Grandma's Applesauce

After you taste this applesauce, you will never go back to eating a grocery store product -- I promise!! This tastes just like the kind you get at grandma's house... rich in flavor and made with love. My mom used to make homemade applesauce just like this; it was always awesome - whether you ate it warm or cold.  And the best part is that the ingredients are probably already in your pantry:  apples, apple juice, and ground cinnamon. Simple, huh? And it's quick and easy, too!  Here's how you make it:

Peel and core about 6 apples; slice in small pieces.
Place the apple pieces in a microwave-safe bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple juice or water.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and toss until apples are all coated.


Place the covered bowl in the microwave; leave one corner of the lid open so that steam can escape. Microwave on high for 10 minutes.

After the apples have cooled a bit, you mix them in the blender.  Don't pour the entire contents of the microwave bowl into the blender at once though; you'll want to blend about one-third of the apples at a time. Add the remaining juice a little at a time until you have the consistency that you want:  the less juice, the thicker the sauce.  

Apple Selection:  You'll want to use sweet apples but not tart.  You can choose to use a single type or a combination.  Here's a few of my favorites:  Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp.  I usually make a large batch of plain applesauce and then add some berries to a smaller bowl.

And for a little variety, try adding 1 or 2 of these ingredients once in a while:
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons of brandy
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh berries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Your whole family will love this!  Enjoy!!!

"How sweet are Your words to my taste; sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Psalm 119:103

OMG Chicken Salad

I named this dish "Oh My Gosh Chicken Salad" because it is surprisingly delicious!!  I was a little hesitant about the possibility of success without the luxury of mayonnaise as a main ingredient.  But it's awesome!  And since I am the Queen of Picky Eaters, I think you're going to like it, too! Pack it in your lunch as a "sandwich" by wrapping some in a leaf of romaine lettuce.  

I found the recipe on Pinterest although it actually did have mayonnaise in it.  So I dug through my Hashimoto's literature and found a suitable substitute:  extra virgin olive oil. Here's the ingredients:

2 cups fully cooked chicken
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped pickle

All you have to do is chop the chicken up in small pieces and blend the avocado and olive oil in.  Then add the celery and pickle and -- viola!!  You have OMG Chicken Salad!




As always, seek out meat that does not contain hormones and antibiotics; your whole food store has them.  My favorite store has fully cooked chicken so it's a cinch to prepare this recipe.  

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"Pleasant words are a honeycomb... sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  
Proverbs 16:24

Accidental Veggie Dip

I can honestly say that the only time I ever reached for the veggie platter was when it included a bowl of ranch dressing to disguise the taste of the vegetables.  But now that I am on a wellness journey, I eat them every day and I am looking for sauces and dips free of egg, dairy and soy... which basically means I have to make it myself.   I found this recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit for my diet.  Then today I bought an avocado; thankfully there was a label on it that read "ripe when soft" because I had no clue.  I usually stand around and watch how the other shoppers are assessing their fresh produce and try to imitate whatever they do to make my choices.  I also bought some fresh cucumbers and attempted to make these cute little Cucumber Rolls like the picture in the pin but the cucumbers wouldn't roll up; they were too stiff.  So I just sliced them up and made a veggie platter with dip.

Here's the recipe:

1 large organic cucumber

1 ripe avocado

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice         

1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

1/8 cup fresh dill, chopped fine

Mix everything together [except the cucumbers].  If you are talented enough, spread the dip on cucumber slices and roll them from one end to the other. Use the dip as a seal to hold it together.   OR if you are not quite a culinary artist (like me), just use it as a dip!!  It's delicious!

Note:  I proudly showed the dip to my husband [who is my strongest advocate through all of this] and he gently informed me that avocado dip turns brown if you don't eat it right after you make it!! So mix it up right before you will be serving it!

A special shout out to Ella for sharing her recipe with us on Pinterest.  She has a beautiful blog with healthy recipes that she started as a result of her own personal search for wellness. Check out her blog and read her inspiring story:  http://pureella.com/about-ella.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."  Hippocrates, 431 B.C.

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The Power of Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut = sour cabbage

Now, I know what you're thinking... cabbage is a Goitrogen!!  Am I right?  Well, guess what? The traditional fermentation process inactivates the Goitrogens -- making sauerkraut an awesome source of beneficial gut flora (a.k.a probiotics), digestive enzymes and a plethora of vitamins -- the perfect food for Hashimoto patients!  In fact,  *Dr. Isabella Wentz recommends adding fermented foods to your diet as her #1 intervention for healing leaky gut.  

Okay, so how do you know if a traditional fermentation process was used versus a modern one? Sauerkraut that you find on your grocery store shelves commonly contain vinegar and have been pasteurized for longevity.  These products are not a source of probiotics.  Good sources to find the immune bolstering type of sauerkraut you are looking for are health food stores or your local farmer's market.  No matter where you buy them, always check the label to ensure it is an authentic superfood!  I will often stand in the aisles and google each product on my iphone to check for authenticity!!

So, is there a recipe here somewhere?!  No... you eat the sauerkraut raw.  Heating it will destroy all the beneficial flora.  I choose one meal a day (usually dinner) and use it as a topping on the main entree.  You only need about a tablespoon.  If you shop around you might even find some with added flavor like dill, garlic or jalapeno.  And -- by the way-- there are other fermented foods besides sauerkraut like kimshee, carrots and coconut meat. When you find your favorite one, come back and share it with all your Hashi friends :-)

I've learned most of this from the Hashimoto sources listed on this blog.  I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination so please feel free to comment if you find a flaw in something that I write.  We're all in this together!!!

Stay strong 

*Dr. Isabella Wentz' book is titled "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis:  Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause."

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13

Caveman Cuisine [Protein Shake]

So... no gluten, soy, dairy, corn or eggs.  I'm hungry!!

My name is Denise.  I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in 2009.  In 2013, I finally went to a specialist and was properly diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease.  That's both bad and good.  Bad because I have it; good because the diagnosis led me to Dr Isabella Wentz (http://www.thyroidlifestyle.com/) and Janie Bowthorpe (http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com).  If I had not found them, I would still be on T4 meds only and suffering from a major case of leaky gut.

I've looked at all the recommended diets and I've been eliminating foods for over six months now.  I know what I am supposed to avoid.  The big problem is that after a lifetime of poor eating habits, I really have no idea what a good meal looks like with my massive set of restrictions.  So I've started this blog... to get ideas from YOU!!!  

How do you cook vegetables and make them taste delicious?  Yes, I really did ask that. Like I said, poor eating habits.  The recipes that I have found in the recommended diets are incredibly bland and full of fish dishes -- I really don't like fish!  I need to increase my vegetable intake about 80%.  I walk up and down the fresh food isle staring at the green stuff... how do you cook it?  I do put spinach in my protein smoothies with some fruit.  And I love grilled zucchini.  

Anyway, I was just hoping that the rest of you Hashimoto patients out there could share your favorite dishes with everyone.  

Here's one of my smoothie recipes (gluten, dairy & soy free):
1 cup of coconut milk (vanilla)
1 scoop of protein powder
1 banana
1/4 cup berry of choice
1/4 cup spinach
1/2 cup ice

Blend it up and you have a meal!!  If you want more info on protein powder options, I tried many of them.  Let me know!

Have a Happy Hashi Day!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)