A Life of Sugar and Spice

Catching Up

2013-05-01T14:55:00.003-04:00

I've just been too busy to sit down and write any posts lately. I'm finally getting around to it, so here is a re-cap of the last week or so. I've been pretty good on the eating lately. I had my one month check in after starting DDP Yoga over the weekend. I'm pretty excited to report a 2" loss in most areas, my hips however are holding on to that pear shape. Only one inch lost there for now. So far, so good. Trying to keep it rolling.

One of my favorite things to cook in the crock pot is a whole chicken. I just drop it in with a bit of water in the bottom of the pot, season with salt, pepper and paprika and let it cook for 6 hours on low. Take the chicken out, pour what's in the bottom of the pot into a sauce pan, add a couple tablespoons of better batter and stir away until you have a nice gravy. Roast some asparagus in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. Boil some butternut squash, mash with Earth Balance, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Such a delicious and EASY dinner! I made this last Wednesday. The leftovers are also nice, make another meal out of it, or chicken salad, yum!

I've been all over the place in the past week, my little brother (not really little anymore...) got married on Friday! It was a lot of fun. We had the rehearsal dinner Thursday night, then I spent Friday at a hotel getting ready with the bride and the rest of the bridal party. My new sister-in-law gave us these beautiful bracelets. That's her reflection in the heart. I love mine.

I had stocked up on snacks to have throughout the day including these Glutino bagel chips which I had never tried before. I LOVED them. So good. They don't taste gluten free at all.

Saturday night we had friends over to our place. We love to entertain and we went a little overboard with food this time. One thing about entertaining is that our friends always bring their own alcohol and anything that they don't drink, they leave with us. Neither of us drinks beer, and all of our friends DO, so it doesn't take long for our fridge to fill up with leftover beers. We need to have a "clean out our fridge" party.

I didn't get any pictures of the food we served, but it was all good stuff. I made spinach dip from scratch, it was not great, I'd try again but add more seasoning. I served it with some of those bagel chips and tortilla chips. We also had buffalo chicken dip and toasted ciabatta bread topped with tomato and mozarella (none of this was gf, nor did I eat any of it). For dessert we served a random sampling of treats from Dessert Works bakery which does offer GF options. We didn't get anything GF that day because I had bought some gf brownies that I had seen at the grocery store and hadn't tried yet. They were gross. Dry and crumbly and tasteless. How disappointing!

The rest of the weekend we relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful weather. This week I've been in training for work so I've been away from my desk. I'm still on my quest to clean up my diet so this week I'm trying to add in fresh vegetable/fruit juice. B bought a juicer a while ago after we watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. He used it for one week and it has been collecting dust ever since. We made smoothies in the blender for a while but I couldn't quite get into those. I didn't find a combo I liked that much. I was thinking that juicing might be an easier start, plus I've seen a lot of recipes that sounded good to me lately. This morning I tried my first one - Celery, Spinach, Kale, Granny Smith Apples, Carrots and Grapes. I only got a half of the water bottle filled with juice after all of those vegetables went into the juicer, but that's ok. It was pretty delicious and I felt so good drinking it. I added a side of eggs over easy to get my protein in, otherwise I would've been starving by lunch time.

I made it until mid-day before I started to feel really hungry and then I waited too long to eat so by the time I got around to it, I was starving. I had to run to the bank so I decided to stop by b.good for a burger on a GF bun and I also went for the fries. It hit the spot. I resisted having a treat after. I've gotten into the habit of having some kind of chocolate or something sweet after lunch and I really need to break that.

You might be thinking how does a burger and fries fit into a healthy diet? Moderation folks. You'll never find me cutting hamburgers out of my diet, especially in the summer! Speaking of which, I need to start working on my pasta salad recipe...

Moving Forward

2013-04-22T11:22:00.000-04:00

This morning when I went out to take Roddy for a walk, I found these words which were drawn by my nine year old neighbor Emily. The past week has been life changing. I've lived through quite a few tragedies in my life. The earliest one I can clearly remember is the Oklahoma City bombing and then 9/11. I will never forget that day, I was in college and had gone to class that morning. My professor was a few minutes late and when she finally walked in her face was pale with shock. She said planes had flown into the world trade center and that there would be no classes today. I had to walk through the media center to get back to my car and there is a huge tv mounted high up on the wall. I stood in silence with dozens of other students watching the videos play over and over again. My parents were running their business in Boston at the time, directly behind the Massachusetts State House. I frantically called them to see if they were ok and hoped that they would get out of the city as soon as possible. Then there have been the shootings, Virginia Tech and the most devastating of all, Newtown.

But as terrible as all of those other incidents were, I was far enough removed from them that I could watch the news coverage, feel sad for a short time, and move on. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I hope you understand what I mean. This time it was personal. I worked and played in Boston for all of my twenties. I stood on the sidelines of the Boston Marathon for years. I have walked down the sidewalks of Boylston Street countless times. I've spent many nights in Cambridge. And one of my close friends lives just a few streets away from the spot where the second suspect was hiding.

I'm not the type of person that outwardly shows my feelings when things that don't directly affect me happen. The victims were not my friends or family. None of my friends ran the marathon that day. I haven't even been into the city in months. I don't want to minimize the pain of those directly impacted in any way by feeling my own pain. But from the moment it happened until the moment suspect two was captured, I was glued to the news. I watched the bombs go off over and over again. I looked at the images of severely injured people. I stared at the haunting image of suspect two leaving his back pack on the ground right behind Martin Richard and his mother and sister. I texted my former roommate when I discovered that she was on lock down on Friday morning. Then again later that night when I realized that he was hiding just a few streets away. I saw the image of suspect one's ruined body in the morgue.

On Friday night as we watched the ambulance drive away with suspect two finally captured, we all breathed a sigh of relief. On Saturday we kept busy getting ready for and then attending my former roommate's wedding. It wasn't until Sunday that the weight of the week settled heavily on my chest. We got up and ready for the day and headed out for Bill to run a 5k in our town. It was a beautiful day, I took the dog with me.

As we waited at the starting line, we had a moment of silence, and then sang the national anthem in memory. I knew B would be done in 30 minutes or less, so I walked the grounds of the hospital school where the race was taking place. It was beautiful.

Then headed back to the finish line just in time to see him finish right at 30 minutes.

We grabbed lunch at Chipotle then headed home for the afternoon. While eating lunch, B put on some episodes of the new Hannibal show. I noticed that my misophonia was in full force and that I was reacting very strongly to what I was seeing. Hannibal is all about investigating gruesome murders. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to ask B to shut it off. I realized that this tragedy has impacted me on a much deeper level than I had thought. However, I am so proud to be from a city that is so strong and has pulled together so tightly during this difficult time.

Boston Strong

2013-04-19T11:54:00.001-04:00

Boston and surrounding towns are locked down right now while authorities try to find the second suspect in the marathon bombings. The events of this week have been incredibly sad. I've tried to keep my head clear of it since thankfully none of my friends or family have been impacted, but it just starts to weigh on you. It's everywhere, you can't avoid it. It wasn't until I was listening to President Obama speak of the three people that did not survive the bombs that I finally broke down in tears. I could not believe it this morning when I woke up to find that another man had been killed and that so much had happened overnight. I hope they catch the younger brother soon. I can't stand knowing he's running loose in Massachusetts. I'll be avoiding posting anything here until this ordeal is over. I just can't think about food right now. My friend and former roommate lives in Watertown where all of this madness is happening right now. She is getting married tomorrow and I just hope this isn't ruining any of her plans. Of course I'm also worried for her and her fiance's safety but right now they are just sitting at home on lock down. I hope tomorrow can be a little escape from all of this and we can celebrate and eat (she has gf options, yay!!) and drink and dance the night away! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. The support from around the country has been incredible. We are Boston and we are STRONG and we won't rest until this is OVER!!

Roll with it.

2013-04-17T20:35:00.001-04:00

Today is just one of those days. I was exhausted this morning and slept through my yoga time. Because I hit the snooze button so many times, I was groggy when I finally did get out of bed. It took me forever to get ready, I forgot to put blush on (I'm pasty!) and I didn't even bother blow drying my hair. Of course the last thing I wanted to do was make myself breakfast, so I went to work and let them do it for me.

The shredded potatoes were cold and tasted awful, the eggs were fine, the bacon was ok. The food I make at home is better. Oh well.

By 11am I was starving. I only fought with myself for a short time before hitting up the vending machine.

ahoy..

At lunch I went home to get the crock pot set up for dinner but I knew there wasn't much in the house for lunch, so I stopped at the grocery store. It was a beautiful day outside and I was in the mood for summer food. Hot dogs and potato salad sounded like just the ticket.

And a half a handful of mini chips.

I worked my way through the rest of the afternoon while also keeping up on the latest news of the marathon bombings. I can't wait until they have the scum bag that did this in custody. They are getting close and there was even a point today where it was reported that the suspect was in custody but that turned out not to be true. Then a bomb threat was called into the Federal Court building which put a bit of a kink in the day.

After work I headed over to the gym. Wednesday night is ZUMBA night! As soon as Jyl turns on that music and I feel that beat I am so happy. But for some reason I was still just not filled with energy so I kind of fumbled my way through the workout. I even considered just giving up a few times, but I stuck it out and finished the hour. I'm definitely glad I did.

When I got home the aroma of taco chicken greeted me at the door (along with Roddy). I can't tell you how much I LOVE my crock pot. Coming home to dinner already made is the best thing ever. We dove right in.

I wish I had bought some avocados for guacamole. Next time.

Today is the 3rd anniversary of my Great Grandmother's passing. My GiGi. I actually dreamed about her last night. Maybe that's what's weighing on me today. She was so awesome. She had a good life and was almost 93 (94?) when she passed, and had lived life to the fullest. I just wanted to recognize her today. She's one of the most inspirational people in my life.

Full Disclosure

2013-04-16T20:31:00.003-04:00

Whenever I'm thinking of eating something I shouldn't, the thought "would you post that on the blog?" always pops into my head. Usually I just push that thought right out of the way and go on with my indulgence. Since I'm still struggling to get back on track, I thought why not use that as a tool to push me to STOP eating things I'm not supposed to eat! So with that, I decided to go with a Full Disclosure policy on the blog. Everything I eat is going up. I'm shaming myself into eating properly. Now when I find myself thinking of eating something that's bad for my health, I will ask myself "Is it really worth it?" and no matter what, it'll be posted here.

This morning started off with a lame attempt at DDP Yoga - Energy workout. I was tired, and my knees hurt, and I just wasn't into it. Plus I had takeout and frozen yogurt last night which I'm sure contributed to my exhaustion. After yoga I made breakfast. The usual for this week - two eggs over easy, chicken and apple sausage, sauteed with baby spinach.

I forgot to grab a snack for mid-morning and by 11am I was starving. I wanted so badly to go to the vending machine and get a package of mini chips ahoy cookies. SO BADLY!! I resisted. By 1pm I was losing my mind but thankfully it was finally time for lunch. I had chicken salad on a Rudi's wrap with baby spinach and a side of leftover mashed potatoes.

While I was in the kitchen getting my lunch out of the fridge, I saw a tupperware container with a note on top...

I would have been LIVID if someone ate half of my lunch and put it back in the fridge. I wonder who's lunch this is though, it would be nice to have a GF buddy on my floor.

I made it through the afternoon without getting hungry again which is good because I had to go grocery shopping on my way home. And after that I grabbed some sushi for us. Spicy tuna and a specialty roll for me. So delicious.

And for dessert:

I would say that's not a terrible day, right? The only thing I ate that had gluten is the soy sauce that came with the sushi. I didn't have any gf soy sauce left in the house. Oh well. It's a step in the right direction! On to tomorrow!

Marathon Monday

2013-04-15T19:53:00.000-04:00

If I had written this post as planned this morning, it would be a very different post. Unfortunately, now it's taking a sad turn as we reflect on the events today at the Boston Marathon. I have witness a handful of friends cross the finish line over the years, most recently, my former roommate just a couple of years ago. My cousin and I waited right in the spot where the bombs went off today to see her finish the race. I can't even imagine being there today. Marathon Monday is usually such a fun day here in Boston and this is just incredibly tragic.

The thing that I keep seeing on the news that gives me hope is all of the people that stayed to help after the bombs went off. It is so wonderful to see how people will pull together.

On a lighter note...

This weekend was very low key. B had been traveling for work for two weeks and just wanted to relax and that's exactly what we did. We made dinner for friends on Saturday night. This is the second time I've made this recipe that I found on Pinterest but I have yet to take a picture for you guys. It's pretty delicious though!

On the side I made red bliss garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed zucchini and summer squash. So yummy.

Sunday I got up and did my DDP Yoga while B took Roddy to the park. Then it was a long afternoon of being lazy and watching movies/tv. Even Roddy was into it.

And checking up on blogs/twitter/facebook...

Today started my first week of working from home on Mondays. In the morning it was really exciting, I got to take my time doing my yoga, getting ready, walking the dog and making breakfast.

Two eggs over easy, Aidell's chicken and apple sausage sauteed with baby spinach. My go-to breakfast.

The thing I was most excited for was being able to do the laundry while working instead of doing it on the weekends. Then I spent the first half of the day working away. At lunch time B had asked me to go to the bank for him. So I did, because I completely forgot that it's a holiday here and the banks are closed. Then I drove around figuring out what to have for lunch. I ended up back at home with chicken salad on a Rudi's plain wrap with baby spinach and tomato. I also had a little bit of leftover mashed potatoes.

Then it was more work, more laundry and realizing the working at home is kinda boring and lonely. But waking up on Monday after the weekend and knowing you don't have to put on work clothes and go to the office is still pretty sweet. I definitely need to get some sort of desk setup. Working from the couch is just not going to be good.

Along with DDP Yoga comes a nutrition guide. It's not far from what I already eat so I'll be trying to stick to that protocol for awhile. It's basically a balanced diet of the right kind of carbs, protein, healthy fats, no gluten, no dairy. You know the drill. Ok, that's all for now. Still can't stop thinking about the bombings today and my thoughts and prayers are going out to the victims and their families. It's just unbelievable.

Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places

2013-04-12T10:48:00.001-04:00

2007 - Lowest weight as an adult 2013 - Highest weight EVER

It wasn't until college that I started having issues with my weight. I've gained and lost the same 20 pounds over and over again. But since moving in with B, I've not only gained that 20 pounds back, I packed on another THIRTY-FIVE to go with it!! Holy crap. How did that happen??? Takeout. Lots of it. And wine. And cider. French Fries. Ice cream - the real kind. Gluten. Yes. I admit it. Ugh. If you've been a long time reader of this blog you know I've been trying (and failing) to lose weight for a while now. But I'm really in a crunch, I refuse to be unhappy with myself on my wedding day and I only have a few months left before I HAVE to start dress shopping. We both decided it's time to really buckle down and get healthy.

I've mentioned a couple of times that I've been doing DDP Yoga lately. I was excited to give it a try after I'd seen this incredible video about how it changed this war veteran's life. I've been trying to do it first thing in the morning before work every day. I haven't been successful at dragging my ass out of bed early every morning, but I'm getting better at it. The workouts are great, it's not just traditional yoga and is helping me get stronger. I kid you not, a month ago every time I walked up the stairs both of my knees would make this loud clicking/popping noise. I've had trouble with my knees for years! This week I've noticed that going up stairs I can't hear anything! I thought I noticed it the other day but today I really did. So far I've lost 7 lbs as well! I also joined Team DDP Yoga to help keep me motivated and found even more inspiration there. DDP talks a lot about taking charge of your life by understanding that 10% of it is stuff that happens to you and the other 90% is all about how you react. I love this and it's something that I've really needed to hear lately. And he's a huge supporter of the GF/DF lifestyle. I can't say enough about it, really.

In addition to the yoga I'm really focusing on cleaning up my diet again. I had let it slide down a very slippery slope. I'm feeling much better after a couple of weeks back on track. I plan to use this blog as a way to track my progress, post what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, etc. This blog has always been about my journey to health and this is just the next chapter. I'm excited to share it with all of you!

Yesterday was my first day back to work after my mini-vacation. Every other Thursday I'm supposed to work in a different office but I didn't even think of that as I drove to work. Of course the minute I pulled into a parking spot I realized I was not in the right place. I hadn't eaten yet since I was running late and planned to eat at the office, so I ran in, grabbed a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon, and headed off to the other office.

As soon as I arrived I was greeted by this:

They call them munchkins, which makes them sound cute, but really they are evil little bites of poison!

Every time we're in this other building, one of the other programmers brings in a box of munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. I will admit that I have indulged in the past, but now that I'm back on the wagon, I managed to steer clear of these all day. I didn't even look at the box until late in the afternoon just so I could take a picture for the blog. Obviously the rest of the group wasted no time taking care of these.

I had forgotten to pack my lunch in the morning so I decided that I would try out a local restaurant that I heard had a gluten free menu. I looked it up online and they had a ton of options. It was a tough choice but I ended up going with the pulled pork tacos.

When I arrived my order was ready but when I checked the container the tacos were smothered with cheese! I had specifically noted on my online order NO CHEESE or SOUR CREAM! But apparently that message didn't show up on the order at the restaurant? They were really nice about it and made me a fresh batch, no cheese, no sour cream.

The tacos were decent, not the best pulled pork I've ever had, the seemingly homemade salsa on the side was pretty delicious. I would definitely go back and try something else the next time I'm at that office and find myself without a packed lunch. We have cafeterias in all of our buildings, but GF options are sparse. There is a salad bar but it's kind of slim pickings. I'm trying to be better about packing a lunch from home so I know exactly what's going into it, and it's often healthier and better tasting anyway.

Since B's been traveling this week I've been trying to come up with easy dinners for one. Last night I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and wandered aimlessly trying to decide what to have. I walked past the meat cases and there were Aidell's sausages which reminded me of a Carrots N Cake recipe that I wanted to try. I grabbed a package of chicken and apple sausage, some fresh brussels sprouts and some goat cheese and was on my way. I subbed goat cheese for the laughing cow cheese since I seem to tolerate goat cheese pretty well. I added my own herbs and spices to get that garlic and herb flavor. Unfortunately, my pan was too hot and I didn't use enough oil so the dish didn't come out exactly as I'd hoped. But it wasn't bad. I might try this again tonight with less heat, more oil, and see how it goes.

Oops... super blurry, sorry!

After dinner I enjoyed a square of dark chocolate while watching Wife Swap. I don't know why I love that show so much.

And watched some inspiring DDP videos with my pup.

And then he started doing this in his sleep:

It's scary and hilarious at the same time.

B comes home tonight!! I can't wait! Happy Friday everyone!!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with DDP Yoga in any way. All opinions posted here are completely my own. Having said that, I definitely recommend you check it out for yourself!

Blog Party 2013

2013-04-10T18:14:00.002-04:00

I was just checking in on my girl Angela and saw she's taking part in this Blog Party and it sounded like fun so I joined the party myself! Here's my "about me" intro post for my new friends!

My name is Jen and I'm 32 years old (33 next month.. eek). I'm engaged to my wonderful fiance Bill and we live in a small town 20 minutes southeast of Boston, Mass with our 4.5 year old Greyhound Roddy:

I started this blog 5 years ago this month as a way to talk about my tummy troubles. A month after I started this blog I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and thus began my journey to healing through diet. It's been a rough road but I'm very thankful for a huge online community where I find a ton of information and support.

The past year or two posting hasn't been as frequent, I changed jobs which meant less time for blogging and taking photos. I also started slacking on my gluten and dairy free diet and didn't want to admit it here and let down my readers, so I just stayed quiet. In the past year I've gained a bunch of weight and my stomach is getting bad again and it's time to get back on track so I'm hoping to get this blog back in shape this year as well as get MYSELF back in shape. I have a wedding dress to buy afterall!

The thing I've been looking for lately is new blogs to read so I'm pretty excited for this blog party since there are tons of new links to explore. I hope you find my site useful, if not mildly entertaining, and I'm glad you stopped by!!

Wrestlemania FanAxxess and Wrestlecon

2013-04-09T11:11:00.000-04:00

Friday morning I packed my bag and waited for A&J to arrive and then we were off on a 3.5 hour drive to fabulous New Jersey for Wrestlemania weekend! I was looking forward to the trip, despite the fact that I'm not a huge wrestling fan. I've watched it on and off over the years, my brother used to watch it back in the day as well as an old bf a long time ago so I know who many of the guys are. Plus I just started DDP Yoga so I was really looking forward to seeing DDP. I heard he was charging a pretty penny for a photo op at Wrestlecon so I figured I'd see him from afar, but I also heard there was going to be a DDP Yoga session for free on Saturday afternoon so I was excited to try and attend.

When we arrived in NJ and met up with B at the hotel (he was already there for work) the banner above was in the lobby. We did not have tickets for the actual Wrestlemania event but we planned to go to a restaurant that was showing it to have some drinks and watch it on Sunday night. But Friday we had planned to just check in, relax and get a nice dinner. The hotel gave us a list of local restaurants and after some yelping and google mapping we decided on Wee Willie's Sports Bar & Grill. The directions from the hotel took us to a residential neighborhood but we eventually found it around the corner and quickly realized that this was not the place for us. We were looking for good food and conversation, this place was for drinking, and maybe pool, and there may have been a few leather jackets involved. Don't get me wrong, I can hang at a dive bar with the best of them, but this is not what we had in mind for a nice dinner.

So we drove around aimlessly and as we stopped at a stop light, we noticed Michael's Riverside restaurant right next to us. We quickly yelped it and read that the services is not great but the food is delicious so we decided to go for it.

Reisling? Yes, please!

I was excited to see a few gluten free options on the menu. I ended up getting the seabass/crabmeat special (not gluten or dairy free... sigh, I know) and it was so delicious. I didn't even take a picture of it because I felt so guilty about eating it.. I figured I wouldn't share it here. But might as well go for full disclosure, right?

Anyway, the salad that came prior to the dinner was awesome. It had a homemade olive oil based dressing that was very subtle but sooooo fresh and delicious. I practically licked the plate.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to get to the Izod Center for Wrestlemania Fan Axxess. The plan was to meet as many personalities as possible. B is more a fan of the old school guys so we stuck to the Legends whereas A&J are fans of old and new WWE so they met the current Superstars. From 8-10 was the first round of signings where we got to meet Billy Gunn, Jim Ross, Tamera and Pat Patterson. At 10 there was a shift change so we started another lap around the arena to see who was on deck. They were keeping it a secret so we had no idea who we'd find. The first meeting was Sika and then we moved on to the next Legends table. As we rounded the corner we could see a long line and all of a sudden I heard Bill say... "It's DDP..." and I was like WHAT?!!! OHHHH YEAH!!! We raced ahead to get in line. While we waited, DDP would stop every now and then to talk to the crowd and was really nice and engaging, just like in his yoga videos. It wasn't too long before we were next for photos and signatures.

Since this weekend was mostly B's thing, and I was just along for the ride, he did most of the meeting and greeting, but he knew this was a big one for me so he said it was up to me to do the talking. Of course I immediately told DDP that we just started doing the yoga and he jumped up to take a picture with both of us, he had been staying behind the table and doing the lean over for single photos, but we got this gem:

Then he gave us a signature:

Jen & Bill, Do your DDP Yoga, Or Else... BANG! Diamond Dallas Page

I was so pumped!!!

After that it was time to head over to Wrestlecon to meet more legends of wrestling. This was the part B was most looking forward to since he is such a big fan of the old school wrestling. The one he really wanted to meet was Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. When we arrived, Bobby's flag was up to mark his spot but he hadn't arrived yet. They said he was supposed to be there at 2pm and it was getting close, a line was starting to form so we got in line and waited. Shortly after, Bobby and his wife appeared and got setup. Unfortunately, Bobby has had some major health setbacks and is not looking like his old self, but it was still so awesome for B to get to meet him and he got a signed copy of his new book. We both got a little choked up, it was very bittersweet, but I was so happy that B got to meet one of his wrestling heroes.

After that we wandered around and had a bunch more photo ops. DDP was there with Jake "The Snake" Robert and I was lucky enough to get this...

You know it's a party when you're grabbing Jake The Snake's ass..

and I was super excited to meet the one and only ROB VAN DAM complete with thumb moves and holding the championship belt (it's heavy!!)

We also met Kevin Nash. B had planned to talk to him about some wrestling thing but I quickly jumped in and told him how much I enjoyed his performance in Magic Mike.

Unfortunately by 3pm I was EXHAUSTED from being on my feet all day and didn't want to wait until 4:30 for DDP Yoga. I regret that now, but what can you do? I'm still pumped that I got to meet DDP. I expected to have fun this weekend, but I didn't expect it to be such an amazing time. My friend J got to meet her #1 - Christian and it was probably one of the best moments of her life, it was pretty great.

Lovin' Blogs

2013-04-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

From the responses I received on yesterday's post, as well as some googling, it looks like Bloglovin' is my new blog reader of choice. I signed up yesterday and the first thing it asks is if you want to pull your google reader feed. Yes, please! I'm liking it so far, I like the image previews and how you can click on the post, it takes you to the actual post, but keeps the reader post active and you can go back and mark it as unread if you like. I also downloaded the iphone app and I like that as well. I'm one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of people so change isn't always good for me, but I think I will grow to love this. It's prettier than google reader and I love pretty things.

Thanks also for the blog recs. I do love The Bloggess, who doesn't? Keep 'em coming though, I need more!!

On a slightly more exciting note, tomorrow I'm headed off to fabulous New Jersey for a weekend of awesomeness at Wrestlecon and Wrestlemania Fan Axxess. Bet you didn't know I'm a huge fan of 80's wrestling, did you? Well I'm not, but B is, and our friends A&J are and the four of us are in for 2 days of magic. The thing I'm looking forward to the most? A live, in person session of DDP yoga with none other than Diamond Dallas Page himself. That is going to be amazing. Unfortunately The Rock is off doing movies and being too cool for school so I don't think he's in the lineup. So sad. I'm just looking forward to a mini vacation and a few days away!

When in doubt, eat bacon!

2013-04-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

yes I drink my OJ in a wine glass.. I like to keep it classy

I FINALLY upgraded my old 3GS iPhone to a 4S and I am loving it!!! My old phone was sooooo slow, everything was broken, the screen was all messed up from that time I threw it across the room, the volume button had fallen out, it was just a mess. I tried putting it off as long as possible but I'm so glad I finally just did it. The best thing about the new phone is the camera! I have to admit, one of the biggest reasons I never blog anymore is because I have no photos to add to my posts and I hate posting without photos. But I don't have the time or patience to break out my real camera anymore and the photo quality of the old phone was embarrassing. This phone takes awesome pictures and I've found a couple of camera apps that make the pics even better. This one was taken this morning in low light with no post processing and I love it.

My breakfast just about every day includes eggs over easy and bacon. Should I be eating bacon every day? Probably not, but whatever. I also have a little bit of OJ if there is any in the house. I drink mostly water all day every day and it's nice to change it up a bit in the morning. B and I have started yet another weight loss journey but we're taking it seriously this time. I have yet to try on a single wedding dress and refuse to until I've taken off a few of the many pounds I've gained over the past year. He doesn't have much to lose but he just wants to tighten up and get in better shape. We're logging, tracking, photographing, weighing, measuring, doing it for real.

I've started going DDP Yoga in the mornings and I'm loving it, I also go to zumba once a week and we started going to a pickup volleyball league on Friday evenings. I'm hoping as the weather warms up we'll be able to start hiking the Blue Hills more often which is something we really enjoy as does Roddy because he gets to go with us!

Best dog ever..

As far as what I'm eating, I'm trying to keep away from the gf alternatives and stick with meats, veggies, fruits, eggs, fish, etc. Keep it clean. I do have Rudi's wraps in the freezer for the occasional tuna or roast beef sandwich. And I eat a lot of bacon. It's Paleo, right?

On a side note - I need to do some blog housekeeping. 1. I need to find a great blog reader since Google is getting rid of theirs soon and 2. I need some fresh material to add to this new reader. What great blogs do you read? GF blogs, general healthy eating blogs, funny blogs, just interesting reads? What do you use for a blog reader? I want to hear about it!!

In celebration of Cider

2013-01-25T16:22:00.001-05:00

After going GF, I started to turn to hard cider since beer was no longer an option. Of course there are a few GF beers on the market, but honestly, after giving up the beers I love, I don't particularly care for the GF versions either.

Back in 2008 there were very few ciders on the market and many of them were just disgusting. In the past year, all of a sudden, there have been a ton of new ciders on the shelves and they are so delicious. My current favorite is Angry Orchard, but I recently found a new one - Hornsby's and I love that one too.

I received an email the other day about this graphic that covers the history of cider and I thought it was pretty cool so I figured I'd share. What's your favorite GF adult beverage??

Created by: HackCollege.com

GIVEAWAY!! Rudi's Gluten Free Breads - Winner!

2013-01-22T09:46:00.003-05:00

Rudi’s Gluten-Free is hosting a giveaway on their facebook page to introduce a new softer and fluffier recipe for its Sandwich Breads! Fans can see, taste and feel the difference in the full line of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Sandwich Breads, including Rudi’s Gluten-Free Original, Multigrain, and Cinnamon Raisin.

To enter in to the contest, just click over to their Facebook page here! BUT FIRST, check out this fun giveaway Rudi’s is offering to A Life of Sugar and Spice readers!

The giveaway includes:

A sandwich press
Reusable sandwich bags
Colorful ceramic plates
Gluten Free cookbook with sandwich recipes

To win:

Just leave a comment here on the blog! I'll randomly select a winner on Friday morning (1/25/13).

And the winner is comment number 6 - Carolsue!!

Big News....

2012-12-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!!

Can you believe it?? Neither can I!! I'm sooooooo excited. Although not entirely surprised... you see B is not exactly the best keeper of secrets. Not that I'm complaining, a man that can't lie?? Perfect. But when he started throwing out random marriage related questions a few weeks ago I started getting the hint. And then he took my car for the day and accidentally left my Dad's work address in my car. I found it on Thanksgiving and although I had been trying to keep my suspicions quiet, I couldn't help it. When I asked him about the address he caved and admitted he'd been shopping and went to ask my Dad's permission(!). I was SO excited, but then he tried to put me off and make me wait for the actual proposal. I've always been an "I want it NOW" kind of person and first thing in the morning on Black Friday you bet your ass I was online pinning away into my secret "My Wedding!!!!" board. And calling my sister to tell her. But I couldn't tell anyone else! I couldn't openly talk about planning or getting engaged or ANYTHING and by Sunday I was so depressed.

My Mom called me to talk about venues and after we hung up I just sat there and cried. B couldn't understand why I was so upset and I told him "You're not a girl! You would never be able to understand what I'm feeling right now! I'm so excited and happy and I want to TELL THE WORLD!!" So we agreed later that day that when he actually picked up the ring from the jeweler, we'd go to dinner and make it official. He was upset that he'd ruined the surprise and wanted to make it special for me.

The very next day, after his lunch break, he emailed me at work to say "How do you feel about going for sushi tonight?" which I knew was code word for I've got the ring.... and I almost fell out of my chair with excitement. But later in the day he tried to throw me off by talking about going to the gym, and telling me not to get my hopes up. I was so MAD at him for messing with my head!! But I knew that he was just trying as hard as he could to make a last ditch effort to surprise me.

On the way home he called to say that the gym was out of the question and that we had 7 o'clock reservations at the sushi restaurant. So we go and we're sitting up at the sushi bar and we're waiting for our food and the waiter comes up to me with the restaurant phone in his hand and he's trying to tell me in broken English that it's for me. I am SO confused, but I take the phone anyway, and on the other end is B's 10 (11?) year old niece and she says "I was just wondering if you want to be my Aunt?" Oh. My. Gosh.... how cute is that??? I cried a little and said "Of course I would love to be your Aunt!!" and as I'm talking to her B is pulling out the ring and putting it on for me. I wish I could say that there was big fanfare at the restaurant like in the movies, but I don't think a single other person in the restaurant even noticed, and the staff didn't speak English so it was just between us. I couldn't stop staring at the new sparkly on my hand! I love it.

We left the restaurant and I called all of our family members to spread the good news. It was so much fun. Then it was back to the internet to look at venues and Pinterest and Wedding Bee and The Knot... it never ends. I can't stop myself! I'm insane! Today I got the contracts for the venue that we've chosen, or rather that my Mom and I have chosen, B was not all that interested in venue shopping with us. I'm very excited to have that big get out of the way so I can focus on the details.

We have less than a year and a half to go before the big day so I have plenty of time to make it my dream day. (I mean OUR dream day.... right, ours, yeah) You wait your whole life for this and then all of a sudden it's here and it doesn't feel real and you catch a glance at the ring that says IT'S FOR REAL and it's so exciting. I don't want to rush the next 15 months, but at the same time, I can't wait for the big day!!!!

Pinterest Finds: Sheperd's Pie

2012-11-16T10:57:00.004-05:00

Source: thedomesticman.com via Jen on Pinterest

My latest Pinterest dinner was this Shepherd's Pie from The Domestic Man. I stuck to the recipe pretty strictly for the meat mixture and made my own dairy free mashed potatoes using Earth Balance and chicken stock (instead of milk, so good, try it!). I have to say, the meat mixture didn't have a ton of flavor and was kind of dry. Growing up my mom used to make her own version of Shepherd's Pie. Honestly I never even heard the name Shepherd's Pie until I saw it on a menu as an adult. My mom's was called "corn, hamburg and potato" and was literally corn, hamburg, and potato - browned ground beef, creamed corn, and topped with mashed potatoes, baked until the top of the potatoes were browned. I loved it! But as an adult I'm trying to step it up and make it more flavorful and a little healthier if possible. We've been eating a lot of ground beef lately because it's cheap and easy but now that I'm counting calories I'm starting to realize how high in cals it is. From a paleo perspective it's fine, but right now, from a calorie counting perspective, it's a little bit much. I can't even believe I'm going to say this, but I'm getting sick of Carol Fenster's meatloaf... B LOVES it and requests it weekly. I need to find some lighter recipes for dinners, I'm off to PIN! If you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments!

Progress

2012-11-13T11:18:00.002-05:00

Calorie counting is going well so far, it really helps that B is doing it with me. If he wasn't, I probably already would've given up. But we bought a scale (remember when I threw mine away?) and I'm weighing myself only once a week. Otherwise I become a raging lunatic and eating disorder behavior ensues (hello binge eating and food hiding!). In my first week I've lost about 5 lbs which I know is the typical week one bloat loss. The thing I like about MyFitnessPal is that when you complete your day it tells you "If every day were like today, you would weigh XXX pounds in 5 weeks!" When we had our cheat dinner on Sunday and I logged it all, it told me if every day was like today, I'd gain 4 lbs over the next 5 weeks. Really helped to shed some light on how I got this heavy! Not that I didn't know... but it really spells it out for you. I've been getting my workouts in using the WOD Genius app which provides customized crossfit style workouts. I love it, they can be very challenging if you push yourself. You also can get rather easy workouts like the one I did on Sunday. I was lazy...

The rest of the weekend was pretty decent. My friend's nephew was in the playoffs with his high school varsity soccer team. He plays sometimes with B on his indoor soccer team so we wanted to go out and support him. Friday night they fought into overtime to win 3-2. Unfortunately Sunday they lost 2-1 but it was a lot of fun to go and watch. We even made some signs for him:

Weekend mornings are when B takes Roddy to the dog park and he is most definitely a creature of habit. He loves to go to the park and when B went to the gym first on Sunday morning Roddy was very sad. B came home from the gym to take a shower and there Roddy sat, at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for him to come back down and take him out.

He is the funniest dog. Off they went to the park and he was very happy.

Yesterday I had the day off so I got a bunch of laundry and cleaning done then went over to my friend's house to have a Twilight marathon before we go see the last Breaking Dawn when it comes out. Yes, we are 30-something year old women that love Twilight! Unfortunately, I could feel I was coming down with a cold, I had a scratchy throat and by the end of the first movie my nose started running really bad, so I had to cut the marathon short and head home. Today I'm at work, but my nose is a faucet and I can't stop sneezing. I feel bad for the guy sitting in front of me. Hopefully it will move quickly, lots of fluids and healthy foods! That's all for now, see ya later!

Calories... AHHHHHH!

2012-11-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, B has convinced me to start counting calories again. Don't take that the wrong way, he loves me and all of my back fat, it's just that he's going to be counting calories for himself, and I want to lose weight too, and he's going to want to know how many calories are in the dinners I make every night. I figured if I'm going to be calculating cals for him, might as well track them for myself as well. I have a love/hate relationship with calorie counting and am not sure I'm going to be able to stand it for too long, but I also know that if I want to see any real progress on this weight loss journey, it might be my best chance. So here goes. Again. yay. ;)

Seriously though.. my chin is starting to resemble Junie-Boo-Boo's. It's unattractive.

Gluten and Dairy Free Buffalo Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2012-11-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Jen on Pinterest

In my never ending quest to actually MAKE the recipes I pin on Pinterest, I finally cooked up this little gem last night to have for lunches this week. I'd say it turned out pretty decent, but I didn't bother with the carrots and celery on top, nor did I think of anything to have on the side, so my lunch today was pretty simple. I did add some homemade mock blue cheese dressing to pour over the turkey and I'm glad I did because the buffalo sauce was spice!! Admittedly, buffalo sauce tastes much better when it's saturating breaded chicken, but we're trying to lighten things up over here these days. I would definitely make this again but I might try ground chicken next time instead of turkey, add some more spices for additional flavor, and have maybe some roasted potatoes on the side.

How do I make homemade gf/df blue cheese dressing, you ask? Well, it's not really blue cheese, but it's that cool, creamy compliment that you just have to have on top of spicy buffalo sauced anything. I mix up some mayo and sour cream, a dash of apple cider vinegar, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper and a little bit of lemon juice. It works. I like it. It's so easy and cheap!

What else is new around here? B recently turned 30 and we just ended his "birthday month" with a bang with all our friends on Saturday night. It was a blast. I recently started a new position at my company as a programmer/analyst and am still in training but loving it so far. We're trying to reel in the endless junk food eating, clean up our diets, and get back to the gym. My doctor wasn't too happy with the number on the scale the last time I went (not that I'm like, "YAY, extra pounds!" either..). Roddy is still the best dog ever, sweet as can be and a huge snuggle bug.

Oh and my sister is expecting baby #2 in February, YAY!!!! I can't wait to meet my new little NIECE!! Maggie is going to be 3 in December, can you believe how fast time flies? I just love that little munchkin!!

So life is good, I'm really looking forward to the holidays, B and I are hosting Christmas for my family and I can't wait. I hope all of you are doing well and good things are happening. Hopefully this recent health kick will lead to more posts! At least more evidence of my Pinterest progress! :)

Creamy Spinach & Avocado Pasta

2012-09-30T20:15:00.001-04:00

A while ago Marlow posted this recipe for Creamy Spinach & Avocado Pasta over at Gluten Hates Me and I immediately pinned it to my Dinner Ideas board and have been meaning to make it for dinner ever since. I finally had the chance tonight with all of the ingredients on hand. I also kicked it up by adding chicken which I had marinated in dairy free caesar salad dressing dressing all day. I can't believe I waited this long to try this dish with two of my favorite foods, spinach and avocado. Thankfully I made a ton so there are plenty of leftovers!! I used some free samples of Jovial pasta that I had received a while ago and it was also delicious. It cooked up in 9 minutes and was the perfect texture and flavor. Sorry my photos lately are terrible, I have been using nothing but my old iPhone and it's just garbage. I'll have to move my big camera downstairs so I have it on hand!

Before dinner I got in a quick 5K. Ok well not really, it took me forever, my legs felt like lead, and I walked a good chunk of it, but at least I did it! It was nice to look at the fall foliage, I love New England!

CrossFit at Home

2012-09-26T10:17:00.001-04:00

I'm really trying to get back into exercise, but the thought of going to the gym and riding the elliptical machine for 30 minutes and then going through a round of strength training just doesn't appeal to me at all. I've been reading a lot of Paleo blogs and many of these also talk a lot about CrossFit and as much as I like the CrossFit model, I simply cannot afford to join a CrossFit gym right now. The other day I saw on PaleOMG that a new WOD (workout of the day) Genius app had been launched which would generate workouts based on what workout gear you have access too, such as a bike, dumbells, a bench, a step, running, etc. So even with minimal access to workout gear, you can get in a good workout. Yesterday I entered that I had access to running, a bike, a stair/step and the above workout was generated for me. I mapped out 1 mile around my neighborhood on gmaps pedometer and set off to do my workout. I loved being able to do this workout at home at my own pace. It wasn't super hard, but I still felt like I had a good workout when I finished and I had biked 5 miles, and done 60 of each, jumping jacks, push ups (NOT hand stand pushups, are you kidding me??), and walking lunges.

When Bill got home from archery he made us a delicious dinner of Alaskan Cod, I had some acorn squash roasting in the oven, and then some corn on the side. It was so delicious! We have started having fish once a week and I'm loving it. I never used to buy it because I hated the smell it left in the house but so far it hasn't been bad and it's worth it for the variety we've added to the dinner routine. As far as dieting goes, I just am not into it right now. I'm just trying not to eat too much junk and ramp up the workouts. Do I want to lose weight? Yeah, but it's honestly just not a priority for me right now. Frankly, trying to lose weight is a lot of work and it's just not something I want to focus my energy on. My focus is to eat foods that make me feel good and exercise to keep my body from breaking down. Besides, Bill happens to like my big ole butt!! ;)

Most importantly, I just want to enjoy the fall and get in as many fall activities as possible. And we have Bill's 30th birthday coming up so we have some fun things planned for that. And if some gf pumpkin poppers make their way into my oven, I won't be too upset about that either!

In the end, it was worth it.

2012-09-21T15:35:00.000-04:00

In my town there is this hill. It's a good sized hill and people like to go hiking there. I went hiking there once about 10 years ago and I forget most of the experience, that should've been my first hint. When I started working at my current job back in 2010 I thought I should start hiking that hill again since I drive by it every day, but I never did. A year and a half ago when I started dating Bill I thought we should start hiking that hill, it would be fun, and he lived in that town. How convenient. But we never did. And then I moved in with Bill in that little town with that little hill and I thought, well now we'll definitely start hiking that hill, how could we not? But we didn't. Until about a month ago when Bill went hiking there with a friend and had a nice time and thought we should try it together.

Well you know, I haven't done much exercise in quite some time. To say I'm totally, utterly, completely out of shape would be a fair assessment. But I want to get back into shape! And I want to hike that hill!! I've done it before, once, ten years ago, so it can't be that bad right? So we did. We went and hiked the hill and I tell you, not 50 feet up that bastard I started huffing and puffing like I was about to take my very last huff and/or puff and my face turned bright red and Bill might have laughed at me a little bit until I almost bit his face off. But he pushed me on and didn't let me give up and I made it to the top of that little hill without murdering him and we were happy! And he tried to find this little spot that looks out over our little town but he's not so good with directions so we didn't find it that day.

A week or so later we went back and tried it again and I huffed and I puffed until I almost blew that little hill down, but I made it to the top again. This time I didn't want to murder anyone at all. And we found that little spot that overlooks our little town and it was glorious. This week I tried it again all by myself after work one night and I am good with directions so I found that little spot that overlooks our little town with no problems, and do you know what? I got to see this sunset and it was amazing and I was so happy that I was able to push myself, huffing and puffing all the way, to the top of the hill.

Then I made the trek back down the bottom and the sun was falling behind the trees and it was starting to get dark under the branches and I might have been a little bit afraid. Then I saw the guy with the members only jacket and the 80's style glasses and I thought I might have made a bad choice in hiking by myself at sunset, but I made it back to my car and drove home safely and decided not to do that all by myself again, at least not that late in the day, but I did it. And I was proud. And it was so worth it.

Pancakes!

2012-09-17T15:11:00.001-04:00

A little while ago I met my girlfriends for breakfast at The Friendly Toast in Cambridge, MA. Of course before we went I checked out the menu online and was so excited to see that they offer gluten-free pancakes!! I'm a huge breakfast fan and most of the time you'll find me eating eggs over easy and bacon, so I was looking forward to a change of pace. Before we ordered, we were checking out the other diners' plates and I could see that the pancakes were huge! You can order 1 cake, 2 cakes or 3 cakes and add blueberry crumbles, toffee chips or chocolate chips, they also have specialty pancakes like coconut cakes, king cakes, and pumpkin (not available GF). I was curious about the size compared to the "real" ones so I asked the server. He said they are just as round, but a bit thinner based on the batter. I said, sign me up for 2! (And a side of bacon please!) These pancakes were so delicious, I couldn't even finish half of my plate. Unfortunately I said no to a to-go container thinking I didn't want to have the calories later but I wish I had taken them home. I can't wait to go back, next time I'm getting one cake and a side of home-fries, I stole a few from my friend Katie and they were unbelievable! All the girls ordered something different and everyone was picking off each others plates, the servings were massive! I definitely recommend this place, but be prepared to wait to get in, it was featured on Travel Channel's Man vs Food Nation, and also Good Morning America. There is always a bit of a wait, the restaurant has a funky vibe with lots of retro decor and really cool staff. I can't wait to go back!!

Guest Post: Preventing Cancer Through Better Nutrition

2012-09-09T16:24:00.000-04:00

Today's guest post comes from Jillian McKee who works and writes for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. I was excited when she contacted me about writing a guest post, as I feel that proper nutrition is important no matter what the health issue is, but I don't think it gets any more important than when we're talking about Cancer.

Bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to the organization, Jillian McKee has worked as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance since June of 2009. Jillian spends most her time on outreach efforts and spreading information about the integration of complementary and alternative medicine when used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatment.

Check out here blog posts at the mesothelioma.com blog!

Preventing Cancer Through Better Nutrition

There are a variety of different diseases that are linked to poor nutrition. This includes heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and even some kinds of cancer. Many Americans think that they can simply pop a few multivitamins and solve all of their problems. It’s not the case.

Various types of cancer are going to create a number of problems inside the body. The treatment, too, is going to alter the way the body functions. Whether it’s radiation therapy, surgery or even alternative mesothelioma treatment options, there are ways that the body can manage through these treatments better than if nutrition wasn't a focus.

Before one considers nutrition to deal with cancer, it’s possible that one can prevent cancer altogether by focusing on nutrition from day 1. The National Cancer Institute released a tip sheet on diet related diseases that included cancer.

A healthy diet, according to the National Cancer Institute, is 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables. While this may seem high in comparison to what the average person eats on a daily basis, it is very easy to do with fruits and vegetables as substitutes for snacks throughout the day as well as a garden salad for lunch or dinner.

This healthy diet is going to reduce the risks for a variety of diseases, including cancer. Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of disease fighting phytochemicals and fiber that are often missing from the multivitamins that people take every day. Even if the multivitamins do contain these, they aren't at the necessary levels, which is why people must get these vitamins the good old-fashioned way – by eating the foods that contain them naturally.

There is no miracle food that’s going to prevent cancer. However, there are a number of research reports that indicate various types of cancers are linked to nutrition and obesity. When a person who is suffering from poor nutrition or obesity has another factor that is contributed to cancer, they run a higher risk of getting cancer as well.

Cancer isn’t something that anyone plans on getting. In fact, many people assume they will never get cancer, despite the alarming number of people who are diagnosed with some form of cancer every single year. People are ignorant to the symptoms and do nothing in the way of preventing it – which is also why America is fighting higher obesity rates than ever before.

The average American may consume one or two servings of fruits and vegetables in a single day. This is about a third of what they should be eating. In addition to fruits and vegetables, a person should be concerned with maintaining their ideal weight. Those who maintain their ideal weight are healthier in general and run a lower risk of getting a variety of different cancers.

You can never be too safe. When you want to live a healthy life and better prepare yourself for being disease-free, you need to make nutrition a top concern. Eating the right amount of vitamins, minerals and proteins will help to boost your immune system. You will find that you have more energy and are sick less often throughout the year.

Should you ever be diagnosed with cancer despite eating a healthy diet regularly, you will be better prepared to face the treatments that you will have to endure. The side effects from the treatments can result in nausea, dry mouth and a variety of other symptoms. When you are eating the right foods, however, you can experience fewer symptoms as well as less drastic versions of all of the symptoms.

Cancer is nothing to play around with. Depending on when the diagnosis is made and what kind of cancer it is, many people experience a prognosis of 5 to 10 years. You can improve this when you eat healthy.

There’s no sense waiting until you are diagnosed with cancer to start thinking about proper nutrition. When you maintain your ideal weight and begin eating more fruits and vegetables, you take a step in the right direction. You’ll feel better and you will reduce your risk in being diagnosed with many kinds of cancer.

Rudi's Tortillas Review and a GIVEAWAY!!

2012-08-23T09:29:00.003-04:00

Winner Announced!! Random number generator = 5 jacobithegreat you win!!!! Send me an email - jen at a life of sugar and spice dot com, with your mailing information so I can get this prize pack sent to you by Rudi's!!

Recently the folks at Rudi's were kind enough to send me some samples of their three new tortilla flavors, plain, fiesta and spinach. I have been looking forward to trying these since I first saw them on Marlow's blog a while ago.

(Sorry for the crappy iphone photo!)

Here I'm having a spinach tortilla filled with tuna salad. These wraps are SO good. Pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds and you have a soft, pliable wrap that does NOT fall apart in your hands. I happened to have some leftover taco chicken from dinner so I filled a fiesta wrap up with some of that topped with guacamole and dairy free sour cream. So delicious. Very little leakage and it did not fall apart at all. I'm in love!!! I had to freeze them but just pull one out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds - perfect.

I'm sorry I don't have better pictures for you but unfortunately, last wednesday I threw my back out. Making lunch at all was a chore and messing around with my camera was out of the question. That crappy iphone pic was all I could do! Thankfully I'm feeling much better, not 100%, but better every day.

Now, to the giveaway! Rudi's is giving away a picnic basket full of goodies!

This awesome package includes:

Picnic Basket
Service for four people: flatware, plates, glasses, wine opener and napkins
Picnic Blanket
Product Coupons, GF Tortillas and Rudi's Swag

All you have to do to win is leave a comment below! The winner will be chosen by random number generator on Saturday 8/25.

Also - check out the What's Under Wraps? Giveaways on Facebook that are going on for the rest of the month of August!!

Oh, hey!

2012-08-01T10:50:00.001-04:00

Hello there! It's been a while! Almost 3 months since my last post... so what's been happening? Last we talked I was starting on a Paleo-ish journey. Again. How'd that work out? Well, it didn't. Of course not. It never does. I've come to the realization that being on any kind of "diet" just doesn't work for me. It stresses me out and I get fed up and I end up over-indulging. I went WAY overboard this time too. Yuck.

But then we went on vacation down in Dennisport (see last summer's recap here!) and it was awesome and for some reason, I ate better than I had in a long time and I felt so much better. The house we rented was a walk to the beach so we spent every single day swimming and sunning and relaxing.

We went kayaking

Crabbing

We ate a ton of grilled meats

And maybe drank a little too much wine, and cider, and wine... and more cider

It was so much fun and so relaxing. I can't wait until next year!

As far as food and this blog and all that jazz... to be perfectly honest, I'm just tired of writing about gluten and dairy. I really don't know how all of you bloggers out there do it day in and day out. I also have noticed that the majority of the GF blogs in my reader give me endless posts about junk food. Cake, cookies, breads, every alternative to non-gf treats you can imagine. I am trying hard to eat less processed foods and looking at all these sweet treats all day long is not helping! I'm reading a lot more paleo, primal and clean eating blogs because their food posts are so much healthier. Although I'm not specifically doing a paleo diet, the blogs give me lots of meal ideas. Basically my mindset is absolutely no gluten or dairy and very little added sugar. I eat mostly protein and veggies and maybe a udi's bun for a sandwich or burger here and there. Breakfasts are usually eggs and veggies and another type of meat, lunch is salads or meats and veggies or maybe a sandwich and dinner is always meats and veggies. Treats are restricted to the weekends or special occassions. And I'm trying to limit the alcohol intake to one or two days a week, on the weekends only. But that's a tough one to stick to, a glass of wine on a work night is sometimes essential!

Anyway, I can't say that I'm going to be blogging all that much going forward, and if I do, it may not be food related, but we'll see how it goes. I do miss writing, but haven't had much to write about lately! Ok. That's all. See you soon :)