Heather's Turkey Bacon & Egg Mac Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes

6 hard boiled large eggs, diced
1 pound Quinoa Elbow Macaroni
8 slices, turkey bacon
About 1/4 cup grated onion and its juice
2 cloves garlic, grated or pasted
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
About 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed Red Pepper (to taste)
1/8 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Cook the elbow macaroni according to directions and drain. To the water add 2 sliced of bacon. Drain and remove the bacon. Cook 6 slices of bacon and crumble.

Add grated onion, garlic, dijon mustard, vinegar, S&P and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine. Stream in olive oil and stir until incorporated. Add the sun dried tomatoes and parsley and stir. Add pasta, diced eggs, and crumbled bacon. Stir until coated with the mustard sauce.

This was adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe that I liked... Since I couldn't eat most of the ingredients I adapted it to what I could eat... and I liked! Share & Enjoy!!

It's all about CHICKEN!!

About 2 weeks ago, after deciding that FISH was the "Other F Word" and that I wasn't going to eat it everyday or even every week, I needed another source of protien, I broke down and called the DOC. It had been 3 months of NO CHICKEN or TURKEY and I had lost almost 30 pounds, but I was never satisfied. That week, I went CHICKEN Crazy... Fajita's, Salad, grilled, whatever I could get! I realized that CHICKEN is only good for me in small amounts. But, it does give me another option when I am traveling.

Speaking of traveling... I have been doing quite a bit. I am getting less timid about asking if they have an Allergen Menu and a GF menu. Many places do have those but one place that DOES NOT is Applebee's. On a late night dinner, in a small town, just trying to get home, a large group of us stopped for dinner. We were beyond starving so it was up to me to NOT be difficult and find something on the menu that I could eat. I asked for a GF menu, since I have found that it is the most popular of the Allergen menu's. I was told "No, we don't have any allergy menu's. I can give you a phone number to call, if you want to know." Now normally, if I was with just another friend or alone I would have walked OUT! Her response was not appropriate at all! After going thru almost every salad (since that is usually the best for me) I was able to find a grilled chicken salad with lettuce, pineapple and mandarin oranges. I told her no dressing and a plain and DRY chicken breast. Now, I don't know if they cleaned the grill (probably not) or what, but thankfully I did not get sick!

FISH... The other "F" word!

After a wonderful trip home to visit family for 2 weeks, I was quite glad to see the Nutritionist today. The GI doc has given me a very limited list of what I can eat and since my main source of protein is FISH and FISH is NOT my favorite thing to eat, I was quite aware of the fact that I am not getting enough protein but I wasn't quite sure how to get more. The AHA recommends about 46 grams of protein per day... This doesn't sound like much but... According to the Nutritional Expert my options include... beans/legums, eggs/egg whites, FISH and nuts/nut butters.

Okay... I can work with this, or so I thought. Really FISH every day??? Not going to happen. So since I have to make all these numbers add up to 45g and I knew that wasn't going to happen, we had to work on a compromise. Yes, a compromise... I can do that. Together "we" decided that my target goal would be between 20 and 25 grams of protein a day. This means I only have to eat 2.5 cups of Hummus or 6 eggs, or 1 - 3oz portion of FISH per day! Still NOT going to happen!

The combination of 2 eggs or egg whites, hummus and or FISH during a whole week might happen. I already eat Hummus daily (not 2.5 cups worth... but I eat it), and eggs a couple of times per week and FISH only when I eat out.

The "paperwork" that I was given includes a book called Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetics. It seems to be really good. It will help me get an idea of what contains protein, carbs, etc what the basic serving sizes are and what nutrition I am getting out of it.

Here's to hoping I can remember to keep a Food Diary for a week, along with all my other stuff, and we can see if I am even getting CLOSE to the 20 to 25 gram range!

Mexican Quinoa Stir Fry

1/2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 c sliced red or green bell pepper
1/4 c sliced onions
1/4 c diced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 c salsa
1/4 c veggie stock
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paparika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
S&P to taste
Olive Oil

Heat olive oil, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes and salsa for abotu 2 minutes on medium. Add stock and herbs and S&P. Cook on medium about 5 - 8 minutes until veggies start to soften.

Serve over prepared quinoa (according to package directions) with sliced avocado on top! YUMMY! Share and enjoy!

Pizza Soup

This recipe is adapted from something that a friend posted on Facebook. I made it my own because I couldn't remember everything I was supposed to get :) This makes for a warm and yummy soup when it is cold outside.

Olive Oil
1 onion - diced
1 green pepper - diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 red pepper - diced
8-10 mushroom sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes (I used the large can)
1 jar of pizza sauce
24 oz of Veggie Stock (or Chicken/Beef if you like)
2 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
S&P to taste

Add olive oil, onion, peppers, garlic and mushroom to a cast iron dutch oven. Saute 3- 5 minutes on medium until veggies start softening. Add all seasonings and tomatoes, stock, and pizza sauce. Stir to combine and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with topped cheese and a peice of crusty bread.

This can be done in the crockpot on low for about 6-8 hours. If you would like to add sausage or ground beef you must brown the meat first. Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Cooked Chicken etc can be added once it is ready for the oven or in the crock pot!! Mine turned out great with just veggies :)

GFCFSF Mac & Cheese

This recipe was adapted from the Food Allergy Cookbook...

1 box of Quinoa Elbow Mac
1-2 cups Diaya Cheddar Style Cheese
3 tbsp butter (or olive oil or butter substitute)
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 cups Almond (or Rice) Milk
S&P
Crushed Red Pepper

Melt the butter in a medium sized cast iron skillet. Add cornstarch and form a thick roux. Cook for 30 seconds continuously stirring. Remove from the heat and add milk in small incriments stirring vigorously until the roux has absorbed all the milk evenly. Add more and more until all the milk has been added and incorporated. Place the pan back on medium heat and add S&P and Crushed Red Pepper to taste. Then add 1 - 2 cups of Daiya Cheddar Style Cheese to taste... I used about 1 1/2 cups. Stir to combine and pour over Quinoa Pasta.

This pasta reheats well in the microwave for about 1 minute and stays creamy! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Soup

1 large can pureed pumpkin
1 can coconut milk (not low fat)
S&P
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
Dash of Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 tsp Allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 cups of Organic GFCFSF Vegetable Stock

Add pumpkin, stock, and spices to a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and simmer on low for 30 minutes!