1-219-765-8600

carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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March 14, 2024

10 Muscle Building Tips for Women

Most women I talk with would like to build more muscle and lose more fat. While strength or resistance training is a key component to building muscle,

March 7, 2024

A Taste of Spring

In case you’ve been missing out on some of the most delectable oranges, this is your friendly reminder that we are in the midst of SUMO season. This

February 29, 2024

10 Healthy Snacks for Busy People

My family loves snacks. I love snacks. Who doesn’t love a good snack? I believe snacking can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. When you c

February 21, 2024

Saving Dough and a Surprise Cake from Mr. Non-Compliant

Some say it’s expensive to eat healthy. I believe it’s even more expensive, especially in the long run, to eat unhealthy. Today I present some tip

February 14, 2024

My Best Workout Tip for Top Results

Ever wonder how to get the most out of your run or walk or strength training workouts? It’s the same way you can feel the most productive about your

February 8, 2024

Celebrating the Birth Month Without FOGO

This year’s birth month is a rare one because I get to celebrate for 29 days. Those of you who get 30, or if you’re REALLY lucky, 31 days, may not

February 1, 2024

How to Stick with Exercise

Work is really busy. Or your kid is going through a “phase.” Or it’s chocolate season. Any number of obstacles, distractions, and competing dema

January 24, 2024

Find the Right Foods for You

You know what it’s like to create a pump-up playlist, right? You compile a list of songs that—when they come on—make you say: “Yes, I feel lik

January 18, 2024

Mastering a Dry or Damp January with Style

As the new year begins, many of us look for ways to reset and rejuvenate our bodies and minds. One popular approach is embarking on a ‘Dry Janua

January 11, 2024

Gluten-Free Substitutes for Healthier Baking

The world of gluten-free baking can be rather intimidating. Experimenting with various “other” flours and mixes can sometimes result in frustratin

Carol’s Amazing Gluten Free, Dairy Free Coconut Cake

2 ½ cups Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
5 eggs, separated, room temperature
5 Tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, room temperature
½ cup coconut oil, melted
2 cups sugar (may decrease sugar to just a little more than 1 ¾ cups and you won’t notice)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 cup reconstituted goat milk (or other non-dairy beverage) with 1 Tbsp. white vinegar or fresh lemon juice added
1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut     

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 13×9 pan or two round baking pans. (I like to use some Earth Balance or coconut oil.) If using round baking pans, line with parchment paper.
  2. Cream butter, coconut oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
  3. Combine flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the goat milk mixture. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Blend in the coconut.
  4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites just until peaks form. Fold gently into cake batter. Bake for approximately 40 minutes for a 9×13 pan or about 25 minutes for cake rounds. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  5. Frost with vegan cream cheese frosting.

 

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, room temperature
One 8-ounce container vegan cream cheese, out of the fridge for 1 hour (like Kite Hill plain cream cheese)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 to 5 cups organic powdered sugar

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and beat well. Add vegan cream cheese and vanilla, and mix again until creamy and smooth.
  2. Add powdered sugar in 1 cup (or less) increments until thick and spreadable.
  3. You want this frosting to be fairly thick so it won’t slide around. Keep adding powdered sugar until it reaches the right consistency. Refrigerate the frosting for about 30 minutes to make it easier to frost the cake. 

NOTES:
*Other gluten free flours may work well, although I usually use Namaste.
*You can cut the sugar in a cake recipe by 10%. It won’t affect the consistency and it’s  sweet enough—especially with frosting.
*Adding vinegar or lemon juice to goat milk creates “buttermilk.” My favorite goat milk is Meyenberg Whole Powdered Goat Milk. The powder keeps well in the fridge for months and you can make fresh when needed.
*The first time I made this cake, I underbaked it a bit. Once the toothpick comes out clean, I bake it for a few more minutes, as long as it’s not getting too brown. Gluten free products sometimes need a little more cooking or baking time. Also, the more I make it, the better it seems to turn out. Like everything, practice makes perfect. So, if your first cake doesn’t quite hit the mark, try again.

Cake recipe derived from Namaste.
Frosting recipe derived from Minimalist Baker.

Are You Having Fun Yet?

If you haven’t had some fun lately, it’s time to make a plan, then execute your plan.

 Your health is affected by your world as well as your food. If you’re not enjoying life, even with all of its uncontrollable ups and downs, it’s time to make a shift.

For those of you with a spouse or significant other, when did you last have a date night? I highly recommend to my client couples that they make time to have some fun and relaxed time together. 

Alone.

The date doesn’t have to be anything fancy, although it can be.

Our sons were on the cross-country team in high school and had to ride to the meet on the team bus. My husband, (aka Mr. Non-Compliant), and I would drop them off, then go to breakfast.

It was the perfect date.

With the warmer weather, dates could be a bike ride to a favorite coffee or dinner spot, relaxing in your backyard with your favorite beverage, taking a walk in your neighborhood or on one of the many trails in the community.

The important part is to stay connected.

There are couples that make Friday nights their sacred date night. Depending on your schedules, it may be more conducive to meet once a week for lunch. 

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

For those of you who are typically solo, you could make plans to meet up with a friend each week. While solitude can be a good thing, too much of it may lead to overworking, burnout, or loneliness. 

And for all of us, why not schedule an Artist’s Date? I learned about artist dates from Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way.

 “The Artist’s Date is a once-weekly, hour-long solo expedition to explore something festive or interesting to your creative consciousness.”—Julia Cameron

 This is a date that is planned in advance with yourself. Treat it is as you would an appointment with your dentist or doctor or someone you would never let down.

My plan is to go to a garden center and buy more flowers to plant. They make me happy.

We are all artists in some fashion, and our creativity is screaming to be let loose on the world.

Have some fun.

Speaking of fun…here are some things I have coming your way. 

I’ll be posting the recipe for my now famous gluten and dairy free coconut cake on my website this week so you can make one of your very own! AND I’m putting together a 4 or 6-week group coaching program to help those of you struggling with the gluten thing. Details coming soon.

Wishing you a week with some FUN in your life. I’d love to hear what you’re up to.

Much love,
Carol

“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”—Frank Capra

The Gluten Thing: Fad or Fact, Final Week

Today I’m going to wrap up this topic. Not because I’ve covered everything that there is to know about gluten, but because there are other topics I’d like to cover before summer arrives.

That being the case, if you are struggling with how to manage a gluten-free lifestyle and enjoy great food, we need to talk. I’ve been practicing for several years now.

Gluten can sometimes be found in ingredients that you’d not expect. It’s tough to avoid something when you don’t know that you should—like licking envelopes. 

While this is not a complete list, here are some names that are often code for gluten:

  • Caramel color (frequently made from barley)
  • Hydrolysate
  • Hydrolyzed malt extract
  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
  • Maltodextrin
  • Modified food starch
  • Natural flavoring
  • Yeast extract
  • Soy protein
  • Vegetable protein

This is another reason why it is important to eat a diet that consists primarily of whole foods. Long lists of ingredients often lead to food that isn’t that good—taste wise and for you.

5 Tips to Help You Eat Gluten-Free Deliciously

  1. You’ve heard this one before, yet it can’t be overstated: When grocery shopping, stick primarily to the perimeter of the store, where whole, nature-made foods live. Avoid the middle aisles which are filled with processed foods.
  2. Make a shopping list and don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry. Crazy things end up coming home with you when you skip this tip. Been there, done that.
  3. On those occasions when I’d like a special treat, I’ve found that Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend, as well as King Arthur GF flour, work very well. Recipes using their products can be found on their websites. 
  4. For convenience foods (like crackers, muffin mixes) made with real and healthy ingredients, look for Simple Mills. You can pronounce the ingredients and your body will recognize them as real food.
  5. These products can be found at most local groceries. I also like to shop at vitacost.com. When I’ve left products in my shopping cart for a day or so, I often get an email with a coupon and reminder to finish my shopping.

May is Celiac Awareness Month and vitacost.com is offering 15% off on select gluten-free foods.

To learn MUCH more about how gluten and grains affect us, a great book is Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter.

Enjoy the lilacs of May.

Much love,
Carol

“Food is medicine. We can actually change our gene expressions with the foods we eat.”—David Perlmutter

The Gluten Thing: Fad or Fact, Part 2

How do you know if you have a gluten issue?

It’s possible that you may eat foods containing gluten and not experience any significant digestive issues. However, if you have any of the symptoms that were listed last week, it’s possible that gluten is at the root of the problem.

To know for certain, you could do an at-home gluten sensitivity test. While there are numerous ways of getting tested, the best seems to be a combination of stool and saliva testing through a company called EnteroLab (www.enterolab.com).

I can hear you hollering “NO WAY!” about a stool test. If you feel bad enough…

The tricky part is deciphering the gene information once you have it. You can get assistance from someone at the lab, or work with a functional or integrative medical practitioner who understands that language. 

Another way to determine if gluten is the culprit is to completely avoid it and see how you feel. If your symptoms improve, then you don’t need to bother with a test unless you’d like to know exactly which gene(s) you have that may also affect your children.

What other foods contain gluten?

The obvious: breads, pastas, baked goods, crackers, and anything with the gluten grains added.

The list of foods that often contain gluten is fairly lengthy and unbelievable. Here are some of them:

  • Beer, wine coolers, various alcohols
  • Condiments, salad dressings, marinades
  • Soups, bouillons, broths (commercially prepared)
  • Gravy
  • Communion wafers
  • Energy bars
  • Cereals
  • Hot dogs, cold cuts, blue cheeses
  • Soy sauce and teriyaki sauces
  • Wheatgrass
  • Veggie burgers
  • Oats (unless certified gluten-free, since they are often contaminated from wheat products)

This is not a complete list. It gives you an idea of the extent to which gluten has taken over our food supply. It really is everywhere!

In the book Grain Brain, Dr. Perlmutter explains that although our ancestors had similar genetic makeup, modern food manufacturing has allowed us to grow structurally modified grains that contain gluten that’s less tolerable than the gluten found in grains cultivated just a few decades ago.

In simple terms, we are now eating gluten on steroids.

For Seinfeld Fans

Do you remember the episode where George’s fiancé, Susan, had to lick all the wedding invitation envelopes? They were supposedly made with low quality, poisonous glue, and she died.

Perhaps she had an extreme gluten issue. Non-adhesive stamps and envelopes may contain GLUTEN!

I’m not even kidding.

SOOOO, what CAN you eat?

These grains and starches are gluten-free: amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat (there’s no wheat in it, honest), corn, millet, potato, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soy (although I’m not a fan), tapioca, teff   

A few more ideas: eggs and other protein (wild fish, meat, poultry, pork), healthy fats (nuts and nut butters, avocados, cheeses, extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil), fruits and vegetables.

Be sure to read anything with a label. Many of them now state: contains wheat.

Next week I’ll fill you in on some other ingredients that are code for gluten and share some of my tips to help you.

In the meantime, beware of those wicked stamps and envelopes.

Much love,
Carol

“Yet an estimated 99 percent of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it. They ascribe their ill health or symptoms to something else — not gluten sensitivity, which is 100 percent curable.” — Mark Hyman