AIP re-intros round 4: and the cheating begins…
I confess, there’s been some AIP-cheating going on this past week; but, some of this cheating involved some amazing salmon and sweet potato-Brussels sprout hash, so I’m not that mad about it.
Almond milk yogurt, almond milk, grain-free granola, and Dijon mustard were the culprits. Dijon mustard is an AIP-re-intro-friendly item, no doubt, it’s just that I should have re-introduced mustard in stage 1 before moving on to the next stage. I also accidentally piggy-backed this re-intro with almond milk yogurt on the same day. My favorite almond milk yogurt is the plain Kite Hill Greek style, which has a whopping 11 grams of protein! While the protein content of nut milk yogurts pale in comparison to that of dairy milk yogurts, all you non-dairy yogurt eaters out there will agree that 11 grams of protein is kind of a big deal. Almond milk yogurt and almond milk in and of themselves aren’t paleo or AIP-approved because of the thickening gums in them (i.e. gellan gum, guar gum, acacia gum, etc.). These gums, much like carrageenan, which I have touched on before in another blog post and I always steer clear of, tend to cause irritation on the gut lining, especially for those with chronic autoimmune diseases. And to my own fault, these ingredients did cause me grief this past week. I thought I would test my system because, after all, these gums are in just about everything that comes in a package, and almost impossible to avoid! It’s a true shame nut milks and nut milk yogurts without thickening agents are pretty much non-existent! For the sake of my health, I might have to start making my own, which surprisingly is not cost-effective. Oh, to just eat clean food is so darn challenging! Finally, my cheating this week involved the delicious Autumn’s Gold Grain-free Granola. This granola is 100% paleo-certified and meets all the gluten-free standards; however, since I hadn’t re-introduced sunflower seeds, coconut, and pecans individually yet, I cheated by going to town on the granola, therefore exposing myself to multiple “new” nuts and seeds all at once. I’m still officially on Stage 2, which includes most nuts and seeds, but as you can see, I’m getting a little more lenient on my re-intros… I’m too eager to move onto Stage 3 so I can start including some nightshades in my diet again!
Ever since I’ve been able to reintroduce a few nuts and seeds back into my diet, life has seemed a little less stressful. My mind is at ease when I know I can grab a handful of almonds or pumpkin seeds for a sustainable source of energy throughout the day, whereas before, I was really struggling to find anything other than fruit to keep me going. And bonus, nuts and seeds give me a much-needed boost of protein! While I’m happy to have a convenient snack, an AIP lifestyle is still less than ideal, as my dietary limitations impact my social life. It’s been more than awkward going out to eat with friends and family and not being able to eat with them; rather, I’ve tried to view those times as an opportunity sit and enjoy the pleasure of their company. We went out to celebrate my brother’s birthday a couple weeks ago, and I couldn’t even enjoy the delicious-smelling Mexican food the rest of my family was eating. And whenever my parents or in-laws invite us over for dinner, I awkwardly have to bring my own food, and again be tortured by the aroma of chicken marsala in the oven or sticky rice and laab on the stove. My mouth is watering just writing about it!
My AIP weeks have been going by in blurs, and I’ve had to scroll through my photos on my phone to remind myself what I made and ate over the course of the week. My digestive system has certainly clued me in many times that it doesn’t quite enjoy some of the re-intro foods I’ve been eating, with this week’s misadventures being partially due to my cheating with the almond milk and almond milk yogurt. I did however, make a fantastic roasted Dijon salmon over top of a killer sweet potato-Brussels sprout hash. Hubs has been exploring the paleo realm a bit lately and he came across a recipe for a sweet potato-Brussels sprout hash with bacon. Bacon is my husband’s love language; me not so much. Bacon will never touch these lips of mine, so I made a healthified Mandy-version of this hash. It was so good! I hadn’t prepared many hash-like dishes before, but now I have a newfound love! I shredded the veggies using the shred blade of my food processor, then dry-sautéed them in a large pan on the stove with lots of salt and black pepper. I had to add a little bit of water to keep the veggies from burning, but once they cooked down, I drizzled them with some glugs of extra virgin olive oil, and I even stirred in a couple teaspoons of Dijon mustard for a sharp, salty, slightly acidic finish. Divine! I served this hash underneath wild salmon that I slow-roasted with more Dijon mustard, and topped it with fresh dill. I also indulged my hubby’s bacon heart and made him bacon-date encrusted salmon from Alaena Haber’s The Healing Kitchen, while I enjoyed my Dijon-herb salmon.
Dijon roasted salmon
2 (6oz.) filets of wild salmon
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. fresh dill, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place the salmon filets on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix the Dijon mustard with the apple cider vinegar. Spread the mustard mixture on the fish and bake the salmon for about 15-20 minutes, or until fully cooked through.
Sweet potato-Brussels sprout hash
1 large sweet potato
1 lb. Brussels sprouts
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Rinse and dry the sweet potato and Brussels sprouts. Using the shred attachment of a food processor, shred the sweet potato, then shred the Brussels sprouts. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the shredded vegetables and about ½ cup water. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Place the lid on the skillet and allow the veggies to steam and cook down, stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables are tender, turn off the heat. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the extra virgin olive oil and Dijon mustard.