Very behind...

Sorry to have left the blogging world for a while! I have finals next week which means every thing has been due for all my classes for the past two weeks. Next week my life will slow down for a minute or two to where I can blog all my recipes, workouts, challenges and quirky life stories. Please stay tuned for more blogs in the future.

Hope you are having a happy gluten free time right now!

Kimberly

Making lunch easier for a busy life

Ok, so how many of you have a hectic schedule?  Most people work, have children, go to school and have many activities to handle during their busy day.  For myself I have to be at work at 7:00 in the morning and work till 4:00 then go to school two nights a week after work and then bootcamp the other two nights.  My schedule is so packed that I have to plan the night before for my meals the next day or I'll end up eating something unhealthy, pricey, or possibly eat something that is cross contaminated because I didn't take the time to plan it out.  

All of my usual fast food places are out of the question because it is very limited or you have the possibility of cross contamination due to them not having the knowledge behind food allergies.  It's not their fault because they are serving a larger public that has no food allergies but I see this changing in the future with food allergies becoming more and more common.  Until that happens though, I resort to making my own lunch every night before I go to bed.  Making a lunch at 5:30 in the morning after pulling an all nighter from studying, working out, or managing our household is not an option for me so I do it all the night before.  

Now everyone can change up your meals, ideas, add more foods if you need to.  It's how you make it personal to your liking but at least this can give you some ideas on what you may want or even where to start.  

First and most important of all I think finding a cute lunch bag will help you want to carry it to work and make something yummy to go inside of it.  Just my opinion but you can not only accessorize with your clothes but also with a cute lunch kit.  My mom got me the cutest one and it even has my initials on it so that everyone knows not to touch my lunch.  

Secondly, think of what you want for breakfast, snacks, and lunch for the week.  Buy a weeks worth of food on Sunday so that you do not have to continually go back to the store because you ran out.  I go to the deli and get my sandwich meat for the week and I've learned how many slices I need so that I'm not wasting any or short any.  I buy my veggies and fruits in bulk and get them all washed for the week as well.  It's all about prepping for a week.

Now here's what I have been eating for breakfast and lunch for the past few weeks broken out for you.

Breakfast:
Omelet Muffins (see recipe in earlier blog post)
Jamba Juice Smoothie that I can blend up really easily in the mornings
1 banana

Snacks:
Cucumber slices
Cherry Tomatoes
Baby Carrots
Strawberries

Lunch:
Lettuce wrapped turkey sandwich with tomatoes, swiss, cheese and honey mustard 
BBQ flavored Pop Chips
Yoplait Yogurt

The key to making all of this in advance is to put everything into sandwich bags separately so that you do not end up eating a soggy lunch the next day.  I put all my stuff for my lettuce wrap in individual bags because if not you will have soggy lettuce.  Then for lunch I put it all together and I have a freshly made lunch that is yummy and healthy.  

Pan Seared Tilapia

I have made a complete 360 when it comes to trying new things since being Gluten Free and the biggest thing I have made a complete change on is FISH!  My husband and my family can vouch for me on this because up until I was forced to eat it at one of my favorite restaurants I would still hate fish.  The smell of it has always been an issue for me, I could never get passed the "fishy" smell and it still bothers me on catfish, doubt I'll ever eat catfish but you never know.  

When finding out you are no longer able to eat all of your rich, heavy and oh so delicious foods you are introduced to a new menu when eating out.  Some of your favorites might still be on them but let's face it, most of them are off limits!  Yeah I know it's terrible and you spend longer looking over the menu and getting upset.  Possibly feel the urge to cry or just not even eat, right?  Yep, I know exactly how you feel because I have been down that road many times.  I do have to say that it gets easier, trust me it does!  With that being said my biggest issue was at Pappadeaux, a very scrumptious seafood restaurants that gives all of their dishes a cajun flavor and twist.  My ultimate favorite has always been their Shrimp Gumbo with dirty rice and their Coconut Shrimp.  So you can imagine the big hurt that I felt when both of my favorites are off limits from now on.  What do you do, well you find something else and give it a try.  That's when I found the Costa Rican Tilapia with a lemon, olive oil sauce served with zucchini ribbons.  It is pan seared to perfection!!  I now crave this meal which is great because not only is it Gluten Free but it is healthy too.  Since I have fallen in love with Tilapia I wanted to create my own version of it at home.  Not only is it easy to make but it is a fraction of the cost of Pappadeaux.  

Pan Seared Tilapia

Ingredients:

Tilapia Filets,you can use fresh or frozen, 1-2 filets per person depending on the size of filet

1 Lemon sliced in half, then cut into smaller sections for serving

Salt

Pepper

1 slice of butter

Gluten Free Cooking Spray

Directions:

1.  Wash each Tilapia filet and pat it dry with a paper towel.

2.  Season both sides of the filet with salt and pepper.  I give mine a pretty good covering because my husband cannot have enough seasoning on his foods.

3.  Spray your pan with the cooking spray.

4.  Heat the pan up on medium-high heat and then place the slice of butter on the pan.  

5.  Once the butter is melted and your pan is hot add the filet to the pan.  Be sure not to overcrowd the pan or it will not brown up for you.

6.  While the pan is getting hot you can slice the lemon in half and then into smaller sections for serving.  I cut mine like they do for water in the restaurants.

7.  Cook the first side for 5-6 minutes, then flip it over carefully with tongs.

8.  Then cook the other side for 3-4 minutes.  You only need to flip the filets one time during the cooking process.  

9.  During the last 2 minutes of cooking squeeze the lemon half over all the filets.  Don't worry the pan will start to smoke and sizzle but it will be ok.

10.  Once the filets are done cooking you are ready to serve.  To help them from breaking apart use a spatula to lift them out of the pan carefully.

Remember you can change up your flavors by squeezing more lemons over the filets right before you eat them.  It brings so much joy to my mouth when I squeeze more lemons over them.  Enjoy!

Enjoying a little baseball

Spring time is not always just about the warmer weather or flowers blooming in our household; it's about the sound of the bats cracking, the sliding in the dirt, the crowds cheering, the talk of baseball on ESPN, and of course opening week at The Ballpark in Arlington because lets face it......baseball season is upon us in the spring time!  My husband and I share a great passion for baseball, especially our Texas Rangers.  All meals, family gatherings, outings, dates and even work around the house is scheduled around their games.  If we are not at the ballpark watching it live then we are at home watching it on TV at home.  

With us living close to the home of the Texas Rangers we spend a lot of time at the games and well, going to the game all the time is great until you start going to the concession stands.  I used to love going and getting my oh so yummy Super Nachos with all the fixings on them or even enjoying a few Dollar Dogs on Wednesday nights but when you have an issue with Gluten you find that your choices are very limited and can get a little pricey.  

Most major league ballparks will allow you to bring in a soft sided cooler filled with food, bottled drinks (sorry nonalcoholic only!) and even your own peanuts.  Our ballpark is one of the ones that not only allows all of that but they also have a section that is Gluten Free and only Gluten Free products.....that's pretty awesome if you ask me!  After finding out that I can no longer have Gluten I found myself depressed until I realized that I could still join in on the fun at the ballpark but it's going to cost me a few pennies.  A GF hotdog at the ballpark is $7.00 where a regular jumbo dog is $4.00.  That's a $3.00 price difference for a hot dog!!  Talk about giving me a heart attack!!  My husband being the supportive one that he is always tells me that it's ok, it's what I have to eat so just get it.....but I refuse to pay that much for a hotdog when I can easily make one myself and bring it into the ballpark.  

With all that said, I have a sample of items I take with me to all the baseball games.  Let me just say that I get some pretty crazy looks sometimes when opening my bag of yummies but when I explain the situation they are all amazed at my creativity.  


Break down of what goes in my GF bag for baseball games:

1 Hotdog made with a GF bun and GF frank.  It is all cooked before hand and wrapped in foil to stay warm.  When ready to eat at the ballpark (I would do it during the first two innings) just head out to the nearest condiment stand and load it up with your favorites.  No need to bring the mustard bottle with you!

1 bag of fruit.  It was strawberries and grapes on Saturday but you can do any of your favorite fruits.  

1 bag of vegetables.  Sliced cucumbers, baby carrots and cherry tomatoes are some of my favorites and I do not need to take dipping sauce for them.  If you do they sell individual servings of ranch dressing at your local grocery store

1 bag of peanuts because no baseball game is complete without peanuts!



I also take in my own bottled water and cokes for us.  This cuts down on the cost of going because I can go to the store and buy cases or water and cokes for a fraction of the costs at the ballpark. Be sure to pack your snacks and drinks in a soft sided cooler and put in some of the reusable icepacks to keep them all cool for you.  If taking a hotdog put it in your purse because no one wants to eat a cold hotdog!!

I hope that this helps any of you that may be challenged at how to handle your GF needs at a baseball game because I know first hand how depressing it can be when the hotdog man is yelling at me to buy one and I can't have it.  We all know that it is rough being Gluten Free so we have to find ways to cope with it, I found mine at the ballpark so I hope I can help you find yours.  If you have anymore suggestions or other items I can take please share them with me!  I'm always looking for new snacks to take with me to the games.  

Happy Spring and Baseball season to all my GF friends!

Buncha Herb Chicken Thighs

Over the years my husband has always had this fear when I get in the kitchen and say "I'm trying something new tonight" that we will end up eating dinner at Chick-fila.  There was only one time that happened and it was all because someone told me the wrong measurement to put in a recipe and yes we still talk about that awful evening because it was the worst meal I had ever cooked in my life.  Anyways, since then he still gets a little worried because he is your typical meat and potatoes kind of guy that would be happy if I slapped huge piece of steak in front of him every night and call it a day.  Me on the other hand prefer to try new things and a lot of times I look at recipes as a guideline, which drives him crazy.  

So tonight was a night were we tried something "new" in the kitchen and I was a little worried that he might not like it.  Not because I didn't have faith in my food but because he's not one to always like my crazy things I come up with.  But after it was all done and the first bite he gave me the nod and said it was really good.  YAY!!! I did it!!!  One huge step for me in the kitchen and one delicious and healthy step for my husbands taste buds.  So since he really liked it I gave him the naming rights and that is how the dinner tonight got the name "Buncha Herb Chicken Thighs".  Be prepared for many crazy names in the future as my husband and I have a sense of humor when it comes to naming things.  I fear for our future child's name sometimes because you never know what we might come up with. 

Buncha Herb Chicken Thighs

Makes as many thighs as you would like for dinner.  (We did three but my husband informed me to do 4 next time since they were a little small)

 
Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken Thighs with skin and bone in

About 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Herbs (chopped)

    - Basil

    - Oregano

    - Rosemary

Directions:

1.  Wash each chicken thigh and pat it dry.  Place them in a baking dish.

2.  Pour a little bit of olive oil over each chicken thigh and rub the oil all over.  Be sure to get the sides, under, top and any small space you can find.  (probably will use about 1 tablespoon for 3-4 chickens, use more if you need it though)

3.  Place all your chicken thighs back in your baking dish with the skin side up.

4.  Sprinkle Salt and Pepper over your chicken thighs.  

5.  Chop your fresh herbs with a knife into fine pieces.  

6.  Sprinkle your fresh herbs over each chicken thigh.  I did mine one herb at a time so that I could make sure each thigh was covered with the same herbs.  Also, my husband loves fresh herbs so I put a lot on mine, so adjust to your taste.

7.  Once your chicken thighs are all covered with your herbs cover your baking dish with a lid or even saran wrap.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, the longer you leave it in the refrigerator the more the herbs and oil absorb into the chicken.  

8.  When you are ready to cook the chicken preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

9.  Cook the chicken thighs for 45 minutes to 55 minutes.  Notice the chicken does not turn very dark when cooking so to make sure it is done you will need to cut into one to see if it has pink juices or not.  If there is pink juices coming out then place it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. 

10.  Once the chicken is done you are ready to serve!  It will go great with pretty much any vegetable, potatoes or salad for you.  We did steamed green beans tonight and it was delicious!

Omelet Muffins

I have to be at work at 7:00 am so there is no time for me to really wake up and fix a breakfast to jump start my day.  In the past I normally have toast or just a banana but this week I'm wanting something a little more than just the usual, so  I made Omelet Muffins yesterday so all I would have to do is wake up, grab a couple of these on my way out the door and heat them up when I got to the office.  You can use any of your favorite ingredients that you have on hand, it's what I like about these because I can use scraps, leftovers, or just about anything in my fridge or freezer.  My husband wouldn't taste them because they contain cheese (I know, he's a cheese hater, can't believe it myself after 10 years!!) so I took a couple to a co-worker this morning who is also going super healthy and GF with his life and he really liked them!  Proud moment in the kitchen....I think so!



Omelet Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
9 eggs (if using less ingredients you can do one egg per muffin, but since I had so much I used 9)
1 red bell pepper - chopped in small pieces
1 green bell pepper - chopped in small pieces
1 roma tomato - chopped in small pieces
1 roll of turkey sausage - cooked
cheese - shredded of any kind

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Crack open all your eggs and put them in a medium size bowls and whisk them enough to break open the yolks and mix them up, almost like you are making scrambled eggs.

3.  Add salt and pepper to taste or any other herbs you make think of to add.  Whisk the seasonings into the eggs.

4.  Spray a muffin tin with gluten free non stick spray.  Do not use liners in the pans as the egg will stick to them creating a bigger mess than wanted.  Don't worry, they will pop out after you have cooked them as long as you sprayed the pan.  

5.  Pour the egg mixture into the muffin pains filling them about 3/4 full.  

6.  Once all the egg mixture is put into the muffin tins start adding your favorite combinations.  For me this time I did cheese, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, roma tomatoes, turkey sausage, and topped it off with a little more cheese.  The mixture will raise in each muffin tin so be careful not to add to much.  

7.  Place the muffin pan in the oven on 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.  Depending on your oven temperature or extra ingredients it could take a little longer.  

8.  Once they are done you will notice that they are puffed up like a cupcake and firm to touch.  

9.  Allow them to cool for about 15 minutes, notice they will start to fall or flatten out as they cool off, it's ok though because they still look cute and taste great!

10.  To remove them from the pan you can use a fork to lift them out one at a time so that they stay together nicely for you.  

Extra little notes for you:

--To store them - put in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator and reheat as desired.  I heated up 4 this morning and it took 1 minute and 15 seconds in the microwave.

--Left over add-ins can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for later use in the week so that you do not have to rechop all the ingredients.