A Fresh Start for a New Year

I want to answer a question that a friend posted for us: "I commend you for trying over and over again! But, I'm confused... is wheat flour gluten free? I use it a lot in regular cooking and am quite fond of it. =)"

The answer is, tragically, no. Wheat, kamut, spelt, rye, and barley all have gluten. Oats might have gluten (for some reason this is controversial). I'm only wheat-free, not gluten-free, but it does mean I have to give up wheat flour (both whole wheat and white flour).

Anyway, this is just a short post, but far too good to pass up. Mark Bittman wrote an excellent article in the New York Times about kitchen minimalism.

Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen

Mike and I already do some of what he suggests (such as using dried beans and keeping fresh spices), but I'm ready to try some of his other suggestions too! I have to admit, I love having my organic canned lemon juice in the fridge...but we just bought a juicer at Goodwill for a buck, so we might as well put it to use.

Also, we are addicted like smokers to our organic low-sodium chicken stock. Seriously, we buy like 4 cartons a week. I've been holding back on making homemade because I assume it's too high in fat for my stomach, but we might give it a whirl. I always thought making stock involved boiling a turkey carcass for hours, letting it cool, and skimming off the fat. This fellow just suggests adding some chicken scraps to water, onion, garlic, and celery and simmering for a half an hour. That could be good...and far less expensive than our little addiction. Poor Revi will never forgive us for using his chicken scraps...

In other news, I can now officially report that my amazing relationship has cost me two pants sizes. Something about eating well and eating meat on a regular basis sure does agree with me! I stressed about it for a while, but at long last I decided that putting on a bit of weight is good for my Crohn's (because it means my guts are calm enough to get all the nutrients out of my food) and I deserve to buy new pants.

Plus, Mike and I have been amazing couch potatoes this winter. I vow this will change now that we purchased the most exciting thing ever: a rowing machine we got at Goodwill for $8!! Mike was a genius and spotted it in the midst of emaciated Stairmasters and pathetic splintered NordicTraks. It doesn't even smell bad!! My world is complete.