summerteeth

I am definitely more centered since going gluten free. The tensed up monster living inside me relaxed and rejoined me. I feel whole. PMS gone

daily headaches gone

anxiety gone

my hatred of other people and crowded spaces gone

my weight going down

depression gone

over reactions to little things gone

rational thought back

ability to play pool remarkable (I can see the angles needed to make a shot now rather than just guessing)

feeling that I'm so clever feeling- which disappeared around puberty- which when thinking about it was about the time the red cheeks appeared too (just realized this as typing)

I am not diagnosed for any of my symptoms nor celiacs (still have to talk to a doctor about it).

Oh my I think you are describing me. I used to HATE going to crowded places because I would get super irritated and upset and I was a horror to deal with (my fiance would not go grocery shopping with me because I could not take crying babies, slow walkers, etc.)

And my anxiety is greatly reduced. I don't wake up in a panic anymore. I remember waking up at 3 am some days and just feeling like my chest was caving in and I couldn't breath. Then I'd get the shakes.

But my mental issues were the first to go when I went gluten-free. Unfortunately now, when I happen to get glutened, these symptoms can last a week or a week and a half! I don't know how I lived like that before! It is like a night and day change, for me.

I actually cook the food (either in the oven or in the slow cooker). I usually cook a piece of fish, a few chicken breasts, and some cheaper steaks. Then I measure them out (she gets 2 oz of meat per meal to stay at her weight) and put them in ziplock baggies and freeze them. Then, I defrost two or three at a time in the refrigerator. It works really well for us - I just have to stay organized and search for deals (sometimes I go to one store that always has "reduced for quick sale" meats and use those for her, other times I buy ground beef or turkey).

I don't think I could take the plunge and do raw, though. I'm sure Lucy would love it, but I don't think I could handle that

It really does ease your mind, though, because I was terribly concerned about getting glutened from dog food when we first rescued her. Plus she actually seems to do better without all the fillers and crappy "meat products" found in dog foods. They do say dogs don't need gluten either, ya know

I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as gluten intolerance. The tests fail us. The tests suck and are inferior. When the tests fail people but they have celiac and figure it out somehow they are labeled gluten intolerance. I think it's all celiac and one day when the tests are more accurate they will find that out. My opinion based on lots of people's stories.

Seconded. And well put. The tests just aren't accurate enough for me to believe that some people are celiac yet others, who have the same symptoms (or similar symptoms) are intolerant of gluten. I just can't get behind that notion, ya know?

I started home cooking for my dog for health reasons (too many pet food recalls for me) - she gets dried sweet potato "chips" from my dehydrator as training treats, raw meaty bones, and then I make big batches of meat that is on sale, and add a little pumpkin, some rice, and some fruits/veggies. If you keep it 60% meat, 20% fruits/veggies, and 20% grain you are a-okay (see dogster.com forum on home cooking - a lot of good info!). I actually save money (I fed her Blue Buffalo before the big switch - her previous owners fed her Beneful). She is only 20lbs so I really only have to buy about $10 worth of meat that is on sale and that is enough to freeze for three or so weeks.

But more than just saving money, I don't have to worry about melamine or about me getting glutened from feeding her.

I don't know if they are available everywhere or not, but I am a big fan of El Milagro tortilla chips and their tostadas. My sister lives really close to their storefront in Chicago and I have gone in and asked - their products are all safe.

I finally broke down and bought a bread machine today (mainly because Woot has one with a gluten-free setting on sale today).

My question is does anyone know of a good, somewhat low calorie bread recipe for a machine? I was interested in Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Multigrain, until I saw it was almost 200 cals/slice! That is just a bit too high for me, I am afraid.

Any suggestions?

So I tried the Chebe cinnamon mix a few months ago and was not very impressed - the taste was there, but they were crunchy (I am not a fan of crunchy cookies). So last night, I was craving sweets (shocker there) but I didn't feel like making the brownies I had. Or the peanut butter cookies. I saw that I had 2 bags of Chebe mix from a basket I won back in June. I got creative and thought I would share what I made. These are delicious- they taste almost like a cake donut, but not fried:

1 bag of Chebe cinnamon mix

1/2 c baking mix (I used Pamela's)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 c brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 c milk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on greased glass dish (I suppose a cookie sheet would work but I used a glass dish). Bake for 12-15 minutes.

I bet this would make a great pie crust, too.

Whoever posted about ants on a log... oh I love those... so good.

Since there is so much in season, my favorite snack is fruit and veggies. You really can't beat watermelon on a triple digit day.

bananas with PB (here I go with peanut butter again...)

They are not lo cal per say, but I love rice krispie treats. I make mine with either chex or with EnviroKidz chocolate rice cereal, not with Rice Krispy brand cereal, of course.

Oskri makes quinoa bars that are delicious, too. And they are super filling.

I made BLT bites last night for a work cook out I am going to this afternoon (slice a cherry tomato in half and gut it, fill it with a mix of 1/2 light mayo, 1/2 light sour cream , chopped chives, put a small slice of bacon on it and a little piece of lettuce and stab it with a toothpick- they are very tasty and were a hit in my house).

A little tupperware full of "anti pasto" stuff makes a good snack - a few slices of lunch meat, some pickles, some olives, a few veggies (broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower), a bit of cheese, maybe some sliced fruit... that is a great snack and you can really put anything in it. I actually eat this for lunch some days.

Lundberg rice cake with apple butter, pb, honey, tuna, anything really... I like tapenade on mine.

Puppy chow! My favorite "retro" snack.

Monica, does KA brownie mix have any soy or wheat in it? I love the Betty Crocker yellow and chocolate cake mix for cupcakes, but cannot use their cookie or brownie mix because I am dairy and soy intolerant also.

Well, it is inherently wheat free because it is gluten free.

It is also soy free and nut free, NOT dairy free.

Has anyone had King Arthur brand Gluten Free Brownies? For Christmas, my aunt bought me King Arthur brownies, bread, and pizza crust. Well, I finally made the brownies last night. I cannot recommend them enough - they are so good - they don't have that gluten free "grainy" texture that a lot of mixes can have. I like them a lot more than the Betty Crocker brand - wasn't the biggest fan of the brownies or the cookies, but I really liked the chocolate/Devil's food cake.

If you see this brand, TRY IT! Very good!

I have only seen it at one store (Rockford Walmart for $3.29 I think).

I also made biscuits - they turned out GREAT. Could not even tell they were gluten free.

I followed the recipe on the box of flour - it was 1/2 c of flour and 3/4 c water mixed together & then dropped in the liquid (I had cooked my chicken in the slow cooker and just ladled out some of the liquid into a saucepan because I wasn't sure how it was going to work - in retrospect, I could have just put the dough balls directly into the slow cooker).

Yum that sounds really good... will definitely have to try it.

I ended up using some of the flour today because I made chicken in my slow cooker and thought that chicken & dumplings sounded good.

This flour is awesome! I am going to have to go back and buy more of it because the dumplings have no discernible "gluten free flour" taste that I seem to get with rice flour. They are a bit more gooey in comparison to the ones my mom used to make (with wheat flour). But all in all they were good, and my non-gluten-free fiance really liked them, too, which is a plus (he's not usually a big fan of gluten-free substitutions, but is always a good sport. I think he is scarred from a particularly disgusting foray with corn pasta).

I found it at the Rockford, IL. Walmart.

Hi Summerteeth,

I know this post is really old, but did you ever try making the fufu? I found a flour mix called fufu in my international market today and I started looking for recipes and came across your post here. The fufu flour I saw was made from cocoyam and cassava flour. I found some very interesting info on fufu. Open Original Shared Link Apparently it is used like bread in parts of Africa. I like to make African peanut soup and this sounds like it would be perfect to go with that. Was curious if you used the plantain flour to make fufu or any of these other recipes.

No I haven't... it is still sitting in my pantry. What is your recipe for African peanut soup?

I asked my gyno at my last yearly, and he said that caffeine is a very common culprit. Sure enough, I lessened caffeine, no more breast pain.

I found the elusive gluten-free Bisquick (holy crap I get biscuits and gravy this weekend!!) If anyone is in North central IL/southern Wisconsin, I found it at the West Riverside Walmart. Last time I went there they only had gluten-free Betty Crocker white cake mixed in their baking section. Now they have a whole gluten-free shelf, including: Mrs. Leeper's pastas, pretty much the whole Bob's Red Mill line, Tinkyada pasta (including my personal favorite, the spinach linguine), Glutino pretzels, EnviroKidz cereal, Gluten Free Pantry white bread, and a lactose/soy/gluten free mac 'n chreese I have never seen before.

re: Where to buy...

The closest Whole Foods to me is in Chicago, 70 miles away. I bought mine at Woodman's, but had to request it & now they stock it permanently. They are very open to ordering food at Woodman's if you live near one (Wisconsin & Northern IL only, I think?)

Were they Newman's Own "Newman-os"? Before I understood reading labels, I bought these (and they did say "WHEAT FREE/DAIRY FREE" on the package) I brought them on a road trip to Florida and ate them before we even got on the highway... needless to say, worst vacation ever.

Ugh those Glutino bagels are like hockey pucks. I ate ONE. The rest went into the compost pile...

But I have about six loaves of Udi's bread in my freezer - SO GOOD. I get to have cream cheese and olive sandwiches again!

You CAN get a genetic test done to see if you have the Celiac Gene. Many doctors will give you a celiac diagnosis if you have the gluten challenge - which you have - and the gene.

My doctor diagnosed me based on dietary response, medical history, and family history (history of bowel cancers). From what I gather, more and more doctors are doing this.

Places I go regularly:

Kroger/Hilander (northern IL)- will email a list, Piggly Wiggly (Wisconsin)- has a list on their site, Schnucks/Logli (Illinois & Missouri)- marks their gluten-free products on the shelves, Jewel Osco (Chicago, northern IL 'burbs)- has a gluten-free section, Woodmans (IL & WI)- has a WHOLE aisle, Valli Produce (northern IL)- has a HUGE binder, will answer emails, too.

I also say eating out at restaurants or social situations. Also, similarly, going on road trips or even day trips. I have to put so much effort into planning (and I usually end up bringing way too much food).

My answer wasn't exactly a black-or-white one... there is definitely a grey area for me. Sometimes it can take a few days. Other times, it is the following day. A reaction for me is never really immediate, which makes it hard for me to pinpoint exactly when. Plus, one of my major symptoms is C, so it can take a few days to realize I have been glutened.

If I get a migraine, though, I know I have been glutened in the last few days.

I am all about bargains. I coupon clip, but most of those items I can't have. So I buy all of his foods with coupons - he is so not picky. I figure if we save $20/week on his groceries that is pretty good.

Kroger/Hilander always has a "bargain bin" - I found Pamela's cookies in there for $.99 and Snikiddy snacks for $1.29. Sam's Club has Crunchmaster chips for like $6 but you get three bags! A big batch of chili in my slow cooker saves us a lot of money (not right now, though, because it is so warm in the Midwest).

Fruits and veggies seem to be really cheap for me (although some disagree). I don't really buy gluten-free bread or specialty items too often... that seems to get the cost down.

Oh! And Aldi's is pretty great- there is a customer service email floating around somewhere (I may be able to find it in my outbox). A lot of their foods are gluten-free. Plus, I recently saw EnviroKidz cereal there for less than $2.