February Monthly Recap

Hi everyone! How are you doing??

Welcome to my newly designed blog!

Morgan did such a fantastic job drawing out and implementing my vision! I couldn’t be happier with how the new website and branding turned out. I’m still working out some logistical and formatting adjustments, but I wanted to get this post up anyway since it’s been a while.

How is your winter going?

I feel like this winter has been tougher for me than usual. I actually enjoy the slower pace to winter and cozier feel to the evenings, but these (excessively) gray days are getting to me! Thankfully today (as I write this post) we are finally having some sun and seem to be out of the brutally cold weather. My run this morning was more of a slow ice skate shuffle as I navigated all the melting snow!

As you may have read in last month’s post, my eating looks rather odd for me and boring at the moment due to the health issues I am working through, and needed (mostly temporary) food changes along with that. SO, instead of a typical, more thorough monthly eats recap I’m switching gears for the time being and doing more of a general month recap.

We’ll still chat some recent eats of course, along with a couple of other monthly segments. Let’s talk February!

Everyday Eats 

My foods are pretty limited right now due to needing to eliminate my leaky gut-caused temporary food sensitivities as well as being on a low-oxalate diet for the next 5-6 months (hopefully not longer!!).

Oxalates are naturally found in plant-based foods, with some foods being higher than others. Foods high in oxalates include certain fruits and veggies, potatoes, most nuts and seeds, most grains, and chocolate.

Oxalates aren’t generally a problem for a healthy gut. And obviously the foods high in oxalates can be very good for you! However, issues like leaky gut can decrease the body’s ability to handle oxalates, which can contribute to a host of symptoms, including painful joints, fatigue, insomnia, mineral depletion, GI symptoms, and more. Temporarily eating a low oxalate diet is one key way to reduce the oxalate load on your body while you work to resolve the root causes of your oxalate toxicity, and restore your body’s ability to handle oxalates normally.

Needing to avoid CHOCOLATE of all things is a major bummer. Looking forward to the day when “everyday chocolate” becomes an actual reality again!!!

Lucky for Alec (our in-house Thai & Indian food aficionado), we are eating plenty of Thai and Indian-inspired dishes, given that I can eat all the coconut aminos (essentially a soy and grain-free soy sauce replacement), coconut milk, curry powder & other seasonings, garlic, and ginger that our hearts desire.

To celebrate Valentine’s a couple of weeks back, we made chicken tikka masala which was a big hit!

Another recent warmly-welcomed addition to my food life are these DIY smoky coconut chips. SO GOOD! Who knew?? I’ve been snacking on them as a side and adding them atop egg scrambles.

Simply grab an 8oz bag of coconut chips (I buy organic coconut chips from Trader Joe’s — they are essentially large coconut flakes), and mix together the coconut chips, 4 tsp coconut aminos, 4 tsp maple syrup, and plenty of Himalayan salt + paprika. Bake in the oven at 350 F until nice and brown, stirring every 5 mins or so to prevent burning.

I plan to try curry-seasoned and cinnamon versions soon!

To replace my daily chocolate, of course I needed to come up with another dessert option. This has unfortunately been an ongoing challenge due to my limited foods. I’ve finally come up with these fruit cobblers which are doing the trick! (Not great, but fine enough given the circumstances).

I use organic, frozen blueberries + strawberries from Costco, which I top with a simple maple syrup-sweetened coconut flour crumble.

I’m honestly kind of struggling with these food changes — eating the same things over and over again, and nothing that I would typically choose as far as meals and snacks go. I’m trying to stay focused on one day at a time. Can I do THIS day of eating? Yes!

Everyday Enjoyment

Absolutely loving this cookbook! The Roasted Root is a lifesaver for anyone eating more of a paleo, low inflammatory diet. Unfortunately now with the oxalate issue I have to wait to make most of the recipes, but there are still some that I can make and I am grateful for that!

We got a lot of snow a couple of weeks ago so I was finally able to go snowshoeing! I got snowshoes probably 5 years or so ago, and we haven’t had much snow in recent winters ever since. I like when there is a ton of snow, it’s quiet, and I have the opportunity to get outside when it would otherwise be somewhat ridiculous to walk or run!

Currently reading Surprised by Oxford, which I am absolutely loving so far! A good memoir has to be one of my favorite genres.

In March, Looking Forward to…

–> The official start to spring! So looking forward to sunnier days and the relative ease of going on walks and runs without the ice/slush/snow.

–> March Madness. It’s fun that Michigan’s basketball team is doing so much better this year and will finally be back in the Tournament! Makes all the difference for how March feels.

–> Going skiing!!! We haven’t been skiing in over 6 years (since our honeymoon in Banff) and I am super excited to be heading out to Salt Lake City for a long weekend.

Have a great rest of your week!