Canada's 30x30 Nature Challenge!

Hi everyone!

I recently signed up for and began the 30x30 Nature Challenge on the David Suzuki Foundation website and I'm loving it!  The challenge is to spend 30 minutes a day in nature for 30 consecutive days (all of May).  It is only the 9th day and I have already seen a major improvement in my mood, energy, stress level, sleep and IC pain.  I beseech you to join the challenge with me and hopefully you'll reap all of these benefits as well!

It's very easy to join; just go to http://30x30.davidsuzuki.org and fill out the form.  If you don't want to be part of the study and fill out surveys, then just join the movement at large by challenging yourself to spend 30 minutes a day in nature for the remainder of May.  Regardless of whether you formally sign up or not, there are some great tips on how to work nature into your daily routine here.

Because of the benefits I've enjoyed so far, I don't see myself stopping this routine at the end of May by any means.  If anything, it will just become part of my lifestyle.  I hope you'll join me in this experiment and if you do, please let me know how it goes!

Sincerely,

Kat

PM Yoga

Hi everyone.  As we all know, pain and nocturia are two of the most common and worst symptoms of IC.  It is because of these symptoms that IC often leads to Fibromyalgia as well.  It took about a year of severe IC for me to develop and be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  It has been very difficult to live with both of these (as I'm sure those of you who live with both would agree).

However, unlike most fibromyalgia patients, I actually feel like fibromyalgia is way easier to manage and manipulate than IC.  I don't feel like it's the worse diagnosis.  The biggest reason I feel like this is because fibromyalgia can be easily manipulated and improved by a few different things, one of which is exercise.  I will write more on that later, but for right now, I'd like to introduce a PM yoga practice dvd that has significantly helped my IC & fibromyalgia pain, my stress, sleeping patterns, hope, mood and overall sense of wellbeing.  This dvd is Element AM & PM Yoga for Beginners.

I do the PM yoga practice on a Danskin Deluxe Fitness Mat as often as possible and whenever I do it, it helps pretty much every aspect of my being.  I don't recommend using a normal yoga mat for this practice.  You could actually increase your pain by doing that because you'll still really feel the floor and if you have fibromyalgia, it will aggravate it.  This is the only mat I can use without extreme pain and thank goodness I found it or I wouldn't be able to do it at all.  I have tried the AM practice on this dvd before and I did not have good results so to be clear, I am only recommending you do the PM yoga practice on this dvd to help with your pain, stress, mood and sleep.

I generally do the PM practice about an hour before I go to sleep.  I recommend saying everything that the dvd instructs out loud, even when you're instructed to say it to yourself silently, because I think part of why it helps me so much is because what I say out loud gets into my subconscious.  For example, when she says to revisit my intention, I say "My intention is to heal" out loud.  Meditation is a large part of the PM practice so it is very calming and a great way to wind down after a busy or difficult day.  I have found great success with this PM yoga practice and I hope you will too.  If you decide to try it, please let me know how it goes.  Thank you and I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!  Take care and good luck!

 

Kat's Tomato-less Pasta!

Hi everyone!  I have been experimenting for years to find a way to make a delicious pasta sauce and I finally have a couple of versions of a tomato-less sauce that are delicious.  My mom loves it enough that she asks me to make extra sometimes so that she can enjoy some herself.  That says a lot because she does not have any diet restrictions.  I have provided two different versions but please feel free to experiment and let us know what you did differently and how you liked it in the comment section below.

One of the things I love about this recipe is that you can completely change the taste of the sauce by altering the quantities of vegetables in the juice, or the vegetables you add to the sauce at the end.  So try it a few different ways and have fun with it!

* Note:  This recipe requires the use of a juicer.

The two main ingredients for each version are the same:

1) Kat's Make-shift Pizza Sauce
2) Homemade Vegetable Juice (organic red pepper, organic celery (only if you can tolerate it!), organic cucumber, organic romaine lettuce, sea salt (quantities are subject to your taste - for a rough guide of what I use, see under 'Kat's Chips and Dip' but to be honest, I'm constantly changing the quantities and it's always delicious).

Notice:  I have made some personal changes to my pizza sauce that I would like to share with you but may not work for you:

The first thing is the broth I use in the sauce:  I have stopped using the broth I featured on this blog and instead, I now use homemade potato broth.  My reasons for this are threefold:  First, I became hypokalemic because of the limited IC diet and need to add in tolerated sources of potassium wherever I can.  Second, I got to the point where I could tolerate organic red potatoes.  This took about 4 years of bladder instillations, Elmiron and an IC diet, which is why this change could hurt you, if you can't tolerate any organic potatoes (yet).  The third reason is that the potato broth provides a very consistent flavour, whereas the other broth varied significantly batch to batch.

Second, I am now extremely picky about what kind of feta I use in the sauce.  Do not use feta that is in brine.  Only use dry and check the ingredients religiously.  My favourite kind of feta is Tre Stelle Crumbled Feta Cheese (Ingredients:  Pasteurized milk, bacterial culture, salt, microbial enzyme, calcium chloride, lipase, cellulose.)  It's the best tasting cow's milk feta I've ever had and it has never bothered me.

If you have successfully tested organic red potatoes and you've already incorporated them into your diet, please feel free to use potato broth with the pizza sauce instead of the other one I posted previously.  To make the potato broth, boil prepared organic red potatoes cut into cubes with the skin left on until cooked, in filtered water with sea salt; separate the potatoes from the water they're being cooked in and voila!  You have potato broth.  It can be frozen and stored in the freezer in small containers and is easily melted in the microwave for use at your convenience.

Kat's Tomato-less Penne with Cheese:

Ingredients:

1) Kat's Make-shift Pizza Sauce
2) Homemade Vegetable Juice (see above)
3) Organic portabella mushroom
4) Salted butter (my favourite is Lactantia) OR Grapeseed Oil
5) Organic penne (1 ingredient:  Organic Durum Wheat Semolina - my favourite is Prairie Harvest Organic Penne Rigate)
6) Mozzarella cheese (my favourite is Tre Stelle Deluxe Mozzarella Cheese 25% M.F./M.G.; 50% Moisture - Ingredients:  Pasteurized milk, salt, calcium chloride, microbial enzyme, bacterial culture)
7) Sea salt (non-iodized)

Directions:

1) Put the approximate amount of pizza sauce you'd like to be pasta sauce in a bowl.
2) Mix in vegetable juice one spoonful at a time until you like the flavour (I usually use 2-5 spoonfuls for one bowl of pasta).
3) Chop up the portabella mushroom into small cubes and using salted butter OR grapeseed oil and sea salt, stir fry the desired amount of mushroom in a frying pan until fully cooked (~3 minutes).
4) Add the desired amount of portabella mushroom into the pasta sauce and stir.
5) Once you've prepared the organic penne according to the directions, (don't forget to salt the water with sea salt!), mix the penne and sauce together in a microwave-safe bowl (or on a plate).
6) Shred mozzarella cheese on top of the penne and microwave until it melts.  Microwaves vary greatly so I wouldn't go by this, but I usually put it in for 1 minute.
7) Enjoy!

Kat's Tomato-less Rotini:

1) Kat's Make-shift Pizza Sauce
2) Homemade Vegetable Juice (see above)
3) Roasted organic red pepper (see Kat's Make-shift Pizza)
4) Organic rotini (1 ingredient only)
5) Sea salt

Directions:

1) Put the approximate amount of pizza sauce you'd like to be pasta sauce in a bowl.
2) Mix in vegetable juice one spoonful at a time until you like the flavour (I usually use 2-5 spoonfuls for one bowl of pasta).
3) Peel a roasted red pepper and cut into small chunks.  Mix the desired amount of roasted red pepper in with the sauce.
4) After you've prepared the organic rotini (don't forget to salt the water with sea salt!), mix in the rotini and enjoy!

I particularly like this combination because the chunks of peeled roasted red pepper give the illusion of chunks of tomato.  When making this combo, I don't use as much red pepper in the juice I mix in so the colour of the juice is actually green instead of slightly red.

With both of these recipes, it's largely up to you to figure out what amounts you like of everything and for me that seems to change almost every time I make it which is why I don't have set amounts of each ingredient.  However, no matter the variation of amounts, both of these dishes have always been delicious!  I truly hope you like them!  Take care!

To eat either of these tomato-less pasta combinations, I take 5-8 Prelief (and 1 Lactaid Ultra if I have buttered the pasta or melted cheese on top of it).

Stay tuned for more IC-friendly recipes!  Bon Appetit! 

IC-Friendly Tortillas!

Hi everyone!  I hope you're all having a great day.  I am happy to introduce an IC-friendly recipe for tortillas.  I was diagnosed with IC 6 1/2 years ago and as times goes by, my awareness about bladder irritants --- especially when it comes to the food I used to view as IC-friendly and ate on a regular basis --- has significantly increased.  That's one of the reasons it's important to do the Elimination Diet more than once (not back-to-back) and start with the foods that tested "safe" the first time.

Two of the main things I found out were irritants this year are the pitas and the sandwich bread I used to consume.  Hence, I would like to revoke my previous recommendation of store-bought pita bread, even if it doesn't appear to have problem ingredients, and definitely not if it has any preservatives, even calcium propionate.  By far the best option is to make all of your own bread products so you can ensure that there aren't any ingredients in your diet that you haven't thoroughly vetted.  I use these tortillas instead of pitas when making Kat's Make-shift Pizza and honestly, they're delicious.  I also like to toast them in the oven and put organic cream cheese on them when I don't feel well.  I hope you like them!

* Note:  This recipe was adapted from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups of unenriched organic all-purpose unbleached wheat flour (1 ingredient only) - this ingredient is difficult to find but is available at select organic grocery stores
2) 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
3) 1 teaspoon of organic baking powder
4) 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil
5) 3/4 cup of hot filtered water

Directions:

1) Start by sifting the flour, sea salt and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2) Add the grapeseed oil to the dry ingredients and mix with your fingertips to combine.
3) Add the water, working the liquid into the dough until consistent and form a ball.
4) Wrap the ball of dough in plastic and let it rest for at least 35 minutes.
5) Divide the dough into 6 balls and cover them with a damp cloth or paper towel.
6) Lightly dust a pastry board and a rolling pin with flour and roll out each ball into a circle, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
7) Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat for five minutes.
8) Cook the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side or until the dough looks dry and slightly wrinkled and a few brown spots form on both surfaces.
9) As they come off of the griddle, put a damp paper towel in between each one.
10) When they've cooled down, you can store them in a large ziplock bag (with the damp paper towels still separating them) outside of the fridge.

To eat these pitas on their own, I take 2-3 Prelief, but just as a precaution.  I have eaten them without any Prelief and not had a problem but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I hope you like them!  More IC-friendly recipes to come!

Kat's Chips and Dip

Hey everyone!  In my opinion, one of the most frustrating and annoying things about having IC are the constant questions from everyone, especially when it comes to diet.  This is why one of the things I focus on is coming up with recipes that produce meals or snacks that won't attract a ton of questions or attention from others, especially at social events/parties.  Well, I have discovered a way to make a delicious chip dip and found some amazing blue corn chips that don't bother me at all to go with it.  I hope you like it!

* Note:  This recipe requires the use of a juicer.  This is the juicer I use: http://www.breville.ca/juice-fountain-compact.html

Ingredients:

1) Garden of Eatin' Blue Tortilla Chips (Ingredients:  Organic blue corn, canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, sea salt.) http://www.gardenofeatin.com/product/?product=1064&category=695
2) Organic Meadow Light Cream Cheese (Ingredients:  Pasteurized organic milk, salt, bacterial culture, microbial enzymes.)
http://organicmeadow.com/our_products/organic_cream_cheese/organic_15_light_cream_cheese
3) Organic red pepper
4) Organic English cucumber
5) Organic romaine lettuce
6) Organic celery (only if it doesn't bother you!)
7) Sea salt

Instructions:

1) Put the desired amount of cream cheese in a medium sized bowl with a spoon.
2) The second step is making the juice to mix in with the cream cheese.  The amounts you use will vary due to your preference, but I will give you a rough estimation of what I use.
          - 1/2 an organic red pepper
          - a 2" long piece of organic English cucumber
          - 1 stalk of organic celery
          - 5-8 organic romaine lettuce leaves
          - 1-2 pinches of sea salt
3) After you juice your vegetables and stir in the desired amount of sea salt, mix in 2 spoonfuls of the vegetable juice in with the cream cheese using the spoon and taste it.  If it is not enough, mix in some more, until you reach the desired taste and consistency.
4) Using your fingers and a cloth napkin or small towel, dust off each and every chip you plan to eat and put them in a bowl.  Even though it's sea salt, these chips have way too much salt for us so this is a necessary step to avoid irritation, but don't worry, they're still very salty without all of the extra salt coating them.
5) Enjoy!

I find this snack very delicious and so does my mom so if you like it, it's something you can set out not just for yourself, but also for guests.  Also, as far as chips and dips go, this combo is very healthy.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to not use a different kind of cream cheese unless it has the same ingredients.  I have tested several and every one other than Organic Meadow flared me immediately (however, none of them had the same ingredients).  If you can't find the Garden of Eatin chips, I know that there are others out there that are okay with very similar ingredients.  Make sure to always check the ingredients of everything you buy/eat.

To eat this snack, I take 1 Lactaid Ultra and 5-6 Prelief.  

I hope you like it!  Bon Appetit! 

Juicing with IC: Pear Juice

Hi everyone!  If you have tested the types of "bladder friendly" juices listed on IC diet lists and had trouble with them, you're not alone.  This is largely because bottled juice, even if it is pear or blueberry, etc., usually has citric acid in it, which is a well-known flaring agent.  Commercial juices also usually have a lot of added sugar, etc., and they're really not the best option for us.  This is why I bought a juicer and started making my own.

After watching a great documentary, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com), I became inspired and even though I don't advocate going on a juice cleanse for ICers and we don't have nearly as many options for what we can juice, I really wanted all of those fabulous concentrated and easily absorbed micronutrients and, of course, juice I could actually drink.  I did a lot of research and settled on this juicer:  http://www.breville.ca/juice-fountain-compact.html.

The first type of juice I'd like to introduce is pear juice.  What you will need is 2-5 hard green organic bartlett or organic d'anjou pears.

Before you turn on your juicer, make sure that the pears will fit down the chute, and if not, cut them in half or in quarters, depending on how big they are.  After that, if using this Breville juicer, simply put the pears down the chute one at a time and quickly and forcefully push down on them with the food pusher until you've used all of your pears.  After juice stops coming out of the spout, simply turn it off, unplug, pour and enjoy!

The five pears I used made approximately 750 ml of juice, which is amazing.  It is delicious and depending on the pears you get and how soon after you drink it, sometimes it honestly tastes just like apple cider.  I also love pouring it in a beer mug because it could very well pass for beer of some kind by its appearance to an onlooker.

I take 5-7 Prelief to drink this juice.  It has a good amount of fructose in it because it's not diluted with water like other juices so if you plan to have quite a bit, make sure to also drink a glass of filtered water on the side so it doesn't bother you.

Stay tuned for more posts on Juicing with IC!  Take care and enjoy!

Kat's Fabulous Frittata!

Hello everyone!  I deeply apologize for my absence on this blog:  I was involved in a legal situation and was advised by my lawyer to not make any public online posts until the case was settled, so that's why I haven't.  However, now the situation is completely resolved and you can count on me to rededicate myself to this blog.  I have learned a lot over the years and I can't wait to share it all with you.  My first focus is going to be on recipes, so please comment to let me know how you like them.  Living with IC is a constant learning curve and I welcome you to post your own experiences, tips and thoughts on anything I touch on in this blog.  We can all learn a lot from each other.  Here is the first recipe of 2014 - enjoy!    

Kat's Fabulous Frittata:

Ingredients:

1) 1 Cup of Naturegg Free Run Simply Egg Whites
2) 8-9 Ounces (or 1 large) Organic Portabella Mushroom, chopped
3) 3-4 Roasted Organic Red Pepper Halves*, chopped (* For instructions on how to roast the red peppers, refer to the first 7 steps of making 'Kat's Make-shift Pizza Sauce' below)
4) 1 Stalk of Organic Celery (approx. 4 ounces), chopped
5) Salted Butter (Lactantia is my favourite)
6) Grapeseed Oil
7) 4 Ounces of Cheddar Cheese Curds*, finely chopped (* It is imperative that you do not use the orange cheese curds.  The only ingredients that should be in the cheddar cheese curds are:  Milk, bacterial culture, salt, and microbial enzyme.)
8) 1-2 Pinches of Sea Salt

These quantities are approximate, according to your taste.

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2) Melt butter or heat up oil in a heavy non-stick pan and then sauté mushrooms over medium heat until they're really cooked (approx. 5 min).
3) Add celery and cook it until it's starting to soften (approx. 1 min).
* Note:  If you're using grapeseed oil instead of salted butter, add a sprinkling of sea salt while you're sautéing the mushrooms and celery together.
4) Remove from heat and put them in a bowl, with the chopped up roasted red peppers.  Stir to combine.
5) Add 1 cup of liquid egg whites and a pinch of sea salt.
6) Prep the baking dish by coating with melted butter (or oil) to prevent sticking.
7) Add egg and veggie mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle cheese evenly on top.
8) Bake for 16-20 minutes.
9) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold, according to your preference.
10) Enjoy!

Makes approximately 2-4 servings.

To eat this dish I take 1 Lactaid Ultra and 5-8 Prelief.

This is a great protein source for ICers and it is very portable and reheats well.  It is also very delicious and satisfying and it's something I would eat even if I didn't have IC. 

It is important to note that you may not be able to have the celery.  I retested it over the years and it was at least 3 years of Uracyst and Lidocaine instillations, Elmiron, and an IC diet before I could tolerate it.  However, I was able to have red peppers and portabella mushrooms from the very first time I did the elimination diet – and I have heard similar things from other ICers – so I feel confident recommending them, as long as they're organic. 

Stay tuned for more IC-friendly recipes!  Bon Appetit!