Family Favorites - June 2020: Gluten-Free Porcupines (Fish, Egg, Wheat, Soy and Nut-Free, Can Milk-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  {Sorry for the late post! Last week was another crazy week!}  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the sixth Family Favorites recipe of 2020.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free Porcupines.  This is essentially my original recipe made gluten-free with a few tips and tricks added in.  This recipe is also fish, egg, soy, wheat and nut-free (if all your ingredients are), and can be milk-free (see variations). 

Porcupines are a family favorite because it's a fun food to eat (I mean, they are called porcupines - what kid doesn't love that?), easy to make, and you get a lot of bang for your buck.  If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive meal to please the whole family, give this one a try!

Gluten-Free Porcupines

1/2 Cup milk

(We always use whole milk.)

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon soy-free onion salt

(We normally use and recommend McCormick's.)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 lbs. ground soy-free hamburger

(We normally use ground chuck.)

1/3 Cup rice (not Minute Rice)

(We normally use white rice, but you can use brown or wild rice with success.)

1 can (14.5oz) gluten-free, soy-free tomato soup

(We normally use Amy's Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque)

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.

2. Mix milk, cream of tartar, onion salt and pepper together well in a large bowl.

3. Add hamburger and rice; mix well by hand. 

4. Form hamburger mixture in small meatballs (about Tablespoon or so sized; should make 30 to 40) and place into a large, ungreased roasting pan.

5. Pour soup over meatballs.

6. Bake covered for 1 hour, remove cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Makes 30 to 40 meatballs, depending on size.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using variations): 

• Milk-Free: To make this recipe milk-free, substitute tomato juice (I recommend Campbell's) for the soup (around 2 2/3 to 3 Cups total) and a dairy-free "milk" of  choice for the milk.  The recipe will not taste exactly the same, and it will be a little more acidic from using the tomato juice vs. the soup, but it is still good.  If you find it too acidic, you can always add a little sugar to cut the acid.

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!

Weekly Weigh In 2020: Week 26, June 29, 2020

Weekly Weigh In will go live every Monday, and it will share how I'm doing health-wise, and it will give me more accountability with my health.

{I apologize that I didn't get my Family Favorites post up last week!  I totally forgot about it with all the busy that was last week!  I plan on having the Family Favorites post up tomorrow or Wednesday.  Sorry about that!}

Here is my twenty-sixth weigh in of 2020:

1. The Selfie: The selfie is me as of today, June 29, 2020.

2. Weight: My weight stayed the same.  I'll take that over weight gain.  I'm still working on tweaking my diet, and I'm sure that (once I get that right) weight loss will follow.  Wish me luck!

3. Health News: I averaged just over 7,400 steps per day last week.  I am hoping to get at least my 6,000 steps per day average this week, and will do so as long as I can be out and about.

Overall, I feel like I am doing pretty well, though I still have some odd arrhythmia issues now and then (they are rarer and shorter in duration, and I can always link them to a bad dietary choice, stress event or even possible hormonal trigger).  It will be interesting to see what the specialists say when I do get to see them (I am still have not heard from the gynecologist or endocrinologist yet).  Hopefully, I'll be able to get those appointments scheduled soon.

4. Diet News:  As I mentioned above, I am still working on tweaking the diet.  I am still learning what I can and cannot eat.  It seems that I will have to limit grain products (corn, wheat, etc.) unless there is a decent amount of fiber, fat and/or protein in the product I am eating as those tend to get my heart racing.  So far, I've figured out that berries, honey, whole grains, and most veggies are fine if they contain or are eaten with a decent amount of fiber, fat and/or protein.  I cannot eat most other fresh fruits (including grapes, citrus and bananas), but I'm hoping I can eat apples ok (I am going to try that soon in the form of apples with natural peanut butter).  We shall see!  Dried/sweetened fruits, juices, anything with added sugar, and most prepackaged and processed foods (along with other foods I mentioned above) are a no-go.  It is a bit daunting to sort through it all, and it gets frustrating when I think I have it figured out to only find out I haven't quite yet.  Prayers appreciated as I navigate this new phase in my life.  Thank you!

5. Other News: Please continue to pray for my middle kid.  For nearly 9 months now, he has been dealing with an unknown health issue.  Though he is essentially stable, he is by no means doing 100% (though he is doing much better than he was).  Pray for wisdom for us as we try to decide what to pursue, what to wait on, etc.  Thank you!  If you'd like more of a current update/rundown on his condition, you can click here.

As to our week, another busy week, and that won't change any time soon.  We are tentatively making some plans for a family Independence Day celebration, so please pray those plans all pan out.  Thanks so much!

How are you doing?  Do you have anything you want to weigh in with?  Any health progress or goals you want to share?  If so, please leave a comment below (with a link to your post, if you have one and wish to leave it), and I'll respond ASAP.

Have a great week!

Weekly Weigh In 2020: Week 25, June 22, 2020

Weekly Weigh In will go live every Monday, and it will share how I'm doing health-wise, and it will give me more accountability with my health.

Here is my twenty-fifth weigh in of 2020:

1. The Selfie: The selfie is me as of today, June 22, 2020.

2. Weight: My weight is up again by 2 lbs.  I know I am retaining water due to heat and humidity, but I will admit that I'm disappointed.  I'm going to keep working at it, and hopefully next week I'll have a weight loss to share.

3. Health News: I averaged just over 11,300 steps per day last week.  I am hoping to get at least my 6,000 steps per day average this week, and will do so as long as I can be out and about.

My labs all came back within normal ranges (even ones that were not quite normal at the hospital a month ago), so that's good.  I am still waiting on a call from the gynecologist and endocrinologist.  Hopefully, I will hear from them soon.  We shall see!

4. Diet News:  Still working on tweaking the diet.  I started really thinking about what changes would still be needful, and I have come up with really being conscious about overeating (i.e. if it hasn't been 2 hours since I last ate and I am going for a snack, I need to reach for the water instead, unless I really didn't eat a meal), and avoiding junk (I am still struggling with the potato chip cravings - yes, that's a thing).  I'm going to try not to eat potato chips this week or at least not replace them when I run out.  This might get a bit interesting.  I know I have to eat enough salt or my blood pressure gets to low, and potato chips were my go-to, but I know there are healthier options for salt than those (like salting your food).  Wish me luck!

5. Other News: Please continue to pray for my middle kid.  For about 8 1/2 months now, he has been dealing with an unknown health issue.  His labs were good (expect for the Eosinophils which are slightly high still), and he is pretty stable for the most part symptom-wise, so we're going to just keep an eye on things.  We're still waiting on his x-ray results.  If those all look good, we're going to try chiropractic to see if that helps with some of the back pain.  If they look off, we'll talk with the doctor about next steps which may still include chiropractic.  Also, the doctor did agree to relook at the gallbladder if nausea and pain continue without any other cause coming to light because the gallbladder was contracted in his ultrasound that we did last year.  If you'd like more of a current update/rundown on his condition, you can click here.

As to our week, busy in spades!  We will not have a lot of time to breathe this week, but at least we won't be bored! :)  It is officially summer, and that is our very busiest time of the year.  We're hoping to get a vacation in next week, but we aren't sure we'll be able to work that out.  We shall see.

How are you doing?  Do you have anything you want to weigh in with?  Any health progress or goals you want to share?  If so, please leave a comment below (with a link to your post, if you have one and wish to leave it), and I'll respond ASAP.

Have a great week!

Recent Reflections - June 2020: Things That Make Me Smile

This is the sixth Recent Reflections post of 2020.  Recent Reflections goes live the third Friday or Saturday of each month.  Each Recent Reflections post covers something that I'm reflecting on.  If you'd like to share a post with a similar theme, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your post, and I'll hop on over and leave a comment (and maybe some other readers will, too).

This month, I will be reflecting on things that make me smile.

With all the COVID-19, rioting, etc. mess, it is easy to get disheartened and depressed.  So, today I decided to share some things (in no particular order) that help brighten my day a bit, and maybe they will help brighten yours.

1. Garfield comics.  This one in particular makes me smile.  

https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2020/06/13

2. My family.  {This includes extended family, too!}  Whenever I need a hug or a good laugh, they always deliver.  Here's a family favorite picture of our silliness from a few years ago.  Enjoy!

3. Beautiful birds on my feeders.  I love birds, and they always make me smile.  Here's a picture from a few years ago when I had several birds at once.  Normally, I have goldfinches by the dozens, but I also see hummingbirds, tufted titmice, woodpeckers, blue jays, mourning doves, grosebeaks, chickadees, various types of sparrows, other types of finches and more.

4. My church family.  Whenever I feel down, my church family always encourages me.  They are amazing people.  {This is a picture of our church from a few years ago about this time of year.  We are a very patriotic bunch who loves our community.}

5. Nature walks.  I adore walking outside, especially in the woods or along the beach.  There is something about being in the beauty of God's creation that makes me feel at peace and blessed.  Here's 2 of my favorite pictures from two of my favorite places.

These aren't all the things that make me smile, but they are some of the ones that come to mind the quickest.  Today, if you can, do something that makes you smile.  If that's getting outside or spending time with family, do it!  Get off social media, turn off the news, and just take a mental break and enjoy something.  You won't regret it!

I truly hope this post has been a help to you, or at the least made you stop and think a little.

Maybe you want to share something in comments that God has done in your life recently to bless you as a means to be an encouragement to others during these trying and difficult times?  Feel free to do so.  Positivity and blessings are always welcome!  

What are you reflecting on?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cinnamon Honey Pecans (Soy, Wheat, Milk, Fish and Egg-Free)

{I sincerely apologize that I didn't have this recipe up sooner.  The last week has been a bit insane, so I did not get this up as planned.  Hopefully, you'll find the recipe was worth the wait! :)}

So, today I want to share with you an extremely simple recipe (just 4 ingredients!) that takes about 5 minutes to make - literally.  It is so easy and so tasty!  If you're a fan of candied pecans, this may become a favorite!

This candied pecan recipe is a modification of one I found here.  It is soy, wheat, milk, fish and egg-free (if all your ingredients are), and can be modified to use another tree nut or even peanuts, if desired (see variations).  It also uses honey vs. sugar, which is a bonus for me as I cannot eat any type of regular sweetener except for honey right now (I can only eat artificial sweeteners or alternative sweeteners in small amounts with the ones I've tried, as well - agave is next on my list to try), and would be a bonus for anyone who only uses natural/unprocessed sweeteners.  It is also super simple to make, and doesn't require the oven - a definite bonus during the hot summer months!  I also found that the flavor reminds me a bit of Butter Pecan Ice Cream, which is one of my favorites.  Anyway, if candied pecans are your jam, you'll definitely want to check this recipe out!

Cinnamon Honey Pecans

2 Cups unsalted pecan halves (raw preferred)

1/4 Cup honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt (up to 1/8 teaspoon)

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for cooling the pecans) and set aside. (Note: Yes, it needs to be parchment paper.  Butcher paper will work in a pinch, but wax paper or brown paper will not.  These pecans turn out very sticky at first, and they will stick to the wax paper or brown paper.)
      
2. Add all ingredients to a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat.  (Note: Unsalted halves work the best, especially if they are raw.  You can use roasted ones, though.  If you decided to use salted pecans, leave out the pinch of salt.)
     
3. When the honey starts bubbling, reduce heat to simmer.
      
4. Cook, stirring the pecans nearly constantly for 4 to 5 minutes or until excess honey evaporates and the pecans look candied.
   
   
5. Put the candied pecans on parchment paper and spread them apart so they are not touching.  (Note: As I mentioned above, the pecans will be very sticky, so this part can be a bit tricky to do.  If you don't get them apart, they tend to make clusters.  If that doesn't bother you, by all means, leave a few stuck together.)
   
   
6. Let the pecans dry on parchment paper for 24 hours for best results.  (Note:  You can eat these as soon as they begin to cool, but they are very sticky.  Letting them dry on the parchment helps minimize the stickiness a little bit, but you can definitely eat them as soon as they are cool enough to handle if you don't mind the stickiness.)

Makes 2 Cups of candied pecans.

Variations (Please keep individual dietary needs in mind when using variations!):

• Different Nuts:  If you are not a fan of pecans, you could definitely sub walnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc.  I suspect you could also use pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or sunflower seeds, too, but have not tried it.
  
  
• Add Some Heat: If you wanted a little kick, you could add up to 1/2 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, a pinch of red pepper flake (you may want to ground up that pinch to evenly distribute it), or even a dash or 2 of hot sauce to the honey mixture before cooking the pecans.
    
• No Cinnamon or Different Spice Combination: If you are not a fan of cinnamon, you can leave it out.  You can also use up to 1 teaspoon cinnamon if you want more cinnamon flavor.  You could even try using pumpkin pie spice blend, apple pie spice blend or another sweet spice blend of choice instead of cinnamon, if desired.

That's all there is to it!  Simple, right?

And they taste better than they look!

YUM!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Weigh In 2020: Week 24, June 15, 2020

Weekly Weigh In will go live every Monday, and it will share how I'm doing health-wise, and it will give me more accountability with my health.

Here is my twenty-fourth weigh in of 2020:

1. The Selfie: The selfie is me as of today, June 15, 2020.

2. Weight: I'm back on the weight loss side of things at a half pound lost.  I wish it was more, but I'll take it.  Here's hoping the trend continues.

3. Health News: I averaged just over 9,900 steps per day last week.  I am hoping to get at least my 6,000 steps per day average this week, and will do so as long as I can be out and about.

I'm waiting on the results of my labs now, and the referral is in for the endocrinologist.  I have not been able to get ahold of the gynecologist (either office - my current one or my old one) as of yet.  Hopefully, I will get ahold of one of them sooner or later.  We shall see.  Wish me luck, and prayers greatly appreciated!

4. Diet News:  The diet revamp continues.  I do great most days, but there are days that aren't as good, and I pay for it with weird heart issues (normally hearing my heart rate in my ears when I'm trying to sleep or feeling like my heart is racing when I'm trying to sleep).  I'm finding that caffeine and sugar (other than honey or naturally occurring sugar in fruit/veggies) is the main trigger, but too much spice or too much higher sugar fruit/veggies can also be an issue.  If nothing pans out in endocrinology, I'm going to ask about gallbladder, as I know when that goes wonky, you can have a lot of oddball symptoms and I have had some stomach related issues and pain that I just associated with the PCOS or bad (for me) food choices, but maybe there is more going on.  We shall see.

5. Other News: Please continue to pray for my middle kid.  For nearly 8 1/2 months now, he has been dealing with an unknown health issue.  His appointment with the doctor via TeleHealth was encouraging as she believes he sounds pretty stable symptom-wise.  His labs (which I'm waiting on a copy of) were pretty normal, so we're still in the "wait and see".  Good news is that he doesn't need to go see a specialist, but the bad news is that he is still dealing with random issues now and then that aren't normal.  If they continue, especially the nausea and back pain, and the x-ray he's having this week doesn't show a reasonable answer for the back pain, I'm going to be calling his doctor to see if we need to revisit the possibility of an issue with the gallbladder.  If you'd like a current update/rundown on his condition, you can click here.

As to our week, it's a little more busy than last week with things planned for most days.  At least we won't be bored! :)  It's looking like it is going to stay busy for the next month at least.  Bring it on! :D

How are you doing?  Do you have anything you want to weigh in with?  Any health progress or goals you want to share?  If so, please leave a comment below (with a link to your post, if you have one and wish to leave it), and I'll respond ASAP.

Have a great week!

Weekly Weigh In 2020: Week 23, June 8, 2020

Weekly Weigh In will go live every Monday, and it will share how I'm doing health-wise, and it will give me more accountability with my health.

Here is my twenty-third weigh in of 2020:

1. The Selfie: The selfie is me as of today, June 8, 2020.

2. Weight: So, do you remember all the lovely weight loss I had last week?  Yah, it's gone.  I gained it all back plus about 1/2 a pound.  I am NOT happy.  I know that the majority of it is water retention (always is when there is a 5 lb. weight gain, and I know I had way more salt than I should have, but I'll cover that more under "Diet News"), but it still frustrates me.  I am going to continue working on being active and tweaking diet, and hopefully I'll have a weight loss to share next week.

3. Health News: I averaged just over 9,200 steps per day last week.  I am hoping to get at least my 6,000 steps per day average this week, and will do so as long as I can be out and about.

I talked with my doctor last week, and she is going to be running labs and is referring me to the endocrinologist.  She will be contacting the endocrinologist when the referral goes through to see if he/she has any labs to add before I see him/her to see if endocrinology is indeed the right way to go with me or if I need to go another direction.  I have also been trying to get ahold of the gynecologist who found my PCOS to discuss getting that ovarian ultrasound that I have scheduled for August sooner if possible and see if there is any labs he wants to add to the mix, but have had no luck.  I am probably going to end up having to go back to an office I used to go to in order to have that ultrasound done and see about other labs.  We'll see how it goes.  Prayers appreciated!

4. Diet News:  I'm still revamping the diet.  I've pretty much eliminated all added sugars, and only sweeten things with honey when necessary.  My biggest issue is trying to make sure that I don't overdo the salt right now.  I cannot do a low sodium diet as that drops my blood pressure too low, but if I have too much salt, I have horrific water retention (like what's been going on recently).  There's a fine line, and I'm still learning what that is.  I'm also trying to up the protein level and add in more fruits and veggies that have a decent fiber count vs. being more sugar than anything else.  I also am trying to cut back on carbs in general (still a struggle) unless they are whole grain, and I'm definitely wanting to cut back even more on the processed foods.  I feel like I'm making progress, but it's taking me time to adjust.  I am trying not to change too much at once as that is a bit too big of a shock on the system.  Wish me luck, and I'll let you know how it goes!

5. Other News: Please continue to pray for my middle kid.  For just over 8 months now, he has been dealing with an unknown health issue.  His appointment is a TeleHealth one on Wednesday which I am looking forward to.  We are grateful that he's basically been stable symptom-wise, but he has flares now and then of concerning symptoms, and I'm sure she will be running more labs soon.  If you'd like a current update/rundown on his condition, you can click here.

As to our week, not too much scheduled as of yet other than Sean's TeleHealth appointment.  I think we'll enjoy more of a "do nothing" week, though I'm sure it will be far from that. :)  I like having the liberty to schedule things last minute if need be, especially some fun things.  We'll see what this week holds.

How are you doing?  Do you have anything you want to weigh in with?  Any health progress or goals you want to share?  If so, please leave a comment below (with a link to your post, if you have one and wish to leave it), and I'll respond ASAP.

Have a great week!

Weekly Weigh In 2020: Week 22, June 1, 2020

Weekly Weigh In will go live every Monday, and it will share how I'm doing health-wise, and it will give me more accountability with my health.

Here is my twenty-second weigh in of 2020:

1. The Selfie: The selfie is me as of today, June 1, 2020.

2. Weight: My weight went down by 4 pounds!  YAY!  It seems the avoiding sugar and added sugars is paying off as well as being more active.  Let's hope it continues.

3. Health News: I averaged just over 9,800 steps per day last week.  I am hoping to get at least my 6,000 steps per day average this week, and will do so as long as I can be out and about.

My TeleHealth appointment ended up being this morning.  The cardiologist does NOT think I have an issue with my heart arrhythmia-wise (though she did note skipped beats).  She advised seeing an endocrinologist as she suspects this issue is actually a hormonal one.  I am going to schedule an appointment with my primary soon and see what she thinks I should do in regards to the Coreg (I am staying on it for now as the cardiologist didn't mention I shouldn't take it, and it does seem to be helping the symptoms), and as to who I should go see (not all endocrinologists are created equally) or if she wants to run labs first, etc.  I am thinking I will ask her if we can do some labs before I go to another specialist as I am not having much luck with specialists wanting do much for me.  They all agree I am having something going on with me based on my symptoms, but just nothing they are qualified to diagnose or treat me for.  I have a sneaking suspicion that part of this is related to my PCOS.  Time will tell!  I appreciate your prayers!

4. Diet News:  The diet revamp continues!  I'm avoiding all foods added sugars, using only honey to sweeten foods if needed, being careful of what fruits and veggies I eat (I avoid all the ones that are mainly just sugar without any real fiber or fat), and avoiding all forms of caffeine.  I have purchased some sugar-free "treats" that contain artificial sweeteners, but I cannot eat them very often as me an artificial sweeteners don't get along so well.  It is nice to have the option of something sweet at times that I don't have to make myself, though (I won't be purchasing sugar-free items often, though).  It's been interesting going essentially sugar-free and caffeine-free, but I feel like I'm getting there.  Sugar is in a LOT of things, so I have to be pretty selective on food choices.  It is definitely a learning curve, and I'm still learning.  Wish me luck!

5. Other News: Please continue to pray for my middle kid.  For 8 months now, he has been dealing with an unknown health issue.  We're hopeful that we will be able to keep his appointment in June, and are grateful that he's basically been stable symptom-wise right now.  If you'd like a current update/rundown on his condition, you can click here.

As to our week, not too much scheduled.  We've kinda done all the painting outside that we can do without a decent extension ladder or some scaffolding, but I may attempt repainting my bathroom this week if I feel up to it.  Other than that, I have a chiropractic appointment (maybe 2), and I may have that follow-up with my primary if I can work that in.  Kind of a boring, uneventful week, for the most part, but I'm ok with that.  Oh, well, I guess my birthday is Wednesday, and I'm going to try my hand at a new recipe for a cheesecake made with honey that I hope works out, so there's that. :)  Overall, should be a nice week.  That's the plan, anyway. :D

How are you doing?  Do you have anything you want to weigh in with?  Any health progress or goals you want to share?  If so, please leave a comment below (with a link to your post, if you have one and wish to leave it), and I'll respond ASAP.

Have a great week!