New Obsession and Toying With The Diet

The Elimination Diet has worked out nicely with T-Lo. His teachers and therapists have noticed a difference. I have noticed too. We have started to add back dairy, as that was the toughest to do without. I started out with some string cheese, and now we are doing some homemade yogurt a few times a week. I think we will stay with the almond milk, though, as straight milk seems to be a trigger for a lot of things and quite unnecessary anyway. We did get our ADHD diagnosis for him (insert sad face), but it is just a label to help him in the long run, as he needs to continue his physical and occupational therapy. I’ve been in touch with the principal of his kindergarten that he’ll go to next year, and he is ready to put him in a regular class with some concessions such as fidget toys or being able to stand or walk around when he needs to. I am very pleased with the whole process.

I have been reading about the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet, and I made a half-assed attempt at it, but I don’t think I was realistic about how to do it. I made tons of bone broth (yum!) and I got up to about stage 3, and I just can’t get my butt together to do this 24/7. I am going to re-group and try again soon. I have hope that maybe it might help me with my mental health. I have bipolar, depression, and anxiety problems, and if I can get off of any of my meds by using food, I would do an “Oh So Happy Dance”!!! I will post links and more info on the appropriate page later. I’m once again stymied in my Android editing skills lol….

In other exciting news: I joined a roller derby team!!! Today was my first practice. 2 hours long! Ouch. I fell on my ass about 6 times. I’m sure I will have some lovely bruises there soon. I loved the comradery, the girls were friendly and welcoming, and I felt like I belonged. And hellooooo…..it’s an aggressive, ass-kicking sport!!! You know that Primal Dawn loves to kick her some ass! Can’t wait to knock some bitches down. And then celebrate with them later I am so out of shape. The 2 hours was very long for me. I think I will try to remedy this with nutrition next time. I have never been a big eater before exercise. I like to work out fasted. However, 2 hours of hardcore drills is a bit long, so I may need to figure out what will sustain and help me. And I have a cool derby name, but I can’t tell anyone until I can claim it as my own. I don’t want anyone to swipe it!!!

I made my first duck last week! It was soooo effing good. I only ate some of the meat. I’m a crispy skin girl. Mr. Dawn and I are like Jack Sprat and his wife in the nursery rhyme. He will eat no fat and I will eat no lean! I love crispy chicken skin, and so when I got hold of the duck skin, I was in heaven with a capital H. It was a great recipe. I did a very slow process. You roast at 300f for 4 hours! Score a diamond pattern just into the skin (not the meat). Salt. Poke with a knife into the fat, again not the meat. Roast for one hour. Then flip and poke again. Roast for one hour again. Then flip and poke. Repeat for the total of the 4 hours. Then make a glaze. I used a mixture of molasses, orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, and some other goodies. Brush on and crank the heat up to 400f for 20 minutes. I swear you will wanna smack yo mama it’s so good!! The glaze was a bit of a treat, but I’m sure next time I can work something else out. It was my first duck. I also got a whole jar of lovely duck fat to roast veggies in and use for eggs and stuff. So good!!!!

So that’s PD’s world. What’s new in yours? Oh, gosh, I completely forgot to tell you all about our garden and my birthday and my job and…..I got some work to do!!!!

Preoccupied As Of Late

So….once again, I’ve dropped off the face of the primal/bloggy planet.

I am in the midst of handling some things with T-Lo. We just had his last parent-teacher conference before kindergarten. Pros: he’s graduated from speech! No more speech therapy needed! Boy, I could have told you that, and I think honestly so could have most of his preschool. He talks to EVERYONE! And he’s articulate. He has a great vocabulary. He also scored very high cognitively. Which, again, I could have also told you. He is no dummy, that one! He can charm you and make you forget what you were trying to get him to do! Cons: they had cut back his physical therapy (PT) sessions at his last CPSE meeting from 3 to 1, and the scores/results show they made a mistake. What’s a CPSE meeting? Basically, it’s a big meeting where the district and parents and teachers get together and read the reports and decide what the plan is for your kid. So now, we have to push to resume his prior PT sessions. His OT is “meh”. He has made progress in some areas, and less in others.

So our dilemma is that he needs to continue his OT and PT when he goes to kindergarten, and he also needs special consideration/concessions due to his fidgeting and inattentiveness. He has seen a developmental pediatrician about possible ADD/ADHD, but she wasn’t comfortable diagnosing him yet. WELL….he actually needs that paper diagnosis to continue to receive his therapies!!! Talk about having to play the game! *insert eye roll* So now I have to go back to the dev. ped and tell her what we discussed and get the diagnosis (if she’ll do it). He is very borderline.

Now I’ve included the principal of his future kindergarten in the loop and he feels that T-Lo will do well in a regular classroom with special concessions (fidget toys, standing for tests, allowed to get up occasionally and walk around, Lap Buddy). T-Lo is not an aggressive or angry child at all. He’s called The Mayor at his preschool, in fact. He just needs a good teacher who can handle his ants in his pants and not become frustrated with him. He is a sweet boy.

And in the midst of this, we decided to try an Elimination Diet with T-Lo to see if it helped the attention and fidgeting. We are on day 6, and I think I am seeing a little improvement. We give him coffee in the morning, and we’ve cut out soooooo much. Add that to the 3 allergies in his classroom (eggs, nuts, and fish), and he basically gets an acceptable meat and a whole lot of produce!! I can’t send almond milk, he can’t drink regular milk, I don’t want to give him soy milk….it’s been ……interesting. I have been in the middle of cooking dinner a few times and realized, “Oh shit, T-Lo can’t eat this!!!!” and had to scramble to make him something. It’s hard when you have your go-to meals and just go on auto-pilot. I make sure I have some sort of meat defrosted in the fridge at all times for those occasions when I make that mistake. I’ve discovered he actually likes coconut milk yogurt (ewwwww), and that ‘veggie’ cheese they have in the produce section actually has casein (milk protein) in it. Dammitallsomuch lol!!!

So, any ADD/ADHD/SID parents out there have any tips? I would appreciate any tips or tricks!! We’re all in this together, right?

TTFN, PD out!!!!

Tostones

My ex, with whom I am very friendly and gave me my beautiful J, is Puerto Rican. So at various family gatherings I picked up a few things. I thought I’d share an authentic recipe for tostones, or fried green plantains (platanos). First, you will find 2 types of plantains at the store, yellow and green. For this dish, the greener, the better. The yellow ones are riper and have a sweet flavor, like a cross between a sweet potato and a banana. Plantains also look like bananas. But don’t use bananas. Yuck.

TOSTONES

-green plantains (amount can vary, but for Mr. Dawn and I, I usually use 3)

-coconut oil (or whatever oil you like for high heat frying)

-salt

Peel plantains. This can be hard. I usually cut the ends off then make a lengthwise slit along the peel on the outer curve of the plantain.

Slice into about 1/2 inch slices.

On medium high heat, heat up enough coconut oil to make a level of about 1/4 inch of oil in the pan. We’re not deep-frying, but be generous!

When it’s nice and hot, place slices in and let them sizzle until lightly toasted, then flip them with tongs and repeat.

Remove tostones from pan and place on cutting board. Use a thick drinking glass and lightly press each tostone into a flatter disk. I don’t really measure, but just smoosh ‘em up! Don’t mash them like mashed potatoes, you want individual little lightly smooshed disks.

Place smooshed disks back into hot pan and refry on both sides until nice and crispy and golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain and salt lightly.

These have a flavor similar to a french fry. Mr. Dawn puts sriracha and ketchup on his, and I use a traditional mojo (“mo-ho”) sauce. Mojo is a blend of garlic, lemon or lime juice, and oil (and a pinch of sauce). It is delicious, and you can find many variations online.

We had vegetarian for dinner tonight and had tostones with big green salads. YUM.

Mostly Vegetarian Cauliflower Slow Cooker Curry

Here’s one of the ones I’ve had written down for a while, but I’ve yet to get to you guys! This is veggie, except for the fish sauce.

Slow Cooker Cauliflower Curry

-1 head cauliflower, chunked up

-1/2 head of kale, washed and stemmed and cut up

-1 medium to large onion, chopped

-2 TB green curry paste

-2 TB fish sauce

-1 can coconut milk

—-Dump all in slow cooker, stir, and cook til tender, maybe 4-6 hours. Yum. Maybe add a little butter at the end for a nice finish.

Asian-ish Chicken Thighs

Recipe time!!!

Asian Chicken Thighs—

8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs

1 TB red curry paste

2 TB garlic chili paste (I used Roland brand)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 TB soy sauce (or tamari)

juice of 1 lemon

1 TB fish sauce

2 TB honey

2 TB oil (I used grapeseed because that’s all I have right now, but normally I would use coconut oil)

-Preheat oven to 400f. Place all ingredients except chicken in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over chicken thighs in a bowl and let marinate for 30-60 minutes. Place chicken, skin side up, on a baking sheet or roasting pan. I lined mine with foil for easier cleanup. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with a little salt, then place in oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until temperature reaches 180f.

-Optional but totally worth it: Place chicken under broiler for a few minutes after cooking to crisp up the skin. Mmmmmm I LOVE crispy chicken skin!!! Mr. Dawn and I are like that old nursery rhyme: “Jack Sprat would eat no fat, his wife would eat no lean…” He hates any fatty meat, and I love it. T-Lo loves it too. He gobbled up 3 thighs with crispy skin and 2 helpings of braised cabbage from the Primal Blueprint cookbook.

Life Is Good

Life is good. No, really!!! I seem to have emerged from the sluggishness I was in. A lot of it has to do with starting my new job. I love the job. Of course I’m only 2 weeks in, but still, I really enjoy what I’m doing. I’m busy, the day flies by, and I’m nurturing little people with special needs. It’s a win-win.

I think I am a creature who needs habit and routine. I like to think of myself as a free spirit, so spontaneous and whatnot. However, when it comes to day to day living in general, I am doing so well with this new routine. I work Monday through Friday, I have a set wake up time, I have a set morning routine, I work, I get home and do the domestic thing and relax a bit, and the weekend is for play. I have been thriving. I’m sleeping better most nights and my mind is calmer. Good old-fashioned work, doing for others, has helped me a lot.

I’ve dropped 12 pounds in the last 3 weeks. I think most of them have been during the last 2 weeks of working! I don’t sit down much, I’m lifting little ones, I’m moving and singing and dancing and laughing and scolding (sometimes!). My diet is much much much better. I eat a hearty breakfast and my lunch is lighter, but 100% primal, and dinner of course is primal. We have a cheat meal on the weekends and don’t feel even the slightest bit guilty about it.

The children’s diets are being dialed in as well. I’ve gotten rid of the cereal and instant oatmeal crutch I was using in the morning. I make eggs and bacon or sausage. J likes whole milk yogurt with a little honey and wild blueberries. He still has the time at his dad’s and 2 lunches a week at school (due to being dropped off by his dad), but I think we are alright!! I will continue to explore breakfast options. For me, eggs are a good thing, but I also like leftovers.

I have two new recipes here on notecards that I have to get to you guys. I just haven’t been motivated to get on here much lately, and we’ve been busybusybusy!!! Soon, though.

That’s life from this end. How are you?

Massamun Curry Chicken Thighs

Okay, I’ve been trying to play more with my recipes. I’m feeling more confident going out and just inventing something. I mean, I’ve always been an intuitive cook. If something need a little more oomph, I could find what I wanted to add. Or if I saw that something in a recipe wasn’t going to work for my family, I could adjust to compensate for that and come out with something still edible and yummy (usually).

I find that when adapting some curries or stir-fries for the primal diet, that it can get overly saucy (like me!!) if you aren’t serving with some sort of faux rice like cauliflower or something. Now normally I don’t mind sauce, but when it feels as though you are eating stew every single day, it gets boring. This recipe came out a little saucy, but you can adjust it to your liking with using less coconut milk, or more if you want a stew consistency. I was also looking for a way to sneak more root veggies into my family’s gobs. They don’t care for parsnips and this recipe didn’t entirely win them over, but they didn’t haaaate it, so I’ll take it!!!

MASSAMUN CURRY CHICKEN THIGHS

-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

-1 1/2-2 TB massamun curry paste

-1/2-1 can coconut milk

-1 lb parsnips, peeled and chunked

-2 TB black soy sauce (or regular if you can’t find black)

-1/2 tsp powdered ginger

-1 tsp curry powder

-1 large onion, chopped

-pinch or so of cayenne, hot sauce, or a chile of your choosing

-couple handfuls of spinach (optional)

-few TB of butter (optional)

I did this in the slow cooker. Basically throw everything in the slow cooker except for the optional spinach and butter. Let cook for about 4-5 hours on low, depending on your crock pot. Mine runs super hot so I always cut the time. About a half hour out, throw the spinach in, and at the very tail end, throw some butter in. Totally optional, but gives it that silky yummy finish. I recommend it!!!

I am not sure where you can find massamun curry paste, but I found mine in our local Best Yet Market. But it would probably be in maybe an Asian market or any smaller market where there maybe is an Indian community?

If you try this, let me know what you think!!

Loot!

Okay, the holidays aren’t all about what you get, but come on, that’s part of what makes it fun!!! I got: 2 cookbooks, a DIY life manual of sorts (yeah, figure that out), another cast iron skillet, an iPod shuffle (my mini was 7 years old), a hoodie, a video game, a prism for the window, makeup brushes, and a train case for my makeup…I’m sure I’m forgetting something but that’s the gist.
I got a generic low carb cookbook. I won’t even bother to give the name, cuz it’s just down and dirty for  me. I’ll pick and choose. However, the other cookbook was the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. http://paleocomfortfoods.com/ We tried 3 recipes tonight. Not kidding. I did the fish tacos, the coconut flour tortillas, and the super awesome slaw (not sure if that is the name or not, but it was good!). The boys liked the fish and the slaw, but not the tortillas. Mr. Dawn was ‘meh’ on the tortillas too. I’m thinking either they’ll get used to it (they ARE different), or I can use it as a base to tweak to our preferences.

I am ready to Body Rock tomorrow! I’m getting it going. I got Just Dance 2 for the boys’ Wii, so we do that after dinner and it’s fun, but I wanna burn some calories and build some supersexy muscle! Eating has been going well, I haven’t really overdone it or gone un-primal for a few days. And that’s with chocolate in the house, people!!!! Come on, give it up! *revels in cheering*

Our Holiday Traditions….Or Attempts At Traditions ;)

Here at Primal Dawn Headquarters we take it super easy during the holidays. We don’t stress it, we don’t buy a bajillion gifts for every single person our children know, we don’t sweat cards (although we may send a few out). I find the holiday hustle and bustle that we think of as just coming with the territory as completely unnecessary! We do our shopping online where we can, we do it early, and we only get gifts for immediate family and grandparents. That’s it. It’s not that we don’t love all of you, it’s just that once we add this person, then we add that person, and Primal Dawn has a huuuuuge blended family so that can get really expensive really quick.

So, on the topic of traditions. I have to confess something. I’ve recently become pagan….ish. I don’t like labels, and I hesitate to lump myself in with a group that contains Wicca, witches, and wizards simply due to the eyebrow-raising factor. BUT….after being a spiritual nomad searching for so very long for something that spoke to me, I found paganism. More specifically, I seem to vibe to a green, earth, or even kitchen path! Buddhism spoke to me for a bit, but I found it to “hands off” for me. I like to feel like I’m one with and part of the universe, and that’s what paganism has given me. It’s simple for me: I was born of this universe and am of it, how could I not contain all of that energy and power within me? I love the naturalism and earth vibe of it. I care for the earth and am concerned with its wellbeing, which I considered tied to my wellbeing. I’m teaching my children to be kind to nature (even trees and ants!), and my oldest in particular has been very curious, which is unusual for him. He’s actually asking about rituals and we talk about nature and the circle of life. He even asked to perform a candle ritual for his class for their English studies! We lit a candle, said a few words, and meditated, then released our good intentions out into the universe to work on his class. It was very sweet, very innocent, and for once I didn’t feel uncomfortable or like I didn’t know what to say to my kid about my spirituality! I won’t push my beliefs on them, because I believe in giving knowledge and letting them decide for themselves, but if he’s curious, I will more than happily indulge him

So, this is what the holidays look like around here: Christmas Eve we just sort of hang out. Play games or whatever. J gets picked up by his dad in the morning/early afternoon and then he opens gifts with his dad’s family, and comes home late that night to enjoy Christmas morning here with us. Christmas morning, the boys get up and are allowed to dig in to their stockings while we get up and get coffee going. FYI: you wish I did your stocking for you. I always overdo it. Seriously, I have no idea of the cubic capacity of a freakin’ stocking! This year, I went so far overboard, I may have to just randomly toss odd little stocking stuffers into gift bags! It’s like the gift, and the bonus!! There have been years where I have had to just lay the extra stuff on the stairs too. Like stocking tied up to banister, with overflow spilling over to the steps.

After stockings, we go downstairs where the tree is and one of the boys (usually J) hands out presents one at a time. Then after everything is open, we all vegetate. I cook some brekkie, usually some fried potatoes with eggs. This year, I may do sausage gravy and primal biscuits. Then we commence, after the vegetating, then comes the ROTTING. WE DO NOTHING. We don’t get out of our jammies, we don’t worry about meals, we snack all day, we watch tv, we play games, we play with our new stuff, we just basically keep it chill for the whole damned day. And I love it.

This year money was a little tighter, so we had a strict budget for both boys. However, when I wrapped everything, I think we did alright! One thing I focused on this year with T-Lo was ‘active toys’. Anything to get him moving physically. I got a hippity hop, we got a zip-line for the backyard, a mini trampoline, jump rope….anything to get that boy moving his bod. When he’s active, his behavior is better and his coordination and strength improve, which are a huge issue for him. He has very poor trunk strength from his prematurity, and he has sensory integration issues which can kind of look like attention deficit, but it’s not the same. Don’t ask me how, I just know it’s not autism or attention deficit. Yet. J got his usual video games/media stuff and science toys and books! I got him prepared microscope slides and a human body model and a few board games and a sci-fi series by Isaac Asimov for younger readers.

So yes, holidays this year are good for us. We’ve also been charitable this year. We adopted a family in our community that were struggling. A family with 2 young children and a father in Afghanistan. It pains me to think that this country doesn’t take care of the men and women who sacrifice themselves for us. I know it’s not all military families, but I found one right here at home that weren’t making ends meet. So we helped. Then….just last week, T-Lo’s bus came and the bus driver and assistant were practically in tears as they told me that a little girl who rides with T-Lo’s house burned down not even 7 hours before the bus pulled up. They pulled up to the home and there was NO HOME. It was gone. I put the word out on facebook (it’s good for something!) and I ended up collecting a bin of clothing for the little girl, we donated some of my clothing for the mother, some toys, I got blankets, and a gift card. I am completely amazed at how quickly it came together and how many people helped out! Every time the bus pulls up, I give the assistant another donation. And it makes me feel good to know I’m helping out someone who lives right here in my neighborhood. And I didn’t even need to go through any charity. No overhead or agenda. I have a huge issue with certain religious charities who exclude certain groups. I don’t want my money supporting discrimination. I don’t judge those who choose to donate to religious charities, they do good, but my family chooses not to support those types of companies or charities. Secular is the way to go for us, but you may not feel the same. And that’s okay. As long as you’re helping!!

Homemade Bug Spray

I have researched a bit on bug repellant. I hate using toxic, disgusting crap on my kids and on myself. The smell makes me ill, the chemicals make me itch and give me a headache. So, I had posted a bit back on geocaching and my search for bug stuff.

The main components seem to include eucalyptus, tee tree oil, and lavender. There are variations, of course, depending on the specific buggies you are trying to avoid. The main offenders here on Long Island are ticks (including the dreaded deer tick) and moquitoes. I’ve seen cloves and cinnamon work well too. Just do a search to find what works for what you need in your area.

I tried to use baby wipes and douse them in the oils. Those were “okaaay.” But nothing to write home about. We all got a few bites.

Then I invented this recipe: Use your old olive oil sprayer (Misto is the brand I have)!!!! You’re not using it for cooking anymore, are you??? Are you? Well, you shouldn’t, because olive oil gets unstable in cooking. You should only use it raw for salads and dipping.

I put witch hazel in the Misto sprayer. I then put in tons of the oils! Pump it up and spray liberally on your kids skin and clothing, and yourself! It smells great, nobody gets ill or gets a headache and there’s no worry of some dreaded diseases coming down the pike later from DEET or whatever. Try it and let me know what you think!