Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Quick and Easy GF breakfast

We don't always have time to mix up some gluten free pancake or waffle batter. And maybe we still don't have time to make French toast with GF bread. Or maybe you would have had time but you hit snooze one too many times. Maybe its not gluten you are avoiding, maybe its something else. Trader Joe's has it and thats part of the reason why we are a wee bit obsessed!

Whatever the case, we've got you covered!

This is the Trader Joe's edition of GF breakfast!

Trader Joe's carries quite a few gluten free breakfast items. A mother of a child with Autism told me recently that there is just no time to make a big gluten free breakfast in the morning and she relies completely on the cereal, waffles and pancakes from TJ's. Granted, we are nowhere near as busy as a mother of a child with Autism, however we are staying away from gluten and who wants to cook every morning. So, I took her advice and tried a few things!



Nature's Path makes great gluten free cereal! Yea, that is a kids cereal, but don't tell me you wouldn't be reading the back of that box to learn about life as a panda while eating your cereal! I'm practically an expert on pandas now.

TJ's brand pancakes are stupid delicious! I don't think you could tell the difference! Obviously they wont be as fluffy and perfect as homemade pancakes. BUT, they are a very close second!

Seriously, These are so good! 

There you have it! Even if you are not on a gluten free diet, you should give them a try! You won't regret it. These are just a few of the GF treats at TJ's. Dig around you will find more! Or, just ask everyone is so friendly there!


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Lemonade




I recently fell in love with Lemonade when I stumbled upon it in Larchmont while I was walking around on my lunch break. While out and about Abbot Kinney I stopped in again! I decided I must share about the deliciousness!


Lemonade is described as Seasonal Southern California Comfort Food! And that it is! Plenty of healthy options as well as some heartier options for those who need a bigger meal or maybe its just a Mac & Cheese kind of day.


There is something for everyone! And if you are avoiding something specific, they have this hand guide that labels every dish so you know what to you can or can not have. 


It has a nice cafeteria layout, I tend to be that annoying person who looks at every option before making my final selection. If you are ever behind me in line, I would like to apologize in advance!



Did  I mention the desserts! They are fantastic! Talk about holding up the line! You have to get something, even if you  take it home to snack on later! 


Can you believe the size of this Macaroon???? So delicious! I was able to slowly savor this thing till it was 5:00pm and time to head home! 




 Even my lil sister loved it! (Major accomplishment!)


Oh and make sure you get some Lemonade! It is what they are named after. My favorite is the cucumber mint lemonade!  But if that isn't your thing they always have about 4 other flavors to choose from!

Find a Lemonade near you!



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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Etsy Shop of the Week: Frosted Willow



If you love bangles and bracelets, you're in luck. Frosted Willow has some of the cutest stackable, hand made bracelets on Etsy. 




Super cute sailor bangle set 


Or, if birds are  you're thing...



Each piece is generally $10-$20, so you can end up with a hand picked, stackable set for not a lot of money. 


You can also add an initial charm to any bracelet 



I love that Frosted Willow offers an upgrade to gold filled bangles for just $10. Personally, I prefer to spend the extra money when I really like something, because it just lasts so much longer. If you really like it, it is so worth the money. 

There are great monogrammed bracelets as well, and some very cute ones for mom's and their kids! Totally in love. 

Find Frosted Willow's Etsy shop here or visit her on Facebook here

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Quality Nails

Soon after we met, Bailey introduced me to a little nail place tucked away in Studio City. I am always on the hunt for a place that does a quality job, but still affordable. 


Meet Quality Nails. Located in a shopping center off of Cahuenga, Quality Nails offers incredible bang for your buck. 


Their manicures and pedicures last longer than almost any other place I've been to in LA, and is just $30 for a spa pedicure and manicure. 


The best part? You get a paraffin wax treatment that is included with all manicures and pedicures. Their staff is always friendly, and they give one heck of a hand and foot massage. My favorite part. 


When you first walk in you may be caught off guard a bit because the place is FULL of every hair, skin and make up product you have ever heard of! And if you are in the market for a horrible knock off designer bag, this is your place. All of those things are not for us, but... seriously, don't let it scare you away. This place is the best! 




Visit them at 3535 Cahuenga Blvd W
Los Angeles, CA 90068
(323) 876-6524



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Monday, July 29, 2013

Golden Road Brewery



If you are looking for a fun place to go for a quick bite to eat, a long lunch or maybe a fun place to have a birthday party, I have a place for you!

Golden Road Brewery is a fun and delicious brewery! From what all my beer drinking friends say, its pretty delicious. What I love about it is the food and the games. 

It is the perfect for a summer day! We have adopted this place as our after hiking lunch spot.  If you are too warm, go inside, if you want to enjoy the weather go in the covered  patio or sit out under an umbrella! 

Like I said, they have some pretty delicious beers, so if you want a good beer this is your place!


My only complaint is that they don't have any ciders  or gluten free beer and on a hot day after a hike I'm not in the mood for a glass of red wine. 

Oh, and I wish the pretzel was gluten free! Boy is it big and boy oh boy does it look delicious! 




Even if you are part of the gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian crew, you are set here! The menu labels  things that are vegan and most of the vegan meat substitutes are gluten free too! They use corn tortilla's  with their tacos, hearts of palm ceviche, and tostada salad plus their salads are pretty amazing. 

My favorite salad is the Coconut "noodle" salad! Everything is delicious so, just try it all! Food and beer, try all the food and all the bear!


There are some great games at Golden Road, one of their games I have never heard of before and I'm still trying to figure it out. Here are the rules for "Aunt Sally" the fun and exciting game where you throw things and knock things over... ok to be honest, I still don't get how to play it but it is fun!


I'm all about the other games where I know what is going on! Give me some life size Jenga and I'm good to go!








And of course Corn Hole! The best outdoor game there is! (I'm actually good at this one so I like it even more!) They also have a ginormous connect 4, foosball, ping pong, shuffle board and a few other things that I just cant seem to remember! SO MANY GAMES! 




I'm pretty sure the girls won this one!


There are plenty of other games  to play and it is probably the perfect place to go during football season! If you are in the area check it out!

If you need a reason to go there, check out their Detox/Retox Party August 10th! Join your friends and make new friends as you job, do yoga then enjoy some delicious beer with breakfast at Golden Road!

Golden Road also has a pretty cool blog, you can check that out here!

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Friday, July 26, 2013

26.2 miles might be too much...

Ok, its Bailey's Bucket list time...


Well if you had a chance to take a look at my posts about Big Sur, you may have figured out that I kinda loved it and its pretty darn beautiful! Well our camping buddies also happen to be runners. They both competed in the Big Sur marathon last year and suggested Aaron and I give it a try.

Well we had talked about it and with a year to train, we could totally do it! So that was it, we were determined and ready! The day it opened for registration, there I was sitting at my computer ready to sign up!


26.2 miles was gonna be my bitch!

But... what was that "FULL"... that must mean the full marathon not the half, right? Why couldn't I click on it? Oh, full as in nobody else can register, not full as in a complete marathon distance.

Can you believe that. A 26.2 mile race for like 4000 people sold out in under an hour? I thought I was crazy for signing up for a marathon, there must be a lot of crazy people out there. (Or, maybe its not crazy at all!)

I vote totally sane, cuz look how cool these metals are!

Well, I was bummed and was going to look for another one when it was suggested that I run the 21miler. Same course, just 5.2 miles shorter! I can totally do that, it is still a first and way longer than I have ever run at one time and I can still get excited for my first marathon after this one is over! 


Time to pick our some tunes to run to, get a training schedule ready and make it happen! 

Now, I also get to plan another first. I need to pick out my first half marathon! Hmmm I am considering the Santa Barbara half in November, but I haven't committed to anything yet. Any suggestions? 

How many of you have run a half or full marathon? I'll take any and all suggestions, tips or tricks you have!




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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

Today's episode of Gluten Free Best Friend shows you how to make delicious Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese!


Mac&cheese is one of our favorite comfort foods. Going gluten free wasn't gonna stop us from eating it. It shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying a cheesy bowl that makes them feel like they are a kid again, or maybe enjoying some of that classy mac&cheese with truffle oil or lobster.

However you prefer your mac & cheese we want you to know how easy and delicious the gluten free version really is!



You can watch the video here!


Want to make it for yourself? Here is our recipe!

Ingredients:
8 oz gluten-free pasta (we used Quinoa pasta)
2 cups of parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of gruyer cheese
2 tbs fresh minced sage
1 slice of gluten free break (we used Udi's bread)
2-3 tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper


Instructions:
Step 1: Boil your pasta water. When boiling toss in 8 oz of gluten free pasta.
Step 2: While your water boils shred your cheese and mince your sage.
Step 3: Put one slice of gluten free bread into a food processor until it is a good breadcrumb consistency
Step4: When pasta is done save 1 cup of water and then drain the pasta.
Step 5: Warm up  about 2 tbs of olive oil and sage in a pan for 30-60 seconds (It's ready when it starts to smell really amazing)
Step 6: Add breadcrumbs to the sage mixture with an addition tbs of olive oil if they are too dry and cook for 4-5 minutes add some salt and pepper
Step 7: Add cooked pasta to a pan and mix with gruyer and parmesan cheese and mix together until it melts. To prevent cheese from clumping and getting too thick, add some of the pasta water you saved and mix until is it nice and smooth
Step 8: Serve the pasta and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs
Step 9: Enjoy




Try it at home and let us know what you think!

Also, be sure to let us know what you would like to see us make!


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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Harmless Harvest


When I was a teenager, my family and I went on a vacation to Costa Rica. One day when we were on the beach, we were offered a coconut when we passed by a little coconut stand. Curious, as none of us had ever had coconut water before, we tried some (this was probably a decade ago, so keep in mind that coconut water was a rare find in the states). Ever since then, my mom and I have been on the search for coconut water that tasted as good as the real thing. Well, it never existed - until now. 


Harmless Harvest isn't kidding when they say they are the "world's best coconut water." I'm not kidding, folks. If you have ever had coconut water from a coconut, you will never find anything as close to it as Harmless Harvest. 



It's 100% raw, incredibly good for you, and beyond refreshing. I could drink it by the case. 

I usually get them from Whole Foods, and their website has an extensive list of stores they are sold in. 

Also, if you see one with a pink color, get that one! Raw coconut water can sometimes turn pink, due to the varying levels of antioxidants. It explains more about that on the bottle, but I think the pink version is even more delicious. 



Happy drinking!! 




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