Healthy Happy Gut Repair Recipe

I've been missing my gut repair magic formula for a while, so I decided to mix some up again.  This combo is great for sealing up the holes with leaky gut, which gives your body time to heal and absorb the nutrients, rather than having food escaping out your gut.  When food doesn't travel the path of the intestines, and finds it's way in the blood stream, it can cause all kinds of crazy symptoms like eczema, allergies, digestive stress, acne, gas, bloating, memory issues, headaches, fatigue, just to name a few (yuck!).  Our food isn't supposed to be in our blood going out to our whole body that way, it's supposed to travel through the digestive track, where nutrients should be absorbed along the way through our vili (if not destroyed due to gluten sensitivity).  

Both Slippery Elm and Marshmallow Root are mucilage herbs.  Basically, that means they're pretty much like a slime ball, but with amazing nutrients and antioxidants that help feed the body.  They are both super soothing, as well as nutritive.  Dr. Christopher (from the Natural School of Healing) used to feed soldiers (as well as infants who weren't thriving) a Slippery Elm gruel or porridge (Slippery Elm and water together is like an oatmeal substance) that would give them the nutrients they needed, along with soothing any issues like dysentery, respiratory, or pretty much any sickness they had at the time.  

Most recent understanding is coming to the knowledge that Eastern Medicine practiced all along that the gut determines overall health and vitality.  It's becoming more and more well known.  Taking these herbs, along with L-Glutamine (which is an amino acid that helps with brain health, digestive health, muscle growth and repair, and other important functions) help to restore the gut.  I've found it to be greatly beneficial in healing my own leaky gut (from extreme gluten/dairy sensitivity).  

I found all these at my local health food store, but you can also find them online.  Just make sure you're getting them from a trusted source to guarantee you're getting what you're asking for.  Amazon can be great in getting things super inexpensive, but many health products are compromised and not what they say they are.  

Recipe:

4 oz Slippery Elm Powder

4 oz Marshmallow Root Powder

3 oz L-Glutamine

Mix all together and keep in a container.  

To use, I recommend that adult's take 1TBS 1-2 times/day.  I think it's pretty sweet on it's own, and tastes good to me, so I like it plain with 4-8oz water.  You can also mix it in a smoothie, nut or seed milk, or breakfast cereals.  For infants, I'd recommend 1tsp with 4oz water.  For children 2 or older, you can start with 2tsp and see how they do.  If you need to increase it, increase by 1/2 tsp each serving.  Results should be pretty quick as far as upset tummies.  I've noticed bloating calm down within 10 min to 30 min.  

Happy Tummy!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, GAPS-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, 

SCD-Friendly, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free 

One of my favorite meals growing up was my Mom's Hawaiian Haystacks, but it was made with cream of chicken (lots of dairy) and rice, so I wanted to make a more gut-friendly version.  I did make quinoa, so if you're strictly paleo, then you could use cauliflower rice or zoodles, or some other squash/veggie base.  The great thing about this meal is you can pull out all your leftovers in the fridge, or any produce that needs to be used up.  What makes this an amazing tasting meal is it's balance of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and pure deliciousness.  Traditionally, my mom would add in tomatoes and colored peppers, but since they flare up my autoimmune issues, I didn't add them here.

Instructions

For the Gravy/Sauce:

1 medium Onion (diced)

* 1/2 package Mushrooms

1 TBS Grass-fed butter or Oil (coconut, olive,

           or avocado oil)

Saute onions and garlic in butter/oil for 5 min. and Add:

1 can full fat coconut oil (or almond or other nut/seed milk)

1 C Chicken or Bone Broth

1-2 TBS tapioca starch (can use 1 TBS guar gum, 2-4 tsp xanthum gum, arrowroot powder, or almond flour to help thicken)
Season with Salt and Pepper and other favorite herbs and spices (I added about 2 tsp Herbs De Provence as well)

To serve, add the gravy on top of gluten-free grains or paleo zoodles, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato and dice up and top with any of the following mix-ins (feel free to get creative):

Green Onions (chopped)

Olives

Carrots

Celery

Cilantro (or Parsley, Dill, or other fresh herb)

Chives 

Coconut flakes

Dried Fruit (raisins, figs, apricots, cranberries, 

                                                                                    blueberries, etc.) 

                                                                                    * Tomatoes

                                                                                    * Peppers 

                                                                                    Apples 

 * If you're struggling with an autoimmune issue or gout, you can leave out the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, and even leave out the mushrooms) to help alleviate symptoms.  

Good for the Soul Chicken Zoodle Soup

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, GAPS-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, 

 SCD-Friendly, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free

Today has been a particularly busy day, so by the time I realized it was getting close to dinner, I needed something quick.  We had a whole chicken that we cooked the other day, so we had some leftover meat. My mom has been craving chicken noodle soup lately, so I made a chicken zoodle soup instead. It turned out so delicious and so good for the soul!

Ingredients:

4-5 Cups chicken broth + extra water to cover all the veggies 

1 medium onion, diced

1-3 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you love garlic. I love it, so I used 3), diced

Fennel, cut into lengthwise pieces 

3 medium carrots, chopped

Zucchini (spiralized into noodles- You can also chop them or cut into long strips, however you prefer them. I was re-creating the noodles, so I used a spiralizer. Some Cuisinart or KitchenAid attachments have one that makes veggies into tiny strip/noodle-like shapes)

3 Stalks of Celery, chopped

1 1/2 C Butternut squash (optional), cut into small squares

Leftover baked Chicken (cut into small pieces)

Optional: Add any other veggies that you desire. Peas, Rutabaga, Any other variety of Squash,

Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, etc.

Directions:

Saute the diced onion, garlic, and fennel in some coconut or olive oil until translucent (about 5 min). 

Place the sauted veggies in with the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom and Carrot Chicken Dinner

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, GAPS-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, 

SCD-Friendly, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free 

Remember the Cream of Chicken/Mushroom cans that would be poured over chicken, baked, and used as a gravy? Today I was reminiscing on the yummy creamy chicken dinners that my Mom used to make, and I was in a pretty creative mood.  I've also been going through a serious mushroom craving binge, so this is my take on a Cream of Mushroom and Chicken dinner that is Gut-Friendly.  It tastes nothing like my Mom's chicken gravy dinners, however it is absolutely delicious!  I truly savored each bite!  

If you are following a FODMAP diet and have problems with onions, garlic, or mushrooms, you can leave them out and substitute leeks for onions, or add 1 1/2 Cup vegetable broth that works for you.  I haven't been able to handle most of the starch thickeners, so I ended up adding 1/4 C almond flour afterwards to thicken it.  If you want to have a thicker sauce, then you can add 1/4 C Arrowroot or Potato starch, Coconut Flour, 1-2 tsp Xanthum Gum, Gelatin, or some other preferred starch/thickener.

 Ingredients

3 Carrots

1 Onion

1-3 Clove(s) Garlic (depending on taste preference)

1 Can Coconut Milk (or 2 Cups Nut/Seed Milk)

1/2 C Water

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

3 Leaves Fresh Basil (or 1tsp dried Basil), chopped

1/2 pkg Mushrooms (optional), chopped

3-4 Chicken Breasts

Thickener of choice (see notes above)

Directions
Dice together: (or use the food processor)
Carrots, Onion, and Garlic. Saute these in
a pan with 1TBS coconut oil and the Chopped
Mushrooms for 5-7min (or until soft).

In a separate Bowl, combine: Coconut Milk,
Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, and Basil.
Mix well.  Then add the saute Carrot
mixture to the bowl and mix evenly into the sauce.

Place the Chicken Breast in a pan (8x8 works well)
and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Cook at 350
degrees Fahrenheit for 45min-1hr (or until chicken
cooks to 180 degrees). Enjoy with Steamed Veggies or a Green Salad!

*Note: If you or your kids don't like chunks of food, instead of using the food processor, you can blend the carrots, onions, garlic, and sauce for a more creamy option.