School Lunches

November 4, 2015 kristenann5 Comments

This is just a short little anecdote that happened this morning. I make my kids’ lunches everyday but my older one is in middle school now where he can also get something there if he so desires~ a mango smoothie, Doritos, or whatever he feels is missing from his lunch that day. I’m not thrilled with his options which seem to include every chip that has ever graced a grocery store shelf, but I do not tell him things are off-limits because really, he could get whatever he wanted and I’d never know. I encourage him to try things while being aware of what is actually in his food. This morning he asked, “If they want us to eat healthy, why do they provide so much junk food?” A very good question indeed. They make the kids who buy a full lunch take raw veggies from the salad bar, as if that will balance out the meal, but of course kids just throw away what they don’t want. Salad bars are great in lunch rooms, but sometimes I think they give permission to make the rest of the food nutritionally void and allow vending machines full of junk in the cafeteria. My son has a very good point, why allow that stuff at all? Why not make foods with veggies naturally in them~ soups, lasagna, enchiladas, tacos, casseroles, chilies, stir fries, etc…? Actually, I heard about a school cafeteria that has a stir fry bar which I think is better than a salad bar by far. The kids pick out meat and veggies and have them stir fried with rice or noodles while trying different sauces and flavors and most likely trying different veggies as they compare lunches with their friends. It’s eating a meal with the vegetable in it and enjoying it, not plopping some raw veggies down next to their pizza and either eating them because of a sense of duty or just pitching them. Plus everyone knows it is easier to get the nutrition out of a cooked vegetable than a raw one. It seems the school cafeterias are set up to perpetuate the notion that kids only like junk food but will possibly eat some healthy stuff if they are made to do it in small amounts, on the side. That is not giving kids enough credit. They deserve more.

cosmetics · Food allergies · food allergy blogs · food sensitivities

Natural Face Products

October 14, 2015 kristenannLeave a comment

First of all, if you are new to natural beauty products, I highly recommend reading No More Dirty Looks or at least checking out their website. The authors, Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt, have not only done the research of a whole team’s worth of people, they have also crowd sourced favorites and rare-finds from their readers and you can get all that information on their site. If you want to try a new natural foundation for example, you can read what people like best and at least have a starting point on what to try first. (And then you can add your own two cents.) I’m just going to write about two products now that I’ve recently been using, one is new and one is something I only use in the non-summer months, and when I realized that they are both by Alba Botancia I thought I’d write about them because their products are quite unique.

All my life I’ve been told I have ‘olive skin’. What do you think when you hear ‘olive skin’? Naturally on the darker side, right? Skin that tans easily and doesn’t burn~ yes, but have you ever thought about that term, ‘olive skin’…? I didn’t until I moved to a place where my skin didn’t see sun for 8-9 months of the year and that’s when it dawned on me that olive skin is called that for a reason.

That’s not too far from my winter skin color, though add a touch more grey to the green and that’d be closer to it. I envy those with either porcelain white skin or naturally brown skin because both look lovely no matter the season. My skin looks seriously sickly when the sun doesn’t shine and living in the Seattle area means I’ve had to look for some help. I’m not about to go into a tanning booth and I’ve heard bad stories about spray tanning so luckily there is a natural sunless tanner that actually works really well~

This sunless tanner is awesome and in the natural products realm, a rare find. I only use it about once a week because any more than that and people start asking me from what tropical place I just cam back from. It’s not expensive either, which is always a nice bonus.

The other product of Alba’s which I believe is fairly new that I’ve been using almost daily is this under eye cream:

This works well although it comes out quite light and bright so I definitely need to add an all-over moisturizing tint to my face when I use this. (I like Dr.Hauschka’s tinted day cream the best.) It takes an awful lot of lightness and brightness to combat the blue/purple bags I guess. By the way, people with food allergies and/or sensitivities, including kids, are especially prone to the dark eye circles phenomenon. And now that you know that it’s going to be hard not to look at kids with those huge dark bags and not tell their parents to go get them food allergy tested so sorry about that~ but maybe it’ll help someone.

So those are my moving-into-winter essentials…what are yours?

children · food · Food allergies · food sensitivities · Gluten free eating · gluten free food · gluten free lifestyle · kids · Soup

The Cooking Season

September 24, 2015September 24, 2015 kristenann2 Comments

Finally it’s fall here and our kitchen is alive with soupy smells and warm light instead of the harsh heat of this past summer, and the intermittent construction that had me searching for appliances, counter space, and counters, actually. It’s been fun making French green lentils again, minestrone, polenta, and risotto, without sweating and/or swearing. A welcome change. While our little kitchen has been turning out more variety than ever, such as this great soup: Egyptian Red Lentil Soup (read the comments below the recipe and modify according to taste, but for our family I doubled the cumin as several people suggested) and this delicious Pumpkin Spice Granola from Celiac in the City, it is hitting me even harder than ever that my kids’ schools’ lunch menus are like a study in wheat. Can school cafeterias really not think outside the gluten box? Every single day the main food item has wheat~ lasagna, chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, sandwiches, and on and on. Is it really that hard to mix it up a bit? No wonder so many people have reactions to gluten~ any time you saturate your body with one ingredient your body starts to react to that ingredient, and Americans love their gluten. My older son forgot his lunch one day so he ended up getting nachos with fresh carrots and steamed broccoli on the side. He said the carrots were stale and the broccoli was gross, and this is a kid who literally cheers when I make broccoli and orders it out at dinner~ he loves it, so I can’t imagine how this broccoli was ‘gross’. I’m glad he was able to find gluten-free food, but if the vegetables they offer are either raw and stale (he knows a stale carrot when he eats one. My kids eat raw carrots every single day.) then of course the kids aren’t going to choose those items. It just doesn’t make sense to me why they don’t offer soups full of veggies, roasted vegetables, or more grain and beans together like a rice and black beans, or quinoa and lentils~ these are not overly expensive and they are not hard to make. They’d give kids a break from wheat every once in a while and are nutritious, filling meals. Of course I’m all in favor of the schools having school gardens to help grow some of those herbs and vegetables too, but at the very least we could improve the lunch menus. Jamie Oliver is making real strides in England which shows the time is right~ people are starting to take school lunch nutrition seriously. Over on our side of the Atlantic Chef Ann is tackling school nutrition through several different initiatives and proving people are willing to listen and change. Let’s keep the energy going in that direction! Maybe it’s the cool fall air, or maybe it’s the bright warm kitchen, but I’m starting to feel cautiously optimistic.

ecology · gardening · global climate change

Summer part 2

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 kristenann2 Comments

This has been the hottest, driest summer I have ever seen in western Washington. We are in a drought, another first for as long as I’ve lived here, and the ‘evergreen state’ is starting to look like its cousin to the south, much further south, like southern California without the sandy beaches. In a region where A/C is not the norm it has made for a very difficult season to get excited about making dinner as that is when it is generally hottest and the sun streams into our large front windows from about 2-7:00 in the evenings just in case we forgot that it was shining, yet again, in the city known for cloud-cover and rain. It is truly strange to see so much straw-colored grass where there has always been green. It’s playing tricks on my eyes and I have to remind myself that this is indeed, the greater Seattle area. This displaced feeling comes over me most often when at the off-leash area of Marymoor park and I find myself pulling out my phone camera to document the change in climate because, Toto, we’re right where we’ve always been, it’s the earth that is changing. This chamomile is thriving though:

There were actually clouds this day, but not many people. The boys thought the park looked ‘desolate’.

One word~ dry.

I’m curious if this trend will continue, and if so what it means for our parks and botanical gardens. Apparently the big botanical gardens are already contending with global climate change and having to rethink their gardens. I’m not surprised.

children · food · Food allergies · food allergy blogs · food sensitivities · gf foods · gluten free · Gluten free eating · gluten free food · gluten free foods · gluten free lifestyle · gluten free travel · gluten intolerance · gluten intolerant · kids

Summer

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 kristenannLeave a comment

Our summer began much the same way as last year’s summer, with a trip to Louisville, KY to see family. This year we ate multiple times at Annie May’s Sweet Café and were even picked up from the airport with big pretzels from there (thanks Mom!!) which were the first we have had in years and something my youngest misses very much. They only have them on Wednesdays and if you really want a lot of them you best get there early. If you find yourself there on another day there are plenty of other delicious foods to eat though~ I recommend getting a sandwich while my oldest adores the soup there and the carrot cake cupcake. My youngest had a ‘super cookie’ which he thought more than lived up to its name and in fact all the sweets we tried did not disappoint. They have a sign that says they deliver which my son got all excited about until I explained that meant deliveries around town, not to Seattle. Talk about bursting someone’s bubble.

We also went to Holiday World again and was even more impressed with their gluten-free options than last year. (Disneyland/world take notes please!) Besides the fact you can find allergy free food as well as just gluten-free food about anywhere in the park, they now set up a little stand that is completely gluten-free.

We flew on Delta and brought our own food which was good since the free snacks were cookies or pretzels. The boys used to be able to eat those cookies so that was sad, but they got over it while sipping ginger ale and eating from their over-stuffed food bags. I had packed enough for an all day delay like the one we experienced last year and since the flights went actually well we ended up with a lot of left-over food. Delta does have one gluten-free option for buying food, something snack-y and overpriced of course, but at least if you are starving you do have something to eat.

We came home to a ripped-up kitchen (husband is remodeling) and continually high 80s and 90 degree heat with no A/C so cooking has not exactly been my favorite pastime thus far this season. I tend to love the heat but after a few evenings of sweating through dinner prep even I am ready for a break in the high temperatures. The farmers market on Saturdays is booming with berries already though with the best blueberries in June I’ve ever had, and my friend just brought over fresh picked raspberries last night and those are the best I’ve ever tasted in any month so I guess the sun and heat are working for some things. I sure hope this means we’ll have an extra long berry season and not just an early one that is over as quickly as it popped up. After the trip to see family my sons were a little sick of photos but I had to take this of the Saturday Farmers Market. There are less gluten-free vendors there this year but my oldest still gets his favorite street tacos there and my youngest has discovered kettle corn. It’s worth the trip for those alone.

alternative medicine · celiac disease · Food allergies · food allergy blogs · health

Celiac Disease and Osteoporosis

May 28, 2015May 29, 2015 kristenann2 Comments

As if Celiacs didn’t have enough to worry about, right?! But as we all know, when one has celiac disease the nutrients that person takes in have a far more difficult time making it to the right places, and one way that problem shows itself is by leading to osteoporosis. This happens to be both Celiac Awareness Month, and according to the American Recall Center it is also Osteoporosis Awareness & Prevention Month. The two make a congenial couple, if not a handsome one, considering they do so often go hand-in-hand, and it is important to talk to your doctor about bone health if you are a recently diagnosed celiac, or maybe not so recently diagnosed but have never thought about your bone health before now. Of course, talking to a naturopath is always a great idea because they will be able to evaluate your diet and let you know if you need extra supplementation beyond calcium/magnesium/vitamin D. This infographic below shows how common osteoporosis is and how much damage it can do to a person, such as leading to knee replacement surgery. On that front, there is also the news that Zimmer Persona Knee replacements have been recalled, which apparently isn’t all that uncommon (for replacement parts to be recalled and therefore another surgery ensues). Shocking, right?! For all the medical advances I’m truly grateful for, there are other pieces of the medical industry that definitely make me want to focus on preemptive habits. For more information on that particular recall, here’s the link: Knee replacement recall.Also keep in mind that some prescription drugs leach out calcium from the bones and can lead to osteoporosis as well. Make sure to review what you take and the side effects associated with those things when talking to your chosen medical professionals, and know that no matter what there are always things you can do to help yourself move towards optimal health. Take care of yourself people, inside and out, upside and down.

dairy free · food · Food allergies · food allergy blogs · food sensitivities · gluten free · health · Herbs · recipe · vegan · vegetarian

Herbs and Spices for Digestive Health

May 20, 2015 kristenann2 Comments

I’ve been thinking about Indian food lately…yum…but specifically how is it that a (largely) vegetarian diet could have existed so long in a culture without mass IBS issues? Not that I know about the IBS percentages in India, nor have I ever even been there, but I do think I know at least part of the puzzle~ the herbs and spices that are a part of daily life. The traditional foods are prepared with digestive help built-in~ turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, anise, ginger, and more all have positive digestive influences, and some also help regulate blood sugar. (Another bugger with vegetarian diets that one has to watch closely.) If you want to know specific herbs and their detailed affects, here’s a great list. Not only are the meals prepared with these herbs and spices, but in many parts of India is common to chew a spoonful of fennel seeds after each meal. This not only freshens breath but it helps digest the meal without bloating and gaseous effects. Also, many Indians drink chai multiple times a day, with digestive soothing spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves mixed with their (usually) black tea. This means they are getting good digestive support all day long~ something that I bet no one there even thinks about because it is just naturally a part of everyday life. Not only are these customs part of their food and drink regimes, the tri-herbal formula, Triphala, is largely taken by people there for decades upon decades. Triphala has many actions, but one of the most well-known traditional uses is on the digestive tract~ it regulates the intestines. People reach for this blend when constipated especially, and it has an extremely large following for just daily usage. I’ve heard and read it is the most commonly used herbal blend in the world, but I cannot say for sure if this is true and really I have a hard time believing anyone tracts things like “most popular herbal blend” but maybe… I think it’s safe to say that it’s popular anyway. For those familiar with Ayurveda, the three herbs used in Triphala are specific to the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, Kapha, and therefore balance out all three doshas in the body. If you want a very cursory introduction to Ayurvedic doshas, here’s a short bit to read. So it seems all together, Indian cuisine works because it is so fundamentally supported by the traditional herbs and spices used. Personally, I can’t incorporate all these factors into my life, but I have started having chai in the afternoons instead of coffee or plain black tea when I need a lift which is usually around 2:PM. It takes a little more effort than boiling water and grabbing a tea bag (though you can find chai in tea bags) but I must say it has been worth it. Not only is it delicious, I’ve noticed less bloating in the evenings. Hoorah! In fact, I think I’ll put some on the stove right now. Here’s my process:

I bought a chai mix in the loose tea section at our local PCC, near the bulk coffee section. If you do not have that option, there are plenty of recipes online which you can modify to your own specific tastes. Here’s one page I found with several recipes: chai.

First I fill my mug with water and then pour it into a small sauce pan, put the chai into a tea ball, and bring to a slow boil. It is actually better to do this part loosely, with no tea ball, but I find pouring it too difficult without a lip on this pan, so for now I’m sticking to the tea ball for ease of pouring. Also I end up getting two uses out of the chai in the tea ball, putting more water on to boil almost as soon as I finish the first cup.

Some water evaporates in the boiling so there is enough room to add milk to warm up at the end of the process. I use vanilla coconut milk, but use whatever you wish, or none at all!

Be sure to look at the ingredients of chai blends because they can have large amounts of sugar, especially the ones that are in a concentrate form. (If it’s the first or second ingredient, find another brand!) You can add honey or sugar to sweeten if you like, but if you are interested in the most healing blend for your digestive system, stay away from the sugar.

Enjoy! It’s always nice when something delicious also happens to be nutritious. And who couldn’t use more spice in their life? Well, maybe quite a few people, but as for me…I’ll take it.

essential oils · food · food allergy blogs

Liebster Award

May 13, 2015September 13, 2015 kristenann3 Comments

Many thanks to Elemental Aromas for the Liebster Award nomination! I love a good aromatherapy blog so it was an extra treat to be nominated by one. Everything has guidelines and the Liebster is no exception so here we go~

Here are the rules for the award:

Acknowledge and link back to the person who nominated you
Display the award on your blog by including it in your post (the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post)
Answer the 10 questions asked by the person who nominated you
Nominate 5-10 new blogs with fewer than 1000 followers
Create a new list of questions for your nominees to answer when they post about the Award
Inform the blogs you nominated that they have been nominated for the Award
List these rules in your post

The bloggers I nominate are:

Gluten-Free Globetrotter

Positive Kitchen

The Healthy Epicurean

Tonics and Tinctures Apothecary

Greener Me

And here are the questions I need to answer:
What is your favorite flower? Oh gosh, I’m a lily lover but I couldn’t narrow down which lily is my favorite.
What is your favorite scent? Right now, lavender and orange together, but this changes all the time.
What is your favorite season? Late summer/early fall. The BEST.
What is your favorite comfort food? Dark chocolate. And by comfort food I am assuming you mean daily food.
Do you prefer coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon!
What is your favorite quotation? Though this be madness, yet there’s method in’t~ From Shakespeare’s Hamlet (This goes through my head at least once a week.)
What book are you reading? Delancey by Molly Wizenberg
What inspires you? My kids inspire me to try to be a better person and make a better world.
What is your favorite place? Europe
Have you had an experience that changed your life? Several! Serving in AmeriCorps, living in Prague for a year, quitting gluten, having children, getting a dog, and many more!

And here are my questions for the bloggers I nominated:

Where do you live?

What is your favorite way to spend a free day?

Who is your favorite author?

What is your go-to weeknight meal?

What is your go-to special meal?

What is your favorite drink?

Where do you most want to visit?

What is your favorite book?

When did you first start writing?

Why do you blog?

It’s so great to connect with other bloggers in this way~ it can be a lonely world but we really do have a little community here in the blogosphere!

celiac disease · food · Food allergies · food allergy blogs · food sensitivities · gluten free · gluten free food · gluten free lifestyle · gluten free travel · gluten intolerance · gluten intolerant

How to Eat Gluten-Free Abroad (Infographic)

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 kristenann2 Comments

This is a great infographic for traveling which I found on the always informative site, glutenfreeglobetrotter.com.

Gluten-Free Globetrotter

I was delighted to learn that Gluten-Free Globetrotter was included as a gluten-free travel resource on this infographic about eating gluten-free around the world. The visuals are helpful, especially for the brand names in different countries. Once I am familiar with a foreign gluten-free brand, I tend to stick to that brand when I am traveling. Seeing familiar logos for gluten-free brands, like from Orgran and Schar, is reassuring in a non-English speaking country. I also always encourage people to get familiar with some key phrases that help you communicate your need to eat gluten-free.

Thank you Goodness Direct for including me in your infographic!

Gluten free and dread travelling abroad? - An Infographic from GoodnessDirect Blog

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dairy free · food · Food allergies · food allergy blogs · food sensitivities · gf bread · gf foods · gluten free · gluten free bread · Gluten free eating · gluten free food · gluten free foods · gluten intolerance · gluten intolerant · Herbs · vegetarian

Canyon Bakehouse Breads

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 kristenannLeave a comment

We recently had the opportunity to try the entire line of Canyon Bakehouse goodies and we now have some new favorites in this house. The seven grain bread is the closest thing we have had to whole wheat bread. The texture and taste are surprisingly familiar to the whole grain breads I grew up on and altogether different from any other gluten-free bread I’ve had in these past 10 years of being completely gluten-free.

The other new family favorite is the focaccia. Both my sons loved the taste fresh out of the bag or warmed up in the oven under the broiler. This is a perfect bread to add to the side of soup or salad although really my sons will eat it along anything. This bread is also a unique offering in the gluten-free field and I appreciate the fact Canyon Bakehouse also makes these breads dairy, soy, nut and gmo free.

Life is short~ be kind, be wise, and try some new bread.