Happy Anniversary to Me :)

Wow!

What a difference a year makes. Today marks my one year anniversary of going gluten free!

It has been a wild ride....full of learning to read labels, teaching Bruce to read labels, and finding hidden sources of gluten (malt), to end up completely revamping my diet and minimizing my intake of processed food as much as possible.

It all started with the excruciating stomach pains, bloating, and basic misery that accompanies the body's response to having an autoimmune disease.

Did you know that? Gluten intolerance/Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that, if left untreated, can be the catalyst for a host of other health problems and diseases.

Our digestive system is responsible for producing 75 % of our immune system's cells.

So when the very system that's responsible for protecting our body and creating immunity to disease, is being sabotaged, there will inevitibly be some serious manifestations to alert you that all is not well in your gut.

That was my issue, except that for years I had no idea what was going on. I was resolved to the notion that this was my "normal".

I figured I'd be bloated and in pain every day of my life, no matter what I ate or didn't eat. I would deal with the embarrassing eczema and sleepless nights forever.

I knew I was lactose, casein, and egg intolerant. I really didn't think I could be gluten intolerant, too! I mean, geez, how many food intolerances can one person have, right?!

Turns out-alot. :( I've written a couple other posts about my journey and experience with this that you can check out HERE. and HERE.

I'm having no pity party though! I am happy with my new lifestyle and have found that limitations can create freedom! I am free from gastric distress, eczema, the foggy thinking, severe mood swings, and cancelling plans because of pain.

On the heels of my anniversary I finally finished watching the movie, "Food, Inc."

That will be another entire post altogether.

The movie is only 90 minutes long, but the wealth of information you gain is irrefutable, undeniable, and life-changing.

It's also reveals just the proverbial "tip of the iceberg."

PLEASE-if you care about how what you eat affects you, your children, and anyone you care about-WATCH THIS MOVIE.

Ignorance is not bliss.

I digress.....only a little though.

Spring Rolls

I finally made an attempt at making spring rolls!

I like the idea of having hundreds of options when it comes to preparing a meal or a snack.

Spring rolls definitely fits that creativity criteria.

There are TONS of ways you can prepare savory spring rolls.

Today I chose a select few veggies I had laying around the kitchen.

Carrots

bell peppers

edamame

snap peas

Below are two more critical ingredients when preparing spring rolls

Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)

Rice papers

Dealing with the rice papers is quite tricky and takes a few times to get the hang of it. They are stiff out of the package, so you need to soak them for about 30 seconds in very warm water.
Then, the trickiness begins....when they soften up, they become like an edible version of Saran Wrap. (plastic wrap).We all know how *fun* Saran Wrap is to use :/
It's kind of like stuffing a burrito. Place your selected ingredients in the middle and then fold the rice paper over top of the ingredients from the sides, top, and bottom. It will all stick together on its own.
Like I said earlier, there are tons of ways you can make spring rolls-both savory AND sweet!
You can stuff them with:
*rice and veggies and beans
*rice and seafood or chicken
*just seafood
*just veggies
and then choose an appropriate dipping sauce:
*tamari
*hot sauce
*regular soy sauce
*seafood sauce
You can also fry or steam them....I prefer just inhaling them directly after preparation :)
The next version I'm going to attempt is sweet:
apples
peaches
kiwi
grapes
pineapple
with a dipping sauce I haven't quite decided on yet...
*softened peanut butter
*carmel
*honey
*agave nectar
*maple syrup
*a cocoa and coconut butter combo
The possibilities are endless.....
Be creative, have fun with your food :)