Forced Creativity

Well it has been 3 weeks since I cut out all the wheat and gluten from my diet. I am not entirely convinced it is the source of all my problems but I have exhausted all other possibilities and figured I have nothing to lose at this point. On the whole, it has been pretty easy. I have become an expert label reader at the grocery store. Where it gets tricky, is when dining out or fast food. Basically, fast food is out as I can't trust any of the ingredients. Soya Sauce, yogurt, most sauces, salad dressings, even Campbell's tomato soup has wheat in it.

What it has done is forced me to get creative in the kitchen. So tonight we enjoyed: Roasted sweet potatoes, Steamed Broccoli, Spinach Salad with Balsamic Fig dressing, and Top Sirloin (simmering in red wine, mushrooms, garlic and onions) and for a midnight snack I am roasting garlic to serve on rice crackers with cheese and berries. mmmmmm. Probably doesn't sound very creative but for someone who loves condiments and sauces this meal had the potential to be very bland. With a little olive oil, pepper and creativity this meal was -as my mom would put it - "the best I ever had".

I know there are lots of gluten free products out there and I have tried a few. The brown rice pasta is pretty good and allows me to enjoy spaghetti once again. And I love the sweet potato chips. But on the whole, I thing I will stick to the fruits, veggie and protein. If they start putting ingredient labels on the vegetables I'm in trouble.