One of the best most fun things I’ve done in the last almost ten years of this journey is to modify recipes I come across to gluten free and share with others. I didn’t always know how to cook very well, had to learn over the years. Our mom worked outside the home and didn’t have much time to cook. She had five kids and if you can imagine, that was exhausting enough, so she used canned and/or boxed food most of the time. She was more of a baker later when we were all grown. The most she made was fried chicken, pot roast and what she called Suzi Q’s. Guess she named those after me her darling only daughter! That’s a hot dog split down the middle, cheese inside and wrapped in bacon then put under the broiler! We had corny dogs from a box too! Well as kids we loved this kind of stuff!
So after leaving home for college I started eating a lot of fast food, carry out, school cafe food and lot’s of pizza. I was always tired and taking naps, especially after eating. In my twenties the doctors put me on thyroid medications for low thyroid. I continued to eat like that for many years until I started to become addicted to fast convenient food! After our second son was born at age 40 I started getting these serious headaches and those turned eventually into migraines which continued to get worse over the years, then depression, panic attacks, chronic joint issues, debilitating migraines and all over pain, then foggy brain and started to have memory loss at age 54. Of course, the doctors gave me medications for all these chronic symptoms.
When I could no longer function that’s when my Functional Medicine doctor told my husband Sue is going to die if she doesn’t change her eating habits. That’s when this journey began! It was so difficult in the beginning. I still remember the confusion and frustration when going to the grocery store and not knowing what on earth to eat! I’d linger in the isles reading label after label and ended up in tears leaving with some bananas and rice cakes!
There had to be a better way to this eating thing though?! That’s when I made the decision to dive in head first and started to learn how to cook real food! Now my husband is so spoiled to my cooking he doesn’t like eating out anywhere else! He won’t hardly touch anyone else’s food! That was almost ten years ago and very happy to say I’ve been off all those medications for over nine years now including thyroid! Everything I take is all natural. (*if you’d like to know what I do take contact me here on the website or call to chat. I’m happy to help but never advise anyone to go off their medications. I was under my Functional Medicine doctors care at the time I weaned off them.)
People say all the time, Sue it’s just too expensive to eat healthy and/or gluten free. I’m like compared to what? All that junk food? Do you know how expensive it was for me to be sick all the time? How expensive is it really for us to be sick? What’s it costing our health care system? Not to mention personally I could barely function most of the time, could not work or take care of my family! And all that fast food, carry out, restaurant eating out cost compared to how we eat now? Now that’s what I call expensive! Gang, it’s certainly not expensive to eat this way when you learn HOW to do it right!
Now it’s a breeze to shop at the grocery stores and take just about any recipe and modify it. I find them from Food Network and cooking shows, online, as well as develop my own recipes.
I also help my friends out at One Chapel Lake Travis with modifying recipes and give advice on what to use in place of wheat, sometimes even sugar (I use organic coconut sugar in this particular dessert). They always call on the Gluten Free Lady when they need someone to bring a yummy gluten free pot luck dish for an event because they know how tasty my food really is! My motto is Gluten Free clearly doesn’t have to taste like yucky ole cardboard and it’s not expensive!! 😋
Living Life With Purpose!
PS… want to know how to find restaurants and stores to eat and shop when out of town? Download the Find Me Gluten Free App Android For ITunes on your mobile phone! Hope it will be a time and life saver for when you travel like it has been for me!
Disclaimer: The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
