Deep Cleaning: Use S.O.S. Pads on your Kitchen Sink!

Do you ever clean you sink, scrub it down, and realize there are still stains lingering?  Today I came to find a great tip - use S.O.S. pads!  Once you're done scrubbing your pans from dinner and you still have some S.O.S. pad left - use the rest on deep cleaning your sink.  You'll get a new shine you never knew you had.  Keep in mind - use the pads on metal sinks only.

What you need:

• 1 S.O.S. Pad
• Pair of cleaning gloves
• Elbow grease (scrubbing power!)

Let me know how it works for you!

#deepcleaning #SOSPads #kitchensink

Quinoa Summer Salad

Happy Summer! It is getting so hot outside... it's time to cool things down a bit.  I've made a lot of warm quinoa dishes, so I decided to create a cold quinoa salad that I call a Quinoa Summer Salad.  The great part about this salad is that you can throw virtually anything you have sitting in your fridge in and it'll taste great.  Add a red pepper or some cherry tomatoes.. make it your own.  But first, here's my recipe:

What to Gather:

• 1 Cup Quinoa
• 2 Cups Water
• 2 Small Cucumbers (about 6 inches long each)
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Small Onion Chopped
• 1/2 Cup (or more) Black Olives
• 1/4 Cup Feta Cheese
• 2 tsp Minced Garlic
• 4 TBSP Vinaigrette 

What to Do:

•  Before starting this salad, make the quinoa ahead of time if possible.  Since this is a cold dish the quinoa needs time to sit in the fridge for a while to cool (or you can put it over an ice bath if you don't have enough time).  Cook the quinoa in the 2 cups water, bring to a boil then reduce heat for 15 minutes.  Once done, cool the quinoa.  Add to the salad.
• Cut the small cucumbers long-wise in half, turn 180*, then long-wise in half again.  By now you'll have 2 cuts in the cucumber - finish cutting the cucumbers creating 4 pieces per cut by cutting down long-ways as usual.  You should have 4 pieces of a pie cut out with each cut. [Now I feel like I'm on Food Network's Next Food Network Star trying to explain how to cut these for the salad haha]
• Cut the bell pepper and the onion into small squares, place in salad
• Cut the black olives in half, place in salad
• Top with feta cheese (you can add more if you like!) I use:
  
• Add the minced garlic
• Add the vinaigrette - I use the All Natural House Vinaigrette from Aldi's:
  
• Now, mix all together and serve!  [to note: this dish is best served after sitting overnight!]

Enjoy! :)

With Love,

Mel

Gluten Free Food at Aldi's!

Gluten free food can be expensive.  Trying to sort through which gluten free brands are best takes A LOT of trial and error.  On a recent shopping trip at Aldi's I found, and I'm not kidding, A TON of new gluten free items!  Now before they had brownies, cake mix, and a few other things, but now... they have so much more under the live G free brand.  So, I walked the whole store and found some great finds... cake mix, cookie mix, pizza crust mix, cornbread mix, pancake mix, brownie mix, sandwich wraps, frozen pizza, frozen ravioli, mac & cheese, pasta, breakfast bars, and more! 

The best thing is that the prices are great... I bought a few things to try, and my bill was so reasonable:

1. GF Pasta (100% corn).....$1.29
2. GF Frozen Ravioli.....$3.29
3. GF Mac & Cheese.....$1.49
4. GF Cheese Pizza.....$4.99
5. GF Brownie and Cake Mixes.....$2.99 each

The prices are great... so far I've had:

1. Brownies - Good, best in a smaller pan, doesn't taste GF at all!
2. Mac & Cheese - Ok, seriously... this is the best (gluten free) Mac & Cheese I've had (still doesn't come close to my old favorite shapes Kraft Mac & Cheese but hey... a GF girl's gotta do what a GF girl's gotta do)
3. Frozen Pizza - Ok guys save your time here it's mushy and Glutino has much better frozen Pizza.


I'm going to be putting my my favorite GF brands next - any suggestions on what you'd like to see?  Write me a message below!  I'd love to hear from you all :)

With Love,
Mel

Quinoa and Bean Medley

I LOVE quinoa.  I also love making new dishes incorporating quinoa.  Tonight I threw a few things together from the kitchen and viola! a great new quinoa dish.  This dish encompasses quinoa, beans, vegetables, garlic, and spices.  And, it's totally gluten-free.  Try to use organic ingredients!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 3 TBSP olive oil (and more if needed)
• 1+ TBSP minced organic garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• handfull of organic cherry tomatoes
• 1 can organic black beans (15oz) drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 can of organic garbanzo beans (8oz)
• garlic salt
• salt and pepper
• taco seasoning (about 2-3+ TBSP) (make sure it's gluten-free)
• smoked paprika (about 1/2+ TBSP)

Just to note - you can always add more or less of what I suggest in the recipe.  If you want to use a whole can of garbanzo beans, go ahead!  If you like your dish more spicy, add more seasoning, etc.  Ok on to the fixing!

What to do:

• Place quinoa and water into a small sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover for 15 minutes.
• While quinoa is cooking, place a larger non-stick saute pan on the stove.  Drizzle olive oil in the pan and add the garlic & onion.
• While sautéing, cut the cherry tomatoes in thirds and saute in the pan.  
• Add the black & garbanzo beans to the mixture, stir. 
• By now your quinoa should be about finished.  Add the quinoa when ready to the mixture.  
• Add salt and pepper to taste and a few shakes of garlic salt (not too much!).
• I have a taco seasoning I use from a local spice company and each taco seasoning is different so I suggest adding about 2-3 TBSP taco seasoning to the mixture to taste (it shouldn't be over powering, just enough).  Then add the smoked paprika (1/2 to 1 TBSP) to taste.  

Serve and enjoy!

Let me know what you think :)

Love, Mel

Gluten-Free Alcohol List

You're out with your friends, but have no idea if you can have what they're having... I've been there.  From asking what vodka they're using in my White Russian to having to pay more for a beverage that's not on special.  I Googled and Googled to find what I can actually drink.  So, I put together a list for you all of what we can actually drink and not get sick, so we can enjoy night [or day :)]**.  And, as always, drink responsively! :)


What is Totally Safe:

• Brandy
• Ciders [Woodchuck is my go-to, Angry Orchard is great.  Beware of any containing Barley, these aren't GF]
• Champagne
• Cognac
• Gin
• Gluten-Free Beer [Make sure it's Gluten-Free]
• Rum [However, rum made with "Natural Flavors" can contain gluten]
• Captain Morgan 
• Bacardi
• Malibu
• Schnapps
• Skinny Girl Margaritas and Sangria's are GF
• Tequila [true Tequila is safe, however, cheaper brands of tequila are made with the agave plant and may contain gluten: Don Julio is NOT gluten-free]
• Stick with:
• Patron
• Jose Cuervo
• Avion
• Vodka
• Whiskey / Bourbon
• Jack Daniel's
• Chivas
• Scotch Whiskey
• Maker's Mark
• Seagram's Crown
• Wine [Red, White, Blush, Sparkling... it's all good!]

Best Gluten-Free Beer:

• Bard's
• Redbridge [it's on the sweeter side - if you like that]
• New Grist
• Rampo Valley Honey Beer
• New Planet Tread Lightly Ale

Safe Vodkas: [Potato and Grape]

• Baks Bison Grass Vodka
• Blue Ice Vodka
• Bombora Vodka
• Boyd & Blair [I've personally had and it is good!]
• Cayman Blue Vodka
• Chopin Vodka
• Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka
• Cold River Vodka
• Devotion Vodka
• DiVine Vodka
• Famous Vodka
• Glacier Vodka
• Krome Vodka
• Luksusowa Voake
• Monopolowa Vodka
• Prarie
• RWB Vodka
• Smirnoff Vodka
• Tito's Homemade Vodka
• Vikingfjord Vodka

Vodka is a great debate.  Vodka is mostly made of wheat and the gluten is said to be destroyed during the distilling process, so if you drink a vodka not on this list made from wheat, just be aware.

Beware of [This List Contains* Gluten]:

• Wine coolers [they contain Malt]
• Mixed Drinks - they may contain non-gluten-free Vodka
• Smirnoff Ice Malt Beverages
• Mixers containing gluten

If you have any more to add to the list comment below!

With Love,

Mel

*Based upon my findings, there are controversies over the distilling process whether it contains gluten still or not.  

**Research is based upon my own findings.  I am not a doctor and can't guarantee information is 100% factual.  

Ebates!

Happy Friday!

So here's a gluten-free find for you all!  I've been using ebates for years now.  I go to their website, type in a name of a store, click on the shop now, and you get cash back for spending money going through their site to shop online.  They send you a check every couple months, which is awesome.

Use my link below, get $10 free in a gift card of your choice, and enjoy!

Ebates

Homemade Hummus - Smoked Paprika Style

Hummus, it hits the spot doesn't it?  It's great with tortilla chips and vegetables.  I usually grab my favorite hummus when I'm at the grocery store, but decided it would be fun to make my own and know exactly what's going in it.  Here is my homemade hummus recipe that I used my Vitamix blender to make.  Enjoy!! :)

What to Gather:

• 1/3 Cup Organic Tahini
• 2 Cups Organic Chickpeas [I used canned organic]
• 4 Cloves Garlic [I used the organic canned minced]
• 6 TBSP Lemon Juice [you can use the squeezable lemon juice or 2 lemons]
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2-3 tsp Smoked Paprika 

What to do:

• One step... ready? Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, put in a bowl, top with the smoked paprika, and serve! [ok so that was 4 ;)]

Let me know what you think!  I'm going to try making Garlic Hummus next!

Say NO to GMOs! Eat Organic

Oh GMOs... I never really knew about them until my college roommate had told me they exist.  I thought when you go shopping for food that if they're allowed to produce it, it should be fine [wrong].  I had no idea there was such thing as a GMO: Genetically Modified Organism.  Organic to me meant "it's just more expensive".  Now, knowing the truth, I buy only organic, and hopefully, you will too.


So, what exactly is a GMO?

According to the NON GMO Project Website:

"GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.
Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights."

OK so that's a lot to take in. Basically, a GMO is an organism that's DNA has been altered and is not naturally occurring. An apple that has been modified may look the same as an organic apple, but it is much different. GMOs have been linked to health and environmental problems.

GMOs are cultivated with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides which disrupt the mitochondrial function in our bodies. If you remember from elementary school, the mitochondria is the power house of the cell. It is furnace that produces energy inside our cells. ATP is manufactured in our mitochondria and is needed for barrier functions in our intestinal tract. So what does that mean for us with gluten-sensitvities? Eating GMOs can deplete our ATP and cause barrier abnormalities in our intestines [aka: not good].


Pesticides/Herbicides:

One word, Roundup. You probably have some of this in your garage to spray on those pesky weeds. Many GMO crops are "Roundup ready" and are designed to tolerate herbicide. Roundup is sprayed entire fields of crops. The use of Roundup is unregulated and is sprayed everywhere [highways, lawns, you name it]. In fact, over 404 million pounds have been used on GMO crops, and up to 1 billion pounds have been used for weed control. It is patented as a biocidal [antimicrobial] which knocks out beneficial bacteria --> causing a negative impact on our digestive systems [leaky gut, hypersensitive response, and more]. Long story short, these pesticides/herbicides enter our bodies. It circulates in our blood, and in fact, in a study done, 93% of women and 80% of their off-spring had elevated levels of the crystal-based proteins in their blood from pesticides/herbicides. Eating animals that have also ingested GM foods allows it to enter our bodies as well. In studies, animals that consume GM crops have gastrointestinal issues and ulcers. There are studies out there that are saying that these BT Toxins are leading to depression - over 400% increase in anti-depressant drugs since GMOs were introduced.


So, why are stores allowed to sell GMO produce?

Actually, many countries are taking notice and do not consider GMOs as safe. 60+ countries [Australia, Japan, all countries in the EU...] prohibit the production and sale of GMOs. The United States, however, has approved GMOs [what!?]. In fact, products do not have to be labeled as GMOs, so many consumers, like me, have [had] no idea what they're purchasing for their families. Only when there is this picture below, that you can purchase a NON GMO Projected labeled product, which has rigorous standards and doesn't contain anything GMO [minus cross-contamination]. As their website states, however: " Unfortunately, “GMO free” and similar claims are not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology. In addition, the risk of contamination to seeds, crops, ingredients and products is too high to reliably claim that a product is “GMO free.” The Project’s claim offers a true statement acknowledging the reality of contamination risk, but assuring the shopper that the product in question is in compliance with the Project’s rigorous standard."

Here are the standards off of the Non-Gmo Project's website:

What does “Non-GMO Project Verified seal” mean?
The verification seal indicates that the product bearing the seal has gone through our verification process. Our verification is an assurance that a product has been produced according to consensus-based best practices for GMO avoidance:
We require ongoing testing of all at-risk ingredients—any ingredient being grown commercially in GMO form must be tested prior to use in a verified product.
We use an Action Threshold of 0.9%. This is in alignment with laws in the European Union, where any product containing more than 0.9% GMO must be labeled. Absence of all GMOs is the target for all Non-GMO Project Standard compliant products. Continuous improvement practices toward achieving this goal must be part of the Participant’s quality management systems.
After the test, we require rigorous traceability and segregation practices to be followed in order to ensure ingredient integrity through to the finished product.
For low-risk ingredients, we conduct a thorough review of ingredient specification sheets to determine absence of GMO risk.
Verification is maintained through an annual audit, along with onsite inspections for high-risk products.

In fact, 80-90%+ of of processed food in America is actually genetically modified.

So, what crops are at the most/more risk of being GMOs?:
Corn [which, being GF, we eat a lot of this]

• Canola [oil is in many items] 
• Cotton 
• SOY [which is in everything now, check your labels - this is something that is hard to avoid being gluten-free because it's many foods, but I advise you stay clear of this as well] 
• Zucchini & Summer Squash 
• Rice 
• WHEAT [which, you shouldn't be consuming if you are GF anyway :) phew, one that we already don't eat!] 

You don't have to worry about:

• Tomatoes - due to production issues, there are no GMO tomatoes in production [thank God] 
• Potatoes - no GMOs currently in commercial production 

As I'm shopping, I see numbers on fruit, what do they mean?

• 4 numbers = conventionally grown 
• 5 numbers, first number starting with an 8 = GMO 
• 5 numbers, first number starting with a 9 = ORGANIC [notice on the picture up top! :)]

GO FOR THE 9!


Bottom Line:

• Eat organic! Organic standards don't allow the use of GMO food or feed in the end product 
• Be mindful of cross contamination - again, there is no 100% proof way to prevent this scientifically to date with chemicals in the air from near-by farms 
• Exclude/reduce eating foods that are high on the GM crop list [and they're in almost everything we eat... think of how much you and your family are consuming]: soy, corn, canola, & sugar beats 
• Avoid sugar that isn't 100% cane sugar 
• Eat organic meat 

More information:

• General Mills is for labeling! Read about it in National Geographic: here
• Take action: Just Label It
• Here are myths and truths explained in scientific detail about GMOs to read further: GMO Myths & Truths [this will really open your eyes] 
• Visit wholelifenutrition.net [I came to know of this site from the Gluten Summit, great information and I highly recommend purchasing] 

Pork Roast [Pulled Pork] with Root Vegetables

Ah, comfort food... is there a better way to start off the new year?!  Today I'm going to share with you a great (gluten-free) pulled pork recipe that will have you begging for seconds.

(4 servings, just over 8 hours of cook time in crock pot)

What to Gather for Crock Pot:

• 1.5 - 2 pounds Pork Loin or Shoulder
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 TBSP Gluten Free Flour
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 2 Organic Carrots 
• 3 Stalks Organic Celery
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
• 1 Red Onion
• 26 ounces No Salt Added Swanson Beef Stock (this is Gluten Free)
• 1 Cup Water
• 1.5 TBSP Organic Minced Garlic
• 2 TBSP Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce (one of the only GF options and it is amazing)
• 5 Pinches Dried Thyme

What to Gather for Root Vegetables:

• 3 Organic Carrots - sliced
• 3 Potatoes - sliced 
• 1/2 Pound Beats - sliced
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 3 Pinches Dried Thyme
• 3 Pinches Dried Rosemary Leaves
• 1 Yellow Onion - sliced

*You can use organic vegetables or regular

What to Do:

• Take the pork out of the package, cut off any fat, season both sides with salt, pepper, and the Gluten Free flour, sear each side in a medium skillet
• In the crock pot, place the carrots, celery, and onions on the bottom, add the pork
• Add the beef stock, water, & Worcestershire sauce to the crock pot, pouring it over the pork
• Add the garlic, smoothing it over the top of the pork and in the vegetable mixture at the bottom
• Last, add the Thyme on top of the pork
• Set timer for 8 hours :)
• Go about your day... your house is going to smell amazing... then when you have 1 hour until it's done, start to cook the vegetables
• Pre-heat the oven to 400*
• Cut the carrots, potatoes, onion, and beats, place in a large mixing bowl
• Add the olive oil, mix
• Add the dried thyme & rosemary to the mixture and any salt and pepper that you wish
• Place on a baking sheet, bake 20 min. per side (40 min total) - or until desired texture is achieved
• In the meantime, just before serving, use a blender or Vitamix and take half of the vegetables (more if desired/needed) from the crock pot and place into the blender.  Blend until smooth mixture is established.  Then, add Gluten Free flour to the mixture (2 TBSP should be just enough for a regular sized blender / Vitamix) and blend
• Once all cooked and ready, cut pork, place on plate with vegetables, and pour the vegetable gravy mixture over top, and enjoy!

*This recipe is "man-approved"

*You may alter the recipe by using other vegetables to your liking!

Chicken Parmesan with Quinoa

Yum... Chicken Parm.  Chicken Parm & Quinoa? SCORE.  Being gluten-free, I took the standard Chicken Parm, found a recipe, made some changes, and made a new, lighter, way to eat an old time favorite.  

PS - Lots of multi-tasking in the beginning of the recipe, but I trust you can do it!!

Enjoy!

What to Gather:

• Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
• 3-4 Cloves Minced Garlic (I use Organic Garlic)
• 2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• ~16 oz Tomato Pure 
• 3 Cups Diced Tomatoes (the medium, "chunky" kind, not "salsa" kind)
• Italian Blend Seasoning (Basil & Oregano) 
• Salt & Pepper (optional)
• 1 Cup Quinoa
• 2 Cups Water
• 3 Organic Chicken Breasts 
• 1 Cup Romano Cheese 
• 2-4 TBSP Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (optional)

What to Do:

• Pre-heat the oven to 375*
• In a medium pot, add the 3 chicken breasts, bring the pot to a constant boil
• In a small pot, place the cleaned quinoa and water into the pot, bring to a boil then place on low heat for 15 minutes
• While the chicken and quinoa are cooking, saute the onion in a medium sauce pan with olive oil until translucent.  
• Once the onion is done cooking, add in the garlic, stir for a minute
• Add in the apple cider vinegar, mix all together
• Add the tomato pure, diced tomatoes, Italian blend seasonings, and salt & pepper to taste
• Bring all to a boil, then simmer  
• Add in the quinoa once cooked, stir
• By now your chicken breasts should be fully cooked.  Place on a plate or cutting board and shred
• Add chicken to mixture
• Add in the gluten-free bread crumbs as well
• Get out a 9x13 pan and use olive oil to coat all sides (the best way to do this is to pour a little olive oil in the center of the pan and use a paper towel to evenly distribute to all sides)
• Transfer half of the mixture into the pan, top with 1/2 cup of Romano cheese, add the rest of the mixture and top with Romano cheese
• Place in oven for 15 minutes, covering the pan with foil

Remove, Add any Extras, & Enjoy!