Bread Recommendations

      Bread is a stable found around the world, whether your in India enjoying roti or in France biting into a baguette, bread brings us to the table. Now that gluten free bread is available more people can join the table. Here are two of my favorite breads found at my table.



Udi's Whole Grain Bread: This is a fantastic bread with a light and delicate texture. I love it for it's amazing "multi-tasking" ability. Dip slices into a mixture of eggs, milk, cinnamon and powdered sugar for amazing french toast. To make croutons for soups and salads take toasted bread and finish both sides with butter,salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder before cutting into squares. Need some breadcrumbs for your chicken tenders? Simply take some toasted bread pulse in your food processor and season to taste.








Food for Life Millet Bread is a hearty bread that's more substantial than Udi's Whole Grain Bread. I use it more in the course of my everyday life. I find it's dense texture to be filling. It's great for open face sandwiches as it doesn't brake or crumble so easily.

New Year's Resolution 2012

When it comes to New Year's Resolutions I'm in the minority of the population....I love them! There's something so exciting about setting goals for myself and setting out towards achieving them. After years of making resolutions I've learned a few things from past successes and failures, here's some of what I learned.

• Create a clear and concise resolution that details what your resolution is and what you hope to achieve from it. 
• Starting with the end goal in mind write the necessary steps to achieve your resolution. Track your progress by creating milestones marking the beginning, middle and end of you goal.
• Make sure it's meaningful to you.
• Have some fun along the way. 

Since I am taking about resolutions it's only fitting to reveal one of mine. 

My resolution for 2012 is to have one media free night a week. After 8:00 pm no television, laptop or smartphone viewing will be allowed. For every night I go "screen free" I will pay myself $3.00. Each quarter I'll perform a financial audit where I should have around $36. My ultimate goal is to reduce my weekly media consumption. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Hello Readers,

I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Things may not be the way we wish but we have much to be thankful for and even more to look forward to. May the holiday season and upcoming year provide you with a chance to love and laugh, to dream and create, to beam and shine your brightest.

Sincerely,


                                       Alex G.

GF meet Real World

           
        Ah...the taste and aroma of coffee is second best to none. If your in the mood for a bit of java but still need it to be gluten free and lite on the waist open your eyes and read ahead for two of my top Starbucks recommendations.

• Tall Cafe Misto (12 oz, 80 calories) a delectable blend of coffee and 2% milk topped off with foam. Sweeten with a little bit of Splenda and you've got yourself a warm treat on those cold early mornings.

• Tall Ice Brewed Coffee (12 oz, 60 calories) from Starbucks. It's the perfect treat when your in the mood for something cold with a kick. Top with some sugar and milk, if you please.  

Remember you're there for the caffeine not the caramel, the chocolate or the excess calories. Treat yourself but choose mindfully.    

Kitchen Wisdom

Being on a diet sometimes means having to do a little extra (I know it's not what you want to hear). Whether your on a balanced diet or gluten free diet these "extras" can make a difference between success and failure. "Extras" can take the form of additional steps or ingredients needed in preparing your meals. As I've traveled down my gluten free/balanced diet road I've learned that these added steps or ingredients help add life to your meals and make them all the more tastier. Taking the time to roast a red pepper pays off when added to an egg white scramble or when placed in a delicious low cal pasta sauce. Learning to embrace blue cheese makes a world of difference when comparing last weeks bland salad to this weeks Apple and Blue Cheese Salad. Embrace the additional steps as culinary practice, welcome new ingredients to your palate and you'll find yourself feasting rather than eating.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! May we be thankful for all we have. Also, have a safe Black Friday for those who dare to venture out.

Love that app!

I've never been much of a collector. Stamps, model air crafts or even the latest sneakers never interested me. When it comes to my smart phone I'm exactly the same way. I'm not one of those people with pages and pages of apps but the ones I do have I value tremendously. My GasBuddy app is among them. Available at the android market place for FREE, GasBuddy allows you to see and compare gas prices at stations around your city. Simply type in your town name or zip code and GasBuddy will compile a list. I love it since it saves me the time and hassle of looking around town for the cheapest gas. Whenever it's time to fill up my tank I check GasBuddy first.