Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Best Gluten Free Waffles EVER!

I am really patting myself on the back for this one (even more than I did for the Blackberry Frozen Yogurt). 

It is incredibly difficult to find a recipe for gluten free waffles that actually works. They're always too dry, too crumbly, don't cook in the middle, can't be made vegan, etc etc

But I have solved this persistent problem!

Well, persistent for those of us in the Celiac/Gluten intolerant/Gluten allergic/Vegan world

If you aren't in one of those categories and are reading this then I must politely say screw you, you get to eat normal gluten-filled delicious fluffy waffles.

I'm obviously just incredibly jealous. Darn my gluten intolerance, it ruins everything delicious for me.

BUT NOT ANYMORE! I can now eat these amazing waffles =]

(Look, I know I'm awful at food photography. I usually just don't even attempt it. But I didn't think anyone would believe me about these waffles without pictures. PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!)
 
The Best Gluten Free Waffles EVAR 
*vegan and non-vegan options
1 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup arrowroot
1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar (I used coconut sugar)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar*
Ener-g egg replacer for 2 eggs or 2 eggs if not vegan
*You can use just coconut milk or just almond, I like to mix them. Add the lemon juice/vinegar to the milk and let stand for 10 minutes (this makes it into a vegan "buttermilk" for fluffy waffles)

Mix the dry ingredients together REALLY WELL in a bowl and mix the wet ingredients in another. Combine the dry and wet and stir until smooth.
Heat the waffle iron and add the batter, cooking until brown. This varies based on the type of iron you have, it takes mine about 3 minutes.

Let the waffles cool on a cookie rack until ready to eat.

Optional add-ins: blueberries, raspberries, dark chocolate chips ;)

The Little Owlet enjoying one of the chocolate chip ones. He didn't even ask for syrup. That's confirmation that they're delicious in my book.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

I love Pinterest. It's an addiction! I love browsing the humor section, the popular pins, hair and beauty, fashion, and I especially love the food pins. There are many amazing food pins that link to great food blogs. While there are quite a few vegan/dairy free/gluten free recipes, sometimes I find a great recipe that needs some tweaking to fit into our diet preferences.

I found a recipe for Blackberry Frozen Yogurt that used dairy. It used yogurt cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Now, many of you might know that there is no pre-made dairy free replacement for sweetened condensed milk. So I set out to make my own!

If you need or want the recipe to be dairy free, it is well worth it to take the time to concoct the dairy-free condensed milk. I promise!

Dairy-free Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup agave nectar
Combine the coconut milk and agave in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is the texture of a thick syrup. Let cool in the fridge or in the freezer if you need it speedier until ready to prepare the frozen yogurt.

Blackberry Frozen Yogurt
1 batch of Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk, cooled
2 pints of organic blackberries, frozen
1 container coconut/soy/almond yogurt (I used plain coconut yogurt)
Combine the yogurt and sweetened condensed milk and add the frozen blackberries slowly and blend until smooth. You can place in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions or do what I did and simply place  in the freezer until ready to serve.

The Little Owlet is crazy about it! Who can blame him? It is sweet, creamy, and icy just in time for the budding warmth of Spring.

I imagine it would be just as delicious when made with other berries. I plan on making it again soon with raspberries. 



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Green Smoothie Recipes + Other Recipes

I had food poisoning last week. It was no fun of course. I was in the bed for two days straight and then the third day, things were still pretty shaky. I was finally able to eat pretty normally on the fourth day.


The point of that story is that I was very sick and unable to go anywhere, most importantly the grocery store. We were out of EVERYTHING. 


I finally went on Monday. I went to the store and also to Whole Foods because I was out of nutritional yeast, virgin unrefined coconut oil, hemp seeds, and other essentials that I buy there. I also got some very special ingredients to make The Little Owlet super special gluten free vegan pancakes on Thursday.


Because he is turning 2!


I can hardly believe it.


I also got the ingredients to make him homemade Blackberry Sorbet. What a treat! I'm even making my own vegan version of sweetened condensed milk. I'll post the recipe on Thursday hopefully with some pictures!



I've been drinking my Shakeology every day because, honestly, it makes me feel better. It gives me energy that I didn't have before. And it's not just a protein powder, it has many superfoods in it as well as herbs and matcha green tea! 
I am a Beachbody Coach but I wouldn't have become a coach or recommend Shakeology if I didn't believe in it 100%.



My go to Shakeology Chocolate Green Monster Smoothie:
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup organic baby spinach
1 cup frozen organic kale, chopped
1 cup blueberries
Optional: 1 serving Chocolate Vegan Shakeology or other chocolate protein powder or 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Place all the ingredients in the blender and BLEND! This works without Shakeology but make sure to use a chocolate product or cocoa powder to make it a chocolate green smoothie =]


As always, feel free to email me with questions about anything: 

thomi_marshall@yahoo.com


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Beachbody Special!








 I'm running a Beachbody special! Anyone who orders Shakeology HD or a Challenge Pack from me before midnight PST on Sunday March 31st (this coming Sunday!) gets a free Shakeology shaker cup!!!!

This is a great deal, email me for more details or if you have any questions: thomi_marshall@yahoo.com

My Beachbody Coach site to browse and buy:



Thanks for looking!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

When The Little Owlet is Sick

My sweet baby is sick. He woke up with both eyes infected. The right eye was red and swollen shut. I was very worried and freaked out but Little Owlet just played and had the same attitude as usual. He's so funny, he always acts the same. Rotten, goofy, and sweet. He's just been more tired today and wanted to cuddle (I don't mind at all!). 



We went to the doctor and then stayed home the rest of the day. It was nice to relax with him and snuggle on the couch.





And we got a lovely Valentine's Day surprise from Mimi (my mother)




It was an organic fruit basket from Cherry Moon Farms!


No working out today for me although I might get some in during work on my computer this evening. I will work for about 3 hours and I like to walk around/stretch/or do some quick exercises every so often. I noticed that after I started working on the computer that my hips got very tight and painful so I have to stretch daily now.

I turn 25 this weekend and I feel like I'm already complaining like an old lady about my hips haha!

Any tips on supplements that can keep my muscles and joints young would be much appreciated =]
I lost a lot of flexibility during my pregnancy and haven't been able to gain it back even though I stretch daily.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Little Owlet's Favorite Green Smoothie

I made a Shakeology smoothie this morning to start my day. The Little Owlet tried to steal it, as usual. So I whipped this green smoothie up for him which he LOVES!

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 frozen organic peach
1/2 cup organic mango chunks
1/4 scoop Vega One Vanilla Chai (for plant based protein)
1 handful organic baby spinach

He drank it too fast and got brain freeze, poor little guy looking grumpy.


My Shakeology smoothie:
1 packet Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 frozen banana
2/3 cup frozen organic strawberries
2 handfuls organic baby spinach

I let him drink my Shakeology sometimes, but I don't like for him to have chocolate. I let The Little Owlet have some of my Tropical Vegan Shakeology though and he devours it.

 
Like my page on Facebook for more updates from me and The Little Owlet!
 


Monday, February 4, 2013

My workout for today

I had a relaxed weekend. I went home to WV because my mom was throwing a surprise party for my baby brother on Saturday. It was a blast! It was Walking Dead themed with brain cupcakes, a zombie cake, and "bloody" cocktails. I drank of course so I'm paying for it now. Here's the workout I did today to start my week off right:


20 jumping jacks
20 side leg lifts (each side)
30 jumping jacks
40 squats
20 lunges
20 jumping jacks
20 side lunges
30 jumping jacks
20 butt kickers (each)
100 standing crunches

And stretching afterward. I've been having some issues with tight hips and hamstrings so I stretch every day trying to become more flexible and relieve some of the tension in my muscles. After a workout is the best time to stretch and gain flexibility because your muscles are "warm" and will give more.


How are you doing with your workouts and New Year's resolutions??

Monday, January 28, 2013

Where do vegans get protein?

 Follow the link to check out my new blog post on the Healthier Living 4 You site! It's all about plant-based sources of protein. This post isn't just for vegetarians and vegans, it's for anyone looking to increase their protein intake in a healthy way!





Do you get enough protein in your diet? What is your favorite food that is high in protein? Let me know in the comments!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Growing My Hair Long

People who know me in the real world, outside of the interwebs, know that I'm growing my hair out.

I had hair all the way down to my bottom when I was younger.

Then I became a snarky teenager and cut it off to my ears.

Worst. Decision. Ever.

So to all you 15 year old angsty girls out there, don't do it! Don't get a pixie cut! I know they're popular and freakin' adorable, but don't! I don't think there's a threat of this now but don't get a Lisa Rinna cut either!!! (that's what I did...it was worse than it sounds). I saw her in a Depends ad the other day, it made me feel ancient. To think that as a teenager I modeled my looks after her and now she's in an adult diaper ad.

I looked awful.

I had no idea how to fix my hair after having long hair my entire life. Plus my hair is naturally wavy and textured which just doesn't work well with short haircuts. I also do not have the face for it. Your face needs to be symmetrical and heart shaped. Mine is oval and flawed (but in a cute, quirky way! as females, we need to remember that imperfections are what make us unique and beautiful).

Anyway, back to my hair growth dreams. My hair is currently 22 inches. So it is quite long. But I lust for longer! I want it to reach my waist. When I told my hair stylist that I was growing my hair out she looked at me like I was crazy and asked, "How much longer could you possibly want it?!"

I have a lot of hair already. And she's not very fond of blow drying it when I come in. It takes a good 30 minutes if you want it completely dry.

I will post pics as it grows (if it grows...) to show if things I'm doing are working.

Things I'm doing to help it:
Blow dry it only very occasionally
Flat iron/curling iron rarely
Wash it once a week
Use dry shampoo in between washes
Using Wen
Coconut oil hair masks weekly
Dry argan oil every day and at night before bed
Combing with a wide tooth comb
Natural detangling spray
Using an all natural heat protecting spray 
Daily scalp massage
Taking a biotin supplement
Eating more protein
Eating more fruits and veggies 
Eating more healthy fats
Drinking water by the gallon
Silk pillowcase
Loose braid at night 
No snag fabric hair ties

Things I'm doing that aren't helping at all:
I still dye it every couple of months.
With ammonia free dye!
At the salon, not out of a box!

...I still feel ashamed. 
I know that my hair will never be as healthy as it can or as long as it can be if I continue to dye it. But I love my hair red! And at least I stopped bleaching it! And I've come a long way from 6 months ago when I was not only bleaching it but also getting really choppy layers, teasing it at the crown, and straightening it religiously. Sadface.

I'll get over the hair dye addiction, eventually. But until then, I'm hoping that all the good I'm doing will outweigh my one bad hair habit =]


Does anyone have any other hair growth tips? Or homemade hair mask recipes? I'd love to hear about things that work!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

New Year's Resolutions

I have never really made resolutions that I stuck with (or even gave a good try). I'm not very good at forming new habits and breaking bad old ones. But this year I'm making some changes around here!

Resolutions:

1. Build muscle, tone up, get in better shape (instead of the traditional weight loss resolution)

2. Get back on the Dean's List at school

3. Expand my owl collection! Here is a pic of some of the gifts I received for Christmas, I have many more owl things)
{Cookie jar, kitchen timer, and toothbrush holder}

4. Learn how to customize this blog and make it more attractive and professional looking
5. Graduate from my Dietetics program & Certified Health Coach program

6. Get certified as a personal trainer
7. Get my Beachbody coaching going and go on the cruise they are offering this year 

8. Learn how to network and market myself
9. Heal my diastasis recti 
10. Give the Little Owlet all of the love and attention he needs/wants <3
{Little Owlet racing toward 2 years old!}