Success!! How I've been able to be gluten-free

I am proud to say that I've been gluten-free for a little over month!  As anyone who has tried to go gluten-free or make any kind of lifestyle change knows - it's tough!  Every day it gets a little easier and every little change is cause for a celebration.

During that time I've confronted several challenging situations.  Dinner at Red Lobster where I didn't eat the cheddar biscuits, a work training where I sat in front of a table full of pastries, a potluck with cookies, cakes, and pies, plus tons of other small encounters where I had a choice between staying gluten-free or eating gluten.

I thought I would write a blog sharing the coping skills I've used for myself to reach this accomplishment.  No skill works every time, in every setting, or for every person.  That's why having a series of skills to chose from helps lead to success.

Most of my coping skills are skills I've gathered from my work as a therapist.  I recommend my client's to use these every day in their lives - it only made sense to use them on myself!

1 - Focus on CAN rather than CAN'T - This was a major hurdle for me and the shift that really got my momentum going. When I first began thinking about going gluten-free I felt like I was swimming in a sea of "can't".  Can't eat this, can't eat that, this has gluten, that has gluten, etc. etc. etc.  I started to feel like I was just going to starve.  When I focused on all the things I couldn't have I got pretty depressed and obsessed.  That led to many 'screw it' moments - which is when I just couldn't deal any more, said 'screw it' and ate some gluten.

By turning my mind (a DBT skill for my counseling coworkers!) I instead tried to focus on all of the foods I COULD eat.  I found gluten-free foods that I was excited about.  It was a completely different feeling. Rather than disappointment and frustration.  I instead felt excited and proud.  I was in control.  There are plenty of naturally gluten-free foods and more and more gluten-free products on the shelves.  I got excited about Crunchmaster 7 grain sea salt crackers, Trader Joe's Gluten-free Snickerdoodles, and many other products.  Now I look forward to the hunt - hunting for new and delicious gluten-free foods. I'm excited and a little proud about my meals.

2 - Out of sight out of mind - This seems simple - but it is so true.  If I don't see something I forget about it eventually.  Our trip to Red Lobster was probably the hardest.  I love cheddar biscuits - I think I could just eat those for dinner and be happy.  The minute the waitress brought that little basket to our table we moved it off to the side behind my husband's drink.  It wasn't taunting me or tempting me into eating it.

3 - Change in Scenery - In my town, Springfield, MO there are a lot of great sushi places - at least 4 or 5. I can't explain why - but we do.  One of my favorites is Haruno's and my 2 favorite rolls are the Miami and Sex and the City  The Miami is a battered and deep fried roll, and the Sex and the City roll has tempura shavings on it.  Obviously - neither one of these rolls is going to be gluten free.  I  used to eat here at least weekly with a good friend - I'm pretty emotionally attached to both the restaurant and these rolls.  About a week a ago I had a craving for some sushi.  I knew if we went to Haruno's I would either order something gluten-free and be disappointed because it wasn't my Miami or Sex and the City Roll. Or I'd just say "screw it" and eat them anyway.  I did not want either of these outcomes.  So, rather than torturing myself I decided to go to a new sushi place I'd been wanting to try.  I wasn't attached to anything on this menu - it was all new!  I was able to feel excited about the new foods I could try that were gluten-free.  Does this mean I'll never eat at Haruno's again?  No - of course  not.  I'll go again when I am more secure in my gluten-freeness.

4 - Share - This is probably the second biggest help in my success.  I'm not ashamed or afraid to tell people about my desire to be gluten-free.  I try to be open and honest.  Do I think people should bend over backwards to accommodate me?  Absolutely not!  But, keeping it hidden makes me feel like an outcast.  Only it's me casting myself out.  Last week we had a little Valentine's Day party at a work meeting.  My staff was telling me all about the Valentine's themed snacks they were going to get for everyone - yummy cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc.  I very politely asked if maybe she could pick up a little thing of chocolates as well.  It both fit the theme and would be OK for me to eat.  Just like would be done for a diabetic, vegetarian, etc. Nothing fancy or complicated.

5 - Support - This fits in with sharing.  Any kind of lifestyle change is hard to do alone.  Having people around to support (and sometimes positively peer pressure you) you makes all of the difference.  There have been moments when I wanted to just 'screw it' and I was held in check by my sister - Courtney.  She helped remind me why I'm making this choice.  Or my loving husband, Matthew.  I was able to not eat those delicious pastries at my work training because several coworkers sitting next to me were trying to eat healthy.  The group of us together supported each other into not giving in - despite sitting through the whole training smelling cinnamon rolls.

These skills aren't magic.  I have my moments when I'm struggling - as everyone does.  Maintaining a positive outlook, not tempting myself, sharing my success and struggles, and finding support has helped me reach and maintain my goal of being gluten-free.

Restaurant Review: Jazz

Recently Lara and I went to the restaurant called Jazz in Kansas City. Since we went together we thought it might be fun to write a review about our gluten free experience together!

Us (Lara and Courtney) with our Gluten-free menu at Jazz.

Courtney:

Courtney with her delicious blackened chicken meal.

I was given the task of finding out if Jazz had gluten free options. When I went to their website and looked at their menu there was no indication that they had gluten free options. There were things that looks like they could be gluten free but you just never know. So finally after putting it off (because yes that insecure girl inside didn't want to call), I called the restaurant asking if they had gluten free options to find out they had a whole gluten free menu!! Now that was a great surprise!

Once at the restaurant I was pleased to see all the different options that I could eat. I finally decided on the blackened chicken that came with new potatoes and steamed vegetables. Make sure you mention when ordering that you are ordering gluten free. When my plate was brought out to me there was rice instead of potatoes and apparently the rice is not gluten free. The waitress immediately caught it, apologized and told me her manager was going to re-make my plate. It wasn't too long before my plate came out again. I was very pleased to see how the waitress had remembered and made sure to take care that my food was gluten free.

The chicken was delicious too! It had just enough spice on it for it to be blackened and taste Cajun but not so much that it was overpowering and just burned my mouth. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience at Jazz. I'm excited to be go back and try other menu options with the peace of mind knowing they care and understand about how their dishes need to be gluten free.

Courtney getting ready to taste the blackened chicken... here it goes.....

Lara:

I was very impressed with the gluten-free choices.  The menu wasn't as large as the regular menu - but I didn't feel deprived.  Especially considering that it is a "New Orleans" style restaurant, I was worried everything would be deep fried.

I decided to go out on a limb and try something completely different:  Oysters on the Half Shell for my my main course - Shrimp and Scallop Pontchartrain.  Pontchartrain means shrimp sauted in a tequila lime cream sauce.  It was so different - I just had to try it!

The Pontchartrain typically comes with rice - which isn't gluten-free at Jazz.  So, my meal came with garlic mashed potatoes instead.

Down it goes!

Oysters on the half shell take a little getting used to.  They were served on ice with lemons and a cocktail sauce.  I have a bit of an issue with texture when it comes to food so I'm surprised I enjoyed these.  It was the cocktail sauce that made this for me.  Added just enough flavor.

The Shrimp and Scallop Pontchartrain was OK.  Without the rice it had a more soupy consistency than I would have preferred   I felt like I had to leave a lot of the flavor and meal on the plate than I would have liked.  The garlic mashed potatoes were delicious!  But, they didn't really fit with the flavor of the Pontchartrain.  I enjoyed my meal - but were I to go back I would order something different - probably the Cajun Sirloin.

Me (Lara) with my meal!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (left) - Shrimp and Scallop Pontchartrain (Right)

Grandma:

We've mentioned our Grandma - Mildred a few times in our blog - since she was the first in the family to be diagnosed with Celiac disease.  She had never gone to a restaurant with a dedicated gluten-free menu so it was a "special treat" for her to visit Jazz with us.  She ordered the Grilled Chicken meal - with vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.  She stated "It's good!".  She seemed to really enjoy the meal!

Grandma Mildred with her tasty food!

Our experience at Jazz was very positive.  A large gluten-free menu, knowledgable and friendly staff, also reasonably priced.  Can't beat it!

So, if you ever visit KC - take a trip out to Jazz!

Check out their other locations in Omaha, Columbia, & Lubbock, TX (where they first began)

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show: SpicerDoodles

Lara and I decided that since we are close to Christmas we wanted to make some Christmasy cookies! In this episode we take a snickerdoodle recipe, add some holiday like spices and create what we dubbed as the SpicerDoodle!

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show: Corn Casserole

This recipe actually came from Lara's in-laws, her husbands great grandmother, Grandma Higgins, used to make this corn casserole and it's a tradition for them to have it at their Thanksgiving. Two years ago she decided she wanted to add it to our menu at Thanksgiving. She unfortunately didn't make it gluten free. Last year we decided to try it GF and it turned out great. Here is this years video of us making an Ashbaugh family tradition and one of my favorites: Corn Casserole!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tucd3JA2hLE

Gluten-Free Sisters Cooking Show:Cornbread Stuffing

 In this video, we take the cornbread I made and turn it into some delicious stuffing! Along with the GF cornbread, we have a focaccia GF bread and Udi's brand whole grain GF bread, which turned this recipe into a pretty easy to make gluten-free stuffing.

We have also added a few characters to our show, our Grandma makes an appearance and in the background you can hear our cousin, Mandy, make some comments. We hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7diedFqagI

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show: Cranberry Meringue Pie

So this is the first video that Lara and I did together. Lara gets cooking magazines and found this recipe and decided that we HAD to make it! :)

Even though Lara did most of the cooking and I was her assistant, we still had a lot of fun cooking together and are looking forward to posting more of our cooking videos. See below for the full recipe.

The Full Recipe:

Ingredients:

Gluten Free Crust (See Previous Blog Posting)

Filling

1 12-oz bag cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

1 cup orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

3 large eggs, separated

Meringue Topping

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla, the real stuff

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-in pie pan with cooking spray

To Prepare Filling

1. Combine cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the cranberries are beginning to break down, about 5 to 6 minutes. * While you are waiting on the cranberries feel free to make up your own "waiting on the cranberries" song at this point * 

2. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the juice. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar into the juice until combined. Whisk in whole egg and 3 egg yolks. 

3. Return cranberry mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and vigorously  until it thickens and just starts to bubble as you are stirring, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

4. Pour the warm filling into the warm crust. Set aside while you prepare the meringue *Please remember to use oven mitts!!* :) 

To Prepare Meringue

1. Beat the 3 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and pinch of salt, beat at high speed until soft "floppy" peaks form.

2. Very slowly add 1/3 cup sugar, beating constantly until stiff peaks form. Beat in (Real) vanilla.

3. Spoon the meringue over the filling, then gently spread to the edges of the crust. 

4. Make peaks in the meringue with the back of a spoon. Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before serving. 



*recipe taken from December 2012 Eating Well Magazine*

Gluten-Free Sisters Cooking Show - Pie Crust

Making a good pie crust is an important part of any dessert.  I had what I thought was a very simple recipe for a butter pie crust.  However, my kitchen appliances failed me!  It's a lot harder to make something when the appliance doesn't work the way it's supposed to - or you don't quite have the right tool for the job.

But, just like you do in life, you play the hand you are dealt.  I made do as best I could.  In the end the crust still tasted delicious - which is what really matters when cooking.

Enjoy watching me try not to destroy the dang appliance and still get a pie crust in the end!

GF Sisters Cooking Video: Cornbread

Growing up, Lara and I would watch Saturday morning cooking shows - it's basically how we learned to cook. So as we were discussing what we wanted to do for Thanksgiving, we decided to make our own cooking show! I had already posted the cornbread recipe a few weeks ago - but this is the video of me actually making the cornbread.

We had always pretended to have our own cooking show as kids whenever we cooked (and yes I still do as an adult when I cook alone sometimes) but it was a little weird to be actually doing it in front of a camera. Once I got going though, it was a lot of fun. There will be more videos of Lara and I cooking together coming soon!

If you happen to not catch the recipe from the video, please check out previous blogs to get the full recipe. Enjoy!

Animal Kingdom: Tusker House Breakfast

On the fourth day of our Disney Adventure we went to Animal Kingdom and started out our day at the Tusker House Breakfast Buffet. After my experience at the Crystal Palace I was interested to see how this buffet would compare. Overall, I was pleased with the experience but there were less choices than at the Crystal Palace.

Once again, I was greeted by the chef who took me around the buffet and showed me various items I could eat. There were some authentic African dishes (In the picture everything but the eggs and bacon are an authentic dish - I don't remember what they were though, sorry) that I could have along with the regular scrambled eggs, etc.

The chef did let me know that they could make me my own waffles and there were donuts and muffins that I could have as well. The donuts and muffins were fairly dry  (I'm pretty sure they weren't homemade) but the waffles were delicious and I loved that they were in the shape of Mickey's face! :)

Overall, I was pretty happy with my experience at the Tusker House. My favorite dish was the homemade waffles. The food was good but my favorite buffet was still the Crystal Palace. I would still recommend going  to the Tusker House though - it was pretty cool to have some authentic food choices and the atmosphere was pretty exciting as well. They offer lunch and dinner but the breakfast is the only character meal offered at the Tusker House. it was fun to have Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy & Goofy  dressed in safari attire, walking around and greeting you at your table (just like the Winnie The Pooh Characters).

Eating at Magic Kingdom: The Crystal Palace

I love to travel and I have a goal to be able to travel the world someday.  Being gluten free it can be intimidating to try to find places that I can eat at. I heard that Disney World was one of the best places to eat GF. I had been to Disney before but never did much research or tried different places to see if what I heard was correct. It wasn't until my sister turned 30 in December 2011 and wanted to do something special for her birthday that we actually looked into the options.  In February (2012) we went someplace she had never been before, Disney World! She did most of the research and found different places for us to try.

Since Disney is such a magical place and I had some amazing gluten free experiences, I decided that this next week I'm dedicating my blogs to my favorite restaurants and experiences in Disney World.

The first day we were in Orlando we went to Magic Kingdom and ate lunch at the Crystal Palace where it was a buffet style lunch and the Winnie the Pooh Characters came around and greeted you while you ate.
What could be more exciting!?! :) Based on my previous experiences with restaurants I wasn't really expecting anything special with the buffet. Maybe a few items here or there that I could eat but boy was I in for a surprise!



When you make reservations online there is a special place where you can indicate if there will be people with special dietary issues - gluten free being one of them. So when we arrived at the Crystal Palace, Disney had already indicated on our ticket with a stamp that said "ALLERGY" in bright red letters to let the waitress know that I was going to need assistance. Once seated the waitress told me that the chef, yes the CHEF, would be out to show me around the buffet to let me know what I could eat. Well, I thought this was the coolest thing ever!! I had never been anywhere where the head chef personally came out to show or tell you what was good for you to eat. I felt so special instead of feeling weird and like a nuisance.

As the chef took me around the buffet he kept pointing to more and more items that I could have! For once I  wasn't sitting at the table secretly coveting everyone else's food! :) I ended up having a plate FULL of delicious surprising foods that I could eat - Salmon, mashed potatoes, fruit salad and a delicious cornbread stuffing/casserole!

Then for dessert I had the option of choosing gluten free cookies (I did find that sometimes the cookies were brands I already knew and could buy myself but at least they had the option) and a brownie. Of course I chose the brownie since I could get the cookies at home. It was small but rich, gooey and overall pretty good! 

Having the Crystal Palace as my first gluten free experience at Disney World set the stage for the rest of the week. I was excited to see what other places / dining experiences had to offer me instead of feeling apprehensive about what I was going to be able to eat. Besides being able to hug Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet made for a pretty awesome lunch atmosphere! (Can you tell I work with children?)

  

  

Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing

To me Thanksgiving equals stuffing (or dressing).  I don't think about turkey - bah - I think about the stuffing.  My Grandma's stuffing is legendary in our family.  After trial and error we've been able to make our own gluten-free stuffing that isn't dry and gritty.  It tastes just like Grandma's from when I was a kid.

One of the challenges with gluten-free stuffing is trying to avoid a dry stuffing.  In order to compensate for the gluten-free bread add more moisture - this can come from vegetables, butter, and chicken stock. Don't be afraid to add more chicken stock - just avoid creating a soup :)

This recipe can be modified a variety of different ways to suit your tastes.  The amounts are approximate.

- 1 pan of cornbread - From GF-Cornbread (see blog posting:  Cornbread:  A stuffing staple)
- 2 cups of gf-bread of your choice (I tend to pick a flavored bread like pecan or whole wheat)
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup celery
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter (it's Thanksgiving - use REAL butter!) :)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tsp thyme (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 4 cups chicken stock

- Cut cornbread and gf-bread into approximately 1 inch squares
- Coarsely chop the hard-boiled eggs
- Lightly beat 2 eggs
- Lightly saute celery and onion in butter on the stove - until softened
- Combine cornbread, gf-bread, celery, onion, hard-boiled eggs, seasonings, 2 beaten eggs, and 2 cups of chicken stock until well incorporated.  If mixture seems a bit dry add more chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time
- Spoon into an greased 11x13 pan
- Pour at least 1 cup of chicken stock over the top - all sections should be moist
- Cook for 30min in a 350 degree oven
- Enjoy!

Tips and Modifications:
    - If you don't like hard-boiled eggs remove them and add a little more onion and celery
    - Feel free to add mushrooms if desired
    - Cranberries, pecans, or walnuts can also be good - but compensate with a bit more butter and stock
    - Spices can be added and subtracted to taste - Rubbed sage and thyme are my two favorites so I always use them.  You could also use - sage, parsley, or other personal favorites

Watch for the video of this recipe coming next week!

Gluten-Free White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Team Moist: 
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar 
- 1 cup pumpkin purée 

- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon almond extract

Team not so Moist:
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cream Team Moist and sift Team not so Moist. Now mix both teams together with 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips.

Chill dough for an hour.

Oven at 350, scoop normal amount on to parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes.

HARDEST PART! You will do best to wait till the next day until eating. Gluten free flours are a bit gritty, but all the natural oils in the pumpkin will balance that out in about 12 hours and they will become quite smooth and soft.

I can't take credit for this recipe - my awesome husband Matthew created these for me.  Delicious!!!

My Gluten-Free Journey - Lara

My gluten-free journey begins many years ago.  My grandmother was diagnosed with celiac disease in the early 90's before anyone knew what that was.  She spent weeks in the hospital before finally being diagnosed.  What I remember most about that time is how Thanksgiving was forever changed.  Grandma's stuffing was legen... wait for it...dary.  Every year she'd get a little better at making it gluten-free, but it wasn't the same.

In college my mom thought my sister Courtney was celiac and Courtney didn't want to take the test to find out.  So, being the good big sister I took to the test too.  Except, mine came back positive too!  I was not planning for that!  For about 6 months I ate gluten-free.  I never had the stomach or intestinal symptoms so slowly over time I started eating more and more breads, cookies, cakes, etc until the words 'gluten-free' never crossed my mind again.

Fast forward to today - I still don't the intestinal symptoms - but I have a lot of other symptoms that have popped up through the years.  Chronic kidney stones, hormone struggles, thyroid issues, and infertility.  All of which can be caused by an underlying auto-immune disorder - or gluten-intolerance.  I've had 3 different professionals recommend that I go gluten-free.

So, I'm working on making the shift.  I know it will be easier than it was for my Grandma over 15 years ago - but it will still be hard.  I'm a foodie - I love to eat and try new foods.  I don't like to give up control or be limited.

That's why I wanted to start this blog - to share my experiences with others who I know are going through the same struggles as me.  I've enlisted my sister Courtney - she has been gluten-free for 10 years now and is full of great knowledge and experience.  Together we want to learn more about how to live gluten-free and help others out there.

Gluten-free doesn't have to mean "gritty, dry, and tasteless" - it can be delicious and wonderful too.