A new recipe

About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease but I never really followed a gluten-free diet because it seemed overwhelming and frankly, gluten-free food tasted horrible.  So for 5 long years my poor immune system attacked itself and I slowly became sicker and sicker.

Moving to Omaha, it seems, has proven to be a blessing for my body.  My friend, Karen, also has Celiac Disease but she actually follows a gluten free diet.  She demystified the world of gluten free baking and cooking and inspired me to become 100% gluten free.  I am not perfect but I am doing a lot better.

Even though I feel so much better when I don't eat gluten, I sometimes had relapses because I simply miss yummy glutenful treats, like cupcakes.  I found myself whining about my situation far too often for my liking(I was annoying myself so I can only imagine what my poor husband must have felt like.  I am sure his ears were about 5 seconds away from bleeding from listening to my whining) so I decided to stop complaining and start baking.  To my surprise, I found that I actually enjoyed baking and I am pretty good at it.  I have made an impressive array of gluten-free baked treats that can please even the most discerning of palates.

I was pretty pleased with my efforts and then, Wham!  Carl presented me with a new baking challenge over the weekend.  Carl, if you recall, works as a part-time supervisor at UPS.  For several weeks now Carl's boss promised to bring doughnuts in as a reward for the people in Carl's sort aisle but he never has.  Carl, being the nice guy that he is, decided that he would go ahead and bring his sorters a treat this week since they are all very hard workers and pleseant people. 

And this is where I come in.  One of the people he supervises is a Vegan and uber-healthy.  In addition to abstaining from all animal products, Jamie doesn't eat refined sugar or bleached flours.  Regular doughnuts or any other sugary treat just wouldn't work for her.  So Carl volunteered me to make her a delicious Vegan baked treat.  I mulled it over for a bit, checked out a book from the library and then I made vegan banana muffins.  I used coconut oil instead of butter, agave nectar instead of sugar, rice milk instead of milk and a combination of gluten-free flours instead of bleached flour.  Simply put, my muffins rock.

After making these treats without sugar or butter, I feel inspired and energized.  I am going to figure out how to make tasty treats that tickle the taste buds and please the health conscious mind.  I want to help my kids develop healthy eating habits now so that later they can make good choices later.  Besides the obvious benefits of proper nutrition, I think being mindful of what we out into our bodies helps us learn how to respect our bodies and recognize that they are gifts from a loving Heavenly Father.