Turkey Day Differences....

Week 3

In a nutshell it was an okay week, still need to figure out the lunch/snack situation during a work week that doesn't require a ton of spending but I'll get there :-)

This weekend was our 6th Annual Boulder Turkey Day dinner and my second year brining the turkey. WOW what a tasty turkey if I do say so myself. I think everyone enjoyed the day, I really enjoy having a "misfits" sort of Turkey dinner for those that are in the area that may not have their immediate family to enjoy the holidays with.

Dinner went off about an hour late (one of these years I will figure this out and cook accordingly or tell everyone dinner is at a different time ha ha just kidding ALWAYS ALWAYS worth the wait and always works out perfectly!!) but the bird was still tasty and not over-cooked! Although need to make sure I have some gluten free flour on hand next time, the bag definitely stuck a bit to the skin of the turkey (see the bum bum lol)

Tasty Tom

Discovering Gluten Free Stuffing on-line was definitely a highlight, ran out of time to bake it in the oven so had to resort to using microwave... and when it first came out I was a bit leery at the texture, but after it sat there for another 10-15min and was time to eat dinner I didn't even realize I was having GF stuffing so that was FANTASTIC!! It's hard to miss out on Jason's homeade stuffing, but I do highly recommend this product to other GF folks!

You can find this product on-line at http://www.celiac.com/glutenfreemall/

Next up - Greenbean Casserole - I wish I had studied this item sooner, this is by far my most favorite side dish of Jason's, each year it taste better and new people at the table always rave about it long after and also look forward to it the next time. We originally had a game plan to omit the onion strips on the top so I could have some, but as we were preparing it, I realized it has cream of mushroom of soup which makes it a Gluten filled dish.... talk about a let down, but thankfully Emily showed up with some of the tastiest brussel sprouts I have had in a long time and I just focused on those as best I could. (not going to lie, obviously bumming me out since it is a day later and I am still thinking about it, but now I need to do some research for a good GF greenbean casserole).

Here are a few more shots of the day:

GF Appetizers

The tasty spread

The Gang eating Turkey Grub

What is Turkey Dinner without some parting gifts &
the Annual Hand Turkey winner prize - Congrats to Emily - Winner 2011




Last but not least - My Team Gluten Free package came this weekend, so I thought the best way to dive right into things would be to do my Saturday morning workout with Jess in my new jersey!
Carter always love a good pose bright and early in the morning! Can't wait to get my fundraising page up and see how many kiddos I can help get to camp next summer!!! Cheers and have a happy Gluten Free week!!

TEAM GLUTEN FREE
Fundraising Info to Follow!

Initial Lessons Learned from Week 2

Week 2:

Okay so not exactly finished with the 2nd week but I have made lots of observations this week that I am making sure become "Lessons Learned" early on!!!

Lesson Learned #1 - Need to better plan for work days. Last week seemed much easier, but this week I realized I wasn't prepared at all. I think part of this lesson learned is I need a new lunch carrier. I need to find one that I love and that isn't too bulky, but also can keep things cold for an extended period of time. So that will become my research over the next few days. Any good suggestions??

Lesson Learned #2 - I hit my first real "bread craving" on Tuesday night this week so I found myself at Mod Market and I got my first GF pizza... the M'Rita and it was delicious, and yet another great factor was the entire thing only had 601 calories, it was delicious and nearly helped with my yearning for a big delicious pizza... crust is very thin but I still think it will be a great alternative.

Definitely a high 8 out of 10

Lesson Learned #3 - Okay so I knew I had had the GF Mac n' Cheese from DeBole's before and was happy when it was on sale last week so got a couple of boxes. Well since I had the DeBole's last, I have had Annie's brand several times which I LOVE more than regular mac n' cheese (note to my doc: see I was trying to make baby cuts in the wheat factor over the past couple of years... ha ha) but as with most GF items the price is about 30% more. Long winded explanation that I will be keeping my eye out for sales on Annie's brand going forward... I know I mentioned the goal of doing this primarily thru non-processed ways, but hey I'm not perfect and still know I need the comfort foods as back ups!!

5.5 out of 10 for me

Lesson Learned #4 - There are GREAT YUMMY treats out there... I hope someday I can lose my urge for treats... actually I think it is far beyond hoping at this point, I LONG for it :-) Not only are Udi's choc chip cookies a must but I found WOW pumpkin spice bite size cookies this week at Ideal Market. Then today after Jess and I were done running we took a stroll thru the Farmer's Market and there was a booth there that had GF chocoloate zucchini bread... actually just typing this again I know I have to take a walk down to buy a piece or two before the market closes for the day.

In a nutshell: I had some stronger cravings this week than last, but I found some close substitutes. I found ways to meet my treat cravings, but little bummed I ate less fruits than last week. I didn't pack well for work days, but I know I need to find a good lunch box (yay I am still a grade schooler inside). I just have to get better at understanding my snacking habits, as I know I do better with the multiple little meals than 3 big meals. So this weekend I will spend more time on Sunday night prepping for the week ahead!!

As always thanks to all of you who continue to be a huge support... I actually also find that the jokes have helped... like last night Nat and I were talking about what she might bring to our Annual Thanksgiving dinner next week and she was thinking mac n' cheese in the crockpot... ha ha oops I can't eat that, but told her she should DEFINITELY bring it b/c everyone would love it. Then we were making the salad for dinner and I realized I can't have croutons, shucks... so of course we get ready to eat dinner and the comment was made "you CAN have a baked potato right? there isn't any gluten in them?" Just made for a good laugh!!!

Here is a great picture from the storm we had this week, over 5 years here and I fall more and more in love with Boulder every day!!

WEEK ONE - Somehow already in the Books

October 24, 2011

And just like that... one week is in the books and I have been asked a few times if I feel any different? Answer... not sure.

YES I have done more activity the past week and felt motivated to make plans and had no urges to lay on the couch this weekend and watch 6hrs of television while drifting in and out of sleep. So that would lead me to believe some progress is being made.

YES it was also a near perfect weekend in Boulder, so the change could be related to the perfect fall days, fresh air and beautiful sunshine.

YES I have already found an addiction to Udi's GF Chocolate Chip cookies so need to go cold turkey and not buy anymore for a while... classic foodie though, the first one I had I wasn't too sure of the texture or the taste, by the second one I was already planning when I should eat another. The best part though is 2 of them are only 150 calories. I think that is pretty decent!!

Either way, I hope this just keeps progressing so I can keep feeling better and get more packed into my days.

Highlights from Week One:

• Awesome response and support from friends
• Being back into a cooking groove (so nice to get some veggies in the diet again)
• Exploring new food options
• Sharing multiple GF meals with friends: Jason, Jessica, Kate, Brittney, Chaun & Rebeccah
• Some great workouts

Couple final pics from wrapping the week up:

Baked Chicken Breast in a GF Peanut Thai Sauce

Served with a bed of greens, golden yams, roasted onion with freshly squeezed lemon juice

Breakfast - another bundle of veggies, white turkey sausage and egg whites

AWESOME purchase I got on-line at:

http://www.celiac.com/glutenfreemall/glutenfree-grocery-shopping-guide-2011-2012-edition-p-1551.html

(Note: Dee they also have a GFCF Guide)



Some Initial Observations...

Excited that this outlet has made the adventure fun so far... here are the latestet and greatest observations:

Observation #1 - http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/ is an AWESOME website/smart phone application. It was the first gluten application I downloaded to my phone and I have already used it :-)  No matter where you are it will lead you to places you can eat out safely. Just another thing to make it seem like a little game and of course makes it easy in mixed company. In our business there are definitely going to be times that I have to go out to lunch for projects. Today I brought my lunch just in case, but low and behold LoneStar has a GREAT GF menu!!

Observation #2 - The staff is quickly becoming educated (well okay since this is new to me maybe they have been educated for quite some time). On top of knowing their menus, it seems they now have a lot of knowledge when waiting on GF folks. Twice now I have experienced wait staff that have been more than willing to help me figure this out. Kate and I went to the Rio for dinner and our waitress didn't hesitate in the slightest to ask out back about something she wasn't sure of. Then at a business luncheon today on top of the very detailed GF menu, they provided several suggestions, and then not only one but 2 waitstaff members came out to check on my order and ask me questions about my food to make sure I was okay with how it was coming. 

WOW - how great is that!!! Of course, I feel really lucky to live in Boulder where a lot of people just naturally lead a GF life, so options are endless here!!!

Few pictures of the past 24hrs:

Day 2 Yummy lunch - jasmine rice, quinoa, cucs & peppers

Turkey burger with cucs (ended up not eating the GF bun, got super soggy and had an odd texture - so first product to go on my don't buy again list)

Rio - First GF menu out and about

HUGE Thanks to Kate for treating me to my first restaurant GF meal

and giving me the push to use my voice and ask the questions I need to learn to ask!

Day 3 Breakfast

The good news - this is a cereal I already ate before this week!!

HIGHLY recommend!!!!

Here was my first temptation today at a work luncheon....

Me = 1, Temptation = 0





It's in the Details

Good Morning...

So a few of you have asked me more information so I probably didn't explain where I am at very well :-)

The doctor did a First Step approach and did comprehensive Celiac blood work which came back that I am positive for the gene. Since that was coupled with my extremely low Vitamin D, she took the first non-invasive approach which is to "simply" cut out Gluten. I love my doctor, she likes taking the natural approach to things first which my body usually responds best to. Like the sleeping issues long ago and her having me just add in Melatonin rather than prescribing me a sleeping pill. Or coming off another med and rather than doing it thru more meds she gave me a combo of Vitamins to take.

Anyhoot, I think this is a combination of things for my doctor #1 to get me off Wheat once and for all. Blood work shows that I am allergic to it, she has tried for 2 years to make me stop eating it... so the positive test plays into her hands on this one ha ha!! #2 - if removing gluten from my diet allows for me to naturally feel better than I think at the next appointment in 8 weeks we can discuss next steps at that time.

Gutt Feeling? I think I obviously have a natural intolerance to it and my body has tried telling me many different ways but I haven't listened, so this can only be a good thing.

In a nutshell, from the research I have done you can be a positive gene carrying but not have the disease active. But for me just knowing that I carry the positive gene means I want to learn as much as I can and of course make sure I don't wake the sucker up :-)

I do have to laugh though, in discussing this new adventure with a couple of friends I got some similar feedback "wait what?? you can be more energetic than you already are?" - I think my favorite one was from Darren (the superintedent on one of my projects) "we are going to have to tie you down if this is you with low energy"

Thank you so much everyone for all the positive loving responses already. I have some of you joining me in the journey to a gluten free diet, some of you are sending me websites & recipes, some have just reached out to say they are there for me, and I even got a phone call congratulating me on my first day done late last night... I can never say enough how INCREDIBLE my support system is and how easy all of you make it for me to smile and feel loved!!!

Here are just a couple of snap shots of  my day yesterday and the delicious breakfast that I whipped up this morning after a killer shaking class at Bar Method at 5:45am!

OH YESSSS!!! Not only are my favorite chips Gluten Free they are CERTIFIED GF (lower left corner)

WOOOOHOOOO

Chicken, golden sweet potaters, broccoli and bit of orange pepper...

Of course the type A in me wishes I had filled the plate differently with splitting the colored foods, and placing each dish on my fun table cloth makes it so much more festive don't you think??

Day 2 - Breakfast

Just looking at this makes me hungry again!!!

Hope everyone has a fabulous day and don't forget to do something to make someone smile, it will make you smile two-fold!!!

Love, Joni

And so it begins....

What did you do when you found out you couldn't eat Gluten anymore??? Me....

I decided to give it a proper goodbye and eat something I knew I will miss

What better way than enjoying some Cinnamon Rolls!

Back Up:

       

                 How did I get here? Well truthfully, probably not like most Gluten intolerant people, but over the past year and a half I have been losing my motivation at an increasingly disappointing rate. I kept chalking it up to a combo of burnout from Ironman training, getting older and well for the most part beating myself up because I thought I was losing my once inner drive that has kept me moving.

                 Because of my allergy to Mango, my doctor did some food allergy testing 2yrs ago, at which point we discovered I was allergic to wheat. My response to her at that time: But I don't feel bad when I eat it, her response to me "you would feel better" these exact 2 sentences went back and forth a couple of times and I left the office not thinking much about changing my eating habits. Mistake #1

                 Fast forward 2yrs sitting back in her office and she asks "what dietary changes have you made" me "I have given up eating fruits and veggies" or so it had really seemed. I was in for just a physical but we talked about my energy level being down and she brought up the wheat factor again and said that she was going to run a Comprehensive Celiac test just to rule it out.

                 Late Friday evening I get a call from my Doctor's office, alarming - a little, and I was told that my Vitamin D was extremely low and that I was to immediately start taking 4000-6000 I.U.s daily and go back in 12wks to retest. Luckily my friend Patty is a doctor and she helped me feel better about the research I was finding on Google (sometimes Google can be a bad thing I think). Regardless, I started taking it immediately and was really confused b/c I have extremely high bone density, and for those that know me, all I really consume is milk and water and heck I live in Colorado, where there is rarely a lack of sunshine...

                 Which brings me to yesterday October 17, 2011, the doctor office called to tell me that I tested positive for the Celiac gene (there was some more technical terms used, but I can't remember) and was told to immediately come off all Gluten and go back in to their office in 8 weeks. I was walking down Pearl Street, it was still early so not a lot of activity on the Mall and I just teared up. (side note: at least this better explains the low Vitamind D, Celiac reduces the bodies ability to absorb Vitamin D)

                  Not sure why that reaction, but I think it partly has to do with the fact that I now have a "restriction" and again if you know me, you know that I don't do well when I am pinned down. Not the best trait but it is a part of who I am. I also frequently turn to food for comfort. I am admittedly a comfort food eater. So I talked to a couple of friends, reached out to a couple more who I know live a Gluten Free life and then began the research and the actions to make this change. Emptied my cupboards of almost everything and hit the grocery store for some basics to start with. So now my cupboard looks like this:

My ideal goal though is to do this without relying on all of the processed Gluten Free items that are out there, so I have enlisted a couple of friends whom I trust deeply to help with that process. But let's face it, for now, I'm still a comfort food eater, that will take some time to work on so I wanted to be equipped for those days that I know are going to creep up on me while I give up something that has been a huge staple of my diet for many many years! Prices of breads etc. are much higher than regular breat, but yesterday I found out that you can get a tax deduction for living Gluten Free and to top it off I got coupons that are worth their weight in gold:



October 18, 2011 - DAY ONE!!



After a great workout at the gym this morning I came home and cooked up my first Gluten Free meal to start the journey. Nothing at all magical, and probably not very interesting to anyone but I wanted to document it for my own sanity and also use this as a way to keep honest to myself in this journey and learn meals that start me off right or need some tweaking along the way.



 Using the smaller plates is key for me :-)

Last but not least, since I never really do anything 1/2 the way, I have joined Team Gluten Free thru http://www.celiac.org/ and once I get my packet from them, I will start an effort to fundraise as I begin training for my 1/2 Ironman in June. Although my symptoms aren't nearly as severe as others who have to live their lives Gluten Free I want to make sure that I help those who are severely impacted in the best way I know how, GIVING BACK!

I don't expect anyone to really read this, but thank you if you do, and if you have any tips along the way, I am all ears!! I know I keep saying this won't be fun, but I can't wait for the first morning I wake up and feel like myself again!!! Until then... here we go...