Why I kissed spinach goodbye and said hello to greenleaf lettuce!

My daily green smoothies are now very low oxolate! 

Spinach 1 cup raw has 656 mg oxolates, while 

greenleaf lettuce has 0 oxolates!

I also had to say goodbye to almonds and a few other foods that are extremely high in oxolate levels.

Although my oxalate intolerance resulting in constant AFib episodes developed after being exposed to mold three times over the past 10 years (the toxicity led to increased oxalate levels in my body), I think it's a good idea for everyone to try to follow a low oxalate diet to prevent kidney stones and other common autoimmune problems.

Get this app! Super easy to use, and you'll be amazed at how quickly 100 mg add up!

Oxolate Counts

Dietitians recommend keeping oxalates at less than 100 mg per day, and under 50 mg if prone to kidney stones. But they caution us to do a slow reduction to avoid symptom flare-ups.

https://thevitalityclinic.co.uk/is-your-healthy-green-smoothie-poisoning-you/

One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta (No-boil pasta recipe) by Food Dolls

So yummy and easy!

I added:

Organic grape tomatoes sliced in half

Organic green peas

My changes:

Vegan cream cheese instead of mascarpone

Mozzarella instead of Monterey Jack and smaller amount

A lot less of parmesan due to dairy sensitivity

A lot less salt if not rinsing the artichoke

INGREDIENTS

UNITS SCALE

• 16 oz uncooked spirali pasta (or similar shape)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 14 oz artichoke hearts, rinsed, chopped and squeezed dry
• 3 tsp sea salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, more or less to taste (optional)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 8 oz freshly grated monterrey jack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In an enameled pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat add uncooked pasta, spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
2. Pour the broth and give it a good stir. Increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al-dente.
4. Once the pasta is cooked, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the mascarpone, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and monterey jack cheese. It should come together and be nice and creamy.
5. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese.

Find it online: https://www.fooddolls.com/one-pot-spinach-and-artichoke-pasta/

Spring Pasta with Mushrooms, Chiles and Spring Peas Recipe | Geoffrey Zakarian | Food Network

I made a few changes because I didn't have all the ingredients, but it still turned out great (used all organic)!

My changes:

Sweet peas instead of fresh shelled English peas.

Spaghetti instead of fettuccine.

Crushed red pepper flakes instead of pepperoncini chile flakes.

Canned cremini mushrooms instead of maitake and oyster.

Sweet red pepper and jalapeno instead of Fresno chile.

Parmesan instead of pecorino Romano.

Full recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/spring-pasta-with-mushrooms-chiles-and-spring-peas-12296162

• Level: Easy
• Yield: 4 servings

• Total: 30 min
• Active: 25 min

Ingredients

Deselect All

Kosher salt

1/4 cup fresh shelled English peas

12 ounces fettuccine pasta

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 shallot, finely diced

1 big pinch pepperoncini chile flakes

4 ounces maitake mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 Fresno chile, finely diced

1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (fine like dust)

6 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Directions

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the peas in the boiling water until bright green, about 20 seconds. Transfer immediately to the ice bath. Once cool, drain completely.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt until it tastes of lightly salted broth. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot and pepperoncini and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the maitake and oyster mushrooms and cook until softened, another 3 to 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
4. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, add the pasta to the pan with the mushrooms directly from the pot, reserving the pasta water. Allow the pasta to finish cooking in the mushroom sauce, about 1 minute. Add the peas, butter and Fresno chile and stir to coat. Turn off the heat and add the Pecorino Romano in handfuls, stirring in between additions to prevent lumps. Add pasta water to thin the sauce as desired. Finish with the basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

Chocolate/ peanut butter drizzled popcorn

So yummy!

If you don't have healthy peanut butter cups you can just use organic chocolate chips like I did. Also, instead of regular sugar I used Xylitol.

Although it was really good, next time I would use maple syrup instead of honey.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 8 cups plain popcorn we use air-popped popcorn
• Fine salt
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar or sugar alternative like Xylitol
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips melted
• 1 1/2 cups Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Instructions

• Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl and salt to taste. Set aside.
• Mix the honey and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir vigorously until all the peanut butter is melted, then mix in the vanilla extract.
• Immediately pour the peanut butter caramel over the popcorn and gently stir with a long-handled wooden spoon until it's all coated. Spread popcorn on a large baking sheet. Drizzle popcorn with melted chocolate and let sit until chocolate hardens. Stir in the Mini Peanut Butter Cups.