Coconut Bread (GAPS friendly)

This past week, I guess you could say I was a crazy baker on a mission.  This was week two of going grain-free and working myself into the Full GAPS diet (I will do the Intro once my son is weaned).  And for whatever reason, I became very hungry and my cravings for carbs were intensified.

I am already through 5 pounds of blanched almond flour I received no more than a few weeks ago so you can do some calculations to see just how much I’ve been baking (I did use about a pound for a client so I guess I didn’t eat ALL of the baked goods!)  And my boy and hubby do eat their share!

This past week I made the following (along with some good dinners which I can’t remember at this moment).  Not very many pictures – I was usually not fast enough to capture the baked goods before they were gone!

• Honey-Nut Bars/Granola
  These turned into granola because I was greatly reducing the amount of honey in my diet.  Kimi recommends a 1/2 cup of honey and this is really what keeps the bars sticking together.  I did a scant 2-3 Tbsp. and it was plenty sweet.  However, they did not hold together at all (except for the crispy edges) and it turned into granola.  But it made awesome “trail mix” and cold cereal with home-made almond milk.
• Banana Bread
  I made this after I came home from cooking for a client and was looking for something fruit sweetened and bread-like.  I made this recipe and modified it by taking out the honey and replacing it with a mashed pear.  I also used the blanched almond flour instead of hazelnut flour.  The result was very yummy, very moist and it was gone by the next morning.  It tasted just like banana bread to me!  Plenty sweet without the honey.
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Grain-free Coconut Crepes

Last week I got hit pretty hard with a Herxheimer reaction.  A what, you say?

A Herxheimer reaction (also called a “die-off” reaction or a “Healing Crisis”) “is the result of the rapid killing of microorganisms and absorption of large quantities of yeast toxins, cell particles and antigens.”  (Virgin Coconut Oil).

Basically what this is saying is that when toxins try to leave the body faster than it can handle, it creates “die-off” symptoms which can vary from person to person.  The symptoms are usually a repeat of symptoms a person already has but they can get worse before they get better.

But it’s a good thing!  It means your body is actually on its way to achieving a new level of healing.  However, it is difficult sometimes to know if you’re simply reacting to something you ate (in a bad way) or if there is actually a healing crisis going on.

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