Ten on Tuesday (early)

It certainly has been longer than I would like since I have posted here. There are some great new things in the works regarding Feasting On Joy and I have been occupied in that lately as well as 50 other things. We also are in the thick of finishing up school for the school year as well as co-op so that always comes with a lot of parts and pieces to balance in my life.

I thought I would catch you up on a few fun things happening around here.

1~~ The recent daylight savings time change totally threw me off! It usually doesn't but this year it was an "off" week. It does help that we homeschool and can be flexible and adjust though.  But that was a week that I felt like would never end.  Now I am loving the lighter later evenings and the feeling of Spring in the air.

2~~ Speaking of Spring, normally my counters would be totally covered with seedlings of all sorts that would just be popping out of the soil by now.  This year there are no seedlings adorning my counters. Steve and I have decided to let our soil (and me) rest for a year.  We plan on deeply amending the soil this year and last year started a trash can compost outside too.  It usually took me around 30 hours a week to tend the garden and that is not counting the "putting up" time. I love it but really want to open up time to be able to do a lot more outdoor things this summer here with the boys. We will probably still have a tomato plant or two (instead of 9) and we have our apples and peaches along with the never ending weeding. I will also probably plant some more expensive organic produce like collard greens and chard to save some money. It is weird to look out at our planters and see them quite bare!

3~~ After winter (which I love) it is always nice to see the signs of Spring. I love when the Daffodils start blooming! They are one of my favorite flowers. My Aunt reminded me the other day of a little poem my Grandma used to say whenever she saw a Daffodil. It made me love them even more because I absolutely adore my Grandma. The poem was. "A little cup, a little frill and now you have a daffodil!"  So cute. I love my Grandma and I love Daffodils. 

4~~ We have come to love a certain song in our house! Actually we hear it on Pandora every once in a while and thankfully the lyrics don't really come in that clear because some of them are a little out of our conservative arena for 8 year old and 4 olds. The boys have never seen the video either. However, there is something about the beat to this song that literally makes us want to start dancing around the house and be silly. It has totally helped break up the seriousness in our house. We could be eating dinner or doing chores but the minute we hear this, we convene in the living room and start dancing all around! It is a regular dance party. I love it! So, I bet you are wondering what the song is?  It is "I Like to Move it, Move it." from Madagascar. My boys have never even seen the movie but we love the song! Click here for the song. (Disclaimer, I have never let my boys watch this video and really don't think the video is appropriate so if you have littles around and you are pretty conservative don't watch. For adults it is pretty funny though.)

5~~ Our conversations around the table can get pretty funny especially with an 8 year old and a 4 year old. Lately the topic has come up multiple times of wishing we lived in a Candy land and then a Protein Land. Actually, Cody clarifies each time that we need protein land first! You know protein/fat helps sugars digest more evenly and deters blood sugar spikes! Cracks me up. They go on to describe what will be in each land. Bacon, of course, would be in protein land! Candy land gets more descriptive. Waterfalls of chocolate (organic of course with no GMO's Cody adds) and rivers of honey. We are all craving protein and candy after the conversation which happens multiple times a month at meal times!

6~~ On the topic of Bacon we have been loving a snack called Porkitos lately. Actually this is made from Prosciutto that is baked and it is oh SO good! Michelle of Nom Nom Paleo coined the phrase and created the snack.  I buy Prosciutto at Costco and decided to try Michelle's version of it one day. Now, we like to eat it her way better than not baked.  It is good for putting on top of salads or eggs. Even to jut eat plain is wonderful. Try it! It also has that crunch that sometimes Paleo eaters crave.

(picture from Nom Nom Paleo)

7~~ This month I will be Gluten Free for three years! Wow. I can remember like yesterday how I viewed it as my death sentence in 2011 when I was told I had to eat GF. I have several posts detailing my journey of going Gluten Free if you search Gluten Free Journey in the labels on the side. Funny, I never knew that being Gluten Free was actually not hard at all. Looking back at the way I used to be able to eat was a piece of cake in comparison to the way I eat now. I look back though and realize that even though the things I was eating were Gluten free they were mostly NOT healthy. Just because it is GF doesn't mean it is healthy. I repeat just because it is labeled Gluten Free does not mean it is healthy for you to eat. Gluten Free food items (even prepared at home from scratch) have A LOT of starch and refined sugar in them and can have very little nutritive value. Eating as much refined sugar and starch as I used to contributed to my demise (Intestinal Permeability) in 2013. I am SO thankful for what I have learned since that journey started in March of 2011. I will never go back to eating Gluten Free ONLY. I love eating GMO free, grain free, legume free, refined sugar free, & dairy free (and a lot of other things "free.") It does my body good and has helped my boys with rashes, allergies and more! It has even helped my husband eliminate blood pressure issues, his overall wellness and he is down to the weight he was in high school! He doesn't always eat grain free either. My boys can have dairy though and we buy raw milk for them which they tolerate very well. Anyway, even though GF was simpler in terms of being able to have more convenience foods, I love Paleo because the food is nutrient dense (almond flour and coconut flours verses white rice flours for baking and lots and lots of veggies along with small portions of "clean" lean meats...) and easier to cook. It is just the prep that takes more time. What a journey it has been. I have been Paleo for over a year now and my health (due to autoimmunity) has done a 180 in terms of improvement. I highly recommend a grain free Paleo diet (or even Autoimmune Paleo) for those with autoimmunity. I am thankful for my doctor back in 2011 who was the ONLY doctor out of several who even told me that Gluten could affect those with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It put me on the path to the realization that food, and everything we put in our mouths and on our skin, affects our health either positively or negatively. All God's Providence. PS: If you want to see what I can eat (which is a ton) check out my Pinterest Board.

8~~ Co-op is coming to and end! We have three more weeks left (after Spring Break). Time flew. It seems like we were just at Christmas break. Corbin has loved taking Chess, Creative Thinking, and Creative Writing with some amazing teachers. Cody has loved taking story hour, PE and Games, Eric Carle, and Christ Centered Character also with some amazing teachers. I absolutely love our co-op and am amazed at the sacrifice our moms make each week to teach our children. It is such a blessing and I have made some sweet friends in the process. God is good!

9~~ Steve and I started using doTERRA Essential oils in December for us individually. We have loved them so much and have seen some wonderful results in us personally as well as in our children from implementing these oils into our lives. I call them my "icing on the cake." We only got minor colds once or twice this year due to our lifestyle overhaul and using doTERRA EO's! Yay! It is so cool to us to be able to use something natural that God gave us (that were even used in Bible times) to help our bodies with their ailments. We have learned so much in the past few months and we are actually teaching classes together now to share our experience with others. We teach and help get our clients on the path to using doTERRA essential oils in their everyday lives. We love that we can literally replace our entire medicine cabinet as well as cleaners with Essential oils! Stay tuned to this blog because eventually I will be posting recipes for cleaners and home remedies. I will also have some giveaways of homemade cleaning solutions using doTERRA EO's. It is going to be fun!

10~~ One of the things that is so much on my mind and I pray about all the time lately is walking in God's will. There are so many things we can do in life. So many directions we can take. So many traps we can fall in. I know my Lord has ultimate discernment and protection over me and has my best interests and that of my family at heart. I trust in His unending sovereignty. He is amazing. I pray for protection from the snares because, as a human, it is so easy to not see one of Satan's traps. One of the best allegories and illustrations of the conniving, sneaky, deceit of the devil is played out in the book Pilgrims Progress. I like the audio version of this for road trips. They even have a kids version that my son has read over and over. It is a captivating story of the main character, Christian, who is on his life journey to heaven's gate while trying to stay on God's path. It was written by John Bunyan who was in prison at the time of the writing! I highly recommend it. 

I pray Proverbs 16:9 in my heart daily. 

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

If we direct our steps we are really walking on the sinking sand. 

Temporal is the word that comes to mind. If we are in God's will and walking his path we can be safe in his arms and under his protection. That's what I want. With all these new things happening in our lives I do pray that, as I plan my ways (and heed the Lord's instruction and open doors), that God truly does direct us on this journey and that we trust in him for in and for everything.

Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy Cookout Birthday Party

My oldest son just turned 8.  He also lost his two front teeth just in time to dress up as a cowboy at his party!  Such a crack up.

He decided months ago that he wanted his birthday to be a cowboy theme this year. It was so much fun to plan.  Pinterest became my friend (and nemesis.)

*Quick side note - on pinterest you just see the glamorous pictures. You never see behind the scenes where the kitchen is flooded with dishes, the floor is caked with sticky stuff or the heat is so hot outside your rice krispy treats and cake is melting. Nope you just see the perfect pretty pictures! I still do love pinterest for inspiration though. I do have to remain in reality when browsing or I can beat myself up for not being that "perfect mom who does it all."

I wanted to share with you some pictures of some of the things we did.  I did get almost all my inspiration from pinterest and a website called Catch My Party.  We also ordered our supplies at Oriental Trading Company and we bought some from Hobby Lobby and our local party store. I also created a bunch of decorations at home.

The entry to our ranch

My husband was able to borrow hay bales from work.  That was so exciting! The smaller picture to the right is of my Creative Memories Photo Panel (hanging on my front door.) It let people know who came to the front door to come around back for the party. It was where the cowboys were. 

These "wanted" signs greeted folks at the entrance.  Mean looking Cowboys huh?

Chuck Wagon and Waterin' Hole

  The food we served up:

Supper at the Chuck Wagon

Cowboy Chili Dogs (gluten free with no bun, chili is gluten free)

*add some chuck wagon cheese to your dog for good times!

Sassy Cow Poke Grilled Chicken Legs (gluten free)

No Horsing Around Corn on the Cob (gluten free)

Boot Lickin' Good watermelon (gluten free)

Bee-Sweetened Fruit on toothpicks (gluten free)

Waterin' Hole

Rootin' Tootin' Root Beer (gluten free)

Corn–Crackin water (gluten free)

 

Snacks

Happy Trails trail mix (not gluten free)

Curling up Cow Tales (not gluten free)

Farmland animal suckers (gluten free)

Cinnamon Horseshoe donuts (gluten free and Paleo)

Horse Feed Popcorn (gluten free)

 

Dessert

Diggin' Dangler Chocolate Chocolate Birthday Cake (gluten free)

 Game Time

We had horseshoes set up and also had a lassoing contest.  My husband was able to borrow the steer head from work too. Yay!

We also had a photo booth set up.  I used my old Polaroid camera that I had film for (film from our wedding 9 years ago.)  Each time we took a photo we hung it with clothespins on the line (attached to the E-Z up) and it had a sign that said "Most wanted Cowboys and Cowgirls. No Trespassing!" Had the film been newer the most wanted line would have looked better.  The film was a bit damaged though. I should have ordered some newer. *One of those "behind the scenes" things you don't see on pinterest.*

We played "Diggin' for Gold." They had to dig in the dirt to find chocolate gold coins. This was a hit.

We also had a "Make your own Bandanna" station with white fabric bandannas and fabric markers for coloring. I didn't get a really good picture of that- sorry. Another activity that was a big hit because it was so hot was bobbing for apples. I loved watching this one. It had me laughing.  I had planned to have a watermelon eating contest too but we ran out of time.

Desserts and Snack Table 

There's my sweet birthday cowboy. I really cannot believe he is already 8.  I was just watching some older home videos of him when he was a baby and toddler and it just doesn't seem that long ago.  I was so proud of him on his birthday.  He was so thankful and genuinely happy. 

  Most desserts had to stay in the house until the time to eat them because it was SO hot!

Thankfully my husband was able to also get a mister from work. It cooled us a little!

 THE cake

I loved our cake.  Corbin did too!  I made the actual cake. It was a chocolate cake that was gluten free. The recipe I used was this one and I made two batches. I made two twelve inch rounds and two 9 inch rounds.  My sweet friends Nellie and Andy who are both very talented decorated it. They were SO generous to donate their time to do this. They told me they stayed up until one in the morning to finish. *Yet another thing you don't hear on pinterest* I really appreciated their commitment in doing this. It really added the "icing on the cake" for the party. I had a TINY (I really do mean tiny like a half of a pea) snitch of it because she makes her own fondant too. It was marshmallowy and very tasty. I've got to get the recipe and learn how to work with fondant.

These were the Haystacks (Rice Krispy Treats) and Cinnamon and Sugar Horseshoe donuts.  The haystacks were gluten free and the donuts were Paleo. We also had the Horsefeed (popcorn) on the table for snacks.

 There's the happy cowboy!

Goody Bags

When it was time to say Happy Trails I had goody bags for guests. The goodies were wrapped in bandannas to take home.

Here is what was inside the goody bags:

Trail Mix

Stick on Mustaches

Mustache Lip Whistles

Brand Tattoos

Mustache Stickers

Farm animal or cowboy suckers

Cow Tails

(Most things were from Oriental Trading Company)

This certainly was a fun party to plan. I really love doing themed parties. It is so easy to go crazy though.  There are definitely things I learned from doing this party that I will do next time and some things I wont do again. It was a blessed day and Corbin was on cloud nine of course. We thank God for the means to be able to do a party like this.  We have been blessed.

*Another side note, these parties DO NOT happen every year for us. They come around once in a while.*

~Blessings and have a rootin' tootin' good day!~

One year Gluten Free!

Today is my one year anniversary of being gluten free.  It has been a journey.  You can read my initial posts early on in my journey here, here and here.  If you read any of those links you can see how dreadful it was to have my doctor tell me that I needed to eat gluten free one year ago. I literally called it my "death sentence."

Before I update you on where I am at today in regards to eating gluten free let me just tell you why I have to be gluten free. I get asked the question a lot so I figure I will tackle it here...

I have Hypothyroidism and Hashimotos disease (an autoimmune disorder.) Click here to find out more about it.  Hypothyroidism can be treated by taking a thyroid hormone - either synthetic or dessicated.  Hashimotos can't be helped by that hormone.  I didn't know this until last year on March 21.  You see my Endocrinologist only ever told me that my thyroid medicine would help everything.  Then I saw my Integrative Medicine Doctor (otherwise known as a D.O) and she told me that taking a thyroid hormone does not do anything for Hashimotos. That explains why I never felt most of my thyroid symptoms went away just taking the "medicine."  My D.O told me that there are a lot of antibodies attacking my thyroid making it not work and making it lumpy and abnormal.  She said that the more gluten I eat, the more antibodies there will be.  Getting off of gluten won't make ALL the antibodies go away (I wish) but staying away from it will allow less antibodies to be formed and make my symptoms lessen.  I wanted my symptoms to lessen so I chose to take the D.O's advice and stop gluten. Just a side note ~ there are other things necessary to help the symptoms of Hashimotos and eating gluten free is just one of them.

Sorry to get all technical but I hope that makes sense as to why I don't eat gluten.

In a nutshell let's get into the past year and my progress and what I have learned....

I had concerns when I first went GF.  How would I eat out, How would I feed my family of boys, How would I travel, and How would we afford this?

It was hard at first but now it has gotten a lot easier.

I do eat out.  My family and I only go to places that serve GF items and are knowledgeable about gluten.  If they aren't knowledgeable then we steer clear.  We don't eat out a lot though.  It is just safer to eat at home.  Having said that, there are A LOT of restaurants that have gluten free menus.  You just have to be your own advocate and know there is potential for cross contamination. Make sure you do your research online about a particular restaurant or call ahead to find our your options.  You may be sorely disappointed if you go in expecting options and there aren't. I also have had to accept that there are places I just can't go anymore.  At least not until they offer something I can eat.  I am OK with that now.

My boys and I do eat good healthy meals (and sometimes not so healthy.)  Throughout this year I have learned many tricks on how to make the same food we have always eaten gluten free.  For instance - I use La Choy Lite Soy sauce, wheat free tamari or Braggs Liquid aminos for recipes that call for soy sauce.  I have found a yummy brand of GF pasta that I like called Tinkyada. I also buy GF pasta in bulk at a local store. If I am buying canned foods or more "processed" foods I always check labels.  Modified "Food" starch and "natural flavors" can be a killer. Sometimes I have to call the company to find the source of their food starch or natural flavors. To thicken gravies or sauces I use GF cornstarch or Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour.  I make my own broths and freeze them in bulk to ensure they are free of gluten. I have found myriads of ways to adapt and be able to eat our favorite recipes.  Thank you Lord! On occasion we can still eat things like The Pioneers Womans Mac N Cheese or Paula Deens Bobby's Goulash, making it GF of course. I am looking forward to our garden and canning and eating fresh organic fruits and veggies this year.  All fruits and veggies are naturally GF!

We do travel. This past year we have traveled.  We have taken mostly road trips which are the easiest. I have to really plan ahead for traveling though.  Making sure I have all proteins, fruits, veggies and snacks is key.  I like Justin's Nut Butter packets for protein to put on celery or just to eat by themselves. I like having mixed nuts, GF yogurts, cut up carrots and various fruits (fresh and dried).  Homemade chicken salad to put on GF crackers is yummy. GF Beef Jerky was also a fun snack on the road.  There are ways to do it you just have to have a cooler and plan ahead for what you will need to eat and plan that you will not be able to find a place with GF items available.  There is nothing like traveling and being hungry (and grumpy in my case!) 

We do afford it. As I stated in one of my earlier posts about this journey "I have to learn to bake GF from scratch and not use mixes." In order to make eating GF affordable I truly have had to learn to make things from scratch.  Having a mix (like this one) is nice in a pinch but there is no way we could sustain those costs all the time.  The mixes are expensive.  I learned to make my own GF all purpose flour (made from a ratio of White Rice flour, Tapioca Starch and Potato Starch.)  I use that mix in whatever I am baking and then add a whole grain flour like sorghum, almond or coconut flour to make what I am eating healthy.  The least expensive way I have found to keep this all purpose flour on hand in big tubs is buy the flours at the Asian market and mix them together at home.  The Asian markets have the best deal on the flours in my mix.  I also order some GF items online at Vitacost which has the best prices on most products.  I make my own loafs of wholegrain bread once a month and freeze extra I will not use right away.  The best book I have found with really yummy recipes on a budget is Gluten Free on a Shoestring by Nicole Hunn.  I love Nicole.  She makes good recipes, takes good photos and has a great sense of humor.  Her book has made my life easier.

I am healthier.  I am not symptom free but I have lost 10 pounds and kept it off eating gluten free. While eating GF I naturally just eat less sugar and more whole grains and like quinoa, millet, and sorghum.  I use healthier ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour and oil, more veggies, and fruits, etc. Mentally I feel better knowing that I am not putting something into my body that is causing my thyroid to worsen which in turn can cause a chain reaction in my body.  Things like heart disease, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc., can be caused by an untreated thryoid condition or in my case eating gluten.  I really don't want to have those problems and pray that eating this way will help stave those off.

If you are still reading..... I hope this was helpful to you.  Maybe it gave you an idea about eating GF, maybe it encouraged you to stick with it, maybe it helped you know more about me?  I realize this post wont be interesting to some people out there (especially who don't have food allergies) but I pray for those who have read to the end that it was worth your time.  Afterall, my main objectives on this blog are to inspire, ignite and encourage.  If you are trying to eat GF and it is hard, stay the path.  Seek out books and blogs for helps.  Maybe there are GF cooking classes in your area?  I assure you it will get better and easier.  It is just about education, practice and commitment.

Stay tuned for Friday's post on gluten free mini cinnamon & sugar donuts!

~~Blessings~~

A little about yours truly

Do you want to know about me and some things that I like?  Really, you do?  Oh yay!

I like natural light.  When I walk in a room with a lot of windows and "sunny" colors it makes me feel good. When I wake up in the morning one of the first things I like to do is open the blinds or curtains and let the light in the house.

Blue is my favorite color, Red is my second favorite color.  Yellow reminds me of my Grandma because she had this breakfast nook in her house that was so bright and yellow.  I remember having wonderful meals in there with her and my Grandpa.  Love them!

Every time I get in the shower lately I think "Yes to Carrots!"  Isn't that silly? The reason I think that is because I want to try this new product line called "Yes to Carrots." When I am done with my current shampoo and body wash I am going to give some of their products a try.  I am excited because they are natural (FOR REAL - no parabens, petroleum, etc and they are full of minerals) and most of their products are rated 1 or 2 on the Skin Deep website. It is hard to find products that work, for a decent price and are good for your skin and body. I hope these do the trick.

I love to cook and bake.  When I was a young teen I started asking for kitchen stuff for holidays and birthdays.  It am so glad I did because a lot of the things that I received I still use to this day. My favorite kitchen utensils that I would be lost without are my J.A. Henckels knives (received as a wedding gift) and my cutting board that my Dad made for me. 

I just made these Gluten Free Ginger cookies today (used my own GF flour though.) They are slightly chewy no crunchiness here. Just the way I like them.

Other things on my baking list this week are ChexMuddy buddies (well you dont really bake these), GF lemon Bars, GF Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, and GF Peanut Butter Cup cookies (we like peanut butter around here!)

My favorite kind of food is Mexican.  My second favorite is Thai.

My hair was white- blonde when I was young.  As I have gotten older it has gotten darker and darker. Now they made me put "sandy" on my license.  I have almost always worn it long.  I wish I knew more ways to do my hair though.

I have always wanted to visit Italy and intend to do so some day.  My two favorite countries I have been to are Switzerland and Austria.  They are breathtaking.

Hope your having a wonderful week before Christmas!
~Blessings~

Our household staple meals

Hello and Happy December!  It sure has been fun around here preparing for Christmas and focusing on the reason for the season - Jesus.  I plan on posting some pictures in a later post this week of what has been happening in our house lately.

Since this is December we have tightened our budget a bit.  Our tightening required me to really focus on inexpensive staple meals that we have around here on a regular basis.  Below I will share our staple meal list with you of dinners that we regularly have.  These dinners usually translate into leftovers for lunch the next day as well.  Since I have two growing boys and a hungry husband the portions around here have to be large.

First, I always have homemade chicken stock in the freezer.  It is so easy to make and I usually take a day that I know I am going to be home most of the day and make it ~ once a month or sometimes twice.  I also usually have homemade (non-fried) refried beans in the freezer.  I just tried making my own chili beans to freeze last week too.  I noticed that I buy quite a few cans of chili beans so I figured, why not make my own?  It was easy and they turned out yummy. I will probably continue to do this regularly.  We always have rice and lentils on hand as well as chicken and ground turkey. 

Before I write the meal list I want you to know that I am one who likes to try cooking one or two new meals a week.  However, when we are on a tight budget I can't venture out too much because sometimes the recipes require ingredients I don't normally have on hand. This list below is the basic list and when we have a little more to spend I get creative and try lots of new meals!

Our household staple meals (this list is not exhaustive):

* Bean and Cheese Burritos ~ I usually make my own Gluten Free Flour tortillas or if I am not feeling that ambitious I eat the beans and cheese with chips, sour cream and salsa.

* Tostadas  ~ we use the Gluten Free Corn tortilla shells

* Enchiladas ~ A family Favorite! Red sauce - only Rosarita brand and rotisserie white meat chicken make these to die for. I serve this with homemade Spanish rice, sometimes beans and a salad.

* Bobby's Goulash ~ Of course I make this Gluten Free by using wheat free tamari or Liquid Aminos and also Gluten Free Brown Rice Macaroni Pasta.  This feeds a lot of people if you make the whole recipe.  I usually only half it. I serve this with a salad.

* Homemade Pizza ~ Using a homemade pizza dough recipe from Gluten Free on a Shoestring - my favorite GF blog and Cookbook. 

* Benihana's Fried Rice ~ This recipe is from another one of my favorite cookbook series - Top Secret Restaurant Recipes. I add more veggies and peas to it and sometimes chicken if it is a "meat" night.

* Lentils and Rice ~ This is hearty and packed with fiber and protein.  You could always substitute Brown rice too. I serve this with a side of veggies, steamed or roasted.

* Hot Dogs ~ Actually this is not a staple in fact we rarely have hot dogs. It made it to my list this month because we happen to have them in the freezer.  When I make these I will wrap mine in a homemade GF flour tortillas or maybe make my own GF buns. Love having homemade baked beans with this and homemade potato salad.  Who say you can't have that in the winter?  We've even been known to roast them outside over the fire in the winter!

* Gluten Free Spaghetti and Meat Sauce (or just marinara depending on if it is a "meat" night.) ~ This is a quick simple throw together meal usually served with a veggie or side salad.

* Baked Potatoes with chili beans, cheese sauce and veggies (like steamed broccoli)

* Homemade Mac N Cheese ~ I change this up a little and of course make it Gluten Free with different flours and pasta.  This is such comfort food. I crave it! I serve this with some sort of veggie.

* Tacos ~ We love tacos.  They are so quick to make and filling.  They are an easy way to get veggies too. Sometimes if I don't have meat we make lentil tacos instead.  You just cook the lentils and season them with taco seasoning and serve the lentils as if they were the meat.  Yummy!

* Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup ~ during the winter this is so comforting. I crave this when I am sick (but usually I can't make it for myself.)  Now that we have a huge freezer I am going to start making double batches and freezing the extra to have on hand.  I will have to share my recipe sometime on here with you.

* Chili N' Cornbread (GF) ~ another easy meal. The cornbread lasts for a while so sometimes I have it for breakfast the next morning. 

* Spinach Lasagna ~ I spike mine with Alfredo sauce to make it even more irresistible! Of course I use Brown rice Gluten Free lasagna noodles too.

* Grilled Cheese Sandwiches ~ there are a myriad of ways to make these but most of all Steve and I like medium or sharp cheddar with brown deli mustard on ours.  Most people say "yuck" until they try it!  I make mine on my own homemade Gluten Free Sandwich bread.  The bread recipe I got from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

* Szechuan Meatballs with LoMein ~ Homemade and a recipe from GF on a Shoestring again.  This is a bit time consuming so I only do this one when I have more time to cook.  It is nice to have Asian food at home that I know is Gluten Free. Actually we had this tonight and I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!

*BLTA Sandwiches (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado, ~ We don't always have bacon on hand but when it is on sale I do buy it.  We love avocados here too. Now that I make my own Gluten Free Bread I can enjoy these sandwiches once again.

I am sure there are more to add to the list but this was what I came up with for this month.  I think it is great to live on a budget and tighten the reigns when needed because it forces me to be more creative in how I use the food I have and even the leftovers I have.  Food is a Feast on Joy around here!

Tidbits

When I lay down at night I have a list of things running through my head that I think you just might be dying to know. I thought I would share them with you.  I bet you are so excited! 

~When we moved to our new home in another state I forgot to pack my pillow from my parents house. This is not any ordinary pillow.  This is the pillow that I forgot at the hotel at Disneyland and went back for it because I could not be without it.  It has a memory foam inside and a down outside and there is none other like it.  I had been without it for almost two months and was dying!  When I got it back I just let myself melt into it.  It was divine.  I am so happy to have it back.

~I went to a cooking class at our local gluten free market here.  I was not really impressed. It was OK.  I thought it was going to be a class where you have hands-ons cooking time and get great recipes.  It was more of a product sale.  A brand was represented and the people who created it cooked some things from their boxed mixes.  The food was OK.  It was something I wont be doing again.

~Since we have moved here I am amazed at what we have gotten done. Of course none of these things would have been done had if not for the Lord giving us His strength and guidance. In a mere 60 days we have moved in, unpacked almost everything, taken a trip to Salvation Army, found various pieces of furniture to fit our home and moved those in, winterized our yard, reconstructed the east side of our house so water runs away from our foundation, reconstructed this inside of our house (office and bathroom) due to water damage, had a new front fence built, started school, had house guests, gone on numerous outings, found a new church, had weekly church activities, celebrated harvest, celebrated Thanksgiving, been sick two times, met our neighbors, had movie nights and game nights, took driving tests, got new licenses and plates, built shelves in the garage and more and more.  Wow!  That makes my brain hurt. 

~I haven't taken a test in a long time, many, many years.  When I went to take my drivers test I was a bit nervous.  I studied and know that it can't be that much different here than it was where we lived before but I was still anxious.  I started my test and I miss THE FIRST ONE!  I about died thinking "oh no I am going to fail this."  "I am going to get laughed at!"  I started sweating and got really nervous.  In the end though I passed my test and that was the only one I missed. It sure did freak me out though.  I don't even know what question I missed now.

~I miss my friends and my homeschool group with all our outings.

~Tonight we are going to start our advent family devotions.  This is something I look forward to every year.  It really helps us to focus on Jesus and His story through this busy crazy season.

~Tomorrow night I am going to make jewelry for women at a local shelter for Christmas.  I am so excited.  There are so many opportunities at our new church to give back and to get our family involved in giving back.  This is an answer to prayer.

~I have been having some success cooking and baking Gluten Free. I don't feel as intimidated by it anymore, in fact, I feel like I can help other people who are just starting out.  I have educated myself enough to know what I am doing now.  The best part is that I can make a lot from scratch rather than buying the really expensive mixes. I made some really good pumpkin chocolate chip squares the other day!  One of my most favorite cookbooks for Gluten Free is this one. 

~Steve and I watched One Night with the King the other night and it was so good.  It was about Hadassah becoming Queen Esther in the Bible.  Since we watched that I have been studying the book of Esther. Her courage is remarkable and the story sure has some wonderful lessons in it.

~Speaking of courage, Steve and I along with my Aunt and Cousin went to see the movie Courageous.  Have you seen it?  Steve said it was the best movie he has ever seen.  I wholeheartedly agree.  It was a great story, thought provoking and convicting all in one.  Go see it if you haven't! Pretty Please?

That's it for now.  I am sure when I lay my head down tonight more "edge of your seat" tidbits will come to mind for the next post. Stay tuned....
~Blessings~

Biomeridian

Have you heard of a Biomeridian test?  I hadn't before until I felt it necessary to find out what kind of foods I am sensitive to. Thankfully I have a friend who is very health conscious and chooses a holistic/natural approach to health problems rather than the traditional medicine route. Something I do in general as well. She had this test done before and recommended it for me.

A Biomeridian test is a low voltage electrical charge introduced into the body, and the precise level of electric current conducted through the acupuncture points are measured. Information about various organ systems and musculoskeletal regions is obtained by the level of the readings. Various stimuli may be introduced, and any change in electrical conductance at various acupuncture points provides useful diagnostic information.

Yesterday I sat with a doctor who spent an hour doing a biomeridian test with me. During the test I held a brass rod in my left hand and the doctor used a probe to take readings on my hands and feet. My participation was that simple.

It was so interesting and I highly recommend this test.  Especially for those who seem to have health issues like allergies, weird pains, joint problems, rashes, sick often, etc. 

What was amazing is what the doctor found out.  At the end of the test I was given a report with more than 300 hundred results on it.  The results told me in what areas of my body "stress" was found, what was balanced in my body and what was weakened (meaning organs.)  "Stress" could mean anything like deficiency of something, toxic level in your body of something, or sensitivity to something.

Thankfully in my results I had nothing in "weakened."  I did have many "stresses " though.

I wont be able to give you all my results on here because it would be SO boring to you and take up too much space but I will give you an overview of exactly what is tested and for me what/where I have stresses.

What main areas of the body of tested:
Lymph system
Lungs
Large and small intestines
Nervous system
Circulation
Allergies (what your allergic to)
Endocrine system
Heart
Pancreas
Liver
Joints
Stomach
Connective tissues
Skin
Fatty tissues
Gallbladder
Kidneys
Urinary bladder 

**Stressed areas for me: Lymph system, circulation, allergies, endocrine system, stomach, skin and fatty tissues. WOW! In all 7 of those stressed areas I DO actually have symptoms in my body.

In each of those main areas tested (under the bold title above) there is a breakdown in my results of exactly what is stressed in that area. For instance, in my endocrine system I have a "stess" of T4 - thyroxine.  Which means I have a deficiency of T4.  This is true, I have hypothyroidism and my levels are fluctuating right now.

There were some stresses I can't share that are personal but I found out things like, I have a level of lead, mercury a nickel in my body.  This is due to some dental work as well as vaccinations from when I was a child.

I confirmed allergies I have to dust, grass, etc.  My hurting wisdom tooth that is coming in even showed up under the teeth section! I showed a big deficiency in minerals in my body.

It told me what foods I am sensitive to - Gluten of course being confirmed :-( Corn was another one!  AAGGHH.  No thanks. Seriously corn, it's in everything!  Even mushrooms and red and green peppers my body is sensitive to.

The nuts I love are the ones I am sensitive to, of course.  Cashews, pistachios and peanuts.  Thankfully we live in a time where there is almond butter to replace peanut butter.

This overview is really just the tip of the iceberg on what info you find out with this test. It is well worth the money (usually places who do this don't take insurance.)

I am grateful to have this knowledge because now I know what can cause various symptoms that I have going on.  Natural medicine finds the cause does not just treat the symptoms.  Yay!

The next step for me is to do an 8 day detox to rid my body of the things that are giving me problems (metals, etc.) Also, now because of my awareness of things my body is sensitive to I can alter my choices and lifestyle. Not an easy task but slowly it will happen.

I'm Here?!?

Wow.  Where has the time gone?  Every night I go to bed and among my thoughts are things I want to post about on Feasting On Joy.  I have big intentions but lately finding a good chunk of time to post has not happened.  I have also been having space issues and memory problems on my computer which hampered the photo rich post I wanted to do tonight.  The below update was much needed anyway. It was meant to be to have words only tonight.

We have been busy with our big boys kindergarten graduation, play dates, visiting my sick Grandpa, crops, a Chuck E Cheese visit, a sickness, church baptism, trying out a new church, swim lessons, counseling, and a big Father's Day picnic with some of our friends and family.  Oh my! In between all that I have been enjoying sleeping in,  time at home playing with my boys and in my brokenness learning to truly trust in the Lord through the roller coaster of life.

I have also remained Gluten Free now for 3 months! Next week I have my follow up appointment with my doctor in regards to going gluten free as well as blood test results. I had blood taken today and they had to take 9 tubes!  UUGGH! Coming from a girl who used to be the screamer and all the nurses didn't like, I can't believe how much I have had to have my blood taken in my adult life. It's not so bad anymore though.
I hope to share what I find out at the appointment. Hopefully good news. I have had a chance to do some experimenting with some gluten free cooking lately too and I am happy to be putting together a post with a few good pics and recipes! My confidence is growing in adapting recipes I like or already have to be made gluten free. I also can't wait for this weekend because I get to take my first gluten free cooking class.  Yay! Of course I will be posting about that and sharing some of what I learn.

Tomorrow I have an appointment for a test called a biomeridian at a natural medicine center.  I am excited about it because it should be able to tell me what allergies to food I have as well as if there are toxic levels in my body from pollution, allergens, etc. It feels good to be finding some people and places that can truly help me to find the cause of some of my health issues rather than just treat the symptoms. Also up and coming is a post about harmful ingredients that we need to avoid in products that we buy. 

As soon as I get this space/memory thing worked out the pictures will be back.  I always love posts with pictures. Stay tuned because I would like to get back to regular posting so you have something to feast on!

I would like to leave you with a verse that really speaks to me about TRUST.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

It's getting better

I am adapting.  To the gluten free lifestyle that is.

I am also feeling better.

I don't think I am in mourning anymore.  The only time I feel bad about it is when I think of things like going to the county fair and not being able to enjoy my warm cinnamon roll immediately upon entering the gate or the hot, fresh cinnamon and sugar mini donuts hot out of the fryer.  Or when I think about traveling now, I really think that is going to be a complete bear.  I will cross that bridge when it comes though.

I have purchased two books and read one fully and half of the other one so far. They are: Gluten Free Girl by Shauna Ahern and Ratio by Michael Ruhlman. I have read all of Gluten Free Girl.  It was encouraging to read her journey and appetizing to read her descriptions of food she loves and has tasted.  I was caught off guard by the few cuss words and we don't see eye to eye on some things but she is a very good writer and for a newly GF person it was a good read.  She also has some nice recipes in her book I intend to use. Also she inspired me even more to buy good food, not junk food.  To buy local, in season and high quality is important and very much noticed in taste.

I have read part of Ratio and bought a kitchen scale.  This will help because gluten free flours are VERY different than regular all purpose flour.  A scale will help in weighing out many different flours for one recipe.  I have noticed many GF recipes using weight rather than volume measurements. I have used the scale once to make GF bread and it was an utter failure!  Apparently I should not try and tackle baking GF bread first among baking, it is the hardest.  It will come in time.

I continue to research and come across great websites and blogs about being gluten free and there are a plethora of recipes out there.  Eating out is still not nearly as fun as it used to be but I have found a few restaurants that don't make me feel like an afterthought.  They actually have more than one thing on their menu that is gluten free. (That being said I don't expect people to cater to lil' ole' me and my dietary needs. It is just nice to have options.)

I mentioned above I am feeling better.  It has been six weeks since knocking gluten out of my diet. I used to have terrible burning, itchiness and dryness especially on my face.  That has subsided in a big way.  I used to have a lot of joint pain and achiness in my limbs.  That has gotten better.  Not gone but better.  I used to be really hormonal - big peaks and valleys and now I am more even.  These are the big things I notice.  I attribute this partly to the GF lifestyle as well as a bunch of new supplements that I am taking.  The fact that it is helping encourages me to keep it going.

Things I intend to do:

• Join a CSA (click on the link to find out what it is if you don't know.) I have been wanting to do this for many reasons like supporting local farmers, buying in season, organic produce and l want to learn to cook with new fruits and veggies than I wouldn't normally choose. After reading Gluten Free Girl I am even more inspired join. I truly believe that we need to make a stand and start demanding pesticide free, nutrient filled products. By supporting local farming and not supporting mass markets more and more we can make a difference - my opinion - and a huge topic for another post someday.
• Get back to menu planning so I can stop dreading the dinner hour and last minute thoughts of what to make.
• Track down some flours that I see used in a lot of people's recipes so I can start baking some things. I missed baked goods.  Every once in a while it's nice to have a homemade muffin or waffle - you know?
• Make these brownies.  Gluten Free Goddess is one of the most informative blogs I have found and she has SO many yummy looking recipes.  It got me all excited! You can see I added her to my Charming Inspirations section on the right side of my blog.

This is a small update for now.  Next gluten free post I will try to post my recipe of Hot and Hearty Bean and rice soup that is totally gluten free and healthy as well as some menu ideas for gluten free dinners.

Blessings~ 

Gluten Free Journey

Warning: this is not a very joyful uplifting post - just keepin it real....
(I am using this blog to keep my journal of this journey to see how and if in time it changes and gets better.)

It has been about two weeks since I went gluten free. It has definitely been a journey.  I thought by this point I would have a more positive outlook on the whole thing but I really am still feeling in deprivation mode.  Everyday I keep seeing things that I can't have.  I find I am hungry a lot of the time which makes my mood horrible.  Also since I have cut out a lot of my carbs (because there is gluten in them) I find I am continually tired. I have done a bunch of research which I will talk about in a bit but it is still not helping my motivation factor.  Hmmm...

This is kind of unlike me because usually when I am presented with a challenge I take it head on and find the solution.  The problem with this challenge is that there is no quick solution, in fact it requires a major life change.  Relearning everything I know about cooking with certain products while feeling like I have no time to do so.

So far I have not noticed a huge change in my health.  I think going gluten free requires some time before big changes can be noticed though. I hope.

I find that going out to eat is more of a burden now then before when it was a delight.  The minute that dreaded question comes up "Would you like to go out to dinner?" I start mulling over places to go coming up with virtually nothing. Getting stressed because I don't want to be the "picky" one or the one that has all these substitutions that the server hates.  We have been out to eat several times in the past few weeks and most times have been OK.  Mostly I feel like a burden to people and not extremely satisfied after the meal. I feel like I missed out.  That being said I have encountered management at restaurants that have been very accommodating, supportive and helpful, which is nice.  I have had a decent gluten free pepperoni pizza, hamburger and Asian noodle dish.

Grocery shopping has been fun.  It is always exciting to find a product that is gluten free. At many of the stores I have visited there have been clear markings on shelves as to what is gluten free and some stores even have lists of all their products that are gluten free.  It is very helpful.  I have had to become much more of a label reader now.  I used to read labels for hydrogenated oils (to avoid) or fat grams or calories but now I am looking for much more than that.  It is amazing that there are SO many ingredients and products that have gluten in them.  I just noticed even my yogurt has gluten!  UUGGHH!!!  In reading the labels more thoroughly I have been surprised at all the food I bought that had MSG in them.  I can't believe I missed that!  This is obviously a good thing coming out of this journey. I am culling products as I find them. There are a lot of gluten free mixes out there for pancakes, cornbread, etc.  There is also a selection of GF breads as well.  I find that everything labeled GF is very expensive for a small amount.  Here are some of the GF foods I have tried:

GF Bread slices really small and like buying a brick.  It is only good toasted with peanut butter not for sandwiches.

Brown Rice Tortillas these were not good. they tasted like paper. I am bummed about this because one of the things I really miss is burritos.

GF Chocolate Brownie mix this was not good.  It was grainy, had a nutty flavor, and was hard to get out of the pan.

GF Cornbread mix this was actually one of the better mixes I have had.  It was like a cross between a biscuit and cornbread.

GF Pancake Mix I haven't tried this one yet

GF Frozen Waffles.  These were not bad but I have to say it is torture to have my family sitting there eating wonderful homemade oatmeal waffles steaming hot off the waffle iron and I get frozen ones. I didn't eat frozen ones before and now I have to. 

What I have gathered from this two weeks is that in order to sustain this avoidance of gluten I have to learn to cook GF from scratch.  Buying mixes and premade stuff is not going to last.  I did not cook that way before and I can't do that now because it is expensive and not as good.  I will learn to make baked goods, entrees, and desserts gluten free and from scratch.  I have found some good websites that inspire me on this journey and give me hope.  My favorite one is 

Gluten Free Girl
I loved her story and would like to get her cookbook

I also want to get this book called Ratio because I think it will help me cook from scratch with different flours and such.

One other thing I need to get back to doing is menu planning.  This time for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I used to only do it for dinners but now especially for me it have to do it for all meals.

I think the biggest motivation for me will be if I start seeing hand feeling health changes and knowing the sacrifice is worth it. I pray it is.

So this is where I am at.  Lately I have been feeling like giving up and just continuing to deal with the health problems.  I miss what I like to eat too much.  I know I can't do this though and I will at least give it until June when I have a follow up with my doc and hopefully I will see changes.  If I don't then I probably will not stick with it.

If you read to the end I apologize for being so whiny on this post but again this is honestly reality for me right now.  I still have hope it will get better most of the time and will just keep putting one foot in front of the other and pray for God's guidance and peace with this.  I will keep you posted!

Blessings

My death sentence

I realize this title is a bit dramatic (because there is no potential fatality involved) but it is the way I feel right now.

On Friday I had a doctors appointment with an integrative medicine doctor.  That means that she is not traditional in that whatever symptom I had she would prescribe medicine to mask it.  Instead she actually does valuable tests and looks into the problem and what internally could be wrong. She then treats by suggesting supplements and diet/life changes as well as stuff like acupuncture and more eastern medicine alternatives.

I realized that this appointment could be life changing but hoped it wouldn't be too much. I knew deep down though that there would be serious changes ahead which is why I put it off for so long.

I left upset angry and overwhelmed - one of the things required of me is to have a GLUTEN FREE DIET.  Oh my gosh!  Was she serious?  YES unfortunately.

How can this be for a person who loves baked goods - seriously, they bring me joy.  How can this be for a person who loves wheat products and pasta and lives to eat? I love food.

I am on a roller coaster about this.  One minute I am positive and thinking it is all going to be OK because there are options out there.  Then the next minute I am down in the dumps, stressing out and sad because of the deprivation to come.  My death sentence. 

How will I eat out? How will I eat anything at parties or church functions? How will I cook for my family? How we will afford this?


I think part of the problem is my ignorance of gluten.  What is gluten? What is it in?  I feel like it is in EVERYTHING.  Also, how does a mom of hungry boys and wife to a hungry husband cook without gluten and make them like it.  So scary. 

I feel like a failure as a person because of my health that has caused this, as a mom because now I haven't the first clue as to what to cook, and a failure as a wife because I won't be hearing "Oh this is a keeper! It tastes so good." "Cook this again!"

This is one of my worst fears.

All that said, I do plan to give this my all and see if I do notice changes.  I do plan to research so I am not ignorant anymore and try and overcome these fears. I also plan to do a lot of praying because something my husband lovingly pointed out is that food could have become and idol for me or was becoming one.

I plan to post periodically about my journey through this life change.  It is going to be hard and I know it sounds silly but I have shed many tears over this.  I pray to come out on the other end of this happier and healthier and still filled with joy.

By the way, I must say that I was not angry and upset at all with my doctor.  She was very nice, helpful and thorough and willing to work with me.  Something that I rarely find in US traditional medicine today.  Hopefully this will be a start to getting rid of these health problems I have been plagued with for so long.

If you would like, feel free to come with me on this journey and see what the Lord turns up!