Hi Friends and followers,
It is with much pleasure that I introduce one of my oldest and closest friends with her first guest blog entry! (By old I mean we've been friends a long time, age is relative as you know). Annie told me her story when I was visiting Boston last month. I was sitting on her back patio, enjoying a glass of Sancerre and trying to catch up on 20 years. And out came this jaw dropping piece of information. It really touched and inspired me for many obvious reasons. Healing through food. It never ceases to amaze me. Please enjoy this amazing story and recipe and pass the word along...
Annie's Story
I
woke up to a little surprise on August 19th, 2006. It was the morning of my 32nd
birthday and I thought I was having a stroke. My arms and legs and face were asleep and I couldn’t wake
them up! As I tried to convince
myself that the numbness and pins and needles would just go away, I started to
feel dizzy. I lay there in bed and
pondered what to do.
Now,
before I go any further, I have to explain that this was not my first medical
crisis rodeo. Over the
course of the previous 10 years I had accumulated a list of health problems
that would seem quite unbelievable for a young woman who looked so “healthy” on
the outside. I was dealing on a
daily basis with things like exhaustion, ear ringing, weakness in my arms and
legs, dizziness, shortness of breath, seeing “stars”, sharp pain in my
shoulders, numbness in my toes, trouble swallowing, and debilitating stomach
aches. I was so sensitive to noise and light that I couldn’t listen to the
radio anymore and going to the grocery store was agony because the lights were
so bright. I couldn’t socialize or
talk on the phone because I was so tired. I was dying.
I
had gone to many doctors over the years only to be told things like -“just take
your vitamins”, “do more strength
training”, “you must have tuberculosis” (wasn’t that wiped out in like 1940?
And isn’t there a vaccine?), “you have asthma”, “this is psychosomatic”, and,
my personal favorite, “it’s just a virus” (Dr. slang for “I don’t know what the
f is wrong with you”).
So
here I was on my birthday with my husband and 2 little kids (5 months and 2 ½)
speeding to the hospital. After a
series of tests and visits to several different neurologists, it was determined
that I had Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that is extremely
prevalent in my family. As
horrible as it was to hear, I felt relieved to know that I wasn’t crazy, that
something really was wrong and I finally knew what it was.
As
some of you may know, the current treatment for MS requires injections of super
powerful immunosuppressive drugs for the REST of your life. These drugs are not a “cure”
either. They are supposed to
lesson the severity of symptoms and make flare ups less common, but, like most
drugs out there, the side effects can make you even sicker than you already
are. I was desperate to find
another way.
After
about a year I found myself sitting in the old, run down office of an
integrated medicine specialist (aka witch doctor). After some tests, his plan
for me was pretty straight -forward.
He told me to stop eating dairy, gluten, sugar, and anything artificial,
and to start thinking good thoughts.
Well,
to my total shock, things started to happen fast. At first I noticed I had more energy, and then, the symptoms
that I had had FOR YEARS started to literally DISAPPEAR. I went from counting the minutes and
hours in the day, to losing track of the time. I couldn’t believe it.
I
am convinced that changing my diet and my outlook on life stopped my body from
attacking itself. It’s been 5
years and I am symptom-free. I
hope this helps or inspires someone! Thanks, Meredith, for letting me
share. The following gluten-free,
dairy-free, sugar-free recipe is for you. :)
Marinated
Grilled Shrimp
over
Spanish Brown Rice
with
Grilled Hearts of Romaine
Serves 4
Ingredients for the Shrimp:
24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flake
salt and pepper to taste
lime wedges for garnish
Ingredients for the Spanish Brown Rice:
3 Tablespoons EV Olive Oil
1 onion chopped fine
1 garlic clove
2 cups of uncooked brown rice
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the Grilled Hearts of
Romaine
4 hearts of romaine
1 pint of Grape tomatoes
2 avocados
olive oil for brushing the romaine
salt and pepper to taste
Marinating
the shrimp.
Mix the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, parsley,
Worcestershire, the red pepper flake and salt and pepper in a bowl. Immerse the
raw shrimp into the mixture. Place
covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours turning occasionally. Soak the
skewers in cold water for about an hour.
When you are ready to grill, remove the shrimp from the marinade and
skewer them.
The
Rice.
In a large skillet brown the uncooked rice over medium-high heat with
the olive oil and the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the
garlic. Cook for another 2
minutes. In a separate saucepan bring the stock, tomatoes and salt to a simmer
and add the rice. Lower heat and
cover and cook for 40-45 minutes.
Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
The
Grilled Hearts of Romaine. Cut each heart of romaine in half lengthwise and brush
generously with olive oil. Season
with salt and pepper. Chop up the avocado and slice the lime wedges. Squeeze
some lime juice on the avocados so they don’t turn brown and season with salt
and pepper
When
the rice is finished and you’re ready to grill. The
shrimp will only take about 6-7 minutes to cook depending on your personal
preference. Place them on the
grill first. When you have about 3
minutes to go, place the romaine cut side down on the grill – keep the top open.
Plating. Arrange the skewered shrimp on top of
the rice. Place 1/2 a romaine
heart on each plate next to the shrimp and the rice and garnish with tomatoes,
avocado and lime wedges.
All you need is a pitcher of
margaritas and you’re good to go.
Annie recommends this dish with a good tequila margarita! |