Blogging

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Just a quick note about blogging. I am not going to say I am done blogging, but I am just not sure when I will have the time. I have several posts I want to do…review the TDI knife and my new belt. Both are good, but have some issues, at least for me. I have read several books that are really good especially for the new shooter.  I wanted to write a post in response to the comment left on my post about my mugging where the author felt like it would better for me to be murder than to defend myself, but alas, no time.

The last several days have been focused on getting M healthy. In short the gluten-free/dairy-free eating plan had helped her tremendously. She is still suffering from some headaches and bloating, but she has more energy, is breathing better, her color is finally back to normal and she is eating. I was none to happy about having to change our eating habits, but to be honest we are all loving it. The food is great. Exactly the same ‘foodie” type of yummy delights we enjoy and we have discovered many new ingredients. For example I had never heard of Ume Vinegar before. It is a tiny little bottle of pure delight. It is also a tiny little bottle of pure gold or at least it cost as much. Not cheap. However, most recipes call for only a drop or two, so it will last a while. I also discovered the joys of cooking with almond flour, also very pricey, but we love it. Prior to finding out about the Paleo diet(we are not strict followers of this) when I tried to make gluten free breads it was a nightmare. I needed 3 different kinds of flour and guar gum or xantham gum and it still didn’t taste all that good. Enter almond flour…I can make bread with just that and nothing else except eggs, baking soda, salt, etc. and the bread is yummy. The bread I made this weekend was better than any bread we have tasted. Now, that will likely not be the case if you like white bread, but we have always enjoyed grains in ours. Our favorite was from a store called Ukrops that made safflower seed bread…to die for. This bread is very similar. Here are a few pics of what I have made, all from scratch and all gluten and dairy free and all have lots of flavor…

I did not follow the recipe exactly. This first time I made it, the loaves were tiny, so I doubled the recipe and added some seeds.

Yummy turkey stuffed peppers. Nothing really different about these except that there wasn’t any rice.

Coconut-almond flour waffles. The interesting thing about coconut flour is that it has a very strong sweet coconut smell, but isn’t all that sweet or coconut tasting. It is more of a subtle hint. One thing I wish the Paleo recipe bloggers/cookbook writers would do, is give tips on how to cook with these ingredients. Likely most people have not used them and these flours do act differently. For example, when using almond flour, it burns quickly cuz it’s a nut. When I made pancakes I had to turn the heat way down and I lost a few in the process. If I am using a 5 lbs bag of wheat flour that cost $1.50 I do not cry much if I have to toss one or two flapjacks in the trash, but if I have to toss a pancake that comes from a $12.99- 1lbs bag of almond flour, I have a panic attack. I did end up just buying almonds in bulk and grinding small batches as I needed it, but still it hurts.

Even if you do not have any diet restrictions you might want to check out thefoodie.com. The site has a lot of unique recipes that might be fun for a change from the same old boring things we often get in the rut of making time and time again.

Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to leave a comment or emali me about how to live gluten & dairy free. You really have no idea how much it has helped. As I stated before we have been doing the gluten free thing for a while, but it hasn’t effect the family or my cooking all that much. My husband is a grown man so mostly he has managed it. Outside of eliminating bread and switching to gluten free pasta, not much had changed. A child is different and dairy free made me nervous. I thought what the heck kind of cardboard crap are we going to be reduced to consuming??? Having folks reach out and offer support and resources has been wonderfully calming and helpful!

In addition to taking care of M and learning an entirely new way of cooking and eating we have been full swing into EMT. My husband and I are both enjoying it immensely. The class has a total of 30 students. Most volunteer fireman and nursing students and most under the age of 25. Neat group of people. The instructors are wonderful. The $250 fee is all inclusive: certs, testing, books etc. The only thing that was recommended that we purchase on our own are stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs/monitors. The  classroom and all ambulances have plenty, but for practice at home, convenience and sanitation etc, they suggested we get them. More research to figure out which to buy.

I have not read any blogs or FB’s or regular books or sat down or had a single alcoholic beverage or much of anything else, but I am having the time of my life. The only bummer of a thing is that I found out someone I cared for and respected isn’t the high caliber person I thought he/she was, but fortunately I have lots of others who are. I am sorry for those emails I haven’t returned or that have been delayed and that were very short.

Oh, oh and this weekend The Cornered Cat comes to Virginia!!  John and I are very excited to have her at the FPF Training Range. Can’t wait to see Kathy again and finally meet  the fine folks who signed up that I have been chit chat with for months. We did have a few people have conflicts and drop out, so on the off chance you are near Culpeper and want to learn from one of the best in the business, you can still sign up.

Wow, that was not a quick note at all was it…

 

 

 

55 thoughts on “Blogging”

  5. Wow!!!! You have been busy!!! I was kind of worried there….thought something had happened to you… As others have posted….take all the time you need, We will still be here. All the Very Best to You and Your’s.

  6. Echoing the rest – family first! As to equipment, I found that a Sprague stethoscope worked well for me. Twin tubes help carry the sound and the device has a rotating head with both adult and pediatric diaphragms. Mine is still in my kit years later.

  7. Take care of your family, blogging will come when it comes. Love the pictures of the bread and stuffed peppers. Enjoy your time with The Cornered Cat. Have a wonderful weekend!

      • I’ve got lots of odds and ends stashed, as I dig them out I’ll share. Check out Amazon for gluten free cookbooks too. You can have your sweets and cakes and what not, just takes some improv….

  10. Wow – I’m just catching up and saw this today. Think of it this way – having to adapt is providing an excuse to learn yummy new recipes.

    So much of our ailments these days come from our diet. Watched “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” the other night. One thing that I noticed as the biggest guy cleaned up his diet was how just his complexion improved from pasty to healthy looking in a week. Seems a small thing, but too me it says a lot about how food affects us at every level.

    • Exactly!! I do not know too much about the history of disease and whatnot, but clearly there has to be a connection between what we fuel our body with and how we feel. I have always believed that, but now I am being forced to live it a little more. I don’t mind:)

  11. So glad all is well! OK, I know we’re all thinking it, so I’ll just say it:

    Can I come and live with you? It looks like you’re a fabulous cook, ya like guns, your state probably has my SW MP Shield, and you take GREAT care with your family. Your priorities are (in my opinion, anyway) spot on. Oh, and you make homemade bread…healthy homemade bread. I bake the other kind. don’t worry ’bout us, we’ll be around…

  12. You’re fine..Family ALWAYS comes first. God knows I take my little breaks from blogging. We will all be here whenever you wish to post. The bread looks delish! and I don’t always follow the recipes either… Take Care. : )

  13. I am so glad M is doing better and I hope Jen was able to give some good advice. As for life intruding, hey we love ya and are grateful for what we can get 🙂

    • Oh my gosh Six, Jenn has been a true gem. Honestly, she is such a valuable resource and she is very real about the challenges of this kind of change. I can not thank you enough!!

  14. Great to see you on the blog. Yeah, life gets in the way sometimes.

    I made a commitment to blog “something” every day for the first year when I started blogging. With changes in work and such, I may start having trouble keeping my promise to myself.

    Great to hear the kid is doing well.

    If you get a few minutes to shoot, don’t hesitate to call. Tell the Sexy Marine I said Hi.

  15. Blogging is the only job I know where we force ourselves to be productive without pay.

    I’m glad you’re seeing an improvement in M. When I first tested my talents while switching to Almond Flour and Quinoa, I noticed too much grit in my pancakes. But when I went half and half with Quinoa flour, they were better than ‘normal’ ones.

    But lordy, it is SO costly!

  17. That is an inspirational photo of the stuffed bell peppers. So that is essentially Turkey meatloaf? My mother used to make the regular beef with tomato sauce meatloaf filling, but the recipe I have is turkey and rice, which has been a bit problematic.. . .
    Any leads on gluten-free whole wheat flour? 😉

    • Wendy, the best all purpose commercial non gluten “whole wheat” non wheat flours are made by Bob’s Red Mill. They make gluten mixes as well, so read the label. But, try the almond flour or coconut flour. Really yummy and to me they taste like grains especially if you use the almond flour with the skins or add flax seed. M loves oatmeal bread, so I took the paleo recipe from Elana’s Pantry and added certified gluten free uncooked oatmeal to the batter and sprinkled it on top…really to die for except we eat this way and carry, so we don’t die, but you get the idea:)

  19. As from all the others, take care of what is important for and to you. Enjoy the EMT class and your work at FPF and your time with your family.

    Remember your feelings toward our community of like minds and know that we will be here for you when you need us just as we know you will be there for us in kind. 99% of us anyway. There will always be those who disappoint and don’t live up to even their own expectations, but hopefully, they will be few and far between. I think it’s called human nature (or lack thereof).

    Take care of yourself and your family.

    • Ahh, TC, you are so right. As I have gotten older people not being who the pretend to be or want to be or try to be is not something that is hurtful anymore. We all do the best we can. Even those lacking in character. And you are also right, this community is about 99% awesome! love it!

      Thanks!

  20. Any particular reason you didn’t put rice in the stuffed peppers? I believe rice is gluten free. It too is ground into flour and may be a less costly alternative. I have heard of
    ‘cheese” made without dairy, bet their pricy.It may be made from soy. I’ve tried soy milk and rice milk and I think someone makes soy yogurt.
    All pizzas don’t have cheese, I suspect soon you’ll be making homemade pizza healthier and better tasting than the pizzeria.
    They claim aged cheeses are the ones for lactose intolerant people, also you could check out goat and sheep cheeses to see if they’ll help.
    Godspeed
    Marc

    • Marc, I think the Paleo diet excludes rice and this particular recipe came from a paleo blog, but you are right rice is gluten free and we do eat it. Just tried something different. I did buy some vegan cheese, but my daughter did not enjoy it. Fortunately my hubby did:). I think M’s biggest thing being 14 is that she doesn’t want to be different. No one wants to go out with their friends and order pizza on a gluten free crust without cheese. I will say she has done great. No attitude or sadness. The fact she feels better I think is a great motivator. Oh and she loves the soy yogurt. I bought some goat’s milk yogurt, but she hasn’t tried it yet. Thanks so much for the ideas.

      • ….vegan CHEESE? What…is there a carnivore-cheese out there that I’ve missed? I mean, I’ve seen the Velveeta sortacheese with bacon(ish) chunks in it, but I never really considered that to be “cheese”.

        • “vegan” contains no animal products including milk, eggs, and any other byproducts of animals even if the products in question don’t require killing said animal.

          • Yeah, that’s what I thought….so….how does one make cheese without the use of milk? Is it just a lab-grown chemical stew that has been formed/shaped/dyed/scented/seasoned to resemble the standard cheese product? Sounds icky.

  22. Julian Bakery has some great gluten free/ paleo/ low carb bread. Many low carb sites will fit your bill as well. I can send you links to my favorite. There is a learning curve just like there is with gun ownership but it is worth it.

  23. We’ve been doing the Gary Taubes version of a low carb diet and one of the tricks we’ve discovered is subbing finely ground pork rinds for bread crumbs. It doesn’t always work but for any savory application, like breading a pork chop it is heavenly.

  25. The people you love come first. We’ll hang around in the interim. Your daughter has a great attitude, that can’t be a great age fo deal with that.

    The chips my coworker had that were gluten free that he loved I no longer see at the store. If they turn up I’ll pass that on.

    Bob’s Red Mill makes a number of gluten free products. I like all of his products and have tried the gluten free pizza dough for when I had coworkers family and teens over for a big cookout. It was pretty darn good.

    I’ve made muffins as well with the coconut flour, you need more eggs than normal to find it together and they’re crumbly but they’re good, especially if you add some grated orange zest to the batter.
    ■3/4 cup of coconut flour
    ■1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
    ■1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
    ■6 eggs
    ■1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
    ■1/2 cup of raw honey
    ■1 teaspoon of vanilla

    !. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients together and set aside.

    2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and mix in melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Let sit for 3-5 minutes or until coconut flour has absorbed the liquid.

    3. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 full of batter.

    4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let muffins cool before serving. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

    The recipe is from Coconut Mama’s blog. Lots of sprouted grain recipes as well. (I do sprouted grain tortillas a lot as they make good wraps for sandwiches).

    For the adults, if you miss that adult beverage Woodchuck Amber Cider is gluten free. (Robert got me to try the woodchuck as an alternative to beer and it’s great).

    Have fun with the EMT training. A big hug from all of us here at the Range. I am so going to try that bread.

  26. It will be fine. I dropped off the radar without the common courtesy to warn anyone and they great people around here keep an eye on you for when you come back. Like you, for me family is number one. I will drop everything else in life without warning for my family. I’m glad you’re having success with the gluten free thing. Noticeable results are always a relief.

  27. Wow. I knew the EMT training was on the deck but I have missed a lot. So glad M is doing well. My FMS requires diet stuff that can be a bit hard but so worth it. Proud of you all. So happy things are going well. I knew you would make a kick but EMT. Having fun is the key to any new venture right? Much love girl!!

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