As I sit at my neighborhood Starbucks, I think about all the delicious, gluten-free snacks I passed on while ordering my standard venti black iced tea no sweetner. The last ten days of gluten free living have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, food choices, and hunger levels. And right now, I am starving.

Here is a breakdown of hits and misses from the past ten days:

1. Starting this radical diet the day before the Super Bowl did not make this any easier. However, I went to the party toting my own snacks. I brought a colorful veggie tray, chunky avocado salsa, gluten free corn chips and wine of course. I felt relatively happy. Although, the cream cheese dip was hard to pass up.
2. The following few days were decent. I learned to like gluten free toast. I also learned to bring lots of snacks to work. I am hungry much more often. Hummus, carrots and baby cherry tomatoes are the perfect midmorning snack. Cripsy snap peas and popcorn make great afternoon snacks!
3. Then the end of the week stress finally hit and I was in a majorly bad mood. I craved pizza and Mexican food and the spread of homemade treats in the lunchroom did not help. But I kept focused and resisted the urge to cave. I also shoved more carrots down my throat.
4. My mother and I hosted a Valentine’s Day brunch for some friends on Saturday. We made lovely little finger sandwiches on lots and lots of bread.  Pita bread, sourdough bread, whole wheat bread and French baguettes to be exact. Again, I schlepped my gluten free bread and my mom made a few special sandwiches for me. I also made gluten free brownies! Excellent alterative!
5. Last night, I made steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Normally, this does not excite me. Although, the ingredients came from a real garden. They were absolutely fabulous. I want to start a garden now. Not going to happen though. No time to care for growing things. I can barely care of Tyler and myself.
6. Then today, I received my delivery of Girl Scout cookies. I immediately googled, “Are Girl Scout cookies gluten free?” Answer, “No.” I thought, “This sucks!” Apparently, Girl Scouts of America added two gluten free options. But who wants to eat that crap when Thin Mints are available?

So, I have 18 days left and my pants are fitting much better. And my stomach is not pissed off when I eat Café Rio. I want to cave every time I see a delicious treat but I remember I can do this. And then instantly count down the days left in this challenge.

Yesterday, I survived my first 24 hours gluten free! I woke up and immediately thought, “On no! Dooms Day is finally here. I am going to be hungry and pissy today.”  I stayed at my mom’s house (we went out and enjoyed couple adult beverages and her house is waaaaay closer than mine) and had no idea what gluten free options she had available. So, I perused her cupboards and raided the fridge and finally settled for caprese salad. I know, not necessarily the breakfast of champions but it worked.

Next, we planned to spend the day getting our nails done and running errands. Of course, lunch was at the top of our priority list. My mom said, “Is this going to ruin our lunches?” I sadly replied, “Not your lunch, but probably mine.”

I was starving and we decided to check out a new pizza place that opened in my hood, Novecento, which boasts brick oven pizza. I was immediately salivating. We walked in and immediately I saw a sign offering gluten free crust! I was sold! Then, I noticed the amazing pictures of the “real” gluten pizza. It looked identical to the amazing pizza my husband and I ate in Italy on our honeymoon. Warm, crusty dough topped with thin red sauce and fresh mozzarella. I woefully ordered the gluten free crust. Then cook pulled out a thin, lifeless looking piece of cracker bread. I wanted to cave. I wanted to shout, “No, I want the real dough!” But no, I am determined to stick with this. So, I ordered red sauce, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese and arugula topped with EVOO.

Not to shabby considering it’s gluten free!

My lunch arrived and I was interested to try it. I mean I love sauce and cheese so how bad could it be? I dug in and wasn’t totally grossed out. It certainly wasn’t amazing but it did the trick. It was kind of like eating pizza on cardboard. The hardest part was watching my mom devour her warm, burnt edges, soft in the middle and reminiscent of my fabulous honeymoon meal. But I trudged through and vowed to return to this place and enjoy the gluten filled crust at a later date.

The most interesting part of the day was after lunch. Normally, eating as much pizza as I did would make me feel full and bloated all afternoon. I would suffer from upset tummy often and promise myself to eat less next time. However, I finished the whole gluten free pizza and felt great. No overly fullness, no bloating like a balloon, no tummy troubles. In fact, I felt great. And, I wasn’t tired either.

For dinner I ate gluten free black bean soup from Sprouts. And guess what? It was delicious. Later, for a snack I made fresh popcorn with a little butter, salt and pepper.

I went to bed feeling good, no actually great about myself. I had survived the first day and am ready for the next twenty-seven. However, let’s note today is Super Bowl Sunday. A day normally filled with chips, guacamole and beer. This is going to be a struggle but I know I can do it! I will let you know how it goes…

I love bread. No, let me say that again. I LOVE bread! Every morning I wake up and devour a warm, toasty bagel smothered in cream cheese. I love the moist (BTW that word is gross. But whatever, it’s the perfect word to describe my obsession), spongy way bread tastes in my mouth. I love French bread, I love dinner rolls, I love pasta, I love all things flour related. Millie (my maternal grandmother) lived on a wheat farm in the middle of Kansas. Maybe bread runs in my blood!

So, when my bestie, Elisa, told me she was going gluten free the ENTIRE month of February, I balked at the idea. I thought, “That sounds miserable. I would never do that.” My next thought was, “I also have no idea what gluten free really means?” I know several people claim to be gluten free but then I see them munch on cookies and croissants and internally roll my eyes. Gluten free-just another fad, right?

Elisa and I talked about it at length. We discussed the amount of stuff I consume daily that contains gluten. So I hung up the phone and started to think about this idea. Could I do it? Could I completely change my eating habits for 30 days (technically 28 because February is a weirdo month)? 

I hopped online and started researching this gluten free trend and learned quite a bit. Basically, gluten is food glue. Glue…Hmmm. I didn’t like the idea of eating glue. I mean who purposefully eats glue? (Those creepy kids in kindergarten. That’s who.) So, I texted her and said, “Count me in!” And it turns out several of the fabulous ladies in my gal group currently eat gluten free or plan to join the challenge. I felt excited! I felt challenged and ready to take on the GF world!

Next, I started following fellow gluten free bloggers to find out what the heck to do! How does this work? What do I eat? Raw veggies for 28 days!?!?! I am already a vegetarian so my food groups are already pretty limited. But it looks like there are quite a few options for veggie GFs. I headed to Barnes and Noble today to buy some books. I am perusing the Trader Joes and Sprouts aisles in preparation for February 1, 2014 or GF Day. I am feeling guilty every time I smear cream cheese on the morning bagel. Enjoy it while I can, right?

I will keep you updated on the progress. I hope my fellow GFers will also update us on their progress (hint, hint ladies.)

Oh, check out Elisa’s blog that inspired the movement! You won’t be disappointed. http://invigoratingowen.wordpress.com

Gluten Free blogs I am following!

http://glutenfreegirl.com

http://glutenismybitch.wordpress.com

http://withstyleandgraceblog.com

http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com

The holidays are over. The lights are down, the ornaments are packed and the pounds are parked. Yes, the holidays have found their way to my butt, hips, thighs and tummy. They taken up residency in places they were not invited and don’t seem to be leaving the party even though I kindly asked them to hours ago. How rude! Right? 

I always felt pretty comfortable in my skin. I liked working out (I mean how much does someone really enjoy this activity? Really? But whatever, I liked it). Getting married was the best motivator EVER. The dress and everlasting photos helped kick my ass in the gym. After the wedding, I was exhausted mentally and physically. The thought of schlepping to the gym in 110-degree weather sounded like sticking a fork in my eye. So I sat. And sat. And sat. (This is where my Pretty Little Liars obsession grew. If you aren’t watching, you should be. Trust me).

Then the fall season rolled around and I became the busiest person ever. I started my Etsy shop, student teaching full time and went to five weddings. I devoted every free moment to grading papers, shooting new product and traveling to beautiful wedding destinations. I am not complaining. Believe you me. I LOVED every second!

In December, my husband and I finally went on our European honeymoon. We spent the most fabulous two weeks, eating, drinking, shopping, walking, site seeing and eating some more in Paris and Milan.

I imagine Millie and Kate burnin’ fat in high heels!

So it’s January 2014 and my body, especially my butt, is paying the price for all the festivities. And like every other American woman, I am suddenly motivated to get myself in shape. But the struggles to actually do it are still here. I again find myself plagued to find the motivation to get the job done. I need HELP! The thought of the crowded gym is daunting. The warm, cozy couch is calling my name. The DVR is full of excellent selections. And the ranch dressing bottle misses me! Someone please tell me how to pull myself out of this rut! I need your advice. How do you stay motivated? Any recommendations for new workouts? Any tips or ideas to help me off the couch and into the gym?  Leave them below. Looking forward to hearing from you and will let you know how it goes…

Welcome to Millie and Kate’s Blog! I am delighted you are here! Since this my first post, I thought some background information would be helpful!

First, who the heck are Millie and Kate? Millie and Kate are my maternal great-grandmothers. Millie or more widely known, as Mildred, is my mom’s maternal Grand Mother and Kate or Kathryn is mom’s paternal Nana. While they couldn’t be more different from each other, Millie and Kate had significant impact on my mom’s life.

Millie lived on a wheat farm in Pratt, Kansas.

The ever-proper Millie Knop was born in 1900 and spent her days living on the family farm near Preston, Kansas. The mother of six, kept her hands busy between sewing, cooking, church socials, the quilting bee, crocheting and even delivering neighbors’ babies in exchange for chickens! She worked from sunup to sundown while still making time for entertaining friends and family in her home. She thrived to nearly 105 years old and above her bed hung the sign, “I am so old my friends in heaven think I’ve gone to hell.”

Unlike Miss Millie, Kathryn “Happy” Goodfellow was a world-class traveler. The globetrotting gal flew by the seat of her pants, bouncing around the world living on a boat floating in the middle of the South Pacific to commanding a small town in Southern California as the Sheriff. In her later years, Kate used her wild creativity to make and sell art on the side of the road between Kingman, Arizona and Laughlin, Nevada. She made everything in life a celebrated event. Even feeding the dog became an event as she served boiled celery in a fancy china bowl on a lace placemat with a napkin.

At my vintage wedding! Millie and Kate would be proud!

Next, what is Millie and Kate? I started Millie and Kate on Etsy.com in Fall 2013 after I got married. Millie and Kate is a collection of treasures my family and I found, created and curated. Most items are vintage or vintage inspired or handmade. You will find everything from the perfect hostess gift to the most delectable decanters to adorable baby items. Check it out here! https://www.etsy.com/shop/MillieAndKate

Third, what do I plan to blog about? This is my second attempt at blogging (the first was for a graduate school project and required LOTS of perfect posts that constantly stressed me out!). But this time, I plan to blog about whatever comes my way. From weddings, parties, etiquette, style, fashion, cooking and whatever else I deem interesting. However it must be noted, this time around I plan to be much more opinionated. While, being politically correct is always preferred, I do think it’s okay to take a stand. So this is your warning…either I will scare you away or hopefully, peak your interest.