Eating out doesn't have to be a splurge

I enjoy eating out but recently have stopped because of the eating plan I am on. I have cut out all sugar, wheat, dairy, rice, beans, corn, soy, and more. I feel so much better and my brain works now! But I missed meeting up with friends, girls nights out, and having dinner out with my husband. 

This week I threw all caution to the wind and agreed to meet a friend at, of all places, the Cheesecake Factory. Nothing tempting there, right? 

I did what all good people on eating plans do before they go to a restaurant and looked online at their menu. I found a roasted chicken dish that I could have but it was similar to what I had been eating at home. 

Then I saw Cashew Chicken. Oh man did that sound good. I looked over the whole menu and there were salads that would be okay (as long as the dressing was vinaigrette) and there was a turkey sandwich if I didn't eat the bread. So okay I had options. 

When we met at the restaurant the Cashew Chicken still called out to me. I love stir fries and I wanted it. It came over a bed of steamed rice. No can do. I have never seen a restaurant that would serve stir fries without the rice. 

I summoned my courage and asked the waiter if it could be done. He said yes and asked if I wanted an extra vegetable instead? That sounded weird to me, but I asked for my options. 

Asparagus?  Eh. Sounded like an odd combination. 
Carrots? Nope, too sugary. 
Spinach? Hmmm. Cashew chicken and spinach. That sounded okay so I agreed to that. 

Oh my gosh! What came out was way better than I expected. 

I received a huge bowl with sauteed chicken and cashews on a huge bed of lightly steamed spinach. It was incredible! Such a great combination! I was in heaven. 

Everything in my bowl was okay to eat and in scarfing down my bowl full of yumminess, I forgot to take a picture. Which means I will just have to go back and order it again so you can see how fabulous the whole plate was! (heh heh)


Thank you Cheesecake Factory for helping me stick to my eating plan! Who would have thought? 


This experience taught me that I can go out to eat if I work with the wait staff and ask them for options. 

Since I didn't have pics of my own fabulous dinner, I grabbed a few shots from the Cheesecake Factory website so you can see some other options. Lettuce wraps are usually good (watch for the rice noodles and too many starchy veggies on the side, as well as sweetened dipping sauces), or the herbed chicken I mentioned earlier (above).

So the next time you are in a place that serves something on rice, try a vegetable instead. It was so darn good! 

Tonight is a friend's birthday and we are heading to a local Mexican food place. Stay tuned to see how well I stick to plan. 

Wish me luck!
Laureen

Traveling Healthy: Cooking in my Hotel Room without Setting off the Fire Alarm

I love science. Science experiments are fun to me. Any experiment is fun for the most part. I am on business travel for a few weeks and I really want to stick to this eating plan. It's been more difficult than I thought because I am having trouble finding cooked organic food in the area. I have this lovely little family owned organic grocery near my home. 

Here they have gargantuan stores with restaurants inside the grocery. Seriously. It is the oddest thing. I have been taking pictures and sending them home to my husband. 

But most of the food isn't organic. My solution? Purchase a Rival Electric Skillet from Amazon and have it shipped to the hotel. I am an Amazon Prime member, so it arrived in 2 days. 

When it arrived I looked at it and realized it would cause steam, smoke, and heat. Will it set off the smoke alarms? 

I get evacuated from hotels enough. For a while the alarms would go off in my hotel about every other trip (I did not cause the evacuations). On a side note, it's really funny to see what people sleep in. As such I always pack sweats and tennis shoes and keep them near the bed. 

So this morning I made breakfast. In the skillet. In the room. And to be extra daring, I cooked bacon. Smoky--needs decent heat to cook--bacon. I also made scrambled eggs and for the first time noticed how much steam comes off of the darn things. But it worked! NO ALARMS! SUCCESS! 

Breakfast is served. 

I use Applegate Farms Bacon because it is nitrate free and organic. It has the best taste. I brought salt, pepper, and oregano with me, since I like to season my eggs with them. Organic eggs were pretty easy to find.

Now to clean up the mess and air out the bacon smell in the room before they come in to clean. 

Bacon grease disposal

I used a combination of a hotel glass and extra baggies I had brought with me to dispose of the bacon grease. Line the cup with plastic and the baggie. Wrap the top of the baggie over the edge of the glass. Wait for the grease to cool a bit, then pour it into the baggie-lined glass. Set it near the air unit in the room to congeal. Once solid, remove the baggie from the glass, seal it, and dispose. Viola!  

Here is to staying healthy, one small step at a time. 


Happy, healthy, travels!  
Laureen

Healthy Traveling

I am on a business trip for 13 days. When I travel it is more stressful than being at home and I used to soothe that stress by treating myself to things I usually wouldn't eat: pancakes, cookies, catered food for lunch, pasta at business dinners, desserts, an extra glass of wine... You get the picture. 

Well now I am working to stick to my healthy eating and eliminate all sugar, artificial sweeteners, wheat, gluten, rice, beans, dairy, and caffeine. So much for pancakes and pasta dinners.

As I eat healthier and more pure foods (no processing at all), I am finding joys in the simple things. And I am thrilled to have found a way to satisfy my sweet tooth. 

After leaving the airport, I made a bee line for the organic grocery store that is closest to my hotel. I had created a shopping list before my trip and wanted to have as much food on hand as I could so I wouldn't be tempted to grab something. Being hungry, tired, and stressed is a sure fire way for me to eat pizza and cake (not "or", "and"). Not exactly wheat, gluten, sugar, or dairy-free. 

I have found that one of my most favorite and crave reducing items is a granny smith apple with almond butter. Make sure the almond butter is freshly ground and has no added sugar. 

If I want a little sweetness, I sprinkle Stevia on of the almond butter. It is so darn good! I cut up the apple into slices so it provides that comfort food feel and spread the almond butter on thick. 

The best part about this eating plan is that I don't have to limit the quantity of the food I eat. So I can apply the almond butter liberally to each apple slice. 

Try my latest treat. I am sure you will like it as much as I do. It is filling, has great fiber, protein, and healthy fats. And it tastes so darn good! 

Here's to your health! 
Laureen

It's the little things that make life grand

Sunday mornings are my favorite time of the week. Friday evenings come in a close second. Sunday morning means I can sleep in until my body tells me it's time to wake up. I can leisurely drink my tea. Make a hearty breakfast. And relax and enjoy myself.

This morning I woke up before my husband. We are both on a detox diet so we drink red clover tea throughout the day. I took our vintage carafe and made a large pot, suitable for the whole day. 

I love our vintage carafe. I gave it to my husband for Christmas this year. It was a great eBay find. I love mid century modern design and this one is perfect. 

I poured my cup of tea and set his favorite mug beside the carafe. 

Through this detox process, while I am cleaning out my body and allowing it to be healthier, I am starting to really enjoy the little things. My favorite mug, the great designs in my home, making good food, listening to good music. 

These little things help me not miss the junk food so much. I still crave breads and cakes but making sure the things I am eating are beautifully served makes me happy. And makes that road to health not so steep.

The red clover tea we drink is just a simple loose tea. But you have to admit that pouring it from that gorgeous carafe into a fun mug makes all the difference. 

It's a beautiful rainy day here. Great day to spend appreciating the warmth of my house, hot tea, and watching Peter Gabriel in concert (the one in Athens--highly recommend). 

Soon it will be time to make that breakfast. Ahhhhh Sundays. 

Hope you are enjoying your day. You don't have to spend a lot to make your days special. 

Time to relax,
Laureen  

Parlez-vous français ?

Cook Up an Organized Kitchen at One Kings Lane — Sale Ends 3/04
Every iconic French kitchen is organized yet chic, and equipped with the furniture and lighting to turn a workspace into an artist's studio. These pieces might not make you Jacques Pépin, but they'll certainly go a long way towards helping you make a better brioche.
This is the French Life at One Kings Lane — Sale Ends 2/28
Nothing says, "C'est la Vie" like a table set with brightly colored French linens, steaming porcelain bowls of café au lait and tea plates with buttery croissants. These pieces will give you a taste of French life every day in your own home.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered at One Kings Lane — Sale Ends 3/1
Here are some wonderful items on sale (custom stamps, engraved wax sealers and more) that will inspire you to bring back the art of the handwritten letter. Maybe one that details your next Parisian adventure.

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

Turning cravings into opportunities

So I did it. I fell off my new eating plan. I don't like to call it a diet because I am not doing it to lose weight as much as to regain health. 

I had to travel for work and I discovered something. Choosing gluten-free food does not mean it is also dairy and sugar free. Should be obvious, right? But I wasn't thinking. And then I tried to not eat anything I knew to be bad and ended up starving. And then I ate bread. 

I was trying to stick to the plan. I ordered soup and sparking water from room service. I made sure the soup didn't have any cream in it. That it was purely vegetables and protein. The tray arrived and there was the bread. Hot, fresh, crusty french bread. 

I didn't just fall off my plan, I dove off head first. I even ate butter on it. 

Then the next day, I was really tired so I had coffee (also not on plan) and because I don't like bitter and I was riding my wheat/gluten high, I had cream and honey in it. The rest of the day didn't get much better. 

So now I am working to regain composure and am running to catch that health wagon I dove off a few days ago. 

But the cravings are back. I want something baked. And warm, and sweet. 

I looked back at the Breakfast Cookie recipe and realized I could make a slightly sweeter version to get me over these cravings. 

These are the new, sweeter, cookies.

Craving-Killer Cookies

All ingredients should be organic. I have included links to items so you can see what they look like before you go searching for them. Or if you are like me and work all week, order them using Amazon Prime and have them delivered to your door. 
 
1 1/2 cup freshly ground almond butter (my local organic grocery sells fresh ground)
1 large egg
3/4 cup almond, hemp or coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
heaping 1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
heaping 1/4 cup chia seeds
heaping 1/4 cup hulled buckwheat groats
 
2-3 teaspoons Stevia
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a large food processor bowl, add almond butter and egg. Blend to combine. Add milk and vanilla and almond. Blend until thoroughly mixed. The mixture should start to look like a batter. 

Add hemp, chia, and buckwheat and mix to combine. If the dough is looking dry, add more milk. The chia seeds will absorb quite a bit of liquid and you don't want the batter to be dry. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until mixed. I taste it and see if I like the taste. If it needs more sweet, I add more Stevia. If it needs more spice, I add more cinnamon and nutmeg.

Preheat over to 350'. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough. Place about 2" apart on the cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 minutes or until set. You can leave the glaze off if you prefer.

(Optional) While cookies are baking:
1 teaspoon stevia
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Mix the cinnamon and stevia in a bowl and set aside. 

Put a tablespoon of coconut oil into another bowl. 
 
Immediately when cookies come out of the oven, dunk the top of the cookie into the coconut oil and then into the cinnamon and stevia. Repeat until all cookies have been dipped. 


These are working to kill my sweet cravings and to keep me on plan. I hope you like them
Enjoy!

Avocado Dip - Super fast and easy!

Avocados. MMMMMmmmmm. I can't believe they're healthy. They taste so darn good. 

I had 3 avocados sitting on my counter and all became ripe at the same time. I have searched Pinterest enough to know I can mash them and freeze them. But I was hungry too, so....

Recipe time!

Avocado Dip

1 Avocado
1/8 cup Tomato
1/8 cup onion
1 Tablespoon cilantro
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Peel and cube the avocado and toss into a bowl. Mash up the avocado with a fork a bit. Leave some chunks. Dice tomatoes and onion and toss into the avocado mash. Chop cilantro and add into the bowl. Pour in lime juice and add spices to taste. If you aren't sure where to start, start with 1/8 teaspoon of each and then add more if you want.  Mix all together and enjoy! I eat mine with Gluten-free crackers.

SUPER Easy Avocado Dip

You can totally cheat here. Most if the ingredients you add to the avocados also make up salsa. Buy a good fresh salsa, mix into the mashed avocado, add some onion powder and salt. And Viola! Done!