Finding My Happiness in the Little Things

Well, I've been having a crazy week (and not just from caregiving) which is why I've not posted in awhile. So far I've cleaned the bathroom literally from top to bottom (and discovered that I may have to gut it to fix some problems I thought were minor), flipped my mattress (no more back ache for now), talked to the husband's specialist and adjusted his meds (actually a two week process), and have been helping a friend who is a hoarder clear out a storage space on a deadline.

Some of the highlights of this crazy week that have made me happy have been discovering a recipe for slow cooker roast chicken that's just amazing (I'll be doing it again with a few more tweaks), finding out that the reason the hubby was feeling so crappy was because he was dehydrated (thus the adjustment in his meds) and him getting his appetite back,  finding low sodium tortillas, and watching my and my husband's favorite movie (The Princess Bride). 

I'd guess you could say that although it's been crazy around here (and will be for the next week or so), it's been the little things that have been helping me keep from feeling overwhelmed all the time and that in keeping them in mind I see that what I'm doing is worthwhile. I realize that my little things are not for everyone (who'd have thought that finding low sodium tortillas would make me happy?) but it's in finally fully realizing that they exist in my day-to-day life that's been the eye opener. I've heard all the cliches before about "looking on the bright side", "it's the small things that matter" and "every cloud has a silver lining" but it was in finding them that had always been the problem for me. Now that I've figured out what some of my small things are I'm going to keep looking for them in my life and try to keep my perspective that my small things matter. 


As one of my small things was the recipe for slow cooker roast chicken that I served with a salad, I figured that I'd share it and perhaps it will become one of yours. 

My Recipe for Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken

1 Tbsp Club House NSA Steak Spice

1 Tbsp Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb blend

1/8 tsp S&B Nanami Togarashi (assorted chili pepper) {optional}

1 Medium Onion 

1 Small Whole Chicken (about 2-3 lb.)

Take the first three ingredients and mix in a small bowl. Set aside.

Slice the onion into half moon shapes and place into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Rub the spice mix inside and out of the chicken and place in the slow cooker on top of the onions. Cover and cook on Low for about 7 hours.

Makes about 4 servings.

Notes: Be careful in taking the chicken out of the slow cooker as it will be falling off the bones.  

Don't worry about not adding any liquid as this will make it's own juices.

I have a four quart slow cooker and my chicken fit the slow cooker perfectly so I'm not sure how this will work with the same size chicken in a larger cooker.

I found that the skin didn't get that crisp but it wasn't bad (ie. soggy) and also that there was a fair bit of juice in the bottom of the cooker after the chicken was done. I didn't use the juice that night but I'd bet that it would make a great gravy. 

With the leftovers I've made quesadillas (with the low sodium tortillas) and chicken salad sandwiches. Today I'll be making chicken soup with what's left and the juices.  

More on Low Sodium Products and Special Diets

I have been updating my post on low sodium supermarket options and mentioned in my post about the hubby's diet that I was looking for a no-sodium baking soda substitute. Well, I found the substitute right here in Toronto at the Specialty Food Shop  in the Hospital for Sick Children.  I found out about them by calling Eat Right Ontario and speaking to a registered dietitian who happened to remember about them.

The Specialty Food Shop is for children and adults with special dietary needs such as Celiac, Cystic Fibrosis, dysphagia, food allergies, energy boosting and more. They have a website (see link above) where you can shop online and they deliver right across Canada (out-of-Provence rates apply). You can even email a registered dietitian about any nutrition questions you may have and the proceeds of sales go to support the Hospital for Sick Children. 

The other thing that the Eat Right dietitian mentioned to me was to ask my local supermarket to carry the products that I'm interested in and it was like "duh, why didn't I remember that?".  So, I'm going to be asking the manager of my local store to see about carrying the Mrs.Dash marinades for me (I'm thinking of asking for the Spicy Teriyaki first) and perhaps the baking soda substitute, mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to go downtown to get what I want (I don't drive so going downtown is a pain in the butt). My next chore is going to be tracking down a low sodium cheddar and other hard cheeses that are available here in Canada (I know Helluva Good makes one but they don't seem to ship it out of the U.S.) I'll let you know here how it goes.

Some Low Sodium Supermarket Options Updated

Nutrition and sodium levels in food are a concern for anyone but particularly when you are ill or caring for someone with special dietary needs.  With chemotherapy, my Mom's tastes changed - she wanted nothing that was too salty or sweet and currently my husband is on a low sodium-diabetic diet.

 This makes life interesting when going shopping at the supermarket. 

According to Health Canada, you're to look for foods with  less than 360 mg of sodium in a serving or 15% of the Daily Value and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency states that foods containing 140 mg or less may be labeled as low sodium. Some of the words to look for are "No Salt Added", "Sodium Reduced", "Low in Sodium" and "Salt Free"

Make sure to read the nutrition labels because sometimes when they cut the salt they add sugar.

I have found these products in NoFrills, FreshCo, Loblaws, Grocery Gateway, and Metro but unfortunately not all in the same place.

I'll be updating this list periodically when I find new things that are low sodium so check back every so often.

Breads
There was a press release in February of 2012 by the CDC on hidden sources of salt in foods and bread was near the top of the list. I had figured this out a couple of years previous while trying to find a type of bread that was low in salt for Mom. 

Some good brands are Rudolph's Bakery, some of Dimpflmeier Bakery's and apparently there is a new line of breads by Dempster's called Healthy Way that has 110 mg of sodium per slice. Dempster's also has a sodium counter on their site.( I've not seen the Dempster's in my stores yet but hopefully soon.) I had also found a bread that had about 95 mg of salt per slice but I've forgotten the brand . I'll let you know what it was when I find it again.

Update: The bread that has 95 mg of sodium per slice is the Rigsky Bread from All Stars Bakery and their Baltic Rye Bread has 80 mg of sodium per slice.

I'll just say this, Rye breads, for whatever reason, seem to be one of the lower sodium options out there that are available in the supermarket. 

Salt Substitutes
Mrs. Dash original and garlic and herb blends are a staple in my kitchen but I wish I could find her marinades in the store (They're available online from http://healthyheartmarket.com/ and they ship internationally). I also use Club House No Salt Steak Spice ( I like it on my eggs) and a product called NoSalt which is potassium chloride (no good if you're on a potassium restricted diet).
Loblaws Blue Menu no salt added Sun-dried Tomato and Herb (my new favorite)
A.Vogel Herbamare Sodium Free Again potassium chloride but infused with 14 herbs and vegetables

Butter/Margarine
Unsalted butter and Becel's unsalted margarine

Bacon
Lou's Quick and Easy Traditional Slice (140 mg sodium per 100 g serving - way less than even sodium reduced bacon)  It's kind of like peameal bacon without the cornmeal and cooks in 2 minutes.

Canned Goods
Clover Leaf low sodium Tuna and Salmon, Eden Organic no salt added beans, refried beans, vegetables and tomatoes,
Campbell's no salt added broths, 

Condiments
Kozlick's Canadian Mustards a little pricey (and delicious) but only 35 mg sodium per 5 ml or 1% of the Daily Value for the XXX variety (they have over 30 types and they can be bought online), Heinz Easy Squeeze low sodium ketchup, Loblaws Blue Menu Low Sodium Ketchup Style Sauce , Kikkoman Sodium reduced soy sauce, Hellman's Mayonnaise  (95 mg per tablespoon) and Kraft no sugar, no salt peanut butter (tastes like regular Kraft peanut butter and no stirring). Liquid Smoke This stuff is great-it adds a barbecue flavor to anything you put it in. 

Cheeses
Unfortunately there is not a lot of choices out there. Cracker Barrel used to make a low sodium cheddar but they stopped, probably due to costs and no one knowing about it (I only saw it once at a Metro years ago) But there are some options such as Swiss cheese, Bocconcini and fresh Mozzarella in water. Some brands are better than others just make sure to read the labels. 

Cereals
Puffed rice, Quaker Harvest Crunch, Alpine Muesli, and Cheerio's Multi Grain, Multigrain Spooners Frosted (only 1 mg of sodium and 9 mg of sugars)

Snacks
Lay's Chips lightly salted, Hunt's Snack Pack Lemon Meringue Pie, and Dole Fruit Bowl in Gel, Triscuit Low Sodium Roasted Garlic and Herb (50 mg Sodium), Dare Breaktime Ginger Cookies (65 mg of Sodium)

Beverages
Ovaltine Chocolate Has 25 mg of sodium and 13 g of carbohydrates of which only 8 g are Sugars
Carnation Hot Chocolate Marshmallow High in Sugars (19 g)  but has 40 mg of sodium per 3 Tbsp

Miscellaneous
Manischewitz Matzo Farfel Basically unleavened crushed crackers that can be used for breading or stuffing and has 0 mg of sodium per 1/4 cup
Paxo Stuffing this is the lowest sodium box of stuffing that I have found so far, even lower than the reduced sodium Stove Top stuffing.

This list is by no means comprehensive but it goes to show that there are low sodium options available at the local supermarket. Happy Hunting!