changing what i put in my mouth
first things first. last night's casserole was a ridiculous success.
like so freaking good, it surprised me.
my husband hoovered 3/4 of it. in about 6 minutes.
so, note to the masses, this recipe really only makes enough for two people.
so, here's the adapted recipe as it came out of my kitchen yesterday.
i also took pictures for you.
the raw goods pre-oven
and then it gets covered with tin foil and makes sweet love to the oven for about 45 minutes....
resulting in this:
so you sprinkle a little cheese on it and send it back into the oven uncovered, and behold, you end up with this:
now normally i'd stick something like this in on broil and let the cheese get nice and brown and bubbly...
but this cheese pictured is one of those low-fat 2% milk cheeses, and i've found that while it tastes the same as regular cheese, it doesn't melt or brown the same way.
so i only gave it the semi-melt to keep the texture happy.
i know this might not look like much... and it's certainly not gourmet... but it really was fucking tasty.
the rice was perfectly cooked, no crunchy or mushy bits, i think that using basmati rice instead of regular rice was a good idea... although i don't buy regular rice, all i use is basmati... but anyways... and the chicken was tender and nicely flavoured.
i think next time i'd give the chicken more of a spice rub. i just sprinkled a little salt, pepper and chili powder on top, but it needed a little more of a kick for me.
so recipe success.
proving that a classic becomes a classic for a good reason.
now today... i have no idea what to make.
i think that i've figured out something about my digestive system...
something that i probably knew a long time ago, but have been ignoring...
i think i'm allergic to wheat.
i have always had a "bad stomach". diagnosed with IBS at age 12, had my gallbladder removed last year... heartburn is a daily occurrence... and i can tell you where every toilet in every city i've ever visited is.
it's not pretty, but i've generally done an ace job of ignoring things... or just making due.
meaning, locating toilets in advance and being prepared.
but as time went on, i've seen some patterns.
dairy is one. dairy generally sets off my stomach within minutes of consumption. and the higher the fat content, the faster things work. non fat milk in my coffee... probably okay. cream in my coffee... i won't even finish the cup before i have to make a speedy departure.
cheesecake is the biggest nemesis. i get about 3 forkfuls in before i'm running from the room.
however, this has not been a hard and fast rule... this is the case abut 85% of the time... but sometimes, nothing happens. sometimes i can eat an entire piece of cheesecake and have nothing happen.
it's strange and i've struggled to see the pattern... what did i eat before that? after? what was i drinking?
it all seems random.
lately, wheat has emerged as a serious probable culprit.
and i have the suspicion that it always has been... it was just usually in the company of dairy, and so i may have passed the blame over to dairy.
really, it could be both. i don't know.
but the idea of wheat making me sick is scaring the shit out of me.
i am a carb-a-holic.
ilove LOVE bread and pasta.
my ideal meal is a loaf of garlic bread and a giant plate of pasta with butter and cheese on it.
i had to stop buying bread for the house because i have no self control.
i will eat an entire loaf of bread if you leave it with me.
now i only buy enough single buns for my husband's sandwiches for work. not one extra, because i'll eat it.
the bread basket comes in the restaurant and i'll eat at least 4 pieces.
i LOVE bread.
also, i love beer. aaaaand beer has wheat in it.
i've already figured it out that beer makes me sick... i just didn't care.
after the first beer, i get sick and by the end of the second one, i'm generally okay.
and then the next day is brutal because my system is filled with gas and bloating and pain... but damnit that beer was delicious.
over the past couple weeks, wheat has been affecting me worse than ever.
to the point where i really can't ignore things any longer.
so, i did a little self test.
one day i ate no wheat. limited dairy as i usually do...
no problems.
the next day, i ate two white buns.
sick within the hour and for the rest of the night.
the day after, no wheat and heavier on the dairy...
still no problems.
the next day, no wheat in food, but a few beers.
sick.
and last night's meal... no wheat, but a fair amount of dairy...
no problems.
i can't really ignore this reality any longer... i think i have to stop eating wheat.
or at the very least, seriously cut down on it.
this might just be the saddest day of my life.
as i'm getting older, my body is less resilient to this stuff... and things i could just ignore in years past, are now affecting me very harshly.
i've been getting these brutal chest pains, kind of like phantom gallbladder attacks. it's not fun.
but here's another random thing to throw into the mix... popcorn has been making me sick too.
it gives me crazy chest pains and bloating and gas.
but eating corn on the cob, or frozen corn, even canned corn is no problem. it's weird.
so for the next little while at least, rice is my new friend.
i do like rice... i just don't love it hardcore like i do bread and pasta.
but rice doesn't make me sick. so it wins.
so today is marking day one of the no-wheat agenda.
dinner tonight is homemade caesar salad (with no croûtons for me apparently) and.... ummm...
shit. it was going to be accompanied by a frozen pizza, 'cause i was going to kinda mail in dinner tonight...
but i guess that won't work for me now.
soooo... ummmmm.... pizza for my husband and a bowl of rice for me? lol.
shit. this is probably going to require some thought, planning and some grocery shopping on my part.
not to mention the fact that it doesn't leave me much to eat for breakfast/lunch...
shit. shit. shit.
okay, this may be bad timing for this revelation, since i'm in the middle of a cleaning out the fridge/cupboards/pantry cycle.
i'm going to have to do some serious meal macgyvering... otherwise i'm going to end up with stir fry every day... and that will make me want to slit my wrists.
like so freaking good, it surprised me.
my husband hoovered 3/4 of it. in about 6 minutes.
so, note to the masses, this recipe really only makes enough for two people.
so, here's the adapted recipe as it came out of my kitchen yesterday.
as i said yesterday, most of my substitutions are born purely out of whats available in my pantry and fridge... so it ain't gospel... it's just what *i* did.Ingredients
1 can (284 mL) CAMPBELL'S Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup1 cup (250 mL) water- 1 cup (250 mL)
uncooked basmati rice herbs & spices to taste - chopped fresh cilantro, dried mexican oregano, dried chipotle peppers,
garlic powder, salt & pepper2 cups (500 mL) fresh (cut-up) or frozen vegetable mixture - frozen corn and fresh green beans6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs1/2 cup shredded low fat 2% milk cheddar cheesemixDirections
- 1.Mix soup, water, rice and spices in shallow 2 qt (2L) baking dish. Stir in vegetables
- 2. Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper, if desired. Cover.
- 3.Bake at 375°F (190°C) until chicken is cooked through and rice istender – about 45 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chicken and return to oven to melt - uncovered. Remove chickenand stir rice before serving.
i also took pictures for you.
the raw goods pre-oven
and then it gets covered with tin foil and makes sweet love to the oven for about 45 minutes....
resulting in this:
so you sprinkle a little cheese on it and send it back into the oven uncovered, and behold, you end up with this:
now normally i'd stick something like this in on broil and let the cheese get nice and brown and bubbly...
but this cheese pictured is one of those low-fat 2% milk cheeses, and i've found that while it tastes the same as regular cheese, it doesn't melt or brown the same way.
so i only gave it the semi-melt to keep the texture happy.
i know this might not look like much... and it's certainly not gourmet... but it really was fucking tasty.
the rice was perfectly cooked, no crunchy or mushy bits, i think that using basmati rice instead of regular rice was a good idea... although i don't buy regular rice, all i use is basmati... but anyways... and the chicken was tender and nicely flavoured.
i think next time i'd give the chicken more of a spice rub. i just sprinkled a little salt, pepper and chili powder on top, but it needed a little more of a kick for me.
so recipe success.
proving that a classic becomes a classic for a good reason.
now today... i have no idea what to make.
i think that i've figured out something about my digestive system...
something that i probably knew a long time ago, but have been ignoring...
i think i'm allergic to wheat.
i have always had a "bad stomach". diagnosed with IBS at age 12, had my gallbladder removed last year... heartburn is a daily occurrence... and i can tell you where every toilet in every city i've ever visited is.
it's not pretty, but i've generally done an ace job of ignoring things... or just making due.
meaning, locating toilets in advance and being prepared.
but as time went on, i've seen some patterns.
dairy is one. dairy generally sets off my stomach within minutes of consumption. and the higher the fat content, the faster things work. non fat milk in my coffee... probably okay. cream in my coffee... i won't even finish the cup before i have to make a speedy departure.
cheesecake is the biggest nemesis. i get about 3 forkfuls in before i'm running from the room.
however, this has not been a hard and fast rule... this is the case abut 85% of the time... but sometimes, nothing happens. sometimes i can eat an entire piece of cheesecake and have nothing happen.
it's strange and i've struggled to see the pattern... what did i eat before that? after? what was i drinking?
it all seems random.
lately, wheat has emerged as a serious probable culprit.
and i have the suspicion that it always has been... it was just usually in the company of dairy, and so i may have passed the blame over to dairy.
really, it could be both. i don't know.
but the idea of wheat making me sick is scaring the shit out of me.
i am a carb-a-holic.
i
my ideal meal is a loaf of garlic bread and a giant plate of pasta with butter and cheese on it.
i had to stop buying bread for the house because i have no self control.
i will eat an entire loaf of bread if you leave it with me.
now i only buy enough single buns for my husband's sandwiches for work. not one extra, because i'll eat it.
the bread basket comes in the restaurant and i'll eat at least 4 pieces.
i LOVE bread.
also, i love beer. aaaaand beer has wheat in it.
i've already figured it out that beer makes me sick... i just didn't care.
after the first beer, i get sick and by the end of the second one, i'm generally okay.
and then the next day is brutal because my system is filled with gas and bloating and pain... but damnit that beer was delicious.
over the past couple weeks, wheat has been affecting me worse than ever.
to the point where i really can't ignore things any longer.
so, i did a little self test.
one day i ate no wheat. limited dairy as i usually do...
no problems.
the next day, i ate two white buns.
sick within the hour and for the rest of the night.
the day after, no wheat and heavier on the dairy...
still no problems.
the next day, no wheat in food, but a few beers.
sick.
and last night's meal... no wheat, but a fair amount of dairy...
no problems.
i can't really ignore this reality any longer... i think i have to stop eating wheat.
or at the very least, seriously cut down on it.
this might just be the saddest day of my life.
as i'm getting older, my body is less resilient to this stuff... and things i could just ignore in years past, are now affecting me very harshly.
i've been getting these brutal chest pains, kind of like phantom gallbladder attacks. it's not fun.
but here's another random thing to throw into the mix... popcorn has been making me sick too.
it gives me crazy chest pains and bloating and gas.
but eating corn on the cob, or frozen corn, even canned corn is no problem. it's weird.
so for the next little while at least, rice is my new friend.
i do like rice... i just don't love it hardcore like i do bread and pasta.
but rice doesn't make me sick. so it wins.
so today is marking day one of the no-wheat agenda.
dinner tonight is homemade caesar salad (with no croûtons for me apparently) and.... ummm...
shit. it was going to be accompanied by a frozen pizza, 'cause i was going to kinda mail in dinner tonight...
but i guess that won't work for me now.
soooo... ummmmm.... pizza for my husband and a bowl of rice for me? lol.
shit. this is probably going to require some thought, planning and some grocery shopping on my part.
not to mention the fact that it doesn't leave me much to eat for breakfast/lunch...
shit. shit. shit.
okay, this may be bad timing for this revelation, since i'm in the middle of a cleaning out the fridge/cupboards/pantry cycle.
i'm going to have to do some serious meal macgyvering... otherwise i'm going to end up with stir fry every day... and that will make me want to slit my wrists.
Posted by vancityrockgirl at 6/25/2009 10:07 AM 
Categories: Cooking and Recipes,confessions of a confessaholic
Categories: Cooking and Recipes,confessions of a confessaholic
everyone and their dog self diagnoses a wheat allergy. it's the in thing these days! it's more likely the gluten in the wheat that you have a problem with though. i recommend bob's red mill garbonzo and fava flour for an everyday substitute. bob's red mill also makes a great wheat/gluten/dairy free pizza crust mix. it's all available at planet organic. wheat is in just about everything these days and living without it is hard and expensive. a 250ml bottle of wheat free soy sauce is $6.99. good luck.
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and i meant good luck in a positive way like: good luck! not in a negative cynical way. i re-read my post and it sounds crabby.
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lol. no worries.
i know the wheat free thing is totally the "allergy of the moment" - wow, how stupid does that sound, huh?
and that's why i really kind of buried it and didn't want to consider it an option...
but it's getting hard to ignore this shit.
but i am going to the doctor next week for proper tests, i'm not relying on my self diagnosis as gospel.
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popcorn has always given me that bloaty gross feeling... no surprises there. As for wheat, you live in the best place in the world for food allergies. Seriously. There are alternatives in even the most basic supermarket for wheat. Try cutting it out for a month before you decide though, also get tested for celiac disease or wheat allergies. White bread is hard for everyone to digest, so it might just be the super processed stuff you can't tolerate!
And just think... mmmmm potatoes.
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Agreed, get a gluten allergy test done, and also a lactose allergy test. Be aware, the lactose is BRUTAL, you drink this sick concoction wait two hours and blow into a bag twice, I just had it done. And you basically sit riddled with cramps and awfulness.
Also, fun fact, the lower the fat content in the milk, the HIGHER the lactose. So in actuality if you were lactose intolerant, you should be drinking homogenized milk instead of non-fat.
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that test sounds brutal. gee, something fun to look forward too, lol.
and i didn't know that about the lactose... interesting.
all this time i thought that by using skim milk i was being smart, but really, i should have stuck with the 2%
not that i consume that much milk anyways... i use it in coffee and in cooking. that's about it.
i never drink it... and don't really eat cereal. so my milk intake is pretty minimal.
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Looks delicious!
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