Turkey TIme

I normally don't eat meat, but with such a limited diet I decided to try cooking turkey for the first time.  We purchased a 1lb hormone-free turkey breast at our local natural grocery and placed it in a small baking dish with canola oil, pear juice, salt and pepper.  We covered the dish with foil and baked at 350F for about 30 minutes.  Baking time will vary, so always cut into the center to check that it's completely cooked.

Our turkey was served with mashed potatoes and summer squash medallions that were sauteed in canola oil and dusted with salt and pepper - delicious!  We saved the juices, along with the meaty bone for a soup the next day.  Perhaps the biggest tip I can offer to get through this diet is to make meals in big enough batches so that you have plenty of leftovers for whenever you're hungry.

Turkey & Rice Soup
Simmer leftover turkey and juice in 4-6 cups of water with salt and canola oil.  Add one cup of brown rice.  At 20 minutes add chopped white sweet potato.  At 30 minutes add chopped zucchini and a spoonful of mashed potatoes.  Salt & pepper to taste.

The variation shown in the picture was made with frozen peas, rather than chopped zucchini.

Rice & Shine

When it comes to breakfast - Rice is your best bet.

Of the two rice cereals above, I definitely prefer the crunchy to the puffy.  The crunch is much more satisfying and filling.  Both are fun to eat with sliced pear and rice milk.

If you haven't already discovered Bob's Red Mill, now is the time.  They have an amazing assortment of gluten-free, dairy-free products.  For breakfast, I recommend picking up the "Creamy Rice Hot Cereal".

I tried to make the hot cereal in the microwave twice and it splattered everywhere... so I recommend sticking with the stovetop.  1 cup of water to 1/4 cup of cereal makes the perfect single serving.  To sweeten, add a couple table spoons of pear juice and top with... you guessed it, fresh pear slices.

Food Matters

For anyone who is attempting to adhere to a very limited diet - I hope you find a little joy in these simple recipes.


Our newborn, Jasper, was born in the fall of 2011 and the first 2 weeks were difficult for us.  He had breathing issues (sinus congestion, wheezing, maybe even swollen airways).  He also had goopy eyes that constantly needed to be cleaned and green runny diarrhea.  He developed eczema on his cheeks and appeared to have difficulty digesting the milk after nursing (lots of spit-up, tummy flexing, grunting, etc.)


The pediatricians said that he was healthy and not to worry - these were all common things in a newborn.  But I DID worry - because I knew he wasn't feeling well and I knew we could try to find a solution.  That's when I did some online research and found out about the Total Elimination Diet (TED) being useful to identify foods that babies may be reacting to.  I decided to follow the advice of Dr. Sears, who is well known for providing holistic expertise on pregnancy and babies.


So, I began my diet by only eating the following:

• Rice
• Potatoes
• Squash
• Turkey
• Pears

Wow -- what a challenge!  Especially because breastfeeding made my appetite go up and I had a serious sweet tooth that couldn't be satiated by just sweet potatoes and pears.  I looked online for recipe ideas or example weekly menus, but I couldn't find anything that fit this strict diet.  I decided to start a food log, recording everything that I ate and as I got more creative with recipes I thought it might be fun to post them on a blog for others having to sustain this serious food challenge.


It only took a day or two for Jasper to start feeling better!  We are approaching the end of our first week and I am feeling empowered by the good results :)  A happy baby makes it all worth the effort!

Jasper James - 2 weeks old