Hi There!
So, you'd like to know a little about me, Michelle Merring!
Well, I am the Homeschooling mother of two wonderful kids, married to an amazing hubby and I live in Los Angeles, CA.
We found out that my son could not eat wheat and gluten when he was four years old. His great aunt was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and she was a wealth of information once we got started on our Wheat/Gluten free lifestyle.
BUT, we are a vegetarian family. Aunt Jane wasn't; she had no experience eating this way. We did consider (briefly) that we could feed our son meat, but I was sure, there was a way to eat well, and be a healthy, gluten free veggie!
Also, most of our family is on the east coast, so I was on my own food shopping for items that were safe. The first year, there were a lot of expensive, pre-made, specialty food (that wasn't tasty), and the same old cuisine day in and day out! We were getting bored and BROKE!
I began to get adventurous in my cooking. Trying new mixes and then inventing my own recipes to substitute for the meals we loved and missed eating. Plus, I found home-cooking ensured I knew what my son was eating - no wheat/gluten additives or cross-contamination.
Now, I could tell you that I was already a great cook and that it was easy to create great food, but the truth is, in the beginning, I made some BAD food! Wheat-free cooking and baking can be challenging, and I really had no talent in the kitchen! But I had a hungry family and that was motivation enough to keep going! Plus, as my kids got older, our schedule got busier. I had to learn to make quick, good food!
I also felt like my family was the ONLY Gluten free Vegetarians around. I couldn't find much information on what GF Veggies ate! And most of the products we used to eat had wheat, gluten and/or additives made from wheat!
That's why I thought I should make a blog dedicated to eating well - veggie style! Plus, I wanted de-bunk the idea that a great cook has gone to a famous cooking school! Some of the best chefs I know are MOMs!
I hope you enjoy watching my episodes and trying out teh recipioes on I Eat weird! I look forward to seeing your posts and learning and growing with you!
-- Michelle
