Happy Halloween!!!

     This week I have not been very productive in the kitchen.  I have had a battle all week with Mr. Flu and I am winning at the moment, but it has been a very difficult fight!  I have been munching on my fail safes, which means I have had a HUGE stash of Larabars for quick lunches.  Dinners have been pretty plain....baked potatoes with BBQ sauce and chicken has been my favorite.  I am a sucker for comfort food and as the holidays get closer I find myself craving more and more comfort foods.   With that in mind, I have been spending free time dreaming and planning of wonderful gluten free treats. 

       I have been looking for the hidden silver lining of this new food lifestyle and the biggest (and most rewarding) one that I have found is my realization that the healthcare industry is my calling.  I am craving to help people.  With that in mind, I have spent the better part of the week researching schools in this area.  I am getting so excited!  I have planned to go visit a few schools this week.

After having many problems getting motivated to make some great foods this past week I am implementing a new plan.  Starting tomorrow will be my Sunday cook day!  Every week after church with Grandma, I will sit down and plan out my foods as well as jump into the kitchen and make my weeks worth of grub!  I have found that being single I have a  more difficult time creating meals and eating at my table.  So here I go....there will be lots of recipes to follow starting tomorrow!   Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

Welcome!!

This is where the story begins....Two months ago in August of 2009 after several weeks of tests to figure out why I was not feeling well, my doctor informed me of my dairy and gluten intolerance. That moment will forever remain as a very pivotal moment in my life. In the minutes after hearing the news, tears welled up in my eyes as visions of red velvet cake and grilled cheese sandwiches flashed through my mind.

However, I did not fully realize the consequences of this diagnosis until my drive home from work. That is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I broke down thinking of all the happy moments with family around me and a birthday cake. I thought of moments with friends sitting back and enjoying a cold beer.  How will I go out on dates?  Will my family invite me out to dinner?

When I had almost finished my tearful drive home I realized that there was death and war throughout this world and I was breaking down because I will never know what a reuben sandwich tastes like from my favorite little deli. That's when, as my aunt says, I put my big girl pants on and dusted myself off and began the biggest journey of taking care of myself that I have ever been on.

I immediately recruited my mom to help clean out my house of all the glorious glutinous food that had been poisoning me. We spent a day going through everything and reading labels. She and Benito acquired a whole lot of great food!

The days to follow were very difficult. I could not get my mind off of all the wonderful things I no longer could have...even if I never partook in them before my diagnosis. My mind was consumed with thoughts of food! It felt like the worst break-up with a guy because I never got to say good-bye. You know that boyfriend that you had a love hate relationship with, the one that you knew was bad for you, however you could not get enough of him.

It felt that bad until I found myself in Central Market. I was wandering aimlessly looking at the nice gluten-free brochure they gave me, when I stumbled upon my first gluten free dairy free cupcake. I headed straight for the check out line. I could not wait to chow down. It was glorious....it was stale and sugary and chocolaty. I look back now and laugh at how could have ever thought that tasted remotely good.

In the weeks following I have spent countless hours online researching flours and redeveloping my entire food world. I did not want to replace flour with an empty calorie rice or potato flour. I figured if I am back to my target weight and starting to look like the woman I once remembered that there has to be a better alternative. So, I have been experimenting with coconut flour and almond flour, which are both high protein, low carbohydrate flours.

This by far has been such an exciting journey and I felt like I had to share my story and my findings with my family and friends. I hope that you find these recipes helpful, I truly feel so much better not only physically but mentally I am thinking so much more clear. I am excited how many doors that this will allow me to open. I do feel like my world is just beginning to make sense. I am so blessed to have such a loving and supporting group of family members and friends who have been there to listen to me rant and rave about all my frustrations.

So welcome to my blog! Here you will find my stories of living a gluten free lifestyle in the fast lane, recipes and the latest updates about Celiac disease and Gluten intolerance.

~Emily