{June Reflections}

Here we are, halfway through another year. It seems like the last six months have flown by. School is out for 8 weeks and I feel like I can finally breathe and slow down. I am enjoying my one job of being a stay at home mama.

I knew June would be a crazy month and so I purposefully did not set intimidating goals. And June was crazy. There is the push at work to finish student schedules for the fall, last minute work activities, wrapping up a school year, celebrating our nephew's graduation and of course daily living.

An Interview with The Gluten Minded

In June of 2012, Paul and I embarked on a crazy 30 day experiment with the Paleo Diet. We had many reasons why we were trying Paleo. The significant reason for me was trying to alleviate my constant stomach aches, heartburn, and general discomfort. You can read more about my health issues and our experiment here.

In the midst of our Paleo Experiment, I found out that I have a sensitivity to gluten. I was pretty hesitant to admit that gluten was reason behind my constant need of Maalox or Prilosec. I mean we had cut out so many types of foods during this experiment such as dairy, soy, corn, legumes, and grains to name a few. When I started feeling better during those 30 days I wanted to believe it was anything else but gluten. I tried introducing all of the foods back into my life, and no matter what I tried with gluten I immediately felt sick again. Eventually I had to relent, and out the door and cupboards went all of the gluten.

I share this, because I'd like to share a great new website with you! Our friend Becky has started an awesome blog www.theglutenminded.com where she interviews gluten minded people, shares recipes, resources, gluten free product reviews and talks through different health issues related to gluten. Check out her blog!

You can also find an interview that Paul and I did here.

Paleo Chocolate Cake with Whipped Honey and Berries

The husbuddy (Paul) has been encouraging me for quite some time to do some food blogging. Paul insists that people would be interested in what I'm cooking up. The idea seems silly to me because I don't create recipes. I find recipes and I recreate. Sometimes I recreate to a T and sometimes I add my own flair. I love to cook and I find it to be a creative outlet for me, but the thought of creating recipes and then testing them stresses me out. When I posted this picture on my Facebook, I received a lot of great feedback including requests for the recipe. In this case, I had added some flair, so I couldn't just simply send along a link to a recipe that I had followed. 

In a one-week span this has been both a birthday cake and then served again at Easter, very versatile. The original recipe calls for a chocolate whipped cream in the center and a chocolate ganache on top. And believe you me, the original recipe looks absolutely divine and one day I will follow that recipe to a T. But spring is in the air and for some reason to me that screams berries and whipped cream, and that is how I came to modify the original recipe.

A quick word about the whipped topping. This is not whipped cream, and it isn't whipped coconut. It is whipped honey! Paul and I were introduced to whipped honey about a year ago. We were enjoying a delicious dinner at a friend's house when our friend started whipping up a berry cobbler. We saw him start topping the cobbler with the whipped topping and Paul quickly spoke up. Paul hates whipped cream! I have tried every which way to get him to like it. I assumed when we started dating that he meant he didn't like cool whip or whipped cream out of a can. A few years later I can attest that Paul does not like whipped cream. I guess we all have faults.

Our friend turned to Paul that evening and asked, "How do you feel about whipped honey?" Paul was taken aback. What is whipped honey? This coming from the guy who I will find in the kitchen tipping back the jar of honey just because. So we tentatively took a spoonful of the topping and that was the end of it. I now had a whipped topping that Paul not only likes, but loves. It was an exciting moment for both of us.

Okay, enough about all of that. Let's get onto the cake.

The cake recipe can be found here: http://zenbellyblog.com/2013/02/13/no-joke-dark-chocolate-cake/ 

I followed the cake recipe to a T. I didn't have 6-inch cake pans so I used my standard 9-inch and shortened the cooking time to 20 minutes. Be prepared for your house to smell heavenly when you pull this out of the oven. I couldn't wait for Paul to get home just to enjoy the scent. Since going Paleo in June of 2012, chocolate cake has not been a part of our life.

The cake filling consisted of cooked down strawberries and the honey topping. To make the fruit filling I chopped up a pound of strawberries (reserving 3-4 strawberries for the top) and put them in a small saucepan over medium heat. After about 10 minutes on the stove they were breaking down. To thicken the sauce up I put in two teaspoons of arrowroot flour. Allow time for cooling.

Now, for the whipped honey. For one cake I used clover honey which  was exceptionally sweet. For Easter I used blackberry honey which was divine. Experiment with different types of honey.

It is unclear where the Whipped Honey recipe originates. When my friend first told me about it, after doing some research online, it appeared that it may have come from an issue of the American Bee Journal. However I was able to find it on another website: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/85660/fluffy-honey-frosting

Whipped Honey

• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Cup Honey

In a small saucepan heat honey to boiling. In a bowl combine egg whites, salt, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Slowly pour in hot honey; beat for 5-7 minutes until frosting holds shape. Frosts two 8 or 9 inch layer cakes.

The directions are not kidding when they say slowly pour the hot honey. If you pour it too quickly, the egg whites will be chunky. I followed this recipe a handful of times using my hand blender and the results were good but not perfect and my arms grew tired from all of that mixing. Then around Christmas time I realized 1) I own a Kitchen Aid mixer and 2) How could I have forgotten I own a Kitchen Aid mixer?? Now my arm never gets tired making the honey topping and I can control the texture. If I am frosting a cake I only mix for about 7 minutes at medium speed. If I want a texture like thick whipped cream I will do closer to 10-12 minutes.

To Assemble the cake, put one layer on a plate. Spread the strawberry mixture over the cake. On the second layer, decide which side will be your top and bottom. On the bottom, spread a layer of whipped honey. On my first attempt making this cake, I put a lot of whipped honey in between and it overpowered the cake. The topping is sweet. A thin layer is perfect. Place the top layer over the bottom. Put a layer of whipped honey on top. For a nice touch, slice the reserved strawberries in half and place around the top of the cake.

Enjoy! Happy Easter from P+C!

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Paul and I survived our second Whole30!! This is one of those moments where I want to turn to my ingrained ways and give myself a treat for doing so well! Alas, that would kind of defeat the whole purpose of these last 30 days.

I picked one of the hardest months to do a Whole30 program. The concept was smart, reset our bodies after the excess during the holidays. What I forgot to factor in was the extreme stress levels that I would have in January while completing my 2012 Funder Reports for work. So many nights I came home and felt like  I would kill for a piece of dark chocolate or a glass of wine, or realistically - both!

It really forced me to find other ways to decompress from the stress. Like yoga, praying, watching a trashy TV show, blogging, reading, seeing a friend, or watching Friday Night Lights with my husbuddy.

I also want to give a shout out to Paul who did incredibly well on the Whole30. Paul's favorite past times include coming home and tipping the honey jar (literally) into his mouth. Instead of turning to a treat, he came home and ate a healthy dinner with me and then if he was lucky got a clementine to snack on. No honey for my honey.

My goal in January was straight up lose 5 pounds. And on that note why is it called losing weight? It's not like I don't know where it went. I'm not frantically looking around for the weight! 

I'm very proud to say that I reached my goal!! And a side bonus, - I have had tremendous amounts of energy! I've actually been getting things done. Like purging junk from the house! It has been a win-win for me!

The Whole30 isn't quite up for me. I've decided to extend into February though I won't be as harsh about the compliance component (if you've done it, you know what I mean). Instead I'm going to focus on generally having no sugar and no alcohol. Except for Valentines. I'm taking that evening off!

My goal for February is to lose those last 5 pesky pounds. They have got to go!

Purging

Paul and I have been Paleo now for just over 7 months. We've both 100% bought into the fact that this isn't a phase for us, it is a lifestyle. 

When we first started Paleo in June of last year. I was unwilling to part with any of the food in the cupboards. I wasn't convinced that Paleo was going to work for us, or that I would even like it. And I didn't want to have to go rebuy everything. So I've held onto it all.

And lately, this one cupboard has been haunting me. It started off as the baking cabinet and then slowly became the last resort for so many items. Today, I decided - enough is enough!

Here is the cabinet before with more items tucked to the far right. I found some gems back there:

I generally live in fear that something will come crashing out of there on me one of these days.

Here is the purge pile.

And the After Picture? Glorious if I do say so myself! The best part, having the extra storage space.

The two top shelves can now hold miscellaneous dishes and my cookbooks.

So what made the cut?

3 Types of salt, coconut oil, two paleo marinades, honey, molasses, some spices, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and of course some grass fed beef gelatin!

Dear Husbuddy.... you're welcome!!

Halfway Point

During the holidays it is so easy to get lax with clean eating. Treats and sweets abound! Self-control does not. In early December, Paul and I decided that we wouldn’t be hard on ourselves if we strayed during the holidays. We knew that come January we were going to batten down the hatches (what?) and commit to 30 days of squeaky clean eating. I probably had more chocolates, truffles, and ice cream then I should have. It just happened.

On January 2^nd we began the Whole30 program, which you can read about here. Basically, I call it Paleo+. Practically for us, it means no sugar (real, fake, refined, unrefined), no alcohol, and no dairy. And the icing on the cake (why do I torment myself) is you also can’t paleo-fy junk food. Which is a shame, because I can make a damn good fudge candy with dates and cocoa powder.  Oh and the icing on the icing is that you can’t go crazy on fruit while on the Whole30. Sugar is sugar people.

Here is a nice visual that Paul found of the Paleo train of thought.  The Whole30 tightens up any grey areas.

  

Paleo Diet Flowchart infographic

I’ve gone without sugar before. But during that time I was eating lots of ‘sugar-free’ products that were filled with chemicals.  And even though it was so hard getting of the sugar, I also rewarded myself with something that basically replaced the sugar. I wasn’t working on food problems I was just substituting my issues. When I hit a period of depression, sugar rushed back into my life (pun intended).

These 30 days are not just about hitting the reset button on my body. They are also to help make me more aware of what I turn to in moments of ______ (fill in the emotion). Why do I need wine at the end of a tough day? Why do I want sugar at around 2 or 3 every afternoon? Why do I need to snack when bored?

I probably won’t find all of my answers in 30 days but it sure is easier to think about them when you’re not turning to food.

I found this great timeline that spells out the phases of the Whole30 and if my predictions are right, tomorrow is going to be a great day! Seriously though, the first week for me was hell. It was probably hell for Paul too since he had to deal with me. Week two has been easier. And week three hasn’t started out too shabby.

Check out the Whole30 website. This might be up your alley. And my motto is that you can do anything if only for 30 days! We plan to do this at least once or twice again this year.

Part 2: Paleo - What’s all the hype?

Before getting into all of the Paleo hype. I want to give a shout out to Paul. Paul ran a half marathon this last weekend. He shaved 8 minutes off his personal record. So proud of that guy!

I mention Paul's PR because we absolutely believe that the changes in our diet results in optimal performance in our bodies. Paul did not eat a conventional Standard American Diet (SAD) to prepare for his race. No weird goos. No ingredients we couldnt pronounce. Nothing processed. A Paleo lifestyle dumps all of that junk out of our diet. Paul kicked optimal ass! 

Paleo is often referred to as the caveman diet or dino chow. In reality we choose foods that provide our bodies with optimal performance. Foods that are dense with nutrients. Foods that do not harm the insides of our bodies. We no longer stock our pantry with foods that will last forever. Food quality is important -- We are careful about where our meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.

In a nutshell, this lifestyle is simply about 1) eating whole foods that provide better fuel for your body and 2) avoiding processed, refined, nutrient-poor factory foods.

We avoid corn and soy to stay away from GMOs and poor farming practices. We also avoid processed foods, grains, legumes, diary, white potatoes, and vegetable oils.

What do we eat? Quality meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. We sweeten foods with dates, fruit, honey (preferably raw), and occasionally maple syrup.

If you're interested in learning more. Our friends at Rugged Elite have written a couple of helpful blog posts. One post gets into the idea of making this a lifestyle and the other has great resources for getting started.

So what is all the hype? The hype is that it is changing peoples lives. My body literally feels better. Issues I have had for years have just gone away. Paul has had a significant decrease of inflammation in his body which is noticeable when he logs his miles of running. Our bodies just feel better.

Once upon a time a wise man wrote something profound that takes on so much more meaning in today's world:

"Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food" ~ Hippocrates

Part 1: Getting Healthy

Up until a few months ago, I would have considered myself a fairly healthy person. I worked out several times a week for a healthy heart and healthy lungs. I ate pretty decent, though I definitely have a sweet tooth! Oh and I did tend to suck at portion control. I want what Paul gets (though he runs gazillions of miles each week, I run no miles each week).

So why was there a problem? Well, I was sleeping with a bottle of Maalox by the bed and I kept a bottle of Tums on the kitchen counter. Both were Always in close proximity and I used one or the other pretty much every day. I could only go to sleep when lying on my left side because it helped my tummy feel better when trying to fall asleep. What foods I did digest, I digested very slowly (aka always gassy, aka TMI).

And honestly, all of that was the norm for me. It frustrated Paul to no end, but it was just what I was used to. I just assumed that I had a "sensitive" stomach. 

This problem came to the forefront in May. Paul had been talking to several people about the Paleo lifestyle and had heard all kinds of good results happening to people who made the lifestyle change. At the end of May, Paul told me he wanted to try doing Paleo for a month.

I said Hell No. Why would I want to cut so many tasty foods out of my life? Paul persisted. I told him give me a week to think about it and look around online. See what it entailed. While exploring online I came across so many other testimonials about people who felt better after going Paleo. Interesting….

I didn’t understand the why? What was so magical about cutting out: Dairy, Grains, Legumes, and Soy? More reading entailed. A lot of the foods that are eliminated boil down to antinutrients such as phytates, biologically active lectins, and immunoreactive proteins. What? Yes science. Look it up yourself - cause I ain't no scientist.

Here is what has applied to me specifically. Lectins. Lectins damage the walls of your intestines, helping to create “leaky gut”, so that other large particles can cross the intestinal barrier, enter your blood stream and begin other immune cascades. This is basically how food sensitivities start. Something goes in and makes some holes in your gut that lets big particles of food into your blood stream. Then your immune system gets VERY overwhelmed and confused and starts attacking things at random. Gee that sounds like a party. Well, this started sounding like why I might be feeling awful.

So, I relented. I told Paul I would try it for one month.

Part 2: Paleo, What’s all the hype? (coming soon)