Meat Loaf Dinner

This is my second try at GF meat loaf. In fact, it's my second attempt at any type of meatloaf. The first was awful. It turned out VERY dry. I am going to try this recipe, loosely based on Paula Deen's recipe. I have tried to make it as gf-friendly as possible! I hope it works!
For sides, I am going to try the brussels sprouts recipe below and make homemade mashed potatoes! It should be a great meal!

On a different but related note, I have been starving lately, so there probably won't be left overs!!! :)

MEAT LOAF, based on Paula Deen's recipe "Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf"

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped bell pepper

1-1/4 tsp salt

1/4 ground pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

8 ounces canned diced tomato, drained

1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs, GF

2 tbsp dijon OR spicy mustard

Topping: 1/3 c ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp mustard (whichever was used in the loaf), three slices of bacon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix all meatloaf ingredients together well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf. Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for about 1 hour. Add the bacon and cook ten more minutes.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS, based on Sunny Anderson's Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

4 strips thick-cut bacon

2 tbsp butter

1 lb brussels sprouts, halved 

1-2 tbsp crushed red peppers, to taste

1/2 large onion, chopped (although I may just use for flavor, not actually keep them in there)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium high heat until crispy. While the bacon is cooking, steam the brussels sprouts in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. This will help with the cooking time in the end! Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Roughly chop. In same pan with bacon fat, melt butter over high heat. Saute onions and remove. Saute halved brussels sprouts, stirring occassionally, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Season with crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. At this point, if they are not tender enough to your liking, add about 1 cup of chicken or beef stock, or white or red wine, and cover to steam for 5-10 additional minutes. Add the bacon. Toss. Serve hot.

Embracing Gluten-Free Living: My Story

I'm excited that so many people have been using my recipes, etc from my Facebook page! I am happy to offer tips and advice, especially easy recipes, for those living gluten-free. Just in the past 3 weeks, I've had three people tell me that they are going gluten-free. Two were told by doctors to be on a gluten-free diet for health reasons. The third can get no doctor to listen, so she is going gluten-free by herself. This isn't advised, but completely understandable! If it works, great!

I did just that - I went gluten-free after I had multiple doctors tell me that I had nothing wrong with me. Most of them told my husband that it was all in my head! Thankfully, my husband stood by me. He had seen the drastic change that occurred right after our honeymoon. I couldn't get out of bed, my fatigue was out of control. I had horrible digestive issues. I couldn't be more than a few steps from the bathroom at any given time. My back started hurting. My fingers and feet were tingling. I couldn't remember anything. I was in bad shape!

I was told that I had mild B12 anemia. The doctor prescribed B12 injections once a week for a month, then once a month for 6 months to get the levels back to normal. That was the only good thing that the doctor did. She sent me to a gastroenterologist who suspected that I could have Celiac disease. He insisted that I have a colonoscopy. I didn't know any better. I should have researched ahead of time. After the procedure, he diagnosed me with IBS - irritable bowel syndrome or, more to my liking, ignorant bull 'crap'. This is really not a diagnosis that should be given without further exploring all other possibilities. A gastroenterologist I see now says that it should only be a diagnosis of exclusion - meaning they have exclude all other possibilities! What's funny is that I've been diagnosed with IBS and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) since I was 15.

This was in July. Yes, it took from April to July to get this far. I was finally urged to get my records from the original family practioner I'd been to and I was floored by what I found. I was told that I had mild B12 anemia. I was at 40. Normal range is between 300 and 900. That is SEVERELY anemic. This caused major neurological symptoms, like my tingling feet and hands, brain fog, and memory issues. She also wrote that I looked perfectly normal and that she suspected that nothing was wrong with me. I decided to take matters into my own hands.

After reading everything that I could about B12 anemia, Celiac disease (which the GE put into my head) and other interesting things that I found in my chart, I decided that I'd try a gluten-free diet. And go to a neurologist! The gluten-free diet was a success. I stopped eating ANYTHING with gluten. After only a month, I noticed an energy increase.

My neurologist also agreed with the diet. He went further, however. He suggested that I see a psychiatrist about my previous diagnosis of ultra-rapid cycling bipolar disorder. He said that, from his experience, people with gluten-intolerance issues, including Celiac, are often diagnosed with anxiety and depression disorders which clear up on the diet. So I did. And my new psychiatrist took me off of my medication that I'd been on since college - a full 10 years!

I began feeling better than I ever had in years! Recently (over a year since going gluten-free), I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, instead of a simple gluten intolerance, and told that my villi are healing and everything should be great if I stick to the diet. I am VERY sensitive to gluten. I react in ways that are strange, even to my doctors. I will list my symptoms of gluten exposure in a new post, but let's just say that I have a systemic reaction!

I hope that you all find something useful here. I want to help people ease this transition. It is hard to go completely gluten-free, but if you are sick it is totally worth it! If you have questions, please post. I will try to answer as soon as I can.

Good luck and God Bless!