Buitoni and a Guest Post!

So last week, I (like gazillions of others) got a ginormous (can I use any more made up words?) package from FoodBuzz containing a lone package of these:

(Do we like the Polaroid background?) Since they contained mushrooms, and Adam works late tonight, I decided yup! They’re dinner! I followed the package directions and drizzled them with a bit of olive oil and parmesan cheese, and they were accompanied by some pan-roasted broccoli:

I gotta say… these were quite delicious and very gourmet tasting. My only complaint? They were not very satisfying. I had 6 of them, a serving, and I’m still hungry. It might have something to do with the whopping 675 calories I burned tonight at Jazzercise, but I don’t think I’d normally use this many calories and sodium (33% DV per SERVING) on a regular meal. It was a nice treat though. Thanks Buitoni and FoodBuzz!

Now, I’ve been having many Guests for Dinner this week, and am LOVING all the guest dinners coming in! Tonight though, I have a special visitor. My good friend Holly and I “met” on WeightWatchers online almost three years ago now. I asked her to do a guest post, and chronicle her new “adventure” of going Gluten Free. She’s such an inspiration to me, and I can’t WAIT to see her at my wedding in November! So, Holly, pull up a chair to my table, and tell us your story!

When Mara asked me to write a guest post, I was both eager and anxious! I am not a food blogger, I’m a potter! But, I agreed, nonetheless. I love to cook, and enjoy trying new recipes all the time, so it was tough when Mara asked me to make and post about a favorite recipe.

She also asked me write about my new journey on a Gluten Free diet, so here goes. TMI warnings and all that!!

Until a little over a year ago, I struggled with stomach problems. I would get terrible pains that would almost be debilitating. I had terrible bloating and would feel uncomfortably full after even small meals sometimes. I had regular issues with gas and indigestion – I mean, I could go head to head with my Dad! I was also lactose intolerance, and could not even eat ice cream. My parents had no idea what would cause it, and neither did I. These pains would strike me at the oddest times, and were seemingly unexplainable. At several times in my life, I had given up wheat, and felt a bit better. Most recently, in December of 2007, I found myself again wheat free. At first I felt better, but kept reacting to something. After much reading, and realizing I was still reacting to my beloved OATMEAL, I knew I had to do something. Eating a bowl of oatmeal became a painful experience that made me learn to love grits! Ha!

So, I decided in early 2008 to try a gluten free diet. OH.MY.GOD. Within a week, I was a new woman. I had no stomach pains, my clothes felt better and I was much happier. People around me even commented that I was no longer a raving B@#($ sometimes! Obviously, GF was the answer! Over the next year+, I fine tuned my diet, and feel fantastic. I have more energy and I am amazed at how little gas and indigestion I have most days. Having lived your life that way (“full of it”), the complete opposite feeling is often hard to describe, and accept!

I decided personally not to get tested for Celiac disease, simply because the treatment is the same as for a gluten intolerance – avoid gluten forever. The improvement I felt physically after going on the diet was enough of a diagnosis for me. Long story short? going gluten free has changed my life for the better. It’s a pain, but so worth it!

OK, now, here’s the recipe – which is what you all really want, right? Unlike Mara, I use recipes. I concoct things, but usually just want to make something I KNOW will be good and not futz around with creating a whole new recipe! The one below is one of my favorites, and comes from Cooking Light. The combination of pork and peanut butter may strike you as odd, but trust me (and MARA) – it’s amazing!  Because I have not been able to find gluten free teriyaki sauce in San Antonio, I had to get a friend to ship me some so I could make this dish!
I hope you enjoy it as much as Mara and I do!
Thai-Style Pork Stew

Stew:
2 pounds boned pork loin, cut into 4 pieces
2 cups (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Remaining ingredients:
6 cups hot cooked basmati rice
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
8 lime wedges

To prepare stew, trim fat from pork. Place pork and next 5 ingredients (pork through garlic) in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on low-heat setting for 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker, and coarsely chop. Add peanut butter to liquid in slow cooker; stir well. Stir in pork.

Combine stew and rice in a large bowl. Top each serving with onions and peanuts; serve with lime wedge.

That’s Sophie, looks like she’s waiting for HER portion!

I read a lot of gluten free blogs, and here are some of my favorites! I hope you like them.
Elana’s Pantry
Karina’s Kitchen
Gluten Free Gobsmacked

Mara -thanks for having me for dinner!

Thanks Holly! Be sure to check out Holly’s Etsy store too to see some of her amazing pottery!

Seriously, that recipe is SO GOOD that I can’t even have it in the house! No matter how much of it I make (tried halving the recipe, doubling the recipe…) it was ALL GONE in oh, 2 days. It works great with chicken too.

**Gratuitous Link Love**

My friend MizFit has a fantastic post on Yahoo! Shine today about Energy Vampires (No, not Edward!) You need to have a Yahoo! account to comment, and if you don’t already, take the 45 seconds to get one and tell her how awesome she is! If you don’t know and love the Miz, you must get acquainted at her fantastic daily blog, MizFitOnline.

I recently found a fantastic food blog, Keep It Simple Foods. It’s chock full of simple recipes, great photos, and fun writing! You all must check it out!!

Oh, and Pearl? You are wonderful and amazing… and I wish you weren’t hundreds of miles away. I’m still fairly without words. Love you!

There’s a Grey’s Anatomy double-header on tonight, so I’m DVR-ing The Office. I’m going to have a Turtle Mountain Vanilla Coconut ice cream mini-sundae and call it a night. Happy almost Friday!

Tagged as: free stuff, guest post, Guests for Dinner, Italian