Day 6: Making bone broth, eating more vegetables and meat

Today I decided to take the leap and try to make bone broth. The last time I tried, many months ago, I didn't have a crock pot and the mixture ended up charred and stuck to the bottom of my pot, due to a faulty recipe. This time, armed with a crock pot and animal parts that many would see as not fit for human consumption, I had some success. 

I started with two grass-fed beef soup bones. 

 Then I added some steroid-free chicken backs, necks, gizzards, and hearts. I hope the fact that I couldn't find any organic grass-fed free range chicken parts doesn't mean that I actually brewed a hazardous broth.....From now on, I'm just going to freeze the bones whenever I eat chicken to use for bone broth later.

 I put this blend of animal parts (I am a former vegetarian and vegan, so dealing with meat is still surprising to me at times!) in the crock pot, poured in the vegetable broth I made a few days ago, two bay leaves, and enough water to cover it all.

My crock pot doesn't have fancy settings so I just put the lid on and set it to low. I ended up letting it cook for 21 hours, not sure about the ideal timing....

I had some frustrating fun trying to pour the cooled broth through my splatter shield thingy into my jars, need to invest in wire mesh rounded strainer.

Then I sifted through the solids, hunting for the beef I knew had been around those soup bones....

Look! No more marrow in there! 

I'll be making bone broth again and again. I'll keep you updated on further adventures!

Day 6 Foods 

• leftover grass-fed beef
• leftover steamed greens
• 100% ginger herbal tea

• leftover organic unrefined coconut oil and organic unsweetened coconut flakes treats (cool way to get my two tablespoons/day of coconut oil, no?)

• some of the bone broth and the grass-fed beef I found in it :) 

•  leftover grass-fed beef and leftover steamed spinach 

Day 5: Probiotics and frozen coconut, oh my!

Day 5

• Local wild-caught ahi sauteed in olive oil, rosemary, and chives
• steamed red swiss chard
• probiotics supplement 

•  local grass-fed burger with dried chives and sea salt, sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with fresh (U.S. mainland) cilantro on top
• steamed organic kale

•  stew-cut local grass-fed beef sauteed in olive oil, organic ginger powder, and dried chives
• steamed organic spinach and grass-fed beef fat 

• grass-fed burger, sea salt, olive oil, fresh chives, steamed kale 

• frozen organic unrefined coconut oil and unsweetened organic coconut flakes - a sort of coconut cookie :) 

Day 4

 Sustenance today:

• organic collard greens, steamed
• red swiss chard, steamed
• ahi, seasoned with rosemary and sea salt and sauteed in olive oil
• mint and organic unrefined coconut oil tea

• Ground organic chicken burgers with sweet basil and sea salt
• steamed collard greens and red swiss chard

• 2 organic chicken drumsticks, baked with sea salt
• collard greens and red swiss chard
• thin-cut beef sauteed in olive oil, chives, and sea salt
• chamomile tea

Day 3: Staying Strong

Day 3

• 2 organic chicken burgers made with fresh basil and sea salt
• steamed organic kale 
• dried mint tea with coconut oil
• local grass fed beef burgers with dried chives, sea salt, and local grass fed beef fat
• steamed organic kale
• steamed cauliflower

• bagged organic mint tea with organic unrefined coconut oil
• steamed brussels sprouts
• steamed bok choy
• steamed cauliflower

• local grass fed thin cut beef sauteed with olive oil, sea salt, dried chives, and organic ginger powder
• bagged organic mint tea with organic unrefined coconut oil
• local grass fed beef burger with dried chives and sea salt and extra grass fed beef fat 

My good friend Tiffany informed me that I can make the brussels sprouts taste much better by roasting them instead of steaming them. This is good news, because those steamed ones were not my style. I will have to try to roast those buggers next time! 

New Year, New Elimination Diet

I want to take my health into my own hands. Hands that hold my knife and fork, of course. 

The more I research autoimmune diseases, the more I've come to find out about various dietary approaches to improving one's health. I've only reached the tip of the iceberg when it comes to nutritional knowledge, but as I learn I thought I'd share what I found on here, in case others with autoimmune conditions feel as overwhelmed and frustrated as I did only a few days ago, trying to sort through various dietary approaches to find some common ground. 

I've mapped out a strict elimination diet for myself that I am going to follow for the month of January. This will give me a good starting place from which to test out some other foods and see how I react to them, after this month is over. I used recommendations for the Autoimmune Paleo diet as a starting point, but chose to cut out other foods that can be problematic as well. I will post more about what I am and not eating and the reasons why throughout the month. I chose to do a very intense elimination diet - if this isn't your style, there are still other good options for you! I hope the intensity of my elimination diet doesn't turn anyone away from the idea of elimination diets. 

I hope this helps others who are living with autoimmune diseases. 

Here is what I ate these first two days of my strict elimination diet:

Day 1 

I found it so very fitting that this was the message attached to my tea bag, on the first day of this wellness diet. 

• Thin-cut local grass-fed beef, sauteed with dried chives and coconut aminos (which I found out shortly after isn't allowed, so I won't be using it again this month) and steamed kale
• Mint herbal iced tea

• Fresh coconut water
• Fresh coconut meat
• Leftover kale and kale
• Fresh lemongrass and mint herbal iced tea (unsweetened and delicious!)
• Wild-caught Alaskan salmon bakes with dried chives, dried cilantro, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil
• Local hydroponic lettuce

My rumbling stomach late last night let me know that this was not enough food, so today I ate:

Day 2

• 1 can of pole-caught, dolphin-safe tuna in water and salt
• Pinch of unsweetened organic coconut flakes
• Fresh lemongrass and mint herbal iced tea (unsweetened and delicious!)
• Small spoonful or organic unrefined coconut oil with a dash of cinnamon (I was trying to increase my calories, but the cinnamon made me cough for a while - I don't recommend this!)
• 1 local grass-fed burger seasoned with dried herbs de provence spice mix, dried cilantro, sea salt
• 1 chicken drumstick baked with sea salt
• Small spoonful of organic unrefined coconut oil (I don't know how far my taste buds have strayed from the typical person's, but this reminded me of almond joys - yum!)
• Local wild-caught ahi sauteed in olive oil, sea salt, dried chives, and fresh organic rosemary served with steamed cauliflower and brussels sprouts
• Leftover ahi and steamed kale
• About 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 local grass fed burger seasoned with dried herbs and sea salt, with added local grass fed beef fat and organic chicken fat kept from today's cooking

Breadfruit: the new wheat?

I found out last night that a friend of a friend has been experimenting with steamed breadfruit as a primary baked good ingredient, with promising results. She made some breadfruit cookies that look just awesome!

I found a photo of them here, because a fellow blogger posted about the Puna 'Ulu Festival, where those breadfruit cookies proved themselves big time! The following is excerpted from said blog: 

The 1st Place Winner in the Dessert Category also took the overall Best of Show Award.

Pūnana Cookies 

1-1/2 cups ripe 'ulu, steamed

1 cup finely chopped raw, unsalted macadamia nuts

1/2 cup shredded, dried, unsweetened coconut

Pinch sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Homemade liliko'i ginger jelly

Macadamia nut oil for pan, optional 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 

Mash steamed breadfruit using a crank processor, a potato masher or a brief pulse in a blender.  The resulting paste should be sticky and clumpy, like buttermilk frosting. 

Put the macadamia nuts, coconut, salt and cardamom in a mixing bowl and fold in the breadfruit paste, much like mixing butter into a batter until all the ingredients are well incorporated. 

Either wipe a cookie sheet with macadamia oil or use a non-stick cookie sheet.  Take about one tablespoons of breadfruit batter and roll into a ball.  Form the dough into a nest with an impression on top for the jelly.  Wet hands can help form the well-structured nest.  Fill the sheet with the nests about 1 to 2 inches from each other.  Then add about 1/2 a teaspoon of jelly to each nest.  Liliko’i jelly is ono because of its bright, tart flavor, but any firm jam or jelly will work. 

Put the cookie sheet into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom and/or top.  Remove and cool on a rack.  Enjoy! 

Notes: This recipe is easy, healthy (for a dessert), and can be sourced completely locally! Plus, it is vegan and gluten free! 

Yield: about 24 cookies.

Entry by: Raven Hanna and Jeremy Lutes, Pahoa

Awesome, right? I must try these soon.

It turns out that there are some efforts currently underway to dry and pound breadfruit into a flour for import from other countries. Click here to read about one such effort. It's not a grain, so woohoo for us Paleo peeps!

For those who may not know, breadfruit is an awesome tropical plant that you can read more about here!

Want this!

My previous post about almond flour pancakes was made possible by a recipe from Zenbelly that, it turns, out, was an adaptation of a recipe originally created by this lady, Elana Amsterdam  (click the link to go to her website). A whole book with almond flour recipes?! After making yummy cookies, pancakes, and banana bread with almond flour, I am completely sold. Its natural sweetness means less sweetener is needed, too! 

Tender, delicious, almond flour pancakes!

Is it just me, or is food just as beautiful as the most gorgeous models out there?! I do seem to have a singular obsession with the look of certain beautiful foods. Tomatoes, for instance. One of my previous roommates used to laugh at me, because I would buy plump, firm, red tomatoes at the market even though I never liked the taste of tomatoes. I would admire them and let them expire in my vegetable drawer. Wasting food, I know. I don't do it anymore!

No, because I moved onto devouring grain-free, gluten-free, low carb, high-protein pancakes! And what a sight to behold. Almost makes me want to appreciate them visually instead of in a dance of joy with my taste buds. Almost. 

 

Find the recipe here: http://zenbellyblog.com/2012/02/29/fluffy-almond-flour-pancakes/

You will need an electric hand mixer unless you have arms of steel. After one CrossFit workout, I found out I definitely do not! Not yet, that is.

I subbed maple syrup for the honey since I have not re-introduced honey yet. I used coconut milk instead of cream because I haven't re-introduced cream yet. I also didn't use any flax seed; I just didn't have any!

I like to serve these with coconut oil or butter and maples syrup. And bacon and strawberries and bananas. Maybe some eggs too. Grain-free feasting, here we come!

Autoimmune/Paleo/Taste buds-Friendly Chocolate Chunk Cookies!

Chewy and gooey morsels of glory!
A.K.A. Grain-free, gluten-free, mostly dairy-free, low carb, high protein, high antioxidant, fights-for-your-happiness Super Cookie!

A couple of days ago, I had the great good luck to stumble upon a site called The Food Lovers Kitchen. It is a site featuring paleo recipes from a couple on the East Coast. I found them because I was, as was bound to happen soon after I started eating eggs again, scouring the internet for a good recipe for chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour. The recipe I found (http://beta.primal-palate.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookies/) and I are quite happy together. Everyone who has tried the batch I made (a panel of four very experienced eaters who don't follow the Paleo diet) has enjoyed these cookies very much. That is, unless they lied to me. No one eats a free cookie and then says it's bad, right? Have some manners!

I want to give the recipe authors their proper due (how could I really, they deserve gold medals!) so I won't paste the recipe here. I did use refined coconut oil instead of unrefined because I find unrefined to have an overwhelming coconut flavor. If you like coconut chocolate chip cookies, by all means, use unrefined coconut oil. I also only eat %70 dark chocolate, per Chris Kresser's recommendations. So, instead of semisweet chocolate chips, I broke %70 dark chocolate bars into chunks. Yes, my hands were sore by the end of all of that breaking. But I digress...really, what are you still doing reading this? Leave me talking to myself (as usual) and go make yourself some delicious Super Cookies!

Happy eating!

-Emma

Chocolate, berries, more chocolate, and other essentials

My favorite food is chocolate. Following my current version of the Paleo diet means no conventional chocoholic fare, such as brownies or chocolate cake or milk chocolate. What's a girl to do?

Never fear, Lindt's 70% dark chocolate masterpiece is here! 

Take it one square at a time. :)

 A chocolate like no other...

...smooth and creamy like milk chocolate, with the health benefits of dark!



I eat it with raspberries and mac nuts; or with blueberries, raspberries, and mac nuts.

 A chocolatey snack here, a chocolatey snack there....




What about melting it? Brilliant!

Step 1: Break 1-2 squares into small pieces



Microwave for 1 minute.

 Add blueberries. :)

 Or blueberries and mac nuts!

 Or cherries!

Now, revel in the glory of quality chocolate and berries.

Afraid of eating fat?

Let's let Chris Kress, L. Ac answer this one. Click here to see his discussion of dietary fat and health. :)

There is also a documentary called "Fat Head," pictured above, that explores the history of America's fear of eating fat and the real sources of our health issues.

I had a hard time letting myself eat a lot of fat, at first. But, only a few months later and 9 pounds lighter, I feel better than I have in a long time.

It seems our society's fear of dietary fat is based on a slew of misconceptions and distorted studies. The more I learn about the connection between sugar (cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white wheat flour, white rice, etc.) and insulin, the relationships between inflammation and heart issues and autoimmune conditions, and the profit food companies make off of grain products (think the middle aisles of most supermarkets), the more comfortable I feel eating oil galore.

Care to join me?

Autoimmune diet 2-week food log

"What do you eat?"

People often ask me this when they find out that I am not currently eating any grains, legumes, diary products, concentrated sweeteners, or nightshades. I kept a food journal for the first two weeks of my diet (I'm now on week six). I hope this satisfies curious minds. :) P.S. Where a meal is missing, it's because I forgot to jot it down.

My appetite has decreased (yay for loose clothes!) so I need to do a new journal too. Stay tuned. :)

Day 1
Breakfast: baby collards, 2 pieces of bacon
Dinner: bacon/chicken/avocado lettuce "sandwiches," strawberries
Snacks: coconut/date/almond rolls (sold at natural food stores)

Day 2
Breakfast: baby collards, 3 pieces of bacon
Lunch: sirloin steak (ate out at Casa de Luna)
Dinner: chicken/bacon/avocado salad with lime
Snacks: 2 sweet potatoes, 3 cocoa balls, coconut/date/almond roll, strawberries in chocolate/almond butter/coconut cream pudding
Drinks: kombucha, lavender mint herbal tea, Tazo Awake iced tea

Day 3
Breakfast: papaya, apple banana, 1 piece of bacon, 5 slices of honey turkey
Lunch: 1 hot dog, green beans, date/coconut/almond roll
Dinner: Garlic and pepper pork and veggies (ate out at New Chiang Mai)
Snacks: strawberries and blueberries in chocolate, soursop, date roll, tuna salad, strawberry papaya
Drinks: seltzer water and lime, water

Day 4
Breakfast: collards, 3 pieces of bacon
Lunch: 2 small burgers, lettuce, avocado, garlic
Dinner: ham and Chinese peas
Snacks: coconut milk/apple banana/blueberry pudding with macadamias, macadamias, mango, soursop
Drinks: Perrier water, water

Day 5
Breakfast: bacon, mango/banana/papaya/water smoothie
Lunch: lettuce/micro greens/turkey/bacon/chicken/avocado salad
Dinner: laulau
Snacks: apple, mac nuts, sweet potato
Drinks: water, club soda

Day 6
Breakfast: bacon, ham, coconut milk/mango/banana/pineapple smoothie
Lunch: roast beef and avocado salad
Dinner: beef/veggies/coconut aminos stir fry
Snacks: figs, almonds, green beans, dark chocolate and coconut oil, banana
Drinks: iced tea, lemon water, water

Day 7
Breakfast: turkey, bacon, green beans
Lunch: 2 small burgers, chard
Dinner: butter lettuce, avocado, organic uncured hot dog
Snacks: 2 cocoa balls, 2 bananas, coconut/mango/pineapple/banana smoothie, papaya with lemon, mac
nuts
Drinks: Ayala's ginger lemongrass herbal water

Day 8
Breakfast: Bacon, collards, coconut milk/pineapple/banana smoothie
Lunch/Dinner: Beef/pork sausaga, taro fried in coconut oil
Snacks: chocolate and coconut oil, blueberries, baby carrots, 1 cocoa ball, banana
Drinks: lemon water, water

Day 9
Breakfast: Beef/pork sausage, fried taro
Lunch/Dinner: Lettuce, beef/pork sausage
Snacks: apple, 2 cocoa balls, macadamia nuts, chocolate, figs, almonds, coconut milk/water/banana/pineapple smoothie, 1 apple with cinnamon and nutmeg, sweet potato, mango

Day 10
Breakfast: coconut milk smoothie
Lunch: Chicken thigh, Chinese peas
Dinner: honey turkey, carrots
Snacks: cocoa balls, cucumbers, carrots, strawberries

Day 11
Breakfast: Coconut milk/blueberries/banana/;pineapple smoothie
Lunch: Lettuce/turkey/dijon wraps
Dinner: Kalua pork and cabbage, salad
Snacks: 3 pieces of bacon, strawberries, taro, 2 date balls, microwaved apples, papaya

Day 12
Breakfast: collards, 1 organic hot dog
Lunch: 1 head butter lettuce, 1/2 of an avocado, honey turkey
Dinner: Coconut milk/banana/pineapple/peach smoothie
Snacks: 1 cocoa ball, 2 pieces of dark chocolate, blueberries, figs, almonds, sweet potato

Day 13
Breakfast: collards, ham, turkey
Lunch: Turkey, carrot cucumber, greens salad
Dinner: beef/broth/bacon/carrot/onion stew
Snacks: baby carrots, taro chips, raspberry chocolate, strawberries, coconut milk/strawberries/banana/pineapple smoothie
Drinks: Green chia kombucha

Day 14
Breakfast: ham, collards
Lunch: 1 head lettuce, smoked turkey, 2 pieces of bacon, avocado
Dinner: 1 chicken thigh, snap peas
Snacks: 1 strawberry papaya, coconut milk and chocolate pudding, strawberries, sweet potato, fig, almonds, portuguese sausage, mango
Drinks: water