I’ve been experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. When I have the time I actually really enjoy it. And I’ve had a lot of success. I bought Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s gluten-free cook book and only had one bad meal from it. The rest have been delicious. My favorite is a cherry and cocoa smoothie with avocado. It’s wonderful.

When I’ve gone out to eat I need to be very careful and I’ve ordered items I would never have gotten in the past. I’d never go out and order plain chicken and vegetables, but I did last week and it was really good. So far being without gluten is adding a little more variety into my diet.

And it’s fun. I’ve tried gluten-free pizza, gluten-free blueberry muffins, gluten-free dumplings. I’ll admit the pizza and the blueberry muffins are not as good as the ones I normally make, but it’s still fun to try new things out. And I was just happy that the gluten-free pizza dough came off my pizza stone. When I put it on, it didn’t look like any dough I’d ever seen. It was very dense and I could barely eat two pieces.

There is a perk. There is so much I have to say no to at gatherings that I know I’m snacking and pigging out less when I’m not at home. That right there is healthier.