THE BEST Fried Rice Recipe

This is hands down the BEST fried rice recipe. We had this for dinner last night with fresh baked salmon and corn on the cobb.

Ingredients:
-1 cup instant brown rice
-lite soy sauce with low sodium
-1 egg
-pepper
-fresh garlic
-light butter
-frozen or fresh stir fry veggies (one with carrots and peas is the best)
-olive oil
*add grilled chicken to make chicken fried rice!

Cook the rice and set it to the side. First, grill the veggies in olive oil on higher heat. I cook mine so they are still kind of stiff and not hard (more nutrients this way). After the veggies are cooked to your desire, add 1 tbsp or so of fresh garlic. I am a garlic fanatic so I get mine pretty garlicy. Stir while the garlic fries for a minute or so. Now, spread the veggies out to the side so there is an empty center. Put a tbsp of butter in the center and let it melt. Then crack the egg onto the butter and let it sit there and cook up for a minute. Then stir up the entire mixture and cook until the egg is done and spread throughout the veggies. Next, add the rice and about 2 tbsp of soy sauce, and pepper to taste. ENJOY!

Healthy Lunch Options!

This photo is what I have eaten for lunch the last two days. This is all clean, gluten free, low calorie and low carb. Keep in mind I am eating 5 meals a day so that I can keep my metabolism burning fat and also so I am taking in enough calories.

However, I do NOT count calories! If you are eating the right foods, you don't have to count calories.

I call the eggs "angeled" eggs instead of "deviled" eggs because these eggs ARE GOOD FOR YOU!

The first photo is deli turkey with half of an avocado on top (I curl the turkey around the avocado and eat it like a taco), fresh organic strawberries and my favorite sweet potato tortilla chips.

The second photo is my angeled eggs, fresh organic tomato with salt and pepper and low fat cottage cheese. The angeled eggs are simply a hard boiled egg with the yolk REMOVED. I added an avocado to a can of tuna and that is all the filling is!

Delish and super healthy. This would be EASY to pack and take to your work too. No excuses. Peace out, puddin'!

Workout Tips and Dieting Tricks Compilation!!!!!

Ok so this post will be one that I add to often because I am always thinking of and learning new things!! Let's get right to it my sexies...

DIET TIPS & TRICKS-
-Drink lots of water. It flushes sodium from your system which is what keeps fat from your system.

-Fill up on soups! They are low calorie and fill you up quicker than junk and high carb foods.

-Drink ICE COLD water! You will burn more calories for your body to cool down.

-Eat smaller meals every 3 to 4 hours! This is the BEST thing you can do for your metabolism.

-Drink green tea! It is a metabolism booster and full of rich healthy antioxidants.

-Don't skip breakfast!! You need to jump start your metabolism after sleeping all night.

-Eat your carbs earlier in the day so you can burn them off by bedtime.

-Bananas, milk and nuts are great pre and post-workout snacks because the protein regenerates muscle.

-Eat as much raw fruits and veggies as you can! Do I need to explain why?

-Stay away from carbohydrates like bread and pasta (unless you are eating my GF noodles)

-Eat LEAN meats like turkey, chicken fish, salmon, shrimp, tuna.

-Your red meats should be lean. Remember though you do need some fat too!

-Get moving after you eat! Not a hardcore workout but walking and moving around or doing chores immediately gets that metabolism revved and ready to burn your food.

-Don't waste your calories with your drinks! Avoid sugary drinks like the plague and pop is full of harsh chemicals. If Coca-Cola can break down acid then think what it is doing to your stomach. Water is the best way to go!

-Coffee is ok to drink in moderation :) Go for it!

-Tea is great and full of antioxidants that are good for your body and metabolism.

-Multi-vitamins are very important to take everyday.

-Spinach, avocados, asparagus and kale are the healthiest green vegetables you can eat! Raw or frozen they are great - and put them in omelets - delish!

-The more colorful your veggies the healthier they are! Example: sweet potatoes over white potatoes.

-Whole grain breads and rice is better than regular white. Ezekiel bread is the healthiest bread you can buy and Rudy's for my Gluten Free pals!

-Substitute avocados for mayo.

-Substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream.

-Keep your sodium low. Over-ingesting salt can cause heaps of problems and keep you from losing weight. There is a TON of sodium in pops and canned/pre-packaged foods, for example.

-Shop on the outside perimeter of the grocery store. This is where your healthiest foods are like your meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies.

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WORKOUT TIPS & TRICKS-
-Before beginning a workout, take 10 deep breaths from the diaphragm. Imagine yourself breathing in deep breaths filling the bottom of your lungs first clear up to the top. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. This oxygenates the muscles and gets you into perfect condition to do a heavy workout. Also do this while working out to regenerate. Your muscles need oxygen!!!

-Work through side stitch easily by doing the above breathing trick! And don't stop moving.

-Stretching is important before and after a workout along with breathing.

-Sore after working out? It's because you broke down your muscle fibers and literally tore them. That is good and normal! Make sure you REST for a day or two to allow your muscles time to build and grow.

-Your muscles grow the most while you are sleeping. This is why you hear of people drinking protein shakes before bed.

-Weight & resistance training is JUST as important for females as it is males. You won't get bulky because you don't have enough testosterone in your system, ladies. Muscle definition is what burns fat constantly and not just while you are working out! So build those muscles!

-Weight training and NOT cardio is what gives you sexy curves.

-Weight training WITH cardio is the most effective workout.

-Swimming burns more calories than running and elliptical training.

-Elliptical training provides less of an impact than treadmill running.

-Make sure you are sipping on water at all times during your workouts. You can dehydrate quickly.

-Listen to your favorite jams!! You are much more likely to workout harder and longer listening to music than not!

-Find things you ENJOY that are active like tennis, outdoor hikes, biking, dancing, kite flying, gardening - whatever it is so that you are getting a workout but don't feel like it.

-Having trouble getting motivated? Get up and put on your workout clothes and turn on your workout music! It might just get you in the mood.

I know there are a TON TON more, these are just mine and all I could think of right now. PLEASE add your tips and tricks to the comments below and I will add them to this post!

Homemade Guilt Free Chicken Noodle Soup

I love eating soups because they are easy to make, filling, and very low on the calories as long as you are not loading them down with milk and creams and flour.

Ingredients:
2 boxes chicken broth (low sodium)
bag of frozen or fresh carrots and celery
3 chicken breasts
1 box Hodgson Mills GF penne pasta

*You can use regular pasta too - but tisk tisk! - it's bad for you and not gluten free. I LOVE the Hodgson Mill brand gluten free noodles because they are also CLEAN (meaning not overly processed and NO chemicals). There are only TWO healthy ingredients in these noodles: rice and flax seed. Doesn't get healthier than that.

Chicken noodle soup is one of our favorites :) I start with low sodium chicken broth. Pour them into your soup pan and heat to medium. Add the frozen or fresh veggies and cover so that the veggies can soften by steaming in the broth. Next I actually skillet fry/grill my chicken in some extra virgin olive oil because the carmalized chicken taste is awesome in the soup and not so bland. You can see in the photo above. Once the veggies are soft in the broth, add the box of GF noodles and they will cook in the broth and soften in about 15 minutes. Then just add your chicken and serve! This fed me and my husband and son and we had enough left over for my husband to take to work for lunch the next day.

Enjoy - this one is a great recipe cutie-pies!!

Why would you eat an AVOCADO???

BECAUSE I loves me some avocado!! I eat half of one everyday and could eat Chipotle's guacamole and put that $&it on everything like Frank's Red Hot!

I cut my avocados in half, take out the seed and dip chips right into them! The chips shown are my awesome find sweet potato corn tortilla chips.

Avocados are seriously healthy for you. I am totally stealing this from WebMD but it's because it's awesome.

Avocado Nutrition
Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C,K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K.

Avocado in Salads
Consider adding avocado or avocado oil to your salads. Recent research shows that antioxidants such as lycopene and beta-carotene are better absorbed with the healthy monounsaturated fat avocados have in abundance.

Super Bowl Guacamole
What would guacamole be without avocados? On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans eat about 8 million pounds of guacamole. For Cinco de Mayo, the tally is closer to 14 million.

Avoiding Browning in Avocados
To reduce oxidation (browning) of an already-sliced avocado, sprinkle lemon juice on the exposed flesh and then refrigerate in a plastic bag.

Nutritional information per serving: 238 calories; 153 calories from fat; 18 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 252 mg sodium; 19 g; carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 9 g sugars; 4 g protein.

**My Tip - replace mayo with avocado!!! It is great on burgers, and meats and with tuna!!

Peace, babes. Eat your greenies!

Gluten Free and HEALTHY Beef Stew

This is what we had for dinner tonight and one of my favorite recipes. You can still eat like a boss and not be taking in a bunch of yucky chemicals and gluten.

Here is my beef stew recipe, which has a stroganoff taste to it!

In the crockpot:
Your favorite beef chuck (I use lean shoulder beef)
Red Potatoes (much more nutrients than white potatoes)
Freshly chopped red onion, celery and carrots
1 box of beef broth (low sodium version)

Cook this on high for as long as you would like. Mine cooked for 8 hours. Right before you're ready to eat it add a 1/3 package of low fat cream cheese, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream and 2 tbsp chives. Stir until melted and serve!

Sometimes I get a little adventurous and add half a packet of ranch dip mix and that is really good too!

*TIP - YOU CAN NOT add beef stew seasoning that you buy at the store!!! It has gluten in it, not to mention it's not very good for you because it's full of sodium, which makes you bloat and retain water!

Gluten Free Holidays and Parties - How to deal?!

The hardest part about your first year of being gluten free is getting through holidays and parties. Stop feeling sorry for yourself - this is the 1st step. You can still eat! And holidays and parties are not just about eating, they are about socializing and spending time with people - remember that!

However, there are still things that you can do to get through these times and not feel like you're being left out. Go into your local grocery stores and look in the health/organic section and look for the gluten free stuff. You will be AMAZED at everything you will find there.

CAKES:
Hodgson Mills makes the best gluten free cake mixes I have ever tried! They have chocolate and yellow at my local kroger, but I have also seen red velvet, white, and a TON of other flavors on Amazon that you can buy in bulk. I promise you, YOU CAN NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE in these gluten free cakes and regular cakes. And guess what - they are healthier for you. You can eat any icing on your cakes!

My favorite is chocolate cake with mint icing, and chocolate and coconut shavings on top!

Although don't take that last statement as a reason to eat cake all the time. Sweets and desserts are not for everyday eating - or even weekly eating - these are for special occasions :) K?

COOKIES:
I have also tried gluten free cookie mixes and loved them! The sugar cookie mix is my FAVORITE - it makes the big, fluffy sugar cookies that are to die for and envies any other sugar cookies I have tried. But, if you want a REALLY easy cookie recipe that is gluten free, lower sugar and calories than regular cookies, try this:

GF COOKIES RECIPE - SUPER EASY!!!
1 box Gluten Free cake mix (any flavor - you can be creative!)
1 box instant pudding  (and flavor - you can be creative!)
1 large egg
1 regular tub of whipped cream
bowl of powdered sugar for rolling dough into

Pour your cake mix into a mixing bowl and add the egg, tub of whipped cream and pudding mix. Mix all. It will make a thick, sticky batter. Using two spoons, scoop out 1" balls of batter and put them one-by-one into a bowl of powdered sugar. You are going to coat each ball of cookie batter in the powdered sugar. Put them onto a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

My Favorite combination is a yellow cake mix and a box of instant lemon pudding mix. It makes lemon snowdrop cookies that are out of this world!!! Posting a pic :) Did I mention these cookies are only about 35 calories each?!

My next favorite combination is chocolate cake and caramel pudding - YUM.

ICE CREAM:
Eat it! You can eat ANY ice cream babes :) Just watch for ice cream that has added things like brownies, which you can not eat. But what birthday is a good one without some cake and ice cream?

CHOCOLATE:
Eat it! So eat it..... all chocolate is gluten free! Eat some for me.

WHAT TO EAT/TAKE TO PARTIES AND SOCIAL GATHERINGS:
This one can be tricky when you are first starting but live by this simple rule - you can not be sure of anything that is at a party, and you don't want to start asking people a million questions about the ingredients so just take your own dishes! You won't even have to tell people you have celiac if you just eat your own foods.

Taco Dip - this is what I take. Corn tortilla chips and a can of hormel chili mixed with a box of cream cheese is seriously amazing. You can also take fresh salsa or I also make a mean spinach dip!

Pickle Hors d'oeuvres - An all time favorite. Dry off a whole pickle with paper towels, cover the entire outside with cream cheese and wrap with slices of deli ham. Slice and serve. These are also low calorie and low carb!

Fruit and Veggie Tray - can't go wrong with this and it's healthy! I buy the Hidden Valley Ranch dip packet and add it to sour cream for the veggie dip. A good fruit dip is plain Greek yogurt, add some vanilla and almonds or get really sassy with some chocolate chips babe!!

*Try to set your goodies away from gluten-containing foods like a cracker tray, for instance. You don't want crumbs falling into your goodies and contaminating you. Also watch this on spoons and spatulas.

THANKSGIVING & CHRISTMAS:
This one was hard for me this year because my favorite was always my mommy's homemade noodles. But knowing that just one bite would have me puking made it easier.

Here is what I ate this year:
Ham & Turkey
Green Beans (plain - you can NOT have green bean casserole!)
Corn on the cob
Cranberries
Scalloped Potatoes (that I made)
Mashed Potatoes (and I made my own gravy - see the recipe here!)
and my yummy desserts above that I took

*What to watch for:
-Stuffing baked inside of a turkey means the turkey is contaminated. Ask them to make the stuffing separate if you can, or prepare your own turkey or ham to take.
-You can make your own stuffing with Rudy's Gluten Free bread!
-Cross-contamination of spoons, spatulas, crumbs falling into your foods, etc.

I am SURE there are recipes for GF pumpkin pie, but I did not have the time or care to try to look it up this year. Maybe next year :)

I think I will end it with this! I feel like this is a great start for you, but I still have so much to learn. Please comment with any information or questions, loves!

What I ate for lunch today!

I am all about eating as healthy as possible right now and exploring foods that are not only gluten free for my celiac disease, but also foods that are "clean" not overly processed and that are rich in nutrients and vitamins that our body needs.

If you eat junk, you are junk. If you eat healthy, you are healthy.

From top left going clockwise, here is what I ate today: Fresh deli oven-roasted turkey breast with half of an avocado on top (I wrap the turkey around the avocado and eat it like a taco), a slice of organic apple and some fresh cherries, and freshly cut and baked sweet potato slices!

This lunch was delicious and so wonderful for my body. Only about 280 calories for all of this.

Gluten Free Low Carb Breakfast Burrito

This is not necessarily the "cleanest" eating recipe, but one of my favorites. Completely gluten free and low carb, and full of green spinach which is very healthy!

Ingredients (serves 2 people):
1/2 roll/pound of ground sausage (I use sage sausage)
1/2 cup frozen or fresh spinach
1/3 block low fat cream cheese
2 oz. fresh jack cheese
1 fresh chopped garlic clove
4 large eggs
salt and pepper to taste
cajun seasoning to taste

Brown the sausage in a skillet. While it is cooking, warm in (in the microwave) the spinach, jack cheese and fresh chopped garlic until cheese is all melted. Get it out and stir so the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Once the sausage is finished browning, add this spinach/cheese mixture to the sausage and then put in the cream cheese. Stir on low heat and blend until cream cheese is melted and blended.

In a bowl I whip the 4 eggs and pour them all into a non-stick skillet with some light butter and olive oil. The eggs should spread out to fill the entire bottom of the skillet, like an omelet. You are wanting all of the egg to cook like an omelet, without flipping it, so ** I put a lid on top to cook the top of the omelet!

Once the omelet is finished, cut it in half down the middle and the two halves serve as your two burritos. Put them on plates and put the sausage/spinach/cheese mixture on top and just roll the egg over so it has the contents inside.

Sprinkle a bit of salt, pepper and cajun seasoning on top and ENJOY!

Gluten Free Fast Food - What can you eat?

Let's face it, there are lots of times that you are caught out on the road and have to stop and eat. You can STILL do this and eat gluten free!

Here are a few popular restaurants and WHAT YOU CAN to order:

MCDONALD'S
Meats-
Beef Patty, no bun  •  Canadian Bacon  •  Breakfast Beef Steak  •  Sausage  •  Scrambled Egg

Sides-
Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait, NO granola  •  Ice Cream Sundaes  •  McFlurry with M&M  •  Apple Dippers and carmel dip  •  Caesar Salad w/o chicken  •  Side Salad

Salad Dressings-
Creamy Caesar Dressing  •  Cobb Dressing  •  Balsamic Vinaigrette  •  Ranch Dressing  •  Salsa

Beverages-
Apple Juice  •  Coffee  • Hot Chocolate  • Milk  • Orange Juice  • Soft Drinks

Shakes-
All Shakes

Condiments/Sauces-
Butter  • Honey  • Mustard  • Syrup  • Jam  • Ketchup  • Lettuce  • Margarine  • Mayo  • Pickles  • Onion  • Tartar Sauce  • Tomato

Surprising things you can NOT eat at MCDONALD's-
FRIES, HASH BROWNS and GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, McDonald's foods are so overly processed that this is probably the most unhealthy place you could possibly eat. I would avoid this place like the plague. I have not eaten here in over a year.

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BURGER KING:
Meats-
Hamburger Patty  •  Grilled Chicken Breast  • Egg Omelet  • Southwest Potato Mix  • Liquid Eggs

Salad & Fruit-
BK Fresh Apple Fries  • Lettuce  • Onions  •  Carrots  • Tomatoes  •  Salad Mix

Beverages-
Apple Juice  • Orange Juice  •  Coffee  •  Milk  •  All Shakes

Condiments-
Syrup  •  Grape & Strawberry Jam  •  Honey  •  Ketchup  •  Mustard  •  Mayo  •  Pickles

Sauces-
BBQ  •  Buffalo  •  Stacker Sauce  •  Smoky Cheese  •  Caramel  •  Chocolate Fudge  •  Sweet & Sour  •  Fry Sauce  •  Marinara  •  Ranch  •  Tartar  •  Onion Ring Sauce  •  Vanilla Icing

Surprising things you can NOT eat at BURGER KING-
FRIES, HASH BROWNS!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, Burger King is not too bad if you get a burger with no bun or a grilled chicken breast salad with an oil-based dressing such as balsamic vinaigrette.

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WENDY'S:
Meats-
Hamburger Patty  •  Ultimate Chicken Grill Fillet Un-breaded

Baked Potatoes-
Plain  •  Sour Cream & Chives  •  Bacon & Cheese  •  Broccoli & Cheese  • Chili & Cheese

Sides-
Chili - hot chili seasoning packet and cheese are fine to add

Frosty-
You can have any frosty!

Salads-
Caesar Side Salad, NO croutons  •  Garden Side Salad, NO croutons  •  Baja Salad Seasoned Tortilla Strips

Extras-
All Cheeses  •  All Butter   •  All Beverages

Surprising things you can NOT eat at WENDY'S-
FRIES!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, Wendy's is my favorite fast food place to eat. I get chili and a sour cream and chives baked potato and it is very filling. Also, Wendy's uses maltodextrin from a CORN source so it is not as bad.

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KFC:
Sides-
House Side Salad, NO dressing  •  Caesar Side Salad, NO dressing or croutons  •  Green Beans  • Potato Salad  •  Seasoned Rice  •  Corn

Salad Dressings-
Ranch  •  Italian  •  Parmesan Caesar

Surprising things you can NOT eat at KFC-
FRIES, GRILLED CHICKEN, MASHED POTATOES!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, probably don't eat at KFC. There is not much here you can have, and even the things you CAN have I worry about the cross-contamination from so much wheat being processed on all of the other foods.

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DAIRY QUEEN:
Treats-
Vanilla & Chocolate Soft Serve  •  Artic Rush Slush, All Flavors  •  MooLatte  •  DG Fudge Bar  •  Dilly Bar in a sealed plastic wrap  •  *DOES NOT INCLUDE HAZLENUT FLAVORED DRINKS which contain Gluten!

Blizzard Flavors-
Peanut Butter Cup  •  Butterfinger  •  Snickers  •  Heath  •  M&M  •  Banana Split  •  Hawaiian  •  Tropical  •  Strawberry  •  Mint M&M

Toppings-
Chocolate  •  Hot Fudge  •  Marshmallow  •  Butterscotch  •  Strawberry  •  Caramel

Shakes-
*Don't drink shakes because they are made on the same machine that malt shakes and drinks are made and will be cross-contaminated UNLESS you ask them to clean the machine first.

Foods-
Burgers are probably ok, but use caution. No chicken. I still would not eat food from here. Too much cross-contamination.

Surprising things you can NOT eat at DAIRY QUEEN-
FRIES, GRILLED CHICKEN!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, eat the ice cream and treats above, DO NOT EAT THE FOOD.

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SONIC:
Meats-
Bacon  •  Breakfast Sausage Patty  •  Egg Patty  •  Hamburger, NO bun  •  Hot Dog, NO bun

* SONIC has released a statement saying that any of the above foods are likely contaminated from being cooked on the same grill as gluten-containing foods and they do not have a separate area to cook your food.

Shakes-
*Don't drink shakes because they are made on the same machine that malt shakes and drinks are made and will be cross-contaminated UNLESS you ask them to clean the machine first.
Treats-
Soft Serve Ice Cream  •  Chocolate Syrup  •  Butterfinger  •  M&M  •  Reese's Pieces  •  Whipped Toppings  •  All Route 44 Drinks  •  All Slushes

Surprising things you can NOT eat at DAIRY QUEEN-
FRIES!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, eat the ice cream and treats above, DO NOT EAT THE FOOD.

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ARBY'S:
Meats-
Roasted Ham  •  Roast Beef  •  Sausage Patty  •  Roast Turkey  •  Breakfast Bacon  •  Grilled Diced Chicken

Sides-
Dried Cranberries  •  Seasoned Tortilla Strips  •  Potato Cakes

Sauces-
Ranch Spread  •  BBQ  •  Dijon Honey Mustard  •  Marinara  •  Red Ranch  •  Tangy Southwest  •  Brown Berry  •  Cheddar Cheese

Dressings & Condiments-
Buttermilk Ranch  •  Raspberry Vinaigrette  •  Santa Fe Ranch  •  Ketchup  •  Mayo
Surprising things you can NOT eat at ARBY'S-
FRIES, HORSEY SAUCE!! These contain gluten!

*Overall, I love the roast beef, but there is not much else here you can eat. A lot of restaurants have their salads

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CHIPOTLE:
Main Starters-
Crispy Taco Shells  •  Fajitas  •  Barbacoa  •  Chicken  •  Steak

Fillings-
Rice  •  Sour Cream  •  Cheese  •  Black Beans   •  Pinto Beans  •  All Salsas   •  Guacamole

Chips-
Eat up! The chips are made with corn and not flour

Surprising things you can NOT eat at CHIPOTLE-
BURRITOS!! These contain gluten and are made with flour!

*Overall, I eat Chipotle at least once a week and would eat it 3 times a day! A GREAT place for Celiacs and the food is very fresh, all organic and very healthy!!

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SUBWAY:
All Meats, Cheeses and Salads are gluten free. Do NOT eat croutons or BREAD or WRAPS.

*Be CAREFUL on the salad dressings. I suspect they all contain gluten. I got very sick last time I ate here with Italian Dressing

Surprising things you can NOT eat at CHIPOTLE-
*SALAD DRESSING

*Overall, Subway is not the place to eat.

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TACO BELL:
Foods-
Mexican Rice  •  Pintos & Cheese  •  Tostada

Beverages-
Cherry Lime Sparkler  •  Classic Lime Sparkler  •  Orange & Cream Swirl Fruitista Freeze

Condiments-
Border Sauce  •  Jalapeno Sauce  •  Fiesta Sauce  •  Guacamole  •  Pepper Jack Sauce  •  Pizza Sauce  •  Red Sauce  •  Sour Cream  •  Salsa  •  Avocado Ranch

Surprising things you can NOT eat at TACO BELL-
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING!!

*Overall, you can't eat at Taco Bell!! A lot of celiacs get confused because you can eat Chipotle and Mexican food but Taco Bell's food is so incredibly over-processed and full of preservatives that contain gluten. Tortilla chips, tortilla shells and burritos are all made with flour. I would avoid Taco Bell as much as McDonald's!!!

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Questions? Leave me a comment and I will reply :)

The BEST Gluten Free CLEAN Chips

I stumbled across these at the grocery store last night and had to try them. I am not a sweet potato liker, and I am saddened deeply by this because sweet potatoes are so much healthier and more full of nutrients than regular potatoes. So I thought - what the heck - try them.

LOVE THEM OMG. These are organic, healthy, gluten-free and clean, baked, and AWESOME. Seriously these are better than regular tortilla chips any day.

I got them at Kroger in the organic section. Looks like I will be a regular buyer of these babies!!!

How to Replace Flour with Corn Starch

If you are gluten-free or trying to be, not being able to have flour can mess with your head. It is going to be ok, love! You can replace flour with corn starch :) It doesn't work perfectly for all recipes, but I use this stuff for EVERYTHING!!!

Here are some things you can do with corn starch:

GRAVY:
Mix corn starch with your favorite broth and make gravy! I make mine by putting some corn starch and milk in a jar. To mix, just shake the jar. This makes your gravy NOT LUMPY!!! I add pepper too. Then slowly pour the milk/corn starch mixture into the lightly boiling broth of your choice and stir with a whisk until it reaches your desired thickness.

SOUPS:
I love me some creamy soups! Celiacs can not have creamy soups because the thickness is from flour. You can not eat mushroom soup, potato soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of anything soups. It's ok! I now make my OWN soups using broth, fresh ingredients and corn starch as a thickener.

BREADING:
My favorite breading recipe is corn starch, eggs, basil, fresh chopped garlic and salt and cayan pepper. Mix these ingredients together with water until it is just creamy and thick. Dip your meats in this and bake in the oven or fry in a pan in olive oil. DELISH and the starch makes a light and fluffy breading.

Try it, you'll like it!

Gluten-Free and CLEAN Spaghetti and Meat Balls

A lot of people think that having celiac means you can not enjoy food anymore. I am hear to tell you - it ain't true, baby! This is what I made for dinner last night and not only is the recipe completely gluten free, it is also a part of "CLEAN" eating - which basically means foods that are not overly processed and are much healthier for you.

Here is how I eat!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do not miss out :)

I start with the meatballs. These are baked in the oven and are completely gluten free and very low carb. I like to keep my carbs low too to keep somewhat of a figure. Plus it's good for you not to over-ingest a bunch of yucky, sugary carbs.

LOW-CARB, GLUTEN FREE MEATBALLS:
1lb/roll of extra lean ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded cheddar (non-waxed)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
freshly chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl combine all of the above ingredients. I kneed it with my hands to make sure it is well mixed. Shape into 1" balls or whatever size you want them and bake at 400 degrees for about 25/30 minutes.

SPAGHETTI NOODLES:
While those are cooking I boil the pasta. YES, PASTA!!! I buy Hodgson Mill's Gluten Free Rice noodles. They are about $2.49 a box at Kroger. TWO INGREDIENTS in these bad boys! Rice and flax seed. You could not get healthier than that. You should eat these even if you are not on a gluten-free diet. They taste like regular noodles - I promise you. You can slap me if you don't think so.

SPAGHETTI SAUCE:
I buy Ragu brand, Light sugar-free. The ingredients are all natural. No preservatives and junk in there. If you read the label you can pronounce all of the ingredients and therefore this is a "clean" sauce. I warmed it up in the microwave and served it over top of the noodles.

Pair this meal with half of a freshly cut avocado and you've got yourself a seriously healthy, gluten-free meal.

ENJOY, love bugs!

My Celiac Story - GLUTEN FREE IS THE WAY TO BE

So....I am BACK! With an all new and improved, extremely amateur blog. Thanks to all who inspired me to start this back up. My whole goal with this is to help other people dealing with any of my same problems. We need to reach out to each other and spread love.

So, my CELIAC STORY. Starts from birth. And I will make this short because since birth is a LONG story and who has time for that...

As a kid I always remember my "belly" hurting. I was having lots of issues trying to do #2 (sorry if TMI...maybe don't read the rest if that was TMI for you). I had bad heartburn and acid reflux. I remember after lunch in elementary school I would have the worst chest pains and nausea. I would go to the nurse probably 3 times a week complaining that I was sick and wanted to go home. She began to think I had psychological issues and my chart was written with a note that said I was always "homesick." No lady, I was freaking really sick. But as a kid it is hard to express how you feel, especially when you have no idea why. But I will never forget that feeling.

In middle school I had the same issues but it got a bit better, or maybe I just don't remember the severe pain. I mostly remember puberty, which was awkward enough.

High school. This is when things got bad. It seems like my stomach was always hurting. My symptoms were constipation (severe, like 2 weeks without #2'ing), nausea, major stomach bloating and pain, dizziness, skin irritation and breakouts, fatigue. My junior year I discovered the Atkins diet. If you are not familiar with this diet, it is low carb. So I stopped eating bread and pasta. Guess what? I started feeling so much better. I attributed it to the diet and not eating carbs. I lost about 20 pounds and felt fantastic. But I was on and off this diet because it is hard to stick to - especially in school. My senior year I had a full colonoscopy. My doctor lady was like, "Your intestines look like an 80 year old woman's on the inside," and I was all like, "OMG what does that mean???" Her answer: IBS. "Go on a high fiber diet," she said. "Don't ever eat cheese or dairy again," she said. I DID what she said and went on a high fiber diet for about two years. Guess what? Teshia felt sick :(

I went on to college and nothing changed except for I learned more about food and exercise and calorie counting thanks to the "Freshman 15" which was more like the Freshman 30 for me. I ate Hamburger Helper like it was no one's business but my own, fools. And Doritos dipped in Doritos. But I was on and off of the Atkins diet a lot. Also, I was a vegetarian for a period of 3 months. Things continued to be bad for me though when it came to food. I became lactose intolerant AND had an egg allergy. I had trouble finding things to eat and still was having trouble going to the bathroom.

Years passed and I just dealt with it until about March of 2012. I started to hear more about Celiac disease and a few of my friends had been diagnosed. I was curious because their symptoms sounded like mine. So I did my research and found out shocking things. Like all of my symptoms were on the celiac list. Nausea, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, acid reflux, egg allergies, lactose intolerance, weight fluctuations, leg cramps, and even being short (I am only 5'1" and my entire family is average or tall)! I was/am also having infertility issues - like major - and also have endometriosis and guess the freak what - ALL can be caused by celiac disease.

What is celiac? Here is how I understood it, in major lamens terms people because I am no doctor. It is an auto-immune disease. Our small intestines have these little tiny fibers that are like hands that move food along, break food down (enzymes) and absorb food. Celiacs do not have these, or have very few. Over time they deteriorate and your allergy becomes worse. If you don't have these little fibers, then your body is lacking the enzymes to break down certain foods - aka GLUTEN based foods (and in some cases dairy and eggs). Gluten-based foods are not "natural" foods. They take processing to make, and therefore, take processing for our body to break them down. Celiacs can not break the food down so your body reacts by either expelling the food quickly (diarrhea) or it gets stuck there (constipation). Celiacs become malnourished and unhealthy as a result.

I called my family doctor in April of 2012 and had a blood test for gluten intolerance. It came back negative! No celiac. BUT - I was also on the Atkins diet again. In order for the blood test to work, you have to have gluten in your system. However, the blood test is still not very accurate. It is only about 30% accurate in diagnosing celiac desease. The real "test" is to have a colonoscopy and see exactly what is going on in there.

I decided - SCREW IT - and in late April of 2012 I started taking to a gluten free diet to "test" and see what would happen. I had to start from scratch and figure out what gluten was in and all of that overwhelming madness. I messed up a LOT, and felt sick sometimes. I also went through an entire two months of feeling sorry for myself and loathed with self pitty because I couldn't eat bread. I would sneak little bites every now and then thinking "it won't hurt, it's just a bite." No. It hurt.

By July of 2012 I was completely gluten free. Once I stopped feeling sorry for myself and realized that gluten is literally a poison in my body, I was fine. It takes a good month of eating gluten-free for you to notice your symptoms go completely away, but OMG was it worth it. Seriously I have never felt better. I am 6 months gluten free right now and all of my symptoms are gone. So this is what it feels like to be normal!!!!! IT. IS. GREAT. PEOPLE.

I am still learning and still growing. I don't make as many mistakes anymore. The only thing I am worried about now is the gluten in products such as laundry detergent, shampoos, toothpaste, makeup, lotions, etc. But that is another blog post soon to come.

Thanks again to all who are reading this - and hopefully I can keep up with this blog! I love y'uns.