Life through my Eyes

Cooking that Inspires Us

For some time, I have struggled with food, diet-wise, and finding something that I can eat without hurting myself. When I first became aware that it was several autoimmune diseases that were causing my issues. It was hard to comprehend such an idea that the foods I was eating were actually hurting my body. Especially the foods that you have eaten most of your life; it doesn't make sense.

I have found a doctor that can and will help me understand what is going on with my body. His wife has Hashimoto's as well, but hers is in remission, and we are trying to get my body back into remission. During my research on these such diseases, I have found that mine was inherited and reared its ugly head at the age of 14. In 1973 autoimmune diseases were not as common as today. I was dismissed by my doctor as "it's a woman problem" and he sent me on my merry way. There was nothing merry about the pain that I was having. My mother was outraged at the doctor and broke his door on the way out. She was carrying me out and kicked the door open and shattered it when it hit the wall. She was never charged for it or the visit. Peeps, my mom, was a small woman. I was taller than her at 5'4" and only weighed around 80 pounds due to losing weight from all the complications I was going through.

It astounds me that doctors don't know what to do for their patients, other than to give them the latest medications on the market. That is one of the many problems with health issues today. They don't know, so they fix it with pills. The processed foods that we put in our bodies are killing us. For the past year and a half, my body has rejected different kinds of foods, from vegetables, bread, pasta, meats, and dairy. Now, you can see why these past five weeks have been an eye-opening experience for me.

I was raised on pasta and lots of vegetables, but mostly pasta. It was cheap, and my parents could afford and cook for a family of 7 to 9 each day. It was disheartening to me when they told me that I was allergic to gluten. It has taken me 19 months to find a great gluten-free tasting pasta, oh, and a bread that is great as well. There is one drawback to all of this, the COST is outrageous, $5.94 a loaf with around 12 slices of bread in it. Sad, isn't it? Well, when you really love sandwiches as I do, you have to compensate elsewhere. I've learned how to stretch my money and do without other things. It goes to show you what is more important.

I'm excited to share with you a recipe that I have been working on for some time. I found the perfect spaghetti noodle on this planet. It's called Ronzoni, and if you follow their directions, it is perfect. All the other brands that I have tried are awful, even the Walmart brand. They cook up gooey or gummy and taste terrible to boot. I have learned to make the sauce from scratch using all gluten-free products and fresh vegetables. Here it is "Sriracha Chicken Pasta with Vegetables "  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. I did forget to say that you can substitute chicken for shrimp or any other kind of meat. Those are the only two that I have tried with it.

I am on the road to recovery; I thank God every day for leading me to this doctor who is willing to listen to me and not judge me for the issues that I'm having. The foods that I am learning to cook are inspiring me to take better care of my body. Bon Appetit!

Hugzzz and love,
Teresa aka LegendaryMasK