This was really lovely and filling! The recipe is for four servings, so you will definitely have leftovers for lunch or dinner, which I love! Less work for me :) The hardest part of this recipe is trying to soft-boil an egg at 8,000 ft altitude. Since I moved to the mountains, it's been a learning experience with cooking and baking. I'd give this attempt a 6 out of 10. Bonus! I was able to use basil from my garden that I replanted after receiving it from my GoFarm Coop share from a few weeks ago. I will also say all the produce I used in Maria Emmerich's recipes is organic, all the meat I use is grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, nitrate-free, and my eggs come from local, pasture-raised chickens from my co-op. Very important if you are living with an autoimmune disease. Hell, it's very important no matter what! Enjoy! MACROS: Calories 380 Fat 34g Protein 12g Carbs 7g Fiber 3 g
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Forgive the messy photo! I was drooling so much making this, that I almost forgot to take a photo after I dove in :)
Ingredients 4 large zucchini, spiralized 1 Tbsp organic, cold-pressed olive oil Avocado Pesto Sauce: 2 ripe organic avocados 1 cup fresh organic basil leaves 3 cloves garlic ¼ cup pine nuts 2 Tbsp organic lemon juice ½ tsp. sea salt 3 Tbsp organic, cold-pressed olive oil Cracked black pepper, to taste Directions: 1. Spiralize your zucchini and set aside on paper towels so that any excess water is soaked up. I add a little bit of salt to draw out even more water. 2. In a food processor or blender, add avocados, basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and sea salt and pulse until finely chopped. Then while the blender is still going, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified and creamy. 3. Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat then add zucchini noodles, cooking for about 1 to 2 minutes until tender. 4. Add zucchini noodles to a large bowl and toss with avocado pesto. Season with cracked pepper and a little Parmesan if you aren't dairy-free, serve, and enjoy! Ingredients
For the Carnitas 1-2 lb organic, hormone-free pork shoulder 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons dried oregano 4-5 whole cloves 3-4 bay leaves 2 teaspoons salt, or more, to taste 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 1 onion, quartered 1 organic orange, juiced 1 organic lime, juiced 1 cup organic chicken broth (I like to make my own!) For the Avocado Crema: 3 ripe avocados 2 cloves garlic Juice of 1 lime ½ cup coconut cream (the thick stuff that rises to the top of coconut milk) 2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil sea salt to taste Directions for cooking the carnitas: 1. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Season pork shoulder with spice mixture, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. 2. Cut and juice both the lime and orange over the pork shoulder and place cut, juiced halves in the crock pot with the pork shoulder. 3. Place garlic, chicken broth, onion, bay leaves and cloves into the slow cooker with the pork shoulder. 4. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. 5. Remove pork shoulder from the slow cooker and shred the meat before returning to the pot with the juices; season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed. Cover and keep warm for an additional 30 minutes. 6. Preheat oven to broil. Place carnitas onto a baking sheet and broil until crisp and crusted, about 3-4 minutes. Directions for making the avocado crema: 1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. 2. Serve as a dollop on top of the carnitas. I used these coconut and cassava flour tortillas as an alternative to flour tortillas. If you are gluten-free/grain-free, these could be a great option for you. I found that warming them on the stove makes them more pliable and apt to break. So good! Enjoy! Ingredients
1/2 head organic cauliflower 1 Pasture-raised or local egg 1/2 ripe organic avocado 2-3 strips nitrate-free bacon Almond cheese Red pepper flake Garlic salt Ground black pepper Organic cold-pressed olive oil or Avocado oil 1. Cut cauliflower into florets and add to blender or food processor and pulse until rice consistency. 2. Add riced cauliflower to small bowl and mix with one egg until well combined. 3. Heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat and add cauliflower/egg mixture to skillet much like you would add pancake batter in round patty form. 4. Saute on medium-high heat until browned, about 2-3 minutes each side. Season with black pepper, and red pepper flake. 5. In separate skillet you can throw your bacon on high heat to fry. When finished, place on paper towel. 6. Cook cauliflower patties through so that they are crispy on the outside, tender in the middle. Add sprinkle of shredded almond cheese. Place on paper towel with bacon to soak up extra oil. 7. Mash avocado in small bowl with garlic salt. 8. Combine cauliflower "toast" and avocado mash on plate and serve with side of bacon. **You can definitely add a sunny side up local egg to this recipe. In that case, you would add the egg atop the avocado mash and serve. When you have Hashimoto's and are reactive hypoglycemic, there are not a lot of options when it comes to desserts.
Luckily, peaches have a low glycemic load AND are awesome and local here in Colorado. Have you ever had a Palisade peach? They have them at stands here by the side of the road on I-70 so I always stock up and freeze what's left from the summer. This dessert takes five minutes to make and is so warming and delicious! Ingredients 1/2 c. organic peaches from frozen or fresh Squeeze of lemon Sprinkle of stevia Dash of cinnamon 1/3 c. coconut whipped cream (I use So Delicious CocoWhip) 1. Heat small saucepan on medium-low heat, add frozen peaches, squeeze of lemon juice, stevia, and cinnamon and cook down. 2. Drain and serve with dollop of CocoWhip and a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy warm. Ingredients Zoodles 2 organic zucchinis Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil Rao's Marinara Sauce AIP Meatballs 1 lb grass-fed, organic, hormone-free ground beef 1 lb organic, hormone-free ground pork 2 tbsp dried parsley 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp sea salt ¾ tsp black pepper For the meatballs, use these steps. 1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix with clean hands to combine. Don't overwork the meat because it'll end up making tougher meatballs. 2. Heat 1/2 tbs olive oil in large skillet. 2. Using a rounded ⅓ cup measure to portion out the meat, gently roll into a ball and place in hot oil. Repeat this with the rest of the mixture. 3. Sear the meatballs for about 2 minutes on each side, then cover and steam for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. This recipe is super easy -- I use a spiralizer to make my zucchini into noodles. Once they are "zoodles" I follow these simple steps. 1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat. 2. Add zucchini noodles to hot pan and stir for 3-5 minutes until noodles are tender. 3. Always add your salt after the zoodles are cooked, as adding salt prior to them being fully cooked can cause them to become watery and mushy! 4. Add marina sauce to small saucepan and heat through. 5. Place zoodles in a bowl, add meatballs, and cover with warmed sauce and enjoy! ** If you are able to eat dairy, feel free to sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. If you are dairy-free like me, I use a sprinkle of almond cheese on top instead. Friday night calls for comfort food. Salisbury steak is on the menu! Super simple and easy to make. You probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Now where's my fireplace and quilt?
Ingredients 1/2 onion 1/2 clove garlic 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms 1/2 pound ground beef 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 2 cups beef stock, or chicken stock 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon bacon fat 3/4 teaspoon arrowroot 1 teaspoon filtered water Diet Type: AIP How To Prepare 1. Finely mince onion. Peel and mince garlic. Finely slice the mushrooms. 2. In a large mixing bowl, add ground beef, half the onion and garlic and stir to combine. Fold in half the sea salt. Mix until well combined. 3. Form the meat mixture into patties and set aside while you prepare the sauce. 4. Bring stock, thyme and remaining salt to boil over a moderately high flame. Continue simmering until reduced by half. Mix the arrowroot powder and filtered water and incorporate into the sauce, then remove from heat and set aside. 5. Melt half the fat in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the remaining onions until they begin to soften. Add the sliced mushrooms. Remove the onions from the pan and continue sautéing (uncovered) until the mushrooms are soft. Set aside. 6. Melt remaining fat in the skillet and add the salisbury steak patties to the hot fat, searing on both sides until nice and brown on the outside but still pink in the center. 7. Smother the patties with sautéed mushrooms and onions. Top with the sauce. 8. Continue to simmer over a moderately low flame until the steaks are cooked through. 9. Serve hot, topped with the mushroom and onion sauce. Enjoy! I like to say, "The more green on your plate, the healthier you ate!"
I always try to make the biggest portion of any of my meals a veggie, including breakfast. Since my autoimmune diagnosis, I have been eating a lot more varied, savory dishes for breakfast, including the above meal. This meal keeps me full until well into lunch time. Pictured: Sauteed Coconut-Garlicky Kale, Broccoli, Turkey & Cheese Breakfast Frittata, Avocado Ingredients: 8 organic, cage-free eggs 1 small head fresh broccoli, cut into florets 3 oz. organic, hormone-free, nitrate-free turkey (could sub any lean protein here) 1 oz. shredded almond cheese (I use Lisanatti Foods Mozzarella Style Shred Almond Cheese) 1/2 bunch organic kale 1 garlic clove, minced 1 oz. organic avocado 1/2 tbs coconut oil Red pepper flakes, black pepper, sea salt to taste Diet Type: DF, DF + GF, Paleo, AIP How To Prepare 1. Preheat oven to 350F. 2. Chop the broccoli into florets and turkey into strips. 3. Distribute broccoli and turkey evenly on the bottom of a pie or quiche pan. 4. Beat eggs together with filtered water. 5. Gently pour beaten eggs in pan evenly over broccoli and turkey, and bake for 30 minutes or until set. 6. Add the coconut oil and garlic to saute pan and cook on medium-high cook until the kale starts to wilt. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook one minute more and serve. 7. Serve the frittata immediately or reheat later in the oven. 8. Cut avocado into quarters, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! This soup was amazing! I used the chicken I roasted two nights ago to make stock for Tom Kha Gai soup. Here's what's in it: onion, lemongrass, thyme, bay leaf, lime, ginger, coconut milk, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, scallion, and cilantro. Added some hot sauce and red pepper flakes for heat! Really delicious, nourishing, and warming on a cooooold day here in the mountains. Ingredients1/2 white onion
1 stalk fresh lemongrass 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms 1/2 inch fresh ginger 1/2 lime 1/2 whole chicken 1 1/2 quarts filtered water 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 can coconut milk 1 tablespoon fish sauce (I omitted this) 1/2 teaspoon honey (I omitted this as well, as it is not low glycemic) 1 cup spinach 1/2 bunch cilantro, to garnish Diet Type: Traditional, DF, GF, Paleo, Primal, AIP How To Prepare (Orginally written for 4 servings)1. Chop the onion, lemongrass and mushrooms. Peel and chop the ginger. Zest and juice the lime. 2. Clean and rinse chicken. Place in a large stockpot and cover with 3 quarts filtered water. Turn heat to medium high and bring to boil. Add onion, bay leaves and dried thyme. Cook, uncovered, until chicken is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add lemongrass, ginger, lime zest and juice. 3. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Strain stock into a second large pot. Discard solids (lemongrass, ginger, etc.). When chicken is cool, remove meat from bones and rough chop. Bones and cartilage can be reserved for bone broth. 4. Bring stock back to boil, add chicken meat and mushrooms. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. 5. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, honey and spinach. Simmer 3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve and enjoy! After years of being misdiagnosed by my primary care physician and at the prompting of one of my mentors, Mastin Kipp, I decided to find a functional medicine practitioner. What is a functional medicine practitioner?
Functional medicine is a form of alternative medicine which proponents say focuses on interactions between the environment and the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and immune systems. Practitioners attempt to develop individual treatment plans for people they treat and focus on treating underlying issues before they become illnesses. In August of 2014 I woke up with a lump in my throat. What started as a minor annoyance slowly became a major issue. Along with having issues swallowing, I started experiencing rapid heartbeat, uncontrolled sweating, weight gain despite eating healthily and exercising, brain fog, and terrible, terrible anxiety about the former symptoms. By September I had experienced my first full blown panic attack that sent me to the emergency room. After an EKG, an endoscopy, and multiple other tests my primary care physician told me I was fine, prescribed me the anti-anxiety med Celexa and sent me home. Home to all the same symptoms I had before I came into the ER. Home to fear. Home to always living in the future state of "what if", never being able to be present and enjoy the moment. Nothing changed. My symptoms did not improve. Several more panic attacks (one on a plane to Charleston for a work trip) later I was back at the doctor explaining my symptoms had worsened, and again, he sent me home with a higher dosage of Celexa, a prescription for Xanax and a referral for a psychiatrist. A referral for a psychiatrist. Those words seared hot in my chest. "But I'm not crazy." Shock turned into shame and shame later turned into acceptance. I was so afraid I would have another debilitating panic attack and was so sick of feeling so unlike myself that I would have done anything. I remember my sister (who I respect and trust implicitly, is a very experienced NP, and has her own personal story of beating anxiety) telling me about the "wine test". If you have a glass of wine and your feelings of anxiety go away, it's psychosomatic. Meaning, it's in your head. The problem with that was that drinking made me feel better yes, but the next day I would wake up and my symptoms would be stronger than ever. What's more, I started to take the Xanax as my doctor had prescribed them -- as a prophylactic, to help prevent another panic attack. I would take them 15 minutes before boarding any plane (since I was deathly afraid of having another attack in public), before going into movie theaters, concerts, or any place in public where I couldn't escape quickly in the event my throat started closing up and my vision started narrowing. It got to the point where Xanax did help me, but I was taking it unnecessarily and not dealing with what was causing my symptoms of anxiety. It became an easy fix, and then slowly a crutch. Even still, I trusted the Western medicine process and felt confident that with the right dosages and the right medicine that I would start feeling better. So I ignored my intuition and swallowed the first of three years worth of pills. This brings us to present day where I am in the process of weening off my SSRI and am devoting all my resources and energy to living prescription-free. How did I get here? After I returned from a month in Bali spent writing my book, I took a look at a list of promises I made to myself while I was there: enroll in a restorative or kundalini yoga class, join a writing workshop program to finish my book, take a 20 minute walk every day, and see a functional medicine doctor to have a more comprehensive idea of my health. I Googled naturopaths in my area and found one whose website and mission statement resonated with me and gave her a call. I instantly felt comfortable and made an appointment to see her. What closed it for me at the end of her consultation on the phone is that she said this, "I can help you. We will reach your goals together." Instantly, I felt relief. Knowing that most naturopaths are not covered by insurance, I knew this would be an expensive endeavor, but after a month in Bali spent investing in myself, investing a little bit more into my holistic health care came naturally. $250 dollars later I was at LabCorp getting a comprehensive blood panel done. Four days after that I was sitting in my naturopath's office across from her seeing her point to the bottle of Celexa on the desk in front of me and say, "You won't need this anymore. I know what's wrong with you." "I know what's wrong with you." Scary words for most people, but I welcomed those words with elation. The fact that I had something "wrong" with me was not concerning. I intuitively knew something was off in my body and it wasn't my serotonin levels -- what was concerning is that I spent three years of my life feeling like I had no control over my body and feeling that I was mentally ill. Mental illness is ubiquitous nowadays, but it still carries a stigma, even though nearly 1 in 5 people suffer from mental illness every year in growing numbers (we need to change this stigma!) Because of this stigma I hid my symptoms from my everyone I knew, with the exception of a few close friends, and even hid the fact that I was taking medication for my anxiety from my boyfriend Paul, for most of the first year we were dating. I was diagnosed about six months into dating him and was afraid he would think differently of me. There was a time on our way back to the airport after a visit together, where my hands were shaking so badly that at every stoplight I would kiss him to distract him from the fact that I was nearly coming unhinged. After dropping him off, I had to pull over on the side of the road, tilt my seat back, and force myself to breathe. I told myself, "You are not passing out on the side of the the road, Megan." After that I feared every time I had to get into the car. The fear was automatic and it would send me further into fight or flight mode. It got so bad that a simple loud noise would jar me to the point of physically recoiling. Having a conversation with another person while the TV was on was almost impossible. I couldn't focus on a single thing -- my brain felt like it was covered in honey. I could feel Paul's growing annoyance with me every single time he would ask me a question and I would be so intensely inward trying to not to physically crack that I hadn't heard a single word he said. Meditation and breathing exercises did help me, along with the few things I knew about cognitive behavioral therapy. And finally, it became clear to me that I just needed to be honest with everyone about what was going on with me. I came clean to Paul and of course he understood completely and became one of my biggest supporters. My best friends obligingly took the wheel on road trips when I felt dizzy and shaky. My sister Kate would sit with me or talk to me on the phone during a panic attack, even when I was radio silent on the line, frozen with fear over if my next breath would come. She was my biggest comfort, knowing she had traveled her own depression and anxiety journey and come out medication-free and happy on the other side meant that I also had a chance at happiness again. I had support, but nearly everyone I told said the same thing, "But you seem so put together" or that it "seemed uncharacteristic". Now I know that even my friends' inklings were true. "You have Hashimoto's Disease." My doctor's words sunk in. And she said it with such certainty and authority that hearing it didn't scare me. It was motivating. I had clarity. I have Hashimoto's Disease. What does that even mean? Hashimoto's is an autoimmune condition where the body's immune system cells attack the thyroid gland as a foreign body and resulting inflammation and destruction of thyroid tissue reduces the thyroid's ability to make hormones. It is the leading cause of hypothroidism. Not only did I have Hashimoto's, but I was also reactive hypoglycemic. This is a rare for someone who does not have diabetes like me. It means that I start to have symptoms of hypoglycemia four hours after eating carbohydrates (fatigue, shakiness, heart palpitations, dizziness, headache, excess sweating, etc.) all of which mimic, you guessed it....ANXIETY. Turns out my stomach also lacks acid to help digest my food. That, along with the autoimmune component (food sensitivities) meant that my body was not getting the nutrients it needed from the food I was eating. My body was deficient in Vitamin C, D, B6 & B12 (both needed to help with metabolism and to produce essential substances like neurotransmitters and red blood cells), all of which you should be able to get if you have a good diet from food, but because my body was having trouble breaking down this food, I wasn't getting the benefits. My symptoms presented toward a thyroid condition for years, but because my TSH levels were within the normal range, my PCP did not provide me with that diagnosis. The blood work that my naturopath ordered was much more comprehensive showing me a complete view of my health so that my new doctor could properly diagnosis me. Since then I have happily incorporated a strict autoimmune protocol (AIP) and low glycemic diet into my life, along with taking supplements to nourish my body in the areas it was deficient. I immediately started to feel better, even two weeks into the diet change. I had more energy, woke up more easily, did not have the characteristic brain fog every afternoon, and my shakiness all but went away. In six weeks I will revisit my blood work and will narrow the scope of my autoimmune condition further with the most comprehensive IgG & IgE allergy test out there -- testing over 600 allergies and food sensitivities so I can heal my body's inflammation by naturally eliminating the foods or substances that cause that inflammation. It has become clearer to me than ever that food is fuel. When you put the wrong foods for YOUR body into your body, you simply cannot sustain optimal health. And the process of knowing what is good for YOUR body can be a complex and convoluted puzzle because everyone is so different. My doctor sat with me for 3.5 hours and explained why I had symptoms, why I wasn't diagnosed properly in the first place, and how we were going to get my body on the path of healing itself naturally. With food. With supplements. With a healthy lifestyle that incorporates daily movement and relaxation. And all of this will help me achieve optimal health -- optimal brain function, better digestion, weight loss, less aches and pains, more stamina and the energy to get shit done! (I have a bucket-list a mile long that is just waiting for me to start crossing things off) If you take one thing away from reading this post I hope it is this -- I trusted my intuition and started listening to my body. As soon as I tuned into that piece of me that KNEW something wasn't right, that doubted my original diagnosis -- I couldn't turn it off. It made me more aware that we are the masters of our own destiny and that we must be int he driver's seat when it comes to our own well-being. So that's my story. That's why instead of just Write. Paint. Blog. this website became Write. Paint. Cook. I discovered that eating can truly be as mindful of an experience for me as writing or creating art. And that is as important to me as anything. A Sante! |