Christmas in My Belly

This is probably going to strike many as freakish but too much sugar makes me sick…literally. You are not going to see me stuffing my face with treats for several reasons: 1. I treat myself all year round to quality chocolates 2. My stomach has been sensitive the last month so I’m taking extra caution and not abusing it with junk 3. I’m intolerant to gluten/dairy (most people bake with those ingredients making it impossible for me to eat). Do not feel sorry for me! I make my own gluten free/dairy free treats!  I’ve been packing foods to take over Christmas holiday to my parents home. The list may shock you but these are the foods that make me feel like a shining star and taste delicious! The Vita-Mix is coming along because I use it once if not twice daily! The fam doesn’t own a blender or a food processor! It’s hard to believe sometimes!

Making a list…checking it _____

-raw almonds, apple pie larabar, can of sardines, can of tuna, hemp protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, butternut squash soup, gluten free rolled oats, this dark chocolate bar, an avocado and these raw crackers I made from Gena’s recipe. My juice had kale, broccoli, celery & parsley and I added herbs/spices to suit my own tastes. I added turmeric for anti-inflammatory properties and a spicy curry for some kick! These are super simple and I am so glad I’m not wasting pulp! It also made a ton of crackers!

Look at how pretty they are pre-scored and ready to ‘uncook’

I had nearly 3 cups worth of pulp so I made a snack with half cup using apple cider vinegar, curry, lemon juice, salt, artichoke hearts, tomato & squash slices for dipping.  I also used this super mix for olive oil that we received as a Christmas gift. They bought it from Etsy! FABULOUS!!

This was really great and an amazing source of fiber! You may have noticed I’m hitting the veggies hard lately and that’s for good reason! I will be having meat dishes with my in laws and family. As much as I love a quality piece of well cooked protein, I do not feel the need to eat it every single day and nor does my stomach (it lets me know!).

1. Do you bring food with you when staying for more than a couple days?

2. What’s your favorite thing to eat this time of year?

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Apparently, the cosmos are smiling on me as I won 2 giveaways in the past 2 weeks?! I’m waiting for a pair of FILA toning pants from Mizfit’s giveaway and will be sure to review them as soon as I try them out! Today, I found out I won Averie’s giveaway. The thing about Sarris Candy is that it is so nostalgic for me. The candy shoppe was about an hour drive from my childhood home and it was a tradition that our Easter and Christmas candy would come from their store. I’ve sampled many chocolate bunnies and peanut butter meltaways from that place trust me! This box will be a gift to my family as I know they love it very much!

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the stevia talk. I definitely do not support using an overabundance of one particular food everyday. This even goes for veggies like spinach or beets. Too much of these guys and you’re looking at high levels of oxalic acid which can produce bad gut problems and kidney stones. Moderation and variety are crucial to your body making the most of the energy it gets from food week to week. To give you an example, I’ll post what I bought 2 weeks ago versus what I chose this week in terms of “rotating” Some repeats are fine, just not everything. I like to keep my body guessing Why limit yourself?

Old list:

-red leaf lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, raw almonds, avocado,  almond butter,  broccoli, beets, pumpkin, banana, pear, fig, apple cinnamon larabars, mary’s gone raw crackers, sardines, chicken.

List for this week:

-collard greens, celery, carrots, raw cashews, flax seeds, avocado, papaya, butternut squash soup, tahini,  turnip, brussel sprouts, sweet potato, banana, still have some figs to finish, tuna, salmon.

Things I already have in my pantry to rotate for morning smoothie or snack:

-chia seeds, hemp protein powder, coconut flour for pancakes

Merry early Christmas to me…I am planning on making my own nut mylk from now on due to the better taste and lack of gut irritating stabilizers from homeade mylk. I got a nut mylk bag from Laury’s open sky store. Can’t wait to use it for juicing as well and uncook some pulp crackers ala Gena!

Now some incentive to eat whole foods with healthy fats! This is a picture from winter 2008 before I started eating this way. I’d say my diet mainly consisted of sugar free/fat free everything with a ton of Kashi products. I never cooked, I just ate cereal, bread or bars haha.  Look at the length of my hair…it’s grown 8 inches since then! A very recent photo of the coif is here.

1. Did anyone brave the mall for shopping today? You couldn’t have paid me! I spent my day relaxing, painting my toes a holly berry red and making candy for gifts.

2. Are you finished with work yet? I’m working M,T,W and on holiday Thursday-Tuesday WOOT!

Three Years October 26, 2007

You are the love of my life

Here’s to every moment and memory past, present and future. . .

I am so excited to experience this path we’ve chosen together. Our future is so bright! I will love you always darling x