Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

I adapted this recipe from a co-worker!

1 cup Quinoa - rinsed
1 can Rotel
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups veggie stock

Add everything to the rice cooker, stir and cook until one cycle. Turn it back on if all the liquid isn't absorbed.

2 1/2 cups beans(I used Great Northern - cooked myself, but canned will work)
1 tsp dried cilantro (fresh is better)
1 cup Salsa
2 tsp Taco Seasoning (heaping)
S&P

Add everything to a food processor and blend until almost smooth.

Cut 4 peppers (I used poblano and red peppers) in half long ways. De-seed and remove membranes. Bake on 400 for 15 minutes in a shallow baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray.

Remove from the oven and add 1 layer of beans and 1 layer of quinoa mixture. Add avocado slices to the top (optional) and bake for 20 minutes covered. Serve with lime wedges and top with cheese if you like. Share & Enjoy!!

Pecan Pancakes

1 cup fresh pecans
2 tbsp honey
1 egg
2 tbsp ground flaxmeal
2 tbsp rice protein powder
1/4 cup of Almond Milk plus more as needed

Add the pecans to the to the food processor. Process until finely ground but starting to cream up. Add to a medium sided bowl. Then add flaxmeal, protein powder, honey, egg and almond milk. Stir until together. Add extra Almond milk in 1 tbsp increments until the consistency of regular pancakes. Take a soup spoon and pour them on the griddle. When bubbles start rising (like regular pancakes) then flip to the other side.


Thanks to Patti Devlin for the idea on this! These are not traditional pancakes. They don't rises and are a bit chewier than regular pancakes. But they have NO FLOUR of any type and are high in protein. I ate about 5 of them because they are so small. This would make enough for 2 people! Enjoy & Share!!

Healthy Body = Healthy Mind

I have a friend who has been battling mono for what seems like forever and has really only been six weeks. A couple of times she has started to feel a bit better and then goes backwards again. She said something to me, that was not only refreshing to hear but a very true statement... "... but now I notice how I feel much better now that I ate a healthy dinner last night and have better things to grab to eat today. It's amazing how affected I am by my diet right now. Before, it didn't seem to matter what I ate."

This is something that we all should take a minute to digest! This statement was very thought provoking since my FB status update had just been "Is pretty sure that my head has been out of the game for some time now... Time to get back to taking care of myself and getting healthy! Healthy body means healthy mind and that I really need!".

Since my dietary changes in October I have noticed a couple of very important things...

When I eat better (lots of vegetables, high protein/low fat and complex carbs) I feel 1000% better! Prior to that, I was all of the symptoms that I think of when I imagine someone sick... Exhaustion, Headaches, Swimming Head (you know that light headed, fuzzy feeling that makes you want to pass out) and just a general feeling of lets get "it" over with. "It" could be anything or everything in my life!

When I exercise, I feel much better also! To quote Elle Woods " I just don't think that Brooke could've done this. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't." As many of you know, I despise the gym... But I have come to learn that the gym is not always bad when you have friends to help you get thru it. We laugh and encourage each other all the way thru the workout! I have also developed this sense of what I would have previously called anxiety but now I know it as "the feeling that means I need to exercise." Now, it usually comes at about midnight when I am exhausted and can't sleep, but if I get into a routine and get my exercise in 4 or 5 days a week, I can usually keep it at bay! It's the feeling that makes you think you can go run a mile when you can really barely run to the mailbox and back :)

The last (for now) is that my skin looks and feels better! The more of the processed food that I cut out, the more water I drink, the more exercise and the more sleep (quality sleep) that I get, the better my skin looks. Now we hear all these things but we don't really think they are true. But as a testimate to the realness of this, since I cut out dairy, meat and gluten my face has cleared up 100% I am not the only one who has noticed this. Another friend commented that since she took dairy out of her diet her face has really cleared up.

Hope everyone finds something in this note that they can find as beneficial! Enjoy!

Please DON'T feel sorry for me! This is a BLESSING!

The last couple weeks have been wildly busy and if you read my last post you know how important is to be diligent in reading labels and taking time to take care of yourself. With everything that has been going on, I can't count how many times I heard: "I am so sorry. I feel so sorry for you. That has got to be so tough!"

First let me say THANK YOU for those of you would have kept me in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time in my life. I won't say that this is EASY or anything of the sort... what I will say is, it has been educational, beneficial, trying at times, emotional and yet a wonderful experience. Without the assistance of friends, family and co-workers, who have also begun to educate themselves and reading more labels because they wonder... "Hmmm... Can Heather eat this?", I am not sure where I would be.

Secondly, please DON'T feel sorry for me! Six months ago, I was exhausted, winded, barely able to make it up the stairs at work (thank goodness for the elevator), had a bad case of malnutrition and low blood protein and sick every two weeks because my stomach could not handle the things that I was putting in it. The doctor made this announcement, " No more GLUTEN, DAIRY or MEAT. Only cold water fish (this means no shrimp or crawfish - which is so SAD" The list given to me in a previous visit from the same doctor says NO SOY! Okay, so you ask yourself... What is left!

I have discovered there is actually quite a few things I can eat and actually like. I am very thankful that I LOVE LOVE LOVE veggies! Without the ability to eat mushrooms, asparagus, onions, peppers (ALL KINDS), eggplant, brussel sprouts and many others, I would have a severe case of malnutrition. I eat a large quantity of hummus (many varieties and I am working on more... soon that will come), veggies like crazy, Quinoa and multiple brands of GF Pasta.

The most bizarre change that has happened is my NEED for SWEETS! At many times in the past six months I have been at places where there is cake, brownies, candy and the like. Surprisingly enough, it doesn't bother me that others can eat those things and I can't. What I will say, is that I know that eating those things will make me feel BAD, and feel bad for a long period of time, so why would I want to put that in my body!

Eating right for me (or you) is what is important! If you are exhausted, worn out, fuzzy headed or any of those other sympotoms that could be anything, first start with determining what you are putting in your body. Just because it works for your friend or family member, doesn't mean it works for you!

So when I am visiting, or having dinner, or at the grocery store with you and you decide you want something I can't have, please don't feel sorry for me! Just know that I am learning what works for me and I am rising to the challenge of keeping dinner interesting!

All about READING labels...

The last couple weeks have been busy and wild, both with work and with my personal life. Trying to squeeze in workouts, meetings and travel make for a crazy Heather. With that said the first thing to always go is what I consider "self care". To me self care includes, health (eating well and exercising), getting enough sleep, exercising and taking some moments to clear out the brain so that we can relax!

For me eating well is the most important. That sounds like something that everyone should say, but for someone with specific dietary needs, it is HUGE! Last week after realizing my laziness and eating out much more often than I should (even at Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free), I found that I wasn't feeling as well since I was eating the "dreaded french fries" that make my blood sugar go up, but taste oh so good! So, while at the grocery store (and I was HUNGRY) purchasing all the GOOD things I could eat, like... asparagus, onions, garlic, spinach, mushrooms, squash, etc... I found that I was starving! Well since there isn't much in my basket that I can just eat, I grabbed a drink at the checkout. Now, before you start, I know this is a BAD thing, and for impulsive people, but I should remind you by this point I was STARVING!! I grabbed a SoBe water (Yumberry... I think). I looked good and tasted great! That should have been my first clue. Now I usually read EVERYTHING that comes in contact with my mouth, but due to the low blood sugar, hunger and laziness (this is how I came to the realization), I did not read ALL of the ingredients.

So home I went and unloaded and put everything away. About half an hour later (while still drinking my SoBe and chatting on the phone), I started having severe stomach cramps. After realzing what was going on, I re-read the WHOLE label this time. What did I find... Modified Food Starch! Now, research tells me that Modified Food Starch is not on the list of GLUTEN FREE FOODS due to the fact that it can be made from a variety of source and WHEAT is one of the most common. In my case, WHEAT is a serious NO-NO and I derived that since the SoBe was the only "new" thing that had been added to my diet that day.

So the moral of this story is: READ LABELS (all the way thru), TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF, and LEARN WHAT WORKS FOR YOUR BODY!