cookingtothrive – in thriver words

Change for Good

Even change for good can be hard. Landing your dream job still means learning a new system and having to make new work friends. It might mean a longer commute. Selling your manuscript means an editor will ask you to revise something you’ve already revised. Eliminating processed food from your diet may make you healthier, but it will mean cooking more. And cooking can seem like an insurmountable obstacle on a day when your dream job goes long.

We tend to romanticize good changes and vilify changes we don’t view favorably. Our bias can be so pervasive and intrusive that we catastrophize or idealize to the point we lose perspective. The truth is that good changes come with challenges and challenging changes come with unexpected good. Nothing is all bad or all good – unless we choose to see it that way.

In that sense, we control our own destiny. We cannot control everything that happens, but we can control our response.

Diagnosed with celiac disease? We can lament the horror of life without our favorite bread, doughnut, or cereal or we can learn to love new versions of our favorites.

Have to avoid dairy? We can bemoan the repugnance of life without ice cream or discover how the deliciousness or coconut milk frozen treats.

Can’t tolerate sulfites? We can wail when our friend orders a glass of wine or join her fun with a cocktail or mocktail in hand.

Is every necessary shift fun? NO! Should some of them not happen? YES! Do we sometimes have to change to avoid a greater danger? YES! Is that a good thing? Not necessarily. But the ability to have a thoughtful, balanced response to any situation is a sign of adaptability and resilience.

Does change FEEL awkward? Then feel the awkwardness and proceed.
Does change feel sad? Gather the tools you need to process your sadness. Allot time to sit with it. After that, do what you would do if you didn’t feel sad. In other words, give your sadness compassionate boundaries. Allow things to flow without getting stuck or turning sadness into catastrophe or a default state.
Does change feel annoying? Pout for a minute. Whine out loud to yourself. Then do what you would tell your three-year-old to do.
Does the sucky part of change feel personal? It’s not. You are not being persecuted by some invisible force. How would you advise a friend feeling the way you feel?
Does change feel like giving up something? Of course. You’re giving up the past, comfort, the known. Feel the loss. It’s real.
Does change feel scary? There’s usually some fear attached to change. The key is not letting fear escalate and become paralyzing.
Do you feel depressed after a change? Depression is a normal response to change. Temporary depression that is. If it looms long or leads to suicidal ideation, different story. Consult a professional to help you determine what you’re dealing with and how best to process it.

While I’ve stated all of this as though it’s simple, it’s not. It requires dedication, courage, perseverance, and support – emphasis on finding the right kind of support. One thing to keep in mind is feelings change and shift. When you sit with them, they lose their acuteness and morph into more tolerable levels of discomfort.

With all that said, if you live with PTSD or C-PTSD, it can be especially confusing when changes for good feel life threatening. You may find yourself in an extreme emotional state without warning. This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. And it doesn’t mean you can never embrace change. It simply means you may need more specialized help to get from point A to point B.

Life is hard. Change is hard. Being hard means it gives you a challenge that can help you grow. And when your health depends on change, accepting the challenge is a change for good.

A Mug of Comfort

When I’m feeling a chill and need a mug of comfort, I reach for chicken broth. You may have noticed that my last few posts have been about keeping things simple. Comfort doesn’t get simpler than this: a steaming mug of chicken broth.

Last week, I felt under the weather – not bad – no fever, sore throat, aches or pains – but not good. I could have forced myself to cook. It wasn’t beyond my ability. I wasn’t that sick. And because I wasn’t that sick, I didn’t feel like I should indulge in delivery.

Luckily, I keep Imagine^TM Free Range Chicken Broth in my pantry. I opened a box and poured a large mug. It’s delicious heated up without anything added, hydrates while providing comfort, and I can drink it right out of the mug.

If you prefer tomato or cream of tomato soup, Pomì Strained Tomatoes make an easy gluten-free soup base as well. Add a little milk, some herbs and spices, and heat. Within minutes you’ve got a red delicious mug of comfort.

And if I need something a little more substantial, frozen Brazi® Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread Cheddar & Parmesan or Garlic Asiago only require as much effort as popping in the oven. I often have them in my freezer because they’re a family favorite. When they come out of the oven, the rolls can be dipped in tomato soup like a tiny cheese sandwich ball.

For dessert, try a mug of hot chocolate. You’re sick! Keep it simple. Use a mix. There are many brands that are gluten-free. If you prefer coconut or macadamia milk, melt a mini chocolate bar in warm milk. Stir it up, add a sprinkle of cinnamon, marshmallows, or whipped cream, and magically you have sweet, sweet comfort.

In between these filling mugs, I love to sip herbal tea. Peppermint, chamomile, orange spice, chai, and ginger all feel comforting to me. And they can sooth a sore throat.

You may find comfort in other mugs – hot apple cider, mulled wine, hot Dr. Pepper, hot lemonade, or buttered rum. I have a friend who swears by whiskey, honey, and lemon whenever he’s sick. He also swears by Hennessy to get through a regular day, so maybe take his advice with a grain of salt.

The nice thing about a hot mug is it warms your hands. It steams your face. AND it delivers whatever wonderful warm liquid makes you feel hugged inside. The ones I’ve mentioned here require little effort to prepare.

In keeping with my current theme of simplicity, I wrestled my way through last week with large mugs of warm liquid to keep me hydrated, and all of them came from my pantry. I try to keep comfort available at all times!

Next time you’re under the weather, remember a mug of comfort may already be in your kitchen.

https://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/and-so-this-is-christmas-sipping-chicken-soup/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sometimes You Just Want a Blast From the Past!

When you think about snacks, sometimes you just want a blast from the past! That has to be true or once you’ve tasted Ghirardelli Intense Dark Cherry Tango SQUARES or dried bing cherries covered in rich dark chocolate, there’d be very little reason to crave a Cherry Mash; once you’ve had a Godiva Butterscotch Walnut Truffle, there’d be no reason to want a box of Sno-Caps even though they both have sprinkles. But that’s just not how it is. Sometimes we all crave something we remember from a long time past.

It doesn’t seem to matter that it’s been 40 years since I had my last Banana Fudgesicle®, I still remember how much I loved the creamy coldness in the summer. I still crave original Doritos. They brought them back briefly when my kids were teens. Prior to that, I could never convince them that there had ever been an unflavored version of the popular brand. I also loved to eat Ritz crackers. My favorite number was 6. I’d pull six of them out of the package to enjoy while I read a book in my father’s recliner.

When I was hungry for a snack, Lance snack crackers were often my vending machine go-to. Of course my gluten-free regimen of late has meant an end to that tradition. Now things have changed! If I decide I just can’t live without the familiar slightly tangy, salty cheese flavor of a Lance cheese cracker, I can again indulge.

Lance now offers a gluten-free cheddar cheese bite size sandwich cracker. The cracker portion is buttery and flaky just like the original, and the cheddar cheese flavor tastes just like I remember. Sold in a 5 oz box, the crackers have 150 calories per 12 sandwich serving. I haven’t tried it yet, but there’s a peanut butter flavor available as well.

On a regular day, I’d much prefer homemade, fresh food, but sometimes you just crave a blast from the past. On those occasions, I’m glad to know this option exists. How about you? Have you tried these, or what’s your favorite blast from the past?

http://www.godiva.com/
http://www.ghirardelli.com/
http://www.nestleusa.com/brands/chocolate/sno-caps
http://www.lance.com/

Gluten-Free Basics. A Review.

The term gluten-free has appeared in the news so often over the past year that it’s easy to assume everyone knows exactly what it means. Of course, that’s a silly assumption. I remember that I read the term bitcoin in the news 3 times last week, but I don’t know anything about the newfangled currency. So rather than make assumptions, let’s do a quick review of the gluten-free basics.

Gluten-free simply means contains no gluten. If you choose to eat only foods that contain no gluten, then you are living a gluten-free lifestyle. As of August 2014, foods labeled gluten-free* will not contain more than 20ppm gluten. That means they will be free of any derivatives of wheat, rye, barley, malt, or triticale. Sounds simple enough, right?

So what is gluten anyway? Gluten is a protein that’s sticky. It gives dough the elasticity that lets it hold together while it rises and takes on a chewy texture. This protein also causes an autoimmune response in those who are sensitive or intolerant ultimately leading to a host of serious health problems. Luckily, these health problems can quickly diminish when you embrace a gluten-free lifestyle.

If you have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, gluten sensitivity, or gluten intolerance, you will only reach optimum health if you eliminate ALL gluten from your lifestyle FOREVER. Once you begin a diet devoid of gluten, you may feel better immediately or it may take up to a year before you can tell a real difference. During that first year, you may feel better for a while and then slightly worse, and then better again. This is often a normal part of the healing process.

When preparing to change to a gluten-free lifestyle, it can be helpful to focus on the foods you CAN eat. When prepared at home, you can eat all meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. This includes potatoes and corn. You can also eat some grains including rice, sorghum, quinoa, buckwheat, and oats that have been certified to be free from cross-contamination.

If you lived in your grandmother’s day, the switch to this lifestyle would be so minor you would hardly notice. Yes, you’d have to thicken gravy with cornstarch, leave the flour out of the cornbread, and lay off the rolls, but most of your diet would be the same as the rest of the family.

The reason gluten-free sounds like such a big change now is our increase in dependence on cheap, prepackaged, convenience and fast foods. Packaged foods are designed to be resilient to being transported long distances. They are also formulated to maintain consistent texture, appearance, and taste after sitting on store shelves for months or years. Sticky, gluey substances like gluten and gums help achieve consistent texture.

Eliminating the majority of prepackaged food from your diet will give you a head start in improving your health, but you can now find plenty of gluten-free substitutes on the shelves of local grocery stores when you need to grab something in a hurry. You don’t even have to choose items that are labeled gluten-free. Once you learn how to read labels, you’ll discover many more choices in the regular store aisles.

Want to get started today? It’s as easy as leaving behind wheat, rye, barley, malt, and triticale. Don’t eat traditional bread, rolls, biscuits, pasta, pizza crust, cake, piecrust, breaded meat or vegetables. Avoid sauces, soups, and salad dressings thickened with flour or food starch other than corn. Eliminate malted vinegars (unmalted are fine), malted milk balls, and malts. Switch to gluten-free beer. Distilled grain alcohol is usually gluten-free. Ask for a gluten-free menu at your favorite chain restaurant. You’ll be surprised how many have one readily available. Use the internet to find fast-food nutrition information.

You don’t have to learn any more than you want to learn, cook any more than you want to cook, or stop enjoying favorite family recipes. Anyone who tells you this will be a difficult change for you to make doesn’t realize how incredible you are. Shame on them for selling you short. I believe you can do what it takes to feel your best! It’s easy to get started today.