Lucky for all of you egg-free people, I’ve been experimenting more with egg-free baking these days than normal.  So I came up with a very yummy cookie that is egg-free, grain-free, gluten and wheat-free, dairy-free, and sugar free.  Yay!  I didn’t get a good picture of the actual cookies but you can see Elijah was enjoying his!

Cinnamon Walnut Raisin Egg-free Cookie Recipe (wheat, gluten, grain, sugar, and dairy free)

1 1/2 cups nut flour – I tried them with both almond and pecan flour and both are tasty

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (you can use melted butter too)

1/4 cup honey or other sweetener of choice

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda (delete for GAPS)

2 heaping tablespoons nut butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins or currants

1/4 cup or less water – start with less and add until you get a good cookie batter consistency

Steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix all ingredients except the water together.  Add the water after you have mixed all the other ingredients, a little at a time until you get a good cookie dough consistency.

2.  Grease 2 cookie sheets with butter or oil.  Make spoonfuls the size of tablespoons and plop them onto the cookie sheet, spacing them out so that you have about 12 to a sheet.  This batch makes about 16 cookies so you’ll need just part of the second cookie sheet.

3.  Bake for 12 minutes or until cooked through and a little crispy on the outside.  Remove from oven, let cool for about five minutes.  Then remove with a spatula and serve.  They remind me of Oatmeal Raisin cookies.  Yum!

Pear, Avocado, Almond and Coconut Butter Breakfast

It can be extremely difficult to give up certain foods you’re used to eating and depending on.  I have personally eaten eggs almost every day for the past “I don’t know how many” years.  I love eating them in the morning because they are easy to fix, don’t require defrosting or planning ahead, can hold me over all morning and are relatively inexpensive for a meal.  Then there is the whole “what the heck would I eat if I didn’t eat eggs” dilemma.

All of these reasons have kept me eating eggs, until up to about three weeks ago.  My belly had had enough.  I distinctly heard it say to me one day, “No More EGGS!”  Yikes!  What was I going to do?

Sigh.  Many people email me asking me for breakfast ideas, especially egg-free ones.  I have promised them a menu planner…soon.  I do have the Egg-Free GAPS Menu Planner available that has one breakfast idea for each week.

However, I have yet to deliver a complete list of recipes and/or menu planner for breakfast ideas that are free of eggs.  So, I don’t have a release date yet, but I am planning on compiling an e-book of egg-free breakfast ideas for people who feel just as lost as I do when I comes to facing breakfast in the morning on an egg-free diet. Hooray!

This morning my husband looked at my breakfast inquisitively.  He was obviously interested or maybe confused about what I was eating.  I told him it was avocado, pear, almonds and coconut butter.  He seemed a little impressed, but I don’t think he’s going egg-free anytime soon.

Here’s the recipe to my surprisingly filling breakfast:

Pear, Avocado, Almond and Coconut Butter Breakfast

1/2 avocado, cubed

1/2 ripe pear, cubed

1/4 cup almonds, soaked, dehydrated and chopped coarsely

2 Tbsp coconut butter at room temp. from Artisana

How to make it: Gently mix all the ingredients together and enjoy.

In the end, I had almost two helpings of this, but so far it has held me over and it’s just about lunch time as I write this.

List of Egg-Free Recipe Ideas (also grain, gluten and starch free)

So, I have been compiling a list of breakfast ideas for the egg-free diet.  I’m going to list it here and will link whenever possible.  In the meantime, I will begin working on compiling the recipes in e-book form and hope to have it available soon.  Release date to be announced! If you have more ideas, please feel free to list them in the comments or email me.

Dairy and non dairy:

• Almond milk – can also use cashews and other nuts or seeds
• Coconut milk
• Banana Milk
• Coconut yogurt
• Almond Crème
• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Yogurt Cheese (dripped yogurt)

Cereals and granola bars:

• Granola and Granola Bars
• Granola Bars – I use less than 1/4 cup honey and it is more like granola in the end
• Muesli
• Quick Nut Cereal:  1/2 cup any kind of nuts/seeds, finely chopped with your choice of milk
• Berry and Nut Breakfast Bars from Rawvolution by Matt Amsden

Bread and baked goods:

• Egg-free Almond Flour bread
• Egg-free Zucchini and Blueberry Muffins
• Fantastic Dunking Biscuits

Desserts for Breakfast

• Fruit Crumble – I have made this twice in the past couple of weeks and it’s great for breakfast
• Raw Strawberry Pie – I just found this and it looks delicious but I haven’t tried it yet
• Raw Carrot Cake
• No Bake Zucchini Cake – this was a little heavy on the flax – would use less flax next time
• Cinnamon Walnut Cookies – post coming soon!
• Raw Butternut Squash Cookies
• Shortbread

Fruit Salads

• Fruit Salad with Granola and Yogurt or Almond Crème
• Coconutty Fruit Salad
• Tropical Parfait

Smoothies:
(You can add hemp protein powder for extra protein, but I’m still trying to figure out of this is okay on GAPS)

• Blueberry Banana Coconut Smoothie
• Strawberry Almond Shake
• Sunburst Smoothie – orange juice, bananas, dates and ginger root
• Almond Lassi – almond milk, dates, cardamon and black pepper
• Raspberry cream – raspberries, avocados , banana, milk
• Cherry avocado smoothie
• Green smoothie –1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 avocado, 2 cups spinach, coconut milk, water, honey to taste
• Kefir or yogurt smoothie

Meat:

• Sausage patties
• Left over meatloaf
• Sausage or bacon with sautéed zucchini, mushroom and onion
• Grass fed hotdogs
• Bacon – if you have a brand that is free of sugar, nitrates and preservatives, please share!
• BLT on Eggless almond bread or other bread
• Cauliflower Bacon Hash

Wraps:

• Mexican breakfast burrito – cabbage wrap with sautéed turkey and veggies and salsa
• Italian breakfast burrito – cabbage wrap with ground turkey, beef or chicken, artichoke hearts, pesto, cheese, spinach

Ferments:

• Sauerkraut – I NEVER would have thought I’d be eating sauerkraut for breakfast but I love it
• Yogurt or Kefir
• Kombucha

Soup and leftovers for breakfast:

Besides all of these ideas for grain-free and egg-free breakfast ideas, I rely on having soup for breakfast quite often.  This is how I have been getting my daily cup of broth by cooking a chopped zucchini, some onion and a cup or so of broth in a pan.  I blend everything up once it’s cooked and it feels so nourishing in my belly. 

I also eat leftovers from dinner quite often when I’m in a hurry. Sometimes I mix it with some yogurt, depending on what it is. 

Well, I guess you can say this is simply an opportunity to be creative in the morning when you jump out of bed!  I hope these ideas help you if you’re egg-free and need some breakfast ideas for the morning.

And, I’d love to hear from you!  Any more egg-free breakfast ideas you can think of?  Would love to hear about them.  Thanks!

One of our meals last week was a delicious Roasted Chicken with herbs and lemon as well as Cold Beet Salad, Sauerkraut and Garden Tomato and Basil Salad.  The three salads looked so beautiful together, I couldn’t help but take a picture.  And they tasted great together as well.  The beet and tomato salads are very easy while the sauerkraut takes some time and effort, but all were very delicious.  So I thought I’d share the Beet and Tomato salads with you today and keep the Sauerkraut for another day…

Garden Tomato and Basil Salad

Garden tomatoes – as many as you’d like, chopped up into medium sized chunks

Fresh basil, chopped – about 1/4 cup to 2-3 large tomatoes

Dressing: About 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 olive oil  (you can play with the proportions – I usually don’t measure but simply pour onto the tomatoes)

Apple Cider Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar (not GAPS friendly)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper, freshly cracked, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.  You can chill ahead of time and the flavors will mingle together.

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Cold Beet Salad

4-5 beets, peeled, cut into chunks and steamed until tender, chilled

Fresh mint, chopped – about 1/4 cup (I actually didn’t add mint this time but it is very good with the beets)

Same dressing as above for the tomato salad

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

For the beets, you will need to chill them before serving.  Enjoy!

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I hope you enjoy these simply delicious summer recipes for these really hot days we’re having!

This recipe does require a dehydrator so if you don’t have one, you may be able to bake the mixture at about 300 degrees F until it is crisp.  You may want to put it on parchment paper or just grease the pan very well.  You’ll also want to make the mixture quite thin on the pan.  This does kill the beneficial enzymes in the nuts and seeds but it is an option if you don’t have a dehydrator.

I did make some adjustments to the recipe, simply due to not having dates, lemon, pumpkin seeds or vanilla.  But here is the original recipe as well as my adjustments.  For me, it made two  full sheets of granola on the Excalibur dehydrating sheets which later fit almost into two quart sized jars (one is already gone…)

Raw Nut Granola (egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free)

Makes approx 10 cups

1        apple chopped
1 ½  cup date paste (some dates soaked in a little boiling water and then whiz in the food processor until a paste is formed) I used figs for this because I didn’t have dates on hand
½      cup honey, preferably raw
2         Tbsp lemon juice – I used 4 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1         Tbsp vanilla extract (optional) – left out, still tasty
1         tsp cinnamon
½      tsp salt
½      cup sunflower seeds soaked 2 hours or more
2        cups almonds soaked 4 hours or more
3        cups pecans soaked 2 hours or more
1        cup pumpkin seed soaked 2 hours or more – used additional 1 cup sunflower seeds
1        cup dried cranberries or currants or sultanas – I left these out because I am avoiding raisins

1. In a food processor whiz apple, date paste or soaked figs, honey, lemon or orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and the sunflower seeds to make paste.  Transfer to a bowl
2. Add to the food processor, remaining sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds (don’t bother rinsing bowl). Coarsely chop in a few quick pulses.  Add nuts and seeds to the bowl with fruit paste.  Mix well
3. Spread onto baking paper or dehydrator sheets and place in dehydrator at 115 F for 8 hours.
4. Flip the granola over and peel away the paper
5. Dehydrate another 12 hours until crunchy.
6. Break into pieces and once cooled store in the fridge in glass containers.  Enjoy as Raw Granola Bars or Raw Granola – just break up into smaller pieces for granola.

Yummy!

Nut-free? I don’t see why you couldn’t make this and simply use all pumpkin and sunflower seeds in place of the nuts.  You could also use 1/3 dessicated coconut and I am sure it would be yummy!

This pizza tastes like summer!  Enjoy!

Zucchini and Basil Pizza with Almond Flour Pizza Crust (gluten-free, grain-free and yeast-free)
Adapted from: Breaking the Vicious Cycle by
Elaine Gottschall

Ingredients:
Crust:
2      eggs (EGG-FREE:  2 Tbsp flax meal combined with 6 Tbsp. hot water)
2      cups blanched almond flour, or more as needed to make a stiff and not sticky dough
2      tsp olive oil
1/2  tsp garlic powder or 1-2 cloves of garlic
1      tsp honey
1      tsp salt
2    tsp dried herbs, such as basil, thyme and oregano
(optional)
Sauce:
8      oz. Bionaturae strained tomatoes
1-2   Tbsp. Bionaturae tomato paste
1 tsp. Italian seasoning or a mix of basil, oregano,
marjoram and parsley
1/4  tsp. garlic powder, to taste
1      tsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
1/2   onion, diced

1-2   zucchinis, cut into half moon slices

1/3  cup chopped fresh basil

grated cheese (optional)

Steps:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Beat the eggs in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the other ingredients for the crust and stir.  If mixture does not easily form a ball, add more flour by the tablespoon.

2.  Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet, and sprinkle some of the flour on as well.  Place the ball of dough in the middle of the pan and squish it out into the shape you want.  It should be about 1/4 inch thick.

3.  Bake the crust for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until it is lightly browned and no longer wet.
While crust is baking, saute the onions in olive oil over medium heat until they are soft, about 5-10 minutes.  Then add the zucchinis and saute for 8 or so minutes until cooked through but not mushy.   Combine the sauce ingredients together in a bowl or pan.  Chop up the basil.

4.  Take crust out of the oven and top with sauce and other toppings, and return to oven for 5-10 minutes, or long enough for toppings to heat up and cheese to melt if you are using cheese.

This past week was one of those weeks where I decided pretty much a few hours before dinnertime to decide what to make, but everything turned out yummy (well, in my opinion at least!)

My GAPS Weekly Meal Un-Plan

(gluten-free, dairy, free, starch-free, sugar-free, soy-free, legume-free)

Dinners (leftovers for lunch):

• Turkey Tacos with Cabbage wraps
• Coconut Fried Chicken and Mashed Cauliflower
• Beef Marinara with Zucchini Noodles
• Salads:  hard boiled eggs or chicken, peas, shredded carrots,  pea shoots, garden tomatoes, cooked and cooled beets, etc.
• Egg wraps with Sautéed Cabbage, Shredded Carrots and Onions
• Chicken Legs with Barbecue sauce and Steamed Broccoli

Desserts:

• Blueberry Muffin Cake
• Coconut Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – I had a have a filling on a cavity this week so eating vanilla ice cream seemed only natural…

Breakfast:

• Blueberry Yogurt Smoothies – just yogurt, blueberries and bananas
• Banana Pancakes – just bananas and eggs
• Eggs…

Ferments, etc:

• Soaked and Dehydrated nuts
• Kombucha
• Yogurt

Well, that’s me!  I’m always looking for new ideas so please do share!

It’s blueberry season here in Maryland and Elijah, my mom and I ended up going picking this past weekend.  We had a blast picking 8 lbs in less than an hour and Elijah got to eat all he wanted.  The farm we went to was called Frog Eye Farm and they had over 200 blueberry bushes!

I love blueberry muffins – but I don’t always like cleaning muffin tins – so I made a Blueberry Muffin Cake with the berries we picked.  It was yummy and very easy.

Blueberry Muffin Cake with coconut flour (grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free)

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 – 1/3 cup honey

4 eggs

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda (not GAPS legal -delete for GAPS)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

If the coconut oil isn’t melted, gently melt it in a pan on the stove on low.  Combine the eggs, honey and oil together until smooth (make sure the oil isn’t too hot though).  Add the flour, soda, and salt and beat until well blended and there are no lumps.  You can also put everything into a mixer or food processor.

2. Add the blueberries at the end and fold into the batter.  Grease an 8 x 8 pan with coconut oil or butter.  Pour batter into the pan and spread over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until it is firm in the center.  Sorry – I don’t remember exactly how long it took.

Enjoy!

If you are grain-free, this lasagna is just for you!  Or if you’re gluten-free and can’t eat regular rice noodle pasta, this is a great alternative for you to be able to make lasagna again!

I came up with this recipe this past spring and I really love it.  I wanted to try to find something to replace the noodles other than zucchinis to make it taste a bit more like regular lasagna while still being grain-free.  So I ended up using very thin crepes made just from eggs for the noodles.  The result was very good and it was even better the next day after the flavors had melded a bit more.

I did use cheese on the top of the one in the picture.  We are now able to eat a particular brand of raw cow’s cheddar cheese and I am so happy about this!  It’s been so long since we’ve been able to enjoy cheese without reacting to it.  I would say this is mainly due to the healing we have been doing through being on the GAPS diet – hooray!

However, if you can’t eat cheese, I have cashew cheese sauce that works great if you can eat nuts.  It’s in the recipe below.

By the way, if you plan on making this, my tip is to make the egg noodles ahead of time because it gets to be quite a bit to make the noodles, sauce, and veggies all in once sitting…

So, here’s the recipe for you!

Veggie Lasagna with egg noodles (gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free)
TOTAL TIME:  1 HR. 30 MIN.
MAKES 8-12 SERVINGS

Ingredients:
Noodles:
8       eggs
¾      tsp salt
¾      tsp garlic powder
Filling:
1       Tbsp coconut oil
1       onion, chopped fine
20     oz. frozen or fresh spinach
2       cups mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1       tsp salt
2-3   tsp. dried basil, oregano, and/or parsley
2       cloves of garlic, crushed
10    oz. pitted black olives with no preservatives, sliced
2      cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2-3  cups tomato marinara sauce (sugar free)
Toppings:
1/3  pound shredded cheese OR:
Cashew cheese:
1/2     cup raw cashews, soaked for 6 hours
1 ¼    cups water
1         Tablespoon olive oil
1         clove garlic
1/2      teaspoon salt

Steps:
1.  Make the egg noodles first.  Please click here to learn how to make them.

Steps continued:
Filling:
2.  In a separate cast iron skillet or large saucepan, sauté the onion in oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until soft and translucent.  Add the spinach, garlic, salt, herbs, and mushrooms if using.  Cook vegetable for 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked.  Add the olives and tomatoes and cook just until tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes.

Cashew Cheese (if not using real cheese):
3.  In a blender, combine drained cashews and fresh water.  Blend until very smooth.

4.  In a small skillet or pan, heat the oil to medium-high heat and then add the garlic.  Sauté for a few minutes until slightly browned.

5.  Add the cashew water and salt.  Bring to a boil briefly to thicken it and then reduce the heat.  Stir the sauce as it thickens.  Remove from heat.

Arranging:
6.  Arrange one layer of the crepes/noodles on the bottom of an oiled 13 X 9 x 2 pan in a single layer.  Cut them in half or in whatever shape that is needed to fill in the gaps.

7.  Once you have one layer of noodles, follow with a layer of vegetable filling and then a layer of tomato sauce.  Follow with a layer of egg noodles, another layer of vegetables and sauce.  Finish with a third layer of egg noodles.  To the top, add the shredded cheese, or the cheese sauce.  You can also add cheese or cheese sauce in the middle of the lasagna if you wish.

8.  Bake in the oven at 350 F for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

So what is this post really about?

It’s about these lovely little egg crepes that I make that are great for multiple uses…wraps, pancakes and yes, noodles.

My post following this will be about lasagna and how I use these little egg crepes to make delicious tasting gluten-free and grain-free lasagna…stay tuned!

A few tips:

For noodles: The recipe below is specifically for making the noodles for the lasagna.  They are very thin and quite delicate.  But they work great as noodles for this reason in the lasagna.

For wraps: you will want to use more than 1/8 cup egg batter that is recommended in the recipe below.  I would use just less than 1/4 cup for making one wrap. This will make it more durable.  You can use these for grain- free tacos or any other kind of sandwich topping that needs bread or a wrap.

For pancakes: now these aren’t your regular pancakes.  But my son loves to eat these just with honey and butter.  They are extremely easy because there is only one ingredient.  If you want more of a pancake, you may want to use a little bit more than 1/8 cup egg batter per pancake.  If you’re after crepes, then 1/8 cup should work great.  And you will want to delete the garlic powder.

So, here is how to make them…

Egg Wraps or Pancakes or Noodles (grain-free, starch free, gluten-free and dairy-free)

Ingredients:

8       eggs
¾      tsp salt
¾      tsp garlic powder

(Again, this is the amount you will use for the lasagna.  If you’re making pancakes or wraps, start with 3 or 5 eggs).

1.  Crack eggs into a medium mixing bowl.  Add the salt and garlic powder and stir until well combined.   Beat the mixture with an egg beater or you can use a blending wand to blend them.  You basically want to make sure they are very smooth and the whites and yolks are well combined.

2.  Heat a small 6-7” nonstick pan or cast iron skillet to medium and add a little coconut oil or butter. Once it is heated, hold the pan handle in your non-dominant hand with a hot pad.  (This is so that you can tilt the pan quickly and easily once you put the batter into the pan.)

Measure out about 1/8 of a cup of eggs and add to the skillet, tilting the skillet quickly so that it becomes round and as thin as a crepe. Put the pan back down on the stove. Let cook until it can be easily flipped with a spatula. It takes less than a minute to cook.  You’ll want to flip it as soon a it’s ready so that it doesn’t become overcooked.  Let cook on the other side briefly until cooked through.

3.  Continue to make the noodles in this way until all the egg mixture is used up.  You may need to lower the heat as you go as to not burn the egg noodles.

That’s it!  Only eggs and salt and you have crepes, pancakes, wraps or lasagna noodles that are grain-free, gluten-free, starch-free, and dairy-free.  So easy and so versatile.  Enjoy!

I’ve been working on the post for six months now.  I have to admit it’s been difficult for me to get it written so that I can actually share it.

Part of it is that these experiences still feel very close at hand and they’re not easy to talk about.  Most people who know me don’t know I’ve had these experiences over the past couple of years.  Even now, when I am out of the woods and no longer experiencing these crazy episodes where I thought I was going to lose my mind – even now, it is still hard to get it all written down.

Another part is that there is so much to it.  My life has completely changed from being on GAPS.  Not only am not having anxiety attacks and mental breakdowns, I am just a completely happier and at peace person now.  I really can’t believe how much has changed, really.

So I thought I would start with the basics and just write down all the points in my life that have changed after going on the GAPS diet.  Then I can talk more about the more juicier aspects of visiting the crazy side of life in a future post.

If you don’t know about GAPS, it is a grain, starch and sugar free diet that can help people with all sorts of mental problems such as depression, which I experienced for years since being a teen.

You can read more about the diet here.

As far as the chart below goes, many of the symptoms listed are things I have dealt with my entire life.  The only thing that only happened postpartum were the mental breakdowns, etc.  However, now that I say that, I did have some mental breakdowns during pregnancy and even before that.  But they weren’t as pronounced and I didn’t find myself beating the daylights out of inanimate objects.  They were more like crying fits and feeling utterly depressed.

And everything on the list became more pronounced after giving birth.  The whole experience of pregnancy, birth, exclusive breastfeeding and motherhood basically shined the light on a part of myself that was already in need of healing and made it imperative that something had to change in order for me to live as a normal person.

And when I say “gone”, I would say it took at least 2-3 months of being on GAPS, taking the supplements and coconut oil to feel like the symptom was no longer present.  And some symptoms took longer to go away.

During the first few months of being on GAPS, I would have symptoms reoccur around my period.  I have read that candida overgrowth can get more pronounced around the time of ones’ cycle so I believe this was a contributing factor.  Now, nine months being on the diet, I no longer have these symptoms around my cycle.

All I am saying is – it didn’t happen over night.  This diet is not a quick fix.  People are recommended to stay on it for two years or more.  For me, I believe it will be longer than two years.

Mental/Emotional problems:

• Anxiety attacks, Mental breakdowns, Rageful episodes, Lack of control over my body
  • Gone, except for when I accidentally ate a spoonful of goat milk after being on GAPS for a month or so.
  • This is the main thing I am going to talk about when I go more into detail about my postpartum experiences. It is the hardest thing to talk about because I felt so crazy at the time but am grateful beyond words that my diet change has cured me of these episodes that I used to have postpartum.

• Inappropriate anger and frustration
  • Pretty much gone.  This comes up if I am detoxing or reacting to something I ate.  We have been testing some GAPS cheeses and they haven’t all worked for us so I know I am reacting when I start to get edgy.
  • I DO still get frustrated and angry but it is within normal range and for a reason, like when Elijah breaks something.  But it doesn’t’ last and doesn’t push me into a mental roller coaster.
• Emotional ups and downs
  • I am happily “driving a car” instead of being “on a roller coaster ride.”  Before, life was full of ups and downs.  I can’t believe how even-minded I am most of the time now.
• Inability to focus and concentrate
  • Things are awesome in this department unless I have been sick or detoxing.

• Lack of self-confidence/doubting myself and life
  • Again, this has changed so much.  I didn’t realize how much I struggled with this until it went away.  I had no idea how I felt about myself was related to my gut.
• Depression
  • Gone.  The only times I have been depressed are when I have eaten something I shouldn’t have or when I am actually sad about something for a real reason (but it doesn’t last like depression.)
  • I have actually come to realize that the sinking feeling in my chest is a sign that I ate something that didn’t agree with me.  I lived my whole life trying to get happy. Now I just am happy.  Yay!

• Blaming and nagging my husband
  • Gone – a byproduct of being happy and content and no longer obsessive about messes around the house.  This has obviously helped our relationship and we are closer than we ever have been.
• General unhappiness
  • Instead, general happiness, contentment, hope, joy and feeling of peace on a daily basis.  I used to think I had to work for this.
• “Life sucks” and “I hate my life”
  • Definitely don’t feel this anymore.  Quite the opposite – I am so grateful for everything, even the hard stuff.
• Memory problems
  • My memory is so much better.  I still sometimes can’t remember the word I am trying to say or I forget the shopping list.  But overall it feels more normal now.

• Unproductive
  • Quite the opposite now.  I feel more productive than ever, while I also give myself time to rest too.
• Unexplained nervousness and anxiety
  • Gone.  I had no idea why I felt this at times when there was nothing to be nervous about.
• Lack of inspiration
  • Inspired!
• Obsessive compulsive
  • Never got “diagnosed” for this but when I am in a full-on reaction, my brain starts going crazy if there is stuff all over the house or there are a lot of dishes.  I start cleaning obsessively and can’t stop.  This is gone too now that I’ve been on GAPS for a while.

• Sensitive to sounds, sights and too much commotion.  I have always been a sensitive person – so much so that going to the mall was usually an exhausting experience for me.
  • I now find that things are getting better in this department. I don’t get so overwhelmed but still do sometimes, especially when Elijah is going a mile a minute.

Physical issues:

Digestive issues:

• General digestive problems throughout my life
  • Overall, much better but I feel I still have healing to do.
• Constipation
  • This has improved a lot but do find I am still prone to constipation when I am under a lot of stress – like the week we moved, etc.  I also find that eating plenty of veggies keeps things regular.
• Stomach aches
  • These are very infrequent but still do have some stomach aches now and then.  Not like when I was a teen though, when I had stomach aches that lasted a long time.
• heartburn during pregnancy
  • This went away after the birth

Skin issues:

• eczema  and mystery rashes on several different places on my body during different times in my life
  • I had a rash on my hand last summer and it eventually went away after being on GAPS a few months and taking coconut oil.  See this post.
• pimples
  • My skin is very clear now but do have a pimple every now and then.
• Sick with colds and flu very often
  • Elijah and I were hardly sick over the winter since being on GAPS.  We were constantly sick last year when he was a year old.  Since we moved, I’ve had a sinus infection and Elijah has been sick twice.  My feeling is this is due to the stress of the move and the extra toxins floating around with new paint, carpeting, concrete dust from remodeling, and mold in the air conditioning (have since had our ducts cleaned).  Needles to say we’re still sensitive.
• Lack of breast milk production
  • I am not sure if this has improved since being on GAPS because Elijah is pretty much weaned except for a quick nurse in the morning.
• Weight fluctuations throughout my life – 30 lbs over weight at some points and at least 5 lbs underweight while nursing my son
  • I have gained 5 pounds since being on GAPS and feel I am actually at a good weight now.  I felt like I was super skinny when Elijah was about 10 months old and had a hard time gaining any weight until we went on GAPS.
• Sleep issues and night-wakings – both Elijah and I had sleep problems before we went on GAPS
  • Once we went on GAPS, Elijah started sleeping through the night consistently for the first time since he was born.  For me my sleep had already improved before I went on GAPS.
• Tiredness and general low energy
  • I have so much more energy now.  I think part of this is mental because my mood would slow me down and make me feel tired, or like I wanted to go to bed when it was the middle of the day because I felt so lousy.

Elijah:

• Slow weight-gain for Elijah on breastmilk
  • He started gaining weight normally once I started feeding him solids when he was 5 ½ months old.
• Colic as an infant
  • This went away after I eliminated dairy, eggs, soy and other foods from my diet when I was nursing.  He is still allergic to most dairy and other foods except homemade yogurt and butter.
• Wound up like a rubber band, hitting, biting, yelling, crying spells, etc.
  • I think part of this is being two years.  The other part is definitely influenced by what he eats.  I have noticed these kinds of issues get more pronounced when he eats something he is reacting to like GAPS approved cheeses.  For the most part, these issues have improved dramatically since being on GAPS than before.
• Occasional constipation
  • For the most part he is very regular.  I have recently found that eggs constipate him.

So, that is  a pretty good run down I think.  The next post I write about my healing journey will definitely be about what happened during my mental breakdowns.

If you have questions about the diet, feel free to give me a shout.

Or, if you are still looking for a GAPS menu planner or an Egg-free GAPS menu planner, I now have both of them complete.  You can read about them here:

GAPS, Paleo and Elimination diet menu planner (dairy free too)

Egg-free GAPS, Paleo, and Elimination diet menu planner (dairy free too)

Have  a blessed day!