Surviving the Holidays When You are Gluten/Dairy Free

Holiday parties are in full force and that means over drinking and over eating! For me it also means cross contamination and some serious belly aches! Here are a few tips I try to follow to avoid any unpleasant symptoms:

• Eat before you go out! Doesn't sound right, does it? But, in my experience, there is usually a lack of "Jen" friendly food, so a few things may result: over eating of chips or other junkie items to fill up, and getting seriously drunk! Eating a proper dinner before hand usually keeps this from happening.
• Offer to make/bring an app! Always offer to bring something to the party, that way you can make it GF/DF or whatever "free" you need it to be. Then you know for sure you will have something to eat. Some of my favs are: asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, arugula and prosciutto rolls, cured meats and olive platter, salad, flatbread, chocolate dipped strawberries, etc.
• Hangover Smoothie! My favourite smoothie the day after a night of drinking is a peanut butter chocolate banana smoothie.  Its delicious and cures any cravings and gurgling tummies. Mix half a banana + ice + 1 cup chocolate milk (soy, almond, dairy, etc) + 1 cup water + 1 heaping tsp of all natural peanut butter + 1 scoop unflavoured and unsweetened protein powder. Blend and drink up!

Happy Holidays! Hope these tips help you too!
~Jen