When I had thyroid cancer I came to my blog to share for many reasons. When I first felt that lump on my throat and the doctors visits and testing began, I went straight to the internet to start researching. I am the type that wants to find out all that I can so that I can be informed about my condition and what to expect. I approach the internet carefully however, as I know that everyone experiences things differently, doctors vary widely on their approach to care as well, and most of all- just because it's on the internet does not mean it is true! Even though both of my parents were physicians, I still know that I cannot put ALL of my eggs in the doctor's basket. I know that I need to be armed with knowledge, have questions ready if I am unsure about things, and know that things are ever-evolving with medical care and treatment. I also am very much a Group gal. When I was pregnant with my kids, blogs and message boards were popular as social media was just beginning. I was big on Baby Center back then and joined the birth groups made up of moms who were having babies at the same time. As a first time mom it was nice to have "friends" who were going through the same things and some true friendships developed from that! When I found out about my thyroid cancer I took to the internet and just didn't find all that I was hoping to find. I wanted to know about the experiences of others who had been through it. I would find some things, but I wanted more. So, I decided to document my journey in the hopes that when others were like me and looking for information on certain things they would find my experience and be able to know what they might expect. Typing out my experiences and fears also was therapeutic for me. It allowed me to share and "get it out". Experiences such as that are overwhelming and so much happens between appointments, testing, procedures, surgery, treatment, etc. When you are in the thick of it, it seems like time is standing still and you will never get to the other side, but when it's over, it quickly becomes a distant memory. It is nice to have it documented for me to look back on and see how things got better. I have had people message me or email me over the years and thank me or tell me how my posts helped them. This is why I blog. Brooke has started doing this as well, but in the form of making videos and sharing them on TikTok. I love me some TikTok, but I am not a video poster. So, back to the blog we go! This time, to share our long and complicated medical journey of my amazing Brooke.
Monday, March 18, 2024
What's going on with Brooke?
Thursday, July 5, 2018
A is for adoption.
I've been wanting to write about recent events in my life, but have struggled with what exactly to say. I have written this post in my head a few times, and I'm sure that my final, published post will be nothing like the ones I drafted in my head all those nights before drifting off to sleep. But.. here goes!...
I am adopted. I was adopted by my amazing parents straight from the hospital back in September of 1977. Growing up, I always knew I was adopted. There wasn't a pivotal moment or time where I remember my parents telling me the news... I just always knew. I do remember that we had a book called Why Was I Adopted that I read when I was growing up. It taught me that sometimes the person that gives birth to you isn't who you are with now and that I was wanted by my adoptive family very, very much.
I am adopted. I was adopted by my amazing parents straight from the hospital back in September of 1977. Growing up, I always knew I was adopted. There wasn't a pivotal moment or time where I remember my parents telling me the news... I just always knew. I do remember that we had a book called Why Was I Adopted that I read when I was growing up. It taught me that sometimes the person that gives birth to you isn't who you are with now and that I was wanted by my adoptive family very, very much.
We also had another book from the same author called, Where Did I Come From? and I think I'm still scarred from seeing some of the illustrations at a young age, but I digress...
Being adopted was something I was proud of. I felt lucky! My brother was also adopted (from a different family) and he had different feelings about it. I remember him not wanting people to know and I didn't understand that. I freely told people if it came up, and laughed when they would respond with, "No you're not!". There was never a time where I felt like I was missing something and I've never had that feeling of being incomplete not knowing who "she" was. The common thought I had growing up has always been, "If I ever meet her, I just want to thank her for giving me up because I have had such a blessed life". My mom gave me a file when I was a little older that had my birth mom's name, a photograph of her, and a few birth/adoption documents. Occasionally through the years I'd google her name, but I never came up with anything. This past Mother's day, my mom gave me a DNA test kit and encouraged me to send it in to see what I could find. I went ahead and did it, more out of curiosity than anything else. I was chatting with a group of friends on messenger and mentioned this to them. We are a bunch of keyboard detectives and we all went to work to see what, if anything, we could find on our own while I waited several weeks for the results from the kit. Well, lo and behold, one of my friends found the obituary of her mother. I then started Googling and searching names of survivors and found out that the name I'd been searching over the years was different.... no wonder I never found anything! So, now we had a different variation of the first name and a different last name.... and I found her!
I had also been contacted by an adoption "angel" from a group I had just joined who offered her time and resources to help me navigate this process. She has helped many other adoptees decipher their DNA results and find information on relatives, etc. I sent her all I had in my file and she went to work too... she found an email address for my bio mom. She also found out that I have a half brother!!
At age 40, I just found out that I have another brother!! Wow!
I'm a very impulsive and admittedly impatient person. I felt like I had to email her. Good or bad, I just wanted to go ahead and do it. So, I did. I've always been a "take the bull by the horns" kind of a person. Can I just say that drafting an email to a woman who had you when she was 18, left you at the hospital for your adoptive parents... and you are now 40.... is high on the awkward scale. I didn't know how to start or what to say, but I managed. I said that I didn't expect, nor was I hoping for, a relationship with her, but just that I had wanted to say thank you. I thanked her for selflessly giving me up and affording me a better chance in this world. I also asked for any medical history she could share since I've already had thyroid cancer and two of my kiddos suffer from severe food allergies and asthma. It sure would be nice to be able to know what "runs in the family, so to speak, and not have to just write ADOPTED across every medical history form like I've done all of my life. I clicked "send"... and waited. I am terrible about checking my emails.. but Lordy.... I was obsessed with checking them for hours to see if she had responded. Several hours later I got a reply... "Please do not reach out to my family". Whomp, Whomp, Whomp... SUCH a let down. I was pissed and my first thought was, "You don't get to tell me what to do". But, I was also sympathetic. After all, I don't think she had woken up that day and expected to receive an email from a child she gave up four decades earlier. I thought maybe she needed time to process everything. It was out of nowhere and I'm sure she was reeling.
Remember that "angel" that was helping me? She had discovered that she had some mutual friends in common with my bio brother and she reached out to one of them. The mutual friend was open and encouraged her to reach out to my brother..... I wasn't sure how that would go and was nervoucited! The next morning I received another email from my bio mom..... and it was awful. She used words like "very unhappy", "barged in", "horrible", and said that I ruined her life again. She expressed that she had nothing she wanted to share with me regarding medical or family history, said that I was not a part of her family, was not welcome in her life, and told me to go away. Fair enough. Personally, I think she could have conveyed not wanting to go down this path in a more kind manner, but that's just me. As crappy as her reply to me was, I was not heartbroken or anything. These are words from a stranger and I just let them go. I've replied to her MANY MANY times in my head, but haven't sent an actual reply. I probably never will, but suffice to say.... I don't think she's a good person. Like at all. It has certainly made me appreciate my parents even more and brought my mom and I closer. Her loss and that chapter is closed..... but a new one has just opened and it's amazing! I hope she finds peace in her life.
A couple hours after that email, I received a message on Facebook from my half brother (same mom)! He had reached out to me saying he thought I was looking for him or his mother. I responded saying that I had "found" her and it didn't go well. I apologized for causing any trouble and said that I was mostly just looking for any medical history. I also asked if he knew about me. He hadn't until that morning apparently. He said he would talk with me after some meetings and was willing to let me know anything that may be helpful to me. I was a ball of excited and nervous energy! I haven't looked forward to a phone call so much in years! My friend and I kept texting and checking in... I was afraid I was getting all excited and would end up being disappointed. I thought he'd change his mind and wouldn't call. I tried to tell myself I would be ok if he didn't call, and that it didn't matter. But it did matter. And I would have been totally bummed out. He called! We talked for about 45 minutes. To be honest the conversation is a bit of a blur. I'm sure I talked too much and maybe said too much.. I'm an "over sharer" and I for sure have mastered the art of talking (interrupting others when they are talking... oops!). My heart was racing the whole time. It was WEIRD!! I have a new brother, he wants to get to know me, and he's awesome. Like I don't think I could have picked a cooler person to all of a sudden be in my life. He was very open and honest. He gave me some very beneficial medical history that I can now take to my doctor and update my charts. The conversation was very natural and felt safe. After we hung up I just sat and smiled. I teared up a bit... I was just so genuinely happy and overwhelmed with so many different emotions.
Not long after he asked if I would send him the picture I had of his mom. I sent it to him. It is an old Polaroid and I was in her belly in the picture. That was definitely weird for him; he grew up thinking he was the only one. I had been looking at his public FB pictures and just couldn't even believe what I was seeing. Someone who looked like me. We have so many similar features from the "healthy" eyebrows to the widow's peak. Growing up, my adoptive brother had white blonde hair, fair skin, freckles, and blue eyes. I had dark brown hair, olive skin, and hazel eyes. There was a baby picture of my biological brother that I saw too and my jaw dropped. I have a picture of me around the same age and we could have been twins. So. Crazy.
Since that initial phone call, we have texted back and forth and have talked on the phone again. I've been in touch with his super sweet wife and his (my!) cousin also reached out to me and we messaged back and forth one night. It is so nice finding out that my brother and some other family members are accepting me and open to getting to know me. I never in a million years even considered this part of it. Like I said before, the thought of any family beyond a bio mom hadn't really crossed my mind. I feel like I'm on a new adventure and it's exciting! I love that there's people who do want to get to know me and meet me! There's been so many emotions over these last few weeks. I find myself thinking about these new people in my life so often. I ponder so many things and wonder if they think about me too. I'm super excited to see where this all ends up!
A is for Adoption
B is for Baby
C is for Cousins
D is for DNA
E is for Emotions
F is for Family
G is for Given up
H is for Happiness
I is for Information
J is for Journey
K is for Kindness
L is for Let down
M is for Mother
N is for Nervous
O is for Open arms
P is for Patience
Q is for Questions
R is for Rejection
S is for Support
T is for Thankful
U is for Unwanted
V is for Valued
W is for Wanted
X is for eXciting
Y is for Yearning
Z is for Zealous
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
LOTS of new and exciting adventures!
My poor, poor, neglected blog! Oh how I miss you and not to worry, I do think about you often! Have you missed me? Things have been SUPER crazy since I last wrote. I was just getting out of my "radiation retreat" and back to my life as a mommy to 3 little ones! I don't think I updated to let everyone know that all of my tests, bloodwork, and scans came back CLEAN!! Praise the Lord for being cancer free! :) Since then we have had 2 birthdays, some out of town company, LOTS of fun, and I'm officially now a small business owner!! EEK!! That is SO exciting!! It's a huge leap of faith, but we decided to "go big or go home" and I purchased a 6 needle embroidery machine. She's a beauty. I named her Matilda.
She can do lots of fun stuff. I'm not even really sure how I ever used a
single needle machine now that I have this one. My Naptime Craft Mommy business has taken off and I've also started listing a few items on
Etsy. The Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday theme is hugely popular
right now, and my shirt has been a hit too!
I try not to list too many
so as to not get in over my head, but so far they are good sellers! I
have to realize that on a daily basis, I'm good if I get 2 hours of work
time (while the babes nap, of course) so I can *maybe* get two shirts
or items done a day. In addition do making custom shirts, I have also started selling the awesome products from Oh Mint!
Here is my "Everything Tote" with my biz name on it. This bag is great!
Another neat thing that I have been involved in is Relay for Life. Since I was diagnosed with cancer, this has been an important cause to me. Last year I was on a team with other staff members from the school where I worked. Now that I am a SAHM and we live in a different city than where I taught, I decided to participate on a Relay team closer to home. One of my friends is also a Thyroid cancer survivor so we were co-captains. I held an auction on my FB page and was able to secure a sponsorship for Relay as well. These helped me finish as the number 2 top fundraiser out of 1,276 participants! Woot woot! I loved being so involved with Relay and have been asked to be a committee member next year! I am honored to be asked and will definitely do this!
The family is well- the kids are growing like weeds and keeping us busy! Being able to be home with them has been such a blessing!
I'm not making any promises that I can't keep, but I do HOPE to be able to blog more often. I have so many posts in my head and ideas of posts.... it's just a matter of finding the time to do so!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The Low Iodine Diet
The Low Iodine Diet is also known as the LID. So, I will refer to it as such in the remainder of this post. Okay, so for starters I'll answer the question, "Why do you have to be on a low iodine diet?".
This is an excerpt from the ThyCa website that says it best.
The Low-Iodine Diet
Thyroid cancer patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer often receive a dose of radioactive iodine (RAI) about two months after their surgery in an attempt to destroy (ablate) any remaining thyroid cells in their bodies.
Most of these thyroid cancer patients also undergo whole-body radioiodine scans at periodic intervals, using a “tracer” dose of RAI. If their scan is not “clean,” they may then receive treatment with a larger dose of RAI in an attempt to eliminate remaining thyroid cells.
In preparation for an RAI scan or RAI treatment, patients are usually asked to go on a low-iodine diet (LID). The diet is to prepare for the RAI. The patient follows the diet when preparing for RAI either by temporarily stopping levothyroxine (withdrawal) or by receiving injections of Thyrogen (recombinant TSH) while continuing on levothyroxine (Synthroid).
The purpose of a low-iodine diet is to deplete the body of its stores of iodine, to help increase the effectiveness of the radioactive iodine scan or treatment. The premise is that when the radioactive iodine is administered, the thyroid cells will “suck” up the iodine, because the body has been so depleted.
This diet is for a short time period. The usual time period is around two weeks (14 days) or slightly more. The diet usually begins around two weeks before testing and continues through the testing and treatment period. However, recommendations for the time period can vary, depending partly on the individual patient’s circumstances.
It is a VERY restrictive diet and it is tough. Parts of it are great, like being forced to eat better, lol. But it wears on you for sure. When you are already 4 weeks into withdrawal from your thyroid replacement medicine, it really just adds insult to injury! If you want to read the extensive list of foods to avoid, foods to limit, allowable foods, and some tips on managing this diet, you can get the full list here.
I think the biggest misconception is that this is a no SALT diet. It isn't that at all. It is a low IODINE diet. You can have salt as long as it is non-iodized or kosher. All we use at home is kosher salt, so it was great to be able to still salt my foods! You are not allowed to have iodized salt and/or sea salt.
You can NOT have any:
* dairy (& dairy alternatives b/c the all seem to either contain soy or sea salt)
* egg yolks or whole eggs (egg whites are ok)
* soybeans and soy products
* seafood
* cured meats (sausage, bacon, lunchmeat, etc)
* commercial baked goods
* Red Dye #3
What you CAN have:
* fresh fruits
* fresh vegetables (a few exceptions here)
* fresh meats (6oz or less daily & not the ones mentioned above)
* unsalted nuts & nut butters
* up to 4 servings a day of cereals, grains, pasta, & bread made from allowable ingredients
* some rice (basmati is best for this diet)
* sugar, jelly, honey, maple syrup,
* pepper and herbs
* vegetable oils
* cola, diet cola, lemonade, sodas (except those with Red Dye #3), non-instant coffee and tea, beer, wine, other alcohol
* homemade foods made with allowable ingredients
So, basically if you want a meal, you need to make it yourself!
I'd like to share with you some of the foods I bought, some of the meals I made, and some of the products I found that you can use. I will add recipes I used as well. I hope someone finds this helpful! The Thyroid Cancer website has an awesome and amazing pdf cookbook that is such a nice and valuable resource (some of the recipes below are from there). BUT, over 100 pages is just plain overwhelming to me- even when I'm not hypothyroid! Should you pre-plan and pre-made foods before you start on this little hypo journey? Heck YES. Does that ever really pan out for me? Nope. At least not yet!
2 Tablespoons sugar
Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir in:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Then add 1/2 cup water (more as desired for batter thickness). Stir until the batter is the consistency of thick cream. Spoon batter onto hot griddle which has been greased with a bit of vegetable oil. Excellent hot with homemade jam or
real maple syrup.
1 cup unsalted peanut butter
a little plain salt (start with 1/4 teaspoon)
4 Tablespoons oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 cups oats
You can adjust ingredients to your liking (for
example, more chocolate—cocoa—or more peanut butter).
Stir first 5 ingredients over low heat. When it is
mixed well and creamy, add oats 1/2 cup at a time.
Drop on waxed paper till cool........enjoy!
1 mashed banana (I always used 2)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon oil (or slightly less than 1/3 of a cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon non-iodized salt
2 1/4 cups oats
3 Tablespoons water plus maybe a few more drops
Directions:
Mix the brown sugar, sugar, oil, and water. Add the banana and vanilla. Then mix in the already premixed flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and non-iodized salt. Stir in the oats. If it is too thin, let stand a bit so the oats can absorb the excess liquid. Drop them by the tablespoon. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes. To check if they are done, flip one over and it should be browned. Let them sit a bit before taking them off the cookie sheet.
I am a member of a Thyroid Issues board on Babycenter. I posted there asking for input on this post and here's some of the things the wonderful ladies over there contributed!
"My friends made me the butternut squash soup recipe from the online cookbook and with a little non iodized salt, pepper and dried onions added, it was great. I also used the chicken stock from the cookbook, added dried onions, a can of drained cannelloni beans, a can of no salt organic tomatoes, diced organic chicken that had been baked, some diced sun dried tomatoes, basil, non iodized salt and pepper and made soup...it was great and has become my go-to lunch with a salad."
"I make homemade dill pickles and jalepeno slices and instead of pickling salt I used non-iodized salt in my recipe so I could still have my pickles & peppers. I also made my own tortillas, beans, and hummus."
Low Iodine Turkey Chili
To make these LID compliant I subbed oil for the butter and of course used non-idoine salt. This recipe came from King Arthur Flour's website.
Beautiful Burger Buns
3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Directions
1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients by hand, mixer, or bread machine to make a soft, smooth dough.
2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.
3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.
4) If desired, brush buns with melted butter. Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.
Recipe summary
Hands-on time: 25 mins.
Baking time: 15 mins.
Total time: 2 hrs 40 mins.
Yield: 8 buns
I am allergic to tree nuts, so these are out for me, but they sound really good if you aren't allergic!
New recipe that I created tonight based on the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe. If you like almonds, these are super yummy!
Low iodine coconut almond cookies
A great big THANK YOU to the ladies who took the time to send me their suggestions and recipes! :)
The bean soup was the last LID meal I made for myself before my RAI. Then I headed out to my parents and this magazine was on the table. *drool*.
So, if you can suffer through a couple (or a little more) weeks on the LID just think of the yumminess ahead! I am heading home today and I can't wait to be back home with my family. I have had a good run out here and have been beyond blessed with the best parents in the world!
I won't get my results from all of my tests until this Friday and I have to remain off of my Synthroid until then. If given the all clear I can resume my meds and get those going again. Sucks that it will take another 4-6 weeks for them to get back into my system, but I look forward to it!
I hope that my posts in these last few days have been helpful to you! As always, feel free to leave a comment and ask a question if you wish!
This is an excerpt from the ThyCa website that says it best.
The Low-Iodine Diet
Thyroid cancer patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer often receive a dose of radioactive iodine (RAI) about two months after their surgery in an attempt to destroy (ablate) any remaining thyroid cells in their bodies.
Most of these thyroid cancer patients also undergo whole-body radioiodine scans at periodic intervals, using a “tracer” dose of RAI. If their scan is not “clean,” they may then receive treatment with a larger dose of RAI in an attempt to eliminate remaining thyroid cells.
In preparation for an RAI scan or RAI treatment, patients are usually asked to go on a low-iodine diet (LID). The diet is to prepare for the RAI. The patient follows the diet when preparing for RAI either by temporarily stopping levothyroxine (withdrawal) or by receiving injections of Thyrogen (recombinant TSH) while continuing on levothyroxine (Synthroid).
The purpose of a low-iodine diet is to deplete the body of its stores of iodine, to help increase the effectiveness of the radioactive iodine scan or treatment. The premise is that when the radioactive iodine is administered, the thyroid cells will “suck” up the iodine, because the body has been so depleted.
This diet is for a short time period. The usual time period is around two weeks (14 days) or slightly more. The diet usually begins around two weeks before testing and continues through the testing and treatment period. However, recommendations for the time period can vary, depending partly on the individual patient’s circumstances.
It is a VERY restrictive diet and it is tough. Parts of it are great, like being forced to eat better, lol. But it wears on you for sure. When you are already 4 weeks into withdrawal from your thyroid replacement medicine, it really just adds insult to injury! If you want to read the extensive list of foods to avoid, foods to limit, allowable foods, and some tips on managing this diet, you can get the full list here.
I think the biggest misconception is that this is a no SALT diet. It isn't that at all. It is a low IODINE diet. You can have salt as long as it is non-iodized or kosher. All we use at home is kosher salt, so it was great to be able to still salt my foods! You are not allowed to have iodized salt and/or sea salt.
You can NOT have any:
* dairy (& dairy alternatives b/c the all seem to either contain soy or sea salt)
* egg yolks or whole eggs (egg whites are ok)
* soybeans and soy products
* seafood
* cured meats (sausage, bacon, lunchmeat, etc)
* commercial baked goods
* Red Dye #3
What you CAN have:
* fresh fruits
* fresh vegetables (a few exceptions here)
* fresh meats (6oz or less daily & not the ones mentioned above)
* unsalted nuts & nut butters
* up to 4 servings a day of cereals, grains, pasta, & bread made from allowable ingredients
* some rice (basmati is best for this diet)
* sugar, jelly, honey, maple syrup,
* pepper and herbs
* vegetable oils
* cola, diet cola, lemonade, sodas (except those with Red Dye #3), non-instant coffee and tea, beer, wine, other alcohol
* homemade foods made with allowable ingredients
So, basically if you want a meal, you need to make it yourself!
I'd like to share with you some of the foods I bought, some of the meals I made, and some of the products I found that you can use. I will add recipes I used as well. I hope someone finds this helpful! The Thyroid Cancer website has an awesome and amazing pdf cookbook that is such a nice and valuable resource (some of the recipes below are from there). BUT, over 100 pages is just plain overwhelming to me- even when I'm not hypothyroid! Should you pre-plan and pre-made foods before you start on this little hypo journey? Heck YES. Does that ever really pan out for me? Nope. At least not yet!
Here's my big shopping haul. I started with this and got the basics. There's some fresh, organic chicken breasts and ground beef in there as well. |
Griddle Cakes
Beat 2 egg whites with2 Tablespoons sugar
Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir in:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Then add 1/2 cup water (more as desired for batter thickness). Stir until the batter is the consistency of thick cream. Spoon batter onto hot griddle which has been greased with a bit of vegetable oil. Excellent hot with homemade jam or
real maple syrup.
You can eat the crepes plain, with maple syrup, or get crazy and add unsalted pb, bananas, maple syrup (the real stuff, not pancake syrup!), and powdered sugar like I did! |
That's a whole lot of yum right there! |
I lasted a few days before I needed something sweeter than a piece of fruit! So, I made no bake cookies (oatmeal, peanut butter, and cocoa). |
No-Bake Cookies
1 cup sugar1 cup unsalted peanut butter
a little plain salt (start with 1/4 teaspoon)
4 Tablespoons oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 cups oats
You can adjust ingredients to your liking (for
example, more chocolate—cocoa—or more peanut butter).
Stir first 5 ingredients over low heat. When it is
mixed well and creamy, add oats 1/2 cup at a time.
Drop on waxed paper till cool........enjoy!
1 mashed banana (I always used 2)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon oil (or slightly less than 1/3 of a cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon non-iodized salt
2 1/4 cups oats
3 Tablespoons water plus maybe a few more drops
Directions:
Mix the brown sugar, sugar, oil, and water. Add the banana and vanilla. Then mix in the already premixed flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and non-iodized salt. Stir in the oats. If it is too thin, let stand a bit so the oats can absorb the excess liquid. Drop them by the tablespoon. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes. To check if they are done, flip one over and it should be browned. Let them sit a bit before taking them off the cookie sheet.
Make in batches. Drain on paper towels and season with kosher salt right when they come out so the salt sticks to the hot oil. |
Or add cinnamon and sugar! |
I let my broth cool completely then popped it in the fridge for a couple of days. Then I skimmed the fat off, added 2 cups (equal to one can) of broth to ziploc bags, placed them on a cookie sheet, and froze them. Then I stacked them in the freezer for easy storage. |
Another tortilla. More chicken. More of my black bean & corn salad. More avocado. Reisling. Raspberries. |
How do you know you LOVE your husband? You make him ^^ (Chicken & dumplings) even though you can't have any of it yourself! Super delicious & easy recipe by the way! |
Some smiles! My girls! xoxo! |
Another tortilla. More egg whites, homemade salsa, & avocado. |
Here's the black bean and corn salad I kept referring to ^^. I used this recipe with a few variations. For starters, I had to make my own beans. I got a bag, soaked them overnight, then cooked them the next day and cooled them. (I used the rest of them to make a bean soup). I only used green bell pepper, as that is what I had and used green onions. I omitted the jalapeno. This was GREAT, stored well, and was a fantastic dip for my chips as well as good to eat alone or added to a burrito. |
More crepes. |
I made apple pie oatmeal. This was ok. Some will love it, some won't. I was on the fence (just mostly not in the mood for it once I made it). The recipe is here. |
It was nice that it cooked in the crock pot! |
^^ Steak. Yum. |
My boys! xoxo! |
I made a yummy bean soup using the leftover black beans I had from making my corn and bean salad. I just used a bag of frozen corn. |
Diced tomatoes. |
Some of my chicken stock and beans. I used this recipe as my inspiration, but made the necessary LID changes (no cheese or yogurt topping), and omitted the jalapeno and chili paste (I did season it with some chili powder though). |
Really good! |
"My friends made me the butternut squash soup recipe from the online cookbook and with a little non iodized salt, pepper and dried onions added, it was great. I also used the chicken stock from the cookbook, added dried onions, a can of drained cannelloni beans, a can of no salt organic tomatoes, diced organic chicken that had been baked, some diced sun dried tomatoes, basil, non iodized salt and pepper and made soup...it was great and has become my go-to lunch with a salad."
"I make homemade dill pickles and jalepeno slices and instead of pickling salt I used non-iodized salt in my recipe so I could still have my pickles & peppers. I also made my own tortillas, beans, and hummus."
Low Iodine Turkey Chili
1 lb ground KOSHER turkey breast
1 cup white wine
6 cups LI recipe, no salt chicken stock (from thyraca cookbook)
2 Tblsp dried onion flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can no salt diced tomatoes
2 cans no salt white kidney beans (cannelloni beans)
2 tsp non iodized salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2-3 Tblsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2-4 tbslp ground chili powder (I found this in the Hispanic foods aisle in cellophane bags...all the "regular" chili powder actually is a mix of several ingredients and has salt)
Olive oil
1 small can no salt tomato paste
Generously coat the bottom of your pan (cast iron or le cruset type pan work best) and put in the turkey, breaking it up. Brown it well, letting it sit much lnger between stirrings than regular ground meat. You want a nice crust of browning on the bottom of your pan. Add your garlic and cook for a cople minutes. Once your pan is super dark golden brown, add your white wine slowly, stirring and scraping all the brown off the bottom of the pan (brown = more flavor!). Add your stock and can of tomatoes, juice and all. Rinse your beans well and add them. Add dried onion flakes. Simmer 10 minutes. If you need more liquid, add water, stock or wine. Then add your spices, adjusting to your personal taste preference. Go easy on the non iodized salt and adjust, allowing a couple minutes of cooking and stirring after each adjustment to ensure your taste is accurate before adding more spice. Once you are pretty happy with the taste, stir in your tomato paste and adjust again as necessary. Let simmer 30 minutes...enjoy!
1 cup white wine
6 cups LI recipe, no salt chicken stock (from thyraca cookbook)
2 Tblsp dried onion flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can no salt diced tomatoes
2 cans no salt white kidney beans (cannelloni beans)
2 tsp non iodized salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2-3 Tblsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2-4 tbslp ground chili powder (I found this in the Hispanic foods aisle in cellophane bags...all the "regular" chili powder actually is a mix of several ingredients and has salt)
Olive oil
1 small can no salt tomato paste
Generously coat the bottom of your pan (cast iron or le cruset type pan work best) and put in the turkey, breaking it up. Brown it well, letting it sit much lnger between stirrings than regular ground meat. You want a nice crust of browning on the bottom of your pan. Add your garlic and cook for a cople minutes. Once your pan is super dark golden brown, add your white wine slowly, stirring and scraping all the brown off the bottom of the pan (brown = more flavor!). Add your stock and can of tomatoes, juice and all. Rinse your beans well and add them. Add dried onion flakes. Simmer 10 minutes. If you need more liquid, add water, stock or wine. Then add your spices, adjusting to your personal taste preference. Go easy on the non iodized salt and adjust, allowing a couple minutes of cooking and stirring after each adjustment to ensure your taste is accurate before adding more spice. Once you are pretty happy with the taste, stir in your tomato paste and adjust again as necessary. Let simmer 30 minutes...enjoy!
List of LI items by brand purchased at Whole Foods:
Fresh corn tortillas, made in house - no salt
Fresh corn tortillas, made in house - no salt
Los Chileros Organic Red New Mexico Chili Powder-no salt
Eden Organic White Kidney Beans (cannellini)- no salt
365 (Whole Foods 'house' brand) no salt added Garbanzo Beans
365 no salt added black beans
Spectrum Organic all vegetable butter flavor shortening (no soy, no dairy, no salt, 0mg sodium)
Streit's 100% Whole Wheat no salt Matzohs
Eden Organic White Kidney Beans (cannellini)- no salt
365 (Whole Foods 'house' brand) no salt added Garbanzo Beans
365 no salt added black beans
Spectrum Organic all vegetable butter flavor shortening (no soy, no dairy, no salt, 0mg sodium)
Streit's 100% Whole Wheat no salt Matzohs
To make these LID compliant I subbed oil for the butter and of course used non-idoine salt. This recipe came from King Arthur Flour's website.
Beautiful Burger Buns
3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Directions
1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients by hand, mixer, or bread machine to make a soft, smooth dough.
2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.
3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.
4) If desired, brush buns with melted butter. Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.
Recipe summary
Hands-on time: 25 mins.
Baking time: 15 mins.
Total time: 2 hrs 40 mins.
Yield: 8 buns
I am allergic to tree nuts, so these are out for me, but they sound really good if you aren't allergic!
New recipe that I created tonight based on the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe. If you like almonds, these are super yummy!
Low iodine coconut almond cookies
2 cups + 2 Tblsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp non iodized salt
1 cup Spectrum organic all vegetable butter flavored shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tblsp unsulfurated molasses
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
5 large egg whites
1 ½ cups unsweetened flake coconut
1 ½ cups chopped, toasted unsalted almonds
Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and the vanilla and almond extracts until creamy. Add egg whites, beating well. Add flour, baking soda and salt and beat in. Stir in almonds and coconut. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating pans in oven and racks half way through baking time. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Makes about 40-45 cookies.
"Malt O 'meal--- 2 1/2 minute cooking variety, original flavor only."
Variation on the griddle cake recipe I posted earlier in this post:
I used 1/3 cup egg whites
Added 2 tsp. Unsulfurated molasses
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup thick cut rolled oats and let it sit for 30 minutes
Right before cooking, I added
2/3 cup chopped and toasted unsalted walnuts
3/4 cup fresh organic blueberries
2 Tblsp. Golden toasted whole flax seeds (Trader Joes)
Served with just a little maple syrup.
I took part of the batter (about 1/3 of it) and added 4 egg yolks that were in the fridge and made those for my dh and he declared them seriously the best pancakes he has ever eaten!
Anyway, thought I would share my variation on your pancakes because they were super hearty and tasted great :) -Tonya
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup thick cut rolled oats and let it sit for 30 minutes
Right before cooking, I added
2/3 cup chopped and toasted unsalted walnuts
3/4 cup fresh organic blueberries
2 Tblsp. Golden toasted whole flax seeds (Trader Joes)
Served with just a little maple syrup.
I took part of the batter (about 1/3 of it) and added 4 egg yolks that were in the fridge and made those for my dh and he declared them seriously the best pancakes he has ever eaten!
Anyway, thought I would share my variation on your pancakes because they were super hearty and tasted great :) -Tonya
A great big THANK YOU to the ladies who took the time to send me their suggestions and recipes! :)
The bean soup was the last LID meal I made for myself before my RAI. Then I headed out to my parents and this magazine was on the table. *drool*.
My Phergan pills that got me through the first 24 hours. |
Ahh! My first non LID meal! Bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee with cream! I caution you though. Your gut isn't used to such things. So, be forewarned. |
My parents saved these for me from Christmas! I ate a couple here and there. Very good, but mostly just pretty to look at! |
Cheese! Oh, how I missed thee! |
It's hard to see, but my parents moved a table into the living room down there so they could talk to me! Cute! |
The cookie tin had two layers! |
My parents went to visit my kids and give my husband a break. But, before leaving they left me this. A make-your-own sandwich plate and a piece of cake! SOO good! |
That cake deserves a close-up! |
My mom's famous Mexican Salad! |
I rang in 2012 with my Riesling... in my Red Solo Cup! |
So, if you can suffer through a couple (or a little more) weeks on the LID just think of the yumminess ahead! I am heading home today and I can't wait to be back home with my family. I have had a good run out here and have been beyond blessed with the best parents in the world!
I won't get my results from all of my tests until this Friday and I have to remain off of my Synthroid until then. If given the all clear I can resume my meds and get those going again. Sucks that it will take another 4-6 weeks for them to get back into my system, but I look forward to it!
I hope that my posts in these last few days have been helpful to you! As always, feel free to leave a comment and ask a question if you wish!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)