Thursday, October 20, 2011

So, as many of you may know, I have a severe wheat allergy. 
We're talkin "must carry an epipen at all times" serious. 
But I don.t let it get me down :)

Anyways, quick-food, that doesn't contain wheat(gluten) is almost impossible to find. And the quick-food that you can find, is horribly expensive. 
So, I make my own, and freeze leftovers. 

This is how I freeze my chili. 
(Let me know if you want the chili recipe. And yes, there are potatoes in it.)

Ok, so here it goes. 

Things you need: 
1) A big pot of chili leftovers
2) 1 ladle
3) 1 cup-size measuring cup, or something else with a spout to poor easily from.
4) Quart size zip seal bags (Or other sizes. Such as if you have a large family, you can probably use gallon, because you'll need to feed more people. Or if you want to create quick lunches use sandwich size.). This might go without saying, but the bags need to be freezer bags. 
5) 1 large measuring cup, or bowl (you'll place the bags in this to hold them, so use a cup/bowl that will fit your bag best.)
6) A freezer




Step 1: Get your chili ready!
 Step 2: Get your cup-size measuring cup ready. (As you can tell, I was already half-way through my process when I decided to do this haha!)
 Step 3: Get your freezer bags ready. Dont forget to label the bag with the contents and date. Sometimes when things are frozen for a while, you cant recognize it, and have no idea when you made it. I wouldnt keep this past a year.
 Step 4: Fold the top of the bag over (you dont want chili, or other soup bits, getting into the zipper parts).
Fold the top over one more time, just to be safe. With this second fold, the zipper parts should be covered by the bag. Then, place the bag in the big measuring cup, or bowl.
 Step 5: Ladle some chili into the one-cup measuring cup.
 Step 6: Pour the chili, or soup into the bag. You might have to hold up the edge of the bag while you fill the first part just to make sure it doesn't collapse on itself.
 Step 7: Keep filling the bag until it is as full as you want.
 Step 8: Unfold the top of the bag.
 Step 9: Zip the bag so that there is still about an inch or so open.
 Step 10: Push down on the bag to get the air out. Air is bad for freezing.
 Step 11: Seal it, and marvel at your work :)
 Step 12: Put all your bags upright in a big bowl or cup or whatever you have that will hold them upright so that the bags dont bust, or so that soup doesnt freeze into all the zipper stuff.


Final Step: After the chili, or soup, is frozen, you can remove them from the bowl and just put them in your freezer.

Thanks :)

Lemme know what you think!!!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Stupid Allergies

Well. Those of you that know me very well know that I have had to watch what I eat for quite a while now. All anyone could figure was that I was allergic to food preservatives, such as MSG. They are in TONS of food, especially packaged and processed foods and Chinese food, so of course it made sense that a lot of things I would eat would make me ill. So for a few years now I would just eat stuff, and find out the hard way if I would react from it.

In the past couple of years, about since my senior year of high school, it has gradually been getting worse. And worse. And worse. Since about March there were a few times all I did were complain steadily about my stomach. I don’t enjoy being ill, I am not a hypochondriac, and I knew it was just some reaction to some foods I was eating. Well I started eating more and more fresh foods. I have always eaten fresh food (mostly because I really hate cooked veggies) so it wasn’t a big change, but I was kicking out a lot of crap and packaged stuff.

I also started to see a new doctor. That was a HUGE step for me. I HATE going to the doctor. I go when I need to, but if my mom (an RN/BSN) can give me some idea of how to make myself better without going to the doctor, I WILL NOT GO. Simple as that. Makes me feel silly to go in there and complain like that. But even I knew something was wrong, and I needed to get checked out. Plus, I have had the same doctor since I was 12. He was the only doctor that ever “fixed” me. I was his youngest patient, and he was my last resort. Loved him. But he retired. And I moved away. So I had to find a new doctor. And I am PICKY. So I called the insurance company and asked for a list of doctors in downtown Indy that are DO doctors, not an MD. (There is a BIG difference, look it up.)  Well. There was only one. So I went to him. Not much other choice unless I wanted to drive out to a burb, which I didn’t.

During my first visit with the doctor I did initial blood work, you know, the normal HDL, LDL, etc, etc. I explained all the stuff that I KNEW was wrong with me, all the stuff that HAD been wrong with me, and all the stuff that I knew was/had been wrong with my family.  Telling my family medical history is hard; I only know half of it.  Then a follow up appointment was scheduled to go over the results from the standard test.

During the follow up we went over what I THOUGHT might be wrong with me. I explained how I KNOW I am allergic to preservatives, and I avoid them, but how I am steadily feeling worse and worse after I eat, even though I try and avoid foods that are preserved.  A lot of my symptoms were pointing towards diabetes.  And in all honesty, that was what I voted for, as I KNOW several people in my family history (even on the side I don’t know much about, I do know diabetes and heart disease) have/had diabetes. So he ordered an A1C test.  He also didn’t like the idea that I have never been to an allergist. So he told his admin to make me an appointment with an allergist, who would test for all sorts of stuff. Best allergist in the Midwest (which, being an anti-doctor visiting person that I am, I appreciated).  Well the admin called a few days later and said the allergist didn’t test for food allergies and such so we would discuss other options when I came back in to see Doc at my upcoming physical. (Ended up that admin had tried to make my appointment with the allergist with the wrong info…long, unimportant story, and yes, I STILL have to go see the allergist…I am not happy about this because I thought I was off the hook. HA!).

Back to the point… so I go in for the physical. Didn’t end up happening because Doc’s mom’s doc called and said she wasn’t going to make it (she didn’t, so pray for his family please!) but he did bring me this big book that had a list of all of the blood tests he can order and we looked over the food allergy ones and chose the one that we both thought would cover most of the things that could be bothering me.

Well today I went back to actually get my physical.  Also got the results from the A1C and allergy panel.

Good news: I DON’T HAVE DIABETES!!!

Bad news: I am HIGHLY allergic to wheat.

Yeah. Wheat.

Well, at least the four major proteins that make up wheat. So no more albumin, globulin, gliadin, or gluten.

Many of you may be familiar with gluten because many foods are labeled “gluten-free”.  Foods have been labeled that recently because of celiac disease, chron’s disease, and of course wheat allergies (no, I DO NOT have celiac disease or chron’s disease THOSE ARE NOT THE SAME THINGS!!!)


I wasn’t freaking out very much because my mom had went on a gluten-free kick a few years back because of my brothers. 

Then I went to the grocery. And I read the labels. And read some more. And pretty much EVERY SINGLE THING I picked up, had had to put down. Anyways, wheat (mostly flour) is in EVERYTHING.

Not fair.

Oh well.

I will survive.

But then. Well then the realities of it all set in. While I was grocery shopping.

Typically wheat allergies are more prevalent when you are a child, and as you age, your intolerance lessens, and eventually you can eat it. That scenario is not me. I am the girl who’s wheat allergy got progressively WORSE as she aged, and will get even worse as I keep aging.  Worse as in, I can possibly get so allergic to wheat that I go into anaphylactic shock if I eat wheat. Not happy about this.

So, what am I doing now you ask? Well I am getting rid of all the wheat crap in my apartment right now. Took a break to write this. (Don’t worry, I am not just throwing it away, I am sending it to my parents’ house.)  And I am cutting out ALL wheat that I can find (some things have trace amounts, or are cross contaminated).  Then we will see how I feel in about a month, and if I feel WONDERFUL I might try and reintroduce a little, VERY little, wheat to my diet.

We shall see.

So pray. Please.

Wheat-free food is VERY expensive.  This is VERY frustrating for me. I seriously almost broke down in the grocery, and I HATE crying (that is how frustrated I am).


Saturday, April 30, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

New Noises.

Well the city is full of new noises.  Not horrible, terrifying noises.  I’m used to them all now.  I was used to some before I even came here.  The new noises aren’t bad, just new.

There’s no more heifers bellowing down the road.  No more coon dogs bawling in the back yard.  No more straight line winds whipping through old farm houses.

No its helicopters, sirens, and car engines.  The heliport is right by my apartment and the noise from the helicopters is surprisingly soothing the sirens aren’t too bad because I’m not by a hospital or bad neighborhood.  The car engines, well, those are a lot like the winds through a farmhouse, depending on horsepower. 

The best noise? The train. Its right by the heliport.  I’ve been used to that sound since I was born.  It’s nice to know that it’s here in the city too.

Strange to think, but God provided comfort in the noise of a train.  Also, that is not the first time He has.  He did that in Vincennes too.

(I wrote this while I was trying to fall asleep on 12-29-10 at 11:12pm. I was loopy, and sleepy, and it was a long time ago. Sorry for the nutty-ness of it, but its how I was feeling then, so I figured it would be best to leave it as-is.)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Wallpaper

I was watching old SNL clips. Check out the wallpaper on this set. Its the same patter as the virtual wallpaper on my blog. TOOOOOO STINKIN FUNNNNY!!!! :) Saturday Night Live - The Manuel Ortiz Show - Video - NBC.com

Monday, March 28, 2011

Figures

I know I promised a new blog today, but as of right now I have been clocked in at work for 11 hours and 37 minutes. Which means I'm so not going to be able to write a blog tonight.

Sorry :(

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, There's Always Tomorrow...

ITS ONLY A DAAAAAAY AAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAY!!!!!

Hahaha!
And yes, I get that song sung to me A L-O-T! lol :)

Anyways, ...tomorrow... I plan on re-starting my promise to blog.

So, until ...tomorrow...

:)

Monday, January 31, 2011

:(

Two words:
Catastrophic Storm.

Not good.

Save me.

*on a side note, maybe this will give me some time to update my blog :)