Wednesday Night Rituals

This summer I started a new Wednesday night routine. I leave work on time and drive past my usual route home and cross the Merrimack River into Newburyport. By this time the clock is hovering around the 5:30pm mark and I'm ready for the first stop in the routine.

I drive through the quaint town that seems pretty quiet these days after a busy summer full of tourists and head to my favorite  cafe. The best part about this place? I can have everything on the menu... it's gluten-free, dairy free and even soy free. The food is fresh and the smoothies are satisfying.

The Revitalive Cafe just feels like a good way to start the evening. I grab something light and maybe a goodbad snack.

a spring roll stuffed full of goodness

They don't always have the gf/df "cheesecake" but when they do it's hard to resist...

"cheesecake"

Lately I've ventured to the smoothie menu, last week's love was a peanut butter cup flavor and this week... Carrot Cake. 

It was perfect for the season as here in New England we've hit Fall. The hazy, hot and humid summer has given way to crisp nights and apple orchards full of people waiting for the classic New England experience and Apple Cider Donuts. It's made me a bit sad until my favorite chefs whipped up a recipe this week... I can't wait to try out Team Bronski's gluten free donuts soon.  

The rest of my night? I grab my tote full of yarn and head to my local yarn shop for a night of knitting with new friends. 

It's not often life brings together people of all ages, demographics and temperaments; when it does it's a pretty cool thing. I love my Wednesday night rituals, good nourishing food, great knitting time and even better company. 

Life Alive in Lowell, MA Gluten free & organic cafe

How do you judge a good restaurant? The atmosphere,  the menu or the bathroom? I'm happy to share that Life Alive wins on all three... especially the bathroom. The converted dwelling kept the tub and turned it into a wonderful plant oasis. 

A few weeks ago we ventured over to Lowell, MA to meet up with our friend Carol for her birthday. She doesn't eat meat and I don't eat gluten so finding a place to feed us both can be a challenge. Thankfully Life Alive came onto my radar via Urbanspoon and this place fed us not just safely but well.

I enjoyed a Demi portion of the Goddess for lunch and the size was perfect- not too small but I didn't leave the table feeling like I overate.  Life Alive described it in such a way that this non-veggie monster was craving this dish.... (as taken from their website)

Our famous Ginger Nama Shoyu Sauce nurturing carrots, beet, broccoli, dark greens, & tofu gracing short-grain brown rice. 

Somehow they took all my favorite veggies and crafted the dish so well that I didn't miss the meat. I even enjoyed the tofu. The staff was well versed and helped me sub a dressing that was gluten free and paired well. They even had Liz Lovely treats as well... which I couldn't resist but ended up taking home  for later.

We enjoyed a great day with the birthday girl and the pups even snuck in a swim.

Although I'm not sure Sara was too excited about the swim after the monsters shook off onto her...

We were all excited to have a good day with great friends and yummy food and to be able to give the birthday girl her new handknit socks.

It must have been birthday ju-ju as these socks totally knit up as a matching pair- the self stripping yarn doesn't always and it was fun to see them match so perfectly.

Life Alive also has locations in Cambridge and Salem, MA so check them out on your gluten free travels.

Rolling with the Tides and Just for Me Gluten Free in Haverhill, MA

One of the biggest things that we all have to learn in our gluten free journey is how to deal with change and  roll with the tide. Some of us embrace the challenge head on and dive into learning, cooking and enjoying all that the gluten free life has to offer while others may take some time to warm up, no judging here- we all cope with this journey differently. Often times these lessons learned in gluten free living can help us deal with other areas of life as well.

These days I'm rolling with the tide and shifting gears a bit. It's a big step and the magnitude may not really hit until the snow flies next winter but I'm ready for the next phase of life. Camp Chaos (my home) has traditionally been in the mountains and this year we're moving to the ocean. We'll always be skiers and the mountains will always be our love but we're not solely defined by one thing or where we rest our head at night. We're opening up our lives to the next adventures and discovering that life can also feel good with a bit of sand between your toes (or on your tennis ball as in the case of the pups)  

This also changes my gluten free game as I'm now within striking distance of PF Chang's and Whole Foods. Seriously- this is big. It doesn't mean I'll hit each weekly but now I could as I'm less then 30 minutes from either. Last week I took a little field trip to Haverhill, MA and hit up a new-to-me store which I happened to feel right at home in...

I thought you might too. Just for Me Gluten Free is a small boutique that I found via a google search and since I *had* to go to Haverhill anyhow to go to Target I figured I should swing in.
There were so many of my favorite gluten free goodies but I was on a time crunch and couldn't linger. I quickly found some English Muffins that my younger sister loves and a few Liz Lovely treats.

Foods By George makes one fat english muffin and I actually thought the hearty four pack was a six pack at first. I kept them in the freezer and would let it defrost on the counter for a few hours. There's not dedicated gluten free toaster for me so I sliced it in half and fried it up in a pan with a bit of Earth's Balance before loading it with strawberry jam. I have to say- I'm impressed with George. These were thicker then the ones my Gluten Free English Muffin dealer supplied me with this winter and had a more "classic" appearance with all the delightful air pockets that became perfect little homes for the jelly.

My Liz Lovely finds were a real treat,I've been a fan of the vegan bakery since my friend first shared their gluten free goodies with me on a road trip in 2009. While I lived in Colorado I would order a case of cookies for special occasions (really- it was the best shipping deal- I had to get a whole case...thankfully they let you mix it up!) so it was fun to just pick up a pack or two. I also got to try a new product...

the new gluten free and vegan Liz Lovely Oh's. These little bad boys come in packs of 8 and are thickly coated in chocolate.

Love at first bite... I hid them in the back of the fridge but that was mostly from myself and not from Dave...