Quotes to Motivate: Letting Go of Anger

Was looking through my Pinterest boards today, and a few quotes popped out at me. The topic: anger.

I think a lot of us hold onto anger because it's just so darn easy to do. It's kind of like a security blanket we can wrap around us, to insulate us from ever getting hurt again.

However, not only does holding onto anger do nothing to bring us a sense of closure, or even justice or vindication, but it impedes us from moving on. Really, it does. I'm certainly not implying that I hold no anger or resentment to those who have wronged me in the past-- hey, I'm human here-- but I do recognize that all these little shards of anger stuck in me work AGAINST me in moving forward. I think of anger in your heart like some kind of really nasty black fungus, spreading and spreading, taking over the healthy pink tissue. The more anger you have boiling inside of you, percolating just beneath the surface, the less room you have for love, peace, and acceptance.

Ah, this one definitely belongs on my New Year's resolution list. Yes, I know it's July, but I finally got around to watching New Year's Eve. I thought it was a cute flick, despite a rash of disheartening reviews; definitely makes you think a lot about fresh beginnings. The hardest think for me is to hold my tongue when I'm angry, but when you stop and think about it logically, when have you personally said something in anger that was truly productive and rational? For me, the answer would be next to never.

Definitely some food for though the next time someone treats me rudely and I feel myself starting to swell up with silent anger. I will try my best to think (rather than speak) when I'm angry!

Easy Weekly Lunches: Slow Cooker "Taco-less" Chicken

This week's lunch specialty had a bit of a Mexican flare, as well as kidney beans. While I'm not anemic, sometimes I just get that feeling my body needs more iron or red meat. Since I was working with a chicken base, I added kidney beans for that extra boost of iron.

I was actually running low on taco seasoning, so I substituted another Mexican seasoning from Goya brand. Their all-purpose Goya Adobo seasoning salt has been a household staple for years.

wonderful all-purpose seasoning salt

I can't live without it when grilling any kind of chicken or pork. I even use it in my quinoa macaroni and cheese (recipe to follow soon).

Of course, this lunch recipe could also be served on corn tortillas with a sprinkling of Colby jack cheese for dinner, or over cilantro lime rice for something a bit more substantial.

Enjoy! Here's to happy and healthy tummies...

Slow Cooker "Taco-less" Chicken

adapted from this recipe by mychocolatetherapy

Ingredients
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I buy the frozen Market Pantry brand from Target)
8 ounces of jarred salsa (I like the consistence of the Pace Picante kind)

1/4 cup water

Directions
1. Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa.
2. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.
3. When done, shred the chicken with two forks and portion into containers.


I added about 1/2 cup rinsed and drained dark red kidney beans to each lunch container, then topped it with the shredded chicken mixture.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Movie & Book

Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was when I learned that one of my favorite books of all time, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, was being made into a movie!

Now, I know there are those purists out there who abhor every single movie adaptation of books they love. I was an English major in college, so I have some credibility here, and I have to tell you that I have highly enjoyed many movie adaptations of novels I enjoyed. The Harry Potter saga comes to mind here, and also more recently the first movie in The Hunger Games series.

There have been some big letdowns for me too: I feel like Nick Cassavetes destroyed Jodi Picoult's emotional novel My Sister's Keeper, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy just couldn't hold my attention.

I have high hopes for this one, though...Emma Watson stars, an actress I love even without her British accent. The movie also features Paul Rudd (Mike from Friends), Logan Lerman, and Nina Dobrev.


Here's the official trailer for the new Perks of Being a Wallflower movie, opening this September:

And here are some of my favorite quotes from the novel:

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

“I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.”

“I am very interested and fascinated how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.”

“Just tell me how to be different in a way that makes sense.”

...and lastly:

“Sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.”

That last one is the very epitome of the wallflower concept, don't you think?

  

  

Quotes to Motivate: Comfort Zone

Thought I'd share this one from one of my boards, which is currently my weekly computer screensaver.

Thank you Pinterest! Can't get enough of this site. Heard a DJ on the radio the other day say she was done with Pinterest because she, "has already made all the boards she wants to make." Are you kidding me?! I literally lose chunks of my day pinning and pinning (and pinning and pinning).

I think this quote touches on an important point about our own comfort zones. We typically seek out things that are comfortable- people, places, jobs, situations- because it helps ease our anxiety. We equate the idea of something being comfortable with being good, when in reality the two are not synonymous. In fact, often we mistake comfort for affection, or fulfillment, and it causes us to stay stuck and stalled in friendships or relationships that are destined never to go anywhere.

I really believe life does begin at the end of your comfort zone. Some of the most thrilling experiences in my life have been when I have tip toed outside of my daily routine of what I feel is comfortable and tried something new: getting a tattoo, traveling on a plane alone, going to a networking happy hour where I knew absolutely no one. Just that feeling of being able to tell yourself "I did it" makes it all the sweaty palms, shortness of breath, and nervous chatter worth it. And it doesn't have to be skydiving or bungee jumping, either. Sometimes the smallest of leaps can have the biggest impact.

So, ponder this: when will you step outside of your comfort zone? When will your life truly begin?

Easy Weekly Lunches: Three Bean Turkey Chili

One of the top challenges since switching to a gluten-free diet has been figuring out what to take for lunch to work Monday through Friday. Weekends are a bit easier, because I can scramble up some eggs or an omelet, or get a bit fancier and grill some fresh veggies with chicken or fish.

the weekly lunch dilemma

During the week, though, things get a little but trickier. For me, not only do my weekly lunches have to be gluten-free, but they also need to be:

• Easy (or relatively easy): I need to be able to cook them with minimal effort and cleanup Sunday afternoon and still have time for refresh my manicure, iron my clothes for the week, and relax a bit before Monday morning rolls around.
• Inexpensive: I need to be able to buy the ingredients and have each meal come out to no more than $2 or so. Usually they are actually much less.
• Healthy: While I'm at the point in my health where I'm not dieting per-say, I still watch what I eat pretty carefully. I don't follow any specific diet (Atkin's, low-card, paleo), but I do try to avoid processed foods and cook most of my meals, focusing on incorporating protein and eliminating sugar, salt, high-fat dairy, and anything fried.
• Portable: This means soups are out. I know they make those nifty locking lid plastic containers, but I'm the girl that always manages to spill things, locking lids or no locking lids. This also means salads are usually out for me, because I hate having to bring a separate little container for dressing.
• Reheatable: I've never been a huge fan of leftovers. My lunches for work need to be something that heat up well in our low-power microwaves without drying out or tasting tough or stringy.
• Work-friendly: This means I can't need a steak knife to cut it up. This also means it can't be any kind of seafood or fish, since my coworkers don't complain about an icky smell lingering in the break room microwave.

This week, my meal selection was a Turkey Three Bean Chili based off this recipe from Gina at Skinnytaste. I threw everything into my slow cooker right after lunch, and it was ready to cool down and portion after dinner.

I divided it up into 8 separate portions instead of the recommended 12, which left me with 309 calories per serving. This week's meal was also dairy-free, and packed with fiber filled beans. I also omitted any toppings, since they wouldn't be very portable in my opinion, and they would have just added unnecessary fat and sodium to my lunch. I personally like to save my indulging for dinner, when I find myself the most hungry, and I can really enjoy my food instead of scarfing it down to get back to work.

Slow Cooker Three Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients
1 1/3 lb (20 oz) fat free ground turkey breast (I like Jennie-O)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen organic fire roasted diced tomatoes)
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15.5 oz) can small red beans, drained
1/2 can chicken broth
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin

Directions
1. Brown onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until softened and nearly carmelized.

2. Add garlic and turkey. Brown turkey until cooked through, draining fat if desired (I never seem to need to).

3. Transfer turkey mixture to slow cooker (unless using a slow cooker insert that can double as your browning skillet). 

4. Add the beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin, mixing well.
5. Cook on high 6 hours.

By the way, I am a woman madly in love with her slow cooker. I finally splurged and bought this All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker from Williams Sonoma. I got it for a smokin' deal- a one day Saturday sale that was $100 off retail.

Not only does it cook food evenly without it ever sticking to the pot, but the lightweight insert is actually removable, allowing you to place it on the stove to brown onions, meats, etc. on the stove before prepping the rest of the recipe. The digital display allows you to set time in half hour increments up to 8 hours on high or low, and automatically beeps then switches over to "keep warm" when food is done cooking.

Enjoy! Hope this helps give you some inspiration for easy weekly meal planning of your own.

GF Chicken Nuggets: Buy & Cook

It's funny to say this, but one of the things I miss most since adopting a gluten-free diet are chicken nuggets. My friends always laughed at me, but whenever I went to any kind of fast food place, I always ordered chicken nuggets. McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's, Jack-In-The-Box, Carl's Junior, Sonic, you name it- chicken nuggets were my standby.

Gluten aside, these surely were not the healthiest thing for me to eat, as they are all laden with sodium, MSG, preservatives, you name it. Nonetheless, when my cravings for gluten hit, what I want to reach for and scarf down is not a bowl of pasta, but chicken nuggets.

Luckily, I discovered these beauties while shopping at Target the other day: Applegate Naturals Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Tenders. I wasn't expecting too much, since the other frozen GF chicken nuggets I had tried have been subpar at best- dry and grainy, with a mushy crust and no flavor.

Applegate Naturals Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets (they also come in tenders)

What can I say? Amazing! Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and full of flavor. Delicious! They are pricey, yes, at $5.99 for a box of chicken nuggets and $6.99 for a box of tenders. Most gluten-free items, however, are priced a bit higher that their gluten-filled counterparts, and these babies are worth every penny!

My other go-to solution when I'm having a massive chicken nugget craving is to make them myself. I have developed a wonderful recipe based off this recipe from the The GFCF Lady. Not only are these chicken tenders gluten-free, but they are low-carb and paleo-friendly. Their coating is almond meal, which not only cuts out grains and flours, but helps the chicken nuggets keep their crispy coating. I bake mine, since I'm always trying to cut out fried foods, but I'm sure they would be tasty fried too, if that's what you prefer.

Sarah's Baked Chicken Tenders

Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 lb. chicken tenders (I use the 40 ounce bag of Market Pantry frozen boneless, skinless  chicken breasts, defrosted overnight)
1 olive oil spray
1 cup almond meal flour (I buy it in the bulk section of Sprouts for about $4.99 lb., which is much cheaper than any of the pre-bagged brands I have found)
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink sea salt or smoked red Hawaiian sea salt (can substitute regular salt; I like the extra dimension of flavor gourmet salts add)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons smoked paprika (can substitute regular paprika)

Directions
1. Cut chicken breasts into strips (I like to use poultry shears), cutting with the grain of the meat.
2. Mix together almond meal and seasonings in a large bowl. Use a fork to break up any clumps.
3. Spray tenders with olive oil. A few at a time, toss the tenders in the almond meal mixture to coat.
4. Place tenders on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

These can also be prepared the same way with fish (I've been successful with tilapia), reducing cooking time by about 5 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce (I'm a ranch girl myself) and enjoy!

Seaweed and Thyroid Health

Time after time, I find myself in a situation where I have to remind myself of the old mantra, "Listen to your body." It seems simply, really, the idea of being in tune with your body. Even for those of us who don't have food allergies or diet restrictions, there are foods we eat that definitely leave us feeling just "icky." It might be a nasty bout of heartburn, a feeling of being too bloated to mood, or something even worse.

That said, the crazy person inside my head still tries to fight through it. I don't know what's wrong with her- maybe she's just really hungry sometimes- but she drives me nuts! She's this little voice in my head, whispering, "Oh, don't worry about how you had massive indigestion last time you ate spicy fried shrimp. That was like six months ago. You should be fun."

Umm...not so much. She's always wrong, and I always regret making the choice to eat that fried chicken sandwich (because of the gluten)...

bad (for me)

or that bowl of pralines and cream (because of the dairy)...

bad (for me).

or that Venti Starbucks white chocolate mocha (because of the massive headache-inducing amounts of caffeine)...

bad (for me)- but still so tasty

or that third helping of shrimp scampi with rice pasta (because that's just stuffing myself).

not so bad for me with rice pasta, but I end up eating an entire pound of shrimp

In this recent case, the crazy lady talking to me inside my head was more of an after the fact, "This must all be in your head."

I was over at a friend's house who is Korean. She is a lovely, lovely friend, and she always makes some sort of homemade treat for us to nosh on. This time it was freshly prepared kimchi sushi. I got into sushi in my twenties, as an occasional treat, and I liked it quite a bit.

kimchi sushi

Five enormous sushi rolls later, I was stuffed. I knew the rolls were gluten free, because she knows I can't eat wheat or gluten, so I didn't think twice about it.

Thirty minutes later, as were sitting on her couch watching American Idol, my heart starts pounding like a jackhammer in my chest. If you haven't experienced heart palpitations before, I can tell you it is one of the most frightening feeling in the entire world. The first time I had these palpitations after indulging in Olive Garden's endless pasta bowl I literally thought I was having a heart attack.

Having had them several times since, I was familiar with the discomfort and chest tightness. Not wanting to alarm my friend, I discretely rubbed my chest and tried to take deep, slow, calming breaths. The feeling passed in about two hours, but my feet and hands were swollen and red the rest of the evening- another dead giveaway that I'd eaten something my body just didn't like.

A key ingredient in sushi is Nori, the edible form of seaweed used to wrap up the roll. Yes, it's the green part you see on the outside; it's actually salty and rather tasty.

Nori, an edible form of seaweed

After doing some research, I found out that seaweed has high levels of iodine, something that is linked to thyroid disruption.

Furthermore, I found this article that suggests a direct link between sushi seaweed consumption and thyroid health.

Lesson learned: listen to your body. And tell the crazy voice in your head to shut up.