Pinterest Goes Gluten Free

As I am sure many of you are, I too am obsessed with Pinterest lately. However, many of the foods that I have been drooling over are not gluten free, meaning my son nor I can eat them.  So, I set about finding some of Pinterests best gluten free recipes.  The problem with many gluten free recipes is they require many, many ingredients and much more time than I seem to have.  This week was a rare week for me because I actually had time to try several of the Pinterest recipes I found.  These were my requirements for trying recipes:
1) It was gluten free, or,
2) could easily be made gluten free (with small alterations),
3) required few ingredients (I don't have the time or patience),
4) used ingredients I would normally use or have on hand, and
5) was good enough that my non-gluten free husband would also enjoy them.

Here's the recap...

One of my favorite foods is a nice, fresh caprese salad, so when I saw this recipe for a Hot Caprese Dip I definitely added it to my "to-try" list.  At only three ingredients (mozzerella, tomato, and basil), this dip was super easy to make.  I followed the directions exactly but found the dip was watery and almost inedible without a knife and fork.  I served the dip with gluten free lentil chips.  Even though the dip was runny and required a fork to eat, I managed to eat the entire thing by myself, in one sitting.

Before baking

My recommendations for the future:  I used fresh mozzarella (still in the water) to make my dip.  I think in the future I would use bag shredded mozzarella as it would have much less moisture.  Some of the reviews for the dip suggested using some cream cheese to help create a creamier texture and that may also be a direction I try in the future.  

After baking

Next recipe was for Mama's Meatloaf. I LOVE a good southern meal and meatloaf is one thing I can never order in a restaurant due to use of breadcrumbs.  I have tried to adapt several meatloaf recipes in the past and had decent success.  This one was no different, it was a decent meatloaf, but the sauce and the presentation made it fabulous.

Mama's Meatloaf Cupcakes-Post Production

How I made this recipe gluten free: I used Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Panko-Style Breadcrumbs.  I used Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce in the recipe because it is already gluten free.

Mashed potatoes: To save time I used OreIda's Steam n' Mash.  Microwave for ten minutes and then add butter and milk.  I used my icing piper to pipe mashed potatoes onto my mini meatloaves.
 
What I would change for the future?  Nothing.  I really liked this recipe, however the time invested into making meatloaves mini was probably a bit excessive for a normal dinner (to me, at least).  I will use this recipe again, but probably as a normal sized meatloaf unless it's a special occasion.


The same night we had the meatloaf cupcakes I made this Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole (try saying that three times fast).  It is actually a breakfast recipe, but it seemed sweet enough to make for a dessert.  A mix of bread, cream cheese and berries made this breakfast look sweet and decedent.

Before Baking

How I made it gluten free:  Used Udi's Gluten Free Sandwich Bread cut into pieces for the base.  Gluten free frozen organic berries in the casserole and used gluten free blueberry pie filling as the topping.
What I would do differently?  When the dish was done it looked so rich and sweet, but I found instead some "chunks" of cream cheese that I expected to taste more like a cheesecake just tasted like cream cheese.  For breakfast I would keep the recipe as written and if made as a dessert I would add a little bit of powdered sugar to the cream cheese to up the sweetness factor.  None-the-less, it was a success with the entire family.  The pictures aren't so pretty, but it was yummy!

After Baking & Eating :)

Tonight's dinner was Mini Mexican Pizzas.  As posted the recipe is not gluten free, but it was an easy fix.  It was yet another recipe that required a muffin pan, so it's gotten good use this week.   Following the recipe as posted I found the mini pizzas did not come out of the pan very easily.  I had three mini pizzas where I left out the salsa step (as per husband's request) and they came out quite nicely. I also added a can of mexicorn, just to give a little more substance and variety. I guess the salsa gave the pizzas too much moisture so the shell never got crunchy.  I thought these were easy and a nice change from our normal food rotation.  Baby, husband and I all ate happily.

Prior to baking--Not too pretty, but yummy!

How I made it gluten free:  Besides making sure your refried beans, taco seasoning and salsa are gluten free, the only substitution I had to make was using corn tortillas instead of flour ones.  Since corn tortillas are less pliable, I put the tortillas in the mircrowave between two wet paper towels for 45 seconds to give them a little moisture and increase the pliability.
Changes for future?  I think the only thing I might try is using ground beef instead of turkey.  Although it was good, the ground turkey kinda got lost in the mix.

Again, not too pretty, but the yummy post-production Mexi-pizzas

And last, but not least, I wanted a late night snack. Craving something fried and cheesy I remembered the Pinterest gluten free mozzarella sticks I pinned recently. The recipe as posted is gluten free, and I used Southern Homestyle Tortilla Crumbs and seasoned as directed.  They were fabulous!  Husband and I both thought they were just as good as "normal" mozzarella sticks.  This will be a permanent fixture in the gluten-free recipe book.

The process of making the gluten-free mozz sticks

Finished mozz sticks--fried cheesy deliciousness!

Changes for the future?  Not a darn thing except to make these more often!!

All in all, a good successful week of new ideas and new recipes.  Most were successes, but I learned some things that will help if I indeed make these recipes again in the future.

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My Soapbox

This blog was inspired by a conversation I had with a co-worker today.  A co-worker innocently asked me, "isn't gluten-free the latest fad diet, kinda like Atkins?" Now, those of you who know me know this sort of question can really ruffle my feathers, but this particular person was really asking out of curiosity and interest.  My answer, however, was disjointed, confusing to even myself, and sounded more like a read of my medical chart than an intelligent conversation.  So, I would like to take a moment to actually answer the question here...

I am not a doctor, so what I offer here is not a medical opinion.  I do, however, have celiac disease and have done a lot of research on the gluten-free lifestyle.  So, I offer my personal opinion.  It boils down to this, there are three types of people 1) those who suffer from celiac disease, 2) those who are gluten intolerant/sensitive, and 3) everyone else.  Notice that I do not have a category for those who are "fad-dieters" or those who think a gluten-free diet will help them lose weight.  There should be no category for those individuals, I will include them in category #3.

1)  Individuals with celiac disease have an autoimmune disease.  It is not contagious, you can't catch it.  It is genetic and like many autoimmune diseases some people are asymptomatic and others have many difficulties.  Symptoms look different in different people which is one reason is is difficult to diagnose.  The "gold standard" of diagnosis is a biopsy of the small intestine (done during an endoscopy for which sedation is required). It is estimated 1 in 133 people have celiac disease (celiac.com).  There is no cure, so a lifetime strict gluten-free diet is mandatory.  Even if someone is asymptomatic (which is rare), the repercussions for not eating gluten free are severe.  Untreated celiac disease can cause other autoimmune diseases, increases the risk of neural-tube birth defects in pregnant women and leaves an individual 40-100 times more likely to get cancer of the gastrointestinal tract (celiac.com).  

2) The second tier of individuals is those with gluten-intolerance/sensitivity.  Many people may have this and not even realize it.  This could manifest itself similar to celiac disease, however there may not be any intestinal damage.  These individuals will not test positive for celiac disease but seem to have symptoms when they eat gluten.  Similar to lactose intolerance, these individuals range in their sensitivity to gluten.  You will find some individuals with gluten intolerance who are diligent and strict in their diet.  You may find others who are less sensitive who can "cheat" now and again.  In either case it doesn't mean it isn't real, it means it is a spectrum disorder and it manifests itself very differently in different people.

3)  The third group is everyone else.  It is my personal opinion the food pyramid is a warped perception of how "we" (Americans) should eat.  The "bread, cereal, rice and pasta" group represents the largest portion of the pyramid.  The problem is that most of the average American is eating in terms of bread, cereal and pasta is not the variety of whole grain breads and pastas, it's in the form of overly processed, pre-packaged foods of convenience with an expiration date 2 years from time of manufacturing.  Food items like pastries, cakes and cookies have no place in this part of the pyramid, yet somehow people attempt to fit them under the "bread" heading.  With this being said, I think everyone (myself included) could more closely regulate our processed food consumption.  But how would cutting back on bread, pasta, cereal and pastries benefit someone without celiac or gluten sensitivity?

There are individuals who remove gluten from their diet in an attempt to lose weight.  The premise of this diet is similar to that of South Beach or Atkins diets.  If you remove gluten from your standard diet you are essentially removing carbs from your diet.  If you, however, replace those foods with gluten free versions of the same foods, you are still consuming the same amount of carbs and therefore will not see significant weight loss.
Books like this are not helping promote the truth that most individuals who eat gluten free have major health issues and reasons for doing so.  The notion that gluten free is the latest fad-diet makes it hard to be taken seriously when I order a meal from the gluten free menu or for a waiter to understand that I get very sick when I consume gluten.  I am not ordering off the gluten free menu to be needy or to be fashionable.
(Side note, the book I linked above promotes the removal of wheat from the diet.  Gluten is more than just wheat, it is barley and rye as well.)

Now, there are athletes and non-athletes alike who are removing gluten from their diet and they seem to say that feel like they have more energy and better mental clarity.  My speculation is that some of these individuals may have a gluten sensitivity, but there are other reasons tied to athletic performance as you can read here. 

Questioning if you should try a gluten free diet, this website lists some substitutions for common gluten-filled items.  It also discusses who should go gluten free and the reasons for doing so.

The choice, if it is a choice, is not an easy one.  I do know that now I am much more aware of the foods that go into my body.  If there was a magic pill I could take and eat a Papa John's pizza and Cheesecake Factory cheesecake tomorrow--I would!  However, I know I am much healthier for eliminating so much of the "crap" from my diet.  My point boils down to this, I believe everyone can benefit from reducing the amount of gluten they ingest.  It's not a miracle weight-loss diet, it's just a step in the direction to a healthier lifestyle, and for me it's definitely not a choice. 

Ok, off the soapbox now--and I promise the soap was gluten free ;)

Everything you never knew you wanted to know about pole vault

Let me preface this blog by saying I know way more than the average person about pole vault, but way less than the average pole vaulter. These random musings are from my perspective, being married to a pole vaulter rather than actually being one! I want share just some of the things I have learned in my years being married to a pole vaulter.

10. There is alot of spandex! Laundry becomes an interesting chore when your husband wears spandex to work most days of the week. Of course, he doesn't go about town in spandex, so every day there are layers upon layers of clothing. Spandex, t-shirt, shorts, warm-up pants, long sleeve top and jacket--every day. And because I am married to a giant, all of the clothing must be hung to dry so that it doesn't shrink. So please don't be surprised if you ever come over and see spandex hanging all over the house to dry.


9. These are just some of the every day things that seem to be different in my world versus elite athlete world.

I go to the store and buy a bottle of vitamins.

Jeremy gets 6 boxes of vitamins.

I go to the store and might buy a new shirt or outfit.

Jeremy an entire athletic wardrobe several times a year.

8. If you aren't from Jonesboro, Arkansas you may not be able to name a pole vaulter if I asked you to. If you are from Jonesboro, however, you have definitely heard of Earl Bell. Four time Olympian and former bronze medalist (1984), Earl Bell was born and raised in Jonesboro, AR. He attended Arkansas State University. And apparently every single person from Jonesboro knows him, went to school with him, lived close to him, dated him, or was best friends with him. He is a legend not only in the world of pole vault, but most definitely in the world of Jonesboro, AR as well. He is a phenomenal pole vault coach and will hopefully help Jeremy reach his Olympic dreams.

7. The pole vault world is not a huge one. However, what has impressed me the most about this group of people is that they are all so supportive of one another. Pole vault is an individual sport, but they all help one another. I find it amazing to see competitors who are not only training together but helping one another succeed. They aren't competitors, they are friends.

6. Pole vaulters of the professional variety travel-- a lot! Indoor travel usually starts in January and outdoor season can go into October. Jeremy may be gone for a few days at a time or a few weeks at a time, depending on the location. They get to go to wonderful, exotic places, however rarely see anything other than the airports and track stadiums. This job may mean spending two days flying to Taiwan in economy seating to pole vault the next day and turn around and do the whole trip in reverse--and that is assuming the poles didn't get lost or damaged along the way and the meet's not rained out.

5. The long travel season means that for a lot of holidays and events, Jeremy will be gone. I have spent anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and birthdays alone. I have gone to friends' weddings and even gone on vacation sans husband. It might have been hard for Jeremy to miss those special moments with his wife, but I know now it's even harder to miss those moments with his son.

4. Travel for a pole vaulter doesn't just mean sending your wife flowers because you will be gone on Valentine's Day, it means coordinating airplanes, buses, trains and car transportation that can accommodate pole vault poles. With a pole bag holding up to ten poles that are up to 18 feet in length, travel becomes burdensome at best.

3. Schedule? What schedule? One of the most difficult things for me to come to terms with is that a pole vaulter doesn't have a schedule like you and I think of schedule. My friends, God bless every one of them, have tried for years to work out a vacation with all of our families. But a vacation is something you have to plan ahead of time and I don't know week by week, sometimes day by day what Jeremy's schedule might hold. This job isn't a typical job where you get paid time off, or even like other athletes who have schedules for each season/year. This job consists of doing your best every single day to get into the next meet. There is no "time off" because even home time means time training. Injuries, changes to meet schedules, or additional meet offerings mean travel plans change frequently.

2. Pole vault has it's own jargon. Some of the terms I still haven't learned what they mean (such as "mid-step"). Some sound dirty, such as "pole," "pit" and "box." And others sound like much more fun, such as "bar-tender" (the reality is this one is not much fun at all--it's the person in charge of putting the crossbar back up every time it's knocked off). Click here to brush up on your pole vault terminology.

1. And the #1 thing that *might* surprise some people is that pole vaulters vault because they love it. They do it because it's something they are passionate about and work diligently for every single day. So, when you hear "professional athlete" realize that most of their families are more like mine and less like this...

My mother, my hero

If you were around my hometown in the summer of 2009 you might have seen my mother in the newspaper or on the news. My mother, Dr. Jewell Rhodes Mayberry, was awarded a Fulbright Grant to spend 5 weeks in various regions of China. Upon arriving in Beijing, China she was quarantined for one week due to someone sitting close to her on the airplane testing positive for the H1N1 virus. If you read about her experiences, it is easy to see why she might be hesitant to travel internationally. However...here she goes again!

Tomorrow my mother heads out with a church group on a mission trip to Guatemala. I am so proud of her for doing this. It is more my nature to "talk about" wanting to do something like this than actually doing it. I let my fear of the unknown and my anxiety prevent me from taking risks, even in the name of the Lord. I admire her courage and ask for everyone to send thoughts and prayers up for this group as they venture to Guatemala this next week.

Welcome to blogging!

Today is the day I decided to become a blogger, or so I thought. I thought today, inspired by a few quite awesome blogger friends, I am going to start recording our everyday memories and sharing them with our friends and family. I went to blogspot (as recommended by a friend) and found I was already logged in! What?

Two years ago I was diagnosed with celiac disease. My mom suggested at the time to start blogging and recording my experiences as I learned how to manage my disease. Apparently I actually listened to my mother and started a blog. I have three blog entries total and none of them have ever been shared. Ah ha--I remember! I wrote those early blog entries as a therapeutic means for coming to grips with something that seemed insurmountable at the time. I never again, in the two years since, blogged...until today.

So, this blog is my attempt at bridging the past and present with an assumed future. I decided to keep the previous "handle" as Sarah Celiac even though that implies this is a gluten free blog, which it isn't. I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and just some of the things my future blogs might be about.

I am a mother to a stubborn and loveable 15 month old boy named Cameron, a wife to an aspiring Olympic athlete, a full time instructor in Communication Studies and Public Relations, and currently a student of American Sign Language. And now, today, I add 'blogger' to the resume--again :)