Everyday Meals Made Gluten-Free

I don’t know if I mentioned it before but Jeff’s sister was diagnosed about 2 years ago with Celiac Disease and thus needs to be on a Gluten-Free lifestyle. I on the other hand have a lactose intolerance problem ever since becoming pregnant with O. Yes it’s been almost 7 years and I still can’t drink a glass of milk and have been weaning myself off of things that use milk in them. So when I was asked to review the CookingLight Gluten-Free Cookbook I was really excited because not only can we now have everyone over for dinner, but I’ve been wondering if I was suffering from Celiac Disease as well since I’ve noticed some small problems. I figure this would be a great way to test it out until I can get to my doctor for the proper testing. It’s also great that many restaurants are starting to cook more gluten-free options on their menus. I have seen a lot more cereal from General Mills being gluten-free and even the ever awesome Rachael Ray is cooking more gluten-free as well. This is amazing to hear because just 2 years ago we could rarely find things available for my Sister-In-Law and of course that means things we do find are so much more expensive. Thankfully that’s changed drastically around here. Some are pricey but the options are better than they were.

Now my very favorite part of this cookbook is that it starts right away with breaking down what Celiac Disease and Lactose Intolerance are. This is great not only for the person browsing this book in the stores, but those that may have family members suffering from such diseases. This allows them to connect with the family member a bit better because they’ll have a better knowledge of what it is they are suffering from. Also this cookbook gives you tips on how to turn your kitchen into the optimal Gluten-Free kitchen. For example it suggests buying 2 of things such as butter and peanut butter if you must buy them in jars so the people that eat wheat don’t contaminate your product and causing it unusable to. It also suggests that while that is a costly method, it might be better to buy things in squeezable bottles to avoid cross contamination. Those are things that you probably would over look if you weren’t on a gluten-free diet OR due to the stress of having to change your entire lifestyle depending on when you find out.

There are so many amazing recipes in this cookbook. Classics like Onion Rings, Beef Roast, and Meatloaf, and new fun flavors like Banh Mi-Style Roast Beef Sandwich or Portobello and black been Quesadillas. They even point out what products MAY contain gluten and you should double check the labels of that brand. With 150 recipes there is bound to be many things everyone will love. So if you know a loved one/friend who suffers from Celiac Disease or Lactose Intolerance, you yourself deal with these problems, or just want to change your lifestyle, well this is a cookbook you will love having at home!

*I was given a free free product and/or was paid for this review. Any opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Tick Tock By Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is an absolute favorite of mine. I remember browsing my aunt’s bookcase and her suggesting that I try one of his books. I’ve always been a bookworm and I’ve known from the start I wasn’t a big lover of the fluffy lovely dove romance novels that is cliched for women to read. If someone isn’t getting brutally attacked or dying I probably won’t read it just because it won’t hold my interest. I love the suspense, mystery, thriller type books and Dean Koontz fits right in there. Ironically enough you would think these books terrify me since I am a big baby when it comes to this genre of movies lol. I finished his book Tick Tock the other day and have to admit it wasn’t quite the normal Dean Koontz that I’ve come to love. Here is an exerpt taken from Barns & Noble’s website about the book:

Tommy Phan is a successful detective novelist living the American Dream in southern California. One evening he comes home to find a small rag doll on his doorstep. It’s a simple doll, covered entirely in white cloth, with crossed black stitches for the eyes and mouth, and another pair forming an X over the heart. Curious, he brings it inside.

That night Tommy hears an odd popping sound and looks up to see the stitches breaking over the doll’s heart. And in minutes the fabric of Tommy Phan’s reality will be torn apart. Something terrifying emerges from the pristine white cloth, something that will follow Tommy wherever he goes. Something that he can’t destroy. It wants Tommy’s life, and he doesn’t know why. He has only one ally, a beautiful, strangely intuitive waitress he meets by chance—or by a design far beyond his comprehension. He has too many questions, no answers, and very little time. Because the vicious and demonically clever doll has left this warning on Tommy’s computer screen:

The deadline is dawn.
Ticktock

Time is running out.

It sounds like a good book from here right? That’s what drew me in, yet when I started it, it was a slow book and very odd. I sadly wasn’t very fond of this book though the ending did take me by surprise ha! It is a good book that will scare you but definitely different than other Koontz books, although there is a word from the author at the very end that explains why this book was written in the tone it was. After reading that it still felt like an odd book and wasn’t a favorite of mine, but I could understand better why it had the tone that it did. I mean I liked how the characters played off each other and the way he wrote the lead female role kept me guessing along with Tommy about why things were happening the way they were. There were times I was even getting frustrated with her right along with him. I think the part that made it weird for me was the doll thing which sadly is the main part of the story. Well that and it was just a VERY slow story. I don’t know why it read so slow but I had a very hard time trying to keep my interest in it.  So in the end I think you should at least give this a try. It’s got a good story line and interesting characters that will keep you guessing until the end.

What books are you reading? I’m getting ready to start Dean Koontz’ second book in the Frankenstein series City of Night

Big Girl by Danielle Steel

There is nothing better to do in the summer than devour a few good books. so when visiting my Grandma, I happened to notice a really pretty book cover. It was a hot pink cover with the picture of the bottom half of a woman’s face as she licked the back of a sugar coated spoon. The book’s title “Big Girl” was written on the sugar coated spoon in pink as well. I mean how could I NOT want to read this book right? As an added benefit it was written by Danielle Steel and I really adore her novels since I grew up with most of the women in my family reading those, they always give me a little comfort for that main reason.

Big girls about a chubby little girl (Victoria Dawson) that was born with ordinary looks and always felt out of place in her family (and body conscious L.A. where they lived). Victoria always dealt with weight issues while her parents and sister could eat what ever they pleased and not gain an ounce. As if being a big girl wasn’t bad enough she had to endure her father’s belittling comments about everything in her life …. including her weight. Victoria turns to the one thing that doesn’t hurt her … food. But of course this ‘love’ is only temporary. She knows that she has to get away from home.

Honestly I will admit I’m a book snob and wanted to read this because the cover drew me in. For me it was a quick read and finished in about 2 days thanks to adult interruptions. I know a lot of people were not a fan of this book but I was sucked in for the simple reason I could relate to this …. except I didn’t have the courage to get out. I spent a lot of time growing up worried about my weight and most people would look at photos and tell me how skinny I was …. because once I hit high school I quit eating mostly dinner/breakfast and even lunch I grazed at school. I didn’t have an appetite and it didn’t help my mother worked mostly nights, my father as well and I was left to make sure my sister & brother were taken care of. It was easy then because all I had to say was I ate or I’d make a sandwich. I was old enough to make my own food so no one questioned it. When I got pregnant I was really underweight and it showed. I weighted 110lbs (and that still made me feel fat) but have always had a bubble butt and a relatively normal chest size. When pregnant I dropped another 20lbs from getting sick all the time (the doctors weighted me in for my first visit at 90lbs) and after I stopped getting sick and cutting out the dairy (yes thanks to mother nature I’m now lactose intolerant) I gained those 20lbs back plus another 25lbs.

After having my son I stopped the unhealthy eating habit and picked up another one … overeating. I controlled it mostly until 2008 when the 1st half of the year was a blur. Between Jeff’s back surgery and my grandma getting cancer and dying I spiraled with my weight and clocked in at 150lbs … the heaviest I’ve ever been. I realized I needed to change things and well now I’m down 5lbs just from cutting out soda and moderate exercise. Not only did I battle my weight growing up I was the step-daughter that didn’t share any family resemblance. It was hard to handle growing up when all I wanted to do was fit in and feel like I belonged at home but never felt that feeling.

I will admit I cried while reading it. It’s cliche of course with the classic villians and vanillia type heroes. Of course the happy ending but if you’re looking for a book that’s easy to read and may just surprise you, you should definitely pick this up. While you may judge a book by it’s cover, never let just someone’s view of the book turn you away from it. You never know it may surprise you!

Here Home Hope Review

I’m a book-aholic if there ever was one. I love a good book and Here, Home, Hope sucked me in like nobody’s business. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in about a day and a half. With that said,  I like my books a certain way. I love the books that are not always a clear cut happy ending. I mean after all life is tough, scary, and a lot of work. Here, Home, Hope definitely sums up this. Without killing it all, I can say that  Kelly, the main character, has her share of all of the things that life is; and the way that Kaira wrote about Kelly’s happy moments & even heart-breaking moments, you could feel the real life coming out of the book.

I was really interested when I seen this Opp in my One2OneNetwork account. Going against the age old tale, I have to tell you I judged this book based on it’s cover. Speaking of the cover; there is a line on the back cover that I think sums the book up well: “This absorbing, witty story of one mother’s journey from midlife crisis to reinvention.” I think this spoke to me because yes even though I’m only 25, I’m thinking of this daily and it doesn’t help Owen starts not only 1st grade this year, but his first year of full day school. This is going to be hard because I’ve become one of those mother’s that have lost their identity in their child. So now that Oj’s going to be in school all day I’m trying to find myself again and figure out how to separate myself from Owen …. and get my mind to realize this doesn’t make me a bad mother for wanting to do so.

I just have to say (again) that the one thing I absolutely love about this book is Kaira Rouda’s writing style. It makes you feel like you were right there next to Kelly and her friends talking on the porch or that you were as angry and panicked as Patrick and Kelly were to find the party going on at their house. I will admit that I was so sucked in I may have shed a few tears in parts of the book, but I give credit to having the similar life experiences (ex: depression/cutting/eating disorder *yes these are mentioned in the book) and this is one of those happily ever after novels BUT that happily ever after doesn’t come without a struggle and I know that’s one thing I loved about this book. It showed everyone’s life isn’t as perfect as it looks on the outside and we shouldn’t judge because we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes of their lives.

Now if you’d like to keep up-to-date with Kaira Rouda you can fan her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and even check her Official Website for updates and Book signings as well!

My final thoughts on this book are that it’s an easy read and perfect for those lazy summer days when you’re relaxing by the pool, or in the backyard with the kids. If you read this I’d love to have you sound off in the comments with your thoughts!

*I received a copy of the book from One2One Network to facilitate my review.

Blast Off by Allison Maslan

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of “Blast Off!”. All opinions are 100% mine.

In a world where everyone wants to be their own boss and/or start their own company wouldn’t it be a bit easier if we had help or knew a starting point? Well that is where Allison Maslan comes in with her new book Blast Off!. Now if you’ve never heard of Allison Maslan before here is a little information about her taken from her site:

Allison Maslan is the Originator, Master Personal Coach and President of the Blast Off! Life, Career and Business Success System, a highly acclaimed Author, an international Motivational and Inspirational Speaker, the Inventor and Developer for Blastation, an Interactive Life Coaching Software, and the President of the Homeopathic Wellness Center where she practices as a Nationally Certified Homeopath and Licensed Holistic Health Practitioner. She is also the Founder of the Homeopathic Academy of Southern California the largest and most comprehensive homeopathic certification academy in the United States.

Also what I found interesting is that Allison has been an entrepreneur for over 25 years, and her idea for this great new book that released Tuesday January 19th, 2010 is that through her years of working with clients and people she’s learned why  humans want to create those personal limits through out their lives, and in everything they do. The reason she created Blast Off was to help people identify these roadblocks and also learn how to work around them. If this sounds like the book for you then you’ll be happy too know Blast Off is available on Amazon. This book retails for $24.00, and you could find it possibly for even less on Amazon.

For me this is great because I have trouble seperating the important stuff (example here school) from the mommy/wife time since I do schooling online. This is going to be a great tool for me to learn because I am going to school to earn a degree for Graphic Design and ideally this would be a work at home job as well and after graduating I would love to open up my own website to do graphics for those that need it. This book would be great for me to help identify and set up a routine/structure/limits so those boundaries are more prominent and I don’t feel bad for setting them in the first place.