Chicken in a Crock Pot

I love cooking with my crock pot! On Sunday we put a whole chicken in with a package of store-bought chicken broth. We put rosemary under the skin, and added salt, pepper, garlic, and onions to the broth. It cooked most of the day and then my husband made mashed potatoes while I made gravy. He added butter, sour cream, and coconut milk to the mashed potatoes. I made the gravy with garbanzo flour--melted butter, added garbanzo flour, and cooked for a couple minutes before adding hot broth and letting it simmer until it thickened. Garbanzo flour is a great substitute for wheat flour if you are avoiding gluten. It still is a processed flour with a lot of carbohydrates, but it also has other vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. I actually bought a Chickpea Flour cookbook at Barnes & Noble at the beginning of the year.

For dinner last night and lunch today I heated up some of the broth with some chicken and frozen broccoli in one pot. I did save the bones, neck, and gizzards from the chicken to make more broth when I run out. I put the bones, etc. in the crock pot with water, vegetables, and spices for about a day and a half on low and it usually works great!

This has an awesome tortilla recipe that we use a couple times a month for tacos.

I should mention that the night we had the mashed potatoes and gravy with the chicken, neither of us slept because our stomachs were upset and grumbling pretty much all night! We don't normally eat that heavy, and there were a lot of carbs and a lot of fat in that one dinner!

I've been having mild/moderate pain in my right side that my doctor said might be my gallbladder. It's only been bad twice--once after what I thought was a healthy dinner of turkey sausage and peppers, and once after eating a bag of mixed nuts with some jerky--but I had a few tests done. They all came back normal, so instead of choosing more tests (for now), I chose to keep a food diary and stick to mainly meat and vegetables, with a lot of salad. It worked for a long time...until this really heavy dinner! I also have supplements from Dr. Mantz in Reno that have been helping, but dinner was really good and I "forgot" that I shouldn't eat a whole lot of fat because if your gallbladder is having trouble, fat isn't very helpful!

I started buying salad greens and pouches of tuna or salmon (Walmart has pouches of single-serving salmon for $1). I add the fish, and grated carrots plus whatever other vegetables I have, and make the dressing. I used a jar to mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.

I need to get into the habit of snacking on fruit and cut vegetables with dip instead of chips. I have been feeling a lot better since eating this way, but I really need to make it more of a daily thing. All I did for the dip was mash an avocado and add salt, pepper, lime juice, cumin, and garlic powder.

One of my favorites is leftover steak salad with avocado, tomatoes, and cilantro. I used the same dressing I described above.

New Work Pants and Some Pictures

 Last year at this time I was at my heaviest. I weighed 142 pounds and I was wearing size 10 work pants. I don't think I looked all that bad, but I could feel it! Like I said before, we were low on energy and just didn't feel good.

This was taken October 2015 during Snapshot Day on the Carson River at Dayton. I remember being tired and feeling "fat," bloated, and overall just not really comfortable.

This was taken March 31, 2016, about three months into our nutrition program. By then we both felt (and looked) a lot better. People told my my skin was glowing and I looked healthier. My husband said for him the biggest change was getting rid of his mental fog so he could think clearly and pay attention to what he was doing. He also had more energy for work. We also noticed that we have been getting out and doing something on our days off now, whether it's hiking, mountain biking, or four-wheel driving.

Pumpkin soup! I know I mentioned it in my last post but didn't have a picture. The soup ended up being a little bland, and we happened to have some chili paste because we made pho, so I added that and it worked great! For pumpkin soup, I just roast a small pumpkin (save the seeds to roast later), puree it with chicken stock, heat it up, and add spices and onions. I've also added bacon, broccoli, and other vegetables, even cream, to add flavor.

This was breakfast the other day. I cooked some frozen kale in butter until it was wilted down, then added 4 eggs (2 for each of us) and coconut milk to scramble it all together. I also melted some cheese on the top and added hot sauce. I'm still trying to get my husband to eat a lot more vegetables and fruit so I try to add something like the grapefruit, tomatoes, or whatever is in the fridge along with the eggs.

In other news....

I was so excited yesterday at work because it's time to order new uniform supplies. I ordered size 4 work pants!!! They have not arrived yet but I'm excited to be able to try them on! I haven't been in a size 4 for years now...cross your fingers.....

Pumpkin Season

I haven't posted much lately...at all...we've been busy at work and busy at home, finishing the move and trying to keep up with housework!

I've only used one pumpkin so far, which tells me I am very far behind! Normally I try to have pumpkin everything...bread, soup, lattes...etc.

We did puree a pumpkin, roast the seeds, and use it for soup, in oatmeal, and in homemade pumpkin spice lattes. For the lattes, I heated up coconut milk, added pureed pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a tiny bit of honey before I added some instant coffee. Not as sugary as Starbucks, but it was still pretty good! I think the coconut milk would even be good on its own like that... We don't eat a lot of bread or even oatmeal anymore, but steel-cut oats with a scoop of pumpkin and some cinnamon is great in the morning and it doesn't need any sugar!

On one of the cooking pages on Facebook I saw where someone had cut up a butternut, parsnips, and apples and seasoned them with olive oil, orange juice & zest, and rosemary. I used lemon instead of orange but I decided we had to try it! I roasted the veggies and apples with bone-in chicken thighs and that was a great dinner. The next night we cooked a tri tip steak with roasted rosemary potatoes and cooked some frozen vegetables (zucchini I think). Those are not normal dinners for us, but we decided we really need to spend the time and cook mostly meat and vegetables a lot more often.

Rosemary is quickly becoming one of my favorite herbs. I've never really used it much before but it is good with a good variety of meat and vegetables, and soups!

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I'll have to get some off of my phone and onto here!

Former Couch Potatoes

Last year at this time, days off were for "movie days." Movie days were junk food, wine, and movies! We had no energy, but sometimes we would go for a hike, go shopping in Reno (to prepare for these movie days, and to buy food for the coming week), or we would stay the night at a casino in Reno and do the same--order a pizza or room service, wine, and movie. The next day we would feel like crap but the next week we were likely to do it all over again!

This year we have been getting out a LOT more, riding our bikes, and finding new mountain bike trails. Dave's been working non-stop on his bike: fixing the things he can fix, upgrading, and taking it to the shop when there is something he can't fix or order on his own. We've tried rides in Carson City (Ash Canyon) and rides around Tahoe (Sidewinder, South Lake Tahoe to Camp Richardson, Tahoe City). The ride we did yesterday would not have been possible last year, even if we had wanted to do something like that!

This ride was Dave's idea and he figured out the route. He had done most of this ride with his friends in July and wanted to do it again. He asked his friend Mike to go with us on this adventure... The total ride was 29 miles with 2,274 feet of elevation gain and around 4 hours of riding time (breaks and lunch not included). We use the Strava app to track our rides. I like it because it keeps track of your personal records and you can see your total for the year in miles and elevation gain.

One of our first rides in Ash Canyon, just outside of Carson City. 

Tahoe Flume Trail overlook, around 1,600 feet above Sand Harbor. To get here you have to start at Spooner Lake, ride up to Marlette Lake (4 miles of climbing over a thousand feet), and along the Flume Trail. 

This is part of the "reward" after the climbing starting from Spooner Lake. 

You ride up to and around Marlette Lake.

View of Sand Harbor below.

This was my first time ever seeing Hobart Reservoir. There is a shorter (but steep) climb from the Flume to Hobart, then a little more climbing before the rest is all downhill to Washoe Valley!

We had to walk our bikes over the Red House Dam. This was a little tricky for me at first...I think I still look like I don't know what I'm doing (I didn't!).

This view was very welcome! We were close to being finished, but from here there were probably still 10 miles to go! We rode into Lakeview and down to Washoe Valley. We live at the north end of Washoe Lake and we were planning to ride to the house! Mike thought we were all crazy by this point but he kept going. He hadn't ridden in three years or so but Dave convinced him to go with us....

The worst part of the whole ride (in my opinion) was riding along Eastlake Blvd. People drive really fast and the road doesn't have much of a shoulder to ride on. We survived though and are really sore today! I'm planning to ride again on Tuesday but right now my knees don't want me to even look at my bike for a few days!

One More Dinner Idea

I was shopping the other night and found some turkey andouille sausage. I decided that sounded good for dinner...so I cut one link in half, then sliced it. I had a bag of frozen chopped bell peppers, so I cooked those in coconut oil and added the sausage. It turned out really good!

For breakfast lately, I haven't really been cooking anything (we're still kind of in the process of moving), so I usually take a couple hard boiled eggs, an apple, a banana, and a Kind bar to work, along with my coffee!

What to Cook? Easy Meal Ideas

I should have started this blog while we were in the Nutritional Response Testing program, but I didn't even think of it. Our priorities were to make it through the three months in one piece! What I'm sharing below aren't recipes as much as meal ideas. They are pretty simple, and since we were told to try to have vegetables with every meal, we try, even with breakfast! Even if it is an omelet with cheese cooked with a chopped onion, red pepper, spinach, kale, or tomatoes, we try to include vegetables. We also go through a lot of eggs!

I admit, when we started this "diet," I was kind of at a loss for what to cook! We had to re-think pretty much every meal. We weren't supposed to have processed or pre-packaged food, and no grains (no tortillas, bread, rice, quinoa, etc.). It was hard! We gradually started putting meals together, focusing on meat, produce, and dairy.

I went to the library and got some "low carb" cookbooks but most of them were really elaborate and complicated, and not quite what we were looking for. Dr. Mantz told us sweet potatoes were ok to have and butter was good, too. We started experimenting and one of the first dinners we cooked was shepherd's pie with mashed sweet potato instead of regular white potatoes. It was really good!

Shepherd's Pie...We make it with either ground beef or ground turkey. Brown the meat, add onions, seasonings, and I like to add a mix of frozen vegetables (carrots & peas, or broccoli, or whatever is in the fridge or freezer!). The meat & veggie layer goes on the bottom, then add your mashed sweet potato mixed with butter (I also like to switch the butter for coconut oil and add coconut milk, but you can add butter and regular milk too--my husband doesn't like coconut oil so I only use it if I'm just cooking for myself). We always add a layer of shredded cheese (any kind of cheese) and bake it until everything is hot and the cheese is starting to brown.

My sister made chicken kabobs when we visited her. I turned her recipe into a stir fry that worked really well. I think since it was for me, I used coconut oil, but butter or olive oil would work great too. Chop red bell peppers, yellow and orange bell peppers, pineapple, and cube some chicken breasts. Cook the chicken first, then put aside. Cook the bell peppers, and heat up the pineapple. Add the chicken back, and if you want, add a little soy sauce, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos (haven't tried the coconut ones yet, but it's supposed to be a little sweeter and less salty than soy sauce. Also, a lot of people avoid soy, so this is a good substitute).

A typical dinner. Baked chicken or salmon, 1/2 sweet potato with butter or coconut oil, and a vegetable (usually from a bag of frozen vegetables). We like pink Himalayan salt, pepper, or lemon pepper with everything. We also usually put butter or olive oil on the vegetables.

I'm the most proud of this one! One of my favorite places to go for breakfast or coffee in Carson City has a breakfast sandwich that has poached eggs, spinach, provolone cheese, and pesto on a croissant. I remade it at home with everything but the croissant for a good low-carb breakfast! I also love the chicken sausage links from Trader Joe's, so I get those and cook the whole package ahead of time for the coming week.

Taking Control: How We Got Started

Just over a year ago, my husband had to get a blood test and physical for his CDL. A few days later his doctor called him and asked him to come in because he didn't want to discuss the results over the phone. He went back in and got the results: high blood sugar (not quite pre-diabetic, but close enough), high liver enzymes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure (not from the blood test), and he needed to lose at least 30 pounds in the next couple months. His doctor didn't really tell him how to lose the weight and fix all those problems, just that he needed to. He also said eat less starchy food, like bread and potatoes, but that was about it. The doctor also wanted to give him more prescriptions to manage his blood pressure and cholesterol, but he declined, especially the drug that was for lowering his cholesterol. It turns out that was a good idea, and I'll share more on that later.

We had been pretty active people before we moved from Utah to Nevada, but with our jobs and having to travel a ways to be able to hike or really get out and do something, we became less and less active. I started to worry a lot more, and decided I needed to do something for myself too. I talked to a co-worker and he told me what his girlfriend (now fiancé) had done for her health. I looked it up, filed it away, and forgot about it. I had even asked her about it, and the answer was " he is a chiropractor who practices kinesiology." For whatever reason, I decided not to even look it up.

By November of 2015, I was wearing a size 10 in work pants (I had been a size 4) and was starting to feel hopeless. Neither of us had done anything to get started, except for a few hikes and a few sporadic workouts, along with a few "healthy" meals here and there. We were low on energy and couldn't really decide what we should do about it. I had also fought insomnia for about a year; I was getting frustrated and was tired of being tired at work!

During the first week of January, I had another talk with my co-worker, and he again recommended this chiropractor in Reno who also practiced kinesiology (muscle testing). He described the process based on what his fiancé had told him, but he had never gone through the process himself. I looked up the website (I just tried to look up the website and couldn't find it--I'll update when I find it again), called to make the appointment, and texted my husband (Dave) to tell him about it. I didn't give him a choice. I just said we are going to see Dr. Mantz and see what he has to say. We looked up his business--a chiropractor who also does nutritional response testing (aka muscle testing or kinesiology). He tests each of the organs in the body by placing stress on them. If that organ is stressed, the strength in your arm disappears and he is able to push it down without much effort. If that organ is not stressed, your arm stays strong.

That was kind of a bad explanation for something that is actually pretty interesting, and Dave's results almost perfectly matched his blood test. His pancreas, liver, heart, and brain were stressed and were all priorities. I almost forgot to mention that Dr. Mantz wanted to send Dave straight to the hospital because his blood pressure was way too high!

My results surprised me: my spleen, immune system, and brain were stressed! I didn't (and still don't) get colds or other viruses very often, but there is a variety of autoimmune diseases in my family (diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis for example). We decided then and there go through with the program and after a rough couple of weeks (months?), we started feeling a LOT better!

After a couple months, they called us "rock stars" because we followed the program as closely as we could (not perfect, but we tried) and saw results. We really wanted this to work so we stayed with it. I think if we hadn't seen results right away, we wouldn't have stuck with it...I'll post our results soon!

I'm hoping to share the process of going through this program, and more with this blog. I'll share recipes and meal ideas along with what we did and are still doing to take control of our health! I've also done a ton of reading and follow a lot of health blogs and Facebook pages, which I will share a little later. They all have great information and are interesting to read.