TechChix Thinks Aloud » food

why Raw food?

ainsley — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:44:28 +0000

People often ask me why I am working so hard to get myself on a Raw food lifestyle. There are so many, and at one point when I’ve been fully Raw long enough I will detail them here. But today, let me instead share with you just ONE of the many inspirational stories that have [...]

Why I Think Milk Sucks

ainsley — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:25:23 +0000

For sometime now, I have been limiting my intake of cow’s milk products – any kind of dairy from Milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc. But I am getting ahead of myself, let me tell you why.

Years and years (from about 10 years old to 22) I suffered from chronic sinus infections, and was constantly [...]

The World Affects What We Eat

ainsley — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 14:46:41 +0000

Recently I read Heidi’s post about the Moro East Cookbook, and I was very sad to read that these wonderful community gardens were destroyed because of the Olympics Committee decision. You can read the full article here. This is a classic example, in my opinion, of how the world is so blind to the importance [...]

Thanksgiving

ainsley — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:08:07 +0000

We made some terrific stuff for Thanksgiving, and I will be catching up over the next few days. One of my favorite dishes are the Raw Chocolate Cherry Almond Truffles…. phew! (they’re darn good)

Check out my post here for the recipe and pictures. More to come later on our gluten-free stuffing experiments.

Olives, a slight mishap

ainsley — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:00:10 +0000

Recently I’ve been making some terrific multigrain GF bread and enjoying sandwiches of all variety. Well I decided to incorporate green olives from the salad bar at my store. Now, I must allow that I seem to usually be alright with a food item as its advertised. If there are no glutenous ingredients listed, I [...]

A Broken Hip with Love

ainsley — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:21:06 +0000

The ever-joyful GFG Karina evidently hurt herself recently – which is too bad and I hope it doesn’t keep a her down for long. On a side note, I love the post linked here because I utterly agree with her about the “love” comments.

And yes, love ain’t neat and orderly… it’s messy. But loving the [...]

Staples in a GF Kitchen

ainsley — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 14:59:11 +0000

As my mother was recently reminded that she is Gluten-intolerant (and she has been ignoring it a bit), I recently got a chance to show her my kitchen staples and some “Do’s and Dont’s” of a gluten-intolerant kitchen. This was actually fun, because it reminded me how vigilant we need to be about what is [...]

Evolving

ainsley — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:20:51 +0000

Personally, I am going to continue posting any GF/soy-free recipes on here but the focus of this blog is going to change. I will be posting personal thoughts and other random things as well.

As an intriguing tease for you, I have lost 26 pounds so far eating about 70-80% raw and I feel terrific. You [...]

coconut oil

ainsley — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:33:17 +0000

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you all a newsletter I receive from BLI (Better Life Institute). On staff there is Dr. Chet, who creates these wonderful email newsletters filled with FACTS and medical studies and all sorts of powerful information. Particularly, my favorites would be the recent series he has been [...]

I Miss My blog!

ainsley — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:06:05 +0000

I have been a bit absent lately as my hubby and I embark on a new journey in our lives….. Raw food. Sounds weird, right? Having said that, I miss the process of cooking. REALLY miss it.

Cooking is so creative. It brings me such joy to bring a dish to fruition from my imagination [...]

We’ve Gone RAW

ainsley — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:02:53 +0000

Yes, that’s right. RAW. Hubby and I have been doing research and preparing for a new LIFESTYLE change. Courtesy of the lovely Raw Divas we are starting a 7-day Raw Detox this weekend, and then we will transition into a raw food lifestyle.

The only thing we are unsure about it whether we’ll be one [...]

Mint or Spearmint

ainsley — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:47:08 +0000

Mint is an often under-utilized herb, in my opinion. I say that because I am growing a pot (quite successfully) on my patio and I am up to my ears in the stuff.

A search of mint on epicurious.com, allrecipes.com, and foodnetwork.com reveal an array of garnish, mixed alcoholic drinks, ice cream, cold soups (yuck), dessert [...]

My Sweet Tooth, Me Not Bake and Other News

ainsley — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:33:12 +0000

I LOVE sweets. Seriously. It is a problem. My husband (who is the diabetic without a sweet tooth) says I have what he calls a sugar-addiction that will become a health problem later in life. He might be right. So in my own way I have been exploring healthier alternatives to satisfy a sweet tooth. [...]

Guacamole

ainsley — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:37:14 +0000

Here is a recipe I made last week for a gathering of friends and I made so much people had to take some home. So I am giving a pared down version for 3-4 people . No pictures but I can testify to the yumminess factor. If you prefer a chunky guacamole, this is not [...]

REVIEW: Bobs Mill GF Bread Mix

ainsley — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:28:38 +0000

Wow! I don’t like to gab on about breads but naturally all GF eaters seem to obsess about finding the perfect GF bread. There are many who claim to have the best recipe which inevitably contains all sorts of odd flours and starches. Ultimately I do not desire to keep all those odd items in [...]

REVIEW: Enjoy Life(TM) Snack Bars

ainsley — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:23:26 +0000

Sadly, you knew a less than flattering review had to be coming soon. In my quest for quick snacks that I can throw in my purse for those “whenever” moments that life can bring, I recently tried the Snacks Bars from Enjoy Life.

In a word – ugh. Dry, untasty, overly chewy, poorly flavored… All in [...]

REVIEW: Glutino GF Honey Nut Cereal

ainsley — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:10:28 +0000

Two words for you… WOO HOO!

Any of you who miss a certain honey nut flavored, round-shaped cereal from your childhood? ME!! This has become my new favorite breakfast, and admittedly it is sometimes dinner when I am out of time or energy.

The apple cinnamon is good as well, but I definitely favor the honey [...]

Meatballs a la Husband

ainsley — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:10:23 +0000

Finally I am ready to join the blogging for Karina with my own addition – care of my wonderful husband. I must say avoiding cow’s milk, goat’s milk, cheese, whey, casein, eggs, chicken, turkey, gluten, lemon, avocado, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, soybeans, pineapple, papaya, green beans and kidney beans is quite a challenge! In [...]

REVIEW: Glutino GF Breakfast Bars

ainsley — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:02:27 +0000

I am starting a new section of posts here where I will be reviewing various GF products on the market. And believe me, this is going to be uber-helpful to those of you who hate to waste money on products that taste like sawdust.

Pleasantly, this product does NOT taste like sawdust at all. The Glutino [...]

Spread the Word – Blogging for Karina

ainsley — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:14:07 +0000

Thanks for the great idea by fellow foodie Gluten Free by the Bay – and you should join in Blogging for Karina, our wonderful GFG!

I will be making a post soon of the email I send in for my own submissions, and I would be remiss if I didn’t promote her Google group which has [...]

Cold Spring Rolls

ainsley — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:06:45 +0000

I recently ran across some pictures of spring rolls in an asian cuisine magazine… which is a dangerous thing. My longtime affection for asian cuisine has been halted a bit since learning of my gluten intolerance just last year. This articles description made it seem so easy that I set about re-creating it for my [...]

In case you needed a reason…

ainsley — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:03:16 +0000

Husband and I have been doing some reading about health issues (specific to us) and how food affects that… I personally have decided I am making the hard commitment to go completely vegetarian. Originally, I did not come to that decision because I love animals or feel sorry for them. It was a purely intellectual [...]

Nothing is more wonderful

ainsley — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:28:55 +0000

updated on 06-19-2007

I do not believe there is anything more wonderful in this world than being in love with someone who so completely understands you and your wants or needs. My biggest blessing in life is to be married to a man that completes my heart, understands what each one of my expressions means, anticipates [...]

Vegetable Rice a la Husband

ainsley — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:06:08 +0000

My incredible husband kindly cooked dinner recently and really knocked my socks off with this deliciously simply dish. It is quite delicious and so easy for those of us who frequently need a fast meal. The intelligence of this dish is you could modify it with any vegetables that are handy in your crisper drawer. [...]

Travel Kit for GF Eating

ainsley — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:29:13 +0000

Fellow GF blogger Karina started a google group which fielded a terrific question recently. For those of you not privy to this group, I wanted to publish my answer because it never occurred to me to share it with you – my apologies!

The question was posed – how do I travel and eat GF when [...]

Corn Tortillas Italian Style

ainsley — Sun, 13 May 2007 22:42:43 +0000

One of my new favorite snacks is making corn tortillas in what I call “italian style”. I put 2 corn tortillas on a cookie sheet, spread a large spoonful of GF sauce on top and spread it out like a pizza – finally sprinkle with GF grated cheese.

Broil in (my) oven for 7 minutes until [...]

Yuca Experiments

ainsley — Sun, 06 May 2007 22:18:19 +0000

I really love yuca. It is such a versatile food and I cannot argue with the fact that my husband delights in my chips – in all their varieties. He bough me a HUGE yuca root at the store – picture one about 14 or more inches long. (dood, it was huge)

So I set about [...]

Five Bean Salad

ainsley — Sat, 05 May 2007 22:12:29 +0000

In search of a simple, nourishing dish that would not disrupt my stomach’s finally tuned balance – I stumbled across this at the grocery store. Or, to be more exact…. I was standing in the aisle near canned beans and an idea began to form in my head. Put simply, this is the easiest [...]

Unos Pizzeria GF?

ainsley — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:47:34 +0000

http://www.unos.com/kiosk/nutritionUnos.html

Thanks to Ellen over at I Am Gluten Free site (http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com/2007/04/gf-pizza-at-unos-chicago-grill.html) for posting this about all of us mobilizing to get Uno’s to offer GF pizza – since they already have GF options! (see link above)

We can do it!

Reply from Hebrew National and ConAgra Foods

ainsley — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:12:02 +0000

Who knew? See the email reply below about Hebrew National Dogs…

April 17, 2007

Dear Mrs. ****,

Your communication was most welcome. We do apologize for our delay in responding and appreciate you taking the time to contact us regarding our Hebrew National® Franks.

Hebrew National does not use any wheat gluten, rye or barley in any of [...]

Easter Dinner

ainsley — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:50:28 +0000

Long after Easter dinner and a whirlwind week of having guests over for several events – here I come to write about this beautiful meal I made for my family. If I may brag on myself it was both gourmet, nutritious, gluten-free (naturally) and full of wonderful, varied tastes. I had so many pictures [...]

Karina’s Yummy Cookies

ainsley — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 01:40:03 +0000

Special thanks to GF Goddess for this terrific recipe! I was looking for a GF cookie recipe that would end up perfect – and after having no luck converting some of my family’s traditional cookie recipes… I arrived at this little gem from Karina. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to convey the soft, [...]

Washington DC GF Restaurants

ainsley — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:15:42 +0000

Since my husband and I like to eat out upon occasion, I have compiled links to restaurants that we have in the Washington DC Metro area which are GF – or at least offer GF options. Click on each restaurant’s name below for a link to the GF menu on their websites.

Bonefish Grill – click [...]

Pop Culture is in the Know

ainsley — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:08:46 +0000

Whew. Having come off a vicious Virus and simultaneous stomach flu which kept me at home in agony for a week – I am now in recovery mode and starting to feel better at the end of week 2. AND anxious to blog.

I’ll start with a link to the youtube video of The View talking [...]

My Voice is My Own

ainsley — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:45:08 +0000

Having neglected my blog lately I feel the need to explain that I have been incredibly busy and have not felt the energy to do … one…. more… thing….But I have started to feel like I am getting back into the swing of things and am dealing with all my responsibilities in a more balanced [...]

Saturday Breakfast

ainsley — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 16:26:03 +0000

Having been a bit under the weather for the past 2 days, I woke up this morning to a beautiful sun shining in my window and thought…. I do not feel like eating a single thing. But, I know that I must – otherwise I get crankier than I already am. So I pull on [...]

Sun Dried Tomato Part 1

ainsley — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:42:35 +0000

It is no secret that my eating patterns are dictated by my cravings for a certain taste or food. My current one is sun-dried tomatoes – whose versatility is a bit amazing. Amuse bouche, appetizer, entree, salad or snack. Endless concoctions are possible so I am going to explore!

Since pasta (rice, of course) is such [...]

Hazels Banana Bread

ainsley — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:46:11 +0000

My grandmother used to make this phenomenal banana bread that was right out of her southern heritage. Adapting this for GF has been a challenge and I have gone thru several variations with horrible outcomes. (not even worth recording here) But this last one turned out pretty good for GF bread. Muffins were, obviously, [...]

GF Pancakes

ainsley — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 14:14:18 +0000

I have finally succumbed to the truth that breakfast is a very important part of a persons day. It starts your morning (and your metabolism) on the right note for a good day. Selfishly, it also means I get to experiment on my husband taste palette which is definitely more refined than mine. (I smoked [...]

Rice Noodles w Kielbasa and Feta

ainsley — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 23:04:07 +0000

In my craving for something salty and nourishing I found myself picking thru cupboards in my kitchen. Sometimes my concoctions are incredible and highly creative, others represent a need to nourish and not entertain my palette. In an unusual twist I did both with this dish, but I definitely will not be winning any awards [...]

Inspired Butter

ainsley — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 10:02:00 +0000

Inspired by a recent post from Heidi, I immediately set about using her creativity for my own ends. Now, you must understand that my mother cooks these excellent baby red potatoes and then sautees them in a pan for browning – along with rosemary. My own version includes onions (as I usually love them in [...]

Bread and Cookies

ainsley — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 10:13:52 +0000

My wonderful hubby got me a new mixer recently and I am so excited that I can now start to make my GF (gluten-free) breads, cookies and other things. I truly have been frustrated and aggravated by the lack of options available but perhaps it is because this is still new to me and I am [...]

Gluten Free is me

ainsley — Fri, 26 May 2006 00:18:33 +0000

Recently I discovered I was gluten-intolerant (Celiac disease) and it has definitely been a frustrating process. Much of that is due to my resistance to changing my currently gluten-full but delicious and easy to make food habits. So this has truly been a period in my life where I am learning to educate myself about what makes [...]