What Have I Been Doing??

  
My followers might have noticed I have been absent from the bloggosphere for the past couple years. What have I been doing all this time? Well, we made a major cross-country move, started new jobs, settled into a new church, bought a house, started a small urban farm, went through a few health relapses, experienced improving overall health, and a thousand other things!
   
We have been on the GAPS diet now for 5+ years. The improvement in health we have seen during that time has been really amazing overall, although we continue to have health challenges that will likely require chronic management. I received additional diagnoses of MTHFR gene mutation and chronic EBV infection in 2017. In the past couple years, I have gone through some intermittent periods of relapse and even had to go on partial disability for a time. I continue to experience occasional intermittent chronic fatigue flare-ups. However, compared to where I was in 2013 at my lowest, I am MUCH improved.  I can live life mostly normally now as long as I manage my stress level and stick to my GAPS diet regimen. I no longer maintain a ketogenic diet, but I still practice some low-key intermittent fasting and remain fat-adapted.

Most amazingly, my husband's ulcerative colitis was declared to be in remission in Feb 2018 due to diet and lifestyle factors alone! However, the colonoscopy he had to confirm his healing irritated his newly healed colon a bit, and he has experienced some mild return of symptoms since then... Sigh. We have regressed him to the intro diet and will keep persevering. It is not always easy to keep UC in remission, however the fact that my husband remains completely medication-free with only mild UC symptoms more than 5 years after diagnosis is still AMAZING. His GI doctor was very surprised to see him in remission based on nutritional therapy alone.

We have a full life between work, church ministry, part-time home health nursing for me, and part-time farming for me as well. I spend a lot of time outside and grow pretty much all of our produce. I grow a little extra to share on a suggested donation basis or just to give away for free as well. Starting this year we also produce all our own eggs. We are thankful for the large lot we found near our city center that has provided such a healthful and bountiful supply of sunshine, exercise, and food for us (Yes, all these pictures are from our little "farm").

GAPS Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

We just moved to Sacramento (think, the desert), and if you know anything about Sacramento in July, you know it is blisteringly, scorchingly HOT. I decided it was definitely time to invest in an ice cream maker and come up with a good home-made GAPS-legal recipe. I bought a like-new ice cream maker on Craigslist for like half the price of a new one (love CL!) and gave it to my hubby as a "housecooling" gift. :) Just in time for the 4th of July, too! The results were a hit, to say the least.

GAPS Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

33-oz (1 liter) 100% coconut cream
1/2 cup raw honey (Sourced: Costco)
4 organic pastured egg yolks (Sourced: Costco)
1 vanilla bean, scored and scraped
1 tablespoon gelatin
1/4 c. room temperature water (to temper the gelatin)
1/4 c. hot water (to dissolve the gelatin)
pinch of salt (no more than a pinch, or it won't freeze!)

In a blender, combine coconut cream, honey, egg yolks, vanilla bean, and pinch of salt.

Temper the gelatin in room temperature water, then immediately add the hot water to dissolve the gelatin fully. Once dissolved, pour gelatin-water mixture into the blender with the other ingredients.

Blend on medium speed for a minute or so until the mixture is well-integrated and honey is fully dissolved. Then, blend on high for a few seconds to introduce some aeration (this works well in a Vitamix).

Taste test for sweetness and flavor (my favorite part :).

Place the mixture in refrigerator or freezer for about one hour or until thoroughly chilled.

Blend again for a few seconds and then pour into your ice cream maker.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker per your ice cream maker instructions, and enjoy!

This is what a successful batch looks like:

GAPS Fig Bars

We are getting ready for a big road trip, and travel snacks are one of the great difficulties of being on the GAPS diet. Inevitably we end up eating more stage 5 and 6 foods than normal, which is hard to get around. For this trip, I created a fig bar that I was quite pleased with. Not an item for regular consumption for most people on GAPS, but for travel and an occasional treat, they turned out great.

Hannah’s GAPS Fig Bars

2 ½ c. dried fig quarters

1 c. shredded coconut

Process together well until a thick paste. Set aside.

2 c. dried fig quarters

3 very ripe bananas

1 ½ T. lemon peel granules

1 t. salt

1 vanilla bean, scored and scraped

1 ½ c. coconut milk

½ c. coconut oil

9 eggs

Blend together well until smooth and slightly thickened. Add:

1 c. coconut flour (or to meet consistency requirements)

1 ½ t. baking soda

Blend again, or hand-mix until well-incorporated. Batter should be very thick, but still spreadable.

Line a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper or silicone bake mats. Pour half the batter into the bake pan and spread evenly. Crumble the fig paste on top of the batter and tamp down lightly. Pour the rest of the batter over the top and spread evenly over the fig paste.

Use clothespins to hold down the mitered corners if necessary. I used 2 silicone bake sheets to line this pan.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch. Remove and cool. Cut into bars of desired sizes. I cut mine into about 30 bars (about 2x2 inches each). Freeze what you don’t plan to eat within a few days.