Last night I was scrambling for something to eat for
dinner. I had no idea what to make, I
was getting hungrier by the minute, and I needed something quick and easy.
No big deal right?
Well, I took to Pintrest.
Naturally.
What I found was a whole lot of Gluten Free imitation
versions of casseroles that made me go… ICK!
The tricky thing with gluten free versions of gluten ridden foods, is
they often have higher calorie, carb, and additive numbers. I wanted something fast, but I didn’t want to
sacrifice quality or nutrition.
I found inspiration from a few different recipes and came up
with something that I thought I would enjoy!
Here is my recipe, I hope you enjoy!
Kayla’s Zucchini
Avo-Fredo (Alfredo)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Sauce:
-½ medium avocado
-2 tbsp ricotta cheese
-1 handful fresh basil
-¼ cup Chicken stock
oUsed to thin out the sauce. You want it to coat the back of a spoon, but
not too thick
-2 tsp lemon juice
-Sea salt
Remaining:
-1-2 medium zucchinis
oMade zucchini noodles with your zucchinis
-1 medium tomato
Optional:
-1 chicken breast
Instructions:
-Make noodles out of your zucchini, set aside
-Chop your tomato, set aside
-In a Vitamix Blender, add:
oBasil
oAvocado
oLemon juice
oHalf of the amount of chicken stock
-Blend until thick and smooth
-Add in your ricotta cheese, blend
-If needed, add remaining chicken stock
oYou want your sauce to be thick and creamy, not
soupy!
-Warm a large saucepan on medium heat
-Add your Avo-Fredo sauce and gently warm
-Once warmed through, add your zucchini and toss
in the sauce until coated and zucchini warmed through
oYou still want some crunch to the zucchini
-Toss fresh tomatoes in
-If you are using chicken, toss in your chopped,
cooked chicken breast
-PLATE AND ENJOY!
This was absolutely DELICIOUS and tasted just like Fettuccini
Alfredo, my fave pasta dish! It was
creamy, dreamy, and very satisfying! I
used 1 medium zucchini and 1 chicken breast and ate all of it. It was fantastic!
Please let me know if you try it and what you think!
I have heard so much about juice cleanses – how amazing they
are and then some talk about how horrible they are.If you know me, you know I had to find out
for myself.I can never just take
someone’s word for it.So I did some
research to find a local Juicer – I wanted my first juice cleanse to be excuse
free, so I wanted someone else to do the juicing.I came across Total Cleanse out of Toronto
and they had a 14% off New Year deal so I jumped at the opportunity.
I am going to review the experience as well as a quick review
of Total Cleanse.
Juicing Experience:
I ordered the following juices for 5 days – Green Energy,
Very Berry, Red Energy, & Lemon Rush.
Green Energy - Includes:
Fresh cucumber, celery, kale, lettuces, parsley, lemon, apple, romaine lettuce
Very Berry - Includes:
Strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, apple, lemon
Red Energy - Includes:
Beet, carrot, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger
Lemon Rush - Includes:
Lemon, cayenne, maple syrup, filtered water
The juices were pretty tasty, but I have definitely created
better juices at home.The Green Energy
was very green.For me it was just too
much – I would’ve really appreciated more apple and less cucumber.The Very Berry was FANTASTIC!It tasted like pink Starburst.However, after day 2 – it became WAY too
sweet!Red Energy was pretty hard to get
through – the beets tasted like dirt.Ick!Finally, the Lemon Rush was
very refreshing but way too spicy.I
really enjoyed the maple syrup – it was a really nice aftertaste.
Day One – I was
very excited to get started.Green
Energy #1 – down the hatch!Lemon Rush
#1 – OMG SPICY!Very Berry – Delicious!Lemon Rush #2 – Still REALLY spicy!Green Energy #2 – I miss hot food…
When I started the day I was very excited to do this!Totally pumped and ready to go!By the end of the day the withdrawal symptoms
began to set in and it was horrible.I don’t
mean “wahhh I want chocolate…”It was
BAD!I had a nasty headache, bad mood, intense
cravings for anything and everything, and I wanted to give up.I knew that it was going to be hard but I had
no idea I would go through sugar withdrawals.I had the sweats and I looked like I belonged in a detox room at rehab
next to Lindsay Lohan.I pushed through
and made it to day two.
Day Two – Ugh.I am the type of person who loves
(temperature) hot food.I hate cold
food.So waking up to a cold glass of
grass juice was not my idea of fun, but I had a goal and I was determined not
to give up.I powered down my first
juice and made it through to the third juice, Very Berry.After that one, I just didn’t want to
eat/drink at all.It wasn’t fun and
exciting and I didn’t feel like the benefits would outweigh the
challenges.I kept pushing through!
Day Three – Meh.I didn’t really want to juice, so I just didn’t
eat or drink anything.I had a few sips
here and there.That was it.It immediately brought back those familiar demons…
“Don’t eat food, it will make you fat”, “As soon as you start eating again you
are going to gain 50 lbs… better get used to feeling hungry”… Thankfully I was
able to recognize that slippery slope and I cut the cleanse off after
that.Saturday morning I woke up and had
breakfast – real, hot, delicious healthy food :)
Now – I know that all sounds really negative… but I did
learn/experience a few things that made it worth it for me.
1)Foods that my body doesn’t respond well to
a.Gluten sucks.That is all.
b.Dairy – we aren’t full out enemies, but I really
dislike you.
c.Sugar – It’s over!I’m sorry, it’s not me.It’s you.
2)Mental Strength
a.Even though I wanted to throw in the towel, I
kept pushing and I showed myself that I can take myself as far as I want to!
b.On the flip side, I also recognized that I can
stop myself from going down a slippery slope.I don’t need to give in to those food issues – I am stronger than that.
3)10 pounds GONE!
a.I thought for sure this would come back as soon
as I started eating solid food again, but I have managed to keep it off!It’s a pretty sweet way to end a pretty tough
challenge!
Days After the
Cleanse – Pumped.I’m glad that I
did the cleanse but I don’t think I would recommend it.It is almost more of a mental challenge than
physical and I don’t think it is a healthy choice for women who are on their
journey to a healthier body.I DO,
however, highly recommend including juicing into your everyday lifestyle.Juicing (or making smoothies) is a fantastic
way to get in a lot of nutrients that can be a bit of a challenge to do when
eating them whole.Plus I love having
juice with my breakfast and I can do it guilt-free when I make it all
myself.I don’t have to worry about
added sugars and/or concentrated juices from the grocery store.I know exactly what is going into my juice :)
Total Cleanse:
I wasn’t blown away by Total Cleanse.Without getting into all of the nit-picky
details, I would suggest looking into all of your options (if you are
interested in trying a cleanse) and asking a lot of questions.Make your own informed decisions :)
Bottom Line:
I would not recommend a juice-only cleanse, but I would
recommend including juicing/smoothies into your daily routine!
Do you miss eating pancakes with the family on Sunday mornings?Well I have a recipe that will make that problem disappear!You will be enjoying Pancake Sunday’s with the family again in no time at all :)
What you need:
-Food processor or blender or magic bullet
-4-6 Egg whites
-¼ Cup of Quick oats
-Cinnamon
-Small frying pan
-Flipper
-Spatula
-Oil of your choice
What to do:
-Take your oats and blend them in the food processor or blender or magic bullet until it looks like the consistency of flour (in our case it would look like Gluten Free Flour, right!)
-Add cinnamon now or sprinkle it on top of the finished product
-Measure and add your egg whites to the food processor or blender or magic bullet and blend.This will incorporate the ingredients as well as make the egg whites fluffier.
-Add a very small amount of oil to a non-stick small frying pan and once the pan is ready, add the mixture and wait for small bubbles to form throughout the pancake.Then you know it’s time to flip!I like to use the spatula to lift up the pancake so I can slide the flipper underneath it and flip.Less risk of breaking the pancake that way!
-The second side takes less time to cook; about a minute or 2 or until golden.
Voila!You have your Oat and Egg White Pancake!
Here are some possible toppings for your pancake:
(NOTE: I am just making suggestions, I am not saying this is appropriate for everyone's meal plan!)
-Mashed banana (this can also be added INTO the pancake ‘batter’)
-Maple Syrup
-Cinnamon
-Cinnamon and Splenda
-Berry Compote
-Peanut Butter and Banana Slices
-Any kind of fruit
-Or my guilty pleasure that I will try again once I reach my goal… NUTELLA!
You can also make this a savoury pancake by adding spices instead of cinnamon and use sour cream and a possible topping. Think of Potato Pancakes, but healthier :)
Give this recipe a try and let me know if you do!
I hope you enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!
“In the simplest terms, what is gluten? Gluten is a protein composite, meaning it is a substance made up of several different proteins, in wheat and related grains in the triticeae family of grassy grains or cereal grains. These grains include barley, bulgur wheat, durum, einkorn, farro, graham, kamut, rye, semolina, spelt, triticale and wheat.” (http://gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com/what-is-gluten/)
I think this website does a pretty good job of explaining gluten, so check it out if you have any additional questions.
My reason for going Gluten Free (hereafter referred to as GF) was to jumpstart weight loss, initially.Bread, pasta, and all things carb-a-licious aren’t good for you anyway so I thought I would cut those out of the running and eat things that were better for me.I was shocked at how quickly I felt the difference.The first difference I experienced was the lack of bloating and gassiness.Not a fun topic, but it is the truth.I hadn’t realized how bloated I had felt, until I didn’t feel it anymore.Another positive change was my energy levels.I didn’t feel bogged down or sluggish anymore; I felt energetic!I wake up before my alarm clock 95% of the time now.In addition to these great things, I’m also steadily losing the pounds!
I started looking into where gluten can be found and I was shocked to say the least.Did you know you can find gluten in:
-Stamps
-Envelopes
-Sunscreen
-Shampoo
-Medicine
-Toothpaste
-Lotions
-Makeup
Gluten is everywhere!So if you are in fact sensitive to gluten or have Celiac Disease, you need to be very careful!
I stuck with my GF Diet because eating any gluten now makes me very ill and it’s just not worth it!There are so many GF versions of everyone’s favourite foods, there is no reason to sabotage your body if gluten isn’t your friend.GF pizza from Boston Pizza is absolutely delicious and rice pasta or corn pasta is fantastic!You will not run out of delicious things to eat, I promise!You just have to be more diligent about reading labels and asking questions! The extra effort is well worth it :)
I am not promoting a GF lifestyle; I am not a professional so I do not want to promote anything I am not educated to. However, I am just sharing my experience. I would suggest that if you are interested in changing your diet, you look at Canada's Food Guide and make sure you are eating a well balanced diet! You can dowload a copy of the Food Guide here.
If you are considering going GF I highly recommend that you speak with your doctor and/or nutritionist first.It is not healthy or practical to make a dramatic change to your body without consulting a professional first.If you Google the symptoms of Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity and you believe you might have the disease or sensitivity, please contact your doctor immediately and request a blood test.This is not covered by OHIP if you live in Ontario, you will have to pay for the cost of the test.But it is better to find out early, rather than increase the risk of damage to your body.
I hope you enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!
When I was a little kid (and throughout most of my life lol) I have loved chicken fingers.When I was younger and got to go out for dinner with family (sans mom and dad) I took the opportunity and ran with it; I ordered chicken fingers.Sadly, those darn things aren’t that good for you and the breading makes my tummy turn.Darn gluten…Have no fear, my friends… I have a delicious alternative :)
Almond “Breaded” Chicken Fingers
What you need:
-Chicken breast (you decide how many you need depending on how many people you are cooking for)
-All natural almonds
-Food processor or blender
-Egg whites (2 eggs worth should be plenty depending on how much you are making)
-Spices
-Tongs
-Flipper
-Frying pan
-2 Plates (1 to spread the chopped almonds on and 1 to place the cooked chicken on)
-Cooling rack (to place cooked chicken on) OPTIONAL
-Rectangular dish (to hold the egg whites)
-Oil (you can use EVOO, coconut oil, or whatever you have on your meal plan!)
Instructions:
-Take your almonds (I used about a cup) and throw them into the blender with whatever spices you like and chop them up!I used a little bit of chili pepper flakes.You can decide how fine or chunky you want the pieces of almond to be, but aim for a finer consistency.Spread it out evenly on the plate.
-Whisk the egg whites slightly in the dish.
-Slice your chicken breast into thin slices.This will help the chicken cook faster!
-Dip each slice of chicken into the egg white and then over to the almond mixture and then place the “breaded” chicken on to a clean plate.
-Once you have all of the chicken “breaded” put it in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes so the “breading” can adhere.
-While your chicken is sitting in the fridge you can heat up the frying pan.Make sure to cook this on Low-Med heat as you don’t want to burn the almonds before the chicken has a chance to cook thoroughly.
-Lightly oil the pan, I like to use a brush so I can spread out the oil evenly and limit the amount I need to use.
-Once the chicken is ready to cook, space the slices out evenly in the pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness.I like to leave the sides of the chicken almond free so I can see when the chicken turns colour.
-Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly use the flipper to remove them from the pan and place them on a cooling rack (or plate).The cooling rack will allow the chicken to cool on both sides without the bottom getting soggy from the condensation on the plate.
-Depending on what you are allowed to eat on your meal plan you can use whatever dip you like!Mustard is great or you can create your own veggie dip by pureeing some of your fave veggies!A roasted red pepper dip sounds delish, don’t you think?
I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you try it!I will talk to you all very soon!
Noticing the changes your body is going through can be tough at times. You see yourself every day! Some people would think that would make it easier but it doesn’t.The person who is going to notice those changes the most is someone who hasn’t seen you for a little while.But really, who wants to wait around for that?My recommendation?Get yourself a TShirt or pair of shorts and use it as a guide.Throughout the weeks, months, etc. keep trying on those SAME pieces of clothing and see how differently they fit.Maybe the TShirt is looser in the mid-section or maybe the arms feel looser (or tighter if you are trying to gain weight/muscle).Remember to keep track of these things in a notebook.This way you can look back on your success and remind yourself of how AMAZING you are!
Sometimes it is hard to SEE changes and a tape measure or the scale is not the best way to measure that change.If you move the tape measure an inch up or down it can totally throw off the measurement and you might be left feeling down on yourself, not good!The scale is a good tool BUT your weight fluctuates and seeing that number go up/down/up/down can really mess with your head.It’s best to weigh yourself once a day or once a week or whatever is best for you; but just remember not to put too much emphasis on the numbers.You want to pay attention to how your clothes are fitting you, too!I have a love/hate relationship with the scale.When it gives me good news, I adore it, I will be in a GREAT mood all day and I have pep in my step.If that scale dares to give me BAD news, it will ruin my whole day, sometimes my whole week!It’s not worth it, you will waste a whole day/week feeling upset rather than continuing all of your hard work.
Another important thing to remember is you might look worse before you look better!Your body is going through changes and things will look different, but you won’t go from wherever you started to where you want to be that easily! I WISH! When I started losing weight my waist started shrinking but my hips stayed the same.I looked like the Michelin Man!Eventually things start to even out, and then you will go through the process all over again!But it is all welcomed changes :) I can’t wait to see more changes, I’m just at the beginning of my journey... I've got a lot of changes to come!
The main point of this post is to remind everyone who is working out and making big changes, to celebrate the small stuff!Don’t get too caught up on the numbers and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.This is a work in progress, enjoy it!When you are celebrating your accomplishments throughout the entire process it’ll feel like a MASSIVE SUCCESS the whole time!It’ll be like celebrating your birthday all year round :)If I feel like my jeans are fitting a little looser, I celebrate!If I am able to find an outfit quickly and easily without having to try on a few different options, I really celebrate!You get the point!You have to celebrate every victory; no matter how big or small :) I should clarify what I mean by celebrate. I don't necessarily DO anything special or extravagant... It might just be sharing the news with someone close to me or watching one of my favourite shows without worrying about the homework I really should be doing lol ;)
I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!
K
PS – Im working on another post for a DELICIOUS almond “breaded” chicken recipe!It tastes just like chicken fingers and it is totally gluten free!
I am European and cabbage rolls are something I grew up eating and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I came across this recipe and realized I could still eat it on my new menu plan!With a few changes of course :)
After you have crushed the whole tomatoes in your hands, (you CAN use diced tomatoes but I prefer whole tomatoes crushed by hand because 1. It makes me feel strong “crushing” them and 2. I like the chunkier pieces of tomato when eating it!), add them to the beef mixture, as well as the tomato puree or juice, and bring to a boil.Allow the mixture to thicken slightly.
Now you have everything ready, it is time to put it together!
Take your casserole dish and put down half of the cooked cabbage and then half of the beef mixture.Repeat.I chose to use my casserole dish lid rather than foil as my dish was quite full!
Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes!I recommend putting the casserole dish on a cookie sheet so it can catch anything that spills over.Easier to clean up!
If you are topping your casserole with cheese, you would remove your lid at this time and continue cooking until the cheese was all melted and starting to brown!
Enjoy :)
This recipe was a big hit in my house; everyone liked it even though there was no salt, rice, or cheese.I hope you give it a try!It is flavourful and filling :)
Please note: The website with the original wesbite has Weight Watchers Points info for THEIR version, I do not know what MY verison would look like in terms of WW Points, sorry!!
This is my first post on the new blog :) I thought I would begin by introducing myself... My name is Kayla and I have decided to make some big changes in my life. I was never a skinny girl and I don't plan on becoming one. What I DO want is to strengthen my body and have a more toned, lean physique. I started my journey in September when I decided enough was enough. I didnt want to have to find an outfit that looked good, I wanted to throw on a pair of jeans and a T-Shirt and run out the door without giving it any more thought. So, my plan of action? I cut gluten and sugar out of my diet entirely. At first it was incredibly challenging! I was grouchy and hungry all the time and all I wanted to do was hook myself up to a sugar IV drip and let the sugar high wash away the cravings. I did not give in and it DID get better. It took me about 5 days to detox and get the sugar out of my system and then I noticed some MAJOR changes in my mood and body. It was like someone flipped a switch, I had all of this energy that I hadn't had before and I never felt bloated or uncomfortable anymore. I loved it! I was hitting the gym several times a week and the pounds were coming off. It was wonderful and I had lost 25 lbs all by myself! I was very proud :)
Then the lull hit...
All of the sudden those dietary changes and workouts weren't cutting it! I wasn't losing anymore weight! The stress of exams had actually caused me to put on some weight. I wasn't feeling so happy anymore so I reached out to a friend and she suggested I train with her personal trainer. I was skeptical at first to be honest. I felt like there was no hope for me.
*Weight and body image has been a big issue for me for most of my life. If anyone is interested in hearing more about overcoming body image issues just comment below and I will go into more detail*
Nonetheless, I took her up on her suggestion and made an appointment to see a personal trainer. That is the day my life truly changed. He told me that my goals were ATTAINABLE! I could become a physically strong woman with a feminine physique. I was not too far gone...
We picked a day, December 21, 2011 and started working out! I was beyond nervous for my first workout. I was worried about what to wear, would I sweat to much, would people look at me weird for being in the "guys section" of the gym? I had all of these insecurities floating around in my head but I told them all to take a hike because nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goals! With 5 minutes to go until the end of my first workout, I started feeling "off" and had to end it early. I had pushed myself so hard and did not have enough food in my system so I ended up getting sick. It was an incredibly embarrassing moment (actually 25 minutes) but I have now figured out when I need to eat my meals so I am fuelled up and ready to work out!
*More on meals in a later post*
It took me FIVE days to recover from that first workout but I wouldn't have changed a thing! Even the barfing... It showed me that a little sweat and a little barf won't kill me. It's not "gross", it shows I worked my ASS off and pushed myself to the limit! Since then I have had 4 more sessions with my trainer (I am excluding names until I get permission to use names) and I feel fantastic!
I have lost 14 lbs since Dec 21, bringing my total to 32 lbs lost since September!
I am so excited about this journey and have met some wonderful people so far that I know will be with me every step of the way.
I hope you enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!
