"I don't know how to cook for you"--unfortunately, neither do I.

JetFueledCar · Aug 14, 2017

GeorgeK said:
See a physician. Chronic reflux can lead to chronic esophagitis and then esophageal cancer, very bad way to die.

Believe me, I know. If nothing else, the fact that my reflux has made me throw up means long-term I could actually just rupture my esophagus and die horribly that way.

So I did. I saw my physician, went on Prevacid for two months, added something to improve gastric emptying for the second month. But it's also a very bad idea to take acid blockers long-term. You can get brittle bones and pneumonia, which I understand are also pretty awful ways to die. So for long-term control, I need to change my diet and lifestyle and and the way I eat when I do eat. So that's what I'm doing now. If this doesn't work, I fully intend to get a referral to a specialist, but that's hugely expensive.

Not being dismissive or anything here. It's a very serious consideration that you've brought up, and I don't want anyone to worry that I'm self-diagnosing or taking medical advice from strangers on the internet instead of going to a doctor for what is in fact a serious condition.

ETA: Thank you to everyone for the recs!

MAS · Aug 14, 2017

Split Pea Soup -- mix 2 boxes of chicken broth, a bag of dried peas, 3 or 4 chopped carrots, a chopped celery stalk, two or three russet (baking) potatoes peeled and diced, and a couple handfuls of diced ham (I like to get a few thick slices at the deli counter and chop it), and some pepper if that doesn't bother your stomach. Simmer awhile till the peas are soft and the soup looks kind of thick. Makes a lot of soup.

GeorgeK · Aug 15, 2017

Fruitbat said:
Excellent point.

I, too, have acid reflux and my doctor recommended six weeks of over-the-counter omeprazole, which worked and my chronic morning sore throat is gone for now. However, she said that mainly I needed to change my habits, which I am doing abysmally at. I'm thinking about getting a reclining chair to sleep in. Maybe that would help. ?

Maybe, it depends on the reason for the reflux and if indeed it is reflux, hence the reason to be seen and evaluated. Strictures and distal esophageal partial obstructions from anatomic, physiologic or neurologic causes can manifest with identical symptoms and may even have some benefit as far as symptoms with the same empirical treatment. As climate changes, bird and other wildlife migration patterns are getting altered and they are carrying new species (actually old, just new to new ecosystems) of ticks and other arthropod vectors for formerly exotic diseases. Chagas disease has crossed the border in the the US. A whole bunch of new serotypes of Lymes is running rampant. That said, the most likely cause is still the garden variety of acid reflux, but without an evaluation one needs to understand that they are just playing the odds

MAS said:
Split Pea Soup -- mix 2 boxes of chicken broth, a bag of dried peas, 3 or 4 chopped carrots, a chopped celery stalk, two or three russet (baking) potatoes peeled and diced, and a couple handfuls of diced ham (I like to get a few thick slices at the deli counter and chop it), and some pepper if that doesn't bother your stomach. Simmer awhile till the peas are soft and the soup looks kind of thick. Makes a lot of soup.

I love split pea soup. I'm not a fan of ham but it is great in pea soup. I'll get ham with the bone on sale and freeze them. My wife and kids like ham and when it's down to the bone and a baseball sized amount of scraps then I pressure cook it all down into stock, rather than using chicken stock. Add any veggies that you like. I look for the leafiest celery I can find and chop up the top half of a whole head of leafy celery. I also add some lentils to round out the proteins and flavor

If it's thick enough (usually) It's also good to use cold as a dip with tortilla chips

kikazaru · Aug 15, 2017

If you can have fresh tomatoes, you could try making a "pizza" without the cheese. When I'm craving pizza I will often use a pita for the base, smear it with pesto, top with fresh sliced tomatoes and grill til hot. A lot of commercial pestoes have cheese in them but you could make your own with just some pine nuts, basil and olive oil, which you can then use for pasta as well. If you don't want to make pesto, you could smear your pita with garlic olive oil, and top with very thinly sliced tomatoes, (and other veggies) and fresh basil leaves.

Twick · Aug 15, 2017

Fruitbat said:
Excellent point.

I, too, have acid reflux and my doctor recommended six weeks of over-the-counter omeprazole, which worked and my chronic morning sore throat is gone for now. However, she said that mainly I needed to change my habits, which I am doing abysmally at. I'm thinking about getting a reclining chair to sleep in. Maybe that would help. ?

You can put blocks under the legs at the head of the bed to provide a significant incline (although I did spend the first few months sliding sloooooowly out of bed during the night.

JetFueledCar · Aug 15, 2017

MAS said:
Split Pea Soup -- mix 2 boxes of chicken broth, a bag of dried peas, 3 or 4 chopped carrots, a chopped celery stalk, two or three russet (baking) potatoes peeled and diced, and a couple handfuls of diced ham (I like to get a few thick slices at the deli counter and chop it), and some pepper if that doesn't bother your stomach. Simmer awhile till the peas are soft and the soup looks kind of thick. Makes a lot of soup.

Confession: I don't like peas. I'm pretty sure they're the only plant I don't like (aside from certain mushrooms that freak me out or set off my texture reflexes). But I do like soups, lentils, veggies, and ham (in soups or on sandwiches, not as a standalone protein). I think there may be a way I can adapt this to make it tasty (for me; I don't mean to imply the original isn't tasty, just that I don't like peas). Thank you!

GeorgeK · Aug 16, 2017

JetFueledCar said:
Confession: I don't like peas. I'm pretty sure they're the only plant I don't like (aside from certain mushrooms that freak me out or set off my texture reflexes). But I do like soups, lentils, veggies, and ham (in soups or on sandwiches, not as a standalone protein). I think there may be a way I can adapt this to make it tasty (for me; I don't mean to imply the original isn't tasty, just that I don't like peas). Thank you!

Have you tried split peas? They are very different than green peas. I hated the pea soup that my mom made with green peas but love split pea soup. They are more lentil-like than green pea-like. If you have tried them and hate them, that's the way it goes. If you've never tried them, they are cheap. Give it a try, or find a restaurant that uses split peas for soup.

Another thing that you can do with them is wash them, let them soak for about three hours and then blend them up in a blender and use that batter to make crepes. Those make awesome wraps for fajitas

Fruitbat · Aug 17, 2017

After all the talk about split pea soup, now I have to have some. I make soups in giant batches to freeze in smaller portions and am making my shopping list now. Wondering if small red potatoes (unpeeled) will work in the freezer. They sound like a good addition. I think smaller potatoes can freeze without getting that weird texture, or maybe chopped up in soup is okay anyway? Anyone know? I hate it when I mess up and I've made three tons of it. :/

Making much progress with it, JetFueledCar? Also, have you made any modifications in your sleeping? I am working on that now. I share a bed with a fussy and grumpy sleeper, which makes it a bit tricky. I wonder if just a bolster pillow thing with pillows to make sure the elevation is from the hips up would be enough.

DragonHeart · Sep 5, 2017

I just want to add that low acid coffee is a thing, and may be worth looking into.

Maryn · Sep 5, 2017

I'm starting a thread for soups over in Now We're Cookin'!, mainly so I can share the two I make well, one of which is a pea soup that tastes of split pea and not at all of fresh or frozen peas.

I hope some of the people who've contributed to this thread will share their best soups there. I'd eat it every night once the weather cools. Such as today.

sunandshadow · Sep 29, 2017

Pasta and beef tips and/or mushrooms can also be served with beef gravy, onion soup, or worchestershire sauce. You can also throw some green beans in there. If you make a chicken soup that's mostly noodles, that's also pasta with a chicken sauce.

My brother has a dairy allergy and stomach problems and he eats a ton of bananas, apples, coconut milk, bread, and cookies made with dairy-free margarine.

Maryn · Sep 30, 2017

I recently attended a wedding of some people I barely know (I was my friend's "date") and got them one of the few remaining items on their registry, a pizza stone, and printed out my pizza recipes to tuck into the box.

Assuming you're still doing no dairy, no tomato sauce, pizza is still possible. It won't be traditional pizza, but it's tasty and filling. If you have access to pre-made crust, nan, pita, or something else that serves as a crust, it's even fast.

My favorite is to use minced garlic sauteed until golden, not brown, in a small amount of olive oil, topped with heirloom tomatoes sliced thin. (They taste more tomato-y than any other tomatoes, IMO.) Or you can saute chopped onion (I like it with a sweet onion like Vidalia) until translucent, instead of or in addition to the garlic, and still top with tomato slices.

Or spread a thin layer of pesto (easy to make your own if you have a blender or food processor, so you know there's no parmesan in there) on the crust and add shredded chicken or pork that's left over from another meal. (We sometimes bake an extra chicken breast specifically to have it leftover.)

Consider making your pizza Asian by using a teriyaki glaze, sweet onion, shredded chicken or pork, and if you like, bits of pineapple.

Buy a mix of several kinds of mushrooms (avoid the ones whose shapes freak you out--my daughter has the same issue with some), saute all, and lift with a slotted spoon to top your pizza crust.

Consider adding chopped or Julienne-cut sun-dried tomato to any pizza, well drained if it was packed in oil. It packs a big wallop of tomato flavor. Consider drying your own. I hear it's easy, although I've never done it.

Maryn, who now wants pizza even though it's 10:30 a.m.

L M Ashton · Nov 3, 2017

Pasta sauces - you can use coconut milk in the place of regular milk or cream, and in most cases, there’s no discernible difference in taste. I’ve done this more times than I can count.

For last minute meals, you might want to consider getting a pressure cooker - Instant Pot is a popular brand - and learning how to use that. Then you can have your lentil soup in 30 minutes, maybe less (I haven’t researched the recipe, so I don’t know exact timings.) Pressure cookers can be used to cook frozen meat to done in about a half hour to 45 minutes. Soups are done in 20 minutes, give or take. Basically, they cut the cooking time in 1/3. They’re an all-round useful tool. I’ve had one for years and use it all the time.

"I don't know how to cook for you"--unfortunately, neither do I.

JetFueledCar

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