Getting Older...

     So, here I am, at the ripe old age of 22. I don't feel any different yet. We had a small get-together on Jan 30 in Niceville with the family. We had a delicious gluten-free meal! On the menu: baby greens salad, coconut curry butternut squash soup, coconut walnut crusted pork loin, gluten-free bread, pancit, and THE most perfect gluten-free cupcakes in coconut and chocolate! (I'm happy to report that after many tries, I have finally perfected the recipe!) Photos below. As for my actual day of birth, it was quite uneventful. I did not leave the house at all. I sat around most of the day, baked myself an almond flour cake with coconut meringue, and hubby picked up some thai food for Siam Asian Diner. I got pad thai, and it was delicious! Then, I had a Twilight marathon. I hadn't yet seen the third one, so I recapped on the second one first then watched the third.

     The job hunt is still proving to be less than fruitful. I've put in at least a dozen applications, had one interview, and still no employment! Society is messed up, I tell you. I can't even find a job as a secretary or bank teller, both of which I am way overqualified for! *Sigh* I'm about to get desperate and start waiting tables.... At least hubby got a job as a lab tech at the health department. Hopefully, he can start working this week. He's still waiting on paperwork to clear or something.

      In biggest news, as of 2 days ago, I have decided that I am now a full-on vegetarian, leaning more towards veganism. (I'll still eat eggs. They're the best source of vitamin B12, a necessary nutrient.) But no more meat or cheese for me. I had been eating some cheese like parmesan and sharp cheddar because hard pressed cheeses don't contain lactose, which is what I was avoiding, and I had only been eating meat a few times a week as it was. So what sparked this change? Well, it had been in the back of my mind for about a month now, and I picked up a copy of The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It has been eying me on the bookstore shelves for months. However, she fancies gluten, so there are some modifications that I must make to fit my own needs. I have also been experimenting in "raw food." It's pretty easy, actually. A salad is raw, nuts can be raw, a smoothie is raw. I find snacks are the easiest way to add in raw food. White sugar has been mostly out of my life for a while now too. I sweeten everything with either honey, agave, rice syrup, or stevia. All of which are better in preventing blood sugar spikes!

      I don't really think that there is one "right" way that we should eat, as long as we are putting good things into our body. I feel everyone needs to find what works best for them. For me, it just happens to be a combination of gluten-free, raw, and vegetarian. For husband, it's almost the same, but he isn't ready to completely give up meat yet, so he'll grill himself up a steak when he gets the urge for one.

     I've also been exercising more! I try to do some strength training (some light weight lifting, lunges, squats, bicycles crunches, push ups, etc) 2-3x a week, some yoga, and hubby and I have been going on nature walks at UWF at least once a week. Sunday, we took about a 4 mile walk around the neighborhood. He made me do some short sprints too. I'm still sore! haha Some yoga is definitely necessary today to stretch out my sore muscles.

    Yay health!

    Below are some of the yummy things I've been making the past week! I know, I know, I always write about food! Leave me, be, though. I'm a new-found "foodie" and loving experimenting in the kitchen!

    Cupcakes from my birthday party! Don't they look amazing?

     Mom has actual pictures of me blowing out my candles on my birthday cupcakes, so I'll have to post those later when I get them.

    My almond flour birthday cake with coconut meringue!

     Birthday cake is complements of this wonderful book! She also has a website, elanaspantry.com. Tasty and delicious food made with protein-rich and good for you almond flour. She has a cupcake book coming out in April using both almond flour and coconut flour. They're much healthier for you than regular flours.

      Raw cookies in my dehydrator. In oatmeal raisin cookie and brownie flavors. And in cute heart shapes. Plus, they're GOOD for you and guilt-free! Made with almonds, agave, and water. That's it for the base! Added in raisins, cinnamon and walnuts for oatmeal raisin cookie and dark cocoa powder and some buckwheat groats for brownie.

      I like to call these little beauties my period-relief bars. They are not only full of delicious, nutritious ingredients, but they satisfy chocolate cravings at no price to you! They taste naughty, but they're really very nice. I can eat these things without any guilt whatsoever. I just threw all the nuts and seeds I have around (which is quite a few), some dark cocoa powder, agave, a pinch of salt, a dash of coconut milk, and a few dark chocolate chips into my food processor, and pressed and cut into bars. Yuuummm!

     I promise all the food looks way more delicious in person! We have terrible lighting in the apartment, so I can't get a good picture of anything!

Suppose that's all for now. I must get to cleaning the kitchen and then time for some yoga!

Love,
Angel