Turkey Bone Broth

April 27, 2015April 20, 2017 | Rachel Boulos

Well, it’s official. I finally got up the nerve to make my own bone broth! Who knew it was so ridiculously easy, simple, and low-maintenance? I opted for doing it in the crock pot because, well, who has time to stand over the stove all day?

After cooking a whole bird for dinner, this is an awesome way to use all the leftovers that would otherwise head straight for the garbage! And I feel frugal. Not to mention it also serves as a great alternative for those with allergies or on a FODMAP diet who can’t do store-bought broth. And let’s be honest, most store broths and stocks are probably loaded with MSG or artificial flavors anyway.

Like Grandma always says, soup is good for the soul. And nutritionists agree with Grandma. Continue reading →

Gluten-free Pizza

April 27, 2015April 20, 2017 | Rachel Boulos

“Pizza and ‘Beer Night” (root beer, that is) has been a Friday night favorite at our house. This stay-at-home date night usually includes pizza, old fashioned root beer, a movie rental, pajamas, some good snuggle time, and a big bowl of popcorn. We started the tradition during our early dating years and have been hooked ever since!

When I discovered I had food sensitivities, thankfully our fun pizza nights were not doomed for all eternity. Continue reading →

The Questions that Saved My Life

April 22, 2015September 2, 2020 | Rachel Boulos

At some point in our lives we will all experience a tragedy, a physical illness, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a dream. In these moments, doubts and questions will arise. How could this happen? Why me? What did I do to deserve this? How am I ever going to survive this? Where is God in all of this?

I have been there. Three times, in fact. My father suddenly died in his 40’s, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my shattered teenage heart. In college, I battled a dark depression that threatened to undermine my faith, my mind, and my emotional well being. And recently, with the rapid decline of my physical health and diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. Did I really trust God to take care of me? Could I really depend on Him to provide what I needed? If He really cared about me, why was He letting me suffer? I knew He could heal me, but could I keep my faith even if He chose not to? Do I still believe God is good and loving even when He doesn’t step in to relieve my suffering? These questions haunted me.

But these questions saved my life. Continue reading →

Have Your Chips and Eat Them Too

April 16, 2015April 20, 2017 | Rachel Boulos

You can be healthy and eat chips too. Yes. You read that right.

I’ve been on a number of exclusion diets and at one point was avoiding 25+ foods including the big dogs themselves: gluten, corn, eggs, and dairy. Lunch time would come around and I would sadly look at my plate and feel like something was missing. It just wasn’t the same. A girl’s gotta have her chips.

And so began my hunt for ones that would make the cut. My criteria? They had to fit within my diet restrictions and they had to taste good. After all, who wants to eat chips that taste like cardboard or styrofoam? I mean, I’m willing to compromise my taste buds when necessary but I gotta draw the line somewhere.

I can happily report Continue reading →

The Broken Road: my journey with disease

April 10, 2015January 14, 2021 | Rachel Boulos

the broken road my journey with disease It started out as a normal summer day and we couldn’t have been more thrilled. Hubs and I had just purchased our very first home. And it was yellow. I had prayed for yellow. Moving day was set, our boxes packed. We were moving right along with our list of goals: New house, check. Jobs, check. Furniture, check. Search for a dog, check. Our future was looking bright.

And then it happened. Something didn’t feel quite right. My energy started to fail and I found myself getting easily fatigued. Over the next few weeks my knees began to swell until they became the size of cantaloupes. As the swelling increased, the pain grew. It hurt to walk, it hurt to stand, it hurt to move.

I spent my 30th birthday and a good part of that year battling a crippling disease. Instead of gracefully waltzing into a new decade, I hobbled my way through. Within two weeks of our move I became confined to our couch, utterly fatigued without even enough energy to make myself a sandwich. Even hobbling across the floor to the bathroom became a tremendous feat. My body was rapidly breaking down before my very eyes and there was nothing I could do about it. Continue reading →

Live Well, Worry Less

March 6, 2015April 20, 2017 | Rachel Boulos

This is not intended to be another one of those “if you try harder you can have a better life” kind of blogs. I have little energy to spare as it is and the idea of trying harder makes me want to take a nap! If you are anything like me, my mind is consumed enough with to-do lists, present troubles, and future worries to leave little room for thinking about how to really live well. I’m just running from day to day trying to survive and keep all the balls in the air.