snack attack!

Ravenous?

And dinner is still hours away.

Maybe you just have the munchies.

Or just need something to keep on hand for when your blood sugar starts to plummet?

Snack time--not just for preschool!

Snacking (within reason i.e. keep them the 250 calories or less-much more than that and you've eaten meal) is a great idea.

It keeps you from getting SUPER hungry in between meals which usually results in inhalation (rather than calm chewing) of food.

If you are too hungry to slow down in between bites your body will give you the "Yo! I'm full" signal but you won't get it until you've probably eaten enough to make yourself uncomfortably full.

Here are a few healthy, portable, gluten free options for when the urge for snacking strikes:

1. 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter or other nut butter and celery or an apple....I also like celery and low fat cream cheese.

2. Fruit. Simple enough--doesn't get much easier than grabbing a banana or apple on your way out the door

3. Dried fruit and nuts. Save some money, buy your favorites and make your own mix. Maybe throw a little dark chocolate in there as well for good measure. One of our favorites is cranberries, dark chocolate, and pecans. Put some (1/4 to 1/2 cup per serving) in a ziploc, and roll on with your day.

4. Popcorn. I. love. popcorn.

5. Corn Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Opt for the baked kind if you can, saves on calories and fat and for my tastebuds you don't lose much taste at all.

6. Rice cakes (smear a little nut butter on these too if you need a little extra protein).

7. A (small) handful of Peanut M&Ms. A portion control tip from a friend: use old pill bottles that have been washed and labels removed to store M&M's.

8. Hard boiled eggs. Easy, portable, protein source.

9. Edamame (make sure if you purhcase from the store that it doesnt have some added dusting of flavor with wheat or gluten compoents)

10. Kind, Lara, or Raw Revolution bars--tasty and not loaded with a bunch of chemicals and preservatives! (Lara Bar even makes small snack size versions of their bars).

Dinner Plans

The next few weeks are going to be very busy for Darren and I. So I'm going to suspend the "What's for dinner?" installments for a few weeks. I'll still be updating several times a week so stay tuned.

While I'm on my weekend blogging hiatus have fun making dinner plans of your own each week..

If you need inspiration check out Whole Foods website.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/

They have a entire section of recipes devoted just to gluten free.

They also have recipes for dairy free, fat free, high fiber, low sugar, vegetarian, vegan, and more!

Try some Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing

Or

Some Gluten Free Carrot Date Muffins...

Yum! Don't these look delicious?

Let me know what turns out best, I'd love to add some recipes to my repetoire.

Pizza Throwdown! ARgh!

Ok, my title is a bit intense. It kind of sounds like wrestle mania.

But my yearning for a good 'ole mainstream make your own pizza night is intense as well.

So I intended (per my "What's for Dinner?" post last week) to put Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust head to head with Rustic Ridge Pizza Crust to determine the best crust for a Friday night minimal cooking (maximum taste) experience...

versus...



I've had both crusts before but never paid close attention to determine which would be the undisputed pizza crust champion at Casa de MacLean.

Alas, my pizza dreams were dashed. The grocery store that I go to stopped stocking Rustic Crust (the gluten free version anyway). Boo. Hoo. Hoo.

But seriously. If you know somewhere near Blacksburg VA that I can get these crusts, I remember them fondly and would love to reunite with them.

So my pizza smackdown got a little less intense and I ended up just making a pizza on the Udi's Gluten Free pizza crust.

It was very tasty, but I am pretty bummed that I am boxed in with this type of crust for the time being. I like variety.

Nonetheless, my thoughts on the Udi's crust are as follows:

1. Taste is very good. Tastes very much like what I remember of a Domino's style crust (or a premade one that you would find at the grocery store).

2. Not super soft, which is my preference. I find that with g-free crusts and breads you generally need to toast them or heat them in some way to make the consistency more palatable. I'm still longing for the day when I can open a bag of gluten free bread and it will be somewhat doughy.

*I will say Bollos Bakery (Blacksburg VA) is coming very close with their gluten free sandwich bread, and their most recent additions to their gluten free menu of fudge oat bars and this OUT OF THIS WORLD apple coffee cake they have been baking lately.

As for Udi's crust, I would purchase and use them again. They are of good quality and good taste and fit the bill for quenching my pizza craving.

But I still miss Rustic Crust (from memory the consistency was a little grittier, like it had cornmeal in it...very tasty)...if you find it let it know that I miss it.

Calendars and Running Shoes.

"Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of."

-Charles Richards

Sorry to bust your bubble.

But you won't live forever.

While the calendar might show the days ahead, those days are not guarenteed.

In fact I can think of 5 truths associated with time:


1. There are only as many days on the calendar as you make use of (see above reference :))


2. You aren't guarenteed to be around for all of those days just because they show up on your wall calendar.


3. Time flies.


4. Life is short.


5. You are only guarenteed today. Right. Now.

I don't remind you of this to conjure up feelings of gloom and doom. Quite the opposite. I think that even though those truths can somewhat drive home feelings of our own mortality, they aren't all bad. How often do you know something for sure? Not very.

It's kind of refreshing to know that you don't have any control over how long you are here but you have all the control in the world (in fact you are the only one who does) over what you do with the time you have.

Some recent events have caused these truths to the forefront of my mind. 

I've started to think about the way I want to spend each day and the things I enjoy-and want to freshly prioritize them.

One of the things I really enjoy is running. So I'm going to make sure I make it a priority in my life. It makes me feel strong both physically and mentally. Running gives me an appreciation for my body and what it can do when it pushes with me through the miles.

And when I feel like I have taken time out for myself (first thing in the morning) it puts a positive spin on my day.

Also I really enjoy half marathons. To me, it feels like the perfect distance. The perfect amount of training time involved (not too much, not too little). And the chance to do something fun and active.

Everyone talks about living each day like it is your last, but that's not always practical. But you can make each ordinary day as close to your ideal as possible with a few small changes here and there.

When I think of the perfect day it would start with a nice long run, and since that is something that is perfectly reasonable (most mornings) I intend to do it.

So even though I can't run a half marathon everyday, I can train for one....so I'm all registered for the Half Marathon in Richmond VA on November 12, 2011.

Woo hoo!

What's something you would like to do every day?

What small changes would you make to make yourself healthier and happier?

 



What's for dinner? Installment #4.

The temperature is dropping, and here in Blacksburg football season is in full swing.

The leaves will soon be a changin'.

And (bonus) it's time to get out your fall clothes. Also I love getting out my clothes for the new season--I admit sometimes I forget I own certain pieces so it feels like a free shopping trip.

While I love love love a big salad, come fall and winter I switch out some of my salads for soups and stews.

There is just nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a crisp fall day.

Yes, yes indeed you guessed it. I am on a soup food jag lately-and it's evident in my weekly menu.

Here are the two meals I will be making this week:

Uno:
Mexicali Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast (washed, trimmed of fat, and cubed)
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) rotel green chilis and tomatoes in lime juice
1 can (16 oz) great northern beans
1 can (16 oz) black beans
2 cups frozen corn kernals, thawed (or fresh)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of chicken broth
Sour cream for garnish

Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium to high heat
2. Add onion and garlic
3. Add chicken and brown on all sides
4. Add onion, cilantro, coriander, cumin, rotel, and beans
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min
6. Add corn kernels
7. Add chicken broth
8. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 to 10 minutes
9. Serve and enjoy!

Dos:

Good 'Ole Fashion Chili Rogers-MacLean Style

Ingredients:

1 lb of lean ground beef (or ground turkey, or meat substitute meal starters--like Quorn Grounds, if you can tolerate gluten these are amazing)
2 green peppers
1 cup of chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cans of rotel green chilis and tomatoes
1/2 onion chopped (should be about 1 cup chopped)
16 oz can of tomato sauce
3 cans of beans (make sure to rinse thoroughly)--your choice we use a mix of garbanzo, kidney, and black beans
3 tablespoon chili seasoning





Preparation:

1. Spray a large stock pot with Pam Nonstick Spray
2. Turn heat on medium and put garlic, onion, and pepper in stock pot cook for approximately 5 minutes

3. Add in meat or meat substitute and cook thoroughly (add in one tablespoon of chili seasoning)
4. Add in 1 can of rotel chilis and tomatoes

5. Add in fresh tomatoes

6. Add tomato sauce and cook for approximately 5 minutes
7. Add another tablespoon of chili seasoning 
8. Add in beans, second can of rotels, and last tablespoon of chili seasoning

9. Let soup simmer on low for approximately 10 minutes (for flavors to come together and veggies to soften a bit)

10. Salt and pepper to taste
11. Serve and enjoy!

Garnish with low fat sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with gluten free cornbread.

Be a honeybadger! Dealing with naysayers.

Have you decided to go gluten free or dairy free or vegetarian or made some other life decision that you think will either make you feel better physically or mentally (or both)?

Have you gotten a bunch of flack about it?

Here's my solution (to a lot of things lately). Be a honeybadger.

Honey badgers (from what I gather from my youtube viewing) do not give a crap what people, animals, mammals, reptiles (the list could go on) think about them.

They do what they want, when they want to do it. Obviously, there are times when you can't be a TOTAL honeybadger but when you are doing something that you know will make you feel better just do it--and don't let anyone deter you.

When it comes down to your physical (or mental) health you are the one who is responsible, and you are the one who has to deal with the reprocussions of your actions (or inactions) so politely tell (sometimes well meaning) naysayers that you know your body and you know what makes you feel your best and that you would rather avoid a certain food if you know it's going to make you sick whether or not you have a doctor's note. You might want to ask them 'if something hurt you would you want to keep doing it?"...just sayin'.

Everyone is slightly different and what works for one may not work for all. But when someone is trying to make a positive change in their life (in any way) it's our job as friends or family members to be as supportive as possible (within reason of course).

Little sidenote:

If you have never heard of a honey badger or seen the hilarity of the honey badger on youtube--click here. (caution if you are offended by profanity think twice before clicking). I don't know why, but I find this hilarious.

What's for dinner? Installment #3

It's almost fall and getting a little bit cooler during the day, and I can't help but start to get excited about soups and stews. I know it's not technically fall yet, but I have started craving warm soups. So I have included a gfree soup recipe for this week. I have also been craving pizza lately and have decided to have a little gluten free pizza taste test this week. So without further blubbering on my part, here's what's for dinner at the MacLean-Rogers' house this week...

Monday: Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes or less

Ingredients:

• 3 large celery stalks, chopped (approx 1 cup)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped (approx 2/3 cup)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp crushed, chopped garlic
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 2 large skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (fat trimmed) and chopped into cubes
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 5 cups chicken broth (or more depending on how 'brothy' you like your soup)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp of parsley
• 1 box of ancient harvest quinoa pasta (shown below)

Preparation

• Chop celery, garlic, carrots, and onion
• Put olive oil into stock pot and heat oil
• When oil is hot, put in garlic and then add celery, onion, and carrot

Saute vegetable mixture for approximately 7 minutes on medium heat

While veggies are being sauted chop up chicken

Spray skillet with Pam Spray and toss in chicken

Put a poultry seasoning on chicken and cook chicken until thoroughly cooked and browned

Cook pasta according to directions (4 quarts of water, salted with a bit of oil, cook for approximately 8 minutes until tender), and drain when cooked

Mix together chicken, veggies, noodles, and broth

• Let everything simmer for approximately 10 minutes

Enjoy!


Tuesday: Pizza Taste Test
*Meatless Meal for the week*

Take your pick of any veggies and cheese blend to top your personal pizza. I'm sure a homemade pizza crust would be delicious but for a quick, easy, week night meal but by the time we get home from work, walk the dogs, we are hungry hungry...and need something quick and easy. So in an effort to find the tastiest option we'll do a taste test and put these crusts head to head to determine the MacLean family pizza champ.

versus..

Wednesday: I'll be working late and just have to grab what I can...likely a salad on the go or one of Amy's kitchen gluten free meals..

If you haven't tried Amy's kitchen products, you are missing out. Here is a listing of all their gluten free goodies.

http://www.amys.com/products/product-result

Some of my personal favorites are...

Thursday: Working Late Again..I know, not super exciting but real life isn't sometimes. I've got a little part time job so I'll be working Thursday night as well. So that night will likely be leftover chicken noodle soup or salad.

Friday: Jamie’s Stuffed Acorn Squash

This will make your kitchen smell like fall...

Ingredients:

·         1 Package (approx 11 oz) of ground turkey sausage (can use Italian or breakfast variety)

o   OR 1 package Morningstar veggie sausage patties -if you can tolerate gluten (cut up finely)

·         1 large apple, finely chopped

·         3 stalks of celery, finely chopped

·         1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

·         1 cup dry slow cooking brown rice

·         2 cups chicken broth OR water with chicken bouillon cube(s)-# use depends on your salt preference

·         4 acorn squash cut in half

·         1-2 Tbsp butter

·         2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

·         2-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the acorn squash in half and place face down in a baking dish that has been lightly greased with olive

oil or cooking spray. Cook squash for approximately 40 minutes. While cooking squash start on the

stuffing.

Place 1 cup brown rice in pot of 2 c. boiling chicken broth, reduce heat and simmer approx.

40 minutes or until rice is soft. 

 While rice is cooking, put approximately 2 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet, heat olive oil.

Chop finely apple, onion, and celery, and place in skillet.

Sautee veggie/fruit mixture, then add sausage and cook it all together.

When rice and veggie/fruit/meat mixture is finished mix it all together.

 Remove squash from oven, place hollow side up and

place a small amount of butter and brown sugar in each squash, then put them back in the oven for 5 min.

Then remove squash and fill each with the stuffing mixture, and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.

The squash makes a nice little bowl to each the stuffing and squash out of.

Serve and enjoy.

G-free and Meat free?

I need your help. I need a vegetarian and gluten free meat substitute. I used to LOVE to use Quorn Beef Style Grounds (I know sounds really appetizing) for use in making vegetarian chili. They were versatile, delicious, and had almost no fat or grease. Darren (who frequently is averse to vegetarian protein sources--not a fan of soy) even liked them!

If you can tolerate gluten these are fantastic! I miss them!

Alas, they contain gluten. So they are a no-go.

Do you know of any brands that make gluten free veggie burgers and veggie grounds? I need some help, I know I can eat ground beef but I am just not a big fan.

Keepin' track...

Have you put on a few extra Lb's lately? Are your pants a little tighter that you'd prefer?

Feel like you need to find a daily tool to keep you on track?

For most of my adult life I have counted calories. I tried Weight Watchers points, counting carbs, etc, but the thing that has always made the most sense was calories. Calories in versus calories out. Not to say I haven't had my slighly chubby phases but I always knew I had it coming because the math just didn't work out in my favor.
Overall I've been happy with my little calorie counting strategy, but every magazine and book I read suggests keeping a food log. At least for a few weeks. It helps you see where you might be deficit in some nutrients, if you are getting enough variety, and makes you accountable if you are trying to lose weight (seriously, who wants to write down that 3rd handful of M&M's?).

Lately, I have been tracking my food intake on Livestrong's daily plate. It's pretty snazzy. You enter in your height, weight, activity level, and goal (lose weight, maintain, gain) and it tells you how many calories you should eat in a day, and then displays suggested allowances for things like calories, fat, cholesterol, etc. It's also fairly easy to find the foods that you eat since it has tons of nutrition information available.

The service I have been using is the free service, but obviously you can get a lot more bells and whistles if you pay a monthly fee for the suped up version. But I am cheap.

Give it a try for a few weeks and see if there are places you can improve or if you are just generally awesome and totally deficient in lameness.

What's for dinner? Installment # 2



What's for dinner? Installment #2


I had too many meals planned (for my house) last week. We had some unexpected circumstances arise and we were not home for a few evenings and thus not able to cook.

Also I am going on a little adventure for a few days that will curtail my usual cooking schedule.

Thus, because weeks (and days) are like snowflakes (no two are ever the same) we will only have two meals planned for this week.

Also, when I am crunched for time (like I will be this week), I go for one of my standby recipes. One that I know will be easy because I can make them with my eyes closed and KNOW my little family will be delighted when they see the weekly menu. Also because I promised you a recipe to showcase my favorite, delicious, twin oaks tofu, I am going to try a new recipe (once all the excitement dies down) later on this week.

So the meals for this week are:

Asian Inspired Salmon Cakes (Rogers-MacLean Family Standby)

AND....

Pan Fried Sesame Tofu (Something new and hopefully a good use of some delicious twin oaks tofu)

So here we go...
  
Asian Influenced Salmon cakes (Darren's favorite meal)

This recipe is one I found on Epicurious.com years ago, modified a bit for the tastebuds at our house, and it's remained a staple ever since. The curry powder, ginger, and tamari flavors go really well with the salmon.

For the original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Cakes-with-Garlic-Spinach-Saute-240524

Ingredients:

• 1 can (14.5 ounces) wild Alaskan salmon
• 1/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Bread Crumbs Panko Style is what we use)
• 1 egg  
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons gluten free tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if you are not sensitive to wheat)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

Drain fish; put in a bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs, egg, ginger, curry, and soy sauce. Form 4 patties. Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Cook patties until light brown, about 4 minutes; flip; cook 3 minutes more.

This is tasty served with either brown rice and steamed broccoli or atop a green salad with a homemade ginger dressing (be careful of store bought ginger dressing which usually contains soy sauce and thus wheat).


Pan Fried Sesame Tofu

I found this recipe on Whole Foods Market's website and (you guessed it) modified it to suite my preferences.

For the original recipe: http://caloriecount.about.com/whole-foods-pan-fried-sesame-recipe-r139629

Ingredients

• 14 ounces extra-firm tofu
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger (I will just use 2-3 tablespoons of ground ginger)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic (I like to buy the jar of chopped fresh garlic at the grocery store--you can usually find it in the produce section, it saves time and saves your hands from always smelling like you are trying to scare off a vampire)
• 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (make sure you check the label to be sure there isn't any wheat or gluten)
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 6 green onions

Directions

1.Wrap tofu with paper towels and place on a cutting board. Put another cutting board or heavy plate on top to press out liquid. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, put honey, tamari, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and chile flakes into a small saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Keep warm.

3.Dry drained tofu with paper towels and cut into cubes. Dust very lightly all over with cornstarch or flour. Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 350 F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry tofu until golden brown, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2/3 cup of the warm sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and toss gently. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping, or drizzle over vegetables on the side

Serving suggestion: I think I will serve this with sauted broccoli, sugar snap peas, shredded carrots, and maybe some bok choy.

Billy Loves Broccoli!

Eat your broccoli!

I'm always interested in different eating plans and the gastrointestinal lifestyles of other people. I find it intriguing to know what way of eating makes people feel the best.

I think I have foodie voyeuristic tendencies. :)

I have tried vegetarian, low fat, high fiber, low carb, clean eating, paleolithic, gluten free (obviously), and the list goes on. I have made my body my own personal science experiment (sometimes to it's detriment).

Over the years I have started to figure out what works for me, what makes me feel the best, keeps my mood stable, waistline (most of the time:)) in check, and looking my best. I don't always do what I should (not sure why--other than I am human) but at least I am starting to figure out what 'best' for me is.

For me, what's 'best' for me isn't so much an endevour for weight loss (although that can be a nice bonus) as it is to find a way of eating that keeps me feeling and looking (whatever I'm vain judge if you will) my best.

So I found this little article on CNN particularly interesting....it seems like our 42nd president has finally found a way of eating that fits his lifestyle and health needs. Go Billy!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/18/bill.clinton.diet.vegan/index.html?hpt=he_t4

Bill loves veggies

Yes friends, Bill Clinton is a vegan. He adopted a diet free of all animal products after having major troubles with heart disease. And today, he says he is feeling better than he has in years.

Whether you like his politics or not is irrelevant I think he rocks for changing his lifestyle and his diet and making finding a diet that works best for him a priority.

In case you are wondering a vegan diet means:

• No meat
• No fish
• No poultry
• Also no other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, etc. 
• Lots of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

 Many times those who choose a vegan lifestyle, not just a vegan diet, will forgo leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps made from animal products.

 For additional information on vegetarian and vegan diets click here!

What dietary and lifestyle changes have you made that improved the way you look and feel? What hasn't worked for you?

Honestly, we are all grown ups here. We can tell when we eat something and it gives us a stomach ache or contributes to a spike in blood sugar. You don't need anyone to tell you how to eat, for the most part your own body can answer those questions.