#gapsintro

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{ #gapsspain } || source: gapsmeals

[unfuckmygut]

Bone Broth Recipe

There are many ways to make a beneficial bone broth to heal and seal the gut. This is my favorite, and I vary it by changing up vegetables as I receive them from my CSA or what I have on hand. I make this recipe with beef, lamb, turkey, and pork bones. Can also be made well with fish and chicken carcasses! Basically, what makes this recipe taste better than the others I have tried is the ROASTING of the bones!

Almost any butcher, even at grocery stores, will hook you up with marrow bones. The key for gut health is to ask for grass fed or pastured only meat (except fish of course!) Grass fed red meat is naturally leaner than grain-fed beef. Omega 3s in beef that feed on grass is 7% of the total fat content, compared to 1% in grain-only fed beef. Grass-fed beef has the recommended ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats (3:1.) It is loaded with other natural minerals and vitamins, plus it's a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of immune disorders. And, you want to make sure it is 100% pastured- no grain finishing to fatten them up!

if you're in or near to Oregon, you cannot go wrong with Rudio Creek Ranch who sells very reasonably priced beef in packs, by whole or part cow, and even sells bags of the best marrow bones I've ever seen.

INGREDIENTS

beef marrow bones- a few big ones (I just grab enough to kind of partially fill up the bottom of my crockpot)

2-3 big red onions, quartered (vital for tasting like something)

4-8 cloves minced garlic (play around with amounts, can make broth bitter if cooking for a long time or making "infinity broth")

1-2 TBSP olive oil

filtered water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (This is seriously MOST important as it helps to leach minerals from the bones.)

Optional- parsnips (can sweeten), a carrot or two, celery, shallot, seasonings like oregano. A sprig or two of rosemary will make the broth smell in your house nicer, and it will add a powerful punch of flavor to the broth as well!

Also Optional: salt & pepper (I don't add any while cooking the broth so that I can use it more universally in other recipes. So, if just drinking broth I add salt and pepper to taste. Adding smoked salt is delicious!)

INSTRUCTIONS

ROASTING

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place bones and veggies on a baking sheet and thoroughly coat in olive oil. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes until you see just a bit of browning which will yield some color and flavor.

SIMMERING

When roasting is finished, place all ingredients from the oven into a slow cooker. Add the apple cider vinegar, then cover all of it with water. Bring to a boil, then switch it to lowest/warm setting. Simmer for a minimum of eight hours and up to forever. OK- I'll explain that forever part next!

HARVESTING

I like to use a combination of a large glass measuring cup, metal mesh strainer, and a Pyrex pouring bowl to harvest my broth.  I simply scoop out the water with the measuring cup and pour it through the strainer into the bowl. Then, re-straining if needed, I pour the broth from the bowl into freezer safe mason jars or freezer safe containers of some kind. A disc of smooth, whit fat will rise to the top. This fat is super beneficial, so use it. If you don't drink it, then cook with it! Also, that fat creates a naturally protective barrier/seal to the broth that helps keep it fresher longer. Under that seal of tallow, there should be a nice, thick gelatin broth concentrate that you can heat up and even add water to later. It will keep in the fridge for about a week- longer if you reboil it, and for months in the freezer.

INFINITY BROTH

If you want to either make a marathon batch of broth from the same bones, or just keep this around all of the time, you can have a continuous broth going. Those bones and connective tissue you have there have something to offer until they are pretty much falling apart and melting away into powder. Granted, the first and second run stuff is the thickest and best, but the remaining broth is fantastically healthful, and it is great for making other soups and recipes. So, the way I do this is by harvesting as much as I can from the slow cooker without removing the bones. Then, I add more apple cider vinegar and water. Voila! As you go, you can get a feel for it and play around with replacing the veggies, adding a bone or two, taking one out as you notice it not having any marrow and tissue left, etc. And, be careful with your veggies when doing infinity broth. Some, like garlic and root veggies will turn the broth bitter somewhere between hour 24 and 36.

AND, one more thing- I also love to keep a covered ice cube tray filled with broth cubes to cook with and add a little extra flavor to greens.

[unfuckmygut]

OK, here is a sheet (and an example of my first couple of days) you might like that can be used to both plan out meals and use as a diary for GAPS Intro. (I was going to post my diary, but realized it's pretty much a repeat of this post everyday!) You can see, also based on my planning posts, that after making MONSTER batches of soup and half-cooked hamburger patties, that I simply grabbed a jar and a patty here and there and ate them whenever I was hungry. Add in a lot of broth and growing amounts of kraut and pickles, and voila! Weeks 1-3 of intro commenced for me. (Reminder- I cannot eat chicken or eggs- if you can, then you should!)

Also, if it's easier- here it is as a PDF for you to download!

[unfuckmygut]

21 Days of GAPS Intro & Detox

OK, I just hit the 21 day mark of basically just eating soup, pastured beef, fish, bone broth and fermented veggies, with an occasional apple here and there. Should I post a schedule of what I ate throughout? I could, because I kept a food diary as well- including my reactions and feelings.

And, sadly, I am just not experiencing the full joys and wonders that others feel when they do this. I was still feeling a lot of gut pain, gas, bloating, and even a little worse on days 17 thru 20. So, I too to the internets for advice, answers, and similar stories from others.

Let's back up a minute, though, because there have been some REALLY GOOD THINGS!

sleeping better

mostly feeling better

much better, balanced, sustained energy from waking throughout the day

lost 9 pounds while feeling full and very satiated- eating as much as I wanted!

my skin looks AMAZING!

But, sadly, these symptoms of fuckedupness persist:

gas/bloating/general lower gut pain

the nasty ass rest of IBS symptoms (if you know what I mean)

joints, lymph nodes, and body is just sore

OK- now back to the internets! After doing a lot of reading and searching, I found some board posts of other gut pain sufferers who had tried and failed at GAPS- not because it is hard to do, but because doing it perfectly didn't work. Basically, for some people suffering from more moderate to severe SIBO, GAPS Intro can be a gateway to a daily hellscape because it is directing you to eat high FODMAPs foods  like apple, garlic, leeks, onions, cauliflower, avocados, and honey.

Also, check out this quote from Cassandra Forsythe's Excellent Blog:

Special notes on vegetables: Onion is one of the greatest contributors to IBS. Strict avoidance is recommended. Avoid: • Onion (brown, white & Spanish), Onion powder, White section of spring onion. • Leeks,  Shallots, Garlic. There is undeclared onion hidden in many processed foods including, chicken salt, vegetable salt, vegetable powder, dehydrated vegetables, stocks, gravies, soups, marinades, & sauces. Alternatives: • Chives • Green part of spring onion • Asafoetida powder (* contains gluten). • Fresh & dried ginger, coriander, basil, lemongrass, chili, mint, parsley, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary & others.

The rest of GAPS and SCD can be totally right on for helping to get over SIBO and/or leaky gut, so I'm hoping to return to full GAPS and transition to SCD (for the legumes) after I take on the next challenge of eating a modified low FODMAPs diet! Ultimately, like anyone should, I'll be taking charge of my health and making the modifications I need for my individual body. There is one one-size-fits-all solution out there!

Here's my list of resources for this undertaking, recipes to come as I figure them out!

http://cassandraforsythe.com/blog/Complete+FODMAP+List+For+a+Happy+Gut

http://ibs.about.com/od/ibsfood/a/The-FODMAP-Diet.htm

FODMAP Diet Book: http://www.amazon.com/IBS-Free-Last-Revolutionary-Step-Step/dp/0982063504

The Paleo mom: http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/modifying-paleo-for-fodmap-intolerance.html

For a printable chart of low FODMAPs foods, click here.

[unfuckmygut]

GAPS INTRO (Stage 1+) Golden Cauliflower Soup

Let's try a more interesting recipe for stage 1 of intro, which can be oh-so-boooooring!

Ingredients for a massive stockpot's worth: 2 heads chopped cauliflower 1 TBSPN-ish beef tallow (skim the top of your broth) or oil of choice 4 chopped onions handful carrots 8 chopped cloves garlic (if tolerating on stage 1) homemade beef/chicken or veggie broth water as needed 1 teaspoon salt- or salt to taste later teaspoon ground black pepper- or to taste later

Directions

Get your big-ass stockpot up to medium-high heat, then add the oil/fat.

Sautee the onions and carrots  about 5 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower and cook until it gets a bit brown, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic (optional.)

Add the broth and water (if needed) to just cover the veggies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low/simmer and cook, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about an hour, but it can go much longer too.

Turn the heat off. Now, use that fucking awesome immersion blender (or transfer to a less awesome blender or food processor) to purée the cauliflower until nice and  creamy and smooth.

 Add the salt, pepper now, or to taste later.

I like to pour it all into freezer-safe mason jars, let it cool on the counter and then stick in the fridge or freezer for later. I'll grab a couple for work each morning from the fridge, along with my half-pre-cooked meat, and mix it together for a nice beefy soup for breakfast and lunch and snacks too.

When you're out of stage 1, this soup is made even more excellent if you roast all of these veggies first, or just eat all of these roasted and skip the soup part!

[unfuckmygut]

Full INTRO DAY ONE Activities

Yesterday was a good day! I probably had 2x the daily recommended servings of veggies, and I felt great.

wake up: take 1 Bio-kult pill and drink 32 oz of room temperature, filtered water (I set it beside my bed the night before.)

breakfast: warm cup of beef bone broth, pinch of sea salt added

morning coffee replacer: ginger tea (this did not work as a coffee replacer!)

morning caffeine fit: Tazo's Green Ginger Tea (I decided to compromise here because I don't think I can fight both of these battles at once!)

brunch& lunch(2 LARGE servings about half hour apart): zucchini cauliflower soup with pre-cooked ground beef heated up in it, and a teaspoon of pickle juice to both salt it and add some probiotic to the mix (once it was cooled down enough.)

late afternoon pick-me-up: cup of warm beef broth salted with just a splash of Bubbies' pickle juice and a cup of warm, fresh mint tea.

dinner: grassfed ground beef and more than 2 cups zucchini soup

evening snack: cup of ginger tea

[unfuckmygut]

GAPS Intro Carrot Onion Soup

In preparation for going back onto GAPS diet intro stage one, I made shitload of this soup today. Being that is was Superbowl Sunday, we went to Costco to enjoy clear aisles! I got a ten pound bag of carrots, 8 lbs red onions, garlic, and some other veggies for future soups.

I chopped up two of the large onions, grabbed a carrot, and started roasting them with some big marrow bones in the oven to throw into the crockpot while making the soup.

I'm so stoked to have spent a total of about $10 for well more than 20 meals worth of soup! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil of your choice (I love using beef tallow skimmed from the top of my bone broth.)

10 lb bag organic juicing carrots, washed and chopped

4 large red onions, chopped

8-10 cloves garlic, chopped (I love garlic and just threw it at will)

4-6 cups broth/stock or whatever you have on hand

dash or two of ginger

I've omitted other seasonings so that it is Intro-legal and hopefully very soothing and gentle. I also omit salt so that I can just add that to taste when I eat it, or even salt it with a teaspoon or so of pickle brine.

Directions In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the carrots, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add those dashes of ginger if you like ginger with carrots, and simmer until the veggies are very tender, about 30 minutes to an hour or more. Remove from the heat. Puree the soup. Pour into freezer-safe containers and let cool to at least room temperature. Later, you can add your slightly precooked grass fed meats, and you have the closest thing to a meal on the go that you get on GAPS during the intro or any other phase!

[unfuckmygut]

Preparing to Start GAPS Diet Intro

I'm going to remain on full GAPS for about a week or so while I scurry around and get prepped to go back down to intro.

This may sound crazy since I've already done it, but I'm doing it as a way to get a full reset after some bad behavior during the holidays, to get some weight loss going, and as a detox--which I like to do at least annually anyway. I'm actually really looking forward to giving my body a break for about 3 weeks.

Read more about GAPS intro here, but I warn you now it's a complicated and murky read as there are stages and phases and no clear schedule because it is different for every body. I'll be doing mostly "first stage" since I'm treating it like a detox.

FIRST UP- GATHERING THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS:

GAPS intro Shopping List:

cabbage (to get the sauerkraut started!)

bio-kult probiotic (I didn't take it last time I did intro)

grass-fed beef

grass-fed beef bones (for broth, at least a cubic shitload)

soup veggies: onions, carrots, broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, zucchini, marrow, squash, pumpkin, garlic

jar of Bubbies dill pickles (For back up when I'm not in the mood for my own fermented veggies, and because I'm only gonna need a teaspoon of the brine here and there--making it well worth the $6 a jar! If you don't want to ferment at all then buy some of these!)

ginger for tea or ginger tea made only from grated ginger root (this will help calm and sooth your tummy)

NEXT: GET TO WORK!

I don't know about you, but reading about this and similar diet protocols made me say "WTH? I work for a living and have a life! How am I supposed to do all of this?" Well, let's take it step-by-step. Preproduction is everything! Now that we've done our shopping,we"re ready to kick some ass.

START OR BUY YOUR FERMENTED VEGGIES

If you're like "oh god, fuck this already!" and buying them, make sure it is truly fermented and not processed. The only brand I know for sure is Bubbies. But, maybe you can find some more as the demand increases!

I'll be doing both, but starting a batch of kraut in my new 1 gallon pickling crock! I'll be keeping it simple and following the guidance of the best by doing like this here! Sandor Katz is just simply the best!

We had a pickling party a while back and tested a lot of great recipes!

Get these going now, because it will be at least a few days of fermenting before you can get some good probiotic from it.

MAKE A SHITLOAD OF BONE BROTH

Here is my tried and true recipe that I came to like the most after trying many variations. I'm going to make enough beef bone broth to pretty much just fillmy freezer up. I love to use freezer-safe glass jars which are specially designed to handle liquid expanding in them during the freezing process- they have straight sides, wide mouth openings, and they come with a bright blue label on the case that explains that they are freezer safe. I'm going to keep the crockpot going for awhile, and be ready to make a LOT more every week. I'm also going to make enough to use as a base for my soups which I'll eventually combine with meats to make my meals for work and home.

GET THE SOUPS GOING

Here is my recipe for any veggie: onions, carrots, broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, zucchini, marrow, squash, and pumpkin. We're going to need whatever room is left in the freezer, and we're going to freeze this. Again, those jars are great, but maybe you'd like plastic for taking back and forth to work? I'm trying to reduce plastic, so I use a mix of meal sized glass pyrex and those freezer safe mason jars in pints as that is just about a perfect serving for a meal.

 PRE-COOK AND FREEZE SOME MEAT

Now, this was probably the one thing I did really really right last time! Pre-cooking and freezing my ground beef in patties made me truly able to eat on the go or at home very easily! I made 1/4 lb patties, cooked them on the foreman grill (which only took a few minutes each side), and lay them out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet to initially freeze. Once good and solid, I threw them all in a big bag and a few in more jars to be ready to thaw a couple at a time. But, they really don't even need to be thawed well to reheat, as I mostly crumble them up into my soups to reheat and eat anyway. While I have two large batches of soup going, I'll do a marathon of patties or meatballs out of at least 4 pounds so that I have 16 meals' worth. That will easily take me through the first week! Additionally, I can just eat this in broth and boiled veggies. If I have it in me, I'll try to make even more!

Alright, here we go!