Buttermilk Biscuits

Breakfast is a great meal to enjoy with IC.  So many of the ingredients are IC-friendly to start.  With the addition of newer all-natural foods like this bacon, which is preservative free, naturally wood smoked, uncured, no added MSG, gluten free, and delicious, breakfast gets even better. This is a completely "friendly" food, so enjoy it! 

There is, of course, the option of going to a butcher for bacon like this, or Trader Joes might sell some for cheaper.  However, I find great joy in being able to walk into a normal grocery store and find all the fixings for one meal. 

So after finding this bacon, I thought that breakfast for dinner sounded just about perfect.  I served the bacon, scrambled eggs, and some delicious buttermilk biscuits.  I also had some homemade crockpot apple butter... didn't even miss the jam!  Don't worry, I'll be sharing the recipe for that apple butter soon!

I do want to caution this recipe... buttermilk is listed as a "food worth trying cautiously" ingredient.  When buttermilk is made, there is a build up of lactic acid which is what gives it the sour taste.  I was able to enjoy it without a problem, but you might want to try a small amount first before going hog wild. (Get it? with all the bacon talk earlier, I couldn't resist.)

Anyways, onto the recipe!  

Buttermilk Biscuits

4 cups self-rising flour

1 Tbls white sugar

1 Tbls baking powder

2/3 cups shortening

2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder; stir until well mixed.  Cut in shortening until shortening is broken up... the mixture should look well mixed and pea-sized lumps only remain. Add 2 cups buttermilk and mix just to moisten.

3. Roll out dough to 1-inch thickness and cut into biscuits. Place biscuits on baking sheets.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden.

The original recipe said it yields 18 biscuits.  I got closer to 14... Perhaps I could have rolled the dough out a bit more, but in my opinion, the biscuits were perfect.

Granola Bars

One of my most favorite snacks are granola bars.  Before IC, I would often eat popular brands like Special K, Natures Own, or Kashi.  Since getting IC, I have tried several different store bought granola bars with not so great results. Brands like Kashi and Luna which boast of all natural/organic ingredients still bothered my IC- even if the ingredients didn't list anything that seemed problematic.  I tried Larabars, but couldn't get past the taste, so I don't really know if they triggered a flare... But whatever the case, after trying different granola bars, I decided that maybe store bought was not the way to go.  That's when I started searching online for different granola bar recipes.   I stumbled upon this recipe for Playgroup Granola Bars, and figured I would give it a try.  These granola bars are amazing.  I almost always have some stored away in my pantry to enjoy throughout the week.  Another great thing about this recipe is the quantity.  I get about 16 generously sized granola bars from each batch.  They also freeze perfectly.  Click on the link for the original recipe.  Below is my preferred way to enjoy them.

2 C. oats (I use instant because that is what I always have on hand)
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. wheat germ
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 C. wheat flour
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins or white chocolate chips
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 C. canola oil
1/2 C. honey
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the oil, honey, egg, and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

A Little About Me

The most logical place to start is the beginning... I was diagnosed with IC in April of 2012 after two months of "UTI"s and severe stomach pains.  I consider myself lucky that I only suffered for two months without a diagnosis. When I started having pain, I went to my general practitioner who diagnosed me with a UTI and possible bladder infection.  After treatment for this and no resolution, my stomach pain was increasing, and he believed that I may have had an STI/STD.  Knowing myself and knowing that an STI/D was not the answer to my pain, I decided to stop seeking his services.  I thought the next best place to go was to a gynecologist.  I was very lucky in that my GYN diagnosed my condition in one visit.  She said, "I think this may be IC, here is a diet to do.  I want to see you in 2 weeks to do a potassium sensitivity test to diagnose for sure." So I went on the diet for the 2 weeks, and noticed great improvement.  The test was painful and definitely not something that I would ever sign up for again, but it was the result my doctor needed.  I was put on Elmiron for treatment and Uribel for pain and sent on my way with the intention of following up with her in 3 months.

Unfortunately for my IC, I moved about a month and a half later.  Finding my next doctor was awful.  I started at a GYN hoping that I would have a similar experience: false.  I went to a urogynecologist at Emory who wanted to schedule a cystocopy and hydrodestention... This is another test that is done to test for IC, but it is an invasive surgical procedure.  I was extremely iffy about going through with this procedure given that I was positive that I have IC and at this point was seeking treatment.  It then took the office over a month to schedule the procedure, despite the fact that they were receiving a phone call a week from me. Given their rudeness and inability to call a patient back, I decided to find another doctor.  I went to ic-network.com, a fantastic website for family, friends, and sufferers of IC, and discovered that there was a recommended doctor somewhat close to me.  I decided the 45 minute drive was well worth good treatment. 

While diet and Elmiron have been a great help, I have not been progressing and feeling great like I would hope.  Over time my doctor has adjusted my medications, and I am currently taking Elmiron, Uribel, a small daily dose of Elavil, an antihistamine, and rescue installations.  This combination of treatments has been wonderful, and I am finally having days where I don't experience pain from my IC.

My biggest battle currently with my IC is pelvic floor dysfunction.  To put it short, my pelvic floor muscles don't contract/relax like they should, or like a normal person's does.  There are many daily activities that are very painful and resultantly painful for days.  I have been seeing a physical therapist with the hopes to better train my pelvic floor muscles. 

Now that you know my story, I want to tell you about why I decided to start this blog. I have loved cooking for as long as I can remember.  Growing up, I loved helping my mom in the kitchen with dinner.  After being diagnosed with IC, my whole cooking style had to change.  I bought some cookbooks for cooking with IC, but I was quite disappointed.  I have had success with some recipes.  However, most of the recipes seemed very fancy and the ingredients seemed obnoxious.. beets, leeks, and carrots for tomato sauce.. seriously?! (for the record, I did try it, it was awful, and I'll save the details for a later time.)  I found that I had the most success when I took my old favorites and made them IC friendly. So now that I am baking my own bread, making my own pesto, enjoying some preservative free granola bars, making sauces out of fresh roasted red peppers, and whipping out meatloaf that my husband has thirds of, I have decided I need to share my kitchen adventures.  The best thing about you being a reader is that I'll only share the yummy ones, and I'll spare you from the disasters. 

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to sharing some delICiousness with you soon!