Showing posts with label low carb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low carb. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Fresh New Blog & YouTube Channel #paleo #lowcarb
She is delightful, adorable, smart, and does great basic cooking - from making cauli-rice to zucchini noodles, I've enjoyed reading this fresh new blog and watching her very informative videos!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
NICE #Lowcarb Supper Tonight!
In the old days, before my surgery, this would be about half of a meal for me. Now, though, it's definitely a complete meal, and all I can manage.
Earlier in the day I'd had a ground beef patty with a smidge of low-sugar ketchup. For my evening snack I had a slice of my lovely loaf, heavily buttered, with a schmear of peanut butter, then folded in half; growing up, we called this type of sandwich a foldover :).
Saturday, March 19, 2011
What I 8 Today - 3/19/11 (Plus Some General Discussion)
Today was a delicious day from beginning to end! I started my day with a grilled cheese sandwich, using bread from the lovely loaf recipe I posted yesterday, and american, swiss, and provolone cheeses. Lots of butter of course, and < 10gN for the whole meal which left me quite full so I wasn't really hungry again until suppertime.
For supper we had simple broiled chuck steak; I took the half with the most fat of course. And I made some amazingly perfect rutabaga steak fries. I sliced them into wide sticks, then fried them in olive oil and real butter, simply seasoning them with sea salt when they were done. (NOTE: I like these cooked really well, and hopefully I'll even get a few black ones in the end! A little carbon puts hair on your chest!) Total carbs for supper were about 12gN for the rutabaga but there is a wide variety of opinion when it comes to these; every source has a different carb count, so they could be anywhere from 8gN to 15gN. I just picked the number 12 as a good guess for the amount I ate. And a couple for the low carb ketchup. (see photo below)
After supper Pete dished us up some no sugar added bunny tracks ice cream. He gave me probably 2 servings, maybe a little less, so that's 40g total carbs, less 6g fiber, and there are also 14 grams of Sugar alcohols. Whether or not to count them is up to you; since I'm not really counting carbs at the moment I don't care :).
Why am I not counting carbs? Well first I am dropping weight. I still don't want to lose weight, and I still hate what it is doing to my body (I am lighter than I have been in probably over a decade, which means I have more saggy flabby hanging skin than I've ever had - UGH!), but I told my surgeon that I would lose weight. I believe that my post-surgical weight loss - common and expected after a fundoplication - had stopped about a month ago, but I could be wrong; most people continue to lose for 5-6 months from what I've read. But I'd stopped for a couple of weeks, during which I was eating a little carbier than usual...this leads me to believe that I'm losing again because I'm eating normally again.
The other reason that I'm not counting carbs is that I haven't done so after my first year of eating low carb. I only buy foods that I know aren't carby, and I prepare and eat only what I buy. If I'm eating plenty of fat, and my intake is primarily non-starchy vegetables, meat, eggs, and some dairy, with only low carb ingredients in my baking, and adding as much fat as I can stand, and I'm good. As once again evidenced by my current rate of loss. I don't keep track, but once or twice a week I step on the scale - which isn't very accurate when compared to my doctor's scale but is good for showing trends - and the needle is lower every time. Plus, by the fit of my clothes and the size of my body and the amount of saggy disgusting gross skin I've got hanging off my frame everywhere, I know that I am losing even though I have no clue what I weigh.
So that's my report for today...and some rambling too :).
Thursday, March 17, 2011
A Great Food Day Today, Too! #lowcarb
My beloved Petey made us ham and cheese omelets for breakfast today, really hit the spot!
Midday meal was tilapia, oven-fried in some olive oil and butter at a high (425F) temp until crispy around the edges and tender in the center, and green salads with shrimp and ranch dressing.
Supper was some Dreamfield's spaghetti with butter, just enough low-carb pasta sauce to turn it pink, and parmesan cheese.
Really a lovely day, with simple, inexpensive, but delicious food!
Midday meal was tilapia, oven-fried in some olive oil and butter at a high (425F) temp until crispy around the edges and tender in the center, and green salads with shrimp and ranch dressing.
Supper was some Dreamfield's spaghetti with butter, just enough low-carb pasta sauce to turn it pink, and parmesan cheese.
Really a lovely day, with simple, inexpensive, but delicious food!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Leftover Cauliflower: A Recipe
I had about 2c of leftover cauliflower with cheddar melted on it in the fridge and wanted a side dish to go with my pork. So I whipped up a couple of eggs, pulsed the cauli/cheese in the processor until it was like rice (cold cheese chops up just fine), and added "bread crumbs" (my standard crumbs are 2 parts ground porkie to 1 part parmesan from the can). Mixed in some onion and garlic powder - it had enough salt already - and let it sit so everything would come together.
With the resulting mixture I first fried patties in bacon fat by dropping it by several spoonsful into the hot fat and pressing it down with the turner, flipping them once the bottom was brown and crispy (about 4-5 minutes) to let the other side also brown and crisp up. That used up half the mixture, so I did the rest as if it was hash browns; I added a little more bacon fat to the pan, then the cauli mixture, and stirred it around every few minutes.
I personally like the patties better, but the "cauli browns" were also very good!
Meanwhile I fried up some pork cutlets I had, also in bacon fat, seasoned with just sea salt and garlic powder.
I will make sure that, when I have cauliflower from now on, I will make enough to have leftovers so that I can make these again!
With the resulting mixture I first fried patties in bacon fat by dropping it by several spoonsful into the hot fat and pressing it down with the turner, flipping them once the bottom was brown and crispy (about 4-5 minutes) to let the other side also brown and crisp up. That used up half the mixture, so I did the rest as if it was hash browns; I added a little more bacon fat to the pan, then the cauli mixture, and stirred it around every few minutes.
I personally like the patties better, but the "cauli browns" were also very good!
Meanwhile I fried up some pork cutlets I had, also in bacon fat, seasoned with just sea salt and garlic powder.
I will make sure that, when I have cauliflower from now on, I will make enough to have leftovers so that I can make these again!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Mmmm...Chocolate Cookies! ( #lowcarb )
Today my 21-month-old grandson and I made cookies. I don't measure anything but I'm fairly certain that the amounts given will be very close.
1 stick butter
1/3c xylitol
2/3c granulated splenda
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3T baking cocoa
1/4c polydextrose
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2c whole oats
1/2c unsweetened coconut
1c almond flour
1/2 pkg. sugar-free chocolate chips
Beat the first 3 ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Add next 2 ingredients and beat to blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dough will be quite stiff; if it isn't, add a little more almond flour.
Drop by walnut-sized portions onto greased baking sheet, dipping spoon into water between each portion, then flatten with a fork, dipping fork into water between each portion. These will not spread, so you can put them fairly close together. Bake @ 350F until done. I used a baking stone, and they took 16 minutes. You will have to adjust your time if you are using a baking sheet.
These are a very heavy dense cookie that go really well with coffee or milk, and they are very filling. I got 52 cookies in my batch.
1 stick butter
1/3c xylitol
2/3c granulated splenda
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3T baking cocoa
1/4c polydextrose
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2c whole oats
1/2c unsweetened coconut
1c almond flour
1/2 pkg. sugar-free chocolate chips
Beat the first 3 ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Add next 2 ingredients and beat to blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dough will be quite stiff; if it isn't, add a little more almond flour.
Drop by walnut-sized portions onto greased baking sheet, dipping spoon into water between each portion, then flatten with a fork, dipping fork into water between each portion. These will not spread, so you can put them fairly close together. Bake @ 350F until done. I used a baking stone, and they took 16 minutes. You will have to adjust your time if you are using a baking sheet.
These are a very heavy dense cookie that go really well with coffee or milk, and they are very filling. I got 52 cookies in my batch.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
WOW! Poppy Seed Dressing! (#lowcarb link)
Grace2882 shared a recipe for Poppy Seed Dressing in her blog, I was thrilled to see it!
(and here is my comment on her blog:
I'm so excited about this! Poppy seed dressing has been my favorite ever since I first had it in the college dorm dining hall and is one of the things I have missed! Hopefully I'll be able to eat salads again and if I do I will DEFINITELY have this with it!)
(and here is my comment on her blog:
I'm so excited about this! Poppy seed dressing has been my favorite ever since I first had it in the college dorm dining hall and is one of the things I have missed! Hopefully I'll be able to eat salads again and if I do I will DEFINITELY have this with it!)
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Art of Compromise #lowcarb
There are a couple of schools of thought among low carbers...well, more than a couple, but for the purpose of this post, I will mention 2: one says that if you find low carb substitutes for the carby foods you are used to, you will have greater success; the other says if you learn to do without the carby foods you are used to, you will have greater success. Obviously neither is absolutely true 100% of the time, but each is mostly true to whoever lives by it.
I started out, nearly 7 years ago, believing the latter. And did very well with it for the first year or so. Of course there were some things I felt I could not forgo completely - such as Chinese buffet restaurants - so I compromised, with a trip to one per month. Gradually I evolved to the first school of thought, and learned or created ways to have what I wanted but in a safe, non-carby way. And this is pretty much how I have lived ever since. I do still choose a carby food or meal - or even a day! - once in a while but overall, 90% of the time at least, I eat low carb equivalents to the carby foods I enjoyed before.
After my nissen fundoplication last month I knew I would have to undergo diet changes, and one of them is giving up the so-called "gassy vegetables". This includes cauliflower, which meant no more mashed "potatoes"! Cauliflower is a substitute for quite a few low carb foods, but mostly, for me, it was my mashed "potatoes".
For the first few weeks of my recovery, when I was eating very soft foods to allow my stomach to heal, I didn't think or worry about carbs. It was hard enough just getting nutrition into my 3- or 4-bite minimeals. And I wasn't eating enough food to gain weight certainly. A side effect of this surgery is weight loss, even though it isn't a WLS, so I had no worries - I just had to eat what didn't hurt me. And one of those things was mashed potatoes. I kept a box of instant because they are easy to make up just a tiny amount, and they worked so well for me that I still have some on hand. And, since I can't make the standard fauxtatoes, I have found a way to compromise on mashed potatoes.
(Let me note here that regular potatoes, mashed, are way carbier than instant.)
I haven't done the carb count - haven't actually counted my carbs in years - but here is how I am able to enjoy mashed potatoes with my meal, once or twice a week:
- 1/4c heavy cream
- 1/4c (1/2 stick) real butter
- 1/2c full-fat sour cream
- 1/2c water
Combine the above in a small casserole dish and microwave on high for 4 minutes; remove and stir until smooth.
- 2/3c instant potatoes (mine have 14gN per 1/3c) which is less than the directions on the box, don't let that throw you if you try these
- 1/2c finely shredded cheese (I've been using colby-jack)
- S&P to taste
Stir in cheese until melted; add instant potato flakes and stir until smooth; S&P to taste; return to microwave for 1 minute on high; stir one last time.
This makes 4 nice-sized servings. For the potato flake portion, that's 7gN carbs. Everything else that's in there is very low carb. I'm guessing maybe 10gN per portion. Which isn't a bad compromise at all!
Here is the disclaimer: If you believe you shouldn't consume any starches at all, then don't make this for yourself. If you are morally opposed to potato flakes, then please don't purchase them as your hard-earned cash will be supporting their continued use.
As time goes on and I am seeing that I need to alter my low carb lifestyle to fit within the limitations of my "wrap" (the affectionate pet name that most of us call our fundoplications) I am hopeful that I will be able to continue to eat as low carb as I have for so long. But if I need to get creative, I will not be afraid - I will venture forth and find new ways of doing old things. Because that's MY school of thought :).
I started out, nearly 7 years ago, believing the latter. And did very well with it for the first year or so. Of course there were some things I felt I could not forgo completely - such as Chinese buffet restaurants - so I compromised, with a trip to one per month. Gradually I evolved to the first school of thought, and learned or created ways to have what I wanted but in a safe, non-carby way. And this is pretty much how I have lived ever since. I do still choose a carby food or meal - or even a day! - once in a while but overall, 90% of the time at least, I eat low carb equivalents to the carby foods I enjoyed before.
After my nissen fundoplication last month I knew I would have to undergo diet changes, and one of them is giving up the so-called "gassy vegetables". This includes cauliflower, which meant no more mashed "potatoes"! Cauliflower is a substitute for quite a few low carb foods, but mostly, for me, it was my mashed "potatoes".
For the first few weeks of my recovery, when I was eating very soft foods to allow my stomach to heal, I didn't think or worry about carbs. It was hard enough just getting nutrition into my 3- or 4-bite minimeals. And I wasn't eating enough food to gain weight certainly. A side effect of this surgery is weight loss, even though it isn't a WLS, so I had no worries - I just had to eat what didn't hurt me. And one of those things was mashed potatoes. I kept a box of instant because they are easy to make up just a tiny amount, and they worked so well for me that I still have some on hand. And, since I can't make the standard fauxtatoes, I have found a way to compromise on mashed potatoes.
(Let me note here that regular potatoes, mashed, are way carbier than instant.)
I haven't done the carb count - haven't actually counted my carbs in years - but here is how I am able to enjoy mashed potatoes with my meal, once or twice a week:
- 1/4c heavy cream
- 1/4c (1/2 stick) real butter
- 1/2c full-fat sour cream
- 1/2c water
Combine the above in a small casserole dish and microwave on high for 4 minutes; remove and stir until smooth.
- 2/3c instant potatoes (mine have 14gN per 1/3c) which is less than the directions on the box, don't let that throw you if you try these
- 1/2c finely shredded cheese (I've been using colby-jack)
- S&P to taste
Stir in cheese until melted; add instant potato flakes and stir until smooth; S&P to taste; return to microwave for 1 minute on high; stir one last time.
This makes 4 nice-sized servings. For the potato flake portion, that's 7gN carbs. Everything else that's in there is very low carb. I'm guessing maybe 10gN per portion. Which isn't a bad compromise at all!
Here is the disclaimer: If you believe you shouldn't consume any starches at all, then don't make this for yourself. If you are morally opposed to potato flakes, then please don't purchase them as your hard-earned cash will be supporting their continued use.
As time goes on and I am seeing that I need to alter my low carb lifestyle to fit within the limitations of my "wrap" (the affectionate pet name that most of us call our fundoplications) I am hopeful that I will be able to continue to eat as low carb as I have for so long. But if I need to get creative, I will not be afraid - I will venture forth and find new ways of doing old things. Because that's MY school of thought :).
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Just a little site with some nice-looking #lowcarb recipes
I haven't seen many of these before so I thought I'd post it...
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
About my "Diet"
Lots of things are going on but I will blog about those in chiachatter - I did discuss my "heart-healthy" diet with the hospitalist this morning though, and he told me that it was best. I told him that I would like him to change me to a regular diet, and without "getting into it" that I have eaten low carb for almost 7 years, and a couple days of sugar and grains wasn't going to do anything except mess up my blood sugar. He told me that he's got to advise his "heart-healthy" (ie, oatmeal with brown sugar, raisins, and skim milk for breakfast!) diet and I said I know that's what he believes and I realized I wasn't going to change his mind, but that he won't change mine either, I have lived the results of low carb eating in my own better health, so please don't make a big deal of it, just change my diet to regular so that I can choose the foods that are best for me.
He changed my diet order to regular.
(Of course, I'm still NPO until more tests this afternoon, but I will look forward to meat and cooked green beans - with butter or at least their excuse for same - for supper tonight!)
He changed my diet order to regular.
(Of course, I'm still NPO until more tests this afternoon, but I will look forward to meat and cooked green beans - with butter or at least their excuse for same - for supper tonight!)
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas Day!
(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please go to my blog - cheapeasylowcarb.blogspot.com - to see my whole post. I don't make my points in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page :).)
Lovely day! Soup turned out beautifully. The grilled cheese sandwiches looked and smelled amazing! I used English muffin bread, real butter on the outsides, and did them on my electric griddle. I used a slice each of American, swiss, and havarti cheese. My mom ate half of her sandwich and took the other half, plus a Christmas cookie, home with her. Pete had two sandwiches and two bowls of soup. (He usually eats double portions of things, that's why I try hard to keep him low carb but sometimes it is an uphill battle.) I didn't bake cookies this year but bought a package of 10 (?) cookies yesterday that would look pretty on the table - and they did. They are full of sugar and carbs and I ate 2. Won't have any more.
Since I can't eat bread, I had to forgo those lovely sandwiches. What a horrible thing that was, but the threat of great pain kept me from giving into temptation. Still, my pita cheese crisps were pretty good. I used a low carb pita, sliced it in half to make two very thin pieces, then I cut those into a few large pieces. Buttered them, sprinkled colby-jack on them, topped with havarti, and into the oven on a rack until the cheese bubbled and the pitas crisped up. They were better than nothing but I was still drooling over the grilled cheese sandwiches!
I nibbled a lot today. Started out with a dish of cottage cheese, then nibbled on cheeses while I made dinner, tasted a spoonful of my soup several times, then a half-cup of soup and some of the pita cheese crisps for dinner, a cookie about an hour later, the rest of the crisps a couple of hours after that, and another cookie just now.
Both the pita and the tomato soup were new re-additions to my post-fundoplication diet, as was the cookie. I am happy to report that I did fine with them all! Tiny bites, well-chewed, warm tea, and walking around - it was all good!
Lovely day! Soup turned out beautifully. The grilled cheese sandwiches looked and smelled amazing! I used English muffin bread, real butter on the outsides, and did them on my electric griddle. I used a slice each of American, swiss, and havarti cheese. My mom ate half of her sandwich and took the other half, plus a Christmas cookie, home with her. Pete had two sandwiches and two bowls of soup. (He usually eats double portions of things, that's why I try hard to keep him low carb but sometimes it is an uphill battle.) I didn't bake cookies this year but bought a package of 10 (?) cookies yesterday that would look pretty on the table - and they did. They are full of sugar and carbs and I ate 2. Won't have any more.
Since I can't eat bread, I had to forgo those lovely sandwiches. What a horrible thing that was, but the threat of great pain kept me from giving into temptation. Still, my pita cheese crisps were pretty good. I used a low carb pita, sliced it in half to make two very thin pieces, then I cut those into a few large pieces. Buttered them, sprinkled colby-jack on them, topped with havarti, and into the oven on a rack until the cheese bubbled and the pitas crisped up. They were better than nothing but I was still drooling over the grilled cheese sandwiches!
I nibbled a lot today. Started out with a dish of cottage cheese, then nibbled on cheeses while I made dinner, tasted a spoonful of my soup several times, then a half-cup of soup and some of the pita cheese crisps for dinner, a cookie about an hour later, the rest of the crisps a couple of hours after that, and another cookie just now.
Both the pita and the tomato soup were new re-additions to my post-fundoplication diet, as was the cookie. I am happy to report that I did fine with them all! Tiny bites, well-chewed, warm tea, and walking around - it was all good!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Some GOOD Shopping! #lowcarb
(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please go to my blog - cheapeasylowcarb.blogspot.com - to see my whole post. I don't make my points in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page :).)
I guess because tomorrow is Christmas and the grocery stores will be closed, and because they are closing early this evening, the merchants didn't want certain items to just sit around for 2 days, so there were a lot of markdowns today that we were able to take advantage of! Here are some samples:
1# smoked turkey ends and pieces: $1.19 (Many of the packages had a single chunk, which I can use in so many ways!)
33 oz. Maxwell House decaf - $6.99 (WOW!)
These aren't something I would normally buy but I do have a use for them: 6 oz. thin-sliced honey ham from the deli that is usually $4.99 but were on sale for $2.00
5# Budgie seed mix (a CLEAN mix of millet and oat groats that I will mix with the usual mix I feed my cockatiel and lovebirds to "stretch" it) for $2.99
Walden Farms bacon dressing for $1.99 (half price); I can't eat salads now but it will be great as a dip or spread!
Chicken legs for 65c/lb
10# Idaho Russets $2.99 (I'm eating small amounts of potato - not a low carb food but have incorporated them once or twice a week into my eating plan; plus the fam loves them!)
Havarti cheese - just about my favorite! - sliced, 25% off, or $2.79/pkg
So I did buy some things that I still consider expensive. Take for example the Havarti cheese. I don't pay $5.58/lb for anything, typically. But as little as I'm eating right now, and as much as I love Havarti* I consider it a worthy splurge.
[*I told my husband, "If we ever get into an argument and you want to apologize because you know you were wrong, a package of Havarti cheese will work well." He said, "So what will you get me when you're wrong?" and I told him, "I never am!"]
For Christmas I made a couple of other splurges: They had a pound of lovely saucy BBQ ribs, already cooked, for $5.49, marked down from $6.99; I got those for Pete's Christmas Eve dinner. (I can't eat them but I'm happy with smoked turkey and havarti!) And we splurged on some English muffin bread for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. Since my mother developed Lewy Body Disease we have had a new Christmas dinner tradition: grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade creamy tomato soup. I can't eat the sandwiches anyway, but the english muffin bread will be marvelous for them I think! And I got the ingredients for my soup also, but it is inexpensive to make anyway. (I will post the recipe tomorrow, if I remember.) Instead of a sandwich I will make my cheesy pita points for myself, even though I'll just eat one triangle at least it will be in the spirit of a grilled cheese sandwich!
Overall we spent about $130 today. Considering this is my first grocery shopping of the month, and that we (well, I wasn't here the first 2 weeks of December) have been eating almost 100% from our stocked foods - and eating well! - I'm pretty proud of this month's food budget.
I guess because tomorrow is Christmas and the grocery stores will be closed, and because they are closing early this evening, the merchants didn't want certain items to just sit around for 2 days, so there were a lot of markdowns today that we were able to take advantage of! Here are some samples:
1# smoked turkey ends and pieces: $1.19 (Many of the packages had a single chunk, which I can use in so many ways!)
33 oz. Maxwell House decaf - $6.99 (WOW!)
These aren't something I would normally buy but I do have a use for them: 6 oz. thin-sliced honey ham from the deli that is usually $4.99 but were on sale for $2.00
5# Budgie seed mix (a CLEAN mix of millet and oat groats that I will mix with the usual mix I feed my cockatiel and lovebirds to "stretch" it) for $2.99
Walden Farms bacon dressing for $1.99 (half price); I can't eat salads now but it will be great as a dip or spread!
Chicken legs for 65c/lb
10# Idaho Russets $2.99 (I'm eating small amounts of potato - not a low carb food but have incorporated them once or twice a week into my eating plan; plus the fam loves them!)
Havarti cheese - just about my favorite! - sliced, 25% off, or $2.79/pkg
So I did buy some things that I still consider expensive. Take for example the Havarti cheese. I don't pay $5.58/lb for anything, typically. But as little as I'm eating right now, and as much as I love Havarti* I consider it a worthy splurge.
[*I told my husband, "If we ever get into an argument and you want to apologize because you know you were wrong, a package of Havarti cheese will work well." He said, "So what will you get me when you're wrong?" and I told him, "I never am!"]
For Christmas I made a couple of other splurges: They had a pound of lovely saucy BBQ ribs, already cooked, for $5.49, marked down from $6.99; I got those for Pete's Christmas Eve dinner. (I can't eat them but I'm happy with smoked turkey and havarti!) And we splurged on some English muffin bread for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. Since my mother developed Lewy Body Disease we have had a new Christmas dinner tradition: grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade creamy tomato soup. I can't eat the sandwiches anyway, but the english muffin bread will be marvelous for them I think! And I got the ingredients for my soup also, but it is inexpensive to make anyway. (I will post the recipe tomorrow, if I remember.) Instead of a sandwich I will make my cheesy pita points for myself, even though I'll just eat one triangle at least it will be in the spirit of a grilled cheese sandwich!
Overall we spent about $130 today. Considering this is my first grocery shopping of the month, and that we (well, I wasn't here the first 2 weeks of December) have been eating almost 100% from our stocked foods - and eating well! - I'm pretty proud of this month's food budget.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
It's Still All About The Food
(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please click below to see the entire post or go to my blog itself. I don't always make my point in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page. I mean, if you actually want to see it all :).)
I'm posting this to both of my blogs, and those who only follow ChiaChatter will have to go to yesterday's post to see details of my recent surgery, if you want to get up to speed.
Thinking of how I am now eating, food is still my passion. The big difference is, how can I make my miniscule (2-3 Tbsp) meals a little more interesting, especially given my current limitations? Especially since I have to eat so freakin' many of them to get even a minimum of nutrition into my system...
My doctor has said that I can eat anything except bread, raw veggies, and - oh, I can't think of the other thing, but I won't be eating it anyway. Because he instructed me only to avoid those 3 areas, and chew well.
But before I had the surgery I did ALL kinds of research, from pdf instructions sheets of other docs who do the procedure, to medical sites, to a forum especially for fundoplication patients. And the vast majority, in talking about getting back to regular food, have much more specific instructions or experience. So, because the failure rate of this surgery is so high, and because the side effects can be disastrous, I am electing to collect all of the knowledge I gained, and create my own plan based upon the most conservative and logical of them all. I want to have the best possible outcome with the fewest possible post-surgical issues, and feel I need to be my own best "meal planner". It seems to me that most of those who are living with awful lifetime side effects or have had to repeat the surgery didn't go the most conservative route. I may be wrong, but this is how I am proceeding.
24 hours after surgery I was put on clear liquids. 48 hours post op I was put on full liquids. This includes things like yogurt and custard. The first day I ate only yogurt. I could only eat a couple of bites at a time without feeling uncomfortable, so I nibbled at it all day. The next day I included a few bites of cream of wheat with butter (yeah, they consider that liquid), and my doctor said that if I wanted to try soft food, he would change the order. So Saturday I tried some tilapia. The kitchen sent up rice with it though, and I put a few grains on the tip of my fork. Big mistake, lots of pain. I walked as far as I could to help things pass.
I think I need to insert here that my esophagus is considerably smaller than it was where it empties into my stomach. Stuff can get stuck. I have to eat taking tiny (1/2 tsp) bites, and chewing my food to a liquid consistency. I cannot drink more than a few tiny sips while eating (google "dumping syndrome"), or for 30 minutes before or after. Any foods that are hard to digest (including fiber), have skins, or seeds, or nuts, or cause gas, or could swell after swallowing or are carbonated - all off limits for now. So I need to get the maximum nutrition into the minimum intake, and the maximum hydration into the minimal time I have between the tiny meals - while observing the above cautions. Should something get stuck, I can take small sips of very warm (can't have anything very hot or very cold either) water and try to walk it off.
The problem on Saturday evening was that I was in the throes of pneumonia, weak as a kitten, and could only walk a short distance before becoming wobbly and winded. But it did pass, and I decided I would wait a few more days before trying soft or softened solid foods again.
Sunday I continued with yogurt, and added custard. Monday morning before my discharge I ate half of a scrambled egg. Introducing only 1-2 "new" foods a day is part of my conservative dietary after-care per one of the instructions sheets I'd read.
I was still living with a lot of pain when I was discharged, and no appetite to speak of. The hour+ ride to my sister's left me very weak; liquid lortab helped with the pain. I added both applesauce and cottage cheese to my diet that evening without a bad result.
Yesterday I got a little experimental, and discovered that 2 spoons of plain full fat yogurt with 1 spoon of applesauce, sprinkled with cinnamon, and stir in a drop of liquid sucralose - creamy apple pie in a dish! This was my first really enjoyable dish. And for supper, a small piece of leftover potato, put through the chopper with some milk and butter until creamy and smooth, and heated. Who would have thought that a leftover potato could taste so amazing??
Today I had some SF jello with a scoop of cottage cheese that lasted me for several hours (about 1/2c total). Just now I took some of my broth that I'd saved up from my pre-surgical meals (frozen), and heated it with a chunk of butter, then mixed in a few mashed potato flakes to thicken. I let it sit for quite a while to make sure the flakes were fully "inflated" before I ate it. In fact I am still eating it, and it will last throughout the evening most likely. It was delightful to taste my own seasonings again.
So it is all about baby steps - and baby bites! - and patience and listening to my own body. If my stomach starts sending out the "full" message, one more bite will cause pain. And today is the first day I have really felt hunger. To me this is a good thing, a sign of healing. So many people are unable to burp or vomit after this procedure that these issues are to be almost expected, although I have been able to burp a few times. And life of flatulence will also be a result. Lots and lots of flatulence...
Whereas before I took great satisfaction in a delicious plate full of food, in creating an entire glorious meal, now it is much more simple - just blending a couple of flavors to keep the boredom at bay, and the anticipation and even excitement of adding in a new food every now and again.
Everything will be different from now on. But given what I have suffered the last 19 years, progressing to what it became the last few (my husband, daughter, and sister are really the only ones who know the extent of that), this is a small price to pay to get my life back. As time goes on it will become natural, and I will also be able to eat more normally. Doc says a year to heal completely, the first 100 days will be critical. And it is these 100 days that I don't want to do anything to mess it all up. Baby steps, slow and steady...and simple pleasures like apple pie in a bowl where I can find them :).
I'm posting this to both of my blogs, and those who only follow ChiaChatter will have to go to yesterday's post to see details of my recent surgery, if you want to get up to speed.
Thinking of how I am now eating, food is still my passion. The big difference is, how can I make my miniscule (2-3 Tbsp) meals a little more interesting, especially given my current limitations? Especially since I have to eat so freakin' many of them to get even a minimum of nutrition into my system...
My doctor has said that I can eat anything except bread, raw veggies, and - oh, I can't think of the other thing, but I won't be eating it anyway. Because he instructed me only to avoid those 3 areas, and chew well.
But before I had the surgery I did ALL kinds of research, from pdf instructions sheets of other docs who do the procedure, to medical sites, to a forum especially for fundoplication patients. And the vast majority, in talking about getting back to regular food, have much more specific instructions or experience. So, because the failure rate of this surgery is so high, and because the side effects can be disastrous, I am electing to collect all of the knowledge I gained, and create my own plan based upon the most conservative and logical of them all. I want to have the best possible outcome with the fewest possible post-surgical issues, and feel I need to be my own best "meal planner". It seems to me that most of those who are living with awful lifetime side effects or have had to repeat the surgery didn't go the most conservative route. I may be wrong, but this is how I am proceeding.
24 hours after surgery I was put on clear liquids. 48 hours post op I was put on full liquids. This includes things like yogurt and custard. The first day I ate only yogurt. I could only eat a couple of bites at a time without feeling uncomfortable, so I nibbled at it all day. The next day I included a few bites of cream of wheat with butter (yeah, they consider that liquid), and my doctor said that if I wanted to try soft food, he would change the order. So Saturday I tried some tilapia. The kitchen sent up rice with it though, and I put a few grains on the tip of my fork. Big mistake, lots of pain. I walked as far as I could to help things pass.
I think I need to insert here that my esophagus is considerably smaller than it was where it empties into my stomach. Stuff can get stuck. I have to eat taking tiny (1/2 tsp) bites, and chewing my food to a liquid consistency. I cannot drink more than a few tiny sips while eating (google "dumping syndrome"), or for 30 minutes before or after. Any foods that are hard to digest (including fiber), have skins, or seeds, or nuts, or cause gas, or could swell after swallowing or are carbonated - all off limits for now. So I need to get the maximum nutrition into the minimum intake, and the maximum hydration into the minimal time I have between the tiny meals - while observing the above cautions. Should something get stuck, I can take small sips of very warm (can't have anything very hot or very cold either) water and try to walk it off.
The problem on Saturday evening was that I was in the throes of pneumonia, weak as a kitten, and could only walk a short distance before becoming wobbly and winded. But it did pass, and I decided I would wait a few more days before trying soft or softened solid foods again.
Sunday I continued with yogurt, and added custard. Monday morning before my discharge I ate half of a scrambled egg. Introducing only 1-2 "new" foods a day is part of my conservative dietary after-care per one of the instructions sheets I'd read.
I was still living with a lot of pain when I was discharged, and no appetite to speak of. The hour+ ride to my sister's left me very weak; liquid lortab helped with the pain. I added both applesauce and cottage cheese to my diet that evening without a bad result.
Yesterday I got a little experimental, and discovered that 2 spoons of plain full fat yogurt with 1 spoon of applesauce, sprinkled with cinnamon, and stir in a drop of liquid sucralose - creamy apple pie in a dish! This was my first really enjoyable dish. And for supper, a small piece of leftover potato, put through the chopper with some milk and butter until creamy and smooth, and heated. Who would have thought that a leftover potato could taste so amazing??
Today I had some SF jello with a scoop of cottage cheese that lasted me for several hours (about 1/2c total). Just now I took some of my broth that I'd saved up from my pre-surgical meals (frozen), and heated it with a chunk of butter, then mixed in a few mashed potato flakes to thicken. I let it sit for quite a while to make sure the flakes were fully "inflated" before I ate it. In fact I am still eating it, and it will last throughout the evening most likely. It was delightful to taste my own seasonings again.
So it is all about baby steps - and baby bites! - and patience and listening to my own body. If my stomach starts sending out the "full" message, one more bite will cause pain. And today is the first day I have really felt hunger. To me this is a good thing, a sign of healing. So many people are unable to burp or vomit after this procedure that these issues are to be almost expected, although I have been able to burp a few times. And life of flatulence will also be a result. Lots and lots of flatulence...
Whereas before I took great satisfaction in a delicious plate full of food, in creating an entire glorious meal, now it is much more simple - just blending a couple of flavors to keep the boredom at bay, and the anticipation and even excitement of adding in a new food every now and again.
Everything will be different from now on. But given what I have suffered the last 19 years, progressing to what it became the last few (my husband, daughter, and sister are really the only ones who know the extent of that), this is a small price to pay to get my life back. As time goes on it will become natural, and I will also be able to eat more normally. Doc says a year to heal completely, the first 100 days will be critical. And it is these 100 days that I don't want to do anything to mess it all up. Baby steps, slow and steady...and simple pleasures like apple pie in a bowl where I can find them :).
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Brussels Sprouts COULD Become my Favorite Vegetable! (recipe)
Tonight's supper was excellent! I have a freezerful of pork tenderloin that we had sliced into 3/4" slices by the butcher. I fried a few slices on our griddle, greased with bacon fat, and seasoned them with just some onion/garlic/chili powders and sea salt.
I did a "seat of the pants" brussels sprout dish to go with them. Here is what I did.
2T bacon fat
1/2 red onion, sliced into "slivers"
about 30 thawed, previously frozen brussels sprouts, halved
1/4 tsp. nutmet
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2T balsamic vinegar
First I cooked the onion in the bacon fat until the edges started to brown, then I stirred in the brussels sprouts. When they were tender (and the onions were quite brown, like I like them!) I stirred in the remaining ingredients, stirring in the fat over high heat until most of the liquid had evaporated and there was just a couple of spoonsful of "sauce" left in the bottom.
These were AMAZING! And so simple, and so cheap!
Let me just say here that I have never been a fan of brussels sprouts. I would eat 3 or 4 with a meal but that was my limit. Tonight, I even had SECONDS! Really really excellent! :)
At 1.5gN each, that's a little carby. Add in the 4 gm carbs from the balsamic vinegar and the 5gN from the onion and we're talking about 55gN here. I ate about 1/3 of the whole amount, for maybe 20gN. The meat had a low amount of carbs from the seasonings also - but just over maybe 20gN for a meal - yeah, that's fine with me...especially for a meal that was SO GREAT!
I did a "seat of the pants" brussels sprout dish to go with them. Here is what I did.
2T bacon fat
1/2 red onion, sliced into "slivers"
about 30 thawed, previously frozen brussels sprouts, halved
1/4 tsp. nutmet
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2T balsamic vinegar
First I cooked the onion in the bacon fat until the edges started to brown, then I stirred in the brussels sprouts. When they were tender (and the onions were quite brown, like I like them!) I stirred in the remaining ingredients, stirring in the fat over high heat until most of the liquid had evaporated and there was just a couple of spoonsful of "sauce" left in the bottom.
These were AMAZING! And so simple, and so cheap!
Let me just say here that I have never been a fan of brussels sprouts. I would eat 3 or 4 with a meal but that was my limit. Tonight, I even had SECONDS! Really really excellent! :)
At 1.5gN each, that's a little carby. Add in the 4 gm carbs from the balsamic vinegar and the 5gN from the onion and we're talking about 55gN here. I ate about 1/3 of the whole amount, for maybe 20gN. The meat had a low amount of carbs from the seasonings also - but just over maybe 20gN for a meal - yeah, that's fine with me...especially for a meal that was SO GREAT!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Stretching a Meal - Easy AND CHEAP! #lowcarb
One day last week I had planned steak with roasted vegetables for supper. Then my daughter asked if her friend could eat with us, and of course I said he could...though I'd gotten 3 steaks out of the freezer, cutting each into 4 chunks makes it easy to feed 4 people with 3 steaks. Then she asked if one of her girlfriends, who also has a toddler, could also come. So we were up to 5 adults and 2 toddlers for supper.
The roasted vegetables were no problem: I just added more to the baking sheet. I used cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, red & green bell peppers, and whole green beans - all simply tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt, and roasted at 425 until they just started to brown.
For the meat, I cut it into bite-sized chunks and seared it in just a little olive oil, then added a couple of cans of shitaki mushrooms and a couple of onions, cut into big chunks. Once those had cooked, I stirred in some garlic and chili powders, and some worchestershire sauce, and it was ready to serve with a big pile of vegetables, and some fresh tomato wedges.
We ate like royalty, on nearly double the amount of food I'd originally planned. The plates were beautiful and colorful, that last-minute addition of the fresh tomatoes added a perfect contrast to the hot dishes, and everyone had their fill, with enough left over for my husband to have an evening snack!
Best of all, the cost: I fed everyone for under $10! 2# of steak at $2.99/lb, a half-bag (2.5#) of frozen mixed vegetables at $1.50, 2 tomatoes were about 40c each, plus oil and seasonings. AMAZING!
The roasted vegetables were no problem: I just added more to the baking sheet. I used cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, red & green bell peppers, and whole green beans - all simply tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt, and roasted at 425 until they just started to brown.
For the meat, I cut it into bite-sized chunks and seared it in just a little olive oil, then added a couple of cans of shitaki mushrooms and a couple of onions, cut into big chunks. Once those had cooked, I stirred in some garlic and chili powders, and some worchestershire sauce, and it was ready to serve with a big pile of vegetables, and some fresh tomato wedges.
We ate like royalty, on nearly double the amount of food I'd originally planned. The plates were beautiful and colorful, that last-minute addition of the fresh tomatoes added a perfect contrast to the hot dishes, and everyone had their fill, with enough left over for my husband to have an evening snack!
Best of all, the cost: I fed everyone for under $10! 2# of steak at $2.99/lb, a half-bag (2.5#) of frozen mixed vegetables at $1.50, 2 tomatoes were about 40c each, plus oil and seasonings. AMAZING!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Lately, It's Been All About Comfort #lowcarb
Between my pain and digestive issues, and things that have been going on in my life, my diet has been all about comfort. Not weight loss, not macronutrient ratios, not even about balance. Just about comfort. There have been days on end when all I ate was pasta - Dreamfield's of course - with olive oil, butter, and the mixed Italian blend shredded cheese from Walmart. Other days, it was buttered toast, just store-bought lowcarb bread, which I wouldn't usually eat, but it's been about getting through each day, so many days lately, and just being able to eat has been a blessing.
One of the great things about the way I eat is that thick'n'creamy - REAL creamy, with real high-fat cream - is comforting and lowcorb both! And while many days I didn't want creamy, many days I did. And I could. Creamy-cheesy comfort...
Some days, though, I have prepared actual meals, as I always have, but nothing very inspired. We're still eating through the surplus of meat, seafood, and veggies in our big freezer, and have just had to fill in the gaps with dairy and fresh produce - nothing worth reporting. But overall, June was a month of very few, very small grocery bills, and not a single "big" shopping. That really lowers our net average for groceries.
So while I don't have a whole lot to report, I do want to tell you about yesterday's fantastic 15-minute supper. So good, it deserves its own post :).
One of the great things about the way I eat is that thick'n'creamy - REAL creamy, with real high-fat cream - is comforting and lowcorb both! And while many days I didn't want creamy, many days I did. And I could. Creamy-cheesy comfort...
Some days, though, I have prepared actual meals, as I always have, but nothing very inspired. We're still eating through the surplus of meat, seafood, and veggies in our big freezer, and have just had to fill in the gaps with dairy and fresh produce - nothing worth reporting. But overall, June was a month of very few, very small grocery bills, and not a single "big" shopping. That really lowers our net average for groceries.
So while I don't have a whole lot to report, I do want to tell you about yesterday's fantastic 15-minute supper. So good, it deserves its own post :).
Friday, June 25, 2010
Great Article - Save $$ on Meat! #lowcarb
I have been getting Mary Hunt's newsletter, Debt-Proof Living, for years, and have an enormous amount of respect for her, what she's accomplished, and how she is helping others to get out of debt quickly, and fairly. She has some great money-saving ideas in her daily newsletter, and if you click on the title above it should take you to her article on saving money on meats. It makes such perfect sense! This is how I shop (am I paying for bone? added water weight? fat?), doing the math as to whether the edible portions of a $1.29/lb roast make it a real bargain over the $3.59 leaner boneless cut...but having the chart that she links to will really be a great help and probably more accurate. I hope you benefit as much from this article as I plan to do!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A New #LowCarb Player on the #YouTube Field
I think I've watched every low carb recipe video on YouTube so many times that I'd given up hope of ever seeing anything new. Not that I don't appreciate them all, of course! And I have so many favorites that I will never grow tired of watching! Somehow seeing other people make low carb foods is just really enjoyable to me even after 3-4 viewings...just the same though, the 'Tube was due for some new blood.
And last night I discovered FidgetForFitness. With all the zeal and enthusiasm of a new low carber she has been creating easy dishes and sharing them with us - nearly 100 videos (not all recipes, but still...) in just a couple of months! - and they look pretty darned good! I remember those days 6 years ago when I filled my kitchen with lowcarb ingredients and went to work creating, and it was so much fun! Well that seems to be where Fidge (an affectionate nickname, as I feel I know her after watching so many videos!) is right now, and it's almost as fun reliving it with her now!
I've already amassed my list of "gotta try" dishes, as well as a couple of questions that I will put forth to her eventually, but I'm so happy to have found new low carb blood on the 'Tube, and dishes that look easy and good, that I wanted to share :).
And last night I discovered FidgetForFitness. With all the zeal and enthusiasm of a new low carber she has been creating easy dishes and sharing them with us - nearly 100 videos (not all recipes, but still...) in just a couple of months! - and they look pretty darned good! I remember those days 6 years ago when I filled my kitchen with lowcarb ingredients and went to work creating, and it was so much fun! Well that seems to be where Fidge (an affectionate nickname, as I feel I know her after watching so many videos!) is right now, and it's almost as fun reliving it with her now!
I've already amassed my list of "gotta try" dishes, as well as a couple of questions that I will put forth to her eventually, but I'm so happy to have found new low carb blood on the 'Tube, and dishes that look easy and good, that I wanted to share :).
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Strange Food Day #lowcarb
I didn't want much lunch so I took a handful of frozen cauliflower florets and partially thawed them, just so I could chop them with my chopping blade. Then I chopped some leftover ham and sprinkled cheese on top, then heated it up right in the bowl. It was maybe a cupful if that...and very very good.
For supper I'd gotten out a couple of NY strips for grilling for Pete and I, and planned to maybe heat up some green beans in olive oil...but suddenly got a taste for some great Koegel franks in the casings. So we went to the local market and picked a few out of the meat case, and grilled them with our steaks. And had a salad on the side, with my own salad dressing (about 1/3c mayo, 1/4c SF ketchup, 2T Ideal sweetener, and 1Tbsp vinegar). What a delicious supper! A little unconventional maybe, but totally delicious!
For supper I'd gotten out a couple of NY strips for grilling for Pete and I, and planned to maybe heat up some green beans in olive oil...but suddenly got a taste for some great Koegel franks in the casings. So we went to the local market and picked a few out of the meat case, and grilled them with our steaks. And had a salad on the side, with my own salad dressing (about 1/3c mayo, 1/4c SF ketchup, 2T Ideal sweetener, and 1Tbsp vinegar). What a delicious supper! A little unconventional maybe, but totally delicious!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
What I 8 Today (6/9/10) #lowcarb
No appetite today so I didn't eat until suppertime. But dinner was pork rubbed with brown sugar sub, garlic, onion, and chili powder, and sea salt, then roasted. I also peeled a rutabaga and cut it into 1/4" strips, tossed with olive oil and sea salt, sprinkled with a little balsamic vinegar, and roasted, plus I fried up some brussels sprouts in bacon fat.
My stomach handled everything ok, even though I ate a full meal. As I wrote in my ChiaChatter blog, I am not fully convinced that my illness and pain is even in my digestive tract.
Haven't done any shopping in weeks, except for some half'n'half and a couple of other misc. things. Nothing major. We still have so much food in the house and in the freezer that I may not have to do a big shopping at all this month. It pays to stock up on food when it's on sale!
My stomach handled everything ok, even though I ate a full meal. As I wrote in my ChiaChatter blog, I am not fully convinced that my illness and pain is even in my digestive tract.
Haven't done any shopping in weeks, except for some half'n'half and a couple of other misc. things. Nothing major. We still have so much food in the house and in the freezer that I may not have to do a big shopping at all this month. It pays to stock up on food when it's on sale!
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