Scrumptious Stuffed Peppers

Today was all about work, work, work and I needed comfort food. I couldn't wait to get home and make scrumptious peppers stuffed with ground chicken and Parmesan cheese. Basically I adapted a recipe and used almond flour instead of bread crumbs, SCD ketchup, and homemade marinara sauce along with some other goodies like garlic, onions, etc. Next time I might try them with some spinach or mushrooms. They were like a little meatloaf in a pepper and definitely hit the spot. Even got a thumbs up from my husband. But best of all, we have lots of leftovers for dinner tomorrow night and lunches this week.

Breakfast- SCD yogurt with bananas and honey
Mid-morning snack- Amy's pumpkin muffins
Lunch- Leftover roasted chicken with butternut squash and asparagus
Dinner- Scrumptious stuffed peppers

PICTURE- Dinner!

Waking Up In The City That Never Sleeps

I am back from New York where I spent lots of time 1. walking 2. eating 3. being entertained and very little time 4. sleeping.

The trip was a great success. We hit an absurd amount of traffic on the way down Friday night but after that initial hiccup it was all smooth sailing. I drove down with my husband and my father-in-law. When we arrived (I think it was about 8:30pm or so) we met up with the other half of the group including my mother-in-law, uncle Bob and our friend Chris. It was already really late so we just had dinner and a few drinks at the hotel bar. I enjoyed a juicy burger with cheddar cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato (no bun of course) along with a house salad with blue cheese, oil, and red wine vinegar.

Saturday morning we all met for breakfast at this fabulous restaurant called Roy's (I think it is a chain). If any of you SCDers go to Manhattan I suggest you eat here for breakfast. They had fresh squeezed orange juice, omelets made to order (I had spinach and mushroom with cheddar), fresh cheese including Havarti, cheddar and Swiss, hard boiled eggs, and an amazing amount of fresh fruit including blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, and melons. I was stuffed by 9:00am and we all agreed that we would probably skip lunch and have an early dinner.

After breakfast we went shopping on Canal St. which is definitely an interesting experience. Then we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) where I saw Van Gogh's starry night, paintings by Monet, and many others. After a little more shopping and walking we went back to the hotel room and snacked on my Parmesan garlic crackers with cheddar cheese, pistachios, and almonds (OK, we had a little red wine too).

Then it was off to dinner at Brazil, Brazil, Restaurant where I had a delicious meal of Talapia grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper along with oven roasted garlic and fresh vegetables. YUMMM. We finished the night on Broadway with 10th row seats at Mamma Mia which has now inspired me to start listening to ABBA. This was a birthday present from Bob and Chris (thanks guys!)

This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and set off for home. I ate my SCD yogurt with honey in the car (I brought it down and kept it in a small fridge in the hotel). Now I am settled in back at home, making a batch of yogurt for the week and getting ready to roast a chicken with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Along with that we will have butternut squash and grilled asparagus. I will also make up some of Amy's delicious pumpkin muffins (Note: I make them with puree from pumpkins that I bake. This ensures they are SCD legal).

Though NY was fantastic, it is always good to be home.

Breakfast- SCD yogurt with honey while on the road
Lunch- Tuna fish with garlic and Parmesan crackers and strawberries with dipping "cream" (SCD yogurt, vanilla extract and honey)
Dinner- Looking forward to roasted rosemary chicken

PICTURE- Yesterday's Fruit Buffet at Roy's

The BIG Apple!

Well I feel like a big apple after how many I have eaten this week. They are in season after all and what a tasty, healthy, portable, snack. I just love them. No wonder Eve couldn't resist. What? You're eating apples you say? That's right. Last week was all about diluted apple juice and apple sauce but this week I am back to the real thing people!

It is a great thing. I have a whole new appreciation for SCD. Deprived on SCD? That is absurd. I am deprived when flaring and not eating anything at all or "feasting" on chicken broth and DCCC. I am most certainly not deprived when enjoying the wide variety of foods that I have had this week including scrumptious cranberry pork tenderloin from scdrecipe.com, chicken and beef stir fries with loads of fresh veggies, strawberries, bananas, apples, eggs, cheeses, olives, and Parmesan garlic crackers. THAT is not deprivation. It is extravagance.

Well, tomorrow I am off to the real big apple. That's right. My husband and I are heading down to Manhattan with my mother and father in-law, my favorite uncle Bob, and our good friend Chris. We are going to see the Broadway show Mama Mia on Saturday night and explore the city the rest of the time. I already did a a search of area restaurants so I know basically where we will be eating dinner but I am bringing lots of goodies for snacks and lunch including:

• Peanut butter and (you guessed it) apples
• Crackers and cheese (SCD crackers of course)
• Hard boiled eggs
• Bananas
• Almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Yogurt
• Apple sauce
• SCD ketchup
• SCD cocktail sauce
• Homemade salad dressing

So with that I think I will be all set and ready to adventure to the big apple. See you in a few days.

Breakfast- Yogurt with bananas and honey

Lunch- Two apples with peanut butter (work has been CRAZY)

Dinner- Stir fry with grass fed beef, carrots, peas, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, peanut oil, sesame seeds and garlic

PICTURE- Dinner!

Cookbook Cravings

Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore reading about cooking? It's true. I have this insatiable craving for cookbooks, cooking shows, food magazines, culinary blogs, and best of all, SCD recipes. I am not kidding when I say that there have been many nights that I go to bed excited to curl up with a good book.... a cookbook that is. As you all know, my meals are fairly simple. I just don't have the time to cook as much as I would like. But even if I did, I seriously believe that my appetite for reading about cooking is in fact more intense than my desire to actually cook. It just seems strange to me. A little over the top.

Perhaps you might believe this is a psychological side effect for having gone for 30 days being fed only intravenously. I began my college career minoring in psychology so this would make sense to me as well however, the fact is that this behavior has been going on for quite some time now. It commenced way before I was even diagnosed with Crohn's disease, back when I thought a "pic line" was slang for those who picket.

Well, you might say, maybe she didn't have enough food growing up. After all, we already know that her grandparents fed her spaghetti with ketchup. True, true. I did enjoy my sugary tomato pasta but we had lots of food growing up and I don't remember any of my family having this obsession (although my grandmother was compulsive about having a freezer full of food, even if the meat was several years old. Maybe this is a hybrid of that original ancestral obsession that has now morphed into the desire to have a brain full of recipes).

I knew I went over the edge when I started a book club with one of my friends (it is just her, her husband, and myself by the way) and I was late, late, late, I mean REALLY late finishing the book partly due to the fact that it arrived at the same time as the new Healing Foods SCD cook book which I had to read 100 times. I know, I know. There are much worse things that I could be addicted to. Right now the worst consequences of my obsession are the reams of paper I go through printing off recipes from foodnetwork.com and also the fact that I hog up all of the DVR space with my taped cooking shows (about 5 a day). Other than that I think it is fairly harmless. Now I have to go so that I can read Lucy's Cookbook in case I missed anything during the first 500 reads.

Breakfast- SCD Smoothie with blueberries, banana, honey and vanilla
Lunch- Leftover pot roast with veggies (even better the next day)
Dinner- More pot roast with veggies
Snack- Pumpkin Pie

Picture- My Stash

Everybody, FREEZE!

Things seemed to have turned a corner this weekend and the Plumbing Department is showing much improvement. All and all I would give it about a B+.

Saturday night my husband, sister, and I went to a comedy show which focused on women in comedy. I have heard of people laughing themselves to recovery and I am hoping this was the case for me. All and all things are still not as, let's say, "solid" as I would like to see them but the situation is "firming up a bit." - OK, that was bad. I know. That's why I was in the audience this weekend and not on the stage.

Not 100% sure if I have completely recovered or even what, exactly, is going on. Could be lots of things:

• Jet lag? Check. My friend Beth emailed me an interesting article on jet lag which can cause D.
• Missing Ileocecal valve? Check. I also remembered a conversation with my GI about a year ago when she warned me that Small Bowel Bacteria Overgrowth is one side effect of having your ileocecal valve removed (which I had the pleasure of experiencing in August 2006. Gives new meaning to the old essay topic "What I did Last Summer"). Symptoms? You guess it.
• Possibility of ingesting illegals? Check. In San Diego I definitely ate a few things that were questionable. For instance, I asked whether the steak I had for dinner had any seasoning on it and I am not sure I got a straight answer but hunger (there was nothing legal at lunch so I skipped it all together) and arrogance (Hey! I was doing fabulous for over a year) lead me to take a risk
• Stress? Check. Quarter end and beginning are always crazy for me.

So whatever the original culprit I was feeling pretty darn healthy this weekend. I even took my 9 year old niece, 20 month old niece, and the 11 and 8 year old neighbors all out to the playground and to pick out pumpkins. I think this week if all continues to go well I will experiment with a little pumpkin soup.

Speaking of pumpkins, one thing I did this weekend was to reorganize my freezer (what an exciting life). In case any of you SCDers are just sitting around wondering what's in my freezer here is the big reveal:

• Pureed pumpkin (tis the season)
• Homemade chicken broth (freeze some in ice cube trays and then pop into a plastic freezer bag)
• Chicken bones (for more soup some day)
• Macadamia nuts
• Pork roast
• Bananas for smoothies
• Sharon J's homemade ketchup
• Green beans
• Peas and carrots (usually for Shepherd's Pie)
• Peas (for stews)
• Cranberries (for the cranberry pork roast from scdrecipes.com)
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Strawberries
• SCD Cinnamon Bread (for cinnamon toast)
• SCD Garlic Parmesan Bread (for crackers)
• Flat bread from the SCD Bakery (for paninis)
• Parmesan rolls (for tuna melts and bread crumbs)
• Basil
• Ginger
• The insert for my ice cream maker : )

Breakfast- Pumpkin Pie

Lunch- Roasted chicken, butternut squash, green beans (all leftover from last night)

Dinner- Vegetable Pot Roast with mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, garlic rosemary, & thyme.

Throughout the day I have been drinking lots of apple cider diluted with water and eating yogurt with bananas. Trying to gain back some of the weight I lost this week

PICTURE- My SCD Freezer

The Prospect of Pumpkin Pie

After a few days of meals that are way too depressing to post, I have decided that I am going to make an SCD pumpkin pie tomorrow. I have lots of pureed pumpkin in the freezer and I imagine that pumpkin pie filling may be a "reasonable" next step.

I try not to get too graphic on this site as it does focus on food and all but this IS an SCD related blog and I AM on the diet for Crohn's so I figure anyone reading this can handle the details (stop reading here if you can't).

So as I mentioned earlier, starting a week ago yesterday when I arrived home from San Diego, I have been having questionable experiences in the plumbing department. At first it was like, "Hmmm that doesn't seem so cool" and slowly over this week it turned into..."Uh oh."

Now the "Uh oh's" have only been occurring once a day (on average) so that is good. No other symptoms either. I have energy, feel fine at work, no cramping, fever, nada. It is just that, like I said, the plumbing department seems to be slacking off BIG time in terms of finishing the job right aka digesting food and absorbing fluids (there is the detail that I was talking about).

So I have been taking it easy since Tuesday afternoon. I called my Dr today just so that I have an appointment booked in case it comes to that. I had a burger last night which was fine and a banana today which gave me slight indigestion but that was about it.

Tonight my husband is making me another burger and I am going to try some cooked carrots. If all goes well then maybe some homemade apple sauce.

I'll tell you, being on this intro diet and starting all over REALLY makes me grateful for all of the foods I have enjoyed on the SCD. After several days of chicken soup, ground beef and DCCC I am in awe of all of the wonderful meals I have prepared over the past year.

The good thing about this little set-back is that once I go back on the "big kid's" version of the SCD it will be like entering the land of plenty.

Breakfast-
Lunch-
Dinner-

Like I said, too depressing to report. Focusing on the prospect of pumpkin pie

PICTURE- Tomorrow's brunch!

A Tomato Too Many

I thought I had an apple problem but now I am overrun with tomatoes. My mom brought over some short squat ones from her garden and I had also purchased some plumb tomatoes to make into a BBQ sauce from the Healing foods cookbook.

But all dreams of tomatoes went out the window when I decided to go back on the intro diet. There are definitely no tomatoes to be had now. Just like my apples they sat neglected in my kitchen. So I decided to make a nice thick tomato sauce and simmer it down for a few hours. When it is done I will freeze it to enjoy once I am back in the saddle.

Breakfast- SCD Cheesecake
Lunch- Chicken broth
dinner- Roasted chicken

Lots of diluted grape juice in between.

PICTURE- All of The Lovely Tomatoes

A Different Dessert

Well, I came home from work tonight and made dessert all right but it wasn't the nice cinnamon Apple Galette that I was hoping for. Instead I found myself baking the SCD cheesecake from the intro diet which means sans the lemon, pineapple, and crust.

Why the change in plans you ask? Especially with so many shiny apples lying around? Well I am disappointed to report that the old plumbing department has not been functioning on a satisfactory level. As a matter of fact, it is in need of an immediate action plan and to that end I am back on the intro diet.

Why this sudden set-back you might ask? I know I did. Was it the trip to San Diego and the hamburger consumed during the layover at the airport restaurant (though I did grill the waitress- pun intended)? Was it the beginning of a new quarter stress at work? The lack of sleep over the past few days due to a severe case of jet lag? Who really knows and that's not the important question right now. The question at hand is what to do about it.

So I spent the evening drinking lots of chicken broth, purchasing ground meat for broiled patties, hard boiling some eggs, and yes... baking the closest thing to a dessert that is allowed, the cheesecake.

That is basically the extent of the menu while on the intro diet. No fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices, etc. You follow the intro for three to five days and pray, hope, wish, dream, covet, and positive think your way back into health or else you call your doctor and negotiate the dreaded "plan B."

The good news is that even if plan B does go into effect, the general consensus from the SCD crowd is that staying on strict SCD makes it more likely that any set-backs will be for a shorter duration and less...unpleasant.

But enough of that for now. This week it is time to batton down the hatches.

Breakfast - (pre-intro) Organic smoothie with SCD yogurt, blueberries, honey, and vanilla

Lunch- Uhhh not much to report here

Dinner- A delicious, nutritious, mouth watering, delectable feast of......Chicken broth

PICTURE- Dessert

An Apple a Day Keeps the "Mondays" Away

Did you know that apples provide natural sun protection and are a member of the rose family?

If an apple a day kept the "Mondays" away I would be all set for some time. As you can see, I have amassed quite a few apples lately. My mom went apple picking with her friend, my husband loves Granny Smith apples, and I cannot resist a Red Delicious. Apples in the raw and apples with peanut butter are both trusty snacks but I want to do something different with all of these nutritious treats.

I think I will make my husband the Apple Galette from Grain-free Gourmet. It seems simple enough to do on a work night and will surely satisfy my current craving for a warm sweet dessert. Plus I owe him for drawing me a bubble bath after my super long day at work today. This is the goal for tomorrow night.

Wish me luck.

Breakfast - Organic smoothie with SCD yogurt, raspberries, honey, and vanilla

Lunch- Feeling a little "off" today so stuck with more yogurt for lunch along with a banana

Dinner- Grilled swordfish and sauteed spinach with garlic and olive oil

PICTURE- My Bounty

Church, Chores, and Chicken Croquettes

This afternoon my mom, husband, and I traveled north of Boston to my sister's brother-in-law's son's Christening. Believe me, it sounds more complicated than it is. The few sound bites of the sermon that I was able to catch were very interesting though I must admit I spent much of the time chasing my toddler of a niece around the church. She clapped and yelled a loud "YEAH" after every prayer and hymn. It sort of livened up the place. When she was on the verge of a melt down (the ceremony was an hour and a half) we walked to the back of the church and played "cats & dogs." A tip for those of you who find yourself in a similar circumstance, this seemed to be a very popular toddler game.

Afterwards we went back to their house to visit family and have lunch. The majority of the cuisine was made up of delicious smelling catered Italian dishes like eggplant and chicken Parmesan, sausages, peppers and onions, and other tasty treats which were all about looking but not touching for me.

However, all of the sights and smells were inspiring and upon our return home I decided to attempt one of the recipes from the newest SCD cookbook entitled Healing Foods, Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn's, and IBS.

Tonight my challenges was the Chicken and Cauliflower Croquettes. These savory little morsels are much like chicken nuggets but without all of the additives, starch, fat, etc. The recipe is somewhat involved i.e. it calls for the use of multiple pans and a food processor, but I was able to prep the ingredients fairly easily and cleaned as I went.

All and all it was a smooth ride until the actual frying of the first batch. I committed the cardinal culinary sin of trying to move the croquettes before they had formed a golden crust. As such they soon began falling apart all over the place.

I decided that for batch two I would call on my secret weapon... my patient and talented husband. Now it's not so easy pulling him away from Sunday night football but I think he heard all of the clinks and clanks in the kitchen and knew something was up.

I am glad to report that the second batch came out much better. We refrigerated the croquettes until the pan was ready. Once we added them we did not touch them for about 3 minutes. Then we delicately flipped them and browned the other side for about three more minutes. At the end I enjoyed some of them with Sharon J's ketchup. The rest are coming to work with me tomorrow along with some fresh spinach.

Breakfast- Organic smoothie with SCD yogurt, frozen raspberries, banana, honey, and vanilla
Lunch- Some SCD crackers and a banana that I brought to the christening along with provolone cheese, roast beef, and salad that I enjoyed at the after party
Dinner- Chicken croquettes with Sharon J's ketchup

PICTURE- Chicken croquettes

Survey Said!

I'm back from sunny San Diego but I must say that I think it has been warmer and sunnier in Massachusetts over the past few days than in southern California.

Upon my return I noticed that the first survey posted on this site has closed. It was the one that asked whether readers follow the SCD. We received 32 votes as follows:
27 (84%) are on the SCD
1 (3%) has follwed the diet in the past
3 (9%) plan to start soon
1 (3%) does not follow it (that was my 9 year old niece!)

The second survey, which I closed early, was about the types of supplements people take. Twelve people responded and the results are as follows:
5 (41%) take a multi vitamin
6 (50%) take vitamin B
9 (75%) take fish oil/omega 3
3 (25%) take probiotics (a lot of us also get this through our yogurt I bet)
4 (33%) take vitamin D

My next survey will be on why people follow the SCD. In my case it is for Crohn's disease but in being on the SCD Listservs I noticed that people follow the diet for a host of other reasons. My friend who has MS also follows a diet very similar to SCD though a bit more restrictive.

I have had some problems responding to your comments in the applicable comments section so I am going to respond in the posts until I get that sorted out.

Nutty meatfruit- I am so glad you like the site. I have been following yours as well and really enjoy all of the recipes!

Denise- The diet can be overwhelming at first but rest assured that I have been on it for a little over a year now and it becomes second nature. Really. As you can see, I even fly all over the place on business while following the diet. I had a lot of help and great advice from the people on the listserves so if you are not already on them you should look into that. I truly love all of the SCD cookbooks but I just received the one by Sandra Ramacher called Healing Foods Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn's and IBS. It is WONDERFUL and I cannot stop reading it and looking at the great pictures.

Amy- Hi There! Can I tell you again how delicious your pumpkin muffins are? I just bought a few more pumpkins and am going to make these babies tomorrow. They are my favorite muffin so far. My husband is the one who cooked that pork tenderloin and it WAS great. He seasoned it with salt and pepper, seared it on the stove, and then grilled it until it was done (maybe about 25 minutes but use a meat thermometer)

Thanks to all of you for your support!

Breakfast- Organic smoothie with frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, SCD yogurt, honey, and vanilla
Lunch- Instead of tomato, basil, mozzarella (which is NOT SCD legal) I had tomato, basil, avocado. Wow was it good. I seasoned them with salt and poured a little olive oil and vinegar over them. I enjoyed them along with some roasted chicken.
Dinner- A quick spinach and cheese omelet. We are heading out to a wedding where I doubt I will find legal food!

PICTURE- Lunch!