Pinterest Dinners I want to try!

I adore Pinterest. There is so much creativity, inspiration and ideas on that glorious site. I have been in a dinner funk. I am so uninspired with food and Blaine became a crazy picky eater. I am feeling like a short order cook most nights because I have succumbed to making more than one dinner.

I started searching my boards and I found some drool worthy dishes that I cannot wait to try!

 

I love fish and this picture makes my mouth water. Recipe found here.

Crustless Spinach Quiche 

Quiche is a food I often forget about. I don't know why but I just do. This particular recipe is completely GF (no need for substitutions) and the list of ingredients is not massive. I like that.

Mmmm...mushrooms!

When I spotted this Roasted Mushroom side, I knew that I could easily make this a meal, just throw it atop some rice and call it a night. What lured me about this meal was that it was simple and vegetarian. Steve and I will totally be enjoying this soon!

Another vegetarian meal (vegan actually)  I have been finding swoon worthy is Spicy Thai Tacos.

I love bacon and sweet potatoes so why hadn't I though of this tasty combination. It looks easy too!

Smoothie recipe and some favorite apps.

My soy protein breakfast smoothie

Yesterday was really busy. I had morning plans and then a lengthy appointment for my youngest son. I needed a quick and easy breakfast that would be filling until lunch time.

Michelle's Soy Protein Smoothie:

• Soy Protein Powder, 1 scoop
• 1 Cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 banana, peeled
• Ice (if desired)

Blend all of these ingredients together until desired texture. I like my smoothies somewhat thick.


Also, I wanted to share some of my favorite food related apps:

• MyFitnessPal- I love this app. It is so easy to use and to help track daily caloric intake. It is FREE! Find me on there and be my friend: MishaSchultz
• WeightTracker++ - Simple FREE weight tracker. I like it just for quick reference
• Water Your Body- I adore this app. It is also FREE. I have the hardest time remembering to drink water. This app calculates how much water your body needs according to your weight. It also sends you reminders to drink up!

I downloaded some GF apps but have yet to use them. So, I can't give recommendations yet on those since I have no idea if the ones I have are any good. 

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Learning to live GFCF & a Salsa Recipe

I need to stop counting the days of eating GFCF. This is not a short change. This is something I will be doing for a long while so I gotta get used to it. Got to learn to not feel deprived.

I was going to blog yesterday but between the headache I was feeling and going out most of the day, I didn't make the time.

Yesterday I hung out with my sister. We went to the mall to hang out and to also pick up an item for my wedding. I had an easy time making lunch choices.  It was easy to make GFCF choices. I had a fruit salad and some grilled chicken.

After a bit of walking the mall, my sister wanted coffee. I gave up coffee a few weeks ago and I also don't drink it without milk so, I ordered a delicious lemonade.

                                        It was amazing. I forgot how much I like lemonade.

Today I went out with my Mom and Blaine. We hit up the Farmers' Market.

I love Superstition Ranch Market.

We loaded up on tons of fresh produce. I am in Heaven. I made a delicious salsa tonight with my many goodies that we picked up today.

In a food processor, mix all ingredients until desired texture (mine was a little watery but still yummy):

• 5 tomatoes, sliced
•  2 tomatillos 
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced length wise
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro 
• 2 avocados

The salsa was totally refreshing and I have a ton in my fridge right now. Steve was so excited when he saw it! We love salsa in this house.

My two favorite dinners.

I am addicted to Pinterest. Hard core, addicted. I get so many ideas and so much inspiration from that great site.

My fiance, Steve, is a vegetarian. I am gluten free. Dinner time can get stressful around here. I dislike making two dinners. Often, we fend for ourselves. However, I do attempt to make him dinner at least once or twice a week when I am able to come up with a dinner for both of us.

Recently, I made these two dinners I found on Pinterest and it was really delicious.

http://fitsuccess.blogspot.com/2013/02/healthy-snack-quinoa-pizza-bites.html

http://www.momendeavors.com/2013/02/baked-gluten-free-buffalo-cauliflower-bites.html

It was healthy, savory and easy. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did!

Link to a recipe that looks delish!

4How yummy does a GF-Vegan Apple Pie Granola Bar Sound? It sounds like perfection to me!  I cant wait to make this recipe!


http://www.fitsugar.com/Gluten-Free-Vegan-Granola-Bar-Recipe-16128730

Toffee Bars

Namaste Foods sent me some recipes to share with my readers so I am going to post them here and there on the blog...


Toffee Bars

• 1 3/4 Cups Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend
• 1 cup Namaste Foods Toffee Vanilla Frosting Mix
• 1 cup Butter or Margarine- softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350 F
2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together (EXCEPT egg white and walnuts)
3. Grease a 10x13 cookie sheet and press mixture into the pan.
4. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white. Spread over the top of the batter, then spread over the nuts.
5. Bake for 28-30 minutes.
6. Cut immediately into squares. Remove from pan when cool.

Italian Summer Pasta Salad

Namaste Foods sent me some recipes to share with my readers so I am going to post them here and there on the blog...

Italian Summer Pasta Salad

• 1 package Namaste Pasta Pisiavera Pasta
• 5-6 table spoons olive oil in all (preferably extra virgin)
• 1 teaspoon white or red wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced black or green olives or both
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• Optional: a handful of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1. Set aside the Pasta Pisavera seasoning packet. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done, about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse briefly in cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Place the pasta in a serving bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss. Sprinkle the Pasta Pisavera Seasoning Packet over pasta add remaning ingredients and olive oil and toss gently. Garnish with the cilantro or parsley if desired. Dish is wonderful if served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Helpful Hints:
Once refrigerated, rice pasta (like rice) can tend to get a bit crunchy. Either pull the pasta out ahead of time and leave out on the counter for a while or a quick minute or two in the microwave will do the trick. You can add a little bit more oil if needed too. Wonderful additions to this meal could be chopped zucchini, yellow squash, pine nuts, feta cheese, and marinated mushrooms!

Tropical Banana Blondies

Namaste Foods sent me some recipes to share with my readers so I am going to post them here and there on the blog...

Tropical Banana Blondies

• 1 package Namaste Foods Blondies Mix 
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
•  medium overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

• 1 (6 oz) package dried pineapple chunks, chopped coarsely                                                              

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. 
2. Combine eggs, bananas, and water. Add Blondie mix, coconut and pineapple. Mix well.
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Blondies are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan before removing.  

What I made using Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Oats..

These oats are so yummy. If you have not discovered them, I suggest you go out and purchase them because they are simply amazing. I was eating this for breakfast for a while with blueberries and brown sugar. It was so incredible that my mouth is salivating just thinking about it.

I loved these Bob's Red Mill oats so much that I started thinking about what else I could use the oats for. Then I was reminded of a recipe that my Grandma would make for me. I searched for it and I found it online, here.


Amazing. Even better than the run of the mill oatmeal for breakfast! Everything is better when you add chocolate and peanut butter to it!

Have you guys ever made these cookies? What did you think? Do you like Bob's Red Mill products?

Happy Saturday! This Is My Super Breakfast :)

Day Six of Every Day Is A New Post This Week!

Happy SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE weekends :) They are a great! They are full of opportunity to unwind from the week. You will probably need a ton of energy to accomplish whatever awesome adventure it is that you have to embark on today! That is why I am posting my favorite breakfast! This always keeps me full all day long and I usually do not get hungry for lunch when I make it. I just pack a snack to go and I am set till dinner time :)

It is so simple and easy to make! All you need is spinach, portobello mushrooms, eggs and cheese!

Grab a pan and spray it with oil. Saute the mushrooms and spinach until they are cooked.


Add the eggs...
Add cheese. You can use as much or as little as you want!

Fold over the eggs. This helps melt the cheese and form an omelet.
Serve. Relax. Enjoy.Have a wonderful day :) See you tomorrow!

Rice & "Chorizo" Dinner!

Day Four of Every Day Is A New Post Week: Rice & "Chorizo" Dinner!

I made this awesome dinner the other night! If you follow me on Twitter, you would know that I was nervous cooking with Soyrizo. It ended up turning out great! I will be cooking with it again. You cannot see the Soyrizo because of how it crumbles, but it is in there and it adds a great flavor into the meal!

This is the recipe, you can use chorizo where Soyrizo is listed.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 BOX SADAF Rice Mix (found at Middle Eastern Store)
- Soyrizo (1/2 package)
- Diced tomatoes (canned,strained, 1/4 cup)
- Sweet Peas (canned, strained, 1/2 cup)
- Corn (canned, strained, 1/2 cup)
- Green Mexican Salsa (Optional)
- Tortilla Chips (Optional)

How To:

Cook rice according to directions. Take Soyrizo and take it out of wrapping. Crumble it up and let it cook well with rice in a skillet. Then once it is cooked, add the vegetables until everything is cooked.

Serve with chips and salsa if you desire!

How To Make An Egg Salad Sandwich

Steve has always been super supportive of my food blogging. He has even helped me make food to review. The other night he randomly started texting me about how to of how to make his dinner. It was so cute that I thought I would share it with you all!

This is how you make a Egg Salad Sandwich according to Steve...

1. peeled eggs
2. chop eggs into tiny pieces
3. add some mayo and mustard

4. put into bread

5. numnumnumnum

Caramello Cupakes!

These are divine. I LOVE Caramello Bars and I LOVE CUPCAKES. I love cupcakes so much that I stalk cupcake blogs as though they were porn, yes food porn! No, I don't get off on it, but it is visually pleasing. It is actually worse because I know that the cupcakes I am lusting after are most always not gluten free. So, it is almost as though I am committing a sin. I decided to create a Caramello cupcake...well, at least I am pretty sure they didn't exist prior to their creation when I was asked to bring cupcakes for Karmen's b-day celebration!

Here is how you can also make them!

Ingredients:
-A chocolate GF cake mix ( Sof'ella Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Cake & Frosting{it comes with the frosting in the box})
-A jar of 12 oz caramel ( I used Walden farms because it was sugar free and my bf is diabetic but it also said GF on it. It also was calorie free, fat free, carbohydrate free, cholesterol free, and preservative free. By itself it isn't the best tasting but when it was in the cupcake, you couldn't even tell that it was sugar free!) Most of the jar will not be used, the jar I bought just happened to be 12 oz. each cupcake will most likely have about 1/4 tablespoon inside or less but it is hard to tell how much you are injecting inside.
- Caramello Bars (Calculate how many cupcakes you want. If you want 12 cupcakes, buy three bars because there are 4 squares on each bar.)

Directions:
-Line the cupcake pan with liners. Fill half way with the Sof'ella Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix and bake according to instructions.
-Once cupcakes are baked and cooled, inject a good amount ( not so much that the cupcake breaks) of caramel into the cupcake.
-Then follow the instructions listed to make the Sof'ella Organic Gluten Free Frosting.
-Once Frosting is made, frost cupcake and garnish with Caramello chocolate!

How I celebrated!

``I warn you. This post is long. There is a lot of back story...and maybe some unnecessary ones but hey, it is my wheat free anniversary and I can reminisce if I want to!

Today, as I have stated several times already is my WHEAT FREE ANNIVERSARY! I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do to celebrate this momentous occasion in my life. I know that it may sound silly but living wheat free is a big part of my life. Taking the wheat out took a lot of pain out of my life (not all, once I took the gluten out, I felt a million times better!) but it it was a start. So, I needed to do something to celebrate. Well, as a food blogger, naturally I would turn to food. I love to bake, so I figured I would bake. I started to think about foods that I loved. You probably assumed an eclair, since I am always raving that I need one. But I think I would have a melt down baking that, so I am saving that for another day.

There is a food item that is a comfort food for me. I don't eat it often but I can actually recall big moments of my life where I did eat it. NUTELLA. I remember the first time I ate it, I was back in my home state of New York visiting my Dad. He sent me to day camp and I was homesick for my Mom. My Grandmother would make me sandwiches with bread and Nutella. It was delicious.

From time to time, I would eat this sandwich, each time thinking of day camp. The next time I craved Nutella was when I was pregnant with Jacob. I actually hid Nutella throughout my house. I have no clue if my ex-husband knows. I was a Nutella addict when I was pregnant.

I am even part of a Nutella group on FACEBOOK called "Nutella Is Sex In A Bottle". I wanted the desert that I was making to be an orgasm with one bite! I needed Nutella to be a part of it!

I hadn't had Nutella since my pregnancy. I knew that Nutella had to be a part of this celebration. I ended up purchasing some Nutella for the cupcakes I was making and I couldn't even wait for today. I ate a ton of it. Nutella, you and me...we click.

I literally baked cupcakes all day! Jacob had a blast.


I made a ton of cupcakes! This isn't even all of them! There are some that are being sent to my Mom's work and some that I am sending to my friends and family!



RECIPE FOR MY BIG O NUTELLA CUPCAKES!
365 (Whole Foods Brand) Chocolate Cake Mix ( any mix will d0) & items to make mix
Nutella
White Chocolate Shavings
Make the cake mix according to the box. Then line the cup cake pan with the liners ( I used heart liners because I love being wheat free/ gluten free!) and bake. Cool thoroughly. Using an injector for frosting, inject desired amount of Nutella in each cupcake on the top of each cupcake. Be careful not to put too much because that can cause the cupcake to rupture. Do not worry about the hole being visible, the frosting will cover the hole! Using the chocolate butter cream frosting below, then frost the top of the cupcake and garnish with white chocolate shavings!


Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting Recipe:
-1 ounce chocolate chips melted
-1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
-1 teaspoon Flavor (Vanilla, Almond, or Butter) {I used Butter}
-2 tablespoons or milk or water {I always use milk, it makes it creamier}
-1 lb. pure cane confectioners sugar (approximately 4 cups)
-1 tablespoon Meringue Powder


Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Blend for an additional minute or so, until creamy.

Jacob is bummed out because I cut him off from cupcakes. Poor kid. Stephanie came over to enjoy gluten free cupcakes! So did Melissa who called me to say that they were awesome. She then Twittered that "@Michelle2008az Your gluten free cupcakes were amazing! They could even rival Sprinkles (and you know how much I love Sprinkles)." Thanks Melissa!

It was an awesome night! It was a great year of being wheat free :) Cant wait for the many years to come. I believe that this lifestyle is the best for me, thanks for reading me and watching me on this journey!

CookThink.Com

Is there an item in your pantry that you are dying to use but you don't know how to utilize it? Or an item in your fridge about to go bad but you don't know how to use it? Sick of using bananas in smoothies or gluten free banana bread? I found an awesome website!

CookThink.Com will create a list of recipies for the food item that you typed in and incopreate it! Woo hoo, just use the recipie search tool! Just thought I would share my find :)

Food reviews on Pamela's cookies and Fabulous Recipe !

Back in March I gave a mixed review to Pamela's Products Dark Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I had mentioned that I may try out the other cookies in the line. So, I tried out the CHUNKY CHOCOLATE CHIP and the LEMON SHORTBREAD.

THE CHUNKY CHOCOLATE CHIP:


The Review:
I had my glass of milk ready. I was prepared to try and mask the taste and to try basically drown out the taste of the cookie . Don't I sound like a skeptic? Well, I was pleasantly surprised by my first bite! I did end up dipping my cookie in the milk because I really like the cookie-dunk technique. I had a hard time sticking to the recommended serving size of one cookie but I did because I had another cookie to review!

By the way...there is no dairy in the cookies itself, unless you decide to dunk the cookie in milk like I did.

The Verdict:



The Stats:
Serving Size: One cookie
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 6 grams
Total Carbs: 14 grams
Protein 1gram

THE LEMON SHORTBREAD:
The Review:
I love lemon. I love anything lemon. I had high expectations for this cookie. In my days prior to my diagnosis, I would get lemon pies, lemon donuts and well...lemon anything. Now that I have to be careful with dressings, I sprinkle lemon juice on my salad. I was not too worried about the flavor of these cookies, since I had already sampled the goodness of the chocolate chip ones.

I decided to ditch the milk. I wanted to try these with out the dairy taste in my mouth. I wanted to taste the wonderful lemon. I really loved the lemon shortbread cookies. I found them to be perfectly tart and divine! They are great on their own or they would perfectly accompany a cup of tea!
The Verdict:


The Stats:
Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 6 grams
Carbs: 15 grams
Protein: .5 grams

!!!!!!THE RECIPE!!!!!

This recipe is super casual. You only need enough to make as much as you need. I only made one so I didn't make much. It is so yummy and perfect for spring and summer!

Ingredients:
-Chocolate Pudding (you don't need to make from scratch, you can use a pudding snack pack!)
-Strawberries (washed & sliced)
- Gluten Free Lemon Shortbread Cookie
-Whipped Cream

Directions:
Fill the glass about 1/4 full with pudding. Then take the cookie and cut it in pieces. Place it in the pudding. Take the strawberries and cover glass in strawberry goodness!. I loaded mine up. Then garnish the top with whipped cream. The lemon and strawberries make this so tasty and chocolate is always delicious!

A Review & Recipe! Woo hoo! Pasta & Breadstick

I have been eying the Glutino brand Gluten Free Breadsticks every time I go to the supermarket but I couldn't justify paying over five dollars for it. I had mentioned it to my boyfriend one of the last times we were at the store together and he told me I should just go for it because I don't get to eat food like this anymore.

I was taking my son to the park and on the way there I went to the store and picked up a box. I decided to make Italian for dinner so I would have an excuse to eat them!

The Review:
I served them with brown rice penne, meat balls and tomato sauce. The breadsticks are pizza flavored and very crunchy. They are a great addition to a meal. I will say though that they are small, the serving size is 9 sticks...I didn't eat the serving size because I was full fast. I ate about 5.
The verdict on the Glutino Gluten Free Breadsticks:
The Stats:
Serving Size: 9 sticks
Calories: 60
Total Fat: 1
Total Carbs: 12 grams
Fiber:0
Protein:0


Meatballs were made from a recipe from Gluten-Free Quick & Easy by Carol Fenster, Ph.D.

However, I didn't use the gluten free breadcrumbs because I was trying to reduce the calorie count but the recipe from the book sounds amazing!

Mother Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound raw lean ground beef, or use half ground beef and half ground pork
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (I didn't use)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For Italian-Flavored meatballs, add(which I did):

• 1 1/2 dried basil
  
• 1/2 dried oregano
  
• 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese (didn't have, so I didn't use)

Gluttonous Gluten Free Cake!

I worked on this cake all day. Mainly because the first two cakes did this:


So, here is how you make this Gluttonous Gluten Free Cake, crafted of course by the Gluten Free Gluten herself...me!


Ingredients For Cake & Cake Fillers :

-2 boxes Sof'ella Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Cake & Frosting Mix & ingredients to make 2 cakes!
-1/2 cup white chocolate chips
-1/2 cup chocolate chips
-2 tbs vegetable shortening
-Prepared frosting mix from the So'fella box (they come together with cake box)

Making The Cake:

Follow the cake instructions for baking on the Sof'ella box, the only difference is that you will mix in 1/2 of chocolate chips in the mix! Use the cooking times on the cakes as well. My cake took longer to bake but all ovens seem to be different. Once the cakes are baked and cooled then you will take the first cake and cut it in half. You will take the frosting mix and prepare it. You will place this on top of the top of the cake you just cut and spread it around the cake, make sure you only use half of the frosting mix:


Then place the other layer of the cake back on top of it so the cake looks whole again. Then take a small sauce pan and put it on low heat. Take the white chocolate and the vegetable shortening and place it in the pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Take the other cake and cut that in half. Take the white chocolate and pour it over the top of the cake!
Then take the half of the cake and place it over the white chocolate. Then take the remainder of the frosting and cover the cake with it. Finally, place top of the cake where it belongs and frost the cake with either a tub of frosting or homemade frosting!

Decorating the Cake:
I got lazy and used tub frosting for the outside but I made frosting to pipe and make flowers. Here is the recipe for the frosting:

Wilton's Stiff Consistency Buttercream (Because it is for flowers):
-1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
-1 teaspoon Flavor (Vanilla, Almond, or Butter) {I used Butter}
-2 tablespoons or milk or water {I always use milk, it makes it creamier}
-1 lb. pure cane confectioners sugar (approximately 4 cups)
-1 tablespoon Meringue Powder

Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Blend for an additional minute or so, until creamy.

I know, my cake is slanted! Long day but hey, it is ok. I hope it tastes good. I worked hard on it. Well, I will find out soon. I will review it and I hope it lives up to its name.

More cake decorating pictures are on my other blog, Endless Possibilities.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza

YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY! I made this delicious dish tonight! I apologize for the lack of photos, my camera is broken, as I have previously mentioned. But, I have made up for it by offering up the recipe to this delightfully wonderful dish that will satisfy your pallet and not make your waistline suffer!


I have had this cookbook since my birthday (September 4th) but I had yet to utilize it. My Master Cleanse had me so food obsessed that I dug deep into my cookbooks and I decided to start using them!


Here is the recipe from the book:

Portobello Mushroom Pizza

Prep/Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4


Items Needed:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup spinach, washed and chopped, finely
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons, black olives, drained & sliced
• 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 medium size portobello mushrooms
• Light oil as needed
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Saute for 4 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach, tomatoes, garlic and olives. Continue to saute for about 3 minutes longer.
  
• Add oregano, basil, salt, pepper and mix well. Remove from heat.
  
• Preheat the broiler and prepare the mushrooms by removing the stems and wiping off any dirt. Brush or spray the mushroom with light oil and place on a cookie sheet. Broil on each side for 4 minutes or until soft. Remove from the heat and fill with the vegetable mixture, Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and return to the broiler for another 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.
  

The Stats:
SERVING SIZE: One Mushroom
113.93 Calories
5.19 grams of fat
7.69 grams of protein
11.80 g. carbs


I served this with a side salad and it was the perfect dinner. I hope you all enjoy it :)

An Amazing Lunch With My Boyfriend's Family, Contaminated At My Own Hanukkah and Really Good Cocoa Mix!

Yesterday my boyfriend and I went over to his families house for lunch. Luckily, Karmen, Jared's sister reads this and my other blogs so she is familiar with gluten free living. The night prior to us going over, I was babysitting my friends son and Jared told me that they were making us enchiladas! I panicked over the sauce! Then he quickly said that Karmen the looked at the ingredients and she saw that there was wheat in that so she found another thing to make.

I cant tell you how touched I am that the whole family worked so hard to make me a meal that I could enjoy too. They hand made me tacos and taquitos . They read everything that they put into it and they made sure not to cross contaminate me. I had a wonderful time!
Review of lunch:

* * * * * * * * * * ** ** ** **

Last night started Hanukkah. It was my first gluten free Hanukkah and my mom told me she would make everything gluten free so I wouldn't have to worry. So, while I was gone, she was cooking. We sat down to eat and she served this rice with chicken and carrot meal, this lentil and turkey bacon dish and a Middle Eastern salad. I bit into the rice and I knew something didn't taste right, sometimes I can just tell. Am I the only one who can just tell? Like sometimes I blindly eat something and get sick but sometimes I can just tell.

So, I ask her if she put chicken broth in the rice and she said yes. I knew...most broth...MSG {I know MSG is a hot topic amongst us! I get a rash:( } I got a rash and my tongue got itchy.

She didn't read the ingredients. She knows that she needs to read everything. She told me that she didn't think she needed to read it! URRG! I hate getting sick! Even if it is a rash. So, it wasn't horrible but still uncomfortable.

The rest of the dinner was good. Review of just being contaminated:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

As I type, I am sipping this amazing Hot Cocoa that Jared's family made me. Karmen got the recipe from a magazine (I forgot the name, so I cant give credit to where it is due). It is really yummy and gluten free! I love cocoa!

HOT COCOA MIX

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

1 1/4 c. sugar
6 oz semi -sweet chocolate chip cookies
1/4 tsp. salt


Directions:
Mix 3 tablespoons cocoa mis with 1 cup milk in microwave safe mug. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 min -2 min or until blended and HOT, stirring once. * Add whipped cream on top if desired.