As Spring comes...

In spite of the rainy weather, I can't help but look forward to the coming of Spring. I suppose technically it's already here, since March 21 is the first day of Spring, but you would know it with the rain, cold and lack of leaves on the trees.

But, it's amazing how just one small thing can give you hope for better times. Today, as I was riding my bike to school, I noticed leaf buds on the deciduous trees! That means that slowly but surely Spring is indeed on it's way.

I feel like this is how God helps us through tough situations sometimes. He lets us feel the full force of the consequences of our bad choices (and even sometimes the choices of others), but gives us glimmers of hope to let us know that he is still there, still listening. And, he reminds us that sometimes we have to go through bad things to develop into who we are supposed to become. He is constantly refining us, as gold is refined in fire.

I know this doesn't have much to do with living gluten free, but I think it's something we all need to keep in mind. After all, we all need encouragement sometimes, especially when we are making difficult lifestyle changes, like going on a gluten free diet. It always helps to have support, and it's wonderful knowing that you have the support of an all-loving and all-knowing God.

Excuses, excuses

It's amazing how easy it is to make excuses. I'm not going to go to the gym because I need to clean the kitchen. I am not going to do my homework because I feel tired. I am going to have candy, dessert and more dessert because I've got family in town.

You've probably guessed what I did this weekend. I ate a gigantic amount of sugar, and some gluten. I'd like to think I'll stop making excuses, but the truth is, it's so much easier to make those excuses. All there is really for me to do is to lean in Christ's love and trust that He is forming me each day to be better than I was before. I have to allow Him to teach me how to be a better steward of what he's given me, from my skills, to my money, to my body. I have to allow Him to teach me how He wants me to use these gifts.

After all, their not really mine anyway.

Pizza!

So I had been doing really well eating COMPLETELY gluten free, even when we went out to breakfast our last day at home. I'm a sucker for perfectly cooked pancakes, so this was really tough. Anyway, yesterday I was so hungry at work I felt lightheaded. A coworker had some goldfish crackers. Needless to say, I couldn't resist. I mean, who could, with their cute orange color and smiley faces? Just kidding. I should have stuck to the communal carrots. But, I have noticed an improvement in my energy levels even in the past couple of weeks of eating like this. And, I also noticed when we went out to eat (before my resolution, of course) and I got a heaping plate of pasta, I was unusually tired and grumpy the next day. This, I am certain, is no coincidence.

Now for the good stuff. Evan and I discovered a great recipe for gluten free pizza dough! We have yet to perfect the bake time on our pizzas to get the thin dough to be nice and crispy, but it still tastes delicious. This recipe is relatively easy to make, and you can find the ingredients at your local grocery store. No need to go to a specialty foods store!

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups rice flour

2-1/4 tsp gluten free quick rise yeast

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Xanthan gum

3 tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 cup warm water; divided

1 tbsp honey

Directions:

Combine flour, yeast, salt and Xanthan gum in a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup water, olive oil and honey. Next, use hands to work the dough. Use the remaining water (as much as needed) to hold the dough together. Knead the dough for five minutes then cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Lightly grease a 12 inch pizza pan and flatten dough into the pan. Press the dough into the pan and against the sides to make the outer crust. Top as desired and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Isn't it amazing how quickly we can fail? I've already eaten some gluten. Yesterday, Evan, my sister and I went to Royal India (an amazing Indian restaurant) and we ordered garlic naan. Of course, I ate some. It is just so delectable to dip it in the Indian curries - simply irresistible. At least to me. Like I said, I have very little willpower when it comes to eating gluten in social settings.

But, today is a new day. Today I can try again to be completely gluten free. Today, I have another chance. So far, I've succeeded. I haven't eaten anything yet.

New Year's Resolutions

At church this morning, the pastor did a sermon on New Year's resolutions. Supposedly, half of the people in America make New Year's resolutions and the top two resolutions are to lose weight and to save money.

I normally don't make New Year's resoltuions, because they are those things that people make on January 1st and forget about by January 7th. However, I think this year I'm going to give the resolution thing another try. You probably know that I've been eating (mostly) gluten free since Evan and I got married. I eat gluten every once in awhile, like when we go out to eat. So, I resolve this year to eat completely gluten free. That means no bread when we go to restaurants, no Olive Garden (for some reason, they haven't gotten the gluten free pasta message) and no cakes or cookies.

This will be REALLY hard for me. It's not difficult when we're at home because we don't keep gluten in the house. But, when we get into social settings, like parties and family get togethers I have very little will power. So, we'll see how this goes!

Recipe Sunday (Finally!)

Evan and I absolutely adore the bulk foods section of just about any store. It usually has a lot of items that you can't find elsewhere, and it is so much more cost effective. However, the bulk foods section at WinCo Foods tops them all. WinCo carries in bulk everything from gummy candies to spices and even honey! So, you can imagine our delight when we discovered some gluten free options there.

First, there are almonds. Don't get me wrong, we love our Trader Joe's pre-made almond meal, but being that Spokane doesn't have a Trader Joe's yet, we sometimes have to make our own. So, we can buy extremely large quantities of almonds (not an inexpensive nut, as I'm sure you know) for an excellent price. Plus, almonds have a lot of gluten-free calories, which are great for Evan who is trying (as always) to gain weight. You can imagine that it would be hard not to be underweight with Crohn's.

Recently, we discovered that WinCo carries bulk rice flour. This flour is very fine and has a really nice texture. We decided to buy some because we thought we could find a good pancake recipe using the rice flour. Sure enough we did! By way of a Google search, we found this recipe for AMAZING banana pancakes. The pancakes turned out thick and moist. But, they weren't fluffy like your average Krusteaz pancake. No, they were dense and sort of chewy. Evan said he used less water because he sweetened them with honey, but when you make them, be sure to use the whole cup of water so that they turn out a little less thick.

Anyway here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey (you can use sugar instead if you like, but honey is best for the Crohn's diet)
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 pinch of cinnamon (use slightly more than the nutmeg)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 ripe to overripe banana

Preparation:

Preheat griddle or pan to about 300-350 degrees/medium-high heat
Mix all dry ingredients together
Mash the banana with the water and oil, then add to the dry ingredient mixture
Stir well to combine (we like to use our hand held mixer for this)
Pour batter onto griddle to make pancakes of desired size. Cook until brown on both sides.
Serve hot with whatever toppings you like (they are utterly delicious with honey!)

(recipe taken and modified from http://www.grouprecipes.com/25531/gluten-free-banana-pancakes.html)

Neighbor love

Last night, Evan and I spent a lovely night with one of our neighbors. She and her husband are our age, and they live right across the hall and go to our church. Plus, they've recently started a young marrieds small group! I couldn't think of a better place for God to have put us at the start of our marriage. I feel as though I've really grown as a person as a result of knowing them. Shayla has inspired me to keep up with my blog and start writing that book I've always wanted to write through her dedication to her own creativity (she writes and records AMAZING music). Zach has taught us that life is not just about tasks and commitments. It's about relationships and connections. I already feel more connected to the church because of their influence because they have pushed me to get more connected.

If you're reading this Zach and Shayla, thank you. You are wonderful people, and amazing neighbors.