Thankgiving

Thanksgiving. Yes a time to gather with friends and indulge in life’s little delights. A time of smiles and satisfaction where bellies are full and taste buds are dancing.  For most that is. If you are gluten free, you can agree with me when I say that this image is the farthest thing from the truth.

Having a severe allergy to common ingredients such as wheat and gluten, can single you out like a cowboy in a gay bar. You simply cannot participant in any festivities of the evening. Therefore, it’s vital that you turn this event into one where you can. And it’s easy to do!

First off, this massive meal can be relatively simple and traditional with the addition of a few gluten free products. Firstly, make the commitment to go all gluten free or nothing. Even if your are serving your whole family, chances are they will not be able to decipher which stuffing is gluten free and which is not. So save yourself the hassle of worrying which serving spoon was placed where and which surface the breads crumbs may or may not have fallen on. Just don’t play that game and make everything gluten free and worry free.

For starters, chicken broth is a major gluten bomb since it contains straight wheat flour. Trader Joes offers a simple gluten free chicken broth at a cheap price that can easily be swopped out. Several products offer gluten free bouillon cubes as well if you are feeding an army.  Now that the turkey is simmering away in g-free broth, and the organic can of cranberry sauce chills in the fridge, we can move on to the next traditional dish. Mashed potatoes check! Those babies are naturally gluten free however you decide to dress them up. Minus the gravy of course. Sweet potatoes check! Those babies contain zero gluten. (The pound of brown sugar and candied coated pecans we pour on top have no gluten either!) Green beans? Lets leave them out for this meal, we eat enough greens on a g-free diet right? And on to the best part of the meal…the stuffing. Stuffing looks quite intimidating for people like us but it is not a problem as long as you are willing to go homemade.  Last year I used Trader Joes, Food For Life Brown Rice Bread. It feels like a brick and it is dry and god awful to eat by itself. Trust me, I thought I dented the shopping cart when I threw it in like a football. However, it holds up perfectly for stuffing. It’s thick enough to hold all the gluten free chicken broth, onion, celery, apples and sausages you want to add to it. My family members all preferred it over the traditional stuffing too. I’m telling you, just make the whole meal gluten free! As for dinner roles, I own a bread maker and it creates loaves of bread that taste as if they are made fresh from an Italian grandmother. Carmela’s Wheat Free Bread mix is a great buy if you own a bread maker. Cause lets face it, your going to want to make a turkey, stuffing, cranberry left over sandwich the next day. Be prepared.

And for the Grand Finale…pumpkin pie!! Pumpkin pie is one of the greatest deserts to go g-free. Absolutely nothing about the filling has to be altered. Who would have thought right? You can whip up a huge batch and cook it in ramekins and enjoy all the flavors of the season. However if you wish to have the traditional pie, you also have options. You can of course go homemade using g-free flours of your choice or you can forget that and take me up on my advice.  Many gluten free stores and major grocery store chains alike, carry a gluten free graham cracker pie crust in the freezer isle. Unfortunately, they do not make traditional pie crust gluten free. At least not yet. But I give you my word, using this graham cracker crust is still beyond delicious. However, we havnt even gotten to my favorite part of the meal yet.

This of course would have to be pumpkin bread! Ooy gooy moist and decadent pumpkin bread really signals the holiday season as arrived. I was in no shape or form willing to give up this experience for the gluten fairy.  And I don’t have to! I follow any traditional pumpkin bread recipe and use my own flour with a touch of xanthan gum. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill Flour. It has never steered me wrong. So when a recipe called for 2 cups of flour, I throw in 2 cups of good old Bob. It’s that simple. The xanthan gum allows for the bread to have the consistency gluten would have given it. It truly gives the bread the texture you always miss when eating other g-free products. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Xanthan gum for this too. Buy one bag and you will use it your whole life since most recipes only call for about a teaspoon of the xanthan gum. This treat will then present you with the hardest decision of the night. Do you go pumpkin pie or do you go pumpkin bread for desert? I suggest making the bread the week before, eating it for a week and a half, and then having yourself one huge slice of pie on this thankful day.  So tell grandma to step aside and pull up to the table. It’s time to eat.

Love Is In The Air.

A Gluten Free Girl and the Chef

Ahern's Cookie Recpie

Shauna James Ahern, the owner of this intriguing and sensational gluten free blog provides readers with the most essential gluten related issues and topics. She is in fact my social bookmarking soul mate, because she provides not just gluten free information and education, but an array of real life applications from product recommendations to strategies for coping with this strict diet in the spring time of my youth.  She provides recipes, cooking videos, and emotional tales that make my gluten free life a little bit easier. ( Isn't that really the whole point here kids?) However, it is the selection of tags and links provided on her blog that makes me certain that she is in fact my one true soul mate.

Tags such as Celiac Handbook, Gluten Free Living, wheat free, and G-Free on the go, are all easily accessible on her page. Her bookmark topics range from gluten free education, to how to actually live on a gluten free diet, no matter your lifestyle. These are two encompassing contexts that must both be addressed when embarking on this new dietary change. She is also quite thorough with her tags as well, even thought she has quite a number of them. They are organized in a simple alphabetical order in the same font and striking royal blue color. I believe there is a tag for just about everything you could possibly be looking for.

Ahern's Plum Crumble

However, the most resourceful elements of the, A Gluten Free Girl and the Chef blog, is most definitely her links to other sites. Her links to Wheat-Free America, Raising our Celiac Kids, and Cooking Gluten Free are just a few in her mile long list of links. These are all valuable sites where I was able to gain a new breath of knowledge on the topic and believe you will be able to as well. Links to other bloggers such as, Celiac Chicks, Giddy-Up Gluten Free, and Elana’s Pantry, made me feel connected to this small community of allergy stricken individuals.

Shuana James Ahern, author of A Gluten Free Girl and the Chef, exemplifies the perfect resource for gluten free individuals, because she provides both breadth and depth on the topic. The tales of her personal struggle, mouth watering recipes, and resource guide involving countless tags and links, successfully gives her readers everything they could possibly be looking for in a gluten free blog. She fills all my educational, nutritional, and emotional gluten free needs, and that is why I have crowned her my social bookmarking soul mate.

Happy G-Free Halloween!

Ghosts, goblins, and gruels oh my! Gummy Bears, gobblers, and gob stoppers oh no!

Well what a surprise. Yet another holiday that revolves around food lies ahead of us.  As Halloween approaches us, the fear of the gluten fairy looming over head is enough to make you want to give up eating all together. The threat of cross contamination and one gluten slip-up that could make you suffer the effects of gluten all the way to Christmas time, can make you feel as if the safest bet is just to skip the holiday season all together.  However, I want to assure you that it doesn’t have to be this way. Halloween can be morphed into a gluten-free occasion with just a little education and preparation.

First off, Halloween is supposed to be a carefree holiday, where you can let go of all adult worries and dress up like a childhood monster as you enjoy all the sweet delights of life melting away in your mouth. Even you can join in on these simple festivities by knowing your boundaries.  For example, “Fun size” candies seem to be handed out by the dozen on Halloween. However, these little gems lack the most vital information for gluten free victims like us. A label or ingredient list is never provided on popular candies such as these. The label lies in the hand of the candy giver who threw away the bag hours ago.( Not to mention how embarrassing it would be to ask for it! ) Therefore, whether you like it or not, you must create a game plan, because this is a holiday we cannot let the gluten fairy hold us back from experiencing all life has to offer. To start, you must research g-free candies, devise a list, and memorize it like you used to do the night before your college midterm. Or go ahead and put this list in your pocket like the day of your college midterm. Whichever.  You must be knowledgeable of what you can and can’t put into your body. I have also provided a list below of popular gluten free candies that you might run into and be tempted to unwrap on this October 31st night.

                Hershey’s: Milk Chocolate Bars, Almond Joy, Baby Ruth, Mr. Goodbar, Reese’s, Milk duds, York peppermint Patties. ** Hershey’s Kisses is processed on a conveyer belt coated in flour!

                Mars: MnM’s plain and peanut, snickers, three musketeers, milkyway midnight only, dove dark chocolate, dove milk chocolate and dove peanut butter.

                Nestle: Butterfinger, Baby Ruth, Bit-o-honey, Rasisonets

                Tootsie: Dots, Tootsie pops, Tootsie rolls and fruit rolls, junior mints, sugar babies, sugar daddies, Carmel apple pops,

                Wrigley: skittles, starburst, lifesavers-all varieties.

For a complete Gluten Free candy list sponsored by Celiacs, visit here.

As shown, there are plenty of g-free options for you to eat on this spooky Halloween. Also, if you will notice, many of the items on the list are quite popular items that can be expected to be handed out in abundance while trick-or-treating or attending a themed party. Other holiday items such as Carmel apples, rice crispy treats, and carmel covered popcorn are naturally gluten free…and easy to make. So if they aren’t at your party of choice, bring them yourself! Take control of the situation and ensure that you will feel great for the whole night. With this simple list in your pocket, you can enjoy Halloween just like everyone else. Now you just have to get back to the drawing board with costume ideas. Can’t help ya there! Have a fun and safe g-free Halloween!

Blog Comments

Hello there. I’ve been reading your blog and wanted to tell you that I truly appreciate all you have to say. I too have Celiac Disease and struggle with it from day to day. I also am starting my own Gluten Free Blog called. www.gfreeforlife.blogspot.com. And find your set up and over all content to be very useful for people like us. From your product recommendation, to your nutritional analysis, to coping with foods that do not please your taste buds, you have helped me a great deal. I look forward to following your blog in the future and wanted to thank you for you help while going gluten free!

Wow this recipe looks incredible! I’ve noticed several recipes on your blog that look delicious. I plan on printing them out and giving them a try. Are they your own personal recipes or ones you have found along the way of going gluten free? I have Celiac disease and struggle to find satisfying meals quite often. I am also creating my own gluten free blog where I hope it will be as informative as yours. I just wanted to thank you for your generosity in sharing these wonderful tips!

G-Free Recipe of the Week.

This is a DELISH recipe my sweet sweet mother made for me when I came home for a weekend while in college. My favorite dessert is above all else, chocolate chip cookies. With ice cream, milk, or just flying solo they make me feel like I'm cruisin' on a dream boat whenever I get the chance to eat them. Can you honestly disagree?

However, while going gluten free...iv'e lost the chance to maintain my beloved relationship with cookies, because the majority of gluten free cookies taste like sand, grit, or office supplies. But Betty Crocker has come to our rescue kids. This recipe comes directly from the queen of baked goods herself.  It will melt in your mouth and bring you more joy than you could even imagine. Here is the little gem:

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, soften..relax you are not eating all of it yourself.
1 egg
1 bottle chocolate topping that forms a hard shell
                                                    1 container of chocolate chip ice cream

Directions.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir in cookie mix, egg, and butter. Seperate our five round dough balls and make five cookies on a baking sheet Bake for 8 to 10 min. ( We will use these later.)

2. Now, wet hands and press the remaining dough in greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake 16 to 18 min or until set. Cool completely for 30 min. (30 min i mean it.)

3. Spread 1/3 cup chocolate topping over cooled baked cookie. Freeze 10 to 15 min or until chocolate is set. Remove ice cream form freezer.

4. Spread soften ice cream evenly over the chocolate shell. Layer it on as thick as you like. Then crumble the five cookies ( that we made first) on top of the glorious masterpiece.

5. Freeze for 2 hours....if you can wait that long.

6. To sereve, let stand at room temperature for 10 min before cutting. Cut pieces for everyone in your party, or just grab a fork and dig in!

This is a fabulous desert for a celebration where everyone can participate in eating the dessert, even you my little g-free one! Or it's a great dish to make just for your gluten free self to eat slowly every once in awhile since it freezes so lovely. Okay fine. Or you can make it and eat the whole thing at once to mend your emotional state. (I dont reccommend this.) Either way, I promise your taste buds will be dancing with joy and you won't feel like you are missing out on life for once.

Give it a try. It just goes to show that you don't have to miss out on things while going gluten free. You just have to take matters into your own hands!

Gluten Free 101

As promised, I will be your encyclopedia of gluten knowledge. Therefore, I’d like to take this time to give you the opportunity to become one yourself.

First off, what the hell is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, bran, and oats. It is the “glue” that binds things such as cookies and bread together. Without gluten, ( or some sport of additive acting like the glue) the product would be a crumbly mess. Gluten gives foods that chewy texture we love so much. It also acts as a preservative that prolongs the shelf life of a processed good.

It can be found in any product that has wheat flour in its ingredients, such as pasta, cereals, crackers, tortillas, and cake.  It can also be found in many meat marinades, seeing that all marinades tend to contain soy sauce which is made from wheat. It can also be found in sausage and lunch meet due to the fact that the provider has added gluten as a preservative to make the product last. Soups and chicken broth hold hidden gluten along with taco package seasoning or instant rice. Even candy such as licorice and sushi have wheat flour in it. Oh, and don’t forget about beer. Beer and wheat are a long thriving marriage that will not be getting a divorce anytime soon. So don’t think you are pretty enough to intervene, cause you aren’t. Stay away form beer.

However, this additive called gluten is extremely hard on the human body and difficult for the small intestine to digest.  Someone who may be gluten intolerant suffers from symptoms such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, and vomiting. Other symptoms may include rashes or hives. 

Celiac Disease is an auto immune disorder that prevents individuals from ever passing any amount of gluten what-so-ever. One in 133 Americans have it. Gluten injures the lining of the small intestine of people with Celiacs as it destroys the vili in the small intestine. Vili are tiny, fingerlike projections in the small intestine that absorb the nutrients from food. Because of this, Celiacs is considered an autoimmune disease. This injury can result in weight loss, bloating, diarrhea, gas, abdominal cramps, and/or vitamin and mineral deficiencies and even death. When patients totally eliminate gluten from the diet, the lining of the intestine has a chance to heal. However, the real issue is that nine out of ten people with celiac disease do not even know they have it. 

A simple blood test can be given to decipher, but doctors never offer the test for one reason. There is no money involved in a Celiac diagnosis. Doctors will diagnosis you with everything from stress to irritable bowel before they diagnose you with a simple prescription of a gluten free diet because you have celiac disease.  Another issue is that Celiacs Disease can have a variety of symptoms.  They typical ones are extreme bloating and abdominal pain, extreme constipation, or extreme diarrhea, every day. Making it pretty hard to wear that tight dress or go anywhere that’s not five feet from a bathroom if ya know what I’m saying. However, constant migraines, achy joints, curious rashes, conquer sores, fatigue, infertility, and high liver levels are also indications of Celiac’s Disease. 

So if you have unexplained issues with your health that you are making constant excuses for, do a little research. You may find that one of your bizarre qualities is really pointing to something else going wrong in your body. But, before you start yourself on a gluten free diet, talk to your doctor first. This simple blood test will not work if you are already on a g-free diet. When you expell gluten from your system, your gut starts to heal, and you won't have the markers in your blood or your gut tissue that indicate celiac disease any longer. This will make the test results say you are not allergic to gluten when in fact you really are.

So take a little time to educate yourself. It may change your life in more ways then you even realize.

TRIO

Hello World.

Gluten Free Panni on Foccacia Bread!

You may finally sigh with relief, because your personal gluten free guidance center is finally here. This new emerging blog will be an essential tool for all individuals living in the Southern California region with either a gluten allergen, or even worse like myself, celiac disease.  In a country that’s consumed by processed foods and chemically injected food staples, living a gluten free lifestyle seems to be nearly impossible at times.
This friendly source of gluten free wisdom will serve every one of your gluten free needs. Whether it be an emotional need that comes up while going gluten free, or a dietary need, this blog is for you! If you feel as if you may be gluten intolerant, can’t figure out why you feel awful after you eat absolutely everything, or seem to be seeking a healthier lifestyle, this blog is also just for you!
I will begin this forum by defining these strange terms called gluten, gluten intolerant, and celiac disease. You must learn and understand these terms before we go any farther. They will be found in great abundance throughout this handy site.  I will be referencing many sites such as http://www.celiac.com/ , and http://www.glutenfree.com/, for all the must-know basics of gluten and why this has become such a problem for so many people. I will also discuss how you can determine with your doctor if you are gluten intolerant, for it is one of the hardest issues to diagnose without a little guidance. I will use my personal experience with this issue in great depth, in hopes of helping others who find themselves to be oddly familiar to everything I’m saying.
I will also be talking a great deal about, The Gluten Free Diet, A Gluten Free Survival Guide, by Elisabeth Hasselback. Using this book I will show readers that you can still live a normal life on such a restricted diet. I will cover how to live day to day while eating gluten free, how to travel while eating “G-Free”, and how to make it through a holiday buffet while still maintaining your gluten free lifestyle.
Now food is one of the best things that life has to offer. Just because you are “G-Free” doesn’t mean you have to eat sandy imitations and cardboard crackers at home by yourself for the rest of your life. This blog will also talk about excellent restaurants in the surrounding area that either have a gluten free menu or accommodate well to those of our kind. So the next time your coworkers suggest going out to dinner, don’t miss out on the fun. Suggest the dinning location yourself and everybody wins. It’s that simple with a little help.
Of course what would a gluten free lifestyle blog be without product recommendations? I have done extensive research in this divine area of munching. I will share one product each week that is consider to be “To die for!” My personal stamp of “To die for!” is not given out easily. Therefore, when you do see it, you will know that this product will have your taste buds dancing with joy. (Of course I will also mention the red flag items that taste as if they were never supposed to end up in your mouth in the first place.) I will also inform you as to where you can find these items and where they are on sale.
Life is a ride you should not miss out on just because you have been side lined by the gluten fairy. This blog will have all the tools you will need to jump back on board this beautiful ride called life.

No Pizza? No cookies? No Cake?

Nonsense.
Going gluten free is becoming a wise and popular trend here in America. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to find a gluten free blog. However, finding a useful one was a difficult task. Gluten Free Mommy is the name of the site, with the elegant and sweet narrator going by the name of Natalie. She is a wife and mother of two who has successfully been going “G-Free” for the past four years. She claims in bold on her home page that she is neither a physician nor a nutritionist, but a sufferer from many gluten alignments. She describes her testimony as she suffered from joint pain and severe hives, with no reasoning as to why, for many years. Her home page is bright blue and simple. A darling picture of herself in an apron with a whisk in hand resides in the upper right corner. The variations in fonts, visual pictures, and the tab full of other gluten free essentials, illustrates her passion for not only the topic, but the viewers following her.
You can count on her posts every two weeks or so, when she is not too busy chasing after her toddlers. Regardless of the timeliness of her posts, her blog continues to skyrocket in popularity. Natalie is accumulating a fan base of not only mothers cooking “G-Free” for their kids, but avid cookers looking for healthy recipes to nourish their bodies.  Natalie’s strawberry cake was a viewer request and a fan favorite. The images she uses to decorate her blog seem to make my mouth water. Natalie’s delicious ginger flank steak seems to be a perfect go-to meal for working moms to feed their family on a work night.
This blog relates perfectly to the Gluten Free Guidance, a gluten free lifestyle, because it is just that. This blog reveals delicious recipes that make going gluten free in today’s day and age…a cake walk.  The content doesn’t come off as an academic site or a nutritional breakdown, as the narrator never claims to do. It is simply a real life mother, living a practical gluten free lifestyle in the twenty first century trying to help as many others as possible.
I appreciate how her recipes are detailed and precise, for those of us who are not as skilled in the kitchen. I also enjoyed her detailed comments on how her kids, as well as her husband, enjoyed the flavor and texture. However, I wish I saw more than just recipes. I wish Natalie blogged about how she manages to cook gluten free while being such a busy mom and wife. How is she able to find the time to prepare such healthy meals? Or tips she has found useful along the way, whether it be shopping for gluten free products or traveling with kids who are gluten free. However, I did find her 30 snack ideas to be extremely helpful. I plan on taking her basic blog idea and going more indepth. I plan on giving advice on how to keep your same daily routine while going gluten free. It is a life altering change, but i dont want it to feel like one. For example, never go anywhere without a snack pack in your bag or car. Snacks such as dried fruit and nuts, make the perfect filling snack. You never know when you  are out and about and hunger stikes with no gluten free option in site. I plan on giving practical and functional tips that will make my “G-Free” viewers lives all a little easier.

"I am Gluten Free."
Simple. Straight forward. Take it as it is.

The blog, "I am Gluten Free," is the best gluten free blog I have come across in my year of going gluten free. It provides all the elements of education, recommendation, and emotional support for anyone expelling gluten from their precious lives.
The author, Ellen, begins her blog with the phase, "Don't cry for me Argentina." This reference to American culture illustrates the author's “don’t pity me” attitude. (Which most do.) She is a strong willed woman who doesn't need you to feel sorry for her. I admire this attitude and hope to portray the same voice in my blog. The"big bad gluten" is a unique phrase that illustrates how the author uses humor to deal with such a life altering diagnosis. Putting it in these simple terms is her way of making sense of the whole ordeal, to herself and to others. I loved it. It also clearly illustrates who is in charge in her relationship with gluten. I like to think I'm the one in charge in my relationship with gluten as well.
In the beginning of the blog, she also asks questions to reinstate the punch line of her joke. This choice of punctuation helps viewers who are just getting to know her sense of humor, find the joke easily in the paragraph. It is clear that her mission with the blog is to bring laughter to viewers who are suffering like she once was.
"Um, no thank you. Let me do some investigating before I try that voodoo." Interactive dialogue such as this illustrates the way the author can think for herself. It shows a mix of her strong willed natured, without taking anything too seriously.  With a disease where every where you turn is a medical word, its nice to hear some humor with the subject for once.
The author goes through her personal diagnosis to illustrate the same ups and downs every individual goes through while trying to go gluten free. "Yep I came around. Sign me up for the gluten free club." This clearly illustrates the author’s voice and intentions to help others like her while using humor to make it seem less intimidating. I'm not going to lie, I did not want to join the clu at first either.
The author also uses parenthesis to illustate her private thoughts. For example, " ( Yup! Sometimes i eat more than i should.)" It is clear she indicated this thought to show her humbled nature that causes the reader to view her as quite relatable. And proud of it.
The author’s artistic nature is evident as she implys her point without actually using the direct words. Using the word "wicked" the author implys geographical location. It is also a cultural reference she is expecting you to pick up on by now if you are following her blog.
Vim and Vigor. What? Diction such as this illustrates the author’s enthusiasm and unique personality as I have never heard of these words prior to this addicting blog. Her personality shines in every sentence. My favorite aspect however, is the way she talkes to you as if you are standing in front of her. " You know the ones I'm talking about." This statement illustrates her interactive nature and yearning to entertain and please her followers. Or statements such as, "Come on, you gotta be kidding me. Black beans in a desert recipe? Nothing about going gluten free is possibly normal or in the realm of ordinary. The author’s average slang portrays a conversational style that depicts her laid back style and need to make logical sense of going gluten free. She chooses to address all the notions that come to mind when going gluten free, which I appreciate.
Phrases such as "they were home runs" and its "easy peasy" to make, does a great job of removing the stress of going gluten free and applies it to everyday life. This makes it seem simple and less intimidating for new members  who are just joining the gluten free club.
The author’s closing statement says it all. It illustrates her humble nature and charisma all in one.  She is sarcastic and witty.  So much personality comes through in her sentence structure and diction, I feel as if I know her.  I hope my followers can leave each of my posts feeling this same way.

Gluten Free for Everyday Life

Going G-Free does more than just make your tummy feel nice. (Not to mention look real nice too.)

Telling yourself you have to go to the gym? Telling yourself you will start that diet “tomorrow.”

Well not anymore ladies. Going gluten free helps you transform yourself from a life of dieting to a truly fulfilling healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle incorporates habits executed purely because it makes your body feel better. Going gluten free brings into perspective this exact notion of eating and exercising to feel good, rather than looking it.( Although going G-Free will get ya there too.)

Let’s start with the diet. Throw the word “diet” straight out of the window.  No honey, you eat what you want, when you want it. If you listen to your body, and what your body wants and needs, you will never be deprived. Unleash the beast and eat pizza, every meal for three days.  See what happens. You will see how sluggish you feel. How oily your skin looks. How bloated your tummy is. And how those jeans just don’t seem to fit right today.  Your body will soon crave healthy, nutritious food.  You will eat it and you will immediately feel the difference. You will feel lighter, full of energy and willing to be proactive.  This is a feeling you will never want to go through a single day without experiencing. You will soon realize that this long lasting feeling is far more satisfying than the taste of those slices of greasy pepperoni pizza.

However, I’m not saying the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies, or the influx of hormones during your monthly gift from mother nature won’t steer you off your healthy course. Let it. Indulge in life’s little gifts.  Just don’t indulge all day, every day.  If you are going to eat something unhealthy, balance it out with something healthy later. Life is about balance and enjoyment. Indulge in these.

As for exercise, if it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it. Take the chore out of exercising and throw in a bit of enjoyment. For example, running religiously, when you don’t enjoy it, is detrimental. For starters, your body hurts. It’s sore and stiff and swollen. Trust me, I've been there. What fun is that? You also seem to want to eat three times your body weight to supplement the vigor your body just endured.  Now you appear to be fatter with the swollen muscles, are indeed fatter with the increasing caloric count, all while your body is burning less calories than you think as your body grows accustomed to this religious regime?  Isn’t the whole purpose to appear skinnier? So quick recap, running makes you look…fatter?

Well hell, that’s not remotely worth it then. If you are thinking this way, your priorities with fitness and your relationship with exercise must change. We must alter our lives to what feels good to our bodies. Personally, yoga and Pilates have been a blessing. This is my time. My time to de-stess, relax, and recoup. Here I find my escape. I am able to center myself and head out in the world to conquer more with my new stress free attitude. At the same time I am not only burning calories, but I am acquiring long, lean muscles that make me appear to be thinner. So I feel good. I look good. And I am mentally and physically healthy. All goals are met.


Going Gluten Free helps your hone in on this notion of “only if it makes my body feel good.” It gets us back to our natural state where we ate natural, nourishing foods and exerted effort only during times of energetic furry.  So the moral of the story is, listen to your body. It knows whats its talking about. Don’t run when you are tired. Your body is telling you its tired for a reason.  Skip the binge drinking,  you know your body will be mad at you and unafraid to show you in the morning. Lets be smart here people. Do what feels good to you and what fits into your daily schedule to make your life a healthy one.

No Pizza? No cookies? No Cake?

 Nonsense.
Going gluten free is becoming a wise and popular trend here in America. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to find a gluten free blog. However, finding a useful one was a difficult task. Gluten Free Mommy is the name of the site, with the elegant and sweet narrator going by the name of Natalie. She is a wife and mother of two who has successfully been going “G-Free” for the past four years. She claims in bold on her home page that she is neither a physician nor a nutritionist, but a sufferer from many gluten alignments. She describes her testimony as she suffered from joint pain and severe hives, with no reasoning as to why, for many years. Her home page is bright blue and simple. A darling picture of herself in an apron with a whisk in hand resides in the upper right corner. The variations in fonts, visual pictures, and the tab full of other gluten free essentials, illustrates her passion for not only the topic, but the viewers following her.

You can count on her posts every two weeks or so, when she is not too busy chasing after her toddlers. Regardless of the timeliness of her posts, her blog continues to skyrocket in popularity. Natalie is accumulating a fan base of not only mothers cooking “G-Free” for their kids, but avid cookers looking for healthy recipes to nourish their bodies.  Natalie’s strawberry cake was a viewer request and a fan favorite. The images she uses to decorate her blog seem to make my mouth water. Natalie’s delicious ginger flank steak seems to be a perfect go-to meal for working moms to feed their family on a work night.

This blog relates perfectly to the Gluten Free Guidance, a gluten free lifestyle, because it is just that. This blog reveals delicious recipes that make going gluten free in today’s day and age…a cake walk.  The content doesn’t come off as an academic site or a nutritional breakdown, as the narrator never claims to do. It is simply a real life mother, living a practical gluten free lifestyle in the twenty first century trying to help as many others as possible.

I appreciate how her recipes are detailed and precise, for those of us who are not as skilled in the kitchen. I also enjoyed her detailed comments on how her kids, as well as her husband, enjoyed the flavor and texture. However, I wish I saw more than just recipes. I wish Natalie blogged about how she manages to cook gluten free while being such a busy mom and wife. How is she able to find the time to prepare such healthy meals? Or tips she has found useful along the way, whether it be shopping for gluten free products or traveling with kids who are gluten free. However, I did find her 30 snack ideas and 10 silly mistakes I've made on a gluten free diet to be extremely helpful. I plan on taking her basic blog idea and going more indepth. I plan on giving advice on how to keep your same daily routine while going gluten free. It is a life altering change, but i dont want it to feel like one. For example, never go anywhere without a snack pack in your bag or car. Snacks such as dried fruit and nuts, make the perfect filling snack. You never know when you  are out and about and hunger stikes with no gluten free option in site. I plan on giving practical and functional tips that will make my “G-Free” viewers lives all a little easier.

Hello World.

Hello World.
You may finally sigh with relief, because your personal gluten free guidance center is finally here. This new emerging blog will be an essential tool for all individuals living in the Southern California region with either a gluten allergen, or even worse like myself, celiac disease.  In a country that’s consumed by processed foods and chemically injected food staples, living a gluten free lifestyle seems to be nearly impossible at times.
This friendly source of gluten free wisdom will serve every one of your gluten free needs. Whether it be an emotional need that comes up while going gluten free, or a dietary need, this blog is for you! If you feel as if you may be gluten intolerant, can’t figure out why you feel awful after you eat absolutely everything, or seem to be seeking a healthier lifestyle, this blog is also just for you!

I will begin this forum by defining these strange terms called gluten, gluten intolerant, and celiac disease. You must learn and understand these terms before we go any farther. They will be found in great abundance throughout this handy site.  I will be referencing many sites such as http://www.celiac.com , and www.glutenfree.com, for all the must-know basics of gluten and why this has become such a problem for so many people.

I will also be talking a great deal about, The Gluten Free Diet, A Gluten Free survival Guide, by Elisabeth Hasselback. Using this book I will show readers that you can still live a normal life on such a restricted diet. I will cover how to live day to day while eating gluten free, how to travel while eating “G-Free”, and how to make it through a holiday buffet while still maintaining you gluten free lifestyle.

Now food is one of the best things that life has to offer. Just because you are “G-Free” doesn’t mean you have to eat sandy imitations and cardboard crackers  at home by yourself for the rest of your life. This blog will also talk about excellent restaurants in the surrounding area that either have a gluten free menu or accommodate well to those of our kind. So the next time your coworkers suggest going out to dinner, don’t miss out on the fun. Suggest the dinning location yourself and everybody wins. It’s that simple with a little help.

Of course what would a gluten free lifestyle blog be without product recommendations? I have done extensive research in this divine area of munching. I will share one product each week that is consider to be “To die for!” My personal stamp of “To die for!” is not given out easily. Therefore, when you do see it, you will know that this product will have your taste buds dancing with joy. (Of course I will also mention the red flag items that taste as if they were never supposed to end up in your mouth in the first place.) I will also inform you as to where you can find these items and where they are on sale.

Life is a ride you should not miss out on just because you have been side lined by the gluten fairy. This blog will have all the tools you will need to jump back on board this beautiful ride called life.