Showing posts with label gluten intolerance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gluten intolerance. Show all posts

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Pancakes

It's a long weekend.  I love it when Sunday doesn't mean the weekend is coming to an end, it's only the middle.  Soak it up!  Do! Stuff!  I know what I will do (I think to myself), I will make delicious, cool looking pancakes that my whole family will adore so much, they will beg me to make them all the time and they will become the stuff of family legend.  They will be crying over my coffin thinking about how freaking ridiculously awesome these pancakes were.
(Don't they look great?!?  Not sure about the gummy worms, though, weird.)

 I mentally pat myself on the back for being such a great mom as I stroll the market looking for the correct ingredients.  They don't carry an apple corer?  Oh well, I think...no matter.  I will just core these lovely Granny Smith apples by hand.  It should only take, what...30 minutes? (the real answer is:  infinity)

 Two hours later, I have given up trying to make apple rings.  After nearly losing two fingers and ruining four apples, I have settled for making a small batch of apple rings and then, I will use the rest of the batter for apple pancakes...just dicing up the leftover apple and adding it to the batter.  

 Not quite what I had in mind, but 120 minutes in, there is no way I am not making something on the griddle.

 Oh crap.  The griddle is still on top of the fridge and needs to be cleaned.

 After scrubbing the crap out of the non-stick (note:  foreshadowing) griddle, I finally start working on the batter.

I read the instructions on the side of the bag of gluten free pancake mix.  "How many eggs do I need?!?!? 5?!?!????!!!  What the hell, Pamela?!?!  Okay, I will use applesauce to make up the difference.  WHAT?!?!?!!!  How are we out of applesauce???!!???Okay, it's still fine, I will improvise.  Two eggs + Two tablespoons of Earth Balance + One cup of Almond Milk+ Whatever oil we have left = Five eggs, right?  Whatever."

 The batter is finally prepared and the griddle is hot.  I place the apple rings on the griddle and begin to gently drizzle batter over them.

 "What in the world?!?!?  There is no way to leave the middle circle open.  NO WAY.  Okay, that's fine.  They will be circles, not rings, but no less delicious or beautiful."

 I am now sweating in my 100 degree kitchen and have gone partially deaf from the sound of the overhead exhaust fan as it labors fruitlessly to waft the smell of burnt batter away from the stove.

 Brett comes in and asks if I can drive him to a friend's house.  I ask him very sweetly to wait until I am done making him THESE! DELICIOUS! PANCAKES! and turkey bacon and he backs slowly out of the room.  Smart child.

 It as at about this moment that I try and turn the rings (now circles) over.  

 If an appliance could laugh, this electric griddle would have.  Huge, loud, Teflon coated guffaws.  "Oh, you want to flip these pancakes?  These, right here?  No way in hell, lady.  Ha ha ha ha ha haaa."
Apple Ring Pancakes:  Nailed it!

 I take a few belly breaths and count to five.  It is either that, or start dismantling the kitchen board by board.

 I look over at the sad remains of the apple ring pancakes and decide to give in and just make pancakes with apple bits.  They are sure to be delicious, still, right?

 I dollop the apple batter onto the comal (with about a half container of Earth Balance to ensure non-stickedness) and let go of the breath I have been holding in for the last two hours.

 Danny comes in and takes one look at the griddle and almost starts laughing until he sees the flames shoot from my eyeballs.  Instead, he starts scraping the crap off of it, wondering out loud if the apples are still salvageable.

 I start laughing...that maniacal laugh that you know is just one step below tears while wielding the spatula like a knife.

 He backs away, nibbling on half burnt/half raw pancake batter and apple, swearing it is delicious.  This is an example of why we are still married.

 In the end, I do manage to pull off some surprisingly good apple pancakes and turkey bacon, which only Brett and Danny wound up eating.  The other two rolled their eyes at me and reminded me why I never try and make breakfast in the first place.
Amy's Apple Pancakes

Prep Time:  Three hours

Crying Time:  Three hours (on and off)

Time Husband Spends Trying To Hold In Laughter:  Your entire marriage

Eating Time:  Three minutes

Cleaning Up Afterwards:  Ninety minutes

Yield:  12 Somewhat edible, very greasy pancakes
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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Engine Two Diet Part Two (Really more like 17)

In March, 2010, I was lucky enough to spend five days at an Engine 2 Diet immersion through Whole Foods Market (I worked there at the time).

 Here is what I wrote about it six months later:

What I Have Learned in the Six Months Since the E2 Immersion...as told to Rip

September 10, 2010 at 2:01pm



Here is my top ten list of the things I have discovered since the Engine Two Immersion (find out what E2 is here)  in March 2010. Six months out, there have been some subtle and not so subtle changes; mostly in my thinking. I have lost ten of the fifty pounds that I need to lose; but I am not stressed over the number. The strides I have made far outweigh the stumbles. So, here you go:

1. Kale is my friend! I never thought it would be. We eat it every day and my husband swears he likes it more than any other salad leaf. Who would have thought? And, it’s not just for dinner; oh no…Kale breakfast smoothies with raw cacao are energy filled and delicious!

2. Reading labels 2.0. I thought I read labels before I listened to Jeff Novick at the immersion. And I was sort of right, and sort of, mostly wrong. Now, instead of just looking at total calories and making sure there is no High Fructose Corn Syrup or Trans Fat in my food; I am now looking at sodium content and fat to calorie ratio. Thanks to Jeff, I will never look at food labels the same way! (Unless it’s vegan cookies…but, we’ll get to that!)

3. Regardless of what the scale says, I know I am doing good things for my body. My energy is high and I am sleeping well. Those are two issues that I brought with me to the immersion that have really improved. I feel like (for the first time I don’t want or need a quick fix) I have my whole life to get better and better at being plant strong. There is no rush. I think about some of the most dedicated plant strong people I know and remember that many of them were much older than I am now before they committed. I will nudge myself when I need nudging. And if I need help, I have so many fabulous resources in the plant strong friends I have made. I am at peace with the pace (most of the time).

4. I cannot convince anyone. This was really hard, especially since I want my loved ones to be as healthy as possible; but, all I can do is give help WHEN ASKED and be the best example I can be. Eventually, the one’s who want it for themselves will come around.

5. Lesson number 4 (above) does not apply to my children! I have eliminated all dairy and eggs from the house. They do still eat 4-5 servings of meat per week, mostly at dinner. They also get pizza on Friday, with cheese and whatever they want.
Why? Because with all of the other changes, I did not want them to feel like they had to give up everything. If they know that they can still have Pizza Fridays, it makes all of the other changes easier to handle. They are eating a veggie and fruit with their lunches and a veggie and kale salad with dinner.

Will they ever be 100% plant strong? I hope so. For now, I am turning them on to all of the good things I am eating, severely limiting the bad stuff and educating them to make good choices.


The post script to #5 is that all of my boys (ages 10, 11 and 14) have grown faster this year than any other since they were toddlers. My oldest, Brett grew six inches and my younger ones each grew four or five. I know that it is the power of kale and extra veggies at work!


6. I am running again. The New York Marathon is in my sights. I am still not ready for 2010, but I know I will be for 2011!

7. I am becoming a fearless cook. When the cupboard is bare I don’t panic and order a pizza like I used to. I always have canned beans; I always have frozen vegetables; I always have brown rice and pasta. I throw a combination of these things together with a little vegan pesto (to die for!) or some low oil pasta sauce or some Frank’s Red Hot and I have dinner with just a little creativity and very little time.

8. I’ve learned what my triggers are. A dozen bagels in the house? Bad idea. One bagel with some Earth Balance every other Sunday? Acceptable and delicious!
Doughnuts? I can’t buy them. They cannot darken my door or I will eat 6, minimum.

9. I can live (very happily, thank you!) without cheese. I truly did not think it was possible. Seriously. Even sitting in the immersion all hopped up on kale and no sugar added desserts, I was thinking in the back of my mind “I’ll still eat cheese, once in awhile…life would suck without cheese”.
But, I was wrong! I realize that without cheese on pasta dishes I can actually taste the rest of the food! The sauce tastes sweet, the added vegetables fill me up, it’s not just a bowl of calories that I’ll regret eating later! Cheeseless pizza? I would have laughed in your face six months ago. What would be the point of that? But, like the pasta, I’ve found it’s what else you put on top that matters. Artichokes? Vegan pesto (it’s seriously my favorite)? Spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic…there is just no room or need for cheese. Sometimes, Friday pizza night comes around and I eat a delicious bowl of gnocchi and broccoli with sauce and nutritional yeast and a big salad. I am full and won’t fall asleep during the movie portion of the evening the way I used to after eating my fill of cheese pizza!

The other bonus to not eating cheese is that it was a huge trigger for me and now it is not an issue. How is that for awesome?!

10. I still have a ways to go and it’s okay. I’m okay with the journey. I still haven’t beat my sugar addiction, but I know I will, when I’m ready. What happens is I sometimes get caught up in this new found love affair with food and over do it. Oreos are vegan?!?!?! What?!?!?! Then I proceed to polish off the package in three sittings. Smart? No. Necessary? Hmmm, maybe? Doing stupid things like this while sticking to a vegan diet is a huge difference from my past behavior. I’m not quite ready to kick sugar and all processed food out of my diet just yet. But, I’m thinking about it. I know I’ll get there.

So, where will I be in another six months? Definitely in Austin celebrating one year of Plant Strong Happiness with Rip, Char, Natala, Jeff, Pam and all the others. I’ll be getting ready to start six months of training for the NYC Marathon. And…I’ll be down the last forty. I just know I will. It’s coming. I can feel it. One day and one bite at a time.
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As I re-read my words, I am struck by how much I learned and how much has stayed with me, even almost four years later.  My veggie to crap ratio has dramatically shifted towards veggie.  Putting frozen spinach in with my pasta is a no-brainer, now, something I learned from Jeff Novick (find out more about Jeff, here).  I have crowded out (a term I learned from Dr. Fuhrman); (check him out here) excess meat and processed junk with extra vegetables and big salads.

I am part of the way there.  I haven't run another marathon, yet, but that idea has not gone away.  I still plan on making it happen.

What has changed since the immersion, is that I am now a gluten free person.  My mom, my sister, my aunt and my son all have gluten intolerance or Celiac and I have some of the symptoms, as well.  Instead of subjecting myself to invasive and expensive testing, I decided to try cutting out gluten and I have seen a difference in the way I feel.  

For awhile, I think I was having a kind of pity party over bagels.  I really, really love bagels.  I am from New Jersey and bagels and rolls are a big part of breakfast there.  Man, I love bagels.  And lox.  And hard rolls with butter.  Oh geez... Anyway...

I'm feeling like now, finally, after a few years of hemming and hawing, I am at the point where I don't really care.  Yes, I will always kind of want bagels, but I want to feel good more than I want to bite into that deliciousness.  That seems like a little thing, maybe a subtle thing, but it is not.  It is HUGE, trust me.  

The trouble with going gluten free is that it is limiting.  Not eating meat and cheese and eggs seems damned near impossible when you can't eat most veggie burgers, or pasta, or...you get the picture.  So, I wasted more time, eating meat and cheese and not really feeling great about it, but not wanting to feel deprived.  

And, I gained weight.

And I started feeling really crappy.

And I gained some more weight because I felt crappy.

And...yeah, vicious cycle and all that.

The difference today, is that I have finally, truly become a fearless cook.  Cooking with no limitations is easy.  Cooking without gluten or animal products is much harder.  But, do you know what else is hard?  Being fat.  Being fat is the hardest thing, ever.  I don't feel like me.  

For the first time in a long time, I feel like the planets are aligned in just such a way that it might be possible to kick this fat to the curb for good.  Maybe it's my obsession with "The Biggest Loser".  Maybe it's my pants size, or maybe it's the fact that I am staring down the barrel of a 44 (birthday) this year.

I don't really care what it is.  Whatever it is, I am thankful for it.

And I am done, so done with feeling crappy.

I am not sure how often I will post about this, but I will keep writing as I go. 



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