When Life throws you lemons....

When Life throws you lemons, you become tart!

And I am.  Acidic, with a wish for a sunny yellow disposition and leaning towards growing in a different climate.  Cryptic?  Let me decipher.  

This month, my life has changed is a dramatic way.  Do I look different? No.  Am I moving? No.  Am I okay?  Yep.  Challenged? A definite big yep.  Here's what's up.  My husband has just learned that he has food allergies.  Really, this is BIG.  We have to eliminate wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, corn and pork products from our diet.  Let me expand on what that means:

• No bakery items made with gluten, eggs, corn and dairy.  EQUALS= Rice bread
• No cold cereals, no granola, no oatmeal.  EQUALS=Rice Krispies
• No sausage, processed deli meats, no hot dogs, brats, cured meats.  EQUALS=Turkey sausage
• NO ICE CREAM.  EQUALS=Hell
• NO CHOCOLATE.  EQUALS=Same
• No tortillas, chips, trail mix, popcorn.  EQUALS=Puffed rice potato thingys without cheese.
• No Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, deli sandwiches, beer, pizza, or anything else eaten out at a restaurant.  EQUALS=Rice.  See a pattern here?

I warned you that I was acidic.  What I have figured out is that we have to eat a vegan diet without being vegan and none of the perks of being a vegan whatever those are....vegan buddies?  Because we can't survive on only beans for protein and will be eating meat.  SIGH.  

Have you ever tried shopping in the grocery store for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, egg-free food?  You end up, if you are lucky, at this tiny little section where on the shelves you see tiny packages with  big prices.  After you read thousands of words on labels no bigger than your thumb, you end up with 1 item that you can buy.  And you buy that one item even if you have no clue what it really is because you NEED to take something home.

And recipes on the internet?  There's a minefield.  You end up at gluten-free princess where flavor has taken a backseat to the hunting and gathering of obscure ingredients you can only find in stores if you live in metro California.  And, I don't.  Even as I go through the metamorphosis of change, that would be a huge stretch of my imagination.  So, for right now?  I blog!