I like peanuts but they don't like me

No, I'm not talking about that sudden shock where a person can't breath. I'm talking about arthritis! I don't have arthritis UNLESS I EAT PLANT PROTEIN. I can eat a little bit of peanut butter and be fine. But if I repeat 3 days in a row I will have pain in my hips and knees! Stop eating peanut butter and I'm fine after a day or so. Same with eating peanuts. I can nibble on a few, but if I keep it up, it will get me!

Other things have joined the list. When I was younger they didn't bother me. A few years ago I ate some Cashews. They are so yummy! I ate a BIG handful. Within minutes I was laying on the couch writhing in pain!! The joints in my hips, knees and FEET swelled up, turned red and throbbed! It was horrible. I had similar reactions with Hazelnuts and Macadamia nuts. Darn I love Macadamia nuts, but they HATE me!

The culprit - PLANT PROTEIN - is the main component of MSG and all the names it hides under, plus....and get this...Stevia! Yup, had a bad reaction to that, too. I went to a health food store and what did I find? Soy and Stevia in almost everything! Ahhh...but it's healthy...NOT FOR ME!

Thankfully I can live a very normal life and avoid getting large enough amounts in my system to cause a reaction. It's ok if I eat something with a few peanuts in it, as long as I do it once, and not every day. MSG and Stevia, however, must be avoided at any amount.

Other things to avoid....Aspartame (scratchy throat, stomach ache, headache), and any other artificial sweetener other than Splenda. I can tolerate Splenda.

Food post # 3

Referring back to post # 2:
http://somewhere-indiana.blogspot.com/2014/01/food-post-2.html

I made corned beef and cabbage and hubby loved it!

Today....porcupine meatballs and mashed potatoes. I know I can't go wrong with the mashed spuds. I hope he likes the meatballs, too.

In other news...spring is here. Grass is green, leaves are popping out on the bushes, nice sunny day but a cold wind is blowing off the lake.

Follow-up: My husband didn't say he liked it, but then he didn't eat a slice of bread with jam instead, either.

Bread

Albanians can eat a loaf of bread in one sitting and not get fat. Well, if they are walking daily. Hubby has cut back to half a loaf.

Needless to say, I bake a lot of bread.

Bread is beautiful

Food post #2

For my own benefit...food my hubby and I both love:

Chicken & veggies

Albanian pita

fresh Albanian figs

dried Albanian figs

Grilled squash stuffed with fruit and chocolate 

Albanian style beans

European style pickles

Pizza

Lasagna

Spaghetti

Mac & cheese

Hamburger on bun

Roast Beef sandwiches w/ peppers 

Hot dogs Albanian style w/ eggs

Macaroni salad

Mild fish

Fried Chicken

Mashed potatoes

Hash browns with sour cream

Sauteed peppers and onions with sour cream

Sauteed peppers and onions w/ chicken or hot dogs

Albanian style cabbage soup

Stuffed green peppers

Scalloped potatoes

More fruit

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Some things we cooked but I didn't care for:

Corn meal mush with green peppers (I love corn meal mush but not with peppers)

Hallva

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Somethings I won't touch with a 10 foot pole but hubby loves:

Fried chicken gizzards and hearts

Fishy tasting fish

Duck

Snails

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Some things I like but hubby won't eat:

Tacos

Chinese food

Turkey

Fudge (he only likes chocolate with fruit flavors)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Haven't cooked these for him yet:

Stuffed cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage

Reuben sandwich

Food

I have never had anyone tell me they didn't like my tacos....ever. When hubby was still in Kosovo I told him if ever he didn't like something I cooked to please tell me. He told me he would just have some bread and marmalade. I told him I didn't want my husband going hungry, that I would cook something else.

The first time I made tacos hubby refused to put the salad on the taco, preferring to put it in a bowl and eat it as a side dish. Then he spread copious amounts of mustard on the meat, folded the shell and ate it that way. Sometime later, a month maybe, we had tacos again. That time he put the salad on the taco. I thought great, he's getting the hang of it. Fast forward to tonight. I made tacos. Hubby warmed a couple shells, got some jam out of the frig, slathered it on the shells, and sat down to eat them. He told me he was sorry, he just can't eat tacos. I know I TOLD him to tell me, but for some idiotic reason I felt hurt. I tried to hide it. I tried to tell myself...after all, just the other night I told him the Hallva he cooked tasted like burnt flour.

I went to my computer and sat down, tears welling up in my eyes. He knew it, darn it. He came into the room to (again) say he was sorry and to ask if I was crying. Well, what could I do? He put his arms around me, apologizing again and again. So I cried a little on his shoulder and then I was ok.

I'm used to a meat portion, a starch and a veggie, and maybe a salad on the side. Albanian food is different. Meat portions are often cut up into bite sized pieces. The veggies are likewise cut up, and everything is cooked together. The good thing is, I cook Albanian food pretty good and I like it too.