Who likes to receive cookies in the mail? I do.
I was fortunate to receive these Enjoy Life cookies
Enjoy Life Products are Free Of:
But not free of taste. For baked goods that are vegan, GF, and free from many common allergies, I give Enjoy Life products their props.
Or, you can make your own Vegan + GF brownie-cookies
Or make Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies
I can vouch 100% for the taste on the brownies and the cookies in case you don’t have access to specialty vegan + GF baked goods.
Yesterday I spent plenty of time with my newly minted 4 year old birthday girl!
It was a great birthday! And we also celebrated here, too.
From my Superbowl Foods & Plans post, thanks for telling me what your plans are. Seems it was an all or nothing relationship with football for you all.
I drooled over some of recipes you plan to make and what you can’t wait to dig into if someone else is doing the cooking. I’m glad you liked my recipe ideas for the big game day even though I probably won’t be making food just for the game.
Questions:
1. Are you looking forward to the weekend?
I am! Even though I’m working, I always look forward to the extra time I have with Scott and Skylar.
2. Have you ever tried Enjoy Life Foods or any specialty allergen-free foods?
I am generally not impressed with most commercially prepared foods that are labeled as gluten free. They are usually dry, tasteless, crumbly, and lack flavor. However, the Enjoy Life products are much better than most.
I did a post on going Gluten Free and one thing I stress is try to find foods that are naturally gluten free. It’s hard to create a loaf of GF French bread. It’s just asking….a lot. Throw in vegan, and it gets even harder. Successfully replacing wheat gluten, eggs, and butter can be tricky.
Instead, you may need to realize that bread is nice, but so are potatoes, or rice. They are naturally gluten free.
So is fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, and many other plant-based foods that come straight from nature.
So rather than trying to create GF pasta noodles, I just make my own zucchini pasta with veggies and peanut sauce.
3. Have you been working out lately in spite of the winter weather?
I was posting for a couple weeks how gorgeous the weather was here. Well, that’s done.
It’s still sunny, but it’s cold and windy!
Those trees are blowing from very gusty winds!
I was pushing Skylar in my jogging stroller and between her and the stroller (about 80 pounds I’m guessing) and the 35 mph head wind and the San Diego hills and terrain, I definitely got a workout in. Good thing I only do 20 minutes of cardio. Period. That’s all I could take.
I love to walk or run for 20 minutes every day to clear my head and at all costs, do it outside, not indoors. I cannot stand cardio equipment in the gym. I die from boredom or injure myself. Something about my gait and stride on a treadmill is a recipe for throwing my hips, legs, knees, and ankles out of whack for weeks!
Major props to all of you who stay can hang in there on the indoor cardio machines. I realize it’s a necessity at times. These are the workouts I do at home.
What do you do to stay motivated for your winter workouts?
P.S. You may enjoy my Morning Workout Tips post for how to get your booty moving for the a.m. workouts.
It suddenly dropped abt 10 degrees here, didn’t it? The weather in this area just creeps up at you.
Hey dear Skylar! Happy birthday! And stop growing so fast, okay? You’ll soon be breaking too many boys’ heart. ;)
Omg, what’s IN those cookies, haha – they seem to be without EVERYthing… The trouble with allergy food is often that they contain a lot of additives to make them seem more like “normal” stuff – but once in a while it would be nice to be able to just pop something out of a package and eat it! :-)
Beautiful birthdaygirl – and have a nice w-e Averie!
For some reason I love working out more in the winter, it warms me up when I”m always freezing cold here in Chicago! lol Which was your favorite of the three cookies?
happy birthday to Skylar and enjoy those cookies!
I want cookies.
I like the Enjoy Life Chocolate chips, and haven’t had the cookies. The bars are NASTY.
I’ve yet to try EnjoyLife but they look delicious! And lucky you for getting cookies in the mail..that’s the best kind. ;)
Those cookies look scrumptious – made me hungry. P.S. We’re having the same weather in Arizona – sunny but unbelievably cold and windy. But all in all, no complaints.
We love the Enjoy Life chocolate chips!!! One of the few companies that make stuff soy free.
Yes I am looking forward to the weekend, it has been a long week!
Happy birthday to your little grown-up–man, she is so beautiful and grown-up looking. Definitely not a toddler now.
Your tips on going gf: so smart, so sensible. There are so many naturally gf things that taste great without having to mimic something else.
I blogged about my exciting new exercise equipment in this post: https://ulteriorharmony.blogspot.com/2011/01/starch-hurrahs-new-exercise-equipment.html Nice to have indoor options when there’s two feet of snow outside…
I hope your w/e will be wonderful. We’re going up to Anchorage again and I’m so tired of these epic trips…
without trying to mimic. that’s the point…glad you got it. so many ppl try to recreate things that are too hard to attempt. it’s like trying to recreate a vegan turkey on thanksgiving. no. Just skip it! And make something else :)
Your recipes look so good! I have been reading/researching gluten free. I have wondered if it would help me with some of my bloat. I have that “never goes away pouch”, of course some major ab work may help…lol!
yes read my post I linked about going GF and it will help you..just even trial it. It can’t hurt and you have nothing to lose!
For some reason I thought Skylar was 5 or 6 – I can’t believe she’s only 4! Is she tall for her age? She looks it in the pictures!
yes when i was telling people last week that she was 3. They flat out didnt believe me. Now, that she’s 4 it’s a bit better. But I am 5’10”- 5’11” and so yes, she is super tall for her age. And has a huge vocab and spoken language skills…so in stores, ppl think she’s like…7. Not kidding :)
UGHH the only reason I would stay away from your blog these days is becaus eyour pictures of the picturesque weather, blue skies…kills me!!! we are going to have snow on the ground until at least may! there is just so much of it!!! grrrr
I wish I was with you in sunny Cali for sure!!! I have never tried those cookies but they dont look half bad! (I would totally rather your homemade cookies and treats though!!!)
I’ve never had those cookies..I’m sure I’d try them though! Actually, I’m sure I will now since I hear they’re pretty good. I have found a lot of that stuff to be dry and weird…
I can’t wait for the weekend! I have not been working out as much as I want to, and I feel like if I can catch up on work this weekend…my workout-week will be much better!
The sun came out here today too…and it was a balmy 12 degrees :)
dry and weird. yep that’s the norm!
My weekend started yesterday! And I’m loving it up :)
I’ve only tried GF foods out of curiosity, and some are horrible, but others, like millet bread, are amazing. And of course most raw foods are vegan and allergen free, but taste great- like my favorite raw mint chocolate sundae. I’m glad it’s not a necessity for me, but it’s something I don’t mind branching into!
Working out outside? It’s 20 degrees and everything is coated in ice. That’s a death wish, haha.
can we come stay with you? I need warmth and sun! I’ll clean, you cook, deal?
I love the Enjoy life brand, taste like REAL cookies. The gingersnap are tasty!
i do like those enjoy life cookies, especially the snickerdoodles. really good. and i usually am not a fan of boxed cookies. yes of course you can make your own but as you’ve said, sometimes you don’t want to turn on a hot oven!