The Journey to Wellness...

Three years ago went to visit my family in Texas, I did not have any idea how drastically my life would change.  There is no way to express how thankful I am for the help that my friends and family have provided me since the MD said "In order to find out what is wrong with you, you will need to start on an elimination diet immediately!"  Thankfully the elimination diet was only for 6 months and after that I was able to go to a strictly Gluten Free (GF) diet with some other minor modification.  It truly is Mind over Matter!  Looking back on the past three years I have accomplished so many things:

• Started Working Out:  This is part of my new life!  When I don't work out, I don't feel good, so I work out 4-5 times per week.  Whether I am in the gym, walking the neighborhood, going for a hike, or running, I try to find  away to be active! 
• Running:  This is an accomplishment in itself :)  For the girl who even in high school was held back by fear of everything, I never thought I could do this!  I may not do it as fast, or in the time that others do it, but I do it!  That is what matters!! I even run 5K's and a 4 miler for time on July 4th! 
• Made New Friends:  I have made friends in the most random places... restaurants when I have to ask for a GF menu, places that I shop because people have noticed the changes in me and more!
• Learned to Speak Up:  Someone said to me the other day, when he says he has Celiac people look at him like he has the plague.  Celiac is NOT contagious!  But, there are so many people who are curious.  Learn to educate them.  I learned to share my story and the resources that I have found along the way.  If I can help one person to feel better I have made a difference. 
• Just because it is Expensive DOES NOT make it taste better: Early in a diagnosis, most people (myself included) think everything GF has to be expensive.  This is not the case.  Fruits, veggies and lean means (nothing added) do not have to be expensive.  Buy what is on sale and shop smart.  When it comes to purchasing pastas and other products such as cereals and bagels, etc., shop around.  Buy a variety of items and try them.  Find which ones are your favorites.  If it happens to be an expensive one, then buy it, but that is not always the case. 
• Adapting:  I have learned to adapt in more ways than one.  I feel so good when I learn to adapt old recipes into something that I can eat and they actually taste good :) 
• Health:  Healthwise, I feel wonderful!  I have so much energy.  I do things three years ago I would have never even thought about doing!  I am so thankful that food is my biggest battle! 
• Best Accomplishment to Date: With all the changes that I have made, I have lost 90 pounds!  I never thought that this would happen.  Taking each day one day at a time and realizing that some days are good days and some are not as good in this battle to be healthy and maintain the weight loss are the most important parts of this... don't give up and keep going.  One.  Day.  At.  A.  Time!!

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me the last three years!  Your kind words, prayers, encouraging thoughts, emails, messages, letters, and phone calls have been so much a part of helping me make it this far!  I am thankful to have each and everyone of you in my life! 

Crockpot Oatmeal with Apples

A fall day that includes sunshine, a light breeze and apple picking with friends is pretty close to as perfect as you can get!  The challenge begins when you arrive home and realize that you now have way more apples than one person can eat and now comes the time to decide what to do with all of these apples.  I have searched high and low for ideas.  So far, I have eaten quite a few, shared with friends and I am perfecting the art of a Cran-Apple Crisp.  That is for another day though.  I found a recipe on Pinterest that was for a Crockpot Oatmeal with Apples.  Of course, true to my style, I could not leave well enough alone and follow the recipe exactly so I made it my own :) 

3 apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 tbsp. butter
2 cups GF Oats
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c sugar
2 cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2 cups water

Add everything to the crockpot and stir together.  Cook on low** for 8 hours.  Makes about 6-8 servings. 

** If you crockpot cooks at a fairly high temperature on low and has a warm setting cook on warm.  My "low" temperature will make liquid bubble, so I started it on low for about an hour or so before I went to bed and then turned to the "warm" setting for the rest of the night.  It was perfect in the morning.  **

Share & Enjoy!! 

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti (NO SOUPS!)

I am sure that if you look back through my posts, there is probably at least one other one for Chicken Spaghetti in the list!  This is because I love it!  When I was in high school I started making it and everyone would ask for it... Now, this recipe has evolved because the thought of eating all the soups with the sodium and gluten, the processed cheese and who knows what else just doesn't appeal to me anymore!  It doesn't mean it's bad, it just means it is bad for me!  So after a variety of tries, I think I have found one I really like.  It uses fresh veggies and has a bit of a bite :)  If you don't like it super spicy, it is super simple to tone down!  I hope you enjoy! 

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 - 8 oz container baby bella sliced mushrooms
1 medium white onion, small dice
1 large poblano pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can Rotel with Lime (or Low Sodium Diced Tomatoes)
1 small jalapeno, sliced (you can take the seeds/membrane out and slice)
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
black pepper
4 oz cream cheese **

Add everything to the crock pot in the order listed, starting with chicken and ending with pepper.  Cook on high for 3.5 hours.  At the end of the 3.5 hours, add the cream cheese, in pieces and stir to incorporate.  Cook for 30 more minutes. 

Cook one pound of pasta separate and serve the Chicken Spaghetti mixture over the pasta. 

Since going GF in 2010, I have learned that adding the pasta to the crockpot usually turns into a huge mess!  So, I choose to serve this over the pasta and it is a simple dish with very limited prep time!

If you are not a fan of spice, exchange the Rotel for Low Sodium Diced Tomatoes and make sure to seed and remove the membrane from the jalapeno (or leave it out all together).  This has very good flavor and I will be making this all winter!  Share and Enjoy!!