BOO!!!! :) Happy Halloween!!!

Whoever said Halloween treats had to be made with chocolate & refined sugar was completely off their rocker. I do believe it's possible to take any common food such as an egg & turn it into an eerily adorable dish. See for yourself!! :) 

One egg carefully cooked using a cookie cutter, ground peppercorn for the spider stencil, & two peppercorns for the eyes! 

Or even a slice of cheesecake turned into a mischievous little bat!! How easy is that?! 

An ordinary piece of cheesecake transformed into a bat using a tin cookie cutter. 

So maybe these treats aren't full of gluten, or sugar, or artificial flavors, or anything out of a box. Who cares!! No one needs to eat that junk anyway... These are cute, healthy, & extremely easy to conjure up!! :) 


I hope my goodies have inspired you to look in your fridge & spice cabinet for the proper ingredients needed to create something clever & spooky for this creepy holiday. Now go have fun!! 
<3, Allie 

"Eye See You!!!!!" :) Chicken eyeballs with cilantro, DCCC, slice of an olive, & a peppercorn in the middle  over a bed of zucchini pasta (raw for the picture)

I thought my post was finished earlier but no... Another scary idea popped into my head!!! Creepy huh?! :) Definitely the spookiest dish I came up with this year. Once again, incredibly easy to make & oh SO scrumptious!!!!!! Put this together for Halloween dinner tonight. Mmm, mmm, ghoulishly tasty!! ;) Hope you've been having a spooktacular night!!!! 


xoxo, Allie

Soup's on!

Cream of cauliflower soup. YUM! :) 

Roasted cauliflower & chicken soup come together to create this heart-warming masterpiece

What a cute soup bowl!!!! Perfect for the month of October :)

The most delectable soup for a chilly October day. Try it out, I know you'll love it!!!! :) It's easy! Just roast a head of cauliflower with a sprinkle of olive oil, then toss it in the blender with some homemade chicken soup & VOILA! Cream of cauliflower soup. Add a few pinches of salt & pepper for some kicks. Be careful, it's known to cause overindulgence!! ;) 

<3, Allie

Chicken Addicts Anonymous (C.A.A.)

Marinated chicken thighs that lasted no more than 5 minutes... Oops. 

Time to confess a few things about myself. Number one, I am a bookworm. Stephen King continues to be my favorite author. Number two, I am a computer geek. Apple products all the way!! Number three, I am such a fan of books & computers that I rarely find time for both!!!! This would explain why it's been a whole 11 days since I posted last. Whoops! :) Okay, now that I've cleared that up, back to the important thing: food! 

I'm sure you noticed my enticing photo of marinated chicken thighs & immediately thought to yourself, "is she going to eat ALL of those?!". To answer your question, absolutely positively. I enjoyed every single bite! :) I happen to be the biggest fan of chicken thighs in case you weren't already aware. These were especially delicious because they were celebratory. I checked my midterm grades last night & am proud to report that I received TWO A's for my classes!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! :D I couldn't have been happier!!!! This meant that my brain fog was no longer hindering my ability to succeed in school. **giggle overload** To celebrate, I woke up this morning & began marinating my chicken thighs. Waiting for an hour was pure torture. An easy microwaved egg with a smidgen of butter seemed to hold me over for the time being. I removed the thighs from the fridge, took off the lid to place them on the broil pan, & BAM! The lemony, garlic-y, salty, peppery marinade smacked me like a ton of bricks. The SCD-friendly dressing I used was none other than the incredibly scrumptious Tessemae's . Delish!!!! In addition to that, I sprinkled in some salt & pepper for texture. That's everything, foodies! My recipe for gourmet chicken thighs. Simple & satisfying. The last step is placing them in the oven on low broil for about 18 minutes, 9 minutes per side. :) Be prepared to share although we both know that's tough to do when it comes to chicken thighs...  

Now I'm off to make a cheesecake. Even though I've been 100% sugar-free (no honey or bananas or pears) for about 2 weeks now due to some evidence of insulin resistance, I feel comfortable with having a teeny tiny piece of lemon cheesecake. Just a little itty bitty square. :D The rest shall be split between my parents. I'm not looking to have yet another horrible reaction to sugar!!! 

Stay hungry, foodies. Look out for a special Halloween post within the next few days!!!! :) 

xoxox, Allie 

p.s. if you've emailed me & I have not replied, please forgive me!! I'm working hard to balance school with my path to wellness (aka the SCD support group, all the cooking, & my beloved SCD blog)

OH! And please check out my poll if you wouldn't mind. I'm trying to collect some data. :)

Time Flies When You're SCDin'

Don't think the SCD works? Check this out. 


I've been on the SCD for SIX MONTHS today. OH.MY.GOD!!!!!!!!!!! :D They have truly been the most magical six months of my entire life. It's difficult to find the right words to describe just how happy I am with the "new" me so I thought I'd post a few pictures. These photos speak louder than any words I could come up with... Ugh, just glancing at them makes me sick to my stomach. 


Now tell me you don't think the diet works. Yeah, I thought so. 
BAM! The SCD performs miracles. :) 

Nasty, nasty, NASTY. :( Face as round as the moon.

My body keeping my sanity hostage.

Wait for it... 

22 lbs. lighter, a billion times happier, infinitively healthier, a trillion times better all around

  Amazing, right?!?!?! :D That's the SCD for you!! I call it my secret weapon. Err... I didn't mean to say that!!! Shhhh!!!! You never read any of this! ;) 


Take the plunge & get yourselves healed, folks. All you have to do is EAT the RIGHT foods!!!! Look out for what I cooked up on my 20th birthday. My gourmet meals will BLOW YOUR MIND! 
<3, Allie  


p.s. thanks so much for joining me on this epic journey. I have loved every minute of it. :)   

Aroma Therapy

The tantalizing, mouth-watering aroma of my cauliflower pizza. Can you smell it? Perhaps you can think of this as a stare-&-sniff. Focus, focus, focus!!!! :) Let me know if that works... 


So what we have here is an amazing concoction. A pizza crust consisting of merely cauliflower, eggs, farmer's cheese, & garlic. THAT IS IT!!!!! And let me tell you it is positively GOURMET!!!!!! The chosen sauce for this dish consists of basil, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), & farmer's cheese. Ah-MAY-zing!!!! :D The topping for my pizza is sauteed mushrooms, ground beef, & olives. Perfect texture!!! Easy to create & even easier to enjoy. You guys must try this next time you feel like an extraordinary dinner. It's worth all the cooking, I promise!!! 


For those of you who follow the SCD, I hope you're jumping for joy!!! PIZZA!!!! :) Did you ever think in your wildest dreams that you'd have an opportunity to chow down on some yummy pizza again? I know I didn't!!! But please, pretty please, don't misunderstand me here. In no way, shape, or form do I miss the SAD. I just miss convenient foods such as pizza. Nothing is on the fly anymore as you all know & sometimes it can be a tad BIT tiring! The best part about this pizza is that it IS convenient!! After you go through the hard labor of cooking it, of course... Once it's complete, you can freeze little individual slices & pop them in the microwave the next morning as your breakfast for champions! :) The flavors are equally as delicious reheated. Have I done a thorough job of tickling the heck out of your taste buds? Don't deny them any longer!!!! Answer their prayers!! 


If I haven't inflicted enough damage to your eyes by convincing you that this is a stare-&-sniff, wait till my next post. You won't be able to drive until tomorrow morning. Unless my family & I decide to humorously attempt to conduct a yoga session this afternoon, I should have the next post published by tonight. I highly recommend taking these next few hours to relax your weary eyes & prepare for another stare down. Perhaps take a couple slices of cucumber & work some magic on those gems of yours. Wouldn't want to sit the latter post out!! ;)   
<3, Allie    

Just keep staring. Stare directly into the pizza. Smell it yet?

This has an aroma you can't beat. I KNOW you can smell this. 

Pizza crust slices on broil, releasing their garlic-y scent. I bet you're starting to cringe, it's strong I know!! 

My idea of the Food Pyramid

Cream of Broccoli Soup (homemade chicken broth, steamed broccoli, & farmer's cheese blended. VOILA!)

Scrambled eggs cooked to perfection, if I do say so myself. :) YUM!  

Compliments of BTVC (Breaking the Vicious Cycle) lemon cheesecake. PERFECTO!  

Looking at these photos is making my stomach rumble. I would give anything just to CHEW right now. Today my food palette has been restricted to clear liquids only aka homemade chicken soup broth. Why would I go without, you ask? Colonoscopy tomorrow!!!!!!! YIKES!!!!!! :( For nearly two days I have to go without delicious grilled chicken, fluffy scrambled eggs, warm cream of broccoli soup, juicy ground beef, moist lemon cheesecake, cozy mashed cauliflower... the works!!! DARN!!! How long does a young woman on the SCD have to wait till she can sink her teeth into some hearty food?! My E.T.F. (estimated time of flush) is 3:15 p.m. tomorrow. Immediately afterwards, I have a date with my refrigerator. :D Until then, I shall cherish the liquid gold that I am allowed to enjoy. Thanks for helping me cook up a boatload of broth, mom!!!! :) 


Wish me luck, I'm a little nervous about the procedure. :/ The prep solution was nothing short of a nightmare disguised as a fluid. YUCK!!!! But then again, this colonoscopy is only a speed-bump. Once this is over with, I'll continue to do what I was doing before: eat healthily & feel phenomenal. Besides, I know what I ate that derailed me & caused this catastrophe in the first place... Oh wait, let me back up for a second. This is the end of my story, I left out the beginning & the middle. An over-abundance (oopsies, I thought it would be okay!!) of cheese sent me to the hospital with severe abdominal pain & chronic "d" (do the math) about a week ago. After a fickle IV injection, two gigantic cups of contrast, three painful hours of waiting, a life-sucking bright light in the hospital room, & a disappointing diagnosis from the CT scan, we were heading home at 2:30 a.m. with a large cloud lingering above our heads; was this a Crohn's flare-up? Does an inflamed small intestine mean Crohn's Disease? How will this change our lives? :( My mind was spinning, my heart quickly sinking. I didn't even know how to react. Honestly, I was scared beyond words. All I knew to do was cry. Given my history, I assumed it really was a Crohn's flare-up. Forgive me, I do not mean to sound pessimistic. I just know my body too well. Eager for answers, we contacted my endocrinologist for a GI recommendation. The spirits were on my side when we got through to the GI; an appointment was available the very next morning!!!!! He was convinced it's Crohn's Disease but scheduled a colonoscopy as verification. So here I am, anxiously waiting for the end of the tunnel to appear. 


Whether it brings light or darkness, I know I will be okay. I'm on the proper diet for Crohn's so as long as I remain a strong adherent of the SCD, nothing but great wellness should lie in my future. I must stay positive. :) Well I believe that's all for tonight. The tiredness of a liquid diet seems to be hitting me. Goodnight, foodies. Dream of the gourmet SCD lemon cheesecake. ;) <3        

Under Construction, but still Cookin'!

Extra-ripe organic bananas (1 banana) & organic eggs (2 jumbo). Cinnamon, too!  

The perfect breakfast, you ask? What on earth may that be? Might it be a stack of dainty, delicately browned, cinnamony banana pancakes with a tiny drizzle of honey? :) I think YES. Ladies & gents, I have figured out the secret to stellar banana pancakes!!! COOK THEM SLOWLY! All you need is low heat & lots of patience. Once you've got those two down, watch your pancakes brown evenly & take on the appearance of any typical gluten-y pancake!!!! It's magical!!!! Okay now go & put those ripe bananas in your kitchen to good use! :) 


Alright so now all of you have the secret to the best breakfast in town, i.e., banana pancakes. Now I must fill you in on the world's most delicious casserole recipe for a chilly, wintery/fall-ish day. It's the "Everything but the Kitchen Sink Casserole". :) 

Be quick about this because it doesn't last very long in the kitchen if a SCDer is present!!!! :)

"Everything but the Kitchen Sink Casserole"
*preheat oven to 350 & butter a 13.5 x 8.75 x 1.75 glass Pyrex dish*

• 6 organic eggs, beaten (3 whole eggs, 3 egg whites)
• 1 wild-caught salmon fillet (pre-cooked)
• 1 whole head of organic cauliflower, sauteed/steamed 
• 1 whole head of organic broccoli, sauteed/steamed 
• 4 roasted garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. melted organic butter
• .5-1 cup homemade chicken soup broth
• 1 cup DCCC/Farmer's Cheese
• 2 packages of organic button mushrooms, chopped & sauteed 
• 4 medium organic zucchini, peeled & sliced into rounds
• .5 cup shredded organic sharp cheddar cheese (optional) 
• salt & pepper to taste 

First, lay your sliced zucchini rounds on the bottom of your greased glass Pyrex dish. They will act as the foundation for your casserole. Then you'll want to place the heads of broccoli & cauliflower in a pot on the stove to steam until softened. Pour in your chicken broth before turning on the heat. Once the veggies have softened, add in the 2 tbsp. melted butter with your 4 roasted garlic cloves. After that has cooked for a bit & the broccoli/cauliflower appears to be semi-steamed, cut the heads into smaller bits & pieces. This will make it easier to spread into your casserole dish. Let that sit on low heat until the butter & garlic is absorbed & the veggies are thoroughly steamed. In another pan on low-medium heat, place your 2 packages of mushrooms. Saute them until softened. While the mushrooms saute, add in your Farmer's cheese & pre-cooked salmon fillet. Don't let this mixture overcook!! The salmon should only be heated in the saute pan; you want to avoid turning the salmon into leather. With your cauliflower/broccoli mixture complete along with your salmon/Farmer's cheese/mushrooms mixture, you can begin filling your casserole dish. You can choose which food to layer in whichever order you'd like, but this is how I layered mine. :) Gently pour your cauliflower/broccoli mix in on top of the sliced zucchini rounds, spreading it evenly across the entire dish. Then carefully pour your salmon/cheese/mushrooms mix over the top. Take your 6 eggs, beaten, & pour them into the dish to finish it off. If you can tolerate cheddar cheese, sprinkle it on top as a flavorful garnish. If not, that's fine too!! Place it in your preheated oven & let it bake for 30 minutes so the eggs can fully cook. :) Then you have it!!!! The answer to your rumbly tumbly any day of the week. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! p.s. I recommend slicing up the leftovers & freezing them as easy meals for later! 

Now before I go, I'd also like to add that my blog is currently under construction!!! :) If you go to my home page, you'll see a new tab labeled "My Recipes". Beneath it, I have a single link called "Scrumptious Dishes" with one recipe listed. My goal is to expand that list & eventually have ALL my recipes under one tab! Please, bear with me while my blog goes through this crazy, chaotic, exciting transformation!!! :) Okay, off to the drawing board! Have a lovely evening, foodies. <3 Cook up something divine!!!