If you're looking for a sweet treat, try these Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies http://detoxinista.com/2012/02/flourless-peanut-butter-chip-cookies/

So I stuck to it. And what did I notice?

• Cravings: Day 4 was horrible and I wanted to eat everything salty, sweet and fried that I could think of. I also had a really foggy brain, felt a little dizzy and struggled to concentrate at work that afternoon. That was the worst I felt and the most intense cravings of the whole cleanse but I felt fantastic again the next day. Every once in a while I’d want a cupcake or be tempted by a treat my coworkers were sharing at work but nothing I couldn’t get over. There were still a few things I kept thinking about (spelt crust pizza and chips, mainly) but the intense cravings were gone.
• Energy: The 3 PM brick wall was eliminated from my day. I felt lighter, like I wasn’t dragging my feet around the office.
• Weight loss: I don’t normally weigh myself (numbers are just numbers) but I happened to have a fitness assessment one week into the program and I’d lost 7 lbs since my check-up with the doc just before I started the cleanse. I didn’t feel any smaller yet so it was probably from crap (literally) built up inside me and water retention.
• I shrunk: I don’t know by how much, but my jeans that were getting a bit tight pre-cleanse were loose four weeks later and a few people commented. It wasn’t the point of the cleanse, but I’ll take it.
• Bye, bye bloating: My tummy, easily irritated and often bloated, returned to its happy, flat state and my digestion was mostly fantastic and regular. I noticed this early on and the only time it came back was when I ate too many raw carrots. I never loved them anyways.
• I became more in tune with my body: I was very aware of how my digestive system reacted to what I was eating and I knew exactly what I was putting inside me. I couldn’t blame anything on processed food or hidden dairy so I clued in to the fact that carrots and yellow peppers are not my BFFs.
• Soft skin: I’m lucky to have inherited my mom’s clear skin on my face but I’ve got an annoying, mild skin condition called keratosis pilaris that gives me red dots on the back of my arms. It’s really common and not very noticeable so I’ve never tried to find a treatment. It never crossed my mind that there could be a dietary link so I didn’t notice any changes until after the cleanse was over. I happened to touch my arm and notice it was extra soft so a closer look in the mirror confirmed that the dots and bumps had almost disappeared. A quick Google search revealed that I’m not alone and other people have made a connection between their gluten-sensitivity and the bumps.

I wasn’t really considering sticking to a gluten-free diet until I noticed my skin improvements. Maybe it’s an indication that I have a sensitivity after all?

To be honest, I’ve enjoyed some indulgences since the cleanse ended last week and nothing horrible happened. That said, my digestion suffered a bit. I’m not sure if the gluten is to blame or the fact that these treats just weren’t as fresh and wholesome as most of the other foods my body is used to.

So where do I go from here? I hate labels so I won’t be announcing a new commitment to a gluten-free lifestyle but that doesn’t mean I can’t dabble in gluten-free living. This week of reintroducing foods taught me that I’m a bit better off without gluten (and dairy) but I think sometimes I can still enjoy the occasional treat without falling to pieces.

I can (and will continue to) easily eliminate wheat and other sources of gluten from the meals I make at home (which is most of my meals) and I like experimenting with different flours in my baking but I do enjoy dining out and trying new foods that may not always be g-free-friendly. I’m thinking about doing another month completely gluten-free to see my skin continues to clear up. I’ll start there and see what happens!

Overall, this was a great way to kick-start spring and get me back on track and expand my kitchen horizons with a ton of new recipes.

Happy Spring! April is Daffodil Month and I've got these in my window in memory of my grandfather who lost is battle(s) with cancer in the fall.

I’m sipping: Checkmate from David’s Tea.

Lunch at Belmonte Raw in Toronto

Here’s what I learned:

1) Gluten-free isn’t that difficult if you’re used to eating a wide variety of foods and experimenting with substitutions. Quinoa and rice were a regular part of my diet and I like to use different flours (rice, almond, etc) when I bake. Outside of my (too frequent) treats from the bakery/cafe/vending machine and my morning snack of toast with almond butter pre-cleanse, I didn’t have to change much about my regular meals.

2) Servers often have no idea what’s in the food on their menu at restaurants. While I asked a server in a pub if a dish (salad) was gluten-free and he asked me if I thought it would be. It was salad so it should be, but he had no idea what was going on with the dressing. When in doubt, ask for basic olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side. At another restaurant, the server looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Gluten? No we don’t use that here.”

Keys to my survival:

1) Guacamole. I enjoy sweets but my real weakness/addition salty, flavour-packed snacks. I probably indulged a bit too often when it came to corn chips for my guac, but I also put it on veggies, salads and rice bowls.

2) Rice/Quinoa bowls. I always kept pre-made rice and quinoa in the fridge for throwing something quick togher. Leftovers? Put them on a bed of greens and rice or quinoa for lunch tomorrow. Craving a burrito? Put all the toppings (including guacamole!!) on a bed of rice and eat it with a fork instead of wrapped in a flour tortilla. Not in the mood for a breakfast smoothie? Quinoa, banana, almond milk, cinnamon, maple syrup and whatever you’ve got in your pantry in a pot.

3) Green smoothies. I’ve said it a million times, but I love green smoothies for breakfast. There were definitely nights that I came home late, frustrated, hungry and I didn’t feel like cooking. Instead of grabbing take-out like I had been doing before, I’d make myself a smoothie.

4) Wine (in moderation, of course). ‘Nuff sad.

5) Support from my loved ones. My main squeeze might be a chicken wing-lovin’, beer guzzling dude who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with me when it comes to healthy eating, but he totally had my back on this. A stomach bug went through our house last week and I had a day where I couldn’t keep anything down. In a moment of weakness, I suggested maybe I should try a bland cracker or a piece of bread and he said “I can’t let you do that.” Busted, bless his heart.

How did I feel? What’s next? Coming up tomorrow…

I’m sipping: Cherry Potion from David’s Tea

Salad:

• a couple handfuls of spinach
• about 1/3 cup of quinoa
• a few thick slices of cucumber, cut into halves
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1/2 sweet potato, chopped and steamed then sprinkled with cinnamon
• 3 beets, chopped and steamed
• 1 carrot, chopped and steamed
• 4-5 stalks of asparagus (stalks? sticks? asparaguses? asparagi?), steamed and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon of dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds

Dressing:

• juice of 1 mini blood orange
• a few glugs extra virgin olive oil
• a few splashes of apple cider vinegar
• a dash of sea salt

That dressing will mix up enough for you to save for later.

Toss salad and a couple tablespoons of dressing together and enjoy!

Today I’m sipping: Detox Tea from Herbal Infusions

This morning I posted this photo of my breakfast on Twitter and Instagram:

A couple people asked what’s in it. Well, it’s just a tweak of Meghan’s recipe for Apple Yogurt Breakfast parfait.

I used:

• apple
• coconut yogurt with a teaspoon of peanut butter added in
• chocolate Sunwarrior protein powder
• hemp seeds
• cinnamon
• a touch of maple syrup

So quick and simple! It was delicious but a touch rich to eat every day. I had some of the yogurt topping left over that I’m going to dip an apple in for a snack tomorrow. If I can find a gluten-free flatbead recipe, I’d love to bake it up with some cinnamon and dip it in the coconut yogurt-chocolate-PB mixture for entertaining. It actually reminded me of Angela’s recipe for Creamy Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip on Oh She Glows. That was a hit at my family Christmas in 2009!

Now to find some coconut kefir…

Day 3 Gluten-free update: I’m feeling fantastic and I’m not having any cravings. I’ve actually noticed for the past two days that I’ve had more energy and I haven’t been hitting that 3 PM brick wall that would normally prompt me to make some toast or hit the vending machine at work. I expect the weekend will be more difficult when I typically hit the pubs with my boyfriend and friends. Oh, beer… I will really miss you on March 17.

Tonight I’m sipping: Mother’s Little Helper

This post is a bit off topic, but a strange little creature called the slow loris is on my mind today thanks to Sandra Jensen, who brough the BBC documentary below to my attention. I first saw the slow loris last fall when I came across this viral video of one being tickled. It was cute in an awkward sort of way and and I ended up watching a few more on YouTube. Sadly, the story behind these wide-eyed furballs and how they’re kept as pets is tragic. They’re endangered, sold on the illegal pet market, abused (their teeth are cut out with nail clippers or pliers) and often die after they’re re-released into the wild. I can’t help but think these adorable videos of the slow loris and other exotic animals are just perpetuating the problem by making us think that these animals make good pets. Just a little something to consider next time your heart is melting over animals on YouTube.

From National Geographic: Crimes Against Nature – Rescuing Slow Lorises

From the BBC doc: Jungle Gremlins of Java

This gluten-free raspberry muffin makes me feel like I'm cheating!

My biggest challenge is the amount of time I spend in the kitchen in the evenings. Between cooking and baking (amazing gluten-free muffins a la Meghan Telpner), eating dinner and prepping lunch, I’m creating a mountain of dishes. I’m currently accepting applications for a dishwasher. Payment will be in the form of dinner!

One more thing before I head to bed: If you’ve got a David’s Tea near you, you have to try Jessie’s Tea! I know I’m way behind the times but it has been out of stock every time I’ve looked for it. I may have also picked up six other teas… I have a problem.

Ciao for now!
Steph

Tonight I’m sipping: Jessie’s Tea

I’ve been busy changing everything. Relationship, home, career and, most recently, signing up for nutrition school. 2011 will forever be the year I affectionately refer to as ‘the year of gluttony’ where I ate and drank what I wanted, rarely cooked, and sacrificed sleep for a busy social life. I had a lot of fun, but you know what? I’ve never been sick more often in my life.

Sunset in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Enter 2012 and an incredible trip to Costa Rica to start the year. Yes, I indulged, but our meals were mainly fresh, local foods for two weeks, I soaked up the sun, I relaxed, I hiked, I slept 10 hours a night, I made friends with a family of monkeys and I’ve never felt healthier and more energetic.

Look-out Inn, Carate Beach, Costa Rica

I can’t be on vacation every day, so when I came back home I got my booty back into the kitchen and started cooking my own food again. While I feel better than when I ate out (and my bank account is fuller), some of the old symptoms of bloating and tiredness are creeping back in. I am far from perfect but I am getting what should be enough sleep and I’m eating mostly whole foods. Could there be something I’m eating that’s working against me? Maybe. I know dairy isn’t my best friend but what about gluten? I wanted to play around with my diet to see if eliminating foods could help improve my well-being.

All that brings me to today: Day 1 of Meghan Telpner’s Gluten Free Renewal Cleanse. I’ve been a fan of Meghan for a couple years now and I’m excited to be part of this online program. Meghan and her team will be coaching about 80 of us though four weeks without gluten. I’m also cutting dairy out. Even though dairy makes me feel gross, I find myself eating it a couple times a week.

Gluten-free breakfast on Day 1

Over the next month I’ll share how I’m feeling, what I’m eating and some new recipes and I look forward to reconnecting with everyone in the blogosphere!

Cheers,
Steph

I was supposed to run the Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon today but a back injury completely derailed my running and all other forms of exercise about 7 weeks ago so I held a soup marathon in my kitchen instead. The first soup I made is a pureed squash and red lentil soup that I found online in the Edmonton Journal. I decided to get creative with the second and combine elements from some of my favourite soups – chicken, tomato and spaghetti squash – into a thick, hearty soup that eats like a stew.

Squash and lentil soup (back) and tomato chicken sans-noodle soup (front) ready to go.

Tomato Chicken Sans-Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon of organic butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• approximately 2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 bay leaf
• a few dashes each of dried oregano, dried basil and dried thyme
• black pepper to taste
• sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of organic turbinado sugar
• approximately 2 cups of white roasted chicken meat

Directions:

Sauté the butter,onion, garlic and a couple dashes of salt in a large saucepan until softened. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, spaghetti squash and sucanat and stir well. Season with oregano, basil, thyme and black pepper to taste and add the bay leaf. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes to let flavours combine. Add chicken and simmer for another 5 – 10 mins.

Time for lunch!

Fresh from the farm!

Whole Wheat and Honey Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins on allrecipes.com.
Makes 12 muffins.

Yes, that's Winnie The Pooh on the muffin wrapper - the store was out of normal ones!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fresh pumpkin puree (I used this method to make mine)
• 1/2 cup of raisins (soaked for a few minutes to plump them up)
• 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup of sucanat sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Fresh from the oven

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 C. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and sucanat sugar together in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients (pumpkin, honey, oil, eggs) in a well in the middle of the bowl and mix all of the ingredients into a batter. Add raisins. Pour batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 22 minutes or until muffin tops become golden brown and springy.

Topped with organic butter

Sorry for the poor quality photos but my DSLR is on the fritz!

Fruit mixture:

• 6-8 fresh peaches
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup of maple syrup
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour

Topping:

• 1 cup rolled oats*
• ½ cup spelt flakes*
• ½ cup kamut flakes*
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup sucanat sugar
• ¼ cup slices almonds
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup of organic butter, softened

*Combine 2 cups of your favourite whole grain oats or stuck with traditional rolled oats.

Preheat oven to 350 C.

Peel and slice peaches. In a large bowl, toss with maple syrup until the fruit is coated. Sprinkle in cinnamon, flour and toss. Grease a baking dish 9×12 inch baking dish with butter. Spread the fruit evenly on the bottom.

Mix oats, flour, cinnamon, sucanat and almonds. Add softened butter and maple syrup and mix until the butter and syrup is evenly distributed and the topping becomes crumbly. Distribute the crumble evenly over the fruit mixture.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 mins or until the crisp is golden brown.

Enjoy!