Hello Again!!

Hello Everyone! I just wanted to make a post. It's been a while. I would love feedback from those who have started going gluten free. I get so many questions regarding Celiac's Disease. So as I get a new question I will post it. This way people with the same concerns will hopefully get it answered. You are also more than welcome to ask me! Sinc my last post I have taken both of my children off gluten. My youngest Kyleigh broke out in a a horrible rash! She just didn't seem like her happy go lucky self. After two days off gluten we noticed a huge difference! After two weeks we reintroduced it. This helped us to see how sensitive she is. She only gets it on special occasions. But she is doing so much better!! I am also doing a tip of the week! This weeks tip. Buy all purpose flour. It makes baking so much easier and also cost effective. Like I said feel free to ask any questions! Look forward to hearing from you!

A recipe for the pickiest of eaters

 Cheddar and Sour Cream Chicken Strips

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken strips cut into 3 in. strips
1 large egg
2 cups cheddar and sour cream flavored potato chips
1 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk

Marinate chicken overnight in one cup of buttermilk. Run the potato chips in a food processor and place in a resealable bag. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Next dip chicken strips in two tablespoons of buttermilk allow excess to drip off and toss into the egg.  After that roll in the potato chips. Bake  for fifteen to twenty minutes. Or until the chicken is golden brown
If anyone decides to try it I would love to know what you thought. Keep in mind you can also experiment with different chip flavorings. But do make sure to check ingredients as some chips contain wheat. This could make an excellent recipe for the young or picky. Hope to post another recipe soon!

Gluten free..Is it for me?

  Are you having trouble making the choice to throw gluten to the wind and commit already? Are you making excuses like "it's so expensive" or "well MY symptoms aren't that bad". If you have ANY symptoms at all or possibly even no symptoms your body could be suffering in silence. So many people find out after it's too late that all those years when "they're symptoms weren't bad" that actually irreparable consequences were occurring. They're antibodies were mistaking their healthy cells for gluten and destroying them. Now they are faced with a chronic illness that they will always have or even worse a form of cancer. How expensive do you think their medical bills are now?
    You owe it to yourself, to your loved ones and to your wallet to get this checked out. As far as expense goes there are things you can do. I do not recommend buying everything gluten free. What I mean is you can buy gluten free flours or make your own. If you do that you can make your own bread, pasta, or cookies how you like them. I guarantee they will taste better, save you money and you have the comfort in knowing exactly what you're eating.  Some store bought stuff is really expensive, processed and still not that great tasting. As you go you will find gluten free brands you like. Also keep in mind some foods are naturally gluten free. For example some cereals made with whole grain corn are gluten free. But make sure to see if it was processed in a facility that also processes wheat. Breakfast foods I eat regularly are omelettes, smoothies,  gluten free pancakes, and  cereal that is naturally gluten free. For lunch and dinner I eat anything grilled, salads( no croutons and I checked my salad dressing), vegetables, rice, fish, sandwiches on gluten free bread or soup (but make sure the soup doesn't have any barley). This can be a lot when you're first starting out. But I am here to help! Feel free to ask questions, that is after all the reason I started this! What's holding you back?

Lasagna from SCRATCH and I'm not even Italian

  I made a lasagna from scratch the other night! It turned out great. Olive Garden would be embarrassed if they could have tried it. But anyway if you're like me and love lasagna but don't like paying extra for store bought gluten free pasta then this is for you!
     To start with make the lasagna noodles. Put a pot of water on to boil. Mix an egg, a cup of gluten free flour and  two table spoons of water.  You don't want to do too much on the water. I should probably say I'm one of those people who annoy others when I cook because I don't measure. But I have tried my best to make sure this is as accurate. Any more accurate and I would be in your kitchen cooking with you.
     Ok back to the recipe. As you mix it will form a dough. Roll it out flat and cut it in strips the size of lasagna noodles. Your water should be ready by now. Dump your pasta in. Let that boil about 25-30 minutes while you brown your meat. I use two pounds of ground turkey. You can use ground beef if you prefer. I like to add garlic salt and onion powder to the meat while it cooks. And I also add italian seasoning and oregano. After you brown the meat drain the grease. Put it back in the skillet and add a small can of tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes. I use fresh tomatoes  but you can buy a can of diced tomatoes if you like.
        Once that is all mixed in let it simmer. Get another egg, 12 ounces of cottage cheese, and a cup (or more if you want) of mozzerrella cheese. Mix together. Now check your pasta. Drain the water and also run cold water over it. Once your noodles are cooled enough to later a baking pan. I use a 9x13 pan to make a lot. Layer the bottom with noodles. Then with the tomato/meat sauce and next with the egg/cheese mixture. Then repeat. Once I'm done I add extra cheese and I like to add extra garlic, onion, italian seasoning and oregano. I just sprinkle it on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
      

Did ya miss me?

    It's been a little while since I posted. I have had sick kids. A one and two year old both with double ear infections equals exhausted parents! I got some rest and now it's time for mama to get back to raising awareness! My last one was pretty heavy so I think we need to get back to the fun and upbeat stuff!
     In  today's economy society is trying to juggle time, money and life style. And for us Celiacs we have to juggle extra cost, extra time and the high possibility of our system being attacked by gluten. But really who doesn't enjoy going out to dinner or staying in and ordering a pizza? You do, well you did before you got diagnosed anyway. Well don't worry friends there is hope!
   I am still able to eat some of my favorite foods! I LOVE pizza and enchiladas.  I have found some great recipes to make each and also a way to eat them out! We are frequent flyers to a little mexican place by our house. This is our favorite place to eat in town. We walk in and they know our names and have our orders memorized. I wouldn't want to let a food allergy cause me to give that up! 
        Depending on what you like you can order it to suit your allergy. When I order enchiladas I make sure to let them know I want corn instead of flour because I am highly allergic. I don't know where you live but more and more pizza places have started carrying gluten free crusts for their Celiac customers. Gluten free food is getting better and better!
      

"You're too young for this"

      "You're too young for this", they said over and over again as they talked to me about my x-rays. The Er Dr and the radiologist were asking so many questions. Which only raised my fear even more."Too young for what? For what? Just say it I thought" I had gone to the ER that day because I started vomiting blood and having trouble swallowing. I was already imagining the worst. So they were not helping my nerves. I was only twenty-three with a fourteen month old and two week old. My children were all I could think about.
   The Drs that night both seemed uncertain about what exactly was going on. They used words like "stricture", you know how I feel about those kinds of terms.They said "don't worry, you're  young, that will be on your side.It's probably something like ulcers or a hernia. But we see something on the x-rays which indicates something more serious. If you were in your fifties or sixties we would automatically refer you to an oncologist. However,we are referring you to a gastroenterologist. Meanwhile you need to stay on a liquid diet"
   I saw the gastroenterologist within 2 weeks. Let me tell you by then I was so tired of liquids! My Dr went over my medical history, family history and my recent symptoms. He said he wanted to run some tests and do an EGD. He also believed there was a good chance its a gluten allergy. . But first he wanted to take a look at the x ray the Dr from the ER sent. He said it would be a few weeks before they could do the EGD. The Dr leaves and my mom, husband and I all sigh in relief.
    The Dr comes back and says" well you're already in town(we live an hr and a half away) and I saw something I'm concerned about and I'm sure you're tired of liquids. We really need to do this today. I will see you back this afternoon. I will go with you over to schedule your apt". And the relief I just feeling had quickly changed back to panic.
  The next two and a half months were spent going to have the procedure redone. Doing blood work and waiting for biopsies.My Dr kept me on a gluten diet so that it would show up on tests On December 21st my throat closed up completely and I couldn't keep liquids down. They performed the procedure again and took more biopsies. During the EGD he  finally saw something that looked like gluten. I was diagnosed that day.I know this isn't the happy and light material that I usually post. But I feel that this is important too. People with and without Celiac's need to realize the severity of this disease.

Gluten Gremlins

   What? Is that even real? Did you make that up? As a matter of fact it is and I most certainly did. I prefer to use fun names instead of boring scary ones like "contamination". These pesky little gluten gremlins can be lurking in all kinds of inconspicuous places. Does your family enjoy toast and sandwiches with peanut butter or mayonnaise? That's a prime suspect! You spread it across regular bread and double dip! Dropping crumbs for the unsuspecting Celiac to ingest! Another common place for gluten gremlins to take  refuge is on a salad. Example some name brand ranch dressings are gluten free. But some restaurant's make their own ranch, and they use a thickening agent made out of wheat. Or say you order a salad hold the croutons. Order comes out and guess what? Yep, they forgot. You of course send it back and don't mention why you ordered it that way to begin with. They just pick it off because you'll never know right? WRONG! You're sick that night and have no idea why. Well now you do. Are gluten gremlins sounding more real now? I hope so.
    After you start your gluten free diet you will soon realize just how bad your reaction is or isn't. Some people, like myself cannot handle trace amounts. So it's important to take the necessary steps to prevent it. Don't worry though I have a few pointers to help you out. Most important when shopping is double check labels. Something may not contain any gluten but may have been processed with it. Sometimes name brands are completely safe but store brands are not. Food isn't the only source of gluten either. Check your beauty supplies and your medicines. I have begun emailing companies to see which ones are Celiac friendly. Once I get my list together I will share my discoveries.
    Hopefully everyone is feeling good after going off gluten and my blog is helping make this easier. I've tried very hard to simplify this as much as possible. If you have any questions feel free to ask! I would love to hear from you! You can also sign up to follow my blog. Until next time!