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"Cream of Chia" for Breakfast!

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OK.  So I have been out of blogging commission for a while.  My dog, Turtle, ate a plastic toy and spent a few nights in the hospital after having surgery to have the toy removed from her guts.  Sigh....  It has been a long, expensive, busy week.  And, apparently, it was what tipped the scales from too busy to waaayyyyy too busy. Anyway, I wanted to be sure to write about and share my very recent love of all things chia.  I have been using chia seeds for a while now...but never like this.  Up until now, I used them as something to add to recipes in place of bread crumbs.  They work fabulously well, along with flax seed meal in this capacity.  They are high in protein and fat and have few net carbs, which is great for a ketogenic diet.  Last night, I made chocolate chia pudding.  It was OK....but what I was struck by as I ate it is that the consistency reminded me of Cream of Wheat from when I was a kid....not that I only ate it as a child...I just associate it with a warm breakfast
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Ten Mile Run Inspiration

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Hi, All. I wanted to check in and let you know that I made it to the double-digits in my preparation runs for the Pittsburgh 1/2 marathon.  I ran a 10 miler yesterday.  I am sure that you have picked up from other times that I have checked in that I am really struggling to get in all of my weekly miles.  I have let that go.  My children come first...and I keep them busy....which means that I am busy.  This isn't going to change.  And I believe that good, quality sleep is just as important as getting in some good exercise.  There are only so many hours in a day, so I have decided to be kind to myself and get in what I can get in...without beating myself up if it is not enough.  I need to remember what this is all for...and it is for good health, building neuroplasticity to fight Multiple Sclerosis progression and damage, empowerment, and being a good role model for my children.  This is not about perfectionism....clinging to a schedule that isn't working for me...or making mys
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The Hope of Functional Medicine

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Since I have been diagnosed with something as serious as Multiple Sclerosis, I have never been able to shake the fear of being told that something else is wrong with me when I have a doctor's appointment.  The fact that autoimmunity does not usually stop with one organ of the body plays on my mind.  My own body is attacking my brain...the part of me that makes me who I am.  Is there anything more insulting to the self than that?  As damaged as my brain may be, it never stops my mind from racing on doctor visit days.  What if it doesn't stop there?  What if it decides to go for my thyroid, my bones, my blood, my heart?  What if all of the lifestyle changes that I have made really haven't changed the outcome of what my future will look like?  What if there isn't redemption when it comes to my health?  What if my children will need to grow up with an unhealthy, inactive mom?! These thoughts leave me lying awake at night...on nights before I go see the doctor. ....but
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Broccoli "Cheese" Soup

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I have mixed feelings about using Daiya cheese, but sometimes you just need a "fixing" when you do not eat dairy.  I have to watch the carb content on this, as well, because Daiya cheese does have carbs.  This soup is not enough to kick me out of ketosis, though,  I don't always like this "cheese" and it doesn't always melt the way that I would like it to, but, in soup, I hardly even notice that it isn't the real deal.  I was skeptical when I first used it, but my entire family ate it and approved. Now...you probably have noticed that I like to amp up the vegetables in any of the food that I make.  Regular Broccoli Cheese Soup has cheese and broccoli...and maybe some onions.  I found that I could sneak so much more than that into my children's bellies by sneaking in some carrots, celery and onions into this soup.  Furthermore, I use red onions because my Doctor of Functional Medicine told me that Americans are most deficient in purples and dark blu
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Impostor Runner

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If you are a runner, no matter how experienced you may be, you know that there are some days when you feel like an impostor, a fake, a fraud.  It doesn't matter the speed with which you have run in the past, the distances that you have put in, the races that you have run, the friends that you have surrounded yourself with who also run...there are simply some days that you feel like you have never run a day of your life..and now you have to go out for a long run...and you just think that you can't.  I, truthfully, have been having a lot of those days.  And here is why: I have always trained for big runs in the summer when I don't work.  I did train for a half marathon in the dead of winter one year, but my babies were little then.  I did not have to run the taxi-cab service that I provide for my children to do their sports and activities every night of the week like I do now. Training in the winter has been hard for me, but I have to keep in perspective that I run that tax
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Crab Cakes for Lent, Keto and Grain-Free!

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Crab Cakes have been a point of contention for me since I started living a ketogenic lifestyle.  I love to go to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with my family every summer.  Before living a ketogenic lifestyle, I LOVED to go out to eat as much as possible on vacation because I LOVE seafood.  Now, I know that I can go out and eat broiled or grilled fish.  Being dairy-free makes this a challenge, too, though.  Who wants to eat broiled or grilled fish without the butter to dip it in? Not to mention, it is VERY difficult to find a restaurant that is trustworthy.  What are the odds that I am truly not eating gluten or dairy when I am out.  I am fortunate to not suffer from Celiac Disease.  I don't have to worry about cross contamination too much....but, at the same time, I don't want to open that door.  I don't want to allow myself to be lazy or too carefree.  I am dedicated to this lifestyle, my health and well-being, and living my life in a way that best sets me up for a no
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Do You Buy Vegetables Just to Throw Them Away?

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Does the above quote describe you?  It was a perfect description of myself back in the day.  I always had good intentions.  I knew what I should be feeding my family.  I knew that it would be better for us if we ate more fruits and vegetables.  At the time, I thought that I tried.  I thought that I was putting effort into our nutrition.  It wasn't until I realized how terrible it can be for your health to not eat enough fruits and vegetables, however, that I realized that I simply wasn't doing enough for me...or my family. I have my nutrition under control.  My health has been transformed because I look at food as my medicine.  I eat a very strict diet...and I push vegetables (and low-carb fruits) all day long now.  I simply could not make that change for my kids...or my husband, for that matter.  Juice Plus+ has given me a chance to fix this.  It fills in the gaps between what we do eat and what we should eat.   This doesn't mean that I have given up on teaching m
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