Feeding My Soul

May 28th, 2010..... "You tested positive for celiac disease." After a month of tummy troubles, you would think I would be thrilled to have a diagnosis. Instead, I cried in my husband's arms. I cried for the uncertainty of what the diagnosis meant for my life and wellbeing, the future medical bills this may incur - but most of all I cried over all the delicious and emotionally meaningful meals I would never be able to eat.

This blog is my journey from that place of mourning to where I stand now...in a kitchen, apron tied around my waist, baking our weekly loaf of gluten-free sandwich bread. (and it is delicious, I must add) "Soul Food" means more than just a bowl full of food. Soul Food is the vitamins and nutrients I am slowly discovering in the foods I eat; how I feel when I eat a perfectly tart Rainier cherry that tastes more like a juicy peach/grape mix than any sugar-covered maraschino cherry. Soul Food can be found in the things I do or learn that make my soul shine with happiness...a new exercise, rock wall climbing with my sister-in-law, a good book, yoga. My favorite Soul Food is a walk around the neighborhood, one hand resting on my husband's, the other hand holding a cup of coffee. Our souls can shine so brightly if we feed them well.

I am new at reading ingredient labels. I screwed up that loaf of bread I was baking because I added the wrong starch - so it grew like a monster in my oven. I will not write about perfect recipes and how much I love watching other people eat cake and thick crust pizza while I'm stuck with carrot sticks. The gloves are off, and I invite you to feed your soul along with me, one messy bite at a time.