Organ Meats?

On a recent string on the Wahls' Protocol Facebook page, folks were talking about other ways to get our organ meats.  Canned sardines were discussed.  If the whole organism is canned, there are organs!  People were getting pretty excited.  I'm excited too, but, full disclosure, I am not actually sure the whole organism is in these luscious Portuguese sardines from Vital Choice.  The head isn't there, and while the bones and skin are, I'm not noticing any organs.  No matter -- they were amazing on a non-compliant bed of sage and onion gluten-free polenta (corn isn't the best for us)  I also sauteed a few mushrooms, a handful of arugula and two cloves of garlic (which count as a veggie serving!) and perked the whole thing up with arrabiata sauce.  This is an example of getting a lot of whole food goodness despite the inclusion of the corn.  We aren't all perfect all of the time, but we can keep leaning into it. 

As for the organ meats, I give myself credit for the luscious oysters on the half shell we ate in New Orleans and also for my weekly chicken livers with lemon and balsamic glaze.

Fire Cider

I've never tasted this, but the idea of a homemade elixir to combat every manner of winter germ is intriguing.  Also, the flavor combos in some of these recipes sound delish.  Really it should be called fire vinegar, since apple cider vinegar is the medium for the magic, but I guess it should be consumed in small doses along with a carrier beverage.  I'll read up more on it as it becomes ready for consumption -- in a month's time.

I started filling my jar with ingredients from a recipe at Mountain Rose Herbs, but my proportions were based upon what I had on hand, and I added a few other things that I thought would be good in the mix.  Homegrown fresh rosemary, half an onion, a few crushed garlic cloves, a couple of star anise pods, some chopped ginger, minced horseradish, a chopped jalapeno, roasted chipotle flakes, fennel seed and ground turmeric are the chosen goodies for my first batch.  I'll need to shake it every day and wait a month.  Delayed gratification is not my favorite, so this'll be a good exercise for me.  I will update anything pertinent I learn along the way.

This Morning

After an amazing long weekend in New Orleans with friends from college, I'm rejoining real life gradually, i.e. at a lazier pace. 

Breakfast today was a revamp of last night's dinner.  We had my lovely organic chicken livers with onion, garlic, lemon and a balsamic glaze last night, along with broccoli and garlic seared in coconut oil and grass-fed butter.  I served myself the remnants of the broccoli cold from the fridge, then whipped the cold liver into a mousse with my ancient food processor.  It was fantastic atop a sprouted muffin.

Another Variation

Guys -- these breakfasts get better and better!  This one features the same bacon, bok choy and garlic, but I also added a few watermelon radishes and a hefty cup of fresh cilantro.  I finished it again with ume vinegar. 

I did go out on a limb here, working with so many strong flavors.  I knew it was a gamble, but it sure paid off!  I cannot say enough good things about the bacon/ume vinegar combo:  perfect foils.  If you do this, please only use two shakes of vinegar.  A little goes a long way.

Mmm -- I'm so sorry it's gone!

This Girl's Breakfast w/Spoonie Tips

Always striving for a better Wahls' Protocol effort, in the morning I sometimes falter.  Cognition is the last part of me that wakes up, so sometimes I stumble around for a while with coffee before I can pull together something to line the stomach so I can handle all the supplements and pills I take. When short on time, it's a piece of Ezekiel toast with NaturAlmond almond butter (the best in the world IMO.  But the Ezekiel is non-compliant! In short, I know I can do better, so I open up the crisper instead.

Properly prepped, a mitochondria-feeding panful like this comes together in a matter of minutes. I used a whole large head of baby bok choy (still 2 cups after cooking), two large garlic cloves and a third of a pack of organic, nitrate-free bacon. The piquant addition of umeboshi plum vinegar at the end was amazing.

Nobody else here eats bacon, so I cut the package into thirds and freeze the parts I'm not using.  I leave them in the original wrapping so they don't stick together inside the freezer bag.  That way I can only use one third at a time. They don't even need to be thawed when I need to cook them. I just put the bacon in the pan on a low heat and turn it often, separating the pieces with two forks as they soften. This is easily accomplished at the same time I'm chopping whatever else is going into the pan.

Remember that only two cloves of garlic count as one of your 9 cups of vegetables in the Wahls' Protocol.  I like to cut them into large pieces like this instead of mincing them.  That way they don't burn as easily and the flavor is so mellow and delicious.

First I fully cooked the bacon, then moved it to the side and piled the garlic and mushroom onto it so they could begin to warm while I seared the bok choy pieces in the bacon fat at a slightly higher heat.  Though it's tempting to peak, I tried not to so the first edge could get nicely cooked.  Pretty soon it was time to turn the bok choy and give the other side a sear.  Once the leaves started to wilt, everything got stirred together for a minute and it was done.  I added the vinegar at the end -- just a splash.  Mmmmm.  Three veggies accomplished and a sustaining start to the day!

Sweet Collards

This Wahls' worthy bowl was so delicious and healing.  I cooked the collards quickly in bacon with large chunks of garlic and whole fresh cranberries.  Toward the end, I added organic raisins, fennel seeds and a pinch of himalayan salt. 

When Ellie hears me chopping, she comes running.  I save the larger stems for her.  I toss them to her and that little ole lady pup leaps to catch them in mid-air, quickly and noisily gobbling them up one by one.  It's a fun game and she can never get enough greens!  Neither can I.

A Warm Salad for Dinner

This was lovely -- it was loosely based upon one of Dr. Wahls' recipes (Bacon Salad).  Since my husband is not fond of bacon, and I had some organic chicken thighs to use, I subbed these chicken pieces for the bacon.  They were  quickly seared at high heat, with salt and pepper.  The kale was first rubbed with oil and lemon, then topped with sauteed brussels sprouts, carrots and chick peas, and the hot chicken finished it, along with a scant drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze.  This was a hit!

For 2018: Health First

 A theme that resonates with me, and that I've noticed over and over again lately, is:  Health First. This isn't just another catch-phrase referring to the general intent to try to be healthy.  This means putting on my own oxygen mask before assisting others.  Assertiveness is sometimes difficult for us spoonies.  We are frequently depleted and unfocused and it's all we can do to go through the motions of busy family life without giving much thought to our own needs -- until we collapse.  Since we are the only ones in our own challenged bodies, it makes sense that others may not understand we need something different.  Many spoonies need harmony to stay healthy, so that's another reason we might not speak up for ourselves, or put our needs first.  Putting ourselves last is not sustainable, however, and there's no time like the present to change what's not working.

Coincidences, like receiving this "Health First" message from various sources in a short amount of time, encourage self-reflection.  Why does this simple message resonate so?  Aren't I already prioritizing my health? Upon reflection -- no.  What I've been doing lately is squeezing self-care in between other's needs.  I've allowed my support-role status for the whole family to overwhelm my agenda.  It's not their fault.  It's up to me to look out for myself.  It's up to them to look out for themselves.  It's up to all of us to look out for each other.  But in 2018 my own health comes first.

Mindful eating starts in earnest now.  This delicious brunch is all I've eaten today because it was so satisfying. I prepared a whole pan-ful of bacon, onions, kale, Brussels sprouts, leftover baked sweet potato, fresh cranberries and avocado.  No seasoning was needed because this real food was soooo flavorful!  There were about 5 Wahls' Protocol veggie servings here.  Taking the 20 minutes to prepare this healing meal, and mindfully eating it, was a great way to set my health as the priority now.