My New Life as a "Non-Chef!"

One of the things I absolutely LOVE to do is cook. I really believe that in another life I was a chef, and I’m spending quite a bit of time in this life working out my chef-life karma, LOL. No, but seriously, I spend a lot of time cooking, exploring recipes, eating, thinking about food. Yes, thinking about food. Did I mention that I love to think about food?

Because this life with Jace has been so demanding and all-consuming, I have had to be creative in making time to get in the kitchen. One thing I don’t care for is how it always feels like I’m rushing. Since he hardly sleeps and I never know when he might need me, I can get most things done in 5 minutes or less. Okay, that’s exaggerating a little but you get the point. So when it comes to cooking, I now have to find the recipes that can fit the in-between. Not only that, the options for what I can eat are now slim and none!

Jace has had some allergic reactions so, his doctor has removed some things from my diet; and to help as much as I could, I removed some things based on my research. The valve in Jace’s tummy (that holds his food down once it is swallowed) was underdeveloped at birth, and has since taken months to develop properly. That was the cause for 24-hour spitting up. He was also suffering BADLY from gas and acid reflux. He also had an allergic reaction that affected his skin. So, first, I have been taken off of dairy for both his tummy and skin issues. I hear you saying, “That’s not so bad!” Oh, yes it is! You see it’s not just milk, cheese, sour cream; you know, the obvious. It’s milk protein which is in, say, just about everything! For those of you who have been told they have a dairy allergy, be careful because dairy can take on many different names. Click here to see a list for you to match against the ingredient lists on packages. Okay, so once she removed dairy, she then went on to remove beans and nuts (because of the skin issues). Kill me already…dairy, beans and nuts, three of my favorites!!

Then in my research I found lists of other foods that are common for causing gas in babies; things such as corn, broccoli, spicy foods, tomatoes, oh the list goes on…and on…and on. You want to see that too? Click here. But shellfish…oh no, not shrimp too!!!!? Umm, yes, shrimp too. In fact, all shellfish. I think you get it, right? It’s actually pretty ludicrous. I mean really, what can I eat? Dog food? Welcome to my new life as a "NON-chef!"

It seems that even though I am breast feeding, I am down to little or nothing to eat (that doesn’t take tons of thought and extra effort). Where am I supposed to get my nourishment from? In all of this madness, I am down to 100 pounds (pre-pregnancy weight 112-115). Thankfully, breast feeding has been successful, but right-eating has not. I’m working on it, but because of all that I cannot eat, it takes so much effort to nail down a solid meal. I am going to do better though, because I need to get back to feeling healthy. I feel malnourished. Having done 2 months in the hospital prior to delivery (I’ll talk about the reasons for that in a later post), my body has some adjusting yet to do in order for me to feel like myself. This eating situation does not help…nor does the lack of exercise, which I am not yet able to do because, even at five months, Jace takes up so much time.

So in my efforts to find what I could eat, I found a great recipe for you to try. If you like salmon, this one’s for you. If you don’t like salmon, this recipe is for you. And it is accompanied by a scrumptious remoulade sauce that tops the dish off nicely. I hate mayonnaise, but this sauce is so well-balanced, you’ll never know mayonnaise was in there. So, bon appétit!

SALMON CROQUETTES with SPICY REMOULADE SAUCE (Gluten Free)

Photo and recipe courtesy of The Happy Tummy

Salmon Croquettes

2 6 oz packages boneless skinless salmon (you will find this near the canned tuna)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach (this doesn’t add a ton of spinach flavor, but it adds great color and nutrition)

2 TBSP mayonnaise

1 TBSP mustard (have used regular and Dijon, use whatever you have.)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp season salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup breadcrumbs (gluten free if necessary)

2 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients except breadcrumbs into a bowl and combine well with a fork. Add 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs and combine. Reserve the other 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl or pie plate.

Heat olive oil in large pan on medium heat.

Take handfuls of the salmon mixture and form into balls (probably about 1/3 cup). Roll gently in the reserved breadcrumbs and then pat slightly into a patty that is about an inch thick. Place these into the hot oil and sauté for about 3 minutes.

Flip and sauté another 3 minutes until golden brown.

Remove to a plate to cool slightly and cook remaining croquettes. Makes 8 croquettes.

Note: You can also do most of the prep work for this ahead of time. Make them up until the point of needing to cook them and store them on a plate covered in plastic wrap in the fridge until dinner time. Then all you have to do is heat the oil and cook.

Spicy Remoulade Sauce

1/3 cup mayo (light is fine)

1 TBSP Dijon mustard (I have used plain and spicy)

2 TBSP Ketchup

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 TBSP hot sauce

Mix all ingredients together with a fork or whisk. Serve with Salmon Croquettes.