Chicken Vegetable Soup

This recipe has been adapted from the "Chicken Vegetable Soup" recipe in The Paleo Diet by Loren Corden, PhD ©2002 Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.

Serves: 3

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup organic chicken broth (gluten and soy free)
1 chicken breast, diced into large bite sized pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tomatoes, diced (roma is fine to use)
1 small zucchini, sliced thin and halved
1 large carrot, diced

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, chicken broth, chicken breast, garlic, onion, bay leaf and pepper.
2. Bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat, cover, and then simmer for 1.5 hours (or until chicken is tender).
4. Remove bay leaf and discard.
5. Add zucchini, tomatoes, and carrots and bring to boil.
6. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (or until vegetables are tender).

Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe has been adapted from the "Stuffed Zucchini" recipe in The Paleo Diet by Loren Corden, PhD ©2002 Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1/2 red onion
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
3 medium tomatoes, dice (roma is fine)
1/4 cup sliced black olives (rinsed) - optional
1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise
1/2 Tbsp flaxseed oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut zucchini lengthwise, and scrape seeds from each half, forming a cavity.
3. Rub zucchini with flaxseed oil, and then place in baking dish.
4. In a medium sized saucepan, heat oil.
5. Sautee onion and garlic until browned.
6. Add ground beef, black pepper, cayenne pepper and cumin - cook on low heat until browned.
7. Combine meat mixture (drain if there is a lot of juice) into bowl with tomatoes and black olives (if using).
8. Spoon into zucchini halves.
9. Cover dish with aluminum foil, place in oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

Zucchini Soup

This recipe has been adapted from "Zucchini Soup" recipe in The Paleo Diet by Loren Corden, PhD ©2002 Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts water
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Chop all ingredients, setting aside ingredients into the following groupings (will add ingredients in different time intervals)
• onion & garlic
• basil, parsley, thyme & pepper
• carrots & celery
• zucchini
• tomatoes and fresh parsley
2. Heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic
3. Bring water to a boil and add sauteed onion, garlic, basil, parsley, thyme, and pepper.
4. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add carrots and celery, continue to simmer for another 1/2 hour.
6. Add Zucchini, continue to simmer for another 20 minutes
7. Add tomatoes, and fresh parsley simmer for 10 minutes
8. Remove from heat and serve immediately

This recipe omits the 2 cups of cooked chopped beef, chicken or pork the original recipe lists. If using this as a main dish, you can add the cooked meat to the soup at the same time as the sauteed garlic, onion, parsley, thyme, and pepper.

Slow-Cooked NY Strip Steak w/ Salsa

This recipe has been adapted from "Slow-Cooked Veal with Salsa" recipe in The Paleo Diet by Loren Corden, PhD ©2002 Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.

Ingredients
1 pound NY Strip Steak, sliced
Salsa - set 2 cups aside (recipe below)

Salsa...
2-3 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
Combine ingredients for the salsa, set aside.
Cut steak into strips (if not already done).
In a crock pot, layer the slices of steak, cover with 2 cups salsa - refrigerate remaining salsa.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
Remove from pot, and cover with remaining salsa before serving

Challenge: Week 1 Meal Plan

The meal plan was created with inspiration from The Paleo Diet by Loren Corden, PhD ©2002 Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated. All meals are gluten, casein, and soy free (GFCFSF). Please make sure you pay attention to food labels when shopping.

Recipes will be posted as soon as possible.

Sunday, February 21
Breakfast: Apple and GF Grits
Lunch: Ian's Chicken Patty Wrap and Lay's potato Chips
Dinner: Open because I didn't go grocery shopping

Monday, February 22
Breakfast: Whole Fruit Smoothie and Broiled Pork Chop
Lunch: Ian's Fish Fillet (Allergen-Free) with GF Tortilla Chips
Dinner: Altamira Stuffed Chicken with Ratatouille
Snacks: Walnuts and Raisins

Tuesday, February 23
Breakfast: Raspberries with Walnuts and Broiled Pork Chop
Lunch: Spinach Salad, Broiled Sole, Steamed Cauliflower, and Apple
Dinner: Zucchini Soup and Slow-Cooked Steak with Salsa
Snacks: Mango and Non-salted Macadamia Nuts

Wednesday, February 24
Breakfast: Smoothie and Leftover Steak
Lunch: Gingery Chicken and Veggies, Tomato/Black Olive Green Salad with Anaheim Cilantro Salsa Dressing
Dinner: Eggs & Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Snacks: Apples and Pecans

Thursday, February 25
Breakfast: Bowl of diced apples, shredded carrots, and raisins with Leftover Chicken
Lunch: Roast Chicken Spinach Wrap and Handful Almonds
Dinner: Tossed Green Salad, Broiled Halibut with lemon juice and dill, Steamed Asparagus, Sliced Kiwi & Orange
Snacks: Anything leftover

Friday, February 26
Breakfast: Whole Fruit Smoothie and Broiled Pork Chop
Lunch: Anything leftover
Dinner: Tomato & Cucumber wedges, Stuffed Zucchini, Chopped pecans and raspberries
Snacks: Apple slices with Almond Butter

Saturday, February 27
Breakfast: Sliced Bananas, Strawberries and Walnuts
Lunch: Chicken Vegetable Soup and Salad
Dinner: Tacos, Refried Beans and Mexi-Rice
Snacks: Leftovers

First Thoughts

I have no idea where to even begin. This is my first ever blog post, and I'm not really sure where to start. I guess I could start by introducing myself.

My name is Keri. I am in my mid-30's, married to a wonderful man, David. We don't have any children, unless you count our wonderful mutt Nike (which is a 13-year old black lab / doberman mix).

Ever since I was in high school, I had dreamt of becoming a mother at an early age. My plans were to start building my family by the time I was 25, and I did! Just 2 weeks after turning 25, David and I were married - September 11, 1999. It was the perfect wedding that we were blessed to share with many of family and friends.

We figured our next step was to spend quality time as a couple before starting down the road of having children. I have known since I was 16 that I'd have problems conceiving, but my husband had more faith. So, we waited for about 4 years. This is where our journey really began.

In October 2002 I found out that I had PCOS - finally, a diagnosis. I thought that having this diagnosis, I would magically become pregnant without having to go down the route of fertility drugs or treatments. Several years later, 2 failed rounds of Clomid, 1 failed round of Letrozol, I gave up. I couldn't handle the rejection whenever I took a pregnancy test. More than that, I started feeling less of a wife and woman. Here I was, in my late-20s / early-30s, and I couldn't do what so many of my other family and friends were able to do - provide a healthy family for my husband, for us. For the next 6 years, I read books, joined online support groups, went to a fertility specialist here and there, tried many weight loss plans (more about that in a minute) and exercise programs.

About a year before being diagnosed with PCOS, I had ballooned from a weight in the 120's to the 160's / 170's. A few more years of stress and not understanding why diets and exercise programs weren't working I had gained another 30-40 pounds. Now I'm at my highest point ever - 210!! This is not where I'd like to be, especially given my 5' 1/2" frame (yes I count that half inch!). I continued to try everything - things would seem to be working for about 6 weeks, and like clockwork, I'd get sick, break a bone, or be exhausted, so I'd eventually go back off my programs and eventually I forgot the dream of becoming a mother.

That all changed (for the positive) in the Spring of 2008. After getting a sunburn at a tennis match I was watching my husband play, I finally started to have renewed hope and faith of becoming a mother one day. A sunburn brought this on again, you're asking? Yep! You see - that sunburn turned into psoriasis and eczema, which I've never suffered from in my life. And to add insult to injury, it was on my face and it wasn't healing, no matter what the dermatologist gave me. It would clear up for a few weeks, and as soon as I would stop the medicine (following instructions), it would pop right back up within a few days or so. So I started doing research.... Again.

But this time I had a whole new outlook. I was ready to finally have answers. And by this, I meant I was ready to find the underlying cause to the psoriasis, PCOS, my recurrent sinus / bronchitis infections, and the broken bones (6 in total during the past 15 years). As I started paying closer attention to my body, I realized other things that I thought was normal, but weren't normal to my friends when I'd ask them. And then I started to notice that most of my symptoms were centered around meals (either during, immediately following, or a few hours after). These were just a few of the symptoms: Being extremely tired after eating, and never having much energy (I can sleep 10 hours in a night, and still take a nap a few hours after being up).... Nose itching..... Heartburn... Congestion (I always feel like I have a cold)... Pains in my stomach after eating some foods.... Always feeling bloated... extreme headaches..... Unable to focus.... Mood swings (extreme).

While researching, I started to run by articles in magazines and on websites. I researched more. Finally after I read (and found supporting studies that are currently being performed) that an OB/GYN discovered 90% of her PCOS patients tested positive to Gluten Intolerance. I knew this had to be me. This was my connection!! It finally made sense! I went back to my fertility doctor, my nutritionist, and my primary and they all agreed that I had symptoms of Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance. To be sure there was no other underlying medical issues, my doctors did a Thyroid test, Diabetes Panel, complete metabolic panel, and white blood count test. All those came back "within normal range". However, it was one test done by Enterolab that concluded at the end of December, that I had food interolances - and not only to Gluten. In order of sensitivity, I am intolerant to Soy, Gluten, Casein, and Yeast - with the beginning intolerance levels to Egg.

This is where this post picks up. Finally 5 months after having this diagnosis, I am having issues with this new lifestyle. I figured by writing about these experiences, I could keep myself mindful of the prize (becoming healthy, becoming pregnant naturally, having a healthy pregnancy, and finally having my family) and in the process, help any others who feel just as lost I as feel trying to navigate through this new world.

So thank you for reading this "dissertation". I know it was long, but I had to explain where I was coming from so you'd understand some of my future posts a little better. Thanks, Keri