weigh in

Well, I weighed in and lost anything at all!!! Oh well, I am still working on how to do this as a low carb and gluten free/dairy free. I didn't gain weight so that at least I can be proud of.

On a completely unrelated note, Princess Belle came home and asked for pancakes for Pancake Day. I looked up a recipe and made her some gluten free (NOT LOW CARB) pancakes that turned out really well. I also made a syrup that was extremely popular with her and Prince Charming (IT WASN'T LOW CARB EITHER)

Here is the gluten free Pancake:

Gluten Free/Casein Free Buckwheat Pancakes

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1-1/2 cup almond milk
• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• 3 Tbs. molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk until combined--do not overmix. Pour by 1/3 cupfuls onto preheated and greased griddle. Serve hot with syrup.

gluten free dairy free Syrup

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon gluten free margarine
1 tablespoon flavoring of your choice. (I used strawberry)

Stir and heat syrup until sugar is clear and it turns slightly golden. (about 3 or 4 minutes).

Spicy Beef and Macaroni

(not low carb, but kid-friendly, easy, gluten and dairy free and too good not to share!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cup water
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cup GF elbow macaroni
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 cup GF barbecue sauce

Directions

In a deep skillet, brown the meat. Add the diced onion and green pepper; cook until tender. Stir in water, macaroni and barbecue sauce.

Cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, 6 to 8 minutes

Hits at our house.

I tried GFCF Vegetarian Gravy yesterday for supper. I used it but made it non-vegetarian with ground beef, used cornstarch and added mushrooms. It was totally yummy! I would totally recommend it as a sauce for beef and broccoli served with mashed turnips. It was a smash hit with the whole family and definitely one I will be using again.

I am experimenting with new ways to use the nutritional yeast that I bought the other day. I really enjoy the flavor it adds to things and it makes up for the fact that I haven't been able to find any gluten free bouillon.

I am also really enjoying microwaved flax bread. It has been a great way to have sandwiches and toast for breakfast and such for only 3 net carbs.

Shopping trip and Question

I went shopping today. I had fun roaming through the health food section and finding all sorts of things I want to try. I spent half my budget there, but I am excited. I have Nutritional Yeast, Guar Gum, Soy Flour, three different kinds of milk, and all sorts of things I haven't been able to find. I am trying to build up a pantry of things to have on hand that will make eating in a gluten and dairy free manner much easier. I even manaaged to stock up on extras of every day stuff like baby food and formula and eggs. I love days when I can actually feel like I am starting to rebuild the extras I had in my cupboard before I had start all over again in a gluten and dairy free way.

I am having fun looking for gluten free/dairy free/low carb foods. I am going to try to be as healthy as possible doing it. And I will share what I find. I will also find some gluten free/dairy free/non-low carb stuff for Princess Belle. (She is by far skinny enough and I would like her to up on a little weight). Do you want me to share those recipes as well??

Thoughts

Doing Low carb goes relatively well with being gluten and dairy free. The only thing I am finding hard is the cheese. I am really missing it a lot. I really want to make a cheesecake too, but there is the cream cheese. Oh well, this will get easier, I know it will.

In the meantime, I am pleased to be cooking one meal for the whole family. It is low carb, gluten free and dairy free. Princess Belle gets lots of carbs all the other times of the day, although she gets a kick out of eating the same things as me and as long as she is eating healthy, I am cool with that.

I ordered a new cookbook that is for kid-friendly allergy recipes. I think it will be superhelpful in finding recipes for Princess Belle.

I am getting a bit stuck on recipes that are gluten free dairy free and low carb for suppers. I am kind of in a rut. I will have to go through my blog and see what strikes my fancy I guess.

As much as this way of life makes things complicated, I look around my house and see how much more I am getting done now a days and I know it is worth it and I know this will get easier with time.

On Princess Belle's new way of eating

So Princess Belle is doing well. We went out and got our hair cut the same way and she says we are twins. She likes that she has to eat the same thing as me, it makes her going gluten and dairy free a lot easier. She hasn't had a lot of complaints about it.

I told her that we are having fun trying new foods together. (I do give her more carbs than I get, but she hasn't noticed that.)

This morning we made microwave flax bread and I cut it into slices and made us egg muffins with rice cheese. We decided we didn't like the American flavored rice Cheese but we do like the pepperjack and we love love love the nacho flavored! I have three kinds of milk in the fridge to see which one I like the best to replace regular milk.

I am hoping to get some scales this month if I can swing it. I would love to know how I am doing weight-wise. It is so hard to stay motivated when I have no idea what I am accomplishing.

Shopping thoughts

So, I am preparing to get the groceries that will enable us to keep Princess Belle on a Gluten Free Dairy Free diet. I know that first and foremost shop around the edges of the store, meats, fruits and veggies. I am still trying to sort out what she can bring for her lunches and snacks at school. This is all so new to me.

On top of that I am switching Prince Charming and I to low carb as well as gluten free and dairy free. Which makes grocery shopping even more complicated.

And, I have no idea what to do with all these gluten and dairy filled groceries left in this house. I can't have them up here in the kitchen where they are a temptation to Princess Belle. So I will either have to give them away or store them in the basement.

On the other hand, I am also worried about convincing Princess Belle not to trade her lunches and snacks at school. It will sabotage everything we are trying to do for her.

It would be easier to let her eat what she wants, but I want her to be the best her she can be. I would love for her symptoms to disappear and her life be easier. I hope that doing this diet will do that for her. I would love it if a year from now, she no longer looks so tall and slender. I would love for her to fill out a little and look healthy. I would love the bags under her eyes to disappear. I am hoping this will help.

Conversations in the glass castle

Here is a conversation that I had with Princess Belle. I have to say, it made me so happy! (and it made me laugh):

Princess Belle: Mommy did your belly get smaller?

Me: What do you mean?

Princess Belle: Well, before you looked like you still had a baby in your belly, but you don't anymore. Now you just look like Mommy.

Me: (in my head I am dancing a little jig and yelling woohoo at the top of my lungs) Well I probably did lose some weight in my belly.

Princess Belle: okay (runs off to play)

Me: What is her allowance? I need to double it.

Prince Charming: Mommy, she doesn't get an allowance. Double nothing is still nothing.

Me: Its a deal!

Prince Charming: Mommy that is not very nice (laughing)

One more thing

To add to my excitement, after one too many calls from the school and too many months waiting for our next appointment with the doctor, we have decided to try Princess Belle out on a Gluten free dairy free diet to see if helps her out. Anything at all to improve life for her is worth it. I am just more than a little lost on how to do this for her.

I am at least lucky enough that she has broadened her horizons on which foods she will eat. I will have to stop having her get her lunches at school. I called them and after talking to them, I am convinced that they are completely unaware of what contains gluten. (They said that they could make some accommodations for a gfcf diet like leaving mayo off of her sandwiches!!) After speaking to them, I decided there was no way I could trust them with her diet.

So now I am off to research school lunch ideas. And other ideas on what to feed a gfcf child.