Shut up, I'm being domestic!!

Hubby got home from work this evening right as I was mixing batter for zucchini bread. He kissed me hello, then immediately made a face as he glanced at the bowl.

"Um, what...That looks...pukey."

Hello to you, too. And guess what? Youuuu don't have to eat any. (Of course, 40 minutes later I got an, "ok, that smells really good." Too late, my love. All mine.)

Have I mentioned I want carbs? Even if it means I have to bake (gah!) Man, all I can do is thank my dermatologist for recommending Cera-ve to me, cause it has saved my life. My ring fingers are monumentally itchy these days, but the rest of me is doing shockingly well. I am, however, still trying to be conscious of the health factor, and am trying to eat whole-grain versions of things when I can. Low-fat doesn't hurt, either, so I decided to experiment a bit and see what I could do with what seemed like a rather generic zucchini bread recipe.

I substituted most of the white flour with whole grain, and substituted oil with applesauce, which cuts 850 calories and 112 grams of fat from the loaf.* I didn't mess with the sugar, because it needed to be edible.

Verdict? It tastes healthy. But not in a bad way. Moist and wheaty and yummy. And don't worry, dear Kris...the baby is getting plenty of fat. I think. But now you've got me all paranoid about it...

Oh, and preggo brain over here measured in 1 tsp of baking soda instead of baking powder before I realized I was an idiot, so I ended up using 1 tsp of each (soda and powder) instead of the recommended amounts. It didn't affect the taste, but it did make the thing a little...heavy...and didn't rise like it probably should have.

I so love having the baby to blame for my dumbassness. I'm totally using this to my full advantage for the next 6 months. And probably longer. Best. Mom. Ever.


Health(ier) Zucchini Bread
1/2 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 zucchini, grated

Preheat oven to 350
In medium bowl, combine flours through salt. In Large bowl, combine applesauce, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. Add in flour mixture, and combines gently until just mixed (don't over stir it)

Coat a bread pan with cooking spray (or butter it). Spoon in batter. Cook 55 minutes (Or between 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. If you're not sure it's done, insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean and not sticky, it's done.) Let cool for 30 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and place on a wire rack until cool.


*The original version says 1/10 of a loaf is a portion and has 253 cals/13g fat. I'm saying that's ridiculous on all counts, and for a far more realistic 1/8 of a loaf portion, my version has 210 cals/2g fat. Or eat the whole damn thing for 1680 calories and 15g of fat. You're welcome.

Going All American

In honor of Super Bowl week, (AKA, 'I don't have to watch football for months and months' week.) I thought we'd go a bit more traditional than normal.

I somehow stumbled across a tasty little recipe for tomato soup the other day while perusing Cooking Light for cheap recipes (not only are we on a diet, but a budget as well), and figured I'd play with it a bit and try my hand at an "all American" meal.

Why does tomato soup go hand-in-hand with grilled cheese? I know that tends to be the norm, but I never ate them together growing up, as far as I can remember, so I figured I'd try it out for myself with some grown-up homemade versions of each.

I'm going to go ahead and interject that I'm, as you probably have realized, off the wheat-free kick. I have two reasons:
1. Vitamin D. I take a boatload of it a day. My mom insists it's just a placebo effect, but my dermatologist recommended it, so I'm gonna go ahead and go with it.
2. CeraVe lotion. I got so hooked on their cream that I also have the night and day face lotions now, too. It's fantastic.
Between those two things, I am hardly itching and quite the happy camper. And had I not needed a second opinion from a second dermatologist (Kaiser=Fail, CBCC=Win) I'd still be back in miserable I-hate-gluten land.

And so, without further ado, low-fat, grown-up grilled cheese and tomato soup. Hubby didn't have a grilled cheese, but his official soup review was, "Wow, you can make this anytime. Was it hard? This is better than Fresh & Easy's."

*Blushing*

Grilled Cheese (per person)
2 slices sourdough
dijon mustard
one slice provolone
2 thin slices of ham
a few thin slices of green onion, separated
small bit of shredded sharp cheddar or other cheese
cooking spray

Spread dijon on each slice. Stick everything else in between (you know how to make a sandwich). Spray skillet or griddle with cooking spray, cook about 3 minutes a side.

Tomato Soup
One peeled brown onion, chopped coarsely
Olive oil (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp flour
1.5 cups chicken broth
Large can crushed tomatoes (the kind with basil is great)
6 tbsp fat-free half & half (a bit less than a 1/3 cup)
S&P (good pinch each)
Small pinch of cardamom (optional)

Saute onion in oil a couple minutes until soft. Add flour, mix in well for about a minute. Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Turn off, and either blend in batches until all is smooth, or use an immersion blender (buy one.) to blend in the pot. Add half and half and return to simmer. Turn off and add S&P, etc. to taste.

See? Not hard. In fact, super, super easy. And yes, better than Fresh & Easy's...and I do love me some Tomato Basil from F&E.

I miss bread.

How's the gluten free overhaul going? Glad you asked.

Dinners have been going well. We did goulash with brown rice pasta last night, and an Indian inspired halibut with rice the night before (recipe to come). But since I have been trying to be better about cooking for two rather than a small army, I've had less leftovers-AKA lunch. And anything I have to buy puts me in dangerous territory.

I can't eat pho every day, and thai food gets pricey...fast food generally is a no-go cause everything is processed or fried...and when you add in the cost factor, I'm pretty much always better off bringing lunch.

Otherwise I end up having to make a mid-day store run, which ends with something strange and not particularly exciting. Say hello to the bread-less turkey sandwich.

Low fat honey roasted turkey, low fat provolone, spicy mustard, and romaine. Contain your excitement, if you can. (Actually, it was quite tasty...but it's just not gonna cut it every day.)

I'll just keep reminding myself that this is doable. A turkey sandwich wouldn't be any better on a warm, fresh, fragrant piece of rye...

Oh, god, I can smell it. Mouth...watering...daaaaamn it.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I am doing this.

November 1, 2006 was the day I stopped eating gluten. No wheat, no barley, no oats. No bread, no pasta, no beer.

It was a horrible, horrible day.

But I was so good for so long. I was checking labels, baking my own bread, and investing in sorghum-based beers. A huge pain in the ass (and the head, if I cheated...I would get horrible headaches after I ate even a trace of wheat), but it was worth it. I've had eczema my whole life, and dermatologist after dermatologist prescribed me lotions and creams and ointments...even a pill that blocked the 'itch-sensor' in my brain...and nothing worked. So finally, 25 years later, a chiropractor suggested I cut out gluten. And, ta-da! No more itching. Magic.

So why have I gotten lazy? Cause I'm a jackass, apparently. I have no good reason other than than I am weak. Weak, weak, weak. And now, itchy.

And since having a specific date set to stop eating gluten worked the first time, I decided this week to do it again. And today is the day. Cause my legs itch so much I've been bruising myself scratching them. And that, my friends, just ain't cute.

Wish me luck.