Finally full

I have to admit I've been hungry since we started this diet. As yummy as carrot sticks and rice cakes are they just aren't very satisfying.

Good news is I've found a pasta that we can eat, it's made with nothing but rice and water. So here's the best recipe I've been able to come up with so far that meets the requirements of our allergy exclusion diet.

Pasta sans allergies

Ingredients:
- rice pasta
- chicken
- carrots
- parsley (minced)
- olive oil
- salt (I use fleur de sel, but any nice salt will do)
- pepper

Start by cooking the chicken, I grill my chicken, but prepare it as you like. Next I start the pasta as it usually takes about 10 minutes to cook. While your pasta is boiling away julienne your carrots then cook them. I usually add mine to the pan my chicken is cooking in, but they will turn out quite nicely sautéed in a bit of olive oil over a medium heat until lightly brown and tender.

Strain the pasta and return it to the pot, add olive oil, parsley, carrots, salt and pepper and mix it all together. I like to chop up my chicken and add it to the mix, but it is also quite nice served on the side.

Pears

So 5 days down on our little experiment. We've stuck to the diet and I've begun to notice some changes. Les foggyness and more energy, but we're both hungry all the freakin' time! It's not really hunger though, more desire for variety. I have come up with a few lovely meals to help us get bye. Even more importantly we've been making lots of pear smoothies.

If you plan on trying an elimination diet I strongly suggest that before you begin you prep the pear for this smoothy, you'll be so glad you did.

Pear smoothie:

Ingrediants
- pears, pealed and frozen (we pealed, cubed and froze lots of pears, stored them in zip locks so we would have them on hand whenever we craved a treat)
- water or rice milk (depending on what version of the diet you are on)

Throw ingrediants in a blender and puree until smooth. I prefer mine without the rice milk, but it does have the benefit of keeping you full for a longer period of time.

I'm back!

From vacation and starting up on etsy again. I'll be posting regularly there and here.

Leif and I have started a new diet. I know, I know we are yo-yo dieters, but this one is doctor recommended (for me at least). We are doing an allergy exclusion diet to find out if I have a food trigger for my migraines. I have a somewhat valid paranoia that I'm going to end up a vegan who can't eat wheat or soy.... or citrus fruits, EEP! But at this point anything would be better than my migraines.

What we can eat:

- pears
- rice
- carrots
- parsley
- lettuce
- chicken
- lamb
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

All of these ingredients must be organic, the chicken and lamb must be free of antibiotics and hormones. We eat only these things for 14 days and then slowly reintroduce other things into our diet.

I'll post a few recipes, but seriously, I'm not a miracle worker!

So fresh and so clean

Leif loves soap, for my birthday once he bought me seven different kinds of soap. I thought "Oh my gosh, I must be super stinky". He reassured me that it wasn't because I smelled, but because he felt that soap was the most luxurious of gifts. Thanks to Bonghi Natura we're both feeling pretty luxurious lately.

We just received our order of soap from this amazing Etsy seller. Her soaps are made from tantalizing ingredients; almond oil and shea butter anyone?

My favorite so far is the Mattino bar, because it smells like my mom's almond biscotti. Leif is using the Bay rum spice soap and smells wonderful. I would also highly recommend the Puro (tea tree and shea butter) for facial soap and the unscented Semplice for anyone who has trouble with scent - we've both been using it when I have migraines and can't handle smells at all.

This Etsian has an amazing product and fabulous communication check out Bonghi Natura here:
http://bonghinatura.etsy.com/
http://blog.bonghinatura.com/

To sum up, we smell super nice! Thank you Bonghi Natura.

Brunch!

It's my favorite meal, always has been. I hosted a lovely brunch which my friend Sarah photographed. She's lovely.

I'll post the most interesting recipe first, it's gluten free as well. Savory polenta bowls! This recipe is simple, hearty and delicious.

The first step is simple, find yourself a good quality polenta and cook it up in larger heavy bottomed pot. Just follow the instructions on the package, I usually add chicken or vegetable stock.


Once the polenta is finished cooking, serve it in your loveliest bowls and then let your guests go at it with the toppings!

Toppings pictured in this photo:
- spiced black bean dip
- guacamole
- sour cream
- salsa fresca
- cheddar cheese
- toasted pepitas
- cilantro

Other sugggestions:
- poached eggs
- chevre
- feta
- sun-dried tomatoes
- fresh basil
- olive oil
- olives
- pesto

Ick!

We are cleaning. I haaaate cleaning. It's for a good reason though.

I'm having a girly brunch, recipes will be posted afterwards along with a photo or two.

This photo is my mock grumpy face, only because I couldn't find one with a real grumpy face. If I find one, I will let you know!

Rustic tomato bread soup

This soup is yummy and super filling, small portions trust me!

4 pounds ripe tomatoes - roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion - diced
4 cloves garlic - sliced
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup of torn basil
2 tsp agave nectar or sugar
1 cup parmesan - grated
1 medium loaf of artisan bread - crusts removed, bread pulled apart into chunks
salt to taste
cracked black pepper
extra olive oil - good stuff
extra parmesan

In a large, heavy bottomed pot heat the oil and add onions, cook for about 2 minutes then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer over medium heat for about 30 mins or until they break down. Add the stock then stir in the tomato paste, basil, agave (sugar) and parmesan. When the cheese has melted add the bread, let stand for about 5 minutes.

Serve with extra olive oil and parmesan as a garnish and crusts on the side for extra dunking.