homemade apple sauce

     As part of the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce, toast) diet, applesauce seems like an excellent choice for when you're flaring or having diarrhea. But if you have a sensitivity to corn syrup, as I do, the applesauce can make the flare even worse. I make homemade applesauce using my crock pot. This batch was made using July apples, which are slightly tart. It's nice and chunky and tastes really good when served warm. It freezes very well too. I just took a batch out of my freezer and couldn't tell the difference.

-10 medium apples (mixed variety)
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup water
-cinnamon to taste (I like a lot)


     Peel and cut up the apples into the crockpot. Add the sugar and water. Cover the pot and cook on high 3 hours. Open and add cinnamon. Stir and use potato masher for desired consistency. I like mine to be really chunky; but it can be worked with to make a smoother consistency.

spinach egg omelet

     My daughter wanted to enter her own addition to my blog. She made this beautiful spinach omelet. She cooked the egg very slowly and added fresh spinach when the inside was nearly done. Then she continued to cook it until the outsides browned slightly. Sometimes she also adds a little bit of cheese along with the spinach.

gluten free, corn free waffles

     This is what I had for breakfast yesterday. These waffles (gluten free and corn free) were good and my daughters ate them and liked them. My oldest daughter said that she couldn't tell the difference from regular waffles. I like to really dress mine up with peanut butter, banana and pure maple syrup. I always use the maple syrup since the commercial syrups are mostly corn syrup. This is also a nice hearty meal if you have recently lost a lot of weight. The box comes with 6 waffles.

Glutino cookies

     These are just plain yummy. Even my daughters, who don't need to eat this way, love them. I actually found these at Walmart. Our local Walmart now has a gluten free section, though very small. These taste almost like a kitkat bar.

Trigger foods

     After reading a lot of posts, it seems that some people may have certain trigger foods which sets off their Crohn's, while other people have reactions to other foods. I found my trigger foods by keeping a food diary and keeping careful track of everything I ate and drank and the reactions. It became very clear to me that my trigger foods are wheat, gluten and corn.

     I can not assume that avoiding these trigger foods will help all people. I can only hope that it will help some people. I have eliminated these foods from my diet entirely. That is all foods that contain these ingredients and foods that contain derivatives of these foods, such as white vinegar (corn derivative), ketchup (contains corn syrup), mustard (vinegar), soda pop(corn syrup), soy sauce (contains gluten), powdered sugar (made with corn starch), mayo (vinegar), maltodextrin (gluten and corn) and many others. I've had to make a lot of substitutions. I've read hundreds of labels. I've eaten and tracked the results, sometimes not so pleasant. In the end, I've found a way to prevent my flares from coming back. I am selling nothing. I do not represent the products that I talk about. I just reference them, it they have been useful to me and my diet.

Stonyfield yogurt

     I found a yogurt that I can eat. I love chocolate and this is really yummy. It is made with sugar. This comes in fat free and regular. This is chocolate underground flavor.

     I've really missed macaroni and cheese...until now. I found this Annie's macaroni and cheese that is made with rice pasta. Ok, honestly, it's not nearly as good as regular kraft, but in a pinch, it'll do.

Long grain and wild rice

     Here is another one of my staples.I  only use the Near East brand. Uncle Ben's has some ingredients that I can't eat. I know that rice is good, but plain rice can be boring. This is flavored rice, without any added starches. Also, there is no maltodextrin that other flavored rices have. It is very easy to make and goes with anything. The wild rice adds to the nutritional content.

Gluten Free chex

     This is one of my new favorite cereals. It is gluten free, and more importantly, corn free. I will not buy the chocolate or honey nut gluten free cereals since they do contain corn meal. This one is really really delicious. It's also very portable so I can take a bag of it with me in case I'm hungry and there's nothing safe to eat. It is also conveniently available in the grocery store.

Mints

     Well, I have finally found a mint that I can tolerate. I like the cinnamon flavor of these altoids. They are made with sugar. Other mints have corn syrup and starches. But be aware, the mini version of these mints is made with corn starch.

Cookouts

The summer is now upon us. It is the season for grilling out and getting together for cookouts and cook-ins. Remember, the way that I have beat Crohn's is to avoid all corn, wheat, gluten and their derivatives. What to avoid: corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw, processed hot dogs. Safe things to eat are pure burgers, lots of fresh fruits and Hebrew National hot dogs. The salads are unsafe as they usually contain vinegar, a big corn derivative. Of course these salads could be made with Veganase and apple cider vinegar. The Veganase can be found at some health food locations. I get mine from out local Co-op. It's no fun to go to a get-together and avoid certain things. I also feel very inhibited asking my host/hostess all the ingredients in their foods. Most people are very willing to let you know everything in their recipes and may even change their recipes to fit your needs. It takes minutes to eat, but days or weeks to recover from a flare. I'd rather be very very sure what I'm eating.

gluten free corn free zucchini muffins

Here's a recipe for gluten free and corn free zucchini muffins. Great for this season as veggies are starting to mature in our gardens. I like to put peanut butter on them. This recipe also works well with grated carrot instead of zucchini.










*2 cups gluten free corn free four mix. ( I used half rice flour and half soy flour)
*2 and 1/2 tsp featherweight baking powder (Featherweight brand does not contain cornstarch)
*1/2 cup sugar
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp cinnamon
*1 and 1/2 cup grated zucchini
* 2 eggs
*1/4 cup melted butter or canola oil
*approximately 1 cup milk (depends on the flour)

1. Combine the dry ingredients.
2. Beat eggs and add them. Add the oil or butter.
3. Add enough milk to make a nice pourable batter.
4. Mix well. Combine dry and wet ingredients.
5. Finally, add the grated zucchini and mix gently.
6. Fill muffins 2/3 full.
7. Bake at 400 degrees approximately 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown.

Making Substitutions

It's important for me to enjoy a fairly normal diet. While I have had to give up many of my favorite foods, others were just a matter of substitution. Many times I only had to switch brands. Reading labels is the most important thing that I do. I look for key words. If I see these ingredients I pass it up. See below, "things I avoid". Here are some of the substitutions that I make on a daily basis:

instead of------------------------------------- use this
white vinegar --------------------------------apple cider vinegar
mayonaise------------------------------------ vegenaise
pancake syrup --------------------------------pure maple syrup
Campbell's tomato soup --------------------Amy's tomato soup
pasta------------------------------------------ gluten free rice noodles
regular soda pop ----------------------------Virgil's real cola
soy sauce -------------------------------------Bragg's liquid aminos
baking powder -------------------------------Featherweight baking powder

Please feel free to write comments, questions or suggestions:
Lynne1408@earthlink.net

Berry Cobbler recipe

Here is one of my favorite desserts. It's low in fat and high in fiber. And soooo delicious. The flour for this recipe can vary. I use what's available in the house. This one was made with half soy flour and half rice flour. Chic pea flour, potato flour, and tapioca flours are also good choices.

*1 and 1/4 cup flour (gluten and corn free) (soy, rice, chic pea, fava bean, potato, tapioca, or some combination)
*2 Tbsp sugar
*1/3 cup sugar
*1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder (Featherweight brand does not contain cornstarch)
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon
*One egg (beaten)
*1/4 cup skim milk
*2 Tbsp canola oil
*1/8 tsp salt
* 4 cups frozen berries (unsweetened)(I like a combination of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)(The sweetened ones can contain corn syrup)

1. In mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.
2. In separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, and oil. Combine this with the dry ingredients.
3. Grease baking dish. Spread batter evenly on bottom.
4. In another bowl, combine the berries, salt and 1/3 cup sugar. Toss to cover berries.
5. Spread berry mixture over the batter.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until batter is thoroughly cooked.

This is a very satisfying dessert especially when you've lost a lot of weight. Though I don't use this recipe it I am flaring, due to the high amount of seeds which can irritate ulcers.

Food diary

One of the best tools that I know of to find food allergies is a food diary. I write down everything that I eat and drink during a day. This has to include such things as vitamins, seasonings and candy or mints too. Anything that goes into your mouth. I also write down the results. Sounds gross, but I track my bathroom results. This is the way that I was able to make a connection between what I ate and how it affected my Crohn's. For me, the results were to avoid wheat, gluten, corn and all their derivatives. You could be different. Food allergies, or intolerances may vary from person to person. I also note in my diary highlights of the day. This way I can see if stress, work or exercise play a role. So far I only see a connection with food. I have had incredibly stressful days that have no effect on my colon. But eat the wrong thing, and boom, there it is. The other advantage of the diary is that I can look back several weeks or months. If I suspect a certain food, I can look back to other days that I ate it and see if I had a similar result. It has literally been years in the making for me. But every time I find a food that agrees or doesn't agree with me, it is a great accomplishment.

My email address: lynne1408@earthlink.net