It's Halloween!!

One of my favorite times of year =)  Though this year is obviously different.  I can't sneak candy out of my kid's bags...lol.  I don't think it will be that hard for me however, my kids have gotten into that..."mom you can't have that" routine.  It's like a knife in the heart, but I know they mean well and want me healthy.  I had an idea, but didn't work out to go as a piece of wheat stalk for Halloween...haha people would have given me very confusing looks.  It would have been great, maybe next year though.

So I tried a new breakfast this morning.  I got the recipe from the book in my recommended books post "The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free"  Its the Tropical Rice

1 c Crushed Pineapple
1/2 c Pineapple Juice (from Crushed Pineapple)
3/4 c Brown Rice
1/4 c Chopped or Slivered Raw Almonds
1/2 tsp Salt (I use Sea Salt)
1/2 c Dried Raisins or Cranberries

1.  In a stove-top pan mix all ingredients except dried fruit.
2. Bring to a boil, stir, and quickly reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook till rice is soft, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Remove from heat as soon as the rice is cooked and stir in dried fruit
4. Let stand for 5 minutes
5. Serve warm, adding in milk or extra pineapple as desired or more juice to thin it out for a nice breakfast cereal.

That is the original recipe, however with the brown rice I use, it takes 45 minutes to cook, I also added a bit of water and some pineapple/orange juice to it to cook in.  And I used raisins.  It was amazing! =)  There are several great recipes in that book, again I highly recommend it for someone just starting out with Celiac, or for the Seasoned GF dieter.

Our Halloween Evening

First before I talk about my Halloween evening, I want to say that I have found it much easier to ask my requests while eating out, or even at a gas station much easier.  I'm quite shy when it comes to face to face interaction with people I DON"T know.  However, there was a gentleman working at the truck stop when mom and I were there earlier this week went out of his way for me.  I was in the mood for a hot dog, however they had flour tortillas on the rollers with the hot dogs.  Bummer.  So when we went to the register he asked us how we were, and i just said, well okay i guess, hungry for a hot dog but I am unable to eat the ones they have.  He asked why so I told him and he said that he would gladly go to the freezer, get a fresh one and just stick it in the microwave so there would be no problem.  I didnt ask him, he just offered.  He did not have to do that but he did, it shows that there are people out there who care, and dont think that people are just over reacting about it.

So, anyway, since I do have children, my Halloween is usually a day or two early, ya know, haunted houses and scaring other people.  While we were at scary acres, wes asked if I was hungry, and I was, though i had some snacks before we went I was still hungry.  While waiting in line, he kept mentioning pretzles and funnel cake, which would have been what i would have got any other time.  I never said anything, wondering if he would realize what he was saying and he did.  He then told me we could go out to eat when we got done, I told him that would be alright.  So after having the bajibees (is that a word?) scared out of me we got on the road.   He asked where I wanted to go eat.  I told him to pick and I would work out what i would eat when we got there.  Oh yeah I forgot, earlier that day I got my GF Dining out cards in the mail that I got from Cecelias Marketplace ( http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/gf-dining-out-cards.html ) It has the foods i can and cannot have, possible hidden gluten, and a warning on the other side.  We decided to go to Old Chicago and I ordered a grilled chicken salad.  Wes and I stepped outside for a few minutes and when we returned the cook was waiting at our table.  He had the card in his hand that i gave to the waiter, and asked if cheese would be okay, i told him yes but no bread products and to change gloves.  He told me that he had already prepared a spot on the line just for my food and told the other cooks not to go near it, and then he told me thank you for having the card, it really is nice to see something like that to know what they can and cannot do.  The meal was good, great actually.  Not only the food, but the talk that wes and I had.  I told him more about what was going on and why i was being the bitch that i was about my food, counter, and pans.  He is having a hard time understanding.  But he was very attentive tonight, and really listening to me and what i was saying.  I have noticed the kids getting better about it too.  Mainly Lee, he asks me many times if i can have something, or tell me its time for my blood test and shot.  I'm glad that they are young, and won't remember much about before my era before GF, so it will become second nature to them, it was a very good night =)

Irritation and Frustration

I am doing all I can to keep this diet right.  To try and eliminate cross contamination.  I bought new pans that are only to be used by me for GF cooking, yet I get attitude from my boyfriend because he thinks I'm "over reacting and taking it too far"  REALLY??  Are you serious??  "before you started this diet you were eating breads and stuffing  without worrying about it, you knew about the celiac, but you were fine eating it then and didnt worry about it?"  Okay here is my response to that.  Yes, I have known about my celiac since Dec 2009.  However i was in serious denial.  I already had eating problems, being a very picky eater, and being underweight and not being one who can force food she doesnt like into her mouth like other people can.  It took many steps for me to get to where i am today.  It had to start with feeling better about myself as a person first.  If that didnt happen I knew a GF diet would never be possible.  Another thing I knew I needed before a GF diet, proper teeth.  Yes the CD made me so malnurished that it destroyed my teeth, no matter how hard i tried to keep them clean and brushed.  At the time I found out, I did not have proper size dentures and couldn't eat with them.  There are a lot of GF foods that are difficult to eat without teeth.  Once I got those, I cut my hair, started to go tanning, and just feeling better.  I know i am not over reacting, it may even be that i am not doing enough, i dont know.  But it is frustrating and irritating that he doesnt want to understand my needs like that.

A hidden blessing

So I have been 10 days GF today.  Really?  10 days?  Yep, though it doesn't feel like it.  And there's a few reasons why it doesn't seem that long.  Before, I used to sleep....a lot, never got out of the house due to having to plan my driving routes based on where there were more gas stations and looking for where the restroom was in every building I was in.  Now, its not near as bad.  I can enjoy doing things with my family without having to keep an eye on how far away the bathroom was, or if there even was one around for the past 4 years.  Being underweight I had no energy and i hate the looks i get from people, and just imagining what is going through their heads about why I look the way I do.  But now, I feel like I look better already even though I have only gained 10 pounds, but that is a huge amount for me.  The last time I was over 100 pounds was 6 1/2 years ago.  Even though following a GF diet, and taking all the necessary precautions to eliminate cross contamination is a pain in the backside, it is a hidden blessing since it is ALL diet controled, and that no medications are needed.  Of all the diseases that this COULD have been, I'm glad that it was celiac.

Two kitchens in one

So last night I started the daunting task of taking my kitchen and making it two without having to pick up a hammer and saw blade (I don't think my mom would have liked that Idea...lol)  Other than one small cupboard for my snacks, the kitchen is basically split in half, storage wise anyway.  My GF food is by the back door on a bookshelf we bought.  The counter just to the left of it has a sign behind it that says "Please!!  No Non GF food allowed on this counter"  It may not be necessary, but my family tends to forget short term, so it may be a while before they learn.  My mom bought me a beautiful set of Paula Dean Porcelin Pots and Pans and they are under the counter, along with my own silverware...again my family needs reminders.  I'm proud of myself because it really is hard trying to figure out where to put stuff that you really have no room for.

Taco's Ole!, Quck Spaghetti, and a Chili Concoction all mixed in one =)

So it's been a couple days since I have posted.  Things have been super crazy around here.  Eating and reading and eating and reading.  Unfortunately most of the reading i have been doing is food labels figuring out what is safe and what is evil.  *I have found the college scholarship applications have also ended up on that evil list ;) * At first their were foods that i thought were safe, until I read that most modified food starch contains wheat products.  Something that I just didn't think about, when I should have. , So, note to self, check what other items contain wheat, rye and barley that don't actually say W-R-B.

So over the last few days menus have consited of Tacos, A rush at making spaghetti before cub scouts, and then tuesday I used  a Kettle Cusine Chili bowl, poured it over some rice penne, added a few green onions, sour cream, and cheese.  OMG it was sooo good! =)

Stadium Dog with ATTITUDE!

DAY 4: Started early with not much sleep.  I had a game to get to!  So what am I going to do while there are Pizza's and Runza's going up and down the isle of the stadium?  I decided to pack some of my GF snacks and stick them in a string bag to take with me to munch on when the urge took aim at my mind.  I portioned out a few snack baggies of roasted peanuts, Nut-Thins, Stretch Island fruit leathers, and some Enjoy Life Snicker Doodles.  On the way stopped and got some fries at McD's before we got to the stadium to help with the hunger.  I was fine at first, not even thinking about it.  Until I heard "Valentino's Pizza!" just 3 seats from where I was sitting!  Here it came, that urge to get a slice and just eat a few bites.  NO!  So I get into my sack and grab some of my food.  It worked, anytime I just got that itch, I grabbed the cure.  Then the True Test came when my Boyfriend got a Runza, oh did I long for a bite of that homemade bread, beef, and cabbage!  And the smell, oh the smell was the kick in the stomach.  So I decided to go grab something from the concessions stand that had meat in it to try and kick right back.  The first one was the burger stand, where I asked for a cheese burger with no bun, however they already had all their patties on the buns.  Okay no problem.  Plan B: Find the hot dog stand.  "Do you have hot dogs that have NOT been placed on buns yet" "Yes" "Okay, I need two hot dogs WITHOUT buns" "Um we can't do that because of inventory purposes" "WHAT?  I can't have wheat so don't want the buns, throw the buns in the trash for all I care, it would be no different than if you gave me the buns and I threw them in the trash!" "Well you will still have to pay the $3 dollars a piece for them" "I know this here"  OMG I can't believe the attitude this "Lady" was giving me!  So I got my stadium dogs and used the wrapper for some ketchup and mustard and ate away, this was the answer.  I had no problems after that.  I ate all my peanuts and crackers and a fruit leather, and don't forget the Snicker Doodles! (again I HIGHLY recommend them!).  After the game, we drove around looking for a Chili's Bar and Grill because I found out in my grocery shopping guide* that they have a GF menu.  Couldn't find the Chili's so called my mom, no answer.  Then I called my brother (who is half the country away from me) and he looked it up and gave me the address.  Thanks Jamie! =)  There was a wait, but I was willing to wait for a GF menu, then try and figure out on my own what was or wasn't GF.  I asked the waiter about the menu and they printed one out for me.  It included all the items the ALREADY had on the menu that was GF by the manufacturer of their ingredients.  I had the Sweet Corn Soup, Grilled BBQ Chicken Salad with House Ranch, and Mashed Potatoes w/o gravy. (BTW if you go to http://www.chilis.com they have a downloadable PDF of their allergy information for all Chili's locations).  So again it is a success!  Another completely GF day!  However, this is a journey, right?  I have learned to NOT eat so many peanuts and crackers during the day, exspecialy when I am standing for most of it!

* Gluten-Free: Grocery Shopping Guide 2009/2010 Edition by Matison & Matison

Bring on the FRIES...or not

Day three =)  Okay, yeah at some point I will stop counting the days and start counting months.  Anyway, today was pretty good.  Had some of my favorite Smokehouse Nut-Thins from Blue Diamond for breakfast and some apple juice.  Went to the Y to do some biking and weight lifting.  While there I read my book about Celiac, which was very informative.  Mom and I decided to go to lunch after a few errands.  Ok, so my first test of eating out and trying to manage around the outnumbering amounts of products containing Gluten compared to CF foods.  We decided to go to Arby's.  Before we decided I did a little research on the net whether their home-style fries are GF or not.  They are as long as they are cooked in separate oils than their breaded items.  Yay! (though I know I am going to want to grab a Curly Fry from my mom at some point but will have to resist the temptation!)  We go into Arby's and mom orders her food while I am sitting at the table reading their Nutrition Guide (which I am grabbing from every fast food joint in town).  She comes back and they don't even sell home-style fries at that location!!  WHAT?!?!  Are you kidding me??  I had gotten my hopes up because though I am not much of a fry person, I knew that fries would not have to be worked around.  So reading the list of GF foods I found that their buttermilk ranch *not much of a ranch person either* dressing was GF.  So I settled for a Turkey & Bacon Salad and a Jr. Roast Beef without the bun, and a piece of lettuce leaf.  Well they only had shredded lettuce.  Never-mind.  Okay just the JRB without the bun.  I pay for it, watch them get the salad and then see them putting my beef on a bun.  UM NO!  I told the guy no bun and please get new meat, I dont know how sensitive I am to gluten and don't want to take ANY chances.  So I get my food, sit at the table, stack the beef, put some of the lettuce from my salad on the beef, with some bacon and a few tomatoes.  Then put on some horsey sauce (yes the horsey sauce is GF...awesome!).  Wrapped it up and via la!  A lettuce wrapped roast beef meal. (Lets just say it was a good thing I ate some Rice pasta at home before we went because there was not much of a portion to it all).  After that fiasco, I had to run to the college that I will be attending in Dec.  On the way I was still craving some fries, so went to burger king where I know they have GF fries (I had already asked them) and also asked if they use Heinz Ketchup since it is also GF.  (Sorry this post is such a ramble...lol)  On the way back from my errand I craved some Enjoy Life snicker doodle cookies =)  (which I HIGHLY recommend) So off to HyVee's Health Market to get some, along with more Nut-Thins and even a small package of Enjoy Life chocolate Chip Cookies which i have not tried yet.  So time went by and supper came where the boys had Pops for supper (I'm big on breakfast for supper...lol) and again, I wanted to just grab a couple of pieces, it wouldn't do any harm right?  WRONG!  even just a little bit of Gluten can mess everything I am trying to work for up, so I resist.  Once they ate I grabbed some brown rice, stuck it on the stove, and when it was finished, heated up a can of Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato soup, and cut up a few pieces of turkey lunch meat.  Threw it all together and OMG it was just like what I used to make with Campbell soup (which contains gluten).  Actually, it is so much better than Campbell soup.  So I have survived yet another day of tests and triumphs =)  My big test will be tomorrow.  I am going to the Nebraska vs Texas football game in Lincoln Ne.  I know that there will be nothing *but maybe a milky way or Hershey bar*  So tonight I am bagging up some single serving snacks to take with me, and a firm, yes I am taking them in because I have Celiac and you are NOT Celiac friendly.  Now I am off, good night =)

GF Does NOT have to be cardboard

So today is day 2 of my GF diet.  Its gone well today though most of the day i was sleeping.  I never realized how tired I really was, and was able to actually sleep without being woke up by my CD symptoms.  I went to my local HyVee once I woke up to get a few more GF foods to start stocking up my cupboards and freezer with the foods I have tried and liked.  So far Amy's Macaroni & Cheese made from Rice Pasta is my favorite meal and Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almond and Rice Nut-Thins are my favorite GF snack.  These are usually found in the Health Market section of HyVee, if you can't find them ask one of the employees if they carry the products.

When my kids got home from school we decided to go to another HyVee that was having a GF Gala.  They were having GF tastings for some of the foods that they carry.  Some of the stuff that they had were Kettle Kitchen Chili, snicker doodles, corn cakes, and chocolate cake.  I was amazed at how good some of it was, and one of the dietitions pointed out some of her favorite pastas that she uses at home.  I got lots of free samples, coupons, and even an entire sack of GF foods that I got for 10% off.

Another thing that I did today, I asked our local Burger King and McDonalds if they fry their fries in seperate oils so that there is no gluten contamination in the fry oil.  They both do.  So I know that i am able to eat out there.  Burger King I would get a Tendergrill with no bun with some lettuce and tomato and an order of fries.

Recommended Books

Here are a few books that I have started to read and recommend for those Dealing with Celiac, Gluten Intolerance, and Gluten Allergy.


The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free  by Jules E. Dowler Shepard

You Won't Believe It's Gluten-Free by Roben Ryberg

Gluten Free Living magazine
 
Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide 2009/2010 Edition  (----  This book will end up being your bible while in the grocery store.  It eliminates 99% of label reading.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

First off, just a bit about me.  My name is Jenn and I am a 27yo Diabetic-Celiac mother of 2 beautiful boys. I have been a diabetic for nearly 20 years, and then on Dec. 30, 2009 I was diagnosed with Celiac.  I know...Celi-what?  Celiac is an Autoimmune disorder where the body inappropriately absorbs and attacks the food protein Gliadin that is found in gluten (found in wheat, barely, and rye grains) which causes serious damage to the upper intestinal tract of a person afflicted by the disease.  When I was diagnosed, I was in denail.  I already was supposed to watch what I ate (though I do, I do it my own way, not by watching my sugars, but watching my carb intake instead, that way I could drink my Mt. Dew, while still following a somewhat diet to control my blood sugars)  I have recently started to work with a wellness consultant at the YMCA to try and gain some weight (I am currently only 85lbs) and gain some muscle.  After my visit with her, I decided to stop kidding myself, and take charge of my life, and my body.  So starting Oct. 13 I have gone completely Gluten Free (from here on GF).  I did alright on my first day GF, until I started making pancakes for my kids.  Pancakes are my serious weakness along with stuffing and garden rotini, which all contain gluten.  I had to seriously think and fight the urge to even take a small piece and just toss it in my mouth.  But I managed to do it.  I already feel better, my stomach doesn't ache as much, and I slept through the night for the first time in years.  I am writing this blog as a documentation of my journey for myself and others who may be on a GF diet of their own.