July 2013 Self-Care Retreat - Emotional & Spiritual Growth

How often do we begin a sentence with "I should have..." For instance, as I started writing this post, I wanted to say, "I should have written this post weeks ago..." And ideally that's what I meant to do.... but life is so rarely "ideal." Part of self-care is accepting and welcoming life when it isn't ideal.

Cheryl Harris (my nutritionista of awesomeness!) started the July Self-Care blogging event several years ago as a way to remember how important self-care is in our daily lives. We live such busy lives that we often forget how important it is to take care of ourselves, our-whole-selves. Generally, unless we take very good care of our whole self, it's very hard to take care of anyone or anything else!  And that means finding a way to put yourself first. I realize this sounds selfish. It kind of goes against a lot of what I learned growing up. But I've slowly learned that in order to take good care of my husband, my family, my friends, my furr-kids, my home, and my extended family... I HAVE to put myself first. I have to make sure that I am well cared for, so I can care well for everyone else in my life. 

Self-care means taking care of your whole self. Your body, your mind, and your spirit. Since we are all completely unique individuals this may mean something different for each person. You may need to focus more on your physical health, while other's may need to focus on their spiritual health or their emotional health. Finding the right balance of all three is a big part of self-care.

Over the past two years I've been really working on my journey to emotional health and spiritual health. I've done this in many different ways from coloring mandalas, to praying more, to journaling, to beginning the art of meditation... I also feel like in many ways I've been redefining my spiritual health and well-being. I've realized this plays so closely with my emotional health.

My personal religious & spiritual beliefs with God have morphed and changed a lot over the past few years. There were issues that for years and years never made sense to me as a Christian and I truly struggled with certain ideals. Over the past two-three years I've widened my beliefs and studied a lot about Buddhist practices and principles, along with traditional Catholicism, Native American spiritual beliefs, and even Judaism. I've realized that my own spiritual beliefs do not have to be boxed into any one specific category... and they never really have been. This has been a huge awakening for me.

Suddenly, I don't have to feel like I can't "believe" in a specific principle just because it doesn't fit within a certain religious guideline. In reality, I think I've always done this to a degree. There's a certain rebelliousness in believing what you want no matter what your specific religious background is... but to finally give yourself permission to change and grow and allow your beliefs to do the same is extraordinarily freeing.

It's also particularly fun and liberating to realize that you may NEVER stop growing and changing and redefining who you truly are as a person. I love having this new understanding of myself!

At the beginning of August I will share more about a few techniques I've been using to help myself grow, along with finding peace and joy in the "every day-ness" of life. It's been a life-changing few months for me, and I look forward to seeing the ways you have grown & changed too in the past few years of your life.

Many bloggers have participated in this year's July Self-Care Retreat. Please visit their websites and posts on the many different ways you can incorporate self-care into your life. 

• June 28th: Me! Cheryl of Gluten-Free Goodness
• July 6th: Valerie of City Life Eats
• July 13th: Shirley of Gluten Free Easily (GFE)
• July 20st: Iris of My Fairy Angel (you probably also know her from The Daily Dietribe)
• July 27th Kate of Eat, Recycle Repeat
• Aug 3rd Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl 

Before we get into the “rules” (of the self-care retreat blog posts), know that the main “rule” is to relax, enjoy, take good care of yourself and have fun.

Why join us? Because self-care takes a village, too.

These posts are to inspire you all to make July a month of reflecting on self-care and the many ways to nourish ourselves. We encourage everyone to participate in this event in a way that feels appropriate to them, whether through making different choices around food, adding in movement, personal reflection, journaling or other self-care. If you would like to share your experience with self-care, we would love to include you in the experience, whether you join us for one week or every week. We ask that you link back to this post so that more people can learn about this retreat, and leave a comment for the weekly theme host, too! That way, we can make sure we see your post and that you’re entered into the drawing.

2013 Posts thus Far:

Cheryl's Self-Care Goals 2013 GF Goodness

Guest Post from Linda on Self-Care

July Self-Care Goals on City|Life|Eats

Wrap up and July Challenge on Eat, Recycle, Repeat

13 Self-Care Lessons from the Masters GF Goodness

Curious about past retreats? Recaps for July Retreats 2011 & 2012 are here:

http://www.gfgoodness.com/2012/08/05/a-july-self-retreat-recap/

http://www.gfgoodness.com/2011/08/11/4117/

So we went camping this weekend...

It rained... A LOT....

Needless to say it was a very short camping trip!

Have any of your plans been rained out lately?? Did you do something fun anyway?

Before we decided to leave the campground on Saturday morning, we were able to use a small table top grill for dinner on Friday night. We grilled all-beef hotdogs, fresh corn on the cob, and of course marshmallows! It was delicious and simple and still fun despite being surrounded by water on all sides!

I hope to post more in the next few weeks. I've been on a blogging/social media hiatus of sorts and it always seems hard for me to get back in the swing of things when I've taken a break.

Here's hoping your summer hasn't been quite as rainy as ours! (On the good side, we are in NO danger of a drought this year!)

Giveaway: Gluten-Free Baking with Betty Crocker and Joseph Joseph

One of the fun things about being a food blogger is getting to try new products and equipment. A few weeks ago MyBlogSpark sent me this cool baking kit which includes a rolling pin, a pastry brush, a small rubber spatula (I happen to LOVE spatulas!) and a super cute kitchen timer in this JosephJoseph baking gift set. To be quite honest I haven't had the time YET to try out these nifty tools, but I can tell you they are super cute!

Also included in the gift set was really nice non-stick 8x8 baking pan which is perfect for brownies or 1-layer cakes! Betty Crocker (the lovelies who provided this nice set) have brand new packaging for their gluten-free products ALONG with a few new gluten-free baking mixes. I decided to go out and purchase chocolate chip cookie mix. My husband is quite the connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies...

But instead of making cookies (I'm lazy, what can I say?) I decided to use the 8x8 pan and make a batch of chocolate chip cookie brownies! TO make the brownies all I did was add the required 1 stick of butter, but instead of one egg I used two, and then added 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup of milk. This made the brownies more cake-like, but Michael loved them. I baked the batter in the pan for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. That's it. Super easy, super quick.

While I'm not a huge fan of gluten-free prepared baking mixes... it is fun to have these on hand for last minute chocolate chip cookie emergencies. Michael really enjoyed the mix and said he liked the brownies as much as he would have actual cookies... so win win!

But my favorite thing about companies like "MyBlogSpark" and Betty Crocker? 

They not only send me goodies to try, they offer bloggers an additional set to giveaway as well! SO Here's your chance! Want to win your own set of baking supplies?  

Here's how you can enter to win: 

This contest is now over.
Congrats to Shannon F. for winning the baking set! 

The Giveaway Nittygritty:

• 1 prize pack of a JosephJoseph Gift Baking Set + a brand new 8x8" baking pan will be provided from General Mills and MyBlogSpark. 
• This giveaway is open to everyone. 
• One entry per person.
• Enter by leaving a comment below on this post AND please include a way for me to contact you -- your email address preferably.
• The giveaway begins June 24, 2013 and ends on June 29, 2013  at 11:00 pm eastern daylight savings time.
• No purchase is necessary.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entries.  
• The winners will be randomly chosen and will be contacted by email.  The winners will have 24 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be randomly chosen.

GLG Disclosure: 

I was given a free gift baking set and an 8x8" baking dish from MyBlogSpark and General Mills. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive monetary compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own. The giveaway prize pack and baking pan have been provided by MyBlogSpark and General Mills. 

Introducing: The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook! Coming July 2013

Over the past year I've been working very hard on a series of gluten-free cookbooks for the "Everything" series published by Adams Media. (Hence the reason the poor blog hasn't been updated as often as I'd like for it to be!)

And my latest installment is coming out next month on July 18, 2013. This new book is entitled, "The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook." This book has been especially designed for gluten-free college kids, but also those new to cooking gluten-free, and for busy folks everywhere.

The book specifically shares SUPER EASY recipes and tips to teach college kids how to cook fast, easy, and healthy meals right in their dorm room or apartment.

Some great features of this book include: 

• A whole chapter explaining what being gluten-free means, how to buy and store gluten-free foods in your college dorm room or your first apartment. How to ask about gluten-free options on your college campus, how to teach your friends about WHY you are gluten-free, etc... 
• Over 300 EASY AND DELICIOUS gluten-free recipes that ANYONE can make, especially beginner cooks!
• An entire chapter on meals you can make in your microwave!
• Recipes for easy breakfasts, lunches, parties, study snacks, and special chapters on fast and quick main dishes and gluten-free pasta meals.
• An entire chapter on gluten-free vegetarian and vegan recipes!
• Tons of NATURALLY gluten-free recipes, which means you don't have to buy special gluten-free flours or baking ingredients (unless of course you want too for the baked goods!) 
• For those who want to learn to bake, many EASY gluten-free baked goods such as muffins, cupcakes, cookies, etc... 
• Dairy-free substitutes are listed throughout the book for those with dairy or casein sensitivities. 

A handful of awesome gluten-free recipes to try from this book include: 

• Banana Nut Pancakes
• Very Veggie Omelets
• Baked Pumpkin Crunch Oatmeal
• Classic BLT's
• Mini Pizzas in a Flash
• Tuna Salad with a Kick
• Buffalo Wings
• Never-Enough-Nachos
• Microwave Chicken Divan
• Easy "Tandoori" Chicken
• Mexican Lasagna
• Frittata with Asparagus and Two Cheeses
• Classic Italian Risotto
• Cheesiest Macaroni and Cheese
• Stovetop Oatmeal Fudge Cookies
• Basic Rice Krispies Squares
• Speedy Mocha "Mousse" Pudding
• and many, many more!

If you're not a college student, this book can still help you learn to make super fast and easy meals at home. It's perfect for busy moms, commuters, anyone working full time who needs quick and healthy gluten-free meals on-the-go, etc... 

This book is on-sale now for pre-order through:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Books a Million
• Powell's Books

And will be available on July 18, 2013 at your favorite local bookstore. 

Have any questions about this cookbook? Send me an email: gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com. 

To kick-off this book, let's have a giveaway! 

Would you like a copy of this book? (And you absolutely should!)  I'm personally giving away two brand new paper-back copies of this cookbook! Simply leave a comment on this blog post letting me know why you'd like this book and what recipe you would try first! 

*******************

This contest is now over: 

Congrats to Cindy and Marcie the winners of "The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook"

The Giveaway Nittygritty:

• I am giving away two BRAND NEW COPIES of my new cookbook: "The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook." 
• This giveaway is open to everyone. 
• One entry per person.
• Enter by leaving a comment below on this post AND please include a way for me to contact you -- your email address preferably.
• The giveaway begins June 18, 2013 and ends on June 22, 2013  at 11:00 pm eastern daylight savings time.
• No purchase is necessary.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entries.  
• The winners will be randomly chosen and will be contacted by email.  The winners will have 24 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be randomly chosen.

GLG Disclosure: 

I am giving away two copies of my newest cookbook. These copies have been provided by ME. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own. 

Easy Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookies

I really need to keep my "good" camera around my neck at all times.. because when I don't you are forced to suffer through my terrible phone camera pictures...

But you know what's funny? I really like the imperfection of the phone camera pictures. I love the grainy quality. It's like adding some cool instagram filter, minus instagram.

At any rate, here are some cookies for you. And this imperfect, grainy picture... it's comfortably fitting for these tasty treats. They aren't amazing bakery cookies. They are easy, simple 4-ingredient cookies for a sweet tooth fix. They are low glycemic, so they won't spike your blood sugar and then send you sinking down, down, down on a Tuesday afternoon.

They are easy, kid-friendly, snack-size little gems of almond flour and coconut palm sugar... and will make you smile.

Who needs perfection? Have a cookie instead!

Easy Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookies
free of gluten, dairy, soy, grains, and easily egg-free
printer-friendly recipe

Ingredients
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or: honey, sugar, maple syrup, date sugar...)
1 egg (or egg replacer, 1/4 cup applesauce would work just fine)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour and coconut palm sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg (or egg replacer) and the pure vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you have a very stiff and sturdy dough. It should be stiff enough to stir into a ball. If it's too crumbly (and it could be, depending on the humidity levels where you live), add water a teaspoon at a time, until the dough will stir into a stiff ball. Scoop the dough out with a cookie scoop and place 1" apart onto the cookie sheet. I usually get about 12 medium-size cookies. Shape them with your fingers into circular cookies and flatten them slightly with your palm. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cookies are a bit puffy and are golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool for 10-15 minutes before eating... if you can wait that long!