http://health.yahoo.net/caring/10-things-your-skin-says-about-your-health
This article made me so happy! Now I know I'm not crazy! Before I got put on my purge diet, I had these horrible, dry, itchy patches on my shoulder, mid back, and thumb/wrist area. HORRIBLE. I would literally rub the skin raw by scratching it myself, rubbing it on my jeans, the carpet, anything textured enough to make it stop even temporarily. Then, when I wanted to lose weight and I saw my nutritionalist, he said I'm sensitive to wheat and should avoid it for 90 days. (I thought my carb love affair had ended, and spent several weeks moping around the house, depressed over missing bread and cookies. Ha! How things have changed!) Well, I discovered that to avoid wheat, it's easiest to find things that are gluten free. So everywhere I went, I told people I'm gluten free. Those 90 days, after the first couple weeks where my system was purging, I had no more itch! Not thinking of this significance, I had some Christmas cookies at a friend's house. They tasted good-sat in my stomach like lead-and after my gluten hangover the next morning, I realized my shoulder had itchy, rashy bumps again!
Well, well, and the article draws a link to the two. If only I'd been bright enough to connect those dots awhile ago!
Thankfully, since I've been back on avoiding gluten again, my shoulder and thumb are slowly lessening their maddening itchiness. Now I know though, if I want to go crazy, sure, I can eat that cookie my friend made, I can have that soup from the restaurant, I can have a bread sample in the store. But I will pay the price with my sanity later. If that piece of gluten-infested-food is really worth my sanity, then sure, I can have some. But I better make sure it's worth it!
And on that note, now that I'm thinking about foods, I think I'll make some cookies while I wait for my sis-in-law to get home. TBG and I are helping out this week with her at home. I have a valid excuse to make breads, cookies, muffins, foods that are high in carb! She's craving them now that she's on a gluten free diet, and I'm more than happy to fill that nasty gluten void! ^_^
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thoughts. And corn bread.
"For such a time as this"
That phrase, that's used in Esther 4:14, has been a phrase echoing through my head and my life for the last few weeks. The fuller verse (but not the whole verse) is "And who knows but that you have come to royal position...for such a time as this." Esther 4:14b. It speaks of her becoming Queen-despite her lack of desire for the crown-that perhaps God had placed her into that position to save the Jewish people from murderous plotters that wanted and planned for them to die. And in fact, that is what God had in mind, to use Esther in her role as Queen to protect His people.
Somehow, that phrase has popped up almost every day for us in the last couple weeks.
...for such a time as this, I'm not working anywhere but the few Pampered Chef shows I have in January.
...for such a time as this, it's the uber slow season where TBG is working.
...for such a time as this, we've been on a nutritional program that will help aid our sister with her new diet needs.
Our little sister who's in UCLA with chemo treatments just got put on a gluten-free diet. They think that her life-long stomach aches and head aches may be food allergies. They deduced this just now, as for the last 2 years she's been living with her older sister and family-and they eat more fresh fruits and veggies and less processed foods. Now that she's stuck in a hospital with no fresh anything and only processed foods, she's been dealing with horrible stomach aches and head aches. It makes my whole body twinge for her. So, as an experiment, she's going to be going off gluten and such for the next month or so. I hope it helps for her.
And if it does help? And she needs to live gluten-free from now on? I have a new-found knowledge of where she can eat out, what she can buy in a store and snack on, what she can make at home, and just how possible it is. And fun! Oh the new appreciation for foods!
I just found a gluten free cereal that is the GREATEST snack food for when I'm dealing with a semi-sweet tooth at the same time. I bought it today in Wholefoods on a splurge...had to really exercise self-restraint to not the whole box on the drive home. I offered some to TBG when he got home from work..had to wrestle the box away from him so he wouldn't completely spoil his appetite for dinner. SO GOOD! And it's one of those cereals that you really don't need milk to eat it, you can just pop it in your mouth and crunch away. *happiness*
Today for dinner, we had an amazing beef stew from scratch, and I decided to experiment now that I can have corn, and made some cornbread muffins. They were good! I will admit, they'd probably be better if I had made them with corn meal and not corn flour. But I used what I had on hand, and we were very excited with the results. Woot for more breads to have with soup! I got the recipe from The Baking Beauties, and I altered it a bit. It called for sugar and unnecessary things that I edited down or out. Soo good though!
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp light olive oil
1 cup water
Enjoy! These are great hot with butter and honey!
That phrase, that's used in Esther 4:14, has been a phrase echoing through my head and my life for the last few weeks. The fuller verse (but not the whole verse) is "And who knows but that you have come to royal position...for such a time as this." Esther 4:14b. It speaks of her becoming Queen-despite her lack of desire for the crown-that perhaps God had placed her into that position to save the Jewish people from murderous plotters that wanted and planned for them to die. And in fact, that is what God had in mind, to use Esther in her role as Queen to protect His people.
Somehow, that phrase has popped up almost every day for us in the last couple weeks.
...for such a time as this, I'm not working anywhere but the few Pampered Chef shows I have in January.
...for such a time as this, it's the uber slow season where TBG is working.
...for such a time as this, we've been on a nutritional program that will help aid our sister with her new diet needs.
Our little sister who's in UCLA with chemo treatments just got put on a gluten-free diet. They think that her life-long stomach aches and head aches may be food allergies. They deduced this just now, as for the last 2 years she's been living with her older sister and family-and they eat more fresh fruits and veggies and less processed foods. Now that she's stuck in a hospital with no fresh anything and only processed foods, she's been dealing with horrible stomach aches and head aches. It makes my whole body twinge for her. So, as an experiment, she's going to be going off gluten and such for the next month or so. I hope it helps for her.
And if it does help? And she needs to live gluten-free from now on? I have a new-found knowledge of where she can eat out, what she can buy in a store and snack on, what she can make at home, and just how possible it is. And fun! Oh the new appreciation for foods!
I just found a gluten free cereal that is the GREATEST snack food for when I'm dealing with a semi-sweet tooth at the same time. I bought it today in Wholefoods on a splurge...had to really exercise self-restraint to not the whole box on the drive home. I offered some to TBG when he got home from work..had to wrestle the box away from him so he wouldn't completely spoil his appetite for dinner. SO GOOD! And it's one of those cereals that you really don't need milk to eat it, you can just pop it in your mouth and crunch away. *happiness*
Today for dinner, we had an amazing beef stew from scratch, and I decided to experiment now that I can have corn, and made some cornbread muffins. They were good! I will admit, they'd probably be better if I had made them with corn meal and not corn flour. But I used what I had on hand, and we were very excited with the results. Woot for more breads to have with soup! I got the recipe from The Baking Beauties, and I altered it a bit. It called for sugar and unnecessary things that I edited down or out. Soo good though!
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp light olive oil
1 cup water
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
- In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil and water and beat for 1 minute or so
- Slowly add the dry to the wet and beat until batter is smooth. You may need to add more water.
- Pour/spoon batter into muffin cups.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy! These are great hot with butter and honey!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
At the foot of the Cross, we lay our burdens down
I've been staring at this screen, wanting to write, but knowing the words to say in opening. I try one, and it doesn't seem right.
Cancer. A word that makes us stop in our tracks. A word that's now in our lives.
Ever wonder why little things work they way they are, or why things aren't turning out the way you want? And then suddenly something happens, and you can see how the Lord was prepping you for this moment? That's us now.
Don't ever take a moment in life for granted. You don't know what God has planned for you or for the person in the car next to you, or what His plan is for the person who checked out your groceries the other day. Smile. Share love and encouragement-you don't know what they're going through.
I guess all I can say right now, is that our lives are changing. The Lord has been subtly molding our lives for this moment, and now the time is upon us, and now we learn how well we trust in Him. Our little sister has cancer. (ok, she's not that little. She just turned 19. But that's young enough for us old peoples..who are only 23 and 25...) We just got the news today. And she's had her first round of chemo tonight. It's called Acute T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. What a mouthful!
The timing is totally the Lord's. We're now in winter, the slower season for TBG's work-he'll be able to take time off for family. I just finished my temp job at the bookstore, and now the only work I'll be doing is Pampered Chef-no work until Feb! I'd been recently thinking that we haven't really had much in the way of trials lately. (work doesn't count too much) Everytime I've gone to give blood recently at Red Cross, I've been literally .1 away from the needed iron count-and for the last two weeks I've been taking a supplement to raise that level so I can give blood. Our lil sis had prayed for humility and to be challenged. Our entire family needed something to really bring us together. And the Lord has shown us what our trial will be.
Think of the timing! Now TBG can visit and help as needed. I'm free to give her rides to UCLA as needed for treatment, helping out with her home and family, etc. I pray about being trial-free, and now there's a trial! If she needs blood now, I'm eligible again to give. She has been challenged and humbled. Our family is drawing together. The Lord is being merciful in this timing!
And here's the thoughts that bring us peace: God knew this was going to happen, He knows how this will end, and He'll be with us every step of the way. If He calls her home, that's just it, she'll be HOME. And she'll be beating us home-a thought I'm actually rather jealous of! And her attitude during the last day alone has been so encouraging. Despite being terrified of the unknowns, she's handling it so well. All I can say is that she has been such an encouragement to me. What can I say? The Lord has blessed me with an awesome sister.
All this is more of a brain blerb than an actual blog post. If you're actually reading this to the end, all I ask is that you pray for her and the family. This will be a most interesting adventure in faith, trust in God, and family growth together.
I guess all I can say right now, is that our lives are changing. The Lord has been subtly molding our lives for this moment, and now the time is upon us, and now we learn how well we trust in Him. Our little sister has cancer. (ok, she's not that little. She just turned 19. But that's young enough for us old peoples..who are only 23 and 25...) We just got the news today. And she's had her first round of chemo tonight. It's called Acute T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. What a mouthful!
The timing is totally the Lord's. We're now in winter, the slower season for TBG's work-he'll be able to take time off for family. I just finished my temp job at the bookstore, and now the only work I'll be doing is Pampered Chef-no work until Feb! I'd been recently thinking that we haven't really had much in the way of trials lately. (work doesn't count too much) Everytime I've gone to give blood recently at Red Cross, I've been literally .1 away from the needed iron count-and for the last two weeks I've been taking a supplement to raise that level so I can give blood. Our lil sis had prayed for humility and to be challenged. Our entire family needed something to really bring us together. And the Lord has shown us what our trial will be.
Think of the timing! Now TBG can visit and help as needed. I'm free to give her rides to UCLA as needed for treatment, helping out with her home and family, etc. I pray about being trial-free, and now there's a trial! If she needs blood now, I'm eligible again to give. She has been challenged and humbled. Our family is drawing together. The Lord is being merciful in this timing!
And here's the thoughts that bring us peace: God knew this was going to happen, He knows how this will end, and He'll be with us every step of the way. If He calls her home, that's just it, she'll be HOME. And she'll be beating us home-a thought I'm actually rather jealous of! And her attitude during the last day alone has been so encouraging. Despite being terrified of the unknowns, she's handling it so well. All I can say is that she has been such an encouragement to me. What can I say? The Lord has blessed me with an awesome sister.
All this is more of a brain blerb than an actual blog post. If you're actually reading this to the end, all I ask is that you pray for her and the family. This will be a most interesting adventure in faith, trust in God, and family growth together.
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