We're still having so much fun experimenting with new foods and learning new ways to eat old favorites. Our taste buds have completely changed. These days, a cold banana is like eating a candy bar to me.
Some of our new favorites are acorn and butternut squash - we like filling them with ground turkey and other veggies. So yummy! We're also trying to incorporate more greens. Oh! And I recently learned that I love beets! Who knew?
We've also been having fun coming up with our own soup recipes. I have to admit, Dustin's soup was better than mine. He used a ton of veggies and turkey meatballs and it made for the most delicious broth. The flavor was perfect, and it felt like it was healing my stomach as I ate it! Yum. I made my first butternut squash soup.. it was tasty, but could use some tweaking.
Dustin is enjoying big salads with tuna and olives and his own homemade dressing. He also found a homemade mayo recipe he loves and he eats it with just about everything - it's helping him put on some weight!
Speaking of weight, Dustin's has stayed pretty steady and mine has finally stabilized at around 100 pounds. I'm only 5'1" so I feel pretty good at this weight - in fact, I think this is the best I've ever felt about my body. Not just because I've lost weight, but because it feels better! Before the diet, I was around 125lbs and I'm beginning to think most of it was inflammation! My health is still a pain in the butt, but its nice to look in the mirror and at least feel like you look healthy. Sometimes I can almost convince myself I am... but then my stupid heart races or my blood pressure drops and I'm back in bed again! If only my body would be a little more appreciative of all the things I do for it!
I shouldn't say that though. POTS issues aside, things are actually alright. My stomach is giving me a lot less issues these days. In fact, my doctor said I no longer have any Ulcerative Colitis symptoms and that these days it sounds more like "Irritable Bowel Syndrome". I kind of laughed about that, because the medical system is so funny... all of these long, crazy names that basically just describe symptoms. I have poor digestion and the diet is helping me improve it - that's the long and short of it! :)
Dustin's GI issues are virtually gone! No more throwing up. I even notice a difference in how he looks. He still has some really rough POTS/EDS days (which is to be expected), but his face is more vibrant, his coloring is better. I notice an even bigger change in him when he drinks juice. He's been juicing here and there and we're hoping to slowly introduce fresh juice to my stomach too! I tried pomegranate and apple for the first time yesterday with no real issues.
Alright, onto the food! Oh and before I start, I apologize so much that these recipes are so badly written. Seriously. Its like a five year old wrote them. One day I'll get better about remembering the steps, but for now these will have to do. We're constantly changing how we prepare everything and most of it is just done spur of the moment so its hard to actually sit down and remember it all. Hopefully this give you a rough guideline or just inspires you to come up with some ideas of your own.
Dustin's Cheesy Broccoli Chicken
(without cheese!)
Ingredients:
Broccoli
Chicken breasts
Squash sauce
(we use Cascade Farms organic winter squash sauce; they sell it at our local grocery store. I think its probably available anywhere.)
Coconut oil
Your favorite seasonings
(we use salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric. oh! and chives!)
First, shred the raw chicken into thin strips
(the easiest way to do this is to throw it into the food processor! comes out perfect!)
Cook chicken on medium heat in a saute pan with coconut oil.
Boil 1 small bag of frozen broccoli
(even better if you use fresh!)
Once the broccoli is cooked, add it to your chicken. Then simply add your squash sauce and stir.
Season to taste.
(we usually season as we go, as well. I think this helps deepen the flavor!)
Kyli's Chicken A'la Beets
Ingredients:
Chicken thighs
Beets
Beet greens
Carrots
Yellow squash
Coconut oil
Ginger
(you can either peel and mince your own or buy it already prepared)
Set your oven to 400 degrees.
Slice beets. Then, chop carrots, beet greens, and squash in bite sized pieces.
Spread a layer of coconut oil in a casserole dish. Add your veggies. Give them a mix! Add a couple more teaspoons of coconut oil.
Season with salt, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, and anything your heart desires.
Place chicken thighs on top of veggies.
Cook until chicken thighs are done, when liquid runs clear.
My chicken thighs finished cooking before my beets were done, so I just took them out, covered them and waited awhile longer.
Enjoy!
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