Following my gluten-free lifestyle change I tried this for a party I was going to....



Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
*turn out more like a brownie

2 cups cooked quinoa (1/2 dry + 1.5 cups liquid = approx. 2 cups cooked)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter or Earth Balance
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup white sugar (I used organic raw)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9"x13" OR 2 round cake pans with parchment paper.
In a food processor or blender combine the eggs, milk and vanilla ~ blend for 10 seconds.
Add the cooked and cooled quinoa, melted butter, melted coconut oil and blend until smooth.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet and mix together until well combined.
Add to pan and bake approx 30 min. Cool.

In January I cut gluten out of my diet.  I read Clean Gut by Alejandro Junger and did the 28 day cleanse, eliminating sugar, alcohol, wheat, corn and dairy. I will admit that I was NOT willing to eliminate caffeine. The heart wants, what the heart wants.

I have been meaning to make ketchup for quite some time.  I ran out the other day and since necessity is the mother of invention, I was gave it a shot.

I got my recipe here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Ketchup-Catsup-Recipe/

I didn't have any allspice but other than that I followed the recipe (my agave nectar wasn't blue, it was Light Madhava).  I really liked it and more importantly I put it in an old ketchup bottle, threw it in the fridge, and the kids didn't notice a difference.  Bonus.

I like the fact there is no corn syrup in it, I can pronounce all the ingredients, and I can control how much sugar/salt it contains!

You might have noticed I haven't been around here much recently.  My apologies.  I had a hysterectomy 4 weeks ago and am finally feeling like myself.

On that note here are a few pointers for anyone else looking forward to this kind of surgery:

*Slip on shoes are a must at the hospital.  Waiting around to have someone tie up your laces is a real downer and makes you feel 2 years old again.

*If your husband/friend rents a funny movie to lift you spirits after surgery... kick them out and tell them to take their tool of torture  with them.  I didn't know this universal rule and had to hold a pillow to my abs while trying not to laugh for two hours.

*Even the most proper of us will start to rejoice at the return of certain bodily functions.  Abdominal surgery messes with everything and sometime your body takes it's time getting back into the swing of things.  In the meantime you will feel like Buddha (the short happy fat one) and feel disgusting.

*If you body is stubborn and DOES NOT start said bodily functions... call your surgeon.  DO NOT leave it TWO full weeks until your mother who happens to be an unsympathetic RN drags you kicking and screaming to the ER for X-rays and other things I will spare you from knowing about.  Enough said.

*Hiccups are from hell, avoid them at all costs. 

*Between incision holes and hepron shots your abdomen will look like a world map to a world you have never seen.  Don't sweat it, just make up country names for all the bruises, they don't last forever (although those hepron shot sights are still alive and kicking 4 weeks later ~ just to warn ya!)

*Get used to the following pet names:  Frankin-mommy, Frankin-wife, Scary-lady-who-sleeps-all-day.

Enjoy the rest, take it easy, milk it for all it's worth.  That's been my motto.