More resources and some great new recipies

Here are  a couple great blogs I found by MS folks living well.

http://milesandtrails.com
Beth is also a working mother of two who does marathons and half Ironman triathlons and was diagnosed in 2012.  Her latest blog is about finishing the Boston marathon.

http://thelesionjournals.blogspot.com/
Christie is another woman who is living with MS and is an avid cyclist.  She has a lot of great MS resource information on her site if you want to learn more about my illness.

Here is a great Ted talk which gives me hope.
Can a Damaged Brain Repair Itself by Dr Sidarthan Chandran

So I mentioned that I made some sweeping diet changes (minimal refined sugar and minimal refined carbs) and used Lent as a trial basis so I had somewhat of an out at the end of the Holy season.  I did really very good following this plan and only allowed myself a little birthday cake and ice cream for JJ's birthday a couple of weeks into Lent and the occasional high quality chocolate square. I spent a whole weekend in the woods with strangers and still managed to eat within my plan, and found the other ladies to be very accepting of my diet choices.  I have found a lot of snacks that take care of my cravings and don't throw me off my path.  Going into Easter weekend I allowed myself a little leeway with the family gathering over the weekend.  I allowed myself some refined sugar in the way of lemon meringue pie and decadent cupcakes.  None of these were gluten free and all of them had piles of sugar.  I also allowed myself a favorite in Black Market pizza which also has gluten.  Needless to say I paid for my indulgence with an unhappy gut and a sugar hangover on Monday.  Grrr.   Sadly outside of the amazing cupcakes I realized I didn't miss the rest as a post indulgence reflection.

I never planned to stop eating better after Lent but I felt like I needed to be less hard on myself after 47 days of sacrifice was complete.  MS isn't going to give me a break.  Even if the meds work and by some miracle I become symptom free again some day, I really feel I need to do better to support my body and it's ability to try to heal itself.  I believe this can only happen by fueling myself properly, getting proper rest, regular exercise and figuring out ways to better handle the intensity of my lifestyle.

So here are a few of my favorite snacks.  Homemade trail mix - walnut pieces, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews (all unsalted), lots of dried fruits, and the occasional m&m as part of several mixes I buy.  when I am on the go or heading to the gym before lunch if I don't have a handful of trail mix I will eat a Larabar which don't have any added sugar (unless they have chocolate) and are usually a mix of nuts and berries pureed together.

My favorite breakfast adventures - I have been making smoothies four mornings a week.  They are nutrient dense and quite filling.  My smoothie base is something like this - 1/2 cup of almond milk or 1/2 cup of juice, a banana, a cup of dates, 1/2 cup of almonds or almond butter, and a cup of plain Greek yogurt.  I then usually add a couple more fruit (a mango, a cup of mixed berries, etc) and a couple veggies ( 1/2 cucumber, 1 large carrots, one cup of steamed kale or spinach.  This usually makes two days worth of 12 oz smoothies.

New favorite recipes:
From "The MS Discoervy Diet" - Carrot and Ginger soup
1 yellow or white onion - peel and sliced
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger peeled and grated
2 tablespoon cooking oil
4-5 large carrots unpeeled
1 cup orange juice
1-2 cups broth (I used veggie but can use chicken)
salt to taste
2 tablespoons almond butter (essential the book says)

saute the onion and ginger together in the oil. (wrap any extra ginger in plastic, bag and freeze)  Cut the carrots into coins and add to the pot.  Add the orange juice and broth mixtures and cook 20 minutes until carrots are soft.  Add salt and almond butter.  Puree in a blender or food processor and eat.

Here is another fan favorite http://theshiksa.com/2012/05/01/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/  Here is my variation.

Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (I used a seasoned box mix and just followed the directions to cook.  When I make plain bagged quinoa I use 2 cups of vegetable broth and some herbs.)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• medium eggplant diced and sauteed in olive oil with garlic below
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded spinach instead of lettuce
• Salt
• Sliced avocado
• 1 cup freshly grated colby jack cheese
• 1 diced tomato 

Servings: 4

Cook the quinoa per box (or for around 20 min).  Heat up the black beans.  In bowls layer in a base of quinoa, then add black beans, then layer in spinach, sliced avacado, tomato and cheese.  Yum!

I will be posting more favorites soon even a great Brussel sprout and asparagus one!

Yummy spring and summer recipe with variations

With the moseying in of spring I thought I would share a fun recipe for the season. This is served cold so you can make it up in advance and refrigerate it for later.

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. Quinoa is a very high protein pasta like grain shaped like couscous. You can find it most inexpensively in bulk in a health food store or food coop and a cup made will feed a family of 4 for two meals.

I love to mix and match veggies and things that I have on hand to give the salad different flavors depending on my mood. Here is my version of a Greek Salad however I also like to give it a south west flare as well and have commented on substitutions below.

Greek Quinoa Salad

(serves 8) high in protein and vegetables.

Can buy Quinoa in bulk and throw in whatever veggies are fresh. A little goes a long way.
1 cup quinoa (find in health food or bulk food section of market)
2 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
1 avocado chopped into ½ chunks
½ cup low fat crumbled feta cheese
6 – 12 kalamata olives diced
½ red, yellow and or green peppers chopped into ½ chunks
1 tomato chopped into ½ chunks
1 can of black beans
A splash of lemon juice
Seasons to taste (I use a little garlic and pepper)

Boil water/broth and add quinoa reduce to medium heat and cover 10 – 15 minutes
Fluff the quinoa once cooked and toss in everything else.

Goes great with salmon or other light fish like Halibut or Cod as well as lean pork.

Avocado, feta and olives can be swapped out with mushrooms, asparagus bits or corn to give different flavor mixes.

30 Day Challenge - Day 21

•Day 21 — A recipe

I enjoy cooking and trying new things. I used to specialize in baked goods, but when I ended up eating half of everything I baked because everyone else lost interest I now only bake when I feel like it. My favorite things to bake are holiday cookies and sweet breads/muffins. I will rustle up a few recipes that have been 'handed down' by my family that I have tweaked to make them healthier.

Lately I have been on a recipe kick using my two new Moosewood lodge cookbooks. These are vegetarian recipes but pretty much all of the ones I have tried over the last few months have been YUMMY! I will pick my favorite one or two and post that too.

I also love things I can just throw together on a whim for a quick meal. I am not one of those people (like my husband) who follows a recipe to the letter. I am more of a little bit of this and that kind of person.

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One of my quick throw together meals... Buy a garlic and cheese loaf or baguette from the bakery section of the super market. Slice it in short slices like you were making bread for sandwiches.

Lay the bread out on a baking sheet and lightly butter. This will go in the oven at 350 for a few minutes to crisp up before you add the toppings.

Toppings... pretty much whatever is in the fridge.... Pick what you like and mix them all together in a bowl.
Several Tomatoes Diced(a can is ok too)
Olives sliced (we love black but sometimes get the greek stuffed variety)
Mushrooms sliced and sauteed

We usually go veggie or I put on smoked salmon but could also do some sausage crumbles too... nothing too big.

Put the toppings ingredients on the bread first (after lightly toasting the bread), then the meat if you are using some, then top with your favorites grated cheese... we have tried just about every kind so have some fun.

Put in the oven until the cheese is melted and starting to brown... Makes a meal all by itself, but can serve with fresh fruit too.

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So lets see...
What's for dinner tonight? Shawn's variation of a pseudo chili... Chili for me means veggies (can be carrots, celery, corn, spinach and always tomatoes), beans, and a little bit of ground turkey. Last time I made chili with dill pickles in it... Yum! So back to tonight. I did a pound of ground turkey with lots of seasoning. Since I sell Tastefully Simple I always have seasonings on hand... I used some red pepper, garlic garlic, bacon bacon, and of course wahoo chili. I put some in the crock pot and some in the meat while I sauteed it. I added a small container of frozen spinach (first time for this one so will see how it goes), two cans of organic tomatoes (I use fresh when they are local or in season the back yard), and beans... this time a can of black and one of pinto beans. I throw everything in the crock pot the night before and then fire things up on low in the morning. I am making some cheddar biscuits to go with it (also TS food).

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Rachel Rays' turkey meatloaf recipe is a huge favorite in our house so her is my take on that one.
* 2 McIntosh or Gala apples, peeled and cut into small dice (I've used Braeburn and Figi too)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice (use this when I remember)
* 2 pounds ground all-white-meat turkey (I do one package of regular white ground turkey and one of turkey sausage which adds a ton of flavor)
* 3-4 ribs of celery, finely chopped (I use this when I have it handy)
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I either use fresh onion, or TS onion onion depending on what I have on hand)
* 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (I only use TS spices here)
* 1 large egg
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper (usually skip this)
* 2 cups chicken stock (can use organic veggie broth here too)
* 2 cups stuffing mix (I have used stuffing mix, or breadcrumbs depending on what is in the pantry)
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Preparation - (I do make this on parchment paper and then put half in the freezer once it is cooked for a quick and easy meal down the road.)

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.

In a large bowl, add the apples and lemon juice and toss together. Add the turkey, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, egg, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a medium size bowl, add the stock and the stuffing. Toss around, letting the stuffing soak up the liquid, then add it to the bowl with the turkey. Mix everything together well, then turn it out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and shape it into a loaf. Coat with EVOO, transfer to the oven and roast until brown and cooked through, about an hour.