Yesterday was corn day. Yeah!!! I love me some corn day! You got your cream style corn, corn on the cob, frozen sweet kernel corn, corn flakes, frosted flakes, corn noodles, tacos, corn meal-fried fish, corn tortillas chips, corn oil, corn bread, corn bread dressing, fruit popsicles with corn sugar, corn syrup, candy corn, gum, corn tortillas…wait a minute people! Perhaps I should explain my enthusiasm before I run out of room describing all of the corn products in the world.
“Corn day” is a day in which I allow myself to eat products made from corn. I usually have a corn day twice a week because corn products usually have wonderful carbs that are great for running. Since I can’t have wheat, corn is wonderful because I can eat all of the products above. Why, might you ask, do I only eat corn products on certain days? This is based on the theory of the rotation diet.
Now, I’m not sure what “leaky guts” are (as described in the linked article), nor do I know if this is a guaranteed way to eliminate the formation of new or worsening of current food allergies. However, rotating types of food is theoretically supposed to allow my body to rid itself of each type of food (say corn, or beans, or oatmeal), essentially get it out of my system, before I introduce it again. I don’t rotate all food because it takes a great deal of time to plan out a week where you only have tomatoes once, celery once, etc. for every food. But, I do have a bean/nut day (ha ha, nut day!), corn day (two in fact), oatmeal day, goat milk day, grape day, Japanese short-grain rice day (I’m not joking here), and egg day each week. These are foods that I am slightly allergic too, but that I’ve been able to add back into my diet without symptoms since I’ve been running (yeah!). I’m not actually allergic to goats milk, but since I have such a strong reaction to cow milk, I try not to take for granted such a precious thing. Did I just hear a baah?
So yesterday was corn day and one of the meals that my husband and I love to make is tacos, or “topos” as we call it in “baby voice.” Tapo fixings are great because I can use up any of the leftover chicken, beef, or turkey from previous meals, but also have salad fixings for the next day after we make tacos (for a non-corn day). They’re also great because it’s kind of a “build your own” meal and my husband and I don’t have to eat the same toppings. My husband, for example, loves to add cheese, avocados, extra lean ground beef (usually says 98/2 on the package, which means 98% meat, 2% fat), onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa. I love all of that, but I leave off the cheese unless I want to make it a “goat cheese and corn day.” Tortilla chips and salsa on the side are a must for me too. When we have the time, I like to fry up the beef with no added oil in a pan, a small onion, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste, but we quite often microwave and just add salt and pepper.
Instead of beef, we’ll sometimes use up left over baked or boiled turkey or chicken and make up some fajita meat. Here’s my recipe for fajita meat below. Can’t really go wrong with this one even if you get a little more of one ingredient than what’s listed here. Thanks to my mom for teaching me how to make a “One-pot-wonder” for every occasion!
Fajita meat (makes about 6-8 tacos or about 4 salad toppings)2 cups of cooked turkey or chicken, ripped apart, small and stringy for taco stuffing
2-3 tsp Bolner’s Fiesta Brand Taco Seasoning
½-1 tsp salt
1 small can of mild green peppers (not jalapeno)
1 large onion
¼-1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (we like Herdez because it has no vinegar)
When we use turkey meat, we typically buy a whole turkey (largest we can get), add salt, wrap it in tin foil, stick it in a baking container with a lid, and bake at 325 degrees for 5, 6, or 7 hours (depending on how big the Turkey is and the USDA’s recommended cooking time). The Turkey comes out incredibly moist and you don’t have to add butter, oil, or spices. I learned this recipe from my mother in law (thanks!).
When we use chicken, we typically boil thighs or breast (ahem…chicken thighs or breast) in a big pot of water because there’s very little preparation work, but we’ve also been known to take bake the chicken in a metal container with a lid so we can add lots of spices (like oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, and salt). We just add lots of water to the pan so we limit the use of oil. I’ll have to share more specific recipes for both chicken and turkey in another blog.
Once you’ve got your meat, just add all of the ingredients into a large sauce pan and fry it up on medium-medium high with no added oil. If you want more veggies, try adding a bell pepper or extra tomato. I typically will keep a lid on the pan until the onions are fully cooked, and then take the lid off so as not to make it soupy. Make sure you stir a couple times while the onions are cooking, then stir regularly after you take off the lid.
Makes about 6-8 tacos or about 4 large portions for salads
“Corn day” is a day in which I allow myself to eat products made from corn. I usually have a corn day twice a week because corn products usually have wonderful carbs that are great for running. Since I can’t have wheat, corn is wonderful because I can eat all of the products above. Why, might you ask, do I only eat corn products on certain days? This is based on the theory of the rotation diet.
Now, I’m not sure what “leaky guts” are (as described in the linked article), nor do I know if this is a guaranteed way to eliminate the formation of new or worsening of current food allergies. However, rotating types of food is theoretically supposed to allow my body to rid itself of each type of food (say corn, or beans, or oatmeal), essentially get it out of my system, before I introduce it again. I don’t rotate all food because it takes a great deal of time to plan out a week where you only have tomatoes once, celery once, etc. for every food. But, I do have a bean/nut day (ha ha, nut day!), corn day (two in fact), oatmeal day, goat milk day, grape day, Japanese short-grain rice day (I’m not joking here), and egg day each week. These are foods that I am slightly allergic too, but that I’ve been able to add back into my diet without symptoms since I’ve been running (yeah!). I’m not actually allergic to goats milk, but since I have such a strong reaction to cow milk, I try not to take for granted such a precious thing. Did I just hear a baah?
So yesterday was corn day and one of the meals that my husband and I love to make is tacos, or “topos” as we call it in “baby voice.” Tapo fixings are great because I can use up any of the leftover chicken, beef, or turkey from previous meals, but also have salad fixings for the next day after we make tacos (for a non-corn day). They’re also great because it’s kind of a “build your own” meal and my husband and I don’t have to eat the same toppings. My husband, for example, loves to add cheese, avocados, extra lean ground beef (usually says 98/2 on the package, which means 98% meat, 2% fat), onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa. I love all of that, but I leave off the cheese unless I want to make it a “goat cheese and corn day.” Tortilla chips and salsa on the side are a must for me too. When we have the time, I like to fry up the beef with no added oil in a pan, a small onion, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste, but we quite often microwave and just add salt and pepper.
Instead of beef, we’ll sometimes use up left over baked or boiled turkey or chicken and make up some fajita meat. Here’s my recipe for fajita meat below. Can’t really go wrong with this one even if you get a little more of one ingredient than what’s listed here. Thanks to my mom for teaching me how to make a “One-pot-wonder” for every occasion!
Fajita meat (makes about 6-8 tacos or about 4 salad toppings)2 cups of cooked turkey or chicken, ripped apart, small and stringy for taco stuffing
2-3 tsp Bolner’s Fiesta Brand Taco Seasoning
½-1 tsp salt
1 small can of mild green peppers (not jalapeno)
1 large onion
¼-1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (we like Herdez because it has no vinegar)
When we use turkey meat, we typically buy a whole turkey (largest we can get), add salt, wrap it in tin foil, stick it in a baking container with a lid, and bake at 325 degrees for 5, 6, or 7 hours (depending on how big the Turkey is and the USDA’s recommended cooking time). The Turkey comes out incredibly moist and you don’t have to add butter, oil, or spices. I learned this recipe from my mother in law (thanks!).
When we use chicken, we typically boil thighs or breast (ahem…chicken thighs or breast) in a big pot of water because there’s very little preparation work, but we’ve also been known to take bake the chicken in a metal container with a lid so we can add lots of spices (like oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, and salt). We just add lots of water to the pan so we limit the use of oil. I’ll have to share more specific recipes for both chicken and turkey in another blog.
Once you’ve got your meat, just add all of the ingredients into a large sauce pan and fry it up on medium-medium high with no added oil. If you want more veggies, try adding a bell pepper or extra tomato. I typically will keep a lid on the pan until the onions are fully cooked, and then take the lid off so as not to make it soupy. Make sure you stir a couple times while the onions are cooking, then stir regularly after you take off the lid.
Makes about 6-8 tacos or about 4 large portions for salads
Your recipe bloggings remind me of the recent movie Julie and Julia. It is a wonderful film that your mother and I really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteTry to work a RC Cola and a Moon Pie into your diet occationally. It will tighten your colin and make you appreciate good food all the more.
We'll have to watch that movie sometime when it comes to DVD. Sounds interesting and I've always wanted to know more about Julia Child.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid a Moon Pie will make more than just my colon tighten, Daddo. :)But I'll keep it in mind for a "good time."