Monday, February 25, 2013

Friendly Wheat-free Frittata and the Status of my Insomnia

I have always been the girl that couldn't sleep. I have had off and on (mostly on) insomnia my whole life. I mean real, up until 4am when you have to be at work at 8:30, for weeks in a row, insomnia. Not the "Oh - I'm so tired it took me an hour to fall asleep last night" kind. If you are in the first camp with me you have probably wanted to jump across a table and strangle someone for saying that taking an hour to fall asleep is insomnia. True insomnia is like torture and it wreaks havoc on your body and your life. 

My lovely sister forwarded a link for me this morning about sleep because she thought I mind find it interesting. I would come to mind, of course, because remember, I'm the girl that can't sleep. But guess what, for the first time in my life, I'm not the girl that can't sleep anymore. I am woken up 4 times a night by a 7 month old, yes, but generally I fall asleep at night and usually fall back asleep in between feedings. And I'm sleeping soundly and waking up rested. Hallelujah. Miracles do happen and I cherish every precious second of it. I may not be cured and I know it could come back any day but here is what seems to be giving me relief from the insomnia:
  • I never, never, never stay up past 10 o'clock unless absolutely necessary. If you have adrenal fatigue you definitely should follow this rule but I think it applies to most people. And if I stay up past 11 I may as well start cleaning the house or something because my second wind has kicked in and I'll be up until 1 for sure. Since baby is up for the day at 5:30 or 6:00 that is not a good situation;
  • Eating clean has significantly improved my stomach issues which I believe contributed to my inability to sleep. I have noticed on the very few occasions I have eaten out since going clean or if I overate/had a big late snack I have trouble falling asleep;
  • I gave up caffeine. Do it. Try it. Go cold turkey or do it slowly. Just do it. This has changed my life. Its poison if you have a caffeine sensitivity (about 15% of us do) and you probably won't know for sure until you give it up and realize how much better you sleep and how much more stable your blood sugar is. I also watch that there aren't stimulants in medications I'm taking (even cough syrup, etc). Oh - thinking back now I realize why I could never sleep when I was sick...........and if you can't sleep you can't get better. Vicious cycle. 
  • I don't watch anything disturbing on TV (I actually don't really watch tv) or even talk on the phone after 8:00. Once I get the house tidied up, I try to do something relaxing like reading or blogging and I always take a hot bath before bed.
  • No more naps - unless I have had a horrendous night with baby and I take a quick nap in the morning. If I nap I can't fall asleep at 10 and if I'm still up at 11 I'm screwed.
There are obviously other changes in my life that are helping like being off of work, having low stress, taking adrenal support pills and working out. Oh yeah, and my new Costco pillow that has a "cool gel insert". I get hot at night - hormones, adrenals, who knows - the coolness of the pillow does seem to help. 

So that's the status of my insomnia. If you are suffering maybe some of these things could work for you. Like my stomach problems, I just thought insomnia was something I was born with and would have to cope with for the rest of my life...............but maybe I won't. Crap now I have an uneasy feeling that I'm not going to sleep tonight - I've probably jinxed myself. 

Okay - and here is a recipe. Its barely a recipe because it is so simple. MY 5 YEAR OLD ATE IT AND TOOK LEFTOVERS FOR SCHOOL. Another miracle. I am slowly chipping away at those terrible eating habits I let them develop. Use this as a base recipe and throw whatever you have into it - any meat/veggie/cheese combo will work. Its so easy. Literally took me 5 minutes to prep. And why not make a double batch and take the leftovers for lunch or have them for breakfast. Goes great with a salad.

Clean, Wheat-free, Low Carb and Kid-friendly Frittata - I used bacon, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes with egg and cheddar cheese. 

Friendly Frittata

2 cups broccoli, chopped into small florets, microwaved with a tbsp of water for 3-4 minutes or until fork tender but be careful not to overcook it since its still goes in the oven for 1/2 hour
4 strips cooked bacon, chopped into bite sized pieces - ham or sausage would work well
2 tbsps sun-dried tomato
5 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup milk of choice (any unsweetened or coconut milk would work)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheese, optional - if the kids weren't eating I would have done feta or goat cheese but I used medium cheddar for the kids

Mix together the beaten eggs, milk and spices. Layer the broccoli, bacon and sun-dried tomato in a greased pie plate and then pour the egg mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes in a pie plate well greased with coconut or olive oil.

Just out of the oven. How easy was that.