Newbie Overwhelmed

[jma810]

WOW...This is insane. I try to not think about that I will never again have a Publix Chocolate Fudge cake. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease last year with adrenal insufficiency. While doing a follow up test for my adrenals, my Dr discovered the gluten antibodies. I have been on hydrocortisone, so never had symptoms. I didn't believe it, so I had the EnteroLab test. Not only am I Celiac, but I have severe malabsorption, milk and soy allergy.

I've been off the hydrocortisone for 3 weeks now and my digestion has been a disaster. I am trying to be gluten free, dairy and soy free. But I must be getting it somewhere. I am also pretty much starving because of the lack of anything to eat. My problem is that I don't cook. I work fulltime with kids and getting my MA so don't have time to shop and buy fresh foods and then cook them. I hate vegetables and don't know how to make them taste good. I eat salads, but I don't get enough calories that way. I am a runner and am having a hard time getting enough carbs for energy. All I feel I can eat that is fast is rice shakes, Xynogen gluten dairy soy free bars, fruit, salads, gluten free frozen cardboard bread. That is it!!! I use to eat deli meat and organic frozen meals from the grocery or eat out. Now I can't.

So my question is: What can I eat that is fast and easy and will give me enough energy or find some easy quick recipes? Also, do I really have to have a seperate toaster and all that cross contamination stuff? Is that really THAT important?

One last thing, I wonder if I could have had this before the thyroid went bad or is this a new development. How does that work? If one goes undiagnosed and untreated can it cause the other to kick in?

Thanks for your thoughts. My dr says that I need to be grateful that I found out because 9 out of 10 people that have it do not know. I am trying.

[Amyleigh0007]

I don't cook either so I feel your pain. I use my crockpot a lot. Just tonight I threw in chicken breast and BBQ sauce and served it over rice. Very easy. Amy's makes good frozen, gluten free meals. I keep Lara bars in my purse. I eat plastic wrapped sweet potatoes often. They are already washed and ready to heat and eat. I buy veggies that steam in their package. Some are seasoned already. I mix them with brown rice. Hormel chicken in a can mixed with mayo on a corn tortilla is also quick and easy. Fruit is always a winner.

You really should get a new toaster, etc. It is important. The crumbs from your gluten foods will get on your gluten free goodies and then it's not gluten free anymore.

[purple]

Scan the baking/cooking section and look for threads that say quick, fast, easy, etc.

refried beans on corn tortillas or with chips

crock pot of chili, beans and ham

spaghetti with meat sauce instead of meatballs or use shredded chicken

tacos/nachos

trail mix...make your own and put in baggies to go

peanut butter/celery or apples

nuts and seeds for snacking/trail mix and sprinkle them on your salads

make larger batches of meats to freeze in dinner portions for fast meals...plain ground beef for tacos, taco salad, chili, spaghetti, etc. Just reheat with seasonings and sauces.

same for cooked chicken-shredded...for chicken tacos, BBQ chicken, salads

beans have protein and fiber, try to put them in everything if your gut can handle it.

When you do cook something try to cook extra and freeze portions for a fast meal.

[GFinDC]

This would be a really good time to learn to cook! I used to cook, prior to gluten-free, and it was so easy. 10 minutes of the boxed pot pie in the nuker and away to the races. Or 12 minutes for the pre-made rice mix on the stove with some water and I was good to go. I had some learning to do after going gluten-free. Did you know they use fire to cook things? It is not as hard as it seems, really. There are some things to watch out for, that took me a bit to learn. And my new way of eating is faster than my old nukem 'til they glow policy.

I make a big batch of rice each weekend. I keep the rice and the fixin's separate, like a Chinese take out meal where they give you the rice in a separate little box for the fixins. Keeping the rice separate will prevent it from getting soggy/mushy. I buy big freezer baggies to put the fixins in, in portions that will last a day or or so. Take a baggie of fixins out every other day to thaw in the refrig. I keep the rice in the refrig, and just mix it in to the fixins before nukedom. Takes a few minutes total to have a meal ready. I make a different version of the fixins each weekend and so I have a variety going on. Actually the batches are big enough that I haven't made one in several weeks as the freezer filled up. Too easy.

OK, a few learn the hard way things though. When making you fixins or your rice at first, it is better to stick with very simple spices such as salt and pepper. You don't want to throw a bunch of problem spices in a big batch of fixins and then have to chuck it out. So until you know for sure what spices are ok for you to eat, keep it simple. It is very quick to add some spices to your bowl of nuked fixins and rice as a test and that way your main big batch with just salt and pepper is still fine if you have a problem.

I know it takes a little time to cook, but it is worth it. Consider getting a small pressure cooker (PC). Those things are great and really save some time when cooking. Throw the veggies you love in there with some water and and set the timer on your stove or nuker to go "Boing!" after the time elapses. Whoa, very hard. My PC came with a little guide book of how long to PC the various dishes and recipees. A rice cooker is another option if you are RC (rice challenged). I have made rice in the pressure cooker and it comes out fine. I also got a food steamer and have tried that once but it really adds the heat and humidity to the house. So I will save that for the winter when the air is dry. The food steamer I got does rice too so I don't need a separate rice cooker. Mostly I make rice in the pressure cooker or just the stove top in a pot.

My fixins recipes are slowly evolving a bit. I started by chicken breasts with various tatoes, veggies and such chopped up and PC'd until yummy. Add some chopped tomatoes and you've got a red sauce version. Or add some chopped papaya and coconut milk and you've got a white sauce version. Shrimp can go well with this too and some ginger and tumeric. Try adding browned hamgburger also, takes 15 minutes in a big pan. I usually add a couple teaspoons of pysillium husks powder to my fixins for added fiber. If you like wine add some red or white wine to your fixins. Lots of things can add extra taste to it. Try brown sugar instead of boring old white sugar, honey or molasses are options too. Get your self some corn tortillas for roll-ups, nukem a few seconds to soften or hold over the stove top with a pair of tongs.. Soon you will be eating healthier than you have in your whole life, except when mom made your meals of course! Hell, throw some cocoa powder in if you must. Warm rice with cocoa powder, honey and raisins anyone? Or cinnamon?

You say you don't like veggies but eat salads? Could it be there are some veggies sneaking into your salad?

[Juliebove]

Learn to cook rice and gluten-free pasta. If there is a Trader Joes near you, you can buy precooked brown rice in a bag. There are also some flavored gluten-free rices that come precooked. I don't think they're too good on their own, but they are okay when mixed with meat.

As for the toaster... Yes. You do need your own.