Blue-Raspberry PIE!!! Oh I could die...

WARNING: This post contains the most delicious pie you have ever seen. Whether you have dietary restrictions or not, you will love this pie! It is Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free and Egg Free.

I love to watch cooking shows. I thought that was one of many things that would change with all the new dietary restrictions I have. A few of my favorite are MasterChef, Top Chef, MasterChef Junior, and The Chew. I love to learn new cooking terms like Sous-vide, Flambé, and Mirepoix. They are so fun to say and I feel so fancy. Haha


I was watching Master Chef the other day and they all had to make Blueberry pie. That started it. I had to try my hand at pie. It is so hard to watch those shows sometimes and not be able to use 1/2 the ingredients that they use. I was now a girl on a mission. I looked all over the web for a good dairy free, egg free, gluten free, butter free pie crust. NOTHING! Nothing that had only the ingredients that I wanted to use. So I came up with my own.





I did a flax/chia seed crust using coconut oil first. While it was tasty and hit the spot. I did not like the black chia seed look. Pie crust should be blond. I also used a whole berry medley that had strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I didn't like the bulky texture or flavor of the strawberries, but really enjoyed the flavor of the blueberries and raspberries best. So on the next try I decided to just use blueberries and raspberries. Good choice! I took the 2nd try camping with me and it was a hit. I decided it was actually good enough to share. 

Blue-Raspberry Pie with Coconut Flax Crust



Pie Crust Ingredients:

* 1 cup raw Cashew Pieces
* 1/2 cup milled flax seeds
* 1/2 cup unsweeted shredded coconut
* about 1/4 cup melted coconut manna (you can use coconut oil if you prefer)
* 3 packets Monk Fruit in the Raw Sweetener. (Can use Stevia or whatever sweetener you prefer) 
UPDATE: Add Sugar to taste for the berries. It may not be sweet enough with only 3 packets. 
* Pinch of salt
* Warm Water


1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

The Cashews are crumbly and done!

2. Put your cashews into a food processor and mill them until they are crumbly. You will be able to form them into a ball when they are ready. This will help the crust hold together. 
















2. Combine all your dry ingredients. I just do this in the glass Pyrex dish that I bake it in. No need to dirty an extra dish. 

3. Melt your coconut Manna (or coconut oil.) I do this by putting the entire jar into a plastic container that is just a little larger than the jar. I put it in the sink and allow the hot water to run on it for about 5-10 minutes as I am preparing everything else. 

4. Add the Coconut Manna to the dry ingredients. It will not coat everything and will still be pretty dry. I then just add water and work it with my hands until it is a perfect texture consistency to press into the pan. ( I just take a little warm water in my hand and work the crust.) At this point you have to taste the crust. It is REALLY GOOD. It is surprisingly buttery tasting. 

Pie Filling Ingredients:

* 1- 1/2 (12 oz. package) Frozen Red Raspberries

* 1- 1/2 (12 oz. package) Frozen Blueberries

* 4 packets Monk Fruit in the Raw.
You can use more if you like yours sweeter, but I have found that this is sweet enough for me with the crust.











1. Combine the berries and the Monk Fruit in a bowl. Stir well as to coat the berries with the monk fruit. Isn't this a beautiful picture? Those berries are so pretty. 












2. Put in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the center of the fruit is hot.


I keep the pie in the fridge after it cools. I do not eat it hot, but prefer it cold. Because I do not use gelatin, it is quite runny just out of the oven. I have not tried slicing it either because honestly, I just ate it right out of the glass pie plate. Haha. Grab a fork and everyone dig in! We're all family, right? 

Enjoy this ridiculously good pie! Let me know what variations you come up with. I would love your feedback! Thanks for stopping by!

Breakfast of Champions...

I love Dave Ramsey's quote. “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” How fitting I feel this is with food. I eat like no one else I know. Especially at Breakfast time. 

Sometimes I just really want a big bowl of cereal! Fruit Loops, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cinnamon Life... I am drooling right now. Any of those sugary, empty calorie morsels. SIGH... 

Now I just settle for smelling it. I have become that weird girl who likes to smell other people's food. Haha I am so weird, but smelling it does help. I know I cannot eat it, but oh man can I ever savor the smell. 

Since Hashi's, I think my breakfast has changed the most. 

I will usually do a 4 oz. serving of chicken or ground turkey. Cucumbers, Strawberries, and some good ole String cheese. That is the Breakfast of Champions right there. All that food and only 314 calories. 

Soy... Just say No!

Days like today I want to crawl back into bed and sleep the sickness away. 

Today is one of those bad days... 

For the last 15 years I asked EVERY doctor I went to why my glands would swell and become extremely sore. I feel like I have a bouncy ball permanently taking up residence in my throat. Doctors never seemed concerned about it, but it worried me. Since I have changed my eating to the Anti-Inflammatory diet, the gland swelling has only happened one other time and that was when I tested chocolate. 

The funny thing with food testing is that some foods will instantly bring on a reaction, and others will slowly manifest and then hang around for a lonnnng time. 

I tested Soy last sunday with a single serving size of Edamame in the evening. One little serving and all week I have been sick. I am exhausted, my back aches, my glands are swollen and sore. I have gained 5 pounds of water weight due to inflammation. I just don't feel good. I was fine Monday Morning but then later in the afternoon it hit, and hasn't gone away since. It always gives me a sense of false hope when the reaction is delayed. 

"Yeah, another food I can eat... BAM the sickness hits ! Not so fast Holly."

Soy is in Everything. You must read the label on everything  you are going to be putting into your body! 

I have even found soy in chewing gum! What? Really? Is Soy really necessary?
After this discovery it led me to question what else has soy in it that I do not know about? 

I stumbled upon this blogpost that spelled everything out concerning Soy. 

Choosing Voluntary Simplicity: Living with a Soy Allergy

When you go to that post, the list of foods that have soy in them is astounding. 
READ the Food Labels because you never know what ingredients they used to make up that food. 

Most Cooking sprays have soy in them. To solve that problem I bought a Misto. 

I LOVE my Misto. 

Since I am not able to use any oil other than Olive or coconut oil, it was really hard to find a cooking spray that didn't contain a bunch of additives. The Misto solves that problem. You just put your Olive Oil in, pump it up, and spray. 

Here is a link to their awesome cheese-ball commercial if you still aren't convinced that you need one. 

Hopefully after I get off work, I can find a little nap time to rest. Even after diagnosis I still have bad days. However, they are fewer and farther between than they ever were before. I used to feel like this ALL the time. I am so grateful though, that through food testing, I know that Soy is something that I react negatively to. I can do my best to avoid it and feel generally healthy and good the rest of my life. 

Keep fighting the good fight. Hang in there. 

There is always HOPE. 

"So What can you Eat?"

That is always the question people ask me when I give them the laundry list of things that I cannot have. Haha With RedRiver they put you on the basic Anti-inflammatory diet and then you test certain foods to see if your body reacts to the food at all. Much like the AIP diet, only they have developed this diet themselves and have really helped me navigate it. I am part of a Hashimoto's Support group and I read the frustration and confusion that so many people are suffering from. There is hope. I am so grateful that they are educating me and know what is going on in my body and how to manage the flair ups. 

I have created a spreadsheet so I can keep track of my foods while I test. 

Foods That are APPROVED: * Quinoa * Lean Grass fed Beef * Buckwheat * Steel Cut Oats * Sweet Potato  * Pork * Fresh Fruits * Amaranth * Fresh Vegetables * Peanuts * Sea Salt *Hard Cheeses * Peas (split, fresh, & snap) * Popcorn * Garbanzo beans * Sweet Corn * Fish excluding Shell fish * 100% Cacao * Chicken  * Yogurt (Greek)  * Turkey * Lamb * Olive Oil * Coconut Oil * Flaxseed Oil * Unsweetened Almond Milk * Raw Cashews * Raw Almonds * Raw Macadamia Nuts * Raw Pecans * Raw Walnuts * Herbal Tea Foods to Avoid: * Dairy: Cow's milk * Green Beans * Sausage * Kidney Beans * Shellfish * Pinto Beans * Butter * Black Beans * Margarine * Yellow Wax Beans * Shortening * Cantaloupe * Eggs * Carrots * Gluten * Cherries * Tomatoes * Cranberries * Dehydrated Fruit * Goats Milk * Rice * Pineapple * Dent Corn * Pumpkin * Potatoes (white, red, yellow) * Sunflower * Soda * Wheat * Fruit Juices * Baker's Yeast * Iodized (Table) Salt * Brewer's Yeast * Sugar, cane * Tapioca * Natural sweeteners * Rhodiola * Agave & Honey * Cocoa Powder * Artificial Sweeteners * Soy or products with Soy * Soy Milk or Tofu * Pork * Canned Meat * Cold cuts * Bacon * Hot Dogs KEY Red= 3 on Immuno Bloodprint Orange= 2 on Immuno Bloodprint Purple= 1 on Immuno Bloodprint Dark Blue= In Moderation Green= Non-Reactive on Immuno BP Pink= Tested. Here is the Food Testing Table: Date Food  Result 2/18,19 Steak Approved 2/21,22 Tomato Avoid 2/26,27 Egg Avoid 3/19,20 Steel Cut Oats Approved 3/22,23 Pork Approved 3/24,25 Tapioca Avoid 3/28,29 Brown Rice Approved 4/1,2 Amaranth Approved 4/3,4 Peanuts Approved 4/13,14 Stevia Avoid 4/15,16 Monk Fruit in the Raw Approved 5/4,5 Cheese Approved 5/6,7 Dent Corn (Tortilla) Avoid 5/10,11 Sweet Corn Approved 5/13,14 Yogurt Approved 5/ 15,16 Chocolate 100% Approved 5/ 18,19 Shrimp Avoid 5/ 21,22 Cocoa Powder Avoid 5/25,26 Popcorn Approved 6/1 Soy (edamame)  Avoid There you go! That is a lot of information I know. I had to write it down otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep track of everything. This is my personalized diet based on my body and how it reacts to food. Everyone is different and they will react differently to these same foods. Take control of your diet though, it has made all the difference in the world for me. I feel so much better and have about 25 good days a month now. With exception to when I am testing those foods that have the big red AVOID next to them.

What I am learning on this Journey of Becoming... ME!

My face is lookin' mighty skinny these days.

It is so interesting to me that in this journey of weight loss and becoming, I feel like I am awakening to a new level of consciousness. Since diagnosis everything has changed. 
As my body heals and changes, my outlook on life and perspective changes.  I am alive and experiencing things I haven't before. I felt like before when I was so sick that I was doing what I could to survive. I was just trying to get through the day. I would wake up exhausted, roll out of bed and think " I just have to make it through the 8 hours at work, then I can come home and sleep again." 

Now I have hope that life can be full. I have dreams and aspirations and the energy to actually accomplish them now. We are in charge of our lives. We get to decide who we are and what we do. We have infinite potential to create and do good. I am so excited to BECOME. I know that all things are possible with the Lord's help. This experience has definitely been a journey of healing, self discovery, and growth. 

I am a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is part of who I am. It means so much to me. 

I was on Facebook today and came across this talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley. It was exactly the "Go get 'em" I needed today and can apply to anyone no matter what faith or religious background you hail from. Fight the good fight, do not give up on yourself or your health. You can do this. 

 " Be Ambitious, Don't short circuit yourself." [ think he meant short change] "Never lose sight of the fact that you are a child of God with a divine destiny and capable of doing great and good and wonderful things. Don't sell yourself short, don't cheapen yourselves. You know who you are. You know that you are a child of God and that your Heavenly Father expects something great and noble and good of each of you...

... Maintain your integrity, be honest, be good, be decent, be prayerful and the God of Heaven will smile upon you and bless you and give happiness into your hearts and a sense of peace in your lives. You just have to do your very best. With all the capability that you have, you have to do your very best and somehow if you do that God will open the way before you and the sun will shine and your lives will be fruitful and you will accomplish great good in the world. 

May your tears be few and your smiles be many as you go forward in your lives. 

There is no end in sight for the good you can do... The work of the world is not done by geniuses. It's done by ordinary people who have learned to work in an extraordinary way." 

Say. "I can do the Right thing today, God be my helper and I will do it." 

I know there are so many out there suffering through the same disease that I am, but please do not give up. Last year I was ready to give up. I was so miserable, but thankfully with the love and encouragement of my family I pulled through. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE! It is my shared hope that those who are reading this and those who are also walking this walk will find that their tears are few and their smiles many. 

We may have Hashimoto's, but Hashimoto's does not have us! Hoorah! 

My Guilt-Free Guilty Pleasure!

I have a problem. I am seriously addicted to Red Delicious Apples and Almond Butter! I am salivating now just thinking about that cinnamon apple goodness!


I just can't get enough. With the Anti-inflammatory protocol I follow it is 100% legal. Apples are a great fruit to eat when you are trying to regulate your blood sugar. They are low on the Glycemic Index but still fulfill that need for sweet. I cannot eat have any sweeteners (natural or artificial) so apples have been a lifesaver for me. 

1 Medium Apple is 38
Cashews are 22
Almonds are 0-15 (I found varying numbers from different sources.)

GI's of 55 or below are considered low, and 70 or above are considered high. I think it is really that eating a cup of white rice has the same GI as eating 1 tablespoon of sugar. There are so many things I never knew about before I started this journey. 

Read More about the Glycemic Index Here

I make my own Almond/Cashew Cinnamon Butter

I do it myself so that I can control exactly what is in my Almond butter. I use Raw Almonds. 

Winco is great. I always go to their bulk section for nuts. The Almonds are usually around $6.99 a pound and the cashews are $2.99 a pound. 

Not too shabby as far as nuts are concerned. 
I love The Spice Hunter spices. They are usually pretty straight forward without a lot of additives. 

I keep my nuts in the freezer to keep them from going rancid. Nuts are so expensive, I do not want them going bad!

Step 1: Put your Almonds, Cashews and Cinnamon in the Food Processor. 


I have a cheap Black and Decker Food Processor. It works great. No fancy gadget needed. 

Step 2: Pulse a couple times to get things going then turn on full blast. 





After about 5 minutes it will be chunky little pieces. Use a rubber scraper to pull the sides down. 








The Almond Butter is done when it reaches a creamy consistency. It can take up to 20 minutes of processing before it reaches this point. I like mine a little chunkier and not too smooth. If I am being honest, I almost can't wait long enough for it to get super smooth so I take it chunky! 


Step 3: Cut your apple into wedges. Dip the apple into the Almond Butter and Enjoy. These remind me of Apple Pie! Sooooooooooooo Good! 



You can make any variation of this Almond butter. You can hold the cashews or cinnamon. You can make just a cashew butter. I wonder what it would be like with Cayenne Pepper or a Pumpkin Pie Spice. Get creative.

I have never seen a pistachio butter. I wonder if this is because pistachio nuts are SO expensive. I will have to try it out. I will let you know how it turns out when I do. 

Food...

One of the first things Dr. Stadler had me do was change my eating habits. 

• Eat a vegetable and protein with each meal
• NO more Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Iodized Salt, Potatoes, Corn, Tomatoes, Sugars except those from fruit and chocolate. Thank goodness I already stayed away from Soda, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. 
• Drink 13 cups of water a day. (My potty breaks definitely increased at first) 

I found it quite easy to make the changes. I was more than ready to feel GOOD. I was sick of being sick and tired all the time. 

Before getting the Anti-inflammatory Diet protocol I knew that I was going to have to be Gluten Free. A week before my blood tests, I went Gluten free. Before testing for my food panels, I decided to eat gluten again just so I could really see what it was doing to my body. I went to Zupa's after my Doc appointment and ate the amazingly delicious bread they give with a meal. Within a half hour my glands became swollen and sore. My back hurt, I got a headache and I was sick to my stomach. That was enough to convince me not to eat it 

EVER AGAIN! 

Finding foods that I can eat can be VERY challenging at times, especially when I am away from home. Going out to eat... forget about it. Eating out comes at the cost of getting sick and swollen the next day. Even if the staff is super careful. Not to mention the fact that it takes an hour on the phone to find out what is in their food and then hassle and headache with the waiters. I hate to make a fuss, but if I don't I will get sick.

The Road to my Diagnosis...

My first post. I am so excited to share with you what I am learning and experiencing. 

It was so difficult to get a diagnosis in my case. I went to many doctors and specialists, but Hashimoto's Disease was never mentioned. 

I originally got sick at 14,and it wasn't until I was 18 that I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. It wasn't until I was 27 that I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's Autoimmune Disease. What in the world? How do you even say that???? "Hosh- E- Mo- Toes" Everytime I say that word, the song Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto plays in my head. Haha. 

What in the world is Hashimoto's?
Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease meaning my immune system is attacking my thyroid and other tissue and organs. Hashimoto's is genetic, but is not active for everyone who is predisposed to get it. I have since learned that Hashimoto's is triggered at high hormonal changes in life. The disease is more prevalent in women than men because women experience High hormonal changes more than men do with Puberty, Child birth, and menopause. Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. (If you have Hypothyroidism and have not been tested for Hashimoto's I highly recommend getting the labs done. They can determine Hashimoto's with a simple blood test. E-mail me if you want to know which labs to ask for. hollyaitken@gmail.com )


My Hashi's (short for Hashimoto's)  was turned on at 12 when I went through puberty, but I did not feel the effects of the disease until 14. Once the flick has been switched, it can never be turned off. I will have it for the rest of my life. It took 4 years for Hashi's to damage my thyroid enough that doctors were confident in giving me the Hypothyroidism diagnosis. I was put on synthetic hormone, but still never felt well. I do not understand why doctors kept missing the cause of my illness. They kept treating the symptom (Hypothyroidism) but not the cause (Hashi's) 

Last year was probably the hardest, lowest years of my life. My disease was in full swing taking a toll on my body. I was sick all the time and had everything that went around. 
I was experiencing the full spectrum of Hashimoto's symptoms: 

June 2013 I am so puffy!

• Fatigue and sluggishness
• Pale, dry skin
• A puffy face
• Unexplained weight gain — occurring infrequently and rarely exceeding 10 to 20 pounds, most of which is fluid
• Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness, especially in your shoulders and hips
• Pain and stiffness in your joints and swelling in your knees or the small joints in your hands and feet
• Muscle weakness, especially in your lower extremities
• Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
• Depression



What in the world is that?

• Swollen sensitive glands

My eyes really suffered in 2013. I still do not know why my eye health was so poor, but I had conjunctivitis twice, styes, and many days where my eyes would get swollen, inflamed, and I would get these weird water bubbles on the eyeball itself. Oh... this disease. 

December 2013

I tried many different diets and exercises to lose weight and would lose 10 pounds and without changing anything, I would gain 20. It was so frustrating. It took a year for the doctors to finally do something about my High Blood Pressure, but only after I mentioned that I was Hypertensive. Why do doctor's offices take your blood pressure anyway if they don't even look at it? It baffles me. I was put on a water pill and within 3 days I lost 17 pounds of water weight. I was shocked, but ecstatic. That gave the hope I needed to continue on. 
My life was so dismal. Mental Health suffers a ton with Hashimoto's. I felt crazy and like a hypocondriac. I felt like no one understood where I was coming from and that I wasn't just making this up. Up to the point of my diagnosis, I did what I could just to survive. Some days I just wanted to die. I lost the best parts of my personality. I used to be such a social butterfly, but got to the point that it was just too much work to see people and pretend to be okay when I wasn't. I was in a dark place I hope to never visit again.  As I am healing I am realizing that there are so many opportunities to be had. I am setting goals, pursuing dreams, and LIVING for the first time in years. THERE IS HOPE!

In January while at work, I went into the break room and a commercial for RedRiver Health and Wellness came on. I had heard about them for years and desperately wanted to go see them, but knowing that they would not be covered by insurance, I never went. I was fed up though. I was so sick and wanted answers. I had asked a previous doctor to run a thyroid panel for me to determine exactly what was wrong with me. A previous doctor said, "Well it could be thyroiditis or it could just be the Hypothyroidism, lets put you on the meds for the thyroiditis and see how it goes." I was now her official guinea pig. The results of the thyroid panel said "Condusive to subclinical hypothroidism." The same diagnosis I had received for the last 9 years. 

Dr. Stadler (The Man)

Armed with my test results, I went to my consultation with RedRiver. I met Dr. Stadler and with one look at my test results he confirmed that I had Hashimoto's. He could help me. I was so emotional. He understood what I was going through. He didn't think I was crazy or making this up and the blood work proved it. He ran a full health panel on me and we discovered that I was also pre-diabetic, anemic, my sex hormones were ALL out of whack, and my vitamin D was extremely low. 

Dr. Stadler has taken the time to teach me how to manage this disease. He has educated me about what is going on in my body as a whole. I am so grateful that I sucked it up and went. 

I have Hashimoto's, but it does not have me.