Simple Taco Spaghetti

This recipe was SO easy and SO good - I was actually surprised. Sometimes I go into a recipe thinking that it will be just okay, which was the case with this Taco Spaghetti. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite and it was delicious! It tastes just like a taco, but as a pasta! If that makes sense...

Quinoa and Veggie Bento Bowl

Before I dive in, I have to say 'thank you' for continuing to visit my site even though I have not updated it in over a year. My life has been a whirlwind over that period with lots of changes and almost zero time for myself. I made the decision to forgo updating Lazy Gluten Free in order to retain some semblance of sanity. I did not shut it down however, because I still get several thousand views per month. So to all of you who have kept LGF alive in my absence - THANK YOU. My plan is to post periodically, aka, when I can. Hopefully at least twice a month. I plan to not spend as much time on each post, so forgive my picture quality and lack of stories with every post. But hey, you'll at least get some new recipes, so give me some grace here. :)

New Bagels and Brownies from Canyon Bakehouse!

Canyon Bakehouse has some of the best GF bakery products out there. You may remember my review of their bread awhile back (if not, see it here). So I was super excited when Canyon Bakehouse reached out to me asking if I wanted to try their new bagels and brownies before the official release. Of course I said yes! 

The new products include two types of bagels, Everything and Plain, and Brownie Bites. My expectations were very high for all three since Canyon Bakehouse has such great products. I was not disappointed, they were all very good! Read on for more detail on each.

Lazy Girl Update

You have likely noticed that I haven't really done much on my blog lately. Well, as an understatement, it's been a crazy past several months. My boss went on maternity leave last October, leaving me in charge of my department. I was pretty excited about this opportunity, but the second she left, we got beyond busy. And if that wasn't enough, we acquired another bank, which involved a lot of training and even more work. Needless to say, I had zero energy left by the time I got home. 

My goal was to get back to blogging in March, but then things continued to be crazy. April brought me a car accident (I was fine, thankfully) and my husband getting into a bad mountain biking accident. He had a concussion and broke his collar bone in six places! He ended up having surgery a week later and is doing great now. Shortly after Steven's surgery, I took a couple weeks off to help my dad recover from a full knee replacement. 

Now that things are FINALLY starting to settle down, I am trying to get back into a routine. We've been eating a lot of super quick and easy staple recipes, and not too many new ones. Even if there was a new one, I simply have not had the time or energy to take pictures, edit them, and even consider coming up with something to write. So, I apologize for the several month hiatus, but I am happy to say that now that my life is getting back to some form of normal, I can resume blogging! I'm still working on getting a schedule down, but bear with me, I'll get there. :)

Thanks for your continued support while I disappeared for awhile. You all are my motivation for keeping LGF up and running.

Hugs,
Andrea Joy 

Lazy Girl, Lately.

Okay, so I know that my posts have been pretty few lately, and I apologize for that. To mitigate any concerns you may have that LGF is going away, I figured I'd give you an update: LGF is NOT going away. 

Caramelized Onion and Kale Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

The leaves are beginning to turn vibrant shades of red and orange, the air is a bit chillier, and I am finding myself reaching for sweaters and blankets. Fall is my favorite season. I love the beauty it brings as well as the seasonal foods (apple crisp, pumpkin pie, cider...). However, as we begin the transition into fall, I find myself still trying to cling on to summer a bit. I've been accomplishing this by using up the last of my garden's bounty.

Kale Mushroom Quinoa

This year was the first year that we planted a garden. Although it didn't do as well as I had hoped, we still got a good amount of produce out of it. Two of our veggies thrived big time though, our one cucumber plant and two kale plants. This was awesome since Steven is apparently obsessed with cukes (we literally were picking up to 7 or 8 a week for a couple weeks!) and I love kale. However, I discovered that I had no idea what to do with all the kale besides make salads.

Back to School with Canyon Bakehouse

Having a child with a food allergy is hard enough, but what about when it comes to bringing food to school? Not very many schools offer allergy-friendly lunch options, and even if your school does have options, can you trust that there is no cross-contamination? Packing a lunch doesn't have to be a challenge, especially when there are many great nutritious gluten free options out there.

Lazy Gluten Free is 2!

When I started Lazy Gluten Free in the summer of 2012, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I was super nervous about sharing my life in such a public space and I was scared about what people would think. I remember shaking as I was about to publish my first post, simply because of nerves. 

Broccoli and Sausage Pasta Toss

Summer is always a crazy busy time for us which means that I need recipes that are going to help me get dinner on the table quickly. Not only that, but I look for food that's going to taste good and will make enough for leftovers (I love leftovers for lunch). My husband just got a new job that will require him to bring lunch to work now too, so let the leftover wars begin.

Lazy Stuffed Peppers

My sister was over the other night for dinner, which doesn't happen as often as it used to. As I was making this dish, and explaining it to Mel, she asked "You seriously haven't made this before?". I honestly had no good answer, I mean, it has 'Lazy' in the name, so why hadn't I made it? Regardless, I have made it now, and it was so lazy and delicious that I plan to make it again. 

Red Apple Lipstick: The Lash Project Mascara

If you've spent any time on my blog or my social media sites, you already know how much I love Red Apple Lipstick and their gluten free products. I really can't express enough how awesome their lipsticks, glosses and eyeshadows are! In fact, I'm so addicted that I became a RAL affiliate. Needless to say, I was absolutely DELIGHTED when I learned that RAL would be coming out with a gluten-free and chemical-free mascara. I was even more stoked when I was asked to try it out before it's official release date (July 31st).

Gluten Free Crumb Topped Banana Bread

Normally I don't bake unless I have a reason to. Sounds odd, but whenever I have something sweet in the house I usually end up finishing it off way too fast. So to save myself the calories, I just don't bake very much, problem solved. However, this bread came to be because I had some over-ripe bananas that I didn't want to go to waste. 

Gluten Free Pizza Muffins

I know what you're thinking, how can pizza possibly be good as a muffin? Well, friends, let me tell you. These little pizza muffins are possibly one of the best gluten free things I have ever made. They're gooey, cheesy and are nearly better than actual pizza. And the best part is you wouldn't even know they are gluten free. I had to cut myself off, or I would have eaten all twelve of them.

Lazy Girl's Top Five Favs

Well friends, it's nearly the end of June, which means we're pretty much half way through 2014. Where on earth has this year gone! It's blowing by way too stinking fast. Regardless, I thought I would try to slow it down a little bit by taking some time to share with you my top five current obsessions. I mean, why not right?

1) Acure Organics. This company has some amazing skin and hair products that are organic and gluten free! I've been using their face care products for a couple months now, and I'm loving the difference. Plus, I love that I'm treating my skin to something that's chemical free :)

2) Broiled Grapefruit. You may have seen my post on how to broil grapefruit awhile back, well, I'm still loving it. It's sweet and sour and so delicious.

3) Gimbal's Cherry Lover's Gourmet Jelly Beans. You guys, these are seriously addicting. I also did a review of these on my blog that you can check out.

4) Everyday Minerals. You could say I've gone a little nuts with overhauling my skincare, but hey, it's the biggest organ you have. EM has some great makeup that feels lightweight, doesn't have nasty chemicals, and lasts all day.

5) Hudsonville Triple Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream. Maybe this is just sold around where I live, so I'm sorry if you can't enjoy the amazingness that is this ice cream. I'm hooked.

Turkey Apple Salad

Summer is such an awesome season, especially here in Michigan. There's just so much to do from going to the beach, checking out farmer's markets, hiking, and the list goes on and on. While I love everything that summer brings, the heat can make it hard to want to cook or bake anything. That leaves me on the constant lookout for easy to prepare meals that involve little to no cooking.

Bacon Avocado Tomato Salad

I love good old fashioned egg salad, but I can't say that I love what it's loaded with. All those calories love to try sitting right on my hips. No thanks. This bacon avocado tomato salad, although not very pretty, is a great alternative that is better for you and contains no dressings whatsoever. 

Easy Gluten Free Bruschetta

What better way to enjoy a gluten free baguette than by making bruschetta with it ? The baguette was courtesy of Sweet Christine's Gluten Free Bakery, and it was nothing short of delicious. I typically have tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and basil on hand, so this recipe was very easy to put together. 

Beyond Easy Sesame Noodles

These sesame noodles are one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I have ever made. No joke, I've made them two weeks in a row because I'm totally addicted. You're going to love how quick this recipe comes together, and you'll love even more how you can't tell it's gluten free.

Hidden Food Sources of Gluten

You probably know the main things to look for when trying to figure out if something is gluten free. If not, check out this comprehensive list from Celiac.com: Unsafe Gluten-Free Food List. In my experience it's usually pretty easy to tell what has gluten in it. However, there's some things that you may not even consider as sources of gluten, and that's why I'm here to tell you what I've learned to look out for.