special diet – Jesus is for the Wounded

3 for 1 from the Do It Sick Chef

Published on October 27, 2015October 27, 2015 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Finally the haze of a medical setback has lifted for me and I can make my food in regular clothing! And that is a bonus for fans of the Do It Sick Chef! Sweats have been replaced by a flannel shirt and jeans. Woot! Woot!

First and the best of the bunch are tips for making salad for one or more 1) meals or 2) people, conserving energy and resources as you go.

Next up are subjects important to those planning meals while restricted in dietary choices and dealing with a serious illness. Not quite sure how I remained upright for the taping of this one! (See the Six Deer and a Skunk post for the reason!) Check out these simple tips for freezing food portions to help your meal planning when time and energy are lacking:

And third is a quick take on making your own ghee butter. That’s butter without the milk solids for those who must be dairy free for health reasons. It tastes very mild and tends not to burn when used for sautéing too.

To keep closer tabs on upcoming foodie tips from the Do It Sick Chef (yours truly!), “Like” the Facebook page Hope Beyond or Subscribe to my YouTube channel directly. I will do summary blogs periodically here that will be filed under the “Do It Sick Chef” category at the end of this webpage. Future topics will include fabulous 5-ingredient Vitamix soups, kitchen organization & simplification, and more.

Remember that food is fuel, food is medicine, and Lord willing we are going to get well! I will be praying for you Gentle Reader. Take care, JJ

From the Do It Sick Chef: Oatmeal!

Published on October 26, 2015October 26, 2015 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Hey there Gentle Reader: we all gotta eat right? Well who likes a one-bowl meal that will satisfy your cravings for something sweet, savory, fatty/rich, and satisfying? Me!

Check out this version of oatmeal that is good enough for a breakfast, lunch or dinner feast from the Do It Sick Chef (aka Just Julie).

To follow all of the Do It Self Chef videos and join in the chat, “Like” my Facebook page at Hope Beyond. I’d love to hear from you and the strategies that are working for you while recovering from serious illness or just life in general, eh?

By following this blog and clicking on the Do It Sick Chef category, you can also keep track of the latest meals, tips, and survival strategies.

Lord willing, we are going to get well!

Take care, JJ

LOD, GF, SF, LDF, MF Smoothies CAN Be Done!

Published on February 26, 2015October 26, 2015 by Jesus is for the Wounded1 Comment

When faced with extreme dietary measures, the faint of heart may indeed faint. And so did I initially! Now I am 5 days into a necessary pureed low oxalate, gluten-free, sugar (sweetener)-free, largely dairy-free, mold free diet and still alive. Cool beans. But without the beans of course!

Such is life when faced with the reality of dental issues triggering convulsive episodes. What’s an occupational therapist on an extended leave to do about that? Well, adapt and carry on! So carry over your best mega-blender (favoring the Vitamix) and get it screaming. This is going to be LOUD.

Notes: these recipes lack sugar, sweetener, and most seasonings that “normal” people would add to make these foods taste better. Persons not on a low oxalate diet will probably use almond, rice, or boxed coconut milk in place of the coconut milk listed. Add these to your own taste. The liquids always go in first; frozen foods are last. Flavors generally intensify, especially when “cooked” in the blender at high speeds. That generally translates to limiting the number of veggies or fruits as things can taste really weird with too many ingredients. Adding avocado or cucumber can be o.k. for fruit smoothies if you add a little more fruit. If you can, “chew” the liquid as you consume it to stimulate salivation; saliva aids in digestion and chewing helps you to feel more satisfied. Lastly, I have not had much luck freezing completed concoctions. However, I have had great results freezing small portions of yogurt and coconut milk: when allowed to thaw some first, it seems to thicken fruit smoothies nicely!

Smoothies

Start with 4 oz. grass-fed plain yogurt (vanilla coconut or almond yogurt) and 4 oz. unsweetened coconut milk (canned or Caila Farms) in the bottom of the blender.

Add 1/4 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries.

Pour in your favorite protein powder: 3/4 scoop Whey to Go Lactose-Free Protein Powder.

To make the smoothie more sustaining, add up to 1/2 avocado, 1 T. oil (avocado, grapeseed, or other organic oils. No olive oil here!) The avocado also makes it very creamy without altering the taste or color.

Add whatever seeds, wheat germ, or nuts you can tolerate: 1 T. raw pumpkin seeds, 1 t. wheat germ. If you have a yucky-tasting supplement you are taking, throw it in too!

Blend until smooth which is usually 1-2 minutes. Note that you may need to turn the blender on and off, tamp down the frozen fruit to keep it in contact with the blade, or add larger strawberries one-at-a-time to protect your unit. To make it thinner, add more liquid or blend it longer. As with all of these recipes, use a spoon (or your fingers) to get all of the smoothie out of the blades, nooks, and crannies at the bottom of the Vitamix. This stuff is gold and none should go to waste!

Soups from Leftovers

Place 4 oz beef (bone?) broth, about 1 1/2 cups of beef stew (or similar leftovers such as casserole), and about a cup of a single vegetable (if none are in the beef stew/casserole) in the blender. Last night I added about 3/4 cup of frozen peas. Yes, the smoothie was green but when hungry, you will close your eyes and get over that quickly!

Add at least 1/2 t. sea salt and don’t be surprised if you need more to make it taste better. Soups are generally pretty salty foods.

To make the soup more sustaining, add 1 T. ghee/organic butter or oil (avocado, grapeseed, or other organic oils. Olive oil is o.k. here if you like and are not LOD or MF.)

Blend for about 7 minutes or until the mixture is pulverized beyond recognition, heated, and steaming when you open the lid. Thicken if needed with 1T. potato or corn starch. Add starch in small batches after the mixture gets warm as it will thicken quickly!

This recipe might need less blending time if all of the vegetables are pre-cooked. Taste with a spoon and adjust seasonings. Give it a “cream of ____” name and enjoy in a mug or with a spoon in a bowl. Or begin again with broth, salt, leftover potatoes (or other vegetable), a few roasted leeks or onions and about 2 T. plain yogurt for a yummy potato soup! People pay big bucks for this type of delicacy at fancy restaurants you know!

Soups from Raw or Frozen Ingredients

Place 4-8 ounces of meat (or veggie, bone?) broth and half as much unsweetened coconut milk into the blender. Add at least 1/2 t. sea salt and don’t be surprised if you need more to make it taste better. Soups are generally pretty salty foods.

Add 4 oz. of cooked meat: Low Sodium Boar’s Head turkey breast has no preservatives or spices; small chicken breast or larger thigh, 5 0z. can of cooked chicken breast, trimmed & cubed pork chop, etc.

Top with about a cup of 1-2 types of vegetables that taste good together and are not both green in color! Frozen veggies in smaller pieces are easier on your blender, of course. Mixed vegetables usually don’t taste very well IMO as there are just too many flavors!

To make the soup more sustaining, add 1 T. ghee/organic butter or oil (avocado, grapeseed, or other organic oils. Olive oil is o.k. here if you like and are not LOD or MF.)

Note that you may have turn the Vitamix on and off, tamp down the ingredients, or add the frozen ingredients slowly to protect your blender. Blend for about 7 minutes total or until the mixture is pulverized beyond recognition, heated, and steaming when you open the lid. Thicken if needed with 1T. potato or corn starch. Add starch in small batches after the mixture gets warm as it will thicken quickly! If it tastes bad, add more salt (or seasonings if you can, especially onion and garlic). Follow with labeling it a gourmet name as noted above.

Breakfast!

I generally eat either dinner leftovers or a meaty dish for breakfast so I have limited ideas for what might taste o.k. for the rest of the world! In general, gluten-free instant oatmeal is softer than slow-cooked and can be made heartier with 1 t. of ghee/butter, mashed fruit, 1 scoop of Whey to Go, and powdered nuts/seeds/wheat germ. I have pulverized very crispy bacon to a powder and added it for a fabulous and blood-sugar sustaining oatmeal in the middle of the night! Remember to add the whey or protein powder LAST and after cooking; it cooks to an almost scary, crunchy brown texture in when microwaved! (White rice) grits would probably also work well with ghee/organic butter.

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Well there you have it: my survival plan until I can get some teeth pulled. This will also be my menu right after the dental

procedure as well. Thank the Lord and my Intended Beloved for the gracious gift of a Vitamix years ago! Steve spoiled me one Christmas with a reconditioned unit and we have used it most days of the week since then. See how the Lord is sooooooooo good to me?

Time for some more soup . . . :JJ

My Top 10 List: Tools of the Trade

Published on April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 by Jesus is for the Wounded4 Comments

I had a supervisor one time that said, “you are only as good as your tools.” She was referring to the splinting supplies in the occupational therapy clinic that included state-of-the-art warming trays. Thermoplastics used in making upper extremity splints must be heated to the correct temperature or they become gummy; they also might burn your patient’s forearm when it gets too hot! They had a thermometer on the splinting cart which was a luxury in those days. Now with so many choices of materials from which to choose at a variety of temperature specs, having the right tools is standard practice.

Splinting never was my forte but the advice stuck with me. My words came back to me when the men in my life would often repeat this phrase when faced with a decision of whether or not to add to the man cave “tool box!” Yeah, it was usually o.k. with me. Usually a new kitchen gadget jumped into the shopping cart too. 🙂 These days my tools relate more to gardening and my own health care. Here’s a new spin on the latter: your recovery is only as good as the tools you employ for recovery. This post is an addendum to an earlier blog entitled, Keeping Sane While Recovering from Serious Illness. With some tools that are tongue-in-cheek and not necessarily in this order, here goes:

1) Treatment journal, online or in a notebook. Keeping track of medications, supplements, medical appointments, changes in treatment plan, etc. is critical to success. Who wants to make the same mistake twice? My hand-written journal entries are more truncated these days since I’ve got my routine stuff down better and more social supports in place. I do go back to earlier postings and am grateful for some progress. Even if I am not doing better in other areas, I know that I am coping better overall; thank you Lord!

2) Smart phone. When stuck in bed I can still stay connected to the outside world via my social media favs, email, and text. The Bible App is awesome and keeps me in the Word on a daily basis with its Bible-in-a-Year reading program. On my mobile I can also look up what the heck is going on in my body and boost my lame brain with reminders of this or that on my calendar. I was a late-adapter to the world of 4G+ and cannot see going back to a flip phone anytime soon!

3) Fingertip less gloves. My hands and extremities get chilled in the evening. It’s a battle trying to do a few things when I am awake and feeling better in the middle of the night but feel like I’m freezing! The drop in body temp can trigger noxious symptoms so I needed to find a strategy for keeping my hands warm. I was Christmas shopping at Macy’s this past year and there they were in a colorful display: a table filled with mittens that had removable mitts so you could expose your fingertips. Your hands stay warm from the middle knuckles through the wrists. Success! These even come in handy when taking frozen foods out of the freezer or grocery shopping. Grocery stores give me the chills year round. Know what I mean?

4) A really warm fleece jacket with pockets. For the reasons noted above, I finally have something to keep me warm when roaming about the house later in the evening. The softness of the fabric is comforting too. What did we ever do before Polartec? Or maybe for you it is a handheld fan?

5) Fuzzy socks! Yes they are warm. It’s the cute designs and fun colors that make me smile a little when my feet are cold. My cow socks (which were a gift from when my Aunt Patty lived in Vermont) are my favorite. The thicker the better, over the ankle, and loose-fitting too. Such a simple pleasure.

6) Breakfast from a traditional lunch bag. Mornings are the hardest for me. Most days I awaken in elevated pain with noxious symptoms that make it difficult to use the bathroom let alone make breakfast. Finally the Lord led me to a solution of making my breakfast the night before much like I used to make my lunch to take to work each day. The freezer pack keeps it cold until morning. Many times I am eating food cold that others might microwave/heat up before mealtime but that is not a requirement for me anymore. I just gotta get food in my belly to feel better so a chunk of meatloaf for breakfast it is sometimes!

7) Making the effort to cook or purchase special snack foods that fit within my restricted diet. For example, I think I’ve finally mastered coconut flour pumpkin (or squash) muffins to comply with my Candida/mold-free/low oxalate diet. Pulling a little essence of home-baked goodness out of my breakfast bag in the morning with Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread, I no longer feel deprived! The recipe is a bit challenging so I double it and freeze them for yummy goodness each morning.

8) Emergency remedies on hand at all times. For me this includes high CBD hemp oil and a charcoal-filter face mask that have arrested an oncoming seizure attack when in a public place more than once. We need to be proactive in managing the crises of our health condition where possible, saving the real emergencies for situations beyond our control, eh?

9) Slip-on shoes and slippers. Who wants to bend over and risk falling on one’s head when weak from illness and needing to cover one’s feet? Yeah, not me either.

10) Something or someone warm and fuzzy. Yes, this can include the stuffed kind or your man with generous amounts of chest hair to comfort us when needed. (O.k. maybe your lady in soft flannel pajamas would apply here instead!) When my beloved is not home our German Shepherd pup gets a little extra massaging. Who knew that a big, protective dog breed would love to cuddle? Elle, you rock.

Well there you have it: my top 10 list of recovery tools. Have some of your own? I’d love to hear about them! Please feel free to add your comments below.

Start with what you can eat . . .

Published on August 23, 2013October 26, 2015 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Special diets can be maddening, time consuming, expensive and an all-around bite in the shorts (if you know what I mean)! Instead of stressing, I apply a few basic food prep principles, start with what I can eat, and whip something up from there. After a few weird entrees and sauces, things will start to taste more palatable and even kind of good as you gain confidence. Who needs recipes anyways?

My husband went shopping at a big box store this evening for basic groceries including grated cheese, fruit, a few veggies, and the only meat I’ll buy there for a rare convenience: canned chicken. Since I haven’t been able to shop very much lately, preparing dinner tonight required some very special creativity! Gratefully there were onions and cabbage from our garden in the frig, a loaf of multi-grain bread in the freezer for hubby, some sliced almonds in the pantry and a few other staples here or there. Now to make a gluten/dairy/sugar free meal plus a full flavor meal for the two of us . . .

His and Hers Salads began with Canned Chicken!

Not bad, eh? Gratefully it was yummy! The base started with spring greens in both bowls with oven toasted almonds (sprayed with grapeseed oil, sprinked with celtic salt and roasted about 7 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, stirred once halfway through the baking time). The chopped chicken salad-and-vegetable mix included all the veggies we now had in the house: cucumber, cabbage, radishes, onion, and the canned chicken.

For Him: I garnished the ceramic bowl and base of salad greens with sliced pears and grated cheese. I made a 1/3 batch of homemade mayonnaise in the Vita-Mix using sunflower and olive oils instead of GMO-laden canola oil listed in the recipe. (Yes, here’s the one exception: ya gotta follow a recipe exactly from the Vita-Mix manual for mayo to turn out right!) I mixed the mayo with half of the canned chicken-and-vegetable mix and dolloped it over the cheese and spring greens. He got a topping of toasted almonds with a little extra dressing on the side, just in case.

Basic Parmesan breads: I thawed and sliced a loaf of multi-grain bread about 3/4 inches (2 cm) thick and placed them on a cookie sheet lined with foil and brushed with melted butter. I brushed the tops of the bread liberally with butter then sprinkled on some parmesan cheese. (For garlic butter, sprinkle some garlic powder or chopped garlic into the cup before microwaving the butter, about 23 seconds.) Broil on low for about 6 minutes checking it often near the 6 minute mark. I find that the low setting allows the pan to heat up and toast the underside in addition to both melting and browning the cheese on top.

For Her: I garnished the ceramic bowl of spring greens with a non-cheese alternative (e.g. Goya shredded mozzarella). Next I made a dressing with almond butter, unsweetened. coconut milk, Mrs. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and a pinch of celtic sea salt. This requires some minimal adjustments for taste and consistency. Then I placed the other half of the plain chopped chicken salad-and-vegetable mix on top of the remaining bowl of spring greens and poured the almond coconut dressing of it, mixing it into chopped salad slightly to coat it. I finished it off with a topping of toasted almonds as well.

Sure, this meal took a little extra time to prepare and it was worth it. To make it even more worthwhile, during the assembly phase of this meal and next to the ceramic salad bowls were two large plastic containers that are not pictured above. I made duplicate salads with every ingredient listed above except the sliced pears (since they would turn brown by lunchtime tomorrow). So we not only had a yummy dinner tonight but will look forward to a “repeat performance” for lunch tomorrow! I usually make dinner this way: setting out the storage containers for lunch and serving them up right alongside the dinner plates to save time the next day. Cool beans.

That’s it! And it’s not all bad following a protein-oil-vegetable diet, with a tiny bit of optional, extra carbs from the cheese substitute, when it tastes good too. ‘Twas tough avoiding the cheesy breads I must confess . . . ;J