Hello my loves! Oh goodness gracious. I think I just spared myself from utter embarrassment and awkwardness for you. I was about to start this post off with a “staple” image to be funny and tell you that I’m here to talk about food, not office items. And the fact that I just told you about it is kind of funny because I just can’t seem to save my “good and normal” reputation from the whole world! Anyway, does normal even exist? I would like to think not. 
Yesterday I did some massive grocery shopping, as Tuesdays are grocery days, and the items pictured above are just but a few of the foods I got at Whole Foods and Target. Berries, greek yourt, eggs (not photographed), broccoli, peaches, bananas, and fish seem to be the foods that we eat most consistently as of late—which means that I’ve been having to purchase a lot of those since our fridge quickly gets depleted of those items.
I’m getting back to eating more Tempeh and am pretty excited to make something tasty out of it since I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve! Taco night, anyone? 
Late last night I had an untamable desire to bake, and most nights I’m usually itching to make something delicious and healthy for the next day! I used up some rasbperries to make these gluten free scones with really cool and unique flours; however, they didn’t come out great in my opinion. And I’m so sad that it somewhat failed! Or as I prefer to look at it, it didn’t succeed as much as I wanted it to.
The way that I go about deciding whether or not a recipe gets posted on the blog is by doing a mental survey:
- Would this be profitable if it was displayed in the window of a cafe?
- Would it sell quickly and get decent Yelp reviews?
- Would people say that it’s good [period]? Or would they say that it’s good for being healthy, vegan, gluten free….etc.?
Hence, I can only hope to perfect this recipe in the near future, but for now, I will enjoy them as a healthy snack and occasional breakfast—because it tastes alright, but not great. Or! I can give them to our cats while they gain about 20 pounds. Just kidding. 
Okay, that’s not me in the picture by any means.
I guess all this gluten free talk deserves some explanation, doesn’t it?
I have been sporadically mentioning gluten free foods and recipes lately not only because I’m a bit curious what this is all about, but also because I’m taking my body through a testing process, although the process has been somewhat contaminated by my lack of discipline. Take this for example.
As I exited Whole Foods I got myself a vegan blueberry muffin, and I honestly think that this was one of the yummiest blueberry muffins I’ve ever had! It was hearty, light, and perfectly sweet.
Now where was I? Oh yes, if you recall a few posts regarding my stomach issues, I wrote that some foods tend to make my digestion go haywire and it’s not always easy to pinpoint at the exact ingredient that causes the problem.
One thing I do know is this. For several years I’ve been getting severe bloating and cramping the most when I consume white flour (sometimes wheat), too much dairy, red meat, and very acidic foods. Like I said before, it’s not every time that I eat these that I have stomach issues, but most of the time these seem to be the culprits.
All this to say that I’m trying to cut back on wheat, white flour, and red meat. I don’t eat red meat too often and if I do, it tends to be in social settings. The recipes on Fit for the Soul will still contain meat and wheat sometimes, but as of now I will be “trying” to consume less of those and get my baking hands dirty in the kitchen. I know that explanations aren’t always necessary, but I thought that it would be nice to share where I’m at with it all. And besides, there’s nothing better than being held accountable by other health nuts and foodienistas (my word) like yourselves. I’m thankful that God has blessed me with great health even then, and I can honestly say that I don’t have much to complain about!
Sushi on Fire
The other day Greg and I ate at Sushi on Fire, a well known restaurant in Huntington Beach. It was my first time trying a rice-less roll! And it was actually delicious! Anyway, I always get the rolls for the fish and all the saucy fillings, not the rice.
We walked around the pier as we talked to an elderly man who needed some food. We’re not sure if his story was legitimate, but all we know is that blessing others regardless of our own opinions is a blessing in itself.
Hope you have an awesome day! Seize the day y’all.
PS: Check out the love that my husband left on this post! Awww totally didn’t expect that. You know when your husband loves you if he takes his time to comment 
And don’t forget to take a look at the heart rate & calorie monitor giveaway!
Do you have any advice, wisdom, or experience with gluten free stuff? Do you have any food allergies/issues?
What are your summer staples?
What do you normally do with your “unsuccessful” baked goods?
Love,
Ellie <33
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Ellie! The only thing I want to mention with gluten-free is that the carb count is a bit higher. For instance, you’re using more starches to bind the flour due to the lack of gluten. Gluten is actually very high in protein, so without that protein to balance out the carbs, it seems to create a bit of an imbalance unless, of course, you’re adding eggs or protein powder to compensate. I’ve been eating gluten-free a lot lately and am feeling like I might actually do better with wheat! I know my husband and daughter are sensitive, so I will continue on with some gluten-free recipes, but just be watchful! Your spiced socca pancakes are one of my absolute favorite ways to eat gluten-free because the protein in the chickpeas balances out the carbs! Ok, I’m rambling, but I hope I’ve helped you in some way! Happy WIAW!
wow wowwwww thank you soooooo much Lauren! I was kind of aware of some of the info, but the way you presented it really helps narrow it down to great bullet points. And I’m so glad you like the socca! You’re a good teacher Lauren!
Oh my gosh, those Whole Foods vegan muffins are AMAZING, I can’t walk through the store without buying one. And one of their vegan cookies, too. Yum! Not much experience with gluten-free–although I have had a few baking failures of my own. If they’re okay enough, I’ll eat it anyway, since I hate wasting food. I once spent an hour picking chocolate chips out of a failed batch of muffins, since I really didn’t want to waste the chips (they were Ghirardelli!) but the rest was inedible/bound for the trash. Yeah, back to that “normal” thing you mentioned above? Haha, nope, doesn’t exist.
true that! they’re sooo good I almost did a backflip. Well, I just started talking to myself! xP hahaha you’re funny Allie! I pick at lil things too…especially when they’re crusty.
Have you tried their vegan cookies? You’ll definitely be talking to yourself
I wasn’t overly impressed with their vegan scones, however. Oh, well.
And in response to hemp protein–I would say your best bet is to try to find a one-serving packet and just try it. It definitely has a “taste,” where as a lot of protein powders don’t (other than added flavors). I REALLY like it’s earthy/hearty taste, but I can see as not being everyone’s favorite. I wouldn’t use it in smoothies or sweet options, but I absolutely love it in savory baked goods, flatbread, etc. This is the brand/product I like: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-32360-manitoba-harvest-hemp-pro-50-16-oz-fomerly-hemp-protein-powder so it’s not a HUGE investment if you want to try it (unlike some of those $40+ protein powders). My post tomorrow is actually going to have two more recipe/meal ideas using hemp protein ;D
Thank you for taking the time and care Allie! Ah–I have heard about the manitoba hemp protein. I’m really thankful you give your HONEST opinion, especially about not drinking it in smoothies and all. I think that buying 1packet is a great idea, as I did the same thing with proventive’s vegan.
Have a blessed day girl!
I’ve never seen those muffins before. They look incredible!
I love your thoughts about what qualifies recipes to be “good-enough” to post on your blog!! It’s awesome to know you take such great pride in what you do. And those sushi rolls look so darn good!! My staples are bananas, oats, and sweet potatoes.
I’ve only written a few recipes for my blog, but have never really stopped to think about if they are “blog worthy” or not. I love your thoughts on it! I might have to bookmark this page
And that muffin looks delicious! I found out that my boyfriend went to Whole Foods for the first time today (he lives in a different city) and I was a little jealous because I’ve never even been!
I hope you get to the bottom of what’s bothering your digestive system! As weird as it sounds, I always like to read about people who are struggling with this and if they find solutions – I’m in school to be a dietitian and digestive issues is one of my big interests.
wowww I love this community filled with people like you! People who actually have an interest in digestion…that’s pretty cool.
And thank you for the lovely comment Michelle. I would feel a lil weird too if Greg went to WF without me. haha!
I am sorry to hear about your stomach issues. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon. I am gluten intolerant (Celiac disease) and I am lactose and egg intolerant too. I have to follow all of these diets for health reasons, but I would recommend trying elimination diets and seeing if that helps ease your digestive pains. Best of luck. Stomach pain is just the worse!
I just can’t imagine how it would be to have Celiac! I bet you’ve grown a lot through it though, haven’t you? Thank you for the suggestion–it’s another bit of assurance that I should keep on experimenting till get some direction about this.
I have grown so much. It really has brought me on a the right path as far as health and getting to know myself and my body.
Oh my goodness! The comment Mr. Greg left was so incredibly heart-warming! You two are such a beautiful couple! So amazing! Thank you for linking that! I love how he said “…lots of healthy food that actually tastes good.” PUhahah! Sounds a lot like Tim
He likes broccoli, though.
I’m sorry to hear that your digestive system is not cooperating..I think it’s great that you’re taking the time to really analyze your diet and experiment with what works for you rather than resorting to taking pills. I’m not really familiar with gluten-free diet, but I would love to try any of the recipes you come up with! And now I know..whatever recipe you post, it’s going to be perfect
hahaha oh man, maybe Tim and Greg would get along really well in real life!
And I’m surprised myself that I’m willing to experiment a bit! I love to eat, so that’s a big deal! Although I love to hate TUMS because I’ve had too many of those in my lifetime. But God is good no matter what! This life is temporary~and if He decides to heal me, then so be it. 
I keep meaning to properly research gluten / gluten free diets (out of interest not because I want to follow one – I’m fortunate in not seeming to have problems with wheat) but not getting around to it. I hope your new approach works for you!
Once you do some research on it, feel free to share the info with us!
I think it’s still one of those obscure topics, in my honest opinion.
The vegan blue berry muffin from WF looks delicious. I’ll have to stop by there sometime and try it.
Also, I hope you find what’s causing your stomach discomfort. Its’ good that you’re experimenting so that you can prevent it from happening too much. It’d be really hard for me to not eat certain foods, since I just love food! Self discipline.
My mom also has that problem. Sometimes, there are foods she eats that causes problems but then she eats it again and she’s fine. The digestive system and the stomach is quite interesting. Perhaps seeing a dietitian can help (I’m studying to be a dietitian!).
You and Greg make such a beautiful, young couple. That was so sweet of him to write that. You have a great, loving husband.
yesssssss pllleeeease try it on behalf of me! it’s almost $2, but it’s ginormous so you can eat it in two sittings.
Yes, self discipline in anything is so tough! We’re such difficult creatures aren’t we? And I’m so curious about your mom’s condition too~feel free to update me if/when you find out about it! I hope she gets healed from it.
awww thank you for the last bit of the comment. He really IS loving! And I’m not just saying it to be nice either.
Great post. I’ve been wondering about the Gluten-Free diet. It totally makes sense to cut that out and I’m not surprised by the positive response your body gives because of it. A good book to read if you’re interested is The Beauty Detox. She talks about this as well.
Hmmm what an interesting title! Although the title suggests some aesthetic characteristics, it may be something to check out for health reasons too. Thank you my dear! I hope you and baby are doing fabulously in these critical months!
My mum and grandma are both allergic to wheat, but not gluten, so I’m used to wheat-free baking but not having to be as stringent in the kitchen as coeliac. If you really thing it’s an issue, then perhaps you might want to look into a biopsy rather than just cutting it out yourself – you can do serious damage by just “limiting” if you have coeliac, I think?
Ohh thank you for the advice Hannah! Hmm I think you’re mentioning something I read in an article, if I’m right? If we cut it out for a while and go in for tests right away, then the results will come out faulty. I’ll definitely pray about it and check into it!
We’re dealing with something similar with my fiancee- he gets bloated & crampy when he has too much dairy too so we’re trying to reduce his dairy to see if that’s what it is, but I’m not entirely convinced because he doesn’t actually have much dairy & when he does it’s like, yogurt. {Sometimes it’s a giant Dairy Queen Blizzard, but then we KNOW why his stomach hurts.} I am trying to get him to try gluten free for a short period to see if that’s it but he wants to try dairy first. In either case, I’ll be keeping an eye out for your gluten free recipes!
Oh man~I feel his pain/confusion. It’s frustrating when you think it’s one thing, but then other times it’s not that bad. LOL, I tried a DQ blizzard for the 1st time last week! Whoooaaaa was it delicious! good thing my husband and I shared though, because afterward my stomach was kinda BLEHHH
I hope you guys get to figure it all out too!
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