I’m ready to jump into this second week with a menu that is blended from several resources, but it still feels overwhelming at times. After the kids were born, I felt like I was always feeding someone. From nursing one child to making a meal for someone, providing food seemed to be my whole existence. As the kids got older, I recruited their help and got into a rhythm of keeping them fed, but not spending all my time putting meals together. Now that I am on AIP, I’m reminded of that time. Only now, I’m trying to keep myself fed.
Day 8
How I am feeling:
Today, when my alarm went off, I felt better than I had in over a week, I laid back and dozed for another half hour. Then I got up and exercised continuing the same sequence as last week (warmup; arm exercises; 15-minute dance; and cooldown-all videos from MadFit on youtube). I’m 2 weeks in with this exercise set, so I have 2 weeks to go until I switch things up. In the afternoon, hot flashes started in. My back started hurting in the evening and a bit of elbow pain, too. I’m not sure where that came from. Sat with my feet up for a bit in the evening. Had digestive issues today, gassy and bloating.
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 8:
Breakfast:
Made up a small batch of Hearty Sweet Potato Hash from The Autoimmune Solution this time I still omitted the pepper, but substituted mace for nutmeg
Coconut Cream Berry Parfait from The Autoimmune Solution with blueberries and strawberries
Lunch:
Leftover chicken breast and carrots from last night
Salad with mixed greens and blueberries
Wheel’s homemade Applesauce-Wheel wanted to make something special for me since Li did. He came up with a mushed apple surprise, aka cinnamon applesauce. In the crockpot, we poured in 1/3 cup water and sprinkled in 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp mace. We chopped up about 6 apples, leaving peels on and stirred it all together. We put on high for 2 hours. Put it all in the food processor. Serves 6.
Snack:
I made up a batch of Cinnamon Raisin Protein Bars from Grazed & Enthused and had one (or two)!
Dinner:
Thai Green Curry and Shrimp from The Autoimmune Solution.
With cucumbers and avocado slices
The family raved about this, but I thought it was just okay.
Dessert
Apple Pie Bars from Unbound Wellness. These are delish! And will definitely go into my recipe box.
Creating Balance:
I made my bed and opened the curtains. Cuddled with Wheel. Took a walk, stopping to notice the changing leaves. Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for wellie boots and surprise bird sightings.
Day 9
How I am feeling:
My neck is a bit stiff. And the right elbow pain is lingering. Had digestive issues today, gassy and bloating. Today I did my cardio set.
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 9:
Breakfast:
Butternut Squash Breakfast Sausage from Real Food with Dana. Mine took much longer than the 20-25 minutes to cook through. I used my bread pan that I make meatloaf in and I think the time to cook would be comparable (about an hour). I really like the taste and think I’ll repeat this with patties as they will cook up faster. I froze the rest of these to be pulled out individually.
Berry Mint Smoothie from Healing Family Eats. I only made one serving and added a few sprinkles of collagen powder.
Snack:
Had one of the Cinnamon Raisin Protein Bars from Grazed & Enthused that I made up yesterday.
I made a batch of coconut milk and used the leftover coconut to make granola. I used the Chocolate Tigernut Granola recipe from Thriving Autoimmune, but added about ½ tsp cinnamon. I ate a few handfuls of the granola before I put it in a baggie to store.
Lunch:
AIP Butternut Bacon Browns from Autoimmune Wellness (Mine did not hold together. If you’d like to try this one, be sure to ring out as much water as possible from the squash and once you’ve formed them into patties coat the outside with the arrowroot flour before putting them in the pan).
Quick-n-Easy Nightshade-Free Carrot Ketchup from A Clean Plate (Mine neither looked like ketchup or tasted like ketchup; however, it is a decent flavored dip of sorts. Maybe you need an immersion blender to get a creamy texture. Mine looked like a tomato sauce/paste in consistency. I ended up freezing this and used it for a pantry soup base later.)
Salad with mixed greens topped with strawberries
Dinner:
Pork Chop with the Chinese Five Spice Rub from The Healing Kitchen only I omitted the cloves, so I guess I made a Four Spice Rub.
Summer Squash panfried with garlic powder and salt
Homegrown strawberries
Dessert
Apple Pie Bar warmed in microwave for about 30 seconds
Creating Balance:
I opened the curtains and made my bed. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today, so I forced myself to get out at one point. I sat on the garden bench for a while and then started thinking about food again, and went to the vegetable garden to see what was there. Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for surprise strawberries.
Day 10
How I am feeling: My neck is a little stiff when I turn to the right, but the swelling in my lymph node has gone down. My elbow pain has reduced some as well. My left shoulder is radiating some pain today. And my throat feels tight to swallow. About mid-day, I started to feel like I could be coming down with something. After a while I felt better, but had no energy for the evening. Did yoga in the afternoon (a minimal cues practice from Yoga with Kassandra). Driving Jo-Jo home from class in the dark and rain wasn’t much of a pick me up!
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 10:
Breakfast:
Homemade coconut milk
Snack:
Cinnamon Raisin Protein Bar from Grazed & Enthused (I made a couple days ago)
Lunch:
Left over Pork from last night
Sweet potato crustini-took leftover sweet potato toasts (from last week) and drizzled them with olive oil and a sprinkling of garlic powder and baked until warm through
Coconut Berry Parfait with Strawberries, Blueberries, and Chocolate Tigernut Granola from Thriving Autoimmune. *Checked my sugar two hours after the meal. Was in the normal, fasting range.
Dinner:
Roasted Roots with garlic sauce from the Healing Kitchen
Mixed green salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing from The Healing Kitchen
Dessert:
Cinnamon Strawberries-I just get out some frozen strawberries, sprinkle cinnamon over, allow to thaw for about 5-10 minutes (until just frosty) and eat.
Dinner was amazing. The combination of the veggies and garlic sauce with the balsamic vinegarette was wonderful. Definitely something I’ll make again.
Creating Balance:
I opened the curtains and made my bed. I went out to spend a few minutes in the garden to get some kohlrabi from the garden to freeze for soup this winter. Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for a refrigerator full of foods that I can eat.
Day 11
How I am feeling:
I slept today without the alarm, so got a little more sleep. Took my fasting blood sugar this morning and it was 80, so in the normal range. Since I got up a little later, I got the boys their breakfast and then exercised. My throat feels tight when I swallow, but the swelling in my lymph node is gone. The constipation hasn’t really subsided.
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 11:
Breakfast:
Chicken Hash Brown Patties from The Healing Kitchen-My hashbrowns were not patties. Maybe I should have used ground chicken instead of pre-cooked chicken breast.
Peach
Snack:
Cinnamon Raisin Protein Bar from Grazed & Enthused (From the ones, I made a couple days ago.)
Lunch:
Left over Pork and summer squash from Day 9.
Left over salad and veggies from last night.
Snack:
Dinner:
Grilled salmon-this time Poppa grilled it with olive oil and salt
Sweet Citrus Salad from The Autoimmune Solution
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with avocado oil, salt, and 3 minced garlic cloves
Mixed Greens salad
Snack
That’s It Apple Strawberry Bar
Raspberries
Creating Balance:
I opened the curtains and made my bed. Took a sweat bath in Epsom salt, aluminum free baking soda, and my herbal bath mix. Completed my weekly self-care routine: dry brush, ayate cloth body exfoliation, charcoal face mask, pumice foot soak and scrub, and body moisturizing with oils and body butter (using all non-toxic or low-tox products). Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for the sunshine after almost an entire week of clouds.
Day 12
How I am feeling:
Took a good while to fall asleep last night. Had digestive issues today, gassy and bloating. Ended up with a headache and had to take acetaminophen.
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 12:
Breakfast:
Oven-Baked pancakes from The Healing Kitchen
Coconut milk
Lunch:
Chicken Caesar Salad from The Healing Kitchen
Plum
Snack:
Cinnamon Raisin Protein Bar from Grazed & Enthused (From the batch, I made a couple days ago.)
Dinner:
Garlic Oven Roasted Cabbage from The Autoimmune Solution
Leftover Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
Mixed salad greens
Creating Balance:
I made my bed and opened the curtains. Watched the boys play flag football and then we took a sternwheeler boat ride. Cleaned my bedroom and bathroom. Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for surprise treats.
Day 13
How I am feeling:
Had to get up early, but it wasn’t too hard to get out of bed. Had some vibrations in my feet in the evening. My throat felt hot from afternoon to evening. I was absolutely exhausted when I got to bed and feel asleep pretty quickly. Today was my rest day for exercise.
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 13:
Breakfast:
Cinnamon and Raisin Porridge from The Healing Kitchen
Lunch:
Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs from The Healing Kitchen
Peach and Kale Summer Salad from The Healing Kitchen
Plum
Snack:
Plum
2 handfuls Chocolate Tiger Nut granola from Thriving Autoimmune (made last week)
Apple
Carrots
Dinner:
Speedy Shanghai Stir-Fry from The Healing Kitchen
Mixed salad greens with Honey Balsamic Vinegarette from The Healing Kitchen
Dessert
AIP Brownie Mug Cake from The Castaway Kitchen topped with raspberries.
Creating Balance:
I made my bed. I was on the go all day, so didn’t get to the curtains. I was at pond for the afternoon, which was beautiful and very relaxing! We had a family movie night. Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for fish biting, smiling friends and family, and birthday celebrations.
Day 14
How I am feeling:
I slept hard. I had a lot of running today, so I did yoga in the evening. In the afternoon, my throat was burning some.
What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 14:
Breakfast:
Leftover Chicken Hash from The Healing Kitchen
Leftover Cinnamon and Raisin Porridge from The Healing Kitchen
Lunch:
Leftover Salmon
Leftover dressing from Caesar salad
Leftover root vegetables
Apple
Snack
Freeze dried Strawberries
That’s It Apple Strawberry Bar
Dinner:
Slow-Cooked Moroccan Lamb Curry from The Autoimmune Solution
Roasted Yellow Squash tossed in olive oil and 3 cloves garlic on 350 for 20 minutes.
Salad with mixed salad greens and blueberries
Dessert
Creating Balance:
I made my bed and opened the curtains. I sat outside on campus and enjoyed the fall weather with the changing scenery. Relaxation practice.
Gratitude:
Today, I’m thankful for the color in the trees changing, leaves crunching underfoot, still beautiful skies and warm temperatures.
At the end of this second week:
I’m still anxious to get more recipes in my box that the family enjoys.
I have been able to prep several things at a time the day ahead or during the week for the busy weekend. Prepping a day ahead or on Fridays for the weekend has been helpful and I feel like I’m more on top of things knowing what I’ve got made and what is coming up. I’ve considered batch cooking, but I haven’t found a good stretch of time that I can consistently prepare food ahead.
I’ve also decided to add two homemade snacks to make ahead for the week and one dessert. This way, I have something to grab in a pinch or between meals.
Looking ahead and getting things pre-prepped makes busy weekend meals easier, but it is still burdensome at times. There are several things that I need to have accomplished and normally would have by now…doing Jo-Jo’s stream study with her, getting to the bank, repainting our address on our rock, gathering seeds from the garden to store for next year, cleaning my office…it feels like things are piling up and with the added food restrictions, planning, and cooking it has been difficult to stay on top of things. It is even more important than ever to create balance and find peaceful spaces despite the things racking up.
Want to know more about my autoimmune diagnosis?
You can read about my story Autoimmune Journey
How do you balance AIP meal prep with your normal schedule?
Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is not to offer medical advice. I am not in the medical field. My purpose is to share what decisions I’ve made in an attempt to improve my health and try to put my autoimmune disease into remission. Remember everyone’s body reacts differently to foods and supplements and you have to make the decisions that are best for you. Consult a trusted practitioner for medical advice. Our resource page details the books, articles, journals, and websites we've researched to put together our autoimmune articles. You can access our Autoimmune Research Resources by clicking.
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