Diet Woes and a Health Update

If you have followed my blog for awhile, you know I have gut problems. I finally found a diet that works (dairy and gluten free, preservative free and low sugar) for my myriad of problems. I have a wheat allergy, a dairy intolerance, insulin resistance (prediabetic), and chronic constipation. When I don't change my diet I have the following symptoms: brain fog, joint pain, anxiety, tired all the time, constipation, miscarriages, sugar cravings, stomach pain, eczema, itchy flaky scalp, ear issues and low immune system. Wehww, even I am tired after typing all that.

Thankfully after suffering for years I know what to do. If you have followed my journey I tried a bunch of things and went to a lot of doctors (and got nowhere) before stumbling upon the paleo diet 5ish years ago. The paleo diet solved 90% of my problems. Than I went keto after that. Keto solved the problem the paleo diet did not solve: my brain fog. However, keto made my constipation worse. So still not ideal. Also keto isn't very fun and I didn't like it.

Now for the last 6 months I have just been dairy, preservative, low-sugar, and gluten free eating almost 100% from a cookbook called "Nourishing Meals". Eating this way solves all of my issues most of the time as long as I make sure to not eat a lot of carbs or honey (because of the diabetes) and exercise. I have to exercise twice a day, every day. I usually do after breakfast and lunch as these times are the easiest for me. That only leaves dinner, so I try to eat something low carb for dinner so my blood sugar is not high. I do yoga after breakfast and go for a walk with the kids after lunch (bonus: it puts Becky to sleep for her nap). I do check my sugars with my monitor, and if I don't exercise it is usually 140 or higher two hours after eating. That is not good.

I have learned that I can't eat out. Maybe once every 2-3 months. I also can't eat food other people make. Mostly because they are not gluten free and a tiny bit of gluten destroys me. And also preservatives, sugar, dairy... they can be hidden in a lot of things that someone without my range of issues is not aware of. "Person A" can tell me "its gluten free" but the last thing they cooked in the dish had gluten in it, so I'll be in a world of pain. I have two good friends who are also gluten free and I do eat after them, but I am no longer going to eat anything after anyone else. It makes events hard sometimes. And it makes people bringing me meals almost impossible. 

It does not help that Reuben seems to have inherited a lot of my issues. Poor kid. Sometimes when he tries a new food or has a lot of new things he gets sick and throws up. I don't think even he understands it. Becky does not have any issues that I have noted thus far, and I am so happy for her! I never wanted to pass on my health problems to my kids, but like everything else I don't get to choose. It just happened. At least I know how to help him deal with it so he is not in a world of pain like I was in my 20s. 

I am very lucky that I am strong enough to babywear. I am lucky that I found a diet that works for me so I can function. I try to remind myself of this at potlucks where I can't eat anything or when someone offers to bring me food and I have to turn them down. My health comes with a price and that's okay. I have to make my health the number one priority so that I have energy and vitality to live. 

I am learning to make everything from scratch this year. I now make bread and all nut milk from scratch. To supplement for calcium, I eat egg shells (properly cooked). This week I am making sourdough (gluten free) and ordered a yogurt maker. I also make my own salad dressing, but I have only been doing that for a month. It takes a lot of time but I feel great. Preservatives do drain my energy and hurt my gut. So does soy. Those last two things are in most prepackaged foods, so I try my hardest to avoid them. Bonus, we buy less plastics! Although that was not intentional!

How are you doing on your health journey, friend? 

How to Save Money on Groceries

I have read lots of posts about how to save money on groceries and they usually suck. I don't coupon and I don't buy in bulk. We eat organic due to our allergies and gut issues, and I have to be dairy and gluten free. But saving money is still possible. Here are my tips.

1. Give up snacks

Adults don't need snacks. Unless you have a health issue that requires eating more than 3 times a day, snacks are unnecessary. I save around $100 a month by giving up snacks between meals. My blood sugar also regulates better without snacks, as the “fasting” period between meals helps keep my numbers normal. My toddler still eats snacks and I either serve him what he didn't finish for lunch, or a banana.

2. Give up desserts

You knew that was the next point, didn't you? We have not fully given up desserts, but I make about one dessert a week from scratch to keep costs as low as possible. If my flesh wasn't so weak, I would give it up completely, but sometimes a girl just needs chocolate brownies after dinner.

3. Eat the same thing

This helps me keep it simple. Not only do I waste less food when I eat the same meal for lunch every day of the week but it also reduces my stress considerably. I eat a salad, a piece of fruit and a type of sandwich for lunch almost every day. This ensures we use all the salad and all the veggies, as I just top the salad with whatever veggies we have on hand.

4. Eat vegan

I am not vegan, but it is a universal truth that meat is expensive. We eat meat for dinners and that helps us save the cost of meat for breakfast and lunch. Like I said above, I eat a salad for lunch almost every day. I usually put avocado, tomato, bell pepper, sauerkraut, toasted hemp seeds, onion, and carrot on my salad. We are %100 dairy free, and I do red wine vinegar usually for a dressing, or some dairy free ranch or caesar dressing. For a sandwich, I alternate PBJ or hummus, or (vegan) cheese toasties if I am feeling extravagant. Fruit is whatever is on sale at the grocery store that week. If I am super hungry I just make my salad bigger. Breakfast we do bagels with vegan cream cheese and fruit or oatmeal with fruit, or something from my favorite cookbook, Nourishing Meals. Sometimes we do have bacon and sausage on the weekends, but really only when daddy is around to hold Rebekah so I can man (or woman) the stove.

We also don't go out to eat anymore, maybe once a month. Eating out is super expensive and I can make better food at home. I save all my toddlers leftovers and either eat it myself or feed it to him the next time he is hungry. We shop at Aldi every week and only go to Kroger once a month. Being dairy and gluten free we need certain things at Krogers like brown rice flour and teff flour and coconut milk that they just don't have at Aldi. Buying them monthly helps me not overspend. If we run out before the next shopping trip comes up, I make do until the next month rolls around. I either make whatever I planned without said ingredient or make a substitution, or change what I am making by looking at things I have on hand.

We took our grocery budget from over 1,000 dollars a month to 500-600 a month for a family of four, eating mostly organic foods and always dairy and gluten free. We spend anywhere from 50-100 a week at Aldi and 200-300 a month at Kroger.

What Reuben Eats in a Week

Toddler food. Or, what I like to call it: food. You know, because toddler's don't need special food just for them--they really can, and do eat what adults do. Except for in cases of allergies, and Reuben has many--he eats what we do. Just smaller portions. And sometimes it ends up on the floor, but what can you do.

I love feeding my toddler. And it's nice, he loves food. Most of the time. I mean, he is a toddler.

So what did Reuben eat for dinner this week?

Day one: vegan, gluten free bread (he has an egg and dairy allergy) gluten free stuffing, cranberries, humus, and chicken. Since I have a gluten allergy, most everything he eats is also gluten free. So, you know, I can eat it too. Mamma doesn't have time to make separate meals for everyone.

Day two: leftover gluten free stuffing, mandarin oranges, chicken (aaand he dumped his plate haha)

Day three: chicken sausage, red bell peppers and kale skillet cooked, with a side of sweet potato. He ate only the sweet potato and the sausage, showing his true toddlerness for once. He wouldn't eat a bell pepper at all. I tried.

Day four: peas and carrots, corn and quinoa noodles, tomato, humus and green olives.

Day five: chicken salad, crackers, olives, and homemade jello with grass fed beef gelatin

 Day six: peas, apples, and baked carrots with coconut milk

Day seven: Green curry that he immediately dumped out and threw his bowl on the floor when I went to grab my phone to take a picture. Can you tell how pleased he is with himself?

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I really enjoy cooking. I like cleaning up a very messy toddler less. And I really dislike the chore of scrubbing down a high chair. Mostly because it happens 3x or more a day...breakfast, lunch, dinner...not to mention any snacks that I feed him in it! I am so over the thing.

Reuben turns 18 months soon, and I can't wait to see how his tastes improve, and learn what his favorite foods are. Right now it seems to be olives. The boy can eat his weight in olives, and when I give them to him it's always the first thing he devours. 

Gluten Free on a Shoestring

Last month I challenged myself to do a week of gluten free meals for a family of 5 for $60. I ended up spending $66 but I was close! I created a this meal plan for a family of 5 adults and every meal is gluten free.

You can download the meal plan here and watch the cooking videos below! Enjoy, and noms.


I made the red lentil soup again tonight, it's my favorite!

A Two Week Meal Plan for 2

As I said in a previous blog post, I've been meal planning! I love meal planning and knowing what I am making every day helps me not panic when dinner time hits. It also helps me not make the same thing every week. I decided to start posting my meal plans on the blog! For this dinner plan, I cooked a bunch of gluten free recipes I either know from my head or found on pinterest (with some gluten options included for my gluten-loving husband). If you click on the recipe it will take you to the person's blog I got it from!

Week One

1. Baked chicken, frozen veggies, & sweet potatoes
2. Chicken Salad with paleo wraps, frozen veggies
3. Tomato Basil Parm Soup
4. Leftover tomato basil parm soup with grilled cheese on the side for the husband
5. Paleo sloppy joes served on sweet potatoes
6. Chinese Chicken + veggies + rice
7. leftover sloppy joes

Week Two

1. Paleo pizza pie layer casserole
2. leftover pizza pie casserole
3. Chicken fajitas with paleo wraps
4. hamburgers and steamed cauliflour
5. Chicken curry + rice
6. leftover chicken curry and rice
7. BBQ chicken wraps with frozen veggies

I paid about $150 in groceries for these two weeks of meal plans. I buy everything organic that I possibly can (some exceptions: bananas, avocados, and bread) so this might be more expensive than what most people typically spend in a two week period. But it works for us. Since I buy organic meat, $60 alone went to the meat I purchased.

If you want to download this two week meal plan (includes all recipes for each day as well as a printable grocery list) you can click here! Let me know if you like it, and if you would like to see more meal plans like this on my blog. I've slightly modified the two recipes from paleo newbie and beauty and the foodie that are linked above but the actual recipes are linked in the downloadable pdf as well.

Happy cooking!