Baked Dilly Yogurt Fish

Baked Dilly Yogurt Fish

Baked Dilly Yogurt Fish

Here's another delicious, simple dish.  I actually made it with cod, salmon and talapia.  (The cod is pictured.)  I preferred the talapia, and my daughter liked the salmon best.

Baked Dilly Yogurt Fish
Makes 4 servings

Pre-heat the oven 325F.

Prepare a rectangular glass baking pan approximately 10"x8"x2" with either parchment or cooking oil spray.  Place 4 serving sized pieces of fish into the pan.  Sprinkle them lightly with Homemade Adobo Seasoning.  Set them aside.  

Make a batch of  Dilly Yogurt Dip.  Spread the dip over the fish with a spoon or spatula.  I had a couple of tablespoons of the dip leftover for dipping the fish once it was baked.  Bake the fish for 12-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the fish.  It should flake easily with a fork at the center when it is done.

I served the fish with spiralized zucchini "noodles," sauteed in coconut oil, served with some of the baked Dilly Yogurt Dip.  Yummy!

Enjoy!

Chicken Adobo with Dilly Yogurt Dip

Chicken Adobo with Dilly Yogurt Dip

Chicken Adobo with Dilly Yogurt Dip

This is so easy and so delicious!  It reminds me of Tazaki Sauce.  I hope you like it!

Chicken Adobo
Serves 4

Season 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs well with Homemade Adobo Seasoning.  Heat a frying pan over medium heat and spray with an all oil (nothing added) cooking oil spray, olive or coconut oil preferred.  Cook the chicken over medium heat until it tests at 180F or is firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, prepare the

 Dilly Yogurt Dip
Makes 4 servings (unless your a mega dipper!)

Combine:

1/2 cup plain yogurt (SCD yogurt)
1/4 teaspoon Homemade Adobo Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dill weed

Serve with Chicken Adobo or as a dip for other meat or vegetables.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Enjoy!

Protocol for a Flare

Protocol for a Flare

Protocol for a Flare

"One of the things I learned while I was at the hospital and subsequently is that pain control is really a lot more important than I ever gave it credit.  When my pain is out of control, so many other things go out of control as well.  Is the the pain that is causing my problem or the problem causing the pain?  It seems like it is a vicious circle to me..."

Continue reading on my other blog here.  

No Sugar Treats for Our Easter Sweeties

No Sugar Treats for Our Easter Sweeties

No Sugar Treats for Our Easter Sweeties

I started eating sugar-free sometime during college.  I realized that I did not feel well when I ate sugar.  Our entire family went sugar free when my youngest child was about 3 years old.  She's 17 years old now!  I have always done something special for my children on Easter, but it rarely involved candy.

One year, I purchased a lot of special dried fruits and nuts.  These were not the typical raisins and peanuts.  I got all sorts of fancy things that they loved to fill their baskets.  It was a big hit, and they said they didn't miss the candy at all. Another year, I purchased special mugs and put a cute stuffed animal in each of them.  They still have those special mugs to this day.  And, coloring eggs is always fun!

I've seen gift baskets made with special non-food items, like lip gloss, a book on CD, art supplies...  Gifts are only limited by our imaginations!  Not only will these gifts not make our children sick, but some of them will last a lifetime.  Who needs candy??

I have pictured a few ideas that I've seen online.  Above is a Easter bunny breakfast bowl with scrambled eggs, bacon, blueberries, a raspberry and cheese shreds.

Below is another Easter bunny plate with an apple slice, raisins, a blue berry, bacon and shredded cheese.

This next one was my idea.  For those of us who celebrate The Resurrection, I made an "empty tomb" out of scrambled eggs, a sausage patty and 1/2 of an orange slice.  It would be nice to lay some spinach leaves or something down at the bottom to signify the garden, but I didn't have anything like that available.

The bottom line is, we don't need to give our loved ones candy on Easter to make them feel special.  Get creative and skip the candy.

Enjoy!

Chicken Quesadilla without a Tortilla aka Chicken Cheesy Chip

Chicken Quesadilla without a Tortilla aka Chicken Cheese Chip

Chicken Quesadilla without a Tortilla aka Chicken Cheese Chip

Years ago, when I was writing my low carb cookbooks, my friends and I created these cheesy chips, or cheese chips.  Now, everyone makes them.  I think that is super cool!  Since I've been doing the SCD plan, (Specific Carbohydrate Diet), I've been enjoying cheese chips again.  Since I was making the rest of my family chicken quesadillas for lunch, I decided I could make one for myself without the tortilla.  It was delicious!

Chicken Quesadilla without a Tortilla aka Chicken Cheese Chip

Makes 1

In a small frying pan over medium-low heat place 1 slice of SCD legal cheese, like Jack, cheddar or colby.  Add shredded cooked chicken to the top of the cheese slice to almost cover the slice.  Cover the pan and cook the cheese and chicken until the cheese has begun to crisp, about 3 minutes.  Carefully turn the cheese and chicken over with a spatula, being careful not to splatter the grease that has formed in the pan.  Continue to cook the cheese chip another minute or so, until it is rigid.  Using a spatula, carefully put the cheese chip on a plate.  Top with SCD legal yogurt and garnish with chives, if desired.

Enjoy!

Emotional Healing with Flower Essences -- My Story

My Story of Emotional Healing with Flower Essences

When I was five years old, I went for a sleep-over at my adult sister's home. When we arrived, excitedly she told me, "while I get the groceries out of the car, you go inside and make yourself comfortable.  Since you are staying with me, we can stay up as late as you want!"  Thinking that meant I could go to sleep as soon as I wanted, I headed for bed right then.  Once she brought the groceries inside, she couldn't find me.  After a bit of searching, she finally found me -- sleeping in her bed!  She woke me up, and we ended up having a fun time together.

The point of that story is that, even as a young child, I was exhausted and felt like I couldn't do things.  I have had those feelings most of my life, largely due to chronic illness.  However, what I want to share is how that has recently changed.  In fact, this is one of the most life-changing things I have ever done, next to my relationship with Jesus Christ. 

A few months ago, I learned about flower essences.  I've known about Bach Rescue Remedy for many years, but I was unfamiliar with the individual flower essences.

Clicking on the picture above will take you to Pure Formulas 

where you can search for and purchase remedies.  

I will receive in-store credit for my referral.

I was having a very difficult time emotionally.  I felt like something had snapped inside my head!  I had heard stories of women reaching menopause and doing, saying and feeling crazy things.  I believe that was what was going on with me.  So that, in combination with the overwhelming fatigue and on-going illness I had been experiencing, really made me feel like I couldn't do anything.  It was awful!  I was having suicidal thoughts and just generally despairing.  I was in a very bad way.  I requested prayer, and within a short period of time, I learned about the other flower essences.

I took a self-test for the flower essences located here.  This link will open a PDF file which then can be printed and scored with the attached score key.  There are many other self-tests on the internet which can be taken, but I like this one because it is printed and I could weigh my answers.  With an online questionnaire, that would be more difficult.  When I scored my test, one of the remedies was almost "screaming" at me!  That was the one I needed.

I began my journey with the individual remedies by ordering olive remedy, pictured below.

Clicking on the picture above will take you to Pure Formulas 

where you can search for and purchase remedies.  

I will receive in-store credit for my referral.

I was having a particularly bad day when my new remedy arrived, so I read the instructions and took some right away.  Honestly, I do respond to natural medicine very quickly, so everyone else may not feel the instant rapid relief that I did.  However, what I experienced that day was nothing short of remarkable!  I went from feeling depressed, exhausted and feeling like I couldn't do anything, to feeling like I COULD do things!  My mood lifted, and I was no longer exhausted.  I felt like a human being again!

Read that paragraph again.  Let that sink in.  I went from being nearly suicidal to feeling like a participant in life within what was really just a few moments.  That is what I would call a miracle!

After a couple of weeks of feeling that I Could Do things, I decided to try another remedy, Star of Bethlehem.

Clicking on the picture above will take you to Pure Formulas 

where you can search for and purchase remedies.  

I will receive in-store credit for my referral.

Star of Bethlehem Remedy is used to treat traumatic stress.  Traumatic stress can be from a variety of things:  Job loss, injury, illness, surgery, loss of a loved one, and a host of other reasons.  Personally, I have been diagnosed with PTSD at least three times in my life.  I began taking Star of Bethlehem essence shortly before I had to have emergency surgery (unrelated.)  I was very thankful to have this remedy plus Rescue Remedy and Olive Remedy for my time in the hospital.  My husband works for a Chinese Bible camp and their yearly Christmas conference was being held when I had to have my surgery.  He was very busy in another part of the State, so I did not have him with me to hold my hand during that extremely traumatic, even life threatening time.  However, I did have my remedies, as well as, other friends and family with me.  Without the remedies, I fully believe I would have had some sort of mental break down if I had been in the condition I was before starting the Olive Remedy a few months earlier.  With the Star of Bethlehem, helping me with the trauma, the Olive Remedy helping me know that I could do this, and the Rescue Remedy helping me with the general stress, I was able to come through an extremely difficult time with a smile on my face and a cheerful heart.

There are many other brands of flower essences available.  I've used a few different ones.  They all seem to work just fine.  I have mixed my own formula that I take four times a day.  It contains just a few drops of each of the essences that I am taking.  Additionally, if I have a traumatic experience, feel stressed or that I can't do something, I take the remedies straight from the bottle, (always being careful not to touch the dropper to my mouth), and I always feel better right away.  I keep a bottle of Olive Remedy in my pocket or bag nearly all the time.  I always am sorry when I forget to bring it with me!

Mixing a custom remedy is really a simple process.  Begin with the flower essences desired.  In my case, I use Olive Essence, Star of Bethlehem Essence, Rescue Remedy and a sleep blend I purchased online.  I put four drops of each remedy in a new dropper bottle, (I learned the hard way never to use an old bottle!), add one teaspoon of brandy, vodka or raw apple cider vinegar, and pure, (never city tap), water to the top.  I take four drops four times daily, away from food.

Another word of caution based upon personal experience:  Don't store flower essences near essential oils.  On the pendulum of natural remedies, oils are on one end and flower essences are on the end.  Oils are very strong, even caustic, while flower essences are extremely gentle.  They cannot be stored near each other because the oils are so strong that they will render the essences ineffective.  Don't put them in the same cupboard or next to each other on a counter.  I have mine about six feet apart on my bathroom countertop, and they are doing fine.

I hope that my story has helped.  If for some reason the links above don't work, remedies can be purchased at PureFormulas.com and my referral code is RPVJYG.

Cream of Spinach or Whatever Soup for One

Cream of Spinach (or Whatever) Soup for One

Cream of Spinach (or Whatever) Soup for One

This recipe is low carb and gluten free.

I wasn't feeling well one day and had been doing a liquid fast.  I was ready for something with some substance but that wouldn't be heavy on my tummy.  I had the idea for this soup concept since I had a big pot of venison broth cooking on the stove.  My intention was to make Egg Drop Soup, but what happened was Cream of Venison Broth Soup instead!

I modified the method slightly to add the spinach.  Other vegetables could be used instead of the spinach, but it's so yummy and easy on it's own.  Just dice the vegetable that is desired and use it in place of the spinach.  Mushrooms, onions, scallions would all be great.

Cream of Spinach or Whatever Soup for One
Makes one serving

Heat approximately 1 cup of homemade broth in a small sauce pan.  Alternatively, a high quality commercial stock can be used.  Add approximately 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach or other suitable vegetables.  Cook over medium heat until the spinach has softened.  If using other vegetables, they will need to be cooked until they are soft.

In the mug, add 1 or 2 eggs and stir them briskly until they are well combined.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pastured butter.  I use the Kerrygold brand.

Slowly pour the broth and spinach into the mug, stirring constantly with a fork or small whisk.  If it isn't stirred constantly, the result will be a clumpy Egg Drop Soup, which isn't bad, just not what I'm going for here.

Season to taste with sea salt to taste.  Everything Seasoning or Adobo are also great!  (For SCD do not use Everything Seasoning.)

Enjoy!