bigbird16

I was flipping through my April '09 Martha Stewart Living, drooling over the matzo s'mores and Easter dinner recipes, thinking it would be nice if a mainstream rag included a gluten-free cake or cookie recipe every so often. And what did my eyes spy after they learned about decoupaging eggs? An article by Shauna James Ahern about how gluten-free living doesn't mean flavorless anymore, complete with cake, cookie, and French toast recipes! Yum!

Sunday night I usually cook some chicken (with garlic and onions) and a pot of basmati or jasmine rice (enough for the week). I divide the rice and chicken into containers. Total prep and cook time is about a half hour. In the morning I throw in some frozen or fresh veggies, maybe some seasoning or sauce (butter if I'm feeling naughty), and run out the door. Switching the veggies and seasonings keeps it from getting boring. Sometimes I'll do a pot of stew in the crock pot--throw everything in and ignore it for the day or overnight--easy and only one pot to clean. Love to cook, but am Lazy.

Happy Anniversary!

Your best bet is to e-mail or call the chef at the restaurant and inquire about specific things that look tasty to you or ask what he can recommend that are already gluten free in preparation or can easily be adapted. Ask how the meats (beef, fowl, or fish) are prepared--whether they are doused in flour before searing, etc., if there are any of the gluteny ingredients in the stocks and sauces. Ask lots of questions about the preparation and ingredients, because it will surprise you where gluten can hide. (I recently went to a place and inquired about a dessert I would never have used wheat flour in, even when I was a wheateater. My mom even said why bother asking. And what was one of the ingredients? Wheat flour, to make it stickier and thicker.) Ask ahead of time and let the restaurant know when you'll be coming. When you get there, reiterate your questions/concerns. Don't be afraid to ask; it's your health, and you're not paying good money to get sick. And if they are responsive to your needs, tip well and thank them for their help in making it a good evening out. They know that if they treat you well, you're more likely to come back and bring other business with you.

For dessert the pears with gelato look good. (The demi-glace shouldn't be much more than wine, sugar, and spices--but ask.) The strip steak and the tilapia, if they aren't already prepared gluten free, could probably be easily adapted. Cream sauces often contain flour. Ask, though, about anything you want to put in your mouth. You never know what they do to add flavor or texture. Ask them, too, to use clean cooking and cutting surfaces & utensils.

Kat

Hi. I took my first trip last week since going gluten-free. But I've always tended to bring my own snacks for the gate and on the plane. You can bring things like salads dressings, jellies, salsa, etc. as long as it is in a 3 oz or smaller container and all of your 3 oz and smaller containers fit into your quart sized bag. I recently brought back a 2.5 oz container of huckleberry jelly for someone, and the screening person commented that I picked the perfect size. So, if you have travel-sized salad dressings, vinegars, etc. and they'll fit in the same bag with your toothpaste and makeup, you shouldn't have a problem.

I like to travel with Starkist tuna pouches, Trader Joe's beef jerkey (some have gluten, some do not), Trader Joe's rice noodle soup bowls (just add hot water and toss in some tuna, with or without the spice pack), freeze dried fruit (lightweight!), and homemade gluten-free bread and sweets.

For this last trip I didn't have time to eat the breakfast I'd made--bacon, eggs, and two gluten-free waffles with maple syrup--so I wrapped it all up in a foil pouch, dropped it in my carry-on bag, had them screen it at security, and enjoyed it at the gate. I picked up coffee post-security. If you have a favorite sandwich, rice dish, or snack, make it up at home, wrap it so it won't get on your stuff, and send it through the x-ray. As long as it isn't goopey, you shouldn't have a problem.

Safe and happy travels!

Where in the UK are you? If you're near London, Especially Delicious is gluten free.

If you find there are none near you, you may take your favorite gluten free cake recipe to a baker and ask him/her to make it and decorate it as usual for a celebration cake. Most of what's used on the top of the cake will be wheat free--fondant, marzipan, colors, piping gel, etc. But of course double check--things like candies.

lol So I'm not nuts! My dad and I went out for lunch at a pub yesterday. He ordered a Guinness, and I asked if I could sniff it. After a long inhale of that rich heavenly scent--nearly fell into the glass--I handed it back to him. He drank it and told me I enjoyed it very much. Aw, sweet dad.

Kat

Y'all are awesome. The coworkers meant well, but oy vey. The French Bread Pizza mix and the crust recipe sound delicious; I'll definitely try them both. Mmmmm pizza. Laurie, how was yours this evening?

GROAN! Ooooh! Coworkers just brought in pizza from the best place in town. It smells so darn good in all of its cheesy wheaty sinfulness! It's the best thing I've smelled in days. They've asked twice in the last 5 minutes if I want some. Yes, I want some. I really want to sink my teeth into that chewy yeasty gluteny crust. I want to ravage that pizza like a rabid dog.

On the other hand, I also want to not have a migraine and not spend hours yawning in technicolor & the rest of the week in major distress. Ahh. Ok, moving on. Just had to get that out of my system. lol Thank you for listening.

Kat

Way to go on the half marathon!!

Cake decorator chiming in here: Isomaltulose (and its derititive isomalt), in spite of the malt in the name, is not derived from barley. It's a naturally occuring sugar (found in honey and sugar cane). Isomalt is a sugar alcohol that, like xylitol, does not promote tooth decay, though if too much is eaten, causes icky digestive things to happen. It's commonly used in sugar sculpting for its stability.

I'd point the finger at "natural flavors" or that they're produced on shared equipment.

Kat

Spunky,

Give yourself time. I've only been gluten free since mid-November, and it has made such a difference already in my performance in class, rehearsals, and shows. I'm a dancer. I've always been the fat one. No matter what I did, I couldn't lose weight, and in spite of any efforts, it crept up and up. (All of my group's dancers are of a healthy weight, none the too thin type; we all eat healthy, nosh well, dance a lot, and thoroughly enjoy our food.) Especially over the past three or four years, the weight, lethargy, joint pain, breathing difficulties, headaches, balance issues, clumsiness, tummy troubles, etc. increased. It all impacted the dancing. I dreaded even going for a hour class because I wanted to stay in bed and sleep like a dead woman and was already, before even donning the dance shoes, in so much pain. I was doing less and less and branded as lazy and not trying hard enough, even though I came to every class or rehearsal and pushed as hard as I could. Felt like a lot to me, but I kept falling behind.

I went gluten free and steadily I'm improving. I'm keeping up in classes better; dancing a straight 20 minute set doesn't knock me down; my joints only hurt in old injury spots; my turns are improving; I'm remembering sequences better and don't have to ask for repetition; I WANT to get up and dance; I'm more motivated and energetic. I can't wait to see how I'm doing in 6 months. There's a lot to catch up on. Fellow dancers have been great (and they've noticed the changes). Much of our downtime together revolves around food, yet not one has looked at me like an odd man out. Whatever it takes to keep healthy. The weight is slowly shedding; I've lost about an inch. Four more to go. (I'm not trying that hard lose right now; making sure I listen to my body is more important at this particular nanosecond.)

You will figure out what your body needs. You will gain weight. You will improve. You will be strong, healthy, and happy. Keep us updated on your progress!

Kat

Great topic!

My supervisor at work has a friend who's celiac, and she makes gluten-free goodies for her sometimes. Supervisor came into my office the other day and handed me an unopened package of Bob's gluten-free all purpose flour, extra from one of her baking adventures.

My best friend and her family have been awesome. They didn't even blink when I grilled the waiter about ingredients the first time we all went out to dinner together after my telling them about the new lifestyle. Then on New Year's Day, they had me over for dinner. (I'll admit I was worried about CC, because there are always breadcrumbs everywhere when her parents are there.) I brought millet bread to share, and they loved it. The entire meal, made by her dad, didn't have a speck of gluten.

Kat

I'd be careful, BK. Maybe it'll work for allergies, but celiac and an allergy to wheat are different beasts. It sounds a bit like snake oil to me, though. (The lady saying she's been cured works for the chiropractor; she's not a neutral party.) Do some research on the internet and look for reputable medical studies on it (like from medical journals, rather than sites selling/advocating books, services, pills, etc.) If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Take care,

Kat

A+ here of Euromutt descent: Celt, German, Nordic, Anglo, etc.

Poor kid. Baking soda in a lukewarm bath helps to reduce the itch (same as oatmeal or corn starch, but no harm to the gluten- and corn-free person if swallowed).

Take care,

Kat

Thank you very much! I appreciate your responses and the welcome. I sure won't do that again purposely! Wow. It just boggles a little. Yikes about canker sores after one bite (Amber) and being glutened from a "gluten-free" Amy's meal (Mtndog)!

It makes me happy to know that I'm not nuts. My dad recently told me that my birth mother had a wheat allergy and a funny rash that itched, and that I had food allergies as a baby the doctor said I'd outgrow. And that's what prompted me to examine my diet. I seemed to always have tummy troubles. I kept telling my parents when I was a teen that I thought I shouldn't have milk and cheese, because dairy always seemed to mess up my gut. I know lactose intolerance shouldn't just go away, but I eventually was able to tolerate dairy again later in adult life. I've gone to doctors about breathing issues, joint pain, extreme lethargy, tummy troubles, heart palpitations, and migraines that have all gotten gradually worse over the past 10 years. All but the migraine doctor has said there's absolutely nothing wrong. (Migraine doc said, you have migraines with aura; you're just wired this way, and they'll never go away. oh joy). I know the body aches as it gets older; but I'm only 35, and I know I should not hurt this much!

After all of this for so long, I knock wheat and its little friends out of the diet, and all of the troubles are starting to fade away! The joints don't feel so old and achey; I can breathe and keep up better in dance classes; my belly is soft and not bloated; I'm sleeping well with no whacked out dreams; anxiety and cotton stuffing in brain have started to float away; balance is improving; happiness and motivation are returning; and more. (And I know at three weeks, it's very early and not everything will get better quickly. But any improvment over what I have been feeling is a miracle.)

As someone who loves to bake, this is an opportunity I would not have otherwise taken--to explore different flours in my cakes, cookies, and breads and to take on the challenge of making tasty and healthy breads without wheat et al.

Have a wonderful day!

Kat

Hi, Y'all!

I've been gluten free for almost 3 weeks now, and I feel a billion times better than I have in years. The biggest change is that almost daily migraines have gone away.

I was very careful over Thanksgiving when I visted with family. Mom was very distressed, however, when she made spaghetti Saturday and I pulled out a package of rice noodles to make my own "spaghetti". She wanted me to at least try it, because it had such a different texture and flavor than regular spaghetti. Eventually I relented and ate a forkful of this special spaghetti.

Within the hour I started getting little auras (hadn't had any for over a week), felt the spot on my head that indicates a migraine in the works start to get tender, and felt the migraine side of my face start to tingle. I felt nauseous, bloated, and irritable. I ignored it, thinking it couldn't possibly be true. By Sunday I developed such a lovely migraine. I haven't eaten anything containing gluten and haven't had another headache since.

Can ONE bite of pasta really be responsible for a reaction? Or is it all in my head? (lol migraine--all in head--hee hee hee)

Thank you!