Overall:
Pros:
- Entirely gluten free, 100% celiac safe
- Dairy options
- Vegan options
- Vegetarian

Cons: 
- Tight space
- Downtown Toronto (which might not be accessible for everyone)

Regardless, it is definitely worth making a weekend trip for. The location could also be a bonus with many other gluten free options around to grab a bite or sweet treat after your breakfast. :)

What are some of your favourite gluten free breakfast spots?!
Let me know in the comments below!
Happy eating!! <3

Léa S.

Valentine's day is quickly approaching and we're always looking to surprise our loved one's with something extra special so I thought, why not start off the day with a thoughtful Valentine's day inspired breakfast. In this post, I'll be showing you guys how I created these adorable chocolate drizzled heart shaped french toasts.

What you will need: 

• Gluten free toast (Pictured: Udi's gluten free multigrain toast)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of milk (I used Silk almond milk - my favorite!;))
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract 
• Cinnamon to taste 
• Maple Syrup, agave, or honey
• Chocolate Chips (Pictured: Enjoy Life's vegan chocolate chips)
• White chocolate melts 
• Heart shaped sprinkles
• Scissors 
• 1 Plastic bag

Getting diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, it is more than likely that you will have many deficiencies. Therefore, it's important for you to supplement with vitamins. I suggest following up with your doctor, a dietician, or a naturopath in order to run some tests and figure out which supplements you will need.

3. Get cooking! 
This is a big one! Seeing as you now have to be extremely cautious of what's entering your body, the luxury of just grabbing any food will no longer be a thing. That being said,  I suggest experimenting in the kitchen. This may seem very strenuous for some of you when starting out, but fear not as this will help you learn which foods and flours work best for you and your body. To top it off, the feeling is also very rewarding once you get into the swing of things.

4. Exercise!
Although I loved exercising prior to my diagnosis, autoimmune diseases affect several bodily functions and thus, celiac's amongst other autoimmune disease sufferers are more prone to other conditions such as osteoporosis. Therefore, it is extremely important to supplement a healthy diet with some exercise to keep them bones strong and healthy! I suggest at least 30 minutes of physical activity 3 times per week in order to reap the benefits. This will help you keep in tip top shape physically and mentally! :)

5. Last but not least, surround yourself with a great support group! 
What many do not know is that celiac also affects mental health which is why I believe that it is so important to surround yourself with a great group of friends and family who support you, help you, and love you when the going gets tough. It won't always be easy, but with some positivity, it will definitely get better.

Bottom line, don't surround yourself with people who make you feel bad about your lifestyle choices.

And that marks the end of my post! :) On a final note, whether you are living with an autoimmune disease or not, I believe that we can all benefit from these tips in order to lead a healthier lifestyle! :)

I hope this helps some of you and encourages you to take charge and start making some healthy choices!

Much love,
xox Léa S.

Are you craving a bite but not sure where to hit up for a gluten free treat?

I had a friend recently approach me asking me if I could give her a list of spots she could go out to enjoy a gluten free meal because she was feeling very limited in terms of options. So, I thought.. why not write a post out of it and share it with the rest of you to help some of you out or anyone that has some gluten free friends/family as well! :)

Eating out when Gluten Free can be quite the challenge at times and although many places claim to offer gluten free menus, the issue of cross contamination is still present making it a no-no. For people like me with celiac disease, that completely sloshes our chances of enjoying something at least half decent while hanging out with friends. The last thing you want to do is watch everybody chow down burgers, wings, pizzas, and fries while you sit there eating a plain steak with some kale (unless by choice ofcourse! :) ). I'm the type of person who likes to go all out and indulge when I eat out. If you're anything like me, then you've come to the right place. :)

After a ton of research, trial, and error, I've put together a list of my favourite and safest (celiac safe) gluten free spots in the Toronto area up to date. Here it is :

If you're looking for an actual meal: 

• Riz (Certified gluten free restaurant) : This is the only spot where I eat sushi in Toronto! This place is certified gluten free and sooo good! On top of being certified, they make sure to label all gluten free dishes with plates labeled gluten free (how awesome is that ?! :)).               This restaurant has 2 locations :  Riz on Bayview - located at 1677 Bayview Avenue and Riz North - located at 3321 Yonge St.
• The Dirty Bird : If you're craving some chicken and waffles this is going to become your go- to! The dirty bird is located in the Kensington market and their staff is very knowledgeable on celiac and will take precautions to allow you to enjoy some gluten free chicken and waffles. They also have a separate gluten free waffle maker which puts us at ease in terms of cross contamination. :) Overall, awesome chicken and waffles spot. You can't go wrong.
• The Relish Bar and Grill : This restaurant is a recognized gluten free restaurant since 2005. To add to that, they have a separate celiac friendly menu with a wide variety of dishes! Not only does this place serve food, but they have live bands which makes for a fun night out with friends. :) Located at 2152 Danforth Avenue. 
• Live organic food bar : Known as a Toronto plant-based, organic, gluten and refined sugar-free restaurant and live organic raw products since 2002.  So no worries about cross contamination here woo-hoo! :) You can find their products in many grocery stores. They also have 2 restaurants. The first one is located at 264 Dupont St., Toronto and the second at 134 Atlantic Avenue, Toronto. 
• Tori's bakeshop: Sweet little bakeshop located at 2188 Queen St. East. This bakeshop offers an awesome selection of GF treats. More so, they are a bakeshop by day offering after hours by night!! :) During after hours, they offer a menu of shareable GF platters and drinks! :)
• Basil Box and Salad King: Both these restaurants are located right at Yonge and Dundas, across the street from one another. Basil box is entirely gluten free which is awesome because you could eat anything off the menu while salad king offers gluten free items on their original menu. While Salad King is not entirely gluten free, you'll find a symbol indicating which of their dishes are gluten free. 
• Moxie's : While I have found that most commercial/big chain restaurants offer gluten free menus that aren't so gluten friendly towards celiacs, Moxie's made the list for me for the sole purpose that they take allergies very seriously and do their best to provide modifications to your meal so that you can have an equally awesome experience. My personal favorites are the Kale and Quinoa salad + they have a gluten free cheesecake! There are several locations so this place definitely won't be hard to find. 
• Hey Lucy's : I absolutely love this spot! Hey Lucy's has two locations, the 1st is located in the Annex at 440 Bloor St. West, and the 2nd is located in the entertainment district at 295 King St. West. The King St location also has a rooftop patio which I love. While this place isn't entirely gluten free, I love the atmosphere and they are very accommodating in terms of allergies and offer gluten free options. My personal favourites are the pizzas!

I came across a post today that talked about a bunch of desserts that every person living in Toronto should try this summer. While this post seemed pretty appealing - because let's be real, who doesn't love dessert.. - the subhead of the post is what really struck me which is what inspired this post. Under the title read "Gluten Free is SO 2015". Now obviously this was probably meant as some light hearted joke or what not, but this really struck me because it is the perfect example of the stigma around a gluten free diet being seen as a fad(which for some people it obviously is, but not all of us! Exhibit A over here :) ). You don't see people saying a peanut allergy is SO 2015 right?

Just FYI, you don't think gluten free people want to enjoy those desserts too?! I would die for a donut cone ice cream, some decadent donuts, or some next level ice cream cones. Those desserts would be on my bucket list just as much as yours IF ONLY I would even be able to indulge in them. IT actually sucks sometimes seeing these posts and knowing that I can't just go out and enjoy them while spending the day downtown. Instead, I start thinking up of ways to revamp the recipe so that I could make it at home which hey, don't get me wrong, I do not mind at all and actually enjoy doing :) but it's just a reminder that we do enjoy our dessert as well and Gluten Free is not SO 2015 for all of us but kind of more of a life long thing.

I get that saying "Gluten Free is SO 2015" was definitely just a light hearted joke, and I am not particularly offended (luckily I don't get offended easily, but some people would!) by it but I just wanted to point out that this just goes to show how many places don't take it seriously because it is seen as more of a fad rather than anything else. I'm sure I wouldn't only be speaking on my behalf but other celiacs as well by saying that it would be nice if there were actually more places who took the disease more seriously and took the right precautions so that we can enjoy their tasteful treats too! :) Although there are a few Toronto bake shops which already offer an extensive amount of Gluten free goodies (one of my favorites Bunner's bakeshop in Kensington Market), they are not widely available to us!!

For my fellow Celiac's/Gluten intolerants as well as the rest of you, here's a list of places you can enjoy gluten-free treats on the go, or on a nice summer day so you don't feel so bad about yourself ;) :

**Disclaimer: there are obviously a TON of GF treats found in grocery stores but this is for more of a grab and go type of thing!

- Menchie's Frozen yogurt : Many but not all are gluten free. The gluten free flavours will have gluten free listed on them which is your indicator to go nuts.
- Yogurty's : Same concept with the Gluten free flavours as Menchies.
- Bunner's Bakeshop: Located in Kensington market, this bakeshop has everything from poptarts, to cinnamon buns, cupcakes, and ice cream!! LOVE this place (* the french toast cupcake is to die for;) )
- Prairie Girl : Located on King St. West in Toronto, this place has amazing gluten free cupcakes. The first time I had one, I had to go back inside and make sure they were actually the gluten free cupcakes because that's just how good they were! They don't have that many flavours, but super worth your buck. :)
- Amadeus Cakes & Patisserie: Has some tasty macaroons and the best one's I have ever tasted to date (in my opinion) and they are all gluten free!! This sweet spot is located in Thornhill, right off of Clark and Bathurst.
- Olive and Chili : If you are located in the Ottawa area, then you have been blessed with this entirely gluten-free shop. They don't only offer desserts but a wide range of foods as well, ALL gluten free so you don't even have to worry about CC. In terms of desserts, they offer a wide variety ranging from Danishes, cookies(Oatmeal's my fav!), cakes, and ECLAIRS!!! (another one of my absolute favs). This has become one of my go to's.. but unfortunately because I don't live in Ottawa, it's only like a twice a year thing.

*(I have a couple pictures of some of these desserts that I'll link at the bottom of the post)

Those are the one's I could think of off the top of my head. Do you know of any gluten free dessert places?! If so, please let me know in the comments below or message me! :) I always love getting suggestions, and feedback.

Happy eating! :)
Léa S. :)

 Bunner's Bakeshop cupcakes                               Amadeus Macaroons 

The french toast flavor is the cupcake to the right in the second row from the top! :) So delish!!

Amadeus' Macaroons in Earl grey (my personal favorite!), salted caramel, and vanilla!

Red Velvet cupcakes!