Meatloaf!

Who doesn't like a good meatloaf? Okay, well there are actually quite a few people who probably wouldn't. BUT, if you are looking for a SCD-friendly version, I have used this one a few times with great success. Even my picky eater husband likes it. And, if you want to avoid red meat, I think the recipe would still turn out tasty if you used turkey meat instead.

Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 clove garlic (I used Spice World's minced garlic)
1 T. cilantro or Italian parsley
2-3 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese
handful of almond flour (about 1/4 c. or so)
salt and pepper to taste


1) Preheat oven to about 375 degrees F
2) Mix ingredients and place in greased loaf pan
3) Cook for about 45 min to an hour


I serve it with SCD ketchup on top and with potatoes for non-SCDers and "fauxtatoes" (mashed cauliflower) for SCDers. I can't remember which ketchup recipe I use, so here are some links to some options (I think I used the one from Jilluck):


SCD recipe.com's version
The SCD girl
Comfy Tummy
Dietary Adventures of Jilluck

Perspective

This afternoon, as I was finishing up lunch, I had a bit of a sweet craving. My go to is a spoonful of peanut butter with some honey drizzled on top (I'm convinced there does not exist a more satisfying sweet snack), but feeling a bit full I went for some raisins instead. As I reached for the bag, I had to laugh that my after meal sweet snack is something as healthy as raisins. Which then led me to have the thought, "I wonder how different my life would be if I had never gotten so ill with Crohn's." The most obvious answer to that is that I would still have a colon. There are other differences too: I would be able to run without the use of codeine, I could eat whatever I want (not sure that's better but it is different), I wouldn't know the location of every bathroom in every city I've been to, and I would probably be able to sleep through the night. Yet as I munched on my raisins,  I was reminded that there is another way that my life is different that far outranks any other: I am married to my husband. While I won't take the time here to tell that long story, I will say that my illness continues to refine me, grow me up, and help shape me into a stronger, wiser, more patient person (on my good days that is). And though my husband and I dated two other times before I got sick (B.C.... before Crohn's) - once in high school and once in college - it wasn't until A.C. (after Crohn's) that we realized that we had grown into two people who undoubtedly wanted to share their life together. I wouldn't necessarily say that I have a reason for all the sickness, the surgeries, the loss of my hair, the loss of a third of my body weight, but I will say that I wouldn't want my life any other way. Because my husband is the best thing that has ever happened to me and continues to be the most important thing in my life. He gives me strength, he gives me perspective, and he continues to hope for me when things are tough. Which for the last couple months, things have been tough. Yet he never waivers in his optimism and his belief that we'll get through this. And he's always right. With him, I am convinced that we can endure anything. As we do, I know we grow stronger. But more importantly, I know that we grow stronger together. And that is one of the greatest gifts I've ever been given.

Snow day!

For those of you not familiar with New England weather, there is a saying that sums it up brilliantly: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." Well, today on the first day of March we got our second snow day of the year. I don't think students realize that their teachers celebrate snow days as much as they do, if not more. In honor of hunkering down to wait out the storm, I decided to make pancakes. Growing up, our family would often start off a Saturday with pancakes and bacon or eggs. So needless to say, I have always been a breakfast person. One of my greatest cravings still after 3 years on SCD, is cereal. Pancakes would also be on that list if it weren't for a recipe I have found that is a brilliant substitute. The recipe comes from scdrecipe.com which is one of my favorite sites to get new recipes from. This morning I added fresh raspberries and a simple syrup (half honey, half water). Delicious.

Yazmin's Pancakes (with slight modifications)
1 cup almond flour
1 egg
3 Tablespoons SCD yogurt
1/4 t. baking soda (although mine was more like 1/3 t.)
1/4 t. salt (or a bit less to taste)
raspberries (any fruit will work... I like banana and pecans, or blueberries)

syrup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. syrup

Mix ingredients and pour  batter onto a greased electric griddle. I cooked them on a low temp of about 300 F.  If using a stove, I would set it on a medium-low temp otherwise they burn too easy. Serve with syrup and/or a dollop of SCD yogurt.

Christmas: Hope, Joy, and Yum!

Disclaimer: This post has little practical information. Just a loving rant to my family.

I love Christmas. Always have. I have fond memories of reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter under our family Christmas tree, waking up my brother in the wee hours of Christmas morning and tiptoeing down to our stockings, and the smell of mom's cinnamon buns wafting over from the kitchen after we opened our stockings. Not to mention listening to Nat King Cole's record "The Christmas Song" over and over again (still my favorite Christmas album!). Though some of these traditions have fallen by the wayside (pretty sure my brother's wife may not like me jumping on their bed at 5:30 in the morning), my affection for Christmas time remains. It being my first married Christmas (hooray!), a conversation with my husband led me to reflect upon why I can't get enough of this holiday. Two thoughts occurred to me. The first thought was how many people's outlooks on life change during the holidays, especially in the first weeks of the season. Suddenly, our focus shifts from getting through the routine of the daily grind to those who are in need and to those we love. If only this joy could remain for the rest of the year. Think how much better our world would be.  The second reason I love this season is because of the hope that it offers. At the heart of the season is the birth of Jesus, a helpless babe born to a young couple, who could not have foreseen how their child would change the course of history and who continues to offer hope to our broken world. Hope and joy -- two reasons I love Christmastime.

This year gave me another reason to love Christmastime. I admit that following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet can be tough during holidays because of the sheer amount of sweets that inundate us. But this year, my family went above and beyond to ensure I had "BFF" (Becca Friendly Foods) at our celebrations. I was overwhelmed with the amount of options I had to choose from! So I wanted to take a moment to thank my family for all the work they do to support me and being on my diet. Thank you mom for the yummy pumpkin muffins and for all the hugs. Thank you to my in-laws for all the delicious options for our Christmas fondue and for welcoming me into your wonderful family. Thank you to my sweet sister for the delicious coconut flour cookies (I can't get enough!). And thank you to my husband who never ceases to amaze me with his continuous support, through good times and bad. How blessed I am. I love you all.

Cereal!

So one of the few cravings that has endured since becoming a SCDer, is the lack of a good cereal substitutes. Last week, I finally found an adequate equivalent. Part of the problem was that there are few things allowed on SCD that could take the place of the crunchy grains used in most cereals. But, with the help of an absolutely delicious SCD granola I found through Digestive Wellness, which I had been using on my yogurt, I was on my way to a crunchy and delicious SCD cereal.  I had never thought to use the granola as a cereal, mostly because I never had a substitute for milk. I had been meaning to make almond milk for a long time, but had never gotten around to it. My first attempt occurred last week, since I was off from school for the holidays. It is a bit of a laborious process, but with a good food processor, not as difficult as I had expected. The recipe I used for almond milk was from the website www.ohnuts.com. Here it is:

Almond Milk Recipe
yield: about 5 cups almond milk

• 1.5 cups whole blanched almonds or other whole raw almonds
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• dash cinnamon

Other equipment:

• Blender
• metal strainer
• cheesecloth

Not sure I got 5 cups of milk out of it, but close to it. But I digress. Back to the cereal portion of this post. Once I had my almond milk (you will want to chill it before serving), I poured it over my granola, added some sliced almonds, a dash of cinnamon, raisins, and a drizzle of honey and ... drum roll please.... ta da! Cereal. Delicious cereal. Oh how I've missed you.

Oh sweet SCD cereal!

Do you have cereal ideas for us SCDers? Please share!