Celiac Who?

Letting my Creativity Come Out

2010-03-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Well, this is not a food blog but I do post the odd recipe. This post will be about fish and the recipe well lets just say I don't use a measuring cup well or take pictures!!!
Last night we had fish, it was a white fish that started with "T" that's all I know about it. I was craving something different and felt inspired to try something. Now I did not see this on a show or anything, Don mentioned sliced Pears, Lemons, an assortment of other options to me. This is what I did instead.
Use a Blender or Vita Mix

1 - pear
some fresh ginger
1/2 lemon
splash of white wine
Blend until nice and smooth.

Take a baking dish and spread the fish out.
I sprinkled it with Herbamare
Then poured the pear puree over top and some ground black pepper
Baked it at 350 until done.

I had no idea how this would turn out. It was almost like poaching it.
The sauce was sweet because of the pear but the lemon/ginger helped tone it down a bit.

Seriously this was truly amazing.. we will definitely try it again and maybe different fruits. Apple I think would work well also. Hmm Chicken maybe?

This kind of experimenting does happen every once in a while in our house.. its the way I really enjoy cooking. But this was by far the most adventurous I've ever been.

Let me know if you actually try it and what you thought.
If I had known it was going to be so good I would have taken pictures.

18 sleeps and counting

2010-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

It's VACATION TIME...
Im so excited, we are going to the Dominic Republic - Punta Cana for a week of sun and fun. Probably a few drinks included as well.
We are staying at the Natura Park resort which is supposed to be an eco resort but lets face it, my idea of eco and their's is totally different. When they say eco, it means that the building and surroundings are all build out of eco friendly/native material. Im just going for the beach and it is supposed to be amazing.
It was hard to pick a place to go, we really didn't have a preference other than under a certain price point, at least 4*'s and a sandy beach. We looked at so many places and different resorts and reviews from hundreds of people. Finally we found this place and the price was right. The reviews were mixed but they all are, but everyone said the beach was the best. We will go with an open mind and I think because of that we will have a great time.
Am I concerned with food? Yes I have to admit I am a little nervous. Ive heard lots of people say there is no body that speaks english at all there and that terrifies me. But I will go with a card in spanish telling them of my diet concerns and some soy milk, cereal and snacks that I will bring with me, cross my fingers and hope Im not strictly living on salad for a week.

Thanks Sis!!!

2010-01-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

My sister was going to Vegas the beginning of January and I gave her a "Challenge if she so chose to take it" On a few blogs I frequent there is always talk of the great stuff you can only get in the states. Whole Foods and Trader Joes being the best places to check out. So I gave my sister 3 products that I have been curious about.
1) French's GF Worcestershire Sauce
2) Coco Puffs from Post Cereal
3) Tortilla crumbs

All 3 looked really interesting but it really was the Worcestershire Sauce I really wanted. It is one staple that I really miss.

I was so excited when I picked them up from the airport and she told me she had some surprises for me. It was quite the adventure finding one of the stores. They were told a few different directions but finally made it to Whole Foods. They were pretty impressed at the size of the store I guess its huge. But what really impressed them more was that this Hippy Health Food store had a armed security guard!!!!! Only in the States!!
They had difficulty finding the exact products I wanted but they came home with 2 bottles of Lee&Perrin Worcestershire Sauce and 2 boxes of a Coco Rice cereal.
I was so excited about Lee & Perrin, Caesar salad dressing and Beef Stroganoff here you come.

The cereal is interesting, not bad but different. I decided to make Chocolate Rice Krispy Squares and see what it tasted like. I must admit using coco rice cereal works. They were really good.
Caesar Salad dressing very yummy now with the Lee & Perrin and I made my Beef Stroganoff on Saturday. I also had to substitute Coconut milk for Sour Cream but wow it was sooooo good.
I will post pictures later.

So thanks Brenda, Dave, Tara & Neil for taking the time to find me some great GF stuff and hopefully you had fun with this little challenge.

I want to go to the states now to see for myself! Maybe Vegas is in my future for 2010.

Crazy Blood Test

2009-12-15T10:06:00.001-08:00

So, I went for my annual and my doctor did the usually tests.
I got a call saying that she wanted to chat about my test results but nothing serious so no rush.
Don thought, you are low on iron, your always low and your not taking anything. I didn't think so but hey Ive been low and to me felt fine in the past.
Off I went to see her.
First: Im low on Vitamin D - well ok thats a new one. But better get on that because with out Vit D I won't absorb any Calcium and we all know how important that is. Being Lactose its even doubly important.
Second: my blood is saturated (her words) with Iron. Im off the chart, and we have no idea why. Yes it seems that my little villa are all up and proudly absorbing nutrients again, so much so its gone overboard. I do not take any type of supplement, not even a vitamin so to have the iron that high is very unusual. She wasn't concerned however because my Hemoglobin is fine. Weird eh!!!!
We will monitor and if I start to look like I have a tan i will go back for more tests. She also told me that the only cure if it gets bad is literally draining my blood. I burst out laughing and all I could think of was leaching!!! No that is not what they do thank god, when I looked it up they will take a unit of blood 2-3 time a week until the numbers are normal and then you have to go back every 3-4 times a year to keep it good. Turns out your body has no natural way of getting rid of iron. Interesting stuff.

Costco Heaven

2009-11-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

We went to costco on friday and wow I found some really good Gluten Free products that I have never seen there before plus stocked up on some of my favorites.

First there was some new Rice Crackers that they were taste testing and wow, pretty darn good. Marked right on the box Certified Gluten Free. Grimms has come out with a package of 3 different meats all cut nicely for crackers or pizza... perfect for Grey Cup time or Christmas parties. Grimms Cracker Toppers, awesome. Sahale Snacks are one of my favorite must buys when at coscto. Finally last in this picture is some Goat Cheese Brie. I have found that I can tolerate Goat Cheese as it has very little lactose in it. Im really sensitive to lactose so this is a great thing. This brie is the perfect size.

This pictures shows some other great finds. Quinoa, a organic 3lb bag for $8.99 what a great price. Also we found a soup that even though the ingredient list was really long I could not find any Gluten in it. Harry's Grilled Chicken Tortilla Soup with chipotle. It is a great pre-made soup when your in a hurry. Last I've been buying this cheese now for a while ever since I saw it posted on Glutastic's blog. Lactose free Swiss Cheese slices... very yummy.

So it was a great haul at costco this week, always fun to take the time and find some new treasures.

Is Celiac Contagious?

2009-11-11T06:27:00.001-08:00

Hmmm in a way it might be!
In July Don and I move in together, along with his daughter. It was interesting setting up a new house with Gluten and Non-Gluten concerns. We have designated cupboards for items that contain Gluten. 2 toasters and a Red cutting board that is only used for Gluten things (bread mostly). Still not one bit of wheat flour, rye or barley in the house. I was very adamant about that part. I mean lets face it you want to bake and cook at least make it that everyone in the house can eat it.
On to what this post is really about.
Don's daughter is 23, and she was complaining lots about stomach aches, vomiting and other discomforts. She sees her doctor regularly and one day when I came home the big news was "Guess what Im being tested for?" Of course Celiac!!! I had mentioned it a few times and we had even joked that both her and Don didn't feel well after a Gluten night. Well the blood test in, yup we now have 2 of us in the house.. poor Don, he is on his own for Gluten nights now. I think there should be a support group for Non-Celiac spouses.
How will she cope, well I hope its a bit easier for her, she was already eating Gluten Free at home most of the time so that transition will be OK, also the house is set up properly and we are all aware of cross contamination. The hard part will be away from home, work, lunch, out with friends.
Will she have the same reactions I did, temper tantrums and such. I hope not but we will all be more understanding if they do happen. Its hard and I hope she knows that she has mine and Don's full support.
So far it seems to be going well. She is trying to educate herself and will ask me lots of questions. Time will tell and as I know from first hand it takes awhile to really start to feel better.

So if your ever visiting our place, be careful you may get contaminated and leave a Celiac!!

Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

Well, today I have officially been on a gluten & lactose free diet for 1 year. Its also the birthday of Kracker since I took him home from the Canmore SPCA on this same day.
This is a time for me to reflect on the past year. I remember this day so well, actually I remember the day before even better. I hate shopping, never been a passion and when I picked this day to change my life for ever I had several reasons. First it was right after Thanksgiving and I went to see my parents that weekend and literally gorged myself on gluten.... It wasn't pretty people. I also had the week off work. So tuesday Oct 14th Don also had the day off so we went shopping for all the things that I would need to make the change. I had a list of products from Flours to snacks and different stores I wanted to check out. 6hrs later, 6 stores later and more weird types of flour than any sane person should ever have to have in their pantry, we were done. To say it was overwhelming in understating it. It took me 2 days to actually put all the stuff away, I just couldn't deal with it all. Kracker was my diversion... it was the reason I wanted a small cuddle dog. I was feeling sorry for myself and thought, hey lets get another dog that needs me and it will all be better. Do I have regrets on that decision...there are days. Would I do things differently... NO Way!!! when the little goof gives me a quick kiss or nudges me on my leg I'm lost. Oh... back to earth...
So the past year has brought me a lot of changes and not just in my diet. But I would say the first 8 months are the hardest. I had temper tantrums, I cried, I laughed, I got mad and I was sick! I think that has been one the most frustrating parts this past year is that I really did not feel better for a long time. Symptoms still persisted and I just would feel so crappy. But I was healing on the inside and it just takes time. I still have flareups and I have to be careful with lactose, it is the worse. But I can happily say that the last few months I have felt pretty good and what I think is normal. I don't have the cravings for stuff I can't have anymore and the most amazing one is Beer. I have no desire to have a beer anymore, and I think its because it used to make me so sick. I am enjoying wine a lot more though.

My boyfriend, family and friends have been amazing, they are my rocks. They kept me sane and put so much effort in making things that I could eat and just supporting me whenever I needed to vent. I owe them all so much I don't even really have the words to express what they mean to me. Luv you guys!!!

Ive made it thru my first year as a celiac and I have a life time ahead of me. But a lifetime of feeling better. I have learned so much about Gluten and myself this year its amazing. Education on this subject is key to being able to maintain a GF diet. I have lots of cookbooks and subscribe to I think every magazine out there, and the learning will continue forever.

Im ready for the next chapter in my life and its started already!

Happy 1st Anniversary to me!!!

Old Dutch and Gluten Free!!!!!

2009-10-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Did you always think you would only be able to eat boring plain potato chips or maybe salt & vinegar, but that was it for variety. Well think no more. I just found out that Old Dutch has a huge variety of Gluten Free chips. Chip away people!!!!

Check out this list!!!!

A Totally GF & LF Turkey Dinner

2009-10-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was our big thanksgiving dinner. I had decided that I was going to make everything Gluten and Lactose Free. Everything on the table I would be able to eat without having to even think about it. For me it was a challenge, could I do it and have it be a good as my Mom's thanksgiving dinner?
It started Friday with the trip to Cochrane for the bread.
Saturday I bought 2 rice pie shells from Planet Organic and made a pumpkin pie and biscuits. Sunday I was up at 7:00 and started to make the Lemon Pie - from scratch except the crust. Then it was on to the stuffing and getting the turkey ready.
With my Mom's help the turkey was stuffed and in the oven by 10:40. It was approx 24lbs so was going to take all day. We prepared all of the other veggies so that everything would be ready to just cook when the time came. Wow...it was a busy day.
We were hosting 10 people for dinner, our first real formal dinner in our new home.
I have pictures of the stuffing being made and the biscuits and pie done.
Dinner was scheduled for 6 and we sat down at 6:30...I was pretty impressed with this. LOL
What a success, everything was perfect, tasted amazing "even the stuffing" and I didn't have to worry about a thing. Everyone ate a lot with lots of compliments.

Yippee, one of the best thanksgivings ever!!!!!!!

Life is Busy

2009-09-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

When I decided to post something today I really didn't have anything in mind but its had been awhile so here I am just pounding the keys as I'm thinking.
I'm training for a 1/2 Marathon right now and its not my first. I run with my sister and we try to do one a year. I also mostly train in the winter as I would prefer to bike during the summer than run. When I was first diagnosed with Celiac I wondered if my running would improve. I'm a pretty active person and never let how my stomach or other things stop me in the past, I would just suffer and go on. Ive been on a GF & LF diet for almost a year now so if any difference could happen I should see it now with my training.
I am a lot faster this time around, my training seems to be going pretty good. I have noticed that I am not getting a heat rash after I run. One other thing Ive noticed is that my Asthma is also not as bad as before. Hmmmmm all things to ponder.

Oh on another note, I was taken out to lunch the other day and decided to go to a Lebanese place. Sahara which is downtown and they have a buffet. While I'm sure cross contamination is an issue I took the chance. They took me for a tour of the items and pretty much everything except the pita bread and some condiments I could eat. They use a lot of lentils, eggplant and other really good stuff. I seemed to be fine but remember I'm not as sensitive as some people as long as I don't have any dairy. It was nice to have such a big choice of foods to eat for a change. Joey Tomatoes while is really nice with the GF menu I'm already getting tired of the Tuna Salad (cheapest thing on the menu).

I Scream You Scream We All Scream for Ice Cream

2009-08-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

I really miss Ice cream and yogurt. Soy yogurt is only so so and I have found a soy ice cream made with Coconut milk that is pretty good. But there is an easy recipe to make your own ice cream that was posted on GFE today, and its Dairy Free, made with coconut milk. It sounds and from the pictures looks amazing. I would love to try it.

One big problem: You need an ice cream maker! So here is where reason comes into play. Yes i like ice cream but its winter for 8 months here so can I really justify buying an ice cream maker????? I only eat ice cream if I have it, so Ive put it in with the Bread Maker category. I never ate a lot of bread before so it doesn't make sense to buy a machine to make mediocre bread when I can buy the best from my favourite bakery GF Patisserie in cochrane. I may change my mind on the Ice cream Maker and ask for it for Christmas....

Great new Blog/Website

2009-08-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

So I have a few Blogs which I regularily read and thru one of them GFE (Gluten Free Easily) I discovered a recipe blog. It really is one of the best ones I've found.
It is woman who's husband and daughter are gluten intolerant and they are also do everything Whole Food. I love some of the recipe's and I plan on trying a few, some great muffins and these Green Smoothies. I own a VitaMix (super blender) and honestly have not used it to its potential so its time to bring that sucker out of cupboard.
Here is the Blog and check out the website too!

http://www.glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com/

http://www.wholelifenutrition.net/index.html

Happy Holidays

2009-08-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

So had my first camping holiday with Don, 4 dogs, GF & LF. We rented a motorhome, hey lets face it you don't think we could tent with 3 large 1 small dog do you!!!! Before we get on our way for vacation we did have a small setback. Kracker our smallest little guy decided that something was not right with all this packing on sunday and was a bit upset (he didn't handle our move well either). So he went on a chewing rampage that morning. My good dress shoes and a plant.
Well later that day he started to throw up and it was green...you guessed it, the plant was poisonous.. so a trip to the emergency vet on a holiday. Luckily the little guy was ok and he has since totally recovered. Our trip was delayed by one day and the vet felt that he should not be left behind as it would only stress him out more. So with soft food and stomach medication we hit the road. Nelson was our first stop. I have 2 great friends that have moved their in the past year so it was fabulous to visit and see the places. I love Nelson, its just so beautiful and you have to stop at Oso Negro for coffee. We only stayed 2 days as we had to be at Burton for Thursday for our Annual Family Reunion Camping weekend. Burton is approx 30km south of Nakusp, not much of a place but they have a great campground. We had rented the group camp for our families and it was perfect. 21 Adults, 5 kids, 2 1/2 babies and 15 DOGS..... yes my family is a dog family...everyone has 1 or more. Everyone got along great, kids, dogs it was so much fun.
I was a little nervous about this camping trip as traditionally we split into groups and each group makes dinner for everyone on their designated night. So I was only in control of 1 night where I could be 100% on the GF LF factor. But my family rocks, they asked me lots of questions and truly went out of their way to make sure I had something safe to eat. I love my family!!!
We spent 5 days together and I did not get sick at all. It was so great! Shayra - Don's daughter who also joined us even went out her way to bring all the fixing for Smores (GF just for me). That was the best, being able to join everyone for this sticky sweet treat!
We had a great time and yes you can travel with that many dogs in a motor home!!!!
Great time and looking forward to next year already...

Took a Risk!

2009-06-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

First Wedding as a Celiac was on Saturday. I did the biggest Celiac mistake and did not talk to the bride on matters of the food. I was a guess of a friend so really felt that I should not be bother someone I really don't know about if the food will be safe for me to eat.

So in preparation I did try and eat something small before we left but of course I was running behind and only got to eat some rice and 1 small turkey pepperoni stick.
Meal was a buffet and at first I was sure I would only be able to eat salad with no dressing. But when we got up to the front, they were serving roast beef and honestly it looked like it had no spices on it at all. The roasted potatoes as well looked very plain and same with the carrots. No offence to the bride but it really was a bland kinda of a meal. But to me it was heaven, so I took the risk and had the roast beef, potatoes, carrots and salad. No gravy or dressing, and i was fine. No side effects at all....yippee. Now I know this won't happen to the next wedding I will be attending as its at a Chinese place. But I do know the mother of the groom a little and she knows of my problem so you never know. Again though I will not push the subject and can just eat before I go.

Oh the wedding was wonderful as they all are.

Marcello's - maybe not?

2009-06-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well if you read my last post I was bragging that I found a great place to eat lunch when i don't bring my own. Well yesterday after lunch, my stomach started to have that familiar gurgle sound and I was worried I wouldn't make it home in time. So was it Gluten or Lactose, I really have no idea but the chances might have been higher for contamination for gluten. But I will still eat here occasionally and see if its a repeat and maybe just being a little more careful.
Let me know if you risk it and try Marcello's in Canterra.

OMG - the best place to eat downtown

2009-06-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

So Ive been wanting to blog about this great find and I just finished my lunch from this fabulous place so its fresh on my mind.
Less than a year ago a Marcello's opened up in Canterra Tower. This is a buffet set up. I would go and browse and see if there was anything to eat. Mostly salads that you know are safe. But looking at all the great hot entrees made we wish!!! One day I notice someone filling a pan and just thought I will ask. Well it turns out it was the actual chef and she is Celiac and then informed me that she cooks mostly Gluten Free if she can and showed me a bunch of stuff i could eat. I was so happy.
I don't eat out much so months later I ventured back thinking I would request to talk to the great chef and ask again. Well to my surprise when I looked at the signage for all the food & she has started to mark whether its Healthy, Gluten Free/Wheat Free and Dairy Free. I could have kissed someone i was so happy.
I bought my lunch and then went back to work and immediately emailed the owner and told her how happy I was and how important it was for my diet.
The next time I was in I ran into this fab chef again and told her how much I appreciate what she had done.
Today I had this fabulous hot salmon dill dish, carrot salad, spinach with a little bit of greek salad on top as a dressing. I picked out the feta cheese. It was so good!!!!
So if you work downtown, venture over to Canterra Tower 3rd & 3rd SW 2nd floor. I try to go early so that I have less chance of customers cross contaminating the food.
Please realize I do not react immediately but so far I have been good when Ive eaten there.
Let me know if you go and what you think.

Oops, gotta get better at this!

2009-06-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

So its been way to long since I've posted. Mostly just lazy as lots has happened. Lets do a really quick version of my life since my last post. Im sure I will miss lots of stuff and will fill in later or expand later.

Im definately Lactose Intolerant, after my 2nd test, my doctor looked at me and and just shook her head. Flat line, yup you can't really get any worse than that. Ive also done some experimenting with Lactaid pills. If I want a very small amount of dairy they work if I take 4 pills but a meal with a cream sauce I think i would have to take a bottle. It also let me figure out what some of my lactose symptoms were since I really had no idea what was lactose and what were Gluten symptoms. So now Im back to trying to keep Lactose out of my diet totally and its hard. I go thru cravings of milkshakes and icecream. My next post I hope to start a list of all the great lactose free products I am finding. Its easy to find info on GF but Im having a harder time finding Lactose information. So even though I will always post GF it will also be a lot of Lactose information.

Im moving! yup boyfriend and I decided to live together and that neutral grounds were needed. Neither of us wanted to live in the others hous for various reasons. So we bought a house to live together in. Wow that has been a little stressful. Mostly it was the decision to sell Don's house and all the work we had to put into it before putting it on the market. It all paid off as it sold within a week, yippee!!!
Im renting my place so if you know of someone wanting to rent a house let me know, its a great place.
The big move will be on July 18th almost a birthday move. I will get to celebrate in the new house. Its all very exciting and scarey at the same time...this is a big deal!!!!

On the Celiac front - well I have good days and bad days. Im still frustrated and think there is something else that Im missing!!! I have also been really sick, with sinus colds and the flu. Im usually never sick for longer than 2 days, but this time its been weeks. Im trying to figure out my next step and its going to be a diet change of some sort. Ive been reading some books on Acid/Alkline diets as well as going Raw Food. Its all very interesting. I will keep you posted on my decisions as i go along. Im just tired of being tired and not feeling well.

This post is gettting out of hand so I will stop now and let this digest. I promise to post more often and get caught up on all the great things I want to discuss.
Cheers, everyone.

Lactose....Smacktose

2009-02-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

So I went and had another Lactose Test today. Why would I want to put myself thru that misery of 2.5hrs in a waiting room to have them poke me 4 times. Well, my doctor told me that after being GF their was a possibility that the lactose intolerance can reverse. Sometimes I have found the Lactose Free diet harder than GF... I love my cream, icecream, sauces, cheese, butter. In all fairness, yes I could take a pill and enjoy all of the above but I decided to try and do without, be completely GF & LF for at least 3 - 4 months to give my body a break. Its been 4 months now so felt it was time. At first I thought, wow Im really lactose intolerant cause after taking the drink full of it, my stomach didn't feel that well and was moving all around, making some very loud embarrassing noises. But them I remembered I hadn't eaten since 10pm last night so maybe I was just hungry. Also so far no rushing trip to the bathroom. Im being very optimistic my friends and really hoping that I can start to put some fun back into my diet. Should know in a week or two.

Chili and Bread what lovely Bread

2009-02-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Went Skiing on Saturday and my sister was making Chili for everyone after. I was in charge of the GF bread since there were going to be 2 of us that are Celiac there.
So I hastily email GF Patisserie in Cochrane and ordered a fresh loaf of the Italian Flat Bread to be held for me and we would pick it up on our way back from the mountains.
Got there at 4:30 and wow, I was glad I had pre-ordered, as there was only my lonely Flat Bread and one loaf of the white sandwich bread left fresh.
I bought both and a frozen Flax as I haven't tried it yet.

At the dinner our other Celiac friend had not had any of GF Patisserie bread so i was really pumping it up, cause it is the best GF bread anywhere. I cut the flat bread into wedges and also cut some of the white bread as well for us to share with the Chili. I was anxiously waiting to see her reaction and I was right, a big eyed smile came onto her face and she was amazed at how good it was. She also raved about the white bread too. With 4 non- celiacs at the table they all wanted to try the flat bread and were totally amazed. As far as they were concerned they would also have no problem eating this bread.... now its whether we are willing to share or not..lol
I gave her the rest of the bread to take home as her daughter is also celiac and she knew how excited she would be to taste this yummy bread. Even though they live in MacKenzie town she was seeing a trip to Cochrane in their very near future.

So if you still haven't been to the BEST GF bakery what are you waiting for, go, go now, oops sorry you have to wait until at least wednesday when they open again for the week
www.gfpatisserie.com
You will not be sorry, trust me.

What Happened?

2009-02-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

So Im not sure what happened the other night, maybe it was that I didn't eat enough food during the day or maybe I was poisoned.
Valentines night, we went out for dinner, very nice buffet, they told me I would have my own meal but could still off the buffet anything I wanted.
Being cautious I only had a green salad, no dressing and some pickled condiments.
Before dinner I had one martini. We had some wine during dinner. My main course came and it was chicken with some sauteed' veggies on top. No rice, potatoes or anything else. I was a little disappointed at the cost of the tickets to only get chicken. it was tasty though I will give them that.
Unfortunately I started to not feel well soon after and I felt really drunk????? But in reality had not had that much to drink. To my horror I ended up getting sick at my table. Not a pleasant thing and the first time that has ever happened. I have always made it to a bathroom. My embarrassment was so great. No I really don't know what triggered this. So in the defense of the place I will not mention it.

However I now feel really bad for the Celiac's out there that do physically get sick if they eat any gluten. My horror is something that you can have happen so easily. Im hoping this is just one of those rare things but now Im worried that maybe since Ive been on the GF diet a while now Im getting more sensitive. Ive been told it can happen. What scares me even more is that I am scheduled for my biopsy in June which means I have to go off the GF diet about 6 weeks before the operation. What will that be like??? Im not good with unknowns.

Cupcakes - Who Said Cupcakes.

2009-02-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a co-worker that turned 50 so I decided to bring cupcakes to work for us to celebrate. So monday was cupcake making night. I needed to make 36 cupcakes... I do not have any wheat flour in my house and I intend not to ever have wheat flour in my house. Just by me baking with it I could inhale it and poison my self...not.
So I made GF & LF chocolate cupcakes. I knew it would be interesting to see everyone's reaction.
Most people I work with know I'm Celiac and if they didn't know now, I don't keep secrets well and it helps for people to know why I eat what I do. As the cupcakes were being handed out, lots of queries.... these are made without flour???? Yup and no butter either. Consensus.... wow, these are good, yummy. All cupcakes were eaten. It was great for people to realize that there are other options out there, yes I had to make them myself but they tasted just as good as a wheat flour cupcake. I really enjoyed being able to partake in eating and celebrating with my co-workers instead of either not having any or bringing my own treat with me.

I enjoyed making these and wish I had more time to experiment with recipes. i really want to try and make a perogie dough. My mom makes a dish called Vernikie which is like a perogie but made with hamburger & onion instead of potatoe. One of my favourites as a kid and still today.
Its really a very simple dough recipe flour, milk and egg.
One day i will try it.

Marilyn & Milestones

2009-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

On Saturday my boyfriends daughter and I went to see the Marilyn Munroe display at the Glenbow Museum. Before going we went to lunch at Milestones downtown. I have eaten there once before and the service was really good and very helpful. Well again, my waitress was exceptional. She understood what celiac was right away and even though they don't have a lot of choice for me on their menu I found 2 items of possibility. I always try to pick 2 things that way it saves time when they go to the chef and my first choice gets turned down.
Sundays they do Brunch and I was able to order an Omelet, no cheese but lots of other great stuff. My second choice was a Chicken Curry Bowl. When she came back after talking to the chef, they could do both with modification so I went with the omelet and they promised to make mine separate in a clean pan. She also offered some sauteed veggies in place of the potatoes/toast that usually come with the meal.
What a great lunch and it was so nice to have such fabulous service.

Marilyn Munroe.... wow definitely worth taking a peak at this exhibit. We missed the play which I'm sure would have been great as well but the painting, photography and actual dresses she wore were amazing. The famous Andy Warhol and Milton Greene pictures there.
The exhibit is on until Feb 22 so if your at all interested in Marilyn go and check it out.

Shayra, thanks for spending the afternoon with me, it was a lot of fun.

Feelin Better - maybe it was the iMac!!

2009-02-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting in a while...been busy. I'm also just starting to feel better, yeah!!!!
Why have I been busy you ask, well I'm training for a 1/2 marathon to run with my sister and niece in April. That should be fun and Brenda and I will cheer our niece from far behind her, she is young and fast...lol
Got the microwave installed, and its fabulous and I just bought a new computer. After chatting with lots of people and looking at reviews Ive gone to the other side and bought a iMac. It is beautiful, not only esthically but just in all generalness. (not sure that is a word but i like it)
Now maybe I can do some cool things with my blog once i get up to speed on it.

As for the GF/LF world, I found some decent LF cheese a while back, I will try and take a picture and post it. For non lactose cheese it is really good. Now I buy the LF Judy pizza and add my own cheese, its so good. Judy's Pizza are the best (well Ive only tried one but it is great). So if you haven't tried them, go ahead, get one today and make a pizza night at home.
Well, that's all folks, a quick update.
Cheers

Why Do I Feel So Crappy?

2009-01-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

What am i doing wrong? That is the question Im asking myself. I haven't been feeling well for couple of weeks and i can't figure out why. I can't see where I may be getting gluten.... its all very frustrating. Last night for dinner I had Chicken breast roasted with Mrs. Dash and Pepper Medley, mashed potatoes/soy milk, & peas. Yet 1.5 hrs later Im in bloated/gas hell for about 2 hrs until it settled down. My sister mentioned maybe i picked up something from Mexico... but how do i rule that out?
I know this will get easier as once Ive been on the GF diet for awhile and healed, time will make me more educated and everything, but this transition and learning curve is tough. Ive been working really hard to get my house as GF as possible. Changing baking dishes out, new toaster, just for me. New wooden spoons kept separate, new Teflon frying pans. The only thing I haven't changed out is my favourite baking dish that I cook my chicken and other baked meats in. It is oven safe tupperware not porous like clay so I think that the dishwasher gets it clean but maybe i have to find a new baking dish to use and throw that one out. It has seen a lot of cooking over the years and definately coatings with flour.
On a brighter note, I bought a over the range microwave last night....oh very exciting.... I love new appliances...LOL can't wait to get it installed.

Where do you put all your flour?

2008-12-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

I have to buy a bigger freezer! A friend lent me her freezer when she heard i was looking, its this really cute little thing that is the size of a bar fridge. But 4 months ago it was perfect, fit all my extra frozen stuff nicely.
Enter being Celiac..... As i have mentioned in the past i now own more types of flour than any sane person and in order to keep them for any length of time you should freeze it. At the price of this stuff, you really do want to freeze it believe me. My fridge upstairs is packed and I have to make room for my roommate. The little freezer downstairs is full of flour, pasta sauce and other goodies. I need more room! I would love to make some meals big enough to freeze some for later but right now I don't even have room for the pizza I want. So I'm on a mission to find a bigger freezer. Questions: how big do you go and do you get a chest or up right? I don't want huge but it has to be bigger than what I have. I'm thinking up right if I can find a good used deal.
Wish me luck in my quest!

Power Balls - recipe

2008-12-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

I have this recipe that i was making before I knew I was celiac and it is GF & LF... yeah.
I only had to make sure that some of the ingredients were GF which wasn't hard at all.
These are great little morsels and easy to make. If you can have Pure Oats then you can have these.

1 cup of Pure Oats (Only Oats)
5 brown rice cakes, crumbled
1 cup chopped dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, raisins, dates)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds chopped or pulsed in food processor
1/4 cup ground flax seed and/or sunflower seeds
pinch salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup soy milk or regular milk

In large bowl, toss together the oats, rice cakes, dried fruit, coconut, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed and salt. In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa, peanut butter and maple syrup and set over medium heat. Cook until melted and smooth, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the soy milk until well blended and smooth.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Put bowl in the fridge until the mixture is cool. Shape into balls. Store them covered, in the fridge.
They are great frozen too!
Enjoy

BP - never again

2008-12-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

December is also Birthday month, I have a lot of friends with birthdays in December. Of course we try and get together. First party was being held at the Rose & Crown and I did the smart thing and ate before going. We didn't need to be there until after 7 so it was easy. Party #2, a different story, we were meeting for 6 so I did not have time to eat. The birthday girl chose Boston Pizza and when I looked at the menu on line first it looked like I could possibly get something GF. I even had my handy gluten info card with me! When I talked to the server she said all she could do was give me a book that told all the allergy alerts for there food. That would have taken a week to read. Then when I asked her to talk to the the chef's, well BP only has cooks and none of them spoke english! So I did the safe thing and just ordered a garden salad... :0( Im pretty sick of salads. So I now will never go to BP ever again with the thought of eating and will try and discourage my friends from going there too if inviting me.
There are lots of other places

Glutened???

2008-12-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

So Im now pretty sure that I do have a reaction when I have taken in gluten. We went to the Peking Garden for Chinese on Wednesday night. I had heard that they do GF chinese food.
I picked out items and the server said that yes they could do it GF so our food came and we ate.... it was very good. Plus lots of left overs.
I had a bit of a stomach ache that night but it really wasn't too bad so ignored it and had the left overs for dinner last night. Well, later that evening it was a disaster, pain and the old symptoms back. Im pretty sure their was gluten in there somewhere. Cause I was pretty bad last night. I feel fine today. In one way though Im glad that I have reactions as it makes it easier to figure out if you are eating gluten or not. Im also happy cause that meant that my trip to Mexico was a GF success..... have passport, can travel!!!!

Mexico - GF?

2008-12-15T17:06:00.000-08:00

First I have to say.....what happened to calgary chinooks? I came from +28 to -32.....crazy
I just spent a week in Mexico, Riviera Maya at the Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach Hotel. The place was fabulous. Big enough to have lots of interesting stuff but small enough to easily get around.
As for food, it did take me a while to get things figured out as far as my diet went. I tried just talking to them, some got it other didn't. The buffet, I stuck to a lot of salads and chicken/fish that they grilled in front of you with oil. Oh and white rice with peas. So not really that appetizing. Finally I got someone at the hotel to add to my Spanish card that tells about celiac and gluten a bit about lactose as well. Once I started to use the card, things got better, the main restaurants were great, either made me my own dinner or helped me order. Most of the time they really went out of their way to help me. I won't say it was easy, the first day was very hard and I had a major breakdown. Not sure if the rainbow of drinks I had drank that day helped much. But it did get better.
We also went into Playa de Carmen for the day and went out for lunch. Using my handy little card, it went really well, better than I thought. Unfortunately at this point I really am not sure if I have been poisoned or not so please take my encounters with a grain of salt for more sensitive celiacs.

Greek Anyone?

2008-12-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

Part of my job is to organize fun stuff for our group to do and every christmas we go out for lunch. This is just not 10 people no I have to organize 40+ people. Finding a good restaurant that will accommodate that many people can be a challenge as well.
I found out about this fabulous Greek Taverna from a co-worker. She is also an admin like me but her parents own Santorin's Greek Taverna - Center Street North.
I booked our group for a 10 course meal and then there was me! I called the owner who is also the Chef, Andreas and talked to him about my diet restrictions. He was so pleasant to work with and he assured me I would not go hungry.
The food was absolutely amazing, rave review from everyone. They brought out the dishes on platters so everyone served themselves with how much they wanted. I think most people were full about 1/2 way thru. 3 1/2 hrs of eating... could you ask for more!!!
As for me they really did take my diet serious and brought me my own plates of things I could eat. Starting while everyone was eating peta bread and dips, I got raw veggies with Hummus...yummy. Then my greek salad had no feta, and while the rest were eating calamari and shrimp with scallops in butter and garlic, I was given the same but no breading and cooked with olive oil and lemon. I don't know about the others by mine was so delicious.
The main course was lamb, chicken and roasted potatoes. Even though it was the same as everyone else, they still gave me my own plate so I didn't have to share. I wasn't sure if it really was different or not...it looked the same.
I really give this place a 10 of 10, we all had such a great time and we weren't rushed out which was really nice.
I will definitely go back on my own - Andreas kept telling me, come back to us and I will make sure you have a great dinner you can eat. Can't get much better than that!

Tengo una enfermedad que se lama celiaqua

2008-12-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

I have an illness called Celiac Disease........
Hey Im going to mexico and just found the Restaurant card in spanish.
I am having a few anxious moments about this trip. I have felt like I am on a roller coaster, trying to figure out what i should take and all the legistics of traveling with a CF & LF diet.
We are travelling with 2 other couples, my sister and her husband and friends. Very exciting, I haven't been on a sun vacation in ages, I think its been 5 or 6 years now. My fears....unfortunately are very real. I am thankful we are staying at a 5 star resort as I'm hoping that I will get better service because of that fact to start with. I did contact the hotel and got a really fast response and I was very happy when they stated they have had celiac's stay with them before and my name will be given to the chef at each place we are eating that morning to help prepare for the evening meal. My fears went away a little at that point, I was feeling much better about the trip. Then last week I emailed again just to confirm my arrival and to ask if they had soy milk at the hotel. I haven't heard back from them and now Im nervous again.
Lots of emotions and stuff are going through my head...Ive even thought about just saying screw it and not doing the diet. I do have to be off the diet for 2 months before I have the biopsy anyway. But then that won't help me in the future when we take another trip, maybe at a non resort style or not 5 star.
I have come up with some ideas of what to bring. Lots of Lara and Fruit bars, tetra pak of soy milk, crackers and some other snacking type foods. Oh and cereal. Ive been reading a few blogs and such about travelling but there really is not much out there on that topic. Lets hope I get through customs with my suitecase full of food!!!

We leave on sunday...whoo hoo!!! Margarita anyone!

Breakie Boycott

2008-12-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Im sure if you are celiac or know someone close to you who is, you will relate to this story. A few weeks ago, Don came up with a great idea, lets go out for breakfast. I had been avoiding this and had been pretty successful cause he suggests it every weekend. But finally knowing I really can't put this off anymore agreed. *News Flash* ...I like my coffee people and can get a little grumpy without it.... We head out and thought, lets try Nellies in Kensington.... big line up and we both aren't great with lineups. Im also really hungry, so we decide Phils in Motel Village, cause we couldn't think of anywhere else close by. So we get seated and I ask if they have soy milk.... no and the strangest look, honestly I don't think the server even knew what soy milk was!!!! So right off the bat, Im having a grumpy moment and I order Tea... I like tea, tea is good but I don't drink tea in the morning, for me tea is that evening drink. COFFEE is for the mornings and unfortunately I have to have cream in my coffee, black just doesn't work for me yet. So on to the menu..... Im already a smidgen close to having a temper tantrum and after looking at the menu the only thing on it that I could have was Eggs, Hashbrowns and bacon (pray the bacon is GF). Well, I just look at Don and say, I can make all of this at home and HAVE COFFEE!!!! Yup I was losing it!!!
The meal was only OK, it was just plain old eggs, which is the only thing I can really have at a restaurant for Breakfast, so I have now put a ban on all going out for breakfasts.... nope won't do it. I can make a great breakfast at home and have my fabulous coffee with soy!!!
On a side note, since the ban, I have gotten French Toast at home - Don made it using the bread from my favourite Bakery in Cochrane - GF Patisserie. Next time we'll try it with the raisin bread. I had gone to heaven, it was so good. French Toast was one of my favorite things to order in the old days. See, staying home can have its benefits.
Oh and yes I could just bring my own soy milk but who remembers that or really wants to be lugging every condiment you have in your fridge to the restaurant.

Cheese you say?

2008-12-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, the whole reason to have this blog is to help me vent so I don't drive my family and friends away from me.
Cheese, lets say...I love cheese and miss it more than any glutenized item on earth. So being Lactose intolerant is hell... So we had decided to have a little mexican night with friends to help us get excited about our pending trip to mexico on Dec 7th.. more on that later.
What is a taco without cheese??? Not a taco!!!!!! So in my wisdom I decided to try an alternative cheese product that the Vegan group can use. Tofu - well I don't really mind tofu, have had great tofu so thought, hey the cheese may taste ok and then I will once again be a happy girl.
I could not get it out of my mouth quick enough, it was the most foul tasting thing I have ever in my 44 years of life experienced. I thought the brown rice bread I first tried was bad but no, that was like a cupcake compared to this. Spit it out and the whole thing went into the garbage. So if you are also lactose intolerant, save yourself the bad taste and money...just don't do it.
Anyone find a good non-cheese make sure you let me know!

Support - good, bad or just plain silly

2008-11-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

When I finally made the decision to go GF I found out that the Calgary Chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association was holding an info session for newly diagnosed Celiacs. So thinking that my sister and boyfriend may be interested in coming with me, made the invitation. They both agreed to come with me for support and to learn more themselves since my change was also going to affect them in a big way too.
On the way there the jokes started, "is this like an AA meeting... hello my name is karen and Im addicted to gluten"... Ha ha...yes I have heard many jokes from my love ones. Anyway we go to the meeting and (no disrespect for the Association) but it really was like that....having to listen endlessly to other people descriptive history and health problems, I could see outta the corner of my eye Don and Brenda trying really hard not to laugh, and to be honest with you I could not look at them cause I would have lost it. Anyway when it was my turn, I kept it really brief and then Don & Brenda made the joke of being there for support and after the meeting we were going for pizza!!! The jokes between the 2 of them kept on coming and I was starting to wonder why did I invite them!!!! Anyway, all in all it was good, we were given some great information and the Association is a real asset to Celiacs and I strongly encourage anyone to join your local chapter.
Support, not sure if I got it, but Im still thankful for them for having gone through a very long evening with me. In fact we still have laughs over that night.

Feeling Normal - for a moment

2008-11-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

Last night Don and I went to dinner, as all Celiacs know this is one of the most frustrating of times, you have to ask a million questions and still its a crap shoot as to whether you get a GF meal.
I had heard about a Chinese Restaurant that has GF items so we decided to try it out. Oriental Palace. They are located in Parkdale, that little shopping plaza where Lics Icecream and the Lazy Loaf reside. Very old fashioned family run place, you instantly like the place when you walk in. As soon as we sat down and they brought the menus I told her that I had heard they have GF items... she got this big smile and said of course, on the menu anything with a red star can be made Gluten Free. I thought this is it...I love this place and haven't even eaten a thing yet. We made 4 choices, Sizzling Rice dish, Beef mushroom & baby corn, Dried Salt & Pepper Squid & Lemon Chicken.
As Im chowing down on the food, all I could think was how normal I felt. We went to a place, we both ordered items we wanted and eating together with no worries. I really felt normal for the first time since Oct 15th.

The sizzling rice was amazing, I could have just eaten that and been blissfully happy. The beef dish also was excellent. The Squid and Lemon Chicken was good but the batter was different, not sure what they use. It was definitely OK and no complaints from me, just different.

We both gave it a thumbs up and will go again...or take out..... Im already thinking of that cold day with Sizzling Rice.

Catch Up

2008-11-26T08:17:00.001-08:00

I'm trying to Catch up on all the stuff that has happened since I was first diagnosed so you have to read my past.

So after the summer was over and I was seriously contemplating my future as Gulten Free, and of course you are feeling sorry for yourself big time. So what does someone do to cheer themselves up? When, most people would go shopping or to a spa, do something special for themselves....what do I do....... I go and get another dog...yup I got it into my head I wanted a small snuggle dog (Rocky is the not best snuggler) So after much searching...enters Kracker - yup a Terrier X that has lots of spunk and is only about 23lbs... I got him from the Canmore SPCA and took him home on October 15th... wow this day has a lot of significance to me now..... 1st day GF and a new dog with a new birthdate of Oct 15.

I have questioned my sanity and my family & friends really question my sanity...but he is great and hopefully once he gets over this chewing stage, everything will be wonderful.... wouldn't change a thing now that I have him.

Shopping is Evil

2008-11-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

When I finally decided after months of denial that I should start the GF & LF diet I picked a day where I had the week off of work. I figured my first shopping experience should be during a none busy day like the weekend.

With a very supportive Boyfriend (Don) who also had the day off. We had just come home from visiting my parents for Thanksgiving.....kinda my last glueten filled weekend of all my favourites that my Mom could cook and me shovel down.

Tuesday, Oct 14th was going to be Shopping Day. I had lists and lists of every conceivable flour that I could eat and armed with my little ingrediant handbook off we set.

Ok, I shoud tell you something right here...I hate shopping at the best of times. Im a get in get out as quick as you can kinda girl. 6 stores, 6 hours later, I am exhausted, very grumpy but have more types of flour than any sane person should have in their pantry.

Was it a success, well it depends on who you talk to... it took me 4 days to get up the courage to actually put all that flour away into the freezer. My bank account went into cardiac arrest at the prices of stuff, but Don still drags me out shopping.

Shopping is still a major chore but it has gotten better, I only go to Safeway (its in the hood) and Planet Organic. Keep it simple and Im happy.

Who Am I?

2008-11-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

Well, my name is Karen and I was diagnosed in July 2008 by a blood test as Celiac and Lactose Intolerant. My doctor says that I may reverse the lactose part if Im lucky...hmmmm am i lucky? The day my doctor dropped the bomb I certainly didn't think so.
I went home in shock, called my sister and then proceeded to start throwing things out of my cupboards and fridge. It was all very reactive and impulsive but I didn't know what else to do.
The full impact had not even come close to sinking in and I was already in a state. I didn't know what to do, where to start. Luckly my sister has a friend who is Celiac as well as her daughter and she called me. We talked and she helped stop some of the fears but then she convinced me I should get the Biopsy to confirm that I really am Celiac.
Comes in our "wonderful" health system. I called my doctor and told her I had changed my mind and wanted the biopsy. Ok, did not hear anything for weeks, left message after message in the office..finally someone talked to me only for me to find out my appointment was for June 2009. I also thought this was just to see the specialist not the biopsy....lack of communication...many months later again I finally get the number to the specialist and call them. This is when I find out that that date was actually for the biopsy...well that is better I guess!!!
I then decide that I want to go on the Gluten Free diet and then i will go off it as I get close to my appointment.

So on October 15th, 2008 I officially start the GF & LF diet.