Almost a decade ago I read a book called The Love Dare.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve any relationship in their life.  One line from that book has never left me. It was simply “be a joy, not a jerk”.  So simple, yet these six words can make all the difference in the world in your marriage, in your relationship with your children, or even with co-workers.  Think about it, who wants to live with a jerk?  Nobody.  We all find ourselves gravitating toward people full of joy and who treat us kindly.  This book also says the joy two people find in their marriage is directly linked to the daily level of kindness expressed.  We all want great relationships, but what about those days when we wake up and our inner jerk is just clamoring to come out and say something rude and regretful?  If you are anything like me, you beat yourself up for awhile, then you determine never to be a  “jerk” again only to someday fall short again.  The older I get the more slack I give myself because I realize this inner jerk is within all of us, but it’s in the way we handle ourselves that makes all the difference in the world to those around us and even to ourselves.

1)   Humble yourself.   Never be too proud to say you were wrong.  Even if they share in some of the blame don’t mention their part in it, only your part.   Before I met my husband it was very difficult for me to admit when my behavior was unbecoming.  I was much more comfortable making the other person feel like THEY were wrong to get “off the hook”.  The problem is the other person is not buying it, and they are only conceding to make you go away, which is definitely not winning.  By watching my husband, I have learned to apologize right away.  Not only do all the negative feelings dissolve almost immediately, but I’ve learned humility makes a person more attractive and it also creates a safe atmosphere for the other person to apologize as well.

2) Prove it – forgiveness is immediate, but proving yourself and regaining trust when you hurt someone’s feelings takes time.  Show that person you care about them so much that you will not make that same mistake again and again.

3) Make it up to them – you can’t buy your way out of what you may have said to hurt that person but you can show them how much you care by being your best everyday to be a joy and not a jerk.

4) Be silly – I ordered this T- shirt (pictured above) last year knowing unfortunately someday I would need to wear it.  How can someone not forgive you when you approach them wearing this shirt?  Take what you did to hurt their feelings seriously, but you don’t have to be so hard on yourself and take yourself so serious!  Forgive and move on.  This includes forgiving yourself!

Now on to this jerk chicken!

This dish was really enjoyable to make.  There are so many wholesome, vibrant, flavors and ingredients in this recipe.  Not to mention, so many ingredients are anti-fungal (and cancer fighting) including  ginger, carrots, onion, garlic, cinnamon, and the list goes on!

Jerk Chicken

Erin Porter

Try this wholesome and flavorful Jerk Chicken recipe!

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Dishes

Ingredients

  

• 4-8 Chicken breasts
• 8 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
• 2 Scallions diced
• 2 Limes squeezed
• 1-2 tbsp Coconut aminos (I use this in place of soy sauce-I used Coconut Secret brand)
• 1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
• pinch Salt
• pinch Black pepper
• 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 Habanero pepper
• 1/2 Serrano pepper
• 1/4 cup Xylitol
• Shredded carrot (used for toppings)

Instructions

 

• Place all of these fresh wonderful ingredients (minus the chicken) in a food processor until puree is pretty smooth.
• Place puree in a zip lock bag and add the chicken breast. Seal zip lock bag and marinate over night.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees (ignore this if grilling)
• Place marinated chicken on baking dish and top with remaining marinade from bag.
• Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

Kaufmann 1 Diet (Kaufmann Phase 1), unless you add the wild brown rice-then it would be phase 2.

Dinner doesn’t get much easier than this slow cooker spicy andouille sausage and black bean soup.  It’s full of nutrition and powerful flavors, plus it only takes minutes to put together!   If you are lucky enough to have the Cuisinart 3:1 cooker it’s even easier.  This crock pot allows you to sauté your onion and garlic right in the crock pot before adding the rest of your ingredients, then you switch the setting to slow cook. (I don’t even get paid to say that, that’s how much I love this thing).   If you don’t have one you can just sauté in a frying pan the old fashioned way then add them to the crockpot, equally delicious!  Enjoy!

Sausage Bean Soup

Erin Porter

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Course Main Dishes

Ingredients

  

• Andouille Chicken Sausage make sure it's antibiotic and hormone free. I used Brat Hans for this recipe
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Green pepper optional
• 1/4 Onion chopped
• 64 oz Black beans (2 x 32oz cans)
• 32 oz Chicken broth
• 13.5 oz Light coconut milk
• 1 Tomato
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper
• 1/8 tsp Garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp Parsley
• 1/4 tsp Thyme
• 1/4 cup Flour (you can use 2 tbsp. brown rice flour and 2 tbsp. arrowroot flour)
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• sour cream optional

Instructions

 

• Chop the onion and garlic in a food processor.
• Sauté in 2 tbsp butter and 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Stir occasionally.
• Once translucent and slightly golden, add chicken broth and coconut milk.
• Add flour and see TIP below before adding remaining ingredients including sausage that has been cut into bite size pieces.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
• Top with sour cream, chopped onions, and tomato.

Notes

Kaufmann 2 Diet (Kaufmann Phase II)

Tip - Once I mix in the flour I use a battery powered milk frother to blend it right in the crock pot to avoid lumps. It works great! Then I add the beans and sausage. If you do not have a milk frother you could also use a bullet or a blender and mix some of the chicken broth with the flour before adding to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

As I was eating my delicious gouda and sauerkraut melt on oat bread with sweet potato fries, I starting thinking my lunch seems too good to be true.   Call it gut instinct, but something inside made me double check the Kaufmann diet as I never want to put information out there that contradicts his diet.  I distinctly remembered gouda cheese being on the “ok” list years ago when I started this anti-fungal diet, but after my research today this is what I found from Know The Cause  “Many copies of our books containing the Phase one Diet allow for certain cheeses and cream while on the Phase one or Two Diet. The Phase one and Two Diets are still evolving, and while we like to keep the diet open to new information that comes out about any and all foods (especially whether or not those foods may be suitable for an anti-fungal diet) the most recent versions of the Phase one and Two Diets exclude most dairy, including cheese and cream”.

After reading Doug’s update I thought of ditching this recipe and post altogether.  But because I am a person that likes to take mistakes, mishaps, and set backs and turn them into opportunities, I decided to instead think of the positives of this recipe and I found two! One, is the fact that this very important update could further help people reach their health goals.  Secondly,  I didn’t exactly stop eating this sandwich as I read that update and I’ll tell you why.  I believe in balance along with knowledge.  I often get asked if I ever have a cheat day or fall off the wagon and the answer is an astounding OF COURSE!  Nobody can be perfect with what they put in their mouth everyday, nor would I want to live a life with those kind of restrictions.  But as most of you know, I attribute much of my recovery to what I have learned from Doug over at Know The Cause and to his Kaufmann diet, so feeling healthy and alive is the perfect motivator for me to stick to the diet.  With that being said, I will be saving this wonderful recipe for my “cheat days” and it will serve as a reminder of how far I’ve come.  My cheat days used to include me hitting the drive thru at McDonald’s for a big Mac, followed by an ice cream soda and possibly a Krispy Creme donut or three.  Now my cheat days look a little more like this recipe and it makes me feel very blessed to have come so far and also to reach a place of balance!

Note: Ketchup shown is unsweetened but I added a bit of xylitol to taste.  Delicious!

Gouda and Sauerkraut on Oat Bread With Sweet Potato Fries

Erin Porter

Try this too good to be true delicious gouda and sauerkraut melt on oat bread with sweet potato fries.

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Course Main Dishes

Ingredients

  

Sweet Potato Fries

• 2 Sweet potatoes
• 1-2 tsp Olive oil (just enough to lightly coat; too much will make them soggy)
• 1/8 tsp Garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• pinch Salt

Gouda and Sauerkraut Sandwich

• Gouda cheese
• Sauerkraut
• 2 slices Yeast / wheat / sugar free bread (I used oat bread. You can also use my flat bread recipe)

Instructions

 

Sweet Potato Fries

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Peel sweet potatoes and cut length wise into 1/4 strips as seen above. Lightly coat with olive oil and toss with seasonings.
• Place parchment paper on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden and slightly crispy. Remove from oven after 10 minutes and flip sweet potatoes. For extra crispy fries you can turn off the oven after 20 minutes, open the oven door and let them sit for 15-20 minutes in the oven as it cools.

Gouda and Sauerkraut Sandwich

• When sweet potato fries are almost ready, I pop the gouda and sauerkraut sandwich on the cookie sheet and let it melt. You can put real butter on the outside of the bread if desired. Remove when the bread is toasted.

Notes

Sweet Potatoes are Kaufmann 2 Diet (Kaufmann Phase II). Gouda used to be considered Phase II but Doug Kaufmann has updated his opinion on this cheese. For more information click here.