Recipe #1: Potent Oatmeal Bars

Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Casien Free Snack.

Yes people it is possible.

I will not take 100% credit for this recipe because I did Find it on pinterest. I have no idea where the original post went. BUT none the less. This recipe is for oatmeal power awesome peanut butter chocolate amazingness. Friends will vouch for me. My boyfriend himself who is a chocolate fiend and loves his gluten and milk says these are awesome. This is what were making today!

What your gonna need to grab:
1. Vanilla Extract (get organic if you can)
2. Honey (see below for the brand i use)
3. Gluten Free DRY uncooked Oatmeal (i got mine in the bulk section of my health food store)
4. Organic Peanut Butter  *you can use apple, cashew, or almond too.
5. Whole organic Flax Seeds.  (see below for the brand i use)
6. (BEST PART) dairy free mini chocolate chips baby! Enjoy Life is right.

Tools:
Measuring cups
Bowl
Spoon
Butter Knife
Mouth (for the numerous tasting that is unnecessary =])
Muffin Tin or Loaf pan.

Measurements:
2 Cups of Oatmeal
1 Cup of Mini Chocolate Chips
1 Cup of Peanut Butter
3/4 Cup of Whole Flax Seeds
2/3 Cup of Honey
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1. Take your bowl and add the dry ingredients. make a little crater in your oatmeal/flax seed/chocolate chip mountain, take your peanut butter and dump that in the crater. Take your honey and dump that on top of the peanut butter. Take your vanilla and dump that on top of the honey.

2. Take your spoon, mix that shit. mix it real good.

3. By this time your concoction should look like a bowl of Jesus. If the mixture is too sticky or too dry add more peanut butter or add more oatmeal. But if you followed the instructions it should be perfect.

4. This is the fun part. You can be a pig and eat it out of the bowl with that same spoon while you watch law and order. OR you can take a muffin tin and fill each one 3/4 of the way up. Smashing it down with a spoon as you go. Pack that oatmeal in tight. Once your done filling up the tin, Put the tin in the fridge for about an hour and a half. Watch 3 episodes of Law and Order SVU it'll keep your attention while you wait.

5. Excitedly frolic to your fridge in joy. Take out your muffin tin,  scour the edges of each oatmeal looking muffin and it should pop right out. (Figure it out I know you can). Then eat to your hearts content.

6. Continue watching SVU or take a nap.


Extra Instruction:
The best way to keep these is in the fridge. They taste much better cold. I don't cover them or anything I just pop them in a plate and close the door. but a tuber ware works fine too.

These are my preferred ingredient brands:

Any questions or comments or concerns, please email me at LethalHealth@gmail.com

=] happy munching.

<3 xoxo Cassie Lynn

Science Smackdown: Allergy VS. Intolerance

When people think of food allergies or allergies in general we think of this:


Peanuts, bees, pollen, dust, animals, milk, medications, and shellfish.

 



     And while a lot of people are lucky enough to not have allergies at all, some aren't so lucky. Today I have found out that I am extremely allergic to Dust, cockroaches  shrimp  and the mighty White Oak Tree. I remember a time when I was wearing shorts and as I was leaning against this tree in the park my leg was seriously burning. Nothing was there when I looked (it was nighttime btw) so I shrugged it off. When I got home and changed, I looked down and my entire left thigh was inflamed, itchy, burning. More like a rug burn than hives. It was horrible. I took some Benadryl and went to sleep. But other people have reactions that are much more serious than just an annoying rash. Anaphalaxis is one of the most scary things I think a person could possibly go through. What happens during anaphalaxis is tissues in different parts of the body release histamines and other substances. This causes your airway to tighten, nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, dizziness, and a bunch of other stuff. Yucky stuff...here is the full link to read the whole article. Read this.

What's the difference?!

     The Difference between an allergy and an intolerance is honestly the severity of the symptoms. Someone with an intolerance will have annoying symptoms like nausea, bloating, irritability, diarrhea, and nervousness. Someone with an allergy gets all that and then it can get much worse very quickly. Some people will get rashes, hives, shortness of breath, chest pain, and their throat may close. In my case if I come in contact with dust my chest will get tight, my skin gets itchy, and I feel like I can't breath. When it comes to food allergies, when you eat something you are allergic to, in my case wheat, I will get nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, but it will also trigger an inflammatory response throughout my entire body. This causes joint swelling, migraines, severe abdominal pain, exhaustion, dry skin, and really bad anxiety.

What can I do?

     Well obviously if you find out you have a food allergy you MUST stop eating that food. And although you can eat the food your intolerant to, you will have to face the consequences. The annoying consequences.


So if you aren't sure if you have an intolerance or an allergy, go see an allergist. They will test you for everything!

My next post will be about where to begin when eliminating these foods from your diet. Also awesome substitutes for the stuff you got rid of. =]

Questions or ideas for more blog posts email me at lethalhealth@gmail.com

xoxo - Cassie Lynn


According to

What is Gluten?

Gluten- everything that tastes good. Just kidding. =P

     Gluten is a composite product found in most processed foods from wheat. It is also found in barley and rye. Unless the front or back of a package says "Gluten Free" Then it contains Gluten. Obviously FRESH veggies from the supermarket don't have gluten. But Be careful when shopping for frozen or canned veggies. Always check the ingredients. Plain veggies like the Birds Eye frozen veggies are wonderful I still eat them even though they don't say gluten free. And they do not bother me. The ones to look out for are the mixes that contain pasta and butter and added ingredients. So just be careful. The way you can start eliminating gluten from your diet is to do it slowly! Most or almost all of the things we eat in today's society contain gluten, your bagel in the morning, your bread on your subway sandwich at lunch, the pasta you eat for dinner or every Sunday. All these things contain gluten aside from "carby" things. Here is a list of some things that contain gluten and wheat.

All cake mixes contain gluten and wheat. Some are specially made by companies who are strict with their processing. No Wheat allowed in the factory in case of contamination. Stuff like that These brands are known for their gluten free products and they are all wonderful. you just have to find out which one is best for you. I personally love King Arthur, Bob's Red Mill, Arrowhead Mills, Pamela's Products, and Namaste Foods.Those are just some of the good ones my supermarket sells. You will find more and more supermarkets are catering to food sensitivities. It's wonderful! 

Now I wasn't big on pasta anyway. I love spaghetti and linguini but giving up pasta wasn't something that killed me. Because there are so many other options for pasta. All pasta's contain gluten. And if you thought getting "100% whole WHEAT" pasta was a good idea, its like pain in a bag for me. for some its healthier but for someone with sensitivities es no bueno. But dont fret! There are plenty of other options for pasta if you are a pasta fanatic. Your choices as to what kind of pasta for example those cute little stars or alphabets...i have yet to find them. BUT I have tried so many new pastas over the year and let me tell you. My favorite is Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta. Amazing. It is seriously wonderful I like it better than regular pasta. There are other typed of gluten free pasta. Another option is corn pasta. I would recommend corn pasta for those who love their pasta a little "al dente" because it in a little chewier. Most brown rice pastas are much softer. (love soft pasta!) These are just some of the gluten free pasta brands. Tinkyada Brown Rice pasta, Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, Bionaturae Organic Gluten Free Pasta, Sam Mills gluten free corn pasta, and Schar Gluten Free Pasta. SO MANY CHOICES PEOPLE!

Here is a link that will help you with the other daily foods you eat that contain gluten, some you may even be surprised about!
1. Surprising foods!
2. This is an amazing link that tells you what HAS gluten in your daily life.

Remember that quote "When in doubt throw it out." Same goes for gluten. If you are not sure if an item has gluten put it back on the shelf. Also remember to CHECK CHECK CHECK the labels. Read! and Even if a label says "wheat free" does not make it GLUTEN free. It may still contain barley, rye, and some preservatives. Just be careful and when in doubt. email me! =]

-Cassie Lynn
LethalHealth@gmail.com

Mirror Mirror, are you sure you're not wrong?

This was me.This is me now.

     I have always been chubby. I was always the plus size kid, the size 13 in kids, apple top instead of bottom. All that. Growing up it never mattered how good or bad I ate, or how much or how little. I was always heavy. Doctors were convinced I had a horrible diet, I overate, my mom was accused of feeding me to much as a toddler. In my home my mother didn't cook from the box. Almost everything was home made. My brother and I ate a lot of salad everyday. I grew up on whole grain/ whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, and we didn't drown everything in gravy and butter. My older brother is the sibling that can eat anything he wants, drink anything he wants and will not get a cavity or gain a pound. Hes one virus away from disintegrating. Just kidding hes not THAT skinny but I believe you get the point. =] Back to me, since I can remember I have been in double digit clothing, L-XL was the norm. Jeans were impossible to find ANYWHERE as well as dresses and shoes. Fat belly, Fat feet. I always weighed as much if not mroe than my brother. Was I embarrassed? I remember being annoyed because it was so hard to shop and I couldnt wear what my closest friends were wearing. I never fit in the "cool clothes". I am lucky enough to say that even though I was heavy, I wasn't bullied because of my weight. At least not that I can remember, and if I was then yay I dont remember! =D I never liked the thought of a bikini so not being able to wear one never phased me in the least. Usually I wore boys track shorts and a T-shirt because it was legitimately comfortable. My teenage years were spent in pajama pants and hoodies, yoga pants and T-shirts. Or my school uniform...then pajama pants. -_- Mom I apologize for all...the...pajamas...LOL Anywho,  When i was a teenager I always ate as healthy as your average stubborn teenager will eat. What changed my eating even more you say? It didn't sound to bad to begin with right? Haha! Touche! It wasn't a normal person would have the body of a supermodel on my old diet. But me? I was a nice size 16 but I had the personality of a supermodel. I never cared what people thought of me. Because I like me. And I just don't care if you don't lol. I am no where near cocky, I am just happy with who I am and I always have been. So back to what made me change my eating. I started to go on a normal diet, cut the carbs, eat the veggies, portions are in half by now, oh bring out the diet "chocolate flavored" shakes. By this time in my life I was 215 Pounds.

     One night in my home I felt really sick and from that moment on I couldn't eat for a long...long...long...2 months. The only things I could bear to get down was water, rice, a quarter of a plain bagel, and green apples. Just from that I lost 30 pounds. And as soon as I felt sick, I felt better. just like that. I chalked it up to my underlying anxiety and moved on. Had a "wonderful" boyfriend, happy Cassie was a HUNGRY Cassie. And Boy could she eat. A...lot. I gained 45 pounds in about a year and a half. Now at 230 lb's, single, depressed. I decided to do something about it. I went for "chocolate" shakes. I did lose 15 pounds, granted. BUT I stopped losing after 3 weeks and decided to give that up. (can you tell I don't finish what I start) Props though I never to this day gained that weight back. and again.NEW boyfriend, amazing still I might add, I felt sick again, this time we decided to see a different doctor. He tested me but for some reason it took him a year to tell me I had "leaky gut syndrome" and food allergies to Wheat, Dairy, Casien, and Eggs. EVERYTHING IVE BEEN EATING BECAUSE ITS "HEALTHY" nah of course its healthy just not for me. My belly can't digest it so it would smoosh it and shove it in my stomach and wala! FAT.Or something like that. I'm not a doctor obviously. Smoosh is not a medical term. Most people can digest it and it's wonderful for them. My poor belly isnt equipped with the right enzymes to digest those foods. So I went cold turkey and got rid of every food that bothered me. And the weight just MELTED off.

Let me remind you all that I am italian. This means for the rest of my life I will not be able to have italian bread, cheese, pasta. Yeah all that. Whoa is me. -_-

But losing 80+ pounds over the last year has made it worth it. I went from a size 20 at my biggest to a nice size 7. Its amazing the progress I have had and the fact that half the people i hadn't seen in a while actually walked right passed me because they didn't know i was the same person made it all the worth while.

Over the next few weeks I am going to explain in detail all the things you will need to know to convert to this lifestyle change. Note the fact that i said lifestyle change and not diet. Diets don't work because as soon as you lose the weight and say "oh finally I can have my bread now", after two months you wonder why it came back. NOW not everyone needs to be on this diet. But for people that have food sensitivities this blog will help you understand them and have at least one person to relate to. I am a young woman and not being able to go out and eat pizza and whatever i want isn't easy but it will be worth it for you i promise.

Keep reading my posts for wonderful recipes, tips, ideas, and advice from someone who has experienced it first hand. And dont be afraid to email me and ask me anything you would like. Thanks! Happy life changing!

-Cassie Lynn