Too much to do, not enough time– it seems to be a common lament this time of year. A 36-hour day would be nice, wouldn’t it? Those were my thoughts too, before IC. But having been diagnosed with IC for more than ten years has made me re-evaluate a lot of things. Running around at a hectic pace just makes my bladder hurt… and the more I do the worse it is.
This month I envy the felines of the world– no holiday shopping frenzy, no nervous waits in long lines at stores and restrooms. Nope, cats are at home by the fireplace doing what they do best: cat-napping. I like their approach to the season– slow down, stay warm, take care of the body’s needs first. It’s something I have to remind myself of constantly, but I’ve found it really is key to surviving the holidays without a horrendous bladder flare.
For the next few weeks, my plan is to stick to my diet and pamper my bladder as much as I can. I like to plan ahead: I know I’ll probably be cheating on my diet around Christmas time and New Year’s Day… who can resist fudge? But my bladder can tolerate the cheating better if I’ve stuck to my diet scrupulously in the previous three weeks. Not easy to do, but worth the effort to be able to be a bit more flexible at Christmas.
That’s something a number of women in my local IC support group have noticed too. Getting away with a small amount of irritating food is more likely if one hasn’t been sneaking bits of irritating foods off and on in previous days and weeks. There seems to be something addictive about the effect of these foods. I call it the “bucket principle”. An allergist put it this way: picture your body’s tolerance as a bucket that fills with water. It fills as you eat irritating foods, encounter things you are allergic to, become emotionally stressed and physically tired, do bladder-irritating activities, or forget to take your regular IC medications.
Eventually it spills over the brim and you have increased pain and urinary frequency. Then as you carefully monitor your diet, get plenty of rest, avoid irritating activities, and faithfully take medications that help you, the level in the bucket goes down. That, he explained to me, may be why we are better able to tolerate a particular food at one time than at another: when the bucket is nearly full it doesn’t take much to make it spill over.
So, being aware of the “bucket principle”, I know that for dinners most of this month I’ll want something quick to put together and bladder friendly to boot. That’s not an easy-to-find combination. The packaged and frozen meals I depended on in my pre-IC years are now pretty much out of the question. They have too many irritating flavor enhancers and preservatives. And fast food? Not an option this month.
So, what can I make from scratch, quick? Here are two great soup recipes and a quick peppermint ice cream, low in acid and soothing to the spirit! Enjoy!
Slow-Cooked Beef Soup
Here is a very versatile recipe in that it can be soup or stew depending on how much thickening and water you use. It’s a hearty meal when paired with french bread. Another of the wonderful things about this recipe is what it doesn’t have: common soup/stew ingredients that may be problematic for IC bladders. It has no onions or paprika for instance. It also omits some typical beef soup ingredients that cause flare-ups of vulvar pain for those of us with vulvodynia: celery, parsley, and black pepper.
Ingredients:
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut in bite sized chunks
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 14-oz can beef broth (see note below)
1 cup water
1-1/2 cups baby carrots, cut in half
2 large boiling potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 cup frozen peas
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot
1 tsp. Brown sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 pinch ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. orange extract (optional)
1/4 cup cold water
Instructions:
In a brown paper bag or plastic food storage bag, shake beef chunks with the 2 tablespoons of flour to coat. In a large skillet, brown the beef in olive oil. Remove beef to the slow cooker. Add beef broth and 1 cup of water to the hot skillet, scraping up the browned bits. Pour into the slow cooker. Add carrots, potatoes, peas, garlic, and bay leaf to the slow cooker.
In a small bowl or a cup combine the tablespoon of flour, the brown sugar, salt, allspice and ground cardamom. Gradually stir in the cold water and orange extract to make a smooth mixture. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Put the lid on and cook until meat is tender, usually about four hours if set on high. (Time may vary. Check the instructions for your slow-cooker and use the time recommended for soups or stews.)
Note: The kind of beef broth you use is very important– it needs to be free of monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is a common ingredient of most beef bouillon cubes and canned beef broth. Health Valley makes an excellent fat-free canned beef broth. The only drawback to the brand is that it contains a smidgen of white pepper. White pepper is milder than black pepper and the tiny amount in this soup is generally not a problem for most IC bladders. Those with oxalate sensitive vulvodynia may want to check it out carefully though.
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Quick Holiday Soup #2 – Crab Chowder
Ingredients:
1-3/4 c. frozen corn kernels
3/4 c.chopped green bell peppers
1 c. boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped into half-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 c. chicken broth (MSG-free)
1/2 c. crabmeat, cooked and cut in bite-sized pieces
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. dried chives
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. white wine (optional)
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whipping cream
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Thaw the frozen corn under running water in a colander.
Turn out on paper towels and pat dry. Empty into a bowl and add chopped bell peppers, potatoes, and oil, tossing to coat. Spread the vegetables evenly on a large rimmed non-stick cookie sheet or baking pan (line with foil if not non-stick). Roast vegetables in oven about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. They will start to brown a bit.
While vegetables roast, place broth in a soup pot and bring to a boil. When vegetables are done, remove from oven and add to the broth. Add crab meat, onion powder, chives, and thyme. Add wine if desired. (Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water and will evaporate). Reduce heat to simmer. Place flour in a small dish and stir in a tablespoon or so of the hot broth to make a paste. Gradually add about 1/4 cup more of the soup broth to the paste. Pour back into the soup and simmer and stir until the soup is slightly thickened. Stir in the cream, add salt to taste, then ladle into serving bowls. Serve with oyster crackers, Original Triscuits, or fresh vegetable sticks.
