Bread or no bread??

So we have shifted into "normal life" and are talking about what that looks like. Whether or not to add bread and grains back at all? Organic milk or no milk? To soak or not to soak?

Sooooooo.......

Here's where we are:

2 Special Occasions a month at someone else's house or event - one serving of dessert or treat

1 special sweets occasion at home once a month

2 special coffees (full on sweetners whip cream the works! :)) unless we already did 2 special occasions then only 1

2 eat outs at Costco (my boys favorite lunch ) NO soda

Sprouted bread from Trader Joes or my homemade whole wheat or spelt bread SOAKED.  Which means you start the process the day before adding the water and some sort of kefir, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice to the dough and you let it soak all night then finish the process the next day. It breaks down the phytic acid and breaks down the grain so that our bodies can digest it sooooo much better, and receive more of what the grain has to offer, that is now free to be absorbed into our bodies. YAY!

No more breakfast cereal for breakfast. :(  Such an easy thing, that's why I've always loved it so much for the kids. Almost all cereals have been treated with such an intense pressure or heat to form the little flakes or shapes that they are it actually makes them toxic let alone lost all of it's original nutrients, that can only be restored by adding the vitamin supplements AFTER, as a supplement to the cereal which is never as nutritious as the original living nutrients. :(

Our beautiful array of color in the window seal! Kefir water flavored, plain, granules, and a basil plant. :)

A coconut flower blackberry crumble pie, using our wild blackberries growing like crazy near our house

Soaked Quinoa patties! They were actually quite good, but for some reason I can't convince Ian to like quinoa

We have tried a few new recipes lately and enjoyed them. Tonight I have some dough soaking for bread tomorrow, and oatmeal soaking with milk kefir to eat for breakfast. It's been interesting to find out with the NEED to think in advance for all the soaking, thawing meats, preparing broths, that it has actually helped ease the planning of daily meals. I am so happy about that. BUT the negative is, if you don't plan ahead atleast a day, then you are in BIG trouble cuz there are hungry kids asking 100 times what they can eat and there is nothing EASY to just hand to them, and I am too tired to COOK anything!! aggggg!!!! So yes, there are those days, but we are still learning and I am still so excited to be feeling so much more energy and ability to fight off things that are in the air, like this latest bug that had some people sick for a few days, I could literally feel my body kicking into gear and fighting it off, and I only felt extra sleepy for a few days instead of out for the count! I was so excited. 

Oh and one of you, asked about preserving your water kefir granules.  Here's how: 

http://www.traditional-foods.com/fermentation/water-kefir-grains/


So much good information out there!

Discouraged...and Encouraged! "C'est La Vie"

There is a definite theme in my life, ups and downs,  that I have started to embrace instead of being surprised at every time. And you know, it really helps...A LOT!

DISCOURAGED :(
I was starting to feel a bit discouraged with ALL the information out there, and all the do's and don'ts of organic, mixing foods, soaking foods, honey, no honey, grains, NO grains, etc...and so of course that made me think of those of you who are trying to make changes towards healthier living and I just wanted to encourage you that you just need to take ONE STEP at a time, don't try and change everything at once, it will completely fizzle out your desire to do anything at all! I don't know why God put that in us, (actually as I write it I got the revelation of why He did put that in us, he wants all of our heart, if we are walking the line, undecided "lukewarm" He spits us out, wow!)so human nature seems to be either all or nothing, except in the things that matter often times :( I am speaking to myself here.

So I found this and thought it might help you too:

A realistic approach to going organic small steps you can take

http://www.womensforum.com/foods-dangerous-if-not-organic.html

And just a reminder, another hopeful reason why you might want to start taking steps towards organic is the hope that we can bring change to our culture of living. If we all start taking one step at a time towards the more expensive more healthy organic foods, we can begin to start making a demand for organic (which has been growing already) and then the producers of all the "fake dead food (no nutrients)" will start stepping up and seeing that our health is so much more important than money and speedy eating. Therefore also shifting our culture into a new "old way" of thinking which is to slow down and actually enjoy meals and have time for meal prep. and I could keep writing and writing and writing...but I'll stop there for now. :)

ENCOURAGED!! :)

I had a sweet past friend from my hometown youth group message me to let me know that she had been following my blog and was so encouraged by it, she started trying to convince her "junk-food junkie" husband to start making some changes with her. She also had started heading in that direction because of busyness.  So it took some continual pressing the issue, and then talking to someone else who helped seal the deal and they are now headed down the path to healthier living! Woo hoo that is exactly why I am writing this blog and if it is just for this one then it was totally worth it! But hopefully others are being encouraged too. You can do it!

DISCOURAGED :(

My kitchen! Probably don't need to expound on that, but my sister and I decided to text each other a photo of our horrible kitchen whenever we are discouraged, just so we can feel better that we are not alone.  With all this soaking, broth making, veggie chopping and now trying out this new water kefir, : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7svkQuUYYc 

Dishes NEVER end!

With a small kitchen it gets messy SO QUICKLY!

I am thanking the Lord that I have a kitchen but I am also asking for a BIGGER one some day soon.
"The health benefits of consuming water kefir are endless. They are a natural supplier of probiotics to our digestive track. Probiotics refers to the healthy bacteria that usually feeds on the “bad” unhealthy bacteria in our stomach and intestines. Bacterial overgrowth can lead to many ill...nesses some of which include fungi, yeast infections, indigestion, obesity, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, skin disorders, etc. "
(Health Benefits of water kefir: Posted by Lisa Neptune)

These are those strangle little kefir granules

they look like sea creatures or something

He's my helper ALL the time, and he actually sticks with it. Ian usually wants to help, gets bored then leaves half way through. :0

ENCOURAGED! :)
I noticed some of my teeth that were feeling really sensitive when I touched them near the gums, have stopped being so sensitive! I would press on them and it felt like I was pressing on a wound. It scared me to have my teeth feel that way, I thought there was nothing I could do about it, but they are doing WAY better! YES!
Annnnd I have recognized how lazy I had become in coming up with creative healthy recipes cuz it was so much easier to just make something familiar with white flour and sugar rather than thinking of new ways using honey and not always needing to use flour. We have had some pretty yummy treats.

This is made with 3 tbs honey, blueberries, cream cheese, nut crust,and lemon it was delightful :)

NOW...they are embarrassed to talk "bathroom talk."

So I have been checking in with the kids asking them about their bathroom time and their consistency and level of difficulty or ease of going #2 and they are acting so embarrassed to share!  Yet at the dinner table or every other second of the day I can't get them to STOP talking "bathroom talk," sheesh, you'd think they'd be excited to actually have PERMISSION to talk bathroom talk hahaha!

Well I am super excited to have so much more energy! And the famished feeling I was feeling for the first 5-7 days has finally vanished, now I don't even crave breads or sweets! I can't believe it! It's kinda like when God frees you from a wrong thinking pattern and after a few weeks or so, suddenly you realize..."IT'S GONE!" Oh my gosh that feeling that was all too familiar I just grew comfortable with, is actually gone, really gone! I am free! :)  

I was so unaware of how much lack I was living with. I thought maybe it was just still recovery from birth and lack of sleep (which of course played a part) but looking back I have always tired so quickly when standing stationary for too long, even cooking a full meal, or when I used to wait tables, I was soooo stinkin exhausted by the end of the night! Basically I am a high carb girl but I was getting it from the wrong sources, breads, sweets, grains, chips, crackers etc...WHEN in fact I should have been eating more veggies and proteins to fill me and carbs as the side dish or side thought. I am one that basically used meat as a seasoning hehe.  Oh and the pain in my neck and shoulders has MAJORLY subsided, I didn't realize I was carrying so much buildup of toxins in my muscles and shoulders and neck was where they would try to escape the most. :) God really is so amazing how He made us.  

Annnnnd... I have noticed those areas that like to collect cellulite, have started to shift considerably! Yes I did have cellulite! Yippee, now to work on the muscle gain. 

Ian's crocodile skin has started to clear up considerably! He always had really bumpy rough skin on his lower legs and arms, and it's majorly changing.  Ian even said one day: "This diet is really changing me, I cleaned our room really good and I actually liked it!"

It was a costume party in case you didn't figure that out :)

Joel is peeing a lot more! I know it sounds funny, but I realize it's his body ridding itself of toxins and he is eating really well, trying things he never would have tried before. He even enjoyed the eggplant!  Joel is asking at the store, "Can I buy this? It's organic Mom." 

Daniel loves the peanut butter banana pancakes they have saved him from the eggs. :)  I am hoping to see this change in lifestyle help strengthen his teeth.  Unfortunately I have passed on my weak teeth to my son :(  But I am praying and believing for that to change. :)

We had our FIRST SPLURGE. It was for Tyler's (cousin) 18th b'day and graduation party.  The cool thing was my sister Autumn made so many delicious homemade appetizers that weren't far from our gaps diet needs! But the ice cream sundaes were our major splurge.  I found it very exciting to see that I could taste how overly sweet it was and didn't even desire seconds, that is except for her DIVINE homemade caramel sauce!!! Oh and I actually didn't even want the pasta covering on the ravioli and didn't want the white bread with the bruschetta, I just wanted the tomatoes and sauce! I was amazed! Annnnnnnd I found it easier to recognize when I was full and I wasn't even tempted to over eat as usual when there is so much good food.

My lovely sister Autumn and her 18 year old son!!! My little nephew!