Gluten-free(ish) Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I am not gluten-free. I love me some gluten. There is a lot of hype going on right now about gluten. Some of it seems a little far-fetched, and most of it seems unnecessarily expensive and time-consuming.

Here's the deal with gluten (in my non-medical and non-professional opinion):

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The word "gluten" is Latin and essentially means "glue" (Fun Fact: I majored in classical languages!). Gluten is what holds your bread together and gives that chewy, delicious texture to cookies. However, it also can make some people really, really sick because their bodies can't process it. A gluten-free diet has been the de facto way of treating people who can't process gluten naturally, people with celiac disease or severe wheat allergies, and who could do serious damage to their gastrointestinal tract if kept eating gluten.

Recently, gluten-free diets have caught on with people who do not have celiac or severe wheat allergies. Some people choose to eat gluten-free to treat a variety of ailments from autism to arthritis to just general intestinal discomfort. If you think you have a gluten-sensitivity that might be helped by going on a gluten-free diet, you should definitely talk to your doctor and a registered dietician about it and find out if it's the right choice for you.

As for the average person, a little wheat in your life is not going to make you sprout horns or gain 50 pounds. I personally am not really convinced that this diet is all that useful for someone who doesn't suffer from a gluten sensitivity-- but you should of course judge for yourself.

That being said, these cookies are both gluten-free and awesome.

From All Day I Dream About Food

My roommate has been trying to follow a low carb diet lately and happened upon this recipe for these Low Carb, Gluten Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies from All Day I Dream About Food. She followed the directions exactly and they turned out pretty good. They were just the right balance of crunchy and chewy (thanks to the coconut) and I wanted to try baking a batch myself.

The only difference? I was a little wary of using artificial sweeteners (yes, I know that Swerve Sweetener is all natural, but it still kind of freaks me out) and I did not have molasses or baking powder on hand. I also used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips because I'm from Norcal and that's how we roll. Ergo (more Latin!), my recipe is not low carb since I add back in real sugar. Sugar has carbs. Carbs are delicious. I have no regrets.

Be prepared, these cookies have a pretty strong coconut flavor to them. I like coconut and I think it totally works with these cookies, but if you can't stand coconut you might want to reconsider baking these. You could definitely try using a gluten-free flour blend (though that would take the carb count higher). The internet suggests swapping shredded coconut with shredded carrots, which sounds really weird. But if you try it let me know how that works out for you.

So here is my slightly modified recipe for Gluten-Free(ish) Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you have a gluten-intolerance, make sure to use ingredients that are certified gluten-free. Not all of mine were which is why these are only mostly gluten-free. Let's call them low-gluten...

Gluten-Free(ish) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cups almond meal (aka almond flour)
3/4 cups finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract (don't use the fake stuff, you can tell the difference)
1 egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Ghirardelli's really are the best in my opinion!)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325F and prepare a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone liner. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond meal, coconut, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter with brown sugar. Beat in vanilla and egg until well combined. Beat in dry mixture until dough is well mixed. Stir in your chocolate chips and try not to eat the entire bowl of raw cookie dough. Use a spoon or your hand to form dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until just beginning to brown and barely firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on pan 5 minutes. You can transfer to a wire rack to cool them completely or just burn your fingers as you try to eat them directly off the cookie sheet.

This recipe makes a little more than a dozen cookies. I baked 9 cookies and then froze the dough for use at a later time.

Leggie Blonde

Leggie, leggie, leggie, leggie. Blondie, blondie, blondie, blondie. Leggie Blonde!

Anyone else a Flight of the Concords fan? I used to love that show but I haven't seen an episode in years. I wonder if it's on Netflix...

Anyway, just finished my P90X Legs and Back video and my legs are definitely feeling it. I am not currently going through the P90X program; I just felt like I wanted to do a legs workout and have the videos, so why not?

I actually did try the 90-day program last winter though with mixed results. My friend and her husband had used P90X to get in shape for their wedding and they looked AMAZING, so I was definitely intrigued. Then my dad started using the videos and offered to share them with me.

First, I should admit that I did not follow the program exactly and I didn’t follow the diet plan at all. So, if you feel like fully sacrificing 90 days of your life to the cult of Tony Horton, you may get better results than I did. The plus side of P90X is that all the workouts are scheduled for you and you don’t really have to spend a lot of time planning your workout or worrying about timing it. You just push play and do whatever Tony tells you to do. I wasn’t really trying to lose weight, really I was more interested in toning up a bit, and I do think P90X worked for that. However, I didn’t like that there wasn’t a lot of cardio during the 90 days (really it’s just the Kenpo and Plyo videos) and I also got a little bored of watching the same videos week after week. Not that this matters, but I feel like P90X has fallen out of favor recently among the uberfit. Aren’t all the cool kids doing Insanity and CrossFit nowadays? But, I’d still recommend it, particularly if you can borrow the videos from someone else who has graduated from Tony to Jillian Michaels, etc…

Well, I’m off to go eat a cookie (recipe to come). Balance!

Weekend Recap: Visiting NC

I had a fantastic weekend in North Carolina with Chris. I hadn't seen him for a few weeks and I really missed him! Since he only moved to Chapel Hill in July, this was really the first time I had been down to see where he lives in person.

Highlights from the weekend included:

Clockwise: 1, 2, 3, 4.

1. Chris giving me flowers when he picked me up from the airport. He's a keeper. I also included this photo to prove that I do wear things other than workout gear.
2. Taking a walk in the North Carolina Botanical Garden with butterflies that seemed oblivious to my paparazzi-ing. I also learned that venus flytraps and a number of other carnivorous plants are native to the Carolinas! Seriously? I thought those things were for sure from the Amazonian rainforest or some other exotic locale. Nope. Bogs of the Carolinas.
3. Going out on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and getting drinks at The Crunkleton. I'm told this bar is sort of a staple in Chapel Hill so I'm glad I got to check it out and enjoy a delicious beverage.
4. Spending some time with Chris' family at their lake house near Charlotte. We went out on the boat (I'm getting pretty good at wake surfing!) and played tennis. I even got a run in and convinced a few family members to join me for yoga! It was so nice to take a little mini vacation before summer is gone for good.

What adventures did you all get up to this weekend?

Morning Workout?

I went to bed last night with big aspirations. I was going to wake up early, drink tea on my patio, and go for a run before work. It sounded wonderful and I fell asleep in peaceful anticipation of my lovely morning.

From ashleysmallman.com

And then I woke up. And I had a migraine.

Never mind.

Short post today because the light from my computer is hurting my eyes. But no worries, I will be back next week with legit postings. And this weekend I’m heading to North Carolina to visit Chris!

Now I’m going to attempt to get ready for work… Enjoy the weekend!

Kalamata Olive Hummus

Back when I used to work in Virginia, there was a restaurant called Perfect Pita in my building. I think it is a chain since I've seen them other places around DC as well. Anyway, besides the fact that this place served an amazing falafel sandwich, they also always had free samples of their hummus out during lunchtime. On days when I wanted a quick lunch I could go down to Perfect Pita, order my falafel, and then gorge myself on their different types of hummus until my order came up. And their hummus flavors were awesome: jalapeño, black bean and cilantro, roasted red pepper, kalamata olive-- even the traditional hummus was delicious.

I also used to live closer to a Whole Foods (that was pretty dangerous... Whole Paycheck indeed) that sold Perfect Pita hummus in their prepared foods section. Man oh man did I eat me some hummus. It's just this perfect blend of creamy and salty deliciousness. I ate it with everything from pretzels to tortilla chips to carrots. It's just such an easy snack and one you don't have to feel that guilty about. Vegan, gluten-free, I mean, it's mostly beans!

I now no longer work in Virginia nor do I live quite as close to the Whole foods so I do not get Perfect Pita hummus quite as often as I used to. However, the other day I had a hankering for it and decided to see if I could recreate their kalamata olive hummus on my own.

Now, I will admit right here and now that this hummus does not even come close to theirs, but considering that I have had mixed results with making hummus in the past, this came out pretty good.

Deliciosity

My recipe, should you choose to try it yourself:

• 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
• 1 clove of garlic
• 7 pitted kalamata olives (I would have added more but I ran out)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (It's a lot of oil. If you're watching your fat intake, swap out 2 tablespoons and use water instead)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place everything in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Makes about 2 cups of hummus. Enjoy!

Nerd Alert: My Workout Outfits

There are women who go running in color-coordinated lululemon uniforms. They have bouncy ponytails and perfectly matching yoga-pant-sports-bra combos that make you think that maybe Pinterest is real life for some people. And then there is me. I have a lot of workout outfits. Very few of them are flattering.

It happens unexpectedly, as most terrible outfits do. I've done a lot of races and kept all the shirts, regardless of obnoxious color or logo. Bright purple shorts generally go on clearance more often than the sober-colored ones. I hate wearing sunglasses and hats make me overheat, so a visor is an obvious choice. Mizuno discontinued my favorite running shoes but sell a very similar version of trail shoes in bright blue. Where am I going to put my keys, ID, and phone? Fanny pack. Duh.

All of this adds up to a pretty dorktastic outfit.

No shame.

Now, some people can't handle the awesomeness of my running gear. I have had people refuse to leave the house with me because of just how ridiculous my outfit is. But here's the thing, I have never, ever, looked at someone running and thought, "Umm, girlfriend's top and shorts don't match. Why did she even leave the house?" To be honest, if I'm out running I'm usually focusing on my run and trying not to get hit by cars or bicyclists. I can summon the energy for a smile or wave to my fellow runner, but I rarely if ever register what they are wearing. And that's as it should be! Wear what you want! Plus, maybe my crazy color scheme helps said cars and bicyclists notice/not squish me. So this is really a matter of safety, not being too lazy to buy new gym clothes...

That said, races aren't as apt to give away pants and shorts as they are tech t-shirts and I could probably use some new bottoms. And maybe some tops that don't have a date, location, and distance on them. Here are a few that I'm currently coveting:

lululemon Run: Inspire Crop II

I am a recent convert to lululemon. But I bought a coupon for 5 hot yoga classes and realized I didn't have anything to wear. So I bought a yoga top and some shorts on clearance. Holy moly. I understand what the fuss is about now. I believe their yoga pants are knit from the down of angels' wings. They are so freaking comfortable. I can only imagine that their running crops are a similar level of magical. They are a little pricey for me, but if I save my monies maybe I can justify purchasing them as a birthday/Christmas gift for myself.

Ellie Sail Away Tank and Under the Sea Capri

I have never bought anything from Ellie, in fact I just learned about about the company and their Fit FashionistaClub where you choose any two pieces each month for $49.95. But let's just talk about this outfit for a second. Super cute. I don't think anyone would refuse to go out with me if I were wearing this. Plus, it's from their California Dreams collection. We are meant to be.

Under Armour Interval Running Singlet

Okay, it may not look like much, but I got an Under Armour running singlet for a race and this shirt is way comfy. Like, you can run miles and miles without chaffing comfy. I don't bestow this compliment on just any shirt. Plus in white it would match way more outfits than my bright blue UA singlet would.

Nike Tempo Track Short

I can't resist a good pair of purple shorts. They are just so much more fun than black. These aren't too pricey either and I could definitely stand to replace a few of my old pairs for this updated version.

So that's what I would buy to upgrade my workout wardrobe. What are your current favs?

My Love-Hate Relationship with Running

“I love running.

No wait, this is awful.

I feel so free and alive.

But I can’t breathe and my feet hurt.

Look a cute dog! And the leaves are changing! Nature!

How much longer?”

This is how I feel on every single run. And, honestly, I feel guilty that I’m so conflicted. Aren’t “real runners” supposed to love running all the time? Wouldn’t a “real runner” complete more mileage or run faster than I do?

There’s a great article on Runners World right now called “You Know You're a Runner When…” by Marc Parent. It’s awesome and I hope you go read it right this second. Especially if you struggle with the same things I struggle with.

You see, I have been running and training for races pretty much continuously since college. I’ve completed a handful of half marathons, and numerous 5ks, even one full marathon (it was brutal), but I recently had just been feeling burnt out on running. I wasn’t enjoying it that much anymore and, since I knew I was going to have a pretty busy summer with traveling and whatnot, I figured I would just take a break during the hottest part of the year and stop running altogether. I just wasn’t feeling it anymore.

Marine Corps Marathon 2011. That's me in the purple with the thumbs-up.
I'm still smiling which means this is before mile 20.

So I stopped. I ran my last race in June and knew that it would be my last for a while. And there was a big part of me that worried that I might really enjoy not running and never run again. I was worried that all the years that I had been calling myself a runner might have been a lie and that running might not be as important to me as I claim it is.

I forced myself to not run for two whole months, even though there were definitely days when I wanted to go. I really wanted to see if I could make myself give up the habit. Lo and behold, I can’t. I tried and I can’t. And it feels really good to say that.

I may not find every run utterly enjoyable, but I keep coming back to running anyway. Running as nursed me through break-ups, cross-country moves, work-related stress, and lots of other things. It gets me outside, keeps me fit, and let’s me see parts of my city that I wouldn’t see otherwise. On rare occasions, it can even coax me out of bed and into freezing temperatures just because of how peaceful the trail is in the early morning (I’m NOT a morning person, so this must be love). I’m definitely not the fastest nor do I run the farthest—let’s be honest, I’m super slow and feel accomplished if I run 10 miles a week—but I’m a runner. Just like Parent’s article says, running makes you a runner. Period.

After my first half, the American River Parkway Half Marathon, in 2010.

So get out there and go for a run! Or do whatever it is that you do—cycling, kickball, golf, rollerblading—they’re all good. The key to staying active is finding something that you love doing so much that it doesn’t seem like a workout. For me, that’s running. What is it for you?