Oh Hell No....!!

And so it began...

The Pimple-Apocalypse of 2013.

A gross introduction, I know, but I promise there is a point.

It wreaked it's ugly havoc right smack dab in the middle of my face, right smack dab in the middle of what was shaping up to be the best summer that I'd had in a long time. Vacations were planned, birthdays were on the horizon, and there was to be a slew of date nights and little surprises along the way.

No stranger to debacles of the dermatological sort, I've learned a few things in the course of the last several years. First, there is a big difference between a blemish here or there and a sudden, angry, pimple flash mob trampling my mug.

The former could be anything, fabric softener on the pillow case, make-up, sunblock, dirt, sun..
But the ladder is a barometer of what is happening on the inside. It is a red flag that something is amiss on a much larger scale. That my liver, perhaps, is "flooded" and unable to process ...something.
Since the human body is not rigged with whirly gadgets to alert us to a possible mechanical failure like the kind a car comes equipped with, one must learn to pay attention to other signals that indicate when we are *ahem--running low on fuel, our batteries need charging or that we are using the wrong motor oil, if you will.
For me, the idea of listening to my body began in the summer of 2005.
Another epic summer, I was living in Hawai'i and relying heavily on my body's optimum performance. I surfed everyday, I rode a bike, I swam, jumped off cliffs and often hiked in the rainforest with friends.  The problem I struggled with was the state of my skin.
It was the worst it had ever been. I ate well. I exercised everyday and despite my best efforts to be healthy...
I had acne.
The really bad kind.
The kind that no pill, dermatologist, face wash, esthetician--or her bag of tricks, could cure.
I was embarrassed all of the time. My situation seemed hopeless and I was even toying with the idea of Accutane. For a whole host of reasons, it was a drastic step that I did not want to take.
It was in this summer that, post surf, I was lounging on my roommate Courtney's glorious couch and watching MSMBC. I happened to catch a few simple words strung together, that slid across the screen then disappeared as fast as they had appeared, and changed my life forever.
The words read, "milk may be linked to acne".

If you know me personally, or if you've read any of the previous Break An Egg posts, then you likely know that I am lactose intolerant.
I didn't know that then. Then, my icebox was teeming with every variation of dairy product known to man. I was an --All Dairy, All Day-- kind of gal.
I reluctantly took a short sabbatical from the stuff and then with my fingers crossed tight, I stuck my face in a pint of Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream. Ok, it wasn't my face but rather a large spoon ... you get the idea.
It was then that I was able to recognize long ignored signals that my digestive system didn't appreciate Ben, Jerry or cow sourced milk products of any kind.
No more than five minutes into my strawberry swirled confection, my sinuses boycotted the invasion, they shutdown, my mouth tasted like pennies and a twisting, churning, cramping, intense pain took hold of my innards and refused to let go. And it would be several years, many tears and way too many stomach aches before I rid myself of dairy completely. And while it didn't completely cure my skin woes, it did dramatically improve my appearance.

Cut to this July, I was eating well, or so I thought, I'd curtailed my considerable drinking habit, I was going to hot yoga several times a week, drinking tons of water (THAT as it turned out--is what solved the dwindling dermatological debacle), and so it came as a shock that I was back where I'd started in 2005. This time, I reviewed the facts. I knew that my sinuses had been impaired, but I blamed the weather. I knew that I had little to no energy so I upped my exercise and drank more water. When that didn't work, I chalked it up to low natural energy. And even though I was in love, I never wanted to be touched, because with each meal I ate, I would experience immediate bloating and pain in my belly that would last for hours.
I was aware that I'd been baking up a storm all summer but,  I wasn't ...... I couldn't be.... I mean what a cruel twist of fate that I may also be......

But there they were, all of the same flags that took over in 2005.

Am I GLUTEN INTOLERANT!!!?!!?
*Insert obligatory temper tantrum here.

Once I got done shaking my fists, swearing at the universe and sweeping perfectly set tabletops onto the floor, I embarked on a gluten sabbatical.

This time, I had geographic location on my side. Many restaurants in L.A. are quickly becoming all manner of fad sensitive. I am walking distance to three health conscious grocery stores, and I had a partner in restraint or a "running buddy", my b, who was not only taking this trip with me but often showing up at my day job with bags of dairy and gluten free foods!
The first few days were tough, but I stuck to it and the first thing I got back was the ability to move more than five feet away from a box of tissues. Then, I realized that when I ate, I could go on about my day, pain free. And then I noticed that I not only had more energy but that I could focus too. Maybe I wasn't experiencing adult onset ADD after all. My clothes were getting looser, my tummy flatter and yes, eventually my skin started to heal too.
It was a bittersweet experiment.
I was happy to feel better but terrified of what it would mean to try to live, not only with out my favorite food group, dairy, but also without bread and cake and beer and soy sauce and biscuits and speculoos and croissants and pasta! Oh Sweet Baby Jesus! No pasta!?
How will I travel? How will I dine out? How will I eat at someone else's house without seeming pretentious? How can I do this and WHY, WHY FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!?!
But I know why. Because it takes someone whose whole life revolves around food, to find a creative and delicious way to eat without it. And that's what I will do.
Because honestly, I feel too good to go back.

And just incase you were wondering, these Lemon and Blueberry Pancakes, your mouth probably hasn't been watering at the sight of.. ARE dairy and gluten free.

And completely DELICIOUS!

Lemon and Blueberry Gluten and Dairy Free Pancakes

Dry Ingredients

• 1cup gluten free flour(this one was a blend of brown rice, potato and tapioca)
• 2tbsp cane sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp sea salt

Wet Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1tbsp Earth Balance butter substitute(melted)
• 1tbsp coconut oil(melted, plus more for pan/griddle)
• 1 large egg
• zest of one lemon(or more depending on preference)
• 1 pint of blueberries

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside. 

Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the "milk", "butter", "oil" and egg. Combine with dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add blueberries and zest, reserving some zest for garnish.

Here is where you'll have to make your own judgement call.. I used approximately 1/2 cup of batter per pancake. It was very "wet" so I made them in individually 5in. sized, nonstick pans. If you don't have pans that small or prefer a griddle then I recommend using ring molds to hold the pancake shape or experiment with the ratio of flour to "milk"(--which I will also be doing in the future).

Over medium heat, swirl coconut oil over pan. Pour approximately 1/2 cup of batter at a time and let rest until bubbles pop up in pancake 3-5 minutes. Flip and repeat. Stack and garnish with as much zest as you can stand. 

Voila! 

*scoop of Earth Balance and maple syrup and powdered sugar on top, optional