Archive for the ‘gluten-free’ Category
Surviving the Holidays (for the most part, intact)
Filed under: challenges, food, gluten-free, Holidays, strategies |
Leave a Comment Every year I dread the holidays.
It’s not the busyness or the hassle of traveling. It’s not the weird family dynamics (I actually enjoy spending time with my family). It’s not the increasing credit card balance or the last minute wrapping. It’s not the panicked trips to the store searching frantically for tape or thyme (not to mention, t-i-m-e).
It’s really all about the food.
Christmas at my parents house is like a minefield. There is literally sugar in every room in the house (save the bathrooms).
Seriously, it’s everywhere. My father’s bark covered pretzels, Ritz crackers, saltines, and mixed nuts. Cookies and chocolate. And then once my relatives arrived, the pie parade: coconut cream (to die for), my Aunt Mary’s chocolate pie (should be illegal, especially since she uses corn starch in the filling for us gluten-free folk), my cousin Megan’s pumpkin pie, and my cousin Matthew’s pecan pie (which I am pretty sure is illegal in a few states). Then there’s the bourbon balls the neighbors brought….
Did I mention that we also had a 60th surprise birthday party on the 23rd? So that also meant we had an extra dark chocolate sheet cake floating around and a ton of Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato. Seriously, this stuff was insane and was worth the three hours of misery that followed (can any one say lactose intolerant?) A lesser ice cream wouldn’t have been, but this – most definitely.
Regardless, despite all of the potential minefields (including several bottles of wine and about three different batches of my sister’s world-famous margaritas), I actually made it through relatively unscathed – that one brutal stomach ache aside.
So, how did I do it?
1) I thanked the powers that be that I have a wicked gluten-intolerance, because that knocked out a whole lot of options. I remember Anthony Robbins saying something about, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels,” but I think a more personally motivating mantra is this: “Nothing – and I mean nothing – tastes as good as gluten-free feels.” (If only I could find something similar for sugar!)
2) I planned ahead. Knowing that we were going to be doing a party spread (in addition to the holidays), I ordered gluten-free options from what Jena la Flamme assures me is the best gluten-free bakery in the country (and I must say, I agree), where I ordered some awesome baguettes, some cupcakes, and a pumpkin bread (which, damn the bad luck, is still sitting uneaten in my mother’s fridge!)
3) I tried new things and substituted, substituted, substituted. My newest finds are Q Tonic Water (which I drank in place of wine and margaritas) and hemp tortilla chips, which have a lot more protein than corn chips and are, thus, more filling.
4) I pulled out my old favorites, meaning that I baked garnet yams, ate my normal sauteed kale, and even whipped up three – count them three – batches of my incredible guacamole (Notice the correspondence between the number of batches of guac and margaritas?)
5) I packed my yoga mat (and did yoga twice a day while I was there) and my hula hoop. Although my parents don’t have a great indoor space to hoop and their yard/driveway is slanted, I still got in a little hooping every day.
6) I set an intention going in – to wear the same skinny jeans going out that I wore going in (I should have specified comfort level, but there’s always next year).
7) I remembered that all things are transitory. I’ve realized that I have this belief that when I gain weight – in any amount – that it’s never going away. I tend to get really down on myself and start doing crazy restrictive things with my diet. This time I remembered that things change. My waist got bigger, that means that it can get smaller. It was only four days. (And sure enough, just after two days of being back at my home and doing my normal thing, my waist is looking a lot more familiar to me). What is that saying: change is the only constant? It’s a good thing to remember.
Now, that’s not to say that things went flawlessly or that things are completely back to where they were before I left for the holidays.
I’m just now beginning to pull myself out of the “sugar skid.”
Sugar is my crack; there’s no doubt about it.
Normally sugar doesn’t bother me, because I don’t eat it – like, ever. I don’t even eat fruit. Because as soon as I do, it’s like I’m an addict. In fact, I was speaking with a dear friend of mine who works with seriously addicted people and she asked me to describe – in great detail – what it feels like and what happens to me when I eat sugar. I was telling her and she was nodding.
Her response? “It seems like the sugar is triggering a dopamine response in you, much like drugs or alcohol do for many of my clients.”
Lovely.
I got home on Tuesday around 1:00 a.m., after having polished off the last of the Byerly’s dark chocolate salted sea caramels that my father had so lovingly packed in my bag.
Wednesday, I found the bark covered pecans in my suitcase, which my father had made specifically for me (since I can’t – thank goodness – eat his other creations). I ate them slowly and savored each one.
Thursday, I found the contents of my stocking that my mother had so carefully packed up for me and stowed away in the pocket of my backpack. I had one Ghiradelli Square – Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt (which was but a pale comparison of the aforementioned Byerly’s caramel, by the way). I also had an apple.
Today (Friday), who knows? I don’t feel totally out of control when I think about sugar – but part of that’s because we don’t have any in the house. Well, Michael J has some raw honey, but that’s even too sweet for me.
When my dad taught my sister and I to drive, he’d take us out to snow covered parking lots, tell us to go really fast and hit the brakes. Lesson: learn to turn into the skid and stay in control of the wheel.
In some ways, this holiday season brought back a lot of those memories.
Was I out of control around sugar?
Maybe.
But because I headed into it with foresight, planning, and flexibility I feel like it was/is going to be a quick recovery. And who knows, I may be better in the long run for the slippage. Because next time it happens, I’ll know even better what to do.
Happy Holidays!!!
Ah, even more ways and reasons to eat yams….
Filed under: coconut oil, cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment I’m consistently blown away by how good the Whole Foods website is.
For instance, check out their page on yams.
I’ll be curious to do the slice and steam prep they recommend for maximum health benefits (including blood sugar regulation), but it’s doubtful that I will ever give up my favorite: Candied Yams Without the Candy.
Although I had originally pitched this as a dessert, I’ve recently paired it with black beans, a little bit of forbidden rice (for texture more than anything else though it too is ridiculously good and good for you) and, last but certainly not least, my favorite kale recipe.
I put it all together on a beautiful multicolored, hand-thrown plate/bowl (7″) and I’m good to go. Not only is it super satisfying, it’s also beautiful with the gem-like colors: emerald, not quite ruby, and onyx. Seriously it’s almost as visually appealing as it is delicious.
New Winter Dessert Smoothie
I know that for most people, the words “winter” and “smoothie” rarely go in the same sentence.
However, I am one of those people that love cold, creamy desserts all year long.
Unfortunately, like most of the people in my family, I can no longer easily reach for ice cream or even a milkshake, as my ability to digest dairy (even raw dairy and goat’s milk yogurt, which is totally annoying) has diminished with age.
I can eat it (or drink it); it’s not like it causes me to swell up or anything like that. But it makes me feel crappy and it really throws a wrench in my normal digestion.
So for me, protein based shakes have become a staple – not only for breakfast, but also for snacks and desserts.
My newest concoction is perfect for the fall. I haven’t yet come up with the perfect name yet, but here it goes.
Vanilla Garnet Spiced Smoothie
8-12 ounces of cold water (or unsweetened almond milk)
4 tablespoons of Raw Organic Living Harvest Hemp Powder – Vanilla Spice Formula
1 medium garnet yam, cooked
1 tablespoon of psyllium husk (or Yerba Prima’s Colon Care)
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 pinch of pink sea salt
1/8 teaspoon of xantham gum, to thicken
Put all of the ingredients in a blender (preferably a high speed blender, though it may not be necessary for this particular recipe).
This is ridiculously good. I’m sure that you could also use pumpkin, but since I had a yam on hand, I just tossed it in – skin and all!
It hits all my buttons, the ingredients are super healthy, and it’s chock full of protein, fiber, and antioxidants. It also tastes suspiciously like a pumpkin pie milk shake (especially if you use almond milk as opposed to water). And if you’re worried about being cold, the cinnamon and the cayenne are very warming; I’m sure that cloves or nutmeg would also be excellent.
I’ve had it twice this way and I’m pretty happy with it. However, because I’m really conscious of adding more fat to my diet – yes, you heard me, more fat to my diet – I may throw in half an avocado or a tablespoon or two of coconut oil, manna, or creamed coconut.
I’ll keep you posted as the recipe evolves and if you try it, please do the same!
p.s. Now this makes a lot of smoothie, so you could easily serve four as a dessert!
Chocolate and Cinnamon Socca
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes, Uncategorized |
Comments (2) It’s been a long absence from this blog. I’ve been writing the journey from where I was when I was a regular blogger to where I am now, but the details seem long and convoluted and are of probably no interest to anyone other than myself.
However, I have been in the kitchen, so I may as well share my new discoveries.
Socca.
Socca? What the heck is socca?
I had never even heard of socca until I ran across this post from the Pure2Raw Twins.
Socca is a bread that you make from garbanzo bean (or chick pea) flour, which not only is gluten-free but is chock full of fiber and protein.
As I mentioned in the last post, I am in the process of sugar detox. Part of that means eating protein at every meal, including snacks.
Since I’m just as happy eating big protein-less salads and soups as I am anything else, I decided a little socca seemed in order.
I didn’t have any ground cardamon, so I subbed cinnamon.
Here it goes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat an iron cast skillet in the oven, with 2 1/2 Tbs coconut oil
1 cup chickpea flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/4 c. raw cacao
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. sea salt
Pour the batter into the center of the heated skillet and let it run out to the edges.
Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
I sat the skillet on a rack to cool and then used a baker’s cake decorating spatula to get it out (carefully, as you want it in one piece).
I cut it into 8 wedges. It’s dense and not particularly sweet (I think that next time I might add in some stevia), but it’s a great texture for sandwiches. And I can imagine that I’ll be eating it as a good source of gluten-free, high protein, bread.
Man, if I wasn’t on that no-sugar thing, this would be awesome with a little raw almond butter and honey! But I digress…
If you’re allergic to gluten or know someone who is, I highly recommend that you check out the twins’ webpage.
I think their pumpkin socca recipe is next on my list!
I’ll be sure to keep you updated!
Post Script: Chocolate Cinnamon Socca is phenomenal as a carrier for natural peanut butter!
A Dinner That Hit All My Buttons
Filed under: beets, coconut oil, cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes |
Leave a Comment Every once and a while, I surprise even myself. This was so good that I am immortalizing it here…as I will most certainly want to make this again.
Rainbow Salad with Spinach, Kale and Chard (I made a big salad for 1 as my main course):
Baby spinach (2 cups)
Red chard (2 small leaves, finely chopped)
Lacinta Kale (2 small leaves, finely chopped)
Green cabbage (about a 1/2 cup, finely chopped) – adds crunchiness without the carbs!
1 small carrot, finely shredded
1 small beet, finely shredded
1 Tbs shelled hemp seeds
2 Tbs of sunflower seeds
2 Tbs dulse
Dressing:
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb Braggs amino acid
That was the first course and would have been fine, but I was feeling particularly decadent.
So, onto dessert!
Roasted Delicata Sauce and Tahini
2 Delicata Squash (this way there’s plenty left over), seeded and cubed, unpeeled.
1 Tb Coconut Oil
Cumin to taste
Mix all three ingredients in a roasting pan and roast at 375 degrees. I took it out after 30 minutes or so, but it probably depends on the size of the cubes.
Optional: Serve with 1 Tb tahini to slow the absorption of the sugar in the squash and to add protein.
This was stellar. And gorgeous. Next time I’ll be sure to take a picture.
P.S. When I’m just having the salad, I’ll sometimes add in 1/2 cup of canned organic garbanzo beans.
Reboot Camp Snack: KJ’s Kickin’ Kale Chips
Since part of my reboot involves in drastically limiting the almond and nut butters that cross these lips, I decided that I really had to do something with all of that kale I had in the fridge that didn’t require slathering in it tahini and nutritional yeast before putting it in the dehydrator – no matter how tasty it is that way!
I had tried a couple of other kale chip recipes and wasn’t a fan.
So, last night, I decided to make my own:
KJ’s Kickin’ Kale Chips
1 massive bunch of organic Kale (the big curly kind)
5 Tbs of olive oil (I am actually trying to increase my intake here, so it’s okay)
1 Tb agave nectar
1 tsp of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
ground cumin, to taste
cayenne, a pinch or less, to taste
Braggs Amino Acids, a couple of shakes, to taste
Cut the stems out of your kale, then tear into bite sized pieces. Place in a large stainless steel mixing bowl.
Then add all of the other ingredients, massaging them into the kale. The more massage, the better your flavor will eventually be!
Toss into the dehydrator, directly onto the screens and dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees (or until nice and crispy). I put mine in and left them overnight so I’m assuming it was about 8 hours!
Enjoy!
Recipe: Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, raw food, recipes, superfood |
Comments (3) More fun with chia seeds! It’s amazing how creative you can get when that’s one of your only three acceptable snack options!
Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake (2 servings)
2 cups almond milk (I used Almond Breeze, Unsweetened Chocolate)
1 Tbs soaked chia seeds
1 Tbs maca
1 Tbs ground flax seeds
cinnamon, to taste
2 teaspoons of agave nectar (or 5 drops chocolate stevia and 1 tsp of agave nectar).
8 ice cubes
Throw all ingredients into a blender and blend!
I drank one for my morning snack and will have the other as my afternoon snack. Yum-my!
Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Salad (Gluten-Free)
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, high water-content food, recipes |
Comments (1) The other day I realized that I still had 36 cans of organic black beans left over from the case-lot sale last October – that is, before I decided to go mostly raw.
I also realized I had a ton of fresh corn in the fridge, thanks to the local CSA.
Given that black beans are really good for you and I hate to waste food, I found myself dusting off my cookbooks – you know, the ones where you actually cook – and pouring over the pages until I found something that I thought might do the trick.
The winner: Anne Lindsay’s Black Bean and Corn Salad (slightly modified, of course)!
1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet red bell pepper
2 cups raw corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tbs chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Dressing:
3 Tbs rice or cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp organic brown mustard (or Dijon)
1/4 tsp each of agave nectar, sea salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tsp each of water and vegetable oil (I actually forgot this part and didn’t notice until I was typing it up, so that leads me to believe that it’s optional!)
1. In a bowl, combine beans, red pepper, corn, celery, onions, and coriander.
2. Dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, agave, sea salt, and pepper; whisk in water and oil. Pour over salad and stir to mix.
Makes 8 servings
calories: 117
protein: 6 grams
total fat: 2 grams (unless, of course, you forget the oil, like I did!)
saturated fat: trace
carbohydrates: 21 grams
fiber: 4 grams
sodium: 204 milligrams
This was quite tasty and I’m sure that I’ll make it again. I mean, after all, I still have 34 cans of beans in the basement!
Regardless, I served it with fresh tomato and cucumber slices. Water-based. Easy. Beautiful. and Tasty! An all around win.
Enjoy!
Packing up the kitchen, uhm, I mean, the suitcase
Filed under: challenges, food, gluten-free, nutrition, raw food, travel |
Leave a Comment I am traveling again. This time to Atlanta – downtown Atlanta, not one of the cute little neighborhoods with fun shops, boutiques, and grocery stores. But to the empty, deserted, hotel and restaurant infested part of the city.
So, as always – and even a little more so than always – I am packing my own food. And, as per usual, it looks like I’m going to be bringing more food than clothes!
The list, so far:
Susan’s Kale Chips 2.0
1 bag of Organic Baby Spinach
1 box of cherry tomatoes
1 gallon sized bag of chopped veggies: broccoli, carrots, turnips, and zucchini
Enough Chocolate Rice and Protein Powder for at least 4 shakes
3-4 avocados
Energy bars
Psyllium Husk
Spirulina
Almond butter
Kitchen utensils:
1 spoon
1 travel sponge
1 large cup
1 travel-sized Magic Bullet Blender
I’m sure I’m forgetting something; as I almost always do!
So, why am I bringing all of this food – particularly since I have lunch and dinner dates planned every day that I am there?
The powders, the spinach, and the avocados (or maybe the almond butter, depending on my mood) are all for breakfast. If I don’t have MY breakfast, the day is pretty much shot for food for me. If I don’t start off with my regular 60+ gram protein BOMB, I can pretty much count on a bad eating day. When I do start the day off with a shake, no matter where I am, I am more sated, I am more grounded, and I am much more likely to be in control of my eating (as opposed to the other way around).
And as someone who is 85% (more or less) raw vegan, it’s hard to get a satisfying meal out. Most restaurants’ idea of a big salad (see earlier post on this topic) wouldn’t feed a rabbit! So instead of being all weird about it, I’ve decided to just go and order a salad (where possible) and eat it. Even if it’s not particularly satisfying, I know that I have PLENTY of nutrition in my room to fall back on. Using this approach, “eating out” with friends will really be more like “hanging out.” Eat a little salad, drink a little water – then go back to my room for my real lunch or, as the case may be, dinner.
Now, even though Atlanta – at least the part I am going to me in – is not that diet friendly, there is a Legal Sea Food, which does have a pretty generous Gluten-Free Menu. Given that gluten-free is the mandatory condition and the raw/vegan is just the preference, I should be in pretty good shape on Saturday night – as that’s where my very understanding friend made reservations. And, believe it or not, Atlanta also has a Raw Restaurant! It’s not downtown, but it’s only a MARTA ride away. As it turns out, I have a chunk of time available on Saturday, so I’ll definitely be checking that out for lunch! And as a service to raw aficionados everywhere, I’ll be sure to let you know!
Refurbishing Old Favorites: KJ’s Raw “Rice” Salad
One of the things that transitioning to a majority raw diet has taught me is that you need to be able to eat at least some of the things that you used to love when you were eating cooked food.
Sometimes that means just going ahead and eating it, as I did the other night when I had a delicious part-cooked part-raw meal at my friend Meg Maker’s house or as I did last night, when I met some former students for dinner at the Elephant Walk.
Other times, however, it means learning to refashion (or even refurbish) old cooked favorites.
A couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about a salad that a friend of mine used to make in graduate school. It wasn’t a traditional salad, as its base ingredient was cooked sushi rice. I believe the ingredients were rice, vinegar, avocado, crumbled nori sheets, and cucumber. I’m pretty sure that it came from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks and may have been called Sushi Salad or something like that.
Well, I’ve been thinking about that salad a lot, and this is what I came up with:
KJ’s “Rice Salad”
Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower, “riced” in the high speed blender or food processor
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 – 1 small avocados, diced
1 medium carrot, finely grated
6 – 8 stalks of baby asparagus, snapped into pieces (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
2 Tablespoons of raw organic dulse flakes (or crumbled nori sheets)
Sesame oil, to taste
Braggs amino acid, to taste
Directions:
Rice the cauliflower by cutting it small bite size pieces, then hitting the pulse button until you have reached desired consistency.
Add all of your other ingredients in layers, then drizzle on the sesame oil and the Braggs amino acids, to taste.
Gently toss to mix the flavors.
It’s fast, easy, delicious, healthy, and absolutely gorgeous. What more could you want?
Enjoy!
Tip of the Day: Substitute Collard Greens for Tortilla Wraps
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, raw food, recipes |
Leave a Comment The thing that surprises me the most about having adopted a raw diet (28 days raw as of today), is just how many vegetables there are in the world that I just ignored. And I am someone who regularly filled up the basket at the Coop on fresh veggies!
When I was eating cooked food, I usually bought the fixings for a nice spinach salad, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green beans, beets, zucchini and kale. Now, in addition to all of these vegetables, I am routinely eating butternut squash, cabbage (green and red, especially red), turnips, and my most recent addiction, collard greens.
Prior to last week, I had never even seen a collard green (at least not one that wasn’t swimming in bacon grease)!
Now, not only do I put them (raw) in smoothies, I also use them to make burritos! Wide and sturdy, collard leaves are the perfect size for wraps or tortillas.
All you have to do is cut out (or scrape down the stiff stem in the center) and then fill it with your favorite topping. Lately I’ve been filling mine up with cashew cheez (nut butter) and a beet and carrot slaw. It’s delicious. It’s filling. And it’s aesthetically pleasing.
Tonight I am going to make up an Indian pate with walnuts and spices. I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t vouch for it, but you can check out the recipe here courtesy of The Raw Foods Witch, Nathalie Lussier.
Year End and Looking Forward
Filed under: Alkaline Diet, gluten-free, raw food, Uncategorized |
Comments (2) I had a big year last year when it came to my body and, more importantly, to my relationship with it!
I lost that last ten stubborn pounds (some of which have come back as muscle).
I threw my scale away, which was both liberating and scary.
I bought my first pair of size fours in June (and I’m still wearing them)!
I joined an on-line support community for women who want to transform their relationship with their body and their ideas about food. There I learned to love yoga and began thinking seriously about the old adage: “You are what you eat.”
I went gluten-free and convinced my sister to do the same.
I am happy to say that since I stopped eating gluten almost 6 months ago, I was able to get off of two prescription medications that I had been taking for over a year! Note that one of those medications was prescribed to deal with the side effects of the other!
I’ve also had no sign of arthritis in my hands (which routinely reared its ugly head during the winter months).
I am also thrilled to report that my sister no longer has weekly migraines and a number of her digestive problems (which I won’t share with you, here, as they are not my own) have completely disappeared. Congratulations sis!
Although I was eating better and feeling better, I realized that I still had a lot of emotional issues around food that I had been carrying around since I was 16 and weighed a whopping 232.5 pounds.
In other words, I still had no sense of portion control and I still ate my emotions.
When I was bored, I ate. When I was nervous, I ate. When I was stressed, I ate. When I was angry – you guessed it.
And when I ate, I didn’t just eat until I was 80% full, which is what all of the nutritionists tell you. I usually ate until I was at least 120% full, which often turns into 140% full once your brain gets the message from your stomach that you should have stopped at least 15 minutes sooner!
About five weeks ago, I was at a conference where it turns out a number of participants were “raw.” That is, 80% of the food they eat has not been cooked (or heated above 105 degrees).
These women – and they were mostly women – were thin, gorgeous, and literally had this glow about them.
They were confident and charming.
They were totally comfortable in their skin, which was absolutely flawless, by the way.
And, more to the point, they were not obsessed with food. Whereas everyone else were checking their watches and grumbling about what time the presenter was going to let us go to lunch, these beautiful, thin, and centered women were fully present with the material.
They weren’t proselytizing either.
In fact, it wasn’t until the second day of the conference, when I offered the woman next to me something that I was eating, that she even mentioned that she was a raw foodist.
Really?!
Because I love food – all types of food – and I had recently gone gluten-free, I was fascinated and soon she and I would start talking about raw food whenever presenter broke – for lunch or whatever.
Compared to mine (which has improved dramatically over the years), her approach towards eating seemed so sane. So balanced.
And she definitely wasn’t someone who sounded all deprived. She wasn’t saying: I only get to eat raw food (poor pitiful me). She was more like: I only eat raw food (and I frickin’ love it)!
Well, in my search for gluten-free dessert recipes that I could make at Christmas to share with my family, I had actually come across a cookbook online: “28 Desserts You Can Eat Everyday.” It was a raw foods cookbook – again, meaning that most of the recipes used raw nuts, seeds, cacao, fruits, vegetables, natural sweeteners, spices, etc.
Although I didn’t buy it immediately, I did sign up for author’s weekly newsletter.
However, after meeting my new friend, who shall be known as M, the next time one of the cookbook lady’s emails showed up in my in box, I pushed the button.
As it turns out, raw desserts are delicious (and they are way easier and faster to make than cooked desserts). As yet another new raw friend pointed out: I don’t have to wait for them to heat up and I don’t have to wait for them to cool down – they’re perfect!
And then another coincidence occurred: my friend M (the one I met at the conference) just happened to also be going to Tulsa for the holidays! Small world since I live on the East Coast and we originally met in Los Angeles!
M and I (and her mother and my sister) went to the local raw food restaurant that I had blogged about earlier.
Well, as it turns out, M was just as cool as I remembered (as was her mother) and the food was better than I had ever imagined possible.
We had an absolutely fabulous meal and – even better – I didn’t feel at all sick or bloated like I sometimes do after eating out.
In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I felt clean, vibrant, and alive!
When’s the last time you felt that way after eating pizza and a brownie with “fudge” sauce?
So, the holidays continued. Every day I made raw smoothies and experimented with raw desserts. Eventually, I even managed to recruit my poor sister onto the bandwagon. She now owns not one high speed blender – but two!
Since December 28th, I have been 70-75% raw.
Starting December 29, I went what some refer to as “high raw” – or raw until dinner.
Yesterday I had my first 100% raw day.
I have also signed up on yet another virtual on-line community (Raw Food Rehab) – this one dedicated to helping people get more raw foods into their lifestyle. I even went so far as to apply to join their 11 week initiative. Here, you get additional support (should you need it) to stay at least 80% raw for 11 weeks.
If you’re interested at all in raw food, this website has an insane number of raw food recipes and forums to get you started and to keep you going.
That’s actually where I’ve been the last few days instead of posting here!
So, if you’re still reading this, you might be thinking: but why? Why would you want to cut most – if not all – cooked food out of your diet? Why would you willingly give up pancakes and eggs for breakfast (or even oatmeal and maple syrup) in exchange for a green smoothie?
The whys are complicated, but I’ll try to give it my best shot.
It’s fun.
It’s easy.
It’s delicious.
Raw is naturally gluten-free, so I don’t have to worry about eating something inadvertently that’s going to make me sick.
Raw is also naturally alkaline, something that I’ve been trying to attain for almost three years.
And, more importantly, it’s broken all of my pre-existing addictions to food.
I eat when I want to eat and I stop eating when I’m 80% full.
My emotions are not tied up with raw food the way they are with cooked food.
The only way I can think to say it is that I am finally eating for nutrition instead of comfort.
My calorie intake is so much lower (even though my nutrient intake is about the same [or even higher!]) – trust me, I keep track of everything using LoseIt – that I’m no longer going to have to spend three hours a day doing cardio just to maintain my current weight.
But, all that aside (and I am sure there are others) I think Michael J summed it up best: You’re so much lighter and joyous in the kitchen and around food than you used to be! It’s been a real pleasure to just be around and watch you play.
So, that’s where I am. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I’ll be sure to keep you posted and share all of my new, fun, and easy recipes!
I hope you have a wonderful new year! I certainly intend to!
KJ’s Favorite Green Smoothie (a/k/a Slime-ade)
Filed under: food, gluten-free, health, high water-content food, raw food, superfood |
Comments (3) For the last two weeks, I have been drinking green smoothies. That is, RAW green smoothies.
For the most part, green smoothies are very forgiving – some of them aren’t even green! In fact, my first one literally looked like a vat of figgie pudding. Well, I assume that that’s what it looked like. Too many blueberries.
Essentially, you put in a lot of leafy greens (spinach, cilantro, kale, romaine lettuce, etc) and whatever else strikes your fancy.
Some people put in a lot of fruit, because they like them sweeter.
I started there, but quickly moved to the less sweet variety.
My favorite to date, is sort of Mexican-y and smells a little bit like a summer garden. Check out the details here.
Over the holidays, I made one every day and split it with my sister. She, who has recently gone gluten-free, actually got a little zing of energy with her first slug. Talk about an instant convert. In fact, before the holidays were over, she had ordered her own high speed blender and packed a smoothie to go for her long drive ahead.
Not everyone in the house, however, was a convert. My parents were not sold – at all. And every time my father saw me with one, he’d just laugh and shake his head (not necessarily in that order).
My father’s snarky asides eventually got so bad that I eventually made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: you stop ragging on me because of my slime-ade and I’ll stop bitching at you about your Vienna Sausages (otherwise known as Viennie Weinies).
Personally, I think he got a pretty good deal. Because there’s a lot more that I could say about the wonders of potted meat than he could about the hazards or fresh, organic spinach.
Holidays – they’re really NOT about the food
This year everyone in my family has a food allergy of some sort.
Unfortunately, none of them (well, other than those of my sister and I) actually match.
She and I are gluten-free. I, however, tend to be particularly problematic, because I also make it a general rule to avoid most dairy, meat, refined sugar, and other forms of processed food.
Her husband, although not gluten-free, has his own issues. Namely, he’s deathly allergic to mushrooms, walnuts, strawberries, and a number of other random things. Notably, he also has come to realize that reducing (though not eliminating) wheat helps his arthritis. As does reducing pork. (Pork?! That must be about all of the chemicals with which most “meat” is processed. I use the quotations meaningfully, as if he’s talking about most processed name-brand sausage, it’s not meat. In fact, I have known vegans who still eat sausage on the basis that there’s practically nothing in there that even remotely resembles flesh. But I digress….)
My mother is on the “white diet.” Meaning that she can’t have anything with fiber. No whole grains, no fresh fruit or vegetables. No tomatoes. No chocolate. No spices. She, hands down, has it hardest and I know that the thing that she’s most hoping for this year from Santa is a fully healed esophagus at the end of two long (and too long) months of pale, texture free food.
And my poor father has been having severe indigestion – agonizing pain that my mother thinks may be related to his gall bladder.
So where does that leave us on a holiday that is typically centered around food? Rich, glutenous foods with lots of spices, grains, butter, sugar, and lightly steamed fresh vegetables?
Well, I brought my blender. And even though I missed having a green smoothie today (the first in a week and, yes, I am feeling it), I got up this morning and had my hemp shake per usual. I did this while my sister and mother enjoyed freshly baked gluten-free corn muffins with Craisins and my father and my sister’s husband went back to bed.
As you might imagine, there’s been a lot of discussion about food. What who can eat and what we’re going to make and when we’re going to make it. But interestingly, unlike other years, no one seems to really be making it and that which is getting made has gone largely uneaten.
There is also a lot of food-related resentment in the house right now. Particularly from my mother, whose diet was imposed on her by medical personnel, as opposed to my sister and I who chose gluten-free freely and with eyes wide open. Mother has also used language which suggests that she thinks that she is being punished. But my sister and I are feeling it too – especially when we offer to make things or do things, which are systematically refused.
My sister, for example, who had just spent the last three days cooking full out healthy meals for my parents asked:
“So what did you have for dinner?”
Mother turned away, looking more like a twelve year old than someone who is all too fast approaching 70.
“Your father had a sandwich and some onion and I had some oatmeal and a piece of toast.”
You could literally see the steam come out of my sister’s ears. But, bless her heart, she held her tongue and proceeded to make my mother some chocolate free pumpkin-butterscotch fudge.
I have no idea what the actual holiday meal will hold. My aunt and her family are bringing over a turkey, the stuffing, and numerous desserts, while my sister and I will make a lot of sides. I’m sure there will be yams, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts and I know that my sister is planning on making a gluten-free stuffing. I may or may not make my infamous almond and date basmati rice (which, is delicious, but, unfortunately for mother, probably has way too much cinnamon).
So this holiday season has really been about boundary setting and trying to make sure everyone (self included) gets their needs met. There has also been more empathy, such as realizing after buying 10 ripe avocados that I really couldn’t (or shouldn’t) make the chocolate pudding I had planned for because mother can’t eat chocolate. But since the avocados were bought, I decided that that was ridiculous. So, in recompense, I made another dessert for mother (crust-less pecan pie bites) that are not only way better for her, but are also right up her alley in terms of taste.
This season has also been about recognizing everyone’s limitations – not just about food, but their physical limitations. We’re getting older – if not just plain old!
The days of the totally magical holidays – resplendent with lights and trees and ridiculous amounts of foods that everyone could and actually would eat – are gone. One way to think about it is this year is about seeing who we are – who we really are – and, in the case of my sister and I – who we are likely to become.
Thankfully we’re still here – with all of our foibles and our dietary restrictions. And hopefully we’ll learn to appreciate one another more fully because of them, as opposed to in spite of them.
My gift to you: Take some time this holiday to focus on your own needs and the needs of those around you. Spend some time meeting the people in your life where they are and try not to cling too tightly to the way you think they should be or how they’ve always been. You’ll all be much happier that way.
Happy Holidays~
The Easiest, Healthiest (and some of the most delicious) Fudge You’ll Ever Make
Filed under: cooking, gluten-free, Holidays, raw food, recipes, superfood |
Comments (2) A few weeks ago, I made the decision to add more raw food into my diet. In fact, I just made the pledge (on twitter @KJLively) that no baked desserts shall pass these lips over the holidays. Somehow, it seems like making a higher pledge (like no gluten, no baked goods) and sticking to it will be easier than making tons of decisions on a dessert-by-dessert basis.
But, not to be a dessert killjoy during the holidays, I have sat up the raw food lab in the kitchen. I have a ton of raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, as well as dates, raisins, bananas, raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, coconut oil, zucchini, and (don’t ask) avocado. For those of you who don’t do raw, you’ll be relieved to know that all this does not go into the same recipe. 
I decided to start simple, with Mint Chocolate Fudge balls, recipe courtesy of the Raw Foods Witch, Nathalie Lussier. You can also download her free cookbook: “28 Desserts You Can Eat Everyday,” in exchange for your name and email. Not a bad deal, if you think about it.
I am definitely making these this year at my parents’ house!
Mint Chocolate Fudge Balls
• 1/2 cup raw nut butter of choice (almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, etc.)
• 1/2 cup soft dates
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder or carob powder
• Drop of mint or peppermint oils
Blend the dates separately first, to ensure that they will be smooth in the final product.
Then add the remaining ingredients and blend until the entire mixture forms into a ball of
dough.
Take pieces of dough and roll in your hands to form balls.
Store in freezer or fridge.
Makes 16 small balls
Per 2: 127 calories, 7.8 g fat, 0.7 saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 mg sodium, 12.3 g carbohydrates, 3.6 g fiber, 6.9 g sugar, 4.4 g protein
These are super easy – and rich enough that the two (or even one) just might do you!
Note: I put these in the freezer and it dried them out enough that they’re more like cookies – think Newman’s Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip!
Another “Make-Do Recipe” Does Good
Michael J and I arrived home from a three day cross country jaunt at 4:00 a.m. to an empty fridge, snow on the ground, and workers coming to tear out the basement floor in less than 5 hours.
Needless to say that this morning has been something of a blur – what with the overall tiredness, the generalized burnout, and – now – the buzz of the Sawzall Saw and the all too cheerful chatter of workers who obviously got more sleep than we did.
Before I knew it, it was lunch time; the refrigerator was all but bare. Of course, we could have yet another peanut butter and Ezekial Bread sandwich or ricecakes and hummus (which had been the mainstays on yesterday’s travel fiasco), but the thought left me cold.
In fact, what I really wanted was something warm.
I turned my inner critic off and opened the fridge: couple of cartons of tofu that I had bought for some recipe or another but never used, several packages of Shirataki Noodles, garlic, celery, carrots, and a bunch of broccoli that didn’t look quite fresh enough to eat raw. There were also some sweet potatoes (which would take too long) and some hemp shake fixin’s which would have been great – that is, if it wasn’t cold and the airlines hadn’t lost my blender! (I’ll have more to say about that later!)
As I piled all of the ingredients up on the counter, I got a nostalgic longing for this little hole in the wall Chinese place I used to go to in Indiana. They had this amazing tofu and veggie soup that I ate almost everyday for lunch. I decided to give recreating it a try and though it wasn’t perfect, it was pretty darned good. And, more to the point, it’s definitely going into the rotation as Michael J even had some!
Given that the Shirataki noodles are calorie-free – yes, you head me, so, if you like noodles and didn’t check out the link above, you may want to do that now – I can imagine making this up (or some version thereof) to just have around on those cold nights when I’m coming home late from work and too chilly and too tired to make anything else.
Let me know what you think!
Tofu and Shirataki Noodle Soup
“A very satisfying soup that warms the spirit on an otherwise cold and dispirited day”
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
5 stalks celery, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups of water
3 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon (Organic, Vegetable)
2 Bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 – 2 cups broccoli florets
1 carton of extra firm tofu (drained, and pressed to reduce liquid)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 – 2 tsp of San-J Tamari Sauce (or other gluten-free soy sauce)
2 packages of Shirataki noodles (prepared according to package)
Add first ten ingredients (through salt and papper) in a large stew pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until carrots are tender (around 15 minutes).
Add broccoli.
Heat oil in a separate skillet; when hot, add tofu and cook until sides are browned. Add Tamari sauce and saute gently for a few minutes to season tofu.
Add tofu and the noodles to the soup pot. Heat until warm throughout. Remove bay leaves and serve
Serves 4 (Generously): 178 calories, 9.8 g. fat, 1.4 g. saturated fat, 272.5 mg sodium, 14 g. carbs, 5.9 grams fiber, 1.2 grams sugar, 13.5 grams protein.
What’s the matter with gluten?
Gluten, for those of you who don’t know, is a protein that is in wheat and barley. Interestingly, 1 out of 40 U.S. adults have some sort of allergy to gluten (and a good portion of those are also allergic to dairy)! Most people don’t know they have the allergy: they just live with the mental cobwebs, the bloating, the inflammation, the digestive problems, the headaches, and the depression – never thinking that the cause is in what they’re eating.
You might be thinking – wheat? What’s wrong with wheat?
What’s wrong with wheat is that it’s in practically everything!
In case you’re not a student of nutrition labels (yes, I am a geek!) so-called enriched flour is one of the most common food ingredients used in food processing. Essentially we were not designed to eat wheat with the fiber stripped out. We were not designed to eat wheat in, essentially, everything we eat.
Did you realize that some ice creams have gluten in them? Soy sauces? Ketchups? Soup mixes? Spaghetti sauces?
Some of the symptoms that people have who have gluten allergies include chronic indigestion, acid reflux, depression, arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrom (among others). Go here, for more information about gluten and wheat allergies.
Happy Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday.
I, personally, had a fabulous Thanksgiving. It was probably one of two in my entire lifetime of eating solid food that I wasn’t completely stressed out about food and/or walked away from the table feeling like a bloated tub of lard.
As we head into the holiday season, it’s important to remember that even though most people just plan on gaining ten pounds over the holidays, because that’s what happens to everyone, you’re not everyone! Or at least you don’t have to be.
Keeping that in mind, let me tell you about my day:
I actually came in 47 calories below my daily calorie budget yesterday, which, believe you me, is another first! And I know that if I can make it through Thanksgiving – the most food focused of all the holidays – while meeting my goals and not feeling the least bit deprived, then I can make it through the rest of the season similarly unscathed.
So what was different this year?
I got up yesterday morning, while the house was still quiet. I made some decisions about what I was going to be taking to MJ’s parents’ for dinner, I made one of the salads that needed to chill (recipe will follow), I had my normal breakfast (a Berry Hemp Shake) and then I did an hour of yoga.
By the time I was done, the household was awake. I put away the yoga mat, made some tea and touched base with Michael J and our new housemate. When Michael J went downstairs to his man cave, I continued to talk to Sarah (the new HM) – for a couple of hours really. It was nice. Around 11:30, I made second breakfast (egg white omelet with veggies) and while Sarah took a shower and got ready to go to her holiday celebration, I did a 30 minute workout tape (K-Bells: Total Body Blast). As soon as I was done, Michael J came up and said, “Want to go for a walk?”
Sure, why not?
By the time we got back, we both needed showers and I still had two dishes to make (Spicy Yams and Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Dates), so as you might imagine, things got a little crazy. One of the reasons I was bringing three dishes was that I had volunteered to make some gluten-free options because Michael J and I are both gluten-free, as is Michael J’s brother, who was driving up that day and was, thus, at the mercy of his family for healthy options (which, as it turned out, there were several)!
Although we were rushed (it was already 2:30 and we were slated to eat at 4:00), Michael J and I both sat down and had lunch. Yes, you heard me. We had lunch at 2:30, when we were going to be eating Thanksgiving dinner at 4:00! Because this year, instead of saving calories for the meal itself, I decided to actively spend them before the meal.
Now, granted, I only had a huge bowl of kale and garlic sauteed in coconut oil and a handful of roasted almonds (which amounted to about 300 or so calories), but it was enough to take the edge off. Especially because kale and almonds are both superfoods, meaning that they are nutrient-rich and extremely satisfying.
It was an interesting feeling to show up for Thanksgiving dinner and not be the slightest bit hungry. Not that that stopped me of course, when it actually came time to eat, but it did slow me down.
As it was, I cheerfully skipped the appetizers and when it was time for dinner (served closer to 5:00 than the slated 4:00), I ended up following Michael Pollen’s advice and “treated meat as a condiment.” I think I may have had three ounces of turkey (which was scrumptious by the way), quinoa salad, a spoonful (or two) of the rice pilaf, a spoonful of yams, some broccoli, and some green beans. It was a beautiful plate. I wish that I had taken a picture of it.
Full of crisp harvest colors and surprisingly free of anything mashed or looking even remotely like gravy or butter, it really was a culinary work of art. And it tasted even better than it looked!
Now, dessert was a little tricky. Mainly because Michael J’s sister-in-law sat an individual sized bowl of chocolate pie filling in front of me topped with homemade whipped cream that had been made especially for those of us following gluten-free diets. And, being a total sucker for homemade chocolate pie, I went for it. And, God, it was good! As were the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies!
But let me tell you, after being relatively sugar free now for over two months, I could literally feel the sugar leeching into my blood stream. And I have had worse cravings today than I’ve since I went gluten-free. I have a friend who says with increasing regularity that “sugar is the devil.” I’m beginning to believe her!
Overall, it was a very nice holiday. I had a great time exercising and even a better time getting to connect with friends and family. Even though my own parents and sister are far away, I also made sure to talk to them a couple of times throughout the day. And while it is true that I spent a good part of the afternoon cooking, the day really was more people-focused than food-focused, which is nice (and, I realize, a lot easier if you’re going to dinner instead of hosting it). Thanks, Mrs. Y doing all of the heavy lifting!
So based on the wonderful day I had yesterday, I will do my level best to make this season more about health and people and less about stress and food.
I am definitely going to make it less about sugar!
There are other things that I am going to publicly commit to that will – hopefully – make me more accountable to myself over the next six weeks (and beyond). But for now, I will leave it as this: Happy Holidays, everyone!
Recipe: Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Dates (Gluten-Free)
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes, Uncategorized |
Comments (1) 1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
(Note: I substituted 2 Tablespoons of Nutiva’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for the butter and olive oil)!
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 red, yellow, or green bell pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon, ground allspice or nutmeg
1/2 cup dates
3 cups cooked brown, white or basmati rice
(Note: I use brown basmati rice, because it’s so much more aromatic than the other two)!
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
salt and ground black pepper to taste
In a large heavy skillet, heat the butter and oil. Saute the onions and garlic on medium heat until just tender. Finely chop the bell pepper, and add it to the sauteing onion. Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, and allspice/nutmeg. Finely chop the dates, and add them to the onions. Stir in the rice and the parsley, sprinkle on the water, and heat uncovered for a few minutes. When the rice is hot, stir in the almonds, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
This was taken and modified from the Moosewood Cooks at Home! If you don’t have this one, I would highly recommend it!
Serves 4 generously; could easily be a meal served with fresh garden salad, dressed with fresh lemon juice!
Per 8 ounce serving: 290 calories, 5.3 grams of protein, 8.5 grams of fat, 75 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol
