Are you bored? Of course you are, but not just in general, of your food? When people eat grain it gives them an entire variety of foods to eat. Eating grain-free gets pretty boring sometimes, with the same meats and veggies every night for dinner. I make it a point to explore as much as I can with healthy, grain free dishes on a weekly basis. Here is a short list of grain-free sauces and marinades to make every night a little more interesting.
1. Pickapeppa sauce.
Pickapeppa has an array of "real food" in it, such as tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarinds, peppers and spices. Its aged in oak barrels for an entire year before its put in a bottle. Based in Jamaica, the sauce is tangy, sweet and spicy but its not going to burn your mouth off. Its almost similar to Worcestershire sauce, in my opinion. Its also relatively cheap and found in most large grocery stores. I usually put it on chicken, but it tastes great on a variety of meats, or anything you might use barbecue sauce.
2. Gluten-free soy sauce.
Oh, the wonders of the internet! I found gluten free soy sauce on a great website called vitacost, along with many other asian favorites.
3. Gluten free teriyaki sauce
Once again, a great find from vitacost. Also, did I mention, the prices wont leave you broke? This one is delicious on meats and veggies alike, and I found it tasty to dip broccoli in. Try it on fish sometime like salmon or seared tuna, I think its even better than the usual beef or chicken teriyaki.
4. White or red wine
The rule is, never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. But besides that, all wine is gluten free unless the label says otherwise.
5. Garlic, rosemary and olive oil
Great on lamb and chicken, and an all around classic for cooking meat and veggies. I would say a garlic crusher is a staple in almost any grain-free house hold.
This is all I got for now. In the future I'd like to experiment with things like pineapple and orange juice to add a citrus pep. Also, many sauces are dairy based and you can cook them up in your house instead of deriving them from a bottle. If you need to thicken a sauce, try almond flour instead of corn starch or white flour. If you want a dairy free, grain free substitute for milk, try unsweetened, unflavored almond milk. Till the next adventure!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
The She-hulk
Are you like me? You might be.
You go to Trader Joe's and come home with more oils and powders than real food. Because, why choose between quality and quantity? I'm gonna have both, Mother f***er.
Well today I went all out, I used a little bit of all my powders. This concerned me at first because most of these powders are strangely flavored. How was this going to mix? I don't know, no, not me. I'm throwing caution to the wind in the name of nutrition! I convinced myself I would down it, no matter what it tasted like. Kinda like when I experimented with garlic in my smoothies. I actually downed like, 25 percent of that one, and forced myself to refrigerate it and take a sip every morning. That being said, I am strictly using garlic for stir fry, meats and fish from now on.
I closed my eyes and took a sip, and, its, uhm, good? Uhhhhh what?
So I'm telling all you health nuts about it, and naming it the "she-hulk" for its perfectly green coloring.
Here's the recipe:
- Start with a half and half mix of coconut water and almond milk.
(The best tasting, cheapest almond milk is the Trader Joe's variety, in my(and my room mates opinion)
A nice base of calcium, vitamin E, and electrolytes. Coconut water is the fastest and most efficient way to hydrate your body, it actually works better than plain water.
- 1 tablespoon of organic flax oil
7 grams of Omega-3's right there!
- 1 serving of "super green" powder from Trader Joe's.
A portion of the super foods in this shake come from this powder. Lots of antioxidants from a variety of plants, such as broccoli, spinach and chlorella. And in fact, to my surprise, barley grass juice, which is gluten free due to the fact that the seeds carry the gluten, not the grass itself. A lot of these ingredients are also found in vega drinks.
- 1/2 serving of Vega, Vanilla Chai
This stuff tends to be very expensive so I only use a half a serving. And since it has 50 percent of your daily intake of vitamins and minerals, and I'm adding such a plethora of other powders, I figure I can use a little less but still get benefits
-1/2 serving of "Jay Robb" Whey protein
Make no mistake, this IS the best tasting protein on the planet. I've tried all the cheap varieties and this one wins hands down on the vanilla flavor. Want a treat? Mix the egg white protein powder with vanilla almond milk and ice. Instant ice cream, for your muscles. I urge you not to skip your protein when you are strength training, running, anything! Don't make the mistake I did for months, Vega does NOT have the amino acids as listed in this whey protein which are essential for you if you are pushing your muscles on a regular basis. You don't have to eat whey protein at any specific part of the day to get the results, but if you do notice you had an exceptionally kick a** workout, please mix one up real quick. Your body will thank you the next morning.
-1 teaspoon bit of choco-raw
this is an amazing tasting blend of wild honey, raw chocolate and cinnamon. Once again, pricey, but it lasts quite along time and a lot goes a long way. It can make the grossest smoothie taste incredible.
-1 spoonful of almond butter
Calcium is extremely important. Plus its natural way to add a nutty, smooth taste to the smoothie.
-1 teaspoon of chia seeds
More omega's! And you thought you needed to burp up fish! Also a great source of protein, easy to digest, and because they expand in water, they keep you fuller faster. Chia seeds create a gel when they are added to liquid, this is completely normal and I actually highly enjoy it. It kinda gives you a kid like joy, like eating jello.
Warning to dieters/ non-gluten free people: This is a high calorie, high (healthy)fat smoothie. It is intended for an active person. If you are moderately active, it should be a meal replacement. If you are very active, you can use it as a snack. In all honestly you should not be counting calories anyway. You never saw anyone get fat from eating strawberries and chicken breasts. You know what you should and shouldn't eat!
Happy mixing!
You go to Trader Joe's and come home with more oils and powders than real food. Because, why choose between quality and quantity? I'm gonna have both, Mother f***er.
Well today I went all out, I used a little bit of all my powders. This concerned me at first because most of these powders are strangely flavored. How was this going to mix? I don't know, no, not me. I'm throwing caution to the wind in the name of nutrition! I convinced myself I would down it, no matter what it tasted like. Kinda like when I experimented with garlic in my smoothies. I actually downed like, 25 percent of that one, and forced myself to refrigerate it and take a sip every morning. That being said, I am strictly using garlic for stir fry, meats and fish from now on.
I closed my eyes and took a sip, and, its, uhm, good? Uhhhhh what?
So I'm telling all you health nuts about it, and naming it the "she-hulk" for its perfectly green coloring.
Here's the recipe:
- Start with a half and half mix of coconut water and almond milk.
(The best tasting, cheapest almond milk is the Trader Joe's variety, in my(and my room mates opinion)
A nice base of calcium, vitamin E, and electrolytes. Coconut water is the fastest and most efficient way to hydrate your body, it actually works better than plain water.
- 1 tablespoon of organic flax oil
7 grams of Omega-3's right there!
- 1 serving of "super green" powder from Trader Joe's.
A portion of the super foods in this shake come from this powder. Lots of antioxidants from a variety of plants, such as broccoli, spinach and chlorella. And in fact, to my surprise, barley grass juice, which is gluten free due to the fact that the seeds carry the gluten, not the grass itself. A lot of these ingredients are also found in vega drinks.
- 1/2 serving of Vega, Vanilla Chai
This stuff tends to be very expensive so I only use a half a serving. And since it has 50 percent of your daily intake of vitamins and minerals, and I'm adding such a plethora of other powders, I figure I can use a little less but still get benefits
-1/2 serving of "Jay Robb" Whey protein
Make no mistake, this IS the best tasting protein on the planet. I've tried all the cheap varieties and this one wins hands down on the vanilla flavor. Want a treat? Mix the egg white protein powder with vanilla almond milk and ice. Instant ice cream, for your muscles. I urge you not to skip your protein when you are strength training, running, anything! Don't make the mistake I did for months, Vega does NOT have the amino acids as listed in this whey protein which are essential for you if you are pushing your muscles on a regular basis. You don't have to eat whey protein at any specific part of the day to get the results, but if you do notice you had an exceptionally kick a** workout, please mix one up real quick. Your body will thank you the next morning.
-1 teaspoon bit of choco-raw
this is an amazing tasting blend of wild honey, raw chocolate and cinnamon. Once again, pricey, but it lasts quite along time and a lot goes a long way. It can make the grossest smoothie taste incredible.
-1 spoonful of almond butter
Calcium is extremely important. Plus its natural way to add a nutty, smooth taste to the smoothie.
-1 teaspoon of chia seeds
More omega's! And you thought you needed to burp up fish! Also a great source of protein, easy to digest, and because they expand in water, they keep you fuller faster. Chia seeds create a gel when they are added to liquid, this is completely normal and I actually highly enjoy it. It kinda gives you a kid like joy, like eating jello.
Warning to dieters/ non-gluten free people: This is a high calorie, high (healthy)fat smoothie. It is intended for an active person. If you are moderately active, it should be a meal replacement. If you are very active, you can use it as a snack. In all honestly you should not be counting calories anyway. You never saw anyone get fat from eating strawberries and chicken breasts. You know what you should and shouldn't eat!
Happy mixing!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A look from the inside; put down the bread and pick up a vegetable
So your flipping through some web pages (as though they are a book, apparently, according to me) and you begin to see a trend. This specific trend I'm speaking of, is websites, news stations, "experts" and nutritionists telling you NOT to go gluten-free. Some of you may not even care, or simply find it annoying that people want to stop eating grain, wheat or gluten. And this my dear friends, is exactly what the media wants you to think.
"Oh, what a bunch of a**holes, asking for a gluten free menu"
"what is this? a gluten free section in the grocery store? how annoying."
I am not ashamed or upset that these thoughts consistently cross your mind, and I am not surprised. The fighters and advocates for gluten free and grain free living are constantly being pushed down, being told things like, "Well my friend has a cousin who knows a nutritionist who says we shouldn't stop eating bread. We'll all become malnourished". And here we are, like a swarm of health super-hero's, telling people to eat mainly vegetables and protein, spreading our word across the globe, being put down instantly by so called "experts" and "nutritionists". We as a gluten and grain free people, are being being portrayed as the skinny frail women at a restaurant asking for a gluten free menu, in a snobby voice.Well let me tell you one thing (or maybe 10).
First of all we are not skinny and frail, we are strong and thin. Second of all, we don't usually eat "gluten free" bread products, they defeat the purpose of becoming healthy. We are that guy benching at the gym, drinking a protein drink, we are that girl at the bar with the flat stomach having a cider with friends. We are the women staying home and cooking REAL food, that takes some time to prepare. We are adding spices and experimenting with sauces to make chicken breast taste amazing. We are marathon runners, early birds, students, chefs, power lifter's, health enthusiasts but most of all, we are always quick to tell you we feel amazing. That going gluten free is not a diet but a lifestyle change, a new chapter to our lives. We didn't just "lose weight", we gained our ENTIRE life back, for the rest of our lives.
Wheat and grain, sugar and corn. You might love it, it might be all you eat on a daily basis, and if so, you are either a genetic anomaly, or your obese and/or consistently unhealthy. You get headaches and you don't know why, so you drink coffee and take aspirin. You get fat but you don't understand, because you really don't eat a whole lot. You thought that fat people only got fat from excess, so what is going on? Your itchy. In weird places, all the time. You break out for no reason, you have reoccurring hives, yeast infections, acne. You don't sleep well, your tired in the morning, you wake up feeling sick all the time. Your hungry, you crave candy, pasta, bread, beer. You think about it a lot, but you assume no more than the average person.
Here is the truth folks, in plain english. Your body sees a piece of bread (whole grain, no less!) no different than 5 teaspoons of sugar. It processes it the same, uses it the same. You wouldn't spend your day downing spoonfuls of sugar, would you? No! of course not, we were all taught (rightfully) from a young age that sweets are to be eaten in moderation, because they are NOT healthy for you! And wouldn't you know, they are at the top of the "traditional" food pyramid, to be eaten in MODERATION. But your body sees the bottom and top of this pyramid as one in the same.
So lets think about the average person, except he or she is downing teaspoons of sugar all day. This person will probably develop diabetes, their teeth will rot out of their head, they will consistently get sugar rushes, which cause headaches! They might develop candida, (which is a real thing, thank you "experts" and "media", once again for knocking it), which causes reoccurring yeast infections, headaches and skin problems.
Okay so you might still not believe me. Why would nutritionists lie to me? Why would the news lie to me? Don't they have my BEST INTERESTS in mind?
Lets take a billion dollar company like Kellogg who has made their entire fortune off the misfortune of unhealthy people eating "whole grains". If it got out that wheat is in fact, causing the obesity epidemic in america, and nutritionists and the news channel told you to stop eating it, they would crash. Very rich people would loose a lot of money, very fast. They are already losing money off of people like me, convincing friends and family to but down the bread and pick up a vegetable. But this is on a small scale. The FDA purely runs on profit and money, they really REALLY don't care whether you live or die.
So maybe I've inspired you to do more research, maybe you want to stop eating wheat. Or maybe, today when you drop by the grocery store, you'll buy broccoli and squash and skip the bread isle. Whatever it is, as small as it is, I'm glad.
"Oh, what a bunch of a**holes, asking for a gluten free menu"
"what is this? a gluten free section in the grocery store? how annoying."
I am not ashamed or upset that these thoughts consistently cross your mind, and I am not surprised. The fighters and advocates for gluten free and grain free living are constantly being pushed down, being told things like, "Well my friend has a cousin who knows a nutritionist who says we shouldn't stop eating bread. We'll all become malnourished". And here we are, like a swarm of health super-hero's, telling people to eat mainly vegetables and protein, spreading our word across the globe, being put down instantly by so called "experts" and "nutritionists". We as a gluten and grain free people, are being being portrayed as the skinny frail women at a restaurant asking for a gluten free menu, in a snobby voice.Well let me tell you one thing (or maybe 10).
First of all we are not skinny and frail, we are strong and thin. Second of all, we don't usually eat "gluten free" bread products, they defeat the purpose of becoming healthy. We are that guy benching at the gym, drinking a protein drink, we are that girl at the bar with the flat stomach having a cider with friends. We are the women staying home and cooking REAL food, that takes some time to prepare. We are adding spices and experimenting with sauces to make chicken breast taste amazing. We are marathon runners, early birds, students, chefs, power lifter's, health enthusiasts but most of all, we are always quick to tell you we feel amazing. That going gluten free is not a diet but a lifestyle change, a new chapter to our lives. We didn't just "lose weight", we gained our ENTIRE life back, for the rest of our lives.
Wheat and grain, sugar and corn. You might love it, it might be all you eat on a daily basis, and if so, you are either a genetic anomaly, or your obese and/or consistently unhealthy. You get headaches and you don't know why, so you drink coffee and take aspirin. You get fat but you don't understand, because you really don't eat a whole lot. You thought that fat people only got fat from excess, so what is going on? Your itchy. In weird places, all the time. You break out for no reason, you have reoccurring hives, yeast infections, acne. You don't sleep well, your tired in the morning, you wake up feeling sick all the time. Your hungry, you crave candy, pasta, bread, beer. You think about it a lot, but you assume no more than the average person.
Here is the truth folks, in plain english. Your body sees a piece of bread (whole grain, no less!) no different than 5 teaspoons of sugar. It processes it the same, uses it the same. You wouldn't spend your day downing spoonfuls of sugar, would you? No! of course not, we were all taught (rightfully) from a young age that sweets are to be eaten in moderation, because they are NOT healthy for you! And wouldn't you know, they are at the top of the "traditional" food pyramid, to be eaten in MODERATION. But your body sees the bottom and top of this pyramid as one in the same.
So lets think about the average person, except he or she is downing teaspoons of sugar all day. This person will probably develop diabetes, their teeth will rot out of their head, they will consistently get sugar rushes, which cause headaches! They might develop candida, (which is a real thing, thank you "experts" and "media", once again for knocking it), which causes reoccurring yeast infections, headaches and skin problems.
Okay so you might still not believe me. Why would nutritionists lie to me? Why would the news lie to me? Don't they have my BEST INTERESTS in mind?
Lets take a billion dollar company like Kellogg who has made their entire fortune off the misfortune of unhealthy people eating "whole grains". If it got out that wheat is in fact, causing the obesity epidemic in america, and nutritionists and the news channel told you to stop eating it, they would crash. Very rich people would loose a lot of money, very fast. They are already losing money off of people like me, convincing friends and family to but down the bread and pick up a vegetable. But this is on a small scale. The FDA purely runs on profit and money, they really REALLY don't care whether you live or die.
So maybe I've inspired you to do more research, maybe you want to stop eating wheat. Or maybe, today when you drop by the grocery store, you'll buy broccoli and squash and skip the bread isle. Whatever it is, as small as it is, I'm glad.
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