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  • Squash Pancakes GAPS Introduction Style

    Squash Pancakes GAPS Introduction Style

    Squash and Peanut Butter Pancakes

    UPDATE: I have put together a video tutorial on making these pancakes. Please go here to view Squash Pancakes Video Tutorial.

    This recipe was inspired by Grain Free Foodies’ Light and Fluffy Intro Diet Pancakes. I set out to make squash and peanut butter [affiliate link] pancakes, but then I realized I didn’t have enough peanut butter. Well, I actually had some peanut butter on the shelf, but it had separated so I didn’t want to spend the time to mix it, so I improvised with my ingredients.

    • 1 – 1/2 cups baked winter squash
    • 1/2 cup peanut butter
    • 1/2 cup coconut milk [affiliate link]
    • 5 eggs [affiliate link], separated
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon [affiliate link]

    Mix the squash, peanut butter and coconut milk together. Separate the eggs. Put the egg yolks in the first bowl of ingredients and the whites into a bowl of their own.

    Mix the squash, peanut butter, coconut milk and eggs with a stick blender or whisk (I used a stick blender because my peanut butter was chunky). Use a mixer to beat the egg whites until they are stiff and hold a peak.

    Begin heating a heavy skillet on medium heat. Place butter, lard or your favorite GAPS friendly fat into the skillet and let it get bubbly.

    Fold the egg whites into the batter carefully.

    When the skillet is hot, drop about two tablespoons of batter into the skillet.

    When making pancakes, I start with the stove at medium heat (my stove goes from 1 to 10, with 5 being right in the middle and I call that medium heat) and drop batter by the tablespoon. The first batch will help me know if I need to lower the heat, or lessen the amount of batter. By the third or fourth batch I had the heat down to 3 and a half.

    These pancakes were about 3 inches in diameter. The recipe made 30 small pancakes. I did not have mine  with honey [affiliate link], they were pretty tasty plain. I froze sixteen of them for later.


    Save Print
    Recipe: Squash Pancakes
    Author: 
    Recipe type: Breakfast
    Prep time: 
    Cook time: 
    Total time: 
    Serves: 30 small pancakes
     
    Ingredients
    • 1 – ½ cups baked winter squash
    • ½ cup peanut butter
    • ½ cup coconut milk
    • 5 eggs, separated
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    Instructions
    1. Mix the squash, peanut butter and coconut milk together.
    2. Separate the eggs.
    3. Put the egg yolks in the first bowl of ingredients and the whites into a bowl of their own.
    4. Mix the squash, peanut butter, coconut milk and eggs with a stick blender or whisk (I used a stick blender because my peanut butter was chunky).
    5. Use a mixer to beat the egg whites until they are stiff and hold a peak.
    6. Begin heating a heavy skillet on medium heat.
    7. Place butter, lard or your favorite GAPS friendly fat into the skillet and let it get bubbly.
    8. Fold the egg whites into the batter carefully.
    9. When the skillet is hot, drop about two tablespoons of batter into the skillet.
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

     
    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.

  • D455 Feeling Much Better and Weight Update

    Every day I have gradually felt better and better. I think a huge part of my problem was grieving for the loss of easy (okay, relatively easy) access to raw milk. It is not effortless owning goats. It takes time each day and you have to be dedicated. And you can’t go on vacation unless you have someone who knows how to milk who will commit to milking for you while you are gone.

    My husband and I are not the type to go on vacation. We both grew up poor and our families did not go on vacation. My husband’s family did go camping with his aunt and nephews, because his aunt wasn’t poor and she owned the travel trailer and camping gear and was happy to share the equipment. I only remember going on “vacation” one time in my childhood years. We drove to California from Arizona with five children and two adults in a Chevrolet Vega. That is a small car to cram six people into! I think I may have been 10, which meant my siblings were 8, 7, 6 and a newborn. My mom and stepfather’s first child together. We went to stay with my stepfather’s parents for a few days. We met my stepfather’s disabled sister, it was the first time I remember interacting with a severely disabled individual.

    Anyway… we don’t really go on vacation, but when you own goats and you CANNOT go on vacation, it starts to become tedious. Add to the mix that my husband and son despise milking, and that means I can’t even get away for one night, like to hang out with a girlfriend. It’s a huge ordeal because the goats are so accustomed to me milking them that they are unhappy that someone else is milking them and they may kick and act up for the substitute milk maiden, er, milk person.

    For years I have talked myself into keeping the goats because of their white liquid gold. But if you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I am not doing dairy (except butter, I seem to tolerate it perfectly well), my husband cannot tolerate dairy products, and I also have my oldest son off dairy as he (like myself) has been diagnosed with asthma. That leaves my youngest son, who occasionally wants a cup or two of milk to go with his SAD cereal.

    We’ve been providing milk for one of my younger siblings’ children. But then for some unknown reason she wasn’t needing milk. She never was very good at letting us know when she needed more, she has a disability and doesn’t drive, so we usually delivered the milk to her (on occasion my mom would drive in to my job and pick it up). My mom would pay us $5 a gallon for the milk as my sister did not have the money (she has food stamps, but I don’t accept food stamps, heh). Then I think things got real tight for my mom and she couldn’t afford to pay for the milk. I tried to tell them I would rather SOMEONE get the milk, even if we had to deliver it free of charge.

    So then it was like, no one here can drink the milk, my sister doesn’t want it… and then we got the worst squeeze load of hay we’ve gotten in eight years. It was so bad we were having to feed the goats three times as much just so they could pick through the stems. There is an 18 inch layer of stems in the pens because they are so picky and don’t like the thick stems.

    We still have not made that call. My husband is also feeling really stressed out about getting rid of the goats. He’s not sure it’s the right decision. But we are also having some money problems and it’s come to the point where we go into deeper credit card debt to feed them, or find them a new home. Thankfully weknow of a man who will come and take them away. But we haven’t worked up our nerve yet to make that phone call.

    My husband and I both lost pets as children, due to our parents just one day swooping them up and taking them away to the dog pound. And we were raised with that mentality that you provide pets with a “forever home”. Now we know these are livestock, and we have even butchered our own goats before. It was difficult, but we have done it. Even so, I think we are both a little messed up when it comes to parting with an animal that we have owned for many years.

    I think we will probably not have goats by the end of March, but in the meantime we need to work up our nerve to make that phone call.

    —

    I did step on the scale on March 1. My husband asked me if I was going to, and I did because he asked me. I was dressed in my jeans, and had my boots on, AND I’d just eaten breakfast consisting of two scrambled eggs [affiliate link] and washed some vitamins down with water. The scale read 179.4#. I had been dreading the 1st, as I suspected I had gained weight. But it also could have been that I was wearing jeans and boots, instead of the shorts and sleeveless tee shirt plus having just eaten breakfast.

    That meant I was almost 4 pounds heavier. Agh.

    I didn’t let it bother me though. I was in enough of a funk to be upset about weight gain.

    Each day for this month I have been trying to stay off carbs… yesterday I was about to mix up some honey [affiliate link] and peanut butter [affiliate link] and then I realized, I’m actually tired. I am NOT going to eat honey when I’m tired. And I was able to avoid eating the honey. I did take a late nap. Today I did pretty good at avoiding carbs although I did put a pumpkin [affiliate link] leather recipe into the dehydrator to see how that works out.

    Today I stepped on the scale again. It said 174.8. On February 1 I weighed 176.2. I started this journey officially at 232#. I have officially lost 57.2 pounds.

    I goofed off a lot in January and February, eating fruit and honey and generally making myself feel like crap. Maybe I can stay on the straight and narrow this month and see more than a pound of weight loss.

    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.

  • D450 Sinking Into a Depression Funk

    I remember mentioning feeling down in previous posts.

    The last few days have been worse and last night I decided to take Kava-Kava.

    I was able to get plenty of sleep this weekend, but I suspect in addition to the shortage of sleep, I’m being affected by the carbohydrates I’ve gotten back into consuming.

    I keep forgetting that I’m not avoiding carbs simply because they make me hungrier and affect weight loss. I keep losing focus and some part of my brain thinks I’m just on a diet to lose weight. I find myself thinking that once I lose the weight I want to lose I’ll be able to go back to eating “normal” foods but honestly, I don’t think I will be able to. I am affected so much by too many carbohydrates. I am really sensitive to them.

    It’s never been about losing weight, but it is one of the perks, so it is hard to put that aside. Tomorrow is the first day of the month, and I’m terrified that I’ve gained five or ten pounds. That in itself is depressing, although I wish it weren’t.

    On Thursday my husband and I had some words, and I ended up in tears. I’m usually pretty tired by Thursday as I keep getting less than seven hours sleep (sometimes only five or six) on the nights of the days that I work.

    I also have been feeling really crappy about not being able to do GAPS totally correctly, meaning grass fed meat and organic vegetables, fruit, butter, etc. I can’t afford it.

    No one I know personally in real life, can afford to eat organic foods. It’s as if GAPS is a diet for the wealthy and elite. But I still believe you can heal with food, even if it is not the elite and supreme organic foods. I am living proof.

    Yes, I’m having a bit of a hitch right now, but I think this is due to my eating too many carbohydrates again.

    Also there is a lot going on that is making me sad.

    One huge thing… we have finally made the decision to get rid of our dairy goats. I have stubbornly kept my small herd for way too long. I am trying to be thankful that I know of someone who will take them for us, and put them work. Goats are livestock. Their job is to procreate and produce milk and meat. I know this. I can’t even drink the milk. My husband can’t. My oldest son cannot. So it is ridiculous to keep paying for them.

    Part of my motivation in getting rid of the goats at this time is because my husband’s businesses are very slow and we are unable to take the monthly draw that we can normally take each month. So not only am I unable to afford organic foods, I am trying to find a way to withstand a $1000 shortage each month. Last month my husband found that the tires on his company vehicle were the wrong size and was able the tires replaced. We put aside money each month for new tires for all our vehicles, because we do so much driving and so I was able to pull from that account to cover the shortage. This month our auto insurance is $300 less than it was previously and I had saved $600 for the next squeeze load of hay. This will almost make up that missing $1000. Hopefully my husband’s businesses will sort out in the next month. Otherwise I’m not sure where else I will be able to come up with money to cover that draw.

    Having money problems is depressing, too.

    Feeling like a failure because I don’t eat organics is depressing.

    I feel like I need to hurry up and get happy or I’m going to lose any readers I have here. I hate being in a depressive funk. I’m sorry to everyone.

    I did take a detox bath today with Epsom salts, I hope that helped. But I also was fiercely craving carbs and had a terrible concoction shared on the GAPShelp list today. I say terrible, because I probably consumed 2000 calories and I got a bellyache.

    I am sure tomorrow will be better.

    I would like to share this link to a recent podcast by T.S. Wiley, the author of Lights Out.

    I am sure I will feel better about getting rid of our goats once they are finally gone. I will probably shed a few more tears, but once it is over, I am sure I will just feel better and better about it. It is hard to work a long day, drive 60-90 minutes to get home, and still have to go outside and throw hay, water and milk. As our hot weather comes, I switch milking to mornings, which means I have to get up half an hour earlier. It is already nearly impossible for me to get up at 4am, but having to get up at 3:30am is even harder.

    I’m sorry my posts of late have been so down. I’m truly sorry. But I have to be honest here. I am sure I will figure out what is wrong eventually. Sometimes I wonder will I ever be happy again? What would it take for me to be happy again? Or am I just a somber joyless person, is that just my nature?

    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.

  • Pork and Cauliflower Hash

    Pork and Cauliflower Hash

    Pork Mushroom Cauliflower Hash

    Last night I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. There were pork chops thawed out, but our usual methods of preparing them always turn out so tough and tasteless. I decided I would prepare the pork as I would for Cauliflower Fried Rice, small cubes fried one layer at a time in butter (or sometimes I’ll use coconut oil [affiliate link]).

    I made a salad to go with the meal, and I steamed some cauliflower, and sauteed some mushrooms. It wasn’t until everything was complete that I thought to add them all together in one bowl with some butter and salt.

    Delicious!

    • 4 pork chops
    • 1 medium head cauliflower
    • 6 mushrooms, sliced
    • butter

    Cut the pork chops into small cubes. Heat your skillet (I use cast iron) and toss in some butter. Allow to heat until the butter is bubbling. Add one layer of pork cubes. You can mash the layer down with a spoon so that it completely covers the surface. Salt and pepper the layer. Cook the layer on medium heat. Do not disturb the layer of meat until at least half looks brown, instead of pink. At that point you can flip the cubes over and finish cooking on the other side. When all pieces are done (no more pink), remove from skillet into a glass casserole dish and place in the oven at 250°F to keep it heated while you are cooking the next layer.

    While the layer of meat is cooking, start the cauliflower steaming. Cook until it is fork tender.

    When the meat is done, placed the sliced mushrooms into the skillet and cook until done. You may have to add more butter.

    Mix all ingredients together, and add more butter, salt and pepper to taste.

    You could also serve these ingredients separately, but I thought it was rather yummy all mixed together and a nice substitute for “hash”. I think I will try making it again sometime with frozen peas and cubed carrots. That would add some color, and a different flavor. It would also be good with green bell peppers.

     

    Save Print
    Recipe: Pork and Cauliflower Hash
    Author: 
    Recipe type: Main Dish
     
    Ingredients
    • 4 pork chops
    • 1 medium head cauliflower
    • 6 mushrooms, sliced
    • butter
    Instructions
    1. Cut the pork chops into small cubes.
    2. Heat your skillet (I use cast iron) and toss in some butter.
    3. Allow to heat until the butter is bubbling.
    4. Add one layer of pork cubes.
    5. You can mash the layer down with a spoon so that it completely covers the surface.
    6. Salt and pepper the layer.
    7. Cook the layer on medium heat.
    8. Do not disturb the layer of meat until at least half looks brown, instead of pink.
    9. At that point you can flip the cubes over and finish cooking on the other side.
    10. When all pieces are done (no more pink), remove from skillet into a glass casserole dish and place in the oven at 250°F to keep it heated while you are cooking the next layer.
    11. While the layer of meat is cooking, start the cauliflower steaming.
    12. Cook until it is fork tender.
    13. When the meat is done, placed the sliced mushrooms into the skillet and cook until done.
    14. You may have to add more butter.
    15. Mix all ingredients together, and add more butter, salt and pepper to taste.
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    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.

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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.

  • D444 Sleep Deprivation Causes…

    By the way… D444 means Day 444 since I began the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet.

    I got home from work right at 5pm. I left for work at 6am. Long days. As I was standing at the counter, dicing onions [affiliate link] and frying hamburger to make hamburger burros for my husband and son’s dinner, I pondered.

    I stood there chopping, feeling grumpy and annoyed. I still had to go out and toss hay, water the pullets and milk the goats. I finally got everything cooking. I decided I would only eat vegetables for dinner, because I am sure I’ve gained at least five pounds in the last two weeks. My stomach bulged out over my jeans today and that just really bothered me. I’m having a lot of hot flashes… if I could just keep it straight what that means. I think it means that my period is on its way. That could be why my stomach seems bloated.

    Random thoughts popping into my head… the cook offered me three japanese style eggplants today and I was so happy to have them. I have really been craving eggplant ever since she made it last Thursday.

    More random thoughts… I felt nauseated this morning. I ate the last of the nitrate filled salami from Costco for breakfast. 10 or 11 slices? I remembered that I forgot to take the CALMS the day before, so I drank down 1/2 a teaspoon in water, plus took some Vitamin B, glucosamine chondroitin and zinc.

    Yet another random thought… yesterday I trimmed one of our goat’s hooves. This takes a lot of effort and strength. I was thrilled that my hands can handle it. Trimming hooves used to put me down for an hour or two it was so hard on me. I handled it well. I just impulsively decided to get one of my milker’s feet done.

    Back to what transpired earlier… it takes no more than 10 minutes to milk nowadays, since no one here can drink the milk. That means the dogs get it. They love it, lap up every speck. Not that I’m getting much milk nowadays since the last squeeze load of hay was so stemmy that the pens are now 2 feet deep with stems that they pick through, pee and poop on and refuse to eat. We’ve been having to feed double. That $500 squeeze load turned out to feed them only half the weeks it would had it been good quality. Goats are picky critters. Another five minutes to throw hay, but then another 15 minutes to water the pullets. We need to get a bigger watering contraption for them as they are drinking the two in there dry throughout the day. They mill around my feet pecking my shoestrings.

    Maybe I can string some coherent thoughts together now, or maybe not… we’ll see… so the food was cooking and I headed out. Grumpily. Thinking about all the things that annoy me. Wondering why I’m feeling down so much. Not happy that my beloved GAPS hasn’t completely 100% cured my bummed out feelings.

    Not so bad as it used to be, mind you. Nowhere near that point. I’m not crying  frequently. I don’t know how long it’s been since I cried. And I’m not having to take Kava Kava every day… There I go digressing again.

    The old hens gave me two eggs [affiliate link] today. Two yesterday. Six the day before. They are really trying to earn their keep.

    Ahem.

    When I got back inside… I cut up the eggplant. Thinking I will only eat vegetables tonight. Maybe I am just getting too many calories.

    I stood there thinking, and then it hit me… I’m sleep deprived!! Before I started with GAPS, I had pinpointed tiredness as being something that caused me to crave carbohydrates! I think this is why I’ve been craving fruit and honey [affiliate link] and baked goods. In the book I read called Lights Out, the author confirmed my suspicion that not getting enough sleep causes us to crave carbs. She went into scientific detail on why it happens. She essentially says when we don’t get enough sleep, it makes us fat. (BTW, “enough” sleep by her recommendation is 9 hours every night, in pitch darkness).

    OH! That helps so much! For the past few weeks, I have not been getting enough sleep on the days I have to go to work. I am lucky if I get 6 hours! I am making it okay, some days I have gone ahead and had about 2 ounces of coffee [affiliate link] with hot water (weak coffee – I’m not a coffee drinker, but use it to make myself more alert on occasion). But it is not enough sleep for me.

    The main reason I am not getting enough sleep is because my husband has decided that he does not need more than 2 or 3 hours sleep. Actually, that was his goal in early January and he finally experienced almost falling asleep while driving (like I do regularly without enough sleep!). When he finally experienced that, he agreed that he needed more sleep. Now he’s getting a bit more sleep, like four or five hours a night, sometimes 6. Every seven days or so he’ll sleep 8 or 9 hours in a row. It’s killing me because I have a hard time getting to sleep when he is not home. So I have been staying up too late. I am so tired in the morning that I cannot get out of bed, and I’m sometimes an hour late getting to work. Of course that means I stay an hour late. When I get off work an hour later, the traffic is heavier, and my 60 minute commute turns into 75 or 90 minutes. When I get home late, I get supper started later than normal… I eat later, I go to bed later… I get up later… it’s a vicious cycle. And I also don’t cope well with life when I’m tired. I’ve known that since I was nine years old. Things were always better after a good night’s sleep.

    And here I sit, blogging. Instead of going to bed. I really wish it wasn’t already 7:45pm. I think I could have used a detox bath tonight.

    ‘Night.

    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.

  • Our Valentine’s Day Meal

    Our Valentine’s Day Meal

    Very exciting news!

    I was over at Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s website and checking out the Frequently Asked Questions page I see that she now approves of cocoa if you are able to eat the full GAPS diet and no longer have digestive issues!

    Here is the question and Dr. Campbell-McBride’s answer:

    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 [affiliate link]. Mixing the powder with some honey [affiliate link] 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.

    Valentine's Day Meal

    My husband and I were remarried in 2007 after being divorced for fifteen years. Quite by accident we planned our second wedding to commence on the date that our divorce was final, so we were quite literally divorced for exactly fifteen years.

    For most of my life I did not care much for Valentine’s Day, but now that we have remarried, I want to celebrate this day of love. I know, I know. It’s a holiday contrived with commercialism and Hallmark charges an arm and a leg for cards, but I love the pink and red hearts of it all.

    My husband has been working very hard lately and I asked him to try to be home by 6pm on Valentine’s Day, he said he would do his best, and he did finally get home by 8:30pm. I happened to be running late so it turned out okay.

    Here is what we had for our meal:

    • Top Sirloin Steak, fried in a skillet with butter
    • Sauteed Mushrooms, sliced and cooked in butter
    • Beets, steamed, peeled, sliced and cut into heart shapes
    • Beet greens
    • Salad
    • Chocolate and Peanut Butter Heart Cookies

    As you can see, we had a candlelit dinner. About five minutes into the meal I asked my husband how do people eat with candlelight? I could hardly see my plate. Maybe they use more candles, and/or taller candles? I will have to experiment with that. We ended up turning on the kitchen light because it was simply too dim to see!

    I downloaded some free romantic songs from Amazon, as well as this album: Candlelight – Romantic Dinner Party Music With Relaxing Instrumental Piano which was only $5.99 and contains 44 romantic songs. My husband doesn’t really feel comfortable with too much “sissy” stuff like this, so I went through and picked out the songs that were not too sappy for his sake. 🙂

    We had a very nice dinner together. The top sirloin was quite tasty, and the cookies were scrumptious!

    Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

    Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies

    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.