Except not really. When I started this self-directed gluten-free experiment, I didn’t realize that starting October 1 would mean I’m severely limiting my Thanksgiving intake for 2012.
I went back to Edmonton for the holiday, as Thomas and I will be splitting the holidays between the two cities this year; Thanksgiving in Edmonton and Christmas in Calgary (my first Christmas away from my family, whoa!)
And I have to say, my parents were phenomenal with the gluten-free stuff. I came home to find a package on the entryway chest with GF crackers, bread, cookies, and some whole-bean coffee for Thomas and I to take home. My dad kept track of things with flour in them and I was able to avoid them. He didn’t slip and offer me a beer (I may have said yes!) and brought wine and vodka into the house to keep me sufficiently sated (and a little drunk).
The meal was delicious. Turkey (no gravy, sigh), potatoes, carrots, and red wine for dinner. Then there was a plate of individually wrapped and sealed meat, cheese and crackers to pick over later. After the fruit and whipped cream for dessert (since pie is out). I ate so much, I thought I was going to blow up, but I didn’t have the same kind of stomach pain/bloating/issues as I have had in the past after big meals.
In other words, the experiment is going well and, dare I say, working. Thomas has even noted a huge difference in my mood, and I don’t think it’s coincidence that it’s aligning with my not eating wheat. My stomach doesn’t bloat like it used to, twist and turn like it used to, or cause me nearly as much grief as it used to. The funniest realization in all of this is that I have to rediscover what it feels like to be hungry, satisfied, and full. I’ve overeaten just because I wasn’t feeling like I had to stop because I felt sick.
As difficult as this is and will continue to be, I’m so glad I decided to jump into this experiment with both feet. Because the results are more than worth it. And I’m beyond lucky to have such loving and supportive people in my corner.
For future reference (since you might be fully GF some day!), you can totally still have gravy! Just put the drippings into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil, then stir in some corn starch mixed with a bit of water (just enough to make it wet) and whisk like crazy.
It’ll thicken and it’s still a really tasty gravy!
Gravy is definitely not off the menu forever!
But my mom made it with flour because she had no corn starch, so I was gravy-free on Sunday 