Nothing can compare to the pain we were suffering up until our diagnosis, right?. We had this huge wave of relief wash over us once we realize it can all be controlled by a simple diet change.

Oh, did I say simple?

Well, it can be if we don’t let ourselves get too overwhelmed. We have such a huge resource available to us now and that is the internet. Amazon is one amazing site that ships a ton of items free – I am going to cover that in more detail later.

The biggest challenge out there: FAMILY!

You think, oh sure they are going to be totally supportive and this will be easy. For those of you who fall into that category GREAT! Unfortunately, there are many of us who don’t. The biggest comment I get is, “Oh a little won’t hurt you.” They don’t realize how wrong they really are!

My reactions are different from my daughters. Just like hers is different from many other people. I get lethargic and sleepy. Sometimes I get a migraine or just plain achy. But like my daughter, I do get the severe stomach aches. Sometimes they end up making me so sick I don’t know if I should sit or kneel. Sorry for that image but it is a reality for most of us.  I have an amazing mother in law but she still does not understand the extent of this disease. She tried telling my daughter that, “Angel Food Cake does not have wheat in it. No, Only Flour!” [Read more...]

Honestly, this was my breakfast this morning!

I found this wonderful recipe for carrot cake but I had 8 zucchini that needed to be used up. I substituted 1 1/2 cup carrots for 2 cups zucchini (squeezed dry)  in the following recipe. I didn’t know if this recipe would actually turn out so I decided to try it as bread first. It was pure heaven. It was exactly like the zucchini bread I loved to eat growing up. Except this was all Gluten Free. I had a huge day of baking. I decided I was going to make a zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting for my daughters baptism.

Except I had 8 zucchini to use up, remember?

Only one loaf of bread was made but I made an astounding 8 cakes. Plus I was able to freeze enough shredded zucchini to make at least 8 more cakes. On occasion when I get the baking bug I will bake a few extra cakes and freeze them. That way they are on hand if we have a party to go to, the girls need it for school or we just plain feel like cake. I also do the same with cupcakes on occasion. In the end, I also made a half sheet yellow cake with caramel frosting. Boy is our church going to be in for the sweet tooth of their life!

Zucchini Cake/Bread

Original carrot cake recipe from Pamela’s Product’s.

• 3/4 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix

Yield: one layer or one loaf

Beat oil, eggs, and sugar together, then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Batter will be thick. Poor into a greased loaf pan (8 x 4) and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes (toothpick should come out clean), or use a greased 8-inch layer cake pan and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. This recipe doubles easily and came out great everytime.

Frost (if desired) with a cream cheese icing

Cream Cheese Icing

Gluten Free cooking can be incredibly daunting when first starting out.

To say the least! I am going to try and break it up into small sections so I don’t have any naps occurring while reading my blog. I can not stress enough the importance of finding a flour mix that suits your tastes and needs. Many people who are gluten intolerant are also sensitive to other grains, such as corn. There are many substitutions.

Please do not go out and buy every single flour that is labeled gluten free.

Unless you have an extra $100 or so to blow. If that is the case feel free! No, I am not exagerating. That is what I spent the first time I went out and attempted this whole process. I finally threw away some of those flours that I had purchased 5 years ago and never used. There are so many combinations. Some for baking and some for just cooking. I like to try and use only a few. It saves on cost.

Bette Hagman was one of the pioneers in GF cooking.

It took her many years to perfect the mixes and recipes but they are a huge benefit for those of us who came after her. This recipe is very simple to make and can be used to replace wheat flour in most recipes. I stress the words most because there will always be at least one recipe it won’t work well for. I highly recommend purchasing some of her books. They are very valuable resources.

Bette Hagman’s GF Gourmet Flour Mix

• 6 cups white rice flour
• 2 cups potato starch flour(not potato flour)
• 1 cup tapoica flour

These ingredient can be found at most grocery stores and sometimes you can get them on Amazon without paying the cost of shipping. I know all the Walmart Superstores I have been to carry rice flour and our little local grocery store carries all three flours. I know I haven’t said it yet but I live in the sticks and Walmart is our largest store in the area.

This disease can be a total lifestyle and life changing event.

I have been living with Celiac’s Disease for more than 5 years. I grew up with many stomach problems and was diagnosed as having Irritable Bowel at the age of 21. My friends would tease me and say I have the stomach of a 70 year old woman.

I could not eat anything!

I went through many doctors that just told me the same thing. Cut back on fatty foods and eliminate the foods that make you sick. Over a period of  8 years I was a frequent visitor in the ER. I had over 5 visits a year some of them only weeks apart. It wasn’t until I started reading online that something started to click and I thought I had figured out what was going on.   I went to visit a friend in Colorado and they had this amazing store called Whole Foods. I had never seen anything like it before. To say the least, I came home with a suitcase full of GF foods and I had been gluten free for over a week. [Read more...]