Sorry for abandoning - I was away on vacation!

I do have some new additions to the edible (and non-edible) lists.

Edible:

Udi Bagels - these taste like REAL BAGELS and are neither dried out nor spongy. Need more!

Gentle Grains Breadsticks - a lady bakes these in Winnipeg, and they are sold by several stores. Very tasty, just need browning in the oven first.

Glutenfreeda Instant Oatmeal - also very tasty, and it's nice to have an instant oatmeal since I work 12-hour shifts and can't eat any meals at home when I'm working.

Freybe Meats: Freybe is a company that makes cured sausage (salami, pepperoni, etc) that is all gluten free. The nice part is that it's a very popular brand and can be found in regular grocery stores.

Ben's Meat and Deli in Edmonton: they make gluten-free jerky (even a Teriyaki one!) because one of the butchers, who I think is also an owner, has celiac! They're the people who carry Udi's.

Less-than-edible:

Celimix Pizza Crust - I shouldn't say inedible, it just wasn't very good on the first day, despite all Chris's (my FIL's) efforts to make it nice, and was definitely inedible the second day after warming up.

Kinnikinnick Sunflower Flax bread mix - flavour is good, but it's incredibly spongey which is a texture that I find really horrible.


I kept completely gluten-free over the holidays, and of course am now staying that way as well. I didn't myself notice any immediate changes, but my Dad, sister, and Sean all pointed out that I had developed an incredible amount of energy! I also caught a cold which I fought off without much trouble at all, for the first time in...probably over 10 years. Maybe even longer.

I also can tell now whenever I accidentally get gluten, as I start feeling really unwell, get stomach cramps, and then spend the next morning trapped in the bathroom for awhile. Definitely not worth it to do it deliberately!

I got through my first shift without a ton of trouble, but it was still difficult to figure out what to eat. I made a big pancetta-spinach-cheese frittata the night before I started, and had a piece of eat each day for lunch. Dinner was fruit, yoghurt, salami, cheese, crackers, and sometimes an Udi bagel. It would help if we had more freezer space - once we move into a larger apartment we'll be buying a small deep-freeze which will give me more options.

I think for next week I'll make a cheese-broccoli-rice baked casserole and do a similar sort of thing. I'm also going to try out my new baking mixes and make some muffins and waffles.

In knitting news I finished a lace scarf, and bought some gorgeous purple silk-merino to make a cowl. I also got some nice knitting books and yarn for Christmas, so they'll be added to the mix too!

Small setback

I was supposed to go back to work Saturday, but with the number of biopsies they took I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable and had a small amount of bleeding. Bouncing around in a mine truck probably isn't the safest thing (and the ER doc told me to stay at home) so I've been sitting on the couch!

I've tried a few more GF foods, and hit upon some stuff I'm not as fond of. Arrowhead Mills makes a GF macaroni and cheese mix that wasn't so much BAD as boring. There was no real flavouring to be had in it, and the sauce was incredibly runny. I added a bunch of black pepper, but it didn't help a whole lot. I'll probably keep a box or two around for now for emergencies, but I know I've seen recipes around for making your own ry) GF cheese sauces, so I'll probably make some of those up instead.

I'm also not wild about the Enjoy Life cranapple crunch. It's a sort of granola. It might be good in yoghurt, which unfortunately is not a way I particularly like granola, although I might have to try and come around to it. It got gritty very quickly in milk, which unfortunately is the fate of a lot of things made with rice flour.

On the other hand, my favourite brand of hot chocolate mix (President's Choice) is GF!

I've tried to spend my time at home in semi-valuable ways. I've finished a pair of thrummed mittens, and am now working on a lace scarf. I also folded all our clothes, and gathered up most of what I need to pack for vacation - we fly home in 3 days!