Autoimmune Paleo: Week 3

The Toughest Week So Far

I was hungry our first week, cautiously optimistic our second week, and then there was this week. Our first two weeks on AIP were busy, challenging, but fruitful. I felt like every day I was learning how to navigate life without our old beloved recipes. I was researching, growing in my knowledge of autoimmune diseases, and creating an action plan. We were eating organ meats, drinking tons of water, getting our homemade bone broth in, and eating fermented foods. I was so proud!

And then I got my wisdom teeth removed.

This past week was overwhelming. I reacted really badly to my wisdom teeth procedure. There was swelling, nausea, inability to eat, pain, tears in the middle of the night, tears in the middle of the day, bruising, and eventually an infected socket. So, you might say, AIP was the last thing on my mind.

However, my sweet man bore it like a champ. He took care of me, went on grocery store runs to get me soft foods (because we had nothing in the house that I wanted/needed), and he stuck to the AIP diet on his own all week.

I don’t really know how he did it. I do know he ate a lot of sweet potatoes, tough cuts of meat, and chicken. Other than that, I can’t really tell you. I sat on one couch carefully spoon-feeding myself some more chicken broth, and he sat on another couch eating his AIP meal.

WHAT SAVED US THIS WEEK

My family: I was tearfully texting my Mom one night, about four days after the wisdom teeth surgery, and she asked if she and my sis could come over and clean up our apartment. Now, due to the fact that I had done nothing but cry, sleep, and eat chicken broth for a week, and Saia had been pulling twelve hour days at work our apartment was a disaster zone. There were lots of dirty dishes, tons of clothes, and all manners of disarray. As much as it hurt my pride for my Mom and sis to see our apartment this way I was just too overwhelmed that my pride was willing to take a hit in order to get a leg up on life again. While I was trying to push through my first ten hour day of work, and still nursing a sore jaw, my Mom and sis were cleaning the apartment like the beautiful fairy godmothers they are. When I got home after work, the apartment shimmered with cleanliness, candles, fresh towels, and clean plates. There was even supper cooking in the crockpot. I can’t even express the level of comfort this gesture was to me.

Saia’s ability to subsist on scanty amounts of food: I really don’t know how my hardworking man made it this week, but he did. There were some days all he packed for lunch was a couple pieces of fruit. He has been working twelve hour days six days a week this week. He must have been hungry a lot, but he pushed through. He never once complained or wavered from AIP.

RECIPES THAT SUCCEEDED

Due to my inability to do anything other than lie on the couch and watch Gilmore Girl reruns, I did not do hardly any cooking this week. So I have very few recipes to speak of. Yesterday, for the first time, I had a bit of energy to make a meal, and it was very successful

The “Real Deal” AIP Biscuits: Hubs and I have both really missed bread on this diet, and I have missed baking! Even though I tried and failed at making AIP pancakes (read that story here) I decided to try my hand at biscuits. This recipe was phenomenal. So good, in fact, that I am going to be purchasing some more cassava flour in order to make this a weekly staple. I didn’t have any lard on hand so I used some beef tallow (that my Mom had rendered) instead. So yummy. As soon as the pan came out of the oven I snarved three biscuits with honey drizzled on top down.

Roast with ‘Shrooms, Celery, and Green Onions: I took cut up a roast, and added mushrooms, celery, green onions and assorted spices. I put all these ingredients into my dutch oven and added some water and cooked it for a few hours. Then we ate the roast alongside the biscuits (with the sauce drizzled over the top) and salad. SO yummy.

HUBBY’S PSORIASIS

I can’t say we really noticed that much of a difference this week, but from what I’ve been reading about psoriasis, it can really take some time to heal from the inside out, and that patience is a key factor in healing. I love quick fixes, but I just keep reminding myself that we are in this for the long run, and that healing takes time.

GOALS FROM LAST WEEK

• Make sauerkraut: NOPE. I really had much grander goals then I should have considering the wisdom tooth thing. I guess I just thought I would have all this time on my hands to tool around the apartment to clean, ferment, and bake. I wasn’t prepared for being flat on my back in pain for five days. So, no, suarkraut got made.
• Eat organ meats 3x: Nope.
• Make some sort of carob ice cream or snack: We do have the carob powder! But it did not get opened.
• Bake something (anything!) with the cassava flour and arrowroot: Yes, yes, and YES! I made the biscuit recipe which called for cassava flour!!

Goals for Next Week

• Ferment something…anything!
• Bottle the kombucha
• Make and freeze some bone broth
• Make gummies
• Go on a walk with hubs

THREE WEEKS DOWN!

Somehow, with a lot of help, we made it through this week. Whew. I am so hopeful that every day I’ll feel a bit more like myself, and maybe this week I will get a few things fermented!