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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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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Fava Bean and Asparagus Polenta

Get ready for a delicious, healthy, gluten-free, and did I mention DELICIOUS recipe!

I had Fava beans and asparagus from my most recent Farm Fresh box and I had never cooked with fava beans before. So, I googled a few things and got some ideas for a recipe.

What you will need:

1lb fava beans

1 bunch of asparagus

2 cups polenta

1 clove of garlic

1 small onion

1tbs butter (or imitation butter)

1/2 cup almond milk

salt and pepper

Start  boiling some water for the beans and eventually the asparagus. While it is heating up, take fava beans out of the pods. 

After you toss the fava beans into the boiling water, chop up the asparagus into inch long pieces. When the fava beans are done you can scoop them out with a "holy spoon" and place them aside. Use the same water to cook the asparagus. Only cook the asparagus for about 2 minutes then strain it and pour cold water over it. 

Sautee some garlic and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper.

After the fava beans have cooled a bit, just pop them out of the shell! (this part is fun!) You might need to use a knife to start a hole on one side to squeeze them out.

I cheated and got some pre-made polenta from Whole Foods. You can do that or make your own. In a separate pot, I added some almond milk to the polenta to make it  a bit creamier!

After all the fava beans have popped, toss them into the garlic and onion mix with 1 tbs of butter. 

I chose to toss the polenta in with the mix and cook it together for a few minutes. You could also pour the mix on top of the polenta. 

And there you have it! Serve and sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top if your heart desires! 

Oh. My. God.  when we ate this it was so freaking good! We ate it all and were so sad that it was gone. I recommend doubling the recipe. I know I will the next time I make it!

Dont forget to save all the veggie scraps for your compost!

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Macaroons

Just in case you are not lucky enough to know first hand, Mahaley is probably the sweetest girl you will ever meet. So sweet in fact that she shares sweets! She stopped by Duverger to pick up some macarons for me to try! My favorite favorite favorite dessert! 

I was so excited to hear that there was a local shop selling fantastic macarons! We both love going downtown to Bottega Louie, but it is not always easy to get there. But look what is available right around the corner!

How fabulous do these look! Best part about macarons, they are made with almond flour! No gluten to worry about and I can eat as many as my heart desires! However, I am a horrible person and I take bites out of each and put them back in the box so I can keep tasting all of the fabulous flavors! I also hide them. 

I did manage to share a few of them! 

So yummy! I think Aaron wanted some more, check out his face in the background!

Take a look at all the available flavors! 

I will be visiting Duverger very soon! My favorite flavors from Duverger so far are Blueberry Lavender, Vanilla, and Pistachio! 

Another thing I LOVE about macaroons... they are made with almond flour which means... they are always gluten free! How perfect is that! 

If you know of any other secret macaron gems, be sure to share in the comments below! 

Now, wouldn't you like a new pair of shoes to go with your macarons? Well, you're in luck. Click Here to enter our Just Fab shoe giveaway! Last day to enter is July 21st!

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True Food Kitchen

Few things excite me more than restaurants that offer organic, vegan, and/or gluten free foods. True Food Kitchen is an amazing new restaurant I tried while visiting Scottsdale, Arizona. The good news? They have three in California! One in Newport Beach, Santa Monica, and San Diego. There is also one in Denver, for all of you in Colorado! Thank God, because I would literally drive back to Scottsdale just to eat here. There seriously needs to be one in every city. 

Wild mushroom pizza on GF crust

Asian vegetable salad with kelp noodles 

Best kale salad I've ever tasted

Kale-Aid (kale, apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, and ginger)

Vegetable crudites - how gorgeous is this??

What I love about True Food Kitchen is not only can you trust the food, but there is something for everyone. They have a very eclectic menu, with a broad range of foods on the menu, and they have plenty of meat options for the meat lovers! 

I recommend going until you try the whole menu - because that is my goal! 

Also, they just put out a cookbook.....this is going on my wish list!

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Also if you want some fabulous shoes to wear on the trip you are now planning to Arizona or any of their other locations, check out our latest giveaway with Just Fab!

fruit pops!

While leaving Marshal's with doggie treats (the only thing I needed to get!) I couldn't help but stop when I saw these super cute Star Pop Molds. I don't know about where you are, but here in Southern California, it has been getting pretty warm! What better way to cool off that making some fresh and refreshing popsicles! 

As you can see, I was pretty excited! I remember making popsicles as a kid, but they were pretty much just jello or kool-aid frozen in the bonus gift from my parents tupperware party. 

Well, I had big plans! No store bought popsicles for me! That defeats the whole purpose of making them yourself, right? So I decided that since I had a ginormous pile of oranges that keep coming off my tree that I would use them! 

Seriously, this tree is so full it is ridiculous! Any time someone comes over I am begging them to take some of the oranges!

So this is what I came up with! I pulled out some almond milk, vanilla extract, agave, oranges and strawberries!

I juiced two of the oranges and poured the juice into a food processor with the strawberries. I used about 2 1/2- 3 cups of strawberries. 

Then I added about 1/2 a cup of almond milk, 1/2 tbs of vanilla, and 1tsp of agave.

Then it was mixing time! 

I just took a peek to make sure the strawberries were blended up , but still had a few chunkier pieces that would be yummy to bite into!

Next step is filling up the star molds! If you are using these molds or anything similar, make sure you leave a bit of room at the top, when it expands, you don't want it to be get all over your freezer!

You will probably have some left over mix, but you can either fill up some ice cube trays with it, or just drink it as a smoothie! I recommend both! This way you can have some right away and have teeny lil snacks for later if you don't want a whole popsicle. 

Then you have to put it in the freezer and wait! This is seriously the hardest part of the whole process! Waiting! Ahh, I think I opened the freezer every 30 minutes to check and see if they were ready. Nope, I had to wait till the next day! 

But, as soon as I woke up, like a little kid on Christmas morning, I ran to the fridge and had one for  breakfast!!! And it was good! I have been generous and shared it with a bunch of people and everyone has really liked the vanilla! So don't forget that!

Enjoy! 

Yay! Star Pops would be great to make for your 4th of July party or just any summer picnic! Just make sure you make them far enough in advance so they have time to freeze!

Do you have any fun popsicle mixtures?!? We would love to try them! Let us know in the comments below!

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