A friend of my son Ben's (red hat) thought NAVAR could use some dance lessons...LOL

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Black bean tortilla

Today I felt like having tortillas so I opened a can of black beans, drained them, rinsed them in purified water, smashed them with a fork, added ground cumin and powdered garlic and hot sauce...and then spread them out on a soft corn tortilla, topped it with a little leftover jasmine rice...zapped it in the micro. for a minute and then added olives and lettuce and a few crunchy organic corn chips on the side to make for a tasty lunch.

I am doing very well avoiding sugar these days after my candy confession and I am back to not thinking about it or craving it...yahoo!

My granddaughter is a wonderful pal...she helped me send out query letters to agents today so I guess it's official...I have an assistant! She's a sweetheart and a great writer. Check out her blog at my fave links..."Casey's blog."

I proved it once again...I can't do sugar

True confessions...I was getting back into candy a little bit and looking every day to when I could get to the Dollar Store to buy me some...I know it seems so silly. Why can't I have some candy every day? Other people have their candy dishes all around the house and it is no big deal but I am the type who clears out all the candy in the dishes (into my mouth) just because they are there...it's called "addiction" and I definitely have a sugar or fructose or sweetener addiction problem that makes me want more more more...so the last couple days I resisted temptation and I am back on track...no gum no candy and nothing with any kind of natural or artificial sweetener in it...It is freeing...To think I can cheat once in a while is just not going to happen...I will miss my Swedish Fish and marshmallow peanuts and gum drops...but I hate what they do to me inside and outside...the control those suckers (and I do mean suckers AKA lollipops) have over me is dangerous...and yeah and bye bye American Pie, even gluten free. Fructose is definitely not my friend. A better life for me...with many things free.

Three bean my way...

I was craving three bean salad so I used leftover green beans and opened cans of kidney and black beans and after draining and rinsing the canned beans I mixed the three beans together and added some oil and vinegar and salt and pepper...done! and YUM! I used to add sugar and chopped onions but in my reading I learned that onions are on the high fructose list so this time I skipped them...I am so excited about eating my three bean salad I can hardly stand it so I will sit down and grab a spoon and dig in...yahoo! I sure am corny...hey, next time I will add leftover cooked corn. Life is good...when I keep it simple. ENJOY!

Dining out humor...

Those of us who have a hard time tolerating all things food have fun stories to share when we try to dine out. Oh believe me, it is easier to dine out because I look at the menu and go nope nope nope so it narrows it down quite a bit and then I am left with a few choices and go from there...well, I took my granddaughter out the other day and she settled on a chicken croissant and I chose a corned beef sandwich minus the marble rye bread and dressing. When the server brought out my plate it looked so bare...three thin slices of corned beef, a piece of lettuce and a pickle wedge. Oh yeah, there were three slices of tomato but I gave them to my granddaughter. So there it was lunch...yum yum...not even a handful of chips...I put the three thin slices of meat in the lettuce leaf and wrapped it up like a green wrap and ate it that way. I slowly ate the pickle and sipped on my iced tea to make the experience last longer...next time I might slip in some yeast free brown rice bread and a small bag of fritos. hehe

Tuna cashew cheese and peas

Well, well...I felt adventurous today so I took some cooked Mrs. Leeper's corn spaghetti I had leftover and mixed in the rest of my cashew cheese mixture and then three drained cans of tunafish, salt and pepper, and about a half bag of frozen peas and mixed it all up well. It seemed a bit on the dry side, so I added some rice milk. Then I spread it out in a glass 9X13 pan and sprinkled crushed corn tortilla chips on top. I baked it uncovered in a 350 deg. oven for about 45 minutes.

I missed making and eating tuna noodle casserole, so this was a nice treat. It tasted a lot like what I remember it tasting like...but better since it is gluten and dairy free.

Thunderstorms all afternoon...didn't get my bike ride in. Darn...maybe later.

Cashew cheese mistake

I bought raw cashews to make cashew cheese and when I went to make it I wasn't paying attention and did a little fiddling too, but it came out okay...sometimes mistakes end up being discoveries.

I rinsed the cashews in purified water. I soaked them in purified water and then put them in the food processor with the water and a cup of boiling water with a dissolved packet of plain gelatin. After processing I poured the mixture into a loaf pan. It set up into a creamy pureed ricotta-like consistency. I am pleased. I can use it to spread on crackers or rice cakes or corn thins. I can use it to make GF CF mac and cheese. I can use it in GF CF lasagna. Mistake? No way...usable product.

I am at 53,000 words in the novel I am writing...It is going very well. I have to get back to it...I hope your day is going well too. HUGS

I don't eat them but I am growing them..tomatoes

I have given up on eating acidy foods, they just don't agree with me and I want to be pill-free so I gave up tomatoes and tomato products, but the guys like them so we planted some yesterday in the yard out behind the studio. With the current salmonella scare we might get stampeded for our organically grown beauties...then again, I am just not doing anything to them...it will be a survival of the fittest experiment and if the wildlife leave them alone we might just have something special out back...a functioning garden...LOL

I hope this rake lady pic makes you smile; it looks like something from a horror picture show.

Korean food

After shopping for groceries, hubby and I decided to dine at a Mexican restaurant we like but hadn't been to for a while. It was no longer there, another operation was in its place and we weren't sure what it was now, so we drove around and got turned around due to new construction and then I noticed a Korean shop that said "Eat in or take out," so I said, "Let's try it."

The place was sparse, clean, and I was excited with anticipation about the experience.I had dined on Chinese and Japanese and Thai cuisine but never Korean. I was in for a treat; all you can drink tea in handle-less cups that tasted amazing, and little appetizer dishes of this and that were enjoyed by both of us with chop sticks in hand, and then our dishes were delish. I had chicken fried rice and I can't remember what hubby had but it was spicy the way he likes it, and everything tasted so fresh.

I am glad the place we had in mind to dine in was not there anymore...because we found a new place...eating this way (rice and veggies and some meat or fish or poultry) always makes my insides smile.

Eight Miles

I took another 8 mile bike ride and it felt pretty stinkin' good. The humidity wasn't as high as it had been so I started out. It was going very well until my right foot cramped up in my sneaker and that was not fun but I kind of wiggled my toes as I pedaled and it went away. My arms got nice and reddish brown, as I decided to wear a sleeveless shirt this time out. Of course my nose gets the most sun; the good old Scandinavian ski slope in the middle of my face...Here comes the sun! Doo wa doo da!

Am I nuts?

In the past few years I have eliminated and then added eliminated and then added foods...it has been a challenge to find exactly what works for my body but as always I can say lately it all seems to be coming together...and adding nuts back in is helping...a handful of nuts...it's a beautiful thing if you can tolerate them.

So let me see...I believe gluten, casein, soy, yeast, sugar, citrus, fructose, eggs,and sulfites are my no nos...It's a long list, but the list of yes yes's is good enough for me.

I think I will go get a handful of almonds to munch on...loaded with calcium, they say. I GOT NUTS!

HEY JUDE

Last night I was treated to a DESSERT THEATER at the high school and the last of the last of my kids performing in it. While I have seen Brad in plays and choral concerts, I still thought my son Brad was more like me, content to be on the sidelines or even better in the audience, but I saw a different side of him and he is as comfortable on stage singing a solo as the rest of the Barry men...he was awesome and I can't wait to go again tonight. Isn't life amazing? "Take a sad song and make it be-e-e-ter." Proud Mama...tears of joy.

True Grit

Day two and the grits for breakfast are still yummy...Later in the day yesterday I made a sauce with carrots, water, garlic, onion, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper in my blender, thickened it a bit with some rice flour for a few minutes in the microwave and then poured it over spaghetti squash. I can't seem to get enough of that spaghetti squash. That was din din.

I baked a sweet potato and had nothing on it for a snack. I remember Jane Fonda said that years ago, "If I want something sweet I have a sweet potato." I laughed at her back then but I am not laughing now...it really did satisfy my sweet craving. Thanks, Jane!

I am plugging along with my sixth novel. I am the most organized this time through and I like it but it also makes it seem more like work but then again...is that a bad thing? I can't win. LOL

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Bloated...blech!

I keep finding out that when I am not strict about my intake I GET BLOATED...I would be happy if I were a balloon but I am not a balloon and don't want to look like one...SO...Yesterday I stayed away from all fruit and any form of sugar and ate rice products and corn tortillas and lots of veggies and water and decaf tea...it works...it works...it works...reading up on leaky gut I realized that certain substances are not good for my gut and each time I think I have all the answers I get fooled, but perhaps this time I DO have ALL the answers ... a gal can dream...no more bloating!!!!!!! I can do it!!!!!!

So far today I have had grits and decaf white tea...no bloating...yeha! For lunch I will make a veggie wrap with a corn tortilla ... I am psyched! No more sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, fruits...sad but true...but the bloating will be out of the picture too and it is WORTH IT...seems gluten, dairy, sugar, and yeast are no nos with this bloating for many of us...I can't do soy or anything acidy either, but instead of lamenting about it I once again am thrilled that I DO know what does not work...cha cha cha cha cha cha!

And the biking is going great...I am out about an hour each time and other than falling over one time and feeling embarrassed, it's something I am looking forward to doing each day. HOORAY!

Baggies of GF CF food...

My dad was having a rough time of it, stuck in rehab for two months after having a bypass on his leg and I decided to make another visit to see how he's doing, so I packed a baggie of Rice Chex, and two slices of Ener-G brown rice yeast free bread, and some Corn Thins and off I went. I am trying to think ahead when I travel and not rely on wondering if there are things I can eat, always adapting adapting...so it was nice to be prepared.

Well, dad got released and I helped mom get him home. He kept saying, "Free at last" and I wondered if he felt like some prisoners feel after getting out of prison. The bells going off constantly and the bright lights and the nurses checking and rechecking all the time seemed like a variation of a prison sentence to me. I am glad he is finally home.

I ate my Rice Chex for breakfast and put peanut butter on the slices of bread for lunch but we ordered Chinese take out for dinner and I am delighted that you can order steamed chicken and vegetables with rice and put your own sauce on it if you want to at the place we went to...welcome home dad...good luck nurse nanny...and PS My sister beat me in Rummy in a two hour game that I thought for sure I was going to win...lol...HUGS