Low Carb With The Carrs
I turned a personal health obstacle into a way of helping others through my passions of cooking and creating!
When my first child was only three years old, we discovered she needed to follow a gluten free diet to rid her of her horrible eczema and perioral dermatitis.
I was willing to try anything so she didn’t have to worry about medicines her whole life.
I rolled up my sleeves and accepted that I was going on this new journey with her.
I found that others were finding their way through rediscovering food too, so my website was created.
I would be able to help many more people this way all around the world!
I want you to know who I am and why I do what I do.
Learning how to cook again has become one of the most difficult and most rewarding journies I have embarked on next to parenting.
My close friends and family have seen me do without because there were no gluten free options.
They were there when I had to tell my daughter that she couldn’t have the cake at the birthday party, or the gingerbread at Christmas because it would cause “owies” that itch.
After you go to a few events where you have to see your childs disappointed face, you learn quickly how to solve it so you don’t have to go through it again!
My drive became more fierce as gluten became a problem for me too!
This is my story and I hope that it inspires you and gives you confidence that you can live gluten free happily!
It gets easier every new day and every step of the way towards your new lifestyle.
Grandma Bettie and a Legacy of Cooking
As a kid, I spent every summer vacation and every spring break with my Grandma Bettie.
Our days were ordinary to most, but extraordinary to me!
When I woke up she would greet me with a small cup of orange juice because she said “she wanted me healthy with a good dose of vitamin C”.
It was then soon followed by, “So honey, what do you want for breakfast?”
She made anything I wanted.
Pancakes and waffles were what I asked for most.
Her old wafflemaker was the size of a small suitcase, heavy and shiny chrome lined with black.
Then followed in choice, streusel coffeecake, eggs and bacon, or cozy biscuits and gravy!
She showed love with her food and I wanted to do that too!
A Health Discovery Reset My Knowledge of Baking From Expert to Novice
I married at a later age than most in my family, so I had seven years on my own to practice.
I mastered cheesecakes, layer cakes, cookies, homemade pies and more.
My co-workers through the years were all too eager to be my testers!
By the time I got married, I could impress with homemade biscuits, from scratch cherry pie and chewy fudge brownies, all of my husband’s favorites!
I was overjoyed when our daughter started eating solid foods so she could eat all of the great food I was making!
Her favorite when she was very little was my homemade graham crackers.
It was only a few short years after this picture that we would start to see her eczema show up.
We thought once she was potty trained her horrible rashes would subside that she had on her bottom and thighs.
Some days were better than others, but each time it came back, after applying a prescription cream, it was worse.
I did hours of research to find what could be the reason she had this eczema on her thighs, bottom and now her face.
I ran across a Mom describing an elimination diet.
She said she started by taking out the main culprits: gluten, dairy, artificial colors and acidic fruits.
I first eliminated them all and slowly reintroduced them one by one.
Gluten, artificial colors, acidic fruits and additives brought it back each time.
So we made a decision to eliminate them.
During this time we hosted a 4th of July party at our place.
I woke up to see that I had blistering eczema all around my eyes and mouth.
I suffered through the weekend wearing makeup because I was embarrassed.
The makeup burned on my blisters, but I would rather suffer than go around all broken out like I was 13 again.
I vowed to never eat gluten again and limit my caffeine, which seemed to cause it to get worse.
The gluten free buns I got to have with my hamburger off of the campfire grill were terrible.
I ended up eating it without the bun. It was sad!
I then started researching my favorite foods, but gluten free versions.
The ones I found that matched the best were Paleo recipes.
Danielle Walker from “Against All Grain” became my go-to for gluten free guidance.
I bought her first cookbook and finally found recipes both my daughter and I loved.
Danielle’s gluten free banana pancakes became a staple.
It was an adventure finding new recipes and trying them out.
There were a lot of flops, but each time I learned what NOT to do and kept on going!
A Few Years Later, My Second Pregnancy Gave Me a New Hurdle
At this point I had been 100% gluten free for two years.
I learned a lot and felt more comfortable in the kitchen.
When I was screened for gestational diabetes I was only a few points away from being diagnosed with it.
I was urged to watch my sugars to prevent complications in my later pregnancy.
This is when I found Trim Healthy Mama.
It is a gluten free, sugar free way of eating that pairs protein with fat, or protein with carbs alone, not combined.
I learned a lot about alternative sugars and how to incorporate going sugar free with gluten free.
As time went on I found ways to create my own recipes for gluten free, sugar free foods.
A friend at the time suggested I take my knowledge and put it on a blog.
It seemed a daunting task until I learned about it.
My first post was on May 20, 2018 with my recipe for Easy Keto Creamy Shrimp Alfredo on my site LowCarbWithTheCarrs.com
The whole Carr family was taking the journey together so it fit perfectly!
It was just the beginning of my families journey into discovering the low carb gluten free world.
I soon discovered keto and found it fit perfectly into how I was already eating so it was easy to adjust.
I tried a strict keto diet for a few months and it really helped me reset.
I then connected with other like minded people on social media and found a real need for gluten free AND low carb recipes.
This then spurred my first self-published cookbook, “Quick and Simple Low Carb Recipes”.
I wanted a way to support my family since I was also a homeschooling Mom of two at the time.
It was a smashing success and I sold out of my hard copies twice!
I since have put up an e-book version and have updated hard copies available.
You will also find my second cookbook , “Chaffles, Cast Iron and The Crock” available in hard copy or e-book downloadable format
When I look back on my obstacles they all seem worth it when I know it was so I could help others.
Helping others is what really lights me up and spurs my imagination to keep creating!
Thank you for reading my story about how I got started on my gluten free low carb journey!
I would love to keep in touch with you and I am here to help if you have any questions!
My newsletter goes out twice a month and you can also subscribe directly to my site so you get notified when I post new recipes which ranges from 2-4 new ones each week!
I hope to talk to you soon!
Sincerely,
Melissa Carr
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