Swinger's Grille

Friday night, Jeremy and I met up with his dad and brother at Swinger's Grille in Normal...we had never been there before and it was fun to try someplace new. I realize the name sounds somewhat trashy...it is actually attached to a golf store and driving range, hence the "swinger's" reference. :)
After, of course, conversing with our waiter about my gluten/wheat issues, I enjoyed a side Caesar salad...and instead of the "no croutons" as I requested...it came complete with a Parmesan-crisp "crouton"...gluten free and delicious!! For my entree, I had salmon on a bed of pureed sweet potatoes with a apple cider reduction glaze and baked apples on top. It was phenomenal! I really, really enjoyed it...how fun to try somewhere new that had entrees as unique as this one!
We would definitely return to this restaurant...and I think it is the kind of place that I would bring out-of-town guests to!

Muffins!

I made de-licious banana muffins tonight! :) YUM! I purchased a muffin/scone mix made by Gluten Free Pantry tonight at the grocery store...added 3 frozen bananas (when my bananas start to get old, I put them in the freezer to save for recipes/baking) that I thawed in some warm water...and then added a bit of extra tapioca flour since the bananas seemed to make the batter pretty thin. They are awesome muffins! I would definitely recommend this versatile mix...muffins bake up light and fluffy, just like the box says!

YUM! :)

Shout Out! :)

The other day, my friend Abbey (a fellow SLP) sent me an e-mail at work asking me about what I could/couldn't eat...pertaining to getting me a "special" meal for her wedding reception in May! How amazingly sweet and kind was that?! She is so thoughtful...another reason I love where I work. I work with some really special, kind people :). Thanks, Abbey!

Also, similarly, an old friend, Rosalee, sent me a text this week saying "gluten free meal coming your way on April 18th!" April 18th is her wedding day (I am a bridesmaid!)...and she met with the caterers recently and they told her that a gluten free meal wouldn't be a problem.

Yahoo for wonderful friends...and yahoo for not just picking at lettuce leaves at their wedding receptions :). We have a couple more weddings this spring (Jeremy's friend Kelly (May), Jeremy's friend Scott (June...and we have to travel all the way to CA for this one! Jeremy is a groomsman), and Jeremy's friend Ken)....I haven't decided how to address these issues. In my trusty Gluten Free Bible, Jax Peters Lowell tells the reader to address these issues with the bride/groom and that in most cases it really isn't a big deal at all. The other option is just to eat beforehand ;). How uncomfortable, though, must that conversation be! A wedding is SO not about the guests...it's about the bride and groom! I hate to be the person to add one more concern to their plates on that special day.

Sigh. We'll see...

Great article (old, but good information)

Gluten for Punishment; Better Eating Puts Celiac Symptoms on the Shelf

Top ten...

Here is a "top ten" list...that is ever-evolving:
The Top Ten things I have learned in the past 3.4 months (in no particular order!):

10. Hard boiled eggs are a wonderful protein-rich "staple" to have on hand in the refrigerator. Of course it can't hurt if they are organic/free-range eggs ;). I figured if I was eating more eggs, I should probably cough up the little extra to be sure I wasn't getting extra hormones and crap during the day.
9. Larabars are fantastic...and come in a variety of delicious flavors! Minimally processed, just a few ingredients (nuts! fruit!) in each...obviously gluten free, also non GMO, Kosher....many reasons to love them! My personal favorites are Cashew Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Key Lime Pie...and Jeremy loves the Cherry Pie ones (and I love that he eats them with me...instead of getting all of that nasty high fructose corn syrup in his old standby, Quaker granola bars!). I think the cheapest place here in Bloomington to find them is at Kroger on College ($1.49 a bar), but you can also get them at Naturally Yours and Meijer (they are around $1.69 at both of those places). In addition, you can also buy them in bulk at Amazon.com!
8. Favorite gluten-free and EASY breakfast...Stoneybrook Farms gluten-free low-fat vanilla yogurt with frozen berries on top. I buy the large containers and divide it into four servings and sprinkle frozen blueberries/raspberries/strawberries/blackberries on top. I send one serving with Jeremy when he leaves for work in the morning and I take one for myself. Sometimes we sprinkle nuts on top. Delicious...and healthy!
7. a gluten free grocery shopping guide is a necessity. The two that I own are available online:
Cecilia's Marketplace and
Triumph Dining
6. Don't make any assumptions. Don't assume things are gluten free without researching it(I made this mistake with a mocha at a deli...and paid for it later that morning in a small airplane bathroom). Don't assume people know what Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance is.
5. Be prepared for unsolicited advice (from people who have no idea what you are going through or what it is like or what the best thing to do in your situation is....as well-intentioned as they may be!)...and do your best to smile, nod (and ignore! HA!). They aren't being evil, they are trying to help...
4. Finding a polite way to explain your dietary restrictions in restaurants to waiters/waitresses is a must. It is SO uncomfortable for me to discuss these things and to be "different" or "difficult"...that I (as Jeremy informed me recently) sound really forced and rude. I am making an effort to make it a more light-hearted polite conversation....practice makes perfect!
3. The Gluten Free Bible by Jax Peters Lowell is a fabulous resource...and my favorite Celiac book I own so far! I love love LOVE it! She covers everything...from diet, to doctors, to dining out, to cooking/baking, to (yes, truly!) sex and fertility. She tackles all of these topics and more with a great sense of humor...she's a lady I would love to have a glass of wine with!
2. Jeremy told me tonight at dinner (after another conversation about something random screwing with fertility issues...my latest obsession)..."you need to stop worrying and start living"...I need to adopt that mantra and go forward with my life! The more I try to control everything in my life, the more I realize that I am not in control at all. After all, why are we really here at all...but to live?!
1. Life is good :). I have wonderful friends and family...and a husband who is more than I ever dreamed a husband could be, really. I have so many friends/family members who have gone out of their way to prepare gluten-free meals/snacks for me and to make sure I don't feel ostracised at get-togethers. It means the world to me, it really does. For some reason, in the midst of this craziness God is still good :).

Some new favorite products...and an old favorite as well!

First, a sweet treat: Mi-Del brand gluten-free ginger snaps! I originally bought these from our local Meijer grocery store with the intent of keeping them on hand to use to make a graham-cracker style crust for a pie or cheesecake (I had read that gluten-free gingersnaps are a good substitution for making a gluten-free version of these kinds of crusts)...but I ended up opening the bag out of curiosity and loved them! It's a pretty big bag of them, so I think they will last me a while ;). I do, though, plan on purchasing a fresh bag at some point in the not-so-distant future to try to make a crust for some kind of delicious dessert! Don't worry, I will keep you informed :).

Next, Blue Diamond Naturals' Almond Nut Thin crackers...Jeremy's mom had these on hand for me this past weekend during our visit to their house. I had previously tried the Cheddar variety, and they were decent. The Almond ones, though, are fantastic! I really like them a lot. The are light, airy, and perfectly salty. They are great plain, or with cheese or peanut butter. I would definitely recommend them! There are other varieties as well (including Pecan and Hazelnut), but so far I have only tried the Almond and Cheddar. They sound great, though, so I will probably have to indulge myself at some point!! :)

Third...here's tonight's dinner: De Boles' Gluten Free Rice Pasta and Cheese (or, gluten free macaroni and cheese!). Consensus? Not bad...in fact, it's pretty darn good! I am enjoying some right now as I type, in fact! This afternoon I was at a child's home that was literally down the street from Kroger, so I stopped in to buy some Boar's Head deli turkey (gluten free, all natural, and fabulous!!). I noticed that they had a natural foods section, so I meandered by and found tons of gluten free products, including this! I have seen, purchased, and enjoyed De Boles brand pastas before, but never the macaroni and cheese variety! I had high hopes and, while it's no Kraft ;), it didn't disappoint. This product, as with many other gluten free products, reminds me that I need to remember to separate the gluten free from the gluten-ous...meaning, if I tell myself "I am eating rice pasta with all-natural cheese sauce" and not "I am eating something that should taste like Kraft macaroni and cheese...but doesn't"...things really aren't that bad.

Last...also during my trip to Kroger, I found 3 new varieties of Larabars! I bought Banana Bread, Key Lime Pie, and Lemon Bar...we'll see!! :)

Have a lovely day, all! I am off to enjoy the rest of my delicious pasta!! :)

if anyone reading this is from Bloomington, note that the Kroger I am referring to is the Kroger on College, not Oakland....they seem to have a better selection! The natural foods are behind the produce department and the gluten free foods are mixed in with the non-gluten-free foods, for example the crackers are located in the "Crackers" section, and not in a specific "gluten-free" section, the pasta in the pasta section...and so on. Enjoy! And GO KROGER!! (They are cheaper than Meijer and Naturally Yours, too! :))

approaching 4 months

Well, we are quickly approaching the 4-month monthly "anniversary" (if you can even call it that...which you really can't) of my being gluten free. Yahoo for me ;). I did survive my first vacation, albeit just a mini-vacation. We got back from North Carolina and a visit to Jeremy's parents' new home out there around 4:30 yesterday afternoon. I did pretty well (GI-wise) until yesterday...on the plane...of course. It wasn't necessarily the most fun flying experience of my life, but it could've been a LOT worse.
Jeremy's mom did do a great job of having lots of gluten free food/snacks around the house for me...rice/almond crackers, rice pasta, pistachios, fresh fruit. I did survive! OH, and I did make some delicious gluten-free brownies, my favorite yet in fact! I will post about those later, as I need to get ready for work...but just thought I'd drop off a quick post before that. Happy February!
Hey did that darn groundhog see his shadow yesterday or not? I forgot to even pay attention! ;) Oh well, I can't even remember what it means if he does/doesn't...one way means more winter and one means spring comes soon, I think. Who knows! ;)
Have a wonderful day, all!