A Crazy Day with Gluten-Free Burgers

Yesterday was just weird. I don’t know what was going on, but my body refused to listen to me. It’s hard to describe.

I went to sleep at about 1130pm Thursday night and didn’t wake up until 4pm yesterday/Friday! I slept for 17 freakin’ hours, that’s just insane. It woke up 3 times for about 15-20 minutes at the most, just enough time to use the bathroom and let my dogs outside. It was so crazy, everyone knows the feeling of trying to wake up and just not being motivated enough to actually get out of bed, but this wasn’t like that. I literally could not make myself stay awake. Here is what my “wake up” experiences were like: I would initially feel like I was starting to become more alert, but then the progress would stop. Then, I would start to get a “high” type of feeling. I couldn’t think straight, and I felt like I was in a haze. The more I tried to fight it in attempt to stay awake, the worse it became. This went on until I finally just passed out.

That happened all three times. On the fourth time, when I finally woke up and stayed up, I still felt like I needed to take a nap, but I was able to fight it. I immediately went to the conclusion that I had somehow been glutened, but after thinking about it more I don’t think I was. When I have been glutened, I get abdominal pain in 30 minutes and bathroom trips in about an hour. Then, I get really sleepy. Usually a two-hour nap then and then a good nights sleep will suffice. When I wake up I have a hangover feeling and no energy, that feeling will last at least two days. This time none of this happened. I had no abdominal pain, no nap right after eating something, and when I finally woke up I had energy and my mental clarity was not diminished. I felt great. So I don’t understand what caused me to sleep like that. I’ve had times before that I couldn’t make myself wake up, but it’s usually only about 11 hours, not 17.

Anyway, the rest of the evening/night was kind of crazy. I had rushed around to get ready for a baby shower at 6:30. No one particularly likes baby showers, I don’t think, but I was so happy when she decided against playing the silly games. So that was good, but I still had to sit there for two hours and watch everyone enjoy the food that I couldn’t have. This wouldn’t have been too bad, but I didn’t have time to eat anything before I went, so I had not eaten anything all day. I was starved. I had looked for something quick and easy before I left the house with no luck. (note to self: find GF snacks to keep around the house.) I left the shower at about 8:30 and went straight to the hospital to see my dad, who had just came out of surgery. Stayed there until about 9:30 and then rushed to a pharmacy to try to get his prescription filled before the pharmacy closed. Then, I went back to give it to my mother. I stayed there a little while longer and finally went home. Once home, (about midnight) I managed to throw together some burgers and fries. Yay, food!

burgers: ground chuck with diced onions mixed in. (I was really in the mood for turkey burgers, but beef was all I had)  I put feta cheese, tomato and sautéed mushroom and onions on top and wrapped it up in a big piece of lettuce. I also fried some ore-ida french fries in my deep friar. Something so simple has never tasted so good, I was so hungry. I ate two of my burgers and a small handful of fries. Then, I went back to bed. What a crazy day! Here is my burger: Nothing spectacular, but definitely satisfying.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Zucchini Bread

I bought a loaf pan today and felt it neccessary to put it to use. I made zucchini bread…yummy! I will post the recipie the next time I make it, because I have to tweak it quite a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really good. But I know I could make it better. I think next time I will put in less cinnamon, and more zucchini. But I promise to post a recipe later, I just thought it looked so yummy and needed to share the picture.

No measurements, but here is what I put in it:

GF baking mix, shredded zucchini, canola oil, eggs, cane sugar, walnuts, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, unsweetened applesauce

Sacrifices vs. Rewards

Nothing spectacular to blog about today. I just kind of wanted to talk about my feelings after two weeks of my mandatory gluten-free diet.

On one hand, I am depressed. I can’t help but think of all the amazing food that I can no longer enjoy, most of which is at restaurants. There is also some awesome family recipes that I’ll miss. Let’s just say, I’m glad I have almost a year to get use to this lifestyle before Turkey day and Christmas come along. But these awful thoughts seem to be decreasing each day.

On the other hand, I can see my mental attitude toward food changing. I’ve noticed that I am eating a lot healthier. Not only am I gluten-free but I am using better quality of food. Examples: I was making my sweet bread  and it was time to add the sugar, and I couldn’t bring myself to put nasty refined sugar in my precious muffins. So I ended up going out and buying pure cane sugar to put in instead. Also, when I went to the supermarket to buy this week’s grocerys, I bought stuff to make my first GF pizza. I was standing in the store staring at the pepperoni and could not allow myself to buy them, the ingredient list literally made me a little nauseous. So instead I bought some awesome italian sausage(with fresh,amazing ingredients, no chems) and lots of fresh veggies to put on my pizza. I’m also not eating out as much, which is always a good thing.

Another aspect of my new diet that I’m thrilled about is my appetite. Before my diagnosis I was always hungry. I felt like my life was the same process over and over again. Eat, feel horrible, start to feel better, eat, feel horrible, start to feel better, eat…etc. I was never satisfied and getting the nutrients I needed. So I was constantly hungry and always tired. (If you haven’t come to the conclusion yet: Yes, I am a Celiac that gained weight instead of lost weight, unfortunately.) However, on my new diet I have energy and I feel nourished after I eat. I’m not constantly hungry and my mental state is so much better. I can concentrate and think clearly again. It’s remarkable, and it keeps getting better with each day that I’m not glutened. I had a couple of days where I was glutened and felt horrible. but I’m getting back to my new normal.

Speaking of normal, I think my new-found energy and mental clarity is what amazes me the most about my diet so far. For the past three years I have felt horrible mentally, always tired and generally weak. I became so use to feeling that way that I considered it normal and forgot the way I should feel. So now that I’m starting to feel better, I can actually remember that this is how I SHOULD feel. I love it!

So my mind and body are starting to reap the benefits of GF….I can easily give up gluten if I concentrate on how I feel vs. how I felt. 🙂

Gluten-Free Curry and Jasmine Rice

I have one word – – yum!

So, I have been wanting Indian food for about 3 weeks now and didn’t make it in to the local restaurant before my Celiac (Coeliac) diagnosis. This past week I have been adjusting to the GF diet and craving all of my favorites. Of course, Indian has been at the top of my list. I thought about going to my local Indian restaurant, but I’m worried that they might use wheat flour as a thickener. I know I could always call and ask…but I’m just not ready to do stuff like that yet. (I’ll write a separate post on that subject later) Anyway, I couldn’t deny my taste buds any longer.

I have never made curry before, but I decided it was time to try. So, I picked up some mild curry powder at the store, came home and got creative. I really wish I could tell you guys the recipe for this awesome dish, but I was just throwing things in randomly. I can tell you what I put in it, but not the amounts/measurements. I can also give you all some advice: – be playful when cooking it, don’t take it too seriously  – check all your spices to make sure they are GF. Most single spices seem to be fine. However, you should watch out for the cheaper brands and the store name brands. I’ve noticed store brands (ex. Wal-Mart & Aldis) are made in the same factory as other products, so worry about cross-contamination. I didn’t pay any attention to my spices until my mom accidentally glutened me with cheap chilli powder the other day. Bless her heart, she tried so hard, she even made her own BBQ sauce to keep from it….it just didn’t work out so well. 😦 Her brand of chilli powder actually had wheat in the ingredients, not just as a CC warning. Crazy.

Here is what I put in my curry:*Chicken Breast  *diced onions  *broccoli   *mild curry powder  *paprika  *coriander  *cayenne pepper  *pepper  *cummin  *extra-virgin olive oil  *tomato sauce  *water  *tiny bit of heavy whipping cream (I think coconut milk would work great too)

Even when I make this dish again, I doubt that I will be able to give you guys the recipe. For me, it is just one of those dishes that can’t be measured out…I just have to go on intuition. During the process of making it I will add things, add more things, correct a mistake by adding something else, then add even more things. haha. I’m kind of crazy when I cook.

Good Luck Guys! Hope you can spice up your life a little with this dish, after you figure out the ingredient puzzle that is.