Today I’ve been in the Mood to Cook

Simple Salad

People often ask me “ how do you do it” in regards to  staying GF.  I used to boast proudly while simultaneously feeling a fair amount of self-pity. Truth is, at first it’s difficult to learn what things are available in your restricted range. Available and tasty to eat at the same time is even more onerous. This takes time and experimentation.  You do NOT have to sacrifice taste.

I was doing some work outside today, so when lunchtime came around I wanted something light and refreshing. I grabbed some extras that were in the fridge and the photo above was the result. A handful of lettuce, sliced up leftover grilled chicken, tomato, and mozzarella. Topped off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over the dish. Lovely.

Mexican Mac & Cheese

Dinner needed to be starchy so Pintrest suggested Mexican Mac & Cheese. 

How could I say no to that?! 

In a pot heat chopped onion and jalapeño until the onion becomes translucent. 

 Next you dump in a can of diced tomatoes (of a few fresh ones chopped up) and a cup of noodles (Quinoa is be best GF substitute). Stir. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. 

If you wanted to throw in some pre cooked protein now would be the time to do so. When the noodles start to cook through, the dish self-thickens from the starch. Let it cook until noodles are done (This may require a Tbsp of water if the mixture looks too dry. Top it off with a handful of Mexican mix cheese. Stir & done.

Next is Brownies!

There are some tweaks that will need to be made with GF, however I'm up for the challenge. 

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray an 8x8  pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute then stir. Continue heating in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth but not scorched. Remove from the microwave and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and salt, folding gently until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, 35 to 40. Do not overbake. Let cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

TADA!

Other replacements can be made to really customize your recipe. How do you like your Brownies? 

Enjoy!

Years later, I'm back!

Welcome back blog!

It's been a few years and many changes later.

With all my inflammatory issues, removing gluten has made my life substantially better. I feel more stable and my symptoms have nearly disappeared.

I've moved, started a new career, and tried a multitude of new foods. I've added dairy back into my diet. I'm still gluten free although I'm tempted occasionally by glutenous items. My willpower is strongest right after attempting to consume gluten again and having a reminder minutes after of why I abstain from it.


I went to Bar Harbor Maine to try Lobster for the first time:

 

Lobster just isn't for me. Even soaked in mustard it was hard to choke down.


I've started cooking much more with Pintrest inspired recipes:

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

So good!

Muffin recipes with KA GF All purpose Flour are my bread and butter!

I've tried cauliflower pizza (which is ok but it still tastes of cauliflower sorry):

Gluten Free Cauliflower pizza

Pintrest opens a whole new world to recipes because they are  tried by multiple people so you truly get the best of the best! Substitutions are easy with proper products. It took me years to perfect it but once you do healthy food doesn't have to be so difficult.

King Arthur All-Purpose Flour is truly a life saver.
It works so well in waffles/pancakes. It works perfectly as as substitute for almost all GF recipes.

Soups are easy.  Scones are easy. I would've never said that even a year ago today.

Veggie Bacon Soup

Blueberry Scones

Special events become more fun because you can celebrate them accordingly. For example: Dexter is/was one of my favorite TV shows. Dexter made it pretty easy because he has a gluten free breakfast. I celebrated by imitating his breakfast.

Dexter Breakfast

GF Cheesecake!

I've even used gluten free graham crackers (which are available I'm most grocery stores now) to make cheesecake!

I've been fairly successful in my ventures! If you're interested in any recipes, let me know and I'll happily supply them.

Due to the popularity of the GF diet, shopping has become much easier than even just a few years ago.  I do find it amusing that people are jumping on the GF train by choice because they think it will help them lose weight. This is not always the case. 

Below is a link to Jimmy Kimmel live where he asked people about their GF diet. 

GF Jimmy Kimmel Live. I find this funny but also sad. If you don't know what gluten is or why you want to go gluten free, don't do it. Gluten products contain a lot of nutrients that your body needs. Unless you are sensitive you may not need to cut out gluten completely. 

I'm feeling confident in my new-found skills and I cant wait to share more! 

Trying New Things

I generally dislike trying new things. It feels like gambling. It's always this feeling of anticipation based on general conceptions about food.  It’s so misleading and totally skews my view on many foods and food products available.

Examples:
Fish: It has a certain smell… it doesn’t smell good – therefor anything associated with fish or sea creatures must not be good. (note- Because of the foul expectancy, I haven’t had fish other than tuna in approximately 20 years and have NEVER tried lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, exct…) The exceptions being I tried a piece of octopus once and  I mixed up tuna salad with seafood salad back in college and was swollen and itchy for a few days but had no idea what I ate.

Grapeseed Mayo: sounds like it should be smooth, creamy, and slightly fruity. I took a big taste and it was vial- spoiled tasting- gritty obscenity.

I have made it a point to try some new things/ and some old things. It’s not like I have a lot of food options so I might as well broaden my horizon.

Coconut milk:  I actually picked it up on accident because it’s extremely similar looking to almond milk and was right beside it. Coconut milk is sweet. Very sweet, so only small amounts are needed to wet cereal- Not to be enjoyed as a tall glass with cookies. 

Agave natural sweetener: It’s syrup from a cactus! The light blend is like a honey and the amber is like a maple syrup. It’s great as a sugar substitute- and is better that it's alternatives. 

Shrimp: I was very scared to try this. I’ve been wanting to since I found out my shellfish allergy is just certain types of sea/fishcreatures.  Bill warned me that if was going to try seafood it shouldn’t be at a place like Applebee’s.  I decided to do it anyway and that might be my mistake here. 

Chain of events: Put shrimp in mouth…. bite… hear pop… it was like the moment your teeth break into a grape/lots of little grapes… chewy outside soft inside. This invoked an immediate disgust of texture. Slight gag. The taste itself wasn’t bad. It didn’t have much of a distinct taste at all, it just tasted like the sauce.  I couldn’t get over the texture. 

In other good news: I have completed the 3 month stage of my food allergies. No sensitive foods for 3 months means I potentially have cleared my antibodies to the lower reactive foods and can start trying them (1 serving of 1 allergy. Different allergens may be tried every 4 days with no reoccurrence of one particular item for 2 weeks.) Other words I may try a serving of eggs and then 4 days later try a serving of oats -but may not have eggs again for the 2 weeks from original trial date.

Eggs: I tried a little egg in Chinese food rice.  Results: I didn’t die… it was fine. No major upset.

Oats: Tried a granola bar. Results: Slight intestinal irritation. No long term issues. Mild sensitivity.

Dairy/sort of: I ate 1 cheese doodle. ONE cheese doodle with fake powdered cheese over a rice puff. Result: Stomach discomfort & intestinal issues.  Dairy did rate as my highest allergy. Guess I really have to stay clear of it and its byproducts.

ALSO as my research is pending, I have started to track all body changes.

I can’t get over the changes. It’s been incredible. I have also noticed that my vitamins are really helping to keep me well balanced. I hate swallowing pills so I got them in the form of gummies. I love gummy vitamins.

Vitamin C  is rated highly on my MUST DO list. Not only is it great at stabilizing histamine response, but it’s critical for cellular healing and protein synthesis. Literally every cell in your body uses Vit C. It’s a great boost for your body and a Great product.

My attempts at exercise are always just attempts. I can never stay on a schedule that works for me. I tried P90X/Insanity/Beach Booty/Yoga.  I must say- I like a little of each but I hate cardio.
Yogalates is my perfect fit. Yoga meets Pilates. It’s stretching with muscle resistance due to your own body weight. I love it. I do it roughly every 3 days for 1-2hours.  I know I’m getting results. These photos are taken roughly a month apart from one another.


Before:

I would still consider this great

After:

Pooch is gone!!!

Results:

YEAHHHHhhhhh    They just dont fit. I wont even tell you what size those are. New wardrobe here I come... again....

Stable/healthy/well balanced/ and feeling good.   Why didn’t I start elimination with exercise earlier?!?!?