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  • Creamy Banana Blackberry Ice Cream Shake

    Creamy Banana Blackberry Ice Cream Shake

    Creamy Banana Blackberry Icr Cream Shake

    I’m moving my way back towards eating mostly from the full GAPS list of allowed foods. It helps for me to know I can have delicious treats, even though I’m restricting myself from eating certain foods. This Creamy Banana Blueberry Ice Cream Shakes is one of those treats, and helps me to realize there is no need to feel deprived. There is no need to long for commercially produced soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt. There is no need to feel I’m missing out.

    I can make a delicious dessert for myself which I know has healthy ingredients which will actually provide nutrition for my body.
    This shake is very rich and indulgent. It’s exactly what I needed today.

    If you wish, feel free to modify it by using coconut milk [affiliate link], or a combination of coconut water and coconut cream [affiliate link]. You could also add a cup of ice cubes to stretch the recipe for two.

    Creamy Banana Blackberry Ice Cream Shake

    Serves 1

    Place all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth.

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    Creamy Banana Blackberry Ice Cream Shake
    Author: 
     
    Ingredients
    • 3 frozen bananas
    • 8 blackberries
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (make your own homemade)
    • vanilla caviar from one vanilla bean, optional
    • ½ cup coconut cream (I use Aroy-D)
    Instructions
    1. Place all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth.
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

     

    Save

    If you love desserts like this, I have two cookbooks you really need to check out ASAP! Everyone Loves Pudding and Naturally Sweetened Treats.

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • March Muffin Madness – Banana Muffins!

    March Muffin Madness – Banana Muffins!

    Gluten Free Easily March Muffin Madness

    We’re right in the middle of March Muffin Madness! I am thrilled to be included in this gluten-free muffin event equivalent of the “other” March Madness. March Muffin Madness is hosted by Shirley at Gluten Free Easily and will run through Tuesday April 5. There are 22 bloggers participating in March Muffin Madness, so that means 22 delicious gluten-free muffin recipes! Plus there will be daily giveaway prizes and an overall giveaway throughout the event with prizes, including a very special grand prize, awarded at the end.

    Enter the grand prize giveaway via Rafflecopter way down after the recipe.

    Please note there are TWO giveaways in the March Muffin Madness event.

    1. You may enter the GRAND prize giveaway in the Rafflecopter form below and leave a comment.
    2. The second giveaway is a DAILY giveaway and you will need to visit Shirley’s site to enter one of the daily prizes (36 and counting). Click here to enter the daily giveaway at the March Muffin Madness event!

    March Muffin Madness Prizes

    And… last but not least, you’re going to love this grand prize sponsored by Blendtec! Yes, one of the much loved high-spend blenders/all-in-one appliances! This is a BRAND NEW appliance, and the winner gets to choose the color they want!

    Before you enter the giveaway, I’ll share my recipe! (You can skip to the bottom to enter the GRAND prize giveaway or click over to Shirley’s to enter the daily prize giveaway). This is one of my favorites, Banana Muffins. So easy to make, always turn out perfect and everyone loves them!

    Banana Walnut Muffins Made with Coconut Flour

    This post includes affiliate links to Tropical Traditions and to Amazon.com. If you are brand new customer at Tropical Traditions and order after clicking on any of my Tropical Traditions links, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil [affiliate link], and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you. Thank you for thinking of me!

    Banana Muffins

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

    Place cupcake papers into muffin tins, or grease liberally and dust using coconut flour, or currently I highly recommend using these: silicone muffin cups. They are FABULOUS!

    In a mixing bowl, mash bananas until creamy, stir in honey. Melt coconut oil and whisk in with bananas and honey. Add eggs and blend using a hand mixer or whisk. Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

    Measure coconut flour into a 1/2 cup measuring utensil. Pack flour into cup firmly. Use a back side of a knife to cut across the top of the measuring utensil so that your measurements is exactly 1/2 cup. Sift flour to remove any lumps.

    Mix half of the coconut flour in with the wet ingredients. Allow to sit for two minutes to give the coconut flour time to absorb. You are looking for a consistency of mashed potatoes. If the mixture is very runny, add the rest of the coconut flour. Again allow batter to sit for 2 minutes. Coconut flour is tricky sometimes. It is better to add the coconut flour in small increments than to end up with your batter being too dry.

    Add vinegar to batter and blend quickly.

    Fill 12 cupcake forms (slightly under filled). Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

    5.0 from 1 reviews
    Save Print
    Banana Muffins (Coconut Flour, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free)
    Author: 
    Recipe type: Breakfast, Snack or Dessert
    Prep time: 
    Cook time: 
    Total time: 
    Serves: 12
     
    These light and fluffy banana nut muffins can be eaten with breakfast or served as dessert.
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup mashed banana
    • ⅓ cup honey
    • ½ cup melted Tropical Traditions Gold Label Organic Virgin Coconut Oil**
    • 6 whole large eggs
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ t. ground nutmeg
    • ½ cup coconut flour, packed (82 grams) Tropical Traditions brand**
    • 2 t. apple cider vinegar
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    2. Place cupcake papers into muffin tins, or grease liberally and dust using coconut flour, or currently I highly recommend using silicone muffin cups. They are FABULOUS!
    3. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas until creamy, stir in honey. Melt coconut oil and whisk in with bananas and honey. Add eggs and blend using a hand mixer or whisk. Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    4. Measure coconut flour into a ½ cup measuring utensil. Pack flour into cup firmly. Use a back side of a knife to cut across the top of the measuring utensil so that your measurements is exactly ½ cup. Sift flour to remove any lumps.
    5. Mix half of the coconut flour in with the wet ingredients. Allow to sit for two minutes to give the coconut flour time to absorb. You are looking for a consistency of mashed potatoes. If the mixture is very runny, add the rest of the coconut flour. Again allow batter to sit for 2 minutes. Coconut flour is tricky sometimes. It is better to add the coconut flour in small increments than to end up with your batter being too dry.
    6. Add vinegar to batter and blend quickly.
    7. Fill 12 cupcake forms (slightly under filled). Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

    Enter the main giveaway below, and then head over to Gluten Free Easily and enter the giveaway for the daily prizes. There’s a new giveaway every single day during March Muffin Madness! These giveaways include terrific cookbooks, resource books, subscriptions, and meal plans – ones that have probably been on your “wish list” for a while. There will be over 75 winners in March Muffin Madness, so be sure to enter both the grand prize giveaway and daily giveaway each day so you can be sure that you will be one of the winners!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway


    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • Copycat Chipotle Carnitas Salad Bowl (Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot)

    Copycat Chipotle Carnitas Salad Bowl (Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot)

    Carnitas (Pulled Pork) Salad

    When I was doing strict GAPS it was a challenge if I ever had to eat out, which is actually rare, but occasionally the need arises. For example, if someone from work invites me to go out to lunch. And I’m the weirdo that can’t eat ANYTHING.

    But I could eat from Chipotle’s, and most people enjoy eating there as well. I would always choose the salad bowl, with the carnitas (pulled pork) which is the meat of choice if you are on GAPS. I would have salsa and of course, guacamole. They have the best guacamole, it is delicious.

    On Saturday night my youngest son came over for dinner. He’s on a diet right now: Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman and one of his mainstay foods is hummus. And he discovered that my Vitamix makes  super smooth hummus, so he’s been out two weekends in a row. Yay Vitamix for bringing my boy home to visit!

    The first weekend he brought barbecued pulled pork. We decided to have the same meal on Saturday night, which is basically salad with pulled pork, Chipotle style. And I had a pork shoulder butt in the fridge. At first I was going to slow cook but then I decided I wanted to try my Instant Pot again.

    I bought it back in November, and I have only used it a couple of times. The first time I used it to pressure cook meat, it was a disaster. The meat was tough and I was so disappointed. I did some research and found a site that explained what went wrong. You can read it here for yourself: Common Mistakes in Pressure Cookery from Miss Vickie. I suspect what happened for me was that I brought the pressure down quickly, instead of allowing it to occur naturally.

    However, since that disappointing experience, I’ve been a little scared to try meat in the Instant Pot. So I went looking for recipes, and found this one to try: Skinny Taste’s Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork).

    Being true to my  nature, I cannot follow a recipe exactly… well, I can… but only if I really apply myself. Plus, I was missing a few ingredients that Gina’s recipe called for, so here is my version of pork carnitas.

    Copycat Chipotle Carnitas Salad Bowl

    • 4 pounds pork shoulder butt (7 pound shoulder on the bone)
    • 4 tablespoons coconut oil [affiliate link] or other GAPS approved fat (like bacon fat or chicken grease)
    • 6 cloves [affiliate link] garlic
    • 2 teaspoons sea salt [affiliate link]
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper [affiliate link]
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder [affiliate link]
    • 1 pinch of dried oregano leaves
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder (optional)
    • 2 cups chicken stock

    Remove the rind from the meat.

    Cut the meat from the bone in large chunks. Trim fat as desired (but don’t worry too much about this because you will be amazed at how the fat just dissolves away while cooking).

    Plug in the Instant Pot and press the Saute button. The pot will stay on for 30 minutes, which is about how long it will take to brown the chunks of meat.

    Place oil or grease into Instant Pot and let it get nice and hot. Place chunks of meat in a layer on the bottom of the pan, and allow to saute for several minutes. Ideally when you turn the chunks of meat over they will have some nice brown spots.

    Sauteing Pork in the Instant Pot

    While the meat is sauteing, peel the garlic and cut into small chunks.

    As the meat browns, remove it and place into a large bowl.

    Browned Carnitas

    Eventually you will find that there will be browned bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot. After removing a layer of meat, pour in a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock and scrape the bottom with a straight edged metal spatula. This will prevent the bits from burning. You can remove them if you wish, and place in the bowl withe meat, or just continue to saute. Go ahead and place more raw meat into the Instant Pot to saute and brown.

    It should take about 30 minutes to brown the meat, but if it takes longer, just press the Saute button again. You can also brown the meat using a regular skillet on your stove top.

    Add the garlic, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano leaves and smoked paprika to the meat.

    When all the meat is browned, add the chicken stock to the Instant Pot and make sure all the browned bits are freed from the bottom. Allow the stock to begin simmering.

    Put the meat into the Instant Pot. Mix the meat around in the chicken stock. In the next image you can see the meat is piled up, go ahead and press it down so that it is uniformly even.

    Carnitas in Instant Pot

    Engage the lid onto the pot, and press the Meat button.

    Extend the cooking time to 42 minutes.

    When 42 minutes is up, now you just wait. The Instant Pot will automatically set itself to Keep Warm and the pressure will come down naturally after about 25 minutes.

    Remove the meat from the broth and separate with two forks.

    Shredded Pork Meat

    Place meat in a bowl, pour in some of the broth from the Instant Pot.

    If desired, you may remove some of the grease from the broth before pouring over the meat.

    Save the broth! You’ll be able to use it again or to add to soup or stew.

    Serve over lettuce, and top with salsa and Lime Guacamole. Super delicious!

    Carnitas (Pulled Pork) Salad

    Save Print
    Copycat Chipotle Carnitas Salad Bowl (Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot)
    Author: 
    Prep time: 
    Cook time: 
    Total time: 
     
    Ingredients
    • 4 pounds pork shoulder butt (7 pound shoulder on the bone)
    • 4 tablespoons coconut oil or other GAPS approved fat (like bacon fat or chicken grease)
    • 6 cloves garlic
    • 2 teaspoons sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 pinch of dried oregano leaves
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder (optional)
    • 2 cups chicken stock
    Instructions
    1. Remove the rind from the meat.
    2. Cut the meat from the bone in large chunks. Trim fat as desired (but don’t worry too much about this because you will be amazed at how the fat just dissolves away while cooking).
    3. Plug in the Instant Pot and press the Saute button. The pot will stay on for 30 minutes, which is about how long it will take to brown the chunks of meat.
    4. Place oil or grease into Instant Pot and let it get nice and hot. Place chunks of meat in a layer on the bottom of the pan, and allow to saute for several minutes. Ideally when you turn the chunks of meat over they will have some nice brown spots.
    5. While the meat is sauteing, peel the garlic and cut into small chunks.
    6. As the meat browns, remove it and place into a large bowl.
    7. Eventually you will find that there will be browned bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot. After removing a layer of meat, pour in a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock and scrape the bottom with a straight edged metal spatula. This will prevent the bits from burning. You can remove them if you wish, and place in the bowl withe meat, or just continue to saute. Go ahead and place more raw meat into the Instant Pot to saute and brown.
    8. It should take about 30 minutes to brown the meat, but if it takes longer, just press the Saute button again.
    9. Add the garlic, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano leaves and smoked paprika to the meat.
    10. When all the meat is browned, add the chicken stock to the Instant Pot and make sure all the browned bits are freed from the bottom. Allow the stock to begin simmering.
    11. Put the meat into the Instant Pot. Mix the meat around in the chicken stock.
    12. Engage the lid onto the pot, and press the Meat button., and press the Meat button.
    13. Extend the cooking time to 42 minutes.
    14. When 42 minutes is up, do nothing at all. The Instant Pot will automatically set itself to Keep Warm and the pressure will come down naturally after about 25 minutes.
    15. Remove the meat from the broth and separate with two forks.
    16. Place meat in a bowl, pour in some of the broth from the Instant Pot.
    17. If desired, you may remove some of the grease from the broth before pouring over the meat.
    18. Save the broth! You’ll be able to use it again or to add to soup or stew.
    19. Top with Salsa and Lime Guacamole (recipes at blog)
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

    Save If you love recipes like this, I have two cookbooks you really need to check out ASAP! Beyond Grain and Dairy for gluten-free recipes and Winter Soups
    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • Strawberry Coconut Shake

    Strawberry Coconut Shake

    Strawberry Coconut ShakeThis is a very simple recipe with just three ingredients. You may need just a dab of honey [affiliate link] if your strawberries aren't nice and sweet. Mathew and I each had one of these for breakfast and it was so yum!

    • 1 dozen strawberries, cored, sliced and frozen
    • 1 cup coconut milk
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla [affiliate link] extract
    • Honey to taste (or stevia if you use it)

    Place all items into a blender and whir until completely smooth.

    Save Print
    Strawberry Coconut Shake
    Author: 
    Recipe type: Smoothie, shake
    Prep time: 
    Total time: 
    Serves: 1 svg
     
    Ingredients
    • 1 dozen strawberries, cored, sliced and frozen
    • 1 cup coconut milk [affiliate link]
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • Honey or stevia to taste
    Instructions
    1. Place all items into a blender and whir until completely smooth
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    Save

    If you love desserts like this, I have two cookbooks you really need to check out ASAP! Everyone Loves Pudding and Naturally Sweetened Treats.

    Save

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • Caramel Slice Dessert

    Caramel Slice Dessert

    caramel-slice2Today I have a guest post from Sheeva who blogs at Health Wanderer. Sheeva has been on GAPS for almost one year and has had many symptoms disappear as her gut health improved. 

    Hello everyone! I would like to thank Starlene for welcoming a guest post from me. When I first started searching the internet for GAPS-friendly recipes, finding Starlene’s blog was like being a kid and walking into a candy store. I thought being on a restrictive diet meant that all forms of delicious desserts and foods were gone to me, but boy was I wrong! A special favorite of mine are her pumpkin poppers so if you’ve missed them, be sure to check them out.

    A little about myself – I am currently on the full GAPS diet and have been for almost a year now. I was diagnosed with leaky gut syndrome by a functional medicine doctor after years and years of confusing diagnoses and medications from other various doctors. I had many symptoms associated with autoimmune disorders, but no indications of actually having an autoimmune disorder. Needless to say, I was really frustrated until I was diagnosed with leaky gut and realized that I may finally have an answer to all of my various ailments. Healing my gut has been quite the journey and I am pleased to say that almost all of my symptoms (eczema, hair loss, bloating, etc) are GONE! The power of food as a healing agent is incredible and because of this I have started my own health and wellness blog. I share many GAPS-friendly recipes there as well as other health and wellness related articles.

    Now, to the most important stuff – the Caramel Slice recipe! I currently live in Sydney, Australia where caramel slices are quite popular. I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun, so I came up with a GAPS-friendly alternative. I also wanted to make the recipe nut-free so I used a baked coconut flour [affiliate link] base to replicate the cookie portion of the slice. The crust is a recipe I modified from Eat Heal Thrive. This recipe is a lot of fun to make (and a lot of fun to eat) and will surely impress GAPS and non-GAPS dieters alike. I served this to two English friends who not only remarked at how amazingly similar it was to the caramel slices they have in the UK, but they said that they actually felt good after eating it, instead of the usual refined flour and sugar crash. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do!

    (Note from Starlene: The links below go to Tropical Traditions. If you purchase using my link, I will earn a discount coupon and you will receive a free copy of Virgin Coconut Oil: How It Has Changed Lives and How it Can Change Yours! Thank you for your support!)

    Ingredients:

    For the crust:

    For the caramel:

    For the chocolate:

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 (or smaller)  baking pan with parchment paper.
    2. In a bowl stir together the coconut flour and sea salt then add the remaining crust ingredients and stir well until combined into a gritty, but well-formed dough. Press into the lined pan and bake until the edges turn golden, about 15-20 minutes.
    3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 20 minutes.
    4. Once 20 minutes has lapsed make the caramel layer in your food processor by adding all of the ingredients* to the processor bowl and processing until it all looks blended (usually it will clump into a huge ball in one side of the processor when it’s ready)**.
    5. Dust a cutting board with coconut flour, starting with a few tablespoons. Place the big ball of caramel on the coconut floured cutting board and cover all of it with coconut flour. Use the palms of your hands to flatten the caramel so that it is roughly the size of the pan. Add more coconut flour if you need, this step helps minimize the caramel sticking to your hands. Then carefully peel small portions of the flattened caramel (there’s no way to take the whole thing in one go) and place on top of the cooled crust and use your fingers (wearing gloves helps immensely) to gently press down.
    6. Repeat with remaining caramel mixture until it is all pressed on top of the crust and is somewhat uniform in thickness (doesn’t have to be perfect).
    7. For the chocolate, melt the coconut oil [affiliate link] over very low heat if it isn’t already melted. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well incorporated.
    8. Pour chocolate mixture on top of the caramel layer and place in fridge to cool for 2-3 hours. Remove from pan using the parchment paper, slice (I did mine in 9 squares), and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge for a  few days (though they didn’t last very long in my kitchen!).

    Notes: * The Medjool dates I buy are soft enough that my processor can blend them easily. If your dates are very dry or your processor is not high powered, soak the dates in very hot water for about 5 minutes, drain well, and then add to the processor with the other ingredients.

    **If you do not have a food processor, but have patience, then this can be done with your hands. Soak the dates in very hot water for 5 minutes, drain well, and then place in bowl and start mashing and kneading with your hands until the dates break down into a paste (will take 2-3 minutes). Add in remaining caramel ingredients and mix well with hands again.

    Save Print
    Caramel Slice Dessert
    Author: 
     
    Ingredients
    • For the crust:
    • ¼ cup, packed, coconut flour
    • pinch sea salt
    • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
    • 1 tablespoon honey [affiliate link]
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
    • For the caramel:
    • 1 heaping cup pitted Medjool dates
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • coconut flour for dusting the cutting board
    • For the chocolate:
    • ½ cup coconut oil
    • ½ cup raw cacao (sub any cacao or cocoa here)
    • 1-2 tablespoons honey (to taste)
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8x8 (or smaller) baking pan with parchment paper.
    2. In a bowl stir together the coconut flour and sea salt then add the remaining crust ingredients and stir well until combined into a gritty, but well-formed dough. Press into the lined pan and bake until the edges turn golden, about 15-20 minutes.
    3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 20 minutes.
    4. Once 20 minutes has lapsed make the caramel layer in your food processor by adding all of the ingredients* to the processor bowl and processing until it all looks blended (usually it will clump into a huge ball in one side of the processor when it’s ready)**.
    5. Dust a cutting board with coconut flour, starting with a few tablespoons. Place the big ball of caramel on the coconut floured cutting board and cover all of it with coconut flour. Use the palms of your hands to flatten the caramel so that it is roughly the size of the pan. Add more coconut flour if you need, this step helps minimize the caramel sticking to your hands. Then carefully peel small portions of the flattened caramel (there’s no way to take the whole thing in one go) and place on top of the cooled crust and use your fingers (wearing gloves helps immensely) to gently press down.
    6. Repeat with remaining caramel mixture until it is all pressed on top of the crust and is somewhat uniform in thickness (doesn’t have to be perfect).
    7. For the chocolate, melt the coconut oil over very low heat if it isn’t already melted. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well incorporated.
    8. Pour chocolate mixture on top of the caramel layer and place in fridge to cool for 2-3 hours. Remove from pan using the parchment paper, slice (I did mine in 9 squares), and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days (though they didn’t last very long in my kitchen!).
    9. Notes: *The Medjool dates that I buy are soft enough that my processor can blend them no problem. If your dates are very dry or your processor is weaker, soak the dates in very hot water for about 5 minutes, drain well, and then add to the processor with the other ingredients. **If you do not have a food processor, but have patience, then this can be done with your hands. Soak the dates in very hot water for 5 minutes, drain well, and then place in bowl and start mashing and kneading with your hands until the dates break down into a paste (will take 2-3 minutes). Add in remaining caramel ingredients and mix well with hands again.
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

     

    Save

    If you love desserts like this, I have two cookbooks you really need to check out ASAP! Naturally Sweetened Treats for gluten-free dessert needs and Baker’s Dozen Volume 4, Chocolate Treats for amazing chocolate desserts and snacks.

    Save

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • Health Update February 2016

    Health Update February 2016

    starlene-b4-after-2012

    So… it's been awhile since I updated. I started to transition off GAPS in late 2014, but have remained gluten-free. It's been a time of learning for me. Over the five years I stuck with GAPS, I had hoped I would be one of those people who could take or leave or maybe not even like previous favorites.

    I had heard people talk about how they stayed off potatoes for two years and “Now I don't even like them. I prefer Faux-tatoes.” Well, that was not the case for me. Not by a mile. I started out with baby red potatoes. They are really expensive, so I progressed to regular white potatoes. They are delicious. I ate them fried, baked, mashed. Still delicious. I salivate thinking about them. I started eating potato chips. Just a handful. Then by the bagful.

    Rice. I could eat 4 cups of rice in one sitting. I love rice. We get along perfectly fine. Except that I binge when eating rice. I've tried cooking just a “serving” worth of rice. That's 1/2 cup, just FYI. And 1/2 cup is 8 level tablespoons or 4 heaping tablespoons. That's four bites. What is the point of eating four bites of rice?

    Corn. The worst is popcorn. My husband was on a popcorn jag. He would make popcorn every day. He never thinks twice about anything he eats. He doesn't care if his pants get bigger. He is one of those people who naturally just do not get very big. He's 5'10” and has weighed as much as 225, but that's about as big as he's ever gotten. He has a hard time understanding my compulsions with food. So he makes popcorn. He would leave the bowl sitting around the house. I would get home from work. There's the popcorn, shouting at me. I finish the bowl. Even though it's cold. And stale from sitting. I could eat a huge bowl of popcorn three times a day. I love the stuff. And then there are the corn tortillas, and the tortillas chips. And the corn on the cob.

    Obviously, eating huge amounts of these starch foods is going to cause weight gain. And indeed, I gained weight.

    When I visited my asthma-allergy specialist in January (who is still impressed that I do not need to use asthma medication except for on very rare occasions), with my shoes and clothes on, I weighed in at 203. I knew I was getting up there since my pants were getting uncomfortably tight. I'm wearing size 12 in Lee's. When I moved from the 10s, it was supposed to be temporary. I was going to do something. I did something all right. I kept on eating high starch, high carbohydrate foods. But when my 12s started to get tight, I panicked a little. I do not want to keep gaining weight and end up as big as I was when I started on GAPS. For one thing, then I would be “one of those people” who lost weight and gained it all back. I know, it happens to a lot of us, but I can't go there again. I just can't.

    So… finally last Thursday I was ready. Sometimes you just have to wait until it's time, you know what I mean? I woke up that morning and stepped on the scale (I'd been scared to do so)… I weigh 195 pounds. At least it wasn't over 200! 🙂 Yikes!

    And I know the number shouldn't count! But the fact remains, my pants are tight, and I don't want to buy a bigger pair!

    Something I'll do every so often is to get hooked up with My Fitness Pal and start counting my calories. It actually helps me to stay on track with my eating habits. For example, I find myself mindlessly eating on the weekend days. I'll grab a handful of chocolate chips, or nuts, or eat yogurt or popcorn, or any number of other things. But if I know I need to log the foods I'm eating, it helps me to stick to my guns.

    So… it's been a week, and I have not lost any weight. However, I have maintained at 195. And interestingly enough, my pants are fitting better.

    To get started, I have allowed myself to have some of the foods I was having, I'm just attempting to keep to the number of calories allotted.

    Oh, something funny I want to share. I had downloaded the app to my phone, which is a Samsung Galaxy II. It's old. And slow. I was putting in my settings on My Fitness Pal, my energy level, how many pounds I'd like to lose, etc. And it said I could have 2,300 calorie a day! I was like, wow! I know that's a lot. I can do that! But when I was trying to put the foods I'd eaten for breakfast, it was taking such a long time that I gave up using my phone and went to the computer.

    I logged in and good grief! I laughed because I realized somehow I'd set the app up to say I wanted to GAIN one pound every week! That was not right. Definitely no.

    Anyway… I did want to talk a little bit about where I'm at health-wise. It's not all about food and weight. Definitely not.

    I continue to support my adrenals and thyroid. I feel like I'm doing very well energy-wise. I get in from 1 to 4 miles walking every day at my job. I started line dancing several months ago. It is one of the great joys in my life and I look forward to my weekly class.

    My mood is also fairly even. Prior to GAPS I was exhausted a lot, I couldn't handle much stress and felt depressed often. Now I handle a great deal of stress, and can do so even when I only get five hours sleep at night. And I'm happy often. I wish I had more time to do the things I love to do, but I guess most of us have that wish.

    I still occasionally have insomnia. I have learned for myself it is a blood sugar issue, and if I go too low on my carbohydrates I am sure to have insomnia. Which I really dislike waking in the middle of the night and then just lying there trying to go back to sleep. I'm hoping by tracking my food I will be able to figure out if there is a connection to what I'm eating.

    I'm going to be doing some experimenting with the foods I'm eating. I am pretty sure that I am sensitive to dairy products, and I suspect they cause me to have inflammation, which would cause weight gain. I stopped buying butter and am trying to learn how to enjoy vegetables without butter. I like raw vegetables plain just fine, but I don't like naked cooked vegetables as much as I like them slathered with butter. But I think I eat too much when I eat butter. I think it is possibly a food that causes me to binge eat.

    I am planning to eliminate dairy – I don't eat it all that much, but I have had yogurt on hand, sour cream, etc. I suspect it is a food that I don't tolerate well, simply because of the “love” I feel toward it.

    I have also learned, I think, to distinguish between foods that are possibly allergens because I find they are foods I want to binge on. I have learned there is a difference between “loving” a food and being “psychotically in love” with it. Do you know what I mean?

    I'm going to be sticking with mostly the GAPS legal food list, but also some other things like sweet potatoes. They are a safe source of starches for me. Speaking of safe starches… the Paleo Diet matches up pretty closely with GAPS and I will be using some of the foods on the Paleo list, too.

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