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