Balance

Hey Kids,

Holy Hannah!!!  Man it's been a long time since I've posted anything!  So sorry for that!  I feel like a bit of a slacker in the blogging department.  But if I'm being really honest, I should tell you that this was the first school year with all of my kids in school, and man is it busy in our house!!!  So with all the busyness, I figured I should tell you all about what I have discovered in the last several months!  So here it goes. 

I have discovered my most favorite word!  Balance!  Those of us with Hashimoto's need to make sure we incorporate BALANCE into everything we do.  And, I guess those out there that don't have Hashi's could benefit from balance too. 

Having Hashimotos, for me means that if my thyroid is off balance everything, and I mean everything, is slightly off.  My sleeping is off, my patience is lower, my appetite is off, my body in general, just all together is OFF BALANCE.  This can also include my girlie parts (ovaries and those lovely hormones).  The thyroid controls that too!  I can't believe just how much it controls. So I try my hardest to do whatever I can to stay BALANCED! For me it looks like this:  
I have an ongoing prayer/conversation with God all day. 
I try to take one day out of the week where I don't do anything but relax at home with my family.
I make sure that my nightly routine is the same every night.  I'm like a baby that way!
And for Thyroid's Sake, I make sure that I eat right and workout.  

We live in such a crazy world of extremes where it's hard to find a happy medium.  I know to some, I might even seem extreme because of my vegan and gluten free eating habits, and my workout schedule.  But you do need to know, that there is even balance in being vegan and gluten free and working out.  I eat this way  for obvious health reasons and because I started to feel so much better.  Seriously going Vegan and gluten free was truly the answer to finding my energy again.  To my body getting rid of all the inflammation, and to me just being able to even think better!  And then adding in the workout routine just topped it all off.  Like icing on my Gluten free Dairy free Cake! Hahahahaha!

Here is the balance in being vegan. It's kind of a give and take system here with the diet.  You give up meat, but you get, less inflammation.  You give up dairy, but you get, less inflammation.  You give up CHEESE (I know that's dairy, but that was a WHOLE category by itself for me,  I'm a big Mac-N-Cheese fan), but you get, you guessed it, LESS INFLAMMATION!!!!  Are you getting my point?! And as far as working out goes, well there is balance in that too.  It may look like I spend a lot of time working out, but for those of us with slow thyroids, we have to work twice as hard to keep from gaining weight.  I know for me, if I don't do cardio for a week I will end up gaining 5lbs easily, and then it takes me a week or so to get it back off. But I definitely listen to my body, and if something is hurting or I'm extremely tired or have a cold, I rest instead.  


 For me there was no question about it.  From the moment I found out I had Hashi's I wanted to know what I could do to not get any worse than I already felt.  And to make a long story short, this is what God put in front of me to do.  So I did it! And here I am hoping that you too will give it a shot and try it out for a month and see how you feel!  

Here are some simple Gluten free Vegan recipes that I make 

Green Smoothie or "Green Goo"Smoothie for kids
1 hand full dark green lettuce (spinach, kale, chard, etc)
1 banana
1/4-1/2 cup blueberries or strawberries (frozen or fresh)
1 cup water
1 TBSP MCT oil or Organic coconut oil
Put in high powered blender for 1 min on high 

Vegan Smashed Potatoes - For holidays or a cheat meal for me
1 bag of russet potatoes peeled chunked and boiled.
2 cans of garbanzo beans
Flax Milk ( any unflavored dairy free milk works) - to a texture of your liking
1/4 -1/2 cup Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Butter
1-2 bags of frozen Broccoli or peas
While potatoes are boiling and getting ready to be smashed, open the cans of garbanzo beans,rinse and pour them into a pan with a little water and cook them on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Then put them in a food processor or blender on high to make smooth. You may need to add a little water to them to make them into a creamy texture.  While the beans are cooking, steam the bag of broccoli or peas (don't over cook).
Once your potatoes are soft and ready to be smashed, drain them and put them back into the pan and smash away, or you can you a mixer, that works too.  Add the blended  garbanzo beans and stir in. Now mix in the flax milk and vegan butter to you liking.    Now strain  the broccoli or peas.  Put smashed potatoes in bowl and add some peas or broccoli on top, mix and enjoy! 

Gluten free Dairy free Mac-n-Cheese - For holidays or a cheat meal for me
1 package gluten free elbow noodles
1 package Daiya (dairy free cheese) cheddar cheese and 1 package Daiya Mozzarella
Earth Balance Soy Free vegan butter
Unsweetened almond or flax milk
Prepare pasta according to the package
After the pasta has been strained add 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and  1/4 cup ea. of the cheese and then add as much almond or flax milk as you need for the consistency you like, and VIOLA you have Mac-n Cheese!!!  Tricky Thyroid style!!!  

If you are thinking of going gluten free and vegan, just know that it's only as hard as you make it.  I hope some of this helps!

Happy Thyroids Y'all!