Apple and Tuna Fusion

 Lunches, are by far, the most difficult meal of the day. Without the old standby of sandwiches, ("normal" breads pack a triple whammy of gluten, high carb content, and soy. Limiting bread even when it is gluten-free is still important.) I'm forced to be really creative. That's where today's lunch came from.  

I had some leftover brown rice couscous from a few nights ago. So, I grabbed a can of tuna, chopped up an apple, some green onions, and a cheese stick, and mixed it all together. I drizzled a tsp of olive oil on it and topped the couscous with the tuna fusion. 

This turned out to be more adult-palatable than kid-palatable. My two year old ate it, but only because I promised her as many strawberries as she wanted when she was done. 

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Ironically, before I quit gluten, I was never a big fan of pancakes. I kind of rejoiced, actually, that now I had a valid excuse to turn them down without openly admitting I (shhh) didn't like them. Pancakes? Oh, they have gluten in them. I can't eat them. That's too bad. Darn!

I'd had coconut pancakes before and they were pretty much the only pancakes I didn't feel like I needed a full glass of milk to wash them down with. I'm also not a big milk drinker, either. So that's really saying something.

My husband, on the other hand, (and children for that matter) can't get enough of pancakes. He grew up with a tradition of pancake breakfasts on Saturday morning and we've carried it on as much as we can. How we were going to replace this tradition was going to prove especially difficult.

Then, as if inspired, a friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook and I took it and tweaked it a little bit. 

I doubled the recipe. It only makes 6 cakes in a single batch. Second, I used only coconut options. I think it gave the pancakes a richer flavor. And finally, I found I liked just a little bit more coconut flour than it calls for. Let's just say I've had no problems scarfing these bad boys down! The other plus? They are more nutritionally dense than pancakes made with refined white flour. Win!

Ingredients:

6 eggs 
6 tbsp coconut oil
6 tbsp coconut milk
3 tsp  honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
8 tbsp coconut flour
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder (Click for List of Gluten Free Baking Powders)

Directions: 
1. Melt the coconut oil. Over low heat in a frying pan works best. You don't want to damage the fats by doing it in the microwave in high heat. Mix together all the wet ingredients.

2.Add in dry ingredients. Mix well.

3. Melt coconut oil on skillet over medium heat. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup batter and pour on the skillet. Pancakes will be about 4-5" wide.

4. You can butter them, and/or just add 1 tbsp pure maple syrup. For the whole plate. Not each cake.

If you're gonna go sweet, make sure it is unrefined. Although, it is truly best to skip it altogether because of the honey in the batter. You really don't need it. Slice some bananas and fry up some bacon. Voila. The Saturday tradition lives on.

The Gluten-Thyroid Disconnection

So what's the deal with gluten? Apparently a lot. At this food allergy test  the symptoms of gluten intolerance include constipation, gas, brain fog, fatigue, depression and weight gain. Sound familiar? If you're like me and you continued to have all these symptoms even though your blood tests come back normal for the dose you are on, a gluten sensitivity makes a compelling case.

Blood tests, however, will not confirm a gluten sensitivity. So, how do you know if you are sensitive to gluten? The easiest way is to go off of it. Conduct a personal experiment. Here's the thing, because of the binding properties, gluten is in just about everything pre-prepared. Normally you think of breads and pastas, because gluten is the protein in wheat. But this isn't the case. You can find them in things as commonplace and bread-less as salad dressings and lunch meat. Its presence is as pervasive as being in sauces, condiments, chicken nuggets and french fries. Not to mention cereals and common grains, even candy! The key to trying it out is to try eating completely fresh foods. Foods in their natural state that will naturally not have gluten. If, after some time you find your symptoms disappear like I did, then add it back in your diet. If your symptoms reappear, it's very likely you have a gluten sensitivity.

Some other thoughts and links on gluten to consider.

1. "Of perhaps greatest importance to thyroid patients, the researchers found that the various antibodies that indicate celiac disease- organ-specific autoantibodies, (i.e. thyroid antibodies)--will disappear after 3-6 months of a gluten-free diet."  The Celiac/Autoimmune Thyroid Connection

2."This means if you have AITD and you eat foods containing gluten, your immune system will attack your thyroid." The Gluten-Thyroid Connection
3. "The present results confirm that the frequency of subclinical coeliac disease is increased among patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders." European Journal of Endocrinology Study

As I understand it, not only does gluten inhibit absorption of nutrients but it can actually cause damage to the intestines, which would later lead to digestive disease. I'm still doing my research, and as I continue to find relevant information, I will add to this post. But there is enough for me to believe there could be a connection. And as many of my symptoms have disappeared from doing my best to avoid it, I'm prone to think going gluten-free is the way for me. It'll be difficult, to be sure. But I know it will be worth it.

Bread-less Coconut Shrimpkebabs

The bbq grill has quickly become one of my new best friends. 

Everything tastes better grilled.

Especially shrimp.

I was in a hurry tonight. 4:30 rolled around way too quickly. 

I bought shrimp yesterday so I knew I had to use it today.

Dear Husband reminded me we had veggies that needed to be used soon as well.

I figured at this point my choices were stir-fry or some kind of grilling option.

I think the picture gave it away.

And maybe the post title.

This meal surprised me. I used ONLY coconut oil (no butter) for the first time and *loved* it. Loved it! My favorite kind of shrimp is coconut shrimp. Since the usual batter has gluten, I modified it a little bit. Meaning, I got rid of the batter altogether. It's not the same, of course, but it is just as good!

Ingredients:

Shrimp (or any other kebabable meat)

Shish-kebab veggies

Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut Flakes

Paprika

Sea salt

Basil

Directions:

Once all your veggies and meat are prepared for the skewer, toss them (separately- veggies vs. meat) in a big bowl and drizzle with coconut oil. Toss veggies til all have some oil on them. Season with paprika, basil, and salt. Sprinkle coconut flakes all over. Skewer and grill on low to medium heat until fully cooked. 

Gluten Free Pizza Rolls

Every family has a favorite food. One of those foods that speaks to both your heart and your stomach. I think my Dad's pizza crust is one of those foods. Unfortunately, it's got gluten in it. So, I took the recipe and reworked it for me. I miiiiiiiiiiiiiight like this dough better. 

Wow.

I feel like I just committed mutiny by admitting that. 

Like I'm a traitor. 

But it's only because this one didn't tear me up afterwards. 

Anyways, you could use whatever toppings you like. I just used what I had on hand.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional. Before this experiment, my go-to method was pull something out of a freezer, box or can. This post will show my inexperience with cooking terminology.  

Ingredients:

3 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All- Purpose Flour
6 tsp xanthan gum
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 packet yeast
1 cup warm water
Pizza sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) -Thank you Rachel Ray!
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water with salt and sugar. Let sit for about 10 minutes. When it's foamy, mix in eggs and vinegar.

2. Add in flour and xanthan gum. Mix well. Add in extra flour if needed to keep from being too sticky. Knead well. Cover and let it rise for one hour. Split dough in half and roll into two balls. Cover and let rise another hour.

3. Tear dough balls in half and roll out individually. I found 1/4" thick was perfect. Spread heaping spoonfuls of sauce in the middle of the dough. Top with favorite pizza toppings. Roll from one edge to the other like a burrito. Seal edges by pinching the dough together.

4. Drizzle EVOO on your pizza pan. Coat the dough with oil and then cut diagonal (all one way- ///) vents in the dough only on the top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and garlic powder over the tops once you have rolled out and stuffed all your pizza rolls.

5. Bake at 425* for 25-30 minutes. I went for the full 30 minutes because I have a tendency to undercook my dough-based meals. The crispy outer layer was fantastic!

This recipe was most definitely a hit! But because of the glycemic index of the bread, I have found safety in only doing a bread substitute once or twice a week. 

Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice Couscous

Have you ever grilled chicken to perfection?

It's hard to do, finding that point just before it starts to burn, but seals the flavor just right.

I accomplished what had eluded me the previous million times of trying. Ok, so I'm exaggerating, but you get the point.

I balanced the brown sugar in this gluten-free BBQ sauce with the low glycemic brown rice couscous.  

This is a Grab-n-Go meal, meaning it didn't require a ton of preparation or a step-by-step recipe. Just a general know-how of cooking. I used a box of Olive Oil and Roasted Garlic GF Couscous, canned peas, and fresh baby carrots. I had the chicken in my freezer. You know, the enormous Sam's Club bags of 10 pounds of wings and thighs. It comes in handy when I didn't plan ahead. The little drumsticks are the perfect size for my girls to not feel overwhelmed when they see their plates. It was a hit!

Asparagus Fritatta

Instant hit, all around! My 2 year old had three helpings.

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1 1/2 cup diced asparagus

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil. Saute mushrooms and asparagus. Pour in water. Cover and let steam for 10-15 minutes. 

2. Scramble eggs in a bowl. When asparagus is soft, pour in egg scramble. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. 

3. Move pan to oven to broil for 1-2 minutes.

4. Cut into fourths. 

Quinoa with Eggplant Saute

This dish was a great hit with my husband and may be a new personal favorite.

DH said he didn't even notice it was a vegetarian dish.

My daughters, however, got interrupted by some unexpected guests. So they ran off to play and their dinners sat on the table for an hour. After being reheated, the veggies and quinoa didn't quite live up to the first serving. But they didn't have any protests of not liking it. So, that's a plus!

Ingredients:

1 eggplant (peeled and chopped)

1 Mexican squash (halved and sliced)

1/2 Red onion (chopped)

1 small zucchini (halved and sliced)

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus a little extra to top.

1/2 cup quinoa

Directions:

Eggplant Saute:

1. Saute veggies in oil and butter over medium high heat. Add in water. Reduce heat to medium heat. Cover and let steam help soften eggplant.

2. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over veggies.

Quinoa

3. Prepare quinoa. Boil 1 cup water. As water is heating, rinse quinoa thoroughly. It is covered with naturally bitter tasting saponins that block nutrient absorption. I use the hottest water out of my tap to rinse. When water is boiling, add in quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low for about 10-15 minutes. 

4. Serve the eggplant saute over the quinoa. Sprinkle with any remaining parmesan cheese. 

Squash Medley Spaghetti Sauce

This dish was an unexpected hit. The best part was getting my girls to eat squash and zucchini without complaining! There's another dish I make, called calabacitas, that they complain about the texture of "the yellow and green stuff". I don't think we'll ever have plain ol' meat sauce again. 

Here's the mix pre-tomato sauce. Have you ever tried Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning?

It's fabulous. 

And the meat is light because it is turkey. I stopped cooking beef a long time ago because I thought it was healthier, but for a different reason than I do now. Cows are fed soybeans. Soy is known to slow metabolism, allowing the cow to get fatter and offer more meat. Eaten regularly, you get a dose of soy yourself. And soy attacks weak thyroid glands. Of course, this is not a problem in organically grass-fed cows. The price of that meat is worth the price, but I'll be buying steaks when I do. I think ground turkey is a good substitute in the meantime.

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash  (chopped)

1 small zucchini (chopped)

1/2 white onion (chopped)

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

1 lb. ground turkey

tomato sauce as desired

1 tbsp unrefined virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Saute squash, zucchini, and onion in coconut oil and butter over medium heat. Add in water. Cover til soft. You can use just butter or just coconut oil. I'm trying to use coconut oil more, but still haven't developed a taste for the oil all by itself just yet. So I temper it with butter.

2. Add in spinach. Once it has darkened and shriveled, push up around the edges of the pan. 

3. Brown meat in the middle. I don't drain the fat because I think it gives the sauce a good flavor. I try to get the 92% lean meat.

4. Season meat with spices of choice. I love Cavender's Greek Seasoning! Maybe because I grew up with it and it just tastes like home to me. Mix meat and veggies together. Add in spaghetti sauce to taste. I like my sauce more chunky than runny, so I just use one small can.

Side note: I used the rice spaghetti noodles for the first time to avoid gluten in regular pasta. They came out a little stickier than I like. And there were not nearly enough noodles for my liking. But maybe that's a good thing. My daughters, however, declared they loved the noodles and ate every bite on their plate. They were disappointed to learn I didn't have anymore noodles for seconds. Two boxes may be necessary next time!

The Experiment

A couple years ago, I think, (it's for sure been a while) I remember reading an article about Jenny McCarthy and how she had been able to improve her son's autism using a strict diet and being diligent with it. When I first decided to research how to eat with hypothyroidism, I thought if she could improve autism with diet, why shouldn't I be able to help myself with my disease?