Sunny, sunny love!

Well, I'm finally back from holiday and what a wonderful relaxing time I had. I feel totally rejuvenated. There really is nothing better than staying at a beach house on the ocean and swimming and snoozing in the hot sun. Yes, I said "hot sun" and yes, I was out in it and did not get burnt to a crisp and did not trigger a flare! I've been off Plaquinil for 2 1/2 months now and have already noticed a huge difference in my sensitivity, or shall I say insensitivity to sunlight. I don't need to wear sunglasses 24/7 and a 50spf sunscreen slathered on at regular intervals kept me from burning (2 years ago, while on 400mg of Plaquinil, I did a 50spf, burned a little and consequently flared). Basking in the sun actually felt wonderful, playing with my children on the beach felt wonderful. It's just so good to do normal things and not constantly worry about what I'm going to feel like the next day because I know I'm going to feel just as good as I do right now.

This was also the first vacation I've ever taken where I actually lost weight! How fantastic is that!

So, my brand spanking new daughter has been having some internal issues which quite frankly, scared the shit out of me initially. I started to see blood in her diapers when she went #2, and because I'm nursing, this was pretty much every time I changed her. I was following a more primal type diet and eating dairy occasionally just because I love cheese. I talked to our pediatrician and dairy is the first culprit to eliminate in cases like this so bye bye cheese. Blood stopped. Then my eldest daughter had her 5th birthday party and I made the cake. I tasted it to be sure it tasted okay, it was literally a couple of bites, and it was dairy free - but not gluten free (for the 20 kids at the party - stupid, stupid). The next day, blood in diaper. So, the short of it is that my baby has both dairy and gluten sensitivities via breast milk. While most people are just shocked at this and deluging me with sympathy and worry about the fact that my daughter (and me for that matter) basically cannot eat anything in their opinion, I'm so glad that I learning about the paleo lifestyle 2 years ago. In trying to forever be an optimist (an autoimmune disease can do this to you - make you or break you), this "problem" my daughter has will first, keep me in line and on track - the fact that a couple bites of gluten affected my child so much that she had internal bleeding is a constant reminder of how powerful this yucky stuff is and quickly my own health could take a turn for the worst. Second, my baby is a blank slate, she doesn't know what a krispy kreme, snickers bar or bowl of fettuccine alfredo tastes like. Her palate will thrive on delicious, whole, organic and healthful foods. I wish I (and my first 2 daughters) were so lucky!

Oh and a final note, I made kale chips for the first time in my dehydrator yesterday and they are delicious! I finally found something that has a bit of that potato chip crunch that I've been missing ever so much! Here's the recipe:

2 bunches of kale (I used organic lacinato kale)
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt

Put the oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl and mix. Remove the ribs from the kale and tear into potato chip size. Add the kale to the mix and toss the kale with your hands until the mix thoroughly coats the kale (really massage it in there!). Place the pieces on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. You can pack them pretty tight as the kale will shrink a bit. I put my dehydrator on 115F for 9 hours. Enjoy!!

-- Robyn