Pesto Pizza

1/3 oz. (around 4 leaves) fresh basil
1/3 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
pepper to taste
6 sprigs parsley
1/4 c. almonds
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Place basil in food processor. Add all other ingredients except Parmesan. Remove from processor and the Parmesan cheese. Makes 2 cups.

Suggested Toppings: Purple onion, artichokes, fire roasted tomatoes, spinach, mozerlla cheese sprinkled on top! Warning: This will be the best pizza you've ever tasted

Organic Lentil Stew

I love this Stew! It's so easy to make and tastes great!
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2/3 Cup Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 Cups veggie broth or chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 sweet potato
1 handful of spinach or more
2 cups of lentils
1 tsp season salt
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 4 minutes then add rest and cook 1 hour. I like to sprinkle some fresh Parmesan on it and serve it with corn muffins. Yum!

Holiday Feast Left Overs! Yum!

Okay. How do I say this lightly? I HATE cooking. I really do. You can probably tell cause I never put anything on here now that my mom cooks for me again (major benefit of moving back home). Don't get me wrong I do cook sometimes. Eggs. Cereal. Sandwhich. Cereal. Noodles. Cereal. Etc. But this is something new. This is one of my best. And it tastes good too!

Get a casserole dish
Put a can of carrots in it OR be healthy and cut cooked carrots and cover the bottom of the dish
Next in a can of beans
Next left over turkey
Then Gravy
And Mashed potatoes
And shredded cheese!

It's shepards hamburger casserole Thanksgiving style! And the whole family will love it!

OH and don't forget to cook it! I don't know the exact temp and time but I'm guessing 350 and until it's hot and the cheese is melted. Yum!

Fuzz Speech, and Helpful Tips

Okay so as I've mentioned in a earlier post...sorta this blog is changing...sorta

I'm still trying to stay away from gluten, sugar and dairy

BUT once again my "way of eating" has changed

Now I focus a lot on things easy to digest

Dr. T said that I need to take things slow. I was working out every day until things got worse and then I was lucky if I got off the couch. Now that I'm feeling better than I have in a really long time I want to be active again! However Doc said to take things slow. As in a walk, a deep breathing walk, not a heavy or hard breathing walk. What does that even mean? Well once again I pushed myself too far. I was doing a lot more than walking. And I paid for it. Big time.

Now that I'm feeling okay again though I'm scared to work out at all. And then I came across this:

I came across this video from http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/fuzz-food-inflammation-and-movement. After watching it and reading what Melissa from Gluten Free For Good said I pulled out my yoga mat...okay it's actually a towl...and decided to get rid of my fuzz! It's weird how the little things in life like stretching make such a big difference eh?

I also really liked what Melissa had to say because it talked about inflammation and how to help yourself get on the right track, and heaven knows I need all the help I can get with that! Here is a little bit of what she said:

"Here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. Eliminate or minimize processed foods, fast food and junk food. Avoid products containing trans-fats, partially hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup, chemicals, additives and other “non-food” ingredients. Sugar is also pro-inflammatory.
2. Choose healthy fats such as extra-virgin olive oil, coconut, avocados, nuts and seeds.
3. Avoid soda pop and opt for old-fashioned water or green tea. If you choose to drink alcohol, an occasional glass of red wine has been shown to be beneficial.
4. Choose a wide variety of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables. Organic is best. Strive for 9 to 10 servings per day. Eat more veggies than fruit (5-6 servings of veggies, 3-4 servings of fruit). This is just a guideline.
5. Eat healthy non-gluten grains like teff, montina, quinoa, amaranth and brown rice. Legumes (beans, peas, lentils) are also a rich source of high-quality plant protein.
6. Choose nuts, seeds, raisins and dates for snacks or an occasional small serving of dark chocolate when you need a “sweet fix.”
7. Season foods with health-enhancing herbs and spices like garlic, capsicum, turmeric, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, parsley and cilantro. This list is endless.
8. The right balance of EFAs (essential fatty acids) is important. In general, omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and omega-6s are pro-inflammatory. I’ll do an entire post on this one of these days.
9. If you choose to eat animal products, 100% grass-fed, organic choices are best. Meat and dairy products from 100% grass-fed animals contain higher levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which studies show may fight inflammation and have anti-cancer properties.
10. Reduce stress, think positive thoughts, get adequate sleep and exercise.

Bottom line?

Your body is a temple, not a trailer park."

Did you know?

Did you know that if you go into most Chinese Restuarants and ask for your chicken not to be breaded they'll make a special order for you?

Did you know that if you can't eat gluten you can get a slip from your doctor and when you go out to eat just put it on your table (make sure you waiter sees it) and they'll make a special order for you?

Did you know that P.F. Chang has a GF menu? And that even the head hauncho chef can't tell the difference between the "normal" meals and the GF ones?

Did you know that dogs can get Celiac Disease?

Did you?

Green Gloop! I said Green Gloop!

My insides are a mess as we all know so Dr. T has me drinking a cup of steamed pureed vegetables twice a day, every day. Ha ha I thought some people might be interested in learning how to not only get their daily veggies in but also how to strengthen their stomach lining.

A handful of spinach
A handful of green beans
Some celery
Some parsley
Some zucchini
(All of it in equal amounts, and preferably all organic)

Dr. T suggested I put in other things to give it more flavor. I tried garlic and then decided it's easier for this picky eater to choke down the less flavor it has.

Steam it. Then put it all (including the water) into the blender. Blend, blend, blend! I don't like mine chunky at all so I blend it until the zucchini peel (dark green dots) are really small. I usually make enough for 2 days worth and then I just keep it in the fridge. When I'm ready to drink it I put some sea salt in it and then warm it up. So hot that I can barely get it down without burning myself, for some reason that really helps. Lean over the sink just in case, and chug it. Make sure you have something to eat after like...fruity flavored rice cakes. I promise after a week of it you'll stop gagging afterwards and a cup will go by really fast :) Just think the whole time how beautiful your insides are getting!!

Things to Remember

People ask me all the time how I survive not eating gluten. What I don't think they realize is how easy it can become! My family hasn't had to change how we eat because of my "special needs" we still eat the exact same things. We might have to switch out a few ingredients but that's easy. I'm a real simple girl so if you haven't noticed I'm keeping this blog pretty simple. I want people to realize that it's not hard to be Gluten Free. That we can eat the same things! And that we can eat a lot!