Gluten-free attempt, Day 1

Today is day 1 of me attempting to eat gluten-free for 21 days. All was going well until I picked up a loaf of gluten-free bread at Trader Joe's and it felt like I was holding a brick! Completely turned off by unappetizing brick bread, I opted for gf crackers instead (not the worst crackers I've ever had, but nothing I would look forward to buying again). I also picked up gf ginger snaps to try out (pretty good, but oddly gritty finish).

After browsing gf recipes, it became clear that in order to bake I would need potato flour, potato starch, and rice flour at the very least. I will go ahead and assume that I can find these things at Whole Foods. If not, my craving for bread and cookies may send me into psychotic fits.

Another item high on the list of things to buy is gf soy sauce. I am a CSA member, so I get a big box of fresh veggies every week. If I can't stir fry and/or saute them in soy sauce, then my recipe list will be nearly useless! I have to keep reminding myself that at least I can still use my beloved extra virgin olive oil, which I go through almost as fast as water.

Reading labels is turning into a depressing thing. The hash browns I enjoy for breakfast have wheat in them (because potatoes are just not enough, it seems), many sausages contain gluten, and my favorite Ben & Jerry's flavors have cookie bits in them!

I am not even going to touch on the restaurant factor today. I'll spare you that much whining.

It's a sad day for this pizza-loving, cookie-baking, oat-adoring bread-a-holic.

New Body Goodies

Last night I made the first attempt at Skin Salvation, which is a formula for scars, burns, eczema, psoriasis, and very dry skin. It contains cocoa butter and macadamia nut oil, so it naturally smells like dessert! It's also 100% food grade, so if you really feel like tasting it you can. I did encounter a problem: I poured the mixture into two tins and in the second tin the oils separated from the solids. I cut into the salve in the first tin after it had finished setting to see if that had separated too, but it didn't. I'm thinking the mixture needs to stay pretty warm and I need to keep stirring it like a maniac while I'm pouring it. Skin Salvation is going to come in nice big (2.5" in diameter) 4oz tins. The printer labels look awful, but I don't have many other options right now. Besides, you don't need to pay for a label when the product is quality!

I also made some tubes of mandarin orange lip balm, and tart lip balm (lemon, lime, and grapefruit), and some more gentle face scrub. I cut down on the wheat germ oil in the lip balm mix so the essential oils would have more of a fighting chance to smell good. But my nose has been stuffy ever since the tree pollen levels rose at the beginning of May, so I can't really tell how well they turned out! I have samples of each at work with me today and I'm going to make other people smell them. Make, not ask. Haha.

Also ready to be photographed and put up for sale are: mud mask, tile & tub scrub, and body butter bars.

I like being a mad scientist.