"I Got the Bunnies" Just Doesn't Have That Ring to It

Everyone I've lived with as an adult has been made aware of the "Mac&Cheese and Kool-Aid Rule." The rule states that if you come home to find me eating mac & cheese with hotdogs cut up in it and drinking Kool-Aid (especially cherry or lemon/lime), just hug me. Nevermind asking about my day. Just hug me. Why? Because this is a food combination I only indulge in if I'm extremely sad/upset or have had a bad day. And I don't just mean regular bad day. A MC/KA meal is only for the "someone ran over my puppy" kind of sad days.

I should also mention that I hate cheese. This is important because it explains why I only like the blue-box, fake cheese stuff. In fact, when I made a delightfully ooey-gooey, rich, mac & cheese bake for my husband, I had to hold my nose while I was cooking.

Naturally, upon finding out I had Celiac, I was a little worried. Do they even make "crap" macroni & cheese without gluten? The answer is a resounding YES! And just in time. It's been a rough week. I think part of that is due to the fact that food is often my go-to for comfort. And most of my comfort food is chock full of wheat. It's difficult to comfort yourself with food, when you need comfort because you can't eat that food.

That's where Annie's comes in. While at Heinen's, I found their rice pasta with cheddar and bought a few boxes. On a day when I met all of the above-mentioned criteria, I cooked a box of it while waiting for my lemon-lime Kool-Aid to chill in the fridge. To finish it off, I cut up and threw in some Ballpark Smoked White Turkey Franks. I use them because of my restrictions with fat, but my husband actually likes them better than regular hot dogs.

I sat down to my bowl of mac & cheese (to make myself feel better about it, I paired it with a nice, grown-up salad comprised of cucumbers, beets, artichoke hearts, olives, and my current salvation - Almond Accents), not knowing what to expect. If the gluten free version of my comfort food didn't cut it, what on earth would I eat to feel better about that? Fortunately for me and the 4 year old who occasionally lives in my stomach, it was good! It doesn't taste exactly the same, but it definitely worked.

So now I can venture out farther into the gluten free world, knowing that my security box of mac&cheese is available if I need it.