The hiccup that has come along is the fact that I need a root canal. The hints started getting dropped this weekend with a slight toothache that regular tylenol could soothe. This morning was different. Even after popping a pill I was in such extreme pain, but I went along with my day anyway and made my way to work. I officially spent more time on the bus today than I did working. I made it for a grand total of one hour before I hightailed it out of there and made my way to my amazing dental clinic. When asked by how much pain I was in I explained that while walking to work I looked cuckoo because I was simultaneously shivering and screaming whenever my teeth touched. They got me in right away. I'm kind of annoyed because they flat out told me that if I was able to come in before noon I would be able to have whatever procedure I needed performed. I might have spoke too soon when I called them amazing. No such luck, so tomorrow I'll be taking ANOTHER day off from work to go in and unhinge my jaw.
Eating anything that requires mastication has gone out the window for the next couple of days, which means that I am in for some serious diet cheating since I don't have much time to make anything from scratch. Yes, I had eggnog for breakfast because my tooth hurt so bad :(
Anyway, actually perusing the grocery aisles was a very odd experience. Being on the Specific Carb Diet you have to be well, specific, about what you pick up. I can't follow recipes anymore that are like "pick up an already prepared and processed ingredient and mix it with these other canned ingredients over thurr". I have to read EVERY label- and I have most of the illegal common ingredients memorized. No sugar, no corn products, no grains, no soy products, no dairy unless it is a specific kind of cheese or homemade yogurt etc. Alex was initially overwhelmed by the fact that he can't eat away at anything like he did before since a big factor in choosing his ulcerative colitis treatment was that he wanted to be able to eat whatever he wanted like the good old times (aka junk food).
I found it stressful picking out all this food that I know is bad for me (and everyone else for that matter), and I can't wait to go back to shopping the fresh perimeter of the grocery stores that we go to. Oddly enough knowing that these foods are bad for me makes me not enjoy them as much, instead of relishing them as forbidden fruit. I'm planning on making a batch of apple sauce tomorrow to make myself feel less crappy about the food that I picked up today to slurp down. For the record Trader Joe's is mucho mucho cheaper than our regular grocery store- even when we buy organic meat/produce.
ON TO THE RECIPE!
My team at work got me a cookbook for our wedding a few months ago, and with most cookbooks I thumbed through it, marked a handful of recipes that look promising (for some reason I never make a recipe that doesn't have a picture included unless it's something that I'm specifically looking for), shelved the book and forgot about it since I spend so much time perusing the internet for recipes at work.
I made the excellent decision to pluck this book out from the others, and this recipe is why
Steak Fajitas from Bride & Groom Cookbook which has incredibly well-deserved glowing reviews
1 lb steak- either pounded 1/2 inch think or cut into chunks
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
Olive oil
2 bell peppers- seeded, ribbed, sliced
1/2 yellow onion- sliced
1/8 tsp black pepper
SCD approved salsa
1 Avocado- chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese
Lettuce
Combine the spices together and add a bit of olive oil to make a paste. Smooth the paste onto the steak and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temp.
Pan fry the steak until it reaches a desired doneness.
Transfer the meat to a plate, leaving the juices in the pan and add the bell peppers and onion- cook until softened. Cut the meat if it was cooked in one piece
Serve the fajita mixture over a bed of lettuce and top with desired ingredients.
