Another Go at GAPS

Also known as Mama's New Form of Torture.

Six and a half years ago, I started a food journey to try to heal Peanut's gut using the GAPS diet. And from all we can tell, it was very successful. I cut out all sugar (except honey, which has antibacterial characteristics that make it okay for this particular situation), grains, artificial anything. . . it was pretty strict, but it meant that as a whole family, we developed some pretty good eating habits.

Some of those habits have stuck over the years, even though I was able to start eating everything when I weaned Peanut almost 5 years ago, and he was able to handle all foods by about age 4. We still eat lots of broth based soups in the winter, have a few favorite veggie recipes I learned during that time, and still love the banana/raspberry "ice cream" that was a special treat back then. BUT, I've also let a lot of the habits slide and in general, we still eat too much sugar in its various forms. It's hard when it surrounds us, everywhere we go, and then we want to have our family favorites at home, too.

I also learned so much about the connection between our digestive system and our immune system, and about food in general during that time, so I feel like I'm more aware of the potential for food changes to affect our health, which is really what led to this latest dietary change. I managed to get the whole family on board (some less willingly than others) for trying a month of GAPS just to see if we can clear up a few nagging issues. I'm hoping a month will be long enough to see a little improvement, if it's going to happen, because I don't think I'll be able to keep anyone committed past that. Just this month is going to be rough.

The kids were a little disappointed when they realized yesterday was the Superbowl and we couldn't have a lot of the typical snacky foods that we make for dinner that day. But a GAPS Superbowl dinner isn't all that bad. Daddy-o was pretty excited when he realized that buffalo wings can easily be made GAPS approved, and then we did plain chicken legs for the kids, bacon or prosciutto wrapped asparagus, vegetable tray, various fruits, and coconut flour brownies (which are slightly questionable, but there was no clear verdict on cocoa powder back when I did this in 2011/2012, so even though it's now not recommended, I decided to splurge here and there, mainly to avoid a total revolt by my oldest child ;) ). Not bad for grain-free snacks.

Maybe it won't make a difference, maybe it will, but it can't hurt. We just did our January sugar fast, then had a couple days of desserts for Daddy-o's birthday where most of the family probably over-indulged a little because they knew this was coming (I only had a few bites--those sugar cravings were rough the first week and I didn't feel like going through that again this month.) So, at the minimum, this will just be another month of resetting our bodies after the holidays. And since it's winter, maybe this will also help us push through the flu and cold season without anything serious. That would totally make it worth it in my mind.

Grain-free Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe was adapted from this one.  Being grain-free for the last 1.5 years, I've found that white beans make baked goods so much better.  And I don't know why the original recipe had no salt, but every baked good is better with a little salt.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup cooked navy beans
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 6 Tbs. pumpkin purée (or squash or carrot purée)
• 2 Tbs. raw honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender. 

 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Makes about 10 muffins.

 

Next time, I think I'll try more beans, and maybe a little more pumpkin--it was a very light pumpkin flavor, and not too wet, so it could take more of the purees. 

 

And I will add that these are not super sweet.  Good for me, since we're trying to stay away from desserts right now, but for someone who is used to their muffins tasting like cake, you may want to double the honey. 

Magic Kingdom, Day 1

 We spent our first day at Magic Kingdom.  I used an online crowd calendar to pick which park we should visit each day and was really happy that MK was recommended our first day because as Disneyland people, that one seems the most "Disney" to us.

The kids were so excited about everything that day.  Or, at least, the two who understood what was going on were.  They couldn't wait to go on rides, meet characters, eat all the theme park treats.

 But Peanut, on the otherhand, spent the whole day trying to figure out what alternate universe we'd plunged him into.  I love this picture as he examined the White Rabbit from a safe distance.  That was pretty much the way he approached all of them, "Don't get too close to me, and I won't get too close to you."

 We stopped for a snack at Gaston's Tavern, which is in the new Beauty and the Beast castle area of Fantasyland that just opened the week before.  Like all Disney places, the atmosphere was awesome.  We ended up coming back later in the week to eat in the actual castle restaurant because we really wanted to see inside, and were not dissappointed (more pics coming for that one).

 And then there were the rides.  One of the nice things about going at a relatively slow time (I can't even imagine how crazy it must be when its busy!) is that we got to go on a lot of rides with only a 10-15 minutes wait at the most.  And we spent a large part of the day in Fantasyland where Peanut could ride most things, so that meant less waiting around time, too.

(This was one of the rides Peanut didn't get to ride, so the kids did that one during naptime, and absolutely loved driving their own car.)

 However, Peanut didn't really love most of the rides.  The carousel, which they rode last, was the first time all day that I think he actually smiled on a ride.  Poor baby just couldn't figure out why we were in this crazy place.  But at least he didn't really cry on any of them, either, even if he didn't really enjoy them.

 A nice surprise was how great Disney is about food issues.  I had heard that they are very accomadating, and had already spoken with someone about our food limitations, but I was still blown away by how great they handled it all.  We were on the Dining Plan (Yay for free dining promotions!) and so we'd made one sit-down reservation per day and our first one was at Tony's Restaurant, so we showed up for our lunch and were met at our table by the chef who walked me through the menu and told me about all the things that he could make for us that weren't even on the menu.  I did let a few things slide that week, but overall, Peanut and I were able to eat pretty well without too much hassle.  And I never felt like we were a nuisance.  The contrast to our stop at McD's on the way home ("We don't have ingredient lists.  You have to call corporate.") was drastic.

So all in all, it wasn't a bad start.  There was a little whining when we had to leave at the end of the day, largely because there was a seperate event going on, which we had not paid to attend, and so the kids quickly realized they were going to miss out on something and that didn't go over very well.  And then there was the fact that the wait for the bus and the drive home put us solidly past bedtime, so we had some very tired kids.  But that was kind of the theme for the week.

White Bean Chocolate Cake

White beans are my new favorite friend.  They let me eat sweet desserts and fun breakfast foods (waffle recipe and zucchini muffin recipe coming soon!) that actually still taste like treats, not sad replacements for the real thing.

This recipe is an adaptation of the coconut flour brownies I've been making, and as much as I do enjoy those, this comes out a little less "wierd health food" and more like a very chocolatey cake.

White Bean Chocolate Cake

1 cup cooked and drained white beans

5 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. almond flour

3 Tbsp. coconut flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor (or blend beans in blender and then use a mixer to add in the rest of the ingredients). 

Pour batter into an 8x8 pan.  Cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the center is no longer jiggly.

Frost with topping of your choice.  This isn't a super sweet cake, so if you want it sweeter, use a traditional frosting.  Otherwise, you can top with whipped cream and berries, or just leave it as is.  

Birthday Fun

 I got to spend my birthday with my three favorite kids and I took the day off from as much as I could--no church responsibilities, no schooling, and no laundry. As Bean pointed out in the afternoon, ("You aren't really doing anything exciting for your birthday,") it can be a little tricky to celebrate mid-week birthdays.  Daddy-o always takes good care of me, but having to go to work kind of hinders the reach of his abilities.  And I just couldn't come up with anything new and exciting that was indoors (high of 98 made that a must), not too expensive (the kids wanted to "take me" to Great Wolf Lodge), and a good fit for Peanut, as well as the rest of us.

We did go out to breakfast at Cafe 100, where I had probably the best omelet of my life--roasted veggies and cheddar cheese (yay for Peanut seeming ok with ME eating cheese--wish he could join in, too).  And we spent an hour at the craft store where they only asked me for a dozen or so things (and I went ahead a bought a couple of them), and then came home for some quiet reading time while Peanut napped and then a short swim (shortened even further by some tantruming--it would have been unrealistic to think that we could have a whole day free of tears and yelling).

We did birthday dinner and presents Friday, so I actually got a 2-day celebration!  No complaints here on the stretched out birthday.  And then some Olympic watching--which is fitting.  My mom always talks about how she was watching the Olympics and eating lots of cheesecake the week before I was born and then I interrupted their viewing that night.

This dessert was a very nice replacement for my typical cheesecake.  Raw Lemon Pie from here.  It's made from soaked cashews and Daddy-o was even pleasantly surprised by the flavor--reminiscent of a key lime pie.  For anyone who's brave enough to try the recipe: we did the lower end of the lemon measurement, packed the measuring cup pretty full with the cashews.  And while it might be more healthy than a dessert made with refined flour and sugar, it still is very much a dessert--very rich, and tons of honey, so I suppose I shouldn't eat the whole thing in one (or even two) night(s).

Raw Lemon Pie

Crust Ingredients:
1 T. honey
3/4 c. almond flour
1 T. coconut oil, melted

Filling Ingredients:
1/2 c. raw cashews, soaked in water 1-2 hours and drained
1/2 c. honey
1/3-1/2 c. freshly sqeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 c. coconut oil, melted

Equipment needed:
6 inch spring form pan
powerful blender such as a Vitamix or Bosch

Method:
1. Combine the crust ingredients in the spring form pan mixing with a fork. Press into bottom and up the sides about an inch. Set aside.
2. Combine all filling ingredients in blender and blend on high 1-2 minutes or until creamy. Pour into crust and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Garnish with whipped cream, lemon slices, or fresh raspberries.

Summer Sweetness

This is my new favorite dessert.  And you probably won't believe the ingredient list, because it sounds a little unlikely to be anything amazing, but trust me, it's worth trying it.

I first saw this recipe on pinterest, from this website, and I'll be honest, I was interested because when you can't have dairy, sugar, or grains, its pretty tough to come up with many dessert options.  And when the weather turns hot, I really like ice cream. I was feeling pretty desperate.  But this is made from only frozen bananas and raspberries.  Nothing more.

I made up a batch of it for dessert one night and we were all pleasantly surprised that throwing frozen berries and bananas into the food processor actually can yield something smooth, thick, and creamy that really does resemble soft serve ice cream.  And it tastes good, too!  Even the family members who are able to eat whatever desserts they like enjoy this treat.  And we enjoy it fairly often.  Sometimes even for breakfast.  After all, it's only fruit.

The key is the bananas--they create the smooth creaminess, and they add a lot of sweetness.  You want very ripe bananas, and you want to pull everything out 20 minutes before you're going to make it so the fruit has a few minutes to thaw.

We've made this with some pineapple added to it (yum, although a little chunkier), and with other berries.  As long as you can thaw the fruit to a state where it gives a little, I think any soft fruit would work.  I want to try peaches soon.

It's so nice to have a summery treat that I can eat with the family.

White Bean Lemon Cupcakes

Yes, I said bean cupcakes.  One of the tricky things about eating grain free, and nut free, is baking.  There are lots of baked goods recipes that use nut flours, but those have been off limits to me for awhile now (I did try a couple before I figured out that the nuts were most certainly causing Peanut some tummy pain.)  There are also recipes for coconut flour goodies, and I have found a brownie recipe that I like, but coconut flour is pretty dry and crumbly, which doesn't make it great for a cake.

And I really wanted to be able to do cake for Peanut's birthday, so I decided I should start looking around so I'd have lots of time to play with recipes if needed. 

This recipe originally came from the Modern Alternative Mama blog and was just for White Bean Vanilla cupcakes.  I made them according to the recipe and they were pretty good, although I couldn't really get them to cook up to the point that they weren't gooey in the middle.  And the honey flavor was pretty overwhelming.

So I made them a few more times, experimenting with levels of honey and adding a little coconut flour, and then adding lemon zest because the lemon/honey combination sounded like it just might be the perfect way to handle all the honey sweetness.  And this is what I came up with.  A cupcake that is good, but not overly sweet (perfect for frosting or fresh fruit toppings) and will actually cook up. 

Next step--I'll have to try actually making it in a cake pan and see if that works.  I've been too scared about the middle being raw.

White Bean Lemon Cupcakes

3 c. white beans, cooked and plain, drained well

9 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

3/4 c.. raw honey (add 1/4 c. more if you are used to really sweet desserts, esp. if you aren't frosting them)

6 eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. lemon juice

zest from 2 small lemons

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. coconut flour

The first step is to drain your beans REALLY well.  I think this was one of the problem I had the first time.  There was too much bean juice which made the batter too moist to ever completely cook.  For this, I rinse the cooked beans and then left them in a mesh strainer over a bowl for a couple hours while I ran errands.  15-30 minutes or so would probably be enough.

Adjust the honey according to your tastes.  If you are used to eating typical desserts, you probably want to do a cup of honey.  If you tend to not eat a lot of dessert, or if you are using sugary toppings (frosting, sweetened fruit or jam), then you can probably go with the 3/4 cup.  Or try something in the middle if you are unsure.  My kids like these okay, even with the lower amounts of honey, and they eat "regular" desserts as well.

Add all your ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.  Poor into cupcake liners so they are about 2/3 full (this will probably make about 24, maybe a couple more--you dodn't want to fill them too full or the centers might have trouble cooking all the way.)

Bake 25-28 min at 325 degrees.

Baby Update and Food for the Weary

(I seriously love the crazy bedhead this kid gets!)

All the lab results are back and Peanut doesn't have any glaring health issues (thank goodness!)  And the lactation consultant couldn't find anything really wrong on my end (after initially terrifying me with some mis-information that suggested my milk was extremely low calorie).  It's a little frustrating because that means there isn't really any explanation for WHY.  I'm still going to see about going to an allergist in case they can shed any light on the situation.

In the meantime, I'm feeding Peanut constantly and sticking to my diet of no sugars or starches.  It's still early days, but I think I'm seeing a little improvement in the poop end of things and we'll go in for a weight check in the next week or so.

I have found some good recipes that help me to not feel quite so deprived even though I haven't had a piece of bread in almost 6 weeks, not to mention desserts.  Sprouted Lentil Burgers (even Daddy-o liked these, although he got to eat his on a homemade bun, so what's not to like?); Chicken Fajitas made with mushrooms, bell pepper, zuchini, onion, and tomatoes; Almond Flour Pumpkin Ginger Muffins; and even Pumpkin Waffles with blueberries.

Don't be fooled.  The baked goods aren't really anything like the real thing, but they do in a pinch.  It helps to be able to have a muffin from my stash after making the rest of the family Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread or homemade Hamburger Buns.

The Pumpkin Bread is worth posting here--I've tweaked this recipe over the years and have it at a place where it feels a little healthful, and is really good.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
 1 3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1.5 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 C. solid pack pumpkin
2/3 C. water
1/2 C. oil
1/2 C. applesauce
4 eggs
Chocolate chips to taste (I use about 3/4 C. for a light spattering.)

Grease and flour three small loaf pans, or one large loaf pan and a 12 count muffin pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Measure flours, sugars, baking soda, salt, and spices into large bowl.  Stir to blend.  Add pumpkin, water, oil, applesauce, and eggs.  Beat until well combined.  Stir in chocolate chips (or I like to add them to the tops of the muffins and barely push them in so the kids can see them, but I can get away with only putting a few in each muffin.)  Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaf for about 1 hour, muffins for about 20 min, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Couple tips:  I haven't tried this yet with this recipe, but I've found lately that a little maple syrup can replace the sugar (especially good for replacing brown sugar) and adds lots of flavor (or so I hear--Daddy-o has really liked some of the muffins and cookies I've made this way).

These muffins freeze really well.  I've been making these and zuchini muffins and freezing big batches so I have things to send in the kids lunches that are exciting to them, but also still kind of good for them.  Same thing with some oatmeal "bars" (they really are a cookie, but I'm pretending they count as a granola bar because they are certainly healthier than any store-bought granola bar and while cookies are strongly discouraged from both kids schools, granola bars are allowed.)  Since I can't eat any of this stuff, its easier on me to spend a morning baking up a couple weeks worth of treats and then just freeze them all.  And since I've been forced into making everything from scratch for myself, I feel funny feeding my kids food full of preservatives and colors and all the other junk that has taken over the grocery stores.  But that is a whole other topic that I probably shouldn't even get started on.