The Reading Corner: September 2012

The Reading CornerThe Reading Corner is a monthly series where I share some of my favorite links from around the web, must-read books, and some of the recipes I’ve pinned recently.  Pull up a comfy chair and get ready for some fun reads!

Links I Loved

  • *With the holidays just around the corner, sweet treats will be in abundance.  Now is a great time reduce or eliminate sugar before the holiday craziness sets in.  Be sure to check out these tips to kick that sugar habit!
  • *Lighting candles in your home is very enjoyable as it continues to get darker earlier at this time of year.  The big question is what type of candles to use.  Have you given beeswax candles a try?
  • *I really enjoyed reading about this natural alternative to aluminum foil.  I had never heard of this unique idea before!
  • *The issue of vaccinations is always a hot topic.  I hadn’t really considered much about the tetanus vaccine before I read this article.
  • *Depending on who you talk to, the definition of a health food can vary widely.  You’ll want to take a look at these three “health” foods to avoid!
  • *I was just chatting with a friend recently about this topic of brown rice vs. white rice.  Guess which way I swing these days?
  • *I love learning how to make my own staple ingredients, and now there’s a great tutorial on how to make your own homemade peppermint extract.
  • *The idea of converting yards and lawns to edible landscapes is very appealing to me.  While I don’t have a yard to convert (just my tiny herb garden on my balcony), you can read about how to transform your front lawn. [Read more...]

And the Jars Begin… Real Food Forager

And The Jars Begin...A Collection of Real Food JourneysThis series is a collection of personal Real Food Journey stories.  I find it inspirational to read about the stories of others who are making a similar journey as I am.  I hope you enjoy them, too!

Today I have the pleasure of sharing our first And the Jars Begin… real food journey story with you.  I’m so glad my friend and fellow blogger, Jill, was willing to be my first participant.  I know you’ll love getting to know her more and reading about her journey. [Read more...]

And the Jars Begin… A Real Food Journey Series

And The Jars Begin...A Collection of Real Food JourneysI’m excited to announce a new series that I’m starting called “And the Jars Begin…” I hope you’ll join in the fun!

One of the things I love reading about on the web is other people’s real food journeys.  It is so encouraging to read someone’s story about how changing to a real food diet has improved their life.  I thought it would be fun to host a series of these type of stories right here. [Read more...]

The GAPS Diet and Low Carb Guest Post

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Today you’ll find me over at the GNOWFGLINS blog discussing the GAPS diet and low carb.  I hope you’ll join me over there!

Is the GAPS diet a low carbohydrate diet? At first glance, it may seem like it is. With the removal of grains, potatoes, and sugar, it can be similar to other popular low-carb diets. But does it have to be? Let’s take a closer look.

Should GAPS be Low Carb?

Is GAPS even supposed to be low carb? According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, it “does not have to be low-carb.”  She also mentions that the “GAPS diet generally is not a ketogenic diet. Every person needs to find the right individual balance between meats and vegetables.” (Source, see page 14 and pages 22-23.)

While GAPS is not designed to be a low-carb diet, it can end up that way if you’re not careful about the types and amounts of food that you’re consuming.

Read the rest of the article…

This post is part of Real Food WednesdayEat Make Grow Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Freaky Friday, GAPS Friendly Friday, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday.

Boulder GAPS Get Together August 23

Fellow GAPSters

Fellow GAPSters

I’m going to be hosting another GAPS get together at my condo in central Boulder on Thursday, August 23rd. We’ll be starting at 7:00 p.m., but feel free to stop by later, if that works better for your schedule. Bring along a GAPS-friendly snack if you would like.

It’s going to be a very informal get together. If you are currently on the GAPS diet or are interested in finding out more about it, I would love for you to come by. It should be lots of fun! You can sign up for this email list and I will send you the invitation with all of the info you’ll need. Hope to see you next week!

30 Days on GAPS Intro Handbook Winner

30 Days GAPS EbookA big thanks to all of you who entered my giveaway for What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days of recipes and tips for the GAPS Intro Diet!  And the winner is…

Amy B!

Amy, I’ve sent you an email confirming that you won and that your email is valid.  You have 48 hours to respond to that email and then I’ll send your name and email on to Cara of Health, Home, and Happiness so that she can send you your ebook.

If you didn’t win, you can still get your own copy!  This is a great resource for anyone who is preparing to do the GAPS Diet (or who is already on it).

Click here to get your GAPS Intro Handbook.

 

Health, Home, Happiness is providing the free giveaway. There are affiliate links in this post.  If you purchase this ebook, I will earn a small commission.  Thank you for supporting my site!

Check Out the New Look!

Over this past weekend, my blog received a new design.  I want to give a big thanks to Mindy over at Simply Designs for creating such a beautiful new look for my site!

New Features
My hope is that this new design will also make it easier for you to navigate around my site.  If you look to the right, I now have buttons for each of my categories of blog posts.

There is a search box available to you in the header which should help you find posts I have written about that you would be interested in reading.

You can take a look along the sidebar to see my most popular posts and my most recent posts.  You can also more easily find my social media links now, which are the small buttons at the top of the sidebar.

If you want to spread the word about my blog, I’ve added a grab box that will allow you to put my logo on your blog or website.  Thanks for sharing!

Still to Come
I have a few more changes still to come that I’m excited to share with you.  I’m going to be launching a newsletter in the near future.  My plan is to publish it twice a month.  In the newsletter, I’ll be sharing extra information along with some special deals for subscribers only.  Plus, I’ll have a gift for those who subscribe.  I hope you’ll love it!

I will also be starting a blog carnival very soon.  Are you wondering what on earth a blog carnival is??  It’s a great way for a variety of bloggers (and non-bloggers too!) to share their recipes, information, and tips.  I’m really excited to host one, and I hope you’ll enjoy it.  It’s going to be called Fill Those Jars Friday.

Finally, you will soon notice a few ads up on my site again.  As much as I hate to take away from the beautiful layout, I do need a way to offset the time and money I put into this site.  I hope you’ll understand, and I appreciate your support of my little piece of the virtual world!

What Do You Think?
I’d love to hear what you think of my new site and its new features.  Is there anything else that you’d like to see that would make it easier for you to use?  What do you think of my upcoming newsletter and blog carnival?  Please share in the comments!

P.S.  Have you entered my GAPS Intro Giveaway yet?  There’s still time!  And check back later this week for one more giveaway I’m sure you’re going to love.  It’s been a fun week celebrating a year on GAPS with a new look and giveaways for all you lovely readers!

Looking Back at a Year of Blogging

Today marks the one year anniversary of my blog! I really didn’t know what to expect when I started out on this blogging journey last summer, but it has really been an enjoyable year.

I want to say thank you to all of my wonderful readers for stopping by my little piece of the virtual world. It’s a big space out there, and I’m truly honored that you take a few minutes out of your day to read what I have to share.

It’s been so much fun connecting with all of you on your own real food and/or GAPS journeys. I’ve loved the tips that you’ve shared with me over the past year, and it’s been nice connecting with people who don’t think I’m totally crazy for cooking liver!

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my most popular posts over the past year. I hope you enjoy reading them!

10. 7 Signs You’re on the GAPS Diet
This was fun for me to come up with, and I loved hearing your additions!

9. Gut and Psychology Syndrom: The Book That Changed My Life
Here’s where I share how GAPS has improved my life over the past year.

8. Keeping Track of the Depths of Your Freezer
If you want an iPad, but have been holding out, you can feel justified after reading this post!

7. All About Offal: Why to Include Organ Meats in Your Diet
I loved doing this series; it was so great hearing how all of you include organ meats.

6. The Lost World of Whey
You can follow in the steps of Little Miss Muffet!

5. My Lazy Method for Making Beef Stock
This is super easy to do!

4. Fun with Rendering Beef Tallow
How can you not enjoy a how-to post that shows you how to have fun making beef tallow?

3. Two Ingredient Homemade Deodorant That Works!
This is still my favorite homemade deodorant to use.

2. The Secret to Delicious, Homemade Peanut Butter
The key to this recipe is something that is good to develop in all areas of life!

And now, the most read post of this past year…

1. Make Your Bathtub Shine with Just Two Ingredients
You all want to have clean, shiny bathtubs too!

I hope you enjoyed taking a look back through my archives. Next week I’ll be sharing a look back at a year on GAPS, and I’ll also have a fun giveaway taking place that I hope you will enjoy.

Now it’s time for me to go hang out with my family that is visiting from Phoenix this week. I’ll see you next week!

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Keep It Real Thursdays, GAPS Legal Thursday, GAPS Friendly Friday, Fight Back FridayMonday Mania.

My Tiny Herb Garden

As I’ve mentioned before, we live in a rather small condo in central Boulder.  That means we don’t have a backyard, just a small balcony.  I’ve discovered you can actually grow a few things, even when you live in a small space.

Our small balcony

This is my second summer growing a few herbs.  I love to use fresh herbs in my cooking, but they can be rather expensive to buy one.  Summer is a great opportunity to grow them on the balcony.  I have two containers attached over the side.  I love that I don’t have to use any precious patio space, and can still grow herbs that I’ll use. [Read more...]

The Reading Corner: The Conundrum About Fats

The Reading Corner is a periodic series where I share interesting articles from around the web plus must-read books.  Pull up a comfy chair and get ready for some fun and interesting reads!

The continued recommendations by the USDA for Americans to eat a low-fat diet is really quite alarming considering the research that keeps coming out showing that heart disease is not decreasing, but actually increasing.  Today’s Reading Corner is focusing on debunking these common myths.  Happy reading! [Read more...]