I poured it out!  I will do a shorter update blog next month on how it is going.  I choose wellness!  And there is no silver bullet for what I have going on so I am going to do my part to make this the final round of treatment!