Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus!  All around good for you!  Mixed with olive oil and lemon juice, this packs quite a healthy punch...and did I mention it's delicious?

Roasted asparagus:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with shelf on top rack.

Take desired amount of asparagus and wash.

Trim off woody ends and cut into 3 inch pieces.

Using vegetable peeler, peel stalks in "stripes", removing every other stripe of outer layer.

Toss with juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 T extra virgin olive oil.

Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Spread in even layer on cookie sheet.

Place in oven and cook for 5 minutes.

Enjoy with your favorite main dish!! (This goes great with chicken or steak!)

Stewed Moroccan Chicken

This dish has all of the delicious exotic flavor of the traditional North African dish, but without overwhelming the spiciness you might expect from such fare.  It's vibrant color comes from turmeric, a delicious spice that is also an excellent purifier for you blood and body!

Stewed Moroccan Chicken:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces.

2 t kosher salt

1 lg yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped to about 1/2 inch

1 1/2 t cumin

1/4 t ground ginger

3/4 t cinnamon

2 1/2 t turmeric

1 c dry lentils, washed and sorted

3 c. organic low sodium chicken broth

3 c. diced tomatoes

2/3 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 t lemon zest

2 t lemon juice

sliced almonds (optional)

In a large pot (at least 5 qt.) on the stove combine chicken, salt, onions, garlic, carrots, spices and lentils.  Pour in broth abd enough water to cover, if necessary.  Simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Add tomato and cauliflower, lemon zest and lemon juice and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 45 minutes.

Serve over brown rice and sprinkle with almonds.  Enjoy!

Manna

Sometimes we call it "non" bread (our play on the word naan.  Hahaha.).  Whatever you call it, this little staple has been our snack, our side dish, held our sandwiches, made pizza and been crumbled in our soup.   It contains no gluten, sugar or yeast and is easy to make.  I make a batch about every 2 days.  As it does not save well, if you want it to last longer than 2 days, either refrigerate the dough or freeze the bread.  Around here, though, we never have that problem!

Friendly Flatbread:

5 cups gluten free flour (Bob's Red Mill or any other mix works great.  I use a mix of brown rice and garbanzo bean flours.)

3 T. aluminum free baking powder

1 16 oz. container organic nonfat Greek yogurt

5 T. extra virgin olive oil (plus more for baking

1 T. sea salt

kosher salt for dusting top of bread before baking

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Add oil and mix until dough resembles large crumbs (above).

Add yogurt and with clean hands, mix together until even in consistency.  If dough is too dry, add up to 3 T. water, 1 T. at a time, until workable.  Keep in mind that you want the dough somewhat crumbly.  If you get a "normal" dough consistency you will not be able to flatten it, as it will be too sticky.  Add just enough liquid to be able to roll the dough into balls. 

Roll the dough into 12 evenly sized balls.  (They will be slightly larger than a raquetball.)  Flatten into discs, transferring 2 at a time to well oiled cookie trays.  Once on the tray, press down and shape into circles, until discs are about 1/4 in thick and about 7 inches in diameter.

Oil the tops of the bread lightly and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt.
Bake 5 minutes and remove from trays immediately with a large spatula.  Clean the cookie sheets well and re-oil them for your next batch.
When its time to serve the bread, cut into wedges with a pizza slicer for a side dish/snack or cut in half for a delicious sandwich!  (They're great with chicken salad!)  Enjoy!

By the By....

Days on diet: 7
Pounds lost: 7
I've been eating a lot and never been hungry.  Hmmm.........

White Chili

Yuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmy !!!  Sauteed fresh jalapenos, chili pepper flakes and fresh parsley make a delicious garnish...and keeps the chili edible for the younger crowd.

White Chili:

Soak overnight:  one 32 oz. bag Great Northern Beans, rinsed and sorted.

Drain beans.

Return to pan and add 1 box organic chicken broth, preferably low sodium.  Add one can green chilies...make sure they are natural and contain no vinegar.

In a large cast iron skillet, sautee over med-high heat:

2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large leek, cleaned and finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

When leeks become translucent, add:

3 poached chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch cubes

Sautee 3-5 minutes.  Add:

2 t cumin

1 t coriander

1 t chili powder

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

When spices are well blended, add to pot of beans and chilies.  Cook over medium heat until liquid cooks down to consistency of chili (About 20-30 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Serve with grated sharp white cheddar, garnishes mentioned above optional.

(To make this easier I poach the chicken ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator.  Simply chop and add!)

Best Green Beans. Ever.

Long a family favorite around here, these beans are not only delicious, but they help add much needed garlic to the diet as well as helping to meet the "good fat" quota for the day. (And they're so easy to make!)

Garlic Green Beans:

Any desired amount of fresh green beans, washed and snapped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Minced Garlic (3-5 cloves, depending on quantity of beans)

Fresh garlic is healthiest, but I do use ready-to-use minced garlic from the refrigerator when I'm in a hurry.  (Or feeling lazy.)
Green beans not in season?  This will work quite well with frozen french style green beans, thawed.

Add about 2 T. olive oil to large cast iron skillet.  When oil is hot, add a few cloves of minced garlic and sautee about 30 seconds.  Add green beans and continue to sautee until beans and garlic are well combined.  Sprinkle kosher salt over top of beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until some beans just begin to brown.  (10-15 minutes for fresh beans, 5-10 for frozen.)  This also works well on a barbecue, which adds amazing depth of flavor!

Lunch Day 2: Chicken Salad

I was never a fan of chicken salad.  Pulverized poultry drowned in mayonnaise just didn't do it for me.  For today's lunch, we took a recipe from Everyday Food (current issue), doubled it, and changed the yogurt from regular lowfat yogurt to organic nonfat Greek yogurt and presto-change-o...it's candida diet friendly!  (This lunch was a huge hit with our 7 year old, who has never before this day asked me for a full plate of salad.  She usually eats a few bites of salad as long as it has 9 or 10 croutons on it.)

Chicken Salad with Yogurt:

In a large bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup organic Greek nonfat yogurt
4 T finely chopped fresh basil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Stir in 4 poached chicken breast halved, cooled and shredded.
Serve over greens.

We threw some tomatoes on top and added a side of yummy sugar-yeast-gluten free flatbread (or "non" bread, as we've started calling it.)  That recipe another day!

Day 1 Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry

With all of the don'ts involved with this diet I found myself at the grocery store with a cart full of, well...vegetables.  Really, though, what could be better?  The tricky part was not using any of those delicious sugar and MSG laden sauces from the Asian market and still making a delicious Asian meal.  The freshness was what really stood out in the flavor of this meal.   It warranted an, "I would order this at a restaurant" and a, "Wow, this doesn't need hot sauce" from my husband -- his two very highest compliments.

Chicken Stir Fry:

2 poached chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lg. onion, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T extra virgin olive oil, for frying
1 t. toasted sesame oil for frying
2 scallions, sliced
6 leaves of bok choy, halved lengthwise and sliced
Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Chili pepper flakes for seasoning (optional)

In a wok or large cast iron skillet, heat oils together over medium-high heat and add onion, garlic and peppers.  Sautee for 5-7 minutes, or until onion begins to become translucent.  Add in chicken and water chestnuts and cook until heated through.  Season with Liquid Aminos and, if desired, a sprinkle of chili pepper flakes.  Add bok choy and scallions and continue to cook just until leaves begin to wilt.  Serve over brown rice.  Add Liquid Aminos as you would soy sauce for seasoning, if desired.

For an even easier version, substitute onion and peppers with a frozen mix, thawed.

Happy Snacking!!

For a diet-friendly ranch dressing (that was devoured, even by my anti-yogurt husband) I took one 16 oz. container of organic, fat free Greek yogurt and mixed in about 2 teaspoons of Simply Organic's all purpose seasoning (wonderful stuff!).  Garlic salt and black pepper were added to taste.  We threw in about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh, finely grated horseradish (optional).  This recipe made two of the bowls I've shown in the picture.  One bowl was just enough to have even my four year old enjoying celery!  We'll be devouring this again tomorrow!!  (Any diet that includes delicious ranch dressing is one I can handle!)

The Do's and the Don'ts

Everywhere I look, the information about what you can and cannot eat on the Candida diet is confusing.  One organization will say no dairy and no potatoes...and then proceed to provide you recipes that call for potatoes, sour cream cheese, etc.  One says no nuts or seeds and then has recipes, three of which contain almonds.  You get the idea.  The conclusion I've come to is this: use the information that makes sense.  No nuts or seeds?  That makes no sense.  No peanuts, cashews, or pistachios?  Now that makes sense since those are the nuts usually contaminated with mold.  Using the common sense approach to things, we're creating a diet heavy in things that fight candida, lower in the "grey area" foods, and altogether without things that feed candida.  The end results are:

No sugar.  This, as the main fuel for candida, is enemy #1.  No honey, agave, corn starch, carob powder, mannitol, crystalline, succanat, sorghum, syrup, glucose, fructose, dextrose, sucralose, aspartame....  Natural and Artificial sweeteners are No, No, NO!  The only sweetener approved for use is Stevia, and that should be used as sparingly as possible.  Stevia is not technically a sugar, it is an herbal extract.  However, it is usually combined with lactose to achieve powdered form, and this adds it back to the naughty list.  Keep it's use limited.

Fruit has to go.  Even though the sugars may be as God intended, they still feed candida.  The exceptions?  Apples, cranberries, lemons and limes.  These are great if you don't overdo it.  Tomatoes, though thought of more often as a veg, are high fiber, low sugar and perfect for this diet.  Fruit juice, however, is never okay.  The closest we will get will be lemon or lime water, sweetened with a bit of Stevia if need be.

No pork or farmed fish.  Animal protein is a big part of the candida cleanse diet no matter who you ask, but it should be grass fed beef, free range poultry, and wild caught seafood.  Lamb is also your friend.  Due to farming practices, pork and farmed fish both contain mold (not to mention feces!) and should therefore be avoided.  Get your bacon fix before you begin the cleanse.  (Turkey bacon contains two kinds of sugar.)

No peanuts, pistachios or cashews.  As stated above, these products have mold contamination. Say goodbye to PB&J's and hello to apple slices with raw almond butter. Any nuts or seeds you choose to consume must be RAW.

No Gluten.  This means no wheat, kamut, spelt, triticale, rye, barley, oats....check ANY grain before you use it, and be sure to read labels carefully as triticale and wheat are hidden in many processed foods!  Brown rice flour (white rice flour has simple carbs!) and garbanzo bean flour are your new best friends. Quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and millet and brown rice are gluten free and safe to use.  Keep in mind, though, that every grain, like sugar, has a glycemic index and feeds Candida while creating insulin resistance in your cells.  Use grains somewhat sparingly.

You need FIBER!  Any cleanse is going to pull the toxins out of your body and dump them into your system.  You need to make sure that your body flushes the candida and it's toxic little friends out before they can be re-absorbed.  Your fresh (or maybe sometimes lightly roasted with a little olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and cracked pepper...) vegetables are key in this particular battle.  Your best high fiber anti-candida vegetables are: asparagus, arugala, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, endive, garlic (you want lots of garlic!!), lettuce, turnips and watercress. (We plan on eating a lot of stir-fry, with Bragg Liquid Aminos as our seasoning.)

WATER, WATER, WATER!  The prevailing school of thought on this makes sense: flush the candida out!!  You need to drink half of you body weight in ounces every day.  For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, your daily intake of water must equal at least 100 ounces.  (I use a BPA free 24 oz. water bottle that marks each ounce on the side to track my intake accurately.)

No stimulants.  This one kills me.  No coffee, black tea, or caffeinated drinks.  Peppermint tea (wonderful iced!), chammomile tea and pao d'arco tea are encouraged.  (In my humble opinion....pao d'arco is great for candida cleansing but if you choose to take it, do so in capsule form.  Nature's Sunshine makes a very potent one.  The tea is vile.)

Eggs!  Eat lots of them! Buy organic or free range eggs, as these contain the nutrients you need whereas your general supermarket variety does not.

No Soy.  Ever.  If you eat soy products, do a little more research.
(www.mercola.com is a good place to start.  Type soy in the search bar.)

Dairy is another no-no.  Milk sugars work against you. Certain cheeses contain mold.  Swiss, colby, mozzarella, provolone and sharp white cheddar are okay. just make sure they're from cows not treated with growth hormones.  (Funny, artificial growth hormones aren't approved on the diet, no matter who you ask.)  Organic nonfat Greek yogurt is great, and can be used to substitute for sour cream in a number of recipes.

No mushrooms.  They're a fungus.  'Nuff said.

No vinegar.  This includes mayonnaise, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, horseradish spreads, green olives, some mustards, pickles....check your labels.  Some seem to say that Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is beneficial...but our jury is still out on that one.  Can anyone shed a little light on whether this is okay or not?  In the mean time, we continue to research the subject.

No alcohol.  Alcohol feeds candida.

No high starch vegetables.  (In you search for things candida diet worthy, always avoid the word starch!)  This rules out Corn, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, parsnips and the like.  Carrots are a bit of a grey area, so keep their use fairly limited.

 No yeast.

No refined foods.  The preservatives and chemicals alongside the lack of nutrition on most of these foods will do nothing but work against you.  If it comes in a box, don't buy it.  This diet will require cooking real foods.

I know the list could go on forever, but these strike me as the main points with which to outline this diet.  As we learn more, some details may change but, for now, our recipes will be based on these criteria.

Tomorrow the diet begins, so now I'm going to have a cup of black tea with milk in it, eat some fruit and fix a high starch dinner with some hot sauce on it.  Then we'll need to finish off the Julie's ice cream sandwiches in the freezer......  So, until tomorrow!

Does This Affect You?

With all of the symptoms, not to mention environmental factors, related to candida, how on earth can you tell if candida is affecting your life?  For some simple, comprehensive ( yet highly trusted) online tests you can check out the links below.

 For adults and children over the age of 12: Dr. Crook's Candida Quiz

 For children under the age of 12: Children's Candida Questionnaire

These both utilize a simple Q & A format to evaluate the likelihood that you are dealing with candida. (Even if you're not sure about a candida problem, this diet is about health and eliminating toxins.....so it can't hurt!)

The Reasons Why

Starting Monday, our family will embark on a strict 90 day candida free diet.  All of us suffer moderate candida symptoms, with myself and my five year old daughter suffering more severely.  (She spent a year and a half on antibiotics for kidney reflux as a toddler, until we found natural alternatives.  I've spent a few years on blood thinners and various medications.  I also took antibiotics several times for mastitis over the course of nursing our three girls.)  Currently one daughter is suffering from hearing loss due to yeast, one has OCD  tendencies, one has insomnia, two have eczema.  I'm always tired.  (I've always been energetic until the last few years!!  I hate this!!)  My reproductive system is in less than stellar health.  The list goes on and on!
WE'RE ALL TIRED OF NEVER FEELING GOOD.
There are five of us: my husband and I and our 7, 5, and 4 year old daughters.  It seems that embarking on this journey as a family is the easiest and smartest way to go. No "forbidden" items will be in the house, so no one will be tempted to fall off this particular wagon.
Of all things, I'm dreading the lack of caffeine.  No coffee!!!  No black tea!  No stimulants of any kind!  One of my main symptoms is chronic fatigue, so my inner java junkie is screaming in protest!  I'm keeping the big picture in mind, though: after 90 days on this diet my adrenals might actually work and the caffeine might not be so necessary.  (However, during the 90 days, my baristas at Starbucks might file a missing persons report....)  For my husband it is hot sauce.  He puts hot sauce on everything.  (My mother jokes that he doesn't actually like food, he just uses it to season his hot sauce.)  As vinegar is a big no-no during a candida cleanse, every hot sauce we can think of  lands on the banned foods list.  The girls, for a last hurrah, requested a bunch of bananas and some "maccin and cheese and cheddar" (Annie's shells and cheddar).  I obliged.
Let me state that we are, to begin with, healthy eaters.  We avoid MSG, HFCS, anything artificial, refined sugar, white flour, man-made oils, anything genetically modified, artificial sweeteners, soda, pork, and the like.  You wouldn't think this would be that much of a transition.  It is.  But before I get into the dos and don'ts, let us begin with the symptoms.  As I've been researching candida (rather extensively)  I find that within our family, a good 3/4 of the main symptoms are present.  ( I never get yeast infections, so I naively thought this couldn't be my problem. Was I ever mistaken!) For those of you who are, like me, new to this game, those symptoms include but are not limited to:

Acid reflux/ heartburn/ indigestion
Acne
Anger / outbursts of rage
Anxiety
Alcoholism
Arthritis
Asthma
Athlete's foot
Bad Breath
Bladder infections
Bloating
Bruising easily
Cognitive impairment
Cold hands or feet / low body temperature
Cold-like symptoms: excessive mucus in nose, throat, sinuses, lungs and bronchial tubes.
Coughing regularly / incessantly, bronchitis, wheezing, shortness of breath, pain or tightness in chest
Cravings for / Addictions to sugar, sweets, bread pasta and other high-carb foods
Cravings for / Addiction to alcohol (including alcoholism)
Cysts and Polyps (specifically in neck, throat, ovaries, bladder or scrotum), cystitis
Diabetes
Digestive problems / IBS: abdominal bloating and pain , excessive gas, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal
    distention, mucus in the stool, hiatal hernia, etc.
Dizziness
Depression
Ears: tinnitus (ringing in the ears, deafness, dryness, itchiness, ear pain, ear aches / infections, fluid in ears,
    ear discharges, excessive wax buildup
Eyes: blurriness, floaters (spots in front of eyes), erratic vision, flashing lights off to the side of vision,
    redness, dryness, itching, etc.
Fatigue / lethargy / exhaustion (including chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein Barr)
Feeling of swelling or tingling in the head
Fungal infections of the skin or nails, ringworm, dermatitis, psoriasis eczema, dark or light patches, etc.
Fogginess / inability to concentrate
Flu like symptoms: coughs and colds
Frequent stomach pains
Glands: swollen (especially lymph nodes), blocked salivary glands (dryness of mouth)
Hair loss, dandruff, itchy scalp, dry scalp, sores on scalp
Heart palpitations and irregular heart beat
Headaches / migranes
Hemorrhoids, rectal itching, rash
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Hypothyroidism ,Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, erratic thyroid function, hyperthyroidism
Irritability, nervousness, jitteriness
Joint pain
Kidney infections
Learning difficulties / learning disabilities
Lesions (on the skin and inside the body, in the brain, etc.)
Memory loss / poor memory
Mood swings,  crying outbursts, feeling spaced out, manic feelings
Mouth sores or blisters, canker sores, dry mouth , white coating on tongue (thrush)
Muscle aches and pain, burning, tingling, poor coordination
Nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, itching, dryness
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Odors (feet, hair or body) not relieved by washing or deodorants
Respiratory infections
PMS
Panic Attacks
Sensitivity to fragrance and / or other chemicals
Sore Throat, hoarse voice, constant tickle in throat, laryngitis, etc.
Sleep: insomnia, restless sleep, waking up frequently, nightmares, etc.
Stomach pain, feels like needles in stomach, belching,
Ulcers
Vomiting

IN BABIES:  colic, diaper rash, thrush, cradle cap
IN FEMALES: infertility, vaginitis, unusual odors, endometriosos, cramps, menstrual irregulariries, discharge, painful intercourse, loss of sex drive, PMS, redness or swelling of the vulva and surrounding areas, vaginal itching, burning or redness, persistent infections.
IN MALES: jock itch, loss of sex drive, impotence, prostitis, penis infections, difficulty urinating, urinary frequency or urgency, painful intercourse, swollen scrotum, prostate problems, etc.

There is so much more, but as I am feeling tired, foggy, and unable to concentrate, we shall leave it at that.  You get the point.
In all of the research I have done, one thing seems to be lacking as a resource: RECIPES!  Everyone will tell you what you can and can not eat (okay, mostly can not) but without any practical how-to help, it is just too daunting of an undertaking.  So I begin this blog to fill that void....As a place to learn and share practical recipes, tips and ideas for candida free living.  Our 90 day trial run begins on Monday, so we'll discuss the do's and don'ts of the diet before then.  I welcome all comments and suggestions!!  Here's to feeling GREAT!