Sunday, September 30, 2012

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

1 banana
8-10 frozen strawberries
3 big spoonfuls of orange juice concentrate
Water halfway up contents

You can add some frozen peaches if you want too.

Blend

Day 8 Menu and Recipes

Breakfast - Banana Pancakes revised - I sort of concocted my own recipe from the other link I had...

Lunch - Left over Chicken and veggies

Dinner - Salmon and Sweet potato fries, and veggies

Banana Pancakes

1 Banana (or you can also do applesauce - about 1/2-3/4 cup)
3 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
3 Tablespoons Coconut Flour (or maybe some sweet rice flour)

Fry in some hot coconut oil. They don't stay together perfectly but they taste pretty yummy, if you like banana and coconut flavors!

Salmon

1 Salmon - get size according to family needs, and fresh always tastes WAY better.
Rub some olive oil over the top and season with Salt and pepper. Top with sliced lemons. I also squeezed some lemon juice on top.

Bake at 450 for 30 mins.

Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 sweet potatoes cut into small slices
toss with a little olive oil
sprinkle rosemary and sea salt over top (or seasoning salt if you like that)

Bake at 350 for 20-30 mins

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Day 7 Menu and Recipes

Honestly it's the weekend and  I'm trying to keep it fairly simple, because Saturday's can get a little crazy...

Breakfast - You're favorite breakfast from the week

Lunch - Steak?? (see story below) Or left overs

Dinner - Leftover chicken, or some Salad's with the leftover chicken on top. And lots of cooked up veggies.

Sorry today is kind of a lame menu day, I just need to clean out my fridge of leftovers. We ended up going to a local butchers shop today, which was actually kind of cool... if you like meat. I've decided I'm a true carnivor. I LOVE meat. While seeing half a cow hanging by it's back legs from the ceiling is a little disturbing in some ways, it was still kind of cool to see that the meat we were buying was TRULY fresh! Hence the "Steak" for lunch. Of course my husband had to buy a few steaks. But hey, at least he agreed to join us on the diet! :)

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Baked Chicken Thighs and Zuccini

Chicken

These always seem to take longer for me to bake than I expect. If they are thawed they shouldn't take more than 30-40 mins, if frozen I swear they always take like 1.5-2 hours. But maybe I just fail.

Put the thighs in a baking dish. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Add a little water to the bottom of the pan. Stick in the oven for 30 - 40 mins (thawed). That simple! And delicious!

Zuccini

Zuccini
Yellow Squash
Onion

Chop zuccini onion and yellow squash into pieces. Fry in a little olive oil until tender. Season as desired. I like seasoning salt, Mrs Dash and some parsley. :)

Also if not on the diet real bacon bits and feta cheese or parmesan make a great topper for thise dish!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Protein Shake

1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 Tbl Chia Seed
4 Walnuts
Small handful pumkin seeds
2 Tbl Almond butter (a lot of almond butter have sugar in them so beware)
4 oz canned coconut milk
1/2 banana
enough water to cover 1-2 inches above the contents, otherwise it's quite thick
Blend for a while until it is nice and smooth, add more water if needed.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Spaghetti Squash


Preheat the oven to 375
Cut the Squash in half length wise, dig out the seeds etc. (Save seeds to roast later if you want)
Put the squash on a pan or baking dish, either up or down, I've heard both ways, it might be a little more tender with the skin on top, but you could flip it half way through just to make sure it cooks right. cover with tin foil and bake for about 40-50 mins or until tender. Remove from oven when done and scrape the squash away from the rind. It should look like spaghetti. ;)

Spaghetti Sauce

This recipe was actually a pizza sauce recipe, but I thought it might taste good on the squash. It's a little big more of a fresh taste. I'll try it tomorrow and let you know how it goes!

28 oz of diced tomatoes (or I just blend up whole ones in the blender)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 Tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp salt
Simmer 10-12 mins. (longer if you like a richer flavor)

*I cooked some onion and shredded zuccini in some oil first, then added the tomatoes and seasonings. Gave it a little more heartiness.

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb ground Turkey
1 tsp Seasoning Salt
Dash of pepper or a few of Mrs. Dash
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 Tsp Parsley

Roll into balls and bake in the oven with the squash for about 20-30 mins. Or you could make them a little smaller or patty style and do it on the stove. Or you can just add the ground turkey to your sauce recipe.
 
I served this with broccoli, boiled cabbage and some fruit.
 
I also made a pot of paste for those little ones who would most definitely rebel on the spaghetti squash... and the not so little ones... ;)


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Day 6 Menu and Recipes

Breakfast : Boiled Egg, and a Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Lunch : Leftovers

Dinner : Baked Chicken Thighs and fried Zuccini and Squash

I have to admit I'm going to stray from my original menu this day (was borscht), I'm a little under the weather and want to do something a little easier but I will make the soup soon and post the recipe.

Day 5 Menu and Recipes

Breakfast : Protien shake and an apple (I'm really into Gala apples right now, they taste so good.)

Lunch: Leftovers, or I like to heat up a bunch of veggies - mushrooms, zuccini, squash, onion, etc with whatever left overs I have. Or a salad with the left over meat on top

Dinner: Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, and Broccoli and Fruit

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

I'm going to try this tonight so I may need to adjust some things after. This is an adaptation of an Apple Rutabaga Soup recipe I have. I've always just used butternut squash because I've never bought or seen a Rutabaga...  but feel free to try that and only use one cup butternut Squash. I also have another soup recipe similar to this from Gluten Free Goddess that uses Curry! Yum! Recipe Here

1/4 C  Oil
1 C  Onion chopped
1 C  Granny Smith Apple peeled, cored and chopped
2 C  Butternut Squash peeled and chopped (save the Seeds for a later recipe!)
1 C  Carrots peeled and chopped
1 C  Sweet potato peeled and chopped.
2  C Chicken Stock
2  Cups Water (or another two cups chicken stock if you have it)
1  Cans Coconut Milk
1/4 cup maple syrup (omit if on the clean out diet)
Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

Cook all the veggies in the oil in a large soup pot. Cook until Onions are translucent.
Add Water and Chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Simmer 20-25 minutes until the veggies are tender.
Puree it in a blender, put it back in the pot and add the coconut milk, and maple syrup.
Salt and Pepper to TASTE! (I always forget to taste before I serve)
Return to a simer, and serve!

Serves 6-8


I'll probably cut the recipe in half since there's only 4 of us, and probably one one of us who will REALLY like it :)


 
Post cooking notes: I did about 3-4 cups Chicken stock instead of water and originally I put 2 cans of coconut milk but one is plenty. Also you could probably even do it without if you wanted. It looked pretty good before I added it. I also found a Rutabaga at the store! I still have some of it left and I'm going to try boiling the rest and then frying it up like I do with the Beets:) I also didn't add any maple syrup and it was plenty sweet. And I was right only one of us liked it... well actually the littlest guy did too... but I won't tell you that it's sort of like the baby food I feed him because that would ruin it for all of you ;)

Yellow Squash with Eggs


 Ingredients:
 

1 Squash
1-2 eggs (I like two, cuz I love eggs)
4 small tomatoes
1/2 an onion
a handful of spinach
1-2 T olive oil for cooking
Chop the squash and onion and get those cooking in the hot oil - medium heat. Then chop the spinach and tomatoes. Once the onions and squash start to turn translucent or even get a little brown on the edges add the tomatoes and spinach. When those wilt add a couple eggs and scramble it all together. Enjoy!
And yes... I did eat that whole pan by myself :)


 
Sorry about my ghetto camera...

Monday, September 24, 2012

Frittata

I make my frittata's on the stove in a large non stick pan, like my mom. You can also stick them in the oven in a oven safe pan and cook it there if you'd like.

6-8 Eggs (according to family size. About 2 eggs per person)
1/2 pound of sausage
1/2 cup Chopped Brocooli
1 onion (less if your kids get mad when they see big chunks of onion...like mine)
3-4 Mushrooms
handful of shredded Spinach
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Boil the Broccoli off to the side. Cook Sausage until almost browned, add onions.  When they are almost done add mushrooms, then add the spinach until just wilted and the cooked broccoli. In the mean time. Whisk up the eggs and salt and pepper in a small bowl. When all the meat and veggies are done turn the burner to low and add the eggs. Put a lid on it and let it cook for about 1/2 hour.


I forgot to take a picture before I took a bite out of it... I was hungry!
And those are my husbands and kids mushrooms on the side that they didn't want :)
You could add other veggies, like zuccini, yellow Squash etc if you'd rather do that than broccoli, or in addition to. I also like to add tomatoes, although my family gets mad when I do... I add them around the time of the mushrooms or spinach.

Day 4 Menu and Recipes

Day 4

Breakfast - Banana Pancakes with coconut oil

Lunch - Leftover soup and Salad

Dinner - Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Cauliflower * and Green Beans

*The Cauliflower recipe I found on Pintrest, and I will just omit the parmesan, but it looks delicious!

Pork Tenderloin


Take a Pork Loin, or Tenderloin and stick it in the crock pot with 1/4 cup water and your favorite seasonings. Liquid smoke makes it taste like BBQ, I like just some salt and Pepper, seasoning salt or Mrs. Dash. I've also tried Curry powder and that was excellent! Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Until it easily falls apart. 6 hours if it's a bigger loin or butt roast.


Day 3 Menu and Recipes

Day 3

Breakfast - Left over Frittata with a strawberry banana smoothie

Lunch - Yellow Squash with Eggs

Dinner - Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Day 2 Menu and Recipes

So I'm a day behind - meaning I started Day 1 today, so the recipes for day two probably won't be up until tomorrow sometime. I'm sorry I'm so behind. Here's the menu though:

Breakfast : Boiled Egg (Boil a bunch to have on hand for lunches and snacks)
                       Protein Shake

Lunch: Green Salad with chicken, grapes, apples and nuts   (use left over chicken from Dinner on Day 1 .... unless your family devoured it all... like mine did...)

Dinner: Broccoli, Sausage, Onion, Mushroom, Frittata, and Baked Butternut Squash (or Acorn Squash, since we'll use butternut squash for a soup on day 4)

Snacks: Cinnamon Pecans, chopped apples with nut butter

I WANT CHOCOLATE!!

 
Today was rough. The cravings have begun. The anger and grief that accompany the desire for forbidden foods have surfaced. I definitiely wanted chocolate, among many other sweet and snacky foods. I did manage to make some yummy Cinnamon Pecans but they ended up really hurting my stomach and making me bloated. Sad day. Maybe if I sprout them...
 
I also definitely shed a few tears and had a major rant and rave with my husband. There's just a lot of emotional stress and feelings that accompany food. Thoughts like "is this the right thing?" "Why am I doing this again?" come to mind. There are so many different "clean out" diets out there, and things that it just makes it hard. And for some reason I'm not filled with as much conviction and desire to do this one as last time. Don't worry I will be strong... I hope. I will try. My husband told me I should cave and be human and eat some chocolate... but I stayed strong. I fully understand if some of you didn't.
 
There's my rant. Just wanted you all to know that I miss my chocolate.  

Cinnamon Pecans

1 cup pecans
2-3 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon (or you could try cocoa)

Toss and bake at 250 for 40 mins. Stir once.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Day 1 Menu and Recipes

So I've fallen a little behind this weekend, I apologize. I'm going to start my official clean out tomorrow, because I haven't even gone shopping yet.

Day 1

Breakfast - Blueberry-Spinach Smoothie and scrambled eggs

Lunch - Garden Salad with Dressing and an apple (or other fruit)

Dinner - Crockpot Chicken Breasts, Sweet Potato Rosemary Fries and Baked Vegetables

Snacks - Chopped Veggies, Homemade Applesauce

 * Save the Chicken Stock for later recipes

Homemade Applesauce

I LOVE hot, homemade applesauce!! especially with a touch of cinnamon

1 bag golden delicious apples - cut, peeled and cored

Put them in a pot with enough water to cover the bottom. Cook on low for one hour (less for less apples), stiring every 5-10 mins. Also make sure it doesn't dry up on the bottom. You can blend it if you like it finer, I like mine CHUNKY!!!

Make a big batch for the clean out and keep it in your fridge for a little tastey dessert or snack.

Crockpot Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries

Chicken

1 package of Bone-in Chicken Breasts - about 2-3  (I'd also add a couple more frozen chicken breasts in (no bone) to make it last longer through the week)

Season with Seasoning salt and cook for 4-5 hours on high.

Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 sweet potatoes cut into small slices
toss with a little olive oil
sprinkle rosemary and sea salt over top (or seasoning salt if you like that)
Bake at 350 for 20-30 mins

Baked Veggies

2 small/med Zuccini
1 onion
2 yellow squash
1 pepper

Chop veggies into chunks
Toss with oil and whatever seasonings you like. I usually do Seasoning salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, onion powder. Curry or chili powder would be fun too.

Garden Salad

Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Mushrooms
Boiled Egg
Carrots
Celery
Peppers
Nuts

 

Salad Dressing

1/2 C Oil
1/3 C White or Dark Balsamic vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic
1/2 tsp Onion powder
pepper to taste



(you can also add parsley, dill, rosemary, or other spices you like if you want)

Blueberry-Spinach Smoothie

1 Banana
1/3 C frozen blueberries
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
3-4 frozen strawberries
2-3 spoonfuls of orange juice concentrate
fill blender with about 1 cup of water and/or coconut milk - canned (add more as needed)

Blend!

You can also add ground flax seeds or chia seeds if you want.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Coming To Jesus

Why I want to do this clean out diet

A couple of years ago, I was suffering from some seriously painful stomach aches. I couldn't figure out why. I was being so careful to avoid gluten! (or so I thought). I went to this awesome doctor and she suggested I do an elimination diet. Basically go off of ALL allergens, whether I had a known allergy for it or not, for three months, then slowly add them back into my diet (minus the gluten of course). Then if something bothered me I'd know what it was. I did that and in the end was able to heal my stomach and found the only thing I was truly allergic to was gluten, and with a strong gut I could handle all those other foods.

At the same time I also decided to crack down on myself spiritually. I knew that if I prayed more, read the scriptures more and tried to just be better, that Heavenly Father would bless me, and hopefully help make this overwhelming task more manageable.

To make a long story shorter... it took about two months until I really felt totally clean. During those two months I really felt like Heavenly Father was guiding me and helping me along, slowly... I found gluten in places I hadn't even thought of. Lotion, foods that were cross contaminated, packaged in the same facility etc. Once I eliminated all of those, my stomach was able to heal and I felt better than I had ever felt. I was proud of myself for being able to stick to it for so long, but also grateful to my Heavenly Father for his help. I know I couldn't have done it alone.

So I want to do this again to get my stomach back to that point, and hopefully I can continue to do this once every year to just sort of clean out all the junk. Recently my husband and I have come up with a saying, with some help and advice from some family. When someone (me in particular) starts to feel angry, upset, guilty etc. we say, "You have 90 seconds to feel that emotion, then you take it to Jesus."

 So as you go through this experience, whether you are doing the clean out or just trying to eliminate the gluten, when you start to feel sorry for yourself, or angry with your body, or just plain depressed tell yourself to feel that emotion for 90 seconds (and REALLY feel it. Let yourself.) then say a quick prayer and give it to Jesus. I know that He can help us on this journey.

~

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Week 1 Shopping List

Alright here's my shopping list plan for week one.  I'll be posting the menu for week one within the next couple of days just so you know the basic gist, then I'll do recipes the night before for the following day... I actually think you all should start Sunday or Monday to give me a head start so I can get the recipes and pictures up in time.

So, first of all, get a box, go through your cupboards and empty any foods that will  make you cry, scream, yell, or hate the world for what you are doing to yourself. Put them somewhere safe for day 31. :)

Second, I've had a couple of people ask me to do a fairly detailed menu and recipes for the 30 days. I need to say that I probably won't put a picture with every single recipe, but I'll try to do some, and I might do a couple repeats toward the end. Also you can change it up as needed for you. And if for some weird reason you start to feel extremely sick, it's okay to stop or adjust as you feel is best for you. I want this to be a positive experience.

Third, pray. I know how hard this is, and I also know that I couldn't  have done it before without the Lord's help. Pray to know what is exactly right for you. Pray to have the strength and courage to do it. Even pray that He will help decrease the cravings. Pray that your body will heal. Pray.

Fourth, make a little 1-30 tally sheet and decide a little reward at the end for your self. That always helps me. Then every night mark off a day.

 Finally, put a little extra money in your food budget and then head to the store. You NEED to eat and it might feel like it's a little more expensive but think of all the vitamin rich foods you are putting your money into, and the money you will hopefully be saving on doctor bills in the future. :)

The List

(feel free to add or subtract fruits and veggies that you like or dislike)

  • Nuts
    • cashews
    • almonds
    • pecans
    • walnuts
    • peanuts
      • If you are like me roasted tastes and does better on your stomach. You can even go as far as to sprout them if you want. I usually just roast mine on either 225 for an hour, or if I'm in a hurry I do 300 for 20 mins.
  • Nut Butter- all natural no sugar added (I don't do peanuts, so I got Almond and cashew)
  • Olive Oil
  • 2-3 cans Coconut Milk (in the can - no sugar added)
  • Coconut oil - it's really healthy for you and really delicious on cooked veggies!
  • Vinegar (get some fun balsamic or rice vinegars to make your own healthy salad dressings)
  •  Fruit
    • Frozen Fruit
      • blueberries
      • peaches
      • strawberries
      • mixed berries
    • Seasonal fruit
      • APPLES! delicious right now!
      • Pears
      • Grapes
      • Raspberries
      • Lemons for cooking
      • Those are all the ones in season here, check local listings for your area.
      • Any other fruit you want is fine too
      • Bananas - we'll use for smoothies
    • Frozen Orange juice concentrate (if you like to add that to your smoothies)
  • Eggs - LOTS of Eggs. (My family will probably go through 18 a week... at least...)
  • Veggies!
    • Squash
      • Butternut
      • Acorn
      • Spaghetti
      • Zuccini
      • Yellow
    • Sweet Potatoes
    • Peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)
    • Onions
    • Garlic
    • Tomatoes (red, roma, grape, up to you)
    • Carrots
    • Green Beans
    • Cucumbers
    • Cabbage
    • Cauliflower
    • Lettuce (you could get a few different kinds to mix up your salads)
    • Beets
    • Broccoli
    • Celery
  • Meat
    • Bone-in chicken breast - two packages for week one should be enough, three if you want to be safe and have extra
    • Regular chicken breasts or tenderloins, which ever you prefer, frozen or non
    • Ground Turkey
    • Sausage of some sort - local, fresh pork sausage is probably your safest bet... but there's also a turkey breakfast sausage I like...
    • Bacon (if you like it and can stand to cook it in your house)
    • Pork Loin or Tenderloin roasts
    • Beef Stew bits (optional)
    • Steak (optional)
    • Beef Roast
    • Fish - if you do fish
      • Salmon
      • Shrimp
      • tilapia
      • etc. I'm probably going to go big on this one and spend my money on some of the more fresh stuff if I can... we'll see.
By week 2 I may or may not add Lentils and Legumes back in, and by week 4 I might add a little rice. We'll see how long I can be creative with out it.

Okay! There's your shopping list.

p.s. I also take some enzymes and have taken some acidopholus in the past to help build my gut back up. I'd check with a nutritionist or health care provider if you are interested in that.

We Can Do THIS!!!!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Gluten Free Mini Corn Muffins


I modified a recipe found in this book. It's got some pretty good recipes in it.

 This recipe is for all you who aren't doing the clean out. You'll want this recipe, especially to go with all the soup recipes I'm going to post:)

 I personally like muffins a lot better mini, especially since gluten free tends to be a little more crumbly. The mini muffin tins give them a little bit more of a caramelized finish and holds them together better. But you could definitely make them in an 8x8 pan or regular muffin tins.

 
Gluten Free Mini Corn Muffins
 
3 eggs
3/4 C Buttermilk*
1/3 C Oil
1 1/2 C Corn Meal
1 1/4 C Brown Rice Flour Mix
1/2 C Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Power
1 tsp Salt
 

Preheat oven to 375. Mix eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Then add all the dry ingredients. Mix all together. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the batter into two greased muffin tins. Cook for 15 mins, or until slightly brown around the edges. Use a plastic knife to loosen from the edges of the pan after they come out of the oven. They go great with chili or honey butter.

* If you want to make them dairy free you can use 3/4 C almond milk with 2 T apple cider vinegar. I've also used buttermilk power with water when I didn't have Buttermilk.


Friday, September 14, 2012

Clean Out Anyone?

Before I get started on all of my wonderful gluten free recipes, I'm thinking of doing a "clean out." Basically just eating meat, fruits, veggies, eggs, beans, and nuts for 30 days. I still  haven't decided on my specific eating plan, but people could do what they feel is best for them or follow me. Anyone else interested in joining me? I'm still not even convinced that I want to do it... but if other people are willing/wanting to do it with me and want support, then I think we could do it. I would have it be from September 22- October 22. So we'd be done in time for Halloween:). I would also try to post lots of recipes, and menu ideas for it. Let me know what you think. If no one wants to do it I will continue on with my blog as previously planned:). Comment on this post, or on my facebook!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Why Me?

Double Chocolate Cake with Strawberries
(gluten free of course)

I've been wanting to start a gluten free recipe/help blog for a long time now, but with three little kids it's hard to find the time. But I'm going to try to post one post a week. Forgive me if I fail.

Why the name "Glutard Girl"? One night my husband and I went on a date to this little french bistro place (which is sadly closed now) and I ordered a bunch of gluten free stuff from their awesome gluten free menu. The lady behind the counter said, "Ah, so you're a glutard huh?"  It sort of took me off guard for a moment, then I smiled proudly and said, "Yes, yes I am." Ever since then we refer to myself and any other people (my parents, other friends and family) as glutards when talking about food allergies. It is also in the urban dictionary, so technically it's a real word now:)

I've been pretty much 100% gluten free for a little over 5 years now, but it took me 4 years before that of cheating and feeling sick before I got to that point. I want to help people who are trying to go totally gluten free and people who want to, but are struggling, and even help the cheaters, because I've totally been there. ;)

Chicken mushroom pizza, and three meat
and pepper pizza
First being gluten free is probably 90% mental. Once you have the mental determination, and desire, the rest is fairly easy, especially now a days, considering the amount of resources available. Once I finally accepted my "fate", I was able to focus more on healing, verses being angry with God and asking "why me" everyday. I also hope that part of the answer to the "why me" question, is to help all of you.

Once you've mentally come to terms with going gluten free and what that entails, let me give you a few tips.

Tip 1- I would suggest going 100% gluten free, no cheating. I know everyone is different and if you decide to do the "cheating route" I fully understand because I did. But knowing what I know now, I wish I hadn't. When I finally went 100%, and once my body detoxed (which the detox process can be a whole other story. It can be pretty painful, and take some time. - see tip 2 ), I had never experienced so much energy, such a clear, happy mind, and I'd definitely NEVER had a full day without a stomach ache. I look back on those days of misery in awe with myself. I can't believe that A - I endured that much pain on a daily basis, and that B - I was dumb enough to want to continue feeling that way, verses just avoiding gluten. But on the up side, I now have a lot compassion for anyone else that is, or has gone through that, and I have a strong desire to help.
     So my first bit of advice is go 100% off gluten. Check labels carefully - watch for barley, malt, rye, wheat, modified food starch (unless specified Gluten Free). Also if you want to be extra strict in the beginning, which isn't a bad thing, avoid the "artificial and natural flavorings" and caramel coloring. Sometimes those can have gluten in them. As well as foods processed on the same equipment as gluten. Also check your lotions, shampoo's, make up etc. I was getting gluten from a hand lotion I was using, and I've also gotten head aches from certain shampoos.

Cake Balls - AMAZING!
 (Get excited for this christmas Recipe!)
Tip 2 - If you've had the specific celiac test, that's great. If you are just trying to avoid gluten to see if you are sensitive, may I also suggest going off other harsh allergens, such as corn, dairy, soy and sugar. This will help to speed up the detox process to clean up your gut. Then you can slowly add those foods back in, and see how you do. Hopefully there won't be other allergens besides the gluten. The detox process can be painful, and sometimes take a while. I did a really intense elimination process a couple years ago and found gluten in places I didn't expect, or thought I could handle, and it took about 2 months to totally get "cleaned out", then another month later I slowly added all the other allergens back in, sans gluten, and found that I'm good with everything, as long as there is NO gluten whatsoever in my body. Which is fine with me.

Tip 3 - Cry as much as you want. I believe that there is a grieving process associated with going through this. Grieving for foods you miss out on, activities can be hard to go to, and just feeling sorry for yourself for having a "messed up body." (okay, maybe I needed more of a grieving process than some...)

Tip 4- Give your self a big budget to start out with. Replacing everything in your fridge and cupboards can be expensive and overwhelming. Also spend your money on more of the healing whole foods type things verses the processed gluten free foods. It's awesome that they are available, but they are a little over priced and don't holdmuch nutritional value. Stock your fridge with fruits, veggies, nuts, cook a huge thing of rice, or potatoes and...

Tip 5 -  Focus on what you CAN eat. I'm going to do my best to put a variety of CAN eat foods on here, and try not to make them too complicated. I'll also do a post with a big list of CAN EATS!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
My favorite fall staple for the freezer
Well here we go. Once again I make the disclaimer that I have 3 small children, and might not get an awesome blog post up every week but I'm sure going to try. Happy Glutarding! (is that even a word?)