Author: katiebiddle4317

Posted in First Aid/Staying Healthy, Product Recommendations, Tips and Tricks

Cough, Cough…Sneeze, Sneeze

Posted on by katiebiddle4317

Yep, it’s here in full force: cold and flu season. Sometimes I think if you walked someone into an elementary school with a blindfold on this time of year, they’d mistake it for a doctor’s office; The coughing, the sneezing, the red noses, the watery eyes, and of course, the whining. For those first-year teachers out there, I know you’re probably on your third or fourth sinus/ear infection, case of strep or bronchitis, etc. by now. Take it from me: it does get better. I can personally attest that I spent the entire spring semester of my first year with a malady of some kind. Your immune system does toughen up and next year, you’ll be golden. (And by that I mean you’ll only end up with 1 or 2 of the nasty plagues which cross the threshold of your classroom).

This is one of those posts that if you DON’T have any food allergies, might just make you face the dreaded cold and flu season with a little more spring in your step. And even those of you who just have one or two food allergies may just find some joy in your condition by the end of this post. And then there’s those of you like me. Well, we’re just going to band together, hold hands (after applying Purell of course), and pray for a swift and safe journey through the remainder of the season. And we’re off…

It was just a year ago this past week that I woke my then-roommate around midnight. My heart was racing at warp speed, I couldn’t catch my breath, and my pasty white skin would make Casper the Friendly Ghost look sun-kissed. After spending the night in the ER, it was determined that I had bronchitis and that the cough medicine I had taken had induced an autoimmune response. Granted a few weeks later when I learned about my casein-intolerance, I realized the cheese in my omelet that night was probably more the culprit…but you know what they say about hindsight. Or Monday morning quarterbacks (it is Super Bowl weekend after all). The reality is cold and flu season is frustrating for anyone with food sensitivities…and downright dangerous for those of us who have autoimmune conditions on top of that. Let’s start with the food sensitivities.

Picture a childhood sick day. One minute you’re hot, the next you’re cold; it hurts to move; the thought of lifting your head off the pillow, let alone getting upright to stumble to the bathroom is simply too much to bear. Then Mom walks in with a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup with some crackers, a glass of ginger ale or Gatorade, that little medicine cup of cough syrup, and your next dose of Tylenol. In a few hours (or maybe days for those particularly brutal bouts) you’re sitting up, curled up under the blanket, enjoying a rare night of total control over the family TV choices. (I mean there has to be some perk to being sick, right??) And when that’s not enough, it’s a quick trip to the doctor’s office, a stop at the pharmacy, and in no time at all you’re smiling and laughing with the best of them.

Well now, think about that day through the eyes of someone with a gluten allergy. Chicken noodle soup?? No way. Unless you were smart and made a safe batch for yourself weeks ago and added it to the “Just In Case of an Emergency” section of your freezer. Saltine crackers?? No again. Sure, there are gluten-free alternatives…but keep in mind, they’re not always light on the stomach so tread cautiously. Cough syrup? Tylenol?? Well, they’re safe…provided you did your research ahead of time and only have safe choices at your house. (WARNING: Advil is safe MINUS the Liqui-gels. I learned that one the hard way. Imagine having a horrible headache, taking medicine, and feeling exponentially worse! Such is the way in an allergy-filled world.) Gatorade and ginger ale… at least they’re still safe. And as far as that prescription, well you can’t even imagine the headache that’s going to  be. Literally and metaphorically.

So here are some tips for facing the rest of cold and flu season with JUST a gluten allergy:

  • Do your research now!: Researching gluten-free medications is enough of a headache when you’re feeling well…it’s unbearable when you’re already feeling sick. This link will take you to a great website of gluten-free medications. Of course, we’re lucky in the sense that many packages are now listing specifically whether something is gluten-free. 
  • Stock up!: You know sickness is inevitable and most medications have a long shelf life so buy now, thank yourself later. My personal  recommendations are as follows:
    • Vick’s Nature’s Fusion: There are many gluten-free cough syrups out there but this one is specifically marketed as such. Maybe I’m just a sucker for marketing ploys, but this stuff works AND it comes in daytime and nighttime formula. Do yourself a favor: buy the double pack with one of each. Nothing like finally soothing your cough but then falling asleep at your desk because you only chose to buy the nighttime formula.
    • Airborne: I first remember hearing about this product as a “parting gift” on Jeopardy as a kid…and I assumed that like most of those “gifts”, it was just something that failed to sell and so Jeopardy was passing them off on the poor runners-up who would probably much prefer to go home empty-handed. Then I went to college. One of my roommates there, we’ll call her the Tenacious Track Star, was the embodiment of a star athlete. And she still is…I’m telling you 2016 in Rio, watch out. This girl is a math whiz, has already defeated cancer, and maintains a level of devotion to her faith which still humbles me and inspires me in my own faith every time we talk. (I can just see the heart-wrenching montage on NBC already…complete with Bob Costas’ emotional grimace) She told me stories about the miraculous power of these tablets…and after a year of watching her down glass after glass of that fizzy elixir, she turned me into a believer. I still attest it’s the only reason I made it through that first year of teaching/perpetual illness. Their website claims all products are gluten-free; I can only personally attest to the fizzy, effervescent tablets. Go for lemon-lime or very-berry…and prepare to be amazed.
    • Gluten Free Cafe: GET EXCITED!!!  Just when I thought it was all over and my easy-to-cook-when-I-can-barely-stand-up chicken noodle soup days were over, I stumbled across this gem recently at Eddie’s Market (which is a more upscale grocery store in the Baltimore area). I bought a bunch and they’re on reserve in the back of my cabinet. If you can’t find them in a store near you, order a few cans online. I’m not normally this demanding…but I’m telling you, this will be a LIFESAVER when you’re sick.
    • Cough drops: For some reason, when I was first diagnosed, cough drops never crossed my mind as something to consider. Maybe because I was diagnosed in the summer so by the time I faced my first cold, it had been just long enough that I felt “normal” again and didn’t give it a second thought. Bad idea. There is so much confusion out there regarding cough drops. Just google it and you’ll see. My advice: don’t buy a package unless it explicitly states gluten-free. I personally stick to Walgreens generic brand which say certified gluten-free on the package. Hall’s does claim that all their cough drops are gluten-free…but I for one will never believe that because I will argue until the end of time that their Fruit Breezers are NOT. I ended up in the ER because of those once too…no 2nd chances from this girl. But again, that’s just me 🙂
    • Gatorade, tea, ginger ale, etc.: One thing that remains true is that hydration is key, especially when you’re sick. Stock up on whatever beverage you like best, and just keep drinking those germs away.
Now, those of you with gluten issues, I’m hoping you’re feeling a little better (or at least a little more informed) about the days and weeks ahead. Now for the rest of us…here comes the bad news. My favorite cough syrup that I raved about above? Contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. Gatorade? Corn syrup. And even the ones that don’t switched to glucose syrup…which can be derived from wheat. Ginger ale?? Yep, you guessed it: corn syrup. My Walgreens cough drops? Soybean oil.  The soup and the Airborne don’t have anything that explicitly alarm me but I’m still waiting to hear back from the manufacturers for a final verdict. In other words, this cold and flu season has me nervous. And sad. Who knew corn was such an omnipresent ingredient?? And forget about prescriptions! I thought gluten was hard, Corn is EVERYWHERE. I bet you didn’t know most capsules that house those wonderful antibiotics that bounce you back to health come from corn. And I bet you don’t really care…because I certainly wouldn’t either if my body didn’t. Once I even had to resort to a compounding pharmacy because my doctor couldn’t find the medication on the market in a form she was convinced would be safe. It was kind of fun to go back in time to an “It’s A Wonderful Life”-type pharmacy…but still not exactly how I wanted to spend an afternoon.
There was a brief glimmer of hope or those of us in the gluten-free world when Rep. Tim Ryan from Ohio put forth a bill to require all drugs for human use to require gluten listed as an ingredient…but as you can see here, that bill was recently changed from “referred to committee” status to “DIED”. So yes, in essence, one could say my hopes for getting medication without spending hours and hours on the phone are dead. I, however, prefer to think of them as cryogenically frozen. I’m counting on one of my politically-interested friends to bring this back to the forefront one day. Until then, I’ll be running up my phone minutes with frustrating phone calls to surprisingly uninformed drug representatives. Such is life…
So in closing, cold and flu season is brutal for all of us, but it might be just a little bit worse for those people with food sensitivities, and especially those with autoimmune conditions. Whoever you are, PLEASE do us all a favor and do what I tell my kids: wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and if you’re sick, STAY HOME. Don’t try to be a martyr and take the rest of us down with you in the process. For those with compromised immune systems, it really can be a matter of life or death. Or at the very least a trip to the hospital.
I wish you all health, happiness, lots of fluids and Vitamin C…and the swift arrival of spring. Come on, Punxsutawney Phil, I believe in you…
Photo courtesy of someecards.com
Posted in Newly-Diagnosed, Tips and Tricks

Once Upon A Time…

Posted on by katiebiddle4317

…I was an accountant.

Yes, as many of you know, though I am a teacher, I didn’t follow the most traditional path to get here. See, I started out as an accounting major at Villanova University. I was a student at a business school which is consistently ranked in the top 20 by BusinessWeek magazine. I followed the typical path of a Villanova accounting student…I worked hard, I earned an internship with one of the “Big 4” for the summer after my junior year, and before I even sat down in my first class as a senior, I already had a contract in hand for a lucrative, full-time position in the audit department at that same firm. However, after a long, drawn-out year of life chats, debate, discussions, deliberations, prayers, and discernment, I made a decision that to this day still makes some people shake their heads: for the first time, I ignored the outcome of my weighted-average pro/con Excel spreadsheet (yes I had a template for that…you can laugh) and decided to follow my heart instead. I walked away from a “dream” job, a hefty paycheck, and a comfortable start to post-collegiate life in downtown Philadelphia…and I became an elementary school teacher instead. And not just any elementary school, but one of the most amazing, challenging, and life-altering schools in the heart of our nation’s capital. 6 years have passed and I am still a teacher…though now outside Baltimore, with no CPA but an M.Ed. under my belt, and I can honestly say that I have not once looked back with regret or second thoughts about my decision. While the financial cushion would certainly be a welcome gift, I wouldn’t trade the lessons, experiences, and blessings of the past 6 years for all the money, corporate meals, and frequent flyer miles in the world.

Spring 2008: My last “official” business function…with the University President of course 🙂 

That being said, I can also say without hesitation that I do not have an ounce of regret about my course of study during my college years either. People often ask if I wish I could go back and not spend four years filling my brain with knowledge of balance sheets, cashflow, GAAP, PP&E, COSO, SOX, and countless other acronyms which are now gathering dust in a back corner of my brain. My answer to that is a resounding no. Partially because I firmly believe that every single life experience: good, bad, or indifferent, makes you the person you are…but also because those 4 years taught me so much useful, practical information. I have a profound understanding of what it takes to run a small business, a large corporation, a Catholic parish (that’s right, my course of study culminated in a 90-page thesis project exploring the internal controls and financial structure of the Catholic church, with an emphasis on the parish level); but most of all, it’s because once a year I have to return to that accountant-self…and I’m so grateful I sat through all those classes.

The culmination of my unique course of study…
  
       We love income tax finals!!

That’s right…it’s tax season.

It’s that time of year where I get to brush off my Judy’s 10-key, dust off the cobwebs which have gathered in that back corner of my brain, and file my taxes. In my first 2 years out of college, I was the personal accountant to my fellow ACE roommates…and even my first year in Baltimore I had a few “clients” who paid me in Starbucks gift cards to file their returns. Then my health issues set in and derailed my plans to also have my own “I’m not a CPA so I’ll charge you less to file simple tax returns” side business; however, as with so many other things: my health issues opened up a whole new world for me: this time it was tax deductions. So, my fellow food-allergy friends (or any kind of health ailment really), here are some little-known tips that can save you a pretty penny. It’s probably a little late for your 2013 returns since you didn’t know to save all your receipts…but 2014 is a new tax year and we’re only 24 days in…start stockpiling those receipts now 🙂

Health-related tax deductions:

  • Gluten-free food deduction: Yep, you read that correctly. After a year of reaching deep into those pockets, shelling out $5 to $6 for a loaf of bread while your wheat-flour consuming friends were piling the $1 loaves of Wonder bread into their carts, you finally catch a break. Admittedly, it’s a small one…but at this point, I’ll take whatever I can get. Now, before you get too excited, you can’t deduct the total amount of your loaf BUT you can deduct the DIFFERENCE between what you paid for gluten-free bread compared to the cost of the regular counterpart.
    • Pros: 
      • It works for all gluten-free foods that have a “regular” (i.e.gluten-filled) counterpart. For example, gluten-free pizza vs. regular pizza. It also works for any gluten-free item that is deemed essential but has no counterpart. The most common example is xanthan gum. You’ll never, and I mean never, have to use that in regular baking but it’s a key ingredient in any gluten-free baked good SO the full amount of your xanthan gum purchase is tax-deductible. Of course, 1 $12 jar of that will probably last you a good 2 or 3 years so it’s not a deduction that shows up often (unless you bake as much as I do).
      • This deduction also includes mileage ($0.24 each!) for the extra distance you have to travel to your “special” grocery store to get those items you just can’t find at the local Safeway or Giant.
      • Last but not least, you can also deduct shipping/postage costs for any and all gluten-free items you ordered and had shipped to your home.
    • Challenges: 
      • You must have an official doctor’s document confirming your diagnosis of celiac disease. I know, I know. Gluten-intolerant friends, begin the rant now. This stipulation was put in place to prevent people on the “I’m going gluten-free because it’s in and trendy” plan from taking advantage of this deduction…but in the process of doing so, they’re hurting an awful lot of people in that gray “I can’t officially diagnose you with celiac because…” area. Talk to your doctor…I don’t know what else to say. Except maybe, “Dear IRS, please hire Katie”.
      • Paperwork. I hear you loud and clear, “Katie, I’m lucky I don’t lose my chapstick by the end of a week, you think I can keep track of receipts for a whole year!”. Trust me, I know. And honestly for some people, this deduction is more work than they’re willing to put forth and that’s OK. I just believe in informed decisionmaking (I mean, need I remind you: weighted-average pro/con spreadsheet??) so here is your information. Decide what works for you. And just to give you a little boost, here is an Excel Spreadsheet you can use. Yes, it’s for Canada…but it’s provided by TurboTax and it’s the one I use…same columns necessary in the US..just easier in Excel than a PDF. Now all you need is a box to throw all your receipts in (just in case the dreaded auditors call 🙂 and you’re set! 
  • Medical Expenses: Ah yes, just one look at my tax returns from each year and you can pinpoint which years were health struggles for me. There’s no nice way to say it: being sick is EXPENSIVE. Well, I guess really it’s being healthy that’s expensive…but you get the point. I am blessed to have decent medical insurance so I’m luckier than so many; however, even with that, the out-of-pocket expenses for co-pays, prescriptions, labwork, ER visits, etc. were enough to make my jaw hit the floor. I punched everything into my calculator 3 times to be certain…and then took on 2 part-time jobs. The good news (if one can call it good to be ill) is that all of these out-of-pocket expenses are deductible. Well, sort of.
    • Be careful!!:  You can only deduct these medical expenses IF they exceed 10% of your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) for the year. It was just increased to 10% this year from 7.5% so even if you already knew about it, make sure you still qualify this year. It’s one of those odd moments where your expenses surpass a certain threshold and you find yourself holding your breath, waiting to see if they’ll add up to just a little more so you qualify. The cruel irony of the IRS…
    • Don’t forget!!: This includes ALL medical, prescription, and dental expenses. (Yes, late-diagnosed celiacs, I’m talking to you. I know all those years of misdiagnosis eroded your enamel and those poor pearly whites have been paying the price…but hopefully now your bank account won’t have to!) This also includes PARKING at all doctor and hospital visits. I always want to say “Why even put the 0-30 minutes FREE category on the sign? What doctor is going to get me in and out and back out of the garage in under 30 minutes? Just take my $3”. Of course, this does mean you need to save all of those little stubs. Every single one. Same goes for tolls to get to your various treatments and appointments. And there’s a standard mileage deduction as well if you have to travel for your care. Again, lots of paperwork…but definitely worth it for some people!
    • So I leave this on a good note: This also includes medical conferences!! For example, you attend a fantastic food allergy conference to learn more about your new life, taste delicious “you-safe” samples, feel like a “normal” person again for a few hours…AND it’s tax-deductible!! Just the cost of your entry and your transportation to get there. Not your lodging or food while you’re there…but really, let’s not get greedy. I’ll take admission and transportation any day  🙂
Now some deductions that apply to anyone…but often get overlooked:
  • State Income Taxes Paid OR State Sales Tax Paid: This one always shocks people…but think about it. Those lucky Delawareans don’t pay sales tax all year and those of you in Arizona and Louisiana are coughing up nearly 9% at the register. Floridians don’t lose a cent of their income to the state government while those of you soaking in the California sun are losing 13% of your income in each check. A lot of things in life aren’t fair…but even that is a bit of a stretch as far as the federal government is concerned. So if you itemize your deductions, you can deduct the higher of the two: either the state income taxes you paid this year or the total sales tax you paid to the state. Of course that one requires, you guessed it, every single receipt from the year. So most likely that one will only prove worthwhile if you made some major purchases this year…but then again, you never know. Some people really love to shop 🙂
  • Job-Searching Deductions: Searching for a new job is never an easy thing to do…and in this day and age, it seems like people are going through jobs like I go through aluminum foil: absurdly fast. Any career counseling, costs of resume printing and mailing, travel expenses to interviews, etc. are all deductible. Of course, as with everything else, there are stipulations. This does NOT apply to the search for your FIRST job, only subsequent job changes. Also, this job switch must be within the same field…so no deductions for a teacher turned baker in my future 😦 Finally, your costs must exceed 2% of your AGI to be deemed deductible. The great news: this deduction applies whether you were successful in finding employment or not! The bad news: 2% of your AGI is probably a big number to be spending on job searching…
So if you’re trading in your corner office for this corner “office”, no tax deduction for you: SAME FIELD ONLY!
  • Education/Student Loan Deductions: There are a variety of education credits and deductions. Most people know about the deduction for student loan interest but many people forget that there is a Lifetime Learning credit for any post-collegiate education (i.e. grad school classes) REGARDLESS of whether it’s a degree program or not. (So that free-lance poetry class you signed up for last year: qualifies! Even if you have no plans to earn a Masters in Creative Writing.) There are several stipulations of course…but too many to explain. Just go here.
There are so many more at the IRS site as well, especially if you’re fortunate enough to be a recent homeowner! But for now I’ll stop. I’m sure I’ve overwhelmed you by this point; in fact, I’m a little surprised if anyone made it this far. High-five to you.
Now get out those W-2s, sharpen those pencils, and get excited to file your taxes!! Or at least get excited for a new tax year. Say it with me now: I will be organized and save all my receipts this year. You’re only behind by 24 days, you can catch up 😉 
Happy New (Tax) Year…and Happy Saving!!
You  know what they say: “Once a Villanova accountant, always a Villanova accountant.”
 I mean I do still have the hat. And the mug 🙂
Posted in Baltimore Recommendations

Love Shoutout #1: P.F. Chang’s

Posted on by katiebiddle4317

In line with my theme for the year, I’ve decided to reserve some posts in the upcoming year for shoutouts of love to some people, places, and things that make the food-allergy-ridden world just a little bit brighter. So here we go with shout-out #1…today I’m sending a little love to P.F. Chang’s.

Now as with most things on the internet, if you google PF Chang’s and gluten, you will get an array of responses. Some people will praise the restaurant chain as if they’re somehow responsible for the salvation of the universe…others tear it apart and swear death upon the place that made them sicker than a dog. Of course you’ll find a variety of middle-ground responses too but those are the two ends of the spectrum. And honestly I can understand. Once I get sickened by a restaurant, I tend to swear it off too; though my brain knows that it’s unreasonable to allow the actions or mistakes of one person to impact all future visits, my beaten and abused digestive tract is not so quick to forget. I, however, must say I personally have had nothing but the absolute BEST experiences at P.F. Chang’s.

It’s funny when I think about it because the very first time I ever walked into a P.F. Chang’s was because of a gluten condition…but oddly enough, it wasn’t my own. See I moved to Baltimore in 2010, a year before my official diagnosis, and though a horrible bout with the presumed stomach flu in August of that year was undoubtedly a red flag of my newfound condition, I was blissfully unaware. Another thing you should know is that when I moved to Baltimore that year, I knew exactly one person. Literally. In the entire city/surrounding metropolitan area. My school in DC had closed and despite the fact that I came dangerously close to not even showing up for my interview at the school I now proudly call my home (seriously, I paced outside giving myself a vacillating pep talk…”They’re just middle schoolers, walk through that door” {remember, I was a 2nd grade teacher so they sounded downright terrifying} countered with “Get back in the car now and you’ll just be that crazy name on a resume who never showed up for her interview”), it was only a few minutes into my model lesson that I felt it: I knew in my heart that this was the place God had in store for me next. So I packed my life into my Focus and headed up 295 to Baltimore on a total whim and a prayer…and of course the friendship of that one solitary individual I could call a friend in my new city.

Just another little reminder that I made the right decision in choosing not to run away and to walk through the door to my interview that day in 2010. Middle Schoolers are pretty special 🙂

Those first few weeks and months were a challenge to say the least…but somehow I made it to December. My solitary friend had grown into a small group and one evening we planned an outing of dinner and a show. However, that friend came to me with an issue: the girl he was dating at the time was gluten-free (yes, for health reasons). Oddly enough I remember vividly the day I sat down at my computer and googled what that meant. I searched gluten-free restaurants in our area and I made reservations at the one everyone seemed to praise: P.F. Chang’s. Being the overzealous group “mom” that I tend to be, I printed out a copy of the gluten-free menu to give her in the car on the way there and I still distinctly remember her excitedly grateful reaction and thinking “Poor girl, it must be so hard to never be able to eat out.” I think back on that now…and on the various conversations that friend and I had about the challenges he faced dating someone who was gluten-free…and I just laugh. If I had only known what the future had in store for me. Anyway, the night was a success: she had a safe and enjoyable evening out and so did everyone else. Victory #1 for P.F. Chang’s.

Long story short, over my past 3 years as the one printing out the allergen menus, P.F. Chang’s has become a beacon of light in the tumultuous sea that is dining out with food allergies/intolerances. They have an extensive gluten-free menu, specially marked plates AND dipping sauces. The wait staff is trained to ask about food issues as soon as they introduce themselves. Not to mention, the food is amazing!! Granted my selection is now limited to 2 choices but the waiter was gracious enough to merge the dairy and gluten-free menus for me to provide a printout of the Katie-safe options. Take it from me: that kind of service is rare. Their lettuce wraps are worth their weight in gold…and the lemon chicken is making me hungry just thinking about it. On top of all that, you get a fortune cookie!! I mean I can’t eat them, but that doesn’t keep me from cracking them open with the plastic wrap as my glove and tearing into my fortune.

And last week when I visited for my own birthday dinner, I was surprised to find out that they give a FREE dessert on your birthday. AND they have a gluten-free option!!! (But sadly, not one that is also dairy-free) Since they knew about my allergies, they allowed me to “gift” my free dessert to the other people at my table…and they didn’t even mind when I asked to dive into my own supply of gluten-free/dairy-free cupcakes I was surprised with earlier in the day. (Spoiler alert…that bakery will be getting a little love shoutout sometime this year too!)

Yes, I have to say without hesitation: go to P.F. Chang’s. Whether you have food issues or not, go there, enjoy it, and share in the love. You won’t regret it. And don’t forget about your fortune cookie! In my experience, P.F. Chang’s cookies have always contained actual fortunes…not those “You’re compassionate and analytical” ones. Those always make me want to call the fortune writers and say “Why, yes I am, thank you…but that is not a fortune”. My birthday one was actually pretty fantastic. It has even earned a place of honor on my fridge as a daily reminder to embrace life, not fear:

28 is apparently the year of no fear 🙂

Finally, because I do believe in total honesty even in shoutouts of love, I will tell you the one gripe I have with my local P.F. Chang’s: it’s the door. I know, I know it sounds crazy but the main door is a revolving one and my semi-claustrophobic self just can’t handle those. However, I also don’t want to be that person without a wheelchair or stroller who requests they open the other door. I look at it as my little challenge to get into the proverbial promised land of safe cuisine. And honestly, if that’s the one gripe you have with an establishment, I’d say that’s pretty fantastic.

So thank you P.F. Chang’s for sending a little love my way these past 3 years. Here is my shoutout of love in return. Until next time, keep serving those delicious lettuce wraps and I promise I’ll be back to grace your revolving doorway soon 🙂
Posted in Beverages

Polar Vortex…or Perfect Storm??

Posted on by katiebiddle4317

If you’re reading this from, well pretty much anywhere in the United States, chances are you are bundled up in layers, curled up near the fire, hugging the space heater, etc. There’s no other way to say it: IT. IS. COLD. Though I must say between the term “polar vortex” and watching the giddy news reporters bundle up in layers to report on location, I have found this whole phenomenon to be rather entertaining. It also makes me exponentially aware of how lucky I am to have heat and a warm shower.
Of course, there is one realization I had this week that was accompanied by a twinge of sadness…no more Swiss Miss hot chocolate. To me, those little packets are synonymous with snowstorms and cold weather. I remember many a childhood snow day spent sledding, then removing snow pants, boots, plastic bags, gloves, hats, etc., dumping them into the dryer and running to the kitchen for some delicious hot cocoa.

Well this week has proven to be a bit different than those beautiful childhood memories of snow days. Little Blue has yet to return to me (if you didn’t get to read my previous post, he’s getting outfitted with a transmission that’s willing to face 2014). He’s a smart little guy…choosing the coldest week in 2 decades to hide out in a garage where no one forces him to drive in subzero temperatures. However his gain has certainly been my…well let’s call it adventure. I was out the door at 6 AM both Saturday and Sunday to make the mile and a half trek to my shift at the hospital. Now remember I love to run; thus,  typically a mile and a half walk is a welcome treat and a great way to start a day. Well I must say I learned a few things this weekend: 1) A mile and a half walk is not a treat when the ground is covered in snow and ice. It also takes significantly longer than a brisk fall mile and a half trek    2) Some residents around here are not the best shovelers. I forget I was spoiled in the Poconos where shoveling is an art mastered by the age of 10;    3) This city does not have enough streetlights. Seriously, people. Black ice is hard enough to see when there is light, let alone when there isn’t! I fell twice. And it gets worse. I had received the most AMAZING Christmas gift. It’s a Starbucks coffee thermos but it’s magical. When you bring it into any Starbucks during the month of January, they fill it with coffee FOR FREE. Any Starbucks, anytime. For a whole month!! Well on my 2nd trip down to the ground, that empty thermos fell out of my bag and, as I focused on breaking my own fall, it rolled away into the street where of course it was promptly run over by a pick-up truck. My month of free coffee was gone in the blink of an eye, transformed into shards of plastic splintered all over a dark, icy road.

Not the best beginning to a new year I must say. However I forged onward, confident that things would turn around. Well, today 2014 took another interesting twist. My phone rang after school today and it was the director of my apartment complex. They completed a routine radon gas testing 2 weeks ago in my building…yep, you guessed it: my apartment failed. There are elevated radon levels which need immediate attention. They’re coming tomorrow to inspect and determine whether it can be fixed in a timely manner. If not, I’m packing my bags again. Granted, it will be to another apartment in this same complex…but still. I FINALLY had unpacked almost every box.

So now I’m in a waiting game. I’ve decided to rename 2014 the Perfect Storm Year. In just 7 days I’d say it has certainly lived up to that title. Don’t worry, it’s still the Year of Love too…I mean through it all, I am still lifted up by the love of the people around me who continue to make me laugh, give me rides, and take me to dinner to forget about my worries, if even for just a little while. And of course, the plus side to all of this? I’ve spent a lot of time indoors and thus mastered something that’s even better than hot cocoa. I MASTERED THE GINGERBREAD LATTE!!! I know, it’s a teeny bit late for the holiday season…but I’m telling you, if you’re looking for a sweet treat to warm up with, this is it. I curled up on my couch, this cup in one hand, grading in the other and for just a brief moment all seemed right with the world again.

Here is the recipe. Make it , enjoy it, love it. And most importantly, stay warm!!

Katie-safe Gingerbread Deliciousness/Polar Vortex Comfort Beverage
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 Tablespoon coconut sugar

Heat all of these ingredients in a saucepan until bubbling. Then pour into a cup of STRONG coffee (or espresso if you have one of those makers!) I also sprinkled some nutmeg on top.
Bonus: It smells AMAZING!!!

And if you could, please say a few prayers for Little Blue, my poor apartment…and on a more serious note, all those people who aren’t as fortunate as we are to have warm homes and hot showers, especially on these bitterly cold nights.

Come on, 2014. I still believe in you. I know you’re just waiting for 28 to arrive…I’m over 27 too 🙂

Posted in Cookies, Life Lessons

2014: The Year of Love

Posted on by katiebiddle4317

Happy New Year!! I know, I know I’m a few days late. I had the best of intentions but unfortunately my transmission decided it just didn’t want to accompany Little Blue (as I affectionately refer to my car) and me on the journey into 2014. So needless to say it’s been an interesting start to the year already. Between that, my New Year’s Day Dinner Date with the precious octogenarian couple who have taken up semi-permanent residence in our hospital guest house, and now a snow day, all I can say is that if the first 48 hours are any indication, I’m in for quite an adventurous year. We shall see…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don’t typically make resolutions in January because mine are reserved for the start of the new school year each August. However I am known for assigning each new calendar year with a theme or quote that I hope will dictate the year ahead. It’s not something I search for…just something that seems to be timely or a thought that happens to strike when I’m not really think about it. There was the year of positivity, the year of opportunity; one year the theme was “epic”; another was dedicated to new adventures.

Well, as of 2 PM on New Year’s Eve, I had yet to stumble upon a theme. I spent New Year’s Eve day baking and cooking like crazy, filing away recipes to share, before venturing north to Philadelphia to reunite with some truly amazing people whom I don’t see nearly enough anymore. I got to ring in the new year with that lovely group of people before Little Blue (poor thing could only drive forward once my AAA friend graciously pushed us backward out of the gas station) made the precarious journey back to Baltimore just in time for my afternoon shift/dinner date at the hospital. After our pork dinner, I surprised my favorite 81-year-old duo with a special treat: homemade gluten-free, dairy-free double chocolate chip cookies. I know what you’re thinking: yeah, Katie, real special treat. But I mean it! Of all the people I’ve discussed allergies with over the past three years, these 2 just might take the prize for most curious. I swear every time I come on for another shift, they’ve got another food-related question for me. They excitedly bit into their cookies, chewed, pondered…and in a moment I could tell by their faces, I’d won them over. With his eyes wide, the husband in this dynamic duo slapped the table and exclaimed, “Hot dog! I taste the special ingredient and I bet you didn’t even know it was in there.” To which his wife responded, “What in the samhill did you do? Did you add dairy to her cookies?? I know the extension for ER transport!” He responded with a laugh and a head shake as he explained himself with a twinkle in his eye, “No, no. I didn’t add anything. She did and she didn’t even know it. I can taste what makes these cookies so delicious…it’s love. Who needs gluten when you’ve got that??”

My New Year’s Day Dinner Date with the dynamic duo…

Well, in that moment, my heart just about melted. (And I’ll admit I filed that away as the potential motto for my future bakery…please don’t steal it!) And I watched as the two of them smiled at each other and thought to myself: this might be the strangest but also the best New Year’s Day I’ve ever had…even in light of losing poor Little Blue’s reverse function. Well the two of them went to bed and eventually I did too only to wake up bright and early yesterday morning to return to work. Halfway through the morning PD session, I ran up to my classroom to call the transmission specialist and was greeted by an unexpected message. It was from one of those saints in street clothes I mentioned earlier. He has this special gift for noticing how people are feeling and sharing the perfect Scripture passage to address the situation they’re facing. Well, I clicked on his message and was met with a verse from 1Corinthians 13:2.. you can read it for yourself if you so desire but in short it’s the verse that says you can have everything in the world but without love, you really have nothing. As I reflected on this verse during the remainder of morning PD, I thought back to last Sunday’s 2ndreading (starting with Colossians 3:12)which is one of my absolute favorites. It also addressed the same topic…love. I thought back on the priest’s reflection of unconditional love shown by both Mary and Joseph in the midst of such uncertainty throughout the Nativity story. And it hit me: the theme of this year must be love.

Well sure enough, PD Day continued on and my suspicion was only solidified. First the Charismatic Mass Coordinator shared the most precious proposal video his friend had made…true love all over that one. Then I woke up this morning (to a snow day!! WOOHOO!!) and turned on the news just in time to see excerpts from Pope Francis’ mass today in Rome with his Jesuit brothers. And what did he say? That the Gospel can’t be preached with “beatings of condemnation. No, the Gospel must be preached gently…with love”. Well, there you have it folks. If ever I needed confirmation of this year’s theme, there it was from the mouth of Pope Francis himself. And he wasn’t done. He went on to talk about the formation of today’s youth. About how we can’t just form their minds but also their hearts. About how if we don’t form their hearts, we create “little monsters…and then these little monsters form the People of God”. Way to keep it real, Pope Francis. Seriously, I love this man.


In short, I have decided this is the year of love. Love in all forms. It’s only been 2.5 days but I am already amazed by the love I’ve experienced. I began 2014 surrounded in love…you know the kind of love you can only find in old friends and family. The kind that simultaneously reminds you of the person you once were, highlights just how much you’ve grown to become the person you are now, and most of all reminds you that there are people in this world who will always love you, no matter how much you grow, change, and evolve. I sat in the presence of the love of a couple that has endured the ups and downs of 55 years together. I experienced love in the hugs, smiles, and “Happy New Year” greetings of my co-workers on our first day back to the grind. I was blessed with the love of good friends who went out of their way to help push my car out of its parking spot and then drive me around now that Little Blue is away for a few days getting a transmission that is willing to take the journey through 2014 with us. Yes, love really is all around us (cue the Love Actually music now). But we just need to stop and notice it. And more importantly, we need there to be more of it.

Ringing in 2014 with some amazing ladies…

So this year, I don’t really have a resolution. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. I am committing myself to love. To noticing it, searching for it, embracing it, sharing it, and pouring it into all the recipes I create this year. So as we run full speed ahead into 2014, I offer the same challenge to you. It doesn’t mean you have to abandon all of your own resolutions…but I invite you to add to them. Let’s make 2014 the year of love. Because really if you let love be the guide in all of your choices, actions, decisions, etc., well, then 2014 is bound to be a great year, isn’t it??

I opened Pinterest this morning and this appeared. If I needed any further confirmation, this is it.


And to kick off the year, here are those delicious recipes. Just remember…who needs gluten (or dairy or soy??) when you’ve got love??

Happy New Year 🙂

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 3/4 cups almond flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
3/4 cup agave syrup1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chunks

 Mix it all together and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes!

Posted in Uncategorized

The Million-Dollar Question…

Posted on by katiebiddle4317
“But what happens if you just cheat?” 
I’d say that question has officially been added to my  “If I only had $1 for every time I was asked this question, I wouldn’t have to work 3 jobs to get by…” list. (I’ll leave you to guess what the other 2 questions are on that list!) One of my caring students I mentioned in my Christmas post posed the question: “Miss Burke, what if on Christmas you just said ‘Oh forget it’ and ate a bagel?”
Yes, I know it’s a hard concept to understand why this would never even enter my mind as within the realm of possibility. I know why non-celiacs don’t get it. I mean if someone has an anaphylactic allergy, the answer is obvious. No one questions someone with a nut allergy…clearly staying alive is reason enough to avoid them. But what about those of us with the autoimmune food illnesses? We’re all too often misunderstood and confusion-inducing. And though that at times can be infuriating, I also can say I’ve reached a point where I’m empathetic enough to understand. It’s because there is no one answer. There is no single reaction that is the same across the board for all celiac sufferers…or food-intolerant friends.  Most of all, it’s because there is no way you can possibly imagine how it feels unless you’ve lived it…and once you have, there is no way you can possibly imagine ever bringing that upon yourself. So today I’ll do my best to answer the question I’ve mostly shrugged off or eluded until now. And I’ll do it in the least graphic way  I can 🙂
As I mentioned earlier, every celiac sufferer has a different reaction. Some do just have a strictly gastrointestinal reaction…but contrary to popular belief, that percentage is small. I certainly do not fall in that category. I’ll even admit that if I knew all that would happen if I ate gluten would be a day spent in the bathroom, I might be tempted once in awhile too. But it’s so much worse than that. I will say there are have been 4 distinct times since my diagnosis when I was “glutened” so severely that it resulted in 30 minutes or so of me face-to-face with the toilet bowl. (I should point out 3 of those 4 times were at restaurants with gluten-free menus…you see why eating out can be anxiety-inducing!) And trust me, it was beyond unpleasant…if you’ve ever had that kind of flu where it seems your stomach is squeezing itself completely dry of any substance you had in it, well that gives you an idea of how this is. Effective I suppose in ridding my body of what it deems to be poison. And, crazy as it sounds, I think if I had to choose a reaction, this would be my first-choice…because the muscular ache in my stomach that lasts a few days and the accompanying tiredness is nothing compared to what happens when those gluten or casein proteins have an opportunity to stick around in my body and wreak havoc for days on end.
Yes, I’d almost argue that those trace amounts of gluten, casein, etc. which find their way into my digestive tract are far worse than an outright piece of bread. It’s not enough to elicit a violent denial from my stomach…but more than enough to send me spiraling into a world I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
  •  First, there’s the tiredness. I wish there were another word for it though…because it’s not like any “tired” I’ve ever felt otherwise. It’s not the kind of tired you can power through or wage war against with caffeine or cold air. It’s a kind of exhaustion where you simply have to admit defeat. It seems physically impossible to sit up, let alone try to function as a human being. In the spring of 2010 (before my mystery symptoms were figured out), my principal literally found me asleep in our faculty room. And I didn’t even hear him come in. I’m not one who typically can nap anywhere but a bed or couch…but that spring, a hard round tabletop to rest my head was all I needed. I couldn’t make it through a day of teaching on my feet either. The stool became my lifeline…and sitting on the floor with my 2nd graders was no longer a behavior management tool but rather a survival mechanism.
  • Second, there’s the numbness and tingling. Of course now I know the clinical term: neuropathy. That’s right…just a little of one of those proteins and a day or two of phantom-feeling limbs is nearly guaranteed. Granted, it’s more manageable when you know what it is and what is causing it; when I didn’t, well terrifying doesn’t begin to describe that feeling. In fact that was the symptom which sent me to my first ER visit in 2010. When you’re a 24-year-old with a family history of brain tumors and suddenly you can’t feel your arm while teaching your 2nd graders, that’s cause for enough alarm to send an ambulance. And so it began…
  • Third, there’s the stomach “issues”. I don’t want to just refer to it as pain because everytime it’s different. Sometimes it’s downright pain, other times it’s puffiness and swelling, other times it’s  burning which results in acid reflux moreso than stomach discomfort. Whatever the form, the pain lingers…sometimes for a few days, sometimes more than a week…and it only worsens when you eat. Yet at the same time I feel like I’m STARVING…because I haven’t digested the food I ate that contained the culprit. Talk about your Catch-22…
  • Fourth, and to me probably the worst, are the mental symptoms. I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. Some experts call it brain fog, some call it gluten-brain, I call it downright misery. I literally feel like I’m losing my mind. And if my experience is even a fraction of what a mental illness feels like, I find it completely unacceptable that, as a society, we aren’t doing more to address it.  I feel anxious about things I know shouldn’t be worrisome. It’s like one side of my brain is talking to the other but neither one is listening. I feel sad…and again I wish there were another word for it because it’s more than that. It’s a feeling of despair and hopelessness, a sense that although this has happened before, that nothing will ever be all right with the world again. Sometimes I even cry. And for anyone who knows me well, tears and I are not things which have ever coexisted often. Other times I feel angry (another emotion with which I’m not well acquainted). I have a short temper and I want to snap at anyone or anything in my path. Again, not attributes most people would typically associate with my personality. And I’m still self-aware enough to know that too which makes it all the more frustrating. Vicious cycle…
  • Last but not least, there are the physical manifestations. Imagine your worst seasonal allergy symptoms magnified by 1000. My nasal passages start dripping, my throat starts to react, sometimes I break out in hives and other less than pleasant skin reactions. And that’s just the physical reactions visible to the naked eye. The thing about autoimmune disorders is that once you have one, they snowball if left untreated. Hence by the time I was diagnosed I had already developed a blood sugar problem caused by my body attacking my own insulin and I was borderline Hashimoto’s (a thyroid-related autoimmune condition)…which I still have to be tested for every 6 months. Unseen inflammation inside is wreaking more havoc than the symptoms on the outside for sure….
Since a picture is worth a 1000 words, this is me in June 2011…
    …barely making it through my brother’s graduation.
This is me in July 2011 (just 3.5 weeks later!) feeling alive and dancing the night away at a good friend’s wedding.
What a difference gluten makes…
SO in answer to the question: Why don’t I “cheat”? Well, after reading all that, would you really want to knowingly inflict that on yourself?
…Because I know what it feels like to reach the end of your rope…to be told it’s all in your head and that you’re crazy when you know that’s just not true…and to find your way back again.
…Because I know what it’s like to look at other 20-somethings in envy because they can do normal things like wake up, drive to work, go to the gym, and go out to dinner all in one day!
…Because I appreciate how good it feels to wake up with a clear head, proper balance, and a enthusiastic outlook on life.
…Because I watched the man I loved most in this world battle illness for 5 years. I’ll never know for sure if his maladies had any relationship to celiac, though my doctor remains adamant that there must have been.
…Because I had to say good-bye to that same man much too soon; but before I did, he taught me that you do whatever you can to add years to your life…but more importantly, to add life to your years.

So in answer to that student’s question: Why don’t I say “Just forget it”? 
Because I already lost more than a year of my life to gluten and if I can help it, it’s not stealing a single second more… 🙂
Posted in Uncategorized

All We Want for Christmas…

Posted on by katiebiddle4317

You’ve made it to December 23rd and if you’re anything like the people I saw swarming Target last night, you’re still wrapping up that last-minute shopping. Or just taking advantage of the 10% discount…I certainly did. And I paid with cash so no hacking worries for me 🙂
Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that gift-giving is an art. A fine one at that. Some gift exchanges are simple: they follow a tradition. Each year I give you a different themed rubber duck, you give me a new Chia pet, we excitedly hug and that’s that. Others are predetermined and thus also simple: you buy tickets to this event, I’ll make reservations and cover dinner beforehand, we both add it to our calendars and look at us: we’ve gifted ourselves time together (which I’d argue is the most valuable gift of all). Others however can be more complicated. What do you get for the crotchety man down the street who seems unimpressed by life, let alone gifts? How about that overwhelmingly perky colleague who seems to have anything one could ever want or need in her possession? And of course, worst of all, what do you get for that friend who has food allergies? You can’t just pick up a box of chocolates or even a seasonal lip gloss without knowing whether it will end up in her trash can. Or worse…that she’ll trust you and end up in the ER. How’s that for a Christmas gift to remember?
Well, fear not you last-minute shoppers. I’m here to help you. And if you’re much more organized and on top of life so you’ve long since finished your shopping and neatly wrapped every gift….well, you can always refer back to this when a food-intolerant friend’s birthday rolls around. (Hint, hint: mine is in less than 20 days!! Just kidding…you reading this is gift enough for me!)
As mentioned in a previous post, I am a self-proclaimed coupon-lover, thrift-store-shopper, bargain-hunter, whatever term you want to apply, I’m sure I fit the bill. I attribute this partially to my upbringing with a very frugal father (who was nothing compared to my grandfather’s skill at stretching a dime), partially to the fact that it becomes a bit of a fun game, and mostly to the fact that I’m a Catholic School teacher. Let’s just say the payscale certainly does not match the amount of work we do on a daily basis. Thus, you learn to be cheap. For that reason, I am a huge proponent of useful gifts. Is a glass ornament beautiful? Sure. 12 scented candles? Absolutely. Do I NEED any of those things? Not really. Would I have purchased them for myself? Not unless they were marked 80% off somewhere. Now, yes, on occasion it is nice to receive a gift you would not buy yourself. However, for me, the best gifts are the ones I will use day in and day out AND would otherwise have had to purchase on my own. This way it frees up a little spending money for outings I would like to treat myself to later…dinner with a friend, a new pair of running shoes, a delicious Katie-safe cupcake from One Dish Cuisine, etc. I started this form of gift-giving when I was still in high school. I remember sending my sister a survey regarding shampoo she used, face washes she preferred, lotions she found most effective, etc. under the guise of some sociology project for school. Then I used her responses to create a basket of her favorite brands…something I knew she would use, and might be able to add a little cushion to the flimsy budget one faces as a work-study student athlete at a private university which doesn’t grant athletic scholarships.
So below is a sample of items I would recommend for the food-intolerant friends on your gift list. And if they’re anything like me, prepare for an enthusiastic hug in return:
1. aluminum foil: It seems cheesy but I’m telling you, the good stuff is expensive! And when you go through foil like we do, it adds up.

2. Pyrex: What a staple to our existence. It enables us to carry safe foods wherever we need to go…and to stockpile safe foods in the fridge or freezer. Quite frankly, this is a great gift for ANYONE on your list. I read recently about the cancer-causing substances that seep into your foods when you reheat them in plastic Tupperware. Whether it’s true or not, I’m staying away from that stuff…it’s glass only for me!
3. coconut oil: I go through these suckers like you would not believe! And it carries a hefty price tag…especially compared to regular PAM or vegetable oil. It’s in almost every Katie-safe recipe, it makes a great base to fry or saute anything in, and if you’ve never scrambled your eggs in it, well prepare to be amazed. Granted I can’t eat those anymore, but alas…
4. Glass Jars (w/ lids!): With the wide array of flours, fillers, xanthan gum, guar gum, sugar alternatives, etc. that some of us have to use, tightly-sealed glass jars are key to our existence. Without them, there would either be critters turning up in our flours OR just as bad, we’d constantly be throwing them out because they’ve gone bad. And considering the cost of each of these alternative products, we’d be in the poorhouse in no time. And if you want to throw in a set of new, fun measuring cups, that’s always a treat!
5. Frontier Vanilla: For the corn-averse among us, nothing is as painful as shelling over $10 or more for our vanilla extract. That’s right, it’s in almost every recipe and the other brands just don’t cut it as far as corn derivatives are concerned. Granted I have plans after Christmas to ferment my own (apparently it’s as easy as soaking vanilla beans in vodka for 30 days) but until then, this is my reality…
6. Earth Balance: For the dairy-averse, any form of Earth Balance will do. For those of us with soy issues, it has to be the orange one below. And for those blessed with the addition of corn issues, Earth Balance JUST came out with a new soy-free, corn-free, and dairy-free version. God bless their souls…
7. Nut butter: Now my question for the nut butter makers of the world is WHY? Why is almost every brand off-limits to me because of that fine print: “Manufactured on shared equipment with wheat, soy, and peanut products”. Why must you share your equipment? Think of all the peanut-allergic customers you lose, let alone all of us wheat and soy-free consumers? Be careful on this one…check the back before you hand it off as a gift. It is highly appreciated though. I want to cry every time I walk to the peanut butter section in most major grocery stores and find just one brand of almond butter, often off-limits to me, and notice the price discrepancy. I know nuts are more expensive…but really, the legume-free are suffering here. This is also on my to-do list for after Christmas…make my own 🙂
8. Bread : Imagine you live in a world where bread will cost you $4.50 a loaf…and that’s on a good day! Yep, that’s the reality facing your allergy friends on a daily basis. $5 on bread. The good news is it can freeze for a long time so buy them a frozen loaf and they won’t be disappointed. Though be sure to read the label to make sure it is free of ALL their allergens.
9. Enjoy Life chocolate chips:  I swear I go through these things like candy. Seriously, some days I eat a spoonful out of the jar just because it’s the only form of candy or chocolate I can have. Needless to say, I go through these in baking rather quickly and at $4 per bag (ON SALE!) and rarely a coupon in the Sunday paper, these little guys get pretty pricey. The chocolate chunks are my favorite…though I read they came out with a new DARK chocolate version I have yet to locate. Keep your eyes open for me!!
10. Alternative Flours: Next time you’re in Whole Foods or a natural food store, take a moment to peruse the flour aisle. The ones consumed most often by those of us with gluten issues include almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, and brown rice flour. Note the price of each one. That’s right coconut flour alone is about $11 for a small bag. Now compare that to the $.99 bags of white unbleached flour in the baking aisle…yes I know life just isn’t fair. Buy just 1 bag of any of these…and maybe wrap it in an airtight container…you just made a gluten-free friend’s day!
11. Communion hosts: Now I know what you’re thinking: Katie, really, no one wants those but you. And to that I would say: false. Granted you know the person on your list and whether they’d need or appreciate such a gift. But think about it: you go to mass at least once a week, without factoring in holy days, weddings, funerals, Confirmations, etc.  That’s a lot of communion. The cost of 1 bag (containing 30 wafers) is $5.25. Compare that to the cost of a regular bag of hosts (containing 500 wafers) is just a dime more at $5.35. Crazy but true. Also, I should point out that every Catholic church I know of covers the cost of regular communion wafers.  I am fortunate enough to belong to a parish which also provides gluten-free hosts…but not everyone is so lucky. Thus, it could be a meaningful gift…especially for a gluten-free child’s 1st Communion.
 12. Scope: I know, I know…laugh all you want. But this would make the perfect stocking stuffer, particularly if you happen to be in a relationship with a food-allergy sufferer…or to send a message if you’d like to be 😉 
These last seemingly forever…and I just finished reading my Sunday coupons…Buy 1, Get 1 50% off for the compact, easy-to-slip-in-a-purse trial size at Walgreens this week. 
You’re welcome.
‘Tis the season for mistletoe after all. And New Year’s Eve…

 13. Last but not least, let’s not forget the thing you won’t find on any store shelf, website, or catalog. Find a way to show your food-allergy friend that you LOVE him or her. Regardless of the fact that you have to plan social outings around allergy-safe dining establishments, that you hold your breath for hours after they leave your home for fear you’ll get a phone call they ended up in the ER from something served at your house, that they sometimes cancel on you at the last-minute with vague “I’m not feeling so great- I think I ate something” reasons, you still care enough about this person to see past their overactive immune system and love them for who they are. I mean really, isn’t that what all gifts are supposed to convey anyway?

The best gift of all…

The outpouring of love I received this week….

So, in conclusion, as you head out there today to confront the crowd of fellow procrastinators, or as you settle into the sofa with your hot cocoa and stare at your pile of long-ago purchased and carefully wrapped Christmas gifts, just remember it truly is the thought that counts. Unless of course you can come up with a cure for autoimmune disorders…in which case you win the prize for best gift of all-time 🙂

Merry Christmas Week!!
Posted in Uncategorized

And So This Is Christmas…

Posted on by katiebiddle4317
Yes, it happened…somehow I blinked and here it is just 4 days before Christmas. I know I’ve heard from some readers who were worried I had fallen off the face of the earth…or worse that I had abandoned my writing and decided I was done passing on knowledge/reflecting on life. Have no fear: neither of those is the case. Rather, I’ve been entirely consumed by the madness of report card craziness which then morphed into two weeks of non-stop work editing units in a role which is new to me this year: clinical faculty at the University of Notre Dame. (It’s still rather surreal to me to be on the other end of the ACE portfolio, but what has still remained unchanged is that ACE teachers never cease to amaze me with their dedication or inspire me with their talent.) Throw in wrapping up another semester with my construction men, a few weekend shifts at the hospital, and as any teacher knows, the madness which is December in a school setting, and I’m sure you can see why I didn’t have time to sleep or keep up with laundry…let alone write!
Of course there is another reason too which kept me from making time: I have to be honest and admit that I’ve been a passenger aboard the bitter train more often than I care to admit this holiday season. Since this blog is supposed to be full of positivity and inspiration for those of you plagued by allergies, I was hesitant to start writing for fear my negativity would shine through. But then I realized yesterday that it’s OK, and perhaps even necessary, to let the occasional bitterness shine through. I mean I’m only human, and as far as I know so is everyone reading this, so we’re all going to have our bitter moments. The important thing is how we handle them and come out better on the other side.
Let me begin by pointing out that this is my first dairy-free Christmas. (And soy and corn…but really those haven’t posed much of an issue) I’ve had 2 years to perfect my gluten-free Christmas adaptations but I never realized until this year how important dairy was to even those celebrations. I celebrated Black Friday without my traditional Peppermint Mocha latte to kick off the season. I walked through Target and gazed longingly at the green and red M&Ms, my favorite cordial cherry flavored Hershey’s kisses which grace the shelves this time of year. I attended the Egg Nog pub crawl which became an endearing tradition during my first December in Baltimore and turned down offer after offer of delectable-looking egg nog. My traditional pretzel-Hershey kiss-M&M treats have remained unmade. The packages of leftover Andes mints and Gertrude Hawk Smidgens I packed away in my holiday box have been double sealed in Ziploc bags and sit next to my door waiting for the mailman since they’re now on the contraband list in my home. And worst of all, I was gifted with not one, but two, glorious snow days last week. While everyone I spoke to that day was elbow-deep in flour and butter, engaging in a day full of holiday baking, I stood bewildered in my kitchen as I realized that in all the craziness of life, I had yet to make a plan for new gluten/casein/soy/corn-free holiday baked goods. And since I still haven’t sprung for the internet, I had no Pinterest to guide me…so I surrendered and settled for a nap on the couch instead. I’ve been handed treat bag after tin of what I’m sure are delicious culinary treats prepared with painstaking concern and love…and I’ve piled them into a box to hand out to some of  my neighbors, patients at the hospital, and of course to restock my supply of treats for the homeless who approach my window at red lights. Yes, you could say I was settled into a business class seat on the Bitterness train and I had no intention of hopping off.
 

I did at least decorate a tree!
Then a change came from an unlikely place, but one I should have known all along would snap me back to my enthusiastic self: the kids. They piled into school yesterday decked out in their holiday finest. They excitedly approached my desk with packages, cards, and enthusiastic Christmas wishes. And then the humility began. First, a 6th grader came in with candy canes she had kept separate from the remaining teacher gifts which contained chocolate because “I didn’t want them to get contaminated with chocolate and make you sick!”; next, a student rifled through a huge bag of treats to dig out my specially-marked bag as he commented “My mom and I made peppermint bark for all the teachers but I told her you can’t have that so yours is a pinecone candle instead!”; a 7th grader arrived and begged me to open her gift: a personalized coffee mug and a bag of treats which “Look Miss Burke!! I found these at Trader Joe’s (clearly a girl after my own heart)…they say gluten-free AND vegan!!”; another literally bounced up and down as she pointed out the certified gluten-free logo on the back of my new canister of spiced holiday tea; a parade of 8th graders arrived and I am now the proud of owner of not 1, not 2, but 3 giant boxes of Rice Chex…a cereal I mentioned a few weeks ago during a real-world application math problem (A whole paragraph framed around the problem: Miss Burke can only eat Rice Chex so she stocks up when they’re on sale. Using the attached grocery store circulars and coupons, where should Miss Burke buy cereal this week?”); And just when I thought my heart could not melt any further, one of the 6th graders whom I also taught last year came bouncing in talking a mile a minute, with no breath between her words: “MissBurke,rememberlastyearwhenImadeyouthosePeanutButterBallsbutyoucouldn’teatthembecausetheyhadricekrispies?? LOOK!!!”. And I’ll admit my eyes were dangerously close to misty when I realized she not only had gone out to buy gluten-free Rice Krispies but she and her mom had cut out the ingredient labels for everything they used and affixed them to the jar…”Just to make sure you’re safe, Miss Burke”.
I have quite the supply of these thanks to my 8th graders…
Well, if I’ve never felt simultaneously foolish and humbled, I certainly did in this moment. Here I had been Miss Borderline Grinch over the past few weeks, and these kids were spending time and energy searching for the perfect gift which I could actually enjoy. Middle school students, who all too often get a reputation for being entirely self-absorbed, addicted to technology, etc., etc., had proven themselves to be entirely selfless and so profoundly thoughtful that their teacher had been moved to near-tears. Granted there were a few of those gifts which I still can’t enjoy as corn syrup is not on their radar of Miss-Burke-averse ingredients but in a purely made-for-Hallmark-Holiday-TV special moment, I realized that the gifts themselves which literally covered the surface of my desk mean so little. What means the world to me is that my students showered me with love in a month when I needed it more than they knew. They not only kept me sane during my month of chaos and craziness, but here they were unknowingly restoring my joy in a holiday season which until today had lost much of its luster. They reminded me that Christmas is about love. It is about sharing our love with others in even the darkest of places, just as Christ’s love was sent to the earth 2000 years ago in the humblest of places. They reminded me that hot chocolate, peppermint mochas, gingerbread cookies, egg nog, and all those holiday traditions which enhance the season are simply a manifestation of the love and joy which characterizes the season. Yes, I miss those things…but what I received this week brought me so much more joy than any of those treats could have delivered. And I know without a doubt that the memory of my students’ compassion, as well as the knowledge that they know just a little bit more about how to look out for others with food restrictions, will stay with me long after the 50% off sales have cleared the Target shelves of holiday-themed M&Ms.

And of course they’ve renewed my inspiration to find those replacement holiday traditions to share with other people who might still be aboard that bitterness train. I made my own Katie-safe holiday shaped pancakes and today when I leave my shift at the hospital, I’m going to attempt my own batch of Peppermint Chocolate Chip cookies AND Coconut Milk Peppermint Mocha lattes. I’ll report back…but until then, just know that if this holiday season has been a bit troublesome for you for any reason, you are certainly not alone; but you are certainly also surrounded by joy, love, and hope. You might just have to look up from your desk long enough to see it smiling back at you 🙂
That’s right…a Katie-safe snowman pancake…complete with “snow”. I have reindeer ones too!

Who needs this…
When I have this??
Posted in Uncategorized

Today I Am Grateful For…

Posted on by katiebiddle4317
Ah yes, it seems as if we blinked and here we are in November. Those shiny saddle shoes have dulled and the once-brightly-colored tennis shoes are showing the wear and tear of 3 months of gym classes, recess soccer games, and some kind of zombie apocalypse tag I have yet to figure out. Yes, we’ve made it to that hallowed beacon of light in the world of teaching: Thanksgiving break. It means 5 days away from the stresses of daily life that have once again become so routine. 5 days without worrying about whether an objective is clearly stated or a lesson has adequate closure; 5 days free from remembering to submit attendance, post homework on your website, and to hit the “adjust density” and “hole punch” buttons before you run copies; 5 days to wake up, eat, and use the bathroom without following a prescribed schedule; 5 days free from worrying about which students forgot the proper uniform belt, need to see the nurse for medication, have band rehearsal, have been in the bathroom too long, or need a little “pick-me-up” smile….all before 9 AM. Yes, to say I’m looking forward to Wednesday morning might be the understatement of the year (and yes I know I’ve been saying a lot of those recently)
I have to be honest…though I’ll be the first to admit I need a break from those things (probably almost as much as Miley needs to take a break from the spotlight), I do have to say they are also among the things for which I am most grateful this week. See, it’s been quite a year for me. When I think back to last Thanksgiving, in many ways it seems like a different life. I could eat dairy. I could eat corn. I was planning for an upcoming trip to Rome. It was warm(ish). I was a 5th grade teacher. Since then I visited Rome and saw a pope (who stepped down only weeks later). I saw my health decline yet again and spent WAY too much time as a human pincushion. I, along with my “doctors-turned-friends” at St. Joseph’s and Johns Hopkins discovered not 1, not 2, but 3 new food intolerances. I found my way back to health. I moved to a new apartment and a new classroom…in the same month. I teach middle school. I’m sitting at that same hospital working one of my part-time shifts and the TV is telling me that this Thanksgiving is going to be remarkably cold. And perhaps snowy. Yes, it’s safe to say a lot can change in a year. However, one thing hasn’t changed in this past year, or in any year…and that is Thanksgiving week always makes me acutely aware of just how truly blessed I am.
Now I can certainly go through the litany of blessings that I’m sure we all share: faith, family, friends, food, shelter, steady employment, etc. but I think you can pretty imagine those. Just turn on the Hallmark channel this week and I’m sure you’ll see some examples. I could sit here and write a novel about all the people, experiences, and things for which I am grateful. I could gush about my family members who love me, my friends who amaze and support me, my students who inspire me, etc. and that would all be true…but it could also never do any of them justice. They know who they are and I hope they know how truly grateful I am for their presence in my life.
 No I’d like to take moment to count the blessings that were new to me this year…the ones that sitting here a year ago, I never could have predicted would be things for which I am now eternally grateful.  A co-worker of mine, I now decided she’s the Effervescent English Educator (I think last time I said Ebullient), gave her classes an assignment this week that got me thinking. She had them practice one of the 6 Writing Traits (Voice) by writing letters using the RAFTS (Role-Audience-Form-Topic-Strong Verbs) strategy. See, I’m still an elementary Language Arts teacher deep down underneath my Math and Religion exterior JThe directions were to choose one person or thing for which they were grateful and to write a letter to that person or thing. For example, someone could write a letter to his or her house, expressing all the reasons to be grateful for one’s home. In my 6 years of “Let’s write thank you cards” as a teacher, I never thought to include inanimate objects on the list. However, I must admit for me this year there are a number of things to add to that list.
  1.  Aluminum foil: I may have campaigned against you for years after my 4thgrade science fair project proved you to be a non-biodegradable material…but now you ensure that I can still eat safely off of baking sheets and grills when I’m not in my own home. So thank you…  
  2. Coconuts: I always loved your coconut flavor but was disgusted by the texture; little did I know that you would become so critical to my existence. You are now a source of safe flour, delicious ice cream treats, and of course the milk which allows me to enjoy my favorite seasonal coffee-based beverages.
  3. Dedicated Fryers: I still get to eat French fries!!! Five Guys, Glory Days, and Chick-Fila fryers, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
  4. Utz potato chips: You plain ones in the red bag are completely safe, and more often than not you’re on sale! My stomach and my bank account are eternally grateful….
  5. My toaster: You’re the only thing that makes my gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free bread edible.
  6. Vitamin B-12: I took you for granted until you disappeared to trace amounts and I bruised like a peach. I will never take you for granted again. And I do mean never.
  7. Freezers: You’re the only way I can cope with the inconvenience of food sensitivity: cook/bake in advance and freeze.
  8.  “Find Me Gluten Free” App: You introduced me to places I never would have known were gluten-friendly. Not to mention you were the driving force behind my plunge into the smartphone world. And I met your creator this summer….big moment 🙂
  9. Pyrex: See #7. You also allow me to be a ”normal” traveler who can actually leave her house for a few days.
  10. McCormick spices: With a diet that is forcibly bland, I rely on your delicious flavors to liven up my meals! Not to mention, that scent of spices coming from your factory which permeates the early-morning air on Tuesdays never gets old…
  11. Hand Sanitizer: Seriously, if I had to wash my hands every time I wanted to eat something or thought I came in contact with “the enemies”, I’d have no epidermal layer left. Plus you’re a lot more convenient…even if you have a bad rap in the news.
  12. Scope: Need I say more?? (If so, read here:Mr. (or Miss) Right, Meet Mouthwash ) I thank you for myself and on behalf of my future co-pilot, wherever he is…
Of course, this list goes on and on. And on and on.  What I would like to do today is encourage you to  look beyond your typical litany of thanks. Look deeper and see what you might be forgetting from your list. For me that includes places I’ve been, people I’ve met…but today I choose to focus on my list above. 12 things I never anticipated would become staples to my existence. They are everyday items which have been transformed into blessings due the circumstances surrounding them. And each one contributes in its own small way to the greatest blessing of all: and that is health. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, not only through my own struggles, but also each weekend as I continue to spend time with patients at St. Joe’s, if you have your health, nothing else matters. And when you don’t have your health, it’s pretty hard for anything else to matter.
So this week as I sit down to the Thanksgiving table and dig into my gravy-free turkey, my dairy-free roasted potatoes, and a plate that no longer includes corn, am I saying there won’t be a tinge of sadness? No. But the reality is that I know this year my blessings far outweighed my trials. I am not the same person I was a year ago, or maybe even a few months ago. And I think that’s a good thing. It seems to me that my sensitivity to other people, to their needs, and to their trials seemed to heighten along with my food sensitivities. Is the relationship between the two cause or correlation…that I don’t know. What I do know is that this year, for the first time, I’m remembering to give thanks for my crazy, confused, “let’s-just-decide-to-attack-harmless-things-like-corn-gluten-and-milk” immune system. Partially because it does do its job the right way sometimes…but mostly because it introduced me to a world I never would have known otherwise. So, immune system, thank you for changing my life. However, I would sincerely appreciate it if you could stay the way you are now…no surprises this year please 🙂
Now, those of you who can, go fill your plate and PLEASE eat a helping of stuffing and mashed potatoes for me!! And take a moment to give thanks for those simple, ordinary parts of your life that never get a proper thank you…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Posted in Uncategorized

An Ode to Trader Joe’s

Posted on by katiebiddle4317
Every so often in an allergen-filled existence, you have moments which excite you, touch your heart, and make you want to hug random strangers.  As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, my autoimmune journey has certainly been littered with such moments: Mom’s Organic Market (where I really did hug an employee very early in my gluten-free days), Whole Foods (though I still feel like people judge me there because I almost always forget to bring my re-usable cloth bags), locally-operated co-ops, farmers’ markets, etc. There’s nothing quite like that moment of pure joy when you find something you didn’t know existed or a place that offers a new (or even revised to avoid allergen) treat that makes eating fun again…if only for a moment.
Of course these joy-filled moments are often tempered by a harsh reality of allergy-friendly eating: a hefty price tag. I mean don’t get me wrong, I will cough up $4 for the occasional gluten-free, dairy-free cupcake…but my frugal, coupon-clipping heart cries a little bit inside each time I do. For those who may not know me quite so well, you can add coupons to the list of things I simply love. I’m not sure quite when this passion was ignited…I have a feeling it was around age 5 when my Dad began explaining basic economics during our trips to the corner store in our neighborhood. (Let’s just say between my dad and my grandfather, I didn’t stand a chance of avoiding the frugality gene.) By 15, my Sunday mornings always followed the same routine: church at my childhood parish, Sunday coffee from the Dunkin Donuts across the street, and then a good hour spent poring over the week’s circulars and clipping coupons. It’s a tradition which carries through to this day; granted the parish, the coffee shops, and even the newspapers themselves have changed over the years…but Mass, coffee, and coupons continue to be the mainstay of my Sundays.
A typical Sunday morning…
So imagine in the midst of all my larger-scale life adjustments 3 years ago, I open up the paper on a typical Sunday morning…and suddenly realize that most of the items in the circular are no longer an option. More upsetting still, I realized that many of the things I now considered necessities (coconut milk, brown rice/pecan bread, almond flour, etc.) don’t really have coupons. And saying they’re slightly more expensive is a bit of an understatement. So add that to the list of worries that were plaguing poor ill, painfully frugal Katie 3 years ago. Well, as I’m sure you can predict, there is a (somewhat) happy ending to this story. For those of you still drowning in the new amount you must add to your food budget, each month: breathe a small (and I do mean small) sigh of relief. I have some advice for you…again gleaned from my own experience.
1)     If the coupons won’t come to Katie, Katie must go to the coupons: Believe it or not, there are coupons for the more allergen-friendly foods. They just don’t appear on your doorstep in the Sunday paper. Almost every natural food store or “alternative” grocery store has their own coupons. Even Whole Foods! They give out a bi-monthly coupon booklet full of treasures! You may just have to go to the store first, grab the coupon booklet, and then plan your shopping. My Whole Foods here is conveniently located next to a Starbucks so I make a morning out of it…coupon book, coffee/make shopping list based on such coupons, go back and actually shop. Make sure to ask at every market you visit…some post coupons on their facebook page or may even have an email listserv. Finally, many of these natural food stores are small enough that they offer pretty great reward programs. ALWAYS ASK.
2)     The internet is your friend: Almost every major allergen-friendly brand posts coupons on their websites. They know the food is expensive (but it’s also expensive for them to make) so they do what they can to help. You just have to take the time to accept it. Enjoy Life, Udi’s, Glutino, and so many other brands often provide $1 off coupons for completing a survey…or even sometimes just for pressing print! Also, I know I mentioned this in an earlier post but sign up for sites like this one: www.glutenfreesaver.comIt’s like Living Social for the gluten-free world…and they come right to your inbox!
3)     Go to Fairs and Expos: There are SO many reasons you should look for allergy expos and fairs to attend…see Today is a Fairy Tale if you need to remember the joy they provide. However, another added bonus, you know aside from eating delicious safe food samples and feeling “normal” again for a few hours, you also leave with an inordinate amount of coupons. Yes, even frugal me was hesitant to pay the $20 registration fee to attend…but I can say without a doubt that I came out in the black on that day. I’m not exaggerating when I say I left with over $50 worth of coupons. So yes, go. It’s worth it!
4)     Be a Hoarder: As a lifelong sufferer of a moderate to severe packrat condition, I can tell you there are few instances in which I will encourage hoarding. (I consider myself on step 8 of the 12-step road to non-hoarder-dom); however, when it comes to allergen-free food I am 100% in support of hoarding. When a loaf of bread typically costs $6 and you can get it for $4.50, buy a few…you know you’ll use it eventually! Same goes for Enjoy Life chocolate chips…if you find those for less than $4, buy every one you can find. (Another one of my former ACE roommates (we’ll call her my Long-Distance Life Chat Listener) can attest to the profound level of excitement when I stumbled upon chocolate chips for $3.49 in an Indiana grocery store…$3.49!!) Bake big batches, use your freezer, embrace your inner hoarder…just try not to let it extend past food. 🙂
5)     Beg, borrow…but don’t steal: I have become shameless when it comes to coupons. Recently, an allergen-free restaurant outside of Baltimore had a Buy 1, Get 1 coupon in our local paper. I put the word out to my co-workers and friends and managed to collect 7 of them. That’s 7 free “cheese”steaks, reubens, etc. Granted they expire in late January so I better get spending. (If anyone wants to come along, let me know. There are still 5 coupons remaining) Just please, whatever you do, don’t steal coupons. SO Delicious has a habit of sticking $1 off coupons to their ice cream and milks. I’ve seen people take them off and not buy anything. I’m not judging.. I just can’t promote coupon theft. It goes against the unwritten code of coupon ethics.
Now after all this, you’re probably wondering why this post is entitled “Ode to Trader Joe’s” when so far it seems like “A Celebration of the Art of Couponing”. I mean Trader Joes doesn’t even accept coupons. Well, remember those joy-filled moments I mentioned at the beginning?? I had one this week. It had been awhile since I’d visited Trader Joe’s because there are a lot of items there that contain that pesky “Made on shared equipment…” label. In fact, Trader Joe’s black beans were the culprit of the ill-fated dinner which taught me that lesson all too well 3 summers ago. However, I walked in there this week and could scarcely believe my eyes. They have a gluten-free section now…with NAME brands (Udi’s, etc.) AND they now carry gluten-free cupcakes and a flourless chocolate cake which was my staple “pick up a dessert on my way to an event” item prior to my dairy-free days. They even have gluten-free pizza! I know, I know, you’re joining McKayla Maroney…you’re still not impressed. Every grocery store has this nowadays. True. BUT what I couldn’t believe were the prices!! SO much more reasonable! For example, among the many things that disappear with one’s ability to process gluten, add many brands of cold cuts to the list. That’s right, those of you who can eat such things might want to skip the next few sentences or you may never eat a sandwich again. You think it’s just meat in that deli counter…sadly, not the case. Gluten-free cold cuts are pretty easy to locate in a regular counter, but add casein (the dairy protein my body attacks) to that list? Suddenly you’re left with very few. Now I’m one of those people I used to stare at who bypasses the deli counter for the much less cost-effective organic/individually packaged/explicitly labeled gluten and casein-free packages of cold cuts. Even on the best days in most grocery stores, I have to shell out somewhere close to $6 for my package of roast beef…a little less if I go for the turkey breast instead. Well, much to my surprise…there was my roast beef hanging in Trader Joe’s…for $3.49!!! Talk about a joy-filled moment. That’s almost 2 weeks of lunches now for the price of 1.
$3.49!!!

The joy continued…I found a packaged of roasted chicken for my salads that was ACTUALLY JUST CHICKEN! Seriously, next time you’re at the store, find one of those Purdue Short Cut chicken packages. Even the plain, unseasoned one contains soy. The seasoned ones? Forget it, I can’t even read some of those words. I even found a multivitamin that I can take! And the nice associate called the manufacturer for me just to make sure that the only reason it wasn’t labeled vegan was because it contained shellfish fragments and not dairy. (Though trying to explain to someone why you’re looking for a vegan label but you don’t care about eating fish…that was entertaining to say the least) And last but not least, I found chicken sausages that were gluten and casein free!! I left Trader Joe’s with a smile on my face, a receipt for less than $20 (which is rare these days for groceries) and a bag full of delicious safe foods. I went home and made a scrumptious dinner…with enough leftovers for 2 days!

My delicious post-Trader Joe’s dinner…
A refrigerator of safe foods! (well, once the eggs are baked that is)…it almost looks normal, right??
So in short, thank you Trader Joe’s for bringing some unexpected joy into my allergen-free existence. If you have allergies, find one near you and check it out. Don’t swear off all other stores of course because coupons make a difference…but be an informed consumer. Plan, shop, and save. 
And if you live in the Baltimore area and need groceries before Friday, please let me know. I’m 53 points shy of earning my free turkey/ham and I only have this week to earn them. There’s no way I’m getting this close and missing out on free meat that will provide a week’s worth of dinners. My Excel spreadsheet just won’t allow it…
You can take the girl out of accounting…but you can’t take accounting out of the girl…