I think I just get bored. I'm allergic to dairy and INSANELY allergic to eggs. Oh...just the though of one of those little chicken embryo bombs turns my stomach inside out! Don't get me wrong...I like eggs...especially a nice quiche or a frittata. What I don't like is the next 4-6 hours I will spend doubled over in pain and itching frantically until my body finally gets that stuff digested!
I have a suspician I may have developed a gluten allergy as well because about half an hour after eating that cold english muffin...my face looks like I fell asleep in a tanning bed and my stomach hurts. For the most part I can pass on dairy with the exception of two things...Greek style yogurt and Feta Cheese! Yogurt is a bit different than other dairy products though in that it actually HELPS lactose intollerance. Yogurt's bacteria colony breaks down the cellular walls of the lactose (milk sugar). Lactose is the stuff that sits in your stomach and ferments if you are lactose intolerant. That's why a lot of people experience bloating after eating dairy. Lactase is the enzyme you should be producing that will break the lactose down into it's easily digestable simple sugars (glucose and galactose). Yogurt has something called beta-galactosidase which actually "pre-digests" (for lack of a better term) some of that lactose that your body can't process thus alleviating lactose intolerance symptoms. Of course if you go hog wild and drink a gallon of milk, eat half a gallon of ice cream and 4 lbs of cheese....ain't no yogurt in the world gonna help that! You probably SHOULD suffer for being a glutton!
As for the eggs...to my knowledge there's nothing you can do about that except avoid them like the plague! At least I have to. Sometime in the near future, I'll write a post on replacing eggs in baking. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've used...haha! Some of them have worked...others have been wretched failures.
So that brings us back round to breakfast. I wish I wasn't so lazy about eating in the morning but honestly...something really light and small seems to be all my stomach can cope with until about 10:30. Fruit by itself doesn't do it for me either. Oh and heaven forbid I eat a waffle with syrup (even a vegan waffle with no eggs or dairy)! That carb/sugar overload first thing in the morning makes me sicker than a dog! It just gets old trying to think of something to eat every morning.
I've found that a mixture of carbs from fruit and protein from a good, plain greek yogurt (we are NOT talking Dannon fruit on the bottom here.....bleccch), a VERY small amount of either agave or maple syrup...I'm talking a teaspoon or less...and a sprinkling of something crunchy like granola or nuts/seeds makes a pretty tasty and satisfying breakfast that doesn't disagree with my temperamental digestive system. Although...that gluten thing...I may have to look into that and skip on the granola.
This morning I did my favorite greek style yogurt...FAGE (pronounced fa-yeah), mixed with a packet of stevia and a teaspoon of cinnamon (excellent natural blood sugar stabelizer by the way) and then layered with crispy chunks of gala apple. I topped it with a sprinkling of my homemade granola and a few extra dried blueberries and finished it with a drizzle of maple syurp (about half a teaspoon) and an extra dusting of cinnamon. That was at 7:30 am and it's 10:22 now. I lasted pretty good...just starting to think about having a lil sump'n sump'n to hold me over till lunch.
I know...you COULD just stir the sweetener and cinnamon into the carton of yogurt and eat the apple on the side with a handful of granola but it's just not the same. I try to make every meal look like spa food....no matter how simple it is. It's that whole deprivation mindset. "Gee...that omlette sure looks good...wish I could have that...it's not fair...all I get is this damned yogurt and an apple." It's all in how you look at it. A common theme you'll see in my dishes is that they LOOK pretty...they are on nice dishes, in stemware, in fancy bowls, on cool bamboo boards...whatever. They just need to look special. Try it...you'll see for yourself that it really does make a difference!
Pretty huh?
I've served the Breakfast Sundaes in pale pink Depression Glass dessert cups.
Have a look at my lunch from yesterday:
A bed of fresh organic baby spinach holds english cucumber boats filled with a tomato, red onion and fresh mint reslish. I sprinkled on some raw young asparagus tips and two slices crumbled organic turkey bacon. I made a simple yogurt ranch with Fage, lemon juice, garlic powder, black pepper and fresh herbs.
a little closer look...this was so simple that its not really even a recipe but it was totally delicious and made me feel like I was eating a fancy spa lunch!
(c)copyright Jill Anderson
The Homegrown Gourmet
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