Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | For Niki: What to eat when... (really long post)

... you're sick of "what to eat when you can't eat anything", but are still too sick to really COOK.

This is (basically) the email I sent to heather7476... she can eat light Italian dressing and feel fine... if you're not at a stage yet where you can do that, just go crazy with whatever dry or fresh herbs you can tolerate. Like I stressed to her, it's all about going with what you can safely eat at the time. I probably have a lot more ideas beyond this; because of my problems with nausea, I've been eating "bland and safe" for 6 weeks now.

Anyway, here goes...

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Fat-Free Chicken Gravy

Heat 1 cup water and 2 tsp chicken bouillon in a small saucepan. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp flour, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 tsp bouillon. When the water in the saucepan boils, pour in the flour mixture, whisking constantly, and cook till thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper, onion powder, and parsley.

Having a little gravy to pour over top makes even boiled chicken taste better. But once you have some gravy to work with, you can also...

* Heat some chopped or shredded leftover cooked chicken directly in the gravy, and serve it over toast as hot open-faced sandwiches.

* If you can tolerate cooked peas and carrots right now, add those plus some cut-up cooked potato and cooked chicken to make chicken stew. If not, just make it with the potato and chicken for a nice change from chicken noodle soup.

* Toss the gravy with some cooked pasta (1 1/2 to 2 cups) and chicken, and cooked vegetables of choice (if you can tolerate them... if not, just go heavy on the chicken). Season to taste with salt and pepper and any herbs and spices you feel like adding (I usually add more onion powder and a pinch of thyme). Put it in a casserole dish, top with Italian breadcrumbs or finely crushed crackers and a generous spray of butter-flavor cooking spray (if you like casseroles with a "crunch" on top). Bake for about 1/2 hour, maybe a little less, just till hot through and browning on top. It's still kind of bland, but it's more filling and feels more like "real food" than chicken noodle soup! And as you introduce more insolubles into your diet, you can make the casserole more interesting... one of the last ones I made had spinach, mushrooms, and roasted onions, and I think it was pretty darn good.

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My mom used to make something called "blue moon chicken", because she didn't make it very often (just once in a blue moon!). The recipe itself is pretty safe except for the frying part, but I think it could still be done with cooking spray and a nonstick pan.

Blue Moon Chicken

Set out 3 plates or shallow bowls. In one, put some flour. In the next, a couple egg whites, beaten. In the third, Italian breadcrumbs.

She always used chicken breast "tenders", but you can take the normal breast halves and cut them in half widthwise - you want chicken that's not more than 1/2" thick. Heat a nonstick pan, spray it with cooking spray. Dredge the chicken pieces in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs till well-coated. "Fry" in the hot pan till golden-browned and done, turning once. (Should only take a couple minutes per side.) You'll probably have to do this in batches, so wipe out the pan in between batches of chicken - otherwise the cooking spray burns a little and smells horrible, heh.

Serve with a drizzle of honey, or, if you can tolerate the spice, some honey mustard. If you're beyond the "what to eat when you can't eat anything" stage, you can also mix half fat-free mayo and half Italian dressing (thanks for the idea, Kree!) to make a creamy dipping sauce.

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Once you have a Foreman grill, I think you'll find that you feel a whole lot better about cooking for yourself - you seriously get a lot of flavor for very little effort. On days that you're feeling kind of blah, just salt and pepper the chicken and throw it on - it takes about 7-8 minutes. On days you're feeling like a little more spice, marinate the chicken first, for about an hour, in light Italian (or any vinaigrette) dressing. It makes the grill a little messier to
clean up, but the flavor is worth it.

Until you have a grill, though, how about just trying it panfried? Cut the chicken like I suggested for the "blue moon chicken", and cook it in a pan with a little cooking spray. It's not quite grilled, but it's still going to have more flavor than boiled.

Once you have some grilled or panfried chicken, you can...

* Eat it as is.

Or top with the gravy or a little honey.

* Have a grilled chicken sandwich! If you can tolerate light Italian dressing, you can definitely handle a little mustard, so mix together a little honey and mustard, spread it on a roll or good bread, add the chicken, and enjoy!

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I don't know if you eat much turkey, but turkey burgers are a good change of pace. Buy a 1-lb package of ground turkey breast (make sure it's the breast meat, not the light and dark mixed). Combine in a bowl with 1 large egg white, 1/2 tsp (or more) of salt and a little pepper. Once it's well mixed, shape it gently into 4 patties. Stick each one in a sandwich bag, stick 'em in the freezer, and you have 4 quick meals - they grill on the Foreman frozen in less than 10 minutes, and probably wouldn't take much more than that in a nonstick pan.

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Also, I don't know what you're eating for side dishes, but sometimes that can make all the difference in the world, to give you a little variety. When you're totally sick of bread and pasta, do this:

Peel potatoes and cut into wedges. Spray with cooking spray, salt generously, and lay them out single-layer on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake till golden brown, and you have oven "fries", totally safe. (Though you might want to go easy on the ketchup, if you're still trying to stabilize.) This works with sweet potatoes, too.

Mashed potatoes are easy, too. I "bake" my potatoes in the microwave (wash, prick with a fork, 5 minutes on high, turn, another 5 minutes on high) and then let them cool till I can handle them. The skins basically fall right off as they cool. Mash the potatoes with a fork or masher, and then add chicken broth (I find dry bouillon and water has more flavor, but canned broth works too) till you have a good mashed-potato consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and onion/garlic powders.

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Anyway, I can probably keep going, but hopefully this gave you an idea or two.

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