No Pain No Gain (whatever)

My body is in shock and is revolting against me. Why? I have decided to get healthy and fit. No, seriously I have. I joined a gym and have had the opportunity to have a personal trainer work with me the past week or so. In the past 9 days I have worked out 6 days. Today was the hardest yet. My body seems to be mocking me and my attempt to get healthy. Hmmph! The cartoon below sort of sums up my feelings these days.



I keep waiting for that burst of energy and the endorphin high that accompanies working out. Yep, neither have shown up--yet. However, I am not giving up. I know if I keep at it and exercise 5 days a week consistently, I will feel and look better. I just have to hang in there...

Trader Joe's GF Granola

Do you have a Trader Joe's anywhere close to where you live? I certainly hope you do! We are blessed to have both a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in Nashville. I absolutely LOVE both stores. I do not eat organic 100% of the time but I do eat gluten free 100% of the time and the typical grocery stores just don't have a lot to choose from when it comes to gluten free items. Thankfully, stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are geared toward the healthy alternatives in foods and therefore have a pretty nice selection of gluten free items.

One of my favorite items I have purchased recently is Trader Joe's Gluten Free Granola. My favorite is the cranberry maple nut. Yummy! I keep a bag at my desk all the time and grab a handful two or three times a day. Can I tell you the taste reminds me of Cracker Jacks? Yes, I'm serious.

Here is a list of the ingredients: Rice Bran, Raisin Juice, Honey, Dried Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Almonds, Pecans, Maple and Vanilla. Now tell me that doesn't sound wonderful??? It is...

Again, even if you do not have to eat gluten free, try this granola as a snack, on yogurt or in milk. It really, really is good!

Not good...

After I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease I went into a period of mourning. I know that sounds bizarre to some of you. However, I knew intimately what that diagnosis would mean for me immediately because my mother also has Celiac Disease. I watched her for years not be able to eat like everyone else. She rarely, rarely complained about her limited diet. I always felt extremely sorry for her and still do! I would feel bad and then grab a bite of chicken fettuccini and move on thankful I did not have celiac. Ha!

When you are diagnosed with Celiac Disease you are suddenly thrust into a world where eating "on the fly" and convenience is thrown out the window. Celiacs simply can't order 'take out' like everyone else. Pizza? Seriously?? Chinese Food? No, not really because traditional soy sauce has wheat. Sonic? No burgers, hot dogs, onion rings etc. They are loaded with gluten. Birthday cakes? Oatmeal Cookies? No way! Breakfast? Pancakes? Waffles? NOT a good way to start the day if you are a celiac. Chips?? Doritos? Nope, they have gluten. Vitamins? Believe it or not, they often have gluten. The list can go on and on...

Gluten hates me and it tries to kill me. Truly. It is not an exaggeration. When I was diagnosed a couple of years ago I was ANGRY. So very angry. I felt betrayed by my own body. I had always been so proud of my Irish and Scottish ancestry. Now, it was because of my intense line of Irish and Scottish blood that I was now sick. Don't worry, I no longer blame William Wallace or Rob Roy for my disease! ;- )

All the above was written because I think my Celiac Disease is attacking my body. I don't know for sure but I do know that I am more susceptible to many illnesses because of my disease.

I have not been feeling well at all this past year. Not at all. NO ONE knew the extent. Not my husband, family or close friends. I just kept charging on through my daily routine and would often end my evenings crying in the shower when I knew no one could hear or see me. Finally, after a rash of several people suddenly becoming ill at church and then proceeding to die rather quickly with cancer etc., I made the decision to see my doctor. What do you say to your doctor when you don't feel well and don't know what to pin point to help the doctor?

I simply said, "Something is not right. I can't tell you exactly what is going on but I don't feel good." Thankfully, I have an AMAZING doctor. Her name is Leah Patton and she works with the Nashville Medical Group at Baptist Hospital. She immediately sent me down for tests and we have been in constant communication since that day three weeks ago. We actually email. Can you believe it? My doctor gave me her email address and we communicate several times a week! It's like she actually cares! And I think she does...

I don't know what all is happening with my body. We have ongoing tests and I am scheduled to see a specialist in about a week. I don't want to share every detail but I will share with everyone that I have very low iron. Extremely low. Scary low. The lowest, absolute lowest iron level a woman should have is 12 and the average is 60-175. My iron level is at a 4. Dr. Patton said that was the lowest level she had ever seen in her practice. She said it was lower than cancer patients etc. In her "to the point" manner she said, "How are you getting out of bed every morning? You should not be able to walk let alone go to work and take care of your children." I just stared at her. I wanted to cry. I was getting some answers; my fatigue was not in my head. An iron level of 4, according to my research is life threatening and critical. Nice.

I am on a regimen to build up my iron. I go back March 31 and if my iron is not up, I will have to have IV Iron treatments. This will occur once a week (several hours at a time) for several weeks. I hope I don't have to go through that process because it is not pleasant but if I have to, I will.

I am not sharing any of this for sympathy. Those of you who know me well know that I am very private. I am sharing this personal information because I need your prayers. I need for my iron to come back up and I need to feel better. I do have other tests to be run in my very near future and those will hopefully yield results and then positive outcomes.

I do covet your prayers and I also know the Lord is in control. Thanks!

St. Patrick's Day is coming!!

We are Irish through and through in our family. Of course you probably figured that out by Liam's name. Anyway, St. Patrick's Day is coming up and we tend to actually celebrate the day. I don't like corned beef, cabbage or Guinness but John does. I do, however, LOVE Irish soda bread. BUT, I am not a fan of raisins in cooked food so I never use them in the traditional soda bread recipe.

Since going gluten free giving up bread of any kind has been the most difficult challenge for me. I long for an Olive Garden breadstick or a basket of hot rolls from Logan's. : ( Granted, there are gluten free bread recipes and some are actually quite good. The recipe below is in my top 3 gluten free bread recipes. I don't make it very often but when I do, I always make 2-3 at a time.

Last night, thanks to the cold, rainy weather drifting back to middle Tennessee, I was in the mood for warm bread. I pulled this recipe out and made two loaves. Only half a loaf remains in our house. I should also admit that I make a brown sugar butter to go with the bread. Oh my goodness...so yummy.

Even if you are not gluten free, try the bread. The flour mix I used is full of protein rich flours. Since I find myself eating less and less meat, I need to find protein in other places and make the most of it.



Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Irish Soda Bread
Makes One 8-Inch Round Loaf

This gluten-free version of traditional Irish soda bread has a crispy, crunchy crust and a soft, light texture inside. It may be the easiest bread you’ll ever make.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups high-protein, gluten-free flour blend (recipe below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup gluten-free oats
1 egg

1 cup buttermilk or milk of choice (rice, hemp, soy, almond)


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly dust a cookie sheet with gluten-free flour.
Mix flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and oats in a bowl.
Add egg and buttermilk and mix to form a soft, sticky dough.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead three times.
Shape dough into a 6-inch flat round. Place it on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle it with gluten-free flour and score a large X on the top.
Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Gluten-Free High-Protein Flour Blend

1¼ cups bean flour, chickpea flour or soy flour
1 cup arrowroot starch, cornstarch or potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 cup white or brown rice flour

Blend ingredients together. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until used.

Nice...Real Nice

And to think I was in this city for 5 days four weeks ago. Yikes...

Mexican drug gangs dump human heads in ice coolers
Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:04pm EDT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Suspected drug gang hitmen dumped five severed human heads in ice coolers on a road in western Mexico on Tuesday with a message threatening rivals, a state attorney general's office said.

Police patrolling a highway on the edge of the Mexican colonial city of Guadalajara found the heads inside five coolers left on the roadside, the Jalisco state attorney general's office said.

"They were recently severed heads, cut off about four hours before they were found," a spokesman said, adding police found a message left by apparent drug hitmen threatening rival gangs. The victims' identities were not disclosed.

Torturing and beheading rivals is common in Mexico's increasingly vicious drug war, which killed more than 6,000 people last year and shows no sign of abating this year despite the deployment of 45,000 troops across the country.

President Felipe Calderon has centered his presidency on curtailing drug war violence and reforming corrupt police forces working in league with traffickers, but the bloodshed is frightening investors and tourists from northern Mexico.

Jalisco state is close to the Pacific state of Sinaloa, home to major traffickers including Mexico's most-wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, and a key transit point for drugs smuggled through Mexico into the United States.

The discovery of the heads of five men between the ages of 30 and 50 follows the killing of seven people by drug hitmen in February in a restaurant in Jalisco, which had been relatively quiet in the drug war over the past year.

Drug violence has spiked dramatically since Calderon took office in December 2006 and launched his army crackdown, but the government says the surge in killings shows cartels are being weakened by the offensive.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

We Won! We Won!

Just a real quick update about this past weekend. Jonathan and I were able to attend the Davis Cup match between the USA and Switzerland. We had amazing seats as they were center court and the second row up from the floor. Sometimes it got a little "dizzying" watching the ball go back and forth, but it was FUN!

I am sorry the pics are so poor. They were taken with my blackberry. I had taken some amazing photos but I had another incident with my new camera and this time it was my fault. : ( Needless to say, digital cameras just aren't my friends at the moment. Ugh.

Jonathan and I stayed about a mile from the complex in downtown Birmingham. I had accumulated enough Hilton Honors points (through business travel) that we stayed for free at the Doubletree. Awesome. The downtown of Birmingham is actually quite lovely with a mix of historical and modern architecture.

The first pic is of Andy Roddick who won both of his singles matches. In Andy's matches he played nearly flawlessly. It is something else to see one of his 140 mph serves go blistering past up close like we were able to witness. Andy is from Austin, TX so we really like Andy a lot! He seemed to have a great personality and sense of humor. Being two rows up we were able to closely watch him interact with his teammates all weekend. He seems very personable and a bit cocky but then again he has a right to be!



The second photo is of the entire Davis Cup Team after clinching victory on Sunday and securing a quarter final match with a tough Croatia team this summer. Andy Roddick, James Blake, Captain PATRICK McEnroe and the Bryan Brothers complete the picture. The Bryan Brothers smoked the competition on Saturday and are the #1 ranked team in the world. They played like they are-WOW!



The last photo is of Marco Chiudenilli of Switzerland. He is currently in the midst of a comeback due to knee surgery. He did not win his match against Roddick or Blake but he is a professional tennis player for good reason. He had forehands that were breathtaking. Very impressive and he was pretty easy on the eyes! Ha!!



It was a fantastic experience and not one I'm sure I will ever be able to duplicate. The US team were professionals on and off the court who were very personable with each other and the fans. Sooo nice to see! Jonathan and I had a great weekend together. Really. I know if you have a 16 year old you may be questioning the validity of that statement; but it is true. Jonathan is getting ready to fly the coop in a couple of years so I am trying to treasure my one on one time with him all the more.

Yummy Polenta!!!

One of my favorite foods since going gluten free is polenta. Have you tried it yet?? If you haven't you must sign off and run to the store and buy some-NOW!! It is yummy!!! And thankfully, blissfully gluten free. Polenta happens to be Italy's other comfort food. There are many ways to try polenta. It comes in a mix form as well as a tube that you can cut open and cook up instantly. I like both instant and the mix. However, when I have little time to cook my favorite brand is by Food Merchants and you can pick it up at grocery stores such as Kroger. My favorite place to buy any type of polenta is Trader Joe's.

I eat less and less meat these days. Typically I eat a meat of some sort at lunch and eat lighter at dinner. One of my favorite meals in the evening is "fried polenta" with marinara sauce. And no, I do not make my marinara from scratch. I love Paul Newman's!!

I melt butter and olive oil in a pan and get it nice and hot. In the meantime I cut out pieces from the tube and lightly dust them with gluten free all-purpose flour. Fry them up in medium heat and get them nice and crusty.
When they are drained on a paper towel sprinkle them with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan. Serve them with marinara sauce on the side or drizzle the sauce directly onto the polenta. I usually eat mine with a huge salad with Ken's Northern Italian salad dressing. FANTASTIC dinner.



Someday soon I will post a blog about the different ways to cook polenta. I'll make you all a fan!