"Mangocado" Ribbon Salad! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!!

I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, I promise!

Things have just been suuuuuper busy around here! I’m actually writing a book!! :D

I won’t get into too much detail, but I’ve just been devoting all my spare time to working on that…soooo that’s why I’ve been a bit absent.

So let’s just dive right back in, shall we!?

I’ve been to Sundance, Florida, and Cincinnati since I’ve last seen you lovelies. Sooo, I think I’ll just do a quick recap.

So Sundance. I go every year with my family to do some skiing, spa-ing, and of course, taking in some great films!

I had a fantastic time. It was especially fun this year because my little niece was with us! She brings so much joy and life to our family. What. A. Cutie.

I thought I’d share some highlights.

Let’s start with the Spa:)

We went to the Spa at the Stein Eriksen Lodge. It was just phenomenal. If you’ve never treated yourself to a trip to the spa, consider this your personal invitation!

It was so beautiful. The “relaxation room” had a roaring stone and wood fireplace with sweeping views of the mountain. Rustically fabulous. And there were all different kinds of hot teas and little nibbles to enjoy while you wait for your massage.

What. A. Treat.

Afterwards, my sister-in-laws and my mom and I went to the Stein’s restaurant and had cocktails and fondue. :D

Next: the Skiing.

What can I say, Deer Valley really is the best place to ski. They’re one of the only ski resorts that don’t allow snow boarders! It’s a very relaxed and tranquil atmosphere. We skied for 5 days. Incredible.

Now for the best part: the DINING!

My goodness, where to begin? Probably my favorite place we ate was at the Seafood Buffet. 

First, let me preface this by saying that my family consists of “big eaters:” I’ve got 2 older brothers and a dad, who are all over 6 feet, athletic, and fit as a whistle. Park City’s restaurants, although fabulous and 5 star, leave them still hungry. And there’s nothing more frustrating to the menfolk than paying out the nose for an itty bitty amount of food, and then leaving hungry. Plus, my diet is rather particular, so I end up getting basically a boring salad with oil and vinegar. No thanks. SOOO, my family has discovered the Seafood Buffet. 

It is amazing. Now, you’re probably thinking about a Golden Corral….nope! This is a gourmet buffet. It’s at midmountain, and every evening the ski resort transforms the lodge into a 5 star restaurant brimming with fresh seafood, sushi, salads, and desserts. Yes, your eyes are not tricking you, that is a buffet of fresh king crab legs! WOW!

I mean, that is a VAT of CLARIFIED BUTTER, people. 

But what my family loves best about this place is that it is nearly ALL gluten free! There were only one or two sauces that weren’t gluten free. So we were in Heaven.

My favorite dishes were the gorgeous salad with pecans and cranberries, the seared-to-order ahi tuna, and of course, the king crab legs. It was the dinner that dreams are made of :) hehe

We also saw some great films and did some shopping...for crazy sunglasses :)

Alright, that’s enough about Sundance. Onto today's recipe!

Guys, hang onto your hats, because this is a winner!

Allow me to present my latest obsession. Literally, you guys, I eat this all. the. time.

Introducing my “Mangocado” Ribbon Salad!

(See what I did there??) Mango + Avocado = Mangocado  Hey hey hey!

OK, I’m a nerd, moving on.

But seriously this was so delicious and healthy. Ribbons of carrots and crunchy veggies, smothered in a sweet and creamy dressing. A perfect ten.

Here’s what you need: (Serves 2)

Salad:

3 carrots, spiralized. (I used multicolored carrots – orange, yellow, and purple)
1 zucchini, spiralized
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 cucumber, spiralized

Garnish:

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

pistachios

Creamy Dressing:
1 Avocado
1 Mango
Juice of ½ a lime

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

This recipe couldn’t be easier. Cut your veggies into ribbons, using either a spiralizer, mandolin, potato peeler, or sharp knife. I used a spiralizer. Put them in a large bowl.

Place your dressing ingredients into the food processor. Process until smooth. It will be thick.

Toss your ribbons with the dressing. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and pistachios.

Devour.

My goodness, you guys. This. Dish. Rocks. You see, I’m kinda a stickler for salad dressings. I guess you could say, I’m a snob. Because, I don’t like when they add artificial this and presevative-laden that to it. I just like real ingredients – things I’m able to pronounce. Well, let me tell you, this dressing couldn’t get any more wholesome if you tried!

It is so incredible. Rich. Thick. Creamy. Buttery. Sweet. Gingery. I could go on and on. I seriously could probably drink it, to be honest! But this dressing, smothered over the cold, crunchy veggies was just aweeesomeee! And then the salty crunch of the pistachios and the bright, fresh kick of cilantro at the end really put it over the top.

And the colors! My, oh my. It was like spring had sprung on my plate. The orange and purple and green and yellow. It was just so pretty. I knew, just from looking at it, that my taste buds were in for a treat.

Make this dish. You will become a believer of the dream team: Mango and Avocado. Or as I like to refer to them: Combo Dombo – Combination Domination.

See ya tomorrow!

SPA DAY!!

What a day! What a glorious and relaxing day!

Yep...we went to the Spa! My mom, sister-in-law and I got the royal treatment today while my dad and bro were skiing. I got a massage and they got facials.

Let me just say this: you deserve a spa day. You owe it to yourself to be pampered for a day. It is a special treat, one that transforms your body, mind, and soul.

And to experience this with people you love makes it all the more special.

I wish that I could make a case with my dad that massages should be a "regular" thing, as it relaxes me, and reduces stress, which is vital for Ulcerative Colitis remission management....but a once a year treat will have to suffice:) And I am super grateful for that generosity!

So I took some pictures for you:) Of course inconspicuously, when no one was around, as to not disrupt the "zen" of the spa! Haha

They had a beautiful workout room, as well as a gorgeous pool area with a lap pool, hot tub, and cold plunge. A sauna and steam room, and a beautiful balcony that wrapped around the spa that overlooked the ski slopes. It was breath taking.

And then they had a relaxation room, with teas and different waters, dried and fresh fruit, and granola. I felt so luxurious, sipping organic peppermint tea while in a fluffy white robe.

What a day, what a day.

Tomorrow's up in the air. I'm debating between another ski day or a day seeing films. There's supposed to be a snow storm tonight, so that may tip the balance towards skiing...I love fresh powder!

We have fabulous dinner plans tomorrow. I'll fill you in tomorrow...but here's a teaser...snow lodge, and a roaring fireplace:)

Hope you're having a great day!

Sundance Update!

Hey guys!!!

How was everyone's weekend? Did you watch some football?

Are you planning on watching the Inauguration tomorrow? One of my good friends is in the Lee University Choir and is singing at it!! Woo!

Soo....this will be a pretty quick post tonight because I'm at SUNDANCE!! It's a film festival in Park City, Utah! We're here for skiing, and to take in some films!

So that's me and my mom:) We got shut out of 3 films today...(we were on the waiting list) so we saw a mainstream movie instead...The Impossible...which is about the tsunami in 2004 in Indonesia. It was an AMAZING movie. I highly suggest seeing it! It was definitely a graphic depiction of the devastation, but the theme of a strong family unit literally brought me to tears. So. Good.

In other news, at the airport, I literally ran into Alexander Scarsgard from True Blood....Here's his picture. So that was pretty cool:)

photo credit: IMDB

Tomorrow we have tickets to see a big movie premiere...I'll fill you in tomorrow. I'm not too sure what it's about...so we'll see!

Annnd, for dinner tonight, I had my Butternut Squash Pudding.....INCREDIBLE!! Everyone wanted a bite..it was like dessert for dinner:)

Alright, talk to you soon!

Gluten Free Bread for all Mankind!

Still in Utah and I feel the healing is upon me! Today we went to the spa at the Stein Eriksen Lodge and got a massage and ate at the gourmet lunch buffet. The day was, in a word, outrageous. The spa was amazing and the massage worked out all the inflammation knots in my back. They had beautiful saunas and steam rooms, hot tubs, and my favorite, the relaxation room.

The lunch buffet was UNREAL. They had all this scrumptious fresh seafood, and different salads, probably 20 different artisanal cheeses. Fantastic fruit and stews, and then several different prepared meats and fish. They made “my” grilled mahi mahi with mango salsa!! They also had a artisanal caesar salad buffet where the chef prepared it in front of you, made-to-order.

And then the desserts…..Let me preface this by saying that I have not had even a sweetener in my tea for the past 18 weeks while I have been trying to heal. Today, I got off that band wagon.  After not getting sick after dinner last night and sleeping through the night for the first time in 18 weeks, I decided to push my luck and have dessert. Well, they had probably 30 different gourmet desserts ranging from bread pudding, to pecan pie, to raspberry mousse layer cake. They also had gluten-free options! I had a gluten-free cupcake, flan, creme brulee, and chocolate decadence which is a flourless chocolate mousse cake. (Don’t worry, I just had bites of each ;) )

So our day today was phenomenal to say the least.

Now for a recipe! Back in Cincy, my mom and I have been trying to find a good gluten-free bread recipe. We’ve tried out several, and this one is on the top of our list (at least right now).  It is a bread mix from Pamela’s, and it is made in the breadmaker.

Pamela's Products

It had a really nice, light consistancy. It was airy and moist, not dense and chewy like most GF breads. We toasted it up in the morning for breakfast, and made french toast out of it for dinner! It does have 2 eggs in it though, so it is not vegan; but still delicious!

Check out the light, airy goodness!

This bread does contain yeast. After I ate it, I had a bit of a stomach reaction to it, due to the sensitivity of my stomach right now.  During a flare, certain things “light you on fire,” and for me, its sugar, and we think yeast.  However, after I am through this flare, we will be making this bread again.

Happy baking!

And if you need a breadmaker, here's a great one from CuisinArt! :

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa!

As I write this, I’m sitting in Utah by a roaring fire with it snowing outside. Believe it or not, in my condition, we managed to take a family ski vacation. Yep, pretty incredible.  After being on bed rest for the past 17 weeks, I went skiing today….go figure. Granted I went out in the morning for only 2 hours and after lunch for an hour and a half. So, definitely not the 7 hour ski days I am used to! But we figured the fresh air would help me heal.

As you can imagine, food is a bit tricky: feeding so many, with one who is gluten free and one who is, well, me. But last night we had a lovely dinner in the condo of fish tacos! We grilled up cod and had it on brown rice tortillas with AMAZING guacamole and fresh homemade salsa from my sister-in-law!

But I still wanted to share a recipe with you. So here is my Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa!

mango salsa is a gift from above!

This beautiful ocean caught fish from Lobsta Bakes was never frozen; fresh from the ocean that morning and flown in. We grilled it on our grill pan with a teaspoon of EVOO, salt, pepper, and lemon zest and juice. On top of it, I made homemade mango salsa.

1 mango diced

1/2 cucumber diced

1 red pepper diced

1/2 red onion diced

1 t EVOO

juice of 1 lime

cilantro, chopped to minced

salt and pepper

mix and chill for 30 minutes to an hour

I served it with quinoa, which is a SUPERFOOD! It is GF, and PACKED with protein! I added the zest of a lime to it and boy, did that pack a flavor punch!

And don't fret if you don't want to grill outside during the winter months! I use a GRILL PAN! Specifically a KitchenAid Nonstick grill pan. It's like a frying pan, but with ridges like a grill! Here's the one I used in this recipe: