Hunger in Haiti

As I rummaged through the freezer this morning, I couldn’t help but groan when I realized we were out of frozen fruit for my morning smoothie. Irritated but not angry, I grabbed a banana and a yogurt and headed out the door.

But on my drive to work, I remembered the blog post I read last night. A blog post that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Some images can’t be unseen, and as much as I would love to turn a blind eye to world hunger, I can’t.

And for that I am both grateful and sad.

Grateful that God keeps giving me these doses of perspective, and sad that I live in a world where someone is eating cookies made of dirt.

As a person who eats gluten free, I often feel as if “there is nothing I can eat”. But my friends, there are people who actually have NOTHING they can eat. And so they satiate that pang of hunger with a cookie made of dirt. A cookie made of DIRT.

We may not be able to eat gluten, but there are so many wonderful things we can eat. So today, I encourage you to take a glimpse into the huge issue of world hunger. And I encourage you to share this glimpse with those around you, by reading this blog post:

http://www.travelingtriplets.com/2013/05/tasty-tuesday-haiti-style.html

They’re Back….

Big salads are back!

Easy. Fast. Filling. It’s all about the Big Salad.

Crisp lettuce, grape tomatoes, avocado, Cabot cheese, Perdue gluten free chicken tenders, bell pepper, and scallion

My favorite part is definitely the avocado with the chicken. Crunchy with creamy – it’s the best!

For dressing Parrish and I go back and forth between Wishbone Buffalo Ranch and Cilantro Shallot Vinaigrette. Both are good, but we didn’t have cilantro on had last night, so Buffalo Ranch it was!

The only thing that could make this salad better would be crispy bacon. But let’s face it, crispy bacon makes everything better.

Weekend Warrior Gluten Free Frozen Pizza

This past weekend I was a “Weekend Warrior”, meaning that I worked both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a big sale day at work, so I didn’t make it home until well after 7pm.

I don’t know about you, but my supper schedule is pretty prompt. I like to eat around 6:30, and 5:30 would be even better. So 7:30/8:00 pm on Saturday was pushing it.

So I skipped my plan of roasted sweet potatoes and kale quesadillas, and tried a new to me gluten free frozen pizza:

Daiya Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Pizza

I love Against the Grain Frozen Pizzas, but nutritionally, they aren’t….the best. Delicious…yes. Low in calories…not so much. So I snagged this Daiya pizza last week, hoping that it would be good.

Well…..

I won’t say it’s bad….but…it’s not good.

First, let’s look at the baking instructions:

500 degrees? Interesting. I followed the instructions perfectly and at ONLY ten minutes:

My pizza was burnt on one side completely, and a some of it had bottomed out.

And I don’t have a notoriously hot oven. So I’m not really sure that that was about.

Once I trimmed off the burnt edges, I will say that the flavor of the pizza was good, meaning that the big chunks of garlic were delicious! But the crust…even though burnt….didn’t taste all the way cooked.

So would I buy it again? No.

But I will try to recreate the garlic and mushroom combo on a Udi’s gluten free crust – Yes!

What about you? What’s your go-to gluten free frozen pizza?

Happy Monday!

Crazy for Zumba

I never thought I would be one of these people.

I never thought that I would plan my schedule around fitness classes. That I would give up a yummy home-cooked supper to exercise. That I would research shoes to help me work out better.

But friends, that is what Zumba has done to me!

I am positively obsessed with Zumba!

It is such an amazing workout! I don’t think I have sweat as much working out in a LONG time. And I’m not some amazing dancer, but it doesn’t matter! No one is looking around. Everyone is looking at our amazing instructor and concentrating their hardest!

I had actually gone down a pants size right before starting Zumba, but now I’m getting ready to go down again!

I had to buy new workout pants because my old pants kept sweating off my body! It’s hard to keep up when you’re yanking up your pants every 10 seconds.

And I never get bored. And I never give up! There is something about the length of time you’re dancing, combined with the changing of moves, that keeps you moving even though you’re exhausted.

The calories burned are pretty motivating too…..

I’m so happy that my co-worker Katie and great friend Elizabeth got me started! I was so intimidated to Zumba before, and I hate that it kept me from this workout for so long! I love it!

Plus, we’re lucky here in Durham to have the BEST Zumba teacher ever – Lu! Her smile lights up the entire room! She has so much energy, and makes you feel like you’re doing a great job….even if you’re the most uncoordinated person in the group.

Zumba gives me so much energy. It keeps me motivated during the week to be more active, and gives me an AMAZING happiness after glow.

So yeah, I’m one of those people now.

I am CRAZY for Zumba. I wish I could do it everyday. I wish the class lasted longer than an hour. I find myself dancing at home in the kitchen while I cook.  I love it!

What about you?

Have you ever Zumba’d? Love it or Hate it?

Crunchy, Carby, Gluten Free Goodness

The mornings lately have been ROUGH.

We’re on Day A Million of rain and clouds here in NC, and it’s enough to make you get back in bed and pull the covers over your head. Hopefully there’s an end in sight, meaning that the rain is supposed to high tail it out of here tomorrow, but I’ll believe it when I see it….or don’t see it.

To cheer me up this morning, I had my new favorite breakfast. I wouldn’t call it my “go-to” breakfast, but it’s really just a bunch of empty carbs. Plus I have to eat a yogurt two hours after this breakfast, because it really has no staying power.

But, there is something about the crunchy, carby goodness….

so good! Some mornings I pop some blueberries or raspberries in there, but not this morning. This morning it’s just Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Whole O’s, soaking in Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Simple and Satisfying.

AND after last nights Zumba class, I woke up STARVING this morning!

These O’s are not too sweet, and stay crunchy till the munch, crunch, munch, crunch, munch, crunch end.

Happy Wednesday!

Fingers Crossed for some sunshine!

Gluten Free Lunch on the Go: Kale Salad

I don’t know about you, but I can find kale at my local grocery store for SUPER CHEAP! It’s local too, and I can get a big ol’ bag of it for less than $2.

Every week I pick up a bag, not always knowing what I’m going to do with it. But I know I can add a little bit to a stir fry, a soup, or a smoothie easily.

Last week I forgot to buy romaine lettuce. Funnily enough, I didn’t realize it until I went to pack my salad for lunch that morning. Kale to the rescue!

In a large bowl, I combined small, bite-size pieces of kale with 2-3 tablespoons of that super yummy Cilantro Shallot Vinaigrette that I love. To me, the key to a good kale salad is: THE MASSAGE.

Once I added the vinaigrette to the salad, I used my hands to basically knead the kale with the vinaigrette for about 5 minutes. That cuts the bitterness from kale, and makes it less tough. Massaging the kale also reduces it in size a bit, so I keep massaging until that happens.

Then I added sliced roma tomatoes and big chunks of avocado. Mmmmmm avocado.

Packed it up and enjoyed it for lunch later that day! And you know, the vinaigrette had enough acid in it, that the avocado barely browned!

Next time, I would love to add some shaved purple cabbage and carrots for more crunch. But even a simple kale salad was delicious!

Happy Monday!

Gluten Free Raleigh – Kimbap Cafe

Last night I had a LIFE CHANGING meal.

Seriously friends.

LIFE CHANGING!

Kimbap in Raleigh is a Korean-Inspired restaurant with a real focus on local, fresh foods. They literally had a list of like 10 farms on the wall that their offerings for the night came from, and the cool thing is that I actually recognized the names!

All of their meats come from local meat vendors that I know, love, and trust. I knew the meal was going to be special, but I had no idea it would be the best meal I’ve eaten in a LOOOOOONG time!

Parrish and I were having trouble choosing, so we decided to share a few different dishes. Our first course:

gluten free shrimp dumplings

Crispy, chewy, and full of flavor. I can’t event remember the last time I ate a nice crispy dumpling! And in a restaurant?! Probably never. Ugh. So good.

Our second course:

the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Ever. Ever. Seriously. Ever.

Toasted Seaweed rolls filled with pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, sweet red peppers, and cilantro.

I can’t even describe it. I’m not going to do it justice. Salted pork belly is delicious on its own. Throw in shiitake mushrooms deep in flavor and a hint of crisp, sweetness from the peppers. Man. So good.

Third course:

A flavorful broth with DELICIOUS bits of brisket, local greens, local egg, spongy rice cakes, and scallion.

So much flavor. So many textures. Honestly I was tempted to snatch Parrish’s spoon and eat it all myself.

The final course:

The perfect portion of a gluten free chocolate torte. Rich, sweet, dark, chocolatey. I know I’ve said it like 10 times already, but….

SO GOOD!

Over 75% of Kimbap’s menu is gluten free! The service was great; the food was incredible.

I CAN’T WAIT to eat there again!!

And honestly, I think you should plan a trip to Raleigh.

We can meet for lunch, go shopping, and then eat at Kimbap again for supper.

And maybe we’ll get some take out for the road!