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Melissa-profile This is more than just a recipe blog. I am not a chef. I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, or anything else. I am a mom of a 4 year old daughter with celiac disease, wife of a Crossfit junkie, and healthy food lover. I love learning about and cooking new, healthy and delicious gluten free food. This is simply me sharing the ways I take care of my family by being aware and mindful of the food I feed them and as a result making lots of {Gluten Free Love} by Melissa.

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Smokey Southwestern Rice Wraps

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4 strips bacon
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-1 cup {Homemade} Salsa
2 green onion, chopped
6-8 corn  tortillas, heated in a non-stick pan
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 ripe avocado
Combine broth, rice, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil then turn down and let simmer on medium low.  Start the rice about 45 minutes before you want to eat.  Chill out while the rice works.  When rice has about 10 more minutes start cooking the bacon till crispy. Crumble bacon and set aside. Drain excess grease (leave just a little).  In the same pan that you cooked the bacon, pour in the rice (its okay if there’s still a little water in it)   Scrap the bottom of the pan to get all the bits up.   Add salsa, black beans, and corn.  Simmer till water is completing gone.  Stir in crumbled bacon and onions. Top with fresh avocado and cheese. 

* Brown rice is far superior to white rice in so many ways.  Yes, it takes longer to make, but as long as you have an idea ahead of time that you want rice then it’s not a problem.  

Spinach Mushroom Frittata

Spinach Mushroom Fritatta

6-8 large eggs
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out.  Or chop up some fresh spinach.
2 stems fresh parsley leafs, chopped
5-8 basil leaves, chopped
2 green onions, sliced up
3-4 baby portabella mushroom tops, sliced
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
 A splash (about ¼ cup) almond milk. You can use the sweetened or unsweetened kind.      
dash of nutmeg (opt.)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. grapeseed oil
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients except grapeseed oil. Beat everything together with a fork.  Pour grapeseed oil into a 9.5 inch round, glass dish (the frittata comes out easier in glass).  Take a paper towel and rub the oil around the inside of the dish.  Pour the egg mixture in and bake for 30 minutes or until no longer runny or wiggly when gently shaken.
  • Grapeseed oil, unlike most other vegetables oils, has a much higher smoke point allowing you to cook with it without altering or destroying nutrients found in it.  It also contains one of highest concentration of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (good fat J) and the lowest levels of saturated fat (bad fat L).  Plus it’s packed full of vitamin E (great for skin ladies!)  and omega 6.
  • I read a book called, The China Study, Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Longer-Term Health.  (Yes, I’m kind of a dork)  But it was so interesting and essentially went through all the most deadly and disturbingly common killers of Americans (Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases etc.).  In the book Dr. Campbell discusses how, through the most comprehensive study done in China, he and others dicovered the link between diet and these diseases.  Most especially dangerous was….(are you ready for this?)  Dairy.  Almond milk is a great alternative and super good for the whole family.  (p.s. soy milk has been shown to cause adverse effects on women’s hormones.) 
  • May I just put a plug in for having an herb garden?  I only have parsley and basil right now, but oh my goodness what a difference it has made in the taste of my food! 
“Spices and herbs like basil and rosemary not only provide flavor for your food, but also offer significant health benefits. The natural oils found in these herbs help fight cancer, diabetes and other diseases, and may even help you keep your weight in check according to the University of Colorado Extension. While fresh and dried herbs both offer benefits to your health, fresh herbs often pack a more powerful punch in terms of nutrients, taste and cancer-fighting free radicals.”

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/298149-nutrition-of-fresh-herbs-vs-dried/#ixzz1MZZo96Hg