Paradise Lost

Please note...this is in NO way a post bashing Margaritaville, their food, service or care in providing me a safe GF dinner.

No, if anyone is to blame it is me...for not checking my condiments :(

Yesterday I had the most amazing burger and fries. Today I'm so itchy I do believe I've rubbed my face clear down to the stratum granulosum layer of my epidermis and so exhausted it feels as though my musculoskeletal system has disintegrated and I have no strength with which to move my mass which feels more massive than ever. I CAN move...my brain is telling me that it FEELS like I can't.

I should've known better.
Check your condiments.
I swear I've checked Heinz 57 sauce before and found it safe but I could be imagining things because I'm not thinking very clearly...see note above...

I knew something was up this morning when I pooped.
Yes folks, this is my blog; poop is one of the symptoms that led me on the search for the cure to what ails me so when the poop ain't right, I know something is wrong.

Yesterday's intake was perfect and I was fanatical about where we ate out and what we ate and the staff at the restaurant was meticulous in their preparation and delivery...so what could it be?

On a hunch I jumped on the Heinz site and took a gander at their Gluten Free list.
NOTE...I'm in no way bashing Heinz either...they have a LIST right there on their site and there's a ton of products I've since added to my shopping list but...
Guess what...Heinz 57 sauce isn't on their GF list.

So today, because I didn't check
I'm uncomfortable to the point of scratching my eyes out
I've lost 2 hours of work
and all I wanna do is sleep...

I'm also just a tad bit miffed.
Can't help it...gluten turns off my filter...
I don't wanna read every label
I don't wanna research every possible derivative of dextrose and sorbitol (which, by the way, is in lots of toothpaste so it's a good idea to research your favorite brand)
I don't wanna eat plain, condiment free food...

but then again, maybe I do
not because I will feel better
but because it will taste better...my fries last night were fandangtastic on their own...and the burger...OMG so good
I didn't need to crack open the bottle.

I need to remember Louis the Lifeguard's words of wisdom...

Childhood Memory Cookies?

My co-workers are DA BOMB...even though I'm the only GF'er in the bunch at every company function or meeting they make sure there is something nummy that I can eat, they email me or text me when they see a new GF product at the grocery store and remember...it was a co-worker who turned me on to the most perfect pizza. I'm blessed to work with such awesome peeps and (I'll admit) kinda proud of the education they've gotten just because they know me! Shoot, this very blog was created because a friend of a friend wanted to pick my GF brain!

This week's meeting was a special treat! I guess I gushed over previously mentioned pizza so...WOO we had GF pizza, the whole lot of us. There were fresh veggies and other gnoshings to choose from and everyone was careful to point out what I could and could not sample from (can you feel the love?)

One work buddy brought Glutino Lemon Wafers , I had only ever tried the chocolate version, but given my aforementioned love of Yoplait's lemon parfait I couldn't wait to try one.

Childhood memory #1



A communion wafer



I'll admit, my first bite wasn't all that but because I give EVERYTHING a chance...

My second bite wasn't too bad, the lemony-ness kicked in.

Overall it was a nice, refreshing flavor, not too sweet -- not too tart.

In my head, I still preferred the chocolate ones.

I tried some again the next day

Childhood Memory #2

Trix cereal straight outta da box

Day two trial brought back fond childhood memories (not that Catholic school was a BAD memory, but who wants a cookie that tastes like a communion wafer?) It's been forever since I've eaten cereal. I don't really miss it, and I don't think much of it has any nutritive value, but day two cookie trial reminded me of Trix cereal...dry, munching by the handful while watching Saturday Morning Cartoons.

So go grab yourself a box of these cookies and enjoy!

"Mom's" Tuna Casserole

This was fan-dang-tastic
I've made it before with tinkyada pasta shells but this week was a "cook what you have in the cabinet" week  so I used up the Lundberg wild rice from the scallop recipe last week.

This is sorta kinda my mom's recipe. I don't think it exists anywhere in writing so it's how I remember my mom putting it together as I watched from atop the butcher block when I was a kid. I've made it a bit "healthier" by using fat free/lowfat ingredients without compromising taste. My fam ATE IT UP

1 cup uncooked wild rice
1 8oz package sliced mushrooms (we always go portabello)
1 can Progresso Creamy Mushroom soup or Amy's Organic Cream of Mushroom soup (both are gluten free)
1 package frozen peas
1 8oz package fat free shredded cheese
2 4.5 oz cans solid white tuna
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the rice according to package instructions **if using Lundberg, the cook time is 55 minutes so start the rice early**
Add all ingredients to rice in a large mixing bowl and stir until mixed well. Remember, this soup is NOT condensed so you do not need to add any milk or water.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
I sprinkled a smidge of shredded monterey jack cheese over the top during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Mom used to add buttered bread crumbs to the top of this which made a fantastic "crust" but probably added a gajillion calories and I really didn't miss them in this final version!

Super duper tasty!
Replace the peas with broccoli and the tuna with chicken for a nice variation!

Sticker Mania

When I was a kid I LURVED me some stickers!
I still have 3 or 4 albums full of stickers from the 80's ...I'm hoping they'll fund my sabbatical when I'm ready to start writing my novel...
Stickers!
Puffy, scratch and sniff, garbage pail kids, and unicorns out the wazoo

I have a new favorite sticker.
It makes me dance in the aisles at the grocery store....really, just ask our stock manager Brandon!

See that little blue dot with GF?
It's my new favorite sticker.


I even found a cute little lemon sticker!



A month or so ago I noticed these little blue dots on the shelves of my local Publix store. They make it easy to spot Gluten Free products while shopping. Now, the product has to be labeled GF in order to get a shelf sticker, but it sure helps when something new comes along! Like the awesome Dairy Delight Yoplait Parfaits! Lemon is definitely my favorite so far!

I remember many a very long trip to the grocery store reading labels only to be frustrated with the handful of items I could put in my cart.

These little blue stickers make grocery shopping more fun and even inspire spontaneous aisle dancing!

**I still always check ingredients on a label, companies can change ingredients and or distributors which can impact their GF friendliness so be sure to double check!