cooking-with-endo

[cooking-with-endo]

For anyone who may be into cocktails —

Berry vodka lemonade

I used country time lemonade powder for this which was so nostalgic and good. Alter this as you like but here’s what I did:

• 2 tbsp lemonade powder

• 8 oz water (or lemonade if you’re not using powder)

• 2oz vodka

• handful of frozen berries

Shake in a cocktail shaker or closed mason jar with ice.

[cooking-with-endo]

Follow me on Instagram! I give detailed instructions with photos on there

@cooking.thru.covid19

[cooking-with-endo]

I made steak and cheese sandwiches but I used deli roast beef. It was very easy and came out much better than I could have hoped.

I got deli angus roast beef just pre packaged at Hannaford, my local grocery store. I cut up the slices into pieces that were about 2 inches long and maybe a half inch wide. I placed them on a lightly oiled frying pan for about 90 seconds per side. It cooks fast and you don’t want it to get tough!

In a bun with sautéed peppers and onions and pepper jack cheese, the sandwiches were toasted for a few minutes until the cheese was melted. I also used horseradish aioli on mine which was *chef’s kiss*

In total it took about 20 minutes to put together. It could take a bit longer depending on how you like your veggies and what not.

I recommend giving this a try. Very easy and worth it.

First photo is the final product, second photo was taken as I was assembling the sandwiches.

[cooking-with-endo]

Work from home salad -

Turkey, cheddar, avocado, mixed greens, tomato, red onions, cucumber, carrots + a homemade sriracha mayo for a dressing.

A very easy thing to throw together. Not a lot of dishes to do or effort. Makes my body feel decent after too.

[cooking-with-endo]

I went back to work last week. Working from home but working nonetheless.

I don’t have a lot of time or energy to cook most days. I realized that stress levels definitely correlate with my pain levels. As soon as I started working again my pain increased again. I didn’t think that I was stressed at all so I guess it’s literally any stress at all that affects me. When I stand to do dishes or cook I feel pain shooting through my hips and down my legs. A very familiar feeling that I only had a few weeks off from.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been pain free. Just a tolerable amount.

So I’ve been trying to find things that are easy and good. Here’s a bagel with cream cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion.

[cooking-with-endo]

Pulled pork is amazing because it is so good leftover. I add it to nachos, mac and cheese, breakfast sandwiches, and quesadillas.

This sandwich is Swiss cheese, two fried eggs, avocado, and pulled pork. It was so fucking good.

[cooking-with-endo]

Pulled pork in the crockpot is something that I rely on at least every other week.

It’s cheap and super low effort.

Here’s how I do it

• I take a 2-3lb pork shoulder and rub it with about a cup of brown sugar, then whatever spices I feel like using. Usually it’s salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder. This time I used spicy brown mustard in the dry rub and I totally recommend it.

• lay the pork shoulder over a bed of onions in the crock pot. If you want to add liquid, add a few ounces of beer, water, chicken broth, or Dr. Pepper.

• cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

You’ll know it’s done because it will be super easy to shred with a fork. At this point you should remove at least half the liquid in the pot. You can keep it if you want for a gravy or to add to the sauce. I usually discard it. Add your fave BBQ sauce and you’re good to go.

I do my sandwiches on toasted sesame hamburger buns with Swiss or Muenster cheese, pickles, and coleslaw.

[cooking-with-endo]

My Experience: A Brief Introduction

My endometriosis journey has become more difficult over the last year. I have had increasingly painful periods for many years. I did not think much of it, as I figured that as we get older our periods might not be as light and easy as they were when we first get them. I got mine for the first time when I was a wee 11 years old. I fondly remember bleeding all over the seat in my 6th grade history class one day... 

I had tried various different birth control methods, not being able to stick with any one. I have no idea if one of them helped with endo. I’ve done the pill off and on several times, Nexplanon for about a year, and I had a hormonal IUD. I’d had sciatic nerve pain, lower back pain, shooting pains in my ovaries if I exercised too long, terrible period cramps, and digestive issues, but I never put any of these things together until a few months ago.

One Thursday this past October, I was sitting at my favorite coffee shop studying for the LSAT when an absolutely horrific pain came over me on my left side. It was like nerve pain, muscle soreness, period cramp-y, just all around awful. I got so irritable because of it and all I wanted to do was take a hot bath but I had to get ready to get to work. I was working as a case manager at a homeless shelter at the time and I worked 1:30pm-10pm five days a week. The whole night at work was terrible. No amount of ibuprofen could fix what was going on. I had had pain in those areas before but not at all like this. Later that night I couldn’t even turn over in bed without being in agony. 

The next day my partner convinced me to call out of work. I really could not move. I decided to spend the day on the couch and just rest and do some research. I had my friend bring me some powerful edibles so I could just sleep through the day and hopefully get to work the next day. 

My research led me to believe I had an ovarian cyst. Now it was Saturday and the pain was getting worse. I went to urgent care where they did a transvaginal ultrasound - only to have inconclusive results. My ultrasound tech was an angel though and we bonded over vagina pains. They thought my IUD might have migrated and been brushing up against the inside of my uterus. That sounded plausible. So I went home and booked an appointment for Monday morning at Planned Parenthood to have my IUD removed. I did not take my time with decision making, I just wanted a quick fix for my pain.

The pain never went away. I had a follow up appointment at my PCP’s office, but not with my PCP. It was a male doctor I’d never met. He actually was the one who suggested this could be endometriosis. I was like, oh I guess that would make sense? I was also shocked to be taken seriously about something like this by a male doctor, so yay! I did more research and ultimately agreed with him. My PCP agreed with him too. 

Thus my exploratory journey of what-the-fuck-to-do-about-this officially began. The pain has only worsened with time since the IUD was removed, so it has become apparent to me several months later that the IUD was definitely not the issue, and it probably was not an issue at all. 

I saw a shitty nurse midwife in January who basically brushed off everything I said to her. She took me off my combined oral contraceptive, put me back on the progestin only pill, and referred me to pelvic floor physical therapy. I opted to try it, but also decided to never go back to see her again. 

I started doing pelvic floor physical therapy in February which was sort of helpful and I really loved my physical therapist. Then COVID-19 happened... so that was put on pause. We both agreed that it wasn’t a great long-term solution for me anyway. 

Also in February, I started noticing my birth control was causing awful mood swings. I have bipolar disorder II so I am familiar with mood imbalances, but this felt different. I was angry all day every day, and while working at a homeless shelter this is not really a good thing to have happen. I stopped taking it around Valentine’s Day and had the WORST period one could imagine, but my mood improved which was really all I wanted. I needed to prioritize getting through my work day and not wanting to scream at my clients or coworkers. 

After deciding to come off birth control, I decided to find a new OBGYN to talk about pain management with. The one I found for myself is incredible and I am very glad I opted to see her. She told me she would do whatever I wanted (get a new IUD, try Lupron, or get a laparoscopy) and I eventually decided to go for a laparoscopy. It was supposed to be April 29, and that obviously did not happen thanks to COVID-19. 

Fast forward to today, I am spending a lot more time than usual on self-care and self-nurturing. For me, this looks like really seriously paying attention to my body and my symptoms. This pandemic has allowed me to slow down and spend more time with myself. I am learning how to (attempt to) manage my endo pain via diet changes and exercise, as well as adapt my lifestyle. 

I have spent time recently looking into what I should be eating and what things I should be avoiding. I have never had a food allergy or any dietary restrictions, so this is completely new to me. I have developed what is most likely IBS and a lactose intolerance. Avoiding gluten, red meat, alcohol, lactose, etc. is a major lifestyle change but every day I am trying harder to be better to my body. 

I have found social media to be extremely helpful during this journey. There is no better way to learn about endo or feel less alone than to hear other people’s stories. I am going to use this page to share more about my experience. 

It is important to be accessible and realistic with sharing cooking tips or recipes. I don’t use elaborate recipes, hard to find ingredients, or cook many things that require standing for long periods of time. I also don’t want to dirty too many dishes because nothing irritates my lower back pain like doing the god damn dishes. I am learning how to utilize the crock pot, meal plan, and meal prep better. I am also using this to hold myself accountable for being more gentle with myself. It is okay to eat frozen pizza three days in a row if that’s all I can muster. It’s okay to indulge in gluten and alcohol if I feel like that’s what I need. I am a fat person and I am not here for anything related to weight loss. When possible, cooking and eating should be an enjoyable experience. The ultimate goal is just to get through the day. 

If you have read this entire post, I thank you very much. Most of my other posts will be much, much shorter and include more interesting things - like gluten free cookie recipes. 

Please send me your recipes as well! I want to hear from you. 

xx

Emma 

[cooking-with-endo]

Hey there - welcome to my first post.

These cookies are gluten free. A lot of us know that for whatever reason, gluten can really affect our endo pain. The grocery stores are also mostly out of flour these days thanks to COVID-19 anyway!

This is not to say that major diet changes will fix us. A gluten free cookie is not going to make any magic happen. However - if the stores are out of flour anyway, I say let’s give it a shot.

The ingredients are:

• 1 cup of peanut butter

• 1 cup of brown sugar

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional but definitely helps)

Mix together and bake at 350° for 8-10 min. It should make 12 cookies.