Sorry friends...it looks like I'm just destined to keep posting about food. I hope no one minds!
I've been dealing with an endo flare up since Mother's Day weekend, and food and stretching have been my saving graces. I can't not share that with you all!
First, the stretching: If you don't have a yoga ball, invest in one. Being able to stretch, on stomach AND on back, over the yoga ball, has helped me more times than I can count. Because I have rectovaginal endometriosis, I get a lot of tailbone pain, and this kind of stretching (when done gently) can do wonders. Anyway, if you haven't tried it, do I suggest it. If the pain is really bad, I find stretching over the ball with a heated up Magic Bag is a wonderful combination.
Now, on to the food!
I have always been a big "lentil/bean" person, so this is really nothing new. I've been putting chickpeas in my garden salads for years, because I love the flavour and colour, and I dig the extra protein. Yay chickpeas!
I happened upon a recipe for another salad, (trying to find the source now so I can credit it back), and I wanted to share it with you all.
CHICKPEA SALAD
1 1/2 cups diced cucumber
2 cups chopped tomato
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Dash of freshly-ground pepper
1. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, and rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and mustartd. Season with pepper, and then stir in dill.
3. Add dressing to salad and toss until well-mixed.
4. Cover, and chill at least 15 minutes before serving.
I made this tonight, and it was gorgeous. I let it chill about an hour, and I noticed a huge difference in the taste. This salad looks like it will serve 5-6 people as a side. (I also threw in some olives right before I ate it, because I have an obsession with olives...)
Chickpeas are a total powerfood, or at least they are for me. I know I've posted about chickpeas before, and I probably will again. They help my digestion, help reduce bloating, and I always feel energized and comfortably full after eating them.
Enjoy!
With peace & joy,
Cher
Monday 20 May 2013
Saturday 11 May 2013
Apologies! Recipe!
Hello lovelies,
I have been sadly MIA for a few days; I'm sorry! Mr Cee tore some ligaments in his ankle last weekend and things have been extra-busy lately. I'm cosied up with my PVR, which is blissfully full of Criminal Minds reruns, and I can't stop thinking about the gorgeous salad I ate today.
Let me preface this recipe by:
1) giving serious shoutouts to my girls (lovely bridesmaids) who were willing guinea pigs in my food experiment get-together last night. Cheers!
2) making a note to anyone tempted by this recipe: As I discovered today, this salad is best made the day before you serve it. The taste is way, WAY different today than it was yesterday; by "different," I mean "crazy better."
3) admiting that this is not an original recipe, but something that I found online, and tinkered with after deciding I did not like the way it turned out at first.
Ok, so without further ado, I give you: Summer Chickpea Salad
Summer Chickpea Salad
1 c sliced green olives
3-4 zucchini, quartered and chopped (not too big, but not too small either)
1-2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (amount depends on how much you LOVE chickpeas!)
Dressing:
1/3 c olive oil
Scant 1/3 c white vinegar (adjust for your own personal taste)
2-3 healthy splashes red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp dried basil
Sea salt to taste
1. Combine olives, zucchini, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a lid. Put the lid on the bowl (tightly) and shake the bowl hard. make sure to turn it upside-down and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour the dressing on and toss the salad to coat well.
4. Cover the salad and put in the fridge at least a few hours before serving the salad. I strongly recommend letting it chill a full day before you serve it.
5. When you're ready to serve it, remove it from the fridge and stir it well.
Enjoy!
I finished eating some (ok, a lot) about 2 hours ago, and I literally have not stopped thinking about it since. Last night, my reaction was "meh, it's ok." So for my personal tastebuds anyway, giving it the time to settle so the flavours can really come together was massively important.
What if you aren't into olives? Well, first have your head examined, crazy person! Ok. If you don't like olives, you could certainly put in something else instead, but I would recommend trying to stay in the salty-flavour range, to keep the taste balanced.
If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes! If you make any changes, I'd love to know what you did and how it worked out for you.
This salad is Endo Diet-friendly, has good protein from the chickpeas, and is a nice change from the typical leafy salad. I think you could probably serve this on a bed of cooked and cooled rice or quinoa, or on a bed of baby spinach. The options are endless!
I have been sadly MIA for a few days; I'm sorry! Mr Cee tore some ligaments in his ankle last weekend and things have been extra-busy lately. I'm cosied up with my PVR, which is blissfully full of Criminal Minds reruns, and I can't stop thinking about the gorgeous salad I ate today.
Let me preface this recipe by:
1) giving serious shoutouts to my girls (lovely bridesmaids) who were willing guinea pigs in my food experiment get-together last night. Cheers!
2) making a note to anyone tempted by this recipe: As I discovered today, this salad is best made the day before you serve it. The taste is way, WAY different today than it was yesterday; by "different," I mean "crazy better."
3) admiting that this is not an original recipe, but something that I found online, and tinkered with after deciding I did not like the way it turned out at first.
Ok, so without further ado, I give you: Summer Chickpea Salad
Summer Chickpea Salad
1 c sliced green olives
3-4 zucchini, quartered and chopped (not too big, but not too small either)
1-2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (amount depends on how much you LOVE chickpeas!)
Dressing:
1/3 c olive oil
Scant 1/3 c white vinegar (adjust for your own personal taste)
2-3 healthy splashes red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp dried basil
Sea salt to taste
1. Combine olives, zucchini, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a lid. Put the lid on the bowl (tightly) and shake the bowl hard. make sure to turn it upside-down and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour the dressing on and toss the salad to coat well.
4. Cover the salad and put in the fridge at least a few hours before serving the salad. I strongly recommend letting it chill a full day before you serve it.
5. When you're ready to serve it, remove it from the fridge and stir it well.
Enjoy!
I finished eating some (ok, a lot) about 2 hours ago, and I literally have not stopped thinking about it since. Last night, my reaction was "meh, it's ok." So for my personal tastebuds anyway, giving it the time to settle so the flavours can really come together was massively important.
What if you aren't into olives? Well, first have your head examined, crazy person! Ok. If you don't like olives, you could certainly put in something else instead, but I would recommend trying to stay in the salty-flavour range, to keep the taste balanced.
If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes! If you make any changes, I'd love to know what you did and how it worked out for you.
This salad is Endo Diet-friendly, has good protein from the chickpeas, and is a nice change from the typical leafy salad. I think you could probably serve this on a bed of cooked and cooled rice or quinoa, or on a bed of baby spinach. The options are endless!
Thursday 2 May 2013
Product Review - Mad Mexican
Last post I talked about the Sol Cuisine burgers and the O'Doughs buns - both of which I've been eating all week, so they were definitely a huge hit!
Another company we learned about at the Gluten-Free Garage is one called Mad Mexican. They make tortilla chips and a variety of dips, such as salsa and guacamole.
Mr. Cee is a huge guacamole fan, so we bought a bag of tortilla chips and a tub of guac. I was impressed with how few ingredients each product had; it was all real food that was easily recognizable and also pronouncable. Always a good sign!
The tortilla chips had a very satisfying crunch to them. They were crispy, not overly salty (just enough to add a nice flavour) and though there were a bit thin, they were sturdy enough to survive dipping in the guac.
The guacamole was a fabulous colour - it looked really fresh, and I loved the consistency of it. Not too lumpy, not too runny; perfect for dipping and scooping. Usually my pet peeve about guac is that folks tend to go overboard with the cilantro, but I found Mad Mexican's guac to have a great balance to it. The cilantro flavour was there, but it wasn't overpowering; it blended very well with the other flavours. Again, with just a few natural ingredients, a fabulous flavour was produced. (Why do other companies need to put so much crap in their food? Is it really better to have 15 ingredients people can't pronounce?)
I wish we had've bought more bags of the tortilla chips, as we still have some guac left but nothing to dip. We've had to open a bag of "other" tortilla chips (which used to be my fave but I think just got bumped!) and it's just not the same.
Two big, gluten-free thumbs up to Mad Mexican!
As an aside: I got asked the other day why I'm focusing so much on gluten-free food, if this blog is supposed to be about Endo and endo-wellness. Aside from the fact that my endo has made gluten-free (and now dairy-free, and a few other things) living a necessity, I believe in the link between wellness and food. Didn't your mother tell you, "You are what you eat"? Following the Endo Diet and eating as cleanly as possible has helped me achieve better overall health, and has helped improved my Endo symptoms.
Additionally: Going gluten-free and/or following the Endo Diet can be really, really daunting. "What do you eat?" is something I get asked all the time. I've been there; it's not easy to get started. I focus so much on food because it's a huge part of our lives, it can play a huge role in our wellness, and it can be really intimidating to try to find products that taste good, meet the dietary requirements, and hopefully won't be too hard to find.
I won't always focus this much on food, but it's something I can't ever ignore. I hope at least some of you are finding the information useful. If not, keep checking back - eventually I'll get to other topics. ;)
With peace & joy,
Cher
Another company we learned about at the Gluten-Free Garage is one called Mad Mexican. They make tortilla chips and a variety of dips, such as salsa and guacamole.
Mr. Cee is a huge guacamole fan, so we bought a bag of tortilla chips and a tub of guac. I was impressed with how few ingredients each product had; it was all real food that was easily recognizable and also pronouncable. Always a good sign!
The tortilla chips had a very satisfying crunch to them. They were crispy, not overly salty (just enough to add a nice flavour) and though there were a bit thin, they were sturdy enough to survive dipping in the guac.
The guacamole was a fabulous colour - it looked really fresh, and I loved the consistency of it. Not too lumpy, not too runny; perfect for dipping and scooping. Usually my pet peeve about guac is that folks tend to go overboard with the cilantro, but I found Mad Mexican's guac to have a great balance to it. The cilantro flavour was there, but it wasn't overpowering; it blended very well with the other flavours. Again, with just a few natural ingredients, a fabulous flavour was produced. (Why do other companies need to put so much crap in their food? Is it really better to have 15 ingredients people can't pronounce?)
I wish we had've bought more bags of the tortilla chips, as we still have some guac left but nothing to dip. We've had to open a bag of "other" tortilla chips (which used to be my fave but I think just got bumped!) and it's just not the same.
Two big, gluten-free thumbs up to Mad Mexican!
As an aside: I got asked the other day why I'm focusing so much on gluten-free food, if this blog is supposed to be about Endo and endo-wellness. Aside from the fact that my endo has made gluten-free (and now dairy-free, and a few other things) living a necessity, I believe in the link between wellness and food. Didn't your mother tell you, "You are what you eat"? Following the Endo Diet and eating as cleanly as possible has helped me achieve better overall health, and has helped improved my Endo symptoms.
Additionally: Going gluten-free and/or following the Endo Diet can be really, really daunting. "What do you eat?" is something I get asked all the time. I've been there; it's not easy to get started. I focus so much on food because it's a huge part of our lives, it can play a huge role in our wellness, and it can be really intimidating to try to find products that taste good, meet the dietary requirements, and hopefully won't be too hard to find.
I won't always focus this much on food, but it's something I can't ever ignore. I hope at least some of you are finding the information useful. If not, keep checking back - eventually I'll get to other topics. ;)
With peace & joy,
Cher
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