What's worthy to you?

It's been a tough few days.

As we speak I'm supposed to be in Kentucky filming a pilot for a television show my company was commissioned to shoot. It's a really big deal because we've been cultivating this production company for a few years and this is a great opportunity. Sadly, my partners had to go without me.

My darling hubby came down with a severe ear infection that was so bad it has forced him to be hospitalized. It's been a stressful week but we're hoping he comes home later today. If all is well and he feels relatively back to normal, I may try to join my colleagues for the end of the shoot.

We shall see.

Between working, running to the hospital and juggling our four year old it's been stressful but squeezing in two and three milers when and where I can has been helpful so thank God for that.

I almost decided not to run at all yesterday and today because I barely had time for two miles. Now I even wrote a big post about the importance of every mile, of "leaving no mile behind" but still sometimes I grapple with the "worthiness" of these short runs.

But you know what, they are soooo worthy. My two 2 milers have yielded tremendous stress relief, has burn a combined total of 450 calories and allows me to keep some semblance of balance and momentum.  That's some good stuff. I would feel a million times worse today if I hadn't run yesterday or today. Never take for granted the opportunity to run, no matter how small  or short.

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And in other news… A few favorite new finds.

Ever since finding out that I have to avoid gluten, dairy and almonds, I've had to get creative with treats and stuff. I'm not a big snacker (and when I do snack, it's typically fruit, nuts or yogurt) but a girl has to have a little something extra every now and again…

First favorite new find:

Kind bar: Walnut & Date. 100% gluten free, no GMO ingredients, dairy free and almond free. I don't do too many bars (and now they are hard to find with all my restrictions) but this one is tasty and tummy friendly. I keep a few in my purse for when I need a little something between meals.

Second favorite find: 

Red Bridge Beer: Made by Anheuser-Busch, this gluten-free beer is actually really good and won't break the bank. I found it at my local grocery store liquor store for only $8.99 for a six pack. That's not bad for a specialty beer. Especially when you consider how much the first rounds of gluten-free beers I found were.

Finally, last but certainly not least…

You had me at hello

Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams: No dairy, no gluten, no chance in hell of resisting this stuff. Like that cool guy in class, full of swag and dreaminess - this one can get you in trouble and I suggest you proceed with caution.  I fricken LOVE this stuff. My treat on a day where I'm craving chocolate or something a little sweet is a tsp of this on an apple, with a banana, on a rice cake or even by itself. I can't really have cookies with the gluten and dairy thing but this on a rice cake with a few chopped walnuts really does the trick.

What are some of your favorite treats?
If you're "supposed" to run 4 -6 miles or something but only have time for 2 -3 do you typically run the 2 or 3 or just blow off the whole thing?

XO
Jen

Food For Thought II: Living with food sensitivities

Gluten-free beer

If you follow this blog you know that I've been dealing with daily tummy troubles for a long time. After searching for answers I finally learned from a visit with a Naturopathic doctor that I have food issues with:

Gluten, dairy, almonds and artificial sweeteners.

Yeah. Awesome.

Thankfully, I've been eating clean and I had suspected some gluten and dairy issues so over the course of time I had experimented with weaning those foods out and ironically, I made a decision a few months ago to kick my love affair with Splenda and other sweeteners to the curb. So, it wasn't a total culture shock to lose these foods. A year or two ago, it certainly would've felt like the end of the world.

But still. It's not easy. It's cool if I'm eating at home and planning but eating out, having dinner with friends, BBQ's etc is a bit of a pain in the ass. 

Believe it or not, one of the worst things is giving up almonds. I never realized how much almonds are used (especially in vegan, dairy/gluten free) things. 

Oh well. Life goes on.

So what am I eating?

Lots of brown rice, quinoa, faro and other non-gluten grains. Beans, homemade hummus, avocado, lean organic meats, eggs. I can eat yogurt so I'm going to try a yogurt cheese and I'm enjoying Coconut milk, coconut milk ice cream, fruits and veggies.

My newer way of eating

I even found gluten free beer at Fairway (this awesome new store) today. It was $15.99 for a four pack so I will most likely stick to vodka and wine but also found a bottle of gluten free beer that was a little less expensive that I picked up to give a shot.

This morning I whipped up some homemade gluten-free pancakes that I made with ground quick oats, an egg, a bit of agave, a little coconut milk, salt and baking powder. They were pretty good. I served with banana and blueberries.

I know you might be wondering - am I feeling better? I've had a few really good days and I've still had a few tummy aches. I think I'm still bumping around but I'm hopeful that with some more time and diligence on eliminating the questionable foods that I'm going to find good results.

Do you suffer food sensitivities?

What would be the worst thing to give up?

XO

Jen