Quick Energy Wrap

As I predicted yesterday, I am worse for wear today. Let this be a reminder, no matter how ill you may feel, you must try to eat well and get some exercise.

After sleeping until nearly noon, I ate a bowl of bran flakes with blueberries & light soy milk. In the afternoon I took a short and slow walk to the grocery store clutching on to my husband for support (the dizziness had not yet passed). After which, I made a late lunch one of my new favourites: a seed butter and banana wrap. It's a high energy, light snack, good for when you don't want much to eat or a part of a healthy lunch. Check it out.

A whole wheat flax seed wrap (or any whole grain wrap of your choice)
Pumpkin seed butter (or any seed butter of your choice)
1 med size banana sliced

Spread a generous amount of pumpkin seed butter on the wrap, top with the sliced banana and roll up tightly.

 The lid of my pumpkin seed butter reads "Nuts to you nut butter!"

 Yum yum!

Now for a lil Wii Fit to try and build some strength

Take care :)

the Safety snack

Sometimes no matter how hard you work at it, you just feel like crap. In my case, the crap is usually barfy, barfy, barfy! Can hardly move, type of not actually vomiting, but REALLY feel like you will, dizzy barfy. This can make eating a challenge. Luckily in this case I managed to get a late breakfast in before the hard core barf-tastic day set in (tofu scramble with spinach :) But for the rest of the day, just really didn't want to eat. So I thought I'd share with you some of my secret weapon snacks.

1. Ginger tea. True it's not food, but sipping on it throughout the day can help tone down the nausea & promote good digestion...even if there's nothing in your tummy to digest.

2. Digestive biscuits. Pre-Carolyn (my dietitian) these would have been arrowroot cookies, which are super awesome and have magical powers. However, with the digestives we have our friend fibre! 1g per two biscuits may not seem like a lot but it's better than 0g (arrowroots)

3. Applesauce. When you can't eat a meal or even a proper healthy snack, you have to try and force in some nutrients somewhere. I was not so successful with this one today, but hey a couple of mouthfuls is something. A couple of glasses of juice ain't so bad either.

4. And finally POPCORN. My husband would call this my safety blanket food. I can eat this no matter what...well almost. Now I'm not talking about oil popped or microwave. No, no it must be air popped, with a little bit of vegan marg & fine sea salt. Today since there wasn't much happening in the real food department, I added a couple tablespoons of ground flax.

So those are my secrets. What do you eat when nothing wants to go down? For the record I do not endorse starvation, and must remind you how crappy I will feel tomorrow because of the lack of nutrition I got today.

ps Did anyone get the Men Without Hats reference? You can dance, you can dance???

Planes, Trains & Automobile Risotto

As I mentioned in my last post, I was spending the Easter long weekend in London Ontario, with my good friend Lynn and her family. We had a wicked time!! I flew in Thursday afternoon, and back to Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon. Saturday we took the train into Toronto for shopping, eating & drinking. I got to visit with some wonderful friends from when I lived in the big city, Jamie Lee Burton and Matt Coffey. Busing back at 1am, arriving in London 3:30 to plan an Easter egg hunt for my godson Parker was exhausting but great. I got some cute clothes and a new tattoo. All and all a fabulous weekend!

On Good Friday, Lynn was host to a family dinner. Her and I were in charge of the appetizers, and her husband Jamie made the main dish, risotto. This is a fav of both theirs, and something I had never tried. It was extremely delicious and so versatile. I can't wait to try making it myself, and experimenting with new variations. This version is done with Parmesan cheese (Jamie pulled out a portion for me before adding it in at the end) but of course isn't necessary. I know there is a vegan parm out there, but I haven't seen it before. Enjoy!

4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 generous cup of risotto rice (Jamie recommends Arborino)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, de-seeded & chopped
8 oz (225g) white mushrooms thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained & chopped
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (if you can find a soy version, great, otherwise omit)
Salt & pepper to taste
fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs or bay leaves for garnish
whole rosemary twigs * this is Jamie's addition to the standard recipe

1.  Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce heat & keep simmering gently over low while cooking the risotto * throw in whole rosemary twigs and leave until the bitter end*
2. Heat oil in deep skillet or saucepan. Add rice & cook over low stirring constantly for 2-3mins, until grains are thoroughly coated in oil & translucent
3. Add garlic, onion, celery, & pepper & cook stirring frequently for 5mins. Add mushrooms & cook 3-4mins. Stir in oregano
4. Gradually add the hot stock a ladleful at a time. Stir constantly & add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition. Increase the heat to medium so the liquid bubbles. Cook 20mins or until all the liquid absorbs & the rice is creamy. Add the sun-dried tomatoes 5mins before the end of cooking time & season with salt & pepper to taste.
5. Remove risotto from heat & stir in half the Parmesan (if using) until it melts. Transfer risotto to warmed plates and top with remaining cheese, garnish with parsley or bay leaves & serve at once.

 With a party of 10, Jamie needed to double or possibly triple the recipe

 The chef hard at work

Pretty Easter table by Lynn

 Belissimo!

For the pre-dinner party, we had an assortment of various flat breads, crackers, cheese, & fruit with chocolate sauce. We also tried this artichoke dip from a cookbook called "500 appetizers: the only appetizer compendium you'll ever need"  by  Susannah Blake. It is very simple, however Lynn does not yet own a food processor, so we had to experiment with mashing, using a hand mixer & a blender. The constitency may not have been exactly right, but it was tasty nonetheless.

1 can artichoke hearts drained

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Blend all ingreients in a food processor until smooth and serve with pitas, flatbreads or crackers

Happy Birthday Lynn & thanks for the awesome weekend vacation!

That's right turkey, it's tofu jerky!

OK I apologize for the title, but c'mon rhymes are fun, right? LOL

This Thursday I will be jetting off to the bustling metropolis of London (Ontario) to see my good friend (and fellow vegan IBSer) Lynn. I am very excited, but leaving the home routine can bring up some food anxieties. So when I'm heading out on a trip I always pack tonnes of snacks and try to do some meal planning. OK so I've never actually done the meal planning part, but as a part of my new track, I plan to this time. Having a plan in place and lots of healthy safe snacks takes an enormous amount of pressure off, so you can enjoy your adventure. Traveling with someone who understands your issues is a big bonus.

Here's one of my favourite travel snacks. It's a great source of protein to keep you fueled between stops. I always have to make up extra so my husband has some to snack on while I'm away. He loves this shit!

TOFU JERKY

As I eluded to before this recipe is straight out of Vegan A Go-Go by Sarah Kramer

1 pkg extra firm tofu
3-4 tbsp liquid smoke
1/2 cup soy sauce (she uses tamari which I have yet to find)
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic
1/2 - 1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar (raw is my fav)

Slice the tofu into 1/4 inch (or slightly thinner) strips lengthwise. Mix all other ingredients together in a small bowl. Lay the tofu out flat in a big casserole dish or baking tray with a lip. Pour the mixture over top coating well. Soak overnight (at least 8 hours). Preheat the oven to 150 (cause that will take long...hehe). Cook the tofu 6 to 8 hours, flipping every hour. I prefer it after 8 hours, nice and chewy then. Obviously this is a snack that needs some pre-planning and nearly a full day at home, but it's worth it!!

  It may look like burnt cardboard, but just trust me.

Funeral Food

Earlier this week my family suffered a great loss with the death of my grandmother Lois Ross. Ever strong and caring, she was a family matriarch. She was a very wonderful woman, whom I miss very, very much. I've just gotten home from her funeral, and now sit in front of my computer in my sweatpants and a pearl necklace that had belonged to her.


Assuming the reception food would be the usual fare, the vegetarian option being either egg salad or cheese and lettuce sandwiches, I decided to make some quick wraps for my sister and me. It turns out they were a hit with most of my family.

I started with my basic hummus recipe. This I got when taking a cooking class called "An Evening With Chickpeas" that my husband signed us up for as a birthday gift one year. Our instructor was Rani Rehal, and her recipes are outstanding! I modified it a little bit to accommodate the IBS gut. I removed the half of an large white raw onion that can be hard to digest and replaced it with the whites of green onions. It's slightly drier this way, but perfect for wraps. If serving with pitas I suggest drizzling a little olive oil on top and some parsley.

1 540ml can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
2-3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2-4 green onions whites only
1/2 tsp each salt & paprika
1/4 tsp each cumin, coriander & cayenne


Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Once you master this simple recipe try experimenting with different spices or adding roasted red peppers.

Using whole wheat wraps I spread on a thin layer of the hummus and topped it with romaine lettuce, red peppers, and alfalfa sprouts.

Aside from sandwiches there are generally an assortment of baked goodies. Most of which will be either vegan unfriendly or have nuts in them...or the safe ones with be on the tray next to the nut ones. Being prepared for this situation I baked molasses cookies. I've been trying to find ways of working blackstrap molasses into my diet because of its high iron and calcium content, but it's not easy. I found this recipe on a blog called Hell Yeah It's Vegan. The only modification I made was omitting the crystallized ginger, and only because I didn't have time to source it out. I bet it would be amazing. Check it out.

 This stuff is darn hard to mix without a mixer

 I should mention I have only made cookies once before this...

 Phew! Finally

 My baking helper Falkor, he hates the smell of cloves, so he didn't get in my way as usual

 yummy sticky cookie ballzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's too bad I had to share them ;)

RIP Grandma

Lois Janice Ross 1925 - 2011

Vegan a go-go

Yesterday was my best friend Destini's wedding social. If you are not from Manitoba, this is pretty much a manditory part of getting married here. You rent a hall and throw a big party with silent auction, booze, 50/50, charge $10 a head and make money for your wedding. They are alot of work, but can be very fun. Being the maid of honour, I had many responsibilities that day, so I decided to write about how to eat well, and take care of your IBS when you are on the go!

Naturally it starts with a good healthy breakfast, but first look at this wonderful mid April in Winnipeg surprise we woke up to!

I <3 Winnipeg LOL!!

Tofu Scramble:

This can be made an infinite number of ways. This is s very basic version, but feel free to experiment with different spices and veggies. Anything goes!

I put the tumeric in this version because it is good for the IBS gut and the ginger is great for nausea and I had a bit of a candy hangover that morning (damn movies and Mike 'n' Ikes). This makes for 1 large serving but go ahead and double everything for sharing or leftovers (SO good the next day!)

1/2 block firm or extra firm tofu, pressed & crumbled
1/2 a large tomatoe, diced
1-2 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced (I think this is the least amount of garlic I have ever used in a recipe, but I'm trying to cut back a little, it can be hard for the IBS tummy to digest)
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp ginger
oil for frying (1 tbsp approx)
black pepper to taste
Daiya shredded cheddar "cheese" for topping (optional)

In a medium sized bowl mix the crumbled tofu, mustard, soy sauce and spices together. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat (non stick is better). Brown the garlic, then throw in the tofu mixture and cook for approximately 5 mins. Add the tomato and green onion and cook for another 3-5mins. Add pepper to taste and top with the Daiya cheese.

 The garlic is not pictured because I decided on it at the last second

 & I only used one of those soy sauce packets

 Not a non-stick pan, I hate it

I had a piece of flax toast with soynut butter for extra fibre and protein!

Next I needed to pack some snacks for the day. These would be my lunch and dinner, so there needed to be a good balance of the food groups and easy to eat on the go. I may have packed too much, but it came in handy when one of the other bridesmaids (a fellow vegan) was feeling a little light headed.

Ryvita rye & oat bran crackers (fibre, fibre, fibre!)

Pumpkin seed butter for the crackers (this I knew I would be having at Destini's house so I didn't pack a knife, but if you are I suggest a ziploc bag to put it in afterwards)

2 x applesauce & mixed fruit packs (with a spoon of course)

Digestive cookies (Its important to read the ingredients when purchasing these because some have BEEF FAT (ick) or dried whole egg, look for a less expensive no name brand.)

Leftover baked cinnamon sweet potatoe & chickpeas; easy because they don't necessarily need to be refrigerated all day or reheated

2 Benefibre on the go sticks (for mixing into my water bottle)

1 ginger tea bag (emergency nausea meds)

1 peppermint tea bag (emergency tummy pain meds)

I packed all this in a reusable grocery bag with my water bottle

 PRIZES!!

 Family pre-gamin' it

Destini and I :)

Finally, at 2am at home my husband and I needed a lil snack to absorb some of the alcohol before bed. Air popped popcorn is my fav go to snack since childhood. I know it's not the heathiest, but it never bothers my tummy no matter how sensitive it is feeling, and with just a bit vegan margarine & fine sea salt, it's a great treat!

 I love that Becel came out with a vegan marg. because my neighbourhood is lacking in good health food and organic groceries & my lame Safeway carries this

 A great end to a busy day

Congratulations Destini & George! <3

PS. The title of this blog is the name of a great vegan travel cook book by Sarah Kramer. It's filled with great tips for vegans on the road. Hint: an upcoming blog may have a recipe from it ;)

Pumpkin squashes peanut

Seriously who needs peanuts, or any other nut for that matter when there's PUMPKIN SEED BUTTER?!

Oh yes my friends, seed butters are where its at. I've tried pea butter (meh...) and soynut butter (not bad..), even tahini (sesame seed butter) is good in a pinch, but pumpkin seed butter....ooooo mama. tasty! And choc full of omega-3s, iron & protein.

Find it in your local grocer's organic section or make it yourself
http://www.ehow.com/how_5648195_make-pumpkin-seed-butter.html
I plan to try this very soon!

 On a Ryvita rye & oat bran cracker for extra fibre!!

Pumpkin seed butter - yum yum!!

Flax pancakes with strawberry soft serve

Yesterday I made brunch for my husband and myself. I call it brunch because we slept in till almost 10:30. This being my first recipe blog I should warn you I am no master chef, but I do what I can. Also the photos (for now) are not the greatest because my camera is a little lame. As my family likes to remind me, I lose cameras...alot...so am not aloud to have a nice one.

Here's my version of flax pancakes. (modified from eHow by Danita Fausek) Don't be intimidated (or turned off). My husband hates things "whole wheaty" and is very skeptical of flax in general, and he loved em!

1 cup flour (I used all purpose because it was what I had on hand, but feel free to experiment with a mix of white and whole wheat)
2/3 cups ground flax seed
3 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon (my new must have in baking...it just makes everything smell so delectable)
a dash of nutmeg
1 big banana, mashed
1 1/4 cups soy milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat a non-greased pan or griddle to low-medium heat. ( I use in between the #3 &  #4 on my stove) Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl, then mix both bowls together. Pour your desired amount of batter onto the pan. I'm terrible at flipping pancakes (you'll see in the photos) so I try to make them somewhat smaller. When you see the bubbles coming through, FLIP.  After that its a judgement call, just keep a close eye on them.

Strawberry soft serve:

This I got from Oh She Glows. It's very simple, but I messed it up a bit.

3 strawberries
1 frozen banana

In a food processor blend the banana until it starts to look frothy (about 5mins), then add in the strawberries and blend well.

Where I went wrong was not blending the banana first and not blending it long enough. I just threw it all in the food processor until it was liquidy...not the intended effect. So let me know how you do with it, because I haven't made a second attempt since I actually read the directions properly :)

 See told you I can't flip em!

 

Not frothy....runny...

 So maybe not the best execution...but doesn't it look yummy anyways?

As to not hurt my tummy with fruit in the AM (on an empty stomach? ahhhhhhh) I only used about 1/2 the strawberry soft serve, and limited myself to only 2 pancakes. Chewing long and slow, making sure to have the fruit WITH the pancakes, it all worked out. No pain! Whooo. A yummy, healthy, satisfying breakfast and no symptoms! Wicked :)

The Beginning

Well here we are. As a newbie to this world of blogging, I'm not sure where to begin.


I guess I'll start with why I'm doing this. I was pushed into by my best friend Destini. LOL, not quite, though it was her idea. I suppose I'm confronting a fear. FOOD!! For the foodies out there I'm sure you think of food as something to be enjoyed, experimented with and loved. For a person with IBS it's the enemy. I can't count the times I've thought to myself, "Well if I just don't eat today, I'll be ok, it won't hurt." We need to be very mindful of everything we put into our tummies, healthy or not it may be a huge mistake. To limit things further I'm a vegan. Now I believe this is a wonderful thing, but it can be challenging, especially if you are deathly allergic to all nuts (a must have for most vegans).

Now this isn't something I'm new to. I've always had the food allergy. I was diagnosed with IBS nearly 17 years ago, but my mother tells me I seemed to reject food even as an infant. I've been a vegetarian for15 years and a vegan for the last 5 at least.  Despite all this "experience" I've never quite got a handle on it all.

AT the end of last year things started to get worse. My symptoms started to worsen. My pain became much more intense and frequent. I started vomiting. I dropped 10 lbs. (at 5'3" and 125lbs, the change was very noticeable). The fear of food was now at an all time high. I needed to do something and quick!

I finally decided to take control of my health.  I started working with a naturopathic doctor. I'm seeing a new GI who understands that IBS is a real problem. I researched dietitians in my area and I got on a weight list for counseling to deal with my food anxiety.

Armed with my new team of health professionals, the support of my loving husband Morgan, my amazing sister Heather and all of my very wonderful friends, I'm ready to call a truce with food and fight for my health!!