If I Dream It...

So I’ve been really bad at posting my gluten free journey lately. Needless to say life has been busy and I’ve not found much time to sit down and write. Sadly this also means I haven’t had much time to mess with photos either – but I do have some to share with you. This journey has been an interesting challenge. I cannot say I’ve noticed a huge physical change – nor felt all that different in all honesty. But I have learned to get more creative and think fresher – which, in the long run is really a better goal. I firmly believe that all things, in moderation, are ok as long as there’s not a allergy or health issue for you. I think it takes a bit to find the right balance and that it depends on your diet and lifestyle. There is no substitute for being healthy – and to me, that means putting good things in your body as well as working out to keep your body in shape. This is not to say that I do not enjoy to indulge in certain foods – I love to eat… I do not eat to live and I do not

Almost one week down. One thing I have noticed about this is I have to think about things more - no lazy grab and go things unless I have made snacks or it's fruits and veggies. Really, I think overall I've been much healthier this week than normal. Which is something I'm trying to make a habit, so I think I'm on the right path :) Today started simple - just plain fruit. Strawberries, pineapple, grapes, and kiwi. I didn't add anything to them, honestly I didn't have time as I was running a bit late. Work brought in bagels (LOVE them) - they're really trying to temp me... first pizza and now bagels :) I stuck with my fruit and called it good. But I did eye several of them before giving up the thought of them. Lunch was also super simple. I had some cereal I purchased from the gluten free section. It's Nature's Path Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla... and may I say, it was YUMMY! It has corn, rice, flax, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth. I wasn't sure wh

So I'm past the half way point for one week and I have so many ideas in my head and figuring out the order to do them is tough! That said, I still had the tortillas on my brain when I woke up. So I tried one with a breakfast burrito. While I was quite happy with the flavor - I had two things against me... 1. The tortilla couldn't roll tight enough and it cracked making a BIG mess... I warmed it 30 seconds this time too, so apparently there's still a learning curve. 2. I mashed my banana figuring that'd be easier than worrying about chunks of banana falling out... boy was I wrong! It was way too soft and once the bottom of my burrito cracked, banana started leaking. So going forward I am thinking mixing all the extra ingredients into the peanut butter and then just adding sliced bananas and wrapping it up. Oh well - we live we learn :) If you're interested in trying it, I'll tell you what I did and then tell you what I recommend right after. 1              

So day three has come and almost gone - and well, I have to give myself a small pat on the back. Work brought in pizza today and I managed to say no (and I love pizza). I won't lie, the thought of cheating did cross my mind a few times. Once again breakfast was simple. I had a banana after my walk in the morning and a grapefruit at work with strawberries to snack on until lunch. Lunch I made a super quick salad, but it was pretty good. It's pictured in my last post since I used dragon salt ( recipe in the last post) to season my chicken. But I'll sit down and tell you what I did now in case you're looking for a yummy quick salad recipe :) I will say though, it's not measured as I was tossing things together so that I could make it and eat over lunch. I made snacks when I got home - some apricot coconut balls I found on Pinterest and some roasted chickpeas (also pictured in my earlier post). Since I was snacking on those, I had to be sure they were good for

Ok, I must admit - I did these a little over a month ago, but I've not taken the time to write it all out, but I'm sitting down to share my attempts at making my own seasonings. I had seen it all over Pinterest so I had to try it :) I surfed the net and got lots of ideas. First I made a rosemary salt and a mediterranean herb salt for party favors. They went with a jar of popcorn that said 'Thanks for Popping by'... call me cheesey but I thought they were just way too fun :) Unfortunately we finished setting things up for the party and people started showing up early which resulted in no picture taking :( It was quite the cute set up but sadly I didn't have the camera and I totally spaced asking someone to take one for me. Thankfully one of my guests was willing to take a photo and send it to me so I could share it. Since these were favors - I made lots, you could easily shrink the portions. Rosemary Salt: 6   cups                    Kosher Salt 1   .75

So my gluten free two week challenge has started. I do not have a gluten allergy, it's just something a friend and I are trying as we heard it could help with the belly bloat; as well as cramps and digestive issues. So we're trying to go completely gluten free for two weeks - no wheat, barley, rye, malts, or triticale. I also found that things like dextrin, bulgur, durum flour, farina, graham flour, and semolina should be avoided. Apparently gluten binds up things in your belly which can cause gas, cramps, and bloating. So we figured it was worth a shot to see if it really makes a difference for us.  One thing that really surprised me while trying to figure out what things I'd be able to eat for two weeks was that not all wines are gluten free. I am staying away from alcohol for the most part as it does slow down your metabolism and much of it has gluten too. However, there are some dishes that I like to make that have some wine in them. Apparently, according to Yellow Ta

I enjoy baking - experimenting and creating something yummy. Thing is - I can't eat near as much as I make. Thankfully have have friends and a fiance that helps me make it disappear so it's not wasted. So this time, I experimented with cupcakes... what I have to share with you is a white chocolate, coconut, lime coconut cupcake with a cream cheese frosting. It's a pretty light lime and coconut since some people don't like the strong flavors. You could easily kick them up a notch or two if there's a flavor you like a lot. You could also change the flavors to make your own flavor combo. These were yummy and sweet. I tried decorating with white chocolate hearts, but I used Hershey's Bliss white chocolate squares and it was already a soft chocolate so after a little while they started to melt and fall down onto the cupcake.  All in all, I think they were pretty easy. They were also a nice splurge. Next week I am starting a two week gluten free challenge with