Sim and I took over making the Thanksgiving meal this year, since my mom is still sick after the chemo. It was an herculean task, but we managed to pull it off.
It was also nearly gluten free. My mother did make some gluten-full stuffing, which she very carefully kept segregated away from everything Sim and I were making so as to avoid contamination.
OMG. They’re back down to $99 until 11/29. That’s the deal I took advantage of in April. For full genetic testing – health and ancestry. That’s how we learned that both of my parents carry the same marker for celiac disease. And that my mother’s Italian Catholic family can be traced back to Yemeni Jews. And that my father’s family can be traced back to one particular Jewish woman 2000 years ago.
You know how obsessed I am with health and data. This is exciting! I need to ask my Mom if she wants one for my brother, or her brother. Or if Grandma wants one…
Edited to add – The glucose testing meter I bought the other day (impulse buy at the pharmacy) is also on sale at Amazon. For those, like me, who want to obsessively check everything. Or are at risk for diabetes. Or who have diabetes. You get the gist. Bayer Contour USB Blood Glucose Monitoring System. Has a USB interface that allows you to upload data to your computer and track that way. I’ve tried the meter today, haven’t played with the USB interface yet. Amazon has it for $29 + $5.48 shipping. Walgreens has it for $30, in store (sold out online).
I bought mine in store; it’s normally around $80.
Good Amazon deals going on for those of us who need to bake at home. Most of these should be going on Fri-Monday (you know, the whole Black Friday – Cyber Monday thing).
– $499 down to $299 plus a $50 rebate = $249. If you’re thinking of getting one, this is a good deal. Just remember to mail in the rebate forms.
– $129 down to $99. I’m seriously tempted. I’ve seen a bunch of gluten free bread machine bread recipes lately…
– $349 down to $233 plus a $30 rebate = $203. This is the same model I have in my kitchen, just a different color. Except I got mine at $249 a year ago. This is a very good deal. All of the colors are on sale, but only Black and White are this low. Again, you need to mail in rebate forms. Always mail in your rebate forms.
– $48 on Amazon Warehouse. Down from $55 earlier in the week. Going for $69 on the regular Amazon site. If you’re a Pamela fan, this is a great deal. That’s less than $2 a pound. Rare in gluten free mixes.
Friends and coworkers seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately asking me what they can feed/give a recently diagnosed celiac relative (amazing how many of us there seem to be wandering around). And seeing as the holidays are fast approaching, I decided to write up a list of several things that can be incredibly helpful gifts for a celiac just starting out on a gluten free diet.
Recently, I talked to someone I’d gone to college with who was trying to figure out how to do a gluten challenge in order to test for celiac disease, after having been gluten free for several months (not that I’d know anything about that). Her doctor had told her to eat gluten for a few days, then tested her, and the tests – so surprisingly – came back as negative.
Then, a few days ago, I talked to my 92 year old grandmother, who was diagnosed with celiac disease 42 years ago, who had a doctor tell her pretty much the same thing. Two weeks of eating gluten, she was fine, no problems, he tested her, told her she didn’t have celiac disease, she’d outgrown it. But then…
Currently draining store-bought greek yogurt so as to make more yogurt ice cream (with a friend who was excited after having a spoon from the last batch and wanted to try making some).
This means that I’m left with about a cup or so of whey. And I’m trying to figure out what to do with it. I’ve heard that it can be used in baking, but I don’t know how…Â And that it can be used to make ricotta, although I’m guessing 1 cup isn’t enough to make much. I’d hate to let it go to waste.
Suggestions?
I had the turbinate reduction towards the end of October. We’re now about mid November, and it’s mostly healed. It’s kind of funny. You don’t think about the issue of scabs going into it. Or at least, I didn’t. I just thought about the inflammation being gone, and actually being able to breathe through my nose. And then I thought about needles being inserted into my nose. But I didn’t think about the scabs.
You do get them. And they’re kinda big, all things considered. The first couple weeks, your nose feels dry. The saline solution nasal spray is a must. I had one I kept at work and another I carried in my bag. Use them freely, should you ever be in this situation. Because if your nose gets too dry, it will hurt. And the injured area will ooze. And it will crust. And that will be unpleasant, too. Do, however, keep kleenex around. You’ll need it about two minutes after using the saline spray, because your nose just starts to drip.
I’ve stopped using the saline. Doesn’t seem necessary any longer. I’m back to using my antihistamine nose spray and my steroidal nose spray. And I don’t know yet how much of a difference the procedure will make. Because of those scabs.
(Do not read further if scabs gross you out, k?)
Yogurt Ice Cream, with Blueberry Sauce
A friend of mine has Crohn’s Disease, which makes celiac look like a visit to Disneyland (assuming you like Disneyland). She’s on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), which is incredibly limited. Much better than the alternative, though.
Turns out, she hasn’t had ice cream for nearly a year. Possibly longer. She can’t handle the sugar or the lactose in most commercial ice creams, and she can’t handle the agave nectar in the coconut milk ice creams. She does, however, make her own yogurt. And she can have honey.
I know what you’re thinking (well, I probably don’t, but I’m going to pretend). Frozen yogurt is usually pretty meh. Too soft. Bland. The diet version of ice cream. Thanks to Fraiche, I now know frozen yogurt doesn’t have to be that way. And that sparked an idea…
Welcome to my new home on the web. I’m still making tweaks and getting the place set up the way I like. Hopefully all will be in working order shortly. Have you seen anyhing that looks broken? Or hard to read? Let me know, and I’ll do my best to fix it.
Some recently earned wisdom: Don’t laugh while using a neti pot. Really.
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