Pizza Night!

 My husband and I have always enjoyed pizza, I mean who doesn't? However; when you cannot eat gluten enjoying pizza can be a bit tricky. You can make your own and one of my favorite pizza's to make is portabella mushroom pizzas, so yummy! (stayed tuned for recipe) There are some great places like Flatbreads that offer a gluten free pizza dough, and it delicious! Although I do enjoy getting pizza out and making my own, part of my love for pizza is when I do not feel like cooking I love to indulge in some frozen, throw it in the oven pizza!  But what is a girl to do when she does not eat gluten? Easy, your local grocery store has a bunch of options! One of my favorites is Amy's Organics and I just found out they make one of my favorites gluten free! Very exciting news! Hope to find it in stores soon.

Another favorite mine is from the Better Bread Company which is a company from Maine! My husband was at a health food store when they were having gluten free pizza taste tasting! (can't believe I wasn't there!) He said that their pizza was by far the best he had tasted, so he brought one home and my dinner plans for the night were passed onto the next night.  We cooked the pizza and DAMN it was good! The crust was delicious! My favorite is their roasted garlic and artichoke pizza!


http://www.betterbreadcompany.com/
 

So the next time you have a craving for pizza don't fret! There are lots of options available!

What is your favorite pizza topping? Honestly I cannot choose just one, I like it all!

Peace, Love and Pizza!
                              Ashley

Transitioning

So here in Maine it is the end of March and 20 degrees! The days are getting longer and they also seem to be getting colder! I am trying to be patient but come on winter, it was nice for a while but its time for you to go now! Alright well I am done complaining ....for now, but if it snows again there may be more complaints! Anyone else tired of shoveling?

Some hope! come on tulips!

Moving on....I titled this blog transitioning because that is what my husband and I are currently doing.  He is transiting to a new job (one that will hopefully acknowledge his worth) and he is also transiting into quite the craftsman.  He has always been a creative person but lately he is really developing his creativity in different ways.  I love watching what he comes up with, for one he is a fantastic landscape designer!  If anyone wants to have a design drawn up of your yard then he is the person to call, and I am not just saying that because he is my husband (or maybe I am ;-).  He also started blogging about plants, you can read his blog Here.  Another thing he has been doing lately is becoming quite the woodworker!  He makes earring holder frames, boxes and painting frames (which works out well for a family of artists!).  When you have been with someone for 10 years it is exciting to see the changes and the transitions you go through as a couple and separately :-)

Box with coasters, with drift wood handle!

some of last summers harvest!

My transitions, well you all know what they are if you read this blog.  I feel like I am one big transition lately.  I am letting things happen and holding on for dear life!  One thing I am doing is transitioning our diet from our winter staples of root vegetables to more summer vegetables. I like to eat what is locally growing but sometimes you just need to feed your cravings!  Last summer we had an abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, among other wonderful veggies and when winter approached I was ready for some warming root veggies, however, now that spring is here (sort of) I am craving those wonderful summer veggies once again.  A couple weekends ago I made a rice dish that has some root vegetables (local) and some beautiful summer vegetables (not so local).

My transitioning meal palette included; adapted from one of my favorite recipes here

1 cup Brown Rice                                   
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 yellow onion,diced
1 Zucchini,diced
2 heads of brocolli
3 carrots, diced
1 turnip,diced
1 parsnip,diced
1 can diced tomatoes2 tsp Thai curry paste
2 tbps pumpkin seeds
1 egg


I cooked my brown rice in my rice cooker, while I cooked the vegetables.  Heat pan with coconut oil, then add onion, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, turnip, and parsnip.  Let them cook on medium heat till onion is translucent and vegetables are the way you like (I like a little crunch).  Add tomatoes and stir in red curry paste (can add more if you like it spicy).  then add pumpkin seeds and your egg.  I just crack the egg straight into the pan and then stir till cooked.  This makes around 4-6 servings ( if you don't go back for seconds) I froze leftovers to have for the following week.  Tastes great the second time around too!

How are you transitioning into spring? or in your life?

Spring wreath I made! Come on Spring!

Peace, Love and Spring into transitions!
                                                    Ashley

Feeling blue? Cook with Orange!

Things in my life have been nothing short of stressful lately.  There are many things that I do to fight stress including yoga, walking my dog and my favorite....COOKING!  When I plan my meals my palette always has some green in it.  However; when fighting off the blues the other night, I was inspired by orange.  Orange is such an uplifting color and I needed something uplifting!  So I grabbed all the orange items I could find from my pantry and fridge and went to work building my palette for that nights dinner!

My palette included:

1 cup millet
2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup water

1/2 can organic black beans
2 tbsp coconut oil 
1 medium onion, sliced
3 medium carrots
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp ginger
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot put in millet, sweet potatoes, water, coconut milk, Bring to a boil.  Once boiling cover pot and simmer for 25 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute onion and carrots in coconut oil then add corn (I used organic frozen corn), once onions and carrots are soft add black beans and spices then turn on low.

When your timer for the millet goes off open your lid to a beautiful orange surprise! Mash the sweet potato with the millet then add your remaining ingredients and stir together. 

 
Grab a bowl and devour your orange meal, it feels good going down and perhaps will lift away your blues ;-)  Another mood lifter to this meal is that it makes a bunch, so I froze half and then had it the following week when I wasn't feeling the cooking love, so hey it served its mood lifting purpose twice!













Is cooking a stress reliever for you? What colors make you happy?

Peace, Love and Enjoy the colors of your food!
                                                                Ashley

Some raw honesty...

My fellow men readers if you do not care to know about this woman's issue with her period then may I suggest finding a more appropriate blog....and if you want to know then read on! :-)

Since starting this new journey I decided I needed a new gynecologist. I have been going to the same one for 3 years now and have unfortunately found her no help except to tell me that I had a good pap.  Really and excuse my frankness here but I felt like just another vagina.  She gave me drugs to start my period  when I was irregular and told me to go to a fertility specialist if I wanted a baby.  Well thanks Doc, but no thanks! 

Here I am today after A LOT of digging and pondering I have found a wonderful doctor! I am seeing a midwife! The moment I shook her hand I new it was a good match. The first thing she asked me was about my diet.  I almost fell over.  I have never had a doctor ask me about my diet before.  She also suggested things that have never been suggested to me before, such as doing acupuncture.  She told me my diet is on the right track(including getting off gluten) but I should cut down on sugar.  (UGH!)  She asked me to keep a food diary so she can see what I am eating.  A lot of what she was telling me, I was already doing , so yay! big pat on the back for me!

I saw this doctor last month and at this time I had missed a month of menstruating.  She wanted to do blood tests to check my hormone levels (among other things) but I need to menstruate first.  She gave me a prescription for progesterone.  I was very skeptical of taking a synthetic hormone but yet if you have ever missed a period and get all the symptoms, getting your period is what you want the most.  I resisted the urge to get the drug and just waited....and waited....and waited.....

I am seeing my doctor on April 23 and need to have the results by then so I started to get anxious.  I decided to fill out the prescription.  I took it to the drug store and when I went to pick it up the lady said, "OK that will be 30 dollars"  HOLD UP DID YOU SAY 30 DOLLARS!  Yeah so I was already uneasy about putting this drug into my body and they want me to pay 30 bucks, I mean I could wake up the next day and get my period on my own...so I bid the pharmacist adieu and waited some more.

I have always gotten my period on the full moon (as do a lot of woman), so when I came home after leaving the pharmacy I looked up when the next full moon was.  Mid March was the next full moon. "OK" I told myself, "You will get it then of course!" but the full moon came and it didn't come! AHHH  but wait I have all the symptoms, sore breasts, tired, and waiting to drop kick my husband for breathing ( sweetie I love you very much its the hormones fault!), YUP should be coming.  Tonight ladies and maybe gentleman readers I GOT IT! WAAHOO! Now for those of you that are either men or have never been irregular you might be thinking, "you crazy woman you actually want to bleed!"  YES I DO, I need to bleed.  If I do not bleed, I do not ovulate and then I do not create life.  So HELLS YEAH I DO!  So Step 1 complete and without the medication thank you very much :-)  So with lots of believe in my body to do it on its own it did! Not to shabby body of mine :-)

One thing that I believed helped me a lot was tracking myself in a "moon journal" by doing this I will be able to notice the effects that my cycle has on me and track when I am getting my period and when I am not.  I am tuning into my body instead of tuning it out.  I also started taking Chaste Tree Berry again as well as fish oil (omega 3)...After a week of taking these my cycle started, coincidence, could very well be!


As a side note, my lovely sister is pregnant for the third time.  When first hearing the news I wanted to jump off a bridge, how could it be that my sister who is only 17months younger than me, be so fertile?!! and then there's me who cannot even menstruate.  Well needless to say that night I was very depressed. I decided it was OK to be for one night but the next day I would wake up and feel excited that I was going to be an auntie again to what is going to be the most beautiful child. (seriously my sister and her husband make amazing beautiful babies!)  I wallowed in self pity and then I awoke the next day just as I planned, so excited for the baby to come!  I really believe my time will come and it just isn't time for me yet.  So even though I was sad it wasn't my turn, it just isn't in my cards right now and I am OK with that.  So little sis if you are reading this I am so happy for you! and I hope you get the little girl you want ;-) I love you very much and I cannot wait to be an aunt again!

Does it get much cuter?

Alright that is all for now, I have just finished some mint dark chocolate (gluten free of course), so much for less sugar tonight! but hey a girl has to celebrate right? I worked hard to bleed dammit! :-)

Do you have irregular cycles? Or are you trying to get pregnant and hitting a wall?


Peace, Love and Cycle on!
                                  Ashley

Ashley's Gluten Free Palette

I have been looking at my blog title Life Without Gluten and it has been bothering me. Life Without Gluten to me seems like I am missing something, my life without. Let me tell you I do not feel this way! I feel like my life without gluten is a positive thing in so many ways and has led me down a path of wellness with understanding of how my body functions.

I originally was going to write a blog about my vegan adventures and name it The Vegan Palette a play on my love for veganism and my love for art. However; not being vegan anymore due to my digestive issues (will explain in greater detail when I am ready)and finding out that I can no longer tolerate gluten led me to Life Without Gluten. Anyway...I have decided to change my blog name to Ashley's Gluten Free Palette. Whatcha think? I feel it sounds more like a positive spin on not being able to eat gluten.

Some of the items on my gluten free palette!

I am hoping that in writing this blog I can share my journey with others and provide support for those who are suffering from digestive and/or fertility issues. I would love to hear what kinds of things people are struggling with, i.e trying a gluten free diet or facing infertility. Maybe we have something in common. I am not an expert and will not tell you how you should eat but I will tell you what is working for me and suggest you play around with your current diet if you are not feeling up to par.

Here is some blogs (they also have fabulous recipes!) that I enjoy reading and have found incredibly helpful;

http://voraciouseats.com

http://www.nourishingdays.com

http://frankgiglio.net/wordpress/blog

http://supergojigirl.com/wordpress

http://cleaneatingchelsey.com

for fabulous raw desserts you have to check out;

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com

This site has great tips on how to keep your mind healthy!

http://crazysexylife.com/

On a side note, those of you who follow my blog know that I am dropping out (I feel like a rebel!) of graduate school. I have one more week and then I am done! I am so excited to start the next chapter of my journey. I continue to be enlightened by new information everyday. Alright well I will leave you with that for now! It is a beautiful day out there today 40's in Maine and the birds are chirping! So I bid you adieu, and I hope you like my new title ;-)

Peace, Love and Eat Well,
Ashley