Superbowl Sunday

Speaking of finding the women within......let's talk football for just a moment......
Football has not always been my thing, but a close friend showed me the way and now I am a proud STEELERS fan.  I live in a house full of men & boys but really am the only one who likes to watch sports at all.  Being that I was a volleyball player in school and college, and now coach volleyball, I have that competitive spirit.  My boys just think it is silly that I sit and cheer for my team or yell at the TV when something doesn't go my way, but hey they do the same thing while playing X-box, now isn't that silly?

So anyways, HOORAY! the Men of Steeler Nation are playing in the Superbowl this year (or actually winning...the other team is just showing up out of courtesy :)  Which leads us to the "Superbowl Feast"  I believe that the Superbowl and food have been associated ever since the very 1st one.  Chicken wings, Pizza, Nachos, Hot dogs, the list is long.  However, when you are attempting to eat wheat and gluten free or even healthy, many of these "eats" create a problem. 

Wheat and or gluten can be found in more things than you can imagine.  Most breads, processed box mixes, sauces, prepared foods, cereals, snack foods, hot dogs, of course beer and even shampoos, conditioners and makeup (ok so you don't eat those things.)  Eating wheat and gluten free I have found to be quite difficult during the Superbowl.  But this year I am preparing a Superbowl Feast that is free of wheat and gluten!  Pulled Pork, sweet and sour meatballs, fresh fruit, chicken wings, nachos, brownies & peanut-butter chocolate chip cookies.  All gluten and wheat free!  How? I am preparing most yummies from scratch.  Some things you buy are certified wheat or gluten free, others are not.  But if you are making things from scratch you know exactly what goes in them.  When making the pulled pork...I make my own rub and use Dinosaur BBQ Slathering Sauce (certified gluten-free!) I know the ingredients going in are wheat and gluten free and the pulled pork is sooo much tastier anyways.  Now I did buy rolls for those people who would like to make a sandwich.  But I'll just take more of the yummy pork to fill me up, thank you :)  Same for chicken wings, meatballs and the nachos - which are corn and topping all free of gluten.  The brownies are a wheat-free gluten free boxed mix but none the less yummy and my sister gave me a recipe for the wheat free peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies....oh so delicious!  I will be forgoing the pizza this year because I have yet to find a crust recipe that resembles a real Italian crust, and instead of beer I will stick to wine or another beverage of my choice!

Why all the talk about wheat and gluten free?  Well that is another topic all together but the short of it is that wheat was never intended to be consumed by humans.  It originally was grown to feed cattle.  Cows however have 3 stomachs and enough acid to digest the nasty stuff.  In addition to digestive tract problems, a intolerance to wheat and or gluten can cause rashes, lethargy, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain and depression to name a few symptoms.  Now I am just talking "intolerance" and I do occasionally consume wheat products, I will pay for it later with all of the symptoms I listed above, but is it going to kill me? Not right away.  But if you are allergic to wheat or gluten you may have a disease called Celiac Disease, this is much more of a problem and can be fatal.  Again another topic for another day.

For now, however, I must go continue to prepare my Superbowl Feast for friends and family who will be joining me to watch the big game.    GO STEELERS!!!!, and in the VERY UNLIKELY event that the Packers get lucky and I have to eat my words - at least they will be wheat and gluten free too!) Whoever you are rooting for, enjoy the game, your meal, time spent with friends and family and most importantly drive safely!~CMB