Food as medicine: The Migraine Relief Plan by Stephanie Weaver

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Food as medicine: That's what my life has been about for the past year and a half, since my diabetes diagnosis. Changing the way I eat has helped me kick diabetes to the curb and start my second half-century in the best health of my adult life. Food, indeed, has been my medicine.

When I heard about Stephanie Weaver's new book The Migraine Relief Plan, I was excited to read it. Because migraines have been part of my life for nearly three decades.

I started getting migraines after I finished college, when I was living in New York City and working in magazine publishing. I'm not talking about little, annoying headaches. I'm talking about crippling, blinding pain that came on suddenly and lasted for hours, sometimes days. The headaches were always in the same place, above my right eye, near my hairline. Pounding. Pulsing. I had several migraines a week for years.

I was young and otherwise healthy, so I pushed through them. Biofeedback therapy helped; I practiced guided relaxation and learned how to raise the temperature of my fingertips five degrees in five minutes using just my brain. (That was pretty cool and, as a side benefit, helped a lot during labor and childbirth.) I experimented with folk remedies and over-the-counter painkillers and finally came up with a method that worked for me, involving ibuprofen, caffeine (which I don't normally have at all), and strategically placed ice packs. Eventually, because of age, hormonal changes, and who knows what else, the headaches came more rarely. Now I get a few a year, if that.

But I suffered for years. And other than avoiding red wine, which I didn't drink much anyway and didn't seem to trigger my headaches, no one ever suggested to me that I might be able to control or lessen the frequency of my migraines by changing what I ate.

Creamy Not-ella Carob Butter from The Migraine Relief Plan

I am truly sorry that Stephanie had to suffer with her migraines as much as she did (her full story is at the beginning of the book). But I'm grateful for the result, and I think other migraine sufferers will be as well. The Migraine Relief Plan offers a sensible eight-week transition plan to help migraine sufferers ease into a diet that is sugar-free, gluten-free and low in sodium. As it happens, I've already made most of these changes myself to tackle my diabetes. They may sound drastic, but when your health is at stake, it's worth it.

And even with these restrictions, it's possible to eat delicious food every single day. The book includes more than 75 recipes that look delicious and follow the guidelines above to help migraine sufferers avoid attacks. In addition to being a certified health and wellness coach, Stephanie is a food blogger and professional recipe developer (that's how we met). I can't wait to try Stephanie's Creamy Not-ella Carob Butter, Seedy Carrot Crackers, Firehouse Turkey Chili, Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken, Peachy Pulled Pork, and Pear Upside-Down Cake.

If you're plagued with migraines, I am so sorry. But there's hope. I strongly suggest taking a look at The Migraine Relief Plan to see if Stephanie's dietary and lifestyle suggestions can help you.

BONUS: Stephanie is hosting a pre-order giveaway if you order The Migraine Relief Plan by February 13, 2017. Click here to enter the giveaway.

*Recipe photography copyright 2016 by Laura Bashar

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I get a few cents if you click them and buy Stephanie's book. We both thank you in advance.

New free ebook: The Not Ketchup Burger Book

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This new free ebook is about to turn your summer grilling and entertaining up to 11.

(Yep, that's a Spinal Tap reference, I'm dating myself.)

Introducing The Not Ketchup Burger Book. This book has 10 of the most delicious burger recipes you've ever tasted. My sweet and tangy Not Ketchup sauces make every burger something truly special.

The recipes:

• Cherry Chipotle Breakfast Burger
• Citrus Crab Cakes with Tangerine Dressing
• Blueberry Bison Burger
• Cherry Chipotle Southwestern Turkey Burger Bowl
• Smoky Date Banh Mi Pork Burger
• Spiced Fig Lamb Sliders
• Spicy Salmon Burger
• Smoky Date Veggie Burger
• Classic Cherry Chipotle Burger
• Tangerine Shrimp Cilantro Burger

I was lucky to have my friend Laura Bashar, who writes the gorgeous blog Family Spice and is co-author of Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil, do all the styling, photography and graphic design. I'm telling you, these are some of the most beautiful burger photos I've ever seen. (If you're looking for an ebook for your business, I highly, highly recommend her and would be happy to put you in touch.)

Click here to get The FREE Not Ketchup Burger Book. I hope you enjoy it!

Buy Not Ketchup on Amazon.com - free shipping with Prime!

My gift to you: The Not Ketchup Holiday Recipe eBook

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I've been experimenting with my Not Ketchup fruit ketchup sauces for more than a year now. One of the things I discovered last Thanksgiving and Christmas is that Not Ketchup added a ton of flavor - with very little corresponding work - to my holiday menus.

I've compiled some of my favorite holiday recipes into The Not Ketchup Holiday Recipe eBook, a free ebook that I'm delighted to share with you. It includes six delicious, gorgeous, ultra-simple recipes:

• Smoky Date Sweet Potato Fritters - light, smoky puffs that work equally well as a pre-meal snack or an unusual side dish
• Cherry Chipotle Roast Turkey - an easy, flavorful roast turkey lacquered with Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup
• Spiced Fig Glazed Ham - one spiral-cut ham plus one bottle of Spiced Fig Not Ketchup equals one fantastic centerpiece for your holiday meal
• Blueberry White Pepper Stuffing Muffins - single-serving cornbread dressing studded with dried blueberries and drizzled with Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup
• Smoky Date Brussels Sprouts - with bacon, slivered dates, pistachios and Smoky Date Not Ketchup, these are Brussels sprouts even a vegetable hater will adore
• Cherry Chipotle Turkey Tostadas - leftover turkey turned into a post-holiday lunch

I hope you enjoy this free ebook as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I'm already making notes for next year's edition!

Click here to download the Not Ketchup Holiday Recipe eBook

The genius of The Fresh 20 meal planning service

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The first time I met Melissa Lanz, founder of The Fresh 20 meal planning service, she challenged me to change the way I thought about writing this blog.

"I don't know why food bloggers are giving away all this great content," she said. "Content is valuable. People will pay money for it. I don't know about you, but I want to make money."

I can't remember exactly which other members of Food Bloggers Los Angeles were there that day. And I don't know whether those words have stuck in their heads the way they've stuck in mine.

I hope so.

In 2011 Melissa gave a presentation at the International Food Blogger Conference in Santa Monica on how to make money from a food blog outside of advertising. She talked at breakneck speed for 20 minutes and threw out idea after idea that most of us in the audience either had never considered or assumed we weren't qualified to execute.

It was the most inspiring presentation about food blogging I've ever heard.

At our March 2013 Food Bloggers Los Angeles meeting, I explained to the group how Melissa inspired me to package 30 of my recipes into my first ebook (Soups and Stews: Delicious Recipes for Chilly Days, available on Amazon.com for Kindle and on Booktango.com in other formats).

It's no surprise to me that The Fresh 20 is taking over the food world by saving weekday family dinners. The concept is brilliant: You buy 20 fresh ingredients, keep your pantry stocked with basics, and get five nights of dinner recipes that are delicious, economical, healthy and gorgeous.

It's also no surprise that The Fresh 20 Cookbook, which comes out in April 2013, will be featured on national talk shows, in national magazines, and on countless websites and blogs.

Melissa planned all of this from day one. She didn't start a blog and see where it took her, like I did. She looked around, found a gap, made a product to fill it, and charged money for it.

I love a woman who gets stuff done.

Melissa, if you're reading this - I am so happy for you and so proud of you. Thank you for inspiring and pushing me to find ways to make money doing what I love.

More from The Fresh 20

Enter The Fresh 20 Great Pantry Giveaway to win 20 essential pantry ingredients plus top kitchen appliances

Pre-order The Fresh 20 Cookbook

Sign up for The Fresh 20 meal plans (available in gluten-free or vegetarian as well)

Chocolate chip cookies from Baking for Friends

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Despite the fact that I live with three men who love chocolate chip cookies, I don't bake a lot of them. That, however, is about to change, because yesterday I made Kathleen King's Chubby Tates.

King owns Tate's Bake Shop, the revered bakery in the tony New York town of Southampton. I've been there, and I've bought cookies there. Tate's thin, crispy chocolate chip cookies are famous, but not my family's style.

Which is why I was delighted to see the Chubby Tates recipe in King's new book, Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends (disclosure: If you click on this link and buy the book, I get a few cents - so thanks!). I made up a batch of Chubby Tates, was careful not to overbake them, and was blown away. Soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. Exactly the kind we like.

They didn't last long.

Baking for Friends is just my kind of dessert book. Nothing fancy or overdone. These are the kinds of sweets I bake for my friends. I can't wait to try the rhubarb swirl rolls, chocolate-pear tea bread, and chocolate blood orange marble cake. I've already shopped for the chestnut brownies, with luxurious creme de marrons mixed into the chocolate batter. And my husband has requested the chocolate pecan pie.

With the publisher's permission, I'm sharing the Chubby Tates recipe with you. I'll be as clear as I can: Bake some right now. King suggests freezing balls of unbaked dough - I took her advice and have a zip-top bag of Chubby Tates dough balls waiting for our next cookie craving.

Note: The recipe calls for one tablespoon of corn syrup, which I didn't have on hand. I used honey instead and thought no one would notice. My husband took one bite and said "Is there honey in this cookie? Because it's spectacular!" Do whatever feels right to you.

By the way, my husband thinks this picture looks "like a toadstool." Does it? Be honest.

print recipe

Chubby Tates chocolate chip cookies

by Kathleen King January-3-2013

Thick, chewy, soft chocolate chip cookies from the book BAKING FOR FRIENDS by Kathleen King.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Position the oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, and corn syrup with an electric mixer set on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.Using 2 Tablespoons per cookie, drop the dough about 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. (Or use a 1-ounce food portion scoop to scoop the dough onto the baking sheets.) The mounds of dough can be frozen on the baking sheets until hard, then transferred to a zip-tight plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Bake without thawing.Bake, rotating the positions of the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges, about 18 minutes. (If using frozen cookies, bake for about 20 minutes.) Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough, on cool baking sheets.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 3 dozen cookies

My first e-book: Soups and Stews

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I am very pleased to announce that my first e-book is available for download for Kindle users at Amazon.com, and for iPad, Nook and other online formats in the Booktango.com bookstore.

Soups and Stews: Delicious Recipes for Chilly Days ($3.99) is a compilation of my favorite soup and stew recipes. The cover features my Grandma Rose's split pea soup for two reasons: First, I know Grandma Rose would be exceedingly proud to see her recipe "in print." And second, it was the only photo where I'd left enough blank space on top and bottom to fit the words.

If you have friends of family members who like to cook and own a Kindle or iPad, they'd probably like this e-book - especially right now, when the weather is damp and cold, and everyone needs a hot bowl of soup now and then. Why not order it for them and slip a copy of this blog post into their Christmas stocking?

Anadama bread recipe from The Kinhaven Cookbook

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A few days ago I drove Emery, my 11-year-old son, to Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vermont. It was an emotional day for two reasons. 

First, this is Emery's first sleepaway camp experience, a milestone in any kid's (and parent's) life. He handled it well. He was happy but nervous the whole way up from New York. Once we got there, he introduced himself to the other boys in his cabin, and off they went to pick blueberries and black raspberries over by the garden shed. When it was time for me to leave, I had to look for him. And there was no separation anxiety drama - not that I was expecting any. This is the kid who at four years old told me "Mommy, I want you to make a playdate for me every day at someone else's house. You can come pick me up after dinner." Not the clingy type.

Second, Kinhaven is the same music camp I went to myself as a teenager. The three summers I spent there turned me into the person I am today. It was partly about instilling a love of music, but much more about finding kindred spirits, which I'd found hard growing up on Long Island. I am still close with a half-dozen of my Kinhaven friends, very close, despite the fact that we're scattered around the country.

Kinhaven was such a strong influence on  my life that I named my second child after it - that's how he got the name Weston. I've told my husband that when I die I want my ashes scattered there. You get the point. It's important to me. And now I'm passing that experience on to Emery. I was very clear with him about the fact that he should like it or not like it on his own terms, for his own reasons. He doesn't have to like it just because I liked it. But of course I hope he does, and I'm glad he's getting the chance to find out.

As it happens, the food at Kinhaven is really, really good. The kitchen bakes its own bread, gets produce from local Vermont farms, and makes legendary butterscotch brownies. A long time ago, before I even knew how to cook, I got a copy of The Kinhaven Cookbook, dreaming, I guess, of recreating the tastes of my youth, the flavors of the happiest time in my life.

My copy is faded and torn now. This summer's cook, Nikki, told me she'd heard the Vermont Country Store in Weston had a few copies, but it's not in their catalog, so I'm hoping the pages don't actually disintegrate on me. The recipes are for massive quantities. It's hard to make them as written; I don't have to feed 100+ people that often. But I know Emery will come home craving the tastes of his summer. I'm committed to adapting them.

The Kinhaven bread I remember most clearly is the anadama bread, a soft, sweet bread with cornmeal and molasses - it's the history of New England in every slice. That, I think, will be my first attempt. The original recipe below uses an industrial mixer and makes two huge loaves, but I'll cut it in half and make several smaller loaves. I'll spread it with soft butter and hand Emery a slice. If he's anything like his mother, I'll see tears in his eyes.

Anadama bread from The Kinhaven Cookbook

"The campers are always surprised to see this high, light, yellow bread, which is a shame, since it is one of the glories of American cooking and unique in the world. On the last day of camp, after the Chorale of the Bach Cantata that ends the final concert, everybody goes outside to hug each other and say goodbye and cry, and also to eat sandwiches. We make Seafood Salad on Anadama Bread and they are always eaten first."

In the Big Mixer combine:

• 2 quarts very hot water from the tap
• 2 quarts cornmeal
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups powdered milk (optional)

The last ingredient is optional. Bread made out of water has a livelier, more bready taste because nothing impedes the flavor of the flour. If you add milk, fresh or powdered, your bread will be more nutritious and will keep much better than water-based bread, but it will be slightly duller and heavier.

After the ingredients above have been mixed and cooled to lukewarm, add 1/2 cup yeast.

A half hour later or so, when the mixture is light and yeasty (or the next morning if you are using the Sponge Method), add:

• 3 Tbsp salt
• 8 eggs
• 8 quarts white flour

Knead 10 minutes with the dough hook, turn into a greased bowl, and let it double. Cut into and shape two 2.5-pound loaves, let them double, bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes.