I don't but I do.

I don't like beets but I do eat them.
I don't like blueberries but I do eat them.
I don't like nuts but I eat them.

Why am I telling you this?  Too remind the universe that sometimes you have to sacrifice what you love for the betterment of your body and health.

You see, I love apple cider donuts but I do not eat them because they would destroy my gut.

I kinda like Dr Pepper but I haven't had one in 15+ years because I love my organs and don't want them compromised.

The beets and blueberries and nuts thing - they are NOT my faves but I know they are so beneficial.  Also I can almost here my mom say, "Life is hard.  You will have to do things you don't like."  Things like eating those not-your-favorite-foods.  They are so good for you! 

My birthday

On my birthday, I worked which is just meh.

After work my friend DeDe asked if she could take me to supper at Lucha's Cantina.  At Lucha's - we consumed copiousa amounts of chips-guac-salsa for our appetizer. 

My birthday meal was a chicken, rice and black bean dish which is smothered in verde sauce.  I know verde means green.  I know the sauce also is a party in my mouth.

And lastly we shared a fried ice cream dish that was amazing!!!

Even more so than this lovely food selection was DeDe's sweet friendship and encouragement. 

It's been a rough week reading and learning about Aidan.  As friends, you ride the wave of the wonderful positives and you weep when there are setbacks.

I am so blessed to have only had to travel one time to Madison by myself.  The other times I have had company - Aaron and then Julie & Tabitha and Rhonda one time.

I was telling Aidan's mom today:  "Knowing Aidan has forever changed my life.  His sweet smile.  His kind eyes.  The love on his face for his big sister.  He is a picture of love and kindness."

#prayforaidan #prayforamiracle #prayforGodswill

My thankful heart...

Today as I was warming up leftover sweet potato nachos {I could not believe I actually had leftovers because those things are a total PARTY IN MY MOUTH!!!!}...where was I?  Oh yes, as I warmed up said leftovers, I got to thinking about how extremely grateful I am for a mom who loved to cook and who showed me the ropes...or atleast in my teenage-years, tried to show me the ropes.  Who insisted not that I clean my plate but that I try new things.  

I do not believe I could survive this gluten-free journey without a love of food...and the adventuresome spirit to try new things.  Too not like all new things.  Too embrace change.  Too venture out of my comfort zone and go on this journey to embrace fruit-infused water and its antioxidantal (pretty sure that's a word) benefits.  

I'm also thankful that I love to cook and actually prefer cooking at home as opposed to eating out.  I like perusing cookbooks and Pinterest looking for fun recipes.  I have a Board on Pinterest called "Adventures with food" where I put those recipes that I want to try.  

Thank you, Mom, for shaping my food-loving heart.  Thanks for making me try new things.  Thanks for having a garden when I was a kid.  I get now just how much hard work that it actually was....but yet, you did that for me and for our family.

Thank you for wanting Bryan and I to try new things.  I think it's made us in to some cool, dare I say, hip foodies.

Jane Austen and still-warm-from-the-oven apple crisp

My co-worker, though a gem and probably my 2nd favorite, is always harassing me about not ever going out on Saturday night.  

Tonight I "went out"...or at the very least left my apartment.  

I went to Barnes and Nobles.  

Before going to Barnes and Nobles, I put in cute jeans and an adorable sweater with wedge shoes.  I even touched-up my hair (which was nap hair...not nappy.  Nap hair.)

I actually was at the bookstore for over an hour.  It was nice.  I perused Jane Eyre trying to determine if I really could try reading this again.  (I determined that a library copy would be my best bet...plus you can't throw a library copy away.  Well, technically you can do that if you are willing to pay a ridiculous fine.)

I skimmed through a copy of an Ireland magazine.  This got me teary-eyed when I saw photos from the Ring of Kerry and Blarney Castle.

I read through a smoothie cookbook.  They used a lot of watercress.  What is that?

After an hour-ish, I was ready to leave and head home.

Upon returning to my sweet apartment, I donned my jammies - which are really comfy gym shorts and a t-shirt.  I cut up some green apples and baked homemade apple crisp.  Seems Fall-ish, right?  Well - while standing in Logli / Schnuck's with a slightly achy jaw, I decided today was a great day for some comfort food.  Baked cod fillets, baked potato wedges and peas.  (I was feeling like reliving Ireland.)  

Back to this achy jaw...no one really warned me about the post injection site pain.  Wowzahs!!!!  Infact after the double-crowning, I was handed a mirror to see what he had done...and when I saw the giant needle hole, I got soo squeemish.  How can that be?  It reminded me of the last time I did the blood drive at work.  I love blood drives.  I love that they love my A-positive blood.  WHO WOULDN'T LOVE THIS?  Right!?  Anyway...at every previous blood draw, the hose-y thing where your blood flows was always up and away from me.  Not at the last one.  At the last blood draw, the hose was laying ontop of my arm so I could feel the hose go from cool to warm when my blood started flowing and something about that TOTALLY CREEPED ME OUT and now I cannot bring myself to donate again.  It's been 3 years.  Sad.  I know.

Wow - talk about digression which is a word or it seems to be a word because auto-correct did not correct me.  

At any rate...comfort food and I pulled out Jane Austen.  Her complete works.  My copy is 1,278 pages.  It took all of 47 seconds to decide it's time for Pride and Prejudice.  I was on the fence about Sense and Sensibility...but in the end, Mr. Darcy won.  He always wins.  Fitzwilliam.  What a guy...  * Sigh *

My February Blog Project ~ February 3rd ~ Guacamole and chips

On this 3rd day of February, I've been thinking about food and how that being single means I can consume my body weight in guacamole free from judgment.  Aside from Celia's condescending looks, I'm free to eat whatever my little heart desires.

I can eat baked chicken breasts with a side of baked sweet potatoes for an entire week...lunch and dinner.

I can eat breakfast for supper anytime I fancy the notion.  This would include filling my favorite red coffee mug with Chex and eating said cereal while watching NetFlix.

I can consume a carton of raspberries and a couple handful of almonds.

Salads every day in the summer.  No one to harass me about "rabbit food."  Salads are superior to other foods.  Not more superior than breakfast foods.  Salads are a very close 2nd.

Lucha's Cantina

On Saturday evening, I experienced another first.  A first trip to Lucha's Cantina in Edgebrook Shopping Center.

DeDe "made" me try an appetizer - nachos!  And an entree - chicken enchiladas with verde sauce - FIESTA IN MY MOUTH!  And lastly...where the real arm-twisting took place...dessert - fried ice cream.  This was a cinnamon and ice cream dynamic duo which happened to be covered in my favorite - chocolate syrup.

We ordered ice cream because we could see our final destination through the window...Anytime Fitness.  It should be noted Anytime Fitness is not out ULTIMATE FINAL destination.  That would be Heaven.  Our Saturday evening final destination was the gym...where we attempted to burn-off some of the calories we enjoyed consuming.

Guacamole

Today I ate guacamole with an expiration date of January 6, 2016.  Today is January 7, 2016.

If I perish, I perish.

#livedangerously

Shards of glass in my chili

As I was walking in to work this morning, my gloved hand accidentally released my lunch bag.  *Crunching of glass*  And this is what the inside of my lunch bag looked like...

Christmas supper

My poor brother had to endure numerous foodie photos when mom and I were touring Ireland.  Since he did not get to experience Irish cuisine, I made him my favorite Irish dish...baked cod, mushy peas and mashed potatoes. 

Another first for 2015...

I, Angela Good, made - from scratch, thank you very much - red skin potato mashed potatoes.  And - not too sound braggy - they were aaaaaaamazing!!!!!

Why I did not go get ice cream...

It has been one of those days.
A day worthy of ice cream.
A day worthy of a trip to Lake Geneva.
A day worthy of an iced mocha.

Sooooo why didn't I indulge???  Thirty minutes in to my intense cardio workout, I began to enjoy the endorphin rush...and then something kicked in.  A voice said, "You do NOT need ice cream tonight!!!" 

The voice won.

In lieu of ice cream, I bought Fuji apples and a new jar of peanut butter.  Mmmmmm...apples and peanut butter.   It is like ice cream but different...

Garbanzo Bean Flour Pizza Crust

This makes a 10" x 16" pizza.

2.5 cups garbanzo bean flour

2 cups hot water (I do not boil the water...just heat it up in the tea kettle.)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tsp. Crushed red pepper
½ tsp. Oregano
½ tsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Parsley (I omit this spice -- YUCK!)
½ tsp. Basil
Generous amounts of pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix ingredients with wooden spoon and let sit in bowl UNTOUCHED for 30 minutes.

Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is cracking and a bit firm.

Remove from oven.

Add pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese.

Bake for another 15-20 minutes → until cheese is melted

Remove from oven and enjoy!!!!

Completely dreadful

So I made a resolution to try new recipes.  And wouldn't you know that my first new recipe was a fail.  Not fail as in the recipes fault.  This was more of a texture issue fail. 

I like artichokes in artichoke dip...so I thought artichokes with leeks and garlic in an egg bake would go over smashingly well.  Guess what???  Artichoke texture totally creeps me out.  I don't know why but I made the 8 x 8 egg bake and ate two servings before having to toss it out. I do not like throwing away food...and thought for sure "economical reasons" would keep me feasting on this tasty (yes, it was tasty) dish.  I just could not get passed the texture.  I even liked the taste.

I have a thought....maybe if I get a food processor and grind up the artichokes, maybe I will be able to enjoy this fabulous dish.

My second new recipe was amazing.  White Chocolate Peppermint Hot Chocolate.  Mmmmmmm....I made the 2-cup recipe this afternoon and enjoyed it while reading Lysa TerKeurst's Best Yes.  It was the perfect Sunday afternoon treat.

Summer Joy's Oven-roasted Veggie Recipe

Preheat oven:  350˚

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Balsamic vinaigrette

Beets

Sweet Potatoes

Cauliflower

Carrots

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment oil and olive oil.

2. Cut into quarters and/or halves veggies.

3. Place veggies in a single layer on parchment paper.

4. Cover with a dash of olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and sea salt.

5. Bake for approximately 90 minutes.

Prickly pears

Tonight I am going to try a new fruit....prickly pears.  I bought one green and one purple as there's no sense going crazy until I know for sure I am smitten.  I am not the kind of girl that likes to waste money...especially on food.  One time, I ate a 3-pound bag of gala apples because they were organic and I could not bring myself to throw them away.  Thankfully smothered in peanut butter helped take away much of their taste and fed my peanut butter addiction.  Yes, I, Angie Good, am addicted to peanut butter.  Not almond butter.  Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeanut butter.  Addicted, as in, I eat it straight out of the jar with spoon.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Gala apples

My choices were Gala or Granny Smith.  Limited, right?  I KNOW!!!!

The trouble with buying GS apples is that...
A. They are tart.
B. I only buy them to make apple crisp...and since it's spring - hardly apple crisp-makin' weather...I felt purchasing them would lead to a crisp situation...  I've never made apple crisp in the spring. 

Thus...I opted for the Galas which, after slicing one and smothering it with peanut butter, I am sad to say i really don't like Gala apples.  I think it's a texture-and-taste situation.  (Sigh.)

I shall suffer and consume the remaining 9 apples..however this will be a lesson learned:  Before buying a bag of apples, purchase one to confirm approval. 

I ♥ cooking.

I love cooking.  I like trying new recipes and experimenting with normal recipes ~ attempting to convert them to gluten-free.  Sometimes it works and other times, well....it doesn't. 

Tonight I am making a gigantic crockpot of chili.  Confession:  I am sort of in a recipe rut.  I love chili, don't get me wrong.  It just seems ever since I had my friend Summer's amazing chili - that is all that I have consumed.  I'm about 99% sure that it's because it's so yummy and so super easy to make.

I need to start looking for new recipes.  Do you have a favorite recipe that you'd be willing to share with the girl with curly hair?  Comment on this post and let me know!!!

CONFESSION: I could eat my body weight in apple crisp.

Ingredients:
12 Apples, chunked*
Juice from 3 lemons
1-1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Cups Oatmeal
1 Cup Sugar in the Raw
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Butter, room temperature

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375º.  In a bowl, combine apples, lemon juice and vanilla.  Stir well.  Place apples in greased 9" x 13" baking dish.
2. Combine oatmeal,  sugar, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter.
3. Pour oatmeal mixture over apples.
4. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
5. Serve warm.  (And by "serve warm" - eat it straight from the baking dish!!!)

* - I used Pink Lady Apples (which are tart) and a new-to-me apple called Sweet Apples.  I like the Granny Smith & Honey Crisp combination too.

Enjoy!!!

Confession: I love food.

Along with my love of good food, I also love finding new recipes and trying them.  I love it especially when I find a new one that I love!!!  This is the case with last night's quinoa salad.

A couple weeks ago, I was perusing a leftover copy of Real Simple magazine.  I like that magazine because it offers fabulous tips & useful tricks.  The magazine usually showcases a new food and then gives you different options.  In this particular issue, they were suggesting trying couscous.  (Note:  Couscous is gluteneous.  I actually did not know that couscous was a major no-no for the gluten intolerant.  It's listed on my 5-page list of NO-NO's.) 

The picture of the salad looked fabulous...  There were chunks of avocado and onions...and a smattering of kidney beans.  And too top it off - fresh squeezed lime juice.  My taste buds were salivating.

I pondered the recipe and the texture of couscous and wondered if I could substitute to quinoa, so I did the most logical thing...I sent a text to my mom.  She didn't see why it would be issue and bid me goodluck!!!

Sunday night I cooked the quinoa.  It takes about 20 minutes for the all the water to absorb and the quinoa to expand.  Cooking this the night before really did help my Monday night to be too insanely crazy from the time I returned from work and the rush-rush-rush to get back out the door to Ladies Club.

Here's a picture of tonight's (Tuesday) supper - leftover quinoa, kidney bean, and lime salad.

And here's my version of the recipe...

Ingredients:
3 cups of quinoa cooked
2 15-ounce cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
2 avocados, cut into chunks
8 scallions, chopped
2 limes, juiced

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa per directions.
2. Chill cooked quinoa.
3. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well.
4. Stir in quinoa.
5. Serve salad chilled.  Enjoy!

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

2 - 15 ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400º. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir thoroughly.
4. Spread beans on pan in single layer.
5. Bake for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.

CONFESSION:  I could eat the entire pan tonight!!!!!!!! :)  I won't but I totally could.