What's On My Plate...

This past Saturday marked 12 weeks of living my gluten-free lifestyle. I believe this is the longest that I have ever 'stuck' with anything of this nature. Yay!

Overall the experience has been a great one. My tummy is happy and I rarely feel bloated. When I occasionally do, I believe it could possibly be due to cross-contamination. I don't worry too much because it's not an everyday thing, but I do take note and try to figure out what the culprit may be.

My energy levels are up a bit, and my mind is clear...despite living the chaotic life of having young kids in school, taking care of our living space, etc...  :-)

I think my prior experiences with trying to eat healthy and figuring out food sensitivities has really prepared me for going gluten-free. I was already used to cooking and baking from scratch, and focusing on fruits, veggies, and grains...so it has really been a matter of checking into products that are on hand or that I am thinking about buying, to make sure they are free from gluten. I have been able to make simple substitutions to continue enjoying many of the foods I love. Overall I don't really miss anything, except pizza. I love pizza and just haven't attempted making a gluten free crust, YET. I usually substitute brown rice or quinoa for crust. Later this week I plan to add a page link at the top of my blog with various gluten free tips/substitutions/etc.

The more simply I eat, the easier my life is.

Originally I had planned to 'test the gluten waters' at week 12. Well...I'm two days past that mark and am sticking to my gluten free ways. I am working on letting my foot injury from the summer heal - and by 'working on' I mean that I have been icing my foot, using crutches, letting my hubby do the grocery shopping, letting my mother-in-law help out with a few things, and generally trying not to over-do things. (I visited the doctor after our move to get an x-ray; nothing was broken and the doctor said, "I know this is unrealistic with a 4 and 5 year old, but just try to stay off of it as much as you can for a couple weeks." A month later, I am trying to follow his recommendation...) The crutches have been 'interesting', and I have managed to do quite a bit - including cooking/baking, lots of stairs, etc. Yesterday my MIL's walking boot came out (she broke her ankle last year). She had mentioned it before, but I wasn't sure about it. The crutching is creating problems with my 'good' foot, so I decided to give it a shot. It actually wasn't too bad. I even played ping-pong at my niece's 8th birthday party yesterday :-) It's getting better, but taking time.

I still plan to 'test the gluten waters' at some point, but decided that it wasn't worth the risk while my foot is in the healing stage. When the day comes...as much as I'd love to eat a Davanni's Deep Dish Pepperoni Pineapple with Pink Sauce, or any pizza from Papa Murphy's, I will keep it simple. I will make something at home that I've made a few times during the past 12 weeks (pancakes, muffins, etc.), but setting aside my gluten-free flour collection so I have just one variable. I figure this is the safest way vs. eating something processed (pasta, store bought bread, etc) that contains other ingredients out of my control. :-)

Time to move around a bit after resting my feet for a long while! Look for my new page link at the top later this week! It will mainly be a place for me to jot down substitutions I've made, tips on products I've bought, and ideas for people considering going gluten free to realize that it doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, etc. to eat in a way that could possibly change their lives for the better!

Make this a fantastic week!

p.s. I'm slowly making progress on my new 'baby'...aka project!

My New 'Baby'...

My new 'baby' has been brewing for quite a while! Although I still have some prep work to do, I am anxiously awaiting its arrival later this year.

I have many feelings that come with such a big life change...excitement, fear, happiness, wonderment, etc. Some of the common feelings that someone entering a new adventure such as this may endure.

Once I get my prep work done, then I am hopeful that things will be smooth sailing for the duration. I realize that there will surely be hectic days, many challenges along the way, and frustrating times, but overall it will be an enjoyable time filled with successes, learning lessons, fun times, and lots of love - these I pray will overshadow the others.

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My Prep List*:

1) A Name.
I will continue the process of coming up with a name...this has been a (fun) challenge as I want to come up with a completely unique name which also has meaning to us.

2) Setting Up A New Place
I have some potential colors picked out, and a few design ideas, but I need to see how I can make them fit together. I'd also like to come up with some nice photos to put on the wall. Design is not my strong point, but I have several people who can give me great input.

3) Supplies/Things
I already have a lot of things that I'll be able to use, but it would still be nice to get a few new things to help along the way.

*I have to note that I am not alone in this; my hubby will be by my side to lend a hand in many ways as time goes by.

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I'm sure there are many other things to add to the list, but these are the big ones. I will  always have my scrap paper/sticky note "To-Do" lists here and there...to help me along the way.

I'll continue to post about any progress along the way and am hoping for an arrival sometime before the new year is upon us!

Make it a great day!

UPDATE to clarify confusion in case my family wonders why I would break this kind of news on my blog:
My new 'baby' is actually a project that I have had on my mind for quite some time, and with my hubby's support and encouragement I am working to make it a reality. This is big for me, especially after floating for a while, not knowing what I want to do with my 'life' - I've considered this, but never thought of it as being what I "do". Praying with some hard work it can be just that...what I "DO". Very excited to share it - but need to tackle #'s 1 and 2 on the above list first. Hopefully sooner than later :-)