Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Cardio Junky
Confession, I am a workout junky. I can't help it. I am now, while late to the party, totally hooked on Insanity. I know, but I just can't help it. My sisters both had it and we worked out together (which I absolutely loved). I had to get it! So, guess who worked out with me this morning...the illustrator! I had an absolute blast working out with him today. I swear I peed a little laughing so hard. It felt great! The illustrator yelled at Shaun T the whole time. I was so stinkin' proud of him doing that workout. It is freakin' insane, to say the least! I hope he does it again. I think it was a bad call to ask him right after he finished if he would. However, he did tell me later that he thinks it would be a good idea to do it again. Heck yeah!  I have a workout buddy! I think we will alternate between walks and Insanity. I did do some Core Fusion first thing this morning and that was a great way to start the day. I love the balance of muscle toning and stretching. 


Food...so, dinner tonight was clean simple eating since we have eaten our weight in crack nuts. I will share my mom's version and my version tomorrow.


Tonight, I did a quick garlic roasted chickpea salad. So easy...take your chickpeas, put them in a nonstick skillet, add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, toast them up and perfection! Quick, crunchy, toasty chickpeas!

Have you tried Insanity yet? What do you think? Do you get the workout high? I totally did after these workouts. I never got it before, but I actually want more!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:07 PM   22 comments
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Soup Day...
I will not lie, yesterday was a stinker. I miss my sisters horribly and I had a rough time snapping out of it. Then, right when we were about to sit down and relax, Leia (our girl cat) ran out while the illustrator was taking the trash out. She ran into the woods behind our house and we spent over an hour in the woods in the dark trying to find her. We were terrified and honestly helpless. There are foxes back there and since she had never been out before, we were sure she was gone forever. The illustrator decided to sleep on the couch just in case she came back. Well, at 2:30, she found her way back. I was so worried and the kids went to bed crying. It was such a relief she came back even if it was the middle of the night!


So, with no sleep last night and a cold rainy day here all day long, it is a soup day! The illustrator treated me to a movie today and then I made his vegetable soup (it is the most comforting soup EVER - he made it for me when I was sick last Christmas and I swear, it just makes me feel good!). We saw "Love and Other Drugs" and I really liked it. It is definitely one of those that you question how you feel about everyone in it. One funny note though, we were in the theater with 2 other couples who were well into their 50s. Um, there is a lot of naked in that movie!  They were all talking about all the nakedness when the lights came on. It felt like we were watching soft porn with our parents...weird!


So, with soup in hand and a fire roaring to sit by tonight, I am calling this one a good day of mental recuperation. I hope everyone else got a good start to the week after a long weekend!


The chili paste on this, makes the soup that much better! The illustrator is right, ya gotta do the chili paste! The burn really does make you feel good!

How do you recover from stress or letdowns from emotional highs?

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:28 PM   15 comments
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thanksgiving 2010
Since Tuesday, we have driven over 20 hours, eaten tons of food and enjoyed family time. I am so thankful to have spent that time with my family. I hope everyone had an incredible Thanksgiving.


































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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 11:20 AM   25 comments
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Cinnamon Bun Bread (Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Egg Free)
Yesterday was one of those hurry up and wait days. You know where you run around to get things done and it takes forever for things to actually get done. Well, I finally got my to do list done and in the end, that felt good! I am so excited about seeing my sisters and the new baby in our family this week!


Let's go back to Saturday for a few minutes. I needed to bake and I wanted it to be something that would go together quickly. My goal with baking is to make things simple in technique, but taste like it was hard to make.


I made this a while ago when I baked cinnamon bun bread based on one I saw on Baking Bites.


I knew I wanted to recreate this one gluten free. My whole family loves cinnamon, so anything that is swirled with warm cinnamon and then dripping in icing...is definitely a winner here!


You would never know this is gluten free (you can find the gluten filled one here).


I highly suggest a cup of coffee or hot tea with this...


Our plates were licked clean!


Ok, seriously, this is so easy! You put everything together, throw it in a cold oven and 30 minutes later...you are cinnamon bun bread heaven!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Bread

2/3 cup almond milk (heated to 110 degrees)

4 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
2 TBSP raw sugar
15 drops vanilla stevia
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup egg whites or 1 large egg or 1TBSP flax meal mixed with 3 TBSP hot water

Topping
2 TBSP Smart Balance Light, room temperature
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 TBSP water

Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in the warmed almond milk, then stir the milk mixture, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, vanilla stevia extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough rests, mix together melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour the mixture evenly on top of rested dough and swirl in with a spatula.

Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Combing the powdered sugar and water. Pour the icing over the bread and serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:00 AM   28 comments
Monday, November 22, 2010
Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Dough Balls
I decided to be productive this weekend regardless of anything else that happened. The illustrator worked, so I worked too.  I had to bake though! I got some laundry done, did some work for the illustrator and baked!

(Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Bread...recipe tomorrow!)

I did not go to the Foodbuzz Festival, but I saw Caitlin link to The Chic Life's version of cookie dough balls that apparently wowed everyone there. Who doesn't love a dough ball? So, I thought I would give them a try. I, of course, had to change them. They had to be gluten free and well, I did not have chocolate chips, so I made Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Dough Balls.


I made these at 6pm, so the sun was down. The pictures are not great due to no light. Um well, by 8pm they were all gone! I thought I would get better shots in the morning, but for obvious reasons, that will not happen.


Since I have no frame of reference for what these are like, I will tell you that the version I made tastes like little doughnuts. Soft and doughy on the inside!


I normally try to keep things really simple when it comes to writing recipes, but I am working on mixing my own flour bases so this one is quite the mix. If you have a good mix of all purpose gluten free flours, by all means use it if it is easier for you. 

Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Dough Balls
(adapted from The Chic Life)
(makes about 24)

1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
3 TBSP arrowroot powder
1 TBSP flax meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
9 TBSP raw sugar
1 flax egg (1 TBSP flax meal mixed with 3 TBSP hot water) or 1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar in the raw
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, combine the Earth Balance and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour through xanthan gum and set aside. Next add the flax egg and vanilla to the sugar mixture until combined. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. Scoop the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet with a small cookie scoop (about a tablespoon and a half). Roll the balls so they are tall (not flat). In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Now roll the balls in the sugar mixture and place on the pan and freeze for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until they are slightly browned on the bottom. Remove from pan and cool.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:00 AM   25 comments

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Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
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