At first I thought I had done ok considering our limited choices. Now I suspect we just ate a dinner that many hard core btd'ers would conside an avoid. But if nothing else, it made me think a little bit. We ordered a grilled chicken sandwhich and threw away the bun. But the chicken tasted funny to me, and I suspect it had been played around with even more than the usual grocery store chicken. Then we found a "fuzion" juice bar, and ordered a strawberry slushie. The main ingredient (besides strawberries and ice) was called "fructose". Not corn syrup or maldextrin or any other corn label that I could remember, but fructose. After this blog, I will be looking it up, but I thought that meant sugar derived from fruit. A non secretors are supposed to avoid corn, and of course gluten is in about everything out there in resteraunt land.

Still, not a bad BTD kind of day. Take care, everyone.

My two-year-old breaking out in hives has recently inspired many changes. While I am waiting for test results to confirm my hunches, I feel like it’s necessary to make changes to my cookbook NOW. I also decided that I might as well reorganize the cookbook so that I could be more compliant and also PRACTICAL. As a mom with two children, we are in the car eating as little as once per week or seven times per week depending on the schedule. Sometimes I feed four of us at dinner, sometimes only two. Sometimes meals are on time and predictable, and sometimes I have to whip something up suddenly. To sum it up, I need to organize a little differently. That being said, here is my new cookbook:

*The A’s are going gluten free*

Section One: The master recipe index off of this website has been printed out. When time allows, I will research different recipes and find inspiration.

Section Two: Meal Categories and Suggested Servings. While beneficial for me, the suggested servings are beginning to have less value. I have also realized something. My nutritional needs ARE SO VERY DIFFERENT than the rest of the family due to age and gender. Ergo, you’ve really got to put on quite a varied spread to capture the nutritional requirements of everyone at the table. * *



Section Three: My master and very generic weekly checklist for the grocery store. (See below)

Section Four: Beneficial recipes for the A non secretor

Section Five: Neutral recipes for the A non secretor

Section Six: Beneficial recipes for the O secretor (my five year old)

Section Seven: Neutral recipes for the O secretor

Section Eight: Combo A/O non-secetor neutral dinners. Why? Because dinner is the time when I need to cook ONE MEAL that we can all eat. I am tired at the end of the day and I don’t feel like dealing with extra dishes.

Section Nine: Beneficial Seafood for both A/O secretor and nonnie.

Section Ten: Type base 4 Blood Type Diet Values on some of the foods I find interesting.

As you can see, it really is necessary to bring one’s master cookbook into the store with you. All of my menu planning and recipe lists are already compiled within my master cookbook. As I discover new recipes, I can simply add them in.





Here is what my generic grocery checklist looks like (just food, by the way):

Instant Coffee

Regular Coffee

Decaf Coffee

Red wine

21 portable beverages (bottled water or totally compliant boxes of juice. I.E. – if ascorbic acid has been added, it’s probably from corn and it is out.)

Carbonated water for the O’s

Neutral Juice (just one)

Enriched Rice milk (plain or vanilla or Carob)

Chocolate or Vanilla or Plain soy milk (non GMO label) No gums.

Beneficial Snacks for the car acceptable for both an A non secretor and an O secretor:

Pumpkin seeds

Walnuts

Wheat less Fig Newton’s

Bananas

Dried Cherries

Neutral Snacks that mix well with beneficial:

Dried Organic Pineapple (sugar is sugar usually)

Raisins

Dried Cranberries

Currants

Macadamia Nuts

Pecans

Salted Almonds

Neutral Snack that mixes well with beneficial spreads:

Salted rice cakes, plain.

Ezekiel bread for the O secretor only. (My A cannot tolerate Ezekiel)

Beneficial Homemade car snacks:

Pumpkin Amaranth Cookies for the A’s

Beef Jerky and Venison Jerky for the O’s (I hope. I have got the recipe but still haven’t been able to try it yet)

4 different Beneficial A Breakfasts. (Why only four? Because there are always leftovers that will stretch if you forgo the “I’ve got to have bread for breakfast, meat for lunch, etc.) (Refer to cookbook for ingredients)

4 different Beneficial O Breakfasts (usually grilled, sometimes baked)

4 different Beneficial Lunches for A’s

4 different Beneficial Lunches for O’s

4 neutral or beneficial combination A/0 secretor non secretor dinners (whew!)

(Most of the time, this is chicken or turkey)

If I am able to follow this plan, the family will be at 80% compliance and 20% neutrals despite the A/0 and secretor / non-secretor combination. That being said, beneficial combo meats are as follows:

Seafood:

Cod

Atlantic Mackerel

Sardines

Swordfish (I’ve never actually seen this around here but haven’t specifically looked either)

Red Snapper

Brook Trout (technically, this is a neutral for certain O’s but a super beneficial if one is fighting diabetes. Since it runs in the family, I will count it as beneficial)

Rainbow Trout.

Here are the recipes currently contained in my master cookbook:

A:

Whiting Fish Casserole

Salmon Fillets

Lemon Garlic Salmon

Sardine Salad

Spinach and Sardine Frittata

Sardine Spread

Fish stir Fry

Fish burgers

Broiled Salmon with Lemongrass

Hearty Fish Soup with Cod

Curried Carrot Soup

Oven Poached Salmon with dill

Dried Fruit Nut And Seed Snack

Black Beans and Rice

Pureed Pinto Beans with Garlic

Apple Crock pot pinto Bean Bake

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Dip

Black Bean Chili

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Green Minestrone

Turkey Bacon (Shelton’s) with green beans

Turkey Bacon with peas

Lentils with Spinach

Lentil Salad

Mushroom Kale Soup

Pinto Bean Delight

Lentil Soup

Amaranth Pancakes

Fried Rice with Turkey Added

Mixed Roots Soup

Vegetable Soup (Broccoli)

Turkey Burgers

Collard greens

Braised Green with Garlic

Vegetable Fritters

Baked Parsnips and Carrots

Spinach and Sprouts Salad

Glazed Turnips and Onions

Braised Collards and Carrots

Croutons using rice bread

Carrot Raisin Salad

Broccoli Salad

Sweet Vidalia onion Dressing

Pineapple Chutney

Olive Oil Lemon Dressing

Plum Barbecue Sauce

Sesame Seed Dressing

Steam Sautéed Green Beans with Onion and Thyme

All Type Oil and No vinegar dressing

Breakfast Beverages (protein based for hot summer mornings!)

Fruit Compote

Neutral:

Creamy Tuna Broccoli Rice

Pumpkin Muffins

Simple Chicken Breast

Egg Free Mayo

Brown Rice Pilaf

Simple Guacamole

Warm White Bean Spread

Tuna salad

Peanut or Almond Chicken

Chicken Strips

Italian Chicken

Garlic Chicken with Bella Mushrooms

Blueberry Cookies

Rice Krispy Cakes

Swedish Pancakes

Leftover Veggie Frittata

Spinach Frittata

Curried Egg Salad Sandwich

Sesame Chicken

Chicken Paprika

Pineapple Chicken

Pumpkin millet cookies



O’s beneficial secretor:

Venison beef jerky

Ground Beef jerky

Chicken Fried Steak

Meatloaf Muffins

French Onion Soup

Great Meat Loaf

Venison Meatballs

Applesauce Meatloaf

Big Beef Burgers

Beef – gone all day crock pot

Chiliburgers

Breakfast beef sausage

Neutral:

Oatmeal Blueberry Flax muffins

Banana Bread

Sweet Potato Cake

Rye waffles

Spelt/Rye bread (needed for bread crumbs)

Kale Pecan Bread

Sugar cookie

Pumpkin waffles

Apricot cookies

Generic Waffles

Breakfast Bar

Cornish Hens in a Crock-pot

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Pancakes

Zucchini Pecan Bread

Carrot- Banana Muffins

Pumpkin Seed Alfalfa Sprout Bread

Basic Pizza Dough

Section Eight: This is redundant. I won’t bother to bore you!

So that’s the plan. To make it easy, I think I will pick the first four of everything, then at the end of the week, place those four pages at the very end of it’s designated section. I was sad to discover that A gluten free non-secretors really lose out in the grain department. But if I try this new way of shopping (all my beneficial recipes are in the front of my cookbook!), maybe we will see a big improvement. Here’s hoping. J



Disclaimer: I am not claiming this is perfect. It’s new!

Two quick notes before I am out of time:

1) It is not easy trying to collect the spit from a two year old. I thought I could use a medicine dropper to suction saliva out of his mouth. It didn't work. If getting his older brother to challenge him to a spit contest doesn't work next, I don't know what I will do!

2) I love spinach. But it takes just too darn long to eat it raw! My favorite method is sauteeing it in olive oil with salt and minced garlic. Throw in just a little bit of cheese at the very end - and Yum! It's easy to chew and delicious!

I had high hopes getting out of bed this morning. Late last night, I had pulled out all of the recipes that I wanted to practice making today. Carrot raisin salad, sardine salad, apricot date muffins, zuchinni pecan bread, spinach artichoke and avocado dip, etc. etc. While I did spend plenty of time in the kitchen this morning, it was far from enjoyable. My little one is feeling quite stressed, and while he is over the flu bug (I think), his system is far from 100%. As of today, three of us caught the stomach flu with my two year old getting it first and dealing with it the longest. He threw up for so long that I fear he is afraid to eat. I also had a friend tell me, "Be sure to get some gatorade. You have got to restore those electrolytes." Which leads me to a thought, "what should a person drink or eat AFTER the stomach flu has run its course?"

I think I will post this question on the board. Interestingly enough, my two year old refused all food today except for: blueberries, one small dried apricot, a few bites of apple, and a few small bites of spelt bread. He is drinking plenty of fluid.

I have only got time to post one small recipe. It's from the Cook for your Type book:

Chopped carrots (food processor)

Raisins

olive oil

Lemon juice

Honey

1/4 dice onion

chopped parsley

salt

Mix the chopped carrots with the raisins and diced onion. Next, blend the olive oil, lemon juice (fresh), and honey together with just a dash of salt. Throw it all together in a tupperware dish along with your chopped parsley and shake. It's very tart and sweet.

On a side note: I noticed that there is a very different taste to my honey which was bought at a different store this week. It makes me stop and think, do I really trust this particular brand? It might to be time to investigate! Take care.

I think we all know how important "Plan B" can be. Whether you are a bank manager who has to suddenly fire an employee and then deal with being short staffed, or whether you are a stay at home Mom whose routine gets shot to pieces when the stomach flu hits, we all need a plan B. My method of decreasing my stress hormones has been the YMCA. Weightlifting, cardio, and socializing keep me centered when everyday life is overwhelming. When my children become ill, and I reach the point where I desperately need that "recharge" time, my husband took over for a brief time. He was the "plan B." But Wednesday, my plan B wasn't available. I NEED to lift weights as much as I need sleep and good food. So what did I do?

I got lucky. Last week at the library, I picked up the video "Weightlifting for dummies." It required two 5 pound hand weights and the occasional chair. Big soup cans are about 3 pounds, and if you look around your house hard enough, you can probably find a five pound something or other. While my sick child slept, I was able to work every large muscle group in my body. Today, since he was feeling better and the sun was shining, I stuck him in the stroller and took a brisk one mile walk around our neighborhood.

It felt great. I bumped into a couple of neighbors, got my excersise, and submitted my child to fresh air. Plan A - the Ymca supervises the kids Plan B - the husband and Plan C - Workout at home.

Do you have back up ? Take care everyone.