Yeast Free Living

Archive for February, 2010

The kids had a snow day yesterday after more than 24 hours of straight snow in New Jersey.  I was not been able to get much done.    That is why my daily Today’s Candida Diet Menu post has morphed into Yesterday’s Candida Diet Menu post.  Although I was not able to get much done I did build my first snowman with my children.   It is hard to believe that I have lived in the northeast my entire life and have endured so many snow storms and had never built a snowman before yesterday.  It was an awesome experience and the kids had so much fun.  

So crockpot Chicken and Vegetable Soup did not go so well on Thursday.  So this brought my record down to 3 – 1.  I thought I could redeem myself on Friday with a traditional family favorite that I had while growing up it is called Hoppin Johns but my children did not go for this one either.  So I finish the week 3 -2.  It is so hard to find recipes that everyone will eat in my family. Most children are such picky eaters really only liking a few foods and these foods were abruptly taken away from my children when diagnosed with food allergies.  Somedays I still don’t know where to begin with feeding them.  There are few things that I can prepare for the quick now and when I put my heart and soul into a meal and they barely taste it I feel so defeated.  I have learned to keep some bags of puffed rice cereal around just in case this happens.  Puffed rice is safe for both of my children to eat so if dinner does not go well I offer a bowl of this and only this to the children.  I have made it clear that I am not a diner and I will no longer make food to order.  I did that for a while.  Letting each child choose what they wanted and I was exhausted.  No more! My goal is to put tasty, healthy, allergy / candida diet friendly foods on the table and if they choose not to eat they do have alternative.  Well here is yesterday’s candida diet menu.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Yesterday ’s Candida Diet Menu – February 26, 2010

Breakfast
Leftover Crockpot Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Kids ate puffed rice cereal with unsweetened rice milk

Mid-Morning Snack
Cucumber with Sea Salt

Lunch
Chicken Nuggets
Baked French Fries

Afternoon Snack
2 cups of Air Popped Popcorn
Kids have Cape Cod Potato Chips

Dinner
Crockpot Hoppins John with Brown Rice
Kids ate puffed rice cereal with unsweetened rice milk

Dessert
Herbal Tea with 1 pack of stevia
1 Piece of fruit for the kids

I do miss cheese from time to time on the candida diet so I really didn’t know how I would do with a cheeseless lasagna.  The only time I really craved cheese was when I was pregnant.  My favorite pregnancy food was pizza and I always needed extra cheese.  Prior to that I never really thought about it much, I could always just do without.  There are however some things that you just get used to having cheese on like baked ziti and lasagna.  When I start to adapt a recipe I always wonder if I am tampering with an ingredient that should not be tampered with.  “Will if even remotely resemble the original food,” I continuously think to myself.  It doesn’t always work out but I am happy to say that this cheeseless lasagna worked out well in my house.  I did buy slices of mozzarella cheese for my oldest daughter to melt on top a there is no reason that she cannot eat cheese.  With her many allergies I do not want to eliminate anything else from her diet.  I used vegetables and ground turkey meat between the the layers.  The lasagna noodles are made byTinkyadaand contain brown rice, rice bran and water.  I did have to brown the turkey meat before I put it in the crockpot so there is an extra step required. 

Crockpot Cheeseless Lasagna Ingredients
1 box brown rice lasagna noodles
1/2 pound ground turkey meat
1 zucchini chopped
5 oz of baby spinach leaves 
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 containers Pomi strained tomatoes
1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil
2 Tablespoons Fresh Oregano
4 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley 
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Crockpot Cheeseless Lasagna Directions
In a large skillet brown turkey meat. 
Add onions and garlic.
Cook until meat is know longer pink and drain off grease.
In large bowl add mix tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, parsley, sea salt and pepper. 
Cover bottom of crockpot a thin layer of sauce.
Add a layer of lasagna noodles.  (About 1/3)
Add a layer of sauce. (About 1/5)
Add a layer of turkey meat. (About 1/2)
Add a layer of zucchini and spinach. (About 1/2)
Add a layer of sauce (About 1/5)
Add a layer of lasagna noodles. (About 1/3)  
Add a layer of sauce. (About 1/5)
Add a layer of turkey meat. (Remaining 1/2)
Add a layer of spinach and zucchini. (Remaining 1/2)
Add a layer of sauce. (About 1/5)
Add a layer of lasagna noodles. (Remaining 1/3)
Cover the last layer of noodles with the remaining sauce. (Remaining 1/5) 
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

 I am huge soup fan and indulge it whenever I can.  It is such a comfort food and always makes me feel warm and cozy.  This is especially the case today as it has been snowing here in New Jersey for atleast 10 hours.  I used to indulge in the the canned varieties but nowadays I know better.  Canned soups are filled with all kinds of additives which are not allowed on the candida diet.  Autolyzed yeast extract, monsodium glutamate (MSG) and citric acid are 3 of these additives that are extremely common. 

At first I was a little intimidated making my own soup but then I found some good chicken broths/stocks that were okay for the candida diet and have been experimenting ever since.  I have found that soup is something that is very easy to adapt to the candida diet.  Although I have made soup before and there are other soup recipes on this site this is my first time making it in the crockpot.  It was very easy and I plan on doing it more often.  I hope that you enjoy the recipe.    

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetable Soup Ingredients
1/2 Pound of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 
4 cups (32 oz) Unsweetened Chicken Broth/Stock
4 cups water  
3 stalks celery sliced 
3 carrots sliced
1 zucchini chopped
1 medium onion chopped  
2 cloves garlic chopped
Sea salt and pepper to Taste

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetable Soup Directions
Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. 
Cook on low for 5 – 7 hours. 
When done use a fork to shred the chicken (Should fall apart very easily)

We are in the middle of another winter storm here in New Jersey.  It is coming down pretty hard right now and I am waiting to get the call from the school to come pick up my daughter early.  It is supposed to snow for about 24 hours and I have not made it to the supermarket yet to stock up on all of our candida and allergy friendly products.  I will have to force myself to go after I pick up my daughter up from school otherwise we will be in bad shape for tomorrow, especially if we end up having a snow day.  I took this picture of the bread rack in the supermarket right before our last snow storm.  I was amazed that there was barely any bread left and happy that I didn’t need any for my household.   

Crockpot Cheeseless Lasagna was a hit last night so I am now 3 for 3.  I am worried about tonight though as I am doing Crockpot Chicken and Vegetable Soup and my oldest is very picky about the soup she eats.  She is also used to having noodles in her soup which I am omitting tonight because are meals have been very carbohydrate heavy and I am seeking more dietary balance.  I am also going to toss a salad and make some creamy herb dressing too so there will be a little more work required tonight but it shouldn’t be too bad.  Well I am going to prepare for a possible snow day tomorrow.  Have a great day!   

Today’s Candida Diet Menu – February 25, 2010

Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs and Hash Browns
Kids ate puffed rice cereal with unsweetened rice milk

Mid-Morning Snack
Cucumber with Sea Salt

Lunch
Leftover Crockpot Cheeseless Lasagna

Afternoon Snack
Avocado
Kids have Cape Cod Potato Chips

Dinner
Crockpot Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Salad with Creamy Herb Salad Dressing

Dessert
Herbal Tea with 1 pack of stevia
1 Piece of fruit for the kids

So I am 2 for 2 with for my candida diet crockpot meals for the week.  Everyone ate the the Lamb Stew on Monday and the Tiliapia and Tomatoes  last night.  I think I may be on to something here.  The crockpot saves me so much time and cleanup and I just love that dinner is ready so early so that I can focus on other stuff at night such as homework, baths and spending some much needed quality time with my children and still get them to bed at a reasonable time. 

So tonight I am going to try yeast free lasagna in the crockpot.  Can you still call it lasagna if it has no ricotta and mozzarella cheese? Maybe it I should call it turkey meat, vegetables and sauce with lasagna noodles.  Wait that is a bit cumbersome, what about Cheeseless lasagna.  That will work and I hope that this dish comes out okay.  I want to see if I can go undefeated for the week.  Have a great day! 

Today’s Candida Diet Menu – February 24, 2010

Breakfast
Puffed Rice Cereal with unsweetened soy milk (kids had it with unsweetened rice milk)

Mid-Morning Snack
Cucumber with Sea Salt

Lunch
Leftover Crockpot Tilapia with Tomatoes over Brown Rice

Afternoon Snack
2 Cups of Air Popped Popcorn with Clarified Butter and Sea Salt
Kids have Cape Cod Potato Chips

Dinner
Crockpot Cheeseless Lasagna

Dessert
Herbal Tea with 1 pack of stevia
1 Piece of fruit for the kids

Corn Tortilla Chips are one of my favorite candida friendly snacks and although I know I have to eat them in limited quantities I am so glad that these were not off limits.  What else would I eat my hummus and salsa.  Many of the snacks you find in the supermarket have preservatives and additives that are prohibited on the candida diet.  When I first started the diet I had to find a new corn tortilla chip that was appropriate.  The first one I came across was the Garden of Eatin Organic Corn Tortilla Chips and was thrilled that they contained all candida safe ingredients but I did not like the price.  They were over $3.00 a bag and they never seemed to go on sale.  This is very hard to swallow for someone with very little brand loyalty and who had previously been eating according to what was on sale.  I bought them anyway so that I could surround myself with candida diet friendly snacks and not be tempted. 

One day I ran into the store to buy a new bag of tortilla chips and came accross Sage Valley Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips.  They were in the organic chip section of Shoprite and were marked with a sale sign for $1.99. “Surely at that price they have to have something that I can’t eat in them,” I thought to myself.  I picked up the bag anyway to take a look at the ingredients and I was so excited.  These were okay and so much cheaper.  I have been buying them ever since.  They have stayed at the price of $1.99 since they first appeared on the supermarket shelves a year ago.  If you are a fan of corn tortilla chips give these a try. 

Product Name:
Sage Valley Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips

Who Makes It?
Sage Valley (Tree of Life a Kehe company)
St. Augustine, FL
32085-9000
1-800-223-2910

What are the ingredients?
Organic Yellow Corn
Expeller Pressed Safflower and/or Sunflower and/or Canola Oil
Sea Salt

Where can I find it?
Shoprite

 Special Features
100% Natural
No Artificial Colors or Additives
No Artificial Preservatives
No Hydrogenated Oils
0 grams Trans Fat Per Serving

Price
$1.99

I am not allowed to cook chicken this week so I am experimenting with fish and other types of meat.  Yesterday we enjoyed lamb and today it was tilapia.  This was my first time cooking tilapia in the crockpot and it really did came out delicious.  Cooking it in the tomatoes makes it flavorful and gives you a great broth for the rice.  I really did not no what kind of fish to use so I must confess I went with what was the most economical.  Fish is very expensive and tilapia is usually one of the most reasonably priced fish at the supermarket.  It was even on sale at Shoprite today for $4.99 a pound (it is usually $5.99) so I happy to save even more.  As many of you know trying to eat candida diet and allergy friendly on a tight budget can be a daunting task but today I feel like I won.  I hope that you enjoy the recipe.  Everyone seemed to like it in my house, kids included.  Have a great night! 

Crockpot Tilapia with Tomatoes
Approximately 4 6 oz tilapia fillets (a little more would be fine) 
1 box 26.4 oz of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes (Contains no preservatives they are usually at Shoprite so should not be hard to find)
1/2 green pepper chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Crockpot Tilapia with Tomatoes Directions
Put tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, onion in crockpot. 
Top with tilapia.   Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. 
Serve over brown rice.

I started colon cleansing yesterday because I wanted to speed up my candida recovery.  This comes after a weekend of cheating and now am consequently very symptomatic and hoping that colon cleansing will help me feel better faster than the candida diet will alone.  Colon cleansing has helped me significantly in the past and I am hoping that it will help me again in my time of need.  I thought this would be a good time to share with you how colon cleansing can help eliminate candida overgrowth.  Colon Cleansing has become a household name and the market is flooded with fibers and supplements to help accomplish this task.  So what is the colon, why does it need cleansing and how can cleansing it help eliminate candida overgrowth?

The Colon is part of the large intestine which is a a greater level part of the digestive system that helps eliminate waste and toxins by moving them from the small intestine to the rectum.  The colon’s function is to process waste and toxins leftover from food after the small intestine absorbs the nutrients from this food.  It is in the colon that, via absorbing excess water, stool is produced for the body to excrete waste.  I am sure you can gather by it’s important function the colon plays a major role in keeping us healthy by removing all the bad stuff from our bodies.  So what if your colon was not functioning properly and therefore not properly excreting wastes and toxins?  What if the colon was actually absorbing the waste and toxins and enabled them to enter other parts of the body instead of being excreted?  Does this sound familiar because it should.  When there is an overgrowth of candida in your gut (another name for the digestive system) this is exactly what happens.  The digestive system, specifically the colon becomes overburdened and the toxins produced by the candida are absorbed.  This is why the health of your colon is directly related to overcoming candida overgrowth.   I have to say that colon cleansing has helped alleviate many of my candida symptoms quickly. 

Colon Cleansing, according to Wikipedia encompasses a number of alternative medical therapies intended to remove fecal waste and unidentified toxins from the colon and intestinal tract. Colon cleansing may take the form of colon hydrotherapy (also called a colonic or colonic irrigation) or oral cleansing regimens such as dietary supplements.  Colon cleansing products assist you in eliminating fecal matter and toxins quickly and help you to remove buildup.  In doing this the colon is in much better shape to help the body carry the toxins produced by candida out of the body.  Many suggest that doing a colon or candida cleanse is the first step in the recovering from candida overgrowth.  I know from personal experience that it has always helped me feel better and seemed to work hand and hand with the dietary adjustments I was making. 

With all the products on the market it may be difficultto choose a colon cleansing product.  It took me months to decide which product to buy.   When it came down to deciding I chose one that my brother had used successfully and one that seemed had a good following.  Dr Natura’s  Colonix – Internal Cleansing Program (Liver, Kidney, Colon, And Parasite Cleanse)is one of the most popular on the market.  Colonix is a combination of fiber, supplements and tea that all work synergistically to give you a complete internal cleansing.  In addition to targeting the colon it helps cleanse the liver, kidneys and addresses parasites which if present are a barrier to the recovery of candida patients.  It is a bit pricey but I was willing to fork over the extra cash for a product that had such a good reputation.  As always I recommend doing your own thorough research, consult your doctor and then you will feel confident in whatever choice you make.

So the crockpot lamb stew was a hit last night.  Everyone enjoyed it but I had to lie to my mother and tell her it was beef.  My mother is convinced that she does not like lamb because she ate it 11 years ago and did not like it.  I encouraged her to try lamb again because but she refused.  She did however eat 2 servings of the lamb, I mean beef stew last night.  When she said it tasted like beef I just went along with it, so I guess I did not exactly lie to her but I just didn’t correct her.  I am actually going to try to use this method of non-disclosure from now on in my house.  So many dinners have tasted great but when my 7 year old gets wind of the ingredients in whatever it is I cooked she all of a sudden does not like it.  This is why the Ratatouille that I made a few weeks back has not been cooked again.  She was eating the eggplant until I told her it was eggplant and then she didn’t want any more.  If I don’t tell her what it is and she likes it maybe she will actually finish a meal without all of the complaining.  My only concern is that it is allergy friendly and candida diet appropriate. 

I am looking forward to continuing my week of crockpot recipes with tilapia tonight.  I have never tried making fish in the crockpot so I am looking forward to tasting this dish.   My family did ask me to lay off the chicken this week so I promised to try.  I am actually really sick of chicken too.  So in addition to this week being all crockpot recipes there will be no chicken recipes either.  Have a great day! 

Today’s Candida Diet Menu – February 23, 2010

Breakfast
Gluten Free Pancakes with a little cinnamon (kids had them with pure maple syrup)

Mid-Morning Snack
Brown Rice Tortilla Chips with hummus

Lunch
Leftover Crockpot Lamb Stew

Afternoon Snack
Cucumber with Sea Salt
Kids have Cape Cod Potato Chips

Dinner
Crockpot Tilapia with Tomatoes

Dessert
Herbal Tea with 1 pack of stevia

Did you know that last week was national pancake week?  I didn’t either but it was.  February 14 – February 20 of this year was designated to celebrate this delightful food.  Pancakes are something that many of us on the candida diet give up because we are not sure how we can still enjoy these in a candida diet friendly way.  I propose that a great pancake can be enjoyed without a half a bottle of high fructose corn syrup.  In fact I believe a truly great pancake can be enjoyed without any syrup at all and that is exactly how I eat them in order to keep them on my candida diet menus.  When I first went on the candida diet I was unsure of how to make pancakes at all.  I had always bought the mix from the store and just added water to it and voila you have pancakes.  I first had to find out how to make real pancakes in order to make the candida diet friendly.   

When I found out about all of my children’s food allergies I thought pancakes would be permanently banned from our household but I went on a mission to find as way to make these within the parameters of all of our dietary restrictions.  I had to make so many substitutions but I did it.  It took me 4 days and 5 different stores to come up with the answer but I believe it was well worth it.  My oldest daughter adores pancakes and now has a tasty yeast-wheat-corn-soy-egg-dairy-gluten free pancake.  To read a little bit about National Pancake week check out Batter Up: It’s Pancake Weekat allrecipes.com.   The adapted the following recipe from Gluten-Free Pancake Recipe on also on all recipes. 

Gluten Free Pancakes Ingredients
1 cup brown rice flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup potato starch
4 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk (I used unsweetened rice milk due to a soy allergy)
1 packet of stevia
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I used feartherweight which is made with potato starch instead of cornstarch due to a corn allergy)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (I used guar gum since xanthan gum is derived from corn and we have a corn allergy)
2 eggs (I used 1/2 cup water and two teaspoon milled flaxseed due to an egg allergy)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 – 2 cups water
Cooking Spray (I use the type for the Grill due to a soy allergy)

Gluten Free Pancakes Directions
In a bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, stevia, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
Stir in eggs, milk, and oil. 
Add water a little at a time until batter reaches a good consistency (Not too watery, but not too thick) 
Spray a large skillet or frying pan with cooking spray.   
Spoon batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form.
Flip, and continue cooking until golden brown on bottom. 
Enjoy immediately or freeze in freezer safe storage bags for easy use later.