Life

I Surrender

February 28, 2012

I surrender to food allergies. 

After 23 years of eating what I want (usually, except dairy) I have decided to wave the white flag and say goodbye to delicious foods for the next little bit.

{Like this homemade Gnocchi (Though, it is made of almost all potato..I’m sure It would be fine..)}

{And these delcious meatballs}

This month of eats has been bland. Very, very bland. As I’ve mentioned before, here and here, I have dealt with random food allergies for the past while. I found out about 7 years ago that I had a dairy allergy, and a peanut allergy, among other random not as important allergies such as raw carrots? Such a thing exists? So, I had been quite good at not eating foods such as eggs since they made me rather nauseous ( a word I have spelt so many times that I now know the correct spelling without auto-correct. It’s the little triumphs ) and as of 2010 I completely gave up milk. Something that was not so hard, as I really did not drink it religiously.

When I was younger, as are most children, I was forced to have Milk at every meal making sure I would drink the entire glass. As I got older I really only drank it with cereal. And, after months of feeling sick after breakfast, I finally gave it it up. I did OK without cereal, not venturing into dairy-alternatives such as rice or soy or almond milk for quite a bit. I switched to my beloved oatmeal and was content. I tried Almond milk for the first time and really quite liked it. It is my go-to for cereal, smoothies and sometimes baking. I don’t really drink a glass on its own, except maybe for dunking cookies.

So, after a while of feeling not-so-great after many of my meals I decided I had better go back to the doctor and figure it out. I waited almost six months to see the specialist and found some answers.

In order to de-bunk my allergies I was put on an ‘Allergy Elimination Diet,’ which, if you follow me on Twitter you will have heard my lamenting about it. When I first saw the list of foods I was ‘allowed’ to eat for the first week my first question was “Where’s the breakfast foods???” Thankfully a friend of mine on twitter messaged me a breakfast idea: Turkey sausages, hash-browns or yams, cranberry sauce. Best breakfast ever. This has become a weekend staple. During the week it’s usually rice krispies with almond milk and a peach cup.

I’ve gotten as creative as I can with the diet so far. My favourite dinners have been a baked yam, cut open like a baked potato with black beans and cranberry sauce, along with turkey breast. My aunt also made me dinner one night, turkey lettuce wraps. So good, and I hadn’t thought about it before.

Some recent eats on the diet:

       

New Allergies so far:

I found out that I have a wheat and corn allergy. Who knew? The doctor said that because my grass allergies are so severe, the highest it can be (and I know, having suffered all my life during spring/summer with hay-fever and severely red and watery eyes) that this affected the wheat and corn allergies, as they come from the same family. After the day of ‘introducing’ this food group I definitely reacted and am now consciously avoiding them. It is so not worth the pain and stomach issues. This one is going to be tough, as wheat and corn are a common filler in many foods.

I also had the blood work done to find out about Celiac Disease. Now, I’m not sure that I do have it, but my doctor said it wouldn’t hurt to find out just to be sure. So I should know the results at the end of the week. **update, i do not have celiac, just a severe wheat and corn allergy, related to my extreme grass allergy (spring/summer is my allergy nemesis) **

So, for now I’m going to try keeping up with the diet and figure out what triggers my stomach issues and which foods I should be avoiding. I gotta say, after the first week and a half of being on the diet I felt better than I had in months. No stomach pain, no complaining to Adam after we eat that “I don’t feel good,” and just feeling overall better.

The whole getting-my-wisdom-teeth-out thing put a damper in the diet, while I consumed too many pudding cups than any human should. Also, more mashed potatoes than normal.

I’m trying to get back on track and ready to introduce the next food group. Hopefully it will be more veggies and fruits.

Now, how might a girl who love to Bake and Cook all the time go about not eating/cooking delicious foods? Well, thankfully I still have this guy.

{Waiting outside the delivery room for our new niece to be born! Adam’s sister gave birth last week!}

I make him foods I can’t eat, Like coffee ice cream. An entire batch of coffee ice cream, all for himself (I might have stolen a tiny spoonful) If’ that’s not true love I don’t know what is.

Adam, unlike myself, is still able to eat everything. So I usually will make two dinners, one for me and one for him. The base is the same, but I’ll add other veggies or carbs etc for his plate. And I also still love cooking and baking for others.

In Happier news, our little niece is one week old! And super fashionable thanks to me! 😉

Tomorrow I am bringing a ‘Baby Meal’ over to Adam’s sister and her husband so they don’t have to worry about dinner, along with dessert of course. After reading Fitnessista’s baby meals (history here) she received after giving birth I was inspired to create one! I’m making this Coconut Shrimp Curry which I have made in the past (when I could eat) which is downright amazing.

I love to cook. Even if I’m not the one eating it. I have a serious addiction when it comes to cooking and baking. So even just preparing and cooking food is fun for me and I get excited planning menus.

So, for now, I surrender to my allergies and will have to suck it up and eat mashed potatoes, yams and peach cups for a little while longer. I’ve eaten about 40 of them so far. No joke. Along with about 5 bags of rice cakes. This from a girl who avidly avoided buying rice and potatoes forever.

Lainey, however, is just fine with my allergy diet. Turkey sausage and ground turkey leftovers? One happy dog.

Have you gone for an allergy test?

Do you have food allergies? Do you find it hard to eat out/cook food around them?

Bread

Banana Bread & Babies

February 22, 2012

Did you know February 23 is National Banana Bread Day? I saw on Twitter that is it also national Chili day?? Lots of yummy food options today. Any excuse to make a loaf is fine by me. DOLE Banana’s is celebrating today on their facebook page. Tastespotting is also dedicating their front page to Banana Bread, and my recipe has made the front page! Check it out.

You can also check out my other Banana bread recipes here, and a Zucchini Banana Bread Bundt recipe here, and Zucchini Banana muffins.

I made this banana bread last week for Adam. I was still on my allergy diet (you can read about it here, here and here), so I wasn’t allowed to eat it but had the banana’s around that needed to be baked into something. I usually freeze them when they get too ripe, but using frozen banana’s for banana bread never quite yields the same deliciously sweet taste. So I thought I would take advantage of the perfectly ripened fruit in the bowl.

I have had to veer from my allergy diet slightly to accomodate my recent dental surgery. *Wisdom Teeth Removal*…

I went in on Thursday last week for my wisdom teeth removal. All four needed to come out, as the bottom ones were impacted and would not come out on their own. I was pretty nervous beforehand, as I’ve never had any sort of ‘minor’ surgery, and I had never been put under with intravenous anesthesia. The second the needle went in I checked out. I did not remember a thing. It was nice while it lasted. The numbness lasted pretty much all day. The next day was swollen but the pain killers helped. Unfortunately, they also made me quite sick so I had to stop taking the codeine. I also developed a fever, with chills and sweats. It has been almost a week and I have yet to sleep an entire night since the surgery. I am not a night owl, and never had a problem sleeping. So only getting a few hours a night has sucked. Big time.

It got even better when I began having serious pain in my lower jaw. I went back to the dentist, and sure enough I had a lovely dry socket, something that commonly occurs (google it if ya like..). It is quite painful. I also have muscle and nerve damage which is like a throbbing numbing pain in my entire jaw running down my neck and collar bone. I feel like my head is about 10 lbs heavier and in a vice being pushed together. The ‘dry socket’ packing worked at first but the taste of it is making me sick. I hope it heals soon.

My ‘allergy diet’ now includes a lot of pudding. I don’t think I have eaten that much pudding in my entire life. And chicken noodle soup. I am also still eating my weight in mashed potatoes and cranberries. It sucks because of my dairy allergy I can’t have things like milkshakes or yogurt. Even the pudding has dairy in it, and while It makes my stomach upset I just take another pill to counteract that as well. I did try to make pudding with almond milk but it did not set.. haha. It was more like pudding soup. Any idea why? Is there something in milk that makes it set that is not in the almond milk perhaps?

This week was also extra special because another sort of ‘bun in the oven’ was finally born! Adam’s sister had a baby girl on Monday night!!! Adam and I are now an aunty and uncle =)=) She is absolutely perfect! It was so amazing to be outside of the room waiting for her to be born. We all screamed in excitment when we learned it was a girl (they hadn’t found out the sex of the baby before.) What a wonderful experience! We are eagerly waiting to go and see her sweet little face again. Adam already bought some pink things to bring over, as, as of now, we had bought safe colours such as yellow and greys. But, the girl needs something pink!

This banana bread is simple and delicious. I will be making a loaf to bring over to the new parents soon.

* You want your loaf to rise, and crack on top, not to be hard and flat. Make sure eggs are at room temperature, and whisk thoroughly. You want a nice peak when it bakes. Add the flour/dry ingredients in three parts, ending with dry and mixing well*

Old Fashioned Hand-Mixed Banana Bread with Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe slightly adapted from Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition

  • 2-3 well ripened bananas, mashed by fork
  • 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk together thoroughly the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in bowl.
  3. In large bowl with whisk mix oil and sugar thoroughly by hand.
  4. Beat in the flour mixture until blended.
  5. Gradually beat in eggs one at a time.
  6. Fold in just until combined: mashed bananas and pumpkin seeds
  7. Spread evenly in pan. sprinkle top with more pumpkin seeds. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.
  8. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes before un-molding to cool completely on the rack.
Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day Box of Chocolate’s

February 14, 2012


This is the last Valentine’s day recipe I’ll post! But it is so easy, anyone can make it. Really. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, no baking, super easy and looks as decadent as they are delicious. You can pick up the ingredients on the way home from work tonight. They are the perfect addition to a lovely dinner in. Which is what Adam and I have planned for this evening, an allergy- friendly dinner of steak, potatoes, green beans and lettuce. Along with a movie.

Instead of giving your loved one a box of over priced chocolates, pick up some strawberries, I got two boxes for $4, and some chocolate (you can buy from bulk! Chocolate dipping wafers, dark or milk) and you can also add coconut, if you want to really make them special. They are just as sweet, but even better because it also contains fruit 😉

To make the Box of Valentine’s Chocolates you will need:
1-2 pkg. of Strawberries, thoroughly washed and patted dry with paper towel.
1/2-1 cup chocolate, chunks, chips or chocolate bar broken up.
Optional: Coconut, or crushed nuts to decorate
Directions:
In a small pot, add about 1/2 cup of water. Place glass/metal bowl on top, so that it seals shut. Place on medium-low, you only want it to simmer. Alternatively, if you have a double broiler you can use that.
Add chocolate, dark milk or white, and carefully watch it so that it begins to melt, but not burn. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir occasionally until completely melted.
Now, you can remove the bowl onto a heat-proof surface, it will be quite hot, or I just leave mine on the stove top simmering while I dip the strawberries to make sure the chocolate consistency remains the same. Once it begins to cool down it will not harden, but become thick and make it difficult to ‘dip’
You can also take the whole pot off and place it on a heat-proof surface or hot plate, and keep the bowl on top, as the water will not cool down very fast once it has been heated up.
Dip strawberries, one by one into the chocolate, shaking off excess. Place onto cutting board or plate that is lined with parchment paper. Once you have filled the plate/cutting board place in fridge to harden completely.

These are best eaten the same day, straight from the fridge. If you take them out I would advice only about 10 minutes, or else they will begin to warm up.

I placed mine in a little heart plastic dish I bought from the dollar store, using mini-cupcake liners, valentine’s themed, to place each one in.

You can keep this plate in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy.

Have a good Valentine’s Day!

You can also refer to my other posts about chocolate dipped strawberries Here & Step by Step Instructions Here