Ups, downs, & the in-between

Seafood craziness. DELISH!!!!! 

Ground chicken thigh nuggets with zucchini. Cute & fun to eat! 

Roasted chicken: my favorite! 

Mock Italian anyone? No one said pasta couldn't be green. 

TOO good to be true. 

If it's not one thing, it's another. A lesson in life I'm struggling to accept. On a Tuesday, it could be too many carbs. On that Saturday, it could be my new body lotion (that's already 'everything-free'/gluten-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, & so forth). Or maybe even just too much standing on that particular day. Or not enough water. Or the bright lights in a store. Or the toxic smells from a clothing department. Or an overindulgence of a REALLY tasty food you know you can eat but you just don't know when to stop. Whatever the culprit may turn out to be remains unknown until it's too late to deny it. Before you have time to decide if you feel like fighting off an auto-immune response, you're smack-dab in the middle of one. If I had to single out the most important thing this way of eating has taught me, it would have to be this ugly truth; life isn't perfect. Life isn't perfect no matter how much you want it to be. Life will never come without bumps. SO, you have to take your great days & run with them! :) 


We haven't talked at all since the night of New Year's Eve thanks to those bumps I just mentioned. School has started back up (we've got a love/hate relationship), a new job at my college bookstore has begun, my "no time of the month" ordeal has not been resolved (thanks a lot, body), & my severe case of inflammation from head to toe has refused to kick the can. But I am doing EVERYTHING I can to smile, look on the bright side, enjoy each day, & live my life to the fullest. It's required some extra effort on my part such as taking more time for myself but it's worth it. I hate when my heart & my mind are in two different places. I'm torn!!!! Then I hop onto my computer, check my support group page, & am immediately reminded of what's most important to me. It's healthy distractions like the page, my blog, a book, or a movie that I have clung to most often lately when I've been in a real pickle. I just have to tell myself it will pass. Nothing is forever!!!!! 


If I've explored all those options & am still in need of a pick-me-upper then I usually venture into my kitchen, camera in hand, ready to create & capture something magical. Taking photos of everything I cook is somewhat of a form of therapy for me, I will admit. :) It gives me something to focus on other than reality that's sitting right in front of me. My most recent picture of the dollop of peanut butter is my favorite. Peanut butter takes the cake for the tastiest snack on the planet that's SCD-legal. I am LOVING it!!!!!!! I have to beware of eating too much though because I don't want to run into problems. I'm trying, I tell you! It's hard to turn down a spoonful! 


Well it's past 10 now which means it is definitely time for bed!!!! I would chat a bit more but while I'm struggling, sleep is crucial! I hope you enjoy my appetizing photographs. Look out for others later this week! Sleep tight & once again, thanks for listening. Please feel free to share what you do to cope when the going gets tough. 


~Allie      

Gone in 60 seconds

I kid you not, these are three of my most favorite meals since starting the SCD. I ate every last morsel. No napkins were involved in the killing of the buffalo wings either. I dove in headstrong, hands at the ready, tummy eager to be fed. I came out a winner in the end with bones from 14 wings leftover; I tied with my dad. He thought he could eat more than me... HA! What a bunch of bologna. 


As for the toast you see pictured here, there was a little bit of heaven in each crunchy bite. INCREDIBLE!!!!! First slices of toast in years. It was like a kid in a candy store to say the least. Then to go & place an egg with a perfectly runny yolk on top, you've hit the jackpot. You've reached the peak of Mt. Everest. You've swung a home run. You've landed the manager position at work. You've just made the impossible possible!! Its deliciousness will not go unnoticed, I will tell you that much. 


Don't fret, they're both easy to make as well. The recipes are posted below. Make it a date this Friday!! Cook yourself up some blanched almond butter bread & a copious amount of buffalo-style chicken wings. Your tummy will thank you for it. :) 

Absolutely the best bread I've ever had. 

Look at those slices... Whoa!

A little maple leaf of butter on a dainty piece of toast. How precious

Bring it onnnn!!!!!! It's wing timeeeee!!!! :D

Toast, a sunny-side up egg with salt & pepper, a dream come true.  

I recommend taking a triple bite with toast, egg white, & a dunk into the rich creamy egg yolk. It's the BEST!

Bread 5.0 as I like to call it (thank you darlin' from Z's Cup of Tea!)

*I used blanched almond butter instead of regular* 

Unforgettable Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings

• 2 packs of organic (if you can) buffalo-style chicken wings & drumsticks, about 28 total 
• the juice of about half a lemon
• 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic
• 3 tbsp. organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
• a sprinkle of himalayan pink sea salt
• a heaping amount of organic ground oregano & basil 

Place all your wings & drums into a deep container to marinade them in. Squeeze your half a lemon directly over the chicken so as not to lose a single drop of that zing! Press your garlic over the top as well, scraping off the stubborn bits that stay behind on the kitchen utensil. Generously drizzle your 3 tbsp. EVOO next!! Go ahead & add your dusting of himalayan pink sea salt. Lastly & most importantly, slowly incorporate all your ground oregano & basil. Take your hands & mix those wings & drums thoroughly to evenly coat them with the kickin' flavors in the container. Pop a lid on the container & let the chicken befriend those potent kicks & punches for about 7-8 hours. Once they've become best friends, lie the wings & drums on a broil pan on the grill at medium-high heat for 8 minutes each side. BAM!! Push everything white aside, the messy chicken's comin' through. I hope you enjoy!!! :)  

~Allie~