Fruitiversary

Today marks four years of marriage for Justin and me! And today poured with rain, just like on our wedding day. Unfortunately, we are roughly 7,000 miles apart right now (as long as I did the math correct). But I am blessed to have a loving, thoughtful husband who sent me an Edible Arrangement with balloons.

My husband did some research, because the fourth anniversary is the fruit anniversary or "fruitiversary." I don't know if Justin came up with that word or if he found it somewhere, but I think it is clever. See even the arrangement has a "4" made of pineapple!

Plus, I love fruit!

I especially adore the strawberries and pineapple dipped in chocolate. The chocolate is gluten free, however it could be manufactured in a facility with gluten.

Isn't the flower adorable?

Yes, I posed with my present.

Iivana thought it was her gift. She was sniffing and smelling; I had to fend her off and explain that it was mommy's gift. I did share a strawberry with her though.

He even sent balloons; I just now realize why there are four, duh! Justin is way better at significance things than me. (Remember, I sent him $11 for his birthday.) Although for our third anniversary, I bought something leather for us.

The best part of the day was Skype-ing with him! I love you Justin, and you will be home soon. I can't wait to hug and kiss you.  

Best Gluten Free Anniversary Ever!

Today is 1 year since I've been gluten free! I received the official call from the doctor last year on this day and commenced with a GF diet right away. What a year it has been! I've learned so much along the way and still think of the first time we went to Sun Harvest, completely overwhelmed attempting to read labels and decipher what gluten free meant.

I love the way I feel today. I always tell people when they ask how I can eat GF, "I never knew how bad I felt until I know how I feel now." Seriously, I lived everyday with belly aches, a bloated stomach, the worst flatulence in the entire world. One day I would be running to the bathroom because of diarrhea and the next day I would be constipated to no end. I was severely anemic and felt tired ALL THE TIME! I used to chew ice all the time...not anymore.

I feel fantastic today and am so thankful I was diagnosed semi-early in my life. (I was anemic since I was 8, but felt more of the effects later in life. After getting married and moving to Texas, the stress of it all amplified my symptoms.) I turn 27 this month, so it took 18 years to discover my celiac.

Yesterday I posted that it was National Celiac Awareness Day. My gluten-free anniversary is the day after. I think that is a little special. So does my husband because he bought me a card!

He surprised me numerous times today for my GF anniversary! I shed some tears of joy in the process. My husband is an amazing supporter of my our lifestyle. In case I don't say this enough, thank you Justin. Also, thank you to all my friends and family who have helped me along the way whether going to a restaurant that has options for me, giving me a recipe, letting me know about a new product, or making a special meal for me...I love you all and appreciate what you do for me.

Back to surprises...

He bought me a new car!

Ok, it's actually not new, but "new" to us. It's a 2006 Mercury Milan. And he didn't buy it for my GF anniversary. But today we did officially buy it! After we were having some car troubles, we decided to look for a different car and unexpectedly stumbled across this one in the lemon lot on base.

On to another surprise...

I came home to pizza in the oven. This was an amazing surprise because we haven't been to the grocery store in like 2 weeks and it's hard to come up with something to eat! Our weekend trip to Michigan this past weekend for a wedding, left us with an empty fridge and lack of motivation to go shopping. I had a hungry stomach and was ecstatic to have dinner ready!

 A simple set table, with a little gift and card on the side.

He wouldn't admit right away that he didn't make the pizza. While taking care of car stuff today, he stopped at the Little Aussie Bakery and picked up a pizza to bake at home. We've had pizzas from there  on many different occasions, but for some reason today the crust was thick and amazing. It wasn't as crispy as it usually is there. I noticed it to be more fluffy and soft, which I liked!

After dinner was another surprise...

Dessert! Gluten free cake. Yum. (More here about their cake.)

And the final surprise...

My very own GF t-shirt!

From Little Aussie Bakery

What an amazing gluten free anniversary!

Hers and His

Did you know leather is the gift of the third anniversary? Justin suggested we buy a leather couch for our anniversary which was in July. But when we went to look at them, we decided on the original one I had spotted which was made from a microfiber. 

No worries though, I made sure we had a leather remembrance piece. I found these his and hers leather wine charms on Etsy. I gave them to Justin on our anniversary staycation.

Hers

His

They managed to stay hidden in the suitcase, until Justin found them because he had to empty the suitcase so we could pack for a night over the weekend. So the wine charms were finally emptied out of the suitcase. We had our niece and nephews for the weekend and took them to El Tropicano for one of the nights (remember the Groupon!)

We stayed at our house Friday night and went to the hotel Saturday night. This picture is one of my favorites from the weekend! Notice the bowl sizes, corresponding to the size of the person.

Back to the wine charms...

Lately we've been enjoying a glass of wine before bed and these wine charms are working perfect! I've also started collecting all the wine corks. When we have enough, I see a new project in the future.

Back to the weekend...

It was tons of fun spoiling our niece and nephews but we were exhausted. We definitely enjoyed a glass of wine last night and tonight!

Staycations Go On...

I can't believe I'm still updating about our weekend. It makes me realize how much there is to do close to home. Saturday night we switched things up and stayed at a different hotel, Hotel Indigo. It was a block from the Alamo.

I loved the wood floors and new updates.

Yet, the hotel was filled with original things...like safes.

And a mail drop to the first floor. We dropped a post card in to send to ourselves and it worked!

The halls were so wide, and check out that marble on the walls.

Saturday night I booked us dinner reservations at Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse. I had heard most of the meats and salad bar options were gluten free. When we were seated, I asked our server about what was GF and what to avoid. I wanted to verify my research and make sure it was still current. He was a little unsure, but sent the manager over.

The manager was awesome and knowledgeable. Much of what he told me was what I had researched, but it's always a good idea to double check when you're there. In fact, he did point out a few more things I should stay away from.

Overall, he said all the cuts of meat were GF, except the chicken legs and sausage because they were marinated in beer. On the salad bar, he told me not to eat the bread, the green beans with sesame seeds, and he was unsure about the salad dressings. If I can eat all that meat, I don't need salad! He did say there was olive oil and lemon juice though, in case I did want salad. After coming to our table, he checked out the salad bar again to see if there was anything else he missed.

He also said the cheese rolls that are served to us are GF because they use yucca flour. I did read somewhere online that a different Fogo de Chao restaurant added wheat. I would check with the manager to make sure. I did not have a reaction and ate like 5 of these because I could!

The salad bar is incredible. It puts all other salad bars to shame. I skipped out on actual salad, but found tons of other options. I tried to be minimal, because I wanted to save room for the meat.

The meat!

I know it looks a little gross all cut up on my plate, but the meat was so succulent. My favorite was the top sirloin and house special. I wonder how many pounds of meat Justin and I consumed. 

After eating at Las Canarias and Fogo de Chao, we had a new appreciation for food. Both restaurant provided us with positive and fulfilling options! I would recommend both of these places.

Happy 3rd Anniversary to US!

All the savings from Groupon, helped us be able to afford more expensive restaurants (normally I would be too frugal to go to) that offered gluten free dining. I did research and read reviews before the trip on urbanspoon, yelp, and Alamo celiac websites. I made a note by one restaurant to go at lunch because it is much more affordable. When Saturday afternoon rolled around, I suggested Las Canarias to my hubby. 

Before we were seated, I asked the hostess if it was true that they could accommodate gluten free diners. He checked with the chef, no problem! When we were seated, I scanned the lunch menu and felt a little antsy. Most of the options were served on bread! Here we go, I thought, another bunless sandwich. 

When the waiter asked if we were ready to order, I told him about my special dietary needs. He told me I could order pretty much anything on the menu and the chef could change it up to be GF. In all honesty, I was thinking this could not be true. I figured I was dealing with someone who was not educated about GF eating. He proceeded to tell me one of the chef's wife has celiac and so he understands! I began to feel at ease.

We decided to start with an appetizer, Proscuitto Wrapped Articokes. To be sure when ordering, Justin said no ciabatta. 

I don't think I have the ability to express in words how amazing this lunch was! Hands down, this was the best meal of the weekend...maybe even ever. There was so much flavor; and combinations I've never had before. All the ingredients were fresh and succulent. The asparagus wrapped in proscuitto was my favorite. Even the arugula was cleaned off the plate. The garnishes were not only beautiful by tasty as well. The tomatoes made my taste buds dance. Ah, my mouth is watering now.

Some wonderful things happened at this restaurant that gave me a wonderful peace of mind. When I ordered, I asked for the American Kobe Beef Burger with fries. First, the waiter came back after the order and said I wouldn't be able to have the fries, how about a salad. This would not be a burger wrapped in lettuce, they had gluten free bread too. Next, the chef came out to personally talk to us! He said he was going to make it into two smaller burgers because the GF bread is smaller.

I wish I would've taken a better photo, but I was just too excited to try it, especially after the starter.

Justin ordered the Creekstone Farms Beef Panini, which came with a fried egg on the top. He got his GF too. Since both of ours were split into two sandwiches we were able to share. It was perfect, I gave him one of my burgers and he gave me a beef panini.

Now I know what you're thinking, Karen doesn't like eggs. But O-M-G, the beef panini with the egg was awesome. It was melty and decadent. The Kobe Burger was juicy and what quality meat! I know it might look like a regular burger on bread, but it was so much more.

Did I mention when our food was brought out the chef came out AGAIN? He told us that he personally prepared all the food. I could eat in complete confidence that I would not get sick. We repeatedly thanked the chef, our server, and other workers. We were so grateful for this restaurant experience. Justin and I promised ourselves we would make trips downtown during lunch on Saturdays more often to eat here.

The lunch prices were not that bad at all either. Our lunch with a starter was only $34.