Eating Alternatively

Joey: It's like how Monica feels about low-fat Mayonnaise...

Monica (stuffing food in her mouth): It's NOT Mayonnaise!

Season 6, The one that could have been

Eating a gluten free, dairy minimal, alternative sugar diet requires some seemlingly drastic substitutions and brain re-wiring. And while the goal is a healthy body, its hard not to feel like you are missing out in the interim. One thing Matt and I both have tried to do is NOT lie to ourselves. Let me explain... When I pour myself a bowl of gluten free frosted flakes and then dowse it with almond milk, I dont sit down and repeat over and over in my head: Its Kelloggs with real milk...its Kelloggs with real milk. And then try to enjoy it. Rather, I let myself enjoy it for what it is: Organic gluten free frosted flakes with nothing artificial, with 5 Calories from fat per serving (neither trans nor saturated), served with Organic Almond milk.

Suddenly, I'm not missing out on Tony's Cavity Flakes and fatty lactose...I'm reveling in just how good heathly eating can taste!

Yes, rice pasta is heavy, almond flour doesn't rise and puff, almond mik has pulp (ew), I miss pizza, and Mary's Gone Crackers brand of...well...crackers...are a little like chewing tree bark (savory tree bark, but still). And yet, it is lovely to finish a meal - after having guilt free seconds - and feel fueled up to be productive and alert rather than need to slug around on the couch all evening. I don't need food to get me to do that, it comes natural...its organic.

Here are some of our gluten free finds that have been surprisingly good:
~ EnviroKidz Cereal! YA! Good-gluten-free-morning! Matt's favorite are the Leapin' Lemurs peanut butter and chocolate balls. Mine are the Amazon Frosted Flakes. There is also Gorilla Munch, Koala Crisp, and Peanut Butter Panda Puffs. This company also has crispy bars and animal crackers that we have not yet tried.
~ Mary's Gone Crackers. Brown Rice, Quinoa, Flax seeds, Sesame seeds, water, Tamari, and sea salt somehow smashed together and presented in thin little cracker form. Remember when you were a kid and your mom would buy those whole wheat crackers with little seeds all over them rather than buying Ritz? These are like those...with a vengeance.
~ Pacific Natural Foods Almond milk. We like this brand better than Almond Breeze, and we have been using it rather than Almond Breeze for so long that I have forgotten why. I think its less pulpy. You can use it in place of milk in, well, all the recipes I've tried...
~ Annie's Gluten Free Bunny Grahms. Awww, they are cute little bunnies! Now I am going to eat them.

Thats all for now. Go find some on your own and tell me about them!