Already stressing over what I can eat during the holidays!

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:54 pm

I wondered if any of you have suggestions for some basic foods that would at least make me feel like I was having something special? I'm still healing from a flare-up and I wasn't successful trying to add green beans this week, and I can't indulge in too much sugar (diabetes) or salt (arthritis), and nuts are out of the question still (fiber). I'm about to stress over not being able to eat anything and am so tempted to just stay home! So far, the only thing I have come up with (but haven't tried yet for tolerance) is mashed sweet potato with almond milk and maple syrup. Do any of you have any other suggestions?

Judy

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 7:07 pm

Judy
have you looked through the Dee's kitchen area of the forum?? loads of recipes in there...

other suggestions: -
Small roasting pan, and roast a turkey leg with veges in the oven, veges like sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, ratabuga
cover them with rice bran oil and salt.
I make gravy with home made bone broth and a GF/SF/YF gravy mix

Nice piece of salmon cooked medium to well. Make a DF hollandaise type sauce
http://againstallgrain.com/2012/02/21/p ... ise-sauce/
have with well cooked veges like cauliflower, sweet potato, carrot

or have the salmon with home made chips made from sweet potato and potato. (thinly sliced parsnip deep fried makes tasty addition)

Hopeful · Post by **Hopeful** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:39 pm

And if it's a dish to pass, bring something you can eat! I like the idea of sweet potato "casserole". And I know that you're not a big meat eater, but a plate of roasted meat pieces like turkey, lamb, chicken, etc. skewered or with a toothpick. Plus oven roasted veggies. Can be very satisfying and filling.

I'm leaving tomorrow for a 2 week trip. Packing lots of food but still at the mercy of other cooks. Nervous!

UkuleleLady · Post by **UkuleleLady** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 7:38 am

I make a smoothie with 3tbs hemp seed (9g protein),1 frozen banana, 1/2 fresh avocado, raw cacao powder, dash vanilla, water. It's an amazing treat, more delicious than ice cream.

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:13 am

I appreciate your quick responses Gabes, Hopeful, and UkeleleLady, as this seems to be all I’m thinking about presently.

Gabes – last week I did checked out Dee’s Kitchen, and while I found some great recipes there, most of them appeared to be geared toward someone not so close behind a full flare. Many of them had main ingredients that I have to avoid. But I’ll go back again and make sure I didn’t miss anything. I did buy both a white and a sweet potato yesterday and plan to fix one of them mashed with almond milk and Earth Balance “butter” tonight to see how I react. However, today I woke with a couple of bouts of WD, so am wondering if that’s even a good idea right now? It’s such a guessing game for me! And even though I don’t care much for meat, the turkey leg does sound wonderful. That may be the way I’ll have to go on Thursday. Thanks so much for the suggestions and hollandaise recipe link!

Hopeful – the sweet potato casserole is what I hope to try out today, but only by taking my mashed potato and adding a sweetening agent of maple syrup. It will be a far cry from our norm (especially with no nuts!), but at this point I’m sure it will be like a gourmet dish for me! I do hope your trip goes well for you! Travelling can be a challenge, for sure. But it sounds like you have a pretty good allowance of foods at this point to make it easier to fill yourself with good things. I hope to get there sooner than later ;)

UkeleleLady – I’m afraid of the seeds right now. If I’m avoiding fiber, would that smoothie give me problems? Sounds wonderful for when this flare-up is farther behind me :)

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:48 pm

Martha - the one time I tried hemp I could NOT swallow it. The taste - yuk! Does everything else mask it?

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:59 pm

Judy
i hope your digestion settles down soon...
and the mixed potato mash settles ok for you.

are you taking anti-histamines at all?

megamoxie · Post by **megamoxie** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 10:01 am

Many recipes can be adapted with creative substitutions. It's important to have treats, but also to go carefully especially while symptoms are active. Try small amounts, and not too many new things at once. I hope that you won't encounter pressure to eat things that are unsafe, but ultimately you have absolute control over what you allow in. I am partial to soups, as things are well cooked and you can tailor them to your specific needs and restrictions. Butternut squash bisque is delicious.

I'm going to make a gluten-free cornbread stuffing/dressing with chicken broth, sage, mushrooms, well-cooked onions, and since nuts are not a problem for me, I'll also add pecans or walnuts. I'll have my turkey breast with some sort of fruit chutney. I like baked apple for dessert - I hollow out a large apple and fill with chopped fruits and nuts and a little candied ginger, drizzle a little honey or maple syrup on it and bake at low temp until very soft.

I also like hot cider - that always feels like a treat at this time of year (autumn in New England).

Hopeful · Post by **Hopeful** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:58 pm

JMH - you won't believe how great a plain sweet potato tastes! Sometimes I cook it in the microwave and spread a little coconut or olive oil on it - takes care of your "former" sweet tooth. Baked winter squash or well cooked carrots with a little real maple syrup. I find that the great thing about a simple menu of choices is you adjust pretty quickly. You eat to live rather than live to eat!

The traveling is going well. I packed the car w/cooked meats, cooked sweet potatoes, bone broth, couple of bananas, hemp protein drink and rice cakes. Ruby Tuesday and Cracker Barrel both have special menus if you ask and easily accommodated GF, DF, etc. Car trips always constipate me a bit, anyways. So far, so good.

Happy Thanksgiving this week, y'all. Hope that you all have happy tummies, too!

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 8:13 pm

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I'm anxious to try them all, but some will have to wait a little longer. However, Thanksgiving is beginning to shape up for me :)

Gabes - I do take antihistamines ... 1/2 Zyrtec at night, and 1 Claritin in the morning. I have ordered a bottle of the Chlorphen-12 and expect it any day now.

Judy

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:02 am

Here is an interesting article on "getting the most" out of your sweet potatoes.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/food ... iving.html

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 6:54 pm

Hi, Judy. I take my own food to holidays meals, picnics, etc. It has become second nature to me and I enjoy the food that I am eating. I have a sweet potato almost every day. I cut it into pieces and drizzle with either coconut or olive oil, roast at 450 for 20 minutes...love it! I have also recently started eating parsnips. I make them along with the sweet potatoes. I'm going to search for some simple dessert to take along on Thanksgiving but most importantly I'm just going to enjoy being with my family. This disease certainly is life changing, but after living with it for a year I have gotten used to it. I hope you're soon feeling better.

Marcia

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:48 pm

Thank you for the link, Deb, and for the encouragement, Marcia. I just may try that sweet potato recipe ;)
Judy

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Sun Nov 23, 2014 8:35 pm

Jmh. We all go through this at the beginning. I remember my first holiday season. It wasn't fun, but we have to remember that the holidays are about getting together with friends and family. I basically kept it very simple and made sure I ate something safe before the main meal. The turkey is the safest thing to eat. I made the grave with cornstarch and I mash my sweet potatoes with coconut milk ( full fat) and a little brown sugar or maple syrup… and a little cinnamon. I know this is probably not the year you will be eating pie, but I make a GF pie dough for both my apple pie and my DF pumpkin pie. THAT is my treat!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Leah