Saturday Musings and Cheating

Sometimes it is quite easy not eating wheat. Sometimes it is really hard. Sometimes I fail and eat it anyway. Luckily for me I am only gluten intolerant and have found that if I avoid it most of the time, I can indulge other times with no problems. I realize that for others, there is no choice. They just can't eat wheat/gluten.

As more and more products come to the market that are gluten free, I feel like life gets a little easier. Gluten free pretzels and gluten free Chex cereal make a great Chex Mix. The gluten free pastas available are delicious (Sam Mills, Ancient Harvest Quinoa and RP's Gluten Free Pasta are our favorites) - even my hubby will eat them without complaining. Gluten free flour mixes (Pamela's is my favorite) can be used to make just about anything - cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, etc. Home is easy. Home is where I can make what I want and have the ingredients on hand. I never cheat at home.

Where I struggle most is being away from home. Restaurants. Asian and Mexican places are easy for me. Sweet Tomatoes/Soup Plantation is torture. You'd think it would be easy because it is a salad place but I crave the muffins and brownies. The pasta I can usually pass on, but ooh, do I want some corn bread.

Why am I writing this? Just to get the guilt off my chest. I have cheated three times this past week. Once last Saturday when I went to Sweet Tomatoes and ate a lemon muffin AND lemon pasta. Oh, was it so good! Once on Easter when I ate a piece of lemon meringue pie. Oh, was it so good! And once on Thursday when we played trivia with friends at a bar and I split a portobello mushroom sandwich with a friend. Oh, was it so good! I hadn't had any wheat in six weeks and ate it three times in the span of six days! What's wrong with me?

And now . . . I am going back to Sweet Tomatoes tonight. I should stay away from the scene of last week's crime but I can't! It is lemon month and I love lemon. The lemon salad dressing is so very, very good. I think it is laced with something that makes me happy. I am hoping I can avoid the lemon muffins tonight. I don't care about the pasta, I want the muffins. Save me from the muffins!