When you choose or are forced to eat gluten free one of the things you lose is the ease of eating. It becomes harder to just pull something out of the freezer and heat it up. Gone are the days or frozen burritos and other lazy snacks like that. Gluten free living involves a lot of preparation and cooking. I often find myself settling for raw fruits and veggies when I am tired and very hungry. However, more and more retailers are providing premade and frozen gluten free foods. Gluten free is more common now then it ever has been. Now it is easier to go to local health food stores and even grocery stores chains and find something gluten free. This to me is amazing because as a wife , student and soon to be worker , by the end of a lot of days I do not have time or will to cook food.

The last time I was at our local Whole foods ( a local natural ,organic health food store with an incredible amount of GF foods) I stumbled up Starlite Cuisines taquitos!! I was excited to say the least. Not only are the GF but they are also vegan. This is a hard combination to find because most vegan and vegetarian faux meats are made out of my arch enemy , vital wheat gluten. Anytime I find a gluten vegan combo I ALWAYS try it. They did an amazing job in both taste and texture.

While I am not one for eating pre-made food everyday , its a Godsend on my long days. They are perfect for a quick snack for your gluten free kiddos, a quick fix after a long night, or a great contributor to your GF vegan Mexican dinner night.

They are also much more healthy than your every day non GF taquito. They are Vegan, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Non Dairy, No Cholesterol, No Trans Fats, Rich in Protein, 100% Natural. Guilt free and easy!!

They come in imitation beef and chicken flavors!

Ingredients: Corn tortilla (white corn, water, lime), water, texturized soy flour, onion, mushroom, soy flour, cornstarch, yeast extract, salt, evaporated cane juice, salt, chili, cumin, thyme, natural spices, garlic powder, carrageenan, expeller pressed canola or soybean oil.


They can be found at local health food stores or one of my favorite gluten free online retailers, The GlutenFree mall ( which I will be reviewing later).

Give them a try!! This gluten free gal gives them five stars!!

Have a wonderfully gluten free day

Quick an easy way to spice up your summer favs on the BBQ: Asparagus!!

Not my picture



I love love love summer because that mean BBQing. And in my humble opinion most everything tastes better when it is cooked on the BBQ. Last weekend my brother came over and we decided to BBQ some asparagus. His friend mason suggested marinating it with something you might have right in your fridge.

What you need:

Asparagus

foil

Italian dressing

freezer bag

What to do:

Cut the bottoms off the asparagus. Put in a freezer bag. poor dressing on. Shake shake shake to cover the asparagus. Let sit for a bit. Wrap in foil and throw on the grill until it is cooked to your liking!

Enjoy!

Gluten free and vegan!

If you're like me I was uncertain about the Italian dressing covered asparagus, however it was delicious!!!!! Its a quick and easy way to spice up one of MY favorite summertime BBQ favs. So, give it a try you just might like it!!

A blog of worth: Green Eyed Monster

I love crafty, artsy, this is my life blogs , but I really love reading blogs that inform, educate and show the passion of the writer, also. I am very concerned with what I eat, what I put on my body, animal welfare, and the effect I have on the environment, so I obviously like blogs that have to do with those things. My best friend, Ashley is a very talented writer and she started a new blog and it is amazing. But I'll let her tell you what it's about.

What is the name of your blog and what does is mean ?
The name of my blog is Green Eyed Monster. There is a duel meaning to the title. Firstly, I have green eyes and I can be kind of a monster about things. Secondly, I try and look at life in shades of green -- Eco-friendly, sustainable, cruelty-free ways -- and, I can be kind of a monster about that, also.

You have had several blogs before; what made you change it up and do this one?
I have had several blogs, before. Since high school I've had some sort of blog going on. They were directionless journal type things where I posted random stuff. Since they had no direction, I felt no responsibility for them and eventually lost interest and deleted them or ignored them. Last year when I got sick, however, my life changed. I made certain changes when words like cancer, tumor, and transplant started being thrown around. For a year, now, I've been on this journey of changing my life and my future and it has taught me a lot; it has given me some direction apart from my academic career. I changed things up with this blog because this one has direction and a message that I feel is important for people to hear.

What can readers expect from your blog and what are your intentions?
Readers of my blog can expect entries that focus on the environment, animal welfare, and health and ways that they can make changes to positively impact their surroundings. My intentions are to provide a sort of hub of resources. I'm not the kind of person who tracks followers and comments; those things aren't important. What is important to me is educating people on ways to protect the planet and all who live on it -- whether on two legs or four, flying or swimming. I can't make someone know something and want to help fix it; all I can do is provide information and resources and hope that they want to know.

Where do you see this blog in six months?
To be honest, I really don't know. I hope that it has continued to reach more people and provide them with an outlet to discuss the goings on of our world and it's inhabitants. I hope that it gets people thinking and wanting to know more. I hope that it continues to grow and evolve and grow up with me. Eventually, I'd also like to start a vlog to accompany my blog, but that is a long way off, I think.

Your blog covers a lot of topics and causes; if you had to pick one cause or article to get everyone educated on what would it be?
Oh, that's tough. I don't know if I heard it somewhere or read it or maybe it came to me in a dream, but I believe that the most Eco-friendly thing a person can do is be vegan. It kind of spiders out into everything. The meat industry creates so much water contamination, waste, and pollution. Being vegan kind of encompasses everything that is important to me and that I discuss in my blog: the environment, animal welfare, and health. I feel that that is a really long-term thing, though. It's the kind of thing that everyone has to sit and think about for themselves. People need to make the decision of whether or not it's right for them as a person regardless of the positive way it will impact the world.

In the short term, however, I think awareness about the dangers of plastic is extremely important. The chemicals present in plastic drinking bottles, for example, have been linked to diseases like cancer, thyroid problems, birth defects, and liver and kidney damage. The plastic is barely being recycled so it ends up in landfills and the oceans, choking our marine life and poisoning the ground and water. My goal is to get as many people as I can to drink from glass and stainless steel instead of plastic.

What are your favorite blogs of worth, right now?
I don't really follow many blogs. I read yours, obviously. I appreciate the gluten free resources you provide and your story. I also like Eat, Drink & Be Vegan; it has great recipes. Other than that, though, I don't really look at blogs. I prefer websites. I read The Huffington Post a lot. Also, I like the WSPA website, One Green Planet, and the website for the IS Foundation. These are some of the things that inspire me and help keep me informed about things that are going on.

If I were a person thinking about giving up meat and/or dairy, what would your advice for me be?
My advice to you would be to really inform yourself on why it is a positive change in your life. To research the benefits for not only you but for the planet. I would encourage you to join groups, find like minded people, and above all else remember why you have decided to make this change in the first place. It's really easy to get discouraged but I would advice you to remember what it was that made you decide to give up meat and dairy in the first place and honor that. There are a lot of people and organizations out there that want to help people like us. I provide resources all the time -- on my blog and on twitter -- and I am always on the lookout for more. The key is just to remember why you want to do this; why it's important.

Do you know that I think you're rad?
I've expected as much for a while, yes :)

Link up with this green eyed monster:
(twitter) ( blogger)

Beauty Battle: whats in my makeup

Recently someone gave me a bottle of hand sanitizer and I am crazy for hand sanitizer so I accepted it with glee. However, I noticed an itching rash every time I wore. I couldn't figure out what was going on. It had wheat in it! I know its no ones fault but my own for not checking but talk about disappointing. In the trash it went. I just never even thought about checking things light hand sanitizer or my makeup...

After that I started thinking about my skin since I was diagnosed...am I using other products that I may have not checked or have been contaminated. My skin has been nuts in the last few year. SO many break outs, bumps and rashes. What am I missing? Sometimes its hard to know what to look for and not everything that has wheat/gluten comes out with a flashing sign and says I AM GLUTEN. I think it matters less as far as face powder and mascara but what about my lipstick, lipgloss and not too mention miss nail bitter over here puts her hands in her mouth daily. And not to mention your skin absorbs all things and our skin is the LARGEST organ , so I changed my mind it definitely matters for me! Ingesting small amounts could account for not feeling well, could lead up to a horrible night of a reaction or just a headache- none of which I want.

Maybe I can't read things right ..but i think its safe to say I moving over to GF products ,with less chemicals , so I know that my body will be okay.

I Found this list from L'oreal( this inclucdes Garnier, Maybelline, Redkin, Lancôme, and The Body Shop) and list from Estée Lauder, Inc.; Clinique Laboratories, Inc.; Aramis, Inc.; Origins Natural Resources, Inc.; Bobbi Brown essentials; Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries, MAC, Stila, and Prescriptives, Inc. and avon of ingredients that are filled with Gluten you should be able to cross check this with other makeup ingredients but always check your source. IF you want to find this list..its huge look at my side bar and click the picture that says Is that gluten free? I didn't want to bog down this post with the length of the list, but its important to have resources.

The list probably goes on...but the idea is do you know what you are putting in your body? Chemicals, something you're allergic too..who knows. I know from now on ill be more vigilant and I am about to go through my makeup bag, lotions and shampoos to make sure I am not hurting my body. I have at this point found a few products ( bath and body works ones) but cross contamination has been an issue so I think Im going to move towards ALL GF products. Its safer for me, more expensive, but safer. So , if you use GF beauty products let me know.


Sorry for the longest post ever!

**And don't forget to spread the word for celiac and all digestive diseases this month. Check out my post from May first , enter my giveaway, and donate if you can. Every repost, word spoken and dollar counts!**

Be Gluten Free With Me!

As you may, or may not know, I am a celiac so I have to eat gluten free. I am finding a lot of joy in it through creating my own recipes and dishes. Gluten free does not mean i have to give up yummy food.So take the gluten free journey with me !

This weekend is the tenth annual hardly strictly blue grass festival and I decided to create some goodies to bring along. I created my very own gluten free, nut free, vegan and 100% delicious granola squares.

Nic's Granola Squares done right! (Gluten free, nut free, vegan, and yummy)

Ingredients

1 c. of dried cranberris( or you can use blueberries, cherries, apricots or any mixture)

2 c. pumpkin seeds

2 c. sunflower seeds

2 c. gluten free rice cereal ( not all rice cereals are gluten free, rice krispies are not but if you are not a celiac then use what ever one you like most)

1/3 c. honey ( you can use more or less depending on how sweet you want it)

1/3 c. sugar or brown sugar( I ran out of brown sugar and used white sugar; there was no taste difference in taste)

1/4 c. vegan butter( I use Earth Balance , you can find it almost anywhere)

** Also if you want add some nuts or even some yummy chocolate chips. If you add chocolate chips do it add the end after you mix everything. You can push them into the top before it cools or even drizzle it on top!**

1. Combine honey, butter and sugar into a saucepan. Bring it too a boil and then let it simmer for two minutes.

2. While the honey mixture is coming to a boil mix all your dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Add the honey mixture to the dry ingredients and mix it up.

4. Before it cools spread into a pan evenly and add extra honey , Cinnamon, or chocolate to the top.

5. Put in the refrigerator for at least two hours , cut up , and enjoy!

I loved them , the come out chewy and the dried fruit gives it such a great taste. Everyone will ask for more.

( don't mind my picture I am not much of a photographer and I take pictures with my cell phone he he)