I am always torn between how much “personal” info to share on our “Twice Shy” blog, well today, here is a chunk about our personal lives.

January 6, 2009 was the first day of a life long change…it was the day I gave up gluten. 10 years ago I was diagnosed with IBS, (no big deal, a bunch of people live with it) doctors gave me all sorts of medicines; nothing really helped.  As much as I would like to say that it didn’t affect my life…it really did.  It affected social situations, eating out and much more.  Well, 10 years later….we actually found the culprit. It all comes down to gluten.  (Which is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and contaminated oats).  It is amazing how much things change with a simple change of the diet.  The first few weeks, I looked at this life long change as a negative…of everything I can’t eat (you would be surprised how many things gluten is in…it is a cheap filler), but now both Brian and I look at it is the best thing that has ever happened to our family.

The reality is that once you start reading the back of boxes…you start to realize just how much crap is in the stuff that we eat.  What ever happened to real food? Why are we eating man made artificial chemicals, sweeteners and genetically modified foods? Of course once you start asking these questions, it becomes a downward spiral into realizing the chemicals, pesticides & antibiotics we use, the medicines we take to cover symptoms, the nutrients American’s don’t eat, and what we are doing to the environment etc.  So one little diet change for us has been more than just a little change.

Real, Whole foods have become our friends. I have fallen in love with quinoa, arrowroot, millet, flax seed, coconut flour & oil, almonds, lemons, free range eggs & chicken and so much more…even cabbage, turnips & spaghetti squash. This last year has been a year of discovery and learning and I am so excited to see what 2010 holds.

Goals for 2010.

• Master cooking with almond and coconut flours
• Master a healthy gluten free dairy free bread (we have had 8 failed attempts)
• Eliminate refined sugars and sweeteners. (I am starting to fall in love with honey, maple sugar & stevia as sweeteners…and use evaporated cane or agave nectar as an occasional treat)
• Eliminate chemicals, GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), colorings, dyes and preservatives as much as possible
• Always take my reusable shopping bags (envirosax) into the store (look how cute they are)
• Buy as much local and organic produce as possible (we love the Carmel Farmer’s market & the Indy Winter’s farmers market)
• Give back to online communities. I have learned so much from them & not given enough back…starting with Gluten Free Indy
• Always use my SIGG…I am notorious for always having a bottle of water with me (no more plastic bottles)
• And the hardest…giving up coca cola…my one vice I am holding desperately on to (but if we are eliminating refined sweeteners, chemicals and GMO’s….this hits all those categories)

Here are a few resources that have become my friend over the last year & some that I am still reading

Books:

• Nourishing Traditions: Sally Fallon
• Real Food: Nina Plank
• Eat Fat, Lose Fat: Mary Enig
• What to Eat: Marion Nestle
• In Defense of Food: Michael Pollan
• The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook: Elana Amsterdam
• The Spunky Coconut: Kelly V. Brozyna
• Everyday Raw: Matthew Kenney

Blogs:

• The Nourishing Gourmet
• Elana’s Pantry
• CheeseSlave
• and a bunch more!

Happy 2010!

Making the cakes were so much fun, I haven’t decorated a cake since i was young (something my grandma used to do)…so needless to say, my piping was a little shaky. Plus, both cakes were gluten and dairy free, with does present some challenges…so i wasn’t able to decorate with a stiff traditional buttercream. it didn’t matter though, the cake was a huge success with brady and he made a huge mess…and loved it.  he has been given really no white sugar his first year of life, so needless to say…we let him eat the whole thing and he was wired for hours and then crashed. a few things that i learned in the “red cake” making process: 1. it makes a huge mess…especially on a one year old…probably not the smartest idea. 2. natural food coloring is about virtually impossible to make vibrant red…I got pink at best…(if any one has any pointers on that….I would love to hear them)…so needless to say, I gave in and used regular food coloring.

eyerhere are a few favorites from the day! (i can’t take credit for all the pics…Mel, took a bunch so we could enjoy brady making a mess!)

• check #1: guest bathroom is finally painted, i think i have had the paint for 2 years.
• check # 2: additional rows of shelving added to our master closet (though none of my clothes have made it back in yet…uggh)
• check #3: 2 more rows of shelves added to pantry
• check # 4: pantry organization almost done (the curse of being a visual person…i want everything to match and be quickly visible so i can take a quick inventory)…this project has been on my list ever since i had to become gluten free.
• check #5: no sugar added raw raspberry preserves done: peach and strawberry…are tonight’s project