Paleo Backpacking

For Spring break this year we got to take a trip that I have been hoping to do for years. It has always been on my "bucket list" to camp on the beach, and living in Utah means that a beach trip takes some time and planning. Backpacking takes the planning a step further, every item is literally carried on your back so you want to be choosy. You have to ask yourself, "do I really need this?"

Eating Paleo took another level of planning, I couldn't just pick up some dehydrated meals and be off. I planned to take some of my home made beef jerky, some fresh fruit and vegetables (really too heavy, I am going to try dehydrated ones next time), some dehydrated egg powder, and some tuna in mylar packets.

This was only my 3rd time backpacking and I had never been for more than two nights, we were planning on three nights this trip. I learned a few things to do, and a few not to do, but the best thing I learned was that these dehydrated eggs are actually pretty good.

I purchased a non stick lightweight frying pan from REI before we left. I took some of the dehydrated eggs in a baggie, no refrigeration required. When it was time to cook them I measured some water into the pan (1 egg= 2 T. water and 2 T. egg powder), warmed it up then added the powder and stirred like crazy to get the mixture combined then placed it back on the burner for a few minutes while stirring. I failed to get any pictures of the eggs but they were really good, filling, totally paleo, and easy to prepare. Now that my kids are old enough I want to do more backpacking and am so happy I found these eggs, I could live on them for days. An added bonus is that they are quite inexpensive, you can use them in your everyday cooking too.

We were so close to San Francisco that we spent a few days in the city too. My kids went crazy with their cameras and got some really fun shots. Every picture I took of the Golden Gate Bridge was a landscape view, my oldest son took these and I loved his perspective.

It was a super fun trip and I loved falling asleep to the sound of the ocean and waking up to the beautiful landscape. I am always looking for more backpacking food ideas if anyone has some to share too!

Christmas Fun with Legos

This year we found a screaming deal on Christmas Trees at Home Depot. One of our traditions is to have a real tree and there have been years we have paid over $100 for a tree. Sounds crazy but we live in a small rural town and the nearest shopping is in Park City, a very upscale and trendy resort town so sometimes we have to take what we can get or drive over an hour to Salt Lake City.

Anyway back to this year's tree search. We found such a good deal my husband said, "we can get two!". We put the 2nd tree in the basement family room and let my two boys decorate it. They chose to make Lego ornaments.

This one is a snowflake

Santa on a Segway

Very creative star for the top

And they even made Lego presents for under the tree!

Thanks for following my blog, all your great recipes and correspondence and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and wonderful health in 2010!

Garden Update

It is amazing anything can grow up here at 6500 feet but it does and tastes great! We had a very wet and cold June and the plants did not get going as soon as usual but so far we have harvested peas, lettuce, spinach, green onions, zucchini, carrots, strawberries, and some herbs. This is my first year growing spaghetti squash and pumpkins and they are both growing like crazy, I can't wait for the Fall to make some pumpkin pie and muffins and hopefully the tomatoes will be coming soon.

Here is what my garden looked like a few months ago.. in May. Amazing how quickly things can grow!

Holly Hocks and a Great Quote

A great quote from the book "Days of Healing, Days of Joy", by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty

"As long as we are alive we have the power to polish, recut, and place the precious jewel of the self in a brand new setting."

I love this quote because it illustrates a lesson that was tough for me to learn, I have the power to make myself what I want to be. It is easy to use other people in your life as reasons you cannot have what you want but the truth is that you are the one who is ultimately responsible for your body, your happiness, and your life. It is never too late to change!

Girls Only Retreat Surprise!

My daughter and I were on our way to a Shakespearean Festival in another part of our state and came across these lavender fields. Amazing color and an even more amazing fragrance. I love surprises!

Mountain Hiking in the Summer

A picture is worth a thousand words....

And the winner is.............

This is getting a bit personal but I want to let people just starting the SCD to know my experience. In 2004 on one of my many trips to the Doctor complaining that I just didn't feel well overall I had extensive blood work done. At the time I was eating a very normal diet. Not yet eating GF or CF. I tried to eat lots of fiber and fruits and vegetables and to limit sugars and fats and I have always been active. My cholesterol was 209 (normal range is below 200) and triglicerides were 172 (normal is below 150). My doctor was mildly concerned and told me to watch the amount of fat I was eating and come back for another test in a few weeks. I never did.

In the last 3 months I have increased my fat and calorie intake. I have actually been losing weight (about a pound a week) and the thoughts of those high numbers started haunting me. I wanted to find out what was happening inside. I went in for a health check up (no complaints this time) and had all the blood work done again. Cholesterol 192, Triglycerides 100, HDL 60, LDL 112. The nurse told me my numbers were "perfect". I share this as an example that eating the right foods is more important than the fat grams or calories, at least in my case this is the winning diet. The biggest indicator of health is how you feel. I know that I feel great, it is good to see the numbers on paper to back up how I feel. Here's to good health!

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost

I had some time to think yesterday, a lot of time as I was traveling alone most of the day. I was thinking about this blog, my first blog, Gluten Free Heaven, and how great I feel. I have tons of energy in the mornings and go all day long until 10:00 pm. Every once in awhile I over do it and I am surprised when I feel tired and sleepy in the afternoon (but I do listen and slow down). This is a very sharp contrast to 5 years ago, when I couldn't make it through the day without a 2 hour nap. I had so many unexplained health issues; dry skin, intense sugar cravings, water retention, a swollen abdomen, depression, hair loss, arthritis, low energy, abdominal pain and the list goes on. How thankful I am for this journey and where it has taken me. This experience has become sacred to me. My body has become hallowed ground. I never hesitated that this or any diet would be too hard, I jumped in hoping for relief. It has been a huge change for my family, 2 of my 4 children are now eating gluten free, we rarely go out to eat, it is not easy, but very worth it.

How do you express thanks for such a life changing experience? How do you share with other people your excitement without becoming totally annoying? I want to stand on my rooftop with a megaphone and tell the world how wonderful things are, funny thing is they wouldn't understand. It really has been an experience meant for me, there are not words to express my joy. I cringe when I see the people in my life load up on morning coffee (3 cups) just to get moving and fill their day with caffeine and/or sugar just to get through. They push their bodies, refusing to listen. Then they take medicine to mask the damage and keep on going, how bad will the pain have to be before they will they finally listen? The way they see it these toxins are their friends, they can't make it through the day without them.

One thing I have learned the hard way is that if they won't listen to their own body screaming at them all day they won't listen to me. Becoming aware of my body, I have become more aware of the world around me, the temperature outside after a rain storm, the intense green of the mountains this Spring, the baby birds in the nest on my porch, It all keeps telling me to slow down, cut back, take the time to enjoy right now. Which is exactly what I am doing. I look forward to each day with gratitude in my heart.

Determination and it's Rewards

Those determined robins finally have babies. Two eggs hatched yesterday and this morning all 4 had hatched. The payoff for keeping focused is rewarding!

How to Camp SCD Style

Camping trips are a staple at my house, we go quite often. When we go we like to keep the food simple and easy. It has been a challenge to convert our usual gluten and sugar laden diet to one that is simple, satisfying and portable. With 2 in my family eating normally, 2 gluten free, and me on SCD here is what I have found works so far:


Breakfast:

• Hard boiled eggs (cooked at home before we go, stored in their shells in the ice chest)

• Cereal or granola

• Muffins (made at home)

• Fruit and yogurt Sundae

• Yogurt (mix with some honey at home and store in individual serving size containers)

• Grape and apple juice

Lunch we usually take with us while we are hiking, so it has to be able to be kept in a pack without ice.

• Beef Jerky, this recipe has become one of our very favorites!

• Grapes (I prewash them and store them in a ziploc bag with a paper towel, keep them in the cooler until time to pack them)

• Apples

• Cashews

• Granola

• Dried Cherries

• Almond Butter Blondies (recipe review coming soon)

Dinner:
We do like to have a hot dinner, if possible. Sometimes with all the kids and gear we don't have room for our stove. In that case we take cold pizza and/or salads. Most of these dinners I have to leave out the potatoes or modify to make SCD friendly. Some ideas are:

• Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, gf pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns)

• Escalante Chicken (stir fry chicken pieces with carrots, celery, garlic, salt and pepper, and potatoes in the dutch oven). I make mine in a separate pan with no potatoes.

• Hamburgers (lettuce leaves for buns on the gf/scd versions)

• Tin foil dinners with chicken, carrots, celery, potatoes, and jalepeno peppers)

• Cold Roasted Chicken shish-ka-bobs re-heated on sticks over the fire (I actually haven't tried this one yet but I plan to on our next trip)

If you like to camp don't let the fact that you can't have a s'more keep you from going. You can stay on your diet, feel good and camp with your family. Focus on the fun, not the food!

In Memory

Yesterday was Memorial Day and my 13 year old son got up by himself at 6:00 in the morning to ride our ATV down to the cemetery to help his scout troop put a flag on every veteran's grave in the cemetery. Then he went back in the late evening to help take them down.

As I drove by the cemetery that evening it struck me how many Veterans we have, and how many men and women gave something, sometimes their life to protect our Freedom. It was a beautiful sight as the slight breezed unfurled all the flags, one of those moments that chokes you up and reminds you how blessed you are to live in this country.

Mountain Gardening

It doesn't look like much now but in a few weeks I will have plants! Gardening at 6500 feet you have to protect those little leaves, last year we had snow on June 11th!

Mountain Hiking in the Spring

Specific Carbohydrate Diet Part 3

I am now past 5 weeks on the SCD. I am so glad that I tried this diet. I feel better than ever and have found some compromises that work for me. I guess you could say I am loosely following this diet. For the most part I eat what is on the diet, but once a week or so I do have some rice or corn. I found it is almost impossible to go out to eat and feel satisfied on this diet. So I compromised. Oh yeah, and I still eat chocolate! At first I was following the diet fanatically. It really did make a difference but I don't want this to be the focus of my life (balance) so I relaxed a bit. It seems there is added sugar in everything! I was going crazy trying to find bacon and tomato sauce with no sugar. I am careful not to have too much but I don't go to the extreme if I cannot find an item without sugar. It is working, I am happy and I feel good. Balance.

Overall I eat lots of fruit (uncooked) and veggies, fish, beef, chicken and tons of nuts and nut flour. I do eat the SCD yogurt and cheese but I stay away from any other kind of dairy. It seems I can tolerate a small amount of cheddar cheese but I keep it to a once in awhile treat. If I were counting calories I think I would be shocked, I know I eat more calories than I ever have in my life but I am slowly loosing weight so I am not worried about it. Here is a list of everyday foods, I am always experimenting and changing so I may update this again in the future.

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with salsa
Yogurt sundae with fruit and granola
Baked Apples
Scrambled eggs with spinach
Omlette with diced ham, green peppers and onion
Smoothie
Pancakes with homemade jam
Banana Pancakes
Hickory cured bacon
Homemade sausage
Apple juice
Grape Juice
Pineapple Juice

Lunch:
The best lunch is leftovers from the night before (no preparation or dishes!)
Lettuce wraps (chicken salad, egg salad, turkey and mayo)
Salad with salmon or chicken
Stir fry veggies with garlic and ginger
Taco Salad with avacado and salsa dressing

Dinner:
There are a few dinners that work for everyone in my family. 3 of the 5 of us eat Gluten Free, and then myself of course grain and dairy free. Many nights we all eat whatever is leftover, I try to make huge quantities of dinner so there is always leftovers for lunch or another night.

Tacos
Pulled Pork on rolls, rice or lettuce wraps
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Hamburgers
Pizza (I am still working on this recipe but will post it soon)
Spaghetti (I use spaghetti squash for the noodles)
Shish-ka-bobs
Satay with veggies and fried rice
Pot Roast

Snacks:
Beef Jerky
Cookies
Applesauce
Stewed Apples
Muffins
Deviled Eggs

Specific Carbohydrate Diet Part 2

Today will mark 2 weeks of being on the SCD.

I have found this diet much easier than the GFCF diet. Cooking is basic and simple and I have lost 6 pounds. As far as my digestive health goes I have tried the homemade yogurt only 3 times, and had just a teaspoon each time with no problems. I am going to increase the amount this next week and see if I can tolerate the dairy once again. So far it looks promising.

The challenges have been:

• NO CHOCOLATE of any kind!
• Cooking dinner for my family (me + 2 gluten free + 2 regular)
• Taking the time to re-learn a new diet and way of cooking, again.
  
• I really haven't gone out to eat at all. I am a bit nervous about what I will order and don't want to take on that challenge right now.
  

The payoffs are:

• I feel even better than I thought I could, no gas, joint pain, swelling, etc.
• More energy
  
• I think my family is eating better than ever and they are trying new things.
• Losing weight (for some this is a negative, for me it is a very good thing!)
• I am spending less money of food and time cooking than on the GFCF diet. There are not as many specialty items and more items I can get at my local grocery store.
• Hope- I really think I can stay with this diet and see a return to full health.

Look for Part 3 coming in a few weeks.........................

Sunset from Southern Utah

Take the time to notice something beautiful around you today!