Going gluten-free!
In 2006 I took a blood test that informed me that I had food sensitivities and it was time to cut things out of my diet. Yeast, wheat, eggs, cow dairy, peanuts plus a few others that I don't eat too much of so it wasn't an issue to remove them. I got rid of all bread except for a yeast and egg free type that I fell in love with. I learned to bake vegan which got rid of eggs. I eat goat and sheep dairy exclusively now, and substitute cashew butter for peanut butter. It was a pain at first but I adapted and my health improved.
Wheat was low on the list and so I didn't bother with taking it out of my diet--it was hard enough to make the other changes. My dr recommended that I go gluten free asap once I got used to the new way of eating. I didn't do it. This year I came to realize that wheat/gluten really was an issue. After another visit with the dr I gradually started getting rid of wheat and sugar. Within a short amount of time I lost 15 lbs. Wow. Now I'm going gluten free and dragging the kids (and maybe Brad) with me. I bought the book
The Gluten Connection by Shari Lieberman and it helped me to move forward.
Then I bought a cookbook called
You Won't Believe it's Gluten-Free! by Roben Ryberg. The thing that was most interesting about it was this quote from the author, "Please note that I am not gluten intolerant. I do not have a wheat allergy. I am a bona fide food junkie! I eat traditional breads and rolls often. My palate is not influenced by years of eating a restricted diet. I tell it as I taste it and bake accordingly."
The first thing I tried was the Chocolate Chip Cookie (potato starch based) recipe on page 356--5 star! Having tried a lot of things in the past three years and only finding a few worth eating, I was leery. OH. MY. GOD. What a treat. There are several chocolate chip cookie recipes in her book but I liked the description of this one, "This cookie has all the nuances of a real chocolate chip cookie: a little crispness outside, tenderness inside, and that bite of baking soda. You will absolutely feel like you're cheating on your diet."
Having eaten "normal" for most of my life, I'm always looking for recipes that taste like Nestle Toll House cookies, "real" fresh baked bread, "real" biscuits, etc. While this recipe has an egg and 1/2 cup of brown sugar, I think I may be able to try an egg substitute next time. The sugar has to stay but it's so little per cookie (this recipe makes 36) that it's not too much of a concern. I'm kind of surprised that it only has 1/2 cup! I used mini vegan (does not contain milk) chocolate chips--I might try normal size chocolate chips next time.
Then I tried a biscuit recipe (corn based pg 95) and was again pleasantly surprised (4 star)-reminded me of Pillsbury biscuits in a can that go pop! when you open them. I made the sloppy joe recipe pg 217 and put that on top of the biscuits--yum! Bread! Yipee! The biscuits didn't use eggs or anything else I can't eat so I'll be making them often I'm sure.
Yesterday: page 84 Multigrain Loaf, Medium Texture Potato and Millet based. She says, "As far as flavor and texture go, this may be my very favorite gluten-free loaf of bread. Medium in texture, it tastes like "real" homemade bread..."
Results: 4 star! Wow--it's good! I got a rave review from the bread queen when I made it into cinnamon toast for her, "Toast, YUMMY!" I've made other cinnamon toast for her and have never heard that! To make it 5 star I would be more careful adding the 5 egg whites to the creamed butter and sugar--adding them a little at a time. I dumped them all in there and the creamed butter and sugar never fully incorporated leaving pockets of sweet in the bread. Not bad for breakfast bread but not good for sandwiches.
After the bread I tried the Cheese Crackers (corn based pg 28) recipe.
Results: 5 star! Even if I could eat wheat I'd be hard pressed to go back to boxed crackers after these! The first batch I put sea salt and cracked pepper on the tops--tasty. The second I used sea salt, cracked pepper, and onion powder--yummy! I used Earth Balance butter (because it's vegan and I've found goat butter doesn't do well in baking) and shredded mild goat cheddar. Crackers I'm allowed to eat and actually taste good--FINALLY!
4 going on 17... ;-) You can't see it in this pic but she has her hand up to shade her eyes. I'm not sure she's actually shading her eyes but she had just seen me do it lol. Love the way she's standing.
OMG. It's so hard to get everyone to look fairly normal at the same time! In case you were wondering how Daddy flies--he's a paraglider.
Hiking at Coot Lake on Thanksgiving. We've decided to get another backpack like the one below!
Yes, Eva is wearing the same pink 'hat' as I am. I put it on and she lit up like, "HEY! I want one!"
Silly Michael hanging his head waaaay back.
For the 2 days before my Mom and Dad arrived it snowed...20" worth. As you know my parents LOVE snow (not) and were so bummed when they heard what was going on. This pic was taken in my backyard just before it stopped on Thursday. My parents arrived on Friday morning.
This pic was taken on Saturday :-) The sun is so intense here it just melts right off.
We were out for a walk and Eva saw this woman jog by. She turned around and started jogging after her lol
I'm kind of impressed with myself here---40 years old and carrying a 31 lb two year old and a 37 lb 4 year old. 68 lbs of cuteness!!! :-)
