Quick Fix Tacos and Allergy Mythbusters

Fast beefy goodness.

There may be a good reason why people with food allergies are often the objects of ridicule in movies and other works of fiction. How we treat and mitigate our food allergies is not an exact science. So many bodily functions are interrelated to food allergies that I might not be 100% even if I stay away from the foods that bother me the most. Also, I can say that I know what will push me over my threshold, but that may be very different for someone else or it may even change over time for me. So where does that lead us?

To some good practices and some absurd rituals and myths.

For example one day: "Oh, I've been getting lots of headaches lately! This is a sign that I'm eating something wrong. What have I eaten in the past few days that's new? Or possibly old but problematic? Throw them out, throw them out! The ship is sinking! Abandon ship! Let's eat nothing but acorn squash and baked chicken for forever! That does my body good."

Two days later: "I have no energy! Need carbs! Food not digesting! Slowly melting, melting, melting...oh wait...I just had my period...that must have been the problem. Oops."

While it's good to utilize the elimination diet to get rid of bad symptoms, if used improperly it can screw up my life. In order to determine allergy fact from fiction, I always need to keep two people in mind: the Mythbusters.



Yeah, these guys are rock awesome.

Back in the earlier episodes they had this specialist, Heather Josheph-Witham, who'd help describe the background to the myths that there were about to test. She's a "folklorist." Below is an example of something she might say.

"Women's bodies, particularly their breasts, have been held in high esteem since the beginning of time. This is due to our ability have babies and provide them with life through a mother's milk. Our children then go on to idolize milk and milk products to the point that now, milk is in everything. It's a comfort food to which we are all emotionally attached. This is in a large part why we use that old adage 'No sense crying over spilt milk,' largely because we have to remind ourselves that milk really isn't that important." [And then they go on to test whether people cry when they spill milk.]

Yes, I wrote that in jest, not Heather. :)

But the history of an "adage" doesn't make a myth true, just like my known history with a certain food doesn't make my diet the law. While I might throw out one problematic food I might throw out five good foods at the same time. While I might be tempted to stick with certain foods, allergy medications, exercise, etc that have worked before, I could be limiting myself to a safe but very boring place and hurting myself in ways I can't even imagine.

It's no wonder our rituals are made fun of in movies and fiction. They look silly even to a person with allergies. There's a lot of truth to our quirky eating habits, but there's a lot of myth too!

To avoid living my life based on ridiculously stretched reasoning like those in my examples, I've got to keep an open, yet scientific mind while self medicating. I've got to be a Mythbuster and a scientist! I need to make sure that I'm only eliminating one thing from my diet at a time. I need to make sure that I don't grab onto one food like my life depends on it. When a doctor suggests only eating certain foods during certain pollen seasons, I've got to test it out for myself with no preconceived notions. I need to test and retest and retest my theories again, no matter how old my food traditions may be or how much I fear the pain! Because who knows, I might pleasantly surprise myself. Just like I've done a hundred times before.

So, here's a prayer for all of us with allergies, food and pollen. May God inspire us to constantly re-examine our rituals and never let us settle for traditions because their just "comfortable."

Quick Fix Tacos
Here's a tasty recipe for a quick and easy Microwave taco meat. You can substitute Turkey for Beef and throw in even more veggies if you'd like. Just make sure to cut up every thing small and stir often so that everything cooks uniformly. We like to make lots of toppings for our tacos while the meat is cooking. Or we use all the toppings as part of a salad instead of tacos.

Sides cut up the way Momma taught me.

Ingredients:
1 lb low fat beef
1 small onion (chopped)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Directions:
Microwave all in a Pyrex dish (so it doesn't melt the plastic) on high for 2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 2 minutes. Make sure you have a breathable lid on top to contain any splattery messes. Continue to microwave and stir until all meat has turned brown.

Eating Out this Weekend

I rarely rant, so please bare with me...

We should have done something similar...

The Conversation as it Happened this Saturday:
Waiter: What can I get for you?
Me: I'd like the BLT salad with
Waiter: No you don't.
Me: Yeah, I do. I'd like the BLT salad with
Waiter: No you don't. Really you don't. It's not one of our best items.
Me: Well, uh, I have several food allergies and I'd like to avoid them by ordering the salad.
Waiter: We're going to work on your food allergies here because that salad is not that good.
Me: I just want the BLT salad with the grilled chicken and a side of potato with nothing on it. Is that okay? [I can't believe I asked this as a question]
Waiter: That's like a $4 plain baked potato. You'll end up spending like $15 on no taste.
Me: Right, no butter or anything.
Waiter: Any dressing?
Me: Nope.
Waiter: Okaaayyy...[moves on to next order, while I excuse myself to the bathroom so I can cry]

What would have been fun if I didn't have self control:
Waiter: What can I get for you?
Me: I'd like the BLT salad with
Waiter: No you don't
Me: Yeah, I do. I'd like the BLT salad with
Waiter: No you don't. Really you don't. It's not one of our best items.
Me: Well, uh, I have several food allergies and I'd like to avoid them by ordering the salad.
Waiter: Well we're going to work on your food allergies here because that salad is not that good.
Me: Look you JERK, I've been "working" on my friggin allergies since I was eating solid food and pooping in diapers and it doesn't take a genius to realize that I might know a bit more about what I can and cannot eat when I look at a menu. I'm not an idiot. I'm not timid about trying new things like those high school kids in the corner. And you're not funny! Sure, I could have your steak, but your sides are either battered, buttered, or cheesed all of which I'd be happy to eat as long as you get to suffer with me to see how it feels to have a headache and diarrhea for three days. No? Oh, you don't want three days of torture? Oh, so you want to see if we can change another menu item to suit my needs instead?

NO!

See, I also learned at a very early age that you waiters have a limited amount of RAM when it comes to "special orders." You forget to leave off certain things if the list is longer than 2-3 items, which my list would be considering the amount of crap you have on this menu; the amount of crap that fills almost all restaurant menus. It may be tasty, but it's crap for all I care. Then I'll have to send back your pile of poo twice while my family finishes eating and I'm staring at their gravy, cheese, and chicken fried whatevers. Then someone will mention how great their food tastes; "mmm...this is good." Then I'll excuse myself so I can go outside and eat dirt from the front flowerbed to fill up my hungry gut.

I DON'T THINK SO.

No, I'd like to order something else. Something like maybe a SALAD and POTATO. You can't kill a salad or a potato when you order them plain. People like to eat out. People like to eat to socialize. I realize that. I'm hear to visit with my family not value what I eat, especially not YOUR food you righteous, pompous horse's rear-end. I will never enjoy eating out as much as I enjoy eating in. Ever! It's always, "let's modify this" and "let's cut out that." Until we have something with no taste that I could have made for $2 in the comfort of our home.

Do you think I LOVE salads? Does anyone just say instead of this mouth-watering chicken fried steak with gravy, buttery mashed potatoes, breaded okra, and mac n' cheese, I'll have this salad DRY? NO! But because I see crap that I can't have on your food and I know there's crap that I can't see on your food, I choose to eat salad when I go out. Unless by some miracle my 28 years of food allergies decide to take wing and fly away at this very moment, eating out sucks. It sucks! And so do YOU and all RESTAURANTS. But I do this for my family and friends. So give me the LAME salad and potato and MOVE ON! ...IDIOT!

INCONSIDERATE MORON WHO THINKS HE'S FUNNY BECAUSE HE'S TALKING BACK TO ME LIKE THIS IS WILL AND GRACE, AND HE'S WILL AND I'M GRACE. CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE AND GET AWAY FROM ME.

What should have happened (because what I said above would have been, of course, hypocritical):
Waiter: What can I get for you?
Me: I'd like the BLT salad with the grilled chicken with a plain baked potato
Waiter: Are you sure you just want a salad? We're really great at steaks, mashed potatoes, gravy...
Me: Yes, I'm sure.
Waiter: Any dressing on that salad?
Me: Nope.
Waiter: Okay, and for you sir...

What would also have been acceptable:
Me: I'm sorry, I can't do this. Let's leave.

Or:
Me: I'd like to speak with your manager.

Good Idea. Bad Idea.

Apples

When Lindsey came to visit last weekend she came baring gluten-free, milk-free gifts! Whahoo! One was a bag of Ginger Snaps by Mi-del. That's a definite yummy in the tummy that I've had before.

Then she brought two packages of cookies that I've never sampled. One box has snickerdoodles and the other one's the "No-oat Oatmeal" recipe. Both are made by Enjoy Life and both have apple (apple sauce to be precise). Ahhh! But I haven't had apple in a long time so it was time to try it out again (based on the elimination diet).

I tried out both cookies on Sunday after refinishing our kitchen cabinets with a fresh coat of polyurethane. And they certainly are tasty! The cookies, that is. Not the cabinets. Moist and chewy! I give them an A+ for yumminess. And did I have a headache on Sunday?

Drum roll please...No!

Alright! Wahoo! Yippidy skippidy! Doing the Katherine celebration dance. HOLD IT! Before we get too excited about apples, I'm going to have to try them again. See the next day, Monday, I did have a headache. But I'm not sure if it's related to the cookies or...

(TMI moment approaching so cover your eyes if you don't want to read and skip down to "Continued")



...because of the monthly bill that I'm currently paying.



Continued...

But I'm very optimistic. Mi familia will will be visiting this weekend. Looking forward to that. We'll probably do a lot of cooking, touring, and maybe a little fall planting. Should be fun!

On the running front, I ran my first sub-8 minute mile this past Monday. Two of them to be precise. Some person, and I'm not naming who (hint: they "tried" to beat my half marathon PR this summer), will need to work out a bit more than just a couple of times before the big Turkey Trot 3 mile. No pressure or anything. :) That would be tacky.

Kind of like...

In the meantime, I hijacked a recipe for fruit oatmeal bars from one of my old gluten-filled cookbooks. It's super quick to make and substitutions galore are possible. I took this batch to work to share as a going away present for one of my coworkers. Nobody seemed to notice that it was cow-milk-free and gluten-free. Yeah! The original recipe calls for a super cool fruit filling, but I tossed that idea out to reduce prep time. Anyway, the recipe was basically calling for a thick, jelly-like substance and that's what I made, super-sonic style.

Fruit Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients

• 1 c. flour (Pamela's gluten free bread and baking mix)
• 1 c. oatmeal
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup brown sugar (or half sugar, half brown splenda)
• ¾ c. jelly (orange marmalade)
• ½ butter (coconut oil, or milk; might need less milk than oil)
• 1 tb flour (for jelly filling)
• 9/9/1 pan (sprayed with Pam)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and brown sugar in large bowl. Pour in butter/oil into mixture gradually until you have what looks like a big bowl of crumbs (may need to use hands). Take about a half a cup of the mixture and set aside. Place the remaining mixture in the pan and smooth out evenly.

Place jelly in a small bowl and microwave for about 30-60 seconds or until the jelly is more liquid-like (don’t boil). Add the tb of flour to the jelly and mix well. Spread Jelly over the crumb mixture in the pan. Then sprinkle the remaining half cp of crumb mixture on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

God's Unexpected Blessings

This past weekend, and old friend came to visit: Lindsey. We reconnected after about 5 years of silence. Why the silence? That's a long story. But suffice it to say, we reconnected over tragic circumstances. Her brother just passed away from his battle with cancer. But where God closes a door he always opens a window.

If I hadn't pushed myself to move out of Austin for a graduate program partially due to a rotten relationship, I never would have met the love of my life.



figure 1: Love

If I had never acquired a food allergy, I wouldn't have decided to run a marathon and I wouldn't have made this.



figure 2: Goat Cheese

 With these helpers watching over me.

figure 3: Assistant Cooks (the one on the left likes to nibble butts)

If I hadn't heard about Preston's cancer, I might have never found the "right" time to contact Lindsey and we would have missed out on our first ever run together (she ran at about a 9:15 pace! And she never runs! So not fair!), two hours in Lowes while Kevin, Lindsey, and I decided what flower bed stones we should by, and some really great conversations (especially on Sunday).

figure 4: Our Final Decision

Big problems and small, doesn't matter. There's always a plan.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

A case in point:
Here is my food allergy life.

Here's everything else (click to view bigger picture).

Thank you Lord! Love you Lindsey!

Also, Dixie, we're going to miss you!

[Word Clouds by Wordle]