UDI'S WEEK!!!!

May is Celiac Awareness Month. I have been living with Celiacs for 5 years now. It gets easier every year since so many amazing products keep coming out on the market.

I try hard not to pick favorites between companies that produce the gf food that nourishes my body. I want to always go into testing a product with an open mind. No comparisons. Let the product stand alone. I was really good at that until Udi's came into my life. Udi's made me LOVE GF bread.  The cookies, the muffins...every product I have tried is exceptional.So, while I love trying new foods, I always seem to come back to Udi's.

So, in honor of my absolute favorite GF company and Celiac Month, I bring you UDI'S WEEK!!!

To start it off, I bring you old reviews (and slightly embarrassing ones with videos!):

Muffins
Pizza Crust

Check back tomorrow for a brand new review!!!

An interview with Krystyn, about her celiac dog!

Harley Jade

I met Krystyn in High School and we have remained friends (thanks Facebook!). She told me about her dog, Harley Jade, that cannot eat gluten. I had heard of celiacs in dogs but never met anyone going through it.

Gluten Free Gluttony: What is the name and breed of your gluten free pet?

 Krystyn: Harley Jade, she is a Golden Retriever

GFG:How did you realize he was gluten intolerant?

K: We found out when she was about 6 months old, her skin was really flakey and her coat was very rough and she wouldn't stop scratching, she even started to eat the fur off her tail and chew her tail until it was raw :( We went through the vet recommend rice and boiled chicken diet but that didn't seem to help. The allergy test finally came back through after almost a year of trial and error with many hard food products.

GFG:Was it hard to find GF pet food?

K: Surprisingly no, I guess this condition is becoming more frequent in animals because of the stuff their great grandparents had is no longer being tolerated by many breeds, I think that's why we are seeing so many more grain free  free food on the market. But our biggest issue was finding a food with zero chicken by products-which pretty much every food has for some reason.

GFG:Does your dog have any other allergies?

K: Yes,to chicken as well.

GFG:Has having an animal with celiacs impacted your life in any way?

K: I guess its let us know what is out there and that its not just a human condition. We would do anything for her so the price is not a big deal, she is our fur kid :) I think the hardest part was not figuring out what was wrong for so long.

GFG: What would you say to anyone trying to figure out if their pet has a gluten sensitivity?

K: With recommendation from your vet, try a rice and some sort of game meat that isn't chicken or beef or pork since those are the most common proteins. If they get better after a month you have found your solution. And if you are a new animal owner go strait to the grain free stuff then you wont have to go though many of the issues we had too. Yes, it may be more expensive in the short term but it will save you and your wallet with the vet and allergy tests its worth it. Much of it has to do with the corn that is the GMO corn causing all of these issues just make sure and read your labels and know what you are feeding your pet. The big brands wont disclose many of their ingredients so be careful.

A huge thank you to Krystyn for taking the time to share about life with her celiac dog, Harley Jade.

Verve! Energy Drink Review

Heard of Verve!? Honestly, I never had before. I am not really into energy drinks. I had never had one prior to trying Verve.

Why not? I am weary of energy drinks. They have a massive amount of junk in them and they have somewhat of a bad rap. So, being that I am a caffeine junky, I don't need a new addiction.

My friend told me about Verve! energy drinks since most of the time I feel like a walking zombie. I have no idea how I function considering I have not gotten a full nights sleep in a year. She handed me two cans: Verve! Energy and Verve! Zero Sugar.

I did my research. Dr. Oz gave Verve his thumbs up. Verve! is the official energy drink of the Phoenix Suns. The more I looked into Verve! the more comfortable I became with this energy drink...not all...but this one.

I opened a cold can of Verve! Zero Sugar (well shaken) and I prepared for all these wild side effects I had conjured up in my mind.  I went through my day with energy .It was amazing. Nothing bad happened. I had energy to get everything on my to-do list accomplished and then some. I was not sluggish.

I don't know why I pictured a jittery day. I had achieved more on a day drinking Verve than I used to accomplish drinking a pot of coffee.

The next day I tried original Verve! Energy and it was the same.

I was flabbergasted. That is the only word I can think of to describe my thoughts on Verve!. I am flabbergasted that I had never heard of this drink that can provide energy in a healthier way. I keep thinking of all the sleep deprived mommies that could benefit from Verve.

Verve! is not sold in stores, so to try this drink you have to contact a brand partner. My friend, Megg, is a brand partner and she can help you with all your Verve! beverage needs.

Life lately, through food...

Snippets of our life...through our food...

Been eating a ton of blueberries and strawberries. So refreshing.

Molly, the carrot thief.

Our house has been produce central. Our fridge is packed and our counters have bowls full of them!

BBQ with friends. My friend's chicken on the left. My turkey burgers on the right.

I learned to shuck corn. Corn on the cob is so yummy

My dinner fail. Threw in a ton of veggies and turned on my crock pot. 8 hours later, the food was cold! Forgot to plug it in.

Sunstart Rocky Road Bars

I cannot have Rocky Road ice cream in the house. I have a major addiction to it and no control with serving size.  When I spotted these, I knew I had to try them. I will admit, I opened the box up in the store. I could not wait to try these. Embarrassing? Yes.

They were amazing. I had to refrain from running back to the display and buying another box. I would eat these again...in a heart beat.

*not gfcf. This was consumed prior to me making the switch. Still delicious though!

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.

GFCF Day two

Yesterday was ROUGH. I had a terrible headache all day and I think it was from lack of chocolate. Oh, how I miss my chocolate. I know in a few days that all my discomfort will be gone though.

I ate mainly high protein food and just read labels. I am getting really good at looking at labels since I looked at so many at Sprouts. I hope I don't make too many mistakes.

Tomorrow I will share some tips and other things I found helpful. Sorry this is short, I am still nursing a headache.

GFCF Day one

Yesterday was day one of my new GFCF life. I walked my oldest to school and from there I walked to Sprouts. I excepted Sprouts to be a Mecca of GFCF food but honestly, I was rather disappointed.  I looked at a lot of my favorite GF items and they were not GFCF so I couldn't put those in our cart. I was determined to find a variety of cheese and yogurts for us since we eat those a lot and I found it to be a challenge. I looked at Soy, Rice and Almond cheese. While many stated Dairy Free on the packaging, one look at the ingredients and I knew we couldn't purchase it because it had casein listed as an ingredient. Casein is a milk protein.

I had my notes in hand. No items with:

• whey
• casein (sodium caseinate, most commonly)
• lactose (sodium lactylate, frequently)
• lactalbumin and other names that begin with lact
• galactose (a lactose by-product) 

I should mention that Sprouts resembled a retirement community yesterday instead of a grocery store. I was trying to make my way through the grumpy elderly people that kept trying to talk to my baby (and he wasn't in the mood) or people that were getting annoyed by my constant checking of ingredients. I accidentally grabbed a soy yogurt that was no CF because I felt like I was being annoying to the people trying to make their purchases.

I was able to find a few items to try. I purchased various soy milks and I found a brand of cheese we could eat (review to come).


After an hour and a half of scouring the store, we were able to walk back home.

My cutie and I at the end of our five mile walk!

I spent the day trying to fight a chocolate craving, reading ingredients in our cabinet and seeing what new foods I could feed the baby.

It went well. I assumed it would be harder. I think over time this will become as second nature as my GF lifestyle. 

Look for day two sometime tomorrow!

GFCF

I have been crazy busy. You can read about all that on my other blog. I have about a million reviews I want to post and so many times I want to share a gf story and I cease to find the proper time. So, as my baby screams at me, I type. Because, if I don't now...I may never blog again!


My son is having developmental delays and since he is nursed they suggested that we both go GFCF. Since we are already GF going CF (Casein Free) would only be a minor adjustment.

Tomorrow, I make the change. Today I have gorged on chocolate and I had a milk shake. My last for who knows how long.

I cut out all coffee a few weeks ago because I was drinking too much and I didn't think it was good for the baby. I plan on writing down my GFCF journey. I also plan on making the time to get to the massive list of reviews I have.

So, tune in for my updates!