It's end of the month.... and ...

month end at my new job. :-) I lived through it and had a moment of pride. Then I realized that when I go back to work Monday night it just starts ALL over again. That's a depressing thought!

I've been trying to get some batch cooking done, but I find it *really* hard. I probably just need to dig in and start somewhere. I've just about given up planning meals. I just cook large portions of a variety and throw it on the counter. Everyone behaves like it is a buffet... with a 'make your own egg' station. My Hutterite egg man doesn't even bat an eye when I ask him for 5 dozen eggs a week. His kids probably eat the same amount... :-)

Sunshine and I went to the health food store on the way home from the Farmer's Market. We got soap, the aforementioned eggs and a pumice stone at the market, but I was in the mood to see food in packages...

We got Brewer's yeast. I had some on my popcorn tonight. I don't know if any adult can just eat it on popcorn or if you have to be raised that way. It was definitely a taste from my childhood! I also got soy flakes and textured soy particles. The 'particles' are the secret ingredient in my 'chicken' soup.

Then we looked in the freezer... Friends... I've lately discovered gluten free doughnuts ($5.00/ package of six.) They are expensive, but really quite delicious in that 'it's all I can have' kind of way.

When I'm really stuck for something to make I use SOS Cuisine because they have a handy dandy search on their site and you can search for or exclude anything. I searched for gluten free, vegan and alcohol-free and got three pages of hits.

Well friends...

I had a cheese dream... and it was upsetting... and I'm all messed up from it! =8-o The dream went like this: I was sitting at lunch with people I knew and looked down at my plate. There were two slices of cheese on it that were the size of the plate. Imagine if you cut a 1 Kg block of cheese on the long end... TWICE. My dream self said, " I can't eat that cheese. WHY did I even put that cheese on my plate?" Indeed. Why did my dream self even bring it home from the store? Sigh... Only my subconscious knows.

What is the cheese? Is it a metaphor? I just don't know.

See, this is what happens when a person doesn't get enough sleep! They end up blogging about nap nightmares. Let this be a lesson to all of you... :-/

Vegan chili

I got the idea from here. I decided it would be more meat-like if I processed the vegetables in the food processor. And, let's face it, FASTER! Chopping vegetables for 6 or 7 people is time consuming. The inspiration recipe is more beautiful than mine, but I'm sure it is not tastier...

I fried the onions in my large pot first so they were well cooked, but all the other veggies were tender crisp. I added canned corn, leftover chickpeas and brown rice and served it with unsalted stone ground tortilla chips.

I wasn't sure the meatless chili would be a hit, but Brown Bear is beside me and chowing down on it. It is the spices and texture that make foods familiar, though, not the meat.

Sometimes it is hard finding vegan, gluten free food that the whole family enjoys, but I'm pretty happy with this! Very adaptable. :-)

The highlights of my week

I found out that the Fry's cocoa in the small can is gluten free. Imagine my sorrow when I bought the big can and found out that it WASN'T gluten free?!

And I've been perfecting gingersnaps.

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 margarine - room temperature or soft
1 egg
1/2 cup of tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups white rice flour
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
2Tbsp of ginger*
2 Tbsp of cinnamon*
1/4 cup molasses

Bake in a pre-heated oven, 350 F for about 6 minutes. They need to be soft in the middle when you take them off the pan and you have to cool them on a wire rack.

This makes gingersnaps that are a little crispy on the outside, but still chewy.

*I like it spicy. If you like it less spicy then cut back on the spices. :-)

Hidden sources of gluten

Get a hot drink and clear your schedule- this is a long post! :-P But before I get started I want to state clearly that Celiac disease is NOT an allergy to wheat. It is an auto-immune disease. Your body will literally break itself down trying to digest food and the result is malnutrition no matter how much you eat.

I've been talking to a LOT of people this week about hidden gluten. Finding the hidden sources of gluten is SO important if you need to be on a gluten free diet. Something I just found out this week- non food items do not have to list gluten on the labels. This would include lipstick, lip balm, shampoo, envelope glue and toothpaste. I'm pretty sure I would have a chance of ingesting gluten from any of those, though. Another thing I found out - there is gluten in cleaning products. I can only say, "WHY?"

Not hidden, but something you might not think about - play dough, vitamins and medication. This might be OTC medication or prescription medication. Alternatives do exist if you go looking for them, though. I buy gluten free vitamins at Costco (but they have them at the grocery store, too) and a bright young man has invented Soy-Yer Dough.

Gluten can also be hidden in food. You know those handy packages of pre-grated cheese? They use wheat starch to prevent it from sticking. Same with chewing gum. It is used to keep the gum from sticking to the conveyer belt. I assume that is why it is in chocolate chips, too. I don't really know about that one. Gluten is also in malt... malt vinegar... maltodextrin. Maltodextrin can be made from corn or wheat, but if it doesn't say in brackets after it on the label you can assume it is wheat. And that is how gluten is hidden in things like potato chips and dry roasted nuts.

And now many links if you are interested.

Gluten free cleaning products.

Non-edible sources of gluten.

Hidden gluten list

Gluten in medication

Extensive list of hidden gluten

The week of vacation...

I'm using it to have a Lord of the Rings marathon with the kids and perfect gluten free gingersnaps.

I'm also using the time to clean up all the things that I know need to get done, but I have been putting off or haven't had time for. This whole working thing really cuts into the rest of your life!

I found out a lot about myself this week. I'm not really lazy- I'm tired. I don't get a proper rest at work and I don't get ENOUGH sleep.

I've been off dairy for about a month, now, and I feel like my gut is starting to heal. I have been very careful about any gluten or dairy, too. I threatened to declare war against the leader of the Gluten Eaters. Last time they brought bread into the house I got sick. This time I told them that if I get sick - it's WAR. This is a Mom-archy. The Mom-archy of Kim. The rebel faction was unmoved, but did put the bread into the gluten cupboard.

Now that I've had some normal digestion I want it to continue. :-)

Okay - seriously! You must all feel SO rejected!

Now, for those who don't know I've started another job and am the team leader in the group home where I work. It's a lot to remember and keep on top of. That is where my brain has been!

The rest of me has been here doing school with the boys and trying to get a little food made ahead. The good news is that my vacation (Stay-cation...) starts in .... about ...75 hours... more or less... Not that I'm counting.... =8-P

I think I'm going to have a Lord of the Rings marathon. The kids are also putting on a play for me. I still have to make the costumes for that so no play until the costumes are done.

Today I made delicious imitation deli chicken. I assume it is delicious - it is for Thursday when I don't get home until 4 pm. The method: Take two chickens and pat them very dry. Then rub olive oil all over them and give them a wonderful massage. Then play with a couple lemons until they get very smooshy, cut them in half and squeeze the juice over the tops of the chickens. Stuff the squeezed bits into the cavity along with peeled garlic cloves. I did one bulb for two chickens. Then salt and pepper on top and bake! I did 350 degrees and 20-30 minutes/ lb.

I did about the first 45 minutes uncovered so the skin could get crispy and added a little water when it looked like they might burn to the pan. It's really pretty foolproof, though.

I scraped a little of the crispy stuff off the bottom and it was delicious! You can also add fresh rosemary- if you like it and you can get it.

So I've got one chicken for Thursday and one chicken for the freezer. Very handy. I did have to fight off a very large, hungry boy when he smelled it come out of the oven, though, so be warned.
This chicken may have to be defended against a hungry hoard.