So... what DO you eat?

Do you remember that I've gone through some pretty major diet changes lately? I think I first talked about it in October.

I cannot believe what a difference these changes have made to my overall health. What I also cannot believe is how often I am asked about going free. Free of... anything! Dairy, gluten... maybe two or three things. Seems there are SO many people out there battling food issues, and figuring out where to begin can be a very daunting task.

While I LOVE to have one-on-one conversations with everyone who asks, I also think a 'starting point' might be helpful. So my plan is to create a short series of posts filled with useful, but easily understood, information.

To start? The most common topic... what I eat.

These things are all free of gluten, dairy and soy. Many of them are also vegan.

Most important? Fruit! Veggies!! It hasn't been easy, because I've got a terrible sweet tooth, but I try to always reach for some sort of fruit or a vegetable when I'm looking for a snack. Do I even need to explain why??

I also eat a ton of rice, and we go through potatoes like crazy. I realize it may not be *the* healthiest thing out there, but almost every morning I make home-cooked breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs. They're filling, yummy, and they make the little guy happier than his favorite cartoon on repeat play.

Easy-to-find stuff... Rice Chex, tortilla chips (check the label! vegetable oil is made from soy!) with salsa, pico de gallo or hummus (check the label if not homemade!), air-pop popcorn.

More specific items...

Breads, pastas, etc:

Udi's Brand sandwich read, bagels, pizza crusts, muffins and granola. I LOVE all of these products, and you don't have to look far to find them in our kitchen. Their granola is more like 'regular' granola than any other I've found.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa pastas. Their polenta is great too, though I've found that I prefer to make homemade polenta these days.

Enjoy Life cookies, snack bars (love these! I have them stashed in my purse, car, etc.. My favorite is the sunbutter crunch variety.) and chocolate chips. Their chocolate bars are a yummy treat too!

Milk, 'cheese,' and other 'dairy' items:

So Delicious! coconut milk yogurt. This is a great snack... I like to mix in Udi's granola. (Side note, not all So Delicious! products are soy free, so it's important to read their labels...)

Daiya Cheddar and Mozzerella Style Shreds. The first time I tried this product, I had been 'dairy free' for all of 48 hours. I was horrified at the taste. I tried them again recently, and hey! my tastes have changed! (Side note about this... at the bottom of my post.)

Almond Breeze milk. Original is my favorite, but Vanilla is also a yummy treat.

Coconut Bliss 'ice cream.' Yum, yum, yummmm! My favorite is Cappucino. (Side note here, the package recommends letting your ice cream sit out for about ten minutes before digging in. Do it. It changes the flavor somehow, and makes it that much tastier.)

Sauces, baking items, etc.

Worth noting... I make my own spaghetti sauce and sloppy joe 'sauce,' because the jarred and canned varieties typically contain soy as a stabilizer. The book, "Cooking for Isaiah" features a great, simple sloppy joe recipe as well as a TON of other yummy stuff.

Also worth noting... worcestershire sauce is a great thing to have on hand, but read the label first. Many varieties contain soy. Lea & Perrins does no.

Coconut Aminos, made by Coconut Secret. This is my 'soy' sauce. It tastes different... almost a combination between soy and teriyaki sauce. But it's great in stiry-fry, and I love it on a bowl of rice.

Spectrum Organic Shortening is helpful to have on hand for baking.

Natural Jif Peanut Butter is safe, but I've also had fun trying things like Sunbutter and almond butter.

Earth Balance spread. Love, love, love this stuff! It's similar in taste to margarine which was a bit of a change for me. I was a BUTTER girl. But I'm happy to have this product available to me. Look for the red soy-free carton if need be!

Now... that side-note I mentioned. When I started on this adventure, my main goal after feeling better was to find an exact replacement for each food I felt I was 'giving up.' I now know that not only is that not possible, it's not practical either. In order to be happy and content with what is out there, I've found that it is best not to seek a replacement. Instead, try to keep an open mind... just like you would if you were trying a new cut of meat, or a new flavor of ice-cream. I don't expect my package of Daiya Cheddar Shreds to taste like freshly grated Tillamook. But they do make a yummy toasted sandwich!

Whew! Are you tired of reading yet? Because I feel a bit overwhelmed and these are things I routinely shop for. I've undoubtedly left items out, so if you're looking for something specific or have any questions please leave a comment and ask me. Or--do you have a product you want to suggest? I'd love to hear your ideas :)

Rice... for breakfast?

Certainly! A girl has to get creative, y'know!

So this morning, I pulled the leftover dinner rice from the fridge and put this together:

I warmed a couple of cups of (brown, pre-cooked) rice on the stove in some almond milk.

Next, I mixed in nearly a whole diced apple, a few good shakes of cinnamon (I love cinnamon! use a lighter hand if you don't love it as much as me.), a sprinkle of salt, and some agave nectar to taste.

I love hot breakfast cereals, but most of them aren't something I'm able to eat any longer. Yes, there are gluten-free oats available, but I haven't gotten brave enough to try them yet. I understand there are some people who still cannot tolerate them. All this to say, I'm glad I gave my idea a try! It was warm and filling, and I loved the texture. Yum!

GF/DF Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with Apple Compote

Alright then--if nobody wants to choose a recipe (ehem! is this thing on??), I'll choose. And I choose Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with yummy Apple Compote, because they were fabulous. And I'm still thinking about them.

Here they are, the little beauties!

I've got to be honest and tell you that this was a make-it-up-as-you-go sort of experiment, and no, I didn't precisely measure much of anything. But really, do pancakes require perfect measurement? Not in my kitchen! Feel free to wing it on the compote too!

Pancake Ingredients:

1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill GF Pancake Mix
1 egg
3/4 (plus) cup milk (I used soy, almond would be great too)
1 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
A healthy sprinkle each of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin (plain--not pie filling)
1 Tbsp. (maybe more?) vanilla

Pancake Directions:

The non-italicized ingredients are taken straight from the BRM Mix package. The other stuff? That was a combination of what I had on-hand, and what I knew, from poking around online, would create a pumpkin-y, fall-ish stack of pancakes. Just like any other pancake recipe, you'll want to combine the dry ingredients, combine the wet ingredients, then blend them together. I have a (plus) after the 3/4 cup milk because I found the consistency to be a bit too thick once I stirred in the pumpkin, so I improvised by adding a bit more soy milk.

Apple Compote Ingredients:

2 apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup sugar
A healthy sprinkle of cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup water

Apple Compote Directions:

Place the diced apples in a small sauce pan, and add the sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Stir over medium as the apples begin to soften. You'll notice a thick, glaze-like coating forming on the sides of the pan and the apples. When the apples are cooked through (doesn't take long!), slowly add the water a few Tbsp. at a time, allowing the sauce to thicken before adding more water. The final consistency is up to you, but you'll want to be able to pour it over the top of your pancakes. I left my sauce to simmer, lightly, on the stove while the pancakes cooked.

These were a hit all around, and I was pretty disappointed when, later in the day, Ryan beat me to the one leftover pancake and small cup of leftover compote. Even Camden gobbled up almost an entire pancake, 'bopples' and all.

Veg-a-WHAT?!

For quite some time now, I've been battling food issues. I knew things were making me sick, and I've fallen prey to the you-probably-just-have-IBS routine far more times than I care to count. Tests have been run, and trials made... but they all came back free of any big issues. So, over and over, I've been told that I "probably just have IBS."

That's not a very settling answer when you've reached the point that your symptoms leave you feeling scared of food and what it might do to your body. So I recently made the decision to take matters into my own hands. I've completely overhauled my diet, and I'm going on four weeks gluten and dairy free.

Let me tell ya, eliminating gluten and dairy is *not* for the faint of heart. It's been a challenge, and tears have been shed over the whole debacle. More than once. Heck--more than twice! But I'm succeeding, and I feel so much better than I have in ages! Yaheee!!

Ryan panicked a bit when I started tossing around words like soy, xanthum, and--gasp!--VEGAN. But he's had fun trying new recipes with me, and we're discovering how much we both love incoporating more and more veggies into our diets. And let me be clear--I am NOT going vegan, but it is a simple term I can use to help identify things that are safe to eat.

Anyway, my point for sharing this? I guess it somewhat serves as an introduction. I'm excited about this new way of life, and I'm having a great time expirimenting in the (new! and pretty!) kitchen. I've got a few recipes--and photos--that I'd love to share.

What would you like to see first? A dessert, yummy weekend breakfast, or dinner??