Gardening - In the Beginning

Today I started my first gardening chore. Building the raised beds and filling them with soil. 

I tried to get this all done before Mike got home from work. I wanted to surprise him, plus I knew he hadn't been looking forward to this part.  But I didn't succeed :(

Admittedly, I messed up by not reading the instructions, but to be fair I wasn't able to find the instructions when I first looked for them.  So this could have been much easier than it was. I initially used the tall posts in the center and the short posts on the outside beds, but when I had so many left over pieces I knew something was wrong. Looking again, in a much emptier box, I found the instructions and also found the problem.  2 levels of short posts in the center(tall) bed and the tall posts for the outside (lower) beds. Fixing this was no fun. But thankfully Mike was home to help at this point. :)

And once all fixed we noticed that we didn't have enough soil.  We'll get some more tomorrow. Also, standing back to admire my work made it obvious that the front right corner of the garden was a little too high.  We will fix this tomorrow as well.  I have a plan and if it works I will share it.

We can't plant yet.  Too early in the season in Caribou, ME.  We had a good hard frost last night and are likely to have a few more before the end of the month.  So we will wait and plant on the last weekend in May.  In the meantime I will try and come up for a support system for the tomatoes.  I am guessing some steel wire conduit will work well. I hope.  And some type of mesh support.  Hopefully the garden department at Lowe's can help.

More progress posts soon, I hope.

Almost 40

Tomorrow I will officially be 40 years old.  I am excited to see what this next decade will bring.  I have an amazing life and the last decade is what made it so amazing,  I can only image with this next decade will bring.

This evening I went to buy a bottle of wine.  A nice cab.  And I was carded.  Wow!  I felt awesome until the 20 something girl behind the cash qualifies that she has to ask everyone that looks under 50.  Crush.

So I handed her my driver's license.  She apologized profusely. And I am now wondering what is wrong with society that they take such objections with being asked for ID that this poor girl feels guilty that she asked for mine. Sigh!

She types in my birthday into the computer and I am approved to buy my wine. Sweet!  But I could tell that she had no idea of my age.  Math doesn't seem to be a strong quality in many of the younger generations, sadly.  Computers must have made math unnecessary. There are now calculators on everything from watches to cell phones.  No one needs to actually know math any more. SAD.

I commented that I felt better about being carded before I knew she had to card everyone that looked under 50.  I slipped in there that I will be 40 tomorrow.

NO WAY! Is the reaction I got.  You don't look 40.  WOW!

This is a big complement from a 20 something.  Remember how you felt about 40 year olds when you were 20? Yeah, I do.  I thought 40 was ancient.  So being carded made my day.  I don't look any where near 40.

My secret....I have no idea, but I am willing to bet it has something to with laughing a lot, playing a lot and loving a lot. I don't have time for grudges. I don't care about what the neighbors have and I am not worried about how I compare to the Jones'.  All I care about is being able to make others smile and being able to laugh.

Yes, life is good!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cup Cakes with Peanut butter Frosting and Salted Caramel drizzle

Another rainy day, another afternoon baking.  This recipe will need a little tweaking to perfect. The cupcake was a little on the dry side, but the flavor was excellent so I thought I would share anyway.  

Mike said he didn't love the frosting because it reminded him of cream cheese too much and he is not a fan of cream cheese. Maybe I accidentally discovered a healthier alternative to cream cheese frosting? 

Chocolate Sour Cream Cup Cakes

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup granulated natural sugar substitute or sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups GF all-purpose flour store bought or home made. I made my own. 3/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup teff flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch, 1/4 cup potato starch.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips. I used Ghirardelli 60%.

Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers. In a mixing bowl, combine boiling water, butter, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder. Beat on low speed until smooth and sugar is dissolved.

In another bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, and vanilla.

Add sifted dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture alternately with the egg and sour cream mixture and then fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake cups about two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely before frosting.

Peanut butter frosting

• 6 Tablespoons all natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used vanilla)

Mix until well blended and spreadable.  Add more cream or yogurt, as needed, until the desired consistency is achieved.

Salted Caramel

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water and cook over medium-high heat. Boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream and vanilla, whisking until it is very smooth. Let cool for around 20 minutes, until it’s just barely warm and still pour-able.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost them with the peanut butter frosting and then drizzle with the caramel.  I added chopped peanuts as a texture contrast. I love the crunch.

The First Rainy Days of Mud Season, Oven "Fried" rice and Chocolate Orange Bread (again)

Yesterday was a much needed rainy day as the last few weeks had been hot, sunny and unusually dry for spring in Northern Maine.  Both the landscape and my home were ready for a rainy day. Somehow I managed to avoid getting scorched by the dry heat, but the local landscape hadn't been so lucky.  For 2 weeks we had been under an extreme fire hazard warning, and there was at least one forest fire raging just across the Canadian border.  My home had also suffered because of the beautiful, summer-like weather.  No way was I going to be stuck inside cooking and cleaning when I could be outside grilling, spring cleaning the yard and prepping for my first garden.  It was just too nice to be inside so the house work, aside from laundry, was set aside to wait for a rainy day.

We started the day the same as always.  Isagenix.  Mike and I have both written about our morning ritual before so I won't bore you with the details.  Saturday is a bit of a splurge day.  We have coffee and a light brunch so I pulled out some scones out of the freezer.  These were left over from my baking last week.  I was really curious to see how well they handled being frozen, and a few hours later we found out.  The scone itself was still delicious. The texture was a little crumblier than when it was fresh, but the flavor was very good.  The Lemon drizzle, while still very good, had lost that bright lemon flavor and really was better when fresh. Still, they were good enough that we couldn't stop at just one. We both ate 2. Good thing we had a busy day planned to help burn those extra calories.

Between Breakfast and Brunch we gave the house some much needed love.  Everything, and I really do mean everything, had been covered in yellow pollen. Pollen is sticky.  Did you know that?  So everything had to be washed twice, including the floors.  Sadly, because of this we only managed to clean half the house yesterday and will finish up the rest today.

During breaks in the cleaning, waiting for floors to dry, etc., I plotted and schemed food for the week.  Scanning the refrigerator, freezers and pantry I came up with a few ideas. The left over roasted chicken would be transformed into oven fried rice.  I already had most of the ingredients on hand, but would need some mushrooms.  Recipe below.

While I was going to be going to the grocery store anyway, I thought I would plan the meals for the week.  Google is my friend.  I picked up ingredients to make Salt Cod & Chorizo Chowder. I already had some salt cod and chorizo in the freezer.  And also on the list, Chicken & Mushrooms in Tarragon cream. Yum.  I will share both of those recipes after I have tested them since they may need tweaking.

Because we had eaten all the scones I also needed a brunch recipe for today so I decided to try the Chocolate Orange Swirl Bread from All Day I Dream About Food.  Last time I had tried it I had forgotten to add the protein powder and it still tasted delicious, if a little on the sweet side for our personal tastes, so I was excited to see how it would turn out if I actually included all the ingredients.

The first recipe I made is from my mom.  The recipe card she wrote out for me years ago simply has the title as Rice. Because really, this was the rice we always ate growing up.  The ingredients list is short and the prep very easy, even with a few tweaks I made yesterday.  Once popped into the over it needs very little attention. Other than an occasional stir, it can be ignored for about an hour.  The perfect dish to make the house smell yummy while you are busy with other chores.

Rice - Oven "Fried"

• 2 cups long grain rice.  My mom would have used white rice, but I didn't have any so I used brown. The only adjustment needed for this switch is in the cooking time.  Brown rice will take longer. 
• 1 package onion soup mix.  This is what the original recipe called for, but when I couldn't find an onion soup mix that didn't have ingredients I would prefer not to eat I decided to make my own.  If you are not bothered by MSG, you can use the a store bought mix, otherwise I will include my recipe below. 
• 1 8 ounce can mushrooms, with juice. 
• 1/3 cup soy sauce.  I used Gluten Free. 
• 1/3 cup oil.  Whatever you use for cooking every day.  I used grape seed. 
• 3 1/3 cups water
• Cooked chicken or beef - Optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all ingredients in a covered dish. Stir. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the liquid is absorbed, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Using brown rice, my cooking time ended up being about 2 hours.  Cooking times will vary depending on the rice used and on the oven so keep an eye on it.

The rice was soooooo GOOD. Mike and I couldn't stop eating straight from the pan.  Good thing we aren't sharing it with anyone else.

Home Made Onion Soup Mix (Equivalent of one onion soup mix envelope)

2 Gluten free and MSG free Beef Bouillon Cubes, crushed or otherwise blended into a powder, or equivalent powdered beef bouillon
1 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons dried onions

Mix everything together and use the whole recipe in the rice.  Make extra to have on hand if you like

Chocolate Orange Bread - Tweaked

The original recipe can be found here. Chocolate Orange Swirl Bread

Yield: 16 servings

Chocolate Swirl and Glaze
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Kelly's Notes: My modification to the glaze was to omit the sweetener. If you like sweeter sweets, check out the original recipe.  I have provided the link above.

Orange Bread
3 cups almond flour
1/3 cup vanilla whey protein powder. I used Isagenix IsaPro.
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated Stevia Based Baking blend (Original recipe recommended Swerve Sweetener or erythritol, but I can't get either of those locally)
3 large eggs
Zest of medium orange
20 drops stevia extract
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup milk (dairy or almond)

Kelly's Notes: With the bread I again decreased the amount of sweetener.  I also used whole fat cows milk instead of the almond milk called for in the original recipe.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300F and grease a loaf pan well.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter together until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, I used a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add granulated sweetener and beat until lighter and well-combined, about 2 minutes.
• Beat in eggs, one at time, scraping down beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Beat in orange zest and stevia extract.
• Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in orange juice and milk. Beat in remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.
• Spread half the batter into the prepared pan, and then dollop with about 2/3 of the chocolate glaze. Use a knife to swirl the chocolate into the batter.  
• Top with remaining batter, and swirl a bit more, then smooth the top.
• Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until top is deep golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Drizzle with remaining chocolate glaze.

My only complaint with this recipe is the serving size.  1/16, really?  I could have eaten the whole loaf.

I have not been able to get the bread to have a swirled effect using the technique above.  This technique works really well with thinner cake batters, but with this loaf I ended up just having a chocolate layer both times that I tried it.  Still tastes delicious.  If you try this recipe and manage to get the swirl effect to work, please share your technique.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share.  I think we are going to have to buy a camera.  A real one, as all pictures shared so far have been taken with a phone.

And guess what.  It's raining again today.

I hope you will try these and if you do, please share your experience.  Did you make your own tweaks? How did it turn out?

Whole Grain Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Scones with Meyer Lemon Drizzle

Saturday morning espresso and baked goods will never be the same again.

Mike and I have a weekend ritual/splurge.  Saturdays and Sundays we get up and follow our usual morning routine, but with a twist.  1 oz Ionix Supreme, 3 squirts Isamune and water. Approximately 15 minutes later we have 1 scoop Mars Venus cleanse in 1 cup of water and 2 Mars Venus minerals each, Mars for Mike and Venus for me. Then within 10 minutes we have a 3 scoop Mars Venus shake in 1 cup of water, again Mars for Mike and Venus for me. With the shake we have our Ageless Essentials with Product B and a few other supplements.

This is our normal every day morning routine, but on the weekends instead of having our usual snacks we have a special brunch-like, mid-morning meal with homemade espresso/cappuccino and some type of baked good. Usually the baked good is Udi's cinnamon raisin bread toasted and served with organic peanut butter, creamy since the texture of the Udi's bread is very delicate.  But today, well yesterday really - I had to get some supplies after all, I decided to bake something from scratch using ingredients I have never used before.  Crazy I know! What if it turned out terrible?  Don't worry, there was a loaf of Udi's cinnamon raisin bread in the freezer, just in case.  I was a boy scout after all.  No that isn't a typo.

The ingredients I had never worked with before are teff flour and sorghum flour. Since they were new to me I started by researching GF flour blends that used teff and sorghum.  Gluten Free Girl and the Chef is a great resource, as is a new blog I found yesterday, Gluten Free Gourmand.  I highly recommend that you check out both of these blogs.  The recipe below is based on the Blueberry scone recipe found on the Gluten Free Gourmand site.

So here it is, Whole Grain Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Scones with Meyer Lemon Drizzle

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Teff flour
3/4 cup Sorghum flour
2 Tablespoons Tapioca flour
2 Tablespoons Potato starch
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder (make sure it's GF)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup chilled cream
1 egg
Zest from 1 Meyer lemon
1/3 - 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen wild Maine blueberries, but fresh would work great. And specified the range because I used the 1/3 measuring cup, but filled it to over-flowing. I love blueberries)

Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, 2 knives or your favorite method, until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Keep this mixture cold, chilling it in the freezer if the butter starts to soften. especially important on warm days.

Whisk together, in a separate bowl, the cream, egg and zest.

Add the wet ingredients to dry the ingredients. Stir until the mixture starts to hold together, add the blueberries and then gently knead the dough a few times with your hands. If the dough is too sticky to handle once it's combined, you can add about a tablespoon of flour to coat the surface of the dough for easier handling. If the dough seems dry and won't hold together easily, add 1-2 Tbsp more cream and knead it in, being careful that your butter chunks don't melt into the dough.  If the dough starts to get too warm during mixing, chill it in the freezer for a few minutes before proceeding.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper.  Gently push the dough into a flat disk about one inch high. Moisten your hands with water if the dough is sticky. Cut into eight equal pieces and arrange them on the baking sheet about one inch apart.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.

While the scones are baking make the Meyer Lemon Drizzle.
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whisk the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth.

Once the scones are done baking, place the baking sheet on a cooling rake for 5 minutes to set before removing them from the baking sheet and placing them directly on the cooling rack.  This will allow the outside edges to firm up a bit and make the scones easier to move.  Place the baking sheet under the cooling rack and drizzle the scones with the Meyer lemon glaze.  Allow to sit a few more minutes to let the glaze set,  then enjoy your scones!

These can be eaten warm out of the oven, or at room temperature.

May 5, 2013. Day 2 enjoying the scones.  The lemon flavor in the drizzle has intensified nicely.  Mike says it is very good.  He likes the more intense lemoniness.  I do as well.  The texture is a little crumblier.   Not unpleasant, but a little messier.

Second update: Mike just looked at me and said he wished we hadn't frozen the rest and asked how long they would take to thaw.  They are that good! 

Gardening - My latest attempt at avoiding all the -cides and GMOs

Gardening.  Yes, gardening.  Yikes!

This blog takes yet another turn in the road.  So glad I didn't decide to make it on one specific topic.

Just about everyone who is my friend on Facebook knows that I am not a fan of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and all the other -cides used in commercial farming.  Why?  Cide = Death.  Sure, they kill their intended targets, but they also kill innocent, beneficial creatures such as worms (that can help break down minerals in the soil and make them available to the plants) and possibly humans.

I can almost hear most of you calling me crazy right now.  How can pesticides and other -cides kill humans.  By making us sick!  Most pesticides work by affecting the nervous system via the use of organophosphates.
The effect of organophosphates was discovered in the 1930's during World War II. They were used in the creation of nerve gas, which was used in chemical warfare. When used in lethal dosages for humans, organophosphates cause extreme excitability, convulsions, paralysis and in most cases, death.

Ok, most of us are not going to be exposed to lethal levels of pesticides, at least not from the food we eat.  Not all in one dose anyway.  Bullet dodged?? Not really. Recent scientific research has shown that pesticides are not eliminated very efficiently by the human body. Because the body can't eliminate these toxins efficiently they do build up in the body in several places. Our incredibly intelligent bodies, in an attempt to protect themselves from the poisons, will do the only thing it can to protect itself . Store toxins in adipose (fat) tissue.  Excess fat is linked to many diseases many of which can lead to early death.  In fact obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. Since pesticides lead to us storing more fat they do lead to increased rates of human deaths as well. YIKES! Don't believe me, do some research.  There are many studies showing that our bodies are loaded with toxins.

After all these years of talking about avoiding all these chemicals I am going to attempt the next step and that is to plant a garden and grow my own, free of chemicals. I have never grown a garden before so this is a learning experience for me.  I am not worried though because I know some very knowledgeable gardeners and gardeners seem to love talking about what works and doesn't work.  So grateful for that as I will no doubt be needing loads of advice.

To get started we bought a raised bed system from Home Depot and it was delivered on Wednesday.
Greenes Fence Tall Tiers Dovetail Raised Garden Bed

It is still in the box, but today is Friday and that means the start of the weekend.  Yesterday I went out looking for some nice soil options for the garden and pricing some different options.  Who knew there were so many to choose from. And boy is it expensive.  Tomorrow I will check out one more option, recommended to me by my dental hygienist during my cleaning yesterday.  This nursery makes it's own soil from organic material such as compost.  Hoping the price is right, or at least comparable to other options I have seen as I really do love supporting local businesses.  So that will be tomorrow, finding some soil and coming up with a solution for keeping the cats from eating our crops.  They love herbs and lettuce greens.

And then of course there are the usual garden issues to worry about.  Since we will not be using chemicals I am researching companion planting. I read that marigolds are great at keeping aphids away, that peppermint can deter ants and that basil can drive away flies and mosquitoes.  Living in northern Maine, anything that can help keep mosquitoes away is a most welcome addition to any yard.  Bonus that I love basil.

The method that I choose to use is called square foot gardening and I picked up a copy of "All New Square Foot Gardening", by Mel Bartholomew.  And thankfully I have some Facebook friends familiar with the method of gardening.  I am not too proud to ask for advice and even beg for help.

As this project progresses, I will take pictures and post about my successes and failures and hopefully about the food we grow and eat.  If any of you have tips and advice for me I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave comments here on the blog or on my Facebook page IsaIsEnough.

It's an odd feeling to be so excited about something and so nervous about the same thing all at the same time.  Wish us luck!



If you are interested in learning how Isagenix can help you help your body release toxins watch this video.



If you would like to discuss Isagenix further email us at mikenkelly.isagenix@gmail.com

Telomeres and aging - Product B

As many of you know by now, Mike and I have enjoyed Isagenix products for several years.  They  replace the majority of our groceries and provide most of our nutritional needs. In fact we say we shop at Isagenix and supplement at the grocery store.

2 years ago, Mike and I started on a Product B which is a nutritional supplement based on cutting edge, Nobel prize winning telomere science. We were part of a select group of people that had access to the product before it was officially launched.  Generation One. The biggest thing Mike and I noticed during this phase was that we dealt with stress better. Things just didn't bother us as much and we could let go of things more easily.

Within 4 or 5 months of starting on Product B Isagenix launched Generation Two in August 2011 at their largest annual conference called Celebration. I remember the excitement in the room when Generation Two was revealed. For many people Generation Two would be their first, but for those of us that had taken part of the pre-launch learning that Generation Two was twice as good at supporting telomeres practically had us dancing in our seats.  We bought ours as soon as the session went to break and started on it the next day. Generation 2 was amazing.  Within a few months we started noticing big changes.  Better sleep, softening of wrinkles, more energy and increased weight loss. Also faster recovery from workouts and other strenuous activities.  The change was so great that we decided to double up on the recommended 2 pills twice a day, after confirming that it was safe, and we did see even further improvements in all the areas mentioned above.

So what could get better???  Isagenix launched the third generation at Celebration 2012.  This generation was now so good at supporting telomeres that it performed better in lab testing than synthetic chemicals previously considered to be the gold standard in telomere support. This was very exciting because until testing began on the third generation of product B experts such as Dr William Andrews didn't believe that it would be possible to achieve such results with natural and safe ingredients since prior to product B similar results were only attainable with toxic chemicals.

How much better was Generation Three?  I don't remember the exact % improvement, but I do know that there was a lot more dancing going on in the audience when it was announced.  Again Mike and I rushed out to the Isagenix store to purchase ours as soon as the session went to break and started the next day. This third generation was so powerful that we actually cut back to 2 pills twice a day from 4 twice a day and still experienced major improvements in multiple areas.

If you want to learn more about Product B, please watch the following videos.  The first is a news article aired in Orlando Florida on Channel 6 and the second is a longer video explaining some of the science behind Product B.

Contact us at mikenkelly.isagenix@gmail.com for more information. Or order at
http://mloux.isagenix.com

Fountain of youth?


product B orlando news from George Ruiz on Vimeo.


How it works.


Telomeres And Aging-Product B Presentation from S Long on Vimeo.

Aha moments - Not letting fear get in the way of helping myself and others.

This week I have had so many Aha moments that it seems like it couldn't possibly have been only 1 week.

First, a friend of mine, Stacy Moscotti, posted on FaceBook, "Keep it simple. Overcomplicating is a form of procrastination."

WOW! This spoke to me on so many levels.  I tend to over think everything. I worry about missing any details, about not thinking of all the plausible alternatives, etc.  So much so that it often paralyzes me and keeps me from doing!  Have you ever been there?  Are the "What is?" holding you back to?

Second, I was able to share with another friend resources for the highly sensitive person and this immediately had an impact on this person.  WOW!  Acting on your instincts is key. Keeping them in does no one any good.

Third, people are turning to me for guidance regarding healthy lifestyles.  WOW!  ME???  Ok, I have made a lot of progress in this area over the last few years so I do understand being looked at as an inspiration.  BUT, I never would have expected people to turn to me for guidance.  Imagine all the feelings that come with that if you will.

• OMG
• Really - how can I possibly help?  I am still so fat and unhealthy. 
• Wow - I know how to answer these questions. Maybe I can help?
• What if I give them bad advice and someone gets hurt? 
• It's only food Kelly.  Smarten up.  You could really help this person!
• OMG - I can totally do this! 
• Oh shit!  I hope I gave them the right information.
• OMG, OMG, OMG, did I forget any details. Pouring over the message again and again to make sure I didn't mislead or forget anything :(
• When a message letting me know how positively my share has helped them or a loved one comes in :)
• OMG, what an amazing feeling!  I love doing this! 
• Who else can I help? 

That's how my week has been this week.  But every single attempt to help has turned out better than I could possibly have imagined it would.  Fear almost stopped my from sharing my knowledge and experience.  ALMOST.  But I got over myself and just forged ahead anyway.  Thankful now.

And all of this made me realize the importance of keeping things simple. Thank you Stacy Moscotti! Your post popped up on my feed just when I needed it.

Happy Easter! And E+ winner announced

Mike and I are having a wonderful Easter.  As is our habit, whenever we are at home for any holiday, we celebrate with a leisurely brunch.

This morning started off a little later than usual.  Mike actually got to sleep in because I woke up early enough to feed the cats before they woke the whole house up.  While Mike was still sleeping, I quietly sat on the sofa and enjoyed the sunrise. Beautiful on this clear Easter Sunday.

And within minutes of waking, Mike started the morning ritual. 1 ounce of Ionix Supreme and 3 sprays of Isamune each.  10-15 minutes later we enjoyed a shaker full of Mars Venus Cleanse. 1 scoop in 8 ounces of water. This cleanse tastes like lemonade and is meant to assist with digestion.  Normally this would be followed in about 10-15 minutes with a shake, Mars for Mike and Venus for me, but this morning we skipped the shake to get right to brunch. We were running late after all, and this was meant to be a leisurely brunch.

First course was Chocolate Orange Swirl Bread – Low Carb and Gluten-Free, from All Day I Dream About Food.  This was an amazing start to our brunch. Even though I messed up while mixing it, and forgot to add the protein powder, it still tasted wonderful. I will try it again and next time I will make sure to follow the recipe more carefully.  We had this with a nice cup of homemade cappuccino. Yummy and very filling.

Second course was a frittata made with smoked salmon, grilled asparagus and ricotta. I made this recipe up and it turned out wonderful. Recipe below.

And the last course was baked grapefruit. There are many recipes for this available online, but I have simplified it greatly.  I simply slice the grapefruit in half, separate the sections, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes. Warming the grapefruit really brings out the flavors, especially the grapefruit underlying pepperiness.

This all took about 4 hours.  I did say leisurely brunch and I meant it. In between courses we played with the cats, cleaned up the house and played on the Internet.  Well I played on the Internet, Mike played Skyrim.

By all accounts, a wonderful Easter brunch.

Smoked Salmon, Asparagus and Ricotta Frittata
6 eggs
3/4 cup ricotta
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 medium shallot, minced
1/4 pound lightly cooked asparagus. Should be tender, but not soft.
4 oz smoked salmon. We used Echo Falls Cracked Pepper
2 green onions,
Mix until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375F
Mix eggs, ricotta and Parmesan cheese until well blended and smooth.
In a large, oven safe, pan, saute shallot in olive oil until tender and starting to caramelize.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir to combine. Cook on the stove top until just starting to set and then transfer to the oven.
Bake until set. 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it though, since not all ovens are calibrated the same. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oh, and the winner of the E+ 6 pack is Charity Eivers.  She correctly guessed that Mike and I lost a combined 16 pounds during the first 4 days of our Isagenix 9 day program.  Charity was the only person to guess correctly.  She saved you from watching a video post of me drawing the winning name out of a hat I bought in AZ while on vacation earlier this month.  I'll have to come up with a new reason to do a drawing.

The first 4 days of the Isagenix 9 day program consist of 2 shake days followed by 2 cleanse days. Mike and I had a phenomenal first 4 days.  Mike released 7.4 pounds and I released 8.8 pounds.  The total, 16.2 pounds.  And as promised, we rounded this to the nearest whole number to make guessing easier.  So 16 pounds it is.

If you would like to learn more about Isagenix products, like the 9 day program, send us a message at mikenkelly.isagenix@gmail.com.

*The weight-loss testimonials presented apply only to the individuals depicted, cannot be guaranteed, and should not be considered typical. A 2008 university study showed a statistically significant weight loss of 3.2kg during the 9-Day Nutritional Cleansing Program.

Give it just 4 days - plus e+ giveaway

Mike and I have officially been back from vacation since waking up Monday morning and we have not wasted any time in getting back on the gluten free and healthy eating bandwagon.  Happily we can already see and feel the difference in just 4 days.

We started our week with day 1 of a 9 day Isagenix program as an accelerated start to a 30 day program.  What is a 9 day Isagenix program?  Well first of all, it's 11 days worth of Isagenix products.  No, I don't know why they don't call it an 11 day program.  The 11 days consist of 7 shake days and 4 cleanse days.

Here is a link for a description of the 9 day program, shake days and cleanse days.
http://mloux.isagenix.com/us/en/file.ashx?id=0a0498da-0509-41c6-a71f-e729e08aa588

Our shakes days are a little different from the document because we have modified them for our needs and lifestyle.  No program will work if you can't make it fit your needs and goals. We follow the basics, but add additional snacks and enjoy our main meal for dinner instead of lunch because we like to eat together. Our cleanse days are a little different as well because we've incorporate a little something just about every hour, following a special cleanse schedule designed by Kjersti Cote, the daughter of Isagenix founder, John Anderson.

As of this morning, we've completed 2 shake days and 2 cleanse days. We are feeling great, less bloated and more energetic. We eagerly stepped on the scales and were blown away by our results.  Now, I have to say that scales are not a very good measure of progress when you are on a mission to get healthy.  Inches lost are a much better indicator of progress because fat loss and muscle gain might cancel each other out, but a pound of muscle is much more compact than a pound of fat. Having said that, unfortunately we don't have time to measure on a Friday morning. Though the inches released are obvious in how our clothes are fitting, the scale will have to suffice for today.

How awesome were our results???  I'm not going to tell you, but if you can guess you could win a 6 pack of e+. A $24 value.

For a chance to win leave a comment with how many pounds you think Mike and I (combined) released over the last 4 days.  I've rounded the number to the nearest whole number to make it easier to guess.  That way you don't have to worry about fractions of a pound. If you guess the number correctly you will be entered into a drawing.  You must be a resident of the US or Canada to win. 1 winner only. If no one guesses correctly, the closest number, without going over, will be used for the drawing. And please consider following our blog.

Information on e+ can be found at this link. http://www.mloux.isagenix.com/us/en/sharetheshot.html

Drawing will be on Sunday at noon EDT.  Winner will be announced on the blog, along with our 4 day results, shortly after.

*The weight-loss testimonials presented apply only to the individuals depicted, cannot be guaranteed, and should not be considered typical. A 2008 university study showed a statistically significant weight loss of 3.2kg during the 9-Day Nutritional Cleansing Program.

Off the wagon - 1 week quickly becomes 3 weeks

I think everyone has been there.  You start a new "good for you" habit and everything is great for a while and then slowly, or maybe not so slowly, you fall out of your good habits and back into your old habits.  I've read a lot of research that says it takes 21 days to form a new habit, some say 45 days and others 90 days.  Maybe it depends on the person?  I am not sure how long it really takes, but I am leaning more towards 90 days after this experience.

Mike and I were gluten free for 30 days and it was wonderful.  We felt great, lost weight, were experiencing many wonderful side effects and best of all, it was easy.  You never hear about good side effects from medications, but there were plenty of welcome side effects with going gluten free.  Read some of our previous posts if you want to get a better idea about the types of changes we experienced.

Still, we didn't stick to it after the initial 30 days.  WHY?

Well.....we thought we would go back to our old ways of eating for 1 week to see if we would notice the reverse effects.  Would we go back to feeling the way we felt before our 30 day gluten free challenge?  Or would there be no change?

The answer to that question is that we felt worse faster once we re-added the gluten than we felt better when we eliminated it.  That's a mouthful.  Essentially, it took 3-4 days of being gluten free before we noticed significant beneficial changes and this was likely due to detoxing from wheat and gluten.  But when we re-added gluten the negative effects were noticeable the very same day.  I am not sure if the onset of the ickies was actually faster, or if our sensitivity to not feeling as well was heightened because feeling really good was so fresh in our minds.  I am guessing more of the later.

That 1 week morphed into just shy of 3 weeks.  You see, we had 9 days between the gluten free challenge ending on March 5 and our Arizona vacation beginning and we didn't want to have to worry about gluten on vacation so....  I bet you can guess where this is going.  Yes, that's right.  We decided to extend the gluten free for all until the end of our vacation on March 23. In hindsight, BAD IDEA!

What were we thinking?  Well obviously eating gluten free wasn't and isn't a habit yet.  We easily slipped back into our old ways of eating, and even with the bloating and discomfort we just kept enjoying the scones and the tortillas, etc.  We didn't necessarily eat badly. No junk food was consumed and all the food we did eat was prepared from easily pronounceable, fresh (local when possible) ingredients. We did however eat larger portions than normal and we did not attempt to avoid gluten.  On some occasions the choices we did make were gluten free, but that was because those foods are natural gluten free, not because we were trying to avoid gluten.

Getting back from vacation, bloated, feeling gassy and with our pants snug around the waist helped us realize that we have had enough of flirting with a healthy lifestyle.

Back on the wagon!


I'll see if I can get Mike so share some of the amazing pictures he took with his Samsung Galazy SIII. Arizona is beautiful.  And Mike's dad is the most gracious host, taking us to many amazing locations.  We had a lot of fun.  Next year I think we need to check out the Sky Walk.

Mike, here.  I shared all of my photos on Facebook.  Here are public links to the albums.  Enjoy! 

• Grand Canyon
• Montezuma Well
• Verde Canyon Railroad

MIA - temporarily, but we are back

Sorry for being absent for so long.  Work and vacation kept us from posting much over the last few weeks, but we are baaaaaacccckkkk!

Lots of changes coming for the rest of the year.  We will be revamping all aspects of ours lives and sharing along the way; what works, what doesn't, and any tips and tricks we learn along the way. So stay tuned.  We will soon be having lots of fun!

Post 30 day GF challenge revelation

Well, Mike and I decided to add some gluten back in for a week to see if we would  notice the difference going backwards.  A reverse experiment.

For the last few days I have been cranky.  Not my normal, bubbly self.  I have been more easily upset and work has just been more challenging than necessary. Mike's tales of work have been similar, though his moods have been better than mine.

Ummm....What's going on here???

At first I was willing to chalk it up to life being life. And it took until today for me to realize that all this coincided pretty much with Sunday brunch, a gluten and wheat extravaganza of delicious proportions. The more I think about it, and the more I look back to the events of the last week, the more I am starting to think that all the bad stuff (moods, anxiety, stress, cravings, disinterest in eating well) can be linked to gluten being back in our lives. Ok, work is stressful, but not more so than it was last week or the week before.  And life is life, but not in a significantly different way than it was before. So I really have to believe that there might be something to this.

At first we only had small amounts, and a lot of time in between each gluten/wheat containing food, but since Sunday we have had a rather heavy does of gluten with at least 1 meal per day.  And coincidentally or not, that is also when I started getting grumpy.  I don't think it is a coincidence!

Of course I would come to this realization today, on our anniversary, which I decided to celebrate by making homemade pizza on a wheat crust.  We ate it anyway and it was good. Maybe even really good. But it wasn't great.  It wasn't better than the gluten free pizzas of the previous month.  Different, but not better. And this surprised me a lot.  I was expecting nirvana.  I make damn good pizza crust.  And this one was pretty much my usual crust, but it just wasn't that great :(

While eating our pizza, Mike and I discussed how we were feeling, and had been feeling over the last few days.  Mike admitted that he had not been feeling that great.  Upset stomach, gas and even a little heartburn.  I had the symptoms I mentioned above plus a few additional physical symptoms that were rather mild, but not insignificant; loose stools, smelly gas and mild heartburn.

Light bulb moments can happen at any time and I seriously think this was a light bulb moment.  Even though we were initially skeptical that gluten/wheat was an issue for us, we both now feel it is very clear that gluten/wheat affects us in a negative way.

What to do now?? Well....back to gluten free for starters.

But that won't be enough.  When we went gluten free for the 30 day challenge we found ourselves eating a little less healthy than we had been prior.  Many of the gluten free products available on the market are very high in starch, which causes high blood sugar levels and has an insulin roller coaster effect.  NOT healthy.  I will use the excuse that we were in the experimentation phase and just checking out what was available.  Moving forward we will shy away from these products, except for on special occasions.  I had also been baking a lot, something I didn't do prior to the GF challenge, and therefore eating more baked goods, many of them made with GF flours that were relatively high in starch.  Seeing a trend now.

You see where this is going, I am sure. Eating all this extra food was filling and we found ourselves cutting back on truly healthy, and naturally gluten free, foods such as fruits and vegetables. No wonder so many people who go gluten free gain weight.  It can be a dangerous expedition full of health pitfalls.

So, out with the GF products and in with fruits and veggies.  Out with the GF alternatives and in with naturally GF whole grains, like quinoa. Out with the high starch baked goods and in with lean protein and healthy fats.  And of course, more Isagenix!  Especially the cleanse.  We need to release these toxins post haste.

I look forward to being able to blog about how much better I am feeling, again, in just a few days!

30 days gluten free, come and gone

So, somehow we forgot to post about our 30 day, gluten free challenge experience.  I am guessing it had a lot to do with being very busy with work and just letting life get in the way.

The 30th day was Feb. 26, 2013 and I have to say that overall the gluten free challenge was a great success.  Both Mike and I noticed subtle differences in how we felt (better sleep, better bowel movements, less puffy, more energy) and just as importantly other people noticed the difference in how we looked (smaller bellies).

The 30 days were not without their challenges. There was a pizza party to attend and we had to find GF substitutions for our favorite staples; pancakes, pizza and sandwiches, but all in all it was fairly easy.  Much easier than either of us had anticipated. We did find some delicious GF recipes for all 3 of our wheat weaknesses and somehow, somewhere along the way our obsession for these foods diminished.  Recipes have been posted on the blog and can be linked to fairly easily by clicking on the recipes link above.

Since the end of the challenge we have incorporated some gluten back into our diets, or more accurately we haven't been as careful to avoid it, and it has been obvious in how we feel, if not in how we look (yet). Neither of us is feeling terrible. We didn't have the cramping and other issues commonly reported by gluten free people with true gluten intolerance who eat gluten. But neither of us is feeling quite right either.  There is just something that is a little off (bowel movements for me).

The conclusion.  Is a gluten free diet right for us?  YES, yes we do believe it is.  While we are not going to be fanatical about avoiding gluten, say should we be invited to have a meal at a friend's home (because we really don't want people to stop inviting us to dinner just because they don't know how to accommodate out gluten free lifestyle), we will be gluten free at home and as much as possible when dining out.

Some of the benefits we have personally experienced;

• fewer/no cravings after just a couple of days (May take longer for some people. We were lucky!)
• better sleep
• inches lost, especially around the waist and belly
• better bowel movements
• more energy
• better moods
• more mental clarity
• increased libido
• I don't have dandruff anymore. Mike never had dandruff.
• less menstrual cramping. 

Back to not being fanatical.  Tomorrow we have been invited to brunch. On the menu, breakfast pizza, coffee cake and whatever we decide to bring. Leaning towards some type of fruit, but it will depend on what looks good at the grocery store.  So tomorrow we will be eating wheat for one meal and we are going to enjoy it. 

The future....incorporating more produce. 

Deep Dish Pizza - recipe

Yesterday's deep dish pizza attempt was a huge success, even with the non GF people in attendance at the foodie party.

So what exactly did I come up with?

Deep Dish Pizza Crust.

5 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 Cup warm water
2 packets of quick rise active yeast (I used 4.5 teaspoons SAF)
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 1/4 Cup GF All Purpose Flour (I used King Arthur because that was what was available at the store)

Grease a 9 or 10 inch deep dish pizza pan with 2 Tablespoons of the Olive Oil. You can also use a springform or cake pan.

• Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix well.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water with the yeast and add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture.
• Mix well and let sit until it is bubbly and smells yeasty. About 15-30 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter into the pan, pressing the dough up the edges. 
• Let rise for an hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F.

Before adding toppings, bake until light golden brown, about 30 minutes, but watch it since all ovens cook differently.


After the pizza dough is cooked, let cool for 5-10 minutes, or longer if needed.  This is great because you can make the pizza crust ahead of time and reheat later.

Since the dough is baked beforehand, your toppings should be precooked if you wouldn't want to eat them raw or mostly raw.

Our first GF Deep Dish Pizza - Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Bacon and Cheddar cheese - was inspired by Pizzeria Uno's pizza skins.

Spread cooked mashed potatoes on Pizza dough, cover with cheddar cheese and cooked, homemade bacon bits. Bake at 350-375F until the potatoes are warmed through and the cheese is melted and browned.

Enjoy!

Day 28 - Gluten Free

So far this whole gluten free challenge has been fairly easy.  Aside from reading labels our lives haven't changed much.  We just make different choices now. Day 28 without any cravings. That is still the biggest benefit I have noticed, on top of the weight loss. But day 28 arrives with a new challenge.  We've been invited to a foodie party. A pizza party. A deep dish pizza party. WE LOVE PIZZA!

The party throwers know that Mike and I are gluten free for this challenge, but invited us anyway and we are thrilled to be invited.  We have a history of being social hermits that we are trying to break free from.  But of course we would not expect them to make a special meal just for the 2 of us so when we accepted the invite we also confirmed that we would bring our own pie and dessert.

As you know, if you've read our past posts or even just browsed the titles, we've been experimenting with pizza, but they have all been thin crust pizzas.  Deep dish is a new challenge. A totally different process. And admittedly, until this morning I had missed the Chicago theme of the foodie event so I am completely unprepared.  Thankfully I am creative and fearless in the kitchen.

On the menu for today, GF deep dish pizza (or thin crust if the deep dish doesn't work out) and flourless chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla sauce.  If the recipes turn out well I will share them later. Can't share them now as I haven't made them up yet.

Isagenix Weight Loss Journey

Mike and I have achieved some significant milestones on our weight loss journey and I wanted to share with everyone.

Weight Loss Hall Of fame entry #200

In 2013 we are focusing on mental health. As difficult as losing weight is, healing a fat brain is more difficult.

Gluten Free Focaccia Recipe

This morning was a bit of an odd morning.  As always, Mike gets up first to feed the cats. LOVE that! And he turns on my work computer for me.  LOVE that even more. The morning was off to a great start, just like every morning, and there were no telltale signs at this early hour that anything would be different today than from any other work day. That is until I tried to connect to my work's VPN.  While we did have Internet connectivity at the house, enough to run our personal computers, it was not a strong enough connection to allow me to connect to, and stay connected to my office's VPN.  Sigh!

Now, I am not a network guru, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that the weather was likely responsible for our super fast Internet connection being super slow. Blizzards can do that.

So what was I going to do.  Well thankfully I was able to get an email through to my managers.  Hopefully they had Internet connections and were able to receive it.  Since I can't work, and Mike had the day off for President's day, we decided to play.

Sitting in the living room drinking my morning shake I asked Mike what he would like me to bake and he responded, most enthusiastically, sandwich bread.  I wasn't really surprised since this was the last of the 3 hurdles to living a gluten free life that we had initially identified when we first started this 30 day challenge.

So I turned to Google and began searching for sandwich bread recipes.  I found a bunch of interesting sounding recipes, that I will post about at a later date, and the pictures looked promising as well, but I ended up not making any of them.  Why?  Because they all contained sorghum flour and I have not been successful at locating sorghum flour locally. Maybe an Internet order sometime soon will correct this issue.

Not wanting to disappoint Mike, and not being willing to admit defeat so easily, I started thinking about other types of breads that can be used to make sandwiches. Focaccia immediately came to mind.  More Googling revealed several promising recipes, which I adapted to meet my needs.

To start with, most of the recipes were primarily made from Gluten Free All Purpose flour.  I didn't have any on hand because I had used it all last week, but that didn't stop me because I had the ingredients I needed to make up my own GF AP Flour and that's just what I did.

Gluten Free AP Flour blend.


3 cups brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch
Mix it all up and put in an air tight container.

Focaccia.


5 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 Cup warm water
2 packets of quick rise active yeast (I used 4.5 teaspoons SAF)
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 1/4 Cup GF All Purpose Flour (recipe above or use your favorite blend)
Seasonings and or toppings of your choice

Grease a 9 x 13 in pan with 2 Tablespoons of the Olive Oil.

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix well.
In a mixer, combine the warm water with the yeast and add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture.
Mix well and let sit until it is bubbly and smells yeasty. about 15 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients to the mixer, with the exception of your chosen toppings, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter into the pan.
Let rise for an hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375.

Just before baking, drizzle the dough with olive oil and add the toppings of your choice.
Bake until light golden brown, about 30 minutes, but watch it since all ovens cook differently.
Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy :)

Note: Toppings I used.  On half the pan I drizzled extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled pizza seasoning (Williams Sonoma). On the other half I spread homemade pesto mixed with enough extra virgin olive oil to make it easily spreadable on the delicate dough.

Later today I will attempt to turn the focaccia into sandwiches.  Grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, pesto compound butter and mixed greens.  Sounds good and if it tastes good we will let you all know.

Have a great day!

Home Made, Gluten Free, Triple Chocolate Pancakes

Pancakes are an obsession for me.  It is one weekend ritual I really look forward to all week. When Mike and I decided to try this 30 day Gluten Free Challenge, there were 3 food items we felt would make it difficult for us if we could not come up with tasty GF alternatives; sandwiches, pizza and pancakes.  The next challenge will be to make them healthier by omitting all/most of the starch.

Well....last weekend I did make a very good pizza and this weekend I made awesome pancakes.  If I didn't tell you they were gluten free I doubt that you would be able to tell. But don't take my word for it, try them for yourself.

I started by making my own Gluten Free All Purpose flour mix.
I'll need to work on this to decrease the starch, but this is what I used.

Home Made, Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

3 cups brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch

Mix it all up and put in an air tight container.

Pancakes.

Mix together dry ingredients.
1 1/4 cups Gluten Free AP flour
1 tablespoon sugar (or substitute)
1 Tablespoon GF Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Xantham Gum (will try with less or even without next time as the pancakes were very thick)

Mix together wet ingredients.
1 1/4 cups milk (plain, chocolate, etc. You could even try alternative milks such as almond or rice). I used reduced fat chocolate milk
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly.
Add whatever add ins you like, blueberries, chocolate chips, etc.  I used Ghirardelli mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and let sit for while your pan/griddle heats up.

Cook like regular pancakes.


Note that mine were very thick and so they didn't get the telltale bubbles that pancakes normally get telling you when to flip so I guessed.  I cooked mine at 325F for about 4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second side.  I usually test to see if they are done by poking them lightly.  If they spring back they are cooked.

Next challenge....making these healthy.

Sorry, no picture!

More places where gluten hides

Some Foods Which May Contain Gluten:

Brown Rice Syrup - If it isn’t labeled gluten free it might contain barley.

Bulk Section Foods - Scoops could get crossed or containers switched and not well washed beforehand.

Buckwheat Noodles - Not all are 100% buckwheat & may contain wheat flour.

Candy - Licorice, hard candies, etc.

Canned Goods - Baked beans, soups, & veggies canned in a sauce. Chipotle in adobo, vegetarian chilies  etc.

Caramel Coloring - Made in US it’s GF, elsewhere is is not guaranteed GF.

Cereals - Many rice & oat cereals have wheat flour added, are made with oats that are not gluten-free, or contain malt flavoring.

Chips - Flavored chips may be hiding gluten.

Chocolate - Some may be sweetened with barley.

Condiments - Mustards, sweet & sour sauces, hoisin, etc.

Dish Soaps, Household Cleaners, & Laundry Detergents - Check for gluten-free labels.

Drugs & Medicines - See glutenfreedrugs.com for a list of gluten-free ones. Items such as cough drops, Beano, etc. may contain gluten. Please talk with a physician.

Envelopes, Stamps, & Stickers - Believe it or not, gluten may be hiding there.

Flavorings - Vanilla, hazelnut, almond, etc. Make sure yours is labeled gluten-free.

Fried Yumminesses - May be cooked in same fryer with breaded foods.

Health & Beauty Aids - Shampoos, Body washes, & Moisturizers – many use wheat germ.

Malt - Extracted most of the time from barley, but sometimes from other grains. Check to see if it’s gluten-free in the product you’d like to enjoy.

Miso - Some types are made with barley. If you’re looking for a soy-free miso, South River Miso has what you’re looking for.

Mouthwash & Toothpaste - Some brands contain gluten.

Non-Stick Cooking Sprays - Check the labels to ensure it’s gluten-free.

Pancake syrups - You might just wanna stick with good ‘ol 100% maple sryup.

Rice Mixes - The flavor packets of some boxed rice mixes may be hiding gluten.

Roasted Nuts - Emerald Backyard Grill Glazed Walnuts ‘n Almond & Emerald Dry Roasted Walnuts contain gluten, to name a few.

Salad Dressings - Some use gluten as a thickener.

Sauces and flavorings - Soy sauce, Worcestershire, bbq, liquid smoke, teriyaki, hoisin, etc.

Spice Mixes - Some contain flour to prevent sticking – such as white pepper, 5 spice, pie spices, mustard powder,hing/asofeotida, etc.

Starch*, Food Starch, & Modified Food Starch - As of 2006 companies are required by law to list ingredients as “containing WHEAT” if the starches do contain in. Check with the manufacturer just to be safe. (*Unless otherwise stated on the food label, the single word “starch” in an ingredient list means corn starch.)

Tea - Bigelow brand chamomile mango, cinnamon spice, blueberry harvest and Celestial Seasonings’ roastaroma contain gluten.

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) - Check the labels! Some brands contain wheat flour (Bob’s Red Mill has gluten-free TVP & TSP).

Toffuti Sour & Cream Cheese* - * while tofutti contains no added gluten in their cream cheese and sour cream, they cannot guarantee the flavors used in their products are free of gluten. some have reported being tolerant and others have reacted to their products; ultimately it’s up to you.

Tomato Paste - Some brands use wheat flour as a thickener.

Trail Mixes - Some brands which contain dates may use wheat flour to prevent sticking.

Veggies - Those frozen in a sauce may contain gluten.

Veggie Burgers - Many brands contain wheat gluten to bind them together.

Wasabi Peas - ????

“Wheat Free” Foods - Products labeled “wheat free” are not necessarily gluten-free. Wheat free does not = gluten-free – don’t be fooled!

Wine Coolers - Malt flavoring is usually made using wheat.