Hi Everyone,

Happy BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS Month! Thank you to everyone that shared our facebook event page for the TBI & HARNESS HOUSE research event. Corey is looking forward to working in a ‘real’ kitchen.

For those of you NOT on facebook, Not Your Average Joe’s in Glen Mills, PA will be donating 15% of each lunch or dinner check each Tuesday in the month of March when you mention you’re there to support TBI and the Go Baby Go Harness House research project. We are so grateful for their support and that there are 5 Tuesday’s this month! In addition, Corey has been invited to be a guest Chef on the 8th and the 22nd.

The Harness House research project is a perfect story for Brain Injury Awareness. There are 5.3 million TBI survivors living with permanent disabilities from their injury. Of that number 1.6 are seriously disabled and do not have funding and/or coverage for long-term rehabilitation. The data we collect from this research project will help us effectively advocate at the state and federal levels. This will change the lives of not only the survivors but for their caregivers and family members as well.

Another interesting fact about TBI (even a mild concussion), is something known as Brain Allergies. The more families we meet, the more we discover the survivors can no longer eat or have a sensitivity to certain foods. They have developed food allergies to gluten, dairy, egg, mustard seeds, nightshades, rice, red/yellow dyes, and artificial chemicals. In Corey’s case, her TBI is linked to inflammation in her gut and her red blood cells. We’ve changed her diet to help with the inflammation and in doing so have begun to see a change in her sinus pressure, constipation, headaches and mood swings to name a few!

Now that we are focused and diligently researching nutrition, I’m amazed at how little is ‘out there’ to help new TBI families with this critical information. When Corey was learning how to swallow and eat, no one told us about or guided us to keep an eye on fat content or possible food triggers and food allergies. In fact, this year was the first time we heard of a test to identify 90 possible food allergies with a simple blood test.

In keeping with her vision of becoming a Chef, she’s adding a new recipe to her cookbook. She recently purchased a Spiralizer with her Christmas gift money. This weekend, we cooked a version of a recipe she found in a cookbook called Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci called Bikini Bolognase. For those of you looking for a nutritious, filling and calorie conscious meal to get ready for the beach, Corey’s take on Ali’s recipe is delicious!

Finely chop celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms and chicken breast
You will need diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, olive oil and salt/pepper (we don’t use garlic as I am allergic to that!)
Corey uses two saute pans.
In one pan, drizzle olive oil, add celery and carrots to saute on medium heat.
When the celery and carrots begin to get tender, add the chopped onions
When the onions become tender but not yet translucent, add mushrooms, a hefty shake of oregano and basil and a few twists of salt/pepper (only a real Chef eye’s her spices…she cooks like my mother)
Simmer for about 5 mins and add a can of diced tomatoes
Turn on low

In the second saute pan, drizzle olive oil, add/cook the chicken, season lightly with oregano, salt/pepper.

while the chicken is cooking, spiralize the zucchini. We use 2 zucchini’s per person.

When the chicken is cooked and looks tender, add it to the vegetable bolognase.

Rinse your meat pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and toss in your zucchini noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes. It’s best to serve them al dante.

To plate, use spaghetti tongs to grip the zucchini noodles and ladle the chicken/vegetable bolognase on top. Finish with fresh parsley to garnish. For those of you allowed to eat dairy, add pecorino romano grated cheese.

You’re bikini and beach body will thank you! Bon Appetite xoxo