Because we all know I have a hard time being quiet, right?

Because breakfast is always more fun served out of a wine glass. 

When I first shared my love of Thai Chile Salmon, I paired it with roasted potatoes and okra.  Recently I have been eating a lot of quinoa in an effort to eat more nutrient dense foods.  Low iron stores on my last blood work means more bison (higher in iron than beef), spinach and other leafy greens and subbing quinoa for brown rice.  Check out the comparison below.

Brown Rice – 1 cup:

• Protein – 5 grams
• Fiber – 4 grams
• Calcium – 2%
• Iron – 4%

Quinoa – 1 cup:

• Protein – 8 grams
• Fiber – 5 grams
• Calcium – 3%
• Iron – 15%

Instead of pairing the salmon with potatoes, I paired it with quinoa. The quinoa is very quick to cook by following the directions on the box with one change – I cooked the quinoa in canned lite coconut milk instead of water.

Sweet Thai Chile Salmon

• Trader Joe’s Sweet Thai Chile Sauce
• Salmon
• Paprika, Salt & Pepper

1.  Pour 1TBSP or so sweet Thai chile sauce on each piece of salmon

2. Sprinkle salmon with paprika, salt and pepper.

3.  Bake at 375 for 12 min or so.

4.  Broil for 1-2 minutes.

5.  Be careful not to overcook.

In order to add some veggies to my dish, I sauteed some sliced zucchini for 10-12 minutes and placed on top of the quinoa and salmon in a bowl.  This was perfect!  I can’t wait to have it again soon!

Yesterday, January 12th, marked the 7th anniversary of being on the gluten-free diet for me.  I am so much healthier now than I was seven years ago.  This isn’t entirely due to following the gluten-free diet, but it sure plays a large part.  I just turned 40 and am in the best shape of my life – partly due to the gluten-free diet and the fact that I feel good, so I have the energy to pursue my running goals 100%.  So much has changed in the world of gluten-free over the past 7 years, including the debut and expansion of food in the gluten-free marketplace. 

Here is a list of some of the things I have learned over the years.  Some are taken from my post that I shared last year on my 6th anniversary.

• There are way more things that I can eat, than can’t.
• Even after 6 7 years, I still make mistakes.
• There is life after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and starting the gluten-free diet.
• The selection of gluten-free foods in grocery stores is much better now than it was 6 7 years ago.
• Even with all of the publicity the gluten-free diet has been getting, some people still look at me like I have 2 heads when I ask if they have a gluten-free menu.
• The gluten-free diet isn’t necessarily a healthy or an unhealthy diet; your diet is what you make it.  There are plenty of healthy & unhealthy gluten-free foods out there, just like every other diet.
• Focusing on friends and family at gatherings is way more productive & feels better than focusing on the food, whether I can eat it or not.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff – this works for the gluten-free diet just as it does for the rest of your life.  Keep a gluten-free protein bar or snack in your purse, bag or car so that you always have a back up.

Monday – Chicken fingers, baked steak fries, broccoli and salad

Tuesday – Baked Ziti and salad

Wednesday – Sweet Thai chile salmon, coconut baked brown rice, sugar snap peas and salad

Thursday – Breakfast for dinner and fruit salad

Friday – Dinner with friends

Saturday – Make your own pizza and salad

Bob Evan’s updates and expands gluten-free menu

Review: Katz Gluten Free Blueberry Pie

Review: BoomChickaPop Popcorn

Review: Katz Gluten-Free English Muffins

Have a great week!

Do you like surprise parties?  When Aaron turned 25 I threw a surprise party for him, only I had him plan it.  Are you wondering how he planned his own surprise party?  I convinced him that my BFF’s birthday was coming up (even though it was September and her birthday isn’t until February) and wanted to throw a party for her.  He went to great lengths to reserve a party room, get a keg of beer and organized logistics so she would be surprised, only he didn’t know that I was doing just the same thing with the logistics on my side so that he would be surprised.  When the day of the party came, he worked fervently to make sure we got my friend to the party room without raising suspicion.  His plan was to walk in first to turn the lights on and then have her come in to “help him” carry something to the car, only since he was walking in first, his friends jumped out and yelled “SURPRISE!”!  He quickly shushed the crowd informing them that my friend was on her way in and to get ready to jump out and surprise her.  It took one of his friends to point out that the party was for him, not her, since they didn’t even know who she was.  He was thoroughly shocked and surprised!  It is a good thing I was able to pull that off because there will never be a way to surprise him like that again.

With my 40th birthday coming up I suspected that Aaron may try to pull something off to help celebrate the event.  As the day approached, I headed to meet my family along with my mom and step dad for dinner.  There weren’t any people hiding behind walls or tables, so I thought I was in the clear as the next night Aaron and I were headed to our favorite restaurant for date night.  Little did I know that date night was not really date night, but a gathering of life-long friends and family waiting to surprise me!

As we pulled into the empty parking lot of our favorite restaurant I made a joke that if he was having a surprise party for me here there would be no place to hide the cars, as there were only a couple of other cars in the parking lot.  He laughed and brushed it off.  The hostess took our coats and walked us to our table.  I sat down and began to peruse the wine list as I heard Aaron say, “Bazinga!”  What?  (We are big fans of ‘The Big Bang Theory’)  He said it again and I looked at him like he was crazy and then I saw Hannah, my little sister, Regan and my mom walk around the corner!  They brought me back to a private dining room full of people who yelled, “SURPRISE!”  My middle sister, who lives in Atlanta with her family, grabbed me and gave me a huge hug and noogie since I had been harassing her all day about a surprise visit to Ohio for my birthday.  I had no idea about the party, but I did suspect that she was en route for a variety of reasons, including her phone going right to voice mail (being turned off on the plane).

What a wonderful, thoughtful way to help me celebrate my 40th birthday!  I am so grateful and blessed to have such a wonderful family!  The dinner included my favorite menu items – filet mignon, chop salad and flourless chocolate torte for dessert (all gluten-free, of course!).

My sneaky sister, Kelly.

Not the best picture due to the lighting in the restaurant, but my dear friends (from right to left, Stacy, Holly, me, Amanda), all of whom I have known for over 15 years!  Amanda (she is the BFF that Aaron thought he was planning the party for) and I have been friends for 25 years. 

The man who made it all happen – Aaron!  I couldn’t have asked for a better husband!  He went to such great lengths to make sure my 40th birthday was celebrated with those who are near and dear to me.  Thank you, Aaron, I love you!! 

I also want to take a moment to thank my mother, as we share a birthday.  Thank you for all that you have done for me – and for sharing your birthday – I love you!  Happy birthday, Mom!

Last week I shared one of my recent favorite dinner salads – Simple Steak Salad.  This week I want to share another simple salad using a store-bought rotisserie chicken.  Eating healthy doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated.  By using a store-bought rotisserie chicken (remember to check the gluten-free status), the time it takes to prepare this meal is less than 15 minutes.  Of course if you want to cut down on processed foods and prepare your own chicken, roast it on Sunday and then you can use it for several meals during the week. 

Once the chicken is prepared or purchased, the rest of the preparation is simple.  Some people choose to cut all of their veggies up at one time for the entire week.  I like to cut them up as I use them.  To each his own. 

Chicken, Walnut & Raisin Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

• 3-4 ounces of roasted chicken
• Chopped zucchini
• Chopped cucumber
• Chopped radishes
• Sliced grape tomatoes
• Raisins
• Chopped walnuts
• Marzetti Simply Dressed Pomegranate Dressing (gluten-free)

After I enjoyed my very large dinner salad I thought of a couple ingredients that I might add the next time I make this – avocado and/or goat cheese.  The best thing about dinner salads like this is playing around with the ingredients to find the combination you fall in love with. 

What is your favorite dinner salad combination?

Phew!  What a whirlwind the past few days have been!  More on that (celebrations) later this week.  Before I move onto the meal plan for the week, I want to show you what I did to entertain myself today.  I was looking for a fun bowl or container to put some popcorn in to take pictures of for a review and couldn’t find anything suitable, so I ended up using a wine glass.  What a fun way to eat popcorn! 

These wine glasses hold 7-9 oz of wine if they are filled most of the way up, so they don’t get used often.  I love my new popcorn dish! 

Now, let’s get down to business – the menu plan. 

Monday – Rotisserie chicken with rice or salad, green beans

Tuesday – Ground beef tacos, black beans, corn and salad

Wednesday – Thai Peanut Salmon, quinoa and zucchini

Thursday – Baked Ziti and salad

Friday – Breakfast for dinner and fruit salad

Saturday – Take out

Sunday – Italian grilled chicken Alfredo, asparagus and salad

Red Lobster gluten-free options

Review: Bob’s Red Mil Gluten-Free Museli

Review: Udi’s Mighty Bagels

Have a great week!

I have been participating in some evening exercise classes recently which makes my dinner time later than the rest of the family’s.  I can’t very well eat a full meal and then go run or to an intense exercise class.  I found what works best for me is to fuel before hand with a gluten-free bagel & peanut butter or a NuGO Dark protein bar. 

After my workout is over my new favorite way to refuel is with a simple steak salad.  I pre-slice lean steak and marinate in Kraft Tuscan House Italian dressing.  When I get home I simply toss the steak slices into a saute pan for a few minutes per side while I make my salad. 

I could make this process even faster if I prepared the salad before I went to my class, so all I would have to do once I got home is cook the steak.  Some of the other goodies I like to include in my salad:

• avocado
• walnuts
• dried fruit (raisins)
• cucumber
• zucchini
• grape tomatoes
• radishes
• snow peas

How do you manage fueling around dinner time workouts? 

Don’t forget to enter the Daiya New Year’s Giveaway!

‘Tis the season to freeze our tails off while running in what feels like the frozen tundra!  BRR!  If you were cold outside last week while you were running, you will really be cold this week!  The temps are dipping into the single digits at night, making those early morning runs super cold. 

Over the past few years I have discovered the cold weather items that work best for me and continue to find new tricks.  In addition to using Hot Hands for my gloves, I tried using the foot version for my toes last year and they worked great!  It is important to note that I put these on top of my toes, not underneath. 

I have made another new, albeit expensive, solution to keeping my lower half warm while running – the Lululemon Toasty Tech Tight.  In addition to keep me plenty warm, these are some of the longest tights!  I am 5’7” tall and look how long they are:

Lots of cool designs and pockets:

More about the tights:

why we made this

When we’re toughing it out on our brisk morning runs, we want to be warm and cozy. Brushed on the inside, these Tech Fleece fabric tights have a soft flannel-like feel to help keep our legs toasty. Quick-access pockets hold our gels close so we don’t need to fish for our fuel.

key features

• brushed inside for a fluffy-soft touch
• high-stretch Tech Fleece fabric moves with you
• four easy-access pockets to store keys, gels and cash
• reflective detailing helps keep early birds bright
• high-rise for extra warmth and coverage

tech specs

• designed for: run
• fabric(s): Tech Fleece
• properties: moisture-wicking, preshrunk, chafe-resistant, four-way stretch, reflective
• rise: high
• leg fit: tight
• inseam: 30"
• hem sweep: 8"

(source)

When I first tried these on in the store I was concerned about the high waist.  Typically the tights I wear are low rise and these came up just to my belly button.  After speaking with a sales associate that shared my concerns about the pants, I was convinced to give them a try.  She said that the higher waist not only helps keep you warm, but the pants stay put and don’t sag.  That sales associate was exactly right!  Not only were these pants very toasty, but they stayed put!  No hiking up my pants mid-run!  I love these tights so much that I really would love to get a second pair! 

While we are on the topic of winter running, make sure to stay hydrated when you head out.  Even though you don’t feel like you are sweating, you still sweat and need to replace what you lose.  Water tends to freeze in hand-held water bottles, so consider switching things up with an electrolyte sports drink like Gatorade (all gluten-free). 

What do you do to stay warm when you exercise outside in the winter?

The Mighty Bagel

Happy New Year’s Day!!  Are you excited for the new year?  One thing I love about January 1st is doing a race to kick of the year and month with fitness!  Fun, right?  Another fun way to start the year off right is with a giveaway!  I recently had the opportunity to sample some of the new products offered by Daiya Foods and am pleased to tell you that I am able to give 5 lucky readers each $30 worth of coupons!

The new Daiya products are wedges in three different varieties:

Cheddar style – Filtered water, tapioca flour, palm fruit oil, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or pressed safflower oil, pea protein, coconut oil, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, vegan natural flavours, gum arabic, lactic acid (vegan, for flavor), annatto, titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), natural smoke flavour, vegan enzyme.

Jack style -Filtered water, tapioca flour, palm fruit oil, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or safflower oil, pea protein, coconut oil, inactive yeast, salt, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, vegan natural flavours, gum arabic, lactic acid (vegan, for flavor),titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), natural smoke flavour, vegan enzyme.

Havarti style – Filtered water, tapioca flour, palm fruit oil, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or safflower oil, pea protein, coconut oil, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, gum arabic, garlic, lactic acid (vegan, for flavor), vegan natural flavours, titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), spices, natural smoke flavour, vegan enzyme.

The “cheese” slices and melts just like the real thing!  I thoroughly enjoyed all three varieties on various sandwiches, burgers and potatoes.  I really like the cheddar on a thick, juicy bison burger!

We also enjoy the Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds on pizza (our Mellow Mushroom serves their gluten-free, vegan pizza with Daiya).

Now for the fun part!  All you have to do to enter the giveaway is follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter box below. Continue reading →