Good Monday morning to you!  I am sitting here making my grocery list for the week and will certainly be adding some grilled items to our menu since spring finally decided to come visit us in Ohio.  It was so nice to take the puppy outside the other night to smell the wonderful aromas coming from the neighbor’s grill!

The warm weather continued and it ended up being really warm for the ORRRC Xenia Half Marathon yesterday.  Make sure to check back later on to read all about the race! 

Monday – Marinated Spicy Pork Chops, grilled potato packets and salad

Tuesday – Mexican pizzas, corn and salad

Wednesday – Breakfast for dinner and fruit salad

Thursday – Burgers, steak fries, corn on the cob and salad

Friday – Make your own pizza and salad

Saturday – Take-out

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Week in Review:

How do you feel about gluten/gluten-free in the news? 

Recipe: Gluten-free Chocolate Toffee Cookies

How do you prefer to shop gluten-free?

Did you know Pepperidge Farm makes gluten-free chips? 

Review: El’s Bagel Chips/Snaps <—These are incredible!

Have a great week!

Kim

 

Gluten and the gluten-free diet seem to be in the news quite a bit lately. Have you heard the latest news about the gluten-free diet?  South Beach Diet creator, Dr. Arthur Agatston, has a new book and version of The South Beach Diet: “The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution”.  The book calls for removing gluten from your diet and then gradually re-introducing it to determine your level of gluten sensitivity.  There are many people out there who don’t have Celiac Disease, but are sensitive to gluten, so for these people this may be a great solution.

While I haven’t read the book, I did read the article on CNN, and there are a couple of things I wish were more clearly discussed:

• First, I think it is important to rule out Celiac Disease before trying this method.  Going gluten-free before any testing for Celiac Disease can often skew the results.  Agatston does mention this towards the end of the article, but I really hope that he spells it out a little more clearly in his book, as I saw nothing about it on the book page.
• Second, this statement: “#4 Living gluten-free can make you fat.”  It’s misleading, in my opinion.  Yes, he says “can”, but when you read through the paragraph, it goes on to say “If you find that you can’t eat just a few gluten-free crackers, for example, without going back for half the box, this product spells trouble.”  This is the case with any cracker or food that ones eats too much of – not just the gluten-free version.  I am honestly very tired of hearing the gluten-free diet makes or can make you fat.  Newsflash:  Too much food can make you fat if you aren’t burning off the calories.

There will be more from Dr. Agatston on “Sanjay Gupta MD” at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday and 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

How do you feel about gluten and the gluten-free diet in the news?  Weigh in below in our poll.

[polldaddy poll=7016699]

Back in December I had the chance to sample and review some phenomenal baked goods from Harvard Sweet Boutique.  Aside from the absolutely adorable packaging, the baked goods were out of this world!  More about Harvard Sweet Boutique:

Harvard Sweet Boutique was founded in January, 2007, by Susan George. Her passion for fine baking and recognition of the need for unique gift alternatives helped to mold the idea for the company. Harvard Sweet Boutique has become the indulgence of choice for those who are looking to send the most memorable and sensational gifts.

I am excited to share this amazing recipe for some cookies sure to please all chocoholics!

Gluten Free Chocolate Toffee Cookies (from Sue George, owner of Harvard Sweet Boutique)

 

Yield: 35-40 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 pound good quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
• 1 ¾ cups light brown sugar (packed)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 3 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 9 ounces (6 bars) chocolate-covered toffee bars (such as Skor or Heath), coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. In a double boiler set over simmering water, melt butter in the top of the double boiler. Once the butter is melted, turn off heat and stir in chocolate. When completely melted and smooth, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs until well mixed; about 2-3 minutes. Beat in chocolate/butter mixture then add vanilla.

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix coconut flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder until combined.

4. Stir flour mixture into the sugar/chocolate mixture then add toffee; do not over mix.

5. Chill batter until firm; about 30-45 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter using 1/8 cupful’s, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.

7. Bake just until tops are dry and a little crackled but cookies are still soft to touch; about 10 minutes.

I don’t know about you, but I see a baking day in my near future!  Perhaps I’ll bake a batch for some post-race treats on Sunday!

If you have been reading my blog for any period of time you may have noticed that I have a problem with “Wordless Wednesday”.  The problem is I can’t not write something, even if that something is just a couple of words.  So, instead of participating in something that I can’t follow the rules of or fail at, I am changing the day to “Wordy Wednesday”.  Who is with me?  I’ll still post a picture, but instead of leaving you to guess what it is I am showing you, where your can find it and how you can get or make it, I will simply tell you. 

Today I am sharing my current obsession…

Sweet potato + Trader Joe’s Creamy Almond Butter with Sea Salt.  Naturally gluten-free and out-of-this-world delicious!  Paired with a large salad this made the perfect dinner the other night!  I “baked” the sweet potato in the microwave so my meal was ready in under 15 minutes, including the time it took me to chop veggies for my salad.  The combination of creamy almond butter and sweet potato tastes like a decadent treat!  Don’t knock it until you try it!

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Don’t forget to enter to win a case of your favorite Snikiddy snack!

Sometimes I wish I had an on/off switch for my brain so I could quiet the madness.  My brain is busy enough on any given “normal” day, but throw half marathon tapering into the mix and I have a whole lot of noise going on.  Last month I shared my review of the book “Life Without Ed” and how it really helped me figure out that the voice of my brain is not really me.  That voice is part of my eating disorder and it is trying to control me by filling my head with lies and commands.

It is normal for runners to experience “taper madness” or “taper tantrums”, where our minds play games and have us questioning our training.  I have been referring to a post I wrote last year and the seven things I can focus on to help keep me sane. I am going to share some of the things running through my head below.  Next to the “taper thought” I am going to write what the truth really is.  I am hoping this exercise doesn’t just help me, but others that may be going through the same or similar things.

1.  You are lazy.  <—-Lie, you are following a training plan.  Stick to it.

2.  You really shouldn’t eat that, you are only running a portion of the miles you were running a few weeks ago.  <—Fuel properly to get to the starting line healthy and ready to crush your goal!

3.  You need to add in more core work, you are getting flabby around the middle.  <—- Flat out lie.  Refer to answer in #1 = the plan – follow it!

4.  There is no way you can run the pace you need to run to hit your goal.  <—Lie.  I can and will!

I won’t bore you with any more, as I am sure you get the gist.  This is my new motto:

Please tell me I am not the only one who does this!

Since the temperatures are finally inching their way up, it is time to start thinking about picnic season.  Everyone loves a picnic, right?  I remember going on picnics on Sundays after church when I was little and we lived in Texas. I am not sure if it was one picnic or many to that specific park, but I remember my mom packing fried chicken.

Picnics are even better when all of the food is gluten-free, huh?  Snikiddy makes a wide variety of snacks that are perfect for packing in a picnic lunch.  More about Snikiddy and their snack line:

Snikiddy® is a line of all-natural snacks made from simple, wholesome, real-food ingredients. The line includes All-Natural Cheese Puffs, All-Natural Baked Fries, and Eat Your Vegetables®, a first-of-its kind veggie chip snack that provides a full serving of vegetables in every ounce. All Snikiddy snacks are made with non-GMO ingredients, are certified gluten and wheat free, and do not contain any artificial colors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, hydrogenated oils or MSG. Snikiddy pairs nutrition with great taste to deliver real, delicious foods the whole family can enjoy and feel good about.

· Snikiddy All-Natural Cheese Puffs – Tasty puffs inspired by one of kids’ favorite snacks! A better-for-you snack for everyone from toddlers to kids and even adults, these snacks contain 50 percent less fat than regular potato chips and 35 percent less fat than regular veggie sticks and straws. Available in two delicious flavors, including Grilled Cheese and Mac n’ Cheese.

· Snikiddy All-Natural Baked Fries – A delicious and fun alternative to greasy potato chips and veggie sticks and straws that will quickly become any snackers’ first choice! Contains half the fat of potato chips and 35 percent less fat than veggie stick and straws. Available in seven delicious flavors, including Cheddar Cheese, Sea Salt, Barbeque, Original Seasoning, Classic Ketchup, Bold Buffalo, and Hot & Spicy.

· Snikiddy Eat Your Vegetables® – Veggie and chip lovers rejoice – delicious crisps with a full serving of vegetables in every ounce! Made with a unique blend of vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots, and navy beans to provide an excellent source of vitamin A, a good source of fiber, and 3 grams of protein per serving. Available in five savory flavors, including Sea Salt, Sour Cream & Onion, Jalapeno Ranch, Italian Herb & Olive Oil, and Sea Salt & Lime.

We have sampled all three different versions of the Snikiddy snack line.  My favorite is the Snikiddy Eat Your Vegetables in Italian Herb & Olive Oil or Sea Salt.

 

Snikiddy snacks are available at grocery, natural, specialty, and family retailers nationwide, including Safeway, select Target locations, Sprouts Farmers Market, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods Market, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Babies ‘R’ Us, as well as online at Snikiddy.com, Amazon.com, PeaPod.com, and FreshDirect.com.

Now for the fun part!  Snikiddy has offered to send one lucky reader a case of their favorite Snikiddy snack!  Awesomesauce!  All you have to do to enter to win is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below. Continue reading →

Did you know that April 2nd is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day?  I love the combination of PB & J as an adult, though I didn’t like peanut butter as a child. What?  I know, I am weird.  It wasn’t until I was 16 or 17 that I discovered what I had been missing all of those years.  Boy, I am glad that I did!

Eating PB & J gluten-free can be difficult if you don’t have the right bread.  Some of the first gluten-free breads I tried when I first started the diet were spongy and crumbly, which meant my PB & J sandwich didn’t fare too well.  It was then that I discovered that rice cakes weren’t too bad when you topped them with a nice layer of peanut butter and my favorite jelly preserves.

There are a wide variety of rice cakes that are gluten-free… Lundberg and Quaker are my go-to favorites.

Gluten-free bread has come a long way.  I was browsing past posts on my blog and came across a post from 2009 detailing the different gluten-free breads available.  I was quickly reminded how fortunate we are today for all of the amazing varieties available to us!  Udi’s was just debuting their gluten-free bread at this time!  Wow!  I have different brand favorites for different meals…does that make sense?  For example, when I eat PB & J and I don’t want to toast the bread (because it is hard to head a toasted PB & J sandwich…it is much easier as toast) I chose Goodbye Gluten Multigrain or White Bread.

I also enjoy PB & J on bagels and English muffins, or in the form of a LaraBar!

What is your favorite way to eat PB & J?

Today is April Fool’s Day!  Do you like to play practical jokes on others or do you prefer to pretend that today is just like any other day?  I have played some fun jokes over the years.  The one that stand out as my favorite is the time I emailed an ultrasound picture to family and friends telling them I was pregnant after I had my tubes tied.  The US came as an attachment, or so I said and when they opened the attachment, it said, “April Fool’s”!  Another one that ranks right up there is when I took black electrical tape and secured the handle of the kitchen sink spray nozzle down so that it would spray water right at my sister when she turned the water on.  Love ya, Kelly! 

I am hoping that the weather forecast this week is an April Fool’s joke, as we are looking at highs in the low 40s early this week. 

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Less than a week until my first half marathon of 2013!  In the next 6 weeks I will complete 3 half marathons!  I went to my Daily Mile page to see how many miles I ran in March and it was my highest mileage month in the past 12 months! 

That may explain why my IT band has been a little persnickety lately! For some reason my right leg seems to be my problem child and the calf seems to be tighter than normal lately.  Remember my update at the beginning of March? I have been living in my Zensah ultra compression sleeves and capri tights since then.  I frequently sleep in them to aid recovery and  I believe they are helping, as I usually feel somewhat better the next morning. 

I also recently had the opportunity to try out Zensah’s new Seamless Power Running Jacket.  Talk about a great jacket!  I love that the sleeves are long enough for my monkey arms and I can actually use the thumb holes!  

This jacket was perfect to wear over a light short sleeve shirt and my phone fit perfectly in the back zipper pocket!  The best part about this jacket is that I can also wear it to work or while running errands and it keeps me warm and comfy. 

*I am proud to be a part of the Zensah ambassador program.  The Zensah products mentioned in this blog post were sent to me free of charge for review purposes. The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

Happy Easter!  It’s a rainy day here in Columbus, Ohio.  Fortunately for us our kids are old enough to not care that their Easter egg hunt is inside instead of outside.  My morning has been spent stuffing pastel Skittles into little plastic eggs. 

Of course a few of these made their way into my belly in the process.  I do have a little tip to share – Skittles don’t taste so good right after you brush your teeth. 

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Weekly Meals

Sunday – Ham, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and salad *Not sure if your ham is gluten-free?  Check out this list of gluten-free hams.

Monday – Ham sandwiches, salads or frittatas, fruit salad

Tuesday – Easy Enchilada bake, corn and salad

Wednesday – Bison burgers, sweet potato puffs, sugar snap peas and salad

Thursday – Italian Chicken fettuccine Alfredo, broccoli and salad

Friday – Take-out

Saturday – Make your own pizza and salad (carb loading for race the next morning!)

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Remember my friend Melissa?  I shared her story about being diagnosed with MS and our fundraising efforts for Team “Miles for Myelin” here.  We are over half way to our goal of raising $10,000!!  If you can help and want to enter to win a gluten-free prize package filled with over $50 of gluten-free goodies, all you have to do is donate a minimum of $5 and leave a comment telling me you did so!  I will randomly choose a winner on May 5th – Cinco de Mayo – the day after the Cap City Marathon. 

  Check out Melissa (in blue) photo bombing a picture of me with another MIT pace coach.  I can’t help but giggle when I see this picture!

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Week in Review

Is your lipstick gluten-free?  Check out my new favorite lipsticks from Red Apple Lipstick. 

Review: FITzee Bar <—Delicious protein bars that taste more like dessert!

Healthy, portable snacks that pack 1200 mg Omega-3, 4 grams of fiber and have less than 100 calories!

Missing Pop-Tarts?  Don’t miss Glutino’s new Gluten-Free Toaster Pastries!

Have a great week! 

Kim

When I first got the call from my doctor that I would need to start following a gluten-free diet, the last thing that crossed my mind was having to check my cosmetics for the presence of gluten.  Seriously?  Didn’t I have enough on my plate?  Yes, seriously.  Red Apple Lipstick helps simplify things a little with their gluten-free, paraben-free cosmetics.

While I had heard about Red Apple Lipstick, I hadn’t had the opportunity to try it out until I received some complimentary samples in the mail.  A little more about Red Apple Lipstick:

We help women, especially those with gluten intolerance and other sensitive allergies, feel great, look great, get compliments and enjoy makeup again!

All Red Apple Lipstick products are certified gluten free, paraben free, soy free, dairy free and allergen free. Our lipsticks are also vegan, natural and cruelty free, but you wouldn’t know it, unless you asked!

I feel like I always have chapped lips and I found the Rallye Balm really helped!  I really enjoyed the taste and smell of the balm and the Strawberry Lips lipstick.  They have more than just lipstick, they also have eye shadow!

What Are The Benefits Of Being A Red Apple Girl?

1 Trusted Safety – Red Apple is a gluten free makeup company! We started life catering to those who care about the quality of cosmetic ingredients, and how they relate to your health. All products are lab tested, batch tested, and stored like gold in Fort Knox!

2 Awesome Sheens & Finishes – All Red Apple Lipsticks, Glosses and Shadows are made to truly shine! Each one has its own unique sheen and finish, one so awesome, people stop and ask, "What Is It?!"

3 Moisturizes While You Wear It –  All Red Apple Lipsticks, Glosses and Balm are loaded with an all natural, but gluten free source of Vitamin E. This lipstick literally moisturizes while you wear it!

4 Can Be Worn Sheer or Full Bodied-  Red Apple Lipsticks start with a natural mineral base. This unique property allows the lipstick or gloss to be applied sheer with light application. Add a layer or two more, and the color will blossom to exactly the color YOU want.

5 100% Money Back Guarantee –  We understand that shopping online for makeup can be tough. We also know that "pressure" is no fun!! To help things convenient for you, every product is covered by a 100% money back guarantee!

6 Blend Lipsticks – To Make Custom Colors All Red Apple Lipsticks and Glosses are designed to be combined. Blend two lipsticks to create a new color, or blend with a gloss. Imagine always having the perfect color with only a handful of products!

7 Tastes And Smells Nice – Red Apple Lipsticks are designed to be a pleasant experience. No yucky chemical smells, no unnatural parfumes, no chemicals, but instead, a light pleasant smell and taste.

8 Great Looks, Get Compliments – Your everyday beauty enhanced! We truly desire that you feel great, feel confident, and feel beautiful every day of your life, naturally!

9 Stops "Celiac Chapped" Lips – The effects of gluten on your body are widespread, but we know one negative effect of gluten is dry, flaky, painful lips. All Red Apple Lip Products are designed specifically to end "Celiac Chap" once and for all!

10 Great Offers & Great Customer Service –  We know that you love great offers, great deals, great combos of makeup , and to be treated like the wonderful girl that you are. That’s exactly how we are going to treat you. Become a member of our VIP club for even more special offers.

The ingredients of all of the Red Apple products are clearly listed on their website. Red Apple Lipstick also offers a “trade-in” program where you can send in a tube of lipstick that you don’t like for a discount on one of the many amazing Red Apple Lipsticks.  Pretty cool, huh? 

What is your favorite gluten-free lipstick?  Have you tried Red Apple Lipstick?

*The products reviewed in this blog post were sent to me free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions shared here have not bee influenced by anyone or anything.