Gluten-Free Goodies!

We had dinner at Los Potrillo's (again, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, and probably just one of our favorite restaurants ever in general!) with Adam and Jami last night. It was great to see them and catch up a bit...it had been a while since we had hung out the four of us! We had a great time and of course the food was delicious. Jeremy and Adam thought our service was terrible last night (which is very out of the ordinary for Los!), but I didn't even notice. I was just happy to be having a good time with fun friends! I was relieved that I was done working for 12 days, that lunch wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be (thanks to two awesome co-workers, Deb and Christina...our boss was buying us pizza for lunch, but obviously I wouldn't be able to eat it. Deb and Christina ordered me a burrito bowl from Chipotle and went and picked it up so I had something delicious to eat during the holiday lunch and wasn't just jealous of everyone and their pizza! Of course I was still a bit jealous ;), but that's just because I am obsessed with wanting pizza! ;) ), and I had gotten everything done at work that I needed to. It was just a wonderful feeling, and I was very relaxed and ready to have a great evening with Jeremy and our friends.

Also, Jami brought us each a Christmas tin with some goodies she made for us! She made us two separate tins, one for Jeremy with "normal" Christmas cookies and the like, and a gluten-free tin for me! Mine had buckeyes and scotcharoos, both things that I love! I ate some right away last night and I am not ashamed to admit I already ate some today and I haven't even had lunch yet! HA! Half of my leftover meal from Los is in the toaster oven right now heating up for me to eat as I curl up in front of the TV and am lazy for a bit.

I am still in awe of how awesome my friends have been through all of this crappy gluten-less-ness of my life! Jami has been great...especially now with these Christmas goodies! The cookies/sweets part of Christmas has honestly kind of sucked! I know, I know, that's not what Christmas is all about ;). It is still hard, though, to sit by when people are eating delicious looking gluten-ous Christmas cookies and treats! It was nice to have some yummy things of my own to eat. Thanks, Jami! Of course my other friends have been great, too! Sarah has given me TONS of tips (she is a healthy eater and food-purchaser and knew about gluten-free living type things way before I started in on this new lifestyle)...and has made a number of yummy things when we go over to their place. Brooke made a delicious Mexican casserole that she adapted to be gluten free when we visited them in Rockford in November. On December 16th when we had a Youth Leaders' meeting at Josh and Laura's home, Laura made an entirely gluten-free (and DELICIOUS!) meal for all of us there. Jeremy's mom makes me a gluten free meal when we go over there for dinner at least once a week. My mom is making lots of gluten free things for when we visit for Christmas this weekend! Jillian made sure I had things to eat on Saturday when we went to her place prior to her Christmas concert in Peoria (she kept some BBQ pork separate for me so it wouldn't get contaminated, and even bought me some of my favorite yogurt! She also had veggies and hummus I could eat!). I love my friends! I know it's probably such a pain for them...but I am so thankful for their kindness and love!

Yahoo for good food, good friends, and...most of all, Yahoo for CHRISTMAS!!!

PIZZA :(

Ok, so as a holiday celebration...my boss is purchasing Monical's pizza for the employees for lunch today. Darn it all. I would try to pull a "last week" where I just worked through lunch and didn't go...but I actually do want to go and hang out today. I just don't want to SMELL the pizza and I just don't want to WATCH people enjoying it! Darn it all! I am such a scrooge ;)

Pizza?!

Jeremy informed me this weekend that he had a surprise for me...a co-worker told him about a pizza place in Peoria that has gluten-free pizza! Could it be?! He is going to try to find out where this is and if it is, indeed, true....I sure hope so! My hopes are DEFINITELY high up there in the clouds! Pizza is one of my biggest cravings right now. I could go for a slice of pepperoni pan pizza from Pizza Hut right about NOW! Not to mention their awesome breadsticks....ohhhh MAN!

I've been a slacker blogger lately...things have been crazy busy, getting ready for Christmas and all that! I love this time of year, but it gets very hectic and tiring as well!

Better go hop in the shower...it's past bedtime! :)

Take care, all!

Bad Attitude

Well, maybe I just have a bad attitude, but I have a feeling today is going to suck. Today we are having a Christmas dessert exchange over lunch. Yes, you guessed it...I won't be able to eat any of it. Let me reiterate that I feel like SUCH A FATTY when I get all sad about food...like the fat kid who is lamenting a donut s/he can't have. That's not it at all. Food is so social...it's a strange feeling to be the one sitting in a big group of people eating something different or not eating at all.

Maybe even more pressing than that issue, though, is the whole issue of baking. I love to bake. I am a more than competent baker, and I know it. (I am not the most confident person in most areas of my life, but I tend to be rather confident in the baking realm!) People eat my stuff and typically people LIKE it too. Not only do they say they like it (that is just being polite ;)), but they come back for seconds or request whatever it is that they had again. Those are the two true indicators of baking success :). Well, I made some of my Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies...non gluten free of course. I was scared they wouldn't turn out with the gluten-free flour, and I didn't really have time to experiement...so I was a pansy and just did it the old way. Nope, I didn't even lick the batter at ALL! Seriously. I made the dough last night, a huge double batch. I have the first tray of cookies in the oven right now. Hope I'm not late for work! ;) Jeremy needs to bring cookies to work tomorrow and he requested the same cookies, since he loves them and coworkers also talk about loving them. SO, I am going to bake his tonight with the remainder (probably the majority) of the dough.

Yeah, I probably should've made myself something gluten free so I could eat something during the exchange...but, like I said, I'm a pansy!

NOOOOOOO!

I posted a while ago about being pumped up for Oberweis home delivery....well, I signed up for the service online and got something back saying they would contact me within 4 days to set up the service. Since it has been 2 weeks, I decided to call today. Well, the lady on the phone told me I am out of the service area. WHAT?! It told me online that they serve our zip code! I am really, thoroughly disappointed! I think I am going to try later again. The person who referred me lives in Bloomington and they get home service! This really made me sad!

Oh well, life does go on ;)

{ARGH!}

I'm kind of angry today. I've done a good job (I think) of keeping the anger to a minimum and dealing with things quietly...but
I hate food.
I hate hate hate it.
For some reason it seems to be all that people talk about lately.
"Ooh I ate lunch at noodles and company"
"WOW these brownies are amazing!"
"Where should we eat lunch?"
"What are you making for the party?"

etc

"Let's go to Panera!"
"I ate six donuts this weekend" (yes, I really heard someone say this...and no, I am not jealous. That's disgusting! But still annoying ;). I wouldn't do it...it's just the fact that I CAN'T that bugs me)
"I love grilled cheese and tomato soup in the winter"

etc
etc

it grates on my nerves...a constant reminder of things I can't have isn't pleasant.

Oh, and my stomach is messed up today...not sure why. I've been careful, as always!!

Sigh.

The road won't be easy at times, I know...but why does it have to be SO ANNOYING!?

I hate the fact that there is "something wrong" with me...or two somethings, actually (Celiac and vitamin b12 deficiency...although of course that second one really isn't that big of a deal)...Who wants to have a label?! I'm a Celiac. That is just weird.

I would give anything to be "carefree" and not think about FOOD for a day. Who am I fooling!? There hasn't been a day since early on in high school when my thoughts didn't revolve around food. Of course, it was different back then...in high school I was so preoccupied with how I looked, worried about being fat...that I really starved myself. I was borderline gross. Wore a size zero. Seriously. Lunch = one bottle of apple juice and nothing else many days. Yuck! I was preoccupied with what to eat/what not to eat/how I looked. Now it's different. Sure I don't want to be overweight and those thoughts are often plaguing me...but I HAVE to be obsessive about food. I have to premeditate every meal. I have to plan ahead when we eat at friends' homes.

Today is the 51st day of this new adventure.

Can I really go the rest of my life without eating my favorite foods...or at my favorite restaurants again?!
......bread bowls from Panera, Panera's asiago cheese bagels, Panera's asiago cheese croutons, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, pesto cavatappi from Noodles and Company, jumbo cheese ravioli from Avanti's, cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster, CHRISTMAS COOKIES, 3 muskateers candy bars, cookie dough ice cream, my mom's pumpkin bread, my mom's banana bread, sourdough melts from Culver's, cheese curds from Culver's, mozzerella sticks, cake at weddings/birthday parties, brownies and cake batter ice cream from Coldstone Creamery, fish and chips, pie at Bakers' Square or Village Inn or Denny's or from Jeremy's mom, rolls from Texas Roadhouse, chicken tenders, my mom's taco casserole, corn muffins from Famous Dave's, wraps from Red Robin....

{sigh...}

D-day and Holiday Woes

Well, I had another follow-up doctor's appointment today...and my doctor tacked on the big, "official" diagnosis of Celiac Sprue. Of course I kind of knew it ;), but it was weird-o to see it in writing!
He also showed me results of more bloodwork, showing that I have a B12 deficiency...so I have to take supplements. No biggie there, I guess. He said that could be why I've had the problem with fatigue...but who knows. Everything else, though, was good bloodwork-wise. Thyroid, liver, glucose, and everything else he checked (there were tons, I forgot most!) were all within expected levels. Great!
While it's a pretty weird feeling to be tainted....with a diagnosis of something meaning there is something WRONG with me...it's nice to hae answers...and it is SUCH a BLESSING that it's nothing worse. In the grand ol' scheme of things, this isn't a big deal! It is hard, yes, but not impossible.

The holidays, though, are kind of disappointing as a newly-diagnosed Celiac! Plans are currently in the works for a holiday dessert exchange at work...of course I want to participate, but I am torn! Should I make something gluten free that I can enjoy (it will likely be the only thing there that I am able to eat!), or should I make something "normal" that won't scare people away? I think what I will do is this...Jeremy has a favorite cookie that I bake, these chocolate cookies with Andes mints in them. I will make those and give him half of the batch to bring to work (his coworkers also adore them!) and bring the other half with me to work. Then, I will also bake something gluten free....maybe try another batch of those cookies, substituting gluten-free ingredients? We will see :). Andes Mints are in my gluten free shopping guide! :) Yahoo! So, while it will probably suck that day...sitting around while everyone is eating platefuls of holiday goodies...it won't be too bad. I know I can hold my own in the baking realm ;) so hopefully I'll get some compliments on my cookies...I'll have a little plate of something gluten free prepared for me that I can enjoy...and I can revel in the fact that I am not ODing on calories and sugar like everyone else! ;)

Sigh.

It will be ok! This is only the first of many gluten-free Christmases! It will get easier and it will still be fun. I have to remember not to let this (or anything for that matter!) take away from the TRUE meaning of Christmas...

In other news, tonight we are having dinner at Amy and Tom's and meeting baby Collin! I can't WAIT! I have my crock pot fired up...I am making my second batch of Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup! YUM! I am so excited to see them and to meet their baby! Hope the soup turns out well again the second time around and that it wasn't just beginners' luck last time ;). It should be ok...it's basically just throwing a bunch of cans together, after all! ;)

Great Website and products!

http://www.glutenfree.com/home.aspx
Check out the above website for some great tips on living gluten free! Also available on that websites are a variety of products, including the Glutino brand. A few weeks ago I purchased the Chocolate and Peanut Organic Bars and have eaten them for breakfast. They are tasty!

Today I tried the original crackers with some peanut butter spread on top...they were great!



It's so much fun finding new products that are GLUTEN-FREE, but more importantly ;), taste GREAT! :)

Adventures in Crock-Pot Cooking

So I believe myself to be one who can hold her own in the kitchen...I know the basics, I can cook, bake (I have won 3 bake-offs at my place of employment, pre gluten-free diet), and I basically know what's going on. I am one who can more or less throw things together and have them turn out decent-to-good. However, I am not very adventurous in my cooking. I would like to be more adventurous...but, alas, I am not. I kind of get stuck in a rut, more or less...making the same things, over and over. Jeremy seems to be fine with that...he has pretty simple (childish ;) )taste. However, I want to do more...I want to be more adventurous, AND I want to cook/bake more healthily. Of course, the gluten-free part means that I HAVE to prepare more healthy foods, so that's a blessing in disguise :).

I stopped home for a few minutes this morning on my way back to work from an off-site speech therapy appointment. A few weeks ago I purchased 2 Cornish hens from the grocery store (Tyson brand) and had them thawing in the fridge. Today I decided I'd prepare them for our dinner (and leftovers...we'll use the leftovers for some kind of casserole or something). I found a number of delicious-sounding, however labor-intensive, recipes...however I wimped out. Since I typically work until after 6pm, it's hard for me to prepare labor-intensive dinners. I threw the two hens in the crock pot and covered them with one box of Progresso chicken broth and one box of Trader Joe's vegetable broth. We'll see what happens ;). When I get home from work, I throw some carrots in there for a bit to soften up...and perhaps some potatoes, too. We'll see what happens!!

Have a wonderful day!

Day 45

Today, December 1, 2008, is my 45th day of living gluten free. Crazy! I am still in the infancy of this new lifestyle...learning more every day....but things are, for the most part, going pretty well! Sure, I have cravings for foods that are part of my "old life" (like I expressed in my prior post!)...but for the most part I am happier living the way I am. I know it's healthier, and I know it's better for my body. That doesn't mean it's easy....or fun all of the time. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun sometimes...making new recipes, reading new information; it's all kind of a big puzzling adventure! I do enjoy a challenge...and this is definitely a challenge!

This weekend I had TWO new messages on Facebook from girls I knew in college: one has Celiac disease and the other is gluten free by choice (since it is healthier). Random encounters such as those help me see that I am not alone in this craziness ;). I really am finding out that quite a few of my acquaintances either have Celiac, live gluten-free by choice, or know someone who has Celiac disease. It's kind of crazy! I mean, in my reading I learned that an estimated 1 in 133 people has Celiac in the United States....

I guess, technically right now, I fall into that category of someone who has not been officially diagnosed; someone who is just living gluten-free by choice. I mean, we all obviously have choices every day of how we are going to live our lives...my choice just happens to be somewhat strange and/or unique...I am going to attempt to live as gluten-free as possible. My doctor has strong reasons to believe I have Celiac disease...however he suggested a gluten-free diet prior to getting the biopsy of my small intestine. Based on some of my reading, this was a poor call on his part...since the only way to REALLY know for certain if it IS Celiac is a biopsy...and you need to be eating a "normal" diet for the biopsy to be truly conclusive. SO, in order to have a reliable biopsy, I would need to go back to eating normally for a while. Honestly, I am not sure that it is worth it to me to go back to eating normally, feeling terrible and not knowing when exactly I will need to visit a bathroom! I am fine with having a "possible diagnosis" of Celiac or just generic gluten intolerance. I know how much better I feel...and that it really is probably what has been ailing me for years and years. However, before we decide to have children I plan on having genetic testing. Regardless of the result, I believe I will raise my children gluten free, at least until they are 2. Based on my reading, this is suggested by some people, even for kids who are not gluten intolerant. Human bodies are not made to digest gluten...and no one digests it fully. It's just that some people can tolerate it and some (like me and so many others I am learning about!) can't!

SO, there you have it.

Oh, this weekend I found out that Red Robin has an extensive gluten-free menu! We had lunch there on Saturday before leaving the Quad Cities to come back home. We met up with some of my aunts and cousins...it was a great time! I felt especially wonderful because I had TONS of choices! We will definitely be going back there :). The manager and our waitress were both wonderful...very accommodating and cautious. I totally appreciated it!

Have a wonderful day...it's snowy and nasty here! I have to drive around town to some off-site visits today, here's hoping my car handles the nastiness well!

BREAD

I MISS BREAD!! I NEED BREAD! All I want is a sandwich. Somebody? ANYbody?! Please help! ;)
Seriously, though. I am totally craving a grilled cheese sandwich......

I made it...

...through Thanksgiving! I am currently still in the Quad Cities at my parents' home. It has been a great couple of days.
I had no stomach problems, no reactions to anything these past few days! Granted I also haven't eaten a lot because I am kind of paranoid ;)...but I have felt pretty well!
My mom made her "famous" broccoli cheese soup that Jeremy loves...and used corn starch instead of her typical white flour to thicken it. It tasted great! It was nice on her part, too, to go to that effort.
Of course there have been lots of things I haven't been able to eat...apple muffins this morning for breakfast :(, the Panera sourdough bread that my mom had purchased to go with the aformentioned broccoli cheese soup, pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner :(, apple squares my mom made :(, the 312 beer at the bar last night :( (Jeremy's favorite! I also used to enjoy drinking it with him)...but it's all good. It is going to continue to be a big adjustment period...but adjust and adapt, I will. Of course it won't be easy, and I'll probably complain every now and then (for example, I was inwardly upset this morning to see the delicious looking apple muffins sitting on the table...all warm and cinamonny...that I couldn't eat....but later my mom made a comment that she really will try to start making more gluten-free things. I know it's hard for her, too. I know she'll try!).
My dad is talking my ear off right now and it's hard to concentrate on two things at once...so I should probably take that as a cue to sign off.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving, everyone! :)

Bring on Thanksgiving

Well, the holiday I have anticipated with much trepidation is now upon us! Tomorrow is THANKSGIVING! Sigh...
It has now been 5 1/2 weeks of my gluten-free adventures...Saturday is the 6 week point. There have been many points during this seemingly short period of time when I have dreaded an event, or at least the "food" that went along with the event (i.e., my birthday, dinner at friends' homes, parties, traveling, etc.)...but none like Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is food-centered (or so it seems...I know, I know...the real meaning of Thanksgiving is focusing on our families and the people we are most thankful for), and very gluten-filled (at least in typical families' homes). Turkey...and stuffing (gluten jackpot!). Pumpkin pie. Sweet potato caserole (the crumb topping). Green bean casserole (the cream of mushroom soup, the french fried onion topping). My mom's strawberry jello salad (graham cracker crust). Cheesy potatoes (cream of chicken soup). Rolls (obvious!). Even if an item doesn't seem overtly gluten-ous...say mashed potatoes...there is the very real liklihood that it was cross-contaminated. That is, there is a very good chance that during the preparation process, some gluten got into the item either from hands, utensils, dishes...anything, really.
Honestly, I've pretty much given up on Thanksgiving...on going crazy about it, that is. I am packing my fiber (it is always in my purse!) and will take some right away in the morning as well. I know I am going to consume gluten...but I will do my best to make sure it is as little as possible.
My mom called me last night...we are having ham and mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and her strawberry jello salad as far as the main items go. She is going to make me a small container of strawberry jello salad with no graham cracker bottom. Too bad that was the best part! ;) Just kidding. Not really. It is nice of her, though!! :) I think my mom is doing her best to ensure that I won't feel isolated...and that I won't get sick. Oh, I and I am making pumpkin bars (they are actually in the oven right now!) :). It will be fine...
I need to stop focusing in on the food aspect of things...and focus on what is really important. My family!
This is Jeremy's first Tegeler (my mom's side of the family) Thanksgiving and I hope he enjoys it! He isn't from a big extended family, and the Tegeler family is rather extensive...I don't think he gets "us", at times...but that's ok :).
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And to all of those out there with dietary restrictions...I wish you the best! Happy, safe eating to everyone!

Trader Joe's!!

Well, I finally got to experience the wonder that is Trader Joe's! Aaron had invited Jeremy and me to join him and Katie for a night in Chicago. He travels a lot for his job and has a bunch of free hotel points through Hilton. He and Katie had a hotel room at the Palmer House Hilton on Monroe Street (right downtown!) for Saturday night and were planning on attending a Smashing Pumpkins' concert that night as well (the concert ended up being postponed :(, but that's another story!). Jeremy and I just planned to tag along and I asked if we could find a Trader Joe's on the way back to Bloomington on Sunday.
Honestly, I didn't know much about Trader Joe's before Sunday...I had first heard of it while I was in graduate school at Purdue. Some of the girls would talk about LOVING it and would go on weekends to Trader Joe's stores in Indianapolis and/or Chicago. Lately, naturally, Trader Joe's has become more intriguing to me because they have many gluten free items. Well, we ended up passing a Trader Joe's on Ontario in Chicago during our wanderings about (we were shopping and just generally meandering about).
A friend from work, Jillian, was VERY excited when I told her I was planning to go to Trader Joe's...she even made up a shopping list of items she wanted me to search for and bring back for her! :) I ended up finding four things for her. I actually forgot to bring them with me to work today, so I will bring them to her tomorrow. I think she is pretty excited ;).
I ended up getting quite a few things for myself. The most exciting item, I think, that I walked away with was a case of 16 Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars (I posted about them previously!). I also got 3 each of Apple Pie and Cherry Pie flavored Larabars, some gluten free French rolls (a bakery package of 4), some chunky apple sauce, a jar of chunky spiced apples, a package of light string cheese sticks, a package of shredded Mexican cheese, some fruit leather-like bars, some boxes of chicken and vegetable broth, organic canned sweet potato puree, frozen salmon patties (also quite excited about these!!)...and I think that's about it. Good sounding stuff!
I tried the gluten free French rolls last night because I was very excited about the prospect of being able to eat a sandwich. I haven't had a sandwich in over a month! Can you imagine?! I am definitely cravin' me a sammich! ;) Well, it was kind of disappointing. It wasn't terrible...it is just an odd, dense texture...and it is kind of too sweet for my taste. Sure, I like sweet things...but this was kind of odd. Not exactly what I was looking for for a sandwich. Oh well! Now I know! I toasted it (I had read that gluten free bread is generally better when toasted) and spread some light cream cheese and some of the aforementioned chunky spiced apples on top. Not too shabby!
Today when I came home from work on my lunch break I decided to try my second of the 4 gluten-free French rolls. This time, I decided to split it in half, put some cheddar cheese on each half, and put it in my toaster oven on the broil function. As I said previously, I have been craving sandwiches....particularly grilled cheese. I even had some DELICIOUS gluten-free tomato soup (from Meijer, a local grocery store) to go with it! I was SO pumped. Well, as I mentioned before...the bread is kind of sweet. It wasn't exactly conducive to cheese and tomato soup. Oh well. It wasn't terrible...but it wasn't the same as my old favorite comfort food, either! The quest continues! ;)
Can I just say, thoughts of sandwiches are haunting me, plaguing me?! ARGH!
Ok, time for me to shower...we just got back from a swim...and get ready for bed. I have to be at work at 7am tomorrow! Sigh...
But it's ALMOST Thanksgiving! I am sure I will post lots of stuff about my Thanksgiving adventures! Here's hoping I can survive ;). I am bringing gluten-free pumpkin bars to our family celebration...but I am hoping I can eat some other things, too! We will see...I think my mom is going to do her best to help me out :). I am kind of nervous, though, about Thanksgiving! Not to sound corny, but I don't want to feel like an outcast!

My husband

Is amazing :). No one has been more supportive throughout this "trial" than he. (I've said it before and I will empasize it again...I don't want to be dramatic and make things sound so dire and terrible...I am fully aware things could be LOTS worse for me...but this hasn't been a very easy or fun "trial" to deal with)

Last night we went grocery shopping together...and the sight of him carefully reading labels on cans to check for "hidden gluten"...it was adorable. Ha! I sound like such a nerd. Seriously, though, the way he clearly cares is absolutely endearing.

I love you Jeremy Christopher!

I did it!

Well...I started living gluten-free on October 18...so I did it! I officially made it past the "one month" marker! Sure, that's no big feat in the grand scheme of things, but that is pretty amazing in my head! I really did it! No cheating, either! :) I didn't eat anything that was overtly wheat containing and everything I put into my body, to the best of my knowledge based on the information available to me, was gluten free!!!

I had a long day at work...and after I got home, ALL I wanted to eat was some popcorn (if you've been following this blog, you've probaby noted that I LOVE popcorn lately!). Well, I popped some "gourmet black popping corn" (the unpopped kernals look black, but the popcorn is white after it pops)...and it sucked! Most of it didn't pop, and what did pop was these small black kernals. They were hard and crunchy and NOT at all satisfying. I did my best to eat most of it so as not to waste it, but I did end up throwing a lot away. YUCK! How disappointing!

Well, Jeremy is at work (he works late today...12:30-9pm) and (as is the case when he works late and I am left to myself) I kind of just ate whatever was "around" for dinner. I ate that popcorn, and a big glass of PULP-filled orange juice (we started buying separate orange juice cartons! Seriously. For over a year of marriage we only bought pulp-free, which he prefers. Well, I prefer orange juice so thick and pulpy you can almost chew the stuff. I decided that I would start buying two cartons so we could each have what we prefer ;).)...and then I decided I wanted some cornbread. I know, real balanced dinner, right?! ;) Well, I cracked open the trusty Carol Fenster 1000 Gluten Free Recipes book and found a recipe for cornbread. I mixed it up, baked away...and ate a piece fresh from the oven. It is tasty! Really! I had been craving bread...especially since we went to Famous Dave's on Friday night with Dan and his girlfriend Laura. Famous Dave's has these AWESOME cornbread muffins. Well, naturally I couldn't have one :(. Yahoo for another successful gluten-free baking experience! :)

Today at work we had an in-service over lunch on the difference between a medical diagnosis of Autism and an educational diagnosis of Autism. It was pretty interesting, actually. We have in-services about once per month. Anyway, the highlight is typically that we get a yummy free lunch for attending. Well, naturally the thrill has worn off for me because, as you can imagine, the meals are always FULL of gluten. Take today for example: they got Avanti's! Avanti's is a great local Italian place. They ordered gondolas (sandwiches with meat, cheese, and lettuce on their awesome Italian loaves), spaghetti with meat sauce, and bread. Sigh! I knew ahead of time that we had this in-service, so I did pack a lunch today. It was somewhat sad to sit there and smell the yummy Italian food! Avanti's used to be one of my favorite places to go. It is definitely one of Jeremy's family's favorite places to eat here in town...and now I won't be able to share that with them :(.

Ok, enough pity party ;).

Have a wonderful day!

Pumpkin bar recipe

A few posts ago, I mentioned a Thanksgiving dinner get-together we had with our friends Adam and Jami this past Friday night. Well, I thought I'd post the DELICIOUS Pumpkin Bar recipe...since they truly are pretty darn awesome! They are (of course) gluten free, but you'd really never know there was anything "different" about them. Jami made them initially because her mom is allergic to wheat and lots of spices, so she started experimenting with gluten-free flours. She gave me the recipe this past week and I made the bars for dessert for our dinner Friday. Jeremy loved them! That's a true test, because he's not typically overly excited about cake/bar type items. We also shared them with my brother Dan and his girlfriend Laura...and they also enjoyed them! Yahoo! Ok, without further ado, here's the lovely recipe! ;)

Jami and Rachel's Pumpkin Bars

1 small can of pumpkin (not the pie filling; just plain pumpkin)
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
Mix these first four ingredients together, and then add:
2 c. flour (I used 3/4 c. tapioca flour and 1 1/4 c. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix)
2 t. cinnamon (the recipe doesn't call for it, but I also sprinkled in some nutmeg along with the cinnamon)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Also, Jami didn't make the bars with xanthan gum and reportedly they were fine...but I added about 1/4 t. xanthan gum

Bake in a 10x15 pan* at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Frost with the following icing recipe when cool.

Icing:
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. butter
8 oz. cream cheese
(I wanted a thinner icing, so I also added approximately 1 Tablespoon of milk).

These bars are truly awesome....ENJOY!

*I don't have a 10x15 pan...I have a larger sheet cake pan and a smaller bar pan...so I just baked them in a 9x13 cake pan. They were thicker (obviously) than bars typically are, but they were great!

Oberweis!

We decided to sign up for Oberweis home delivery of dairy products! Like most of my decisions lately revolving around becoming as healthy as I can be before we start having kids...this one is due to the fact that Oberweis cows are not given growth hormones. In addition, they have a document available on the website stating all of their gluten free items...awesome! We aren't going to go crazy and get everything there (it is more expensive...but really not significantly)...but we'll get milk (we already buy Oberweis milk from Cub here in town), cheese, sour cream, and maybe eggs. Oh, and the occasional quart of delicious ice cream! Their ice cream is awesome!!

Here's the Farmers' Pledge from the Oberweis website!

Our Farmers' Pledge
Our pledge is signed by all the farmers who produce and supply milk exclusively for Oberweis Dairy.
We, the families who care for cows that produce milk for Oberweis Dairy, are proud to pledge that we will:
Never use artificial growth hormones.
Only provide milk that is free of antibiotics. If a cow gets sick, we will treat her back to health using the best available medicines but not use her milk again until it is free of antibiotics.
Treat our cows humanely.
Do nothing different than if our children and families were drinking all of the milk we produce.
We pledge all of this so that your family can drink Oberweis milk with confidence. We understand that if we fail to meet these obligations, we will no longer have the privilege of providing milk to Oberweis Dairy.

Sounds pretty good, huh? I know I can't control everything...but I am glad I can take some steps to be healthier!

Thanksgiving with friends

Last night we had our friends Jami and Adam over for a mock Thanksgiving dinner. I made a turkey breast roast, pumpkin bars, and had cranberry sauce (just Ocean Spray from a can...gluten free, of course! ;) ). Jami brought mashed potatoes and green beans and helped me make gravy when she got here (I don't like gravy...so I am no expert in the matter!). It was delicious...and I could eat all of it! I will have to share the pumpkin bar recipe...it was fantastic! Jami shared it with me. Thanks!!

Results of the party!

Well, the soup appeared to be a hit. Jeremy thought it smelled "awesome" and wished for leftovers (of which there are plenty! I might actually freeze some!). I really liked it. Laura got seconds (always a good indicator of if people like it!). Jami ate all of hers. Abbey ate most of hers (but she is a self-proclaimed picky eater, and there were lots of veggie chunks in the soup!). The cake, however, that was another story entirely ;). Laura and I both ate our entire pieces. I really enjoyed it! Jeremy, though, pointed out later that I HAVE to like it...if I want to eat cake (which I do...especially since FROSTING usually accompanies cake ;) ), I have to eat gluten free cake. Laura said she did, too! Abbey and Jami...well...they picked at theirs, at MOST. Ha! The texture is weird, which Abbey voiced. I told them both to just have sympathy, since this is the cake I have to be resigned to eat for the rest of my life ;). Ha!

All in all, though, it was a GREAT evening with good friends!

Party Time!

Tonight I am having some friends over for a birthday party...my friends Jami, Abbey, Sarah, Laura, and myself all have a birthday within a month of one another! Mine was first, back on October 28, and everyone else's is between now and the end of November! So, we decided to have a little birthday party for us :).

So as not to have to deal with restaurants, I volunteered to play hostess and host the event at our place. We decided to do somewhat of a Mexican theme (so easy!). I volunteered to make the "main course": Chicken Taco Soup, as well as dessert: vanilla gluten-free cake with chocolate gluten-free frosting!

I got the soup recipe in a daily e-mail I get from a fabulous website, Gluten Free Checklist. Here's the fabulous-sounding recipe...

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients 1 onion, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can gluten free chili beans
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 bottle of Redbridge gluten free beer
2 (10 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 package gluten free taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled and shredded. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

I put the soup together last night and put the crock from my crock pot in the fridge....

This morning, I set up the timer for 5 hours (I turned it on around 7am), knowing I would be able to come home over lunch to shred the chicken. I shredded the chicken...and the soup smells great! Kinda spicy, but great :). Well, I am sure I will use lots of cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips with my bowl of soup to cool down the spicy-ness a bit! Oh, and I left out the onion...I don't particularly like onion and I knew there were enough flavors in all of the other things. I am sure it will be fine without the stinkin' onion. We'll see! So, now the crock pot timer is set to two hours, and after the final two hours of cooking it will move to the "warm" setting until we are ready to devour it this evening! :) I'm excited to try it!

After I had the soup safely in the fridge last night, I started in on the cake. I used a mix (how lazy of me! ;) ) because I also had to make my husband some cookies to take to work today, so I wanted to maximize what I could get done in a minimal amount of time. The mix, Arrowhead Mills' Gluten Free Vanilla, I purchased earlier this week at Naturally Yours, our local organic/health food store. All I had to add to the mix was oil, water, and eggs.

I sampled a tiny little crumb bite from the top of the cake after it came out of the oven, and it seemed pretty tasty!

For frosting, I used a great-sounding gluten-free chocolate frosting recipe on the back of the box...it was awesome (I licked the bowl after frosting the cake! :) ).

I am excited for tonight...I love hosting dinner parties! :)

Lately...

First...I have successfully made it through 25 gluten-free days! Today is day 26 and I am still going strong. I think once I heard something about new habits...and if you do whatever you want to become your "new habit" for 21 days, it becomes a habit. Maybe that's way off. But, whatever, that's what's in my head right now...so I will just make myself think I have successfully formed a new habit...living gluten-free!

Let's see. Monday night after a long day at work (I left around 6:30), I came home and decided to make gluten-free home-made baked macaroni and cheese. I found a recipe in my trusty Carol Fenster book and got to work. I used corn elbow noodles I had purchased from Naturally Yours earlier that morning when I was on my way back to work from an offsite visit with a kiddo I had. It took a while, naturally, to make the sauce (basically rice milk, tapioca flour, a ton of cheese, and a tiny dash of hot sauce), but finally the big caserole dish full of cheesy noodles, topped with gluten-free bread crumbs...was in the oven! I was really pumped up, as I had been craving macaroni and cheese. Well, we were both sorely disappointed. It was terrible! We think the problem was the corn noodles....and maybe the tapioca flour in the cheese sauce. They tasted funky and were an odd texture. I felt terrible, but we threw away the whole thing. It was bad. Bad, bad, bad! I almost cried...and I definitely sat on the couch and sulked for a while. It was so frustrating to waste ALL of that TIME and MONEY on those ingredients! Jeremy pointed out that I can't win every time...but I still want to! I stopped sulking long enough to get ready to go to the gym...so off we went. I felt MUCH better after an intense workout. And, after I got back I popped some popcorn with our stove popper. I don't think I have mentioned yet how much I LOVE popcorn. It has seriously become the biggest staple of my diet in the past 3 weeks! Our stove-top popper gets quite the workout!

So, also on Monday...my friend AWESOME Jillian from work informed me early that morning that she had a treat for me. She led me to her office and pulled from her purse two bars and a cookbook she had checked out from the library for me...Gluten Free and Easy. How awesome is she?!

The bars...oh my gosh. They are AWESOME! They are called Larabars. Click on the link to check them out! She got me two different flavors: Peanut Butter Cookie, and Cherry Pie. I ate the Peanut Butter Cookie one that morning and I ate the Cherry Pie one yesterday morning! The Peanut Butter Cookie one seriously tasted like a peanut butter cookie...and the only ingredients were dates, peanuts, and salt! Are you kidding me!? These bars are AWESOME and have MINIMAL ingredients..and are all natural and organic!

When I went to Naturally yours later Monday morning to purchase the nasty corn noodles for that nights doomed dinner, I also looked around for Larabars. I found some...but not the Peanut Butter Cookie flavor, unfortunately! I purchased a Pecan Pie one, and also two Jocolate chocolate bars also made by Larabar...check them out below!

YUM! I can't wait to try those last three! Which one should I eat today?!

Whew!

I am exhausted! Tonight Jeremy and I helped out at church with a concert our church hosted for our youth group. The event was publicized to other churches as well. Laura (my friend and the youth director's wife) and I helped out by providing the food. We were told to prepare food for 60 people.
We bought...
9 lbs (3 bags ) of frozen chicken breasts
10 lbs of hamburger
8 bags of salad blend lettuce
3 bags of shredded lettuce for tacos
18 cups of mexican blend cheese
2 large containers of sour cream
80 flour tortillas
24 corn hard taco shells
3 family size bags of Tostitos Scoops
3 large jars of salsa
1 large bag of rice
5 large cans of refried beans
10 packets of Ortega seasoning mix for the hamburger
2 jars of McCormick fajita seasoning for the chicken (yeah, this was way too much)
2 large jars of Ortega taco sauce
2 large bags of carrots
3 cake mixes
3 jars of frosting
...and some other random crap I forgot about!

The awesome thing, though, about preparing this meal was...I could actually eat with everyone and didn't have to worry about packing my own "special" gluten free meal! We made sure there was stuff for me...the chicken with fajita seasoning...gluten free. The tostitos...gluten free. Corn hard taco shells...gluten free. Lettuce, carrots, all naturally gluten free. It was great! Obviously, I wasn't able to eat dessert (the cake was not gluten free...just 'normal' Betty Crocker mix)...but I didn't even miss it!
It was great! It was an adventurous day,and it was great to feel pretty normal by eating what everyone else was eating! :)
Ok...now next Saturday I am pumped up to type "I made it a month"! (see 2 posts ago for an explanation ;) ).
For now, though...I survived my 23rd day of living gluten free (or, as gluten free as I could control!)

Pancakes.

I just made the Buttermilk Pancakes from Carol Fenster's 1000 Gluten-Free Recipes for the THIRD Sunday in a row! Ha! Hope we don't get sick of them any time soon!

Wow...

Time sure drags sometimes!

I was so proud of myself. I thought it had been a MONTH today, since I had started my gluten free life...

Turns out it's only been 3 weeks. Oops! Ha! I was all excited to post "I made it a month without bread, etc."...and then I peeked at a calendar...yeah...it's been only 3 weeks.

Sigh....

Throwing caution to the wind...but living to tell about it

Well...sometimes you just gotta! ;) Today was a long day....including a run-in with a big kiddo...yup, I got beat up by a two-and-a-half-year-old today...{sigh}
Jeremy and I met up at our polling place, the McLean County Farm Bureau building not far from our home, after I got off work around 6:15 and cast our votes. After voting, we talked for a bit outside and tried to figure out our plan of attack for the evening. He was dressed for the gym, but I didn't have time to pack clothes this morning....and I was starved! We decided to go to Los Potrillo's....our FAVORITE Mexican restaurant here in Bloomington. This is the place I chose for my LAST "normal" meal on Friday night, October 17th...before going gluten free the next morning. I ate so much, I felt terrible later that evening...and wasn't sure if that was from the gluten in the food or from the quantity OF the food ;). It was a fitting "last hurrah." ;)
Well, we decided early on that Los Potrillo's was really impossible for me to give up. Really! We love this place! It's just us. We even went there on Valentine's Day (no it's NOT a "nice" restaurant...this is a story for another time ;) ). There have been weeks when we eat there twice in one week! Obsessed? Yes! And, nearly every time we are there...we get the same thing: a side of cheese dip to go with the chips and salsa everyone gets at their table, and we share a Burrito Loco...the HUGEST burrito you'll ever see (yes, significantly bigger than Chipotle, Moe's, or Q'doba, REALLY!). We get the burrito "with chicken, no lettuce, and beans on the side instead of rice." Some of the waiters there have even memorized our order. It's hilarious! We totally threw off our poor waiter today when I ordered something different! Jeremy ended up getting "our usual" and I got flautas. The burrito loco is made with a flour tortilla shell and the flautas were made with 4 small corn tortillas. Even though I know: 1) there is no use trying to explain gluten intolerance to a bunch of Mexican waiters for whom English is clearly a second language...I have no idea how I would do that! 2) Even if nothing was lost in translation (we all know this would be doubtful! ;) ), the chances for cross-contamination are abundant there...think of your favorite local authentic Mexican joint...they are delicious, but aren't the cleanest of places! ;). Well, I tried to at least control everything I could (order a dish made with corn tortillas instead of asking them to substitute corn tortillas into a dish typically made with a flour tortilla seemed simpler)...and just threw my hands up in the air and decided to just live it up tonight. Well, I do have a stomachache...but none of the crazy bloating and minimal cramps. No bathroom misadventures yet either! This could be a good thing! I am gonna go OD on fiber in a few minutes, though :). In my reading I learned that if you ever think you consumed some gluten, you should take lots of fiber (it IS "nature's broom", after all ;) ) and hope for the best.
Well, I made it 3.5 weeks trying to be as good as possible...this was my first real "cheat"...and it may have not have been that bad! :)
Tonight was one of those nights I just wanted to live....like I was used to! It felt great to share something NORMAL with my husband. I know I risk sounding like a huge fatty saying this, but it really blows to not be able to share that with him...I know, I sound so food obsessed! I am not really...but you can't really relate to what I am talking about unless you've experienced it. And if you haven't, you definitely don't want to!
So, I am grateful for tonight...and here's hoping my stomach is too ;).

Arbonne!

When I was at the Peoria Easter Seals Home Parties Open House last Thursday (displaying my Longaberger products)...I met Tracy Jones, and Independent Consultant who sells Arbonne products. I asked her to check for me if their products were wheat and gluten free and she e-mailed me back last night saying that they, indeed, ARE! Check them out! http://www.arbonne.com/

Helping Friends!

Today Jer and I helped two of our great friends, Chuck and Sarah, pack up their belongings and move from their apartment here in town to a house! It was a lot of work...especially for the boys who were moving all of the huge things! Sarah and I packed, unpacked, and ran errands all over town. We also did our best to entertain their two children, Madeline (8) and Asher (4) and keep them out of the way of the movin' men. It was quite a day!
We came home for a bit to rest up and shower, etc...and are going back over in a bit for a cookout. Sarah and I picked up lots of food today for the party and got lots of things I can eat, too! :)
Sarah and I had an interesting talk today about some of our dreams. It started out with me telling her that I want to write a book someday about my misadventures and lessons learned through struggling to live gluten free in a gluten-filled world. I also told her I really want to start a company along the lines of Tastefully Simple...with affordable and easy mixes and such that are all GLUTEN FREE. Well, Sarah completely jumped on that idea....and told me that she has a rather similar dream herself...of opening a bakery/cafe here in Bloomington with totally organic and gluten free products (she doesn't have celiac disease or anything like that....just has always had a desire to live healthily and to feed her family healthy foods). Together we'd be a killer team! We talked about it a lot today...and while we both realize it's a lofty dream and quite a ways out in the future, I think it's definitely something we'll keep discussing...and maybe someday our dreams will become a reality!
I can't even tell you how amazing I would feel to be able to go somewhere and eat anything and everything on the menu!
Hooray for dreams, and hooray for good friends :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Check out my little gluten-free Halloween goodies! I made them and brought them to a party I went to at my friend Amy's house tonight!! :) I got the idea from my good friend, Jen, who made them....her's were lots cuter ;). I kind of rushed through it...made them this evening right before we went to the party! :) The idea is originally from the Betty Crocker website...although I didn't use any of the ingredients suggested, I had to substitute gluten free things :)
In case you can't tell...they are ghosts, Frankenstein monsters, and spiders...on top of brownie bases.

And they were delicious, too! :)

The party was great! I am so thankful for wonderful friends and fun evenings such as this! I had a great time...and didn't feel "deprived" at all, as far as food goes. The hostess, Amy, had saved wrappers/containers of all of the ingredients she used for some of her goodies and went out of her way to be sure I would be able to eat some things at the party. I had some of her homemade spinach/artichoke dip with Tostitos, a meatball, and one of my silly brownie treats :). In addition, another one of my sweet coworkers, Abbey, made a big fruit salad with lots of fresh fruit and didn't add any sauce or anything to it so that she was certain I would be able to eat it. How sweet is that?!

Best of all...I had NO reaction to ANY of it!! :) This was the first night in a long time that I didn't really stress out about what to eat. It was amazing.

Happy Halloween!!

procrastination...

So I am somewhat dreading Thanksgiving this year...because what the heck will I eat?! So, I started rummaging around through other peoples' blogs online...

AWESOME---I want this at my family's Thanksgiving dinner this year!

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
6 or 7 cooked mashed sweet potatoes (baked or boiled) selection tip: choose small or medium sweet potatoes with smooth skin and no/few bruises
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
3 or 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, depending on taste
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (fresh is important or you may get a flavor that overwhelms the sweet potatoes- so aim for fresh!)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup pecan halves for topping
salt to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl except the egg and the pecan halves (topping). Taste the mixture and adjust your salt and sugar if needed. Stir in egg. Put in casserole dish and top with pecan halves. I like to make some sort of design with the topping, but it is not necessary. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until set.
Make ahead: This sweet potato casserole can be made one day ahead. Just refrigerate and top with plastic wrap. I add my pecan halves before I put it in the oven and add an additional 5-7 minutes to the baking time.
Serves 8-10

Also DELICIOUS-sounding!

FROZEN PUMPKIN PIE
1 quart ice cream (good flavors to use: Praline, Butter Pecan, Cinnamon, Cheesecake, Vanilla, etc) slightly softened
1 16 oz. can cooked pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup pecan halves for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Put an 8 inch springform pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Spoon the softened ice cream into the chilled pan, pressing the ice cream into the sides of a pan with a spoon or spreader. Place plastic wrap over the ice cream and press down to form 1/2 inch shell. Freeze for about 2 hours.
In med. saucepan, combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt over med. high heat. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream to soft peaks. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Remove the springform pan from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Spread pumpkin mixture even over the ice cream crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours or up to overnight.
When ready to serve, sprinkle pecans over the top.
This may be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
Serves 12

I think I will call my mom tomorrow and see what our Thanksgiving plans are....

{sigh}

Well. Tonight I got pissed. I was irritated with....
work (my billable hours for this month blow, I have a ton of reports to write, and a really obnoxious father to deal with),
irritated with my house (I feel like I am so behind on cleaning/laundry and never have time to fully catch up),
irritated with my body (although I am down approximately 5 lbs. right now due to NOT EATING (because half the time I am hungry there is nothing around me I can eat)...I haven't been to the gym since Sunday and that GROSSES me out in a majormajor way),
irritated with friends who didn't acknowledge my birthday (I understand how juvenile that may be),
AND
irritated with a lame Home Show Parties Open House hosted by Easter Seals of Peoria....I dragged all of my Longaberger crap there and SOLD $0.00 worth of merchandise...seriously. The show sucked. I wasn't the only one who sold $0.00, either.
Anyway.
During the long drive home from Peoria to Bloomington (that I know far too well!) I decided to be bad. I was starving...hadn't eaten since lunch around 12:30 (and it was 7:30 at this point). I decided to make a pit stop...at McDonald's approximately 15 minutes into my drive, in Morton, IL. I had myself convinced that I could be totally bad and order a large fry and a medium chocolate shake...and convinced myself that they were gluten free. I totally devoured them both (well, I couldn't quite finish the shake).
Well, my stomach hurts. DUH! What is the cause? Who knows! Grease? CHECK
Zero nutrative value?! CHECK
Stuffing my face quickly? CHECK
Gluten?????
ALSO FREAKING CHECK
Check out the ingredients in McDonald's French Fries: Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). * CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

SCREW YOU, McDonald's.

...in other news....
it appears that, while CULVER'S hamburger patties are supposedly unsafe for me, McDonald's hamburger patties are A-OK!
Put that in your pipe and smoke it...makes no sense to me!

I'm going crazy!

• Yesterday, while at work, I was sending out two final thank-you cards to some of my Peoria families who had gotten me good-bye gifts. As I got the first card ready to send, I flipped it over and started licking the flap to seal it. I had no sooner touched my tongue to the adhesive...and I realized during some of my reading it had said NOT to lick stamps and/or envelopes because there is gluten in the adhesive! I ran to my garbage can and spit madly into it, doing my best to scrape my tongue off with my teeth. Seriously.
• Last night as I was leaving work at 6:30 (another irritating story), I called Jeremy to let him know I was on my way home. He told me that he was also just getting home...because he had gone to get dinner at CULVER'S with his parents. I cried. Seriously.
• I had numerous dreams last night about eating all different kinds of pretzels...and getting sick. Pretzels are plaguing my dreams? Really? Really.

Sigh.....

Sweet Success!

I am happy to report I am now 2 for 2 with that new cookbook...THANK-YOU, MEGAN! Those little mini coffee cakes are outstanding!!

An interesting aside...I can't BELIEVE the number of people who are telling me a) they know someone who has celiac disease who would be happy to help me out (which is just amazing...THANK YOU SO MUCH!), or b) that they think that they or a family member might have celiac disease...

According to all of my research 1 in 133 people have it but only 1 in 4700 are diagnosed....craziness!!!

Ok, time to go eat some gluten-free soup (100 calorie Progresso chicken and wild rice). MMM!!

Back in the Saddle

...well, unless my latest baking endeavor doesn't turn out ;)

My family came to visit Friday night to celebrate my birthday, my mom's birthday, and my parents' anniversary and me and Jer's 1st anniversary...

My sister gave me THIS for my birthday:

AWESOME!!! I LOVE to bake and cook, so it's fun to have a book chock-full of new projects...more importantly, new projects that I can eat!!! Here's a link so you can check it out: Carol Fenster's 1000 Gluten-Free Recipes!!

I have had a great time perusing this exciting book, finding lots of great-sounding recipes I would love to try out. The really cool thing about this book is that Carol, the author, has come up with a base for most baking recipes in her book...Carol's Sorghum Blend. The blend is made up of sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch. I made a big batch of this blend and am keeping it in the freezer...she says it's fine to keep it in the freezer, as long as you bring the mix to room temperature before using. Her blend appears to be really versatile...so I just jumped out on a limb and made a big quantity of it, hoping for the best! :)
Sunday morning I made some delicious buttermilk pancakes for the hubby and me (the first recipe I tried out in the new book!). He said that if I didn't tell anyone they were gluten free, they wouldn't know they were anything different...he really did like them! It was a great first experience with a new cookbook, I was pumped! It's great to at least know of one recipe I can use...and potentially use it with overnight guests for breakfast, too! These pancakes used Carol's Sorghum Blend as a base...and it was great!
Well, tonight I decided to conduct my second "experiment" from that book...Buttermilk Coffee Crumb Cake...only mine should be plural, because I a making mini coffee cakes in muffin tins! My plan is (if they turn out!) to bring them with me tomorrow when I go to the Extreme Home Makeover Reveal Day where I will most likely be hanging out for the entire day in the freezing cold hungry and with little-to-no access to food I can eat! I heard they are bringing food in for us Easter Seals employees, but I bet it will be things like sandwich meat (which is questionable...sometimes contains gluten) and bread (well, that's a no-brainer!)...so I am going to bring my little coffee cakes, some bananas, apples, yogurt, and gluten-free cheese puffs! I should be set...we'll see!

Ok, here's some pictures of the fun process....
crumb topping...(in my new Longaberger small tip and mix bowl! I LOVE this bowl!!)

muffins in their little papers, waiting for the topping...

MMMM!

They are in the oven right now...I hope they turn out well and taste as awesome as they smell!! They could be a fun little birthday-morning breakfast for me! We'll see! (I am 26 years old tomorrow...wild!)

news

Well, nothing really too exciting to report. I hadn't posted any new murmurings about my recent gluten-free adventures since last Thursday...so I thought I'd better do so quickly before I hit the hay...I'm home sick today. Yuck.
Well, I "celebrated" one week of being gluten free...well, as gluten free as I could manage anyway. I am sure I am still getting gluten in my body from various sources.
For lunch today, I popped some popcorn with our stovetop popper. This has been my staple as of late. Not very healthy (since of course I melt some butter on it...but at least it's REAL butter and not some chemical-y plastic margarine or something)....but it does have lots of fiber and protein in it, so I guess it's not ALL bad! ;) It is the one thing I know is safe all of the time and fills me up...so it's what I reach for a lot! In fact, I hadn't even washed the stovetop popper (not as gross as it sounds!) for like the past 3 uses...I did wash it this afternoon after lunch, though ;). Yummy popcorn!
I'll start discussing this weekend, in reverse order...
Last night (Sunday) I experimented with gluten free pizza. Well, as gluten-free as I could manage anyway. This really is tough! Anyway, I was feeling really under the weather (all weekend I have been really congested, coughing, nasty-ness containing, etc.)...so Jeremy and I didn't go to the high school fellowship at church last night (we typically go on Sunday nights; we help out with our church's youth group) but was really craving pizza for some odd reason. I used a mix I found at Naturally Yours, made by Chebe. I had made these little cheese buscuits with another mix by that company earlier in the week and really liked them...so I thought I'd experiment with their pizza crust! The instructions have you add oil (I used extra virgin olive oil), some milk (I used 2%), an egg, and gave the option of adding parmesan cheese (which I added). I ended up adding a bit more milk than the instructions called for because I didn't feel like it was the right consistency. The crust tasted pretty good...it had some good seasoning (basil, oregano) in it. It was nice and crisp on the edges, however, it got kind of soggy under the pizza toppings....I did bake the crust for 25 minutes on its own before adding the toppings (per the instructions), but perhaps I'd try it for a little longer next time. I used Kraft 2% mozzerella cheese and some hormel brand packaged pepperoni. I am not sure if either of them are truly gluten free; I checked my trusty Cecelia's Marketplace Gluten Free Grocery Shopping Guide but didn't see either of those products explicitly listed. Neither had wheat or gluten warnings and neither had any ingredient on the list that was blatantly gluten-containing...and honestly, I was craving pizza in such a bad way I just threw caution to the wind and used those ingredients! I had a bit of a stomachache afterwards, but I think it was due to the quantity of cheese I consumed yesterday ;) and not necessarily due to the presence of any trace amounts of gluten...but what do I know!? ;)
Earlier Sunday afternoon I went to a going-away party for Vanessa, one of my co-workers. A fellow SLP, Stacy, held the party at her house. I brought some cheese dip (sour cream, cheese spread, and cream cheese whipped together) with some gluten-y crackers I wanted to get out of the house as well as a separate box of almond thins (some gluten free crackers) so I could use those for a bit of the dip for myself. I discovered that this diet/lifestyle/whathaveyou is kind of nice (in a sick and twisted way) when attending parties such as this...it means I really can't just sit around and graze at the buffet! There will typically be very little, if anything, that I can eat that I didn't bring myself (even if I don't think it contains gluten, I am not sure about the preparation methods/cross contamination/etc.). I did eat some of my cheese dip (before everyone started dipping the wheat crackers into it! I found this, by the way, annoying...I had spreaders in there! Instead of, though, using the spreaders...people typically just grazed and stuck their crackers straight in the dip. Sigh. I'd rather fume silently than make a big, silly deal out of it all! ;) )...and some slices of cheese that were clearly cut from large bricks of cheese (i know I shouldn't just "assume"...but I did anyway. I assumed these were safe), as well as some apple slices and caramel dip. Oh, and I did dip a few marshmallows into a chocolate fondue pot (never mind the fact that people were dipping pretzel rods into the same fondue pot. Sigh. I will never win! Oh well.).....so I didn't starve! ;) The party was nice. It was great to see everyone there at the party...and Stacy's house is so cute! She and her husband, Bruce, got married just a few months prior to Jeremy and me...in May of 2007. Vanessa, whom the party was for, is getting ready to move to Alaska with her husband and infant daughter! Her husband is in the army and got stationed out there...WOW!
Prior to the party on Sunday, there isn't much to report...I slept in (a Ny-Quil induced slumber, mostly...I felt like crap on Saturday, too!) and we didn't make it to church. We really do need to start getting better about that...but I really did feel like crap tacos this weekend.
Saturday was a great, lazy day...but I will report on Saturday and Friday (my family came into town!!) perhaps later! I am going to go hit the hay now. I am really crappy feeling, and crappier the longer I sit here. SIGH. Get healthy, Rachel!
Peace!

OOOOH!

This is an addendum to my previous post titled "Mourning" in which I was sulking about not being able to eat at Moe's, Q'doba, and Chipotle...according to their websites, I actually have options at these places!!!!

Someone created this Gluten Free Guide to Eating Out that I found through random google searching....it's awesome and very helpful! It has links to TONS of restaurants (some that are even here in town!) that have gluten free options!

I also found an online celiacs forum that said that Noodles and Company has rice noodles available....so I am contacting the company to see if the Bloomington-Normal locations have these available! WHOA!

...yeah, you can see I am "wasting" most of my night trying to find things I can eat!

Time for me to hit the gym, make myself dinner (maybe I'll have popcorn...that's what I ate last night! Seriously.), and watch Grey's! BYE for REAL this time

Darn Culver's!!

I despise the fact, now, that we live so close to a Culver's! Culver's really is...er WAS...my favorite fast-food restaurant. They are known for their awesome custard and their fun "flavor of the day" which is different each day...and every Culver's has different flavors each day. Well, I drive by Culver's at LEAST twice each day...on my way to work in the morning and on the way home. Today, the marquee announced that the flavor of the day was "CHOCOLATE OREO VOLCANO"......arrrrrrrrgh!! You're killin' me! That one is one of my f a v o r i t e s! Seriously. Chocolate Custard. Crushed Oreos. Mini M&Ms. Chocolate Syrup. Chocolate Flakes. sigh.
According to their website, I can have: some soups (black bean, potato au gratin, mushroom medley, bean with ham, and black bean...Culver's serves a wide variety of soups but only 3-4 per day), cole slaw (sick), and chocolate or vanilla custard (YESSS!!!)...but I am not sure about any of their sundae toppings (it doesn't say on the website). Also, I am curious about their burgers without the bun....
According to the website, even the fries are unsafe for me! What?! Darn it all....

Exciting New Book!

I ordered a book on Monday: Gluten Free Grocery Shopping Guide put out by Cecelia's Marketplace...and it arrived today! WOO HOOO!!! It looks awesome...it lists 25000+ gluten free items that seem to be really easy to find! There are a lot of things that can be found at a "normal" grocery store. I am not sure, but I think this book will help me out a TON...and keep my grocery bill under control as well! The book was $24.95, plus shipping. I want to buy one for Jeremy's mother and my mother so they can have ideas of what I can eat when we go over there to visit and eat.

Ok....york peppermint patties are gluten free! I am soooo pumped! :) I plan on reading the candy section in more depth tonight! YEAHHHHH!

Ruby Tuesday's and more

Well, I met up with my friend Jami for lunch today at Ruby Tuesday's. I think it went pretty well. I stopped home before heading back to work (where I am right now) so I could drop off my leftovers in the fridge and I checked and responded to some work e-mail. I decided to jot down a quick post as well ;).
We each got the salad bar...I steered clear of the prepared pasta salads and potato salads and didn't use salad dressing or croutons (well that one is a no-brainer ;) ). We ordered burgers...I typically don't order a burger when I eat out but I was craving meat! Maybe I need some iron or something ;). I ordered a potato instead of fries since she told me they use the fryer for lots of things that are breaded, and not just fries. I checked to be sure the burger was 100% beef and didn't have grain additivies. I told her to be sure that buns were nowhere near my food and tried to explain a bit about my "allergy". I checked to be sure the butter was 100% butter and not margarine with lots of iffy ingredients (not even sure if that matters, but better be safe than sorry ;)) and since she checked and said it was, I ate it on my potato.
I discovered that my appitite was down! I thought I was soooo hungry but ended up having lots to take home.
On that same topic, I weighed myself this morning and I was down 4lbs. I typically fluxuate in my weight day to day, morning to night, etc...but this weight is below anything I've been for a long time!
I have a bit of a tummy ache...but I wonder if that's due to the quantity of what I ate (since it was more than I've eaten at most meals lately) and not necessarily what I ate...but who knows!! We'll see. No bloating or other issues.
Ok, enough outta me! Gotta get back to work.

I am TRYING!

I really am trying soooo hard...
...not to go crazy, by realizing I can't control everything (i.e., gluten in my environment)
...not to get frustrated when people don't understand. I shouldn't expect them to!
...not to feel ostracized when people talk about food, eating, dining out, etc.
...to realize this is a marathon, not a sprint
...to realize that there are many worse things that could be happening to me!
...to research as much as I can..but I am praying for discretion to know what is best, which sources to trust, etc.
...to be fiscally responsible. I don't NEED to by 12 books about this! I don't NEED a gazillion cookbooks! I don't NEED tons of expensive groceries...I need to shop around and bake from scratch when possible as opposed to buying expensive gluten-free mixes.
...to trust my doctor...but more importantly to trust God. This happened for a reason! Right?
...to be the healthiest I can be and to live life to the fullest!

Throughout my reading, I have found out about some scary things that can happen to someone with Celiac disease who is pregnant. (Again, we don't know for certain if I have it...it's just speculation at this time.) One of my biggest dreams (on most days! ;) ) is to one day be a mommy. Honestly, that is the driving force behind much of this (that is, finding out what is wrong with me and getting WELL). Women who have Celiac disease and consume gluten while they are pregnant have a risk of miscarriage and having a baby with birth defects. In addition, women who have Celiac disease and consume gluten have a risk of infertility! Wow. Pretty daunting!

ALSO, gluten consumed by an individual with Celiac disease can lead to mental fogginess...but worse, to neurological damage!

So, here I am....
trying to do the best I can. Both for myself...and for the babies I hope to have one day.

gluten-free tootpaste

So last night I used gluten-free toothpaste and mouthwash for the first time. The toothpaste (flavored "peppermint twist") was ok...the mouthwash was nasty. It said it was also "peppermint twist" flavored, but in reality it tasted like black licorice to me. SICK! The brand of both is "The Natural Dentist" and I got them at Walgreen's. I found the brand online...and walgreen's actually had a rebate deal going on if you bought two....get a $5 rebate! Plus the mouthwash came with "free" toothpaste right now, so I got 2 of each for $20, and I will get $5 back in a few weeks.
I plan on asking our dentist friend, Jill's husband Dave, to see if he has heard anything about this brand. Hopefully it doesn't suck and it isn't going to make my teeth start falling out of my head or something!
Ok, off for our morning run!

Mourning

RIP Chipotle, Q'doba, Moe's, and Noodles and Company.

Ok, they might not be deceased ;), but to me they have to be now.

I drove by Culver's on my way home for lunch (I am on my lunch break right now for a few more minutes) and saw the flavor of the day advertised, "Brownie Thunder". Oh dear. Why are there going to be temptations everywhere I turn?!

***edit later on: please note, after further research I found out I could eat at ALL of these places, other than Noodles and Company! WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!

Mission...

I am on a mission....to find gluten free toothpaste and mouthwash (after much perusing, I found a brand online that is available at Walgreen's! I am going to check it out later today) AND gluten free cosmetics. I found a list of products at the website for the brand Kiss My Face that are gluten free....so I am going to look for some of them at Walgreen's as well. Whew! What an endeavor! I'm also trying to "research" (and I use the term loosely ;) ) what really matters....or what the priorities for gluten free toiletries/cosmetics should be. I totally get that toothpaste/mouthwash/lip gloss should be gluten free since it is actually in, on, and around your mouth...but do lotions, make-up products, hair products really matter? How much of these do you really absorb into your body? I am trying to figure these things out. I joined an online community for people who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance and posted some questions there....hopefully someone responds! :)
Ok, time to get ready for work!!

Day one is (almost) complete!

I made it! :) Day one is under my belt! Three cheers for me!! ;)
I met a coworker from our Peoria office at Panera here in Bloomington for breakfast at 8:30 and purchased 2 small fresh fruit cups (they apparently don't make the large ones anymore!) and rinsed off the fruit with the water in the soda fountain. Yup, I was THAT girl ;). Such a weirdo, such a spectical...but hey, I was trying to get as many gluten-containing molecules off of the fruit (ok, honestly, Panera is like gluten central! I know it's on everything, including the fruit...those crumbs get everywhere!). To further my weirdness ;), I also brought a box of cereal with me in my purse (yup, really! I have a big purse, what can I say?!)....these little flaxseed puff thingies. I sprinkled them on the fruit to make it a bit more substantial ;). I didn't eat anything before I left home, as I mentioned I might in my previous post...so bringing the little bit of extra sustenance (the flax puff dealios) was a good choice.
After breakfast I had class from 10-2. Due to ISU's homecoming today and what a mess it probably was on campus or anywhere remotely near campus, for that matter...we had our class at a hotel near Panera. So, I just hopped on over there when it was time for class! I have class the 3rd Saturday of each month until May. Last month was our first class meeting of this semester. At that point we signed up to bring snacks on class days. I signed up for the first day. I used the opportunity to bring lots of gluten-y stuff that I wanted to get out of the house! :) I also ate some grapes and a SoyJoy bar, something new (gluten free of course....raisin walnut flavored, or something along those lines). It has an oddly dense texture but overall wasn't too bad. It was better than the ThinkThin high protein peanut butter (also gluten free) bar that I tried later toward the end of class when I was pretty hungry...I honestly ate only one bite and shoved the nasty thing back in my purse. Maybe I'll try it again later ;) I also brought the gluten free brownies that I made last night...well, I brought a few small squares of them, anyway. I thought I'd share them with people so they could see what a gluten free item is like. They really weren't too bad...
After class I was STARVING. Really. I went to Naturally Yours again to look for more groceries and bought a few things to make an experimental chicken dish later and then I went to the gym. I just did the elliptical for 65 minutes and then called it a day. I probably should've done some weights but I was tired...and hungry!
I went home and ate some gluten free ;) baked sour cream and cheddar potato chips (I had purchased them previously from Naturally Yours...they are actually really good. I might even like them better than Baked Lays, actually! Speaking of which...I wonder if I can eat them or if they have a bunch of added stuff. Potato is generally good, it's just when they start adding gluten in spices, flavorings, etc. that it becomes a problem) and worked on making my first real gluten free meal ;). I made 2 chicken breasts...thawed the chicken, rolled in Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free baking mix (a mix of different flours), rolled them in egg, and last rolled them in rice "bread" crumbs. The, I put them in an 8x8 baking dish and sprinkled some butter and sliced almonds on top. The plan was to bring these with us over to Laura and Josh's tonight in case I couldn't eat what they were serving for dinner (they had invited us over, along with a few other friends, for an evening of "fall food and fall fun"). Josh had texted me letting me know what they were making and it didn't sound as if anything was "safe" for me and my silly diet...aside from perhaps the salad.
At some point early on in the day today I decided I need to come up with some kind of "guide" to e-mail out or mail out to all of our friends that we would be hanging out with in the near future and/or possibly eating dinner with them, particularly in their homes. I really don't want people to be offended if I don't eat some of their food or if I ask to know all of the ingredients in things. I also don't want them to be put out if I decide to bring a few "safe" items for myself...that way I know for sure I will have something there I can eat. I don't mean it personally, I just don't want a stomachache or anything worse! I know it's going to be tricky....both with friends and family...but I hope I can find that people are really open and not annoyed by having to deal with this along with me. I am NOT going to ask people to accommodate my "diet" when they have us over for dinner...I don't expect people to have to make food that will be ok for me! I can bring my own things! I just want to have everything out there in the open to minimize irritation and/or hurt feelings. So, I think within the next week I am going to type up a little mini guide of some kind to explain what exactly celiac disease is and how I have to live now since my doctor thinks there's a good chance that I have it.
Ok, so Jeremy and I headed over to Josh and Laura's home around 6...chicken in tow ;). I also brought some cheese dip and Garden of Eatin' blue corn chips (organic and made from non GMO corn...and gluten free of course ;) ) and the gluten free brownies I baked Friday night for myself to eat for dessert and for others to try if they were curious! Laura convinced me that the main course, cream of asparagus soup, was safe for me to eat. She told me that, instead of flour, she had used cornstarch in the soup. I was skeptical (not to be bratty, just because I need to be careful!) but I gave in...basically because I felt bad and didn't want to make a big issue out of it when some nice friends of us had made a really kind gesture and invited us to a fun event in their home! I ate the soup and some salad, forgoing the sweet potato casserole (even though I love sweet potatoes! It had graham crackers in the crumble topping), bread (duh! ;) ), and salad dressing....and dessert for the most part. Gosh, dessert is one painful thing for me to miss out on! I am such a major dessert junkie!!! ;) Laura had made these HEAVENLY-looking mini pumpkin cheesecake treats in individual muffin papers. They looked AWESOME! Pumpkin and cheesecake are two of my favorite things...combined?! I can't even imagine! Honestly, I am going to experiment soon, I think, and come up with a gluten free variation on that recipe! She also made some cookies...that I helped frost with Reid and Kara after dinner while the others watched the Illinois football game. I did, however, get to enjoy a do-it-yourself caramel apple! I checked the ingredients on the caramels and was fairly certain they were gluten free...so I indulged! :) Laura had bowls of crushed peanuts and crushed oreos that we could roll our caramel apples in...of course I had to avoid the oreos but I did take some peanuts!
All in all it was a very fun night...I put the chicken I brought in their fridge and brought it home later. I will eat it, reheated, sometime this week. I am sure it will come in handy. Aside from the fact that I am trying to avoid microwaves because I've learned what they supposedly do to the nutrients in foods! But I digress...
I did have a rather big stomachache after the soup and salad...it's hard to tell if it was from the meal (either from a forgotten gluten-containing ingredient or from cross contamination from another ingredient), because I still have lots of gluten left in my system that isn't gone yet, or from any other variety of causes. I didn't eat enough, really, to have a stomachache from TOO much food...so I think I can rule that out. It's a mystery! My stomachache, though, subsided before they usually do...and I ate my dessert (the brownie and caramel apple) without any repercussions.
All in all, my first day as a gluten-free woman was somewhat of a success. I know it's going to be a long road!
The first dinner party as a gluten-free woman was also a success...I am sure it's hard for everyone to go to that initial party, and the fact that it fell on the day of my first day of living gluten free was probably a good thing. I know I still have a lot of up-hill battling to do, but I am glad to have one day under my belt :)
OK....I am so tired. I am going to end this post now....more tomorrow, perhaps. Bring on Day Two! :)

Day one

Well....here it is, day one of trying to be gluten free. Chosing a Saturday to start is kind of a depressing thing...weekends are "supposed" be carefree! Riiiight....I have a feeling this gluten-free journey is going to be an uphill battle. For example, do I need to get specifically gluten free toothpaste? No clue! I need to find a list of brands or something of toothpaste and toiletries such as lip gloss that are ok for celiacs to have in and/or near their mouths!
I am meeting a co-worker from the Peoria office for breakfast today...she is dogsitting for a friend here in Bloomington this weekend. Where are we meeting, you ask? Panera. Um. HELLO GLUTEN! ;) I already decided what I am doing...I am eating some of my new hot rice cereal before I go and then I am going to purchase a large fruit cup at Panera and rinse it off with water from the soda fountain area. Seriously. You know, in case any rougue bread crumbs got onto the fruit! HAHA!!! I have a feeling this is "cross-contamination" central and that in reality I need to say good-bye to Panera...but we'll make due for today.
Later tonight we are going to Josh and Laura's for dinner. I am going to bring a few of my own things, so I will have something to eat for certain. It will be good practice. It is going to be weird, and I will probably feel a bit obnoxious bringing some of my own foods...but I think ultimately people will get used to it and maybe even understand a little bit. I don't want to be sick! I am just trying to be responsible and take care of myself. Really!
I thought about waiting to start until Monday...but honestly, I know there will never be a "good" time to start. There will always be something, SOME event, SOME friend who invited us for dinner, etc. I also thought about waiting until my 26th birthday...which is on Tuesday the 28th. No cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster (perhaps my favorite restaurant ever :) ) this year?! Sigh. No better time than the present! So, here goes nothing....
Wish me luck!