I have been so overwhelmed with food choices lately that I am just kind of stopped trying. I know I have mentioned before that I avoid soy because I have hypothyroidism, but when I said I avoid it, I meant I try not to eat it very often. Well, I found that was not working for me at all! I have had to eliminate all soy products from my diet completely. This can be hard when you are a vegan because EVERYTHING has soy in it and I mean things that you would never think would have soy in it. I have also found recently that kale and broccoli can slow down thyroid function as well. That is sad for me because I also use those vegetable as a base for my creations. I have always enjoyed seaweed and am of course including those more into my meals. But for now, I can’t even enjoy my beloved miso and wakame soup. It is a challenge to find what works and what doesn’t and it is a bit frustrating to have to go back to the drawing board.
After reading David Wolfe’s book about superfoods, I began adding more maca to my smoothies, sprulina for more protein and of course hemp protein as well. But, I think I was just over doing. The costs were rising and I was adding a ton of stuff to my smoothies and other foods that totally changed the flavors. My family did not like the taste of some things and it is too time consuming to make several different meals to accommodate everyone. I started to become confused and again overwhelmed.
When I wrote last I said I had had a great March eating mostly raw. I loved it! I had gotten my hands on Matthew Kenney’s book, Entertaining in the Raw and although the recipes are complex, it really gave me a lot to work with and base other things on. I am finding that a lot of raw recipes are variations of one fundamental recipe. It was fun to experiment and play with the food.
However, lately I have found it difficult to stick to one particular philosophy on eating. If it is fast, inexpensive and moderately healthy, that is what I am making. It is summer so of course fresh veggies and smoothies are a staple in my diet. I have been using beans in our meals more and unfortunately, I have shifted away from anything that takes too long to cook unless it is crock pot accessible. I received a great gift from one of my hubbies co-workers. She bought both, The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. Both are amazing books, but I have really utilized the slow cooker one more because almost every recipe is vegan, simple and devoid of soy.
I am hoping that with more reading and research I will have this issue under control. I am grateful that I am the only one with specific food needs in our family. I have read about a lot of families who all have different health issues and therefore must make a wide variation of meals. That takes some patience and creativity. I admire people like that though who will experiment with food to make their families healthy again. So many people I know just continue doing what they always did and not understanding why they aren’t getting better. I will figure this minor setback out and when I do, I’ll let you know what works for me.
So, here are some of my latest pictures of what I have been creating. I went back to simple deliciously flavored smoothies that my little ones devour. This is an orange, banana, mango smoothie. It is so sweet I never need to add anything else. If my banana’s and mango are not frozen, I add ice as well. I always by my smoothie fruit in bulk and then freeze it. This saves a lot of money for sure! The other favorite is banana, strawberry, blueberry with just a few drops of agave or maple syrup. I do prefer raw local honey, but my littlest one is not old enough for it yet and since she likes to taste everyone’s, I have to avoid it for now.
This was one of the great meals we made in the crockpot and it was a huge hit. Since peppers are growing abundantly right now it was very inexpensive. It consisted of onion, brown rice, tomatoes and kidney beans cooked and stuffed into the peppers. Simple and delicious!
If you haven’t guessed yet, I have a serious sweet tooth! I recently ordered all of the supplies needed to make my own raw chocolate. It was amazing and while it didn’t harden quite like expected, it was devoured before any pictures could be taken. They came out like little pieces of fudge. Other amazing bloggers make it look so easy, but I will need to practice a bit more. I did use some of my ingredients to create an amazingly delicious pie/cake for hubbies bday. I would like to pretend that I meant for that uneven swirl to happen on the top, but somehow my cacao butter didn’t mix completely with my chocolate mixture. However, it tasted amazing and that top turned out to be hubbies favorite part!
Those chunks of stuff on the top are cut up chocolate, coconut macaroons. But the main pie broke down like this:
Crust: Almonds, dates and cacao powder w/ a dash of salt
Pie: Soaked cashews, agave, vanilla and raw coconut oil
Topping: cacao powder, maple syrup mixed with melted cacao butter
I didn’t write down the measurements; I am so bad about that, sorry.
As gross as this looks, I thought it was too funny not to share. This is my oldest, who is a great sous chef. We made raw chocolate cupcakes one day and I told her that the left overs would make a really good face mask. She had recently attended a birthday party at one of those spas for kids and they put a chocolate mask on her face. She didn’t like that chemically one, but she loved the avocado/chocolate/date mixture. She had a lot of fun with this and enjoyed learning that what is good for inside our bodies is also good for the outside of our bodies.
Well, I am off to do more thyroid research. I hope not to be away for so long next time!
