Sunday, November 30, 2014

Day 12 and Decor

Day 12 of the Whole30 and this reaction is still persisting. It is a little frustrating but I am persisting because I committed to this program!!! At least my mind is at rest that my trigger is environmental and not dietary!!!

We are busy decorating and crafting here at the house. Right now we are making an Advent Calendar (I will post photos when I'm done! A whole post on the crafts will come later!). We are also making a stocking holder to hang on the wall.

We are about halfway done decorating. Last night the little ones helped me hotglue ribbon to candy canes to hang up in the window. They also helped me make some fun ribbon bracelets to give to cousins for Christmas gifts.

This year is our first "down home" Christmas in about 2-3 years. I forget. Either way I am SO excited for this season and can't wait to pass down some family traditions, start new ones and teach them about why and what we celebrate!

Its totally going to be a Homemade Holiday this year!

Well, back to finish my crafts so I can post about them this week!

~KT~

Friday, November 28, 2014

Thanksgiving and the Day After!




Thanksgiving was so much fun! What a great time with family! I really miss my family, and thought of them often! We had smoked turkey, green bean casserole, roasted carrots, elk roast, roasted squash and sweet potatoes, beets in a cinnamon apricot sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and of course, the pumpkin pie! I had a regular pie for everyone else and a sugar free, Whole30 approved "pumpkin"apple pie for me, my man, and my daughter. I was so surprised how sweet the sugar free pie was and I am wondering why we, as a culture, add sugar to already sweet things.

In fact, the sweet potato squash pan I made was SO sweet, it was almost too sweet! (ALL sugar free!!) Here is what I did:
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Squash

Peel and cube 2 organic sweet potatoes
Peel and cube 1 butternut squash

Place in coconut oil greased pan, drizzle with coconut oil.
Sprinkle with cardamom and cinnamon.
Bake at 325F until done, stirring once or twice.


It was ridiculously good!

Obviously since I am doing the Whole30 I skipped out on a few of the food items, I just made them for everyone else not doing the Whole30!

Over all the only two things I was disappointed in was the green bean casserole and my gluten/grain free gravy. Thankfully, I was given some leads of some good recipes so I will be using them next time, but not waiting until the next Holiday to use it!

So fast forward to today:

Still fighting off another major reaction to something. Since I'm on the AIP Whole30 I know its not food based. I did however eat some non organic meat so I might have come into contact with that nasty antibiotic I am allergic to in the meat OR it was from me doing a deep clean on the built in hutch. We haven't had time to clean it out since moving in and I just couldn't bear to eat a nice dinner next to a dusty hutch. So I cleaned it out with just water this time as we thought I had a major reaction to the citrus cleaner I had used doing a deep clean on the fireplace (the day before I had my first horrid reaction). Anyway just using water I started getting VERY itchy and red that evening. The day before Thanksgiving I was bright red, itchy and started getting puffy. Instantly I took more than just Benadryl and I did the allergy protocol prescribed by the Doctor and it held off balloon face but I did get puffier over night so yesterday no family pictures were taken. Today it is not as swollen, but I switched the main allergy med from Zyrtec back to Claritin, so maybe that was a help this time? At any rate it is peeling like a chemical burn again. It's so bizarre.

HOWEVER!!!!!

I FEEL better despite the reaction! This Whole30 journey is helping me feel so much better! I no longer depend on a morning cup of coffee to get me through the day. I'm not a cranky bear when I wake up and obviously it wasn't the caffeine I was addicted to, but the sugar rush from a sugar caffeine laden latte. (I, however, still LOVE a good latte). I just won't go all crazy with them once I'm done with the Whole30, especially if I find dairy is a trigger. I'm suspecting dairy or eggs to be a trigger, but we shall see when the Whole30 is over! I'm 1/3 of the way done! WHOOHOOO!!!!!

Well, back to re-claiming my house from the Thanksgiving Day chaos of cooking and decorating for the fun Holidays we are going to be celebrating this December!!!!!

Happy Nearing the End of November!!!
~KT~

Psalm 100:4


Monday, November 24, 2014

Day 6 Whole30

Today things are going well! I just can't believe the difference in my skin. It is so bizarre! I feel stronger, and I am thinking by the end of my Whole30, should be back to "normal"! I have noticed that I fall asleep so much easier as well! I don't crash like I used to and I don't get as cranky when I get hungry. I am still having sugar cravings but I'm practicing mind over matter as I made it to day 6 already, why waste those days previous?! SO not worth it! Especially for the benefits I am reaping already!!!


 In other news we're looking at our Holiday celebration and tradition list and revamping it. Why do we celebrate what we do. What is the history on it? What are our family traditions? What do we want our family traditions to be with our little ones?

Materialism, Commercialism, Greed, Selfishness. Those things are all becoming quite evident as "Black Friday" on Thanksgiving is coming up. How did the season of giving become the season of getting and/or spending?

What are the things we want to grow and foster in our children? It most certainly is NOT the "give me" spirit! We hope we can foster an attitude of "giving"  not "give me".

Something to think about as we prepare for our national time of Thanksgiving.

As a country we really, truly have so much to be thankful for!

~KT~

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Day 4






This morning I woke up and could not believe that the redness is fading!!! My skin looks like its finally starting to heal up!!! I am SO excited!!!! After a year of this awful condition, finally some relief, thank God!!!

I'm having some pretty strong sugar cravings now. I'm focusing on hydration and not slipping into the bag of dried figs!!!


Last night I made the best squash ever! It was a small buttercup/hubbard looking squash and I chopped half an apple into each, one fig into each, drizzled olive oil inside and then sprinkled cinnamon on top. I was out of walnuts or I would have added walnuts as well.

It was incredible!!!

Tonight we are having elk steaks with onions and mushrooms. Oven roasted carrots and also broccoli!

After the carrots are done, while we are eating dinner, I'm going to be roasted some whole sweet potatoes in preparation for tomorrow!

This is only day 4 and despite yesterday's flareup, I can't wait to see how my skin looks on Day 30!!!

Enjoying the sunshine today!
~KT~

Friday, November 21, 2014

Day #3 of my Whole30 Journey

Well, here on day 3. I made it to day 3!!!! Today I'm struggling more, my skin is actually feeling worse, I have a headache.

Despite how I "feel", I know that once I get past this healing period, I will feel SO MUCH better!!

It is worth it, for me, to go through a few days of discomfort to finally heal my body and hopefully stop this awful skin issue.


So really today I am thankful I can still have coffee!
Celebrate the small things, because someday, they won't seem so small :) (I heard that somewhere and don't know to whom the credit goes to)

Happy November!
~KT~

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Whole30 Day 2

Yesterday I was surprised at how much I depended on sugar and pointless carbs as fuel to get through the day. I also suffered an awful migraine, but after a nice dinner disappeared. (Day 1)

NOW:

Today is still surprising as now I've noticed how much dairy I used to eat if I didn't have sugary items in the house. I don't miss baked goods as much since I've been gluten free since the end of August.

Its a little frustrating to me to have this cooking learning curve as I am relearning to cook/bake gluten free but now doing it the Whole30 way. LUCKILY, for me, there are tons of resources on their website, Pinterest, and other places online. Coffee with coconut isn't that bad, a hot breakfast- seriously who would complain about that?!

So far no change in my skin. It's only Day 2 though, I wasn't expecting it, just recording it!

I'm really hoping the weather changes though! Without the mountains it just feels like back home, which kind of makes me homesick as the scenery then looks like home (without the mountains). With the mountains in full view, it is comforting knowing that I'm here, not there and helps to keep my perspective in the proper place! That has nothing to do with my Whole30 journey, but still.

Chasiah is working on her 2nd tooth already! She is sure growing fast. Childhood flies by sooo fast!

Found a property we are SUPER interested in looking to buy. We'll see what happens with that. I''m excited to actually decorate for Christmas for the first time in like what, 3 years?!?!!? Day after Thanksgiving, people. Yes, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas stuff is coming out and going up!!!!

On that note, I am thankful to be in a house that I can decorate for Christmas this year!!!!!
~KT~