Let me start by saying I am not a chef/cook. I am a woman who was diagnosed in 2009 with many food allergies, including wheat and gluten. I was officially diagnosed with Fibromyalgia just a few months later, although I had experienced symptoms much longer. I ignored the food allergy part for a while, because learning to deal with Fibromyalgia took up much of my time.
For those who don't know much about Fibroymyalgia, you have constant, never ending pain throughout your body. You also deal with migraines, loss of concentration and/or the ability to focus, and you are forgetful (aka: Fibrofog). On top of all of that, you have unending exhaustion. I'm talking about feeling like you haven't slept in days, when in fact you slept all night and have taken one or more naps. Somedays just taking a shower makes you as exhausted as if you had just run a race. Therefore, learning to cope with all of this consumed most of my time and thought.
It was while I was reading a Fibromyalgia article on the web that I came across an article that talked about how they are now finding links between food allergies and the levels of symptoms Fibromyalgia patients feel. It is believed that for some patients, eliminating those allergens could eliminate all symptoms.
That finally convinced me to work to accept a new way of eating that was free of my allergens. I also am glucose intolerant, so I work hard to have very little sugar in my diet. When baking/cooking, I always use Splenda.
Eliminating my allergens wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, except for the wheat/gluten part. I love bread. A sandwich is always a perfect meal. Subway was my favorite restaurant. But, if it was going to help my pain or energy levels, then I owed it to myself to go for it. In July of 2010 I committed 100% to a gluten-free lifestyle.
Problem - have you ever tasted most gluten-free foods or recipes? They are bland, boring, and many taste just plain awful. I hated making GF foods when I knew they were going to be bad, so I went on a search. I have tried many recipes from either websites or cookbooks, and found some that were actually really good.
When I say they are good, trust me...they are really good. I am married to and am also the mother of the two pickiest eaters on the planet. I don't like making two different meals, so I know I have to find things that are easy to make, and that taste good. All these recipes have passed the test by them.
I have made a list of those recipes and will share them here. I plan to include a picture with each recipe I list, so you can see the finished product (which I have always appreciated). I also found some mixes or ready made products that were pretty good too, and I'll share those as well.
Also keep in mind that I am not a photographer. I will be snapping photos in my kitchen, so I will apologize up front for informal shots that were taken with regular ol' kitchen lighting. lol
I hope you feel inspired to try these recipes, and if you do, please drop me a line to let me know what you think of it. :)
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