Chicken & Leek Pie With Sweet Potato Wedges

Chicken & Leek Pie With Sweet Potato Wedges

High in fibre, good source of Vitamin C, 3 of your 5 a day. Using filo helps keep this pie low in saturated fat, while the sweet potato fries boost your veg count. Serves 2  Prep 15 mins Cook 40 mins Ingredients 1 large sweet potato, cut into chunky chips 4 tsp olive oil 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size chunks 1 leek, finely sliced 1 carrot, chopped 225ml/8fl oz low-sodium chicken stock 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 85g/3oz light soft cheese 2 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves 2 sheets filo pastry Method Heat oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6.  In a roasting tray toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tsp of the oil and some seasoning.  Cook for 30-40 mins, until golden and crisp.   Heat 1tsp oil in a medium frying pan.  Fry the chicken until browned, remove from the pan and set aside.  Add the leek and a splash of water, and gently fry until soft, about 7 mins.  Add the carrot and cook for 3 mins more.  Pour in the stock and boil until reduced by half, then add the mustard and soft cheese, stirring well to combine.  Return the chicken to the pan, add the tarragon and some seasoning 3)  Divide the mixture between 2 small ovenproof dishes.  Take the filo sheets and             scrunch them up.  Top each pie with a sheet and brush with remaining 1 tsp oil.  Cook the pies in the oven with chips for 15 mins, until pastry is golden

Meal plan and PMDD advice

I would like to thank my wonderful friend Teresa Mercer for writing this for me.

Meal Planner

• Key things to remember: 
• Reduce caffeine 
• Increase Fruit and veg
• Increase the amount of water – swap a cup of coffee for a glass of water 
• Wholegrain products – wholemeal bread, pasta, basmati rice – they will keep you fuller for longer 
• Just a few brazil nuts will provide you with Selenuim which will help keep the chemicals in the brain level http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium

• Increase vit B6 and 12 - http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000116000000000000000.html see for foods high in b vits
• Foods high in carbs – bread, rice, pasta, potatoes – again try to go for the refined (white) products
• Try to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet.

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Breakfast	Porridge and Bananas	Whetabix, strawberries and Yoghurt	Porridge and Bananas	Whetabix, strawberries and Yoghurt	Porridge and Bananas	Bacon butty – wholemeal bread	Whetabix, strawberries and Yoghurt
Dinner	Tuna wrap with salad, piece of fruit	Jacket potato with cheese and salad, piece of fruit	Tuna wrap with salad, piece of fruit	Jacket potato with beans, salad and piece of fruit	Tuna wrap with salad, piece of fruit	Couscous with salad	Sunday Lunch – small amount of meat, loads of potatoes and veg
Tea	Spaghetti bolenise, made with quorn, add extra veg with wholemeal pasta and salad	Turkey curry with basmati rice	Sweet and soup noodles	Chicken and leek pie with sweet potatoes	Oven baked fish and wedges, with veg	Mexican Fajitas, add extra veg with home baked oven wedges	Family picnic – sandwiches, fruit, low sugar jelly with fruit
Snacks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks	Brazil nuts (5-6 a day) Banana Apple Grapes Veg sticks

What contraception are you using? This could have a positive or negative affect on your symptoms

  Foods that Increase or Boost Serotonin in the Brain

  Turkey, whey protein, cottage cheese, eggs, sunflower and sesame seeds, oats and mangoes are some foods that contain L-Tryptophan, which boosts serotonin in the bloodstream. Others that contain this amino acid and can also increase serotonin levels in the blood include bananas, bread, pasta, potatoes, walnuts, chickpeas, spirulina and poultry. 

Protein Foods and Serotonin

  Although protein meat (chicken and turkey) can aid in brain serotonin level increase, there must not be too high a level of the other amino acid types in the meat consumed, since serotonin competes with these other amino acids for entrance into the brain-blood barrier. Also, generally, the amino acid L-Tryptophan is in much smaller quantities than other amino acids, thereby reducing its probability of making it into the blood-brain barrier if the other amino acids are present.

Read more: What Foods Contain Serotonin? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5202494_foods-contain-serotonin_.html#ixzz1GIO1e3IW

This cycle tracker is a good tool to help you plan. It will give you an idea of when she is due for her period – then you can work out is she worst before, during of after? How long do the symptoms last and it will also give you an idea if the changes in lifestyle and diet actually help

PMDD Treatment

Researchers are studying what makes some women susceptible to PMDD, including differences in hormone sensitivity, history of other mood disorders, and individual differences in the function of brain chemical messenger systems. Antidepressant medications known to work via serotonin circuits are effective in relieving the premenstrual symptoms. Women with susceptibility to depression may be more vulnerable to the mood-shifting effects of hormones. 

For mild to moderate symptoms, your doctor may suggest changes in your diet and lifestyle. 

Effective treatment is available for PMDD. Treatments include medication, lifestyle changes, supportive psychotherapy and nutritional approches.

• Medication treatment for PMDD: including antidepressants, antianxiety drugs, analgesics, hormones and diuretics. Find the detail list of all the medications for PMDD.
• Psychotherapy for treating PMDD: variety of methods for stress reduction and relaxation such as exercise, counselling and stress/behaviour management strategies.
  Cognitive-behavioral therapy involves 12 or so weekly sessions that deal with correcting dysfunctional negative thoughts and developing effective coping strategies. Several research studies have found this to be a promising treatment for PMS and, perhaps, for PMDD. kind of therapy can enhance self-esteem and interpersonal effectiveness, as well as reduce other symptoms. Educating patients and their families about the disorder can promote understanding of it and reduce conflict, stress, and symptoms. 
• Nutritional Approches for curing PMDD: diet modifications such as high carbohydrate meals and reducing salt, caffeine and alcohol, consider frequent small meals. Vitamin B-6 and Magnesium is beneficial for patient with PMDD. Vitamin E, an antioxidant, seems to reduce the affective and physical symptoms of PMDD. Tryptophan, a substrate for serotonin, may also benefit some patients.
• Lifestyle Changes for the treatment of PMDD: Many patients prefer to try lifestyle changes and/or nutritional supplements as a first step in the treatment of PMDD. Life style changes such as daily exercise or some form of aerobic exercise is beneficial for overall health. 

Women with PMDD may be helped by the following: 

• Regular exercise 3 to 5 times per week 
• Adequate rest 
• A balanced diet (with increased whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and decreased or no salt, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine) 

I will post recipes individually so they are easier to search for on the blog. 

Some more of my writing.

Whirlwind

A whirlwind of thoughts flying round out of control. 
Try to take hold of one and start it's creation.
It's hard with the other thoughts whirling round.
knocking it out of your hand, grab another try that. 
Yet again your hand can't hold on to the thought, it keeps changing. 
It won't stop. Don't try to keep up. 
The distruction of the whirlwind creates more and more. 
You grow weak every time you try to hold on. 
You can't keep up with the pace. 

Step back with the calm, once the whirlwind has gone.
The thoughts have settled but still are born. 
Try to sort them one by one. 
It still can not be done. 
A bit of this and a bit of that. 
Never ending it is that. 

Poems

Tired but wide awake


Tired but wide awake.
A frown upon my face.
Sat thinking, thoughts unclear.
I feel empty, deep inside.
I feel like I've already died.

Nothing matters anymore.
I want to walk out the door.
I'm sat, but never still.
Going up this never ending hill.

I feel anger, deep inside.
I keep it in I try to hide.
It all explodes, things fly in rage.

I hate myself on these days.




Save me from me


Don't try to look behind my eyes.
They lead down to my mind. 
It's a dark lonely place inside. 
I search, I never find. 

Save me from my mind,
save me from my life,
save me from me.

I feel empty, just nothing. 
Trying to understand what's happening. Trying to find ways to help myself. Trying to prepare for what's to come. 
I hate the feeling, knowing what's coming. Knowing my thoughts are going to become unclear and irrational. 

I think its worse because i can even tell you what's going to happen and when. Surely if I know what's going to happen I can change my thoughts. 
:/ I don't know. Like I said everything becomes unclear and irrational. 

Such bad timing, something so important. Something that can't be changed. 

I'm sad it isn't for a reason. Thinking about it now I'm sad cause I know what's coming. So it started for no reason and I've created a reason on top of that. I'm really not helping myself here. 

I think it's too late now as the downward spiral has started. I don't want to be here when it looses control. :( I need to look into CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) I know from work it helps change your thought patterns. (working in mental health is a great help) 

I also need to make myself eat. Preferably things that are good for me. I tend not to want to eat much on my bad days. I've learnt eating certain things can help your mood. 

12 good days now what?

Well I got 12 god days, I've really made the most of them.

I was grumpy yesterday but I'd not slept much because of the pain in my hips/legs.


Had a lovely morning, took my youngest to an art group.

Just after lunch it hit, I just sank.
I felt my mood change, It was like someone turned a switch. I just felt so sad with no explanation as to why. That's kind of how I feel now, I just want to cry. I hate this low feeling, just a few days ago I could of taken on the world. Now I just want to hide away till the good days come back.
I'm full of worry about what I'm going to say or do. I worry about what I'm going to end up arguing with Mr G about. I hate the fact I know it's coming. I tried to stop it last month and it made me worse so how do I go about it all this month? I don't know!?!

I plan on trying my hardest to eat as well as I can. I'm going to reduce my coffee intake and see how I go.
Prepare myself for the anger and rage, try to see/feel my own signs. Attempt to take my meds before I snap.

The bad in the good.

It's hard to think about the bad days when I feel so good right now.
I need to though! I need to plan what I'm going to do.
I want to make an effort to eat better for a start. Last month I knew it was coming and I tried to stop it. I held it in which just seemed to cause more of an explosion.

I'm joining in an event month on a forum I go on. I'll be seeing my handmade things. I've set up collabs with some other work at home mums. I need to get as much done now so I'm prepared. It's due to start just as my bad days are. Typical....lol I just hope I can keep my concentration enough to get some things listed when it starts. Luckily I've finished a couple of things and I have a few bits part finished.

I'm used to just plodding on.
Accepting the good and bad days as they come and go.
Now I'm trying to embrace the good days while they are here. this past week I've done more than I've done in a long time! I've made an effort to take my daughters to toddler groups, rather than sitting at home doing nothing. I even got baby sitters and went to a knitting group! No kids lol. The lady who runs the toddler art group asked if I'd like to volunteer.
I'm going to go and hep out next Wednesday afternoon. I said I might not be able to do it every week but I'd be happy to hep.