Delish.....

I've been checking out this gluten free blog: glutenfreeislife.  She features all gf goodies, recipes and menu ideas.
These look awesome.  

Click here to find out how she did it!
I forgot about little things like icecream cones, even some icecream is not gf-but she mentions that magic shell to coat the inside of the cone is gf. Heaven.
This looks like a day long project-where I could make 12, package them correctly and freeze!

nothin....and more pity-beware!

I can't be positive (even fake positive) about being sick and having celiac's disease.

My stomach turns at the thought of eating something that is supposed to taste like my comfort foods, but doesn't really do it.
I'm not hungry. But Andy keeps reminding me that I have to eat.
I really miss Mrs. grass soup and saltines. The way a saltine feels in my mouth is not something that can be duplicated by any gf cracker I've come across. They are all so crunchy my brain ricochets off my skull while I chew them.
A lot of the gf foods are tolerable, but sort of have a taste like I'm eating in a foreign country. And when I'm not feeling good, it's hard to convince myself to do it. So yes, this is another pity post.
Mashed potatoes and white rice are the 2 things that will still taste the same...

Since I'm in bed I sent Andy to his restaurant of choice and told him to get whatever favorites he wants. I can't smell so whatever he comes home with should not waft upstairs and bother me.

On another note-the pharmacists today were not that helpful in deciphering if my medications were gluten free. They didn't offer to call the company for me or encyclopedia-brown-it and figure it out for themselves. I was too sick to really care and am chancing it. But I am starting to get more comfortable talking about it with people I don't know. Nobody has looked at me like I'm crazy.

Since I was sick last weekend, I didn't go with Andy to visit his brother-which means I never made it "out" to eat. This weekend....pending I have an appetite and I feel better, I am challenging myself to going to a restaurant. I've been hearing little things here and there about different restaurants and chains that have a gluten free menu.

My brother has been trying some of the Bob's Red Mill products. It has made me so happy to get emails telling me what he has thought of them. Both times he has mentioned that his girlfriend, Liz, has not liked the product. This makes me happy because I don't want the added pressure that I, too, have to be impressed by it if I'm not. I am excited to try the product, but knowing that others might think it's not as good as the real thing, makes me feel HUMAN. Thanks Liz!

My mom had her celiac panel done. They didn't do the genetic portion, but they did the antibody test. Of course it came back normal! But it was fun to compare our results.

That's it.
That's all for now.

pizza, bread and noodles

Gotta love the title of this post.  No, not another pity post.

1. Andy bought me gluten free Bisquick mix.  We tried pizza last night.  He liked it (or claims to!).  I thought it was ok.  I said "I would eat this, but it isn't pizza".  He didn't understand what I was getting at.  Yes, it was edible without complaint. But I wouldn't call it pizza because it is not what pizza is in my head and heart (remember, I worked at pizza hut for >4 years).  The crust had the consistency of corn bread. It was gritty. The flavor was ok, but on my tongue it was like wet sand.  We need to keep trying other pizza crusts.

2. The bread I made a few nights ago sits on the counter. Andy loves it (of course, he loves everything gf).  It's very dense.  I could not eat a sandwich of it.  I know that homemade bread is dense but this is so heavy and the flavor is just a little off.  I have tried it toasted and even under the broiler as garlic bread.  Both times Andy finished mine for me.  I'm determined to make my own bread....but the Udi's is MUCH better.

3.  Tonight was our first experiment with pasta (except for when my mom made that gf spaghetti bake).  We made corn/quinoa pasta.  It was elbow shape noodles.  I smothered (yes smothered because I was worried about flavor) Alfredo sauce which I usually only like very light.  We also added some chicken.  It was great.  This was probably the best gluten free product I've had so far and I'm so happy because -darn it-I love my noodles.  I did try some plain as well and they were also tolerable, so I don't need to add that big, heavy, fatty sauce to eat it. I'm very excited.  The boxes of pasta are much more expensive ($3.50-$5 a box vs. regular pasta 2/$1.00) so Andy made his own regular noodles and we were very careful to not cross contaminate.

4. My mom sent me these cards in the mail that have a description of a gluten free diet to put in my wallet.  When I'm at a restaurant I can pull that out if it appears the waiter/server/chef doesn't know what it is all about. Very cool. Andy put one in his wallet too-cute!

5. I've tried the Woodchuck beer and the New Grist.  The first New Grist that I tried I really enjoyed. I tried it again last night and did not like the flavor as much. I think it is because the first night I was gossiping heavily with 3 friends and  didn't pay attention as much-so I know in social settings I can totally tolerate the New Grist.  Not sure if I'm a cider girl-but the Wood Chuck could grow on me too. 

6. This weekend we are going to stay overnight at my brother in law's house. It makes me nervous because it could turn into 3-4 meals away from home.  I haven't gone out to eat yet and have only eaten at one other friends house (who happens to be a dietitian and helped in MAJOR ways).  I think we are going to try restaurant eating Saturday night and I'm prepared to be bold and understanding. 

So here's the real question....for all of you who actually have read this far into this totally boring post.  We bought a 10 lb bag of potatoes thinking we'd be eating them all the time since I can't have noodles.  Since, we have had potatoes only once.  So now, here sits a huge bag of potatoes.
2 questions for you.
1. What recipes do you know for potatoes that you can make ahead and freeze?
2. Where do you store your potatoes? fridge? counter? floor? cupboard?  

Happy Friday tomorrow.

This just in....

I waited all week for today to arrive.  Thursday....ahh good old Thursday. It was the day the receptionist at Dr. B (eli's pediatrician) said I could call back.  Wednesday I thought it was Thursday. Thursday felt like Wednesday. Everything was complicated because I had an intern with me at work, which made it difficult to make a "personal" call. But what did I care? She was sitting right next to me when the e-mail came through from my gi doc diagnosing me with celiac's.  (awkward!)
It took ALL day for me to finally get Eli's results. I had to make many phone calls and I left work almost in tears as I still didn't have an answer.  As Andy and I made our gf dinner, the phone rang.  I couldn't get to the phone....was it in my pocket? jacket pocket? on the counter? in my purse.  Andy couldn't believe it.  It was either the doc or my sister in labor-both reasons to scavenge everywhere and find that phone!  It was the nurse. She apologized for all of the confusion.  The hospital had faxed over different lab results from October. Regardless---this just in! Eli's blood work showed no sign of celiac disease!
I jumped up and down, requested the lab work sent to our house and threw Eli in the air.  I told him he could eat cupcakes and pizza! hahaha.  It was great.
I know that if the results would have had elevated antibodies, we would have bonded together over a gluten free diet-but I prefer he bond with his daddy with cake, cereal, fishy crackers and eventually a good ol' miller lite.

nothing

nothing
NOTHING
nothing
Nothing
Nothing
nothing today. no phone call. no voicemail. no news.

I hope to have something real to say tomorrow.

Today....

there were no E-bug results...

But a co-worker made gluten free brownies and let me bring a few home. YUM. They were Betty Crocker and very lovely.  Thanks KK!

Andy and I threw together a gluten free dinner and it turned out yummy. I know I can do this....I just wish I had more time to sit down and plan my meals. I know...in time.  I told a co-worker I wish I had a 4 hour chunk of time to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling.  That's how I felt all day today.

Tomorrow morning I will try a slice of my bread-toasted. 
Tomorrow night I get together with a small group of gals and enjoy my first gluten free beer and another new recipe.  Life continues to be so special for me.

Pins and needles...

Andy and I are trying really hard to be patient.  We have not gotten Elijah's celiac test results back yet.  It's so hard to wait...and wait....no matter the length of time.  Waiting for test/medical results ranks up there with waiting to hear if you got the job, passed the exam, got into your school of choice, if the plus or minus sign will show up on the little white stick, or if you made the team.  These results could make me sigh with relief or could shake our household up even more than it already is.
I keep thinking about how when you have little kids and they get cranky or feisty, giving a small snack can really help calm the mood and keep them "busy".  I am worried that if Eli has to go gluten free, that we will have less options out at restaurants for a pre-meal snack (crackers, dinner roll etc), and we'll have to spend a lot of money to have those gf snacks (instead of cheap-o fish crackers that do the trick) that most likely will end up on the floor, in his car seat or all over the church pew instead of in his mouth. ahhh.  I worry that I will become more of a control freak than I already am-making sure I worry JUST enough that someone isn't giving him something he can't have and also stress that he will be the odd one out at the birthday party and at 21st bday parties-I would hope he wouldn't have to CHEERS "the guys" with a glass of wine.  I know I know I know that things are different these days-there are gluten free beers etc.  But it's OK for me to worry about these things.  I know it is. And any mother in her right mind would.

It's been almost a week. 6 days.  That's how long my EGD results took to get to me too.  But my lab work did not take more than 2 days.  Therefore I'm on pins and needles.  Just waiting for the voicemail from the doctor or the nurse.  This weekend I relaxed about it because I knew I wasn't going to get a phone call on a Saturday or Sunday.  But tomorrow is (the dreaded) Monday, and I could get a call. Or maybe I won't.

Good news, bad news...I just want NEWS.

Highlights from the weekend:
-Peggy made me gluten free white cupcakes (my favorite). They were pretty good.  The flavor was good but the texture of the cupcake felt like cornbread-a little grainy. Very dense.  But loved it. Peggy gave them all to me to take home-unfrosted so I can freeze them and just pull one out on a rainy day. VERY special.
-Did you know that Ore Ida tator tots are gluten free?  Oh my gosh-these are a 1 in every 3 month treat and we enjoyed them tonight!  We never buy potatoes, but now that potatoes and rice will be used more, we have a 10 lb bag of potatoes on our counter.  Now it's time to be creative.
-I went to Outpost tonight.  I still want to hit up Trader Joe's and the Gluten Free Bakery to see what I can find.
-If anyone ever sees the Progresso Brand Cream of Mushroom Soup (it's gluten free!) on sale-let me know.  We only bought 1 last week on sale for $1.  Today they were $2.80.  The gf cream soups are all over 3$ so finding it on sale is awesome.  I will use these in casseroles etc.
-I made my first loaf of gluten free bread.  To be honest-yes it was from a bread mix (though I had to add some ingredients to the mix) and I used a bread machine.  When it comes down to it, it was probably just as expensive as Udi's, but my goal was to find a mix that I liked-and mimic that with the special flours.  There are so many I'm confused: white rice flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot flour, buckwheat flour, corn flour, bean flour, millet flour, potato flour/starch, quinoa flour, sorghum, soy flour, tapioca flour etc etc.  Many recipes from scratch use 3 or 4 as a mix.  First problem-I forgot to look at Whole Foods to see if they have these-but Outpost didn't.  I need to know when I go back to Whole Foods-which combinations I will want to use.  The mix I made used 4 different flours and it turned out ok so I would feel comfortable buying those specific ones. Making my own bread from scratch should save us some money. Andy and I shared a warm piece.  It was dense but tasted ok.  From what I've read, you have to toast gf bread or it falls apart.  Our slice didn't fall apart but seemed rather moist and dense.  We'll see what it is like tomorrow. 
-I bought a few other items: Guar gum, xanthem gum, cider vinegar, yeast, gelatin, and flax seed. 
-My Goddaughter Lily also gave me a little bag of goodies-a gravy mix, mac n cheese, curly pasta and some snackies.  So sweet of her. 
-I haven't ventured to a restaurant yet. I picked up some gf chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant and while I waited I almost asked the guys running the register if they had a gluten free menu. I chickened out.  They were young and I was nervous. I don't know why. Maybe I thought they wouldn't know what it is.  I later found out that they actually DO have a gf menu.  I shouldn't be so scared.  At all the grocery stores I've been asking where the section is.  I always wonder if people think I have Celiac disease or if they think I am just "trying" something new.  Most people probably don't think about it at all when someone asks.  They don't really care if it's a choice or a lifelong restriction.  Being a dietitian I don't want that label either.  I think all dietitian's understand this-people looking at what you order, what is on your plate, in your shopping cart etc...There are people who judge us-no matter what we eat.  Some think we eat too healthy, some think not healthy enough.    I don't want to go to functions, parties etc and have people think I'm THAT dietitian that won't eat anything.  I always try to eat everything so that people can't put that speculation on me-that I eat too healthy or not healthy enough etc etc. I'm open to new things but not a snoot about "healthy" foods either.  Now I feel that I could get labeled more "dietitian snooty" if people don't know that I actually have celiacs disease.  I foresee this helping me in the future to be assertive at restaurants and asking for a gluten free menu "Because I have Celiac's Disease."

Looking forward to our appointment with Dr. S.  It's not until the middle of February. I hope he can answer all our questions.
Praying and hoping for E-bug's results tomorrow.

In the mail....

.....came this amazing box from my brother Greg.
It made my day....it was SO fun to open.  Can't wait to start trying some of these goodies.

 Thanks Greg. This is just what I needed!

wow!

My co-worker has had celiac disease since 2002 and has been a WEALTH of knowledge for me. She did a FREE dietitian consult on me!  So much information. She has been leaving me little gluten free treats to try, and has flooded my desk with written materials to read or have.  I appreciate it so much. Part of me thinks that she may be a little glad that she has a "gluten free bud" now in the office.  I will be someone she can share the pain with-meeting eyes when we know an office birthday treat or pot luck is not something we can enjoy.  I hope in the end, I can be an ally while the rest of the NON-gluten free world can be considered the enemy. 
She left me a power point for a presentation that she did a while back and a few slides hit me. I thought WOW in my head. I shared with Andy and thought this was so interesting.
See below:

So how much gluten can someone diagnosed with Celiacs disease have?
Answer: 10 - 50 mg per day             Amer J Clin Nutr 2007, 85: 160-166
            1 slice of Bread 2500 mg of gluten

What does this look like?

~1/50th of a slice of bread = 100 mg gluten (2 x the tolerable amount)

In order to to stay in the safe zone of how much gluten is tolerable you have to cut that small 1/49th of  slice into 10 more pieces.

There ya go. That is why crumbs matter.  I didn't really get it until I saw this. Now I understand why I need my own side of the toaster, cupboard, peanut butter.  The crumbs from Andy's bread could drop into my jar and then get spread on my gf bread. Ha! Would this really happen? Maybe...

but WOW!