I started out 2009 with a few resolutions.  Let’s just say that #2 was a fail on all accounts.  Moving onto #1 – expanding my exercise horizons to more than just running – well, that didn’t last and now I am training for a marathon.  #3 was to keep my house more picked up & organized.  While I am making a better effort, I have come to realize that this is an ongoing process.  It will never be “done”.  I just have to learn to accept it and move on.

So, let’s focus more on the running now.  When I started out 2009 I really had no goals in mind when it came to running.  As I went through the first couple of weeks, I set my sights on a 10K in March that didn’t happen.  Then one day as I was getting the mail in the spring, I saw a “Team in Training” postcard that was recruiting people to run the Columbus Marathon & Half Marathon to help raise money to fight cancer.  While I didn’t end up running with Team in Training, I did set my sights on the Columbus Half Marathon that was to take place on October 18, 2009.  I also decided that I should run another race of some sort before the half to get accustomed to running a race.  I chose a 10K in July.  Then, the training started.

I was following all the “rules” I should have been for training, though I wasn’t really following any one specific plan.  It was Mother’s Day weekend when my right foot started to hurt.  The more I ran & walked, the more it hurt.  I couldn’t figure out why, as I had even bought my shoes at a running store after having my run/gait evaluated.  After seeing a couple different Sports Med docs, I was diagnosed with a Morton’s Neuroma.  The first treatment I was advised to try involved buying new shoes with a wider toe box.  If that didn’t work, come back & there were a number of other things to try.  Well, it worked!  Got some new kicks and within a few weeks I was as good as new.  I ran my first ever race on July 18, 2009 and finished 2nd in my age group!

It was now time to really get down to business.  Time to start running longer runs.  I had to learn how to properly fuel myself so that I was able to make it through the runs, too.  I quickly learned that any distance of 8+ miles required mid-run fueling for me.  I also learned that 6+ mile runs required eating before the run.  I typically run at 5 AM, so that was tough to do.   I started out with bananas.  They were too filling for me to eat that close to a run.  Then I moved to Sharkies and Gu/Clif Shots.  While I love that these products are gluten-free, I wanted to try to stay away from “processed” foods during my runs.  Well, that didn’t work.  I had to learn to make it work on the longer runs – I needed quick fuel that I could eat while running.  I was practicing for the big day in October.  I wanted to mimic the foods I would be eating on that day so that I could make sure that my stomach agreed with my head.  😉  I finally figured out a system.  I also added watered down Gatorade (also gluten-free) to my 8+ mile runs to help fuel & keep me hydrated.

Over the course of the training I was running 30+ miles/week.  Those miles sure add up quickly!  I knew that I was ready for my big day.   I learned all about carb loading and how to do that gluten-free.  Brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, brown rice, buckwheat & millet all became very good friends of mine.  Served up with roasted veggies, beans or lean meat/fish and I had a great, well balanced meal to fuel me through my run.  I also had to keep an eye on my “diet” to make sure that I wasn’t losing weight.  Long runs tend to make my appetite disappear, so I began having to watch the clock to eat on those days.  Making sure to eat something well balanced every 3 hours or so.

Half marathon day came and I was sick with what I now think was H1N1.  I was fever free, but had a nice cough going on.  I ran anyway.  I managed to finish in 2 hours 1 minute & 22 seconds, just over my goal of coming in under 2 hours.  I was beating myself up at first, then I remembered I was sick.  Okay, I’ll take it.  🙂  I worked hard for that and am proud to have done as well as I did.

This brings me to the present.  I have continued to run to maintain my fitness.  I am currently running about 25 miles a week.  I have also been incorporating weights to build strength in my upper & lower body to help me achieve the goals I have set for 2010.  I have 3 races that I am planning to run in 2010.  The first race will be March 21, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.  It is the ING Half Marathon.  Not only am I running this race, but so is my sister & a group of  people that we have recruited to run in memory of my nephews, Wyatt & Jack.  This half marathon will only be a training run for me – I will not be looking for a new PR during this half.  Why?  Well, because I am getting ready to start training for my first marathon in Cleveland on May 16, 2010!  I do have a goal for this marathon – I would love to finish in under 4 hours.  Can I do it?  Only time will tell.  Will I be upset if I don’t?  Maybe, but that will only make me train harder for race #3 – the Nationwide Columbus Marathon in October 2010.  All of those races will have me running lots of miles over the course of 2010.

So as I look back over 2009 I have come to the realization that I have run over 1000 miles this year.  If you would have told me back in January that I would have run 1000 miles this year, I would have laughed.  Then I might have cried.  Will I hit 2000 next year?  I have no idea.  I think the race goals that I have set are enough.  I don’t want to set any mileage goals and end up hurting myself in the process.

The holidays are a time of year that I really look forward to.  Not only do I enjoy the foods that are the traditional holiday fare & start showing up after Halloween, but I really enjoy all the family time.  Couple all those heavier foods & treats with busier days & nights and you could end up with some unwanted extra weight after New Year’s day. 

So, how do you avoid gaining an extra pound or 10?  Moderation.  Sure, that is easy to say.  Is it easy to do?  Here are some tips that I have found to be extremely helpful.

• Don’t deny yourself your favorite treats.  When you go to a party, go ahead & have small servings of your favorite treats.  Stay away from things that are around all the time or aren’t your favorites & use those calories for the things you really love or only come once a year – gingerbread, egg nog, fudge, etc.  Go ahead, have one, but stop there.  No need to go crazy & stuff yourself, though.  Chances are you will feel uncomfortable & then beat yourself up for eating too much. 
• Try to eat as close to your regular diet as possible.  Don’t skip meals or starve yourself to save up for a big splurge at a party. Most often this backfires & because you are so hungry you end up eating way more & then feeling like an overstuffed turkey at the holidays.  If you eat sensible meals throughout the day, maybe just a little lighter, you will still be able to enjoy some treats at the party. 
• Don’t skip the gym.  Stick as close as you can to your regular exercise schedule.  Not only will this help to keep off the extra pounds from the treats & drinks, but it will help with holiday stress, too.  Sure, you may only work out 3 instead of 5 days, but 3 is better than nothing.  If you don’t have a gym or are traveling, get out for a nice, brisk walk after a heavy meal or in lieu of a nap. 
• Between holidays & functions, follow your regular diet & exercise plan.  Don’t fall off the wagon just because you may have consumed an entire pumpkin pie or pan of brownies.  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off & have a nice, healthy breakfast the next morning.  Don’t keep telling yourself that you will start that new healthy lifestyle come January 1st – do it now.  There is no time like the present (and I don’t mean the one you wrapped up for your parents or siblings).  And, you will most likely feel better eating healthy foods rather than continuing the junk food, treats & alcohol assault on your body. 
• Make sure to eat your fruits & vegetables.  It is no secret that holiday treats are lacking in the fresh fruit & vegetable department.  To help stay healthy & keep off some of that unwanted weight, add fresh fruits & veggies to your meals or snacks.  Not only do they help fill you up, but they are full of fiber & vitamins.  Then you won’t feel as guilty having that sweet potato casserole that Aunt Martha slaved over.  You know the one I am talking about – topped with candied walnuts & marshmallows. 😉
• Drink plenty of water.  If you don’t already, make sure you are drinking water all day long.  To help avoid feeling like you got hit by a bus in the morning, alternate your drinks with a glass of water at the next party.  Not only will this help slow you down, as we all tend to lose track when we get chatty, but keeping yourself hydrated will help ward off that nasty hangover. 

Try some of these tips this year & see how they work for you.  I know that I always feel so much better when I eat healthy foods.  Yes, I love my treats, but I enjoy those in moderation.  You have seen my “Cookie-A-Day” posts by now, I am sure.  I freeze most of these cookies.  I do try them, yes, as do my kids, but I don’t go overboard.  They will be there tomorrow.  Also, I know that they are in the freezer, so if I am really craving a Dark Chocolate Snowstorm or Almond Cranberry Bite, I will grab one & make that dessert. 

I wish you all a happy & healthy holiday season!  Share some of your tips below – I am always interested in hearing others tricks for keeping the craziness that is the season at bay.

One of my all-time favorites, the Thumbprint Cookie.  I loved to make these as a child.  I loved to press my thumb down into the middle of the cookie.  Filling a warm cookie with jelly or jam and a glass of ice cold milk made the best bedtime snack. 

This year I am adding a healthy twist to the Thumbprint Cookies – I am replacing the walnuts (not that they aren’t healthy) with flaxseed meal.  I saw a recipe on Eating Well called “Fig & Flax Thumbprint Cookies”, so I decided to add the flax twist to my own. 

Here is my traditional recipe:

Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (gluten-free flour mix – Bette Hagman’s)
1 or 2 tsps xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nuts
Your favorite jellies / jams

Heat oven to 350. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Work in flour, xanthan gum, and salt until dough holds together. Shape dough by teaspoonfuls into 1 inch balls.

Beat egg whites slightly. Dip each ball into egg white, then roll in chopped nuts. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Press thumb deeply into center of each. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from baking sheet; cool. Fill thumbprints with jelly / jam before serving.

Make sure to check back tomorrow for the updated version!  🙂 

These cookies caught my eye when I was browsing the Cooking Light website.  Jon loves lemon cookies, bars, cake, etc.  He was thrilled when he left for school this morning that I was making these today.  These turned out really good.  They have a unique texture due to the cornmeal in them.  The lemon flavor is slight, but pairs well with the ginger.  A nice after dinner treat! 

• 1  cup  gluten-free flour mix – I used Carol’s Sorghum Mix (about 4 1/2 ounces, which was less than a cup)
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/3  cup  yellow cornmeal (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 3/4  cup  plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 1  large egg
• 1  tablespoon grated lemon rind (one lemon made a little less than 1 TBSP)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through ground ginger); stir with a whisk. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally. Add egg; beat well. Beat in grated lemon rind. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat at medium-low speed just until blended.

3. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons batter 2 inches apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes (I checked mine at 10 and they were done) or until lightly browned and almost firm. Remove from oven. Cool on pans for 2 minutes or until firm. Remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 55 /per cookie (based on 36 cookies)

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If you want to help support & raise money for Celiac, make sure to use #healthytummy in any tweets you do through 12/16.  There is more info here.

Pay attention!  Starting December 10th (okay, I am a little slow here) – December 16th, each time #healthytummy is used in a tweet, Attune Foods will donate $1 to the Celiac Disease Foundation up to $3,000.00!!  So, get to tweeting!!  You can find more information here. 

Well, after the last 3 cookie recipes being flops, I finally had a success!  It is about stinkin’ time!  Since I was feeling a little insecure about my baking, I decided to use a recipe from Carol Fenster’s 1,000 Gluten-free Recipes to make these cookies.  Carol’s recipes have always worked very well for me, so I went back to the tried & true.  I was not disappointed!  I wish I could share the recipe with you, but it is copyrighted.  You can probably get the cookbook from your library & try some of the recipes out if you are unsure of the purchase, but let me tell you that this is one amazing cookbook (no, I am not getting paid to say that).  The pizza crust that I raved about here is also one of Carol’s recipes.  🙂 

Look…..they worked!

The army:

Once the cookies cooled, I whipped up a quick frosting/icing & we got busy. 

Frosting

1-2 cups powdered sugar (depends on how much frosting you want to make)

1/2 – 1 tsp vanilla (again, depends on how much sugar you use; start with less & taste – you can always add more)

1-3 TBSP milk (start with 1 TBSP, stir and add more milk until you get the desired consistency)

My little helper – concentrating so hard:

Jon’s handiwork:

Up tomorrow: Lemon Cornmeal Cookies – YUM!  I can’t wait.  I am well stocked with parchment paper, so I hope to avoid future disasters!

In case you missed any of the earlier days of “Cookie-A-Day”

Day 1 – Russian Teacakes

Day 2 – Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin

Day 3 – Dark Chocolate Snowstorms

Day 4 – Pecan Shortbread

Day 5 – Spritz Cookies

Day 6 – Gingersnaps

Day 7 – Almond Cranberry Bites

Day 8 – Peanut Butter Cookies

Day 9 – Festive Candy Cookies

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Looking for fudge recipes?  Check out my Remarkable Fudge & Peanut Butter Fudge recipes. 

Yes, I said “Gluten-free Pita Bread”.  I did not stutter.  I about fell out of my chair when I heard there was such a product on the market.  I knew that I had to get my hands on some ASAP!  I emailed Rami at GFL Foods, Inc and they happily shipped me out a package of gluten-free pitas to review (the pitas were sent to me at no charge; I am not being paid to write this review).  You can purchase the pitas at www.glutenfreepitas.com , which is very easy to remember. 

Jon was thrilled the day these showed up on our doorstep.  We have now plowed through our package & I am here to report the many different ways we used the pitas.  We have filled them with BBQ pulled pork, taco meat, lunch meat & cheese and used them as pizza crusts!  Here is a couple photos of the pitas filled with taco meat.

These gluten-free pitas are so easy to prepare.  Once they arrived, the instructions said to place them in the freezer.  To prepare, simply place in the microwave for 30 seconds & fill with the filling of your choice.  For the most part these pitas held up very well to the different fillings that we used.  They did crumble a little when used as a pizza crust, but that could be due to the additional heating to melt the cheese on the “pizzas”.  The taste was great & complimented all of the different foods well.  I would highly recommend these pitas.  The only con I could really find was the price.  The cost is $9/bag of pitas + shipping.  I realize that gluten-free foods cost more to make, as the ingredients cost more.  To my knowledge, I don’t think there is another gluten-free pita on the market, so if you want one, this is the place to get them!

Thanks to Rami & GFL Foods, Inc for giving me the opportunity to sample & review these awesome pita breads. 

This week has been full of baking disasters – 3 to be exact.  I posted about 1 of them here, the other 2 happened on Saturday.  Saturday I set out to make Sugar Cut-outs and Shortbread.  The cut outs all stuck to my non-stick cookie sheet.  I suspect that my running out of parchment paper & opting to carry on was a mistake.  Live & learn.  I did try the last 5 cookies on foil sprayed with Pam and they worked much better.  So, it wasn’t the recipe as much as it was the method that I chose to bake them – cutting corners because I ran out of the parchment.  Note to self: stick dough back in fridge & go to the store next time.  😉  Now, the shortbread.  Not sure what happened there.  I took a recipe from Real Simple (ha ha….that makes me laugh seeing as this was far from simple for me…LOL) and converted it to gluten-free.  Normally I have no trouble converting recipes, but this just did not work.  It looked very pretty in the pan, but upon removing it, it crumbled.  LOL!  I have more cookie crumbs in my freezer than I know what to do with!  The shortbread & the sugar cut-outs both taste amazing, they just aren’t pretty.  I have renewed faith this morning, though, and am planning on making Gingerbread Cookies with Hannah.  Wish me luck!  I am going with this saying- “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” 

Onto the menu plan for the week.  No more talk of failures.  Heather of Celiac Family is hosting the gluten-free menu swap this week & the ingredient of the week is cinnamon!  I love cinnamon!  I used cinnamon daily.  I put cinnamon in my coffee with a touch of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze; I sprinkle cinnamon on my apples & pears; I sprinkle cinnamon on my almond & pumpkin butter creations.  One of my favorite recipes that has cinnamon in it is Snickerdoodles. 

I just got back from the grocery store with some fun produce finds.  I was shocked to find blackberries on sale for $1 again!  Here it is, December, and the blackberries are plentiful!  I also picked up 5 lbs of clementines.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to be eating all 5 lbs alone.  I gave Hannah one for lunch & she didn’t like the “white skin” part.  Jon refused it and I don’t think Aaron likes them either.  Oh well, more for me, right?  I wanted to grab grapes, but not at $2.99/lb.  I was also disappointed at the price of broccoli – $2/head!   While I am enjoying the blackberries & root veggies, I really miss peaches, plums and watermelon. 

Sunday – Rotisserie chicken, basmati rice, fresh green beans & salad

Monday –Sweet Thai Salmon, baked sweet potato, asparagus & salad

Tuesday – Mexican Pizza, refried beans, white corn & salad

Wednesday- BBQ Chicken Breast, parmesan potatoes, sugar snap peas & salad

Thursday –Shrimp Scampi Alfredo, brown rice pasta & salad

Friday -Calzones (hoping Shriley at Gluten-free Easily posts her stuffed pizza by then 😉 ), veggies & salad

Saturday -Roasted root veggies with chickpeas, marinutta sauce & goat cheese, salad

Baked Goods

Bread

Bagels

Brownies

Lots of cookies (hopefully no flops this week)

Candy/fudge

As always, don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie for lots of great menu ideas. 

I hope you all have a great week!  Here are a couple of the fudge recipes I plan on making this week – Remarkable Fudge & Peanut Butter Fudge.

I started out my day yesterday with hopes of changing up my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to make it a little more festive.  I thought that adding Mini M & Ms to the cookies would make them more festive.  I got that butter out when I was making breakfast in the morning to let it soften.  The recipe calls for melted butter, but I have never had success when melting the butter (gluten-free or not gluten-free).  I didn’t get around to mixing the dough until 4:00.  Here is how the first tray turned out:

After this, I promptly stuck the dough in the fridge to chill, hoping that would help.  Not my luck.  A little better, but still spread way too much.  The next tray came out like that as well.  I quickly abandoned any thoughts of making another tray & pressed the remaining dough into a round Pyrex dish & made a round bar cookie.  It came out wonderfully!

Here are the cookies – I cut them into thin bars.  They taste amazing, but look horrible!  LOL!

I was tweeting last night about my flop and Shirley from Gluten-free Easily had a great idea.  She told me to freeze the cookies & use them later for a pie crust!  Brilliant!  I would just need to crush & add butter or oil & press into a pan.  Never throw away your flops – they can be used for something.   These may not make it to the cookie crumb crust – the kids love them!

Tips/Notes

• The recipe can be found on the link above.  Omit the oats and don’t use melted butter.  Do soften the butter, but only for a hour or 2.
• This recipe is normally a huge success.  I love the flavor.

I wanted to show that even though “Life gave me lemons, I made lemonade”.  I turned a potentially frustrating & upsetting situation into a joke & laughed about it.  That is all you can do.  Baking is about trial & error, just like a lot of things in life.  It isn’t just gluten-free baking that is like that, either, though it does seem to require a little more patience at times.  There have been times over the past 4 years that I have thrown in the towel and said I wouldn’t bake again, but I did.  I am glad I did.  It may just be the flour mix or the temperature in the oven.  Or, you may never figure out what the problem was.  Just don’t stop trying.  🙂

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Buddy the Elf showed up again today.  He was hanging from our pot rack in the kitchen!

Hannah got a big kick out of that! 🙂

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Did you catch Dr. Oz’s show on Celiac Disease yesterday?  I thought the first 15 – 20 minutes were very informative.  The animation & details about symptoms were just what needed to be shown & said to get the word out to those who may be suffering.  I was a little disappointed when the conversation turned to the gluten-free diet being great for weight loss even if you don’t have Celiac or gluten intolerance.  This seems to lessen the importance of the gluten-free diet for those who really need it.  While it is great to have so much awareness, this shouldn’t be promoted as the newest “fad diet”.  For those who have Celiac, this is the only “cure”.   Cross contamination can make Celiacs sick and cause damage.  I was also curious as to how many people actually lose weight on the gluten-free diet.  I tweeted the question and I received mixed responses.  Some people did lose weight, but others gained.  I gained weight (needed to).  The weight gain most likely comes from the body finally being able to absorb the nutrients that it couldn’t when the villi were damaged. Another very important point that I initially missed – Dr. Oz mentioned trying the GF diet first for a few weeks and then getting tested – don’t do this!  If you remove gluten-from your diet & then go get tested, the results can be skewed.  Get tested first, then remove the gluten.  Dr Oz does have an informative page on his site – lots of good info there.

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Make sure to stop by Diane’s today – The Whole Gang.  She is hosting the Friday Foodie Fix and the secret ingredient is chocolate!  You all know how near & dear to my heart chocolate is.  🙂

An old favorite in our house – Peanut Butter Cookies.  I knew that this had to be one of the cookies that I included in my series.  These cookies are super easy to mix up and toss in the oven.  They can even be mixed the night before and then baked first thing in the morning. 

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

*Original recipe from Betty Crocker Cook Book – modified to be gluten-free by me

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Skippy Natural)

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 a stick)

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups GF flour mix (I used Carol’s sorghum mix)

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1/4 tsp. salt

Granulated sugar (for topping)

Method

1.  Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter & egg together in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.  Chill for at least 2 hours. 

2.  Heat oven to 375.

3.  Shape dough into small balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Flatten cookies with a fork (you may want to spray with Pam) in a criss-cross pattern.

4.  Bake for 9-10 minutes or until light brown – do not over-bake.  They took just 9 minutes in my oven.  Cool 5 minutes & remove to wire rack for the remainder of the cooling time. 

Tips

• This recipe is another that works best using a GF flour mix without added baking soda or baking powder.  That way you can control the amounts.  I usually reserve Pamela’s Baking Mix for muffins, cakes, scones and not cookies.  The one cookie I made with Pamela’s last week came out cake-like. 
• Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets to help your cookies from sticking & to keep them from spreading too much.
• I thought about subbing the shortening out to make these a little healthier.  The cook book suggests using 1/4 pkg. (8 oz pkg) light cream cheese in place of the shortening.  I didn’t have any, but would love to try that next time. 

My helper:

Using his “tool”:

Ready to go into the oven:

The finished product:

Once again, a hit.  The kids scarfed down the cookies that I would allow them to have & begged for more.  I asked what the best cookies were so far – Jon said the Almond Cranberry Bites from yesterday; Hannah said the Peanut Butter Cookies & the Spritz Cookies are her favorite.