Made Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe tonight for dinner. Got this recipe from my Aunt and it is a favorite here, but tonight I changed it up a little (as I usually do when cooking) and it was even more delicious :) I also kept it gluten-free as I used a gluten-free pasta :)
​I made the recipe pretty much as written except I doubled the tomatoes (we love tomatoes) and also added some spinach (just because I had some laying around). It was excellent. I think next time I may use a little more cream because I prefer more sauce.

I am still awaiting blood test results regarding food intolerance. It is getting frustrating and I have fallen off the grain-free wagon a few weeks ago. I know gluten is a problem for me because I am now feeling horrible again since eating it. It can be so hard to eliminate it fully though, especially since I do not eat many of the gluten-free products available due to additives and other questionable ingredients. 
I am finding I am getting very bored with just meat and veggie meals. I am not a huge meat eater and I am finding it getting harder and harder. I am still trying to limit gluten (although not doing to well lately) but I have been eating other grains. Oh, rice, how I have missed thee.
I have been doing smoothies most mornings and recently started an overnight oat recipe for breakfasts. Mmmmm, I have even missed oats. 

Some dinners the last week or so have been Chicken Chow Mein on rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Chili, Garlic Shrimp and Baked Zucchini, and tonight we had Stuffed Peppers. Still really healthy and excellent meals; just not grain-free.

We tried a new restaurant last night to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. Hubby booked us in at One 11 Chophouse in Murray Premises downtown. It's a traditional style steak house where they have several options for steak (some can get very expensive) and the sides are all ordered separate. There are other entrees available as well which come with their own sides.


All I can say is WOW! One of the best steaks I have ever had and I didn't order the most expensive options either. Everything about the restaurant was great from the food, which was top notch, to the excellent service and wonderful atmosphere.



We decided not to order appetizers as I find steak very filling and would rather eat dessert :) We had a mini cod fritter each that came out compliments of the kitchen; these were delicious and would be a great addition to the appetizer menu, hint hint :) We also had fresh made focaccia bread with olive oil which was fantastic. I love these little extra touches at a restaurant, and this is why the prices are higher. (Yes, I know, the bread has gluten, sigh, but it was sooooo good).

For our mains I ordered the 6 oz Tenderloin as I love that cut of meat and prefer a smaller steak. It was fantastic; the taste was wonderful. Hubby ordered the Dry-Aged 12 oz Strip-loin to try and he loved his as well. We went with 3 sides to share; the Market Vegetable (which happened to be kale that evening), the duck fat fries (because how can you not order fries cooked in duck fat) and the Potatoes Mille-Feuille (which was liked a mini scalloped potato deep-fried). The sides tasted great as well, but keep in mind they are pretty small. The only negative we had was we ordered our steaks done medium-rare (I always order rare) due to the cooking descriptions on the menu, and we both found the steaks over-cooked. They were still delicious but not as rare as I expected based on their own descriptions. Next time I will be ordering my meat rare :)

For dessert I tried the Flour-less Chocolate Cake with a bacon whisky maple ice cream, along with a decaf coffee with Baileys. The cake was excellent but the ice cream was a little odd for me. As much as I love desserts and bacon, I find them odd when paired together. The coffee was excellent as well. Hubby had the Bailey's Panna cotta, which he loved. He wasn't even having dessert until I ordered it for him because I wanted to try it as well and then he ate it all.

Overall, this was a fabulous meal. When you want to get out for a nice dinner, or a special occasion, or just a great steak; give this place a try. We will be going back again :)

I haven't been posting lately because I've been very busy on my gluten overload these past 2 weeks :( 

I went about 7 weeks completely gluten-free and mostly grain-free; all grains eliminated except for corn. I was feeling better but still not great and was awaiting blood test results to see if any other foods may be causing me problems. Results were due last week so I decided to have a free for all. I started eating gluten again and junk food. I figure once the results are back I will definitely have to eliminate gluten from now on and some other foods so I tried to eat as much as possible before then. I know; very bad thinking. Well, I am now feeling horrible; all my problems have come back or increased. As well, some new problems have appeared and my results are still delayed. No news yet, sigh.

Some of things I have been eating: Rupert's sandwiches and cheesecake (they were closing for awhile no needed to binge a little), Chinese food, Tim Horton's sandwiches, bagels and donuts, corn twists and chips, Duck Nachos, Cooked Dinner (thanks Mom, it was delicious), cake, burgers, & pizza. Have been going completely overboard for awhile now :(

Need to get back on track now and start feeling better.

Tried another new recipe today: Rosemary-Honey Chicken with Smashed Cauliflower. I doubt I will be making again soon. I liked it but Hubby wasn't too fond. It was a lot of steps to make it as well; and for me it needs to be great if it's going to be more work and time consuming. The chicken was good and Hubby liked that as well. The Cauliflower was very different for us, but I liked it, although it was pretty sweet tasting. I could probably do the cauliflower again (tweaked a little for sweetness), but you need the chicken pan drippings (with sauce) for the cauliflower recipe. I will have it for lunch tomorrow and see what it's like as a leftover. Hubby is only taking the chicken; he can't do the texture of the cauliflower again :) Oh well, they can't all be great new recipes :)