Psoriasis journey: days 20&21

Oh my goodness, it has been one crazy roller coaster of a week. Little Bug was sick, then the hubby, then, little man - all with some sort of a 24-hour stomach bug, then a play date before school started up, then school starting up, then I came down with the same stomach bug, then a day with an unending migraine, then the hubs had an all day migraine today, now it's evening, the kids are asleep, and I'm ready to turn in, and it's only 9:30! And, I think that was the longest sentence ever.

But, there are things this week God has helped me to be thankful for: a dog who cleans up chunky vomit, so all I'm left to clean up is the stain; the little girl who doesn't like to cuddle, cuddling because she's sick; friends who come over to chat and the sun shining, so our kids could play happily outside together; school starting, so little man and I get to play by ourselves without big sister; school starting, so I only had one kiddo to deal with while I felt like constantly vomiting - and this one loves cuddles and sleeping with mommy in the recliner; and finally a wonderful husband who took care of the kids, the dog and the house while I was totally incapacitated.

With all that being said, I did manage to at least keep track of my meal plan this week. I'm a bit down in the dumps though, as their seems to be new patches erupting on my forehead this morning. I didn't really stray at all this week from the plan, except I've not been drinking kombucha in the evenings, as I've been waiting for my batch to finish fermenting. Tomorrow, I will be back on the slippery elm bark tea as well, as I've had a few weeks off like the book suggested. And my new batch of tea should be done as well.

Hmmm... I just looked over this past weeks meal plan and realized the last few days I have eaten a lot of wheat. I had mostly cut wheat out and replaced it with spelt, but with being ill, I just ate what was on hand. I am wondering if wheat is a contributing factor to my new spots. I will have to cut it out and see.

Without further ado, here is this weeks' meal plan(keep in mind their was a play date in there and a few days of illness, so it's not the greatest):

Breakfast - pumpkin muffin with cream cheese.
Lunch - sandwich on whole wheat bread with turkey, lettuce, and pickle.
Dinner - grilled chicken with pineapple, turkey sausage, and apple phyllo tart.

Brunch - millet with maple syrup.
Dinner - mixed green salad with white cheddar cheese, black olives, walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, and ranch dressing.
Evening beverage - kombucha orange flavored.

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - mixed green salad with white cheddar cheese, black olives, walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, and ranch dressing.
Dinner - pulled lamb Hawaiian style with sautéed cabbage and brown rice.

Breakfast - spelt waffles with butter and maple syrup.
Lunch - popcorn, waffles and ice cream.
Dinner - ravioli with butter and Parmesan cheese, steamed cabbage, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Breakfast - spelt waffles with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Lunch - apples and pineapple.
Dinner - over easy egg and toast with a bite of sausage.

Breakfast - nothing.
Lunch - slice of whole wheat bread.
Dinner - whole wheat crackers and a glass of lemon water.

Breakfast - millet with a bit of maple syrup.
Dinner - flatbread pizza with mozzarella cheese, black olives, and green olives.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Philippians 2:14-15

Psoriasis journey: days 18&19

These last few days I have had a hard time following the plan to the letter. I have had a bit too much meat and not near enough veggies. Too much celebrating my birthday and not enough healthy eating, oh and I can't forget the bits of white flour. Although, it was unbleached. And then this weekend is Labor Day weekend, and we have a BBQ on Sunday and holiday Monday.

Nothing else too fancy going on, so here's the last two days' menu plan:

Breakfast - bacon and mushroom omelette.
Lunch - whole wheat chicken stuffed pitta with spinach, black olives, broccoli, mushrooms, and balsamic vinaigerette.
Dinner - ground lamb and rice with chocolate torte for dessert.
Evening beverage - kombucha lime flavor.

Brunch - puff pastry braid with bacon and eggs.
Dinner - pizza with black olives, green olives, mushroom, bacon and mozzarella cheese and chicken.
Evening beverage - kombucha tea orange flavor.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Psoriasis journey: days 16&17

Had a good birthday today, until I came home from dropping of dinner to a friend and found vomit all over the couch, the floor, and cushions. And then there was more, and it continued on for the rest of the evening. I am so thankful for my dog though, as he loves to lick up vomit. Of course there was still a bit of cleanup with my handy bottle of vinegar and a towel, but way better than cleaning up chunks.

Had a great birthday dinner last night. My amazingly wonderful hubby arranged for a sitter and took me out to a fancy restaurant. We had a fabulous gourmet meal. Seared scallops, duck breast, and a lovely glass of wine, just to give a hint. It's been such a fabulous birthday week: first a new camera, bowling with my kiddos, ice cream maker in the mail, date day with the hubby, and then dinner last night. It's been a wonderful, incredible week.

And to top it all off, I have definitely seen improvement in the patches. Although, I have been slacking on the plan these last few days. But, I haven't eaten any night shades! Maybe a tad to few many sweets and not enough veggies, but no night shades.

With that being said, here's the meal plans from the last two days:

Breakfast - spelt pancakes with butter, maple syrup, and ice cream(loving the new ice cream maker)!
Lunch - lamb burger on whole wheat bun with white cheddar cheese, blue corn tortilla chips, vanilla bean ice cream with a tad bit of banana pudding(we had a bbq with some friends today).
Dinner - leftover steak and a bit more ice cream(I've got to make sure all the ice cream gets eaten before it goes bad ;-)
Evening beverage - orange flavored kombucha.

Breakfast - over easy eggs and sausage.
Lunch - grilled chicken salad with feta, walnuts, apples, red onions and an apple vinaigrette dressing.
Dinner - seared scallops with garlic sauce and sea veggies, stout and molasses muffin bread,  pan fried duck breast, butternut squash purée, broccoli, honey roasted carrots, and sweet potato fries, with a glass of Riesling.
Dessert - homemade chocolate tart with pecan nut crust.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Psoriasis journey: days 14 & 15

I missed yet another day, but for good reason this time. Yesterday, I got an early birthday present in the mail, an ice cream maker!!! I spent the evening making some delicious vanilla bean ice cream. I have been trying to upload the pictures I took, but my computer skills seem to be lagging at nearly midnight.

I will share the recipe I used though.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
900 ml cream (non-UHT or raw if you can find it)
500 ml whole milk (unhomogenized if you can find it, raw is even better)
1/2 cup ground sucanat or maple syrup (I used the sucanat plus a dash of the maple syrup)
3 free range egg yolks
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 teaspoon arrowroot/tapioca starch/cornstarch (optional to give ice cream a bit more thickness)
1 vanilla bean - scraped down

Mix all the ingredients and make ice cream according to machine directions. Boom! Scrummy, delicious vanilla bean ice cream!

And here are the menus for the last two days:

Breakfast - millet with butter and maple syrup
Snack - apple
Lunch - Cod and a soft boiled egg.
Dinner - broccoli soup with cheese and ham

Breakfast - spelt pancakes with butter, maple syrup, and ice cream(loving the new ice cream maker)!
Lunch - lamb burger on whole wheat bun with white cheddar cheese, blue corn tortilla chips, vanilla bean ice cream with a tad bit of banana pudding(we had a bbq with some friends today).
Dinner - leftover steak and a bit more ice cream(I've got to make sure all the ice cream gets eaten before it goes bad ;-)
Evening beverage - orange flavored kombucha.

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

Psoriasis journey: day 13

I am a day behind yet again. It seems the only time I can be sure to write my posts on time is when I stay up to all hours of the night after everyone has fallen asleep. I shall be brief and just post the meal plan for yesterday: Breakfast - plain cheerios with milk and honey (I know this is not exactly an approved food, but it was easiest, and what the kids were eating.) Lunch - apple. Dinner - spelt pasts with a white cream sauce. Evening beverage - kombucha. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3-4

Psoriasis journey: day 12

Today is the first day my psoriasis has actually been painful. There are a couple patches on my torso, one of which is about the size of a half dollar, and anytime fabric rubs up against them, there is instant pain. The largest patch has even started bleeding a bit. I have some lotion I make specifically for the kiddos' dry skin, and I have seen some improvement through applying it. The lotion is shea butter creamed with jojoba oil and a few drops of lavender and German chamomile essential oils. I am so thankful it has brought some relief. I am still waiting on the hubby to help take some more pictures to see the healing progress I have made if any. I definitely feel like the skin is healing, but it's hard to tell since I look at my skin every day. I want to write up a healing progress post with pictures very soon. I find making time to write such a post is the hard part. But soon, I promise. :-) Here is the menu for today: Breakfast - slippery elm bark tea and two eggs over easy and half a waffle. Snack - apple. Lunch - sweet potato mash. Dinner - spinach salad with olives, cucumbers, mushrooms, broccoli, pancetta, feta cheese, and a small piece of cod with a balsamic vinegar dressing. Evening beverage - kombucha tea. For the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:8

Psoriasis journey: days 10&11

The last few days have been busy, and I've gotten behind with my posts. This is a catch up post for the last two days. The spots on my torso and hips seem to be fading quite nicely. I'm am also noticing fading along my hairline. I took picture last week and want to take some more today to show my healing. I can definitely tell the skin cell growth is slowing down in certain patches, most noticeably at the hairline. Hubby got me a new camera for my birthday, so I'm hoping to figure out how to use it soon and start posting pictures. Yesterday was a tough day in avoiding food. Hubby had the day off, so we were out about and ended up eating lunch out. We went to a made to order sandwich shop who also serves fries. It was a struggle to not eat any, especially since they are one of my favorite foods. It was even harder to explain to Bug why mommy can't eat French fries anymore. I found the hardest part about ordering was finding something new to eat on the menu. My go to sandwich at his particular restaurant is a buffalo chicken wrap. So, I went with just plain chicken with provolone cheese, but then I didn't know what sauce to get. I think that is a very diffficult thing to figure when dining out. There is no way of knowing just what goes into sauces and condiments. I ended up eating mine plain which was a little bland, but worth not interrupting the healing process. Here's the menu breakdown for the last two days: Breakfast - spelt pancakes with butter and maple syrup Snack - apple Lunch - avocado, cucumbers, grapes, and white cheddar cheese(usually once a week we have a day where lunch is whatever I can find in the trudge. We call it mush mash lunch day). Snack - apple Dinner - pan fried fish with whole wheat bread crumb crust, black beans, spinach, and avocado all in a whole wheat tortilla with lime juice squeezed over. Evening beverage - chamomile tea and fresh squeezed apple juice with a lemon. Breakfast - spelt waffled with butter and maple syrup (special request by hubs for his day off). Lunch - grilled chicken, provolone cheese, lettuce, black olives, and pickle on a whole wheat tortilla. Dinner - yogurt and granola. Evening beverage - orange/lime flavored kombucha. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7