2018 Favorites

I can't believe that 2018 is pretty much over. So much has happened that has made this year fly by. I figured out I need to be gluten free (kind of a big change). I got more involved with my sorority, and have gotten so much closer with the other girls. I completely changed one of my majors, and now my life plan is looking a little different. All of these changes have had a big impact on my life, but mainly for the better. 2018 was a hard year for me, but it taught me a lot and I am pleased with the results. 

| Cottage Cheese | I mentioned this on the blog earlier, but I have been loving cottage cheese. I randomly decided to try it one day, and ever since I eat it almost daily. Daisy is my favorite brand. The texture is perfect and there are no gums or thickeners added. My favorite ways to eat cottage cheese is either plain with pepper, or topped with chia, flax and hemp seeds. 

| Kale | I have no idea where my love for kale came from. One day I hated it, and then suddenly all I want to eat is a kale salad. Kale was a staple for me this summer, and continues to be the first thing I ask for when I come home for breaks. I love the versatility of a simple kale salad, so that it can be eaten for any meal of the day. 

| Booties | I got these shoes for Amazon Prime Day over the summer for a great deal. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted them, but now I wear them quite often at school that I know I made a good purchase. They make any outfit look a little nicer. It is also nice that these shoes are comfortable enough that I ca walk in them all day and my feet don't hurt. 

| Agenda | I have always loved my agendas and this year is no different. My agenda is used everyday and I can't imagine what a mess I would be without it. I love how it has hour by hour lines so I can plan out my time, and the to-do list is long enough to actually fit everything I need to accomplish. It helps that this agenda is absolutely gorgeous and the sight of it sitting on my desk is so pretty. 

| Adidas Shoes |  I have never really had a pair of sneakers that I have liked before, but seeing everyone walking around campus wearing them has made me intrigued. I found this pair for $30 on sale, so I decided it would be a perfect way to try out the trend. I have ended up liking these shoes way more than I thought I would. They are so comfortable with such a good color.

| Perfect Bars |  I tried Perfect Bars when I was training for my marathon as a way to get enough calories during the day without having to put too much thought into it. I have never found a protein bar that I actually liked, but turns out these are so good. My favorite flavor is the coconut peanut butter or the pumpkin pie, but they all taste good, somewhat like cookie dough. Even though I am done with my marathon, I still like to enjoy one every once in a while. 

| Madewell Sweater | My dad and I got a red version of this sweater for my mom earlier this fall, and since then I have been eyeing the sweater so you know it was a great surprise to get it for Christmas. It is so warm and soft I never want to take it off. The color is also so nice and different from anything else I own that it is a great addition to my closet. I know I will be wearing this a ton this winter. 

| Gold Earrings | I have had these gold earring for a couple years but only recently have I started wearing them again. I used to consider myself more of a silver person. I typically wear a silver colored necklace, pearl earrings and a watch with silver lining, but recently gold has starting being appealing to me. I would really like a small gold necklace, but in the meantime I loved wearing these earrings. 

| Books | I haven't read a lot during the school year, but during every break I have loved being able to snuggle up and read some good books. Plenty was one of my favorites. It is about a couple that decides to live on a 100 mile diet. It is every interesting, especially someone who loves local eating. Make sure to check back later on as I will make a post about what I have read recently. 

What are your favorite things of 2018?

xoxo,

Maddie 

What I Ate on Wednesday

 Today might not actually be Wednesday, but this is what I ate on Wednesday so I guess the title works. You know what yesterday also was? My first full day of winter break. This semester was crazy, so this break is definitely needed.  

     I love being home because it means I can cook. I spend most of my days in the kitchen either looking into recipes, reading cookbooks or making something to eat. Right now I am loving to make Christmas treats. Last year I came home so late that I didn't really have time to bake for Christmas, so I am making up for it this year. With that being said, here is what I have been up to in the kitchen. 

 I had been craving good eggs for a while, so this was exactly what I wanted. My family buys their eggs from a local producer, so ours are always really fresh. I also had an orange and toast with homemade raspberry jam. Our oranges are also bought from a special producer from the south, so these are extra juicy. They make all of the clementines I have been eating at school seem awful. 

I wanted to make something special for lunch, so I decided on baked falafel. For some reason it was sounding really good to me, so I just went with it. I used a recipe from MegUnprocessed, and they turned out pretty well. I also added cauliflower rice, lettuce, yellow carrot, canned tomato and avocado to my bowl. I then finished it off with lemon juice. This was a tasty and filling lunch that I will be making again. After this yummy bowl, I had a piece or two of homemade fudge. 

The best part about being at home is my mom's dinners. Last night, we had chicken puttanesca, polenta and roasted Brussel sprouts. It wasn't a crazy fancy meal or anything like that, but it really hit the spot. I love the variety of food that I get when I am at home, so I plan to take full advantage of it this break. 

Lastly, and most importantly, dessert. I made the gluten free sugar cookies that my mom had made earlier this month, so that was my dessert. My favorite cookies are soft and fluffy, so I always look around the batch to find the perfect ones. 

I am so happy to be eating like this again. I joked with my family that my new "diet" for the season will be desserts and vegetables because that is all it seems like I eat. When its not Christmas I don't normally eat as much dessert (ie not 3x a day) but right now, I am loving finally eating and making my favorite treats. 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

And we are back with the Thursday Threes! I always try to be good about writing a post at least every once in a while, but really that never happens. A lot of times, if I have to have a couple spare minutes, I am so tired of looking at computer screens that writing isn't appealing. That being said I am at a weird break in classes where I don't have tons of work so I'm going to try to make the most of it. 

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Ask me what my favorite season of the year is and my answer is always the Christmas season. Everyone who has known me for a while knows this, and more than anyone else, my mom knew it would be hard this year not being able to eat my favorite cookies. For St. Nick's Day she surprised me by making gluten free sugar cookies which involved her even making her own flour blend. They taste so good and this is definitely the highlight of my week. 

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Cottage cheese is officially my newest favorite snack. I remembered liking it when I was a kid, and after reading about it a lot on Bon Appetite recently, I knew I wanted to try it again. I found some for sale at a market on campus and gave it a try. Needless to say I love it. It is a great way to add protein to any meal. I typically just add pepper on top and enjoy.

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This semester has really just consisted a lot of studying and homework. Taking science classes for the first time in years is definitely different then all of my poli sci classes. A lot more math, a lot less reading.  For the most part its been going well, other than the day I had to dissect a rat and then everything with chemistry in general. I have no idea how people choose to be chem majors. With finals starting next week I know I'll just keep studying a lot, but the end is in sight. 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Recent Eats: Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving, there is nothing that I am more thankful than my mom's cooking. Coming home from college makes this even more special. My mom always makes whatever I want when I come home, and this year she put in extra work to make sure that my first gluten free thanksgiving was all I wanted it to be. I ate a lot of really good food last weekend, but these were my favorites. 

Thanksgiving dinner of course was great. I don't love turkey, but I am all about the sides. I had sweet-potato apple puree, kale salad with apples and dried cranberries, cranberry sauce and a mix of roasted veggies. It was so nice to have a full, delicious plate of food. I loved how it had so many colors and flavors. 

I ate a lot of kale salad when I am home, but that is because it is one of my favorite foods. I made sure to change it up every time because I had so many options. The first salad had avocado, honey crisp apple, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds. The second salad also had avocado and pomegranate seeds, and I also added leftover roasted veggies and cauliflower rice. If I always had my way in life, I would be eating big fancy salads like this almost everyday. 

I never get pancakes anymore, so my mom made these yummy oatmeal-based pumpkin pancakes. Even though I eat a lot of oatmeal, these really hit the spot and were one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I ate these pancakes with local maple syrup and local pears. Putting maple syrup on fresh fruit is always so good, and is one of my favorite parts of eating pancakes, well and the pancakes of course.

 

 

My mom and I wanted to make a fun but simple appetizer one night, so we made these brie apple bites. We used almond flour based crackers, sliced brie and then topped each cracker with sautéed apple. After the picture, I decided they all needed cracked pepper as well. This made them so good. I love cooking like this where it is't a recipe but instead going by what might taste good. 

 My roommate at school is also gluten free, and she had been telling me about a certain gluten free pizza at Costco that has a cauliflower crust. I decided to try it out last weekend, and let me tell you, it was so good. I have been craving pizza for so long and this hit the spot perfectly.

Now for my favorite thing I ate all weekend, over and over again- pumpkin bread pudding. I have always loved bread pudding and since it is so easy to make gluten free (just substitute the bread), my mom made sure we had it as the gluten free dessert for thanksgiving. This bread pudding has a really good caramel sauce that goes on top, and is actually the best fall dessert. I ate this every night and it was disappointing to not have a yummy dessert being back at school. 

I was not let down this Thanksgiving. I was surrounded by the people I love, eating amazing good food and having a great time. This year really showed me how much I have to be thankful for, even if I did have to spend of a lot of the weekend studying for a chemistry exam. 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Madison Marathon in Review

      I have officially finished with my 4 months of marathon training! (Well, I finished it a couple weeks ago, but better late than never) I had previously posted (here) my game plan for training along with possible set backs I might comes across, and of course my goals. Training started off really well, but didn't continue that way. My training pretty much had two phases, marked by everything going well and then getting hurt. 

      To start, everything was going perfectly. I had no problem making long run routes and finishing them fairly quickly. No matter how far I was running, my pace was typically around an 8:30 mile. I easily found gels that I liked for mid-run fuel, which are Stinger. Fun enough, the first brand I tried was GU since that is was is given during most races and I couldn't stand it. I actually had to spit it out in the middle of a park (oops). Now the idea of those gels makes me nauseous but the Stinger Gels did the trick. I was really enjoying my runs and not having any problems with motivation. This was all happening through my 16 mile long run... and then I raced a half marathon. 

     The week before the half, my hip had been starting to bother me so I took a day or two off to see if that helped. I was feeling alright for the half marathon, so I decided to go for it. My mom and I had been planning on running it together, but since my pace was getting faster, we decided to do it separately. Within a couple miles my hip flared up again, but being the super competitive person that I am, I kept running. I ended up doing really well with a PR of 8 minutes and finishing second in my age group. 

      After the half my hip kept getting worse and worse, until it came to the point where I couldn't finish my long runs, let alone the short ones. I went to a physical therapist through my school to see if I could figure out what was wrong, but nothing seemed to be an exact problem. I was told by the doctor that I shouldn't continue training for the marathon, and that instead I need to take a month off of running. Well, I am not the person who is going to give up on a goal, especially one that I have been looking forward to for almost a year. I ended up taking a little over a week off, stretching a lot and resuming hip exercises. The problem never went away, but it was minimized enough I could handle running.  

     The week before the marathon I was a mess. I was so nervous that there were moments I would be getting nothing done as I scoured the Internet for advice on marathon recovery, what to wear and almost anything you could think of. Let's just say I am sure Runner's World saw a massive spike in viewership. What got me through the week was how so many people kept telling me how excited they were for me and were wishing me luck. I couldn't have gotten through the last four months without the amazing support system that I have.

      The marathon itself was hard, there is no better way to put it. My knee and hips flared up by mile 6 and got worse as the run progressed. By the end of the run, I could barely lift up my right leg which made going up hills difficult. This proved to be a large annoyance as the second half of the race primarily consisted of hills. Throughout the run I just kept reminding myself of how hard I trained and how long I have wanted to do this. I made sure to enjoy the pretty views and take in the fact that I was finally running a marathon. I was able to finish the marathon, get third place in my age group, and even though it involved walking, I am so happy that I was able to complete it.
      Now after the marathon, I have my 26.2 sticker on my laptop, my medal hanging on my wall and am going to end up taking a long break from running for my hip. It will be weird not running all of the time after running almost everyday for several months, but I am hoping to find fun, new ways to workout and have my hip heal quickly so I can get back to running. 

Four Days of Pumpkin Breakfasts

The minute the weather started getting cold (so mid-september) I began to want to pumpkin in every meal. All of my craving revolved around pumpkin, but I managed to push it off until October. Though once we hit October, I picked up a can of pumpkin puree and then it was pumpkin everything. 

I figured I would start of the pumpkin season slowly with pumpkin cheerios. I hadn't had them before this year, but this year I figured they would be an easy snack or breakfast. I love the pumpkin cheerios with blueberries, banana and almond milk. We have a choice of almond milk or regular milk in my sorority house, and they definitely taste the best with almond milk. These cheerios are surprising flavorful and have become my favorite kind. 

The next pumpkin based breakfast was pumpkin-peanut butter toast. I put a nice layer of peanut butter on freshly toasted bread (it gets so creamy) and then added a layer of pumpkin puree. I then added a small drizzle of maple syrup, and chia seeds. This made for an amazing toast. It was creamy and full of flavor. I always want more fruit with my meals, and surprisingly the plums and grapes tasted really good with the pumpkin toast. 

Back at it with the pumpkin cheerios, but this time I needed more protein in my breakfast since I knew I wouldn't have time to eat lunch until really late. This time I had plain greek yogurt, blueberries, chia seeds and of course the cheerios. This was a great parfait to start a long day. All I need is something tasty and flavorful, and then I am happy. 

You can't have pumpkin breakfasts without pumpkin oatmeal. I made both overnight oat pumpkin oatmeal and microwave oatmeal with pumpkin thrown in. I liked the overnight oats better because the pumpkin had more time to meld flavors so it was a stronger flavor. I sweetened the oatmeal with maple syrup, and then topped the oatmeal with blueberries and banana. I also stirred in cinnamon to add some spice. This was 

I learned a couple things about making the best pumpkin breakfasts. One, blueberries and banana taste so good with pumpkin. Two, maple syrup is the best sweetener for anything pumpkin related. I have such a sweet tooth so I though the maple flavor added a lot. Finally, I found that there might be a things as too much pumpkin a week. I had these breakfasts on top of other pumpkin treats and the end I needed a break.... but only for a day until it was time to have my pumpkin cheerios again. 

What is your favorite fall food?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

School has been getting crazy. I have barely had time to do anything other than homework, which explains why I haven't been able to get anything posted here. My classes are really time consuming this year, especially since I am taking both chemistry and biology for the first time in year. I wouldn't say anything I have to do right now is super hard, but it has been so much information for all of my classes that there is no time for anything in my life. With that being said, here is what I have been able to fit into my schedule: 

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My marathon training has been kicking into high gear and I've been running farther than I have before. This past weekend I had a 16 mile run which is now my all-time high. I am pleasantly surprised with how well my training has been going, and that I am still able to be motivated enough to do all of my early morning runs. Views like this sunrise always make it worth it. 

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This year I finally got season tickets for football and I have been loving going to the games. This past weekend it was crazy hot so I wasn't there too long though. Going to the games are really the only break I have in my week from studying so that makes me like them even more. 

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There was a first two weekends ago... I actually missed a farmers market. Granted it was for a run, but still, I haven't miss going to a farmers market in a long time. I normally try to go every week to stock up on some produce and find a sweet treat. The market is still one of my favorite parts of Madison, so you know I am going to make sure that I don't miss anymore. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

What I Ate Wednesday

      Welcome to What I Ate Wednesday! I love seeing what people are eating. I say its because I like to find different ideas for myself, but really its just because I am nosy. I love looking around at restaurants to see what other people order, and seeing what people pack for lunch at the library.I never care about if people are being healthy or anything like that, just what they happen to enjoy.  I figured I would start my own what I ate Wednesday because I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoys these. 

    Ideally I would do a Why I Ate Wednesday, but to be realistic, I live in a sorority house where I really only choose what I eat for breakfast and snacks unless I want to go out for meals. Eating based on what I really want to eat doesn't always work out, but thankfully we at least always have fruit and veggies, and anything else I can typically find around campus. I won't lie and say I always love what the chef makes, but I also understand that he is doing the best he can with accommodating dietary restrictions while still cooking for 50 girls. 

Breakfast

Breakfast will forever be my favorite meal of the day. Today I had Siggi's blackberry yogurt with Purely Elizabeth Granola and blackberries. I always have a cup (or three) of coffee in the mornings and today was no exception. Parfaits are a great way to start the day, especially when it is skyr because it is so filling and keeps me happy until it is time for lunch. 

Lunch 

Lunch today was BLAT's (BLTs with avocado), side salads and a fruit salad. I made a side salad before I had the rest of my meal because for lunches, our chef makes the gluten free versions to order.  This sandwich hit the spot. I love avocado and tomatoes, and the sandwich was toasted which made it perfect. I will never turn down a fruit salad, so this one of blackberries (they must have been on sale), grapes and pineapple was eaten quickly. This is definitely one of my favorite lunches so far. 

Dinner

This is our chefs most popular dinner, but for me it is just good, not anything amazing. I don't love how much garlic he uses and this dinner had garlic in everything, even the asparagus. Dinner was wild rice, garlic asparagus and lemon-garlic chicken. The chicken was well cooked which makes the dish a nice, simple dinner but our chef didn't think as many people would be at dinner so he didn't really make enough food. Anyone that came more than 5-10 minutes late had no chicken left, and barely any rice. That being said,  I am excited to see what else he makes this year. 

Dessert

I don't typically have dessert because I already ate all of my dark chocolate bars I brought to school, and if the chef makes dessert, it is never gluten free. But I really wanted something sweet after dinner, so I found leftover fruit in the fridge and combined them to make for a sweet snack. I was pleasantly surprised by how good mandarine oranges and blackberries taste together and it made for a great night time sweet. 

Who knows what this school year will bring in terms of food. So far its been a lot of salads and toast but I am trying to get creative with food ideas when I only have access to a microwave. I am planning on trying sweet potato with peanut butter and banana for breakfast this week, but if anyone has any tips for easy, cheap meals, let me know! 

What is your favorite thing you've eat so far?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

My first full week in Madison has officially been completed and I can already tell that this year will be so much better. I mainly spent time with my sorority, but I did manage to fit a couple other things into my days. Here is what happened: 

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Of course I had to go to the farmers market. I actually got there twice, once on Saturday and once on Wednesday. We all know how much I love the market, and I like the Madison one even more these days since there are a lot of gluten free baked goods! I miss going with my family, but it was so much fun to randomly bump into a bunch of my friends there.

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I have been running in a lot of new places due to my marathon training. This has had some good and bad results. The bad being running around flooded areas and up crazy hills. The good has been seeing a bunch of cool looking houses. I got super lost one day and came across this house. I love that you can see how beautiful it must have been in its prime.

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We don't have food fed to us until classes start in the sorority house so this has lead to trying a lot of new places to eat. One night I was really craving kale and avocado, so I ended up making this salad at Salad's Up and it hit the spot. It might be a little ugly, but this was everything I need that night-- kale, grains, tomato, avocado, olives and more.

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Summer Favorites

Summer has officially ended for me since I am now back at school. Classes haven't started yet, but I am spending all of my time getting ready for sorority recruitment. This summer was one of my favorites. Between having a job I really liked, traveling a little bit and baking all of the time, I was able to really enjoy myself. Here are some of my favorite things that I have used, worn or eaten this summer! 

Peaches 

Since the peach truck first came this summer, I have eaten a peach every morning. Peaches have become one of my favorite foods. I love plain peaches in the morning, peaches on salads and grilled peaches with ice cream for dessert. The Peach Truck is now my favorite part of summer because it brings me my peaches. 

J. Crew Bikini Top 

I got this bikini top for this summer and it might just be my all time favorite. It is fantastic for girls with a smaller chest since it can fit flat on the chest. The quality of the suit is really nice, much better than anything you could get at Target. This suit is currently on sale so I recommend grabbing a swim suit for next summer! 

A Man Called Ove

If you've read this blog for the course of the summer, you will have known that I read a lot. Out of all of the books I've read, A Man Called Ove has been my favorite. I was hesitant about it at first, but Frederick Backman is such a fantastic author that I want to read all of his books. 

Madewell Tank Top

I got this tank early in the summer and it has been worn on repeat. I wear it at least once a week because it fits me so well. It is light enough for the super hot days so that I can still be comfortable. I already have another coming in the mail. This top will also be so nice during the fall and winter layered with sweaters. 

Secret Deodorant 

I have a major problem with standard deodorant because I always end up with white splotches all over my clothes. I tried this deodorant since it is a clear gel, and I have to say I'm impressed. I no longer worry about messing up all of my outfits due to white streaks! 

Lilly Pulitzer Skort

I needed to buy a white skirt for sorority recruitment and I was just planning on getting something cheap that I could wear once, but when I was in Florida I found this skort and fell in love with it. I have worn it several times this summer and it is turning me into a skirt/skort person. It looks so cute with a striped shirt or the tank mentioned above that I am so glad I bought it. 

Icelandic Provisions

I have always talked about how much I love Siggi's Skyr but now I'm converted. Icelandic provisions is creamier, less tart and has stronger flavors. I have tried all of the flavors this summer and I would recommend any of them. My favorites are coconut (with actual coconut flakes in it!), raspberry and cherry. 

Sunglasses

For the past year I have debated about getting Ray Bans, but never wanted to spend the money. I ended up finding this pair on Amazon and decided to go for it. They have become my summer staple this year and go with me everywhere. I love that they're polarized and came with a hard case. It is such a great deal for only $20. 

Grace and Frankie 

My mom and I wanted to start a new TV show together and we decided on Grace and Frankie. We aren't big TV watchers but we love sitting down at the end of the night to watch an episode before bed. It is such a funny and cute show that I would recommend that everyone should give it a shot. 

ATK How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook

Finding out I needed to be gluten free was the hardest part about this summer. I couldn't eat most of my favorite foods or eat treats at the farmers market every week. Thankfully we bought this book early on and it has helped me so much. Only one or two recipes haven't worked out for me, but everything else has been great. I have made a lot of my favorite foods that help me adjust to eating gluten free. 

L'oreal Shampoo

I have always struggled with hair that got greasy really quickly after showering, but this new shampoo (at least new for me) has allowed me to be able to be able to avoid showering on days I don't workout. I am so glad I tried this shampoo since it just give me better looking hair for even a little longer. 

Purely Elizabeth Granola 

I want to find a new granola for me to eat since I couldn't eat my old favorites due to non-gluten free oats. I tried Purely Elizabeth Original since it is chunky and a basic flavor. I really hate granola that is just a couple flakes as opposed to chunks so this is what makes Purely Elizabeth amazing, you know, that and the flavor. 

What were some of your summer favorites? 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

I went back to school this week! I am really excited for this year. After having such an... interesting... year last year, I know it can only get better. I'll definitely miss hanging out with my family and all of the good cooking I get from my mom, but this should be a really good year. Here is what happened this week: 

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I love how my room turned out. My roommate and I didn't coordinate anything, but surprisingly our stuff looks great together. The one thing I really don't like about the room is the yellow walls. The color is cute, but even the closet doors are yellow so it becomes overwhelming when the doors are closed. Other than that I can't wait to spend the rest of the year here. 

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I am going to be going out to eat a lot for the first couple of days since my sorority doesn't serve food until classes start, but that means I finally have an excuse to try all of the restaurants on my list. The first meal, lunch with my parents, set a high standard for the week with a fantastic sandwich from Graze with great gluten free bread. I'll like any place that will make their own GF bread. 

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 Running again in Madison is so different than at home. There is so much more wind, but the views are so pretty from a path near the lake. I love seeing all of the sailboats bobbing up and down as the sunrises. I am excited to see what I can discover on my long runs. Fingers crossed that I find some pretty houses. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

What I Eat In a Day: Summer Edition

I love eating in the summer more than any other season. This year, I have loved it even more because it means I have greater access to fresh produce (ie my parents are paying for it, unlike in school) and I  can make almost anything I was since kitchen access isn't limited. Summer is also the time of year when all of my favorite foods are in season. I absolutely love peaches, berries and tomatoes. This summer I have found myself eating more and more produce. My mom and I have fun counting the different types of fruit and veggies we get in a day... once it got up to 14! With that being said, here is an idea of what I like to eat in the average day.

Breakfast is really one of two options everyday. I like to either have avocado toast with a bunch of different fruits, or scrambled eggs with veggies and fruit on the side. For this day, I wanted to try adding cherries with avocado, so I topped 1/2 a slice of homemade gluten free flax bread with that, and the other just had sea salt and pepper. For fruit, I had peaches, blueberries and more cherries. 

I really had no idea about what I wanted to eat for lunch. This is always the hardest time of day for me to decide on what I want. I try to eat something before I get too hangry (its real and really bad). It doesn't need to be big since I figure I can always have a snack later before work. Today I made a mock shrimp cocktail with pre-cooked shrimp and sauce made of a mix of ketchup and horseradish. We finally had pre-cooked shrimp in the house so I new I had to make this. We had just gotten some plums as well, so I added those on the side because I could. 

I didn't have work today, so I didn't need to have a snack but since I was hungry after having a small lunch I decided to have some plums (again) and apricots to get me through until dinnertime. I knew I really liked what was for dinner so I wanted to be hungry for it. If I do work, I typically have skyr from Icelandic Provisions. I just tried it this summer, and I love it more than Siggi's or any other yogurt. It tastes better, is smoother and keeps me full for a long time. 

Whenever I am home for dinner I typically get what I want if I ask early enough. My mom is trying to make all of my favorites before I go to school (isn't she great?) so tonight was burger bowls. This recipe is from Taste of Home Magazine . I have always loved her burgers in the summer and this gives me a fun, gluten free way to enjoy them. I added tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and pickles to my bowl which begins with lettuce. The sauce is really great too, just a mixture of ranch and ketchup. Don't knock until you try it.

This was a pretty typical day for me, the only big change is that I wasn't working. If I was, dinner would probably be either eggs with veggies or some sort of toast. I was able to get all of the fruit and veggies that I wanted ( 9 different kinds!), and every meal was something I really enjoyed eating. That combined is what I call a great day.

I am thinking about starting a What I Ate Wednesday or Tuesday's Eats with the idea of showing what I typically eat, and maybe giving ideas on how to change things up. What do you think of that idea?

What is your favorite things to eat in the summer?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

This past week was crazy busy. I am starting to get ready to leave for school so I have been starting to  pack for school, see everyone I want to before I go to school and figure out what else I need to buy. My to-do lists have been really long where it feels like everyday I am barely getting everything done. Here is what I did do this week: 

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I found my new favorite combination of yogurt and granola for parfaits. I got really sick this weekend when trying oatmeal (non-gluten free) so I new I needed to find a new, gluten free granola for my parfaits. I tried Purely Elizabeth and love it. I also recently started to eat Icelandic Provisions instead of Siggi's. It is so creamy and much more flavorful than Siggi's.

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I voted for the first time this week. Wisconsin had primary elections and since I had finally registered to vote, I made sure to participate. Even though voting isn't an exciting activity, I still think it is really important and I am glad that I finally was able to take part in the process.

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It was so nice to go out for coffee with my mom on Wednesday. I have been so busy this summer that we have't been able to go out for afternoon coffee for one reason or another. We went to a cute little coffee shop we don't normally frequent since it is a little farther away, but we made sure to plan out this trip so we could have enough time. It's the little days like this that make me realize how much I'll miss my family. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

The (Gluten Free) Pancake Project: Pt. 4

      This pancake project has taken up most of the summer, but it has finally come to a close. The weird outcome of the experimentation was that now I like savory foods for breakfast. Before having to be gluten free, I really only liked parfaits, pancakes, French toast and waffles for breakfast. Anything savory such as eggs or sausage was more of a lunch food. If nothing else, this summer was great because it taught me how to like eggs (scrambled with veggies) which makes it a lot easier to go out to breakfast and still enjoy my food options. 

    I can happily report that, even though I do like savory breakfasts now, I finally have a yummy pancake recipe. Before that success occurred, there had been a couple of fails. One was just flat out terrible, and the other I didn't care for the taste. As much as I like trying new recipes, and am okay when things don't turn out as planned, it got frustrating as it seemed that every recipe wasn't working out for me. 

     The first recipe of these three that I tried are from A Girl Defloured. The pictures look so nice, and all of the reviews on Pinterest seemed positive so I figured I would give it a shot.  I have searched through so many recipes, and I figured that maybe the addition of xanthan gum was going to do the trick. Shocker, that was not the case.

      These are the worst looking pancakes that I made all summer. They were pale and thin. So thin actually, that the blueberries were twice as thick as a the pancakes. These pancakes were also gummy and gritty tasting at the same time. I am guessing the gummy texture was due to the xanthan gum, but I really have no idea. All I know is that I look one bite, and then threw the whole batch away. It was such a disappointment because it seemed like everyone else had been able to make this recipe work, so why not me? 

      The next time I decided to try gluten free pancakes again I was home alone, so I wanted to find a recipe that would make enough for one person. I could really only find paleo pancake recipes for one, but since I had just bought coconut flour, I figured why not try it out. I used The Little Honey Bee's Easy Peasy Grain Free Pancakes For One which involved almond flour, coconut flour and applesauce. I knew it wouldn't taste exact same as your typical pancake, but I wanted to try it anyways. 

     The pancake itself turned out really well. It was thick and fluffy, but it did take a while to cook. Even though these pancakes looked amazing, I didn't like the taste. I have decided that the taste and texture of paleo pancakes isn't for me. When I made these, I had forgotten that I had already tried Bob's Red Mill Paleo Pancake Mix and didn't like it. I think the problem is that I don't like the taste of too much almond flour. A little is fine, but not that much. If you enjoy paleo pancakes and almond flour, this might be a great recipe for you, but sadly it wasn't for me. 

     After the paleo pancake dissapoitnment, I continued to look around for more gluten free pancake recipes. I wanted to find ones that seemed different than the ones that I already tried. I stumbled across Fine Cooking's Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes one day and decided to try it for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is Fine Cooking. I trust their recipes, and the few reviews on these were very positive. Secondly, brown rice flour and almond flour is used instead of a gluten free flour blend.  This was the main reason that I tried this, I know almond flour can make something more tender. We also didn't have all of the ingridents for the other recipes so this was one of few choices for the day. 

      Well I sure am glad that we were out of different ingredients so this was the recipe that was tried. These pancakes were thick and perfectly fluffy. There was a slight almond flour taste, but I really like tasting a little bit, and it goes so well with maple syrup. This repine was also really easy to make, no need to whip eggs or do anything fancy. These were classic pancakes in the truest form. I would be happy to eat these again and again.
      Even though I have found some fantastic gluten free pancakes, I will probably continue to try out new recipes. I am always finding something new to try, but even if something is a mess, at least I know I will have these pancakes. Being gluten free can't stop me from enjoying my favorite foods, and pancakes are no exception to that.

Here are the other parts of this series.
The (Gluten Free) Pancake Project: Intro and Pt. 1
The (Gluten Free) Pancake Project: Pt. 2 
The (Gluten Free) Pancake Project: Pt. 3 

Do you have a gluten free pancake you like? 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

This was a pretty good week full of exploring new things, making money at work and even going shopping. I really hate going to the mall near my house. It is busy, noisy and has subpar stores where I can never find anything that I might want to buy. When I was younger it seemed like there were so many options, but now there are maybe three stores I will even walk into. This week though, I went with a friend to the mall to find clothes for parties in college and it might have been the first time I actually enjoyed a trip to the mall. One of a couple firsts this week. Here was the rest of the week:

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Everyone knows how much I like the farmers market, and this week I got to go to two new ones. One was a really little one in Door County, and the other was another big market about a half an hour away from our house. It is amazing the different types of food (like apricots!) you can find by just going a little bit away. With it being National Farmers Market Week, I figure there is no better time to support the local farmers. 

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Yesterday I was able to go on a day trip to Door County with my mom. This was really nice since the weather was great so we went to the beach, ate outside and wandered around. Other than the drive, we were able to spend almost the entire day outside. To me, summer should be careless days in my faovorite place with one of my favorite people, eating fish tacos outside on a beautiful day. 

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The final first of the week was find a new egg dish that I like- Migas. It has only been recently that I have started to like eating eggs. I am lucky enough that my parents buy local farm fresh eggs in the summer, and I have found these taste so much better than anything from the grocery. I loved Migas because it was flavorful, I could add veggies, it was naturally gluten free and it kept me full for quite some time. I used this recipe from Gimme Some Oven, its so easy, so why not try it?

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Avocado Toast Six Ways

     I can't believe that I used to hate avocados... and I mean hate! If something had avocado, you could guarantee I wouldn't touch it. That changed a couple of years ago when I tried sushi for the first time, and there was a bit a avocado in it. I could appreciate how the textures worked together. Since then I have been liking avocados more and more, to the point that now I will eat avocado toast at least four times a week. 

      Avocado toast has become my go-to meal, along with scrambled eggs, for when I have no idea what to eat. Any meal of the day works for me, but I love it the most with breakfast when I have a big bowl of fruit on the side. This summer I have come up with several different variations on avocado toast that I like, and these six are my favorites. 

      My absolute favorite on this list is the toast with Aleppo pepper and sea salt. It is so simple, but adds. a little spice to the toast. Aleppo pepper is one of my favorite seasonings because it isn't as hot as regular red pepper flakes, but still adds the same flavor profile to the toast. 

      For lunch, I really like making a greek avocado toast with cherry tomatoes, feta with a drizzle of olive oil. One piece of this toast is filling enough to be a lunch, and flavorful enough that you will wish you made more and more of this toast. I also add sea salt and pepper, but I do that with all savory toasts.
     For breakfast, I typically add flaxseed to my avocado, unless I am using a flax bread. I like the nutty flavor of flax, and put it in everything from on top of my pancakes to in my parfaits. The fruit I put on top varies, but I have found that blueberries are probably my favorite fruit for on top of avocado toast. (strawberries are a close second)
     The other three toasts I still make a lot, but not as often mainly because of the work. For the roasted corn avocado toast, this normally happens on a Saturday because then I can buy a cup of roasted corn from the farmers market and not have to do that myself. With the strawberry toast, I prefer to use in season produce, so that was eaten a lot in the early summer, while some thing like the cucumbers with Aleppo pepper is eaten now.
     Avocado toast is something that is so easy to eat, I now understand why so many people love it. I can't believe how long I thought avocados were one of the worst things ever, and I even made fun of my mom for eating it on bread. Now I am making up for lost time and enjoying my avocados in some form almost daily, but avocado toast will never fail to be there in my hour of hunger.

What do you like on your avocado toast?

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

Other than a fun trip to Door County, this was a pretty average week full of work, running, baking and coffee with friends. For me, these kinds of weeks are the classic summer weeks and could repeat over and over without me being bored. Here is what happened this week: 

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By far the best part of the week was being able to go to Door County with my family for part of the weekend. I managed to get to some of my favorite places, such as the White Gull Inn and Dippy's Ice Cream. It was also really nice to just relax there and read a book. I miss Door County in the school year, so it is always nice to make it there in the summer. 

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One random, but remarkable thing about this week is the amount of avocado that I have been eating. Until about a year ago, I hated almost everything to do with avocados and then all of the sudden I started liking them more and more. This week I think I have had at least 1/2 an avocado everyday. I eat it in everything from kale salads, toasts, sandwiches and sometimes by itself. I can't believe how long I went with hating them. 

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My marathon training is starting to get into full swing and I am loving it. I have spent wayyy too much time reading everything there is to be read about marathons. My favorite things to read about are nutrition, not shocking since I am now a dietetics major, and general tips for doing your best. I am only on the fourth week of eighteen so I still have a long way to go. Read more about my marathon training plan here! 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie