Update on Status of My Family’s Diet & GFCF Bread, again

First the bread, I am trying a new recipe, will share results later today or tomorrow. The recipe is from Gluten Free [Cooking School].  It uses a flour mixture made with masa harina (a type of cornmeal) plus soy flour, cornstarch and brown rice flour, all relatively cheap in my neck of the woods. Once again, I have high hopes for it. It’s rising right now, and I’m anxious to try it.

Next, we have been on our Gluten-Free, Casein-Free (GFCF) diet for almost a week now. These are our results.

Maggie (Mom)

• Fewer headaches, down to once a week instead of daily. Haven’t had a migraine since starting GFCF.
• Much, MUCH more energy. I think I had chronic fatigue, but never bothered to get it diagnosed because, well, my schedule allows for daily naps when necessary. Since starting diet I am sleeping 5 to 6 hours a night, waking naturally, and taking a nap in the afternoons. I feel more energetic, more vital, than I have in a while. This extra energy alone is worth the dietary change.
• Haven’t gained any weight. I’ve been eating sugar and starches, and haven’t gained a single pound. Not sure why. I hope it means that weight-loss will be easier in the long run.
• No tummy troubles. Zero indigestion, zero heartburn, zero bloating, zero gas.
• A very painful rash I used to get on my hands, made up of tiny blisters that both itched and ached, has cleared up. When it used to bother me really bad, I noticed that Benadryl (an allergy medicine) would give me some relief. Doctors have told me it’s eczema, due to stress. I never agreed with that diagnosis, but did pray often for the Lord to reduce my stress level (What stress level? I have to ask) so the bumps would go away. Certain dishwashing liquids helped, but nothing alleviated it completely. Today, it is almost all gone. Amazing!
• I feel happy. It’s a simple thing, but very satisfying.

Tommy (Asperger’s Syndrome).

 Describes himself as . . .

• Feeling more energetic
• Focusing energy is easier
• Having higher self-esteem
• Being more self-confident in public
• It’s easier to concentrate

 Mom notices . . .

• Much more patience
• Kinder
• Much more talkative
• Friendlier
• More social with family members and at church
• Thinking more clearly and quickly too
• Lighter spirit, not so heavy and serious, more open
• Less repetitive behavior
• Happier. Definitely happier

Jamie (ADHD)

• No changes what so ever. None. Zippo, finito, nada.

So, I have talked with Fred (who admits to seeing some changes, but not as many as I do) and to my Mom (who sees the same changes I do and others besides) and the boys. We have decided to be a GFCF family. Outside of the house if Jamie wants to eat “regular” food then that’s fine. In the house though I’m keeping everything and everyone on the same diet. Tom is very happy about the changes he feels and wants to continue the diet. He explains it like this “I’m autistic, so I have to eat a special diet. No gluten. No dairy.” This is the very first time he has actually said the words “I’m autisitc.” So that in and of itself is HUGE progress. It’s sort of like he’s blooming. Slow and steady, a little more every day.

In all honesty I really thought that the GFCF diet for autism was probably a bunch of wishful thinking on the part of the parents. It seemed like “New Age Mumbo Jumbo” to me. Before “resorting” to the diet we tried several different meds, none of them worked and some made things worse. We tried psychiatrists, psychologists, and a handful of doctors. I took him out of public school, in part because I could see that it was nearly killing him to go there everday. I saw how much he was hurting. We also have religious beliefs that made us take the boys from public school and teach them at home, but a big part was that the school could not treat Asperger’s Syndrome with any effectiveness. If anything their so called “treatment” made it worse.

I’d heard about a GFCF diet helping kids with autism for a few years. I read things online, but never really researched it in any depth. In fact I think I ignored and even avoided any information on it because I thought it was pointless. I was also terribly reluctant to even think about changing our diet. It would be too expensive, it would be too hard, too limiting, too different.

Finally I reasoned that if there was anything to the diet, that my kids at least deserved a shot at it. Praise God I finally did it. I think He had a lot to do with guiding me in this direction. So we tried it and I am now a True Believer. I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong about this diet. It really does make a difference, and I’m seeing that for us (a family who cooks most things from scratch) the changes in our diet are pretty minor. I have to switch some of my formulas for baking. I have to use cornstarch for thickening instead of flour. I have to use non-dairy products instead of dairy. For the most part though, I’m still cooking normal food. Our grocery bill will go up. I can see that. But I will simply do what I do best, and that is learn cheaper ways to create the stuff we want to eat. I mean, God gave me that skill for a reason, so I might as well use it.

So, I will be making a few changes to my website (Frugal Abundance) as I sort out this GFCF thing. I will update recipes. Add more recipes. Maybe even write new articles.

We are now a GFCF family, and we will be here on out.

Fried Rice Recipe & Interesting Blog: Gluten Free Frugal

Gluten Free Frugal–a blog I stumbled upon today. It’s not dairy free, but the information is good. Thought some other folks might be interested in it too.

Includes an interesting article My 5 Basic Rules for Eating Gluten Free On A Budget.

 

KID FRIENDLY FRIED RICE RECIPE

• 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups cold, cooked rice (1-cup dry makes 3-cups cooked)
• 1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables or peas and carrots
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or 1 or 2 tablespoons GF soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• Optional: 2 eggs-beaten, tofu, chicken, beef, pork, ham, sliced hot dogs etc., about 1-cup chopped into bite-sized pieces.

Cut the bacon into small pieces. Place in a very large skillet or wok. Add onion. Fry until the onion and bacon are both lightly browned. Add the rice, frozen veggies and black pepper. Stir-fry until the rice is coated with the bacon fat and the veggies are thawed. Add salt or soy sauce and if desired any combination of the optional ingredients. We usually add 6 to 8-ounces of cubed tofu because the kids both like it. (I don’t know why my kids like tofu, but they do.) Adding the eggs is traditional, but we don’t always do it. If you do add the eggs then move the rice mixture to one side of the pan. Pour the eggs into the empty side of the pan and scramble as desired. After cooking them a minute or two, stir them in with the rice and veggies.

Continue to fry everything together until piping hot. Serve in bowls with chopsticks or a spoon. If you’re kids are veggie-friendly then a pound of frozen stir-fry veggies may be substituted for the mixed veggies. This isn’t as popular at our house, so I usually use mixed veggies instead. If you’re avoiding bacon then feel free to omit it and use 3-tablespoons of vegetable oil instead.

Maggie’s First GFCF Homemade Yeast Bread

UPDATE Thursday, May 15, 2008. I feel it’s only fair to share that my Mom and Fred both call this bread “only edible”. Neither of them are GFCF, but they are in agreement that this bread doesn’t taste “normal”. The boys and I both like it, but I admit to being on the lookout for new recipes. I want something that meets my high standards of pleasing all, not just GFCF folks. On the other hand, the muffins from the previous post are magnificent no matter who you’re cooking for, so that’s at least 1 big success. CLOSE UPDATE

 

First off I want to give Tom all the credit for the recent photographs. He’s getting really good at it and has been unbelievably cooperative. Praise God! And thank-you Tom.

Next, we’ve tried 2 types of store-bought GFCF bread, both by Ener-G–White Rice Loaf & Brown Rice Loaf. Both of them are best toasted, but for the most part the guys said “Yuck! too dry.”

My bread however, has been met with much approval. It’s dense, like homemade whole-grain bread, but still velvety and moist. The flavor and texture are divine. It’s easy to slice thinly after it cools completely. I baked it in a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and it didn’t get as tall as we like for sandwiches. Next time I will bake it in an 8 by 4-inch pan for a taller slice of bread.

This bread is good enough (especially after trying the store-bought stuff) that we can eat it every day and not feel deprived. It doesn’t taste exactly like wheat bread, but it doesn’t taste like it’s not wheat bread either.

First you must prepare the flour mixture.

MAGGIE’S FIRST GF FLOUR MIX

• 24 ounces or 4-1/2 cups white rice flour
• 1 cup soybean flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Combine all together. Makes about 7 cups. Store on the pantry shelf in a clearly labeled, resealable container. This recipe uses ingredients that are inexpensive in my local stores, assuming I grind my own rice flour. If I have to buy pre-ground rice flour, then it’s cheaper to order it off of the Internet. I haven’t tried it with brown rice flour yet, but hope to soon.

Now you can prepare the bread. It is loosely based upon the True Yeast Bread recipe in The Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman.

MAGGIE’S FIRST GF YEAST BREAD

• 1-3/4 cups soymilk, heated to luke warm
• 1/4 cup melted butter-flavored shortening or vegan margarine
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups GF Flour Mix (above)
• 1 tablespoon Xanthan Gum
• 1-1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Up to 1/4 cup water, as necessary
• Coconut Oil or Solid Shortening for greasing the pan

In a large stand mixer combine the soymilk, butter and eggs. Beat with regular beaters (not dough hooks) until well mixed. Add the brown sugar, flour, xanthan, yeast and salt. Beat with beaters until you have a stiff dough. If the beaters are laboring and the dough is crawling up the beaters out of the bowl then gradually add a little water until the dough stops crawling. The beaters may strain a little bit, but the dough shouldn’t crawl. Beat for 3 minutes. Remove the beaters from the bowl and scrape any dough back into the bowl.

Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours. It will get puffier, but won’t exactly double in bulk. After rising smash the dough down with hands that have been well coated with oil or shortening. Generously rub a bread pan with solid shortening, it works better for keeping bread from sticking than anything else. Scrape the dough into the pan and coax the top into as smooth a surface as you can manage. As you can see from my picture my surface was not smooth in the least, but it still tastes good.

Lightly grease the plastic wrap and place it loosely over the bread dough. Let rise for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until risen slightly higher than the top of the pan. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. The bread will be golden brown and crusty. Allow the bread to cool for an hour and then place in a plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap. When completely cooled the crust will be softer and the bread will be gloriously easy to slice.

I have stored the bread in the pantry at room temperature because we have gone through it quickly. If I were keeping it more than a few days I would store it in the fridge. Since it’s easy to slice thin, it seems to provide more slices than conventional bread.

I haven’t tried it, but suspect this recipe could also be mixed and risen in a 1-1/2 or 2 pound bread machine on the dough cycle. Then it can be punched down, shaped into a pan, risen and baked in a regular oven. I do not know how it would perform when baked in a bread machine, but if anyone tries, please let me know your results. If your bread machine has been used for wheat-breads in the past be certain to clean it fastidiously before making gluten-free bread. This will eliminate cross-contamination.

I think it will make great rolls and may even try it for pizza another time. Next time I make it I’ll double the recipe for 1-loaf of bread and about a dozen hamburger buns.

I found the bread easy to mix and easy to prepare. Since I didn’t know exactly what would happen while it was rising, that was definitly a learning experience, but similar enough to conventional wheat-bread that I wasn’t too surprised by anything.

Any questions feel free to ask.

GFCF Day 5–Pizza & Preacher Cookies

I had a good day yesterday. I cooked and had relative success. For me this isn’t always the case. I’ve had plenty of kitchen catastrophes over the years but I try to look at them as stages in learning. For snacks yesterday we had Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Preacher Cookies (recipe will follow shortly) and for dinner GFCF Pizza. I continue to be amazed at just how good Vegan Gourmet Cheese is. I used Mozzarella Style for the pizzas and it was almost impossible to tell that the cheese was dairy-free. I say almost because if you were really looking for differences, they could be found. But if you were just eating pizza, well then, one would be hard pressed to notice the cheese was different.

For the preacher cookies I used GF rolled oats by Bob’s Red Mill and they cost a small fortune. $5 for 2-pounds. It took about 1/2-pound to make the cookies, and I have to say that in the future I will be saving oats for very specific, popular uses, such as Preacher Cookies or maybe Oatmeal Cake (which I haven’t made GFCF yet, but hope to one day)

GFCF PREACHER COOKIES

• 1/2 cup soymilk (rice milk would probably work too)
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine ( I use unsalted) or butter flavored shortening
• 2 cups white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (make sure it’s gluten-free, Kroger brand is)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (these are a little thicker than conventional old-fashioned rolled oats)

In a large saucepan combine the soymilk, margarine or shortening, sugar, cocoa and salt. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil rapidly for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture has just barely reached the soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Finally stir in oats. Mixture will be a little thin. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cookies will harden in about 10 minutes. If for any reason they do not, then refrigerate and eat anyway. They still taste out-of-this-world! Makes between 12 and 18. These are far too good, and should only be made sparingly.

 

GLUTEN-FREE, CASEIN-FREE PIZZA

CRUST

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• Cornstarch for dusting
• Vegetable Oil for greasing pans.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, forming a very thick, sticky batter. Divide the batter in half.

Pour 1-tablespoon of oil onto each pizza pan. Plop half of the dough/batter onto each pizza pan. Dust the top of the dough generously with cornstarch so it won’t stick to your fingers. Press the dough out to the edges of the pan. This is a little tricky and a little sticky, but it was easier than some Box’O'Pizza Crust Mixes I’ve used. Prebake the crusts for about 8 minutes at 400°. They will be a little puffy, but not browned.

Remove the crusts from the oven. Drizzle each crust with another taplespoon of vegetable oil.

TOPPINGS

• 10 ounces Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 26 ounce can GFCF Spaghetti Sauce
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 or 2  4-ounce cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained, optional
• Other toppings as desired

First shred all of the cheese and set it aside. This is a great job for a helper.

Next fry the ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up into small bits as it cooks. When well browned add the salt and pepper. Pour half of the Spaghetti Sauce in the pan with the beef. Reserve the remaining sauce for later in the recipe. If desired add some mushrooms to the beef too. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.

Pour the reserved half a can of Spaghetti sauce over one of the crusts. This will be the cheese pizza. Sprinkle it with 6-ounces (a little more than half) of the Vegan Mozzarella. Add mushrooms, or other toppings if desired. Sprinkle 2-tablespoons of nutritional yeast over the Mozzarella.

Spread the meat mixture over the remaining crust. This will be the meat pizza. Sprinkle 4-ounces of Vegan Mozzarella over the meat. Finally top with 2-tablespoons of nutritional yeast.

Bake the pizzas at 400° for about 15 minutes. The cheese pizza may need a little less, the meat pizza may need a little more. When the cheese is lightly browned and well melted remove the pizza from the oven. Cut each into 12 slices and serve. Makes enough for 6 hearty servings.

This crust is adequate, but not excellent. The boys loved it, but to me it seemed a little coarse and crumbly. I did like the fact that it went together so quickly and that it was easy on me, the cook. I will experiment in the future to find a crust that more approximates what we’re used to. On the bright side, the crust was better than many frozen pizzas I’ve had in my lifetime, so I might be a little too particular on this matter.

Click for closeups:     Meat Pizza     Cheese Pizza    

GFCF Day 3

I’m happy to report that so far everything is going just fine. No terrible breakdowns or tantrums from the guys, although they were kind of goofy for a couple of days. We’ve found things they can eat and they have been cooperative about trying new things. Not lots of new things all at once, but one or two new things a day.

Some things are definitely in my favor. For one, they are used to me experimenting in the kitchen, so all the new stuff is not so weird. It’s just Mom on one of her kicks. Also, we’ve got the whole family cooperating with us, no one saying bad stuff about it, and that is tremendous help. I believe I’m seeing changes in behavior, but it may be my imagination. Not exactly certain one way or the other yet.

We’ve tried Vegan Gourmet Cheddar Cheese and it is superb. The texture is not the exact same as dairy cheese, but it’s still pleasant. And the flavor is as good as expensive aged cheddar. I will definitely be using this more often. Most folks say it tastes good melted and I would have to concur on this point.

I made my first GF flour mixture today. I’ve read about a dozen different ones from different cookbook authors, and they all have some similarities and some differences. A commenter was kind enough to share an article titled Solving the GF Flour Mix Mystery. It’s a good article and I recommend reading it.

Anyway, after looking at the combinations I thought I might try my own. I used flours that are less expensive than those suggested in some GF Flour Mixes. The recipe is easy enough–

MAGGIE’S FIRST GF FLOUR MIX

• 24 ounces or 4-1/2 cups white rice flour
• 1 cup soybean flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Combine all together. Store on the pantry shelf in a clearly labeled, resealable container.

So after making the flour mix I tried a muffin recipe. They turned out very nice. The kids liked them, Fred loved them. The texture is very similar to conventional muffins.

MAGGIE’S FIRST GFCF MUFFIN RECIPE

• 2/3 cup soymilk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup GF Flour Mix
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

In a medium-sized bowl beat together the soymilk, vinegar, egg and oil. Mix well. Add the flour mix, salt, sugar and baking powder. Beat again until everything is well moistened but a few small lumps remain.

Turn the batter into well oiled muffin cups. I used extra-large muffin cups and filled them about half full. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. These muffins do not rise as high as wheat-muffins. Mine turned out short and wide, perfect for cutting in half and using instead of a biscuit for ham or bacon. They were also good spread with margarine and topped with jam. I got 6 muffins. I will make these again for a quick dinner bread or for breakfast sandwiches.

AT the moment I have a batch of bread made from this Flour Mix rising in the oven. I’ll share how it turns out later.

Another quick note, I have realized that a GFCF diet is based upon rice and soy, whereas a standard American diet is based upon wheat and dairy. It could be lots of people already figured this out, but it was a “Eureka Moment” for me.

GFCF Day 1

We’ve been 24 hours without gluten or casein now. My oldest son is showing a little bit of response this morning. Youngest Son is not enjoying the dietary changes but is still being a relatively good sport. Oldest Son seems to like the new food, especially Oriental Rice Noodles. They are the new favorite. So at least there is food he can eat. He won’t starve. Phew! That was one of my fears.

I learned a few lessons at the supermarket yesterday. First is that my nearest Kroger has the largest GF selection in the Valley. That’s good to know, and convenient for me too. I met the manager of the Special Diet Section yesterday and he showed off his area. Nice young man, who obviously takes pride in his work. I think his mom has Celiac, or at least some family member, so he has the inside scoop on all the GF products.

He also has sales and a bargain basket of reduced products. The bargain basket had saving of 70% to 80% so I chose a lot of things from it, to try out. Specifically some baking mixes. Cornbread, chocolate cake, yellow cake, pancake and waffle mix etc. I did the calculating and the mixes were much cheaper than some of the ingredients that go into them. I praised the Lord the whole time, for providing such abundance.

The biggest money-saving lesson I learned is that anything labeled Gluten-Freein large letters costs at least twice as much as a similar gluten-free product that doesn’t proclaim it on the box in giant-sized print. For instance, GF chocolate chips that shout their status from the label cost $4.59 for 10-ounces–or about 46¢/oz.  After reading the label to make sure they were dairy-free too, I decided they were way outside of my budget, and resolved to find cheaper alternatives. In the regular baking section of the market I looked over the chocolate chips and was happy to see a wide variety. I picked up the most expensive ones and read the label. They contained milk, so were out of the question. Next I picked up the cheapest ones and read their label. Their list of ingredients was the exact same a the expensive GF variety. A quick check of their price told me they cost $1.29 for 12-ounces–or about 11¢/oz. Obviously this is a wiser use of limited funds. (BTW, the brand is Kroger’s discount VALUE brand, for anyone who might be interested.)

Then a funny thing happened in my brain. For a moment I considered paying$4.59 just for the peace of mind that those big letters GLUTEN-FREE gave me. For a split second, I waswilling to pay extra for that reassuring package label. Then I came back to myself and re-read the cheap chocolate chips label to be sure it truly was GFCF. I’m happy to report that it still was, and that they taste just like regular chocolate chips, which in fact, they are.

So my first lesson is that if I’m willing to read lables myself, and trust my own ability to interpret them, then I can save a bundle. How cool is that?! I admit that at first I didn’t really want to trust myself in this regard. As a fully mortal woman, I will make mistakes now and then, missing some of the sneaky words like malt, which comes from barley, and whey, which is dairy. The large quantities of money I save though, will make up for these occasional mistakes, and still provide big savings. After some prayer I decided that I may not always read labels perfectly, but I’m willing to take that chance in exchange for lower prices. At home I can always read the labels again before  I prepare anything, as a stop-gap before any offending foods make it into the kid’s diet.

One of the greatest bargains I found was rice noodles in the Oriental Section of the market. They’re less than half the price of special GF rice spaghetti and have an excellent texture. They’ll work for spaghetti, Lo Mein, and noodle stir-fries. Plus the kids love them! I’ll bet their even cheaper at my local Oriental market.

The next big lesson I learned is that most of the grains and starches I will be using are over-priced in my local area. I bought small quantities of some things, like Amaranth and Quinoa, Potato Starch and Tapioca Starch, Brown Rice Flour & White Rice flour, just to use them for the next 2 weeks. If we decide to stay with this way of eating, then I will definitely look for cheaper alternatives on-line. Whole grains are often cheaper than flours, so I’ll buy the grains and grind them myself in the future. I have a magnificent Oriental Food Store nearby that has giant sacks of brown rice for very little per pound. And parboiled rice (my favorite white variety) for very little too. So that is where I’ll get my rice for grinding into flour. It will cost as little as 15¢/lb instead of $1.50/lb, which was the price of the most expensive rice flour I saw yesterday. Eeep! That is expensive flour!

As for menu planning and meals, the cooking is much the same as we do already. Prepare foods from scratch using the most basic and inexpensive ingredients. I’m looking forward to learning some more about baking with GF grains. I’ve always enjoyed baking and it will be fun to expand my horizons.

To help the boys feel a little more secure about meals, I’ve written menus up on the white board, so they know what they’re eating next. It alleviates anxiety that is a normal part of changing one’s diet. My oldest, Tom, is happy with the changes. My youngest is tolerating them with a cooperative spirit. So far, so good.

My Initial List of GFCF Menus

I’ve been reading with a voracious appetite this past week. My libraries seem to be well stocked with gluten-free information, but only a few books on gluten-free, casein-free. They have a couple of others on the topic but they’re currently checked out. I am not ashamed to say that I have brought home 20+ books on Celiac and GF and have devoured them for information. I have a pretty good handle on how to do my first shopping trip. I’ve learned to read all labels. Also, there is a law that started (or starts) this year, requiring manufacturers to clearly list any ingredients from the 8 main causes of allergies-wheat, milk, soy, shellfish, tree nuts, eggs, peanuts & fish. Apparently these 8 account for 90% of America’s food allergies.

I’ve chosen familiar, well-liked menu items for our first 2 weeks. The menus are incomplete. I’ll add meats, fruits & veggies as available, to fill the menus out. I wanted to know what Tom would be eating specifically, so these are mostly geared towards his taste choices. I’ve read that after implementing the diet, children who self-limit their food choices, like Tom does, become more willing to exand their horizons. I would really enjoy that, cause it would make him much eaiser to cook for.

BREAKFAST OPTIONS

• Grits

• Chocolate Soymilk & Protein Drink Mix Smoothie

• GFCF Pancakes & Syrup

• GFCF Toast with Vegan Margarine & Bacon

• Rice Chex with Soymilk

LUNCHES

• Refried Beans & Corn Chips

• Pasta with Spaghetti Sauce

• Mashed Potatoes & Vegan Cheese

• Bean Burritos (corn tortillas)

• Caesar Salad with Bacon Bits (no cheese & no croutons)

• GF Macaroni & Vegan Cheese

• TVP Sloppy Joes

• CF Cheese Sandwiches & GFCF Tomato Soup

DINNERS

• Pinto Beans & GF Cornbread or Muffins

• Lentils & Rice—Mexican

• Lentils & Rice—Italian

• TVP Tacos

• Taco Salad

• GFCF Lasagna—Add veggies & tofu

• GFCF Pizza—Add pepperoni

• Fried Rice

• Stir Fried Veggies, Rice & Shrimp (maybe)

SNACKS

• Preacher Cookies (Quinoa or Kamut or Rice flakes instead of Oats or GF Oats if available)

• Brownies (Rice flour)

• Muffins—Blueberry

• Fruit Juice Gigglers

• Fruit—Lots

• Veggies—Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers etc.

• Vegan Ranch Style Dip for Veggies

• Celery Stuffed with Peanut Butter

• Soy Yogurt

• Cookies as I experiment

• Vegan Gourmet Cheese & Other Vegan Cheeses as available

• Marshmallow Rice Chex Bars (like Rice Crispy Bars)

• Maybe Carrot Juice (from juicer)

When shopping I’ll get lots of fresh fruit, because that’s a family favorite. I’ll also look at the GFCF pre-packaged snacks to see just how expensive they are. I’m almost afraid to find out. Meanwhile I’m looking though my library books to get some simple baking recipes like for pizza crust, muffins, yeast bread, cornbread, brownies & pancakes. I’m also looking for GFCF cookie recipes, which seem to be in abundant supply online.

 

I have a few fears about Vegan Cheese. last time I tried them they were rubbery and tasted more like ill-prepared tofu than cheese. I have a couple of cookbooks in my collection with some Vegan Cheese recipes, and I plan on experimenting with them too, until I can find a cheese substitute that works for macaroni & cheese. I’ve read good things about Vegan Gourmet cheese and hope it turns out as good as described. If not, I’ll just keep looking.

 

For shopping I’m looking at 3 sources–My local Natural Foods Co-Op. They have a lot of really interesting foods there. Also GNC which has a moderate selection of gluten-free items. And finally Kroger, we have 3 of them within 3 miles, and they all have well-stocked natural and dietetic food sections. I’ll also do my regular shopping on Tuesday at Wal-Mart, but probably won’t be buying too much there. Luckily the GNC and Krogers are all very close together so it won’t take much gasoline. The Co-Op is about 15 minutes away, which will eat into my gas some, but they have the best prices and are likely to have the best selection, so it’s worth the trip.

 

The reason I’m willing to shop 3 stores (and maybe 5) is because this excursion is for educating myself just as much as for purchasing actual products. I’m intend to limit the number of items I buy to those needed for our 2 week experiment. Then, if the experiment is working, I’ll consider making other purchases.

 

Oh, I just remembered, we have a UKrops (local to VA) and they have massive variety of hard to find items. I may go there and the Co-op on one day. Then Kroger(s) and GNC on the second day. I’m afraid of the sticker shock waiting for me, but am moving forward with faith. I have prayed that the Lord stop me if any of this is’t His will. I’ve also prayed for a clear understanding of His desire for me to keep heading in this direction.

 

I’ve explained to the kids that they may get headaches the first few days of the experiment, and that they may feel anxious or unhappy, but that these are symptoms of letting go of the gluten and casein. My oldest is still cooperative. My youngest is a little leary, but since everyone in the family is doing it, he’s not going to complain yet.

 

This afternoon I visit with my Mom and Granny and will explain the situation to them and my Dad. I’ll need their cooperation and I’m not sure how I’ll handle the meal that the Boys eat with them on Wednesday Nights. Maybe pre-make a couple of pizzas and take them with me, with instructions on how to bake them for Mom. I’ll also bring some snacks like candy-cookie things. Mom already buys soymilk, so that’s a plus.

 

Tomorrow Mom and Granny are coming over to help with the boy’s room some more. We’re about half-way into it, and hope to start painting tomorrow.

Another Jumper Pic & Pet Pics Too

Over the weekend we did some picture taking and thought y’all might enjoy the results.

  

 (Above) New Navy Blue Print Jumper. Looking at the picture I think the sleeves of my t-shirt are a little short, but otherwise I’m very pleased with this one. It’s my new favorite.

 (Above) This is Tony, we don’t know if Tony is a He-Tree-Frog or a She-Tree-Frog, so we call it Tony. Tony lives right outside our front door, near the deck. We can see him/her all spring and summer. We are proud of our Tree-Frog. It’s the first we’ve ever had.

 This is Fluffy. He is a big, charcoal grey, fluffy long hair. He is the sweetest natured cat I’ve ever owned. He is a very big cat, even aside from the fur. His paws are like big-foot, but he wasn’t willing to share them for the camera. (Photo Credit–Tom)

 This is Pepper. He is a brat. He is a little bit clumsy. He is Fluffy’s uncle by blood and his sibling by adoption. I love Pepper mostly because I have a soft spot in my heart for bratty kitty-cats. He kills bread. When he was a baby neighbors used to throw old bags of bread into the woods and he learned to kill them (the bags of bread, not the neighbors). Now we must always hide the bread from him because he has a compulsion to kill it. Homemade bread is his favorite. He also likes styrofoam and beating up the other cats and the dogs for that matter. He is King Kitty in our house. (Photo Credit–Tom)

 This is Princess Scraggle Muffin. She was a scrawny tiny runt when we got her. Her litter-mate is Fluffy. He was twice her size. Now she is no longer scraggly. She is a princess. Scraggy is the most feminine cat we’ve ever owned, and we’ve owned a lot of cats. The mom of Fluff and Scragg is named Faith. She is a beautiful tortiseshell who lives with my Aunt Linda and Granny, but I don’t have a picture of her. She is patient and kind like Fluffy and Feminine like Scraggy. Scraggle is so spoiled that she cannot take a nap unless she is laying on a person or a pillow.  (Photo Credit–Tom)

I could not get a picture of my very old woman cat named Snow-Bell. She is nearly 20 and uncooperative.

This is Obi-Wan-Kanobi as played by Douglas, my nephew. My mom is holding him.  He has just got done skinny dipping in a baby-pool on their deck and is now snuggling up with G-Ma for the start of a nap.

Breakthrough

Hello, My name is Maggie and I have nutritional issues that are driving me bonkers. I don’t know exactly what my nutritional issues are so I am groping around in the dark trying to find solutions. My doctors and health care professionals are not especially aggressive about treating me. As a matter of fact, they are complacent. That doesn’t mean I have to be. I know something is wrong. I thought it was just PCOS and carb-sensitivity. Now I’m not so sure.

So, as part of my fumbling and lurching from “perfect diet” to the next I have decided to try gluten-free. I have resisted this for 5 years. I am now so frustrated however that I am willing to try almost anything for relief.

I came to this through a couple of channels. First, a commenter on my blog suggested I should look into it. It made me mad because a score of readers have suggested this to me over time and the idea of living without wheat made me angry and sort of scared, so I said to myself “No Way! Not me!” I thought gluten-free was a new fad and that I was not about to jump on every fad just because it was passing my door.

Only as luck would have it, I happened upon this book about the connection between ADHD and Austism and gluten (wheat protein) sensitivity and casein (milk protein) sensitivty. So I read the book and felt ill. My oldest son has Autism–Aspergers Syndrome specifically. My youngest has ADHD and is on meds. Sigh. Then I looked up correlations between PCOS and Gluten Sensitivity and discovered there is a link.

So I did some testing on myself, 3 days with no gluten, then I had a low-carb tortilla. 5 Carbs, so if I experience discomfort I know it’s not from too many carbs. And guess what, about an hour after eating the tortilla I was uncomfortable, lots of tummy troubles and I thought huh! So then the next day I tried some M’N'M’s. Lots of carbs. No discomfort what-so-ever. How can that be? Could I be sensitive to gluten? Is this in addition to PCOS or is the gluten sensitivity what is causing my PCOS? I have no idea.

I will ask my doctor to test for gluten sensitivity when I see her next, well actually my nurse practitioner. And if she can’t do that then I will find someone else who can. Meanwhile, I will avoid gluten.

Also chatted with my guys about the stuff I found out and told them that next week, after payday, we would, as a family, do 2 weeks gluten and casein free. My oldest, the one with Autism, was unusually cooperative in his spirit. I found that providential. God provides for His children. After explaining to eldest son why and how we would do it, he agreed to give it a try. He lives off of wheat and cheese, so it will be challenging to say the least, but I intend to pray my way through it and try it anyway.

Physicians live by the oath “Do No Harm.” I figure a GFCF (gluten free casein free) diet can’t hurt any of us, maybe it will help us. We’ll know more in 2 weeks.

So from now to then I’m continuing my lowcarb regimen. And on Friday or Saturday I’m going shopping. And on Sunday (or maybe Saturday) we’re going gluten free to see what happens. And if things get better for all of us, great. And if they don’t, well then I’ll lurch on to the next idea that I stumble over in the dark.

So after thinking all of this through I wondered to myself, well what if the boy’s doctor or my doctor say none of us are gluten or casein sensitive and what if they think I’m a crack-pot? I hate it when our doctor’s think I’m a looney tune. So I chatted with my Mom about this and she reminded me that I do not have to think for the Doctors and I do not have to live with the doctors. I have to live with myself and with my boys. And it doesn’t matter if the Doctors agree with me or not. If I have success, then that is that. Stick with it. And if nothing changes, well then–nothing ventured, nothing gained.

This is revolutionary thought for me. I feel like I have multiple-personalities when it comes to dietary needs. I hop from one idea to anther and that must mean I’m crazy right? No. It doesn’t mean that at all. It means I’m a reasonably intelligent woman who has not yet found the right nutritional balance. I sense something is wrong and I want to correct it. This is not crazy behavior, this is sane behavior. I try something, it doesn’t work, so I try something else.  It’s not  as I feared, evidence of being flaky or nuts. Instead this behavior on my part is direct evidence of my desire to be well.

So yes, I have nutritional schitzophrenia. That’s okay. I will have until I am able to determine exactly what is wrong with me and how to fix it.

I have high hopes for gluten-free. If this is IT then I can finally rest and go ahead and start eating right. I want to eat right. I have such an incredibly strong desire to eat right, to nourish and love my body. I have tried every method of eating right I can, and some have made me feel better than others. And I will keep trying until I figure out what it is that is making me sick. Like when I had hepatitis and though I was crazy with anorexia. Like when I got PCOS and thought I was crazy with obesity. Both times I later found it was a disease causing my symptoms. Well this time I don’t think I’m crazy. I think there is a dis-ease. A problem causing my symptoms and slowly but surely I will continue until I discover what it is.

If anyone has an extra moment and feels moved by the Spirit, I could use a few extra prayers about this, for myself and the kids.

 

Med’s & Cleaning Supplies. Another Post for our Wendy Bird.

Wendy had asked me some questions that I wanted to answer about med’s cleaning supplies and how we manage those sorts of things in our home.

For cleaning supplies I like 7th Generation. I use their dishwashing liquid because it’s one of the few that doesn’t make my hands break out in tiny blisters and patches of itchy skin.

I don’t make my own cleaning supplies, except for using vinegar & newspaper to clean windows and mirrors. Also I make my own spray starch for ironing. The instructions are on the bottle of Liquid Starch, found in larger supermarkets and sometimes K-Mart.  But right now I have a can of store-bought spray starch that my Mom bought me a while back.

For cleaning we use this really powerful stuff called “Spray 9″. It’s available at hardware stores. Fred buys it in gallon jugs. Then we dillute it. A jug lasts a couple of years and it cleans better than anything I’ve ever used in my entire life. It gets rid of dirt and grease that normally only steel wool will remove. Saves a lot of elbow grease on my part.

I use bleach in my dishwater and sometimes in my laundry. I buy the cheapest liquid laundry soap I can find. I used to use the powder because it was cheaper, but it didn’t dissolve all the way in our water, so now I just use liquid. We don’t have sensitive skin in our family, except for my hands, so any type of laundry soap works fine for us. We have a washer on it’s last legs and a dryer that’s still going pretty strong. When the washer konks out on us, we’ll have to buy a new one. I’ve had to wash clothes by hand in the past, and hang them up to dry. This was before the kids were born, and we didn’t have a washer or dryer. It was a lot of hard work. I think when there are only a couple of people to wash for, or if you have help, then washing by hand is definitely do-able and can save a lot of money when necessary. I admit to enjoying the convenience of my automatic washer and dryer. For anyone who finds they must wash their clothes by hand here’s a tip.  Using a (clean, preferably well scrubbed and bleached or new) plunger can make the work faster. It works especially well on heavy jeans that are hard to wash otherwise.

The main chemicals I keep in the house are Spray-9, Ammonia, Cheap Generic Pine Cleaner, Bleach, Vinegar, Comet, Baking Soda, Liquid Starch, Dish Soap, Laundry Soap & Bars of Bath Soap. Since Fred stays at lots of hotels when he’s out of town we get free bath soap all day long. I keep it in a decorative bucket under the sink and it’s currently overflowing.

I usually use Ammonia to wash my floors. It seems to get our tile especially clean. I use baking soda to scrub all the sinks except when I’ve let them go too long and they are really scuzzy, then I use Comet. Same with the bath-tubs.  Actually I use a store-brand equivalent. I get most of my cleaning supplies, except the dish soap and Spray-9 from Dollar General. They’re cheap, cheap, cheap and the quality is good.

Fred’s in charge of scrubbing the toilets, I think he uses Spray-9 to do it. When I wash the outsides and floor around the toilet I use whatever’s handy. Usually a little ammonia in a bucket of water. I like ammonia because it works well, it’s easy to use and it’s cheap. The only drawback is the smell, but Lemon Scented Sudsing Ammonia, the kind I use, doesn’t smell as strong as regular. I like the Sudsing kind because it makes soap bubbles, which makes me feel like I’m really cleaning.

My mom prefers Pine Cleaners, which is why I have it in the house. She buys it and uses it when she cleans things. Oh, I just remembered, I have Murphy’s oil soap too. I use it on all the wood and for dusting. I don’t dust often enough, but when I do I have found that Murphy’s Oil Soap works wonders on wood. I’ve tried Orange Oil cleansers for wood too and they sure smell good. In my area the Murphy’s is cheaper so it’s what I prefer to use.

For shampoo and conditioner I use whatever’s cheapest at the dollar store usually. Tom uses Ultrabrite plus whitening for his toothpaste. Jamie uses whatever is available, as do I. Fred only uses Listerine Toothpaste. I’m not particular about toothpaste, so I just buy whatever’s cheapest and that’s what Jamie and I use.

As for Medications. I always use store-brands and house-brands. Name brands are a waste of money to me. I keep the following meds on-hand most of the time . . .

• Asprin
• Chewable Zoo Animal Shaped Vitamins
• Tylenol
• Motrin (Ibuprofen)
• Migraine/Headache Pills (plus caffeine)
• Chewable antacids
• Benadryl
• Sudafed (I once overheard a lady say that it was easier to score cocain in the parking lot that it was to buy sudafed at the pharmacy.)
• Niquil
• Hydrocordizone Cream
• Acne Cream
• Acne Cleansing Pads
• Bactroban (prescription ointment similar to neosporin, our doctor keeps us in stock)
• Can of cloves (for toothaches)
• Doggie and Kitty earmite medicine
• Doggie and Kitty worm medicine

In addition all of us but Tom take prescription meds. Fred takes 4 or 5 of them plus insulin. I take 4 now, but sometimes 5. Jamie takes 1. We have little weekly pill cases that I found at the Dollar Store for $1 each. They have really simplified the daily routine. There are 14 little lidded compartments, 2 for each day of the week, AM and PM. Fred and I are both happy with these little contraptions as they make taking daily meds much, much easier. Besides prescriptions and a daily vitamin, we don’t take over the counter pills very often. A large bottle lasts well over a year. We have a bottle of Niquil that is 2 years old that is just now getting to the bottom of the bottle. There’s about 1 dose left.

For colds my favorite remedy is 2-tablespoons each lemon juice, whiskey, and honey. Then stir in 1/2-teaspoon ground red pepper and take by the spoonful as needed. It cleans out the sinuses, soothes a sore throat and makes you a little bit sleepy so you can sleep off the cold. I also administer chammomile tea to everyone when they get sick. The boys don’t especially like it, but I give it to them anyway. Mint tea is excellent for mild indigestion and nausea. Fred sometimes battles insomnia because of his work schedule. I recently bought him a homeopahtic remedy from our local Health Food Store, I wish I could remember the name of it. It’s made up of valerian root, passion flower, california poppies (the kind without ‘milk’) tryptophan, 5htp & something else I can’t remember. It works pretty well. I took valerian root when I was nursing a colicky baby (tom) and it helped him tremendously.

We also use chapstick and Carmex. I can’t think of anything else though. Oh, doggie shampoo. We buy special shampoo for Fred’s dog because he has itchy skin. It has oatmeal in it and it helps the poor dear. Also we have hand cream and “wrinkle fighting face cream” which I use on my feet. It makes my feet very soft and keeps them from cracking, which hurts (a lot). The hand cream is “Lubricating Hand Lotion”. It’s a big square bottle, I think from Dollar General. The face cream is from Dollar General $1 for a 12-ounce jar. And it works really well on tootsies.

I’ve been as thorough as I can. If there are any questions, please let me know. I think we’re pretty average as far as med’s and cleaning supplies. I don’t make my own because of laziness and since most of the ones I do buy are very inexpensive. Also, we like modern medicines and we feel like using them doesn’t make us “sell-outs” or drug abusers. Modern med’s are one of the great advantages of our time, along with running water, indoor plumbing, the vacuum, automatic washer & dryer. I use these things and they add to the quailty of our lives.