Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Super simple side and so delicious!  Dice sweet potatoes and drizzle with 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil, sea salt, and equal parts of cinnamon, turmeric and cumin.  Roast on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees.  My new favorite way to make them!

Gluten Free Meatloaf

Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup Gluten Free Oats (uncooked)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup organic ketchup
1 egg or Flax egg (3 tablespoons flax to 1 tablespoon warm water)
1 tablespoon Wheat Free Tamari or Coconut Aminos
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Glaze

1/4 cup organic ketchup

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix meatloaf ingredients together gently and put in loaf pan.  Mix together glaze ingredients and cover meatloaf completely.  Bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes.  Insert knife in center of meatloaf.  If it comes out clean, you're done.  Serve with veggies = meal for a week or in our house..2 days..eek!

Paleo Mixed Berry Crumble

Crust

2 cups Almond Flour

2 tablespoons Coconut Oil (melted)

1 tablespoon Gluten Free Vanilla Extract

1tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

Filling

2 cups fresh berries (you can do it with frozen berries, but the consistency will be different)

1/2 cup Honey

1 teaspoon GlutenFree Vanilla Extract

Crumble Topping

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons honey

1tablespoon coconut oil (melted)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon Gluten Free Vanilla Extract

2 teaspoons ground flax

Method

Mix the crust ingredients together until it forms a dough.  Put it in an 8x8 pan and use the back of your hand to flatten and cover the bottom of dish.  Bake for 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Allow to cool completely and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt honey and bring to a boil.  Once it's boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the berries and vanilla and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.  During the time, gently mash the larger the berries.  Transfer to a glass bowl and allow to cool completely in the fridge.

Put all the Crumble Topping ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it reaches desired consistency.  

Once the crust and filling has cooled, pour the berries evenly atop the crust and sprinkle the topping over berries.  Cook at 350 degrees for another 15-20 minutes or until the topping is slightly brown.  Allow to cool and then put in the fridge to let thicken up.  Enjoy!!

@glutenfreedaily_sara

Check out this recipe on Instagram @glutenfreedaily_sara!!  My daily food journal. I started about 3 months ago and I've lost about 8 pounds. I haven't had any sugar and of course, no gluten.  I'm just posting my everyday clean eating routine. It's helped me so much to stay accountable and hopefully it can help others too!! Just did my first grocery store session for a girlfriend of mine. We went through grocery store products, came up with a customized meal plan and gave her a bunch of quick recipes to try. I'll post more about that later : ) If you have any questions for me, I can be reached at sara@glutenfreedaily.com

Health food stores are my happy place ❤

$100 later..i cant help myself!! I just love this stuff.  I could seriously spend hours looking at vitamins and supplements. Weird, I know.  I got some new stuff and stocked up on old favorites.  Life's basics protein powder is the best protein powder I've found. It's vegan, gluten free, all natural, mixes well and tastes amazing. When I'm in a hurry, I just shake it with 8oz of coconut water and it's to die for!  Starting to add Maca powder to my shakes as well (good for hormone balancing and energy). Also, grabbed something for my lil Jackson. Somehow, with parents who eat everything (with the exception of gluten), my 3 year old is picky. Probably because he's 3.  Just want to get some more calories in his diet and he loves my shakes in the morning so, I thought I'd get him one that's geared to kids.  We'll see how that goes!

My absolute favorite makeup, Jane Iredale Glow time! This stuff adjusts to your skin tone and stays in place all day long.  And it doesn't irritate my sensitive skin!! I need to get some more though. I accidentally left it on the kitchen table and walked in the room to find my 3 year old squeezing it into his buddie's hand!! Eek!!

Holding onto the Holidays! Love this combination with Zico Coconut water and ice, shaken in a Blender bottle for a quick in between meal : ) 

Gluten Free Chicken Tenders

I don't have an exact recipe.  Just had to take a picture of another amazing meal my husband threw together.  I do know that he used Gluten Free Rice Chex cereal as the coating for this chicken and it was crunchy and delicious!!!  Always a task finding things our 3 year old will eat so my husband gets super creative.  Love this idea!

Eggs in waffle maker anyone?

Glutenfreedaily.com

I love this!! It's a great time to be Gluten Free when mainstream makeup companies are advertising this! Considering the average woman consumes over 6 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime, I'd say this is a step in the right direction.  

I know, it's overwhelming! You didn't think you had to worry about gluten in your cosmetics, huh?! Just stick to the basics. Clean and natural whenever possible.  I like ALL my products to have very few ingredients.  If my 3 year old can't pronounce it, I don't want it.  That way, I know if my son decides he wants to lick the window, (which strangely both my kids have done) I know that I cleaned it with vinegar and water, so it's safe. And I also know that if I use all natural, fragrance free makeup, I won't be ingesting a bunch of junk. 

Sometimes though, it's not feasible. Organic and all natural can also mean more expensive. You have to pick and chose what's important to you. Things that come in contact with my kids are #1.  I used to use a mainstream bubble bath & baby shampoo...then I noticed my teething baby putting bath toys in his mouth and pretty much drinking the bath water.  Awesome.  Then, when they got out of the bath..their eyes were all red.  Never again with unsaid product.  I started using the Honest Company Bubble Bath and Shampoo and..no more red eyes.  Cleaning products are another big one in my house. Seventh Generation dish soap, Method most everything else and good old vinegar & water- can't beat the price of vinegar!  The makeup, shampoo & detergent change happened for me when I started getting red, itchy skin on my hairline and cheeks. After a lot of trial and error and wasted money on different products, I realized what was causing it. Companies use so much fragrance in their products, my skin could no longer tolerate it. It's a good thing it happened after I stopped modeling because I used to have all kinds of foreign makeup on my face.  

Anyway just happy to see this.  There really is no better time to be Gluten Free.

Check out new recipes and pictures on www.Glutenfreedaily.com

Crispy Tofu Salad

Love this recipe for a quick & satisfying salad!

Sauté 1 package sliced, Gluten Free Tofu in 1 teaspoon each Sesame Oil and Gluten Free/ Reduced Sodium Tamari.  6-8 minutes per side. Add sesame seeds, if desired.  

Add crispy tofu to salad greens. I added a little corn salsa and 1 tablespoon, All natural Ranch dressing mixed with some Sriracha. I like spice. 

Enjoy! You'll be surprised how filling this salad is. And..no animals were harmed in the making of this salad : )

For more Gluten Free recipes check out www.glutenfreedaily.com

I am absolutely loving being an Independent Consultant for Thirty-One gifts!  I just got back from conference in Atlanta, Georgia where I learned so much.   It was amazing to be around thousands of like minded women all with a goal in mind.  We were inspired to be better mother's, wives and to not stop until we reached our ultimate goal with our business!
We saw previews of the new items out this month and they're to die for!  In August with every $35 spent, you get any of the purses for 50% off!  It's a crazy deal for how great these bags are.  They're perfect for the Girl on the GO!

If you wanna take a look at the new collection, check out my website:

www.mythirtyone.com/saradoll

SO much to catch up on...

I am now a mother of two boys, 3 months and 2 and a half years old.  My life feels pretty crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way.  My baby is a sweet, smiley, happy boy and I'm so lucky to have him.  My 2 year old is amazingly smart, witty and blows me away with the comments he makes.  Nothing gets past him.  My Dad (who's in his 60's) watches him two days a week.  My son comes home saying things only a man in his 60's would say...it's hilarious!  He also started Chinese School 2 days a week and although he's the youngest kid in class, he's speaking at the same level.  It's pretty awesome being their Momma!!
My husband is working so hard these days.  He's an amazing father to our boys and runs two successful businesses.  One of them is a vodka line called Ion Vodka.  It's Ultra Premium and made with Ionized water.  It's 10 times filtered so, it's incredibly smooth.  The other business he created is an online nutrition website, glutenfreedaily.com.  It's a comprehensive website that gives you meal plans, recipes and the ability to hold you accountable for your food eating actions.  It's the only website of its kind that does this while being completely Gluten Free.
I too have something I've been doing for fun.  I started my own business for Thirty-One Gifts.  I'm selling these bags that are functional, super cute and keep me organized.  I love them!  If you have a chance, check out my website, www.mythirtyone.com/saradoll.

That's the update of my life!  Just another day in paradise!! : )

This week

My little man is growing up so fast!  20 months old this week.  My Aunt calls him "Peat," cuz he repeats everything you say.  He narrates through your day as your doing things, it's pretty funny.  He tells the lady at Target the other day, "I wash dishes" (No, I've never made my 20 month old wash dishes).  He's mastered his ABC's and counting to 10 in English and almost Mandarin and says, "I count to ten".  Instead of saying, "Ni Hao Ma" (How are you? in Mandarin) he says, "Ni hao Mama".  He says, "C'mon" as we're walking out the door as if he's in a hurry! And is constantly chatting... mostly about the dog.  The things that come out of his mouth crack me up.  And as always, this kid loves to dance.  He lifts his elbows and sways his head and says, "I dancing!"  I can't even handle it!  This is a very fun age.  Challenging but fun!!

Easter 2012

A pic of the cousins swinging on Grandma's swing set. Guess which one's mine!
The one in the middle with his mouth wide open probably yelling...yup, that one's mine...the loud one!! I don't know where he gets it?! ; )

Swim Lessons

This little pumpkin started swim lessons! He's such a water baby...he loves it. And... it's an arm workout for Mom and Dad too as we're lifting 20 lbs in and out of the water!

It's been way too long!

I know I haven't posted in awhile. Been busy running after my 18 month old. This age has been absolutely exhausting but, it is by far the most fun stage yet!!
My son is repeating everything we say. It's adorable and scary at the same time. We have to watch what we say and how we say it. Jackson observes everything. He's smart too! He can count to 10 and can identify most of the alphabet. He amazes me. He eats very well (still gluten & dairy free). I have lots of new tips and products to post. Will post soon!

How many paper products does your household consume?

Feeling good about making my household paper towel free (for the last 3 months!) after reading an article with these statistics:


-700 pounds of paper are consumer by the average American each year.
-Paper manufacturing is the 3rd largest user of fossil fuels worldwide.
-The U.S. used approximately 68 million trees each year to produce 17 billion catalogues and 65 billion pieces of direct mail.
-The U.S. uses 25% of the world's paper products.
-Approximately 324 Liters of water is used to produce 1kg of paper.
-40% of the U.S. landfill trash is paper products.

Even reading through that article made me realize, it's not just paper towels. It's every paper product we consume. It's magazines, dinner napkins, junk mail to product packaging. I never gave much thought to how much one person consumes. Knowing the effect it's having on our planet will definitely make me think twice about each paper product I use.

My goal this week: Use hand dryers in public restrooms, cloth napkins at dinner & read gossip magazines/news/books...online! Hope these facts make you more consious of your own paper use.

I believe this book is the reason my son sleeps from 6:30pm-7am every night. So many Moms recommended this book to me so, now I need to pass it on to you. I suggest starting this book around 3 months.
The methods that it teaches you are so helpful. It's also nice to read real life testomonials from Moms that have been through the same thing.
Everyone comments on how happy and smiley my son is. I'm not giving this book all the credit but, it has definitely helped him get good naps throughout the day, sleep through the night and wake up feeling restored and full of energy!

Grateful

Eight months ago I received the most wonderful gift....my beautiful son.
Despite countless diaper changes and sleepless nights, the task of being a parent is the most rewarding job I will ever do. The wonder and amazement in my son's eyes when he see's something for the first time is truly unbelievable. Small things have become exciting again. It gives me a new and wonderful perspective on life and for that, I'm grateful.
I thank God everyday for giving me with such a wonderful family. On this day and everyday of my life, I feel infinitely blessed!!
Happy Mother's Day to all Mother's...you inspire me!!