Yummy gluten free waffles at your local grocery store

So Ralph's has line that used to say Krogers and now it is called Simple Truth, the equivalent to Costco's Kirkland brand. I purchased a lot of the Simple Truth products from frozen fruit to pastas. Their Simple Truth organic coffee is amazing by the way. It blows Starbucks out of the water! Sorry Starbucks.

Back to the gluten free vegan portion of my post... Yesterday while walking down the frozen food aisle at Ralph's I spotted these waffles. They are much cheaper than the waffles I would buy at Whole Foods foods and a quite delicious. I highly a recommend trying these out. Whether you are gliten fee or vegan or not, these waffles or something everyone can enjoy. I got the blueberry ones because I love blueberries! 

If you're a butter pecan ice cream fan... Here's it vegan and gluten free!

One thing I miss dearly after becoming a vegan are my favorite ice cream flavors. It has been a good 2 1/2 years since my last real, made-with-milk, butter pecan ice cream adventure. Sometimes, I have cravings for foods from the past that are non-vegan...I am human, after all. I don't eat them, but yes, I do crave, miss, and occasionally think about how tasty they were. 

Last night, as I was trailing the aisles of my neighborhood Ralphs, I spotted a carton of Purely Decadent Turtle Trails soy ice cream on sale for $4.29. 

The caramel looked so delicious for a midnight snack, so I took this little baby home with me. No bowl, spoon in hand, I dug in hoping for the best. As you may know after trying soy or coconut milk ice creams, many of them are not up to par with their dairy counterparts. Yum! I was so pleased with the creamy consistency, the pecan crunchiness, caramel and chocolate-y goey goodness, that I found this ice cream better than regular butter pecan! It's an upgraded butter pecan. So try Turtle Trails for your next craving and you may be Decadent-ly surprised. 

Ice cream = happiness. ;-) Mmmm. Yes.

Vegan and Gluten Free Food in LA

I love Vegan Glory! They have all kinds of vegan choices from tacos to pad thai. Vegan Glory also delivers for free if you live nearby. I'm sitting on my couch, watching Limitless on Netflix, waiting for my mango sticky rice and pad thai noodles to be delivered. Oh it pays to be lazy some days! No...it doesn't literally pay. I need to get off my butt and go to work for that, but I feel rewarded today by being lazy.

I follow a gluten free diet, so I love how easy it is to modify my orders to meet my dietary needs. For example, pad thai noodles usually have soy sauce in them, which has wheat (wheat contains gluten). They don't have tamari soy sauce, but they have Bragg Liquid Amino - 32 oz - Liquid at Vegan Glory, which is a liquid protein concentrate with 16 amino acids made from soybeans. I often use it as a low sodium, gluten-free, and high nutritional substitute for soy sauce. I like the spray bottle Bragg's for daily use, and I can refill it with the larger bottle as needed. This is the spray I keep in my refrigerator at all times to spray on salads, sushi, nuts, rice, and everything:

At Vegan Glory, I call and ask them to substitute Bragg's for soy sauce and it's done, just like that! Easy and delicious.

I really love Vegan Glory. Here's a link to their menu:

http://www.veganglory.com/menu.html

Their prices are great for LA too! Oh! My food's already here. Gotta go...Peace!

Insomnia un-struck!

Everyone who knows me knows about my sleeping problems. A couple of weeks ago I told my friend I'd do a 5K with her. The 5K is for a good cause and committing to a race would motivate me to workout. I hadn't run a mile since high school, which meant I needed to start moving if I wanted to be ready for April 29th. Little by little, each day, I've been running a bit more and more. Not only are my abs getting flatter, but I'm getting sleepy earlier and falling asleep easier. Although I did other cardio workouts before, running is really helping me feel a difference. I'm starting to understand why people love running. I'm surprised because I never thought I'd be one of those people who enjoy running.

If anyone's interested, here's a link to the site with the charity and run information:

http://www.ccrf-kids.org/RunWalk12/runwalk2012.html

Doctors have put me on all kinds of sleep medications before, and I have used them when my insomnia is unbearable. Even though it's only been a couple of weeks, I've seen huge improvements from running. Not only does running improve my mood throughout the day, but it also helps me feel less stressed, which must be part of why I can fall asleep more peacefully. We'll see where this journey takes me by placing one foot in front of the other, continuously, in the direction of my dreams. 

FEAR. Are you scared or what?

What's in a word? That which we call fear by any other name, would it smell as frightening? Would we react the same way? Would our cells change in how they react to things we are afraid of simply by changing the meaning of the word fear? What are you afraid of? Think about what you are afraid of and then try this acronym for fear:

F alse
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal

As soon as I looked at my fears as false evidences appearing real, they weren't as scary. I found fallacies in my judgement and my evaluation of what was causing me fear. I realized most of my fears were exaggerated and made up in my own mind. Indeed, fear is mostly all in our minds.

What does fear have to do with my blog about a chick eating? Well, I was afraid. I took a professional writing class and was told by the teacher and several people in class to NEVER write for free. Blogging = writing for free = foolish for professional writers. The teacher said it's stupid to blog because you are writing for free. He instructed us to print what we write, get it copyrighted and get it published in magazines, newspapers, and books. He said people will steal your writing if you post online. As a newbie writer without much guidance, this class was my first introduction to the world of writing. This instilled a fear of writing on my blog. I let this marinate for months and what did the fear lead to? Unhappiness. I really wanted to write in my blog and I didn't because of what this one teacher told me.

Suddenly I asked myself, why am I afraid to blog? I was afraid of pouring my heart out in my blog only to have it amount to nothing. Maybe I'd never get any followers. Maybe it is a waste of my creative energy to write for free. Maybe this and maybe that...Maybe I was being a chicken...Well, this chick eats; this chick writes, and this chick is not going to be afraid of writing in her blog anymore!

Writing makes me feel good, and the fact that it gets posted online and is immediately available for others to read makes me feel even better! People reading my writing and finding it useful makes me feel purposeful, which makes me happy. We all like to connect with other people and blogging allows immediate feedback, connection, and sharing. I'm going to say "poo poo" to my "fears" because they are false. I choose to do what makes me feel happy and allows me to share meaningful things with others on an individual and mass level.

Please stay tuned because I look forward to continuously and consistently posting on my blog. F*** the other four letter word; F*** fear and feel empowered. Feel love for yourself by overcoming your fears. What we choose to see is our reality. Feel freedom the moment you realize fears are merely false evidences appearing real.  

Accidentally ate gluten and passed out immediately

Sports bra and leggings on, healthy breakfast of oatmeal in my belly, ready for the gym, and crash. I sat on my bed to answer a text message at 9:30 a.m., and the next thing I knew I woke up at noon. I felt uncontrollably sleepy within five minutes of finishing my breakfast. I thought oats were gluten free like quinoa, but this particular package doesn't specify it is gluten free, and obviously it wasn't because of how my body reacted.

Being gluten-free is new for me. With today as an example, I'll be practicing some trial and error in the process. I did find an extensive list online of foods to avoid. I'm going to email it to my phone and save the list to have it on me at all times. It seems like there are so many foods I CAN'T eat now! The only thing I can do is try to look on the bright side and find out all the foods that I CAN eat. :)

Here's the list:
Abyssinian Hard (Wheat triticum durum)
Alcohol (Spirits - Specific Types)
Barley Grass (can contain seeds)
Barley Hordeum vulgare
Barley Malt
Beer
Bleached Flour
Blue Cheese (made with bread)
Bran
Bread Flour
Brewer's Yeast
Brown Flour
Bulgur (Bulgar Wheat/Nuts)
Bulgur Wheat
Cereal Binding
Chilton
Club Wheat (Triticum aestivum subspecies compactum)
Coloring
Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Couscous
Dextrimaltose
Durum wheat (Triticum durum)
Edible Starch
Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)
Emmer (Triticum dicoccon)
Farina Graham
Filler
Food Starch
Fu (dried wheat gluten)
Germ
Graham Flour
Granary Flour
Gravy Cubes4
Groats (barley, wheat)
Ground Spices4
Gum Base
Hard Wheat
Kamut (Pasta wheat)
Malt
Malt Extract
Malt Syrup
Malt Flavoring
Malt Vinegar
Miso4
Macha Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Matzo Semolina
Mustard Powder 4
Oriental Wheat (Triticum turanicum)
Pasta
Pearl Barley
Persian Wheat (Triticum carthlicum)
Poulard Wheat (Triticum turgidum)
Polish Wheat (Triticum polonicum)
Rice Malt (contains barley or Koji)
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Semolina Triticum
Shot Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Shoyu (soy sauce)4 Small Spelt
Soba Noodles4
Soy Sauce
Spirits (Specific Types)
Spelt (Triticum spelta)
Sprouted Wheat or Barley
Stock Cubes4
Strong Flour
Suet in Packets
Tabbouleh
Teriyaki Sauce
Textured Vegetable Protein - TVP
Timopheevi Wheat (Triticum timopheevii)
Triticale X triticosecale
Udon (wheat noodles)
Vavilovi Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Vegetable Starch
Vitamins4
Wheat Triticum aestivum
Wheat Nuts
Wheat, Abyssinian Hard triticum durum
Wheat, Bulgur
Wheat Durum Triticum
Wheat Triticum Monococcum
Wheat Germ (oil)
Wheat Grass (can contain seeds)
Whole-Meal Flour
Wild Einkorn (Triticum boeotictim)
Wild Emmer (Triticum dicoccoides)The following items may or may not contain gluten depending on where and how they are made, and it is sometimes necessary to check with the manufacturer to find out:

Artificial Color4
Artificial Flavoring6
Caramel Color1, 3
Dextrins1,7
Flavoring6 Hydrolyzed Plant Protein4
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein4
Maltodextrin8
Modified Food Starch1, 4
Modified Starch1, 4 Mono and Diglycerides1
Monosodium Glutimate (MSG)1, 4
Natural Flavoring6
Starch1, 4
Wheat Starch

* 1) If this ingredient is made in North America it is likely to be gluten-free.
* 2) Mono and diglycerides can contain a wheat carrier in the USA. While they are derivatives of fats, carbohydrate chains may be used as a binding substance in their preparation, which are usually corn or wheat, so this needs to be checked out with the manufacturer.
* 3) The problem with caramel color is it may or may not contain gluten depending on how it is manufactured. In the USA caramel color must conform with the FDA standard of identity from 21CFR CH.1. This statute says: "the color additive caramel is the dark-brown liquid or solid material resulting from the carefully controlled heat treatment of the following food-grade carbohydrates: Dextrose (corn sugar), invert sugar, lactose (milk sugar), malt syrup (usually from barley malt), molasses (from cane), starch hydrolysates and fractions thereof (can include wheat), sucrose (cane or beet)." Also, acids, alkalis and salts are listed as additives which may be employed to assist the caramelization process.
* 4) Can utilize a gluten-containing grain or by-product in the manufacturing process, or as an ingredient.
* 5) Most celiac organizations in the USA and Canada do not believe that wheat starch is safe for celiacs. In Europe, however, Codex Alimentarius Quality wheat starch is considered acceptable in the celiac diet by most doctors and celiac organizations. This is a higher quality of wheat starch than is generally available in the USA or Canada.
* 6) According to 21 C.F.R. S 101,22(a)(3): "[t]he terns 'natural flavor' or 'natural flavoring' means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof. Whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."
* 7) Dextrin is an incompletely hydrolyzed starch. It is prepared by dry heating corn, waxy maize, waxy milo, potato, arrowroot, WHEAT, rice, tapioca, or sago starches, or by dry heating the starches after: (1) Treatment with safe and suitable alkalis, acids, or pH control agents and (2) drying the acid or alkali treated starch. (1) Therefore, unless you know the source, you must avoid dextrin.

May 1997 Sprue-Nik News.
(1) Federal Register (4-1-96 Edition) 21CFR Ch.1, Section 184.12277.
(2) Federal Register (4-1-96) 21 CFR. Ch.1, Section 184.1444

* 8) Maltodextrin is prepared as a white powder or concentrated solution by partial hydrolysis of corn starch or potato starch with safe and suitable acids and enzymes. (1) Maltodextrin, when listed on food sold in the USA, must be (per FDA regulation) made from corn or potato. This rule does NOT apply to vitamin or mineral supplements and medications. (2) Donald Kasarda Ph.D., a research chemist specializing on grain proteins, of the United States Department of Agriculture, found that all maltodextrins in the USA are made from corn starch, using enzymes that are NOT derived from wheat, rye, barley, or oats. On that basis he believes that celiacs need not be too concerned about maltodextrins, though he cautions that there is no guarantee that a manufacturer won't change their process to use wheat starch or a gluten-based enzyme in the future. (3) - May 1997 Sprue-Nik News
1. Federal Register (4-1-96) 21 CFR. Ch.1, Section 184.1444
2."Additives Alert", an information sheet from the Greater Philadelphia Celiac Support Group, updated early in 1997. This specific information comes from Nancy Patin Falini, the dietitian advisor for the group and a speaker at a national celiac conferences in the past few years.
3. From the CELLIAC Listserv archives, on the Internet, Donald D. Kasarda, posted November 6, 1996.Read more at http://www.healthboards.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-179237.html?ktrack=kcplink 

Possible wheat allergy/gluten sensitivity

Wow. That was interesting. After I ate the ice cream, I wanted to eat some blueberry muffins. I made them without eggs or dairy, and I had a few. The next thing I knew, I felt tired, laid in my bed, and I was passed out from before 9pm until midnight. I woke up to wash my face, brush my teeth, and change for bed. My body was sore and my head felt stuffy. I hadn't eaten any baked goods or flour products in a couple of weeks, so I'm wondering if I was having a reaction to the wheat flour in the muffins. I'm kind of afraid to eat wheat now, after I experienced the instant effects of sugar and wheat together. It literally knocked me out! I feel like I have a hangover today, when I didn't have a lick of alcohol. I continued to sleep from midnight until 9am today. I slept a total of 12 hours! My lower belly is extra bloated and I can see it in my face too. No more wheat for me. That's it!! I'm on strike!!!!