I Got it Right...or so I thought...

Do you ever have those days, or days that turn into the nights, where you just canNOT seem to do anything right? Or is it just me? Ok, well, allow me to explain why the past two nights, my sweet husband has taken it upon himself to be the chef for our eveing meals.

Let me lay out the procedural history first, as any lawyer would when briefing the Court or Client:

It all started Monday morning; I had a doctor appointment in the AM which didn't go that well - and what I mean but that is, it is never a good sign when your mother actually gets up and leaves the room mid-visit, and then, the doctor actually leaves the room promising to return, but then never does.  True story.

Then I drove 50+ miles to work, 40+ miles to Trader Joe's after work to pick up items that are way too expensive to get at Mother's (side note: don't you just love how you have to go to at least THREE grocery stores to get all the damn food for two people to eat healthy for a week?)

After TJ's I sped home, exhausted.  I lugges the bags up the stairs, unpacked all the groceries and put them in the fridge, and then began cooking right away.  When I had last left B, it was after the doctor appointment where he said he would be home for dinner around 8:30pm.  So I had about an hour.  I was excited to get going on a tasty meal that he could come home to.  I decided on flavorful quinoa and a raw veggie mix.  I also thought I'd heat up the breast of chicken leftover in the ziplock baggie in the fridge from, oh I don't know, about a week ago for B.

I boiled 2 cups organic chicken broth on the stove, poured a cup of quinoa in it, along with some chopped onions, minced garlic cloves, and let it cook.  To my utter glee, when I lifted the pan lid, I saw beautiful fluffy quinoa flakes, light and steamy.  I was so excited because this was the first time I had ever successfully cooked quinoa (despite numerous previous attempts which shall remain a mystery).  I ground some Himalayan salt into the pan and fluffed.

As for the raw veggie mix, I chopped cucombers, mushrooms, and added 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. fresh salsa,  ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.

The chicken, I must admit, was a bit of an afterthought, hence the plastic looking overlay of over-broiled and then cooled cheese shown in Exhibit A to the right.

See, 8:30 came and went, and before I knew it, I had eaten the quinoa and veggies, nearly fallen asleep 3 times on the couch, and around 9:45 B walked in.  I told him his dinner was warming in the oven - and had been for an hour.  He said it smelled good.  I was grateful for that compliment.  THen he sat down, ate one, maybe two bites, and started packing up his plate in a leftover container. 

I put my hand on my hip and said, "Um - exauuuuuuse me? What are you doing? You don't like it?"
Response: Is this the chicken from a week ago?
"Yea."
Is it still good?
"I don't knowww! Why arent you eating the dinner I slaved over for you?! I am so tired! Why do I even bother trying to cook if you aren't even going to eat it!
I'm not hungry! I had a few beers.  I love it though babe and I'll have it for lunch tomorrow (sans chicken which was now face down in the trash)
"I'm glad you had a nice barley and hops nutritional and well -balanced meal!"  I proceeded to slump off to the bathroom for a bath to calm my fuming nerves. 

It only took 2 days later for me to get the truth.  The next day, when I got home from work I discovered the container of quinoa still in the fridge.  I looked at B and asked him point blank - what did you have for lunch today, and then darted between him, container, him, container, until he finally confessed "Ok I didn't like it!"

And therein lies the story for why B has been cooking the past two nights.  And can I just say, what a fantastic cook that little gipper is? I will post his fantastic RAW and gluten free Vegan meals tomorrow.


And on another note, I have been recently hearing and reading a lot about the benefits of Himalayan salt.  Also, the girl at the supplement counter at Mother's Market tonight was going on and on about how important the acidity and alkalinity in our bodies is and how it can affect inflammation .  I stood there trying to determine what cold water fish variety I wanted (Cod Liver, Krill, Salmon, etc) and half listened to her probing me for answers about whether I had ever tested my pH. 

However, in my ever persistent and cyclical jounrey to achieve balance and wellness in an anti-inlammatory body, I listened to her advice and pointers regarding supplements and vowed to go home and research. Turns out, my pink Himalayan salt I just started using can have an affect on acidity and alkalinity! AH - my mind hurts at all this supplemental crap!

Watch this video if you want to learn more about acid/alkaline balance in the body, and this guy has plenty more on YouTube if you fancy him.

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Secret Family Recipe! Baked Ziti

Every year for my husband's birthday, he requests the infamous BAKED ZITI that my MIL makes that is incredible!

This year, due to my dietary restrictions, my sweet and accommodating MIL invited myself and my brother in law's girlfriend (Celiac- also gluten free) to make our own modified version of her famous ziti - gluten free style!

We boiled gluten free noodles half way (5 minutes or so) Note: I usually prefer to use quinoa pasta - but the rice pasta tastes slightly better and is less hard.

Drain the noodles, and stir in a cup of Ricotta cheese.  Then pour in the secret marinara sauce, stir, top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes!

Secret Sauce (Meat Lover Version)
Now, the marinara sauce - for meat eaters, you get Italian sausage from an Italian Market, and what my MIL does is saute crushed tomatoes in olive oil for a few minutes.  Then she adds a can of tomato sauce, and Italian herbs and spices (oregano, garlic, basil).

In a separate pan, bring a bit of water to boil, then sets the sausages in the water until the pink is gone.  Then browns the sausages, and pay attention here, this is the secret tip for not too greasy meat sauce, drain and rinse the sausages before adding them to the marinara sauce! This rids the sausage of the excess fat and grease that accumulates from cooking the sausage.

The marinara sauce marinates with the meat and then she removes the sausages and places them in their own casserole dish.

The sauce she uses to mix in with the noodles and ricotta, which is then baked in the oven for 15 minutes.

Now, for a vegan alternative, use soy flavored mozzarella cheese, and obviously, do not cook the meet in the sauce.  Also, for fellow gluten free folk, you do not want to cook the sausage in the meat either because there can be additives and fillers in some sausages, depending on where you get them, but you want to check the ingredients on those before assuming they are gluten free!

Manji!

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Refreshing Cocktails!

A majority of mornings, B and I juice a combination of fruits and veggies.  What I am realizing is that there are some fruits that juice better than others, and certain combinations of veggies and fruits pair well together, others do not.  With that said, juicing is relatively fool-proof, and you can't really go wrong with any variety of fresh produce.  But not all fruits are created equal, and each has its own benefits.  Red Cabbage is one of the most healing vegetables, for example, that you would not normally eat - but when juiced in combination with other greens and fruits, you get all the benefits in one gulp! YUM!

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Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisen Scones

These ended up looking a bit like scones on the outside, and bread on the inside.  Perhaps it was because I did not have time for the 60 minutes of "dough raising" and stuck them right in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.  I also didn't do the whole "yeast in the water until it foams" step.  Because I didn't see the damn yeast packet in the package until I had dumped the entire mixture into the water.  I blame Bob.  Make that packet more obvious! I'm not a veteran bread baker people!  I made the bread in a cupcake pan so they would be individual scone-type treats for my hubby's birthday - and love baking for people - especially when I know the ingredients are not terrible for their guts.  But I have to get them out of the house pronto or else I would graze like a mad cow until they were all gone!


I used walnut oil instead of vegetable oil.  No hydrogenated oils and is not pro-inflammatory like most vegetable oils.

The best oils are avocado oil, macadamia nut oil, coconut oil and olive oil.  These do not contain any partially hydrogenated oils and they do contain the good omegas (3 and 6)
**Avocado oil is rich in anti-inflammatory oleic acid (an omega-9 fat).

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Vegan + Gluten Free: Banana Coconut Quinoa Bars

To be honest, I was completely afraid how these would turn out.  I specifically did NOT tell B there was tofu in them, or else I knew he would never lay a finger on them.  To my pleasant surprise, B loved them! 

With the hubby's approval, I wandered over to the neighbors' house so their 4 and 6 year old kids could be my next guinea pigs. After all, kids and drunk people are usually brutally honest.  Not sophisticated or manipulative enough to compliment so as not to bruise my ego.  I knew if they passed the kid test, then I could be sure these were actually a decent creation! 

The six year old boy first tasted a bite, paused, and we asked him what he thought.  He paused again and continued shoving more in his mouth to make sure he could make an informed decision about what he thought of the little yellow bars.  Then he started screaming at the top of his lungs and jumping up and down.  It was SO cute, and I definitely took that as a good sign.  As a props to his mother, this young child knows that quinoa is and even more impressive, likes it!  If I had heard the word "quinoa" at age six I would have thought it was a foreign language!

So here's the good stuff:

1/2 c. quinoa flakes
1/2 c. coconut flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. baking soda
1/4 c. Organic unsweetened coconut flakes
2 very ripened bananas
1/2 c. silken tofu
1/4 cup Organic Natural Peanut Butter
2 tbsp. Raw Organic Honey

Directions:
Mix together dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Blend together bananas, honey, tofu & peanut butter and add to dry mixture, mixing together.

Spray loaf pan with olive oil, press mixture into pan, cook for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
Remove, cool, and slice into bars.

Garnish plate with raw honey swirls or sprinkled cinnamon before placing bars onto plate!

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Chocolate Souffles

These were delicious - Gluten Free Chocolate Souffles - super easy to bake! Total time 25 minutes!
Will post recipe soon!

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Make your own HEALTHY Dressing!

Look, if you told me 3 months ago I would be whisking together my own salad dressings for dinner salads, my response would have been
a) Why am I eating salad when I could be eating pizza?
b) MAKE my own dressing? You're kidding right?  No, seriously.  You're kidding.  Did time freeze and suddenly I have an extra 4 hours each day? Ya, didn't think so.

Alas, fast forward to present day and here I am in my little kitchen whipping together the above 4 ingredients to make a fantastically easy and healthy dressing.

Amount to use each ingredient ranges depending on how much you want to make.   If you want to store it for later use, I recommend storing in a mason jar and would only keep it for 1-2 weeks, shaking or whisking before later use.

For one night's use, I used 1/3 c. olive oil, 1 tbsp Balsamic, 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar, and several shakes of Oregano or Italian Seasonings.

Whisk away and pour on your greens.  Now you can honestly say you are a true housewife.  You just made your own da** dressing!

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My Seared Ego.

You know that feeling you get when you work really hard to be creative and serve a great new dinner recipe?

  When you taste the first bite of a completely home made meal and you are actually surprised at how good it tastes? 

Complete satisfaction.  

Complete Pride.

This new dinner I put together tonight gave me that satisfaction. And naturally, the only thing better than approval from my own overly-critical self is the approval of my better half, the one for whom I created this exquisite meal.  I mean, if not for him, I would have been good with a bowl of vanilla crunch sunrise.

Well, the approval I desperately sought unfortunately never came.  

My enthusiasm died when B finally sat down after finishing the quinoa pasta.  He took a long time to cut that damn steak.  And finally, after a long-awated first bite, I read apathy all over his face. 

He said, hesitantly, eye-brows raised in posed appreciation, "It's really good!"

I hung my head low, then further pried.  I didn't understand why he wasn't more excited.  He went on to explain, knowing he couldn't fool me into believing he was as in love with the meal as I was, that he plain just doesn't like raw fish.  

Forgive me, but I have gone on many a sushi date with this man! 

I was confused.  

I asked him what he meant, and he explained that when we do sake/sushi dates, he always gets the cut rolls and that I am the one who gets the seared ahi each time.  

Crap.  He had a point.

But he didn't stop there; he further tried to soothe my now seared-ego by explaining he didn't finish the other 3/4 of his dinner because his stomach is shrinking from the "healthy eating."

He is probably right.  But still, it sucks.  But I know we all have different tastes.  And sometimes it is hard to please two completely sets of taste buds!  But for those of you who do appreciate a good seared-ahi, the recipe is below! Word to the wise, make sure your special someone also likes fish in the raw :)

Ingredients:

2 tuna steaks, 

1 avocado

2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, 

2 tablespoons of peeled chopped/minced fresh ginger, 

2 garlic cloves, minced, 

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, 

1/3 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos Soy Sauce Substitute, 

1/4 white onion, chopped, 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 

1 tbsp. Xantham Gum

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 minutes to make:

Mix olive oil, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, cilantro and ginger in a bowl.

Heat pan on high for a minute, add 2 tbsp. extra Virgin olive oil, garlic and onion and heat for a minute.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on tuna steaks, then sear for 1 minute on each side, remove, and place tuna on plate.

Add sauce mixture from bowl to pan on stove with the onions and garlic in it that you used to sear the ahi.

Add Xantham gum and mix until sauce thickens.

Top steak with sauce and sliced avocados.

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Huevos + Juice: Ring the Alarm!

Try this healthy breakfast! Corn Tortillas smothered with scrambled eggs (2 yolks to 4 egg whites), avocado slices, chopped onion, Soy Cheese, Salsa,  sprinkled with a bit of cilantro! I would have added soy chorizo, but I forgot I had put it in the freezer, so next time. :)

I also thought of adding black beans, but I needed to whip up breakfast in a jiffy so I opted out...

My sister in law knows how to cook tortillas on a stove top practically in her sleep.  She handles that stovetop like Sir-Mix-Alot.  I have to become her understudy ASAP; well that, or purchase myself a nice big, accessible fire extinguisher because I now have third degree burns on my phalanges and nearly lost all of my hot air blowing out a small fire.

Which only reminds me of good times, when we were kids and would bug my mom about when dinner would be ready.  My mom would reassure us, "You'll know when dinner is ready when you hear the fire alarm; come and get it while its hot!"

It was either the alarm or the cow bell which lead us to the table!

Every time I attempt to warm a tortilla on my stove, I have grand visions walking past the windows of the ladies making the fresh tortillas in Old Town San Diego.  It never turns out anything like my memory.  But I digress, maybe I need to get one of those grills with the holes in it? Does anyone know what that is?


To wash down the Huevos Semi-Rancheros - a nice freshly juiced cocktail full of:
Cabbage
Orange
Apples
Beet
and Ginger!

Get your AM drank on!

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Bird Seed Dinner, Party of ONE

Last week, when B was out golfing late with the boys from the office,  I was left to my own devices for dinner.  Usually that means, nibble here, snack there, until I am full, but I usually never feel like dirtying dishes for one.  But it got to be 9:20pm and I still was not that hungry.  I just felt like I should still make something.

I juiced this morning with B, a nice apple, orange, cabbage, ginger medley, and had some crunchy flax cereal that B set aside with a morbid look on his face and pouted, "I can't eat that crap."  I knew I should have got some Gorilla Munch.  Oh well, next time I am at Mother's I will pick up some Vanilla Crunch Flax Cereal.  

Anyway, I had an apple with peanut butter for lunch, and snacked on some dried apple rings, raw cashews and plantain crisps in the afternoon.  It's not like I even ate full meals - which is why I am beginning to believe that this whole gluten free, sugar free, drinking water instead of soda, and eating organic and trying to be 80% raw is actually working for my body quite well.

Halfway through my salad, I almost spit out my lime Perrier all over the dining room table.  Excuse my manners, but I spotted a hair in my food; one from my very own, freshly washed, still wet mane.  I thought to myself, exactly what kind of Grade C establishment am I running in my kitchen?

I should have been okay with it, but I was overly grossed out.  I pushed a pile of romaine over it (I can't even type the word "ha**as I am writing this because I am still disturbed) and tried to block it out of my mind.  Why is our own hair so repulsive? Some strangers hair? OK - that is grounds for an upheaval.  But your own hair?  Still. Not. Okay. 

I ended up making a vegetable saute, cooked quinoa (or bird seed as B calls it) with chopped onion and a garlic clove ...and salad with leftover guacamole and olive oil, apple cider vinegar and balsamic dressing.  Topped with soy mozzarella cheese.

I sprinkled a bit of Bragg Soy Protein below on top of the quinoa for taste.

I am only beginning to see the multiple uses for BRAGG products.

I will help you out though, take notes: DO NOT DRINK Apple Cider Vinegar straight from the bottle.

It tastes like - it tastes like....I don't even know, just don't drink it.

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Gluten Free, Sugar Free, HomeMade Guacamole Tacos

B and I were actually surprised how good this dinner was! I had my meal sans tacos, but the above tacos are in fact GF tortillas.

Top with kidney and black beans, homemade guacamole (two avocados, 1/4 chopped onion, 1/4 c. salsa, few pinches of sea salt, and a squeeze of fresh lime) and top with shredded soy mozzarella cheese!

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Phood Phetish!

Phood on Main is one of my all-time favorite eateries in Riverside.

Last time I visited Riverside I had lunch with a good friend of mine at Phood.  Not only are they Vegan and GF friendly, they have the most amazing tasting entrees and desserts.

Naturally, I couldn't resist a Red Velvet Gluten Free cupcake. I spoke with Chef Maria Cohen about the gluten free options, and she said everything on the menu is pretty much gluten free and that it would be easier for her to tell me what was NOT gluten free than what IS...there are only a few items on their entire menu that are not gluten free!

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Bye Bye Fro Yo

I walked past this disturbing sight outside of our local favorite past-time and felt a little bit better about not only saving $50-60 per month on Yogurtland dates.  This also made me slightly repulsed (this post is not intended to have the same effect on all readers).  But for sugar addicts like myself, anything that decreases (however slight) the exorbitant desire within me for sugar is another step forward!

On another note, Juicing fresh Orange, apple, carrot, ginger, and red cabbage is a nice sweet treat OR  if I don't feel like tacking the mound of dishes that accrues daily, I will opt for a easier clean-up option such as:

Perky's crunchy flax cereal with Hemp/Rice/Coconut Milk are my new post-dinner snacks (Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, sugar free, not 100% raw though, but still a decent snack!)

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New to Juicing

This is my beautiful friend whom I will refer to as "K," who also has a blog called Journey to Conquer, where you can read about her story here.  

She has inspired me through my gluten free conversion as I see her improving her health through her journey of juicing, cleansing, eating 80% RAW, dairy free, sugar free, alcohol free....and I have to admit, I have been reticent to get on board with her system due to plain old stubborn habits and a general selfish unwillingness to fully commit.  I struggle, as any woman I think does, with cutting out sugar and soda, so I rationalize sugar free dark chocolates, diet sodas, gluten free cupcakes - when in reality - those foods are not doing me any good.

K knows me, and she also knows from experience how juicing has helped her.  And sometimes when you don't want to hear the truth, you need a good pep-talk from your true friends who will tell it to you like is, no sugar-coating (pun intended).   And that is exactly what K did - she told me this past weekend that if I was going to really give this holistic health thing a go, I need to commit, not half-a** it like I feel I have been doing.

And what I mean by that is I have been slowly converting to purchasing organic fruits, adding supplements like Krill oil and Probiotics, cutting out gluten, trimming back soda and candy...and to give myself some credit- these are good changes!

But if I am honest with myself...I have not made the full on conversion, because IT IS NOT FUN!  What else is not fun, however, is waking up feeling like you got hit by a big rig, or someone replaced your 28 year old bones with a geriatric skeleton.  See, I have been operating on caffeine since law school, and placating aches and pains from an old high school volleyball injury with NSAIDS (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs).  And, I have this bull-like drive within me that I will keep pushing and running on nothing but adrenaline until I drop.

Switching from artificial stimulants that exist in altered foods and drinks (read: Monster energy) to obtaining all natural energy from live fruit, minerals, vitamins and enzymes is a full-blown culture shock for my cells.  I was slowly sampling juice blends from Robek's or Mother's as I would grocery shop, or replace a lunch or breakfast here and there with an all-fruit smoothie, but I started to wonder, how much good can those antioxidant and nutrient boosts do me if I am not 100% consistent?

I figured now is as good a time as any to jump into juicing - So I trekked to Costco and purchased our very first Home Juicer! (see below).  B and I read all about it and watched the introductory video, and juiced our first oranges last night! Then I made my first juice cocktail with an apple, ginger root, an orange, and two carrots, poured over ice because I enjoy cold juice much more than room temp - it was fantastic.  I am excited and hopeful for my body to start feeling the effects of juicing.  And though 80% Raw is not exactly convenient or cheap to implement, I am giving it a shot.  80% raw means most food comes from pure organic raw ingredients, as you find them in nature, in their original state. (i.e. NON processed)

The other 20% comes from the occasional cooked Quinoa, meats such as chicken, turkey, steak and fish.  I also spread Valencia Peanut Butter with Flax Seeds over sprouted grain bread (not gluten free, I will switch to Udi's when I run out of the Ezekiel bread in my fridge)...the point is, you have to make it work for you, but be honest with yourself and give it a good shot.  I will be updating and reporting on how the progress is coming along!

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