The Two Hour Cleansing Process

I never dreamed that just getting clean could be so exhausting and excruciating. Before my foot surgery, the Dr. told me that I would not be allowed to take a shower for 2 full weeks afterwards. With the additional surgery, that extended things by about 3 days. My last real shower was on January 29, and my next allowed shower will be between February 11-15, depending on when my sutures are ready to come out.

When the Dr. told me that I could not shower for that length of time, I envisioned two-week-old hair sprouting off my legs and laughed with all the scorn of a spoiled princess who'd been told to go to her room (or the "West Wing.") After spending nearly two hours desperately trying to get clean, my laughs are more like those of an insane hyena. For one thing my hair is extremely long and thick, and I had planned to go to the hair salon tonight to get it washed. But, the husband's job kicked in and at this current time he's at the emergency room with an employee. I decided I could not wait one more day to be clean. I am "allowed" to sponge bathe and wash my hair as long as I don't get my sutures wet (which I didn't!!), but I have to admit, the experience was pure insanity. I now understand why perfectly civilized women turn into mountain men after surgery.

Bring in Task Force Grandma. One thing I learned is that having water poured over your head & face from a pitcher while you are lying on the floor next to the bathtub with your shoulders hanging over is....well, it's not very pleasant. Before long we were both laughing hysterically. My hair is ridiculously thick & curly we tried a variety of ways to get it clean. I washed off with my favorite lavender soap bar the best I could & even shaved my legs! Yes, Mr. Dr.-Man, I had the last laugh on that one! lol.

After about two hours I was completely and utterly pooped, the entire bathroom was covered in soap, shampoo, and water, my foot was aching,  & my pets were staring, but I had earned the glorious badge of "clean" and even struggled into clean shorts & t-shirt before I plopped onto the couch with an ice pack on my aching foot and reached for the Percocet.

Yes, this is my hair over a basin of water in the bathtub. It was awesome. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza (flourless/gluten free)

My sister-in-law's sister, Colleen, gave me the most AMAZING recipe for cauliflower-crust pizza. With the way I've been eating lately, this is a definite splurge, but I made it a few days ago when I was really craving pizza, and it was fabulous. Delicious!

2 cups cauliflower, riced (about 1/2 head)
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup marinara
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, for topping (Colleen used 1/4 cup. ha!) :)
Toppings (veggies, pepperoni, etc) I used sliced olives, orange and yellow peppers, & purple onions)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with parchment OR you may use a pizza stone, etc. Remove the stems and leaves from the cauliflower and chop the florets into bite-sized pieces. Put the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the texture is similar to rice.

Saute the cauliflower in a non-stick skillet until translucent (6-8 minutes over medium heat). I have to be honest, I started by adding 2 tbsp of olive oil but I think in the future I may just "steam it." It didn't need the extra calories and I ended up needing to add water anyway. You could add water and microwave it for 6 minutes, but I try to avoid the microwave as much as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower with the mozzarella, egg, basil, and oregano. Spread it out onto your prepared pan. It should be 9-10 inches in diameter. I used a cookie sheet, thus the shape. ;)

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until the crust turns a pretty golden color. Remove the crust and add the toppings. Go light! You don't want to weigh down the crust. Broil the pizza about 5 minutes (don't put it too high in the oven!) until the cheese is bubbly. Cool for 3-5 minutes and serve.

You won't regret making this pizza! It is worth every minute in the kitchen--it is delicious! I may try it in the future with daiya cheeze. I think it would still be yummy. Also next time I am going to top it margherita style with fresh tomatoes and basil leaves. I think this crust is very versatile!

If you prepare it without the olive oil, each piece (8 pieces total) is about 150 calories. I'll have to get a better calorie count next time but I shredded the cheese from a block and forgot to weigh it. Sorry kids.

A Visit & a Recipe

My wonderful friend Jenny made us dinner tonight. I was feeling pretty exhausted when we came home so I enjoyed a nap for several hours & what better to eat for dinner than delicious quiche! Jenny also brought my little buddy Gabriel. He is such a sweet baby. He was extremely focused on getting my hospital bracelets off.

He's such a handsome little guy! He's rock solid therefore I call him "Tank." ;-) Except for those delightful cheeks! 

 I asked Jenny for the quiche recipe to feature on my blog. I have not eaten any "regular" food since January 8 and I was in heaven. (Between the new way of eating and the esophagitis, I've lost 14 pounds in 3 weeks). I cannot eat much and have to eat really small portions and really small bites, chewed well, and each bite followed by water so it doesn't get impacted in my esophagus. One of the only solid foods I've been able to eat is eggs. So, the quiche was PERFECT and I have also been craving green vegetables. The quiche hit all the right spots and was amazing!!!

1 pastry for single-crust pie (you can use pre-made, such as Mrs. Smith's, or make your own)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped & lightly packed
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese (2 oz)

Prepare and roll out Pastry for single-crust pie. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim and crimp edges as desired. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more, or until pastry is set and dry. Remove from even, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion and bacon until onion is tender and bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, half-and-half, salt, & pepper. Stir in onion mixture, spinach, & cheese.

Pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If necessary, cover the edge of the pastry with foil to prevent burning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Soooo good!!!!!

Shoe Funeral

Well, it's official. The surgery center called this morning to confirm my foot surgery date for January 30th. I dragged myself into my bedroom to remove all my stilettos and high heels from my closet. I think this is in the top 10 saddest days of my life. I had to box them all up and put them in the spare room so they won't tempt me. No heels for 1 year following surgery. The surgeon did tell me I should be able to wear wedge platforms after 16 weeks. I already bought 3 pairs of new "approved" shoes to decrease my sadness. :)

I took pictures of some of my favorites. May they live in history even if I never get to wear them again. :(

Wholesome Chow!

So as many of you most likely already know, we've gone on a refined-food-free way of eating this year. No refined sugars, no refined carbs, gluten free, non-GMO. Little to no processed foods. Most foods are on the no list. But there has to be something yummy to eat every once in a while. I found a package of Wholesome Chow gluten free chocolate baking mix while I was at HomeGoods recently. I was so impressed! I was pretty happy to find ingredients that are friendly for my diet, although two of the ingredients aren't something we normally eat. (Evaporated cane juice and white rice flour.) Wholesome Chow is non-GMO, gluten free, and free of refined sugars. Yay! I made the chocolate cake mix into 12 cupcakes. I used Lactose-free milk and coconut oil. Since I didn't plan to frost them I added 1/2 cup of Sunspire 42% cacao chips. They are very yummy!

To see Wholesome Chow products click HERE.

Find the Silver Lining

I don't know what's been going on the last couple of weeks. I feel like it's been a permanent full moon or something. I have gotten so much bad news lately, and it just doesn't seem to stop. If the only bad news I had gotten were about myself or something bad happening to me, I'd be ok. But I really don't take kindly to things happening to people that I love when so much distance separates most of us. I think one of the worst pieces of news I got was that my cousin Becky has thyroid cancer. (You can read her blog on that HERE if you like.) I was really nervous about going in for some important testing but once I found out about Becky I didn't really care anymore. I really, really don't like to see my family & friends hurting and feeling powerless to DO anything because I'm so far away.

I suppose I do have a really sarcastic, jaded, side that is "firmly grounded in realism." :-) However, I do try to look for the silver lining in every bad situation. I am definitely not going to share people's private business on my blog (I know, you're so disappointed!) But out of the things I CAN tell you, in the last two weeks, I have gotten 2 phone calls from loved ones telling me that they have cancer, a few other tidbits of bad news (details might be too identifying!) :) and I have also been juggling a multitude of Dr.'s appts (which is not typical for me!). These things may sound simple, but they can be really overwhelming. Especially since most of the things that have happened aren't "bloggable." :)

I was determined to find the silver linings and I have! I was talking to my brother last night and I told him not to worry, I always land on my feet. He said, "Yes, you do, and you're hissing and scratching when you land." I cracked up laughing!

The thing that I am the happiest about is this:

Becky came through her cancer surgery well! She has her voice, which is amazing, and at this point it looks like she does NOT have lymphoma (in addition to the thyroid cancer). This is a huge praise! 

I have some more testing tomorrow and I also will be finding out the results of some tests that I had done last week. I am also headed over to my GP's office in the morning to get cleared for my foot surgery, which will be on the 30th. The good news is, I get to take a week off work!! :)

When bad things happen, I think it's important to take some time to "feel it." Pent up emotions don't do anyone any good and neither does denial. But then, just get up and get back to it. Life is not going to live itself! There is always a silver lining. If you want a funny read on Positivity, check out THIS POST. By the way I am the cousin that thought she misunderstood the diagnosis. (You'll have to read it to get it!)

Cheers to a wonderful 2013. I've just about gotten all the bad stuff over with, so the rest of the year can be FABULOUS!

Flourless Black Bean Brownies

Finally, "brownies" that I can have! I found this recipe on the Our Family Eats blog but I modified it to make it a little more "Daniel Plan" friendly. It's not the amazing brownies that we all know and love, but let me put it like this--it will do in a pinch. Use an 8x8 pan or the closest thing you have and cut it into 18 squares, and each will have 108 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber. It's a chocolate fix I can live with.

I have made it twice. The first time was without chocolate chips, coconut oil instead of butter, and all Truvia for sweetener. The original recipe had called for coconut sugar. The second time I used 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 Truvia. I didn't  notice a real difference so I will be going back to the Truvia next time. The second time I also used chocolate chips and earth balance "butter" instead of coconut oil. If I had it to do over again I would use the following recipe. If you are interested in trying the coconut sugar, substitute 1/2 cup of coconut sugar for the Truvia.

1, 15-oz can black beans, rinsed well and drained

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp Truvia 

2-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used THESE) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process all ingredients EXCEPT THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS in a food processor (at least 4-cup capacity) until well blended. The batter will be fairly "liquidy." Once the batter is mixed, move it to a small bowl and incorporate the chocolate chips. Spray an 8x8 (or closest size you have!) baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in batter. Bake for 30 minutes. I have found that these taste better when they are cool. They don't seem to taste as chocolatey when they are warm. Strange, I know, but true. ;-) 

Finished brownies.