At last Sunday’s check-in, I was still pretty much under an ice-pack, going through gluten withdrawal. It was brutal.
A full 7 days of crushing headaches and rollercoaster blood sugar. Add in some hunger pains, and there you had it.
Ugh.
Along about Tuesday, the headaches faded and my energy returned. It’s been smooth sailing ever since.
Home cooking experiments this week:
- Gluten-free pancakes with Red Mill pancake mix (I did a Bananas Foster kind of topping to offset how much more dry these pancakes are – the flavor rocked).
- Chicken enchiladas with gluten-free wraps from La Tortilla Factory.
- My favorite sweet snacks currently are Betty Lou’s fruit bars. Half a bar will do me.
The hardest thing has been figuring out how to eat out, but truly most places either have gluten-free menus or you can Google to see a forum where someone has done the research for you.
My fave restaurants on the gluten-free front (so far) are P.F. Chang’s, Outback and Wahoo’s. I was also hugely impressed with Ca’ Del Sole in North Hollywood where the gluten free is marked right on the main menu.
For any of you who’ve walked the gluten-free path before me, I’d love to hear about any of your favorite products or tips.
ROW80 Progress:
Really, besides blogging and walking (about 12 miles for the week), I’ve done nothing but try to get this gluten-free thing on track. It’s amazing how much time and energy a lifestyle change takes!
By the way, where are my Dirty Fighting Entries??
I’ve got NakedEditor Tiffany Lawson Inman standing by, expecting a flood of entries and it’s been more like a trickle! What are you waiting for? Your scene will be a max of 300 words, plus you get the chance to get a professional edit! I’m just sayin…
All rules can be found here.
To check out the NakedEditor blog, click here.
Plus, she’s done these FAB posts here at More Cowbell and over at Writers In The Storm:
- Self-editing Tips & Tricks: The Voice In My Head
- Don’t Let Thrillers Hog the Freezer!
- Too Quick To Tears: Emotional Timing is Everything
- Winners of the last Dirty Fighting Contest – scene dissections
Last but not least, if you’d like to encourage the rest of your ROW80 teammates, click here! There’s less than THREE weeks left in Round 1, so it’s pedal to the metal time if the end of this round is a deadline for you.
What’s up in your world this week? Have you crossed any tasks off your list or accomplished any goals you’re particularly proud of? Enquiring minds LOVE to know these things here at More Cowbell!
Jenny
Jenny Hansen's Blog 
Good job, Jenny… That is awesome that restaurants have gluten free menus.. Kudos to you for sticking to your guns and not giving in.. My goals are moving at a snail’s pace.. but I did start reading again.
*throws confetti at Jenny, careful to miss her eyeballs* Good job! 😀
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LOL…how cute are you, Darlene?! Missin’ my new eyes with that confetti. Sweet!
If not for migraine drugs, I might not have made it through, but I did get them along about Thursday and now I keep them on me all the time. It helps. 🙂
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Jenny,
My wife and I are walking the gluten-free road as well. When we lived in Minnesota, it was HARD. But my wife has very bad reactions to gluten, so it was necessary. (I don’t have a reaction to gluten, but I joined her in it to keep life simpler and unified for us. Plus it’s helped her drop some pounds, so I’m hoping it’ll help me, too.)
Things improved immensely for us since moving to Oregon.
If you’re ever in Oregon/Washington, you really should check out Racha Thai and Asian Kitchen (http://www.rachathai.com/). They have a whole MENU that’s completely gluten-free.Tons of choices. Just a dream come true. My personal favorite is their Garlic Beef.
Also, we live less than 10 minutes’ drive from the home location of Bob’s Red Mill. They have a breakfast-and-lunch deli there that in addition to offering both gluten and gluten-free products, has the added benefit of being a completely kosher menu. (Their bacon and ham options are made from 100 percent turkey. Dream come true!)
But tonight, on our date night, we learned “offering” a gluten-free option and being a great gluten-free option are two different things.
We went to Pizza Schmizza, and they were completely untrained in staying gluten free; they had a hard time answering questions about what things on their menu were gluten-free and what were not. And it didn’t seem like they were very careful about cross-contamination. In fact, I know they weren’t, because my wife had a very bad reaction to eating there that kinda ended the night on a sour note. They need tons of training at Pizza Schmizza. But we’ve already decided we’re never going back. Not when Garlic Jim’s is 20x better all the way around, and NEVER cross-contaminates (in our experience).
All best on your writing!
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Craig, not only did you save me hours of research time with this post, but my sister lives up in Portland and I’m sending her back to read this comment. This is AWESOME!
Thank you so, so much. 🙂
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(Note: The actual name of Racha Thai’s dish is Garlic Delight. I called it Garlic Beef because I always choose the beef option. But there are five other proteins to choose from when ordering Garlic Delight.)
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Hey Jenny,
I’ve been living gluten-free for… 8 years? It’s a challenge, especially when eating out. Throw dairy-freein the mix and Ouch. I’m fortunate, a little wheat once in a while is tolerable. Extra fortunate, because it seems every day regular supermarkets are adding more gluten-free products to their shelves that do NOT taste like cardboard.
Your post reminds me of something I haven’t had in ages, so easy to make: a banana pancake. Beat an egg, mash a banana in the mixture (yes, it resembles snot, but wait…)
Especially yummy if you fry the pancakes in coconut oil, and top with unsweetened applesauce, fresh fruit (pineapple), or the fatihfull standby, pure maple syrup.
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I keep hearing about how amazing it will be to start adding applesauce to my baked goods – I’m looking forward to trying that. I can NOT imagine going dairy free too! Cheese is part of what’s been keeping me going!
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I’d love to go gluten-free, but I haven’t done the research quite yet to make myself some menus. Maybe this week when I have a week break.
Take heart, Jenny, it’s all going to be worth it. I have a friend who went gluten-free, and her skin underwent the most dramatic change. She’s practically glowing, and it’s as smooth as silk. She looks positively gorgeous.
It got me motivated. That, and the stomachaches whenever I eat wheat…
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Ooooh…I’d love to glow. 🙂 I’m hoping for some weight-loss too, but I haven’t seen anything so far.
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Oh, one other thing.
If you love pasta… Trader Joe’s now has corn pasta (totally free of wheat gluten) at the SAME PRICE as regular flour pasta… about $1.30 for a one-pound bag.
(By comparison, New Seasons sells corn pasta in a 12-ounce bag for ~$5.)
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My husband went insane for the Trader Joe’s corn pasta – it’s got a firmer texture than the brown rice options. Totally on board with that!!
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I agree. I like corn pasta better than regular flour pasta. It actually has flavor and avoids the bland taste of most flour pasta.
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Glad you’ve attained Gluten-freedomness – walk the path young Jedi! (wow, I’ve had waaaay too much coffee this morning).
Twelve miles in one week is awesomeness – see now you’re inspiring me. Keep up the fantastic work Jen (emailing you about Triberr later today – see how I slipped this in) and have a great week 😀
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Ooooh, I like your coffee words. I need to check my email too because I don’t know that I saw that email yet. I’ll check tomorrow to be sure.
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Kudos to you, Jenny, but I have to admit, in my world, there IS no life after gluten. It’s like that old joke, “Yeah, you’ll live longer, but why would you want to?” Can you guess my favorite food group?
I’m still trying to zip up that old cheerleader skirt, to cheer you on! goooOOOOOOO Jenny!!!!
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LOL…I’ve been tempted by the bread basket a few times, but that headache is a pretty good prohibitor. Why would I want to suffer like that twice??
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It’s so good to see your smiling face this morning. I have wondered this week how you were doing with the no gluten diet. Eating out is a new challenge. Z’Tejas has the most wonderful wild mushroom enchiladas that are gluten free. I didn’t choose the item for that reason but it was soooo good.
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Oh! I don’t know anything about these enchiladas…that is grand to know. Thank you!
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I didn’t realize there were withdrawals involved in going gluten free. Wow. Congrats on sticking to your guns and good luck with your gluten free journey.
You walked 12 miles this week? Go you!
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Lauralynn, I didn’t know there was withdrawal either. I think it only applies for people who ARE sensitive or reacting to gluten in the first place, if that makes you feel any better. 🙂
And on the walking front, my honey and I have a deal that we must walk if we want to eat out and 9 times out of ten, we do. That’s usually 8 miles a week right there!
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FYI, gluten free pancakes shouldn’t be dry. Not sure what the Bob’s mix calls for liquid-wise but when doing any kind of gluten free baking there is a higher ratio of liquid to dry ingredients than with traditional baking. I make pancakes all the time (usually with a mix of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, and sweet rice flour–or whatever I have on hand to mix up) and they aren’t dry. I often wind up upping the milk by about a quarter cup or adding an additional egg. GF batters and doughs are VERY VERY WET. As a general rule the homemade versions of everything (save tortillas–THANK YOU for mentioning those, as I haven’t been able to replicate flour tortillas and I didn’t know these existed–just ordered a case) are SO SO much better than whatever you can buy. GF baking LOOKS intimidating because there are a lot of ingredients, but it’s really no worse than regular baking. You just have a lot of small bags of different flours instead of a five pound bag of 1. And of course I have googobs of recipes on my food blog (http://potsandplots.wordpress.com). Well done for you first week!
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I don’t mind all the various kinds of pancakes but I did get excited to see further down in the comments that there is a GF Bisquick!!! WOOT! I also discovered where the gluten-free beer is sold in my town. I’ll be stopping in there later in the week.
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I thought the GF Bisquick was pretty disgusting myself–and definitely don’t bother using the pizza recipe on the box. It was revolting. I much prefer making my own master baking mixes. You can do almost anything with a combo of brown rice flour, corn starch, soy flour, and white rice flour or sorghum.
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The Red Bridge beer is pretty good. If you love beer, it will taste funny/different at first and it’s a little heavier feeling in the stomach. I can’t drink as many as I could a regular beer. Now that I haven’t had a regular beer in a couple years, it tastes normal.
I never had withdrawals. And I’ve yet to lose weight. But my gluten affect my whole body and causes me to swell and I was misdiagnosed for a long time. Lots of damage to undo, but I feel so much better and my skin also looks about a thousand times better than it did. Depending on your tolerance levels. I can’t tolerate any. Be sure to look at the ingredients in your hair and skin care and makeup as well. Wheat germ is a very popular ingredient in hair care.
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Kait is right on-target here.
My wife makes homemade gluten-free challa for most Shabbats, and the dough is so wet that we have to forego the traditional braiding. And if it were possible, my wife would have figured it out! 🙂
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Craig, has she tried adjusting her dry mix to include some potato starch? I’ve found I”m able to get a more doughlike consistency by using some of that.
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Good advice, but I have no idea. She got her recipe off Gluten-Free Girl.
I’ll pass on your advice to my wife.
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Sorry you have to deal with the Gluten-free life, Jenny, but glad you’re feeling better. Don’t minimize what you did get done-blogging 5 days and walking 12 miles is awesome! Have a great upcoming week!
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Thanks, Marcia! It felt like a hard week, regardless of how much I got done.
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Pingback: Sunday Summary and #ROW80 Update | Kait Nolan
Jenny, good luck with this. My friend’s mother recently found out she is a coeliac and she was truly devastated, particularly about not being able to eat bread any longer, but her daughters are helping her out in a big way, going online to find delicious gluten-free meals and local restaurants that offer GF food. I think nowadays a lot of restaurants are increasingly offering a varied menu to suit the needs of everyone.
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There are many, many more choices these days. I’m also going to learn how to bake gluten-free bread. 🙂
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My wife really likes the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free All-Purpose Flour for her bread.
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I don’t have any advice, but my hat’s off to you for making such a huge dietary change and still having a sense of humor! I must have missed the post regarding the Naked Editor, so I’ll definitely check it out!
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Yep, Lara – the Dirty Fighting Contest is LOADS of fun. 🙂
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well done on getting through the withdrawals – there are withdrawals after every elimination for allergic diets – something many people don’t realize (they give up to soon because of this) – it’s hard work and well done you-keep smiling
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I sure wasn’t expecting the withdrawals, I’ll tell you. I felt like a crack addict, just shaking for a hit of bread. Soooo glad that’s over with!
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I’ve been gluten free since November. Wait a minute… I’ve been gluten, dairy, nut, soy, pork free for a while now. It is a challenge.
Thanks for the tips for PF Chang. Had no idea they offered a gluten free menu. One brand of gluten free mixes is King Arthur. Muffins (very yummy), pizza crusts, cake… it’s all good.
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I’ve heard great things about the King Arthur GF flour. Thanks for the other tips too!!
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PF Chang has their gluten free menu included on their regular menu. Pei Wei is a little cheaper also has a GF menu that is good. I’ve had mixed results with them though. I’m not sure certain locations really understand what it means.
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Glad you’re feeling better on the diet. I just started low-carb again recently because my parents have had like crazy success on it. Not gluten free necessarily, but cutting carbs gets rid a lot of the gluten in your diet anyway. So I hear you on the detox phase. Blech.
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Hope the detox phase is over with soon, Roni!
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I’m gluten free and feel great. The first few weeks are hard. I have a list of some of my favorites on my blog http://www.pencildancer.com click the glutenfree tab at the top. I use Jules flour and use a lot of almond flour too. Favorite cookbook right now is Cooking for Isiah. Favorite protein bar is Luna protein chocolate mint. Best frozen bread is Rudi’s if you can find it also Udi’s is good. King Author makes great bread in the bread maker and I love the pizza dough. I like it thin so I spread on 3 small pizza pans, bake and freeze them. I either use them or take it to the local pizza place and they make it for me and charge the kids meal price. There is a lot to learn and one of them is this–the calorie content is much higher than regular food and you won’t get enough fiber if you don’t include the fruits and vegetables in your diet. Email me if you have questions. I’d be happy to share what I know along with great websites. Diana
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Oooooh…THANK YOU, Diana!
I’ll go check that out! I love to cook, so I think I’ll end up getting a cookbook or two. I’ve had Luna and Lara Bars before and I keep hearing them recommended. The ProMax Low Sugar bars pretty much kept me from jumping of a cliff the first week or two.
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After being diagnosed with hypothyroidism last year, my doc and I talked and I tried gluten-free for about three months. Some of the things I found that helped:
Udi’s bread and hamburger buns (not as good as regular but not bad either)
Pamela’s Baking Mix (makes VERY good pancakes and fair biscuits-cheaper to buy the 3-pack on Amazon because it’s about half what it costs in the grocery store…plus free shipping)
Bisquick gluten-free mix (expensive but makes better biscuits)
There are frozen, pre-made pizza crusts (personal size, 3-packs) that are really good, but I can’t remember the brand name. In a pinch, Pamela’s or Bisquick can be used, but make the crust thin and make really sure you get the toppings all the way to the edge.
For mac and cheese, Tinkyada was the best. Their lasagna noodles, used like regular brands, were not as good. You only want ONE layer of noodles…and lots of meat, sauce and cheeses.
If you’re missing things like chocolate chip cookies, a Pamela’s baking mix pancake, lightly buttered with a couple of tablespoons of mini chocolate chips on top really satisfies that craving.
Best fast food meal (to bring home)…plain Whopper patties from Burger King and Wendy’s baked potatoes.,..and any plain salad (you can make croutons out of the Udi’s bread).
Good luck, Jenny! 🙂
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I told you Udi’s was the best! Just sayin’! LOL! Right on Kristy! 🙂
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And you were right, LOL. I was so exhausted back then I couldn’t remember who-for sure-had told me about it. But thank you! You made the last couple of months on the diet easier. It was nice to have toast with my eggs…and a BLT. 🙂
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Thanks a bunch, Kristy! I didn’t know all those tricks – I’ll try some of them. I’ve already done the Wendy’s baked potato when I was out and needed some quick food. Huge help that they do that.
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Hey Sis,
By your inspiration I’ve been gluten free this week too. It is really hard sometimes! My favorite places to eat out are sushi bars and Thai places. They have rice or rice noodles as their base for most of their dishes so their are fewer substitutions. I have tried two different brands of rice pasta noodles and they were both bland and pasty so we are still on the hunt.
Since Portland is the Mecca of micro brews there are several gluten free beer options. Look for beers made with sorghum they have a rich flavor pallet.
Have you started loosing any weight? I haven’t yet.
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Cory, be sure to order some gluten-free soy sauce and keep it with you. RA Sushi has it but no one else does.
I don’t think I’ve actually lost weight, but I’m MUCH less puffy. I was retaining a lot of water from gluten.
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For the past year, I have been gluten, dairy and yeast free; actually, I no longer tolerate fruit, starches, or rice, either. No, I’m not svelte but I am 62 pounds less; my lupus and other autoimmune issues are the best they have been in 30 years.
I have discovered that I can tolerate buckwheat and buckwheat flour. Infrequently, I used to eat a corn tortilla but now I find the sugar changes me for days. Also, I do well with organic, plain yogurt made from goat’s milk (Redwood Hill Farm). A favorite is almond butter cookies made with an egg and SweetLeaf stevia (1/3 cup) and 1 cup almond butter; really high in fat but what a great treat. Recommend SweetLeaf stevia as it is not cut with any other sweetner but with inulin, a dietary fiber.
What you are doing is worth it so best of luck.
Karen
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Karen,
62 pounds is LOT of pounds! Good for you!!
Thank you so much for the tips – I’ll put them to good use. The cookie recipe sounds divine. 🙂
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Has anyone mentioned toothpaste? Or envelope glue? turns out that toothpaste was the last straw for me. I couldn’t figure out why i was not feeling wonderful all the time, since I was so clean with the gluten and then I discovered my toothpaste was riddled with the stuff. so check that.
it sounds like you’re doing great. congratulations
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Hadn’t heard a word about toothpast!! Dang. Who would’ve thought it?
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Hi Jenny, I’m only going to leave this brief message today because I have the flu. Yuck, I know. And I didn’t post my ROW check in. I said, screw it this week. I’m crawling back into bed.
But just like Kristy said, Udi’s bread’s the best glutten free. Even my husband prefers it and he’s picky. And then, do you have a Zpizza nearby? They have the best gluten free pizza dough. It’s not cheap, (what is actually?), but when you have a taste for pizza, it’s the best around.
Just a thought. Glad you’re feeling better. 🙂
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Oh, I hope you feel better, Karen! The flu sucks.
I have a zPizza about a mile from my house that delivers. How awesome is that? Sometimes a gal just wants pizza. I was lamenting that the other day and now you’ve saved me from feeling deprived. THANK YOU!
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Z pizza with grilled chicken their garlic sauce ricotta and mozzarella cheese is my favorite!!
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Keep up the battle. Lifestyle changes lead you down many interesting roads. Read the link on Self-Editing The Voice in my Head. There was nothing about dropping a irate weasel down the pants of the idiot in the supermarket line who doesn’t understand the concept of 12 items or less. I know I checked my blood sugar on my left index finger. It’s the one that hurts when I type. Will try to come up with gluten-free alternatives for you (might as well use the education). How about fried chicken?
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I believe I can fry chicken if I use gluten-free flour to coat it. Good thought. 🙂
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Actually it sounds disgusting but it was a recipe I decided to try…and was very glad I did. If you crush pork rinds (I used the plain variety…as light as I could find because they’re the most bland) and some seasoning, it’s very good. But you should dip it in a mixture of cream and egg white to make the crumbs stick to the chicken the best. It works for mozzarella cheese sticks, too, but that’s a little more work-you have to make sure those rinds are crushed like dust! 🙂
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You can fry chicken! I use almond flour as the coating sooo good. Or crushed up fritos (yes you can have them as long as no guten hands have been in the bag. I keep a separate bag for myself. I use red bag clips so my husband knows those are mine. And a real big help is to get a gf ap for the grocery store. There is also one for restaurants. Those two things helped me keep my sanity the first six months.
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Oh, another thing.
The best brand for gluten-free cornmeal is Bob’s Red Mill.
However, Quaker Yellow Cornmeal is cheaper:
http://www.quakeroats.com/products/more-products-from-quaker/content/specialty-items/cornmeal/yellow-corn-meal.aspx
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If you want chicken and need to stay gluten-free, the best coating my wife has found is the 100-percent wheat/flour-free Corn Meal.
But be careful and read labels. Some types of corn meal have more flour than corn. Look for the pure, wheat-free corn meal.
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I’m gluten-free (almost 100% of the time) too, Jenny, and it’s hard at first. There are so many more good things available now that weren’t around when I started, so that helps a lot. My favorite gluten-free bread is Udi’s (addicted to their bagels and pizza crusts) and my favorite pasta is the Andean Dreams corn/quinoa blend…I’m not as big a fan of the rice pasta because there’s a bit of a consistency difference. The no-boil rice lasagna noodles are great but for normal elbow/shell/spiral pasta, I go for a corn/quinoa blend always…the taste is more like normal pasta and the color is too. Most of all, though, I try not to eat too much processed gluten-free stuff because I know that the processing is the issue I have with gluten more than anything. When we were in France, I had no issues eating anything I wanted, including as many chocolate croissants as I could stuff in my face. I feel that in America our food is so over-processed it causes allergic reactions and real harm to us when we eat it. Try to stick to lots of fresh fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy–they’re all delicious and gluten-free! Good luck. 🙂
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OMG, thank you SO much for taking time to give me all these. Y’all are just making my new gluten-free life so much easier. Interesting that you could eat croissants in France! I’ve long suspected that Americans are so overweight because we’ve processed the nutrients right out of our food.
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Jenny, I could eat their bread in France too. Our wheat is chemically modified in the United States so that it has heightened the levels of gluten and that’s why we are seeing so many more people with a gluten problem. We’re being over-exposed. The interesting thing is, Europe won’t buy our wheat. Yep, that’s right. They won’t allow it in their countries because it is genetically altered and they know that it’s bad for us. Isn’t that interesting? Now it’s been proven that when you eat something that you’re allergic to, you put on weight. No wonder so many people are having weight problems. 🙂
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Yeah ours has been frigging modified to not only have more gluten but to be RESISTANT TO ROUND UP. I don’t wanna think about what THAT’S doing to our bodies.
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Good for you Jenny! You are so on your way to feeling great! One of my friends recently told me that The Cheesecake Factory has a gluten-free cheesecake but check the fat and calories before you indulge in that little gem. They have other gluten-free choices as well.
I put my WIP front and center this week and had some brilliant breakthroughs. Love when that happens! Got behind in exercise though.. and MY behind will be reflecting that lack of exercise if I don’t recommit and reschedule. Oy….
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Good for you on those brilliant breakthroughs! I love to hear stuff like that. I haven’t tried the Cheesecake factory yet, but I’ll look into it. How exciting…
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(One is the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. My favorite!!)
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Glad you are feeling better, Jenny! I’ve thought about the gluten-free lifestyle and wondered if some food things I’m not aware of could be migraine triggers. I’ve just been chicken to make a broad diet shift like this because I fear being down for with a migraine. Catch-22. I’m going to live vicariously through your experience and learn. 🙂
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Barbara, I agree that the headaches are a big fear. Can you talk to your doctor and get some meds in advance so you aren’t paralyzed? I wasn’t expecting them, so they nailed me. If I had been, I would have waited a week and gotten the drugs before I started.
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Congrats on pushing through, Jenny! That cold-turkey stuff is tough. I added to my goals this coming week to write that dirty fighting scene, so mine is a’comin. Hope you can get lots done this week! I can’t believe there are only 3 weeks left.
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I saw that new goal of yours, Julie! I’m very proud of you!! BTW, I’m delighted that you’re starting to get your energy back. Boo-hiss on the MONO!!!!
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Thanks, Jenny. I’m on the energy train now (caboose, but I’m hanging on).
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I forgot to say I love Jovial pasta more than tinkyada and the others. You have to order it online. It comes from Italy and it is the closet I’ve come to the texture of the ‘other’ stuff. My husband even likes it.
GF bisquick is expensive! The bisquits are so-so. I don’t buy it anymore.
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Welcome to the GF Club, yes, we do have jackets, I tossed yours over there on the back of that chair, I’m not sure how you feel about satin…
First person you need to meet? Nicole Hunn at http://www.glutenfreeonashoestring.com Fantastic writer and amazing baker. Purchase her cookbook and wait for her second to hit the shelves soon. Friend her on FB, read her blog, you won’t be disappointed!
First product you need in your pantry? Better Batter All-Purpose flour http://www.betterbatter.org Measures cup for cup against regular all-purpose flour and can be substituted pretty damn nicely in any of your favorite recipes.
Pancakes? Save the ass pain and buy the GF Bisquick, it makes the best damn pancakes ever. I’ve tried a million recipes, when you want pancakes, you want pancakes. My daughter, non-GF, actually prefers them over the gluten-laden ones I used to make.
Get to know Shar products. http://www.shar.com Their corn based pasta is the closest thing to regular penne I’ve found. It’s a corn based pasta with pea protein. My second favorite it the Quinoa type. Don’t waste a nickel on rice based pasta – slimey and yucky.
If you want a grilled cheese, buy a loaf of Udi’s, it’s the only GF bread that browns while you grill it.
Recipes for favorite things you will miss – I will share. I have the best damn chocolate chip cookie recipe and B-day cake recipe known to man. No, I didn’t write them, but I was lucky enough to have a friend open a GF bakery and share her secrets!
Craving pretzels? Glutino.
Tell me what you are missing and I will hook you up with the substitute girl!
As for beer – Lakefront Brewery out of Milwaukee makes the best one in my opinion, New Grist.
FYI – Wendy’s Frosty’s are GF – you know, for when you just NEED one….
xo~
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WOW….just wow. I’ll be taking time on my day off this week to browse all these links. I’ve already found Glutino crackers and they rock, as do the Mary’s. Thanks for taking time to share all this with me!!
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Girl, I cannot imagine the task of going gluten-free. Honestly, another above getting out of bed should be considered a raving success. I am thrilled to hear the headache has subsided and that your energy is returning. Love the new yummies and the restaurants you are learning about. Here’s to an easier week ahead…
Dirty fighting is coming…LOL!!!
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LOL…thanks, Nat. That’s about what it felt like for a lot of the week. I feel better equipped to face the week and know where and what I can eat. Here’s to no headache for each of us!
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Glad to hear you’re feeling better, Jenny. I have a MIL who is gluten free. It used to be so hard for her to find gluten free anything, but now there’s so much out there, thank goodness.
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For the most part, I’m gluten, dairy, sugar, free. Everyone had some great tips, so I’ll be quick:
You must get Larabars! I can’t live without them and they’re pretty much everything free. I love the Cherry Pie ones…takes JUST LIKE CHERRY PIE (w/out the crust). The bars are usually made from fruit and nuts…that’s it. Nothing artificial or processed 🙂
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I love those cherry pie Lara Bars. I don’t think I understood that they were gluten free though. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmy!!!
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I love Amy’s gluten free burritos, both the mexican and Indian varieties (plus they have a dairy free option, which I need too). They are my go to lunch, especially when I don’t have much time. Oh and Van’s GF waffles are great too. 🙂
Plus NYC has the best ever GF bakery–Tu Lu!!
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Pingback: Links of the week #9 « S. J. Maylee
Found this link again from Kait Nolan’s blog and wanted to add more great GF foods I’ve discovered. One, the corn pasta IS wonderful (but you already knew about that). We’ve gotten a new brand at one of our local grocery stores. It’s called Schar (with two dots above the ‘a’). It’s a European company but their bread (white and ‘whole grain’ are MUCH better than Udi’s). Did I mention Pamela’s baking mix…good for pancakes and makes passable biscuits (Bisquick is better for biscuits…especially if you add a little more butter…and not so many eggs).
But back to Schar. I was really missing crackers…and I don’t consider anything with a rice cake texture to be a cracker. BUT Schar table crackers…OMGosh! They are WONDERFUL! Like a thicker saltine, but the crunch is like REAL crackers. I’m in heaven!
Also, Betty Crocker makes GF cake, brownie and cookie mixes that are good. I turned the yellow cake into a carrot cake (HUGE handful of shredded carrots, about 8 oz walnuts and some cinnamon, with homemade cream cheese frosting)…and no one at the party knew it was GF. Yum!
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