I thought I would blog, really, I did. Then I got busy - really busy - and remained intimidated by how funny and cool my friends are. I'm still too busy (maybe even busier now) and I'm still not sure most of what I have to say is all that interesting. Lately, though, I've been getting more and more frustrated by how hard it is to find good, simple, gluten-free and meatless recipes on the internet.

I stopped eating meat in the seventh grade at Thanksgiving. I don't think it was very principled or anything - I just got grossed out by the carving of the turkey. I quickly went back to eating turkey and chicken, though, but never ate beef or pork again. When I met 1970s Abe Lincoln, he didn't eat any meat except fish, and I wanted him to love me, so I gave up my beloved BK chicken sandwiches. (The post-Thanksgiving stomach flu that same year probably also helped make "going cold turkey" on poultry easier.) At any rate, we've been lacto-ovo-pescatarians, as we like to say, for several years now.

Last year, fed up with chronic headaches, I decided to try an elimination diet. Lo and behold, I was a much nicer, happier and better-feeling person when I stayed away from gluten. My headaches didn't change much, and I'd been largely fibromyalga-flare-free for a while, but surprisingly even those occasional fibro muscle aches disappeared. The most marked changes were in my stomach and energy levels. I'd had regular stomach pain since college, and when I stopped eating gluten, I suddenly realized what it was like to NOT have my stomach hurt. And I had energy! That was exciting.

I haven't been tested for gluten antibodies, because I'd have to go back to eating gluten for a couple of weeks first to maximize the chances of returning a positive. If the test was negative, I still wouldn't eat gluten, because I've experimented enough to know it DOES influence how I feel. On the other hand, if it was positive, all it would tell me is that there's a recognized reason for me to keep doing what I'm doing - and then I wouldn't feel like I could get away with "cheating" occasionally - which I do now. I don't live strictly gluten-free. I just ate several yummy gluteny treats at a friend's baby shower this weekend, and while I feel a bit out of it today, it was worth it. Occasionally I'll eat breaded fish if I can't find anything else or if I'm jonesing for fish and chips. But for the most part, I try to eat and cook mostly vegetarian, gluten-free food.

We've got some good, regular meals around here, and I'll be posting those, for others who might be interested. I think most of them are good even if you DO eat gluten and/or meat, so feel free to make them for friends who aren't burdened by these considerations. :) If you have suggestions for meals or recipes, or anything else, I'd love to hear them!