GF 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free, No Dairy, No Flour)

When you look at the list of ingredients you might think “There’s no way this will work or taste good”. But you’ll see that these cookies will disappear fast. There are two Ingredients that I would be specific on. This I found through trial and error. The recipe only said “peanut butter” I found that Skippy Natural works the best. The others have too much oil in them. It also says “1 cup of sugar” I changed it to half White and half Brown Sugar and you can use a little less depending on how sweet you want them or if you are adding anything.

1. 1 cup Skippy Natural Peanut Butter
2. 1 cup Sugar (I use 1/2 white 1/2 brown)
3. 1 Egg
4. 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Try not to mix the cookie dough too much or it will become oily.

I strongly recommend a nonstick cookie sheet. I use a small melon baller, 2 spoons, or my hands. Roll the dough into a ball (doesn’t have to be perfect) and place on the sheet.

After you have finished placing them on the cookie sheet go back with a fork and do a cross hatch. Push down with your fork one way then turn it slightly and push down again. You don’t want to completely flatten the cookie.

It should take 7 to 10 minutes to bake. These can be tricky. Usually when you smell them, they’re done. There is egg in them so make sure they’re fully cooked.

This year I found these Giant Gluten Free Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups that I am going to chop up and put into the cookies.

If anyone else has to be Gluten Free and is interested in Recipes that I’ve tried let me know. I will warn you now, almost all of them are desserts. There are a few meals like African Chicken Stew which is delicious! Thanks everyone!

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT CELIAC DISEASE IS? (I Bet You Don’t Know All Of It)

First I want to start by saying that I find it absurd my computer keeps telling me I’m spelling Celiac wrong. Why? Because I have Celiac Disease. I was diagnosed with it shortly after being diagnosed as Bipolar. Yup, it was a wonderful year. lol

I’ll start with the basics for anyone who is new to this.

CELIAC DISEASE: An autoimmune disease caused by the abnormal functioning of the immune system that produces antibodies against your own tissue.

CAUSE: The cause is gluten. GLUTEN: a mixture of 2 proteins (wheat, rye) that helps food maintain it’s shape, acts as a binder, gives dough it’s elasticity, and the fermentation process of some alcohol.

WHERE IS IT FOUND?: Gluten can be found in unexpected places like cosmetics, medications, some stamps and envelopes, bread, alcohol, cereal, processed meats, and many more products.

It only takes 1/64 of a teaspoon of gluten to cause intestinal damage to a person with Celiac Disease.

How I Learned About Celiac

Some of you may know that I have a twin sister. She had followed the love of her life to California so he could pursue his music career. Things were going well for him but she was having trouble fitting in with the wives and girlfriends. She was homesick and depressed. She also knew that our mom wasn’t doing well.

For a long time she was having severe heartburn, circles under her eyes, urinary tract infections, fatigue, anxiety, and trouble concentrating.

Before she left for California she had seen a doctor about her heartburn and found out she had significant scarring on her esophagus. She chose to ignore it.

A few years went by and they came back home. When she was pregnant with her first child my mother was at her worst. A week after giving birth my mother passed away. Her physical symptoms became too much to ignore any longer.

MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS 

• Mouth Sores
• Eroding Tooth Enamel
• Back Pain
• Joint pain/stiffness/swelling
• Burning in the joints
• Anemia
• Low vitamin B12 and D
• Brittle nails
• Burning scalp
• Pale skin
• Hair loss
• Headaches
• Vertigo/Dizziness
• Weight changes
• Chronic fatigue
• Sinus pressure
• Hypothyroidism
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Stomach pain
• Infertility
• Miscarriages
• Brain fog
• Irritability
• Short temper
• Dementia
• Malnutrition
• Osteoporosis
• Pancreatic disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• Ataxia- loss of balance, clumsiness due to damage of the nervous system
• Peripheral Neuropathy- numbness and weakness in the legs, face, arms, feet, and hands
• Acid reflux

COMMON SYMPTOMS

• Early menopause
• Swollen Bladder
• Leg cramps
• Muscle spasms
• Bruising
• Asthma
• Bladder Infections
• Blurred vision
• Fainting
• Irregular heartbeat
• High blood pressure
• Low blood sugar
• Night sweats
• Seizures
• ADD
• Anxiety
• Memory loss
• Night terrors
• Suicidal thoughts

So what does all this mean? At first I was like everyone else. I thought that if she ate bread or pasta she would just have problems with her stomach for a few days and that would be it. I was so wrong.

It isn’t until you walk in someone else’s shoes that you truly understand what they go through. It wasn’t until I was on my 6th medication that I told my doctor that my sister had Celiac Disease and asked if it was possible I had it and if so could it be the reason medications were not working.

He looked at me with eyes wide. He told me to get a blood test and biopsy as soon as possible. Unfortunately almost all medications use gluten as a binder. Companies will say that they do not but if it is a generic brand they are not strictly monitored by the FDA.

I came back positive with the blood test and the biopsy. I do not have Celiac like my sister. Mine is more of the Cognitive issues, extremely low white blood cell count, almost no vitamin D, Gallbladder Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Early menopause, Osteoporosis, Asthma, Blurred vision, Vertigo, Ataxia, Peripheral Neuropathy, Headaches, Sinus pressure, Hair loss, pale skin, circles under my eyes, brittle nails, back pain, Anemia, some weird IgA Deficiency that no one could really explain but might have to do with the Kidney Failure, and Vitamin D resistant Rickets. I love the last one.

My Bipolar medications probably do not work the way they normally would. I do not absorb anything like a “normal” person. If they have Gluten in them than I’m definitely going to have problems. I also have 1 kidney doing the work of 2. The pharmacy is sick of me asking about my medications because they change distributors constantly. At this point they tell me what I want to hear.

SOCIETY

When I see a celebrity making jokes about this it makes me a little angry. A celebrity chef saying “Eat some pasta already!” doesn’t help to inform the public. She didn’t mind making a profit off of some gluten free recipes after though.

When I see a celebrity going “gluten free” because they think it’s healthier, they will lose weight, or are just jumping on the new “trend” I get a little pissed. I wouldn’t make a choice to live this way. Having to read every label from shampoo to crackers is exhausting. I hardly ever go to restaurants and when I do I usually have to get a side salad. They almost always bring it with croutons even though I tell them I have an allergy. When they bring it back I know they just picked the croutons off. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it so I eat it. I know it’s bad but it’s also embarrassing.

I’ve said it a million times, think before you say something about a subject you may not be completely educated on.

I just read my symptoms and I sound like a real catch. lol

If we keep educating ourselves, listen instead of waiting for our turn to speak, and advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves, maybe we still have a chance.

 

5 Ingredient Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

 

 

If I had known about this recipe when I was younger I probably would have weighed more than 270 pounds. My brain never recognized the word “moderation” in anything I did. But I love baking, I find it comforting. My mother who was an excellent cook never baked. My mom bought all of our cakes, cookies, pies, etc. Unfortunately she didn’t know “moderation” either.

This is a kick ass recipe. Everyone’s oven varies. These are better if cooked a little longer. You want them on the crisper side to taste good. Because you’re not using flour the longer cooking time makes them less play dough like. You’ll see when you make them. If done correctly they are perfect.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 1 Cup Sugar (I do half white & half brown)
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1 Tsp. Baking Soda

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Hand mix all ingredients. You’ll need your muscles here. I use an ice cream scoop or small melon baller for the cookie dough. I roll them into a ball an place on a non stick cookie sheet. After I go back and do the criss cross fork marks. These cookies won’t expand as much as you’re used to.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool for about 30 minutes. lol I never do. I’ve been known to put cookie sheets in the freezer for a few minutes so I can eat them faster. I don’t recommend it. It could ruin your freezer or pan. This just shows how bad I am with sweet stuff.

So You Think You Know Celiac?

The world thinks it knows about Celiac Disease from what they have seen on TV or read in magazines. They don’t. It isn’t some little tummy upset that goes away in a few hours. It is an Autoimmune Disease. It leads to other Autoimmune Diseases.

When I hear a Late Night talk show host cracking jokes about it I feel the need to throw something at the screen. When Rachel Ray said “Eat some pasta already!” I wanted to ask her if she would tell a kid with a nut allergy to “Eat some nuts already!”.  Yes the nut allergy can be seen right away where the gluten allergy most times can’t. The nut allergy is life threatening immediately where the gluten allergy is life threatening over time. Here is the biggest difference. The nut allergy is easily detectable where the gluten allergy goes undetected for years. This causes long term damage that sometimes can’t be reversed.

I’ll never get the 1 foot of height I’ve lost in the last year back. I’ll never regain the cartilage in between the discs in my back either. I have Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis at 42. It started when I was much younger. I have arthritis in my Pelvis and Hips. I have been told that a Hip Replacement is in my near future for my right hip. It clicks when I walk.

Malnutrition is my middle name. Vitamin D is non existent to me. At this point I would probably have to go for infusions. But getting my kidneys healthy comes first.

I used to have extremely thick, curly hair. I don’t anymore. Another symptom. I have a lovely bald spot on the right front side. When I wash my hair it comes out in clumps. I can no longer grow my fingernails either. My breath is not exactly pleasant. My sister and I call it “Celiac Breath”. It’s like you just ate a bowl of crap.

I also have Leukopenia where I always have a low white blood cell count leaving me open to infections because my system is compromised. Monoclonal Gammopathy is another disorder I have. I’m not sure what it is but it’s connected to a protein in the blood. I also have Dermatitis Herpetiformis which is an autoimmune disease that presents in a rash. This is under control but restricts my diet even further. The Chronic Fatigue and pain in my joints and muscles is probably the worse. I can’t take anything for it. When I wake up I can’t even make a fist and lifting my head off the pillow is torture.

No matter what I do or how hard I try my Celiac stays active. My sister’s does too. Add Bipolar Disorder, Conversion Disorder, and Acute Kidney Failure to all that and you never know what’s what. Doctors get sick of you fast. I get sick of Doctors. I’m tired of taking so many pills. Pills that probably have gluten in them. I’m tired of eating Rice Chex for every meal. Most of all I’m just tired. It takes up to 6 months to heal from being glutened. I never heal. Or I’m just always sick. Who knows? I look at what I’m diagnosed with and laugh. Rickets??!! Some this stuff they have written down sounds like I should be in a bubble. But no one is taking it seriously. The swelling on my brain? Still waiting for someone to do something about that. It’s only been 7 years. I kind of give up. Whatever happens, happens.

What You Don’t Know About Celiac Disease Could Kill You

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a few years ago. I didn’t have the usual symptoms of stomach upset and pain. My twin sister had been diagnosed with it for quite some time. She kept telling me to get the blood test done at least. I didn’t listen until my Psychiatrist found out my sister had Celiac. He thought there was a good chance a lot of the medications were not working like they should because I wasn’t absorbing them into my system. So I went for the blood test and the biopsy which both came up positive. I had been living with it for quite some time and had done some damage. Here is a list of symptoms/disorders that can be or are caused by Celiac Disease. I have most of them.

Early Menopause- I started at 41

Hormonal level swings

Swollen Bladder/Cervix

Loss of appetite

Nausea

Stomach Pain

Back Pain- Big one for me also causing osteoporosis

Joint Pain, Stiffness, and Swelling- Not fun

Leg Cramps- Calves in the middle of the night

Muscle spasms

Anemia- also a big problem for me

Low vitamin D- I was diagnosed with Rickets

Low Vitamin B12 and Calcium

ADD

Anxiety

Brain Fog

Panic Attacks

Depression

Irritability

Irrational Anger

Loneliness/Isolation

Loss of Interest in Daily Activities

Memory Loss- another problem for me

Mood Swings

Suicidal

Bruising

Dark Circles Under Eyes

Pale Skin- I’m talking Casper the Ghost

Asthma

Bladder Infections

Blurred Vision

Chills/Fever

Chronic Fatigue

Vertigo- I hate this one

Hair Loss- scary when it first starts

Migraines

Irregular Heartbeat

Seizures

Sinus Pressure- another fun one that cause 2 cysts in my sinus cavity

Trouble Sleeping

Liver Disease

Pancreatic Cancer

Leads to other Auto Immune Diseases and some cancers

The problem is some of these symptoms are the same as Bipolar. Generic Medications are still made with gluten as a binder. Gluten is everywhere. The public dismisses it or jokes about. A bread crumb the size of a grain of salt can contaminate me and take me 6 months to get better. My medications won’t work correctly if I get contaminated. For the first few days it’s like swimming through wet cement with every bone in your body broken. It’s very possible I went into Kidney Failure because of it. They don’t know. It costs me 3 times more for food than the average person. My diet consists of Rice Chex because that’s what my body can handle. I can’t eat corn, milk or gluten free oats anymore.

As far as being Bipolar is concerned no one knows which end is up. So I just have to deal. I suffer from everything on this list except seizures. Plus I now have problems with my White Blood Cell Count and Bone Marrow due to an Auto Immune Disease caused by Celiac. It isn’t as simple as people think. Before speaking about something you don’t know educate yourself.