In Season this July: the Fruits and Vegetables of San Francisco

If you’re anything like me, you’d might really like to get your head around what seasonal fruits and vegetables to buy from the grocery store or farmers market, but maybe you’re not sure where to start?

We’ll let's learn together. After a little hunting, here’s what we should be looking for this month.

Fruit

• Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Pluots
• Berries (Blueberries, Boysenberries, Mulberries, Raspberries, Strawberries)
• Figs
• Melons
• Rhubarb

Vegetables

• Artichokes
• Avocados
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Snap peas
• Summer Squash

This brilliant list comes to you from SF Environment’s Bay Area Seasonal Fruit & Vegetable Guide.

Love,
Adrianna

Resources: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4807/10-Reasons-To-Eat-Whats-In-Season.html 

Beginners Guide to Food Allergies

Big topic. If I could tell you three things it would be:

1. Find a doctor, allergist, and nutritionist that you like and trust. If you don't trust your medical care and they're not listening, get a second, third and tenth opinion if necessary. I went through three allergists before I found Prof Pete Smith, who saved my life.
2. Be proactive. If you're feeling unwell or having the regular flare-ups or reactions, something is not right. It's up to you to follow-up with the doctor, ask for the referral, ask for what to research. While doctors and specialists are wonderful and can literally save your life, no one knows your body like you do, and if you don't prioritize your health, then no one else will.
3. Take someone with you to appointments. I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but when I'm tired, stressed, sick and having an allergic reaction, I can't remember anything. One of my biggest symptoms of bad reactions is actually short term memory loss. Knowing this, I always take someone with me and take notes, which I then throw into a google doc to capture all the notes from that specialist in the one place. I have a rotation of family, friends, and partner that I take to appointments, and while it can be uncomfortable to ask, allowing for that level of transparency in your medical treatment, actually means people can support and understand what you're going through because they're sharing the experience with you. 

And finally, remember to give yourself a mantra, a motivating, reassuring, mind focusing key. I remember times in my life where I could barely walk a block without needed rest, and one of the key things that made it bearable was this mantra: "This too shall pass". 

With love, 

Adrianna

Mexican Veggie Bowls while on holiday

With food allergies, there's often this strange worry when you travel of- When the heck will my next meal be! Anyone in my family will tell you that I get the hangries (hungry & therefore angry) if I don't eat on a regular basis. When we travel, I especially try to mitigate this by always having snacks packed into my bag: fruit and muesli bars, nuts or nut spreads, those baby squeezie bags with fruit and veg, fresh fruit like apples that travel well, etc. The other thing we do is to always rent accommodation with a kitchen. 

Renting accommodation with a kitchen is hugely important for my health while traveling because it enables me to adventure into wild countries without knowing the language or being able to eat the food. What we usually do when we arrive is find the nearest supermarket and get enough food for three days. This means as soon as we check-in I can eat something and then we can head straight back out and husband-man can eat all the local wild food. 

And while yes, it's disappointing not be able to eat the local cuisine, especially for a foodie, it's better than eating something I don't trust, or worst, getting anaphylaxis in a country where I don't speak the language. 

Recently on a holiday with my parents, we finished our day of adventuring and decided we needed all the vegetables. My Mama and I got to cooking, and inspired by Mama Eats Plants, we made Mexican Veggie Bowls! 

Mexican Veggie Bowls with Lime Crema

Serves four 

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice
• 1 can organic black beans 
• 1 can of corn kernels  
• 2 cups of chopped pumpkin
• 1 tbsp cold pressed sunflower or safflower oil 
• 1 cup of green beans, top, tailed and cut in half
• 1 lime 
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 1 avocado 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley 
• Lemon wedges to serve

Method 

1. Preheat your oven to 180' C or 375' F. 
2. Empty the tin of beans straight into a small saucepan with any spices you like (or are able to eat). Cook for a minimum of 30mins, or until soft. 
3. Start your rice. Pour the rice into a small saucepan. Rinse until the water runs clear from the rice. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, place lid on and bring to the boil. Once it starts boiling, turn it down to low and let it cook until all the water evaporates - once you see all the water gone, the little bubbles through the rice will disappear, turn it off and let it rest. Important - do not lift the lid until you're ready to serve. As my husband would say, "You'll ruin it!". 
4. Toss the pumpkin in the oil and place on a tray in the oven for 25-35 minutes, or until they're soft enough for you to put a fork through them.
5. Place the beans in a steamer and set aside. 10mins before you're going to plate up, turn the steamer on and cook for 6-10mins. This is a really great guide for steaming times. 
6. Meanwhile! To make the crema, which when I'm home I usually make the vegan version. Place the sour cream in a bowl, with the juice and zest of the lime, finely minced the garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together and set aside. 
7. Dice up your avocado and sprinkle with a little lemon so it doesn't go brown. 
8. Once all your ingredients are ready, plate up and top the bowls with fresh parsley (or cilantro), crema and any hot sauces you love! Enjoy!

With love, 

Adrianna 

Nel’s {Carob Chip} Cookies

Everyone has a go-to cookie/biscuit recipe. Nel’s is mine, and as usual, I made two batches, one for my honey and one for myself as I can’t eat chocolate - I KNOW. Here’s how it went:

Nel's Chocolate Chip Cookies, ala Arnie's Carob Chip Cookies

ARNIE’S/NEL’s CAROB CHIP COOKIES

·      125g Nutilex (room temperature is best)

·      2/3 cup /135g brown sugar, firmly packed (sometimes I use less or maple syrup)

·      1 tsp vanilla essence

·      1 egg (room temperature)

·      3/4 cup / 110 g whole-wheat flour

·      1/2 tsp bicarb soda

·      1 1/4 cups / 110g rolled oats

·      3/4 cup / 140g carob chips, I’m currently using Sunspire
*I also mess around with this recipe A LOT. Today I added ground flax seeds and rye flour.

DAMIEN’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

·      125g Nutilex (room temperature)

·      2/3 cup /135g brown sugar, firmly packed

·      1 tsp vanilla essence

·      1 egg (room temperature)

·      3/4 cup / 110 g whole-wheat flour

·      1/2 tsp bicarb soda

·      1 1/4 cups / 110g rolled oats

·      3/4 cup / 140g dark chocolate chips or just dark chocolate chopped up

METHOD

1.     Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper // or alfoil.

2.     Beat nutilex, brown sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters until pale and creamy.

3.     Add the egg and beat until combined.

4.     Sift flour and bicarb together, then use a wooden spoon to mix it into the butter mixture with the rolled oats and choc/carob chips.

5.     Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray about an inch apart to allow for spreading and flatten slightly.

6.     Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

7.     Stand on baking tray for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

8.     Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week (if they last that long).

Here’s to Sunday and a great beginning to the new week. 

With love, 
Adrianna

A quarter teaspoon of scallop and my first anaphylactic reaction

When I was 21, I visited my parents in far North Queensland, Australia. They live in a small quiet beach community where the air is heavy with humidity, and the nights are deeply quiet - filled with the sounds of insect and dark night skies glittered with stars.

One night, my Dad was cooking dinner, which included an entrée of scallops. As a rule, I don’t eat shellfish as my hands, throat and mouth itch whenever I even touch it. But it was a relaxed evening and I had never tried scallop before so we thought why not? Once the scallops were cooked I tried a small piece on a teaspoon, no larger than a 1/4 teaspoon serving. Within about 10 minutes I started coughing, my fingers and the soft tissue in my throat felt tight and uncomfortable, I was also very itchy. I then started getting dizzy, passing in and out. Immediately my Dad threw me into the car and drove me straight to the local hospital – keeping in mind, the closest ambulance and hospital in this part of rural Australia is a 20-minute drive from our house. I was diagnosed with Food Chemical Anaphylaxis and placed on a restricted rotational diet. I was just 21 years old.

What I didn't know at the time, was that this was the catalyst that would throw me deeply into a passion for food, food allergies and nutrition. After spending countless hours with doctors, allergists, nutritionists, and dietitians, I have developed a deep understanding and reverence for nutrition and health through diet. My health philosophy is very simple, look after your body: Feed it with a varied diet and whole foods, exercise it, (for me this means weekly yoga, rock climbing, walking my dog and getting in nature), and finally be aware of contributing factors, which includes hormones, stress, work and home life (just to name a few).

When I started on this journey, I didn't know anyone with allergies, I didn't know how to look after myself, and I didn't know how to be safe eating around others. Now I feel like I have a pretty good idea (most of the time) and I really want this space to be somewhere that you can come to feel better about your journey and feel supported. You are not alone.

With Love,
Adrianna

Eating out at a music festival in 2015