5 Grains and Veggie Salad

It was an incredibly hot summer in Europe, and I could not stand warm food to eat, so I organized myself to have a good meal plan and not overheat the kitchen.

I got my mum's veggies from her garden, mixed them with 10 minutes of cooking cereals, and added cubed ham as a source of protein. Of course, you can switch to rice if you need a gluten-free option.

Having fun in the kitchen allowed me to space between ingredients and create new recipes, to make my low FODMAP period less boring and easier to stick to.

Now that I feel better and feel that I have more control over my IBS, I try to maintain at least 1 low FODMAP meal a day and not overdo it with high FODMAP ingredients in the others.

It looks like it works for me, sometimes I am more bloated, and it can either be triggered by stress (oh well, who isn't stressed in 2022?) or by my excess of "freedom" when it comes to diversifying my diet. Of course, this is very personal. You need to adjust to your gut and under the eye of a doctor.

I find that we need to listen more to what our body wants to communicate to us. When we learn more about ourselves, it gets easier to handle IBS and many other medical issues, obviously with the help of health practitioners.

Sometimes we will probably relapse into the IBS circle, but we will know better next time. It is ok. Getting to know ourselves deeper takes time, dedication, and patience. But trust me, it is worth the effort!

I realized that we present our person better to the world and loved ones when we take more time to love ourselves.

I really hope you will enjoy this colorful plate. It brought me a lot of joy!

Buon appetito!

Makes: 2 servings
Serving size: a plate each
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for 5 grains and veggie salad:

• 5 oz of mixed cereals/grains (mine was rice, spelled, barley, oats and wheat)
• 1 zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 8 roma tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 oz of cubed ham
• 1 spoon of coarse salt
• 3 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions for the 5 grains and veggie salad:

1. Put some water to boil in a pot
2. Wash and cut into strips zucchinis and carrots
3. In a pan, add 2 spoons of olive oil and the clove to brow
4. Once the water is boiling, add the salt and then the 5 cereals, set the timer as explained on the box
5. Add the veggies to the pan and stir for about 10 minutes, adjust with salt and pepper
6. Cut the roma tomatoes in 4
7. Remove the clove of garlic
8. Once the cereals are cooked, drain them and add them to the veggies, add the cubes of ham and stir
9. Serve it on a plate and add the tomatoes
10. Let it cool down and if you make too much, keep it in the fridge for the next day
11. Add some raw olive oil to taste