When I told Dan I wanted to go GF, his immediate reaction was confusion (what’s gluten?), followed closely by panic. Was this the end of his gluten eating days? No more bread? No more cookies? OMG, was I trying to starve him? No. I was not. In fact, we’ve been eating better than ever since I adopted a GF lifestyle. Since all of our old stand-by meals (delivery pizza, frozen dumplings, cheese/bread & crackers, etc.) are outside my diet, I’ve actually been cooking more lately, which means fewer starchy, processed foods, and a whole lot more fresh veggies and lean protein. Yes, it’s been doing our bodies good.

As it turns out, there are lots of good things to eat that don’t involve gluten. And, one of the best meals we’ve eaten in recent memory was this hearty, healthy garden scramble served with a pile of crispy skillet potatoes. Dan initially thought I’d maybe gone a little too crazy with the vegetables, but all complaints ceased after the first bite. The soft, bright vegetables were wonderful inside the fluffy scrambled eggs, and didn’t at all detract from the overall flavor and texture of the dish. Dan’s verdict? If “we” could cut the prepping and cooking time down a little (everyone’s a critic), this garden scramble could totally be sold in restaurants. Maybe.

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For the last two weeks, I’ve been going gluten-free. Not for health reasons — thinking back on the amount of wheat-packed bread and baked goods I’ve happily consumed over the years, I’m pretty positive I’m not allergic to gluten. No, this is all about vanity. It all started when I was griping to my friend Sarah about how all my healthy eating and exercising have lead to no noticeable results in the wedding-diet department. Sure, I looked more toned, but my clothes were still uncomfortably tight. Annoying. Teenage metabolism, why did you leave me?

When I was finally done whining, Sarah told me (not for the first time) that I should try going gluten free like she did. She’s also currently on a campaign to get fit for her wedding (in June!), and the GF-thing has really been working for her. Pounds lost, headaches gone, looser pants. Admittedly, it sounds like she might actually have a bit of a gluten allergy, but I was willing to give it a shot and see what it did for me. There are worse things than eating less bread, right? And, if nothing happened, I could go right back to devastating bread baskets.

Two weeks into my new GF lifestyle, and my skirts are noticeably looser. I don’t know if it can all be attributed to the gluten-scorning, since I’ve also kept up with my exercise and healthy eating regimen, but it’s something! At a minimum, it’s helped me avoid junky snacking and pizza-packed “cheat” nights. I feel great, but I do miss my baked goods. I tried making GF brownies the other night, but those were terrible and got tossed. And, since I’ve also been trying to eat fewer sweets in general, a big batch of GF coconut chocolate chip cookies were not in my cards. Which is why when I saw a recipe for single-serving mug-cookies the other day, I knew I had found my salvation. I had some doubts about microwave cookies, but this actually turned out really well. The texture was exactly what you’d want in a chocolate chip cookie — moist and chewy, with crispy bits, and the flavors were spot on. Dan said it was my most successful mug-dessert yet. Awesome.

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If you’re going to drink a whole lot of margaritas, you definitely need a hearty, tasty snack or appetizer to go with them. My personal favorite is chips & dip. Crunchy, salty chips to cut through the tangy sweetness of the margaritas, and thick, creamy cheese sauce (or guacamole) to help those chips slide down real easy.  Since I made peach margaritas for early-Cinco de Mayo last week, it seemed appropriate to make queso for actual Cinco de Mayo.

When  we go out for Mexican food, I actually tend to gravitate more towards guacamole than queso. But lately guacamole has become kind of a regular don’t-want-to-cook-real-food-for-dinner occurrence in our house, so I’m a little avocado’d out. Creamy, zesty cheese sauce is super delicious, though, and seemed infinitely more appealing for Cinco de Mayo. Dan was particularly excited about this recipe —  the man goes through so many jars of the Tostitos brand queso, we have to buy it in bulk from BJs. Yes, his lifestyle is super healthy. And yes, this homemade version is much tastier than the jarred stuff. Less salty, more flavorful, and dangerously easy to eat. Served with a pile of blue corn chips, this was the perfect (gluten free) pre-dinner snack.

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It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! Otherwise known as my favorite excuse to make and drink a whole bunch of margaritas. I realize that two back to back cocktail posts might make it look like I have a bit of a drinking problem, but I don’t — I swear! I just like icy cold beverages made from blended fruit. Who doesn’t, amiright? And, if there’s booze in it, all the better…

OK. Can I be honest? I don’t actually have a lot to say here. No back stories, no lead-in to the post. I mainly just wanted a post-work cocktail, and felt compelled to take pictures because it’s a new flavor (and, this is my first time using these glasses). It was a serious struggle just to come up with these two sad, disjointed paragraphs.

But, I do want you to know that these frozen peach margaritas are really good. Sweet, tangy, and full of peachy good flavor, they go down so smoothly you’ll be staring at the bottom of your glass before you know it. Dangerous! Get on it.

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Today was the nicest day we’ve had in a while — clear skies, high of 70, lots of sun, and no wind. It was a day meant to be spent outside. So, instead of lounging around our condo being lazy like we usually do on Saturdays, Dan and I decided to revive our balcony garden. Admittedly, neither of us is really that good with plants yet. Especially me — I managed to kill three cacti in my office last year. And Dan, who actually comes from a family of good gardeners, never really took an interest in plants before. So when we started our balcony garden last spring, there was definitely a bit of a learning curve. But it was fun, and we were so pumped when our plants started to actually grow things. I think Dan spent basically every morning on the balcony, plant-whispering to his peppers. Must have worked, because we had more peppers than we could eat last year. Our thumbs weren’t black after all!

Lessons learned from last year: (1) citrus plants need a ton of sunlight and lots of warm weather, (2) over-zealous watering is bad for plants, (3) herbs just take up garden space if you never actually use them, (4) mint can overrun everything in no time, (5) peppers are easy to grow but we don’t actually eat that many peppers, and (6) growing flowers from seeds is beyond my powers. So this year, we changed things up! We got a new mint plant (our other ones died over the winter) and put it in its own pot, bought full grown daisies for our hanging planters, and replaced our herb pots with tomatoes, a habanero plant, and some green onions. Doesn’t everything look awesome???

As a reward for all our hard work in the garden, I made us a big pitcher of mojitos. Cherry-berry frozen mojitos, to be exact. I love mojitos in any form, but blended just seems more decadent, don’t you think? And, cherry isn’t a flavor you see a lot in drinks, so that uniqueness made these mojitos a lot of fun. I had originally planned on using frozen peaches for our post-gardening cocktail, but when I saw bags of frozen cherries at the store I knew I had to try them. The resulting beverage wasn’t as tart as I was expecting, but a dash of lime juice helped balance out the sweetness of the cherries. Cool, sweet, slightly fizzy, and refreshing, these mojitos were the perfect treat after a productive morning/afternoon in the garden…and again the next day, just because. Cheers!

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For my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to be low key. I figured since I’ve already started selectively forgetting how old I am, it’s probably silly to make a big deal about my “special day” with the usual group dinner party/bar-hopping extravaganza. So instead, Dan and I celebrated my 27th a few days early with junk food and wine at a local vineyard with some friends, and a deliciously messy lunch with my parents at a no-plates, no-utensils, everything-tastes-better-when-you-eat-with-your-hands seafood joint the next day. So tasty. And, so much fun!

And, for my birthday treat, I made ice cream! Honest to goodness, creamy-smooth ice cream with thick swirls of tangy blueberry sauce, made without churning. Dan wants to know why I wasted money on an ice cream maker if I’m not even going to use it the one time I decide to make ice cream. I’m going to use it! Eventually. I just didn’t have all the ingredients (or the patience) to make fancy pants slow churned ice cream for my birthday. And with this recipe, all I had to do was mix up a few simple ingredients, pour everything into a loaf pan, and wait patient for my freezer to do magic. Sure beats baking and frosting a cake, right? I think ice cream may become a new birthday tradition around here.

And don’t let Dan’s grumbling fool you — he loved this ice cream. He’s a sucker for anything with blueberries in it, and was upset he had to wait any amount of time for the cream to freeze up/be ready to eat. I couldn’t blame him – I could tell this ice cream was going to be phenomenal just from licking the beaters. The base mixture for the ice cream is rich and milky-sweet, and provides the perfect contrast to the tart sweetness of the blueberry sauce.  Once frozen and eaten together, the ice cream maybe isn’t quite as soft and rich as your standard slow-churned version, but is definitely delicious and tastes amazingly like blueberry cheesecake. A fabulous alternative to store-bought ice cream. I will definitely be making this again.

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In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings this week, it’s been a little hard to understand how some people can be so awful. For four years, Marathon Day was something my friends and I all looked forward to every spring – a welcome reprieve from classes, a reason to be out and about in the sun, and an excuse to goof off and day-drink with friends. We cheered for classmates running the race in those same spots, we shopped in most of those stores on Boylston, and ate meals at many of the restaurants along that street.  All I can say is, thank god none of our friends and family were hurt. My heart goes out to all the people in Boston and elsewhere who can’t say the same.

As I try to process what happened in Boston, I find myself taking enormous comfort from the words of comedian Patton Oswald.  Talking about the sociopath that caused this devastation, and people’s loss of faith in humanity, he said: “If it’s one person or a hundred people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out . . . the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak . . . So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, “The good outnumber you, and we always will.” So true.

I think the best we can do now is pick up the pieces, remember all the people that ran towards the wreckage, find joy where we can, and move on. And so, I write about chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies with a tantalizing hint of coconut, that are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and so melt-in-your-mouth delicious that you’ll never believe they’re gluten free and dairy free.  Sure, they’re only 30 or 40 calories less than your average gluten/dairy-filled cookies. And who knows how much better for you almond meal and coconut oil really are than flour and butter? Either way, they’re delicious, they’re easy to make, and everyone can enjoy them. So, give them a try, take a bite, and be happy!

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I always used to think I was an adventurous eater, but lately I’ve realized that my dining habits are really boring. I literally eat the same things every day. Yogurt for breakfast, hummus & avocado sandwiches for lunch, fruit and nuts for a mid morning/afternoon snack, and whatever’s leftover in the fridge for dinner. When  we go out, it’s the same story — I’ll eye the raw oysters and steak tartare with raw egg, but ultimately settle on the grilled salmon or some kind of salad. Like I said…bo-ring.

Luckily, Dan is the same way (even worse than me, really). I guess we just like what we like, you know? And you know what we really like? Mushrooms. And spinach & artichoke dip. So when I saw my friend Sarah post a recipe for mushrooms stuffed with spinach & artichoke dip a few weeks ago, my brain exploded. When I recovered, I immediately filed the recipe away to try ASAP. I’ve been too lazy to cook lately, but when I woke up this morning eager to be in the kitchen, I knew exactly what I was going to make. And guys? So. Good. All the tangy, creamy goodness of spinach and artichoke dip, stuffed into a tender, bite-sized mushroom cup. Perfect snack food. Perfect lunch food. Perfect any time food. And, actually kind of healthy. Definitely my new favorite recipe. Thanks, Sarah!

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Happy Monday, everybody! What did y’all do this weekend? Dan and I were shockingly social and productive — instead of lounging around in our PJs and playing video games all day, we actually went out and did stuff. We ran errands, got long overdue haircuts, discovered a great new seafood place within walking distance of our condo, went hiking (and got just a little lost in the middle of a Civil War battlefield), and even squeezed in some fun with friends at our favorite vineyard. Phew. It was definitely an action packed weekend. Amazing how much motivation a little sunshine and warm weather can inspire in two couch potatoes, isn’t it?

If you need more proof of our weather-inspired motivation and productivity, this breakfast spread should do the trick. I, a person for whom the hours before noon don’t exist on weekends, woke up at 8am on Sunday. To make pancakes. With homemade blackberry sauce. And bacon. And strawberry mimosas! All before heading off on a 5 mile hike! Impressed?

These fluffy pancakes were the perfect fuel for our hike. Fluffy and soft, filling without being too heavy, and amazingly delicious with the tangy-sweet blackberry sauce. Guys, that sauce…I could have eaten the whole jar of the stuff by itself.  I honestly may have to put it on everything from now on. And hey, berries (with some sugar) are good for you, so if you think about it a certain way, I’m making healthy life choices here. Definitely.

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So guys…have you been infected with the madness that is college basketball? Dan and I – not so much. Basketball wasn’t really a big thing at our school (or any other sport, really) so neither of us has a horse in the race. As a result, Dan is much more excited about spring training, and I’m mainly just waiting for March to end so that it actually starts feeling like spring around here.

If I were a college basketball fan though, I would definitely use the games as an excuse to make loads of game day eats. Crispy wings dripping with sauce, nachos loaded with cheese, and tender, juicy sliders…mmm mmm mmmmm. Junk food is definitely the best part of watching sports, am I right? Yeah. I am.

Wings and burgers aside, pizza is another one of those things that just has to be eaten when watching sports. So, when BlogHer asked me if I wanted to participate in a blog series about game day eats, I immediately knew I was going to make pizza. These deep dish pizza cups are the perfect March Madness treat — portable, mess-free, easy to eat, easy to share, and super delicious. And, if you use store-bought dough and pizza sauce, they’re fast and easy to make too. This is a tasty, no-fuss party treat you’ll definitely want to try, even if you aren’t a basketball fan!

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This post is part of BlogHer’s March Madness Game Day Eats editorial series, made possible by Kettle Brand Chips.