Clif Products

I am really enjoying IBS: Free at Last. It's very informative and is helping me feel less frustrated with this diet.  I've learned some new things about additives in foods and thought I should update my previous post on energy supplements for endurance sports. Sharkies are now out. They contain fruit juice concentrate which is a no-no. Clif Shot-Bloks and Clif Electrolyte Drink are in! and they are yummy too. Clif Bars and Energy Gels are unfortunately out but Bobo's Oat Bars are a good substitution.
And I'm still mourning the loss of Honey Stingers and Waffles.

IBS: Free at Last- second edition

Just got this book in the mail from Amazon. It's a great resource for anyone wanting to know more about the FODMAP diet. I'm only on page 12 and LOVE it already. Looking forward to the QA at the end and tips on coping with my crazy tummy.

More info from the author here.

Maple Cinnamon Granola

Granola is a great FODMAP friendly snack to have on hand, and it's super easy and fast to make. I really enjoy this recipe with Green Valley's lactose free vanilla yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease baking sheet. Stir together crunchy peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Next add in oats and raisins, and stir until mixed and oats are moist. Spread across greased baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, toss oats (to prevent burning on one side), and bake for 6 more minutes or until granola is slightly browned. Granola will continue to harden as it cools.

Green/Orange Smoothie

I just discovered how awesome RW Knudsen's Orange Carrot juice is and I want to drink it all day long. That probably wouldn't be a good idea so I decided to make a green smoothie with it instead. This is delicious and very sweet.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz almond milk
• 4 oz orange carrot juice
• 2 tbsp vanilla hemp protein powder
• handful of spinach
• a few frozen cucumber slices
• 1 frozen banana

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Favorite Food Friday

I was really worried that being on this new diet (I hate the word diet, more like nutritional plan) would make me feel limited with my food choices, but it has actually opened my mind up to new things. There are a ton of new-to-me products I've fallen in love with, so I decided to start "Favorite Food Friday" to feature one every week. My husband wanted to call this post "Fantastically Flavorful FODMAP Free Food Friday", but I thought that was a little much. ;)
So the first most delicious food ever is... QUINOA PASTA!

Who would have thought? I used to hate quinoa. This pasta is blended with corn and you can't really tell it's not wheat, except that it has a delicious buttery flavor and texture. Which is better, so I will not miss traditional past at all! I've been making it with spinach and feta chicken sausage and 365 organic pasta sauce. They have one flavor of sauce that doesn't contain onions, just garlic. That seems to sit ok. I'd also love to try this mac n cheese recipe (minus the garlic and plus gluten free breadcrumbs).

Baked Oatmeal Snacks

I'm a big fan of snacking. And when you have dietary restrictions and work out a lot, it's a good idea to have healthy, tummy friendly snacks on hand to avoid eating naughty things when you're ravenous. Here are two of my favorite snacks made with oats.

CHEWY GRANOLA BAR BITES from Shape.com

Ingredients Makes 6 bites

• 1 cup old fashion oats
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon will also work)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tin with paper cups. Combine oats, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, chia seeds, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk and egg white into oat mixture. Divide batter among six muffin cups. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until batter is fully set.

*This was my first time using silicon liners. They're amazing, I highly recommend trying them!


PUMPKIN PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BARS from loveveggiesandyoga.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter 
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• (I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips and cut the sugar in half)

Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir by hand.  Spread batter (it will be pretty moist) into a foil-lined and spayed 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.  Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  The bars may still look underdone, but that’s ok because they will continue to set up as they cool.  Allow to cool very well before slicing.

*I had some leftover pumpkin puree from my Frosted Pumpkin Bars so I decided to make another type of pumpkin bar today. I also put a spoonful in a bowl of vanilla yogurt with nuts, seeds, and cinnamon and it tasted just like pumpkin whipped cream! I don't think I will ever get enough pumpkin.

Success

For the first time I went to a party and did not eat foods I knew were bad for my tummy. That is such a huge step for me. I passed up the artichoke dip, bread, crackers, and cream cheese dip, and I even put down my ginger ale when I realized it had high fructose corn syrup in it. Instead I munched on tortilla chips with guacamole and tomatoes, deviled eggs, and had a small glass of prosecco. And I wasn't even tempted this time to eat any of those bad foods. It's amazing how if you never give up and keep telling yourself you're worth it, you can overcome frustration and defeat and replace it with self love and success. What a great way to start the new year!

*Avocados have FODMAPS but I can tolerate about a half an avocado at a time.