Life, Gluten Free

GladRags for Women Review & Giveaway

I got the opportunity to sample GladRags, and I am thoroughly pleased. It may seem strange to people at first, or even gross to use re-usable pads for your menstrual cycle. But some of us cover our baby's bums in cloth, so why can't we have that luxury too?

GladRags are very soft and incredibly absorbant. I found the pad itself to be so absorbent, that there were no leaks to the liner. Prior to trying GladRags, I was using cloth pads but the quality of the brand I was using is not even comparable to GladRags. Although they were made of hemp and cotton, they were not soft. If I had to pick two words to express my feelings about GladRags, they would be: quality and comfort.

The day pad is my favorite and works so well throughout the day. I was really excited to try the night pad and it is also very comfortable and makes you feel secure. 

GladRags was created by a mom, Brenda, who was concerned about the environment and wanted to work from home so that she could be with her young daughter. She was inspired by her daughter's soft cotton diapers.

From their web site:

To Use GladRags Reusable Menstrual Pads:

1. Place 1 or 2 of the inserts inside the holder.

2. Turn your GladRag over. Snap it around your underwear. The tag side goes next to your underwear and the smooth side goes next to your body.

3. Change your GladRag (holder and inserts) about as often as you would a disposable pad.

Cloth pads are a better choice for women and a better choice for the environment. To me, using reusable pads only make sense. Menstruation is a natural process, so why not use a natural product? I've found that using cloth pads have made my cycle more comfortable and pleasant. I enjoy knowing that I am helping the environment, pampering myself, and that I will someday get to share that knowledge with my daughter. 

Thanks GladRags, for taking a step to create a better world!

I am pleased to announce that GladRags has agreed to gift one of my readers a Day Pad 1 Pack.

I know you will be pleased. Head on over to GladRags. If you sign up for their newsletter, you will save 15% off of your first order.

Rules on How to Enter:

1. Visit GladRags and let me know which products you like. Sign-up using the entry form below or leave a comment if you can't get the entry form to work.

2. Tell me why you want to try reusable pads (or if you already use reusable pads, tell me why it is important to you to do so). 

3. You must have a U.S. mailing address to be eligible to win.

4. Extra entry? Just one this time. If you sign-up for the GladRags newsletter. Forward your newsletter sign-up confirmation to my email address (heacollins (at) gmail (dot) com

Good luck! (Note: if the entry form below does not work for you, you may leave a comment and still be eligible to win. Thanks!)

Deadline to enter: December 13, 2008 at 11pm MST.

-heather

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is my first gluten-free chocolate cake that's not from a mix. I tend to stay away from mixes, because I enjoy creating my own and also I like to add my own sweetener. I really like how it turned out but I do want to try another chocolate cake made with partly coconut flour.

For the sake of print-friendlyness, here is the full recipe. See below for my photo preparation!

 

Frosting Ingredients: 

8oz cream cheese (tofutti dairy-free, or similiar)

1/3 cup earth balance + 1 tablespoon (needed more after all)

1/2 cup organic powdered sugar + 6 tablespoons during mixing

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Recipe:

Dry ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoons xantham gum

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Add later:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients in separate bowl:

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/3 cup agave syrup

1/2 cup organic cane sugar (not a wet ingredient, but you combine with these)

1/3 cup of coconut oil, liquified

Egg replacing ingredients (or 2 eggs):

6 tablespoons apple sauce

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp egg replacer

Preparation:

Add dry ingredients to a large bowl. 

Combine wet ingredients (minus the egg replacing ingredients) in a separate bowl as well. 

Let them sit while you prepare the egg replacing ingredients. 

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the egg replacing ingredients. Stir well.

 Add the cocoa powder and after ingredients are mixed together well, add chocolate chips and lightly stir in.

Add to a 8 X 8 glass baking dish (greased with coconut oil) or cake pan of choice.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until tooth pick is inserted and comes out clean.

Egg replacing ingredients:

This is what it looks like. It starts to bubble up :)

Time to add the wet, dry, and egg replacing ingredients together:

I like to then add the cocoa powder:

 

Finish mixing ingredients together, then add the chocolate chips. 

For Frosting:

Add cream cheese and earth balance to a bowl:

Add powder sugar:

And begin to mix, adding 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar:  

Add vanilla extract and the remaining 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar and beat fully:

After cake is fully cooled, frost and enjoy:

Eat a slice with some coconut ice cream :)

-heather

Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger: Carrot Cake

This my first time participating in Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger! I adopted Vittoria from Deliciously Gluten free and made her Carrot Cake. I met Vittoria (online) shortly after I started my gluten free blog. She is a great friend and a great addition to the gluten-free blogging community! She also posts recipes that comply to the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet), so be sure to check out her blog.

I had to substitute for Rhubarb because it was not in season. I did some research and found out that the growing season is from April to September. I want to try this again when I can get some rhubarb, because I am very curious to see how that will taste! Instead of 1 cup of rhubarb, I used 1/2 cup of carrot and 1/2 cup of celery in addition to what the recipe called for carrot and celery. I also had to leave out the pecans because my daughter is allergic to nuts, so we don't have any nuts in the house.

I made this for Thanksgiving, and we couldn't wait to try it so we decided to eat dessert before we had our Thanksgiving meal :)

The colors were so beautiful.

Here is the final batter, ready to go in the oven.

Making the frosting is almost my favorite part :)

This is my first time decorating a cake, beyond just simply icing it.

I tried to add some juice from a carrot to make the icing orange to add some final touches, but....

It didn't quite work. We laughed that it was more like mustard. But for the sake of pride, I shall call it Buttercup Yellow.

The cake was so beautiful, I had a hard time not taking photos of it. We really enjoyed this cake, and towards the end of nearly devouring it, we sprinkled on some shredded coconut which also added a nice flavor.

last picture.. really.. promise!
 

Thanks so much to Vittoria for loaning her Carrot Cake recipe! And thanks to Sea at Book of Yum for hosting, I really enjoyed participating and I can't wait to see what other bloggers made!

I hope that everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. I made some bbq tempeh and pinto beans which were a big hit. I will post the recipe soon. My mom made an amazing goldenberry cornbread stuffing, which I will also be posting the recipe for soon.

I am thankful for my gluten-free Thanksgiving. Last year, I did not know I had celiac disease. My symptoms were just beginning to manifest. After a gluten-filled thanksgiving dinner, I had a horrible stomach ache. This year, after my gluten-free thanksgiving dinner, I felt thankful and did not have a stomach ache :)

 -heather

Wordless Wednesday

 Check out MomDot for other blogs that are participating :)

Here is my very first Wordless Wednesday, incase you missed it.

-heather

MomDot Blog Party: Day 9

Day Nine Blog Party Question is Brought to you by jaC Jewelry, Cutie Covers and Sassy Baby.  I wasn't able to participate in every day of the blog party, but for the one's that I did participate, it has been a lot of fun. Here are today's questions:

What is the most unusual gift you've received? 

When I was younger, probably around 13 years old, it was my birthday and there was a large box wrapped up in the living room. I was pretty excited. After all, the best presents are the big ones right? Of course not, but I think sometimes as kids - and even as adults - we think "bigger is better." I eagerly tore off the wrapping paper, thinking for sure it was my own computer or something just as magnificent, when I only found another box - wrapped as well. This continued for quite some time, each box containing yet another wrapped box. Finally, the last box was a small one - about the size of a mug - which makes sense because that is was it contained. A mug. My family said that the look of disappointment on my face was beyond measure. I looked closer in the mug, and it was packed with some candies I think..... but best of all, a $100 bill. Not too bad! 

What was one of your favorite gifts?

Last year for Christmas, my husband sponsored a chicken for me at the Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary. It came with a picture of her, and a letter detailing about her. It was such a wonderful gift! Her name is Philomena :)

While it is fun to receive gifts, it can often be even more enjoyable to give one, and this is especially true when you have a child. This year for Christmas, my daughter is getting a RadioFlyer Scoot-a-bout. We bought it "like new" for a steal. I can't wait for her to come downstairs on Christmas morning to see it!

Do you think re-gifting is okay?

I know this topic can spark controversy, as many consider it to be unbelievably tacky to re-gift. My stance on it, however, goes along with the saying "one person's junk is another person's treasure." It is okay if you re-gift with meaning, that is, actually giving the gift to someone who you know will like it. Just passing a gift on to another person to get rid of it, however, that is a different story. At that point, it is best to simply give it to a thrift store so that someone who will enjoy it can have it.

Be sure to check out MomDot for other blogs who have participated in day 9!

-heather

Gluten-free products spotlight, Holiday Edition (week 2)

To kick off this Monday's Gluten-free Products Spotlight, I want to recommend Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil. This is our favorite brand of coconut oil. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which the human body converts to monolaurin. This boosts immunity and fights off harmful bacteria, among a list of many other benefits. Coconut oil also significantly improves digestion and can help prevent or ease irritable bowel syndrome. I could go on all day about the amazing benefits of coconut oil! The last important piece of information that I will say is that coconut oil improves our bodies ability to absorb important minerals (this includes calcium and magnesium). (Source: Organic Facts)

Coconut oil can be used in both cooking and baking. It can also be used in raw dishes (like my Chocolate Pie with Seed Crust). You can also spread coconut oil on rice crackers. Wouldn't that be a nice and unique treat to offer holiday guests? Top with a dallop of jelly or raw honey.

To go along with that theme, Brown Rice Snaps are a wonderful snack and can be garnished with dips (and coconut oil!) for a lovely holiday spread. Our two favorites are the Unsalted Plain Organic Brown Rice Snaps and the Vegetable Organic Brown Rice Snaps.

I hope you enjoy today's gluten-free products spotlight, please check back next week! And be sure to check out my first post and check out the other blogs that are joining in. Be sure to check out Kelly at The Spunky Coconut she is spotlighting Vitol Egg Protein Powder!

-heather

Wordless Wednesday

It seems most blogs do a Wordless Wednesday, and it looks like so much fun. Here is my first Wordless Wednesday post! Hopefully Sophie won't be mad when she's older. We just got this photo developed and scanned, and.. well.. I just couldn't not post it :)

To see other Blogs that participate in Wordless Wednesday's, check out MomDot.

-heather

MomDot: Blog Party Day Four & Five

What is your favorite Holiday recipe?

My two favorite holiday recipes are my pumpkin spice cake and my chocolate holiday rounds. They will definitely be on our holiday menu. We don't have the same meal every year. We like to spice things up. Since I was raised vegetarian, our thanksgivings were very different from most other families. We had lasagna many years, other's we had tofu "turkey" with stuffing. This year, I may just post our tofu "turkey" with stuffing. It is an amazing dish, even the most carnivorous people enjoy it.

Describe your Holiday table.

We like to decorate with things from nature. This is something I am actually going to be posting about soon because I just collected a bunch of twigs from a tree an and put them in vases. It looks amazing, and someone thought I had actually bought the twigs! Ha

What is your biggest Holiday cooking disaster?

You know, I don't have one as yet and hopefully I won't! My husband who also loves to cook, and bless him for it, makes amazing dishes but in the process somehow makes a mess of just about every dish, pot, pan, spoon in the house. It's really a disaster in its own way. But I do love him for it :)

 Do you volunteer your time? What do you do to teach your children the true meaning of the holidays?

We haven't volunteered our time but we have given donations to certain organizations. We've also sponsored an animal (dog/cat/chicken!). Our daughter is only 20 months, but we certainly are teaching her to share. It really comes naturally to children, and that's just beautiful.

Some of our favorite organizations:

Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary

Vitamin Angels

Goods 4 Girls

The Nature Conservancy

Day Four Blog Party Question is Brought to you by Bottlewise and Glow Mama

Day Five Blog Party Question is Brought to you 

by Baby Pop and Chic Covers

enjoy!

-heather

Gluten-free products spotlight, holiday edition!

I am launching my Gluten-Free Products Spotlight. What this means for you? Every Monday I will post a line-up of gluten-free & allergy-free products. Since it is the holiday season, the selections will be great ideas for holiday parties, gifts and stocking stuffers! 

I am also inviting other gluten-free blogs to participate. To participate, simply post your own gluten-free product spotlight and link back to my post. You can post once, or several times. You may use my graphic in your post if you would like. Sign-up below so that others know your blog is a part of this too. 

To kick it off, I have "rounded up" a few favorites of ours. These will be sure to perk up your holiday gatherings! Get a head start on stocking stuffers too! Buying products from the links also helps to support this site, and saves you money on bulk orders.

Enjoy Life Mountain Mambo Nut-Free Granola. This is a great snack, and would look very festive heaped in bowl for any holiday party!

Ruby Range Southwest Pancake Mix makes rich and moist pancakes. Because they have mesquite flour, they have a nutty and chocolate-like flavor. And although the recipe on the back of the mix calls for dairy ingredients, you can substitute (like coconut milk with apple cider vinegar in lieu of yogurt). Mesquite flour is an amazing gluten-free flour that adds richness to your baking. 

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (great in recipes like Papaya Coconut Clusters)

More to come! Check back every Monday. Subscribe to my blog so you don't miss anything :)

enjoy!

-heather

Click below to sign-up or to see which blogs are participating:

Chocolate Holiday Rounds

This would be an amazing treat for any holiday party. They are easy to eat and healthy too.

1 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked

12 dates, unsoaked

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons water

Process until smooth, scraping the edges well. Mold teaspoon size drops with your hand. Roll in coconut if desired (or cinnamon).

If you like this dish, my flour-less chocolate fudge cake is similar. 

enjoy!

-heather