So… I’m now one of those people. The kind that when offered a piece of homemade something or other, declines and replies, “I’m gluten free!” Almost like they’re better than you.

Okay, so these people really aren’t like that. (Well, I’ve run into some…) Most people that are gluten free aren’t doing it for fun or fad, they’re doing it because they’re tired of feeling bad and trying to make a difference.  I’m one of those people.

When my ENT suggested I try gluten free on top of the dairy free I’m already trying, I inwardly groaned, but knew I was going to do it anyway. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If there is a chance that this could help my ear, I’m all for it.

Luckily, I have some close friends that have been doing gluten free for awhile, and they’ve got my back. They’ve offered to come with me to the grocery store and point out what products are good and what products are not. Because they’ve worked their way through the brick like substances, they’re anxious to help me save time and money. I’m glad for the help.

When doing the initial research on gluten free, it’s easy to become way discouraged and think, “I can’t eat anything! I give up!” before even starting. I’m trying to take a positive approach and focus on all the good things I CAN eat.

• fresh fruits and veggies
• meats
• rice and potatoes
• COFFEE! (as long as I can still have this, I will survive.)

Last night for dinner, Drew and I made shrimp tacos that were yummy. I loaded on extra avocado and cilantro to make up for the cheese and sour cream I couldn’t pile on.

This whole thing takes a lot of prep work. In addition to making breakfast and dinner, I also have to make sure I have lunch prepared. I get free lunch at work, which is lovely, but I can almost guarantee that nothing I would be served would be dairy and gluten free. So I’m packing up loads of stuff that will hold me over at work (especially while I’m on prednisone and always eating something).

Grocery shopping is more time consuming, as I have to read EVERY STINKING LABEL. But I’m becoming more aware of what is in certain foods, and honestly, I’ve felt convicted to stop eating so much processed crap for awhile. I’ve just been too cheap to do anything about it. Now’s my chance.

I’ve experimented with a couple recipes in the last week, one that was inadvertently gluten free (I made it for the Fourth of July, before I was officially on the gluten free path) and another that I intentionally made gluten free. Both were pinterest recipes and both were a hit.

This is the one I made for the Fourth, and I intend to make another batch this week, as I think it will be good for lunch. It was a huge hit by everyone who had it. It makes a bunch, so I’m going to make a half batch, which will still probably last me all week.

This is the one I made after becoming gluten free. I wanted a breakfast option, and this sounded good. They turned out great, and it made a ton, so I froze a bunch for later. I did have to spend about $7 on a package of gluten free oatmeal, which sucked. Oh well. All part of it.

I tried this one this weekend, just out of curiosity. I love the green smoothies you buy in the store and decided to try my own. It wasn’t bad. I might tweak it a bit, but it was kinda yummy.

Bear with me if I turn down the delicious cupcakes you slaved over. It’s not that I don’t want one. Trust me.