Archive for November, 2009
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Jay at the Gluten Free Post was kind enough to refer Jessica to me. As a lover of food and health, they thought it would
be appropriate to give this a go. Jessica sent me samples of all 3 flavors to try. And they are GOOD! But allow me to step back a bit…
Jessica's Natural Foods Gluten Free Granola
Jessica’s Natural Foods offers 3 flavors of gluten free granola. They are made with certified gluten free oats and oat flour, and other naturally gluten free foods such as ground flax, coconut, honey, maple syrup, vanilla, and nuts, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. The products are baked in a designated gluten free area using dedicated gluten-free equipment. They are manufactured in a facility that processes eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts and tree nuts. The vanilla maple and almond cherry flavors contain tree nuts, and the chocolate chip flavor contains tree nuts and soy ingredients. There are no artificial flavors/colors/trans fats.
Looking at the ingredient list on all the flavors, there are all words you will understand and your great great grandma would have recognized as food. The nutrition facts are essentially similar and quite good for all 3 flavors:
for 1 serving, which is 30 grams or 1/4 cup:
130 calories
6-7 grams of fat
16 grams of carbohydrate 2 of which are fiber and 4-5 of which are sugar
3 grams of protein.
This could be a nice topping to some greek yogurt for breakfast, or even some egg whites (they can be sweet as
well as savory, you know.) They also can be eaten out of hand as a snack, or in rice/moo cow/goat/soy/almond whatever milk suits your fancy. I would definitely recommend NOT eating directly from the bag. This is fairly nutrient dense, and 1/4 cup is not a lot. This tastes so good, it would be very easy to eat 5-6 servings without thinking twice about it. And
then you’re looking at 600 calories you weren’t expecting. That’s a big whoops. So eat and enjoy, just be mindful of you
portion size.
Now-the good stuff. The taste. The flavor. The textures.
Chocolate Chip-this one is my favorite because anything with chocolate generally wins in my book. The chips are plentiful, but not to where they overpower the rest of the granola. There are great chunks of granola, well incorporated with all the ingredients.
Cherry Almond-I love cherries, and I admit that I went spelunking in the bag to retrieve some the the dried cherries. There are chunks of almond as well, and good spicing with cinnamon.
Vanilla Maple-Love the maple flavor. This was really well balanced, the maple flavor was forward but not overwhelming.
All 3 of these flavors were winners and I will buy them in the future. The granola does have some chunkiness to it, which
was a plus for me. I don’t like the granolas that are all broken up in dust. Nutritionally these are a sound addition to your diet repetiore, and provide some healthy fats and complex carbs with minimal sugars. I would add a protein source to create a complete snack or meal. And definitely, as I mentioned, measure out your portion. If you don’t think measuring is important, take a look at this video. (For more ideas on putting together a nutrition plan sign up below for my free guideline.)
Please visit Jessica’s Natural Foods website for more information and how to order. She is offering a special “gluten free granola sampler pack” for which you can try all 3 flavors. Give them a try!
Let me know your feedback in the comments! Get crunching!
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Ah, snack foods. The land of high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats and excessive packaging. The land of oversized bags, tempting you to stick your hand in just one more time, for one more handful.
STEP AWAY FROM THE BAG!!
There are lots of better options out there. It does take a little pre-planning, but we are used to that eating gluten free. As I mentioned in “preparing ahead for healthy gluten free eating success,” celiac disease makes us automatically more aware of what we put in our mouths in order to not get sick. So let’s take it a step further to make choices that can impact our health, energy, and potentially our body composition (fatness vs not fatness) in a positive manner. You could very easily just have a smaller version of what you might have for another meal. A snack of some chicken breast, green beans and a little olive or macadamia oil is very common for me. It depends on what your resources are, how portable you need your food to be, and if you have refrigeration or a cooler. A small soft sided cooler with an ice pack is a great thing to keep with you, and then you’re never caught absolutely starving and headed for the closest crap food to dive into. A general rule of thumb I like to follow is to try to include a fruit or vegetable source in the snack, a protein source, and possibly a healthy fat. (Side note-Some people consider nuts and nut butters to be a protein source. Me, not so much. If you look at the nutrition facts for lets say 2 TBSP of Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter. There are 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs and 8 grams of protein. So yes, there is some protein, but there’s twice as much fat as protein. See what I mean? It’s fine, it’s a good healthy fat source, but I wouldn’t consider it a bunch of protein.) This way you get a snack that helps you get a larger amount of produce in your day, and gives you some lasting energy.
These are in no particular order, by the way.
1-Apple and string cheese-my go-to snack. Very portable, easy, and tasty. I like Fuji’s, and I like the 2% string cheese. Personal preference.
Say cheese!
2-Celery sticks and natural peanut butter with a small container of cottage cheese or greek yogurt. Try to get the plain kind-the flavors add A LOT of sugar. You can generally find the Greek yogurt Fage or Oikos brands in many regular supermarkets. They are thicker and creamier than regular yogurt, with a higher protein content.
3-Deli turkey slices (make sure it’s gluten free, Boar’s Head brand is very common and gluten free) wrapped around baby carrots, and/or wrapped around pickles.
4-a small handful of almonds with a piece of fruit, and a hard boiled egg or three.
5-sliced bell peppers dipped in homemade bean dip (seriously-can’t be easier-open, drain and rinse a can of white or garbanzo beans, throw ‘em in the Magic Bullet 
or a food processor with some garlic, thyme and a tiny drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt, add some cayenne if you like or whatever spices. Voila) or store bought hummus-again and as always check labels.
6-small pop top or packet of canned tuna, and celery or carrot sticks, small handful of nuts.
7-Plain Greek yogurt with some berries, and sliced almonds or crushed walnuts.
8-Cottage cheese with a piece of fruit or some cut up veggies. You can also make this like a “ranch” type dip by adding some seasonings and blending until smooth.
9-Ostrim
jerky-ONLY THE NATURAL FLAVOR IS GLUTEN FREE!! But it’s tasty, doesn’t require refrigeration, dairy free, and high in protein. Add an apple and you’re set.
10-A protein shake and a handful of almonds with an apple. Protein powder you can keep in your car, won’t go bad, and all you have to do is have a secure bottle and some water to shake it up and you’re good to go.
11-I know, I said 10, but if the guys in Spinal Tap
can take it to 11 so can I. A couple ounces of chicken breast left over from dinner the night before, some green beans and slivered almonds. Yum. I’m a big fan of cooking in bulk, and having leftovers to have either as snacks or as entire meals. Why cook 2 chicken breasts when you can cook 10? Save time, save energy, and have great healthy food ready to grab.
So no excuses as you’re running about this holiday season-the siren song of the food court will not affect you when you have these handy snacks ready to go!
For more information on eating healthfully and gluten free, sign up for my free guideline below.
What are your favorite snacks? Let me know in the comments-there’s always room for more great ideas!
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This is going to be a bit of a one-off blog post-consider this my “op-ed” section. We all as individuals have developed our own opinions and outlooks that are shaped by our own unique experiences. I hope some of you will share your outlook in the comments.
I like to think I live my life, for the most part, with an “attitude of gratitude.” Just like everyone else, I certainly have my fair share of days where I forget my overall outlook and succumb to a “poor me” day, or get annoyed with things that I really shouldn’t let bother me. In general though, I try to take just a few minutes each day to mentally review all of the wonderful things in my life. (Usually in the shower. Seriously. It’s a guaranteed 10 minutes of quiet time daily.) As some of you may have read in my previous post, I consider the fact that I have celiac disease to be a “blessing in disguise.” I work in health care, which is a very stable line of work even in an uncertain economy. I have a family that loves me with all my imperfections. I have a very cool dog. And I have my health. And this is where I hope to share a bit of awareness and hopefully, a bit of prevention.
Tessa the Queen dog on her couch-throne
In 2007, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute published a paper showing that at that point in time, 47 million Americans (25%) had metabolic syndrome, and I’m quite certain the numbers have grown since that date. Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe a collection of health problems that linked with higher incidences of heart disease and other medical problems such as diabetes, stroke, and cancer. For the most part, the causes of metabolic syndrome are PREVENTABLE. Some are not, such as genetics, and aging. However, the preventable causes are a large waist circumference, which goes hand in hand with another risk factor, being overweight/obese. Lack of physical activity is another preventable risk factor. Now before you tune me out, remember that I am not here to preach or judge. I am simply providing information for you to then go and make your independent informed choices. At the end of this article I am going to provide you with some links you can visit for additional information on metabolic syndrome.
So what can we do to reverse or prevent metabolic syndrome? (Which will then lower our chances of developing one of these preventable diseases.) Well, it’s simple, but it’s not easy. It will take perhaps a change of perspective, and definitely a change in habit. But it is certainly achievable, and within everyone’s reach.
-Weight loss. As little as a 7-10% reduction of body weight will help-I’m not saying you have to be a bikini model. (Although you can certainly do that of you wish!) This will take a combination of eating less, easting smarter, and moving more. It does not mean deprivation or hours upon hours of exercise. What it does take it time, dedication, and consistency. One of my favorite quotes from Lyle McDonald is “Time+consistency+ass busting work=results.” It’s that simple. (not easy-simple.)
-A healthy eating plan. This will help with weight loss! And frankly, celiacs have an advantage here as far as I’m concerned. As I mentioned in the “blessing in disguise” post, we already have to be hyper-aware of what goes into our mouths. Naturally gluten free foods can be very nutrient rich and satiating given the right choices. So take it a step further, and use that as a springboard to a weight loss plan. For more specifics on this, please sign up to download the nutrition guide which you will see at the end of this post.
-Increase physical activity. Again-will help with weight loss. It doesn’t take hours of extremely intense activity. Start by walking more. As much as possible more. Start with down to the corner if you have to, and gradually progress. Remember, the road to health is not a sprint-this sucker is an ultra-marathon. Start with some, and increase to more, and your progress stalls-increase again. Don’t over complicate it. Walk if you can stand, stand instead of sit, you get the idea.
-Quit smoking. Just do it. That’s all I can really say about that. (channeling Forrest Gump.)
With Thanksgiving tomorrow, you may be wondering why I am choosing to make this post today-to make you feel guilty about eating some goodies tomorrow? Absolutely not. A handful of holidays a year is not going to make or break your health. It’s the other 359 days that you need to be concerned about. So go ahead and eat mindfully and with joy. Make smart choices as I mentioned in my holiday season post. But remember this is about the long haul-not one meal. I am writing
because upon reflecting on my gratitude-I am thankful that I have this platform to assist in educating others, and hopefully making their lives better and healthier.
I am very fortunate to have learned about living healthfully and fully early in my life, and sometimes I know I may skip over stuff because it is second nature to me. So call me on it. Ask me to explain something if I’m not clear. My goal is to make information about living well easy to understand and implement. In the words of Jerry Maguire-”help me help you!”
Have a fabulous holiday!
Links for more information on metabolic syndrome:
The Natural News on Metabolic Syndrome
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Disease Weight Control Information
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Erin
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Yes, here it is-the top five six tips for having a healthy gluten free holiday season. Enjoy!
Gobble Gobble
1-If attending a party or gathering with food, ask the host if you can bring something. Choose to bring something that is
both healthful and gluten free so you are guaranteed an excellent eating option. My fail-safe is a veggie crudite platter
with a dip. Blend a gluten free powdered seasoning/dressing mix like an italian or ranch with fat free ricotta or greek
yogurt and a bit of low fat sour cream, and you have a tasty and reasonably healthy dip. With a little more work you could throw a can of rinsed white beans, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and sea salt into the food processor and have a great bean dip. Roasted chickpeas are a also a big hit. You could go as simple or as complicated as you have time for, just make sure you make a good option for yourself and others.
2-Prior to attending said party/gathering, if it is a sit-down affair, alert the host to your intolerance to gluten/celiac disease and ask if there is anything you should avoid. I never ask someone to alter their plans, but it’s fair enough to
know ingredients to keep yourself safe. I had an experience last Thanksgiving that will keep me always mindful of this. Usually I host and cook for Thanksgiving. Last year, Jeff was working, so I went to the fire station with the rest of the
families for dinner. I violated my own rules by NOT bringing something I could eat-I took 2 glutinous Key Lime pies (which
I was told were very good.) The turkey came out on platters, sliced and looking delicious. I had turkey breast, sweet
potato, roasted vegetables, and cranberry sauce. I started feeling sick while sitting at the table. I made it home before
the glutening hit with full force. Glutened for sure, and it sucked. I could not figure out what it was-there was no
gluten in anything! (Aha-grasshopper-I was wrong.) My Dad actually thought of it a few days later when I was feeling
better. “Was the turkey stuffed when it was cooking?” Jeff asked the guy who cooked-and sure enough-that was it.
Stuffing in the bird, dangit. So always, always-if you are in doubt, ask. It’s just not worth it.
3-If you know you will be indulging, don’t be afraid to cut back calories that day. I’m not saying don’t eat ANYTHING so
you’re starving and eat the entire table including the candles. Just try to keep it to small portions of vegetables and
lean proteins, like chicken breast, low fat dairy, lean red meats, tuna, etc. (There’s a starter list of examples of lean
proteins in my nutrition guide which is free and you can sign up for at the bottom of this post.) This will keep you from
being starving, but will also keep your calories lower to allow more space to eat before you start going over your maintenance calorie intake.
4-Choose your weapon wisely. There will be lots of higher calorie options available. It’s not necessary to eat all of
them-at least not a lot of all of them. If you must have multiple higher calorie options, (And I’m not saying don’t do it
-the holidays are once a year-enjoy the foods you don’t ordinarily eat) try to have smaller portions of them. Sit for a
while before going back for seconds. Something I always do subconsciously is ask myself-”Is this worth it?” Meaning-is the calorie cost worth the taste. My friend Jay at the Gluten Free Post tweeted (twitted? whatever) the other day that he was eating greasy Five Guys fries. (I think I am his food confessional somehow) And I asked-”were they worth it?” His answer was no. So I thank him for that, and I will continue with my occasional calorie splurges on items that ARE worth it-like dark chocolate peanut M&M’s and chocolate ice cream.
5-Exercise. Try to exercise regularly, but especially on the days you’ll be having a food-fest. If you train with weights, a great time to train your weakest bodypart is before the food influx. You can take advantage of some of the positive partitioning that weight training gives. Am I saying all the food will be magically converted to muscle? Nope. Maybe in the land of unicorns it might, and I want to go there. But, it can’t hurt, might help, so why not.
Why is it when I intend to make a list of 5 I end up with 6?
6-Just move. Outside of organized exercise, move around more. Get the family out for a walk after the meal, clean with
house with vim and vigor before company comes over, play tag, play catch, chase the dog out of the kitchen, fight the
crowds for sales-the list is endless. I bet Black Friday shopping could burn a ton of calories if it’s full contact shopping! 
Allow no one to collapse on the couch instead of helping clean up.
I hope these help! It’s certainly not a foregone conclusion that you must be a weight-gaining machine for the next month. Give yourself the gift of taking care of yourself-and doing it well.
I’ve revised the nutrition guide to make it easier to read (thanks to Pam at TrailMomma for letting me know the font was too small!) and it’s free-just enter your email in the box below or in the top left hand side of the page.
Happy Holiday Eating!
Gobble Gobble
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1-If attending a party or gathering with food, ask the host if you can bring something. Choose to brin"/>
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Imagine my delight and shock when I read the post on my friend Kim’s blog at Gluten Free Is Life where she presented me with this award!
Here are the rules:
This award is bestowed upon blogs that are exceedingly charming.
These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.
They are not interested in self-aggrandizement.
Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers.
Deliver this award to six bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their award.
I will pass this award to some of my bloggy friends that I find exceedingly charming…
Now I get to share the fun with six more! (It’s like a chain letter-but this is actually fun!)
Heidi at Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom. Heidi had me laughing at my computer with her story of the brussel sprout adventure. Definitely check her out. I’m a firm beliver that humor makes everything just a little better-and Heidi delivers.
Cara at Cara’s Cravings. Cara is a gal after my own heart who likes lifting heavy stuff in the gym. She is also a kick butt cook and creates healthier versions of favorites, which I am all for. And we both like cottage cheese-what else needs to be said?
JC at JCD Fitness. Now-JC is neither female, nor celiac-and I have doubts that he will pass along the love with the blog awards (I know you’re a good guy JC but I can’t see you putting all this love out there-although it would be bro-love.) JC has some fabulous, no nonsense training and nutrition info-and some of it he has geared specifically for the ladies, never fear.
Leigh at Leigh Peele.com! Leigh also is very no BS, and has a lot of good info. She did the video which I used in the Calories Count Part 2 post. She blogs about music and mindset as well as diet and training.
Peter at No Gluten, No Problem. Peter was profiled as a Gluten Free Athlete here as well. He has started a guide to gluten free small towns which I love, and am adding places to my “places to see before you die” list. He and his wife also have published a very cool cookbook called Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking: More than 250 Great-tasting, From-scratch Recipes from Around the World, Perfect for Every Meal and for Anyone on a Gluten-free Diet–and Even Those Who Aren’t
.
Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. As you can imagine, I’m always on the lookout for flavorful and healthy recipes-and Amy delivers. There’s A LOT of recipe options over there. She must cook all day long 
Thanks to all of you for the wonderful content you provide. I enjoy reading them-while I’m on the treadmill of course! (Yup-Seriously. Thanks to this little invention that I can’t believe I didn’t come up with.)
(I use the Surfshelf on my treadmill-most of the time I catch up on my blogs-occasionally I watch hulu. I admit it.)
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This past weekend we took a trip to Washington DC-and what an awesome trip it was!
We did a lot of sightseeing and walking, had phenomenal weather, stayed in a lovely hotel just off Dupont Circle-and I had some excellent gluten free eats thanks to some help from my celiac friends on Twitter. Special shouts outs to Elizabeth Atkinson (Gluten Free Glee), Sandra Robins (Gluten Free Optimist/Maryland Celiac,) and Stephanie Diamond. (Stephanie was also profiled as a Gluten Free Athlete.)
Something we don't see here in Florida
As I always do for traveling, I took a mix of almonds and pumpkin seeds, a few apples, and some protein powder in my carry on. These are my go-to travel buddies to make sure I have some food should my flight be delayed. Which-miracle of miracles-it was not! In either direction!
On Friday evening we went to Firefly for dinner. It was crowded and they were not seating without reservations, but the culinary gods were smiling on us as a high top in the bar opened up as we got there. Our server/hostess was wonderfully attentive in answering my questions and brought me their gluten free menu. The night’s special was a swordfish and quinoa-herb dish was she told me was also gluten free. I went for that and it was delicious. The herbs gave a beautiful fresh taste to the quinoa along with a bright green color. The non-celiacs went for the meatball sliders and mac n’ cheese, which they said was also very good. Success!
Saturday we had a full day, with tickets to the Washington Monument for 9:30 AM. It was overcast, but still a beautiful day. We checked out the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and were starving so we got an early lunch in the museum. The gentleman manning the Taqueria stand was awesome. He told me that the chicken was not cooked with any flour, and made me a bowl of shredded chicken, black beans, grilled veggies and lots of salsa fresca. It tasted great. So if you are in a pinch-don’t be afraid to ask how things are prepared, and request an “”off the menu” item.
Jeff getting ready to jump the fence to the White House. We made nice with the Secret Service after this was taken.
Saturday night we walked up to Dupont Circle to have a look-see. We passed Hello Cupcake on the way, and I had my heart set on a gluten free cupcake for dessert on the way back to the hotel. We ate dinner at Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe-I loved the idea of a combo bookstore/restaurant/coffee shop. Our server looked a little frightened when I started discussing gluten, but he did great. I ordered the “simply grilled” hanging tenderloin of beef, which came with a green salad and grilled veggies. The plate was beautiful, and very tasty. Jeff even got some of my steak because it was a large portion. They had a hot fudge sundae on the menu which had my eye-but we left to get the cupcake. I am VERY sorry to report that the gluten free selection was SOLD OUT 
when we got there. And they are closed on Sunday. So I did not get to try the fabulousness of Hello Cupcake, the only downer to this trip.
Sunday we had a bit of time before having to head to the airport, so we went to Luna Grill for breakfast. (We actually ate lunch there as well.) For breakfast I had an egg white omelet with chicken, spinach and feta, and sliced tomato instead of toast. Easy peasy. (For lunch I had the spinach salad with grilled chicken added-just to be sure ask that the chicken is not floured-mine was very good.)
We wandered about-and happened across the Dupont Circle Farmers Market! What an awesome market. We remarked several (OK, many) times that we wish we were able to have a market like that here at home. They had everything!
The bounty at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market
As I was getting on the plane in a couple hours, we only got some apples. Jeff said it was the best apple he’s ever had-and I concur.
All in all, a wonderful and successfully gluten free vacation. Thanks again for everyone who helped out with recommendations.
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Erin
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As a follow up to my last post with tips for making your food more flavorful while keeping it healthy and gluten free, here is a very simple recipe that incorporates some of those ideas.
(I know I need to work on my food-photo skills. They are not very good. I promise I will get better.)
You really need smell-a-vision to appreciate this lemon chicken
Very Lemony Chicken
-1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
-1/2 c fresh lemon juice
-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
-1/2 c fresh grated lemon zest (or chopped peel if you don’t have a zester)
-3 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano or italian seasoning herbs
-1 medium onion sliced
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-pepper to taste
-1/2 tsp paprika
Place chicken in a 13×9 glass baking dish. Mix lemon juice, vinegar, lemon peel/zest, oregano and onions. Pour over chicken and marinate several hours or overnight. (I actually use a zip top bag-easier to turn and store in the refrigerator. Or you can use the dish. Your call.) Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Cover and bake at 325 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until done.
You could then add some quinoa, rice, (which you can cook on the stovetop while this is baking) potato (some roasted red potatoes would be very nice with this I think-in the oven with the chicken), and some veggies. Perhaps you could roast some root veggies at the same time the chicken is cooking. I know the temperature isn’t exactly right, but we’re all about flexibility and getting the food cooked here, not perfection. You could saute some green beans, or some spinach and make a bed for your chicken. Whatever you do, you could add a squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving to tie the flavors together. (Whatever you do, don’t squeeze fresh citrus on green beans and let them sit. The color will leach and they will taste great, but look really nasty.)
Enjoy! Let me know how it goes, or some of your favorite and easy ways to have flavorful and healthy meals. For details on creating a more specific nutrition plan, sign up below for your free guide.
Now let’s eat!
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There are many wonderful gluten free food and recipe blogs that you can take a look at for ideas, and I’m going to list a few for you at the end of this post. But barring a specific recipe-what if you just want to cook, not follow a recipe per se? Here are 6 tips (I wanted to do a top 5 list-but ended up with 6) to help make your meals flavorful, healthful, and keep them gluten free.
Ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby
1-Get the best ingredients possible. If you have the ability to obtain locally grown food in season-use it! It will be fresher and hold more natural flavor than a food that has had to travel, or is being produced out of season. Generally it will be less expensive as well. If that’s not an option, frozen veggies are generally more flavorful than canned. Keep an eye out for ingredients-believe it or not. I almost fell over the other day when “sugar” was the third ingredient on a box of frozen snap peas. Exceptions to the frozen general rule would be canned beans-which are way more convienent than dried beans, and personally I like canned artichokes.
2-Don’t be afraid to use spices. How many of the spices in your rack have you actually used? Give them a shot! Take a look in the spice aisle at the grocery store-there are so many options out there. If you choose a spice blend, make sure to check the label for hidden gluten. I tend to use these quite a bit:
-Lemon Pepper
-Garlic powder
-Grill Seasining
-Lime Pepper
-Cayenne pepper
-Herbs de Provence
-Jane’s Crazy Mixed Up Salt
-Sea Salt
-Creole Seasoning
3-Citrus is your friend. Lime and lemon juices and zests can add a ton of flavor with little to no caloric impact. You can use them in a marinade, a rub, a garnish, in a sauce-however you’d like. My favorite marinade for flank steak is fresh squeezed lime juice, grill seasoning, chopped garlic, and a bit of olive oil. Easy and very good. I made chicken breasts the other night-the go to food in my house. Some fresh lemon zest, some chopped garlic, sea salt, and some fresh rosemary went into the Magic Bullet. Process until reasonably chopped up. Press mixture into chicken breasts, add to preheated skillet or grill pan, and cook. Add in the juice from the lemons you zested. Viola. Very flavorful, lemon herbed chicken. Easy. (This is why I don’t post a lot of specific recipes-I cook fairly simply like this all the time.)
pre-Bulleting zest, herbs and garlic
Post-Bulleted zest, herbs and garlic
4-Mustards are fabulous! There are so many different varieties of mustard out there, and mustards are naturally very low in calories and sugar, and fat free. Some of the fancy mustards may have added ingredients, so always check labels for hidden gluten or sugars. There is a mustard called Vivi’s Carnival Mustard that I love to straight up dip veggies in. It’s a bit spicy, but it’s very good. They also provide a bunch of recipes for the mustard and different uses. Don;t give up on the grocery though-dijon mustard is great for kicking up flavor in homemade salad dressings without adding a lot of fat, and is great mixed with tuna. (I promise-give it a try!) Straight up yellow can be useful in making a BBQ sauce of sorts, and is really good when mixed with pork rub seasoning and rubbed onto a pork tenderloin. A lot a flavor for the calorie buck.
5-Fresh herbs are always a great bet. I wish I could grow my own herbs. I have a black thumb. My fiance is a wonderful gardener, and all of our plants owe their lives to him. I couldn’t even grow the Chia Herb Garden No lie. I am fortunate though, that the food market I frequent has a fairly large selection of reasonably proced fresh herbs. I get cilantro for fresh salsa, rosemary and thyme for chicken and pork, basil for tomato, and mint for mojitos. Make sure to add your fresh herbs toward the end of cooking, or use a quicker cooking method with them. In other words-they don’t hold up too well in a crockpot, and their great fresh flavor is lost.
6-Explore the world of vinegars. There are way more varieties of vinegar than I was aware of a few years ago. Now, I always have on hand a balsamic vinegar (I use the most), a red wine vinegar, an apple cider vinegar, and a white wine vinegar. Usually rice vinegar. You can make an awesome salad dressing very easily with dijon mustard, balsamic or red wine vinegar, a little EVOO/Enova oil and spice you like. Shake and serve. If you have fresh herbs, add in some basil and you can’t get any fresher, you know? Apple cider vinegar mixed with Dijonnaise, nonfat greek yogurt and celery salt makes a great lower fat coleslaw. Heidi over at Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom is going to do a balsamic reduction (which gets very sweet and awesome) over her brussel sprouts. They also make great marinades, and great sauces. Experiment-I find that no sugar added preserves with a vinegar and some Dijon mustard make a lovely sauce, especially if you have a pan that needs deglazing. For example-I sear a pork tenderloin in a cast iron skillet, which then goes into the oven to finish cooking. When it’s done, I remove the pork and let it rest, then add the no sugar added preserves (my favorites are cherry and apricot), deglaze the pan with vinegar (balsamic+cherry, apple cider+apricot), add dijon, let come to a bubble and keep stirring. A flavorful easy sauce.
Let me know how it goes! For more specific information on setting up a healthy gluten free diet, sign up below to have the guideline emailed to you.
I hope this helps! It’s my belief that is you have a few go-to techniques, you don’t always have to follow a recipe. But when you do want to follow a recipe, you can check out these lovely folks for ideas. These are only a few of the great gluten free food blogs that are out there.
my buddy Kim at Gluten Free is Life
Karina’s Kitchen
Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Gluten Free Easily
Elena’s Pantry
No Gluten, No Problem Peter and Kelli also have a cookbook
Happy Eating!
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Erin
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I contacted Labrada Nutrition to about their gluten free products. Now I will say that this means, in this context, that the products are not certified gluten free, but that there are no gluten containing ingredients, and that best manufacturing principles have been followed. This does not mean that dedicated equipment has been used. So-as I always say, get the facts, then make an informed decision for yourself.
Labrada Nutrition
Having said that, the representative I corresponded with were wonderful. Dave Ramirez answered all of my many questions, and provided me with products to review.
There are a few Labrada products that DO contain gluten. The ones that contain gluten are:
-Lean Body Breakfast Shake
-All bars (see, another reason to make homemade bars)
-GlutaLean Plus-this was my decision to add this one. It contains glutamine peptides, which are derived from wheat. I have had adverse reactions in the past to these, so I added this product to the glutinous list. They also have a product which is GlutaLean (not Plus) which contains only L-glutamine, not glutamine peptides, and would be safe. I will bve doing an article on glutamine soon, as it can have some gut-health benefits but seems to be a bit controversial.
I received 3 products to review:
Carb Watchers Lean Body protein shake in Peanut Butter Chocolate
Elasti-Joint Joint Support Formula
Pro V-60 multipurpose protein blend in Chocolate Ice Cream
-Carb Watchers Lean Body-This comes in premeasured packets, so it’s convenient to take with you if you’re on the run, or even leave a few in your car or in your purse “in case of emergency.”
Nutrition wise, one packet contains 250 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbohydrate (4 of fiber), and 40 grams of
protein. For me, I only used half a packet at at time. The protein source is a blend of whey and soy proteins. The fat comes from sunflower, MCT, and flaxseed oil. The carbohydrates from Fibersol Fiber, oat flour and rice bran. Here’s a concern. There could have been cross-contamination there, in the ingredients before they even got to Labrada. I can tell you that I had no apparent adverse reaction-but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Sweetener is acesulfame potassium and sucralose, which I can handle OK in small doses. Really the only place I get sweeteners other than stevia is in my protein powders. Obvious allergens are soy and milk.
Taste-wise, it was very sweet. That’s OK for me, because generally I use protein powders to help satisfy my sweet tooth. For this flavor, the peanut butter was very subtle. The flavor was primarily chocolate. The texture was good, a little thicker than a straight up isolate due to the protein blend, carbs and fat added.
Overall, I have concerns about this truly being gluten free and would proceed with caution. I need to look into a device
to test for gluten-isn’t that out there somewhere? However, setting that aside, this is a good general purpose use product that tastes good.
-ElastiJoint Joint Support Formula-If you have read my About page, you know I’ve had multiple knee surgeries on both sides. (4 on the left and 2 on the right, to be exact.) I am always trying to find a good joint support formula. I had read great reviews about this product, and was very excited to try it. I gave it 3 weeks of use. I also want to preface this by saying I have used glucosamine and chondroitin products in the past without benefit. I may be a non-responder, but I wanted to give this a shot because it did also contain MSM, Vitamin C and gelatin. Worth a whirl. I am sorry to report that I did not notice a benefit. Again-this may be me, and others may find differently. The product contains 2000 mg of MSM, 5000 mg of gelatin, 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate, and 1200 mg of chondroitin sulfate. The glucosamine is derived from shellfish. This is also processed on equipment that also processes wheat, peanut, tree nut, sesame, and shellfish. Again-good manufacturing processes with cleaning equipment-but caveat emptor. The taste was drinkable, it was fruit punch, and I would recommend not sipping it, just drink it.
-Pro V60 Protein Blend-Chocolate Ice Cream-This is good stuff. It does not have added carbohydrate ot fat sources like the Carb Watchers Lean Body shake, just the tagalongs that occur in the proteins. It uses a 5 protein blend-whey protein concentrate, egg protein, calcium caseinate, and 2 types of filtered whey protein isolate. Allergens are milk, egg and soy (lecithin.) Sweeteners are acesulfame potassium and sucralose again.
Nutrition wise, 1 scoop contains 160 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate, and 30 grams of protein. Due to the protein blend, this would be a more slowly digesting protein source as opposed to like a whey isolate. I also find
protein blends tend to bake better, like to use in homemade protein bars. The taste of this protein is phenomenal-even my incredibly picky fiance likes it. It has a nice consistency, is again pretty sweet, and has a rich flavor. Last night I mixed it with enough water to make a brownie batter consistency and nuked it for 40 seconds. Voila-protein brownie. Great way to curb the sweet tooth and keep it healthy.
Overall, Labrada was very helpful and responded quickly to my questions, so thank you very much.
For more information on Labrada products, please visit them at their website www.labrada.com.
Please let me know what you think in the comments below. For more guidelines on setting up a healthy diet, sign up below!
Go forth and have a healthy day!
Posted by:
Erin
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In Part 1 I talked about how important movement, any movement, is in overally daily caloric expenditure. (Now everyone-get up, walk around the house, and come back. Seriously. Or prop up your computer and stand, that’ll work.)
(You guys are going to think I’m lying, but I seriously got up and took the dog for a 15 minute walk and came back.)
Another option-and this thing I totally love, can’t believe I didn’t come up with myself and get a lot of reading done on-is the SurfShelf
. It rocks. And then today I found Hulu. I may never watch TV on the couch again. But now I’m WAY off topic, and it’s only the beginning of the article. Yeesh.)
Back on it-
In this “episode”, we’re going to touch on the importance calories you take in-the food (or franken-food, or whatever you like) that you eat. Something that people tend to forget is that EVERYTHING counts. The cream in your coffee, the scraps when you clean up dinner, the extra spoonful of rice-it all counts. And it can all add up. To the tune of several hundred calories or more.
There has been a good bit of scientific research on this, and the people that “eat hardly anything and still can’t lose weight.” I will preface this with saying there are some medical conditions, medications, and issues that can make it very difficult for some individuals to lose weight. But that is a TINY percentage of the overall. And frankly-this is one area where you really don’t want to be a unique snowflake. That’s a whole ‘nother medical can of worms.
More than likely, it is an issue of eating more than you think you are.
I am going to give you a bit of research that backs up what I am saying. I will tell you, don’t blindly trust what anyone has to say about research though, not even me. Go to the source, and read the paper. Research can and often is, skewed to meet whatever result is desired. So once again-get educated and make an informed decision. (My friend Leigh Peele has a section on deciphering research in her Body By Eats, and a nice overview is also presented by the Guttmacher Institute here.) And if you are really a science nerd like me, you might want to check out Alan Aragon’s Research Review.
The paper by Lichtman et al in N Engl J Med. 1992 Dec 31;327(27):1893-8, indicated in their conclusion that: “The failure of some obese subjects to lose weight while eating a diet they report as low in calories is due to an energy intake substantially higher than reported and an overestimation of physical activity, not to an abnormality in thermogenesis.”
Underreported food intake at an average of 47%!! And they are not my any stretch implying that this underreporting was done intentionally. Physical activity was overreported at an average of 51%. That’s a huge, ginormous difference between perception and reality. Another study by Asbeck et al showed underreporting in normal weight subjects. It happens. The key is actually KNOWING what you are eating, not just guessing.
Some people like to measure their food with cups and spoons. While that is totally fine, and works for some, if you are
trying to lose fat and feel like you are stuck, or you don’t know why you’re not losing-you may be eating more than you
think. Check out the video (put together by Leigh Peele)
You can see that weighing is much more accurate. And it’s really no more difficult than measuring, in fact I think it’s
easier. Get a decent digital scale and you’re good to go, you don’t have to mess with different sizes of measuring devices. Set whatever you want to put the food in on the scale, tare it back to zero and off you go. Easy-peasy. I can
guarantee you will be surprised. There are countless stories of dieters who have been frustrated to tears or homicidal
tendencies, and when they began weighing and calculating their food so they were actually eating the calories they THOUGHT they were-the weight came off. If there is a magic bullet at all to the fat loss game, it’s that. Know what you’re eating.
This is my dinner plate on the scale, which I then reset (tare) to zero
Same plate, now with 4 oz of swordfish. roasted brussel sprouts and peppers. Yum!
Then of course, put it together so you can see what you intake is on a daily basis. I’ve been using Fitday PC for years, I
like it, I have all my custom foods there, it’s easy to repeat foods if you tend to eat something often with the favorites
feature-it works well-it’s familiar. I’ve tried a few others, but didn’t like them as much. It is important to be able to log your food in weight measures like grams and ounces, not just cups or servings. So look for that. A few that people use are Sparkpeople, The Daily Plate, Calorie King, Diet Controller, Nutridiary, a personal Excel spreadsheet, or a notebook. Whatever. NutritionData is great for getting nutritional info as well, not a tracker. Some of these are paid, some free-so it’s up to you. Fitday PC (the download version) gets a lot of positive feedback from what I have read/heard-and obviously it’s what I use. I understand that Nutridiary allows you to track in weight, so that may be a good free option.
When you get a good handle of how much energy you are taking in, and how much you are putting out (see Part 1 for details) then you can begin to make adjustments if you want/need to. Oversimplified-of you want to lose weight and you are not-eat less and move more. If you’re happy where you’re at keep doing it! If you want to gain, eat more.
Of course, quality of food does matter. Absolutely it does. However, you can’t beat thermodynamics.
For a bit more information on setting up a nutritional plan, you can sign up for my free guideline at the end of this post.
Let me know how you make out! If you use a different method of tracking, or if you use one of the methods I mentioned above and you like or hate it-speak up. I love hearing from you all!
