Gluten Free Day 5
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 what to expect - but seriously, this is a cereal I could eat every day. I enjoyed it with vanilla soy milk and it was nice and crunchy to the very last bite. Won't lie - it didn't look the way I expected (not sure what I expected really), but again - regardless, it's a cereal I recommend... for whatever that's worth :)
After lunch I snacked on a few strawberries and some of the apricot coconut balls I had made. Perfect to tied me over :)
After work I wanted a snack but didn't want something sweet - dare I say it, I was a little fruited out. So with inspiration, yet again, from Pinterest. I made some Avocado Shrimp Bites. I still had the apricot coconut balls in my head and wanted to try to make another flavor combo so that I could grab them when wanting something sweet. So I made some Nutty Cherry & Cranberry Balls. I didn't think they looked as appealing on their own (the mashed red and nuts just looks like a raw meat ball to me), so I rolled them in some extra crushed almonds.
For dinner I made the spring rolls I've been craving (it just took me forever to find a store that had the rice paper). I saw a recipe online and I've had them in my head for days... trick is, I've never made them before - but I can say, they'll be something I try again!
I remembered basil being in the recipe I saw, but the only fresh herb I have currently is oregano - sadly my basil died this year so I need to plant more seeds. Oregano just didn't sound right so I didn't add it. I had veggies in my head and didn't look any recipes up before making them so I forgot the lettuce until they were wrapped. All in all though, I was pleasantly surprised. I had them packed with plenty of veggies so I didn't miss the lettuce really, but I think it would've made it easier to wrap. Next time I'll be adding chicken or shrimp most likely. It was good, but they were so light, it didn't take long for me to be wanting more - I just don't want to chop up more veggies to make another :)
I tossed together a quick sauce too but honestly I have no clue if it's what it was supposed to be. It added extra flavor so no complaints here.
For the few things I made today - here's what I did :)
1/2 Cup Pecans
1/2 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Dried Cherries
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
3 Tbl Honey
1/2 Tbl Coconut Oil
*extra almonds for rolling*
Grind your pecans and almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add rest of ingredients and allow to grind until 'dough' starts to form. Move to smaller bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from fridge and roll into balls. If you're rolling in almonds, grind some more in your food processor or use almond meal.
Store in air tight container.
10 rice crackers
10 shrimp (raw, de-veined, and ready to cook)
1 Tbl Peanut Oil
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Dried Onion
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Avocado
Grind onion, red pepper flakes, basil, and sea salt together in grinder until really fine.
Add oil and minced garlic into medium frying pan and warm over medium-high heat. Add about 2/3 of your ground spice mix and allow to simmer for about a minute. Add in your shrimp and cook until orange and cooked through (a few minutes per side).
Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
Chop avocado into small pieces and combine in a small bowl with the lemon juice and the remainder of your spice mix. Stir to combine.
*If your shrimp have tails on them, this would be a good time to take them off*
Lay your rice crackers out on a flat surface and top with your avocado mixture. Top each with one of your cooked shrimp and enjoy.
Chop up veggies of your choice. I chopped carrots, a baby cucumber, avocado, a green onion, and some red cabbage.
I used bean threads although I think usually there are rice noodles.
Wrap in a softened sheet of rice paper and enjoy!
I dipped mine in a soy lime garlic sauce.
These were surprisingly easy to wrap and you could put just about anything in them. Personally, I think the fillings will be fun to experiment with :)
Well that's my story for the day :) The weekend is looking to be pretty busy so I am not sure if I will be able to update daily, but I'll be trying to keep track of everything so I can be sure to share :) For now though, it's time for me to log off and call it a night. Wishing you all the best! Have a wonderful weekend!
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 what to expect - but seriously, this is a cereal I could eat every day. I enjoyed it with vanilla soy milk and it was nice and crunchy to the very last bite. Won't lie - it didn't look the way I expected (not sure what I expected really), but again - regardless, it's a cereal I recommend... for whatever that's worth :)
After lunch I snacked on a few strawberries and some of the apricot coconut balls I had made. Perfect to tied me over :)
After work I wanted a snack but didn't want something sweet - dare I say it, I was a little fruited out. So with inspiration, yet again, from Pinterest. I made some Avocado Shrimp Bites. I still had the apricot coconut balls in my head and wanted to try to make another flavor combo so that I could grab them when wanting something sweet. So I made some Nutty Cherry & Cranberry Balls. I didn't think they looked as appealing on their own (the mashed red and nuts just looks like a raw meat ball to me), so I rolled them in some extra crushed almonds.
For dinner I made the spring rolls I've been craving (it just took me forever to find a store that had the rice paper). I saw a recipe online and I've had them in my head for days... trick is, I've never made them before - but I can say, they'll be something I try again!
I remembered basil being in the recipe I saw, but the only fresh herb I have currently is oregano - sadly my basil died this year so I need to plant more seeds. Oregano just didn't sound right so I didn't add it. I had veggies in my head and didn't look any recipes up before making them so I forgot the lettuce until they were wrapped. All in all though, I was pleasantly surprised. I had them packed with plenty of veggies so I didn't miss the lettuce really, but I think it would've made it easier to wrap. Next time I'll be adding chicken or shrimp most likely. It was good, but they were so light, it didn't take long for me to be wanting more - I just don't want to chop up more veggies to make another :)
I tossed together a quick sauce too but honestly I have no clue if it's what it was supposed to be. It added extra flavor so no complaints here.
For the few things I made today - here's what I did :)
Nutty Cherry & Cranberry Balls:
1/2 Cup Pecans
1/2 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Dried Cherries
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
3 Tbl Honey
1/2 Tbl Coconut Oil
*extra almonds for rolling*
Grind your pecans and almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add rest of ingredients and allow to grind until 'dough' starts to form. Move to smaller bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from fridge and roll into balls. If you're rolling in almonds, grind some more in your food processor or use almond meal.
Store in air tight container.
Before rolling in ground almonds:
Rolled in ground almonds:
Avocado Shrimp Bites:
inspired by this recipe
10 rice crackers
10 shrimp (raw, de-veined, and ready to cook)
1 Tbl Peanut Oil
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Dried Onion
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Avocado
Grind onion, red pepper flakes, basil, and sea salt together in grinder until really fine.
Add oil and minced garlic into medium frying pan and warm over medium-high heat. Add about 2/3 of your ground spice mix and allow to simmer for about a minute. Add in your shrimp and cook until orange and cooked through (a few minutes per side).
Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
Chop avocado into small pieces and combine in a small bowl with the lemon juice and the remainder of your spice mix. Stir to combine.
*If your shrimp have tails on them, this would be a good time to take them off*
Lay your rice crackers out on a flat surface and top with your avocado mixture. Top each with one of your cooked shrimp and enjoy.
1st Take Spring Rolls:
Chop up veggies of your choice. I chopped carrots, a baby cucumber, avocado, a green onion, and some red cabbage.
I used bean threads although I think usually there are rice noodles.
Wrap in a softened sheet of rice paper and enjoy!
I dipped mine in a soy lime garlic sauce.
These were surprisingly easy to wrap and you could put just about anything in them. Personally, I think the fillings will be fun to experiment with :)
Well that's my story for the day :) The weekend is looking to be pretty busy so I am not sure if I will be able to update daily, but I'll be trying to keep track of everything so I can be sure to share :) For now though, it's time for me to log off and call it a night. Wishing you all the best! Have a wonderful weekend!
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