Rebirth of GFSM

The fiance and I have moved into a new apartment–a beautiful, roomy two-bedroom place with a huge kitchen perfect for entertaining and cooking up gluten-free food.  The apartment is surrounded by woods, a river, a small village of shops and restaurants, the bay, and a farmers market every Saturday.  We couldn’t ask for a nicer place to call home.

Everything was perfect until, five days after moving in, I took a fall down the outside stairs and busted my leg.  A broken fibula, a fractured ankle, and a surgery later, I am facing another 3-6 weeks of bed rest before I can even start putting weight on my leg. 

After Surgery and Before

I’m out of work for this whole time and am running out of ways to entertain myself.  Daytime television is driving me insane–did you know that The Jerry Springer Show is alive and well?  I think I’ve read the entire contents of the Internet and I am almost finished watching the lengthy list of silly 80s movies I’ve never viewed in our collection.  Erik the Viking = thumbs up; Iron Eagle = thumbs way down! 

But it’s not all doom and gloom and synthesized music.  I started reading Eat, Pray, Love (a book that really speaks to me so far…I love the author’s voice) and finally taught myself how to use Twitter.  Since finishing my pain meds, I have found stretches of time and mental clarity to work on my thesis.  In the spirit of fixing my leg, I have focused more on healthy eating and upcoming physical therapy.  My Mom has been a blessing by doing all of our grocery shopping and helping me make feel good food. 

And now it is time to breathe some life into my writing–my favorite past time/vocation but the first thing I dump in case of emergency or times of stress. 

Welcome to the rebirth of Gluten-Free…Sexy Me, my journey in gluten-free, healthy living.  For now, I leave you with a photo of today’s lunch–Chickpea Patties with Greek Topping, a recipe from the latest edition of Vegetarian Times magazine. 

Friday Faves: Uno’s Gluten-Free Pizza

A few weeks ago, my brother and I were Christmas shopping at the Providence Place Mall and decided to stop for lunch at Uno’s—a chain restaurant that has an impressive, relatively healthy gluten-free menu.  As we were discussing our lunch options, my brother said “I think I’ll get the gluten-free pizza.”  I quickly looked over my menu, saw no pizza, and told my brother that he must be seeing things.  He passed me his menu, which was certainly marked as the gluten-free one, and he was right—Uno’s was offering gluten-free flatbread pizzas with either cheese or pepperoni.  Whoa!  After a short celebration at our table, and an excited phone call to my Dad to tell him the news, we ordered a pepperoni pizza to share. 

The pizza is VERY tasty—better than 95% of other gluten-free pizzas I’ve tried.  The crust is thin and fortunately lacks the overpowering chemical taste that comes with many gluten-free items.  The sauce includes thick chunks of tomatoes and there’s just enough cheese on each pizza without being overbearing.  While the pizza is on the petite size (about the size of a regular small pizza), the price is affordable at $10.49 for the cheese and $11.49 for the pepperoni.  My favorite gluten-free pizza of all time, BZ’s in Dennisport MA, is more than twice the price (but well worth every dollar!) and just a little larger. 

 

The first time I ordered Uno’s version (pictured above), the pizza was a little undercooked and had to be eaten with a fork and knife because it was floppy.   Since my first visit I’ve had opportunity to try the pizza two more times and during those visits the pizzas were cooked perfectly.  I was able to pick up a non-greasy slice and eat it with my hands—a tricky feat for most gluten-free products because they tend to crumble like bad plaster. 

According to this press release, the gluten-free recipe took over a year to develop.  The plan is to roll out the gluten-free pizza at their restaurants in the northeast and then to the rest of the country if sales go well.

Prevention Buzz Blogs

This week, I featured another article and recipe combo.  First, I highlighted my five favorite exercises to do when the weather gets cold and frightening.  Notice that none of them include ice–I hate ice

My Top 5 Favorite Winter Exercises

Secondly, I included a simple recipe of mixed vegetables that go well with almost any meal–pastas, omelets, pizzas, etc. 

Recipe: Versatile Vegetable Mix

Prevention Buzz Blogs

This week, I wrote about my Top 5 Alternatives to Chips and Fries .  This is a short list of my favorite side dishes to accompany a sandwich, that aren’t full of fat or lots of calories.  I also wrote this as a reminder to myself because I often say “YES PLEASE!” when offered anything with salty potatoes!

For all you Thanksgiving chefs, I also included my favorite holiday recipe–Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes .  I know real maple syrup costs a lot, but it makes a big difference in this recipe if you use the real stuff! 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Prevention Buzz Blogs

This week, I featured a deeeelicious cinnamon and sugar fruit dip that is perfect for all the apples that are laying around my house!  Most fruit dips are chock full of sugar and/or full fat cream cheese…but this one uses the fat free variety and Greek style yogurt to keep it healthy:

Recipe: Cinnamon and Sugar Fruit Dip
And I posted about how to protect yourself from flu/cold/stomach bug viruses in four overly germy places, like public restrooms:

Prepare for These Four Germ-Friendly Spots

Prevention Buzz Blogs

This week, I highlighted the best and worst options for healthy food and drinks at your local coffeeshop.  For those needing to adhere to a gluten-free diet, I would also add that you need to check the ingredients of all coffee beverages!  I have been glutened twice by beverages that sounded innocent but contained malt flavoring and vanilla extract…bleh. 

Survive a Trip to the Coffeehouse

In honor of my new Trader Joes (within 10 miles of my house!!), I purchased a bag of organic mini brussel sprouts and decided to make them using this recipe.  The better the vinegar, the better the sprouts!

Pan Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

Prevention Buzz Blogs

For my first post this week, I attempted a dip recipe that uses pureed carrots as a base.  At first, I was really apprehensive about making this but it is delicious!  I get sick of hummus and fat-free yogurt dips, so this will definitely make it into my dip rotation.  For gluten-free, I serve this with tortilla chips. 

Recipe: Autumn Carrot Dip

For my second post, I put together a short list of tips about how to grocery shop during a recession while still maintaining a commitment to eat healthy.  I admit, it’s getting more difficult to justify buying organic fruit when people are losing their jobs left and right…

Recession Proof Grocery Tips

Prevention Buzz Blogs

Below is a great recipe for quick, healthy chocolate popsicles that have a strong banana flavor, too!  I use sugar-free Jello milk chocolate pudding for the base.  Unfortunately, I don’t own any popsicle molds so I make them the old fashion way in little cups. 

Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Banana Pops

For my second post, I wrote a short piece about how different types of technology (digital photography, cell phones, social networking sites) have helped me keep in touch with friends.

Technology Keeps Friendships Alive

Prevention Buzz Blogs

This gluten-free recipe is a healthy, comforting drink for chilly days like today–it is 41 degrees outside right now!  Brrrr.  The cranberry juice adds a nice tartness to the otherwise sickly sweet cider.  And I am a sucker for anything with cinnamon. 

Recipe: Hot Cranberry Cider

The second post is a quick pick-me-up for those, like myself, who are struggling with healthy living.  I think the most important tip I feature (and continue to struggle with on a daily basis) is finding other emotionally soothing activities besides eating.  Any suggestions?

Top 5 Tips for a Healthier You

Prevention Buzz Blogs

I have some great Prevention buzz blog entries to share with you all, including two delicious gluten-free recipes:

Recipe: Energy Boosting Breakfast

This has quickly become my favorite breakfast!  I prefer making this with Fage 2% yogurt with honey topped with peaches and strawberries and Nutty Flax cereal.  Now that berries and peaches are out of season, I need to find new fruit substitutes for this breakfast–any ideas?

My Favorite “Orange” Dish: Chorizo Pumpkin Polenta

Chorizo is a spicy Portuguese sausage that you can find in most supermarkets.  Here in New England, there are many companies that sell locally made chorizo in turkey and/or lower fat versions.  This is a great dish for a cold autumn day.  It’s rich and filling, but not grossly so. 

My Golden Rule–Nurture Yourself

Just a little wisdom from yours truly!

How I Came to Love Yogurt

I had a lot of fun writing this post because I got to reflect about my precarious relationship with yogurt in all of its forms.  As you can tell from the post above, I obviously have grown to like yogurt.