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Blog Update:

Have you ever tried to "Follow" my blog by email?  Like, in the area on my blog page that says "Follow by Email"?  And after you typed in your email address, did you NEVER receive an email?

Well, I was just playing around with my site and realized an error with that feature!  If you ever put your email address in there, it was signing you up for another blog that I never post too. 

So, I just fixed it!  If you want to follow my blog by email, go ahead, enter your email address.  I promise it will work this time!

And, I promise to bring more posts on my Italy Trip.  I am just holding off until the New Year!

I hope you all have an amazing New Year!  Don't forget to eat your black eye peas!

Speaking of black eyed peas, every year, I make Black Eyed Pea Salsa.  It's the perfect dish to snack on while you try to cure your hangover.  You can make it a day in advance, so all you have to do on New Year's day is warm it up in the microwave!  I've included the recipe below, so try it out and let me what you think!



Black Eyed Pea Salsa

Ingredients:

·      1 cup rice

·      2 cans black eyed peas (drained)

·      1 can rotel tomatoes

·      1 tsp cumin

·      Cilantro

·      Lime juice

A word to the wise, I've tried making this recipe with spicy rotel, and it was not good......I love love love spicy food, but save yourself the trouble and go with regular rotel!

Directions:

1.      Cook rice according to instructions.  (I use my rice cooker!)

2.      Combine black eyed peas, rotel and cumin with rice in a saucepan and heat throughout.

3.      Add cilantro and lime juice.  Serve warm.

It's not Easy being Cheesy...

Now that the weather has cooled here, I am craving some of my favorite fall foods.  1 thing that I love dearly is a yummy grilled cheese sandwich.  Like, I really really love them.  I remember the day I learned how to make grilled cheese sandwiches for myself.  (I was probably only 7 at the time, maybe younger.)  In college, I would eat 2 grilled cheese sandwiches 6 out of 7 days a week for lunch.  For REAL--ask my roommates.  (They would also tell you that I love to make cornbread..which I made probably twice a week.)

Anyway, ever since I had to give up gluten because of my horrible migraines, (oh, and I had to give up cheese too) I have not had a grilled cheese.  I actually get really sad just thinking about having to give up one of the greatest loves of my life. 

So, here I am, minding my own business, when all of sudden, on of my favorite bloggers, Hip Hostess, puts up a whole post on a delicious "Apple and Brie Melt" recipe she found here. 

Yeah, I wasn't fulled by the "Melt" part either---I know what that really is, a FREAKIN AWESOME GRILLED CHEESE!  Well, all I can say is that now I can't stop thinking about it!  Maybe I'll make it for my husband--at least one of us should get to enjoy it!

Interested in eating this?  I've kindly given you the recipe below.  If you do make it, let me know just how YUMMY it was. 

Apple and Brie Melts--or "FREAKING AMAZING GRILLED CHEESE"

4 slices of Italian bread, about 1/2" thick

1 large apple, thinly sliced

4 oz brie, thinly sliced

2 T apple butter

1 T butter

Spread apple butter on one side of bread slices.  Layer brie and apple slices on one side and top with remaining slice of bread.  Heat griddle over medium heat and melt half of the butter on the pan.  Add sandwiches and spread remaining butter on tops of bread.  Let cook about three minutes and then flip.  Cook an additional two to three minutes until cheese is melted and bread is toasted as desired.  Cut and serve.

Secrets to Eating Well on a Strict Diet

I have been on a strict diet for about a year now--not by choice, but by necessity.  I started having awful migraines that produced stroke-like symptoms (loss of feeling on the left side of my body, loss of eyesight, inability to speak correctly) and required me to go to the hospital a few times.  My neurologist gave me medication to take "when I felt one coming on", but for 2 days after I took the medicine, I had the worst hang over..ever.  (I don't really take medication except for a few Advil every now and then, so I am very sensitive to any type of medication.) 

I decided that I couldn't live my life in anticipation of a migraine coming on and that I didn't want to have to take medication daily.  My aunt told me that she too had experienced migraines like mine when she was my age and that she stopped them by eliminating several things from her diet.  She told me about a book, The Yeast Syndrome, and how following the guidelines of this book/diet changed her life.  She hasn't had a migraine since!  I was so miserable from these constant migraines that I got the book and immediately changed my diet. 

I had to give up all foods that contain yeast, caffeine, sugar or that grow with mold, which is a lot of food!  No more bread, beer, grapes, peanuts, peanut butter, anything with flour, mushrooms, cold cuts, candy, cookies, cheese--(I can have mozzarella), yogurt, etc.  Basically, I have to live my life Gluten Free.  At first it was really hard, but over time, I've learned what I can substitue and in the process, I've found wonderful new foods!  I'm happy to report that I have been migraine free since I've started the diet (except for 1 time when I cheated and boy, did I learn my lesson.)

As I learn new recipes with "weird" ingredients (that my husband won't eat often times), I'll share them with you.  I not only have gotten ride of my migraines, but I've learned that eating the right foods really do make you feel better.  I now see how "toxic" foods (i.e. processed foods full of ) really do effect all of us!

Last night, I tried a new lentil soup recipe, found at one of my favorite blogs, Full House, and enjoyed it so much that I can't NOT share it!

Lentil Soup

 

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 dried quinoa

1 1/2 cups dried red or brown lentils  (I used Red)
4-5ish cups vegetable stock
1 bunch baby spinach, chopped
1 lemon juiced
finely grated lemon zest to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Add carrots and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add lentils, quinoa and stock. Bring to the boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat. Add spinach, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Ladle into bowls. Top with lemon zest. Serves 6ish.

Not only is this healthy, but it is also super delicious!  Try it out and let me know what you think!