The Migraine Relief Plan's Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken Recipe  - Nut Free Wok (2024)

Some of my friends who are managing food allergies also have migraines and I thought it might be helpful to introduce Stephanie Weaver’s book, The Migrain Relief Plan and her nut-free, soy-free recipe for Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book to review and have permission to share Stephanie’s Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken. All opinions are mine but should not be considered medical advice, please consult your medical care team if you have any concerns. This post might have affiliate links which do not affect your purchase price but helps pay for a soy latte every so often, thank you!

My friend, Stephanie Weaver, MPH, CWHC, very kindly sent me a review copy of her book, The Migraine Relief Plan: An 8 Week Transition to Better Eating, Fewer Headaches, and Optimal Health(affiliate link) to read, review, and try a recipe. I picked Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken because we like chicken and the recipe looks so healthy and delicious.

All of her recipes are free of nuts, citrus, soy, gluten, salt, cheese, sugar, and onions with many recipes which are vegetarian/vegan,dairy-free, egg-free, and/or grain-free, which are very allergy friendly. The plan also eliminates caffiene, MSG, common preservatives, alcohol, added sugar, and aspartame.

Many of my friends mention that they have migraines and I thought they just have a bad headache. I was so naive until one day I had a headache that was excruciating, all I wanted to do was to lie down in a fetal position with an eye mask, waiting to either fall asleep or for the pain to pass. I didn’t see a doctor to confirm but suspect that might have been a migraine.

Now I have a lot of empathy for my friends who have migraines regularly. I hope that Stephanie’s book will help, it seems like The Migraine Relief Plan is worth considering. She outlines “an 8 week transition plan to better eating, fewer headaches, and optimal health” (cool tagline). and it seems to be a gradual and gentle plan so that the lifestyle changes are easy to start and sustain.

The Migraine Relief Plan

The 8 week plan breaks down big changes into smaller tasks that one can implement one week at a time. Then each of the follow weeks, one incorporates additional goals each week so that by the end of the 8 weeks, one would have a new set of habits and foods to eat.

• Week 1, learn how to track your food, drink, sleep, symptoms, movement and sleep so you have a baseline and begin to build awareness.
• Week 2, go thru your freezer and Stephanie includes suggestions on how to evaluate what will work or won’t work for you.
• Week 3, do the same thing with the shelf-stable items in your cupboard and pantry.
• Week 4, clean out the fridge and start replacing your snacks which is such a brilliant easy change.
• Week 5, transition your breakfast
• Week 6, transition your lunch
• Week 7, transition your dinner
• Week 8, eat at a restaurant on plan and she includes a lot of tips on how to order and communicate with servers

The next section of The Migraine Relief Plan is about how to maintain the plan and explores topics such as taking care of our bodies, detoxing our body, home and work environments, etc.. The book includes more than 75 allergy friendly recipes which are all nut free, soy free, and gluten free. Many of the recipes are also vegetarian/vegan, egg free, and/or dairy free.

My review is a very brief overview of her plan, but Stephanie gives in-depth scientific reasons to explain why the plan might work and what to do if it doesn’t help.If readers are suffering from chronic migraine headaches and already avoid nuts, soy, and gluten because of food allergies or intolerances, you already have a headstart on making some lifestyle changes to try Stephanie’s plan to see if it will bring some migraine relief.

Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken Recipe

I decided to try making Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken, not knowing what to expect because it used techniques that I haven’t thought of or tried before. I made a marinade in my blender using the white parts of scallions, vinegar, maple syrup, paprika, and sesame oil and then marinated the chicken for a few hours. Then brown the chicken with coconut oil (I used olived oil) on both sides and then add the rest of the marinade and chopped scallion greens and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

• I have never used paprika with my children and didn’t know if it would be too spicy so I used 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 teaspoon. The chicken was very mild, I think I can be more bold next time with a full teaspoon of paprika.
• I don’t have coconut oil and decided to substitute with olive oil, which is allowed on the plan.

It was eyeopening for me to cook without soy sauce or even without a soy sauce-like ingredient. The chicken was delicious and flavorful without any added salt or sugar. My husband liked the sweetness and flavor of the maple syrup and we all liked the crunch and texture of the toasted sesame seeds.

Allergy Aware Maple Sesame Glazed Chicken

This recipe is relatively free of allergens except for coconut oil, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Coconut is considered a tree nut by the FDA but is botanically classified as a drupe, which is a fruit. I easily substituted coconut oil with olive oil, which is also allowed on The Migraine Relief Plan.

Sesame Allergy:If you avoid sesame due to an allergy, it’s easy to leave out the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Sesame has a unique flavor but you can try to substitute with something similar but allergy safe such as sunflower seed butter, perilla seed oil (has a grassy flavor, use just a fraction) and sprinkle with an alternate seed (check with your allergist!) for a crunchy texture such as chia seeds, chopped sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc..

Support Sesame Seed Allergy Advocacy

My son outgrew his sesame allergy when he was 6 or 7 but it was the most stressful allergen to avoid because sesame seeds bounce around and cross-contact is inevitable. Sesame is considered a non-top 8 allergen and at the top of the list for common allergens. The FDA also doesn’t require sesame to be called out but could fall under ambiguous labels such as “spices” or “natural flavors.” You can lend your support by visitingKids With Food Allergies’ call to action regarding sesame labeling and add your comments to the FDA’s page.

This recipe is free of peanuts, tree nuts (except coconut), milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish as written.

If you decide to order this book, please let me know if you feel better after 8 weeks.

Sign Up for Emails from Nut Free Wok!

The best way to see every post or recipe is to subscribe toNut Free Wok’semail subscription(be sure to respond to the confirmation email). I won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

Disclosure/Disclaimer:

I may mentionthe names of stores and/or brand names of products that I use because readers ask and I share products and sources which I use and think may be helpful to readers, all opinions are my own. Please notethat manufacturing practices and ingredients can change at anytime without notice and readers are always responsible for assuring allergen safety before buying or consuming foods. NutFreeWok.comis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for your support!