good gluten free bread?!

it's true. there is good gluten free bread. you have to make it. be willing to measure out all the flours and starches and give your stand mixer a workout. wait until it's totally cool and then...

i'm not being mean and showing you pictures of gluten fill poison bread. this is the real gluten free deal, y'all. isn't it beautiful? i have eaten about a million sandwiches on UNtoasted homemade gluten free bread the last handful of day. mayo, yellow mustard, oscar mayer turkey, and famous dave's signature pickles. every time. over and over. and maybe my fair share of slices of bread with honey or butter. i used this recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee and didn't change a single thing the first time. my butter was just a touch too cold, though. it was still ridiculously good. the next time, i made sure the butter was nice and soft and used 1/2 cup honey instead of the 1/3 cup Jillee called for. one very important thing that i've already learned is to be sure you put your bread batter in a very warm place to rise - if it doesn't rise enough, it just isn't as good! i feel like a whole new world just opened up with this bread..

quick product reviews!

chocolate-coconut vega sport protein bar. i used this bar as a meal replacement for breakfast on the way to doggie obedience class on sunday morning. it definitely did a great job of keeping the hunger at bay! i wasn't stuffed at all, but certainly wasn't hungry. how was the flavor and texture though? it wasn't too sweet, which is one thing i love about the bars from this brand. the chocolatey coating was nice - pleasantly smooth and cocoa flavored. the inside texture was nice as well, a little fluffy, with little bursts of coconut. the mouthfeel was a little off for me. it tasted...well, like a protein bar. just a little gritty almost. if you've ever had a protein bar or shake, you know what i'm talking about. this isn't enough to make me not purchase them again - i rather liked this bar, though i wouldn't rank it as a favorite. i will certainly buy it again, but it may not be my very first choice.

next up! trader joe's crunchy black and white rice rolls

these were great! only 45 calories for a pretty good sized roll, vegan and gluten free. there was much by way of "black" rice, but i don't think that's much to complain about - just an observation. the rolls are very lightly sweetened and make a nice light snack. i think it would be lovely with some peanut butter! the texture was nice - puffed rice cereal meets rice cake meets rice crispy treat. i would get these again once in awhile as a fun munchie, or a lighter-than-theater-popcorn movie treat.

what have i been eating besides ridiculous amounts of turkey sandwiches?

 my mother-in-law's recipe for delicious zucchini lasagna! recipe hopefully coming soon!

and crispy paleo fish nuggets : just pieces of cod dipped in a little egg, then seasoned almond flour, and shallowly fried in sunflower oil. tangy, creamy slaw on the side!

i've also been homemaking tons of lip balms and lotion bars: it's so fun, smells amazing, and makes my lips feel lovely!

this batch included sweet orange, honey almond, and peppermint scents.

finally, the grand finale! monkeyman's lunches! (i know, it's not that exciting, but that's quite alright!)

 the crazy polka-dot burn i obtained while making chunky chili

 said chunky chili lunch! clockwise from chunky chili: beef chili; carrots with peanut butter; blueberry greek yogurt; hard boiled eggs, brown rice; freeze dried apple snacks; whole wheat fig snack bar; and a chocolate raspberry protein-style bar

 clockwise from boiled eggs: hard boiled eggs with paula deen's house seasoning; broccoli topped with one chicken/mozzerella/artichoke sausage and one hot link; gf raspberry shortcake cookies; whole wheat raspberry fig bar; freeze dried apple snack; carrots with peanut butter; blackberries with a little sugar; and a strawberry greek yogurt

 berry blast juice two or three times a week to drink on the way to work. we get this from costco and sky loves the thick, tart juice

clockwise from yogurt: strawberry greek yogurt; hardboiled eggs; broccoli with paula deen's house seasoning and spritzed with olive oil; leftover zuchini lasagna; whole wheat blueberry fog bar; peanut butter with carrots; blackberries with a little sugar (looks like a lot of sugar, but it's not!); and cinnamon flavored almonds.