WhatIEat#35 + A Little More About Fasting

So, yesterday I fasted for 25 hours. Exceeded my goal!😊 I felt like I could have gone longer even, but I had a class that goes late and I didn't want to get home and have to eat at 10pm, so I had a little goat gouda, some almond crackers, and some macadamia nuts and I was good. Was really craving broccoli, but I wasn't at home to make some, so that's on the menu today.
 Intermittent fasting is what's called a hormetic stressor, and it has a desirable affect on many biological functions. Other things like taking alternating the temperature of your shower water, exercise, exposure to sunlight, exposure to near infrared light, out to nutrients (from plant consumption) - these all create a temporary stress on your metabolic system and build stronger mitochondria, resilience to stress and anxiety, heal your gut, enhance sleep and much more. Just be sure to do your research and if you have medical conditions, it's best to consult with a professional on how to do it right for you. When I was in the beginning stages of healing my adrenals, fasting would have been too much for my body to handle; my stress bucket, so to speak, was already overflowing. As I healed and lowered inflammation, I got to a place where I could introduce intermittent fasting. And take baby steps. Start with 12 hours (easily done overnight), then try 14, then 16 and so on. Ideally you want to fast for at least 16-18 hours to get some of the deeper level benefits, but even 14 is good.
Now, on toWhatIEat#35.
Because I do still eat.☺
My daughter is always asking me to buy fresh salmon when we go grocery shopping. Costco had a good deal on wild salmon so I bought some. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to prepare it with a spicy, sweet, and smoky seasoning blend and put it on the BBQ, which is all new for me. That's just how it goes sometimes...an idea comes to me for a food and  I can't get it out of my head until I try it. 

It was very good. Served it with roasted broccolini and sautéed carrots.

Grilled chicken thigh, seasoned with salt and garlic and basil. sautéed mushrooms with garlic and herbs, caramelized onions and steamed broccoli with tahini drizzled on it. The tahini is so intriguing on broccoli...it tastes like a nut butter but also like a cheese sauce...I don't know why I like it but I do.

I love eggs! And these pastured eggs were a really good price at our local Grocery Outlet store. Great flavor too.

Fried eggs, tea, and a bowl of puffed millet cereal with a tiny drizzle of honey, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and goat milk.

This picture makes my mouth water... Grilled chicken thigh, cauli puree and sweet potato puree. Such a good combination.

Late dinner of crispy fried eggs and steamed broccoli with tahini, grated sheep cheese and garlic salt.

Stir fried red onion, mushroom, garlic, and broccolini, with some sliced grilled chicken thrown in to reheat it. God breakfast.

Paleo naan tacos. Delicious, crunchy and fresh tasting.

When I don't use naan, I just throw all the taco fillings onto a plate of lettuce for a tasty, filling salad.

Another great salad: boiled eggs, red onion, avocado, bacon and my mustard mayo vinaigrette.

Steamed broccoli, white rice, and "teriyaki" seasoned salmon...I didn't love the salmon flavor...I will keep working on a low lectin Asian style sauce.

Lovely salad with soft boiled eggs, goat gouda, my homemade dressing and naan on  the side.

There's a little bit of everything on this plate! Kale, white sweet potato, grass fed beef sausage, soft fried egg, avocado, and sauerkraut.

Homegrown beef steaks with cauli puree and broiled asparagus.

I made paleo coconut flour waffles with ham and cheese rollups for a snack while we played Scrabble with the kids. I don't eat syrup on my waffles anymore, usually jus ta little butter, but I grated some pecorino romano cheese on these ones and ate it with the ham and it was good.
We have been playing a lot of games with the kids lately- it counts as homeschooling and family time all at once! Plus its fun to have kids big enough to do stuff like that with. :)

Breakfast on the way to church- cauli puree and leftover steak. Can't complain about that!

Sweet potato fries, grass fed beef sausage, cauliflower puree and sauerkraut.

Omelet filled with comte cheese and spinach, with a side of those coconut flour waffles.

Butter lettuce with homemade dressing, chicken drumstick, and roasted sweets.

Costco had BirchBenders paleo pancake mix awhile ago and it nice to have around to make the kids something besides eggs or oatmeal for a quick breakfast. I always loved stacking my eggs on my pancakes and eating them together like that.

Sausage and kraut is always a great combination. I also had a pile of broccoli mixed with sweet potatoes, spinach and topped with HM dressing.

Onion, mushroom, spinach, egg scramble with avocado.

Beef roast, grated, fried white sweet potato, sauerkraut, and salad. Grating the sweet potato makes it fry up really quick, which is perfect for when I make the rest of the family regular potatoes and don't want to spend a ton of time making other food for myself.

More of those grated sweets, canned salmon mixed with mayo, grilled onion rings, and steamed broccoli. And sauerkraut...it keeps sneaking it's way onto my plate these days. :)

Butter lettuce, tuna with mayo and avocado, HM dressing.

Yes, I do still love baking! These chocolate chip cookies are my tried and true recipe. When Brian and I were dating, I kept him supplied with a tin of these cookies in his truck at all times. ( Love of baking or insecurity? LOL)  Then when we cut gluten out of our lives, I worked with this recipe to make fabulous gluten free cookies that everyone loves and never would guess were gluten free. I can even make them dairy free, egg free, nut free, soy free, corn free. yeah, we've been through a lot, these cookies and me. Now I need to figure out how to make them low lectin...

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread Muffins.
These are also a crowd pleaser and even gluten eaters can't tell they are gluten free and ask for the recipe. Which makes me very happy because for one, I do not eat bananas or banana bread and it's always a little scary serving people something you haven't tasted yourself, and two, I like to show people that things can still be delicious even without traditional gluten flour.
And these rise so beautifully.

Lamb Stew. I love this new concoction. Meaty, flavorful, creamy, hearty, herby, autumn-y. Maybe I will post a recipe for it after I've made it a couple more times.

Naan taco with chicken, onion, avocado, cilantro, and chili powder.

Frittata casserole. Brian doesn't love frittata so I topped this one with bacon to try to lure him in. It worked.

Salad with homemade dressing and grated sweets with sauerkraut and sausage.

Girls Night! We went to a Mexican restaurant and I had to try to the tostones- fried plantains! I liked them, but I did wish they were a little thinner and crispier. The sauce was so yum..creamy and spicy and really good with the sweetness of the plantain.

Yeah...you can top a salad with fried eggs.

Late dinner after my homeschooling class. (It goes til 9pm !)
Lamb stew with naan and goat gouda and almond crackers.

More salad with fried eggs. It's fast, easy, cheap, and I like the way the yolk runs over the lettuce.

Fried sweet potatoes, spinach and eggs.

Brian and I went on a date to MOD pizza. I went crazy and ordered a pizza and it was fantastically good tasting and such a treat. I chose pesto, spinach, red onion, asiago cheese, roasted broccoli, garlic (minced AND roasted cloves) and chicken. It was SO GOOD.
Probably the biggest thing that makes my food issues hard to deal with is not being able to be wildly adventurous with food. There's something so fun about trying new foods, sharing that experience with my husband, and just having fun with it. Thankful that we have been making progress in my healing. Hopefully someday I can be a little more free and we can have lots of food adventures together. :)