Monterey Bay

Weekend trips are the best - they're a great way to unwind and explore a new place while minimizing your budget.  I recently went to Monterey Bay and Salinas for a quick getaway & got to try some fabulous restaurants while there.

While walking around cannery row, I was surprised to see how many restaurants had gluten free menus. From sit-down joints to quick-service cafes, there were almost too many options! We finally decided on The Fish Hopper, where I feasted on macadamia crusted tilapia with roasted vegetables & glazed sweet potatoes. The papaya mango relish was divine - it went perfectly with everything on my plate.

My lingering sweet tooth led me to Lily Maes Cinnamon Rolls, where I found a selection of gf pastries, including scones, muffins, and of course, cinnamon rolls. A peanut butter cookie jumped out at me, so I bought the last one. I devoured it too quickly to snap a photo, which is testament to its spot on taste.

No trip is complete without some sort of shopping, but I've never been a huge fan of spending my money at high end waterfront stores . Vintage shopping is more my scene...and I was extremely lucky to stumble upon The Cannery Row Antique Mall. Located in a rustic barn-style warehouse, this place is a must visit. I could have spent an entire day browsing the vintage travel posters, delicate jewelry, and 1920's cookbooks. Not to mention the precious tea sets and cute antique dollhouse furniture!

To my amazement / dismay, I found out that there was a second level when we were leaving. A whole second floor filled with one-of-a-kind finds?! I will definitely be back to explore!

What's your favorite spot for a great weekend getaway?

Happy New Year's everyone! Hope you all had a memorable celebration, whether it was couch-lounging small or Times Square big. Personally, I got together with some family for the famous ball-drop & countdown. We played games, laughed hard, and feasted on delicious food. My aunt made an array of creative dishes, including flame grilled veggies, sweet yams, and a traditional Chinese rice dish called yau fan (a gf version), which deserves its own post!

There were other sides and mains of course (to satisfy each guest), but everything worked surprisingly well together. I was in charge of dessert - aka my favorite course (: My family was staying at a hotel nearby, and luckily it had a kitchen! With minimal ingredients on hand, my mom and I made this classic berry crisp. It's simple, quick, and relatively hard to screw up.

Enjoy this recipe, or customize it with your own filling!

Ingredients:

1-2 Bags Frozen Berries (of choice)
1 GF Pie Shell
2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 -3 Cups GF Rolled Oats
Small Pack of GF gingersnap cookies*
Melted Smart Balance or Butter (to taste)

*I crushed these up and mixed with the topping - they added a zesty flavor that paired nicely with the berries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sauté berries with butter (or substitute) on stovetop until a compote forms
• Pour mixture into pie shell
• Mix together brown sugar, oats, crushed ginger snaps, and melted butter or substitute until a crumbly mixture forms (consistency should be on the thicker side)
• Pour topping over pie shell
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until topping is golden brown & crisp

Happy Holidays!

Amid a flurry of holiday parties, seasonal baking, and family gatherings, I've been a tad busy. But I'm sure that you can all relate. December marks that annual calendar cram...it happens whether we like it or not. Yep, last minute gift-shopping, impromptu get-togethers, and jam-packed events seem to ensue despite all of our planning. Since the holiday rush is inevitable, I find it freeing to enjoy the madness...basque in the chaos if you will. 

I've been making an extra effort to enjoy each moment this season (an easy intention to make, but a difficult action to execute).  Right now, one of my favorite things to do is walk around the city with my Nikon. San Francisco is filled with such wonderful displays, especially during this time of year. I rarely tire of gazing at the adorable puppies in Macy's store windows or marveling at the bright Christmas tree in Union Square. Despite my city outings, I've been baking per usual and trying tons of new recipes to boot (Sorry for the delayed post). Here's a simple but classic fav!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF of course!)
*makes about 18 cookies  
Ingredients
1 Stick butter
2 1/4 C. oat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C. brown sugar, 1/2 C. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. chocolate chips (milk or dark) 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF

• Mix together the sugar and butter

• Add the egg and vanilla & beat until smooth

• Mix together baking soda, salt, and flour. Add mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until well blended (dough will be semi sticky)  
• Mix in the chocolate chips 
• Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for about 10-12 minutes 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Mix together the butter and sugars. The mixture will be slightly crumbly. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Mix together the soda, salt, and flour and add to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky. Add the chocolate chips.
Bake on ungreased baking sheets for about 10 minutes or until the edges are just becoming golden.
Read more at http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com/2013/09/simple-chewy-gluten-free-chocolate-chip.html#zWjicDQyIiHq97qv.99

Her Campus Back to School Survival Kit Program

As a member of the Her Campus Blogger Network, I get access to some pretty cool opportunities. The most recent of which brought me an exciting package in the mail. After a long day at work, I was greeted by this little beauty:

Inside was a ton of amazing swag from Her Campus and some of their partners. I was stoked to find colorful Poppin notebooks and pens - perfect for taking toes and jotting down new recipe ideas! There was also some neuro SONIC, which provides sustained, focused energy and can help you power through days when you're feeling less than motivated.

And the fun didn't end there. Mini Luna bars poured out in delicious flavors like s'mores and white chocolate macadamia nut! Regular Luna bars aren't certified gf, but you can check out their gluten free protein line here - the flavors are chocolate covered and delicious.

Chipotle generously included catering cards - Mexican food fiesta, here I come! I love the company's soft tacos and customizable burrito bowls, which are both great gf options.

I'm loving all of these new products and can't wait to share them with my family & friends. A huge thank you to the HC team and all of their fabulous sponsors!  

Schar

When you first give up gluten, your body goes through a period of shock. Personally, mine asked tons of questions and demanded to know what on earth I was doing. What's going on here? Why can't I have any birthday cake? What about that delicious bread I used to eat everyday? Although this process occurs differently for each person, it is inevitable to miss gluten at some point. But after being gluten free for awhile, you start to forget about those foods you used to miss so much. I'm happy to say that I don't crave sandwiches nearly as much as I used to when I pass my favorite deli after work.

For the record, I'm not saying that gluten free substitutes are useless. There are plenty of items on the market that, dare I say it, rival their gluten-containing counterparts. And whenever I come across these products, I feel the need to spread the word!

Hence the purpose of this post. Schar is a New Jersey based company that makes everything from gf cookies to sandwich rolls. I recently had the opportunity to try some of their sourdough bread-and I have to admit that I don't like a lot of the gf breads that I've eaten. Nonetheless, I was intrigued by the sourdough flavor and thought it was worth a try!

Schar's bread was pretty tasty-not too chewy of a texture and was able to hold it's own beneath my tuna melt. I'd go as far as to say that it tasted "just like the real thing." But who knows? I guess the real test would be to make a sandwich for one of my non gf friends and see if they can tell the difference!

Do you have a favorite gf brand or product? Tell me about it - I'd love to know!

Ziftit

The impending season signals decadent food, warm drinks, and yup: holiday shopping. For some, shopping is a joy-filled activity at any time of the year. But amidst all the other things going on, it can quickly become just another task on your never ending "to-do" list. Imagine my delight when I discovered that even gift-giving could be simplified (:

Ziftit is a shopping / gifting website and app that allows users to create personalized wish lists for any occasion. You can add clothing, beauty essentials, or other products from any store on the web to your “Zift Lists”. Friends and family members can then purchase those items and have them shipped to the user. Simple, no?

Ziftit also has some cool features that make putting your wish list together even easier. Your personalized Trending Feed constantly fills with products that match your style. On the mobile device app, the Barcode Scanner allows users to scan products on-the-go and receive a list of places to find that particular product. But my favorite feature is Ziftit’s Pitch In feature, which allows you to split the cost of presents with your friends - group gifts made easy!

Another great thing about this service is its appeal to college students. If you're looking to save some money, the Barcode scanner can really help find affordable items. Furthermore, the Events page lets you to create events, send out invites, and receive RSVPs from your invitees. This is especially convenient for organizing student events, club meetings, and Greek life parties!

If you're interested in learning more about Ziftit, it's easy to get involved! The company is hosting a Trendsetter Contest and will give away $10,000 to one lucky winner! The contest will challenge participants to gather unique products from all over the web and add them to their personal Zift Lists. By using the “follow” feature, participants will add products to their Zift Lists that they think will appeal to the most followers. Contest participants can increase their “influence rating” by gaining followers and by having their chosen products re-added by their followers.

On December 15, the participant with the highest overall influence rating will win $10,000 and will be given the title of “The Trendsetter of 2013.” 

Feeling inspired? Start Zifting!

Gluten Free Gems: Craving Busters

Decadent chocolate cake...buttery, salty popcorn...cheesy, loaded nachos. We all get cravings. In fact, I don't know a single person who is immune to them. They strike at the worst times and often cause us to make hasty decisions. But after going for a whole bag of chips (king sized!) or partaking in a little too much ice cream, it's common to feel post-indulgence guilt.

Despite the impending guilt, it's not worth beating yourself up about. These moments happen to us all. The truth is, it's best not to worry as long as they aren't happening all the time. If you want to take action, it's easy to stock up on healthier versions of your favorite foods. That way, you'll be much more prepared so your cravings don't get the best of you! Read on for some undeniably tasty snack ideas.

Crunchy

Sweet Onion Veggie Krunch
This snack took me by surprise the first time I tried it. Completely raw and vegan, it's a great chip replacement! Tamari and smoked salt add tons of flavor, while sesame and chia seeds provide protein and fiber.

Crunchies Fruit
Available in flavors like apple cinnamon and blueberry, these freeze-dried snacks are 100% natural with no sugar added. You'll be surprised at how satisfying the mango chips are - sweet and crispy!

Sweet

Oskri Sesame Bar
These thin, cripsy bars are packed with date syrup, a natural sweetener you can feel better about indulging in. They have a sweet flavor without being over-the-top. One pack of three bars is around 200 calories - a perfect movie snack!

LuLu's Raw Chocolate
Believe it or not, dark chocolate is actually good for you! Before it's turned into your favorite candy bar (hello butterfinger & recees!), cocoa it's packed with incredible nutrients and antioxidants. The key is to enjoy it in a less processed form...in moderation of course :)

Salty

Kaya Foods Kale Chips
I was a skeptic at first, but now I am quite possibly the biggest supporter of kale chips. Crisp kale is the perfect nutritional base for these amazing snacks. With varieties like tarragon dijon and southwestern ranch, your taste buds will be in flavor heaven!
*Stay tuned for a future post about homemade kale chips!

Almond Butter 
Undoubtedly a nutritionally sound snack, almond butter is just as delicious smeared on a banana as it is on rice crackers. Justin's makes convenient single-serving packs, perfect for portion control!


*picture provided by thisthatmothering.blogspot.com