Tamales

I have a goal to learn how to make tamales from scratch before we move from Texas (not sure exactly when that will be.) Authentic tamales are delicious, so when I was recently at Central Market and they were sampling some I was intrigued. I went to ask the guy if he knew if they were GF, because let's face it, as a celiac most often you have to avoid free food samplings at stores. To my surprise, the ones they were taste testing readily said, "gluten free" on a printed paper along with other features. I sampled some spinach flavored ones that were luscious and fresh tasting.

However, I decided to buy the chicken ones because I figured they were more versatile and I wouldn't get sick of them that quickly. The Texas Tamale Company also had other flavors like pork, beef, and black bean. I'm interested in trying more of these the next time I head to Central Market.

Look gluten free!

They are pretty easy to make although I didn't have a steamer so I improvised with my metal strainer. You simply boil water, then steam the tamales for 15 - 20 minutes.

They are not only delicious, but healthy. Two tamales is 130 calories and only 7 grams of fat; the tamales are also lard-free. You take the corn husks off before eating.

You can add sauce like cheese sauce or salsa, but I ate my plain. Even plain, they were filling and tasteful. Plus, they make for an easy dinner for one without all the hassle.

Fruit Dip

Last week, my time after work was consumed with paper writing. My plan of working a little each night panned out. I'm still a procrastinator, but not like I was in undergrad staying up all hours of the night. I finished Wednesday night with time to talk to my hubby on the phone. 

Pinterest is the land of ideas! From recipe ideas, DIY projects, decorating tips, and any other random thing you can think of. I found another priceless tip on Pinterest: mixing greek yogurt and Nutella to make a fruit dip.

I mixed two spoonfuls of Nutella with the yogurt in my new West Elm bowl. (I also came across these on Pinterest, and had to order them!)

Strawberries and my dip = a pretty healthy snack which is also filling

Ice Cream Sandwiches

I wanted to update tonight but have to keep it short. Why, you might be asking? I think that procrastinator should be my middle name. I had a whole week off for spring break and have a literature review due for class this week. Am I done? No...I spent most of yesterday reading articles and today I finally started writing. But I found time to go to the gym, watch my spartans win, and cook dinner today. I successfully avoided it the rest of the week. Oh well, I need the pressure to focus to get it done. I figure I can knock out 2 pages tomorrow, 2 pages on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday I can reread, revise, and edit. Oh yeah, I also need to do the reading for class. Ah well, my break is coming to an end.

Before Justin left he wanted some monster cookies. I made them big this time and omitted the Chex.

We made them even better with some vanilla ice cream!

 Our very own GF ice cream cookie sandwiches...so yummy.

Helping my Hair

I found myself starting to type: meet my new best friend, Acure products. Then I thought, why am I giving personification to everything? I must be filling the void of Justin, with inanimate things like Pinterest (as I referred to it yesterday as my friend) and now today my shampoo and conditioner.

Two weeks ago, I said that I found some new GF beauty products that I was pretty excited about. I went to Whole Foods and was actually looking for a daily moisturizer when a worker introduced me to this line. I didn't buy a moisturizer because they were out of the daily cream. I figured I would try some of the other products and if I liked them, I'd get the moisturizer later. 

They were out of matching shampoo and conditioner, but I was actually happy that I bought different kinds. The shampoo is for dry/damaged/curly hair and has an amazing berry scent. The conditioner is for normal to fine/limp hair; it has an invigorating mint smell, so with the two different smells I get to experience a variety of smells while I clean my hair. I also like that I bought the mismatching types because my hair is no longer dry like it used to be, pre-celiac diagnosis. Since I'm actually absorbing minerals, my hair doesn't need all the extra therapy for moisture. It was about a year ago that I first discovered that my gluten beauty products were causing some fat fingers (now for some alliteration.) Since then I've been on the hunt to convert all my products to be GF, but it is not an easy task. If you thought reading food labels was difficult, try looking at beauty products! I've tried a couple different shampoo brands which I was pretty sure were GF from Head & Shoulders (still not 100% if it is GF) to Desert Essence. I even tried 365 which is the brand Whole Foods makes, but it made my hair super greasy. I wasn't overly impressed with any of them. I felt like a teenager, trying to find products that worked for me. My hair had completely changed from dry and damaged to normal. Now I had to find products that were GF and would make my hair healthy and happy.

One thing that caught my eye about Acure is how easy the label is to read. On the front it states the essentials: color safe (for shampoo), vegan, gluten free, sulfate free, paraben free, phthalate free, and cruelty free. These were 10.99 each, but I went back the next week to Whole Foods and they were on sale for 8 bucks so I picked up a few more. I know it seems a bit pricey, but after two weeks of use I totally love everything about this product! 

I also picked up this Argan Oil which is Moroccan oil. I've heard a lot of good things about Moroccan oil and wanted to give it a try.

There are many uses for Argan oil from a body oil, hair serum, to hand repair! But I'll be honest, I haven't used it yet. It is a little intimidating to me, so I'll have to take the plunge and just try it.

It also lists all of its features and GF is one of them!

 I'm thinking of trying the body lotion soon. If you can't find these products at your local store, I noticed on the website that most of the products ship for free! Plus these products are Fair Trade certified.

Quick Tip: Shredding Chicken

I'll keep it short tonight! Justin and I boil chicken all the time because it comes out moist and is very easy. We usually chunk it, add onion, garlic, and some chilies for flavor. Then we boil it for anywhere from an hour to 2 hours. We use the chicken for lettuce wraps, nachos, or tacos. The picture below, we boiled the breasts whole which is even less prep work.

In the past to shred our chicken, we would either pull it apart with forks or wait until it cooled and use our hands. But my friend, Pinterest, gave me a new tip. 

My Kitchen Aid mixer 

Simply throw in the cooked chicken, use the paddle attachment, and turn on.

Shreds in seconds and no hassle.

It Had To Be Said

I've successfully avoided updating for two whole weeks and it's not like I didn't have new things to write about. I told you I had new products to write about and have been busy completing more Pinterest projects. In the back of my head, I felt like there was something I needed to write about first, but wasn't quite sure how.

I think I'll start with the way the news was shared with me back in September. I remember the Friday clearly because Justin was cooking Ginger-Orange Glazed Cornish Hens.

We had wine, a candle was lit, and Justin explained to me he was going to be deployed. It was something that we had talked about through our entire 3 years of marriage, and it was unreal that those words were finally true. I shed a few tears, but was able to accept what he had just told me. The good part was that we would have 6 months to prepare before he left.

This meal will forever remind me of that day.

Like I mentioned above, we had 6 months to prepare, talk about, and go through all the emotions. Honestly, if this would have happened 3 years ago when we first moved to Texas I don't think I would have been okay. But I feel that I can write here today and say that I'm okay. Sure it sucks, but it is part of his job and he'll be back in 6 months.

Part of me didn't want to litter my blog explaining to the world about my husband being deployed. I figured those who are close will know about it anyway. On the sidebar of this blog I wrote, "I have celiac disease and live gluten free. While that is what I often blog about, it doesn’t define me. I’m also a teacher, a student, and a military wife. I live with my husband, Justin and our crazy dog Iivana in Texas. Although we’re originally from Michigan; we visit our friends and family there whenever we get the chance." I say being GF doesn't define me, and the military is a very present part of my life: it's why we live in Texas! So I couldn't just avoid the topic, because him being gone changes normal routines. That's why Justin was at training a few weeks ago. 

With that said, I probably won't be sharing all of my feelings for the world to see, but I will write about changes. I'm sure I'll write about a day that sucks, a day that I realize I'm very independent, or a day that Iivana is getting on my last nerve! Justin has been gone for over a week now and already I have felt so much love and support. Thank you to everyone who is praying for Justin and myself, we really do appreciate it.

Okay, now that that elephant is out of the room, I can have a normal post and I just finished a Pinterest project that I'm pretty proud of!