powdered kale for thyroid

So...I came up with this fantastic idea over the weekend.....but I know I did not invent this idea of coarse, but it was a little like an invention to me...you see, I have a bundle of wonderful kale in my garden. It just keeps on producing like the energizer bunny. Usually I just juice it or make Kale chips, but I am not juicing as much during my elimination diet (plus it's raw) and one cannot store kale chips long term due to the oil,  and here is the kicker....we have thyroid issues over here..my dtr has thyroiditis, which has turned into hypothyroidism, so we are working on healing foods over here in this camp.  That means we have not been eating raw spinach, broccoli or even kale!!

Yes, it has been an adjustment.  These foods are called goitrogens. This is a quick read about what that is.  I can cook them to cut back on the goitrogen effects, which works wonderfully for broccoli but kale is just not as appealing to the kiddos. Frankly, I do NOT like sauteed kale either, I have discovered and there is not  much that I dislike.
 Here are some pics of my weekend spent preparing our POWDERED KALE. I am so excited about this.

First you go out to your garden to pick some fresh kale.

Then you bring it in to wash all of the dirt and grime off.

Then you lay the leaves out to dry. One can also rip the leaves off the stem if your stems are super thick or if you want them to dry faster. I have done both, whole leaves and torn, but be sure to turn on your ceiling fan, it helps things dry faster.

Turn your oven to 275 degrees after leaves are mostly dry, too wet and you will steam your kale.  They will take anywhere from 45 minutes to more than an hour, depending on how thick and moist your kale is.

Next, you want to take them out of the oven to cool.

Beautiful!

Now put them in your blender. This is the fun part....oh that crunch, crunch...of the dried kale...it's so psychologically satisfying.....it's better than squeezing that bubble wrap.

Now it's all in there. Ready to zoom....

Now we have to make it into powder. I have learned that I love using my Blendtec for this. I use the 'batter' mode which is perfect for stirring it up and powderize the kale.

Now you can put it in a pretty jar and store it for a long time for use in salads, soups, smoothies, stir-fries, and anything else you can imagine up in your mind.

I actually discovered after my first batch, that I prefer the 'batter' mode on my blender and the rest of my powdered kale came out much finer.  I am so excited about this. I love using my fun mason jars and the screw on lids I bought for them through Amazon.  

I also experimented with this with my parsley which I have a ton of as well and so far it has turned out very well.

Happy fall harvesting to you.

growing pumpkin time lapse

............because it's just cool.....

Time Lapse Pumpkin from One Hundred Dollars a Month

just another quick update

I missed my update yesterday.  I had a clean/ friendly day on Weds and was very pleased to see my wt. down 1.2 Thursday morning, but a strange thing happened. Even with a clean day I ended up working on harvesting my garden, well, I know I have to limit my time out there and I overdid it.  It was hot. I was sweating and I drink lots of water without any electrolyte drinks. I was so tired and achey that evening. I did still lose wt so it wasn't the same inflammation gain, but I felt bad, so I will have to assess what that was but I am thinking it is the time of month. I have learned that around a few days before the big event, our bodies become in a inflammation state, so all bets are off.
Planning to experiment with pumpkin pie and almond flour for my damsel this weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

CC, Hashimoto's and the plan

Today I am giving you a quick everything update.  There is so much I want to blog about, so many things I am learning and really I just don't have time for this research but it must be done. My house needs attention on a deeper level, but I am taking that one step at a time.
Today I am up .2 which I did not expect but I added a special drink I love and that must have been it.  Oh well, I will have fish and greens tonight which was a big hit for my tummy last time, hopefully I will lose on that...I want to get into that next digit down on the scale and I keep shying from it by a measly little .0....ugh.

I am on a journey to learn more about autoimmune diseases, which tend to run in families, so I can help my sweet little damsel.  I need to have myself and the man checked out as well.  I am learning how these are all related and that having one leads to more etc...I guess 20% of the population has a autoimmune disease and most of those are women!!

Did you know this sweet girl has been diagnosed with a autoimmune disease?  Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Here body is attacking her own thyroid!!  Why is my precious girl's body doing this?  She must have had this last year and we didn't even know it. It came to light this summer and I will share that story soon.

Did you know that I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia years ago but always questioned if I actually had it?  I have recently discovered that frequent urination and plantar fasciitis is one of many symptoms! Pregnancy's can trigger these things and I can look back remember how much worse I was after the birth of a child.  This may be why woman have a higher incidence overall of AI.



We are in week 3 of Essentials and week 5 of Challenge A.  Things are moving smoothly for the most part, but very fully!  I love the thinking education of Classical Conversations. I am looking forward to creating my book list for the year that I try to stick to as best we can, but it usually is longer than can be managed.  If I am able I will post here sometime.
We do Foundations at home with Damsel since she is older and this is her second year, we have tweaked it to fit her 7th grade level and we are preparing for her to be in Challenge A next year.  Very excited. I am planning on tutoring that lever next year.

plan update

This weekend I had a very nice time.  Sat. afternoon was spent at a picnic for a local group that supports kids with cancer.  We are still always included, we are so thankful. We had a petting zoo and all kinds of fun for kids, hamburgers, chips...I was starving and did not come prepared with my salad.  I was hoping there would be more than just burgers and chips I will admit. Well, as it turns out, I had popcorn, very salty by the way but oh do I love me some popcorn....(this will increase your up wt in the morning naturally) and chips and a bun with my burger which I normally don't include, because I was so hungry and the variety was so limited. It was good though.
 I went all out and ate some skittles too, which are my fave and I haven't had those in months.  As suspected I was up.  I didn't end up feeling too bad either. This is what happens when you are healing your body, you can manage some 'off days' much better.
Sunday I ate well, no bun with home made hamburgers and a guest. I just couldn't resist the fries...they are so good!! I have figured out that I get real fat when I eat white potatoes.  But I did well enough that even with my 'passed' home made ice cream I was only up a .4 which made me happy.

Monday I had a totally friendly day and lost all my weekend inflammation and now I will have several days of friendly testing this week.  I ended up testing one little thing yesterday, unplanned....in my efforts to start making less wheat items, I made some almond flour (AF) biscuits. Oh boy were they good.  I got out my flour from my freezer from back when I was making things for B and found my almond flour book. Well, I just HAD to try these biscuits of coarse...so I did.  Even though one can lose weight on a food, one may not be free of reactions. Food that don't agree with you , as you may have learned from reading my previous entries, can cause many other symptoms.  I have been so amazed and thankful for how in tune I am to my body these days.  I ended up having a headache all through the night and woke up with it. Mmmm.
Needless to say, I couldn't help but have memories of making things and using this book for my dear boy.  We miss him so much!

 I can't remember if I wrote this here, but I made AF blueberry fritters the other day for breakfast and tried them. I passed but noticed I had a headache in the afternoon.  I will have to make a specific test because  both AF creations had eggs as well, so it could be eggs, which is also a high reactive food. UGH!

  This was a big hit for every one.

Even my very picky husband had one bite and grabbed for more quickly to make sure he had his share fully. That makes my heart sing because my man does not dish out comliments like candy around here...oh know. Tomorrow I hope to tell you about my love blood cell analysis I had on Sat.

Peace and keep eating your plate of veggies!

another day on the plan

I am so happy to report that my list of friendly foods continues to grow.  WHITE TALAPIA FISH. I love it! Well, I already new that I loved it but I hate so well.
I am down another .8.
I grill the fish on a indoor grill with coconut oil, sprinkled with mama garlic spices, then sauteed yellow zuccini with onion, with mama garlic and tumeric, then layed this on a bed of lettuce after covering the lettuce with a lovely little drizzle of olive oil.  I wish I had taken a picture just to give you all a wonderful visual. I will next time.
I also went to serve at church, watching the very busy little ones while young families had a parenting class. I loved and still do love reading about and going to things like this. I think I would have enjoyed watching.  Instead I was able to love up on these sweet kids. It was so nice getting to know some of the older ones I haven't really been around much with my trips to take Braveheart to the hospital etc. I felt blessed.
Many of these mothers, wonderful mother I might add, are thrown for a loop in regard to this spanking thing, and I would love to share my story, but that is for another day.

Love and health to you, how many veggies will you eat today?  Fill that plate!

Pumpkin Chia Pudding breakthrough breakfast ~the plan

Oh boy am I excited! 

First, I was down 1.2 after testing swiss chard, but I had a small headache so may have had a slight reaction, I will keep an eye on that.  I just don't get headaches anymore.  

I finally got the recipe for the Pumpkin Chia Pudding and it is the BOMB!!  I don't think the picture below does it justice, the lighting in my kitchen is not conductive to good photos with my capable camera.  If anyone knows how to put iphone pics on here, please advise me.  

This was soooo good, seriously.  It's pumpkin with chia seeds and cinnamon and nutmeg and coconut milk....mmmm....well, I love to change things up, it's just what I do because things are just never good enough like they are, I have to add tons of  junk.  But with this I added things that are friendly for me.

Here is the pudding after sitting in the fridge.

Here is my home made whip cream that I made in my new twister jar, which I love by the way and it only took less than a minute, seriously!!

Here is my finished masterpiece!  I added the whip cream to the pumpkin dish, drizzled with honey, lightly covered with my flax granola, then sprinkled some nutmeg. Truly divine.  

I later went back and added some wild blueberries to a second taste test!  Very filling, full of protein and omega 3's and who doesn't need more pumpkin in their life??

No more DAYS, the plan, testimony

I am pretty much done with the 20 day part of the plan. Also, I have had some distractions and some off days as I explained before. Once you get to Day 20 you just keep using the template for rest days and adding new foods. I am making a list of foods that are friendly and keep adding from there.

 It seems like there are so many things going on and I am pretty impressed with how well I have eaten correctly and avoided lots of poor food choices.  Let's get one thing clear, this isn't about denying one's self pleasure.  The truth is though that we have been eating badly in this new age world. In addition, I have enjoyed some delicious chocolate nearly every day of this journey. I have a long list of foods that I can eat and feel great and stay awake during the school day with my kids. It's a good feeling.  I also allowed myself to enjoy some fun eating times along the way, making sure I 'rest' my body with friendly foods which gives my body a chance to 'heal' and return to normal. This is why my wt. loss has stalled, because I have been testing and having days where I don't test. Now I keep going on my template.  After having a great rest day yesterday with a loss of 1 pound this morning, I will test something new today...I should add in a veggie..if I don't react then the wt. will continue to drop off.

Testimony time:

Since I have started this plan, I have found many foods that my body loves and that help my body to sleep better and lose wt. For instance, I have noticed that my body LOVES beef..yes, beef!  I sleep like a baby, a sleepy baby..haa.  Chicken is good too but doesn't make me sleep nearly as well. My basal temp goes up with beef as well. My stomach fat has decreased by a significant amount even with my measly little 10 pounds of wt off. My soft tissue damaged left knee, the one in which I could not touch and was always swollen but never injured in a way that a surgeon could assist, is markedly improved. I can touch it with my hand, run my fingers over my knee!! I appreciate the little things!  Rarely do I have pain that I was living with previously. My feet which are severely injured with plantar fasciitis, to the point that I can barely walk at times and my feet literally ache throughout, are 50% improved!!  4 1/2 years of this!  My fatigue is noticeably improved!!  My general headaches and body aches that I was learning to live with are nearly completely gone!
I wonder if I am forgetting something...

Very happy!

missing you so

Sometimes life is so busy, but I never stop thinking of you ever! So many memories of you and all the things we did over your life but especially the last year and half that we fought so exhaustively hard you here.  When I drive around, it is like you are there, in my mind, nearly each song reminding me of you, yet I know that if I let my thoughts drift too far then I will lose it....
It's ok to cry and I do, but sometimes one just doesn't want to cry...especially if you are around other people.  I just can't believe you are gone!!  I..we..your daddy and I miss you so very much that it hurts.
Starting home schooling is weird. Now we are a different busy and we can do some more of the activities with other kids, yet I feel strange. I don't always know who knows you are gone. Some people act weird around me or don't know what to say.  Not many people say horrible bad things...I am thankful for that as I have heard some doozies from other people.  I marvel at the unfriendliness of a few that I have tried to befriend.  Oh how my heart is broken in a billion pieces, yet I go on....I go on with a purpose and yet a very real disconnect to this earth and why we are even here.  Heaven and Eternity are my longing, knowing that bad things happen on this broken earth, not knowing all of the why, but being ok with that for now.  So thankful for my other kiddos here on earth to love.
How does one go on whilst one's heart is broken into a million pieces. God holds each piece together each day. He captures my tears.
I often think of the 2 1/2 years we had him before younger siblings came along, I think of what he was like when he was little, such a good boy with a huge heart, such a talker...I used to tell my oldest son that one day he would miss his brother chatting him up in the morning. He does.

I think about how much we wanted him when we got pregnant with him after waiting for so long so hubs could go to school.  I think about how strange it is to have known this amazing young man for 15 years and 7 months and that he had to leave us and how sad it makes me....I got to know him, be with him, care for him, watch him almost die so often then defy the odds, but eventually the sting of death took hold...Heaven is his home now...this boy that I have loved these 15 years is gone...I watched him in his last moments on earth....I watched him sing to the Lord that very day....I held him long after he was gone...

Oh do I miss him so......

Day ??

Still resting. I was suppose to go into day 17 and test a new veggie, but for some strange reason I was up .2 after having a clean rest day which is completely unusual for me.  So then I have a second rest day and I am up .6!  MMMmmmmm. Something fishy going on here. I chalked Thursday's up to having an ionic foot bath at my chiro but I have no idea why I am up again from my second clean day.  I will keep investigating and get back to you.
I also noticed my nose is stuffy and mucousy which it hasn't been lately, so checking on that. Not a good wt. loss week. I will not be discouraged.

Day 16 the plan

Day 16 is normally a day of testing two proteins in one day, yes it's true, one can eat well but even portions can have an affect on your inflammation.  The problem is that I had to run some well loved family peeps to doctor appt.'s and I was COMPLETELY out of groceries and didn't have time to even make the lunch protein so I opted for trying a new breakfast instead, it would be this creamy rice that we love here. I slavered on the butter, coconut oil and coconut sugar...mmmm....then ate my normal 'safe' foods the rest of the day.
Down .8!!!

That is a plus!  Due to my ups, I am still around 10 lbs lost but that is ok because I am testing things and recovering nicely from my 'off' days.  That is what I love about this, lifestyle, not torture style.

Ok, rest day today, so will let you know how things look tomorrow.

Beef..that's what is for dinner.

Day 15 the rest day

Day 15....ok here we go...now I have had my rest day but two days of just eating the wrong food at dinner, only dinner mind you, it can really make you feel how much inflammation was in that bad knee and those bad feet. Seriously.
Yesterday was a fabulous day though. I felt plenty full even with some healing ginger carrot soup.  I was quite tired by days end since I did a mild cleanse and then helped out at church with the kids while an event was going on. Came home quite ready for bed, but the amazing thing was how much I was dreaming of the most delicious meal we had eaten for dinner. It was so good.

Stir fried zuccini and broccoli (broccoli from my garden by the way) with brown rice ( I really love the short grain but hearing great things about brown jasmine rice so can't wait to get that) and steak.  Oh my, I made my new favorite sauce called Spicy Coco Sauce. I will finally put down here the picture and recipe.  Pour it on the veggies and rice, so tasty, I didn't realize how much I love tumeric until this dish.  AND you can still lose wt. on this stuff!

Back down 1.2 and will keep going.

Ok, I do know how to take a picture but this one is just not that great.  I am going to have to get you the recipe later. Oh it is so good.  Really.


Love and peace to you all. HE is the reason.

Day ?what?

I hate to say it but I have to repeat my rest day AGAIN. Good day all day, I have been very strict this whole time with a few exceptions and everyone wanted pizza for dinner on Labor Day so...you can guess the rest. I ate some and I was stuffed so easily and still in the morning. Up again 1.4 but plan to get back on track today for sure and eating some ginger carrot soup that I froze previously. I actually want to eat it too after the pizza and I learned alot from doing so. 

1) It didn't taste as good as I thought it would 2) I will enjoy it now and then but just don't really want it anymore. 3) My temp was down some but my dtr's was way down for her...94+. I will assess how she is today as well.

Off to start my Day 15 again and praying I will be able to tell you all about a great recovery tomorrow.

Day 15 the plan

Day 15 Rest Day....well, it turned into a non-rest day because we went to a lovely wedding which was only outside and I just decided to pick the best foods I could as the Chinese food looked really good. This is how one stays on these kinds of 'diets' although I hate that word because I am having a lifestyle change that I can live with forever and enjoy things in life as I go. That is how it was with all my wt. loss while juicing last year too. I am not done juicing, just adding to my life here with this information I will use for my life forever. Love it..so yeah, I am up...1.4 today! It's really true, everything I have been learning. I think that most of this is the sodium in the food and hopefully I can have a true rest day today and eat all my safe foods and then I will be back down and raring to go. I am so excited to try some new foods again.

See you tomorrow to find out how my rest day went.

Love to all.

Day 14 the plan

Day 14 meant trying a new breakfast, so I tried one that I have been longing to eat again. My Budwig breakfast. I did pass but with only a .2 loss.  I will take it but won't be eating that often yet so far.  Now I will have a rest day, but we are going to a wedding with Chinese food so I may eat a wedding dinner this time. There is just always something to interrupt even a 20 day lifestyle change to I have resigned myself to just missing things which is fine but this one was outside and I will just see. Let you know how it goes.