Spicy Garlic Chickpea Salad with Lemony Vinaigrette

My work week is always jam packed; I work long days and when I'm at work, I'm lucky if I can take my breaks (and people think librarians only read books...). The food I take to work needs to be quick to make, easy to eat, and delicious, which is not always easy to do.

This chickpea "salad" is perfect and meets all of the above requirements! It also makes perfect leftovers as the flavors meld together and get better over time.

I love that you just throw everything into the bowl and dive in. That's my kind of eating!

Spicy Garlic Chickpea Salad with Fennel and Roasted Tomatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil
Two 15 oz. can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Rosemary and thyme to taste
1 cup brown rice
Jarred pepperoncini
Small bulb of fennel
Shredded Parmesan
Fresh parsley

Cook 1 cup of rice as directed on package and set aside. In a medium saute pan, add chickpeas, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute for 6-8 minutes or until chickpeas start to blister. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss cherry tomatoes with dried rosemary and thyme and olive oil. Roast until they're blistered and beginning to burst open; about 20 minutes.

Put some rice in a bowl and ladle about 1/3 cup of the chickpea mixture into bowl. Add tomatoes and pepperoncini (to taste). Shave about 4-5 pieces of fennel from the bulb (the white part) and add to the bowl. Add Parmesan, parsley, and lemony vinaigrette. Mix to combine and chow down!

Lemon vinaigrette recipe can be found here.
Recipe adapted from bon appetit magazine.

This recipe is super healthy, gluten-free, and can be made vegan and dairy-free (just omit the Parmesan cheese)!

5 Ways I Save Money on Groceries

When I was a kid, I found grocery shopping both frustrating and exciting. My mom was a slow shopper, leaving me no choice but to stare at everything on the shelves as I followed along. As a result, I would beg for everything that caught my eye. Mom, can we get some Pop Tarts? Mom, can we get some juice? Mom, can I have this box of cereal? Her answer was almost always no (and good for her).

I learned a few things from my budget savvy mama and, having lived on my own for a few years, I picked up a few of my own good habits and tips on saving money. These are pretty straightforward, but have helped Luis and I maintain a healthy diet and cut expenses along the way.

1. Learn how to cook.
Sometimes people believe that cooking fresh meals, full of produce and meat, is more expensive and out of their budget. This is a fallacy. Some produce items might cost you more up front, but they always always always produce a higher yield that a boxed or prepared dinner. You can eat more and fill up on your home-cooked meal without guilt! Plus, I believe that the more you cook fresh meals on a daily basis will save you money in the long run on healthcare costs. If your body is consistently being fed healthy, fresh produce, meat, dairy, etc., your body will be stronger longer.

What to do if you are a hopeless cook? Learn how to assemble food. In other words, make sandwiches, tacos, quesadillas, etc. That way you can still use fresh ingredients without resorting to buying a ton of prepared meals.

2. Plan your meals in advance and stick to a list.
When you cook your own meals, it only makes sense to be sure that you have all the items necessary to complete each meal. I actually enjoy doing this! (Does that make me weird...?) When you plan each meal and create a grocery list, it helps you stay on track while in the store. Along with a list, my hubby and I always have our phone's calculator up and we add the cost of each item and make sure we don't go over a certain limit. We don't have a strict grocery budget that we adhere to, but we try to make sure that our costs don't exceed a certain price.

One resource that helps me meal plan has been to create a Pinterest board. It helps me compile foods that I like and choose from that list so I don't have to spend too much time pouring over recipe books and pulling my hair out. Pinterest is a God-send.

3. Keep track of what is already in your pantry. 
Knowing what's in your pantry and cupboards can help plan meals with ingredients you already have, eliminating repeated purchases and saving time and money at the store. Also, try to plan your meals around what you already have.

4. Bring your lunch to work at least 4 days each week. 
This one doesn't need much explanation. Food prices in stores are usually overpriced and add up very quickly. As I said before, when you create fresh meals, it usually yields quite a bit of leftovers. Put them aside in containers to take with you to work. You can also keep salad materials on hand for an easy lunch. Fatten them up with chicken, almonds, tomatoes, cucumbers, and homemade salad dressing (this stuff is amazing!!).

5. I try and only buy ingredients if I know I'll use them more than once.  
Some dishes seem fun to make but contain ingredients that you have to go to a special store to buy. Don't restrict yourself, but if you're going to buy that ingredient, plan on making additional dishes that also include it. Again, it goes back to tip number 3.

What do you do to save money on food and groceries? I'd love to hear your ideas and tips!

More resources:
My 5 Day Gluten-free Meal Plan
What's in My Grocery Cart?

Introduce a Little Parsley to Your Pesto

Fresh herbs and produce are arguably some of the most exciting aspects of the summer months. Farmer's markets are open and stocked full of everything from peaches to crisp lettuce, yellow corn and fresh lemonade. Obviously, I love it. Last summer I was obsessed with growing anything I could in an apartment setting. I wasn't totally successful, but this year our apartment has much better access to direct sunlight and I've been able to grow basil, aloe, and mint. Parsley is another herb that I've come to love. Flat-leaf parsley has a very distinct flavor that freshens any dish.

A few weeks ago, my best friends and I got together for a "girl's night" last hurrah before our friend gave birth to her baby (which happened yesterday!). My friend, Kelsey, made the most amazing pot of basil pesto over spaghetti (and was nice enough to cook gluten-free pasta for me)! Ever since then, I've had a serious craving for spaghetti and pesto. So when I saw a recipe in bon appetit magazine that used parsley, instead of basil, as a pesto, I was interested in trying it.

Parsley Pesto with Spaghetti 
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, pulse walnuts in a food processor until smooth. Add parsley, chives, oil, and Parmesan; process until smooth. Season pesto with salt and pepper.

Toss pasta and pesto in a large bowl, adding pasta cooking liquid by 1/4-cupfuls until saucy (because you might not need the full amount). Season with salt and pepper.

Adapted from bon appetit magazine. 

Coconut Ginger Soup

Ever since going gluten-free, I have had trouble finding soups that don't contain gluten fillers. This is especially difficult because the kinds of soups I most prefer are bisques, thicker soups usually made by pureeing the ingredients together. I had the place all to myself last night and decided that I'd make my own gluten-free soup, one that I could repeat and love!

One of my favorite cuisines are Indian and Thai, both of which tend to use a lot of coconut milk in their food. Needless to say, I've become obsessed with this stuff. I almost always have a can or two in my kitchen at any given time. 

But it's been a while since I made a good soup. The last soup I attempted to make was an Indian mulligatawny soup with lentils (and also coconut milk). It did not turn out well. Also, my hubby doesn't prefer to have soup for dinner (or lunch, really) because he doesn't find them substantial enough. As a result, I really don't make soup too often. But since I'm trying to curb the type of snack foods I eat, I picked up a few ingredients to make myself a soup snack during the week. This recipe was a success.

Coconut Ginger Soup

Adapted from Gloriously Gluten-Free Cookbook

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1 tbs oil

3 cups vegetable stock

2 14 oz. cans coconut milk

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Cayenne pepper to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add spinach, mushrooms, and ginger and cook while stirring, until the spinach begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. 

Add 2 1/2 cups of the broth to pot and stir well. Bring to a boil and add the coconut milk and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

In a small bowl, combine the last 1/2 cup of broth with cornstarch and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into the soup and stir well. Add the brown sugar. Cook until desired thickness is reached, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with cilantro as a garnish. 

What's In My Grocery Cart?

I recently shared my five-day gluten-free meal plan to give you a peek into what a typical week looks like in terms of meals and snacks for someone on a gluten-free diet. I've gotten quite a bit of feedback from friends, family, and readers about whether or not the gluten-free diet is too expensive, how do we keep costs down, and the usual question, "if you can't eat gluten, what else is there to eat?" 

To be honest, I find that last question odd. In recent years, the American diet has become so centered around bread and refined wheat products that the average person can't imagine maintaining a diet that excludes bread and wheat. Our addiction to highly processed starches/wheat—doughnuts, white breads, cookies, crackers, chips, and other unhealthy snacks—has led to a gluten overload. It's now estimated that 50% of American have some form of a gluten intolerance. How can we be surprised by this? The wheat grains that we find in our breads are almost always processed and refined. In other words, any real substance has been removed- it's no longer natural! The next time you buy bread, do yourself a favor and read the number one ingredient on the list; it usually reads "enriched wheat flour" which is something of a misnomer.  (If you want some basic information on that, The Hoax of Enriched Wheat Flour is a good place to start.)

When I politely tell someone that I have to pass on the potato casserole because I know it contains a gluten filler (usually flour thickener or cream of chicken/mushroom soup), I get the look of pity; people even think I'm foolish for removing wheat and grains from my diet. I just have to shrug it off and move on. After almost ten years of dealing with pain and some of the worst health symptoms I could have imagined, my body forced me to feed it different foods. The place I'm at today is a result of my personal reaction to certain foods, not because of a snobbish desire to be the healthiest in the land; I share this information because I want others who may be experiencing the same symptoms I had to know that they can help themselves beyond medication or incessant doctor visits where you're poked and prodded like cattle. I've been there... 

Since I've had to monitor my food intake more closely, I usually plan meals at the beginning of each week, usually on a Sunday. My hubby and I do a big grocery trip where we stock up on the necessaries and replenish things like almond milk, bread, and produce. This usually gets us through until the next Sunday without requiring that we go to another store to get things during the week. That's what way we're able to maintain a decent grocery budget; another way is by reducing the amount of snack food we purchase. We don't like to keep too much in our pantry, mostly because we just don't have the space, but because we prefer to use up most of our food before we return to the store again. This takes care of the snacking solution. So let's go! Here's a peek into our grocery cart.

Produce- Vegetables

We recently started shopping at a local grocery store called Woodman's; I love their produce section- it's vast, has great variety, and they are almost never out of something I need.  I've broken our produce into two parts: vegetables and fruit. Here's what we got for vegetable produce:

- Iceberg lettuce (this isn't typical- usually I get cabbage or spinach, but I needed this for a recipe)

- Roma tomatoes

- Cauliflower

- Carrots 

- Mushrooms (two boxes)

- Green pepper

- Red peppers 

- Ginger

- Parsley (I always buy cilantro too, but I didn't need any this trip)

- Zucchini (they had an amazing sale- 59 cents per pound... I stocked up) 

Not pictured: potatoes and red onions. 

And here's our fruit produce:

- Oranges (2 bags)

- Bananas

- Lemons (I put them in my water and use them for skincare)

- Strawberries (two boxes)

Meat and Dairy

- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I buy the four pound bag. We were buying two bags and soon found that buying one large bag was less expensive). 

- Butter

- Sour Cream

- Mozzarella shredded cheese

- Stonyfield Organic yogurt (this stuff is amazing: it is chock full of probiotics and live cultures that your gut desperately needs)

Some other items that we tend to buy often are ground beef, goat cheese, and another type of cheese to snack on, usually a local cheddar or havarti cheese. 

Cereals/Breads

- Gluten-free Cinnamon Chex Mix
- Udi's Gluten-free Vanilla granola
- Cheerios
- Sunbelt Bakery Granola

The Chex Mix is pretty much regular Chex, just prepared in a factory that doesn't also process their wheat Chex, therefore making it certified gluten-free. Udi's makes amazing granola- it's filling and absolutely delicious. The Cheerios and Sunbelt Bakery granola are for Luis. 

- Pepperidge Farm Ancient Grains whole wheat bread (for Luis)

- Goodbye Gluten bread

- Udi's gluten-free bread in Cinnamon Raisin

- Mission White Corn tortillas

Since Luis still prefers to eat regular bread, we found an option that we felt was the best nutrient-wise. He gets the Ancient Grain bread from Pepperidge Farm, which is free of enriched flours and in addition to wheat grain, it features grains that are ancient grains. Teff, amaranth, and sorghum are all ancient grains that represent some of the oldest grains consumed by humans. Not only are these unprocessed, they may prevent cancer and other diseases; they are also grains that are naturally gluten-free! 

If you are on the gluten-free diet, Udi's is by far the best bread option out there. It's tasty and there are many different varieties of bread to purchase. Goodbye gluten is a bread I buy when I want the best. I have to drive to a store in Vernon Hills to purchase this bread (about a half hour from where I live), as they don't sell it at Woodman's. It's totally worth it though. 

Snacks and Frozen Food

- Tribe Hummus
- Triscuit Crackeked Pepper & Olive Oil crackers
- Kashi Garlic Pesto pita chips
- Glutino Gluten free Crackers

Naturally, I only eat the Glutino crackers (which are great by the way!)

We try to keep down the amount of frozen food that we purchase, limiting ourselves to frozen fruit/veggies, etc. 

- Ore Ida Zesty Twirls frozen fries

- Dole Mixed Berries frozen fruit

- Unsweetened Red Raspberries

- Van's Gluten-free blueberry waffles

Frozen fries are a hidden source of gluten for those with a gluten intolerance. Ore Ida is one of the only brands that don't use flour as a coating on their fries.

Juices/Beverages

- Dole Pineapple Orange Banana juice
- Silk PureAlmond milk
- Lime and lemon juice

We like Dole's juice because they don't add extra sugar and there is no high fructose corn syrup present in the juice.

Grocery- Part 1

- McCormick Cumin seeds

- Barney Buttter Organic Almond Butter

- S&W Black beans

- College Inn chicken broth

- Sriracha sauce

- Roland Marsala cooking wine

- Spice Supreme whole cloves

- Dried tarragon

With each canned item you'll see, we buy about two for each. Also, if you haven't had almond butter, try it! It's delicious.

Grocery Part 2

- Barilla Marinara

- R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Butter

- SueBee Clover Honey

- Hunt's Tomato sauce

- Shur Fine Tomato Paste 

- Eillie's Cashew halves and pieces

- Roland Artichoke hearts

- Aroy-D Coconut milk

Again, canned goods are usually purchased in pairs. I also bought pinto beans, which I forgot to picture.

Other items that we normally purchase are paper goods, such as toilet paper and paper towels, dish soap, sponges, and personal items like body wash, etc. 

There are still some different things I'd like to try, such as purchasing beans dry and in bulk instead of canned. As you can see, being gluten free, I still have a very normal diet with a ton of options in terms of meals and snacks. A common misconception is that you have to remove so much from your diet by going gluten-free, and I don't believe that to be true. If anything, I've added more food to my diet since then by embracing foods that are naturally gluten free.

I'd love to hear about your grocery trips! What can't you live without? How do you approach grocery shopping? 

Chocolate Covered Bananas with Walnuts, Coconut, and Cranberries

I am sorry for my blogging absence. I've been having "technical difficulties" with photo uploading. My card reader/writer broke in half and I haven't been able to get any photos onto my computer for editing and blogging. I don't like to post too many blog posts without original photo content, so I just chose to abstain from blogging until I could get another card reader. But no worries, all is well and I'm back at it. 

I'm excited to share this recipe with you all! I am a snacker- constantly nibbling and eating whatever we have around our place. I wanted to make something to snack on that wouldn't make me feel sick or fill me up to overflowing whilst I continually snack, and I have just the recipe. 

Chocolate Covered Bananas with Walnuts, Coconut, and Cranberries

5 bananas

2 bars of dark chocolate (about 5 oz each)

Small handful of dried cranberries and dried coconut

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Melt chocolate; meanwhile, peel bananas. Place the bananas on a baking sheet or a plate. Spoon the chocolate over the bananas until fully covered. Sprinkle nuts and coconut over bananas. Add the cranberries. Place in fridge and wait until chocolate is set. You can also freeze them if you prefer!

Super-Easy Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

Smoothies are my go-to, healthy, delicious snack. I love playing around with flavors, combinations and ingredients. But what I love most about smoothies (besides the amazing taste!) is how they make me feel; they give me a huge boost of energy! 

Which is why I try to make them at the start of each day! There's nothing worse than waking up and feeling groggy. This smoothie concoction is really simple. It has red berries such as strawberries and raspberries (my favorite!), which are packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Pomegranate seeds are featured in this recipe too; they have powerful health benefits and have been shown to inhibit breast cancer and prevent heart blockage!  

Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

One serving size

1 1/2 cup of strawberries and raspberries (together)

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup of orange juice

1 cup of Stoneyfield French Vanilla yogurt

4 ice cubes

Raw honey 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and drizzle honey over the mixture. Blend until smooth, about a minute or two, making sure that all the seeds and ice are evenly blended. Pour into a large glass and enjoy!

Well-Being Wednesday

I'm really excited to start a new series called "Well-Being Wednesday" this week! As the title might imply, I am going to be discussing health issues in each post that may touch on a variety of different health concerns, new information, or a subject that I find interesting or relevant. The idea came to be after I had a flare-up of a pre-existing condition that I have been dealing with, and I think it will help me maintain my own well-being.

I'll start by sharing a bit of my own story. Growing up, I had always been a healthy kid. I rarely missed school, never went to the hospital, or needed any kind of special treatment regarding health issues. When I started high school in 2004, I suddenly became very sick in the Fall of my freshman year. I missed almost two weeks of school and was stuck at home, really sick and having severe bodily pain. After undergoing a myriad of tests, x-rays, and consultations, my doctor informed me that I had IBS (Irritable Bowel syndrome). I know... classy, right? The name is even embarrassing. At that age, I was unprepared to deal with what that meant. I had to cut out certain foods from my diet, my appetite changed, sometimes disappearing, and strenuous activities were difficult for me. Fortunately after a few weeks, the symptoms disappeared and I was able to return to life as we know it. Over the next 8 years, the symptoms have come and gone, but were never as severe as the first time I got sick. That all changed about two weeks ago. Again, I got very sick, had to miss work, and went back to the hospital. This time, they told me that I have colitis; essentially it's an inflammation of the intestines and a little bit more severe than IBS. Health professionals don't know exactly what causes it to manifest in some people, and as of right now, there is no known cure, only maintenance.

The problem with something like this is that your body is unable to properly receive all of the nutrients it needs from the foods you eat. People with colitis or other forms of digestive disorders often have to eat a high-calorie, high-protein diet and take supplements to overcompensate for the body's inabilities. On my second hospital visit, they recommended that I stay away from foods high in fiber and raw fruits and vegetables while I was experience the severe symptoms. What? That's the exact opposite of what I thought would help my body bounce back. In the mean time, I turned to foods that were high in good bacterias. I knew that if I continued to put the good bacteria, such as acidophiles, back into my system, my body would be better prepared to fight off the bad bacteria that was disrupting my system. I ate greek yogurt, which has a higher bacteria count than regular yogurts; I added apple cider vinegar to my tea and honey, which is essentially what helped me alleviate the symptoms so I could get back to work. Since my body is back to "normal," now is the time to fill my body with proper foods such as vegetables and fruits.

Even if you're reading this and don't have any issue with your intestines or digestive system, I believe it's so important to know the role that your "gut" plays in the overall well-being of your entire body. Growing up, we are taught to believe that our brains are primarily responsible for being the centerpiece of our mental capacity and nervous system. While this is true, we often forget the fact that our intestines alone have nearly one hundred million nerve cells. Basically, one-half of our nerve cells are located in our gut (Rubin, 2004, p. 51). Our "second brain" is our intestinal nervous system and should never be underestimated. Our gut manufactures opiates and mood-controllers that help us regulate the way we feel and maintain good moods or deal with bad moods. The importance of stress relief is key in maintaining a healthy digestive tract. Jordan Rubin (2004), author of The Maker's Diet states that "virtually every state of health is affected by the GI tract [digestive system]. Even if you break a bone, or undergo a surgical procedure, the time required to heal is directly affected by how well your gut is able to process nutrients and detoxify toxins . . . if you fail to refuel your body properly, your intellect may be dimmed. . . through poor nutrition and poor lifestyle decisions" (p. 57)

Based on information and research that I've gathered over the past few weeks, I have found that there are two ways to maintain good health.

• Hone in on the nutrients that are entering your body.
• Reduce the amount of toxins in your body.

 Be aware of what is going in your body. Read labels, do your research on the affects of foods and man-made chemicals in the foods we eat. It directly affects the stability of our health and well-being!

Read this article by one of my favorite bloggers about taking care of yourself!

Sources:

Rubin, J. (2004). The Maker's Diet: The 40-day health experience that will change your life forever. Lake Mary, FL: Siloam: A Strang Company.

http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis/