My body hates me.

Sorry I haven't posted in so long...I have been gone all weekend visiting my friends who are still at college. I had already forgotten how NUTS the schedule of a college student is...my body is so incredibly WHACKED OUT right now it's not even funny. I haven't slept or eaten normally since Thursday night........my metabolism is in major rebel phase right now.

Hopefully I will be back to normal by the end of the week, and then I'll start posting again...because my eating schedule this whole weekend has been anything BUT exemplary ;-)

Breakthrough!

Today was possibly one of THE most exciting days of my life. Ok, all things considered, not really, BUT, I was realllllly excited this morning! I decided to whip up a batch of almond flour pancakes, sans recipe. I ground up some almonds and flax seed, added some cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 eggs, a squirt of agave nectar, and a couple tbsp of water, and about 2 tbsp coconut oil. I stirred 'em up, put them in the pan with coconut oil, and....could it really be? No, surely....but yes! THEY CAME OUT WAY BETTER THAN THE ONES I MADE FROM A RECIPE!!!! They actually stayed together and were light and fluffy, yet substantial. I take this as a very exciting sign that my innate cooking skills are coming to fruition! YAY!!!
On another note, I guess I'm starting one of my phases where I'm ravenously hungry for a few weeks straight, so I ate a LOT today. Haha don't judge. ;-)

Breakfast:

• 2 almond flour pancakes
• smoothie with 1 small plum, 1 banana, flax seeds, ice cubes, apple juice

Snack:

• 1 large organic carrot on the way to work (yes, I was already hungry by then)

First Lunch:

• more leftover chili
• half of a container of leftover salad from last night

Second Lunch (I feel like a hobbit or something...):

• One Fresh Stir Fry - quinoa, chicken, broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, cashews, citrus sauce - yummmmmmmmmmy!

Dinner:

• The rest of my salad from lunch
• rest of stir fry
• another large almond flour pancake
• pear
  

Paranoia strikes again

So today I thought my friend/co-worker had been kidnapped and/or murdered. She didn't come to work for 2 days or answer any calls or texts, and her mother hadn't heard from her either, so it was kind of a legitimate freak-out fest I had. I literally got to the point today where I envisioned her mother calling me, sobbing as she stood in a pool of her daughter's blood. Or the police showing up at work to question me about the last time I saw her. And the Facebook status I would have to make asking for prayers because my friend had just been officially named a Missing Person.

My imagination is kind of over active sometimes. Turns out, she just has a sleeping problem and kinda slept for 2 days......at least she's still alive ;-)

That was pretty exciting though! Doesn't happen everyday!

I had to add that story because I ATE nothing exciting today, and you have to have SOME excitement to read about, right??

Breakfast:

• 1/2 cup organic oatmeal with unsweetened dried cranberries and walnuts
• a mug of magically delicious Gingerbread tea because it was sooo cold out!

Lunch:

• leftover chili from last night

Snack:

• 2 Kashi granola bars

Dinner:

• hamhocks and greens; mixed greens salad with spiced walnuts, mandarin oranges, bleu cheese; acorn squash with Earth Balance and honey

Wax paper ≠ Parchment paper

Ugggh, I have been SO BAD about posting lately! But life has been crazy. Well, not that it isn't usually....but it's been GOOD crazy, in that I've spent a lot of time having a LIFE and SOCIALIZING with people!! Aren't you proud?! Instead of just working 24/7. T'was good :-)

Anyway, the title of this entry (profound, I know) is in reference to a recipe I tried today. A newly-discovered gluten-free friend of mine (the gluten-free is newly discovered, not the friend) was in town this weekend, and was lamenting over the fact that it seems there's nothing she can eat. BOY, DO I KNOW THE FEELING. "But there is hope!" sayeth I. Namely, ALMOND FLOUR. This seriously has been THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD. Not that I can eat sliced bread anyway...but you get the picture.

SO, I was going to see her one last time tonight before she left town, and I decided to make her a new almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe I found. Well, we whipped them up, but we don't have coconut sugar, so we used agave nectar, which made the dough too runny. On top of that, genius me used WAX PAPER instead of PARCHMENT paper on the cookie sheets. So the timer rings, I open the oven, and out pours a huge cloud of smoke, followed by runny cookies covered in melted wax. EPIC FAIL. Unfortunately I didn't have time to remake them, so friend went without amazing gluten free cookies :-( I shall give her the recipe, though. My sister made more after I left, and they turned out pretty good - careful though, because almond flour recipes burn SO QUICKLY. Ours were a bit toasty, and...non-dense for my taste. They were vegan, so had no eggs (I think they might have been better with them).
Anyway...the recipe is saved on the other computer, so I'll have to add the link later. It wasn't the best recipe anyway...but definitely very decent. And would probably work better if you actually FOLLOWED the recipe, instead of always being a rebel like me ;-)

Sooo the moral of the story: wax paper does not fare well in the oven.

Breakfast:

• 2 organic eggs, 1 slice almond rice bread with pepper jelly

Lunch:

• nitrate/preservative-free roast beef, spinach, tomatoes, organic mustard, canola oil mayo on a rice wrap
• passion fruit coconut water

Snack:

• organic granny smith apple with sunbutter

Dinner:

• vegetable-y chili: carrots, celery, onions, ground turkey, chili beans, kidney beans, mustard greens, garlic, Spike, chili powder, crushed tomatoes - SO GOOD - an original of my mommy's, to cater to my vegetable-dense dietary needs :-)
• stewed cinnamon apples

Then I went out with friends for a birthday, and I had a slice of cheesecake, minus the crust........which was a really bad choice. Not as bad as it COULD have been, but.......ooooh is my tummy rebelling now. Hmm. Perhaps a fiber smoothie is in order.

Cupcakes for breakfast :-D

That's right. I did it. I ATE A CUPCAKE FOR BREAKFAST. Because you know what? You can DO those things when you make good-for-you treats!!! :-D

Breakfast:

• smoothie with 1 apple, 1/2 cup yogurt, flax seeds, handful almonds
• 1 deliciously magical cupcake made last night :-D

Lunch:

• spinach salad with organic chicken salad w/grapes on top, with organic Green Garlic dressing on top
• grapes
• another cupcake

Dinner:

• stew with organic greens, sauerkraut, organic turkey sausage, and potatoes
  
• cucumbers
• yet another cupcake (don't you dare judge me)
  

Cupcakes and Sprinkles = MAGIC

OK. So I have been craving chocolate cake like NONE other. Then, the other day, I found this recipe for a grain free, easy to make, CHEAP cake, and decided I HAD to try it. My sister and I made it, and ended up making cupcakes, because who doesn't love cupcakes??? They're just so HAPPY! And I can't remember the last time I had eaten one...so I was very excited. And yes, the recipe freaked me out because the main ingredient is great white northern BEANS. I was like, "Ok...that sounds SICK." But when the cupcakes came out of the oven, they actually LOOKED and FELT like cupcakes!!! I would never have known they were not made out of white death flour! AMAZING. I would, however, next time put a bit more sweetener in them, actually. I changed the recipe a bit, so I'll post below how I made it. I made it chocolate instead of pumpkin spice. I really recommend these! :-D

Add to food processor:

2 cups cooked white beans (Great Northern), room temperature, so they don't cook the eggs

5 eggs

1/2 tsp chocolate raspberry liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup honey

Puree well.

Add:

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1.5 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Puree well.

Pour into greased and floured cupcake tins

Bake at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes. (I like to check to see if it's done by inserting a knife into the middle. If it's comes out mostly clean, it's done.)

For cupcakes: Fill 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Frosting:

Puree:

2 cups walnuts, almonds, and cashews

2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash ground cloves

2 tbsp honey

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp almond milk
1/2 cup coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract




THEN...the most MAGICAL part of all....I MADE SPRINKLES. Organic shredded coconut, with a drop of food coloring :-D

Frost the cupcakes, sprinkle on the "sprinkles", and VOILA! You have an amazing, delicious, ridiculously happy cupcake that is completely guilt-free and edible to ME! Ahhh it's the little things in life... ;-D
(p.s. Does it bother anyone else when people spell "voila" as "wa-la" or something of the sort? IF YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE WORD IS, DON'T FREAKING TRY TO USE IT.)

My sister, enjoying the magic of healthy cupcakes :-D

"Will you make dinner tonight?"

"Why of COURSE I will, Mother Dear!"

Clearly, that's exactly what I said to her.

....

Or something like that at least ;-)

ANYWAY, yes, tonight I helped out by making dinner. We had most of a roasted organic chicken left and a bunch of random veggies that needed to be used up, so I decided to use this recipe for spiced chicken and rice stew from another site I love, Whole Life Nutrition. I did change the recipe a bit, though. For the veggies, I used carrots, parsnips, turnips, and some random leafy greens we got from the organic co-op we are part of. I also added a can of garbanzo beans, and I used spaghetti sauce because we didn't have any tomato paste. I also didn't put in any rice, because I can't really eat grains.

It turned out SO WELL though!! The stew had a delicious middle-eastern flavor to it, and was very hearty and immune-boosting as well - GREAT for this horrendous flu season.

In addition, I made a salad with:

• organic romaine lettuce
• shredded apple
• diced dried dates
• raisins
• sliced almonds
• dressing made of sesame oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar, a bit of pomegranate juice, and some salt and pepper

Yum yum! I highly recommend it.

In other news,

Breakfast:

• 2 organic eggs with a bit of shredded organic cheddar cheese and some diced tomatoes, scrambled
• 1/2 cup oatmeal with coconut oil, raw milk, flax seeds

Lunch:

• homemade chicken salad made with organic chicken leftover from last night, a little scoop of canola mayonnaise, sage, salt, pepper, rosemary, and some apple chunks. Served on cucumber slices

Snack:

• protein smoothie - 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, flax seeds, handful of almonds, 1 tbsp almond butter, almond milk

Now I have to go pass out...I was out till 2 am because I finally got to go to my first real live college football game! Woohoo!!! And of course, we sat in the student section, so we were standing for like...6 hours straight or so. TIRED. But happy :-D

Have a great Monday!

News Brings Lingering Nausea

Sooo, in the car this morning on the way to Mass/work, I heard that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. At first I thought, "Surely this is one of those morning shows making fun of the fact he's done NOTHING since he got into office." I quickly realized this was false - somehow, some way, the committee got it in to their ridiculous brains that this WAS actually a good idea. And legitimate. That Obama should receive this once-prestigious award for his "intention" to bring peace, hope, solve world hunger, cure cancer, and turn the world into a magical land where everyone eats rainbows and poops butterflies.

But I digress.

Anyway, upon hearing this horrendous news, I nearly projectile vomited all over my car. This nausea didn't leave me all day, so...I ate weird stuff. Haha that was the point of the story.

Breakfast:

• smoothie with almonds, flax seeds, banana, ice cubes
• 1 slice sprouted grain cinnamon raisin bread with fig jam

Lunch:

• salad with leftover oriental beef/cabbage/random organic greens stir fry on top

Snack:

• hard-boiled egg
• 1/2 banana with almond butter

Dinner:

• almond flour pancakes with stewed apple cinnamon topping

Ok, these turned out surprisingly well too. I used a recipe from the ever-amazing Elana's Pantry. I did alter it a bit tho - I used about 1/2 a cup flax meal I ground, and only 1 cup almond flour. After I mixed it all though it was really watery, so I ended up adding a bit more flax/almond flour, just till it was a bit thicker. I also added cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, to make them kind of spiced flapjacks. I fried them in coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil. Also...she says to let them fry on one side until bubbles appear in them and pop, then flip them. Well, I did that, and they were completely black. The next batch, I didn't wait as long, but then they kind of exploded a bit in the pan when I flipped them. Sooo..I don't quite have the cooking time/method figured out. BUT, even the ones that looked burnt tasted just fine, and...hey, they'll get smushed up in your stomach anyway, right? ;-) Then put some stewed cinnamon apples on top, and YUM! Protein-filled pancakes that are hearty and delicious, and grain-free!

Ohhhh Heaven :-)

I just realized I never wrote what I had for dinner on the last post, haha, and it was really GOOD. My mom made kind of a vegetable-filled chili - beans, corn, fresh okra, and beef. SO GOOD.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday...crazy day. I actually don't really remember what I ate....leftover chili for lunch tho, and a spinach salad with walnuts, dried figs and dates, and olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. YUM.

Today....

Breakfast:

• 1/2 cup organic oatmeal cooked in raw milk (SO GOOD!) with 2 tbsp coconut oil and flax seeds
• smoothie with 1/2 apple, flax seeds, ice cubes, a squirt of lemon juice, and some cinnamon

Lunch:

• Siesta Key salad at Red Elephant - sliced ham, apples, pineapples, cinnamon walnuts on top with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Snack:

• pumpkin pie muffin

Dinner:

• "Spaghetti and meatballs" - spaghetti squash with homemade turkey meatballs, spaghetti sauce, and grated raw goat cheese on top
• broiled fresh cauliflower and broccoli - tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt, pepper, Italian spice blend - LOOOOVE!

And now, for your edification....read and be appalled. AND STOP ASSUMING THE USDA GIVES A DANG ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE EATING.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/05/beef-industry-gets-a-closer-look-as-story-of-paralyzed-woman-hit/?icid=main|main|dl3|link3|http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/05/beef-industry-gets-a-closer-look-as-story-of-paralyzed-woman-hit/

Rosemary

Rosemary is just such a SPLENDID spice, don't you think? It's so fresh and crisp tasting, and there is just nothing like the smell of it when you walk past a bush of it and catch a good whiff. MmmMm! I like to use it in a lot of things, por ejemplo, the chicken salad I made for lunch today!

Breakfast:

• smoothie with 1 apple, handful almonds, flax seeds, 1/2 c organic yogurt, ice cubes
• 1 deliciously magical pumpkin pie almond flour muffin made last night *HEAVENNNN!*

Lunch:

• chicken salad:

1. 1 can organic chicken
2. some diced apple
3. some chopped walnuts
4. a dash of rosemary
5. spritz of lemon juice
6. drizzle of olive oil
7. squirt of balsamic vinegar
8. salt and pepper

• sliced cucumber from the garden, to eat with chicken salad instead of using crackers
• 1/2 apple

Snack(s) yeah I guess I was hungry today...

• banana and homemade almond butter
• bowl of peanut butter Puffins in raw milk (which is aaaamazing!)
• another delish pumpkin muffin

So today was a pretty good food day. It's so bad....when I was gone all summer, I was SO GOOD about my diet. I really almost never ate a single bite of anything I wasn't supposed to. Now, I'm back home, there's TONS of blacklisted food in the house, and often not much or ANY food I am allowed, and my mom makes stuff that's kinda borderline....and just like sin, I start out small - "Oh, it's ok if I eat this wrap, it's only a LITTLE bit of gluten...and I can eat ONE dark chocolate once in a while.." - next thing you know, I'm eating entire loaves of French bread in one sitting and dunking an entire bag of oreos in a huge pitcher of milk. Suicide by gluten and sugar intake.

....ok, so maybe it's not quite THAT bad ;-) But you catch my drift. So I'm trying to be better again, very strict and ACTUALLY not eating anything I'm not supposed to. Mums is making a huge health food store run tomorrow, which should increase my chances of success greatly :-D And I'm actually working out every day, even if it's only for a little while, which will also help my blood sugar calm the heck down. *crosses fingers*

Anyway...I gotta go read about how to become rich so I can afford my highly organic lifestyle when I'm on my own ;-) Peace out!