Since most oats are cross-contaminated with gluten due to the manufacturing process, I thought I’d try some brown rice porridge for the first time this morning.

All I did was heat a portion of brown rice (cooked earlier in the week in my rice cooker) in the microwave. Then I topped it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, raisins, sliced banana, lots of cinnamon and a spoonful of The Bee’s Knees peanut butter.

I was a little hesitant about having brown rice as an oatmeal replacement, but I must admit, it was very good! I can absolutely see this becoming a regular breakfast, especially during these colder months.

Something else I’m loving on these cold days? My microwavable heating pad! My mom bought this for me a few years ago, and I have no idea where she got it. It’s like an aromatherapy heating pad that you just stick in the microwave for a few minutes and it smells like lavender. I love it – makes me think of a heated massage table in a fancy spa. Anyway, I bring this up because I hurt my back several days ago (nothing major, but bad enough for a doctor visit and time off work) and have since spent A LOT of time hanging out with my heating pad. 

I’ve also been spending some quality time with my friends vicodin and flexeril, who are calling me to bed right now…

Nighty night!

My mom bought it for me as a Christmas gift and it has been a great timesaver!

Since going gluten-free, I’ve been preparing large batches of grains to have on hand throughout the week. This not only saves me a lot of money (gluten-free breads and prepared foods are not cheap!) but it also helps me stay on track with my diet. For lunch most days, I’ll make a simple salad with some sort of lean protein (usually leftovers chicken or fish from the night before) and a serving of brown rice mixed in. It’s healthy, satisfying, and takes only a few minutes to prepare.

I’d like to keep experimenting with some different grains, like maybe quinoa for breakfast instead of oatmeal? I’ve also been wanting to try rice as porridge for breakfast with warm almond milk and dried fruit – just haven’t done it yet.

I’d love to know if you have any ideas or tips on using a rice cooker. It’s such a simple appliance but it has already made maintaining my gluten-free lifestyle so much easier!

Here are some of the foods that really made my gluten-free Christmas menu special:

Peas and Thank You Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

The Pioneer Woman Perfect Potatoes au Gratin (I just subbed Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour to make it “safe”)

Chantal’s New York Cheesecake from allrecipes with an almond crust adapted from this Baking and Books recipe

In addition to preparing my own foods to guarantee they were gluten-free, I also did some research to make sure the prepared foods I purchased were safe for people with celiac disease. For example, I checked with the Wegmans store staff and website to ensure the ham and pre-marinated meats we purchased were gluten-free. I also stuck to Wegmans store brand broths because they clearly mark all of their items with a “G” to indicate they are gluten-free. I’ve always loved Wegmans, and my appreciation for the store has only grown since my celiac diagnosis.

So my first gluten-free Christmas was a success! Now, let’s see how New Year’s Eve goes…

Until next time!

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. Thanks for hanging in there with me as I try to figure out the direction I’d like to take with this blog. I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life and blogging just hasn’t been my main focus. Don’t worry – nothing bad has happened! I’ve just been busy with moving, work deadlines, friends, vacations… You know, life.

The thing is, I’d really like to get my blogging mojo back! Work has (finally!) slowed down a little, and I’m ready to put some love back into On the Threshold of Greatness. If there’s anything specific you’d like to see here, let me know! I hope to share more about my weight-loss struggles, celiac disease, gluten-free dining, and general shallow musings.

Today, I’d like to share a great gluten-free recipe source with you – The Clean Program! I first heard about Clean when Gwyneth Paltrow featured it on Goop a while back. While I’ve never followed the plan exactly (nor do I plan to any time soon), I did buy the book a few months ago, and I bookmarked several of the Clean Program recipes and videos online. Now that I’m on a strict gluten-free diet, I find myself turning to these Clean recipes on a regular basis. I know they’re consistently healthy, delicious, and easy to make. I encourage you to check out some of the recipes, whether you’re on a gluten-free diet or not.

A good place to start is the new Holiday Catalog and Recipe Guide! While most of the recipes look fabulous, I’ve especially got my eyes on the Spiced + Roasted Chickpeas and Pumpkin Gingerbread.

For more general recipes, check out the Clean Program website.

Or, if you have any of your own recipes or experiences with Clean to share, let me know!

Until next time!

I got a free bag of potato chips with a Wegman’s coupon, frozen french fries, and some Edy’s chocolate ice cream. I didn’t go too crazy, but I really wanted some “comfort” food. It’s not easy to completely overhaul your diet in one day! Girlfriend needs a hug… Or a cheeseburger.

Behold last night’s dinner: Sunshine burger on Van’s GF waffles with garlic & herb laughing cow cheese, grain mustard and ketchup. Plus, a lovely serving of oven-baked fries.

Suck it, celiac disease.

Beans and vegetables, I’ll be right back at ya tonight!

Here are my goals for the month of October: 

1. Give up the gluten. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease, changing my diet (permanently, yikes!) has been in the front of my mind. I’ve been successful at saying no to the obvious gluten in breads, pastas, pastries, but my focus now is to find out where else gluten may be hiding. I need to eliminate it entirely from my diet, so I will be working on educating myself on celiac disease and the less-obvious sources of gluten.
2. Focus on meditation/setting my intention each morning for at least 5 minutes. I used to do this and I want to bring it back! I truly think starting the day with a positive mindset makes a difference in how the rest of the day goes.
3. Focus on meditation/gratitude for at least 5 minutes before bed each night. Similar to #2 above, I believe having the proper mindset before drifting off to sleep is important.
4. Move for 30 minutes each day. I have not been exercising regularly for the past several months. My goal for October is to just move, whether it’s a walk or a legit workout, for 30 minutes each day. This shouldn’t be too difficult now that the weather’s cooler because Rocky will want to go on longer walks. Poor dog hates summer!
5. Keep journaling my food and exercise on My Fitness Pal.

When the nurse called with my results a few days ago, I knew something was wrong. I figured it would be something like low Vitamin D levels, iron deficiency, etc. I wasn’t expecting her to say my celiac disease panel came back positive!      I now have a referral to a gastroenterologist (NOT excited about having a tube down my throat!), as well as instructions to stop eating gluten. Giving up gluten seems to be the new diet trend, and I guess I’m joining in… But please, give me real cheese with my gluten free pizza, okay? This is not going to be easy. As much as I dread saying goodbye to cookies and crusty bread, I’m looking forward to feeling  well again.

Since this is all very new to me, I’d  like any recommendations or tips you may have on going gluten-free. HELP!

While I was at my mom’s last night, she gave me some fresh produce that her neighbor picked up at the farmer’s market. This neighbor is awesome and always gives my mom a few things when she goes to the market. If I time my visits right, this means I usually end up with some of the extras my mom doesn’t think she’ll eat before they go bad. Score! Today, I took full advantage of my free produce!

Breakfast: Vanilla Cinch powder blended with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and a fresh (from mom!) peach that I cut up and froze last night

This is no new, earth-shattering tip, but using frozen fruit instead of ice + fresh fruit really makes a difference in the texture of smoothies! Using frozen fruit will result in a much creamier, less icy consistency. But you probably already knew that.  

Lunch: Leftover slow cooker black beans heated with some millet, then topped with extra-sharp cheddar, fresh tomato (from mom!) and avocado

I enjoyed my lunch while watching The Doctors. I don’t watch this show often because I’m usually at work when it airs, but I’m trying to decide if I like Jillian Michaels on it. I normally like her but think she may be a little too abrasive for this show. I’ll have to see a few more episodes before I decide for sure. Oooh… On a similar note, I’m watching The Biggest Loser right now and wouldn’t mind being whipped into shape by new trainer Dolvett! Can I get a witness, Erin?     Check out the link below. He is a fine looking specimen.

The Biggest Loser – Fan Q&A: Dolvett – Video – NBC.com.

Dinner: Chicken cheesesteak (no photo!) and a side of fries

I’ve already got my meals prepped and ready to go for tomorrow! Dinner tonight was a bit of a treat so I’m trying to make sure that I’m prepared to get right back on track tomorrow.

Until next time!

This post is just a quick re-cap of my meals for Monday. I’m still using My Fitness Pal to track calories, and today’s totals were pretty much where I want them to be. Go me!  

Breakfast: Whole wheat wrap filled with two eggs, baby spinach, vegenaise and a little extra-sharp cheddar.  The eggs were cooked in just enough butter to prevent sticking.

Ugly and delicious.

Lunch:  Two brown rice cakes topped with organic PB, strawberry spread and cinnamon.

Dinner:  Bowl filled with yellow rice, black beans (made using Jenna’s slow cooker method), tomato, avocado and sour cream.

I had dinner at my mom’s and it was a group effort! I supplied the beans and avocado, while she had the rice, tomato and sour cream at her house.     Team work!  Rice and beans are never pretty, but trust me when I say this was excellent!

I also had a few mini pumpkin scones for dessert.  Thanks for dinner, Mom!  

I’m off to bed!

My two partners in crime met me at my house around 4:30, and we each had a couple beers before beginning the mile or so walk into the heart of downtown. 

As usual, we had a blast!     We walked around, drank huge Oktoberfest-sized Hefeweizen and did a lot of crazy people watching.

After a few hours, we all decided we needed some food in our bellies. We went to Sammy T’s, a cute old restaurant with lots of veg-friendly options, where I ordered an awesome open-faced sandwich made with apple, cheddar, and sunflower seeds on sourdough bread. We also split an order of sweet potato fries.

After dinner, we walked down to another local bar where a good friend was supposed to meet us for drinks and dancing.

Let’s just say the streets weren’t the only thing trashed at the end of the night.  

I slept in (obviously) this morning and woke up feeling pretty good! My legs were just a little tired still from all the walking/standing I did last night. At least I burned off some of those beer calories, right?

For breakfast this morning, I had an egg sandwich inspired by Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers. I’ve seen her combine fruit with egg and cheese several times and had been wanting to try it myself! I topped a toasted sandwich thin with organic strawberry spread from Trader Joe’s, one egg, and a slice of 2% cheddar. It was tasty!

My lunch today, however, was totally lame and proves that I really need to do some grocery shopping. I had an extra pack of beef hot dogs in my fridge from a recent party, so I made a hot dog wrap type thing with a wheat tortilla, baby spinach, extra-sharp cheddar and ketchup.

Dinner came straight from the pantry! One can of Amy’s minestrone soup with some crackers.

After taking these photos, I crumbled the crackers into the soup.      

Since I had dinner earlier than usual, I felt like having a snack later on in the evening. I topped two organic brown rice cakes with peanut butter and cinnamon.  I also had two cups of herbal tea.

Overall, this was a stellar weekend! It was the perfect balance –  One day of partying and fun, and one day of relaxing and taking care of things at home.

Hope your weekend was a great one too!

Until next time!