Sugar and Spice and my gluten-free life.

Nasoya Silken Creations

2009-07-09T08:40:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to enter to win the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes giveaway!!

A while ago, Vanessa alerted me to a new dairy free product on the market and I emailed the company to see if I could get some samples. The people at Nasoya were nice enough to send me two packages of each, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla Silken Creations. From their website:

New Nasoya® Silken Creations is a rich, creamy pudding-like base that cuts the calories, fat and gives a jump start to all of your favorite dessert recipes from pies and cakes to frozen treats and smoothies. It’s even a decadent treat right out of the package!

Naturally flavored, lactose & dairy free, low in fat & calories, vegan, and gluten free, Silken Creations comes in three popular flavors, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry.

Chef, nutrition educator, and cookbook author Maribeth Abrams enjoys the versatility of “Silken Creations”. She says, “Silken Creations adds a rich chocolate flavor to Chocolate Mousse and cake recipes. The smooth and creamy consistency of the Vanilla really gives a boost to Key Lime Pie, puddings, frosting, and fillings. The strawberry makes every fruit smoothie taste delectable!”

Made from whole soybeans and sweetened with cane juice, Silken Creations is low in calories (only 110-130 per half cup serving), low in fat (only 1-1.5 grams) and is a good source of protein (3-4 grams).

Of course, I dove into the chocolate first. I wanted to see what it tasted like by itself so I just grabbed a little dish and served some up plain.

It was delicious! A smooth, dark chocolate pudding. I just found a recipe on the Nasoya website for a chocolate peanut butter pie. I am definitely going to make that soon!

Ironically enough, the day before I received the package, I had read a recipe on Carrots n' Cake that used the vanilla Silken Creations to make a simple "vanilla" cake. I thought that would be perfect for the 4th of July weekend. I used the recipe exactly as I found it (not gluten free).

The cake smelled really good, but honestly, the taste was not good at all. Very blah, tasteless, not good. Tina said her's was delicious, so maybe something wasn't right. I had brought the stuff down to my Mom's house and the silken creation had kinda melted so maybe that was the issue? I'm not discouraged though, I'm looking forward to doing something different with the other package of vanilla. As I was resting on the couch at my Mom's on the 4th, I overheard some family members trying the cake... they agreed.. not good!!

I have not tried the strawberry yet so look for that post soon! I definitely recommend these products for many dairy free uses, the website has tons of recipes, check them out!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes!!!

2009-07-08T13:54:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I received all four of the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free baking mixes. Tonight I cannot wait to try the brownies!! The instructions on the box use butter, but on the website they give you alternatives if you are dairy free. I also am giving away a prize pack of these goodies to one lucky reader!! Check it out:

The prize pack includes 1 box of each of the 4 mixes, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, devil's food cake, or yellow cake. Also included you get that snazzy re-usable shopping bag, TWO coupons, each for a free mix, they're good until 2010, and my personal favorite - a magnetic notepad for grocery lists, and a pen!

All you need to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment on this post telling me which mix you want to try the most. The winner will be chosen randomly next Monday, make sure you leave a way for me to contact you so I can find out where to have your prize pack shipped!

Also - I'm looking for a good dairy free frosting recipe for those cakes if anyone has any links/recipes/ideas!!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

2009-07-07T14:00:00.002-04:00

I didn't realize I hadn't blogged in over a week!! Sorry folks! I actually have a lot to talk about, last week I received a shipment of NaSoya Silken Creations, and today I received a shipment of Bhuja snacks and also a Betty Crocker prize pack containing each of the four new gluten free baked goods!! I will also be doing a giveaway of a Betty Crocker prize pack to one lucky reader!

July 4th is always my favorite time of year, actually, the 3rd is my favorite, it's the day I get to see my old friends from high school. This year was just as good as the past 11!! The weekend was beautiful thankfully, after a month of miserable weather. Friday I drove down to Plymouth, went to the BBQ with the friends, drank 5 or 6 too many cocktails... went back to my parents' the next morning just in time for the family 4th BBQ to start. Slept most of the day, waking up and going outside just long enough to eat. Watched the Boston fireworks on tv that night. We had some family members staying with us for the weekend so we all got up the next day and went to breakfast. Spent the rest of the day lounging around, swimming, eating, getting sunburnt, feeling crappy still/again, and sleeping some more. Eventually made it back home, spent all day yesterday in pajamas and now I'm back at work, finally feeling human again. It was a great holiday weekend and I'm really glad I had that extra day yesterday. Today the nasty weather is back! But I don't mind because I'm working. I'll get back to normal posting tomorrow with all of the fun things I mentioned above! I'm not sure how I'm going to do this contest... who's interested in some gluten free Betty Crocker?!?!

Weekends.

2009-06-29T09:58:00.005-04:00

Weekends, especially in the summer, are always the times when I lose my focus and wind up eating something I shouldn't. This weekend it started on Friday morning with that donut. Saturday started out ok with oatmeal and then a turkey sandwich but by the end of the day after two barbecues I had eaten brownies, chocolate candies, and ice cream cake. Yesterday it was a cheeseburger and another ice cream. Today my back and hips are killing me and my stomach is uneasy. I just said to my Father last week, "I've been eating really well and I feel fabulous" and now... not so much. The problem now is that I don't feel the affects right away anymore, so I eat one thing, I feel fine, and then I eat another, and another. A few minutes, hours, days later it hits me. I also did not get any exercise in but I'm not too worried about that. So basically, I'm sitting at work, drinking lots of water, not eating any dairy and hoping this passes soon. Thankfully it's a short week and then a 4 day weekend! I can't wait.

A love/hate relationship with my ceiling fan, and Jillian Michaels

2009-06-26T11:32:00.002-04:00

Last night was a cardio night because I had done a full weight workout the night before. I didn't feel like going to the gym and sitting on a machine for 30 minutes so I browsed through the on demand videos on cable. I started with a yoga fitness fusion workout but I only lasted 10 minutes. Then I found Jillian's 30 Day Shred, level one. I knew there would be some strength involved, but I just figured I'd use really light weights. My apartment is decent sized but the issue is that I'm 6' tall and there's a ceiling fan in the living room! My bedroom is just too small to get a good workout in. So I just did the best I could with the space away from the fan. Luckily, there were no incidents. The workout was a good one and I felt great after it was done. Today I'm feeling all around gross and I think it's because 1. I started my day with a plain donut and 2. the only thing I've eaten since 7:30 this morning (the donut) is a nectarine. That just doesn't work. So by 11am I had a splitting headache and felt like I was going to pass out so I went to get an early lunch. Ham sandwich. It was just what I needed. I still feel a little spacey but that's ok. I really put my body through the ringer this week with all the workouts and the abrupt change in diet. I know that it's all good and I'm going in the right direction but today I'm finding it hard to even type this blog because my arms are sore! I'm looking forward to taking a rest night tonight and just laying low. I'm so glad it's Friday!!!

Just do it. Like Nike.

2009-06-25T12:34:00.002-04:00

Last night I got in an awesome workout at the gym, half hour of cardio on this new Precor machine that is a cross between an elliptical, a stair climber, and a trampoline... yeah I know, weird right? But fun. And killer on the legs. Then I did a solid strength training circuit. I feel great and I must have been retaining a ton of water because I've lost 5 pounds since Monday. I felt like a sausage in my clothes yesterday and today I feel normal again. It's really great. I signed up on the Clean Eating forums and it is a huge help. There are tons of threads about recipes, tips, support, answers to just about any question you have.. but it's a pretty simple thing. Eat as close to nature as possible. Exercise. Drink lots of water.

Today has been another successful day so far. I'm running low on groceries but I've been doing great with making healthy choices if I have to go grab something. I've been eating a lot more fruit and veggies which is great, I'm sure that was a big help with flushing out that water retention.

Finally my nectarines are ripe!!!

This was sooooooo delicious and juicy, hold the napkin under your chin kind of juicy. I always think back to when I was little and my mom would buy these for me and my Dad and I'd eat them out in the yard, juice all over my hand and dripping down my arm.

And I also picked up this tub on pineapple this morning on my way to work. So good!

Tonight I'll do some form of cardio and then maybe some yoga. I could really use some deep stretching after the tough workout from last night.

I'm considering registering a domain for this blog. Sugar and spice.com is already taken, your sugar and spice is not, which is the address for the blog now but I'm thinking about changing it. Any ideas?

And now I will talk about Clean Eating... again.

2009-06-24T13:11:00.003-04:00

I am a magazine junkie, I LOVE them. I love to read them but most of all I love to look at the differences in magazine design. Today I grabbed the latest issue of the Improper Bostonian which is one of my favorites, and it's free, which makes it that much better.

Lunch was Souper Salad, a delicious salad of romaine, spinach, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, chickpeas, edamame, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, turkey and a little tiny dusting of bacon bits. And a sliver of pita bread. For desert, grapes, watermelon and pineapple. Perfectly ripe pineapple is the most divine fruit. It's always been my ultimate favorite. Rachel Ray taught me that in order to tell if a pineapple is perfectly ripe, just look at the "eyes" and if they are all the same size, then it's ripe. I've also read that if it's a little yellow at the bottom that means the sugars have developed and that also means it's ripe. And it should smell delicious, if you pick one up and it doesn't smell good, it's not gonna taste good.

The other day I posted about that article that I read in Clean Eating magazine. I know I've talked about eating clean on this blog before. I have all the books and have recently subscribe to the magazine as well as the email newsletter, and now am also signed up on the forums. I'm thinking this is ultimately the approach I'm going to take to my diet. Which really, just means eating VERY healthy. Eat six small meals a day, which I already do, that contain complex carbs and lean protein, along with some healthy fats and the occassional treat. Emphasis on occassional. That doesn't mean twice a day every day, sadly. And ramping up my exercise routine. Which at this point means starting an exercise routine. One of the most important aspects of the Clean Eating lifestyle is NOT counting calories. It promotes an unhealthy relationship with food and can lead to behaviors such as bingeing which you know I'm all too familiar with. I'm gonna give it a go and see what happens. I feel good about it. I'm ready for it now. I can do it!

Bob rocks my world.

2009-06-23T09:09:00.002-04:00

Last night I got home from work and had every intention of going to the gym. I walked in the door and thought that I might just take one minute of rest on the couch. Then I realized that I was hungry! But there was not much food in the house, so of course I needed to go to the grocery store. I picked up some steak and peppers and onions, went home, stir fried them up and had dinner. It's now 7:30ish. I need to be ready to watch Jon & Kate announce their separation at 9 so I clearly don't have enough time to go to the gym! I have to do something. No more of this sitting around and doing nothing! So I remember that there's exercise tv on demand and I check it out. I think I'll do some yoga. Well, what do you know, there's yoga with Bob!! -->

Yoga is supposed to be calming right? No this was not a calming evening yoga session, this is yoga for weight loss, which translates loosely to "bring on the pain". Ok so it wasn't that bad, I'm just a little out of practice. Not to mention that I have about a 4'x6' space to workout in, and I'm 6' tall... at one point I kicked my makeup table and bottles of lotion and hairspray went flying. Awesome. But I'm glad I did it. And I still love Bob.

Jon & Kate was sad. If you missed it, here's what happened: The kids got new crooked houses to play in, which were really cool, that company is gonna make a lot of money off of that episode. Kate is sad because she doesn't want to be alone. Jon is excited for the new chapter in his life, "I'm only 32!" he says, which sounds to me like "waaahoooo time to get back my twenties!!!" which he's obviously already been trying to do. He also made a comment about the papparazzi being all up in his business and how there are soldiers dying in Iraq but they are more concerned about what he eats for lunch.... dude seriously??? You and your wife put your family into the public eye, you got what you asked for. If you really wanted video to document your kids lives you should've bought a camcorder.

On a lighter note, I bought some nectarines last night and they're in a paper bag getting ripe. I can't wait to eat one, they are my favorite!

Clean Eating Mag, Gluten, Acne, and 5 Pounds.

2009-06-22T15:12:00.003-04:00

There is a great article in the current issue of Clean Eating magazine about cravings and serotonin and dopamine levels. It talks about bad habits that we create and the way they trigger cravings, like for example when you automatically grab a candy bar at the checkout each time you go to the grocery store, and how to break those habits. It's funny how I won't even be hungry but just the thought of eating a cookie, and that feel good response I get from that cookie, will make me into a raving lunatic until I get that cookie!

Sadly, I've gained, rather than lost weight in the past few months. I also am having some serious skin issues. I haven't had this much trouble with my skin in a long time, which makes me wonder, is re-introducing gluten into my diet causing my skin to react? It's possible I suppose. Because I haven't really changed any other habits, and actually, other than eating a lot more gluten, I've been eating good stuff. Well, mostly. Eating gluten has been awesome, I'm not going to lie, but I've had this nagging voice in my head that keeps telling me I'm better off without it. It's really hard to tell because my meds are working so very well. My stomach is in good shape. Yes I wanted to go gluten and dairy free so that eventually I could come off the meds but the doctors have me convinced that that will never be an option. (or will it???) Argh! So confusing. And despite the fact that I'm eating gluten, I still find myself in the gluten free section at Stop & Shop and do you know what I found there??? A ton of Kinnikinnick foods!!! They are now stocking it regularly!!!! I was so excited.

Well, the bottom line is, I still don't know if this is going to be a gluten-free life or not. I'm thinking I just might give it another go and see what happens. If my skin clears up by the end of the week, I'll definitely have my answer. Wait, did I say the end of the week? That means this experiment starts... tomorrow!!! Oh boy, here we go again!!!

ETA: I also noticed in the last couple of weeks that my bruising problem has come back. For a while last year the bruising went away but just recently I all of a sudden started getting mysterious bruises again without any recollection of bumping myself. I have always had this problem but over the past year when I was pretty strict on the GF diet it had gone away. I never linked it to that until this past week when I noticed it coming back, plus the acne. Any thoughts?

Inspiration

2009-06-18T21:07:00.002-04:00

Today was a pretty good day. At the end of work I was looking forward to getting a workout in when I got home. I had a huge craving for peanut butter and I knew I didn't have any at home so I stopped at Whole Foods on the way to the train. When I walked through the produce section one of the workers was re-stocking the strawberries. I hesitated, but kept walking to the peanut butter isle where I saw an old man sampling the almond butter right out of the serve yourself nut grinders. Great. I waited patiently for him to move so I could get what I needed. I was thinking of almond butter for a change but it was too expensive so I just grabbed my old faithful peanut butter. I started walking towards the registers but those strawberries called me back. They had local strawberries, but I wasn't paying attention and grabbed the ones from California. Oh well, they were cheaper anyway. I walked over to the T and broke into the berries right away. (I didn't rinse them, I know... but I'm still alive!) They were sooooo good. When I got home I made the snack you see above. My intentions were to eat that quick snack and head over to the gym. But somewhere in there I remembered that I needed to go to CVS for a prescription refill and also to the grocery store and I was also starting to fall asleep on the couch. I could list a million excuses as to why I just couldn't go to the gym tonight, but I won't. I just didn't go. Oh well.

I was craving peanut butter because I've been reading some new blogs and it seems like they eat lots of nut butters all the time! These ladies are so inspirational and they are really helping me to stay focused while I try to get back on track. Kath, Tina, Jenna, Meghann, Heather, and Caitlin are the lovely gals that are blogging all about their healthy ways and it's really awesome. I love each of their blogs, check them out!

Blogging Rocks

2009-06-18T14:17:00.002-04:00

Well, despite the fact that posts have been slim, readership remains steady. Thanks guys!!! I'm almost at 20,000 views. Who woulda thunk????? I love blogging!

I finally went to the gym last night and got in a pretty solid workout. It felt great. I feel great today. I will go tonight for cardio and core. Maybe hit the heavy bag for a bit.

I wish I had some photos to post! I am not in love with the camera I got for Christmas and my DSLR is too bulky to carry with me all the time. I'm gonna start carrying it with me anyway, I miss taking photos.

Sugar & Spice and my . . . ?

2009-06-17T11:33:00.006-04:00

Today I became a fan of Vin Diesel on Facebook. What's the significance? I don't know. Other than the fact that looking at his photos makes me want to go to the gym immediately. I mean of course I don't want to look like him, but I do want to be in kickass shape like him.

Why is it, that each year I tell myself "this is going to be the year!" and yet my thighs still look like a topographical map of the white mountains. Why is it that when I feel good because I've been eating good, I always think that it will be perfectly OK to eat something gross, just this once, which inevitably makes me feel miserable? Yesterday I had been on a roll for about a week and then I decided that it was going to be the day that I would have a greasy spoon kind of lunch. A BLT wrap with french fries and a brownie (?!?!) for desert, orange soda to wash it down. Had I just eaten the wrap with a bottle of water I would've been fine, but throw in the rest of the garbage and my stomach fought back. Hard. I have been repeating these patterns for YEARS. It's no wonder my intestines are damaged. I imagine there's only so much sugar and fat they can take! It's a vicious cycle.

Well I've HAD IT!

Here's the thing, as you know, I've thrown myself back into the dating pool. It's freezing cold and I want to jump out but if I ever want to really learn how to swim then I must stay in. I must STAY IN. Yesterday or the day before, I forget which, I signed up for a new site that my friend told me about over the weekend. I only have one photo up right now and I know that I need more. The thing is, I don't have a lot of recent photos of myself. I've avoided the camera because the truth is, I am NOT happy with my appearance. Ironic, now that I'm pretty much happy with everything else in my life . . . And it made me realize that until I am happy with how I look in the mirror, I'm not going to be able to be in the right frame of mind to date. I know what you're thinking, when are we ever TRULY happy with how we look? Well, 6 months before I was diagnosed with Crohn's I was thrilled with how I looked. I had worked hard over the years eating mostly right and working out consistently, only to have all that hard work flushed down the toilet (haha). So here I am, no steroids, health issues pretty much under control, and in the best place I could be to bring back the old me. The one that didn't think twice about going to the gym after work.

I miss writing here. I have to admit it. But I've felt a little guilty since I've been eating gluten with reckless abandon and not feeling badly about it. After the past year of illness and tests and concerns about food intolerances, allergies, etc. etc. etc. I just got tired of it and decided to just let go. "Screw dieting, ya know? Eat what makes you feel better." (Thanks FG!) I went out to dinner last week with two of my girlfriends that I haven't seen in a long time. They chose an Italian restaurant and I was hesitant, but decided to just go for it and see what happened. I ordered Chicken Marsala for dinner and had little Italian pasteries for desert. It was absolutely DIVINE. And you know what? It didn't make me sick. I felt absolutely fine. But yesterday, I ate that crap, and it made me horribly sick. Do you know what I think now? Quality food = happy digestion, crappy food = crap.

Do I still believe in food intolerances and allergies and whatnot? Yes, I most certainly do. I just think of it differently now. Every person has her own battle to fight and she will fight it however she must. It's a long, sucky road but ultimately, each one of us will find our answers. What works for one will not work for another. For a long time I thought that going gluten free would cure just about any illness on earth. Have an autoimmune disease? Go gluten free!!! And while you're at it, go casein free too!! It's the only way to live!!! But then I started eating bread again and it wasn't making me sick. How could that be? Oh internet, how you've betrayed me. Talk about information overload.

So what does this all mean?? It means this blog is no longer what it once was. It's time for an overhaul. A new perspective. A more relaxed approach perhaps. What will it be called? Sugar and Spice and my. . . ? I don't know yet. But I want to write more. It's still gonna be about food, just a different approach to food. It will still include foods that are allergy/intolerance friendly and will be marked as such. It will still talk about life with Crohn's disease. And who knows what else? I hope you'll keep reading! It will be interesting to see where I go from here, but I'm starting to feel better already.

No news is apparently good news.

2009-06-15T14:45:00.002-04:00

So here's the thing, I've been feeling pretty good and have had nothing to say about it. I am sooooo tired of talking about food, and Crohn's, and gluten and casein and and and...

I've been healthy. I've been eating pretty much whatever I want. I'm ok with that. It's all good. What does it mean for this blog? Silence. I don't know what I'll be writing about now. Getting through the past year was crazy hard, but this blog and the community that surrounds it was a major help for me. And I feel really awesome. And I am just so over writing about it these days. Ya know what I'm sayin??

I have dated 4 different guys over the past 2 and a half months. I haven't dated that many guys in the past 2 years! It's definitely good to be getting back out there, and my perspective this time is totally different than before, which is also good. I really just want to enjoy the summer and relax for a while. I haven't been able to just relax in so long. It's not gonna be all rainbows and gum drops because we have some work issues to deal with, but it should still be a hell of a lot better than last summer.

I don't know when I'll write again, or what it will be about, but the blog will stay up anyway and we'll see what happens next. I have enjoyed writing and I may be back soon. But for now, I'm just gonna rest.

I'm still here!

2009-06-05T19:23:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack in posts, I haven't had much to write about. Things with the boy didn't work out... but it's all part of the master plan and I have a date with a different guy tomorrow...

In the meantime, check out this video... I absolutely am in love with it.

Results

2009-05-29T14:28:00.002-04:00

Normal. That's what the letter said. All labs are NORMAL. Just like that. She didn't have to yell at me... or maybe she's just excited, YAY! You are NORMAL!! Despite the fact that you have a diseased bowel of course...

The good news is, Celiac disease is officially out of the picture for me. And I'm not intolerant to fructose, now that is something to celebrate! And it doesn't look like I'm intolerant to lactose either. Which still leaves the question of a dairy (casein) allergy out there. I'm not sure if I'll get tested for that. I think really the next step would be an Elisa or Alcat test. Do I really want to go there? Meh. I'm kinda over all these tests. I already know what foods irritate me. The bottom line is this. I have Crohn's disease. It's moderate to severe. Some foods make it act up. I need to avoid those. Sounds pretty simple. I haven't had a rash in months. That is huge. There is no better way to figure out what's bothering me than to just listen to my body. It will be the first to tell me if something is making me sick. I know what those things are now. I'm ok with all of this now. I'm settled. I think all of my questions have been answered. I think it's time to just stop pushing and settle back into a normal routine. I need that. So badly. It's exhausting being so obsessive. I'm tired of it. I just want to relax. I think that's just what I'll do for awhile...

Cupcakes that don't hurt, who woulda thunk?

2009-05-28T15:19:00.002-04:00

Last night I was down in the dumps. I had eaten poorly throughout the day, went home, and curled up on my couch to watch tv. My roommate came home shortly after and walked into the living room with a big box and says "who want's early birthday presents???" and I'm like... what?? What is that?? So I open it and inside I find....

(sorry for the crappy pics, used my small camera, sans flash, and didn't feel like photoshopping)

I was SO excited!!!! Babycakes!!!! She had no idea that I'd been eyeing this stuff for a while now. She just was looking online for cupcakes that were dairy free since the local joints only seem to sell gluten-free, but dairy filled, cupcakes. Needless to say, I dove right in.

I got three flavors, chocolate, vanilla, and carrot. They also sell red velvet which I would like to try someday. They came all individually wrapped with a jar of vanilla frosting on the side:

I tried the chocolate first of course, as you all know, chocolate is my weakness!

It was very dense, not light and fluffy, but it had good flavor. The frosting was delicious. I had been looking for a CF buttercream recipe but hadn't tried any yet. I'm so glad I didn't bake the other night! I tried the vanilla next, definitely not your traditional vanilla cupcake, it kinda reminded me of a Dunkin Donuts plain donut. I froze half the dozen and will eat the other half quickly I'm sure.

If you're not familiar with Babycakes, they are a vegan bakery in New York. They sell many gluten-free selections as well as baked goods that are made with spelt (a gluten grain). Check out their website for more info!

Today is my actual birthday (29!) and my very first birthday wish was sent at 8:15 this morning from none other than... the boy. Totally awesome.

I love suprises.

2009-05-27T21:14:00.003-04:00

Lactose test in the morning, and then when I get back, get ready for my post about my birthday surprise.... I'll give you a hint, it's delicious. My roommate really topped last year's birthday surprise.

I'm such a girl.

2009-05-26T13:35:00.002-04:00

Have I really not posted since last Thursday, date day? Just proves that I'm crazy. Allow me to explain. The date went very well. Very very well indeed. The long weekend was coming up and although I knew that he was too busy, I hoped (too much so) that I'd get to see him. You see, he's moving this coming weekend and not only did he have to go to a couple of BBQ's over the long weekend but he also had to pack. By himself. All his stuff. And he'll be packing the rest of this week and moving next weekend. He said it would be hard to find time to see me, but if he could, he'd call and we'd try to figure something out. He hasn't called. So clearly, I'm going out of my mind, thinking he just doesn't like me anymore. When clearly in his mind, he's thinking we discussed it, I'm cool, and he'll call me when he can. Little does he know.. I'M NOT COOL. Oh yeah, I claim to be "laid back" and "easy going" and all that stuff we say we are to get them hooked. But what he doesn't know that inside this crazy brain of mine, I've already got him dating 3 other girls behind my back. Ok not really. And I actually am pretty laid back, after the initial "are we dating or are we not dating" period is over. But this beginning stuff? I don't handle it well. I just like to skip this part!!

Anyway. I have no intention of turning this blog into my personal dating life blog. I actually try to stay away from all the personal stuff that's not diet related. I just am consumed by this dating thing right now so it's all I've got to talk about.

I haven't heard any results from my Celiac or fructose tests yet. My lactose test is Thursday morning.

Anxiety sets in.

2009-05-21T13:46:00.002-04:00

I've been calm all day and I just looked at the clock and noticed it's quarter of 2. Only 3 hours left before I get to race home, get cleaned up, and meet my date for dinner. This is just about the time when my stomach starts to get all fluttery.. oh yep, there it is! Starts in the gut and then it's like an electric current throughout my body.

Thanks everyone for your advice and words of encouragement. I think that I will keep quiet, unless the subject comes up, for now. See how tonight goes, and then we'll go from there. Now what am I going to wear?!?! It's really hot out and I haven't had a chance to evaluate what's left of last year's summer clothes. I do know that there isn't much to pick from unfortunately, and I don't have time to go shopping.

And then, tomorrow morning, Fructose test. I have to get up at 5am... yuck!

Here's a topic to ponder...

2009-05-19T11:48:00.002-04:00

Ok ladies, (and gents, if I even have any male readers anymore???) here's something I'd love to get your input on. When you meet someone new, how quickly do you divulge your health issues? Typically, unless it comes up in discussion for some reason, I don't mention it. If I'm out to eat with people that don't know, and I'm having trouble ordering, then yeah it comes up. And I'm pretty open about it because I want to raise awareness. I think it's important to talk about, obviously, that's why I blog. But I don't think it's something to bring up at a BBQ, kind of a buzz kill sometimes. Unless said BBQ is with a group of your favorite gluten-free girls.... oooh a GF BBQ sounds like fun, girls?!?!

Well, more specifically I'm talking about dating. If you're diagnosed while in a relationship it's pretty open knowledge right? So what if you're single and out in the dating scene? For the past two years, I've basically avoided dating while I got my health in order. Now that I'm well on my way to healing, I'm knee deep in match.com dates. And there's this guy.... we've only been on one date so far, but it lasted 6 hours. In the middle of the day. Kinda like 2 dates in one almost. And we're going out again on Thursday. I haven't said anything to him yet. I'm afraid of scaring him off. I doubt it would, but still, I don't have a lot of practice telling my dates that I 1. have an incurable disease, and 2. can't eat most of the same stuff they can. I figure it will come out when the time is right. I'm not shy. I'm sure he'll be fine, he's an awesome, super nice guy. It's not like I'm telling him I have herpes.... (sorry if any of you do..)

So yeah, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment. Send a message. Tell me what you think!!!

Baby Steps

2009-05-18T13:04:00.002-04:00

I just made my appointments for my lactose and fructose breath tests. This Friday I go in at 8am for the fructose test. It's a 3 hour long test at which time I have to swallow a solution and then blow into a bag a bunch of times. Same thing for the lactose which is next Thursday at 7am (which also happens to be my BIRTHDAY!!). So I should know by the end of the month whether or not I am gluten, lactose and/or fructose intolerant. Awesome! I'm really looking forward to settling into some sort of normalcy soon.

My long weekend was awesome. And now I have another one to look forward to! I love Memorial Day Weekend!

Two Steps Forward

2009-05-14T16:26:00.002-04:00

I'm back from the New Doc!! It went exactly the way I hoped it would. She was awesome. She spoke very highly of my current doc, but completely understood where I was coming from with diet issues. She said there's no doubt in her mind that I'm dairy intolerant, and she said even if my Celiac test comes back negative, I'm probably gluten intolerant too anyway. She ordered a Celiac gene test so that should tell me for sure. But regardless, the message of today was, you should probably just avoid gluten anyway. Celiac or not. I'm going in for breath tests to see if I'm in fact lactose intolerant and also to see if I'm fructose intolerant. I didn't even know there was such a thing but I won't be surprised if it's positive. How many times have I said that sugar is not my friend? Basically, when talking about what I should and should not eat, she outlined the Specific Carb Diet, without actually referencing it, which is something I'd mentioned a bunch of times here too. That doesn't mean I'm going to dive head first into the SCD, that's totally grain free, but what I'm doing is pretty close.

She also showed me again my colonoscopy results and gave me more details. There is definitely narrowing of the terminal ileum, and significant ulceration, as well as a fistula. She stressed again, just as The Doc has, that my Crohn's is in the moderate to severe category and that I must stay on my medication. Fine with me! And also mentioned Remicade if things get any worse. I hoped I'd never hear that name, and I really hope it will never get that far. I think if I do what I'm supposed to do and keep my diet strict, I will be ok. She said I've probably had Crohn's all my life and it's very unfortunate that the doctor's didn't listen sooner. But I didn't complain enough either, anyway it doesn't matter, it's getting taken care of now!

So I feel a lot better. She's keeping The Doc in the loop with the tests that she ordered, and she said I can take some time and decide if I want to stick with him or switch to her. It's completely up to me. The thought was that maybe once The Doc saw how serious I was about counting diet as a part of my treatment plan, he might change his strategy, and I could also start seeing a nutritionist. I'm going to think about it. I don't have another appointment until July. First and foremost I want to see my test results. Imagine if I'm fructose intolerant too???? Oy.

Ok, it's time for my long weekend!!!!!

A Challenge for You!

2009-05-14T11:35:00.003-04:00

My birthday is coming up. I'm turning 29 for the first time!! I need to find a decadent chocolate cake recipe that is gf/cf and also a frosting recipe. If any of you have one, or have seen one, I'd love to hear about it. I'll be searching the blogs this weekend!

And the clouds rolled in, just in time for the long weekend.

2009-05-14T11:06:00.002-04:00

I'm leaving work in one hour to head up to see the New Doc!!!! Finally the day has arrived!! I hope this goes well.... I will update later.

This morning I signed up to be a Daring Cook! I've always loved the Daring Bakers but I didn't want to bake all the time since everyone around me is trying to lose weight (myself included!). And now that they've just started up the Daring Cooks I just had to join in the fun. Can't wait to see what my first assignment will be! If you're interested in becoming a Daring Baker or Cook, check out The Daring Kitchen.com!

I also have some exciting things in the works, an article, new products, recipes... this blog should be gearing back up very quickly! Stay tuned! Next week will be one year since Crohn's diagnosis. I can't believe it's been a year. I have achieved so much in the past year and I still have a journey ahead, but hopefully the really hard part is over!

Diet what?

2009-05-13T13:04:00.002-04:00

:SIGH: I was doing so well on my "diet" the last two weeks. And then I said SCREW THIS and went all nutso, eating whatever I could get my hands on. This is so typical for me. But instead of throwing in the towel this time I'm just gonna pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back on track. I need to lose this weight, I hate the way I look right now!

I've been frustrated lately with clothes. I like to look nice, but I'm kinda tired of looking like everyone else, you know? I go shopping and buy cute clothes and then I sit down on the train this morning and the girl sitting next to me looks exactly the same. Dark blue jeans, red jacket. I bought this awesome red trench coat that looks great on me, and then I walk around and see a million other girls wearing trench coats. I went out for drinks last week with two girls and they both were dressed exactly alike. Cute black tops, dark blue trouser jeans, and peep toe black wedges. I bought really cute sandals over the weekend. They are kinda platform/chunky and I haven't worn those kind of shoes in years. I'm 6' tall.. these shoes make me about 6'2 or 6'3. I didn't used to have a problem with that but I've been wearing flats for so long, no I feel like a giant when I wear those shoes. But I love them and will not return them.

I know this post is totally not gf/cf related...

On that note, my docs appt is tomorrow!!