12 Soups in 12 Months: Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Croutons

Here's soup number two for my 12 Soups in 12 Months challenge!

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2  15 ounce cans pumpkin
1  32 ounce carton reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup half-and-half or light cream
½ cup water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 Recipe Spiced Croutons

Directions

1. In a large saucepan cook carrots in hot butter over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in pumpkin, broth, half-and-half, water, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To serve, top soup with Spiced Croutons and celery leaves.

Spiced Croutons

Ingredients
3 cups 1-inch bread cubes
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a bowl toss bread cubes with pumpkin pie spice. In a large skillet cook bread cubes in hot butter for 8 minutes or until toasted, turning occasionally.

Clean Eating: Satay Chicken

I've been trying to incorporate "clean eating" into my routine as much as possible since the beginning of January, with no specific goal other than feeling better. It's been a great experience so far - learning about benefits of coconut oil and its many uses (and tastes yum, too!)

So what exactly is clean eating? As taken from the Clean Eating Magazine:
“The soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life - one meal at a time.”

Eat five to six times a day
Three meals and two to three small snacks. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long. This was not hard for me to do as I am usually hungry, especially when avoiding breads and other foods that make me feel bloated and gross.

Drink at least two liters of water a day
Preferably from a reusable canteen, not plastic; we're friend of the environment here! Limit your alcohol intake to one glass of antioxidant-rich red wine a day. I don’t know that I’m up to two liters, but definitely 7 cups. So I’m nearly there. It takes some adjusting before your bladder stops waking you up 20 times a night to go pee. And YAY, wine!!

Get label savvy
Clean foods contain just one or two ingredients. Any product with a long ingredient list is human-made and not considered clean.

Avoid processed and refined foods
This includes white flour, sugar, bread and pasta. Enjoy complex carbs such as whole grains instead. This was easier to do than I thought it would be, mostly because of the immediate difference it made from not consuming these foods!

Know thy enemiesSteer clear of anything high in saturated and trans fats, anything fried or anything high in sugar. You can still have bacon, and coconut oil is truly yummy and versatile!

Consume healthy fats
Try to have essential fatty acids, or EFAs, every day. I take mine in the form of Evening Primrose Oil, every day after dinner. This also helps with mood stability.

Learn about portion sizes
Work towards eating within them. And slowing down while eating your food. Take time to enjoy it!

My first “clean” recipe was Clean Satay Chicken. It was delicious, easy to make and gentle on the belly. 
 

Recipe
2-3 Chicken breasts, sliced
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2-1 zucchini, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced1 teaspoon crushed chilli
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 spanish onion, finely chopped
1.5 tablespoons coconut oil
Juice of half a fresh lime
3 tablespoons natural crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or stevia
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
2 cups water

Heat fry pan, add the coconut oil, coriander, cumin, garlic and red onion and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the peanut butter, chilli, lime juice, Stevia, coconut and soy sauce and stir. This will form a paste. Gradually add the water, about 1/2 cup at a time till you get the sauce to a consistency that you like. (more water = runnier sauce)

Simmer for a few minutes and turn heat off and set aside. In another heated pan, place a little coconut oil and a little garlic. Add the chicken and brown it up. Add the vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes. Pour over the sauce and heat for about 1-2 minutes. Serve this in a bowl with some brown rice or quinoa. Enjoy!

Green Energy

Earlier in January I promised to talk about my experience with “green energy” and the effects of incorporating more greens into my daily regimen. This was part of my 2013 (and on) commitment to better health. It's one of the small (and easy) steps I could make to achieve that.

We are now nearing the end of January and I am proud to report that I have stuck with this new healthy habit! In addition to adding greens to my diet, for a month I also cut out cola, coffee, breads/pastas, sugars, processed food and fast food. Yes, I slipped a couple of times but overall I'm amazed at my strength!

So what exactly is green energy and why was I so eager to give it a try? Well, according to Lee Holmes, a guest blogger on the Wellness Warrior:

“Green juices are the best medicine we can give our bodies, and are particularly beneficial for those who have digestive system or mal-absorption issues. Juice is easily absorbed as juicing breaks down the cell walls of fruits and vegetables so that they are pre-digested already. This means that the power-packed nutrients are getting directly into your system.

 Juicing is also a wonderful way to ensure that we are consuming our recommended servings of greens too. Let’s face it, no one wants to be eating four cucumbers and three bunches of spinach at 7am, but juicing enables us to get a healthy amount of vegetables in one go to power-up the day.

 Another benefit of using greens in juicing is that it oxygenates the body due to the addition of chlorophyll and enables us to release stored toxins in our bodies. Chlorophyll helps in neutralising the pollution that we breathe in every day. If you are a smoker (or have been in the past) it’s a fantastic supplement for your diet. When you ingest chlorophyll, your haemoglobin count is elevated and as a result of this, you’ll find that your circulation improves and you’ll have much more energy. Not only is it a blood enricher with special nutrients that build iron, it also cleanses and improves the health of the intestines, uterus, and lungs.”

The first paragraph alone convinced me to give green juice a try. Any way I can help my body to absorb nutrients and give my digestive system a break at the same time – I will take it!

I tested out three different brands of bottled green juice. I chose to buy bottled juice instead of spending the money to buy an expensive juicer then possibly realizing this wasn’t for me.  I also chose organic brands with the ingredients clearly labeled.

Happy Plant Extreme Green

This was one of the last products I tried. I was a bit skeptical, because the expiry date was nearly a month after the "open" or "purchase" date. Hmm. It did taste great, though!

Bolthouse Farms

This product was tasty and delicious. No negative review here. I actually alternated this one with Arthur's (below). The juice is "best" one week after opening. I stuck to that and all was well.

Arthur’s Smoothies

Again, similar great taste and one week expiration date after opening.

So what's the big deal, you ask? I started noticing differences within the first 2 days. This is not a joke or over-exaggeration! I have nothing that I am trying to sell here - only one hundred percent shared experience. I've been energetic in the morning and those post-lunch-time-sleepy-times have all but dissapated. Sugar was hard to cut down, but the green juice is so tasty...almost too good to be true.

I have to admit, I have gotten much of my motivation from the Wellness Warrior. She is smart, Australian and beautiful (inside and out)! I follow her blog and learn new things every week. She also has a free downloadable green juice/smoothies cookbook. Check it out at the link above.

You can buy the above products at pretty much any grocery store (I am in Canada so I can't speak for other parts of the world). They weren't terribly pricey, especially considering how long they last. One botte and I'm good for the week. I just chug a bunch at breakfast. This is probably the most lazy way to go about it, but at least I'm trying. I keep a bottle in the fridge at work and a bottle in my home refrigerator.

What are your green energy habits? I would love to hear from you and share green juice recipes!

Hope your bellies are comfy,

Sher



12 Soups in 12 Months

While making my turkey veggie rice soup the other night (really good on the belly or during a flare) I thought maybe I should challenge myself to something cooking-related. My favorite go-to meal during the winter is soup. Easy to digest, full of nutrients and electrolytes, and warms you to the core.  

I’ve picked 12 soups and will make one per month for the year 2013. Other than the soup I made this week (featured below) which is my own recipe, the rest are new to me. I don’t have a particular order – will just pick based on how I feel that month.

TURKEY VEGGIE RICE SOUP

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH SPICED CROUTONS

TOMATO GARLIC SOUP WITH FENNEL

PUMPKIN-GINGER SOUP

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

INDIAN CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH GARAM MASALA

EASTERN EUROPEAN BORSCHT

TWO-PEA SOUP WITH PORK

EASY TOMATO SOUP

FRENCH ONION AND BEEF SOUP

CURRIED VEGETABLE SOUP

CHICKEN BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

TURKEY VEGGIE RICE SOUP

1 turkey  carcass & meat (I froze mine from xmas until I was ready to make soup; skin is optional)
2 cups broth (chicken or veggie – your choice/preference)
4 cups water
salt
pepper
cut up veggies: carrots, onions, celery, japanese zuchinni
TBS minced garlic
TBS butter
2 cups wild rice
2 bay leaves

1. Dice all your veggies, add to soup pot with garlic, spices and bay leaves and butter. Saute until onions are nearly transparent.
2. Put in turkey carcass and slowly add broth and water, while bringing to a boil. Let boil for about 20 minutes then turn down to simmer for another 45 minutes (covered).
3. Remove turkey skin, fat, bones and unwanted parts with tongs (will be hot!). Discard. Stir it all around to break apart the turkey meat that fell off the bone and carcass.
4. Add uncooked rice and let simmer for another 30 minutes.
5. Cool and enjoy! My soup ended up being more like a stew because the rice absorbed a lot of the water, but I like it that way. To make it soupier, just add more water to it.

Please enjoy these recipes and feel free to pass them on. Feel free to post your favorite soup recipes or what go-to foods you prefer during a flare. I can try making the dishes you post (if they are not too complex, lol) and then I will feature some on my blog (with photos and credits to you).

Pumpkin Pancakes!

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

1 cup whole wheat Sunny Boy pancake mix
1 egg
1 cup milk or milk alternative
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
½ cup pumpkin puree

Whisk ingredients together. Batter will be pretty dense because of the pumpkin. Cook like normal pancakes (there may or may not be surface bubbles, just keep close watch to not burn the pancake).

Serve with real maple syrup, fresh raspberries and pecans. Mmm mmm good! These were yummy and easy on the tummy.

Those Xmas Pounds...

I've Already Lost the Xmas Pounds
Just catch the flu! My new year’s gift was the flu. Vomiting and diahrea for 24 hours straight. That put me into a flare. I’ve been on 3 days only fluids.

I took this “opportunity” to try Electrolyte gastro rehydrating crystals. It's supposed to be  "an easy-to-use rehydration drink that quickly restores vital minerals and body water lost through vomiting."

  
It kinda tasted like the 4 litres of golyte you are forced to drink when prepping for a scope. So I didn’t manage to drink much, but hope it helped.

Each sachet of Electrolyte gastro contains:
Sodium Chloride..............................0.47 g
Sodium Acid Citrate.........................0.53 g
Potassium Chloride.........................0.30 g
Glucose (from corn syrup)...............3.56 g

Other than that I stuck to ice water and weak chamomile mint tea with honey. It’s comforting to the tummy and contains no caffeine. 







And Boost. When it’s really chilled, I can stomach it.

I’m slowly getting better and the turkey pounds have vanished. How's that for seeing the silver lining?

Next time I will be talking about my newest journey: green energy (juicing). Stay tuned and keep coming back!

Coping with the Big “D” (no, I don’t mean diarrhea this time)

It’s the eve before Xmas eve. Well, actually, it’s the morning before the eve before Xmas eve. I’ve got the house prepared and stocked and ready for our holiday crew to arrive tomorrow. Tunes are blasting, coffee is brewing (pumpkin coffee!!) and the tree is sparkling. I’m doing everything possible to remain positive, although the past 10 days of constant itching from these hives is driving me batshit crazy. Is it the Remicade or is it another allergy surfacing due to my aging and highly-suppressed immune system? The “just-in-case” bottle of prednisone stares at me from the kitchen counter. We are old friends and I was hoping to never meet again. I’d rather endure hives for a million years than put that nasty, nasty steroid in my body. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of experiencing prednisone, here’s a link to the ridiculous side effects. And these aren’t “possible side effects”. Talk to any chronie and I’m sure they will have their own horror stories to share.

Okay, I realize I’m rambling. I promised to share my list of depression coping strategies. Some of them I have been referring to for ages, others I have recently discovered and others are influences I realized I needed to remove from my environment. It’s a constant learning experience.

Often I begin with questions, because understanding WHY can be half the battle.

·         Am I hungry? Changes in blood glucose levels are directly related to how you feel.

·         Am I bored? Sometimes I seem depressed when I am in fact bored. Boredom can also lead to depression.

·         Is it PMS? For me, PMS is disabling and hard to get through. But watching the calendar and knowing when and why I feel so crappy does help a bit. I just need to get through a few days and treat myself well. I do this with herbal tea, a hot water bottle, plenty of rest and fluids. And let’s not forget Midol. I’m not promoting Midol for people with Crohn’s, as I don’t know how great it is for us. All I know is it makes me want to strangle people less.

·         Is it the weather? Weather can change your mood. Lack of sunlight causes vitamin D deficiency.

·         Is my B12 low? Injection time! I had anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency for many years. Now I inject myself monthly and my energy levels have improved significantly!

Next I turn to my list of tried-and-true coping strategies:

1.       Are my meds still working? Talk to your doctor about your type and dose of antidepressant medication. Maybe it is time to try a new kind or up the dose. If you aren’t on treatment and aren’t sure about what to do – try talking to a doctor or counselor to see what your options are. There’s no point in suffering silently. Having a chronic illness put us at greater risk of depression.

2.       Avoid alcohol. This seems like an easy and obvious one, but it’s harder to do for some of us, especially during this time of the year when everyone seems to be enjoying some “holiday cheer”. Remember: it feels good at the time, but haunts us both physically and mentally for days after.

3.       Stay on top of your vitamin and supplement regimen. Make sure you are getting what your body needs, and enough of it. We chronies missing parts of our small bowel have malabsorption issues. Get your doctor to order some blood tests to check your levels. Then see a naturopath to recommend what your body needs and the best way to get it. My list: monthly vitamin B12 injections, daily: vitamin B6, primrose oil, magnesium, calcium, zinc, vitamin D (droplets).

4.       Try to eat clean. Carbs and sugars are evil, even though they taste so great. That’s an extra challenge around this time of year. Just like not having enough glucose in our blood levels, having too much can wreak havoc as well. And sugar is hidden in just about everything these days.

5.       Stay hydrated. This first thing I do when I get up is drink water (hard to forget with the handful of meds), then I keep a bottle of ice water at my desk all day and try to fill it up at least three times. When I get home, I chug another couple glasses of water and always have a glass of water at my bedside. Water is the drink of choice in our home: we don’t buy fruit juice and rarely have pop or other crap around. I love the taste of water, so it’s easy.

6.       Sip tea. Passion flower, hops, valerian or other herbal tea that promotes relaxation. I add a passion flower tincture to my tea (found at any health food store). This reduces anxiety and irritability and helps me get to sleep better.

7.       Go for a walk or jog. I know these sound like impossible feats when you can barely imagine getting out of bed some days. But trust me, it’ll be worth it. Endorphin release is like a natural high.

8.       Practice yoga. It helps you to feel at one with your body and mind, stay in the present and keep your mind from roaming to those dark places. It also improves circulation and digestion.

9.       Chat with someone you haven’t in a while. Pick up the phone! What? If you are anything like me, the last thing you want to do at the end of a day at work is talk on the phone to people. But sometimes what we are lacking is that true connection that texting and online communication can’t give us. Even better – GO OUT OF THE HOUSE for coffee or tea with someone!

10.   Distract yourself. Read a book, do a puzzle, watch a funny movie. Get out your favorite chick flick and a box of tissues and let it out. You will feel better after. My go-to girly movie right now is Bridesmaids.  

11.   FEEL it. Don’t be ashamed of anything you are feeling. It’s not wrong and there is nothing wrong with you. It’s just something you need to go through at this time and you are not alone. I find that writing down my thoughts and feelings at this time to be very therapeutic. You don’t have to keep what you have written; it just helps to get it out.

12.   Have a hot bubble bath. When I need a lift, I go to my happy place. I fill the tub with bubbles and hot water, light candles and incense, put a few drops of lavender in the water, hit play on some soothing ocean or nature music, flick off the lights and submerge. I forget about the rest of the world and pretend I am floating in the ocean off my favorite beach in Thailand.

13.   Positive affirmations. I don’t care if I’m seen as “that damn cheery girl” by my co-workers. I do it for me, and it really works! I save photos and positive quotes that I come across in my iphone and then browse through them when I am feeling down. Tape your list beside your mirror so that you have to look at them every morning when you are getting ready for the day. Some of my favorite affirmations are: “Act the way you want to feel” and “This shall too pass”.

14.   Do something nice for someone. Hold the door open; let someone go ahead of you in line or traffic. Smile at stranger; buy the person behind you a coffee. Seems like a small effort on your part, but you can’t imagine what impact your kind gesture has just had on that person’s day (and life)!

15.   Make a list of goals. For the day, for the month, for the year – even a bucket list! This gets me excited about the future and feeling productive. It feels great to be able to cross things off my list.

16.   Listen to music. Never underestimate the power of a good tune. It can get you singing and even dancing! I try to have music playing as often as possible. My mood nearly always lifts.

17.   Keep a diary. I’m not talking about a place to keep your deepest, darkest secrets (but if you want to do that, feel free) but as a daily practice to show gratitude. Every night before I go to sleep I think of and write down 10 things I am grateful for that day. From small things like having a roof over my head, to having the fortune of spending my life with my best friend. Remind yourself how lucky you are – no matter how bad the situation, there is always SOMETHING you can find to be grateful for.

18.   Try the Happiness Project. In this book by Gretchen Rubin, she forces herself to closely examine the details of her life and “happiness”. She provides exercises and shows us how to conduct our own happiness project. I highly recommend it!

19.   Remove yourself from negative people and situations. Step back and take a look at your life – work, home life. Is your job stressing you out? Are you constantly hearing negative verbal diarrhea from the people around you? Maybe it is time for change.

20.   Volunteer. Make a donation. This year I chose to donate to Canine Second Chance. I met the couple that runs the non-profit and gave blankets, dog food and toys. I got to spend time with the dogs and I left feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Animals have an amazing ability to heal us.

21.   Get a puppy! Most of my life I was a devoted cat-lover. I would not even entertain the thought of befriending “man’s best friend”: the loyal, needy canine. I became highly allergic to my favorite feline friends in my late 20’s. We decided to get a dog. My sidekick Harley loves me unconditionally and is always excited to see me. She will sit with me for days in bed when I am sick and give me kisses and cuddles. I don’t know how I survived without her and she makes me happy during every waking hour.

Okay that’s enough for now. I applaud you if you are still with me and reading this! I hope some of my suggestions help you out. I am off to shovel the driveway. We got about two feet of snow last night. No, I don’t enjoy this chore but the exercise and fresh air will make me feel good AND I know my boyfriend will appreciate it when he gets home from work.

Happy holidays, everyone!