As most of you know, we recently found out that we are expecting Baby #5! This means some slight modifications to our rules...a.k.a...there are no more rules. During my first trimester, and just a bit beyond it, the Palmer family goes into survival mode. I am usually very sick, with a crazy version of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. It severely effects my ability to function as a normal human being, and the last thing I want to think about is cooking. I still do what I can, but I do relax things a little by buying bread and yogurt rather than making them, and we tend to eat out more, simply because there will likely be several days on which I can barely make it from the bed to the couch in the morning, then back to bed at night.
I am happy to report, however, that while I am haven't felt "good" for the past few days, since my symptoms started, I have still been feeling well enough to do everything I need to. We did eat out one day this week, and I felt pretty sick after that, probably because of all of the yucky ingredients that are inevitably in most foods you would order out, unless you eating at a restaurant that is very intentionally avoiding such ingredients.
Because I would like to stay feeling my best for everyone's sake, we will continue to avoid processed foods as much as possible, since that seems to be the only thing that aggravates my stomach. That being said, there will probably times that we eat out, and not at the healthiest places, because we live live in the real world, and I won't always be prepared with something else or just won't feel like making anything, and my husband is always gracious enough to excuse me from my duties during this time.
Would you be willing to pray with us and for us during this time? While it is an unpleasant season, it is never wasted. God uses this time, when I am able to do very little for myself, to remind me that I am always reliant on Him for all things, at my best or at my worst.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
Some Favorites and a Real Life Confession
Because we have an entire family of good eaters, we have all been able to enjoy this food transition. We already ate mostly whole foods, I already made pretty much everything from scratch, so it was more of a transition of the ingredients I was allowing myself to use, and enjoying a little less variety in our meals. Still, we have had a few things that I will make again and again, regardless of our dietary stipulations.
Paleo Meatballs
Ridiculously versatile, we ate them with a sauce made from pan drippings and balsamic vinegar, in marinara over spaghetti squash "noodles", and then took the rest to snack on while walking around the Safari Park yesterday. They are easy to make in bulk and freeze well.
Recipe
Gently roll into 1-1 ½ inch balls, don't smash them together, just roll them enough so they stay together. Brown over med-high heat in batches, in a skillet or frying pan. They take approximately 3-4 min per side, but this will vary with size, skillet, and stove. Try to turn them only once so they get a good crust on each side. The seasonings are very flexible, feel free to use any combination that suits you, I do recommend seasoning heavily though, especially if you intend to eat them without sauce.
Leftover Chicken Taco Salad
This is about as complicated as it sounds!:) I made chicken strips for dinner and had a few leftover, so the next day for lunch I chopped them up and heated the pieces with some canned black beans in a skillet and sprinkled some cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over the top. In another pan I sautéed some sliced onions and jalapeños in some bacon grease for those who wanted it. Once the chicken was warmed through, I turned off the heat, and squeezed a lime over all of it. I put chopped lettuce, tomato, and avocado in everyone's bowls, squeezed more lime over that, then topped with the chicken mixture. Done! Everyone had seconds and asked when we could have it again.
Confession
In the midst of real life, even through the best meal plans and food prep, things fall through, and that's okay! Yesterday, like I mentioned above, we went to the Safari Park. We ate a huge breakfast of eggs, sausage, potatoes, and fried apples. We brought meatballs, trail mix, peaches, and plenty of water. Despite all this, when we were ready to go home around 1:30, we were all famished. Home was about 30 mins away and we were all worn out, so we made an executive decision to eat out. We chose Mexican food so that we could avoid still avoid gluten and sugar easily. It was refreshing and delicious, and we don't regret it one bit.
We talked about the fact that while we are still doing this clean-eating thing, we weren't going to be slaves to it. Also, now that we are close to the 2 week point, we will be relaxing the rules slowly, allowing some grains, starting with non-gmo corn, and some natural sugars like maple syrup and raw honey.
As a side note, we also did a few non-dairy days this week, and there were only some minor differences we noticed. I think we determined that raw milk is by far the most digestible dairy product we consume, followed closely by yogurt and butter, but there is a large difference between those and cheese, so we will only indulge in that occasionally, and in the most natural forms possible.
Paleo Meatballs
Ridiculously versatile, we ate them with a sauce made from pan drippings and balsamic vinegar, in marinara over spaghetti squash "noodles", and then took the rest to snack on while walking around the Safari Park yesterday. They are easy to make in bulk and freeze well.
Recipe
- 3 lbs of ground pork and beef (I used a 50/50 mix we get from a local farm, but any combination should work)
- 3 eggs or flax eggs (I used the later)
- 2 cups of finely chopped baby spinach
- 1 tsp each of the following:
- salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- ½ tsp of nutmeg
Gently roll into 1-1 ½ inch balls, don't smash them together, just roll them enough so they stay together. Brown over med-high heat in batches, in a skillet or frying pan. They take approximately 3-4 min per side, but this will vary with size, skillet, and stove. Try to turn them only once so they get a good crust on each side. The seasonings are very flexible, feel free to use any combination that suits you, I do recommend seasoning heavily though, especially if you intend to eat them without sauce.
Leftover Chicken Taco Salad
This is about as complicated as it sounds!:) I made chicken strips for dinner and had a few leftover, so the next day for lunch I chopped them up and heated the pieces with some canned black beans in a skillet and sprinkled some cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over the top. In another pan I sautéed some sliced onions and jalapeños in some bacon grease for those who wanted it. Once the chicken was warmed through, I turned off the heat, and squeezed a lime over all of it. I put chopped lettuce, tomato, and avocado in everyone's bowls, squeezed more lime over that, then topped with the chicken mixture. Done! Everyone had seconds and asked when we could have it again.
Confession
In the midst of real life, even through the best meal plans and food prep, things fall through, and that's okay! Yesterday, like I mentioned above, we went to the Safari Park. We ate a huge breakfast of eggs, sausage, potatoes, and fried apples. We brought meatballs, trail mix, peaches, and plenty of water. Despite all this, when we were ready to go home around 1:30, we were all famished. Home was about 30 mins away and we were all worn out, so we made an executive decision to eat out. We chose Mexican food so that we could avoid still avoid gluten and sugar easily. It was refreshing and delicious, and we don't regret it one bit.
We talked about the fact that while we are still doing this clean-eating thing, we weren't going to be slaves to it. Also, now that we are close to the 2 week point, we will be relaxing the rules slowly, allowing some grains, starting with non-gmo corn, and some natural sugars like maple syrup and raw honey.
As a side note, we also did a few non-dairy days this week, and there were only some minor differences we noticed. I think we determined that raw milk is by far the most digestible dairy product we consume, followed closely by yogurt and butter, but there is a large difference between those and cheese, so we will only indulge in that occasionally, and in the most natural forms possible.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Raw Milk Fast
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| Image Source: chapters.westonaprice.org |
The Method:
He did it for about three days, drinking only coffee (black and only one cup in the morning), raw milk (whenever he felt hungry), and water for whenever he thirsty (but not hungry).
We were a little nervous because a) He had never done any sort of fast, b) He's displayed signs of lactose intolerance in the past, and c) We were unsure if the milk would actually fill him and sustain him.
Disclaimer: I would absolutely NEVER recommend that anyone do this with any milk, but raw milk. Pasteurized, homogenized milk that you buy in the grocery store is so far removed from it's original form that they really shouldn't even call it milk anymore.
The Results:
He did great! There were none of the stomach issues he's had with "regular" milk in the past, he felt full after drinking it, and he had plenty of energy. He did have a short detox phase of a few hours of headaches on and off, but that was to be expected, and essential oils helped soften them. He did the fast for 3 days and lost four pounds the first day, two on the second day, and two on the third day. Also, he has continued to lose weight since going back to eating regularly...well, regular for us right now.:) Just before starting, he felt like he was coming down with a cold, so we were also concerned a little about going against the rule of drinking milk while congested, but apparently that rule only applies to processed milk. He healed quickly (of course, we used oils as well), and actually slept much better and with his mouth closed! This was the most amazing thing to me, since as long as we've been married he's only breathed through his mouth when he sleeps, and while I am aware this is "normal" for a lot of people, I still don't think it is normal or as restful as breathing through your nose when you sleep.
Conclusion:
We were already fairly convinced of the amazingness of raw milk, but now we are sure of it. We will continue to avoid processed milk as much as possible. He will continue to do this sort of fast periodically, and I will join him when we get to a point where I am not supporting another's nourishment with my own body, simply because the calorie intake would be to low to support that.
I would encourage everyone to consider whether your body is reacting negatively to the processed milk that you drink or consume in other forms. We really didn't realize how many ways it was effecting him until this fast. Also, if you do produce more mucus when you drink milk, please be aware that mucus production is an immune response, the same as your body trying to get any other foreign, unwelcome substance out of your body, and that stomach issues are not the only indication of a food intolerance.
Thank you for reading, and I hope this is helpful to someone else who is on a journey to better health as well!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Clean Eating: Week 1
I meant to do a post last week explaining what we were about to do, but that obviously didn't happen, so here we are, one week (or so) in.
I have been wanting to do some sort of cleanse for a couple of years, but between pregnancies and nursing babies, moves, and stays with family, it seemed pretty much impossible. And I wanted something manageable, something that worked for a family, something that would help encourage more of a lifestyle change rather than a juice binge of some sort. I also wanted to break all of our addictions to sugar. The more I read, the more I felt like I couldn't eat anything, and I would pretty much have to wait until I was going through menopause to do any sort of cleanse. So I decided to make up my own version, targeting the areas of concern for our family. I have a couple of children who I think may have mild allergies/intolerances of some sort because of tummy troubles and eczema, so that was a factor as well.
Here are the rules:
No added sugar, in any form including sugar, honey, syrups, etc. We still eat fruit, but try to eat mostly ones low in sugar. We do use organic raw cane sugar to brew kombucha (a probiotic rich drink), but the bacteria in it feed on the sugar as it brews, so I made an exception for that.
No gluten, which pairs well with the first, since most things I make with wheat call for some sort of sugar as well.
No grains at all for the first week (and it's looking like it will continue into the second), this was mainly just a cooking challenge to myself...and no one has really seemed to mind.
No legumes, unless they are heavily soaked and sprouted first. A lot of eliminations diets exclude legumes entirely, but I refuse to go that far (that being said, there are only a handful of meals that they will be included in, but that's just the way it worked out). Sprouting makes a huge difference in the digestibility of legumes, and they are a great source of protein, so I am comfortable serving them.
No (or almost no) processed food. The reason I put "almost no" is because I am still buying pre-made nut butters (just nuts and salt). Everything else is from scratch, mainly because that makes it easier to follow the rules, I never have to wonder what's in it if I made it.
Less dairy. We only drink raw milk, and since making this switch, any issues we had with dairy products have resolved. Nathan was actually able to do a raw milk fast for a few days during the beginning of the week, which I'll write about in a future post. If we didn't have a source of raw milk, I would eliminate milk. Also, we are still eating homemade yogurt. I did let us have a couple slices of cheese with some lunches this week and some chèvre in our quiche, but that's about it. The bulk of our cheese consumption came by way of quesadillas, pasta, and sandwiches, so most of that was eliminated anyway. And we still use butter a bit here and there.
So what can we eat?
As much as we want of meat, eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, raw milk, and yogurt. There are no fat or calorie limitations. It really is very manageable. Once our sugar cravings subsided (after about 3 days), things got much easier.
In the first 2-3 days, we were all a little grumpy, had headaches, and our tummies weren't feeling 100%. Kombucha helped a lot with tummy troubles, our essential oils helped a lot for headaches and grumpiness, and we just had to be strong through cravings. Fresh air helped us all a lot too, so we have started spending our evenings outside on walks or letting the kids play at the park. They spend hours outside anyway, but going somewhere forces Nathan and I outside as well.
If having a family, especially one with small children has kept you from making diet changes, please know that it is totally doable! Although this is short term for us, we plan to continue using it as a basis for our normal eating habits long term.
I have been wanting to do some sort of cleanse for a couple of years, but between pregnancies and nursing babies, moves, and stays with family, it seemed pretty much impossible. And I wanted something manageable, something that worked for a family, something that would help encourage more of a lifestyle change rather than a juice binge of some sort. I also wanted to break all of our addictions to sugar. The more I read, the more I felt like I couldn't eat anything, and I would pretty much have to wait until I was going through menopause to do any sort of cleanse. So I decided to make up my own version, targeting the areas of concern for our family. I have a couple of children who I think may have mild allergies/intolerances of some sort because of tummy troubles and eczema, so that was a factor as well.
Here are the rules:
No added sugar, in any form including sugar, honey, syrups, etc. We still eat fruit, but try to eat mostly ones low in sugar. We do use organic raw cane sugar to brew kombucha (a probiotic rich drink), but the bacteria in it feed on the sugar as it brews, so I made an exception for that.
No gluten, which pairs well with the first, since most things I make with wheat call for some sort of sugar as well.
No grains at all for the first week (and it's looking like it will continue into the second), this was mainly just a cooking challenge to myself...and no one has really seemed to mind.
No legumes, unless they are heavily soaked and sprouted first. A lot of eliminations diets exclude legumes entirely, but I refuse to go that far (that being said, there are only a handful of meals that they will be included in, but that's just the way it worked out). Sprouting makes a huge difference in the digestibility of legumes, and they are a great source of protein, so I am comfortable serving them.
No (or almost no) processed food. The reason I put "almost no" is because I am still buying pre-made nut butters (just nuts and salt). Everything else is from scratch, mainly because that makes it easier to follow the rules, I never have to wonder what's in it if I made it.
Less dairy. We only drink raw milk, and since making this switch, any issues we had with dairy products have resolved. Nathan was actually able to do a raw milk fast for a few days during the beginning of the week, which I'll write about in a future post. If we didn't have a source of raw milk, I would eliminate milk. Also, we are still eating homemade yogurt. I did let us have a couple slices of cheese with some lunches this week and some chèvre in our quiche, but that's about it. The bulk of our cheese consumption came by way of quesadillas, pasta, and sandwiches, so most of that was eliminated anyway. And we still use butter a bit here and there.
So what can we eat?
As much as we want of meat, eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, raw milk, and yogurt. There are no fat or calorie limitations. It really is very manageable. Once our sugar cravings subsided (after about 3 days), things got much easier.
In the first 2-3 days, we were all a little grumpy, had headaches, and our tummies weren't feeling 100%. Kombucha helped a lot with tummy troubles, our essential oils helped a lot for headaches and grumpiness, and we just had to be strong through cravings. Fresh air helped us all a lot too, so we have started spending our evenings outside on walks or letting the kids play at the park. They spend hours outside anyway, but going somewhere forces Nathan and I outside as well.
If having a family, especially one with small children has kept you from making diet changes, please know that it is totally doable! Although this is short term for us, we plan to continue using it as a basis for our normal eating habits long term.
Friday, September 12, 2014
A Deployment Experience: The View from the Homefront
I have thought about writing about our first deployment for so long, trying to figure out the right words, words to communicate our experience without making it into something bigger than it was. On the front end, I had planned to blog throughout the entire seven months that we were apart, but when it came down to it, I couldn't. There was so much fear and anxiety that I didn't feel safe sharing anywhere but in my prayers until it was over.
We stayed with Nathan's parents in Mobile, AL (I don't even know how many times I thanked Nathan during and after deployment for being willing to move us out there so temporarily), and it was a blessing in more ways than I can find words to explain. There are so many sweet memories from that time, friendships that we wouldn't otherwise have, and stronger relationships with family that we spent time with. We also had the privilege of sitting under Dr. Steven Lawson's preaching. At a time when I was needing rich spiritual food the most, I was consistently being fed, and fed well. We were able to visit our dear friends in Auburn both without and then with Nathan, which was wonderful, as always.
I gained confidence in my ability to train, teach, and love my children, mainly because I had no choice but to rely on Christ's strength to make it through each day, and therefore, was able. I learned that the world did not end without Nathan there (although some days, I thought it might), and that time will not stand still nor speed up no matter how desperately you want it to. I was reminded of God's faithfulness often, in little things that went right that shouldn't have, and in things that went wrong that brought me to my knees when I needed it, but had been being stubborn.
I learned that the reason deployment seemed so awful is not because it, in and of itself, is so bad, or because of the logistical challenge of caring for small children alone, but because I am married to "the one whom my soul loves". The only problem with being in a marriage that is characterized by being best friends, who never get sick of each other, and would never rather be anywhere else but together is...that it is terribly painful to be apart. I remember being surprised to hear myself laugh out loud during one of our infrequent phone calls, and not being able to remember the last time I had really laughed. My cheeks would hurt from smiling so much when we talked. It's not that I never smiled, laughed or enjoyed anything, but that I was apart from my literal "other half" and therefore unable to ever be completely happy, every emotion I felt was dim. This is not to say that I did not have joy, that was another thing I learned...it is entirely possible to be sad, but still have great joy and satisfaction in Christ.
Our faith, marriage, and family are stronger than ever because of this experience. There are things you learn about yourself, each other, and, most importantly, about God and His intimate care for you when you are put in situations that threaten to break you...things you can't learn otherwise. While there is time without each other that we cannot get back, our children are not scarred, our love has not dimmed, and our God in no less faithful because of it.
We are so very thankful to all of the family and friends that supported us throughout this trial, and to God for sustaining us and refining us through it. And, needless to say, we are happier than ever to be back together again!
We stayed with Nathan's parents in Mobile, AL (I don't even know how many times I thanked Nathan during and after deployment for being willing to move us out there so temporarily), and it was a blessing in more ways than I can find words to explain. There are so many sweet memories from that time, friendships that we wouldn't otherwise have, and stronger relationships with family that we spent time with. We also had the privilege of sitting under Dr. Steven Lawson's preaching. At a time when I was needing rich spiritual food the most, I was consistently being fed, and fed well. We were able to visit our dear friends in Auburn both without and then with Nathan, which was wonderful, as always.
I gained confidence in my ability to train, teach, and love my children, mainly because I had no choice but to rely on Christ's strength to make it through each day, and therefore, was able. I learned that the world did not end without Nathan there (although some days, I thought it might), and that time will not stand still nor speed up no matter how desperately you want it to. I was reminded of God's faithfulness often, in little things that went right that shouldn't have, and in things that went wrong that brought me to my knees when I needed it, but had been being stubborn.
I learned that the reason deployment seemed so awful is not because it, in and of itself, is so bad, or because of the logistical challenge of caring for small children alone, but because I am married to "the one whom my soul loves". The only problem with being in a marriage that is characterized by being best friends, who never get sick of each other, and would never rather be anywhere else but together is...that it is terribly painful to be apart. I remember being surprised to hear myself laugh out loud during one of our infrequent phone calls, and not being able to remember the last time I had really laughed. My cheeks would hurt from smiling so much when we talked. It's not that I never smiled, laughed or enjoyed anything, but that I was apart from my literal "other half" and therefore unable to ever be completely happy, every emotion I felt was dim. This is not to say that I did not have joy, that was another thing I learned...it is entirely possible to be sad, but still have great joy and satisfaction in Christ.
Our faith, marriage, and family are stronger than ever because of this experience. There are things you learn about yourself, each other, and, most importantly, about God and His intimate care for you when you are put in situations that threaten to break you...things you can't learn otherwise. While there is time without each other that we cannot get back, our children are not scarred, our love has not dimmed, and our God in no less faithful because of it.
We are so very thankful to all of the family and friends that supported us throughout this trial, and to God for sustaining us and refining us through it. And, needless to say, we are happier than ever to be back together again!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Still Here!
Wow! I'm pretty sure I just took the longest unintentional break ever in the history of blogs. Apparently having a new baby and then having your husband go on deployment, and moving cross country twice in the process will do that, but I'm back! I have had time to experience and think about a few things that I am excited to write about and share, but thought my breaking the silence was enough of a shock all on its own.:)
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