Trying This Again…

Well, I’m going to try this blog thing again. It’s been awhile since I posted anything. In fact, it’s been since August 2011. Well, it is now April 2012…

The theme of my blog is going to expand a little. In addition to sharing my gluten free successes, failures, recipes, and random rants about having to eat gluten free, I am also going to share other health-related information I find may be useful to others. Being gluten free has been quite difficult the past few months. I have really been missing things like pizza, sandwiches, cake, etc. I know all these things come in gluten free now, but let’s be honest, gluten free pizza is not the same as regular pizza, and gluten free bread is like eating a hockey puck (and feels the same sitting in your stomach). Lately I’ve been trying to eat more raw and whole foods. I have been drinking green drinks pretty consistently for the past few weeks now, and I have noticed some changes as a result. I have had increased energy, and I’ve actually started to crave my green drinks. These are some of the things I am going to start sharing about in my blog.

My Gluten Free Pet Peeve

My major gluten free pet peeve is the fact that all of the gluten free baked products that I am able to find are frozen. Even at the gluten free bakery. I understand the gluten free items generally do not contain preservatives, but do we have to freeze everything? Why can’t the bakery have some items they keep unfrozen. They can always freeze it at the end of the day. Honestly, before I was gluten free, I would never freeze a bread item. Now if I want to eat a bagel in the morning, I have to take it out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds in order to be able to cut it and put it in the toaster. I want to be able to eat fresh baked gluten free bread!!!

Thumbs up to Maggiano’s

Being gluten free and eating out can be difficult, especially at an Italian restaurant. I went to Maggiano’s in Scottsdale after hearing they were gluten free friendly from a co-worker of mine. What I did not expect was how accommodating they are. I was ordering to go, and when I asked for a gluten free menu, the girl asked me to hang on for a second. She walked into the back, and when she returned, the chef was with her. He proceeded to explain to me that they would make anything on the menu to accommodate my special diet. I ended up ordering spaghetti with meat sauce. After a few minutes, the chef returned with three choices of pasta for me. He apologized and explained that they had used up all of their normal gluten free pasta that day, and that these choices were the “emergency supply”. I got to choose my pasta, which was awesome. When I got my meal, it was outstanding.

The fact that the chef took the time to talk to me about my dietary restrictions, and that the company cares enough to stock a little extra pasta for those “just in case” moments, made me realize that there are restaurants out there that actually care about providing options for people with food allergies. Maggiano’s wasn’t just trying to accommodate it. They did not give me the line about how they try to be gluten free, but “eat at your own risk”. The chef explained to me that they have a separate part of the kitchen designated for gluten free cooking. It meant a lot that he came out to talk to me.

I have also heard that they have gluten free bread, and that if you have a group and call ahead, they will make gluten free tiramisu for you. I cannot comment on these rumors, as I have not witnessed them for myself, but I thought it was worth a mention. I will definitely be returning, and if I go with a few people, I may just check out the gluten free tiramisu rumor…

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan

Last week, I had a craving for chicken parmesan. This used to be a favorite dish of mine before my gluten free days. This is my first recipe post. I apologize for the lack of measurements, I’m not a huge recipe follower.

Almond meal from Trader Joe’s
4 slices of herb and garlic gluten free bread
Grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Chicken breast
Gluten free pasta
Pasta sauce (either homemade or store bought)

Dry the bread slices to make bread crumbs. Combine enough almond meal, bread crumbs, and grated parmesan cheese to cover the chicken breasts. Beat the egg. Dip the chicken breast in the egg fully covering the chicken breast. Dip in the almond meal/bread/cheese mixture and cover the chicken fully. Place chicken in a nonstick baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with pasta and sauce.

Enjoy!

What I Miss About Gluten

Pizza. I miss pizza. Especially pizza from Pomo at the Borgata in Scottsdale. Their pizza is to die for. Of course, they do not offer gluten free pizza. Pomo pizza is one thing that I will gladly “cheat” on my diet for. I went last night, and, as usual, it was amazing. I had a little of both the caprese and caesar salads, and a few slices of their Marinara pizza and the Regina Margherita pizza. It was all fantastic and worth the cheating.

I also miss sandwiches and molten lava chocolate cake.

Welcome to my Blog!

So, I’ve started my very first blog.

I decided to start this blog after going gluten free in November 2010. I do not have Celiac Disease, I suffer from migraines. My migraines started in December 2002. Since that time, I have suffered an average of 12 migraines per month and a headache every day. I tried everything under the sun, until one day I saw a chiropractor, who did this very strange test on me, and informed me that I should not eat gluten. Since that day, I have not had a migraine.

Now, not eating gluten is very difficult since I love to eat out. In this blog I will share my successes and failures with my new diet, gluten free recipes that I try, reviews of restaurants that I try, and anything else that I feel deserves to be written about.

Welcome to my blog!

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