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. :)

Red Apple Lipstick: Summer 2015 Collection + Giveaway!

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know how much I love Red Apple Lipstick. For those of you who are new, Red Apple Lipstick makes all of its products from scratch so you're guaranteed to get a great product. Also, there is no petroleum, animal bits, gluten, soy, dairy, corn, harsh chemicals or GMOs in any of the products. What you're left with is lip balm and lipstick that are the most moisture-rich products I have ever used, and they last for hours! 

Gluten Free Brownie Cheesecake

After you read this post you're going to know that I am a crazy cat lady - so I am just going to admit it up front. I'm a crazy cat lady. Last November, my husband and I adopted our first pet as a couple. He's an adorable boy named George and is (according to the Humane Society) part Russian Blue. This cat is seriously the most interesting animal I have ever known. His favorite game is fetch, his favorite food is raw spinach, he loves his tummy rubbed, and he's extremely interactive. He's like half dog and half human with a sprinkle of cat. 

Grilled Ham and Cheese with Kale on Everything Bagels

Thanks to Canyon Bakehouse, I was given the opportunity to try their new Everything Bagel. These bagels make for a great sandwich since they have the delicious taste of garlic, onion, poppy and sunflower seeds baked right in. I posted a similar recipe awhile back (see it here), however, I knew instantly that the Everything Bagel would be amazing with a variation of the Kale Grilled Cheese. 

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 

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry with Udi's!

For as long as I can remember, my family has always gone to a movie on Christmas Eve. We would then come back home and enjoy a warm beverage and open one or two gifts. Around 11pm or so, Santa would start urging my sister and I to go to bed so she could too. On Christmas morning, my family sits around the tree to open presents. We enjoy mom's wonderful Yum Yum Coffee Cake and fresh brewed coffee. We joke, laugh, sometimes tear up, and have a great time together. 

Red Apple Lipstick Christmas 2014 Collection & Giveaway

The holidays are fast approaching, and if you're starting to think about what kind of gifts you're going to give this year, I have a solution for you. Red Apple Lipstick's new Christmas 2014 Collection offers an array of fabulous new colors in not just lipstick, but in eye shadow and gloss as well. Any of these would make fantastic gifts for the women in your life.

Tips for Successful Gluten Free Baking

A nice domed loaf...that sunk later. The joys of GF baking!

Over the past several years, I have learned a lot about baking gluten free. It is definitely a science, which the 'just throw stuff in a pan' part of me struggles with. I am not an expert at baking gluten free, but I have learned several things that can help lead to a successful end-product. This is not an all-inclusive list, but hopefully it will help you regardless of whether you are new to the GF baking scene, or have been around it for awhile. Feel free to comment with any tips or suggestions that I didn't list (or may not know). I'll try to update this list periodically.

Spinach and Tomato Pie

I am really not a big fan of traditional pie crust. I don't like it in pies and I don't like it in anything else. I always look for ways to create a crust alternative, whether it's a graham cracker crust for desserts, or shredded hash browns for a recipe like this.

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.

Gimbal's Jelly Beans Giveaway #2!

Back in June I was given the opportunity to sample and review some products from Gimbal's Fine Candies. I had never heard of them before, but since I love trying new gluten free products, I definitely was excited to see what Gimbal's was all about.

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.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Biscuits

I typically only bake when I get a mad craving for something. Which in this case, I was dying to get my hands on a cinnamon roll. And at the mere mention of it, my husband decided he really needed one too. Not wanting the both of us to turn into ravaging cinnamon-roll craving monsters, I broke down and decided to make some.

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. 

The New Gluten Free Labeling Regulation

Hopefully you have heard that the FDA's gluten free labeling rules went into effect on August 5, 2014. So what does that mean and how does that impact the gluten free community (us)? I thought I would provide a quick overview for you to ensure that you know what is going on and what a GF label means now.

Easy Potato, Bean and Sausage Skillet

My husband and I went camping a couple months ago, and since food is always a big part of any vacation, I wanted to make sure that we had some tasty dinners planned. We only have a tent though, not a big fancy trailer with a gourmet kitchen, so I knew that any recipe I picked needed to be easy to prepare.