New Discoveries and a New Chapter

Once again, more than a month has passed since my last post....my apologies. However, I do have a good reason for my absence on the web. Ready for it? Ready?? Ready now???

Ok, ok...I have been awarded a 2nd grade teaching job! YAY!!!!! Imagine me now jumping up and down over and over again until I topple over from exhausting all my happy reserves. 

Since receiving my job, I have been busy getting my room ready, teaching myself the curriculum and of course house hunting. With my faith and patience I was even able to find a lovely little home with a full kitchen that is ready to undergo a gluten and dairy free makeover. I finally get an entire refrigerator to myself! *Again, fireworks going off around me out of sheer joy* 

Even though I have been extremely busy, including a trip to Denver to see my amazingly awesome chic and hilarious sister, I have discovered some new foods and treats! 

So in no particular order, here they are: 

1. Hail Merry Raw Coconut Macaroons-My two favorite flavors so far are the Strawberry Coconut and the Vanilla Coconut. The Strawberry Coconut is filled with shredded coconut and dried strawberries, while the Vanilla Coconut has a rich, creamy flavor due to the Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. 

These little chewy bites of raw coconut and other ingredients are a delightful mix of sweet and salty and are a perfectly light but satisfying dessert. They are of course gluten and dairy free, but are also NON GMO certified and made with precise care. This company also make some really yummy looking tarts that I might have to grab on my next trip to Natural Grocers.

2. Sun Butter-Since I seem to have a difficult time tolerating nut butters, I thought I would try sunflower seed butter. This is a popular substitute for those with peanut allergies and when when spread on rice cakes or waffles, you really can't tell the difference. Granted it tastes a bit more like sunflower seeds then peanut butter, but if you crave a filling, creamy, and slightly salty spread for sandwiches, crackers, vegetables and other foods, this is a delicious alternative.

3. Tongol Tuna-This find might sound really lame, but I forgot how tasty tuna sandwiches are! I have been buying Tongal Tuna and mixing it with some Vegenaise, Cascadian Farm Sweet Relish and chopped red onion and tomatoes. I like to layer my sandwiches with butter lettuce as well. I have been eating a lot of tune sandwiches this summer as the fish is quite filling but its another meal I do not have to cook in an oven or on the stove when the kitchen is already hot due to the summer heat.

4. Wayfare Icecream and Pudding-It's true...this girl can't live without her icecream and other sweet treats. One of my new favorite discoveries, and I may have already written about this, is WayFare Foods. Based out of Bozman, MT...shout out the to Bozone!....they make gluten and dairy free ice creams, pudding and cheeses from...wait for it..gluten free oats! Yes, it's true. I kid you not, and it is really amazing stuff. Their Lemon ice cream and vanilla are smoothy and creamy and just delectable.

The next few weeks are going to be full of moving and unpacking storage tubs and boxes, but I can not wait to start cooking in my bright, happy kitchen and discovering what the Flathead has to offer for gluten and dairy free foods! I am determined to scout out their farmer's markets and find the best restaurants for allergen free eating. Thankfully I have access to a beautiful Natural Grocers and have seen several local organic and natural food stores, so I hope to finding even more foods and recipes to try!

I still feel extremely blessed to have received my teaching job and my house but I discovered that a positive outlook, faith and a steadfast determination to not give up got me to this point. :)