There was a time I got excited when snow was in the forecast. We’d get maybe 3 inches, just enough to look pretty, and when tired of it, poof – it was gone. This year winter has been extended. We’ve had so much snow and rain that Governor Newsom has retracted almost all of the drought measures for the state of California. That is great, but the larger portion of precipitation has been within three weeks. Not great. At least not for those of us shoveling very long, steep-grade driveways. Snowblower sales have been brisk in our neighborhood. Of course, my husband and I have plans of purchasing ours in the summer. In the meantime, it’s shoveling and borrowing our next-door neighbor’s snowblower (which we have yet to do!). I have snow saucers that I never use because the slope has to be cleared while it’s still fresh. The snowman is never built because I can’t make it to the yard because the snow from the metal roof slides off and creates an impassable berm of ice at the front and back doors. The only way in or out is through the garage, where the ice berms are cleared every few hours, depending on the amount of snow packed on the roof and how often it drops. Taking a scene out of the Gilmore Girls, I am officially breaking up with snow.
Moving on…
There is a mention of writing a cookbook in the title. Let me explain. I have a condition that’s not fairly common but can cause pain that can be triggered by food. It’s known as Interstitial Cystitis or painful bladder syndrome. I haven’t written about it before now because I didn’t feel I had a grip on it. Besides, talking or “venting” about the symptoms just felt like bitching. I figure we’ve all got enough of that. At the recommendation of my doctor, I went on an elimination diet. Overnight I lost about 65% of the foods that I love. I wished I could have found a cookbook that would help me get my eating habits back on track quickly, with tips and general guidelines I could use right then, not have to figure it out over months like I did.
This project will take a while because I’m going to be doing a lot of recipe testing and picture-taking. I want the recipes offered to be easy to make and delicious, obviously, and that can be tough when you can’t eat:
Fruits
- Cranberry juice
- Grapefruit and grapefruit juice
- Lemons
- Oranges and orange juice
- Pineapple and pineapple juice
- Strawberries
Vegetables
- Chili peppers
- Pickles
- Sauerkraut
- Tomatoes and tomato products
Protein Foods
- Processed sandwich meats (salami, bologna)
- Soy
Dairy
- Yogurt
Condiments
- Chili
- Horseradish
- Ketchup
- Salad Dressings
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Worcester Sauce
Beverages
- Alcohol
- Coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated)
- Tea (caffeinated and decaffeinated)
- Carbonated drinks (cola, non-cola, diet, and caffeine-free)
Other Foods
- Chocolate
- Indian food
- Mexican food
- Pizza
- Spicy foods
- Thai food
Additives/Artificial Sweeteners
- Artificial sweeteners (Equal® (sweetener), NutraSweet®, Saccharin, and Sweet’N Low®)
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)**
See what I mean? When I first looked over the list I wasn’t so intimidated because I hadn’t been carefully reading the ingredient lists on processed foods. During the first part of my elimination diet I was ignorantly ingesting a ton of soy, vinegar, and MSG. Not until the second or third week did I start examining exactly what I was eating. Then I got really upset! Maybe not everyone has the same experience, but I can’t be alone, so I thought, hey. Let’s help others out so their journey isn’t so frustrating.
In the meantime, I continue to knit. I finished the Ghost Horses sweater, the Fallow sweater by Anne-Michelle Phelan, and am currently working on yet another Caitlin Hunter design, Caribou Hills sweater.
I hope to have the last one finished before it gets too warm to wear it!
I hope your life has been drama-free, dear reader, and I’ll catch you up next time!
**This list was taken directly from here: https://www.ichelp.org/least-and-most-bothersome-foods/
Nittin' Ninja 