So rice cakes just weren't cutting it. I wanted bread. Good bread. And I needed it without sugar, sweeteners, fruit juice sweetened and vinegar. Elana's Pantry came to the rescue. Go check it out: http://www.elanaspantry.com/ (see also previous post on her piccata. yum!)
Almost everything I have made from her blog has been great. Try her lemonade recipe with stevia. It is so great to drink something besides water and tea. I used a drop less of stevia, put some lemon peel in it and made ice cubes with strawberries.
The other craving I have been having are Pancakes. Trader Joe's has a gluten free pancakes/waffle mix. I tried it and used coconut milk instead of milk. They are dense and need some flavor such as blueberries or cinnamon or something. If you try it, let me know.
Now I made Breakfast for dinner last night. Some eggs, turkey sausage and pancakes. This time I used Elana's recipe. http://www.elanaspantry.com/gluten-free-pancakes-revisited/ Yum! I made a couple changes, once everything was mixed it seemed a little too thick. So I added some Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk, no more than 1/4 cup (Trader Joe's has it in a carton with the soy milk stuff). And while my husband used syrup on his (we are working on that!) I used Trader Joe's unsweetened applesauce for mine and my son.
God has truly blessed us with amazing resources like the recipes of Elana and Trader Joe's. I am definitely thankful!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Megan and Chicken Piccata
God has blessed me with some amazing people in my life that are on a similar journey. One of them is my friend, Megan.
About a year ago, Megan started having the symptoms of MS. She having temporary paralysis in different places, a UTI that would not go away and other stuff. She started the process of seeing a MD then a neurologist and they wanted to run an MRI on her. But she freaked out during the MRI. Closed in spaces don't always work for people. I know I had to talk to God and lift up the prayers of others to make it through mine. You don't want to focus on yourself. I think that is probably a good idea for life in general too.
So instead, she went home and her parents had her see a Naturopathic. The lady told her she was gluten intolerant, B12 deficient and some other stuff. She started the regime the Naturopathic put her on and she became symptom free. When she does get off the recommended diet her symptoms start to come back. Interesting . . . .
So Megan has been a great partner in crime on this adventure. And she introduced me to The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. And her website: www.elanaspantry.com
Tonight, I am making Chicken Piccata from her cookbook. It's super delish and then I am just adding some veggies and baked potatoes on the side. I recommend checking it out (see below, including some product tips to keep the cost low as eating healthy is not cheap in blue).
Gluten Free Chicken Piccata (you can find this at http://www.elanaspantry.com/chicken-piccata/ )
2-4 organic boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1½ pounds total)
½ cup blanched almond flour (as you just breading the chicken, you can use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour http://www.bobsredmill.com/ instead as it is cheaper. You can usually find it at your local health food store like Henry's, Whole Foods and surprisingly some Vons carry it too)
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt (I just use the sea salt I got at Jimbo's)
½ teaspoon all purpose chef's shake (I like the Spice Hunter brand, its at Henry's for all you Cali peeps)
5 tablespoons grapeseed oil (Trader Joe's has it in their brand)
5 tablespoons olive oil (get the expeller cold-pressed olive oil at Trader Joe's)¼ cup fresh lemon juice (William's Sonoma has a great handheld juicer, I highly recommend one as fresh lemon is used a lot)
1 cup chicken stock (Trader Joe's)
¼ cup brined capers (I just get the cheap capers at Vons and drain the juice because I don't want the vinegar--anyone else have a suggestion?)
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, butterflying them open --if the pieces are large, cut them each into two pieces after you cut them in half
Put chicken pieces between two pieces of parchment paper and pound them with a heavy skillet until ¼ inch thick
Mix together flour, salt and chef's shake
Rinse the chicken pieces in water, then dredge thoroughly in flour mixture, until well coated
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces and brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side
Transfer from pan to a plate, add the other breasts and cook, then remove from pan
Place plate of chicken breasts in the oven while preparing the sauce
Add lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to the pan and use a metal spatula to loosen the browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce
Reduce the sauce by half then whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
Plate the chicken, pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with parsley
Serve
About a year ago, Megan started having the symptoms of MS. She having temporary paralysis in different places, a UTI that would not go away and other stuff. She started the process of seeing a MD then a neurologist and they wanted to run an MRI on her. But she freaked out during the MRI. Closed in spaces don't always work for people. I know I had to talk to God and lift up the prayers of others to make it through mine. You don't want to focus on yourself. I think that is probably a good idea for life in general too.
So instead, she went home and her parents had her see a Naturopathic. The lady told her she was gluten intolerant, B12 deficient and some other stuff. She started the regime the Naturopathic put her on and she became symptom free. When she does get off the recommended diet her symptoms start to come back. Interesting . . . .
So Megan has been a great partner in crime on this adventure. And she introduced me to The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. And her website: www.elanaspantry.com
Tonight, I am making Chicken Piccata from her cookbook. It's super delish and then I am just adding some veggies and baked potatoes on the side. I recommend checking it out (see below, including some product tips to keep the cost low as eating healthy is not cheap in blue).
Gluten Free Chicken Piccata (you can find this at http://www.elanaspantry.com/chicken-piccata/ )
2-4 organic boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1½ pounds total)
½ cup blanched almond flour (as you just breading the chicken, you can use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour http://www.bobsredmill.com/ instead as it is cheaper. You can usually find it at your local health food store like Henry's, Whole Foods and surprisingly some Vons carry it too)
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt (I just use the sea salt I got at Jimbo's)
½ teaspoon all purpose chef's shake (I like the Spice Hunter brand, its at Henry's for all you Cali peeps)
5 tablespoons grapeseed oil (Trader Joe's has it in their brand)
5 tablespoons olive oil (get the expeller cold-pressed olive oil at Trader Joe's)¼ cup fresh lemon juice (William's Sonoma has a great handheld juicer, I highly recommend one as fresh lemon is used a lot)
1 cup chicken stock (Trader Joe's)
¼ cup brined capers (I just get the cheap capers at Vons and drain the juice because I don't want the vinegar--anyone else have a suggestion?)
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, butterflying them open --if the pieces are large, cut them each into two pieces after you cut them in half
Put chicken pieces between two pieces of parchment paper and pound them with a heavy skillet until ¼ inch thick
Mix together flour, salt and chef's shake
Rinse the chicken pieces in water, then dredge thoroughly in flour mixture, until well coated
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces and brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side
Transfer from pan to a plate, add the other breasts and cook, then remove from pan
Place plate of chicken breasts in the oven while preparing the sauce
Add lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to the pan and use a metal spatula to loosen the browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce
Reduce the sauce by half then whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
Plate the chicken, pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with parsley
Serve
Monday, April 26, 2010
Roots
The first 4 days were horrible of my detox. Not that I felt bad but all I could have were veggies. Day 5 was the start of adding grains back into my diet and I could not wait especially as rice was on Day 7. But I made it through and learned I definitely did not like millet, buckwheat and even rice did not taste good to me.
when I saw my doctor after that, he informed me that my body was probably rejecting grains at the moment so I should focus on eating roots with my veggies.
Do you know what roots are? I did not know what he meant. Come to find out they are just potatoes, yams, carrots. I could do that.
Since then I have learned the many ways of cooking a veggie and a root--steam, saute, bake and yum--they are good.
So fast forward to 3 months later and lots of vitamins later. I'm eating grains again and surprisingly I LOVE Veggies! Sometimes they are the center of my dinner.
So going forward I hope to share the pros and cons of recipes and shopping items and just the process, because I definitely thinks its important to trade ideas with each other. So look for more to come!
PS I still don't like buckwheat in any form including flour. yuck!
when I saw my doctor after that, he informed me that my body was probably rejecting grains at the moment so I should focus on eating roots with my veggies.
Do you know what roots are? I did not know what he meant. Come to find out they are just potatoes, yams, carrots. I could do that.
Since then I have learned the many ways of cooking a veggie and a root--steam, saute, bake and yum--they are good.
So fast forward to 3 months later and lots of vitamins later. I'm eating grains again and surprisingly I LOVE Veggies! Sometimes they are the center of my dinner.
So going forward I hope to share the pros and cons of recipes and shopping items and just the process, because I definitely thinks its important to trade ideas with each other. So look for more to come!
PS I still don't like buckwheat in any form including flour. yuck!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Why? Part II
When God asked me to go on a journey to help others with MS, I started with the first thing I knew. Maybe God wanted me to start a support group through the MS Society. A support group like the Cancer Care ministry at the Rock Church, http://therocksandiego.org/ministries/cancercare/ . So I called a contact at the MS Society and told her what I wanted to do. She referred me to their support group coordinator and I left a message. While I was waiting for a phone call back, I began speaking to friends and family including a few others with MS. And then I was out to lunch with my intern and one of our volunteers. I shared what I was thinking about and she (unbeknowest to me was diagnosed with MS) responded with, "There is another way. I have been MS free for 10 years." Really? I couldn't believe it. But I knew she was telling the truth, everything was adding up. She referred me to the Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM), http://solvingtherootcause.com/ around Thanksgiving.
The day before Thanksgiving, I went for an appointment. How could I help others with their MS if I had not looked into all the options? Right? Right.
I learned a lot that day. I had a problem with dairy, soy, corn, peanuts (no more Snickers), and gluten with some other items thrown in. No diary?? No more pasta, bread? Then they explained that what they find in most patients given a MS diagnosis is that they aren't getting the right nutrients. And therefore their body responds with MS. Hmmmm . . . . But first I needed to go on this detox diet and chronicle everything including my PH.
With the holidays starting I decided to take the next month getting prepared to detox but I still wanted to eat my Grandma's Christmas chocolate turtles with homemade caramel, yum! I wanted to do this right-- no cheating. My Doctor at CAM tells me, because Jesus said it, to "let my yes be yes and my no be no." Therefore, no cheating!
So I started by cutting most diary and sugar out of my diet and experimenting with the gluten thing. A crazy thing happened, I started having more energy. (Just to give an example of what my energy had been like, when I was with my little one during his short wake periods I would find a strong desire to take a nap . . . just close my eyes a little and I had to fight this with all I had until he went down for his nap and I could finally close my eyes.)
With this happening, I could not wait till the day after Christmas. I was excited about the challenge and what God had in store for me to learn about being healthy.
By the way, the MS Society had not called back. I took it as God making sure my Journey did not go down that path.
The day before Thanksgiving, I went for an appointment. How could I help others with their MS if I had not looked into all the options? Right? Right.
I learned a lot that day. I had a problem with dairy, soy, corn, peanuts (no more Snickers), and gluten with some other items thrown in. No diary?? No more pasta, bread? Then they explained that what they find in most patients given a MS diagnosis is that they aren't getting the right nutrients. And therefore their body responds with MS. Hmmmm . . . . But first I needed to go on this detox diet and chronicle everything including my PH.
With the holidays starting I decided to take the next month getting prepared to detox but I still wanted to eat my Grandma's Christmas chocolate turtles with homemade caramel, yum! I wanted to do this right-- no cheating. My Doctor at CAM tells me, because Jesus said it, to "let my yes be yes and my no be no." Therefore, no cheating!
So I started by cutting most diary and sugar out of my diet and experimenting with the gluten thing. A crazy thing happened, I started having more energy. (Just to give an example of what my energy had been like, when I was with my little one during his short wake periods I would find a strong desire to take a nap . . . just close my eyes a little and I had to fight this with all I had until he went down for his nap and I could finally close my eyes.)
With this happening, I could not wait till the day after Christmas. I was excited about the challenge and what God had in store for me to learn about being healthy.
By the way, the MS Society had not called back. I took it as God making sure my Journey did not go down that path.
Why? Part I
The happy faces smiled at me from the instruction manual of Rebif. Yes, you can live a full life with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) but is that all there is and there are many "what ifs". What if, in the long run I lose my vision? I've had optic neuritis twice and it was worse the second time. Eventually, will I still be walking? My friend's mother is sometimes in a wheelchair. Oh, and don't forget that you have to have your liver tested every 6 months to make sure you are not destroying it while on the Rebif or Avonex or whatever you are on.
I had just had a baby 4 months prior to this new "episode" of optic neuritis. I immediately had to stop breastfeeding, take a dose of steroids to stop the attack and then go on a the MS drug, Rebif. No problem, I told myself. It's okay. It will heal. I won't have blurry vision forever. But God was talking and He wanted me to listen . . .
He was saying "You have been diagnosed with this disease. You know I have been there for you. I've showed you how you can be a help to others going through the same journey, but are you ready to take it a step further?" I wasn't sure what "further" meant but I was willing to take steps to find out. I think God wants us to go on the journey. Just look at the Israelites when they were going to the Promised Land. To get there they had to go on a journey.
(see Why? Part II for more of what led me to holistic medicine)
So this is my journey! I am a few months into the process but my cousin was just diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and Celiacs last week. And it hit me, she is struggling with the changes she has to make and I too struggled (and still struggling) with the changes I have had to make. But I have the stories of others to encourage me, so far she doesn't. And so I want to encourage you--you may not be dealing with MS but something else. Stay strong! And go on the Journey . . . .
I had just had a baby 4 months prior to this new "episode" of optic neuritis. I immediately had to stop breastfeeding, take a dose of steroids to stop the attack and then go on a the MS drug, Rebif. No problem, I told myself. It's okay. It will heal. I won't have blurry vision forever. But God was talking and He wanted me to listen . . .
He was saying "You have been diagnosed with this disease. You know I have been there for you. I've showed you how you can be a help to others going through the same journey, but are you ready to take it a step further?" I wasn't sure what "further" meant but I was willing to take steps to find out. I think God wants us to go on the journey. Just look at the Israelites when they were going to the Promised Land. To get there they had to go on a journey.
(see Why? Part II for more of what led me to holistic medicine)
So this is my journey! I am a few months into the process but my cousin was just diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and Celiacs last week. And it hit me, she is struggling with the changes she has to make and I too struggled (and still struggling) with the changes I have had to make. But I have the stories of others to encourage me, so far she doesn't. And so I want to encourage you--you may not be dealing with MS but something else. Stay strong! And go on the Journey . . . .
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