Hello Paleo Pals-
Gosh, I must be making progress, sticking with my diet all this time really has made a difference. This is the first Thanksgiving that I have not had some little nitnoid afterward that made me wonder what I ate.
My sister Marcia and her partner Susan wanted to stuff their turkey. Far be it from me to try and change their minds. Stuffing is always so good when it is done inside the bird. I brined half a natural turkey breast and cooked it on the barbecue with some hickory chips. It came out running with juice , a beautiful golden brown and oh so good. I filled a pie plate with very thinly sliced Butternut Squash, parsnips, rutabaga, yams, sweet potatoes alternating each layer with Purple onions or honey crisp apples. Threw in some fresh garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper along the way. Baked it in the oven at 350 for about an hour. It was a big hit in that it disappeared long before the mashed potatoes did. They steamed a big pot of broccoli so I was in paleo heaven.
I took a real flier. My cousin Kristine that lives in Bolder and is dairy free, soy free and doing her best to be gluten free brought a cheese cake from a Boulder bakery. The crust was made with pecans and the filling was coconut milk and eggs sweetened with agave . She did not have an ingredient list but insisted that it was grain free, dairy free, soy free and sugar free. Well IMHO agave is still sugar but I did eat a piece about a half inch across the big end. It was so good but clearly after several years I am not used to anything that rich. Luckily it all was eaten and I did not have to bring any home and make a choice to eat it again or not.
Felt so good and it was my first weekend in some time that I did not want to accomplish something in the shop so I did a thirty mile ride into the foothills Saturday. A perfect, calm, 65 degree day. The best of Colorado weather.
So how did you all do with your Thanksgiving Feast.
Love
Matthew
First unscathed Thanksgiving
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Matthew and all!
Congrats on safely navigating the holiday! You did better than I did. We always go out to eat when visiting my MIL and then on the Sat. after Thanksgiving a friend of mine always has a "leftover"party. And something always seems to disagree with me.
This year on Thanksgiving everyone else ordered the restaurant turkey special, which had turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potates, succotash, pumpkin pie and rolls. Since the only item I could safely eat was the turkey, it would have been a waste of $$$ for me. So I had a glass of red wine and a chicken salad platter. When it arrived, crackers had been pushed down all around and into the salad. !!!!!!! Why do they do things like this???? It's "surprises" like this that make it impossible to eat out.
At the leftover party, my good friend (the hostess) made several special dishes for me. I really don't like people to do this, because they really can't understand all of the intolerances, but oh well, she wanted to do something special for me. (She remembered that I could eat only turkey last year.) She made 3 wonderful dishes, which apparently did not contain any of my intolerances - a pumpkin soup, a fingerling hot potato salad with bacon and a mustard dressing, and a vegetable mix with butternut squash, spinach, and bacon.
For the past few days I have been bloated with a few episodes of sour stomach, but no D, thank goodness. BMs are thin and little, however, so I know I reacted to something. Maybe the bacon contained additives or maybe it was just too much rich food - too much of any kind of oil can get to me.
I must try that layered dish! Looking forward to hearing about the adventures of others. Thanks for your report, Matthew.
Love,
Polly
Congrats on safely navigating the holiday! You did better than I did. We always go out to eat when visiting my MIL and then on the Sat. after Thanksgiving a friend of mine always has a "leftover"party. And something always seems to disagree with me.
This year on Thanksgiving everyone else ordered the restaurant turkey special, which had turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potates, succotash, pumpkin pie and rolls. Since the only item I could safely eat was the turkey, it would have been a waste of $$$ for me. So I had a glass of red wine and a chicken salad platter. When it arrived, crackers had been pushed down all around and into the salad. !!!!!!! Why do they do things like this???? It's "surprises" like this that make it impossible to eat out.
At the leftover party, my good friend (the hostess) made several special dishes for me. I really don't like people to do this, because they really can't understand all of the intolerances, but oh well, she wanted to do something special for me. (She remembered that I could eat only turkey last year.) She made 3 wonderful dishes, which apparently did not contain any of my intolerances - a pumpkin soup, a fingerling hot potato salad with bacon and a mustard dressing, and a vegetable mix with butternut squash, spinach, and bacon.
For the past few days I have been bloated with a few episodes of sour stomach, but no D, thank goodness. BMs are thin and little, however, so I know I reacted to something. Maybe the bacon contained additives or maybe it was just too much rich food - too much of any kind of oil can get to me.
I must try that layered dish! Looking forward to hearing about the adventures of others. Thanks for your report, Matthew.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Matthew,
Yep, it gets a little easier each year, doesn't it. I survived in pretty good shape this year also, but I did it by eating only one or two items away from home.
Polly.
You wrote:
On the one hand, I know that I should feel flattered because of the special attention, but it annoys me to be constantly "pushed" to try something I'd rather not be trying. Until I read your post, I was feeling guilty for being an unappreciative ingrate. Like you, I sometimes end up with "borderline" symptoms that tell me that I was probably lucky to have been barely "nicked" by friendly fire.
I hope you can get past whatever it was, ASAP, and start feeling "normal" again.
Love,
Tex
Yep, it gets a little easier each year, doesn't it. I survived in pretty good shape this year also, but I did it by eating only one or two items away from home.
Polly.
You wrote:
You said a mouthful there. I have a friend who is constantly doing that also, and it makes me so uncomfortable that I'm almost tempted to stay away so that I don't have to regularly deal with it. We probably all have a similar situation with one or more friends. Your comment indicates that the practice sort of annoys you, which makes me feel a bit better, since when it happens to me, it actually stirs feelings of resentment.At the leftover party, my good friend (the hostess) made several special dishes for me. I really don't like people to do this, because they really can't understand all of the intolerances, but oh well, she wanted to do something special for me.
On the one hand, I know that I should feel flattered because of the special attention, but it annoys me to be constantly "pushed" to try something I'd rather not be trying. Until I read your post, I was feeling guilty for being an unappreciative ingrate. Like you, I sometimes end up with "borderline" symptoms that tell me that I was probably lucky to have been barely "nicked" by friendly fire.
I hope you can get past whatever it was, ASAP, and start feeling "normal" again.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Hi All,
Well we visited our friends in VA - she is a vegetarian and he is not - and they went out of their way to have a dinner I could eat. Did not work at all well for me. She had tofu turkey and gravy that they were aware I could not eat; a wonderful hominy and black-eyed pea salad but I do not do well with corn; collards and sliced garlic that I really enjoyed; very plain sweet potatoes which I ate; a curried fruite compote that I almost ate and thank God right before it she said something about bananas - I am HIGHLY allergic to them so that was avoided - I go into throat swelling, loss of breath, etc.; cranberry sauce - think it got me and the best thing of all - HOMEMADE GF BREAD hot from the oven. My dinner was the potatoes, collards and lots of bread.
The next day we went to dinner and I ventured seafood at McCormick & Schmidt's and they were excellent and cooked GF for me. Apparently a cook was very familiar with it and had a great meal with zero reaction.
Aren't family gatherings so much fun.
Love, Maggie
Well we visited our friends in VA - she is a vegetarian and he is not - and they went out of their way to have a dinner I could eat. Did not work at all well for me. She had tofu turkey and gravy that they were aware I could not eat; a wonderful hominy and black-eyed pea salad but I do not do well with corn; collards and sliced garlic that I really enjoyed; very plain sweet potatoes which I ate; a curried fruite compote that I almost ate and thank God right before it she said something about bananas - I am HIGHLY allergic to them so that was avoided - I go into throat swelling, loss of breath, etc.; cranberry sauce - think it got me and the best thing of all - HOMEMADE GF BREAD hot from the oven. My dinner was the potatoes, collards and lots of bread.
The next day we went to dinner and I ventured seafood at McCormick & Schmidt's and they were excellent and cooked GF for me. Apparently a cook was very familiar with it and had a great meal with zero reaction.
Aren't family gatherings so much fun.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
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Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
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kate_ce1995
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1321
- Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 5:53 pm
- Location: Vermont
Obviously, Matthew you wouldn't do the turkey with the stuffing in it. Do you really think a cross contamination is possible to say the breast meat or the drumsticks where they don't touch the cavities? My mom was going to do my kind of stuffing in the neck and their kind in the belly. I was trying to convince her to do my kind for everyone. Really the gfpantry sandwich bread makes good stuffing, although mine was a bit dry because she did it in the oven in foil. Two years ago, they found my stuffing tolerable enough to mix the leftovers with theirs when they didn't have enough for the following day.
My mom does a fairly gf Thanksgiving anyway. The veggie dishes are simple...cooked carrots (sometimes with brown sugar or maple syrup but not this year), greenbeans with toasted almonds. Some years she does squash as well, but that is always plain. And we had mashed potato. Of course I don't have the MI issues many of you have (so far as I know).
Katy
My mom does a fairly gf Thanksgiving anyway. The veggie dishes are simple...cooked carrots (sometimes with brown sugar or maple syrup but not this year), greenbeans with toasted almonds. Some years she does squash as well, but that is always plain. And we had mashed potato. Of course I don't have the MI issues many of you have (so far as I know).
Katy
Hi everyone,
As I'm sure you saw from my posts, I spent Thanksgiving evening violently ill. Never, ever take 3 tablespoons of epsom salts in water unless you want to be very sick. (I misread the directions - tablespoons instead of teaspoons!) It certainly cured my C, but sent me into the liquid land of D and horrible pains. BUT, I did have a wonderful meal out before that at a restaurant that was completely GF and dairy and soy free. I think everytime I go out (which won't be very often anymore), I'm going to ask our server to check on whether the dish I'm ordering excludes all of my sensitivities. Polly - maybe you could try that, too, even if the menu looks like it's safe. Restaurant eating is a challenge, but last night after my husband picked me up from the train station, we went to a rotisserie where I ate a feast of chicken, steamed veggies and roasted potatoes. Made sure to ask if my choices were GF- and dairy-free. And it worked! I'm still having random cramping that I can't quite pin down yet, but this is a process. Just trying to be patient. And trying to remember that overall I am so much better than I was a month ago - thanks to all of you.
Best,
Beth
As I'm sure you saw from my posts, I spent Thanksgiving evening violently ill. Never, ever take 3 tablespoons of epsom salts in water unless you want to be very sick. (I misread the directions - tablespoons instead of teaspoons!) It certainly cured my C, but sent me into the liquid land of D and horrible pains. BUT, I did have a wonderful meal out before that at a restaurant that was completely GF and dairy and soy free. I think everytime I go out (which won't be very often anymore), I'm going to ask our server to check on whether the dish I'm ordering excludes all of my sensitivities. Polly - maybe you could try that, too, even if the menu looks like it's safe. Restaurant eating is a challenge, but last night after my husband picked me up from the train station, we went to a rotisserie where I ate a feast of chicken, steamed veggies and roasted potatoes. Made sure to ask if my choices were GF- and dairy-free. And it worked! I'm still having random cramping that I can't quite pin down yet, but this is a process. Just trying to be patient. And trying to remember that overall I am so much better than I was a month ago - thanks to all of you.
Best,
Beth
As all of you know, even though I am taking Asacol and my symptoms are under control for the most part, I still try to avoid gluten althouth I'm not totally strict with it.
My Mom cannot get it through her head that I don't want her to feed me. I feel like I am constantly hurting her feelings because I am always turning down something she wants to give me to eat. She practically lives on grain products and I haven't been able to change her. She is 83 and I hate to try and make her change her ways at this late date, but I have tried to "encourage" her to eat more meat and veggies. I think she has finally bought into the "more veggies" in the form of homemade soup for the sake of more fiber in her diet. However, she is liable to put anything in that soup along with the veggies such as canned cream soup or whatever she thinks might taste good that day. Therefore, I don't want any and she is very disappointed that I don't want to eat it. One time I took some home with me and threw it away.
Well, I didn't mean to write a book on that but just thought I'd let ya'll know that even "non-strict" GFers have problems with people trying to feed them.
Love, Shirley
My Mom cannot get it through her head that I don't want her to feed me. I feel like I am constantly hurting her feelings because I am always turning down something she wants to give me to eat. She practically lives on grain products and I haven't been able to change her. She is 83 and I hate to try and make her change her ways at this late date, but I have tried to "encourage" her to eat more meat and veggies. I think she has finally bought into the "more veggies" in the form of homemade soup for the sake of more fiber in her diet. However, she is liable to put anything in that soup along with the veggies such as canned cream soup or whatever she thinks might taste good that day. Therefore, I don't want any and she is very disappointed that I don't want to eat it. One time I took some home with me and threw it away.
Well, I didn't mean to write a book on that but just thought I'd let ya'll know that even "non-strict" GFers have problems with people trying to feed them.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Katy
IMHO the likelihood of a turkey stuffed with wheat bread or other gluten containing grains being cross contaminated throughout is so high that I would never take the chance to eat it.
Clearly from Polly’s, Tex’s , Maggie’s and Shirley’s posts it is far more difficult to educate our families and friends than it might be to educate ourselves. And lord knows it is a long enough process for ourselves
What I hear on a regular basis is “I wouldn’t think a little bit on occasion would hurt you. ” Hahahahah! If they only knew or could be convinced that “just a little bit” can set me off for weeks. At times it has seemed almost like starting over.
You might notice that I played it pretty safe with my own turkey and root vegetable dish. I surreptitiously checked the pot the broccoli was cooked in to make sure that it and the cover did not have the vestiges of a pasta dinner on it. Before they cooked the broccoli .
Something that did me in a few years ago. 
Oh well.
We, and our families are still learning. Hopefully
Love
Matthew
IMHO the likelihood of a turkey stuffed with wheat bread or other gluten containing grains being cross contaminated throughout is so high that I would never take the chance to eat it.
Clearly from Polly’s, Tex’s , Maggie’s and Shirley’s posts it is far more difficult to educate our families and friends than it might be to educate ourselves. And lord knows it is a long enough process for ourselves
What I hear on a regular basis is “I wouldn’t think a little bit on occasion would hurt you. ” Hahahahah! If they only knew or could be convinced that “just a little bit” can set me off for weeks. At times it has seemed almost like starting over.
You might notice that I played it pretty safe with my own turkey and root vegetable dish. I surreptitiously checked the pot the broccoli was cooked in to make sure that it and the cover did not have the vestiges of a pasta dinner on it. Before they cooked the broccoli .
Something that did me in a few years ago. Oh well.
We, and our families are still learning. Hopefully
Love
Matthew
Katy,
One reason why Matthew can be so sure that a turkey stuffed with gluten-containing dressing would be pretty much contaminated all over, is because of the physical constraints involved in the project. It's pretty much impossible for most people to stuff a bird without touching it in a lot of places. Whoever did the stuffing would eventually have gluten all over their hands, and wherever they touched the bird, gluten would be left.
Just watch someone stuffing a bird - it will end up with a pretty general massage, before it's over. Also, bits of stuffing would be scattered about, in the pan, on the counter, etc. Trying to pick a "safe" spot on a bird like that would be like playing Russian roulette with a revolver in which all the chambers in the cylinder were loaded except for one, rather than the usual configuration where only one chamber is loaded.
Tex
One reason why Matthew can be so sure that a turkey stuffed with gluten-containing dressing would be pretty much contaminated all over, is because of the physical constraints involved in the project. It's pretty much impossible for most people to stuff a bird without touching it in a lot of places. Whoever did the stuffing would eventually have gluten all over their hands, and wherever they touched the bird, gluten would be left.
Just watch someone stuffing a bird - it will end up with a pretty general massage, before it's over. Also, bits of stuffing would be scattered about, in the pan, on the counter, etc. Trying to pick a "safe" spot on a bird like that would be like playing Russian roulette with a revolver in which all the chambers in the cylinder were loaded except for one, rather than the usual configuration where only one chamber is loaded.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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harvest_table
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1509
- Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 6:29 pm
- Location: Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Re: First unscathed Thanksgiving
Hi all,
I had an unscathed Thanksgiving this year, just really exhausted from entertaining. Heading back to the shop Tuesday after five days off and company visited us each of those days. It's been great.
Love,
Joanna
I had an unscathed Thanksgiving this year, just really exhausted from entertaining. Heading back to the shop Tuesday after five days off and company visited us each of those days. It's been great.
Thanksgiving Day we awoke to -15 degrees and it had been that cold for about 7 days. It's been SO FRIGID. All outdoor activities have been on hold for too long....it warmed to 25 today and felt like a heatwave.Matthew wrote: A perfect, calm, 65 degree day. The best of Colorado weather.
Love,
Joanna
THE GLUTEN FILES
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/
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artteacher
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 731
- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:13 pm
Hi guys,
Here's what one really nice person, who tried to find recipes to make me a dessert I could eat, asked:
"I know you can't have dairy or wheat, is sweetened evaperated milk ok?"
Duh,
Marsha
Nobody believes me when I say, 'it's okay, I'll bring my own dessert'. At least at first. After a while I've noticed they give in, because it really is so hard for them to shift modes of cooking.
Here's what one really nice person, who tried to find recipes to make me a dessert I could eat, asked:
"I know you can't have dairy or wheat, is sweetened evaperated milk ok?"
Duh,
Marsha
Nobody believes me when I say, 'it's okay, I'll bring my own dessert'. At least at first. After a while I've noticed they give in, because it really is so hard for them to shift modes of cooking.
Hi All,
Beth, I do go through a regular and now well-practiced monologue whenever I eat out. (Katy heard me do this when we ate together on our Oregon trip). I try to cover all of my intolerances as simply as possible.
However, it's like Marsha's experience. They often just don't put 2 and 2 together. Either they don't think butter is dairy, or they forget that flour is made from wheat, etc. Sigh. It happens over and over to me no matter how explicit I am in explaining things. Anyway, I'm glad you had a successful eating-out experience.
It is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who feels annoyed by well-meaning friends. As Matthew said, a tiny indiscretion can lead to weeks of a flare, so it really is a big deal for us. The only folks I would trust totally to cook for me would be YOU.
Love,
Polly, who is LOL about Matthew checking the pan for old pasta
Beth, I do go through a regular and now well-practiced monologue whenever I eat out. (Katy heard me do this when we ate together on our Oregon trip). I try to cover all of my intolerances as simply as possible.
However, it's like Marsha's experience. They often just don't put 2 and 2 together. Either they don't think butter is dairy, or they forget that flour is made from wheat, etc. Sigh. It happens over and over to me no matter how explicit I am in explaining things. Anyway, I'm glad you had a successful eating-out experience.
It is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who feels annoyed by well-meaning friends. As Matthew said, a tiny indiscretion can lead to weeks of a flare, so it really is a big deal for us. The only folks I would trust totally to cook for me would be YOU.
Love,
Polly, who is LOL about Matthew checking the pan for old pasta
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
I am - and I totally understand where Matthew is coming from. If I know Bill has been "washing dishes", I am constantly checking for things he missed. It really irritates me to pull out a dish/pot and find it's not clean - even the lids for the pots bear inspection if Bill has cleaned them. Hmmmmmm, wonder if that's a planned thing. Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Hi Friends,
I had a safe Thanksgiving as well. I flew with my family to Arizona to visit my daughter were she is going to school. I got to see her apartment and meet some of her friends and tour her school. It was great as she has been down there for a year and a half and this was my first visit. This was also my first time traveling and trying to safely feed myself. I just packed all my food in a cooler and took it with me. I don't trust anyone yet to cook for me or to go to a restaurant. It worked out well....reminded me of having a newborn where it seemed like it took forever to pack up the diaper bag just to get out the door.
I did want to share a funny story. One of our relatives played a Thanksgiving joke on her sister and her two kids. Inside the turkey she stuffed in a capon which is a small chicken. So when she brought the turkey to the table to carve she looked in the turkey and said " Oh, what's this?" and proceeded to pull the little bird out of the big bird. Then she said "Well, I guess the turkey must have been pregnant". Well. before she could explain that it was all a joke her sister and both the kids burst out crying. She had to remind them that turkeys lay eggs and don't get pregnant. I guess they didn't think it was very funny...but I sure laughed.
Love,
Cristi
Shirley...I got sick of rewashing all the pans as well and got my own saucepan and skillet.
I had a safe Thanksgiving as well. I flew with my family to Arizona to visit my daughter were she is going to school. I got to see her apartment and meet some of her friends and tour her school. It was great as she has been down there for a year and a half and this was my first visit. This was also my first time traveling and trying to safely feed myself. I just packed all my food in a cooler and took it with me. I don't trust anyone yet to cook for me or to go to a restaurant. It worked out well....reminded me of having a newborn where it seemed like it took forever to pack up the diaper bag just to get out the door.
I did want to share a funny story. One of our relatives played a Thanksgiving joke on her sister and her two kids. Inside the turkey she stuffed in a capon which is a small chicken. So when she brought the turkey to the table to carve she looked in the turkey and said " Oh, what's this?" and proceeded to pull the little bird out of the big bird. Then she said "Well, I guess the turkey must have been pregnant". Well. before she could explain that it was all a joke her sister and both the kids burst out crying. She had to remind them that turkeys lay eggs and don't get pregnant. I guess they didn't think it was very funny...but I sure laughed.
Love,
Cristi
Shirley...I got sick of rewashing all the pans as well and got my own saucepan and skillet.
Hello all,
I'm only gluten intolerant, as you know. I've explained to my family and friends over the years, many times, that I can't eat wheat, barley, rye or oat- containing foods.
Still, my sister and some of my friends persist with questions like: "Can you eat potatoes?" or "How about oranges/carrots/ (some other fresh) fruit or veggie?" I think it's kind of funny. Maybe they're trying to be extra careful. Just the opposite of the common restaurant problem.
Alice
I'm only gluten intolerant, as you know. I've explained to my family and friends over the years, many times, that I can't eat wheat, barley, rye or oat- containing foods.
Still, my sister and some of my friends persist with questions like: "Can you eat potatoes?" or "How about oranges/carrots/ (some other fresh) fruit or veggie?" I think it's kind of funny. Maybe they're trying to be extra careful. Just the opposite of the common restaurant problem.
Alice