So, I'm sure I've mentioned in the past that I really like to make foods in bulk and freeze them. It's great for a few of reasons:
1) It's economical - frozen GDSYWP-free foods are expensive!
2) I can only handle eating so many leftovers before getting tired of them, this makes sure that I don't throw away a bunch of perfectly good food
3) It's convenient! I can just grab it and take it to lunch or grab it when we're going to someone elses house so I know that if they don't have something safe for me to eat, I am prepared!
So, what are you waiting for? You should do some bulk cooking yourself! :D
I thought I'd compile my favorite bulk cooking recipes for your use. This list is by no means complete, and I'm sure to update it from time-to-time. When I do, I'll be sure to put an "updated" date on it so you'll always know how recent it is.
Updated: 2/16/09
Stove-Top
Chili (to switch this up, you can put it on top of hot dogs for Chili Dogs or you can put it on top of a salad to make Taco Salad)
Spanish Rice (you can add ground turkey/beef to this and/or whatever veggies you have on hand to make it more of a main dish)
Curry
Turkey or Chicken Veggie soup (I take a roasted turkey or chicken carcass, boil it out to make a broth, add any leftover chicken pieces, along with chopped celery onions and drained canned green beans, corn and carrots. Yum!)
Pancakes and Waffles!
Carries Creamy Clam Chowder
Oven:
Easy Light Cassoulet
Roasted meat (I love to make a large roast, then freeze the leftover, cooked meat to use later in a recipe or to defrost and eat with sides later)
Crock Pot:
Pizza Soup
Pasta Fagioli
Burger Heaven Casserole
Things that do NOT freeze well:
GF Pasta (the Pasta Fagioli and Pizza Soup recipes above call for GF Pasta. You can tackle this 2 ways - 1: just deal with soggy, broken up pasta - which is what I usually do - or 2: make and freeze the soup without the pasta and make fresh stuff and add it when you're ready to eat the soup)
Enjoy!
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, South Beach, Low-Salt, High-Fiber, High-Protein, Various food allergies ... we Americans are so concerned with diets! And yet, we are also a nation of obese people! I think we, as a society, need to focus more on whole, natural, unprocessed foods and less on diets.
That's what I have been trying to do for the last year - eating naturally GF foods that are tasty and healthy. I rarely buy mixes or premade foods. Of course, I do still purchase some for convience purposes, but it is drastically less than before!
I certainly haven't lost weight this way yet, but then, I'm also healthier and feel better than I ever have!
I think this quote is especially appropriate for my anniversary week.
With a lot of strength, determination and hard work, I was able to make it a whole year GDSYWP-free. Well, that and the support of my darling Hubby!
I think, for me, when it started getting really hard, I just had to make the choice. I had to decide that I would make a major change in my life. I was determined to live my life and not feel pain or be sick all the time. I had to commit to being GDSYWP-free. I had to stick with it because I knew, deep down, regardless of what other people said, that I am better without all those things.
Now, more than ever, I am determined to live each day, one day at a time, eating safely and taking care of my body.
What a difference a year can make.
Today, I have lived one year of my life Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Yeast, Walnut and Pork free. Happy Anniversary to me!
I can not even begin to explain to you all the ways my life has changed in a year. I feel like a completely new and different person. I have gone through a metamorphosis. All the things that I thought were "normal" for my body, I am now realizing were all signals from my body. My body was trying to tell me something was wrong all along, but I just didn't know how to read the signs. This journey hasn't been easy. I won't lie or sugar coat it for you. There have been times when I wanted to give up. There were times that I thought I was the crazy one. I've cried. I've yelled. I've been frustrated. I've been angry. But, I've also felt happy, calm, joyous, renewed, educated and proud. In one single year I have learned so much more about food, about my body and about myself.
I have learned:
That I'm stronger than I think
That my Husband is the most supportive, caring and loving man I've ever known
That I know my body better than anyone else - including doctors
That I need to listen to my body more closely
To trust myself
That 99% of food manufacturing companies are all about money - they could care less about their consumers health and they prove it by all the junk that they put into their products
That Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Yeast, Walnuts and Pork are all POISON to my body
That our country needs to be more aware and educated about food allergies, food in general and how food affects the body.
In one year, I feel the best I've ever felt. I have a whole laundry list of symptoms that are GONE! I was nervous about sharing this as it is a bit personal, detailed and graphic, but I think it's important to note so you'll understand just how far I've come. Here they are:
Physical:
Alternating diarrhea and constipation - I've had this as long as I can remember
Mucous in my stool - I had this for the past 10 years in varying degrees
Floating stools - I've had this as long as I can remember
Eye twitching (mostly the left eye) - I had this on/off for about 10 years
Constant sinus problems - This had plagued me for the last 8 years, resulting in 1-2 sinus infections per year!
Abdominal pain ranging from uncomfortable to excruciating - I've had this as long as I can remember
Joint pain in my knees, mostly the left - This started about 8 years ago
An itchy rash on my elbows and buttocks (which I now think was dermatitis herpetiformis) - This was my most recent reaction, beginning about 3 years ago
Itchy bumps on my legs that cause scarring (maybe also dermatitis herpetiformis?) - I've had this as long as I can remember
Mental:
Bouts of extreme fatigue, sometimes "napping" for 4-5 hours - This started about 5 years ago
Severe mood swings/irritability - I've had this since puberty, but it has only gotten worse and worse through the years
Brain Fog - Forgetting details of an event, confusing one event with another, forgetting things easily
These are symptoms that I had that were fixed in other ways so I can't gauge if the food change helped, but I would bet that they would have:
Menstrual irregularities - I had this so badly as a teenager that I was put on birth control to regulate my body and I have been on them ever since
Nosebleeds - I had these as a kid - I would sneeze or blow my nose and my nose would start bleeding or I wake up in the middle of the night with blood flowing from my nose. It only stopped when my parents had a vein in my nose cauterized
So, when people tell me that they can't believe that changing my diet can make me feel better, I laugh on the inside. ALL of these symptoms were gone within 6-8 months of changing my diet. And they haven't returned. If it's not the food, what is it? A miracle? That happened at the same time that I started this new lifestyle? Come on.
This journey has really allowed some people in my life to shine and has brought me to some new, amazing people and I'd like to say a few "thank yous."
First and foremost, my husband. He has supported me in ways that I can't begin to describe. I will never be able to thank him enough.
Darlene Betsill, the Naturopath from Georgia who discovered these ailments and told me that I could do it.
Dr. Mayer Green, my Chiropractor who heals my spine, generally cares about me (and all his patients!), gives me advice and has fixed shoulder problems that have plagued me since my teenage years!
My friend, Kristen M., who has some food intolerances herself and was one of the first people I called when I found out. She lets me vent and encourages me.
My Vegan friend, Kristen W. who understands my on-going search for safe foods and the hardships of restaurant eating!
My new online friends and supporters, all the bloggers and fellow Yahoo Group Members that provide me with recipes, advice and support, especially my dear friend, Carrie.
Lastly, my family. For trying to understand and for loving me regardless.
This is only the beginning! I can't wait to see what year two has in store for me! Stay tuned ...
:D
When am I going to learn that store-bought safe cookies just don't do it for me?
For me, store-bought GDSYWP-free cookies are too hard/crumbly, way expensive and the flavors are usually not quite right.
Well, the other day, I spotted these at my local Roots grocery store and thought I'd give them a try. 
Ugh. Big mistake.
When I bit into these, all I could think about was caulk. Caulky in texture and I've never tasted actual caulk, but I imagine it tasting something like this as well. Ick. Yuck. Bleh.
If you're reading this and really like these vanilla K-Toos, I'm sorry to offend, but I think these might be the worst GDSYWP cookies I've ever tasted.
No wonder people think this diet is awful and tasteless ...
Instead, try making these cookies. They are SO worth the extra effort to make some cookies versus buying them.
I spotted these at my local Giant grocery store and was excited to see a gluten, dairy AND soy free cookie that I could buy! So, I swiped it up.
The flavor of these was actually pretty good, though I did find them to have a bit of a salty taste. The texture, however, was not-so-great. It was crumbly and a bit grainy.
That, combined with the price, makes me realize that I just need to make my own cookies and stop buying them!!
This quote made me laugh out loud! When I first went GDSYWP-free and explained to my family that I would have to make EVERYTHING from scratch, they all went completely silent! They just couldn't believe it or imagine it. Everything these days is all about instant gratification, but that's just not feasible with this kind of lifestyle. I make all my food from scratch - meals, breads, desserts, everything. It does take a lot more patience, time and energy, but having safe food for my body is so worth it. I've never considered myself a patient person, but I am learning. When I eventually have children, I know that they will grow on real food, will be educated about what goes into their bodies and will learn the value of patience!
This is just TOO funny ... and yet, SO true!
You know you have Gluten Intolerance if ...
1. if your bread looks like a moon rock and tastes like dried out play doh.
2. if you run from real play doh!
3. if at least once a day you fake a smile and say, ... "Sorry, I can't have that."
4. if you call a dream about eating pizza and chocolate cake a nightmare!
5. if you eat ... before ... you go out to eat.
6. if you bring your own soy sauce to the sushi restaurant.
7. if you think the words "Are you sure it's not all in your head?" are grounds for murder, especially when they come from your DOCTOR!
8. if you have thought about strangling friends and relatives who suggest "It won't hurt you to have just a a little bit, will it?"
9. if you can’t remember what real crackers are supposed to taste like.
10. if you actually have nightmares about reading labels.
11. if you compare all of your food to "normal-people-food."
12. if you call all your relatives when you get sick and say. “It MUST have be been something Cross-Contaminated at your place”!
13. if you know that Xantham Gum is NOT for chewing.
14. if you know that 'Spelt' is a distant cousin of wheat, but 'Buckwheat' is not related to wheat at all.
15. if the builders working on the house next door can EASILY substitute your "bread" for one of their bricks.
16. if you actually know what an anti-TTG and an IGA blood test are.
17. if you can find "Hidden Gluten" in food labels in the blink of an eye, and your family couldn't find them if they had a magnifying glass, dictonary and a PhD!
18. if you've had to give a doctor a 'Crash Course' in Gluten Intolerance.
19. if a 7 Course Meal is really a 1 Course Meal for you - Lettuce.
20. if you have written"Contaminated"on jars of jam.
21. if it takes you 4 hours to do your grocery shopping and your eyesight is ruined.
22. if you hyperventilate when passing by the bakery counter.
23. if you've ever deliberately rammed your trolley into a Shredded Wheat display 'in a fit of rage'.
24. if you've ever had to take out a loan to pay the grocery bill.
25. if you've had to replace every pot, pan and baking dish in your kitchen ... even though they all work perfectly well!
26. if you've ever picked 4 different brands of chicken broth before finding one that you can have.
27. if you are up late at night trying to develop a recipe for pizza without flour, cheese, yeast, tomatoes, beef, garlic and oregano.
28. if you can spell 'Transglutaminase' and 'Dermatitis Herpetiformis'.
29. if you just discovered how to make flour out of beans.
30. if having a "solid bowel movement' is the highlight of your day.
31. if you've mastered saying "I actually enjoy MY food" without having your face twitch.
32. if you know all about guar gum and its uses.
33. if you hide the gluten-free cookies when friends come over, so they don’t eat them.
34. if you see someone buying rice flour and you just have to ask them if they are gluten intolerant too!
35. if your friend wants to make you a gluten free birthday cake, but you plead with them not to go to that trouble ... because you're secretly terrified it will be cross contaminated.
36. if all your favorite sites are food intolerance related.
37. if you've mastered the art of lying when people ask you “Aren’t you hungry”.
38. if you long to look at the contents of other people's fridges and pantries just to see if you can eat anything!
39. if someone complains of IBS, and you have to fight the urge to yell "Quit eating Gluten!"
40. if you burst into tears of Relief at the sight of the words "Gluten Free" written on the corner of a product.
41.
42. if you have a stack of recipes that you printed off the internet sitting on your dining room table that you haven't tried yet.
43. if you have called a restaurant to ask if they have a gluten free menu ... and then had to explain what gluten is!
44. if you have ever explained why regular oats are bad but "GF-certified oats" are okay ... even if they look the same.
45. if you've ever walked into an Asian store and squealed when you see rice flour for only $6 for 5 lbs!
46. if you keep a freezer full of "safe" meals for emergencies when you can't cook.
47. if you have a list of safe restaurants in the glove compartment of your car.
48. if at least one of your suitcases is filled with food when you travel.
49. if you get asked to go to lunch with co-workers and you have to ask where they are going before you can give your answer.
50. if you know who Bette Hagman is.
***Originally from here, but I tweaked it a bit and added to it! :D
