Sunshine & muffins

Aloha!

Yes, that is a greeting, as well as a farewell, and is also just a beautiful traditional Hawaiian word meaning affection, love, compassion, mercy and peace. It seems a perfect word for this beautiful sunny morning that comes after three days of rain. We just spent a couple of days hanging with my cousin Dave and his wife Heidi, and now gearing up for our trip to Sedona in a couple of weeks.

I have been feeling really well, for the most part. Not much pain, energy levels good. I did see my doctor last week who took my blood pressure and assessed the small red spots on my skin. My BP was 130/76, which was slightly higher than she'd like to see it but, since I am doing well on the salt/c protocol and feeling generally well, she thinks it is fine for me to continue as long as we monitor it. I'm not accustomed to monitoring anything, so this is new for me. As a child and teen I had low blood pressure which, as a youth, I always assumed must be a good thing since it was the opposite of high blood pressure. I later learned that low blood pressure isn't desirable either. But from my twenties onward my BP has always been in the normal range, so this is the first time it's been up a little. I feel fine, though, so I envision it all being good.

The tiny red spots are called cherry angiomas, and they are nothing to worry about. They are very common, especially after age 40, and are a form of benign tumor, created by clusters of dilated capillaries.

So that's the medical report. I'll go back in another month and we'll see how the BP looks.

So we all took a long beach walk on Friday, and I was concerned it would do me in for Saturday, but actually I felt awesome all day yesterday - I don't think I even took any aspirin at all. It reminds me that I need to do more walking on the days that it feels right, and we have a nearby beach that is perfect for that.

I made some yummy gluten-free, refined-sugar-free muffins the other day that everyone liked. I'm including the recipe here for Heidi, since she loved them and I forgot to xerox the page for her. Try these! If you have lyme only eat a little at a time, so you don't feed "the bugs" (since sugar and carbs will do that). You can also make them dairy free by using the egg substitute described below:

BERRY MUFFINS

1 cup organic apple sauce
1/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup organic honey
3/4 cup flax meal or amaranth flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 egg OR 1 egg equivalent (1 T ground flax seed mixed with 3 T water - let stand for 2 minutes before mixing in)
1 tsp. organic vanilla
1 tsp gluten free baking soda
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup fresh or frozen organic berries

(FYI, I didn't have baking powder so I put in extra baking soda and they came out just fine....)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix applesauce, oil, honey and sea salt. Add egg (or egg substitute), vanilla and mix well. Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and mix until blended. Add nuts and/or berries and gently fold in. Fill muffin pan (spray cups or use paper liners), making the cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test center with fork or toothpick before removing from oven.

Enjoy, and mahalo!

Sukie