Just Keep Swimmin' Swimmin' Swimmin!

Nuerological Check! This is something Corey and I have been doing since I was in the hospital. He would come in to check on me every morning and start doing the neuro tests he had seen the doctors perform to check my progress. When I'm having a good (or sometimes bad) day I always shout "Neurological Check!" and stick my feet in his lap. He very patiently goes through the motions to let me show off whatever new-found feeling I've acquired. 

Well, my neuro checks haven't been improving as quickly as I would like. I have been experiencing a lot of numbness and nueropathic pain in my left leg and hand and my right leg is still experiencing motor damage. My vision still gets blurry every now and then but has stopped for the most part. But the numbness in my right foot is waning and I have recovered a lot of my balance. When I get tired I still look a little drunk walking down the hall but overall I am improving! As happy as I am about ANY improvement these days, I still feel that I could do something to make myself improve faster. I had read a lot about the importance of exercise for my overall health and improvement of my symptoms but my favorite workouts- volleyball, treadmill and yoga- all required something that I was seriously lacking... Balance! And all of these workouts started out fine but as I got warmed up my symptoms would flare up and make things difficult. I can't tell you how many times I have "walked off" the treadmill!

So how do you get a good workout without getting hot or needing balance? Swimming! I am pretty much the worst swimmer in the world but I have started swimming at least 30 minutes every day for a week. It's an amazing workout and the water keeps me cool and supported! I know it is early but I swear I feel better already. I don't know if my symptoms are getting any better but just working out makes me feel better mentally and it is giving me better stamina. I can get through most days without naps now! Next week a girlfriend and I are planning to start a yoga class and last night I played my first volleyball match since June! I got a little worn out by the last game but I played all the way to the end. And afterwards I stopped by the rec center and swam for 20 minutes or so to cool myself down. I probably won't be running any marathons any time soon but I am elated to have found a routine that works for me for now. :)

No recipes today (though I have a vegan cupcake recipe that will be coming soon!) but I thought I would share some of my favorite allergy free snack bars. After I started the diet my mom bought  me one of every allergy free snack bar she could find at trader joe's and whole foods. I taste tested away and only approved of two! I often grab one of these before heading to the gym (theme intact!). 

My first fave are Pure Bars Chocolate Brownie. Ingredients: Organic dates, organic walnuts, organic agave nectar, organic almonds, organic cashews, organic brown rice protein, organic cocoa. OMG These guys are great!

 And my second choice is Kind Bar Cranberry Almond. I ate these before I'd ever heard of allergy free! They have a bit of soy in them so I try not to eat them as often as the Pure bars. but they are a fabulous treat! Ingredients: Almonds, dried cranberries (cranberries, sugar, sunflower oil), macadamias, honey, non GMO glucose, puffed rice, chicory fiber, soy lecithin, Vitamins: Vitamin A Acetate, Ascorbic Acid (Vit C), D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)

 Go find some and enjoy! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free Soy Free & Vegan)

My mother collects house guests the way most women collect shoes or tea pots. She loves having a full house. Think Blind Side but with more people! Growing up it was pretty fun especially when my "brothers" were in high school. They were all playing football together and regardless of how many guys were technically living at our house dozens of them would be there. You'd wake up on a Saturday morning and find them draped over every surface in the living room- couches, floor, coffee table- wherever they found room. I'd creep over them (which wasn't easy considering their size!) and head to the kitchen. It became a ritual. Mom would make spaghetti or lasagna and I would bake 4 batches of chocolate chip cookies. And they would devour them.

To this day I still get requests for those chocolate chip cookies. And I just knew that there was no way to make a gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, corn free version that would be any thing like those amazing cookies. I was dead wrong!

The gorgeous Jorja B. (who led me to the gluten free pancakes I have be enjoying all week) also suggested I try the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from elana's pantry  http://www.elanaspantry.com/dairy-free-gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I was nervous for a few reasons. First, these cookies have some serious nostalgia attached to them and the likelihood that the allergy free version would be able to compare was highly unlikely. And secondly, my first allergy free cookie attempt hadn't been great. It was okay but not amazing. But I did some research. And I bought an amazing cookbook by Erin McKenna, the owner of Babycakes which is a gluten free/allergy free bakery in NYC, called Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles. At the beginning of the book (which is available by viewing the free preview on amazon) there are a TON of tips about baking allergy free. I had done pretty much everything wrong!

1) when using coconut oil it MUST be melted to be measured properly. Oops!

2) when the batter is runny, either the wet ingredients were over measured or the dry under measured. Best way to fix it- add more flour! This worked beautifully in my chocolate chip cookie batter.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (NO gluten, soy, dairy, eggs)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp salt (I usually reduce this to 1/4 tsp)

1/2 tsp baking soda

A dash of cinnamon (an option suggested to me by Jorja; it compliments the almond flour nicely)

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup light agave nectar

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used dairy free, soy free chips I found at Whole Foods)

Directions

Combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Note: the almond flour is difficult to measure if it isnt at room temperature. I have been storing it in the freezer so I warmed it in the microwave until it crumbled and then measured it. I also seem to be consistently under measuring my almond flour so I plan to start packing it like brown sugar when I measure. 

In a small bowl whisk together wet ingredients and add to dry, combining well. If the batter is too wet, add almond flour a little at a time until the dough has the right consistency.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop by the tablespoon on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-10 minutes at 350F. The longer you leave the cookies in the oven the better they stay together after cooling. When the cookies look done leave them for an extra minute- it will make a big difference later!

Enjoy!

These cookies were GREAT but a little on the sweet side for my taste. I will probably reduce the amount of agave nectar next time I make them. This should help with the fact that my dough was too wet and I had to add more almond flour to thicken it to the right consistency.  

Super Fast Crispy Oven Fries

I have been craving potatoes all week. Normally when I have a potato craving I head to No Thai and get a Potato Curry with Chicken and brown rice- delicious! But I have been trying to limit my eating out this week and wanted to make something at home. And the something I wanted was oven fries! I have started coming home in the afternoons to have a late lunch and give myself a break before going back to lab. Since I had something time sensitive going on at the lab I knew I needed to be quick and oven fries are not a quick fix! But I was pretty determined and scoured the internet for some tricks! And I found one!

Take your potatoes (I used red skin) and cut them to the desired size (I chose cubes). Place them in a microwave safe bowl and toss with olive oil and desired seasonings (Garlic, Rosemary, Oregano and Salt and Pepper). Microwave on HIGH for 5 min at a time until fork tender (this varies depending on the size of your potatoes and the number of potatoes you make at one time). Toss between each round of microwaving. 10-15 minutes should be plenty.

Once they are softened, pace in a skillet and saute (no extra oil needed) until crispy or place in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Super fast and Super crispy! 

While I sauteed my potatoes I threw in some sliced bell peppers. I paired these with a piece of salmon and mango salsa. One of the best meals I've had in a long time and it only took 30 minutes :) 

**Sweet Potatoes can be cooked the same way

Gluten Free Pancakes

I have been craving comfort food all week. It makes no difference how amazing salmon smothered with mango salsa or grilled shrimp dipped in homemade guacamole are when all you really want is a giant cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting or loaf of crusty french bread dripping with butter. I broke down at the German American Festival with Corey this past Saturday and ate my heart out- having potato pancakes, cheese stuffed pretzels, schnitzel,  bratwurst and spaetzel! The potato pancakes dripping with applesauce and sourcream felt great. A huge F U to all the doctors I had seen the week before that had left me in tears after strongly implying I was imagining my most recent symptoms. A bratwurst covered in mustard, grilled onions and saurkraut was up next. Very happy indeed! By the time the cheese stuffed pretzel made its way to me during the Bite-Bite-Pass ritual Corey and I had going on, I knew I was in trouble. My tummy was not happy. And when we got home I was sick all night! 

So I decided it was important to have a few comfort food recipes under my belt for times like these. When you really just need to sit on the couch and have a moment. I had a 3lb bag of peaches in the fridge that I was only slowly getting through so I thought a gluten free peach cobbler recipe would be great. I found one and began slicing up my peaches. I tossed them in Truvia sweetener and almost stopped there. The sweetened peaches were sooo yummy! But I was on a mission. I mixed up the batter, covered my gorgeous peaches and slid the "cobbler" into the oven. You'll note that the title of this post is NOT Peach Cobbler so you probably know where this going. After the 30 minutes of baking I slid the cobbler out and dug in. It was disgusting! It made its way to the trash to join the infamous Cream Puffs. I'm pretty pissed I ruined 8 peaches! 

But my quest for comfort food continued! One of my girlfriends from college, the amazing Jorja Baumgarten, is a fabulous mother of two- Mr. James and Baby Paige! She has been trying to use less wheat when cooking for her family and after she found out I was eating allergy free she sent me some recipes and tips! One of the recipes she shared was a Pancake recipe from Elana's Pantry: http://www.elanaspantry.com/gluten-free-pancakes-revisited/   The pancakes were delicious! I ate two wrapped around a piece of crispy bacon and dipped in sugar free syrup. I must have looked like James when I was finished- cross legged on the couch with syrup dripping down the front of my shirt and a sloppy smile. Thanks again, Jorja! Definitely a go-to recipe! I have a feeling that Elana and I will become very good friends if she keeps producing recipes like these! 

Technical notes:

1. These pancakes contain eggs. I am trying to eat egg reduced but it was only 2 eggs stretched over 12 pancakes, so I felt okay about it. One might consider using rice milk and/or grapeseed oil as a substitute but I have not tried this out yet.

2. DEFINITELY let the batter sit. The consistency completely changed.

3. The recipe tips say to cook these on Medium or High heat instead of Low. I burned the crap out of my pancakes! I suggest the opposite especially because they seem to take a bit longer to firm up than regular pancakes. 

4. I froze the remaining pancakes. I had one for breakfast today and it was just as yummy as last night.

Gluten Free Pancakes (gluten free, soy free, dairy free, corn free)

 

Ingredients
 2 eggs
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
grapeseed oil for sauteing

Directions

Combine wet ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth.

Add almond flour, salt and baking soda and blend to combine.

Let batter sit for 15-20 minutes to thicken.

Warm grapeseed oil in a large skillet on low/medium low heat.

Ladle pancake batter by the tablespoon onto the skillet.

Pancakes will form bubbles like normal pancakes when they are ready to flip.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Almost as soon as I could sit up after the blood patch I began scouring the internet looking for allergy free recipes. I was convinced that only disappointment awaited me. Especially after a Low Carb attempt at Cream Puffs in High School ended straight in the trash can. But gluten free, dairy free, soy free cooking has come a long way in 12 years and I decided to give it a shot. This was the first allergy free recipe that I tried- how can you screw up almonds, cherries and lots of chocolate?! 

There were a few technical difficulties 

1. the sea salt was almost overpowering. I would definitely reduce the amount or use table salt for my next batch. 

2. I didnt have grapeseed oil so I used coconut oil. The consistency of the batter was very runny. I'm not sure whether that is due to the oil-switch or if it is how the cookies normally are. I put the batter in the fridge to firm it up before spooning it onto the pans. 

3. The website suggested using a dark nonstick pan for more "cookie-like" consistency. I used a regular cookie sheet with parchment paper and they definitely spread while baking. I wasn't that surprised considering how runny the batter was at room temp. 

4. The cookies also fell apart after they cooled. I stored them in the freezer and pretty much ate them frozen so it wasn't a huge problem but the recipe definitely  needs to be tweaked to make it presentable!

But overall they were yummy and satisfying and a great first attempt at allergy free cookies!

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies (gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, corn free)

Ingredients

2 3/4 blanched almond flour

1/2 tp celtic sea salt *I would suggest 1/4 tsp 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

3/4 cup agave nectar

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate

1 cup fruit juice sweetened dried cherries *I used unsweetened with no problem

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl.

Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.

Fold in cherries and chocolate chunks.

Grease a non stick baking sheet (*makes the cookies more cookie-like!) with grapeseed oil.

Drop cookies on sheet leaving plenty of room for expanding.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Cool completely ON the cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

WARNING: These cookies are SUPER chocolatey! :)

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Legume Free, Corn Free, Egg Reduced Diet- Yum!

Well it has certainly been a long two months! For those of you unaware I was hospitalized after July 4th weekend because I lost feeling in my legs (it sounds much worse than it was! more awkward than anything!). After LOTS of tests and some serious steroids (I can now say that I have had ROID RAGE!), I left the hospital with some feeling in my legs and feet and no diagnosis. Though the most likely cause is Multiple Sclerosis, only time will tell.

I was extremely blessed to have my mother visiting for the first two weeks of July. She didn't get to enjoy the Michigan summer quite the way we had planned but I don't know what I would have done without her here- especially after my spinal tap led to some complications. Before she left for Texas, she made sure she felt comfortable about my health. First, she bought me a few $100 worth of vitamins and supplements and made me pinky promise to take them twice a day. Next, she installed a land line in my apartment because she hates the sketchy (at best) reception my cell phone gets inside the building.

And finally, she very seriously sat me down and discussed an Allergy Free Diet. Since MS is an autoimmune disease that causes lots of inflammation, it is believed that removing other sources of inflammation (ie. stress, heat and allergens) can alleviate frequency of flares and severity of symptoms. Normally, removing one or two things from my diet wouldn't be very bad. But let me give you an idea what my diet looked like before. I was ALWAYS exhausted so I started to hate cooking, especially cooking meat. It took too long. By the time it was defrosted, seasoned and cooked I would have already eaten half a package of hummus or a block of cheese and be passed out on the couch. My diet consisted of: every kind of cheese imaginable, hummus, bread, yogurt, edamame, sauteed chickpeas, prepared salads and lots of TakeOut. So as my mother started ticking off the things that I could no longer eat I began to despair.

No gluten? There goes bread and pasta. And all the things I love to bake.

No dairy? I almost refused. Cheese is pretty much my life. I had been seriously considering using my Microbiology degree to run a goat farm and make cheese. Why would she do this to me?? But I still had some of my favorite foods including chickpeas and soybeans!

And then she said No Soy or Legumes! This is where I very sarcastically asked her what exactly I COULD eat.

And so we began the list of Allergy Free Foods: all lean meats, all fruits and veggies, tree nuts and brown rice. The list sounds short. But I've learned that my very sarcastic question What CAN I eat? was exactly on point. Living this lifestyle isn't about focusing on all the things I can't eat but identifying things I CAN eat and making sure I keep those things available. Shockingly, I have transitioned fairly well to this Allergy free diet. It doesn't hurt that it makes me feel much much better. My energy level is so much higher when I follow the diet and my symptoms seem to me waning. Many would argue that there are multiple factors that could contribute to this, but I will continue on my allergy free path!

This is where EatDrinkBeMary takes a slight turn! The blog is going to start discussing my journey eating Allergy Free. I've found that there are many sites that discuss gluten free OR dairy free OR soy free cooking, but it is hard to find true allergy free recipes. I'm hoping this will be a home for the products and recipes that I discover along my journey.  If you are looking for yummy cheesy bread and ooey gooey desserts, you are on the wrong page. But if you too are searching for great allergy free options (or just want to hear about the journey!), welcome to the new EatDrinkBeMary!

Black Bean Nachos and Grilled Shrimp Fajitas

My favorite dinner recipes are ones that are super simple but make the meal feel special. Roasted chicken is a great example. It requires seasoning a chicken and throwing it in the oven for an hour. But when you place that gorgeous chicken on the table everyone feels like you spent all day slaving in the kitchen to make them something special. And that's what the joy of cooking really is... making someone feel loved and taken care of. And if you can do that with minimal effort- everyone wins :)

Last night I decided to make a little Mexican feast for some girlfriends. For the nachos, I made my own cheese sauce which made it feel special but it took the same amount of time as if I had just melted cheese on top. Any salsa and any cheese that you like to eat with tacos will work fabulously in this sauce. For a meaty version, substitute shredded chicken or cooked ground beef for the black beans (or use both!)

Black Bean Nachos

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup salsa

6-8oz cheddar cheese, shredded

3oz reduced fat cream cheese

Directions:

Heat the milk and salsa together in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching of the milk. Once it begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and add the cheeses. Mix until melted and creamy.

Nachos Ingredients:

Tortilla chips

1 can Black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup salsa

Cheese Sauce

Toppings: shredded monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa

Directions:

Combine the black beans and salsa in a small saucepan. Heat on medium low until heated through. Place tortilla chips on a serving platter. Pour cheese sauce over chips and top with black bean mixture and any additional toppings. Optional: Place under the broiler to melt any additional cheese.

Grilled Shrimp Fajitas

1lb shrimp, deveined with shells, butterflied

Juice of 1 lime

Olive oil

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp each Salt & pepper

1/4 tsp Chili powder

1/4 tsp Garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried Oregano

Combine lime juice and an equal volume of olive oil in a large bowl. Add all spices and combine. Cover shrimp with marinade. Marinate for 10min-2hours. Do not leave over night as the lime juice will begin to cook the shrimp. Heat a grill on high. Place the shrimp shell side up on grill and cook until bright pink (depending on the size of the shrimp- 4-8min). Serve with warm tortillas and grilled onions and peppers.