Thanks for the "feed"back!

Hey all! Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks for all the wonderful responses I've gotten for the blog! I've heard from various people- neighbors, co-workers, friends of friends, etc-and it has been quite encouraging! So thanks for spreading the word. I've got some fun recipes I'm hoping to try this week and I spent a ridiculous amount of money at the grocery store stocking up on staples. A few I plan to try: veggie pizza (with home-made gluten free pizza crust), quinoa pilaf, and Salmon Goat Cheese sandwich. Yum!

All of these recipes are pretty simple. I'll admit, although I love to cook, I rarely muster up the motivation to cook a gourmet meal for just myself. I do a lot of "one person" meals like omelettes and quesadillas and salads. But for the sake of not making this the most boring blog ever, I will cook! I feel kind of like I'm re-enacting the Julie and Julia project! I even have my "resident expert" (my roommate) to offer ideas and words of encouragement, and who laughs at my silly jokes and puns.

I will say that so far in this journey, breakfast has been the greatest struggle, because nearly all breakfast foods are carbohydrate rich and/or wheat-based. I lived off of whole wheat English muffins, frozen Kashi waffles, and Clif bars. Now, I have been making eggs and GF toast, or fruit smoothies. But for my early morning days, I have found a wonderful quick meal bar called Larabars. They are gluten free and made with "whole food" ingredients. It is music to a dietitian's ears when we can read a food label and pronounce AND recognize every ingredient on the label. Larabars have 2 to 9 ingredients and are made with nuts, fruit, spices, and minimal other ingredients (depending on flavor). The chocolate chip cookie dough bar is to die for! And if paired with yogurt and fruit, make a perfect balanced breakfast! They are widely available at grocery stores and Target. Check them out at www.larabar.com. (Note to Larabar: I am hoping you will sponsor me if I become famous and write a book or something.)

I plan to keep a "log" of meals I make for the week, so check back for updates! Happy Labor day!