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Four Years on GAPS

I attended our annual fundraiser at my job as Wonder Woman in this homemade costume.

In December 2009, I began the Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet and it changed my life. Literally.

Thankfully.

Each December I write a blog post to share how I’m doing, and to celebrate my journey to better health. You can read my previous update posts by clicking on the year: 2010, 2011 and 2012.

2013 was a pretty big year for me and my family. I had my amalgam fillings removed in March. In April I started on thyroid medication and began chelation to remove mercury. Things went smoothly for a couple of months and then in August my mother came to live with us.

My mom moving in has been a major life changing event. It has been a blessing to have my mother so closely involved with our family, but at the same time it has been a challenge. I am very thankful that my mother and I have good communication as it has been very helpful in getting through the little glitches we’ve experienced. Thank goodness I have been on GAPS and gaining better health in these past few years. I honestly don’t think we could have opened our home to help my mother otherwise.

I’m doing pretty good, considering that I don’t think I’m at 100% yet. There are a number of “cherries” that I have plans to explore, one of those being whether I have the gene for hemochromatosis. My blood work indicates that I may well have this common but rarely diagnosed condition. I also want to get more serious about my supplementation for the MTHFR genetic mutation. I also wonder if I might need to supplement female hormones, but that is all for future exploration.

I think for the amount of responsibility I have on my shoulders, I’m probably doing pretty great. You see, I personally think I should be able to do all I’m doing and never feel tired or exhausted. But when I describe a typical day to friends, they tell me they get tired just listening to me.

One big thing that tells me I’ve had a pretty good leap in energy levels is that I’ve taken back the grocery shopping – my husband had to do it for a few years while I was so exhausted. As I’ve mentioned before here on the blog, we simply cannot afford grass fed and organic everything. The prices are just too high especially when we try to only buy sale items from the grocery store. Almost every day after work I stop at one or two stores to pick up various grocery items. And then once I get home I have to bring everything inside, walking up four steps to get into the house. Some nights it takes 20 minutes of continuous walking back and forth from my vehicle inside to get everything inside. And then there’s putting it all away. Then it’s time to start dinner. And I’m able to do it without collapsing into a chair. I’m amazed at how much I’m able to do lately. And very thankful.

I’m sleeping much better. It’s so interesting to me how I think I’m doing so wonderfully with something, only to move to an even better place and then realize that earlier wonderfulness has gotten even more wonderful. For example, sleeping. I thought my sleep was so much better, but now it’s gotten really great. I hardly ever have trouble waking and then not getting back to sleep. I’m still waking during the middle of the night to potty but I am able to get back to sleep right away.

Every so often I am only able to get 6 hours sleep at night, and I can cope very well. In past years, this has not been the case at all. It’s very embarrassing for me to admit how often I used to cry at work – I would say at least 3-4 times a month – if not more. My boss will be the first to tell you how much better I cope with not getting enough sleep. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even have to tell her I’ve had a bad night’s sleep, because most days it doesn’t affect me. When I say “not coping” I mean that I am very sensitive to everything and feel aggravated easily, or say things I wish I hadn’t. Nowadays however, I feel like I’m much more stable emotionally. I still get upset, but much less so. The two biggest problems I wanted to have resolved at the beginning of this journey were anxiety and depression and I can confidently say I am no longer experiencing these two, at least not anywhere near the level I was when I began GAPS. I have to say that adding thyroid medication to the mix was a huge factor in my personal situation.

I plan to continue eating GAPS for the time being but not forever. Even when I do transition from GAPS, I don’t see myself moving too far from the GAPS legal foods. I am planning to do GAPS Introduction sometime in the earlier part of 2014 with my mom and my son Matthew. Unfortunately Matthew is still given “illegals” so I feel like sticking to GAPS most of the time is my best bet to help him stay healthy.

I am also planning a giveaway like I always do, to celebrate four years on this health journey but the last two weeks have been more busy than usual so I have been trying to take it easy this weekend. I am going to wait until next week to set up the giveaway but on Monday I’ll be sharing a post where you will have an opportunity to win a $100 shopping spree (ends December 24th, 2013). Stay tuned! Here is the link to the giveaway which is live now and runs through to Thursday January 2nd, 2014 11:59pm Arizona time.

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.

December 14, 2013
Thanksgiving Dinner 2013 (GAPS-Style)
It’s not already time for Thanksgiving. It’s not. I refuse to believe it. But my calendar seems to say it is, and my boss is giving me Thursday off with pay, so I guess it’s Thanksgiving. How has another year gone by so fast? I wish I could find a way to make time slow down, at least in my mind. I would share it with you if I could. If you find out how, will you let me know? Thank you!

This year will be my third Thanksgiving on GAPS since I began in December of 2009. If you haven’t already, I’d like to share one of my favorite Thanksgiving planners. It’s from my affiliate partner Sarah Schatz’s Thanksgiving Limited Diet Menu Planner. It is very affordable at $5.95 – you’ll find many favorites in this e-book and you’ll use it every year. I have, and I bought it in 2010. I also use it when I’m planning other holiday meals.

Something interesting has happened to me during my time on GAPS. These big holiday dinner meals don’t seem quite so important, or appealing. I wonder if it was all the addictive foods I used to eat that was causing such a huge draw.

But I still want a special meal for sentimental reasons, plus it will be my first Thanksgiving while my mom is staying with us. And so I will make a special meal.

Here’s what I’m planning:
- Turkey
- Faux-Tatoes
- Mushroom-Onion Gravy
- Dressing
- Cranberry Pineapple Sauce with Walnuts
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Pumpkin Custard
- Biscuits
I’d love to make a whole lot more, but that’s my plan for the moment. That’s a lot of cooking as it is! 🙂 My meals lately have been to make some kind of meat, and a vegetable. Simple, quick, easy. I’d love to make all these other dishes, but I think I’ll just go with simple this year. But you might want to make them – go ahead and click on the photo to get to the recipes:

Glazed Green Beans with Onions

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers

Faux Sweet Potato Pie

Silky Chocolate Pie

Here are my previous Thanksgiving meals on GAPS.

GAPS Thanksgiving 2012

GAPS Thanksgiving 2011

GAPS Thanksgiving 2010

What are your plans for Thanksgiving Day? I’d love to hear from you in the comments! What are your favorite dishes?

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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.
November 25, 2013
Coconut Bread Dressing or Stuffing for Thankgiving Grain-Free GAPS Legal
Shared with permission from my affiliate partner Sarah Schatz from Heart of Cooking. Sarah’s Heart of Cooking Allergy Free Thanksgiving menu planner is one of my favorites. It is loaded with GAPS-friendly meals and many other traditional favorites. By the way, the photo above is during the process of making it – I don’t have a good closeup of the dressing so I’ll have to see about remedying that!

Heart of Cooking Allergen Free Thanksgiving Menu Planner (affiliate link)

I started on GAPS in December, so my last carb-fest Thanksgiving was in 2009. I was very grateful that I’d had almost an entire year to get used to eating grain-free so by the time Thanksgiving 2010 rolled around I was able to come up with some pretty good substitutes. This stuffing was one of them, and I am happy to be able to share it with you today.

COCONUT BREAD STUFFING

Servings: 12

Prep + Cook = 55 minutes

Adapted from Joy of Cooking and http://withwithout.wordpress.com
- 3-4 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth if you use Starlene’s tip!)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1-2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 5-6 cups (or 1 loaf) cubed coconut bread (recipe follows)
- 1-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon freshly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 Tablespoon freshly chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley [affiliate link]
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper [affiliate link]
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg [affiliate link]
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves [affiliate link]
- 1 egg, well beaten (optional)
Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. When hot, toast the cubed bread on a dry cookie sheet until brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Bring down the heat of the oven to 350°F.

2. At medium heat in a skillet, saute the onion with one tablespoon butter or olive oil until it is soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add the celery and cook for a few more minutes until it is cooked through. Add the herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

3. Heat the broth and remaining butter until melted. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, vegetable-herb mixture, and chopped apples. Pour the chicken stock over the mixture and stir until well combined. Adjust the seasonings until it is to your liking. You can add a well-beaten egg to the mixture which will make the stuffing more firm.

4. Stuff the turkey or bake in a covered dish alongside the turkey, about 25-40 minutes, or until top forms a crust. (If you like it to get a little crispy, remove the cover a little before it’s done baking).

COCONUT FLOUR [affiliate link] BREAD

Servings: 12

Prep + Cook = 60 minutes

This bread recipe makes great sandwich bread. It was adapted from Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife.
- 6 eggs [affiliate link], at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut oil [affiliate link] or butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey [affiliate link], or other preferred sweetener
- 2/3- 3/4 cups coconut flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, corn and gluten free; delete for GAPS
Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. It is best to sift the coconut flour first. Then, blend all ingredients in a food processor, mixer or use a whisk until there are no lumps. Start with less flour at first. You are looking for a thick but moist batter. Add an additional egg and/or more oil if needed.

3. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until firm and golden brown on top.

Substitutions:

Coconut: Coconut flour cannot be substituted in other recipes part for part. Use another recipe if you can’t eat coconut.

Eggs: this recipe needs eggs to work. Use another recipe if you can’t eat eggs

Baking powder: Sarah says she has made this recipe many times without baking powder or baking soda [affiliate link] and it turned out great, she says “You can use baking soda instead of baking powder. But you would use less (1/2 tsp) and add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.”

Nutritional Info: Per Serving: 184 Calories; 13g Fat (65.6% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 129mg Cholesterol; 86mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
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Coconut Bread Dressing or Stuffing

Author: GAPS Diet Journey

Recipe type: Coconut Bread Stuffing

Cuisine: Thanksgiving

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 80 mins

Total time: 1 hour 50 mins

Serves: 12

This recipe is shared with permission from Sarah Schatz from Heart of Cooking. Stuffing adapted from Joy of Cooking and http://withwithout.wordpress.com. Bread adapted from Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife.
Ingredients

3-4 Tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth if you use Starlene’s tip!)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 ribs celery, chopped

1-2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

5-6 cups (or 1 loaf) cubed coconut bread (recipe follows)

1-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon freshly chopped

1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 Tablespoon freshly chopped

¼ cup freshly chopped parsley

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

1 egg, well beaten (optional)

Loaf of Bread

6 eggs, at room temperature

½ cup coconut oil or butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey, or other preferred sweetener

⅔- 3/4 cups coconut flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder, corn and gluten free; delete for GAPS Stuffing
Instructions

Stuffing Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. When hot, toast the cubed bread on a dry cookie sheet until brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Bring down the heat of the oven to 350°F.

At medium heat in a skillet, saute the onion with one tablespoon butter or olive oil until it is soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add the celery and cook for a few more minutes until it is cooked through. Add the herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

Heat the broth and remaining butter until melted. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, vegetable-herb mixture, and chopped apples. Pour the chicken stock over the mixture and stir until well combined. Adjust the seasonings until it is to your liking. You can add a well-beaten egg to the mixture which will make the stuffing more firm.

Stuff the turkey or bake in a covered dish alongside the turkey, about 25-40 minutes, or until top forms a crust. (If you like it to get a little crispy, remove the cover a little before it’s done baking).

Bread Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

It is best to sift the coconut flour first. Then, blend all ingredients in a food processor, mixer or use a whisk until there are no lumps. Start with less flour at first. You are looking for a thick but moist batter. Add an additional egg and/or more oil if needed.

Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until firm and golden brown on top.
Notes

Coconut: Coconut flour cannot be substituted in other recipes part for part. Use another recipe if you can’t eat coconut.
Eggs: this recipe needs eggs to work. Use another recipe if you can’t eat eggs
Baking powder: Sarah says she has made this recipe many times without baking powder or baking soda and it turned out great, she says “You can use baking soda instead of baking powder. But you would use less (1/2 tsp) and add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.”

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1/12th Calories: 184 Fat: 13g Carbohydrates: 11g Sodium: 86mg Fiber: 5g Protein: 5g Cholesterol: 129mg

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

3.2.1255
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.
November 24, 2013
Easy Crock Pot Caramelized Onions
I love recipes that are easy, and help me use up excess produce. I was at the store a couple of weeks ago, and they had 6 bags of red onions [affiliate link] on sale for a clearance price of $0.99 per bag. Each bag weighed 6 pounds. I walked out of the store with 36 pounds of red onions for under 6 bucks! We love red onions, but you gotta admit that’s a lot of onions! 😉 I needed to do something with them and decided to put them in the crock pot.

The recipe is very simple
- 12-16 onions, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
Place in crock pot on low. Cook for 18 to 24 hours.

That’s it!

I would recommend starting your crock pot in the evening so that you can watch the cooking process during the day.

Allow onions to cool. Divide into 1 or 2 cup portions and freeze for use in soups, sauces or other dishes.
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Easy Crock Pot Caramelized Onions

Author: Starlene Stewart @ GAPS Diet Journey

Recipe type: Crockpot Carmelized Onions

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 18 hours

Total time: 18 hours 30 mins
Ingredients

12-16 onions, peeled and sliced

½ cup butter

1 cup beef or chicken broth
Instructions

Place in crock pot on low. Cook for 18 to 24 hours.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

3.5.3208
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

Do you like caramelized onions?

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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.
November 18, 2013
Can I Have Chocolate on the GAPS Diet?

Check out my e-book Chocolate Treats. Inside you’ll find 23 recipes that are all GAPS legal, gluten-free, grain-free and honey [affiliate link] sweetened. Click here to get yours: Chocolate Treats

Chocolate on GAPS, is it true?

I’m here to make your day! The quick answer is yes, you can have chocolate if… your digestive symptoms are gone. Whoohoo!

Let’s face it. Chocolate is something that most people love. There are a few here and there that don’t like it but they are far and few between. I do know one person who does not like chocolate and won’t eat it. A woman. Yes, they exist. 🙂

Naturally, chocolate lovers are less than thrilled to learn that chocolate is not allowed on GAPS when they are first looking into the diet. And every single time I post a recipe that includes cocoa powder [affiliate link] on my Facebook page, someone asks me about it.

But doesn’t Dr. Natasha say no chocolate?

Yes, it is true that Dr. Natasha’s book Gut and Psychology Syndrome (both versions) does list chocolate as food to avoid. However, there has been an update published on Dr. Natasha’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

Rejoice! Cocoa powder is permissible once digestive problems have subsided.

From Dr. Natasha’s FAQ page:

“When can cocoa be introduced?”

“Cocoa is SCD illegal. However, I find that many people can start having it occasionally on the Full GAPS Diet, once the digestive symptoms are gone. Find pure organic cocoa powder. Mixing the powder with some honey and sour cream makes a delicious dessert, and you can add it to your homemade ice cream or cakes. After trying it for the first time, observe your patient for any reactions. Cocoa is very rich in magnesium and some essential amino acids and, unless your digestive system is not ready for it, there is no need to avoid it.”

Baden Lashkov, who wrote The GAPS Guide has a blog post on her site called Pure Cocoa – Tried and True? where she asks people, who are on GAPS and SCD to weigh in on if they can tolerate cocoa powder. Some can; some can’t. It’s worth a try if you don’t have digestive issues going on!

I do have one caveat. Cocoa powder does contain some caffeine, so if you suspect that your adrenals are fatigued, you may want to limit or avoid consumption. The amount is rather small, and for comparison, there are 8.4 milligrams of caffeine per tablespoon as opposed to an 8-ounce cup of coffee [affiliate link] which contains 95 milligrams.

Has your gut healed enough to tolerate chocolate? I have several GAPS legal recipes here at the blog that contains chocolate.

Click here for 20+ GAPS legal chocolate recipes!

Check out my e-book Chocolate Treats. Inside you’ll find 23 recipes that are all GAPS legal, gluten-free, grain-free and honey sweetened. Click here to get yours: Chocolate 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.

October 18, 2013
My New Favorite Chocolate Recipe
I keep saying I don’t like chocolate that much but I sure do seem to make a lot of recipes that include chocolate. I guess you could say I love chocolate and vanilla [affiliate link] equally nowadays, although I used to always say I prefer vanilla. My husband is the chocolate lover in this family, so often I’ll make a chocolate dessert because I know he will especially enjoy it.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that my favorite e-book in my affiliate partner’s Harvest Your Health bundle was Ben Hirshberg’s The Paleo Chocolate Cookbook. [The Harvest Your Health Bundle sale is over. Ben’s book is now available on Amazon Kindle here: (affiliate link) Chocolate At Home: How to Make Your Own Homemade Chocolate Creations out of Nature’s Most Complex and Antioxidant-Rich Food (Paleo-Friendly)

This morning I tried the base recipe – Dark Chocolate – and WOWEE! We have a winner! This chocolate has a slightly chewy, slightly fudge-like texture and is very rich tasting. The chocolate taste is just amazing. I think it might be possible to cut the cocoa powder [affiliate link] in half and still have a lot of chocolate flavor. It is holding up well in my house which is at 79°F. I can see so many recipes and variations springing forth from the base recipe!

Ben blogs at bensarchives.com and has graciously given me permission to share the recipe with you. It is simple and I’ll share in the proportions that I used to make a smaller batch.

As you can see, the ingredients are GAPS legal. I made only ONE-FOURTH of the recipe since I can’t trust myself to eat just a couple pieces… as it was, the quarter batch made 12 lovely pieces of chocolate. Super delicious. My chocolate loving husband actually said I could get by with less honey [affiliate link] in the next batch. Awesome.
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 “pinch” vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 “smidge” sea salt [affiliate link]
- 10 pecan halves
1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat.
2. Once butter is completely melted, mix in cocoa powder, vanilla extract, sea salt and honey. Stir constantly until a thick, homogenous texture is achieved.
3. Stir the chocolate mixture rapidly for thirty seconds, be careful not to overcook or the chocolate will burn. Remove from heat.
4. While mixture is still warm spread smoothly over a sheet of wax paper. Let stand until firm. For harder chocolate, keep in refrigerator or freezer. Enjoy!
After the chocolate was done, I spread it out onto a piece of parchment paper into a small square, about the size of a piece of sandwich bread. Then I laid down four pecan halves and rolled the chocolate over once. I then placed another layer of pecan halves and continued to roll it up. I rolled the parchment paper around it and placed it in the freezer for about ten minutes.

Then I removed it from the parchment paper and sliced it into 12 pieces.

I ended up having to use my tiny measuring spoons (love these! This is my Amazon affiliate link: Dash, Drop, Smidgen, Pinch, Tad Measuring Spoon Set) but it turned out just wonderful.

Ben includes 36 “flavors” in all… here are just a few: Almond, Cashew, Walnut, Apricot, Blueberry Ribbon, Mango, Raisin, Sunflower Seed Butter, Coconut Flake, Cool Peppermint, Trail Mix, and then there are the UNIQUE flavors which include: Bacon, Goat Cheese, Spicy Cayenne Cinnamon [affiliate link] and Wasabi!

With just one batch I’m dreaming about more… must find a caramel that would work… dried blueberries… walnuts [affiliate link] and raisins… shredded coconut and macadamia nuts [affiliate link]… maybe one with GAPS legal marshmallows… peanuts… mmmmm… I’m telling you the choices are endless with this one recipe!

Here you can see how I smoothed out the chocolate and layered the pecans [affiliate link], and then rolled it up.

Enjoy!

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.

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.
October 11, 2013