Tuesday To Do List — what to buy, spy, and try! (or sometimes cry about)

Tuesday To Do List is my newest attempt at bringing you tidbits from the gluten-free world each week. This will continue until my mind-that-doesn’t-rest comes up with another way to entertain you guys. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list…

 

To TRY: Spiked Seltzer arrived. (thanks, guys –that was fast!) You’ll hear more about it next week — my #realfood50 challenge only included beer/wine and ended last night. I didn’t think a spiked seltzer before work was the way to go, but they are chilled and waiting.

Must BUY: Tessemae’s dressings. I’ve been eyeing these up for years when my superwoman friends have done their Whole30 challenges — very few (real food!) ingredients and no sugar, which is hard to find. The honey mustard is perfectly tangy and just a little sweet!

I do SPY with my little eye: another gluten-free cookbook to add to my list, it’s called Gluten Free Wish List, which fits pretty perfectly here, yes?

One very happy celiac sister is going to want to try these Gluten Free Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies ASAP. (me too!)

Checking off MY list: #realfood50 challenge! I did it. Fifty days with no refined sugar, no refined flours, no fast foods, no fried foods, no packaged/boxed/bagged foods with more than five ingredients. Done! You can read all about how it started over at 100 Days of Real Food…we opted for 50 days, but it’s Day 51 and I’m still real fooding and feeling better than I have in a long time. More energy, no breakouts, no tummy troubles. With my birthday coming up, I know I’ll indulge in some treats (or at least some Tito’s vodka!) but I can honestly say, the less junk you eat, the less you crave it. A good reminder that I can do “in moderation” much better than I have been and my body will thank me — although it wasn’t the goal (and is hard to tell since I started the challenge at my heaviest weight ever, 😕 ) I did drop 10lbs and have more to go to get to a more healthy weight, it’s a (hard!) work in progress. Thanks for all of you cheering me on the last 50 days! Let’s hope Lisa and her team from 100daysofreafood.com just happen to stop by and see all the fun REAL FOOD I’ve been up to and ask me to join their team as the gluten-free guru. *fingers crossed*
This week on Instagram…

(follow along: @celiacinthecity)

 

omelet big enough to share with mom

 

homemade chai

 

GF Get Together @ Parkside 23

 

a final visit to Cocina DeLeon (stay tuned!)

 

real food @ Grill Junkies

 

breakfast bowlin’ with my mama

 

homemade tortilla chips

 

a crafternoon with my soul sister and our mamas

 

seeking sun

 

chili Sunday

 

my style lunchable

 

melon-grapefruit lacroix with frozen melon cubes and splash of grapefruit juice

 

Cocina DeLeon enchiladas with brown rice & black beans

 

real food continues …

 

As much as I wish I were getting paid big bucks to add these links to my page, I’m not. They are not affiliate links. I’m just sharing to share.

Tuesday To Do List — what to buy, spy, and try! (or sometimes cry about)

Tuesday To Do List is my newest attempt at bringing you tidbits from the gluten-free world each week. This will continue until my mind-that-doesn’t-rest comes up with another way to entertain you guys. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list…

Pumpkin Streusel Cream Cheese Muffins? You had me at pumpkin.

This harvest trail mix sounds pretty perfect — you could add in and tweak to make it your own.

It’s Day 44 of 50 Days of Real Food, the adventure in real food eating I started in September and will carry me into November — I’ll do a wrap up post eventually, but for now know that it has not been as hard as I imagined it might be. We actually end up eating real food most of the time, it’s those sugary treats that sneak in and the fact that I don’t actually require a fountain soda to do my shopping at Target.

If you want to try a little real food at your house and can’t imagine it being tasty and delicious, just check out these homemade loaded fries I made last night for mamasita to enjoy with me. 😉

(she asked if we could have them again before she leaves — everything but the local cheese, pancetta, and Greek yogurt came from one of our gardens!)

Shout out to my celiac sister who went out of her way to have real food friendly meals all weekend at her house — including this “supreme pizza bowl,” that included me in pizza night!

Anyone else buying apples like crazy? I wait for their season each year — we did a little apple taste testing with Chef Carter over the weekend — his final comment? “If you want to just leave a bunch of those black twig apples, that would be fine.”

Wish I could get this Creamy Gouda-Cheddar Gluten-Free Mac ‘n Cheese delivered. (It’s bookmarked to make in case Gigi doesn’t show up with the goods!)

Buy this popcorn. Just trust me.

This week on Instagram…

(follow along: @celiacinthecity)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as I wish I were getting paid big bucks to add these links to my page, I’m not. They are not affiliate links. I’m just sharing to share.

Tuesday To Do List — what to buy, spy, and try! (or sometimes cry about)

Tuesday To Do List is my newest attempt at bringing you tidbits from the gluten-free world each week. This will continue until my mind-that-doesn’t-rest comes up with another way to entertain you guys. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list…

A baked blooming apple? Um. YES.

Made these banana nut oatmeal bites (breakfast cookies!) and you should try them too.

Also made this potato and swiss chard au gratin dish. Very tasty! You can find the recipe here, BUT I will warn you there is very naughty language. I was able to look past it (and laugh a little) for the recipe, but beware if you’re anti-F-bomb.

This chai recipe is on my list to try this week. I’ll just be breaking the authentic rule and using honey. (it’s day 23 of 50 days of real food and I’m feeling great!)

World’s Easiest Pumpkin Spice Cake. Title alone has me intrigued. Elizabeth has never let me down and it’s semi-homemade, which I know many of you love!

While we’re talking pumpkin…are you already thinking pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving? (or tomorrow for breakfast?) Check out our friend Jules giving you the “easy peasy” way to transfer those pie crusts to the pan — then check out her entire site for recipes galore!

This beauty of a book landed on my doorstep today, a little gift to try out and tell you about — more to come, I already have 43 recipes bookmarked to try. 😉 Until then, check out Hayley’s site.

The latest from the (not really) gluten-free Cheerios saga: a voluntary recall. I am guessing this is the beginning of a much bigger situation that is going to start to unravel.

And then there’s this…this post from my friend Johnna. Warning: this one could make you cry. The cowardly actions of people sitting at home on their computers making these comments makes my heart so very sad. I am usually one to ignore the jokes and comments that are made about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet, but this? Enough. We’ve had enough. We deserve better. We just do.

On a brighter note: this week’s recap from Instagram…

  
  

Follow along on Instagram: @celiacinthecity

See what I’m pinning: https://www.pinterest.com/celiacinthecity/

As much as I wish I were getting paid big bucks to add these links to my page, I’m not. They are not affiliate links. I’m just sharing to share. 

Tuesday To Do List — what to buy, spy, and try! (or sometimes cry about)

Tuesday To Do List is my newest attempt at bringing you tidbits from the gluten-free world each week. This will continue until my mind-that-doesn’t-rest comes up with another way to entertain you guys. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list…

Checked off the list from last week: made the un-pumpkin spice from Alton Brown and the pumpkin puree. (why have I never done this before? THE best.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you spy my lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash over on Prevention Magazine online? Yipeeee!

Too many fall recipes to choose from? I hear ya. Luckily you can see an entire carnival of fall recipes HERE. (I added my pumpkin spice granola!)

I’ve been trying recipes from Yummy Supper. Not only is the book full of gorgeous photos and stories, but the recipes are simple and made with real food. I made Sunshine Soup with ingredients from my own garden — if you don’t garden, this may not seem like that big of a deal, but for me, I get giddy over garden fresh goods. Always have. I think part of it was growing up with a family that gardened. I learned early on that it is hard to beat the flavor of a warm-from-the-sun tomato at peek ripeness, plucked from vine and eaten like an apple. I brought the book with me to our last GF Get Together dinner and my GFFs drooled over it, especially our vegetarian. Maybe you should add it to your list to buy? (or stop by for Sunshine Soup and borrow mine!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try these. No-bake donut holes. (thanks Johnna!)

 

Follow up from last week: the FDA is now investigating reports of illness due to the new “gluten-free” Cheerios. You can see last week’s post HERE, including posts from others in the community. Please read up. Since last week, I have had several people tell me they got sick from Cheerios — pretty please contact the FDA (as well as General Mills) to let them know. You can follow the steps listed here.

Because my mama and dear friend Shirley, from glutenfreeeasily.com, don’t have Instagram, I’m going to try to do a recap of the week’s photos here too. (the first two photos are Shirley’s flourless, gluten-free pizza — make it ASAP.)

So, I spy from Instagram…

(follow along: @celiacinthecity)

dreaming of London: my 1st doughnut from Borough 22 (now available at Selfridges!)

garden fresh = THE best.

#realfood50 dinner: Korean bbq marinaded venison & spicy-sweet garden green beans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

quickly become my fave flave: melon & grapefruit (with frozen melon cubes) just add Tito’s. 😉

caprese eggs — waiting for balsamic drizzle

cinnamon glazed popcorn mix from 100 Days of Real Food (my pumpkin spice version was even better!)

coffee lovers: add pumpkin spices to coffee grounds before brewing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s NATIONAL COFFEE DAY — check out yesterday’s post (yes, I know, a day early) for all kinds of coffee treats! Speaking of treats…I owe Lincoln some treats for this sweet photo. 😉

 

As much as I wish I were getting paid big bucks to add these links to my page, I’m not. They are not affiliate links. I’m just sharing to share. (because I love you guys. and coffee.) 

gluten-free pumpkin spice granola

Tomorrow I’m kicking off a new food challenge: 50 DAYS of REAL FOOD! #realfood50
You’ve seen me do the “10 Days of Real Food Pledge” several times over the years, but this time means business. Ten didn’t seem like quite enough since my partner in the challenge had already been a rockstar and done the Whole30 plan. But we weren’t quite ready for 100 days yet, and the idea of having dairy and beer/wine was very appealing and more likely to work for us, so 50 it is. (do check out http://www.100daysofrealfood.com for the “rules” and great recipes)

The best way for me to be successful at these eating challenges is to be prepared — which is why I spent the weekend in the kitchen.

We are nearing “all things pumpkin” season and I have no plans to go without this year, just making some modifications and better choices, like this pumpkin spice granola from my girl Molly — she’s my partner in #realfood50 crime and loves food as much as I do. The perfect person to do a food challenge with, really.

As soon as she posted the photo, I added “#PSL Granola” to my list of things to make this weekend. (and I’m so glad I did) Thanks, MJ!

Ps: Molly isn’t GF so you’ll notice the recipe just says rolled oats, for us GF folks, of course that means certified gluten-free oats… see my notes below for the exact ingredients I used!

PUMPKIN SPICE GRANOLA

Sarah’s Notes:

• I am giving you the recipe straight from Molly because: I love her hand writing. She made a cute collage. I love handwritten recipes, BUT for us gluten-free folks, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats. (I have always been a fan of GF Harvest, which I order through amazon.) But I’m also typing out the ingredients I used below so there is no confusion — with all the drama with the new supposed-to-be-gluten-free-Cheerios-but-they-really-are-not-because-GF-friends-are-getting-sick…it’s best to be clear that you should use certified gluten-free oats if you need to be GF like me. 😉

INGREDIENTS

3 cups certified gluten-free oats

½ cup walnuts

⅓ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds!)

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

⅓ cup pumpkin puree

⅓ cup maple syrup

¼ coconut oil

• Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Then in a sauce pan, combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and pumpkin puree. Heat over low-medium heat to melt coconut oil and combine. (the oil never really fully combines, no worries!) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to coat dry ingredients.
• I used parchment paper on my baking sheet — when it’s fully cooled, you can make a parchment paper “funnel” to get all three million pieces of granola into the storage jar of your choice with less mess.
• Use 2 or more teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for even more flavor. Also, I added dried currants, this was a mistake, they are too small and got crispy and not in a good way. I didn’t use flax or chia this time because I didn’t have either on hand — this recipe is flexible and allows you to add or subtract what works for you. (I added almonds too!)
• This isn’t a super sweet granola, which I love about it, but if you want something more sweet, feel free to add more maple syrup. (I just used 1/3 cup)

Although it makes an easy morning snack by eating it right out of the jar, I usually add it to plain Greek yogurt, sweetened with a little maple syrup, and pumpkin puree. Full of fall flavor!

Stop back and let me know how you liked it — enJOY!

*This perfectly pumpkiny fall recipe has been added to the Gluten-Free Recipe Fix Carnival: Back to School and Fall Edition. Go take a peek at ALL of the other gluten-free recipes!