Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Gluten Free 101


Gluten Free 101
Wednesday November 14, 6:30 pm
Fairview RW Health Services Professional Building
Red Wing Area Seniors (The old Fairview Hospital)
1407 W. 4th St.
Red Wing, MN 55066

Nancy Olson (Clinical Nutritionist) and I will be talking about Celiac Disease. Learn how to adjust to life without wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats, tips when grocery shopping, gluten free restaurant options, and more. There will also be gluten free treats to try.

“Food is the path to healing in celiac. There is no pill we can take, no surgery we can endure, and in fact, no cure other than living on an entirely gluten-free diet. Some find that distressing. I find it a blessing.” ~ Shauna James Ahern, Gluten-Free Girl

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Waffles (Gluten & Fructose Free)


It took me several years to come up with a good waffle recipe that wasn’t heavy or funny in the inside. Since these aren’t very sweet, I also use these waffles for making crumbs for breading, chopping them up and putting them in spinach balls, etc.

Ingredients1 cup GF and fructose free safe flour mix (I like a blend of white rice flour, with a bit of tapioca starch)
½ cup potato starch (not potato flour)
¼ cup amaranth flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dextrose
¼ cup olive oil
2 eggs
1 ½ cup milk or safe milk alternative (goat milk, rice milk…)

Directions
* Mix dry ingredients together and whisk wet ingredients together into separate bowls.
* Combine wet and dry ingredients together, whisking them well. Add more rice flour if too thin, or more liquid if too thick.
* Pour into waffle iron and cook according to waffle iron directions. (Around 4-4 ½ minutes)
* These freeze very well. Pop them into the toaster to reheat.

Note: ** Since there are different forms of Fructose intolerance, Always consult your doctor and/or nutritionist before trying any recipe.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Living with Celiac Disease & Fructose Intolerance


"Faery Dance" (c)2003
Acrylic on Panel, 12"x16"

(c) All Rights Reserved
I decided to write down a bit of my life story because I get a lot of questions from people going through similar experiences wondering what I eat, how I was diagnosed, etc. In 2003 I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (No gluten- wheat, barley, rye & oats) after living a life of digestive distress. Then in 2006 I was diagnosed with fructose intolerance (no fruit across the board, and very limited veggies in my diet). Even though my diet is very restricted, I am the healthiest I have ever been and feel good for the first time in many, many years. My life back. It is wonderful!

My story in a nutshell: (Well, it is longer than I thought.. You might want to sit back with a cup of tea)
I have always had problems with my digestion; starting as an infant where part of my intestines were removed. Problems remained throughout time. (I can tell you where most bathrooms are in any place I have been- true story!) I always knew it was caused from food, even when doctors told me that there was no such thing as food allergies or problems (this is when I was a child). But to feel well, I kept trying to figure it out by eliminating foods that I “thought” made me sick. For the longest time I blamed everything on meat- so I thought being a vegetarian (14 years) would answer all my problems. It didn’t. I kept getting worse and remained a medical mystery. Because I was misdiagnosed for most of my life, Gluten & Fructose took a toll on my system and caused other health problems. Finally, in my mid-30’s a medical abstract came across my desk on Celiac Disease. I thought someone wrote a book on me. Thankfully, I found a good doctor who tested me for it, and sure enough, this is the problem. Within weeks, I began seeing improvement. But I didn’t fully get better. Then after another Mayo Clinic quest, I was tested & diagnosed with fructose intolerance. I am feeling so much better following these diets- better than I have ever felt. With diet, Spring Forest Qigong, Psych-K, traditional & complementary medicine, etc. I have found much improvement. So now I am basically a meat & potatoes girl, which is kind of funny after being a vegetarian for so many years. Family & friends still take a double look at me when I am eating meat. So even though my life has been a rollercoaster; I can thank prayer & insight/intuition, great doctors & healers, determination & persistence, etc. as helping me live each day creating wellness for myself & helping others. I am a testimony that life can improve and can become full again.

So, in future Blog entries, I’ll share more tips, food ideas & recipes, & things that helped in my healing process. I want to share this information so that no one else has to suffer for decades with a disease that is very treatable with diet. It might not be fun, but it is so worth it to feel good again! One of my doctors said “You can do this” as I stared back at her with wide eyes. And she was right. It can be done.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Thank You

Colleayn with parents, Sue & Max, at Artist Reception
(c) All Rights Reserved
I had a wonderful time at the Artist Reception! Thanks to everyone who came to the show to see my artwork and say Hi. I appreciate all of your support and kind wishes. This has been a very successful & rewarding show. If you weren't able to make it to the reception, the show continues through May 13, 2007.

Monday, March 19, 2007

"Dreams Come True" Acrylic


"Dreams Come True" (c) 2007
Acrylic on Panel, 16"x15"
(c) All Rights Reserved
One can't help but feel very lucky when they are around this shamrock. This painting was completed on St. Patrick's Day, which I believe gives it that extra special magic of the day. May the luck of the Irish be with you! (Ádh na nÉireannach)
Original Painting & Greeting Cards Available

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Happy St. Patrick's Day


"Reaching for the Stars" (c)2005
Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 16"x17"
(c) All Rights Reserved
This is an example of my Celtic Art. I began creating this type of art right after college. I sat down on my drafting table one day, and this is the type of art that emerged. (I have no formal painting background. My training is through practice and trying new things from the art store.) I love creating art with the interlacing knotwork. Each piece is done free-hand, without rulers, compasses or other tools. Over the years I have experimented with other painting techniques and subjects, but I always come back to my Irish roots. Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is a very special holiday- right up there with Christmas in our family. Please visit http://www.ckgalleria.com/ for more examples of my Celtic Art.
Giclee Archival Prints & Greeting Cards Available.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

"Divine Love" Acrylic

"Divine Love" (c) 2007
Acrylic on Panel, 18"x32"
(c) All Rights Reserved
This is a painting of a Lotus flower completed a few days ago for an upcoming Art Show at the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, MN. I get a lot of requests to paint Lotus flowers since they are very healing, peaceful and spiritual. This will make a beautiful focal point for the show in the Mezzanine of the Historic Theatre.
Original Painting & Greeting Cards Available
Art Show Details:
Solo exhibit
April 3 – May 13, 2007
The Sheldon Theatre, Red Wing, MN 55066
Artist Reception Saturday, April 21, 2007
5:00-6:30
This reception is in conjunction with the performance of The Wailin’ Jennys whose musical art is also Celtic based. www.sheldontheatre.org/

"Shine" Acrylic

"Shine" (c) 2006
Acrylic on Panel, 12" x 9"
(c) All Rights Reserved
This is a painting of a Dahlia. When shopping for plants for the garden, I fell in love with all the beautiful Dahlia's reaching for the sun. I knew that this would be the perfect flower for the upcoming "Miniature" Art Show. The requirements were that it had to be smaller than 12" square.
Greeting Cards Available

"Loves Blessing" Oil Painting

"Loves Blessing" (c) 2005
Oil on Canvas, 18"x14"
(c) All Rights Reserved
This is one of my favorite paintings of a Peony. I love painting flowers because of their depth, multi-layers, vibrant colour, and beauty. It is also my way of capturing Spring and Summer year round because Minnesota winters are so long. You can't help but smile and feel happiness when surrounded by flowers. This painting is also available as an archival Giclee.
Giclee Archival Prints & Greeting Cards Available

Monday, March 12, 2007

Radiant Jewel, Acrylic

"Radiant Jewel" (c) 2005
Acrylic on Panel, 12"x16"
(c) All Rights Reserved
I love painting flowers and doing Celtic Art, and I thought this would be a great way to combine the two into one piece. To see more of my Celtic Art, please visit my website: www.ckgalleria.com
Greeting Cards Available

Lotus Flowers, Oil Painting


"Lotus Flowers" (c) 2005
Oil on canvas, 36"x48"
(c) All Rights Reserved
This is a painting that was commissioned by Master Chunyi Lin for the Spring Forest Qigong Healing Center in Minnesota. I felt honoured to create such a beautiful piece of art. This is the largest painting I have ever painted, and now that I have worked on such a large scale, it is hard to go back and paint as I used to (quite small).

"Birds Eye View", Acrylic

"Birds Eye View" (c) 2005
Acrylic on Panel, 14" x 18"
All Rights Reserved
This painting was created for a Garden Walk in Minnesota. I was chosen to paint in Jackie Rhein's amazing gardens. Several artists were chosen to paint in a different garden for the day, and each piece of art was auctioned off to help a local group. It was unbearably hot & humid with temperatures over 100 degrees, but it was fun to spend the day in a garden, listening to an orchestra and painting.
Greeting Cards Available

Welcome

Greetings!
Welcome to my new blogspot. This blog is a way for me to share my adventures in Art, Stitching, how to deal with food intolerances, Qigong, etc. This is also a very nice way for me to post recent pieces of art, since I haven’t been able to offer updates on my website. I will regularly be posting new creations on my blog, and to start off, I’ll post several pieces that I have recently completed. To see more of my art, please visit www.ckgalleria.com Enjoy!

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