Peanut Butter Granola

If you have never made granola before. Put down your computer and go make it NOW. 

Seriously, homemade granola is so much better than any store bought brand...

And it's so simple!

I have a love for granola. There is so many different flavor combinations and the possibilities are endless. Plus, it's healthy. In moderation of course. 

I have had all different kinds of granola. But peanut butter...I haven't tried yet. You're going to think I'm crazy once I say this, but I am not a person who is crazy about peanut butter. I think it is good. But you won't find me going crazy over it. Also, sometimes I really can't stand peanut butter. It just depends on the day. But today I was really wanting peanut butter. I came across this recipe that she only needed 4 ingredients. I was sold. I love trying new recipes and this is something I wish I would have thought of. Even though I can't the credit for this recipe. I wanted to make it and share it because it's something that I'll make over and over again. This is perfect for on top of yogurt, in cereal, or just by itself. 

*Your house will smell amazing after baking this

Peanut Butter Granola

Ingredients: 

2 Cups Gluten Free Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats)

1/2 Cup Honey 

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Dark Chocolate Chips (Optional) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Prepare baking sheet by covering with parchment paper.

3. Measure out oats and place in a large mixing bowl. 

4. Combine peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Heat until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Mix all together.

5. Pour mixture over oats, and mix until oats are evenly covered. 

6. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer. 

7. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Make sure you stir mixture half way through baking. 

8. Let cool. It will start to get crunchy the more it cools. Once cool, add in chocolate chips if preferred. 

Store in an airtight container. 

Enjoy! 

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10 Tips on finding The One: Wedding Gown

Oh, wedding dresses. They come in so many different styles, fabric, and even colors. 

How in the world can you possibly choose THE ONE?!? 

If you just got engaged and started browsing online at all the different types of dresses, you probably feel a bit overwhelmed and also excited. You might have tons of dresses saved because you like them all, you may know exactly what you want, or maybe you can't find any that you like and feel like you will never find one. Take a deep breath. It's all going to be okay. 

Finding YOUR dress is a very exciting and emotional experience. But it can be a bit overwhelming. Especially if you just dive right into things without having a plan. Yes, dress shopping requires a small plan just so you can have the best experience. Since everyone is different. Every bride is different and will experience dress shopping differently. For me, dress shopping started the day after I got engaged...two years ago. I thought I liked a certain style of dresses but turns out two years later I found a dress different than what I thought I liked. But it is perfect. I'm so glad I didn't buy a dress until now. I won't share anything about my dress on here just because only a select few know what it looks like. And I'm not giving that away. For me my dress is very important so you all will have to wait til after we are married to see it :) 

I decided to talk about the wedding dress because it is very important but it can also be overwhelmed. I can say from experience that I did get overwhelmed and I even had a plan. The day I went I wanted my mom and Caleb's mom there, his older and younger sister, and my sister.  From the start my consultant was so amazing. She called me up a few days before my appointment to talk about the kinds of dresses I had in mind, and to email her dresses that I wanted to try. But I could only email her five or six. I was like what?! I probably had about 15-20 saved! So I narrowed it down. And the day of my appointment she already had all of the dresses pulled and ready. With each dress I tried on she told me to rate it either number 1, 2, or 3. I have never had anyone put them in a ranking but honestly, that was the best idea. I probably tried on about 10 or so dresses. My appointment went on for about 2 or 3 hours...I don't really remember. But before I knew it I had narrowed it down to three dresses. Then down to two. Then one. I chose a dress, but a couple weeks later I started to second guess myself and I had to make sure I was making the right decision. I went back with just my mom and decided. I won't say if I went with the original one, or the other. But I just had to be sure I was making the right choice. I love my dress and I can't wait to reveal it! 

So from my experience I have some tips on finding The One. When it comes to the wedding dress of course! 

1. Find your style: Figure out what looks best on you and what fits your personality. Don't always follow what's in style right now. Because styles are always changing. Find what reflects you and it'll never go out of style. 
2. Your shopping buddies: Bring who you want. Just be sure to keep the number down. More people means more opinions and it can be overwhelming for you and even your consultant. 
3. Budget: Make sure you know what you want to spend. And don't try on anything that is more than you can comfortably afford. 
4. Trust your instincts: If someone wants you to try something on but you don't like it. Speak up. It's YOUR day and YOUR dress. You have the final say. This also applies to when everyone says they love a dress but you just can't say you do. Don't be afraid to say no and move on to another. You know it's your dress when you say can you love it. 
5. Keep it simple: With every dress you try on. Rate it. If it doesn't fit in the top three. Then it's a no. Once you tried on about 10 dresses. Stop and re try on your top three and go from there. It keeps things from getting to confusing. 
6. Choices: If you are set on a style of dress, at least try a different style on so you know that it's what you like best.
7. You don't have to say yes, right away: Deciding on your gown can be hard. If you need to sleep on it. Then sleep on it. Don't let anyone pressure you into deciding that same day. 
8. Wear Makeup: And do your hair nice. You want to feel good about yourself when trying on dresses. 
9. Undergarments: Wear white or nude boy shorts or bikini styles. And a strapless nude or white bra. You may be seen in them so don't let your goods show to much. That means NO THONGS! 
10. Pictures: Take pictures of every single dress from different angles. This will help you get a feel for what you'll look like on camera. *Some bridal stores might not allow cameras so ask first. 

There is so many tips out there and I encourage you to research them and have an idea what you want. 

Just remember, when you find your dress you won't want to take it off and it'll make your heart flutter. 

Have fun searching for your wedding gown! 

Cheers! 

My bridal store: J&B Bridals

Images from: Maggie Soterro and J&B

Also, the images above are to show different styles. My dress isn't one of those above posted. 

Graze Snack Box

So I received a "snack box" in the mail this past week. 

Best kind of mail? Yes. 

It's called Graze. Perfect name for a snack box that is delivered to your door. They have about 100 different kinds of snacks that you can pick which ones you like, love, try, or never try. Everything is healthy. So you don't have to feel guilty about eating any of the snacks. It's like indulging, but without the guilt! 

The box I received came with four different cute little containers. Yes I refer to them as cute. 

The four flavors were Garden of England, Chocolate Orange Flapjack, Herby Bread Basket, and Black Pepper Cashews. I only had three out the four because well bread..can't exactly have so Caleb made sure that one didn't go to waste ;) 

The Garden Of England contained dried apples, strawberries, and black currents. Umm they were probably the best dried fruit I have EVER had. No joke. I am not a fan of dried fruit, but their dried fruit I would eat again. And again. 

Black Pepper Cashews contained black peppered cashews, roasted unsalted cashews, and redskin peanuts. I liked this one, can't say I love it just because I am not a huge fan of black pepper. Good thing is that there were only a few covered in it. 

Chocolate Orange Flapjack contained rustic rolled oats, with chocolate and orange. Okay I LOVE the flapjacks. But I hate chocolate and orange together. But I tried it, it wasn't overwhelming and I didn't mind it. They have a lot of other flavors of the flapjacks that I do want to try. 

Herby Bread Basket contained mini basil breadsticks, garlic crostini, and oregano rice crackers. If I didn't have a problem with gluten I would have picked this one first. I can say it smelled amazing and Caleb said that it was very good. A little taste of Italy in a container. 

So if you love getting treats in the mail this is something to defiantly check out! And you can pick exactly when you want to receive it! No monthly payments that you're locked into. But you can only join Graze if you're invited. So guess what?! I'm inviting you!! I have a special code that you can use. 

When you go to the site www.graze.com 

Type in JAELR3G6

JAELR3G6 

Hopefully you enjoy some healthy snacks!!

Cheers! 

P.S. Not all snacks are gluten and dairy free. So make sure you read the ingredients first! You can pick snacks based on your own dietary guidelines.

I won!

I know my blog is mainly about health and recipes. But since this is my blog I decided that I'm going to let more of my personal life in. Not a lot just because I'm not that type of person. If you've been following a long, then you know that I am engaged. I'm right in the middle of planning my wedding. So I figured I would share tips and all that fun wedding stuff as well! 
It's going to be called Wedding Wednesday. And yes, the first post is a day late. But it'll be on time next week!

We are keeping pretty much everything about our wedding on the down low just because it keeps things less chaotic. Close friends and family know everything and I think that's how it should be. So I won't be getting into any details on what we are doing. Because I don't want to give anything away. You're probably thinking, than how can you share anything? Little advice, tips, and a few things I am going through. Maybe I have a few brides following along. So I hope you enjoy!

SO with that being said. First thing that I wanted to share is I won my first giveaway! I was in a daze when I found out because I really didn't believe it. I entered a giveaway to win $250 towards wedding stationary from Crafty Pie Press! This is such a blessing because for one, I had no idea what kind of stationary I wanted or where to start.  So this happened at the perfect time! 

***I defiantly suggest that if you're getting married..enter as many giveaways as you can! It'll defiantly pay off :)

See that winner!? It's me!!!

I can't wait to order, and I'll defiantly post pictures :) 

Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt Review

I'm beyond excited that I finally was brave enough to try Lactose Free yogurt. You see, a few years when just the smallest amount of milk would make me sick  so I was very careful to have NO milk. Period. I heard about Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt but I just wasn't brave enough to try it. Yes, I knew there wasn't any lactose, so there wasn't really a chance of it making me sick. But being sick all the time already, and being so sensitive to milk. I just didn't want to chance it.

Fast forward time to now. 

I feel better most days so slowly adding foods that I was scared to try is on my to do list. Of course yogurt is at the top because I have always loved yogurt and don't get me wrong, the completely dairy free versions are really good but I missed real yogurt. It may not seem like much to others, but for me trying something that has milk, but is lactose free is a big step and pushing me out of my comfort zone. I can't tell you when the day will come that I try a milk product again that still has lactose in it. I may never. Anytime I think about milk or cheese I feel sick to my stomach just because of how sick I used to be. 

Anyways. Back to the yogurt. 

Can I really say anything bad about this yogurt? Nope. 

It's exactly how I remember yogurt being. Smooth and creamy. Yoplait is known for all of their flavorful options. But they only have French Vanilla, Peach, Strawberry, and Cherry in the lactose free ones. Hopefully they add more flavors soon! 

I tried all the flavors, except cherry. I really don't care for cherries or anything cherry in general. 

My favorite flavor is defiantly the French Vanilla. Most likely because I love vanilla (almost) everything. But they aren't kidding when the say it's French Vanilla...it's a strong vanilla but I think it tastes amazing. 

I basically do a happy dance every time I open up a new little carton because I really just love it that much.

The only negative thing that I have to say is I did experience a little stomach discomfort the very first time I tried it. But it wasn't anything serious. And I honestly just think it was because my stomach hasn't had milk in years and is learning to digest it again, even though the lactose is taken out of it. I think it's still hard on my system. But since trying it the first time, I've had many more so now it's no problem at all. 

I would defiantly recommend this to those lactose intolerant who still want to fully enjoy dairy but without the side effects. 

If you have a dairy allergy, this is not something you should try because it does contain dairy!

Cheers!

I'm FINALLY Living Life

I know it has been awhile since I did a blog post just about me and my health and what has been going on. So I figured it was about time too. 

I know when I did a post about being gluten free for a year, and how it has helped me feel better there was still a lot of things going on that needed to get better. So looking back I reread that post, you can read it here. When I did that post I reached a lot of major milestones in my book. But I still had a lot to go. One thing that stuck out to me in that post was this phrase I posted I have missed out on a lot because of feeling so sick all the time. I was tired of just not feeling healthy. So after that day, I decided that I was going to cut out gluten completely. 

All I can say is wow. For the past few years, I've missed out on life because I was so consumed in feeling sick and worrying that if I left my house, I'd have an episode. I was in constant fear of ruining outings because I just never knew. How did I live like that? I didn't realize that something we consume everyday, can impact a life negatively. And make you miss out on living. I've missed countless birthday parties, family gatherings, dates with Caleb, and just living like a normal person. I have feared eating out for many years because as soon as I would eat, I would have to leave ASAP. Eating wasn't enjoyable for me. I dreaded eating because I knew that eating would just make me feel awful all over again. Before I get ahead of myself. I'll list some major milestones that I have crossed off and some surprising changes in my health that have happened since my one year anniversary being gluten free. 

A few little changes:

• I've been able to eat three full meals a day. Without ANY issues.
• I will actually eat on my lunch break at work, without any worry. 
• I rarely have a mood swing these. If I do, it's caused by stress, monthly, or if I'm worn out...or hungry. Yes I have finally experienced being grumpy because I'm so hungry. Can't really say if that's a good or bad thing! ;)
• I have had a little more energy than I used to. This is still a work in progress though. But I am up for doing more things. 
• I'm not scared to eat, I actually look forward to it. 

Now, I have had some amazing things happen that others close to me have noticed:

Caleb and I planned a day to shop at the outlets last fall, after walking around for a good 45-to an hour we buy drinks and take a break and he says to me, "Do you know what I just realized?" And of course I say, "No" He says, "You just walked around after just eating breakfast an hour ago!" 

You see this has been something I haven't been able to do. Being able to eat, get ready, and go somewhere seem so simple and it's what most people do everyday. But me, not so much. That was a big milestone for me. I've always wanted to be able to eat a meal, and go shopping. The "normal" activities. Of course after that I still had times when I couldn't do that. But a few times, is better than none.

Slowly, I could do more and more right after eating. With eliminating gluten, dairy, and all processed foods I have been able to slowly heal my stomach and control the Candida. It's been a lot of ups and downs. But they all brought me to this next point: 

Just this past Saturday, March 1st 2014. Was a big day in many ways. I had my first appointment trying on wedding gowns. Excited would have been an understatement to describe how I felt. But my appointment was at 9:30 in the morning. Super early. Now, if it was two years ago. Eating would not have been a thought on my mind, considering I would be standing, moving around a lot. But now, it's my first thought because I'm more hungry now. So of course I ate breakfast which consisted of coffee, a banana, toast, and an egg. (You'd think I eat lighter with trying on gowns, but nope) 

But I ate just 15 min before we left....

I would have never done something like that just because in fear I'd feel sick and ruin the day. Well guess what, I felt completely fine...Half way through the appointment I started to get hungry! I could have been so distracted by all the pretty dresses and just the emotion of the day. But still, this is my biggest accomplishment, well I should say my stomach's biggest accomplishment in YEARS. 

I know this post may not be as exciting to you as it is to me. But if you have been following along, you will know that I've struggled a lot with just normal daily things because of my health.

My point is, I could have missed out on an important day that I shared with my mom, soon-to-be mom in law, and my sister-in-laws. 

More importantly, I'm tired of missing out on life. Taking charge of my health was one of the best decisions I made just for myself. I woke up one day and I was tired of struggling with life. It's been stressful at times and I'll admit, I didn't always see that light at the end of the tunnel. But with the support I have had, I kept going. If you told me a year ago that I'd be able to feel like a normal healthy person today. I probably wouldn't have believed you. I hung onto faith that there was a possibility it could happen. With having hope & faith, it kept me fighting. 

I still have goals that I want to achieve and I still want to feel even healthier. I have a very special day coming up that I need my health to be 110%.

And I am getting there! I'm really enjoying living life again.

If you are struggling with anything, just remember it will get better. Just keep moving forward. 

Cheers!

P.S. In case you were wondering, I DID find MY wedding dress. It's not my dream dress though, because it's much better than anything I dreamed of! :) 

"Cheesy" Chicken and Broccoli

Ladies and Gentlemen....I have found gold!

Not that liquid gold everyone these days seems to be talking about. You know..velveeta?

But what I have found is better. For a few different reasons actually. 

1. It's not velveeta 

2. It's not full of chemicals

3. It's dairy free

I haven't had real cheese in about 4 years. I can't believe that I have been dairy free for that long. I can't remember what "real" dairy tastes like. So to me everything that is dairy free tastes normal. I'll admit I have tasted things that have been off...but almost everything to me is now what I consider normal. 

I don't buy a lot of dairy free cheese. Just because I know a lot of it is more processed so I allow it to be a treat once in awhile. It's probably been a good two months since I had any. There are some days that just require a cheesy meal. 

The cheese that I used is from Go Veggie. Their Veggie Slices in the American cheese flavor. I haven't tried the other flavors yet. But to me, this really tastes like american cheese. Also, it melts very easily so you get that stretchy melty cheese that warms your soul. 

This dinner is super easy to make. For me, I used leftover chicken so it only took me about 20 minutes to make. But in the recipe I'll add the chicken prep. 

"Cheesy" Chicken and Broccoli 

Ingredients: 

1 lb Chicken Breasts

3 Cups Frozen or Fresh Broccoli 

1 Cup Rice

4 Cups Water

Salt

Veggie Slices (any flavor)

Poultry Seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare chicken by adding the poultry seasoning on the top. Place in a baking dish and cook for 30-40 minutes. Until well done. 

On the stovetop boil 2 cups of water and place broccoli on top to steam. 

Use the other 2 cups of water for the rice. Prepare rice on the stovetop by adding water and rice in a small saucepan. Bring to boil. Then turn heat back and let simmer for 15 minutes. Lightly salt.

Once chicken, rice, and broccoli are cooked. Plate and add cheese on top. You can put cheese over everything if you prefer! 

Enjoy!