Tag Archives: links

Food for the… #4

Posted in Sophomore Year by

It’s so weird, but a craving for a peanut butter sandwich just hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t even looking at food photos (like I usually am), and all of the sudden I just wanted to bite into the simple crust of the bread and taste the thick but smooth peanut butter on my tongue.

Does that ever happen to anyone else? Out of nowhere you know exactly what you want to eat?

It occurs off and on with. Once, just randomly, the idea of a cold glass of almond milk popped into my head. And another time all I wanted was a strawberry Nutri-Grain bar.

I think most would call that intuitive eating signals? Unfortunately for me I crave food that I can’t eat, so they often go unsatisfied. Why can’t I crave fish and zucchini? That would nice, thanks.

So, what do I do instead? I pin, I read, I create (recipes and blog posts). I take a bite of chicken or squash, hoping to squelch the peanut butter sandwich from my mind. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But at the end of the day, I have a nice list of wonderful links from throughout the week.

Then come Fridays, I get to share them with all of you!

FOOD FOR THE MIND

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FOOD FOR THE BELLY

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FOOD FOR THE EYES

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FOOD FOR THE SOUL

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FOOD FOR THE BODY

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Now, I must get ready for bed as I am absolutely exhausted! This morning I volunteered to help with registration at a DECA event my college was sponsoring. I had to get up about an hour and a half earlier than usual and I can definitely tell. I just had zero energy throughout the entire day.

I am going to try my best to get a lot of rest this weekend, and you should do the same!

P.S. Don’t forget to join in on the Happy Herbivore giveaway before it ends Sunday night.

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Happy Friday. 🙂

What is your weekly Food for the… Mind, Belly, Eyes, and Soul?

12 Days of Allergy-Free Christmas Recipes— Everything you Need to Know, and How to Sign Up

Posted in Food Allergies, Recipes, Sophomore Year by

I have just been amazed at the response I’ve received on my idea that I shared on Friday. You all are truly wonderful and I’m so lucky to have you as both fellow bloggers, and friends. I asked for help and you certainly delivered.

I have no doubt in my mind now that we will be able to do this 12 Days of Allergy-Free Christmas Recipes with great success. In this post today I am going to give you all of the fine details and hopefully better explain what the round-up is all about, and more importantly- how you can participate.

Don’t be worried by the enormous amount of text that is about to come. I have already written up a draft of my contribution post, and it took me less than an hour (which if you know me, is quite quick 😉 ). Most of the information below is just me trying to be a thorough as I can so there is no confusion. Still, if there are any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to ask!

To get started, here is the “button” that I have created for the round-up event:

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Feel free to scale down to size (I just wanted provide the largest amount of pixels possible to prevent blurry images).

Now onto all of the details…

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What are the who/what/where/when/whys of the 12 Days of Allergy-Free Christmas Recipes?

  • Who: Any blogger that wants to join in, can. If we surpass the 12 bloggers, you can still participate by submitting a recipe link directly to the blogger in charge of a particular theme. In addition you could also still use the round-up button for any Christmas or holiday posts that involve allergy-friendly recipes that you post throughout the season.
  • What: We are gathering up Christmas allergy-free recipes into one large collection. The recipes don’t need to be “free” of everything, just at least one common allergen like wheat, dairy, gluten, peanuts, eggs, etc. One post doesn’t need to be all gluten-free or all peanut-free. Mix it up and provide options for everyone!
  • When: The round-up will be starting this Friday, December 13 as “Day One” and will end the day before Christmas on Tuesday, December 24 as “Day Twelve.”
  • Where: You will post your themed post as you would a regular post on your blog, and I will have a page on my blog dedicated especially for this event, with a link for each day.
  • Why: This round-up is so that at the conclusion of the 12 Days we will have a full list of Christmas recipes that can help those with any dietary needs or restrictions. The holidays are supposed to be about sharing smiles, spending time with family, and getting to make amazing memories. Having to be concerned with finding safe food to eat is often stressful, time-consuming, and not very fun. This collection of recipes will be an invaluable resource to lessen that burden and help people enjoy the holidays!

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How to participate in the 12 Days:

1. Leave a comment below with what days you are available to host, and what theme you would like to showcase (if you can give a couple of each that would be great for scheduling purposes). This is open to absolutely any blogger that would like to join up to 12 (but like I said previously, if we go over 12, you can still submit a recipe to the the other co-hosts for their specific themed round-up).

2. I will contact you as soon as possible to let you know what day and theme is yours. I will also update the lists below on this blog post as days and themes are taken so you not which are still available.

3. A few days before it is is your posting day, start to gather your recipes. Make a call out to your readers for links to their favorite allergy-free recipes, and gather some of those from your favorite bloggers. Also, work on the recipe that you are contributing and get all of those delicious photos taken!

4. Write and publish the round-up on your assigned day. No need to send me the link. I will grab it when reading your blog along with everyone else, and I will come back here to add a hyperlink to the round-up home base.

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When it comes to making your post, just a few things to remember:

  • Explain what this round-up is for and why you are participating. Maybe you are doing it because you have dietary restrictions and know how hard it can be to find good holiday recipes, or perhaps you are doing it just out of the generosity of your heart!
  • Include the provided round-up button and link back to the home page located on my blog. I will be listing and sharing a link for each host’s themed post so that they are easily accessible all in one place.
  • Share the collection of recipes that you found within your food theme. You can include a link, optional photo, and most conveniently, a quick breakdown of who the recipe would be good for. As an example- Easy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes from Eating 4 Balance (Grain-Free, Paleo).
  • Then include the recipe that you made specifically for the event! If you don’t have time to make a recipe, no worries. You can just repost an old one, making sure to give a breakdown of what food allergies/diet it would be good for.
  • And finally, make sure to remind your readers to check out the other bloggers who will be sharing their round-ups and recipes!

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Here is the current list of available days (which I will update as bloggers confirm when they can host):

Click here for an icon that you can include for your specific day. Example of Day 1 below.

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Here are the available themes (again, which I will update as they are taken):

***I would like to try and have the 12 days of food themes run in at least some sort of chronological order with breakfast starting first, then followed in some combination of drinks, appetizers, the main meals, side dishes, bread, dessert, leftovers, etc. Here are the 12 themes that I think would be best to include, but feel free to suggest/replace one with your own idea!

  • Breakfast- Pastries and dessert-like items. (Me from Eating 4 Balance)
  • Breakfast- Casseroles, Porridge, Eggs/Quiches, etc. (Jan from Sprouts N Squats)
  • Snacks- What you could snack on throughout the day while cooking up the big Christmas feast! 😀 (Sarah from Slices of Sarah Pie)
  • Drinks- Hot cocoa, juice, smoothies, flavored water, cider, fruit punch, coffee… (Rosie from Facing Your Storm)
  • Appetizers- Easy-to-pick-up foods to eat before the main meal. (Andrea from Pencils and Pancakes)
  • Main dishes- Self explanatory. (Kendra from Veggie Dancer)
  • Side dishes- This can be anything from vegetables to stuffing to a traditional family favorite. (Olivia from Liv Lives Life)
  • Bread- Sweet breads, savory breads, muffins, fruit cake, etc. (Juli from 1000 Lovely Things)
  • Cookies- One of the essentials for Santa on Christmas Eve! 😉 (GiGi from Gigi Eats Celebrities)
  • Pie/Cake/Cheesecake/Pudding- Almost every celebration has them. (Cat from Cat Food is Good for You)
  • Candy/Fudge- This can be simple homemade candy and/or seasonal twists on delicious fudge.
  • Nut butters and spreads- Come on, you nut butter lovers out there know that this is a holiday must! (Kathleen from Kat’s Health Corner
  • Leftovers- An inevitable part. Some creative, allergy-friendly suggestions for what to do with them would be so helpful!

**If you are listed as “tentative” above that means that we have discussed a theme but I haven’t 100% verified that you can do it. Let me know if you’re still able to or would like to change, and what day you want!**

Thanks in advance to everyone who participates!

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Please comment below with what days you are available, and what themes you would like to host. List them in order of preference so that I can work our the schedule and find the best fit for everyone!

Are there any themes that you would rather see, or do you have any questions about the round-up details? Nothing is set in stone and if you have a good suggestion for improvement, I’m all ears! 🙂

As always, if you don’t want to leave a comment here, you can also e-mail me at alleyhays[at]gmail[dot]com (<<< I promise I will get a better one soon with my actual name! 😉 ).

And if for any reason you end up being not able to post, please e-mail me immediately. If you could find a blogger that would be willing to replace you in that event, I would thoroughly appreciate it, but if not, the sooner I know, the sooner I can find someone!

A Food Holiday Idea— I Need Your Help!

Posted in Food Allergies, Recipes, Sophomore Year by

Howdy Ho Ranger Joes!

I have this very strong feeling that I’ve used that as an introduction on this blog before. But even if I have that’s okay because it’s a fantastic one at that. Doesn’t it just bring back great childhood memories and make you all warm fuzzy inside?

I sure wish I was all warm and fuzzy inside. Instead as you read this I will be shivering my butt off stargazing.

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Yes. Stargazing. In the middle of Winter (okay, so it’s not technically Winter yet but it’s snowed, it’s cold, and I’m counting it).

But yes, tonight I am going to my school’s planetarium to look at stars for my Astronomy class. I could have done this months ago when it was summer and warm, but I love venturing out by myself at 9:00 at night during the Winter where I am so bundled up in my coat/scarf/gloves that even if someone did attack me and try to steal my non-operating cellphone, their fist would basically just bounce off my mountain of puffy layers.

Or perhaps if I showed them my bubbly, burnt foot they would feel sorry for me and go bother someone else.*

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Don’t worry. I will keep you updated with ALL of the photos of my lovely foot through its recovery stages. This is only Day 2. If my phone was functioning properly you could see how awful it looks today.

*Nothing’s really concrete yet and it’s basically a toss-up if they would actually believe my pitiful story.

As it is though, I have t-minus 40 minutes before I should leave and thus only 40 minutes to write this post. While that may be a lot of time for some people, it doesn’t seem to be nearly enough for me. Actually I’m kind of just panicking thinking about it.

39 minutes to go.

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Moooving on…

Lately I have been seeing some pretty incredible holiday recipes all around and they are just getting me more and more excited for Christmas! One thing my Pinterest feed is lacking though is some good, quality holiday recipes that us allergic folks can make and eat. Every time I click on a recipe I cross my fingers and hold my breath… then I scan the ingredients list and sigh.

For clarification purposes, I am NOT anaphylactic to any foods, I just think these comics are hilarious.

Really, it’s no one’s fault that I can’t eat 99% of the recipes they post. Actually, it’s kind of MY fault for following people that post nothing but recipes I can’t eat. Their pictures are just SO BEAUTIFUL though!

Instead of complaining any further though, here is what I propose:

I would like to plan a 12 Days of Allergy-Free Christmas Recipes

(Title pending).

This would all depend you guys though, because I would like some of you to co-host with me! 🙂 Twelve days would be way too many recipe round-ups and I’m pretty sure that you would get tired of it fast. Instead we could divide and conquer, each taking up responsibility for one of the twelve days. Each day would have a different theme. For example- appetizers, beverages, main dishes, side dishes, cookies (maybe even split cookies into types- gingerbread, sugar, chocolate), pudding, cake, muffins, casseroles, soup, salad, lunch, breakfast, candy… That way there wouldn’t be an overlap, and we would increase the chances of someone finding at least ONE recipe in each of the categories that would fit their dietary needs.

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We could start whenever, counting down literally to Christmas, or even perhaps end a few days before. You could announce what theme you will be hosting in the next few days, make a call out for recipes that fit the bill, and then post a recipe round-up (along with a new recipe of your own) on the specified day.

Sort of like some of these recipe round-ups: Fall Favorites, WITHOUT the Pumpkin, or 20 Apple Dessert Recipes.

At the end what we would have is an incredible collection of recipes that would be a wonderful resource for those with food allergies or dietary restrictions. (Now, this wouldn’t mean that everything has to be egg/wheat/dairy/peanut/etc-free. I’m just suggesting that it be free of a few things. Maybe vegan or vegetarian, maybe Paleo or primal, or maybe even just simply or simply dairy-free or egg-free!)

So… Do I have any volunteers? It would be wonderful to get up to 12 bloggers to participate (or even more!), but whatever we get will be perfect. If enough are interested I will post a more concise and detailed post in the next few days with what you need to do, a button to include in your post, etc. I will probably also create a page on my blog where I will link all of the posts together at the end so that anyone who comes here will be able to find you as well!

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Who would like to participate?

You don’t need to have a food allergy blog to join in … Just be a blogger with a willingness to devote one day/post to this “extravaganza!”

If you do want to join, you can also pick what day you’d like to post, and what theme you want to do (it can be whatever you want, just specific enough that there won’t be tons of overlap!).

And if you don’t want to join, that’s okay too.

You can just follow along. In the comments share any ideas/thoughts/suggestions that you have for this big round-up!

You can also email me at allehays[at]gmail[dot]com if you want to participate or have any questions/suggestions.

Friday Food Finds #14- Buried Alive

Posted in Recipes, Sophomore Year, Uncategorized by

GRRR. So I was seriously hoping that I was going to be wrong with this whole buried-underneath-the-rubbles-that-are-midterms. Will someone come pull me up?

And bring a forklift.

Or a shovel.

Both would suffice.

Umm… Moving on.

A good blogger would push through and write up a fantastic post (or better yet plan in advance and have one all ready to go). Today I am not that blogger though and while I have a few recipes that I would love to share, I really don’t want to worry about getting all of the formatting and picture editing perfect. And you wouldn’t want me to forget an essential ingredient like the flour that holds everything together, right?

I thought so.

Instead, I’m going to let the spotlight shine on some bloggers who DO have their act together with another Friday Food Finds!

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You can read all about Friday Food Finds and my past posts here:

Friday Food Finds #10

Friday Food Finds #11

Friday Food Finds #12

Friday Food Finds #13 (Mission Accomplished)

Cashew Caramel Apples

For some reason growing up I only ever ate caramel apples in public at the fair. This would have saved a lot of teeth-picking embarrassment.

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Blueberry Muffin Bites

Blueberry muffins are my favorite type of muffin ever. A no bake, healthy version that is quick and easy is a dream come true.

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Homemade Twix Bars

I’ll admit that I’m not a big fan of Twix candy bars, but I know some people in my family who would love to have me make this for them.

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Chocolate Bark

This how-to is super fast and simple. It’s also really customizable so you can include whatever add-ins you want.

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And… here are some links that I think you should check out as well!

5 Ways to Deal with Fat Days

There’s no denying that we all have them, so we might as well learn to get through them with the least amount of tears as possible.

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Masking Issues with Macros

This has been on my mind a lot lately. I won’t say which way I am on the subject right now, but I love the discussion going on.

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Why I Stopped Posting Recipes

You know me and my love for recipes; however, I think this post is great in getting us to think about why we post what we do.

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How We Are Adjusting

No matter what stage of life you are in, this post is a must-read on why communication is so important.

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Think Before You Judge

We all need to do this.

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Also, just because I want to make you smile, these are my top Buzzfeed reads of the week!

“Brides Throwing Cats” Is The Wedding Tumblr You Didn’t Know You Needed

My favorite professor, being a cat-lover, posted this link of Facebook.

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17 Reasons You Wish Giles From “Buffy” Was Your Dad

Giles just always knew the right things to say and how to say them as intelligently as possible.

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The Guy Who Did Rebecca Black’s “Friday” Made A New Song Called “Chinese Food” And It’s So Embarrassing

I love Chinese Food as much as the next person and even I can’t stand watching this video (the Panda Bear is just too much to take).

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This Is The Most Over-The-Top Wedding Proposal Of All Time Ever

While I had to fast forward through a few parts because of the above mentioned midterm studying, I still teared up. Future husband take note.

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Five minutes until my blogging cut off point so I’m going to wrap this up. Look for new recipes next week (I see some more cinnamon roll recipes in the future! 😉 ).

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the cookbook giveaway that I posted on Monday! If you didn’t get the chance yet there are five ways to enter and you have until Sunday night.

Also, I just got permission to share ANOTHER recipe with you all from ANOTHER vegan cookbook (my meat-loving friends may groan, but my allergic foodie friends are probably extremely happy right now 🙂 ). I’m joining forces with BenBella Books once again to share a chocolate chip cookie recipe from Lindsay at the Happy Herbivore’s upcoming cookbook Happy Herbivore Light and Lean. It’s part of her pre-blog tour so no cookbook review yet, but like I said, I do get to share the cookie recipe.

In addition, I’m able to ask Lindsay a few questions which I have to send to her by Monday. To make the interview more interesting I’d like to get your input on what you want to know! Everything is fair game and I will pick a few to have answered. Thanks a ton! 😀

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No questions for today except for those coming from YOU on what you want me to ask Lindsay.

And let me know what you think about all of the links I shared today!