Yes, I’m still here. Doing AIP. Toughin’ it out. Stayin’ strong. Although I might be turning into a big green monster…
Frankly, this journey has had it’s ups and downs – but part of that is because my body is trying to heal several systems at once. I don’t really want to go into all of the boring details about my health, but I will say that healing takes time. The autoimmune protocol (AIP) itself hasn’t been so bad. Problems tend to arise when I’m tired and forget to plan ahead – which can be a bad thing since the AIP doesn’t exactly allow for convenience food. Avocados, Whole Foods’ Naked Roast Beef, and Artisana Coconut Butter come to the rescue when I’m in a pinch.
As far as my progress goes – I’ve got a ways to go. Energy is up and down. Sleep is usually good but occasionally gives me problems. The good news: I’m down about five-ish pounds, which I consider a blessing since I’ve not been cleared to exercise by Super-Doc yet. AND I’m eating FAT – lots of it – in the form of avocados, coconut oil, coconut butter and olive oil. I’ve read that healthy fats are essential to healing a hurting body, so I’ve not restricted them in any way. Of course, the AIP is restrictive in and of itself, as many high-allergen food groups (nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs, dairy, nightshades), and the calories that go with them, have been eliminated.
Here’s a little recipe I tried out tonight, in my quest for something different for dinner. It reminds me of a seafood salad my Italian Mom serves on Christmas Eve, only I added cilantro (not very Italian) and cut back on the garlic (fuggedaboutit). I served this with grilled summer squash (recipe coming soon) and roasted butternut.
Different is nice – eggs Benedict dripping in Hollandaise sauce would be nicer – but you can’t have it all, huh?
- 2 lbs. wild caught shrimp, cleaned and peeled
- ¾ cup grated carrot
- ¾ cup diced celery
- ½ cup minced cilantro
- 1-2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2½ tablespoons of e.v.o.o.
- salt, to taste
- avocado, optional
- Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Have an ice bath ready - the shrimp will cook really fast.
- Once boiling, drop in shrimp. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and edges are curled up.
- Scoop shrimp out of hot water and immediately place into ice bath to cool.
- Once cooled, drain shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
- Chop the shrimp into small pieces. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
- Serve atop lettuce as a salad, or in large leaves of lettuce as a wrap.
- Add chopped avocado on top if desired.
FOLLOW 30 PLUS DAYS OF MY AIP JOURNEY.
