Have I told you about my GF bread I make?  My son likes it so much it’s called Special Bread!  He likes it best toasted with nothing on it.  And he’s a picky eater so you know it must be good!  My recipe is from Mary Frances at Gluten Free Cooking School.  I use her Gluten Free, Soy Free flour mix and the only change I make to her recipe is I use honey instead of sugar.  It’s nice and moist and as long as there are no holes (which I still can’t figure out how to do consistently) it doesn’t fall apart.

I really think this bread is best as a dinner bread, because when you put butter on it it is transformed and is amazing!!!  I have learned that I need to cut it as thin as I can for sandwiches or it’s too much bread.  And I can’t freeze it   I tried making two loaves at a time and freezing one.  As the taste is fine once thawed, it does become crumbly and difficult to use.  That makes me sad because we can go through a loaf a week if I don’t ration it and I don’t really want to make bread every week.  Although I will say it’s ridiculously easy to make!  Since there is no gluten, there is no need to knead it.  Just throw everything in the mixer, let it rise for a few minutes and cook for 60 minutes.

This was my first sandwich on the first load I made.  It was super yummy!  It really helps me with my bread cravings and everyone in the house likes it so we have a winner!

That’s right folks, this PCOS girl is pregnant with baby #3!  And this time….NO CLOMID!!!

Since finding out I have Hashimoto’s, I have been taking thyroid medication and my numbers are normal!  That combined with my weight loss earlier this year and the progesterone has helped us conceive naturally.  And I also know God’s hand was in it all!  He is so amazing!  I can’t believe He has intrusted me with three little ones to raise and guide towards Him.

I am about 6 weeks pregnant, due August 30th. My first midwife appointment is January 16th.  I can’t wait to see her again, she’s awesome!

If all goes well this will be our last child.  I am going to relish every moment of this pregnancy.  I’m also going to spoil Aiden like crazy since he won’t be the baby much longer   And boys is he going to be mad about that!  He loves getting all the attention.  I’m not so sure the transition will go as smoothly as it did with Riley   He will learn to love the baby though.

We are so excited and can’t wait to meet this new little one that will complete our family!

In Hashimoto’s disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, your immune system attacks your thyroid gland. The resulting inflammation often leads to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. It primarily affects middle-aged women, but also can occur in men and women of any age and in children.

My doctor suggested I go Gluten Free and Lactose Free and avoid soy as much as possible.  I have already started GF this week but wasn’t ready to do LF yet so my fridge & pantry are not set up yet.  Throughout yesterday and this morning I’ve been trying to figure out how to do both and how much I won’t get to eat.  I was starting to get really overwhelmed with the thought of how many things I will need to cut out of my regular diet.  Then I found Sarah Wilson.  She is an Australian journalist, so she’s not just a blogger.  She has access to some amazing people that she has interviewed on her blog about all kinds of health subjects, plus she has thyroid issues herself.  She has a whole section on auto-immune disease.  This interview she had with Top Chef contestant Andrea Beaman really helped me.  She healed her thyroid with food, not medication.  It took her 2 years to figure out exactly how she needed to eat for her body in order to have a normal thyroid.  Her basic suggestions of things to avoid were gluten, processed food (chemicals), and artificial sweeteners.

Another thing that both Sarah and Andrea focused on was doing things gradually.  You didn’t get into this situation overnight and therefore you can’t get better overnight.  Take each food you want to cut out or cut back on and gradually work them out of your diet.  That was so relieving to me!

So for now, I’m going to focus on GF.  I’m already a bit comfortable with this since my oldest son is GF.  We have decided to be a GF family at home.  I’m not going to make my husband worry about it outside the house if he doesn’t want to, but if we are all together we will all stick with it.  I’m just now starting to get comfortable cooking for all of us this way so I’m gonna give it at least another week or so before tackling my next thing.  We pretty much don’t use white sugar anymore, but I had been using some sugar substitutes.  I’m not sure if lactose or sugar would be easier….I’m actually thinking sugar since I’m half way there.  Lactose is going to be super hard for me since there are less things that you can substitute since I’m not going to do soy.  I will do Almond Milk, but the cheese and yogurt are what really get me!  I know there are alternates, but they are so expensive and we are on a strict budget right now.

There is a well known magazine that I get newsletters from called Living Without: The magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities.  While I love getting their updates and tips, I really don’t like the name of the magazine.  I learned something amazing while losing weight this year.  It’s not about living without, but living with the new boundaries I have set for myself in order to have optimal health.  Lysa TerKeurst says this in her book Craving God: A 21-Day Devotional:

“I’ve learned that boundaries aren’t restrictive fences meant to keep us from enjoying life, but gifts from a God who cares about our well-being.”

That is going to be my new mantra!  I want to look at this is something that is going to improve my life, not make it harder or more stressful.  This is going to be something that will make me BETTER!  So I choose to life WITH and not without!

The original called for Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour mix, but I couldn’t find it at any of my stores.  So I picked up Pamela’s GF Baking & Pancake Mix.  The big difference is that it already had the tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda and baking powder in it so I didn’t have to add those.  I didn’t add any additional baking mix to make up for those dry ingredients, so my cakes were super moist, but not under done.

Mixing all the wet ingredients, including the pumpkin.  It looked super gross at this point

Sifting the dry ingredients.  Which for my recipe ended up just being the baking mix and the Pumpkin Pie Spice.

Filling the cupcakes, getting ready to bake!  The original recipe said to “close the cupcake papers over the top”.  I had no idea how to accomplish this so I didn’t do it.  They turned out fine.

Cooling, getting ready for the frosting.

The finished products!

They got rave reviews and everyone wanted me to make more   I highly suggest you try these, they are amazing!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp honey
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 cups Pamela’s GF Baking & Pancake Mix
1 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground
cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest)
1/2 cup buttermilk (To make your own buttermilk, combine 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 Tbsp of vinegar or lemon
juice. Stir and let stand 10 minutes before using)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1 cup confectioner’s powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350°F, and place rack in the center of the oven.

Cupcakes
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses and honey, until as light and fluffy as it will be, about
2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla and beat
until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift together baking mix and spices. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Set paper cupcake holders in a muffin tin. Spoon the batter into the cupcake paper cups.

Bake approximately 18 minutes (mine took exactly 22 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out
clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
Using an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar
and mix to combine. Once cupcakes have cooled, apply frosting.

(I actually simmered this for two hours after everything was in because we had to go somewhere.  It was so tender, I think I will do this every time)

Harvest Chili – Cooking Light
8 servings; 356 calories per serving

Prep: 30 min; Cook: 30 min

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2lbs cooked chicken -apple sausage links, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 large red onions, chopped (I only used one)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 3/4-inch chunks (about 6 cups)
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut in 3/4-inch slices
1 15-16oz can pinto beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
1 Tbsp snipped fresh sage or tiny sage leaves
Golden Delicious or other apple, cut in rings

In large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high.  Add sausage, cook 5 to 6 minutes, until browned; stir occationally.  Remove with slotted spoon.

In same pan, cook onions and garlic 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender.

Add squash; cook 5 minutes.  Stir in chili powder, 1/4 tsp salt and cayenne; cook 1 minute.  Return sausage to pan.  Add broth; bring to boiling, then reduce heat.  Simmer, covered 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high.  Cook apples 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown.  Transfer apples along with beans to chili.  Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until apples are tender.  Top with sage and apple.

Well, I’m ready to share what’s been going on and partially why I’ve been absent from here lately.

In about March of this year, I had two anxiety attacks within a few weeks time.  I found a counselor and a doctor to start getting treatment for anxiety and depression.  The counselor said it wasn’t postpartum depression, but then again she looked it up in a book so that was kind of weird.  She also gave me a “test”, and I tested pretty low on the depression scale.  She helped me work through managing my anxiety and was pretty helpful.  The doctor tested my hormones (with a saliva test only), put me on progesterone and some vitamins.  The vitamins were messing me up, so I went off of those and was just taking a small dose of progesterone.  I can definitely feel that the progesterone helps. I have to take “hormone holiday” once a month for 3-5 days so my system doesn’t get used to them.  Those days are really hard.

So in about June, my counselor went on maternity leave and my doctor stopped processing insurance for patients, so I stopped seeing both of them.  In late August I started getting out of whack again.  Big mood swings, anxiety, the works.  So I didn’t mess around, found a new counselor and a new doctor.  The first appointment with the counselor was good.  She actually thought my symptoms did seem more postpartum.  She walked me through some things and I felt good about her.  The second appointment wasn’t so good.  I talked for about 20 minutes then there was a lull.  We just sat there.  Then she asked if I would like to do some guided relaxation.  I said yes because we weren’t doing anything else.  We did that and then again sat in silence.  I had to come up with something because I was really uncomfortable.  She just sat there staring at me.  I wasn’t really comfortable with it, so I don’t think I’ll go back.

But then I found this GREAT new doctor!  She is amazing!  First of all she actually has PCOS.  And she has obviously been specializing in PCOS for a long time.  She is so proactive and admitted right away that she felt I wasn’t being treated correctly.  She did a blood panel, especially to test for this specific thyroid issue that has depression as a symptom.  First thing she said today at my follow up appointment was “I know it’s silly but I get excited when I get to give a patient a diagnosis that will make things make sense for them”.  I told her it’s not silly, it’s her job.  I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or Hypothryoidism.  Symptoms include: fatigue; night sweats; weight gain; dry skin and hair; thinning hair; brittle nails; constipation; foggy thoughts; cold hands/feet; depression; menstrual irregularities; high cholesterol.  I have most of these.  In this article (from a web site my doctor recommended) it states “Panic disorders, depression, and changes in cognition are frequently associated with thyroid disorders.   Hypothyroidism is often misdiagnosed as depression.” 

So, I have to have an ultrasound of my thyroid to verify the Hashimoto’s but I definitely have hypothyroidism.  The ultrasound will also check for cysts.  If there are any cysts and they are smaller than 1 cm then we will just continue with the thyroid medication.  If there are cysts over 1 cm then I would have to have them biopsied to check for thyroid cancer.  She said only 1 patient of hers in 10 years has had cancer with this condition, but she always has it checked to be safe.  The good thing about thyroid cancer is that all you do is remove the thyroid.  Not that I’m in a hurry to have my thyroid removed, but at least it’s not as serious as some forms of cancer.

I’m not really stressed about that part, I’m more relieved to get started on my new treatment.  I’m a bit frustrated that my other doctor didn’t even test for it and if she had it would have saved me 6 months of misery.  I know no doctor is perfect, but she did say she specialized in hormones just the same as my new one.  I’m just glad I found this new doctor.

So, I’m going on thyroid medication and upping my progesterone.  Oh I forgot about that.  She said that I’m not taking near enough progesterone.  And that if I’m having a moody or bloated day, I can take more to combat it!  That is such freeing information, I can’t even tell you!  In 7 weeks I’ll have my thyroid tested again to make sure what we are doing is working and go from there.

And the big news….we are pretty sure that after we figure out this whole thyroid thing with me we are going to start trying for our third baby!  We have been talking and decided that we don’t want to wait 3 years because then we will be in “baby-ville” for like 6 more years.  We want to be able to move out of that phase and we really love the age difference with our first two and don’t want them further apart.  My doctor said she will work with me with increasing my progesterone and try to get me pregnant without Clomid.  That would be so awesome!  I’m really excited to get this treatment started and feel like a new person!

I LOVE the Biggest Loser!  Don’t you?  I’ve watched more seasons than I can count.  The “couples” ones are always my favorite.

As I’m sitting here tonight watching, I’m realizing the things I USED to do while watching Biggest Loser.  I used to eat pizza and brownies while I watched BL.  In fact, it always seemed to be pizza night on Tuesdays for some reason.  My husband and I would joke about it.  I even realized one day that I only needed to gain about 50 pounds (or less) to qualify to be on the show.  I jokingly considered gaining that weight so that I could get help.  Of course, I never gained weight on purpose and I wasn’t serious, but it hurt to realize that the women on the show didn’t weigh much more than I did.

This last season was different.  We had started Take Shape For Life and we were losing weight along with the BL contestants.  I remember realizing I weighed as much as one of the girls that was about my size and at one point was staying right with her with my weight loss!  It was so inspiring, motivating and supportive.  I will never forget that season and the contestants.

I love that tonight while watching BL I had a healthy snack and a decaf cup of coffee.  I was also working with my Business/Health Coach on some training stuff and getting ready for a few meetings I have this week.  I love my new life.

Here’s my Biggest Loser moment!

**I’ve kept my 40 pounds off for three months now and loving it!  It’s so nice to walk in to a store and know I can pick up almost any medium or size 8 and I’ll fit in it!  I’ve slowly been acquiring clothing for fall/winter since non of my old clothes fit me.  It’s hard because we don’t have a lot of extra cash, but it’s coming along.

**I’m really looking to ramp up my Take Shape For Life business.  I love helping people get healthy and sharing what I have learned!  So if you know of anyone who wants to lose weight, get off of medications, or just learn great habits of health, please feel free to send them to my web site http://tnthealth.tsfl.com.

**I’m seeing a new doctor in regards to my hormones and PCOS.  She is awesome!  She specializes in PCOS (she has it herself), so she has  a great game plan to get me all straightened out.  I really like her approach – no messing around, just get to it.  My other doctor was like “well, hormones aren’t science so it might take some tweaking before we get it right”.  This new one seems to at least have a better knowledge of where to start with less guessing involved.  If you have PCOS and aren’t seeing a specialist for it, you should be!  General doctors and even OB/GYN’s don’t have the time or the specific knowledge to help us regulate our condition.  There was a lot of information she shared with me that no one had ever told me before.

**My husband and I were one of two couples that one a free photo shoot with about 10 photographers at once!  It was so much fun and I LOVE that we now have great pictures of us as we are now.  Here are a few of them.

Photographer – Jill Jensen

Photographer – Jill Jensen

Photographer – Melissa Gephardt

Photographer – Amy Bowman

Well, that’s where I am.  Nothing too exciting, but I’ll leave you with a picture of my handsome husband and I at the wedding.  Happy Wednesday!

Cheesey “Bread”

1 Cauliflower Pizza Crust (recipe below)
2-3 Tbsp Culinary Circle Marinara sauce
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 mushroom, diced (these are optional, but I wanted some “meat” to it)

Top crust with 2 tbsp Marinara Sauce, cheese and mushroom.  Then put the last tablespoon of sauce on top (if you want).  Put it in the toaster oven (or regular oven if you don’t have one) until cheese is melted and mushrooms are cooked, about 10 minutes.  Take out and eat so fast you forget to take a picture for your blog Just kidding – don’t eat that fast, it’s not good for you!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

¼ cup Egg Beaters
3/8 cup 2% low-fat shredded Mexican 4-cheese variety
1 cup Fresh Raw Cauliflower, shredded in a food processor
Dash of Italian Seasoning (optional)

Mix together and put onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you can your foil sprayed with cooking spray, but parchment paper works much better).

Spread out into a circle and pat down so it all sticks together and is an even layer.  Bake for 20 minutes (about 5 minutes longer if using foil) at 450, until it starts to brown, then flip over and bake for another 5 minutes.