Newbie Gluten Free/Dairy Free Shopping!

I was so excited to go shopping in the Jackson/Brandon, MS area to search for more gluten and dairy free products. First stop was at Target. All the items I had coupons for were sold out. But, I was so happy to find that Larabars are GF and DF! AND there were $1 off coupons on the box! At about $5.95 a box this would make them $4.95 for a box of 5. Acceptable. I got 4 boxes of the Blueberry Muffin and 2 Peanut Butter Cookie. Then I saw individual Uber/Larabars. I happened to have a .75/3 coupon so I bought three of the only flavor-- Apple Turnover. When I got in the car I tore into the Blueberry Muffin bar. It was amazing! Like nothing I'd had before, but it filled the empty spot in my stomach and eased my craving for something sweet and chewy.

I wish I had gone back and bought all they had, because Kroger, my next stop, did not have any.  They did have Enjoy life Crispy Rice Chocolate bars! I had bought some of the Dark Chocolate boomCHOCOboom Enjoy life bars at Winn Dixie and they were good. But I really like the Rice Milk added in these! And I had $1.50/2 coupons! Score again! Then I looked at the Udi bread. I knew I had a coupon, but DARN it had expired 2 days earlier. Major bummer, since the bread (all frozen) was in the $4.50-$6 range. I bought one Udi sandwich loaf mostly because someone had bought several before me. (I later tried the Udi as toast and it's pretty good). I found a brand I didn't know--kinnikinnick. I got the multi grain sliced loaf ($4.49) and donuts-- Vanilla Glazed Donuts that taste like the white powdered ones.  I REALLY love them! The GF bread is more suited to donuts because of the heavy texture. These were $5.99,  but totally worth it to me! They are sweet, so coffee goes well with them. I stocked up on Terra Sweet Potato Chips that were $2.99 because I had $1/1 coupons. I like the salted ones better. They have many varieties, but caution--not all are dairy free. I found Hodgson Mill Peene , elbow macaroni and linguini ($2.99 each). There are other brands at Walmart, but the price doesn't vary that much. As far as dips go, the Yucatan Avocado and Sabre Hummus are GF. I couldn't find the variety of Smart Balance spread that is supposed to be GF. Earth Balance was more expensive than Winn Dixie so I didn't buy any. But now I know that Earth Balance comes in a no soy variety I will probably switch to it.

I am so happy that Walmart now carrieds the Udi bread! I also found a lot of gluten free mixes at Big Lots! My favorite one is the Bob's Red Mills Shortbread Cookies!
What are your favorite GF products?

A New Diet for the New Year

This is not a diet to lose weight! I wish I could gain some back, actually. In May I topped out at 133. Freaked me out! I'd been about 120 for several years, and suddenly, boom! I started watching every calorie, signed up for Curves, exercised like crazy with Shape Magazine's bikini workout, and let me tell you, it is killer!! Somehow I got back to 125-120 range. I was OK with that. Then I went through menopause. I won't bore you with the gory details which led to me feeling like I had rubber bands around my ankles, barely able to walk in the morning or after sitting for a while. My hands hurt really bad! Was it from all the gardening? from getting older? My doctor wanted me to have a nerve conduction test. Several friends told me not to, that is it awful. So I didn't. I did think maybe I had arthritis. But my doctor, not happy about not taking his advice refused to refer me. Luckily I had gone years ago to an arthritis doctor in another town because of my Raynaud's. He referred me. Appointment MONTHS later. I'm dying NOW. I got online and researched. I came to the profound conclusion that I had menopausal arthritis. I had gotten off the pill (I stayed on to avoid the awful hot flashes) but now I had no hormones. I called my gynecologist's nurse and begged. FINALLY they called in hormones.  A few months later I'm back to my old, er, younger self.

By November I had some moderately severe emotional stress. I started losing. A LOT. I got down to 115, 113, 110... What in the world!! I had never had a colon scope and I was overdue. My sister and another doctor friend told me I might have gluten intolerance. The Doc set me up with a quick appointment and told me to get extensive blood tests. I had an EGD scope also, since I'd been having spasms in my throat along with acid reflux. I knew I was dairy intolerant, but didn't REALLY think I might be GI or have Celiac. Our family has a history of stomach problems, however.

The biopsy showed hiatal hernia, signs of food allergies and possible Celiac disease, moderate gastritis, internal hemorrhoids, and colitis. Wonderful. The Gluten Panel was not back yet. I had decided by then, though, to cut out ALL gluten. When the test results were negative I once again got online and saw that this is very common. My GI doctor said I don't have Celiac... his partner says I do, biopsy tops the blood test. So now I am struggling to find food I can eat. I have to spend HOURS researching every bottle or package I pick up in the grocery store. My son thinks I'm just not eating. He doesn't understand. I lost to 108 and I'm still having bad cramps, etc... My next step is to schedule an appointment with my original, general doctor and hopefully he will be over my unfaithfulness to him : ) and give me instructions for the colitis, etc...

Fried Okra-Easy Country Recipe

Making fried okra is as easy as can be.

Preparation
You might want to wear gloves since some okra has tiny spines that can stick!
Cut off both ends of the okra..
Wash the okra in running water, you can use a soft brush if you like.
Cut it up in 1/4 in. or less slices while still wet and place them in bowl as you go.
Put a lid over the bowl and drain excess water.
Coat the slices in self-rising corn meal. (I just pour some over them and stir well).
I like to cover the bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Cooking
In an iron skillet pour enough oil to cover the pan and a little more (about an 1/8 cup). Turn stove on medium high. When oil starts to bubble, pour enough okra to cover the bottom of the skillet. Don't put too much okra in the skillet or it won't get done. I'm sorry I never measure anything 0 : )

I stand over the stove and watch closely. When it starts to brown use a big slotted spoon spatula to turn over. Turn heat down to medium. Stir every few minutes to keep from burning.When it is brown enough for your taste, (my son likes it almost burned with no green showing), spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil.

Enjoy your fried okra! I like it best with black-eyed peas and tomatoes fresh from the garden!

Happy Birthday to me, Dairy-Free!

Milk... Is it REALLY good for the Body?

I've never been able to eat dairy, but, unfortunately, I didn't discover this until I was in college. I remember in childhood how I cramped and cried while counting the bathroom tiles or finding pictures in them. Worse, I didn't know what was growing out of my behind... was it a tail? I was too afraid to ask anyone. (I wouldn't know what a hemorrhoid was until years later when I became pregnant, and the doctor told me). Birthday parties were a nightmare for my stomach--the combination of cake, ice cream and potato chips killed me. White flour, Crisco icing with cups of sugar, dairy with more sugar, and chips that cause gas put me right back in the bathroom crying. By high school I knew something was wrong with me. This could not be normal... having hemorrhoids as a child was not normal. So my mother took me to a gastroenterologist. He promptly took me aside, told me it was her fault for nagging me, and put me on Librax. Unbelievable. When I told mom, she was not happy! The Librax helped with the cramping, but only hid the real problem. I began to wonder if I had Crohn's Disease, like my sister's friend. Eventually someone mentioned to me that I should eliminate milk products. Hallelujah!

Somehow, though, I never put cheese in the category of foods to avoid. I mean I knew it was a dairy product, but I guess I was in denial--not cheese... I love cheese! Recently I came to the realization that it is indeed a member of the evil dairy family. I still eat Pizza sometimes, but I know I'll pay for it later. I've learned to order my quesadilla without cheese. sigh. I tried Lactose-free products, but it did not help me. My youngest son began having problems with his stomach. I told him to leave off dairy and he said it helped him. Recently I found out that some people are allergic to milk protein. This can lead to eczema, hives or serious damage to the digestive tract. My cousin started having the same problems as she passed puberty. I found out that my grandpa had severe stomach problems, my aunt and my older sister are also intolerant to dairy, so this is probably hereditary.

Enter RICE MILK, ALMOND MILK, and COCONUT milk on the market. Now I can have cereal and ICE CREAM products made from these alternative milks for the first time in years. YAY!!! Thank you, SO DELICIOUS brand, you've made me so happy, and my stomach is ecstatic! (FYI, I am not getting paid by them).

People think that milk is essential for obtaining calcium, but the protein in milk can cause a greater loss in calcium and can lead to osteoporosis. You can get enough calcium by eating green vegetables such as broccoli, drinking orange juice that has extra calcium added, or even by eating antacids such as Tums. Studies are now showing that dairy sensitivity is a factor in ADD/ADHD and has been proven to be present in children with childhood diabetes. Some believe that autism is linked to food allergies, indicating an intolerance to casein in milk! If you can digest milk products, you are lucky indeed. If you or your child exhibit any of these symptoms, please consider eliminating it from your diet and see if those problems disappear.

Symptoms