Dem Bones... (chicken bones)

I have to admit I've gotten REALLY lazy about making (and drinking) bone broth as of late.

It's probably been a month or more since I've made any and really, I've consumed so much broth in the last 6 months, it was starting to make me a bit queasy.

I usually use the remnants of a chicken I've either made or purchased (thank you Costco Bachelor Chickens for being so convenient).  Most of the time though, the broth won't gel.

Why is this important, you may wonder?  Well, it's a good sign that the collagen and gelatin have leached from your carcass and are readily available for your body to utilize.  It's actually a sign of a good broth. If you get it to gel, you've done a great job.

I've found the key to getting a good gel pretty much every time is using chicken feet.

I read about it in Nourishing Traditions.

 

I was a bit off put by the idea of putting a bunch of feet in my broth.

But I went to the market in Justin's neighborhood and purchased a package of feet (this was a few years back and chicken feet are remarkably hard to find - if you are looking, check your local Asian or Hispanic market. You'll be hard pressed to find them at Safeway or Raley's).

I threw those feet in with my carcass and veggies and let it simmer away.  It didn't seem any different until it cooled down.... Chicken Jello.

Since that time, chicken jello has become a staple of my diet.  When I started AIP back in January, I was consuming broth with every meal.  I had considered GAPS, which used broth based soups for every meal, but wasn't that willing to commit.

I can say with pretty good certainty that my joint health is markedly better when I am getting a good and continuous source of gelatin and collagen.  I don't sound like a bowl of rice crispies when I move.  Lay off the broth for a while and it's back to snap, crackle and pop.

It also is a great food to soothe your intestines and help improve digestion.

But when you are drinking that much broth, it gets old. Fast.

Enter gelatin.

It blends in pretty easily to whatever I'm drinking. I add it to cold beverages, hot beverages and the like. It seems to blend in pretty easily if you add it to a small amount of room temperature liquid before adding it to hot or cold liquids. 

I'm drinking it three times a day currently to see if it has similar effects.  I'll let you know how it goes. If my knees stop making a snapping noise, I'd say we're good.  (the snapping sounds far more painful that in actually is)

I found this list at my mom's house the other day. This was the list I went to my doctor with in 2011 outlining the pain I was in (and had been in for as long as I could remember). I'm glad to say that it's 2013 and aside from the occasional flare up (usually of my shoulder or hip), I'm free of most of those symptoms. 

Might I add that I'm not taking ANY NSAIDS or anti-inflammatory medications for probably the first time in my adult life.  Through diet and lifestyle changes, I've managed to turn all of this around (though it's still hard to straighten my hair - so I don't). 

Gone Camping!

We went to Yosemite for 5 days and 4 nights and it was awesome!

Living in San Francisco has given me a new appreciation for "the woods." I grew up in "the woods" and hated going camping there (it was like camping out in the backyard). I always preferred the coast because it was a change of scenery.

I have to say there are definitely times I miss "the woods" now. Living in San Diego or Sacramento didn't make me miss it so much, but San Francisco definitely makes me feel as though I need some sort of return to nature on a regular basis.

I had only been to Yosemite once before (on a school trip with Justin) and we only got one day in the park. We decided to go back and do some exploring for our "honeymoon."

We stayed two nights at the Yosemite Bug Rustic Resort in Midpines, about an hour away from Yosemite. While driving into the park (and out) took a while - there is a place where the road was consumed by a landslide and a one lane bridge is the solution they came up with, it was totally worth it. We had a tent cabin, access to their health spa and didn't have to cook dinner or breakfast!

Normally, I wouldn't really care about cooking (I do it all the time). We did the Panorama Trail hike on Monday (8.5 miles from Glacier Point to Happy Isle).

We started here!  At Glacier Point - Elevation 7214

The view from our starting point!

Our finish point. At Happy Isles - Elevation 4000

All I can say is Eff the Mist Trail portion of the hike.  I'm not usually bothered by heights but this was sketchy, super sketchy.  There is a stretch that is a 12 inch wide staircase that has people both coming up and down with a rickety metal pole serving as a rail...... 

Once was enough... The "stairs" to the top of Vernal Falls. 

Apparently the John Muir Trail intersects near Nevada Fall, which would have taken us around the stairs of doom. We can say we did it. And once was enough!  The rest of the hike was great (about a 3200 elevation change over the course) and I got some cool photos. 

We camped two nights in the park as well. We stayed at Tuolumne Meadows camp ground and were pleasantly surprised about the "lack" of bugs.  I was sort of expecting something similar to the swarms of mosquitoes that attack a car the second it stops moving at Wright's Lake (both share similar elevations and wetland type areas).  We did use bug spray (and busted out the electric wand), but it wasn't necessary to wear a net headpiece or anything. 

We drank a lot of cold ones as one should when camping.  We took it easy. We took the shuttle (most genius feature of the park). We took pictures.  We climbed the dome across from Olmstead Point. 

We did not see any bears. That's the first thing anyone asks when they hear you've been to Yosemite.  I've seen more bears at my mom's house (and at the Folsom Street Faire). I did see a deer ford the river, a marmot and insanely tame squirrels.  I didn't see any hawks. I also didn't see much fungus. 

 

Hey guys. Look how many tricks I can do.  

Justin made a new friend. 

One of the few examples of fungus! 

One of the most exciting parts of the trip was that my beloved Sony V3 camera began working again prior to the trip.  I hadn't been able to use it for 2 years. It always said "ACCESS" when you would turn it on. I went to try one more time, and lo and behold it worked!  

I like my Panasonic T3 because of it's durability, but it doesn't take the same quality of pictures that the V3 does. I have a macro lens and wide angle lens for it and I am content to take macro photos all day long. I've had the V3 for probably close to 10 years now and nothing compares to it. It has NIGHT VISION. Seriously. 

The T3 is waterproof, shockproof and can withstand extreme temperatures.  I can take it places I would never take the V3. But the V3 takes far superior photos.  

I could go on and on forever considering the number of photos I took, but I'll save those for another post.  

AND REMEMBER: 

Tasty Foods: Zucchini Hummus

I'm tempted to run upstairs and whip up a batch of zucchini hummus just so I can take some photos for this post, but I'm out of avocados and there are no grocery stores open after 10 PM in SOMA (don't get me started on the EBAY Now ads that make ZERO sense to me.  Who goes to the park, thinks they are starting to burn and orders sun screen for delivery in about an hour????? By the time your sun screen arrives you WILL have a sunburn, I'm sorry to say.). 

Rod and Judy were awesome enough to share the recipe they served for zucchini hummus when we went over for dinner at their place the first time. I have to say, I like it more than "standard" hummus, and I really like hummus. 

Zucchini hummus is amazingly light and doesn't have the same heaviness that a bean based hummus has (though I guess you may be okay with that fullness). It's raw, it's vegan and it's delicious.  

I made two batches for our wedding. Originally I was going to make a double batch using the recipe from ibreatheimhungry, which is pretty darn delicious on it's own. It was the morning before the wedding and I had a couple of avocados that needed to be used so I decided to throw them in the mix.  

Zucchini hummus + Avocados = AMAZING!  

The original recipe is as follows.  I made it the first few times using my Ninja and it took a while to really break everything down and get it smooth.  We got a BlendTec (of Will it Blend? fame) and it made short work of the hummus (about 45 seconds).  Play with what you've got to find out how awesome this recipe is.  

It's amazing as a dip but I've also discovered how rad it goes with just about everything. Top a steak with it. Top a chicken breast with it.  Breakfast sausage?  It's delicious. 

ORIGINAL LOW CARB HUMMUS (from ibreatheimhungry.com)

Ingredients:

4 cups peeled & chopped raw zucchini

3/4 cups tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)

1 Tbl ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until thick and smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.  Pour into a shallow bowl and garnish with parsley, paprika and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.  

My modified version of this recipe swaps out the 1/4 cup of olive oil for 2 avocados.  The remaining ingredients remain the same as do the instructions.  
 
This was one of the first non-AIP foods I tried eating and it appears I can tolerate seeds (sesame paste), which made me really happy.  Cumin is technically not AIP friendly, but I was going a bit nuts and just wanted "regular" food. I haven't had any sort of noticeable reaction to this recipe, so it's in regular rotation. 
 
Speaking of AIP, I think I need to get back to being super serious about it. For days now, my sinuses have been swollen (they feel like they "pop") and I've had terrible headaches. I'm not sure if it's the pressure changes due to the rain or what, but I'm pretty miserable. Loosening up made getting through the wedding a bit easier, but I really need to isolate foods to find out what is tolerable and what is not (the sunbutter cookies I came up with last week were amazing. Hopefully they weren't the issue). 

Going Camping!

I had grandiose plans of taking a month off of work this summer to work on projects, camp, get stuff done around the house, etc.  I'm not taking the month off after all, but we did manage to book our camping trip for the summer.

We're headed back to Yosemite!

We went on the most comical trip ever with AAU a few semesters ago, but only got one day in the park (and I think it was only like 7 hours). The cast of characters was AMAZING. Three Stripes, Squirrel Girl and the lot were far more entertaining that I could have asked for.

We're going to stay at the Yosemite Bug Hostel for two nights and camp in the park for two nights. I'm pretty excited. We can take Pi with us to both locations and they have kennels at the park in the event you want to hike a trail that doesn't allow dogs!

We were talking about Half Dome until we found out about the lottery for permit system.  Every permit application requires a $4.50 "application" fee ($6.50 if you apply by phone), which is applied to your permit fee of $8 if you get chosen.  If you don't get chosen, they keep your $4.50. Best scam ever. They only allow 300 permits per day but get like 3500 applicants for each day during the summer season. It's not like $4.50 is a lot of money but with that sort of volume, that's quite the haul.

I was eaten alive by bugs at work today (not exactly sure how, but hey, it happens). My arm is all itchy and swollen, which reminded me of something I need to pack for our trip.

In the last few years, I have been reacting terribly to bug bites to the point of having to go to urgent care because my leg was so swollen and red. It happens every 6 months or so. I'm not sure if they are some sort of mutant man eating bugs or what, but it's utterly miserable when it happens.

The first time it happened was at my brother's apartment. The second time, at Justin's. The third time, at Yosemite.  The last couple of times it has happened, I thought to put Aztec Secret Healing Clay on it.

Night and day difference.

Before, I'd spend a week or two all puffy and itchy and burning.  Using the Aztec Secret, the itching, swelling and burning went down in a matter of days.

I will definitely be taking some (along with apple cider vinegar) on our camping trip.  As much as I loved an excuse to barefoot at Yosemite (my ankle was so swollen that I couldn't wear my boot or having my pant leg touch my skin), I've become a bit of a tenderfoot living in San Francisco. It's far too dirty to barefoot here.

Aside from wicked, nasty bug bites it's also great for a bunch of other uses as well.  The first (and most obvious) is a facial mask (or any body part that needs a mask).  It really draws out the impurities.  The label exclaims "feel your face pulsate!"  I'm not entirely sure that's how I want my face to feel, but my skin looks fantastic most of the time. It's also supposed to help tighten and tone your skin. It could be placebo effect, but my skin looks and feels tighter to me after using it. 

Another use I found for it is making my own toothpaste or tooth powder. I stopped using commercial toothpaste quite some time ago.  Even Tom's of Maine because it was too hard to find a fluoride free toothpaste (Check out FAN for information on the negative impact of fluoride). I originally started making my own toothpaste for my brother to try to help remineralize his teeth.  My teeth felt pretty clean and I was happy not having to put more fluoride in my body. 

The toothpaste recipe I was using was a bit weird tasting (it featured Dr. Bronner's castile soap), so I started making tooth powder using baking soda, cinnamon, ground sage and Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay.  Sage has whitening properties and cinnamon just tastes good :)

It's a little weird brushing with a powder, but once you get used to it, it's not that bad. My teeth feel clean pretty much all of the time. 

Aztec Secret Healing Indian Healing clay is super economical and has a variety of uses. I purchased the 2 lb container more than a year ago and still have about half the container. I use it as a mask about once a week and on itchy scratchy skin when it's needed. 

We Are Finally Married!

I've been married a full week as of today!

Justin and I managed to pull together our wonderful wedding (with some help from some wonderful people!). We hit a few bumps along the way, but it ended up being a WONDERFUL time enjoyed by all.

We got married on Blind Beach (which may look familiar - it's the beach from the final scene of The Goonies).

The Goonies!

Our Wedding! 

I've always loved this beach, even before I realized it was the same beach as The Goonies. My family has been coming here for 20 years when we go on family camp outs.  We always stayed at Cassini Ranch, my brothers and I all had our first coffee at Gold Coast Coffee (I still drive there to buy my beans and my mom drives 3 hours each way to get hers!) and we go out here to remember my brother, Jesse, each year.

Justin and Cody went to the beach the day before the wedding to create a path that was more easily accessible so our grandfathers could make down to the beach (my gramps is 90!).  The morning of the wedding, Justin, Cody, Tre, and Nick went out and moved drift wood to make "pews".

Do Work!

It all went by so fast!  We made it through the ceremony and were taking pictures when the ranger showed up. Not sure what they said, but they bought us a bit of time to take more pictures before we needed to break it up.

Kerry (r) and Tre (l) handling things. 

As if the beautiful beach wasn't enough, this is where we had our reception.

The Raford Inn - Healdsburg, CA

Our wedding party and reception were hosted by The Raford Inn and I can't say enough about how awesome everything was. Dane and Rita are amazing hosts and their staff were delightful and so helpful. The property is immaculately maintained and the rooms are charming and comfortable. We had a wonderful time with our friends and families

Ultimately, I think I overplanned a bit (made some wonderful signs and decorations that didn't get used), but I'd rather over plan then under plan.

I'm going to do a post on The HeART of the Rogue Rabbit featuring the full stationary suite we developed for the event, including the super awesome 3D printed Save The Dates. I'm almost done with the Thank You cards that complete the full suite.

Thanks to everyone that came out and celebrated with us (and extra special thanks to those whose help was indispensable).

You want my hands to go where?

I've likely mentioned this before, but I am shocked at the lack of flexibility in most of the kids I work with.  The kids that take gymnastics or hip hop seem to be somewhat more flexible, but the bulk of these kids can't touch their toes!

I was a chubby kid.  I wasn't really active (I'd much rather spend my afternoon with a book or a drawing pad than playing a sport or something like that).  I wanted to do gymnastics, I remember being really discouraged when the instructor told me I was too tall.  My mom tried to force me into softball in junior high. That didn't last long (I think I made it through 2 or 3 practices). I wanted to take ballet, but we didn't have the money.

But even with all of those things going against my athletic prowess, I was flexible.

I don't remember ever having a time I couldn't touch my toes. I don't ever remember saying it hurt trying to reach those toes.

I sure as heck never said "I think I threw my back out".

Starting back at spring break, I've been trying to do yoga with the kids at least a couple of times a week.  When we were doing it regularly (2-3 times a week), I saw a marked difference in their ability to practice.  Not necessarily the physical side of it (still not a lot of toe touching going on), but in the mental side of things.

The first few sessions were disasters; everyone touching each other, rolling around on the floor, interrupting me, laughing at the poses.

After the first week, the kids started settling into the routine. They even started asking for yoga.  I'm not doing anything wild and crazy with them. Just some simple sun salutations and breathing (they love dragon breath and trying to do ujjayi breathing).

Trying to get this practice in with the kids is two fold for me.

First, it is a great opportunity to teach the kids to be present and mindful.

Secondly, it is allowing me to ease back into a practice. I had to give up yoga in 2010 when my shoulder problems became so bad it hurt to move my arm. I have been told I will never be able to do yoga again.

In the before time, my plan was to be a yoga instructor and freelance artist/designer with a small organic farm.

There was a time this was NOT a problem for me.

It's been 3 years. I'm managing my inflammation issues through diet, orthopaedic massage and acupuncture.  I am now able to complete several sun salutations. I take it slow and easy. I know I have to respect the limits of my shoulder.

Even 3 years out of practice though, I can still touch my toes. And the kids seemed shocked to see that. There was a lot of "look! she's touching the floor!"

Hopefully I can help the kids reach the floor. And beyond.

Yoga has been such a vital part of my life after stumbling upon a class at my gym when I was 20. It crushed me to give it up, but even that was a teaching tool. I learned about being gentle with my self. I learned to respect my body and what it is saying. Between taking time out of my life to care for my brother (the best choice I could have made - also in 2010) and my injury, I learned to slow down. Other than a paycheck, there is no reward for endless hours at work being miserable. Were it not for my injury, I don't think I would have reached that place. I would likely still be working (out) like a mad woman and pushing my self to go, go, go.

As counter-intuitive as it seems, try slowing down. Skip your P90X or Insanity for a while. Go for a long walk. Connect with nature and your self.  Take a break from the punishment of chronic cardio.  And listen to what your body is telling you.

Waging a war.......... on YOU

I've been really terrible at updating the blog lately.

I've been busy with work, school, wedding prep and projects.

We finally got the invitations done and mailed out.  It was the perfect excuse for me to buy a craft cutter and now I just need to find enough time to work on .svg files for paper crafting as well as creating jewelry designs and finishing out the semester :)

I've noticed that weight loss/health has taken sort of an angry path these days.  Everyone is intent on getting ripped, demolishing fat, getting their asses kicked, etc. I'm not sure why every woman thinks they need to get below 20% body fat and needs six pack abs. I really don't want to "kill it", whatever "it" may be. I'm sick of the screaming commercials for some new ass kicking workout.

Does it really have to be that way?

Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with being strong.  I don't think there's anything wrong with being muscular. I've worked plenty of jobs in my life that required me to be strong.  But really, do we need to look like body builders (I've always been rather grossed out by them personally).

Is this necessary? Or attractive?

I'm not sure what people are into killing, but if killing it equals the above, I'll let it live.

I have to say if I've learned anything in the last 3 years its to be gentle with myself.  I didn't get that principle in all the years I did yoga. I pushed myself to be the most flexible in a class. I pushed myself as hard as I could. Which is totally NOT what yoga is about. I pushed my body by working out 3 hours a day, 7 days a week.

My shoulder injury has taught me to be gentle with myself. I have learned my limits. I may not like my limits all of the time, but I accept them.

I don't need to destroy fat. I don't need to punish myself for my food choices by spending an extra hour at the gym if I eat something "bad". Hell, my entire diet is "bad" by the standards of most of the diet industry. I eat fat. Lots of fat.  I eat protein, a pretty good amount of protein. I eat veggies, probably more than I ever did as a vegetarian in my youth.

As much as it pained me, I threw out everything I thought I new about health and fitness and I've changed my life for the better. Without supplements. Without shakes. Without punishing my body. Without punishing my spirit.

Take a second to think about it before you wage another war with yourself.  Take a second to think about being gentle and kind to yourself.  It might make all the difference in your life and in the world. Our lives are full of enough crap - everyone's a warrior, everything needs to be destroyed, killed, ripped, etc.

Think about the impact those words have. Affect a positive change in your mind and you will see positive changes in your body.