Thyme/Rosemary Stuffed Chicken with Herb Butter

Chicken

what you need:

• 1 chicken (ideally pasture raised aka the real cage free)
• 2 - 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 - 3 sprigs rosemary
• 1 medium onion
• salt, pepper, paprika to taste
• tallow or other fat of choice

what you do:

If you are using a pasture raised chicken let it sit in a salt brine for 5 to 6 hours before baking. Here's a guide to "brining" poultry (just don't use regular table salt - I used Celtic sea salt). The chicken will be more tender that way. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt some tallow in a cast iron skillet or other skillet/dish large enough to hold the entire chicken. Wash and rinse the chicken, dry, and place in the skillet. Brush chicken with melted tallow or whatever fat you used.

Season with spices then stuff vegetables and herbs inside chicken cavity. I also like to throw some onion and herbs in the skillet next to the chicken. It makes for some tasty grease when the chicken is done. Place chicken in skillet breast down (makes the juices "flow" down to the breast making it more tender).

Chicken Bootie

Cover chicken and bake at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. Increase oven temp to 400 degrees and bake another 30 minutes uncovered or until temperature of thighs is 170 degrees and breast 160 degrees. You will end up with a flavorful, juicy, tender chicken with crispy skin.

Herb Butter

what you need:

• 1 stick (1/4 lb) butter (I used Kerrygold salted)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
• 1 small shallot

what you do:

Let butter sit at room temperature until soft or heat on low heat just until it softens. You don't want the butter to be liquid because the herbs and spices will just sink to the bottom rather than mix with the butter.

Cut shallot into small pieces and press through a garlic press. Mix all ingredients and place in refrigerator until it reaches desired consistency. I like my butter room temperature. 

I served the chicken with pureed zucchini.

Guten Appetit! 

This post is shared on Monday Mania. 

Chronic Lyme and Weight Gain

First I want to point out that there is a difference between early stage Lyme and late stage Lyme, also referred to as chronic Lyme. Every so often when people find out I have chronic Lyme they say, "I had Lyme....got bitten by a tick, took a 10-day course of antibiotics and I am fine." Believe me, if a 10-day course of antibiotics could cure me I would have taken them already!

Also, if I had taken antibiotics right away I may be fine, too, but I didn't. I don't know exactly how long I have had Lyme disease, but easily 10 years or longer. That's a big difference to just being bitten the first time and then taking antibiotics immediately.

In addition, I would question their definition of "fine". Usually the same people also quite often complain of headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, feeling more tired than usual, not being as limber, and other ailments, and they are usually overweight. I don't consider any of those ailments or being overweight as fine. In addition, I don't want to feel "fine" I want to feel GREAT. I want to wake up in the morning ready to start the day, feeling joyful, with energy to exercise, go to work, hang out with friends, and enjoy life. The way I used to.

OK, I will get off my soap box now and instead talk about what I had intended to talk about. Many people with chronic Lyme disease lose weight involuntarily and can even get dangerously thin. However, from what I have read, and from what my doctor has told me, the majority of people actually gain weight. Below are some possible reasons explaining why:

Adrenal Insufficiency

Stress of any kind, whether emotional or physical, taxes the adrenals. Stressed adrenals produce too much cortisol and eventually won't be able to produce enough cortisol. This leads to thyroid as well as other issues that can cause weight gain. This is obviously a very short explanation but there are many articles on the interwebs about adrenal insufficiency so it makes no sense for me to go into more detail here. The key is that a prolonged infection, such as chronic Lyme, is major stress on the body and will tax your adrenals.

Hypothyroidism

This means that your body is not making enough thyroid hormone OR you do have enough thyroid hormone but it is not getting to where it needs to go. The former, as mentioned above, can be caused by adrenal insufficiency. The latter is called a functional deficiency because your blood tests will look normal but it just shows the level of hormones floating around in your blood. All bacteria (not just Borrelia burgdorferi - the Lyme bacteria), parasites, fungi, and viruses release toxins. These toxins can occupy thyroid receptors blocking the actual thyroid hormone from getting to them and the cells, where they need to be. Hypothyroidism leads to weight gain among many other horrible symptoms.

Reverse T3 Syndrome

Your body makes a thyroid hormone called T4, among others, which it then converts to the active thyroid hormone T3. This is the hormone that actually controls your metabolism. There is also a hormone called reverse T3 (RT3). During prolonged infection, such as chronic Lyme, the body may convert too much T4 to RT3 instead of T3. If the ratio between RT3 and T3 is too low you will gain weight as this is pretty much the same as hypothyroidism. There are other causes for RT3 issues, but chronic infection is one of them.

Parasites

Many people with chronic Lyme, or other chronic illnesses for that matter, have parasitic overgrowth. When they eat a meal the parasites get all the good nutrition from their food and the body is left with crap. Although you may be getting an adequate amount of calories, your body thinks it is starving because it is not getting any of the nutrients. We all know what happens when we go on a restricted calorie diet, or at least we all should know by now. Your body goes into starvation mode and down regulates its metabolism. Now, with a lowered metabolism, your body is not burning as many calories as before but you are still eating the same amount of calories as before which leads to weight gain. In addition, this also causes increased hunger and in some cases people over eat further compounding the problem of the lowered metabolism.

Insulin Resistance

Chronic infection causes insulin resistance. What this means is that the insulin your body is producing is not capable of getting glucose to the cells. More and more insulin is secreted and stored in your fat cells - sort of. This is the extremely abbreviated version. You can read more about insulin resistance here or do a Google search. Just don't believe the lies that you need more grains and/or fiber to fight insulin resistance. That's bologna!

Biotoxins

I don't know that much about biotoxins yet, but have been reading more and came across an interesting article by Dr. James Shaller. In it he says the following:

"Lyme biotoxins disrupt the fat cell system and if not removed cause a type of obesity highly resistant to diet and exercise. The critical Leptin hormone increases and creates a type of bloating, puffiness or abdominal distention that is demoralizing to those trying to have a healthy weight"

I don't think I can add anything to this. To read the entire article click here.

This post was shared on Monday Mania and Freaky Friday.

Coconutty Baconnaise (or Dip)

I love mayonnaise, I love coconut oil, and I love bacon/bacon grease. So why not combine them??

what you need:

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
• 1 tablespoon homemade Kombucha (optional)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted but not too hot
• 1/2 cup bacon grease, melted but not too hot
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

what you do:

Melt coconut oil and bacon grease in a small pot and set aside. Let the oil/grease cool off as much as possible without going solid.

Place egg yolks in a mason jar or whatever you prefer. Add spices, Kombucha, and lemon juice then gently pour coconut oil, bacon grease, and olive oil into jar.

Wait a few seconds to let the egg yolks settle at the bottom of the jar. Use an immersion blender gently pulsing on and off at first.

Once the ingredients start emulsifying you can run the immersion blender continuously until all the ingredients are well blended. For more detailed instructions on using an immersion blender to make mayo click here.

If you used Kombucha (or any other fermented liquid), let the mayo sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours to let it ferment slightly, then move to the refrigerator. Otherwise move to the refrigerator immediately. This mayo will have a consistency somewhere between regular mayo and salad dressing when it is at room temperature, and a more solid consistency in the fridge since both coconut oil and bacon grease are solid below room temp.

Guten Appetit!

This post is shared on Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, and Freaky Friday.

Tomatillo-Parsley Salad

I tried tomatillos for the first time a few months ago - I know, shocking - and fell in love them. I bought a few too many the other day and decided to make a salad.

what you need:

• 4 to 5 tomatillos (about 14 ounces by weight)
• 3 sprigs of parsley 
• 1 green onion, top included
• 1/2 small to medium onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon homemade Kombucha (or vinegar works, too)
• 10 to 15 grinds black peppercorns
• 3/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Coconut Aminos

what you do:

Cut tomatillos into bite sized chunks and place in a bowl. 

Chop parsley, onion, and green onion in a mini-chopper.

Add all remaining ingredients to tomatillos.

Mix everything really well and serve immediately. If you used Kombucha instead of vinegar you can let it sit at room temp for a few hours to get a little healthy fermentation going.

I ate this salad with left over Slow Cooker Chicken Gizzard and thought it was a good combination.

Guten Appetit!


This post is shared at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, and Freaky Friday.

Garam-Masala Chicken Thighs

what you need:

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on, from pastured hens is best
• 1 can coconut milk (I like Aroy-D)
• 1/4 cup organic sesame oil (I used regular but toasted would be good, too)
  
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 green onions (tops included), chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped 

what you do:

Chop green onions, garlic, and regular onion in a small chopper (or by hand if you enjoy punishment).

Transfer chopped vegetables to a glass dish or other container deep enough so chicken thighs will be covered. Add remaining ingredients except thighs and mix well.

Add chicken thighs coating them well, cover dish, and marinade in refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight). When thighs are done marinating, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease a wire rack with fat of choice. Place the wire rack onto the cookie sheet and place thighs on the wire rack.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until internal temperature of thighs is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with cauliflower rice and roasted broccoli.

I did not try them myself since I can't tolerate coconut milk yet, but DH said they were really good.

This post was shared on Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Freaky Friday, and Sunday School Blog Carnival.

Follow-Up Appointment with Dr. D May 2012

I just had my one month phone follow-up with Dr. Dahlgren. It was pretty short this time and there are no big changes. I told her some of the good stuff going on like the fact that I have days where I feel joy and happiness without trying so hard, sleeping through the night some nights, and even being able to exercise some days.

Next I mentioned the not so good stuff like the horribly swollen eye lids I had during the cruise and how red and burning my eyes were. I thought it may have been the climate change, but she thinks it's because I had mold in my room. I can totally see how that's possible in a cabin on a big ship with different people in it every week and horrible humidity. 

I mentioned that I get a burning sensation like the start of a bladder infection if I don't drink copious amounts of water. She said it's either because I have a low grade infection in the lining of the uterine wall or that it's metals being released. Since it goes away when I increase my water intake there is nothing she wants to do about at the moment.

Last I pointed out that my blood sugar goes up really fast but takes a long time to come down. Last Saturday, on my birthday, I had a little bit of a vegan cheesecake made with honey, cashews, and zucchini. I wish I had taken my blood sugar that night but didn't. Sunday I was back to eating VLC but ate quite a few calories. Monday morning my blood sugar was 119 which is way too high. She confirmed that this is insulin resistance and is usually due to viruses affecting the pancreas. She said this is something that will clear up as we continue to work on healing the body overall. I asked if there is a supplement I can take in the meantime that would help and she said she really likes Diabenil by Thorne. I am not sure yet whether I am going to get it or not. Chances are I will buy it and next time I go see her and she muscle tests me it will test as blocking. I will go ahead and go back to monitoring my blood sugar for a few days again and if it's not too bad with eating VLC I won't get it. In addition, she had put me on Valtrex back in January due to a high viral load of EBV and some other viruses but then said to go ahead and stop it during a phone consult because I felt that I was depressed on it. I asked her if Valtrex could help and she feels that it could and to go ahead and start back up with 500 mg at night.

While I was there in April, which you can read about here, here, and here, she said I can go ahead and make an appointment with Dr. Klinghardt for July. She feels if I can tolerate Alinia, the next anti-parasitic which I am supposed to start next week, that I will be ready to see Dr. Klinghardt next. When I called the other day to make the appointments Ron told me that he has either one appointment for September or two appointments in one week for December. I asked Dr. D which she prefers and she said to go ahead and come in September and I am really excited and glad she feels one appointment is enough. Dr. K charges quite a bit for an hour appointment and the appointments in December were at noon on Monday and Friday. Due to the time difference between WA and TN and available flights, I would have had to fly in on Sunday and stay until Saturday. Plus I am eager to go see him and see what he has to say about my health issues.

She would like me to get my thyroid checked because she recommended some changes in my thyroid medication. I do have a lab slip but have not made those changes yet. The plan was to reduce Cytomel a bit and increase Naturethroid from 1 grain to 2 grain, but I did not want to make this change before going on vacation. I really don't want to make this change now either because I don't want RT3 issues to return, but it would certainly help with the heart racing.

Last but not least I mentioned that I finally have the stress EKG scheduled for next week but that I was concerned about starting Alinia and doing a stress EKG. Since I also have not had chest pain in 4 to 5 weeks I asked if it's still necessary. Unfortunately she feels it is. I was hoping she would say I can skip it since this will also go against my deductible. As for Alinia she said to just start it after the stress EKG. Bummer! I was hoping I could get out of it for financial reasons AND because I have no desire to sit around a doctor's office for 3 to 4 hours first thing in the morning, walk on a treadmill, and be injected with some crap all WITHOUT CAFFEINE!!

In Remission?

Mojo seems to be feeling ok, is eating good, is playing with Pepper, and is having normal bowel movements. I think! Saturday he was still posturing but Sunday, for the first time in almost 3 weeks, he was not posturing at all. He went out, had a bowel movement, and came back in. We were thrilled but didn't want to get too excited.

Yesterday I took him back to Blue Pearl Vet for our appointment with Dr. Johnson. I gave her an update and since he stopped posturing she said she wanted to hold off on the round of Doxorubicin she had originally planned on giving him. She feels that Mojo not posturing anymore is a sign that the lymph nodes on his lumbar spine are shrinking. I asked her about doing an ultrasound to confirm but she didn't think it was necessary. Instead, she said to just keep an eye on him and to take things 24 hours at a time. If anything at all changes, not just Mojo going back to posturing, she wants me to let her know and bring him in immediately.

So now we are still hoping and praying that he is back in remission and more so, will STAY in remission. I am watching him like a hawk and am way too worried about him. Basically, I keep wondering whether anything he is doing or not doing is normal. I wonder if he's too quiet, too excited, eating too much, eating too little, sleeping too much, panting for no reason, pooping too much or too little...you get the picture. It's pretty stressful to say the least.

Here's a picture of my boy earlier today with Pepper curled up between his legs.