I haven’t been feeling very creative in the kitchen, and it’s been bothering me.  It’s taken me a while to figure out why, but I think I’ve finally arrived at an answer. It’s three fold.

First of all, every ounce of creativity I have right now is being poured into my Kindergarten classroom.  I have 21 energetic, imaginative 5 year olds who consume all of my waking thoughts. Even in the “off” hours, while driving, eating, cooking, sleeping, I’m thinking of questions like these.  How can I increase their phonemic awareness? What games can we play that will reinforce sight words and make them giggle at the same time?  How many different ways can I stand on my head to keep their attention longer than 2 minutes?  Are my centers aligned with Common Core Standards?

When I get home, the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen for longer than it takes to fill the Vitamix with smoothie ingredients.

Second, losing Marcy 8 weeks ago has really taken it’s toll.  Sitting and petting Brother Max just seems more important than thinking of yet another way to make another naturally gluten-free meal.

Watching him stalk birdies

or that pesky squirrel is more entertaining.

While my heart still hurts, I’m more focused on the blessings of Now.

And third, I am no longer a vegetarian. What?  Did I just lose you as a reader? I really hope not.  I started this blog as a “curious girl in the gluten-free world”; an expert in nothing, but a learner and an experimenter in all things gluten free.  Throughout my gluten-free journey, I’ve tried eating vegetarian, vegan, raw, and even had a spell as a gluten-free junkfooditarian.  And while I’ve learned a lot from all of it, I’ve decided that my body just needs more protein.  Animal protein.

Have you read Eat Right 4 Your Type?  I read it eons ago, but since going vegetarian I’ve had this nagging feeling that as a Type O, Hunter-Gatherer, I was not getting all of the nutrients that my body needed.  I’m not a fan of diets or of rigid rules that tell me what I can and can’t eat.  Not eating gluten is rigid enough for me.  But lately, I’ve been eating based on my blood type, and my energy level is soaring.

• High enough to teach Kindergarten every day.
• High enough to teach 4-6 fitness classes each week.
• High enough to bike 70 miles this weekend.

This is working for me.  So why haven’t I felt creative in the kitchen?  I’m not used to cooking meat!  Right now I’m finding lots of paleo recipes from the experts that I’m thoroughly enjoying.  Reviews will be coming soon!

But what about my love for raw foods? It’s just as strong as ever. Does it sound weird to have a meatball and a raw kale salad for lunch?  What about a shredded chicken sandwich on raw apple bread?  Raw salads still make me gaga.

Again, right now it’s working.  I think it’s all a part of my journey.

I’m excited to share that I actually spent some time in the kitchen this week.  I have some raw recipes that will be accompanying several meat dishes this week.  This is one of them:

Green Ribbon Salad
by Heather

Ingredients:

• 4 c. kale, torn from the stem
• 4 c. spinach leaves
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 green apple
• 1 T. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. grade B maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

1.  Roll kale and spinach leaves together, burrito style, and cut in narrow ribbons. Place in a large bowl.

2.  Core the apple, slice, and dice.  Then add to the large bowl.

3.  Using a spiralizer, cut 2 zucchini with the flat blade, creating ribbons.  Add zucchini ribbons to the large bowl.

4.  Mix white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, grade B maple syrup, and sea salt in a small bowl.

5.  Poor the balsamic vinegar mixture over the green ribbon salad and mix well.

Serves 6-8

Meat recipes to come!

Readers, dish!

• How do you define yourself as an eater?
• How important is it to you that you DO define yourself as an eater?
• Have you read Eat Right 4 Your Type?

I can’t believe that it’s been a month since I last posted.  It has been an incredible time of living, learning, reflecting, and eating, but I just wasn’t ready to share until today.  Do you ever feel like you need to have everything all figured out before you can share something life changing with a friend?  After a month, I realized that if I waited until I had it all figured out, I’d never blog again!

I started Gluten-Free Cat because of my passion for sharing that living gluten-free doesn’t have to mean living without.  In fact, living gluten-free has opened my world of food so drastically that I’m no longer looking for the perfect bread replacement.  I no longer turn cartwheels in the cereal aisle when yet another company offers a gluten-free bowl of flakes. Finding a gluten-free muffin is a nice occasional treat, but I can take it or leave it.  And gluten-free cookies?  They’re just cookies.  I’m far more excited about the wide array of incredible foods available to us that are naturally gluten-free and incredibly healthy for our bodies.

I’ve found that the more natural and pure my food is, the happier my body is.

I spent all of last month eating nothing but raw food.  I enjoyed rich salads drenched in homemade dressings.  I pureed soups made entirely from raw produce.  I made my own nut milks, nut meats, and nut cheeses.  I’ve eaten a LOT of guacamole and didn’t think twice about the caloric intake.  I’ve even made desserts for dinner without guilt or judgement, because my dessert had the nutritional integrity of a well-balance meal.  I’ve eaten, eaten, and eaten, and I’ve probably lost about ten pounds.  And while I’m very happy that my spring clothes are back to fitting comfortably, the most important part is that I feel fantastic.

Raw Mango Banana Pie with Almond Crust

Raw Apple Pie with Almond Crust

And not once did I ever wonder, “How can I make this gluten-free?”  It was all naturally gluten-free.

I didn’t spend any time reading ingredient lists on packages to make sure things were gluten-free, because there were no packages.  Well, there was one.  The only package that I opened all month long was the package of nori that I needed for nut sushi and raw quiche salad. Package Ingredients: Nori.  Simple.

Raw Quiche Salad

I was a little concerned that switching to a raw food diet would impact my energy level.  I teach 4-6 fitness classes each week, and I have been training for a marathon since January. So I do need to choose my nutrients wisely.  But so far I’ve been able to successfully teach kindergarten, teach fitness classes, and run up to 13 miles at a time fueled by raw foods.  I’ll let you know if that changes.  The next long run is 15, yikes!

This week I’ve been incorporating a little more cooked food into my diet, but I am craving mostly raw foods right now.  And one thing I’m learning is that I need to listen to my body.

So what does this mean for the curious Gluten-Free Cat?  I’ll keep learning and sharing, but you may find that I’m doing fewer product reviews and temporarily even fewer recipes. Right now I’m learning from the experts.  I’m in love with raw food cookbooks like these:

• Ani’s Raw Food Asia: Easy East-West Fusion Recipes the Raw Food Way by Ani Phyo
• Ani’s Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food by Ani Phyo
• Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney
• Rawlicious: Delicious Raw Recipes for Radiant Health by Peter Daniel
• The Art of Raw Living Food: Heal Yourself and the Planet with Eco-delicious Cuisine by Doreen Virtue and Jenny Ross

I don’t have it all figured out.  But I’d like to share everything that I’m learning with you. So I hope you’ll stick with me as the focus of this blog changes a bit.  As always, everything will be gluten-free.  And who knows, maybe you’ll try something new along with me!

Readers, dish!

• What has your experience been with raw foods?
• Do you have a favorite raw foods dish?
• How has changing your diet impacted your life?

On Day 1 of my Raw Challenge, I taught school all day and then headed off to the YMCA to teach my sculpting class.  I was feeling really good.  I had eaten delicious raw foods packed with nutrients all day long:

• Breakfast – Berry smoothie for breakfast with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, maca powder, chia seeds, and almond milk
• Lunch – Green salad with spinach, arugula, sunflower sprouts, tomato, red onion and black beans; an apple; and sliced mango
• Snack – Homemade radish hummus and sticks of carrots, yellow squash, and celery

And then I taught my Sculpt Class.

I had promised the amazing women who come to Sculpt that we’d do The Accumulator at our next class.  Some of them cheered.  Some of them groaned.  Some of them didn’t show up for that next class.

The Accumulator is a push-yourself-to-your-limit experience.  It starts with one exercise and then adds an exercise each subsequent round.  This is the version of The Accumulator that we did on Wednesday.

• Round 1: 10 push ups from knees or toes
• Round 2: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats
• Round 3: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips
• Round 4: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping
• Round 5: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises
• Round 6: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises, 1 minute plank (on elbows and toes)
• Round 7: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises, 1 minute plank, 10 burpees
• Round 8: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats,10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises, 1 minute plank, 10 burpees, 20 hammer curls
• Round 9: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises, 1 minute plank, 10 burpees, 20 hammer curls, 1 minute walking lunges with or without weights
• Round 10: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises, 1 minute plank, 10 burpees, 20 hammer curls, 1 minute walking lunges with or without weights, 1 minute wall sit
• Round 11: 10 push ups, 10 jump squats, 10 bench dips, 1 minute rope skipping, 10 shoulder lateral raises, 1 minute plank, 10 burpees, 20 hammer curls, 1 minute walking lunges with or without weights, 1 minute wall sit; 1 minute bicycles (abs)

At the end of the hour, you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck.  (Actually, HALFway through this class I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.)  Normally, after a workout like this, I’d go home and replenish with some serious carbohydrate and protein.  Definitely protein.

And then I’d crash.

Hard.

On Wednesday, veggies were just NOT going to cut it.  I felt it in my gut.  I needed something with substance.  Protein.  It’s amazing how our bodies will actually tell us what we need.  We  just need to listen to it.

Recently, I found a source of protein that is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free.  Nutribody Protein.

Its 25 grams of protein come from brown rice and peas. Technically it isn’t raw, but it comes from whole grains and vegetables, so it’s raw enough for me.  When I made my smoothie that evening it was exactly what I needed.  And it was pure.  With only 7 ingredients, this all-natural, vegetarian protein powder helped me recover from an intense workout. For full nutritional information see here.

Nutribody Protein is clearly labeled gluten-free.  But let me warn you, it isn’t cheap.  A single canister is $49.95!  (Or 4 canisters for $35.00 each)  When I’m used to $20.99 for cheapo Whey Protein, this is a huge difference.  But while it may not be raw, it’s at least vegetarian and minimally processed.  It worked for me.

I made a smoothie similar to this one.

And chewed a few almonds and pecans.  A raw enough dinner.

Are you a raw foodie?  I know several of you are joining me on this challenge.  How have your first few days gone?  Are you getting enough protein?

Aside from the whole chia pet thing, I learned about the power of the chia seed while reading Born to Run, a book that tells the story of the Tarahumara Indians, long-distance runners in Mexico’s Copper Canyons.  These incredible athletes are able to run for days fueled on pinole and chia seeds while wearing the equivalent of tire treads strapped to the soles of their feet.

I certainly was not Born to Run, and I will never run an ultra marathon, but every book you read changes you some how.  Born to Run is no exception:

1.  I switched from my over-supportive running shoes to Nike Frees.  My feet are stronger, and I no longer make that emergency trip to Fleet Feet with an over-training injury the week before running in an event.

2.  My running style has changed from a heel strike to a midfoot strike resulting in a lighter gait and faster run times.

3.  I’m more in tune with my body as I run, and I can relax and enjoy the experience instead of longing for the end of the run.

4.  And I’ve learned the power of the chia seed.

Chia seeds are an ancient superfood that can add incredible nutritional benefits to your gluten-free diet. When added to water, chia seeds absorb the water and form a gel.  They can actually absorb 12 times their weight in water!  Drinking soaked chia seeds before a run or toting a baggie of dry seeds with you to munch on along the way can prolong hydration and help you retain electrolytes while exercising.  (If you try the dry seed method, just don’t smile at other runners passing by!)  This water absorption reaction also occurs in your stomach, slowing down the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.  And because of their expansive nature, they’re known as a dieter’s dream as they help you feel satisfied.

Chia seeds are also:

• High in Omega-3 fatty acids
• Rich in antioxidants
• Complete with all essential amino acids
• Known as a complete protein
• And provide phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc

They also have:

• 2 times more potassium than bananas
• 3 times more antioxidants than blueberries
• More calcium than milk
• And 5 grams of fiber in each 15 gram serving

So I took the benefits of this superfood,

and the nutrients of this simple, yet intriguing fruit,

and put them together into this one amazing drink.

You may have first seen my Pomegranate Chia Fresca featured in last week’s Friday’s Find when I praised the simple, naturally gluten-free pomegranate.  Whether you’re a runner, a gym rat, a yogi, or you just want an afternoon pick-me-up that’s packed with nutritional benefits, give this refreshing drink a try.

Pomegranate Chia Fresca
(adapted from No Meat Athlete since I don’t have access to any ancient Aztec or Mayan cookbooks - original recipe here)

Ingredients:

• 1 T. dry chia seeds
• 10 oz. water
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4-1/2 c. fresh pomegranate juice (yield from ½-1 c. pomegranate seeds or use POM Juice)
• 2 drops of liquid stevia

Directions:

1.  Combine 1 T. of dry chia seeds with 10 ounces of water in a small glass or bowl.

2.  Stir the mixture gently with a spoon to keep the seeds from clumping together.

3.  Allow the mixture to stand for about 10 minutes until they form a gel.

4.  Add 2 tsp. of fresh lemon juice, ¼ c. of fresh pomegranate juice, and 2 drops stevia, and swirl until combined.

5.  Down the hatch and out the door!

Other ways to use chia seeds:

• Sprinkle them on a salad
• Stir them into yogurt
• Add a teaspoon to gluten-free oatmeal or hot cereal
• Add them to the batter of baked goods
• Soak the seeds in water and add them to you favorite smoothie
• Carry them in a baggie and crunch away while you run!

Have you tried chia seeds?  How do you like to use them?