It’s storming outside and my computer will have to be shut down soon (gasp!) so I just wanted to pop in real quick and give everyone a little update since a couple people have asked.

I’m doing fine. The progesterone has some miserable side affects but I can handle it and feel like it’s worth it whether this works or not. I won’t know if the meds are working until after the first biopsy which I think is in about a month but as cancer goes I count myself pretty lucky right now knowing it could have been so much worse.

Mom is doing well. Her hair fell out but she’s taking it well and oddly excited about the different hats and scarves she can wear now. If you can, send her a pretty hat or scarf and cheer her up. Her treatments are hard on her but she’s been a real trooper and I really think she’s going to come out of all this cancer free.

If you’ve been reading the blog you know Sean and I are on a diet but other family members are joining in and I’m really proud of them (go Lisa!). Again, if anyone wants to join us just let me know and we’ll all be weight-loss buddies.

I also wanted to say how excited we are for our friend Oz and his wife who recently bought a house and are about to have a baby and for our friend Patrick and his wife Jesse who also just bought a house and are about to have a baby and for my uncle Ron and his wife who are also expecting a baby. Congrats you guys and good luck in this new chapter of your lives!

I love soup, Sean not so much. Sadly most commercially available soups are full of wheat and barley as a thickener and colorant. Even soups that are GF tend to be heavy on white rice and while I enjoy rice I try to avoid it (especially white rice) because it doesn’t have a ton of nutritional value, it’s chock full of carbs, leaves you hungry five minutes later and don’t even get me started on the yicky bleach process used to make rice, bread, etc white! So I’ve decided to try to make a few simple soups on my own and carrot, being good hot or cold, was at the top of my list. Give it a try and let me know how you make it your own.

SIMPLE CARROT SOUP
makes 3 servings
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32 ounces carrots (cleaned and all the same size) = 350
1 1/2 cup chicken broth = 30 (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup sour cream = 80 (or plain soymilk yogurt)
3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese = 240 (or soy cheese)
Cumin to taste (I used about half a tsp)
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700 total or 233 per bowl (1 1/2 cups soup)

Put 32 ounces of whole baby carrots into a large pot and cover with enough water to just come over the tops of the carrots. Bring water to a boil and then turn down to medium high and cook until carrots are soft. Remove leftover water and put carrots in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand emulsifier blend until smooth. Stir in chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and sour cream (you could also use unsweetened soy, rice or nut milk) and blend thoroughly. Add cumin (or ginger if you’d prefer a sweet soup). Serve hot topped with 1/4 cup cheese. This makes a thick soup. It’s also great as a homemade baby food if you leave out the spices and cheese.

Suggestions: Try using Italian spices instead of cumin. Adding a small amount of caramelized onions or oven roasted garlic would be yummy too. For a sweet soup try adding a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon and replacing the chicken broth with 2/3 water to 1/3 apple juice. Want a creamier soup? Replace some of the chicken broth with skim milk or soy milk. Looking for something a little more exotic? How about using coconut milk and a bit of shredded coconut? Want a hardier soup? Thin the soup out by adding a cup of broth and a couple cups of steamed veggies like celery, potatoes, peppers, mushrooms etc. Just remember when making alterations to adjust the calories. I use CalorieCount.com.

We’ve been experimenting with a bunch of recipes lately and as everyone on a GF diet knows it’s doubly hard because not only do you have to adjust it to be gluten free you also have to adjust the calories. Why oh why don’t chefs/cooks list basic nutritional information with their recipes?

This weeks recipe is for GF Granola Bars or Oatmeal bars if you prefer. Granola is just rolled oats, nuts, honey and sometimes rice (and of course you can add all sorts of goodies to it). Unfortunately, most commercial granola bars are chock full of wheat and barley. Plus their spendy at around $5 for a box of 6. This is a recipe we heavily adapted from a protein bar to reduce the calories and make it GF. Some folks with Celiac disease are sensitive to oats. Make sure you are using GF oats as most oats are grown and processed alongside wheat. If you’d rather not use oats you can try other grains like crisped rice or quinoa etc but I can’t promise it will come out well since I haven’t tried it myself. The bars come out soft, more like a cookie that a hard crunchy bar and hold up well in lunch boxes.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Bars

You Will Need
1/2 cup corn flour – 220
2 teaspoon cinnamon – 0 (Omit for chocolate chip bars)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda – 0
1/8 teaspoon salt – 0
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar – 180
5 tbsp honey – 240
1 1/2 bananas – 180 or 1 1/2 cups apple sauce – 150
1 large egg – 90
6 tbsp egg whites – 50
2 tbsp flax seed – 110
1 tbsp vanilla extract – 0
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats – 600
1/2 cup dried cranberries – 195
or
90 semi-sweet chocolate chips – 200
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts – 360
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2200 calories total/12 Squares = 183 each

What to Do
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-centimeter) baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the sugar, banana or apple sauce and honey in a large mixing bowl until blended. Blend egg and egg whites with a fork in a small bowl. Add to the sugar mixture, along with the vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add reserved flour mixture and mix with a whisk. Fold in oats, flax seeds, dried cranberries (or chocolate chips) and walnuts with a silicone or rubber spatula. Scrape batter into the prepared baking dish and spread until flat and smooth. Spray the top lightly with cooking spray.

3. Bake the bars until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely (or they will fall apart) in the pan on a rack before cutting into 12 bars. Remove carefully with a spatula.

This recipe would be fairly easy to make vegan, just make sure you adjust the calories. If you add a glass of soy milk it makes a nice light breakfast too. Feel free to change up the add-ins. We like cranberry walnut, chocolate chip macadamia nut, raspberry with lemon zest and 1 tsp of lemon extract, coconut with orange zest and 1 tsp of orange extract, cinnamon apples with almonds, dried apricots with cashews, banana and walnut (add banana extract), blueberry, etc. We’re even going to try a savory one with sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. Experiment and let us know how yours turns out!