
Hi, it’s me and a gazillion letters of text!
You may have noticed that I’ve been making a lot more gluten-free recipes over the past couple of weeks and I thought I would talk about why I’ve been doing this.
It’s sort of a long story!
Luckily, I’m jacked up on caffeine right now.
I’ve been experiencing some strange health symptoms over the past 4-6 weeks. For example, I’ve had bad stomach bloating to the point where I look 6 months pregnant (I’m not). I’ve always had bloating on and off all my life, but this is much worse than the normal bloating I’ve experienced in the past. I’m also experiencing bad stomach pains in my abdomen area, round-the-clock lower back pain, fatigue, and pressure in my pelvic area, among other things. The pain in my abdomen and lower pelvic area gets much worse after eating and I often feel really full after eating a normal-sized meal. Lately, I’ve been waking up with mild stomach pain too.
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (which I’ve mentioned on the blog a while back) and for most of my life I’ve struggled with stomach pain, headaches, and GI discomfort on and off. My stomach is very sensitive to certain foods like dairy, nuts, soy, and beans. I never really know how it is going to react. Sometimes a handful of raw almonds can set it off with pains, while other times it’s fine. IBS is also strongly associated with our emotions, so it’s not surprising that my anxiety manifests itself through my stomach and digestive system.
Since I’m divulging my life story, another thing I’ve struggled with health-wise is my reproductive system. Specifically, my ovaries.
In 2009, a pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound revealed that I have multiple cysts on my ovaries as well as an enlarged (they called it ‘bulky’) right ovary. In addition to my regular yearly pap test and physical, I also go for a yearly ultrasound to monitor the cysts and make sure that they aren’t getting larger. Keepin’ an eye on things. Basically, I’m on watch for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
I had another ultrasound in March 2011 and it revealed that my right ovary decreased in size from 17.7 ml to 10 ml. My left ovary is also smaller in size. Apparently, this is encouraging news, but I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t really received a proper explanation. I’m thinking about asking for a referral to a specialist soon.
Fast forward to the symptoms I’m experiencing today. They could be the result of a mild or more severe illness, like most symptoms. And trust me when I say that I’ve Googled them all! I think Google has told me I’m going to die of a horrible illness about 654 times during my life, so I’m trying not to self-diagnose or draw any conclusions until I have the proper tests done. It could be something as minor as an ulcer or as major as Ovarian cancer. That’s why I always say it’s important to listen to your body and be your own health advocate if you think something is abnormal for you.
This brings me to tomorrow, my next ultrasound appointment. I pretty much had to beg my doctor for this ultrasound since my last one was only 6 months ago, but I’d rather ruffle a few feathers than to have a health issue go undetected for months. Bring on the 5 large glasses of water and bladder-bursting hour wait time!
The results of my ultrasound will determine my doctor’s next steps. I had blood work done in May which all came back normal, but I will probably have to get my blood checked again.
So, this brings me to the gluten-free recipes.
My doctor suggested that I try eating gluten-free for a while to see if I have any relief in my symptoms. I really do not think it’s gluten causing the issues, but I’m willing to try anything at this point. I’m also going to see a naturopath on Tuesday for a general consultation and food-sensitivity testing the following week. I’ve heard from many people who have had great relief from their digestive issues when seeing a naturopath, so I figure it’s worth trying out.
At this point, I just want to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible, but in all likelihood, it could take a while to figure out. I will try to post an update or two on the blog as I get more information.
PIZZA makes everything better.

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Gluten-Free Almond & Buckwheat Flour Pizza with Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto
A thin, crispy, flatbread-like crust filled with a nutty and lightly sweet flavour that will keep you coming back for more and more. Top it with Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto, some fresh herbs, Daiya cheese, and roasted tomatoes for a pizza that will be gone before you know it.
Yield: 3-4 servings
Inspired by Roost.
Pizza Crust:
- 1.5 cups almond meal (155 grams)*, made from ground raw almonds
- 1.5 cups raw buckwheat flour (205 grams)*, made from ground raw buckwheat groats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano, thyme, parsley)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water, mixed)
- 2-3 tbsp water, as needed
- 2 cloves roasted garlic, optional
Notes: I ground raw almonds in my blender to make the almond meal. You can also use a food processor. To make the buckwheat flour, I ground raw buckwheat groats in my blender. I strongly prefer the taste of freshly ground buckwheat flour to the store-bought kasha flour.
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix flax eggs and set aside for 5 mins. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well with hands until you can form a ball.
3. Place ball of dough on a non-stick mat or on parchment paper. Place another mat or more parchment paper over top. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is as thin as you can get it. Transfer to baking sheet (dough may rip a bit and that is ok). Gently patch rips of dough with fingers and spread on a couple cloves of roasted garlic (optional). I left the crust looking very rustic, so don’t worry it’s not supposed to look perfect!
4. Bake in the oven at 350F for 15-17 minutes until golden along the edges. Remove to cool slightly. Set oven to broil on medium heat setting.
Pizza:
- Pre-baked crust (above)
- 1.5 cups Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto
- Daiya cheese, as much as you want
- 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped herbs
- 3-4 leftover roasted tomatoes
1. Spread the pesto onto pre-baked crust. Sprinkle on cheese, fresh herbs, and chopped roasted tomatoes.
2. Broil for 2-3 minutes over medium heat (3), watching very closely so you don’t burn it. Slice and serve immediately. I served this with a big salad to round out the meal.
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This crust turned out much better than I expected. The dough tasted amazing!

I spread on a couple cloves of leftover roasted garlic before baking.

After pre-baking, I spread on the mouth-watering pesto.

Followed by Daiya cheese, chopped roasted tomatoes, and fresh herbs.

Then I broiled it for 3 minutes over medium heat.

Crispy, ultra-thin, packed with nutrients, and oh so good.

This pizza did not last long!

If you are a thin-crust fan, you will love this pizza.
The crust is one of the most flavourful crusts I have tasted and the toppings went really well with it, but of course you can top it with whatever you see fit.

p.s.- See my new Fall header image? Hold down Control + F5 to refresh the page if you can’t see it.
p.p.s.- I have an exciting mushroom challenge & recipe post coming up Monday! If you love pesto, you will go crazy for this recipe.
We’re off for a day of hiking on this gorgeous Fall day…have a good one!
Love the new banner or anything fall for that matter:) I really understand what you are going through and I’m sorry to hear about it. Since April I have been through test after test for my abdominal pain. It can be so frustrating! Hang in there and I agree, listen to your body, you know it best!
I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic about it, but I had a lot of success with working with a naturopath when I was having digestive issues and unexplained hives. Gluten was the issue for me, and I feel so much better after cutting it out, but I don’t know that I would have had the knowledge or patience to figure it out on my own. Good luck!
I am sorry you haven’t been feeling well!
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been feeling off and can completely relate. I’ve had very similar issues to yours for the last couple of months and have found the most improvement when I cut out grains, dairy and raw foods. I’ve been to see a naturopath who prescribed probiotics and suggested cutting out the above food stuff. She said at this stage my body simply cannot digest salads and raw vegetables :(. My next step was having a food intolerance test but unfortunately this didnt help much: out of the 45 food items tested they all came back positive other than chicken. Normally a couple of items are supposed to be the culprit it is then pretty easy to cut those out. In my case I am focusing on cutting out the ones with the highest scores. Good luck with your tests!
Oh Ange, I am so sorry to hear about your health challenges of late :( The stress and turmoil those sorts of experiences bring is massive. I really hope everything goes well tomorrow and that you can get some answers soon. Thinking of you!
Hey- don’t usually comment but I’ve got both PCOS and IBS and recently i’ve been doing an elimination diet (with help of nutritionist) based around the FODMAPS school of foods which I’ve found really helpful dealing with the horrible IBS symptoms- its a weird bunch of different things including wheat, onions and garlic, legumes, high fructose (like apples and pears, mangoes and honey) and polyols (stone fruits, avocados, mushrooms). Slightly depressing to cut them all out then introduce them one at a time, but generally people who are fodmaps sensitive are worse with some stuff more than others (i’m sensitive to wheat, polyols and legumes, unfortunately for a vegan, but high fructose and onions/garlic were fine). Heres a link if you want to have a read:
http://ibs.about.com/od/ibsfood/a/The-FODMAP-Diet.htm
Good luck with the PCOS too :)
I see the fall header with Explorer but It doesnt come up on Google Chrome (even if I press Ctrl. F5). Have you tried taking a bit of pure unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar? It might help, you might want to look into it. I really hope you get better soon. I was in for my pap last month and after we left the doctors office my husband told me that he said my right ovary was enlarged!!! I live in Italy and although my Italian is pretty good for medical things I have a hard time following what is being said and my husband just casually mentioned this after we left the office. Now I know nothing more then that and of course its too late to ask questions so I have been a bit freaked out ever since and Google isnt helping! I am anxious to hear what you find out about yours (if anything).
Hugs,
Sabs.
Hi Angela!
I’ve been following your blog for quite some time and also ordered your bars a few times. This is my first time posting, I felt a strong urge to comment today! I suffer the same symptoms you do and thought maybe my story can help you? Actually I’ve been having stomach pains since college and wasn’t diagnosed with ibs until this past may. I’m a dentist myself but ended up going to a naturopath for help. It might be tmi for other bloggers, if you want, please email me and I can tell you more. So far everything is getting better! My email is [email protected]
Angela, I’m so sorry to hear about your discomfort. That must be so frustrating to deal with on a daily basis – especially because you simply don’t know when it will strike.
On a different note, my mouth is watering and that pizza looks to-die-for. On my list of things to make!
Ooh – I hope you are feeling better and can get some answers – it is hard enough when you have all kinds of symptoms, but not knowing the cause is so frustrating. And yes – the internet can make us all nuts (and terminal!). The pizza looks great – can’t wait to try it on Friday – pizza night! Good luck today :-)
I’ve definitely noticed that many of your recipes are GF! I’m definitely trying this pizza crust recipe! But after reading the rest of your story, keep trying to eat gluten-free! I’ve been gluten free for about 10 years now. I’m sure you read up on the basics of celiac disease, but when you ingest gluten, it damages the little villi in your small intestine (they normally stand up straight, gluten ingestion flattens them out). The intestine can eventually heal itself with a gluten free diet but depending on how bad it’s damaged, it can take from 2 months to 2 years to heal up. This is also important because those villi are what absorbs the nutrients from your food. So don’t give up on the gluten free eating yet. Like I mentioned, I’ve been GF for 10 years now. Celiac disease can take on MANY different symptoms. Without going into too much detail, my doctor was convinced I had a brain tumor (great news to hear right?). But after talking to one of the many specialists I was going to, I starting doing some serious research. Also, like you, I have been diagnosed with PCOS and also rheumatoid arthritis. Celiac disease could have been a major contributor to both because my body wasn’t getting any of the nutrients it needed, so it started self destructing basically. As you can probably tell, I’m a major cheerleader for eating gluten free even of you don’t have issues with gluten. It’s actually a much healthier option (when you eat whole grains, not most of the GF products). Keep trying it for a few months and see what happens. It might take a while but it will be worth it if you start to feel a difference.
So sorry to hear you are having issues Angela! Hope the doctor is able to pin point it soon!
I talk pretty openly in my real life about having PCOS because as my doctor said to me once “you don’t look like you have it”, well i do and i had to diagnose myself to find out what was wrong and yes i ruffled a few feathers on that search
Going to a naturopath and having acupuncture did a lot for my symptoms and i truly believe it shrank my cysts as i started getting regular cycles again
Until i’m ready to start trying for a baby i’m on strong birth control to shrink the cysts and the day i go off will be the day i call the naturopath again
I have several friends with PCOS and they all have lovely healthy babies :)
1) I love the new header! It gets me so excited for the Fall!
2) I had stomach issues after college and last year I finally went to the dr to see what was wrong. My regular dr. did a blood test and it said I was allergic to dairy, eggs, meat, and peanuts. After a year of eating vegan I saw another allergist and got skin testing. That test says I’m allergic to eggs (unless they protein has been cooked away), plums, carrots, sweet potatoes and pollen. Go figure. I’m in the process of testing this all out but I know how annoying it is to keep removing food from your diet.
I had a similar story – got diagnosed with IBS a few years after college.
It seemed that a vegetarian diet really bothered me. I now eat mostly paleo, and I’ve gained back a healthy amount of weight (was underweight) and the bloating has gone away. IBS attacks are down to once every few months. It’s great.
In the process of diagnosing the IBS I tried GF for a while too. Didn’t do anything for me, but meals that were GF and happened to be paleo (like crustless quiche for dinner) didn’t give me any problems. If Gluten Free doesn’t work, try Paleo. It’s worth a shot, and has done wonders for me.
I have Simple Hyperplasia and I’m watched all the time for cysts and fibroid tumors. I’ve dealt with it since I was 10, and it never gets less annoying. I do what I have to because some day I want children. I hope your ultrasound goes well and that you can find relief from these symptoms.
The pizza looks delicious! And I love the new header
I hope you get your health issues resolved soon. Have they checked your hormone levels for PCOS? I only ask because I’m an ultrasound tech and we are not great at diagnosing PCOS though we can certainly see if the ovaries are enlarged and have more than the normal amount of cysts on them. It’s frustrating to have vague symtoms and no answers. I definitely understand where you are coming from since I’ve been experiencing a similar problem. It’s very interesting how are bodies react to certain foods as well. I think abdominal pain and bloating is one of the worst symptoms to experience especially if you can’t pin point what’s causing it. Good luck with you ultrasound today, I’ll be thinking about you. Oh, and that pizza looks delicious and I may have to make that for dinner tonight :)
One more thing, is it okay to broil the pizza on the silpat mat? I have the same mat as you and if I remember correctly the instructions said never to broil with it. Thanks!
Angela,
Your symptoms sound a lot like appendicitis, I had very similar bloating and pelvic pains, finally went to the ER after a few days when the pain became unbearable…just wanted to throw that out there, hope it’s not that though!!
Have you looked into the possibility that you might have SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth)? I have had this and it recurs from time to time and the symptoms sound a lot like yours.
I have the exact same symptoms that pop up on and off. IBS, ulcers, food allergies, migraines, insomnia, etc…I was recently in a health food store and someone suggested that I add L-Glutimine to my smoothies. It has worked amazingly well. Best wishes during your tests today.