Big City... Food for Thought...

The BIG city of New York was so much fun! The time away was SO refreshing, not because of all the extra traffic, people, buildings, and lights that it had but because it was spent with great friends and a break from the everyday demands!

We did miss the kids but they were in great hands and they all had a good weekend with friends and family! Thanks to the sitters!!

We spent all day Friday doing the guys stuff. They wanted to see the trading floor since they have an interest in stocks. They had fun firing questions to the hosts that walked us through some of these massive buildings! We spent the night at a Sheraton Hotel a little off the main path. Because the day started off at four in the morning we were pretty much whooped by the time we reached our hotel after having a good supper!

Saturday we got an all day tour pass. We had an open air bus we could jump off and on of all day. We made the most out of this and our last stop even required a taxi ride back since the bus had stopped the tours for the day! We started the morning off with a four mile run along the water. The day was sunny but with a cold wind!! We were pretty much cold all day!!

The buildings are enormous and this city looks so rich every where you turn! The guys wanted to walk "Wall Street" and see the "Big Bull" We got on a boat and cruised past the "Statue Of  Liberty" We walked into the "Empire State Building" and did a "sky ride" on the sights of the city. (my motion sickness self did not appreciate this ride!) We went to have Sushi at a recommended sushi place. It was so good and we were happy to introduce Mike's to sushi and find that they liked it! We thought we had new "Sushi Friends" But Lori will tell you different since she broke out with a reaction from something she ate at this sushi restaurant!... She has hives on neck, face and back! She did not feel well in her chest! So SORRY Lori!!


We got dessert at a cafe'. Coffee and cheesecake was enjoyed while we sat and chatted about our childhood days...:) We went up to the forty eighth floor of a hotel that had a dining area that slowly spins around as you are dining...:) The dessert bar was to expensive so we just sat there and enjoyed the view for a bit before we found dessert at one of the many cafe's. Starbucks runs the show in this city where coffee is concerned!! There are Starbucks everywhere!!

We found a fun unique place for breakfast Saturday morning! They served fresh extracted juice! Dave was fighting a lung/cold issue and he ordered the "immune booster" juice which had so much ginger in it we had to pucker up! The other one we got to share was... orange, carrot, lemon and ginger. It was delicious and a great kick start for our busy day ahead!! We walked many many miles before this day was over!!

We headed back to the hotel thinking we were going to get a room for the night and go to "Times Square Church" on Sunday morning. We got to the hotel where they were holding our luggage and the rooms were all booked! We decided to drive home even if it was late! We finally made it to bed around two o'clock Sunday morning at home!!

Sunday school... Yes we went!! It was hard to open my dry eyes at seven o'clock but we were anxious to gather the kids and head to Sunday School. The nap felt great after a fun last minute lunch invite to Jonathan and Marilyn!!  Thanks Guys!!

Jordan ate lunch at home alone then came up to Jonathan's afterwards...:)


Some of the BIG city sights...

 

THE BIG SUSHI PLATTER WE ENJOYED!!...:)

Today we are getting back into routine... Back to the kitchen I went early this morning. I entered the kitchen and decided we are ready for a change! I made breakfast for everybody as usual and took Dave his breakfast to but I waited to pack the lunches until I had dropped Javon off at preschool. I surprised Jordan with some new foods today!!...

I had fun creating something different and I wished I could have been there when he opened up his lunch and saw this different food!...:)

Waffle bread with sloppy joe, lettuce and tomato...

The sloppy joe was made with venison and tomato paste. It looked so yummy and he was thrilled with it!!...:)

Waffle Bread...2 cups Silvana's Pancake Mix, 1/2 cup drained and chopped sun dried tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs room temp, (I used duck) 1/4 cup oil, (I used coconut) 1 1/2 cups rice milk, Italian seasoning blend...

Put into a waffle iron and you have a bread!!... It does have potato flour in it which we had been avoiding during his candida cleanse but we are hopeful that this will agree with him now!!

He even got dessert today for the first in four months!! No dessert of any kind for four months!! No doubt he loved these brownies even if the other two boys did not like them! I can almost always count on Jordan to like stuff like this and this makes my job so much easier!...:)

Black Bean Brownies...

This is what I used...

This is what they look like and I think they are really good...:)

The recipe...
1 15 oz can of black beans well drained and rinsed
2 large flax eggs (2.5 T flax seed meal + 6 T water)
3 T coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder (higher quality the better)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Heaping 1/2 cup raw sugar, slightly ground or pulsed in a food processor or coffee grinder for refined texture.
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
walnuts or choc chips for topping

Preheat oven to 350'
Lightly grease a 12 slot muffin pan
Prepare flax egg by combining flax meal and water in a bowl of a food processor, pulse a few times then let it set for a few minutes
Add remaining ingredients except the topping that you choose.  Puree about three minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
The batter needs to be pretty smooth and slightly thinner then choc frosting yet not even close to runny.
Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin slots and smooth with a spoon or your finger and sprinkle on your topping. Bake for 20-26 minutes. (mine took the full 26)
Remove from oven and let set about a half hour before removing gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be fudgey so no need for concern if the y seem moist. Store in air tight container for a few days or the refrigerator for a longer period.

Okay I never dreamt I would be preparing brownies this way in my kitchen!!

It's just that we need to get creative these days and I'm learning so much as I go!

It's good for all of us! I now go to the grocery store and shop all together different! I spend most of time at the store in the produce section and I have fun getting creative with veggies!  I catch myself looking into other shoppers carts as I'm checking out!! I tend to flip out (silently) when I see an overweight unhealthy looking person with a cart loaded full of junk food!! Packaged and frozen foods!! Sweet drinks and all sorts of nasty artificial foods! I have to catch myself here!! I do not mean to judge!! I do not want to judge!! It's just that I'm sad to see this and especially if there are little overweight children shopping along with mom!! What are the chances of them living a full life with a healthy body??

 I cringe to think how I shopped for my family when my boys were smaller, I really had no idea the damage those foods could do to my family. I became aware and started the "Baby Stepping" process that has lead us to this place, even though we are not near there yet we have come a long ways. Jordan's food diagnosis was not near as overwhelming as it would have been back in my younger days..:)

When people ask me about "leaky gut" symptoms and how it works. I tell them it's like a funnel that goes from your mouth to your stomach and "leaky gut" people have a funnel which will have cracks in it, letting the foods into the blood stream where it comes back to attack the body. The body then attacks itself and people have problems with bowels, moods, headaches, and many other things that can eventually lead to something more serious.

Where to start??

If you know you have a problem with any of these things and you think they might be food related then the first thing I would say is try to completely cut out gluten and see if it helps. You need to be really picky about every single bite!! One bite can have the same affect as a whole meal!! You will be able to tell in a matter of days even though it can take a long time to cleanse it all out of your body!! Without help from a cleanse it might even take years!

Many times the food problem might be more then just gluten or maybe it's not even gluten at all?? Dairy and eggs is another big one to try avoiding..? It makes me sad that we are having so many issues with our bodies because of the food we eat!

Doing a food test is a great place to start if you get tired of testing things out or avoiding things that you really don't need to be avoiding. The test is great but they can be costly and many are not even accurate. There is a right and a wrong place to do these tests!...

I tell people if they feel like they have "Leaky Gut" (research it) symptoms to stay away from anything that comes in a package... A Bag or A box...:) :) Sounds hard I know but it's really not once you get creative and get past the hard one month hump...:) At least that's how I found it... And plus it's so worth it!! Jordan can testify here!!  He is excited to be trying a few new foods a week these days and we are hopeful the worst is over for him...:) His skin has mostly cleared up (just some scars yet)  he has had no cough this winter either which is the first for him in many years!!..:)

Justin had a lump type thing on his chest we had been watching the past few months. It was buldgy and was even visible through his shirt depending how he was standing and which shirt he had on! He has lost much of his appetite the past week and I was getting concerned when he complained of "leg pain" over the weekend.

I had him seen by a Doctor today. He has what they call..." Pectus Carinatum" It's also called "Pigeon Chest" It's a deformity of the chest! Not uncommon on boys his age. As they fill out the one side of the chest might grow faster then the other. There is a brace that can be worn to help the problem from getting worse but the Doc said they are bulky and most guys don't wear them anyway!! The research we did showed some pretty crazy pictures and some of them looked really bad!! I would have really flipped out if his lump would have been as big as some of the pictures we saw!! We are hoping it does not get worse and we just plan to keep an eye on it at this point. I have a rib bone that is bigger on one side and a few years back I got a scan done on that but it just showed one side bigger then the other...:) Maybe this is where Justin gets it..??:)

As for his loss of appetite I think it's normal for growing boys to have times when they just chow and then times when they don't eat as much..? Plus his whole foods diet might just not take as much?? (avoiding bread, flour and sugar) Yesterday I told him to eat a piece of toast with his scrapple and egg just simply because I was getting worried and just wanted him to eat!! He eats enough but still not near what he used to!! A banana will be enough for his breakfast and this is not okay with this "hot breakfast is important" mother...:) I have been finishing his breakfast instead of making my own almost every time I prepare it for him these past few weeks!

I was planning to run when the kids get home from school but this "Big City" post has gone on longer because of the rain outside. My run will wait... I can do the cold air but when it's a cold rain with it it keeps me in... I think we are in for some warm sunny days in this week ahead though but for today we are indoors with books and blankets...


Food for thought...

Thanks for tuning in... Have a BLESSED Day...