Breakfast: Sticky Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal from The Big Man's World

I was scrolling through Instagram find me here this morning and saw The Big Man's World post on Sticky Cinnamon Roll Batter Oatmeal. OMG, I knew I had to have this! I went to his website and found the recipe here. 

I had all the ingredients in my kitchen, except coconut butter, which I replaced with regular butter. Sadly I forgot that my Sun Warrior protein powder(this is what I use. ) is not flavored, and I was out of vanilla, so I just threw the mix into the pot. I used Trader Joe's Gluten Free Rolled Oats, Nutiva's Coconut Flour, and Kate's butter.  I didn't take a pic because I was WAY too hungry and dove in. This is SO good, gluten-free, vegan if you don't use egg and butter, and low-sugar, unless you use sugar :P , and OH SO GOOD. This will be added to my collection of favorites!
Arman makes some fantastic foods, so you should check his sites out.

The Big Man's World website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Tell him the Cynikal Kat sent you!

Love, love, love, K

Oh, here is an empty bowl :p

Vegan Gluten free Chocolate Raspberry Torte

Hi folks! This post would have been up sooner but the Blogger app isn't working correctly, so I am rewriting this on my laptop.

Last Friday I made a vegan, gluten-free chocolate raspberry torte to bring into work the next day (there's only 3 of us that work Sat, and A & I spend most of it just ourselves). I have 2 coworkers that are vegan and I am gluten-free (obviously). The recipe comes from Bakerita, found via Pinterest (follow me here!).

I used Bob's Red Mill Almond flour/meal, one of my favorite flours, for the crust. It took me a few minutes of reading labels in the baking aisle at my local grocery store to find a baking chocolate that was suitable for vegans, but Mrs. Meyer's 66% Bittersweet baking chocolate looked safe. I had organic raspberries from work and I found a yummy raspberry preserve at Job Lot. Unforunately my springform pan turned out to be 22" where it needed to be 9", so I used a 9" pie plate instead. I am amazed how easy this recipe is and that it didn'te require fridgeration!

THe next day I brought this torte into work for consuming. As A & L dug in in the kitchen, I heard "oohs" and "ahhhs" and gasps, even got a "you're an angel!". Clearly they loved it and I did too. A job well done! Thank you, Bakerita!

Remember to get the recipe from Bakerita and go say hi to her from me!

Kashi's Gluten Free Indigo Morning cereal

I saw Kashi's new gluten free cereal, Indigo Morning, in the grocery store and brought it home. I do not like it all. It is puffed corn (organic), which doesn't soften up very well (in almond or coconut milk), so it's very crunchy. It also left pieces of hull in my mouth. I did like the berries, which I believe are freeze dried. Good effort Kashi, but no thanks. I'd rather eat sawdust.  A+ for organic and non-GMO ingredients but D for taste.
kashi organic corn flakes indigo morning cereal

November update with some new products

Hi readers! Sorry about my disappearance;  I find blogging to be something I have trouble dedicating time to. I get to it when I get to it, sorry, however, my blog is always on my mind. I am always writing notes for a future blog.

Sadly I did not attend the GF in CT this weekend b/c finances would not allow it. That really bummed me out, but it needed to be done. Plus, I really needed the time with my o.s.o. and time for ME. (That is probably the most important!)


So, a few blog worthy things...
I came across Wellness Mama's post about Carrageenan and decided to share it with EVERYONE. I have been thinking about carrageenan, way back in my mind next to the thoughts about not eating meat/animal products before 6 (Thank you VB6 diet by Mark Bittman http://markbittman.com/book/vb6/). I was thrilled to see that my favorite almond milk (Blue Diamond's Almond Breeze Hint of Honey Vanilla) does NOT have carrageenan in it (http://www.almondbreeze.com/?navid=334. Now I need to look at the rest of the stuff I eat/drink and see where it stands. I do NOT need more inflammation (damn autoimmune illnesses).  
Wellness Mama's post is here: http://wellnessmama.com/2925/what-is-carrageenan/
This is a very informative post from someone whose blog I just adore. She has so many great recommendations, recipes, and more. You should follow her on all the social media sites. (Please go check out her blog.)

I went shopping at Target last weekend. Sadly the closest one is 45+ mins away. (sigh). Island life. I found some great gluten-free items there for cheap!

The Seven Sundays muesli is my new favorite, next to Qia's coconut oatmeal. I have Seven Sunday's blueberry chia buckwheat currently. The WOW Baking Ginger Molasses cookies were completely new to me as well and SO worth it. They are soft and even have some chewy ginger pieces in them. The Annie's Cocoa &Vanilla gf cookies and the KIND bars are old favorites. I had some coupons for the Justin's snack packs so I bought them. A good haul all together and a lot cheaper than my local Shaw's.

Seven Sundays: their website
Qia via Nature's path 
Wow Baking bagged cookies
Annie's
Kind bars
Justin's

I haven't made anything spectacular lately..OH! But I did. For Samhain (Halloween for non-pagans) I made 2 amazing Samhain pumpkin breads. The recipe is courtesy of LApagmom2 on Allrecipes.com recipe is here. I didn't take any pictures of it but I brought 1 loaf to work and it was scarfed throughout the day. This will be a staple recipe for me. I did finagle it a bit but I can't remember what I did exactly now.

Speaking of food, I need to get started on dinner. Tonight I'll make some gluten-free stuffed shells. Since TJ doesn't like ricotta cheese (weirdo) I'll make a few for him and just use mozzarella with meat instead of ricotta and mozz and meat. Perhaps I'll remember to take some pictures.

Lots of love to you fantastic people. Again, I'm sorry about the delay, but life gets in the way sometimes. love love love

Trihune series spotlight

Fallen Redemption

The Trihune Series # 1

By- R.B. Austin

Genre- Paranormal Romance

Killing Fallen to save mankind is Cade’s redemption for murder and only one human—mouthwatering and absolutely forbidden—stands in his way.

Cade committed himself to saving lives before he learned the full consequences of his life-altering decision. It wasn’t until he was tending his sick wife that he learned the enormity of what he’d done and he was unable to save her from the monster he had become. Consumed with guilt and praying for absolution, he threw himself into killing every Fallen he could find to save the humans he’d sworn to protect. But then Emma, deliciously mortal and completely forbidden, swept into his world, stirring an overpowering desire. Now he’s not only fighting soulless creatures, but also his inner cravings, trying to maintain his distance and continue on his path to forgiveness. He won’t lose control again and lose another love.

 

Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest in CT

Next month, Nov. 7th & 8th, Stamford, CT, is hosting the Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest! I will be attending Sunday the 8th (work conflict on Saturday), with my friend Nic, whose hubby is gluten-free. I will be there as a blogger so expect more updates and a post-fest blog. Make sure to follow me on Instagram as I will be posting there ALL day. My Instagram name profile is: https://instagram.com/cynikalkat/ (just look me up as cynikalkat).

For more info on the fest go to their website:
 http://www.glutenfreefoodallergyfest.com/locations/stamford/

The good news also is that I have 1 ticket to give away! (As ticket #1 is for my friend who's going with me.) Please message me if you are interested in a free ticket!

Gluten free chicken strips and mozzarella balls

Tonight I tried my hand at gluten-free chicken strips and mozzarella balls. I don't make sticks b/c I use organic mozz that comes in balls. My s.f. absolutely loves food like this, as he's a 12 year-old stuck in a 30 year-old's body.

Recipes came from:
Real Food RN
http://realfoodrn.com/gluten-free-chicken-strips/

Creative Cooking
https://creativecookinggf.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/mozzarella-sticks/

For the chicken I used basic white rice flour. I think this one might be from Goya but I'm not certain as I have had it for awhile. Otherwise I followed the recipe. I did wind up using more coconut oil though.

The recipe for the mozzarella balls I pretty much followed to the T. I used Aleia's gluten free Italian bread crumbs. They are SO damn good. (http://www.aleias.com/aleias-gluten-free-italian-bread-crumbs/ ).  Take Jenny's advice and refrigerate these sticks/balls before frying them up. I have tried making these twice. The first time I only rolled the mozz once, but tonight I rolled it in egg and flours twice., which was still not enough. The cheese will leak out. You should roll it a few times.

But, in the end, Tj and I both feasted.

Spaghetti night

My favorite gluten free pasta brand is Tinkyada. It always stands up to cooking and baking and has a great taste. It is not mushy at all, unlike most corn based gf pastas. I usually buy the Organic Brown Rice Spaghetti style pasta as it makes the best spaghetti pasta! I cook it al dente and it come out perfect every time.

For dinner tonight we're having spaghetti. Well,  techinically I am and TJ is having rotini with sauce. :) I threw some left over hamburger in a skillet with home grown (TJ's parents grown) tomatoes diced up, some Herbs de Provence, s & p, and organic tomato sauce. I am baking my last sample of the bag of Buddha Bread by Bread Empire in our toaster oven as the actual oven is broken. (giant pain in the ass!) added in some organic cut spinach to my sauce. TJ is playing Destiny in the other room and I hear lots of swearing. I'm going to find it down with a Sonoma Cider Sarsaparilla Vanilla flavor and this:

I use Tinkyada pasta every time I want pasta. From their Brown rice lasagna noodles to Brown rice shells everything I have tried is fantastic. I'll probably make stuffed shells on Wednesday (at our friends house while I babysit).

Tinkyada can be found online: http://www.tinkyada.com/


**I am in no way paid or sponsored by Tinkyada or Bread Empire. I just love their products and hope you will too.

Some new gluten free reviews

Hi folks! I have tried a few new (or new-to-me) gf foods and I wanted to update you. 

Glutino's Gluten-Free Animal Crackers. They come in Graham and Original. I've only had the Original ones so far and they are so good. Did you ever eat the Stauffer's Animal Crackers? These are the next best thing, but gluten-free! They do have egg and soy in them, FYI. 

http://www.glutino.com/products/cookies-and-wafers/cookies/animal-crackers/

Go Raw's Spirulina Energy Bars. These are not great. Raw? Yes. Good ingredients? Yes. Tasty? Well, not really. I do not like the texture at all. I think that's the sesame seeds. Some people might like these, but I do not. 

http://www.goraw.com/p/54/spirulina-energy-bar

Food For Life's Gluten Free Multi Seed English Muffins. I wound up trying these for free b/c we had some at work that were expiring soon. They are hard to cut, even though they are "fork-split". You need to use a real bread knife. These are definitely different from full-gluten ones. 

These are very good toasted. Tonight my s.o. actually made mini-muffin pizzas with one muffin and it was yummy. I think I'll be trying another one in the morning with pb & j. 

http://www.foodforlife.com/product/english-muffins/gluten-free-multi-seed-english-muffins

Califa's Classic Cinnamon Horchata. Oh my god, this is fantastic. Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, non-GMO, carrageenan free! The Whole Foods store in Hyannis carries this and I was thrilled to see it. There is also a vanilla flavor that I will be trying. Gotta say, this is easier than making horchata at home.

http://www.califiafarms.com/products/almondmilk/classic-cinnamon-horchata

Well, there you have it. Try some of these for yourselves and get back to me! 

Cheers!

What's lurking in your toothpaste?

I switched toothpastes as I connected the dots between SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and canker sores and I am still getting used to it. I looked at the back of every single toothpaste we carry at the health food store I work for and the best ones to me were Weleda products. They make several flavors: Salt (weird, right?), Calendula, Plant gel, and Ratahania. Never heard of the last one. I chose to try a travel size of Salt toothpaste and it is quite odd. Definitely has a salty taste but also peppermint. I am going to keep using it and dump my Tom's toothpaste (fennel) b/c it has SLS in it. Plus, Tom's of Maine is owned by Colgate-Palmolive.

So why is SLS bad? Well, some studies have shown that SLS is irritating to the mucous membranes and even has carcinogens! Plus it can cause more canker sores and thank you, I have had enough of them. I am going to try this and see how it goes. Bonus, Weleda toothpastes are free of fluorides, detergents, and synthetic fragrances, colors, and preservatives. Yay!

Wanna read more about it? Here are some links

* http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/13/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.aspx

*http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-sodium-lauryl-sulfate.htm

There is a snopes.com article that is an opposing view but I cant link it right now.

Also, there are lots of scary things in your toothpaste. Look up yours at ewg.org and see for yourself.

Cheers. More gluten free to come, I swear.

Tour of "Steam" & review of "Crane" & "Raven" by Stacey Rourke

STEAM by Stacey Rourke

The Legends Saga #3

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal

Time passes, sins forgotten.

The bodies of the victims long since rotten.

Trapped within the essence of the Headless Horseman by the guilt of slaughtering her best friend, Ireland Crane follows the father of science fiction, HG Wells, in search of freedom from the curse that binds her. Instead, she discovers even he has a hidden agenda. A dark, relentless passion to be reunited with the woman he loves has driven him to manipulate time and a murderous Horseman.

Yet heed my warning, as the Raven flies,

The Hessian will come … and you will die.

All that prevents Ireland from abandoning Wells’ twisted pursuit, or introducing him to her sword, are the undead witches haunting her. Begging for freedom from a vile succubus, the ghoulish coven leads Ireland and her crew on a journey through Salem’s sordid past. There, they learn there is more to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s history than a scarlet letter, and the secret they’ve uncovered seeks to destroy them all. 

Purchase

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords

Books 1 & 2 

 

Crane:

This is an interesting take on the legend of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Meet Ireland Crane. She's young, has an awful taste in men, and unfortunately gets to shoulder the curse. 

The book goes back and forth between Ireland and Ichabod Crane's points of view, which paints a great picture of the backstory. This is definitely a good read. 

Raven:

Once you have adjusted to reading about the Headless Horseman queue in Edgar Allan Poe and Lenore. I am a huge Poe fan, so this was a very interesting read for me. In this book we follow Ireland and crew along her travels and meet Ridley, who in turn brings in Poe and Lenore to the mix. Oh I just love this one! I read it in a day.  And we get to see more of the puppet master behind all this. 

Steam:
Unfortunately I haven't finished this book yet, but it is good! Here we have Ireland and her group, including HG Wells, and some witches in Salem during the Burning Times. This book is tying the other 2 and the stories all together. I love it! 

About the Author

-RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel

-Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012

-Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013 

Stacey Rourke is the author of the award winning YA Gryphon Series as well as the chillingly suspenseful Legends Saga. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. 

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

About the Tour

TOUR SCHEDULE

September 14th

Black Words-White Pages, http://blackwords-whitepages1977.blogspot.com/ | Review

My Book Filled Life, http://mybookfilledlife.blogspot.com | Review

Not Everyone's Mama, http://noteveryonesmama.com | Review

Abibliophobia Anonymous Book Reviews, http://abibliophobiaanonymous.blogspot.com/ | Promotional Stop

The Room Behind the Bookcase, https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Room-Behind-the-Bookcase/819642791461316 | Review

Alice's Book Wonderland , http://www.AlicesBookWonderland.com  | Promotional Stop

September 15th

SandraTheBookWorm, http://sandrathebookworm.blogspot.com/ | Review

2 Girls & A Book, www.2girlsandabook.weebly.com | Review

SupaGurls Books, www.supagurlbooks.blogspot.com | Review

Jeni's Bookshelf, http://jenisbookshelf.blogspot.com | Review

Two Women and a Book Review, Twowomenandabookreview.blogspot.com | Review

Mythical Books, http://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/ | Promotional Stop

Book Sense, http://booksenses.wordpress.com | Interview

September 16th

The Reader and the Chef, www.thereaderandthechef.com | Review

Kelly's Nerdy Obsession, kellysnerdyobsession.blogspot.com | Review

Portside Wonderland , Portsidewonderland.wordpress.com | Interview & possible review

Steamy book momma, http://steamybookmomma0.blogspot.com | Review

The Reading Chameleon, http://thereadingchameleon.blogspot.com | Review

Wicked Reads, http://www.wickedreads.org/ | Review

LuLo Fangirl, http://www.lulofangirl.com | Promotional Stop

September 17th

Reader Girls, http://www.readergirlsblog.com | Review

Us Girls & A Book, http://usgirlsandabook.blogspot.com | Review

Out There Reviews & Stuff , http://crystalsoutthere.blogspot.com | Review

Book Lovers Life , http://bookloverslife.blogspot.ie/ | Promotional Stop

Writing on the Wall, https://www.tumblr.com/blog/daniellelinhart | Promotional Stop

Colleen Nye, www.colleennye.com |  Review

Eskimo Princess Book Reviews, http://eskimoprincess.blogspot.com/ | Promotional Stop

September 18th

Momof2bookreviews , http://www.momof2bookreviews.com | Review

Tanya's book nook, Http://tanyasbook.Blogspot.com |Review

Little Red's Book Reviews, http://littleredsbookreviews.blogspot.com/ | Review

The Book Trollop, http://www.thebooktrollop.com/?zx=9a2667ccdd8485fa | Review

Bookwyrming Thoughts, http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com | Promotional Stop

Kelly P's Blog, http://kellyatx.blogspot.com/ | Promotional Stop

The Violet Hour Book Reviews, https://theviolethourbookreviews.wordpress.com/ | Promotional Stop

Hope To Read, http://hopetoread.com | Promotional Stop

Good Choice Reading, http://www.goodchoicereading.com/ | Review

The Cynikal Kat http://tildesk.blogspot.com / Review

Giveaway

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Review of Against the Grain Gourmet Sesame bagels

Readers, you should know I am very honest about my reviews and, honestly, I do not like these Against The Grain Gourmet Sesame bagels. 

Back story:

I kept hearing about these bagels and seeing customers buy them (I work at a local natural/whole food store) so I thought, okay, I will try these. Customers seem to like them and maybe I will too. 

End result: 

Nope. Do not like. Reasons? Here's 5:

1. They are a mess of crumbles and flakes.

2.. They are not pre-cut. Who has time to cut their bagels? After letting them thaw....

3. The hole in the middle is bigger than the bagel.

4. Taste? What taste?

5. They're chewy (perhaps my toast-r-oven settings are off?)

No thank you. Now these are supposed to be "gourmet". What does a gourmet bagel entail I wonder...having never eaten one, I am not sure. 

Pros:

1. These are made in a dedicated gluten free facility. 

2. The company is owned and run by a celiac-family in VT. 

3. They use local ingredients as much as they can (according to their site). 

4. Ingredients are great. (for ex: Sesame bagel Ingredients from their site:  Tapioca starch, milk, eggs, mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, vegetable rennet), non-GMO canola oil, sesame seeds, salt, sesame oil.

  Okay, I can stand behind that. No crap, no random flours, non-GMO, great. But...overall, I'll give these bagels 3 out of 5.  However, I will be finishing this bag of bagels as they're $8.99. Perhaps they will grow on me and my tune will change. I'll let you know.

Their website: 

http://againstthegraingourmet.com/gluten-free-breads 

You'll have to scroll down to find the exact bagels. 

Have you tried these bagels or any of their products? Let me know what you think! 

warning: this will be a heavy post

Trigger Warning: suicide

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. I am a suicide attempt survivor. I am not ashamed of this. It was a difficult time but here I am.

Dec. 6, 2005. My girlfriend at the time and I broke up. I was really in love with her and I fucked it all up. It happens. But then it was devastating and I didn't have the coping mechanisms I do now. Most of that night is hazy, but I know these things:

-I took a bottle of pills
-I chased them w/ almost an entire bottle (or maybe the whole thing) of Carlo Rossi Sangria (I didn't drink that brand again for YEARS)
-I locked the doors in the house and stumbled up the stairs
-I reached out to Mel (an ex-gf who's a friend) and April (another ex) (Did I reach out to her? I can't recall) and Mel called 911
-I think I unlocked the downstairs door
-I hate IVs in my hands (both hands!)
-I woke up in the ER and was GRATEFUL to be alive
-gf was pissed, sad, and distraught and we never were right again


That was 10 years ago. Wow. Okay...so 9 and change, but nonetheless, 10 years. A lot has changed. A lot has happened, but it has all shaped who I am today. I do not regret this experience, per se, but 32-year-old me is sad that 22-year-old me couldn't cope and tried to take the easy way out. That was rock bottom for me. It got better. LIFE GOT BETTER!

Suicide is fucking awful. No matter what the reasons, it's awful. Sure it may relieve the pain/self-hate/rage/etc etc etc RIGHT NOW but it will devastate the ones you love. I am not going to preach here. I just wanted to share my experience.

If YOU ever think about suicide, there are billion resources. Please get help.
Here are a few:
Call the National Suicide Prevention Line ANYTIME Call 24/7 1-800-273-8255. You can also chat with people online. Lots of helpful stuff 
at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/

http://suicideproject.org/

http://youmatterlifeline.tumblr.com/

TWLOHA has been one of my saving graces through the years. https://twloha.com/home/

Email me or comment! Reach out to SOMEONE please.



You can help out in so many ways. Buy a shirt from Sevenly:National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via sevenly for example.

Buy a Suicide Prevention pack from TWLOHA http://store.twloha.com/collections/wspd15

BE A FRIEND and LOVED ONE. Be a shoulder and an ear. Seriously.

Never give up.

Blessings
Kate

Blogging block and vacation

Hi folks. I have been having a real hard time writing a blog this week. I have a draft for "why I am gluten free" but it's not getting finished. I guess it's not time yet. Anyway, I will be on vacation starting Wednesday for a week, so I very likely will not get a blog written during. But I will certainly have one for when I get back so please stay tuned.

Love love love
Kate