Simple Paleo Chocolate Cake

In honor of reaching my day 30 (of my Whole30) I am sharing this delicious chocolate cake recipe with you. And yes, it's paleo!! My husband is not much of a dessert guy but he's always been a fan of chocolate cake drizzled with sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce (otherwise known as a Better Than Sex Cake). Recently he asked if I could make one for him, so I scoured the internet and Pinterest, sure someone had attempted to make this style cake with paleo ingredients. I didn't find anything like it!! But I did find plenty of ideas for chocolate cake. While I was searching for a recipe, I realized that my brain can translate into paleo. I was reading recipes without a single compliant ingredient and "translating" to compliant ingredients. Here is the final cake we came up with. We couldn't make a poke cake style exactly, where the sauce soaks into holes you poke in the cake, so the sauce became a topping instead.

Paleo Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce

For the cake:
1 c. almond butter
2 large eggs
1/3 c. melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c. coconut palm sugar*
1/3 c. water*

For the caramel sauce:
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/3 c. coconut palm sugar

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease 9x9 pan well with oil of choice. (Coconut, olive...)

Pour can of coconut milk in sauce pan on medium low heat and add sugar for topping. When steam begins to lift turn heat down to low and allow to reduce up to an hour, stirring occasionally. When reduced to about half remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place all ingredients for cake in blender or food processor. I found it easiest to leave the almond butter out until all other ingredients were well mixed and slowly add it. When it is well mixed pour batter into your greased pan and spread out evenly. Place cake in oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

Serve cake with coconut milk topping and enjoy!!

Feel like making it feel a little fancier and  have time to plan ahead? Store an opened can of coconut milk in your fridge for a few days and it will turn into a whipped topping like consistency!


*You can also use maple syrup or honey, but if you use a liquid sweetener omit the extra water.

Whole30 Progress Report (Days 4-8)

Day 4: I'm noticing irritability now on day 4. Part of it is due to the fact that my husband sent me to Starbucks for an iced caramel macchiato... Oh how I wanted one too! I knew though that it wasn't worth it. If I don't complete this challenge I'll never know what it could have felt like, or how it could have helped me!! Knowing you are depending on me to provide updates helps, so thanks!!

We were asked to go out to eat day 4. I thought long and hard about how to make Whole30 work while eating out. Finally I realized I didn't want to spend money on food I didn't want to eat, especially when we had a fridge full of awesome food!! So we stayed in and made tacos and I had cauliflower tortillas. Not only did I feel good from eating good food, but from making good food choices! 

Day 5: I can't skip breakfast anymore. Normally a cup of coffee was capable of holding me over until probably 2 in the afternoon. Unhealthy, I know. Doing my usual routine I feel a hunger attack at ten a.m. I know I should have eaten breakfast!! A couple fresh local eggs with this awesome salsa (Rojos avocado tomatillo salsa) does the trick!

Day 6: when I started this I hoped to see improvement in my MS symptoms, but honestly didn't expect to see anything that quickly. It's taken a long time to get to this point, it's going to take a while to heal. Day 6 I noticed I felt great. I felt more sturdy when walking! 6 days in and already I'm seeing the payoff! Just a tiny improvement in my ability to function is worth skipping all that nasty food!!

Day 7: woke up feeling ready to make breakfast! This is a whole new feeling!  Later, playing with my son outside I'm able to walk around our yard a little bit without falling over or feeling tipsy! I think this may be the Whole30 magic!! I'm excited to see what two weeks brings! Please know I am not promoting this as a cure, nor do I expect to be fixed at the end of 30 days. Rather I have submitted myself as a guinea pig in my own scientific experiment, and if I can find slight relief of symptoms it has all been worth it! And while this is only anecdotal evidence, sharing this journey is as much for me as it is for you! Stayed tuned for more progress reports!!

Im ready to tackle the rest of this project! If you are interested in trying it, commit to one week first. Then at the end of the week commit to the other three weeks. Honestly once I started feeling better it wasn't hard to eat this way anymore! What do you have lose except a few pounds and that pain you've been dealing with?

Stay tuned for my next update! I can't wait to share it with you!

Read my previous post Progress Report (days 1-3) by clicking here!

The Biggest Loser Inspiration

The Biggest Loser is one of those shows that I just can't get enough of. But I have to admit, in the past it was just good entertainment. I'm not anywhere near obese, not even overweight. At 5'6" I'm 130 on a bad day. So my usual habit was to plop down to the latest episode of the Biggest Loser with a nice bowl of ice cream, maybe a bag of chips. But more recently I have found inspiration and personal application to the amazing things the contestants are able to achieve.

I have to be honest about something, and it may come across harsh at first, but I needed to be honest about it with myself. It used to make me angry when people had trouble walking or accomplishing daily tasks due to being overweight. I would say to myself, it's not fair. They could lose weight and be fine, I can't ever do something like that and feel good. But only in the last year or so did I realize how wrong I was. I am facing the same mountain they are. Whatever the reason is that someone gets to the point of being overweight, whether it's a loss in the family, depression or just lack of self control, I can relate! I am emotional eater. I attach to sugary items when things are just not going my way. And I am killing myself and my body with these foods. Sugar aggravates inflammation and in turn aggravates MS. And I know better! We will just add gluten and dairy in to the mix here too because they are usually in the comfort foods I reach for. All of these things can create havoc for someone with MS, like myself! I really needed a reality check. I was no different than these people I was "jealous" of. I can change my diet and lifestyle and it can change my future.

So now that I have been through the process and panic of drastically changing my diet, I am inspired by people who do the same for various reasons. This season I was rooting for Danni, she was all alone on her team for quite a while. But she achieved what no one, not even Jillian Michaels, expected. She became the Biggest Loser!

What is your challenge overcome when making change in your life?

New Tricks to Beat the Heat!

Every year the heat catches me by surprise. I always think, this year will be better! I can't wait for summer. Then, that first day that hits near 70 or so reminds me why we were adamant about buying a house with central air. However, I can't spend all summer in the house!! I have a two year old that wants to be outside, and for that matter so do I! Through the years and trial and error I have learned a few tricks and here are a couple of the best.

I know you see ads for them all the time, but I finally bought a cooling vest, or an ice pack vest. Ice is a great way to soothe and get rid of inflammation, so wearing a vest that is concealing about six ice packs is definitely going to be MS friendly! Finally, I am able to sit out at a family BBQ and enjoy summer. The best part is that everyone is pretty jealous of my personal cooling vest, it gets pretty hot for a few weeks out of the year here!

My second trick was completely new to me. Over the last year or more I have been learning about essential oils, Doterra essential oils to be more specific. Peppermint essential oil, either directly on the skin or in a spray bottle with water is amazing at keeping you cool through the heat. I usually place a drop or two on the back of my neck and down my spine. This method is completely safe, portable and a little less embarrassing than wearing a dorky vest. Plus you smell amazing and the scent is uplifting and energizing to you and those around you. I love using peppermint oil when the heat starts to get to me.

I would love to know what special tricks you have for keeping cool during the summer. Share them in the comments or on our Facebook page!

For more information on essential oils visit:

 http://www.mydoterra.com/meganreed/essentialDefinition.html

or contact me here and on our Facebook page!

Back on Track

We're slowly getting back on track. I can't tell you how much easier it is having the whole family on board with me! And so far, only five days in, I am shocked at the results we have seen so far. We are juicing just once a day for now. In the past I have complained about the true cost of juicing and trying to find ways to make it affordable, well I think I found my new best friend in this regard. Costco! Do you have a Costco in your area? Honestly I had no idea they had such an amazing produce section in their store! We purchased loads of fresh fruits and veggies, some of them even organic and spent under $100. I was shocked at what we were able to buy. Not to mention the amazing steelhead salmon and whole chickens we picked up too. Costco is my new favorite store.

So what results have we noticed? For me personally I can tell you that I have been getting rid of some massive parasites!It's not always a pleasant topic, talking about what comes out you when juice. Really, some of what I have seen has been terrifying, but terrifying that it was inside me and I am so happy to be flushing it out of my body. I'm not sure what has suddenly killed these parasites, that wasn't something I was expecting. But I am so thankful for the energy boost I have gotten since getting them out of my system. My husband is experiencing some massive detox symptoms, achy muscles and itchy skin. And while these symptoms are unpleasant we both are excited at what it means, and what our body is getting rid of.

We also have overhauled our diet. I have cut out gluten, dairy, sugar and legumes. I have to say I am so much prouder of the dinners I am putting on the table, which are loaded with veggies and did I mention tasty?! Our food has been so much more tasty than ever before, good quality food is so good. My goal is to load at least 50% of the meal if not more with veggies, then the rest is lean protein and starch. And if I can manage it as much raw veggies as possible. Even my almost two year old son has been enjoying dinner more, I cannot believe how much more he eats.He was very upset that he doesn't get milk first thing in the morning anymore, but he helps us juice and that has been fun and exciting for him. I am all about getting him fully involved in this process. Today he stood on the counter and used the plunger/prodder thing to help the veggies through the juicer, with Daddy's help of course. I truly believe that doing this as a family has it's own health benefits, the teamwork and support is amazing.

Need some gluten, dairy and sugar free recipe ideas? Check out my Pinterest board:
http://pinterest.com/megatari/sugar-gluten-dairy-free/

Moving On

Good morning! It's a beautiful day here in Idaho today, and I hope that wherever you are today is as beautiful as it is here! This spring weather leaves me energized and ready to face the world. I'm moving on from the negative emotions I felt when I found out my mom was diagnosed with MS.

The upside of the bad news is that my husband has jumped on board with both feet. He's ready to tackle our eating habits and support my diet fully! We both have realized our need to protect and train our son, especially with the second MS diagnosis in the family! I feel like we've been on the right track so far, we didn't vaccinate our son. This might sound extreme to you, but did you know one of the LISTED side effects on the Hep B vaccine is Multiple Sclerosis? This vaccine is one normally given at birth. With the risk ratio my son is currently facing, I'm not willing to take those chances.

So where do we start? Well I'm starting with the Best Bet Diet. Have you heard of it? The main idea is to eliminate gluten, dairy and other allergenic foods from your diet. I also am removing added sugars and for now coffee. The Best Bet Diet was designed by Direct-MS, an organization in Canada. Many people have seen amazing results, but there is only anecdotal evidence at this point, clinical trials have not been complete for this diet. I don't really see the downside of it though. What could it hurt?

MS medications on the market today slow the occurrence of relapses, but do not slow the course of the disease. Tysabri can even cause a severe and deadly brain infection. Side effects of eating healthier? More energy, better elimination of toxins, weight loss, overall feeling of well being, plus reducing relapses, possibly slowing the course of the disease, and possibly preventing it for those who may have genetic factors that could cause them to have MS. So I am choosing healthy eating with the support of my family.

I am going to be doing an overhaul of my blog, and I'm very excited to share new things with you. I am hoping to be blogging a lot more frequently and giving you reviews of products, recipes and supplements to help reduce the symptoms of MS! Thanks for reading!

Are you a Pinterest addict like me? Follow me here:
http://pinterest.com/juicingmyms

Want more info about the Best Bet Diet? Check out their YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL613704CEE5997BD6

Low Dose Naltrexone

I know, you're shocked at two new blog posts so close together right? I had a friend email me this morning about a product called low dose naltrexone. I wondered what this was because this friend knows how I feel about drugs for MS. So I started to do a little research and watch a few videos, and learn a little more about this product that has helped so many with all sorts of diseases including MS. As luck would have it there were no doctors listed in Idaho that prescribe it regularly, not wanting to have to convince a doctor here to prescribe it I decided to email a few of the listed doctors in the closest state (Oregon) to see what it would take to get a prescription. I am still waiting on a response but I was so excited about the possibility this may hold that I wanted to share it with you and get the word out about this.

I am not promoting anything, the information was just so new to me and the results of people with MS were so dramatic I was frustrated I hadn't heard of it sooner. And to top it all off it only costs about $1/day, a stark contrast to the usual drugs that are prescribed for MS.

Find out more! The site that was most informative to me is: http://www.ldnscience.org

It's a Crazy Life

It has been a crazy couple of months! Life has been anything but chill lately. My husband and I bought a house, and while that should be one of the most exciting things in your life, it has been a headache! We bought a short sale and quickly discovered what an oxymoron that is! Short sales typically take about 90 days from start to finish, ours took 117 days! Our entire summer has been consumed with buying this house, and due to some water damage that happened during the 117 days we immediately had to remodel the kitchen!

The moral of the story? I haven't been keeping up with anything I should be, let alone juicing or blogging. Our kitchen has been out of order for over a week now, which means we are eating the quickest easiest food possible, and a lot of times that has meant takeout. I am definitely feeling the effects. Bad diet combined with stress is a horrible combination for MS. I am definitely ready to jump back on the healthy bandwagon and get on track!

I did want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support! I have gotten some amazing responses through this blog and I am more than appreciative, so thank you for writing and thank you for reading!

I've been a bad, bad girl...

Ah summer, the time of year when the family calender is so packed there almost isn't even time to sit down! Between responsibilities to volunteering my husband participates in, weddings, putting an offer in on a house and still other obligations, this summer has definitely been one of the busiest, hence the long stretch between posts. While sitting in the car waiting for my hubby at an appointment, I realized how irritating it is to rather sit and wait than go in with him anywhere. It's time to kick myself in the butt and take care of myself. So I made a few phone calls while I was waiting and planned a good healthy week for myself. I see an ND regularly, but I am ready for a more aggressive treatment. One benefit I can report from my regular appointments with my ND is the disappearance of my neuropathy, or numbness in my toes. And all it took was a daily dose of coconut oil. This is an amazing benefit, I can finally drive again!

So back to my aggressive therapy: In the past I have had success with chelation, which involves IV's to remove heavy metal toxicity. Unfortunately there is no one locally that performs this, so to do it I need to drive two and half hours (or should I say have someone drive me). Last time I did chelation I visited a clinic where I stayed for a week, but since having my son the idea of spending a week away from my family has been more than daunting. The way I am doing it this time requires driving for two separate appointments next week. These appointments will also more than likely involve colonics as well, then on the days I am home I will be continuing my detox process. I am also determined to finally do my full juice cleanse. I have been juicing once or twice a day, but this next week I'm all in. I am so thankful for the support of my friends and family, without them I would not be able to make this work.

So here's how next week is going to go:
Monday, I am supposed to find time to visit my local ND and sit in the infrared sauna. However I am starting babysitting a friend's children now that school is out, so not sure if I can swing that. But I am for sure starting juicing 100%.
Tuesday, first appointment 2 &1/2 hours away which should involve chelation, colonics and possibly a dry blood assessment.
Wednesday, continue with juicing, a specific tea prescribed by my ND's (I think she said Cat's Claw tea, but more on that when I find out more). Possibly visit my local ND for ionizing foot bath and maybe this day I can sit in the sauna.
Thursday, one more appointment 2 &1/2 hours away, treatment should be similar to Tuesday depending on how things are going. Continue juicing as much as possible since I will be away from home most of the day.
Hopefully by Friday I will have good results to report to you. Also on top of this I will be drinking plenty of water, and not just any water but 9.5 water. If you haven't heard of ionized water, it is amazing. Unfortunately water ionizers are not cheap, and one of our next investments for sure. Thankfully we have a very good friend who owns one and shares water generously. I am so thankful for the resources we have due to our good friends and family.

Now if only I can stick with it, hopefully telling you about it will keep me accountable. Next weekend we have a wedding to attend. Last time I needed to have more aggressive therapy I ended the week at a wedding, irony? Who knows, maybe I will actually get to dance on the dance floor instead of in my chair!?! Here's hoping

Surviving

Hope all of you are surviving this wave of summer heat! I am dying here! It's so early that we haven't had time to install our window air conditioner, and it seems sort of pointless since by the weekend it is going to be in the 50's again. I think this year I want to invest in a cooling vest. Heat is my mortal enemy, I try to describe the feeling to my husband but I still don't think he fully understands what it is like. I've told him that walking out of a cool grocery store into the heat is like hitting a net, or suddenly walking through sand. The last few days I have worked hard to get stuff done in the morning while it is cool so I can sit out the afternoon. Today I was smart enough to use the crockpot so I don't have to stand over a hot stove tonight, or make my hubby do it.

I've had a seriously hard time changing my diet, old habits are so hard to break. Right now I am working on getting protein into my diet, and it's going well. I have been eating three eggs for breakfast, or should I say brunch since it is usually 10 or 11 am before I get to it. Protein shakes are a big help too. However I am still stuck on the Soy/Whey protein debate vs. hemp, rice and other protein sources. For now I have a chocolate whey powder and a veggie filled vanilla soy powder I am mixing 1/2 and 1/2 until I run out. I'm not a fan of soy, but the veggie content of the Nature's Way soy protein powder is impressive. Dinner is always a protein based meal for us, so that one is generally taken care of. Now I am trying to find ways to get non-animal sources of protein worked into our household and part of our new habits.

Hope you all are surviving the summer heat wave! Cheers!

Where Does the Time Go?

It's been awhile since I have posted and it was a crazy month of March, we've been so busy that I haven't had time for anything else! April doesn't seem much slower. Spring seems to get everyone up and going again. My reality check today about how fast time flies, is the fact that my little boy is one year old today! I look at him in disbelief that it has really been that long. It seems as if it was just yesterday that I was giving birth to him right here in our living room.

For a long time I didn't want children. I was afraid of not being able to be the mom I wanted to be, instead being a mom with a disability. After talking to quite a few of my friends about it, they had convinced me that children adapt to the situation, even better than adults. I must admit I wouldn't change the decision we made for an instant. But it hasn't been easy. My health followed the typical path, 6 months after my son was born I started crashing. And I am still fighting to get back my health and feeling of well being. My son on the other hand has adapted well. I think he would be the kid who is constantly attached to me, as a baby he would not let me put him down. But now that he is bigger and heavier (and can walk on his own!) I cannot physically carry him everywhere with me, and he seems to have accepted this fact, begrudgingly.

On a positive note I have been feeling better the last few days! I am not sure what the reason is since I have changed a couple things lately and the weather is nicer, but no matter, I love feeling better!! Hope all of you are loving this spring weather like we are!!

Juicing without a Juicer

So recently I dropped and broke my juicer, it was a very sad moment. I have had this juicer for about 8 years, but hadn't really used it. Finally when I realize how much I need to be using this machine to juice instead of collect dust I break it!

Not having the money to buy a new juicer immediately I had to find another option. I found a video on YouTube called juicing without a juicer, he uses a blender and then strains it through a paint strainer bag. A lot of 'professional' juicers would tell you this ruins the juice, since the blender heats it up. Since the juicer I dropped was a centrifugal juicer I didn't really see the difference. Plus I was using a Ninja blender, which means the motor is on top of the blender instead of underneath, and I thought maybe that would help keep everything cool and raw.

The first time I tried juicing with my blender I did it just as the video showed, I added water to the mix to help get things blended. I hated the extra water, it really ruined the flavor of the juice. So the next time I tried it, I added my veggies in a certain order and it minimized the need for extra water. I added the cucumber first, cucumbers are so full of liquid. Then I added the kale leaves that I had ripped into a smaller size. Next were the apples, to help weigh down any kale leaves that weren't blended yet. The result was a juice very similar to the juice that came out of my juicer. I didn't have a paint strainer bag or a nut milk bag so I decided to use an old t-shirt. It worked perfectly!

Norwalk Juicer

So I am still on the hunt for a new juicer. I want to make sure I am buying a juicer than can hold up to daily juicing, and multiple daily juicing. There are so many kinds of juicers and opinions on which ones are best. A friend of mine suggested getting the Norwalk juicer, which is recommended in the Gerson Therapy, but these juicers are $2,500.00!! A little bit out of my price range.

The Norwalk juicer did get me thinking though about looking at masticating juicers instead of a centrifugal juicers, my biggest reason is because they do a better job with leafy greens. I want my juices to consist of a large amount of leafy greens! I think I have finally decided on the Kuvings multi-purpose masticating juicer. It's at a reasonable cost, on Costco's website anyways, and it has great reviews.

The other upside of buying the juicer through Costco is that they make returns super easy. I don't want to drop a ton of money and have something go wrong, I think half of all the reviews I have read on any juicer show that all juicers have unexpected malfunctions! What were your deciding factors when you bought a juicer? Did you get a centrifugal or a masticating juicer?

Best Ever!

I had the best visit ever with my ND today. I entered my appointment a bit apprehensive, I had been doing extensive research online about alternative therapies and supplements for my condition and symptoms, and I was worried to tell her about all of the new things I was trying. I guess it's the preconceived notion that all doctors hate patients who research their symptoms online, even a dentist I worked for hated it when patients came to him, telling him what the problem was and what the solution needed was. Well I was far from the truth on this idea.

"I'm so proud of you," she said, "you're taking the initiative with your own health!!" I was so shocked that everything I was doing was spot on for me, and with some tweaking I was even able to eliminate a couple of other things I had added into the mix. I think it is the first time she has been ecstatic with me, normally I am getting a lecture about my daily water intake, which has gotten a lot better by the way. I guess I tend to forget the major differences in attitude between medical and natural doctors. But this is why I love my ND. I do have a special connection with her though, she is also a midwife and delivered our bouncing baby boy almost a year ago in our home.

I came home feeling better in all senses of the word. Not only had we made some progress with supplementation for my symptoms but I had made her happy and in turn made myself feel good about what I was doing for myself. She applauded the juicing and added that since I am always in need of protein I could add sprouts to the mix to aid with this. Compliments AND suggestions, I now feel empowered to continue on this journey of sacrifice and reward.

Hungry for Change

Have you guys seen this trailer? I am so excited to watch this documentary, plus I love Joe Cross! Watch the video and follow the link to sign up for the free worldwide screening online!!

If Nothing Changes, Then Nothing Changes

It took me a while to realize how self destructive I had become. I knew the things I needed to change, like my daily intake of massive amounts of sugar. I didn't want to change, wasn't willing to make the sacrifice. Well I have to say that juicing has changed my life! I am only drinking one juice a day, and not even making the full recipe, and I am seeing wonderful results in my attitude and physical symptoms!

I saw a quote the other day online that said, 'if nothing changes, nothing changes.' This hit me like a ton of bricks! Wow, this is me!! I am not willing to change simple things, but I am complaining about my pain and lack of mobility daily! So that's when I finally decided to change! And I am feeling better, the changes were worth it!

Now I'm not saying I have completely quit sugar cold turkey, but I am definitely eating a lot less than I am used to. And I cannot wait to be able to do the full on juice cleanse.

For more information about the beginning of my journey check out the beginning of this blog at http://juicingmyms.wordpress.com/