so... maybe you've noticed a trend in my recipes lately. what's with the grain free food? and squash? why are some labeled "gaps friendly"? allow me to explain! i am currently eating a certain way to heal my gut (gut = the intestinal tract), and i am using GAPS as my guide. you heard right! i am willingly giving up grains and sugar. (don't worry, it's temporary!) i am making yogurt and sauerkraut and bone broth. i spend my day dreaming of fermented foods to try. do i sound like a weirdo yet? ok. just wait. it gets even better! but first, i better explain some stuff.

GAPS stands for "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" and is a healing protocol that you can follow anywhere from a few months to 2 years in order to heal chronic disease, severe allergies, or mental illness. (paraphrased from Kendahl of our nourishing roots) it was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a neurologist and neurosurgeon who sought an answer for her son who was diagnosed as severely autistic. thanks to her research, he is now cured.

basically, the idea behind the GAPS diet is that gut health = whole health. i was completely floored when i encountered this concept. our digestion affects our whole system, even our brain chemistry! duh! it makes sense that what we put in our bodies would affect how they run. those little bacteria (flora) in your intestine? they are hugely, so hugely important! they make sure we digest our food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxins. if the good bacteria aren't healthy and thriving and outweighing the bad, we have trouble, my friends. poor digestion. toxic build up. a compromised immune system. a perfect setting for health problems. i like to think of it this way: "All diseases begin in the gut" (Hippocrates said that. i just quoted Hippocrates! who am i?!) once i understood the concept of the gut being the "second brain" of the body, everything made so much sense!


how did i get started with GAPS? oh wow. after so many hours and hours of research on a thousand subjects! once you start pouring your life -and food- into a tiny baby, you really think differently (extra carefully) about your health. you pay attention to stuff. i had to take an antibiotic this summer, and for me, it only took that one antibiotic to realize how important gut flora is. i just knew something was off inside me. looking back, i now know that i have not had a healthy gut (a proper bacterial balance) for years. (here's a list of symptoms involved with yeast imbalance.) i had heard of GAPS through some of my favorite blogs, but i believe it was this post on the nourishing gourmet that gave me the push to do it.

so, what do you guys think? do you think i am completely mad? i don't even know how weird i sound anymore. i am so into all this stuff. i just talk about it like it's normal. you know, guts and stuff. i could talk about it all day! it is absolutely fascinating to me. are you bored? are you still here?! are you sick of me talking about health nut stuff? who wants to come over to my house and make kefir?! 

but seriously, i think i will come back later and tell you some of my thoughts on how GAPS is going and what i actually eat. if that's okay. (i know it's okay, because it's my little blog and you guys are so nice!) 

so i made these pancakes at 2:30 in the afternoon. yes, i was flipping pancakes at such an hour. it felt strange. pancakes for breakfast? sweet! like on snow days and stuff? yes. pancakes for dinner? of course. like all the time! pancakes at 2:30? ...weird. but let's face it, the batter was sitting in the fridge, i was hungry, my husband wouldn't be home for another 7 hours, my baby was content outside my arms, umm.. i already knew how good they were, and therefore: i was having pancakes! strike while the cast iron is hot, guys. (and please do cook these in a cast iron. mmm.)

so would you like to play a game?
if you circled "f" in your imagination, you are correct!



butternut pancakes (grain free!)

2 cups cooked butternut squash*
8 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

combine all ingredients in a blender or mixing bowl with a hand mixer. grease a cast iron pan with coconut oil and bring to low-ish medium heat. not too hot, now. use a large spoon to pour small dollops of batter (not much bigger than coin-size) in the pan. wait to try to flip until bubbles appear on top and pancake is clearly a cohesive cake :) enjoy immediately or place on a cookie sheet in a 200-degree oven until ready to eat. or toast them when ready! i call them "toasty butternut" for a reason. i toast mine. so good.

makes about 16 small pancakes.
top with butter, maple syrup, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
these taste sweet enough to me, but if you have a sweet tooth you may want a tablespoon or two of honey in the batter.

rich and creamy and way easier than you think. it took me exactly two minutes to make!
i can spare two minutes to get a jar of i-know-exactly-what's-in-this mayo.

now two things before you start.
1) set your egg on the counter a couple hours ahead of time. a room temperature egg will ensure the mayo gets properly whisked and thickened.
2) i have read that macadamia nut oil is perfect for making mayonnaise because of its mild flavor, but i used olive oil. because who keeps macadamia nut oil in their lazy susan?

homemade mayonnaise
2 raw egg yolks*
1 cup of oil
sea salt to taste
lemon juice to taste
dash of vinegar, mustard, herbs, or garlic

add your room temperature egg to a food processor or blender, turn on, and start pouring the oil in.. slowly, slowly. take at least a full minute to pour the entire cup in. mayo should be looking thick, and will thicken a bit more in the fridge. add salt and lemon and seasonings to taste at the end. store in a glass jar in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
use on sandwiches and burgers, in deviled eggs, for making chicken salad, or with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce.

*if you can, please use a pastured egg from a trusty source! raw yolks are super healthy and safe when coming from a pastured egg. hop over here to read about pastured vs. free-range eggs. happily, we have found a few local farmers who supply us with eggs every week!

hello, hello, hello!
sorry i've been gone so long.
there has been lots of stuff.
enough said. right? because i've got recipes to share with you and life to update on!

so awhile back someone sent me a formspring asking about the challenges of being a new mom. one challenge i ran into is the concept of "normal." the first few months i had to realize- things are not going to get back to normal. there is a new normal. normal now includes a baby! how awesome is that? and now that we're almost 5 months into it i have reached the point where i've stopped waiting for and wondering what our "regular days" will be like and just started living my day. are you wondering what it's like? okay good, because i want to write it down. someday i will be glad i did.

wake up
somewhere between 5:30 and 7:30 am ish. 
(depending on if Hadley hears daddy leave for early morning basketball practice.)
we bring her upstairs to our room to nurse and sing the good morning song.
while she's eating, i use the iPad for my devotions and a bit of Spurgeon. 
we like to watch dad get ready for school, check facebook, play words with friends.
we'll usually find a good youtube video to watch while mom gets dressed. 
if she woke up on the early side she might go back to her crib for some "finishing" sleep. 
(rare and awesome!)

daytime
we head downstairs for the day.
Hadley hangs out pretty happy on the floor or in her exersaucer for a few minutes while i scamper around the house opening shades, taking probiotics, putting dishes away, washing my face, etc.
i hold her on my hip while scrambling eggs. 
we go to her room to get her changed and outfitted and usually play on the floor a little bit.
we pray about the day, sing our favorite songs.
we walk around and visit all the mirrors in the house, because that is cool.

we spend the rest of the day before daddy comes home singing songs (lots and lots), walking around the house while mommy tries to do one-handed things, nursing, bouncing, blowing bubbles, watching mom eat with much fascination, talking about silly things, looking in mirrors, smiling and sucking on fists, rolling over, getting new diapers, napping in mommy's lap, sitting in the bumbo or 'saucer if mom needs both hands in the kitchen, more nursing, iPad playing, dancing to a pandora station... and then daddy comes home! yay! 

evening
most days daddy has errands to run around town, so Hadley gets to ride along with him. (yay! carseat!) and while they are out and about mommy gets to have both hands to work! 
i put on some jazzy music, clean up the kitchen and make dinner. 
chopping carrots to bing crosby is a fave.
Hadley and Grant get home and the little girl may be taking a cat nap, if the drive was long enough.
we catch a bit of the evening news, talk about our days, eat dinner- most of the time Hadley will sit pretty happily in her bumbo seat on the table with us now, just watching us stuff our faces.


between 7 and 8 pm the little girl gets ready for bed: cleaned up, changed, and pajama-ed in her room. such a happy girl! she loves this time of day. mom and dad do, too. she's super "talkative" and smiley. we sing "goodnight ladies," mommy reads goodnight moon, make ridiculous noises, and play "1, 2, 3, yay!" (daddy makes up fun games.)

nighttime
we head over to the couch. Hadley gets swaddled and nestled into mommy's arms for one last nurse before bed. mom and dad might watch parks & rec while she is drifting off... and then daddy carries her to her crib. she is usually in bed, monitor turned on, by 9 o'clock ish. and she will sleep all night long. praise the Lord!


i head to the kitchen to clean up dinner, wipe the counters, prep stuff for tomorrow, put meat in the fridge to thaw or a pot of broth on the stove to simmer overnight, eat a snack, get a load of laundry started or do some folding and putting away. sometimes grant and i have business to take care of like making Christmas lists and shopping on amazon and talking about Thanksgiving (yay!), so after Hadley is in bed we meet on the couch for things like that. 
then we grab our water glasses, phones, iPad, pump, laundry, (some nights we have to make two trips) and head upstairs to brush teeth and sleep so we can start all over! 

and that is a normal day.
it's pretty lovely.
i am thankful for every minute of it.