I have been meaning to write about this for a while, but I kept forgetting! I have very exciting news! I have found a new (well, new-to-me) food-intolerance-friendly restaurant!!
Back at the beginning of the month, my work held it's holiday party. One of my co-workers had recently been to Clydes (the Tower Oaks Lodge location), a popular and local restaurant, and really enjoyed it. He suggested we go there for our holiday party. Well, you all know my first thought - "Can I eat there?" So, I rushed to find their website and was comforted and relieved to find this in their FAQ page:
"I have a food allergy. Can you accommodate my diet?
We are very successful at honoring dietary requests whether it is for any of the 8 major allergens, miscellaneous allergens, or general dietary requests. Communication is key -- please tell us when you arrive that you have an allergy, and we will do our best. We are not nutritionists, but do believe that we serve great food that can be prepared to meet many common requests. Since our food is cooked to order, our chefs can make something delicious and safe for you."
So, I got excited! Yea! They will accommodate me as best they can! And, they're familiar with the top 8!! When I called to make the reservation, I asked if I needed to call in advance to assure that they would have food that I could eat and the lady taking the reservation said, "Oh, no. We deal with food allergies all the time. I'll mark it here on your reservation, but just be sure to tell your server when you arrive and we'll take care of you." Ah, such a weight off of my shoulders.
So, we got there, I told one of the servers (we were such a large party that we had 2 servers) and when the other server came to take my order, she knew right off what foods I could and couldn't have and even knew to double check with the chef about the sauces and that butter was considered dairy (most restaurants ignore the fact that butter is dairy and I end up getting sick)! Everything was easy and I was confidant that I would have a safe meal. I ended up ordering the filet mignon (with no sauce) and 2 veggies - spinach and green beans. It you know what? It was delicious! And, more importantly, it was safe.
Upon further research, it seems that Clydes is really working hard to be food-intolerant-friendly! This is a really nice article about their efforts.
I'm so, so excited about this new find!! Clydes will certainly enjoy lots of new business from me! If you're in the DC metro area, be sure to give them a try!
So, not a food or health related quote this week, but as always, oh, this is SO true.
I am blessed with a wonderful, beautiful, caring, thoughtful older Sister. I treasure my relationship with my Sister so much. Among many other Sister characteristics, we can communicate volumes with only facial expressions and even eye glances. My husband, an only child, cannot understand this. We'll sometimes spend a family day/night together and when Hubby and I get home and talk about something that happened I'll say that I thought/felt this and my Sister thought/felt that. He'll ask me how I know or when she told me that. When I tell him that she didn't tell me or that I knew how she felt by how she reacted or looked, he just doesn't get it. It's a hard thing to explain. I mean, I grew up with her, she was practically a second mother to me (her being 10.5 years older than me), I can often tell what she's thinking as she's thinking it. I can't explain it ... it just is what it is.
Now, she has two beautiful daughters of her own (one a bit over 2 years and one nearly 5 months). I hope that they, too, one day will have a similar relationship to ours. It is a true, pure and wonderful blessing.
LOL! I don't think this one needs any banter ... it was just too good (and funny!) not to share!
So, do you remember how I told you about the crock pot challenge that my Sister and I tried back in the Fall of 2007? Well, I remembered that there was ONE good recipe that came out of that experiment! Burger Heaven Casserole. I thought that it was pretty tasty, Hubby thought it was just okay ... probably because it had lots of veggies in it. I think I need to make it again. ;)
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Crock Pot Burger Heaven Casserole
from http://www.dietsinreview.com/recipes/crock-pot-burger-heaven-casserole
Serves 6
Ingredients:
16 oz. extra lean ground beef (or turkey)
2 cups sliced raw potatoes
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (I don't like peas, so I replaced them with green beans)
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 10-oz. can Healthy Request Tomato Soup (this has gluten in it, so I would just use 10 oz of tomato puree or sauce)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 can mushrooms
Salt and pepper
Cooking spray
Directions:
Spray a Crock Pot container with cooking spray
In large skillet, brown meat, onion, celery and mushroom mixture
In Crock Pot container, combine meat mixture, potatoes, carrots, peas and corn
Stir in tomato soup, water, parsley flakes, salt and pepper to taste
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (Mine was in there for 10-11 hours while I was at work and it was still fine).
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If you can have cheese, I think that would set this off nicely. Probably a nice sharp cheddar. For those of us who can't ... well, break out the Lawrys or Old Bay and smile because it still tastes great! :D
Enjoy!
How true is this? I can relate to this quote in such a strong way! Here's a story for you:
Last Tuesday, I was very, very naughty. I had not one, but two McDonalds Hashbrowns. They are my weakness. Crunchy on the outside, soft, warm and melty on the inside. I stopped in for some OJ and decided to get just one little hashbrown ... but the clerk informed me that instead of paying $0.80 for one, I could get two for $1. Ugh. I cracked. I'm only human. A human addicted to McDonalds hashbrowns. Hashbrowns that are flavored with something containing both gluten and dairy.
By Wednesday, guess what? Beautiful dermatitis herpetiformis ... everywhere. First my arms, then my butt cheek, then my legs, my shoulder. Ugh. Yuck. But! I did it to myself. I won't start complaining here. The purpose of this story is to say that prior to this most recent break out, I hadn't given one single thought to my now itchless, bumpless skin. I mean, I've been thankful for my non-irritated stomach, my regular, painless bowel movements, my lack of brain fog, my sustained energy and even my more balanced mood, but I haven't given one thought to my beautiful, not-inflamed skin. I had been to consumed with monitoring my intolerances and bodily functions that I hadn't taken the time to enjoy the health of my skin.
So, take this post as a reminder to notice and enjoy your health. Give thanks for even one symptom being relieved because we all know that it could be worse!
As an Asian American, I crave and need my Asian food every now and then. But, being gluten and soy intolerant doesn't make getting my "fix" very easy. Asian food is one of the hardest to eat out simply because many Asian sauces have wheat in them, and of course, most have soy in them ... even ones that don't traditionally call for soy, like Pad Thai sauce ... but I'll try not to get onto my soapbox right now.
Anyway, I have been compiling a list of Safe Asian Foods/Brands for a while now and thought that you might appreciate this list too.
This list is by no means complete, and I'm sure to update it from time-to-time. When I do, I'll be sure to put an "updated" date on it so you'll always know how recent it is.
As always, be sure to read all the labels for yourself to make sure that ingredients haven't changed, that you've chosen the right brand/type, and to just generally make sure that these foods fit your chosen lifestyle.
Oyster Sauce:
Lee Kum Kee - the Choy Sun Type
Lee Kum Kee - Panda Brand - Green Label Cholesterol Free Type (This product must be pretty new as I am unable to find it for sale online anywhere, but I did find this flyer with all the information about the product)
Wok Mei
Fish Sauce:
Thai Kitchen
Squid
Golden Boy
Tra Chang
Peanut Satay Sauce:
Thai Kitchen - does contain SOYBEAN OIL
Maesri
Spicy/Hot Sauces:
Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce
Huey Fong Chili Garlic Sauce
Huey Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
Pad Thai Sauce:
MaxChup
Thai Kitchen
Maesri - does contain SOYBEAN OIL
Curry Paste:
Maesri Masaman - does contain SOYBEAN OIL
Maesri Panang
Mae Ploy Masaman
Mae Ploy Panag
Instant Foods:
Thai Kitchen Original Pad Thai
Thai Pavilion Authentic Pad Thai - does contain SOYBEAN OIL
This is SO true. Especially for us food-intolerant/allergic people. We have to make the choice, one day at a time, everyday, to build health or produce disease in ourselves. We can eat safe, healthy foods and live well, or we can choose to eat unsafe, unhealthy foods and end up producing disease in our bodies.
I often think about the first 24.5 years of my life spent eating all the wrong things, being in constant pain and discomfort, just generally being unwell. In nearly a year, I've learned more about my food than I ever knew in the first 24.5 and I am so much more aware of my body now - I what I put in it, how it reacts, my energy level ... all of it.
I know I am better without gluten, dairy, soy, walnuts, yeast and pork. I know that though I may crave those foods and still taste them in my mind, that they are poison to my body. So, I make the choice, the commitment - everyday - one day at a time - to be healthy.
I don't know about you, but when I read that quote, I laughed out loud! In my house, garlic is a requirement in all savory dishes ... almost always accompanied by onions. Hubby often makes fun of me about it. I use minced garlic, granulated garlic, dried garlic, roasted garlic ... garlic anyway I can get it! In soup, stir-fry, casseroles, on veggies, meat, pasta ... garlic anywhere I can use it! In fact, there is only one non-sweet thing that I can think of that I don't like with garlic - Guacamole! I know that it is often sprinkled in there and something about the rich, creamy avocado just does not go with the savory, deep garlic flavor for me.
I remember having a conversation recently with my friend Carrie, aka Ginger Lemon Girl. She named herself that because those were 2 of her favorite flavors. I told her that if I were to do the same, I would have to name myself Garlic Onion Girl ... lol ... which doesn't have quite the same ring!
So ... garlic - love it, hate it? What's your favorite garlicy dish?
