Since that last post was so successful, it’s obvious you’d like a second helping of CARROTS!
Carrot salad … the making!
The photo mosaic above is my artistic creation of the carrot salad process. I start off with a five pound bag of carrots! This is the largest bag my grocery store sells and it will make three large batches of awesome carrot salad.
The photo (#5 down from the top) looks like some sort of cheesy casserole that isn’t … it’s actually the shredded carrots in a plastic container that will later be added to the compost bin outside. If you have the chance to compost you should — so easy and it’s giving the earth back to the earth. Wow, how tree-huggery am I now?!
If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we chew every morsel of our food in that way we become grateful and when you are grateful, you are happy.
The food processor pictured is one by Hamilton Beach. This is an AMAZING beast! When I purchased this food processor online it was $35 (£28, €33, C$47, A$46, Mex$683,₪129, Ƀ0.03, etc.) four years ago; now it costs $45 — still a great deal in my opinion. I’m not advertising for Hamilton Beach, but rather letting you know which work horse food processor I use. So, so easy to use. It comes with only one blade disc.
Don’t tell anyone, but I also use the same food processor to make the raw cat food! Oh, so now you’re not going to eat my carrot salad after this little disclosure … hmmph, I’ll have you know the cat food is human grade AND I hand wash, then dishwasher wash (is that proper grammar?) the food processor parts. No one in our household has ever had a vomity-poopy diarrhea illness … cat hairballs do not count … and most importantly, not only are our two cats still living but thriving!
Are you asleep yet?! Holy cow, if you’re still reading this carrot-salad-making mind-numbing post you’re a trooper! Please keep reading … it gets more detailed … and more random.
Photo #9 from the top in the mosaic shows the ingredients from left to right which include dried parsley, ground black pepper, apple cider vinegar, SHREDDED CARROTS, salt, and light olive oil. The finished carrot salad is the last photo.
If someone didn’t tell me I would think this was a weird cheese overload thing. Mmmm … cheese … almost as good as bacon! And carrots are almost as good as … um, still thinking … never mind.
Cats are quite comforting though … less crunchy than carrots, but still very comforting … and comfortable depending how you sleep on them.
Cats are as good as not because we all know cats are naughty! (see example below)
Cat shaming at its best … although I’m sure cats don’t carrot all! This kitty is forced to say, “I got on the counter and helped myself to a block of cheese.” Sounds like one independent normal cat to me! And where’s the evidence of the cheese stealing?! This cat was framed! Just look at that innocent face.
I have nothing more to say about carrots today. I’m done. I have a lot more to say about cats and nothing about hysterectomy. Go make that carrot salad and let me know how it turns out … Bon appétit!
Constipation is the most common digestive complaint in the United States, outnumbering all other chronic digestive conditions. ~ Epidemiology of constipation in the U. S., Sonnenberg A. Koch TR., 1989.
And I’d bet constipation is also a huge problem in Canada, England, Australia and other industrialized countries as well — probably all the countries where we have the luxury first world problem of overeating, while complaining, “Waaah, I’m so full!”
If you are from Haiti (or some other country plagued by starvation) (WARNING — the photos on that link are quite graphic … you’ve been warned!) my apologies as I’m not trying to belittle the gluttony vs. hunger problem.
By the way, eating bananas cause me constipation! Along with rice and concrete.
Reasons I’ve decided to share this cure about constipation on the blog about hysterectomy:
Nearly every woman who has a hysterectomy has constipation sometime in the recovery process.
If you’ve had a surgery with anesthesia constipation is not your friend … but it’s not your enema either!
Constipation just plain sucks!
Who knew I would be sharing recipes here! My blog is really useful … someone should read it.
I think the French have been hiding this secret dish from us — us meaning the entire world. I recently discovered shredded carrot salad from one of my very French friends. I have two (or deux) French friends … both are from France but one sounds very French and looks very French … while the other one only educates me on wine with his accentless accent.
One evening the super French friend was telling me how he makes shredded carrot salad every week for he and his family of four. I can’t say shredded carrot salad sounded yummy but I was drawn to the mystery of its purported popularity. Apparently, this is a French thing. Who knew? I’ve never been to France and my accentless French friend has never revealed this French secret … I will have to discuss this with him when he’s back from his Caribbean sailing excursion. And isn’t the word Caribbean odd? Like I thought for sure it was spelled with two Rs.
It always struck me as odd The Pirates of the Caribbean DVD has a piracy warning.
On to that shredded carrot recipe that will fix your constipation … I’ve been making it for weeks now and my poops is great! Is that TMI?! How many times do I have to remind you that you’re on a hysterectomy blog and anything health and bodywise goes? Don’t worry, I won’t be posting any photos of my great poops … you’ll just have to take my word.
Grated carrot salad is a favorite dish for French kids. They eat it regularly for school lunch, and it’s popular at home as well. Even adults enjoy it as a starter. As a testament to its popularity, you can even find grated carrot salad pre-packaged in supermarkets.
Carrots are one of the few vegetables that French people regularly eat raw. For some reason, they tend to prefer most of their vegetables cooked.
My super French friend didn’t tell me about grated carrot salad to fix my constipation woes … it is only by eating it regularly I discovered this. I’m not sure how we got on the topic of carrots, but the last time I spoke with him he told me how he makes homemade mayonnaise. I’m not going there because it sounds like way too much work.
More about carrots …
[R]aw carrots contain unique fibers that bind toxins, particularly excess estrogen, in our intestines while not feeding unhealthy bacteria (similar to what a charcoal supplement would do.)
One study showed that daily consumption of a raw carrot at breakfast for 3 weeks reduced serum cholesterol by 11%, increased fecal bile acid and fat excretion by 50%, and modestly increased stool weight by 25%. This suggests a [positive] change in bacterial flora or metabolism. The changes in serum cholesterol, fecal bile acids, and fat persisted 3 weeks after stopping treatment.” – American Journal of Clinical Nutrition … The effect of raw carrot on serum lipids and colon function.
Additionally, Dr. Ray Peat found women reduced their problematic estrogen levels by the daily consumption of 1 medium size carrot. Less estrogen generally means less inflammation and liver stress, and better thyroid health [my emphasis].
There are many, many, many variations on this shredded carrot salad. I keep it simple. The current recipe I like to make is:
Carottes Râpées* or Grated Carrot Salad
8 large carrots (peeled and shredded … use a food processor or you’ll be shredding by hand for a long time!)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (I use light olive oil … I found the extra virgin greenish olive oil was waaaaay too strong tasting)
1 Tablespoon of honey or juice of an orange (OPTIONAL — most of the time I leave this out)
1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (you can also use lemon juice, but I like the digestive health bennies of the ACV)
1 bunch of chopped parsley (I usually use dried parsley and this works just fine, and you really can’t overdo the parsley)
Salt to taste (be careful not to oversalt … strangely you don’t need much salt)
Black pepper to taste
Mix everything together and then put it in your mouth! Depending on how fast you eat this, you can probably keep the salad up to a week in the fridge. Also, you can add a spoonful or two of these carrots to soups, mix it in salads or simply eat it straight up! This carrot salad also goes well with plain yogurt and your digestive system will thank you.
*Do NOT pronounce this as “carrot rapes” … please, please don’t say it like that. People will look at you strangely and certainly won’t want any part of your salad. Say it like this: CLICK HERE.
I love, love, love this recipe … in fact I’m going to go eat some carrot salad now and will be right back!
Should you want to get all Frenchy fancy pants you can make the recipe like this video:
So, the secret is out … let me know if you try it and how your constipation improves.
Here are more tidbits. If you carrot all you will read them:
Carrots are a root vegetable that originated in Afghanistan. They were purple, red, white, and yellow, but never orange.
parsley family
n.
A large family of aromatic herbs, the Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae), characterized by compound leaves and small flowers grouped in umbels, and including vegetables such as carrots, celery, dill, and parsley, spices such as anise, coriander, and cumin, and poisonous plants such as the water hemlocks.
A baby carrot isn’t exactly a baby. Baby carrots come from a large carrot that has been rolled over blades and thrown around in a metal cage to be rubbed down to a short, round-ended baby carrot. WHAT A WASTE!
The Ancient Greeks called the carrot a philtron, which translates to “love charm.” They believed the carrot made both men and women more amorous.
People first grew carrots as medicine, not food, for a variety of ailments.
Can cats have carrots? The answer: Yes! Though cats are obligate carnivores, and therefore do not require any fruits or vegetables to meet their nutritional needs, carrots are perfectly (and maybe even somewhat beneficial) safe for cats. Carrots are not at all toxic to cats, so there is nothing to be worried about if your cat has been munching on these beloved root vegetables.
Mel Blanc, the voice of cartoon character Bugs Bunny, reportedly did not like carrots.
You didn’t think I’d leave you high and dry without at least one more cat photo, did you?
I have been very successful at gaining weight after my hysterectomy since June 2014. I haven’t tried hard at all. I never knew this was something I set out to do until I did it.
The low down on how to gain weight after a hysterectomy (in no particular order):
Stop weighing yourself daily or even weekly for that matter. Push the scale far under the bed so you won’t want to crawl down there with the dust bunnies to retrieve it. The longer the scale stays out of reach the more your muffin top will discourage you from trying to bend over, getting down on all fours to get it. Let the poor scale be — it’s honestly sick of you stepping all over it anyway.
Eat ALL and I do mean ALL of the foods you were either limited to or forbidden as a child or teen. For me this included Doritos, Cheetos, powdered donuts, candy bars of any kind especially Heath, Skor and Snickers. I like to do the salty-sugar-salty balance routine: begin with something salty, then something sweet followed by something salty so you don’t feel so guilty by ending on a sweet.
Eat lots of chocolate. Try to avoid the dark chocolate as it may have some “health benefits”. After your hysterectomy you will want to eat lots of chocolate — I did.
Coffee with cream or milk and some sort of flavoring is a good way to start your day, brighten your midsection mid afternoon and kick start your insomnia night. Make sure to try ALL kinds of coffee from almost every place you can find. Try iced coffees, store coffees, coffees at friends homes, but only with real milk or cream and a sweetener of some sort, of course. When you develop palpitations from the caffeine that will be your signal to back off just a bit.
Have I mentioned cheese? Pretend you have just become French and must catch up on trying all the worlds cheeses, especially creamy brie and camembert-like cheeses. If you go to a party and there is a cheese tray see how much cheese you can actually eat. See if that’s all you can eat.
Be sure to drink all the wine you’ve always wanted to try. Now that you don’t have a uterus there is no fear of poisoning dear baby in the womb. The baby house is gone so you’re free to drink up! This includes cocktails of all sorts as well. My new favorite is The Blue Moon made with Creme de Violette.
THE BLUE MOON Instructions: In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine 2 ounces gin, 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3/4 ounce Crème de Violette. Shake that all up and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
To further weight gain sans uterus be sure to buy and try all of the different cakes and other desserts that you’ve been putting off for years because they’re “fattening”. Who cares?! If you like one dessert in particular, for me it was chocolate pot de crème, keep buying it, eating it again and again until you finally tire of that dessert. It took a couple months, but I finally moved on to something other than pot de crème. Be patient with yourself as you move through all the desserts you’ve ever wanted to try.
Watch mostly foodie shows on TV (telly for you Brits) and Netflix. Make sure to subscribe to lots of food blogs and follow Pinterest pinners boards with food, food and more food. You can start with my Pinterest food board here to help stimulate your appetite:FOOD & DRINKS — MY BAD SIDE (Pinterest).
Be sure to include as much bacon in your life as much as possible.
When buying clothes always choose the larger size … it will give you some to aspire to (or grow into).
Go to Italy. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love certainly wasn’t joking when she talked about gaining weight in Italy! Apparently, even Julia Roberts who starred in the film based on the book (read the book, skip the movie) gained weight during the filming while in Italy. When I was in Eatly, I mean Italy, I gained seven pounds in seven days! Pretty awesome huh? I’d say one month in Italy and you’d be treating yourself to a whole new wardrobe upon your return.
That’s about all the weight gain tips I can come up with today … I’m going to go have a snack! KIDDING! I’m actually going to drink some water and start with the realization that I’ve been the one all along causing my pants to become tight and to feel full all the time … it was never the hysterectomy that has made me gain weight but my adventures described above instead.
And by the way, I don’t think what I’ve been doing for over a year (see above) has exactly been heathy, but it has been a fun journey of sorts. I think I’m done gaining weight.
For my first exercise, I’m turning over a new leaf. Today makes four days that I have gone without eating a daily Snickers bar. I’m not saying I didn’t think about eating one though …
da Vinci Total Hysterectomy 