Bakery On Main Apple Pie Gluten Free Oatmeal

 I have finally found a gluten free oatmeal that I love! After much taste testing and eating products that taste like cardboard (any gluten free eater can relate), Bakery on Main's Apple Pie Oatmeal taste just like it should... wonderful!!! The taste is right on point with a great apple/cinnamon flavor. The texture is consistent with the Gluten filled oatmeal companies, wonderfully smooth. With those other companies, I would have to eat 2 packets at a time but with Bakery on Main I was filled after 1 packet! This is an oatmeal that is well worth its high price ($4.99 at my local Shoprite). I am recommending this for any gluten free eaters this winter to keep warm and stay full!

The Diet Struggle

This picture has been me the past few months! In the past, I never had to worry about a diet because I would just lose the weight or the fat would never stay on my body. Yes, I know it sounds like I am bragging but I am just telling you my new found awareness to the diet struggle. I have friends and family that have struggled with their weight and tried many of different diets. They would lose the weight for a short period of time and then succumb to their cravings whether it be cake, ice cream, chips or whatever they desired. Now I am struggling with this same thing for the first time in my life. 

Each day, I set out to eat healthy and stick to my gluten-free diet and some days things are great. Then I get that ping and I want something bad.... usually something rich in chocolate, sugar and everything else bad for you. Yes, I am a choco-holic! I try to resist the urges and keep the items out of my house but when I get that ping.... it is all over. I live 2 minutes from a convenience store and end up there in no time when I need to satisfy this craving. 

The other problem to my weakness for my cravings, besides the weight gain and not fitting into any of my clothing, is that my IBS doesn't like my food choices. In the past few weeks, as my gluten-free diet has dwindled, my IBS has been paying me back for each delicious bite with belly aches and pains (to put things mildly). 

Well my pain of the IBS is overcoming the cravings now and I am setting out to get back on my diet. I hope that I can learn to keep my cravings at bay and my will power strong. Those struggling with a diet, we are all in this together so you are not alone!

Pudding Kinda Week

After my not so great encounter with McDonalds on Tuesday, I have been sticking to pudding, jello (thanks to the lovely ladies at my church) and soft pasta (I need my salty intake). When I went shopping for pudding Monday morning before my appointment, I was excited to find Kozy Shack makes gluten free pudding! Tapioca pudding is my favorite so I doubled my purchase so that I can indulge and not feel so bad. The pudding comes in 6 packs or larger containers in tapioca, rice, chocolate(that is what I bought) and possibly more flavors. Just another great item to add to my gluten free list! I hope you all enjoy my Downtown Abbey  quote from the Dowager Countess (I love this show!)!!

Sixlets Candy are Gluten Free

As a kid, I loved candy especially anything chocolate. Well as an adult that hasn't changed much... ok not at all! Sixlets were a favorite when I was younger so when I saw these at Walmart in the Easter candy I knew that I had to put them in our Easter baskets. Yes at 31 I still get an Easter basket! As an adult I don't eat all the candy within a week, it is just a piece here and there. So now we are in June and I still have my Easter candy. Last night I got a craving for chocolate so I went to the Easter candy bag. When I saw that I had just one more pack of Sixlets. When I picked up the pack it caught my eye that it said gluten free. Not once, not twice but three times in bright letters it says GLUTEN FREE. This excites me because this is the first time I have seen a candy not in the special gluten free section that advertises it is Gluten Free. I guess it is time to keep my eyes open to more everyday foods that advertise they are gluten free at a responsible price not the inflated prices in the special Gluten Free section. Yummy Yummy Yummy!

Gluten Free Recipe Website

I came across Carla's Gluten Free Recipe Box while searching for recipes on Pinterest. Yes my latest obsession.... Pinterest. Well I fell in love with her website! All of the recipes are gluten free and free! You can find anything from drinks, breakfast, kid friendly, allergen free (nut free, lactose free etc), low fat, low sodium, holiday themed, vegetarian, international dishes and more! This is a gluten free gold mine! There is a recipe for everyone! 

I was really attracted to the vegetarian recipes because of Lily's choice of being a vegetarian. I haven't had a chance to try any of them out yet because we have been so busy with shows and other life ordeals but tonight I will be attempting one of her delicious recipes... now to pick one!

**Get Up and GO Update: With my week being so busy with shows, school ending and life I didn't have alot of time to work out but Lily and I took lots of walks. Also, I began using my stairs that go up to my studio to workout. Stairs kill my legs but are great for leg and butt toning! 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cake

In the beginning of the month I bought a box of Gluten Free Hodgson Mills Vanilla Cake Mix to give a try since Lily and I like to bake. Well I am never one to read the directions until I am about to bake... big mistake! I didn't realize that I need buttermilk for the recipe which I am not a fan of at all and that YOU add your vanilla flavoring. It is a good thing that I had just enough left. I guess we have gotten spoiled with all the cake mixes that have most of the ingredients just add milk and eggs, stir and bake. 

So I gathered all the ingredients that I had to make this cake and made a few changes.  Instead of buttermilk, I would use Almond milk. Since I am not a vanilla cake person, I need to spice up the cake a little bit. The recipe on the box said I could add powered chocolate which I had none BUT I had chocolate chips! 

So the mixing process went well at first.... after 10 minutes of mixing with my handmixer there was still lumps. The directions didn't say whether there would or should be lumps so I kept mixing until my arm hurt. Then I was done... it was what it was at this point. Into the oven it went. Since my rectangle pan has gone missing, I used my square pan. The baking time called for 20-25 minutes but mine took about 50 minutes to bake which could be the combination of the square pan and the almond milk.

The cake looked really yummy, smelled really yummy but would it taste really yummy? I topped the cake with a vanilla icing and since I am the world's worst icer, I added sprinkles. The taste test....

Meagan: thumbs up Lily: thumbs down!

To me the cake was nice and moist and tastey. To Lily the cake was just yucky and she wanted some other dessert. 

Being Skinny is Not Being Healthy

All my life I have been what is considered skinny and never thought about it until I started gaining weight recently. As a child and teen, I was a dancer, gymnast and cheerleader which kept me in shape though that came with its own issues (anorexia). As an adult, I just kept up the same eating regime though as each year past I have gotten lazier and lazier. The thought of exercising exhausts me let alone actually getting off my extremely comfortable reclining chair, turning off the tv and moving around. I have had more injuries to my body as an adult then I did when I was as a competitive cheerleader (yes all those Bring It On movies they are real cheerleading competitions!)  Even more injuries since Lily was born such as a torn ACL in my left knee that has now been torn twice because I was afraid to have surgery the first time. 

Now I am dealing with  weight gain and feeling sluggish all of the time since I had surgery to remove my gallbladder in February. I went from 115 pounds (yes I know skinny) to 130 pounds in just a few months (yes I know still on the skinny side). The weight gain isn't the real problem, it is the exhaustion from doing anything, the fact that I can't get through the day without my body shutting down and taking a nap (I try to fight it but usually can't) and that I don't have the money to buy a whole new wardrobe. When I split my jeans at a barbecue on Sunday that was it!(Those jeans are going to be made into a handbag and apron to be blogged about another time) After yesterday's festivities, I am determined to take control back of my body.

So I am putting myself on a Get UP and GO campaign. I know that part of my problem has been that I just don't feel like doing anything so now is the time to push past all of that NO NO NO I hear in my head. Eating healthy is just a portion of what needs to be done (I am a pasta/carb-o-holic). I am going to research some diets that fit into my gluten-free eating lifestyle so that I can feel good with what is going into my body. 

My big challenge which I am going to document for June is going to be to take 1/2 hour-1 hour each day to exercise. I am going to walk on days that it is not raining (in more recent years June has been rainy for Jersey). I am going to force my butt out of bed early in the morning to start my day off with yoga. In between all of that I am going to try out different workouts to see which one I like the best. I see the advertisments on tv all of the time like the Insanity work out, Zumba and bunch of others. So instead of buying them, I am going to rent them from my library, rent them from netflix and borrow them from friends. Not every workout is for everyone so I need to figure out which one or ones work for me. 

I hope you will enjoy reading about my journey to take back my body. Tuesdays will be about healthy living and will still feature gluten free product reviews and recipes along with other great tips!

Have a wonderful Tuesday and smile!

I Found an Awesome Gluten Free Website

I am always on the hunt for gluten free recipes and websites which Pinterest and Twitter have been a great resource for recipes and tips. One issue I have come across is that that some of the websites that people link to their social media either don't exist anymore or haven't been updated in 2 or more years. With the community of Gluten-Free members growing daily, there is more recipes and packaged food coming out in the market so outdated websites just don't help! Either updated or take it down (just my opinion)! 

Well I came across I'm Gluten Free Baby website through twitter and fell in love with the design of the website, reviews of the gluten free foods and recipes that are organized on the right hand side. I have more then a few recipes bookmarked to make over the coming weeks. Her blog posts are infrequent but at least they are there and up to date! Check out her website and try a recipe!

I'm Gluten Free Baby Website

Cookies Cookies by Finnoula Louise A Gluten Free Cookie Recipe Book

This blog post is an inspirational story for the parents of gluten-free kids and everyone who bakes gluten free! Cookies Cookies was created, written and illustrated by a little girl that lives with Celiac Disease. This inspirational little girl is Finnoula Louise who is 7 years old and is so adorable, kind and inspirational! 

Finnoula Louise wrote her first book at the age of 6 when she was just a Kindergartner. The book is called Aminals Animals is about the world of animals through the eyes of a 6 year old. This book received the Mom's Choice Awards Silver Recipient Award for being a wonderful first words book.

 After her wonderful success with Aminals Animals, Finnoula created the book Cookies Cookies: A Year of Holiday Treats! The book highlights each of the major American holidays with a special gluten free cookie and a little quip from Finnoula. At the end of the book is tips for kids and parents for baking the cookies. The recipe for the gluten-free sugar cookies was cretaed by Chef Shaun Vanclief. 

The upcoming holidays featured in the book. 

I met Miss Finnoula when I was attending my last show of the holiday season. It was the first time I had attended this show which has gotten rave reviews in the past and ended up set up next to Finnoula's book table. Her mom explained to me about Finnoula's love of books and writing and how she wrote both the books on display. My golden rule when attending shows is that I must make money before I spend money or I would go home in debt. Well I made an exception this time because I believed in supporting a little girl with a dream and drive. Before I found out that I needed to eat gluten-free, a dear friend of mine was on a gluten-free diet so I bought her the Cookies Cookies book. Then I saw the kit that Finnoula was selling that included her Cookies Cookies book, cookie cutters, a mini rolling pin, measuring spoons and cups and a book/marker kit for another child to write their own book! I was sold because Lily loves books!

The kit that Lily will one day inherit!

The more I speak about gluten-free eating and bring it into our house, the more Lily is conscious about eating gluten-free. We have made these cookies twice already and have been a big hit each time. I don't have the heart to use the kit because it is so cute and I don't want to get it all messy. I may end up saving the kit until Lily is old enough to be on her own and give it to her as a housewarming gift from her youth. Yes, I am nostalgic like that! This summer we plan on writing her own book now that she is getting better at her writing skills. (I am sure that will be a another blog post in the future) Her book is proudly displayed along with a couple of other of my go-to cook books for gluten-free and vegetarian meals. 

As an adult, I have wanted to write a book for many years but never had the courage to take on such a feat. This little girl has written not one but two books and received an award already as she lives with a disease the needs to be monitored daily. She is an inspiration to each and everyone of us that we have control of our lives so do something great and Pay It Forward! 

You have buy either of Finnoula's books if you follow this link: Finnoula Louise on Amazon or clicking any picture or blue link in the blog post. Please support the drive of an amazing little girl!

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins Review

Having to be on a gluten-free and lactose-free diet has been an issue for me since my Irritable Bowel Syndrome diagnosis in January so in May I am making a concious effort to go on this diet and see how I feel at the end of May. So, now on Tuesdays, I am going to blog recipes or foods found at the grocery store that are gluten-free and/or lactose-free and track how they taste and how I feel. 

This morning I woke up with no real appetite but when I went to get Lily her bowl of cereal I saw that I the box of Hodgson Mills Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix sitting there. I figured it would be a good day to give it a try because it was something small and I could freeze them and heat them when I wanted more (always looking for ways to save time and money). The mix called for 1/4 cup sugar (sweetened for taste), 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup 2% milk and 1 egg. Well since I am also lactose free, I substituted the milk for my Lactaid milk which is lactose friendly milk. 

The making of the muffins was pretty easy and made about 9 average size muffins. The recipe called for baking them at 375 degrees for 14-15 minutes. Well I opened the first one and it was still gooey in the middle so they went back in for 5 more minutes. I am not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that I used Lactaid and not cow's milk but that is why this is an experiment!

So now the taste test.....

Overall the muffins are okay at best. I am one that is huge on texture and I don't like things to mushy (no Lima Beans in my life!!) or grainy (really who wants to chew on sand!). These muffins are a bit on the grainy side for me. I liked the bits of apples but there is a lack of taste unless you catch a piece of apple in the mix. It maybe me but I need a little more sweetness like replacing the milk with a sweeter milk like almond milk or a flavored soy milk or replacing the sugar with honey or something similar. I will finish the batch that I made because my coffee helps it go down but I don't think I will be buying this again in the future. 

Now Hodgson Mills does have a satisfaction guarantee on their box that states if you are not satisfied you can send the bottom of the box and the purchase price and they will make it right. I am not sure if that is a coupon or refund but at least they are a company that stands behind their product!

Spring Cleanse your Body Water

Recently, I came across a post that a friend of mine shared on Facebook that had recipes for Spring Cleanse  Water aka Detox Water.I live with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and my diet has been not the most ideal for a girl with tummy issues. I am supposed to be on a Gluten Free diet but have you tried that over-priced cardboard they call food? It is cheaper to dig a box out of the garbage and eat that instead! Well my body has finally had it with my fried and wheat-filled diet and is putting me in a lot of pain. So it is time to change my diet... this is a very sad sad day for me because I am a foodie!

Well I have been researching recipes and diets to help ease me into the pain of not eating the foods I love for the rest of my life. When my friend posted this link of detox water recipes I thought that I should try it out. I am not a big water drinker without some flavor to it. I have come to love Mio but I am sure the sugar is not good for me. These detox recipes are no sugar added just fruits, veggies and herbs with water!

The first recipe I am trying is the Strawberry and Lime Granite Water. Here is the recipe:
Strawberry/Lime or Raspberry/Lime
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 6 strawberries / 0r Raspberries and one thinly sliced lime + 12 finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

6 large Strawberries and 3 mini limes (all the grocery store had plus I LOVE lime!)

10 cups of water

12 Mint Leaves Chopped (I am not good at chopping so I will be trying to fish them out before I try to drink )

The finished product! I will report on how it taste in another post!

I hope that this inspires others to take care of their bodies by eating and drinking the right foods. We only have one body so lets take care of it together!