With Style & Grace : Living a healthy, gluten-free life

How to Lose Weight, Without Losing Your Mind Print Recipe

Losing weight, without losing your mind. Yes, this can be done!

Everyone, meet my friend Kelli. Kelli, meet everyone.

Kelli and I recently met when I moved to Portland, thanks to a mutual friend. We immediately bonded over our passion for healthy living. She’s an aesthetician who built her own practice, Skinspot here in Portland. She’s also an amazing health coach [practices what she preaches]. Here’s someone who has the biggest heart and is living her passion. If you’re in the Portland area, I HIGHLY recommend you check her out and book a facial!

How to Lose Weight, Without Losing Your Mind

With all of the oodles of dietary theories out there and their confliction with one another, it is a wonder that we are able to remain sane. However, accomplishing a weight loss goal, achieving optimal health and vitality should not be reserved to the select few who seem to have it all figured out. These are gifts that we all deserve to reap the benefits from without having to follow an arbitrary strict set of dietary guidelines. Below are 8 tips that will fit into any diet and lifestyle while setting one up for success in weight loss, greater health and over all wellness. Implement these tips during this holiday season and you may begin 2013 with an entirely new resolution.

1. Keep it simple. Stop stressing about what diet to follow. What to eat should not be so complicated. Although, there are intolerances and allergies that call for the elimination of certain foods, after that, it really should boil down to Michael Pollan’s manifesto: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

2. Ditch the guilt. I know this is easier said than done, but guilt gets people in some serious trouble. Guilt tends to set one up for a binge and can cause one to abandon any healthy goals they have for themselves. The more one binges the guiltier one feels and so the cycle ensues. Instead, acknowledge the behavior and move on.

3. Breath. Before embarking on any meal or snack take 3 deep breaths. Breathing not only calms you down (this allows for better digestion), but it puts you in the present moment, so you are aware of the edibles that you are about to consume. Shoving handfuls of chips in your mouth becomes a lot more difficult when you take the time to breath.

4. Clean up the kitchen before you eat a meal. When there is a task that you are dreading it can take away from the enjoyment of the meal you just worked to create. Furthermore, people tend to pick at the meal’s leftovers or sweet treats during the clean up process. If there is less to clean up, there is less time to pick. If you are not in the habit of doing this it may take a minute to get the hang of, but I assure it is simple and worth it.

5. Sit. This tip elaborates on tip 4. Only eat when sitting. This eliminates a lot of “picking” that occurs as what most think of calories that don’t count. They count. They add up quick. They offer very little satisfaction.

6. Have fun. When your life incorporates activities that ignites your passion you are far less likely to use food as your source of pleasure, so sign up for that sewing class, cooking class, dance class or go out to dinner with your friends more often. It really isn’t a waste of time.

7. Pay attention. After, you finish eating pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel tired? Energized? Foggy? Alive? If you really tune in to the way foods make you feel, your body will direct you to towards the foods that fuel you and away from foods that drain you. After noticing that macaroni-n-cheese makes you feel grumpy and groggy, I guarantee its appeal will wane.

8. Move. Movement ignites feel good chemicals in the brain the suppress hunger as well as igniting your inner fire (i.e. your metabolism) and it is a wonderful stress release. Pick a movement that inspires you. Believe it, or not, not everybody loves logging hours at a gym, so if the gym does not tickle your fancy, find something that does. Any movement counts.

Thank you Kelli for sharing these wonderful tips! Perfect timing as we work to hold up our healthy resolutions or intentions for 2013.

January 15 2013

posted by With Style and Grace / filed under Lifestyle / 7 Comments

Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Blackberry Sauce Print Recipe

You guys. It’s Monday, lets eat cake. Okay? Okay.

I mean, it’s flourless. It’s CHOCOLATE. It’s cake. And this sauce… I just want drink it.

Right, no arm twisting necessary. Cool.

This girl. Oh, this girl. Miss Melissa from The Fauxmartha is so wonderful [just like her cake] and talented. I’m so honored to have her here and cannot wait to make this! Thank you, thank you for sharing this beauty with all of us!

ps. I’m ordering one of your Cowls the second I can decide on which color I want. Obsessed.

Alright, it’s also been 14 days of healthy eating resolutions, its time for a little treat. Let’s do it! Or… you can wait for Valentines day.

I am incredibly honored to be guest posting while Lisa is out taking care of the new babe. I can’t remember how I came across her blog exactly. I just remember I was hooked immediately. I went back into the archives and read every last post. This is rare for a skimmer like me. I can even remember the pre-gluten-free posts. I’ve always been impressed by Lisa, but after this weekend I bow to her and everyone out there who’s gluten free.

I consider myself a baker. I’m infatuated with making everything from scratch, which comes with it’s fair share of flops. Adding the gluten-free stipulation for this post nearly took me down. Well, it did take me down. Twice. Knocked all the wind out of my sails and left me questioning my good, or lack thereof, baking sense. GF baking is by far the hardest thing I have attempted. My hat, if I wore one, goes off to you. Every time you sit down to eat, you’re faced with a great challenge. Meal planning is probably a chore. Not to mention baking for those special, and not so special, occasions. I now better understand why this blog is called With Style and Grace. It’s with immense grace that Lisa approaches GF cooking and baking. It’s with immense grace that she makes it look so effortless, which I now know is a major fete. And it’s with immense grace that she does it all without a complaint. I’m in awe.

After having a couple GF-flour flops, I went flourless. Flourless Chocolate Cake with a blackberry sauce, topped with a dollop of whipped cream. It’s surprisingly light with enough chocolate to make a girl happy. And enough tartness in the blackberry sauce to compliment the sweetness of the cake. And enough cream to, well, I’m not really sure how to finish this sentence. It’s just a necessity.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Blackberry Sauce

yields 6 individual cakes, cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

PRINT Recipe

CAKE

3 large eggs, separated

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for pan

4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. sugar

BLACKBERRY SAUCE

6 oz. blackberries

2 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. water

TOPPING

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

Make cake. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place 6 small circular pieces of parchment paper in the bottom of a cupcake pan. Brush sides and top of pan with melted butter. Set aside. Separate egg whites and yolks into two bowls. Set aside. In a double boiler, add chocolate and butter. Place over a sauce pan filled with water so that water is not touching bottom of double boiler. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring until chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks and sea salt until combined. Set aside. Using a hand mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Slowly add sugar and whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. Slowly fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture until combined. Divide batter evenly into 6 cupcake tins. Batter will almost reach the top of each tin. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Make blackberry sauce. While the cake is baking, add blackberries, sugar, and water to a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. About 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, lightly blend the berries. Pour sauce through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook for another 5 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Make topping. Using a hand mixer, whip heavy cream until thickened.

Assemble. Carefully remove cakes from the pan either by inverting or using a thin knife. Top with blackberry sauce and whipped cream. Serve immediately. Blackberry sauce can be made several days in advance and refrigerated.

*gluten-free

PS—leave Lisa a sweet comment today. I hear new mommas need extra love and support.

January 13 2013

posted by With Style and Grace / filed under Baking,Cake,Gluten-Free,Recipes / 9 Comments

Leek Frittata from Cookie and Kate Print Recipe

I’m incredibly honored to have Kathryne from Cookie and Kate here today!! I’m completely head over heels for her blog. Her photography is stunning, her vegetarian recipes are amazing and she’s just as lovely as can be! If you haven’t seen her work, go check her out now, then come back for the goods.

I’m so excited for this gorgeous leek frittata she made for all of you. This would be perfect for a weekend brunch or breakfast with the family. It’s a great vegetarian option and of course, it’s gluten-free.

ps. Kate – you’re not alone, totally with you on the leeks. Just made a soup with them this fall for the first time.

I am guilty of scanning past the unfamiliar vegetables at the grocery store, not sure what to do with them. I caught myself doing this the other day and thought to myself that I must be missing out on some terrific flavors. So I decided to broaden my horizons, starting with leeks. I hardly feel like I can call myself a food blogger after admitting that I’d never tasted a leek, but there’s a first time for everything, right?

Leeks look like monstrous green onions so learning that they are related did not come as a surprise. Leeks have a very mild allium flavor; this frittata is filled with them but does not taste overwhelmingly onion-y. Combined with ample goat cheese and a hint of garlic, this creamy frittata turned out to be a perfect one-pan meal for a lazy weekend morning. Leeks? I like them.

Leek Frittata

PRINT Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise and washed thoroughly, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick pieces
sea salt
7 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic (use a garlic press)
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast iron pan (or oven-safe nonstick pan) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, the leeks and a generous sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let it rest for a couple minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, a sprinkle of sea salt, black pepper, garlic and crumbled goat cheese. Return the pan to medium heat, pour in the scrambled egg mixture and stir to combine. Let the mixture rest, untouched, until the eggs begin to set around the edges, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the pan to the oven and continue to cook until the frittata is set in the center, around 10 minutes or longer. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully slide the frittata onto a serving plate or cutting board. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the fridge; this frittata tastes even better the next day.

Note: Use your intuition and pay more attention to the cooking cues provided than the cooking times.

*gluten-free

January 10 2013

posted by With Style and Grace / filed under Breakfast,Gluten-Free,Healthy,Recipes / 8 Comments

Birth Story of Mason Jeffry Thiele Print Recipe

I finally got around to finishing Mason’s birth story and only appropriate that I share it two months after his birth. FYI: I do have moments of over share, so read with caution.

Any woman who’s been pregnant knows that the last few weeks can be some of the most painful. After NINE long months of carrying a child, you’re more than ready to meet that little one and to begin to have your body back.

At my 39 week appointment, I was hoping my doctor would tell me I’m dilated enough that I should go home, grab my bags [& husband] and head to the hospital. That didn’t happen. Instead, he asked to schedule an induction.

At first, I objected.

All I wanted was for my water to break on it’s own and to go from there. We had taken Hypnobabies, a natural birthing class which is all about creating a peaceful, relaxing and a more comfortable birthing experience – all with as little intervention as possible. I know that might sound crazy, but it truly was the best thing we could have done. I’ll get more into that in a separate post on the baby blog.

However, I went ahead and set a tentative date, November 8th, exactly one week passed my due date. Meanwhile, I was holding on that I would go into labor on my own.

At my 40 week appointment, I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I was disappointed and almost wish I didn’t know. I did and I didn’t.

I started walking, a lot. More than I had my entire pregnancy. I sprinkled red pepper flakes on everything that went in my mouth. I sat and bounced on the birth ball every. single. night. And let’s just say, sex at 40 weeks is not as pleasant as it was at 20 weeks, but… it had to be done & Ben did not object.

My mom came into town on my due date for another matter and just decided to pack a big enough bag to stay for as long as she needed. In the end, that was smart thinking.

A week later, no baby, but a fridge and freezer full of food. We got pedicures, stayed up late watching movies, even had a family trip to the gym.

As my induction date got closer, family started planning their travels and I started feeling pressure to go forward with the induction.

Every moment, I kept imagining my water breaking.

My husband and I talked a lot. Do we go through with the induction? Do we wait? I thought about canceling the induction, but with family coming into town and the doctor hesitant about waiting any longer, I just decided to just go with it and know that we’d create a positive experience no matter what the experience was.

The night before, my mom, husband and I all went out to dinner. Figured it would be a while before doing that again. I took a shower and got everything organized for the next morning. I have to say, it was nice to have my hair blown out versus a wet bun on top of my head. Between the excitement and the discomfort, I maybe got a total of 3 hours of sleep. Sleeping near the end of pregnancy is a joke.

We had to be at the hospital at 7:30am that Thursday, November 8th. I could barely get a bite of breakfast down. The nerves and adrenaline were out of control.

When we walked in, we were greeted by our labor and delivery nurse, Gayla. It was basically love at first sight. In addition to labor and delivery, she was also a doula and since I wanted to have a natural/no drug birth, we bonded immediately.

We went over our birth preference. At first, I thought it was a joke to write one, but then found it was very helpful for both the nurse and doctor. Maybe I’ll share that in a separate post on the baby blog.

I typically don’t like photos taken of myself, especially when I’m gigantic… When my mom found out I didn’t have any photos of my belly or with Ben, she pulled out my camera and began snapping away. If that was going to make her happy, great, I won’t fight it.

Around 9 am, they started the pitocin and at that time I was dilated to 1 1/2 cm. I was feeling really good. I was walking the halls. Greeted my in-laws. Then eventually my dad and sister arrived. I started thinking this was no big deal, I totally had this.

At noon, the doctor came in to break my water. HOLY GUSH OF WATER! I had no idea that much water would literally gush out and continue for a while after. Lets just say, I quieted down after that. The *pressure waves picked up and I needed to get into my hypno zone. Ben put on one of the hypno cd’s, which helped me get through each pressure wave. At this point it was just my mom and my husband in the room.

*note: the learning from our hypno classes, I refer to contractions as pressure waves and labor as birthing time.

I always thought when the water broke it would be one big gush. Nope. For hours after, if I changed a position, laughed [which I did] or sat up, I felt like I peed my pants. It was weird.

I tried to find the best position. I sat on the ball, stood against my husband, tried laying on one side and then the other on the bed. Nothing seemed to help. The pressure waves were back to back leaving me without a break. And then the back labor/pressure waves began…

I never screamed or yelled. I did everything I could to stay calm, even through the strongest pressure waves. Thank you, hypnobabies.

My legs begun to twitch, but not just a little twitch. It was so intense, my entire body would jerk.

I had sipped on apple juice and sucked on ice chips throughout the day and into the evening. Oh let me tell you, those two things tasted AMAZING.

I decided to try the bath. Being in the water was comforting and numbed me from the intense pressure waves for a bit. After 15 minutes, I needed out. I just wanted to get all cozy, crawl into my bed and go to sleep. Ha, yeah right.

note: if you’re thinking about packing a swimsuit, don’t bother. That was the LAST thing I thought about.

Then the vomiting began…

I became weak, my body was shaking and eventually couldn’t hold myself up. I couldn’t look my husband in the eye as they would slowly start to roll back in my head. I cried. I was so physically exhausted, I didn’t want to do it anymore.

At 10 pm [13 hours after I was given the Pitocin] the nurse checked me. Ready for this…

I WAS A WHOLE *3 CM DILATED.

*note: 10 cm is when you’re complete and ready to push.

I held onto my husband, and asked if I could get an epidural. I just wanted him or my mom to tell me that it was time for an epidural. They both said “it’s up to you and we support you either way.”

Then I needed reassurance from the nurse. I made the nurse give me all the facts, really hoping she’d be the one to tell me it was a good idea. I then cried at the thought that I had wasted all our money on our hypnobabies classes and that I was “giving up”. Really, in hindsight the hypnobabies classes got me through all the hard work.

Finally, I said yes, but after I asked the nurse if I’d feel the catheter. For some reason, that sounded painful. Pretty sure everyone in the room laughed. I know, after all that, I was worried about a catheter.

By 11 pm I was bent over the side of the bed, holding sooooooooo still while I received the epidural.

I wanted to hug the guy, whatever his title was who gave me the epidural. It was AMAZING and had absolutely NO regrets.

All the family who’d been waiting out in the lobby since noon, came back in to say “goodnight” before heading to the hotel for a little sleep. My mom and husband shared the pullout sofa bed. One under the sheet, the other on top. It was cute. They were so exhausted, pretty sure their eyes closed before mine did.

Within 20 minutes, I was OUT.

Around 1 am on Friday, I woke my husband up and made him look at the monitor. I could have sworn this child’s head was minutes away from making an appearance. Not sure what the monitor was going to tell my sleepy husband anyways. Maybe I just wanted someone up with me. Yeah no, he went back to bed.

At 1:30am when the nurse came into check on me, I was 7 cm dilated. Oh P R O G R E S S, thank goodness!

I dozed off a bit, but would wake back up when the pressure would get stronger.

At 4:15 am I was 10 cm dilated = COMPLETE!

The nurse asked me if I wanted to push. I said no.

I was exhausted, I just wanted to sleep. She said I could have 45 minutes and then at 5am, I needed to start pushing. Five minutes later she returned, “So, the Dr. is on his way and wants you to start pushing now.” Dammit.

note: because I had the epidural, the pushing sensation wasn’t as strong as it would have been if I had gone without drugs.

Then of course, I started throwing up… again. Good news, I knew I was close after that.

The room was dark with just a dim light over the sink area. Ben put in another hypno cd to help me stay calm and also let go from being a little tense.

The first 20 minutes of pushing was mainly the nurse walking me through how to push. I know it sounds crazy, but naturally, you [or just me] tense up at the thought of pushing like you’re going to poop in public.

At that point, the epidural was light enough that I could move my legs a bit, they were just heavy. I could also feel the pressure of when to push. Honestly, this part wasn’t extremely painful, just A LOT of pressure. I mean, you’ve got a child exiting between your legs. Of course there’s going to be a lot of pressure.

Before the nurse could finished asking “do you want a mir….”, I quickly cut her off with “absolutely not, but thank you.” I do much better with as little information and NO visuals when blood is involved.

Meanwhile, Ben’s holding one leg, the nurse holding the other as I continued to push.

Everyone was so wonderful and CALM. I honestly think the hypno cd helped create that peaceful environment.

Once the head was out, I basically just had breathe through the rest. The doctor had asked if I wanted to feel the head. Again, I quickly responded, “noooooo, thank you”.

At this point my body was so exhausted and my eyes were burning so badly that they kept asking me to open my eyes, the baby is coming. The moment I opened my eyes, all I saw was this GIGANTIC eyes wide open, screaming, and peeing baby coming towards me. The nurse ripped off my gown and the doctor placed him right on my chest, skin to skin. I think I was in a bit of shock. I kept thinking, “oh my goodness THIS just came out of me. oh my goodness he’s HUGE!!”

All I could do was just hold onto him, and almost unintentionally started to rub the vernix into his skin. We did have to ask one of the nurses to not wipe it off. I thought I would cry but there was so much going on it was so hard to process it all.

As I laid there, holding on tight, I let my eyes close for a few moments, just taking it all in.

I didn’t even notice the exit of the placenta, but I DID notice him stitching me up. I tore just a little internally, but didn’t require more than just a few stitches. Speaking of placenta… No no, I didn’t eat it, but I did have someone come pick it up to encapsulate it. Maybe it’s more mental, but whatever, I had an excellent recovery and I’m more than happy to credit the “supplements”. Here, this woman wrote a great article about placenta encapsulation.

What was fascinating is that all babies eventually gravitate towards the breasts and Mason did just that. Breastfeeding isn’t automatic, especially for me. I had a breast reduction when I was 21 and was told at the surgery that I wouldn’t know if I’d be able to breastfeed until I tried.

I was talking with the nurse about my concerns and she walked over, squeezed my nipple and right then and there, milk came out. I almost cried, I was so happy. It was important to me to be able to breastfeed my baby. Obviously if it didn’t happen, we’d be okay. Later, with the help of a lactation consultant, he was able to latch right on. Woohoo!! However, breastfeeding has not been a piece of cake, but I’ll save that for another time [on the baby blog].

Mason Jeffry Thiele was born at 5:57am Friday morning, November 9th 2012. Weighing 8 lbs 7 ounces and 21″ long.

We chose the name Mason because it’s strong, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and neither of us had ever met a Mason. Yep, that was our criteria. Then Jeffry is my dad’s name, spelled without an “e”. After meeting our little guy, the name fits him perfectly.

More photos of Mason’s first 24 hours, can be found HERE.

Holding on to daddy’s finger with a nice strong grip. I swear he came out with a good set of muscles.

After a few hours the nurses came in and checked him out. We already knew he was perfect, but it was nice that they confirmed. Later, they back came in to give him a bath and get him all cozy. We had so many different nurses and each one was equally amazing. I also got teary saying goodbye. Then again, the emotions were running a bit rapid.

After going back and forth several times, we did end up getting him circumcised, but waiting about 3 weeks after he was born. He [& the doctor] of course did great. Otherwise, I think most people do it in the hospital.

We only stayed one night after that. We were ready to go home, especially since all our family was in town and had offered to make us dinner Saturday night. We weren’t about to miss out on that. Since Mason and I were doing good, it got the okay.

For the most part, I was doing really well. I mean, wearing a granny diaper [really just a huge pad], a smaller pad, an ice pack, and witch hazel pads ALL between my legs wasn’t super comfy, but whatever. I must have missed the memo about bleeding buckets post delivery. I wish I was exaggerating too.

If you are pregnant for the first time, please don’t read this as anything negative or let this bring up fear for you. Although this wasn’t “ideal”, it was my experience and it was perfect. And I’d do it all over again in a second. Although next time, if I’m induced, I won’t wait as long for the epidural.

The best piece of advice I can give to anyone who’s pregnant is to listen to your body. Do what you need to create a peaceful environment. Trust yourself. Whatever your experience is, it’s yours and it’s going to be perfect.

I’ve never been more in love. Being a mom to this little guy is the biggest blessing I could have asked for and I’m so thankful I get to start this journey with the love of my life and my #1, always. After meeting him, I never wanted to let go. He’s our miracle baby. So much love, it’s indescribable.

Big thank you to my husband and my mom for offering such incredible support during those 18 hours of hard labor. That’s an experience we’ll never forget. Thank you to all our family and friend for being there and loving us.

Lastly, thank you mom for being an awesome photographer, you captured it all beautifully.

*same story is share on both blogs

January 8 2013

posted by With Style and Grace / filed under Baby,Lifestyle / 34 Comments