What do I eat?

Eating is a social event in our culture.  When you have a condition that limits that, it can be a headache and then some.

I used to love to go out to eat.  All the time.  Now I avoid it as much as possible.  Not that I still don't love going out.  I just don't love what it does to me.

Another thing is I used to bake.  A lot.  I loved it.  When my diet changed I had to change too.  But I had the blues because I felt like I was being cheated.  So I decided that I would learn to make things that I love again in a safe format for me.

The first thing was muffins!  I love muffins.  I eat one pretty much every day.  Or more.  But I was buying them and frankly the price was killing me.  One pack of my fodmap safe brand is between 5-7 dollars.  For 4 muffins.  So I felt like I was being taken to the cleaners on this one!

I decided to try to make my own.  That didn't go well.  They tasted like rubber, plus I have two special needs kids so by the time I find ingredients, get it put together, and still have it taste bad is discouraging!

Then I was out shopping today and the light shone and angels sang!  King Arthur has a muffin mix!  With fodmap safe ingredients!  Yay!!  I snapped it up, took it home and assembled my cast.

Not pictured butter, eggs, and lactose free milk.  But it was easy!  You don't have to put chocolate chips in it, you can add fruit, nuts, gummy worms (my 7 year old's idea).  But I used my "safe" chocolate chips.  I only used a cup because a) they are expensive and b) one cup is plenty!

I started with wet ingredients.  Six tablespoons butter, 3 eggs, 1 cup lactose free milk, and a splash of gluten free vanilla.  Then I threw in 1 cup chocolate chips, then I added the dry mix.  I folded it gently and put it in a 375 oven for 18 minutes.

Sorry my pic is sideways here, but can we just say yum!   The box said it only would make 12 but I ended up with 18 muffins (one tragically lost his life in a taste testing).  So for the price I paid they are cheaper than my premade ones and they will last longer.

A couple of tips/hints.  I can do butter, eggs, and lactose free milk.  But some can't.  You can sub oil, almond or rice milk.  You can also do an egg substitute. You don't need the vanilla, but I think it made it taste better.

Also you MUST spray the muffin tins or muffin paper.  Gluten free stuff can stick.  I used olive oil spray.  And if you aren't going to eat them in three days time freeze them.  I let them cool stuck them in a freezer bag and they are now hanging out in the freezer waiting to munch.  They are best eaten within 2-3 months but with an active 7 year old and his muffin munching mama, that won't be a problem.

Why I'm here!

I love to blog!  I have another two blogs that I keep really busy at, but the stuff I want to post here really doesn't fit into my other blogs, so this one was born out of necessity.

I'm a lover of food, but about a year ago I was diagnosed with IBS.  Some people call it a crap diagnosis, but that's what I've got.  I got really sick with the stomach bug de jour about 3 years ago.  I worked at a school at the time and it was going around like crazy!  Every kid and lots of the parents were dropping like flies.  It was out of control horrible.  I could talk about sanitation efforts, but I won't go there.  Suffice to say after being out of work with it for over a week and after that it still took about six weeks to be able to keep anything in longer than a day, my gi landscape changed forever.  I also think some of it is bio, because some in my family have touchy tummies and mine was a little on the sensitive side beforehand, but the illness pretty much killed the rest of it.

So I was placed on a low FODMAP eating program.  I still have good days and bad, but most days are so much better!  I am low dairy, gluten free, and low fructose and a few other things.  The most frustrating thing is that there aren't a ton of recipes out there!  So I hope to post them!  Lots of them!

I'm also an avid reader.  In between reading lots of fodmap things, books on medical conditions (two special needs kids and my gut lol), and Montessori I am a big time reader of Amish Fiction.  Yes, I love them.  I'm also a proud member of a street team (more on that later).  So you will hear me talk about them!

Last but not least, I'm an AMS certified Montessori primary teacher.  I love Montessori. It's my passion bringing this to the masses and showing people that this is not just an educational method for the elite.  I now home school my special needs daughter using this method.  When I was a teacher we were in the process of adopting her.  I naively thought that I would be able to find an amazing school for her.  Ummm, let's just say the responses have been less than positive.  So I am determined that she have an opportunity to be educated this way!

Welcome!