'fessing up

For the past month, I've been eating like a cave-girl.

That's right, I've been eating Paleo. And not just Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol Paleo (AIP). It's not that I have an autoimmune disease (that I know of), but the hows and whys behind it made sense to me. So after my last bowl of homemade yogurt, I was off!

I'm calling this "'fessing up", because I was a little afraid to write it after this post. I had just said I didn't have any serious health problems and was happy to eat rice casserole. Well, I guess that wasn't strictly true. I did have some health problems (though maybe not as terrible as the ones I'd mentioned) that I sorta brushed aside or didn't want to admit to. I had some digestive issues and felt tired a lot. 

I'm not denying that God sent me peace. He did and I still agree with what I said in my post. There is not a perfect diet out there that is going to make me feel like Supergirl all the time. I will always have bad days and good days. But eating AIP has helped me. I don't feel tired anymore and my digestive stuff is much better. 

This post isn't to make you all eat like I do. It was just to spill the beans, so to speak (or berries, since I can't have beans, haha). It will obviously cause changes on the blog, since my recipes will now be AIP or Paleo. Also, I felt like I should write it just to clear up any confusion about the other post.

So anyways, that was my little "confession". :) I hope you didn't start wagging your finger at me. I must admit, I felt rather silly after switching over to AIP. I thought I had decided against grain-free, let alone dairy-, nut-, egg-, legume-, and nightshade-free! But things happen....

Note: I am not eating Paleo because I believe our Paleolithic ancestors ate this way and therefore I should. I am basing my decision off information from this book, blogs like these, and personal experience. 

Oh, and thanks, Wondermark. Why eat Paleo if you can't make fun of it too?

Links: Waiting for fall

"Get Your Latte Off My Late Summer" from The Art in Life. Guilty as charged. The beginning of the week was cooler, so I was quite happily sporting a light cardigan and then I whipped up a loaf of pumpkin bread Tuesday evening. :)

Another pumpkin recipe: fudge. Must try!

Why I don't use almond flour when baking (+ it is crazy expensive). Though I would probably not say no to, say, a small piece of almond flour gingerbread cake or a cookie. :)

Wow. This girl's story is amazing!

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Soooo, about that "coming soon" post. Apparently high school is a lot more time consuming then one would think! Don't worry, it's nothing too terribly exciting, just something I think is worth writing about. :)

Links: In which I am a thrice proven health geek

Woot woot! This article makes me happy.  

I work out, as I said before, and The Paleo Mom has a really good post on why exercise is important. It's really motivated me!

The cartoon at the beginning of this article made me laugh. Out loud. I'm not quite sure why it was so funny.

Time for deliciousness! This looks really good, as do these scones. You gotta love scones. And ice cream. And cobbler. Okay, enough of that. 

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So, this link stuff may or may not be a regular occurrence around here. Warning if it is, because you should be prepared to read a lot of things like those above. They are my obsessions at the moment (and have been for the past year or so...). 

Also, some of the observant of you may have noticed a bit of a theme (besides the Rachel-being-a-geek one). There should be a post in the near future that explains that.

Update #8: The Egg

Now, ladies and gentleman, what we've all been waiting for. I present to you...the first egg!

I opened up the nesting boxes, not knowing what exactly to expect. After all, they'd only just started squatting yesterday. Yet there, lo and behold, was a little brown egg.

And when I say little, I mean little. It's not quite two inches long and about one and a half wide. 

Here it is on the camera cap.

And then compared to a paperclip.

Sizzling with some kale.

Finished product! Sorry for the poor picture quality.

Now I shall carry a basket down when I let them out and shut them in. It's pretty exciting, folks.

Update #7

The chickens are almost nineteen weeks. Most of them have bright red combs and wattles, but a few still have dull, smaller ones. I've named a few, actually. Angela (she's noisy), Florence (she has a smaller comb and wattle), and Amy (she has a longer tail than the others). I have several names in my head, but I can't tell the rest apart...yet.

No eggs yet, but I have very good reason to expect one in the next few days, since at least two of them are starting to squat. This means that they will start laying very, very soon. I'm hoping maybe Sunday, or tomorrow. :)

Several of them have also started to escape. They fly up onto the fence and then jump down. We've shooed them off the fence a couple times, but now I'll look out the window and there will be a hen, innocently pecking at the grass. Just today I had to put four back in the run! It's all right with me, though, as long as they stay near the coop (which they have).

And now...pictures! These are from a week or two ago when they were free ranging.

And these are from my sister's birthday party.

Greenie beanies

Green beans. Fat. Salt. An oven.

source

Yum.

Roasted Green Beans

originally from The Paleo Mom*

1 1/2 lbs. green beans

3 T. fat of choice (I used avocado oil)

1 t. salt (or half pepper and salt. Either way is scrumptious)

Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wash and trim green beans. Snap in half if desired. Place in bowl and toss with other ingredients until well coated. Spread on cookie sheet, place in oven, and roast for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Random Happy Stuff:

One of my brothers (who shall remain unnamed): "Do you think I am a good brother? I think I am a good brother. Do you think I am a good brother?"**

The above said Brother and I are kinda tired after watching How to Train Your Dragon. We were also...um...rather hyper this afternoon while playing Scattegories Categories. Good times.

Chickens will start laying in three weeks! I'll try to post a picture of the first egg, if I don't fry it first.

School starts in two weeks! I love school things (schedules, books, sharp pencils, knowledge). Then, around November, the novelty wears off and it's just school. 

Apples, kale, bananas, and grapes. nomnom.

*so apparently I could call these "Rachel's Roasted Green Beans" if I wanted, just because I left out the lemon juice?

**well, he did accidentally delete this post while I was writing it. So...maybe? ;) (just kidding, I do love you, -------)

Suggestions (books and a smoothie)

I'm still plowing my way through "Confessions" and, now, "The Church History". I've set a certain number of sections I have to read each day and I think hope I'll be done at the end of the month. 

With all that to work on, I haven't had much time for the fun stuff that I really want to read. So for all of you fortunate people who do have time, here are two of the best books I've ever read.

1): "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Love, love, love. This is definitely worth while. Funny (it actually got me to laugh out loud), serious, romantic, and delicious. You read right: delicious. I just couldn't put it down!

2): "Persuasion" also by Jane Austen.

I think I may have liked this even better than P+P. It was an equally scrumptious read. I absolutely love the romance. The two characters care deeply for one another and develop well. This isn't mushy, ya'll. The book is a little mysterious at first (why is Captain Wentworth acting this way? Ahhh!), but its resolve is lovely.

Also, you should watch the movies too. Not just any old version though. This one for "Pride and Prejudice" and this one for "Persuasion".

Now, on to the recipe!

The Chocolate Covered Blueberry

From A Mad Tea Party

1/3 c. canned full fat coconut milk

1 c. blueberries

1/2 a frozen banana

2 t. cocoa powder

2 t. raw honey

a splash of vanilla

Combine all in blender. Mmmm!

(Of course, I couldn't just follow the recipe, I'm too much of a rebel (yeah right). I added coconut oil, two egg yolks (leftover from coconut macaroons), used kefir and yogurt instead of coconut milk, and not as much banana and honey.) 

~photos courtesy of Barnes and Noble~