Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Paleo Blueberry Crisp

One thing I have been missing is a tasty dessert that's ok to consume. I've made Paleo chocolate chip cookies that are growing on me. I'm keeping them in the freezer when I want some dessert. Decided to try this blueberry crisp. I enjoy the topping. So I thought I could sub flour, oats, and refined sugar for different things, turns out I was right! So tasty. 



Ingredients: 

4 cups blueberries
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 
1 tbsp honey
1 cup almond flour/meal
1 tbsp maple syrup plus more for drizzling
4 tbsp butter 
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon 
½ tsp salt

1. Put blueberries in 8x8 pan. Drizzle lemon juice and maple syrup lightly. Mix together. 
2. Mix rest of ingredients together. Spoon on with your fingers little chunks of topping. 
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes (my blueberries were frozen so it took longer). Watch every 10 minutes after 20 minute mark. 
4. Pull out when bubbling and topping browning slightly. 



Quite easy to make! 


Hashimoto's


I mentioned in my last blog post, that I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's auto-immune disease. What is that exactly? That was my thought when I got the news. Well, turns out, it's not very good, and it's also not that uncommon. I have had several blog posts (here, here, here) on issues I've dealt with, especially since having children. Some symptoms come and go but in the last few months, with added stress, my body just wasn't handling any of it well. Not handling it well to the point of concern for me. Feeling like you hate life, can barely keep from crying ALL day long, and don't have energy to workout weeks on end is probably not a good sign...especially because I haven't missed this many workouts willingly in about 14 years. When I would workout, the soreness was almost unbearable for 2-3 days no matter what exercises I would do. That's not normal either. These are only a few of my symptoms. So I reached out to a doctor that I respect and deals with issues like mine and got direction. Blood work confirmed her suspicions that I have this disease.


What does this mean? Well, it means my immune system is attacking my thyroid. Yikes. There are foreign invaders and my body is producing antibodies to destroy these things but it is in turn destroying my thyroid and causing a host of problems. If you know me at all then you know I am not a fan of being put on medication if I don't have to. Thankfully, I have Dr. Angela to help me wade the waters (like she has helped many others) of this and change diet aspects of my life to stop further damage. 


Right now I'm eating strictly Paleo. No grains, dairy or legumes right now. I track everything about my day. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to consume modern wheat safely ever again. That was a pretty daunting thing to realize the other week (tears definitely shed). But if this is the route I have to take, I trust God will give me the strength I need to walk this path. He is so far! I have been Paleo for over 2 weeks. I'm taking some supplements to help my condition as well and truthfully, it is helping. I'm feeling so much better already and am getting some needed energy back. I'm typically a peppy person and it's nice to feel some of the pep back 😃. 

I want to add in here that if you are a person experiencing issues with your body, keep searching for answers. You know when things aren't right. Hair thinning, excessive soreness, menstrual issues, emotional instability, the list sadly goes on....all these things are not right! I had to keep searching and thankfully there are becoming more doctors like Dr. Angela who are devoting their life's work to helping people without the use of conventional medicine and looking to the true source of problems, without masking it. So please, keep seeking, asking questions, and searching. 


Exercise is limited right now for me. I can only do light activities and definitely not heavy weights. I'm living out my intense workouts through training my clients 😉 ha. Instead of being gloomy about my food options, I'm excited to be researching and trying new recipes. I normally attempt Paleo lifestyle but with lots of add-inns on things I enjoy, so it's not a new concept for me. Only now it's paramount that I stay Paleo and find new indulgences within the guidelines. It's worth it to forego my wants and desires in order to stay in good health. I'm learning that God wants sacrifice from every area of my life, but He has a life for me better than I realize. I have to lean in and say "Your will, not mine" for His beauty to captivate me once again. Not eating bread or sugar-laden desserts is a small sacrifice on my part, in reality. It reminds me that this life is not about me and my wants. I give Him thanks for having a great doctor to trust and finding out what I needed to find out. I only hope that another part of my life can bring Him glory. 

BEST grain free pizza I've ever had! 

If you want to follow my grain free and Paleo lifestyle, IG and Facebook (Venia Fitness) are the best places to see what I'm doing everyday. The goal is to eat whole foods (aka God foods) and that's what I post food ideas of. Follow along!