We did it! So far Rudy and I survived a whole week of being gluten free! It really hasn't been so bad. I feel like we've been grocery shopping more than normal, but I think that just comes with the territory when you're learning how to eat differently. I don't have too much to say in this post but I think I'd just like to share some food we tried out this past week!
We ate Chipotle at least twice. But that was already a favorite of ours, so we have NO problem eating there. Everything on the menu, minus the flour tortillas, is gluten free! :)
We went to Mellow Mushroom one night to try out their gluten free pizza. It was pretty good, but the crust will take some getting used to. The thing we've discovered about gluten free breads is that the texture is always kind of corn bread-like. It's not bad, just different. But the awesome thing about Mellow Mushroom is that they are very educated on food allergies, and they make all of their GF pizzas in a separate section of the kitchen, use new gloves, and all different utensils. It's great. No need to worry about cross contamination there!
We spent a few nights this week trying to morph the meals we already make into gluten free ones. Rudy made some tasty grilled chicken with rice and asparagus one night,
and topped the chicken with homemade cream of mushroom soup. Then another night he made homemade burrito bowls, which is probably our favorite meal we've ever made. It was SO GOOD. I'm so lucky to have a husband who LOVES to cook.
Then one day our friend Lindsay stopped over and surprised us with some cupcakes from Sugar Cupcakery in Milford. They were really good, it just comes back to having to get used to the texture differences in gluten free baked goods. But I'm definitely looking forward to going there and getting some more cupcakes sometime!
Last night we went on a date to Maggiano's because we were told that they can make almost anything on their menu gluten free. We were completely impressed. When you sit down, you just tell your server that you have a gluten allergy, and they send the chef out to speak with you. Our chef came out and explained everything to us, and told us what could and couldn't be made gluten free. She said that all the pastas, minus the pre-made lasagnas and raviolis, could be made gluten free. But! She also said that if you called 24 hours in advance, they would make you a gluten free ravioli or lasagna dish. How awesome is that? Plus, she totally re-vamped one of the appetizers for us so that we could have it. We will definitely be going there pretty often!
Some photos of our food this week :)
If anyone has any awesome recipes, please send them my way! At the moment I'm trying to find something tasty to do with the zucchini I picked up at the store the other day.
Happy Monday everyone!
Hello again! I'd like to share a bit more about yesterday.
Before our shopping extravaganza, we went and had lunch at Melt in Northside. It's kind of like a cool Panera with gluten-free and vegan options. Really good sandwiches though!
To begin our gluten-free life, we took a trip to Jungle Jim's to shop. Overwhelmed. That's the word I would use to describe the initial feelings I was having. We went straight to the "Gluten-Free" section, which was also the ORGANIC Gluten-Free section.... aka.. expensive!!! As we stared at the $7.00 bags of chips and the $15.00 bags of rice flour, we realized that buying the pre-packaged organic gf products wasn't going to be the most practical way to go. I almost broke down in tears a couple times, thinking "we can't even afford to do this!!". If your budget can accommodate organic foods, by all means, go for it! But our Self-Employed-Photographer's budget definitely doesn't allow for 7 dollar bags of potato chips.
After the initial shock, we worked on a game plan. We splurged on a $20.00 5lb box of all purpose flour, so we can convert some of our baking recipes into gluten free. Then we grabbed a couple boxes of GF penne pasta, and a loaf of GF bread (which is really tiny, by the way. Why can't gluten-free bread come in normal sizes?!). After picking out those base products, we left the specialty gluten-free section and went through the rest of the store. Choosing things like corn tortillas, salsa, peanut butter, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, and some meat. Turns out Boar's Head lunch meats and cheeses are all 100% gluten-free! We were very happy to learn that.
We were probably in the store for HOURS. But, we were at Jungle Jim's. It is a good place to get lost in for hours. So many different foods to explore.
Anyway, finally we finished and headed home to "de-glutenize" our apartment. Rudy went through our fridge while I emptied most of the cabinets. And when I say emptied, I mean emptied! It's amazing how much stuff contains gluten. Here is the pile of stuff that we are giving/throwing away.
Yep. Our cabinets are much more empty than they were. A bit overwhelming to have to totally change the way you eat. But it will be ok!
For dinner last night, we just threw together a gluten-free pasta bake. Regular pasta sauce, GF penne, GF sausage, and some cheese. Oh and we made garlic toast with our little loaf of GF bread. Nothin' fancy. But it tasted totally normal!
That's all for now, friends. :)
Hey everyone!
I'd like to start of by saying this: I am not a writer by any means. (So please excuse any grammar or punctuation issues) This blog is just starting out as a way for me to document my journey with my husband into becoming 100% gluten free. I'd like to use it as a way to share and document recipes that I come across, too.
Anyway, a little background on me. My husband, Rudy, and I got married in October of 2011. Yep, we're still newlyweds! :) We are a husband and wife photography team, which is pretty awesome. We are blessed to work side by side all day, every day, shooting weddings, senior portraits, families, babies, kids, you name it. It's pretty much a dream job.
Last year I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which later turned into Hashimoto's Disease. Basically that means that my body reacts negatively when I eat gluten, and produces antibodies that attack my thyroid and makes me feel exhausted all the time. Fun, right? Originally my doctor just told me I should TRY to avoid gluten, which I ignored, thinking "I'll just take all these vitamins she told me to take, and see if that helps!" Well, it helped a little, but I was reminded to avoid gluten again at my next appointment.
I was so hoping that it wouldn't come to this! I felt so overwhelmed when I saw the list of foods that I could no longer have in my life. Basically all fast foods are out. No more pastas, breads, marinaded or breaded meats, doughnuts...the list just goes on and on. But the list of foods that I CAN have are all the healthy things that I should be eating anyway. Fresh meats, veggies, and fruits. After some serious encouragement from Rudy, I decided to give it a serious try.
Today we ventured to Jungle Jim's in hopes of finding plenty of new and healthy gluten free options for us. US! My husband is giving up all gluten filled foods for me. I told him repeatedly that he doesn't have to, but he wants to be fully supportive and take on this challenge with me. I'm pretty positive that without his support, I wouldn't be able to do it! I am very thankful to have such an encouraging partner to help me through all of this. :)
I'm thinking that I've rambled on enough for my first blog.
To be continued.....tomorrow.
Love,
Tammi
