Fudge Brownies

Who doesn't love brownies?! Especially topped with ice cream or with a glass of milk? 

Well for me, that would all be dairy free of course. 

Every other Sunday, my whole family gathers at my parents house for a Sunday lunch. And my mom always has to have a dessert. Well if she didn't I think she would have a bunch of whiney kids because there wasn't anything sweet ;) 

The only brownies that I have had gluten/dairy free were from a mix. I tried making them homemade, once.

Let's just say there is a reason I have never spoken about them...

They were defiantly a fail. 

But this past Sunday. My mom and I put our heads together and came up with a recipe. 

I browsed other recipes online to get an idea what people were using. There wasn't a specific recipe we followed. We just took ingredients that we liked and thought would work and used them. 

They turned out much better than I expected. Still when I bake stuff, I have no idea if it'll turn out or not. But the more I bake, the better stuff gets because I know what works and doesn't work. That's why we came up with this recipe. It's a very simple recipe. So most likely someone else out there has the same one. 

The brownies are very light, and cake like. Not dense at all. 

Most importantly, they are are full of fudge chocolate flavor. 

Fudge Brownies 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rice Flour

1 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa

1/2 Cup Arrowroot Powder

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Xanthan Gum 

1 Cup Shortening 

4 Eggs

2 Cups Evaporated Cane Juice (all natural sugar works well too) 

4 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 

Water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

Grease an 8x8 baking pan with coconut oil or shortening. 

Combine all ingredients in order I have listed into a mixer bowel. Mix slightly after every ingredient. Once all ingredients are added, mix on high until well combined and the texture is smooth. **You want to mix very well to give the xanthan gum time to do it's job. Add water if it's not as smooth. 

Pour into baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 min. 

Test for doneness by using a knife or toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are done. If not, keep baking them. 

**Also these would be good to add any mix-ins you'd like. 

For example: Chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, etc.

Enjoy!!!

10 Things I'm Thankful For

It's that time of year again!

The most wonderful time of year! 

The holidays are quickly approaching. Thanksgiving is THIS week. I'm beyond excited for the holidays this year. Last year, I was quite down during the holidays because I just learned I couldn't eat "anything".  Well that's what I thought.  So I was pretty upset that I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy all the wonderful food. Since I had to cut out sugar, seeing all the christmas goodies was really hard. My family tried hard to make dishes I could have, but since we were all new to gluten and dairy free cooking & baking. It was quite hard and things just didn't taste the same. And then I gave in, and had some sweets...which just back fired on me and I ended up feeling worse. Changing your lifestyle is a roller coaster battle. It's constantly changing. 

So this year is going to be different. I've grown to except that I won't be able enjoy the same foods again. I'm okay with that. Now I want to recreate those dishes that I thought I never would have again. Last year, I will be honest, I was a pretty negative person through the holidays...It's hard to admit, but I just didn't let myself enjoy the season. Since I can't change the past, I'm making sure that from now on, no matter what day it is. To have a more positive outlook on life. I have so much to be thankful for. I know the whole month of November people will put what they are thankful for each day on Facebook.  I really think it is a cool thing to do. I love seeing what people are thankful for. But I believe that's something you should do everyday. But I know we are all humans and get caught up in life that we forget to think about those things. I'm just as guilty. 

With the holidays quickly approaching, I know I'm going to get caught up in the craziness and I'll forget to write what I'm thankful for. So I'm taking a little time before everything starts to list what I'm thankful for.  I honestly could name so many things I'm thankful for, but I put my limit to 10. They are long, but I am just thankful for so much. It's hard to limit them. 

1. I'm thankful for my amazing Fiancé, he's my best friend and biggest supporter in everything. We've been through so much together. I really don't know where I would be without him. When I feel sick or not having a good day, he knows exactly what to do. I love the life we are creating together, and I'm so excited to marry him! 

2. I'm thankful for my mom. Even though we seem to butt heads a lot. I always know she wants the very best for me. And she will drop everything she's doing just to be there. She is the one who taught me how to bake. And now she's mastering baking gluten free. It's pretty cool to share that with her.  And no matter what, whether she realizes it or not, I always look for her approval and I listen to what she has to say. 

3. I'm thankful for my dad. I'm such a daddy's girl. I guess being the only girl out of 4 boys just makes sense. He has such a good heart and loves people. Everyone that meets my dad always says that he's such a great person, and I just nod because I already knew that. He works very hard to provide for his family and he does everything he can for his kids, well both him and my mom work together to make sure they take care of us. They always put everyone else before them. 

4. I'm thankful for my soon to be in laws. My (almost) mother-in-law tries so hard to make meals for me when we visit. After a year of trial and error, she has created some amazing dishes as well! Also, I am so excited to officially be a part of their family. Even though they already make me feel a part of it. I just need the last name ;)  I'm blessed to have such a caring family that I'm marrying into. 

5. I'm thankful for my brothers. All four of them. I call them my crazy brothers, not because they are actually loopy.....okay...they kind of are ;) But it's just my way of saying we have one big family and there is never a dull moment. They are all married and have kids now..well almost, there is one with his first on the way. But it's actually fun being the youngest and watching my brothers fall in love, get married, and have kids. Also, they are pretty protective over me. I guess being the youngest and only girl...they had to be. With having four older brothers, now all married. I now have four sisters!  I have such a big family, and it keeps growing. But I love all of them. I love all of my brothers the same. Even though they have their differences with each other at times. They need to realize how blessed they are to be apart of an amazing (and crazy) family. I wouldn't trade any of them. No matter what. 

6. I'm thankful for the rest of my family. Close and far. I have family all over the U.S. We all keep in contact through Facebook. I don't get see my extended family to often. But I truly love all of them, and it's cool to see what goes on in their lives as well. 

7. I'm thankful for my best friends. I have only a few, but they know who they are. Two of them are friends I met in high school, one is from kindergarten, and the other I've known pretty much my whole life. If a friendship last longer then 7 years, psychologists say it'll last a lifetime.  I believe I have found my lifelong best friends. I'm beyond blessed to have such amazing true friends in my life. I rather have a few very close friends, then a lot of "just friends". They mean so much to me, and I hope I am just as good of a friend to them, as they are to me. 

8. I'm thankful for all of the other supporters. Through my journey, I've been able to reach out to people and help them. Growing up, I've always had dreams in making a difference in people's lives and reaching out to others and offering them help and support.  I just never knew what I could do.  I now think I'm finding that "thing" and I'm trying to follow that dream.  

9. I'm thankful for all of the other gluten free and allergy friendly companies out there that have made my lifestyle change easier. Seriously. I used to walk into the grocery store lost because there wasn't to many options, but now. I'm excited to go because there is way more options and it's actually fun finding new products! So to all of you companies dedicated gluten free and allergy friendly, keep up all the good and hard work! You really make a difference in people's lives. 

10.  Lastly, but not the very last. I'm really thankful for my life. I never knew that I would have health issues or ever worry about what I have to eat. But life throws curve balls and you have to adapt. I'm just so thankful that I caught my stomach issues early on before anything really serious happened. 

Have you taken time to think about what you are thankful for? Maybe take a few minutes to think about the things you are thankful for. It'll really make you realize how beautiful life really is. 

Cheers!! 

Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels Review

You know what makes my day?

Receiving this in the mail...

This box always makes me so excited because I love Enjoy Life and all of their products! 

It feels like Christmas every time this comes to my door. And I always open up the box right away. So what's in this box? 

Chocolate!

Enjoy Life already came out with mini chips and mega chunks. But their newest addition is there regular size morsels. Yes they look exactly like normal chocolate chips! 

Here's what the "normal" chocolate chips look like:

Not much of a difference at all!! 

If I put these chocolate chips next to ones that have dairy in them, you wouldn't be able to tell, They look exactly the same. The only difference? The ingredients. Take a look at Enjoy Life's ingredients in their morsels:

Compared to the well known Hershey's Dark Chocolate Morsels:

I don't see why those added ingredients are necessary. Enjoy Life has clearly shown that those extra ingredients aren't needed at all. 

The flavor of Enjoy Life Morsels taste like a high quality dark chocolate. I'm excited to use these in my holiday baking! I have already made chocolate chip pancakes with them. They turned out amazing of course. 

I would HIGHLY recommend this product to anyone!! These are not only a good choice for people who can't have dairy, but for everyone else since they are a much healthier option for chocolate. 

Once again, Enjoy Life has created an amazing product that I will use very often! 

So go buy these and try for yourself to see the difference! 

Cheers! 

So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk Review

I have been waiting to try this ever since it came out, but my grocery store never seemed to carry it, or they would always be sold out.

FINALLY I got my hands on one! This is just one of the three holiday flavors that So Delicious has. The others are Mint Chocolate and Nog. I'm curious to try the others, but so far the Pumpkin Spice is the only one I have tried. 

I really didn't know what to expect from this. I had no idea how it would taste, or what the texture would be like. It says it's smooth and creamy, but for some reason I wasn't expecting a thick texture. It has a really thick texture, which caught me off guard. It's spice with a hint of pumpkin. It's actually not overwhelmingly sweet. Which is a good thing. But since it's so thick, I can only usually drink about 1/4 of a cup. But it's plenty! 

The only thing that I don't really care for is in the ingredients there is "natural flavors" and carrrageenan. To me these are two things that really aren't needed. That's my only complaint with this company and product, so if they take those things out, it would make me love it even more! 

I do recommend this, but only limited quantities just because of some questionable ingredients. But for those who have to be dairy free and want to enjoy this holiday seasons flavors, its a great choice. 

I haven't put this into any recipes or made anything with it yet. But I will warn you, don't try it in coffee...I made this mistake. It sounded like a good idea, but it is not at all. 

Once I successfully make some recipes, I'll post them! 

Here are some of my ideas:

A milkshake

Pancakes or waffles

Cupcakes

Those are it for now. 

Cheers!

The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet

Some people have heard of it. Some have not. Even for those who have heard of it. What is it really? Well to start off. I hate the word "diet" it's such a terrible word and it immediately does something to our brains into thinking we are going to be deprived of foods and just feel miserable. So actually let's go with lifestyle. The way I view Paleo, is I see it as a lifestyle and the way to live. It's not a diet that you start up one month and three months later your back to your old eating habits. I have touched on what Paleo is. But I wanted to create a post that strictly describes it, so it's here for future reference. 

To get you thinking Paleo. Let's take a journey back in time...most people like to say the caveman times. But lets be more realistic here. How about back in time when everyone grew their own fruits, vegetables, and grains. They raised their own meats, such as chicken and cows. And caught their own fish right out of fresh streams/lakes/or oceans. Maybe you have an image in your head of what those times were like. Here's a visual to help: 

Now I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but it just shows you how simple things were back then. Most people worked as farmers, or on a farm. And those who didn't, bought their food from the locals. They didn't add anything like chemicals to their foods, or additives that will make their foods last longer. They didn't have a McDonalds that they would pull up to in their horse and carriage. Things were simple back then. Now back then, people will say well they didn't live as long, and there were many diseases, so how can the way they ate be better than today's view on food. Well I'll answer that simply, they didn't have the right medical technology that we have today. If they did, they may have had higher age numbers than we have today. 

What I'm trying to get at and help you understand, is that our bodies don't need all that processed, extra stuff that is in foods today. Our bodies are programmed to thrive off of foods made from the earth, and meat. You see, I believe we were made from dirt, if you have other views that's ok. But if we were made from dirt, why in the world would you be putting Red Dye #2, artificial flavors, GMOs, etc in your body! We aren't made to process that stuff. 

Here's the foods to eat when following the Paleo Lifestyle

It may seem like that is the only things you can eat. But there is so many combinations you can make. Also, spices are your best friend. You can use any spice you like. Except salt, keep salt to a very minimum. You can also treat yourself every now and then. I have gotten so used to eating this way, that I don't really crave any other foods. Or have the desire to eat them. Once you get your body used to eating this way, you will slowly not crave the processed foods. 

As you can see this chart doesn't show any dairy. In the paleo diet, some dairy is allowed. But it's really recommended that you eliminate dairy for awhile. Eating paleo also means you are cutting out wheat. So you'll be eating gluten free as well. 

I hope this list helps and gives you a good idea of the type of foods to eat!

Cheers!

Gluten Free Makeup: Bare Minerals

I've gotten asked countless times what type of makeup I use. Well I have been a religious Bare Minerals user for about 5 years now. This is going to sound really funny but when I was in school, I would watch those silly infomercials in the mornings and they always had bare minerals on some channel. I constantly begged my mom to buy it for me, but you had to sign up to receive in monthly, which means you pay monthly and there was no way she would do that. Back then I didn't understand, but now I see her point. They used to charge about $60 a month! When I got my first job, that was my first purchase. Unfortunately I was paying that fee every single month.  I have been using it ever since. Thank goodness stores are starting to carry it because I wouldn't pay that much a month for makeup. I have tried other mineral based foundations, but they just aren't the same to me. And I will NEVER put liquid foundation on my face. Ever. I hate, hate, HATE the feeling of makeup. When I wear makeup, I put the least amount on just because I never want a cakey look. 

Sooo what does this have to do with health? Since I'm all about my food....

Well I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I really want my blog to be full of information. Maybe that's to overwhelming? But health isn't just about what you eat. It's about every single thing you use daily and what you surround yourself with. So why not. Besides, I am an extreme girly girl and I love makeup, hair, clothes, and just everything girly....guess it's a good thing I am a girl ;)

Most likely any guy readers won't read my beauty/girly posts, and that's okay. I have guy beauty information as well. Yes I did say guy beauty. It doesn't hurt to be in the know. I love to learn and I'm a good learner, unless it's math. You can keep that x and y and bob has 1,000 watermelons etc. to yourself.

I'm pretty sure I got off topic.......

Back to my makeup.

If you look at my vanity you will see I have everything bare minerals, if it's not bare minerals it'll most likely be benefit & smashbox. I do have a taste for expensive makeup...but I don't just like putting random stuff on my face without knowing what is in it. 

Is Bare Minerals gluten free?

Kind of.

I know their foundation, eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow is. But their lipstick and lip glosses I'm not 100% positive on that. And they aren't to clear on whether it is either. They do say that they don't prevent cross contamination. So people with Celiac I would say to stay away because you never know. Bare minerals is pretty natural. So they are good at trying to keep their products paraben free, and only use all natural minerals. 

I rarely use any makeup that isn't bare minerals. I am allergic to cover girl, maybelline, and l'orel. I have tried each brands eye makeup. And ended up with very red, sore, and irritated eyes. So I am sensitive to products and can only use higher quality and natural products. So that's why I feel that bare minerals is pretty natural. Maybe some will have other opinions, but this is just based off of my own experience in cosmetics.

Here is a list of safe products from Bare Minerals:

Free of Wheat, Oat, Rye, and Barely ingredients

All-Over Face Colors - all shades
bareEyes Eye Makeup Remover
Blush - All shades
Blush (SPF 20) - all shades
Brushless Mascara
Body Minerals - all shades
Eyecolor - all shades
Extreme Glimmers - all shades
Faux Tan
Faux Tan Body Moisturizer
First Base Lip Balm
Flawless Definition Mascara - all shades
Foundation (SPF 15 Original) - all shades
Foundation (SPF 15 Matte) - all shades
Gossamers - all shades
High Shine Eyecolors - all shades
Hydrating Blush - all shades
Liner Shadow - all shades
Lip Rev-er Upper
Makeup Remover Wipes
Mineral Veil - all shades
Mineral Veil (SPF 25) - all shades
MultiTasking Minerals - all shades
On the Spot Swabs
Prime Time Eyelid Primer
Prime Time Foundation Primer
Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer
Quick Change Brush Cleaner
Radiance Rocks - all shades
Soft Focus Colors - all shades
SPF 15 Lipgloss - Fiji
SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen - all shades
Weather Everything Liner Sealer
Well Cared For Brush Shampoo

Another nice thing about Bare Minerals is they give you a list of their ingredients for each product under the product description. 

I'm also currently searching for completely gluten free, all natural products. So suggestions are welcome!

Cheers! 

Source: http://www.bareescentuals.com

Peanut Butter And Cinnamon Pancakes/Betty Crocker Gluten Free Pancake Mix Review

It's November....how did that happen?! Have you started preparing your holiday plans yet? Or is it to soon? Well Thanksgiving is THIS month.  Fall seems to be in full swing here. The leaves are changing and it has defiantly been colder. 

I'm beyond excited to bake for the holidays this year! But I shouldn't get to ahead of myself, should I? 

I have yet another pancake recipe...can you tell I love pancakes? Almost as much as I love cupcakes. They both have the word cake in them ;) Along with the recipe I am going to review a pancake mix that I do use often as well. 

They smell amazing cooking. 

These little cakes are perfectly golden brown. I have finally mastered the "perfect" pancake. 

These have peanut butter and cinnamon in them. I love peanut butter but it can be a very strong flavor, so these just have a hint of peanut butter. Oh, and they have a secret ingredient. I have found that adding brown sugar to the mix makes them fluffier and more moist. And of course it brings out the flavors even more.  I do like using pancake mixes because it just saves time on mornings where you just really want to eat breakfast. 

Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 Box Betty Crocker Gluten free Pancake Mix

1 Egg

1 Cup Water(the mix calls for milk, but I prefer to use water) 

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla 

1/4 Cup Peanut Butter

Directions:

Preheat skillet and coat with coconut oil.

Combine pancake mix, water, and mix well.

Add brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and peanut butter. Mix until well combined. 

Whisk in egg, and whisk until all ingredients are combined into a smooth consistency. 

Cook pancakes until golden brown. 

I added some apple butter on top. Perfect fall flavors. And of course I eat bacon as well. 

Here's a closer look ;) 

So fluffy on the inside. Perfect pancakes.

So what about the pancake mix? I believe I have mentioned before that I have used Betty Crocker Gluten Free Pancake Mix before.  It's one of my go-to mixes because I know I'll get perfect pancakes or waffles every time. I have even made homemade biscuits and they turned out really well. Using this mix you wouldn't be able to tell you're eating gluten free. 

Now to health side of things.

Even though these make amazing baked goods. There is just a few things I have a problem with, when it comes to the ingredients. It's not like they are awful, by any means. But I will say there are more natural mixes. 

For one, there is sugar. But it could be corn syrup or something like that, so it's not to bad. But potato starch? I'm not to sure if that's good or not. And the leavening ingredients are something else that concerns me. But once again, I've seen worse.  

Even though some of the ingredients seem odd to me. It's not to bad. Considering I find myself using it all the time. It hasn't made me sick, so that's a plus! 

Ratings

Flavor       10/10

Texture    10/10

Quality    8/10

Healthy    6/10

Overall it's not a bad product. And it's a good option for just starting baking gluten free. I recommend this to anyone. But not to someone who is allergic to soy since they say it might contain soy. 

Cheers!