What's eating you?

Or rather, what do you eat?

Based on the doctors recommendations for Nathan after his emergency room visit, he's gone dairy and gluten free. This means that the home is dairy and gluten free {gf}(although my caregiver brings her own food and there is often gluten but rarely dairy). So by default, Corwyn is also gluten and dairy free (although I don't freak out as much if we're out and he gets a hold of something). I admit that because I eat lunch at the office, I was not kept to the same restrictions.

This has opened up a whole new adventure in cooking for me. Before, their favorite go-to meals if I didn't have something ready was pb sandwiches, plain bread or mac n cheese (really healthy I know). Mac n cheese is totally out. I've tried the gf and dairy free kinds and neither will even go near them. Happily, they've stopped asking for it. Bread is a different story. I'm trying to find a good (easy) gf bread recipe but no luck so far. The local grocery and health food stores carry them, but they are almost 7 a loaf (and its a small loaf). They eat much less bread now. Luckily their breakfast stayed mostly the same, oatmeal with fruit. It changed in that I buy the slow cook gf oatmeal now instead of the inexpensive instant, but I don't mind the extra time in the morning.

I cook lots and lots and lots of soups. They like most of them, but some I end up eating all of. They also like rice with the veggie-they-currently-approve-of and chickpeas so again, they get lots of that. And sushi rolls. Every night, when I walk in the door from work, Corwyn greets me with 'buy sushi? buy sushi?'. Sushi is a Friday thing but he wants it daily. On days when I have no idea what to make for dinner or little time, I'll make an exception and get some. There is a combo at the local place with 8 rolls of yam and avocado and 8 rolls of tofu and avocado for 6.50. And happily Corwyn eats all the first and Nathan all the second. Why happily? Because the yam is breaded and Nathan can't have the breading. So it works out perfectly.

I have now discovered 'flours' that I had no idea existed. Some are obvious like oat or rice flour but then there is coconut and sorghum (what the heck is a sorghum anyway). I've borrowed some cookbooks from the library  and any I found overly useful I've since bought. I make muffins 2-3 times a week now.

I've also been 'forced' to do lots of reading on the subject and everywhere I turn I'm reading more and more about the problems associated with eating the wheat that we have around in this generation (I already know all dairy ones, but I have a cheese addiction). As of last week, I've gone gf myself. Actually for the short term, I'm going totally grain free (no rice, oats etc) just to zap my body into a healthy zone. I'm also sugar free too (including things like honey, agave etc) and hope this is a more permanent thing. In a week, the pain in my knees has decreased by about half (I'm holding out for the other half) and I have more energy and generally feel better (that I lost 6 pounds doesn't hurt either).

I'm not sure where this will go, but I am committed to doing what is necessary to keep Nathan healthier and if giving up certain foods will do that, then so be it.

Here are some pictures to prove that I'm not starving them or giving them only boring, bland food (although coming up with a gf, dairy free Easter was a challenge).