Siete taco shells

Another wonderful find at Whole Foods. Siete taco sells. They taste very good, slightly sweet. Lots of crunch though they fall apart quite easily. They come 12 in a pack for $5.49. I would definitely buy them again. Almost like a corn taco shell but not quite. Not too bad though.

In order to keep myself in remission from Crohn's I avoid all gluten and corn as well as gluten and corn derivatives. Corn tacos of course would be a big no no.

How I survive when traveling

It's hard enough to travel, let alone when you have a special diet. I am corn and gluten free. I do this to control my Crohn's disease. I also avoid all derivatives of corn and gluten. Such things as soy sauce, salad dressing, mustard, ketchup, relish, white vinegar, corn syrup...I take no medicine and I am in complete remission, my last colonoscopy was normal and showed no signs of Crohn's. However if I eat the wrong foods, that could change.

This is how I dealt with my recent trip to Charleston S.C. for a wedding. It took some planning and some luck.

First off, what I brought with me: I made a big dish of Oatmeal -to -Go. I figured if nothing else, I could have these for breakfast or a snack. I also packed lentil chips, Nu Go protein bars, and dried fruit packages. I did not bring fruits or veggies figuring I could find those anywhere.

All of these came in handy during my five day stay.

The Hotel that we stayed at offered a free breakfast. No carbs of any kind that I could eat. Now the oatmeal bars came to the rescue. They had Nutella there! This was so nice spread on the bars. They also offered hard boiled eggs, Chiobani yogurt, bananas, oranges, apples and orange juice. Plenty now for breakfast. Note: Hard boiled eggs are usually safe. I do not trust scrambled eggs that are already made. Too many things that could have been added.

The next challenge was eating out at restaurants. The safest for me is to get baked fish with a salad or vegetables. No sauce. No dressing. The steamed mussels were a bit if a gamble but the chef said there was no soy sauce in them. Just lemon garlic and butter.

Some of the best places in Charleston were Toasts, The crab Shack, Hank's and Fleets Landing.

Another small challenge was lunch. We found a few smoothie and juice bars so that settled that issue. One sold lovely salads as well. Juice bars also came in handy when we were going through the airports.

And finally, the wedding. It was gorgeous ceremony right on the beach. The food however...nothing that I could eat. It's ok. The night was beautiful and it was a wonderful time with family and friends. I ate a protein bar.

My daughter's dinner and my dinner:

And finally airport food. This was not the best. I felt safe ordering a plain hamburger without the bun and a side of veggies. Everything was over cooked. They still put it on a bun. Really the only bad meal I had the whole trip.

Traveling is a wonderful thing, but not when you feel sick or need to use the bathroom constantly. A little planning can go a long way. And btw Charleston is a beautiful city and we will go back.

Lentil Chips by Enjoy Life

Sometimes you just need to crunch something. These chips are just the thing to satisfy cravings. I just eat them plain though they have a nice shape for dipping. 3 grams of protein per serving. 140 calories for a generous portion.

What I Eat: Smoked Salmon

I absolutely love smoked salmon. But being corn and gluten free, I have had to make a few changes in order to enjoy one of my favorite meals.

Bagels: I use "Against the Grain" brand. Note: they do use cheese in their recipe, so it wouldn't be good for dairy sensitive individuals. But if it is tolerated, these bagels are good.

Smoked salmon: The one thing I look for is to make sure it doesn't contain corn syrup. Most of them do not, but there are some out there that do use corn syrup.

I do not use cream cheese just because of the fat content. However, if cream cheese is desired, Philadelphia cream cheese is good. It has to be the bar and not the whipped variety. The whipped contains modified food starch and xanthin gum. The modified starch could mean anything from gluten to corn. The xanthan gum is a derivative of corn.

I like to top mine with fresh tomatoes and onions. Theses vegetables can be irritating to the intestines for some people. I also like fresh spinach.

Going Gluten Free Made a Difference

Found this on facebook about how one woman found relief for her Crohn's symptoms from changing her diet. She went gluten free and found amazing results. The link is below.

https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/lifestyle-change-saved-life/?fbclid=IwAR0VOtsIKMipAMemLofH-iaLbQmwBB5o31XM1xD4tcV13yC3V810RlnKAbU

Quinoa

     One delicious gluten free grain is quinoa. It is actually a seed. It is easy to cook. Quinoa can be cooked in a rice steamer with the proportion of one part quinoa to two parts water. It is also full of fiber.

    The above recipe was made with cooked quinoa topped with roasted vegetables, green onions, slivered almonds and feta cheese. The quinoa was cooked in broth for added flavor.

     Quinoa can be a good gluten free substitute for couscous, which is what this recipe originally called for.

   

Warning; flying fish eggs contain corn syrup!

     Here is a warning to all that are trying to avoid corn and corn derivatives. Flying fish eggs are produced with corn syrup. No wonder they taste so yummy. I found this out the hard way. I thought that these yummy sushi eggs were a healthy low fat treat. I ate them and got sick as a dog. So I googled them to see why. Not only do they contain corn syrup, but also soy sauce, for all those avoiding gluten. It's a shame that now I have to avoid this; but it is best to know what we are actually consuming.

Ful Mudamas

     This was my first attempt at an ethnic food. This is a Syrian breakfast made with chic peas, tahini, yogurt, lemon juice and tomato and fresh garlic. It then has parsley, paprika and olive oil drizzled on top of it. Really good. It tastes like a combination of humous and tabouli. Make sure to check the label for the tahini, that it is made of sesame seeds only. This is for 2 servings:

*1 can cooked chic peas
*1 cup yogurt
*1 medium tomato
*juice of 1 lemon
*1 clove garlic, fresh, raw, minced (omit if you
plan to see people within 24 hours)
*4 tablespoons tahini
*half cup chopped parsley
*paprika to taste
*olive oil to drizzle on top

1-drain beans and rinse
2-pour beans into water and boil while making rest of recipe
3-chop tomato in bite size pieces
4-mince garlic
5-chop parsley
6-in 2 serving bowls, split the yogurt, tahini, garlic and tomato
7-drain beans and add to bowls
8-top with fresh parsley and paprika
9-drizzle olive oil on top

This was sooooo delicious and easy to make. Check out this link for more Syrian recipes:
www.syrianfoodie.blogspot.com

The traditional recipe uses fava beans instead of chic peas. But some people have severe allergies to fava beans. So best to not take a chance. It is the sauce that really makes this recipe, not the beans.

I tried this recipe again today and heated it slightly in the microwave before topping it with the parsley. It made a huge difference in taste-really good.