Caramelized Peaches and Vega Harvest Salad

Hello again! Do you ever just spontaneously come up with an idea so good you impress yourself? That was pretty much me the other evening when I really needed something sweet and started rummaging about in my fridge. I came across the last of my stash of white peaches that hadn't yet ripened. Now I know that to make it ripen faster I would have to haul it out and set it somewhere at room temperature for a bit and then it would sort itself out; however, I really wanted to eat it right NOW. The flavour of slightly unripened peaches is just fine, it's the crunchiness that throws me off a little. I was just going to suck it up and eat it anyways when it occurred to me that I could caramelize it and make a really delicious desert!

Caramelized Peaches and Pecans
Serves: Me in the middle of the night

1 Peach (white or yellow is fine)
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp coconut palm sugar (could use brown sugar instead)
1/4 Cup pecan halves

1. In a non-stick frying pan, melt coconut oil and add coconut sugar. Heat and stir to dissolve the sugar in the oil.
2. Chop your peach into slices. The thinner the slices, the more gooey they will get.
3. Add your peach slices and pecan halves to the pan and cook on medium heat until the peaches start to soften and the oil and sugar mixture begins to thicken and caramelize.

 

4. When your peaches reach desired nomminess, serve and devour! If you wanted to be really indulgent, you could toss these on top of some ice cream or something. They are also delicious just on their own which was how I ate them.

 

 

Also wanted to mention that I recently went ahead and made Vega's Harvest Quinoa Salad which was absolutely fantastic! It was perfect time for it as I happened to have some roasted butternut squash already saved from my previous recipe so it was super fast to throw together. Of course, I completely forgot that I needed to have quinoa cooked for this salad and ended up throwing that together at the last minute and eating the salad while the quinoa was still warm. Regardless, it was filling, satisfying, and good clean eating after my super intense workout session yesterday morning!

 

Want the recipe? http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/harvest-quinoa-salad-with-citrus-dressing/ 

 

In my salad, I completely forgot the peas and ended up having to adjust the dressing slightly because I didn't have all the ingredients, but I recommend that those wanting to try it out stick as close as possible to the original recipe!  Here is a picture of how mine turned out:

 

 

Has anybody else hopped on this quinoa salad bandwagon? Any recipes to share?









Butternut Squash Pasta

So I've had a butternut squash in my pantry for some time now really crying out to be loved! Truth be known, while I've eaten plenty of butternut squash in my lifetime, I've never before cooked one from scratch myself! I decided that I wanted this really sexy looking harvest salad for my lunch tomorrow (a Vega recipe) and that I would need some roasted squash for it, but certainly not a whole one for that alone. So, knowing that I needed to do something with the rest of the squash, I was inspired by several recipes online for making a pasta sauce! Below is my version of butternut squash pasta:

Butternut Squash Pasta
Serves: 4

1 Medium Butternut Squash
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 Cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 Cup frozen peas
1 tsp honey
Dash of cayenne, salt, and pepper
2 Cups of Gluten-free Pasta

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and chop your butternut squash. For those of you trying this for the first time, I recommend a sharp knife and to work in sections. When you cut open the squash, there will be a small area near the bottom filled with seeds. I tried experimenting cutting the seeds out with a knife vs. scooping them out with a spoon. The verdict: scooping is easier and wastes less flesh. Toss the chopped squash on a pan and lightly coat the pieces with oil. You could use a different oil here, I'm sure coconut would be really lovely in this recipe!

 

2. Bake the squash in your preheated oven for 30 minutes or until you can easily stab your squash pieces with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. In a medium sized frying pan, stir-fry your chopped onion until it is translucent and starting to caramelize. Your onion pieces can be as big or a small as you like them. Personal preference is a beautiful thing. Add your chopped garlic and heat through.

4. Add to your garlic and onion mixture the vegetable broth and about two thirds of your roasted squash. Save the other third for use in another recipe of your choosing. The reason I choose low-sodium vegetable stock is because I like to have control over how much sodium I consume and how salty my food is. You add salt at the end to taste anyways! Continue to heat on medium setting, slowly breaking down the squash and mixing the ingredients into a sauce. At this point, you could puree the sauce if you want yours to be really creamy in texture. I like my sauce a little bit more rustic with pieces of identifiable vegetable throughout. Again, personal preference!



5. At this point, when your sauce is near to complete and your ideal texture, go ahead and add the honey and seasonings to your personal taste. I like the addition of a bit of honey in the recipe to bring out the sweetness of the squash and the little heat from the cayenne. Many recipes call for sage. If this is something you would enjoy, sub a small amount of sage or whatever herbs your prefer for the cayenne or in addition to the cayenne. If you choose to add frozen peas, and I think you should because they are delicious and add a beautiful pop of colour to your dish, do so now and just cook to heat through.

6. While your sauce is simmering on a low heat, prepare your gluten-free pasta according to the package directions. I ended up using two different cuts of pasta because I'm weird like that and enjoy having the different textures in my bowl. Once drained, add your pasta into the skillet with your sauce and mix well.

7. You could always add a little more vegetable stock if needed to bring the sauce to the consistency which appeals most to you. I tend to leave a little bit of starchy pasta water on the noodles when I'm draining so that I'm adding just a bit of hot water to the sauce to help the mixing along.

8. Serve and devour! You could always sprinkle your dish with a little grated cheese or fresh herbs if you felt so inclined, but I enjoyed the simple, creamy, comfort dish exactly as is.

 

Happy nomming :)







Trip to Banff: Verdict!

Alright, so I have to qualify my weekend at Banff a complete success! For those of you reading along, you'll know I mentioned in a previous post that I was super nervous about my first gluten-free dining experience outside of the home. I managed to get pampered at the spa, drink way too much, and eat lots of delicious food without being glutened. Not least of all, spend some quality time with my friend in a beautiful town in the mountains!

 

The weather was a little cool on our first day but cleared up beautifully, as you can see in the photo above. Anyways, so we stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel which is incredibly nice! I mean really, I have never stayed anywhere so fancy in all of my life! And probably never would have if my friend's husband hadn't paid for our trip! So generous and I am so grateful to have had such a spectacular experience! For those of you not from the area, the Banff Springs is pretty reminiscent of the Beasts castle in the woods from Disney's Beauty and the Beast!

 

 

Seriously, mountains and forests and then this giant castle-esque hotel right in the middle of it all! The first night we arrived, my friend had made a reservation for us at the Banffshire Club restaurant inside the hotel. She let them know when she made the reservation that I'm a vegetarian with Celiac Disease and they reassured her that I would be well taken care of. I'm happy to report that they did exactly as advertised. The woman seating us confirmed my needs and after being seen to by the waiters, the maître d' came and not only told me that I would be taken care of, but that the chef would pretty much make whatever I wanted. What? So after confirming that the kitchen stocked gluten-free pasta, I decided to have their vegetable lasagna with the gluten-free option. During the meal, the chef himself came out to make sure that the food was good and that I was happy. Pretty much the most attention I have ever received from restaurant staff in my life! Everyone was extremely kind and friendly and helpful. I was very impressed. I was too excited receiving my food to actually take a picture of it, but my friend got a super creepy picture of me eating. I'm sorry for inflicting this upon you, but try to pay more attention to how awesome the food looks rather than how big I can make my mouth stretch open when I try...

 

 

I know, I'm sorry, it's very scary but let's focus, shall we? They brought out this incredible pasta with mushrooms, sprouts, tomatoes, and a really delicious sauce with soft cheese. The flavours were wonderful! Fresh and rich at the same time and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente which I know can be harder to pull off with gluten-free pasta if you don't have any experience cooking it. I was also pretty impressed that when they brought out table bread before our meal, they happened to have on hand some truly excellent gluten-free bread for myself so that I didn't just stare at my friend eating her "normal person" bread. I was able to have flourless chocolate torte for desert with some truly exceptional desert wine, guided by the waiter who knew clearly knew his stuff and steered us into a very delicious place. All in all, the Banffshire Club gets all the gold stars from me!

 

The next evening, we decided to walk into the town to take in dinner at the Bear Street Tavern, which was recommended online for having really good pizza with a gluten-free option. The service was pretty friendly and when I told the waitress about my need for a very strictly gluten-free pizza, she informed me that because they work in an open kitchen, there is a slight risk of cross-over but that she would inform the chefs of my needs and that because the gluten-free pizza crust they use is frozen, they don't need to place it on any countertops or anything which reduces possible contamination. I had the mediterranian pizza with gluten-free crust and it was very excellent! Topped with tomatoes, peppers, artichokes, olives, feta, asparagus, and more! The crust, though not the most delicious crust I've ever eaten, but was thin and supported the toppings well. More to the point, I wasn't sick afterward! They have a really strange, yet fantastic, tradition at this place of providing the table with a bottle of honey and another of chili oil for mixing and dipping one's pizza crust in. Though a bit skeptical, it was actually a spectacular combination that my friend and I both lapped up! Again, was way too excited about pizza to remember to take a picture of it, but I did take a picture of the drink I had, called a Raspberry Beret.

 

 

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this drink rocked my world. And so pretty!

 

So with this Banff weekend a complete success, I have high hopes that I will find my Scottish experience more than tolerable. I plan to do my research sooner rather than later, especially given that I leave in just over a week! Anybody have any tips for gluten-free traveling in the UK? 









Carrot Fries and Gluten-Free Dining in Banff

Hey everyone!

So shortly before I was diagnosed, one of my best friends asked me if I wanted to go away for a weekend to Banff for a girls-spa thingy for her birthday. Given that her husband is actually paying for us both to go for her birthday present and it's barely going to cost me a thing, I jumped on that like a fat kid on gluten-free cake! So first of all, I am super excited about going. Let's be honest, I'm going to get a pedicure, a full body massage, and a custom facial... fo' free! I get to take a break from work and family to stay in a lush hotel bed and lounge around all day in a fluffy robe... fo' free! Basically, it's any broke student's dream! Well... probably anybody's dream, but I'm sure you can imagine the extent of my excitement. Secondly, I am terrified. This will be my first proper restaurant-dining experience since my diagnosis and I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING! Naturally, I couldn't have anticipated that this was going to happen, but a weekend in Banff two and half weeks after diagnosis and a 10-day trip to Scotland only a month after diagnosis... talk about jumping right on into the deep end!

Being the nerdy academic I am, I figured the first step in successfully pulling this off is to do my research ahead of time. The spa that we are using, which provides a free lunch, offers a gluten-free vegetarian salad that looks delicious. So that's one hurdle jumped. As for dining out of the spa, I have a couple of suggestions from the fabulous land of the internet! I figure if we make sure to hit up places that have gluten-free vegetarian options and so long as I let my server know that I have Celiac Disease and that it's VERY important that my food is kept safe, I think I should be okay. Scotland will be another story, since we are on a tour and I don't get to decide where we stop to eat... but let's just do this one step at a time, shall we?

First, I hit up the gluten-free friendly in Banff page from Urban Spoon:
 http://www.urbanspoon.com/tn/72/1/46151/Alberta/Gluten-Free-Friendly/Banff-restaurants
The two best suggestions I got from here are
- Nourish Bistro: which offers vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The menu looks promising, offering a blend of ethnic and fusion cuisine. Reviews are mixed regarding service, however the general consensus is that the food is pretty good!
- Silver Dragon Restaurant: which is supposed to offer gluten-free friendly Chinese food at a good price. Fortunately, they offer a fully vegetarian menu upon request. The one thing that gets me here though, is that I didn't see anything on the actual menu about gluten-free options. My particular concern, is gluten in the sauces and in soy sauce. I suppose you could always ask your server about this, but I thought it was unfortunate not to find any of this information online.

Next, The Little Red Kitchen blog (http://thelittleredkitchen.blogspot.ca/2012/04/gluten-free-in-banff.html) recommends stopping in at the Wild Flour bakery which offers lots of gluten-free baked goods in addition to the usual bakery selection. Also recommended is the gluten-free pizza at the Bear Street Tavern, which seems to get pretty fantastic reviews!

The I Made Toast blog (http://imadetoast.com/2010/10/11/gluten-free-in-banff-alberta/ ) recommends the Elk and Oarsmen Pub which offers a gluten-free menu! She also mentions that Boston Pizza, a popular pizza chain, offers a gluten-free menu as well and that if you mention to your server your needs, that your food will be prepared in a specialty gluten-free area! My only concern is that this blog entry is about four-years old, which means that the pub mentioned above may no longer be in business. Now, I hope it does, but you just never know!

While I will have to consult with my friend to figure out which of these places we will actually visit, I feel like there might definitely be gluten-free pizza in my future! Memo to self: bring the lactaid pills because I'm going find me some cheesy goodness!

Now, on to the highlight of my day so far: Carrot Fries for lunch!

Carrot Fries with Hummus and Sriracha:
Serves: Me

3 Medium sized carrots
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp of your favourite hummus
Drizzle of sriracha

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and chop your carrots into finger sized pieces. I like mine rustic and a bit on the chunky size. Basically, chop them however the hell you want... because I sure do!
2. Toss your carrot fries on a non-stick baking sheet with coconut oil and sprinkle with cayenne pepper. You could use other seasonings here if you wanted, such as sea salt or Mrs. Dash or whatever-the-hell, but I personally love me a little cayenne pepper and don't like adding salt to my food. Deal with it.

3. Bake your fries in the oven for about 20 minutes, taking them out at the 10 minute mark to shake them around a little. There is definitely room for personal preference at this stage. If you like your fries a little on the crunchy side, you might put them in for a bit less time. If you like yours really soft, you might add some more oven time. 20 minutes gives you sweet, roasty carrots with a bit of chewiness that I'm extremely fond of.

4. Plate your sexy carrot fries with a big glob of your favourite hummus. Roasted red pepper hummus would be really good here, but today I felt like using traditional plain hummus. While you're at it, toss a bit of Sriracha hot sauce on that plate too. Because spicy things are awesome!

I don't think I can properly describe to you how intensely good these fries were, but I am determined to do my very best. The fries themselves are best enjoyed hot out of the oven. The roasting brings out their natural caramelly sweetness, particularly on the golden bits! The coconut oil further enhances that sweetness and adds a bit of richness without overwhelming your palate. It's like taking a bite of pure, clean-eating happiness! Honestly, I think the sriracha/hummus combo with these was inspired! Not to float my own boat or anything... the hot, sweet fries with the rich, cold hummus and the kick from the sriracha was a wicked combo!



 It's easy to be so in love with the flavours of this dish that you forget that it's brimming with beta-carotene, fiber, healthy fats, and a splash of protein! Not to mention, it's pretty low in calories for those of you with an eye on your waist line. As my dad used to say: if you don't watch your waist, nobody else will! See what I did there? I used only three carrots here since this was an addition to the first part of my lunch, (yes, like a hobbit, I do second-breakfasts and also second-lunches), but it would be easy to polish off an entire bag of carrots this way! For those of you who catch me in the street with orange skin, probably assume that this is what I did to get that way!

 

Anybody have any favourite carrot recipes to share?





 

Anxiety and Pudding

So I'm officially two-weeks gluten-free. It's been interesting to say the least. I have to admit to having a bit of anxiety. If I have a plan about what I'm going to be eating and I've got the groceries at home, I don't seem to have a problem. Gluten-free cooking and eating so far seems to be a go. However, if I haven't planned in advance or run low on groceries, I seem to go into panic attack mode. This isn't particularly good.

 As I'm sure many of you know, often times people diagnosed with Celiac Disease will notice during the course of their recovery that there are a bunch of other foods they don't tolerate well. I already knew that dairy isn't a thing for me. It just isn't. It hurts. And gives me gas. Apparently, as I've recently discovered, my body also won't do corn. The other day, I had a corn and mixed bean salad for lunch and then a cob of corn with dinner and my body was pissed. I felt like I had been glutened (which remains possible), but looking back on what I'd eaten that day, everything appeared to be in the clear. Then I consulted my trusty friend Google and it seems that there's a protein in corn that is similar to gluten, and thus some very finicky individuals have a hard time with corn. I'm hoping that after a year or so of healing, my body will get the hell over it and be fine. I recognize that this may just be a temporary thing. I'll wait it out and try in a year.

Anyways, I've totally digressed! I discovered that corn and I can't be friends right now which lead me into a panic attack the other morning getting ready for work. I had made a double serving of this corn and bean salad and packed half away with the intention of taking the other half for my lunch. This was no longer an option. At seven in the morning, after a restless night, I had to figure out a safe lunch to make last minute before I ran out the door. My blender that I use for breakfast smoothies was dirty and I didn't have the time/energy to wash it. I was in a state. I stood in my kitchen just staring into space for about five minutes trying to control my breathing before I finally came up with a plan. I called work and told them I'd be a few minutes late. I threw on a pot of brown rice. I shook up my protein powder with almond milk and ate a banana. I managed to work through it, but I spend the rest of the day shaky and exhausted. I clearly need a better plan then just winging it!

So today, I made up a two-week meal plan. Smoothies for breakfast; nuts, seeds, fruit, veggies, and hummus for snacks; and varying combinations of lunches and dinners. I also made up a grocery list so I know what I need to buy each week to make it through my meal plan. I'm quite impressed with how it looks too! The goal is healthy, gluten-free, clean eating vegetarian and vegan meals which will fuel my training and help my body heal. In order to avoid anxiety, I will continue to alternate between these two weeks for as long as I need to until I get my bearings and develop some diet staples! This will mean that I will always know what I am eating and make sure I have the groceries to make it with, and a plan for when all my meals will be prepped. If that doesn't work, I may take to drinking. I'm kidding. Sort of.

Also, I have a recipe to share! Now originally my plan for the evening was to make the Carrot Cake Chia Pudding from the recipe found here:
http://www.veganricha.com/2014/05/carrot-cake-chia-pudding-vegan-gluten.html
However, when I starting making the pudding it was already 7 pm. I was not excited about the idea of roasting carrots and stuff before setting the chia seeds to soak up the liquid. If I did that, my pudding wouldn't be ready for ages... and I really wanted it now. So I modified the recipe a little and am very happy with the results. The following is my modified-version of the above recipe.

Raw Carrot Cake Chia Seed Pudding:
Serves: One very hungry person or two tiny persons

1 Large carrot, peeled and finely grated
2 Tbsp chopped raw walnuts
1 Tbsp maple/agave syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
dash of ground nutmeg
1 Cup unsweetened almond milk
2-3 Tbsp chia seeds

1. Peel a large carrot and, using a grater or food processor, shred finely. If you're like me, you end up grating only about 4/5 of the carrot because your arms gets sore and you stop caring. Grate as much as you think will be delicious. The finer grater you use, the less crunchy your carrots will be. Mine were very skinny which gave a pleasant texture. Also, the more carrot you use, the more orange your pudding will be. I like the colour orange, so I ran with it.

 

2. Add all the other ingredients into a bowl with the grated carrot and mix it. I like to keep things simple. It all ends up in the same place. Whisk that shit up. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you get to eat it. If I'm being totally honest, I eye-ball things more than I actually measure things. The nice thing about the spices is that you can mix it up according to your tastes. I add more ginger because ginger makes me happy and is good for you. Do what makes your taste buds happy. What you end up with is a liquidy, carrot-cake looking mixture like this:

3. Cover it up with whatever the hell you can find and stick it in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight to allow the chia seeds time to soak up the liquid. For me, it was really about an hour and fifty minutes before I just couldn't wait any longer. But don't worry, it was still fantastic!

4. Eat it. I'd love to say that this picture you see above shows the true beauty of this pudding. It doesn't. It's kind of an orange, sludgy thing. The flavour, however, is truly spectacular. Reminiscent of leftover carrot cake you ate straight out of the fridge in the middle of the night with a giant spoon while nobody was watching. No? Just me? Even better though, because it contains none of that nasty, intestine-shredding gluten we all know and love.

 

 

Bottom line: I am a fan of this pudding. It was easy to throw together and enjoyable to inhale as a before-bed snack. I also don't feel guilty eating it as it's low in sugar and high in fiber. Yay winning!

 

Anybody have some late night binge-eating-worthy chia seed pudding recipes to share?









Hidden Gluten and Snack Time

Given that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease just over a week ago, I still have a LOT of learning to do about gluten! Yesterday, I finished going through my pantry and getting rid of food I can't have. I've had to give away half of everything! Who knew that all my lentils were processed in a facility that also processes wheat? Also, up until now, I've always bought items like quinoa and millet in bulk and I clued in yesterday realizing that's probably not an option. I've probably been eating contaminated quinoa... yippee. So I've now sorted out exactly what is safe and what isn't. I need to go shopping! Until then though, I'll manage. One of the things I learned about gluten this week is that it hides in some of the most unsuspecting places. Like tea. Notice the bold lettering saying "WHEAT"?



I am a HUGE tea drinker. If I go a single day without drinking at least two cups of tea, I except some sort of apocalyptic phenomena. Regardless, I went through all my teas and figured out that, fortunately, only one of the hundred teas I currently own contains gluten. Many of my teas are Tetley brand, and the following is their gluten statement:

"Q. Do Tetley teas contain wheat or gluten?
A. In compliance with Canadian regulation, any Tetley product which intentionally contains wheat or gluten will have it mentioned in bold in the ingredient list on the product packaging to provide allergic consumers with clear and reliable information. For that reason, the best way to ensure that the product doesn’t contain gluten or wheat is to check the ingredient list on pack.

We have introduced a few new products that do contain small amounts of Wheat Maltodextrin and this is declared on the ingredient declaration of Green Tea Plus Aware, Green Tea Plus Glow and Pina Colada. However based on consumer feedback, we are in the process of removing this ingredient from these products. "

So this was reassuring to me. Anyways, since it has been super hot these past few days, I decided iced tea was the way to go. For those of you who drink that sketchy iced tea powder or what have you, pay attention here! You can make the most delicious herbal iced tea at home without all that sugar! Now, I personally think sugar is evil and am working to getting rid of it completely! For those of you who don't, that's cool! To each their own! However since sugar packs a mean calorie punch and I'd rather save my calorie intake for solid food, I'm a big fan of these teas!

Here's the scoop:
- Find a really delicious herbal tea (I used Tetley Bellini tea - peach and orange) and steep it good and strong!
- Fill a cup or water bottle up with ice.

- Remove the tea bag and dump that tea over the ice! I also like to top my water bottle up with a bit of water.

- If you feel so inclined, you can always add fresh herbs (mint) for lemon slices or what have you to compliment the flavour of your tea. I find that if I pick a really nice tea, it's perfectly flavourful and refreshing without adding anything to it!

 

 

I also wanted to briefly touch on what I'm snacking on these days! Before my diagnosis, I was definitely snacking on a lot of prepackaged granola bars, crackers and carrots with hummus, etc. Now, I still eat hummus with gluten-free crackers, but I've decided to take advantage of all the summer produce as much as possible for my snacking! I'm a big fan of adding a bit of protein or fat to my snacks. I know that it keeps me going longer and manages my hunger. Without further delay, I introduce to you my current favourite snacks:

Apples with almond butter! Mmmm... I do actually lick my fingers and my plate when I'm done! This time of year we get really good organic pink lady apples which I've always been partial to. In the past, I've always put peanut butter on my apples, but on this particular morning I had already had peanut butter in my breakfast smoothie so decided to give almond butter a go instead. Boy was I impressed! 

This makes a good snack or a really awesome desert! I have eagerly waited all year for figs to be back in season and I was not disappointed with how these taste! Here I've topped my washed and halved figs with raw pecan halves and drizzled the lot with a bit of honey. You really don't need the honey, if that's not your thing, I kinda just like it for presentation! You can't really see it in this photo, but I make pretty little crosshatch designs and such so that I feel like I'm eating something extremely decadent. I've suddenly become obsessed with presentation which is not a thing I thought I would ever say.

 

What are your favourite celiac-friendly snacks?





Commencing Week 2

Yesterday marked the end of my first fully gluten-free week. While some of my celiac symptoms started resolving right away (ex: joint pain), my digestive symptoms are taking a little longer to level out. I definitely experienced some frustration in the first few days because even though you know better, you still somehow expect to feel magically 100% better the instant you remove gluten from your diet. This really just isn't the case. I have to periodically remind myself that I have intestinal damage that is going to take time to heal and to be patient with the process. I'm sure many other people feel this way too! Otherwise, feeling pretty optimistic and starting to sort out my kitchen and other aspects of my life. I have a vacation to Scotland in August with a good friend of mine so I'm still needing to do some research on how to manage being a gluten-free vegetarian on this trip! Just in case, I've ordered a bunch of safe nutrition bars from Vega to help get me through the tough days!

I want to have a quick blurb about fitness before I get into discussing the research I did this week. I'm big into fitness. I love it. I'm obsessed with it. It started because I've struggled with being slightly overweight pretty much my whole life so I got into working out trying to lose weight. Over time, it has morphed into a whole different thing. I still have weight to lose. This is surprising for a lot of people that there are overweight people with Celiac Disease because it was taught for so long that only tiny malnourished people have it. We've now learned that you can be malnourished and still overweight. Anyways, back to fitness! Despite still having some jiggle I'd prefer to be rid of, I've come to enjoy working out because I just like. I like working out. I like getting sweaty. I like watching my body progress through my training; getting faster, getting stronger.

That being said, I encountered some big struggles in my training during my gluten-challenge. I'm training for a 5K run at the end of the summer and running has never really been my strong point. I'm more of a short, well-muscled sprinter body-type than the long, lanky long-distance runner type. I'm okay with this. I do high-intensity interval training too which I absolutely adore! However, I think that it's important to work on your weakness as well as your strengths, so I'm trying to improve my endurance running. During my gluten challenge, I was running through stomach pains, cramps, nausea, and so on. While I'm proud of myself for pushing through despite feeling poorly, it's been hard for me to feel like I'm progressing so slowly! Even now, one week gluten-free, I'm still struggling with some of these same issues. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I'm sure I'm not the only one who encounters issues like this and I'm hoping that by talking about how I'm dealing with it, it will encourage the rest of you!

So here's the deal: the only true perfection that can ever be achieved in fitness is consistency. 

This is my motto. My mantra, if you will. I'm naturally inclined towards perfectionism. The real truth about any aspect of fitness is that there is always some way to improve. If you run, you can always train to run faster or farther. If you lift, you can always do more reps or higher weights. There is always a place in your regime where you can improve. And really, I think that's awesome! The idea that I can always push to be better, push to be more, is inspiring and motivating! So in this sense, it's impossible to reach perfection. It doesn't exist. However, what I personally think defines the difference between an athlete and your average joe-blow is consistency. Not only working out regularly and never quitting, but continuing to push yourself further and remembering that it is not single actions that make greatness, but rather the cumulative effect of many repeated actions. For myself, it's the difference between quitting my run early because my legs are like jelly and stopping for a quick second to rest before picking up where I left off and keep pushing until the timer goes. If you consistently keep getting back up again despite falling (and we all fall sometimes), you can accomplish anything. Not just in fitness, but in life. So I know that's a little bit off topic, but I just wanted to share because it has been a big part of my life right now.

Ooooookay... so this week I sent a few emails out to big coffee chains in Canada to ask about gluten-free products. The two big ones being Starbucks and Second Cup. While Starbucks is certainly everywhere, I understand that Second Cup might not be so this might not be super relevant to some of you. For me, I'm a University student. I like me some caffeine, so I figured I would get the scoop on gluten.

First, I went on the Starbucks website and searched through their nutrition section. If you want to know basic nutrition info (ie: calories, fat, carbs, etc.) you will find all of that for pretty much all products online. HOWEVER, Starbucks does not list the ingredients of their products online. Nor do baristas in the stores have this info unless they have a spare package of the same product sitting around. Now obviously none of their pastries are gluten-free, and even if there were a gluten-free pastry in the pastry case, I wouldn't eat it since the same tongs are used for all things. That being said, I did send them an email asking about their syrups and sauces that are used to make drinks. Which contain gluten? How are they manufactured? Here is how I rate their response:
Pros - I got a response the same day I sent them an email.
Cons - The response didn't actually answer my question. They referred me back to the website saying that all the nutrition info was available online. Thanks a whole honey-bunches-of-(gluten-free)-oats Starbucks. On a scale of 1 to "Helpful", we're at about a -5.

Second Cup is a slightly different story. Some nutrition information is available online, though if I recall correctly, not as detailed as Starbucks. They also do not offer a list of product ingredients online. So I sent to them a nearly identical email to the one I sent Starbucks. It took them a few days to respond, but this is the response I got back:

"Good afternoon Brooke,

 

Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Second Cup. All of our teas as well as Torani syrups (except for marshmallow) are gluten free. Our creamy syrup mixes, used in flavoured lattes, are produced in a facility that is not certified gluten-free, however there are no gluten allergens present in the products. If you ask your barista, they can also suggest some substitutions to drinks using our Torani syrups if you are more comfortable with this option. Many of our cafes also offer gluten free macaroons as well.

 

Thanks again for contacting us and for your support of Second Cup.

 

Kind regards,

 

Kelly Vincent

Café Support Associate"

 

THIS! THIS IS THE KIND OF RESPONSE I WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR! I'm far from done my coffee shop search, especially because there is no Second Cup on campus, but I feel this is a good start to things. What are your favourite celiac-friendly coffee establishments?

The First Week

Alright guys, so it hasn't been a full week, but it sure has been busy up until this point! I want to start off by posting a recipe that has helped get me through the first few days! Now, I'm a busy gal... when I'm not in school, I'm working. I tend to run around a lot and I've now lost the ability to just run out the door and buy food while I'm out. I don't live in a particularly gluten-free city, so I'm completely on my own! This week, I've worked a lot, which means I've needed to be good about packing enough food for the day. After figuring out that a favourite bagged salad of mine is off the menu, I replaced it with another easy celiac-friendly one and made these super easy and convenient savoury quinoa-egg muffin thingies.

Recipe: http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-diet/healthy-recipes/mini-egg-cheese-quinoa-cups/

Okay, so I took the original recipe and modified it in the following easy ways:

1. Instead of using regular dairy cheese, I used Daiya brand vegan cheese. I have a problem with lactose intolerance because of the Celiac Disease, so I've been avoiding dairy altogether. Daiya brand is nice because it's dairy, gluten, and soy free, and completely vegan. Also, the flavour is awesome! So I just subbed my non-dairy cheese 1:1 for the original in the recipe.

2. I added a few chopped cherry tomatoes and some broccoli to the recipe to add to the flavour. Not to mention, give the recipe an extra micronutrient boost! I also tossed in a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, because cayenne is delicious and good for you!

 

These things were awesome! I also loved how easy it was to "portion control" this meal! You could eat one cup as a snack, or four for a meal. Also, super portable which was perfect for running out the door to work!

 

Now, in other news: I did a bit of research about this whole gluten-free make-up and skin care shenanigans. For those of you as new to this gluten-free lifestyle as myself, there's a debate among the gluten-free community as to whether or not it is important to ensure that your make-up and skin care is also gluten-free. The official verdict, according to medical professionals is: probably not. Unless you're eating your make-up or personal hygiene products, you're not likely to experience any damage.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/expert-answers/celiac-disease/faq-20057879 

 

That being said, many people with Celiac or non-Celiac gluten-intolerance feel more comfortable ensuring that their products are gluten-free. As one woman said, who hasn't accidentally gotten shampoo in their mouths while bending over in the shower to shave their legs? I'm pretty sure it's a thing! So I tend to be in an agreeance that if you can avoid gluten in your products, wouldn't you rather do it than way then constantly worrying about making sure no accidents happen? I mean, it's really a peace of mind issue! So  for those of you looking for info on gluten-free companies, see the following pages:

 

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/GlutenFreePersonalCareProducts/fl/Gluten-Free-Makeup-Brands.htm

http://makeup.allwomenstalk.com/glorious-gluten-free-cosmetics-companies/8/

http://www.glutenfreemakeupgal.com/

http://www.theceliacdiva.com/gluten-free-face-wash/

http://myglutenfreequest.com/gluten-free-skin-body-care-products/

 

It would seem that there are plenty of make-up and skin care companies that are proud to be gluten-free and are well liked! From the research I've done, it's pretty clear that most make-up companies are pretty happy to talk to people with enquiries and answer any questions. For myself, if a company was hesitant to answer a question I had about product ingredients, I'd be a little worried about what they were trying to hide! As there are plenty of people who research and discuss this issue a hell of a lot more than myself, I encourage you to take a look at the above links!

 

Will I be switching to gluten-free make-up any time soon? The answer is probably. I know I've often worried about breathing in my foundation powder and eating my lip gloss, so it would be nice to have the peace of mind that I'm not glutening myself that way! Upon completing more research, I discovered that my skin care and body care products that I already use are totally gluten-free which is a bonus! Thank god for small favours!

 

 







Day 1

Well hiya! Today I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Apparently it's a thing. I'm the first in my family to have this problem so it's going to be quite the learning curve! Add to that, I'm also a vegetarian with vegan tendencies so food is going to be interesting! If you're looking for more info on Celiac Disease, see my "About" page to the right!

A bit about me? My name is Brooke. I'm a University student majoring in Archaeology and minoring in Religious Studies. So, I'm pretty much a big nerd and I like it that way! I've been a vegetarian for over a year for ethical and environmental reasons. Switching up my diet meant that I was introduced to foods like quinoa, millet, and other beautiful, wonderful healthy foods. Luckily for me, that means that gluten-free foods aren't new to me and I have a pretty good background on how to prepare them! However since I'll be going fully gluten-free (starting this very day), I'm bound to encounter some interesting learning experiences along the way that I hope to share with those of you on a similar journey!

So to start this journey and blog off on a positive note, I'm going to share with you all two of my new favourite recipes from the people at Vega (see resources), and talk a little bit about what I've done in my kitchen to try and prevent cross-contamination!

First recipe I'm going to share is Morgan's Green Soup! This green soup is packed full of fresh flavour, tasty greens, and coconut milk! With vitamins and minerals to boot, this soup packs a healthy, low calorie punch and has earned it's way onto the "Brooke's fav soups" list for sure!

Click here for the recipe: http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/morgans-green-soup/
((I'm a big fan of giving credit where credit is due, so if I found the recipe somewhere, I will link you to it!)) And here is a fabulous picture of how my sexy green soup turned out:

 

 

Nice, right? I made the full recipe size and saved the leftover soup in a huge bowl in my fridge so it has made for a quick snack/meal whenever I've been hungry! Not to mention, it's packed full of IRON which is great for those of us Celiac sufferers who deal with anemia!

 

Tonight, I decided to give another Vega recipe a try and made Gluten-Free Vegan Pho! I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out because I didn't make the recipe exactly according to the website! Mostly, I wanted to make a smaller amount and use some of the toppings I had on hand! It was my happy day because the pho turned out exceptionally well and I greedily gobbled up the whole bowl!

Recipe: http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/pho-vegas-gluten-free-vegan-pho/

 

Okay, so not only did this taste INCREDIBLE, but I was super impressed with my own presentation abilities. That's my plate! Ain't it pretty?!? 



So there, I've now posted two recipes with pictures to hold you over until I blog again!

In terms of cross-contamination, I've only scratched the surface of what I worry might be a fairly large issue. When I spoke with my doctor about it today, he said that I should basically just apply my common sense. He agreed with me that glass plates or metal appliances should be fine for sharing with my busy gluten-loving family. He also agreed that because plastic is porous, it would be a good idea for me to have my own plastic things, such as Tupperware! So first thing I did after my doctors appointment was go and get me some storage containers and things! I painted a big black "B" on all of my new items so that family members unloading the dishwasher can tell that these things are mine and put them in the handy new drawers that I cleared for my personal use!



Yes, that is a shadow of my arm holding my phone over-top of my dishes. Don't judge. It's rude. So yeah, it's been a bit of a ramble but I think for a first post, I've covered all of my bases!

I hope I haven't scared you off, if there happens to be any of you reading! Take care :)