| Wednesday, August 13, 2014 |
| 13.1 MILES!!! |
Happy Wednesday friends! Wow, it's been a crazy week!!! The weekend really can't get here fast enough!
Let's talk about mine and my man's training. Um, holy cow, it's been awhile since we've hit the half marathon mark in our miles! I admit, I was excited to hit that number this weekend. I know it makes me sound crazy that I look forward to hitting higher milage, but there is definitely a mental/physical victory that happens when I achieve these goals. I will say, running the longer miles is getting interesting. To break up the boredom, the same ol same ol, we are trying different routes. Um, it felt crazy parking at one of our favorite parks, running to our favorite greenway and then running back to the park where our car was parked. You can't give up at that point…you have to get back to your car somehow (that would be running). Though, the run to the greenway seemed fast to me (well, technically it was faster than I normally run which I think is due to running with cars instead of the peaceful woods), we didn't really plan out the return route well enough. It left us having to run 3 circles around the park and that park in particular is HARD with a lot of hills. We earned that 13.1!
We started the run in 98% humidity which is hard folks! It's like running under water! At about mile 10 the rain finally came it. It felt amazing! Thankfully it brought the humidity down to a cozy 85%. It's pretty crazy that 85% humidity is cozy, but I guess it's all relative at that point.
My fuel for this run was a pack of jelly belly running beans, a strawberry pedialyte (we run with the packets to add to our water bottles on our belts) and a lot of water! After the run I immediately ate my cup of pickles and drank the juice. Did you know that pickle juice is supposed to reduce cramping after an intense workout? Also, I have to admit, I crave pickles like crazy when I sweat like that and all those sweets during running end up gagging me. Tony brought a banana for me too, but I could NOT eat anything sweet. I need to come up with some savory running fuel…
So, the workout breakdown for last week...
Monday - upper body strength training/5 minute plank
Tuesday - ran 5 miles/taught bootcamp
Wednesday - upper body strength training/HIIT/yoga
Thursday - ran 6 miles (best run in a long time!!!)/taught bootcamp/HIIT
Friday - upper body strength training
Saturday - rest day
Sunday - ran 13.1!!!!
I see a here that it looks like I don't work legs at all anymore, but I do. Normally I have some body weight leg exercises going during my HIIT routines. I'm also working on my planks more these days. They are my favorite core moves and I need to get back at them more regularly.
This weekend will be a 15 miler for us. It will be our first time hitting 15! Running with a plan definitely changes things up for me. I have more of an understanding of how my clients feel too with following a plan as apposed to doing whatever whenever when it comes to working out. I will say that I'm feeling a lot stronger on my runs now. I'm not hurting at all like I used to which is weird, but also comforting. It's very interesting seeing how this all plays out...
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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 12:31 PM  |
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| Wednesday, August 6, 2014 |
| Amazing Gluten and Dairy Free Fried Chicken and Doughnuts! |
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The way to my Southern men's hearts is definitely with a plate of fried chicken…but we'll get to that in a moment.
Hello friends! Long time no talk. To be honest, it's been crazy here for a few reasons. Travel for work and getting geared up for the kids to start school. Yesterday marked the first day of the boys being back at school! I can't believe we have an 11th grader and an 8th grader! Time has flown by! It's pretty amazing to see how much has changed over just the past 2 years…
me and the boys before school 2012
me and the boys before school 2014
Tony and the boys before school 2012
Tony and the boys before school 2014
Either I shrunk or the boys grew. Also, dang Tony has lost some weight! Also, we painted the house…which I love! Oh and apparently, you can't even get a smile from teenagers. It's all about the smirk. Must be the cool thing to do these days?
Anyway, the past week and a half has been spent with my men. I decided to treat them to some fried chicken for one of their last fun meals. Nothing gets these guys excited like fried chicken! Bob's Red Mill has a new 1 to 1 gluten free flour that you are supposed to be able to use in place of equal amounts of wheat flour. I tried the mix out a couple of weeks ago on a tester recipe for Bob's Red Mill and the guys liked it so much, they wanted me to try it with my fried chicken recipe. I used a mix of my original recipe and the Chick-fil-A clone I made before. They LOVED it! They were sooo happy! This flour is phenomenal! The flavor, texture and ease of use is perfect!
Gluten Free Dairy Free Fried Chicken
4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup almond milk
2 eggs
Peanut oil
Heat enough oil to 350 degrees in an electric skillet or frier to cover the chicken pieces.
Cut the chicken breasts in half or strips. I cut mine in half this time, but next time I am doing strips. Generously salt and pepper the chicken (I think this is a key component along with the double flouring).
Mix the eggs and almond milk in a bowl and set aside. Place the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in a separate bowl.
Dip the chicken in the flour, then dip it in the egg mixture and then back in the flour to evenly coat each piece. Place on a sheet pan while your oil comes to temperature and all the chicken is coated in flour.
Place chicken in the hot oil and cook until it reaches 170 degrees on an instant read thermometer (your best friend while cooking meat). Flipping halfway through. It took about 25 minutes for a half chicken breast. Place on a paper towel lined platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Also, since the fryer was going, I went ahead and made doughnuts! The flour worked like a charm. I just substituted the two flours in the original recipe with the 1 to 1 flour. It was nice to not have to mix my flours. Funny thing about the doughnut recipe, when I looked it up, I realized I made these originally at the exact same time two years ago. They were some happy men that day. Now I've been told these all have to be on regular rotation in our meals…
I'm sharing these on Gluten Free Wednesday.Labels: breads, breakfast, gluten free, main course, product reviews, quick breads |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:00 AM |
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| Monday, July 21, 2014 |
| Perseverance - 10 MILES!!! |
Happy Monday!!! Who's feeling marvelous???!!!
I know, it's Monday and we all want to be on vacation, but since we all can't be sitting with our feet up at the beach drinking our amazing freshly brewed cup of coffee leisurely watching the sunrise, let's just agree to make this an amazing week. Ok? It is going to be a crazy one here, so I am just going to roll with things and try to stay on task. That will be an accomplishment all on its own.
Thank you all for the well wishes on the marathon Tony and I signed up for. We are both super excited and super nervous. Don't worry, we are playing it safe and there are full rest days built into our plan. I was really happy with how well we recovered from the 9 miles last Saturday. I swear the humidity and dew point are the hardest parts to get through with these summer runs. I've done a lot of reading on running in humidity and the hardest part for me is regulating my water intake on those super humid runs. I don't really feel like I'm sweating until we start to walk for a minute. Then, I don't want to chug my water because I don't want to cramp. So, I'm working on drinking more, but not too much. There's no strict rule since we are all different and sweat at different rates. So, I just need to play around with it to see what works for me.
Here's the breakdown from last week…
Monday - HIIT/heavy lifting leg training
Tuesday - 6.2 miles at Suwanee Greenway/taught boot camp
Wednesday - upper body strength training/yoga
Thursday - HIIT/taught boot camp
Friday - 4 miles Gary Pirkle Park (Hit a PR too!!! Felt amazing!!!)/body weight leg training
Saturday - rest
Sunday - 10 miles!!!/heavy stretching
Ok, leg day…that's a hard one to build in with this training. Experienced marathoners/trainers, I will gladly take feed bake on this! I imagine as time goes on, my leg day will be more functional than actually lifting heavy. I played around with the leg press on Monday for fun doing different feet positions and man, my booty was screaming for mercy on the run on Tuesday. It's hard for me because I love to lift, but I also love to run. I have to remember that I've got a different goal for awhile and the heavy leg days are probably done for the next couple of months.
The 10 miles felt great! We ran it on the treadmill due to the weather. It was entertaining since I watched Dirty Dancing and well, the music is fun in that movie, so I was feeling good through the run. I hit a speed PR for a distance run! That felt amazing. My IT band did get pretty tight at mile 8 this time. It happened last week too. It was good after I stretched it, but it was frustrating. I think I need to spend more time with my yoga again. I haven't been teaching it during the summer and I think I need to get back to doing it more often. It just really helps keep things strong and limber.
I hope you all have an amazing weekend!
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| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:30 AM |
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| Wednesday, July 16, 2014 |
| Cheese Free Gluten Free Cauliflower Pizza |
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I know, I'm a bit late to the game with the whole cauliflower flatbread. To be honest, I always just kind of glanced by it when I saw it pop up in the blog world. I can't have cheese, so really, what was the point? Well, Tony was on a vegetable and protein kick for awhile, so I asked if he would be brave enough to try it. He HATES cauliflower. I showed him pictures and he said "sure". So, I made it for him. Well, that sparked my curiosity! I LOVE cauliflower! This looked like dough. It actually came out so well, that he asked for it again. So, I made it again, but I wanted to make one for me too! So, this is my cheese free version of cauliflower pizza or flatbread.
This crust is so crispy and you can actually pick it up with your hands.
I topped mine with roasted red pepper hummus, sun dried tomatoes and some fresh basil. I never wanted this meal to end!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust or Flatbread
1 head Cauliflower, mine was 2 lbs 3 oz
2/3 cup Garfava flour or Garbanzo bean flour, Bob's Red Mill
1/2 cup Egg whites
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp Salt
Preheat your oven to 375º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. I do this in small batches so I don't over process the cauliflower. Microwave, with the lid on, 10 minutes with a couple of tablespoons of water added to it. Stir at 5 minutes. In a cloth lined colander, put the cooked cauliflower in the cloth and allow to cool for a few minutes. When cool enough to touch (or burn your hands like I do because I'm impatient) squeeze out the excess water. Make sure you get as much water out as you can. Place the drained cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Add the garfava flour through salt to the mixing bowl. Mix well. You should be able to handle it, but if you can't, add a little flour. Bake 20 minutes at 375º. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake at 425 degrees 10 to 15 more minutes.
Labels: gluten free, main course, vegetables |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:30 AM |
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| Monday, July 14, 2014 |
| Training To Run My First Marathon!!! |
Hello friends! I hope everyone is feeling Marvelous! I know I am! Ready to tackle this week!!!
Well, if I would have waited a few more days it would have been a whole month since my last post. I don't know how, but this summer has flown by for us. The kids go back to school in a few weeks and we have a lot to do in those weeks! It has been a busy summer with work, house stuff (um 3 weeks with no AC was not so much fun - no worries, we have a new one now) and Jay (my oldest) started running cross country. So, we've been all over the place.
Ok, well, I think I'm going to do things a little differently for awhile here at my little piece of the internet. I have been thinking a lot about where my career, life and goals have led me and I have a few things that I think I've finally gotten the courage to talk about. In the next few weeks, I'm going to share some personal physical challenges I have gone through, as well as, my thoughts on overcoming these challenges. I'm also going to journal more here. Tony and I have made the craziest decision to run our first marathon! Yeah, me, the girl that hated running a little over 2 years ago has decided to 1) completely fall in love with running and 2) act like a crazy person and complete a full 26.2. I have rules first and foremost in this crazy training plan though. I refuse to wreck myself, I will follow a plan (I'm tweaking a plan to suite my already crazy life), I will fuel myself properly, I will rest when I need it and I will (hopefully) not lose a toenail. Please don't let me lose a toenail…
I really want to share this journey here to help others, but to also keep record of this experience with Tony. I love the idea of journals, but I always seem to let them go after awhile. Also, this will keep me honest with myself so I stay on track.
So, our race is in late October and it is FLAT! We have 15 weeks until the big day! We looked all over for a race that would suite us. This one is a perfect time of year and hopefully will be easier on my legs being that it's flat, so I can teach Boot Camp the follow Tuesday like I normally do. The weather should be perfect and it's a paved trail, so that will be nice. Hopefully the leaves with be at their peak time to change. It's not too far from where we live and we will be doing some of our longer training runs there before hand.
We've been running between 3-7 miles on our runs for the last month. We typically run 3 times a week with cross training done twice a week (I teach boot camp and yoga along with working out with some clients, so I get quite a bit of cross training). The biggest thing I learned from running the half last fall was how beneficial yoga is in my recovery. It really is the perfect complement to my running. So, I sneak in yoga whenever I can including taking breaks from life to release my inner yogi if only for 15 minutes sometimes. I feel renewed and revived when I do, so I will continue to do that as my training continues.
So, here's the breakdown on last week…
Monday - cross trained/HIIT
Tuesday - 7 miles at Suwanee Greenway, taught boot camp
Wednesday - cross trained/upper body strength training
Thursday - taught boot camp, yoga
Friday - cross trained/HIIT/core work
Saturday - 9 miles Suwanee Greenway
Sunday - 3 mile walk, yoga
We actually didn't get in the 3 runs we would have liked to have gotten in last week. Tony was under a HUGE deadline and well, that's life. So, you roll with it. The walk yesterday felt amazing on my legs. I really needed it and I was happy that my legs felt completely recovered after the run. That 9 miles was brutal though. The humidity was awful, the air was thick and the heat was unbearable. However, we played it smart, walked when we needed to, drank our water and pedialyte (I will talk more about our fuel during runs when we get into needing more) and then took the time afterwards to cool down and refuel (especially our salts).
I think we are all caught up for today. Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be appreciated. Anyone else ever done anything outside of their comfort zone with working out? Running a marathon is one of those things I said I would never do…
*While I am an ISSA certified personal trainer, this is a journal of my own experience based on my fitness level. You should always consult a physician before starting a new new exercise program. Labels: about me |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:30 AM |
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| Wednesday, June 18, 2014 |
| Getting Creative In The Kitchen With Steel Cut Oats! |
Happy Wednesday Morning! We are on the downhill slide of the week now! I hope everyone is enjoying a great week. It's been a a busy one here, but things are definitely heading in the right direction and we are gearing up for a great (productive work) weekend!
Question…have any of you ever entered a recipe contest? I love getting creative in the kitchen, as I know most of you do too, so I wanted to share a little contest Bob's Red Mill is doing where you have a chance to win up to $5000 for the grand prize!
This is The Fourth Annual Bob's Red Mill Spar For The Spurtle competition. All you have to do to enter the contest is, come up with an original recipe, upload it and a picture to their Facebook page. Easy, right?
Sadly, I am not eligible to enter since I'm an ambassador for Bob's Red Mill, but that doesn't stop me from creating! So, I'm gonna share my recipe for my individual Apple Spiced Crumb Topped Baked Oatmeal!
Before I get into the recipe, I want to start off by telling you a little trick I have when it comes to making breakfast easy. I've started cooking my steel cut oats ahead of time, scooping out what I need for my individual breakfast in the morning, adding a little extra water or almond milk to the oats and reheating them in the microwave. Makes things come together super quick! Then I can top them with whatever I want or I can throw them in recipes like this one for a super quick breakfast.
With my kids getting older and life inevitably getting busier, having wholesome snacks and quick breakfasts ready for a fast paced life is a must. I came up with these when Jay started running cross country this summer. He's in need of some good recovery foods and these definitely do the trick! The texture is a cross between baked oatmeal and a muffin with a crispy crunchy crumb topping. I love that you can either eat them with a spoon or hold them and eat them with your hands as you run out the door!
Apple Spiced Crumb Topped Baked Oatmeal
makes 7
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Sweet Rice Flour
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Vanilla Plant Fusion
2/3 cup Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 cup cooked Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oatmeal, cooled
1/2 cup Egg Whites
1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
1 dropper NuNatural's Vanilla Stevia
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup cooked Steel Cut Oats, cooled
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 TBSP Vanilla Plant Fusion
2 TBSP Sugar
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
pinch of salt
5 drops NuNatural's Vanilla Stevia
Preheat oven to 350º. Spray jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweet rice flour through salt. Mix well with a wire whisk to get any lumps out of the mixture. Next add the applesauce through stevia drops to the dry mixture and stir to mix well. Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared pan. I used a jumbo muffin pan and a large ramekin.
Prepare the topping by mixing the oats through vanilla stevia drops in a bowl until it forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the muffin batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Remove from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack or eat warm.
Labels: breads, breakfast, quick breads |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:00 AM |
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| Friday, June 13, 2014 |
| Best Homemade Gluten Free And Dairy Free Bread Recipe! |
Happy Friday Friends!!! Things have been crazy here the past two weeks with house repairs. I will spare you the details and my wallet woes.
I was asked by one of my favorite BLENDS if I would share a recipe for something that is hard to re-create gluten free.
So, I shared a new super easy, gluten free recipe! Head over to Lindsay's site to check it out!
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| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:39 AM |
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| Wednesday, June 4, 2014 |
| Homemade Pico De Gallo and Oven Baked Corn Tortilla Chips |
Oh summer time…we love you so. Don't get me wrong, I love all the seasons, but I celebrate the great things about all of them and fresh produce is a summer time favorite here. I have been making my own homemade pico de gallo for years, but honestly, I would put the ingredients in the food processor, blend it to the consistency we wanted and be done with it. Well, a couple of weeks ago, at the beach, I didn't have the luxury of a food processor and using a blender would have made a foamy soup. Not what I was looking for at all. Oh and you need fresh pico de gallo when you're having fish tacos and vegetarian tacos at the beach. So, I hand chopped it.
Just give me a spoon! I could eat this all by it's self!
I can't even begin to tell you how good that was. So, since being home, I've now hand chopped pico de gallo three times and we are already wanting more! It doesn't take long, about 10 to 15 minutes. I love kitchen therapy (and running therapy and lifting therapy and yoga therapy…sounds like I need therapy ;-) so, a few minutes of chopping is actually enjoyable for me. Don't let the chopping scare you off. Seriously, this is worth it!
Also, if you've never baked your own corn tortilla chips, I highly recommend it. They are so crispy, thick and crunchy without being greasy. They are so good and a perfect accompaniment to this thick and chunky pico de gallo.
Fresh Pico De Gallo
makes about 3 cups
5 Large Roma Tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
4 Green Onions
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 Jalapeño, without seeds if you don't want too much heat
1/4 tsp Salt
hand full of fresh Cilantro
juice from half a Lime
Chop everything to your desired size. Mix together and enjoy!
Baked Corn Tortilla Chips
Corn Tortilla Taco Shells
Salt
Preheat your oven to 375º. Spray baking sheet with oil.
Cut your corn tortillas into quarters. Arrange your chips on the baking sheet without overlapping. Spray the top of the chips with a little of the oil and lightly salt. Bake for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully. When slightly browned, turn the chips over, return to oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until they are browned to your liking.
What's your favorite thing about summer? Do you have a favorite food you eat a lot of during the summer? I LOVE going to the lake during the summer and I eat a frightening about of watermelon. It's one of those foods that, once I get started, I can't stop…
Labels: gluten free, vegetables |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:41 AM |
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| Monday, June 2, 2014 |
| Running…On The Beach and Up Currahee! |
Holy smokes has life been crazy! Summer is officially here for the boys. They got out of school about a week and a half ago. Thank goodness! I love summertime with my men. We immediately headed to the beach for a very short, but incredibly sweet trip. There is nothing more amazing than an ocean sunrise.
Seriously, as I watched it each morning, I felt an amazing calm come over me.
Maybe it's a state of mind, maybe it's the breath taking view and maybe it was the amazing company?
Whatever it was, it was AMAZING.
We wasted no time getting thrown back into reality. Work was begun immediately upon arrival back home. Darn responsibility…
Oh well, I like to eat and well, I like having a roof over my head, so, you know…I needed to get over it.
Tony and I decided a few months ago to do something a little crazy. My husband is a serious history buff. I have since become somewhat of one too. We live about an hour outside of Toccoa, GA which is where the paratroopers from WWII trained. This year marked the 70th Anniversary of D-Day and so we decided to sign up for the Currahee 10k. Ya'll, that run is no joke. I have a whole new respect for those men that ran that beast of a mountain twice a day. "3 miles up, 3 miles down". The first two miles were hard, but nothing compared to the last mile. That climb was darn near vertical. I have never seen something like that before. I had every emotion imaginable going on inside of me through that run. I am in awe and humbled by the men that ran there before me.
This view from the top was magnificent. It was brutal and beautiful all at the same time. As we were running up the mountain, we were talking about running. I realized that around the last part of May two years ago, that was when I started running for the first time. What started as a way to understand what clients were going through has turned into a love of mine. I always hated running and never thought I would even slightly like it. I can now, without a doubt say that I'm a runner. I am in love with it. The adventures it has taken me on (especially the past two weeks from running on the beach and then up Currahee), to the peace of mind through run therapy, to the amazing chats I have with my husband while we're out for our runs, I am absolutely, head over heals in love with running. When I first started running, I always said that when I would sign up for a race, I wanted it to be for a good cause. I think the preservation of the Toccoa Military Museum (which we viewed after the run after our whore baths in the car and a quick change of clothes) was a great cause for us. I've actually never ran a race before where people were thanking you for running. Military men and those that had family members in wars were thanking us for participating. We both have had family in the military so hopefully, that small thing we did by running and remembering them, demonstrated our way of honoring them and thanking them for their service.
As we were driving away from our Currahee run on Saturday, Tony and I looked back in the rear view mirror and realized what we had just run up. That mountain in the background, that is the beast. We are already talking about doing it again next year! Yeah, we are that crazy…CURRAHEE!
I will be sharing this on this week's Marvelous In My Monday (which will be on Tuesday). Make sure you check out Katie's inspirational post. It's a great way to start your week!
Labels: about me |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:44 AM |
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| Monday, May 12, 2014 |
| Feeling Content |
Bear with me folks, I am feeling a little touchy feely these days. Probably due to the emotional roller coaster of living the clumsy life with one thumb. It's definitely better, but still nowhere close to usable. Do you know how hard it is for a girl who is all thumbs to be down by one of her favorite digits? I know I'm lucky that it's only a bone bruise and not broken, but gosh it's annoying. I am getting pretty good with the claw now though. That's what I call the four fingers that are working oddly together to make up for the lack of a thumb. I have a whole new respect for the Almighty Thumb!
Anyway, back to the real meaning of my post today. My most profound friend, Lindsay, wrote an incredible post on contentment the other day. You should read it. She is incredibly wise and always inspires me to be a better version of me. I've actually been thinking about this subject a lot lately.
Contentment.
It's actually a pretty tough subject for me especially as someone that works for herself. I always have BIG DREAMS and goals that I'm reaching for. Don't get me wrong, I feel like those are good things, but I also feel that there comes a point when you should stop reaching so hard and just take a moment to appreciate the here and now. I actually did this a few weeks ago, very specifically and very purposefully on a Saturday morning. I live with a lot of stress since Tony and I are both freelancers. We are always working for the next big thing. So, the odd calmness that came over me that morning really marked a special time in my life. It was a realization that I truly have all I've ever wanted and all I will ever need. We definitely do not live a glamorous life. We don't go on regular vacations (our trips are always work related) and some nights we have beans and rice out of necessity (sometimes because we want them too), but we have a healthy, happy little family that we are incredibly happy with. We live in a house we love and we have all that we NEED. Contentment. Happiness. Love. Safety. I could NOT ask for more.
Do you ever think about that? Your contentment? I think it's easy to get caught up in the things you don't care for or don't have in your life, but actually appreciating the good is never as easy. Competing with others or never really appreciating who you are or how far you've come will only create bitterness and anger.
Summer time is coming up for my boys which gives us a lot of good times to look forward to here. We are really looking forward to this summer. Life has changed, again (for the better, so that's good!). We are crazy busy, but trying to take the little moments of calmness to really spend some quality time together. The illustrator is working on a Star Trek comic book and he could not be happier, I'm loving every second of working more hands on with him again, my bootcamp class is in full swing with an energetic group, I have a great group of personal training/nutrition clients and my recipe development clients have grown! Also, on top of that, I know this is almost too much for me to handle, but in the very near future, my toes will be scrunched in a sandy beach. Our family is going to the beach for a few days with my very best girl friend and her family. I CAN NOT WAIT!!! This girl grew up with beach vacations all the time. It has been 10 years since I've been and I (along with the bus who can't even remember that trip 10 years ago) are busting with excitement.
So, tell me some good things that are going on in your life. I want to enjoy these moments with you!
Happy Monday friends! I am indeed feeling marvelous! I hope you have an incredible week!Labels: about me |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 5:00 PM |
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| Wednesday, April 9, 2014 |
| Bob's Red Mill Giveaway Winner! |
The winner of the Bob's Red Mill giveaway is RunWiki! Congratulations lady!
Thank you to everyone that entered! You can go here to receive a coupon off your next order!
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| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:47 AM |
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| Monday, April 7, 2014 |
| Hazelnut Crepes and My Week In Review! |
***Don't forget to enter the Bob's Red Mill Giveaway! Hazelnut Flour and a $50 gift card!
I always aspire to be more organized. Some days, I feel like I'm getting better, but then there are other days when I realize I have 5 lists going and nothing is really getting done. Overwhelmed much? I love how Meghan at Clean Eats Fast Feets stays so organized. I dream of being that good some day…
Last week was a really good week at the old homestead. I'm not sure if many of you know this, but my husband is an illustrator. He works long hard hours. He's extraordinarily talented (at least I think so) and my job (one of many, but the one I do for him) is to help him with promoting work and keeping the books. Talk about the blind leading the blind here. Well, we are starting a new direction in the work he offers. We recently started screen printing his work! So, last week was all about putting some artwork on a garment from start (creating a screen) to finish (screen printing a t-shirt). He is incredibly good at illustrative design, working for many years creating logos and commercial artwork, so this is a natural progression for his work. He has worked digitally for years and as an artist, he has the need to do something more artistic with his hands. Pulling ink through the screen and seeing an image he created come through was extremely exciting! I can't wait to see where this takes him in this new venture!
So, Monday was spent prepping the screen for photo emulsion. I was terrified of this. I have never worked with anything light sensitive in my life. I'm a personal trainer and chef. Lucky for Tony, I'm also artsy fartsy, so while this was scary, it was also fun! I trained a few clients and found my way into the kitchen to play with more hazelnut meal too. Hazelnut Crepes!
Savory
Filled with Daiya folded and browned on each side to melt the "cheese".
Sweet
Folded and served with caramelized bananas with dairy free ice cream on top.
Hazelnut Crepes
(makes 9 medium crepes)
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Meal
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp guar gum
1 cup egg whites
1 cup almond milk
2/3 cup water
2 TBSP dairy free butter, melted
Mix everything in a blender and blend for 3 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours. Cook in a buttered or oiled non-stick pan flipping when bubbles form on top of the crepe. I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup for each crepe. Serve savory or sweet!
Tuesday was a runch day! Lunch time runs are becoming a favorite of mine. I felt like a caged animal that had been released when I got out in the sunshine! Hit a PR and then fueled up with a kabocha sandwich on protein flatbread!
Wednesday was the day we actually worked with the photo emulsion. We coated our screen and got things ready to wake up before the sun came out on Thursday morning (happens anyway, but we needed the dark that day for work). I trained clients and got a little bookkeeping work done. Have I mentioned how much I hate that part of work? UGH!
Thursday was a crazy day. We got up, had a little coffee and then got to work exposing and cleaning our screen. We went with a fun design for our first try and I'm amazed at how well it turned out.
We also printed shirts! So much fun!
I also spent 4 hours driving kids around to various things and trained clients. It was a busy, but super fun day!
Friday was Friday, need I say more? I got in a great run with Tony, got some tax stuff done (I still have some to do) and then relaxed with my men watching a movie.
Saturday was a day of errands with Tony. We started our morning with a cup of coffee before the sun came up (we are apparently getting old and can't sleep in) and ended up having an incredible brainstorming meeting! I love seeing him so excited about art in a different way. He loves what he does with comics and that will always be a passion of his, but see him look forward to new opportunities really inspires me. I'm a lucky girl to have him in my life. He has given me a beautiful family and a comfortable place to live. I could never ask for more. Love him! We also made our way to the art store for more ink! I can't wait to play with these!
I finished the weekend with a 6 mile run with Tony. It's the first 6 miler in a long time that felt good. It was needed. I also spent the morning working on laundry while Tony took our oldest out to drive on real roads for the first time. That part was a little hard to deal with. I have no idea where the time has gone? Everyone survived safe and sound, including the car. Again, I couldn't ask for more.
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| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:02 AM |
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| Monday, March 31, 2014 |
| Hazelnut Oven Baked Pancake and a Giveaway! |
It's Monday my friends and I'm feeling pretty Marvelous!!! I had an incredible weekend with friends and my little family, so I would say that's the perfect way to start this week off on the right foot! Also, I have an incredible giveaway to share with you all today along with a super easy, delicious and healthy recipe for an oven baked pancake. You can't beat that, right?!
Alright, let's be honest, life is busy. I feel like we are constantly on the go around here these days. I know we aren't the only ones, so lately, when I think about developing recipes, my first consideration is to come up with something everyone can do quickly and easily.
I got to thinking about all the meals that are a little on the time consuming side and came up with pancakes as being one that we love, but I always dread the time I spend in the kitchen flipping them. I don't know about you, but when the weekends roll around, I just want to relax, drink my morning coffee slowly (instead of slamming it down my throat while driving) and watch home shows with my husband. Well, my kids have a different picture of what the weekend mornings should look like. They like to have a "Saturday" or "Sunday" breakfast, as they call it, which is completely different from any other day of the week kind of breakfast (you know like cereal or yogurt). I get it, the weekends mean big breakfasts with all the fixings! I love cooking, it's what I was meant to do, it's my zen, but with how busy things have been lately, I am really focusing on coming up with fast, healthy, simple recipes that don't actually taste like they are all of those things.
So, this is when I had the idea for a baked breakfast pancake. This recipe is so simple. You just put everything in the blender, blend it all up, pour it into the pan and bake it! No standing in the kitchen for 30 minutes flipping pancakes!
The topping options are endless. I topped ours with powdered sugar and caramelized bananas*. Strawberries and whipped cream would be amazing too. I'm definitely making this the next time we have company over for breakfast. A build your own topping bar would be perfect with this easy to make pancake. The boys enjoyed this so much, they went right back in for seconds! That makes me a happy mama. They don't even know this was good for them. Sssshhhh, don't tell them!
Hazelnut Oven Baked Pancake
serves 4
3/4 cup hazelnut meal
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP coconut oil
Heat the oven to 425°. Place the coconut oil in a 10" cast iron skillet. Melt the coconut oil in the oven while it preheats.
Place the hazelnut meal through lemon juice in a blender and blend 2 minutes or until completely mixed together on high speed. Swirl the melted coconut oil in the pan to completely coat it. Pour the pancake batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Serve warm with your favorite pancake toppings.
*To make the caramelized bananas, I simply melted non-dairy butter in a skillet, sliced the bananas, cooked them slightly and then added a little brown sugar and vanilla to them when they were just about done cooking.
How would you like to try out the new Hazelnut Meal from Bob's Red Mill and receive a $50 gift certificate to try out more of their amazing products? Well, here's your chance! You have multiple ways to enter. Make sure you leave a comment for each entry. Winner will be announced Tuesday, April 8th. Good Luck!
To enter the giveaway:
1. Leave a comment here telling me your favorite quick meal
2. Follow me on Facebook.
3. Follow me on Instagram.
4. Follow me on Twitter.
5. Follow Bob's Red Mill on Facebook.
6. Follow Bob's Red Mill on Twitter. Labels: breads, breakfast, gluten free, main course, product reviews, quick breads |
| posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 12:11 PM |
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Name:
Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
See my complete profile
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