I Didn't Fall I Jumped!

So ok, I've been sugaring it up once in a while since October.  Lately it has been more then once in a while.  I justified it because I wasn't eating any wheat so the harm wasn't all THAT bad.  Well that really is foolishness.  Sure maybe once in a big while you eat a sweet with refined sugar, what is the harm?  I've found that if you let it get out of hand then you are on the road to justifying all kinds of crazy things.

So what did I do?  Well as fate would have it, we had a chocolate cake ( made with traditional wheat flour) sitting in the fridge.  It was left over from a family gathering on Dec. 25.  We didn't eat any of it then and my hubby was planning to take it to work and give it away but forgot.
So there it was.
Did its addictive wheaty superpower call to me and send me cravings for its velvety goodness???  No, honestly I was just bored and wanted some instant gratification for chocolate and there it was.  I had opened the door months ago when I started indulging frequently in the refined sugars for comfort.
I didn't fall off the wagon with the cake, I jumped.  I took a running start.

It was a big piece too.  I figured if I was going to do it, do it big.
I do not know what kind of affect it will have on me over the next few days.  The last time I was accidentally exposed to wheat germ it was for 4 days in a row.  It was horrible!!  I had cravings and wanted to eat ALL the time until it worked itself out of my system.  Not to mention the amazing crabbiness I felt.  This time around, it was just one time and I happen to be sick already with a head and chest cold.  I think that may be my saving grace because I just don't find myself wanting to eat anything because of being sick!

I did notice that shortly after eating the cake I became very tired.  I'm fairly certain that if I went back through The Wheat Belly book by Dr. Davis there would be an explaination as to why that is.  Probably due to it's opiate affect on the brain.

I also noticed that I got sicker.  My congestion got worse.  Ok.. can I blame the wheat for that?  It is iffy, but I've done some testimonial reading online and people say that they have noticed allergy/congestion IMPROVING when they stop eating wheat.  And... yeah... my hubby and I have had massive improvements in that departments since going wheat free.

So... Time to drag myself back up on the wagon again.  This time leaving refined sugar behind as well.  For someone with a history of heart disease in the family, I strongly suspect refined sugar is a devil in disguise and something I shouldn't play with.  There is probably some link to small LDL particles and when I feel better I will look into that.

If you didn't know Small Particle LDL's are the cause of coronary heart disease.
I strongly recommend you check out www.wheatbellyblog.com or Dr. Davis' book Wheat Belly.  It is life changing in so many ways.

I'll be bringing back some food posts soon!  Hang in there as I get back into the swing of things!

Muffin Tin Omelets

Since my mom's passing I haven't written anything new, but I did find this draft just sitting there waiting to be published.  Enjoy.  I will be posting new adventures shortly. 

I found some stuff online where people were making food in muffin tins.  I thought it was cute and a great way to have ready made portions.  So I gave it a try.  Since my hubby isn't really thrilled about taking yogurt to work and eating it every morning with blueberries and nuts... maybe I should shake it up a bit.  I decided to make some breakfast omelets with sweet potato waffle fries as the bottom.

I'm not going to say this was a great success, but I'm not going to call it a failure either.  Although, it was a learning experience for sure.  I probably should tell you that I've been experiencing major bouts of clutziness in the kitchen for a while now, well actually since we moved in here a couple months ago.  Yeah, I had you fooled didn't I... thinking I was spinning all kinds of cooking magic in there with ease.  In reality I'm afraid I might have started a few salmonella farms in a few select places.  If there is a surface in the kitchen/dining room that I haven't spilt, splattered or dropped something on well then I deserve a medal! 

This day was one of those days magnified by ten!  But I survived with minimal battle wounds.  Here is what I came up with:

I preheated my oven to 375 degrees.  I came up with this based on another oven omelet recipe I have seen.

I buttered my muffin tins and added some sweet potato waffle fries.

I whisked up some eggs, salt and pepper.  I got a bit carried away and beat them to a frothy mess!  I continued and added some peppers for my veggie element.

Yep... still nice and foamy, at this point I didn't know what to expect as the result when I pulled them out of the oven.  I threw some fresh parsley on top to add another colorful element so they wouldn't be boring... and after over 7 years of marriage, my hubby recently told me he likes to eat it!

Looking good!

Looking not so good. I should have used coconut or olive oil instead of butter or better yet muffin cups!

I served them that night on the side with a big salad, focaccia "bread"sticks and Humus.

Death and an Ice Cream Sundae

UPDATE on physical progress since being wheat-free since mid to late July 2012 I have:

1. Lost over 30lbs.  (I have more to go, but I am happy because it WILL keep coming off)

2. Over 95% of my pain has disappeared (spinal injuries)

3. All my little aches & pains have gone away

4. My female cycle has VASTLY improved and shortened in days & activity (ladies should know what I mean by that). 

5. I feel FREE and no longer confined by the prison of pain I was trapped in!

6. I look forward to being able to start exercising and knowing that I wont get stuck on the floor in pain because my hip/lower back got "locked up".  Last time that happened I wanted to kill my husband because it hurt so bad when he tried to help me up.  

UPDATE on cooking and food

Since my mother passed, things have been restless in the family.
It has not been easy these last few weeks.  I do find myself wanting to partake in a sundae with whipped cream quite often ( I have to have the whipped cream ) and I have indulged it.  Some people hit the booze, I have a sweet tooth.  It isn't really a craving per se... just one of those things you do for instant gratification when you feel down.  The last few days I also found myself raiding some supplies of "fun size" York Peppermint Patties at he in-laws.

In all of this "sugar haze", I have still lost weight.
Ok, it wasn't so much a sugar haze as it was falling off the sugar wagon a few times.  I know what you are thinking "Hey!  Ice cream has no wheat in it".  True, but I have been trying to limit sugar in all its refined forms as much as possible.

I just haven't really felt motivated to try anything new in the realm of cooking.
I haven't really felt too motivated to even eat much except that sundae now and again.

BUT, I have discovered that the crockpot is a life saver in such times.
Grab some veggies, potatoes, beans and meat and you are half way there.  Cleaning the veggies take some effort, but slice um and dice um then add some broth or tomato juice, spices and you have a huge pot of food that will last several days.  Gives you time to do other things.  In my case, mourn... but oddly family dynamics is even keeping me from doing that properly at the moment.

I promise, I will share food soon.  Afterall, my mom would not be happy with me flaking out on this and that I need to be doing it.  She told me several times when we were with her last month, "I'm proud of you and keep it up girl, you are looking good."

My Mother's Passing

I'm sorry to all my readers that I have not posted lately.  My mother that has been fighting cancer passed away last week.  I am sad that she is gone, but this is my own selfishness talking.  I am happy for her because I know where she has gone and am very comfortable and secure in that.  I am happy for her, but I will miss her.

I never imagined that I would be present when she passed.
It was a moment I shared with my husband and also our pastor.  Mom was laying on her side in her bed facing me.  I had my hand on the top of her head and the other on her hand.  My mom's eyes were shut the whole time we were talking to her, but she was responsive and communicated to us.  She did hear us and was not drugged up on morphine like so many are at such a time. Before she passed she opened her eyes and looked at me, I told the pastor and he went to get the rest of the family from the other room.  She looked up toward the ceiling for a while and I knew she was leaving.  She stopped breathing and closed her eyes.

I stayed with her until the hospice nurse came and then I left.
The last couple of days I find myself thinking "I'll have to tell mom about that" or "I should ask mom.."

I will not end this blog, my mom was very proud of me for getting my health turned around and also loosing the weight.  She told me to "keep it up girl, you're lookin' good".  So, for my mom I'll continue to share.

I do have an upcoming entry on blueberry muffins.  Mom wasn't too thrilled with those and enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies more.  But I think if I had of added more blueberries she would have liked them more.  I will try to post soon.

Lasagna With Tofu Noodles!

Lasagna.  Ok, how the heck can you eat Lasagna without using wheat noodles or even "gluten-free" noodles?  Wait, back up... no noodles?  What is wrong with "gluten-free" noodles you might ask?  The short and simple of it is that the vast majority of "gluten-free" products contain various starches to replace the wheat.  Such starches (tapioca, potato and etc.) will increase your small particle LDL levels up to 10 days after splurging just on 1 meal on 1 day.

According to Dr. Davis (a preventative cardiologist), in his book Wheat Belly, he states:
"In my personal experience with thousands of patients with heart disease, nearly 90% express the small LDL pattern to at least a moderate, if not severe, degree."  He goes on to explain that the big deal isn't really about "high" cholesterol that causes atherosclerotic plaque accumulation and eventually heart attack and stroke.  It's all about the particles... the SMALL LDL's to be exact.  He goes into a lot of detail and honestly, you should get the book!  I've already highlighted the heck out of mine!

So do you get a cholesterol test yearly?  I did because my MD had me on a cholesterol med.
According to Dr. Davis that blood test is actually based on an equation and will NOT measure SMALL LDL particles.  "The only way for your doctor to truly know where you stand is to actually measure LDL particles in some way, such as LDL particle number (by a lab method called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, NMR, lipoprotein analysis) or apoprotein B particles.

So enough of all that!  How can you enjoy Lasagna?????  That is really what it boils down to isn't it?  What can you eat that tastes good.  Here is my first shot at ever making lasagna.  Wouldn't you know it would be a non-traditional kind!

I replaced regular lasagna noodles with fresh from the package firm tofu.  I did press out the liquid first because it seemed like the thing to do.  I then sliced the block with a cheese slicer. Ok.. you have to be careful here because the tofu seemed to have wanted to crumble or crack on me.  Somewhere there may already exist tofu lasagna noodles, but I had to make due with what I had.  I will find them, oh yes... I will find them!

You will need a 13"x9" baking dish
Preheat oven 350 degrees F
Cook 45 minutes covered with foil, then uncovered for 15 minutes longer or until cheese is brown.

Ricotta/Spinach filling:

2 cups (15oz) ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chopped fresh spinach or 10 oz. frozen and squeezed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning or dried oregano

Other ingredients:
19 0z. block of firm tofu
4 cups (32 oz.) marinara sauce, divided
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
8 slices deli style Provolone cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) Shredded Parmesan cheese

*Optional ingredients:
Meat, mushrooms or anything you think might be good. (have fun with it!)

I didn't have the required size of baking dish so I used a couple smaller glass ones.  they also come with handy lids for storage in the fridge.  Also, my bag of frozen spinach was a tad bigger then the 10 oz. that is called for.  That is why my filling is so green!

So here is what you do:

Combine Ricotta cheese, eggs, spinach, salt, pepper, nutmeg and italian seasoning in small bowl and set aside.

Cook your optional ingredients to use as a layer in the lasagna.

Assemble the lasagna.  Here is what I did:

I put sauce on the bottom of the pan,

then layered the tofu slices on top, and then added the ricotta mixture.

I added a layer of mozzarella and then another layer of the tofu slices

I topped the tofu slices with more sauce, mozzarella and then slices of provolone cheese

 I added Parmesan cheese and then popped it in the oven

This was my second dish to use up the "extra" ingredients since I didn't use a 13x9 dish.

Final Critique:

I thought it was good and so did my hubby.  Next time I plan on using less spinach (or more Ricotta) and then a bit of ground turkey or chicken sausage... something like that!  I may go for a thicker spaghetti sauce too just to see how that turns out instead of a thinner sauce I used.  I love my sauces!

Bargain Hunters International

This post should have been posted prior to the last one!

My friend Jenny took me to a really cool international supermarket here in Indy.  WOW!  You just don't see that kind of selection at our regular chain stores and markets.  I was in heaven and at the same time having a mental overload.  I'm not a professional with food, by no means, but I do fancy myself a culinary experimenter.  Ok.. that's just fancy talk for:  I'll take a recipe and jack with it after I've at least made it once the proper way first.

Standing in that sea of variety of produce I had only heard about in exotic recipes, my mind reeled.  I wanted to buy everything in large quantities because I'm a "stocker upper" by nature and did I mention the prices beat the chain stores???  After spending I don't know how long in the produce, we found our way to the meat section.  Ok... same situation!

They had fish of all kinds and even squid, octopus and even crawfish and probably some other stuff too.  The fish was so fresh that when you told the guy behind the counter what you wanted, he cleaned and gutted it to order.  And the meats... wow... chicken (of sorts I never heard of), turkey(smoked), lamb, goat, beef.  I'm not into eating organs... but they had a variety of that.  Then they had meat that was slaughtered in a special way in order to satisfy certain religious needs.  Whoa.. overload all over again.

But I was on a mission to find Shiritaki noodles.  Dr. Davis has a recipe in his book Wheat Belly that calls for them.  They are a wheat-free noodle, made of tofu and/or mung bean?  Upon that visit, somehow I overlooked them completely, but I discovered they had a TON of tofu blocks on sale.  19 oz. blocks of medium firm tofu for less then 60¢ each.  So yeah... I got like six of them.  I've never used tofu, but I know it is a great protein source!  You can't beat that price and you can make them taste like anything you want!

I went back 2 days later with the hubby and picked up 6 more blocks and then found the Shiritaki noodles and picked up a couple packages of those as well as another off brand dry tofu noodle.  In the next post I'll share what I did with them, I don't want to ramble on too much in one post!  (See prior post for Tofu Spaghetti - for some reason that posted prior to this one)

Tofu: Quick and Easy Spaghetti

With 12 blocks of tofu sitting in my fridge with a "sell by" date quickly approaching, I had to do something, but what?  I didn't have any recipes, let alone a clue, as to what to do with it!

So, hello internet.  I found out that most people prefer the texture change in tofu after it has been frozen... something about it becoming more chewy?  Ok.. you can freeze it, awesome.  I'm into that!  So I followed the instructions I found and pressed out the water and vacuum sealed them individually and threw 10 blocks in the freezer.   I saved 2 blocks from the freezing process and plan to turn one, if not two, of them into Tofu Chocolate Mousse.  Oh yeah, you knew it had to be something with chocolate first off didn't you!  But since I don't have all those ingredients yet, I gotta wait.

As for the Shiritaki noodles and the off-brand tofu noodles I had purchased, I put the off-brand to good use.  I also discovered that they are VERY handy when you want something fast and convenient.

So the dry packaged, off-brand tofu noodles got turned into spaghetti with the help of some Prego sauce and my stovetop.   It wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked upon cooking them up that first night.  Fortune would have it that after marinating in the sauce overnight for leftovers the next day they were "really good" in my hubby's words.  The texture was a bit chewier then regular pasta, but that doesn't bother me or my hubby a bit.  So I will remember that next time I make this spaghetti, I will try to let them marinate in the sauce before I actually cook them up in order to kick up the flavor a notch or two.

You have no idea how happy this makes me to discover this quick and easy meal idea!!!

 I feel so liberated to be able to use my pasta recipes now that I have this great substitute for regular pasta!   I also LOVE the fact they are packed with protein and nutrients whereas regular pasta is just empty calories.