A birthday with no cake!

My birthday was this weekend... and there was no cake in sight!  Very sad, but at the same time I'm very proud of myself for persevering with this diet.  Maybe I should have made a ground beef cake... eeeew.  I did break down and let myself have some honey, so at least I got to have a taste of something sweet.  I tried adapting this recipe for coconut oil "frosting" with semi-success (see recipe below).

Today is day 16 of this new eating plan... and unfortunately I don't think it has gotten any easier.  I've stopped crying, but I am BORED and FRUSTRATED!!  My belly hasn't really improved much in the past week or so, but I'm still better than I was a few weeks ago.  I almost never feel bloated, and the air bubbles that bring on cramps and the other issues that no one wants to read about seem to be limiting themselves to later evening and early morning most days.  Hooray for being able to leave the house during the day!

I'm getting really sick of eating the same foods over and over... even though I'm changing up my meat selection frequently, it's still meat.  I'm hungry often lately, but I think it's the kind of hunger that stems from being bored and tired (I have 2 small children, I'm always tired).  I've tried to up my fat intake a bit (more coconut oil, skimming homemade stock a little less), and even attempted a pseudo chicken "gravy"  (see recipe below) that has helped a little.  My weight has stabilized at 140; I lost about 10 pounds in the first 10 days on this new eating plan, yikes!  Great for my pants, but that can't be healthy!  Also, I've turned orange.

I'm orange! Too many carrots!

In an effort to fight the boredom, I've broken the rules about waiting 3 days between introducing new items on several occasions, especially since I've been trying to clear a window around times when I taper my Prednisone dosage.  Now, in addition to all kinds of meat/fish, homemade broth, and pureed carrots I am eating:

• meat (red meat, pork, poultry)
• fish
• well cooked carrots
• acorn squash
• butternut squash
• coconut oil
• thyme (fresh and ground)
• cinnamon
• ginger
• lemon
• honey
• "juice" from homemade sauerkraut (for some probiotics)

I added back in my vitamin, but I took it out again after being indecisive.  I also tried pears (it was so exciting!) but they made me super bloated and uncomfortable, and it took several days for things to calm down again, booooo.  

Next up is spinach, followed by homemade yogurt.  Then I'm thinking zucchini and garlic... I got a spiralizer for my birthday and want to use it to make some delicious pasta!  And maybe eggs are on the horizon (holding off on these until I'm a little less symptomatic)... when I can have eggs and yogurt and honey, there's a recipe for cheesecake!  And then there's butter... and bananas... banana "ice cream" anyone?

Coconut Oil "Frosting"

1. Using a metal spoon, scrape (you don't want chunks, but it won't work if it's melted liquid either) about a tablespoon of coconut oil from the jar
2. Add a little bit of honey and stir vigorously
3. Enhance with cinnamon, salt, ginger, or anything else available... but beware it may affect texture.  I tried adding a little bit of squash with mixed results (it's no substitute for peanut butter)
4. Enjoy tiny tastes with tiny spoon... it will last longer that way.  I use one of my baby's spoons!

SCD Intro diet appropriate "gravy"

1. Cook a chicken in your crockpot, seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme (6 to 8 hrs on low)
2. Ladle out most of the liquid and transfer to a small saucepan
3. Simmer until volume is reduced by half (intensifying flavor)
4. Use as watery gravy... it's been helpful for moisturizing chicken and adds some flavor... in later stages I've read it's good to use pureed onions as a thickener, but for now there aren't really any thickening options.  Maybe I'll try a tiny bit of squash... but then my gravy will taste like squash.