A Gluten-Free Life and A Giveaway

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Banana Bread

It has now been approximately 5 months since I went gluten-free, and I’m feeling wonderful. I still have my days where I’m tired and exhausted, but I think I can safely blame that on life and stress. However, I am no longer in pain, and the couple of times I’ve accidently had some gluten filled food my world seems to get turned upside down. I become a non-functioning zombie, except I’m not convinced zombies feel pain. The absolute best part of going gluten-free has definitely been all of the side effects going away. The headaches, cramps, nausea, lower back pain, fatigue, etc. that preyed upon me for several months of my life has finally been captured and locked away. All in the name of gluten. (Several of my friends have benefited from some food which lurked in my cabinet attempting to prey upon me.)

I never suspected such a simple thing, such a natural element in my life, could have such a devastating impact on my body. So many people affected by such a simple, everyday thing. Off the top of my head I can think of 9 people I personally know that are also intolerant to gluten in some way. Wow! Who would have thought?

I also never imagined that going gluten-free would allow me to discover a new hobby and passion. Baking! Sure, I baked some stuff before, I did my share of cooking, but never like this. It was so easy to grab a box and throw it all together. A boxed cake mix, a couple eggs, maybe some oil, who needed anything else. I occasionally made the homemade chocolate chip cookies, but that was about it. However, since going gluten-free that has become a lot harder. Sure, I can still grab the small loaf of gluten-free bread from the store and grab a gluten-free brownie or cake mix from a box, and I occasionally do. But more than anything I now experiment. I use multiple types of flour, I research recipes, I’ve actually, with interest, read about different types of flours and how they work together.

Now granted, I don’t spend much time reading about them, as I’ve always preferred hand on learning. So instead I learn in the best way I can, experimentation! Oh the fun and relaxation this can be. It also helps that my husband will eat almost anything, so even when the experiment fails it’s usually still edible enough that it gets eaten! This definitely helps my experimentation as I don’t have to worry to much about the food getting wasted.

Of course, it’s also come with its challenges. Going out to eat or over to friends houses, seeing this food that looks amazing, and having to question almost every ingredient. Now thankfully I have amazing friends! Friends so amazing that they will spend extra time, effort, and sometimes money to cater to my needs. The Lord has truly blessed me with so many people in my life.

But there’s another challenge. Probably the biggest and hardest to overcome. The Price!! Don’t know what I’m talking about? Try walking into your nearest grocery store and finding the (probably quite small) gluten-free section. That little loaf of bread I mentioned early, the one that is about half the size of a normal loaf, it costs approximately $5.50! For a loaf of bread!

Now, for the millionaire who discovers he/she is intolerant to gluten or has celiac disease, this is probably not a big deal. They can spend a little more at the grocery store to purchase these specialty food without much trouble. But for the rest of us? This is a bit more challenging. Sure, we make it work, we make changes to our budget and our meals and we cope. And coped I have. I even in some ways enjoy the fact that I’ve had to cope. Not only do I eat healthier for me, but I tend to eat healthier in general now. Fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten-free after all, much more so then those delicious Little Debbie brownies. Oh, and I can pick and choose some of the flours I want in my recipes, which adds more variety and flavor to it all.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Banana Bread

So, with all that in mind, I would like to share more of my gluten-free experiences with people. I want to write more posts that pertain specifically to being gluten-free. This might include more recipes, failed and successful experiments, etc. In addition, I also want to try and collect resources and ways to save money and live the gluten-free life on a limited budget, so eating gluten-free frugally basically. In order to do this effectively I’ve decided I’d like to start another blog devoted solely to that and leave this blog for the random stuff and my family, leaving this site to share latest news and slight updates on my life for friends and family.

In thinking about that goal, I have a challenge for you. I am horrible at coming up with names, so I’m asking for your help. And for your help I am going to offer a prize. I am looking for a creative name for a new blog, but also one that is fairly short and easy to remember, making it easy to type. If I choose your suggestion, or use an idea contrived based off of your suggestion, I will send you a homemade, gluten-free baked good, straight from my kitchen. (Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s one of my successful experiments before giving it to you.)

What are your suggestions?

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