For those of us out there eating gluten-free, you know what I mean when I say that it can be a little difficult at times. I don't necessarily mean that it's hard to turn down a donut from the office or pizza at a family get-together -- I'm a firm believer that once you cut out wheat from your diet long enough, it loses its appeal greatly. Even without having celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, eating gluten just one time can cause some adverse health effects that tend to deter you from eating it again in the near future (I get a headache and my joints feel achy a day or two later). No, it's not real hard for me to turn down food with gluten. The hardest part of living gluten-free is not having 100% support from friends and/or family.
I understand that being gluten-free limits our diets somewhat -- at first, that limitation may seem huge: no bread, wheat pasta, flour, beer, regular soy sauce, baked goods like cakes, cookies, donuts, scones, muffins, etc. But when I step back and look at everything we DO eat -- chicken, beef, pork, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, quinoa, rice, and baked goods made from gluten-free flours, etc -- I can see that our diet is versatile and varied. I wish everyone I knew could understand that, too... that this way of feeding our bodies is not a burden but a conscious choice that makes us feel better. I dislike being made to feel like I've joined into some brainwashing cult -- the Gluten-Free Cult, we'll call it -- instead of just being a mom who's trying to help my daughter's immune system function better any way that I can. And if being gluten-free (and dairy-free) for my daughter doesn't help, well, at least I can say that I tried.
In honor of my little Adelle, here's a recipe for sweet potatoes (that girl loves her sweet potatoes). I've posted this before, but it's been a while. And I feel this would make a wonderful side dish for any upcoming Easter dinners.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
1 TBSP lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste (optional)
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.Place cut up sweet potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
Cover and bake for 45-55 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 15 minutes until tender and caramelized. Serve.
* For a spiced version, try adding 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.
I understand that being gluten-free limits our diets somewhat -- at first, that limitation may seem huge: no bread, wheat pasta, flour, beer, regular soy sauce, baked goods like cakes, cookies, donuts, scones, muffins, etc. But when I step back and look at everything we DO eat -- chicken, beef, pork, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, quinoa, rice, and baked goods made from gluten-free flours, etc -- I can see that our diet is versatile and varied. I wish everyone I knew could understand that, too... that this way of feeding our bodies is not a burden but a conscious choice that makes us feel better. I dislike being made to feel like I've joined into some brainwashing cult -- the Gluten-Free Cult, we'll call it -- instead of just being a mom who's trying to help my daughter's immune system function better any way that I can. And if being gluten-free (and dairy-free) for my daughter doesn't help, well, at least I can say that I tried.
In honor of my little Adelle, here's a recipe for sweet potatoes (that girl loves her sweet potatoes). I've posted this before, but it's been a while. And I feel this would make a wonderful side dish for any upcoming Easter dinners.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
1 TBSP lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste (optional)
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.Place cut up sweet potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
Cover and bake for 45-55 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 15 minutes until tender and caramelized. Serve.
* For a spiced version, try adding 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.