Celiac Awareness Month: Days 10-15

 

Highlights are pretty high this time around. 

 

My friend made a trip to Gluten Free Nation and brought me presents.  Here are my favorite bites from this week.

 

Day 10:  Soup at work.  Surprisingly comforting.

 

Day 11: Ehmergerd!  This personal pecan pie from Gluten Free Nation!  Their crust is nice in the fact that it's a good crust, period.  Not just a good gluten free crust but a nice pie crust in all arenas.  And the filling!!!  The filling is perfect.  Not too much pie 'jelly' not too much nut.  I did share with the teens as 1/4 was satisfying.

 

Day 12: Stuffed jalapeños.  My friend gave me a bag full of home-grown peppers. 

 

I mixed cream cheese, paprika and minced onion and garlic for the filling.  Top it with a small piece of bacon, bake until the bacon is almost fully cooked (about 15-20 minutes) and then broil until crisp. 

 

I keep food grade gloves in my kitchen.  It's a good idea to use them when handling hot peppers.  You can work faster and rubbing your eyes is not a hazard for hours to come.

 

Another jalapeño tip?  Use a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds and membrane after cutting in half.  Those are what make the pepper hot.

 

Day 13:  Do you SEE this?  THIS is a Chicken Pot Pie from Gluten Free Nation!  It is beyond words.  It is perfect. 

 

Day 14:  New Larabar (for me). 

 

Day 15:  Sautéed kale and celery that were getting to the point that it was eat or freeze time*. 

 

I cooked the kale, celery, garlic and onion in olive oil with garlic and sea salt.  When they were soft, I formed a 'nest' and fried an egg in the middle. 

 

Topped with Sriracha sauce it was a perfect breakfast!

 

*I freeze veggies that are on the cusp and use them for veggie soup stock.

Celiac Awareness Month: Days 4-9

 

 

 

 

Photographing everything I eat was, eh hem, biting off a little more than I could chew. 

 

Plus, it's really not as exciting as I hoped.  One can only photograph so many scrambled eggs and Lara Bars.  I don't view this as a Celiac problem.  It's more indicative of the reality of a full schedule.

 

Not a bite by bite account, here is a compilation of the highlights.

 

Day 4:  We were still out of town.  Stopped by 5 Guys and the tin container was a nice touch.  Usually I eat their bun less burger on a piece of thin aluminum foil. 

 

Day 5:  I had run out of pre-planned hotel friendly food, so we went to a tried and true standard.  Pei Wei salad wraps.

 

Day 6:  Coffee.  That is all.  That was the highlight of my day. 

 

Day 7:  I risked chocolate pudding from Buc-ees.  Half way through--BIG tummy ache.  I view this as a dietary challenge to see how dairy affects my system.  Might have to do another test to verify results.  I was already feeling a little wonky.

 

Day 8:  Home again!  Hummus and red peppers to settle my 'travel tummy'.

 

Day 9: Homemade meatballs, using bread from Gluten Free Nation, and a Schaar baguette.

 

 

 

 



What Can You Eat Gluten Free? Day 3

I feel kinda naked.

Photographing food is fun when you can primp and stage it! Now that I've put it out there that I'm photographing what I eat this month, the weight of the commitment is pressing on me!

This is gonna end up looking more like Annie Hall than Annie Leibovitz.

For the past few weeks I've felt like I need to reexamine what I'm eating. Now, in my usual style, I've put it out there for everyone to pick through. So let's all take a look at what I've eaten today.

It was a wild ride from early morning study group to work to leaving for a road trip. I did not plan ahead. I figured I'd stop and shop later.

This always sounds like a good idea but in reality it makes me a neurotic mess. What am I going to eat? What if I can't find gluten free food? Why do I do this to myself?

I did find food, maybe not the best choices, but here goes most of it (minus some hummus and hard cider plus a margarita mix for a friend):

Celiac Awareness Month

Yesterday marked the start of a whole month of trying to raise awareness about Celiac Disease.

When people find out I have this under diagnosed and misunderstood auto-immune disease, and they find out the treatment is to eliminate gluten from my diet, I usually get the same question:

"But what can you EAT?!?"

So, I thought I would take this month to show you what I eat.

Weird?

Maybe.

But I've photographed my food since I was little. Now I just have a practical application for my fetish: to show others that eating gluten free has options!

Day 2
Coffee
Salmon patty with tomato
Pistachios
York Peppermint Patty
Tilapia, Red Pepper and Brown Rice with Tarragon Shallot Vinaigrette and Pineapple

Listerine Left This Celiac Green

 

 

I've had a long stretch of feeling really good! 

 

Matter of fact, I was superstitious about counting how long it's been since the last time I got glutened-- for fear I would get glutened. 

 

Then about a week ago I started feeling a little off. 

 

We're in the middle of cold and flu season, I figured that was causing my congestion.

 

A slight nagging feeling under my rib cage worried me on and off; not bad enough to take my breath away.  Hmm... maybe I should have the HIDA scan my doc recommended. 

 

Every day my fingers got slightly stiffer.  But it was not the KA-POW from a full gluten hit. 

 

Four days ago my knee cap started aching; sitting or standing made no difference.

 

I began losing my nouns. 

 

Communication became like a bad game of charades.  "Hand me the, you know, the whatchamacallit that you use to lift the round thingy off the doo-lolly that I'm cooking on."

 

Spatula?  Yeah, that doo-diggy.

 

My dear husband started saying, "I really think you got glutened." 

 

I protested,  "No, no, I'm not that bad.  I'm just a little off.  Night sweats?  Weren't you hot too?  No?  Nah... I still don't think it's gluten."

 

Yesterday I left communion coffee with the neighbors, ready to have a nice Thanksgiving with my family and I burst into tears.  I sobbed the whole walk home!  And then I continued to cry on my husband's shoulder when I got home.  Can I tell you, I'm generally not a weepy person.  

 

I finally gave in an admitted I could have been glutened. 

 

I racked my foggy brain trying to remember every morsel of food that went into my mouth the last week.  Nothing jumped out at me.  Resigned to the fact that I might never know, that's when it hit me.

 

I started diligently using Listerine at bedtime about a week ago.  After discussing its benefits with a friend, it seemed like a good practice.  I never thought to read the ingredients or call the manufacturer.

 

Doing a quick search for information on the gluten status of Listerine yesterday, I found this blog written in June 2012. The response the blogger got was, basically, they can't guarantee the product has not been cross-contaminated.

 

My husband said, "Why don't you quit using it and see if you get better?"  

 

Thank goodness for him, because I really might not have come up with that on my own.  No sarcasm, my brain really was that fuzzy. 

 

That was yesterday.

 

"Wow, you're up early!" was the response I got this morning when I popped out of bed. 

 

"I didn't use any Listerine last night!"  I started wiggling my fingers and kicking my leg like someone cured at a revival.

 

My knee has miraculously stopped hurting.  My fingers aren't swollen and my disposition in on an upswing.

 

I'll call the company myself on Monday to see if they have changed their gluten free status... but I think I already have the answer I need.

 



Celiac Disease Sounds Better with an Accent

Katie Couric interviewed Dr. Green of Columbia University, a recognized expert on Celiac disease. 

Katie asked all the basic questions and even touched on the touchiest of subjects for people with Celiac, the current 'trendyness' of our affliction.  I think Dr. Green made a good point on this topic.

Yes, Americans seem to be jumping on the gluten free bandwagon but, even with the frenzy, our wagon is more Radio Flyer than Conestoga.

This video is like 'Celiac Disease 101'.  It touches on the main points about this auto immune disorder.  It's a well presented introduction and Dr. Green has a lovely Australian accent, which makes these facts easier on the ear:

• Symptoms of Celiac disease are diverse.  According to his website, very few are intestinal. 
• Celiac disease is not rare.
• Most Americans with Celiac disease are undiagnosed.
• America is behind many other countries in awareness and diagnosis.
• Eating large quantities of processed, gluten free foods is not a healthy diet.
• Untreated Celiac disease can lead to other serious health conditions.
• There is no pharmaceutical treatment for Celiac disease.

She's No Martha Stewart!

 

A good friend is having an engagement party next weekend.  She honored me by asking if I would design her invitation. 

Bicycle built for two?  Why, YES!

The email below came from her last week: 

I will buy some (Gluten Free Houston) millet bread to make breadcrumbs for the meatballs and you can have the rest of the loaf.

You will be able to eat the following:

--Meatballs (made with my homemade sauce, no gluten)

--Cucumber bean salad I made when Laura & Caroline were here

--Prosciutto—cheese—apple pieces

--Chicken salad in tomatoes as long as Kraft Mayo is GF…do you know? The other ingredient is greek yogurt then fresh veggies.

--your eggplant nastiness (She doesn't like any eggplant, much less my caponata.  I don't take it personally!)

So I think the only things you will NOT be able to eat are the desserts and spinach dip. I will make sure to prepare everything before I make the dip and make a plate for you and put it in the fridge.

Yay!

Remember when Martha Stewart declared about guests with special dietary needs, 'Oh my God! Don’t ask! My rule is do not ask about dietary restrictions.'

It's easy to understand where she was coming from; it's presumptuous for a guest to expect to be catered to at someone's house or event.  Before living with celiac, I would never expect preferential treatment--and I'm not about to start now.

I adore my friends who honestly tell me, "I will never try to cook for you because I'm worried about cross contamination in my kitchen."

But this? 

This email shows that someone who has not built an empire on being a hostess can offer the kindest gesture to make a guest feel welcome and included at her celebration.