In response to the original poster's statement: you do not *need* an enormous amount of protein to start your day. In fact, one does not require a large amount of protein per day at all. Rather, this is a gross exaggeration on the part of various "how to get fit" diet books. What you need to kick start your day is a lot of vitamins and micronutrients with some good sugars. To do this, I usually mix about 1/3 of a pineapple with 1/2 a mango in some orange juice, then embellish with a variety of other fruits or berries such as banana, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, kiwi, or really any fruit that would taste good with the pineapple/mango base. The fruits are a good kick start (especially the banana and pineapple) because they are natural "feel good" fruits that contain a little bit of caffeine (*dramatically* less than in coffee, and far far less than even in green tea, but present and functional!). They will literally make you feel awake, aware, and alert. If you are a busy-body and don't get around to lunch often, it's important to add some healthy fats in with this shake either in the form of a splash of olive oil, or more ideally, a heaped tablespoon of coconut milk (preferably with no preservatives, but that's a rare find these days). Mix this all up in a blender until smooth (or you could eat it all raw, but that takes a long time and you're looking for a quick fix). "But what about protein?" Well, first of all, fruit has more protein per calorie than meat or beans do. That's because a lot of what's in a fruit is water or calorie-free minerals and the like. As such, your body is packing on fewer pounds per unit of protein it is extracting. Secondly, you don't WANT a bunch of *excess* protein, because this negatively impacts your overall health and has been linked with heart disease, early stage diabetes, and a variety of dermatological pathologies, most notably acne and cellulite. Moreover, you can add a raw egg yolk or two (be sure to mix the min with a fork rather than the blender as the friction with the blades is sufficient to cause heat denaturation of the fragile amino acids in an egg yolk) to your drink. Egg yolks are loaded with natural amino acids as well as good HEALTHY cholesterol (as opposed to 7-ketocholesterol). On days when I do not work out and have a light schedule, I have found that this one meal keeps me full for basically the full day without making me feel bloated or 'stuffed.' For a creamy alternative to coconut milk or olive oil, try peeling and pitting an avocado and sticking it in with all the other fruit. It sounds gross, probably, since avocados have such a thick texture on their own, but blended in with fruit it makes the whole smoothie taste like you added a shot of cream or ice cream to thicken it, and is one of the most pleasant add-ons to a recipe I've ever tried! In closing, let me say that I have drawn all this information from an authoritative source which is available online at www.freeacnebook.com. The first link on the page takes you directly to the book which is a few hundred pages of information about dermatopathologies and their link to diet as well as an explanation of why the diet this book recommends will work. It is well-researched, and cites all the major assertions the author makes. As a research biologist, I loved that this work cited its sources, since many diets are content to say "The FDA said so," and leave it at that! Finally, I have been on this diet for around 2/3 of a year and have lost 60 pounds (I'm convinced I would have lost more if I had been more overweight, but I'm now at an ideal weight for my height, build, age, etc.). More importantly, my level of energy has increased, my attention span (which was not bad to begin with) has improved, my IQ is measurably higher, and I feel more alert and oriented than I ever have in my life. I should note that when I was younger I was an athlete, and I feel more fit than I did as an NCAA division 1 rower. As such, I can't see any draw backs to this diet, as it has done nothing but make me healthier, happier, and keener. It's done the same for friends and family who have tried it. Up to you what you want to do with it, but either way I applaud you on your decision to eschew grains or dairy as they are addictive, noxious substances that cause you to eat 10% extra calories, resulting in obesity or chronic health conditions. Sincerely, Dave Stratton

Thought I would update this post, as I am still working on the list, lol! Last weekend I made the mustard short ribs with my NEW OVEN, (finally!) The marinade was delicious but I wasn't crazy about the meat on the ribs, which was probably due to my not buying a very good cut, and also not really liking beef. Will probably do again using brown mustard which we always have on hand, and chicken or turkey, which is what we eat most often when we do meat. It was very fun to cook and eat though! Thanks Angelaid for the recipe! Served with mushroom rice pilaf and roasted brussel sprouts, was a great combo! And last but not least, I finally used the caramel sauce on some brownies. Got invited at the last minute to a dinner party and said I would provide dessert. It was the perfect time to make those brownies. I used Duncan Hines brownie mix, and made them as per the "cake like" version on the back. When the brownies were more or less done, I frosted them with a mixture of 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut and 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts with enough caramel sauce in the mix to make it spreadable. Also poked some holes in the brownies and smeared caramel sauce on top of them for it to soak in a bit. Then I baked for a few minutes more to brown the coconut and firm up the frosting. They were a huge hit! Gooey and tasted like german chocolate cake. Everyone had two pieces, (except virtuous me, I saved my second piece for breakfast the next day, which is the photo). All that's left is the limoncello, which I am saving for my next dinner party!

My husband was diagnosed with Celiac about 18 months ago. He has always been extremely active and healthy but went downhill for a couple of years until he was a wreck. Within 48 hours of his diagnosis the changes were amazing. I bake his "daily bread" using recipe's from the Gluten Free Goddess blog. We live at higher altitude- she used to live in New Mexico and many of her recipes work for us. One of our close friends is Celiac and casein free & Goddess recipes also work for her. If I can't bake for some reason I buy Canyon Bakehouse bread. I don't buy much that is prepared/processed but the Kinnickkinnick donuts are too yummy to resist. We especially like the cinnamon donuts with hot apple cider. I also like the Pamela's chocolate chunk cookie mix and Arrowhead Mills brownie mix. Martha Stewart's "Best Buttermilk Pancake" recipe works well for us with Gluten Free Pantry or Bob's Red Mill GF all purpose flour. This is the only recipe where I like using one of the flour mixes. I serve this to guests and they have no idea that it's gluten free. We rarely have pasta at home any more. I serve things over polenta, shaved zucchini, shaved carrots or spaghetti squash instead, and I make risotto more often. Martha Stewart also has a nice gluten free lasagna recipe using shaved zucchini. When I need to use GF pasta DH prefers DeBoles corn pastas. I received Elizabeth Barbone's Easy Gluten Free Baking book as a gift and have found that some of her recipes work beautifully and others fail completely. My kitchen is not completely GF but I do completely segregate my equipment and storage. Most of our meals are GF but I do make gluteny special occasion and holiday treats (I am the holiday hostess in our family these days), and the children and I still have granola and some other things. I was thrilled to see my husband's health return but there were times shortly after his diagnosis when I felt overwhelmed at learning how to bake without gluten, especially at higher altitude. if you are just starting out, don't get discouraged, you will probably have to kiss some frogs on your way to your prince charming recipes. Keep notes and keep your sense of humor! I am linking to the Gluten Free Goddess Blog's tips for success section- lots of good information there. I make her Delicious Gluten Free Bread and Gluten Free Multi Grain sandwich bread every week. I use white wine vinegar rather than apple cider vinegar. Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten Free Goddess Tips

Tishtosh, thanks for the report! Next time, since you're warming the coconut milk anyway, you can easily condense/evaporate it yourself (unless that's what coconut cream is? (I'm allergic so clueless on that point)). If you want the oats to absorb more/better, you can stir them in first and let them soak up some of the coconut milk before you add the rest of the ingredients. Writersblock, many thanks for the complete info. I've only been to Florida the once, but Key lime pie was also made here, brought by people who'd come from Florida one assumes. Probably made with Mexican limes, which are pretty similar if not the same. As you said, it had white flour crust (can't comment on the shortening--I assume also lard, though maybe vegetable) and meringue. The Key lime pie I had in the keys was even better. Nothing like getting it from the experts at the source. :) I was shocked once, just as you say, post-grasshopper pie era, to be served something called "Key" that was this hideous dark green (one assumes Persian limes) and had graham cracker crust and whipped cream. I said, "that's not Key lime pie" and sent it back. It might have been good, but I was too let down to try. Interesting about the cow economy in Florida. I'm beginning to think maybe someone said something about that when I was there, the more I think on it, but I really didn't know at all. I was about to ask questions, but don't want to go on a tangent of a tangent so I'll just look it all up.