Slow Cooked Beef Stew

Ingredients:
Approximately 1 kg (plus or minus 250grams) of beef - with bones is fine.
4 teaspoons of beef style stock (ensure this meets your dietary requirements - I use massells)
1 Large brown onion
A mix of chopped vegetables (I use carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans, baby spinach, pumpkin, zucchini, egg plant, leek, etc. You could use sweet potato and corn also but they are very high in carbs so I avoid them.)
Water to cover.
Optional- gravy mix (I use organ)
Garlic minced- dry

Method:
Put the beef and onion in the slow cooker and cover with water (ensure there is plenty of water in the cooker) and cook on high for 8+ hours. (Longer is fine providing you have plenty of water.)

Add in vegetables except for fresh spinach. You may need to add (boiling) water again. Cook on high for 90 minutes.

For gravy, on the stove create a very thick gravy, and remove from the heat as soon as it starts bubbling. Skip this step if you're not having gravy.

Add both gravy and baby spinach at the last 5 minutes and gently mix through.

Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

To make this a soup emit the gravy and up the water.

This serves quite a few... depending on if you're feeding teenage boys or not. ;)

Slow Cooked Apricot Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast fillets
1kg of apricot halves (canned or jar is fine)
3 teaspoons of chicken stock (ensure the stock is appropriate for any dietary requirements)
1 large brown onion, chopped
Water to cover.

Method:
Place chicken in the slow cooker.
Add onion and apricot on top.
Cover with water.
Add stock, sprinkling it around so that it is mixed through.
Cook on high for 5 hours.
Serve with steamed veggies.

Fruit Choc Mini Cakes

Fruit Choc Mini Cakes

Ingredients:
1 packet of bakers flour (I used Bob's red mill)
1/3 cup sultanas
1/3 cup raisins
150 grams chocolate chips
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Make bread according to packet instructions, but add cinnamon and nutmeg with the flour. At the last minute when mixing add in the fruit and chocolate chips.

Place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. 

Drop generous sized spoonfuls. I aimed for almost a bread roll size.  Let it rise as per instructions and cook.

However with the cooking time be aware, I halved it and that was about right.

Try not to burn your mouth...

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
7 apples

2 Teaspoons of cinnamon
1 Teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup GF flour (I use organ)
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
1/4 cup rice bread crumbs (check they are GF)
2/3 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup rolled quinoa
3/4 cup psyllium husk
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Method:

Core and chop apples into small chunks. Boil on a low heat on the stove just covered in water for 10 minutes.

An apple corer that chops it too is an amazing tool for this job.

While that is cooking add all other ingredients to a bowl and mix well.  I mix by hand - its that easy.

When the apple is cooked take it off the stove and put it in the bottom of an oven dish.  Spread topping over the apple.

Put in preheated oven for 15-30 minutes at 180 C.  Let it cool before you eat it, as it will be very hot!!!!

Upside down Feijoa

Tonight I am at a friend's home and we made some cake for our many allergies.

Ingredients
150 grams of coconut oil
3/6 cup agave nectar/ rice malt syrup/ honey (as 1/3 cup and 1/6 cup)
25 large feijoas, sliced
1 egg or 1 organ egg replacer egg
Juice of 1 lemon or half an orange (lime may also work - but we didn't try it).
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (for IQS diet may try rice malt syrup)
1 1/2 cups gluten free self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut milk

Method

Melt 100 grams of the coconut oil with 1/3 cup agave nectar on a low heat whisking constantly to make a toffee base.
Pour into a medium sized cake tin (we used a spring form)
Place sliced feijoa over the toffee covering the whole base of the cake tin.
Mix the rest of the oil and agave til fluffy
Add the egg replacer/egg, lemon juice (or other citrus) and maple syrup and mix again.
In a separate bowl mix the flour and spices.
Add 1/3 of the flour and spice mix and 1/2 of the coconut milk, mix in well.
Add the second 1/3 of flour and spice mix with the second 1/2 of milk and mix.
Finally add the last of the flour and mix.
Pour over the feijoas.
Put in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes at 170 C.

Can be served with a yoghurt of choice.

Easy Dinner, Healthy Dinner?

Recently I took too much on.  By too much, I mean, I was drowning in it.  I had about one free day normally, and I took on enough extra stuff to cover a full week!  Might be slightly crazy.

I started getting worn out and exhausted.  I just couldn't cope.  Finally I spoke to someone who is like a father to me.  His first question for me was: what happened to your boundaries Felicity?  You can't let that happen.  People will violate your boundaries if you don't enforce them.  I sobbed something about it being so hard... and I was trying, but they weren't being respected, and I wasn't being respected either.

I was so discouraged I nearly quit a subject because I couldn't manage it all, and I was as miserable as a little kid with a cold.  The spark of life was missing.  In fact, it felt plain awful in every way.

It's funny.  It was a short conversation, because he didn't have long, but I felt a thousand times lighter afterward.  I spent a bit of time in worship, and let the tears and pain that had been held back for weeks go, and the tension and the stress left.

For the first day in several weeks I wasn't exhausted half way through the day.

I even got home and wanted to cook.  (The dishes took priority though.)

When I get around to cooking I think it will either be bread, brownies, or hot cross buns.  :)

Yesterday evening my easy, yum and healthy dinner was:

Easy Roast Chicken Dinner

1 chicken breast fillet

1 onion

4 chunks of butternut punkin (Washed, unpeeled)

2 carrots chopped in wedges

1/4 section of sweet potato (Peeled)

I poured a little olive oil over them and sprinkled with mixed herbs and garlic.

Covered with alfoil and put in the oven at 180C.

I then went for a walk, etc., and when I got it out the oven about 1.5 hours later it was cooked.  (I checked and turned it in-between, and I ended up cutting some of my chunks smaller.

Then I put some water on to boil with broccoli in it, and added some frozen peas and beans for about 5 -7 minutes.

It took almost nil effort and hardly any prep, but I then had a really nice dinner and leftovers for another 2 meals. 

As they say, winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Living With Allergies - Myths and Misconceptions

I continuously have people asking me questions about my allergies, how to deal with their allergies/intolerances/dietary issues.

I don't mind these questions.  I'm not a doctor (yet), so I can't give medical advice.  My usual path is to offer some general suggestions, and recommend they speak to a professional.  I've had one year of training not, 3-4 years of specialist training in nutrition, and no on the job experience, and I certainly don't have a supervising doctor to ask questions.  However, I do know the stores to shop at, what things tend to work, websites, how to find resources, etc.

These aren't the only type of questions and comments I get though.

Many people panic.  A lot of people don't understand how food issues work so following is a quick explanation:

There seem to be some misconceptions around food issues. 

Misconception 1: All issues are allergies, and any other issues are minor and don't require changes.

Yes, not all food issues are allergies. However many people refer to food issues as allergies in general, though this is not medically correct.  Allergies are those things that range from hives to anaphylaxis.  People can have issues with food that are not technically allergies, but can still be fairly serious health issues if the food is ingested.  Celiac's disease is an example of this.  Intolerance can still lead to diarrhoea, severe abdominal cramping, loss of fluids resulting in dehydration, foggy brain symptom, bowel damage such as bleeding from the bowel, etc.

I hope this helps you to see food issues aren't just all in the person's head, or if they are simply intolerant they can eat a little bit.  It can get confusing because people have varying levels of allergies and intolerances, and what one person can tolerate another can't.  To muddy the waters further some people will eat things that make them extremely sick because they don't have the willpower to forgo the cake.

People learn by watching.  So when Johnny sees Daisy can eat a tiny bit of egg even though she says she is allergic (actually she is intolerant) he thinks Jess will be able to have a small amount of egg also.  However Jess may be severely intolerant, already in too much pain, or even allergic, meaning if she has this it will make her very sick.

I get this kind of problem a lot.  Even people with celiacs sometimes eat things with gluten.  And they end up extremely sick for several hours.  But they do it anyway.  So people who know me observe others eating the gluten, and can't understand why I'm such a stickler for ensuring I don't consume any. 

What they haven't observed or felt is the pain and problems that lasted for around 2 weeks after one episode.  There isn't anything quite like passing blood  from your bowels to frighten you at 3am.  Or the almost exact prescribed diet for weeks afterward to desperately recover.  How about the brain fog, that caused depression and also resulted in extreme anxiety as I wasn't able to think straight, and couldn't hold a thought for more than a few seconds.  It basically debilitates me.

Fortunately most people don't have extreme reactions to food like I do.  (Be grateful.)

Misconception 2:

Because I have food issues I think no-one should eat gluten, dairy, egg, etc., and I would be offended if I see others eating it. 

Seriously?!  I have a friend who is anaphylatic to nuts.  Someone has to eat them for her.  I used eat bread.  I can understand it tastes nice.  Eat all the bread.  Exercise so you don't get fat.  I don't care.  Seriously, I don't.  Sometimes yes, I might wish I still could eat that stuff.  BUT, I am extremely grateful I can eat some foods, and I still have a broad variety of foods I can eat, and at times like this I remember that.  As I mentioned, my friend can't eat nuts.  I can.  I love nuts.  She can have dairy.  I can't.  It sucks.  But since I value my life I stopped eating dairy, because I do appear* to be allergic - not just intolerant.

*My doctor said I am based on my symptoms, but I haven't been officially tested.

Misconception 3:

I expect everyone to cook special food for me.

That would be a huge ask.  I never expect that.  There are very few people in my life who will invite me over for a meal without it being a large discussion or end in me just doing entirely my own food.  Pretty much the only person who can cook for me, and I don't need to ask questions or vice versa is my sister who lived with me when I was diagnosed, and a few others who have lived with me in that time also.

I do find this hard though.  Please understand I've had to make huge life changes, and now, many, many people don't/won't/can't cook for me.  So I can't just rock up to a BBQ at the last minute.  I have to be super organised, and I almost never eat out or eat something I didn't cook.  If I go anywhere I usually have to either provide a shopping list with places items I can eat can be purchased, go shopping the second I step off the plane, or bring food with me.  This may explain for some people why sometimes I get panicky about a situation and/or I end up running very late to an event.  Please don't suggest I eat bad food at this point.  That is like driving a knife in the wound, and could be disastrous if I take your advice.  It won't go astray if you offer any person foods without the dangerous ingredient(s).  Communication is the best way to deal with this.  Yes, there are people who do basically demand everyone cater for them, but my experience is that kind of expression is not intentional.

On a final note: not everyone is me, so while this might help in general, communicating with the person who has the allergies, their treating health professional and/or their parent/caregiver will provide the best answer to helping that person.  :)