Gluten Free On Purpose (2026)

05/11/2020

Wanna know my favorite hack I’ve learned for preparing butternut squash?
Peel it!🤯
Ok, I’m sure many of you already knew this, but it was new to me once! It also works for other varieties of squash!
Before I saw this tip, I can’t tell you how frustrated I used to get trying to cut a gigantor butternut squash lengthwise so I could roast it. Talk about good ways to chop off a finger!
My favorite (and one of the easiest) way to eat butternut squash is to peel it raw, cube it, and roast in on a pan in the oven with chopped onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, and olive oil. SO yummy!
How about you?! Share your favorite way to eat winter squash or a hack you’ve learned in the comments!👇🏼

03/11/2020

Hope everyone gets a chance to vote today if you haven’t already!Your voice can’t be heard if you don’t use it and we all need to be heard right now.
Be safe. Be kind. Be heard.

with
・・・

$\\🍩RECIPE🍩\\ Happy Monday! If you're in need of a little pick-me-up today, try making these amazing Honey + Vanilla Donu...$

02/11/2020

\\🍩RECIPE🍩\\ Happy Monday! If you're in need of a little pick-me-up today, try making these amazing Honey + Vanilla Donuts! Gluten-free and protein-packed, they're super easy and SO delicious👌🏼 Try them out and let me know what you think!

Tip: If you don't have a donut pan, just use a muffin pan to make "donut muffins"😉

HONEY + VANILLA DONUT RECIPE:

1 3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour (tapioca flour works too)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
4 Tbsp butter (melted)
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine and whisk wet ingredients to incorporate.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until there are no large clumps. Tip: Add almond flour before the arrowroot flour to prevent it from clumping.
4. Spoon batter into donut (or muffin) pan. I fill the donut spots approximately 2/3 full, but you can do less for smaller donuts.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to touch.
6. Let cool and top with powdered sugar, glaze, or just enjoy plain!

28/10/2020

✨Making homemade broth/stock! // RECIPE✨
For the third time in 2 weeks I’m making broth! I had fallen out of the habit since we don’t eat soup in the summer, but now that fall (or winter?!😫) had arrived, I’m back at it!
I usually make either all veggie broth, all bone broth, or a mix of veggie and bone broth. It’s an excellent way to get extra use out of veggie scraps, pull vitamins and minerals out of veggie and bone scraps to boost nutrition of whatever you cook with it, and save money!
Do you make your own broth/stock?
✨Directions for making broth:
1. In the freezer, save up veggie scraps and/or any meat bones if you wish to make bone broth. Ideal veggie scraps for broth include onions (all kinds), garlic, celery, carrots, tomatoes, leeks, squash (in small amounts). Any types of bones will work.
2. Put veggie scraps and/or bones in a crock pot. They should fill the crock pot up about half way (doesn’t have to be exact).
3. Fill crock pot with water. Make sure there’s at least enough water to submerge all scraps.
4. Add 1-2 tbsps of apple cider vinegar and salt/spices to your preference. (I usually skip the spices since I add necessary spices to the meal I make with the broth.)
5. Turn crock pot to low setting and let it “cook” for 12-24 hours.
6. Strain out scraps with a mesh sieve or cheesecloth and store broth in freezer-safe jars! And of course, compost the scraps!
✨Bonus tip: If you like to have small amounts of broth on hand for non-soup meals, freeze some of the broth in ice cube trays!

22/10/2020

Best kind of meal to break my 18 hr fast!🤤 Oh, and I’m going KETO😱
I recently had some genetic testing done that showed how my body likely responds to certain types of foods. Some of it I already knew through my own experimentation, but I was honestly surprised by some of it. It basically said that my body does TERRIBLE with carbs (not surprising to me) and does AMAZING with lots of healthy fats and moderate protein.
I already knew from PCOS testing and blood glucose monitoring that I really struggled with carbs, and despite reducing my sugar and grain intake and eliminating the worst offenders (which did help A LOT), I think I was still in denial of how bad they really were for my body.
I had often chosen to listen to those in the nutrition world that said to “not be afraid of carbs” and “just choose complex carbs from healthy sources” because it was easier. I felt I had already given up so much going gluten and (mostly) dairy free, and while I have seen SOME results, I have never seen the results I would expect from how conventionally “healthy” I was eating. I never wanted to try truly low carb or keto because it just seemed too hard. (Plus, half of the keto recipes I saw were drowning in cheese and cream which my body CANNOT tolerate🙄)
The DNA test changed my mind and gave me the kick in the ass I apparently needed.
So I’m giving keto/low carb eating a shot. Because even though I know MOST people can handle a balanced diet including a moderate amount of healthy, complex carbs, 8 years of eating “healthy” that way has proven to me that MY body cannot. And I need to honor that if I want to heal my body and achieve the level of health I’m aiming for.
Optimal health, diet, exercise choices, supplements, etc are not one-size-fits-all and we have to be willing to do some experimentation and make certain sacrifices sometimes to reach our goals. So here’s to learning how to eat keto and get my body fat-adapted and off those pesky carbs!
Have you tried keto or have any delicious non-dairy keto recipes to share? I’d love to hear about it!

28/09/2020

When you forget to take a picture of the pumpkin bars before you’re hungry family gets to them...😂🤷🏼‍♀️
These paleo pumpkin bars are basically pumpkin pie filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust. They’re so delicious and way faster than making a whole pie!
Will share the recipe soon on my new blog😊
I’m so excited for all things pumpkin! Have you begun pumpkin baking season yet?🍁🍂🎃

25/09/2020

Celebrate your SMALL WINS!!🎉
I have been trying hard to get my fitness back on track and back into my workout and clean GF eating routine, which I thought was going okay... But I had been feeling a little frustrated about the lack of weight loss on the scale. (I know many say not to look at the number on the scale, but I find that it helps me to stay on track and is part of how I got off track in the first place.)
Anyway, I decided to take my measurements for the first time in years and compared them to measurements I had taken several years ago at a similar weight. And guess what?!
My measurements NOW were LESS than back then, even though my weight is about the same! That means my routine has been working and I’ve just been building muscle!
This small win has given me the energy and drive to keep going with what I know will work with time, even if I don’t see results in every aspect!
What small wins have you achieved that are helping you stay on track toward your bigger goals? ✨

22/09/2020

It’s officially apple season and the first day of fall!!🍎🍏🍎💃🏼😁🙌🏼🍁🍂
These Sweet Tango apples grown (and invented!) right here in MN were the perfect addition to the baked oatmeal I whipped up yesterday for the kiddos.
I can’t wait to make ALL the apple goodies in the next few weeks👌🏼 I need some more ideas though!
What are your favorite APPLE goodies to make in the fall? Share with me in the comments!👇🏼

18/09/2020

My breakfast/lunch on repeat lately—leftover veggies, beans, and fried eggs with salsa and everything but the bagel seasoning!🤷🏼‍♀️
Part of keeping a healthy routine for me is keeping it EASY. If things get too complicated or labor-intensive, I don’t stick to it. So by making extras at dinner time to have as leftovers later, I can stick to my healthy eating and not go down the rabbit hole of convenient-but-unhealthy food!
What are some of your tricks for sticking with a healthy routine?
Happy Friday!

16/09/2020

These coconut macaroons were the first paleo treat that I ever (successfully) made and they continue to be a favorite in my house all these years later!
They are so simple, yet so delicious! Made with only coconut, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, they’re a great paleo dessert option that’s nut-free and egg-free (in case you have intolerances or allergies)!
Do you have any allergies or intolerances that make even a paleo style diet difficult? Share in the comments!👇🏼

09/09/2020

Colorful Fall Veggie Mix!🍁🍂🍁

Back when I began learning about healthier eating and the benefits of different foods, I became fascinated by how the color of different fruits and veggies can help tell you certain nutrients they contain!

Purple veggies in particular interested me because when I was growing up, even though we ate "healthy" according to nutrition recommendations of the 90s, I don't remember eating a SINGLE purple vegetable (unless the tiny shreds of red cabbage in bagged salad mixes count...). Though, we at least ate purple fruit which contain many of the same nutrients.

I started buying every purple vegetable I could find in the store and experimenting with cooking them, and found that I loved many of them!

So what makes purple (and some bluish purple, and purplish red...) fruits and veggies so great?

Many of them contain powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, which give them their purplish hue. Antioxidants help to repair cell damage in your body and protect against certain "lifestyle" diseases. In addition, anthocyanins have been shown to help lower inflammation, improve brain and cardiovascular health, and even help fight cancer, among other benefits.

With all of these benefits, why would we skip over them?! Now, we aim for a large variety of COLOR in all the cooking we do and we love incorporating all the beautiful purple foods into the mix!

What vegetable did you start eating as an adult that you were the most surprised you actually liked? (Mine was eggplant!)

05/09/2020

Snagged a delicious Brazilian hand pie at our local farmers market this morning!
It’s not gluten free and I may regret that a little later, but being flexible with my food restrictions is the only way that I can stick to them! I’ve learned that as long as I’m 95% gluten free and don’t binge on it, I’m okay (since I’m not celiac).
I feel for anyone who has to eliminate a food they love 100% of the time—I have to do that with raw tomatoes! But in areas where you can, allowing some flexibility and not letting it make you feel like you failed will make it so much easier to stick to in the long run. And you’ll FEEL better since you won’t just throw in the towel!
Do you live by the 80/20 (or 90/10) rule or do you find hat you need to be more restrictive?
Happy Saturday!!

Gluten Free On Purpose