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Our Gluten-Free Experiment (Plus Giveaway & Review of Delicious Obsession’s E-book)
Keeping It Real: Gluten Free Recipes The Whole Family Will Love
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(But read to the end to get the 25% off coupon & to sign up for your chance to win a free copy!)
Apart from the brief flirtation with the GAPS diet, we are pro-wheat. We did the GAPS diet for food elimination to determine if allergies or food sensitivities were the root of concern with a child (to learn more about GAPS, read this site top-to-bottom). We claimed Parental Dictatorship Powers to insist the entire family participate in the experiment. Indeed, our child was allergic to corn. Nothing but the GAPS diet would have revealed that, since a “just cut out x, y, or z” approach would never have included corn (the insidious stuff that goes by over 180 names). It was all-or-nothing, baby. And so I credit the GAPS diet with saving my son from a life of pain and discomfort. Yet, while we were on this cruel-and-unusual punishment routine, Wilson and I would occasionally say something painful to each other like, “You know what I could really go for right now?” or “Doesn’t popcorn sound yummy? With melted chocolate on it? Oh, and maybe some peanut butter to dip it in?” It got desperate. Thus, it was only a brief flirtation with a diet that has helped innumerable people regain freedom from food allergies. We discovered the problem and moved on; we added in legumes, starches, and potatoes as soon as possible just so that we could feel full again! Oh, and dark chocolate, I think that was the first to be reintroduced.
I tell you this to emphasize my extreme discomfort for radical diets, eliminating foods unnecessarily, and picking up the next food fad. Through research, we know that many people assume gluten is the problem when it might be a wheat processing problem. However, “wheat belly” happens. Autoimmune disorders, autism, and diabetes happen, too. For as much as I dislike eliminating comfort foods, I dislike illness, fatigue, and unexplained weight gain even more.
We know that our family stays healthy with home-milled flour (healthy because of the high levels of vitamins and minerals it provides) but even that has a limitation. We cannot eat it breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks; and that is exactly the role wheat would play if “what sounds good” took complete control in this house. I did not think I needed Jennifer Espinoza’s new cookbook, Keeping It Real: Gluten-free recipes the whole family will love but in fact, we do. I have made a deliberate attempt to cut back on the bread in our home and we started seeing positive results in the first week! My fibromyalgia pressure points had been flaring up again, and are finally subsiding. My corn-allergic child has experienced noticeable behavioral changes (calmer). Though Wilson feels great on home-milled wheat, he is always trimmer when we limit the amount. Going into our second week, we will be cutting gluten out entirely as our reset button.
The recipes I have used thus far from this cookbook are ones in which I already owned the ingredients or I made reasonable substitutions (like raisins for dried cranberries, or fermented coconut “yogurt” instead of dairy). WOW! First of all, knowing that I have these ingredients already took some of the fear from the process. When we did the GAPS diet, special trips to the grocery store were a necessary evil; it was an expensive diet and no one ever felt full. Ever. I guess I had associated the idea of switching to a no-gluten/low-gluten diet with our singular experience of it (that being an extreme elimination diet) and I was not ready for the added grocery costs. What a relief to know that I was actually saving money!
She starts the gluten-free cookbook with good, solid nutritional information. She explains what types of fats are really healthy, what kinds of bulk ingredients to have on hand, the nutritional value of foods, and the basic how-to on preparing things like nuts or bone broth. If you are new to practicing a real (nourishing) food diet, I highly recommend this book because it is solid nutrition through-and-through regardless of your gluten-tolerance!
We’ve tried more than a few recipes out of the cookbook; I have yet to explore her fermented recipes but I look forward to some new, fresh flavors around here. I’m waiting for the next co-op delivery to start in on that rather thick section of the cookbook. So far, our favorite recipes have been the Simple Summer Carrot Salad (my kids call it “Tigger Salad” because of its color), Easy Cauliflower Salad (definitely easy!), and the Mongolian Beef—which was a quick meal with very few ingredients! The garlicky asparagus spears were a family favorite because apparently I have gotten into a rut with how I cook aparagus. They were delicious and a child exclaimed, “Wow mom, you put flavor in these.”
Not all of her recipes are dairy free, but many of them are and the others can readily modify with simple substitutions. She has some dairy free ice cream recipes, which I really wanna give a shot.
I want to try the No Bean Beef Chili recipe next (pictured above) because her spice combinations are very authentic down to the last ingredient. Plus, it’s Montana and I have nearly 2 feet of snow outside. Chili, ‘nuff said.
We loved the fudge because it is so simple to whip together and it is the healthiest fudge I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy. The only thing—and I mean the only thing—I have found in one of her recipes thus far that required any modification for me was that she did not melt the ingredients together on the stovetop before chilling in the refrigerator. But then again, a drafty old house in a Montanan winter means that things like coconut oil are completely solid for me. I am eating one of her homemade nut butter cups as I am typing this. I just know hubby’s gonna say somethin’ about the chocolate on the keyboard…but oh it is so good!
Here’s a confession: The recipe for the nutbutter cups made 1 whole mini-muffin tray with ingredients left over. What to do? I made a giant one with a ramekin. It wasn’t beautiful because it was tough to get out of the ramekin dish, but worth it 🙂
This great cookbook is only $16 and has a money-back guarantee. It has absolutely made the transition happen for our family, so we hope that you also gain both insight and health through its pages, too!
GOOD NEWS!!! Jessica, in her typical generous fashion, has given Pantry Paratus readers a coupon for 25% off and she’s sponsoring the giveaway!! You can get 25% off of your ebook when you use the code PANTRY25 at checkout. Coupon expires Midnight, March 31st so get yours now. Click the link below to buy it!
If you would like to learn more about getting this great book, click here to view more details
Carry on (gluten-free) Crouton,
Chaya
Proviso:
Nothing in this blog constitutes medical or legal advice. You should consult your own physician before making any dietary changes. Statements in this blog may or may not be congruent with current USDA or FDA guidance.
The photos used in this blog are property of Delicious Obsessions and Jennifer Espinoza (with the exception of the bread rolls photo and the giant nutbutter cup by Pantry Paratus).