Sunday, June 29, 2014

Gluten free waffle recipe



It only took me 3 months to perfect this gluten free waffle recipe that the whole family loves. Yes, it does use grains and dairy but it is a great special Sunday brunch treat.
It wasn't easy, I started with coconut flour, almond flour but they were very heavy and not crispy at all. 
Then I knew I had to get the brown rice flour out. It was lighter but still not crispy. My recipe is a combination of the following recipe from the TREME cookbook and a gluten free flour mix I bought. Viola! the Perfect Gluten Free waffle recipe was born.

Makes 5 waffles

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 c gluten free flour mix ( 2 parts brown rice flour, 2 parts white rice flour, 1 part potato starch)
  • 2 tbsp sugar ( I use cane sugar )
  • 2 tsp baking powder ( look for gluten free ones)
  • 1 1/2 c Milk kefir or yogurt or buttermilk
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 4 tbsp butter ( I use Kerry Gold grass fed, extra yum!) or bacon fat
Instructions

  1. Preheat waffle iron
  2. Combine all dry ingredient in a bowl, mix well
  3. Whisk eggs together with milk kefir
  4. Melt fat and fold into wet ingredients
  5. Mix wet ingredients into dry until smooth
  6. Pour 1 c batter into waffle iron and cook according to waffle iron instructions


Serve with your favorite syrup



Cooking with your juicer

When I starting juicing, I felt the instant energy from the nutrients entering my body. My irritated gut was also a better without the extra fiber, which is always recommended for optimal health and digestion to the norm, but for someone with IBD and digestive issues, it isn't always the case. I started keeping the pulp and freezing it ( depending what I was juicing ) to add to my dog food, he likes beets and carrots. Sometime I will juice some sweet potato in the end and add the juice and pulp to his freezer pack veggies. Then one day, I thought about what else I could do with all this pulp? It was around the time I bought the waffle maker so I experimented with making a waffle with the pulp. I used this Carrot cake Waffles recipe  and substituted the 1 c of shredded cakes with my pulp. It turned out very heavy and a bit more savory than sweet, but it was a good alternative to bread or muffin. I freeze the waffles for quick snack or on the go food. 




The next experiment I did was meatballs, this turned out better because the fruit actually made the meatballs taste really good. I think the sugars in the fruits also help caramelize them naturally. I have always liked the idea of added chopped veggies into my meatballs to make them more moist, and it become a complete meal or snack for the kids. My kids do eat veggies with no problems, but this is just easy and simple to get it all into one bite.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Magnesium… how much?

A friend of mine introduced me to the lifestyle I am currently living, just a few of her influences are Paleo, Whole 30 and the art of being positive.  She is also a big believer of Magnesium.

I am currently sorting out the best dose of Magnesium for my body and it's not easy as too much Magnesium will upset the stomach. Instead of thinking it was upsetting, I am accepting it's powerful ability to relax the muscles ( including the gut ) too much so diarrhea can be the result.

In the past few days, I found my energy has dipped, mood is low and not producing satisfying bowel movements. I thought about adding a bit Magnesium supplement in my diet again but was concerned about the possibility of it causing digestive upset.

The current Magnesium supplement I am taking for this experiment is composed of Magnesium Oxide, Malate and Glycephosphate and Oxide has laxative properties in it.

The first day, I took 1 whole tablet 250mg in the morning and felt wonderfully relaxed, I took another in the evening and that didn't go so well, my sleep was disturbed and so was my stomach.

The next day, I took 1/2 tablet 125mg in the morning ( ground to a powder and added to my smoothie ) The powder form was better tolerated. In the evening, I tried another 1/2 tablet (whole, not ground) with dinner. That night, I felt stomach upset again, but less than the night before and by the next morning I was still feeling some effects.




Topical application:

I tried applying Magesium "oil" but am not finding the same relaxing effect as taking it internally, the only place I can apply it without skin irritation is the sole of my feet. Another method I haven't tried is to cut the Mag oil with a carrier oil like coconut oil. I will try that tonight.

Food Source Magnesium - source from nature

I haven't consciously looked for Magnesium from food source until I am giving the supplement more thoughts. Foods that is rich Magnesium include Pumpkin seed and basil, which are two of my favorites so I will try to up those in my diet and see how that affects me.

In conclusion, I found that grinding my Magnesium tablets into a powder and adding it to my smoothie seems to be best absorbed. I might add some pumpkin seeds into my smoothies to give it another boost. I would really like to find the best dose of Magnesium for me as my body feels relaxed when I am not experiencing digestive upsets.  Apparently, not all Magnesium is the same, some has more laxative effects which I will be staying away from.  My research shows the easiest form of Magnesium for absorption without upsetting the digestion are Magnesium Glycinate/ Chloride/ lactate. I will be picking up some and we will see how it works out.

Reference Source:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx

http://drhoffman.com/article/crohns-disease-and-ulcerative-colitis-2/#sthash.j13gMImB.dpuf






Sunday, June 15, 2014

Bentonite Clay in and out

I have been enjoying my probiotic cleanse with success but the die offs are appearing here and there. So I looked online to see what I can do to help this detoxing process. I started taking Bentonite Clay by Innovite 1 tbsp on an empty stomach first thing in the morning this week.

Last night, I tried a detox bath with the clay ( a powder version I got from a soap making store )  in it and was amazed with the effect. I was relaxed and the water felt silky. I thought I would be turned off by the smell of ACV in my bath, but the lavender made the experience very delightful. Afterwards I was very very relaxed but not exhausted. I was actually a bit overwhelmed by how good I felt. With UC, feeling really good and relaxed doesn't happen very often. However, later that night I did have some gut disturbance and was up a few times.

The next morning, I noticed an unexpected effect on the rash I have had for a few days from sun or heat exposure, they seemed to have sealed up and calmed right down. My skin throughout the entire body was a lot smoother than before. I am not completely sure whether it is the bentonite clay or the ACV that healed the rash but I am leaning towards the clay.

Through my healing journey, I have learned to be more patient and not see symptoms immediately as a bad reactions.  I came to the conclusion that my body continued to detox through the night after the bath hence interrupted my sleep. By the afternoon, I was feeling pretty good. That's when I had better faith about this detox bath being a good thing for my body. Tonight I took another bath again, this time it was earlier and on an empty stomach. I was in it for an hour and almost fell asleep. I did not have any ill symptoms tonight other than a bit thirsty so I believe I was right about the detoxing process. There are a few recipes out there, this is the one I used.

2 cups Epsom Salt
2 tbsp Bragg ACV
2 tbsp Bentonite Clay ( powder) I bought it here 

10 drops lavendar oil


I will continue this detox bath this week and see how it affects my overall well being. I want to look into Feet soak for times when I can't commit to the longer bath time. I find it interesting that the bottom of the feet is such a good absorption point for applying essential oils. I discovered that when I was applying Vicks to my kids feet to stop night coughing when they had a cold. I found this link that talks about why it is.


Saturday, June 14, 2014

Ready for reintegration

Sometimes I do think I had be in prison for awhile, the Colitis prison. IBD does limit me to a lot of things I used to take for granted as you might have read in my previous posts.

So now, I am ready to be reintegrated back into Society, the society of health.

I learned from LTYG about the colonic massage, one of the many very useful tips Jini mentions in her books. I used it for awhile, at first it was very effective in removing gas, gas can be more painful then trapped stool, but later I found that I was applying pressure harder and harder without the same initial effect I was looking for. Then I started to learn about tapping ( EFT) and I thought I would try to apply the same tapping technique on my belly. This technique is similar to an exam my naturopath performed on me - abdominal percussion. I found the repeating action of tapping creates vibration in my body that mimics the natural muscle contraction of a healthy colon.

Through my research, I learned inversion poses in yoga has been used by many with IBS or IBD for relief. I tried the legs up against the wall pose but couldn't get comfortable in it. Then I moved onto Bridge pose and found it more helpful in releasing trapped gas and help moving things along. Finally, I discovered the Plow pose or Shoulder stand being the most effective poses for my body to get comfort from gas pain. As part of my reintegration into the society of health, I decided to learn how to take this one on the road or wherever I may be. I now do Plow or shoulder stand at people's houses, at parks on the grass and I have even packed a yoga mat in the van and thought about folding the back seats down in case I need to do it literally on the road.

Researching and being prepared has always been my biggest coping tool in difficult situations. Fumbling towards what best works for my body is the best reward for all the hard work I have put into my health.

Learning and healing is my moto.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Pulverized smoothies for ulcerative colitis

I recently bought the Nutribullet after researching whether I needed the higher prices Vitamix or Blentec. I went with the more economical choice and have been pretty happy with it. The smoothies are smooth without chunks and even when I only use fruit, veggies  and water without my milk kefir, the result is still remarkably creamy in consistency.

So the test now is to see whether including more pulverized fiber in my diet will aid or hinder my continuous healing with my UC.

The first day, I was excited about drinking these "creamy" tasty drinks made out of fruit and veggies. I wasn't able to consume the same amount of these wondering food as the past because the fiber was hard for my body to handle. I used to be able to eat half a big watermelon by myself in one sitting. On the first day, I have my usual smoothie ( see ingredients below) but added a giant stock of Organic Swiss Chard. The smoothie was creamy, tasty and green. I felt that I was able to absorb the nutrients better even with some mild gassiness.

Good Morning Smoothie



Saturday, June 7, 2014

Pecan Sandies, will you cheer me up please?








I am definitely seeking Healing in the kitchen right now. Meal preparation is very therapeutic, perhaps cooking should be all about nourishing the body and mind. I have been craving good fats lately, I have been eating more avocados,  dates dipped in coconut oil,  enjoying my Grass Fed whole (with the fat that raises to the top ) milk kefir, searching for the best fat bomb recipe online. But today, I decided to try this Pecan Sandie  Recipe  to hopefully distract and comfort my mind during these difficult times.

My comment about this recipe is I was surprised how crumbly it was and it was a bit salty.  Otherwise it is good. I used Kerry Gold Grass Fed butter instead of coconut oil and raw lavender honey.

On a side note, I feel that all the probiotic foods and beverages I have been consuming have been helping me cope better and balance my emotions better.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

My ginger love bug



This was the day before we let our 15 years old dog go. I was very restless and searched for things to do around the house to take my mind off. Making my first ginger beer was a very good distraction.

Started ginger bug on May 28
Daily feeding with 1/2 tsp sorganic cane sugar and more grated ginger. Ready on June 2

To make my Ginger beer concentrate concoction, I boiled half the amount of water of my total yield ginger beer, added 5 inches of thinly sliced ginger, 1 1/2 c. organic cane sugar to make the ginger as instructed in The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz, see my library in sidebar
I let the concentrate cool to room temperature before adding 1 c. of the ginger bug. Now we wait. I am suppose to stir it every day and look for  bubbles and taste test

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Oh my dog

Seems like it was only a few years back when we drove out to a farm to "look" at some puppies. It was Pride day and we brought back a chocolate lab cross to the parade at English Bay, Vancouver.

The night before, I was very emotional, I had made the appointment for 2 weeks ago but cancelled it as neither of us were ready. Last night, he stared at me with eyes that were both vacant and pleading that was when I knew that he was ready and so was I. I repeated the following mantra to helped through the intense feelings I had about the important event.

Don't think about later, don't think about when, just think about NOW, because everything is in place. 

You were my sweet baby, even though we are different species. I loved you like any mother would with their own flash and blood. Why has this been so hard... because I cared for you from beginning till End, there was no hired help or little shared care giving. I waited until you told me that you were finally ready to leave, to leave the weak and achy body that served you for 15 years. I will miss the sound of your tags clanging and your nail clicking on the floor but I will feel the great relief for you and us that the suffering is over.

Rest now my beloved dog 
Checking out my leggings
Spring 2013 walks 

Enjoying his birthday bone from Prey for Dinner  last year at 14 years young
Cyber 
May 19, 1999 - June 3, 2014



Quickest hardy soup I've made

Quick slow beef roast at 8am ( 2 hours )
Chopped up some veggies and heated up some frozen bone broth
Ta Da, added some Nutribullet pureed veggie juice

Before I started this love affair with my kitchen, I never imagined making a hearty soup could be done in a few hours. Now that I always have homemade bone broth on hand, it's a matter of chopping some veggies, prepping some meat ( or use leftover meat ),  get a little creative and a soup is ready in a few hours instead of 10.

My oldest woke up this morning seeking a healing soup with "really tender beef" for his cough and cold.  It was early but I was glad to oblige. 
I downed 1/2 c of my newest kombucha brew  ( Ripe Daffoldil tea, hibiscus and chocolate mint leaves ) and went to work. I ran out and bought a couple pieces of meat just right for the occasion. I salt and peppered it and drizzled with some EVOO ( extra virgin olive oil ) and put it in the oven at 250F set for 2 hours. Then I  took out my frozen bone broth cubes and heated it up with some chopped veggies. I decided to steam the carrots instead of boiling it. I tested my new purchase, the Nutribullet, to create a healthy version of V8 juice. I put tomato, celery, garlic, parsley and water in the bullet and let it do its thing. It turned out ok.  Once the meat is ready and sliced, I simmered it with the veggies in the broth for 5 more mins to make sure the meat is "really tender". Then,  I turned off the heat and waited a bit before adding my "V8" concoction. I didn't want to kill of all the raw goodness right away. 
Ta Da, my healing tender meat soup done by 11am. 

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef shank 
EVOO
salt and pepper 


"V8" juice 
2 tomatoes
2 stocks of celery
2 cloves of garlic
pepper
water

Soup base
1/4 of a large red onion, chopped
2 large white mushroom chopped
hand full parsley

4 carrots, cut in round and steamed