Vacation

I've been away from my computer for a few days now. It first started because I caught something and felt ill. I had a fever, chills, diarrhea, and lack of an appetite. This all happened the day before I was supposed to fly into Michigan. I don't know if I was glutened, caught something at the gym, or if it was because I ate some of the batter with raw egg from my baker's challenge idea. Whatever it was, it sucked and totally took me out! My plane was delayed which allowed me to switch my flight to the next day, so I had more time to recover.

This past weekend we spent in Manistee, MI with some friends right on Lake Michigan.

We had campfires on the beach!

We played games on the beach.

There was a themed '80s party.

And of course...my own gluten free cooler.

That was filled with Woodchuck Cider and Red Bridge!

The weekend was gorgeous, fun, and a little crazy! Being on the lake didn't give the best phone service. It was a weekend without phones, Internet, and little TV. 

We're currently in Monroe, relaxing even more! Friday, Justin and I had to Sterling Heights. I can't wait to see my celiac sister, other sisters, my niece and nephew. 

Baker's Challenge

I received a few emails and read some other blogs advertising the Betty Crocker Baker's Gluten Free Challenge. Justin and I brainstormed how I could turn our favorite gluten-filled recipes in to GF recipes. In the rules, you must use an entire box of Betty Crocker GF baking mix (yellow cake, chocolate cake, brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix) or one cup of GF Bisquick to make your favorite holiday recipe. We came up with some grand ideas, which I plan to try.

Unfortunately the recipes need to be submitted by June 30. I'll be on vacation in Michigan for two weeks, which will consume time for practicing. Since I had to go to the grocery store today, I decided to pick up the ingredients and try one of my ideas!

I chose to start with...

I decided to make a fruit pizza! I'm not going to give you all the details of how to make it yet, because I think I might submit it. 

I like how it tasted with everything I added to the mix, but I think I need to use a bigger pan next time. I used a cheese cake pan to bake it for easy removal for decorating later. I love thick cookies, and this was thick! I just want to make sure you think more cookie than cake when you eat it. 

Check out the thickness!

Yum.

Greek Salad

Tomorrow I need to go to the grocery store. Being on summer vacation allows one to have the ability to put things off a little longer. While thinking of dinner ideas for this week, here's one to share with you that we enjoyed last week.

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken for two from where else, but Eating Well. I finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and red peppers.

The recipe wasn't too difficult. I boiled some chicken in water, onion, and garlic and allowed it to boil for a good hour until it was tender. This is our latest trick; we boil a whole pound of chicken breasts and use it for various recipes. Next time we do this, I'll take more pictures and give better directions.

The greek dressing was simple and tasted like one from a restaurant we would visit often before my diagnosis. I tossed everything together, to evenly distribute the dressing. 

Summer Brings New Routines

Being my first week of summer vacation, my routine has definitely changed. No more necessary wake ups to my blaring alarm at 6:00 a.m. Now it goes off multiple times before I eventually shut it off and roll out of bed on my own at 9:00 a.m. Even when I get out of bed at nine (or later), I'm still not a morning person. My husband said it perfectly this morning, "You're such a peach in the morning." (Let me tell you, my hubby is sarcastic!)

My usual routine would consist of one cup of coffee at home and one on the road. This week has been sort of off for me, as I try to establish a new routine. A couple days this week, I ate a small breakfast and headed to the gym right away. But yesterday, I was telling Justin how much I've been missing my coffee! This morning I got back on track with a full pot of coffee.

It's amazing to see a cupboard full of to-go cups. Usually all of our travel mugs are dirty by the side of the sink.

My coffee wouldn't be the same with out my creamer. Justin and I are pretty loyal to Coffee-mate. We usually rotate back and forth between Sugar Free Hazelnut and Sugar Free French Vanilla.

Every now and then we'll branch out and try a new flavor like Italian Sweet Cream. But we usually end up reverting back to our original line up.

But do you know what I love the most about Coffee-mate creamers? They are gluten free and labeled clearly on each bottle in a useful box list.

Ahh, ready to be productive!

Summer Salad

Since being off for summer, this has provided more time in the kitchen for me! I can actually take time to cook and enjoy it. We've been using a ton of recipes recently from Eating Well. I found this strawberry, melon, and avocado salad recipe that I wanted to try.

Cutting the fruit was a little time consuming. But the dressing was fairly simple to make, especially when I used my big Pyrex measuring cup to measure and mix. The dressing consisted of only 5 ingredients: honey, red wine vinegar, fresh mint, salt, and pepper.

Instead of making four servings, I divided it into two. I laid all the fruit in a circular pattern like the recipe called for. Justin suggested to just chop the fruit next time so it wouldn't take so long. 

Overall the salad was pretty good. It was definitely fresh and fruity. The dressing was really sweet and sort of clumped up depending where it was poured. As my husband said, "It's good in moderation." Every now and then you would eat a piece doused in dressing and it was almost too much. It was a nice change of pace and hit the spot on this sunny day.

Power Snack

Yesterday I had a long "to do" list to take care of

• get a hair cut
• drop Iivana off for a shampoo and nail clipping
• use Old Navy groupon
• stop at Whole Foods to stock up on GF essentials
• go to James Avery to buy a certain charm

I also had a few other things I didn't get to (which I plan to take care of tomorrow).

When I got home I was in desperate need of a power snack! I picked up a blueberry muffin Lara bar at Whole Foods. It was pretty amazing and even had a crumbly texture. I also tried my first Odwalla drink; I tried the Red Rhapsody flavor. It was thick and smoothie-like, minus the frozen portion. It was filling and I love that it is made from simple ingredients. I'm definitely open to trying more flavors. (Psst! These were on sale at the commissary for $1.50, what a steal!)

In other related news, it's not so hot, hot, hot in the house anymore! I called maintenance today and they came to fix our air conditioner. It is sooooo nice to look at the thermostat and see below 80 degrees.

I do not like them Sam I Am...

My family knows I'm not really a big fan of eggs for breakfast. The only way I can eat them is if they are mixed with a lot of other ingredients. After church on Sunday, Justin was in the mood for a big breakfast. There are not many GF restaurants that close for brunch, so eating at home it was! We hadn't gone to the grocery store yet for the week, so we worked with what we had to create some southwestern omelets and hash browns.

I pulled out some leftover black beans, shredded chicken, onions, and Mexican cheese from the refrigerator. Justin sauteed the chicken in Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle seasoning, with the onions, garlic, and black beans. To make the omelet I simply cooked the eggs, sprinkled some salt and pepper, then I flipped the circular egg shape over. I dumped some cheese to cover the area of the egg. After that I put the chicken mixture in between.

To make the hash browns, I baked three potatoes in the microwave. Next I coarsely chopped the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Then I sprayed some olive oil and pan fried the potatoes. I covered them with pepper and salt. I flipped them a few times until they were evenly browned.

We garnished the omelets with some fresh cilantro and green salsa. We've never made any omelets like this before. At first we weren't sure how chicken would work, but it was the perfect fit for the southwestern style!

School's Out for Summer!

Today was my last day with my kiddos. I still have to work tomorrow to finish up paper work and organize my classroom. But I figured this would be the perfect meal to share as a way to kick off summer!

Goat cheese turkey burgers made with 3 simple ingredients, inspired by my burger from the Cove!

• Spinach
• Ground turkey breast
• Goat Cheese

I chopped a heaping handful of spinach. Then I mixed two tablespoons of garlic and herb flavored goat cheese, spinach, and 1/2 pound of turkey. After thoroughly mixing, I formed two burger patties.

While Justin was a little skeptical about using only three ingredients, he agreed to cook them on the grill. I was a little nervous about the goat cheese melting out of burgers, similar to what happened here with my kabob and cheese idea, but the cheese stayed intact. And let me tell you these...WERE...A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

We ate them bun-less and we didn't mind because you could enjoy all the flavors. Although, I wouldn't mind trying some Udi's GF hamburger buns. 

For a side, you could make parmesan potatoes. There are pretty simple as well and require:

• Potatoes
• Butter
• Sea Salt
• Parmesan Cheese

To make these, I first line a baking sheet with foil (it makes for easier clean up). Then I spray it with Pam. Next, I chop the potatoes using my pampered chef crinkle cutter and line the pan with the potatoes tightly touching.

I coat them with sea salt and butter spray (but you can used melted butter). Finally, I generously sprinkle them with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.

Hope everyone's ready for summer. The heat has not been my friend thus far!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

May has been way too hot, so I can only imagine what June, July, and August will bring. Every night I feel completely unmotivated because I sweat bullets just sitting on the couch. Our lovely housing seems to decide to turn our air off during the hottest part of the day! (I'm pretty sure anyways...I still need to call maintenance and complain.) The air works in the morning before I work, and when I get home as it gets later, it only gets warmer!

It doesn't help that it won't get that cold at night either! I don't mean to complain, but I'm just so annoyed, hot, and sticky.

I started two other possible topics to talk about tonight, but the heat has been on my mind and I couldn't concentrate! I have a visit to the Little Aussie Bakery to share and some amazing goat cheese turkey burgers.