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

Gluten-free Oatmeal with Spiced Pears Print Recipe

and you thought oatmeal (and possibly gluten-free) was boring. SURPRISE! They’re sharing this shinning moment together.

I was reviewing the RIPE cookbook and this Oatmeal with Spiced Pears jumped out at me. It was easy to adapt to be gluten-free with the swap out of the oats. What’s great is the entire book is filled with beautiful fruit and vegetable recipes that are relatively easy to adjust for a gluten-free lifestyle.

Sometimes oatmeal needs a little spicing up, if you know what I mean. The pears do just that. This oatmeal is perfectly sweetened with the pears that are caramelized in a little butter and honey. If you need another oatmeal option for your morning routine, try this one with torched bananas.

Anyone else ever eat oatmeal for lunch or dinner? If it’s a cold or grey day (or I’m just lazy…), I’ve been known to make a bowl of warm oats.

Gluten-free Oatmeal with Spiced Pears

slightly adapted from RIPE

Serves 2

PRINT Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk or choice)
1/2 cup oatmeal, gluten-free
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium Bosc pears, cored, stemmed and cut into eighths.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Stir in the oats and reduce the heat to medium-low. Keep uncovered – it’s okay if it bubbles a little – for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes to thicken.

Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter, honey, ginger and cinnamon. Continue stirring and when the butter melts and starts to sizzle a bit, add the pear slices. Gently move them around to coat. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Divide the oatmeal among the two bowls and top with the caramelized pears. For a little extra sweetness, you can drizzle any extra sauce over the oatmeal. If you need it a little sweeter you can add some sugar, but the pears add a nice amount of sweetness.

Serve and enjoy!

*gluten-free

March 11 2013

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

Peanut Butter Popcorn for WEE ones! Print Recipe

What kid wouldn’t want to come home to a bowl of this, Peanut Butter Popcorn? It’s an easy, healthy and fun snack for everyone. Adults included.

… as I sit here finishing off the last of it.

When I was growing up, we had a babysitter who would make us peanut butter popcorn for after school snack. It was always such a treat! I have such vivid memories of sitting on the counter, helping her stir. I’m not sure it ever made it into a bowl (she made it on the stove), we just continued eating it directly out of the pot with our sticky fingers. We may have even tossed in m&m’s… yep, there was definitely m&m’s.

My family and I are relatively obsessed with popcorn.

It’s at a weekly ritual. About an hour or so after dinner, I pull out the air popper (THIS one is our favorite), melt a little butter, and then pour a glass of wine. It’s a beautiful thing.

Instead of butter, what better topping then melted peanut butter for the kiddos. This is also something fun to do with the kids. Let them our the peanut butter over and mix to coat. It gets rather sticky, but that’s what makes it fun!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

PRINT Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter or more if you prefer
optional – chocolate chips

Directions

Using an air popper, pop the popcorn kernels into a large bowl.

note: this is our favorite popper and has lasted us for years! This or a whirly-pop will do.

Melt the peanut butter in a pan over low heat. If you’re using chocolate chips, add them into the peanut butter and mix until melted together. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle over the popcorn. Mix well to incorporate.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

*gluten-free *dairy-free

March 5 2013

posted by With Style and Grace / filed under Dairy-free,Gluten-Free,Kid Friendly,Recipes,Snacks,Treats,Wednesday for Wee Ones / 9 Comments

Brussels Sprouts & Hard Boiled Egg Chop Salad Print Recipe

I don’t know what it is about brussels sprouts, but I can’t get enough of them. It’s a slight obsession.

I’ve made this Brussels Sprouts & Hard-Boiled Egg Chop Salad a dozen of times now. It’s so simple, yet so satisfying. I’ve also added grilled chicken for extra protein. Speaking of protein…

I’ve been ever so slowly sticking my toes in the paleo diet. As I continue to try and work off this baby weight, I’ve been incorporating more paleo meals into my diet. I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed the meals I’ve tried and definitely going to experiment a little more. What I love about this dish & other paleo recipes I’ve tried is that I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. I mean, I did eat several servings of this salad, but it filled me up. As far as the diet goes, I just can’t give up my potatoes, junior mints & white wine at the moment.

Brussels Sprouts Chop

Inspired by Sprouted Kitchen and Super Natural Everyday

PRINT Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
4 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup slivered/chopped almonds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Taking one brussels sprout at a time, peel back the individual leafs until you get close to the center and you can’t peel anymore. You may either discard the center or cut in half and roast at a later time. Place all the leaves a bowl.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add brussels sprouts leaves and sauté until slightly wilted or lightly browned. Remove from heat. Add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, slivered almonds and sprinkle with sea salt and mix together.

Serve and Enjoy!

*gluten-free *dairy-free *paleo

March 3 2013

posted by With Style and Grace / filed under Dairy-free,Gluten-Free,Paleo,Recipes,Side dish / 14 Comments

My Favorite Workout Videos Print Recipe

About that baby weight… I’m over it.

Healthy eating habits is a HUGE part to changing your body, but we still can’t forget to exercise.

The first week of being a mom, I decided I didn’t want my gym membership anymore. After years of being a gym rat, I finally gave it up. Sure, I want to lose this baby weight, but I’m not ready to leave my baby, plus we’re trying to make some changes financially.

Just because the gym isn’t an option, doesn’t mean I can’t get in a good workout. I pulled out a few DVD’s and purchased a few new ones. I also go for long walks (pushing the stroller) when it’s not pouring down rain or running up and down stairs. I’m just getting started with my new workout routine (at home) and so far, I’m already feeling results. Again, I’m also eating healthy and staying active with my baby.

So, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you.

1. Jillian 30 day shred – If you want an ass kick (aka results), this is it. There’s three levels, with a nice mix of strength, cardio and abs. After 5 times, I’m still on level one. Again, I’m completely out of shape, but it’s nice to know I have “room” to grow. Each level is 20 minutes and I try and do this video 3-4x a week. I’m not a sweater, but I get close to breaking a sweat in level one, about 10 minutes in. The nice thing about this, you only need a set of weights, which for me, 3 lbs it is (at the moment).
2. Tracy Anderson – I want what she’s having kind of video. She’s a celebrity trainer and is mostly known for her work with Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s very “dance-y”, but I like it because it doesn’t always feel like you’re working out. One negative about this, is she’s not the most motivating, but if you can get past that, you’ll be fine. The little movements that you do with your own body weight and 3 lb weights sure does a body good. I do love her method, which you can get a little preview HERE. I don’t always do the entire video, but I’ll break this this up and do just the arms or just the legs, etc., when I need a little strength “training” after I get back from a walk or at the tail end of nap time (for the baby, not me).

3. GAIAM Pilates – This is a great change from the others. I think a pilates or a yoga video are good to throw into the collection and mix things up. I’ve heard great things about the I like the ab one the best and usually do this 1-2x a week. I’ve heard good things about Crunch Gym Pilates and 10 Minute Pilates.

4. The Bar Method – Who knew such little (but consistent) pulses could hurt so ~~bad~~ good. Are you familiar with The Bare Method? There are studios popping up everywhere. I had my first experience when we were living in San Diego (when I was in great shape) and it was a major ass kicker. Classes can be rather pricey, so as I slowly became out of shape (cough cough, growing a baby), I bought this DVD – still pricy, but worth it, I could do this at home whenever I wanted. This was the first video I did after I having my baby and oh my goodness… I hurt for days. The sad part, I didn’t even finish the video and I was still hurting. Personally, I like a good hurt because it feels like my body is in the process of changing. Equipment needed is weights and a bar, which I use a stool or the edge of a counter. For me, 3 lb weights are enough at the moment.

5. Gunner Peterson CORE Secrets – This is a great ball exercise. Gunner Peterson is also a celebrity trainer and has some great strength training moves. I think if I used heavier weights, I’d be much more sore and feel like it was shaping my body.

Next on my list, Hip Hop Abs. Seriously. I use to dance growing up (not all that well, but whatever) and love how great I feel and it doesn’t even feel like a workout. I need a good cardio addition and think this might be it.