Back in School….Back to Blogging

Another new adventure I am having, is going back to school.  I am signed up for the Web Design program at MATC.  My first class is Social Media Marketing.  One of the first assignments is to create a blog and blog about something that interests us.  That is when I looked and realized I hadn’t posted anything here since the beginning of May.  To be completely honest, I don’t think I have tried any thing new since then.  Life has gotten in the way, mostly work and a week long road trip to Texas.

But, now I am back!  Back in School, and Back to Blogging!

So, here is a post about my new back yard garden.

 

As someone who never ate vegetables before, I never imagined I would be excited about becoming an urban farmer.  OK….so maybe I am not an urban farmer yet, but I have started a small back yard garden.  Today I got Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas and Peppers planted.

If I am able to get any of these to grow, it should give me some great stuff to blog about.

In the mean time, thanks to my new class, I am off to find some new recipes that are both gluten free and also going to give me the opportunity to try some new foods I would normally turn my nose up at.

 

 

No Cheat Days or Fad Diets for Me

Before a few months ago food was just a thing I ate.  There were points in my life that I didn’t eat nearly enough of it to be healthy, and there were points where I ate way to much.  But, it was never something I had to think much about.  If I was hungry, or upset, I ate something….anything!

While talking about other people’s food allergies I often joked that “I Love Gluten”.  And, to a degree I did.  I ate very little  fruits and veggies, and went heavy on the gluten.  (Not that I actually knew what gluten was)  I just ate what was tasty.

For the last few years at work we have had mandatory blood testing done.  Two years ago my thyroid levels came back higher than normal, but I was told by a nurse through a mandatory one-on-one session that the levels weren’t high enough to be worried.  So, I didn’t bother with them.  Then last year, during the mandatory blood testing my thyroid levels were even higher.  A quick check of Google and WebMD I found that the levels were high enough for me to consider getting further testing.  A couple of more blood test later and I was diagnosed with a condition where my body produces antibodies that are attacking my thyroid causing it not to function.  Without much research I was referred to an Endocrinologist who seemed to only be concerned with putting me on meds to mask my symptoms.  Anything from acid reflux, fatigue, indigestion……and the list goes on.  I was getting so little help from the Dr., back to Google and WebMD I went.  I quickly found that the first thing I should have been advised to do once getting the thyroid diagnosis was to remove gluten from my diet.  I did a bit more research , made another useless trip to the Dr., and decided on my own I would try eating Gluten Free to see if any of my symptoms went away.  Within three days the acid reflux and indigestion I was struggling with for so long with was gone.  I am at about 2 months Gluten Free and feel noticeably better.

Although I didn’t get much support from my Dr. on the gluten free suggestion (I am convinced he is getting paid by each pill he prescribes) he ran a Celiac blood panel for me.  Of course, he did the blood test after I have been gluten free for 2 months so I wasn’t holding out too much hope for the test to come back positive.  I figured it would just be a way for him to prove to me that his thyroid pills were the only thing I needed.

Earlier today I got the Celiac Blood Panel results back as a weak positive.  The levels of antibodies in my blood were elevated enough to be able to say that I am in fact reacting to gluten.  More of my own research told me that when these tests are performed the person should be on a gluten diet for several months.  So, who knows how much more elevated they would be had I not made the choice to go gluten free two months ago.  There are other tests that can be done to come up with a more accurate positive, but that would involve me eating gluten again.  And, I am not ready to do that to myself again.

This positive test only proves to me that I was not crazy when I walked into my Drs office two months ago asking if I  changed what I ate would it solve some of my medical issues.  It also reinforces to me my need to be careful with everything I put in my mouth.  Because although I may not have immediate symptoms, my internal organs may be suffering without me knowing.

When I talk about being gluten free, I don’t get any cheat days.  I don’t get to go out with friends for pizza and ignore the fact that one slice of pizza may make me sick for days.  I also am not on a fad diet, trying to be like all of the cool celebrities trying to drop a quick 10 lbs.   I am doing this only to be healthy with as few pills from the Dr. as possible.

I have an appt. with an Integrative Medicine Dr. in June that will hopefully be able to put me on a path to better health, minus bottles of pills.

But, for now, Gluten Free is my reality.  I have used up all of my Cheat Days.

My Confession – I Didn’t Try It!

OK…since the title of the blog is “Picky Eater Confessions” I have a confession.

I went to Ono Kine Grindz (a Hawaiian restaurant) in Wauwatosa this weekend with the Yelp International Supper Club.  I always try to make a conscious effort to try something new.  Rather than just sticking to my same old picky eater habits.

My confession is that I had several opportunities to try something new, and admittedly a bit scary.   We had both Kim Chee and Ahi Poke at the table as an appetizer.  Once I was told that the Ahi Poke was raw Tuna, I immediately said, “No Way”.  I just wasn’t feeling too adventurous.  But, I was willing to give the Kim Chee a try.  I put a small bit on my plate and overheard someone say that it is pretty much just rotted cabbage.  I was done!  I stuck to my purple sticky rice, pulled pork and carrot slaw.

I didn’t have a drop of adventure seeking in me that night.

I will have to make it back there one day, when I am feeling a bit more adventurous and give them both a try.

A Tomatillo is Not a Tomato

One of the foods I have always stayed away from, and continue to struggle with are Tomatoes in anything other than sauce form.  Now with El Rey 2 blocks away, I see Tomatillos every time I walk through the door.  I have always assumed they were tomatoes, so I just stayed far way.

While watching television recently a show was explaining that tomatillos aren’t a tomato, but rather a fruit related to the gooseberry.  I became intrigued with the little green ball covered in a paper husk.

Last night I started with the easiest of tomatillo recipe’s, Salsa verde.  I simply had to boil them, and mix them in the food processor with a jalapeno, onion, cilantro and lime juice.  It was Delicious.  I had it on chicken last night, and on tacos tonight.

Another food to add to my list of likes!!

 

A First Date – Me and Salad

In my last post I questioned if salad and I could coexist, or even been in a committed relationship.  Well, most relationships have to start with a first date.  And, that is exactly what I did last night.

I went to The Green Kitchen in the Milwaukee Public Market and got their pear, garbanzo bean, walnut and craisin salad topped with a house made vinaigrette.  With a pear, apple, cinnamon and honey juice on the side.  It was as far away from a burger without the bun as I could get.

I finished the entire salad, and felt pleasantly full.  I can only hope that the salads continue to impress and not start getting lazy on me.  Or would that be me getting lazy on the salads?

Here is to a successful first date and a promising future.

Can Salad and I Coexist?

The last few days I have been going out to eat.  I have ended up at places that serve mostly burgers, sandwiches and fried food.  They also had several salads to choose from.  I am finding that I am defaulting to a burger with no bun and fries.  After last night, I thought to myself, with all of the changes I have made eating gluten free in the last month.  And, all of chances I am taking with trying new foods.  Is it possible for salad and I to coexist……or even be in a committed relationship?

Instead of taking leftover chicken wings to work for lunch, is it possible for me to make a fresh, healthy salad the night before?  In the past,  I would have answered, Absolutely Not!  But, in the last few months I have tried and liked so many new vegetables, that I really think it is possible.

Why am I trying to cut gluten out of my diet, if I am just going to replace it with hamburgers and chicken wings?  Seems a bit ridiculous when I actually think about.

So, here is my declaration to the world.  Beginning now, I am going to give salads a chance.  I know that the options are unlimited, so there is no way I am going to fail!

If you are out to eat with me, do me a favor when I say I am going to order a burger sans bun.  Give me tap and ask me if that is really my best option!  Thanx in advance!!

First Brussel Sprouts….Now This!!!

Well…..If I had to pick between brussel sprouts and asparagus, I think asparagus would win!  If I had to pick between asparagus and juicy cheeseburger with bacon and avocado…..asparagus would not be winning anything.

I took the opportunity of the holiday to cook the asparagus I had sitting on my counter waiting for me to get the nerve to try it.

Much like brussel sprouts, I was worried that if I didn’t cook the the asparagus properly they weren’t going to get a fair shake.  I would hate asparagus forever, and it would only be due to my lack of knowledge on how to cook them.

A few Google searches and I came up with pretty easy instructions.  Cut them in pieces, boil them for a few minutes, coat them in oil, parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

They were actually fairly yummy!  A nice fresh flavor that I didn’t expect.  I could definitely see adding asparagus into my regular meal rotation.  I look forward to throwing them on the grill or roasting them up in the oven.

A sentence I never though I would say, “Yes, I like asparagus”.

 

I Actually Ate a Brussel Sprout!!

This may have been as big a deal as the oyster adventure was.  Mostly because I haven’t found too many people who actually have something good to say about brussel sprouts.  When I mentioned that I was going to be trying them I got comments from “They taste like feet” all the way to “You are going to have some wicked gas”!  So, Why would I try them?  Well, I figured that after I sucked down a raw, freshly shucked oyster, whole, out of the shell……how can I not eat a little green vegetable?

I did my research on how to cook them and ended up taking the advice of a co-worker.  I cut them in half, boiled them for about 8 mins, then cooked them in a cast iron pan with butter, onions and garlic until I started to see some color on them.  Used them as a side dish for baked fish, and I had a meal that I wasn’t super excited about….to be honest.

If I am going to continue to be honest, I can say that they weren’t all that bad.  I ate what was on my plate (minus the one big one that ended up there).  I would definitely be up for trying them again, with a bit more seasoning the next time.

While I was at the store buying the brussel sprouts, the asparagus was also whispering to me.  So, I have some sitting on my counter waiting for me to try.  If I can eat a brussel sprout, I can definitely eat asparagus…..and I may even like it!!

 

 

My Obsession with As Seen On TV

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a sucker for anything labeled, “As Seen on TV”.  If it is Buy One, Get One Free it is pretty much a done deal.  Over the years I have had The Perfect Pancake pan, the Microwave Omelet Maker, the Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Margarita Maker, the Jack LaLanne Juicer, The Magic Bullet, a Snuggie (even my dogs have Snuggies), the Forever Lazy, and on and on and on.  Most of the time things don’t work like they show on TV, but every once in a while you come across goodies like the Forever Lazy, and you don’t know how you lived without it.  Which is exactly what keeps me going back for more.

The fact that most stores now have a “As Seen on TV” section, my obsession is easier to manage.  Or, harder, depending on how you look at it.

My most recent purchase……Eggies!!  Just last week I was complaining to a group of people that whenever I make hard boiled eggs, the peels always come off in tiny pieces.  One hard boiled egg after another, and I can not figure out how to cook them and have their peel come off easily.  While walking through Walgreens yesterday I saw the perfect solution……Eggies!! They give me the ability to hard boil eggs WITHOUT the shell!  OMG……Perfect!!

First out of the box I needed to wash the Eggies, then coat them with non-stick spray.  The instructions say not to spray directly on the Eggie, but rather spray a napkin and wipe the interior of the Eggie.  Then I placed the top and bottom together, leaving the lid off.  I had to crack the egg directly into the top of the Eggie, while trying not to spill any. (That was the hard part!)  The hole is pretty small, so some of the egg whites ended up on the counter top.  Then I sealed them up tight!  They looked like little space ships filled with egg.

The next step was to boil them just like a regular egg.  I put them in a pan of water, ensuring that they were floating.  Bring the water to a boil and cook for 15 mins. for a hard boiled egg.  Almost immediately I could tell there wasn’t a tight seal on the Eggies.  I could see little streams of egg whites leaking out of the Eggie and into the water.  I left them in the water to see what would happen.

After 15 mins I pulled them out and let them cool on the counter.    There were egg whites around the middle seal of the Eggies.  When I opened them up I was surprised to find that they actually worked!  But, rather than it being a hole egg in the shape of the Eggie, they were flat on top where the egg has leaked up at the seal.

 

 

 

 

 

Technically, the Eggies worked, minus the leakage of half of the egg whites out of the shell.  But, I don’t think I can say it was easier than just boiling an egg in the shell.   On to the next “As Seen on TV” product!

 

More Duck!!

The main thing I love about groups like #MKEFoodies and Yelp is that the events give me an excuse to try foods I wouldn’t normally eat.  After the last #MKEFoodies event at Branded where I ate shredded duck and liked it, I wanted to give it another go and see how it went.

The #MKEFoodies event last night was at Ryan Braun’s Graffito.  After a few drinks and a tour of the kitchen by Chef Dane Baldwin, the kitchen began bringing out small plates of different pizzas and pastas.  But, if you have been following my blog, you will know that I started a gluten free way of eating 16 days ago.  Which meant all of that fancy food that kept coming out of the kitchen was off limits to me.  No worries though…..I noticed on their menu that they had gluten free pasta available.  I asked for an entire gluten free menu, and to my surprise they had one.  Items that were gluten free were highlighted yellow, and any item that would be removed from the entree was circled in red.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the Pappardelle.  Which is a duck ragu, duck prosciutto, parmigiano and fresh herbs.    Another chance to try duck prepared differently.  The noodles, of course, were gluten free.  The Pappardelle was Delicious!  I allowed a few others to sample, but I cleaned the plate myself.  I have never been one to choose a dark meat!  But, I may be slowly converting.  One or two more attempts at eating Duck, and I can probably safely say I am a fan!