My Latest Obsession

After dinner on Friday we stopped at Central Market HEB, which was down the street from Paloma Blanca. We wanted to browse their huge wine and beer selection. We also checked out their gluten free options.

I knew Udi's semi-recently came out with cookies, but this was the first time I saw them anywhere. I had to buy some, so I chose the chocolate chip ones.

I think these cookies are awesome because they are chewy! It seems like the majority of the GF cookies are hard and crunchy. These are kept in the freezer, which is nice so you can pull one out whenever you want one. They defrost pretty quickly or I put one in the microwave for a few seconds.

I think they're comparable to other cookies nutritionally too. The serving size is two cookies for 7 grams of fat and 150 calories.

My mouth waters just looking at this picture. They are rich and buttery tasting with tons of chocolate chips. I'm interested in trying their other cookie flavors.

Dinner Out

Last night, we enjoyed dinner out at Paloma Blanca. We didn't have anything planned to make for dinner, so we decided to head to out and have a relaxing dinner. We sat outside and enjoyed gorgeous weather, that for once wasn't too hot!

I ordered San Miguel Enchiladas which were mushrooms with some salsa and queso fresco. They were delicious, fresh, and made of quality ingredients. They're definitely something I've never had before, but would recommend.

Justin ordered Puntas de Puerco which was spicy, lean marinated pork. He also ordered off the celiac menu so we could try each others. His was so soft and almost melted in your mouth. It reminded me of my mom's stew but also it's own unique meal.

We were given special celiac corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. They also gave me separate chips and salsa.

We hadn't been to Paloma Blanca in a long time. The last time we went was when Julie visited.

Gluten in the House

As you know I've been gluten free for a year now. Justin and I are still baffled as to how this happened tonight. I slowly but surely got rid of all the gluten in the house, except for an occasional cookie or ice cream cone that we clearly know is not GF, and is mostly in the house for when the niece and nephews are over.

Over the weekend we went to Whole Foods to stock up on GF items, use my LivingSocial deal, and buy some fresh produce. After watching Food Inc. on Netflix a while ago, we figured the extra money spent on hormone free chicken, where they are able to roam, was worth it. Normally we pay 2.75 a pound for chicken at the commissary. Yesterday we paid $6.49 a pound for chicken! We knew the quality of the chicken was better.

For dinner tonight, Justin was making some broiled chicken. I was helping by making some mashed sweet potatoes. Right after Justin finished marinating the chicken, I noticed a soy sauce bottle on the counter. I questioned, "Did you use this soy sauce?"

Justin: It was in the fridge.

Me: That kind has wheat!

Justin: But it was in the fridge! I thought you got rid of all the gluten, I didn't even look.

Me: I thought I did too. I know that brand has wheat, I don't know why it was still in there. Where did you even find it?

The culprit: Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce.

(As you can see, the empty bottle is now in the recycling bin.)

I double checked to be sure, yes wheat.

 Iivana, my nosey little helper found the need to sniff the gluten-filled sauce.

At least I noticed before I ate any. But it sure does look delicious. Of course, it had to be the chicken that costs more than twice the cost of what we normally pay! Justin will have to eat it for lunch & dinner tomorrow while I'm at class.

Plan B: left over nachos, which were quite tasty.

Football Saturday

Last weekend, we were at a wedding and there were these mouth watering stuffed mushrooms. I asked Justin if he was able to try one but he replied, "No, I didn't get one but like 5 people asked me if I tried one." I was raving about how delicious they were. We decided to make our own version for football Saturday. I wanted some GF onion rings to eat as an appetizer as well while we cheered on MSU. (Similar to the hors d'oeuvres we enjoyed here.)

We pretty much followed this recipe here, but also added some spinach.

First, clean the mushrooms.

Pull/twist off the stems.

Finely chop the stems.

Wash and chop spinach.

In a hot skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic, and diced mushroom stems.

After a few minutes, add the spinach.

Meanwhile, mix 1 package of cream cheese, parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and onion powder.

Stir in cooled spinach & mushroom mixture with the cheese mixture.

Spoon into each mushroom.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

For the onion rings, we followed this recipe, but of course substituted GF products when necessary for the flour and breadcrumbs.

Cut onion and separate into rings.

Coat in GF flour.

Justin used the Cup 4 Cup GF flour from Williams Sonoma.

 Then he created an egg, flour, and milk mixture. The slices were then dipped in this new mixture.

Then you're supposed to let excess drip off on a wire rack. You wouldn't believe we don't have a wire rack so we improvised with a strainer.

After that it was time to coat in bread crumbs.

No bread crumbs for GF, so we substituted with corn flake crumbs.

Fry in oil for 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown.

 Take out and place on a paper towel covered plate and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Ready to watch some football!

Both items were delicious and gluten free. I don't think they were the healthiest options but better than going out to eat anytime. Plus, we could enjoy the couch and my spartans. I still love sparty even if they didn't pull out a win.

Hello Couch, I Love You

Today the plan is to sit on the couch and enjoy football and TV all day! I slept in today and feel wonderful. Last weekend we were in Michigan for a wedding and arrived home late Sunday night. Justin and I had worked the entire week, plus I had class two nights. Which means the days I didn't have class this week, I completed my homework for class. Needless to say, the weekend couldn't come soon enough.

With time to sit and do nothing, I can recap on last weekend.

We flew in Friday afternoon, Dave and Amanda were our gracious chauffeurs. We were able to stop at Noodles & Co. in Grand Rapids, so I could enjoy a GF lunch. (Plus, Noodles is part of our past...Justin and I met while working at the one in East Lansing during college.) Whenever we get the chance in Michigan, we like to enjoy some noodles. It's almost like we crave it, especially since there aren't any in Texas yet. I ordered the pesto cavatappi, of course with rice noodles. I originally ordered chicken too, but they came out later to explain that it was made on the same grill with the parm chicken, so it would be cross contaminated. I appreciated them coming to check...when I worked at Noodles, I wasn't GF yet and they didn't sell the parmesan chicken. Although it looks a little silly with rice noodles, it was amazing. It was hot, and tasted better than I remember it made with gluten filled pasta.

Friday afternoon, we spent enjoying a few brews at some local bars in Muskegon. I was surprised when I asked at both bars that they had a gluten free beer! Both had New Grist, so of course I had to order it. Justin ordered BadAss Ale by Kid Rock and his was the same price as my GF beer.

At the second bar Pints and Quarts, I enjoyed a Strongbow out of the tap. Strongbow is a hard cider so it is GF. It's not often that I can order something from a tap, so I had to take advantage of it. We were able to enjoy the patio on a gorgeous day too.

Then came the rehearsal dinner at a very nice restaurant, Tony's. I was searching for a link to Tony's online to find a link, but I think I remember someone saying that they are only open for private parties. I couldn't find a link. I think they are owned by the same people who own Pints and Quarts. But I will be honest about what happened during the rehearsal dinner.

When we sat down for dinner, I wondered what would be served. First came out salads, so I asked for one with out croutons and ate it without dressing. I was hoping there would be something I could eat for dinner as well. I looked over and saw an oven that pizza was being pulled out of, delicious looking gourmet pizza. I would not be able to consume the pizza, so I took some peanuts out of my purse and began to nibble on them.

One thing I still need to work on after a year is being more assertive about asking if there are any GF options. Normally we do research before we enter a restaurant, but it is reality that there are moments when you go to a place for an event and don't have a choice if they are accommodating or not. I never want to be the problem person and make a scene. Everyone at my table was encouraging me to ask if there was anything gluten free they could bring me, but I didn't want to. Amanda was my voice and told the waitress about my dietary needs. She knew right away and offered to go to their other restaurant down the street to get me something!

I was brought to tears. The whole weekend was emotional for me for several reasons, and I couldn't control these tears of joy. She brought me the most amazing salad. It had edamame, red onions, and a delicious vinaigrette. I literally kept saying, "This is the best salad I've ever had." I pretty much devoured the whole plate, it was much more flavorful than my salad without dressing that I ate when we first arrived.

After that I had my own personal veggie GF pizza. I ate all of that too! The crust was so soft and doughy. I repeatedly thanked the waitress for going down the street.

Tears came back again when she brought me my own dessert. Everyone else was served cannolis and she brought me the filling in a mason jar. This was seriously one of the best dinners I ever ate! Justin and I are terrible with having cash on us, so we borrowed some from a friend to offer her a generous tip for going out of the way for me. (I have not forgot to pay you back!)

On Saturday, the wedding was beautiful and reception was gorgeous. 

The reception was located on the water with a priceless view.

I found my table assignment with a little "G" in the corner. Ah, relief I knew I would have something GF to fill my belly.

A nice piece of meat and some vegetables for dinner.

Why is it the majority of the pictures I take are of food? At least I was able to get one photo of the hubby and me. The wedding was so fun. Congratulations Jeff and Megan.

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!