What I've Been Reading: March 2012

Question of the month: If you could have one celebrity's (person, actress, model etc.) wardrobe, whose would it be and why?

Well, at first I thought this question was a no-brainer, I've loved Kate Moss's style for over a decade. Then my mind started flooding with images of Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Miranda Kerr, I just adore their polished glam looks. I'm really drawn to Lauren Conrad and Kate Hudson's California Casual style. Then I considered Zoe Saldana, one of my constant favorites on the Red Carpet. I looked to my fashion/style pinboard for inspiration and my answer became overwhelmingly obvious--Olivia Palermo clearly dominates my style inspiration.

To me, Palermo always epitomizes effortless elegance, modern timelessness and a clean, polished look with a bit of edge. In my dream world, that is also what I would like to accomplish with my style choices. This is such a fun question and I'd love to hear your answers-whose wardrobe and style would you most want to emulate?

And now for the monthly reads round-up...

• Beautygirl24 - Noelle has a serious crush on the color orange. See how she used it to build an outfit.
• Ella Pretty - Ella's been shopping and sewing - view her spring purchases here.
• Lilly's Style - Find out which outfit Lilly loved the most in March.
• Pearls and Green Tea - Jiye's been welcoming the warmer weather with floral shorts, a braid and sandals!
• Saltwater Dreams - Andi's going gluten-free -- and it's easier than you think. See her favorite tips, recipes and products.
• Schnelle Couture - Danielle broke out the white jeans and sandals for St. Patty's Day- be sure to check out her new favorite mint nail polish too! 
• Sequins and Stilettos - Skylette has been playing with nautical looks by picking up some fun accessories

A Day of Gluten Free Meals

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all of your comments on my previous post about going gluten free. I'm happy if the information helped to shed light for just one person. Having your body not be in a constant state of stress and attack is such an amazing feeling! Chronic internal inflammation in the body is a major stressor as well as a contributing factor to many diseases and high morbidity rates, so clearing it up can literally save your life.

There were many requests for some gluten-free dishes and recipes. I am definitely not an expert on this yet, but thankfully there is a wealth of information available in book and blog form. My main advice to people who are starting out on a gluten free diet is to try not to become overwhelmed. Just start slowly and try substituting gluten-free ingredients and options into the dishes you would normally make.

Breakfast Options

- egg dishes of all kinds are fine as long as they don't involve white or wheat flour, we love Giada's mini frittatas especially-you can substitute any ingredients you'd like

- Van's makes decent gluten/wheat-free waffles

- Gluten-free Bisquick is a Godsend, I think the pancakes taste almost exactly like the original

- Udi's bread is the best g-free bread I've found so far. My daughter likes hers toasted with peanut butter, they even make gluten-free bagels!

- Gluten-free granola is a good breakfast choice-Udi's makes a nice option, as does Kind, we love ours with Chobani Greek yogurt
- Gluten-free Rice Krispies and Honey Nut Chex are also a big hit in our household

- steel-cut oats or oatmeal of any kind is ok if it hasn't been cross-contiminated with wheat or rye

- we also do a lot of fresh fruit and fresh veggie and fruit smoothies for breakfast

Lunch Options

- salads are an excellent choice, with no croutons of course. Tortilla strips are fine if they are made from corn only. Be careful here because a lot of add-ons like BBQ sauce and soy sauce are loaded with wheat and gluten.

- I usually make a fresh homemade soup on Monday and we have that for lunch all week. I am pretty obsessed with this recipe from Oh She Glows. To make it a bit richer and more substantial, I sub in Better Than Bouillon Beef Broth and switch out the Indian flavors in favor of oregano and basil. Then I add a little cinnamon to it and it's seriously delicious. Soups are an excellent way to get in your nutrition and stay on the gluten-free bandwagon.

my version of the delicious soup from Oh She Glows

- Then of course, you can always make a sandwich as you normally would, just sub in Udi's or a gluten-free wrap for your regular bread.
- We do gluten-free chicken lettuce wraps from PF Chang's pretty regularly for lunch (PF Chang's has a fantastic gluten-free menu with lots of options available)

Snack Options

-The options here are pretty endless, thankfully because I am a bonafide snacker. I usually do the Multigrain flax crackers from Food Should Taste Good with some veggie tapenade or hummus as an afternoon snack.

We also love blue corn tortilla chips with fresh guacamole. I just mix avocados with fresh salsa found in the produce section, red onions and garlic salt-so good and all gluten-free!

Some kid-friendly grab and go snack options from Annie's, Larabar, Kind, and Trader Joe's

Dinner Options
- If you want to change up the usual dinner routine of lean protein, veggies and grain (white rice, wild rice and brown rice are all g-free, regular pasta and rice mixes are not), there are so many great g-free pastas on the market!
- We like all quinoa pastas and the Lundberg and Tinkyada brands of gluten-free pasta are excellent. Fortunately my kids will eat anything that has pesto on it, so we do a lot of gluten-free pasta with pesto.
I've even subbed gluten free pasta in the popular Spicy Chicken Rigatoni dish and my husband couldn't even tell the difference. Most pre-made alfredo and marinara sauces are gluten-free, but check the label just to be sure.
- Well one thing that had to go for us in this lifestyle change is our Friday night pizza order! I will say that I do miss the convenience of picking up the phone and having a circle of cheesy, delicious amazingness delivered to my door, but I definitely don't miss the way it made me feel. The last time I ate real pizza, I was literally so nauseous that I couldn't go to sleep. Ugh, just thinking about how that felt makes me question why I didn't research this sooner! But what's done is done and at least we know now. There are a few decent gluten-free frozen pizza options available at conventional grocery stores now. Not gonna lie-the real thing is a trillion times better tasting, but the frozen options will do, especially since eating the g-free version doesn't make me so nauseous I lay awake in hot sweats all night.
- Dinner options are endless, just sub out gluten-free ingredients in the same recipes you would normally use, they even make gluten-free breadcrumbs and seasoning mix. I'm sure that once I get the hang of this, I'll venture out and experiment more, but right now this system is working pretty well for us and it's pretty painless.

Dessert Options
-Again-so many great options available. Betty Crocker makes really good gluten-free brownie, chocolate chip cookie and white and chocolate cake mixes. I made cupcakes from Betty Crocker's g-free Devil Food mix for my daughter's St. Patrick's Day party and even the teachers were impressed by how good they were.

gluten-free cupcakes: just as sugary and delicious as the real thing!

Pamela's is my favorite brand for g-free cookies. Most ice creams and gelato are gluten-free and they even make g-free ice cream cones, which is a Godsend for my daughter who missed her cones so much.

Some of my favorite gluten-free recipes are pinned on my Healthy Dish Pinterest board. Cannelle et Vanille is an amazing gluten-free blog. Gluten Free Mama is also a great resource. As I mentioned in the last post, glutenfreely.com carries pretty much any and every gluten-free product you could want or think of.

Chain Restaurants that are gluten-friendly:
- Olive Garden carries gluten-free pasta options. It's not spectacular, but I'm grateful that my daughter can at least have a pasta dish when we meet friends there for lunch.
- Pizzeria Uno, Mellow Mushroom and Z-Pizza offer gluten-free pizzas. Mellow Mushroom has by far the best flavor among these options.
- P.F Chang's has about the best and most extensive gluten-free menu I've found in a chain.
- Bonefish Grill, Outback and Carrabba's all have gluten-free options.
- Burton's Grill is amazing and caters to a variety of dietary needs, they have a vegetarian and gluten-free menu-complete with gluten free bread and buns (such a treat!). If you have one in your area, you should definitely check it out.
- Chipotle has great gluten-free options. We find ourselves here a lot.

I'm sure there are a ton more that I've left out, but this is a long post already.
Please leave any of your gluten-free tips, favorite restaurants, recipes or products and/or any questions in the comments!

Wordless Wednesday: First Day of Spring

we chased down bubbles 

and created sidewalk masterpieces

and picnicked under the blooming dogwood trees

drank Shirley Temples on the front porch

and witnessed a gorgeous sunset

All in all, an incredible way to kick off the new season! Here's a cool photo diary of people celebrating the vernal equinox around the world. How did you ring in the first day of Spring?

Product Rave: nails inc Kensington Caviar Topcoat

Hi friends! Just a quick post today to share my new wonder product, Kensington Caviar Topcoat by nails inc., in a nutshell~this stuff rules!!

Before I had my kids, I had a standing manicure appointment at the nail salon across from my office every Friday afternoon. It was a fantastic routine-I had time to chit chat with my wonderful nail tech Sam as she dexterously applied base coat, two coats of Essie's Angel Food, then a topcoat. I could relax with a magazine, a glass of wine, or on rowdier occasions-the occasional shot of tequila. I had the extra minutes to wait under the nail dryer until I could walk the short 2 blocks home. It was a very luxurious, leisurely and fun process. 

Fast forward to me having two children within 16 months and well...let's just say that my routines did a 180. There is no routine on Earth that is fun, leisurely or luxurious with two little ones under the age of one and a half, hell I was lucky to sneak a shower in those first couple of months. And as any mom or caretaker knows-just a simple trip to the grocery store can become cause for a full-on emotional and/or mental breakdown.

Now, at the ages of 5 and 4, my kids are pretty independent but they still need me to wipe the occasional nose (or worse! lol), break up a fight, or get them a snack. Doing my own nails at home was so frustrating because some catastrophe would inevitably arise which caused me to smudge my nails before they were completely dry, including but not limited to: getting a random kid face, foot, hair or hand dragged through my nails before they were completely dry, getting bumped into the kitchen counter or a wall by wild toddlers before my nails were completely dry, having to help out with a bathroom emergency which wrecked my nails before they were completely dry. So clearly after a few rounds of this, I thought it was best to skip the hassle all together and so was resigned to a life of horrible looking nails until they at least both started school full-time. Then....Rejoice!! Kensington Caviar Topcoat changed all of that for me. This stuff is incredible.

It's not the longest lasting topcoat on the planet, I can get a solid 3 or 4 days out of it. But what I absolutely LOVE about this product is that it dries my nails to a glossy, high shine in less than a minute. No shit. By the time I'm done with my right hand, my left hand is dry. Amazing, life-changing, fan-freaking-tastic are all words I would use to describe this product. Chipping isn't such a bummer anymore because they literally take under a minute to dry, so re-painting becomes no big deal. I can re-polish both hands and be done with it in under 5 minutes, cannot beat that. This little product has taken the hassle out of having nice nails and that's a very welcome luxury.

What are your favorite quick-dry products or tips?  

New Beauty Buys

I could not resist this make-up portfolio from Laura Mercier, it's perfect for travel! I just wish it were a bit more slim, it's a bit bulky in my opinion.

It has a great 'page' for brushes,

and comes with refillable palettes.

I think my favorite feature are the magnetic pouches-no snapping necessary, they just magnetize right to the case~genius! You can check out more pics of this nifty little device on Karla Sugar.

My blood panel also revealed that my blood was a bit high in heavy metals. I purchased this deodorant from Lavanila for a good non-aluminum option. The coconut vanilla is my favorite scent, it's very light and not at all overwhelmingly coconutty. I'm surprised by how well it works, especially for a natural deodorant. 

I know I rave about L'Oreal Professional all the time, but after almost 6 straight years of use, it was time to switch up my conditioner routine. My hair is not flat or fine, but it has definitely lost some of its natural volume in the past couple of years or so. I went with Ojon Volume Advance and couldn't be more happy with it. 

I decided to finally purchase the Kiehl's Creme de Corps body lotion that everyone loves (thanks to Veronika for her great reviews.) It's very lightweight and non-greasy, which I love. I will definitely be purchasing the  SPF 30 option come late Spring and Summer months.

And last but not least, I couldn't resist this adorable set of mini-polishes. All of the colors are amazing and vibrant, as you would expect from Betsey Johnson. I'm rocking the yellow on my toes as we speak!

Have you made any fun beauty purchases recently? I would love to hear about them or see links! Have a happy Wednesday!

The Week in Snippets

Technology has made it so easy to capture and share fragments of life. The ease and convenience of using my camera to shoot, edit and share images is absolutely irresistible to me. Here are some recent shots from life in our corner of the world.

my Winter "momiform": jeans, top, some kind of blazer, cardi or jacket and scarf. Can't forget the cuff!

Sage green shirt: H&M, leopard print scarf: J.Crew, studded snakeskin cuff: ASOS

The late Winter afternoon sunlight is so incredible

My son is going through a hardcore dino phase

My daughter is 5 going on 25. I think we have a future editor in the making!

I'm pretty obsessed with these trees at my kids' school

Afternoon light + spidery branches = perfect pairing

Since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, my focus has really been on improving our health and decreasing internal inflammation. I try to fire up our juicer at least once a day. Green juice helps to keep the body alkaline, which is the best mode for it to heal and fight off free radicals. Cancer cells and other disease cannot thrive in an alkaline body!

This is my current recipe:

2 big stems of Romaine lettuce

1 heaping handful of Kale

1 seedless, peeled cucumber

1 big carrot

1 red apple (I use Fuji, Gala or Honeycrisp)

a few chunks of pineapple

1/2 a lemon 

1 generous knob of ginger

Last week our weather soared to a beautiful 84 degrees. I broke out my pastels immediately; I cannot wait for Spring!

cardi: Gap, scarf: Target, watch: LaMer, LV Damier Azur Neverful

What's been going on in your neck of the woods?
I'm working on a gluten-free meal post so that will be coming soon. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Going Gluten Free

some of my favorite gluten free products

Back in January, my 5 year old daughter and I were both diagnosed with Celiac Disease. To be perfectly honest, making the switch to a completely gluten and wheat-free lifestyle has been so much easier than I thought it would be. So many restaurants offer gluten free dishes, if not entire gluten-free menus, and grocery stores are teeming with amazing gluten-free products and mixes, everything from frozen pizza to  pasta and donuts is available now. We're now going on 2 months living gluten free and the benefits and positives of the switch far outweigh the negatives, in my opinion. 

When people with Celiac or gluten intolerance ingest wheat or gluten, our bodies attack it immediately as a poison. Since we can't process it properly, it registers in the body as a toxin, impairing our intestinal mucosal barrier especially, which creates all kind of irritation and inflammation, not only in the stomach, but throughout the entire body as well.

This has definitely been a blessing for us, particularly to be aware of our daughter's intolerance so early on in her life. This is quite a common condition for many people, approximately 1 in 130 people in America alone have it. That number could actually be closer to 1 in 100 because for every person who does know, there are about 30 who don't. For years, I was one of those people who didn't know and as I've gotten older, the symptoms were manifesting in a way I just couldn't ignore any longer.

This is our story with our symptoms, if you read it and feel that you have similar symptoms, you may also want to get a blood test or try going gluten free for 2 weeks and see if that improves how you feel. I can attest that the difference is amazing and well worth it!

My Symptoms

Over the past 7 months, I started feeling very nauseous and lightheaded throughout the day. Then the stabbing pains in my stomach started. I had to pee all the time and my stomach was pretty bloated and tender. This was alarming to me because these are all symptoms of Ovarian Cancer, which my aunt passed away from in 2004 after being misdiagnosed for 3 years. Because of my family history, I had a full blood panel done and that's how the Celiac was discovered. 

Another symptom I had but never connected to Celiac was intense joint paint and inflammation, especially in my knees and ankles. I was doing yoga poses last June with no problem, then by September, the pain in the same pose was almost debilitating. I literally saw white stars from the pain one night from unfolding my knees after being curled up on the couch--not normal! After the birth of my son four years ago, I also became increasingly irritable and moody and agitated, to the point that I was convinced I definitely had a hormone imbalance due to changes that occurred and were never addressed during that pregnancy.

Other symptoms I've had since childhood: psoriasis on my scalp, frequent canker (mouth) sores, frequent strep throat and ear infections. Geesh, reading off this list of goodies makes me very thankful my husband married me!

My daughter's symptoms 

About a year and a half ago she started to become extremely constipated pretty much all the time. She would get hemorrhoids frequently, which in my estimation, is not at all normal-especially for a 4 year old. We waited for 5 months to get in to see a Pediatric GI specialist. His solution once we finally saw him was to "give her 1 Tablespoon of Miralax in her juice every night." Um, not exactly a solution in my opinion. I asked if there were other tests we could do to rule out a more serious condition and he told me "well, we could put her under and scope her." Uh, how 'bout no. So that was absolutely no help at all. I was then lucky enough to find a doctor who was willing to do a stool test on her as well as a food intolerance and allergy test (via IgG blood test) and sure enough--her wheat/spelt/rye/barley/gluten intolerance readings were through the roof.

She also has very poor vision, which could very well be a result of Celiac since it is an autoimmune disease. I am hoping that at her next eye appointment, the doctor is able to see a major improvement in her vision since we cut the "poison" from her diet.

Sure, it's a bit of a hassle to have to make special food for her to take to school on their "special" days--gluten-free pancakes for their pajama party day, gluten-free cupcakes for their Valentine's Day celebration etc. But there are so many great and wonderful-tasting gluten-free mixes and products on the market these days that it's pretty darn easy to stay gluten-free, even for kids. Many bakeries now are also offering gluten-free options so even finding a birthday cake she can have shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you can't find it locally, glutenfreely.com has pretty much any g-free product you could want or need.

Right now, we are working to repair our mucosal lining with Nourish Greens in powder form, pharmaceutical-grade botanicals and vitamin supplements. I'm trying to undo years of damage from inflammation and I'm taking 1 TB of Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar at least once every day to help with this. Also, castor oil packs are wonderful for increasing circulation and promoting healing to the tissues and organs underneath the skin, we've both been using these natural aids to help speed up our healing process.

Now that I know how I'm supposed to feel, I am so mad that I let myself stay sick for all of those years. But I am so thankful that we were able to catch this early for my daughter and hope that by detecting this, we're able to avoid a multitude of health problems for her down the road. This diagnosis has truly been a blessing for us and yet another reminder that you HAVE to be an advocate for your own health!

I could write a book about this, so I'll stop here but if you have any questions or comments or want to commiserate about gluten free living, I'm always here and available. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at saltwaterdreamsblog@gmail.com.

Check out a sampling of our favorite gluten-free recipes and products in this post.

New Feature! What I've Been Reading: February

Hi ladies, my beautiful friend Ella has asked me to take part in a new monthly roundup series, how fun! It's a great way to get caught up on bloggers' favorite posts as well as to discover new blogs. She also had the brilliant idea of asking a different question each month; This month's question is "What's your most sentimental jewelry item - share the story behind it:"

photo via Instagram

Apart from my wedding set, this silver and turquoise cuff has to be my most sentimental piece of jewelry. My mom purchased this in the 70s while attending college in New Mexico and some of her fondest memories from that time come from exploring the incredible reservations of the Pueblo, Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes there. This piece is so striking, the colors are spectacular and the silver is so heavy and substantial. Turquoise is a highly valued and cherished stone in many cultures, particularly Native American cultures--and it's held in high regard for its protection, communication and positive healing energies. There's a saying in Native American cultures, "the stone took it," meaning if you look down and see a crack in your turquoise, the stone absorbed the blow that was meant for you. As you can see, this piece has many cracks and discolorations, but that makes it all the more beautiful. What I especially love about this is that my mom bought it long before she ever had me and turquoise ended up not only being my birthstone, but my daughter's as well.

And now for the must-reads!

• Beautygirl24 - Noelle celebrated Valentines Day in a hot pink Old Navy skirt. It was on sale for a mere steal at $10!
• Ella Pretty - Ella's loving her Valentine's Day present - an Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf in Coral
• Lilly's Style - Lilly is loving her apricot colored skinny pants - they match her favorite nail polish: Essie's Van D'go
• Pearls and Green Tea - Jiye's embracing the pastel-colored trend with her minty-green jeans
• Saltwater Dreams - Andi's rating her winter beauty purchases - see who got awarded HG status
• Schnelle Couture - Danielle is getting ready for Spring- let the shopping begin!   
• Sequins and Stilettos - Everyone needs a classic LBD - Skylette found an affordable option from ASOS!

And of course, I would love to hear all about your most sentimental piece of jewelry! Leave your story in the comments below if you feel like sharing. Have a wonderful weekend!