EATING IS A DANGEROUS BUSSINESS
https://www.reesestrong.love/about-reese
As I fall apart in tears for someone I never met, I want to send my love and compassion to Reese’s parents, who lost their beautiful girl to party food on May 20th, 2021.
Reese was 13 years old and was about to finish her seventh grade. She ate the food she thought was safe at a cheerleader school party, and she passed after four days of cytokine storm from a nut allergy.
I don’t take even one second for granted that the sleepless nights of research on the microbiome, the emotional pain of closing the doors to social life, the pulling away from school for six years, the massive work to cook from scratch, the money invested in organic food, probiotics, nutritional supplements, biomedical and microbiome testing, have granted my ex-multiple food allergic son the ability to live a more normal life. But allergies to foods as we have experienced can fluctuate and return if insults to the digestive flora come back.
Yesterday as in many other episodes, I was again in tears. I had posted the ingredients in a Boba tea plastic cup I found on my son’s desk. My now new adult son has lost his allergies. Life has gotten a lot of fun for him, and his social life is now strong.
So why the tears?
Socializing involves sharing people’s favorite foods, ideologies, and places to eat and drink. Boba Tea is only one of the favorite places where teens and young adults meet regularly. And my son hangs out to enjoy the Taiwanese billion-dollar franchise’s fructose and processed ingredients drinks. His friends love to meet on this spot.
“Mom, I am exhausted from all the careful warnings; I want to live free from worry,” he said while we discussed the intense anxiety that I cause to him when I send through texting good quality articles and peer-reviewed studies and expand the view of dangerous ingredients in drinks or foods he chooses.
“What is the point of living then if you must be afraid every step of the way?” he intelligently continues to say. “May I prefer to live a shorter but fuller life or a life of constant carefulness and worry?”
Don’t take your freedom from food allergies for granted. And carry your allergy medication always anyway, I said.
So I don’t cause myself a mental and emotional breakdown, I reflect on the idea that I can only share my knowledge and try to explain what the buried research in microbiome and immunology is telling us.
I can only choose to be incredibly annoying to my young adult son and amplify the food labels to bring some awareness, hopefully.
I can only be proactive and become a health influencer to others and advocate for microbiome and environmental health.
But I can not decide neither I want to impose on others what I believe is the truth to food allergies.
So with a broken heart for Resse’s family and the week legs that the idea of my own son’s food allergies ever returning causes, I take some comfort in writing to you into my platform.
Suppose you or your loved one have allergies. Please look under the microbiome research and explore the toxicity the urban processed foods and lifestyle poses in millions of food allergy and chronic illness sufferers.
My deep condolences to all parents and families that have lost a child to food allergies
https://www.reesestrong.love/about-reese
https://www.gofundme.com/f/reese-langer-memorial
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-microbes-may-be-key-to-solving-food-allergies/
https://immunology.sciencemag.org/content/5/45/eaay4209
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091674919314101
Asparagus and Turnips Soup
Asparagus and Turnip soup is delicious and nourishing. It can be enjoyed by those who have food sensitivities to the garnishes in this recipe (by just leaving them out). The turnips give the soup a creamy consistency and color that substitutes for the feeling of asparagus cream. For those who can have the garnishes, this recipe has added the garnishes on a separate section; that way, those who can have them, can add them at the end.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time25 min
- Total Time35 min
- Ready in35
- Yield10 servings
- Serving Size1 cup
Ingredients
For soup
- 1 ½ pound of asparagus (about three bunches or 1 kilo plus 100 grams)
- 2 liters of home-made chicken stock
- 2 large turnips
- 3 cloves of garlic roughly sliced
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons of ghee or butter
- 2 teaspoons of salt
For the garnish
- Blanched asparagus tips (from asparagus “For Soup”)
- Sour cream (optional)
- Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Method
Chopping all veggies
1
Start by rinsing the asparagus and the turnips.
2
Trim the bottom fibrous/tough part off the asparagus and discard.
3
Trim the asparagus tips and place them aside (we will use the tips to garnish the soup).
4
Chop the onion and slice the garlic.
At the stove
5
Add the ghee to a large cooking pot.
6
Turn the heat to high until the pot heats, and the butter starts melting.
7
When the butter starts melting, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion and the garlic.
8
Sauté the onion and the garlic until it is translucent.
9
Add the asparagus and sauté.
10
Add the turnips and sauté.
11
Add the chicken stock and simmer the soup in low heat until the asparagus and the turnips are soft.
At the blender
12
Blend the soup with a hand blender for a chunky consistency or blend in batches in a blender for a smooth texture.
*Note: If the asparagus and turnips are too fibrous, use a high-speed blender and strain the soup through a sieve.
***Add a teaspoon of sour cream, a pinch of pepper, and grated cheddar cheese for those who can have these foods.
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
At times I crave a shrimp cocktail. It reminds me of holidays, sea and sand. This Mexican Shrimp Cocktail recipe is the healthiest shrimp cocktail you ever came across. We have adjusted all the ingredients to leave only the most nutritious and most nourishing of the savors.
- Prep Time20 min
- Cook Time5 min
- Total Time25 min
Ingredients
Pantry Ingredients
- 2 cups of ketchup from Primal Kitchen Ketchup Organic and Unsweetened
- 2 cups of clam juice from Bar Harbor Pure All-Natural Clam Juice
- 2 Tablespoons of Organic Mustard
- 1 pack of rice crackers from Organic Eduard & Son-Baked Brown Rice Snaps (Gluten-Free)
- Cayenne pepper
- Celtic Sea Salt to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon)
Perishables
- 2 pounds of sustainable wild-caught shrimp
- 1 extra-large onion (red of white) finely diced
- 4 stalks of organic celery finely diced
- 3 or 4 large fresh tomato diced small
- 4 scallions sliced
- 2 cucumbers peeled, de-seeded and, diced small
- the juice of 2 limes
- one bunch of fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 3 cloves of freshly pressed garlic
- 2 avocados some cubed and some sliced to decorate
Method
Cooking the shrimp
1
- Start by adding the 2 pounds of shrimp to a large pot and add filtered water until it covers all the shrimp by two inches of water.
- Place the pot on the stove on high heat and add a teaspoon of salt.
- When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium until the shrimp cook to 137 F or 59 C
- When the shrimp gets to 137 F, cook it for another 2 minutes
- Strain the shrimp through a colander and let it cool on the countertop while you prepare the rest.
Preparing the Vegetables
2
Chop and prepare all the vegetables, onion, celery, tomato, scallions, cucumbers, tomato, cilantro and, add them to a large bowl where you will prepare the cocktail.
The dressing
3
Add the ketchup, clam juice, mustard, lime juice, garlic, and salt to a bowl and whisk all ingredients well.
Mixing all ingredients
4
- Add the dressing to the chopped vegetables and mix them with a spoon.
- Add the avocado
- Serve in individual cocktail glasses or other
- Decorate with a slice of lime and a slice of avocado.
- Add a pinch of cayenne for those who would like to have some.
- Serve with rice snaps (rice crackers)
This recipe is fresh and light. It is a perfect dish for summer parties and family gatherings.
Chicken Meatballs
Chicken meatballs are one of my kids favorite foods. They like to eat them at any time of the day. When they are eaten in broth and served with buckwheat, they can make a nourishing and nervous system calming meal.
- Prep Time15 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time35 min
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- fresh parsley
- 1 egg1 litter of filtered water
- 4 carrots
- 2 stalks of celery diced
- 2 cups of cooked roasted buckwheat
For the buckwheat
- 1 cup of roasted Russian buckwheat
Method
For the meatball soup
1
Add the chicken meat to a glass bowl.
2
Add the onion, the garlic, the parsley, and the egg.
3
Mix the meat and form meat balls with your hands.
4
Place the meat balls in a casserole and add the water (or homemade chicken stock).
5
Turn on the stove on high.
6
When the water starts to boil, reduce the temperature and cover the pot with a lid.
7
Add the carrots and the celery and cook until the carrots are al dente and the meatballs have arrived to 175 F (test with a kitchen thermometer).
For the buckwheat
8
Add one cup of roasted buckwheat to a pot.
9
Add 2 cups of filtered water and turn the stove on high.
10
When the water starts boiling reduce the heat and let the water evaporate and the buckwheat to cook.
11
When the water has completely evaporated and the buckwheat is cooked, take it off the stove ring and cover the pot with a lid.
12
Serve the soup over a spoon or two of steamed buckwheat.
This is a simple and delicious recipe for loving your tummy.
Chicken Fajitas
Chicken fajitas are usually made with chicken breast, like the recipe here.
But they can also be made the day you make chicken stock.
If you buy a whole chicken, you can butcher the chicken and use the breast, thighs, and leg meat for fajitas. Then the bones and the meat that is left on the bones can be used to make the chicken broth. You can make soup and the main dish (fajitas in this case) with one whole chicken. Buying a whole chicken is less expensive. Then the bones left after straining the broth can be blended in the Vitamix and given as a bone meal to your dog.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time15 min
- Total Time25 min
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic pressed or finely sliced
- 5 chicken breasts halves cut in thin strips
- salt to taste
- 1 organic orange bell pepper sliced
- 1 organic red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- A bunch of carefully washed and chopped cilantro
- The juice of 2 limes
- Pepper to taste can be added at the end for those not on low salicylate diets.
Method
Preparing the spices
1
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil in medium heat
2
Add the onion and the garlic and sauté until translucent.
3
Add the sliced chicken and add salt and pepper
4
When the chicken is half cooked add the bell peppers (orange, red, and green).
5
Cook the chicken thoroughly until it gets to 175 F and cook for 5 minutes.
6
Take it out of the flame and cover the pan with a lid.
Your fajitas are ready! Serve them hot,
If I would dread something, would be to have the washing machine broken. Living with four men means we have a lot of large sized laundry. If we didn’t have the washing machine, I don’t know what I would do. Today my nightmare came true, and finally, after ten years, my washing machine broke. Since I had mentally prepared myself for this day, before I entered in panic, I calmed down and thought the following: Washing the kitchen towels are the most important thing. We always use them, and they can get pretty dirty. The rest of the close can wait a day or two for the laundromat.
Since I dealt with chemical sensitivities in the past, I have learned many things about toxic chemicals. Harsh chemicals are used to clean almost everything, from bathrooms to dishes. If you have ever walked in the laundry detergent section, you know that you can find all kinds of liquids and powders to get your clothes smelling and looking very clean. If you google the ingredients in those products, you may be surprised how toxic they can be.
At some point in my health journey, I would react badly to any soap detergent or cleaning product.
I had to learn to clean my entire house without chemicals to avoid various symptoms from chemical exposure. At first, it was tough to get used to not using the regular brands I knew. I got very frustrated when clothes came out smelling stale, especially the kitchen towels. In our house, we cook a lot. I have tracked my time, and I estimate that regularly, we spend around eight hours a day in the kitchen (separated into two or three chunks of time). We cook everything from scratch. Cooking like this requires a lot of cleaning and drying. Surfaces, spills, messes, and dishes, everything needs to be cleaned. One small little cloth is not enough. We use several kitchen towels a day. I run the washing machine in the hottest water cycle only for kitchen towels because I only use mild detergents (with natural plants), and they are not enough to kill the microbes on the cloths.
If I get conscientious, I don’t want to run a whole washing cycle for only 5 or 6 kitchen towels. Sometimes I decide to wait for a day or two until I have enough kitchen towels to run at least half a laundry load.
Suppose I place the kitchen towels in a bucket without soap and water. The towels will end up growing mold by day two. Then I wish I could disappear the kitchen towels or toss them under the drawer’s back and pretend that nobody saw that.
I thought it was a better idea not to hide the mold smelling wet kitchen towels and wash them by hand. But using just mild plant organic soap does not do the job.
How did they do it in the old days when there were no store-bought chemicals? How did they wash stinky clothes when they did not have electricity or disposable kitchen towels?
I was born in 1972, and I believe my family did not have a washing machine until years later.
I heard stories of mom coming back from work and school and washing poopy baby diapers by hand. How did they get them clean and smelling fresh?
I remember the smell of chlorine vapors used to wash whites and get them fresh and bright. With the time, the cotton would tear easily. I never knew I would become so allergic to chlorine and so conscientious about the health of the water running down the drain.
The only reason we use chemicals these days is to kill the microbes in the clothes and remove stains. I do not care about stains on the kitchen towels, but I care about not having a growing set of nasty little bugs to dry my plates. I also care about not washing toxic chemicals down the drain, and minimizing my families toxic exposures.
How do you deal with your daily dirty kitchen towels?
Method:
In a pot, I add water and non-toxic plant-based dish soap.
I set the pot on the stove on high heat until the water starts to boil (filling the pot too much will have boiling water overflowing each time I add a kitchen towel. So I am careful not to overfill the pot).
I add some baking soda and the juice of a lime.
Then I toss the whole lime inside the pot after squeezing the lime juice.
I boil the cloths for a few minutes.
After, I take the pot into the sink and carefully stir the kitchen towels with a wooden spoon (simulating the washing machine’s movement, which is a circular motion). *I do this very carefully. On this step, I could get badly burned. The water is dangerously hot.
Then I run cold water on the pot and rinse the kitchen towels.
I squeeze the water off and hang them on the line to dry.
When dry, I fold them and enjoy the lime freshly smelling kitchen towels.
I would love to know what do you think about using this method for cleaning kitchen towels.
*To my surprise, they smell even cleaner than when I wash them in the washing machine.
Chicken Nuggets
This is a recipe that was inspired from the desire to enjoy chicken nuggets without the health burden of gluten and high temperature deep fried refined oil nuggets.
The modification to the typical nugget recipe allows not only for a delicious meal, but also healthy and nourishing.
- Prep Time20 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time40 min
- Ready in40
Ingredients
- 4 ground chicken breasts
- Celtic sea salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 4 pressed cloves of fresh garlic
- Two eggs beaten
- Organic chickpea flour
- Grape seed oil
Method
Preparing the meat
1
- Mix the chicken ground with the salt, the onion powder, and the garlic.
- Make a 1 inch flat layer of meat in a square baking dish (press the chicken and compact the layer with your hands).
- Bake at 350F or 180C for 15 minutes.
2
Take the cooked meat layer out of the oven and cut nugget shapes with a cookie cutter or cut in little square shapes with a knife (to avoid wasting trimmings).
Bread the nuggets
3
Dip the meat in the egg and dust it in chickpea flour.
4
Heat some grape seed oil in a pan and brown the nuggets in low heat until crispy.
Your family can eat healthy chicken nuggets.
Snap Pea & Kraut Salad
Snap Pea & Kraut Salad, is a delicious snap peas salad with apple carrot kraut tossed with a fermented-butternut-squash salad dressing.
This salad is full of goodness. It looks simple in the picture, pretending to be just like any other salad, but its flavor and tummy healing properties make this salad one of my favorite recipes.
- Prep Time5 min
- Cook Time3 min
- Total Time8 min
Ingredients
For the salad
- Fresh snap peas
- Carrot, apple and red cabbage kraut
For the salad dressing
- 4 1 inch cubes of fermented butternut squash
- 1/2 cup of Olive oil
- 1/4 cup of kraut brine
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preparing the salad
1
Wash, and trim the edges of 2 cups of fresh snaps peas.
2
One cup of Carrot, apple and purple cabbage kraut
3
Add the above ingredients to a salad bowl.
Preparing the salad dressing
4
Add all the salad dressing ingredients to a Magic Bullet blender or a small portion blender cup and blend well until the salad dressing emulsifies.
5
Pour some of the salad dressing over your salad, depending on how much dressing you like.
*When shopping for snap peas, keep an eye on the quality. You want them to be crunchy, fresh and not tough and too fibrous.
*Getting into the habit of fermenting sauerkraut will make your cooking more diverse and healthy. Having ferments at hand saves those days when the fridge has gone almost empty.
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