Quiche for Breakfast!

I have been frustrated because I have gained 5 pounds this past week.  Even though I'm still eating really healthily.  Argh!  Stupid, stupid weight gain!  I'm thinking that maybe it's because I've been eating too many carbs.  (Even though they were healthy carbs!)

I read recently that eating cereal for breakfast makes you fat.  The sugared kind especially, but also the "healthy" kind.  Apparently, most breakfast cereals have glycemic indexes that are higher than a Snickers bar.  I also read that eating eggs for breakfast can help you lose weight by helping to curb your appetite all day long.  So this week, I wanted to try eating eggs for breakfast.

Well, who has time to cook eggs in the mornings?  I don't!  So I thought that the easiest way to eat eggs for breakfast would be to make a quiche and have that throughout the week.  No prep time necessary!  I have had quiche for the past few mornings and I actually like it.

Here is the recipe I used from the Candida Control Cookbook.  I did make a change though.  I left out the nutmeg and put in some chopped, fresh dill instead.  This is a tip I got from my Greek mother-in-law.  She always puts dill in her spanikopita (which is amazing).  I have to say, Daisy knows what she's talking about.  Spinach and dill are a great combination!

Pecan Crust:
1/4 cup clarified butter (ghee)
1 cup ground fresh pecans (I ground them in a food processor)

Melt butter in a small skillet; remove from heat.  Add pecans; stir.  Spoon mixture into a greased, 8-inch pie dish, pressing against sides and bottom of dish to form crust.  Fill and bake or chill according to filling instructions.
(16 carbs)  

 Quiche Filling:
10 oz. package of frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 med. onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup homemade yogurt (the recipe calls for cottage cheese, but I am avoiding lactose so I used the homemeade yogurt.  Or you could use tofu if you  like.)
nutmeg to taste (I used chopped, fresh dill instead)
sea salt to taste

Squeeze the water out of the spinach.  Chop the onion and cook in the oil until tender.  Take off heat and add the spinach, eggs, yogurt, salt, and dill.  Mix together and pour into the pecan crust shell.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I suppose if you wanted to make this more breakfasty you could put in some ham or bacon, but I think it's really good without it.

Does anyone out there have any other low carb breakfast ideas?

Needles and Chips

Needles:
Well, today was my 3rd session at the acupuncturist's.  I'm used to the drill now.  This time, he put extra needles in my neck because I told him I'm having tightness in my shoulders.  (I ALWAYS have tightness in my shoulders.  I hold a lot of tension there and they seem to be up in my ears most of the time.)  Also, he gave me some therapeutic cream to put on my neck to loosen the muscles.  (Kinda like a natural Icy-Hot.)

I have not had a headache since my first acupuncture session on Tuesday.  It has almost been a week now and that's the longest I've gone without a headache in several months!  Is it wrong to be in love with your acupuncturist?  ;-)

Chips:
A friend of mine posted a recipe for kale chips on  her blog.  I made them tonight and they were fantastic!  I did not expect them to be so light and crispy.  I totally pigged out on them, but didn't feel too bad because it's kale!  The more kale you eat the better, right?  Seriously, try this.  It's an easy, painless way to get your veggies.

Eat Wild!

I found a site today that I want to share with you.  It's called www.eatwild.com.  What I like about it is that it helps you to find local farmers who produce organic vegetables and grass-fed animal products.  Also, it has a lot of information about why grass-fed is so beneficial to our health and our environment. 

This site also lists farmers who will ship directly to you, although it is limited.  I was unable to find a place that ships to my area.  (Although I totally respect why they don't ship too far.  Eating close to home helps the environment and reduces our dependence on oil to ship food to us.)

Are you wary of all the chemicals that are put into our food supply?  (I know I am.)  If you are too, this site can help you find a solution.

Second Visit to the Acupunturist

Today was my second acupuncture session.  As I was headed over there, I checked the mail and there was a hand-written card from Dr. Needle.  How nice is that?  It had a nice, peaceful picture of some green bamboo on the front and it said:
"Lyn- 
I'm glad you decided to try acupuncture and Chinese medicine, as I believe your condition will respond favorably to treatment.  As we discussed, if you can be consistent for a period of time I believe you'll see results.  See you next visit."
He's trying hard, isn't he?  His business is only about a year old so I'm sure he's still trying to grow his client base.  It was still nice to get the card though.


Last time, there were two needles that bothered me and he had to adjust them.  Today, nothing bothered me at all.  Either my body is getting used to it or Dr. Needle is adjusting to my particular body.  Anyway, it was fine.  He put the needles in the same places except instead of the neck ones, he put them on either side of my nose (to help open the sinuses).  I could see them sticking out like big 'ol walrus whiskers.  Crazy!  Again, I had to lay there for 20 minutes before he removed the needles.  After they were out he massaged my shoulders, temples, and ears.  I was calling this "shiatsu" but it's not.  It's called "Gwa Sha" (used to release tension in problem areas) and "Tui Na" (used to move Qi in various parts of the body).  

After an acupuncture session, they say not to do anything strenuous and to not take any drugs or drink alcohol for 6 hours.  I just felt extremely sleepy when I got home and took a nap.  I have to say, I have felt better for the past 3 days but I can't tell if it's from the acupuncture or from the fact that I have the week off for spring break.  The real test will be when school starts again!

I'll keep posting about my experiences with acupuncture for those that are curious.  (I have to go twice a week for the next couple of weeks.)  I'm not 100% sold on it but, like I said before, I'm willing to give it a try.  My friend's mother said that for her, it took about a month but now she doesn't have any migraines at all and she doesn't have to take her medicine.  I'm hopeful. 
 

Acupuncture 101

A friend of mine recently told me about her mother who has had some success with acupuncture for migraines, so I decided to try it.  It can't hurt, right?  (Well, at least not as much as my headaches do!)

I made an appointment for this morning at 10:30 am.  Coincidentally, I had a migraine on the left side of my head when I woke up this morning so I almost canceled.  Then I thought, "now's my chance to see if it actually makes me feel better."  So I dragged myself over there.

Pre-puncture:
The acupuncturist I saw (I'll call him Dr. Needle) seemed very professional and seemed like he knew what he was talking about.  He asked lots of questions before we began and he really listened to my answers.  Dr. Needle's questions helped me realize that I actually have had some improvement in my migraines since I started my crazy diet.  (no wheat, dairy, or sugar)  I was feeling frustrated because the frequency hasn't seemed to diminish at all.  BUT - the intensity isn't as bad and the duration isn't as long these days.  I used to spend the day crying and throwing up whenever I had a migraine.  I haven't had one like that in months.  Also, if I'm going to have a migraine, I'll always wake up with it.  It used to last until 6 or 7 at night but lately, it goes away around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  That's improvement!  I hadn't really thought about it until Dr. Needle's questioning.  It confirmed in my mind that I'm on the right track.

Puncture:
I have to say, having needles stuck in you doesn't really hurt at all!  It just feels like someone is flicking you lightly with their fingers.  There were two places which burned slightly when Dr. Needle put the needles in, but I told him and he adjusted them.  I didn't really feel them after that.  He put 14 needles in total:  two in each foot, two in each shin, one in each knee, two in each hand, one on either side of my neck, one in the middle of my forehead, and one the top, left side of my head (exactly where it was hurting).  The idea is to disrupt and redirect the energy flow in the body.  It sounds a little hocus-pocus but a lot of people swear by it and it has been around a long time so there must be something in it.

After the needles were in, the doctor left the room for 20 minutes.  I laid there on the table with all the needles in, with pillows under my head, legs, and each arm.  It kind of felt like I was floating on a cloud.  After 20 minutes, Dr. Needle came and removed the needles and I barely felt it at all.  He then did some shiatsu massage on my neck, shoulders, and ears - reaching the pressure points there.

Post-Puncture:
 I would like to say that my headache immediately went away and I felt great, but that's not how it works.  For chronic conditions you have to go back a few times, and there is a cumulative effect.  Dr. Needle gave me some Chinese herbs to take twice a day for a month or so.  He says we're correcting an imbalance in the body so this isn't something I have to take forever. 

The pain was still there when I left, but I did notice my nausea (and other stomach issues which accompany the migraine which I won't go into) had subsided.  Also, I usually see auras and/or trailers and that had gone away too.  So there was  improvement even though the pain was still there.  The pain didn't go away until 5:00 pm, but that's about when it usually stops. 


The verdict:
I think there is something in this and I am hopeful that it will work.  My shoulders feel less tense than they did this morning.  I have another appointment for Friday and I will keep you posted.  Has anyone else had experiences (good or bad) with acupuncture?

Lemon Meringue Pie

Okay so I feel like I  have to redeem  myself after that cinnamon roll post.  Here is the final recipe from the Candida Control Cookbook that I'm going to put up this week.  Lemon Meringue Pie!  It came out great!  I have to say though, that the sweetness of this pie is different from what you're used to.  I haven't had any sugar at all for several weeks now so it tasted like heaven to me.  My sugar-eating husband was less enthusiastic.  If you can't have gluten, lactose, or sugar though this makes a pretty awesome dessert.

Lemon Meringue Pie
Yields  6 servings

Crust:
1/4 cup clarified butter (ghee)
1 cup ground fresh pecans (I ground them in a food processor)

Melt butter in a small skillet; remove from heat.  Add pecans; stir.  Spoon mixture into a greased, 8-inch pie dish, pressing against sides and bottom of dish to form crust.  Fill and bake or chill according to filling instructions.
(16 carbs)

Filling:
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1 cup water*
2 teaspoons alcohol-free lemon flavoring* (the recipe calls for "Bickford's" but I found another brand at Whole Foods.)
3 tablespoons 100% pure vegetable glycerine
Meringue Topping (see below)

Separate eggs.  Place yolks and arrowroot powder in to the top of a double boiler; add water and flavoring.  Using a whisk, mix over medium heat until thick.  Remove from  heat; cool.  Add glycerine; stir.  Pour into crust.  Cover with Meringue Topping.  Bake in 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until delicately brown.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving.
(7 carbs per serving) 

Meringue Topping:
2 large egg whites (I have to say, I used all 3 of the whites from the 3 yolks in the above recipe and it came out fine.)
1 tablespoon 100% pure vegetable glycerine
1/4 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla flavoring (Spice Shoppe is a good brand)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.  Beat whites until stiff.  Fold in glycerine and vanilla.  Spoon over pie filling.  Bake 10 minutes, or until browned.

* Note:  Instead of lemon flavoring and water, it seems like you could just use lemon juice instead.  I'm going to try it next time.  Why use flavoring when you can use the natural stuff?

Cinnamon Rolls

I made some gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free cinnamon rolls today from the Candida Control Cookbook today.  This recipe used rice flour so I was dubious about it considering my terrible turnover experience.  The rolls came out really crumbly.  (Actually, a better name would be "Cinnamon Crumbles".)  They did taste good even though they don't look very appetizing.  Next time, I'm going to add an egg to the dough because I think it'll hold it together more.  I thought of adding one in as I was making this but I thought, "I'm sure this recipe knows what it's talking about.  I'll do it exactly as it says".  Hmmm....well, let's just say next time I'm definitely adding an egg!
 Here is the recipe as printed in the book if you want to try it for yourself:


Cinnamon and Nut Rolls 
Yields 1 dozen rolls

1 3/4 cups brown rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter - the lactose containing part is skimmed off and only the fat is left)
2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk (or almond milk)
1 tablespoon 100% pure vegetable glycerine (I know!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon nut topping (see below)
1 tablespoon 100% pure vegetable glycerine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place first 7 ingredients into a large bowl; mix with pastry blender, fork, or 2 knives.  Form dough into a ball.  Place dough on a floured board.  Roll, with a floured rolling pin, into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle.  Spread topping over dough.  Roll up lengthwise; cut into 3/4-inch slices.  Butter an 8-inch round cake pan; sprinkle remaining glycerin and cinnamon on bottom of pan.  Place rolls on top.  Bake 10-15 minutes.
(30 carbs each)


Cinnamon-Nut Topping
Yields 1 topping for 1 dozen rolls

A delicious sugar-free topping for rolls.

1/4 cup of ghee or clarified butter
1/2 cup ground fresh pecans or walnuts
1 tablespoon 100% pure vegetable glycerine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or more, to taste

Melt butter in a small skillet.  Add nuts, glycerine, and cinnamon; mix.  Remove from heat; cool before spreading.
(8 carbs)