Hi everyone! I’m Heather of HeatherChristo.com, a website that specializes in deliciously allergen-free food, and I am so excited to be guest posting here on 100 Days of Real Food!
I love the story of the Leake family and can’t help but see parallels with my own family’s journey. Four years ago, I was the mother of two little girls (ages 3 and 5) and a classically trained French chef that happily would have named refined white sugar, flour, and butter as my best friends. And I suspect I would have continued on that path indefinitely had the health of my two little girls not started to rapidly deteriorate.
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My oldest, Pia (who was 5 at the time), had been sick since she was born. Colic, ear infections, eczema, stomach problems, and eventually chronic sinus infections, migraine headaches, and symptoms of Tourette’s Syndrome. She was being treated by lots of different specialists who would prescribe her medications and treat symptomatically.
As her health continued to deteriorate with no real answers as to why, I decided that I would take my own action. I started food journaling everything she was eating and making small changes here and there. I was encouraged by some small improvements and decided to take both girls to a naturopath for food allergy and sensitivity testing. That is when I learned that most allergies and sensitivities are hereditary, and combined with a checklist I saw for food sensitivity symptoms, I knew I should be tested as well.
In the winter of 2014, we received our results and found that all three of us girls had allergies and sensitivities. They ranged from mild to severe and numbered just over 30 foods and spices between the three of us. The main overlapping foods were dairy, gluten, and eggs. We all had other things as well, but Pia probably had the most difficult list, which included some tree-nuts, peanuts, cane sugar, and soy, among others.
We went cold turkey on all of our flagged foods and cut out processed foods. Within a few days we were already seeing results. Eight weeks later, we had achieved a full-blown health transformation that is still astounding to those who know us. You can learn more about our journey here.
With the huge change, I learned to cook in a completely different way - primarily with whole foods and fresh ingredients. We are now 3.5 years into our new normal. The whole family is thriving on our new diet and relishing how delicious eating allergen-free can be! We are all in great health, there are no medications being taken by anyone, and I have two happy, well-fed girls.
Today I am sharing a typical easy weeknight meal for our house: Chicken Nectarine Stir Fry, an unexpected, but really delicious combination! I add a jalapeno for spiciness, but depending on your spice tolerance, you can omit or adjust the amount that you add. I can happily eat the stir-fry as it is, but I steam jasmine rice for my kids and husband to eat with it. This dish also happens to be free of sugar and the “big 8” (most common allergens) - wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish, and fish. I hope you enjoy!
Chicken Nectarine Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts (very thinly sliced against the grain)
- 1 red onion (chopped into bite sized pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped into bite sized pieces)
- 1 jalapeno (thinly sliced)
- 2 nectarines (sliced into wedges)
- 1 cup basil (fresh, loosely packed)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- 1 cup brown jasmine rice (cooked according to package directions)
Instructions
- In a heavy skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and add ⅓ of the chicken pieces. Lightly brown on each side, about 30 seconds (they should be really thinly sliced so they should cook through quite quickly). When the chicken pieces are cooked through, transfer them to a separate bowl. Continue to cook the rest of the chicken in batches. Set the bowl of cooked chicken pieces aside.
- Add the remaining coconut oil to the same skillet (still over high heat) and add the red onions and fry them for 1 minute, constantly stirring with a pair of tongs.
- Add the bell pepper and let cook for another minute and then add the jalapeno and nectarine slices along with adding back in the chicken and any juice that collected in the bowl. Cook for another 1 - 2 minutes until everything is hot and the vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil leaves, then season to taste with kosher salt and serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
2. We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Monika says
Fantastic a flavor explosion ! Thank you for sharing! Definitely a keeper!!!
Tayyab Akram says
Amazing loved it and thanks for sharing such a nice post.
Lindsey says
the jalapeno isn't on the ingredient list, but it's in the instructions
Thanks!
Sabrina B says
what an inspiring story, scary given how affected your daughter is to so many foods, but wonderful how resourceful you were in figuring that out, it's remarkable how little is known or considered in health diagnoses regarding basic food ingredients, this is an inspiring tale to correct that, thank you! Also, thank you for the recipe, love the jalapeno too!
Lori says
So glad to find an excellent cook simplifying and creating really delicious and healthy food.
Marla says
Excited to try this! In reading the recipe, I noticed that jalapeño and rice were not listed in the ingredients- just thought I'd point that out :) I know I typically make my grocery list by reading the ingredient lists. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Sarah B says
The directions say Jalapeno, but it's not in the ingredient list. Any ideas for substitutes for the pepper and onion?
Heather Christo says
Sarah you are totally right! I am so sorry- I will see if we can get that fixed! It was just 1 jalapeño thinly sliced (unless of course you like more!) Um, Maybe not the right recipe for you without those two main ingredients, but if you really want to try subbing out different veggies, maybe mushrooms and fresh corn?
Marla says
Just saw that Sarah B brought up the jalapeño, sorry I skimmed over her comment before posting mine below!
Elizabeth says
Curious of hints to avoid soy-free foods? My daughter is not allergic to soy rather had a high estrogen level for nine years of age.
I have found kid-friendly snacks like "annie's or while foods varieties.
Thanks
Heather Christo says
Hi Elizabeth, have you explored dairy and poultry as possible reasons for the high estrogen count? Sadly they pump the animals up with quite a lot of hormones that can then transfer themselves to us when we eat them- children being very susceptible? I hope your daughter is doing better and please let me know if I can be a good recipe resource for you?
Kathryn @ Mamacado says
Excited to "meet" another food allergy mom and family! Thanks for the great recipe, and I'm looking forward to digging into your website.
Heather Christo says
Thank you so much Kathryn! I am totally here as a resource and have all kinds of recipes that cover pretty wide variety of allergies and intolerances- I hope I can help!
Emily says
Wow, this looks amazing! I'm pinning for later. Thanks for sharing your story!
Heather Christo says
Thank you so much!
Lola says
This recipe looks so tasty! I cannot wait to try this out, thanks for the share! Keep up the posts!