Half Way!

Wahoo, I made it to the half way point!!  I can't believe I'm saying this, but it hasn't been SO bad.  I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not good, but thanks to some innovative products and good old home cooking, I don't feel like I've missed out too much.  Honestly, the hardest part has been eggs, which is why I'm planning to bring them back first, even though it's technically out of order.  I'm just really struggling to make filling breakfasts, especially since I'm still serving my family eggs most days.  Restaurant eating is also somewhat miserable, but again, not quite as bad as I expected.  We got Indian takeout last night, which is a great option since the main grain is rice and it's easy to get vegan dishes or dishes made with coconut milk.  This weekend is 4th of July, but we don't have any big plans so I think I'll be OK.  I'm planning to be very hard core about avoiding hidden allergens and cross contamination in the last 2 weeks leading up to the endoscopy, so this will probably be my last weekend of restaurant eating.  Happy 4th everyone!

Daiya Pizza

Welp, it's official, this company has saved my sanity.  Seriously, I was already in love with Daiya for letting me have quesadillas and cheeseburgers and much more on this darn elimination, but now that I have tried their frozen pizza....they are my hero.

This past weekend was my biggest challenge yet - a trip back to my college town with my sorority sisters.  Of course all our favorite junk food was on the menu, not the least of which was pizza.  I steeled myself through the pizza joint dinner (wahoo wings and salad), and even through the late night cheesy pepperoni bread sticks.  But after a second night of drinking I really, really wanted pizza.  Knowing this would happen, I brought a Daiya Pepperoni-Style pizza with me and stashed it in the freezer of our Airbnb.  And omg, you guys, it worked.  I felt like I was eating pizza.  And my life was complete.  And lest you say, but Tera, you were clearly drunk when you ate it, so this doesn't count...I reheated half of it the next morning for breakfast and it was still good!  (Don't judge, it's not college if you don't eat leftover pizza in the morning!)

Black Bean Brownies

I totally get that these sound weird.  And maybe a little gross.  But you guys...they taste good.  Like really good.  And isn't that what matters??

The texture is definitely different than your standard brownie - much fudgier.  But that's not necessarily a bad thing, just different.  Most importantly they are SO chocolaty, which is the key in my opinion.  And last but not least, they're easy!  So whip up a batch and give them a try for yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 15-oz can black beans (or 1.5 cups), rinsed and drained very well
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I am obsessed with Scharffen Berger)
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips, plus more to sprinkle on top

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients except the chocolate chips into a food processor (supposedly a blender really can't handle it).  Process really well, until completely smooth and creamy.
3. Stir in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
4. Grease an 8x8 baking pan with a little coconut oil.  Pour batter into pan.  Sprinkle with additionally chocolate chips, if desired.
5. Bake 17 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.  If they still seem gooey, leave them in the fridge for a few hours and they will firm up.

Meatballs

Every year my family buys a quarter cow from an awesome farm in southern Wisconsin.  The cows are grass fed and the meat is delicious.  With this purchase comes 100 pounds of ground beef, which means we eat a LOT of burgers, tacos and of course meatballs throughout the year.  But most meatball recipes call for milk, breadcrumbs and eggs - no, no and no!  So I was on a mission to find a simple recipe that didn't use any allergens.  I didn't have super high hopes for texture, but alas, these turned out great!  We made them into mini meatballs, which may have helped. As a bonus, they are super easy, with no chopping at all.  We served them atop a big pile of brown rice noodles with homemade marinara sauce, and I can't say I missed a single allergen!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 3 Tbsp coconut milk (from a can)
• 3/4 tsp salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, dump all of the ingredients.  Use your hands to mix them thoroughly.
3. Create small balls, about 30 in total, spacing them out on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through.

Father's Day Barbeque

We decided that this year we would host Father's Day, that way I could have more control over the menu.  I think we did a pretty good job coming up with a feast that satisfied my need to feel included, but also served tasty things that our guests could enjoy.  It looked like this:

Appetizers

• Tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole (and queso...which I obviously didn't eat)
• Antipasti platter with prosciutto, salami, olives and artichoke (and some bread and cheeses...again, I just avoided those)

Main Course

• Cheeseburgers (I had mine with a Daiya Provolone Slice, and ate it on an Ezekiel Brown Rice English Muffin)
• Pasta salad made with Explore Cuisine Chickpea Fusilli
• Grilled vegetables
• Watermelon

Dessert

• Rice Krispie Treats
• Ice cream (which I just avoided)

All in all I think it was a big success!  I will say, I was a little disappointed in the chickpea pasta.  Next time I will try something else.  But the provolone slice and brown rice English muffin were great stand-ins for a bun and cheese, and will definitely be used again.  

Happy Father's Day everyone!

Baked Oatmeal

Egg-free breakfasts have been the hardest part of the elimination by far.  We are SO reliant on them, making scrambles, hashes, fried eggs, etc nearly every day.  So although I'm not typically a big oatmeal fan, I was starting to feel desperate.  I had a bunch of strawberries and blueberries on hand that were about to go bad, so I thought an oatmeal bake might kill two birds with one stone.  The recipe I based it on was a bit more complicated than it needed to be, plus it used milk, nuts and eggs.  But with a few swaps and some simplification, it ended up being super easy, allergen-free, and remarkably tasty!  We ate it warm from the oven and it had a nice gooey interior with a crunchy crust.  I also froze 2 portions, so I'm hopeful that it will also make a good emergency breakfast if I'm in a bind.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp flax meal
• 3 Tbsp water
• 3/4 cup canned coconut milk (make sure to stir it up so you get the cream as well as the watery part)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups fruit, cut to bite sized if necessary (I used half blueberries, half strawberries)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 if planning to bake right away.
2. Start by making your flax egg.  Combine the flax meal and water in a small dish.  Stir and let sit while you prepare the rest of the liquid ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract.  Stir vigorously as you add the coconut oil to get it well combined before it starts to re-solidify in the colder ingredients.
4. Add the flax egg, stiring to combine.
5. Add the rolled oats, coconut flakes, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Stir until everything is well combined.
6. Use a little coconut oil to grease a small baking pan (mine was about 5"x5".  Sprinkle half the fruit on the bottom.  Add oat mixture and spread out in pan.  Top with remaining fruit. 
7. If baking right away, bake for 42-45 minutes, then allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
8. If baking the next day, refrigerate until bake time.  When ready, place the casserole in the unheated oven, then set to 375.  Start a timer for 52 minutes.  Leaving it in during preheating time will help bring the mixture to room temp.  Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Whole Foods Hot Bar & Salad Bar

I know, I know, Whole Paycheck, yada yada.  Whole Foods has a lot of haters, and years ago I really wanted to be one.  Until I started to care about my diet, and more specifically about the ingredients in the food I buy.  The fact is, Whole Foods is one of the ONLY grocery stores in my area with true transparency in their ingredients.  Their massive hot bar and salad bar area has little name cards for each item, and right there on them is a full list of ingredients.  For the most part, they are pretty clean.  Sometimes they are not.  But regardless, the information is there for ME to decide what to put in my body.  Knowledge is power!  (Ok, off my soap box now).

My newfound favorite thing about Whole Foods is that those ingredient cards clearly call out allergens.  So during our recent trip their for groceries and a quick dinner, it was super easy for me to figure out what I could and could not have.  Sure, it was a little disheartening to see so few allergen-free options, but I was still able to assemble a pretty formidable dinner.  I ended up with a delicious pulled pork, as well as a kalua pork as my entrees.  On the side I got roasted carrots as well as some coleslaw.  And for a carb fix I got a scoop of Mexican rice.  Throw in a Crispin hard cider from their bar, and it was an overall delightful meal!

Rice Krispie Treats

Ok, obviously this is not a very dietitian-approved healthy recipe.  But the fact is, the elimination diet takes a long time (ugh), and there is inevitably going to be a special occasion or two mixed in.  And special occasions call for special treats.  In our case, it was my daughter's half birthday.  Normally I don't celebrate half birthdays, but poor Maddie was born in December, which means she pretty much goes all year without presents.  And since summer is when all the best toys are useful, we decided to throw her a mini half birthday party.

The regular Rice Krispie recipe is simple enough, and already allergen free save for the butter.  Frankly, I highly doubt butter would cause much of an allergic reaction, but for the sake of accuracy I am trying to avoid it during the elimination.  After some Googling, I decided that coconut oil would be a good substitute since it has a similar consistency.  The result: a slightly coconut-ty Rice Krispie treat!  The coconut flavor seemed to wear off as the treats cooled.  The texture was spot on, and overall this was a definite win.  I plan to make them again this weekend for Father's Day.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 5 cups Rice Krispies

Preparation

1. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with a little coconut oil.  Set aside.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large pot over low heat.  
3. Add marshmallows and stir until they are completely melted into the coconut oil.  They should be smooth, not lumpy.
4. Remove from heat and immediately add the Rice Krispies.  Stir until well combined.
5. Poor into prepared baking dish, using a rubber spatula to smooth them out.
6. Allow to cool for at least an hour.  Cut and serve.
7. Store leftovers at room temperature, well covered, for up to 3-4 days.

Food 4 Life Black Rice Tortillas

One good thing about the elimination diet is that is allows corn, and with that comes a viable tortilla option.  The only problem with corn tortillas is that they almost always come in the smaller, taco size.  So what's a girl to do if she's looking for something larger?  Luckily Food 4 Life, one of my all time favorite brands, has a couple of great options.  I was in search of something for quesadillas and I stumbled upon their Black Rice Tortillas.  With a fairly clean, allergen-free ingredient list, they seemed almost too good to be true:

Black Rice Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour, Filtered Water, Organic Tapioca Flour, Safflower oil, Organic Chia Seeds, Rice Bran, Vegetable Gum (Xanthan Gum, Cellulose), Sea Salt.

But I decided to give them a try, and I was not disappointed.  I did spray a little non-stick spray in the pan before I made my quesadillas since rice in general has a tendency to stick.  But overall I'm not sure it was needed.  These guys toasted up nice and crisp, they held their shape, and the taste and texture were perfect.  My only tip would be to keep an eye on them while cooking, as the edges of my top tortilla would start to curl like crazy, which appeared to be a sign that it was time to flip.  Thanks to the clean ingredients and good taste, this is a product I'll be serving my whole family, rather than something I'll use just for me.  Good deal!

Daiya Shreds

Cheese is a quick meal staple in our house.  From cheesy bread to English muffin pizzas to grilled cheese, it's an easy way to throw together a meal for the whole family.  This morning for example, we wanted chicken quesadillas.  Well obviously you can't make a quesadilla without cheese, which is kind of tough on the full elimination.  Enter: Daiya brand products.  I did some research on cheese alternatives before the diet started, and this company is pretty intriguing.  Unlike most fake cheese, Daiya products do not contain any soy or nuts, making them truly allergy friendly.

Here's the ingredients for the Cheddar Style Shreds:

Filtered water, tapioca flour, expeller pressed non-GMO canola and/or safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegan natural flavours, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, yeast extract, citric acid (vegan, for flavour), annatto (for colour), titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral).

The reviews I could find said that, miraculously, the product really does melt and become stringy like cheese.  It sounded too good to be true, but I picked up a bag of the Cheddar Style Shreds anyhow, knowing that a day like today was inevitable.

So for Daiya's first challenge, we had quesadillas.  Lo and behold, it really did melt.  It held the two tortillas together just like cheese would.  The texture, once melted, is best described as gooey, which is more or less a good thing with regards to cheese.  The flavor and mouth-feel were slightly off, I think because of the lower fat content.  But overall, I did feel like I was eating a quesadilla, and it allowed me to have roughly the same meal as my husband and daughter (I made theirs with our standard Kerrygold cheddar).  I am definitely inspired to try a few more of their products, and perhaps some of the recipes suggested on their website.  

Chomps Snack Sticks

If you're anything like me, you were a Slim Jim kid.  Heck, maybe you're still a Slim Jim adult.  I loved those delicious gas station treats growing up.  But once I became more health conscious, I couldn't stomach the idea of corn syrup, hydrolyzed soy and the myriad of other non-food ingredients.  Just check out the list for the Original flavor:

Beef, mechanically separated chicken, water, corn syrup, salt, less than 2% of: spices, dextrose, paprika and paprika extractives, flavoring, hydrolyzed soy, corn and wheat proteins, lactic acid starter culture, sodium nitrite.

Not only does it have allergens (wheat and soy), it's just plain disgusting.  So a few years ago I went out in search of something better.  That's where Chomps come in!  These are meat sticks with a conscience!  The beef is grass fed, the ingredients are household names, and the taste is delicious.  Check out the ingredients for the Original flavor:

100% Grass-Fed Beef, Water, Salt, Citric Acid, Celery Juice, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Garlic Powder, Coriander, Stuffed in a Collagen Casing.

Pretty good, right!  I have tried the Original, Hoppin' Jalapeno and Crankin' Cran, and my favorite is the Jalapeno.  The Crankin' Cran is off the charts spicy, so buyer beware!  Next up I'll have to try their newer venison and chicken varieties.

Bobo's Oat Bars

I can't say I'm a huge snack bar eater, but every once in a while my meals are just too small or too far apart and an emergency snack is a huge help.  I was a loyal fan of Larabars, Kind Bars and Rx Bars, but all three prominently feature nuts.  Unfortunately, without nuts as an option, most snack bars are going to be pretty low protein, and likely high in sugar.  I have to admit, that is the case for these Bobo's Oat Bars.  BUT, I can definitely attest to their deliciousness.  In a way, they make a better dessert than snack bar, since they taste a lot like an oatmeal cookie.  And the majority of flavors are allergen-free, which is great.  Here's the list for the original flavor:

Organic rolled oats, brown rice syrup, buttery spread [oil blend (palm fruit, canola, olive oil), water, salt, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, lactic acid, annatto (color)], organic cane sugar, xanthan gum.

With sugar as the second ingredient I certainly won't be eating them daily, but I think I'll keep a few on hand for the duration of the elimination.

Chipotle

Welp, Chipotle is my new best friend.  A quick pre-diet peruse of their website led me to believe this would be the case, and I wasn't wrong.  I only made it 3 days into the full elimination before running into a "quick, we need an easy lunch from a restaurant!" situation.  And since Chipotle is walking distance from our house, it was the big winner.

First and foremost, they straight up tell you that they don't use eggs, shellfish, fish, nuts or peanuts in any of their menu items.  So that just leaves wheat, soy and dairy to worry about.  They have a handy dandy chart on their website that outlines what's in what.  Turns out, nearly everything is allergen free.  When you're working your way down that assembly line, here are the few things to avoid:

• Flour tortilla (wheat)
• Sofritas (soy)
• Cheese (dairy)
• Sour cream (dairy)

That's it!!!  Now obviously if you're a cheese lover like me, that short list still hurts a little.  But with a generous helping of guacamole you still get a creamy, warm bowl of deliciousness.  I piled mine high with brown rice, black beans, pork, salsa, guac and a little lettuce and it did not disappoint.  We've always been Chipotle fans, but something tells me they'll be seeing more of us in the upcoming weeks!

Mary's Gone Crackers Thins

While we don't eat a ton of crackers normally, I suspect that I may more often on the elimination diet.  I'm so accustomed to eggs as my breakfast protein, and with those I don't really need a grain to balance them.  But with something like chicken salad for breakfast I suspect I will want a cracker.  This morning we gave these Mary's Gone Crackers Thins a try.  They were the base for grass fed beef liver pate, which is a tough first challenge.  The verdict: they held up!

We tried the Kale flavor, and for that one the ingredients are:

Mary's organic Thins gluten free blend (tapioca starch*, sorghum flour*, potato starch*, brown rice flour*, whole grain quinoa flakes*, mesquite flour*, sprouted black bean flour*, sprouted buckwheat flour*, amaranth flour*), filtered water, palm fruit oil* (palm fruit oil* and extra virgin red palm oil*), tapioca syrup*, chia seeds*, safflower oil* and/or sunflower oil*, coconut palm sugar* (from coconut palm flower nectar), sesame seeds*, sea salt, dill weed*, sodium and ammonium bicarbonate (for leavening), kale flakes*, smoked paprika powder*, rice bran extract*, parsley*, xanthan gum, rosemary extract*, and black pepper*. *Organic.

I've been buying the original Mary's Gone Crackers for a while now, but always found them a little too crunchy, especially for my 1 year old.  Also, they have soybeans in them, so off limits during the elimination.  Frankly I'm glad they were, because it made me try these which are so much better!  They really taste like a normal cracker, with a nice sturdy but light texture.  I'm not sure the Kale flavor will end up being my favorite, but I'm excited to try some of the other flavors soon.

Little Northern Bakehouse Millet & Chia Bread

My first product review is probably one of the most talked about foods on the allergy circuit - BREAD!  Last week I stopped into an awesome Co-Op in Oak Park, IL called The Sugar Beet.  They have tons of unique products, and by some stroke of luck I stumbled upon a totally allergen free loaf of bread.  The brand is Little Northern Bakehouse, and they advertise as a gluten free company.  But unlike most gluten free breads, they are also free of eggs and soy!

Here is the ingredient list for the loaf I picked up:

Water, gluten free flour blend (modified tapioca starch, potato starch, whole brown rice flour, whole sorghum flour, corn starch), sunflower oil, dextrose, psyllium, cane sugar, yeast, pea fibre, modified cellulose, salt, rice bran, whole millet, whole chia seeds, cultured cane sugar, vinegar, cellulose gum.

I waited until the elimination actually started to give this bread a try.  Like most "healthy" breads, it comes frozen.  And like all frozen breads it can be a little hard to snap off a slice.  I ended up sticking the whole loaf in the microwave for 10 seconds, which was long enough to be able to use a butter knife to separate all the slices before putting them back in the bag and into the freezer.

I toasted one slice on the same settings I use for "normal" bread.  I was impressed when the result was a nice crusty slice of bread!  I spread it with sunflower seed butter and a smidge of apricot jam.  The verdict: tasty!  Perhaps a little sweeter than standard bread, and it does lose its toasty crunch the longer the toppings sit on it.  But overall I pretty much forgot it was anything different than usual, which is pretty much the goal!  We don't eat a ton of bread at my house to begin with, but since this is frozen, it will be nice to keep a loaf around at all times, just in case the need for toast or a BLT arises :)

Round 1, Day 1

June 8th has finally arrived.  It's day one of round one, i.e. the full elimination.  In a way I'm excited, partly because I just want to get it over with, and partly because I love a challenge.  So, what's on the menu for day one?

Breakfast was a miraculously allergen free bread that I toasted and spread with sunflower seed butter and a little apricot jam.  On the side I had a local pasture raised pork breakfast sausage.  My goal is to eat the same thing as my husband and daughter, so for this meal the only difference was that they had our standard Ezekiel brand bread, while I had my allergen free bread.  Overall it was a nice meal!

I'm going to have to buy my lunch at work, since any leftovers I had at home are decidedly not allergen free.  My plan is to get a salad from the salad bar and just load up on everything that isn't an allergen!  I'll probably opt for beans as protein, since I don't trust that the meats are gluten free without seeing a label.

For dinner we're having a paleo version of chicken fried steak, with mushrooms on the side.  I'm a little skeptical, but the pictures in the recipe looked good and we have a lot of cube steak in our freezer.

My plan is to post separately any time I like a recipe or store-bought food, so be on the lookout if today's menu pans out!

The Last Supper

Ok, kind of a dramatic title, but seriously, that's what today feels like.  The 6-food elimination officially starts tomorrow.  So, what did I choose for my final meals???  All 6 allergens, of course!

• Breakfast: Shrimp fried rice. 
• Allergens: Shellfish, eggs, soy.
• Snack: Maple Sea Salt Rx Bar.
• Allergens: Tree nuts, eggs.
• Lunch: Tuna salad on triscuits.  Yogurt with cherries and almonds.
• Allergens: Fish, wheat, tree nuts, dairy.
• Dinner: Lou Malnati's pizza.  Beer.
• Allergens: Wheat, milk.
• Dessert: Jeni's Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Specks.
• Allergens: Milk, peanuts.

So yeah, I did it up.  Allergy style.  Here goes nothing.

T-0 days till go time.

Birthday Blowout

Yesterday was my birthday, and with so few days left until the big elimination I'm basically having an eating party all weekend long.  Yesterday I had friends over for beer and Mexican food.  I have to admit that felt like a bit of a waste since Mexican is one cuisine that I can have pretty easily during elimination.  But tonight is a fancy Italian restaurant (Monteverde), so that will be a much better use of my final days.  And tomorrow night is a new Asian place (Kitsune), so I can get my soy sauce on :)

I've started picking up a few items at the store to make myself feel better.  I got a compliant mayonnaise, a box of miraculously allergen-free "mac and cheese" (no high hopes on the taste of that one!), and some seed-based crackers.  Once I start to bust into all these items next week, I'll be sure to post reviews of everything.

T-5 days till go time!