I sincerely apologize for my lack of discipline with this blog! I mean maybe no one reads it anyways so it is fine, but I feel like since I made this and tell people about it I should actually post on it. Goodness.
Anyways, a lot has happened. Multiple "follow-ups," but I have been following up for so long! The nurse always asks "Why are you here today?" and I'm like uhhhhm follow-up? again? My life consists of these said "follow-ups." I do not like it. I am tired of doctors and especially my parents paying for doctors and medicine. Although I do love love love my doctor :) she is amazing! I just wish I did not have to visit her so often... But lucky me, my stomach just refuses to heal.
I guess since the hospital (February) I have gone back every month to see my doctor and talk about what is going on. There is not a lot going on. There was one month of what felt like a million medicines. After that she tried to put me onto what she called "simple medicine" and hope for the best, but that did not work. I continued to be bloated and feel sick/pain after eating. So I went back and got not quite as much as that one month, but a lot more medicine. Basically I am taking things that will help heal my tummy and help digest my food at the same time while we wait for my tummy to be able to do it itself.
So my mom looks at all these different diets that she thinks will help me, but we never actually tried any (other than gluten-free of course!!). BUT this time it is different! I guess we both kinda realized I am not getting better, I like to hide how I feel and say that it is just normal. So we are now doing a diet called paleo which I just found out is short for paleolithic which means caveman. I am on a caveman diet! :P haha! Good stuff. ANYWAYS, paleo for me is no grains, no dairy, no beans/legumes (idk if these are the same thing), no tomatoes, no potatoes, no eggs, and no cashews. That is all I can think of right now, but what I can eat is meat, vegetables, and fruit. So it really is not that bad and it is really healthy! But it is also really rough. I miss a lot of grain and fried things.
I think the hardest part is definitely breakfast and snacks. For breakfast I eat sausage or bacon and an apple, I was prescribed an apple a day by my doctor :P. And snack time is almonds! Which I usually carry in my purse just in case I get stuck somewhere hungry. Dinner is the best part of the day, because I can only eat meat we buy a lot of it so we find specials. Steak and ribs were on sale, HECK YES. So one night we had steak and asparagus and the next night we had ribs with okra. ~Austin's Own bbq sauce is like straight from heaven! chipotle-hot is so delicious~ My mom cooks a lot so I have leftovers for lunch.
No junk food is hard too! Like no chips, no cookies, no icecream! But I do feel a lot better so I don't know if it is the medicine, the diet, or both. After a month of paleo we are going to bring in the things one at a time and see how my tummy does. I think I am probably gonna lose some weight on this lil diet. So other than venting and telling exciting stories (exciting, I know!) I wanted to say that I will start posting my paleo recipes :) ribs were the besst ever!!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Cheese Bread Mix!
I havent blogged in... a long time... I don't even remember the last time. Sometime after the hospital! I don't think my last blog was even about food?? Wow I am slackin. Anyways,
This blog is about Cheese Bread :) I was shopping at HEB and we looked through the clearance and they had a ton of gluten-free mixes! There were three different kinds of Chebe brand bread. I think they were cheese bread, focaccia bread, and all-purpose bread mix. So far all I have made is the cheese bread.
Chebe's little thing is "Delicious. By Nature." they brought their recipes to the U.S. from Brazil, but they didn't immediately advertise that they were gluten-free. It has always been gluten-free and started making a bigger deal of gluten-free ingredients once they started getting a bunch of mail from gluten-intolerant customers.
In addition to being gluten-free this mix is also soy-free, corn-free, rice-free, potato-free, yeast-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg free (if you use egg substitute), iodine-free, sugar-free, and non GMO.
All you have to do is mix eggs, oil, water, and cheese into the mix. (it doesn't come with these things) You blend it together and knead it, but it doesn't have to rise! Whoop!
I made this randomly one afternoon and it says to serve warm so then my siblings and I ate all 16 right there. :) MMM they were good, probably even better with dinner.
The official name: Original Cheese Bread Mix
This blog is about Cheese Bread :) I was shopping at HEB and we looked through the clearance and they had a ton of gluten-free mixes! There were three different kinds of Chebe brand bread. I think they were cheese bread, focaccia bread, and all-purpose bread mix. So far all I have made is the cheese bread.
Chebe's little thing is "Delicious. By Nature." they brought their recipes to the U.S. from Brazil, but they didn't immediately advertise that they were gluten-free. It has always been gluten-free and started making a bigger deal of gluten-free ingredients once they started getting a bunch of mail from gluten-intolerant customers.
In addition to being gluten-free this mix is also soy-free, corn-free, rice-free, potato-free, yeast-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg free (if you use egg substitute), iodine-free, sugar-free, and non GMO.
All you have to do is mix eggs, oil, water, and cheese into the mix. (it doesn't come with these things) You blend it together and knead it, but it doesn't have to rise! Whoop!
I made this randomly one afternoon and it says to serve warm so then my siblings and I ate all 16 right there. :) MMM they were good, probably even better with dinner.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Happy Gluten Freek!
Being a gluten-freek isn't that happy, fun, or exciting. It is difficult and stressful. Eating at home isn't that bad, but if I want to hangout somewhere I have to think about when and what I will eat. There are a lot of gluten-free items now, but they look gross. My mom ordered this awesome box of goodies online (I will blog about this sometime too! http://www.julesglutenfree.com/product-p/special-ntgfp.htm ). The box contained so much and I am planning on blogging my favorites :).
Today, I am blogging about GoPicnic ready-to-eat meals. I ate the Hummus + Crackers for lunch one day at the college. It was so easy and perfect! I call it a lunchable because I have never had a real lunchable and now this is my gluten-free version of one. It is a small cardboard box that contains multi-grain crackers, hummus, edamame, fruit and nut trail mix, and a small chocolate bar. All you have to add is the drink! You don't have to worry about refrigeration or carrying a million different containers to compile a full lunch.
GoPicinic offers all-natural, gluten-free, and vegan options! Their meals contain no artificial flavors or colors, no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup, and no added MSG. Basically everyone wins with these :). The "picnic" is 400 calories, 12g of fiber, and 25g of protein. Gotta love hummus and edamame. My lunchable was delicious and having something on hand to grab anytime makes me a happy camper. If I don't know how the day will go I always throw one in my purse just in case I am stuck somewhere and need lunch or dinner.
I haven't seen GoPicnic in any stores, I am not sure if they even sell in stores, but I order mine from their website. http://www.gopicnic.com/ When you go to their website, check on sales and specials for any gluten-free meals on sale. Normally they cost about $4.99 + shipping and such, but I got some on sale for $2! I can't wait to try the other gluten-free Gopicnic meals!
Today, I am blogging about GoPicnic ready-to-eat meals. I ate the Hummus + Crackers for lunch one day at the college. It was so easy and perfect! I call it a lunchable because I have never had a real lunchable and now this is my gluten-free version of one. It is a small cardboard box that contains multi-grain crackers, hummus, edamame, fruit and nut trail mix, and a small chocolate bar. All you have to add is the drink! You don't have to worry about refrigeration or carrying a million different containers to compile a full lunch.
I haven't seen GoPicnic in any stores, I am not sure if they even sell in stores, but I order mine from their website. http://www.gopicnic.com/ When you go to their website, check on sales and specials for any gluten-free meals on sale. Normally they cost about $4.99 + shipping and such, but I got some on sale for $2! I can't wait to try the other gluten-free Gopicnic meals!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Follow Up
Alright guys sorry it took me so long! Spring break came and I was busy, but now y'all will finally know what the deal is. Not that y'all care, but blogging makes me happy and helps me sort stuff out. :)
A few weeks ago I went to the doctor that diagnosed me with celiac disease for a follow up. It was weird because I didn't really understand why I was at the follow up. We gave her the information that the hospital had told us to take. She read over it and said that my intestines fell asleep due to celiac. I didn't really know how to react to that. Like I don't know if that's good or not. Since it is related to celiac means it can happen again which is scary and sucks. But it is good to know the cause and it probably could have been a lot worse. If celiac made my intestines fall asleep was it from something I ate? -I had Buffalo Wild Wings the night before the hospital- It is a possibility that is what made my body shut down. I ordered what other people had claimed to be gluten-free, but still that wasn't for sure. I thought I was ok with tiny bits of gluten, but I was soo wrong.
My doctor said that 50% of people with my level of sensitivity still have inflamation even on a strict gluten-free diet. Yaaaayyy.. And that continued inflamation will increase my risk of cancers and heart problems. I knew my body hated me, but really?? In addition to that, my back and neck hurt all the time because of celiac too. I can't remember exactly what she said about it, but she told me I need to be working out not just my core but all my back muscles. That is kinda nice to know that I HAVE to work out because now I can't make excuses :P.
So now we know the cause and other fun -sarcasm- facts. My lovely doctor (I really do love her) came up with a plan! She put me on medicine for my digestive system and something that will hopefully reduce my inflamation so I wont be visiting the hospital:). She told me to take all those meds for 3 weeks then come back and we would work on diet and such. It has been three weeks and I returned to her two days ago. We talked about how my body is doing. I am slowly recovering, but I am still bloated and it gets better/worse at random. I definitely have not felt the way I did before the hospital though so I am getting better.
She told me to continue taking the meds she prescribed earlier and that I will take the one that decreases inflamation for a minimum of 3 months. We talked about my diet and she said that some gluten-free people go grain crazy and eat a lot of corn, rice, etc. to make up for the wheat. She told me to not do that because it isn't good for my body and I need to focus on fruits, veggies, and meats. It sounds pretty simple, but it is also a lot of work... It is totally worth it though! I want to feel healthy and normal. I don't even know what normal is. But one day I will get there!
My doctor also said to research like crazy and find good recipes and what other people with celiac are eating. She wants me to know more than anyone else about being gluten-free and having celiac disease. So if y'all have any good blogs, websites, recipes, anything please let me know :).
A few weeks ago I went to the doctor that diagnosed me with celiac disease for a follow up. It was weird because I didn't really understand why I was at the follow up. We gave her the information that the hospital had told us to take. She read over it and said that my intestines fell asleep due to celiac. I didn't really know how to react to that. Like I don't know if that's good or not. Since it is related to celiac means it can happen again which is scary and sucks. But it is good to know the cause and it probably could have been a lot worse. If celiac made my intestines fall asleep was it from something I ate? -I had Buffalo Wild Wings the night before the hospital- It is a possibility that is what made my body shut down. I ordered what other people had claimed to be gluten-free, but still that wasn't for sure. I thought I was ok with tiny bits of gluten, but I was soo wrong.
My doctor said that 50% of people with my level of sensitivity still have inflamation even on a strict gluten-free diet. Yaaaayyy.. And that continued inflamation will increase my risk of cancers and heart problems. I knew my body hated me, but really?? In addition to that, my back and neck hurt all the time because of celiac too. I can't remember exactly what she said about it, but she told me I need to be working out not just my core but all my back muscles. That is kinda nice to know that I HAVE to work out because now I can't make excuses :P.
So now we know the cause and other fun -sarcasm- facts. My lovely doctor (I really do love her) came up with a plan! She put me on medicine for my digestive system and something that will hopefully reduce my inflamation so I wont be visiting the hospital:). She told me to take all those meds for 3 weeks then come back and we would work on diet and such. It has been three weeks and I returned to her two days ago. We talked about how my body is doing. I am slowly recovering, but I am still bloated and it gets better/worse at random. I definitely have not felt the way I did before the hospital though so I am getting better.
She told me to continue taking the meds she prescribed earlier and that I will take the one that decreases inflamation for a minimum of 3 months. We talked about my diet and she said that some gluten-free people go grain crazy and eat a lot of corn, rice, etc. to make up for the wheat. She told me to not do that because it isn't good for my body and I need to focus on fruits, veggies, and meats. It sounds pretty simple, but it is also a lot of work... It is totally worth it though! I want to feel healthy and normal. I don't even know what normal is. But one day I will get there!
My doctor also said to research like crazy and find good recipes and what other people with celiac are eating. She wants me to know more than anyone else about being gluten-free and having celiac disease. So if y'all have any good blogs, websites, recipes, anything please let me know :).
Thursday, March 8, 2012
My Little Piece of Hell
My older sister and I were always the healthy/safe kids. My younger siblings were the only ones that were ever taken to the emergency room. I wanted to go to the emergency room for something exciting like a broken arm/leg, but I was feeling pretty good seeing as I hadn't hurt myself.
WARNING: This post contains details about gross bodily functions. Don't read it if you don't want to know.
February 28, 2012: It was 6 pm, I had eaten dinner and was trying to do homework. My back was killing me. I have always had back issues so my mom figured that was it. I thought I had lifted something weird and hurt it. It was stabbing sharp pain that made it impossible to focus or get comfortable. Around 8 my stomach started hurting. Since I am celiac, stomach pain and bloating is pretty normal, but this was different. My tummy kept growing; it was swelling so big. My tummy also had really sharp pains and I couldn't do anything to make it better (usually if it was from food I could lie down to lessen the pain).
Around 8:30 my sister and I started watching a show in bed. I was curled up in a ball on my bed, but everything hurt. I was ridiculously hot, but then as soon as I would turn on a fan I would be freezing. I got through about half of the show (45 minutes) before I went to my mom to tell her I felt like I was going to throw up. I hate throw up. It is disgusting and I can't handle having to be around it, let alone be the one puking. I went into my mom's bedroom and curled up on the floor with a bowl. I was crying because of the pain. After awhile I was begging to throw up. I kept asking my mom why I couldn't just throw up. All the while my tummy was bloating to where I could pass as pregnant. I don't know what time it started, but finally I threw up. You know when you are tummy sick, you just have to throw up and that makes you feel better? That's what I was hoping would happen. It didn't. I felt sicker. It sucked.
My mom thought I had a virus or flu. I have NEVER felt pain that intense. I am a baby about being sick, but I don't think I have ever cried. I was thinking to myself, "If I'm not gonna feel better please just let me die." Attempting to retrace what you had eaten the past week in between puking is difficult. I couldn't figure out why I was sick or what was happening. I just kept praying and begging God to fix it. I guess around 10 we had to move out of the bedroom into the living room so people could go to bed. Walking hurt, movement hurt, and not moving hurt. Everything hurt. It was living hell.
My parents were in the room trying to calm me down. I realized that there was no way I would be able to fall asleep that night. I was exhausted beyond anything from school and throwing up constantly. My mom cares for my grandma 24/7 http://notgoinggently.blogspot.com ,so I felt horrible that she wouldn't sleep either. My dad was kind of just sitting there not knowing what to do. My little brother kept coming in and asking what he could do (sweetboy). I was too sick to even get frustrated at him; I couldn't talk back. It felt like everytime I opened my mouth I was throwing up. Sorry this story is so gross.. My mom finally gave me phenergan. I kept throwing up. No pain left me. Continued hell.
12:30 am Wednesday morning February 29. Still on the ground in the fetal position crying and puking. My whole body kept getting tight and I could barely breathe. I started hyperventilating. My legs, hands, and face kept going all tingly. It was so weird and freaked me out even more which brought on more hyperventilating. All of a sudden I couldn't move; it started with my hands. My muscles were frozen (my mom said they spazzed/cramped). I asked my mom why my hands were stuck, then I realized my legs were too. I couldn't move. My parents pulled me up and my mom said my eyes were rolling back in my head and my head was going back. I guess then my parents started freaking out and decided it wasn't just a virus.
My dad pulled the truck into the driveway and got me shoes (and my blankie). They walked me out to the car and handed me a bowl for the road. My mom drove while dad stayed behind. It only took like 8 minutes to get to the emergency room, but I was scared they would take too long. I kept saying not to take me because I didn't wanna be stuck in a waiting room chair. We got to the emergency room and I could barley walk. Thank God I looked pitiful enough to where they immediately checked my "vitals." I didn't have a fever even though I was sweating. My blood pressure was 80 something over 50 something.
It felt like hours, but I think it was only like 10 minutes max we had to wait. The nurse got a wheelchair for me, and we rushed to a room. I was so tired, but I hated being in the hospital bed. I couldn't get comfy and I felt confined. Doctors and nurses wouldn't leave me alone. They kept asking me questions instead of asking my mom. But she forgot what medicine I was allergic to, so good thing I was partially there! I was majorly dehydrated, so I was immediately hooked up to an IV and they took some blood. I also had the thing that takes blood pressure on my arm constantly and the lil thing on your finger that takes oxygen levels (?). Every five minutes they checked me. I had to get out of bed once again and have a CT scan. That sucked; my mom had to stay outside. I was still in just as much pain, but had to lay still with my arms above my head and breathe how the guy told me to. I didn't like the scan guy.
When I got back I was FINALLY given morphine and that quickly relieved my pain. I fell asleep, but then woke up to a nurse trying to put oxygen on me. I'm not really sure if I was close to being in real danger; no one would tell me. Once I fell asleep again my mom kept waking me up because the reader kept saying I wasn't breathing. It sucked, breathing was an effort. We take for granted how amazingly we were created. God made us so that breathing is involuntary. Having to work to breathe is hard and scary. At like 2 the doctor came in and woke me up (jerk) and told me that for some reason my intestines were inflamed and my colon was backed up.-gross story- He said that they wanted to keep an eye on me and keep giving me fluids. For two hours he made phone calls and such and then I was moved to a real hospital room for the night.
At this point the morphine was working in me and I felt crazy better even though I was still bloated. I was moved to the pedi floor and got rechecked and rehooked up to everything. Once settled into my room my mom left and my dad came. I felt bad because my mom got maybe 2-4 hours of sleep and my dad had to sleep in a tiny recliner. But there wasn't really any option; I had to be there. They didn't have to stay the night with me, but my dad didn't wanna leave me at a hospital alone. We both fell asleep around 6 in the morning.
I woke up at 10 am to the doctor checking me and telling me stuff. I am such a deep sleeper. gahh. I had a bunch of texts from my mom and older sister. My older sister had recieved a note that said "Truck is empty. Meg is in hospital. <3 u." My dad had left to take my younger siblings to school. I don't remember at all what the doctor told me, except that I was not going home that morning and she was mad my dad wasn't there. When my dad got back I called my nurse and she got the doctor who explained everything to dad. Basically the CT scan showed that my intestines were asleep (she said these exact words). She said I had to have an xray and then we would try and give me clear liquids and slowly go up to regular diet.
The last time I had taken morphine was 6 in the morning, I was feeling a lot better just exhausted. I went and had my xray done and she said that it looked like my intestines were awake again, but I was slightly constipated. They had no idea what the cause was, but the surgeon said I wouldn't need surgery. He was very optimistic and told me to just eat regular food and just make sure it was low-gluten. Thank you mister idiot. People that work in hospitals are surprising. Basically I had to stay there and continue with my IV fluids and then try liquid and food. I did fine with liquids and realized how hungry I was. I was really scared to eat because of how much I had thrown up. I ate like a 1/4 of the lunch they brought me.
My nurse said that I couldn't be discharged until I had had a bowel movement. That made me mad. I wanted to go home. Finally in the evening it happened. We had dinner -Olive Garden that my bestfriends parents brought(:- then I was discharged around like 8 pm. I got home and went right to bed. The doctor gave me orders to have a follow-up in two days with the doctor that diagnosed me with celiac. This post is long enough so I will do a second one about the follow-up appointment.
WARNING: This post contains details about gross bodily functions. Don't read it if you don't want to know.
February 28, 2012: It was 6 pm, I had eaten dinner and was trying to do homework. My back was killing me. I have always had back issues so my mom figured that was it. I thought I had lifted something weird and hurt it. It was stabbing sharp pain that made it impossible to focus or get comfortable. Around 8 my stomach started hurting. Since I am celiac, stomach pain and bloating is pretty normal, but this was different. My tummy kept growing; it was swelling so big. My tummy also had really sharp pains and I couldn't do anything to make it better (usually if it was from food I could lie down to lessen the pain).
Around 8:30 my sister and I started watching a show in bed. I was curled up in a ball on my bed, but everything hurt. I was ridiculously hot, but then as soon as I would turn on a fan I would be freezing. I got through about half of the show (45 minutes) before I went to my mom to tell her I felt like I was going to throw up. I hate throw up. It is disgusting and I can't handle having to be around it, let alone be the one puking. I went into my mom's bedroom and curled up on the floor with a bowl. I was crying because of the pain. After awhile I was begging to throw up. I kept asking my mom why I couldn't just throw up. All the while my tummy was bloating to where I could pass as pregnant. I don't know what time it started, but finally I threw up. You know when you are tummy sick, you just have to throw up and that makes you feel better? That's what I was hoping would happen. It didn't. I felt sicker. It sucked.
My mom thought I had a virus or flu. I have NEVER felt pain that intense. I am a baby about being sick, but I don't think I have ever cried. I was thinking to myself, "If I'm not gonna feel better please just let me die." Attempting to retrace what you had eaten the past week in between puking is difficult. I couldn't figure out why I was sick or what was happening. I just kept praying and begging God to fix it. I guess around 10 we had to move out of the bedroom into the living room so people could go to bed. Walking hurt, movement hurt, and not moving hurt. Everything hurt. It was living hell.
My parents were in the room trying to calm me down. I realized that there was no way I would be able to fall asleep that night. I was exhausted beyond anything from school and throwing up constantly. My mom cares for my grandma 24/7 http://notgoinggently.blogspot.com ,so I felt horrible that she wouldn't sleep either. My dad was kind of just sitting there not knowing what to do. My little brother kept coming in and asking what he could do (sweetboy). I was too sick to even get frustrated at him; I couldn't talk back. It felt like everytime I opened my mouth I was throwing up. Sorry this story is so gross.. My mom finally gave me phenergan. I kept throwing up. No pain left me. Continued hell.
12:30 am Wednesday morning February 29. Still on the ground in the fetal position crying and puking. My whole body kept getting tight and I could barely breathe. I started hyperventilating. My legs, hands, and face kept going all tingly. It was so weird and freaked me out even more which brought on more hyperventilating. All of a sudden I couldn't move; it started with my hands. My muscles were frozen (my mom said they spazzed/cramped). I asked my mom why my hands were stuck, then I realized my legs were too. I couldn't move. My parents pulled me up and my mom said my eyes were rolling back in my head and my head was going back. I guess then my parents started freaking out and decided it wasn't just a virus.
My dad pulled the truck into the driveway and got me shoes (and my blankie). They walked me out to the car and handed me a bowl for the road. My mom drove while dad stayed behind. It only took like 8 minutes to get to the emergency room, but I was scared they would take too long. I kept saying not to take me because I didn't wanna be stuck in a waiting room chair. We got to the emergency room and I could barley walk. Thank God I looked pitiful enough to where they immediately checked my "vitals." I didn't have a fever even though I was sweating. My blood pressure was 80 something over 50 something.
It felt like hours, but I think it was only like 10 minutes max we had to wait. The nurse got a wheelchair for me, and we rushed to a room. I was so tired, but I hated being in the hospital bed. I couldn't get comfy and I felt confined. Doctors and nurses wouldn't leave me alone. They kept asking me questions instead of asking my mom. But she forgot what medicine I was allergic to, so good thing I was partially there! I was majorly dehydrated, so I was immediately hooked up to an IV and they took some blood. I also had the thing that takes blood pressure on my arm constantly and the lil thing on your finger that takes oxygen levels (?). Every five minutes they checked me. I had to get out of bed once again and have a CT scan. That sucked; my mom had to stay outside. I was still in just as much pain, but had to lay still with my arms above my head and breathe how the guy told me to. I didn't like the scan guy.
When I got back I was FINALLY given morphine and that quickly relieved my pain. I fell asleep, but then woke up to a nurse trying to put oxygen on me. I'm not really sure if I was close to being in real danger; no one would tell me. Once I fell asleep again my mom kept waking me up because the reader kept saying I wasn't breathing. It sucked, breathing was an effort. We take for granted how amazingly we were created. God made us so that breathing is involuntary. Having to work to breathe is hard and scary. At like 2 the doctor came in and woke me up (jerk) and told me that for some reason my intestines were inflamed and my colon was backed up.-gross story- He said that they wanted to keep an eye on me and keep giving me fluids. For two hours he made phone calls and such and then I was moved to a real hospital room for the night.
I woke up at 10 am to the doctor checking me and telling me stuff. I am such a deep sleeper. gahh. I had a bunch of texts from my mom and older sister. My older sister had recieved a note that said "Truck is empty. Meg is in hospital. <3 u." My dad had left to take my younger siblings to school. I don't remember at all what the doctor told me, except that I was not going home that morning and she was mad my dad wasn't there. When my dad got back I called my nurse and she got the doctor who explained everything to dad. Basically the CT scan showed that my intestines were asleep (she said these exact words). She said I had to have an xray and then we would try and give me clear liquids and slowly go up to regular diet.
The last time I had taken morphine was 6 in the morning, I was feeling a lot better just exhausted. I went and had my xray done and she said that it looked like my intestines were awake again, but I was slightly constipated. They had no idea what the cause was, but the surgeon said I wouldn't need surgery. He was very optimistic and told me to just eat regular food and just make sure it was low-gluten. Thank you mister idiot. People that work in hospitals are surprising. Basically I had to stay there and continue with my IV fluids and then try liquid and food. I did fine with liquids and realized how hungry I was. I was really scared to eat because of how much I had thrown up. I ate like a 1/4 of the lunch they brought me.
My nurse said that I couldn't be discharged until I had had a bowel movement. That made me mad. I wanted to go home. Finally in the evening it happened. We had dinner -Olive Garden that my bestfriends parents brought(:- then I was discharged around like 8 pm. I got home and went right to bed. The doctor gave me orders to have a follow-up in two days with the doctor that diagnosed me with celiac. This post is long enough so I will do a second one about the follow-up appointment.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Olive Garden Update
So I guess there is an automatic email that goes out once you contact Olive Garden because I got one. All it really said was like thanks for contacting us and that I will receive a reply in the mail. I got a letter yesterday from the guest relations representative.
It started out with a lovely apology and basically a mission statement hahaha. Something about them striving to provide every guest with a high quality meal. Then they finally got to the point and said that they agree that other pasta in gluten-free food falls very short of their goal. She said, "Our food preparation and serving procedures will be reviewed with our staff to prevent a recurrence." I am really hoping that they will really do that and she wasn't simply claiming that to make me happy. They also sent me a giftcard to Olive Garden, so that is exciting! Whoop for free food!
The letter was short and sweet. I will actually be eating at Olive Garden tomorrow for lunch and so I guess we will see if they changed anything. I doubt corporate has gotten involved yet [I will keep complaining until they do!], but the manager knows what happened so I hope she did something about it. Ok well this is all I have to say :) I really hope no one else has had the same experience as I did at Olive Garden.
Choco Chip Cookies
Best.chocolate.chip.cookies.EVER. I can't believe they are gluten-free! Neither could my friends! So every one needs to try out this recipe. I will put the exact brand of things I used in parentheses. Btw if y'all are having trouble finding any ingredients just leave a comment and I'll try my best to help ya out.
I googled "gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies" and found a recipe, but I changed it up a little. It is delish! I wanted to eat all of them! But I was nice and shared them with my gluten and dairy free friend :). Sorry if this is hard to read! I tried my best.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups Gluten-free Flour (Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour)
1 tsp baking powder (I think all baking powder and baking soda are gluten-free? but check first!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup butter, softened (I used Best Life buttery sticks)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (again make sure it is gluten-free, I actually used almond extract because we were out of vanilla :P it was yummy!)
2 cups chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate)
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until well mixed. On low, gradually add flour mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet [parchment paper is always a winner], make sure they are 2 inches apart [not to the dot, but cookies spread out a lot].
Bake at 375 for 9-12 minutes or until light golden brown (careful not to over bake!!) Let stand a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack. ENJOY :)
I googled "gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies" and found a recipe, but I changed it up a little. It is delish! I wanted to eat all of them! But I was nice and shared them with my gluten and dairy free friend :). Sorry if this is hard to read! I tried my best.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups Gluten-free Flour (Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour)
1 tsp baking powder (I think all baking powder and baking soda are gluten-free? but check first!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup butter, softened (I used Best Life buttery sticks)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (again make sure it is gluten-free, I actually used almond extract because we were out of vanilla :P it was yummy!)
2 cups chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate)
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until well mixed. On low, gradually add flour mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet [parchment paper is always a winner], make sure they are 2 inches apart [not to the dot, but cookies spread out a lot].
Bake at 375 for 9-12 minutes or until light golden brown (careful not to over bake!!) Let stand a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack. ENJOY :)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Olive Garden
Last year my family started having a "word for the year" and a bible study around it. My dad figures out the word and what we will focus on [last year was abide (abiding in Christ) and this year is purify]. We have a 'kick-off' quick bible study then go out to eat to celebrate the new year. Obviously we were a little late this year seeing as it is February :P.
Eating out is difficult and sometimes not fun because of celiac. We decided to go to Olive Garden because they have a gluten-free menu (nifty!). Of course you cannot have the breadsticks :(. Our server brought our salad with croutons on a seperate plate because I told him I was gluten-free. I actually didn't eat any salad because I wasn't sure on the dressing -I should have asked but they were busy that night so I just skipped-. On the website they have their gluten-free menu http://www.olivegarden.com/Menu/Gluten-Allergen/ and one of the items listed is salad with italian dressing so I assume it is gluten-free, but always ask.
Alright so I ordered Penne Rigate Pomodoro with shrimp (make sure you always specify gluten-free).
It was delicious, I loved it until I got to the end. I started finding other kinds of noodles in my pasta... Olive Garden only has gluten-free penne. I don't know if I ate any of the noodles, but they did touch my food. We asked our waiter about it and he went and talked to the cooks and his manager. The manager came to our table and explained that they cook the pastas in the morning in like 500 degree water and then bag them and place in the fridge for the day. She said that gluten-free pasta goes into a seperate cooker or whatever it is than regular pasta so she really has no idea how they were mixed.
I have eaten at Olive Garden twice since I was diagnosed and this has happened both times =/. There isn't really anything they could do about it because I had already ate it. She did apologize and take it off of our bill though. I think they should better inform their staff on gluten intolerance, especially if they want to advertise a gluten-free menu.
Right now I don't feel bad, but I am bloated a little=/. My celiac isn't as bad as others, I just get sick for 3ish months, but it could be deadly for some people. I think I will email the company and tell them what happened and that this could really hurt some people.
All in all I like Olive Garden and hope this is just a small issue that they can fix :). Oh and we had the best waiter ever! Olive Garden really is a great place so please don't think I am trying to diss it or anything. I just want my fellow celiac/gluten-free friends to be cautious. I will update this and blog again on Olive Garden if I get a reply from them about the problem.
I got a letter back! Read "Olive Garden Update"
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Crust!
After one of my sister's basketball games, we were going out to eat and looking up places nearby. My mom found this pizza company, but we just figured that there wasn't anything for me to eat. At first the team was planning on going there, so my mom called and asked if they had any gluten-free options. Turns out they have gluten-free crust! They even use a different pan and server.
When you order just tell them that you are gluten-free and ask them which toppings are gluten-free. I can't remember all the toppings that are. I know pepperoni and all the vegetables are, but they named off more meats whenever we called. I ordered "the veggie" pizza. Gluten-free crust only comes in a 10-inch, which works out well since I am the only gluten freek in my house.
This is my pizza :D
When you order just tell them that you are gluten-free and ask them which toppings are gluten-free. I can't remember all the toppings that are. I know pepperoni and all the vegetables are, but they named off more meats whenever we called. I ordered "the veggie" pizza. Gluten-free crust only comes in a 10-inch, which works out well since I am the only gluten freek in my house.
This is my pizza :D
It was delicious I ate more than half of it.(: The crust is very thin and they don't have any thicker crust options even on their regular pizza crusts. I liked it thin, but I will eat pretty much anything. Here is the link for the Crust Pizza Company http://www.crustpizzaco.com/zgrid/themes/10365/intro/index.jsp
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Cookies From Heaven (MMMMMMMMMMM!)
Alright so I realized I have been posting that I am making things dairy-free, but I still use things with minimal amounts of dairy like chocolate chips and such; just a disclaimer for anyone that is completely avoding dairy :).
Just the name of these cookies makes you fall in love, it has cake, chocolate chips, and reeses peanut butter cups! I don't know how it could be any better. Plus they are super easy to make and pretty fast!
Chocolate Cake Reeses Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies
1 gluten-free chocolate cake mix (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
10 tablespoons buttery stick, melted (yes one stick plus two more tablespoons! I used Earth Balance brand)
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips
25 mini Reeses Peanut Butter cups (**careful if you are very sensitive these have the possibility of cross-contamination**)
Place reeses into a plastic baggie and crush them. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (I didn't use an electric mixer, but whatever works for you). It looks kind of crumbly, messy, and delicious.
Scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets about one inch apart and bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. It is kind of difficult to tell when they are done, I did mine for 14 minutes. I was scared to over bake them, gluten-free stuff tends to dry out faster so just keep checking them. :)
Be sure and put them away right when they are done cooling so they don't dry out, it makes around 3 dozen so maybe freeze some. ENJOY!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Raspberry Rice Krispie Treats!
I made these for my cubbies :) they are very very verrrrry sweet (both cubbies and rice krispies:P). All the leaders enjoyed eating the chocolate on the top and not the actual rice krispie haha. Since they are raspberry it is suggested to cut them into heart shapes and add a little red food coloring for valentine's day, but I just made them in a big pan.
Raspberry Rice Krispies
1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (or you could just use butter)
10.5 ounces mini marshmallows
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
6 cups gluten-free Rice Krispies (be careful because regular rice krispies are NOT gluten-free but they made new ones that are)
2 cups chocolate chips, melted (I used dark chocolate mm!)
So I made these twice, the first time I used the stove and the second time I used the microwave, both ways worked out fine.
~Stovetop: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add marshmallows and salt; cook and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in raspberry jam (mine didn't like separate completely, I tried my best then got frustrated and said it was good enough). If you want it redder/pinker add food coloring, then cereal! Spread into buttered 13X9-inch pan, put into fridge and let cool completely. Once completely cool, spread melted chocolate over top (or cut into hearts first).
~Microwave: Pretty much the same except put butter, marshmallows, and salt into a large microwaveable bowl and heat for 3 minutes, stir, reheat til melted and smooth. Then just follow the above directions starting with stirring in raspberry jam. :) ENJOY!
Jason's Deli
My church had a marriage conference which lasted two days. My friends and I babysat/did a VBS with the kids! It was lots of fun but very stressful and very long. On the second day we were there all day and so lunch was provided; this usually means Meg bring your own food. Except that I have the BEST CHURCH EVER and they got Jason's Deli for the adults (including the babysitters).
Jason's Deli has a full gluten-free menu, http://www.jasonsdeli.com/menu/gluten-free-menu.pdf. I didn't know about this, but the awesome leaders at my church figured it out and ordered me a "lunch box" -I think that's what it's called-. It consisted of a sandwich on gluten-free bread (no cheese for me either), chips, and a cookie (I am not sure if it was gluten free =/ I didn't eat it). It was such a good sandwich! The bread wasn't too thick or dry, it was delicious and filling :).
I do not usually eat at Jason's Deli, but I went with my friend's family a few weeks ago and ordered a salad. I think it was the Chef's salad, not sure. They handed me a gluten-free menu and when i ordered I said "Hey I need gluten-free *whatever salad I got*", just to specify. I don't know if they have a regular chef's salad that contains croutons or something like that, plus sometimes food places have different procedures for gluten-free items. The salad was really good; it had a lot of toppings and it was huge! I think I ate more than half..but I was really hungry haha.
Jason's Deli isn't a fast food place, but it doesn't take too long to get your food. It is a nice place to have lunch with someone! :) They also have take out and catering, so if you have an event coming up and need gluten-free options this is a great restaurant to pick.
Jason's Deli has a full gluten-free menu, http://www.jasonsdeli.com/menu/gluten-free-menu.pdf. I didn't know about this, but the awesome leaders at my church figured it out and ordered me a "lunch box" -I think that's what it's called-. It consisted of a sandwich on gluten-free bread (no cheese for me either), chips, and a cookie (I am not sure if it was gluten free =/ I didn't eat it). It was such a good sandwich! The bread wasn't too thick or dry, it was delicious and filling :).
I do not usually eat at Jason's Deli, but I went with my friend's family a few weeks ago and ordered a salad. I think it was the Chef's salad, not sure. They handed me a gluten-free menu and when i ordered I said "Hey I need gluten-free *whatever salad I got*", just to specify. I don't know if they have a regular chef's salad that contains croutons or something like that, plus sometimes food places have different procedures for gluten-free items. The salad was really good; it had a lot of toppings and it was huge! I think I ate more than half..but I was really hungry haha.
Jason's Deli isn't a fast food place, but it doesn't take too long to get your food. It is a nice place to have lunch with someone! :) They also have take out and catering, so if you have an event coming up and need gluten-free options this is a great restaurant to pick.
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