recipe: molasses cookies (aip)

In my last Friday Favorites, I told you I was adapting a recipe to make molasses cookies. I think I have it just about perfected!

These cookies are AIP compliant, which also makes them gluten-, egg-, nut- and dairy-free. (So my egg and dairy allergic brother-in-law could eat these!)

Basically, they're so good that I have to pop the extras in the freezer so I don't eat the whole batch in one sitting!

Molasses Cookies
adapted from AIP Chewy "Chocolate" Chunk Cookies on Flame to Fork
makes approximately 15 cookies

2/3 cup (3 oz) tapioca starch
scant 1/4 cup (1 oz) coconut flour
1 T gelatin (I use Great Lakes red can, but you can use Knox if you want)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (I buy mine in bulk at Sam's Club)
1 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/8 t mace (you can use 1/2 t nutmeg if not AIP)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 T maple syrup (I get mine from Trader Joe's--they have the cheapest price that I've found)
2 T molasses
2 t water, if needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. (You're not making a gelatin egg here; just mix the dry gelatin in with the other dry ingredients.) Add all of the wet ingredients except the water, and mix well. The dough will not be as cohesive as regular cookie dough, but it should hold together. If it's too dry, add water one teaspoon at a time.

Your dough should look something like this.

Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place two inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Flatten slightly with your hand, as these will not spread much in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on tray for five minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Some helpful hints:

• I nearly always double the recipe--these are so good that they won't stick around long!
• These cookies will start to get stale after about four days, but they freeze beautifully. I always store mine in the freezer.
• When I'm making the recipe as printed, I just mix it up by hand. When making a double batch, I use my stand mixer.
• Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste. Just know that the spices mellow and blend in the baking process--the dough always tastes much spicier than the baked cookies do.
• I haven't played with alternate sweeteners at all. I'd imagine you could probably substitute honey for the maple syrup, but I haven't tried it.
• My gas oven is pretty spastic and hard to regulate, so you may need to adjust your baking time slightly.
• If you don't already have some of these ingredients (like the gelatin or the tapioca starch), shop around. The links I've provided go to Amazon, but I've found better deals at Vitacost and Thrive Market at times. It totally depends on the product. (Thrive Market is a membership site, but you can check prices without signing up. Also, they offer a free 30 day trial membership and 25% off your first order. You can check it out here.)

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission or referral bonus. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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a spectacular fourth!

I intended to post this yesterday, but then I got a speeding ticket and my day went to pot. Now on to happier things!

My mom and I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Indiana visiting my sister and brother-in-law. Val and Greg live in my college town, and it's always fun to go back, especially when we happen to be there on a Sunday and can go to the church I attended in college (which is also the church they attend).

We set out mid-morning on Thursday ... and it was just about the longest trip ever. From heavy rain to me not feeling well to my mom's shingles (which she came down with the week before), it felt like the trip that would never end! (This picture was obviously taken at the beginning of the trip.)

Finally, though, we made it. And we met this cutie:

Seriously, Miss Chloe is just about the cutest thing ever! Just like her "cousin" Skaara, she loves chasing pink fabric.

We slept in on Friday, and then we wandered around the shops in the Village at Winona for a while. We also hit the local T.J. Maxx, which is a bit, uh, classier than the one in Grand Island ... and there I bought some size 10 pants. Seriously? Size 10??? I haven't been a 10 since junior high! (I'm probably closer to a 12 normally, but the 10 of this particular brand is what fit.)

That evening, we ate at The Boathouse, where I longed to have my favorite dish, the chicken & bacon wrap ... but I was good, stuck to the gluten free thing, and had a cheeseburger with no bun. Then we girls saw Bye Bye Birdie at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. I'd heard all about the Wagon Wheel when I was at Grace, but this was the first show I saw there. It was fantastic! The acting was great, and the show was so fun. Bravo!

Saturday was super relaxing. I read this book for a while, we played Rummy (I lost ... but it wasn't a massacre like it sometimes is), and Greg grilled burgers for supper. Also, Val and Mom conspired to kill me--Val prayed for our meal, and she tacked on a quick "and please help us get good seats for the concert" onto the end. Mom proceeded to mock her, and I couldn't help but laugh ... with a mouthful of water. Basically, I ended up choking--I absolutely could not breathe. I did eventually recover :-)

Then we went down to Winona Lake for the Masterworks Patriotic Pops Concert and fireworks.

Lots of people were already there when we arrived, so we ended up sitting to the side of the orchestra. Val decided that, since we couldn't see very well anyway, we should face the lake, as that's where the fireworks after the concert would be.

So Mom spent the concert like this:

Something about her discomfort at being turned a different direction than everyone else was hilarious to Val and me. And when you think about it, Val's reasoning didn't make any sense, but we all went along with it.

Then, when it was time for fireworks, we moved--so Mom's discomfort was for nothing!

On Sunday, we went to Christ's Covenant (it's always so great to be back, even though I really don't know anyone there anymore) before heading to Fort Wayne for the afternoon: lunch at Granite City, shopping at Target, and watching Jurassic World.

We had to say goodbye to Greg, Val, and Chloe and head back to real life on Monday. This drive didn't feel quite as long as the first, though. Maybe because we stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel, and then we meandered through several stores at the Tanger Outlets in Iowa. Mom even found a deeply discounted dress and ridiculously cheap dress pants (something like $7)! And we had to get coffee and chocolate at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory before getting back on the road. (My selfie skills were not on point ...)

Really, we made great time! And then I came home to this:

It's not pretty; it's a $35 stove I got off a garage sale. It's not my dream stove by any means...but it is a GAS stove. For someone who learned to cook on gas and hasn't had a gas stove since moving out of her parents' house 10 years ago, this is a big deal! My dad, who stayed home to work on a variety of projects, made running a gas line and hooking up the stove one of those projects. Thanks, Dad! It's very much appreciated :-)

Overall, it was a fantastic way to spend the Fourth of July. I just wish the vacation could have lasted longer ...

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30 down!

When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was greeted by a wonderful number: 176. That means I am officially down 30 pounds since I went gluten free on May 27, 2014. (Twenty-eight of these pounds have come off since I started THM in December ... I did lose and gain about five pounds a few times between May and December, but the weight loss didn't really begin until THM.)

Who-hoo!!!!!!!!!!

Not only is this an awesome milestone, but it represents something even bigger. Back in 2010 when I started having gallbladder problems, I lost a little weight. As a motivator for myself, I bought a TV series on DVD that I really wanted ... and then promised myself I wouldn't watch it until I lost 30 pounds. At the time, I thought it would take maybe a year ... but then I started feeling better and eating worse, and I began to wonder if I would ever get to pull those DVDs out of the box.

But finally, today is that day!

The funny thing is, Sports Night doesn't hold that much of an attraction to me right now ... but I'm still going to watch an episode to celebrate!

Here's to the next 30!!!

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five friday favorites #17: week of may 1, 2015

Happy Friday, everyone! This hasn't been a particularly great week for me--I came down with a cold last Saturday, and I'm still fighting it. A silver lining, though: since I've felt pretty terrible all week, I haven't been in the mood to read or work on my editing project much (and honestly, I'm not sure my brain could even have handled either one after eight hours at the office), so I've spent my spare time with mindless entertainment. Namely, Baby Daddy. It's completely hilarious ... due in large part to Tahj Mowry's Tucker. Tucker is the best friend and roommate of Ben, the titular baby daddy. And he is so, so funny. But, as much as I enjoyed binge watching Baby Daddy this week, it's not one of my Friday Favorites. These are ...

1. Let It Be Jesus
I recently had the opportunity to review Christy Nockels' new live album, Let It Be Jesus. It's so, so good, you guys! I've been listening to it practically non-stop. (I do tend to get a bit obsessive about my listening choices when I find something I love!)

Also, I'm able to give away a digital copy of the album to one of my blog readers! So head on over to my review and enter! Entries are low, and the giveaway runs through Saturday. Good luck!

2. Being Overweight
Sounds odd, right? A Friday Favorite is being overweight??? Well, in this case, it is! Because for me, being overweight signals that I'm no longer classified as obese. Two weeks ago, I officially rolled over into the overweight category with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.0. Then last week, I dropped into the 170s. I think the last time I weighed in the 170s was junior high--which was 20 years ago! Only three pounds to go before I'm 30 pounds lighter than I was when I started this gluten free journey nearly a year ago.

3. Full House reboot
Surely you've heard about this by now, right? Netflix is bringing back Full House as Fuller House, which will focus on a newly-widowed D.J. raising her boys ... and Kimmy and Stephanie move in to help her.

At first, I was outraged when I read that D.J. was recently widowed. How could they kill off Steve??? Except they didn't. D.J.'s dearly departed husband's last name was Fuller (hence the Fuller House), and Steve's last name was Hale. So apparently Steve and D.J.'s series finale reunion didn't stick ... and this gives the lovebirds a second chance (hopefully). This tweet from Scott Weinger (Steve, as well as the voice of Aladdin) gives me hope:

I'm touched by everybody's concern for Steve's welfare. All I can say is, things are in the works for your favorite over-eater! #FullHouse
— Scott Weinger (@ScottWeinger) April 21, 2015

4. Being an INSPY Judge
Never heard of the INSPYs? Neither had I, until about a year ago. The INSPYs were, according to their website, "created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith." Readers nominate the books, the INSPY advisory board creates a shortlist of five books in each category, and then judges select the winners. On a whim, I applied to be a judge this year, and I was selected! I'll be judging the Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense category along with two other bloggers. The shortlist was announced yesterday, and, while I can't specifically comment on any of the books until after the winners are selected, let me just say that I am super excited to get reading! You can meet the judges here and see all the shortlisted books here.

5. Against the Grain

I adopted a gluten free lifestyle almost a year ago, and it has helped so much with my health issues. I recently reviewed a gluten free cookbook called Against the Grain, and it is full of fantastic gluten free recipes ... without weird ingredients. If you're gluten free, you should definitely check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm linking up with the usuals: Erika, Karli, and April.

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quick health update

It's been a long time since I've said anything about my health, but this is worth documenting, if for no other reason than so I can remember!

I've been gluten free since May 27, and in mid-December I started a diet called Trim Healthy Mama. I was off and on through the holiday season (but always still gluten free), and now I'm back on, for the most part. (Sometimes I will choose to eat something "off plan" like a potato when I'm out, but whenever I'm eating at home or at work, I follow the plan, which basically means separating carbs and fats, as well as not eating sugar.)

Since May, I have lost 15 pounds and at least one inch from everywhere I measured (waist, arm, hips, etc.) except my neck!

For someone who has Hashimoto's and PCOS, both conditions that make weight loss difficult, this is amazing!

I don't know just how much I've lost since starting THM because I stupidly didn't record weight or measurements, but I do know that in October, I was over 200 pounds (hence one of my October goals), and I was still over 200 when I saw the endocrinologist in early December (though just barely). As of this morning, I'm 190*, and my driver's license no longer lies about my weight! I can't wait until it's lying in the other direction :-) I can't really see a difference in how I look yet, but I do know that my clothes are fitting differently--still no drop in size, but things are getting looser!

As for how I feel, for the most part, I feel much better than I have in more than two years. (September 2012 is when things started going wonky for me.) Do I still have what I like to call "thyroid days"? Yes. But they're becoming fewer and farther between. Am I still tired all the time? You bet. But I'm not overwhelmingly exhausted anymore. (Well, speech season is kicking my butt, but I'm not as bone tired as I was during last year's speech season.)

Going gluten free and starting THM aren't the only things having an impact on my health--I'm now on an additional thyroid medicine that's making a huge impact, I'm exercising more (because I finally feel good enough to do some exercising), and I'm also getting better about setting limits for myself regarding activity and sleep. But I also have no doubt that the foods I eat and don't eat are playing a major role in how I feel!

The picture below of some of Nebraska Christian's staff went out to our alumni along with a Christmas gift. I'm on the far left. Seeing this picture is what made me realize I definitely needed to make some changes--I was a bit mortified to realize that all of my high school classmates would be seeing this photo (at least all of them that we have current addresses for). The day after I saw this picture, I started THM.

*I've joined this THM challenge to not step on a scale for a whole month, so this morning's weigh in will be my last for a while. If you've tried to lose weight, you probably know that the scale can be your worst enemy. I have a tendency to step on it each morning, and seeing the fluctuations does me no good. I'm hoping that this challenge, while extreme, will help rid me of the habit of compulsive weighing. 

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five friday favorites #11: week of jan. 2, 2015

Happy 2015! Where exactly did 2014 go? I'm not sure. It feels like we were just wrapping up speech season, and now here we are, just one week from our first meet. (Yeah, I kind of measure time by speech. For now, anyway.)

I took a blogging break over Christmas break, so I missed a week of favorites, which means this week's favorites will actually encompass the past two weeks. I'm linking up again at A Little Bit of Everything and Housewife Glamour.

1. Wise Men
After my grandma passed away, my mom got her nativity scene and passed my childhood one to me. Grandma bought both sets from an Italian company called Fontanini, and while she ended up with the complete set for herself, the one she bought for us consisted of the stable, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and an angel. Our shepherds, wise men, and animals didn't match the set. Ever since I've had this nativity scene, I've wanted to replace the knock off pieces with Fontanini pieces ... but boy are they expensive! So I was thrilled when my parents gave me the wise men for Christmas.

Old wise men & new wise men

Here's how my nativity looks now. I still need to replace the shepherd, and maybe eventually the animals.

Notice that the wise men aren't at the stable because they weren't at the stable. I watched The Nativity Story for the first time this year, and I couldn't get over the fact that the script had the wise men arriving at the stable the night of Jesus' birth ... it's not a difficult thing to verify! (See Matthew 2.)

2. Trader Joe's
I set foot in a Trader Joe's for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I just about lost my mind. I was like a kid in a candy store! I was able to pick up lots of gluten free necessities, like almond meal and coconut flour, for a fraction of what they'd cost elsewhere. I really went a little crazy, and I didn't even pull out my shopping list ... which meant I forgot to buy GF oats. I guess I'll just have to go back again! If only the nearest store wasn't 90 minutes away ...

3. Celebrating Advent
Growing up, we didn't really celebrate Advent. I have vague memories of families taking turns lighting the advent candle at church, but, as a non-liturgical church, we didn't focus much on Advent. That's not to say we didn't focus on Christmas, but Advent wasn't ever a focus.

This year (or I guess technically last year), I decided to change that. While I didn't celebrate Advent in the traditional way with the different weeks and the meaning attached to them, what I did was meaningful to me.

I chose several YouVersion Advent plans to go through, and I also read through Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room, a daily Advent devotional that I got free for Kindle at the beginning of December. And, because I felt like ambiance was important, I lit a pillar candle while I read.

It's a tradition I hope to continue ... but I might choose a prettier candle next time.

4. Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

I have another absolutely fantastic book to tell you about. It made lots of bloggers' best of 2014 lists, so I used some Amazon credits to buy the Kindle version. Basically, from start to finish, I was obsessed with this book.

Somebody Like You is the story of an Army widow and her late husband's identical twin brother--a twin brother she didn't know he had. It sounds like it could have been ripped from a soap opera, but it's actually an emotional, fascinating, thought provoking read.

This is the first book I read and reviewed in 2015, so I know it's early to be making this prediction, but I'd bet it'll end up on my best of 2015 list. It's that good. Check out my review, and then go get yourself a copy.

5. Family Time
Everyone's gone back to their respective homes and dorm rooms now, but we had a fabulous time with everyone in Central City for Christmas (well, for our family Christmas on the 27th). While my brother and his wife could only stay for the day, Blendy was home until New Year's Eve, and my other sister and her husband went home yesterday. We played games, watched Psych and Downton Abbey, worked on a maddening puzzle, saw The Hobbit, played piano duets, hung out, and ate lots and lots of food. And it was spectacular :-)

Strangely, I didn't really take any pictures over Christmas, but here's my favorite of the ones Blendy took.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and here's hoping for more regular blogging in 2015!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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five friday favorites #3: week of oct. 24, 2014

Welcome to another Friday Favorites ... on Saturday! My book review schedule was a bit crazy this week, so I didn't have time to work on this until today. Once again, I'm linking up with Heather at Housewife Glamour.




1. Spotify's "Ultimate Covers" playlist
I've recently been listening to a lot of Spotify at work--mostly movie scores with some music from my youth thrown in for good measure (dcTalk, anyone?). But yesterday I discovered an absolutely fantastic playlist: Ultimate Covers. Most of these covers are acoustic, and a few are inappropriate for work, so you've gotta stay on top of things. But it's such a soothing way to spend your day--especially when you've been fighting with the html on your company website for hours and you just want to throw something!



2. Walks with my mom
My mom and I have recently been walking the Dark Island Trail, this trail just outside of town that crosses the Platte River. We've seen lots of deer, a few owls, an eagle, and a heron ... as well as beautiful fall colors! The pictures below are ones my sister took on a recent walk, as she's home for fall break this weekend!!!

3. Friends who give me GF stuff
I have two friends who used to be gluten free and don't need to be anymore, and they've both given me gf goodies! Earlier this week, Steph brought in a sack of stuff. My favorite? The Pamela's Bread Mix. I made a loaf of bread, and, to someone who hasn't had bread since Memorial Day (except for some horrible hamburger buns that tasted more like cardboard than bread), it was fantastic! I made toast, grilled cheese, and used the last two slices for pumpkin French toast this morning. I think there's a Pamela's purchase in my future ...

4. Listerine Healthy White
Listen, I'm not really into teeth whitening. I mean, I know my teeth aren't nearly as white as they could be, but I could never justify the purchase of a quality teeth whitening product. Then I saw a commercial for Listerine Healthy White, and I thought, "Why not?" The package claims you'll see results in five days, and I really have. I adore online shopping, but this is one product you should get at Walmart or your local drug store, as it's much cheaper there than online. Plus, you can get a coupon from Listerine's website--I wish I would have thought to check there before I bought mine!

5. Pill Organizer
So this one isn't too glamorous, but it's probably my favorite thing this week. After I finally saw an endocrinologist for my Hashimoto's, I started taking a new thyroid med in addition to Synthroid. It's helping tremendously, but I also have to take it first thing in the morning at the same time every day. Since I get up at 6:30 on weekdays, I leave my alarm set on the weekends, too, and then I go back to sleep after taking the pill. Except sometimes, in my grogged state, I don't actually take it after slapping the alarm ... and when I wake up, I'm not sure if I've taken it or not. After having this happen a couple times, I decided to bite the bullet and get a pill organizer ... even though I've always seen pill organizers as something for old people. Then I found this one. It's attractive (for a pill organizer), and I like that it's seven individual pill holders that fit in a stand. Right before I go to bed, I pull the next day's out and set it right by my water. And in the morning, I can easily tell if I've taken my pill or not. Win!

What are you enjoying this week?

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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five friday favorites #2: week of october 17, 2014

Welcome to another Five Friday Favorites post! I had so much fun last week that I decided to do it again. (And I'm linking up at Housewife Glamour again, too.) After I got into this week's post, I realized that almost everything was food related, so I decided to just go for it and make this Five Friday Food Favorites. (How's that for alliteration?)



1. Coconut milk
Recently, I've been trying to cut down on my dairy consumption. It's not so hard, except for my lattes. (I got a great deal on this latte maker from Amazon about six months ago, and I'm completely in love.) I tried almond milk, but I hate it. My one almond milk latte got dumped down the drain after I took one sip. Gross. But coconut milk? It's actually decent. Coconut milk lattes taste nothing like dairy milk lattes, but they're quite drinkable, nonetheless. And I see that as a victory.

2. Ginger Ale
When I was in Indiana for my sister's wedding, I got some bad food at a "Mexican" restaurant, and one of the other bridesmaids suggested ginger ale. I'd never tried it before, and I didn't try the bottle she brought me. But a couple months later, I bought my own bottle, and the rest is history. I'm pretty sure ginger ale is my new favorite pop. Honestly, my favorite is the Sam's Choice brand, but it's also full of things like high fructose corn syrup. I tried making my own ... and that didn't turn out so well. So now my go-to is Sodastream. I like that I can decide how strong I want it to be, and it's really just fun to make your own pop! (It tastes even better when I drink it from my grandma's Pepsi glass. Whenever we had pizza at her house, we also had pop, and she put it in these glasses.)

3. Peanut Butter Cookies
I've mentioned these cookies before, but I never told you how to make them. These cookies are what get me through being gluten free because, well, I have a sweet tooth.

Here's the super-simple recipe: Mix 1 cup peanut butter (I use creamy), 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until blended. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips if desired. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Flatten slightly with your hand (or flatten with a fork in the classic peanut butter cookie pattern). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. This makes about 2 dozen cookies, but you can easily make them bigger or smaller to suit your whims. Just be sure to keep an eye on them when they're in the oven, as you may need to adjust the baking time.

See how easy that is? I promise that you won't even miss the flour! I've also adapted this recipe to make chocolate peanut butter cookies, and I'll post that recipe soon.

4. Gouda Omelettes
First of all, I can't think of gouda without immediately flashing to this:

I don't know if I'd ever really had gouda before, but I recently picked some up on sale, and now my go-to supper is a gouda omelette. Yum! (Yes, it's dairy--but it seems that cow's milk is rougher on my system than products made with cow's milk.)

5. Popcorn with Ghee & Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
I'd never heard of ghee before I started researching ways to help my Hashimoto's through diet. Ghee is clarified butter, and, while it tastes strange right out of the jar (yes, I tried it), it's fantastic on popcorn! I just pop up some popcorn with my air popper, pour over some melted ghee, and liberally salt it with Himalayan pink sea salt. It's some of the tastiest popcorn ever :-)

The Ghee came from Trader Joe's, and the sea salt is from Vitacost, which I've found to be cheaper than Amazon on most food items.

Those are my faves! What are you enjoying this week? Let me know in the comments!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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five friday favorites #1: week of oct. 10, 2014

My sister (who has become my blogging champion of late and should really begin blogging herself) recently came up with a list of things I should blog about. On that list? Friday Favorites. I've noticed other bloggers doing them, but I'd never really thought about it. Until now. So today begins my Five Friday Favorites--five things I'm enjoying this week. I'm linking up with Heather from Housewife Glamour, so when you're finished here, head on over and check out the other Friday Favorites posts!

1. The Flash
I am absolutely loving Forever, starring the always dashing Ioan Gruffudd, and until earlier this week, I would have said that was my favorite new show. Then I watched The Flash. It's so fun! Within the first 10 minutes both Dawson Leery's dad (who played the Flash on a short-lived series in the early 90's) and Ed showed up. And I know that Michael, Linc, and T-Bag from Prison Break will be on later this season. It always makes me happy to see actors from dearly departed shows! And Grant Gustin as The Flash? He's just so darn likable! But what captured me most was the tone of the show. It's light and fun. Even though this is a DC show, it has that Marvel movie feel to it--think The Avengers.

2. Dutch Butter Cake--GF Baking Fail
The other day, this recipe from Kevin & Amanda popped up in my Facebook feed. It looked so good ... but it wasn't gluten free. I decided to make it anyway and just substitute in the same amount (by weight) of my gluten free flour blend. I did this even though I've yet to successfully adapt a recipe--I do much better when I make a recipe that's been designed to be gluten free. Well, this recipe most certainly didn't turn out like it was supposed to. It's very soft on the top and bottom (like fine sand) and really hard in the middle. But boy does it taste good! Obviously, I won't be taking it to any potlucks, but I'm enjoying eating it at home. (And I bet the kind made with all purpose flour is to die for ...)

3. Orange & Spice Herbal Tea
I lived with my grandparents for a semester after high school, and my grandma had this cupboard that was full of tea. I can't recall her ever drinking tea except for plain iced tea, but her cupboard was well stocked. (Come to think of it, maybe she had her tea at breakfast and I just never knew because my grandparents ate breakfast way earlier than I did!) At the time, I was just discovering a love for coffee, and I had no interest in tea if it wasn't iced. Now, though, I love tea. I recently purchased an herbal tea variety pack, and I discovered that the Orange & Spice tea tastes exactly like my grandma's cupboard smelled! I miss my grandma a lot, and now when I drink my tea, I think of her.

4. Fresh Prince Online Quiz
If you're a child of the 90's, then this quiz is very easy ... but it's oh so fun! Thanks to Jen for sharing it on Facebook!

5. Big & Daring Volume Mascara
In the past several years, I've become a big fan of Avon cosmetics. I used to think Avon was just for old ladies (probably because my grandma had lots of Avon products), but I've since learned that Avon is awesome! My most recent find is the Big & Daring Volume Mascara. I tried it simply because it was cheaper than my regular mascara, but I've fallen in love. Here's the thing: it actually stays on! My mascara always, always, always winds up under my eyes. Think raccoon eyes. But this stuff stays in place!

There are my five! What things are you enjoying this week?

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six questions

This blog has been all about the book reviews all month long. Between reading, reviewing, working, and, well, watching Fall TV, I haven't had time for much else! But I do have other things to talk about, so I thought I'd do a question and answer post. I've thought of six questions that you might ask me if we met for coffee, and I'll answer them here. (Why six? Because six has been my favorite number ever since, as a six-year-old, I heard Bert sing about his favorite number.) So grab a cup of coffee—I've got my fall favorite pumpkin spice latte—and enjoy this glimpse into my world.

Are you still gluten free?
Yes! It really hasn't been too difficult, and the worst part by far is eating out. I've discovered that I absolutely love almond and coconut flour (too bad they're pretty expensive), and I've had fun experimenting with gluten free baked goods. (Some have turned out awesome, others not so much.) My favorite is a peanut butter cookie recipe that I've adapted into a really awesome cookie, if I do say so myself. I'll try to snap pics the next time I make them and then post the recipe here on the blog.

How are you feeling?
This is kind of ironic, as I'm writing this on a day that I'm having what I like to call a "thyroid day," but I actually feel tons better. I don't feel "normal" yet, but I feel the best I've felt in two years. Two years! I think it's a combination of going gluten free, changing medication, making sleep a priority, and reducing stress. I still have hopes of getting my energy back, losing weight, and being able to fully participate in things I love, but if this is all the better it gets, it's livable, and I will be grateful for the health I have.

The other day, while on a two-mile walk (something that would have killed me just six months ago but I did with ease now), my mom asked me what my dreams are. I couldn't even answer her. These last two years have been all about surviving, not dreaming. But now it's time to start thinking about goals other than "make it through the work day so I can crash on my couch."

What classes are you teaching this year?
As I have for the last couple of years, only yearbook. While I do miss getting to know the international students on as personal a level (which I talked about here and here), I also am enjoying my job as a whole more than I have probably ever. I still do a little bit of a lot of things, but my main area is communications: website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, our quarterly newsletter, etc.

Are you doing Singing Christmas Tree?
Considering Singing Christmas Tree has been such a huge part of my life and was even a large factor in my decision to attend my church, this may come as a surprise, but no. It's not that I don't want to participate, but I'm trying to make decisions that will help, not hinder, my healing process. One of the things I'm learning is that stress and tiredness are huge triggers for me. If I have a big, busy day, I can pretty much guarantee that either the next day or the day after that I will not feel well. Singing Christmas Tree is a wonderful ministry, but it is also incredibly time consuming and exhausting, and speech season (my most stressful time of the year) directly follows it. I want to go into speech as healthy and rested as possible. I hope to rejoin the choir next year.

What has God been teaching you?
First of all, I'm finally learning to say no to things. When I was struggling with whether or not to do Singing Christmas Tree, I mentioned to a co-worker what I was thinking. Her response? "You are way harder on yourself than anyone else will be. If you need to take a break, you take a break. They'll survive without you." So true. While I feel a little guilty about taking this year off, I shouldn't.

I'm also learning compassion. Because Hashimoto's is a disease that often isn't physically apparent, most people who see me would have no idea that anything was wrong with me. The knowledge that others have no idea how I feel has helped me understand that, likewise, I have no idea what others are going through. I need to extend grace to others instead of being so judgemental. I don't know what circumstances in their lives are influencing the way they behave and the decisions they make.

Most importantly, though, I'm learning that God has everything under control. It's one of those things that I always know in my head, but sometimes my heart forgets. And then God steps in, and it's like he's nudging me and saying, "See? I've got this." This was especially evident a few weeks ago. Back at the beginning of August, I finally got a referral to an endocrinologist, but I couldn't get in to see her until mid-November. This is the same endo my dad sees for his diabetes, so he called to see if we could switch appointments, as he had one in early September. They said no, since initial appointments take longer than return visits, but they could put me on a waiting list in case of cancellations. The morning of my dad's appointment, I got a call from the clinic—they had a cancellation, and the slot was mine if I wanted it. So I was able to carpool with my dad and see the doctor a full two and a half months early! If that's not a God thing, I don't know what is!

Now a fun one: Do you have any good movie or TV recommendations?
Of course I do! Movie first: Belle. It's about a mixed race daughter of an British Navy captain who is raised by her great aunt and uncle on an English estate in the late 1700s. I don't really want to say much more than that because you need to watch it. It would make a great companion piece to Amazing Grace—both deal with slavery in different ways.

TV: Forever. It stars Ioan Gruffudd as a man who can't die. Well, he actually CAN die, he just can't STAY dead. He's a medical examiner in New York City who has a skill for discerning how people died, and he often works with a female detective. Sound a bit like Castle? It definitely has that feel to it. So far, I'm loving it! You can watch the pilot episode here.

And while we're on the subject of TV, if you're looking for a good binge watching show, check out Ringer on Netflix. It also stars Gruffudd (and Sarah Michelle Gellar)—I recently recommended it to another blogger after she wrote about Forever, and then I had this urge to watch it again. I'm one of about five people who actually watched it when it aired on the CW, and I'm enjoying it just as much on this pass through as I did on the first. (Yes, it's ridiculously soapy with about a million plot holes, but it's so entertaining!) There's only one season, so you won't even have to spend much time watching. Plus, Logan Echolls is a guest star ...

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july life update

I'm well overdue for another gluten free post, but there are so many other things to talk about, so I'm going to do a combo post—a life update, if you will. Hopefully the pictures will keep it interesting!

Cats
I celebrated two years with my cats at the beginning of July. When I got Isis, Hammond, and Skaara, I simply hoped they'd stay around for a few months—I didn't dare to hope I'd have them for years! Here are the before and after pictures I posted on Facebook.

Hammond & Skaara

Isis

Gluten Free
There's not really much to say here. I no longer have the extreme hunger or fatigue that I faced in the first couple weeks. I'm also not having the amazing digestive results that I had at the beginning. The angry bowels are back, folks. (TMI?) I'm not having the extreme reactions to some meals that I used to have (I didn't get sick once during Val's bachelorette weekend, where I ate out every meal—I'm very thankful for gluten free menus!), but I also wouldn't say that everything is "normal." Really, though, my digestion hasn't been normal for my entire life ... I'm beginning to wonder if the reduction in IBS symptoms has more to do with being more conscious of what I'm putting into my body and eating fewer processed foods than it does with cutting gluten. I haven't seen a single change in thyroid symptoms, but I'm going to keep plugging away with the gluten free diet, at least until I see my doctor again at the end of July or beginning of August. I want to know if cutting gluten has reduced my thyroid antibodies. (Because some people asked after my last update: I currently take Synthroid. I was on levothyroxine—generic for Synthroid—for about 12 years, and the ENT I saw in April recommended I take name brand Synthroid to see if that helped. I don't think it has, so I'm going to be requesting a switch back to the much cheaper levothyroxine ... or perhaps Armour. Most importantly, I now know what questions to ask. I know this means nothing to you non-thyroid people!)

Shoutout to my friend Sarah, who gave me this great stuff after she found out she didn't need to be gluten free! Keep her in your prayers—she's also dealing with some frustrating health stuff.

Essential Oils
A few weeks ago, I went to an essential oils party—this one was for Young Living oils. I love the concept, but man are these oils expensive! I almost signed up on the spot, but I decided to think about it for a while, and I'm glad I did. I ended up buying this Edens Garden set for $25 (including shipping) from Amazon. So far, I've only used the peppermint and lavender, and I'm very happy. I've mentioned before that I have terrible menstrual cramps—I normally take upwards of 30 ibuprofen pills per period (which is terrible, I know, but the cramps are so bad!). During my most recent period, I took six pills. SIX! Sure, I smelled like a walking peppermint the whole time, but I think it's a good trade off!

In the last few days, my dad has also smelled like a walking peppermint because we've been using several oils—and peppermint seems to overpower the others—to treat poison ivy. His results haven't been so amazing, so he's headed to the doctor this afternoon. You can't win them all, I guess!

(Note: If you're a Young Living/doTerra/any other oil company rep, I'm not interested in hearing why your product is so much better than Edens Garden. The oils work for me, I'm happy, and that's all I need to know right now. Also, the lack of an apostrophe in "Edens" really drives me nuts—but not nuts enough to avoid the products!)

Bachelorette Weekend
My sister is getting married ... in less than two weeks! At the end of June, several of us met outside Chicago to celebrate. It was so great to spend time with her, eat great food, and relax. I also had my first exposure to this shopping wonderland:

Oh, Ikea. How did I ever go 32 years without understanding how wonderful you are? I spent less than $75 and got some amazing stuff, including curtains for my bedroom and a new coffee table. Then I ordered some stuff when I got home, too, because I realized I really should have bought the matching end tables to go with the coffee table.

Painting Project
When I moved into my house, there was one thing I wished I could have done first: paint the guest room. But the desire to move in as soon as possible trumped the desire to paint, so I put it off. Over the 4th of July weekend, Blendy and I finally painted! Take a look at the before and after photos:

The room was very cute before, but only suitable for a child ... The room looks much more "adult" now. To top it off, I was able to hang my favorite painting on the wall:

I fell in love with Starry Night when I was in high school. The first time I remember seeing it was on a very special episode of Boy Meets World. Topanga is mad at Cory because he kissed another girl. She and Angela go to this art museum, and she meets an intriguing boy played by General Hospital's Lucky Spencer, Jonathan Jackson. They bond over Starry Night, go on a date, he kisses her, and then Cory and Topanga get back together. (I tried really hard to find you a clip, but this was all I could find. No Lucky. Sorry.) Anyway, Blendy found the print at Ross for $20 during Bachelorette weekend. Score!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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going gluten free: two week update

I've now been gluten free for two weeks. It hasn't actually been all that difficult. No dreams of bread, and my sister's amazing chocolate chip cookies didn't even appeal to me. (Read my introduction to my gluten-free diet here.)

My biggest challenge is one that I didn't anticipate:

I'M HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. ALL. THE. TIME. I haven't had an appetite like this in years. Figuring out what I can stuff in my face is a bit challenging at times, especially when I'm at work. I know it would help if I actually liked things like carrots and celery ... I've been eating lots of popcorn and Greek yogurt. It "helped" that I finally got my Vitacost order of several different gluten-free flours. (I went with Vitacost over Amazon because Vitacost's prices were way lower. I was surprised.) So I immediately made brownies. Tasted great, but I'm thinking that wasn't the greatest food choice! I also made gluten free pancakes, which tasted great but were way too runny. I've found a lot of good-looking recipes, so I'll keep experimenting!

Some of my gluten-free meals. Yes, that is a giant bowl of meat from Arby's :-)

As for how I'm feeling, well, it's been a mixed bag. One thing I've noticed is fatigue. I mean, I'm always tired, but twice since I've gone off gluten I've been so tired after work that I've taken a nap. I never nap. I'm sleeping between seven and eight hours a night, so I know I'm not sleep deprived. Weird. I even took a sick day last week because I was so exhausted after my shower that I had to lay down for a while. It was so strange. The next day, I felt "fine"—well, as fine as I ever feel. I was hoping (rather naively, I'm sure) that I would immediately feel a reduction in thyroid symptoms. (The fatigue could have nothing to do with this diet, but it's weird that it hit just as I made the change.)

But digestively, I've noticed a huge difference. I can't remember a time that I didn't have digestive issues—cramping, gas, constipation, diarrhea. While things aren't perfect, these are the best two weeks I've had in a very long time. Really, that alone makes this change worth it.

So I'm going to keep going. I'm still hopeful that it will help me feel "normal" again, but if it doesn't, I'll find something else to try. I'm learning a lot about Hashimoto's, I'm determined to keep fighting to feel better!

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going gluten free: introduction

Today marks my fourth day of following a gluten-free diet. But don't confuse me for a bandwagon jumper. Just a few months ago, I scoffed at the idea of going gluten free and thanked the Lord that, while I may have a myriad of health issues, celiac disease isn't one of them.

Then I learned I have a thyroid condition called Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and that changed everything.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) between my sophomore and junior years of college. I had some scary symptoms that made my doctor suspect diabetes, especially since my dad has Type I, but the results came back pointing to the thyroid. I was told that I would have to take an inexpensive pill every day for the rest of my life, have lab work done once or twice a year, and that would be that.

And it was...until it wasn't. In 2010, I started having some weird symptoms—tingling hands, heart palpitations, anxiety, extreme fatigue, headaches, light headedness. I wore a heart monitor and had a brain scan. Everything came back normal. My doctor was mystified. I began seeing a chiropractor, who diagnosed a neck sprain. For a few months, I saw him three times a week, and I still see him once a month. He also had me start taking an iodine supplement called Iodoral. Almost immediately, I began to feel better.

Flash forward to the fall of 2012. Following an ill-fated two weeks on birth control (prescribed because of extremely painful periods), during which time I was constantly nauseous and emotional, I began to feel "off." Besides fatigue, heartburn, and fairly frequent abdominal pain, I couldn't really pinpoint what was wrong, but I knew something was. Every once in a while, my doctor (by this time a different doctor than the one who diagnosed the hypothyroidism) would adjust my thyroid meds—sometimes up, sometimes down—and she "diagnosed" me with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after an abdominal ultrasound didn't turn up anything alarming. She also tested my Vitamin D, which was very low. Supplements helped me feel some better, but I still knew something was wrong.

Then in October 2013, she ran a full thyroid panel and discovered my thyroid antibodies were high. She said this meant I had Hashimoto's, and we would regulate my meds by how I felt, rather than what the regular thyroid test said, for a while. She also recommended I stop taking the Iodoral. She didn't make a big deal about Hashimoto's, and I started feeling better once I stopped the Iodoral.

By April of this year, I was feeling horrible again, and I'd gained 10 pounds since October, though my eating habits and activity level remained the same (which is to say that I didn't really exercise—I wanted to, but I hadn't had the energy for it since starting to feel bad in 2012, but I didn't gain any weight until I stopped taking the Iodoral). When my blood work showed that my thyroid antibodies were still sky high (999), she referred me to an ENT. I had an ultrasound of the thyroid done, and it didn't show any suspicious nodes, which was good news. The bad news was the ENT couldn't really do anything for me, but he did take time to explain Hashimoto's. His recommendation was that I switch to name brand Synthroid (I had been taking a generic ever since my initial diagnosis), recheck my labs in three months, and then possibly see an Endocrinologist.

At this point, my frustration level was sky high. I had pinned my hopes on the ENT having answers, and when he didn't, I wasn't sure what to do. I thought about making a nuisance of myself and demanding a referral to an endo, but I'm not that girl (yet, anyway). What was I to do? I knew I didn't want to wait around anymore, but I had no idea what my next step was. Then, one night, I was on Facebook, and one of those Someecard pictures popped up in my feed. I can't remember what the photo was, but it had been shared from a page called Hypothyroid Mom. I clicked through to the page and found ... hope.

The women posting on Hypothyroid Mom are women just like me. We don't share all of the same symptoms, but someone mentioned each and every thing I deal with. It sounds crazy, but never before had I considered that there are other people who can truly understand what I'm going through—because they're going through it, too.

After finding Hypothyroid Mom (which is also a website), I started reading everything I could about Hashimoto's. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, but one thing that most people agree on is that a gluten-free diet can really help those with Hashimoto's to feel better. (I'm not talking about regular MD's here—the consensus across the board from patients and more "natural" doctors is that most doctors don't really understand Hashimoto's and treat it completely based on lab work.)

I truly believe God led me to the Hypothyroid Mom Facebook page. I had reached the end of what I knew to do, and this page has pushed me to start learning about my condition and take control of my health. I honestly don't know if going gluten free will help me, but why not give it a shot? I'm tracking my symptoms, what I eat, and how much I exercise each day. So far, I haven't really seen a difference, but it is just the fourth day. I'll post again next week about how I'm feeling and what I'm eating.

Until then, if you also struggle with thyroid issues (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's, or Graves'), I'd encourage you to sign up for the Thyroid Summit. It starts June 2, and it's free to watch. I'm sure I won't watch everything, but I plan to view the presentations that pertain to me.

Here's to better health and surviving Hashimoto's!

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