It looks like gluten-free/dairy free/refined sugar free can now add a 4th. I will now be going fully grain free as well. It was a goal I had set, but today my doctor let me know I have to do so to help some of the health stuff going on lately with my gut. So, I guess that's that. haha. I adore eating healthy, I really do. I love inspiring those around me to make good choices, but sometimes its hard to let go of something that I once thought was alright as long as it was organic brown rice, or rice protein used in different foods that gave me a larger array of things to eat. But, alas. we believe I still have some candida issues going on so what do you do? 

I can decide what to do with this. And I decide that I will get more creative in the kitchen. That I will embrace the foods that heal, and I will provide my body with nourishment and nurturing love. I will once again clean out the pantry, pray to God for guidance, and hold on to Mr. Charming's hand as he guides me towards my veggies when I'm having a grain or sugar craving that makes me go looking for a hidden stash of dark chocolate or a rice bowl. 

I'm only human.

So, I will be slowly pulling the grain recipes from the recipe pages, and incorporating more raw and veggie based recipes that are still super yummy. Because this foodie is still striving to find variety and flavor in all the dishes she shares with you! I thank you all for going on this health journey with me. I'm much healthier than I was two years ago, but still have a ways to go. It's been scary, and inspiring, fun and challenging. Hard and healthier all at the same time. 

There is a reason for this season and I'm going to embrace it as I sit by my decorated Christmas tree, with my mug of dairy-free cocoa and cinnamon roasted nuts and toast to this blessed life I get to call my own.

Have a happy Thanksgiving you all. For the next two days I will be sharing some yummy ideas for your Gluten, Dairy and Grain-Free table. I hope you enjoy! 

It's officially September, which means Back to School! When you throw school schedules in with work schedules, time is stretched to the max and students and families are shuffling to get out the door in the mornings - which tends to mean poor choices in meals, excercise and general care for your overall well being. With the Top 10 Quick Breakfast post being such a hit, I thought I would compose two more lists. 

10 Easy Lunches For The College Student - Mr. Charming works a full time job and goes to school at night, so I like to make sure we have healthful choices at home that he can take with him to keep him full & focused throughout his day. We've made a personal choice to never grab fast food or conveinece item that has ingredients that are foreign to us, so it's important, when making this choice to have something on you so you don't go hungry. Click here to see the list. 

The second list is for the Granola Mommies out there.

10 Easy Lunches for the Littles - With school comes the added worry of your childs nutrition. Especially for children with food allergies or sensitivies, its crucial that you pack your childs lunch so you know exactly what they are eating. Click here to see the list. 

My day started off like this. And all credit must go to Trader Joes for their new gluten & dairy free pancakes. I make 95% of my food fresh, cooking it myself, but sometimes on busy work mornings such as today a frozen pancake with minimal ingredients was a-ok to me. I sprinkled them with fresh, organic blueberries and I got organic, all natural chicken and maple sausage to go along with. Mmmm!

I must say I felt very balanced & accomplished today. I give all the praise to my heavenly father for that one because lately I've felt a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with two jobs, the house and relationships. Today I managed to:

• work a full shift at the studio, secure a concert with Nike and blog!
• fully cleaned my office and kitchen. I'm talking top to bottom, cupboards, stove, microwave, the works.
• Prepared breakfast, and a healthy balanced dinner for Mr. Charming.
• AND I found out a song of mine got placed on MTV2 on a show called "Guy Code"

I usually don't toot my own horn, but since I've wanted to spend a lot of this month in bed (partly due to my current ear infection and earlier this month due to hormonal and food issues) I have to give praise and thanks for super productive days. Especially since I'm currently trying to be more intentional on being a Proverbs 31 wifey and woman to those around me. Energy definitely comes in handy for that! So.. on to those new recipes! I posted a ton of new recipes this weekend with even more to come. The latest additions are all gluten & dairy-free with additional notations made on each recipe. If you have any dietary restriction recipe requests, let me know! Without further adieu.. bon appetite!

• Chocolate Granola
• Egg & Veggie Scramble
• Bacon Wrapped Eggs with Sweet Potato Hash
• BLTA Wraps
• Grilled Cabbage & Bacon
• Pesto & Tomato Spaghetti Squash
• Zucchini Pasta 

This week has definitely had its fair share of ups & downs. It mentally exhausted me. I cried a lot. Tried not to worry too much. Spent time with family and let my soul laugh and rejuvenate  I got to spend some much needed one on one time with my husband. And I wrote and worked, a lot. In a nutshell I went in for some tests, that looked as if they may be worse than they were, however, my Dr. is amazing and wanted to be thorough. So I am alright kiddos, however, I have been feeling sicker lately. A mix of hormonal stuff and I think grains were getting the best of me and I am on a mission to be grain free by Christmas. And a long term goal to control my candida. 


And this goal has really been a challenge for me. Because I like rice with stuff in moderation. I gave up gluten, dairy and corn cold turkey. Didn't look back, even though I still dream about cheese sometimes, but for some reason letting go of rice and sugar (even in the healthy, organic honey kind of way I consume it) hasn't been as cut and dry.


But my candida hasn't cleared and I know that it poses a real health danger. Fungi can lead to all kinds of worse health problems like my little scare this week so I want to do everything in my power to put the healthier fuel in my body, the fuel that God created for me to consume, that my body can handle. This week when I had a crazy chocolate craving I sat down and ate this. A big bowl of spinach, smothered in apple cider vinegar. I can't let it win. 

So, this week I am planning to attempt to create "rice" out of cauliflower to serve as a side dish. I will let you know how it goes, Mr. Charming isn't a cauliflower fan so I shall attempt to make it as "ricey" as possible with sea salt and a little coconut oil. A happy moment highlight, I spent the weekend at my sisters house and my picky-with-food two year old niece loved my lasagna and it made my heart happy! Wishing you all health, healing, love & happiness. Take it one day at a time. The great ones make it all worth it. 

So, my good friend Karly (and mother of our adorable Godson, Elijah, seriously how cute is this kid??) requested that I come up with a list of quick breakfast ideas for a working mom on the go who has a toddler. 

January 2013

Jordan and Steven over at SCDLifestyle.tv have some great advice and videos on how the Specific Carb Diet or SCD diet can help people. This video was interesting as I have been diagnosed with Leaky Gut and like to do as much research on that matter as I can as my Naturopath is helping me to heal.

How Vitamin D and Leaky Gut go hand in hand
http://scdlifestyle.tv/3-reasons-why-vitamin-d-deficiency-could-be-making-you-sicker/