Autoimmune Friendly Paleo pop tarts!!

For the past four months I have really been…going through something. I’ve been sick for four months. It has been quite baffling because I am a holistic health coach! It has also been humbling because- I am a holistic health coach! I’ve basically hidden myself away for four months in partial shame for being such a sick health coach (and partially because I felt like crap all the time!). However, life doesn’t give us any lessons that we don’t need to learn, does it? I mean, everything has its reason if you stay and look in to it. I’m incredibly grateful to be able to listen to my body and understand what it needs…

My symptoms were becoming so severe that I even started to fear the C-word: I had been losing some hair, had a bad case of acne, was getting rashes, had night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, swollen and painful tonsils, multiple sinus infections and was not losing any weight despite running two marathons and eating (I thought) well. What gives? I know it is not normal to feel like crap all the time. Meanwhile, while all this was going on with me, I had a friend that suddenly experienced acute kidney failure and was diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease. At first I concluded that it was due to the high level of endurance sport-induced stress that he put on his body (which stresses the adrenals and kidneys), and also GMOs. This was my health coaching no-brainer. However, as I started to research his disease more- in an effort to be any help that I could- I stumbled upon the world of autoimmunity.

The more I read about autoimmunity- the more I understood what was going on with me!

You see, in this country, there are no autoimmune specialists. You have to wait until you have a specific autoimmune disease- like MCD, or fybromyalgia, or Thyroid Disease, or Lupus, etc.- before you are sent to a specialist that deals with that specific disorder. However, autoimmunity is apparently triggered way before you develop a specific disease…and has many triggers. When I learned that it is largely set off by genetics and leaky gut- I knew I was on my way to solving my own crisis. My entire family has been afflicted with autoimmune diseases, it has just manifested differently in everyone: my mother has thyroid disease, my grandmother had fybromyalgia, my aunt has diverticulitis, my uncle died of ALS… And here I am showing the early signs of autoimmune disease, which is then exacerbated by gut permeating foods (like gluten) and bacterial infections (which I have had for four months)!!

I’m extremely grateful to see the light now- before I develop some debilitating disease! Both my friend and I are now launching in to a new world of gluten-free and eating to heal! More specifically, I am eating to heal autoimmunity because it can be done. I will be writing more on autoimmunity in my monthly newsletters, so sign up now if you want to hear more!

Now, on this healing diet- it is easy to feel daunted and lackluster! Luckily, I am a determined baker! While I can eat no grains/gluten, seeds, beans, eggs, dairy or nuts…I have still found a way to make delicious baked goods. I found a lot of versions of “paleo pop tarts” on the internet…and I have recreated and refined them to come up with my own delicious version! These are such a treat- you will never feel like you are missing out on anything with these!

As for me- I now feel great! My skin has cleared up, I’m feeling energetic and I have dropped the extra weight!

Let’s begin, and don’t say I never gave you anything!

(btw- I use organic everything because…how can you have a healing diet if you’re eating pesticides?)

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Paleo Peach Pop-tarts:

Wash, peel and chop 6 organic peaches. Place them in a saucepan with 2tbsp raw honey and 1/2tsp vanilla. Cook them, stirring often, on med-low heat- bringing them to a simmer- until they are thickened and reduced. Set aside.

Next, you want to make the dough. Bring 1/4cup water, 1/4cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt and a teaspoon of vanilla to a boil in another saucepan. Once it has boiled, remove from heat. Now, add in 1/2 cup tapioca flour and mix well. Then add in 1/4 cup of apple butter and 1/2 cup coconut flour. Mix well. If it is cool enough, knead the dough together quickly with your hands.

Now, place the ball of dough between two sheets of parchment and roll to slightly less than 1/4″ thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 2×3″ rectangles. (I used individually wrapped teabags as a template) Spoon some of the filling on to each rectangle, then top and press down the sides with another rectangle.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS LIST:

dough-

1/4 c water

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c apple butter

1/2 c tapioca flour

1/2 c coconut flour

peach filling-