Paleo Spaghetti

Spaghetti has always been one of my most favorite meals so I was truly crushed when my food allergies took it away from me. However, once I learned about and made my first spaghetti squash I honestly feel like I don’t miss out anymore. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t gladly go back to normal spaghetti… but I really do love this new option. And it’s just as quick and easy to make.

Start by cutting off the top and bottom of the squash. Then slice it length-wise and scoop out all the seeds. This part is Jesse’s job because they are really hard to cut through.

Spaghetti squash

The first time I cooked mine in the oven, then someone told me that the microwave works much better. I like to add a little water to the bottom of the dish so that it steams well and microwave for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the squash.

Cooking squash

When it’s finished, it should shred easily with a fork. Make sure to get all the way down to the skin, it makes a whole lot more food than I realized at first… plus it is really filling.

Finished squash

Then it’s ready to be topped with your favorite spaghetti sauce. I like to use Muir Glen tomato products and mix with ground beef to make it more filling. I love their sauce because it’s just tomatoes and spices… nothing I’m allergic to!

Spaghetti sauce

Of course, you have to add parmesan cheese on top, too.

Spaghetti dinner

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? It’s really good, give it a try! Enjoy!

Namaste Foods: Pizza Time

Pizza crust mixI am so excited to tell you about a new brand that I have just discovered. The wonderful folks at Namaste Foods might just be my new best friends. I tried their pizza crust mix for the first time tonight and LOVED it! I didn’t realize how much I was missing not being able to have pizza. Their crust mix is super tasty and all I had to add to it was a tiny bit of olive oil and some water. I went to their website after dinner and found that they also make pasta, muffin mix, brownie mix, and frosting! I can’t wait to try out some more, or all of their products.

Jesse is a pretty tough critic when it comes to pizza, the man really knows and loves his pizza. When he says it’s one of his favorites you know it’s got to be really good. We’ll have to experiment with some different toppings and see what other kinds of pizzas we can come up with.

The recipe was intended for one 14″ pizza, but we like thin crust so I made two 9″ pizzas. The crust goes in the oven to cook for 20 minutes. Then add all your toppings (can you tell which one is for Jesse?), and back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Making pizza

Pizza sauceMy toppings were ground beef mixed with pizza sauce. I like to use Muir Glen‘s tomato products. It’s really not because it’s organic, but because it’s hard to find sauces that I am able to have. We love their spaghetti sauce so I thought their pizza sauce would be good too… and it was! They add lot of yummy spices to their sauces that made the pizza that much more fabulous. And, of course, we had cheese.  Too much milk products tends to bother my stomach, but I do fine with a little.

The pizzas came out perfectly! I think pizza will be back to a regular part of our diet again. I had to email Namaste Foods after dinner just to let them know how awesome it is that they make such a great product for people with allergies. It is really hard to find foods that avoid all three of my allergies so I just wanted to make sure they know someone is really enjoying them.

Pizza

 

Allergic Girl by Sloane Miller

Sloane Miller’s Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies is a great book. It is definitely a must read for anyone with food allergies or anyone who cares and cooks for someone with food allergies.

Allergic Gril

In my never ending google-ing for information to make my new, food-allergic life easier, I came across a blog called Please Don’t Pass The Nuts. I discovered that the author of the blog had also written this book. Sloane is a psychotherapeutic social worker who coaches people on how to live with their food allergies. I found that since she deals with multiple food allergies herself, she had tons of helpful advice and stories that I could relate to.

Here is what I learned from Allergic Girl:

1. Know when you’re having a reaction, and when you’re not. Let me explain. One of the first things that my allergist had me do after the results of my allergy testing was start keeping a food diary. I wrote down every single thing that I ate and any reaction I felt as a result. I now think that was the worst thing I have taught myself to do. Before long I couldn’t tell if I was imagining symptoms or actually having them. I was concentrating so hard on every little throat tickle that I was afraid to eat. I began crossing more and more foods off of my safe list. This book let me know that I was not alone in my ability to worry symptoms into reality. Now when I feel something I take a deep breathe, drink some water, and reevaluate when I’m calmer.

2. Love your food. I’ve always loved food, especially pasta and sweets. For a while I felt like my world ended when everything was eliminated from my diet. It wasn’t that I was going hungry, but I sure wasn’t feeling satisfied with my food life. This book helped my to start to discover my inner foodie by focusing on all the foods I could have instead of the foods that I couldn’t. I’ve been enjoying foods I’ve never had before and never would have been willing to try before. Cooking is still difficult because it still takes a LOT of planning, but it is also fun and exciting!

3. How to eat away from home. I haven’t tried this one out too much yet. I feel so much more comfortable at home where I know every ingredient and exactly how everything is prepared, but eating at home is not always possible. I’ve learned to trust that other people are just as capable at cooking within my new rules. I feel more confident that I can communicate my needs to others and still stay safe. This will really be put to the test this summer, as we are planning a trip. We will be away from home for a whole week (yikes)! When the idea of the trip was first presented to me I thought there was no way that I could go, but now I’m determined to work it out. Even though I’m still a bit scared about the idea I know that with some extra planning it can be done.