bigbird16

Are these them? Open Original Shared Link If so, sea oats look like wheat or oats but are not. They're a grass that helps with beach erosion and makes a good nesting ground for sea birds. I grew up in FL and miss them. Enjoy the beach! I'm jealous!

LOL I probably wouldn't make it through the first "meal." I'd be on the floor crying for my mommy. Something that unbalanced can't be healthy, and it's nutritionally lacking. Reminds me of the cabbage soup diet, where one day you get the pleasure of drinking 8 glasses of milk during the day with your cabbage soup or 8 bananas or some other crap.

IrishHeart, I too was one who could down a baguette or loaf of Cuban bread or package of Pillsbury crescent rolls dripping with butter back in the day. (And today has been the kind of day where I would have done just that.) Oooo, Kerry Gold was my favorite butter!

I've been hanging out on a diet web site lately as I try to lose weight. (Going good so far.) There was a new thread this morning asking for advice on the Bread for Life diet. I'd never heard of it but if it was what it sounded like, yuck. I looked it up. It made me want to keel over just thinking about eating that way! They recommend 12 slices of bread for women per day and 16 for men. OMG. Where's the emoticon that has rainbow puke? I laughed so hard at what they were recommending. Eat all this bread but do not eat fruit, because fruit will mess with your blood sugar. Part of their reasoning for so much bread is that the complex carbs in the bread increase serratonin levels, keep your blood sugar regulated, and keep you full and motivated. (Well if bread is so good at increasing seratonin, I shouldn't have needed Imitrex for my migraines. Just pop a loaf of whole wheat bread. Gluten is one of my migraine triggers.) This is one of the stupidest diets I've heard of! I'd think all that bread, whole grain or not, would clog up the pipes (unless you're an undiagnosed Celiac who gets D with gluten). All those carbs would send my blood sugar crashing, and I'd have the serious munchies. Oh my goodness. Be interesting to see what feedback she gets.

The doc left a message for me a little bit ago. The blood test was negative for all tree nuts. He's not convinced by the test results and said to continue avoiding nuts and to see an allergist for further testing. He thought it was odd that I tested negative on the foods yet positive for dogs and dust. I could have told him about the dogs. Hives are a daily occurance with the doggies. lol

Thanks again, all. I went to see the doctor this morning. He actually listened and took me seriously. (I guess I'm kinda jaded when it comes to doctors.) He himself has a nut allergy. He prescribed an epi-pen and took some blood for ImmunoCap testing.

Pumpkin seed baklava...that sounds yummy. :-)

Thanks!

Congrats to you both!

Thank you all for being the voice of reason. You're right; it would be rather not smart to trial the pecans again. It's not like gluten, where if I eat it I wish I was dead. I'll get in to see the doc as soon as I can. When I saw a nutritionist shortly after going gluten free, she warned me this might happen.

Man, this means decontaminating the kitchen again. At least I won't have to replace half the kitchen. lol

Already thinking of substitutions, I wonder if I can make baklava with almonds or hemp seeds....

Thanks, y'all.

I sure hope it was a fluke, but I seriously doubt it. I've known for years that walnuts and pecans (raw or baked) make my mouth itch and burn. But I like them. They're so yummy alone, in baked goods, in salads encrusting fish, etc. Maybe I've been playing with fire.

I made some gluten-free blondies today with a safe mix, safe chocolate chips, and pecans and tried one to make sure they were palatable for the intended recipients. My mouth started itching like usual, but then my airways started closing. I was able to lessen the reaction with benadryl. But that's never happened with nuts before. Kinda strange that it happened, too, in that earlier in the week I was eating raw pecans for snacks and was just itchy. Or maybe it isn't so strange; maybe it built up in my system. When I went for allergy testing two or three years ago, no foods came back positive. (Though negative means nothing with the error rate.) I'll wait a couple of days and eat some pecans by themselves to make sure. I sure hope it was just some weirdness with my system and not the nuts.

Thanks for listening.

Ha! Ha! A coworker called me down to her office just now saying she'd picked up the wrong kind of chips for her lunch. The bag said they're wheat and gluten free. I read her the ingredients list -- sweet potatoes, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and salt -- and said these are the same ingredients as she'd find in Utz, Lays, Dirty Chips, etc. It's a marketing thing. Well, she said, they don't sound like they have the tasty fattening stuff in them. They sound plain and nasty. I laughed as she asked me to take them away. (And then I washed the bag about five times, because she'd had her sandwichy hand on it.)

OMG, Beebs, I think I'd curl up in a ball sucking my thumb if I saw a spider that jumped three meters! Big spiders freak me out -- like wolf spiders and golden silk spiders and brown recluses. Little ones are ok. I just squish them if they're poisonous and leave them be if they're sweet little housespiders. Sometimes I'll actually feed small bugs to the little housespiders that have webs in corners.

Pricklypear, I grew up in Florida, too. Our house had a problem with palmetto bugs. I hated it when they would fly or get on me. And the crunchy squish -- soooooo gross!

Otherwise I'm kinda fascinated by bugs.

Just wanted to a share a happy. I have two Boston Terriers, one that I've had since he was 9 weeks (now 2, the one in my profile pic) and the other since late April (young adult, age unknown, brindle coloring). Both are happy little guys. Nothing gets thems down. The black and white loves people so much, and I joke that when he grows up, he'll be the social director on a cruise ship. The brindle likes people, but he's a little unsure sometimes and pretends to be tough to compensate; most of the time he also acts like a hyperactive toddler strung out on frosting at a birthday party.

For groomers when they get their nails cut, they're model citizens. For trainers and pet store employees, they're little angels -- even without treat incentives. However for the vet, my little one, who is bold and adventurous, started showing fear. My new one was growly and tried to snap at the vet on the first visit in May. They told me he had aggression issues and to get some training. Every other interaction in any other situation, I saw no aggression from him. I saw some uncertainty and a little fear, but no aggression. He needed a surgery to help with his breathing in June, and that vet had done a beautiful job on my first boy, so I let her take care of the new one. I wish I hadn't. They told me that he tried to bite them, and they had to throw a towel over him to hold him down to sedate him. He's 18 pounds, and it took four people and a towel to sedate him for surgery?!?! They said to give him xanax before brining him in for subsequent visits. At the follow up, he growled and snapped at them. After he healed from the surgery, we went into obedience classes. He was perfect. He showed no viciousness toward strangers or their dogs, and he allowed strangers to touch his face and paws and belly without issue. I never went back to that vet. How dare they stress my happy boy like that!

I found a new vet in October when it was time for vaccinations for my black and white. He combines Eastern and Western medicine. The new vet was concerned with the number of vaccinations he was receiving, so we talked about what was really needed based on our lifestyle. He conducted the exam on the floor where my pup was comfortable. He listened to my concerns and made suggestions. My boy was so content that, even after the vet stuck a swab up his butt and a needle in his paw, he play bowed to the vet to get him to continue playing. I had to take the new boy in last night due to a vomiting issue. The vet greeted him by plopping on the floor and playing and giving scratches. My "aggressive" boy turned into a puddle of wiggly mush and tackled the vet to kiss his entire face. He was his playful self, so relaxed, the entire time. The vet said he wanted to try the least invasive and stressful ways first. He said to change his food. While he approved of me giving the boys raw and no grains, lamb and salmon (hot foods) may be good for his brother, but they may not be good for him. Try rabbit and tuna (cold foods). He gave us an anti-vomiting med to stop the urge. If he's still chucking on Friday, then he'll do an xray, but he doesn't think it will be necessary; it's also a stressful procedure. He said a lot can be healed by simply paying attention to what we eat. Smart man. My boy jumped up and wiggled and kissed and was so happy that I almost cried. (Feeding my brindle tuna last night nearly started World War III. The little one was sooooooooo jealous!)

B****. Hmm, I always thought that the job of the hostess was to be as gracious as possible. When I host dinners or parties, I find out who is coming and what their needs and preferences are, and then I plan the menu. If I have vegans or vegetarians for a party, there is enough fare for them to be thoroughly nourished. If they're here for a meal, we all eat veg. I enjoy the creativity of planning a meal outside my usual. If there are allergies (like mushrooms or pineapple for one friend), nothing features them, and I make sure to properly clean everything and make any necessary adjustments to ensure their safety. If I can't accommodate (as for a friend with an almond allergy; I cook extensively with almond and right before the last party ended up spilling almond flour all across the kitchen in a big oops and I had no idea what I touched as I cleaned everything up or if I wiped everything enough), I apologize and tell them the situation and ask them to do whatever they need to (she ended up not coming, but not for that reason). I love my friends, and I want them to be happy. If they have special needs, I'll bend over backwards to make sure they're happy in my home, whether that's by cooking appropriate food or suggesting they bring their own.

So when are y'all coming over for a "free" party?

LOL For Christmas last year, my mom gave me a gluten-free bread mix and a regular wheaty cookie mix. I stuck the cookie mix in a plastic bag and gave it to a friend.

A+ (yay for overachievers!) mousey hair that shines goldish/reddish in the sun, green eyes, Euromutt (mostly German with a healthy dose of Scottish, Irish, English, and Nordic thrown in).

Hi! You said you were looking for places in Baltimore. Sweet Sin has fabulous baked goods. I think they've recently added food, too. Some of their stuff is also free of dairy and soy. I hated the breads that I tried when I first went gluten-free, but their bread was a nice treat every so often. It falls apart if the sammy ingredients set too long on it, but it has good flavor. It makes a mean fried PB&J. When I get a hankering for something tart, I go for their lemon or lime tart. No, none of it tastes the same as the wheaty counterparts, but they're delicious in their own right.

Aww, our bosslady's executive assistant is very sweet. She just forwarded me the catering menu for next week's holiday party and asked if there's anything I'd like from it. Let's see, there's fettucine alfredo, four-cheese ravioli, spaghetti with meatballs, pizza, a variety of sandwiches, calzones . . . . No thank you, but thank you for asking. She always makes a point to ask, which is so very nice of her, even though I've declined every time but the one time we had BBQ from a place that's never failed me.

I'm thinking a bowl of stew with meat and root veggies for lunch at the party.

Let's try this one:

It was taken about a month ago on a crisp morning as I began a class on primitive skills. Basically, we played in the woods all day and learned awesome stuff. Love autumn!!

What a lovely place you have. My first trip to Europe was to Amsterdam and Rotterdam for a conference when I was in college. My first night there I went to a grocery to get some food, and I remember being so confused at having no bags available at the end of the checkout for my stuff. I didn't realize I had to bring my own. I happily wandered down the street back to my hostel, pockets stuffed and arms full of cheese, little meats, bread, chocolate, and cookies plus the treasures I'd picked up while shopping. It was overcast and rainy the entire week. (Which I loved.) One of these days I'll make it back. It's a beautiful country.

I know I've taken some pics recently; I'll see if I can figure out how to upload them.

Yes, be glad that at least you have a way out with renting. This time last year I was in a similar situation, and my luck changed very quickly when I was able to find a condo in foreclosure that suited my needs (i.e., QUIET and well-mannered). It can be really stressful to have others' arguements impose on your peace. Do you have anything that makes white noise that might mask some of the screaming? I wish you all the best in hunting for a new home!!

Pfeffern

OMG mommida!! :lol: :lol:

I've been signed up with SWFA for awhile but haven't been on the site in about a year. Not a lot of people in my area. Once more get on there, maybe it'll be better. It's a great idea. It probably needs some heavier marketing to draw folks in.

I second Sweet Sin! There's a little cafe in Bethesda, Lilit, that carries a lot of their desserts and other goodies. You can get a great lunch or dinner there. They're quick to tell you if you need to know if something has other allergens in it, as well, or if they can make something with a substitution. They carry gluten-free beer.

Yes, bartfull, we want to hear you play! Hooray for low stress, full pantries, and good food! Ellie, are kruidnoten like German pfeffernusse? I've been thinking about baking those this year. I haven't made them for years, not since going gluten-free.

I'm happy today, because it's one day closer to Friday. My baby brother (32 and about a foot taller than me) arrives for a visit on Friday; I haven't seen him in almost three years. He'll get to relax with no stress. And I'll get to feed him good food. Can't wait to see him!

I have to give you guys an update on the black tortilla chips. I warned M, (15) about the dye turning poop green or black. Didn't warn Hub. I thought he would know after all these years. He told me tonight he thought something was terribly wrong as he pooped bright green for 2 days. He finally figured it out & was relieved!

Not sure why he didn't consult me! We Celiacs are poop experts!

:lol: :lol: