More SCD Inspiration!

Have you all seen this SCD website? It is absolutely fabulous! Full of useful information, tips and FAQs on the SCD and great for newbies in particular. It also contains lots of recipes for delicious SCD meals with pictures to go along with them. In addition there are even comprehensive weekly meal plans.

Erin, the author, shares her own story about using SCD to manage Crohn's disease. She has been on the diet for about six years and is still doing well. She is truly an SCD inspiration and I hope you all find this site as informative and fun as I do. Thanks Erin!

Breakfast- SCD organic yogurt with strawberries and honey
Lunch- Mexican Meatballs
Dinner- Creamy pumpkin and squash soup
Snack- Cinnamon cookies with raisins and pecans from Lucy's Kitchen cookbook

PICTURE- Creamy Pumpkin and Squash soup

It's So Relaxing to be Back at Work

I cannot believe I am saying this but after all of the craziness of the past few days it was so relaxing to be back at work today. Now talk to me in a few days and I am sure I will be crying a different tune but for now I am enjoying my new found gratitude.

Breakfast- SCD yogurt with strawberries and honey
Lunch- More Mexican Meatballs
Dinner- Beth & Amy's Taco Salad Extravaganza (when is that cookbook coming guys!)

PICTURE- Dinner!

Thanksgiving Hangover

Oven roasted turkey, sweet and sour cranberry sauce, delicious pan gravy, butternut squash puree, mashed cauliflower, deviled eggs, pickles, wine, cheese and SCD crackers, pistachios, and pies.

It is official. I have a Thanksgiving hangover.

Also, last night was my High School reunion. It was great to see people who I have not seen in over 15 years. Lots of them have kids of their own now. I was grateful that I was healthy enough to go and that I am finally back to my normal weight.

It was a busy weekend and today we are going to settle in, cook up some Mexican Meatballs, watch a little football and turn in very early.

Breakfast- Smoothie with SCD organic yogurt, blueberries, bananas, honey and vanilla
Lunch- Mexican Meatballs with asparagus
Dinner-Roasted pumpkin and butternut squash soup with cinnamon and cumin


PICTURE- Yummy pumpkin pie (Beth's recipe)

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for:

• My husband (he's a saint)
• My family
• My friends (old and new)
• My health and that of my friends and family
• My home
• My job
• My safety and security
• The Specific Carbohydrate Diet
• The Internet
• My town
• My neighbors
• My car (even if it does have manual doors and windows)
• My books
• My clothes
• My education
• My doctors
• My life

Happy Thanksgiving

Breakfast- Smoothie with organic SCD yogurt, banana, blueberries, vanilla and honey
Lunch- Tuna fish with SCD tortilla chips from Eat Well Feel Well
Dinner- Off to my mom's for a pre-feast feast

PICTURE- Baking the Apple Galette from Grainfree Gourmet

Good Grief

Today I spent time talking to my friend at work who was recently diagnosed with an intestinal disorder and who will require surgery in a few weeks. I explained to him that I control Crohn's disease with a special diet and that I have not had any pasta, potatoes, bread, or rice (amongst other things) in over a year.

I went on to explain that I am happy as can be and feel healthier than I ever have. He remarked that this was strange as those are the exact types of foods his doctors told him he should be eating.

As Charlie Brown says, "Good Grief."

Breakfast- Yummy SCD yogurt with strawberries and honey
Lunch- Pizza Casserole
Dinner- Pizza Casserole II !

PICTURE- Roasted chicken, steamed carrots and cauliflower Parmesan mashed

There's No Place Like Home (except maybe with an SCD friend)

Ahhh Sunday. I thought you would never come. I arrived back from Chicago late on Friday night and experienced a mixture of emotions. Believe me by my second flight (and after logging over four hours of airport delays) I was clicking my smart black pumps and chanting "there's no place like home."

But unlike most business trips where I practically jump off the plane and kiss the ground upon arriving home, this time I was also a bit melancholy. You see, in between meetings, flights, and conferences I was lucky enough to be able to meet my pal Amy, a fellow SCDer, and her beautiful family. After several months of reading each other's blogs and corresponding via email it was surreal to actually be standing in their living room (cool artwork Stephen!). They were even so kind as to cook up a wonderful SCD meal of Mexican Meatballs and Apple Galette dessert from the Grainfree Gourmet. Of course being the daughter of Beth, one of my all time SCD culinary heroes, Amy is naturally a great cook as well! So thank you Amy, Sophia and Stephen! I hope we can get together again really soon!

This weekend entailed a lot of unpacking, laundry, chores, and all of that fun stuff. But I also squeezed in a trip to see a showing of A Midsummer Night's Dream, put on by my husband's High School Drama Club as well as a movie. In addition, I am proud to say that I even made it to the gym on Saturday for a round of Pilates and on Sunday for a dose of yoga.

But after all of the chores, entertainment, and exercise it was lots of time in the kitchen listening to Christmas Carols (yes, I realize that it isn't even Thanksgiving yet) while cooking up some of my SCD favorites like the Pizza Casserole from Lucy's Cookbook, the Apple Galette (Amy's was so good that I had to make one of my own), and homemade marinara sauce for a recipe that I am going to try and make later on in the week. After a week of literally eating out of my suitcase and navigating the challenging terrain of restaurant fare, it is good to be hanging out in my own kitchen.

Breakfast- Red Delicious Apple (I ran out of yogurt but I have two batches going now- one made from Whole Milk and the other from Half and Half)

Lunch- Roasted chicken with green beans

Dinner- Pizza Casserole and the New England Patriots (if I can stay awake)

PICTURE- Tonight's Pizza Casserole

Up, Up, and Away!

This week I am off to lovely Ann Arbor Michigan and then to Chicago. I will, of course, be taking my faithful SCD yogurt with me on this trip as well. The difference is that I will be on two different planes and in various hotel rooms. Dare I say though that I think I have it covered. When I get to my first hotel in Ann Arbor, there will be a refrigerator and freezer so I will be able to keep my yogurt cold and my blue ice inserts frozen. Then when I go to work the next day there will also be a fridge and freezer so I can do the same thing there. I will leave right from work to catch my flight to Chicago and then my next hotel is equip as well. If all goes as planned I should be able to enjoy my yogurt all week and I will also bring along some SCD beef stew as a fall back if I cannot find anything legal for lunch or dinner.

Holy Cow, you exclaim! What a PAIN in the behind you say? Huh! This is a walk in the park compared with the drug and surgery laden alternative. A little cooking here and airport security delays there? Bring it on.

Also, the best news about this particular trip is that I am scheduled to meet my SCD friend Amy who I have only corresponded with via these blogs. It is so exciting to meet people on the SCD since virtually nobody that most of us know in "real life" has even heard of the diet before. Plus Amy and her mother are great cooks and I am sure I will pick up some additional tips and tid bits on SCD cooking and meal planning while I am there. So I am certainly more excited than usual about this business trip!


See you in about a week...


Breakfast- SCD blueberry muffins and SCD organic yogurt with bananas and honey

Lunch- Taco Salad

Dinner- More leftovers!

PICTURE- Lucy's Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

R & R Weekend Gone Wild

Well so much for my R & R weekend. I woke up this morning with my type A overachiever side in full force and BOOM, BANG, BAM she declared R & R weekend over just like that. I have been living with this hyper anal persona since I can remember. Yes she is annoying as anything some times but man is she productive.

After fluttering around my house completing chore after chore I was wisked away to yoga and a few downward dog and warrior posses later, I hit the grocery store like a tornado. Upon my arrival home I went into full throttle cooking mode and spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen whipping up the following tasty dishes:

1. SCD Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms from Grainfree Gourmet


2. SCD Chili (actually a recipe from a non-SCD cookbook that I tweaked to make SCD compliant. This is for my husband to feast on all week while I am away.)


3. Beth's Taco Salad(YUMMMM)


4. Basil, Tomato, and Mozzarella (This was for my non-SCD husband. Mozzarella is NOT legal on the SCD. Sometimes I make this dish and substitute the Mozzarella with Havarti)


5. Buffalo Wings (also for my husband but easy to make SCD compliant for those of you who can handle them. I am not there yet)


6. Sage and Carrot Beef Stew (also from the Grainfree Gourmet. I am going to take this one on my trip with me along with my SCD yogurt and some other snacks)

So as you can see, not so much R & R but plenty of fun in the kitchen and loads of good leftovers. My type A side has finally settled down and "permitted" my husband to tackle clean up duty. Hey, she's a go getter for sure but she's not a fool.

Breakfast- SCD Blueberry muffin (OK, two) with butter and Welsh's grape juice along with a pear.

Lunch- Ummm, now that I think of it, didn't get around to that

Dinner- SCD Parmesan stuffed mushroom caps and Beth's Taco Salad

PICTURE- Stuffed Mushroom Caps

R & R Weekend

As I am off on another business trip next week and have been working like a maniac for the past several, I decided this weekend is all about guilt free rest and relaxation. To that end we decided not to cook last night and instead cruised on down to one of our favorite haunts for a steak and shrimp dinner. The vegetable of the day was butternut squash (YEAH) but it was off limits (BOO) as they added sugar. Why, I ask you, must anyone add sugar to something as wonderfully delicious as butternut squash? I know, I know, we were guilty of such transgressions too pre-SCD but now I truly shake my head in wonder.

I spent this morning hanging out with my 21 month old niece while her mother (my sister) was at work teaching horseback riding lessons. My niece and I had fun dancing around the living room (they don't call her "happy feet" for nothing), baking SCD blueberry muffins (which were a big hit with everyone), and playing "lion and mouse" (a successful spin off of our original imaginary animal game "cats and dogs").

After her departure my husband and I headed to the gym for some much needed physical fitness. Though my husband's routine would probably impress Lance Armstrong, I implemented a more tolerable program and then enjoyed some time in the steam room.

Once at home we decided to cook up a bistro type meal of roasted chicken with rosemary, lavender, and thyme along with buttered carrots and steamed green beans. Then maybe off to the movies. But definitely sleeping in tomorrow!

Brunch- Spinach and Havarti cheese omelet complements of my fab husband
Dinner- Roasted chicken with buttered carrots and steamed green beans

PICTURE-Dinner!

SCD Poetry

Original SCD poetry from the Fabulous Carol F. Moderator of the SCD listserv BTVC-SCD@yahoogroups.com.

"Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came an eagle
And said, "those ain't legal"
Eat yoghurt and throw them away. "

A lesson for all of those little Miss and Mr Muffets out there!

Breakfast- Organic SCD yogurt with strawberries and honey
Lunch- Cheddar cheese burger with a garden salad
Dinner- Beef and vegetable stir fry with peanut oil, garlic, and ginger along with a side of asparagus

PICTURE- Steaming butternut squash. One of my all time favorite SCD fall dishes

Yummy Yummy Yogurt

In case you have not noticed my very repetitive breakfasts, my favorite thing about the SCD is most certainly the yogurt. I love, love, love, to eat yogurt morning, noon, and night. Most of the time I make my "everyday" yogurt from organic whole milk. I enjoy it almost every morning with some type of fruit and honey. Usually I eat it at my desk at work along with some green tea. When I start to feel a bit guilty about all of the fat I will switch to organic 2% for a while but that comes out less solid and more tart. Most of the time I get over my guilt and go right back to whole milk. But when I am really mischievous and feeling very entitled, I make up a big batch of yogurt made from organic Half & Half or even (gasp) heavy cream, blend it with some fruit, honey, and vanilla, and churn it in my ice cream maker. Voila! Heaven on earth.

If you cannot tolerate yogurt made from cow's milk you can make goat milk yogurt or even nut yogurt from almond milk. There are lots of recipes out there on the SCD links. Pick your favorite recipe and enjoy.

Yesterday's Cuisine-

Breakfast- Organic SCD yogurt with bananas and honey

Lunch- Cranberry pork roast with butternut squash

Dinner- Havarti Cheese burgers with steamed broccoli and butternut squash

PICTURE- Strawberry SCD ice Cream