Cherry Danish

Dry ingredients

1 cup  almond flour 
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon  vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup  oat fibre 
2/3 cup  Designer whey plain or vanilla protein powder  
2 teaspoons  baking powder  
1 teaspoon  xanthan gum
1/4 tsp.  Stevia powder
1/4 cup  brown sugar substitute
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Wet Ingredients

4 eggs 
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light oil
1/4 cup sugarfree vanilla syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water

Topping

1 can no sugar added cherry pie filling

Icing

4 oz. softened cream cheese
Sweetener to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Enough heavy cream to thin to a squeezable consistency

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray or grease 12 muffin top pan wells.

Stir all dry ingredients except cheese together in a medium bowl; once well-combined, stir in the cheese.

Mix all wet ingredients together in a 2 cup glass measure til well blended. Mix dry and wet ingredients together thoroughly, scraping sides and bottom of bolw, and let sit for 5 minutes. Divide evenly into 12 muffin top pan wells. Spread to fill the pan wells. Top each with about a heaping teaspoon of the cherry pie filling - I leave some of the gloppy stuff behind and try to concentrate on getting 3 or 4 cherries on each Danish.

Bake at 350* for about 15 minutes, til the batter is set and turning golden brown.

Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then carefully remove to a rack to finish cooling. I find a plastic spatula helps get them out of the pans - loosen around the edges first, then run spatula gently under the Danish.

To ice - beat together the softened cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla, and enough cream to make an icing consistency. You don't want it too runny but not so thick that you can't pipe it out either. Spoon into a sandwich baggie, snip off a TINY corner, twist the icing down into the bottom of the baggie and pipe onto the Danish.  

Makes 12.

Per Danish with cherry filling: 248 Calories; 20g Fat; 10g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 7g Net Carbs

Per Danish without cherry filling: 228 Calories; 20g Fat; 10g Protein; 12.5g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 2.5g Net Carbs

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Crust:
1 cup blanched  almond flour
1/4 cup  coconut flour
1 tbsp  vital wheat gluten
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup Ideal Brand granulated sweetener
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cheesecake filling:
8 oz softened cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup Ideal Brand granulated sweetener
1 tbsp vanilla
zest from 1 small lemon

Blueberry filling:
pint blueberries
1 cup Ideal Brand granulated sweetener
puree and then cook down on stovetop until thickened like jam

press dough into the bottom of an 8x8 pan, pour the cheesecake batter on top, then dollop the blueberry stuff around the pan-- then swirl with a knife to make it pretty, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes


(approximate) whole pan:
calories: 2700
carbs: 56

(approximate) 2X2 piece:
calories: 169
carbs: 3.5

Flax sandwich buns

FLAX SANDWICH BUNS 

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flax meal 
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese 
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 
3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
1 1/2 teaspoon granular Splenda 
1/2-1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional 
1 1/2 teaspoons dry minced onion 
3 eggs 
1 1/2 tablespoons water 
1 1/2 tablespoons oil

Put the dry minced onion in a small bowl and add just enough water to moisten; let stand until softened. Mix the dry ingredients; add the onions, eggs, water and oil. Pour the batter into 6 greased muffin top pans. Bake at 325º 15-20 minutes. To serve, split the buns horizontally to make two halves using a long, thin knife.

Makes 6 servings 
Can be frozen

Per Serving: 140 Calories; 11g Fat; 8g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 3.5g Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carbs

Cream cheese muffins

2 8oz. pks. philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup sweetener (I use spenda)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Soften cream cheese about 40 seconds in microwave. Add other ingredients. Beat with mixer till smooth. Pour into 12 muffin pans lined with the papers. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

Losing Motivation

I've been off track for a while. I got depressed with everything going on and lost my motivation.  I need to do this for my health and I'm trying to get back on track.  I need a few days to get my shit together and start again. Wish me luck...

Meridian Testing Results

Hey all. I've been offline for while...busy with Christmas and life in general.  I'm still drinking my wheatgrass and I finally got over the nauseous feeling. I spent the better part of my time at Barry's place playing house lol.   My menstrual cycle started on Friday and I took the new pills the doc have me to slow the bleeding. I find that although they work to slow it down, I seem to bleed longer...maybe not such a good idea to take. I'm feeling better with the FeraMax (iron) and wheatgrass. I don't feel as drained so it may be helping. 

I went for my Meridian test today.  This is where they test the energy readings of your body. They test the organ energy and find out how things are working.  It was easy peasy. She held a metal thing on different pressure points of my fingers and toes to take the readings. 

So the main findings were that the points under stress are: lymphatics, allergies, endocrine system, small intestine, circulation, liver, joints, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, kidneys...she pretty much said my hormones are out of balance. She pulled out a bunch of supplements and put them on a plate and then proceeded to put the metal rod on points of my fingers again. She said that this would tell her which supplements would balance my system. Unlike Doctor (MD) which will treat one symptom at a time, she will be making sure the supplement will work with all symptoms.  It ended up that only one of the supplement will work to help balance everything. She said that it will balance things in my body and with time my liver will stop producing the extra estrogen that's feeding the fibroids (aliens lol) and they should start to shrink. Yay! 

The problem now is that my appointment with the new gynocologist is January 20. I don't know how open he is to me trying this option before I decide on surgery.  I'm hoping I have a chance to find out. 

So the other thing we tested for was allergies. Seems I have a few ... Vodka, canola oil, veal, spelt, white flour, rye,  whole wheat flour, organic wheat, rice, kamut, wheat germ, quinoa, wheat bran, corn, popcorn, barley.  And there's a bunch of stuff that I have to be careful of eating just borderline of allergy limit. Fun wow...lol.  Looks like a whole new world of eating habits to learn...

Anyways. That's it for today, I have to figure out what's for dinner now. What can I eat besides veggies???

Day three of Wheatgrass juicing

 So I started drinking the wheatgrass juice on Saturday with an ounce Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Today I took 2 ounces of juice.  My stomach is very upset and feels nauseous  today and I guess it's because I'm detoxing. My boss says it my liver working to send the toxins into my bowels. He says it's fast so whatever is not going down will start coming up. I sure hope not. I'm getting kind of headachy this afternoon as well. I guess we'll see how it goes. 

Sprouts Day 7

This is my wheatgrass 

It's growing!  In a couple days I will take the cover off and give it sunlight. The sun will turn the grass green.

I've already eaten most of my mung and salad sprouts. I took them to Barry's on the weekend we had them with his fenugreek sprouts, they are pretty filling as a salad. 

I have new batches soaking now. Seems I'm going to have to always have two batches going, we eat a lot of them.

I had to go buy some wheatgrass from Bamboo on Saturday so we had some on the weekend. I bought a big bag of grass from Natures Roots today to get me through the week until mine is ready. I have my second batch in dirt today so I can keep it growing. It's pretty expensive to buy it, was $15 for a pound of cut grass.  

This is the cut wheatgrass. It doesn't seem like a lot. The girl said should do about 12 shots, so it's about 6 days worth.  Hopefully it doesn't go bad in the fridge before I use it. 

Sprouts -Day 4

I've mentioned earlier that I've started some sprouting. It's the morning of day 4 and they seem to be coming along nicely.

Mung Beans

Salad Mix

Wheatgrass sprouts - ready to be planted

I think a couple more days and the mung beans and salad mix will be ready to eat.  I'm sooo ready to get the wheatgrass growing, I didn't realize it would take so long. I found a place yesterday that sells small trays of cut wheatgrass so I'm going to pick some up for Barry and I for the weekend..  I'd like to get him started on this too.  Hopefully it helps with his ailments.

Off to get ready for work now.....

I've Booked a Test

Meridian Stress Assessment

MSA testing uses the Galvanic Skin Response (similar to lie detectors) to measure electrical resistance at various acupoints which represent the organs, glands and systems of the body. This combination of Chinese Medicine and Western Technology allows us to conduct an interview with the body, identifying imbalances in the energy flow and offering natural alternatives to achieve optimal health. By using the body's energy field (Chi), at skin level of the predetermined acupuncture meridians, it is possible to analyze the energetic cause of physical problems. 

Why is MSA Testing Important?

Disease states are present in the body's electromagnetic field long before they manifest into disease. MSA testing allows you to see which systems have a low energy and which ones are under stress in order that you may act now to prevent weaknesses from developing to disease. 

What Can Be Tested?

The three main components of MSA testing are organ balancing, allergy testing and the efficacy of nutritional products, but the possibilities are endless. 

• Bacteria
• Candida
• Viral Patterns 
• Chemical and Pesticide Sensitivities 
• Heavy Metal Toxicity 

Points Used During Testing

Who Benefits from Testing?

MSA testing is for everyone. It is non-evasive, virtually painless and safe for people of all ages. Whether you are looking to improve a pre-existing condition through natural means or wanting to take a proactive approach to your health, MSA testing is for you. 

History

MSA instruments (also referred to as Electro Dermal Screening-EDS or Electro Acupuncture according to Voll- EAV) have been used widely in Europe and around the world for over 50 years. Credit is given to Reinhold Voll, a German MD who, in the early 1950's, developed an electronic testing device for finding acupuncture points. He then began a lifelong search to identify the electrical resistance in acupuncture points and how the changes relate to disease states. Voll was successful. He found that patients with lung cancer had abnormal readings on the acupuncture point relating to the lung. Researchers from UCLA and USC have verified these results. 

What Are Meridians?

Meridians are rivers of energy which flow through the body and are related to the organ system to which they flow.

Organ Balancing

Using the predetermined acupuncture meridians, (representing nervous system, circulation, pancreas, gallbladder, liver and more) measurements are taken and recorded as balanced, stressed or weakened. The system then allows us to measure the effectiveness of various nutritional products that will assist the body in achieving optimal health. 

Nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, presence of parasites and candida and more. 

Allergy Testing

MSA testing allows for effective allergy testing without the use of needles, and because nothing enters the body as with traditional needle testing, this procedure is much safer and relatively pain-free. Testing for over 500 foods or 600 environmental and chemical sensitivities can be completed in one hour. A full colour printout allows you to see how your body responds to the various allergens. Best of all, we offer natural alternatives to help eliminate the allergy. 

Efficancy of Nutritional Products

The MSA device has been designed to measure vibration, not only of the energy travelling though the various acupuncture meridians but also the energy within a bottle of nutritional supplements or vitamins. By simply placing the bottle of supplements on the plate, we retest and out of balanced point and can determine the effect of the product on your system before you take it. This step not only saves time by eliminating the guess work of which product to take, but it also saves money, because you only take what you can see will work.

Doctor, Doctor and more Doctor

So I went to the doctor on November 12 to get checkup. I've been feeling run down, tired all the time, menstrual cycle getting worse (was slightly anemic last year)....she sent me for blood work and ultrasound (had fibroid last year).  The office called me on the 17th and said to come in as soon as I could.

The appointment for test results:
-Now two large fibroids 14cm and 18cm and a few smaller ones. One of the big ones is top of uterus and may cause other problems.
-Uterus stretched to double its size -bleeding will get worse
-Severe anemia - not enough blood in my system and may need a blood transfusion
-Suprised I'm still functioning with my iron so low
-Blood pressure very high 180/117- that's probably what's keeping me alive
-must do a hysterectomy as soon as possible before something happens

Needless to say I was not in a good way when I left there...lots to think about.

So a few weeks have gone by and I've been seeing the doc every week...I'm on iron pills, blood pressure pills, and my synthroid for thyroid. BP has gone down a bit to 168/103 but still not happy so she upped the dosage. She said she can't bring it down too fast because of the anemia.

They finally got me an appointment at the gynocologist ---for March 2016!!!!! She did tell his office it was an emergency..WTH!  She's been trying to call for two weeks to talk to the gyno herself and they don't call back. Next week when I go in, if there's not an earlier appointment I'm going to demand to go to someone else, someone who cares about their patients.  What bull.

My boss Francesco is a raw vegan. He says that if I change my lifestyle I can reverse this. From everything I've been reading and people I've talked to online I don't think so. But I am making moves to be healthier. I've started growing wheatgrass so I can start juicing it in the mornings. There is a lot of nutrition in it. I've also started some sprouting, right now I'm starting to sprout a salad mix and mung beans. My boyfriend Barry is doing some fenugreek. We said we'd share the harvest. It's a start, we'll see how it goes from there.

Anyways, there's an update on what's been going on.  I'm going to use this blog to keep track of this particular journey in my life.

Lemon Zucchini Salad

1 med zucchini, use a julienne peeler and make it into strips
juice of 1 lemon
1tsp good quality olive oil (can use more)
2tsp parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Just toss everything and chill.

Mock Hollandaise

8

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 2
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 74.6

• Total Fat: 6.7 g
• Cholesterol: 93.5 mg
• Sodium: 103.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 0.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 2.8 g

Mock hollandaise sauce

Ingredients

1 med egg or 1/4 c egg substitute
1 Tbsp Smart Balance Spread
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
dash ground red pepper

Directions

In a 1 cup microwaveable liquid measure, combine the egg and the spread. Microwave on low (20%) for 1 minute, stirring once halfway through cooking, until the spread is softened.

Stir the lemon juice and mustard into the egg mixture. Microwave on low (20%) for 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until thickened. Stir in pepper.

If mixture curdles, transfer to a blender and process on low for 30 seconds, until smooth.

Number of servings -2

Mock French toast

Mock French Toast

4 egg whites
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup riccotta cheese
dash cinnamon
1 packet of splenda
I cant believe its not butter spray
sugar free maple syrup


mix all together in a bowl and beat with a fork
pour into pan like you would as if you were making pancakes
top with butter spray and syrup and ENJOY!!!
(really tasty with turkey bacon and coffee- 

This is for a single serving.
226 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams carbs and 27 gram of protein when made with part skim ricotta.

Well it's 2013!

I guess I've been away for a few years lol.  So much has happened in my life I cannot even think where to begin.   Let's just say "life is good".  I am very happy where I am in life right now. 

I took up kayaking last summer and I am looking forward to it again this summer.  We had such a blast last year.  Barry and I rented a cabin in Minden last July and the owner had kayaks for us to use.  It was the first time we ever used them and what fun we had.  We explored Mountain Lake for hours every day.  We would head out in the morning for three hours, come back for lunch and a rest, then go back out for another few hours.  By the end of the day, our bodies were sore but we were so content.  And we went back and did it again the next day lol.  When we got back home, we started researching kayaks; we didn't realize there were so many different kinds.  We spent most of the summer renting them in Welland and in Dunnville every weekend.  Near the end of summer, we found a couple SeaKayak inflatables online.  They cost us $200 each but we saved that in rental fees for the rest of the season.  I can't wait to hit the water again.

We also took to hiking and exploring.  We hiked the old Welland Canal here in the city - I think it was the second canal.  We researched online and found a map of the site off Glendale.  So off we went, what a cool adventure that was.  The water still flows through the old locks, and I could not believe how small it was and that ships actually travelled through there.  We also explored the new canal where it meets Lake Ontario.  That was cool too, we actually stood on the canal walls and watched a ship come in.  There's so much history in the city to explore.

I am starting some seed sprouting this week.  I got some pea sprout seeds, alfalfa sprout seeds, sunflower sprout seeds and broccoli sprout seeds.  I'm going to start them in jars.  They can be used in salads and stir fries, and are so good for you.  We are also trying kefir as a probiotic, mainly to try and help Barry with his IBS. It's supposed to be good for you anyways, so it won't hurt to use it.

Well, better run.  I have to get some housework done.

Still trying

Okay so day 1 went pretty good until the end. My eating was right on track for the day. I had lots of veggies and fruit, fish for dinner. Near the end of the night, my kids were making butter tarts. Well of course you know what happened then, I had to eat some. Not just one though, I had 4!!! I went for a walk after that with Bailey, my retriever, to work some of it off.

I'm looking forward to watching Biggest Loser tonight. It's on the last couple episodes of the season. I get so much inspiration from these people. Can you imagine being on TV with the whole world watching you try to lose weight. I only wish I could have a chance at that. You really have no choice; all the right food is there for you, all the training, all the exercise programs, emotional support, and people are watching you all the time. How can you not lose weight? To have a support team like that would be awesome... or just someone to coach you on.

I'm on this journey myself for now. My family doesn't understand that I need to do this now for me. I just hope that once they start to see the changes, they will come on board with me. I've tried numerous time to change the way we all eat, but they always end up sneaking stuff, snacking, overeating...I gave up trying. And then fell back into the old ways. Now I will just concentrate on myself and what I need to do. Hopefully they will eventually see the light.

Get a life!

So it's been ages since I was here last. It seems like forever. Not much has happened since then anyways, except I'm gaining weight again and starting to worry a lot about my health. I want to be around to see my children give me some grandchildren, and be able to have fun with them.

I need to reclaim my life, and stop worrying about everyone else. It's time to take care of myself.

As of today, I'm going to start watching everything that I put into my mouth. Not really a diet per se, but watching what I'm eating and how much. I also need to start an exercise program. My exercise nowadays is non-existent. I need to be doing something every day. With my thyroid problems, it's the only way I'm going to lose weight. I want to stop being a couch potato and start living my life. It's about time.

Starting today, I'll try to post here every day and document my journey to take back my life.

Starting again...

Okay so I've been gone a while. Too much going on in life.

I'm starting back on low carb again today. My meals for the day:
B - 3 pc bacon, 1 egg
L - 2 cups tossed salad, 1 tb ranch dressing, 1 chicken drumstick, 3 oz chicken breast
S - 1 cup mixed fruit (cantaloupe, strawberries, honeydew)
D - 5 oz pork chop, zucchini spears, cauliflower with crm cheese and cheddar (yummo)
S - sf jello

Today is my second day having no soda. It's killing me! I usually drink 2-3 coke zeros every day and I'm trying to drink more water. Lets see how long it lasts. BTW, there is still coke zero in the house...I'm trying to make the hubby drink it all.

On another note, I've just posted a link to a new blog I discovered recently written by Jennifer Eloff called Low Carbing and General Health News. Be sure to check it out.

Have a great evening...

I am coming back

So after all my indulgences and craziness, I am coming back to the BLOG.

My weight has crept back on and I'm ready to get moving on losing it again. Wish me luck!

I'll start posting again tomorrow...

My Fur Babies

I thought I'd take a moment to introduce my fur babies:

The first one is Bailey (named for Bailey's Irish Cream). He's 2 1/2 years old. He's all lab, and a big suck.

The second is Tigger. He's 4 years old. He's the boss. The other two are scared of him, even though he's small.

The third one is Bebe. She's my daughter's cat and she's a little fattie cat. I think she's about 1 1/2, she came to live with us when my daughter moved back home.

You should see the three of them play and run around, it's hilarious!