Lately, I have been paying extra attention to what I am eating, because of my (apparently sensitive) thyroid and because of the annoying joint pain I have in my wrists and my shoulder. I've read all over the internet that cutting down on gluten helps with inflammation, so I've been giving that a try. While for me it hasn't been that hard to be gluten-free and still dine out, it can definitely be a challenge. I think it is much easier if the gluten-free person chooses the restaurant. And, of course, I am doing this as a choice in order to try to make myself feel better, I don't have allergies or an intolerance, which is a whole different ball game in terms of health risks and the challenges that come with that.
While I'm on this journey to becoming an awesome yoga teacher, I'm feeling pretty busy. I work a full time job during the week, plus my shift at the yoga studio cleaning and checking in students on Saturdays, and I teach a class on Monday evenings. I also make sure that I spend time each day focusing on my yoga studies in some way: writing this blog, reading an article or five online, listening to a podcast, actually doing my practice... Additionally, I am a social butterfly, and often can't say no to plans with friends, even if I'm already feeling a bit tapped out. My friends are my rock, my support system, my escape and my main source of love, so it's rare for me to opt not to see them socially. The point I'm getting to is that sometimes, though eating healthfully is a high priority for me, like a lot of folks, it is often the first thing to go out the window when I'm super busy.
I do sometimes get bored cooking for myself all the time. There are only so many stir fries and omelets a lady can make for herself before it becomes uninspiring. Lately the selection of produce available at my grocery store is pretty sad, and I find myself lost for ideas. So I have been scoping out the frozen section of stores lately, looking for gluten-free options and I am pleased to report that I have found quite a few that are quick to prepare, delicious and not overly processed or super high in sodium. Amy's has a gluten-free rice crust pizza that I decided to try one night. (There is also a gluten-free fake-cheese pizza option, but I wasn't feeling experimental enough to go that far yet) I started baking the pizza in the oven and after about 10 minutes I took it out and covered it with some cold sauteed spinach that I got from Whole Foods the night before, and then I threw it back in the oven until it started to smell like it might catch on fire soon. Because the spinach was cold, I think it did something weird to the temperature and texture of the pizza, so when I took it out of the oven and tasted it, my first impression was that it was a little soggy. After letting it cool a bit, my second impression was that while it might have seemed a little soggy, it was a lotta delicious. And it was a hot, pretty nutritious dinner ready for me with minimal clean up in less than 1/2 hour. And I didn't have to stand and stir anything! I do think that topping the pizza with the spinach was crucial to "taking it to the next level" in terms of flavor and nutritional value. I would do this again and top it with marinated mushrooms and sundried tomatoes or sauteed kale! Actually, if the kale was cut finely enough, it probably could just go right on top without needing to be cooked first. 
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