(Relative) Health

I seem to have picked up some variant of flu/cold/plague/ebola yesterday, which has me sidelined from life today (unless, of course, you count eating frozen chocolate covered banana slices as being in the game). This minor illness has got me thinking about some of my long-term health issues. ...Just a little thinking with the teeny bit of brain power I can muster when the evil dwarves inside my head aren't punching the inside of my skull with their brass knuckles and pouring acid down my tender throat. 


Sometimes it is easy to get down on oneself because of long-term health related issues, such as gluten intolerance. I know that this is something I struggle with from time to time, because I'm not just a glutard -- I'm broken in many ways. If I had lived before science and it was truly survival of the fittest, I would have been selected against as a child when it became apparent my visual capabilities were in the realm of 20/600. But hey, I look cute in glasses. That last sentence was brought to you by optimism! When I so start to feel like my health issues are preventing me from enjoying life to its fullest, I take some time to pause and think about all of the things my health does allow me to do. Like go for long walks, read books and look at fabulous things in magazines, craft delicious meals, make my friends laugh, and so on. Sure there is some stuff I can't do, but there is plenty I can, too. Sometimes I also engage in a little downward social comparison (aka, It Could Always Be Worse). Gluten intolerance is shitty, but it isn't as shitty as actually having brass-knuckle-clad dwarves living in your head. Neither gluten intolerance nor any of my other health issues will kill me as long as I am a responsible adult and exert the effort to manage my care. Life isn't easy and sometimes it takes active effort to find things to be happy about. Sometimes my gluten allergy is hard to cope with, but then I remember how lucky I am to be surrounded by people who are willing to adapt with me to meet my needs. While acknowledging this doesn't instantaneously make me feel better about my health, it does remind me that no one ever has to face their health challenges alone. If you feel alone, be brave and take the first step to find help. You're not alone. 


And on that serious note, I am off to make more tea with honey and devour some more frozen banana slices. Effing dwarves. 

Help a Sal Out!

Check out Already Pretty, one of my favorite places on the internet. Not only will you probably love it as much as I do, but you'll also be helping out Sal, who issued the following plea:

So, this is me swallowing my pride: I’m gonna ask for your help and hope earnestly that I’m not overstepping. I am trying to push through a big Already Pretty-related initiative that has turned out to be frustratingly traffic-contingent. (Meaning it has stalled out because the Powers That Be say I don’t get enough hits.)...

So that means Sal needs hit. And you probably need another way to procrastinate. There is something for everyone over there, be it tips for self love and acceptance, pretty pictures of fabulous outfits, style inspiration, and gift ideas (lookin' at you, boys! ;-) ), to name a few. 

So do a gal a favor and help a Sal out!

Super Simple Strawberry Scrumptiousness

I've caught the recipe bug, so I am going to share the "recipe" for the cake over which I am obsessed right now. 
(Note: I resisted the urge to end that sentence with a preposition! A+ in English Grammar for me!) 
(Second note, this is a lazy, glutard adaptation of a recipe I found here.)

1 Box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix, prepared according to directions
Approximately 1 cup frozen strawberries
8 oz cream cheese
1-3 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla
A few droplets of milk

After Betty works her magic, it is your turn to shine. Puree 1-1.5 cups frozen strawberries in a food processor and stir them into the batter. When well-mixed, pour into the baking dish of your choice and bake according to box instructions. The extra moisture may warrant a couple of extra minutes in the oven, so use your best clean-toothpick judgment... for me, one time it did and one time it didn't.


You can either buy a container of cream cheese frosting to top it off after it cools, or you can make my Fabulously Fast Frosting Featuring FCream FCheese. To make your own cream cheese frosting, combine room-temperature cream cheese with some powdered sugar (maybe 1 cup? depends on your specific tastes and how thick you like your frosting), 1-2 tsp vanilla, and JUST A TOUCH OF milk. If you add too much milk, your frosting will taste fine but look like a bodily fluid. Don't say I didn't warn you. 


Top with springy sprinkles to really bring the jazz. 


Go forth toward obesity and diabetes! Enjoy!

Speaking of Recipes...

I realized after I posted the link to my friend's recipe blog earlier (methinks I will re-post it here for your linking convenience) that I haven't written a post about one of my favorite recipe blogs, which can be found here.

I love Crockpot365 because the recipes are simple, gluten-free, and delicious. Basically, you grab some ingredients, toss them in a crockpot, go to work for the day, then come home to a hot and tasty dinner. What more could a girl ask for? ...Except maybe to come home to a hot significant other serving up the hot meal (take this as your hint, George Clooney). If you're looking for a place to start on the blog, I highly recommend the Buffalo Chicken Lasagna. I've made it for my friends numerous times. At each dinner party, they show up twitching slightly like heroine addicts awaiting their methodone fix. I recommend serving it with a salad with g.f. bleu cheese dressing and some wine. If you're lucky enough to live in a multiple-crockpot home or have the foresight to plan you meals in advance (I am lacking in all ways mentioned), you could even make crockpot brownies for dessert. Brownies you say? Why yes! Crockpots are magical! She has books that you can purchase, too! I own her first one and it is full of dog-eared pages and notes to myself about substitutions that have worked when I was too lazy to walk to the grocery store. Have I mentioned how forgiving crockpots are???

So now you have no excuse not to try something new and tasty this week. Meanwhile, I'll be slogging through my leftover g-free Easter ham. 

Recipes!

What up, blog-o-sphere?

Just letting you crazy cats know that one of my good friends just started a recipe blog, http://perfectrecipeproject.blogspot.com/. Because she's amazing, she is also going to note which recipes can be easily adapted to be glutard-friendly. As a frequent consumer of her cookery, let me tell you that these recipes are definitely worth making!

Keep on keepin' on. More content to come as final projects release their death-grip from my neck.

G-Free Resource for Children and Parents

While on my lunchtime lap around the internet, I came across a website with a nice introduction to the gluten-free diet that included a version aimed at teens, and a version aimed at parents. Knowledge is power, folks!

G-Free Experiment

Kudos to Heather and Hangry Pants for her g-free experiment! Going gluten-free for any reason takes a lot of effort if you want to do it right, and I applaud her curiousity and initiative. As any of my friends who have been kind enough to try to adjust their potluck contributions for me are well aware, hunting for gluten requires the utmost attention. However challenging it may be, though, there are some perks to being aware of gluten.  

For me, as I commented over at Hangry Pants, my gluten intolerance has made me a better eater. I pay more attention to what I eat (because I have to), I have learned to cook new things, and I have learned how to get creative and adjust foods so that I can enjoy them. Being g-free has also helped me to become a more adventurous eater -- I am open to trying far more things than I was before. My initial transition was hard, but the overall experience has actually been empowering. I have a culinary confidence that I lacked in my gluten-full life. Best of luck to you, Heather! And thanks to Jane for pointing this out!