COOOOOOOOOKIES

April 1 could not come any faster! I need new foods in my life. There are so many wonderful websites out there that help people who are gluten free or dairy free or vegan but not all three. Actually I am almost vegan but I can eat meat. I find these incredible blogs and websites but there are very few that are up against the parameters I am so the recipes and recommendations I have are always missing a key ingredient. It is difficult to ever truly feel satisfied.

I am motivated everyday because it is temporary and I will be healthy at the end of it all. I think I can….I think I can….I think I can!

Menu:

Breakfast: apple and granola

Lunch – rice crackers and maple turkey

Snack – apple white chocolate macadamia bar

Dinner – apricot mango chipotle chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli

Dessert – chocolate sorbet with vegan choc chips

Happy Thoughts: cupcakes

Special Stuff: http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/

Other Notables:

gluten-free Scotch-Irish wild west Montana oat cakes
what you need
1 cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour (more for shaping the cakes) *
2 cups gluten-free, old-fashioned oats *
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Earth Balance “butter” or “shortening”

Entertaining

There is nothing more uncomfortable than having someone else go out of their way to make you feel comfortable at their home. It is unrealistic for me to expect someone to accommodate such limiting diet. I knew it would be interesting going to dinner at a friends house but through their kindness they wanted to accommodate me as best as possible but I never expected them to eat the same food.

What I learned is that I have an amazing support group and great friends that were willing to “do what was fair” to create a fun night. Needless to say I am not the kind of person who likes to be fussed over and will stick to entertaining rather than being entertained.

Menu:

Breakfast: Flax seed pumpkin granola and apples

Lunch – turkey, lettuce and wasabi rice crackers

Snack – Starbucks soy iced latte since its 80 degrees

Dinner – steak and broccoli

Dessert – vanilla soy milk

Happy Thoughts: green rice crispy treats

Special Stuff: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/buckwheat-pumpkin-muffins-slightly-indulgent-monday/

Other Notables: http://www.glutenfreehomemaker.com/2008/12/gluten-free-cinnamon-rolls.html

St. Patrick's Day

The time change is killing me! I think have had had enough coffee this week to last me a while! It is all worth it to have some daylight when you walk outside after work. I am so excited about the spring and summer for all of the great food and the ability to workout outside.

We get to move from hot soups to crisp fresh salads and BBQ’s! I can’t wait to start grilling more again. There is nothing like the taste that the BBQ brings to meats and veggies with simple olive oil pepper and salt.

Menu:

Breakfast – banana and flax seed pumpkin granola

Lunch – turkey wrap with teff tortilla and lettuce

Snack – white chocolate macadamia bar

Dinner – butternut squash soup

Dessert – chocolate sorbet

Happy Thoughts: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreebreadrecipes/r/irishsodabread.htm (no raisins needed)

Special Stuff: Substitute coconut milk for buttermilk.

Other Notables: What is St. Patrick’s Day? http://www.st-patricks-day.com/

Get Motivated

Why am I so hungry? I have read in multiple cook books and online that this diet makes it hard to get enough calories. I am tired of complaining and tired of being tired with this time change.

When I need motivation and drive I look to my friends and family.

I had a friend lose their father today and he lived a full happy life but nothing prepares you for this kind of loss. In the midst of it all she found her strength through coming together as a family and sharing all of the mixed emotions that comes with this transition; Laughing, Crying, Happiness, Anger, Frustration and Serenity. It puts everything into perspective when there is a loss in the family. Everything else is just not that crucial, stressful or as big of a priority.

I am going through challenges on what foods I can eat but at least I have food to eat and have the capability to eat where there are other people that don’t have this advantage. It reminds me that you cannot take anything for granted and that life is temporary so make sure you are living it to the fullest.

Menu:

Breakfast – apple, banana, homemade trail mix and soy vanilla

Lunch – Turkey wrap with teff tortilla, lettuce and avocado

Snack – white chocolate macadamia bar

Dinner – turkey tacos with lettuce and guacamole

Dessert – peaches and soy vanilla milk

Happy Thoughts: There is beer and wine in my future.

Special Stuff: http://www.recipezaar.com/Gluten-Free-Waffles-54529

Other Notables: http://www.danpink.com/ Drive by Daniel Pink….cause I need motivation to continue writing my blog daily.

Waffles and Strawberry syrup

Eating “healthy” is so expensive. It totally makes sense that people with a lower income have more health problems because they have less money to spend on good food. I went to three stores, Costco, Trader Joes and whole foods to get what I needed but at the most affordable price.

Menu:

Breakfast – Waffles with Strawberry Syrup

Lunch – turkey meat

Snack – almonds and banana chips

Dinner – Halibut with artichokes

Dessert – Strawberry Shortcake – not totally stoked about the recipe otherwise would have posted it. This is a work in progress.

Happy Thoughts: 17 more days until yeast

Special Stuff: http://www.recipezaar.com/Gluten-Free-Waffles-54529

Other Notables: http://www.karenburnsworkinggirl.com/

Gluten Free Waffles

· 1 cup brown rice or rice flour

· 1/2 cup corn starch

· 1/4 cup tapioca flour

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup oil or margarine

· Egg replacer (equivalent of 2 eggs)

· 1 1/2 cups rice milk (regular milk works, too)

· 1 teaspoon sugar

Strawberry Syrup

Equal parts of water and sugar (1 cup of each) bring to a boil add strawberries and simmer for 5 min. yum!

S

No more puffkins!

I don’t think I can ever eat crunchy corn bran or puffkins again.

Menu:

Breakfast – Crunchy Corn Bran cereal

Lunch – chocolate brownie raw bar and soy banana blenders

Snack – Apple

Dinner – Chicken tenders with Italian seasoning, Salad with avocado, garbanzo beans, carrots and yellow mini peppers.

Dessert – Strawberry Shortcake

Happy Thoughts: Does it get any better with Strawberry Shortcake? Add vanilla tofutti ice cream and Hershey’s syrup!

Special Stuff: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/dessertsandsweets/r/strawberryshortcake.htm

Other Notables: http://www.glutensolutions.com/autism.htm

Happy Hour :)

Happy Hour! You know what is great about going to a restaurant with a packed bar, hour and a half wait, no seats in the lounge, and $12 drinks?!? From my perspective this is an opportunity to interact with people you care about without any distractions.

You pay $12 not just because you suck at making mixed drinks but because there is something to be said about surrounding yourself with a bunch of happy people and getting a break from our T.V.’s, computers and meetings that is rewarding.

It is unbelievable that so many people including myself get stuck in these crazy routines that give us no time to think for ourselves and connect with our friends, family and neighbors. How many of you actually know your neighbor (s)? My door is seriously 10 feet from the next apartment and I can’t tell you my neighbors name and not because I don’t want to but in the three years I have lived there I have had three different neighbors and my schedule is never the same as theirs.

One of my favorite stories is when I lived in Santa Barbara my friend Mark dropped off a plate of rice krispy treats one morning to say hi and create the beginning of a friendship that would be long lasting. You should have seen him standing there with a big blob/pile of treats. I laughed so hard when I opened the door and have been friends with his family ever since.

Menu:

Breakfast – Crunchy Corn Bran

Lunch – none L

Snack – chips and guacamole

Dinner –Javier’s restaurant chicken tacos with lime avocado and cilantro

Dessert – chocolate chips

Happy Thoughts: Blobs of treats J

Special Stuff: http://www.ricekrispies.com/#/recipes/the-original-treats (add vanilla)

Other Notables: http://www.actsofkindness.org/ (add a smile)

Magic Muffins

Recipes with the basic mix that is universal for many types of bread, muffins, scones, or other baked goods are amazing. I found this Magic Muffin recipe below which is just perfect and who could go wrong with the name.

Menu:

Breakfast – crunchy corn bran

Lunch – baja fiesta salad with quinoa, avocado, papaya, red leaf salad and mango papaya dressing

Snack – wasabi rice crackers

Dinner – Grilled chicken with apricot mango chipotle dressing and green beans

Dessert – soy chocolate milk

Happy Thoughts: Magic Muffins with Bananas and vegan chocolate chips.

Special Stuff: http://www.celiac.com/articles/1185/1/Magic-Muffins---Universal-Gluten-Free-Muffin-Mix/Page1.html

Other Notables: Gelson’s now makes little orange tags at the grocery store so you know what products are gluten free….Thank You!

Magic Muffins - Universal Gluten-Free Muffin Mix

Just start with basic mix then add fruit of choice. Basic mix recipe and variations below:

Basic Mix
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup white rice flour
¼ cup Tapioca flour
¼ cup Potato starch flour
¼ cup Flax seed meal
2/3 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Shortening

To this you need to add:
1 cup of something wet (sour cream, banana, yogurt, apple sauce)
2 eggs

Variation:

Banana Chocolate Chip
Use 1 Cup mashed banana for the wet ingredient (plus 2T milk, soy or almond milk)
add choc. chips. or nuts if desired

Use 1 cup plain yogurt for the wet ingredient
1 apple cut into small chunks
add in cinnamon with dry ingredients

Then bake at 350F for about 25 minutes.

Pizza Crust....

Quinoa pasta is the closest thing I have tasted to pasta in a long time. I made Italian chicken with a table spoon of Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley to taste and just mixed it in with the pasta. It was quick easy and something different on the Menu. I MISS ITALIAN FOOD!

Coincidently even before I started this diet I couldn’t eat pasta because it caused such crazy stomach pain so I said something to the doctor. Now 40 something days into this it all makes sense. It is worth it to try some of these gluten and yeast free recipes to see what I can handle. The link to the recipe below is also yeast free.

http://www.celiac.com/articles/744/1/Yeast-free-Pizza-Crust-Gluten-Free/Page1.html

Menu:

Breakfast – puffkins

Lunch – Honey Turkey Breast with Wasabi Rice Crackers

Snack – Banana

Dinner – quinoa pasta with Italian seasoned chicken and asparagus

Dessert: vegan chocolate chips (available bulk at whole foods)

Happy Thoughts: Pizza and wine

Special Stuff: http://www.glutenfreepizza.com/about-us/#ingredients GET FREE SHIPPING ON ONE CRUST

Other Notables: http://www.grouprecipes.com/s/gluten-free-pizza-dough/recipe/1/relevancy

Yeast-free Pizza Crust (Gluten-Free)

½ cup cornstarch
½ cup rice flour
2/3 cup milk or milk substitution
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons Italian spices
Dash of garlic powder or salt

Mix gently, do not over-beat. Pour batter into greased pizza pan. Bake at 425F for 20 minutes.

For crispier crust, brush top with oil and bake five additional minutes. Add sauce and bake or freeze for future use.

Option: Cook on top of stove in a small frying pan like a crepe. Use medium-low heat, cook until set, do not brown. Use a 6 pan for kids size.

Spring is almost here!

I love this time of year because all of the wonderful fruits and veggies are making a comeback! Also St. Patrick’s Day is next week and I love Irish Soda Bread. I have the best recipe that is completely against the diet but really amazing. Instead I found a recipe on about.com that is fairly comparable and looks pretty good. I plan to try it this weekend!

Menu:

Breakfast – crunchy corn bran cereal

Lunch – quinoa pasta with avocado, salt and pepper

Snack – none

Dinner – apricot mango chipotle chicken wrap with avocado and lettuce and sweet potato fries

Dessert: soy vanilla milk

Happy Thoughts: Quick Breads

Special Stuff: Substitute eggs with egg replacer, flour with gluten free flour mix of Brown Rice Flour 4 Cups, Corn Starch (1 ¼ cup and ½ cup Tapioca Flour makes on batch).

Other Notables: Chocolate Fondue with fresh strawberries, bananas, apricots, raspberries, peaches, etc…

Surprise!

I walk into work today and there is a gluten and dairy free care package from one of my friends. I could not tell you how happy this made me! It had gluten and dairy free chocolate cookies, a living without magazine, a cook book, pink flip flops, a duffle bag and a nice note. With less than a month away this is the exact encouragement I needed.

Menu:

Breakfast – Puffkins

Lunch – Turkey Wrap with Teff tortilla and soy mozzarella cheese

Snack – none

Dinner – tacos made with turkey meat, black beans, avocado and lettuce

Dessert – chocolate silk milk

Happy Thoughts: Hershey’s syrup

Special Stuff: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950119,00.html

Other Notables: Vice Cream: Gourmet Vegan Desserts By Jeff Rodgers

6 weeks down!

It has been about six weeks since I started my quest to get better and I am ready to start challenging foods into my diet. I have until April 1^st until I intro yeast into the rotation and it couldn’t come faster.

Menu:

Breakfast – steel cut oats and almond milk

Lunch – crunch master crackers, turkey and apples and strawberries

Snack – bare naked fruit nut granola bar

Dinner – chicken soup with rice, black beans, carrots, onions, chicken stock, chicken, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and chili powder. Homemade tortillas.

Dessert – none

Happy Thoughts: Homemade Tortillas….are you kidding me!?!

Special Stuff: http://www.food2.com/recipes/rz-toffee-almond-biscotti

Other Notables: Quick Almond Trivia (source: CA Almond Board)

* 1 ounce of almonds (about 23) equals 160 calories and only 1 gram saturated fat.
* There is speculation that snacking on almonds daily may reduce risk of heart disesase.
* Almonds are an excellent source of Vitamin E, protein, potassium and magnesium.
* California is on the only state in the US that commercially produces almonds.
* California produces 80% of the world's almonds.

No more oatmeal!

I think that I will be sick of oatmeal, turkey wraps and crackers, sweet potatoes and chicken. I need to expand on my menu selections. It has been difficult is finding the time to plan out what to eat. As work is busier, I am traveling more and I have little time even to make it to the grocery store. I have found a lot of recipes and cookbooks to help add more variety in my daily meals which is very encouraging.

Most of the seasoning and spices are still a possibility but rather than using one type of mixed seasoning I have to figure out what is in it and omit what I am allergic to and game on!

Curry is a perfect example because it includes paprika so all I have to do is get all the other spices and combine them to get a new flavor. Whole foods has the spices in bulk which is the way to purchase a variety of items for less than a dollar.

Menu:

Breakfast – steel cut oats and almond milk

Lunch – crunch master crackers, turkey and apples

Snack – Trader Joes Granola

Dinner – chicken with apricot mango chipotle sweet potatoes and broccoli

Dessert – Tofutti Vanilla Ice Cream

Happy Thoughts: There are more options for food than I can imagine! South Florida has some fresh food options and seasoning.

Special Stuff: http://www.godairyfree.org/Product-Reviews/Alternatives-Cheese/Tofutti-Better-Than-Cream-Cheese-Non-Hydrogenated-Vegan-Gluten-Free.html

Other Notables: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=947191

Life's simple pleasures!

What a great night with friends! One of the most enjoyable parts of life is “breaking bread” with friends. That is ironic since I can’t eat bread but you know what I mean. I love to eat and talk with friends and family. There is nothing that I enjoy more than experiencing new flavors of food and talking with people about who they are, what they care about and how their life is changing.

My goal is to create more opportunities to do this with people I truly care about and enjoy being around. It never fails, regardless of who I am with, that we will break out in uncontrollable laughter at some point. I feel this is what life is about and look forward to continuing to embellish on life’s simple pleasures!

Menu:

Breakfast – TJ Granola with almond milk

Lunch – Turkey wrap with avocado, lettuce and Soy Mozzarella Cheese

Snack – Apples and soy apricot tea latte

Dinner – Coconut Shrimp, coconut rice and apricot/mango chipotle Chicken

Dessert – rice crispy treats

Happy Thoughts: Going to see AnnMarie!

Special Stuff: Hey everyone check out this cool company! They make all natural products and some are vegan free which as you know is very special in itself! They even have a rose cream which just has to make you happy everyday! www.sympatheticsoap.com

Other Notables: Check out this blog!

http://living-vegan.blogspot.com/

Butternut squash soup recipe!

Butternut Squash Soup (No measurements required)

Butternut squash cubed – two bags from Trader Joes

Two Fuji apples – If you’re lucky they are in your back yard!

Cut everything if not cut already, put on cookie sheet sprayed with pam and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 min.

When there is about 15-20 minutes left melt 1 table spoon of olive oil and 1 table spoon of butter in the pan. Cut up a quarter of an onion, two stocks of celery, and a couple of carrots. Add to the pan and cook until onions are translucent.

Add the apples, squash, enough chicken stock until everything is covered, a cinnamon stick and a splash of apple juice.

Cook together for about 15 minutes just to get everything working with one another.

Get out the blender and blend a little at a time (should be about 2 blenders full) for 2 or three minutes each. Add to your favorite bowl and enjoy!

Menu:

Breakfast – oatmeal with flax and vanilla soy milk

Lunch – turkey and salami wrap

Snack – puffkins

Dinner – butternut squash soup with apples, celery, carrots, kosher salt, pepper, apple juice and chicken stock.

Dessert – soy vanilla milk

Happy Thoughts: Warm soup on cold nights!

Special Stuff: Recipe included above J

Other Notables: This soup is great with or without apples.

Easy on the oil

I love fish but I really love it when it has lemon all over it! The Mango seasoning I found was actually great on the fish but much better on chicken. I need a lighter more less invasive seasoning that has a huge punch without being too sweet.

Menu:

Breakfast – Puffkins Cereal with almond Milk

Lunch – Quinoa with avocado sheep’s milk cheese, salt and pepper

Snack – raspberries and mandarin orange

Dinner – Halibut with Apricot Mango seasoning, avocado, corn tortillas and red leaf lettuce.

Dessert – rice crispy treats

Happy Thoughts: Summer fruits!

Special Stuff: http://www.fatfreevegan.com/gluten-free/index.shtml

Other Notables: There are ways to make eating low fat and good within the restrictions of your diet. You don’t always need oil and margarine. Use pam or olive oil. Most of the time you can reduce the amount of oil if you absolutely need it and want to eat low fat.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

They figured it out…a perfectly good cupcake that makes your mouth water and you so happily full of sweet stuff that you want to take a nap! I am looking forward to giving the red velvet cake recipe a shot!

Menu:

Breakfast – Puffkins with almond milk

Lunch – chicken with Mary’s herb crackers, carrots, and sparkling water

Snack – apple

Dinner – turkey tacos with avocado, corn tortillas, toffuti sour cream and lettuce

Dessert – sprinkles red velvet cupcake…scrumptious!

Happy Thoughts: Sprinkles!

Special Stuff: Toffuti cream cheese can be found at T.J.’s!

Other Notables: There is also a mango papaya salsa at T.J.’s….