Pretzels

(makes 12 pretzels)

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
  
  


• 1½ cups warm water
  
  


• 4 cups flour
  
  


• 1 tbsp salt
  
  


• 1 tbsp sugar
  
  


• 1 egg white, beaten
  
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  
  


• In a medium bowl, combine water, salt and sugar, then sprinkle yeast on surface of water. Let stand for 10 minutes to activate yeast.
  
  


• Stir in flour and mix well with a wooden spoon.
  
  


• Place dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth. To knead dough, flatten it with your hands, fold the dough into quarters and then flatten again. Do this for about five minutes. Flour your hands and the work surface to keep the dough from sticking.
  
  


• Roll the dough into 12" lengths, about ½" thick. Form the dough strips into different shapes
  
  


• Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush with egg white or water then sprinkle lightly with salt (optional).
  
  


• Bake at 425 degrees F. for about 15 minutes or until golden brown
  
  

Make 12 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving (1 Pretzel (48 g)): 163 Calories, 5 g Protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 16 mg cholesterol, 588 mg sodium

Garlic Pita Chips

(makes 32 chips, 8 chips per serving)

Ingredients:

• 2 pita breads
  
  


• 4 tsp olive oil or vegetable oil
  
  


• 1 garlic clove, crushed
  
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  
  


• Cut along circumference of each pita bread to remove folded edge.
  
  


• Mix oil and garlic in a bowl.
  
  


• Brush each pita round with the oil and garlic mixture.
  
  


• Stack the rounds and then cut into 8 wedges.
  
  


• Arrange wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet


• Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving (1/4 cup (37 g)): 125 Calories, 3 g Protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium

Eating Wheat Gluten Causes Symptoms in Some People Who Don't Have Celiac Disease

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition characterized by the frequent occurrence of abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating and/or gas. If that sounds like an extremely broad description, that's because it is. The word "syndrome" is medicalese for "we don't know what causes it." IBS seems to be a catch-all for various persistent digestive problems that aren't defined as separate disorders, and it has a very high prevalence: as high as 14 percent of people in the US, although the estimates depend on what diagnostic criteria are used (1). It can be brought on or exacerbated by several different types of stressors, including emotional stress and infection.

Maelán Fontes Villalba at Lund University recently forwarded me an interesting new paper in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (2). Dr. Jessica R. Biesiekierski and colleagues recruited 34 IBS patients who did not have celiac disease, but who felt they had benefited from going gluten-free in their daily lives*. All patients continued on their pre-study gluten-free diet, however, all participants were provided with two slices of gluten-free bread and one gluten-free muffin per day. The investigators added isolated wheat gluten to the bread and muffins of half the study group.

During the six weeks of the intervention, patients receiving the gluten-free food fared considerably better on nearly every symptom of IBS measured. The most striking difference was in tiredness-- the gluten-free group was much less tired on average than the gluten group. Interestingly, they found that a negative reaction to gluten was not necessarily accompanied by the presence of anti-gluten antibodies in the blood, which is a test often used to diagnose gluten sensitivity.

Here's what I take away from this study:

1. Wheat gluten can cause symptoms in susceptible people who do not have celiac disease.
2. A lack of circulating antibodies against gluten does not necessarily indicate a lack of gluten sensitivity.
   
3. People with mysterious digestive problems may want to try avoiding gluten for a while to see if it improves their symptoms**.
4. People with mysterious fatigue may want to try avoiding gluten.
   

A previous study in 1981 showed that feeding volunteers a large dose of gluten every day for 6 weeks caused adverse gastrointestinal effects, including inflammatory changes, in relatives of people with celiac disease, who did not themselves have celiac (3). Together, these two studies are the most solid evidence that gluten can be damaging in people without celiac disease, a topic that has not received much interest in the biomedical research community.

I don't expect everyone to benefit from avoiding gluten. But for those who are really sensitive, it can make a huge difference. Digestive, autoimmune and neurological disorders associate most strongly with gluten sensitivity. Avoiding gluten can be a fruitful thing to try in cases of mysterious chronic illness. We're two-thirds of the way through Gluten-Free January. I've been fastidiously avoiding gluten, as annoying as it's been at times***. Has anyone noticed a change in their health?


* 56% of volunteers carried HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 alleles, which is slightly higher than the general population. Nearly all people with celiac disease carry one of these two alleles. 28% of volunteers were positive for anti-gliadin IgA, which is higher than the general population.

** Some people feel they are reacting to the fructans in wheat, rather than the gluten. If a modest amount of onion causes the same symptoms as eating wheat, then that may be true. If not, then it's probably the gluten.

*** I'm usually about 95% gluten-free anyway. But when I want a real beer, I want one brewed with barley. And when I want Thai food or sushi, I don't worry about a little bit of wheat in the soy sauce. If a friend makes me food with gluten in it, I'll eat it and enjoy it. This month I'm 100% gluten-free though, because I can't in good conscience encourage my blog readership to try it if I'm not doing it myself. At the end of the month, I'm going to do a blinded gluten challenge (with a gluten-free control challenge) to see once and for all if I react to it. Stay tuned for more on that.

20/365 - My FAVORITE Soup of the Day

A few weeks ago, I went to my go-to Betty Crocker Cookbook searching for a new soup to add to my winter arsenal.  This cookbook has always been my favorite--obvious because it's falling apart.  I probably should go on eBay and try to replace it, but then I would have to transfer all my notes. Not fun. So, I guess I will milk out as much life as I can from it.

The following recipe was first introduced to our family about a month ago and so far, we've made this soup three times.  I double the recipe so we have enough for left overs the next day because it's just as yummy reheated.

Best part of this soup is it's low in calories, inexpensive and makes a not-so-kid-friendly, powerhouse vegetable delicious.  My hubby and I aren't big fans of Brussels sprouts either, but we both agree they are fantastic here.  The key point to remember, DO NOT OVER COOK THEM.

Throw the sprouts in at the end, just before serving. Turn off the boil, toss them in, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.  They should be bright green.  Who going to eat  dark, mushy, ugly and over done Brussels sprouts anyway?

STEAK SOUP WITH WINTER VEGETABLES

1 pound beef boneless sirloin steak, 1 in thick. (Stew meat works fine here)
2 cans (14 1/2 oz ea) beef broth
1/4 tea. pepper
1 cup Brussels sprouts, cut lengthwise in half
1 cup sliced shiitake or domestic mushrooms (Go with the shittake)
2 med carrots, cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 lg sweet potato, cubed (about 1 cup) (We've been substituting bottleneck squash)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tea chopped fresh or 1/2 tea dried marjoram leaves
1 tea chopped fresh or 1/2 tea dried thyme leaves

Trim excess fat from beef.  Cut steak into 1in pieces. (Unless you bought stew meat) Cook beef steak in 3 qt saucepan over medium-high heat about 10 minutes, stirring several times, until brown.  Add beef broth and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes or until beef is tender.

Add remaining ingredients. (Remember what I said about the sprouts)  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

I'm so excited about....Hawaii!

I just got off the phone with my niece that lives in North Pole, Alaska (near Fairbanks, AK). It's currently -32 degrees (that's below zero). We're planning a girls' trip to Hawaii in March, my two nieces, my sister and myself. We kind of talked about it when I was there in December, but we decided to make it happen. It's going to be super fun.

The only trick is I have to be back by March 20 for the Big Climb, and we plan on leaving for Hawaii March 11.

I haven't gone on a "girls only" trip since college!

I skipped the gym this morning, on purpose. I've only had two days off in the last 16 days. I had a 7:30 a.m. breakfast date with my two best girlfriends at IHOP (ugh!). I had the Slim and Fit Mushroom and Tomato Omelet with fresh fruit for 5 Points (330 calories). It was actually pretty good, and I had them use egg substitute so maybe even a little less on the calories.

I love that they put the calories on the menus now. I think that's just about the coolest thing ever. Of course, it was only calories (and my girlfriends' breakfasts were 1,200 calories each!). I still had to go to the website to get all the nutritional info for the Points calculation. The calories alone really helped me make a good choice.

Even though no gym today, I managed to walked our 60 steps of stairs at work during lunch, twelve times, or 720 steps. Part of my training plan for the Big Climb is to do this twice a day (in addition to my gym workout). The Big Climb is 1,311 steps, with no stops. I'm a little worried about what I got myself into with this thing. I just hope I don't totally embarrass myself and need a medic to resuscitate me when I'm halfway to the top!

About Hawaii, I've been to the islands many times in my life, maybe eight or nine. I can't really remember for sure, but it's been a lot. Remember, I'm from Alaska and that's where people from Alaska go for a vacation. Also, I've worked for an airline for 27 years. I even went to college over there for a year. I totally and completely love Hawaii. And I love my sister and nieces so this trip is going to be a blast!

Now not only do I have to get in shape for the Big Climb, but also for the beach!

Coriander, Cumin and Caraway Crackers

(makes 35-40 crackers)

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  
  


• ¼ tsp ground coriander
  
  


• ½ tsp ground cumin
  
  


• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
  
  


• ½ tsp baking powder
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• ¼ cup butter, cut into small pieces
  
  


• ⅓ cup non-fat milk
  
  


• 1 egg white, slightly beaten
  
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  
  


• In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, coriander, cumin, caraway seeds, baking powder and salt. Add butter pieces a little bit at a time until incorporated.
  
  


• Add non-fat milk and continue mixing until it forms a doughy consistency. If mixture is too dry, add a tbsp or more of non-fat milk.
  
  


• Transfer dough to a floured surface and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Let sit for about 10 minutes to rise then using a floured rolling pin, flatten dough to about ⅛” thick.
  
  


• Use a 2” diameter rounded to cut out shapes. Place cut-out crackers onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of each cracker with egg white, then prick the surface with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  
  


• Use a spatula to remove crackers and cool completely on a rack.
  
  


• Keep crackers in an airtight container.
  
  


• Tip: Serve crackers with your favorite low-fat dip, with smoked salmon, or break them into smaller pieces, sprinkled over salad.
  
  

Make 40 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving (1 cracker (9 g)): 29 Calories, 1 g Protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 0 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium

Internetless tonight

I've been without internet connection for the past five hours (except my phone, but that doesn't really count). It was almost as bad as when the electricity goes out.

I even tried to watch a Netflix movie through the box thing we have when it displayed "your internet isn't connected" message. Oh yeah, no internet, I forgot. So no Netflix. It makes me wonder how I ever lived without the internet.

My husband finally fixed it about 20 minutes ago, but it's 10:30p .m. It's past time my bedtime so I'm not writing much. I've been working on a post of why I gained 100 pounds. I'm too tired now to proof it before I post it. Tomorrow.