Wordless Wednesday - Pride

Recovery, it's not for wimps!

So I'm 3 days post-op now and in my imagination I'd be be-bopping through my house by now, cleaning up after the boys and the dogs and feeling fine.  It didn't exactly work out that way, as I'm sitting here in my recliner with a cool rice bag on my tummy while my family is at church without me. *sigh*  BUT I am doing better and I am getting around a bit quicker.  The little travel pillow the hospital gave me for when I have to move around has been my best friend these last few days (sorry Dawn!), followed closely by the very nice medications they prescribed me.  However I've found that the medicine works best if you take it exactly when it's time for the next dose, whether or not you think the pain is bad enough for another one.  Because by the time it is, it's too late. Oops.
Needless to say, I am sooooo not cooking right now.  I did manage to verbally teach my hubby to make my oatmeal the other day so he could bring me a bowl.  He did well!! Thursday and Friday I was thanking God that they make GF tv dinners - obviously still not the healthiest or cleanest choice, but better than nothing for my fellas while Mom was down in bed.  Last night a friend from church brought us a delicious meal, and my neighbor is making is something tonight.  Yay for not starving!! I'm slowly getting my appetite back...I didn't eat for 3 days, but this isn't a weight loss plan I recommend.
I do hope to be back on my feet again very soon.  My house is in serious need of "Mom's touch", I'm babysitting a 2 year old tomorrow AND I'm being visited by a long-time online friend whom I've never met in person.  Now I know she won't care about my house, but *I* care.  I just weirdly expected the pain to be all gone by now and my strength to have returned.  Overly optimistic? Perhaps, LOL  But I'm expecting good things, and that's a more fun way to live than to always wait for the negative, right?

GF Burritos and other things

I was so excited this weekend to finally find gluten-free tortillas! After looking for them all over I actually managed to find two different kinds from two different stores, how funny is that? The first ones I got from Fresh Market and they're made with Ivory Teff, then the other ones I got from a local health food store and they're actually brown rice tortillas - awesome!  Tonight I made burritos and I used the ivory teff ones, but I bet they would have been good either way.
GF Burritos

2 cups cooked rice (I used white because it was what I had on hand LOL)
1 lb browned ground beef - seasoned (I used cinnamon and Pampered Chef's Southwest Seasoning)
1 jar salsa (divided)
1 can refried beans
6-8 GF tortillas
2 cups Mexican style or just cheddar shredded cheese

After cooking the rice and beef, I combined them in the pot with 2 spoonfuls of salsa.  I heated the beans a little, not to hot, but just soft. I spread about 2 tbsp of the beans on a (thawed and slightly warmed) tortilla, then sprinkled some cheese on it (about two tablespoons), about a 1/4 cup of the beef/rice mixture* and then rolled it up and placed it in a greased 9x13.  Repeat with all the tortillas. Pour salsa to cover top (I didn't use the whole jar because I wanted to save some for the chips, too, but I covered them), then sprinkle remaining cheese over all that.  Then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until gooey and just starting to brown.
I served it with chips, salsa and sour cream.  It was awesome but VERY filling, even after my 12 year old had THREE helpings and was finally full and all of us were finished, we still had  1-1/2 left over.

*I had some beef mixture leftover and I could have done two more tortillas but I was out of room in the pan and there's only 4 of us, so I just made 6 and saved the rest of it for nachos tomorrow. ;-)

Also, in case you missed it, I was a guest blogger for Bob's Red Mill this weekend.  They're doing a series this month, having guest bloggers post gluten-free casein-free recipes for Autism Awareness month. I think it's terrific that they're doing this, please give them your support! Here's my contribution: MMMmeatballs!

Finally, I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm having surgery later this week.  It's nothing serious and it's outpatient, but I'll be out of commission for a few days and probably not up for cooking or blogging again til next week.  Unless something really great happens between now and then that I just have to share LOL  Til then, be blessed and remember to make every day an adventure!

BIG Shout-Out to GiGi's Cupcakes!

As my nickname probably suggests, I'm a cupcake fiend. I LOVE cupcakes and while others were doing crazy tricks for Klondike bars I was just figuring out ways to get my hands on those perfect, adorable sweet little treats.  It's like a WHOLE cake that fits in the palm of your hand.  There's nothing better, and it's one of the reasons Nathan dubbed me "Princess Cuppycake".
So imagine my smile when I saw that they were opening a GiGi's Cupcakes HERE! I had tried them when visiting my best friend's house, and I knew I LOVED them.  Of course I smiled even bigger when they announced that they'd be offering GLUTEN FREE cupcakes (starting with once a week, but we'll see how it goes)!  So naturally, I had to surprise my family with a special treat! I called yesterday and reserved 4 beautiful white velvet GF cupcakes and went and picked them up today. Of course I also had to treat myself to a shirt with my name on it - no, really, it said Ms. Princess and had a cupcake on it!
I was sooo excited but I did manage to stay out of them AND keep them hidden until after dinner!  The smiles and WOOHOOs from my boys made the suspense worth it.  And ohhhh gosh, they were so worth the wait - WONDERFUL!!!
Some local restaurants offer gluten free fare, but often it's along the lines of "here, order the burger with the bun", or it's a barely passable substitute for what they normally serve.  So MAJOR kudos to GiGi's for making a special and QUALITY product that was delicious and didn't make us feel like we were missing out on ANYthing!! Thank you GiGi's, and I really hope more places follow your lead!

Gluten Free Oven Fried Chicken

I Googled all over the internet and just didn't find a GF chicken recipe I really liked. So I borrowed a few different ideas and made up my own.
Here's what I used:

2 cups brown rice flour (divided)
2 cups coconut flour (divided) - if you have a sensitivity to coconut, just double the brown rice flour or use almond meal instead
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp course ground pepper
a shake or two of basil
1 tsp red pepper
3 small eggs (you could use two large)*
10 chicken drumsticks
1 stick butter

I preheated the oven to 400, and melted the butter, then poured it into a 10x13 baking dish.
I put half the flour in bowl 1, beat the eggs in bowl 2,  and combined the rest of the flour and all the seasonings in bowl 3.
I rinsed the chicken and patted it dry with paper towels.  Then I rolled the drumsticks in bowl 1, dredged them in bowl 2, and fully coated them in bowl 3, then arranged them in the baking dish.
I baked them for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes.

It was good!  I served it with fresh corn on the cob and some fried potatoes.


*note: if you're allergic to eggs, use buttermilk instead!

GOOD THINGS!

I'm really happy right now about what I'm seeing with my kids.  Both are more cooperative, less hyper, and in general have better attitudes.  I was actually able to leave them alone together for a few hours today and they got along perfectly, not a single fight or "tattling text".  So I am definitely seeing this as a positive step in the right direction and I KNOW that at least part of this is from the diet.  To take Noah completely off ADHD meds and to cut Nathan's dose almost in half and still see these results? Amazing!  I am so thankful to God for bringing us on this journey, even though it's sometimes scary and difficult, I feel like we are on the right track and this is SUCH confirmation!  I'm feeling confident enough that hubby and I are going to the movies tomorrow afternoon (matinee) and leaving the boys here by themselves.  I'm so excited, we have never been able to do that before!

Also, another great thing I learned today is that I can make my homemade butter with the Magic Bullet in less than half the time and with less than half the mess of my Kitchenaid mixer. YES! Makes me super happy because I LOVE fresh butter but I'm not a fan of the mess it makes (nor of the smell if I miss some while cleaning).

I had a lunch date with a really good friend today (who is moving away soon, boohoo!) at Mellow Mushroom. I ordered the gluten-free cheese pizza and it was...eh.  I think I should add more toppings next time LOL  They don't serve it by the slice, so I ordered a medium pizza and took the leftovers home to the boys and they were certainly happy with it, so that worked out nicely.  I also think it was slightly undercooked, so if it was baked a bit longer I might like it better.  I will definitely give it another try though!

Dizzy Busy Week!

Good news is, I'm off the hook for shoulder surgery (at least for now). Got a cortisone shot and I'm going back to physical therapy. That is awesome for me, because I REALLY do not have time to be down for weeks on end! Praying the shot and the PT work and that the shoulder problem will go away.

After the dr appt, my friend and I went out to the farm to collect eggs. While we were there, the pig got out so we spent about a half an hour trying to herd him back to the pen, only to get him there and realize we couldn't figure out how to get him IN it (he was afraid of us, poor guy).  The owner wasn't there, it was just us, so we got him as corralled as we could, but I felt bad.  And tired. Who would have ever thought I'd be a farm hand one day? LOL  

My son and "Lil Bit"

I went out and bought groceries yesterday and OUCH, between buying the foods that are better for us and filling up the van - yeah, no extras for us this month! Why does they food that tastes good, feels good, and keeps you healthy have to cost an arm and a leg? But the processed junk that can make (and keep) you sick, is cheap and way easier to find.  BLAH.  BUT at least we are already paying much less for prescription medications in a month, so I'm seeing how it DOES even out. But ouch.  I bought xanthan gum yesterday because it keeps showing up in so many different recipes that I find online.  Got a tiny bag for $12. Thankfully it seems to last a long time (you only use like a teaspoon in a recipe), so I am hoping it's worth it.

This week I'm making a raspberry kombucha and gonna make some yogurt too.  Also gonna make a big yummylicious chicken soup tomorrow night. Maybe even some cupcakes.  It's just that kinda week LOL



Xanthan Gum, 8 oz.