Since going gluten-free over a year ago, and vegetarian for the past several months, it is a question I am asked frequently. And truthfully, it is a hard question for me to answer. Not because I have not been cooking and eating some pretty amazing food, but because I am a complete free spirit in the kitchen, and I seldom make the same thing twice.

For years my husband has urged me to write my recipes down, but it is really hard to write down what totally happens on the fly and is never measured. I have decided to make a concerted effort to start sharing some of my favorite recipes here, not only because it will help me to answer the “What do you eat?” question, but also because I will actually be able to come back and read them when I need inspiration or want to recreate the dish. Such a novel concept!

Before I share the simple and delicious Quinoa Tacos I made this evening, I want to emphasize once again how much I have benefited from a gluten-free diet. The daily aches and pains  in my hands have completely disappeared. The awful head and neck aches I never associated with food are much improved. My brain fog and fatigue are also reduced and some days nonexistent. Within 3 days of eliminating gluten from my diet I knew it was a lifestyle choice I needed to commit to for my health. I continue to reap the benefits of eliminating this inflammatory protein from my diet.

Being gluten-free is a challenge in itself, but eliminating meat from my diet has really tested my culinary creativity! And that is how we arrived at Quinoa Tacos.

Quinoa is grain-like crop and is an excellent source of protein. It cooks up just like rice and is a very versatile food. So versatile in fact that tonight it served as a substitute for ground meat in our tacos.

So here I go, my first attempt at documenting a recipe. Follow along as best you can!

Quinoa Tacos

First I cooked one cup of quinoa (2 parts water to 1 part quinoa). Once cooked, I transfered the quinoa to a saute pan heated on medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. I then treated the quinoa just like ground meat and added the following seasonings:

Chili Powder – palmful
Cumin – half to full palmful
Paprika – palmful
Cayenne Pepper – quarter palmful
Garlic Powder – half palmful
Salt – pinch of kosher
Pepper – 10-12 twists of the grinder
Gluten-free Worcheshire Sauce  - three shakes

It would be pretty great if I could tell you exactly how much of each wouldn’t it? The above amounts are my best guess, but really, truly, I think all seasoning should be done to taste.

Once seasoned, I cooked the quinoa for 5 minutes, and then I added a can of tomato sauce and cooked for 5 minutes longer. AND IT TURNED OUT AMAZING!

To complete the tacos, I added sauteed onions and red bell peppers, sliced avocados, grated cotija cheese, a dab or greek yogurt, and fresh cilantro. And of course I used corn tortillas. What would we gluten-free foodies do without corn tortillas?

Healthy and incredibly satisfying! So much better than the greasy, heavy tacos I used to make. No food coma here! Now if only I had thought to take a picture…

Next time, I promise…

And if you liked this taco recipe, just wait until I share my mashed potatoes and asparagus tacos recipe!

Since going gluten-free over a year ago, there have been very few sandwiches on my menu, but then I discovered Johann’s Bakery. Johann’s is a 100% dedicated gluten-free facility in Vista California, where they bake 100% gluten-free breads. If you have ever eaten pre-baked gluten-free breads you understand they are generally disappointing. Not Johann’s! Think high quality artisan bread – soft, firm, with a pleasing taste and texture. Delicious!

So this was dinner last night.

I have been eating a meatless diet for the past several weeks. The traditional yogi diet is vegetarian or vegan. Growing up in a meat-and-potato family, meat has always been the cornerstone of most meals I prepare, especially dinner. I have easily embraced a meatless diet and am enjoying exploring the many vegetarian options for meal planning.

I found the recipe for this amazing Pumpkin Miso soup at The Veggie Table. They have many great recipes, including several pumpkin offerings – perfect for the fall holiday season.

For the grilled cheese sandwiches I sliced a fresh vine-ripe tomato and used a combination of swiss and cheddar cheese with just a little butter to help brown the bread slices.

There is a difference of opinion among vegetarians about the consumption of dairy and eggs. Some believe as long as you do not eat meat, you are considered a vegetarian. Others believe if you eat eggs and dairy you cannot call yourself a vegetarian. Personally, I am not concerned about the label “vegetarian” and choose to continue eating eggs and dairy.

I made the decision to eliminate meat from my diet for many reasons – health, environment, animal cruelty – but the primary reason for my decision was food preference. As I mentioned, I grew up in a meat-and-potato family. I married into a meat-and-potato family. I ate meat for 41 years because it is all I have ever known, but I have always had an underlying distaste for meat, in fact sometimes it just completely grossed me out!

I have never been comfortable with handling raw meat, especially raw chicken. I would use tongs to avoid touching the meat and make faces as I cut and seasoned it. Often it would carry over to my eating experience. I think intuitively I have always been a non-meateater. In fact when I told my mom about my decision to stop eating meat, she told me that if I had been allowed to follow my food preferences as a child I probably never would have eaten meat.

It took me 41 years to embrace my personal food preferences. Going gluten-free was out of necessity and my health has improved as a result, but eliminating meat is a personal choice – although there are also tremendous health benefits to this choice. The main thing both changes have reinforced in me is that food matters.

At some level we all intuitively know what foods are best for our bodies, we just need to be self-aware enough to listen to our intuition. You do not need to be gluten-free or a vegetarian to be mindful of what you eat. Just eat real food that nourishes you and eliminate or reduce what does not. It is that simple.

Miso Soup with Pumpkin and Onion

Yield:     2-4 servings

Time:     30 minutes

Tools:     Medium saucepan or wok with lid, Wooden spoon, Small strainer

Ingredients:

2 T peanut or canola oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 t curry powder (optional)

2 c or 3/4 lbs fresh pumpkin, peeled and cubed

4 c vegetable stock

2 1/2 to 4 T miso

3-4 shiso leaves shredded or 2 T cilantro chopped

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Optional: add curry powder and sauté for 30 seconds more.

Stir in pumpkin, then add stock.  Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and let simmer 10-15 minutes, until pumpkin is just tender.

Place miso in strainer, lower into soup, and use spoon to force miso through into the soup.

Remove from heat, stir, sprinkle with shiso or cilantro and serve.

I was surfing around through my old posts, looking for an appropriate one to share, and I came across this post I originally published October 13, 2008, the same month I began my blog.

Selflessly Selfish

I struggle every day with who I am. I am different because of the Fibromyalgia. I am not the independent, fiercely productive person I once was.

Every morning I envy (but am grateful for) my husband and his ability to jump out of bed, hop into the shower, and rush out the door on his way to a destination where he knows his purpose and is able to perform at a high level. I lie in bed with muscle soreness, a dizzy head and complete exhaustion and wonder, “how am I going to contribute today?”

And it is not simply how am I going to contribute to my house and my husband, but how am I going to contribute to my physical and emotional wellbeing, and how am I going to contribute to the world around me.

Sometimes it is the smallest things I do that contribute the most and make me feel the best. I dry my hands on a dishtowel rather than a paper towel. Yippee! I just saved a tree. I pick up the wrapper from a straw that a fellow patron at the coffee shop has let the wind take away. She doesn’t know it, but I do and it makes me feel good.

There are days when I let the wrapper blow away. Days when I tell myself I am in too much pain to bother, but I never feel good about those moments. I always feel that I have given up or given in to the Fibromyalgia. If too many of those moments build up I get depressed, and then it becomes even harder to live productively with FM.

That is the point I am trying to make. I struggle to be a better person for myself. To be someone that, in spite of all that is different in my life, I still feel useful and productive, and that in very small ways I am contributing to my world. By trying to be conscientious and selfless I am being selfish, because I am the one who benefits the most.  And the small things add up.  They really do make a difference.

So what did I do that was so great today? Nothing so far, but the day is not over. I still have time.

Wow! Rereading this post really took me back. It really made me take a moment and reflect on how much has changed in the 18 months since I began this blog.

And that is what I want you to know about me: I have changed. I am different. I am improved.

I am no longer at the mercy of Fibromyalgia. I am a participant in my health, not an onlooker. And I got here by making many small changes:

I created a community, starting with this blog, which brought people like Kathy into my life. I began sharing more and worring less because I have a greater support foundation to rely on.

I began doing research and filtering the abundance of information on Fibromyalgia to determine what fit best for me. I determined a holistic approach was more appropriate for me than the pharmaceutical approach taken by most doctors.

I added supplements to my daily care.

I began practicing yoga and cut gluten out of my diet. Through research, trial, and error (and believe me there were years of error) I found what works for me and my health.

I slowed down…… and took many baby steps to avoid making those painful leaps.

This has been a true journey, and I am so grateful for how far I have come. It was not without work, setbacks, and a lot of effort. But the foundation for my change came from the belief that I could improve, and that it was up to me to figure out how.

I am still frequently tired and dizzy in the mornings. I still have daily symptoms. I am not always able to contribute. But my progress is discernible.

I hope this encourages you. I hope you are able to look closely at your daily habits and routines, and distinguish what nourishes you from what holds you back. There are many components to Fibromyalgia we cannot control. Take a look at what you can, and honor yourself by making the best choices for your particular situation. You can change. You can improve. Believe it!

All the things that make me a spirited chef, make me a horrible baker. I simply have no tolerance for carefully measured preciseness. I learned long ago that baking is not my forte, and I avoid it accordingly.

That being said, I recently discovered the easiest and most delicious Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie recipe that even this girl can master. Simple, simple, simple!

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter, any kind
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare pans: line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, or oil generously.
• Put all ingredients into food processor and pulse until well blended. Or mix thoroughly by hand.
• Make dough into (about) 36 evenly sized balls. Arrange balls on prepared pans leaving an inch or so between them. Add chocolate chips, if using, lightly pressing one or two into the top of cookie.
• Bake until they flatten out a bit and start to brown – 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and leave on sheet for several minutes, until they begin to firm up, then carefully remove to cooling rack

Yum, yum, yum!

But this adventure chef could not leave well enough alone!

Gluten free cookies are great, but I wanted sugar free as well (link between sugar consumption and chronic pain), so I substituted 3/4 cup Agave Nectar for 1 cup sugar (adding the chocolate chips adds sugar, so leave them off if you want sugar free cookies). To compensate for substituting a liquid for a dry ingredient, I added 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour.

The result was a moist, chewy, peanut buttery delight! I baked the cookies Friday evening to take to a Halloween party on Saturday. The cookies were a big hit! If I had not told them they were gluten and sugar free, I doubt anyone would have known.

Cookie Disclaimer

Just because something is gluten and sugar free does not mean that it is nutritionally good for you. But this is the time of year we all know we are going to indulge a little. So if we are not always going to make the best possible choices, we can at least minimize some of the indulgence. And with this recipe, you won’t even realize you are making a sacrifice.

First my sis made it for my husband and I to congratulate us on how disciplined we were being with our new GF life. A perfect little 8 x 8 pan of sin! We cut into the cake and were amazed at how super moist it was. I looked at the little square of chocolate cake on my plate, and couldn’t believe that it would taste as good as it looked, and I was right. It tasted even better! We were in chocolate cake heaven. The cake was super moist and rich, but not too sweet. The frosting was very sweet and creamy good. Mmmmm. It was so yummy! Then at a meeting before we left for our trip to Bodega Bay, one of my support group members gave me a box of the same delicious cake mix.

Sof’ella Gluten Free Chocolate Cake & Frosting Mix

CAKE MIX Ingredients: Sugar, White Rice Flour, Natural Cocoa Powder, Navy Bean Flour, Tapioca Starch, Cornstarch, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cornstarch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Sea Salt, Guar Gum. FROSTING MIX Ingredients: Powdered Sugar, Natural Cocoa Powder, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt

The box contains the ingredients to make TWO perfect little 8 x 8 pans of sin! So we took the box with us on our trip and made both cakes to celebrate the hubby’s 40th birthday. Of the eight of us on the trip, three of us eat gluten free, but all eight of us LOVED the cake. Rob’s brother Chris (the amazing photographer) is a chocolate connoisseur, and he said if we had not told him it was GF, he never would have suspected it. Rob’s other brother Rich was able to eat his first piece of cake in a long time. He has celiac and is severely allergic to gluten. It was nice to see him enjoying something so completely indulgent. Personally, cake was one of the few things I never would have missed now that I am GF, but the sof’ella chocolate cake has made me a bigger fan of cake than I ever was. It is truly delicious!

My sister found the sof’ella cake mix at Costco, and my group member found it at Whole Foods. I think you can also order it online if you click on the link above. Even if you are not gluten free, I think you will really enjoy it.

8/30

When I got up this morning my first thought wasn’t “I wonder what new and exciting thing happened in the world of Fibromyalgia overnight.” No, it was more along the lines of “Mmmm, coffee.” and “Do I want eggs or cereal for breakfast?” “How cool is it that Rice Chex are gluten free so I can have cereal for breakfast!” “Shit! I better get that check in the mail today!” Nope, nothing Fibromyalgia related until it was time to sit down and write. So now maybe I am thinking that to successfully pull off my 30 in 30, I may be writing some posts not specific to Fibromyalgia, but more specific to the mundane nature of my thoughts. Hope you all don’t mind!

I guess in a way you will get to know me better. For example you now know I swear occasionally! I have actually considered on several occasions starting another blog dedicated to my thoughts on life in general – politics, news, pop culture, stupid people, etc.. I even had a tag line in mind – “This is my space, these are my thoughts, so SUCK IT!” It makes me laugh every time I think of it, but I could never keep up that level of angst. It is just not me. It is obvious by the tag line that I am anticipating backlash to running my mouth off, and why would I ever willingly invite that kind of stress into my life? I will just keep writing those kind of posts in my head! An internal monologue on life. Now that is a great title!

So that is my little dilemma for today. How to keep up the integrity of my blog and complete my writing assignment without forcing the content? I will figure it out. It is really more of an opportunity than a dilemma. It reminds me of a great excerpt from Steven King’s memoir On Writing:

I had been playing with the idea of writing a little book about writing for a year or more at that time, but had held back because I didn’t trust my own motivations – why did I want to write about writing? What made me think I had anything worth saying?

The easy answer is that someone who has sold as many books of fiction as I have must have something worthwhile to say about writing it, but the easy answer isn’t always the truth. Colonel Sanders sold a hell of a lot of fried chicken, but I’m not sure anyone wants to know how he made it. If I was going to be presumptuous enough to tell people how to write, I felt there had to be a better reason than my popular success. Put another way, I didn’t want to write a book, even a short one like this, that would leave me feeling like either a literary gas-bag or a transcendental asshole. There are enough of those books – and those writers – on the market already, thanks. (King, 8-9)

As startling as it was for a moment to recognize that the great Stephen King (author of an uber number of novels) doubted his own purpose of writing a book on writing, once I digested it, it almost came as a relief to me. On a much less prolific scale I get it! I had those same thoughts when I first began Fibromyalgia Haven several months ago, and I am having those doubts again as I consider an alteration of format. I do not want to be a gas-bag or asshole either!

So bear with me as I navigate these new waters. My content is still very important to me and I am going to be diligent about finding my new balance. This blog is and forever will be dedicated to Fibromyalgia, but after reading Stephen King’s book on writing, I realize it is okay to add a little personal flare here and there. And I promise, I will keep the swearing to a minimum.

3/30

In the past a lot of my meals would begin either low carb or gluten free, not because I was consciously avoiding carbs or gluten, but because that is what I wanted to eat. For instance, one of my favorite breakfasts to cook is scrambled eggs with ham, swiss & fresh spinach wilted in. My husband and I love this for breakfast. And after eating it we would both feel satisfied and energized, but without that “oh my gosh I ate too much” feeling. But here is where things are different now. In the past I might have eaten my eggs, been satisfied – but not full – so I would end my meal with a piece of buttered toast. It was like I did not recognize being full without feeling FULL. Does that make sense? For years my mind has been conditioned to associate the heaviness of feeling full with having eaten a complete meal. Since going gluten free I seldom get that heavy full feeling and I am satisfied for hours after eating. All of a sudden I am becoming aware of how much extra I was eating to satisfy my mental hunger. My body can clearly subsist on much less than I was providing it.

We talked a lot last week at my support group roundtable about the social and emotional component to eating. I associate food with a lot of different things. Mashed potatoes are my go to comfort food when I am emotional. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes when recovering from my accident, which goes a long way in explaining my 17lb weight gain. Homemade spaghetti and meatballs is the one dish that is sure to bring my entire family together, and there better be a big pot because we come hungry and eat a lot! And thank goodness there are no Original Tommy’s Burgers where I live, because every time I see one I want to pull over and order a plate of chili cheese fries, because that is what I would eat with my friends at 2 AM after we had spent the evening drinking and dancing. All of these “bad for me” foods make me feel good when I think about the memories I associate to them.

At our meeting one of my members suggested I start a Food Mood Diary. For years she has been charting what she eats with how she feels, and she has been able to clearly identify patterns between her Fibromyalgia symptoms and the food she consumes. For instance, she expects and prepares herself for a flare-up at the first of the year based on the rich foods she eats from Thanksgiving to Christmas. When she said this, a lot of us nodded our heads, remembering how awful we feel around the holidays and first of the year. But even on a smaller day-to-day scale she is able to determine what foods attribute to which feelings and symptoms. It makes sense. And now that I am becoming more aware of what I am eating and how I am feeling, I think it would be a good time for me to begin a diary of my own.

As I mentioned before, I do not believe that everyone with Fibromyalgia is also gluten intolerant, but I do believe that what we eat and drink plays a large role in the severity and frequency of our symptoms. It is common sense that eating vegetables makes us feel better than eating fried foods, but often the emotional or social component of eating outweighs the common sense component. Maybe by charting mood with food, it will be easier to make that connection and begin to make the healthy food choice. You can be sure I will be sharing with you all of my successes and failures and I am interested in hearing any of your own.