and to make things even sweeter...

I have to remind myself that I can revisit this blog as many times as I would like :}

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

Well, this will do nicely (Carrot Cake?!)

Still attempting to not fall back into old routines....and happened across this nice little recipe.

http://theycallitfallingforareason.blogspot.com/2011/06/paleo-carrot-cake.html

(please, give them all the credit)


Paleo Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
5 eggs
½ cup raw, unfiltered honey
¼ cup grapeseed oil (or almond oil)
3 cups carrots, grated (I used my food processor after hand grating 1 cup and nearly taking my thumb off)
1 cup dates, chopped
1 cup walnuts, coarsly chopped

Method:
In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg 
In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, honey and oil 
Stir carrots, dates and walnuts into wet ingredients 
Stir wet ingredients into dry 
Place batter into 2 well greased, round 9 Inch cake pans (I used two 8x4 bread pans)
Bake at 325° for 35 minutes (I baked them for about 40 minutes, but check them at 35 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center and ensuring it comes out clean)
Cool to in pans for one hour and spread with coconut cream frosting if you like.  You can find that recipe at http://www.elanaspantry.com/coconut-cream-frosting/
Serve to everyone you know because they all will like it.

My salad dressing and confessional

I found a way out of my rut.
 I also found out in that process
 (and through an extensive hair analysis)
 that my body wasn't 
digesting ANYTHING. 
I am low on everything 
I need to sustain a healthy life. 
SO, with the help of a great dietitian/chiropractor, 
I am on the road to recovery.

I want to share my own creations, 
because not everything
 my doc gave me was 
very tasty. 

RACHEL BECKETT'S FOOL-PROOF SALAD DRESSING:

(BECAUSE LEMON JUICE AND OLIVE OIL TASTE HORRID ON A PILE OF LEAVES):

2 TBL REAL LEMON JUICE (NEVER, EVER, EVER FROM CONCENTRATE....YUCKY)

2 TBL COCONUT OIL (HEAT IN MICROWAVE FOR 15 SECS, THEN STIR TILL ALL MELTS)

1TBS PURE GRADE A MAPLE SYRUP (MUST BE THE REAL DEAL)

I RECOMMEND SQUASHING SOME RED RASPBERRIES INTO THE MIXTURE FOR A TASTY TWIST. 

I really want to write more about my experience, but I lack the time. I will try for tomorrow :)

Run into some trouble...

So, I have concluded a few things since starting this blog.

1. I love the way i feel eating this way. Love it. Less body fat, more lean muscle, more energy.
2. I hate the feeling of being left out of situations. I can't enjoy things with my family.
3. I hate cooking myself individual meals that do not last. There aren't any preservatives, so my meals and leftovers quickly spoil.
4. The holidays were HORRIBLE. I can't even explain how impossible it is to stick to eating healthy on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

and now for the worst of it...

I became horribly ANEMIC. I was already anemic (to the point where I am turned away from blood donation sites), but I became so anemic I lost all energy, couldn't breathe, tired ALL the time. It was frightening. I am now taking a multivitamin and eating red meat. Hince, I gained lbs.



So, 2013 is here, how to solve these issues. I am all ears for suggestions.


H.E.L.P!

Post Baby

After 5 months off with pre-during-and post baby...I am happy to say that I am on a better diet than I've ever been before. Yes, colors...and wholes...as in grains...not just wheat...many others that I've NEVER even heard of until now. *will post more*

Weight @ time of delivery: 235
Weight today: 203
Mood: WONDERFUL
Still on prednisone...

Keeping pace...

I am going to state first and foremost that I am blaming the pregnancy for my hips spreading recently. Man, are they! It can't be the fact that the cold weather makes me hungry, and that I am simply eating everything in sight.

No, it's the hormones...lol.

So, I've been slapping my own wrist as of late, but not hard enough. I am still finding a few cookies inbetween my fingers at times, and snacking on crackers instead of veggies...you know, I'll survive.

Gotta keep going; gotta think bright.

I have not found a marketplace. Money is tight. So, so horribly tight that we will not be buying anything for xmas this year. Not a thing. Our gifts will all be homemade this year...100%. I would love to splurge on the girls, but we'll never get our debts paid off. So, it's afghans, paintings, woodcrafts, ornaments, pillows, dolls, and tiny quilts for all.

I feel fine with this. I can't say I will miss black friday shopping.

This week, I've found RED lettuce twice, types of canned fish twice, RED tomato sauce twice (always make my own sauce with canned tomatos...no produce market near the house), PURPLE raisins almost every morning, oats, homemade breads, YELLOW bananas, ORANGES (which I love, most of all), and of course the regual canned veggies.

...all washed down with PURPLE diet cranberry juice, at times.

It seems, for now (and probably for a long time to come), canned fruits and frozen veggies will have to do.

Weight: 218 (doc says it's good...I wont argue)
Meds: still 5 ml prednesone/day
CPK levels: LOWER :) 360's

Feeling: moody, but content

A Helluva Good Meal...

Sombrero Spaghetti Bake (my own creation)
Here are some pics with descriptions...

Brown .5 lb of beef chuck with .5 lb of chorrizo (I like it extra spicy) with a small onion, chopped. Add garlic powder to taste, if you like.
Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream after the meats brown nicely.

Add a whole can of carrots (or steam fresh, and add). Make sure they are chopped :)
*look how well they blend into the meat mixture.

Be sure to boil your spaghetti noodles :)

Layer of meat mixture.
Toss a little cheese of your liking (I used parm and reg mix)

All of the cooked noodles (I left mine slightly aldente)

Rest of meat mixture with more cheese (I used parm, reg, and shaved havarti)
Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven for 20 min...

...be sure to clean up your mess :)

DONE :D Let cool slightly before indulging!

***Be sure to bring some exra cream to the dining table. You can add extra to your own bowl if the heat is too much for you :)

ENJOY :D

Discount prices....

I made my weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) trip to the supermarkets. We are on the WIC program, and Aldis does not support this program.

I completely understand why. I really do.

But this just creates a complex shopping experience. I HAVE to shop at Wal Mart to pick up the WIC items. It can create a problem for my budget. I prefer to AVOID Wal Mart at all costs when grocery shopping...I WILL leave the store with at least one item I did NOT expect to buy...as we know and have shared this experience.

Moving on...

Aldis sells produce, meats, dairy, honey, whole grains, and a few other nice things at discount prices. Very good for our budget and overall health benifits.

This alotted for a nice array of eats this past week...Whole grain tortillas with peanut butter, banana and honey for breakfast (along with oats, whole grain cereals, and whole grain pita breads). Diet Cranberry juice with a splash of V8 knock-off veg/fruit splasher juice (this last week I actually splurged on the name brand) was added in for an extra kick of vitamins. Skim milk here and there, lots of ice water, NO SODA.



I have completely omitted soda from my grocery list.

I would rather spend the extra money on cheese, milk, butter...anything with substinance. It just seems to make sense...My daugher asked for it for about a week and she hasn't asked again since.

*I do allow for soda during trips on the weekends when we are out and about....only one, though.

Lunches have been the hardest part of it all. I have been catching myself grazing on things...granola, bananas, tortillas, from about 8-10:30 each morning. At least once every hour I have been wanting to eat something small. Once in a while it has been a small piece of dark chocolate. Then when time comes for 'lunch,' it's been very sketchy. Sometimes it's a can of veggie soup, sometimes peanut butter again *ugh.

I am going to sprout a monicle, top hat, and walking stick soon if I keep this up...

I suppose I will go out on a limb this week...dig to the back of my pantry for tuna, salmon, tomato soup...*all of which I am not too excited about...

Lunch, where has your luster gone???

Dinner...is simple. I feed the family a very nutritious meal (last night was quial with greenbeans, a light pasta, and a tangy homemade dipping sauce). Issues with the 'GREENS' still make their pressence known. Once, I used greenbeans AND asparagus in a 'greenbean casserole' and my husband was horribly disturbed after one bite and wouldn't touch a bit more. Same with the little one. I can't stand to waste good food, therefore I am a bit reluctant to make a wholy healthy dinner for the family only to have it gone to waste.

Weight: 214 (and am expected to be 225 by 40 weeks gestation)
*GOOD NEWS: Latest blood tests have shown that my levels went from 460 to 380!
Feeling: nice...a bit sleepy...baby woke up twice last night....and the night before....
***working out again, little by little...on my living room floor during baby nap time....shhh! ;)

Say cheese

I mean that literally :)
I am going to start taking pics of the goings-on throughout the day. Add a little blog-flare to the pages...should be a good thing (Martha Stewart ode).

Oh, Saint Louis.....

STL...it was the best-worst of times this weekend.

I held restraint at the Melting Pot on a four-course fondue journey that eneded in a flombe of dark chocolate, pecans, caramel with cheesecake, brownies, and other dippable goodies. I'm sticking to the belief that dark chocolate is healthy, for the moment.

There were other indulgences...
Taro pudding tea with tapioca bubbles? Yep. Can't put a lable on that one just yet, unless anyone else is knowledgeable in that area of cuisine. Tasty little goobery drink, though.

Breakfast yesterday morning was somewhat a loss. Continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express didn't allot for much more than starch and milk.

Made a trip to the World Market at I170 and hwy 40 that afternoon, followed by Trader Joes. Oh, it was so nice, and alway is, getting to pick little delicacies out from the shelves at the WM. We came home with canned pork liver pate from France (saving for the holidays...if I can hold off), red bean potato/rice balls from Taiwan (YUM), orange blossom honey from Germany, and Lemon curd from Scotland. We picked up some kind of holiday bread that is now in the freezer (it may be a Jewish traditional bread, but it will be a fun addition to xmas dinner this year), and a blueberry glazed goat cheese that sounded too exciting to pass up.

Today's event is going to be an oil change for the baby mobile and then off to Edwardsville for another hunt of a more larger booty of goodies. Any ideas, Lisa?

Weight: haven't checked...
Overal, not feeling too bad today...gonna make the most of it.