Lately, I haven’t written much on my celiac blog, channeling most of my energy into my main online journal – paulkilmon.blogspot.com. However, I am still “living my best life one meal at a time.”I have been traveling the road of a celiac for two years. Prior to that, I spent two years in hell, juggling doctors and playing guesswork to figure out what kept my body from functioning normally.
To get me where I needed to be I utilized one of the principal tools of clinical research (which happens to be my profession) to conquer my nemesis. I kept a diary of my daily routines and habits – exercise, food intake, etc., to look at trends in an attempt to discover what might have caused my body not to thrive. It was then that I learned gluten was the culprit. (There were signs for years, but they were mild and manageable, and never kept me from living my best life. Sadly, that changed. I bypassed moderate and moved right into severe.)
It has been one hell of a journey – full of challenge, change and surprise. I’ve come a long way. I’m a survivor!
I still have my moments when gluten accidentally enters my life. As careful as I am – it happens, and I know because my body tells me, but I never move beyond mild, taking steps to manage my symptoms so that I can stay active and strong.
I have always been good to my body, treating it like the true temple it is. However, these days I take extra care because it’s even more special to me, and to my friends too (thank you for always championing my cause).
I am here to tell all, take care of your body. No matter what we do – moderation must be our guide, and if you are someone like me with an “extreme allergy” – the answer in short is – “NO!” For me it’s “no” to gluten.
I’m two years in the life, and I very seldom look back, but I do on occasion because it helps me appreciate where I am today. I love saying, I am still living my best life one meal at a time – and I really am. Never forget – healthy makes it happen. Cheers! – paerki
I love sharing gluten-free recipes, and this one is a keeper. It’s scrumptious. Enjoy!
Roasted Grapes (Below is the original recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I have altered the recipe. Please see notes below.)
Ingredients:
1 pound rinsed, stemmed red seedless grapes
1-tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
Preparation:
In a 12 by 15 inch baking pan, mix grapes, olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400-degree oven, shaking pan occasionally, until grapes are beginning to blister, 15 to 18 minutes. Use immediately or let stand until ready to use, up to 4 hours.
Notes:
I used ¼ cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of fresh-ground pepper and 2-tablespoons of garlic powder. Cook 23 minutes.
When serving sprinkle the plate with a generous amount of fresh Parmesan cheese, add grapes and drizzle the juices from the pan.
I would definitely serve this with French bread, in my case, Udi’s gluten-free bread.
The next time around I’ll add chopped garlic too.
