Elimination Diet: Days 35-38

This early Fall time of year has been great for going through the elimination diet. We have been so blessed with fresh, organic greens, apples, pears, squash, sweet potatoes and just so much more that has nourished our bodies during this time. We are truly feeling healthy, strong and fortified as the weather is beginning to cool down and the cold and flu season is upon us.

In this final week of what became a 40 day plan, we had salmon two ways. On day 35 we prepared a citrus-garlic salmon with a side of spaghetti squash, broccoli and mushrooms. We were excited to try the salmon a new way and it was a really great meal!

For dessert that night, I made a raw apple pie. It was inspired by the raw apple pie we had at R. Thomas Deluxe Grill in Atlanta back in early September. Wow! This was so delicious! It was really easy to prepare with dates for sweetness, a little hint of cinnamon and Granny Smith apples for a little bit of tartness. I topped it with home made cashew cream...what a great dessert with organic, wholesome ingredients!




For dinner on Day 36 we baked basil balsalmic salmon. Oh my goodness, this was fabulous! We have had salmon several different ways over the last couple of weeks, and they have all been so good! To keep the meal light, we had a big salad.


For Day 37, we had a special dessert after dinner. Perhaps a little too much desserting this week, but at least they both consisted of fruit and nuts and had no refined sugar or flour. I made a pear tart with fresh raspberries. It was really yummy, but I'm ready for something warm now that the weather is chilling out!


Day 38 started off great with honey-sweetened cinnamon apples and raisins over quinoa with a side of sauteed collard greens. Seeing this picture makes me want to have this meal all over again!


We are in the phase of adding/testing corn. We had corn for dinner on day 37 as well, but I completely forgot to take a picture. On this particular night, we tried corn meal on okra, probably not the most healthy way to add in corn, but it tasted so good and we are in the south!



We tried to counterbalance the okra with a mixture of fresh veggies: spaghetti squash, onions, carrots, zuchini, and mushrooms.



We plan to have corn one more time on day 39. I think we will keep it simple on day 40 and following that day, we will begin to add in chocolate, yeast and gluten-free flours. All in moderation of course! Mom and I both feel that this has been a good time of cleansing our systems and resetting our taste preferences. Things like green smoothies, fresh fruits and veggies and even lentils and kraut have become foods we crave. Detoxing the body is a great thing to do...we are so bombarded with toxic pollution in the air we breath, the water we drink, and the personal care products we use (of which we have done a major overhaul in our own lives). It is good to make lasting lifestyle changes that will protect us from some of these things.

Elimination Diet: Days 32-34

I fear I've not given enough glory to God for His leading in this process of eliminating foods that are not healthful and that were stealing abundancy of life. This has been a real learning process of studying not just the nutritional quality of food, but turning to God's word to see what He says about how we should eat and live. Before beginning this process, the Lord illuminated this word to me:

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

I believe the Bible has answers for all our need...even the foods that we eat. The Lord clearly told Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:29-31: And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

And to the Israelites in Leviticus chapter 11, God clearly states the animals, birds, fish and yes, even insects that are clean to eat. He also clearly states those that are unclean. For a lack of knowledge, I have tasted and eaten some of the unclean foods. As I have come into a greater awareness of God's word regarding this area of my life, I know it is for my protection. I believe the Old Testament is for direction, guidance and protection, just as much as the New Testament. As a total foodie, I was deceived into eating things that were not beneficial, especially refined sugars, flours, and thinking that I could eat enough healthy foods to "combat" the unhealthy foods. Really, that is like saying I can continue in "pet sins" as long as I do enough good deeds...it will all even out. It just doesn't work that way. When we come to Christ, He wants all of us. I want to give Him all of me...my time, talents, heart, mind, body and soul. I want to glorify Him, I want His thoughts to be my thoughts and His ways my ways...even down to the food I eat.

In my weekly Bible study, the memory verse for the week is: The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Jesus came that we may have life abundantly, here, now...I hope to honor Him by choosing to fuel my body with nourishing meals so that I can do the work He has prepared for me to do.

Having said all of that...we have had some truly fabulous meals over the last few days. Our day 32 breakfast consisted of quinoa with roasted butternut squash, apple, raisins, and maple syrup with broccoli sprouts on the side. It was a great fall meal. We are so thankful for the bounty of fresh, organic fruits and veggies we've found at the local co-op!


We added dairy in the form of plain yogurt with fresh pomegranate. Oh my, the yogurt had just the right amount of tartness to pair so nicely with the sweet, juicy flavor of the pomegranate seeds. It takes a little effort to get those seeds out of the pomegranate, but it is so worth it!


We've not eaten any meat other than fish since about February or March of this year, so day 34 was a big day...we added in chicken. It was organic of course! We made a chicken and vegetable stew. Wow, it was delicious! We used the chicken to make homemade stock and had onion, carrots, celery, zuchini, and sweet peas in the mix. It was like a chicken pot pie without the crust.


Next time we plan to bake a loaf of fresh bread to go with it, but since we've not added in flour or yeast at this time, we just had a big bowl of stew. This will be a great meal to have as the weather cools down too!

Elimination Diet: Day 31

We are so blessed with a bounty of truly nutritious foods. The Lord has provided just the right organic fruits and veggies every time we shop for groceries so that we can make wonderfully healthy meals.

Today began with a warming breakfast of scrambled eggs, sauteed collard greens with toasted pine nuts and an orange.


Lunch was a big salad with lentils and kraut. I never thought I would crave lentils and kraut, but I really do! I was very much looking forward to this lunch!

Dinner was a big salad inspired by the cornucopia salad at Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia. We changed a few of the ingredients based on what we had. Our salad included romaine, carrots, celery, beets, broccoli sprouts, banana, raisins, and walnuts. It was a great way to end the day!


Mom and I are both feeling so good and just all around energized. We've each had a few moments of just wanting a little chocolate or feeling discouraged by other circumstances that made us just want to quit and start eating whatever we wanted whenever we wanted, but we have stood firm and are very thankful to be going through this detoxing and healing process while learning to make healthy choices for foods that will truly nourish our bodies.

Elimination Diet: Days 27-30

It has been an incredibly busy week, but we have eaten some of the finest meals!

Day 27 we added in sesame seeds with dinner. We had lentil burgers with a side of sauteed carrots and cabbage with toasted sesame seeds. It was a warm, delicious meal and the sesame seeds added just a little texture to the veggies.


Day 28 we added in peanuts in the form of peanut butter. For our dessert that night we dipped a sliced banana in unsalted, roasted peanut butter. It was a great treat!

Day 29 we had salmon burgers with sweet potato fries. Yum!

Day 30 we made a quick lunch of quinoa with sweet potatoes, avocado, and adzuki beans seasoned with Herbamare.


Our dinner that night was salmon burgers (again, they are just so good! We made extras to keep in the freezer until later!) with baked sweet potato and a big salad. Oh, and for a special treat I made almond truffles! They were just as good this time as they were before!


During the week, we had baked salmon with thyme and lemon, sweet potatoes that were baked whole, baked as fries, sauteed with other veggies, green smoothies, quinoa with various fruits, it's been a good week for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners.

When we began the elimination diet, we expected it to take about 28 days. We've lingered over some of the additions, had only a slight setback and now, with day 30 behind us, are forging ahead with a 40 day plan. We will continue the next 10 days with no flour, sugar, chocolate or coffee, however, we will add in dairy and corn. After 40 days (and the addition of chocolate!) we will try yeast and homemade gluten free bread. I believe we've kicked some unhealthy habits and are on to a healthy way of eating and living. We are feeling wonderful! Clear-headed, good digestion, thoroughly enjoying every meal and really tasting the foods the Lord has provided for good health! He has given such vast abundancy and I am so grateful!

Elimination Diet: Days 24, 25 & 26

It was a fabulous weekend, super busy, but super fabulous as well! On Friday morning, day 24, we wanted a little special treat so we baked walnuts with maple syrup, a dash of olive oil and cinnamon. They were so delicious...think we ate a few too many, but we were active the rest of the day!


Friday and Saturday morning we attended a church conference and were so blessed by the music and speakers. It was a joy to worship, hear testimonies of God's power and grace and grow in the Lord!

The cooler weather has sparked a craving for warm foods, especially in the mornings! On Saturday morning we had an orange with scrambled eggs and sauteed kale. Oh my, this was so delicious and warming!


Being out of the house all morning, we were quite hungry for lunch. We reheated leftover onions and cauliflower and made a salad with romaine, celery, carrots, banana and raisins. It was similar to a salad we had at Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady & Sons in Savannah, Georgia earlier this year. The carrot, raisin and banana combination is really good!


Sunday we had quinoa with strawberries for breakfast, then an apple before heading out the door to church. For lunch we had lentils with sauerkraut, sweet potatoes and a big salad. We had cinnamon apples just before I headed out the door to the Brad Paisley concert. It was a great weekend of entertainment and a great time with friends!

So, we've added in oranges and eggs and are still feeling great! Loving the additions actually!

Elimination Diet: Day 23

Wow, we ate like queens today! Breakfast began with broccoli sprouts, quinoa, pineapple, banana, raisins and a few brazil nuts. It was different, but a really wonderful combination!


For lunch we had leftover quinoa salmon burgers, a quick carrot and cabbage salad with a side of sweet potatoes. It was a good mix of raw and cooked foods, which is really good for digestion. The salmon burgers were just as good leftover as the were the first time we had them!


Dinner was a baked salmon with Herbamare, thyme and lemon with two sides: onions and cauliflower and a raw kale salad. This was a fabulous meal! A truly great way to end the day!


Our energy levels are really good and we are still feeling great with the weekly additions of bananas, pineapple and salmon. It feels good to have a little fish back on the menu! I am truly amazed that neither of us have had any sort of withdrawals or strong cravings for chocolate, refined sugar, flour/baked goods or coffee. God is good to give us strength to make healthy choices!

Elimination Diet: Day 22

We didn't have much time for food preparation today because we went to visit my grandmother. Last night we prepared a big salad to take with us and in the morning we sauteed onions, brussel sprouts, carrots and mushrooms, seasoned it with Herbamare and tossed in some quinoa. It was really delicious! My grandmother cooked collard greens and okra so we had a great lunch!


We had leftover salad and quinoa for a quick dinner before heading off to church. Our dessert for the night was a sliced banana dipped in almond butter. It was so satisfying! What a great, healthy treat!

Bananas have been the newly reintroduced food for the last couple of days. We are so thankful to have added them back in and are still feeling great! No more digestive issues at this point!