I wanted to see if quinoa would fry up as a type of pancake. I took a cup of cooked quinoa, leftover from dinner last night, added an egg as a binder and mixed it up. Fried it in a skillet with melted butter. Ok, so I fried with with way too much butter. I had planned on adding some Splenda and cinnamon to it, but decided not to at the last minutes. I wanted to know what it tasted like straight.

They were ok to good. I thought they tasted a tad bitter plain, but hubby really liked them covered with sugar free maple syrup. I did too. The texture was similar to corn grits or a potato pancake, so they might also be good with onions and savory seasonings.

I think that they would also be worth trying with the Splenda and cinnamon. I’d even make them just plain again, as long as I had something sweet to put on them.

Which reminds me – we used these gluten free, grain free pancakes as a base for taste testing five different sugar free maple syrups. I’ll get the results up for you soon.

It’s a dreary rainy morning and it was really nice to have something hot and sweet to eat for breakfast.

I ate 1 1/2 of the pancakes and I’m still full hours later. You should try them. They are so easy!

I am so liking quinoa!

This afternoon I was working on a special report about quinoa and it got me hungry to try the pseudo-grain again. I bought a package last winter and made a batch or so, but never really did much with it. As I was doing the research I realized once again the health benefits this little gluten free seed offers.

It is one of only two plant based foods that provide all nine essential amino acids. Those are the ones your body can’t manufacture on its own. It is also a complete protein, which is great for all of us, but especially for those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. It also is low on the glycemic index scale, meaning it digests slowly and won’t spike your blood sugar like grains will.

So I pulled out my package of quinoa from the freezer and made it for dinner. I simply rinsed 1 cup of quinoa well and put it in a saucepan with two cups of veggie broth. Brought it to a boil, lowered the temperature a bit and simmered about 15 minutes.

When all the broth was absorbed, I tossed in a few sauteed onions that hubby had made up for his hamburger, chopped up a few stalks of the fresh asparagus we were already serving for dinner, added a couple of splashes of Worcester sauce and a bit of salt.

Mixed it all up together and made everyone in the family try it. The rule in my house is that everyone has to take at least one bite when I’m trying new recipes. Well, the three-year-old gets by without trying some things…

It was amazingly good. And filling. The texture reminds me a bit like corn grits. Definitely comfort food. Earlier I had put aside half of the plain quinoa, so tomorrow I think I will toss an egg in it, maybe some Splenda and cinnamon and see if it will fry up like a potato pancake. I have three different kinds of sugar-free syrup I have been wanting to test out, so that will be perfect.

I am definitely going to pick up more quinoa and start making it on a regular basis. It fills that starchy need I feel sometimes. I just can’t believe I haven’t been making it for the last year!

Breakfast was easy today – grain free waffles left over from dinner last night! They were made with almond flour and flaxseed meal and are absolutely delicious.

I had stuck the extras wrapped in foil in the refrigerator last night and this morning just popped them into the toaster – minus the foil of course! I’ve tried freezing these things before, but then they seem to fall apart in the toaster – which is not a good thing. Trust me. If I tried freezing them again, I think I would stick them on a cookie sheet in the oven to defrost and bake. That might work. But they stay good for quite a while in the fridge, so why bother.

I noticed the edema (swelling) was down in my fingers this morning. That’s nice. It is amazing how quickly you feel better when you quit eating foods you are sensitive to. The trick is to pay attention to the little things your body is telling you. But that, my friend, is not always quite so easy to do.

When we don’t feel well, when we aren’t comfortable in our own skins, we tend to detach from our bodies and we don’t listen to it until it smacks us upside the head. Like with a headache. Or heartburn. GERDS. Gas and bloating. Or worse. Lots of stuff.

So it is very important to start noticing the little signs. Like a small child who can’t talk – your body can only signal you that there is a problem. You’ve got to start paying attention!

If you really want to kick start things off – go get a good body massage. Which I haven’t done for ages, and am way overdue. It’s been a couple of years, I think. But it really will help you to start feeling better and start reconnecting with your bod. Which is always a good thing.

Back on the wagon today. I’ve really let my diet slip the last couple of weeks and the headaches are starting back up. I feel terrible and I absolutely hate waking up with a headache. It is so not cool. Been having to take Pepcid again as well – Tums and Rolaids are not keeping up. It is definitely time.

I’m not worrying about corn syrup or sugar for now – just eliminating the grains I have to chew. Somehow that makes the transition easier. By the way, sucking up macaroni and cheese with out chewing does NOT count!

I wasn’t hungry for breakfast. I think I was still full from the pizza last night. Boy were my hands swollen this morning! Even my eyelids were puffy! Had yogurt and a hard boiled egg for lunch. Snacked on a handful of cashews this afternoon and I’m feeling fine now.

We are having Oh My Word! Waffles for dinner tonight. They are both gluten free and grain free. (A recipe from my grain free, gluten free breakfast recipe cookbook, pg 30.)  Oh heck, here is a secret link to the recipe, but don’t tell anyone! They are so good – I can’t wait!

Hubby and kids will also have sausage. I’m trying to stay away from meat, so I’ll pass even though they always smell really good.  Hubby was going to get me some meat substitute sausages when he went shopping, but I had to decline his offer because they are usually filled with wheat and rice.