Produce of the week - Pineapple

Some days putting one foot in front of the other is like climbing a mountain. And if you are able to keep moving forward, even baby steps - it is enough. 
Some days getting up and doing one good thing for your body, is enough.  And, if you can do that every day (just add one thing good for body, mind, spirit) the benefits will add up. 
But for now - just focus on today. 

And focus on that gorgeous pineapple you were inspired to buy.
Because it's fresh and organic. 
And gluten free, and detoxing, and loaded with vitamin C, and manganese, and fiber, and antioxidants, and bromelain, and reduces inflammation. 
It's refreshing, juicy and smells (and tastes) incredible.

But first you face the task of cutting it. It takes time and effort, and is easier if you have a plan. And a big sharp knife!

I researched and created this for Simply Gluten Free Magazine, May/June 2013 and it was a tremendous thing to learn. So I am off to cut my pineapple, and I will take my time. 
Then I will eat some, add some to my lunch salad, and tonight will grill a few slices to add to our grilled chicken.

What will you add today to support you body, mind or spirit?


You can find more of my art in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Produce of the Week - Peaches

March is not exactly peach season in the North East, but they have been a current food obsession of mine.  With all the meds currently in my system my taste buds are very funky (even what I can eat is limited) so I am in constant search for appealing and appetizing foods.   
Peaches and nectarines are in my top 10 this week.

So I went in search of some new recipes to try:

I love salsa and with peach added it has a lovely sweet zing:
Peach Salsa  




I think we will make this for dinner tonight:
Peach caprese grilled chicken


My mouth was watering when I found this selection on pinterest, I intend to work my way through these salads:
Peach and Avocado salad

Another chicken entree that will make it into rotation:
Balsamic peach chicken skillet

I'll be back to share my thoughts and reviews as I try these recipes. If you have any favorite peach recipes to share please let me know in the comments below! I would love to try them.

You can find more of my art in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Ode to Pie... National Pie Day!

Monday January 23rd - National Pie day!

illustration from Simply Gluten Free Nov/Dec 2014 Workbook Illustrated

  

Pie is awesome, I would say we can all agree on that, but I know there are others that for some crazy reason prefer cake. 

But I am, and always have been, a pie person.

illustration from Simply Gluten Free Nov/Dec 2014 Workbook Illustrated

To me they are all incredibly delicious...
Pecan
Pumpkin 
Sweet Potato
Chocolate Cream
Cherry
Banana Cream
Coconut cream
Lemon Meringe
Peanut butter
Blueberry
Buttermilk
Apple  

And while we are at it - Shepard's Pie and Pot Pie
Not a bad one in the lot!

Now that I have made myself really hungry... I may need to bake one this evening - what is your favorite pie? and your favorite gluten-free pie topping? 
I am a huge fan of either whipped cream or meringe.

Enjoy!

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.  Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Butter Coffee

There is butter.
There is coffee.
Both lovely in their own way. And in their own right.
I would have never thought to put them together. But after stumbling upon this odd and intriguing combination I had to try it. 
Basically replacing the milk with butter. Grass fed organic butter to be exact.  I decided to give it a try.

I love coffee with coconut oil. And I have been known to give my morning java a hit of chili powder to warm things up on a bitter cold January morning.
But butter... I am really not sure I like it.

It does soften the coffee so it is not quite like drinking it black.  It still has a bitter edge that I am not sure I would get used to. 
Or care to get used to - though it did inspire a fun sketch and colorful illustration - and anything that inspires my daily sketch is a win!

What I did learn from this experiment are the benefits of grass fed organic butter, which we will use from now on, whether it is in coffee - or on GF toast.



You can see my more of my work in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint. Or check out my recent 100 Day Project on Instagram

'Reluctant' Cook

Reluctant. I used this to describe myself here but though I chose that word, it doesn't feel comfortable. And it has remained uncomfortable to me since I wrote it last week. 

It doesn't tell the whole story...  or give an accurate picture.  

Granted I don't have a passion for cooking, but I DO have a passion for eating healthy, eating fresh and most of all... eating safe!  

Cooking gives me that   So I am quite happy to cook.  It gives me peace of mind to know it's safe, to choose what goes in, to know what I am putting in my body - and into my family.  
And sometimes - it is fun!
So why 'reluctant'?  
Because pretty much any day of the week I would rather be making art... drawing, painting, sketching. Or playing with daughter.  Or painting,  crafting and sketching with her! 

My solution.... keeping a small sketchbook handy in the kitchen. So I can sketch between chopping, or while I am waiting between food prep steps.  Ideas come while I handle the vegetables, herbs and spices... or while I daydream looking out the kitchen window.   

Dinner gets made, and dinner gets drawn. All of the art in this post was conceived in my kitchen sketchbook.  

In fact, this piece became this page in Simply Gluten Free Magazine's Sept/Oct 2015 issue.

So it is a win-win situation.

And it is why I have started working on a kitchen coloring book for adults... more to come on that!

If you enjoy my work you can see more at Erin Go Paint

Monday Motivation... Avocado Cutter - My Favorite Kitchen Tool

I love avocados!  I could eat them everyday, and quite often I do. (I have even sketched more than my fair share of avocados)

And my love of guacamole borders on obsession. Guacamole is one of the most delicious, healthy and oh so satisfying naturally gluten free snacks around!

So when my husband bought me this OXO Avocado Cutter - it may have been the best present I have ever gotten. It is certainly my absolute favorite kitchen tool.  

The curved green top is a blade (1) that easily slices through the avocado, the pitting tool (2) grabs the pit so it can be taken out smoothly -  and beautifully with no loss of any precious fruit. I have had more than a few pits shoot across the kitchen as I attempted to scrape the last of the fruit off.

Then you can cleanly scoop and slice it out of the skin with the fan blades (3). And if you are careful enough you can achieve perfect slices for a salad presentation.

Most of the time I am making guacamole so I am not concerned with perfect slices, but it certainly makes scooping it out of the skin so much more efficient than a spoon or fork!

Bottom line it is infinitely easier to eat healthy when the prep is quick and painless, and this tool makes it so.

Click here for a FREE printable pdf of my Gluten Free Blessing 

Freezing Berries

From the July/August issue of Simply Gluten Free Magazine

Frozen strawberries on a brutally hot day!  An ideal treat.  Lucky I had some leftover from a recent assignment at Simply Gluten Free Magazine. It's been really hot by us, and truth be told - I have been melting.  Finding these ruby red, icy cold beauties in my freezer was a score!!

And, they make a terrific starting point for a refreshing smoothie.  

Ahhhhh!

Would you try Anything to get rid of your migraines?

"Midnight in the Garden", acrylic on canvas, Copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Would you try anything to get rid of your migraines?

ANYTHING?!

Would you ever sit at work with a banana peel on your forehead because you read it might ease the pain?

Would you ever take 14 pills a day – scary meds – because the Dr said it ‘might work’?

Would you take meds that made your hands or arms numb?

Or made your heart race or go out of rhythm?

Would you subject yourself to test after test after test?

Would you have an MRI every time the next Dr asked, knowing your head would be locked in that cage and you would be sent into the machine?

Would you travel to another city to see a specialist who might be able to help?

Would you eat tree bark? Or something that tasted just like it!

Would you brew and drink tea that smelled so vile it made your stomach turn?

Would you give up ALL chocolate for 22 years, or maybe forever?

Would you read every article, every book, every bit of information looking for clues/answers/relief?

Would you sit in the bathroom in the dark, feet plunged into hot water, ice pack on your head hoping, praying for a moment of relief?

Have you tried acupuncture?

Bio feedback?

Tai chi?

Massage?

Have you ever brewed coffee at 3am when awakened by an aura, knowing you have 20 minutes before the sledge hammer slams into the side of your head?  That relentless sledge hammer that would go on for hours and hours, and sometimes days on end.

Would you try ANYTHING to get rid of your migraines.

and then the real question... Have you tried everything? 

Have you tried to eat gluten free? fully gluten free and clean? and stuck with it!

Believe it or not, it's easier than that list you just read. I know first-hand.

And it Just. Might. Work.

Imagine if after 3 or 4 months your migraines were lessening, in intensity and frequency… and then continued to diminish and slide away.

Imagine your debilitating, mind-bending, life-robbing migraines becoming a thing of the past.

Imagine going from 2-3 migraines a week, to maybe 3 migraines a year!

Imagine.

Would you do it?

Would you try it?

Imagine...

Yes, it is Pizza. Recipe Review of Paleo Cauliflower Crust

Recently I got up the nerve to try Against All Grain Danielle Walker's Cauliflower pizza crust.  I say "got up the nerve" because it was pretty hard to imagine turning a head of cauliflower into a pizza, and I had just read an article on Huffington Post about what is, and what isn't, pizza (it was actually quite funny).  

But once again, curiosity and a craving for flavor won out!

I had a big head of cauliflower sitting there just asking to be used.  So I jumped in and gave it a try.  All the prep was done when my husband and daughter were out, so they didn't know what was in the crust... and I decided to keep it a secret until the taste test.


I made ours a white pizza with sauteed garlic, oil and loads of cheese.  The aroma of it baking was mouth-watering!


I did not achieve the crispiness that Danielle has in her photos, but I realize I should have pressed it down much thinner before baking.

I've made it twice and the second time was definitely more successful. I believe I will continue to improve my technique.  Because I will be making it again!  Cooking and baking are all about experimenting, testing, trying - and trial and error.
We all enjoyed it. And, they had no idea it was cauliflower.

Is it pizza?  Maybe not what you get at the corner pizzeria, but to me it was - and it was truly delicious! 

Ratings, from 1- 5 spatulas
Time: 3 pulsing, steaming, pressing, baking takes time but it's still not to lengthy
Ease: 4 a fair amount of steps involved, but not very difficult
Ingredient Availability: 5 a quick trip to any supermarket
Taste: 5 I was not able to achieve the crispness but lovely and delicious

Home brewed cold remedy

I had been burning the candle at both ends recently even though I know it never bodes well.  But I was juggling a few part time gigs, and commissions, and they dovetailed and all came due in the same week, so I did what I had to.

And got it done.

Unfortunately, sleep and self care lost priority.

And, then Easter arrived, hosting the families, and the party of 20+ was a lovely, fun and happy day!  But the cold that my hubby had at the start of weekend took hold - quickly!

I have never done well with cold medicines and such so I rely on natural methods.  Like water (lots of it!), sleep, hot tea, my nettie pot, essential oils - and my new favorite...

home brewed cold remedy!

Easy to make, soothing to sip, and very 'fragrant' (to say the least).

Ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, lemon and honey brew.

Each packing a punch in what they bring to the immune boosting table.

I totally recommend trying this the next time you have a cold or sore throat.

Tapioca - friend or foe?

I may not be a doctor, or scientist or medical expert, but what I am is an expert in my own body and what works and what doesn't.

About a year ago it became apparent that I was eating something that I was reacting to - it was interfering with proper digestion and stripping me of vitamins and minerals (again) and reducing the effectiveness of my thyroid medication.

So I started experimenting with food elimination (I should write a book "Everything I learned I have learned from Elimination Diets") and started to pare down what I was eating in 1 week blocks.  By eating only super safe food within a controlled amount of time, I could introduce possible culprits, and gauge the reactions or lack thereof.  After a year of experimenting and eliminating and re-introducing - I found tapioca, and quinoa (a story for another day) were creating problems for me.

Ah, tapioca... in SO many gluten-free baked goods and flour mixes. So many lovely breads - that my family still enjoys, that I have learned to do without.
Which quite honestly, is fine by me - I prefer to feel good over All Else. Yes, I rather feel good than eat the cupcake!

Luckily I found the The Practical Paleo cookbook and PaleOMG and the amazing muffins and cakes that can be made without flours - and without tapioca!

It just makes me wonder how many celiacs and gluten-free intolerants who are still having issues, would improve with the removal of tapioca?
Is tapioca or your friend or foe?

GFAF Expo in NJ

Today I am heading to the GFAF Expo in Secaucus... and I couldn't be more excited!
Think, Christmas morning excited!

I have that pre-trade show rush - and I am not even exhibiting.

Just looking forward to meeting lots of GF cyber space friends, and being surrounded by a plethora of gluten free and allergen free abundance.  I am bringing my little girl with me so she can experience the abundance first hand.  We are all about focusing on the positive side of allergen free living... and all the good that it brings!

Hope to see you there!

Painting a Week 52 Week Challenge, Painting #10

"Red Hot", watercolor & ink on paper, 7x8, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I definitely went off course this summer for too many reasons.  I broke a promise to myself, and I can’t let it happen again.  I can not let my painting get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list… and I need to be especially aware of it when crisis or chaos hits (and there were a few of those recently). But,
I’m back in the game.  

Funny thing is… I don’t do that with my diet, for any reason.  When I committed to eating gluten-free 2 ½ years ago I made a promise to myself (and my husband & daughter)… and I have stuck with it come hell or high water.  Now I need to apply that level of commitment and determination here.

So… I present you with #10, a majestic cardinal that has lived all around our yard last winter and spring.  Relentlessly pursuing his bride…  they had their family in the bush right outside our living room window. We had the pleasure of seeing the babies up close when they were oh so small.

See you in a week with #11!

PS - I did manage to create 9 new shoe illustrations for my Holiday Collection in the last 6 weeks, so my brush hasn’t been completely idle.  New shoes will be posted soon.