Trying My Hand At Homemade Bone Broth

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Trying my hand at making homemade bone broth. I bought 3 lbs of local beef bones yesterday at Steve’s Meat Market in DeSoto, KS. So there’s the 3 lbs of bones, onion, carrots, celery, red and green bell pepper, pink Himalayan salt and black peppercorns, sitting in a large stock pot. I let the bones soak for 30 minutes in water and 2 Tbs of organic apple cider vinegar (the kind that includes the “mother”) first. Now it’s heating up and it has to simmer for at least 24 hours. I’ve been reading about the benefits of bone broth: gut healing properties, help with inflammation, relief for the symptoms of arthritis, joint and muscle repair. It’s an excellent source of calcium and magnesium for people who don’t have access to dairy products. So THAT’S how we got our calcium back in the day!! Back when we as Native people were the healthiest people on the planet. 😊

I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Gut Health and Healing From A Cellular Level

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Some of the lifestyle changes I’m in the process making are about my health, and not necessarily about losing weight. I want my body to heal and to become strong from the inside out. I want to heal at a cellular level, if that helps explain my mindset. My desire to make positive change feels that deep. I’m making changes for healing my body, my mind and my spirit.

I’m not about making huge sweeping changes and being obsessive about cutting out types of foods. Except for artificial sweetener. That’s gone for good. I am absolutely loving being without artificial sweeteners. It’s 3 weeks now since I gave it up. I continue to not have sugar cravings. When I do eat something sweet, it’s a deliberate decision. Not one based on stress or other emotions. I am finding though that I am indulging in sweets very little. It’s really nice not to feel like I’m fighting cravings all the time. That was getting so frustrating. It was like a weight hanging around my neck that I couldn’t shake. That weight is gone and so is any guilt about indulging occasionally. The cravings being gone gives me some space in my head to think about whether I really want something, and also has helped my creativity in coming up with sweet treats made from real food when I want to indulge.

I’ve also been asking questions via FB messenger of a former coworker, a dietician, about artificial sweeteners. She told me how some artificial sweeteners can change the Ph in your gut, and may kill gut bacteria. Losing gut bacteria may lead to some gut permeability and then inflammation. In my case, inflammation leads to increased hip pain, but I also learned that it’s a big risk factor for heart disease and chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, and possibly lupus and RA.

So then I had to look up “gut permeability” and found out it’s called “leaky gut syndrome”. I’d heard of it before but had no clue what it was. What I read wasn’t fun. But it made sense to me. That’s a whole ‘nother blog post because it’s very science-y. But it made me realize how quitting artificial sweeteners is the beginning of the healing process for my gut.

I remain surprised and grateful for the huge difference I’ve felt in my hip pain since giving up artificial sweetener. And if it’s related to healing my gut, then I want more of that. I’ve began drinking kombucha since last fall, and this weekend I’m going to give bone broth a whirl. Plain Greek yogurt is always in my fridge, as well as fruits, veggies, and healthy fats like avocados and nuts.

Friends and family, you have no idea how thankful I feel to finally start feeling better. I have a spring in my step for the first time in a long time. My mood has improved. And I appreciate the taste of food so much more than before. The changes feel good. And there are more changes we’ve been making that I will write about soon. Drop a comment below if you have had similar experiences. I would love to hear your stories.

Maybe I should follow up on some prior posts…..

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I was just reading over past blog posts on thee old health blog, and I realized I never followed up on the hip cortisone shot post that I wrote in July. As well as a few other items to follow up on.

Reader’s Digest version of the cortisone shot experience: The cortisone shot worked. And then it didn’t.

The hip felt great for about 2 months max. No pain, my and weight training felt better. But then, as I feared, since I have no cartilage left in my hip joint, the shot wore off faster than I had hoped. The hip started to ache again in late September and October. Last November and December were pretty brutal, and I gave some thought to moving my surgery up to spring or summer. I was so tired to being in pain, walking with a forward lean, not being able to run, and getting a cramp in my non-existent abs because I have to really use them to be able to reach my left shoe to tie it. Or to put my left sock on. Which led to…….

Smoking: Although I deluded myself into believing that I was a “binge smoker”, I “binged” for 7 months straight!!!! In October I learned that a friend of mine, a beautiful young woman with 2 small children, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She lives a healthy lifestyle and is a woman of faith. Learning of her diagnosis, and seeing her strength in taking cancer head-on, motivated me to finally quit smoking for good. October 20, 2017 was the day I had my last cigarette. I didn’t have to fight the urge to smoke, but I learned very quickly how long it takes for all those chemicals to get out of one’s system. I didn’t start feeling like myself until December. I was crabby, tired, had all kinds of food cravings….and I gained 20 lbs. I was happy to be doing something good for my lungs and heart though. I figure I can lose pounds and be back at a healthy weight, but I won’t have healthy lungs if I continued to do damage to them daily. Just last week I was really stressed about something and I had the urge to smoke. I went for a walk instead. 🙂 One more week and I’ll be 5 months smoke-free. #YayMe

Medications: I have started to taper off one of my meds that I’ve taken for almost 2 years. Last year I tried to taper off of it, started taking a reduced dose, and my anxiety shot through the roof within a couple of days. Had to go back to the full dose. I’m at a month now of taking a reduced dose and all is well!! Going back for a med check soon to see if I can reduce it even more. My goal is to be off both of my meds by the end of the year.

FitBit Nation: Yep, I’m a member now. I bought a used FitBit from a friend of mine (former student of mine, and now my work colleague) and I L.O.V.E. my FitBit. I was all over it last summer, wearing it all the time, getting my steps in, etc. Then this past fall when everything you read in the paragraphs above happened, I kind of forgot about my beloved FitBit. I’m back to wearing it and even participating in some challenges my friend Shannon invites me to.

Social Work Career Goals: I have an approved training plan to get my upper level licensure and I’ve started accruing hours and logging clinical supervision hours. I continue to love my job and feeling more confident all the time.

And…..OMG….my big “5-0” birthday is coming up quick!!!!!!!

I am feeling really good. I’ve made some changes in addition to giving up artificial sweeteners that I am looking forward to writing about soon. Stay tuned……

Homemade Chai Tea Latte

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I’m still hanging tough with the no artificial sweetener, and I am still free of the strong sugar cravings I once had (M&M cookies from HyVee and Snickers candy bars were my go-to faves). I used to get a strong sugar craving mid-afternoon and I usually satisfied that craving with some kind of sugar-laden coffee from any number of the coffee shops here in my town. I have not had a sugar craving, but the weather got cold here 2 days ago and I wanted a hot, creamy, comforting drink. I didn’t want hot green or mint tea, and I didn’t want black coffee. I wanted something that reminded me of cuddling up on the couch with a fluffy blanket or my star quilt, and one of my big puppies. I didn’t necessarily want sugar, but rather some comforting beverage in a pretty mug.

Soooooo….I love Pinterest for times like this. I got to searching and browsing, and I came across this recipe from a young blogger’s site called “The Foodie Teen”. I’m not only amazed at her recipes, but her photography is just beautiful. And she started her blog when she was 14 I believe….I’m still reading her site and I highly recommend it for the photography alone. Lol.

http://thefoodieteen.com/almond-milk-chai-latte/

Here is how I prepared her recipe for an Almond Milk Latte. I always have Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk on-hand. I haven’t used regular dairy milk for a long time, although I don’t claim to be dairy free. I still eat cheese and Greek yogurt. I always read the labels of any milk substitute I buy and make sure it doesn’t include carrageenan, a thickener made from red seaweed extract, as I learned it promotes inflammation. If you want a thicker, creamier milk-substitute, I would use unsweetened cashew milk. I used that for awhile until I remembered my nephew has a tree nut allergy (hazelnuts, walnuts & cashews) so I keep it out of my house now.

I tried out the Zen Chai Tea bags, the caffeinated version. They are very flavorful! This turned out so sweet, and creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness….it hit the spot.

Almond Milk Chai Tea Latte* (from The Foodie Teen)

*I modified the amounts in some of the ingredients.

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 chai tea bags

1 Tbs organic maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves and nutmeg

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it’s just starting to simmer and steam. Remove from heat and add the 2 chai tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags (I use a tool to squeeze the tea bags to get all the spicy goodness out of them) and add the rest of the ingredients. I used a wire whisk to blend them in. Reheat the pan if necessary over low heat.

Use the maple syrup cautiously….I tend to think the sweetener is overdone in foods or beverages I buy. That’s what I like about making things at home when I can. It’s less convenient, but I can control and decide how much sweetener and spices according to my taste. I used 1 Tbs and added another small splash to my Latte.

I put my tea in a blender to make it froth up. What I really want is a small gadget that mitozan (my niece) HolyElk found to make milk foamy like in a coffee shop. I think I need to reconsider getting an immersion blender…..

This made my house smell soooo good. I haven’t had a craving for a warm, comforting drink since I made this. It’s good to know my cravings are still under control and that I have this wonderful beverage to satisfy it, if necessary. Enjoy!

Giving Up Artificial Sweeteners

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I’m not a photographer, but I wanted to add a visual to my post. Lol.

So….this academic year has a been tough on the immune system. It’s my 1st year working full-time in a middle school and I’ve been a magnet for viruses. My colleagues told me to give myself a year or so to build my immunity up and I won’t get sick as often. One of my friends led me to doing a little research on “gut health” where I learned that 70-80% of our immune tissue is located in our digestive system. Kombucha suddenly became my BFF.

My husband got really sick at the beginning of February. He was sick with an upper respiratory virus for 3 weeks. It was a scary time for him, as this was the sickest he has ever been in his lifetime. He has been a decades-long diet pop drinker, and has always used “the pink packets” of artificial sweetener in iced tea. While he was sick he really looked at all aspects of his health and decided to make some significant changes. The first on the list: over a week ago decided to give up all artificial sweeteners. No diet soda, no yellow, pink or blue packets in his tea or on his fruit. He started drinking water regularly and brews his own iced tea at home. He adds lemon juice and a little bit of real sugar for sweetener, no more than 1.5 tsp of “sugar in the raw” in a 32 oz container.

This was a significant change for my husband. It would be for anyone who has an ingrained health habit. I have that habit as well. I was a huge proponent of diet soda as a healthy replacement for sugar-sweetened beverages. I still believe that it’s a good transitional product for people trying to quit a fully-leaded soda habit. But I did some research on what artificial sweetener does to a body and it made me reconsider my own use of the little packets.

Here is a link to a good article that hits the major highlights of what benefits your body will experience from quitting artificial sweeteners. Please read, it’s rather eye-opening.

https://www.prevention.com/food/quitting-artificial-sweeteners

I quit artificial sweeteners a week ago, a few days after my husband. Here are a few things I’ve noticed:

  1. My taste buds woke up – I can taste the natural sweetness in foods, and all food seems to have more flavor
  2. I don’t have energy swings – I don’t have a mid-afternoon sweet coffee craving, and the snacks I keep in my office for my students no longer tempt me.
  3. I am perfectly satisfied drinking sparkling water with a hint of fruit flavor – I love the carbonation and it helps give my mood a lift for some reason.
  4. My skin looks better. I have more color in my face than I did a few weeks ago
  5. The darndest thing ever – my bad hip doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as it did a couple weeks ago. I also have more range of motion in my weight training workouts.
  6. I’m not as hungry as I was before. I don’t feel the need to snack or doing my stress eating habit of making homemade popcorn at sitting on the couch after work.
  7. My husband reports that he is sleeping better than he has in years.

This is just after one week. I’m looking forward to seeing what other positive things I notice about my body and my health. I’m very grateful to my husband for leading the way with this change.

Self-Care

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I had a really good conversation with a friend a few weeks ago at a powwow in Durant, OK. Part of the discussion was about self-care. How important it is, and the different ways she has found to do this for herself. 

My boss and colleagues talk about self-care. We are therapists so it’s vitally important to us and our clients that we stay healthy: physically, mentally and emotionally. Speaking only for myself, I add spiritual health to the list. Self-care is for everyone because we all have our own stress that is unique to each one of us. 

I honestly used to believe that self-care meant a pedicure or massage, or making sure I get a workout in. Massages and pedicures cost money, and many times I don’t want to spend the money. Sometimes I’m too tired or busy to workout, or it feels too strenuous to be self-care….sometimes it seems like self-torture, and who wants to do that? 

After we got our dog, I quickly discovered how therapeutic a loving dog truly is. He loves to snuggle, as the picture shows. I can always feel my stress melt away when he, and now our 2nd dog Sissy, come running to greet me after work. I realized how much our big puppies contribute to our wellbeing and how they contribute to our self-care needs. 

So here is another bulleted list, this time of self-care ideas. Some from my friend and some I’ve discovered myself. And most of them cost little to nothing except time. 

  • Coffee at home in quiet and solitude 
  • Reading a book
  • Taking a walk
  • Walking or snuggling my big puppies 
  • Having friends/family over for a simple breakfast/lunch/dinner
  • Watching a TedTalk on YouTube
  • Taking a bath. I did this recently and used Epsom Salts, lavender oil, a pure beeswax candle, and played my music on a Bluetooth speaker
  • Actually picking up the phone and calling a friend or family member to visit. So much better than texting. 
  • Sitting outside in the evening after it’s dark and looking at the sky
  • Using a meditation app
  • Getting out of the house to do something not work or housework related – go watch a youth or high school or local college game
  • Check out a new walking path in your city
  • Laugh
  • Dance 
  • Bake something from scratch and enjoy with a cup of your favorite hot beverage
  • Write in a journal 
  • Breathing exercises
  • Self-massage techniques
  • Go to a meeting (if in a 12-Step program)
  • Plan a game night with friends
  • USE the fancy coffee mug for your morning coffee
  • Visit your local library
  • Paint ceramics
  • Color with crayons or markers or pencils, either free-hand or a coloring book
  • Have a morning ritual that involves spirituality and gratitude 
  • Make a new music playlist 

These are just some ideas that I hope gets people thinking about how they can take care of themselves. I’ve learned the importance of nourishing not only my body, but my mind, my heart and my spirit. I can’t be my best for my family or my job if I ignore what I need. 

Morning Ramblings

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I’ve been feeling the urge to write again. But my mind is going in several different directions at once. I’m just going to list all the thoughts as they come to me. 

  • As soon as I hit the bulleted list button for this entry, my mind went blank
  • I need a long extended break from the news for self-care purposes 
  • I made flash cards yesterday of Dakota words and phrases 
  • We have 2 dogs now, and they are loved like my human children
  • I love Twitter accounts that make me laugh and inspire me 
  • Reading is a joy
  • Every woman of color should read Iyanla VanZant’s book “Peace From the Broken Pieces”
  • I didn’t realize how much I needed to recognize, accept, and let go of until my life became unmanageable
  • Gratitude is real and valuable
  • I love my babies
  • I wonder how annoying and preachy I used to be on social media 
  • I am beginning to understand what “self-care” really is and to make sure I do it
  • Self care doesn’t always mean shelling out $$ for massages. 
  • Fear has been the basis for much of my thought processes and decisions for years
  • I thought about giving up coffee and just drinking tea 
  • I give up that thought within moments of having it
  • I love kind people
  • I wish I could do yoga without hip pain. It looks so peaceful 
  • I have an affinity for finding good memes
  • I’m looking forward to turning 50

Maybe I’ll write more ramblings tomorrow. This feels like a good way to get back in the blogging game. 

Morning Thoughts

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As I sit here this morning doing a writing exercise with the sounds of Spongebob in the background, my thoughts drifted to when I learned how to write cursive. Sister Jacquelyn in 3rd grade at St. Alphonso’s taught us proper cursive penmanship. I had picked up some cursive writing in 2nd grade when we lived in Chicago and I attended Ascension school in Oak Park, but I started over in 3rd grade so I could learn the basics, the foundation of cursive writing technique. It was so much easier to write and learn when I had the opportunity to receive good teaching with others in my grade, instead of coming in behind everyone and trying to catch up as I did in Oak Park. 

I remember Sister Jacquelyn taught us to hold our pencils loosely so that our pencil would move easily with the curves of the letters. And she wondered how she would be able to check and see if we were doing that. I suggested that she go around the room while we did our writing exercises and pull on our pencils so she could see how tightly we were holding them. I remember writing and feeling her pull my pencil through my hand as I wrote. Lol. I also remember feeling a little annoyed because she messed up a letter I was doing good on. But I was holding my pencil properly. 

My writing exercise this morning, although very helpful and meditative, is long and repetitive. And I found my hand getting tired. I realized I was gripping my pen tightly. As I made my hand relax and loosened my grip, I felt a level of comfort…the movement of writing became fluid…the letters seemed to float across my paper as my mind guided my hand to let go. There was a sense of peace in my writing exercise that was missing when I hung on too tightly. 

Letting go. Releasing my grip on things I believe I need to control….doing so brings peace and comfort and allows things to flow as they should. 

There are valuable lessons and reminders everywhere. I want to be open to recognize and receive them like this morning. What a blessing! 

Trying a Cortisone Shot for Pain Management

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I know people, including my husband, that have received Cortisone shots in joints where there is some arthritis starting, or to manage pain due to an injury. I received all kinds of conflicting information about cortisone to manage my hip pain prior to my right hip replacement. I read and heard from medical providers that cortisone shots don’t always work if the damage to joint is too far gone, or that the relief can be very short-lived and I’m only allowed a limited number of shots per year. And that repeated shots can create scar tissue and do damage to bone itself. So I didn’t even really consider getting a shot, I just battled the pain and did the best I could. 

I figure now since my left hip replacement surgery target date is December 2018, I have nothing to lose by trying one. Lol. “I’m getting a new one anyway” is what I keep telling myself. In anticipation of the surgery in 18 months, I started weight training with Travis Barret with EvolveSC in June again, and it feels great to be back! It also feels great to be proactive and preparing already for my surgery. I know what to expect now and I know what helped me before my first hip replacement surgery. What I want to do is try some different things for pain management and try to last the next 17 months with a lower level of pain than what I lived with before. 

So I got the cortisone shot in thee old left hip this past Thursday. I don’t recommend the procedure for those with low pain tolerance. 😂 I’m lucky my pain tolerance is pretty high. It’s a big joint and they needed to do it under X-ray to guide the injection needle….clarifying the needle because I got 2 shots of lidocaine, 1 to begin the procedure right in the hip flexor, then they put a very thin “guide needle” in to make sure that the needle with actual cortisone was going in the right place. I had 2 c-sections but I now believe I have a good idea of what labor pain feels like when that guide needle got close to the joint. That pain felt like it went right to my soul….hahahaha. All dramatic. But it was bad for that moment. I found myself doing the breathing I was taught in child birth class…hahahaha. And they gave me a squishy thing to squeeze. Then they gave me another shot of lidocaine. Thennnn the needle with some numbing agent and the cortisone went in. It created pressure in the joint to where it felt like my hip was a water balloon being filled. Not really painful but one of the weirdest things I’ve ever felt. 

I think I was most apprehensive that it would be painful, and that my joint was so far gone that I would go through all this and have it not work. But that’s me…worrying about stuff that hasn’t happened yet. And it was kind of depressing going through the pain consult with the nurse…just brought back again what I have to deal with and that another hip replacement surgery is looming. And also when the doctor’s assistant looked at my hip joint under the x-ray and showed me all the bone spurs…she said she was surprised I wasn’t laid out with pain. It made me sad hearing those things, combined with my apprehension about the shot. I just tried to focus on a good outcome and that I would get some relief. The actual procedure took about 10 whole minutes from start to finish. Then I got to sit in a comfy chair in the recovery area while the nurse monitored my BP and brought me a Sprite Zero with a straw. When I got up and on my feet, the hip felt great. A few hours later when the numbing wore off, it didn’t feel so hot. There was deep ache in the joint starting around 8pm. I can’t take any ibuprofen for pain anymore because I also am trying out a real strong anti-inflammatory called meloxicam. Joe got me an ice pack for the point of injection and it started to feel better. 

They advised me that the corticosteroid is slow-acting, and it may take from 7-10 days to feel the full effect. Or I could notice a difference within 1-3 days. They didn’t want me to be discouraged and think that it isn’t working if I have a bad pain day within the next 3-7 days. 

So far, at this early stage of 2 days out of the procedure, it feels good. I’ve noticed a difference. I worked out with Travis today and noticed that using a leg press machine felt better on the joint. I can stand up straighter without pain. Walking my big puppy was a little tiring and I came back a little sore. But overall it feels good. Now I just have to get an idea of how long the relief will last once I hit the 7-10 day mark. I’m envisioning getting a minimum of 6 months of relief. That is my hope. I was trying to be tough and not let on how it really felt, so I decided to write about it. I feel better now. And as always, I am hopeful. 

Short Update

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Very quickly….I had a root canal done this morning. My endodontist is awesome, I didn’t feel a thing. I was numb for a few hours and didn’t want to eat anything for fear it would dribble out the corner of my mouth. (And by the way, take care of your teeth…address any temporalmandibular joint syndrome, and/or get a night guard, before you kill the nerves of your molars).

My tooth might be very tender for a few days so I wanted something soft to eat today. Like ice cream. But that would have required that I leave the house. And the couch. So instead, I googled some ingredients I had in the house: quinoa flakes, oatmeal, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, cashew milk. And a recipe popped up for this maple pecan quinoa. 

Soooooo….if I had ice cream on hand today, I totally would have gone for it. I don’t want to come off like I battled through a poor food choice impulse like a beast. Lol. I’m just fortunate that the combination of being tired and having healthy ingredients in the cupboard worked in my favor today. 

I do feel better, my energy is better than if I had ice cream. Good food = good fuel. 

I can’t find the link to the recipe. But this is what I remember:

Makes 1 serving. 

1 1/4 cup cashew or almond milk, unsweetened 

1/3 cup quinoa flakes

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Maple syrup

Chopped pecans 

Combine milk, quinoa, and pumpkin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 90 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and add spice and maple syrup to taste. Top with pecans. 

My 11-year old enjoyed it. It was like comfort food. Not comfort like ice cream brings, but it was an excellent healthy alternative that ended up being very good for me.