Ella & I met some friends at the mall yesterday for lunch and a little shopping. I was beyond frustrated with the fact that NONE of my pants fit me anymore and was completely out of most of my makeup. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to treat myself to a little mini-makeover.
I went into the Gap and not having any idea what size I should be wearing, I grabbed several styles of jeans in the next size down. They were all still too big. So I tried the next size down. O.M.G. I'm a size 4?!? How the heck did that happen? I've been between an 8 and a 10 since HIGHSCHOOL. I'm convinced this has everything to do with vanity sizing. While I know I've lost weight, I can't possibly be that small! Especially since the 4's are loose and I probably could have gotten away with a 2. No effing way am I a 2.
To maintain the glow of my newly found self-confidence, I made my way to Bare Escentuals. I'd been doing some research on line to find makeup that's gluten free and doesn't contain cornstarch or soy or anything else on my forbiddens list and Bare Minerals seemed to fit the bill. I know several people who swear by the stuff and I was ready to give it a try. A super sweet sales girl helped me pick colors that worked on me and gave me a makeover, while Ella munched on her oatios and played peek-a-boo with one of the other sales girls. It was so nice to take a little time for myself and be pampered a bit. And it's safe to say, I'm a convert. I LOVE Bare Minerals!! The swirl-tap-buff routine is going to take a little getting used to and I'm hoping that as I get the hang of it, I'll get a little faster.
Yesterday was exactly what I needed. Despite the fact that Ella skipped both of her naps and was a cranky disaster by the end of the day, I felt like a new woman. Of course, I felt a little guilty for screwing with her schedule but it meant she went to bed early and there was even more *ME* time. After the stress of the past few weeks, it was exactly what I needed.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Dr. Natural Update
I had an appointment with Dr. Natural today. She seemed pleased with the fact that I've lost 16 lbs and agreed with my thoughts that my face is still breaking out because the products I'm using contain sunflower & coconut (both of which I am sensitive to). She prescribed a few different supplements to help support digestive functions and liver detox, a calcium supplement and a new skin care regimine of straight glycerin soap, witch hazel astringent and olive oil for a moisurizer. Yes, OLIVE OIL. She also suggested steaming my face 1-2 x/week with rosemary. Sounds like the ultimate in multi-tasking -- I'll just cook dinner AND give myself a facial at the same time!
And the news I'd been waiting to hear... we can give Ella goat's milk!! At one year, most pediatrician's recommend either cow's milk or soy but since Ella's allergic to both I'd been a little confused on where to go from here. Rice, oat & hemp milk just don't have the fats and proteins that she needs. Mentally, I'm ready to have my body back but I know breastfeeding her for as long as I can will only benefit her in the long run. Now that I know I have something else to give her which will give the nutrients she needs, I'm ready to start backing off the nursing a bit. It's too bad goat's milk is so damn expensive though! It's $3.79 for a quart! Oy.
Oh and Dr. Natural also suggested giving Ella a teaspoon of elderberry syrup every day to boost her immune system and hopefully ward off the dreaded H1N1. *fingers crossed*
And the news I'd been waiting to hear... we can give Ella goat's milk!! At one year, most pediatrician's recommend either cow's milk or soy but since Ella's allergic to both I'd been a little confused on where to go from here. Rice, oat & hemp milk just don't have the fats and proteins that she needs. Mentally, I'm ready to have my body back but I know breastfeeding her for as long as I can will only benefit her in the long run. Now that I know I have something else to give her which will give the nutrients she needs, I'm ready to start backing off the nursing a bit. It's too bad goat's milk is so damn expensive though! It's $3.79 for a quart! Oy.
Oh and Dr. Natural also suggested giving Ella a teaspoon of elderberry syrup every day to boost her immune system and hopefully ward off the dreaded H1N1. *fingers crossed*
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
My new favorite website & last night's dinner
I found this website a few night's ago and it has been the answer to my prayers! After you register (for FREE), you check off your sensitivities/allergies on a lengthy list of common allergens and from that point on, the site will point out possible hidden allergens and will highlight which recipes are completely safe for you. It is so easy to navigate and there are literally hundreds of recipes to choose from. It is safe to say that Cooking Allergy Free is my new obsession.
Last night's dinner was inspired by my new favorite website. We had gluten & egg free crispy tilapia, quinoa pilaf and wilted spinach with a little garlic, salt & EVOO. This marked my first ever attempt at cooking fish at home. See? This new way of eating has been good for me! I've moved out of my chicken 4-5 nights/week comfort zone and have fully embraced this new adventure in the kitchen.
The recipe calls for 1/2 buckwheat flour, 1/2 quinoa flour but our local health food store did not carry the buckwheat flour so I just used all quinoa flour and it still came out very yummy. Technically, you could probably use any type of flours but the only ones I had on hand were tapioca, quinoa and arrowroot so I just stuck to the quinoa. The store manager is ordering some buckwheat flour for me so next time I'll try the mixture of the two.
Gluten Free & Egg Free Crispy Tilapia
Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
salt, pepper, paprika (you may season with any other spice as well)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 Tbsp luke warm water
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (I didn't use)
1/2 cup quinoa flour (I used a whole cup but totally didn't need that much & wound up throwing a lot of it away)
3 Tbsp EVOO
Directions
1. Thoroughly mix water and ground flaxseed and set aside to thicken for a few minutes. (This is your egg substitute.)
2. Combine the flours on a large flat dish.
3. Rinse fish and towel dry.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat.
5. Baste both sides of the fillets in the flaxseed mixture. Don't worry if it doesn't spread well, just get the fillets slimy. Then generously cover both sides of the fillets in the flour mixture.
6. Season the fillets with salt, pepper, paprika and whatever other spices you want to throw on.
7. Place the fillets in heated pan and cook on both sides 3-5 minutes. Be cautious when flipping over as the fillets are very tender and may break. (Times will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets.)
I would post the recipe for the quinoa pilaf, but I didn't love it and Hubby announced that he was "not a fan of whatever that was" so I obviously need to play around with that one a bit. For him, I think it was more of a texture issue over flavor. He's a pretty picky eater so I was expecting some hesitation on his part. I know we're all still adjusting to the changes and I'm confident that one day soon, he'll eat quinoa (knowingly) with a smile on his face. Even if he has to fake it.
Last night's dinner was inspired by my new favorite website. We had gluten & egg free crispy tilapia, quinoa pilaf and wilted spinach with a little garlic, salt & EVOO. This marked my first ever attempt at cooking fish at home. See? This new way of eating has been good for me! I've moved out of my chicken 4-5 nights/week comfort zone and have fully embraced this new adventure in the kitchen.
The recipe calls for 1/2 buckwheat flour, 1/2 quinoa flour but our local health food store did not carry the buckwheat flour so I just used all quinoa flour and it still came out very yummy. Technically, you could probably use any type of flours but the only ones I had on hand were tapioca, quinoa and arrowroot so I just stuck to the quinoa. The store manager is ordering some buckwheat flour for me so next time I'll try the mixture of the two.
Gluten Free & Egg Free Crispy Tilapia
Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
salt, pepper, paprika (you may season with any other spice as well)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 Tbsp luke warm water
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (I didn't use)
1/2 cup quinoa flour (I used a whole cup but totally didn't need that much & wound up throwing a lot of it away)
3 Tbsp EVOO
Directions
1. Thoroughly mix water and ground flaxseed and set aside to thicken for a few minutes. (This is your egg substitute.)
2. Combine the flours on a large flat dish.
3. Rinse fish and towel dry.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat.
5. Baste both sides of the fillets in the flaxseed mixture. Don't worry if it doesn't spread well, just get the fillets slimy. Then generously cover both sides of the fillets in the flour mixture.
6. Season the fillets with salt, pepper, paprika and whatever other spices you want to throw on.
7. Place the fillets in heated pan and cook on both sides 3-5 minutes. Be cautious when flipping over as the fillets are very tender and may break. (Times will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets.)
I would post the recipe for the quinoa pilaf, but I didn't love it and Hubby announced that he was "not a fan of whatever that was" so I obviously need to play around with that one a bit. For him, I think it was more of a texture issue over flavor. He's a pretty picky eater so I was expecting some hesitation on his part. I know we're all still adjusting to the changes and I'm confident that one day soon, he'll eat quinoa (knowingly) with a smile on his face. Even if he has to fake it.
Monday, October 26, 2009
What's on our menu this week?
I'm trying very hard to get more organized. If I plan out our weekly menu ahead of time, I find that my week goes much more smoothly and I am more productive. There's nothing worse than standing in front of the freezer at 5:30pm, trying to pull together a meal that we can all eat while Ella's hanging off my leg, pointing frantically to her mouth (her baby sign for "hungry"). So here's what I came up with for this week:
Monday
gluten-free crispy tilapia
quinoa pilaf
wilted spinach with garlic & EVOO
Tuesday
hamburger & veggie crockpot meal
garden salad
Wednesday
eggless, gluten-free salmon burgers (no bun for me)
sweet potato fries
steamed broccoli
Thursday
gluten free meatloaf
rosemary roasted potatoes
steamed carrots
Friday
shrimp sauteed with potatoes
garden salad
Saturday (Halloween!)
grilled pork chops
barley something... TBD
roasted asparagus
Some of these are new recipes that I've come across and/or modified so if all goes well, I'll post them as the week goes on.
Monday
gluten-free crispy tilapia
quinoa pilaf
wilted spinach with garlic & EVOO
Tuesday
hamburger & veggie crockpot meal
garden salad
Wednesday
eggless, gluten-free salmon burgers (no bun for me)
sweet potato fries
steamed broccoli
Thursday
gluten free meatloaf
rosemary roasted potatoes
steamed carrots
Friday
shrimp sauteed with potatoes
garden salad
Saturday (Halloween!)
grilled pork chops
barley something... TBD
roasted asparagus
Some of these are new recipes that I've come across and/or modified so if all goes well, I'll post them as the week goes on.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Butternut Squash Soup
I love soup. Year round. I love soup. But this time of year, there's just something in the air that makes an ordinary soup that much yummier.
After I was diagnosed with all my food sensitivities, I was pretty depressed about the fact that there was so much that I could not eat and I was beginning to starve. My dear friend and neighbor, did the most amazing thing ever. She dug through her cookbooks and recipes that she's collected and she sat down with my long list of my can-not-eats and put together a binder of things that I can eat, complete with substitution suggestions penciled into the margins. This is one of my favorites from that binder. This weekend, I made some for my vegetarian sister-in-law who was recently in an accident and suffered a broken jaw (and ribs and collar bone). I hope she likes it as much as I do!
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
nonstick vegetable oil spray (I just use water)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger (nutmeg is nice too, if you don't have ginger on hand)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (I use dairy free, soy free margarine)
3 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth works well too, but I'm sensitive to celery & tomatoes so I stick with the chicken broth)
1-2 cups water, as needed (I've made this several times & have yet to actually need additional water)
Salt & pepper to taste
Sour cream to garnish (obviously, I leave this off)
Directions
Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the halves cut side down in roasting pan with a little bit of water (or spray it with nonstick vegetable oil spray.) Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until very tender (I cheat & stick it in the microwave for 15ish minutes --keep checking, it may need longer). Set aside to cool. When the squash is completely cool, scoop the flesh from the skin. (You can do it while it's still hot too, but you will burn yourself.) While the squash is baking, cook the onion and the ginger in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, covered. Add the squash pulp to the saucepan. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, in batches, and puree until smooth. Add enough water to achieve the desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to the sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until it is hot. Garnish with low-fat sour cream (if you can do dairy, of course).
After I was diagnosed with all my food sensitivities, I was pretty depressed about the fact that there was so much that I could not eat and I was beginning to starve. My dear friend and neighbor, did the most amazing thing ever. She dug through her cookbooks and recipes that she's collected and she sat down with my long list of my can-not-eats and put together a binder of things that I can eat, complete with substitution suggestions penciled into the margins. This is one of my favorites from that binder. This weekend, I made some for my vegetarian sister-in-law who was recently in an accident and suffered a broken jaw (and ribs and collar bone). I hope she likes it as much as I do!
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
nonstick vegetable oil spray (I just use water)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger (nutmeg is nice too, if you don't have ginger on hand)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (I use dairy free, soy free margarine)
3 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth works well too, but I'm sensitive to celery & tomatoes so I stick with the chicken broth)
1-2 cups water, as needed (I've made this several times & have yet to actually need additional water)
Salt & pepper to taste
Sour cream to garnish (obviously, I leave this off)
Directions
Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the halves cut side down in roasting pan with a little bit of water (or spray it with nonstick vegetable oil spray.) Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until very tender (I cheat & stick it in the microwave for 15ish minutes --keep checking, it may need longer). Set aside to cool. When the squash is completely cool, scoop the flesh from the skin. (You can do it while it's still hot too, but you will burn yourself.) While the squash is baking, cook the onion and the ginger in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, covered. Add the squash pulp to the saucepan. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, in batches, and puree until smooth. Add enough water to achieve the desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to the sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until it is hot. Garnish with low-fat sour cream (if you can do dairy, of course).
Potatoes Sauteed With Shrimp
Last night I made potatoes sauteed with shrimp from Recipezaar. It was super easy and very tasty! Even though Ella tested negative for shrimp allergy, I just wasn't convinced her 5 tiny teeth could handle it (not to mention her tiny tastebuds being overpowered by garlic & red pepper) so I gave her some potatoes w/out the seasoning & some steamed veggies leftover from the night before. Mike & I thoroughly enjoyed this meal & will be putting it into the menu planning rotation for sure & maybe next time I'll pull out a shrimp for Ella to try!
Ingredients
8 small red potatoes, large dice (I used russet potatoes 'cuz that's all we had on hand)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb small shrimp, deveined & peeled
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used 1/4 tsp because we're not big spicy people. It added just the right amount of flavor without being overwhelming.)
Directions
Fry potatoes in 3 T olive oil until browned and tender. Remove and keep warm.
Add remaining oil to skillet, add shrimp.
Cook for 2 minutes; add remaining ingredients and saute for 3 minutes.
Return potatoes and mix well.
Ingredients
8 small red potatoes, large dice (I used russet potatoes 'cuz that's all we had on hand)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb small shrimp, deveined & peeled
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used 1/4 tsp because we're not big spicy people. It added just the right amount of flavor without being overwhelming.)
Directions
Fry potatoes in 3 T olive oil until browned and tender. Remove and keep warm.
Add remaining oil to skillet, add shrimp.
Cook for 2 minutes; add remaining ingredients and saute for 3 minutes.
Return potatoes and mix well.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Gluten free, egg free, milk free, rice free pancakes = FAIL
While Ella seems to really love the Cherrybrook Kitchens Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free pancakes, it contains rice and is therefore, off limits to me. Today's a rainy, cold Saturday and our plan to go on a hayride and pumpkin picking with a family from our birthing class was rained out :-( Hubby was playing with Ella and putting her down for her nap so I figured what the heck! I'll try my hand at pancakes for ME! I took out the Joy of Cooking cookbook and tried to adapt the recipe to suit my dietary restrictions.
Two failed batches later, I'm sipping orange juice and trying to figure out what I want for lunch now. I'm not sure what I did wrong. They looked great from the outside but were all gooey and undercooked on the inside.
So disappointing.
Two failed batches later, I'm sipping orange juice and trying to figure out what I want for lunch now. I'm not sure what I did wrong. They looked great from the outside but were all gooey and undercooked on the inside.
So disappointing.
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