How to Manage a Cold with THM Foods

This week, after my partner suffered from a terrible cold, I started to wake up each morning with a hint of a sore throat. "Hmmm, I must be next," I thought each morning...until I had my daily protein-rich skinny chocolate for breakfast and it went away completely! I was grateful for the reprieve as, right now, we are needing to be careful with our finances and I work for myself. Amazingly, as long as I ate S meals, I could keep my cold at bay. However, as the weekend came, I knew I needed to confront it eventually. I switched up my fuel types and let myself get sick.

That's pretty amazing, isn't it, to be able to press "Pause" on a cold! One of the many side bonuses of being a Trim Healthy Mama.

So now that I am sick, what have I discovered about how to heal well as a Trim Healthy Mama? Well, first, I have learned that we are wonderfully made. It is a blessing for me to be forced to rest in God, and be completely reliant on Divine Love to guide me and help me get better. If we never got sick, it would be hard to remember that we are just human. It's easy to think of ourselves as quite the big shots, until we are flat on our backs with some illness or another. Most times I get sick, when I am well again, I am better than ever. That is, God uses my times of illness to work on my heart and help me grow. Thank goodness for the common cold, and especially, for God's wisdom and generous love.

So what is a sneezing, sniffling, hoarse, coughing, sleepy Trim Healthy Mama to live on? Let's start with drinks. 

I have found that the things I enjoy when I am well-- like big jugs of water, flavored with lemon juice, grated ginger and salt-- actually have made me feel worse during this cold. I have found that hot liquids are key to healing quickly and reducing suffering in the meantime. Try to drink just as many fluids as you normally would, just have them hot. Yesterday, I drank 4 quarts of hot herbal tea (one teabag per quart jar; cover to intensify steeping), two quarts of homemade chicken broth with sea salt (I usually only have with a meal, even though FP, but made an exception here) and one quart of homemade mushroom broth. I also made a quart of tea before bed and wrapped it in a wool blanket so I could get up and drink it in the middle of the night, when my congestion is the worst. It was wonderful!

And for food?

I am an unapologetic purist, whole foods THM with some food allergies. So, I always have clean lettuce and homemade broth in my fridge and bite size frozen chicken breast, and beef and turkey meatballs in my freezer. These have helped me out big time! I know that every cold is different, but here are the foods that have really helped relieve my cold symptoms this time around. 

-stir-fry: cabbage, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and ground turkey breast cooked in 1t coconut oil

-salad: huge bowl of lettuce with cilantro, parsley, orange pepper, a can of salmon and lemon juice

-simple chicken soup: chicken breast with mushrooms and garlic cooked in homemade broth

-ragout: zucchini, onion, garlic, a tomato and chicken breast cooked in 1t coconut oil

-another salad: big bowl of lettuce with cilantro, parsley, tomato and a package of water-packed sardines, drizzled with naturally fermented soy sauce and lemon juice

You'll notice that all these meals are Fuel Pull (or, Fun Protein as my partner calls them!). I did this deliberately for a day because really, I need to be sick this weekend, and better by Monday if possible. :) I didn't want to delay the onset any more with S meals, or intensify the illness needlessly with E meals on the worst day of illness. I'm switching to E meals for day two of my cold, once I'm feeling a bit better. 

I hope these suggestions help you have a sweet, healing time with your Creator, and get well soon! 

Update Sunday morning: I'm feeling much better today! My sore throat and the pressure in my head are gone; it really feels like this cold is behind me. I'm grateful to Jesus for hearing my prayers in the night when I was uncomfortable and easing my way. Now, I'm super duper excited for an S day to speedily clear out the remains of my cold. Skinny chocolate, here I come! :)

Many thanks to Serene and Pearl for the versatile, wonderful tool of THM, effectively put to use here to move along my cold speedily! 

Just to review here is the approach I took:

To delay onset of cold: S days only (no more than 3 days)

To bring on cold when ready to deal with it: FP day, hot liquids

To intensify symptoms and work through cold: E day, hot liquids

To clear out remains of cold once better: S day

Bone Broth, AKA Fruits of the Spirit Juice

Can a food really make you more patient, more loving and more kind? This one can. How many recipes can do that? :)

I experience much greater health and happiness if I eat 2c of broth every day. It is the ultimate in fast food, too. It's great in a mug with a little sea salt, or heat it up with some meat and vegetables added and you have a gourmet meal in a matter of minutes. Broth, how do I love thee...let me count the ways! 

Basic Broth Recipe

Carcass from roasted chicken or turkey, picked clean (yum!), or beef / goat / pork bones, roasted at 350 until they smell delicious

Carrot

2 ribs celery

2 mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

1 onion or leek

4-6 peppercorns

Combine ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil and simmer 24 hours.  Fill sink with cold water. Meanwhile, strain liquid into a different pot (if you have one). Place pot of strained broth in sink until no longer hot, but still plenty warm. Pour into quart-sized canning jars and cover with bands and lids. Return jars to sinkful of water to finish cooling. Some jars will seal. Put these at the back of the fridge; they will keep longer than the others. Use broth within 10 days. This recipe is very light, for THM you can use it as S or skim off most fat for E or FP.

Cookie Dough!! (gf, df, sweetener free, THM FP)

Ohhh I nearly lost my countenance tonight. Supper was very good, but not filling enough for this hungry gal, and my usual stand-bys were not going to cut it. I craved variety. I headed on over to the blog Whole New Mom because I was thinking of making her Chocolate or Carob Chia Seed Pudding into a FP recipe, and this somehow resulted. Mmm. I have a feeling I'll be making this again very soon!!! :) When I do, I'll snap a photo.

FP Allergen Free Cookie Dough

1T chia seeds

Pinch salt 

1T carob

contents of 1 capsule sunflower lecithin

1/4t vanilla

2T water

1T brazil nut protein powder

Using a ball jar attached to your blender, grind chia seeds alone until powdery. Add other ingredients except water and brazil nut protein powder and blend again. Remove from blender and stir in remaining ingredients. Eat with a spoon and feel decadent. :)

5.12g fat

4.6g usable carb

7g protein

Cran-Raspberry Pudding (FP, GF, DF, purist-friendly, sweetener free)

This beautiful FP pudding brings back childhood memories of yummy juiceboxes at lunch. It is so light, it is the perfect slimming late-night snack!

Editorial note: I had been sugar- and sweetener-free for a couple of months before developing this recipe. It is tart. If you like, you can add a desired amount of sweetener along with the salt and the lemon extract, or use a full Tablespoon of coconut butter to make the recipe a sweeter-tasting S treat. 

1c warm water

2T gelatin

1/4t salt

1/4t lemon extract

1t coconut butter (or 1T for a sweeter, S treat)

Handful frozen raspberries (1/4c)

Handful frozen cranberries (1/4c)

4 or more ice cubes

Whiz warm water in blender, and while blender is running add gelatin. Add salt, lemon extract and coconut butter. Assemble frozen goods on the counter, and working quickly, add cranberries, raspberries and 4 ice cubes. Allow blender to run. It may thicken after a few moments. Turn off blender and pour into bowl. Depending on the temperature of your water and the size of your ice cubes, you may need to add more ice to achieve a temperature low enough to thicken. Serves one. Enjoy!!! 

Nutter Butter Pudding (FP)

(Action shot: adding the ice cubes)

Wowser, that was a good breakfast. Blog post worthy. Yaaay! It's been a little while since a meal swept me off my feet so I'm thrilled. And I cannot believe it is FP! It is so good and so filling!

I've been trying to integrate brazil nut protein powder into puddings for a week or so. Happily, 2T of protein powder and 1T of banana are a match made in heaven. The texture is perfect-- creamy, rich and light at the same time. 

3/4c very warm water

2T gelatin

1t coconut butter

1/4t salt

2T brazil nut protein powder

1t maca powder

1T cocoa powder

Splash of vanilla

1T banana (I just cut off a piece of a frozen one)

4 or more ice cubes

Place warm water in the blender. While running, gradually add gelatin and coconut butter. Allow to whiz while assembling other ingredients. Add salt, brazil nut protein powder, maca, cocoa powder and vanilla. Next, add banana and blend well. Then add ice cubes in short succession. Blend until mixture is thick. If mixture doesn't thicken, it just isn't cold enough yet; add more ice cubes until it does. Enjoy!

Serves one.

Banana 2g carb

Coconut butter 3g fat 1g carb 

Brazil nut protein powder 1g fat 3g carb 10g protein

Cocoa powder 1g fat 1g carb 1g protein

Gelatin 18g protein

Fat 5g 

Usable Carbohydrate 7g 

Protein 28g

Cafe Mocha Pudding FP (gf, df, sweetener free)

This pudding is in honor of my mom. She taught me that a good meal, made from scratch, can solve just about everything. Thanks to her, I learned how to keep a proper pantry, always eat good food and never run out of eggs. ;) 

This recipe reminds me of her because she loves coffee ice cream, and has had a lifelong love of France and all things French since first visiting there in college. Despite working full-time and raising three daughters she has followed her heart and returned there many times. She has been married to my dad for more than forty years. 

My mom is super creative, and even during the busiest times she had projects going... handknits for us girls, handsewn clothes for herself. These days her medium of choice is quilting. 

And she can teach, and raise kids well. What have I not learned from my mom!? I am SO blessed. 

(I have a wonderful dad too. I'll tell you about him sometime when I develop a great recipe for roasted cashews ;) ).

And now for the Cafe Mocha Pudding recipe. Isn't it pretty? 

It is also packed with protein and ready in minutes. Best of all, though it is FP, it always seems like a big treat!

3/4 c warm prepared coffee (or warm water if using an espresso ice cube)

2T gelatin

1T cocoa powder 

1/2t vanilla

1/4t salt

1t coconut butter (optional; feel free to omit or increase to 1T for S)

Ice cubes (one espresso if not using warm coffee)

Whiz warm liquid in blender. Add gelatin and remaining ingredients except ice cubes; allow to combine well. Add 3 ice cubes in quick succession until only slightly thicker, like a frappe. If it doesn't thicken at all, even after blending for a few moments, add one more ice cube and watch carefully for signs of thickening for a while longer. The more ice cubes you add, the thicker it will be, and it's possible to add too many-- it is better to err on the side of too few. I personally find that I prefer a light, fluffy pudding. Immediately pour into your serving dish as it will set in just a moment. Serve immediately; this dish is quick to make and does not store well. Bon appetit!

Espresso Ice Cubes

2T coarsely ground coffee

I devised this method because I am a clueless non-coffee-drinker and don't own a funnel, filter etc. I'm also thrifty, and want to extract the maximum coffee goodness from my fair trade organic coffee (please buy this!). Put ground coffee in a tea ball. Pour 2c boiling water over the top and let steep until cool. Pour liquid into ice cube tray. Then, boil more water and rebrew the coffee, allow to cool, and freeze that too. You'll end up with some espresso ice cubes and some coffee ice cubes, which is handy so you can choose the best amount of caffeine for you at any given time. 

Sprouted Brown Rice Tortillas

This week I set off in search of a cheap, organic, sprouted, homemade-with-love, gluten free, low-glycemic, lowfat tortilla recipe and.... didn't find one. So, I made one up. And it worked! Huzzah. 

These are replacing Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas in my diet. They are a lovely product, but I knew a homemade version

could be cheaper, healthier and better.

No further ado, as I must go to bed, and really want to post this tonight. It is a generous serving for one, but you could probably make it last two meals. Or make little ones and toss them in the dehydrator after stovetop cooking, to make crackers. Enjoy this recipe!! 

2T sprouted brown rice flour

2T sprouted millet flour*

2T sprouted buckwheat flour*

1t psyllium husks (not powder-- I understand you would only need to use a rounded 1/4t of the powder, but haven't tried this myself)

1/4t salt

3T water

Heat seasoned cast iron skillet on the stove (do not add any oil). In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir in the water, a tablespoon at a time, with a fork. Divide and roll into 2 or 3 balls. One at a time, place the ball of dough between pieces of parchment paper. Roll out through the paper with a rolling pin. Place the whole thing, paper and all, in your skillet. Safety note: stay right near the stove to keep an eye on things no matter what! Flip tortilla in the parchment paper after a couple of minutes. Then, once it is apparently fully cooked, remove it from the parchment paper to brown a little. Repeat rolling and cooking steps with remaining ball(s) of dough. 

Scrumptious if I do say so myself!! And at least as flexible as the Food For Life Tortillas, if not more flexible. :) I ate them on their own tonight but burritos are in my future now.

p.s. Full disclosure: I do not yet have sprouted millet or buckwheat flours. I ground hulled unsprouted raw buckwheat in my blender, then unsprouted raw millet, to accomplish this recipe. I did use sprouted brown rice flour from the bulk foods section of my coop. I'm sure this will work with sprouted millet and buckwheat flours. I'm going to start soaking those grains tonight, so I can sprout, dehydrate and grind them. I will report back with an update later. In the meantime, these flours are available pre-sprouted and ground here: http://www.organicsproutedflour.net

P.p.s. I'll leave you with an image of my kitchen, when I am in mad scientist mode. Many thanks to my partner for patience and photography. :) 

Note added in August: finally got my millet and buckwheat sprouted and dried. Tried this recipe again. My goodness, it was wonderful! Chewy, flexible, moist. Delicious. Instead of dividing into 2-3 balls, I kept it in one piece for a regular-sized tortilla. 

Note added 9/18/14: I just double-checked that this recipe serves one for a THM E meal. It came out at 33.75g net carbohydrate, which leaves a little room for 1/3c beans in your burrito. Yaaay! 

Instant Gratification Chocolate Tootsie Roll Pudding

Move over, post-it notes. I have made the most wonderful accidental invention. I was making a smoothie one day, did things in a slightly different order, and ended up with (...drumroll...) chocolate pudding! And please don't tell me because I think it is a HUGE dessertey treat but it is (whispered) fuel pull!! Other fine qualities: except stevia, ingredients can be bought at any grocery store at affordable prices, contains 20g protein. 

So, without further ado, lets get started! 

3/4c very warm tap water (not scalding or boiling)

2T gelatin

1-2T presweetened cocoa powder (combine 1c cocoa powder with 1/2t stevia; great in any recipe!)

1T almond meal

dash lemon flavoring (I use frontier)

dash vanilla

10 drops liquid stevia

1/4t salt

4 or more ice cubes

Place very warm water in blender. Put on cover and turn on. Carefully lift up cover and gradually pour in gelatin. Mixture will turn white and frothy, and smell strongly of gelatin. Don't worry, just let the blender keep running while you get the other ingredients assembled on the counter. 

Add remaining ingredients except ice cubes and allow blender to run until the mixture looks creamy and uniform. Add ice cubes two at a time. After either four or six ice cubes, your mixture will start to look very thick (if it doesn't, keep adding ice cubes until it does). Turn off blender immediately (otherwise you'll get shredded jello). Pour into your bowl-- yes, you get to eat all of this deliciousness!!! :) 

Nutritional information: 3g carbs, 5g fat (7 if using 2T cocoa), 20g protein 

Variation: Blackberry Green Tea Pudding (FP)

Necessity was the mother of this invention. I slept maybe four hours last night and have an important business meeting this morning, so I brought out the Matcha powder for wakefulness. The result is super... wouldn't have thought it could be as delightful as the original but it totally is. Yum. 

Omit chocolate and almond meal. Add 2t Matcha powder. After adding first two ice cubes, add 1/4c (or less) frozen blackberries. Pudding will probably set immediately; if not add one more ice cube. This is a fp recipe, too, and it is even lower fat than the original.... there is no source of fat in this recipe. 

Variation: Decadent Thin Mint Pudding (S, not fp)

Use 2T chocolate, 1/2t salt, 20 drops stevia, and substitute peppermint oil for the lemon oil. 

Variation: Lovely Lemon (FP)

Omit almond meal and chocolate, add 2 t lemon juice. Beautiful white fluffy cloud of yum! 

Variation: Egg Nog (S)

Omit cocoa, almond meal, and lemon extract. Add cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 c coconut milk, 1 pastured egg yolk and extra vanilla. This is the most scrumptious of all!

Peanut Butter Coco(a) Frosting

This recipe is perfect for if you need a little treat at that certain time of the afternoon. It also can function as frosting. It is SO easy and good! To make it you'll need sweet cocoa powder-- just combine 2c cocoa powder with 1t stevia. For THM folks, this is definitely an S treat! 

1 T sweet cocoa powder

1 T peanut butter (I like fresh ground)

1 T light coconut milk

Stir ingredients together with a fork. Mix very well until it forms a ball, then eat as a decadent treat. If you want a thinner consistency, add more coconut milk. Bon appetit! This makes a thick frosting; of course it's pretty brainless to calculate how to make a larger  or smaller batch. ;)

The whole batch (3T total) contains 6 g usable carbs and 11 g fat.

Crunchy, Flavorful Chips!!!

This recipe was given to me by my friend Amy. It languished on my desk at least 6 months, because I kind of doubted that kale chips could ever have the proper crispy / melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Well, I was wrong!  I learned this only because Colette grabbed hold of the recipe and made some for a mentor who had mentioned that she loved kale chips. Since I was the first up the next morning, she asked me to taste them and unplug the dehydrator if they were done. They are amazing! Thankfully, that batch did not sublimate under my care, even though it was my job to deliver them (phew!). They were well-loved by the recipient, and  the very next day I headed to our coop to pick up the ingredients to make my own. As a former potato chip lover, I am thrilled to have a healthier, dare I say tastier substitute!

They don't take too long to prepare, though they are kind of a special treat since the ingredients are pricey. Once they are in the dehydrator, we leave them overnight (longer than 6-8 hours).

I pass along Amy's wisdom here:

-make sure to use only curly kale! (Dinosaur kale yields dinosaur-skin chips)

- reduce the apple cider vinegar and water by half

-nama shoyu is soy sauce; use your favorite kind

And here is the recipe. For people following THM it is an S. Many thanks to Chrissy for developing this wonderful recipe, to Amy for sharing it, and to Colette for getting the ball rolling! :)

http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=782

From Overeating to Over It in 16 Do-able Steps :)

I have had some challenges with overeating in my adult life. It started when I gave up on my dream of becoming a professional flutist at 18 (no coincidence), and it can reappear if I lose hope about my now rekindled musical life. Once it appears, however, it's a dangerous feedback loop that doesn't need much  prompting from my life to continue. If allowed to get worse, it's like a fast-moving train-- hard to slow down. 

Thanks to God I am in a good place about food now and so I want to share what has helped me so that others will not suffer as much. Overeating seduces us into thinking it will comfort us but in fact multiplies our pain. So, let's do the things we know will help-- even if we don't really want to be inconvenienced by changing. ;)

Here is my list of suggestions in no particular order:

1. If something makes you feel addicted, don't eat it. For you, that food is poison. Often times we are most addicted to things that either send our blood sugar up or contain elements we cannot digest (when undigested food enters the bloodstream through an unhealthy gut, it can act as an opioid in the brain). For me the main foods I do not eat are conventional sweets (including honey, sugar, coconut sugar, agave, and maple syrup). I also don't eat dried fruit, corn, white flour (even gluten free) or dairy except fresh off the farm. This is a lot easier to do for me than eating these foods in moderation-- which for me is about as easy as winning a Jello wrestling match with Hulk Hogan. Oh that is a TERRIBLE image. But then again, so is overating.

2. Come up with treats that YOU like. For example, I have started making sweet chocolate swirl-- combining stevia with cocoa powder (1 t to 2 c)-- when I have a hankering for something sweet I make coconut oil freezer chocolate, pudding, or a shake. Or, I'll do the same ratios but use cinnamon instead, and put it in coconut milk pudding with fresh berries.

3. Drink your water. Being hydrated improves circulation, which increases the flow of fresh oxygenated blood to your brain so you freak out less. Because freaking out and eating too much are definitely related, no? I drink more water than most people think is normal but I don't care. It works for me. I've heard the guideline, "one ounce of water per pound of body weight." I usually do a little bit less than that but it's a good place to start. I have a half-gallon water bottle that I finish drinking twice a day-- once before lunch and once before dinner. 

4. On the subject of the benefits of oxygenated blood, exercise does this too! And even better if you're out under the sky and breathing fresh air. Cardiovascular exercise reduces anxiety and depression and if you add in weight training, the benefit is more profound. I like the exercise routines in the book Body for Life but PLEASE don't follow his nutritional advice. Yikes. 

5. Sometimes when we are tired we eat to keep ourselves awake. So, go to bed early!

6. Baby rats whose mothers give them plenty of licking and grooming after a traumatic event are much more resilient. Resiliency means keeping your hope, which in turn helps you keep your promises to yourself. So, can you give yourself more loving and careful grooming? I am not the queen of fancy hair but even a nice neat French braid makes my day feel better. I also like to make myself homemade, inexpensive body care products like face wash and lotion (check a Janice Cox book out of your library). It only takes an extra moment each day to make me feel loved and pampered. Along the same lines, if you have a sweetie or pet, snuggle more!

7. Okay, I may lose some folks here but cod liver oil is good for the brain. I take a teaspoon every night and it helps keep me in a good place. I like Green Pastures brand cinnamon tingle, and have also in the past used Nordic Naturals orange. Make sure to balance out your cod liver oil with plenty of other good fats in your diet. 

8. Now on to the silly. When we go into panic mode and prepare to overeat, we are living in a very primitive part of the brain. Lecturing won't help. Big words won't help. Threats of future demise definitely will make it worse. This part of the brain wants to make things better NOW and it knows how. It is not creative. So, talk to it as if it were a two year old. Find a way to sum up what you want to accomplish in two words if you can. It's embarrasing to say, but right now my words are "remember, no snot!" because conventional dairy, which I'm newly avoiding- makes me sneeze.

9. Take a good probiotic. The one that I take is ProBio by Enzymedica. I never really thought probiotics made a difference until I took this one. Somehow, having more good guys in my gut than bad helps me crave the bad stuff less. ;)

10. Write down what you want a normal, good food day to look like for yourself. If you get goofy and write it in rhyme or draw little pictures to accompany it, so much the better. Put it up on  your fridge. It's okay to update with a new version when things change. In fact the sooner you do that the less likely you'll be to derail in a transition. I feel secure knowing what to expect, and motivated by the vision of what I'm aiming for. For example, here's the last line of mine: "And late at night, when hunger you dread- take cod liver oil to clear your sweet head." It makes me smile and keeps me from late night noshing when I should be sleeping. 

10. Good fat is good. Even if you're trying to lose weight, you should still eat fat. If you have that full, happy and warm feeling at least once every day, you'll be more likely to thrive. I also LOVE bone broth, and it gives me that same feeling.

11. Processed food is engineered for humans to crave it-- by scientists paid lots of money-- and then advertised by marketing folks paid lots of money. Think I have enough willpower to resist all that and eat processed foods in moderation? You're right! I don't. And that's to say nothing of how cheaply that food is produced to compensate for all those salaries. So, instead of buying processed food, I make everything from scratch from yummy ingredients. Before you run out of the room screaming that you don't have time, let me assure you that this is doable. I don't have a lot of time either, nor a lot of money, but I've learned I must prioritize good food properly prepared-- if I don't, I'm sure to waste both money and time making poor choices. I spend a total of total of 5 or 6 hours a week on food prep- less than an hour a day, and on busy days I'm often just dumping a jar of soup into a pot and heating it up-- then feeling VERY satisfied and lucky when I eat it! I try to always keep broth, soup, and washed salad ingredients in the fridge. It makes me feel secure; I know I'll always be well-fed. I am less likely to overeat if I have nourishing food available to me. If I want variety, I'll roast a chicken or scramble an egg.

12. Make friends with your Idonwannahaftas. We all have them- multiple ones on many subjects. Take them out into the light of day, and let them battle each other out. For example, one in my life is: Idonwannahafta carry heavy water jugs to work, but Idonwannahafta drink gross-tasting water, and Idonwannahafta struggle with anxiety & eating too much while I'm there. So I guess, Iwannahafta carry that water after all. Let yourself whine and want to be passive but keep whining until you get to the heart of your true purpose-- what you really DO want.

13. Pray. Ask others to pray for you when you need it. My sisters have pulled me out of many a ditch by doing just that, and it's an honor to share that gift. God really loves you and knows you and can tell you exactly what you need to hear and learn.

14. When you see a big list like this, breathe. You have your whole life to learn and experiment and find out what works for you. Try one thing and see if it makes your life better after a few days' commitment.

15. If you're stuck in an overeating cycle, the first few days of non-crazed eating are the hardest. Do what you need to do to make it work. I have been known to plan a healthy, sweet-tasting sugar free snack per daytime hour for a day or two, if I need help jump-starting my process. This is temporary and worth it if it gets you back on your feet!

16. For further reading, here are some ideas. I'll need to log on to a computer to activate these links-- I'll do that when I can.

The book I most recommend on the subject is Martha Beck's <a href="url">http://www.powells.com/s?kw=Four+day+win&class=</The Four Day Win>. 

I also recommend learning more about nutrition from the Weston A. Price Foundation:

http://www.westonaprice.org 

It has a depressing title, but if you read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration on the Gutenberg website, you're eyes will be forever opened-- and you will be inspired by its message of hope:

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 

This Weston A. Price Healthy Baby Gallery is also fun and inspiring. It is full of pictures and descriptions of the impact that real nourishment can have on little ones. For example, here is a description of one sweet boy: "He loves virtually everybody and reaches out to the world in total joy." Wouldn't you like to have such a sweet nature? What works for them, can work for us! I find that eating with care really makes it easier to be a person of love and good character. It also helps me sleep through the night. ;)

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/healthy-baby-photo-gallery/

For sustainable and healthy weight loss, harness the principles of Trim and Healthy Mama (though I don't eat all the ingredients they include).

Http://www.trimhealthymama.com

Good luck and let me know how it goes! And if you have ideas to add please post in the comments-- I need all the help I can get in this life! :)

Love,

Lisa

Scrumptious THM Buckwheat for One with Sweet Cinnamon Swirl

(Dairy-free, oat-free, gluten-free, sugar free, THM E meal)

So, I'm still loving Trim Healthy Mama. There are a few negative blog posts about it right now but I haven't had a problem with tweaking things a bit to accomodate my ultra-purist traditional foods approach. Maybe because I was gluten, dairy and corn free for so many years, recipes containing ingredients I avoid don't faze me. I'm grateful to Trim Healthy Mama for helping me out of some dark woods and holding the vision of nourished and truly healthy mamas everywhere! 

All that said, it does take a little time to do the math and make traditional foods favorites THM certified. So here is a cheat sheet for an amazing breakfast that more or less fits the guidelines, AND a delicious sweet cinnamon recipe that you can use liberally without risking the unpleasantness that is too much stevia in one place at one time. ;)

I'm going to introduce you to one of my faves: hot cereal made from raw hulled buckwheat groats. It has been my most-often-appearing breakfast for years. It's full of protein (actually a seed not a grain I think, but don't quote me), packs a nutritional punch (B vitamins, niacin, thiamin, magneseum, phosphorous and manganese), and is of a most lovely chewy, fluffy texture. It is as easy as can be to prepare- just bring it to a boil and shut it off, and it will be ready for you when you get out of the shower. When ground in dry form in the blender, it yields my favorite type of gluten-free flour, nothing like what you buy in the store. 

If you've had a bad experience with it before, please don't panic. There are lots of ways to prepare it and many are dry, mealy or strong tasting. This recipe is none of those things. If you are dubious, just bring your 1/3 c measuring cup to your local bulk foods section and get enough to try this once. 

And as for the sweet cinnamon, when I started out on THM I used truvia- I made my own homemade. It was a good crutch for ditching sugar, but it brought back some corn-allergy symptoms for me so I discontinued it. I was So Sad to not have a workable way to sweeten foods. I like to cook off the hip, and that wasn't working for me with stevia. It's just so sweet it can be hard to manage. Even the little tiny scoop that comes with it is way too much for most things I make and causes a not-tasty experience. I also had trouble with stevia flash mobs, in which the sweetness in one treat would vary from one mouthful (unsweet) to another (whoa nelly, too sweet!). One night, when I couldn't sleep, it came to me. Eureka! I needed a new bulking agent!! Why not use food!? So sweet cinnamon swirl (and its fraternal twin, sweet chocolate swirl) was born.

I pray you find joy and balance in you life and nourishment, as I have. And I sure hope you'll enjoy this breakfast!

Scrumptious THM Buckwheat for One

1/3 c raw hulled buckwheat groats (not toasted kasha)

1 T chia seeds or almond meal

1 T gelatin

1 c water

1/4 t salt

1 t apple cider vinegar

Optional: 1/12 of an apple, finely chopped, or 2 T fresh cranberries whole or chopped (not dried or swetened please)

Before bed, combine all ingredients except fruit in a stainless steel or enamel pot. In the morning, stir once, add fruit, bring to a boil and turn off. Let sit at least 15 min. When serving, generously sprinkle on sweet cinnamon swirl to taste.

Sweet Cinnamon Swirl

1/2 c cinnamon

1/4 t powdered stevia (I used Now Better Stevia)

Combine in a small jar and shake well. Then, use as a topping, or in recipes that call for cinnamon that you also want to sweeten.

Nutritional Details 

15 g protein

38 g carbohydrate with apple / 37 g carbohydrate with cranberries / 36 g carbohydrate without fruit

4.8 g fat