Just Another Day in the Kitchen

I woke up the other morning and emptied the dishwasher, washed my kitchen floor, and whipped up some homemade yogurt, almond milk, and Green Juice all before leaving for work at 7:15am. The almond milk was divine and flavored with organic vanilla extract and Medjool dates. I enjoyed the milk all week over Nuts & Raisins granola from JK Gourmet. I saved the almond pulp, dried it in the oven, blended it in the food processor and voila! I had almond meal which I made into SCD Cheddar Crackers (from the Healing Foods Cookbook).

The Green Juice was... interesting but I think I will invest in a juicer so that I don't get so much pulp. I am juicing these days to try and alkalize my body a bit more. The Green Juice recipe is courtesy of Dr. Oz and is on Oprah's website.

When my husband came home that evening he was amazed at how much I had accomplished so early in the morning. In truth it seemed like little effort to me. These days I think nothing of throwing together a quick SCD hummus made with tahini, lemon juice, navy beans and roasted garlic (the recipe is in Eat Well Feel Well).

As a matter of fact I am meeting up with some girlfriends tonight and plan to bring along some SCD versions of my favorite classic snacks like Cheddar Crackers with Thyme, Parmesan Artichoke dip, Roasted Garlic hummus and a nice dry white wine to accompany these delicious morsels.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Grillicious!

One of the signs of spring is that we spend a lot of quality time with our grill. We visited my sister-in-law a few weeks ago at her home in Florida where we BBQed as well. Our favorite grilled foods are shish kabobs of all varieties. In Florida we had chicken with peppers and sweet onions. We also experiment with zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, pork, beef, and shrimp. Shish kabobs become one of our everyday work night meals similar to stir-fries in the winter.

Other fun dishes and drinks that are nice accompaniments include a fruity wine Sangria, tomato, avocado, cucumber salad, and lots of fresh fruit for dessert.

Grilling is wonderful because it is a sign of warmer weather and more visits from friends and family. It also means less dishes and pans to wash!

Happy Grilling

Uncle Bob

Everyone should have an Uncle Bob. I visited my in-laws this weekend and my uncle Bob made an SCD binder for each house in the family so that when I visit people will know what I can and cannot eat. He inserted tabs and included the Legal/Illegal list from the Breaking the Vicious Cycle website as well as our favorite SCD recipes. What a guy!

For dinner we celebrated the spring weather with shish kabobs made of chicken and beef (marinated in oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices), red and orange peppers, sweet Vadalia onions, and cremini mushrooms.

Appetizers were thick tomatoes layered with fresh basil, avocado, and drizzled with oil and vinegar (the non-scders had mozzarella instead of avocado).

Dessert was a fresh fruit platter with organic red grapes, fat strawberries, and juicy pineapple. We topped that off with a game of Trivial Pursuit and called it a night.

Traveling and Technical Difficulties

I spent the last few weeks traveling around for business visiting both Kentucky and California. In California I was lucky enough to meet up with another SCDer and have some tea. We both agreed that it is amazing that when I work in California I am in the building across the street from her. We speculated on how many other people are right outside our doors who are also on the SCD and/or living with Crohn's.

While traveling I stuck to my usual routine of bringing my own staples (yogurt, stew, cookies, crackers) and then buying salads with grilled chicken/shrimp, hamburgers, grilled fish, steamed veggies, etc. I feel like I have this "domestic traveling with the SCD" thing down. Now my next challenges will be to travel internationally (I would love to go to Italy) or even to take another cruise. I have heard that other SCDers have enjoyed cruises with no problem so maybe that will be my next adventure.

Upon my return home I found that our computer was on the fritz. We had to completely re-image it and upload everything again. This, of course, was not fun but the good news is it seems to be back in business.

As of late we have been very busy at work so dinner has been a quick stir fry or something on the grill. As the weather continues to improve the grill becomes our best friend on weeknights. We are mindful of grilling on low to medium heat however, as I have read about some concerns with high heat and carcinogens. I suppose to be 100% healthy we should just be eating organic raw vegetables for the most part. Hmmm- I will leave that to the rabbits for now.

Today's Breakfast- Cinnamon Raisin Scone from the SCD Bakery
Lunch- Yogurt with fruit and honey
Dinner- Not sure - something with ground turkey probably

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's Off to Kentucky I Go

I am flying out to Kentucky for a quick three day trip. I made my new favorite beef stew to bring along. It is from Cooking Light magazine and is called Beef Daube Provencal. This stew is really amazing. It calls for beef broth but I just substitute my home made chicken broth (which I make, pour into ice cube trays, freeze, and then store in plastic bags). It also calls for serving the stew over egg noodles which, of course, I omit. It also calls for canned tomatoes but I am sure you can jut cut up your own.

At the very end of the cooking process I add sliced mushrooms and frozen peas as well. This stew is the best you will ever have.

SCD Artichoke Dip - Seriously!

My sister-in-law made this dip for a family party. I adapted it to be SCD Legal and added a few other ingredients. I brought the dip to a relative's house on Easter and everyone wanted the recipe.

I enjoy this dip with the Cheddar Crackers from the Healing Foods cookbook. If you have not tried these yet then you are really missing out. They are my new FAVORITE SCD snack. I eat them with guacamole, salsa, cheese, and now this new dip. They are super easy to make once you get the hang of it. Also, I noticed that Raman Prasad has some Chile-Lime crackers in his new fabulous SCD cookbook. I am going to try those next.

SCD Artichoke Dip

- 3/4 cup SCD mayo
- 1 cup Parmesian Cheese
- 14oz Can Artichokes (drained and chopped)
- Dash SCD Garlic Powder
- 2 tbs Parmesian Cheese
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Avocado (do not dice until you are ready to add to the dip or they will brown)

Mix first 4 ingredients together and spread in a baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesian cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Check to see if it is lightly browned.

Remove and let cool a bit. Add chopped tomatoes and avocado to the top and serve with the SCD crackers.

HEAVEN

Thank You Easter Honey!

The Easter Honey, aka my husband, spent all day yesterday making me Easter Candy. God bless that guy! I may have got the shaft in the digestive department but let me tell ya folks, the universe made up for it in the spousal section of my life.

Here's what he left in my basket:

- Peanut Butter Ice Box Truffles from Grainfree Gourmet Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

- Peanut Butter Caramel Crisps from Grainfree Gourmet Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

- Lemon Coconut Macaroons from Eat Well Feel Well

Thank you Easter Honey!

PICTURE- Rolling Peanut Butter Ice Box Truffles in shredded coconut.