My (Revised) Eating Habits: Pregnancy Edition

Hello! Two good things have happened since the last time I blogged. 1) I survived a crazy work week (and should be rewarded with gifts) and 2) I regained my appetite. Due to how sick I've been feeling since I discovered I was pregnant, I pretty much tossed my yeast free / Paleo way of eating out the window. Unfortunately, I was only able to keep down foods that were definitely not Paleo, but I figured some nutrients were better than none at all and took my eating cues from my body. I was repulsed by any kind of meat, eggs, and most veggies (and water)! Which is basically all you eat when you follow a Paleo lifestyle! Needless to say, it was frustrating. 

But this weekend I really felt like I regained my appetite, and things that sounded repulsive before actually sounded tasty!

I was able to eat eggs, bacon, salmon, and even steamed broccoli! And although I'm not 100% back to how I had been eating the 6 months prior to my pregnancy, I feel like I'm slowly making my way back.

For now, potatoes and rice really calm my stomach if I'd had a particularly nauseous day, so I allow myself to eat that anytime I'm feeling ill. And sometimes, red meat still makes my stomach roll. So if I'm not feeling it, I steer clear! 

I know nutrition is so important, especially when you're pregnant, but I feel that for now the most important thing is to listen to my body. I've simply been rolling with the punches when it comes to my pregnancy, and although that often means using non-gluten free rice in a stir fry rather than my substitute cauliflower "rice," or heck, just opting for a bowl of Cheerios for dinner the third night in a row, I'm eating what I can keep down! 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

It has been challenging for me to let go of my rigid eating guidelines (I think that again this points to my extreme type A tendencies), but it feels good to eat a full meal and not throw up! And it feels even better to have some energy! Throwing up is already exhausting for your body, but throwing up when you hardly have any nutrients to begin with inside of you is just depleting. 

So hello to my regained appetite and finding my way back to healthy eating and hello to accepting that sometimes the best thing to eat is whatever stays down. And an even bigger hello to accepting that fact rather than beating yourself up over it. Hello!

Almond Flour Biscuits (gluten-free, dairy-free, and delicious)

I've been blogastinating. You know, procrastinating on all my blogging duties (such as posting this scrumptious almond flour biscuit recipe I promised so many of you that I would post last week!). So finally, a week late (but who's keeping track), I give you these amazing gluten, dairy, and yeast free biscuits!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 lare eggs
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Ina medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave, eggs, and lemon juice. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until thoroughly combined. Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2 inches apart, onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Let the biscuits cool briefly and then serve warm.

These delicious biscuits make it impossible to eat just one! We like them in the morning with our eggs, but they are also great with some strawberry jam! You may be surprised by the texture if you make these. They aren't dry and flaky like white flour biscuits, but rather moist and soft. They are definitely a healthy and delicious alternative if you're trying to cut gluten or dairy out of your diet (or just trying to eat more "clean" in general!)

You can find this recipe and other yummy treats made with almond flour in Elana's cookbook!

Healthy Tastes Good

I haven't talked much lately about my "yeast free" eating habits and thought it was time to give you readers an update! If you're new to this blog, you may not know that back in February my husband and I decide to participate in a 30 day yeast free challenge. Basically this meant no grains, dairy, sugar, or fermented drinks for 4 weeks. During that time, I lost 11 pounds and experienced many other significant health benefits (you can read about those here)! The changes to my body, both external and internal, amazed me so much that I decided it was in my best interest to extend this 30 day challenge for the next 70 or so years. This commitment resulted in my husband and I adapting a yeast free/Paleo lifestyle, and other than marrying Steven and adopting Huckleberry, this has definitely been the best decision of my life!

Almond Flour Drop Biscuits

Spaghetti Squash Pasta w/ Homemade Turkey Meat Sauce

Paleo Chocolate Cake

The most common question I get concerning the way I eat is, "how do you have the time to prepare all these healthy dishes? I hardly have time to heat up a microwavable lean cuisine!" Well, why does one have time for anything?? It's because they've made that thing, whatever it is their spending their time on, a priority.

For the first time in my life, I've decided to make my health a priority. It's not always easy, but because it's a priority it usually get's done. I turn off the TV and turn on the stove, I spend less time reading blogs (gasp!) and more time researching recipes that meet my dietary needs.

Spicy Ground Turkey w/ Butternut Squash

But with all that said, do I think this lifestyle is for everyone? Probably not. But it works for me and I think it may possibly work for many others.

Paleo Lemon Bars

To date, I've lost 14 pounds and two pant sizes. My skin is clearer, I'm sleeping better at night, and most importantly, I feel good. And at the end of the day, I think that's ultimately what I was striving for when this all began 4 months ago.

All photos are my own taken of dishes I've prepared since eating yeast free/Paleo. To see their recipes (and read more of my experience) go here!

Yeast Free pt.3: Q&A

Paleo Spaghetti 

Today I just wanted to take the time to answer a few questions I've received since I first posted about my yeast free cleanse. A lot of the questions I pretty much answered in part 1 and part 2, so make sure to read those posts if you don't see your question below!  

Here we go!

Q: Did you experience any "die off" symptoms (such as headaches) when you first started the cleanse?

A: In short, yes! But not in the form of headaches, low energy, etc. About one week after starting the cleanse, Steven noticed a rash on the back of my neck. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty gross. Basically, it was a localized breakout. I had a feeling it was due to the cleanse, but I waited until my Dr. appointment a week later before putting anything on it just in case. She confirmed that it was in fact from my cleanse and gave me a herbal cream to put on it twice a day. 

Here's the interesting part...our bodies naturally release toxins in the form of waste, but the Dr. told me that when you are killing off toxins faster than your body can eliminate them, your body begins to use your skin as another means of elimination.  So in a nutshell, I was killing off the yeast cells and other harmful bacteria so successfully and so quickly that I stated detoxing through my skin --causing my nasty breakout. 

The doc's advice for my "die off" symptom was to wait it out. I did use the cream, but it didn't seem to help much. After about 3 weeks my rash went away and my skin has never been clearer in my life.

Q: How do you handle eating out?

A: The first two weeks is when this cleanse is the strictest, so we avoided eating out for the first two weeks. After that it was pretty easy! I usually order chicken or fish with a side of seasonal veggies or a big salad and ask them to hold the cheese and croutons. I do order a dressing for my salad, but a vinegar based one rather than mayonnaise based.

Q: What's the difference between yeast-free and Paleo?

A: I've gotten this question a lot and the answer is not much! Both lifestyles include no sugar, no dairy, and no grains; however, the yeast free (better know as the Candida diet) is a little stricter when it comes to natural sugars. On yeast free, you avoid maple syrup, raw honey, and some fruits that are highest in sugar content (i.e. bananas) even if they are organic. On Paleo, organic maple syrup, honey, and all fruits are acceptable. Now that I'm done with the 30 day cleanse I more closely follow Paleo guidelines.

Q: I want to give yeast free a try! Any tips to help me stay motivated?

A: Have an accountability partner! I don't think I would have lasted the first two weeks if Steven wouldn't have done the cleanse with me. It can be a significant other, a best friend, or your mom! But find someone who is willing to give this cleanse a try with you and keep you accountable!

Also, about a week into the diet I watched the documentary Hungry for Change and let me tell you...It. Changed. My. Life! Seriously, it's that good. You will never look at food the same again. I watched it on Netflix, but if you don't have Netflix you can also rent it on Amazon. If you need motivation, watch it! That is all.

Q: I've noticed you've been baking a lot recently. Is that allowed on this cleanse?

A: On the cleanse, no, not really. But I've been done with the cleanse for almost a month now. For the 30 day cleanse I refrained for all sugars, except for fruit after two weeks. I'm no longer "cleansing," I'm simply living a new way of life...and let's be real, a life without chocolate is not a very happy one! However, when I do bake I only use all natural ingredients (including organic chocolate!). No more gluten infused grains or refined sugar, etc. 

Look at the ingredients I used to make lemon bars to get an idea or what sort of flour and natural sweeteners I use to bake with. 

That's all for today! If you do have any more questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you through email! And if there are a lot  more questions I'll post a follow up Q&A! 

Happy Wednesday!

Paleo Lemon Bars

I made these Paleo lemon bars for Easter and I'm not exaggerating when I say they were divine. Divine, people! This was my first experience with a Paleo dessert, and since then I have kinda been on a baking spree (if you follow me on Instagram you've seen evidence of this). If you're worried about making the switch to a Paleo/yeast-free lifestyle because you hate the thought of sacrificing taste, I encourage you to make these. I think you'll be surprised just how tasty being healthy can be.

This recipe is from the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. I doubled the ingredients below and used a 9x13 baking dish.  If you use the recipe below use an 8 inch baking dish.

Ingredients:

CRUST

- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

- 1 tablespoons agave nectar

- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract

FILLING

- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil

- 1/4 cup agave nectar

- 3 large eggs

- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

- Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch baking dish with grapeseed oil.  

- To make the crust, combine the almond flour and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until thoroughly combined. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish.

- Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

- While the crust is baking, combine the grapeseed oil, agave, eggs, and lemon juice in a blender. Process on high until smooth. 

- Remove the crust from the oven. Pour the topping evenly over the crust.

- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 2 hours to set. 

- Cut into bars and serve. 

Enjoy!

Yeast Free pt. 2: My Story

If you missed Part 1 of my yeast free discussion, go here! Today I simply want to tell you a little bit of my experience with the 30 day yeast free cleanse and why I never plan on going back to how I used to eat just 6 short weeks ago.

gluten-free, dairy-free biscuits

If you read my very first post on the yeast free cleanse, then you know that from the start I experienced a lot of positive changes; increased energy and alertness, weight loss, and a much reduced urge to snack. Getting these results after just one week was motivation enough to keep me going for the remainder of my 30 days! In those 30 days I ended up not cheating even once and losing 8 lbs. (That averages out to 2 lbs a week, people!) But there was an even greater benefit for me than all those combined.

Ever since middle school I've suffered from what I always thought was PMDD, but was never diagnosed because (a) my cycle was extremely irregular, and (b) it is simply something doctor's have been hesitant to diagnose until very recently. Without going into too much detail, this basically means that about a week before my period I experience intense emotional symptoms ranging from uncontrollable crying, to anger, to listlessness, to anxiety, etc., and then when my cycle does begin the pain is so intense that I vomit, pass out, or, on a good day, simply take enough painkillers to allow me to sleep through the cramps. Every month it's the same thing -- the tears and/or angry/anxiety before my period and then when it begins, spending the day shaking/sweating/vomiting from the severity of my pain. 

Obviously, this is not normal. But the crazy, most amazing thing happened while doing this cleanse....my period came and went with no emotional breakdowns and absolutely no pain! For the first time in 11 years, I experienced a normal, healthy menstrual cycle.

After that, I immediately made an appointment with a local, Naturopathic doctor to help me get to the bottom of this. She contradicted thoughts I've harbored for years. Turns out, I'm not weird, my body is not broken, and I don't have to live with the pain. I have a gluten and/or dairy intolerance that causes inflammation as well as disrupts the folic acid levels in my system. My body wasn't working correctly because of what I was putting into it, not because something already inside of me was broken.

That knowledge is overwhelming comforting.

Doctor's in the past always treated my symptoms rather than the underlying cause. You have irregular periods? Take birth control to regulate you. You experience severe mood swings? Let's change that prescription to Yaz. Your period causes you a lot of pain? Here's some extra strength ibuprofen. No one ever recommended a simple, lifestyle change such as adjusting my diet.

It's been two weeks since the conclusion of my 30 day cleanse and I feel better than ever. My energy levels are still up, my cravings are down, and I'm 11 lbs. lighter. To say the cleanse was a huge success for me would be an understatement, it was a life changer. As of now, I plan on sticking as closely as possible to my yeast free guidelines and when there is a special occasion, or I simply need a sweet treat, I will strive to create healthy, satisfying desserts and breads that are gluten and dairy free.

And, if those recipes turn out to be especially yummy, I'll share them with you.   :)

Steamrolled

That's what I feel like this morning. Like I got steamrolled. By a steamroller.

I have no idea what a steamroller is. 

However, in this case it's hot yoga.

via

For some sick, masochistic reason I thought it would be a good idea to go to hot yoga these past two nights. See, Steven has been in Utah for business, and I figured my options were to sit on my butt and watch bad TV or get off my booty and head to hot yoga. I opted for the later and regret it deeply. 

I hurt ya'll! In places I didn't even know were capable of hurting!  So for the remainder of the day I'm going to sit at my desk and move....very....very....slowly. 

That is all.

Yeast Free in 1, 2, 3...

To be honest, I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed because the yeast free cleanse was a HUGE success for me and there is so much information I want to share with you! I've decided the simplest way for me to do this is to divide my yeast free information overload into three different posts: (1) Guidelines and example meals, (2) my experience with the 30 day cleanse, and (3) Q&A session where I answer any questions about the cleanse and/or my results that you may have for me. 

So let's start with the basics.

Yeast. Yeast is a living fungus that thrives in moist, dark places where it can be provided with a constant food supply (i.e. your GI tract). Over the years, yeast cells being building up in your system and are multiplied every time you take a bite of sugary, over processed food. Luckily, we were all creatively designed with natural detoxify organs (your kidneys, mainly) that control the yeast levels by eliminating them as waste. However, some people have a hard time eliminating the yeast and it continues to build, clinging to the walls of your GI tract and making it harder for your body to absorb nutrients. Basically, you start feeling icky and you probably will begin to gain weigh. (Yeast rises, right? It makes sense a yeast filled belly will rise too.) To get rid of the yeast in your system not only do you have to eliminate yeast all together, but also you must eliminate its food source.

Yeast Free Guideline. (30 day cleanse) The following foods must be avoided during the cleanse.

For the first 2 weeks avoid:

-fruit

-butter

For the entire 30 days avoid:

-bread

-grains

-pastas

-dairy

-potatoes

-sugar

-alcohol

-vinegar (Only apple cider vinegar is allowed. I avoided all vinegars though.)

Sounds tough, huh? But the key is to focus on what you can have.

-meats

-vegetables

-eggs

-beans

-nuts and nut butter (no sugar added)

-coconut oil & olive oil

-coffee & tea

-natural sweeteners (like Stevia)

For a more in-depth list, go here!

Example Meals. A lot of people have asked what my day-to-day eating looks like now. I think you'll be surprised at the variety available even with such a restricted diet!

Breakfast. 

-eggs with turkey bacon or sausage (& oftentimes with avocado and/or tomato slices on the side)

-omelettes 

-chocolate protein shake: 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, 2 scoops peanut butter, 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, 5-7 ice cubes. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend!

-almond pancakes

(after two weeks a side of fruit can accompany any of these)

Lunch. This meal has the least variety because usually I eat leftovers from last night's dinner.

-tuna lettuce wraps (made with veganaise)

-salad with steak or chicken

-leftover dinner from the night before

Dinner.

-homemade chili

-salmon/tilapia/cod/chicken/steak/turkey patties (there are endless options for protein!!) with a sautéed vegetable melody

-lemon-garlic broccoli

-eggplant stuffed with ground turkey and veggies

-lobster amandine

Snacks.

-veggies/hummus

-apples/peanut butter (all natural)

-fruit

-nuts

No worries, I plan on sharing the recipes for the stuffed eggplant and lobster amandine eventually! But for the sake of your attention span, and my day job, I think it's time to wrap up this post :-) (Sorry! I tried to make it as condensed as possible!)

I'd love to hear your thoughts/concerns/questions on the yeast free cleanse, so don't be shy! Leave a comment or email me directly! (email found here) 

*Please note I am not a doctor (obviously) nor do I have any medical training. I am simply sharing my personal experience with the yeast free cleanse.  

Spicy Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Steven and I LOVE thai food. Actually, I think we just love food in general, but thai is at the top of our list. There is this amazing thai place right down the street from us that we order takeout from all the time. But trying to be frugal newlyweds means eating out less! {Bummer!} I decided to browse the internet for an amazing sounding spicy thai recipe and found nothing. Why are there no good thai recipes online? Also, if anyone knows of a website I could find some let me know! I decided to just go to the store and whip something up! I know, so domestic of me. 

So here are my Spicy Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps! 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup of quinoa
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 tomato
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp garlic
• Shrimp (I used shrimp that was already deveined and had the tails removed)
• 6 oz sweet thai chili sauce
• 2 jalapeños 
• Salt to taste
• Romaine lettuce

Quick Notes: I decided to replace the usual rice that comes with a thai dish with quinoa, which is all organic and a great source of protein. Also, I have no idea how much shrimp I used! I threw this recipe together rather quickly, so, if I were you, I'd just do it by sight. {sorry!} I used what I thought was enough for two people.

Directions: Place 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup water on the stove top. Bring water to a boil then cook for 15 minutes. Remove quinoa from heat and fluff gently with a fork. Set quinoa to the side.

In a large skillet, saute diced bell pepper, tomato, onion, and jalapeños. Mix in the shrimp, garlic, sweet chili sauce, and salt to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes. 

Wash and separate romaine lettuce leaves. Place quinoa and shrimp and vegetable mixture onto the lettuce and roll the leaf making a wrap. 

I hope those directions make sense! And if you want further spice add some hot red pepper flakes! {That's what Steven and I did.} The extra heat is what completes this dish in my opinion. 

Let me know if you give this recipe a shot and how it turns out! :)

Friday Letters.

Dear Body - I don't know what's wrong with you, but you better snap out of it. 2 weeks before the wedding, with so much still left to do, is NOT the time to be getting sick. Am I sick? Or is this just complete and utter exhaustion? I'm not sure. But it should probably end now. Dear Wedding Festivities - You officially start this weekend with. My first bridal shower and my bachelorette party are on Saturday! I'm stoked! {Obvi. Who wouldn't be?} Dear Huckleberry - I really, really with I could take you to the wedding with us. We would get you a tie and some cuffs and you would be the cutest dog around {well, you already are}! I'm going to miss you sooo stinkin' much! Two weeks may end up being too long without my little man. Dear Money Tree - It would be really lovely if you'd decide to take root in my yard. Just saying...

Apple Chips

9pm and I'm finally getting around to blogging! LIFE = CRAZINESS!!!

Work is a mess this week. I honestly don't think I'll be able to blog early in the morning at all these next few days...so prepare for some night time reads ya'll! I want all of you to stay awake until I post everyday. Even all you east coast folks who are 3 hours ahead of me :)

Okay, I kid. You can just read the next morning..but read you must.

And can we forget the fact that I used the word "ya'll" above?

Anyways, I'm on a semi-healthy kick these days and wanted to share a simple recipe with you.
Apple chips are a great snack, super yummy, and way better for you then those Lays potato chips beckoning you from the dark recesses of the cupboard.

All you need is Apples, Cinnamon, Sugar, a Knife, and an Oven :) 

First, cut the apples into really thin pieces. The thinner the better. And don't worry about the core! Simply cut right through it as well!

 Next, mix some sugar and cinnamon together. I didn't measure anything. Just mix it to taste. {I mean honestly, can you go wrong with cinnamon and sugar?} and then sprinkle the mix on the apples, or just plop those babies in and drench them in sugary sweetness.

 Place them on a baking sheet at 250 degrees for an hour. I had to cook mine about 20 minutes more because my apples weren't sliced quite thin enough.

 And then eat, eat, eat. So sweet, crunchy, and GOOOOOD!

I hope you all enjoy!