Little Homeschool Blessings: Week 3 on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP): What to eat with an autoimmune disease? {What I ate}

Wondering what to eat with an autoimmune disease? Switching to an autoimmune diet can seems like an impossible task and one that is hard to stick with for the long term. I completely understand! I'm a foodie and food has always been something that has brought me joy. I really enjoy eating. When I first heard about the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol), I thought there is no way I can do that. I love food too much! But as the inflammation in my body got worse and the autoimmune flairs set in, I decided it would be worth the work to feel better. In an effort to support you in your search for improvement with your autoimmune, I have some practical tips and I share what I ate for week 3 on the autoimmune protocol diet.

Practical Tip for Changing your Diet with AIP

One of the things that I’ve done as the kids have gotten older was to create a rhythm in meal planning. We eat different foods in different seasons. Late fall through early spring we eat soups and stews and hearty roasts and Mexican and Italian dishes. In spring and summer, we have more salads, sandwiches, and outdoor meals.

Breakfast was as easy as possible, and I rotated the same things every week. The meals required little to no prep and were ready within 10 minutes on most days. We had oatmeal Mondays, oat bran with raisins Tuesdays, cream of wheat with cranberries and walnuts Wednesdays, malt-o-meal with cocoa powder and raspberries Thursdays, and a bakery style or hearty homemade breakfast Friday. Poppa made pancakes or waffles on Saturday, and we had a quick, cold cereal breakfast on Sunday. The kids are still on this cycle, while my breakfasts have been more erratic the last couple of weeks.

Weekday lunch was easy too and we had a similar lunch cycle. Eggs, peanut butter and jelly, leftovers, cheese and crackers, with a smattering of appetizer style lunches thrown in to round out the week. This gave me something to fall back on, but it also allowed me to throw something different into the mix whenever I wanted.

One of the things that I’ve found difficult with switching over to AIP for my autoimmune disease is that I'm constant switching from one complicated meal to another. There is no rhythm to the meals and no reliable flow. When I initially decided to go to the 30 day protocol, it felt chaotic. When I decided to ditch the 30 day protocol (It was only day 1. You can read about that here.), I felt like I was somewhat back in control of the kitchen, but still there was no rhythm or flow to the plans.

So, I decided to sit down and create a rotation of meals that will free me up from the constant feeling of wondering, “What am I making now?” This schedule will allow me to be more in sync with what our different daily schedule looks like. On the mornings I have to be out of the door quick, breakfast can be made ahead or will take very little time to put together. The rotation will also let me cook more in batches, so I’m only actively making a new breakfast about twice a week. Lunches are more inline with our busy homeschool schedule too!

So breakfasts will be:

Monday Smoothie, granola parfaits, or juice and bone broth

Tuesday Porridge

Wednesday Sausage Hash

Thursday Muffins or bakery style breakfast with coconut milk & paleo protein powder

Friday Hearty breakfast

Saturday Pancakes or waffles

Sunday Cold Cereal with coconut milk & paleo protein powder

Lunches:

Monday Salad

Tuesday Leftover soup

Wednesday Fish

Thursday Quick and Easy

Friday Leftovers

Saturday Something old made AIP

Sunday Something New

Dinners:

Mondays Soup

Tuesday Seafood

Wednesday Type of roast

Thursday Something quick and easy

Friday Mexican, Italian, Chinese, or Thai

Saturday Something New

Sunday Old recipe made AIP

While these aren’t have-to-make meals, it frees me up to think about other things. It also makes it so when I make say a batch of porridge or breakfast sausage. I can freeze the extra and have a quicker breakfast ready by just pulling what I need from the freezer.

You may start to notice this happening with my meals toward the end of this third week.

~Day 15~

How I am feeling: My stomach felt a little off about mid-morning, but I ate a bit more and it was okay. I continued cardio today.

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 15:

Breakfast:

Chicken (leftover from roasted chicken), zucchini, red onion, and salt fried up in cast iron skillet.

Dandelion Tea

cast iron skillet with zucchini, onion, and chicken

Snack:

Herb Breakfast Sausage from The Healing Kitchen

Aloe Juice with Strawberry Lemonade Mix

Lunch:

Antipasto Salad from The Healing Kitchen

Mango

Snack:

Chocolate Tigernut Granola from Thriving Autoimmune

Strawberry and Apple That’s It Bar

A couple of banana chips

Chewy Molasses Cookies from Hungry by Nature

Dinner:

My Chicken Noodle Soup without the pepper and noodles. Subbed out ginger and zucchini noodles instead. This is sort of one of those that you guesstimate the amounts recipe. I filled about half the pan with bone broth and another ¾ of a pan with water, about 3 teaspoons salt, 1-2 teaspoon ginger, a bag or two of zucchini spirals, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, 1 teaspoon parsley, and 1 teaspoon thyme. I’d like to try this with glass noodles sometime.

Cucumber Seaweed Salad from The Autoimmune Solution. Can’t say I’m a fan of seaweed.

Monkey Bars from The Healing Kitchen

Creating Balance: I made my bed and opened the curtains. We did school outside for part of the day today to soak in the pleasant weather. I listened to the leaves drifting down from the trees. Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for evening light filtering through the golden colors of the leaves.

~Day 16~

How I am feeling: I’ve had a lot of sinus drainage and throat clearing today. Overall, I’m having a bit of a surge in energy, which I’m thankful for as my levels were starting to ebb somewhat. We’ve had several days of beautiful, sunny weather and I’ve taken advantage of the sun as much as possible. I’m not sure if the increase is from the extra vitamin D or if AIP is producing results. In a day or so, we are looking at a drastic drop in temperature and rain. We’ll see what that brings to the table.

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 16:

Breakfast:

Biscuit, sausage, and gravy from The Healing Kitchen

Apple Latte-I started with a recipe I found online and adapted it for AIP. Make 1 cup of chamomile tea. Mix this with 1 peeled, chopped apple in blender. While tea is steeping, bring ½ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ tablespoon honey to simmer. Mix both in a mug to sip.

Lunch:

Hearts of palm noodles tossed in a coconut aminos sauce and topped with chicken and green onions

Monkey Bar from The Healing Kitchen

Strawberries

Snack:

Zucchini Muffins from The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook

Dinner:

Pesto Chicken Pizza from The Healing Kitchen

Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing from The Healing Kitchen

Creating Balance: I made my bed and opened the curtains. I spent some time at the river working with Jo-Jo on her stream study and soaked in some sun. Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for Ceesa walking in the door looking so grown up and happy.

~Day 17~

How I am feeling: Woke up feeling heavy and I felt hot all over. This is my early morning taking Jo-Jo to class, so it is the norm for me. Did yoga in the evening since we were gone so early. It was a good day for it. I woke feeling achy.

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 17:

Breakfast:

Zucchini Muffins from The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook

Coconut milk

Snack:

Paleo Protein Mix with filtered water

Monkey Bar from The Healing Kitchen

Lunch:

Leftover Zucchini Noodle Soup

Mango

Snack:

Shredded chicken from roasted chicken

Banana Chips

Chewy Molasses Cookies from Hungry by Nature

Dinner:

Leftover Pork Chop

Roasted asparagus with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt.

Gravy turned potatoes

Zucchini Noodle Salad from The Autoimmune Solution (I just thinly sliced the zucchini instead of making into noodles) over mixed salad greens

Dessert:

Cinnamon Apple Crisp from The Autoimmune Solution

Creating Balance: I opened the curtains and the windows and doors to let in the fresh air. Made the bed. I planted garlic in the garden for next year. I watched Singing in the Rain with the boys, while Poppa and the girls were out. Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for boys busy at work at the dining room table on their school, one listening to Robinson Crusoe and the other documenting his science experiments.

~Day 18~

How I am feeling: I'm pretty achy today. The lymph node in my neck is swollen again.

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 18:

Breakfast:

Blueberries

Biscuit, sausage, and gravy from the Healing Kitchen

Aloe Juice with Strawberry Lemonade mix

Lunch:

wild caught salmon and zucchini noodle salad

Leftover Zucchini Noodle Salad from The Autoimmune Solution with wild-caught canned salmon tossed in

Sweet Potato Fries-peel and slice into fry shapes. Toss in avocado oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Bake 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Strawberries

Snack

Monkey Bar from The Healing Kitchen

Banana Chips

Dinner:

Burger, cabbage, and white sweet potato casserole. This is one of my old recipes that I adapted for AIP.

Chewy Molasses Cookies from Hungry by Nature

Creating Balance: Went to the massotherapist today. Poppa and I had a date night in. We played a word game and watched a few Extra History videos on youtube. Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for the beautiful, fall drive home.

~Day 19~

How I am feeling: I'm a bit sore from the massotherapist. The lymph node in my neck is still swollen. i ended up throwing up at night and felt sick well past midnight. I’m thinking this was because of a combination of the toxins released from the deep tissue massage, the sweat bath, and the dietary changes I'm making. Hopefully, it indicates some of the bacteria that contributes to leaky gut and the autoimmune issues are being released!

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 19:

Breakfast:

Pumpkin Pancakes from The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook; however, I substituted the pumpkin pie spice for 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp, cinnamon, and ½ tsp mace. Also, it calls for vanilla extract, so a sub of vanilla powder would be best. My batter was thick, so I added another tablespoon or two of coconut milk. If I make these again, I might bake them.

Blueberries

Lunch:

Wild Caught Seafood Scramble from The Autoimmune Protocol

Plum

Kiwi

Avocado

Monkey Bar

Dinner:

Grilled Chicken Breast

Brussel sprouts tossed with avocado oil, salt, and garlic powder

Butternut Squash

Roasted Broccoli-Tossed with olive oil, salt and garlic powder or minced garlic. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Snack

Chewy Molasses Cookies from Hungry by Nature

Chocolate Tigernut Granola from Thriving Autoimmune

Freeze-dried Apples

Creating Balance: I made my bed and opened the curtains. I took a sweat bath in Epsom salt, aluminum free baking soda, and my herbal bath mix. Completed my weekly self-care routine: dry brush, ayate cloth body exfoliation, charcoal face mask, pumice foot soak and scrub, and body moisturizing with oils and body butter (using all non-toxic or low-tox products). Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for warm, autumn clothes to bundle up in on this cold day!

~Day 20~

How I am feeling: Woke up feeling much better all around. I slept in to make up for losing sleep since I was sick. The lymph node is still swollen and I feel tense and tight in my right shoulder. I have lots of bloating.

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 20:

Breakfast:

LoveBird Cereal

With coconut milk, freeze-dried apples and strawberries, and a partial scoop of vanilla paleo protein powder

Ginger Tea-This is one of the Herbal recipes I’ve gathered over the years. You make it by steeping 1 grated tablespoon ginger in 1 cup filtered water. After straining out the ginger, you add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon honey.

LoveBird cereal, dried strawberries and peaches

Lunch:

Chunky Tuna Salad over spinach without dressing from The Healing Kitchen

Garlic and Thyme Crackers from The Healing Kitchen

Snack

Monkey Bar from The Healing Kitchen

Dinner:

Pan Fried Pork Chops-For 4 pork chops, juice 1 lemon and toss with chops. Rub on 1 teaspoon, sage, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ginger. Let stand 15 minutes. Pan fry to your desired brown and bake 400 degrees until cooked through (about 30 minutes or so).

Sweet potatoes-I just fried these in the cast iron skillet in avocado oil with salt and garlic powder.

Okra-For the okra, I started with a recipe from Unbound Wellness. But I wanted to make something similar to what I used to make, so I followed the website directions, but added 1 tablespoon cassava flour and 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour. Tossing everything together and then baking it.

Spinach and strawberry salad

Chewy Molasses Cookies from Hungry by Nature

Chamomile Tea

pork chop, sweet potato, okra, spinach and strawberry salad on plate

Creating Balance: I made my bed and opened the curtains. I sat in the chair in front of the window, snuggled in a blanket sipping my tea. I cleaned the bathroom and bedroom. Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for a warm home and lit candles.

~Day 21~

How I am feeling: I still have minor swelling in the lymph node in my neck, but the soreness in my shoulder is better. Still having bloating.

What I ate on AIP elimination phase day 21:

Breakfast:

Cherry Sunrise Smoothie from The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook

Lunch: Chunky Tuna Salad over spinach without dressing from The Healing Kitchen

with a couple of Garlic and Thyme Crackers from The Healing Kitchen broken over

A couple chunks of mango

Snack:

Monkey Bar from The Healing Kitchen

Dinner:

Bison Chili from The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook; omitting the pepper and the cumin

Grain-Free AIP Pumpkin muffins from Autoimmune Wellness

Apple Cider-1/2 gallon, warmed with a cinnamon stick and 2 cloves serves 6.

Creating Balance: I made the bed and opened the curtains. We ate dinner over candlelight and had muffins and cider as a family around table. Relaxation practice.

Gratitude: Today, I’m thankful for crisp, autumn days.

At the end of this third week: I was really hoping that I’d see noticeable progress by now; however, I’ve had issues for a long time and I didn’t expect it to happen over night either.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is not to offer medical advice. I am not in the medical field. My purpose is to share what decisions I’ve made in an attempt to improve my health and try to put my autoimmune disease into remission. Remember everyone’s body reacts differently to foods and supplements and you have to make the decisions that are best for you. Consult a trusted practitioner for medical advice. Our resource page details the books, articles, journals, and websites we've researched to put together our autoimmune articles. You can access our Autoimmune Research Resources by clicking.