I appreciated the quote that they are using to cancel letters with right now.
“Let us dare to read, think, speak and write.” John Adams 1768
Let’s not forget what can happen to a society when its members neglect to do so.
Read on.
February 16, 2008
My brother and sister in law brought the best butternut squash soup for my son’s birthday party today.<> She got the recipe from weight watchers cookbook and we modified it to be gluten free.
1 (2-2.5 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 slice gluten-free bacon, diced
3 cups gluten-free chicken broth
freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons minced fresh sage, or 1.25 teaspoons dried
Place the squash in a steamer basket; set in a large saucepan, over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover and steam until tender, about 15 minutes.
In a large non-stick saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute the onion and bacon until the onion is light golden, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is very soft, about 10-15 minutes.
Transfer the squash mixture to a food processor; puree. Return to the saucepan and add the pepper; heat to serving temperature. Serve, sprinkled with sage.
<><> The recipe didn’t call for it but we like it with fresh grated parmesan or other hard cheese on top.
<><>Enjoy. We will.
February 12, 2008
I found this website today. It’s sponsored by CSA. It lists GF “safe” and “forbidden” foods by manufacturer.
<>This alone is enough to make me want to go get one of those phones that lets you use internet anywhere. Imagine standing in the grocery store with kids and actually being able to figure out what you can eat! <>
February 11, 2008
I’m doing a lot of internet searching for research to validate my decision to take medication (in liew of pursuing more radical treatment) for my thyroid. I found this article, citing a research study from the medical journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences (February 2000;45:403-406) in which “the researchers found that the various antibodies that indicate celiac disease – organ-specific autoantibodies (i.e., thyroid antibodies) — will disappear after 3 to 6 months of a gluten-free diet.”
A second study published in Digestion (2001;64:61-5) looked at patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders and found a higher incidence of celiac disease in that group. I found this one a second time on a different website.
A third article suggests that celiac is related to a number of other autoimmune-type disorders, including
- Dermatitis herpetiformis.
- Thyroid disease.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Type 1 diabetes.
- Liver disease.
- Collagen vascular disease.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Sjogren’s syndrome.
They suggest that the connection between celiac and these diseases may be genetic.
February 10, 2008
Each of us nurtures secret dreams and aspirations. The “what if”, the “when everything else settles down”, the “when the kids get older”, the “when I have the money.”
And those dreams are good. They give us hope, energy, a place to escape, the power to visualize something other than our current choices. Our secret dreams sustain us and enrich us. For a while…
Over time, and without warning, the lack of action, failure to take one step in their direction, the loss of faith to make them real, secret dreams and aspirations slip into missed opportunities, or even worse, embarrasment and regret.
A dream become regret is a heavy chain binding the spirit, always waiting at the edge of consciousness to wrap another length of chain around your heart.
Nothing in your live is beyond redemption. Not even regrets. And certainly not dreams.
Have you let them out lately? Written them down or told a friend or lover? Giving voice to those dreams is a first step…The confidence to express your dreams is a step toward making them real. Scary? You bet. Worth it? Absolutely.
Need a way to recapture a dream become regret?
Be thankful for it.
Be thankful that you had the ability to imagine, to hope, and to feel it in the first place. Reach back and find — it’s still in there — the joy it brought you. Dust it off, roll it around in your mind a while, let it out, and visualize what could be, if you only take the chance.
February 10, 2008
A question for anyone out there who’s gf???
Posted by glutenfreept under Journey to Health[4] Comments
My question is….
How can you identify if a meal has gluten in it, if you recently got “glutenized” by another food item. Example: I got the xxx’s from the sushi on Friday night. Saturday we went out for a meal. I think it was ok, but I can’t really tell if the symptoms are just a carryover or if the meal was problematic.
It seems to me a painstaking process to wait for all the symptoms to go away to be able to test another food/situation….but that’s what I had to do in the beginning.
I suppose I just need someone else to tell me that yes, this is pretty much how it works.
February 10, 2008
I mentioned to my sister-in-law about trying to get people to take me seriously and honor my need/attempt to stay gluten free. She suggested getting a medical id bracelet. Well. I looked on the web thinking, “I really don’t want to wear a granny bracelet” (quite honestly, I don’t want to have to explain to every patient and family I see, but on the other hand, it would stop them from offering me cookies after the first time).
Lauren’s Hope Website has some really sharp medical id bracelets. I really like the “Butterfly Kisses”, and really really like “Fairy Dust”. Gotta save a few pennies, but I just might get a bracelet. There are kinds for everyone. I’ll post if I try one.
February 10, 2008
We don’t get to eat out often. Twice in a week is a record in quite a while. Tonight was MUCH better. The FireHouse Restaurant in Harrisburg PA was very accommodating. I called in advance (ok 4 times) but was unable to talk to anyone because they are so busy. But when I got there, I told the hostess who alerted my server. She helped me with the menu.
When the food came to the table, I thought…uh oh….it was pan seared tuna and rice, but the vegetables looked like they were drenched in soy sauce.
I asked the server if I could have a new plate with the steamed vegetables one of our dinner mates had. It took a while, and I was really hungry and started chewing on the gf bread I brought from home just in case. When she came back, it was a totally new plate, without the rice. She said that she called and asked her husband who was Thai and a chef (but not working in the restaurant that evening), and he told her to give me a new plate, have them cook me new fish, and not serve the rice because he knew that their particular rice blend had gluten in the seasoning! They re-served me a whole new dinner!
I still feel kind of off from yesterday’s sushi mess, and I’m hoping that more of my experiences are like this one today.
February 9, 2008
Dear sushi god…..
(a letter from a lost and wayward sushi sheep soul)
Please make there be sushi without gluten. So many of my favorite foods are gone. Nothing tastes the same as it used to be and it’s SO hard to be safe when I eat.
I was saddddd today because I got sushi from a Japanese place in the city and introduced my young secretary friend. She liked it and it was so much fun. And then I ate almost all of mine and realized that the filling in each of the rolls had a long stick of imitation crab meat. Now my belly hurts. 
::: Tears::: WHY is there gluten in everything good?
Dear sushi god, is there sushi that doesn’t have gluten? If there is, what does a little girl order at the sushi restaurant to not get sick and still enjoy good food?
From a sad sushi lover.
P.s. Why don’t they have wheat free soy sauce in restaurants? It’s such a pain to carry sauce with you and so hard to be prepared all the time.
<> (ok I’m feeling sad and a tad frustrated today…it’s Friday and everything is hard)
February 7, 2008
We made sushi at home tonight. I bought nori wrappers, and the ingredients to make the rice. I cut up mango, avocado, cucumber, and put out some shredded carrot, cream cheese, and some scrambled egg. The baby didn’t like it but my 8 year old did. That’s a good, easy gf meal that we can eat as a family, and use leftover odds and ends of vegetables at the same time! And the sushi wraps and rice are shelf stable, so I can keep them on hand!
