Giveaway Time....

This Gluten Free giveaway is just my way of thanking all of you for following me, giving comments, encouragement, love and support. If I can help just one person live a healthier life (gluten free or not) than I am fulfilling my passion!

Here’s how you enter:
Join my facebook page Kiki's Kitchen and ENTER A COMMENT BELOW this photo about how GOING GLUTEN FREE has changed your life

— Just 1 entry per person.

 

...Here's what you win:
Quinoa 365 Cookbook by Patricia Green ans Carolyn Hemming
Rainbow Quinoa by Alter Eco Fair Trade
Pearl Quinoa by Alter Eco Fair Trade
Cacao Nut All Natural Granola Snacks by Paleo People
Cappuccino Crunch All Natural Granola Snacks by Paleo People
Candy Cane Decaffeinated Green Tea by Celestial Seasonings

Note: Contest is open to Canada and U.S Only. I apologize I can’t offer it further. Winner will be chosen randomly via random number generator. The winner will be chosen on

FEBRUARY 22th.  Good luck everyone!!

Mexicali Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned

1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)

3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

3/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

1 small jalepeno, deseeded and minced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

For dressing

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook quinoa 10 minutes. Drain quinoa and rinse under cold water. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool. Add beans, corn, jalepeno, bell pepper and cilantro and toss well.

Make dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

I AM Stronger....

I AM Stronger….

I have always known for certain that things happen in your life for a reason and that people appear when that reason is unknown. The Universe works in mysterious ways! I have had quite the exciting year of starting new things and it’s only getting better. I’m exactly where I should be surrounded by the people that make me happy. I am fully aware of this fact and in turn great things are happening all around me. For once I’m not afraid to take new risks or start something new. I may try and fail but if I don’t try I may miss something miraculous! I attract to myself whatever I give my energy or focus to; whether wanted or unwanted. If your thoughts are obsessed about being lonely or broke and you truly believe these thoughts then guess what?

Words and thoughts are powerful. They can love, hate, scold, soothe or praise. They can impact self-esteem, lift us higher or make us believe that we can’t accomplish something. When you speak to yourself or another you have the power to choose your words. Are you deciding to come from a place of love and encouragement by building yourself up or from a place of bitterness, criticism and judgment? …..only YOU have the choice!! I challenge you (and myself) to try being kind to yourself and others by not using negative or defeating words. Can you be successful for an hour, a day, a week? It’s really a simple thing….to change your thoughts. I may not be an expert but I know enough to understand that positive thoughts (happiness, fulfillment, achievement, joy, worthiness, enthusiasm, calm, well-being, ease, energy, love) will give you positive results. Negative thoughts (judgment, unworthiness, mistrust, resentment, fear, tension, anxiety, hate, anger) will get you negative results.

I surround myself with positive things, literally. I gaze around my house to find words like, dream, enjoy, believe, friends. Everywhere I look brings me happiness and a feeling of serenity. People ask me, “What’s with the quotes all the time?” It’s simple, I feel as though they are my mantras. They keep me positive, grounded and focused on what I want out of life and the type of person I want to be. I had to make a drastic lifestyle change (Celiac and IBS) over the past few years and it hasn’t always been easy or smooth sailing. Sure, there are times when I feel sorry for myself and just as a child reaches for a blanket or a teddy bear I reach for my quotes. Wise people before us at the beginning of time said these remarkable things that pertain to my life NOW. I find comfort in that.

Imagine starting to believe in yourself and your possibilities. Imagine believing you deserve everything you want out of life. Imagine getting everything you want out of life. I’m a believer and it’s happening!! The difficult road that I travelled for those many months has brought me to my rainbow. On the toughest of days I would often repeat this quote to myself…."Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." Those are the days that I learned the most about myself, my resilience, passion, character but most of all; my strength. Wow! I’m a strong person. Did that just happen or did I have it all along? I may have lost it momentarily but it’s back indefinitely!!

You Are What You Eat

We’ve heard it since childhood: you are what you eat, but there really is a lot of truth in that statement. After all, food fuels the body and the type of food we eat affects our body’s metabolism, digestive processes and overall health and well-being. Toxic food =toxic energy and emotions. You in fact attract what you put out into this world.  If you’re going through some type of turmoil it’s important to make healthy food choices.


Think about your eating patterns.  Do you eat when you're anxious, frustrated, bored, angry, sad, or lonely? Sometimes, the foods chosen during these times are high in fat, salt, sugar, and calories.  Often, people soothe themselves with food and rarely is it a plate of veggies and hummus.  If you’re feeling down take a look at the types of foodsthat you’ve been consuming.  Ask yourself this, why is it you crave or  turn to ‘bad’ foods when you are feeling this way? Have you ever noticed how sluggish and heavy you feel after eating fried or fatty foods? Your body is definitely telling you something.“This is wrong. This is unhealthy and not good for my body.”  What are you expectingto happen after that proverbial slice of chocolate cake? 



We learn to associate food with love and nurturing. Since childhood we may have received a special treat to make us feel better when we were hurt or sick or as a  reward.  As adults, we may be continuing to reward ourselves, raise our spirits, or search for love and acceptance through food. It is not surprising that so many people confuse hunger for food with their hunger for emotional happiness. Afterall, food is friendship. Food is love. Food is soothing. Food is unconditional. Food is… only a temporary solution. Since we are not aware of the connection with food and ourfeelings, we often eat unconsciously.



The results of good or bad nutritional choices are not immediate. If we overeat, or eat too much fried or fatty foods, we might feel guilty, but we usually don’t see dramatic physical changes the next week. This lack of immediate “cause-and-effect results” makes it hard for us to appreciate that good nutritional choices really do make a difference in our health as we age. I ask this of you, the next time you're stressed, upset or sad and are walking to the fridge to crush those feelings. Stop! Turn around and walk away. Change your routine, change your thinking, change your habits.....and by doing this WILL change your life!!! 

Finding Your Passion

"Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.”

A long time ago I used to honestly think that I was flaky and indecisive because I couldn’t find that one true thing that I was passionate about.  I would worry, get frustrated and look for signs in everything, it was making me miserable!!


Now I believe that it’s just a curiosity. A curiosity of life, learning, loving and growing.  I’ve tried many things that become my passion and then it dissipates. I’ve done it in work, life, health, every facet of my life (except love) I now know that it doesn’t mean failure.

Sometimes our passion sneaks up on us. It may have been there all along, but was hiding. Life is about doing what you absolutely love, in every sense of the word.  If you don’t know what that is, relax, be still, and see what direction life moves you.  Finding our passion is not in our control. What we can do now is get our lives on track, get rid of areas of unhappiness and confusion, and let go of ideas about how our lives should be.


When I started Kiki’s Kitchen almost a year ago I had no idea what I was doing, literally.  I didn’t care because it was about me and for me. I can’t even truly explain how it happened. There was no fear or uncertainty.  I knew I could learn as I go just like in life!  It started as an idea, but even more than that.  A burning desire that I needed to help others like me by sharing what I knew through experience, even the small things like gluten free recipes and products.  Hey, wait a minute…I think I may have found my passion!!!!


"Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.”

Accept the things I cannot change...

I’ve had a rough go at it for a while now with many different diagnosis.  First, Crohn’s Disease, then it was Celiac Disease but no Crohn’s.  Thirdly, it was both Crohn’s and Celiac disease which now brings me to the most recent diagnosis.  Celiac Disease and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) I’m exhausted  emotionally and physically!!  After learning to cope over and over again for many years, I am once again wearing that hat.  Living with a chronic health condition presents many challenges. Learning how to meet those challenges is a process — it doesn't happen right away. I can contest to that!

But understanding more about your condition, and doing your part to manage it, can help you deal with the challenge and make it easier.  Many people find that taking an active part in the care of a chronic health condition can help them feel stronger and better equipped to deal with lots of life's ups and downs.  Attitude is everything!!

Most people go through stages in learning to cope with a chronic illness, whatever that illness may be. Someone who has just been diagnosed with a health condition might feel many things.  Some people feel confused, and worried about their health, the future and how their life will change.  For others, the situation seems unfair, causing them to feel sad, angry at themselves and those they love. I’ve felt every one of those at different times.  These feelings are all part of the coping and healing process.  Everyone's reaction is different, but they're all entirely normal.

I’ve said this before, knowledge is power.  The more you find out about your condition, the more you will feel in control and the less scary it is. Learning to live with illness is all about accepting.  Accepting the things you cannot change and living your life to the fullest.  Develop a plan with your Doctor and take action to get yourself feeling better-NOW.  However that may be, diet modifications, stress management.  It all depends on what illness it is that you have or the challenges that you are facing ahead. 

“Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.”

Confessions of a Recovering Anorexic

After leaving my Naturopaths office I am supposed to feel like my situation is not hopeless, that I will eventually be able to lead a somewhat normal life when it comes to food.  I guess I feel optmisstic to some degree but I also feel this wave of sadness and despair come over me.  I sat down with a complete stranger for over an hour and confessed all of my eating habits, past and present and feel this overwhelming guilt flood me.  Am I being punished for those many years of starving myself?  Now that I desperately want to eat and be healthy the universe is turning its back on me.

I suppose I am feeling panicked because I am suddenly back to those days of restrictions that I lived many years ago but this time it’s not my choice.  Dealing with chronic IBS and celiac disease has me keeping away from many foods such as gluten, dairy, meat, raw vegetables, alcohol and caffeine to name a few.  I hate restrictions!!  They are not good for recovering anorexics.   I am terrified that I may slip back into old ways because in my opinion anorexic tendencies seem to always be there.  I never act on them but my mind does ‘try’ to talk me into starving myself when I’ve gained a few pounds.  Believe me, that voice is very loud and very convincing.  It’s this simple, I am stronger than the disease. 

I know that many people with anorexia simply do not care about poor nutrition or health. I know I certainly didn't. When anorexic, I didn't take multivitamins or calcium supplements. I never thought about the long term effects nor did anyone tell me that I would have osteoarthritis in my jaw by the time I was 25 from all those years of pulling on it when vomiting.  No, it’s not a pretty picture and it breaks my heart to think that I didn't care whether I lived or died!! Obviously I was able to overcome that deranged way of living and see with clarity now. For many years I’ve been trying to mend the damage of over a decade of malnutrition has had on my body, only to have to start all over again.

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
Buddha

Vegan ME?

Being vegetarian, it’s a breeze! But this vegan thing, well, that has me confused and very freaked out. Why? A balanced vegan diet meets many current healthy eating recommendations such as eating more fruit, vegetables and whole grains and consuming less cholesterol and saturated fat. Balanced vegan diets are often rich in vitamins, antioxidants and fibre and can decrease the chances of suffering from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

My reasons for this are simple. Yes, it’s better for the environment because it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than meat-based diets. Yes, Regardless of how they were raised, all animals farmed for food have the same fate: slaughter. For me it’s about wanting and NEEDING to feel better.

I have decided to try the 21 day Vegan Kickstart.

http://www.21daykickstart.org/index_new.cfm

Each day during the Kickstart, they send you tips, recipes and suggestions for every meal. There are tons of options that you can make gluten free also. You get to pick and choose how many recipes you make each day or week—They recommend trying to cook a big batch and eating off of it for a few days. This will save you time and keep you eating healthy meals. I recently purchased a great cookbook called Gluten Free Vegan by Susan O’Brien. For those of you cooking for one, you might check out the book Vegan Cooking for One by Leah Leneman.

I have felt much better since adopting both the gluten free and IBS diet. The same goes for vegetarianism but I’m not quite there. I am hoping that the vegan diet (along with the others) will make me feel like a new person!! What are my other options? I’ve tried everything else, why not give this a go? I do love a challenge and boy is this a challenge!! (Oh, how I love yogurt and cheese!) This girl has been through a lot and always comes up swinging!! Bring it on!!

UPDATE as of October 17th....

I did the challenge and knocked it out of the park!!  It was easier each day and by the end of it I didn't miss yogurt and cheese.  Soy yogurt is like eating your own vomit so I'm going to steer clear of that!!  I'm happy to report that I've been vegan for over 2 months and I feel like an entirely NEW person.  My bloating, cramps, stomach aches, water retention and headaches have subsided.  Why didn't I try this years ago?! 

~ Did you have a similar experience? If anyone would like to share their advice or delicious vegan products I’d love the recommendations!!