Oh, gluten... (and other vices)

I get asked a lot on this gluten-free diet about what happens if I indulge.  What happens if I slip?  Maybe just a cookie?  A cracker? One bite?

There are those out there with serious allergies to gluten and wheat.  One bite could place them in serious pain.  Others, it could be much worse- think of those you know with peanut allergies who go into shock with just a small amount of contamination.  Some people have to think- "I know this sandwich was made with gluten-free bread... but how was this sandwich prepared?  Toasted on the same griddle as gluten?  Do they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer for my delicious fries?"

My answer up until this delicious, memorable Christmas holiday was that I was much more energetic, my bones just moved better, and I just feel better when I live my life in a world of rice, quinoia, and corn rather than Olive Garden bread sticks.  It doesn't sound like a lot.  In fact, one could say I have fallen for the fad.
Holidays in general are hard for gluten-free folks.  All the traditional foods, going out to eat, the unfamiliar fridges... it's a nightmare.  So, because I'm fortunate enough to not be technically gluten-intolerant, I let myself slip.

We arrived into town on the solstice (December 21).  I was good that night.  And then little allowances were made.

December 22nd- Woke up late.  Forgot to eat breakfast as there was no gluten-free bread available.  Ate Famous Star (with bun!) at noon.  Thai food for dinner- didn't check gluten in the curries, pad thai, etc., but the dumplings sure as hell weren't GF.  Whoops.

December 23rd- Seafood buffet at the Coeur D'Alene Casino.  Not inherently bad, but used some bread to sop up delicious clam/crab juices.  Then had a piece of tiramisu.  I was still feeling good.  No problem.

December 24rd- Christmas Eve.  This is the night with my family.  I especially made a GF Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake AND stuffing.  I brought ingredients from Whole Foods especially so I could be gluten-free with my family.  The cheesecake was sooo good.  The stuffing was less so.  So, I made it taste better with gluten-y gravy.  Then sopped up that gravy with a crescent roll.  Whoops.

December 25th- Christmas with my husband's family.  A huge test (which I had planned on failing).  My MIL's monkey bread and homemade orange-coconut rolls for breakfast.  Then my FIL's aforementioned calzones.

Sigh.

I ate the whole calzone.  I had never done that before.

I forget which day I started hurting.  I think it was the evening of the 23rd or the morning of the 24th.  I got more and more stiff until I was downright cranky on Christmas. The next day, I was back on the bandwagon- armed with my Udi's multigrain bread and some gluten-free burritos.  I even had my mother-in-law purchase some gluten-free soy sauce for some Kung Pao chicken they made for dinner one night.  But, the damage was done.  I was achy, I felt slow, I woke up each morning without feeling rested, and getting up off the floor after playing with my nephew was a real bitch.  My fingers swelled up to nice-looking sausages and my wrists decided not to cooperate with any of the work I needed to do.  My Costochondritis acted up- which is always panic-inducing and fun. I was pretty miserable. 

It's important, however, that I mention the other bad things I did that could have caused this.  This isn't a gluten-free blog... it's a lupus blog.  There are lots of different things that could cause a lupus flare, and I was guilty of most of them.

I certainly didn't exercise as much as I should have.  I did yoga once in the nine days we weren't home.  I ignored my resistance band.  I took the dog for only two walks (it was really cold).  Yes, I was constantly running around and moving, but not in a way that kept my joints limber.

And then, I indulged while I was with my family- and not even in moderation.  My slab of prime rib at my family's Christmas dinner was embarrassingly huge.  Then I had another slice for "second dinner" later that night.  Topped with a big dollop of horseradish sauce. There was also snacking- Doritos, Ruffles, cheeses, large amounts of this delicious jalapeno Greek yogurt dip my MIL found.  It's at Costco.  Go find it.

Visiting family also means drinking.  Jack and Gingers, mimosas, hard cider, eggnog (with brandy), Knob Creek, and wine, wine, wine.  I didn't succumb to delicious beer, but that didn't matter. My liver is begging for mercy.  I did my best to drink water, but I certainly didn't do as well as I normally did.

I'm also sure I overdid things while in town.  Helping my grandmother, cooking a bunch of meals (Christmas dinner, cheesecake, three pasta casseroles, minestrone, quinoia and butternut squash bake, two turkey tetrazzinis, and chicken noodle soup), playing with my nephews, sixteen hour car rides, going out in the snow, wrapping gifts... it was a lot of wear on me. Since I visit so rarely I always try to squeeze as much in as possible to be the best friend, granddaughter, auntie, sister, daughter-in-law, whatever I can.  Hard to squeeze in time to be good to yourself when you're so busy.

Then there's the emotional toll of the holidays and some family matters that needed to be tended to.  While I'm going to opt not to elaborate here, I will say that there's some big changes going on and a lot of what-ifs and unanswered questions.  Stress city.  And I did very little self-care in the process. (Spa day, anyone?)

As you can see, I crammed a lot (of gluten, stress, gluttony, etc.) into a short visit to my hometown and I paid for it. It's important for those with chronic illnesses to learn from their mistakes, however, and I fully intend on working on that.

This post is a nice lead up to my next one- New Years' Resolutions!  Yes, I do resolutions.  There is nothing wrong with having goals in your life.  So long as you don't beat yourself up if you find yourself challenged.

Before all that, though...

How are you paying for all the holiday fun?

I suck at baking...

...with gluten... and then not eating it...

I finally got around to de-glutening my pantry.  It turned up with several boxes of cake mix, two packets of Fiber One Blueberry Muffin mix, and a packet of sugar cookie mix.  My first thought was that a food bank could use the donations... until I realized they were all a couple months out of date.  Now, I know that they are perfectly fine- but having volunteered for a few donation centers I'm well aware that they don't appreciate expired foods.

So, I decided to whip up some baked goods for my g-parents.  The first problem came with the muffins.  As it  turns out, it's impossible to not drip on your fingers while filling up the muffin cups.  And then it's impossible to NOT lick your fingers.  Damn.

Then, the sugar cookies.  I had the cute idea of dipping the sugar cookie balls in holiday sprinkles to make them all festive-like.  The next problem came (I think) when I didn't soften the butter.  Or maybe it was too soft.  Or maybe it was the expiration date issue.  Or perhaps my ineptitude.  Anyone, so they flattened out a lot around the edges and got quite brown.  So then... there were reject cookies.  And I couldn't just let those cookies feel bad about themselves.

I wouldn't be human if I had no flaws, right? At least Mama and Papa will forgive me of my errors when they eat some delish muffins.

Do you ever cook/bake things that you're not supposed to eat?  How do you resist?

Salad...again...

Do all gluten-free eaters get stuck with salads like I do? Oy.
I'm trying to mix it up a bit, though. Today's features butter mix, carrots, almonds, goat cheese, and nectarines. I had zero protein in my house this morning- I could either eat yet another hardboiled egg or chance the week-old lunch meat. Kinda sketchy and unexciting.
I meandered over to La Bou to solve my little protein problem. You can buy a fully cooked chicken breast for $2.50. Not too shabby!
Just try to avoid the seduction of their fresh bread smell. Be strong!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

WFDW: Gluten-Free Not Sucking!

I'm on day six and not completely dying, so I'm plugging on. A friend suggested the squash ribbons in place of rice spaghetti (yuck) and I'll be trying gluten-free buns for the first time. Stay tuned!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Gluten-free, low cal, delicious snack find!

This awesome new find is brought to you by Trader Joe's! 38 crackers have 120 calories, 2 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein and a bunch of deliciousness! In my opinion, 38 crackers has got to be a typo, they are way too yummy to be that good for you... And gluten-free to boot! Go try them today!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

MIA like a bad kid...

Well, I finished my time with CPS last week.  That kept me pretty busy, plus I had the pleasure of a FOUR DAY migraine.  Lord knows why... maybe car accident, maybe lupus, maybe bad karma... Looking at a computer screen made my head explode, so after long days of work (by long I mean three or four hours, seriously, my head was killing me) I would come home to a darkened apartment and watch several hours of Charmed.  With puppy snuggles.

I'm not proud to admit I like this show, but it's real good bad television.

Thankfully, Saturday saw the end of the super migraine.  That gave me the chance to truly enjoy my weekend with my hubby and enjoy the opening Sunday of football!

I made:

Creamy Spinach Feta Dip

Recipe

And tri-tip sandwiches with horseradish sauce.  I made a delicious marinade out of red wine, some balsamic vinegar, seasonings, and a bit of Worcestershire.  It got happy in the fridge for over 24 hours, and then the love of my life grilled it to a delish medium rare.

That's right, my baby can grill.  

Yesterday marked a very important day for me.  As a day of sandwiches, spinach dip, and spirited drinking (GO SEAHAWKS!), I ingested a ton of carbs of the gluten variety.  I've decided to give gluten-free eating a shot.

Could I have picked a worse Monday to start?  Today I started a 64 hour Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Training.  Ka-blammo, that sounds intense, huh?

Breakfast was two hastily peeled hard-boiled eggs and a banana, eaten in my car.  I peeled them at home, just to clarify.  That would NOT be safe.

As for lunch, I always have difficulties in these situations.  You really can't count on a microwave being at the training center, and eating out would be expensive, fattening, and gluten-filled.  So, I took some very responsible measures...

I prepared by whipping up a delicious rotisserie chicken:

Slaved my fingers to the bone, I did....

And then making a bit pot of quinoa, and buying a ridiculous amount of salad fixin's: I got a Parisian salad blend, a pack of romaine, spring mix, arugula, cucumbers, olives, sliced roasted almonds, and shredded carrots.  As soon as I got the chicken out of the oven (*ahem*) I shredded all of the breast meat and carved the dark meat for lunches for my Kevin.  Before bed last night, I assembled most of the salad, storing the quinoa and chicken in a baggie separate from the salad.  The result?  Well, it was me sitting alone in the training room eating a huge salad.  But, it was very delicious AND I didn't end up feeling bad about myself.

I rounded out my day with snacks of hummus (which tasted off) with (stale) tortilla chips and one of my new favorite flavors of Larabar.

It really tastes exactly like a lemon bar.  it's very tasty.  Plus, dates, lemon, cashews, almonds.  That's it.  Can't get more pure than that.

I have to say, though, that after having a major carb binge yesterday I was starving.  That gods some genius found the time to throw a pot roast in the crockpot before leaving the house.  

Pay attention, everyone:

Pot Roast Recipe:  

Glug some red wine (leave yourself a glass for dinner) and some low sodium beef broth into the bottom of your crockpot.  Add a few thyme sprigs, some red pepper flakes, and a couple bay leaves.  Dig through cupboards and find an onion soup mix.  Read that it's also gluten-free, then do a little dance. Salt and pepper a big hunk o' meat.  Chuck, preferably.  Sear on both sides in your shitty apartment kitchen, risking setting off the smoke detectors at 6:30 in the morning.  After searing, put in the crockpot.  Top with onions, then quartered yukon golds, then a ton of baby carrots, and some whole mushrooms.  Cook on low for seven hours- or whenever you get home.  Enjoy with some Tony's.

Time to go spend some time with Kevin and a glass of wine.  I leave you with one last picture.... my nephew D has decided on his Halloween costume:

GAH!  So cute!  

Have a great week everyone!

To gluten free or to not gluten free?

For awhile now I have been contemplating trying out a gluten-free diet.

On the lupus message boards there are a ton of people who either have a diagnosed gluten allergy/intolerance or have Celiac disease.  Also, did you know that those are not the same?  Before I started looking into this I thought Celiac disease was just a fancy name for gluten intolerance... then I became jealous since lactose intolerance didn't have a fancy name.  Now I feel better.

Back in 2006 an allergy panel was done on me by the wonderful doctors at Shriner's hospital in Spokane.  Gluten did not come up on the panel- unlike corn, dairy, and eggs.  Most of which, I ignore by the way.  The only one of those I notice to have ever bothered me is dairy, so I stick to small amounts of cheeses and Greek yogurt/Kefir and no milk.

Back to the point, there are others on the board who have neither of the above afflictions, but tried the gluten-free diet and stuck to it for the health benefits.  Since wheat is in damn-near everything here in the US (Go America!), eliminating gluten usually means cutting out processed foods, avoiding a large amount of baked goods, and turning down anything that's dunked in batter and deep-fried.

...anyone else hungry right now?  Anywho...

The result?  While avoiding all of those things, you're cutting out fats, sugars, and probably filling your plate a bit more with fruits, vegetables, and proteins.  Supposedly, you feel healthier, have more energy, and your digestive system is happier.

And who doesn't like a happy poop?

I'm gross, I make no apologies.  Just be thankful I didn't post a picture.

Plus, I could lose weight!  I've been a bit stuck in my weight loss goal, so the possibility of moving forward is appealing.

(Source)

So, obviously I have a lot of things to ponder.  The first thing I did was very important to my well being and was the only first step I could have taken in this process:

(Source-Gluten Free Mommy)

I Googled gluten-free pizza.  I tried a polenta pizza crust once at a friend's suggestion and a part of my soul died.  There exists various gluten-free pastas that I can deal with (soba... mmmmmm), but if my pizza crust has a weird texture, an icky taste, or can't support a healthy amount of sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil, then I can't hack this gluten free thing.  That picture looks pretty damn good, though.  I will have to experiment with various recipes at least once a week if I go through with this.

The next thing I did (which all people who aren't neurotic should do first) was I sent an email to my Rhemy.  Any change in diet or regimen should be cleared with your doc.  This is especially so, as he may want to run any tests for Celiac or gluten-intolerance.  Cutting them out ahead of time would mess up the tests, apparently.

So, until I hear back from my MD, my diet is pretty normal, as you will see in my WFD post tomorrow.  Tonight we're rocking one of those frozen Chinese-esque meals from Coscto.  Stuffed full of wheat and preservatives.  Maybe I'll even have a beer, just to enjoy my freedom now in case I happen to chose to walk down that path.

Have you ever eliminated anything from your diet that you thought you couldn't live without?
and.... Any tried and true gluten-free recipes you'd care to share?