Wow, I have to say I have been overwhelmed recently by all the comments on my blog – particularly the “What is Fructose Malabsorption Disorder?” page! I feel I do need to emphasize that I am NOT a health care professional, just a hardware store cashier that has been suffering with this for a long time and has been able to network with others and educate myself (despite all the misinformation and cr*p out there!).

I have recently discovered that I am not notified everytime someone comments on my blog – I only get a notification the first time someone comments. Once I approve them they can comment without my being notified! Which means some people have been thinking I was ignoring them!
I am trying to redo my settings… hopefully I can fix this so that I always know when someone is awaiting a response!

On other notes….
I have been going through a few bad days lately. Last week I found myself at work with no packed lunch. Normally I would go to one of three nearby places where I could get an edible lunch – either a raw veggie wrapped in veggie leather, a quinoa edamame salad or a rice noodle and shredded carrot salad. Regrettably, all these options are NOT CHEAP and I had a $5 bill and no bank card! ~sigh~
I only get 30 minutes so I can’t stray far and wide searching for food. I broke down and got a microwavable stew – thickened with enriched wheat flour. blech – It was not very palatable (though a BIG brand beginning with “C” and ending with ” ’s”) and I have been SICK.
Flatulence, skin breakouts, scatterbraining ALL over the place! I have been joking with my customers that I’m flailing around and telling myself I’m “multi-tasking”! LOL!! I haven’t been sleeping well and have been what I call “cloudy”.

I don’t like to call depressed “depressed”. I try to remind myself that this feeling that I’m pathetic and useless and I don’t even know why my husband stays with me and should know better and do better and work harder and be prettier and no matter how hard I try I will never be strong or good or talented or special, just stupid and ugly and useless….. I try and remember that it’s just clouds, passing over the sun. The sun isn’t gone; it’s still shining brightly and beautifully in a clear blue sky… just behind the clouds. Clouds don’t stay forever. They always drift away eventually and it’s sunny again. Clouds don’t stay, the clouds will go away, I’m feeling cloudy but I will feel sunny again… I just have to keep going. Get out in the sunshine. Have a warm, comforting shower. Don’t watch the news or cop shows, watch Rescue Ink or Stargate Atlantis. Something light and positive and keep the faith.

Christmas is coming. Normally I am Miss OMG-New-Ornaments!!!-Tree-Dorky-Antler-Headgear-YAY! This year decorating was a chore that took me five days of plugging away, occasionally stopping to eat, go for a walk, stop the downward spiral of cloudy thoughts about how I should be done and how I’m so behind and I’m just a stupid idiot every year and why did I think I could make my house look pretty when I have no taste and I suck and…blah blah blah. I showered again – just stood under the warm water really, and gave myself permission to cry. Big, ugly, snotty-nose cry. I ended up bent over with one hand on the shower wall and one on my knee wailing in heaved… like I was emotionally vomiting.
Well. The tree is up. I put the empty garland boxes and light boxes away. My husband will vacuum.
Done.

I hate wheat.

AVT

Hi there!

Just thought I would post a quick note to assure the Universe that I am still here! RL has been… well, a bit of a personal bear lately, preventing me from posting.
I have been trying to catch up on comments and emails and I want to thank everyone who has contacted me! I AM responding, thanks for your patience and I’m hoping all this weirdness ends soon and I can return to my online world

Ariana

Yahoooo!
My tendonitis behaving VERY well (thanks to this wonderful gizmo my sweetie bought me), so I’ve been working through my accumulated emails and wordpress responses! I apologize to anyone who has written and thinks I dropped off the planet – I just dropped off the ‘Net for awhile!

I wanted to draw attention to a great article in Scientific American on Celiac Disease. You can read it online here.

Though Celiac and Fructmal are very different, the article paints a hopeful picture for all of us with food intolerances. The article explains the advancements and new ways of thinking currently moving science forward in the way they look at food intolerances and their relationship to many ailments and symptoms that would seem unrelated. The article may be about celiac, but the shift in scientific & medical thinking was a really positive and hopeful sign to me as a Fructmal.

The the foody side, I recently discovered two new foods. Jordan’s brand Morning Crisp cereal and Glutino brand Pretzels.

There are a couple of varieties of Jordan’s Morning Crisp. My local grocery store had the “nut” kind. Sweet oat clusters and big chunks of nuts! Almond, hazelnuts, pecans… no wheat! They recently replaced it on the shelf though with the FRUIT and nut type… I’m going to see about THAT!! HA! I loved the cereal and had no reaction to it.

The Glutino pretzels were also delicious. Taste just like regular, ordinary pretzels! Turns out I can’t continue eating them – but not for Fructmal reasons…totally unrelated. I am particularly sensitive to carboxymethyl cellulose. I get heart palpatations – and the Glutino pretzels contain it. But if you aren’t sensitive to it (carboxymethyl cellulose is in all “freeze-pop” type frozen treats, for example) then GREAT! Taste, texture, small, all match the “real” pretzel experience!

Well, gotta go. Still can’t over do it~

With my first experience of tendonitis abating, I have to say that though I miss crocheting – I NEVER want this to happen again!! I will refrain from crocheting for as long as needed to make sure my wrist and arm are TOTALLY healed!

I have gone to physiotherapy twice a week for almost a month now, and have another appointment on Tuesday. I am being diligent with my three times daily cold packs, and now have twice daily arm exercises and once daily upper back exercises to add. The ultrasound treatments and electric stimulation have really made a huge difference. I’m also pleased that my extended medical (through my employer) covers it all. It’s really an excellent plan considering I’m a part-time employee.

The weather has been wildly fluctuating between heavy snow and rainy spring-like weather (though our place is at too high an elevation to have experienced any real melting. Our yard still has several feet of snow).

I recently received an advanced copy of an upcoming gluten-free cookbook that my aunt’s friend is writing. Her name is A. Leach and she’s from Fort St. James, British Columbia. She has generously given me permission to post a few recipes! As soon as I get word that the book is published I’ll post about it! The recipes include wheat-free cream puffs, pastries, cinnamon rolls, and more!

My first attempt involved some substitutions – only because I was having a chocoholic attack and needed to work with what I had in the cupboard. I can say that the recipe turned out fantastic even with the substitutions, so it’s a resiliant recipe!

CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

¾ cup corn flour (I had to use sorghum flour)
½ cup glutinous rice flour (also called “sweet” rice flour & it IS safe for gluten-free diets)
½ cup white rice flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp xantham gum
1 Tbsp baking powder (be aware some baking powders have gluten)
½ tsp salt
¾ cup white sugar (I had to use ¼ cup raw turbinado sugar & ½ cup golden sugar)

1 cup milk
1 egg
1 egg white
1/3 cup oil (I used canola)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in liquids. Add chocolate chips.
Bake at 350F 15-20 minutes,or until they spring back when lightly touched.

I used paper muffin cup liners and stretched the batter out to make 18 cupcakes. If you like very full muffin cups, the batter would make 12. These were delicious and chocolatey! AND… most important to me, my hubby LOVED them. My sweetie has no problem with wheat, so when he’ll eat a gluten-free treat – even though he doesn’t “have” to, I know it’s good! Baking without wheat may be more expensive, but I don’t want to be getting into “his” and “hers” treats.

I’m sorry I’ve been off the computer, but if my arm keeps healing I will be able to keep up now!

Ariana

Wow!

My insane Christmas season is over and this insane winter will soon be over! We were almost completely snowed in twice! Aaah!

I feel horrible about not posting, but I have thrown myself into writing and crocheting so I don’t feel TOTALLY bad!

My novel is finally moving forward. It sucks – but that’s okay. I keep reminding myself that the important thing is to get SOMETHING on paper. A blank page cannot be edited – or so they say – so blankness be gone!

I have also been trying to put the revamped fructmal website together – writing the html myself from scratch – yes… that means no “frontpage” no wysiwygs… just notepad. Ugh!
I think making all the pages of the wordpress would be easier – then people can comment on all the articles, recipes, etc.
So now I have to redo it all – again.
~sigh~

I have yet to take down my Christmas tree…this happens every year. I just adore it too much! BUT, I did promise my sweetie it would be down before Valentine’s Day…. so I’d better do it soon!

AVT

This post is to welcome my good friend Sammie on her first visit to my blog!

Sammie and I have been friends since elementary school.  She is now married, with kids and the whole she-bang… and lives AAAALLL the way in Ontario     (that’s a sad face, Sammie!)

I am a LAZY BUM and do not call her NEARLY often enough… well basically never?  Not never!!  Well….  I have to say I’m AWFUL at keeping in touch.  Always have been.    ~sigh~~

So…. leave a comment so I know you found the place, eh Sam?  Just check at the end of this message… There should be a place where it says 0 Comments (or maybe it will say 1 Comment, if someone left a comment already.  Click those words and you’ll get to read whatever comments other people have left, and there will be a box to leave your own!  Don’t forget to sign it “Sammie”!

Welcome!

Ariana

Yes!  Still alive!

It’s been a ridiculous amount of time since I blogged – there is really no excuse for it.  True, I’ve been sick, working, crocheting my brains out for Xmas gifts and trying to get the new, revamped fructose malabsorption site up…. but I still should’ve blogged.

What moves me from my procrastinating is my happiness and satisfaction at the election of Barack Obama in the United States.  I hope he will be very good for their country, and feel sure he will be better for Canada than McCain would’ve been.  Obama strikes me as a thoughtful person who truly thinks about a question before answering and makes an honest effort to see others’ points of view.  In my humble opinion,  he has the potential to greatly improve how America is perceived around the world.

America is often referred to as the “policemen of the world”.  Though this is frequently said derisively, I think Obama could make it into a compliment.  My father was RCMP Auxiliary for many years when I was young, and a HUGE portion of policing is reconciliation.  Police are often the neutral third party who calm disagreements before they get out of hand, the voice of reason when people are letting anger and wounded pride take them down a path they wouldn’t normally go, or the uniformed reminder that actions – even those you can justify – have consequences.

Places like Georgia, Congo and the seemingly-now-forgotten Burma “could” benefit from such a third party.  Obama has the potential to make America the policeman you want to call when you are in trouble, and not the cop you fear.

I wish America good luck with their new leader,

AT

Well, it’s taken me some time to upload my pics from our trip to the sis-in-law’s, but here are the randomly selected ones that don’t show anyone’s face!

Yup, I’m one of those bloggers that doesn’t like to put up pics or info that’s too personal. I know the big thing is social networking sites, and that everyone seems to put up personal details, candid photos, even their address!…….yah…NO.

We started out early, so ended up having breakfast on the road! Great little place with a lovely patio.

The drive was beautiful and relaxing!

A very “Canadian” sign posted at the exit of a Tim Horton’s (doughnut shop) drive-thru:

I’m a junkie for “sun breaking through the clouds” shots:

It was a fun and relaxing trip. Tried some Glutino brand gluten-free hamburger buns…very crumbly. I did bring the rest home with me and I’ll use them for any recipe that calls for breadcrumbs. I’m also going to try thawing them out by lightly steaming them – perhaps they just need moisture.

If you get a chance to try Glutino’s Sesame breadsticks, though….TERRIFIC! My husband even likes them and he can eat wheat just fine.

Well, I’m off to finish up the new and improved fructose malabsorption website! I’ve got a new host, and I’m almost finish the HTML. I’m very excited about it! If you haven’t checked out my original website, please do!

Fructmal Website

AVT

As my fructose malabsorption has given me a food sensitivity to wheat, spelt and kamut, I have been trying to look on it as an opportunity to expand my grain horizons. Quinoa, however, has proved intimidating. Don’t know why really. The local co-op deli usually has some kind of cold quinoa salad that I always end up liking, and my mother has been making tabouli salad with quinoa FOREVER.

Well, last time I was wandering through the health food store I picked up a “brand name” packet of quinoa. I’d always seen it in bulk before with no instructions or guidance. This had the directions of how to cook it on the box and handy-dandy recipe suggestions…..and it just clicked for me!

One cup of quinoa to two cups of water in a pot – cover and bring to boil, then reduce to simmer until all water is gone.

That’s rice.

I can cook rice!!!!

The last two rice dishes I’ve done now – a spicy Spanish Rice thing and rice & chili, I substituted half the rice with quinoa. Just put them in the pot together and cooked them together with salt and pepper and butter in the water.

Came out a DREAM! My sweetie liked it too! YAY!!

If you eat rice, try quinoa – just throw some in with your rice. It cooks at the exact same rate, in the exact same way.

Happy, happy,

AVT

My husband and I have been at the home of his sister and her husband (and baby) for the last couple of days.  After getting home, I will post some pics from the trip!

The local grocery had some new wheat-free options!  I tried the wheat-free hamburger buns from Glutino and they weren’t bad!  The ones I baked from the Celimix mix were softer and less crumbly – but perhaps if I steamed the frozen Glutino buns rather than just letting them sit on the counter to thaw…..

The weather has been blazing hot – not a cloud in the sky.  Having grown up in the desert I love it!  The fact that my novel is set in Nevada…. I’m really feeling the characters!  I’m sorry this post isn’t more substantive, but I wanted to “check in”!

More about the trip next post!

AVT