Thermomix Menu Plan – January 23

What a week! I’ve had several sulphite issues since Friday. I’m sure many of you with allergies/intolerances/sensitivities will commiserate. It is just so difficult to eat out. On Friday, I met my best friend for a bite to eat during her lunch break and had an absolutely lovely time. T had a quick kip on the way in the car, woke up happy, ran in circles around the table (nice staff, who thought he was cute, not a hazard). The staff were even so enamoured with him that they gave him a little treat. Not a brownie, not a marshmallow, not a (insert any undesirables here); a strawberry. I loved that and, needless to say, T loved it too. I got to catch up and have a nice chat with a very dear friend. It was a pretty wonderful lunch. Then we drove to my Grandma’s house for a visit…. and it hit me. I sat on the couch, talking to Gran, and fell asleep. T woke me up, I fell asleep. This continued pretty much for the rest of the visit. I finally peeled myself off her comfy couch and drove us home, starting the dinner prep. Long story short, when I was getting the mussels out of the fridge, I dropped them. All over the floor and under the fridge. Mussel juice everywhere. What did I do? Why, I sat down in the middle of the mussel-mess and I cried bawled. I’m not too proud of this, but I feel like I should share it. This is just one way that I react to sulphites. Unusually, the headache didn’t hit me until later (normally that’s the first symptom), but boy – the exhaustion and the emotional fragility was pretty extreme. It took me longer to get over than normal. Usually I drink lots of water and sleep it off – not this time! It took me until this morning to feel normal again; until this afternoon. I had yet another wonderful meal, this time with several wonderful friends who have collectively been my lifeline the past few years, but left with a roaring headache. Sigh. I really think I just have to stick with salad, no dressing when eating out. But admittedly, I love food. And put a plate of delicious-looking and scrumptious-smelling food in front of me, and all worry about the inevitable sulphite hangover just disappears. One of my goals this year is to be stronger and resist temptation. What are your allergies/intolerances, and how does it affect eating out (and eating at barbecues, parties, etc) for you?

T went to bed at 6:30 tonight, and it was all I could do to lurch out of bed and start the menu plan. So let’s get the menu plan out of the way so I can pass out, STAT!

lunch: salami, raw mushroom and cheese rolls, with cherry tomatoes and cucumber sticks
dinner: out (wish me luck!)

Saturday
breakfast: banana ‘ice cream’ smoothies and fresh fruit
lunch: peanut butter rolls, veggie sticks
dinner: mushroom, pine needle and kale risotto

Sunday
breakfast: big fry up to celebrate my sister coming home for a visit from Berlin (she arrives late Thursday night, woohooooo!); scrambled eggs with mushies and onions, organic bacon, southern-style shredded hash browns, orange and ginger juice (and maaaaaybe, if I can get my act together, some kind of breakfast sausage – sorry sis, no grits or biscuits and gravy!)
lunch: salad
dinner: the most delicious lamb you will ever eat, with eggplant and tomato salad

And before I zonk out, here’s a quick list of things I am utterly obsessed with at the moment:
1) Pine needles – still! Both the powder and the sprigs. Yum, yum, yum! At some point in the not too distant future, I’ll post a blog entry of the foods that I’ve jazzed up with pine needles.
2) The Indian Cookbook!!!!! And here’s the thing – I don’t like spicy food, but I love this cookbook. Honestly, I was less than impressed with the butter chicken recipe in the EDC, but I made a curry last night from the Indian Cookbook and went to bed still thinking about it (and wishing we hadn’t devoured the whole dish so I could sneak leftovers).
3) raw mock rice – this is just such a fantastic idea, and a great way to up your raw. Conveniently enough, it is amazing with curries!
4) Quirky Jo’s spelt tortillas – these are easy and divine! Also conveniently amazing with curries.
5) Raw cream and raw cultured butter – yes, I finally found some stocked locally! Hooray! (Not for human consumption, blah blah blah…)
6) fresh juice every morning, and echinacea tea

I hope some of you try any or all of the things on my ‘obsessions’ list. And have a wonderful week! 🙂