Hummus!

I love hummus. It's healthy, has protein, it's light. It's great with fresh veggies, crackers, some fruits, etc. My son refuses to eat anyone else's because he says mine is the best. Here's my recipe:
1 11oz can of garbanzo beans
1 tbsp of curry paste
3 tbsp olive oil (add more to make creamy consistency)
spices to taste: garlic, pepper, salt, onion powder

I mix all the ingredients in a blender at puree speed until light and smooth. It makes a great snack or addition to a meal. It's great for a little protein boost if you're feeling sluggish.
I'm in classes at the moment so I haven't been posting like I should but I promise to at least pop in once a week to tell you how things are going. Ciao!

Oh my WOW!

I have had unexplained weight gain and very broken out skin. I've never looked this awful ever. I decided to do a double check on my skin care products and behold.. SNEAKY GLUTEN.. in my face wash and body wash. I'm suspecting it slipped past me because it was written as Triticum aestivum grrr!
I will be much more careful now. this makes me so mad..

We have success!

So my son is know totally excited to be VEGAN! before he was eating mostly organic and vegetarian but not gluten free or vegan. We had read the book "why we don't eat animals." My son is quite the sensitive one and he decided he didn't want to eat animals or things that came from them. So yesterday we went to the store and bought some groceries he picked out a few favourite recipes from my vegan book that he wanted to try. we are so excited to both be vegan for our health and for our eco-system. Now if only I can get him to give up gluten and convince my mom to jump on the band wagon. My mom is a definite meat eater which is fine but I think less is more. So we've found a local buffalo farm. they're humane and small. they do not over produce and ship all over. It's a great farm. they also have free range fresh chicken eggs that my mom loves. I feel like as long as you're eating meat and you know where you're getting your meat from, you're fine. I think blindly buying at the grocery store isn't as good but I guess that's just our culture to ignore what is bad. I really think you'll all enjoy these books I have that have great kid-friendly vegan recipes:
Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann
Vegan Lunch Box Around the World by Jennifer McCann
the Get Healthy Go Vegan cookbook by Neal Barnard, MD & Robyn Webb
Student's Go Vegan Cookbook by Carole Raymond
Eat this not that Supermarket guide by David Zinczenko (the guide to organics and produce is great)

Detox

My detox has been going well but I've cheated so I'm starting from square one.. This time I'm not doing a strict liquid diet. I've decided that just won't work for me. I'm now going to detox on a 30 day veggie diet and lots of water with benefiber. It's still not the healthiest but I need to have my digestive system start over. I've been in a lot of pain just from cheating so I'll really have to stick to this.

So far..

So far, so good. I'm doing the detox as I wanted and I already feel better. I really needed to get these toxins out of my body. I recently read an article on yahoo.com  that was really great.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-weight-loss-tips-youre-not-trying-2508319/#photoViewer=1

These tips I agree with completely!

It's been awhile..

I was advised by my doctor to try eating gluten again along with meat and dairy. This was not good advise and feel stupid for taking it. It has been a total shock to my system and I feel like crap. I don't care if the doctor thinks I'm missing nutrients from not eating certain foods. I take vitamins and supplements. Before I was losing weight and felt really good about my diet. I have gained weight and I'm horribly sluggish. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm starting over with a much stricter diet and I'm adding a strict workout plan as well. I am making my diet and exercise very simplified so I don't have to think about it.
I'm first going to go on a liquid detox for a week. I have a juicer and I know how to make great protein shakes so I shouldn't have an issue flushing out all the gluten and animal products from my system.

Diet:
Breakfast-
8oz rice cereal, 4oz raisins, green tea (skin hair & nails vitamin, ginko biloba, B12, Calcium+D)
Morning Snack-
V8 juice+benefiber (Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM)
Lunch-
soy protien shake w/ fresh fruit juice (skin hair & nails vitamin)
Afternoon Snack-
Raw Veggies (Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM)
Dinner-
Curried Tofu, rice or quinoa, green salad (skin hair & nails vitamin)
Before bed-
Smooth move tea + melatonin

As for exercise:
Mornings 7 days a week> 30 min - 1 hr Jog
Nights 7 days a week> 30min-2hr Workout Video

This should be simple and easy to stick to :) Wish me Luck on my detox! I'll post more to keep you updated.

Strawberry picking and wine..

Today I had  great day with my mom and son at French Prairie Gardens. We bought out tickets from groupons and received 2 tickets, 2 beer mugs and 8 tasting tickets. We picked about 200 strawberries for $4. I had a fed a llama some corn and he chuckled like "peg" (the old lady @ target that justin timberlake plays on snl) I about died laughing. We packed our own gluten free vegan lunches. My son rode their piggy train while I tasted some red and white wine. I really liked hip chicks do wine  Pinot Gris!

Jack LaLanne's Juicer

I have the best juicer ever! This morning I made organic grape, apple, and pear juice. It is much more satisfying than store bought juice and much more flavorful.  I would recommend this juicer because you get less pulp than other juicers and clean up takes only a couple minutes. The only downside was the price but it's well worth it, especially for vegans.

GF Bisquick!

Betty Crocker has this delicious GF Bisquick. I've used it to make rolls, pizza, bread sticks, desserts etc. Today was my first time making pancakes. It was really yummy. I have a Bisquick cookbook and I plan on using that much more often. I think I can make some truly yummy meals :D

I'm craving.

Oreos! there is no way to make them gluten and vegan and organic. RIP oreo cookies! you will be missed.

Missing something..

I had a protein shake made from brown rice protein, fresh organic pineapple and orange juice, a tsp of agave nectar and soy milk. it gave me a really nice energy boost and delicious!

organization and kids

I re-organized my entire kitchen today to make it more celiac disease friendly. I now have designated shelves of my fridge and pantry strictly gluten free and vegan. I also have kind of a funny story as to why I did this. Yesterday morning I woke to my 4 year old eating a slice of bread over my head and getting crumbs all over my face and hair. When I asked him what he was doing he said 'eating toast'.  I said 'i see that, why are you eating over me?! Gluten makes mommy sick'. He answered 'oh i thought it was gluten free'
Kids do some strange things sometimes but it was good because it opened up a conversation to talk about my disease with him. He now clearly understands that eating bread over my head is a big no-no as well as mixing gluten free products with his products that have gluten in them.

Weekly Gluten-Free Vegan & Organic Shopping List (June)

Produce: (all organic)
Bananas
Greens
Berries
Melons
Peaches
Cherries

Gluten-Free Grains: (all organic)
Rice Flour Bread
Rice Crackers
Quinoa

Protein: (all organic)
tofu (firm and silken)
vegan cheese (sheese is the best!)
hummus (i try to get a couple flavors or make and spice from scratch)

Beverages:
Soy milk (low fat)
Coffee
Tea
Diet Hansen's SodaPop (Cherry Vanilla!)

I try to buy more things as I need it, snacks and whatnot but these are my staples for june!

I forgot about something..

So yesterday, I was busing tables at the restaurant I hostess at and one of the ketchup bottles squirt me. I wiped off ketchup from my arm but didn't realize it had gotten on my jaw. When I got home from work my face was swollen and I had broken out all over the side of my face. I now know that their ketchup has gluten in it. I also was lucky enough to be hired by Sally's Beauty Supply. So I'm not going to be working with potentially hazardous gluten products.

Kosher Celiac Cooking

Kosher Celiac Cooking

I found this great website for gluten free kosher diet. I thought this would be a great help for people who want more yummy recipe ideas.

RECIPES on YOUTUBE.COM

So good!! Sweet Potato Banana Pancakes! Kid Favorite!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPv5EYDXh0A

More on make-up and such..

Cover Girl Clean foundation has gluten in it. It says hypoallergenic on the label. It's not. It made my face break-out like woah! I really am being much more careful about label reading on everything. I bought myself the cutest alice in wonderland charm bracelet and wear it on my right hand (the hand I write with). It reminds me to check labels in everything. I found a really indepth list of unsafe gluten ingredients on celiac.com.. Keep your eye out for any of the following ingredients:

Abyssinian Hard (Wheat triticum durum)
Alcohol (Spirits - Specific Types)
Amp-Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Atta Flour
Barley Grass (can contain seeds)
Barley Hordeum vulgare
Barley Malt
Beer (most contain barley or wheat)
Bleached Flour
Bran
bread Flour
Brewer's Yeast
Brown Flour
Bulgur (Bulgar Wheat/Nuts)
Bulgur Wheat
Cereal Binding
Chilton
Club Wheat (Triticum aestivum subspecies compactum)
Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
cookie Crumbs
Cookie Dough
Cookie Dough Pieces
Couscous
Criped Rice
Dinkle (Spelt)
Disodium Wheatgermamido Peg-2 Sulfosuccinate
Durum wheat (Triticum durum)
Edible Coatings
Edible Films
Edible Starch
Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)
Emmer (Triticum dicoccon)
Enriched Bleached Flour
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
Enriched Flour
Farina
Farina Graham
Farro
Filler
Flour (normally this is wheat)
Fu (dried wheat gluten)
Germ
Graham Flour
Granary Flour
Groats (barley, wheat)
Hard Wheat
Heeng
Hing
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Kamut (pasta wheat)
Kecap Manis (Soy Sauce)
Ketjap Manis (Soy Sauce)
Kluski Pasta
Maida (Indian wheat flour)
Malt
Malted Barley Flour
Malted Milk
Malt Extract
Malt Syrup
Malt Flavoring
Malt Vinegar
Macha Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Matza
Matzah
Matzo
Matzo Semolina
Meringue
Meripro 711
Mir
Nishasta
Oriental Wheat (Triticum turanicum)
Orzo Pasta
Pasta
Pearl Barley
Persian Wheat (Triticum carthlicum)
Perungayam
Poulard Wheat (Triticum turgidum)
Polish Wheat (Triticum polonicum)
Rice Malt (if barley or Koji are used)
Roux
Rusk
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Semolina Triticum
Shot Wheat (Triticum aestivum) 
Small Spelt
Spirits (Specific Types)
Spelt (Triticum spelta)
Sprouted Wheat or Barley
Stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Strong Flour
Suet in Packets
Tabbouleh
Tabouli
Teriyaki Sauce
Timopheevi Wheat (Triticum timopheevii)
Triticale X triticosecale
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Flour Lipids
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil
Udon (wheat noodles)
Unbleached Flour
Vavilovi Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Vital Wheat Gluten
Wheat, Abyssinian Hard triticum durum
Wheat amino acids
Wheat Bran Extract
Wheat, Bulgur
Wheat Durum Triticum
Wheat Germ Extract
Wheat Germ Glycerides
Wheat Germ Oil
Wheat Germamidopropyldimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Wheat Grass (can contain seeds)
Wheat Nuts
Wheat Protein
Wheat Triticum aestivum
Wheat Triticum Monococcum
Wheat (Triticum Vulgare) Bran Extract
Whole-meal Flour
Wild Einkorn (Triticum boeotictim)
Wild Emmer (Triticum dicoccoides)

The following items may or may not contain gluten depending on where and how they are made, and it is sometimes necessary to check with the manufacturer to find out:

Artificial Color⁴
baking powder⁴
Caramel Color^{1, 3}
Caramel Flavoring^{1, 3}
Clarifying Agents⁴
Coloring⁴
Dextrins^1,7
Dextrimaltose^1,7
Dry Roasted Nuts⁴
Emulsifiers⁴
enzymes⁴
Fat Replacer⁴
Flavoring⁶food Starch^{1, 4}
Food Starch Modified^{1, 4}
Glucose Syrup⁴
Gravy Cubes⁴
Ground Spices⁴
HPP⁴
HVP⁴
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein⁴
Hydrolyzed Protein⁴Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein⁴
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate⁴
Hydroxypropylated Starch⁴
Maltose⁴
Miso⁴
Mixed Tocopherols⁴
Modified Food Starch^{1, 4} 
Modified Starch^{1, 4}
Natural Flavoring⁶
Natural Flavors⁶
Natural Juices⁴
Non-dairy Creamer⁴
Pregelatinized Starch⁴
Protein Hydrolysates⁴
Seafood Analogs⁴
Seasonings⁴
Sirimi⁴
Smoke Flavoring⁴
Soba Noodles⁴
Soy Sauce⁴
Soy Sauce Solids⁴
Sphingolipids⁴
Stabilizers⁴
Starch^{1, 4}
Stock Cubes⁴
Suet⁴
Tocopherols⁴
Vegetable Broth⁴
Vegetable Gum⁴
Vegetable Protein⁴
Vegetable Starch⁴
vitamins⁴
Wheat Starch⁵

• 1) If this ingredient is made in North America it is likely to be gluten-free.
• 3) The problem with caramel color is it may or may not contain gluten depending on how it is manufactured. In the USA caramel color must conform with the FDA standard of identity from 21CFR CH.1. This statute says: the color additive caramel is the dark-brown liquid or solid material resulting from the carefully controlled heat treatment of the following food-grade carbohydrates: Dextrose (corn sugar), invert sugar, lactose (milk sugar), malt syrup (usually from barley malt), molasses (from cane), starch hydrolysates and fractions thereof (can include wheat), sucrose (cane or beet). Also, acids, alkalis and salts are listed as additives which may be employed to assist the caramelization process.
• 4) Can utilize a gluten-containing grain or by-product in the manufacturing process, or as an ingredient.
• 5) Most celiac organizations in the USA and Canada do not believe that wheat starch is safe for celiacs. In Europe, however, Codex Alimentarius Quality wheat starch is considered acceptable in the celiac diet by most doctors and celiac organizations. This is a higher quality of wheat starch than is generally available in the USA or Canada.
• 6) According to 21 C.F.R. S 101,22(a)(3): [t]he terns natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof. Whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.
• 7) Dextrin is an incompletely hydrolyzed starch. It is prepared by dry heating corn, waxy maize, waxy milo, potato, arrowroot, WHEAT, rice, tapioca, or sago starches, or by dry heating the starches after: (1) Treatment with safe and suitable alkalis, acids, or pH control agents and (2) drying the acid or alkali treated starch. (1) Therefore, unless you know the source, you must avoid dextrin.

Dining Out

I have had a problem figuring out what is gluten free at restaurants. If in doubt and the sever has no idea, DON'T GET IT! It's better to order a side salad with no croutons, cheese, or dressing than to have major consequences from eating a food that could potentially make you sick.

Wow, in one day..

In one day my dandruff I've struggled getting rid of since I was 5. I was getting to the point where I was thinking I was going to have to buzz my head to get rid of it. I had used every dandruff shampoo imaginable and never thought (or was even suggested by doctors) that it could be linked to a gluten allergy. I took a shower last night with trader joes gluten free, vegan peppermint shampoo and conditioner. When I woke up this morning it was gone! This is an exciting day and more proof that I am indeed allergic to gluten. I have a 2nd job interview today with Sally Beauty Supply and I really want to get a job there. It would be a great opportunity for me to advance in a international company and raise awareness with this allergy.

Vitamins

Going through my vitamins this morning I decided I'd blog my gluten free and vegan vitamins for everyone. I've eliminated any that aren't gluten free and vegan. I wrote the brand type of vitamin and what it's for and how many I take:

1. Nature's Bounty; Hair, Skin & Nails < I use this as my multi-vitamin (taken with every meal)
2. Os Cal; Calcium & Vitamin D < bone health (morning & night)
3. Nature's Bounty; Ginko Biloba < brain fuction & memory (morning)
4. Bi-Mart Brand; Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM< for arthritis (morning & night)
5. 21st Century; B-12 < promotes red cell growth (morning)

Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes

Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes

Today I'm trying their bean stuffed cabbage rolls :)

and we're off!

Today is my first day of my gluten free, animal product free, and organic diet! I'm not doing this for animal rights or living a greener life (though I think those are great reasons to be) I have had health issues my entire life that are linked to these types of foods. This diet will be incredibly difficult to do but I will stick to it because I want to be healthy. I will add thoughts, struggles, recipes and lifestyle tips. I hope that this can help people understand me a little better and that I can help other's like me :D I have gone through everything from food to makeup to cleaning products, figuring out what isn't gluten free. This morning, after showering my face is already clearer now that i'm not using a face wash and lotion that has gluten. For breakfast I'm having juice made fresh from my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer! I think a good juicer is a vegan must, you can get a lot of nutrients in a small portion. I'm juicing organic carrots, celery, spinach, beets, apples, and grapes. Yum!