Body Ecology: Raymond and Jona, Week 1 and 2

Raymond and Jona are two weeks into the Body Ecology Diet. They are doing the BEDROK version of the diet. BEDROK stands for Body Ecology Recovering Our Kids. The website is here:
http://www.bedrokcommunity.org/
Body Ecology website is here: www.bodyecology.com. The philosophy in a nutshell is heal the gut, heal a multitude of other issues, both physical and psychological.

Let me tell you all at the top: I saw improvement in Raymond within 48 hours. No lie. No exaggeration. Jona is still drinking apple juice and eating gluten free bread because he is more rigid than his brother. Raymond is no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, and is eating fermented vegetables as well.

The steps in BEDROK are:
1. Remove the offending foods: sugars, gluten, casein, grains and starches, processed foods, soy, refined vegetable oils.
2. Drink Young Coconut Kefir.
3. Eat cultured vegetables.
4. Eat raw cultured butter and other good fats.
5. Add homemade broth.
6. Follow the principles of food combining. A chart is below.

A better chart is here: http://bodyecology.com/foodcombiningchart
Article here: http://bodyecology.com/articles/food_combining_optimal_health_and_weight.php

My children, at the moment, are not vegetarian. I hope that doesn't offend any of my readers. Their plate looks very simple: fish or turkey or eggs, salad with homemade dressing, a steamed vegetable, and cultured vegetables (for Raymond). Raymond is also only drinking water. Jona has apple juice with his lunch. For the rest of the day he only drinks water.

What changed in both boys is that they lost weight. I don't know how much, but it's obvious that they have. Raymond said to me today, "I'm losing weight." I asked how could he tell. He said, "My belly is shrinking."

The other three things are Raymond's OCD symptoms alleviated. His major symptom is touching objects. If he was at 100 before the diet, on a scale from 0 to 100, then he is at a 40 now. The difference was obvious to his father and his teachers as well. The other thing was farting. He farted all of the time. I mean ALL THE TIME. I have heard my child fart all of twice in two weeks. He went from 100 to 2 on a 0 to 100 scale. And his constipation is easing. He told me on Friday, "I pooped twice today." For him, that is an achievement. The only change I see in Jona is that he is pooping more often as well.

Yesterday, I had a medical intuitive reading about my children and me with Gina Laverde.
(http://blissedlife.com/intuitive-healing-consults/) I am a professional intuitive myself, and I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. It's hard to do a reading on my children because they are my strongest emotional connection. The hallmark of a good reading is objectivity, neutrality, and detachment. It's hard to be any of those things with my boys. So I went to someone else. She is worth every penny. It's too much information to go into here. In short, her food recommendations were simple for the boys:

"Homemade broth, slow cooking, high mineral, high nutrition food that has a grounding nature (lots of root vegetables), plus the Body Ecology steps already being taken. Liver support for Jona with beets (which I am going to put in his smoothies)."

Jona is easing his way into the diet. Once I get them both solidly there, they will be on it strictly through the winter, at least. The goal is to heal their digestive system so they can slowly add other foods successfully.

And I am on Day 18 on my own gluten/dairy/sugar free lifestyle. Even though I still have the sniffles, I am back at the gym tomorrow.

Healing is holistic. It's not just food. As we heal with other modalities, I will share them here.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology: Raymond and Jona, Week 1 and 2

Day 11 No gluten, no sugar, no dairy

What fast? What happened to Days 1-10? I wanted to see if I could do this first! And doing it I am! Even though I am on the tail end (I hope) of what I think are detox symptoms, I really want to get this written.

Me and my personal trainer, Eric, swinging those kettlebells. Never thought I'd do such a thing!

When chaos reigns, you need to look at yourself. Not your partner, kids, parents, boss, family, only you. Too many things happened in a short period of time that forced me to question myself.

July 18: I lost someone near and dear to me.
August 17: Interviewed for full time job.
August 19: I didn't get the job as paraeducator, but was offered a position as Inclusion Helper.
August 21: Was let go from a yoga teacher job before I even started, two days after I signed a contract.
August 25: Started full-time job.
August 31/Sept 1: Was sent to the ER from full-time job, with high blood pressure, dizziness, and left side heaviness. What does that sound like? I didn't have a stroke. But I was in the hospital overnight in the stroke ward. Diagnosis: complex migraine.  Nothing like being unexpectedly in the hospital to make you think about your life. And think I did...
September 3: I resigned from full-time job. They were nice enough to ask if I still wanted to be a substitute teacher. I was very grateful. And I still had kept my other job, so I was never unemployed.
September 5: Watched the movie version of the book Wild.
September 18: My last day at the full-time job.

Two things struck me. One, the movie is based on the real story of Cheryl Strayed, who hiked 2600 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone. She was going through major chaos like divorce and drug addiction and the loss of a parent. I could relate, even though my chaos was different than hers. Pain is pain. The second thing that stuck me was a line Cheryl's mom Bobbie said. It was, "When you find your best self, do everything possible to hold on to it."

I was my best self when I was raw vegan. The problem has been sticking to it, even with my culinary training. After watching the movie, I decided to drop the gluten, dairy, and sugar. Sugar is my real problem. When I am stressed, all I want is chocolate. And pre-menstrual, forgettaboutit. Chocolate is all I want. With all that was swirling around me, I was in the midst of the dark night of the soul. I had to do something.

My fridge on Day 1

October 1 was my first day. I am going at least 45 days, and truthfully, I see no reason to turn back. From Day 1 to Day 9, mentally I felt great. And no cravings. I was, and still am, on an emotional even keel. But Friday night, standing in my kitchen, my head was congested in an instant, and I couldn't stop the illness. It descended on me quickly. Friday night and Saturday morning, all I wanted was my mother. My ears, teeth, gums, nose, sinuses, and head were on fire. I felt better when I had the flu. This was horrible. Now it's Sunday night, and I am better, but very weak.

Seconds. Go to your farmer's market and ask for them. Seconds is the name for overripe fruit. That whole bag was $4.00.

My first day.

At first I was going all liquid. My main job is too physical for that. I did juice and smoothies for lunch and dinner. Soup and salad for lunch. I did that for seven days. On Day 8, I started eating again, still keeping the no gluten, dairy, or sugar. And you know what happened on Day 9. Hopefully, it's just detox symptoms and nothing more serious.

I also started my sons on their own cleanse. Jona has been dairy free for a week. I am transitioning him slowly because his eating habits are quite rigid. Raymond has been on no sugar, dairy, and gluten since October 6. The results for him are nothing short of remarkable. What is happening with him is my next post.

:Love,
Althea ◦

Day 11 No gluten, no sugar, no dairy

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

At the Washington, DC Black Expo in 2000 or 2001, I sampled a Black-Eyed Pea Salad offered by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor. She is a culinary anthropologist, and best known for her PBS show and her books Vibration Cooking: or Notes of a Geechee Girl, and Vertamae Cooks Again.

I never forgot that sample. It's tastiness shocked me. I had never considered beans, especially black- eyed peas, as the star of a salad. How good could it be? Bad ass good, it turned out. I believe she said she used Italian dressing in hers. Whatever the ingredients, if it's been over ten years since I ate something and I still remember it, then that is one hell of a food memory.

I was craving this salad last week. There's plenty of versions of this on the internet. I chose the Neelys version, then changed it a bit after reading the reviews. This is their original:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/black-eyed-pea-salad-recipe.html
They use canola oil, sugar, and parsley. Olive oil tastes better. This salad does not need a lick of sugar. And cilantro reigns over parsley any day of the week.

This is my version:

Black-Eyed Pea Salad (V, GF)

Ingredients

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained

Directions

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Toss all together and let marinate for at up to 8 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Twenty minutes is all it took to make this salad. Do leave it in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors marry. Add some avocado for more body. You can even switch up the beans. Black beans would be good. Let me know when you all make it!

Love,
Althea


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Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Key Lime Pie

I made this Key Lime Pie two days ago. I was inspired by Stacy Stowers (aka The Raw Food Nanny).
I was looking up her Happy Shake and found an article on Shape Magazine online that featured five of her favorite recipes. I happened to have most of the ingredients for a Key Lime Pie on hand, so I made this first.

My only change was that I used agave instead of honey because I already had some. Me, Raymond, and my husband (the ultimate tester) all love this pie. It's simple to make. The only labor intensive part is peeling and juicing the limes. Other than that, it's a "pour-into-food processor-and-blender" recipe.

Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie (RV, GF)
Ingredients:

For basic nut crust:
3/4 c. raw almonds

1 c. raw walnuts

10 medjool dates (1 c. pitted and packed down)

Pinch of salt

For pie filling:
3/4 c. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 1/2 c. avocados

1/2 c. raw honey (I used 1/2 cup agave)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. coconut oil

2 tbsp. lecithin

Directions:
For basic nut crust:
Process ingredients in a food processor using the “S” blade until ingredients stick together. Don’t overprocess or you will make nut butter. Press into pie plate. Chill while preparing your pie filling.  For pie filling:
Blend in your blender all ingredients except the coconut oil and the lecithin. Now add your coconut oil and lecithin. Blend again until creamy. Pour into your pie crust and chill for 6-8 hours or until firm. Decorate with kiwi fruit and/or berries, if desired. Makes about 8 servings.

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Key Lime Pie

Warm Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad

From Raw Food Real World.
Holy Goodness...this is darn fantastic food. Two thumbs WAY up!

Warm Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad

    3 ears fresh corn, husked
    3 pints small cherry, teardrop, or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
    4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    2 small or 1 large head butter lettuce, or other soft greens
    3 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
    1 cup crumbled Fluffy Macadamia Feta (page 288)
    Coarse sea salt
    Freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and place in a medium bowl with the tomatoes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat. Spread the corn and tomatoes on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 1 hour.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the lettuce leaves and toss to coat. Add the corn, tomatoes, marjoram, feta, and salt and pepper.

Fluffy Macadamia Feta

    4 cups raw macadamia nuts, soaked 1 hour or more
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    1 green onion, white and 1 inch green, minced
    2 teaspoons sea salt

  In a food processor, thoroughly grind all the ingredients, but leave it a bit
  chunky. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls onto Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and
  dehydrate at 115°F for 4 to 6 hours, or until dry on the outside and still
  tender on the inside.

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Warm Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad

Sweet Potato Lentil Stew

Sweet Potato Lentil Stew

(GF) (V)

An easy, one pot dinner for your family.

From Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion sliced

2 small tomatoes diced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

sea salt

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4″ cubes (you can add more if you like)

7 cups vegetable broth (or water)

1 cup brown lentils

Directions:

Heat oil in large, deep pot. Add onion and stir until it starts to soften-about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and ginger. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Stir in turmeric, cumin coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and a pinch or two of sea salt

Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add more salt if necessary.

Next, add sweet potatoes, broth and lentils.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.

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Sweet Potato Lentil Stew

Cookie Dough Truffles

Cookie Dough Truffles

(V) (GF)

These are fricking amazing. I read about them on Chef Chloe's website. I saw her for the first time on Food Network's Cupcake Wars. She's a vegan chef, and her vegan cupcakes WON! That's when I became a fan.

I made her Avocado Pesto Pasta back in August, and RAVED about it on my other blog. I've got another rave. I made this about a month ago. Once again, Chloe delivers. Think chocolate chip cookie dough encased in chocolate. Yes, it is as good as it sounds.

The original link is here:

http://chefchloe.com/sweets/vegan-cookie-dough-truffles.html

I used gluten-free flour instead of white flour. And because I was out of parchment paper, I had to adapt. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegan margarine
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I used Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking Mix, also 1 1/4 cups.)
• 1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (dairy-free)
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate (dairy-free)

Procedure

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
(Note: I was out of parchment paper, which is a natural non-stick paper. I lined the baking sheets with white, regular paper. Then I put olive oil on some plastic wrap. I used that to rub the oil into the paper. Without it, the truffles will stick to the paper. It'll be a hot mess. Keep this one simple: buy the parchment paper!)

Using a mixer, beat margarine, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and water until combined. Add flour and beat until incorporated. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls with the palms of your hands. Place on prepared baking sheets.

Freeze for 15 minutes. (I froze for an hour.)

Melt the remaining 12 ounces chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Let cool to room temperature.

Remove one tray of cookie dough balls from the freezer. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and remove using two forks. Place the coated balls back onto the baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator.

Repeat with the second tray of cookie dough balls. Chill until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. (I kept them in the fridge for an hour.) Store in refrigerator until serving.

They won't keep long in your house! ◦

Cookie Dough Truffles