GlutenFreeVeganPescatarianism

When I was growing up, the eldest of six children, we were offered two choices for family meals:

Take It Or Leave It.

Preparing three meals a day for her brood of six, my mother spent an incredible amount of time at the grocery store and in the kitchen, but those family dinners provided some of my most cherished memories and the animated banter of so many at the dinner table never failed to make mealtime interesting. 

A large antique family dinner bell that could be heard throughout the neighborhood alerted us to the impending meal. We would immediately stop whatever we were doing, run or bike home, wash our hands and climb onto our assigned stools at the two-sided, ten foot long kitchen counter. The formal dining room was only used for holidays, birthdays or special occasions when we had visiting relatives or important guests. We were warned to "clean our plates" and constantly reminded of "all those children starving in China" although they always looked pretty well nourished to me.

Family dinners usually consisted of a protein, a starch, a vegetable and always a tall glass of milk! We were the quintessential meat and potatoes family. Mmmmm! Comfort food! Bring it on! I was almost 21 before I realized that all fish did not come in sticks from the freezer courtesy of Mrs. Paul!
I really didn't learn to cook until my twenties and I admit to some epic culinary failures over the years. But my early dinner parties were wildly successful. I would ply my guests with ample amounts of alcohol and serve dinner just late enough that everyone was so hungry they would have loved Kibbles and Bits had I served it. Cooking became more of a priority after I had children of my own and their nutritional intake was of the utmost importance. I loved our family dinners and especially enjoyed the dinner parties and holiday feasts with extended family and friends.

When my oldest daughter was 15, she announced she was giving up red meat. Okay. I learned to deal with that. It wasn't long before she eliminated pork, poultry and finally fish from her diet. Thanksgiving became her least favorite holiday. So I now had a daughter who was a Vegetarian. It's all okay! Certainly I could handle that. Millions of people in the world don't eat meat!

Recently, she made the choice to become a Vegan thereby eliminating all animal products including dairy, not only from her diet, but her wardrobe, beauty products and household cleaning supplies. If it was an animal, hurt an animal, was tested on an animal or came from any part of an animal, she wanted nothing to do with it! It's a choice I certainly have to respect. From what I've learned, she's not only healthier but is making the world a better place by embracing this lifestyle and I'm proud of her for doing so. It does however, make planning, shopping for and preparing our family dinners more of a challenge.

My youngest daughter, now 22, recently followed suit and also gave up meat although she continues to eat fish, making her a Pescatarian - one whose diet includes fish but no meat. Okay. I can certainly handle that too.

But this year she had a student in her class with Celiac Disease so began doing research on it and discovered that after years of suffering similar symptoms herself, she probably has an allergy to gluten - a protein that seems to be in just about everything! After trying a gluten-free diet for slightly over three weeks, she had more energy, lost weight, eliminated digestive discomfort, bloating, intestinal cramping, and pretty much felt like a new person. Further research explained how an allergy to gluten might also have even been the cause of her anemia - something she had been dealing with for several years. None of her doctors ever suggested this might be the problem but a gluten intolerance can certainly inhibit the absorption of iron, causing her to be anemic. We're anxious for the next blood test results!

So now, all pastas, breads, cereals, anything with wheat, barley, rye, malt, flavorings, thickeners, stabilizers and about ten million other things that contain gluten are also off the list! Even some salad dressings contain it! Once again, I find myself reading labels like crazy as I learn what products do or do not contain gluten.

My son, who literally spits out anything with cilantro in it, and is allergic to nuts, will still eat most things I cook. Never in my life would I have believed he would be the easy one!

And my dear husband, well, he's always been easy. The human garbage pail: Step on his foot and his mouth opens! He'll eat anything and better yet, always thanks me.

I'm now resigned to the various dietary restrictions and choices of my three adult children - largely because they remain healthy, all live away from home and are primarily responsible for feeding themselves. I also have no choice in the matter! No longer do I have to cook the family dinner 7 nights a week or stress over who can eat what with the exception of those holiday and birthday celebrations or those occasions when one or all of them show up at mealtime.

But I have come up with a fabulous idea... 

One that will surely please everyone...

The absolutely perfect thing to make for all our future family dinners...

Reservations!


"Red meat is not bad for you. Now, blue-green meat—that’s bad for you!" 
-- Tom Smothers

Counting My Blessings

Forgive me Father...no wait! I did that the last time! Never mind...

So it's been a while since my last post. No worries. 

It's not my intention to post too many entries for fear of becoming boring, mundane or redundant as so many blogs are. (Ugh! It's her again...)

Really! Do these bloggers truly believe their lives are so interesting that people want to read about every minute detail?

If I ever get to that point or become that type of blogger will someone please just shoot me? 

My road trip from Florida to Boulder went well. 

My brother was a happy and helpful presence who provided me with the necessary respite from doing all the driving. I do love to drive but even long haul truckers are required to take a break now and then.

The dogs were perfect little traveling companions who were so quiet and undemanding that we sometimes forgot they were in the back seat.

Unfortunately, we annihilated about two million love bugs along the way making my stop at the car wash before we departed North Palm Beach a total waste of time and money.

I relegated the windshield carcass scraping to Ted when we stopped for gas and potty breaks. That alone made it worth bringing him along!

Massive tornado damage was evident in several states and we were in awe at the power of the storms. Huge swaths of giant old trees snapped like match sticks were evident along the highway. We were mesmerized by the randomness of it all. The worst damage we saw was actually at the St. Louis airport and the surrounding area (which had been hit the week before) but then again, our route didn't take us through Tuscaloosa which as we all know by now was devastated.

I was in Tuscaloosa once, when my oldest was in graduate school. Much like Boulder, the town was basically built around the University, which I understand was spared for the most part. I wonder if the Tornado Gods weren't kind to Tuscaloosa because unlike Boulder, rampant racism persists and there remains a percentage of the population who still don't know the Civil War is over. 

All kidding aside, after seeing the tornado damage along our route, we truly felt despair for any and all the victims of those storms. No one deserves that.

Our first night on the road we almost waited too long to pull off to find a room. Thousands of displaced tornado victims who'd lost their homes or were without power were also seeking rooms and we were most fortunate to not only find one, but one that accepted pets. Honestly? I would have given up that room and slept in the car if it were a choice between me and a tornado victim.

Our second day on the road brought continuous and torrential rains and the current flood situation comes as no surprise after seeing the swollen Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. I do find it disturbing that officials are opening up the spillways flooding smaller towns upstream in their efforts to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Certainly, New Orleans has suffered enough in recent years but isn't this sort of like a "Sophie's Choice"?

Later that evening we learned the news that bin Laden met up with a few of our finest (God Bless those Navy SEALS!) and is now "swimming with the fishes" as one friend likes to say. 

I hope his demise brings some sense of justice to all those who've suffered unimaginable losses as a result of his sick and twisted time on Earth.

And now I'm home. 

Ted had a good visit topped off by his well documented sail plane ride over Boulder and the mountains to the west.

Mother's Day was superb - the perfect blend of family and friends who joined us for an early morning brunch prior to catching their flight back to California after attending the CU graduation the day before. After preparing brunch at home, we enjoyed dinner out at a favorite local restaurant putting the finishing touch on a great day.

I'm still trying to remember where everything is after four months away but found the kitchen to be reasonably in tact - unlike last year when nothing was where I left it. The dogs, however, remembered exactly where we stash the treats and promptly planted their respective butts on the floor in front of them waiting for the tasty tidbits. They're so smart. Can dogs be gifted?

Our Boulder spring was briefly interrupted by a dash of mid-May snow and plenty of badly needed rain but the forecast is looking bright.

Golf will have to wait though as we just returned from an out of town weekend birthday celebration where I took hundreds of pictures I've got to upload and sort through and I've got a photo assignment this week that will keep me busy at the computer for a day or so.

But all of this seems so trivial as I pause to remember an old friend who lost his beloved wife and soulmate last week. 

Together they put up a valiant 4+ year struggle, first against the ravages of Hodgkins and finally Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) an insidious disease that literally robs sufferers of their ability to breathe. http://www.ardsusa.org/facts.htm

As I read through her blog, I truly wished I'd had the chance to meet and get to know her. She was taken too soon and I'm heartbroken for the loss my friend has suffered. 

Never take your health for granted.

Call someone today and tell them how much you love them.

And always count your blessings!