Day 133 ~ frozen waffles and chocolate cookies...the good and bad of g-free

Today I pulled out some frozen waffles from 2 different batches of g-free waffles (different recipes) I have made over the weeks. As usual, (it seems) even though they were great fresh made...they were truly terrible reheated! So sad...I used to love having frozen ones on hand. I threw them all away. I hope I don't clog the landfills with the bad g-free breads I have made!

This is getting a little discouraging. I believe you can find good bread product recipes for gf cooking...but I have only happened on a couple so far!

Not to be totally gloomy though, here is a picture of a delicious, chocolaty, different but still good cookie that I made last week:  Flour-less, Butter-less, Very Chocolate Cookies

Here is how I made them:

the ingredients are cocoa, powdered sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and chocolate chips--that is it! All that is simply stirred together.

The cookie scoops out in blobs, but bakes up crisp and shiny.

They are a little odd though, with hollow backs and holes--the batter bakes sturdy and crisp--sort of meringue like. But the good news (besides that they taste good!)? They are good the next day, and they freeze just fine! So this is a keeper for me!

Day 119 ~ Banana nut bread that I will repeat!

I have made so many recipes that I know I will never make again. In fact, most of the baking recipes are that way! But I finally came upon a banana nut bread that is not only delicious and has a"normal" texture, but it tastes good the next day too! All my other bread and muffins were so dry the next day. I put some of the bread in the freezer--so we will see how that is when I defrost it. Freezing has not worked well for any baked goods so far.

This new recipe calls for Teff flour, (a nutritious g-free flour) and for cream cheese. Maybe it is the cream cheese that makes the difference.

Day 112 ~ Freezing g-free baked and processed foods

Last week I made a couple g-free things for the freezer, to have on hand for company. I was a little disappointed in the results after freezing, particularly with muffins, and a noodle casserole. The muffins were wonderful straight out of the oven--very delicious. As soon as they cooled, I packaged them up and put them in the freezer. But when I later thawed the muffins out and reheated them, they were very dry. The noodles developed a problem too.  The casserole tasted wonderful when first made, but once frozen and later thawed, the noodles became soft and mushy when reheated.

Gluten-free food is always a challenge.

Day 103 ~ The 3 1/2 month evaluation

For months now, people have been asking me if I feel any difference since going g-free. My answer has been, "Not really--not yet anyway." But last Tuesday, I realized I did feel better. But I thought it was a fluke--a good day--so I gave it another day, and another....till I have decided that I really do feel better. My arthritis in general is better, less joint pain, and I have a more energetic interest in my day, instead of just pushing myself through the day and the things I want to do.

The odd thing though, is that last Monday I actually felt very bad--achy and draggy--worse than normal. So when Tuesday came and I felt great, it was a surprise. I don't know what that would be all about, but maybe it was the last of the system getting cleaned out or something--who knows!

From all I have read, it seems that inflammation caused by gluten can take about 3 months to begin to calm down. So it seems that might be true in my case too. I am curios to see what 6 months without gluten will do.

Day 99 ~ A perfect cookie

I sometimes need to serve a little dessert or sweet to company that I don't particularly want to explain my g-free diet to. So I try to find a gluten-free food that will not make people question. Now that is easy with a meal--there are lots of naturally g-free meals: such as steak, baked potato, salad--all g-free, and no one would think a thing about it. But desserts and breakfast are just a little bit harder to hide what's going on.

So this week I needed a g-free cookie to serve a guest on Friday--and I wanted no suspicion about it's ingredients. I wanted a crispy oatmeal, pecan cookie--one like the one I like to make in "What We Cook". So I searched the internet till I found a g-free oatmeal cookie that had a similar ingredient list, except with all the g-free flours and gar gum--which you have to have to take the place of gluten. Well, my cookie worked! It was 95% the same as it's wheat counter part. The only concern was that the cookie breaks apart into crumbs very easily, so it is rather delicate. But the taste and crispness is perfect--so I am happy!

Day 96 ~ G-free motivator

One thing I like about my g-free project, is that it has become my motivator to say no to most sweets--since most sweets have flour in them.. Like last night--there was a plate of brownies sitting before me at a dinner party--normally I would have eagerly taken one, then eventually, ate a second one also. But I didn't eat any. Then today at Sunday School--we always have a table of Shipley donuts (really awesome looking, fragrant donuts) of every flavor, but I resist week after week.

I don't know why I found it hard to just say no to sweets before, but it was quite a struggle. Now, I just feel a bit sad, but it is not hard to do without. Of course, I have found ways to address my sweet tooth--chocolate candy, and ice cream are two things I didn't eat much before, but have on hand now as my quick go to for something sweet. So maybe I have not improved anything, just changed out my bad habits to new bad habits!

Day 92 ~ A slow finale after 1/2 of a burger bun...

Yesterday, David wanted to celebrate selling our house by going to Whataburger for dinner. I have been ordering salads at every fast food place there is for the past 3 months. I know who has the good ones, and who has the moderately good ones. Surprisingly, I have not had any bad salads. But I was tired of salad, and wanted to celebrate too. Not being comfortable jumping into a burger with 2 gluten-laden buns though, I decided to just go for one gluten-laden bun. In my purse I had stashed a slice of g-free brown rice bread I made a while back. Unfortunately  the bread was still frozen when I swapped out one of the burger buns with it. But even being cold, that burger really did taste good to me! And I felt fine last evening and night. I will say my system feels a bit sluggish and slow today though--I am wondering if it was the celebratory bun.

Day 90 ~ Three-month check up

I have been g-free for 3 months now. The result has not been as dramatic as I had hoped, but it has been good enough to keep going. I never feel weighed down by food, and that part I really love. My insides and digestion feel clean and free. I used to feel like bread turned to glue in my body, choking me, and making everything function in slow motion for a time. But no more of that feeling now.

I do still have my arthritis aches and stiffness--but it is no worse, and possibly not as bad. What makes it hard to say for sure is that arthritis and stiffness kind of goes in cycles--a flare up for weeks or months, followed by a calming period. So I can't say if this is just a calming period or not--which is why I am giving this 6 months, maybe a year before I really judge.

This weekend I was given a gift by a house guest: a bag of various gluten-free flours, and some non-caffeinated tea. I love it!

Day 83 ~ More cookie trials

My new, naturally g-free favorite dessert to bake these days is caramel custard, or also called, flan. It is just milk, eggs, a little sugar, and vanilla. But the other day I just wanted a little more substance to my dessert, so I came across a sugar cookie recipe made with rice flour that I thought might go nicely with the custard. They baked up sort of ok--caky and dense, but still pretty good.

After the first pan full and a taste test, I decided that these sugar cookies are so hearty and sturdy, that they might make good strawberry shortcake bread: split one and add berries and cream. So I made several giant cookies to give this a try. If you eat two of these cookies, you don't even need to bother with a meal--these dudes are SO filling! As with all g-free baking, these had to go directly into the freezer, or they will dry out very fast. Oh, another odd thing about them--you cannot under-cook GF cookies, like you would wheat flour cookies. Under-cooking will make them even more dense and gummy--not pleasantly moist and chewy like you would think. But these g-free sugar cookies did nicely compliment my cool, creamy custard.

Day 78 ~ G-free, caffeine free days in Tyler

I just spent 2 days in Tyler--my first few days of caffeine free. I had on and off headaches--still had one this morning. I have used a little ibuprofen here and there to keep it all manageable. I am drinking 2 cups of black tea in the mornings, which has helped me ease off the coffee. In the afternoons I often take a couple swigs of David's Dr Pepper-- that he has an afternoon addiction to (although he will not admit this). So I am still getting caffeine, but less each day. I found out when I was in Tyler, that most of my family only drinks coffee because I ask for it! When I quit asking, it quit being made. Hmm, well, it was nice of them to make it for me all of these years!

Karen, bless her heart, fixed me lovely, completely gluten free meals and snacks at her house the last two days. I am so touched when people do that for me! I also did some extensive g-free shopping at Tyler's Drug Emporium. They have the best stuff there--and such a large offering of products. There are tons of g-free frozen foods too--but I can't ever get any of those goodies--unless sometime I take an ice chest with me...

Day 74 ~ Adding on to g-free...

I decided to pick one more inflammatory food, besides gluten, to eliminate from my diet to help out with cutting down on inflammation that causes pain. I looked into several kinds of foods/drinks I had seen listed as promoting inflammation.  Finally I debated between dairy and caffeine. As much as I enjoy my coffee, I decided that it would be easier to cut out caffeine than it would be to cut out dairy. So I decided to start a slow cut back with the caffeine. I am not in a big hurry to make the switch, but I made a start this morning by first drinking a cup of tea, then a little leftover iced coffee I happened to have in the fridge. I did end up the day with a slight headache. But it was expected, and not as bad as it could be. So for now, it is no gluten, and less caffeine.

Day 72 ~ More g-free info:

"American strains of wheat have a much higher gluten content (which is needed to make light, fluffy Wonder Bread and giant bagels) than those traditionally found in Europe. This super-gluten was recently introduced into our agricultural food supply and now has “infected” nearly all wheat strains in America."---Just a little something interesting that I read...

Day 69 ~ 6 Reasons Why

Ben told me a while back that I should offer a little education on my blog...so I have been thinking on that and decided to look up gluten-free for Dummies, just to keep it simple. Here is what I found (my big reason is highlighted):

Reasons to Go Gluten-Free

By Danna Korn and Connie Sarros

A gluten-free diet isn’t just for those with celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Although eating wheat products, especially whole wheat, does offer some health benefits, the gluten can actually be harmful. Here are some reasons you may want to go gluten-free.

• Humans don’t fully digest wheat. The undigested portions of wheat begin to ferment, producing gas. Icky, belchable, fart-forming gas.
• Wheat is a pro-inflammatory agent. A pro-inflammatory agent is rapidly converted to sugar, causing a rise in the body’s insulin levels, causing a burst of inflammation at the cellular level, among other problems.
• Wheat can cause leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is a condition whereby stuff is leaking from your gut into your bloodstream — stuff that shouldn’t be there, such as toxins.
• Refined wheat has little nutritional value. Did you know that manufacturers actually have to enrich refined wheat because they’ve taken out all the nutrients? And even then, the wheat’s not that valuable, nutritionally speaking.
• Wheat is one of the top-eight allergens. Millions of people are allergic to wheat — so many, in fact, that it has made it onto the top-eight allergen list.
• Many people have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, and don’t know it. So, how many people fall into this category? No one knows for sure. But 1 in 100 people has celiac disease — but most don’t know it. No one knows how many people have gluten sensitivity, but estimates are that it may be as high as 50 percent, or even 70 percent, of the population.

Day 67 ~ Good news! SPAM is gluten free!

Today Ben and Julia had a SPAM cook-off party. My first thought when I got the invite was, "That's a bummer!" I was sure that SPAM probably had gluten in it to hold all that pressed meat together. A lot of processed foods and luncheon meats contain gluten. But to my surprise, right there on the can it says "gluten free".  So I happily got into thinking up SPAM recipes.

I made arepas stuffed with SPAM and cheese, (and a tomatillo cilantro dip) and David made jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and SPAM. There were several other entries, (as this was a contest with real prizes!)--there were a couple things I couldn't try, because of the gluten in the recipe. But would you believe that David and I won both prizes for best recipe, and most creative.

I think I need to keep some SPAM in the pantry for hurricane food. They say that SPAM will last indefinitely!

Day 64 ~ Finally, my first GF chocolate chip cookie try!

I have been holding off making chocolate chips cookies--something I have missed. I sort of wanted to see how long I could go without. I guess those cookies on Sunday baking at Brandon's house stayed on my mind, cause today I broke down. I made a recipe from Land 'O Lakes Butter GF website.

You can tell these looks sort of ok...but not really the chewy, craggy, lumpy kind that I really like. But the taste was there. I did eat 6 of them right off the bat, so guess I was not too unhappy with them! However, I will try another recipe next time, to see if I can improve on the texture. Oh, these also were very fragile. I had cut back on the xamthan gum...and probably they did need the full amount afterall to make them hold together better.

Day 62 ~ How a spring roll overpowered the cookies

Yesterday we were visiting at my nephew's house with my brother's family. Cookies were baked...first chocolate chip, then oatmeal raisin. The aroma was everywhere. Coffee was brewing. Cookies and coffee really go well together--and I really do like cookies. But of course, I didn't eat them. Julia had brought a left-over Korean spring roll from her lunch out and gave it to me. I stuck it in the fridge at first, thinking I would take it home with me. After a while though, the cookies were just too much. So I jumped up and pulled out the spring roll from the fridge and gobbled it down. Then I was able to refocus. Being full sure helps take your mind off what you want to eat but can't eat. Thanks, Julia, for thinking of me.

Day 59, 60 ~ Brown Rice Quinoa Bread

Attempt number 2 at a decent g-free yeast bread.

These loaves that I made yesterday turned out very pretty. The original recipe called for cooked brown rice to be added along with brown rice flour and tapioca flour. But I substituted cooked quinoa, since I had some leftover in my fridge already and I knew that it is kind of similar to brown rice. 

Here are my bags of quinoa--two are white, and one it red quinoa:

This is a wonderful grain that can be used just like rice, except that it is very nutritious. It also cooks up just as fast and easy as rice. And it has a nice, mild flavor. So I was pretty sure it would substitute just fine in my bread recipe, and it did.

This bread sliced up so nice, I decided it was sturdy enough to make a little hamburger for lunch with my fresh baked g-free bread. So I cut up the veggies, and cooked some hamburger meat. My hamburger patties had to be kind of small to fit the bread. All in all, it was pretty good.

So then this morning I made toast with my new bread...and it was ok. But, I decided that the reason most people on gluten-free diets just don't eat bread is that even when it is ok...it still just does not have the flavor of wheat. I never knew that wheat had such a lovely flavor before. Bread just tastes flat without wheat and gluten! 

Day 58 ~ Moving on to another bread recipe...

I ate my chick pea flour bread as toast this morning. I had to really pile the jam on thick to cover up the flavor of the bread. I decided that I really did not care for the bread much...but turns out that my grandson's seemed to think it was just fine, so I sent most of the loaf home with them! Maybe I will get a report from Julia in a few days about it. I do have a new recipe picked out to try--Brown Rice Bread. Surely that will have a better flavor.

Day 57 ~ GF yeast bread

It got rainy today, so that inspired me to make my first yeast bread.  Well, basically, it worked...

The bread was easy to make. You don't kneed it, but the thick cake-like batter did run in the mixer for 10 minutes. And it only does one rising--in the pan it is baked in. They have you rise it in a warm oven as moving it can make it fall. So you leave it in the oven, then just turn the oven on at the right time to bake--kind of like a bread machine, I supposed.  The bread rose over the sides of the pan, I noticed just in time, and slid a baking sheet under it in the oven. Right away, overflowing hunks broke right off--a clean break, much like silly putty does. Without gluten, there is no stetchiness at all, and the bread must have side supports to rise. I think my pan may have been a little too small.

The texture was good and it sliced perfectly--even thin slices. But here is the bad part--it didn't taste very good. This recipe is Chick Pea Flour Bread, made with chick pea (garbanzo bean) flour, plus other flours. I think I just do not really care for the strong flavor of chick pea flour. It is not horrible, but not delicious either. I think this bread might be ok for grilled cheese sandwiches, and maybe toast and jelly--I will try that in the morning.

But I am encouraged because the bread worked well. I just need to find a flour type that I enjoy the taste of. I am also trying to use the more nutritious flours...so that will be tricky, as they have the stronger flavors!

Day 56 ~ Now...why am I doing this?

Sometimes I have to remind myself, or explain to others, why I am going gluten free for what was originally 6 months...although I have moved my deadline to one year now.  I get so caught up in the effort of NOT eating gluten, that even I forget my purpose...well, sort of.  So here is a good Google explanation:


Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brain, heart, joints,digestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different "diseases." To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause--which is often gluten sensitivity--not just the symptoms.


Basically, it is the inflammation that causes joint pain and stiffness that I am looking to reduce.  And if it turns out there are more benefits from GF living  than that even--then all the better.  But I will be happy if I can just squat down and hug a grandchild without pain. That is all I really want!

Day 55 ~ Keebler saltines calling me

Yesterday I had some sort of stomach bug and didn't want to eat much. Today, I am eating a little, but not much sounds good to me. Except one thing: Keebler saltine crackers. Isn't that what everyone eats when their stomach feels queasy? But those crispy simple crackers are made of wheat. So I pulled out some GF rice crackers. I nibbled them some, but they didn't really help my stomach. Maybe it is just that I have always eaten saltines when my stomach was upset, so it just feels like nothing else will make me feel better. Oh well, I made it through two days of the stomach bug with no saltines, so I guess I will make it.

Day 54 ~ G-free 1st birthday cake

This time I got to eat the cake! Carissa made this cake from chocolate, pureed garbanzo beans, and eggs. It was very good. However, Sylvia was not interested in eating chocolate cake at all--she never took a bite, even when we tried to force feed her!

The rest of us loved the cake though--especially me!

Day 53 ~ G-free cookbooks

I have been checking out and cooking from several GF cookbooks from the library. I finally decided that 2 of them were useful enough to buy--so I just ordered them today on Amazon. Now I feel committed--I have purchased cookbooks.

Day 52 ~ GF at P.F. Chang's

We were going out for a nice dinner tonight--so I requested P.F. Chang's, as I had read that they have the most extensive gluten free menu of any restaurant, and that their waiters are very knowledgeable about G-free. We really did have an excellent meal and a helpful waiter. The only thing I was a bit displeased about, but I do understand why, is that each g-free dish was at least a dollar more than that same item on the regular menu. But it was nice having a good, full menu to choose from--all gluten-free.

Day 51 ~ Better food choices

I love how eating g-free forces you to make better food choices--especially for snacks and fast meals. You just can't go the easy quick route and still eat g-free--you have to make a new groove. I would say my fruit eating has doubled--they are my fast snacks now. Before, I would eat fruit when there was nothing left to choose. Not that I didn't like fruit--but crackers, breads, and cookies just call out louder than fruit does! Tonight I needed a fast meal that didn't involve cooking, if possible. I found this great recipe for a quinoa mango salad. I made it very quickly , and it was absolutely delicious and completely filling and satisfying for the end of a hot summer day.....http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/05/mango-quinoa-salad/ 

Day 50 ~ Eating gluten politely

I had a new friend make a desert for me at a dinner tonight...she knew I am gluten free. She was sweet to take the pie she had made, and put some filling in a little dish for me, so I could avoid the wheat crust...but then she forgot that the fruit filling had flour in it to thicken it. I really did appreciate her effort to try though, so I shrugged it off and ate it. It was very delicious, and I suppose that I will surly live.

Day 49 ~ Addicted to grocery shopping

Anytime I hear of a new grocery store to go to, I just can't resist going to see what they have that is gluten free. Seriously, I have been to 4 grocery stores in one week. And I just can't help buying anything new and different that I see that is g-free. I really do need to take a break from shopping and try out some of the g-free foods I have bought and have not opened yet! Today I found g-free corn flakes--I have a recipe for a pie crust that calls for them, and had not seen them anywhere till today. So that pie will be my plan for tomorrow...

Day 48 ~ Spicy Hot Turkey Corn Wrap

For a quickie lunch, I made the wraps from What We Cook (page 74), but instead of flour tortillas I used g-free corn tortillas. I warmed the tortillas in my vegetable steamer, which worked really well, and held the tortillas warm for second servings. This wrap tastes different on corn tortillas, but I think I like them even better. So many of my favorite recipes I can't make anymore, so it was nice to revise this one and like it!

Day 47 ~ A good g-free eating day

I had 3 great meals today, kind of by accident, as I didn't really plan any of them till the last minute. At breakfast, Carissa called me over to try her Socca Nicoise--which is flatbread (from Italy), made from chick pea flour and cooked in a skillet, then browned in a hot oven. I added some scrambled eggs on the bread and it felt like breakfast!

For lunch I tried my hand at making spring rolls with damp rice paper. I never thought of making spring rolls before, because I was always leery of them as I had no idea what the transparent wrap was made from--I worried that maybe it was something like what they pack sausage in, and maybe it was made from pig intestines or something...Well, I found out that is not the case. The transparent paper is just rice rolled very thin-hence, rice paper! (I know that Julia will think I am crazy that I ever thought this, since she loves spring rolls!) But aside from all that, what I PUT in the spring rolls is what is interesting. Basically, I cleaned out my fridge! I had some leftover fried venison strips, which I sliced very thin, then some leftover corn on the cob which I cut the corn from, some lettuce, cabbage slaw, sticky rice, and slices of mango. I know that sounds like an odd combo, but it was great. We dipped the rolls into spicy Thai sauce. David said it was one of the best meals he ever ate!

Then for supper I made baked chicken taquitos from corn tortillas and cooked up some spicy black beans. I had extra taquitos to put in the freezer for quick meals.  

Often my days feel like sad food days because I am struggling with at least one g-free meal that doesn't go well--but today was a happy food day.

Day 46 ~ No birthday cake for me

Today was Ethan's 5 year old birthday dinner--and my first grandchild's birthday cake I didn't eat. I brought g-free peanut butter cookies I made to eat instead--and I had the ice cream, so it is not like I was missing a sweet treat. But it made me kind of sad--not because I wanted the cake, but because it felt like I wasn't celebrating properly.

Day 45 ~ Peach pie goes g-free

After researching a half dozen different GF pie crust recipes over the past few weeks--many of them made completely different and with different kinds of flours--I finally settled on one that seemed it might be the most "normal" of the bunch. This crust made up easily in the food processor, and it was kind of nice that you don't have to worry about overworking the dough, like you must watch with a wheat flour with gluten crust. I had this feeling by the way the dough handled though, that I should save myself the frustration and not make a bottom crust till I was sure of the dough. So I just put a top crust on my peach pie and made it more like a cobbler. The dough broke off in pieces even as I laid it on top. You can see how it is kind of pieced together.

The flavor was good, though not in the same way as a flaky wheat crust. Maybe if you had never had a really good homemade pie crust, you would think this one was wonderful. And actually, it is defiantly tastier than a store bought crust. However, it does not surpass a good homemade gluten crust. Here is the odd thing this crust does: when a piece of crust goes below the filling, it does not get soft and dumpling-like as a wheat crust will do, rather, it dissolves! That is pretty weird. So I found when I served this, that is it important to keep all the crust bits on the top, and don't let them sink down into the syrup.  But, when all is said and done, it is hard to make a bad fresh summer peach pie--especially served warm with a scoop of ice cream. I think I will try some yogurt on the leftovers in the morning, which should then qualify it as a breakfast food.

Day 44 ~ 4,000 Gluten laden hamburgers

Today David and I helped assemble 4,000 hamburgers in the kitchen of Houston's First Baptist church for their outreach VBS program--the Houston Project, which takes dinner and VBS and adult Bible studies into 19 low income housing areas in Houston this week.  There was a lot of gluten flying around the church kitchen with 8,000 sides of buns! We both walked away with absolutely NO desire for a hamburger anytime soon! I was happy to come home and eat g-free.

Day 43 ~ Bread substitute

I am always looking for some kind of stand-in for bread. This morning I sliced up cold grits from last nights supper, and fried them in some butter along with fried eggs. Eating the fried grits slices definitely gave me the same satisfied feeling as a biscuit might. I even wondered if they would be good with jelly...but I didn't have enough slices cooked to try that options out.

Day 42 ~ Oh dear--pigging out on g-free cookies...

I read in one book that when people first go g-free, they often loose some weight, just because they are not really eating deserts, breads, and the like...But then, after a few weeks, they learn how to find/make many of their favorite treats and sweets...then the weight all comes back. Well, I am not too interested in loosing weight or gaining it either. However, it did make me feel good to think I was eating more good food, and almost no bad food just by default. But then I had my 2 days of chocolate cake, my really good waffles yesterday, then today Julia brought me a quite a few leftover gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that a friend left at her house. I have missed cookies...so I ate quite a lot of them, but the cookies were kind of on their last day of goodness, so I HAD to eat them...

Day 41 ~ Waffle happiness

Tonight I made buckwheat/cornflour/almond flour waffles for supper, and to my surprise they were wonderful! It makes me so happy when my baking is a success. These waffles were tasty, hearty, healthy--and I think I would have made them even if I wasn't eating gluten free--except then, I would not have all these flours and xanthan gum at my fingertips! I even have extra for the freezer, so we can have a quick, wonderful breakfast one day soon.

Day 40 ~ Back to back days of g-free chocolate cake

Yesterday, Carissa baked me a chick pea chocolate cake that was awesome. It actually was more like a brownie. Today I went to Julia's grandmother's 100th birthday party. I knew there would be cake. In fact, there were 3 kinds of cake. It was the first time that I felt tempted to eat a wheat flour cake...but I told myself to just eat an extra little bag of potato chips, since I was not getting cake. So I did. Then just as I finished bag 2 of chips, some g-free chocolate cup cakes showed up! I was so happy to eat a little cake, but I was bummed that I had eaten the extra bag of chips for no good reason!

Day 39 ~ A week of eating g-free away from home

Overall, I would say I did pretty well last week eating g-free while on vacation. There were times it was difficult both when eating out, and when eating in someone else's home. A few restaurants had limited amount of foods for me to choose from. Sometimes this made me unhappy when others were eating things I wanted to try. But I tried to focus on the conversation and having fun visiting--not the food. There were a few times I hit gold eating out--like when we went to eat Korean food--that worked great, and I had a wonderful naturally g-free dish that was so enjoyable. I even looked up the recipe for my dish, Bibimbap- http://rasamalaysia.com/bibimbap-recipe/

Eating at other peoples houses was a little tricky at breakfast. A couple times I had to pull out some g-free nutrition bars I brought along. To be polite, I did eat some chicken offered me, even though it was obvious to me that the coating was a light breading of wheat flour. But I survived with no ill effects. Sometimes it is better to be nice, than to do eat perfectly right.

Day 32....~ Going on my first g-free vacation

I am taking off today to go on a sister-in-laws road trip to see my pregnant niece, Monica, in Georgia. Us girls will be eating in the car while we drive. I really wish I had made up some good GF sandwich bread... but that has not happened yet. So I am taking a hard boiled egg, cheese, g-free crackers, and fruit. I should be fine, and hopefully not too messy! I am sure this will be a challenging week, trying to stay g-free, not only driving, but also while eating at someone elses' house. I don't want Monica to do anything extra for me...so we will just see what is naturally g-free that appears before me!

I will be back blogging next week--unless I manage to snag a computer while in Georgia...we will see.

Oh, by the way...want to do something to surprise me when I get back to the blog? Click on Followers on the right hand side of this blog. So far only Julia is my lone following. I know this is just to make me feel good--and yes, it does make me feel good to see your name on my following!

Day 31 ~ G-free cookies for company

Tonight I needed a plate of some small cookie/snack to serve guests...but it needed to be g-free, and I didn't want it to be a topic of discussion, so I needed cookies that seemed "normal." I first baked a pecan shortbread made with almond flour. It was ok, but not great. So Carissa took pity on me and made some coconut macaroons, then she threw in a few of her chocolate truffles she had in the freezer (David and I didn't eat the truffles). I added some grapes to the plate, to have some fruit.

I was quite nervous about this little offering. I SO wanted to explain why the cookies were a bit odd. But I wouldn't allow myself to justify them. The guests ate one of each thing, so I guess that is good, but then, what could they do but spit it out if they didn't like it? Thankfully, no one said anything. I need to find some better cookie recipes though.

Day 30 ~ A month of g-free

I can't believe it has been a month with no gluten. It really has not been that hard. Tonight I was at a church dinner that had hamburgers--we ate them with a fork (no buns).. And the huge array of various cookies for dessert was not a temptation at all. It really feels kind of free not to crave food, well most food anyway. I think I still have chocolate cravings, but I can indulge most of them, so that keeps me sane.

Do I feel better? Well, that is hard to say for sure. I do like that I never overeat, never feel too full, and never have that stuffed feeling. It is kind of hard to overeat g-free.

Day 29 ~ Keeping track of the gluten

Today Lillian came over for dinner--grilled cheese sandwiches. I had a few slices of wheat bread I used for Lil's sandwich, and then made David's and mine on g-free brown rice bread. I tried to keep all the wheat crumbs away from my rice bread, using a different knife for butter for each kind of bread...I had 2 spatulas going and separate plates, but then got them mixed up and turned all the sandwiches with the same spatula...It all got very confusing trying to keep the breads separate so no gluten crumbs would get on my g-free meal.

Then we walked to get ice cream from CVS. Lillian wanted an ice cream sandwich (she had never had one). So I partially unwrap it for her, and in the process get lots of the sticky black cookie on my fingers. Well, normally I would just lick this off my fingers...but what was I to do since I knew my fingers were full of gluten! So I had to walk home with messy fingers. You know, it is much more challenging to try to do two kinds of diets in the same house. That makes me thankful David is still hanging with me in this!

Day 27-28 ~ Gluten and xanthan gum

I have learned that xanthan gum is what steps in for a "sorta like gluten" substitute when baking. Most recipes require it to make everything work and hold together. But I suspected that xanthan gum is what is giving the overly-springy texture that is bugging me in g-free baked goods. But I didn't want to just take it out--because experiments that ruin your ingredients are no fun. So I kept researching and finally found a g-free blog where someone said they found that skipping the xanthan gum, or reducing the amount (which is usually less than 1 teaspoon) will give a more gluten-like texture, instead of a weird texture to quick breads like muffins or biscuits.  I just needed to see that statement in print! So I remade my biscuits from the other day, and left out the gum. They were good--much better I thought. However, I think next time I might add just a bare 1/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum and see how that does. It does seem that yeast breads absolutely must have the xanthan gum in them in order to make them work though. .

One other odd thing about baking g-free, is that you need to mix and stir a lot more than you would with wheat muffins or biscuits. When there is no gluten to activate and make the bread tough, it needs some air whipped into it to make things lighter--like biscuits dough needs to be worked a lot, rather than as little as possible like you would with a gluten flour.

My biscuit did make a nice sausage sandwich.

Day 26 ~ Buttermilk biscuits--or was that a crumpet??

Well, here is the foundation of bread eating in the south--buttermilk biscuits. G-free biscuits look reasonable, were easy enough to make...but once again, (you know I am going to say this, don't you?) the texture is odd. I did finally decide what it reminds me of though--a crumpet. These would make very good little biscuit sandwiches with sausage, eggs, or anything in them. They are sturdy and won't crumble. I didn't try them with gravy though--they seem to want jelly on them more than gravy.

Day 25 ~ Swedish Pancakes have gone G-free!

There are a few things I have been sad about giving up, but have hopes to find a g-free substitute for--Swedish pancakes, or crepes, is one of them. I have several GF cookbooks checked out from the library right now, and the other day I found a recipe for crepes in one, but it was disappointing, just reading it--I knew it wouldn't work. The instructions said to make them no more than silver dollar size, or they will fall apart. Well, what Johnson would ever make a Swedish pancake that small? You couldn't even put 1 strawberry half in that! I don't remember what flours were in the recipe, but I didn't like them either...

But then in another cookbook I found the prize. This recipe for crepes called for Sorghum flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum. That sounded like it would work to me, and it did! I made them this morning and they were almost as good as the real thing. In fact, they had one quality that even made them superior--they are strong! Even though they are tender, they have that odd stick-togetherness that other baked goods have had, with no crumb or tendency to fall apart easily. So, while these Swedish pancakes tasted very good, and were full skillet size, they also could easily be made up to use for some kind of wrap or tortilla I believe! I think they have a lot of possibilities.

Day 24 ~ Banana Nut Bread...almost normal

I made g-free banana bread today. It has the same odd springy texture that the muffins have. But the flavor is just right. I can't figure out what causes that notable gluten-free texture in baked goods. But I did find one good point about the texture...it leaves no crumb at all. I gave a slice to little Lila today and it was such a neat, clean snack...I didn't have to clean up crumbs off the floor or table or her clothes. That is pretty big with me--I like neat food for kids!

I made Chicken Cacciatore from my cookbook, What We Cook. I used a gluten-free flour to coat the chicken before browning, and I served it over quiona fettuccine. It is nice that I can easily adapt a favorite recipe.

Day 23 ~ Rainy day baking with my new flours

A cool-ish rainy morning inspired me to pull out my collected flours and recipes to try muffins once again. I wanted to use a flour that offered some nutrition and fiber. Teff flour does that well. (Isn't that an odd name--Teff? Who came up with that, I wonder?) It is actually a very nice flour. It is kind of brownish, much like whole wheat or bran in looks. But it baked up light and mild tasting. My recipe called for tapioca flour to go with it to make it all work. These muffins also had raisins and walnuts in them. So how did they rate? David liked them. I thought the flavor was nice, however, the texture still didn't seem right for a muffin--too light and fluffy but with no crumb at all. It is almost like everything sticks together too well. You probably have to experience it to understand it. So if anyone lives near me and wants to stop in to try one of these Teff muffins, I have 10 of them in my freezer!

I wanted to show you what I made for lunch and supper--this is brown rice couscous. It is similar to wheat couscous, and is delicious and has more fiber than the wheat variety. I think I purchased this at Central Market a couple weeks ago.

I took the leftovers from lunch and stir fried them with some vegetables and link sausage for dinner--very quick, easy, and tasty. This is a good dish even if you don't normally eat GF.

Day 21 & 22 ~ Back to g-free eating

Well, we finished our almost two day break from food, and all is well. We spent last night at Paulette's house in Tyler and she was so sweet to fix us a gluten-free spaghetti meal and g-free pancakes for breakfast today. And when we dropped by Karen's house on our way out of town, she had mango smoothies for us and sent us off with a box of g-free rice crackers to celebrate our clean bill of health.

We stopped in at Drug Emporium before leaving Tyler, where there is the largest selection of g-free foods I have found anywhere, even in Houston. We bought a boatload of supplies. I am so stocked up on every kind of flour, I could start a g-free bakery! Now, I just need to cook something...

On our way home we stopped for BBQ--which we have eaten more of the last 3 weeks than is normal for us. Turns out that there are always good g-free food choices at a BBQ joint, so it is one of our easy fast food places now.

Day 20 ~ Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, g-free day.

No slip up's today for sure. David and I are in the midst of a colon cleanse to prep for dual colonoscopys tomorrow. (Isn't that sweet.) We have been on a clear liquid-only diet today, so we are absolutely g-free!

Day 19 ~ Gluten-free does not mean free...What??

Ok, this is my funniest experience to date: I went to an outdoor grill at a swimming pool area today and asked what on their menu is gluten-free. The guy laughed and told me that none of it is free! I told him I said GLUTEN free, not just free. He then said, no they don't have gluten on the menu. So I responded that I meant WHEAT--what do they have that doesn't have wheat in it? Then the guy said that if I don't want wheat, I can have white bread instead! Finally, I realize that this guy has no idea what gluten-free means and has never even heard the word before. So I smile and order a salad.

Day 18 ~ Thanks, Julia!

A couple weeks before I went g-free, back when I was still just talking about it, Julia brought me over a quinoa, broccoli, cheese casserole. She said it was a g-free meal for my freezer to have on hand whenever I decided to start my gluten-free project. Today, I took it out and popped it in the oven for an hour, needing an easy meal tonight. It was wonderful! Thanks so much for thinking ahead of what I would enjoy, Julia! I will have to start making this myself, and always keep one in the freezer for an easy meal.

Quinoa is high in protein, and it is a complete protein, so with some veggies it can be a meal in a dish...

Day 17 ~ Encouragement helps!

A friend of mine, (Adam's Aunt Laura) sent me an encouraging email last night. Laura has rheumatoid arthritis, and has gone on a gluten-free diet to reduce inflammation in her body, and to hopefully get off some of her meds.  Since my main purpose is to reduce inflammation too (for osteoarthritis) I have been very interested in what Laura says about g-free life. I told her I had hoped for more improvement than I have gotten so far. Laura said it can take up to 3 months for things to get better. Here are her encouraging words, just when I needed them: "Stay with it, pray for God to bring the right info to you, and be encouraged. It just takes a while and IT IS WORTH IT to get our health back. We will find just the right "recipe" for our individual bodies."

Day 16 ~ G-free birdseed

I have been researching and buying all sorts of new grains and flours, particularly ones that have a high nutritional value--trying to make up for what we lost when we lost wheat. I haven't necessarily been using these yet, I just collect them at this stage...(it is too hot to bake, but I want to be ready if the urge hits me~~) I had to laugh when I read the description of Millet...
Millet is said by some to be more ancient than any grain that grows.  Where it was first cultivated is disputed, but native legends tell of a wild strain known as Job’s Tears that grows in the Philippines and sprouted “at the dawn of time.”

Millet is still well respected in Africa, India, and China, where it is considered a staple.  Here in the United States, it is raised almost exclusively for hay, fodder, and birdseed.  One might consider that to be a waste, especially when considering its high vitamin and mineral content.  Rich in phosphorus, iron, calcium, riboflavin, and niacin, a cup of cooked millet has nearly as much protein as wheat.  It is also high in lysine—higher than rice, corn, or oats. 


I guess I will give it a try (if birds like it, then I am sure I will too...maybe) along with the Tefff flour I have already purchased and the Amaranth flour I am still looking for.  This has become my challenge.

Day 15 ~ Pizza Problems

I bought a gluten free pizza mix--determined to start my search for a g-free pizza crust. So I mixed it up. It had a strange texture, and I just spooned the batter out onto the baking sheet and kind of flattened it a bit with my fingers, then I prebaked the crust.

You can see the crust is way too thick and puffy for a true pizza crust. But when the pizza was finished it was reasonable, and tasted ok.

The crust stayed very soft--almost cake like, however, and not pizza like. So I must continue the search for a g-free pizza crust. A mix (which contains white rice flour and potato flour) is not the answer. I have a couple recipe ideas to try next with different gluten free flours.  I was a little discouraged about this hassle.  But David didn't really have a problem with the pizza, except to say that the crust needed to be thinner. 

Day 14 ~ Our G-free treat

Desserts and sweets have been greatly reduced since going gluten free, now two weeks ago. To my surprise, I haven't missed them all that much. I know there are some new ways of cooking that I can eventually make some things, but I have just been eating what is easy so far--like a piece of dark chocolate, or chocolate covered almonds, or my latest...ice cream. There is a Baskin Robbins within walking distance of our house, so that has been our evening entertainment several times--walk to the ice cream shop for a dish, not a cone, of ice cream. I have never been a very big ice cream eater, but I can see how I might become a fan now--it is such an easy g-free dessert.

Day 13 ~ Fast food success

I went on a road trip with a friend today and knew I would need to stop for lunch at a fast food place. So before I left the house I looked up the gluten free menu at Wendy's. They have a more extensive g-free menu than most fast food places. It was nice to make my choices on line, so that I knew what to order when we went through the drive thru. So I had Wendy's chili, a baked potato, and a Cesar salad--minus the croutons. It worked out just fine. I didn't miss the hamburger at all.

I will say I think I am sleeping much better these days. And that says a lot, as I am a notoriously poor sleeper.

Day 12 ~ Oops, I messed up!

I have had no trouble at all staying away from gluten for the last 12 days. It is always uppermost in my mind before I eat anything and I have not had any trouble forgetting...until today, when I did my first slip up. I felt like lightening was going to strike me or something, but I lived. I had been riding my bicycle in 95 degree heat, and when I stopped at my destination I was offered a cold beer. Now I don't usually even drink beer, so it is not something I have thought about other than seeing that it is on the list of foods/drinks to avoid because they have gluten in them. But as I said, I was hot and thirsty so I said yes, and reached out and grabbed the bottle and took a sip (I wont say "swig" cause that sounds like I am a lush!). Well, the cold brew had barely passed my tongue till I remembered "the list" that I had just violated!

So then what happend? I am not really sure. I sort of felt that in about an hour I got very tired and draggy like I often do, though it had been much less so the past week. So was it the taste of gluten reacting, or did I imagine it made me draggy and foggy?...I am uncertain.

Day 11 ~ Staying full

I read today that when eating gluten free you can wind up not getting enough fat in you diet for good digestion. I guess I knew we all need a certain amount of fat--good fat that is. But I never thought I would be in danger of not getting enough of it! However, David and I have observed that we don't necessarily stay full very long after a g-free meal. And when I think about it, we really are having less fat than we used to have, just by not having breads or desserts. So I think I might be a little more liberal on the butter tomorrow and see if we stay full longer--how fun is that!

Day 10 ~ G-free Gravy

I needed some gravy for my pot roast today, so after researching several recipes, I made some gluten free mushroom gravy. Gluten sure does make everything easier to do--I can't figure out why a little gluten in your flour just makes it all work better, but it does. It took 2 different flour to make gluten-free gravy: white rice flour, and sorghum flour. The procedure is a bit different than how you would make normal gravy. It turned out good though, but when it cooled down the leftovers were like congealed paint. Weird.

Before I went gluten free, I only knew 1 person that lived like that. But now all of a sudden, it seems people are daily telling me about themselves or someone in their family that is g-free. There are a lot of gluten free people lurking around!

Day 9 ~ Are we better yet?

David and I keep asking each other, "Do you think you feel better yet?". David says he does not think so. I say not necessarily. I will say we both feel different, not as draggy as before going gluten free. But part of that feels like it might be from eating smaller meals. Somehow, gluten-free food does not make you want to pig out on it! So it is almost hard to overeat, and that in itself makes you feel better. I also don't think we feel the urge to snack as much as we  used to either. However, that said, I have been eating popcorn every single night...

At lunch today, Ben's single guy friend, Shane, dropped by. He is a big guy that I imagine can eat a lot of food--but we were having our usual light, gluten free lunch, so I asked if he would like to stay and eat with us. Shane never turns food down, so he stayed. In the "old days", I would have made the lunch hearty comfort food for a guy like Shane. But I served him what we had planned: Curried pork tenderloin cubes in coconut milk sauce served over Asian celaphane noodles--with no bread, and no dessert. So that was our first g-free meal we served a guest--and we held our heads high.

Day 8 ~ Books, that's what I need

I can only look at a computer screen so long when I am researching something, till I just want a book to hold in my hands to read about it! So I checked out my neighborhood library. It is a small, cute little library, and had a decent amount of books about gluten-free living. I came home with 3 of them.

One is a cookbook, and the other two give you the organized info for why going gluten-free is a good thing. This is something that is hard to distill into a short answer when people ask me "why?"

I used a recipe from the cookbook to make graham crackers, so that I could make crumbs of them to use for a graham cracker crust for a summer pie I want to make this week. The crackers themselves turned out so-so. Hopefully, they will make better crumbs than they did crackers!

Day 7 ~ Muffin Baking--not like the old days

I have been baking muffins since I was a teenager, and I consider myself kind of an expert on muffins. But baking gluten-free muffins is a whole new experience. I don't feel like an expert any longer--I feel like I am shooting in the dark. The problem is that it takes several different kinds of odd flours (some I never heard of) to duplicate the effects of wheat flour with gluten. The next problem, is that there is not a perfect standard. Every recipe I find is very different.  Basically, you choose different amounts of two or three whole grain flours, then a smaller amount of a couple starch flours. And what you choose just depends on what you are baking--some flours are better choices for cookies, some for muffins  some better for a loaf of bread. But really, you are encouraged by the recipe to "choose the flours that have worked best for you" Well, David said I just need to start baking some muffins so I know what works best for me. But I don't like going into a baking venture knowing that there is a good chance of failure--that's no fun! (and a waste of money and time I am thinking...).

After much studying of recipes, I decided on a muffin recipe (or more like a formula) that said to choose certain amounts from any variety of two different lists of flours, then there was a list of wet ingredients, and then a list of extras, like fruit or nuts. So I guess I was kind of just making up my recipe. I used quiona flakes, sorghum flour, potato starch, oat flour and xanthon gum. I threw in some blackberries I had picked last month, and just hoped I was not wasting them...

My muffins were not horrible, and they certainly are edible. If  I were to rate them, I would say they taste like a beginner baked them with gluten flour and stirred the batter too much, so that the muffin texture got slightly tough. But I did eat two of them, one right after another, so they are acceptable...or else I was just ready for something that felt like bread! I will try a different mix of flours next time.

Day 6 ~ G-free Communion

There are daily obstacles with a gluten free diet--but I actually had not thought about communion at church. Today felt like an example of how God knows your need before you are even aware of it yourself! We went to church with Ben and Julia this morning (Houston Vineyard) and it was communion Sunday. Before I even connected my thoughts to realize that a problem was coming, the pastor said that there would be a separate plate for those that are gluten free. Sure enough, there were gluten free rice crackers broken up, with even a sign on them and a picture from the front of the cracker package to reassure any uncertain soul. In all my years of taking communion at church, I have never heard of providing gluten free communion for those that needed it. So I have no complaints today!

Day 5 ~ Saturday gluten free blues

It is really hard to get a handle on meals. I worry about them all the time--I just can't decide what to fix. What I am in the mood to cook seems to either be too complicated, or I don't have all the ingredients for it. You can't just pull any old thing out and whip it up fast for gluten free. Right now while I am still learning I have to read the labels of everything, and there seems to always be a surprise with something. I grabbed a nut bar I had around, and just as I was starting to open it, I hunted my glasses down and looked at the ingredient list--yep, it has wheat in it. So it went in a drawer of food to give to grandkids when they are hungry! ha!

I did pull out stuff to make up some new peanut butter balls that I like--I gave my old ones to Carissa. I substituted flax seed meal for the wheat germ and bran that I used to use. It worked out good--so that was one thing I was happy about  today.

I think what will help is if I make a menu a few days ahead, and then make sure I have what I need for each recipe. I might do that tomorrow. I wish I had a gluten free cookbook. I keep having to go back to the computer to look things up, and I don't like that, as I keep loosing the websites where I see something I want to make!

We stopped at Jack in the Box while we were out running around today and got a milkshake and hashbrowns--that is all we could eat there! That is where the blues set in.

Day 4 ~ Gluten-Free Party Girl

We went to a party the evening of day 4--it was a Sunday School dessert party. It was the first time I had to say out loud to a semi-stranger, "I am sorry I can't eat the dessert--I am gluten-free." Yes, it did feel awkward! The host apologized right away, and pulled out some strawberries for me! There was a carton of ice cream on the buffet--sitting by a hot cobbler--and we could have eaten the ice cream I suppose. David never got questioned about why he was not eating a dessert. There were some lovely desserts on display. To my surprise, I really had no desire for any of them. I thought it would be hard to resist, but it wasn't.

I made spaghetti for lunch with some brown rice spaghetti. It was good enough--not my favorite kind of pasta texture, but I was ok with it. So spaghetti can remain on the menu. I am still going though what there is a substitute for, and what we just have to give up. It does feel a little lonely in this new place...

The McDonald's Adventure

Dinner on Day 3
Carissa asked us if we wanted to go to McDonald's with her family tonight to celebrate Lillian's graduation from kindergarten--yeah! But as soon as I said yes, the fear set in...How would I know what was gluten-free there? But no fear, Carissa downloaded an App on her phone that tells what menu items at each fast food joint are gluten free! Isn't that nice! My plan was to order a salad with grilled chicken--but guess what? That is not g-free!  But the Caesar salad alone is g-free, and the double cheeseburger without the bun is g-free--so that is what David and I ordered. We cut the double burger in half, then each cut it up in pieces to scatter on the two salads. It worked great although we later agreed we would have liked the full double burger on each of our salads. So next time we wont share the burger. The cost of the salad and the cost of the bun-less burger was still less that the cost of the salad with grilled chicken.

None of us could figure out what McDonald's does to the grilled chicken to render it NOT gluten-free as you would expect. I have heard that their French fries is coated in flour to make them crispier--so they are not g-free either.

Overall, I was happy with my meal, and did not feel deprived. I am not sure David felt that way--he is still grieving the loss of burgers in his life...poor guy.

My First 3 Days of Gluten Free

It's breakfast time on Day 1 of the g-free project. So we started out with scrambled eggs cooked with corn tortillas and salsa, and a mixture of fruit and yogurt for breakfast. Then we had quiona and sausage stir fried  for lunch--made up with what was in the fridge, basically. (I hadn't had time to plan anything better.) But then we had a decent dinner of honey peppered salmon, quiona salad made like tabouli, and roasted asparagus. I can see now that quiona, which we ate occasionally before, will be a regular on our table from now on. This gluten-free grain offers a lot of fiber and nutrition, which I feel we are loosing out on when we give up wheat.

Even though this was a lovely meal, all of the first day of g-free, I felt like I was in mourning for all the lovely things I had always made out of wheat: muffins, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, yeast rolls and breads, holiday baking, and not to mention pies, cakes, cookies and things like that! David mourned his breakfast cereals he loves, and hamburgers most of all...So the first day, though partly exciting, like a new adventure, felt very sad for the things we were saying good-by to.

Day 2 of g-free
I woke up feeling great! However, David woke up not as great, and had a couple grumpy spells of depression during the day. I read that this is normal for some people when wheat is taken out of their diet--the body is readjusting. I personally wondered if it was from the lack of carbs--since carbs give you a sense of well being. This is not a carb free diet at all, but there are definitely less carbs. We had eggs again for breakfast. I spent most of the day doing lots of research on how to cook and eat out when you are gluten-free.

My plan had been to just eat fruits and veggies and simple meats all summer--then figure out how to add some  gluten-free baking to our diet. Baking seems to be rather tricky with gluten-free flours. However, David looked up Houston Gluten Free Bakery, and wanted to go there, so we did. The bread there was $7.00 a loaf--a small loaf. We passed it up and went to Whole Foods. There we found some baking supplies. Then we tried out Walmart and found a good selection there too. I bought a gluten-free pancake mix and cornbread mix, plus some special flours to make muffins out of. We got David some Corn Chex, so he could have a breakfast cereal. Here again though, it bothered me that we were buying a cereal pretty low on the nutrition/fiber chart.

For lunch I cooked salmon patties with the leftover salmon, using arepa pre-cooked cornmeal for the coating on them (instead of bread crumbs). We had the quiona tabouli one last time, and sauteed zucchini and asparagus.

For dinner, we went to El Rey (a fast food Mexican/Cuban restaurant). It was pretty easy to order gluten free food. That felt like a reward. David said the problem he saw with the diet, is that he feels hungry between meals. I am not sure why this is, but I have kind of felt that too. We did remember we can eat ice cream, so we did that tonight!

Day 3
I woke up with a headache, feeling achy, and low energy. That was really discouraging. I sometimes wake up like this...but was not expecting it today. I wondered if maybe I had unknowingly eaten gluten at El Rey...but couldn't think what it would be...So I decided it was my "detox" period, kind of like David had yesterday. He seemed to feel better today himself.

I made rice flour pancakes for breakfast, and it almost felt like old times! They were good. We have been eating lots of fruit--more than our usual amount. We eat it more for snacks now, since there are a lot of snacks we can't eat. Yesterday I began pulling out all the gluten laden foods from the pantry, freezer and fridge to give away to Julia and Carissa. There was a LOT!! Today I arranged all the new foods in the pantry.