SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

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Keep reading….info below about gluten-free cookbook give-aways!!

This week’s Gluten-Free Holiday is all about keeping it real. I’ve debated about this post – whether to make it ‘nice and pretty’ or just show you what ‘healthier’ means for me on any given day.

If you haven’t figured it out already I decided to show you the whole truth. I’ve never been a great food photographer but this time I threw all caution to the wind and just took a pic of my lunch as is.

Really, the decision was made yesterday morning when I got an e-mail from one of my favorite readers, whom I now consider a friend. She was struggling with her food.  She wanted to know if I ever ‘cheated’ and had just a little sugar or wheat.  I told her the honest truth – No. I don’t cheat.

I know exactly what she was thinking – that it’s not quite possible to not ‘cheat.’  I remember thinking that no one could do it either, that it was impossible. In fact, I thought anyone who said they didn’t ‘cheat’ once in a while was lying. But like I said, this post is about keeping it real.

So, how do I stay healthier through the holidays – and the rest of the year?

I keep it simple. Most days, I eat the SOB – same old breakfast.  You won’t find a pan of freshly baked muffins or a stack of belgian waffles on our breakfast table.  Instead, I eat a healthy carb, protein, and a fat – usually cottage cheese & fruit or a whole grain hot cereal with fruit and yogurt – both topped with nuts.

Lunch isn’t much different – a salad with a protein and a fat and usually some fresh fruit.  I’ll make a salad out of anything – dinner leftovers, chicken, canned salmon or tuna.

Joe gets home from work late so I typically have a 3:30 snack, often a smoothie like this one or this one with some extra greens thrown in.  Liquid snacks high in nutrition give my digestive system a break and keep me going until dinner. Some days I’m hungrier than other so I might add in some nuts or a piece of fruit with nut butter.

Dinner can be anything under the sun – from a vegetarian meal to grilled chicken or pork and even the occasional pasta dish.  And, if I feel like it I have dessert.  More often than not, it’s yogurt or applesauce with a sprinkling of carob chips and coconut.

When the holidays, or any special day, rolls around I don’t worry about how much or what I eat. It’s no big deal when most days are balanced. So, there you have it. The completely unexciting details of how I keep it simple and eat healthier.

Are you struggling to find a balance? I did for years.  Or have you found ‘a keep it real’ solution that works for you? Share your experience with me in the comments.

Almost Pumpkin Pie

This is another one of my ‘tastes almost like dessert but it’s really a meal’ dishes.  Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts and for some reason when fall rolls around I start craving it.  Joe always looks at me funny when I scoop pumpkin right out of the can and into a bowl.  The dogs and I like it plain, right out of the can. In fact, they all come running when they hear me crack one open.

A Gluten-Free Holiday! Go link up!

But before I share my recipe – if you can call it that – I want to remind you to that Ricki from Diet, Dessert, & Dogs is hosting today’s link-up event and is giving away two of my favorite gluten-free cookbooks:

The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten & Tom Malterre and  The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook
by Cybele Pascal.

Head on over to Ricki’s and link your Healthier Through the Holidays post or just leave a comment to enter!

And, if you’re sharing about this on Twitter use our hashtag #GFHoliday to id your tweets so we can re-tweet them!