Week 22! Happy Halloween!!

Halloween has never been my Favorite holiday.  It has always seemed like a weird day to celebrate to me.  But, I think I haven't enjoyed it because it usually falls in a really busy time of the year for us.  If we aren't busy with school, then I am usually at work.  2 years ago we did get to go to a Halloween party.

We love Harry Potter.  I may or may not have worn Michael's Harry scarf to the premier of the last movie...(our kid is going to think we are SO cool! Hah)

This year, we just have not had time to decorate or buy costumes for Halloween.  We do have candy for the trick-or-treaters though.  We just have way too much going on with my Comps on Friday and our party on Saturday.  No time to decorate for Halloween and then quickly take it all down and decorate for the party.  I can't wait to do Halloween with a baby though!  I just love baby costumes!

(My FAVORITE holiday is CHRISTMAS!!!  I absolutely cannot WAIT to decorate for Christmas and wear cute pregnant Christmas outfits!!!  I will probably decorate for Christmas as I take down our decorations for the party!  And, then I can't wait to find all kinds of gluten-free Christmas candy recipes!!!!  This will also be the first year in a while that I shouldn't be forced to work!!  This is going to be the Best Christmas Ever!!!)

22 Weeks!!!

 I always said I would Never put up a bare belly picture.

But, being pregnant makes you do crazy things!

I have to say that 22 weeks is probably going to be my favorite so far.  I mean, an ultrasound and our baby reveal all happening around the same time.  Most people wonder why we are waiting so long to find out the sex of our baby, when you can find out around 18 weeks.  Well, the smart person that I am, signed up to work every single weekend in October.  So, we had to wait.

What is new this 22 weeks? 

• Michael has DEFINITELY felt the baby kick!! (He got so excited and snatched his hand away from my belly while saying "I FELT IT!!!")
• Symptoms: Nose bleeds (embarrassing, annoying, but not painful or dangerous), Round ligament pain/Back pain (story to follow), Inability to get comfy and fall asleep at night
• I don't have stretch marks yet (don't worry, they are coming, they run in the family, so don't get jealous) and my belly button is still an inny (but it looks majorly stretched to the MAX)
• Cravings: Hot cocoa (best with whip cream), Life Saver Gummies (Michael is also having sympathy cravings for these, haha)
• We have learned that Baby is a night owl (Oh No!!), because he/she moves a little during the day but will Not Stop Moving at night!

I have to tell a little (embarrassing) story about round ligament pain.  So, I woke up the other morning at 5:30 to go pee.  When I came back to bed I had some Horrible flank (back) pain!!  No matter what I did I could not get comfortable or make the pain go away.  It just felt like I had a muscle cramp that I needed to stretch some kind of bad.  Eventually my pregnancy hormones got the best of me and I started crying, which woke Michael up.  Of course, upon waking to your pregnant wife crying in pain, you insist upon taking her to the ER.  Well, Michael did this.  However, we finally talked it through and decided to just go to employee health when they opened($12 bill versus $200 bill? We opted for the $12).  Michael has had kidney stones before and said that everything I described sounded just like kidney stones/kidney infection.  We knew that these are both common in pregnancy (sometimes being students in the medical field can be a bad thing).  So, we made it to employee health, saw the NP, peed in a cup, and everything came back clear.  The NP said she felt that this was just round ligament pain and that the baby was probably in no harm (b/c the pain was nowhere near my uterus and I was still feeling baby movements).  But, she made an appointment for me to see my OB just in case.  Later, I started feeling better and called my OB's nurse and told her the situation.  She agreed that it was round ligament pain and cancelled the appointment for me.

SO, long story just to say: If I can't handle round ligament pain, how the Heck am I going to handle LABOR??!!! Ok, lets not think about that right now...

Recipe Time!!!

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 1 Can Evaporated Milk (pet milk)
• Refill that 1 Can with water
• 1 cup (or 3/4 cup) sugar (depends on how sweet you like stuff)
• 2 tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Directions

1. Pour pet milk and water in a small pan and begin to heat at med-high heat.
2. Mix sugar and cocoa together (mixing them together dry will keep the cocoa from clumping up) and then add to the milk.  Heat until desired temperature (I like mine to be scalding so I get to hold it in my hands and let the steam warm me up while it cools).  Once reaches desired temperature, add vanilla flavoring.
3. Pour into coffee mug and add Marshmallows!  Enjoy!!

 

I might be drinking this cup as I type.

As much as I would like to claim this awesome recipe, I got this from my mom.  I would always beg her to make me this when I was little.  She would put tons of marshmallows on mine, and let me use her tall teacher coffee mug that I loved.   

Life lately

I know I have been slacking on the blog a bit lately.  My only excuse is that sometimes life just seems to get in the way.  I don't have any new recipes to post, because Michael and I have not really had time to experiment lately.  We did make some gluten-free lasagna one night, but it turned out OK.  I don't want to post a just OK recipe here!  So, when we tweak it and make it perfect, I will post it. 

I have been busy preparing for my Comps (a test on everything I have ever learned in grad school, it is pass or fail and required to get my degree) which is this Friday.  I have NO IDEA how to study for a test that is simply on everything.  They did give us a "study guide" that basically said know all material from all classes.  Thanks for the help guys....  So, if you happen to think about me Friday, please pray!!

Not only have I been trying to study my tail off, I have also been preparing for the big gender reveal party this Saturday (Why would I have a party the Saturday after my tests?  It was the only weekend I have off work.).  Although my timing is not perfect, I am SO EXCITED about this party!!  We have thought of the CUTEST theme and got some very fun decorations!  I think it will be a ton of fun for all the kids coming and fun for the adults that don't mind being a little silly once in a while.  I don't want to give away all of my secrets before the party...  Don't worry, I will post lots of pictures after.

But, since this IS a gluten-free blog, I will talk about what food we plan to serve (so far).  There will be a boy table with "boy food" and a girl table with "girl food."

Girl Table

1. Gluten-free cake/cupcakes (girly ones)
2. Fruit and caramel dip
3. Chicken salad
4. Peanut butter cookies
5. Punch of some sort

Boy Table

1. Gluten-free cake/cupcakes (manly ones)
2. Red Beans and Rice with Sausage (Michael is determined to change this to something more classy, but we will see)
3. Cocktail weenies (get it?! lol)
4. Possibly something on the grill (I figured it would give the guys something to do, but I haven't thought of the actual food yet).
5. Vegetables and gluten-free ranch 

Do you have any suggestions?  I know the food isn't very themed, but I don't want to overwhelm the party with such a specific theme.  And, I just like good food.  Since the party is at 1, I want to provide enough food to fill people up for lunch.  I am also determined to make (almost) everything at the party gluten-free.  I mean, if I have to buy/cook all the food, then I should be able to eat it, right?!

Anyway, I better get back to studying.  Keep your eyes out for my "22 Weeks" post and pictures (you will not believe how fast this belly is growing (Michael asked me last night, "When did you get SO PREGNANT?!") and the big Gender Reveal Party post!

21 Weeks and Dr. Visit!

First, let me just say, I know this gluten-free blog is turning into my personal pregnancy blog.  But, right now this kid is the most important thing happening to me.  I didn't realize just how important everything about this pregnancy would seem.  I just want to remember everything!  So, just bare with me.  I promise to post some informative Celiac post soon.

So, I am one of those people that has looked forward to every doctor visit this pregnancy.  I just love knowing that 4 weeks have gone by, and I get to hear sweet baby's heart beat.  It's the only time I get to check on my little patient, so I am certainly not going to miss it!  Michael isn't a big fan of the doctor's visits.  He has made it to every visit except one.  He thinks it is a big waste of time because all the doctor actually does is ask if everything is going ok, listen to the heart beat, and measure the uterus.  This appointment, however, was the MOST important so far!!  This was the big, second trimester, ultrasound appointment.  Everybody thinks of this as the gender ultrasound.  Well, yes, that is true.  But, it looks for so much more!  This ultrasound measures the baby, makes sure there are 2 kidneys, 1 heart with 4 chambers, 2 hands and 2 feet, and estimates the current weight on the baby.  This is a big deal people!

So, the ultrasound was scheduled before the doctor's visit.  We found out that our perfect little baby has everything he/she should have, weighs 13oz (a little more than 3/4 a pound), and is the cutest baby in the world!!  We got to hear baby's perfect heart beat (which was beating 151bpm).  And, she gave us a Very Special envelope that contains the gender of baby!  We also found out that I have an anterior placenta.  What does that mean?  Nothing really.  Basically, the egg implanted on the front of my uterus (towards my stomach), instead of the back (the normal place).  So, there is more cushion between my baby and my abdominal wall, and this explains why it took me a little longer to feel my baby's kicks.  It actually made me feel a little better.  Now I know that I'm not just a bad momma that didn't know when my baby was kicking!

After the ultrasound, I did the dreaded weigh in, BP check, and peed in a cup.  Somehow I managed to only gain 2 pounds (totaling +7 pounds so far), 115/62 BP, and urine was fine. 

Next, we saw the doctor.  He told me everything looked good on the ultrasound, measured my uterus (which was the perfect size, btw), and gave us the maternal screening results.  The maternal screening was a blood test that checked the baby for all sorts of things like Down syndrome, Cystic fibrosis, and Neural tube defects.  He said that everything came back negative (wahoo!!).  I'm so proud of our little one!

Now, for the most important thing.... Pictures!!

Week 6 Ultrasound!  My cute little butter bean!

Week 21 Ultrasound!! See how much baby has grown?!!

Nursery Planning!

Because we don't know if we are having a boy or girl yet, we are waiting to buy anything for our nursery.  But, I am constantly looking online and planning. 

I have recently fell in love with Etsy, and I really hope to get some custom crib bedding.  How awesome would it be to have one-of-a-kind bedding?  So far, my favorite shop to browse is DandelionBabyBlanket.  She has some of the cutest fabrics!

These are my absolute favorite colors for a girls room (coral and gray with a splash of blue):

I am going between these favorites for a boys room (blue, green, yellow [or orange]):

I always swore that I would never have an animal, princess, or Pooh themed nursery.  Simply because they are so common.  But, I do really like the elephants and giraffes on the first boy picture.  I also really like the owls in this blanket.

In either case (boy or girl), I want gray colored walls (like the #7 in the first photo) with a white crib.  I have recently really started to like the Jenny Lind cribs (this picture is from Target.  I love how they have not changed in years.  My mom said that my crib was a Jenny Lind crib.  Also, if we are going to get custom bedding, then I wouldn't want a bulky crib to cover up my pretty bedding. 

Who knows what we will actually end up with.  These are just my initial thoughts.  I also want a big comfy glider in a neutral color.  I won't be too picky here, because we have to save $$ somewhere.  But, I might as well post my favorite.  This is from Target, and there are plenty others that look just as plush and comfy and not so expensive.  How cute would this white chair be with the owl blanket draped over it?!

The last thing I have looked at is car seats.  Michael drives an extended cab truck and I drive a Honda Element.  Both of which will require a relatively small car seat.  My favorite so far is this cute one from BabysRUS.  It has good safety ratings and should fit will in our vehicles.  And, how cute would this orange seat be in my blue Honda Element?!

This is about as far as I have gone with my planning.  At about this point, I start to get antsy and want to buy something.  Well, colors and themes change depending on the sex of the baby, so even though I have a feeling it is going to be a girl, I better wait.  Michael has an equally strong feeling that it will be a boy.  What do you think about my plans? Any suggestions on decorations, car seats, or other goodies I have not looked in to yet?!

Week 20! Halfway there!!

I can't believe how FAST this pregnancy is flying by!! Where in the world did these 20 weeks go??!!  I can't wait to find out if this baby is a little girl or a little boy, so we can finally start buying things!

I am still loving being pregnant (so far)!  Of course, some days are better than others.  But, I have more good days than bad.  I finally started feeling some movement in there about a week ago.  I'm almost 90% sure it is the baby I feel, but it doesn't feel a thing like anybody has told me.  I have been told it will feel like butterflies, or flutters, or little fish.  Well, he/she must be a chunker because it feels more like a snake moving around.  Thankfully, I talked to another pregnant friend who described it as an anaconda moving, so that made me feel better.  I can't wait until Michael gets to feel the baby move!  I don't think it will be much longer, because sometimes when I feel a lot of pressure in one area we can feel a big knot there.  That kid must be turning flips.

This weekend I hope to go garage sale shopping/antique mall shopping with Michael for some unique pieces for the nursery.  We both want to find one key piece that we can make special.  I know how busy we both are though, so hopefully we will find the time.

This baby is growing everyday!!  I feel like everyday my clothes are getting tighter and tighter.  I am really not looking forward to finding out how much weight I have gained at my next doctor's appointment. 

I may have had a mini pregnant breakdown while taking this latest picture.  I don't know how my poor husband puts up with me.  I guess this is one of my not-so-good days.  As much as I really do love being pregnant, I am not one of those pregnant women that feel prettier while pregnant.  I did not get the smooth, glowing skin and shiny, thick hair that the magazines and tv shows promise.  Instead, my skin seems to be more red and dry and my hair has reached this length and refuses to grow any further.  I can deal with all of this as long as there is not a camera in front of me.  But, I promised my best friend that I will take pictures often for her (and, I went through all the trouble of writing on my chalk board).  So, I will go on.

It's finally Fall, Yall!! Chili Time!

Fall and winter are my two absolute Favorite seasons!! I just love fall colors, scarves, sweaters, and BOOTS!!  Ok, so I only have 1 pair of boots that I actually wear...but they are my most favorite shoes in the world! It is also football season, which everybody really seems to enjoy.  Maybe one day I will get into that.  I like the idea of having people over for football parties (when we have more time and money).  There are also a lot of reality contest shows on about this time, and I happen to be a bit of a closet reality show lover (X-Factor, American Idol and recently Survivor and The Voice). 

But, what is my favorite thing about fall?!  The FOOD!!  I LOVE dressing, pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, sweet potatoes, sweet potato pie, deviled eggs, pecan pie, deer meat of any kind, and much more.  However, one of the fall foods that I am not in love with are soups.  I can tolerate some soups (broccoli and cheddar, chicken noodle, and potato soup).  But, I have never been a big fan of the fall classic, chili.  However, my pregnant brain seems to think that I really like chili.  So, I decided to try and cook it (a gluten-free version, of course).

Olivia's Chili

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound ground Italian Sausage
• 1 pound ground chuck beef
• 2 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 2 27 ounce cans Bush's best chili beans (one drained, one not drained) 
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 jalapeno peppers (chopped, or chili peppers) 
• 1 cup gluten-free beer
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp sugar
•  salt and pepper to taste

First, I searched allrecipes.com for some different versions of chili, and I modified to come up with what sounded like the best version to me (I have never cooked chili before, so this was a shot in the dark).

Brown 1 pound of ground Italian Sausage in a large pot (I could not find ground Italian sausage without the casings, so just cut off the casings and squeeze the ground meat right out).

Maybe this is just how Italian sausage always comes?

When the sausage is fully cooked, drain and set aside.  Next, brown 2 pounds of ground chuck (I browned them separately just because I thought it would be too much meat to brown at once).  When this meat is fully cooked, drain and put both the Italian sausage and beef in the pot.

Now, add your chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and gluten free beer to pot.  

 

Remember, all of Bush's Best products are gluten-free.  The only gluten-free beer besides cider beers that I could find was Redbridge (I have never tried it, so I do not know if it is good or not)

Now, you want to add your diced green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, celery, and jalapenos (most recipes I saw called for chili peppers, which would make sense, but I could not find any, so I used jalapenos instead).

 Finally, add all of the seasonings (chili powder, oregano, minced garlic, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, paprika, hot sauce, salt and pepper).  Turn the stove down until simmering and cover.  Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Enjoy!  It will be even better as leftovers and reheated. 

This recipe makes TONS!  So, I plan to freeze my leftovers in freezer zip-lock bags.  Write the date on the bag and it will keep for 4 months.

Baby??!!

I have some days when I am SO EXCITED for my baby to be here! Then, others (most days) when I am absolutely TERRIFIED! 

What kind of day is today? Well, I got a lot done today.  I turned in a paper for school, logged my last 4 days worth of patients (anybody that has to log patients, knows what a big accomplishment that is).  And, put up all the clean dishes that were sitting on our counters from the day I had an angry pregnant moment and had to wash all the dishes by myself.  You see, Michael and I were both tired and grumpy from school and I thought he told me I was going to be a bad mom (don't worry ladies, put your pitchforks away, he said nothing like that, it was just my hormones hearing what they wanted to hear).  So, I had to prove that I was going to be a good mom by washing all the dishes (it made since in my head).  Anyway, today I put those dishes up.  I cooked 2 batches of cookies to take to work and got ready for work.  And, wrote a blog entry (now 2).  So, for a while today I was feeling like I am going to be a Great mom!

...Then reality hit.  I remembered that I did all this without having to change any diapers, feed a baby, burp a baby, rock a crying baby, carry a baby around all day, wash cute little baby clothes, pick a pacifier off the floor a billion times and wash it, provide tummy-time for the baby (after sweeping all the dirty dog hair off the floor so it doesn't get in baby's mouth), keep 2 crazy dogs from jumping on baby, yelling at the UPS man for banging on the front door and waking up baby, and anything else that moms have to do that only a mom could really understand (I'm kinda halfway there, do I get any mom points yet?). 

So, then I had a little mini-break down thinking I am going to be a horrible mother.  Everybody thinks that before having a baby, right?! Just say right to make me feel better.

Yes, I worry constantly about being a good mom.  And on top of that, I worry about all those other pregnancy things. Is my baby going to be healthy? One day I forgot to take my prenatal vitamin, did that hurt baby? What if I accidently drank more than my alotted 200mg of caffeine the other day?  Did it hurt baby when I ate my gluten-free Domino's Pizza that was covered in tiny gluten crumbs?!  Will I never be able to sing my baby to sleep because baby will be scared of my horrible voice?  All the normal things... And Then.

Will my baby have Celiac?  Really, there are worse things for a child to have.  If diagnosed at childhood, then they never really know what they are missing.  However, can you imagine how hard it would be to feed a kid with Celiac Disease?  No raviolis, spaghettios, bagel bites, chicken nuggets, or luncheons?  And what about sending a kid to school?  What kind of gluten-free food can easily be packed into a lunch?  They will have to have special attention where they go to heat up their food.  And what about going to other kids houses?  Do I send an allergy list for the parent, or just send special food just for my kid?  Can I trust another parent to not give my kid any food with gluten?  Can I trust a kid to not sneak any temping gluten-food?!  How are they not going to get a piece of cake at other's birthday parties?  I would be the crazy parent at Back Yard Burger that wants to watch the piece of meat being put on the plate to make sure it didn't touch any bread (I used to work there, and I remember those crazy parents).  I know we will cross that road when/if we come to it.  I am just so scared of all the possibilities. 

Questions and Answers!

I Love getting questions from my faithful readers (reader), so keep them coming!  A very good friend of mine  (that I have, sadly, not seen in a very long time) asked my very First question:

What about Taco Bell?? Or Popeyes and places like that? Can you eat sushi? (if you werent pregnant) What about rice? Gravys? All meats are ok? What about all condiments like mustard and mayo? I dont have the disease, but I love reading your blog and wonder what I would have to give up if I did. Being able to eat Chick-Fil-A fries is A MAJOR PLUS!! :) love ya!

 I had to do a little research to answer some of this.

1. Taco Bell: I'm not very familiar with their menu, so this posed a challenge to me, they actually have a very extensive allergy menu that shows you if the food is prepared on the same equipment as other products that contain gluten.
• Black beans and rice
• Mexican rice
• Cantina bowl
• Tostada
• Nachos are gluten free, but made on equipment that prepares other gluten products, so you may could ask them to make these seperatly
• Unfortunately, there really is not much at Taco Bell that is gluten free
2. Popeyes: Not very many gluten-free options here either
• Cajun rice
• Red beans and rice
• Corn on the cob
• Coleslaw
3.  KFC: Again, not very much (I mean, they have fried in the name, so it is pretty guaranteed that everything has at least the tendency to be cross contaminated)
• Potato salad
• Corn
• A few salad options
4. Sushi: you have to keep in mind that each place is different, but I definitely REFUSE to give up sushi, it is easier for me to say what I can NOT have in sushi
• NO artificial crab
• NO soy sauce (I generally avoid all sauces, unless the staff is familiar with what gluten-free means)
• NO eel
• NO tempura
• I tend to get pretty simple rolls with raw fish, shrimp (w/out tempura), and vegetables
5. Gravy: NOT OK unless you make it yourself, because most gravy-type sauces are made with a flour base
6. Meat: ALL meat is perfectly fine, it is the seasonings and sauces that you have to watch (so, I have to be careful with processed meat like sandwich meat, because sometimes gluten-containing products have been added in)
7. Condiments: this can vary from one condiment to another, fortunately, most that I use are gluten-free
• Heinz Ketchup and Mustard (Heinz has a very extensive gluten-free list here)
• My husband would FREAK if I couldn't have ketchup.  Our house would Definitely not be gluten free. And don't worry, Carley, most mustards are gluten free ;).
• Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce(All sweet baby ray's products are gluten-free, except their meatballs)
• Blue Plate Mayo
• The main things I have had trouble with are salad dressings (I haven't found a ranch or honey mustard I like yet)
• Really, you just have to carefully read EVERY label, and look it up if ever in questions

Thanks for the questions, Carley!  It makes me think, and I learned some stuff in the process! Keep in mind, Celiac doesn't mean you have to give up anything, I can still have all of the same stuff if I am willing to take the time to alter the recipe and make it myself (which can be a bummer).

I am really one of the lucky ones with Celiac disease (if there is a lucky Celiac).  Many people diagnosed also have allergies to dairy and soy (among other things).  While I had to cut out dairy for the first couple of months I was diagnosed (to let my intestine heal), I slowly introduced it back with no reaction! Yay!!

Eating Out: Gluten-Free Fast Food

What has been the hardest thing for me about Celiac disease (besides how expensive everything has become), is finding quick things to eat.  It seems like most every meal has to be made from near scratch.  The few exception: spaghetti, hamburgers on a gluten-free bagel, baked fish; we have WAY too often and get tired of quickly!  With Michael and I both being busy in school (things will slow down once I'm done with school and have the baby, right? Hah!), we don't have a lot of time for these made-from-scratch meals.  So, we have been finding ways to eat gluten-free fast.  Grabbing some fast food will always be the easiest way to eat (however, not always the healthiest; so, I do not recommend this on a daily basis).

So, where can you eat fast food gluten-free? And what are some of the menu options available?

1. Chick-Fil-A: I know I have already mentioned my recent discovery of their gluten-free fries and how they cook them in a separate fryer! What is gluten-free at chick-fil-a?
• Waffle Fries
• Grilled chicken nuggets
• Grilled chicken fillet with no bun
• Grilled chicken garden salad or fruit salad
• Fruit cup
• Side salad
• Yogurt parfait (these are SO yummy)
• I'm not going to list all of their sauces, but the most important ones (honey mustard, honey roasted barbecue sauce, and ketchup are gluten free
• Here is a link to their entire gluten free website:  Chick-Fil-A Gluten Free Menu
2.  Wendy's:
• Chocolate Frosty (very important)
• Hamburger patty (no bun)
• Grilled chicken fillet (no bun)
• Baked potato
• Chili
• Most of their salads (no pecans and no croutons)
• Wendy's Gluten Free Menu 
3. McDonald's: Their menu is a little more tricky, because they do not provide a gluten-free menu.  I have not ventured to McDonald's since being diagnosed.  They do, however, provide an ingredient list to all of their menu items, and this will clearly state if any wheat is in the product.
• Hamburger patty (no bun)
• Grilled chicken fillet (no bun)
• Salads with grilled chicken
• There may be more options, just be careful here
• McDonald's Ingredients List 
4. Domino's Pizza: They do offer a small gluten-free pizza that is the best I have found so far! However, they cook their pizza in the same kitchen as all other pizza's, so cross contamination is Likely.  I have been a bad Celiac and have risked it twice with no Noticed reaction (this does not mean that I am not having a reaction, though).  So, as yummy as this is, I can not Recommend it.
5. Sonic: no gluten-free menu, but they do have an allergen list
• Hamburger patty (no bun)
• Hotdog (no bun)
• GRILLED CHICKEN IS NOT GLUTEN FREE
• Fries and Tots are gluten free, BUT are cook in the SAME fryer as other products containing gluten, so ask about these items first
• All syrup flavors for drinks are gluten free (yay cherry limeaid!)
• Their icecream is gluten free (but if you get a Sonic Blast ask them to clean the mixer well first, b/c they blend oreo sonic blasts [not gluten free] on the same blender as butterfinger sonic blasts [gluten free])
•  Sonic Allergen Table
6. Dairy Queen
• Ice cream is gluten free (same precaution is with sonic, make sure they clean the blender first if you are getting a blizzard)
• Grilled chicken patty (no bun)
• Hamburger patty (no bun)
• Hot dog (no bun)
• Fries (may be fried in fryer with other gluten-containing products)
• Dairy Queen Gluten Free Menu
7. Backyard Burger
• Hamburger patty (no bun)
• Grilled chicken (no bun)
• Hot dog (no bun)
• Chili
• Salads with grilled chicken (no croutons)
• IceCream/Shakes (make them wash the container, no malt, no oreo)
• Backyard Burger Allergen Table 

I know there are a lot more fast food restaurants out there.  But, these are really the only ones Michael and I went to Pre-Celiac.  So far, I have successfully had fries and grilled chicken at Chick-Fil-A, drinks and blasts as Sonic, pizza at Dominos, and blizzards at Dairy Queen.  If we go anywhere else I will try to update my list!

Remember to be cautious everywhere.  I know from working at a fast-food restaurant, sometimes we run out of things (fries, chicken, etc.) and would go to Sam's or Walmart to get enough to last until the next shipment.  So, don't trust the online menu and always ask!

If you know of any other places or have any suggestions, let me know! If you want me to find out about somewhere, let me know and I will do my best!

What's for dinner? Chicken!

So, I am trying to do better and take pictures as we cook (at least, I have tried that once now).  Maybe I will actually stick with it.  Michael and I are both such impatient people when it comes to food, so it is hard to stop what we are doing to take a picture.  Once we enter the kitchen to start cooking, we want to be eating ASAP (haha, we are a bunch of fatties!)!

Last night we made a VERY yummy but even more unhealthy meal (good thing I never claimed to be a healthy gluten-free blog).  Michael had taken out some frozen chicken to thaw early in the day.  Lately, as I have already said I am sure, I have had a big diversion to meat.  Michael is always trying to get me to eat meat (he insists that the baby needs it).  So, to try to fix my no meat way of thinking, we made my absolute favorite meat (fried chicken tenders, YUM!).  I was looking in the cabinet for some sides while Michael was getting the chicken ready, and in spite of our 20 cans in the pantry, the only vegetable was corn.  Since we are already going through the trouble of frying, might as well make some corn fritters... We can't just eat fried chicken and fried corn fritters though. So, I made some of my mom's home-made mac-n-cheese (with gluten-free pasta). 

As a side note, anybody want to donate their services to me and help me update my blog?  I really wish I knew how to make seperate pages for recipes, eating out, and then blogging.  I used to be so computer and internet savvy back in the day... I just don't have the time to play with it that much anymore.  Maybe one day.

Fried Chicken Strips

Ingredients (once again, I really hope you are not OCD and need exact measurements)

• Boneless raw chicken strips (cut length-wise in half; we prefer long skinny chicken strips)
• Gluten-free all purpose flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 eggs
• Milk 
• Vegetable oil

Directions

1. Place 3 eggs and a couple of splashes of milk (enough to coat the eggs) in a bowl and mix together.  Place raw chicken in bowl and allow to sit while getting other ingredients together (if your chicken isn't fully covered, then just add some milk, as simple as that).
2. Next, I put a layer of flour in a pie pan (a good size and nice and flat for coating the chicken; if you don't use enough flour, then you can always add more later).  Spread a thin layer of salt over the top of the flour and then a thin layer of pepper and toss together (put as much as you want, but believe me Michael and I were surprised how much better the chicken was once we added more salt and pepper).
3. Pour a 1 inch layer of vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet (we actually used a non-stick skillet this time, which works just fine) and bring to medium to medium-high heat (everybody's oven is different, you want to have a good boil when you add the chicken or else it will absorb too much oil and become greasy, but you don't want it to burn either).  
4. Once the oil is good and hot, dip the chicken into the flour and cover fully (if you like extra crispy chicken, then dip back into the eggs and into the flour again).  Carefully place the chicken into the hot oil (it should bubble and sizzle pretty fiercely, I usually test my oil by sprinkling a little flour into it and seeing it if bubbles).  Cook on each side until golden brown and place on a piece of paper towel to cool (always check your first piece of chicken for doneness, to make sure you have your temperature correct).

  

This is what the oil should look like while frying, and you can see the difference b/w the golden brown and pasty-white.

 

 

I forgot to take a picture of just the finished chicken, but you can see it here along w/ the corn fritters and mac-n-cheese.

 

 

 Mom's Homemade Mac-N-Cheese

Really, this mac-n-cheese is too easy to call homemade, but it doesn't come from a mix or a kit.

 

Ingredients

• 1 box of gluten-free pasta (we used Schar Penne pasta, and we only made 1/2 the recipe)
• Splash of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, don't you watch Rachel Ray?)
• 1/2 box of Velveeta cheese
• Splash of milk
• 2 dollops of butter (big, full tablespoons)
•  Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add pasta and a splash of EVOO to keep it from sticking together (gluten-free pasta is very bad about sticking together).  Bring to a rolling boil and stir often.  Cook until done (don't throw a piece against the wall, just taste it silly).
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
3. Drain pasta and pour into a 8x8 glass cooking dish.  Add cheese (you want to make little 1/2-1 inch cubes to add), butter, salt & pepper, and splash of milk (enough milk to coat the pasta and have a thin layer on the bottom, if you put too much milk you just have to cook a little longer).
4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (stir at the half-way mark).

 

The gluten-free pasta I used.  I really have liked a lot of the Schar products. 

End product.  To speed things up, I actually added all the ingredients to my hot pan with pasta (after draining) and stirred until all melted together, then I cooked for about 10 minutes (remember, we are fatties that like to eat ASAP). 

 

 

What can you expect next?!  I plan to poast soon about eating fast-food gluten-free and another about the fears of my child having Celiac Disease. 

Recipe: Gluten Free Stuffed Bell Peppers

One of mine and Michael's favorite gluten-free recipes has been our stuffed bell peppers.  We made it up one day while shopping at the grocery store.  We were looking in the vegetable aisle for something different to cook, and saw some pretty bell peppers.  So, we started looking on the internet for some stuffed bell peppers recipe.  Nothing sounded good to us.   I thought sausage would be better than ground beef or pulled chicken.  So, we decided to make up a recipe.  This is what we came up with:

Gluten Free Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Tennessee Pride Hot Sausage
• 1 pkg Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1 can diced tomato
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 3-4 Bell Peppers (we like the orange, yellow, and red ones best)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown sausage.  When completely browned, drain.  Place over low-heat and add cream cheese, diced tomato, and corn.  Stir until completely melted together.
2. Cut the top off of bell peppers and spoon out all of the seeds.  Fill the bell peppers with the prepared sausage mix.  Place the bell peppers on a cookie sheet (to catch any drippings, in case you filled yours to the tip top like we do) and bake for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

We like to serve ours with a side of rice.  They are so yummy and just effortlessly gluten-free!

18 Weeks!!

18 Weeks Pregnant!!

I can not believe how Fast this pregnancy is flying by! I know the name of this blog is a little deceiving (Gluten Free Barnard's).  But, I plan on talking about being gluten free and about the Barnard's (us)!  Michael said he saw a baby at clinical that was born at 23 weeks (WHAT?!!)! I can not even imagine having my baby in 5 weeks (much less the stress of having such a premature baby)! AAHH!! Ok, panic attack over. 

I had my first pregnancy blunder today... I was trying to do something nice for Michael my baby me and cook a gluten free chocolate cake.  I mixed it together and put it in the oven and set the timer.  I was so excited after waiting for a whole 43 minutes to look at (taste) Michael's my baby's my cake.  When I opened the oven the cake was still completely raw (what the heck?!).  Apparently...after preheating the oven to 350 degrees and inserting the cake and turning on the timer, I then turned off the oven (because it's dangerous just leaving those things on). Sigh. I heard this gets worse after that baby actually gets here? Nah, not possible.

So, I have been seeing a lot of pregnancy questionnaires on other's blogs.  Because I didn't want to be left out, I immediately googled pregnancy questionnaire and found one of my own (to steal from a random stranger's blog).

My Pregnancy So Far:

FIRSTS:

• Is this your first pregnancy?: Yes!
• How did you find out you were pregnant?: Well, we were trying to get pregnant and both Michael and I just had this feeling that I was pregnant.  One night at work I had an allergic reaction to something and had to go to the ER.  I told the doctor that we were trying to get pregnant and asked if he would do a pregnancy test before giving me any medicine.  The urine test was negative.  I was just not convinced.  So, I was the crazy lady that asked for a serum pregnancy test just to confirm.  He said that would be fine (as he rolled his eyes).  We didn't hear anything back from the doctor until he came to discharge me.  As he was walking out the room saying I could go, I asked what the pregnancy test said.  He quickly added (with a bit of an attitude), "Oh, it was 11, that indicates early pregnancy." (I think he was a little pissed that I wasn't a crazy lady after all.)
• What kind of pregnancy test did you take?:  Well, I work at a hospital, so I may have taken a few serum HCG's to make sure the numbers were doubling like normal! (Our little gunner more than doubled! We thought we were having twins!)
• How many?:  I may have still taken a few home pregnancy tests... only like 3, or 4.
• What were your first symptoms?  bloating, nausea, extra veins (that Michael thought I was just wanting to see)
• Who did you tell first? Andre and Gilbert, two of my friends that were at work when we found out; then our families.
• Who was with you when you found out? Michael
• Was baby planned?:  Yep (although we were thinking it would take a little longer to actually happen)
• How far were you when you found out?: I guess less than 4 weeks, since I hadn't even missed a period yet.

MY BABY:

• Due date: March 7, 2013                               
• Do you want to know the sex?: YES!!                                             
• Do you know the sex?: Not yet! We are having a reveal party in November for family and close friends
• Any names?: We are between Kinsley Reese and Addison Reese for a girl and Caiden for a boy (no middle name figured out yet). Opinions? Suggestions?                      
• Any ultrasounds?:  One around 6 weeks and the other around 10.
• Have you heard the heartbeat?: Yep! Beating fast (so it must be a girl).
• Who do you think baby will look like? I think the Clark genes and the Barnard genes are equally strong, so this baby is going to be a mix!
• Will baby have any siblings?: Probably one day...
• Have you and dad felt baby move?: Not yet... :(
• When did you start to show?: I could tell around 13 weeks, but a stranger noticed for the first time at 17 weeks.
• Are you excited?: Is it not obvious?

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Did you have morning sickness?: Yes, but it usually hit me in the evenings more.
• Do you have any cravings?: They tend to change from day-to-day, but my steady cravings have been ICEEs, snow cones, and snickers bars.
• Do you have any mood swings?: It wouldn't be fair to Michael to say no.  Only around him though.
• Are you a high risk pregnancy?: I wouldn't say high risk, but having Celiac disease does put me at higher risk than the average person.  I just have to be extra careful with staying away from gluten.
• Any complications?: Not so far, but I'm not even half-way there yet.
• Formula or breastfeeding?: I plan on breastfeeding.
• Have you bought anything for baby yet?: Not yet, but my parents and sister have bought a few toys (this is going to be one spoiled kid).
• Who will help with baby after their born?: I'm sure my parents and Michael's parents will.  We live 2 hours away from everybody but Michael's sister, so I'm sure Lauren will help some too.
• What is your favorite thing about being pregnant?: My belly changing everyday, and reading my little updates on how big the baby is.
• What is the worst thing about being pregnant?: The nurse inside of me hates that I can't monitor this little life 24/7.  Can't I just take home a doppler to listen to the heartrate every now and again?!
• Whats one thing you miss doing since being pregnant?: Eating sushi... It is just not the same without the raw fish!                                      
• Any days you wish you weren't pregnant?: Not yet.
• Are you ready for baby?: Heck no! Baby has lots more cooking to do! I am in NO way prepared!       
• How many kids do you want?:Maybe 2 or 3... we will see after this one
• Do you talk to your baby?: Sometimes when nobody is around.
• Do you still feel attractive?: I think I'm a decent enough looking pregnant woman... when I'm wearing makeup.
• Have you had your baby shower yet?:  Not yet
• Do you like kids?: Most of the time

PROGRESS

• How far along are you now?: 18 weeks and 1 day.
• How much weight have you gained so far?  6 pounds
• Are you wearing maternity clothes? Yep, I'm not ashamed to admit it (they are SO much more comfortable!)
• How are you sleeping? Good, except I'm having to get up 1-2 times a night to pee.
• Do you have an innie or outie? So far, still an innie
• What are you craving? Right now, anything except meat (loving all sweets, veggies, and fruit)