Buckwheatpete.com

When I began this gluten free journey, one of the first sites I discovered was Buckwheat Pete's. I bought his e-cookbook and set about to learn the breadmaking technique he believed in. Well, I enjoyed it but started other cooking and baking attempts and got to buying gluten free products so I must have lost the site and the print out of the process after that.
The other day I decided to get in contact again and ordered another e-cookbook from Buckwheat Pete since I am concentrating on buckwheat and not grains now that I know it is helping me with my automimmune disease, Hashimoto's. The book does include recipes with rice flour but I am trying to stay away from grains and buckwheat is not a grain.
I made a loaf of buckwheat bread by Pete's process this afternoon and was so pleased. It was a lot of fun for me too. I won't share the recipe and process but if you are interested hop on down to buckwheatpete.com and check it out. Enjoy the pics.
PS I used buckwheat flour and tapioca starch flour, salt, and the baking powder per ingredient list, but substituted olive oil for the sunflower oil and Agave syrup for the honey.

Micro GF DF EF grain-free snack cake

Had quite a day today...long story...want to read about it you can at facebook under Lynn (Axelson) Barry...so...I googled microwave snack cake (shall we suffice it to say I was oven impaired) and came across a vegan recipe and that is what I tried...of course I substituted a few things...

Put the following in a food processor:

1 banana
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup Agave syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla (or more)
some cinnamon (to your liking)
some nutmeg (to your liking)
a little salt
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Process
Then add rough cut pecans

Bake in a sprayed with oil microwaveable pie pan and microwave for 5-7 min.

Enjoy!

Feelin' GOOD!

Constantly reassessing...but that's a good thing.

When I first googled my symptoms I thought I was simply gluten intolerant and probably dairy intolerant...but in the years since I discovered there was so much more to this investigation. I began blogging under "FREE TO EAT" because a cyber friend was blogging and she suggested I try blogging about my intolerances. I met Mike, the originator of the gluten free aggregator, at blogspot and many others who are celiac or allergic and intolerant to gluten. At some point I dumped "FREE TO EAT" and started anew with "SOME FOODS ARE NOT MY FRIENDS" because I realized there must be more going on inside of me and I truly could and should not eat whatever I want to eat.

It has been a long journey but I know now that because I have an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's that I not only should watch what I eat, I need to in order to feel good and be healthy. It isn't a diet so much for weight loss, it is a diet to slow down the inflammation going on inside of me and allow my insides to do what needs to be done to live healthily.

I don't want to cause inflammation to occur so I am avoiding not only gluten but all grains, dairy, soy, tomatoes, eggs, caffeine, alcohol, tea, and limiting sugar. There are some fruits and vegetables that are good to avoid too but that's enough for this blog.

This seems so strict but come on...I spent years eating everything in sight and feeling awful...I just want to feel GREAT and these eliminations WORK! SO YES! I am thankful I know what to do. It IS WORTH IT to me. HUGS

Blackbean banana buckwheat brownies

I don't have caffeine if I can help it but I did eat some of these blackbean banana buckweat brownies...yum yum!

Put these items in a food processor

1 can of drained black beans
2 bananas
1/4 cup cocoa
generous shake of cinnamon
a little salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup almond milk (or other kinds of milk)
1 tsp. vanilla

Process then add roughly chopped pecans, if desired.

Bake in greased 9X9" pan for 30 minutes. Cool, then store in the refrigerator.

I have seen many recipes for blackbean brownies but never with buckwheat flour (my latest adaptations involve using buckwheat flour, so that is what I did with this recipe). I love these. You might too. Enjoy these glutenfree, actually grainfree, eggfree, dairyfree, soyfree goodies.

My video is part of I AM THE FACE OF THYROID DISEASE

http://iamthefaceofthyroiddisease.org/2011/01/lynn-barry/

copy and paste to view...THANKS!

Exercising and Eliminating

You might think this is a blog about ingestion and digestion, but it is about the total YOU too...I used to think that was a bunch of hooey...I would sit on the couch and flick to exercise channels and think it might feel good to get off the couch and actually exercise but the idea would pass as I flicked to another station.

Well, I have been taking 10-15 min. a day to myself now and doing exercises in the privacy of my newly renovated room and I get it...it IS about the total YOU. Feel good, get that body moving and stretching and take the time to look in the mirror, with or without clothing but it is eye opening to really take a good look at the unclothed you before exercising and getting dressed...the TOTAL YOU. I am still doing 25 situps but am up to 15 pushups...holy wow, I could barely (yes, the naked reference is accurate)do 4 when I started and am up to 15...YES!!!!

So exercising...check...and eliminating foods that might aggravate the autoimmune disease is a daily routine and I FEEL GREAT ABOUT IT!

Had buckwheat pancakes again and threw in a few blueberries this time. Yummy!

Hubby being a diabetic we just started looking at the Glycemic Index in different foods and I am pleased that he googled GI and signed up for some website to learn more about GI and how it effects our insides. YAHOO...THE TOTAL YOU!

HURRAH HURRAH...cheerleading myself on to THE TOTAL BETTER ME!

YO YO! Have a good one!

Buckwheat pancakes for autoimmune sufferers

Okay so I began this gluten free life because I was trying to feel better and have a better quality of life. On this 5+ year road I discovered I have Hashimoto's disease and that it is an autoimmune disease...now I am learning that it is a good idea to try to avoid foods that cause inflamation not just gluten...and while the list seems to grow and grow, my quality of life improves and improves.

So here it my latest find...grains should be avoided too, not just gluten...I found on the internet...buckwheat pancakes. Buckwheat is NOT a grain.

Turn griddle on medium
mix one cup buckwheat flour (found it in a whole foods' store bulk section)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. potato starch
one cup milk of your choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
2 tbs. olive oil

pour on to greased griddle with a ladle
when bubbles form put a cover over it for about 30 seconds then flip and put cover on again for 30 seconds then test with a knife for doneness and then enjoy! I poured a little warm maple syrup on imy pancakes and OMG...delish!

shopping in bulk foods was new for me...cheaper...win win...so many of these products we people with special eating needs have to buy are so costly...bulk food sections help A LOT!

Rudi's to the rescue for Hashimoto sufferers

I received a free loaf of bread recently from Rudi's. Thank you Rudi's Bakey! This is gluten free bread that tastes delicious, is chock full of good stuff, and whether toasted or just thawed from the freezer, it is a treat for the tastebuds.
Much has been reported lately about Celiac sufferers, but I am new to discovering I have Hashimoto's disease and from my research it is a good idea to eliminate gluten in the diet if you have this disease.
I already had eliminated gluten and have found products I like, so when Rudi's free loaf arrived I wondered if it would please me and it certainly has. I have had it toasted, and just eaten a slice thawed out. I am eager to try it in stuffing recipes and when needing breadcrumbs. I am very pleased.
While learning about Hashimoto's disease and other autoimmune diseases I am finding out that many sufferers of autoimmune disease would benefit from a diet without gluten and yet I have heard people complain that it is just too hard to stick to it, that the products are not pleasing enough. Well, I recommend Rudi's, you won't be sorry you tried their products.

fun one

www.youtube.com/watch?v=apFUr81a8KQ

Apple Bar

I made up a variation of the carob bean bars posted a few blogs ago and like ithem even better.

I took a can of drained chick peas, 2 bananas, 1 tab. cinnamon, 1/2 cup apple cider syrup, 1/2 - 1 cup GF oatmeal, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup of pecans and processed it all in my food processor. I spooned out the mixture into a greased 9x9 baking pan and baked at 350 deg. for 30 min. Cut after cooling and store in fridge. A nice healthy bar when you feel like having something sweet.

I am learning more and more about Hashimoto's disease and thankful I don't do gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and whatever else I avoid in my commitment to feel the best I can feel with the conditions I am dealing with.

I actually did 15 sit ups and 4 pushups this morning and it felt good. Walking is something I am trying to do daily too, even if only for five minutes. A nice walk can lift the spirits when you're feeling housebound or sluggish.


Here's to healtier US in 2011!