Category: Gluten-free

Monday Messages…

Wiwohka6 Comments

Wow! The holidays simply flew past, didn’t they?

I’ll be honest in saying that I was a bit distracted, what with our newest grandbaby arriving. I’m gonna let Sugarplum take all the spotlight, because all I did was feel sorry for myself and play video games.

Oh, as far as the self-pity gaming… I’m over it, thank goodness!

While things have not changed for the better with my health, my reliance and obedience to God have not wavered!

I’ve no idea what, when, or if I’ll write anything of value this year, but I intend to be here with bells on, regardless!

There is a very fine, and precarious line between writing with passion or writing with emotion. Some can separate these two things while writing, quite effectively, I cannot. Don’t get me wrong, as I can definitely write this way… but it’s raw, painful, and often can be very damaging to others, not to mention my own mental state.

My health journey over the last 6 months has been exhausting, discouraging, and traumatic. I’ve been tossed from one specialist to another, none of which want my case. Primary doc sent me to the G.I. who went on vacation, so I waited three weeks. They ran tests and said it was simply due to my IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The weight continued to drop, and I still couldn’t eat. I asked for another appointment which was scheduled for two months later. I went off on the nurse, to say the least, though no swear words or disrespect were used. I simply screamed out over the phone that I didn’t want to die, and I was begging for help. In exasperation, they scheduled me for the next test, which was the Esophogram. That’s where they made the SECOND diagnosis for the Hiatal Hernia.

Off to the surgeon I was sent, where he also went on vacation for an additional 3 weeks before my appointment. He said he wanted more tests, so again, I waited another month for the nuclear study. They then said that my stomach was not emptying like normal, and referred me back to the G.I. for more meds… the surgeon refused to operate!

I got a message immediately from my G.I., not for an appointment but to offer a new drug… surprise!

My answer… NO MORE DRUGS!

Since when did doctors refuse to doctor?

When was it acceptable to allow a commercial about a new drug to dictate whether I should ask a doctor for help or not?

What about the Hypocritic Oath? Or are they now teaching the Hypocritical Oath in colleges these days?

Not even hours after that email, email I said, email… I saw a commercial on television for the very medication the doctor had so quickly offered me over the phone.

I’m out!

It will be God that heals me or I shall be going home… either way brings me no fear, but rather, hope for my future.

Each day I pray that God covers me, allowing me to get the very most out of a bowl of oatmeal with raisins, and 3 oz. chicken and rice w/veggies for dinner. I am reminded of how the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, eating Manna and quail… if they could do it, so too can I!

My God is far more Omnipotent and powerful than anything of man… I will stay on my feet as the chosen warrior of God until my last breath has gone!

I shall not fear!

I will walk boldly in the shadow of my God, who knows every part of my journey!

There may be days where I am silent, only offering inspirational music or scripture. Those are the days where He carries me.

There will be days of laughter, where God’s lessons are the ones that help me to lighten up, and let things be.

There may even be days where I cry out, in need of some encouragement and love from those I consider family… that’s you!

Whatever this year brings, we will face it together… I will share my ups, downs, and in-bewteens, and I expect the same from you! Just because one has struggles, doesn’t mean they’re incapable of giving love and understanding to others.

No matter where you are, what you are going through, or how badly you might be hurting, you are loved… you are valued… you are prayed for… and you are NEEDED, as you are!

How’s that for a Monday Message?

Wednesday Words…

Wiwohka16 Comments

If you hadn’t already noticed, my writing has been rather ping pong like, of late. The lack of nutrition, lack of proper medication, and lack of any urgency by my doctor, has begun taking a toll on my ability to concentrate fully… not to mention the mental and emotional toll.

The soonest the surgeon could see me is November 6th, due to his being on vacation. Apparently, when a doctor takes time off, the world has to stop getting sick til they get back in the office. I’m rather surprised that a fully functioning hospital only has one specialty GI surgeon on staff. Anyway, they were going to make me wait until December 18th until I began to sob uncontrollably and beg them to see me sooner. According to the surgeons scheduling nurse, my referring GI doctor has at no point, made mention in my chart notes of any urgency in things. I don’t think doctors want to doctor any longer.

At least they moved my appointment closer, but that means I still have to make it another 2 more weeks, just for the consultation. I’ll still have to wait for him to agree that it’s medically necessary, let alone schedule a surgery.

I’ve been surviving on a bowl of oatmeal, and a chicken/rice/vegi bowl thing I’ve concocted for optimal caloric and nutritional needs… I can’t get beyond about 650 calories per day. This has been my meal plan since the beginning of July.

That means no coffee, gluten, dairy, chocolate, and absolutely everything outside of a list of about 8 safe items to meet my needs daily. I am slowly starving to death, but at least it’s SLOWLY, which buys me time.

I am fully in God’s hands, so no worries. Like I’ve mentioned in the past, writing out my feelings on WordPress, is really my only outlet. I often share my journey with you, not for pity or pocket change, but to remind myself that I exist, and am called to continue forward in faith… even when my strength is gone. Thankfully, that is where God shines the brightest!

The reason for all this TMI is simply this,

For the next few weeks I’ll be posting articles solely from the archives. As I feel that my health situation has compromised my ability to write amidst this part of my journey, I’ll be relying on all the oldies but goodies, so you should enjoy it, I think.

I won’t be absent from you, nor will I stop reading and supporting you in all that you do. I simply need to get past this little dip in the road, if that makes any sense.

Let’s have some fun with these next few weeks and go wild with all the memories! I want to do a whole retro thingie, reposting some of the Do You Remember Mondays, Investigating Truths, Live Novel Fridays, Note To Self Saturdays, and even some Live Wire Sundays.

And, I give you my solemn oath that I shall bake fresh virtual cookies, even though the articles aren’t fresh. Stale cookies just won’t do…

It’s time to bake bread…

Wiwohka11 Comments

Today, I shall be tackling Gluten-free bread baking, both sweet and savory, I think.

I know for certain that I want cinnamon in there, somewhere.

This’ll be my first attempts at working with yeasted Gluten-free dough, so pray for me, lol!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone… Hugs

Saturday Sweet Talk…

Wiwohka4 Comments

I’ve had sort of a rough week when it comes to food, so I want to give a disclaimer, here. **All testing and results may vary, as I’m not certain if my skills, my stomach, or my taster were behaving properly!**

My baking adventures started out seemingly normal. I gathered up all my ingredients, recipes, and cooking tools…

And, yes, you heard me correctly when I said recipes, plural, meaning more than one…

You see, I found this recipe for a delicious looking Pumpkin bread, but then also saw a recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting. Unfortunately, I can’t have dairy. So, I had this notion that maybe Tofu might work as a comparable substitute for the cream cheese.

There’s a huge number of frosting recipes available using Tofu as a substitute for the cheese, so the assumption was made that it should be a success… right!?

Wrong!!!! I’ve never smelled something this vile in all my days, aside from Salmon, Slime, or that Vietnamese fish sauce stuff. Now, I don’t know if it’s just me, what with my health issues, or if it was truly that rank! I didn’t have the heart, nor the stomach to ask my husband to sacrifice his taste buds… so I tossed it! It smelled like a combination of playdough and that Paper Mache glue we used in elementary school.

I went ahead with the Pumpkin bread idea, opting for a simple maple glaze of my own creation. I’ve shared the bread recipe I chose, below…

Classic Pumpkin Bread

Homemade Pumpkin Bread is a favorite Fall recipe that’s loaded with warming spices and packed with tons of pumpkin flavor. It will make your house smell so good that you’ll forget you just bought a pumpkin spice candle! This delicious pumpkin bread recipe is super moist and both gluten-free & dairy-free.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Cooling Time10 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: gluten-free

Keyword: pumpkin bread

Servings: 2 loaves

Author: Thriving Gluten Free (thrivinggluten-free.com)

Ingredients

  • 3-½ cups Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Flour
  • 2 cups Pumpkin Puree 1-15oz canned pumpkin
  • 4 Eggs
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 1 cup Oil I use avocado oil
  • ⅔ cup Water
  • 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1-½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°
  • Generously grease two loaf pans.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  • Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer on medium speed.
  • Add the pumpkin, then slowly add oil and water. Beating well after each addition.
  • Add the flour mixture and beat on low until well combined.
  • Pour the batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until the center comes out clean with a toothpick.
  • Let the loaves cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes and then turn onto a rack to cool completely.

Did you know that those plastic Ice-cream tubs work great for mixing bowls? Use it if you got it… that’s what I say!

Anyway, I followed the recipe verbatim (exactly as was written), except that I used Olive Oil. Well, I did also switch out the two bread pans for a single 12 inch spring form. (Some of the best places to find specialty cookware is Goodwill, believe it or not!)

It did have to be baked for 80 minutes, in contrast to the 60 minutes for two bread tins that the recipe reflects…

Voila!

Now, I must confess that I used my husband as my taste tester this week… don’t blame me, blame the Tofu! You guys, I couldn’t get that smell out of my head, or out of the apartment for the entire day. It was awful!

To be fair to vegans around the globe, I think that I may have an aversion to Tofu, along with the Salmon that I mentioned earlier. Memory has a funny way of messing with you, sometimes. And, many people use Tofu in a number of ways, swearing by it! So, if you would, kindly go easy on the Tofu community. Let’s just call this one Operator Error, and move on.

All that I did here as a substitute for the frosting, was to make a simple drizzle with 1/8 cup Maple Syrup (any brand will do), 1 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tsp of lemon juice.

My husband gave it 2 thumbs up, and if he likes it gluten-free, you will too!

As for me, maybe it was the Tofu, or quite possibly the Barium sludge I had to swallow the day before, but I don’t know if pumpkin and I can ever be friends again, seriously!

Next week should be far better, as I’m going to tackle a gluten-free, dairy-free, cinnamon roll, or sweet buns, if you like. I’ve never worked with yeast in gluten-free baking, so it’ll be a bit of a learning curve.

Hey, if you’re game, I am! Why, a young King David slew Goliath, with not but a stone and sling, so I am confident that I can challenge a loaf of bread, with not but Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour!

Gluten-free bread baking, here I come. Wish me luck…