a day in the life of a gluten-free vegetarian

a friend of mine requested that i post what i eat since she was wondering what i was subsisting upon after announcing i was "going gluten-free" about a month ago.  since i was already a vegetarian, i was used to cooking lots and lots of veggies, but going gluten-free took that to a whole new level!

breakfast - almond meal hot cereal with ground flaxseeds (prepared with almond milk) and topped with cherries and peanut butter

lunch - 1/2 avocado topped with goat cheese, sauteed onions and tomatoes

snack - carrots "chips" (i.e. carrots sauteed briefly with olive oil and curry) and hummus

dinner - eggplant lasagna (all veggies -- no gluten-free pasta here!) and a glass of red wine : )

after dinner - decaf tea with half and half

so, that's what a day of meals looks like for a gluten-free vegetarian : ) yummy!

my perfect weekend menu

friday night dinner:


mashed sweet potatoes with spinach & goat cheese

saturday night happy hour:


champagne cosmopolitan cocktail - my two favorite drinks combined!!!

saturday night dinner:

the yoga pot - delicious combo of lentils, zucchini & ginger.  yum!

sunday morning brunch:

blackberry-lemon coffee cake

hope you have a delicious weekend!

recipe for a looong weekend

friday evening

• happy hour at bobby’s (more bobby's fun here)
• sushi at 86 west

saturday morning

• vinyasa yoga class

saturday afternoon

• visits to garden centers to gather veggies to plant in garden

• then once back at home plant lettuce, tomatoes, peppers & zucchini.  some of our garden is in the shade so I was on the hunt for vegetables that do well in partial shade – lettuce being one of them.  other semi-shade-tolerate veggies?  beans, peas, root veggies like potatoes and carrots, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach and herbs.

saturday evening

• fire up the grill (steak for craig, veggies for me)
• grill-top veggie packets: cube potatoes, red bell peppers and any other veggies you like.  (i added green onion and whole garlic cloves to ours.)  sprinkle with salt & pepper.  season with fresh herbs & spices.  drizzle with olive oil.  place in a foil packet.  cook over medium heat on covered grill for 20-30 min or until potatoes are tender.  

olive & craig

• craig set up a table and chairs in our back yard and we enjoyed dinner al fresco while olive played in the yard.  simply fabulous.

sunday morning

• walk in doylestown with olive.  even at 9am it was HOT!

• back home for breakfast and to get ready to head over to my parents' for memorial day weekend fun

sunday afternoon

• chillin’ outside and visiting with family while olive played with her buddies, colby & duncan

sunday evening

• meet with cate & chad for drinks in lambertville (they’re just 3 weeks from their wedding so there was a lot of excitement in the air)
• if you find yourself in lambertville, nj and go to libations for drinks, order a “tight dress” – a delicious vodka & champagne cocktail

monday morning

• low key morning – prepped some sides for our memorial day dinner

• quinoa with sautéed red onions, mushrooms & fresh thyme
• red cabbage & carrot slaw with sesame dressing

 monday afternoon

• head over to erin & brian’s for lunch and swimming (and delicious drinks)

• spiked arnold palmer: 1 shot sweet tea vodka over ice, topped with lemonade.  they were honestly a little too good.

monday evening

• back to mom & dad’s for casual outdoor dinner
• homemade turkey burgers with mom’s basil & pinenut pesto
• two salads – quinoa and slaw (that hannah and i made earlier)
• fresh greens (from our garden)
• sweet cherries

lovely long weekend.  how was your weekend?

butter, sugar & love

part of our pre-christmas prepping always includes a day...or two...or three of baking.  each year, me, my sis and my mom set aside a day to gather in the kitchen and bake up a storm.  this year we're planning our bake-a-thon for next friday.  with my baking day on the horizon, i thought i'd share a recipe that we make year after year (and always get lots and lots of compliments on).  these amazingly delicious cookies come straight from scotland and have been enjoyed by my family for generations : )  i hope you enjoy them too!

our holiday dessert table

authentic scottish shortbread cookies

1 pound butter (4 sticks)
1 egg
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. add sugar to room temperature butter and knead with hands.

2. add beaten egg and salt.

3. add flour gradually, continuing to knead dough with hands.

4. roll dough to ½ inch thickness and place on a cookie sheet with a lip.

5. cut dough into rectangular cookies (¾ inch by 2 inches). for a decorative touch, score each cookie 3 times with the tines of a fork, leaving 9 dots on the face of each cookie.

6. bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake for 1 hour or until lightly golden brown.

7. while cookies are still warm, cut again along same grid lines. allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

(the baking tray we use has lots of score marks in it from all the years of making these cookies.  i just love that.)

credit {here}

happy holiday (cookies)!

sinfully sweet tooth

reeses!  yum!

what is it about this time of year?  generally, i'm a very healthy person.  i work out 5 days a week (and enjoy it most of the time).  i eat healthy food because i like it and it makes me feel good (inside and out).  but then fall weather arrives and with it comes pumpkin muffins, halloween candy and spicy chai lattes.  and my healthy aspirations seem harder (and harder) to stick to...

i <3 halloween munchkins too!

all i want to do is bake oatmeal raisin cookies, drink hot chocolate, purchase (and consume) reeses and go apple-picking (and make apple pies, crumbles and coffee cakes...and then eat them...)  i feel like i could literally subsist on sugar, spice & everything nice this time of year.

baking apple pie : )

there must be something in the air that arrives with falling leaves, early dusk and crisp breezes.  something that makes my sweet tooth come alive with ravenous force.  luckily, i can (usually) control my voraciousness just long enough to get me through to the next celebration or holiday (or weekend).


pumpkin muffins

oh, pumpkin muffins, how i love thee (and thanks to han, i have a dozen of you in the fridge : )  ok, i can't resist.  i'm going to get a pumpkin muffin now and some tea too...


what's your favorite fall indulgence?

the ties that bind

family is always greater than the sum of its parts. (or at least my family is...) unique individuals acting as one united front. collective memories. shared traditions. happy times. sad times. always with food, love, laughs and a lot of hugs. these are the ties that bind...

learning family history from aunt marilyn on st. patty's day

aunt marilyn's pineapple bread pudding (a.k.a. 1950s here we come!)

1 1/2 cups softened butter (you know it's going to be good when you start with that much butter : )
3 cups sugar
dozen eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/4 cups crushed pineapple, drained well
2 1/4 cups mandarin orange slices, drained well & cut up
15 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes

cream butter & sugar. add eggs. pour in pineapple, oranges & bread cubes. mix gently & pour into a greased 9" by 13" (or larger) casserole dish.

bake uncovered at 350 for 50-60min.

enjoy with family : )