Tag Archives: GlutenFree

EPI!

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Gimme an E, gimme a P, gimme an I, what do we have? EPI!!!

Do I sound exited? Thats because I am, cheerleader kind of exited with high leg kicks!

For ages now whenever I say we are gluten free, people ask if we do all our shopping in Epi. Im like… ehhhm, no I go to a few places. Then in my head I think I should visit Epi one day, but I didnt get around to it, we are fine, and how good can it really BE?

Let me tell you how good it can be! So good that my eyes went all shiny and I almost had to cry a happy tear and Im pretty sure the staff were viewing me with great suspicion walking around with my giant smile and shiny eyes.

Walking in to Epi is like walking in to gluten free heaven, or like I described it to hubby, like a mixture between the best spinneys and organic foods and cafe but cheaper and BETTER (Dubai ppl will understand). The jams are all high end good jams, there are tahinis galore, most organic, no other shop in Wroclaw has a choice of 10 tahinis, and they have sunflower seed butter (insert cheerleadery star jumps here)!

Then you get to the gluten free bread section, and its the size of a normal bread section, and part of you is so happy its crazy and the other part a bit disappointed because where are the biscuits and flours…?

Then you get stuck at the freezer section that has a whole freezer just with gluten free! Fish fingers, mini pizzas, lasagne etc. Onwards to the cheese and milk section and they have a ton of lactose free / dairy free cheese and milk and butters.

And meats! Poland might be the country of cold cuts and sausages, but finding gluten free ham and sausages here can be very very difficult. No problem in Epi, daughter and hubby will be happy, they are real sausage lovers.

Then.. then you get to the biscuit section, and there is a giant gluten free section, and flours galore and choice! Isn’t that what we all miss the most? To be able to choose between several things rather then having to buy whatever is there?

I also found organic potatoes (woop woop) and several kinds of organic gluten free drinking chocolate.

Is it expensive… well yes, but buying gluten free and organic stuff is expensive anywhere so actually I don’t think it was that bad.

Will I go back to Epi? HELL YES! I might even move in if they let me!

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-Linda

Epi is near Arkady Wroclawski (actually just across the road) and has its own parking, parking is free if you spend money so show your car park card at the till.

They are open 8am-10pm every day except Sunday when they are open 10am-4pm.

http://www.epi.com.pl/site/

Autumn soup

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1622014_726987724021811_5018130055690459151_nThe leaves are turning orange here in Poland and its gorgeous. Everywhere you turn there are gorgeous fall veggies to be seen. My kids always eat well when I give them soup so what a great opportunity to make some!

Im not one for following a recipe, and when I cook I never measure or remember how I made something, if you are needing precise recipes then all I can do is apologise! Dollops and drops and a bit of is the way to go (unless you are baking). So here we go.

I used :

  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 gluten free organic stock cube
  • water
  • red lentils (you don’t need lentils, I like to add them for some extra dimension and nutrition)

Clean up your pumpkin discarding the inner bits and seeds and the peel (obviously). Peel the carrots and onions. Chop everything roughly (the pieces can be pretty big, it doesn’t matter). Make sure the onions kindof stay together or they will burn. Pop everything in a roasting tray and drizzle with a  generous amount of olive oil, add salt & pepper.

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Now, pop it all in the oven, 175º degrees for 45 minutes.

Once its ready take it out and discard any black onion bits. Add everything to a large pot. Add your water and stock cube, you want to just cover the veggies. You can always add more water later if you want. IMG_9577

Bring your soup to a boil. Once its boiling you can add your red lentils, I just use around a handful two. lower the temp and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Now its time for that trusty hand mixer to do its job again, get it in there and whizz until everything is nice and smooth with no bits. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. I leave my soup nice and thick and freeze in portion sizes, then I just add a bit more water when I reheat.

This soup is a fab way to use up leftover veggies from a roast dinner, just don’t add the potatoes 😉

-Linda

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Cauliflower Mash (LCHF staple)

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My kids absolutely love cauliflower mash, at first I would have it as a main for me as Im on LCHF (Low carb high fat), and give the kids only a small bit as a veggie along with their starch (rice, potato etc), but then I realised how much they love it, so now we all eat it in a full portion. The kids even like to eat it on its own with cheese on top! RESULT for mummy!

So, although this is so simple and basic, I have had several people ask me how to make it, so here goes 🙂

You need, one cauliflower, butter, cream, salt and pepper (yeah, thats really it!)

Clean the cauliflower up and cut it in to 4 (or less) pieces. Boil in a large pot of water with some salt added. When the cauliflower is ready, drain it in a colander and pop the cauliflower back in the pot. Add a big dollop of butter, if you are an LCHF’er like me, then you know what big means, lol, if you are your average person, then just whatever is big to you, don’t be shy 😉 Add some salt & pepper.

Get your hand mixer/blender in the pot and work it baby!

When everything is mashed and smooth add a teeny dollop of cream, and whizz a bit more. I cant say how much cream as I don’t know how big your cauliflower is, but a few table spoons is more then enough, if you add to much you will have soup.

Thats it, khalas! You are done 🙂

(this dish reheats well, so make a big batch and keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days)

-Linda

(I am on Facebook! Come join in!)

 

Tomato Sauce from scratch

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When I say I make everything from scratch, I almost never lie. (<- note the almost ;))

I always preferred making food from scratch, even before the gluten issue. As time goes on I realise more and more how many people cant cook to save their lives. Many were brought up with processed foods themselves, so even a simple thing to them can seem totally overwhelming.

So, here it is, a simple (like totally simple, you can get your no cooking experience tween to do it simple) tomato sauce. My kids cant get enough of this one. You can use it as is, or use it as a base for whatever you need to make 🙂

You need;

  • Tomatoes, roughly diced, sliced, chopped or mashed in any way you so wish.
  • Onion, roughly chopped, sliced, diced or whatever you wish.
  • Spices
  • Olive Oil (extra virgin, always extra virgin)

So, today I used 4-5 large tomatoes, slightly overripe. Any tomatoes will do. Pop a deep saucepan on the stove on medium – high heat, add olive oil and onions. Once the onions have sizzled for a bit add your tomatoes and spices. I used a large basil leaf from my garden and salt and pepper in this batch. If you have homemade stock you can add some of that, or an organic gf stock cube, if you don’t have any, then go without. Add some water, just a little so that the tomatoes have something to boil in (about half a cup-ish). Lower heat and walk away.

Return at some point to stir and check, once your tomatoes are dissolved more or less you are ready. I use a rice colander and pour the whole thing through in to another pot, this gets rid of the onion bits and tomato skins. You will need to push with your spoon a bit to get all the good bits through. Whats left is a thick tomato sauce that tastes like heaven, if you want it a deeper red, add some tomato puree!

I never do this in advance, its so fast and fresh and easy I really don’t mind doing it when I need it.

Kids will have theirs over some gf pasta and veg and I will eat mine with broccoli later (yes, still on the low carb diet!)

Try it with some added cream as a soup, or with garlic and chilli!

Enjoy!

Linda

Eggs and dogs and underwear.

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Its been a while. Ive been feeling very uninspired and lazy. Frankly, its been to hot to THINK. We have had days with 33 degrees, which is not so bad actually compared to Dubai, but in Dubai there is AC everywhere! Here, the closest I get to AC is standing in front of the open fridge looking for snacks. Me and the kids have all taken to wearing just underwear in the house.

(Funny that, apparently Polish people do a fair bit of walking around in just their underwear, lol,  Polish Housewifes facebook post , my friend Brooke has a whole blog post coming on the subject )

We had a ton of new medications given to us for Celiac kid, we are getting closer to answers. Seems her lungs, the bronchii (bhroncolii?) bits, are constantly inflamed, when it flares up and gets even a tiny bit worse, pneumonia or upper respiratory infection follows. We also now know that her bone pain is highly likely to be linked to her over use of steroids. Dr has her on a new medication and we are hoping to slowly faze out her other two steroids.

Her allergy test results are also back, and they say dogs and eggs. Both a total shock. Dogs, because although we have dogs, our dogs dont have the dander normal dogs have, they are a non shedding breed and most people with pet allergies tolerate them very well. Doctor also seems to think its wrong as nothing showed on dust, yet she reacts strongly to any amount of dust. More testing needed in that department. But EGG! It all makes sense once I start reading…. egg allergy can cause wheezing, respiratory issues etc etc etc. So on the one hand Im numb and a tad devastated that she can no longer eat eggs, but on the other hand, I feel a little like we just won the lottery, because maybe, just maybe this is the answer we needed, and maybe, just maybe, her lungs will finally be able to improve!

We have also consulted a naturopath, who also happens to be one of the ladies I met with just when I started GlutenFree UAE, her daughter is gluten intolerant. She gave us some great advice and I hope to share all this with Celiac kids Dr – who seems very open minded – and hopefully we can all work together to help make this awesome shining star of a girl feel a bit better.

Celiac Kid’s comment when we told her about the eggs was ‘but mum, thats so lucky, I don’t even like eggs!’ , its true, if she knows something has egg in it she wont eat it, the only hard blow here is ice cream and pancakes. Awesome kid that she is she is already getting stuff out of the drawer asking me if she can still eat them, ‘has it got egg inside mumma?’.

We still haven’t been on our holiday, but should be off soon, then school starts with all the work that comes along for us gluten free mums, new classroom, teacher etc. I never shared my school letter last year, I will be sure to do so this year. I edit it yearly to suit our needs so have a ton of versions already 🙂

Off to make glutenfree – eggfree cheese rolls now 🙂

Have a fab day!

Linda

sad-egg

Please note, its the egg thats sad, not us! 😉

BYE BYE MUMMY TUMMY!!!

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I think I have finally done it! I got rid of the mummy tummy! Well, not completely, after all I have had two kids…

I don’t mind a bit of a tum, on myself or anyone else. After my son was born I lost 7kg the day he was born, in fact, when I delivered him I was my ideal non pregnant weight, so went back to my skeleton weight pretty much straight away (yup, I was faaaaar to thin, my whole life pretty much). Then when I was pregnant with A (Celiac kid) they medicated me for pregnancy sickness, I had dreadful hypermesis (the pregnancy sickness where you puke nonstop, like Kate had). The medication worked, but the medication combined with bed rest saw me put on a whooping 20kg. I basically put on the weight I should be carrying and also and extra 10kg. Breastfeeding heavily for ages took care of some, but then after A was diagnosed some more snook back on.

This is also the reason my GP thinks Im probably a closet Celiac, I never tested properly, my test was done when I was already gluten free and negative (obviously), the fact that my life long anaemia went after going gluten free together with feeling a ton better over all (and putting on weight) is a pretty good sign, but I never went back on gluten to check, it doesn’t matter, I will never eat it again anyway. 

Being a not hugely active family in Dubai (we stayed indoors a lot due to A’s illnesses and dust) the tummy kept growing. I was getting people asking me when the baby was due, congratulations left right and centre. I excused it all in a way, thought, heck, Ive had two kids, 2 major stomach surgeries etc, of course I will have a bit of a tummy…. Then I moved to Poland, and the 4 months pregnant looking tummy grew to 6 months pregnant looking tummy and seriously, enough is enough!

Ive been thinking about diets for a while. I already eat healthy, home made, FRESH food, mainly organic, hardly anything processed etc. I didn’t want to hard core diet, and no way can I fit in a huge amount of exercise in to my life right now either. So looking at existing diets that help people lose weight while still eating something that easily fits in to our life, It was between LCHF and PALEO in the end.

I chose LCHF and started on the 10th of June. Cutting sugar was a huge big deal for me, I was a 3 sugars in the coffee girl (and 2-3 coffees), and probably 2-3 cokes a day girl – silly I know as I know sugar is more fattening then fat, but hey ho. I am also a ‘full fat’ girl, never eaten a low fat thing in my life, why eat chemicals when you can eat the real thing?

Day three without sugar I could have murdered anyone in my path, I was so so miserable. Had a small portion of ice-cream with a ton of berries that evening, and I think also the evening after. Despite my ice cream I lost 2kg in the first 10 days!!!

A few days ago I joined an awesome LCHF group on Facebook, and they have all been awesome, I didn’t realise I wasn’t eating enough fat, all fixed now and cravings are getting better. I haven’t actually struggled at all, Im eating almost exactly like I did before (home cooked wholesome, GOOD food), just without carbs and sugar. Im not counting a thing, also stopped weighing myself after those first 2 kilos, because although my tummy is getting smaller by the day, the scale hasn’t really changed. Some would say Im actually not far from my ideal weight. I have no issue with it really, it was the tummy that needed to go!

Now I just need to convince the hubby, he is pregnant…. with TWINS!

More info about LCHF here

-Linda

PS ; Who knows if I will continue, I feel good, Im happy, I have allowed myself a few small things not supposedly ‘in the diet’, Ice cream, fruit and so on (so on being half a bag of the kids m&m’s one evening, but please don’t tell anyone), but I still feel LCHF was the thing that fitted in best to my life and was the most similar to my beliefs. I am not saying anyone should go on LCHF -obviously- everyone needs to find a life style and diet that suits them 🙂

Shopping #glutenfree, then and now.

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Yes I hash tagged the title. Is that bad? I guess Im lazy, now when I share it on twitter it will have the hashtag ready made! 😉

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I talked about shopping before, shopping for food can become a huge part of a gluten free persons life. We are a family of 4 humans, 3 dogs and 1 bird, all who eat gluten free! Its my job to shop for us all.

The first shop after diagnosis is a far cry from how I shop now. Its a far cry from how I shopped a year ago, or even 2 years ago. We all eat wheat and gluten free. Yeah, wheat free and gluten free are not always the same thing although I really wish they were. many so called  gluten free items out there are a no go for us.

So how do I shop? How long does it take? How many shops do I need to go to?

At first Id go to 3-5 supermarkets a week, the shopping would take anything from 30 mins to 2-3 hours. I rarely take longer then 30 mins now, I don’t read labels much, partly because they are in polish and I cant, and partly because I have cut out most of the processed junk we are so used to eating. Cutting out the processed junk means I no longer need to go in most aisles!

I go in the fruit and veg section, the meat section and dairy section, I take a quick peek in the gluten free section, and occasionally buy something. My processed foods are few and far between, passata, non gmo european corn, tinned chickpeas, artisan gluten free sausages, organic muesli bars (gluten free obviously), rice cakes and a few other bits and bobs. I do this every 1-2 weeks. Then I do small top up runs in my local fruit and veg market and a meat top up dash when needed that takes a few minutes. I only buy fish frozen, as fresh is not that easy to get here.

Thats it, khalas, done!

Do I still obsessively go in shops to look what they have? Sure, do I try new gluten free things whenever I see them, NO! Why? Because I don’t really feel we are missing anything in our lives or pantry. I try new products only if its a product we need. I am such a saint. (Of course I haven’t mentioned the jelly beans and occasional marshmallows and chocolate that sometimes slips in, that would make me sound far less healthy and saintly, but hey, this saint is human, and sweets don’t count, as long as you only eat them on Saturdays…right? 😀 )

If someone had come along 3 years ago and tried to teach me to shop how I shop now, I am not sure how I would have taken it, things were still so new, maybe I needed to go through that fase of trying everything to really figure out we didn’t need it, maybe I would have embraced the knowledge and saved a lot of time, not to mention money!

I have learned so much about gluten and pesticides and CRAP in our foods in the last few years, that even if Celiac was cured tomorrow, no WAY would we go back to eating how we used to. I have always loved cooking, always liked and preferred to make things from scratch rather then a packet, my ingredients though have changed so much.

I would love to hear how your shopping habits have changed and if there is any advice you wish someone had given you at the beginning? Or do we need to learn it by living it?

-Linda

(I share a ton of rantings and food tips on facebook, join us!)

 

Celiac Awareness doesn’t end with May.

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So, Celiac Awareness Month is over. But for some, for us, the need for awareness never ends. For us, Celiac disease is very real, we live it, daily. For us, the need for safe gluten free foods is a huge big deal. For us, the need to educate about safe gluten free foods doesn’t end when May does. With so many people ‘jumping on the bandwagon’, with so many people believing gluten free is a fad, with so many establishments preparing gluten free foods that aren’t really gluten free, the need for awareness is on going, every day, 365 days a year.

I want to say a big thanks to a couple of the ladies in my bloggers group who wrote about Celiac during May, Lois, from a Polish Housewife – post here – and Brooke from and two makes crazy – post here – Thank you both so much.

I also want to thank all those who spent the month liking and retweeting tons of my stuff on twitter, Im there as Linda_FB , find me 🙂

So I will keep spreading awareness in any way I can, and next May I will ask for all all your help again.

THANK YOU!

Linda

Moving time! (again)

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What a week!

Friday morning last week we were in Poznan, Friday evening we were in Wroclaw. By Sunday I had somehow magically managed to unpack everything! Then a frantic whizzing from place to place to sort out the school, kennels for dogs for our trip, food shopping, food shopping research (gluten free peeps know exactly what I mean!) etc etc.

We somehow managed to pick a great area for ourselves without ever having visited (thats how we roll, haha). Its great with tons of greenery, kids and barking dogs.

Im not sure what it is with barking dogs here…. if my dogs bark they get told off, but it seems here many people have dogs to deter from break-ins, and a quiet dog sleeping indoors obviously doesn’t deter much, so dogs are left stood in gardens barking. Drives me slightly bonkers, but it is what it is. At least I feel totally warranted to smile smugly at all these dog owners that MY dogs are so well trained and don’t bark.

We found a great little shop that sells organic produce and some freshly baked gluten free goods. I was to scared to get any of the baked stuff because even though the lady assured me it was baked in a gluten free kitchen you just never know. I need my hubby to go and ask her all the tough questions in Polish. But the produce! Gigantic organic apples that tasted like the apples from my childhood, I cant wait for summer when all the locally grown berries will come!

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The shop is called Awokado – delikatesy ekologiczne, they have a facebook page (opens in new window).

Slightly further up the same road there is yet another eko (organic) shop, a family farm and the produce is sold in someones garden! Eko eggs and veggies. Im in HEAVEN 😀

I have yet to find where the shops selling all the breads are hiding, so far its all schar. Im guessing I need to find another delikatessen. In Poznan we found most of the breads in normal supermarkets. Im sure I will find all what we need eventually.

Few more days now then its Dubai time! Cant wait. Also cant wait to come back and for kids to start their new international school where people speak only english. Happy happy happy! 😀

-Linda

 

Let the farm begin!

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So much now to look forwards to. A new baby will be joining us in the end of April, he’s furry with 4 legs. I cant wait. Our dogs are not really ‘our dogs’, they are my dogs. This little guy will belong to the children as much as me, and I cant wait for us all to bond with him!

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He is a Havanese of course, its s small breed, non shedding, a breed that most people with pet allergies tolerate well. Celiac Kid wants a kitten, and big brother wants a budgie, and daddy said yes… (!!!!??!!). Lets see what happens with that. Big brother says ‘Let the farm begin’ and laughs. He must have heard one of us say it.

Before fur baby joins us there will be a trip to our beloved Dubai, and even before that another move!

On Friday we are off again, Im grateful that this time we are ‘only’ moving town, not country! Funnily enough Im not stressed in the slightest, just very very exited to go – get settled – make friends. And obviously, as with any new location… find all the best gluten free stores!

Wroclawians (can you say that?), if you have any good gluten free tips, please share with me!

So April will be busy to say the least, but good busy 🙂 Great busy!

-Linda