Five Flavors of Gluten-Free Chex Cereal

It's pretty exciting when there's a commercial from a big brand all about being gluten-free.  Ernie caught this commercial this morning about Gluten-Free Chex Mix.  Their website also has lots of recipes for other GF products, in addition to their Chex brand.



With new products like these, it's getting a little bit easier everyday to life a gluten-free life!  For others that aren't gluten-free, at least this new ad is driving awareness of Gluten and living gluten-free.

http://www.chex.com/
General Mills

Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers

These are really quick and easy to make. The mix of lemon and cilantro are super flavorful!  Be careful not to purchase the pre-cooked shrimp as the recipe doesn't taste quite as good. (We made that mistake)

Prep: 5-10 min
Cook: 8 min

Ingredients:
1 lb medium uncooked shrimp, shells removed
4 wooden skewers soaked in water for 1 hr, or metal skewers
8 ounces fresh pineapple cubed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to broil or ignite grill.
Thread shrimp and pineapple evenly onto skewers
Combine olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, and chili powder
Drizzle over skewers
Cook 8 minutes, turning at the halfway point
Remove from heat and drizzle with flaxseed oil

Das Foods' Gluten-Free Macaroons!

My first Chicago Cube-Mate has launched her own Candy Company called Das Foods.  Back in the day, we worked on the Seasonal gum & candy business until she went off to pursue her dream.  Katie started her business with delicious bite-sized salted caramels and has now expanded into a wide variety of offerings.  A new addition to her product line is Gluten-Free!  Horray!  I should also note that many of her other items are also gluten-free.

I first found these Gluten-Free Macaroons in France when I was googling "gluten-free eating in Paris."  I posted about our tasty findings at Paul's in this blog post.  Macaroons are made of almond flour and therefore are naturally gluten-free without the taste of those nasty substitute flours.  They are light, puffy cookies sandwiched around a creamy layer in the center.  You can sink your teeth into this bite-sized indulgent treat without feeling terribly guilty about the extra calories.  Plus, it's almost Valentine's Day so you deserve a little treat!  Buy your self a gluten-free Vday present or surprise your gluten-free honey.

Das Foods offers two flavors of the French cookie: Dark chocolate cream and Fleur de Sel Caramel Cream.  The 4 oz boxes have 6 macaroons.

Free Shipping for Valentines Day on orders over $30. Use Code VAL11.

Way to go Katie! We all thank you for brining yet another delicious treat to the Gluten-Free Community!

http://www.dasfoods.com/

Warp Speed Fat Loss Week 2

Week two of Warp Speed was off to a rough start given that my back is suffering from the several hundred pounds of snow I removed from my car/parking space.  Our parking spot sits between two garages, and therefore, all of the snow drifted right on top of my car.  A sold 3-4 feet deep of snow needed to be moved! Four hours later, my spot is cleared and my body is sore.

View from the back door. You can still see the shape of the door in the snow. My car is that little mound.

That's neighbor Kari who helped shovel. She's standing in 2.5 feet of snow.  Our alley had turned into eskimo land!

That's the pile of snow that now fills Amy's parking spot. I worry about the day it all melts and seeps into our basement! Yikes!

It's now Friday. I still can't get my car out of the alley... so my manager picked me up for work today after 2 days of working from home.

Crave Restaurant, Minneapolis

I was recently in Minneapolis for work visiting corporate Target.  What an exciting office space! It was a little like young professional Utopia - everyone was beautiful, dressed to the nines and filled the common space with lots of energy and laughter.  Office spaces were decorated with home decor sold in your neighborhood Target Store.

Minneapolis itself was way too cold for me to ever consider moving there. It was -17 degrees F and even my nose hairs were frozen the moment we stepped outside into the frigid air.  Plus, it's kind of like being in a hampster cage with all the buildings connected by skyways.

Anyhow, going to MN gave me a good chance to catch up with my friend Tara who recently moved there to work for Unilever on the Target team. We used to sit in the same cube-pod at PG.  It was nice to catch up since I've only seen her once since her wedding a couple of years ago!

We met at Crave Restaurant.  What I loved about Crave is that they offered a separate menu that benefited the Boys & Girls Club.  If you ordered off this menu, a portion of the revenue is donated.  Plus, on the reciept, you could donate additional dollars. 

What I loved second most was the bison pot-roast that I ordered from the Boys & Girls club menu.  It was the most savory, tender piece of bison that I have ever eaten in my life. The shreds fell apart at the touch of my fork and paired ever so nicely with the smashed yam and curried chickpeas.  It was a mouth full of comfort-food-flavors.  Delish!  I'm on the lookout for a bison pot roast recipe that can even come close to Crave's.

Crave has a Gluten-Free menu and that's how Tara found the place to recommend it for our dinner.  Although, be wary, not all of the items are completely gluten-free and you may have to ask. I ordered the Proscuitto Wrapped Scallops that are marked "GF" on the menu but served on tiny slices of bread. Major buzzkill even though the scallps are pretty good. I just knocked off the crustini before consuming.

Crave Restaurant
http://mn.craveamerica.com/
Several Locations in MN, one in Orlando and one in Omaha (yeah, I don't get that one...)

Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins are full of protein and beta carotene.  It's important to use the Almond flour rather than 'gluten-free flour' that has that sharp/sour gluten-free taste.  The flax seed meal and coconut flakes add a nice texture and overall adds to the moist, bread-like bouncyness of these muffins. 

Ingredients:
2 cups Almond Flour
1/2 cup Flaxseed Meal
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mixture
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
6 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons coconut flour, gently melted (or you can use butter but it's not as healthy)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut flakes (optional but adds nice texture)
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional, not used in the picture)
Aluminum foil muffin liners

Instructions:

1. Preaheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, flaxseed meal, baking sodia, salt and spices into small bowl. Stir well and set aside.
3. Place pumpkin puree in mixing bowl.
4. One by one, crack the eggs into the bowl, mixing well with the pumpkin after each egg added.
5. Add melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly.
6. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and blend well with whisk until moist and flour lumps are gone.
7. Gently fold in coconut flakes and dark chocolate chips if using.
8. Spoon into muffin pan lined with foil muffin liners to 2/3 full.  The muffins won't really rise much.
9. Bake for 20-25 min until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin is clean when removed.
10. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.

2011 Weight Loss Update: Weeks 1-4

As you can see from the chart below, there was no weight loss progress in January.  Ugh. I never even broke 120 lbs. 

The good news is that I am seemingly stronger. I can squat 110, deadlift 100 and Bench press 80lbs.

It's time to switch things up. I have a new workout program called "Warp Speed Fat Loss".  Week 1 workout program below, you can click on the image to get a larger size.  I'm also doing my best to stick to protein (chicken, beef, fish) and veggies for 2 meals a day. We'll see how the next few weeks go... Let's hope for some progress.