Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa

I am a morning person....

... Except in the summer.

For some reason, in the warmer months, I cannot get out of bed in the morning. My limbs feel all liquidy. The tiredness literally hangs in my forehead.

Anyone else have this problem?

Because I love the morning... because I love to get shit done... I make deals with myself. Rather than drink coffee and turn my stomach into a pit of acid, I drink delicious AM treats.

Here they are!

Really tart cranberry juice with water

Dandy Blend

Cayenne, Ginger and Tumeric tea

Cayenne, Ginger, Tumeric tea

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1-2 teaspoon ginger

cinnamon, if desired

12 ounces H2O

4 ounces nut milk

Raw honey and cacao nibs

Current fave... a little off the chain with this one... :-)

Ginger and Apple Cider Vinegar Drink



Apple Cider Vinegar and Ginger

1-2 teaspoons ACV

1 teaspoon ginger powder

5-7 drops stevia

8 ounces of H2O

Cacao, Maca, and Mesquite

Cacao and Maca

1 Tablespoon cacao powder

1/2 Tablespoon mesquite

1 teaspoon maca powder

8 ounces almond milk

12 drops stevia

Macro Greens and Coconut Water

And of course, homemade booch

There's always the option of just staying in bed. But morning is such a glorious time of day!!!

Ideally?

I'd get up around four or five every morning,

just to experience the whole show.

Have you ever been up that early? Seriously - it's something to see. The sky is this gorgeous royal blue color - not dark, not light. The air is hazy. The trees are dark. The birds give little twits here and there. Peaceful doesn't even describe it. It's like nature reminding us that its quiet mystery still exists.

Drinking coffee would only ruin my enjoyment of this beautiful splendor.

But I'll be damned if I'm giving up my cacao!

Ca-cao!!!

Toots

What is your favorite way to wake up?




There's an IBS series coming... PROMISE!!!

What questions do you have about IBS

that I might research and try to answer in the series???

33

I woke up at 2 am on my thirty-third birthday with HORRIBLE IBS-D.

Did you know that there are two different IBSes?

C stands for constipation. C also stands for farts. Because when you're constipated, food gets all stuck and fermented in your guts.





D stands for diahrrea. You know all about that. It feels like food poisoning. It can flush your entire day down the toilet. Literally.




There's this weird thing that happens to me sometimes. I'll eat something that will give me IBS-C. I'll have IBS-C for most of a day. Then, in the morning, it will magically turn into IBS-D.

This is what happened the day before my birthday.



I ate a cupcake at work that was supposedly allergy-free. It was one of the best cupcakes I've ever had... perfectly spiked with ginger and carrots. But something went wrong after I ate it. I literally felt my stomach turn on me. It whispered, "No, that's not right."

For the rest of the day, as I stocked MSM and Herb Pharm tinctures, I sneaked farts in the aisles.




Food-wise, I tried to dispel the IBS. I drank lots of GT's. I worked out. I ate my favorite Eco-Planet grain cereal, which is super ground and mushy but with tons of fiber.

And then, at 2 am...

... the flood gates opened.

I couldn't go back to sleep. So I stayed up, reading Raymond Buckland's Witch Encyclopedia. I commented on some foodie blogs. Every few minutes I ran to the bathroom.

Six AM came.

I had to go back to work.

Thanks to a breakfast of rice flour pancakes and Irish breakfast tea, I managed to plug up the leaks by the time I came into the store. But I still felt weak and out of it.

All day, I debated if I should do the birthday tradition or not.

What did I decide?


Let's get pizzafied!

Here's the family pizza.

Trader Joe's whole wheat dough

Trader Joe's tomato basil sauce
Local baby spinach
Daiya mozzarella
Lots of sea salt, pepper, oregano

Add stupidity - because I forgot to take a picture of it cooked and melty and delicious.

Here's mines.

High Raw Flatbread Pizza


Ingredients

Sarena, the Non-Dairy Queen's,
super-easy and insanely delicious
flatbread crusts

I played with the recipe slightly... but not much.


Flatbread crusts
1/4 c millet flour
1/8 c brown rice flour
1/8 c chickpea flour
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Fists of oregano

Whisk ingredients

Grease a bread pan

Stick in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.





Cashew yogurt cheese

My pal Robyn makes amazing probiotic cashew cheese.
This is my lazy version.


Cashew Yogurt Cheese
2 cups soaked cashews
1/2 small container of 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
juice from 2 lemons
2-3 cloves garlic
lots of salt
lots of nooch
process until smooth

I kinda agonized over presentation a little...

Aaaand for dessert?

This guy!

He drove down from where he lives to take me out for drinks! He brought me presents too!

And by presents... I mean FOOD!!!

There's this smoothie place that he stops by mid-workdays. We've tried to go there many times, but their hours are weird. Anyway, he brought the smoothie place to me! Most impressive was how he managed to get me stuff that I CAN EAT!

This chocolate bar?

This cacao coconut date bar?

Look at the sandwichy layers!!!

This redonkulously expensive acai powder?

No soy
No gluten
No dairy
Low sugar

This man remembers what I say when I talk. And that's a feat, because I talk A LOT. Ha!

I might let him stick around for a little while longer.

Can you tell I'd been up since 2 am?

Thank you to EVERYONE who sent me stories!!! I really appreciate it! Hopefully, by next week, I'll be sending out care packages. I've been slowly gathering treats and surprises from all my favorite local natural foods stores and businesses.

If you still want to send me your story, please do! It will take the end of the month until I get the query done. So don't hesitate to send away!

Toots

Tell me about your most memorable birthday!

What do you eat on your birthday?

Do you like aprons? I do.
My man's momma made this one for me.

Have a great weekend!!!

It's Called a Deadline, Folks!

You got two days to send me your story!!!

Lemme recap.

I'm writing an article, telling different stories about IBS. In order to get a full well-rounded explanation as to what IBS is, I think it's necessary to discuss how it is for lots of different people.

IBS is such a subjective condition! We all have the same symptoms, but different causes and treatments. So - I want to offer an array of info in one article.

The goal? To explain that IBS is super complicated. Ultimately, the best way to deal with it is to start a food diary.

Email me your story, and I will send you stuff!

Scoby

Cookies

And another surprise or two!

Stories are due by Tuesday, June 14th. That's my birthday! Don't forget to send me your address when you send me your story.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

Yesterday I was sitting in the grass, waiting for one of my favorite markets to open. With the sun shining and nothing else to do, I decided to dump out my bag and take pictures of my stuff.

This is what I carry with me every day.

A. Desert Essence Dry by Nature

I prefer to make my own deodorant. But this brand works really well. I like having a deodorant to take along with me. Recently, a customer at work told me that DE uses Propylene Glycol, which is bad news bears. Next, I plan to move onto one that is PG free.

B. Avalon Organics Lavender Deodorant Spray

It's called deodorant. I use it like a body spray. It's a nice refresher in these hot summer months!

C. and D. Tinctures

Herb Pharm's Good Mood Tonic

I bought this last month when the boyfriend and I were broken up. It really helped quell my sadness. I felt the difference almost instantly!

Gaia's Echinacea and Goldenseal

This is to keep my immune system strong. Last night, I had all the guys at the bar putting it in their beers. It's almost gone now. But totally worth the laugh.

BioAllers Tree Pollen

My work pals suggested this to me for my allergies. I'm definitely still sniffly. But I can function, which is saying something. Usually allergies turn my nose into a faucet and sneeze machine!

E. Earplugs

I'm a writer. I'm always writing. Earplugs are NECESSARY for writing. They are also necessary because I date boys who snore!

F. Yes to Carrots Lip Gloss

My BFF of 25 years and I have the same problem. We can never find lip gloss that we like. Since I found Yes to Carrots? Problem solved. Look!

Am I right?

G. fartpod

In class one day, my favorite yoga teacher asked us what inspires us. I said music. Music makes me move. My feet go. My skin pimples with excitement. All I feel is energy. Favorite workout songs? This and this.

H. & I. Tree Necklace & Mint Box

My pal Meech made the necklace. Inside the mint box goes hair ties, barrettes, buttons popped off and more earplugs. I can never be too prepared!

What does this have to do with IBS?

All the time Telpner reminds us in her blog - the skin is the largest organ of the body. When we put chemicals on our skin, it seeps into our bodies. What we put on our skin definitely affects our tummies. Everything is connected!

Here's another Telpner love that I finally got the chance to taste...

Aloe!!!

Jello-y chunks of it in coconut water!!!

New favorite summer drink.

So refreshing.

My stomach LOVES IT.

What else?

I'm knee-deep in the mess of a three-part master IBS post. I'm working here, here, and here. I'm freelancing, trying to finish a screenplay...

Life is busy, but GOOD.

Now - your turn!

What are some of your favorite things?

What do you carry with you everywhere?

Knowing is Half the Battle

Pals at work told me about the Environmental Working Group today. On this site, you can find out everything you need to know about the health and beauty products you use. So what did I do when I got home today?

RESEARCH!!!

What did I find out from my research?

First off, I am a dumbass!

Remember last year, when I was all high and mighty, switching from Dove soap to Jason? Dove ranks around a 3-4 on the EWG "clean" list. Jason's lavender body wash? 7.

Later, Jason!

However, I was pleased to find out that my favorites...

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Shampoo & Conditioner





Tom's of Maine Sensitive Toothpaste




Burt's Bees lip gloss


EVEN Opti-free contact lens solution...

...ALL rank around a three and under.



ALSO - Jason's Fragrance Free Body Wash is 0 or 1 or something. So there may be Jason in some form in my future.

Seriously - check out the EWG website! It's so fun!

Let's see...

...What else is up?

I got the bridesmaid dress for my sister Mose's wedding.
I'm so happy it's a great dress!

I got to goof off with my other sister Reen-Bean in the kitchen.
She's my silly pal!

I got an Owlie from Doodlebug's Jewelry Box.

I got plenty of backyard sun time.

I told Reenie... our backyard is a place of constant peace for me... every time I am upset, I just go sit out back, and everything balances itself out into heaven. Yeah, Pennsylvania!!!

Aaaand... I made the best raw cookies EVER!

>

What special place gives you peace?

FG SUPER COOKIES!

FG Super Cookies

Part I.
15 dates
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

SOAK IN A BIG JAR FOR 2-4 HOURS


Part II.
Strain.
Throw into Cuis.
Add fistfuls of cacao, sesame seeds, goji berries, and maca!
Process until the mixture sticks together.


Part III.
Mash with palms into hamburger patties.
Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 4-6 hours.

Would you like a batch of FG's super cookies?

Email me your story and your address by June 14th!!!

June 14th is my birthday! And there's NOTHING I want more for my birthday than to hear your stories and send you cookies!!!

Toots

What kind of body care products do you use?


What qualities/characteristics do you look for
in soaps and lotion and stuff?


How many weddings have you been in?
Did you have fun?
Did you have to wear something cool or hideous?


What are you nomming on this week?