Eggs!

I have not eaten an egg for 64 days. As you may recall I began an elimination diet on the first of January, and I have diligently (and strictly) avoided the 19 items on my allergy list. Tomorrow I will visit the narturopath to discuss the effects of the cleanse on my digestion and general health. As agreed, the 2-month elimination will cease after the allotted time has passed. Therefore, tomorrow begins a new stage in the “allergy experience.”

For the next 19 weeks I will re-introduce each of the individual foods items back into my diet. Now that I have experienced the effects of strict eating restraints, I will soon learn the nuanced needs of my body. Each week I will introduce one item from the list; I will consume the “foreign” food for 3 days. Thereafter I will end the consumption of that same item. In 3-4 days time I will likely grasp the varying intensities of each food allergy.

It is my hope that I can choose the order of food introductions. Some I crave far more than others. The most difficult foods have been eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, yeast and lemons. If I can reintroduce at my leisure, I will surely begin with the egg.

As you might expect, breakfast has been challenging. Yes, I have grown to enjoy the texture of porridge and the sweet summertime taste of smoothies, but there’s something about eggs that leaves me satiated. To both celebrate the egg I intend on eating lots of eggs for 4 days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will find room for my egg binge. If I’m allergic, I’ll have to say good-bye to a food I really enjoy. Given this uncertainty, I want to treat each ingredient like its the last time we’ll dine together.

To this end, I want to write a series on this process. Each time I re-introduce a food item, I will write an article on that item, with emphasis on the different recipes or dishes I want to make with the ingredient. In this particular case, I think it’s important for me to note that todayI will not be posting a typical weekly menu post. I have decided instead to write a list of meals I look forward to making that require the use of egg(s).

Starting this weekend and going through the first couple days of next week, I hope to eat many egg dishes. Here are a list of ideas/desires that I want to fulfill in the coming days:

• quiche or souffle
• a tasty banana muffin recipe I have awaiting me
• salty caramel ice cream
• an omelette with broccoli and cheddar cheese
• a desert with meringue
• corn pudding

I’m salivating just at the thought of making any of these much-wanted treats!  Please allergy-gods, please let me eat eggs again!

Related posts:

1. No Idea (weekly menu 24)
2. The Elimination Diet and a Cleanse
3. Bring Me the Meat! (weekly menu 13)
4. Where have all the simple meals gone? (weekly menu 12)
5. Between the Holidays (weekly menu 14)

Tags: diet, Recipes, weekly menu