The MS Badge

Oye vay! I finally get my head wrapped around the hypoglycemia lifestyle and now it's changing. After a stressful month of doctors and tests and waiting, I get to add the Multiple Sclerosis Badge to my medical sash. Well...technically I don't get the badge yet. You see, the MRI and the spinal tap confirmed MS but I've only had an isolated episode.

So now I wait and pray the next one isn't bad.  Thankfully I have a great neurologist who isn't pushing me to medicate at this point. If I wanted the medicine, it would involve daily shots of Copaxone. (Ummm...no, not with the estimated 30% success rate. Seriously, would you go to Vegas with those odds?) Instead the doctor suggested that I try the Swank Diet. This is a low saturated fat diet that is backed by a 34-year study of people with MS who followed his diet and how it helped. So I'm thinking, 'Diet? Yeah, I know how to do that, bring it on.'

Here are the rules:

1. Saturated fat should not exceed 15 grams per day
2. Unsaturated fat (oils) should be kept to 20-50 grams per day
3. No red meat or pork for the first year; after that, a maximum of 3 oz. (85 grams) of red meat per week
4. Dairy products must contain 1% or less butterfat
5. No processed foods containing saturated fat
6. A good source of omega-3 (oily fish, cod liver oil, cod liver oil tablets, etc.) along with a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement are recommended daily
7. Wheat, gluten or dairy product quantities are not restricted. But foods which cause allergies or reactions to an MS sufferer should be avoided.

This seemed easy enough at first. However, I quickly learned that I had no idea how much saturated fat was in anything I was eating. The first big change came with my cherished cheese and crackers. They had come to be my safety snack at work, but they can no longer be a regular visitor because of the saturated fat found in most cheeses. That same day my family accidentally tortured me with their dinner of hot dogs and french fries. The meltdown that followed resembled one of a teenager losing her car. "But I LOVE hot dogs, and everyone else gets to eat it. It's not fair!! What am I gonna have nooooow!?"
Clearly I wasn't taking this well. By no means was this like the meltdowns I had when I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia, but it still made the books.

In all fairness, I'm sure that anyone wrapping their head around one restrictive diet, and then having to integrate another has probably had one of these moments. It's confusing and frustrating. Hopefully there isn't anyone out there struggling to learn both of these diets, but in case there are, I will share what I learn as I go. Future recipes will still follow the hypo rules but also be lower in saturated fat, and will be beef and pork free for the year. Perhaps I'm being naive, but if this could help me avoid an episode it is worth the struggle. And perhaps, after a year of this I'll have totally earned a Swank/Hypo Badge.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

As I'm writing this I can tell you that it isn't really soup weather. The sky is clear of clouds and I sincerely hated the black leather seats as they scorched my skin. That said, I still want this soup. I want this spicy delicious goodness so much that I plan on making another batch, just to freeze and keep on hand.
Did I mention this is the easiest soup I have ever made, and it is also pretty darn healthy.

 
Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder
1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
1 can fat free chicken broth 
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can yellow, no sugar added, corn
1 small can diced green chiles
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup shredded (or chopped) carrots
1.5 pounds chicken breast, no skin, chopped
6 oz low fat cheddar cheese, cubed
1 cup fat free sour cream
Combine everything but the cheese and sour cream into a crockpot. Cook on low heat for 4 hours or so until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the cheese and sour cream, heat another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
This version is very mild, I like to add Siracha or hot sauce to my bowl before devouring and licking the bowl clean. 

This makes a lot of soup, in fact when I first saw how much it made I was a bit nervous we wouldn't be able to finish it.  After sharing with friends I was still able to sneak it for lunch several days in a row before my family had a chance at the leftovers.

I mentioned it was healthy. Not only did I find this soup filling, it is also low cal, and pretty low fat. Obviously cutting out the cheese would make a difference here, but the Minnesotan in me couldn't do it.
Here is the nutrition info based on the ingredients I used:
1 recipe makes 9 servings.

Calories                          193.6
Total Fat                         3.2 g
  Saturated Fat                1.4 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat       0.4 g
  Monounsaturated Fat     0.7 g
Cholesterol                      55.7 mg
Sodium                            767.6 mg
Potassium                        326.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate          14.0 g
Dietary Fiber                    2.3 g
Sugars                              3.8 g
Protein                             24.7 g

Vitamin A         42.7 %            Vitamin B-12       6.9 %          Vitamin B-6       23.2 %
Vitamin C         11.4 %            Vitamin D            0.0 %          Vitamin E           1.2 %
Calcium           15.6 %             Copper               3.0 %           Folate                5.5 %
Iron                 5.7 %               Magnesium          7.9 %          Manganese         4.3 %
Niacin             45.0 %             Pantothenic Acid  8.8 %          Phosphorus        26.4 %
Riboflavin        8.5 %               Selenium               24.0 %       Thiamin              5.2 %
Zinc                7.3 %

Vegetable Mind Games - Garbanzo Beans

 I don't like beans... and it's only been in the last few months that I had any interest in learning to like them.
That said, I've been reading a lot lately about Garbanzos. I like hummus, and I had this amazing appetizer at an Indian restaurant that used them. Maybe this can be my gateway bean.

When I stumbled across a recipe for Roasted Garbanzos I knew I had to try it. The first batch was so good and so easy that I got Monkey involved for the second round. (She agreed to try the first batch after I called them Bean Chips, and has been asking for them ever since.)


























Bean Chips

2 cans garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and other seasonings to flavor the beans
Preheat the oven to 400. Drain both cans in a strainer and rinse well until the water is no longer cloudy. Now dry the beans. We chose to rub them with paper towels until they were dry.

There is debate over whether or not you need to remove the skins. We tried both and found no difference in taste or texture. Plus removing the skins could easily waste hours of my life that I'd rather spend thumb wrestling or drooling over food blogs.

Once the beans are dry, drizzle olive oil over them and toss around till they're all coated. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the beans are crunchy. I like to stir half way to make sure the guys on the edge of the pan don’t burn. Season after you remove them from the oven.


We've tried spicy bean chips and garlic, but Monkey's favorite is just plain old season salt.
Have you made bean chips before, and if so what's your favorite flavor?

Dill Pickle Popcorn

For days I've been craving them...Dill....Pickle....Chips.
I love everything about those chips...except they aren't very good for me.
So I compromised with Dill Pickle Popcorn:

Dill Pickle Seasoning
3 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
4 tbsp salt
Combine and pulse in the food processor (I used the Magic Bullet) until it is super fine. Use to season anything you want to taste pickle-icious!

Dill Pickle Popcorn
Spritzing vinegar over the air-popped popcorn first will help the seasoning stick and give it that wonderful tangy taste. Mixing with vinegar and pouring over the popcorn is a very bad idea! You end up with mega-seasoned landmines dispersed in the bowl. If you like landmines (or want to teach your kids to stay out of your bowl) have fun but personally I like consistency.  The best way to achieve that is with a mist. Pampered Chef makes a great spritzer that I use regularly with olive oil. If that's not an option, a spray bottle (like the type used to wet hair) can be used instead.
If you only want a hint of pickle, use a mist of olive oil instead.

Dill Pickle Dip
Mix with Plain Greek Yogurt for an incredible dip that is great with pretzels or veggies.
Why use Greek Yogurt? Because, it has all the benefits of a high-quality protein without the fat. Yup, you heard me right. You could count this as your protein! When comparing labels I found that the 8oz container of Greek yogurt had 3 grams more protein than a turkey dog! It also has fewer carbs than regular yogurt.
It's been a favorite snack of mine lately. The best flavor comes when it is allowed to sit overnight, so mix this up before bed and you'll be set for work the next day.
(Here is a great article about the nutritional benefits of Greek Yogurt, if you want to learn more.)

Burger Topping
I haven't tried this yet, but I have a hunch that the Dill Pickle Dip from above will be a great way to omit the cheese and add pickle flavor to a burger. I did try it on a turkey dog with a little ketchup and it was yummy! The creamy texture... the delicous pickleness...how could it be bad on a burger?


What would you put this seasoning on?