Yesterday we started cleaning out the cupboards. Dh and I have decided that the family is going to live without gluten for a month. The kids are all on board, too, but slightly less enthusiastic.
Well, they were pretty excited yesterday when I said to eat all the perogies in the freezer... ;-)
It all started when I had my Stay-cation (that is a vacation at home - for those of you who don't watch Corner Gas) and I refused to cook the entire time. I bought a lot of bread and sandwich stuff and left the family to fend for themselves. By the end of the week Sunshine was sick, sick sick...
Sunshine has always CRAVED pasta. You *could* get between her and a bowl of macaroni, but it wouldn't be safe... and I've mentioned to her before that I didn't think that was normal. She was much more willing to try an elimination diet when she was sicker than a dog.
For the last 2 months + she has been as faithful to the gluten free diet as she can be and her health is MUCH improved. She hasn't gained any weight, but she looks like she is a healthier weight and she isn't PALE anymore. It is noticable enought that many people have commented on it.
In an effort to streamline things and make her life a little more fibre-filled we got some whole grains and were trying them all. I started feeling really good then I ate barley and felt not so good. That was when I started looking around the house at the rest of us...
Dh - depression and anxiety.
Me- Osteoporosis, chronic sinus infections and numerous digestive complaints
Don't Know, Don't Care- Irritibility, fatigue, and severe PMS (One time I threw a chocolate bar at her in order to distract her and save myself... Not my finest moment, but I was in danger!)
Sunshine - Cyclical vomiting, choronic ear infections and numerous digestive complaints
Brown Bear - Chronic sinus infections
Schmidt - Chronic sinus infections and NO sense of smell
So I was talking to the Dr yesterday (who coincidentally did his internship with pediatric celiac patients...) and he said that gluten is hard to break down and "your diet will improve if you stop eating gluten regardless of whether you have Celiac disease or not."
We were going to try it for a month anyway, but when I came home armed with that tidbit the kids were more willing to try. We packed up all the food that has wheat, gluten and all the hidden gluten and it was a lot. REALLY a lot. There is wheat in everything, but we started looking and there are lots of wheat free/ gluten free things, too.
There are new labelling laws in Canada and that makes it a LOT easier to find the gluten. Companies that aren't trying to hide gluten will tell you on their websites which products are gluten free and which aren't.
This project is really challenging us to look at our relationship with food. Food *should* be something that takes time to cook and doesn't come out of a cardboard box. It also doesn't have to be four food groups and dessert. Boy is that one a tough sell for me!
We begin officially on Sunday, but most of us are starting today. 'Don't know Don't care' is going over to her friend's house to 'wheat it up' tonight though... :-)
Oh, and I've already been asked about cake. I make delicous gluten free cake... I'm not giving up chocolate cake...
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Bead love
When I was little I would visit the farm where my mother grew up. It was a simple, wholesome (read: no TV...) place. I was fed milk still warm from the cow and played with sticks and chased chickens. Well, I chased chickens until I got caught by my Grandpa who would bring me to my Grandma.
My Grandma would usually try to engage me as 'helper,' but sometimes she would put me in a quiet room with the button box. My first love is cake, but my second love is beads. This unnatural bead love comes from sitting on my Grandma's bed with the button box.
So, when I found out that my new Team Coordinator, Curly Sue, makes beads... that's right... *MAKES* beads- I nearly swooned! This morning she said she has an Etsy store so I took the bus to get home faster and look at them. She said, "it is only six beads."
If I made ONE bead I would carry it with me, in my pocket, and show everyone that I ever met. For the REST of my LIFE! Because I love you all I will share... :-)
My Grandma would usually try to engage me as 'helper,' but sometimes she would put me in a quiet room with the button box. My first love is cake, but my second love is beads. This unnatural bead love comes from sitting on my Grandma's bed with the button box.
So, when I found out that my new Team Coordinator, Curly Sue, makes beads... that's right... *MAKES* beads- I nearly swooned! This morning she said she has an Etsy store so I took the bus to get home faster and look at them. She said, "it is only six beads."
If I made ONE bead I would carry it with me, in my pocket, and show everyone that I ever met. For the REST of my LIFE! Because I love you all I will share... :-)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Tea and Cake- or death.
If you know who Eddie Izzard is you will think that is funny. If you don't ... You'll think - WOW! Kim is *Weird* with a capital W. True enough, but I'm not talking about my weirdness, today. I'm talking about cake.
So, Brown Bear turns 17 in about a week and a half and my thoughts naturally turn to cake.
This is Zu. She is from Singapore. Her blog is called quick and easy treats. It seems 'easy' in a way that few detail oriented North Americans can replicate... My favourite part is where you just HAVE 30 egg whites to make this cake.
The Zebra Cake... basically a marble cake. Seems like we are narrowing in on something. Wouldnn't it be great for a party where you had to take it and impress a bunch of people?
The blob cake.... Now we are talking... This cake has gone too far in the other direction. Too many chemicals and colours, but I am going to steal the blob idea.
Wouldn't it be fun, I thought, if it was done in shades of chocolate and made into a camouflage pattern? And chocolate on top?! There would be very little food colouring in that... :-)
I thought this was a very versatile idea, though, and you could do shades of pink for little girls or your child's favourite colour. Or a white cake with smaller blobs of colour. I have thought of a lot of unit study enders in the last couple days...
This is a good time of year to look for sparkle sugar in the bakery section of your store. It is a lot cheaper than edible glitter and nearly as wonderful. Of course you can dye your own sugar, for free, with one drop of food colouring or (bit on the end of a toothpick if it is gel) and stir it up.
I know! I am an evil genius of cheapness! You may now praise me without holding back. ;-P But before you run off and post my camo cake idea on all your lists and every soldier's wife on three continents comes running over to look at it- just remember that you saw it here first.
Alright- that's all. I know all you can think about is cake, anyway, right? Go bake!
:-)
So, Brown Bear turns 17 in about a week and a half and my thoughts naturally turn to cake.
This is Zu. She is from Singapore. Her blog is called quick and easy treats. It seems 'easy' in a way that few detail oriented North Americans can replicate... My favourite part is where you just HAVE 30 egg whites to make this cake.
The Zebra Cake... basically a marble cake. Seems like we are narrowing in on something. Wouldnn't it be great for a party where you had to take it and impress a bunch of people?
The blob cake.... Now we are talking... This cake has gone too far in the other direction. Too many chemicals and colours, but I am going to steal the blob idea.
Wouldn't it be fun, I thought, if it was done in shades of chocolate and made into a camouflage pattern? And chocolate on top?! There would be very little food colouring in that... :-)
I thought this was a very versatile idea, though, and you could do shades of pink for little girls or your child's favourite colour. Or a white cake with smaller blobs of colour. I have thought of a lot of unit study enders in the last couple days...
This is a good time of year to look for sparkle sugar in the bakery section of your store. It is a lot cheaper than edible glitter and nearly as wonderful. Of course you can dye your own sugar, for free, with one drop of food colouring or (bit on the end of a toothpick if it is gel) and stir it up.
I know! I am an evil genius of cheapness! You may now praise me without holding back. ;-P But before you run off and post my camo cake idea on all your lists and every soldier's wife on three continents comes running over to look at it- just remember that you saw it here first.
Alright- that's all. I know all you can think about is cake, anyway, right? Go bake!
:-)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Extreme (?) frugality...
This month I've been measuring food and being more thoughtful about what I eat. I am not restricting calories, but eating only the amount of food that I need and not more. So far I've lost about 14 lbs in 3 months.
The first two weeks was TOUGH! You know who wants to eat a half cup of pasta? Me! Four times in a row! Once I got used to the smaller portions it was a lot easier.
Now I'm eating a lot of whole grains and counting fibre. I need 25 grams of fibre/ day. I'm getting the hang of it. I'm adding ground flax to my morning oatmeal. Lunch is always soup so I've been making big pots of whole grain & vegetable soup and the family LOVES it! The last couple nights for supper I've made a whole grain/ gluten free option for Sunshine and I.
One night the men had perogies and I had whole grains with fried mushrooms and onions on top. Brown bear likes those spinach pizzas that come in a box 3/ $10 so I told him that he could make that himself and last night he did. Schmidt made a quick stir fry one night and we just mixed the millet in with the veggies instead of serving it on a bed of rice.
Cabbage is on sale at Co-op next week... :-)
The first two weeks was TOUGH! You know who wants to eat a half cup of pasta? Me! Four times in a row! Once I got used to the smaller portions it was a lot easier.
Now I'm eating a lot of whole grains and counting fibre. I need 25 grams of fibre/ day. I'm getting the hang of it. I'm adding ground flax to my morning oatmeal. Lunch is always soup so I've been making big pots of whole grain & vegetable soup and the family LOVES it! The last couple nights for supper I've made a whole grain/ gluten free option for Sunshine and I.
One night the men had perogies and I had whole grains with fried mushrooms and onions on top. Brown bear likes those spinach pizzas that come in a box 3/ $10 so I told him that he could make that himself and last night he did. Schmidt made a quick stir fry one night and we just mixed the millet in with the veggies instead of serving it on a bed of rice.
Cabbage is on sale at Co-op next week... :-)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Aloo Gobi
Since my sweet sister, Jam Tart, asked...
4 tsp Ghee (I used olive oil)
1/2 tsp cumim seeds
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 inch (4 cm) piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
1 fresh green chili, seeded and thinly sliced (I used dried red chillies)
1 large head of cauliflower
1 lb large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (I used leftovers)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1/4 tsp of salt
Heat your oil or ghee then stir in onion, ginger and chili, stir for 5-8 minutes until the onion is golden. Stir in cauliflower and potatoes, followed by all the spices. Cover the pan and reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer until everything is hot and vegetables are soft enough to make you happy.
You can make it a more traditional yellow curry by adding a little tumeric (1/4 tsp or so) but it isn't necessary. Everyone in the house liked this. It doesn't seem like it would be very filling, but it is and if you use leftover potatoes it cooks very quickly.
4 tsp Ghee (I used olive oil)
1/2 tsp cumim seeds
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 inch (4 cm) piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
1 fresh green chili, seeded and thinly sliced (I used dried red chillies)
1 large head of cauliflower
1 lb large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (I used leftovers)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1/4 tsp of salt
Heat your oil or ghee then stir in onion, ginger and chili, stir for 5-8 minutes until the onion is golden. Stir in cauliflower and potatoes, followed by all the spices. Cover the pan and reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer until everything is hot and vegetables are soft enough to make you happy.
You can make it a more traditional yellow curry by adding a little tumeric (1/4 tsp or so) but it isn't necessary. Everyone in the house liked this. It doesn't seem like it would be very filling, but it is and if you use leftover potatoes it cooks very quickly.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Grocery shopping
I do not grocery shop according to the traditional, frugal method. I don't shop with a list except for things I need and don't want to forget. When you get to a certain age... not everything sticks.
There isn't usually more than ten things or so on my grocery list.
I look at the flyers and see if anything is an especially good sale, but it usually isn't. I am always on the look out for a really good deal, though. For example- one week this summer cauliflower was on for a really good price. I bought about 10 heads. We had cauliflower in soup, stir fry, aloo gobi, boiled, mashed and mixed with mashed potato and under cheese sauce. The family didn't really realize that they were eating cauliflower every day, but they were.
Whatever is avaialable and affordable- that is what we eat. Sometimes it is a little challenging to come up with meals from the ingreadients that I have in the house, but that is when I stretch myself and try some new recipes- like aloo gobi.
If fruit is on sale we try to get a case per month. I hate those thin plastic bags that rip when they are full and when you are buying fruit for 6 people the bag better be full! Today we got a 40 lb. case of apples for $35. Sometimes when you buy a case you get a little better price on it, but it depends on their mark up.
When I'm done with the flyer sale items (always at the front of the store,) fruits and veg I go through the bulk whole grains. We are buying a lot more whole grains now that Sunshine can't eat gluten. She cried two big tears when we had chicken balls for lunch today! :-(
After the whole grains we go up and down every aisle and get the few things on my list, but we mostly look for unadvertised sales, marked down items and discontinued products. Some examples of things from todays shopping trip:
Unadvertised sales: Cheemo perogies- $2.40 off, Stash tea - Save $2.58 on two boxes, mouthwash- save $1, tapioca 50 cents off.
The only thing we were' shopping for' was mouthwash and bought the one that was on sale. We all like perogies, but don't usually buy them because they aren't gluten free and the large bags are expensive. Since they are on sale we will eat them when Sunshine girl is working! :-) Stash tea is my favourite and I never buy it (or any herbal tea) unless it is on sale. Today the stash tea was the same sale price as all the other tea. Tapioca... it was on sale and it is gluten free ... and I hope Sunshine likes it...
Discontinued and marked down items. At my store marked down items are about 70-75 % off and discontinued items are 90% off. Some of the things I got today include whole grain crackers $1.44/ box, box of yogurt $2.75, and dark chocolate mousse $.68. The pudding is gluten free and we are all pretty happy about that!
Things might be marked down or discontinued because they are close to the expiration date, they weren't a good seller or they are getting rid of them so they can change the packaging. The cashiers tell me that a lot of people won't buy them, though, because they think something is wrong with the products.
We have bought some things that weren't absolute favourites, but nothing that was inedible. Fortunately Schmidt has no sense of taste or smell and he will happily eat pretty much anything.
We try for a good balance of the food groups and it isn't all about the money. We have a budget that we stay under, but we are definitely not going to eat the cheapest food there is just to save a few dollars. For example, if the crackers I bought today had been anything but whole grain I wouldn't have bought them.
There isn't usually more than ten things or so on my grocery list.
I look at the flyers and see if anything is an especially good sale, but it usually isn't. I am always on the look out for a really good deal, though. For example- one week this summer cauliflower was on for a really good price. I bought about 10 heads. We had cauliflower in soup, stir fry, aloo gobi, boiled, mashed and mixed with mashed potato and under cheese sauce. The family didn't really realize that they were eating cauliflower every day, but they were.
Whatever is avaialable and affordable- that is what we eat. Sometimes it is a little challenging to come up with meals from the ingreadients that I have in the house, but that is when I stretch myself and try some new recipes- like aloo gobi.
If fruit is on sale we try to get a case per month. I hate those thin plastic bags that rip when they are full and when you are buying fruit for 6 people the bag better be full! Today we got a 40 lb. case of apples for $35. Sometimes when you buy a case you get a little better price on it, but it depends on their mark up.
When I'm done with the flyer sale items (always at the front of the store,) fruits and veg I go through the bulk whole grains. We are buying a lot more whole grains now that Sunshine can't eat gluten. She cried two big tears when we had chicken balls for lunch today! :-(
After the whole grains we go up and down every aisle and get the few things on my list, but we mostly look for unadvertised sales, marked down items and discontinued products. Some examples of things from todays shopping trip:
Unadvertised sales: Cheemo perogies- $2.40 off, Stash tea - Save $2.58 on two boxes, mouthwash- save $1, tapioca 50 cents off.
The only thing we were' shopping for' was mouthwash and bought the one that was on sale. We all like perogies, but don't usually buy them because they aren't gluten free and the large bags are expensive. Since they are on sale we will eat them when Sunshine girl is working! :-) Stash tea is my favourite and I never buy it (or any herbal tea) unless it is on sale. Today the stash tea was the same sale price as all the other tea. Tapioca... it was on sale and it is gluten free ... and I hope Sunshine likes it...
Discontinued and marked down items. At my store marked down items are about 70-75 % off and discontinued items are 90% off. Some of the things I got today include whole grain crackers $1.44/ box, box of yogurt $2.75, and dark chocolate mousse $.68. The pudding is gluten free and we are all pretty happy about that!
Things might be marked down or discontinued because they are close to the expiration date, they weren't a good seller or they are getting rid of them so they can change the packaging. The cashiers tell me that a lot of people won't buy them, though, because they think something is wrong with the products.
We have bought some things that weren't absolute favourites, but nothing that was inedible. Fortunately Schmidt has no sense of taste or smell and he will happily eat pretty much anything.
We try for a good balance of the food groups and it isn't all about the money. We have a budget that we stay under, but we are definitely not going to eat the cheapest food there is just to save a few dollars. For example, if the crackers I bought today had been anything but whole grain I wouldn't have bought them.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Decluttering
You know that feeling you have when you move into a new, empty place? That is what I'm going for, but without the move!
I have decluttered my environment as much as I'm reasonably able. I have kids who are 18 and 19 1/2 and the few extra things that I have around here are going to go with them when they move out. The 18 year old is chomping at the bit and can't wait to go.
Anyway- now I've started on all the OTHER clutter in my life. I got on the national Do Not Call list. I still get the recordings... and the bill collectors who have the wrong people... but it is not 5 or 6 calls a day like it was before.
The other thing I'm decluttering is email. I've had my address for about 8 years and I haven't been as protective of it as my home address. So I've signed up for newsletters and 'special offers' and a lot of educational things. I figured out they don't REALLY want to help me or save me money- they only want to market to me. They are email FLYERS and they must all go.
I'm coming down to the end of that, I think, and the next thing I'm going to tackle is television. How much television am I watching for background noise? Quite a bit I think.
I have decluttered my environment as much as I'm reasonably able. I have kids who are 18 and 19 1/2 and the few extra things that I have around here are going to go with them when they move out. The 18 year old is chomping at the bit and can't wait to go.
Anyway- now I've started on all the OTHER clutter in my life. I got on the national Do Not Call list. I still get the recordings... and the bill collectors who have the wrong people... but it is not 5 or 6 calls a day like it was before.
The other thing I'm decluttering is email. I've had my address for about 8 years and I haven't been as protective of it as my home address. So I've signed up for newsletters and 'special offers' and a lot of educational things. I figured out they don't REALLY want to help me or save me money- they only want to market to me. They are email FLYERS and they must all go.
I'm coming down to the end of that, I think, and the next thing I'm going to tackle is television. How much television am I watching for background noise? Quite a bit I think.
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