When things don’t go as planned, what do you do? Just go to sleep and hope for a better day when you wake up! That’s been pretty much the name of the game over here as the health woes are not closer to being figured out. And then it dawns on me that my final semester of college is starting in about 3 weeks! So I’m going to be adding an internship on to everything else. It’s going to be one day at a time, but at least I know there will be a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel in terms of school when I can finally get my degree and really “level up”.

So I wish I had answers, not only for myself, but to give you, but the vagueness continues. Let’s just make the rest of August the best it can be (hope for no more rain!) and soak up that last bit of summer freedom!

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Homemade Gluten-Free Copycat Totino’s Pizza Rolls (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

Wednesday: Easy & Fluffy Gluten-Free Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes (Allergy-Free)

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So I’m not allergic to some of the foods I thought were causing my reactions, as I found out during my allergist appointment. He told me it’s probably not even a food that giving me these problems and wants me to start a routine of allergy medication. He wants some additional blood work, but right now I’m just going to watch what I eat and any products I use on my skin…Hmmmm.

In other news, we’ll be back to your “regularly scheduled programming” here on Strength and Sunshine next week with two fabulous recipes I’m super excited to share with you. Some nostalgia and some breakfast goodies will be coming you way! Stay tuned and happy weekend!

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)

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If you didn’t leave July with a bang, don’t worry, I did that for you! In all the most not-good ways, the foreseeable future of the month of August is not going to be very fun or relaxing. It all starts with those random hives I got a few weeks ago and mentioned in passing over here. Well, it kept (keeps) happening and I’ve been trying to narrow it down, as it’s gotten worse. I’ll be getting good ole’ allergy testing down next week so fingers crossed for an answer! I also went to see my GI doc for a routine bi-annual follow-up and things were not good. I neglected getting one specific test which may give us an answer to a persistent problem, but we thought things were okay and it wouldn’t be needed.

Honestly, once I have more answers I’ll give you a real update. I realize I never did, even from over a year ago when my body basically broke on me. Just know that August may be a bit slow over here. We only have one (delicious) post going out next week (plus the Finisher). But don’t worry, I’m still “here”! See you next week! By the way, is it really August?!

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Gut-Healthy Thick & Creamy Chocolate Smoothie (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Wednesday: 4-Ingredient No-Churn Vegan Tahini Chocolate Ice Cream (Gluten-Free, Paleo)

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The East Coast (notably NJ) was slammed with rain ALL week! Crazy! I’m surprised we didn’t all drown! Needless to say, any photo shoots I had planned for recipes did not happen, nor was I able to enjoy the last of our July summer-outdoor fun. I did risk my life and ended up driving in torrential downpours to get some blood work I needed done. I tried to time it so I could dodge the big pockets of rain…of course that didn’t happen. People were basically stopping on the highway because you could not see out the windshield! It was an accomplishment to make it home safe, that’s for sure!

I can’t believe August is upon us already! Where did the summer go? Some kids are already gearing up for back to school in the next couple of weeks (I don’t start until September!) I didn’t even do anything “summery” yet so let’s slow things down and make August count! You with me?

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Maple Blueberry Powdered Sugar Doughnuts (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo, Allergy-Free)

Wednesday: Roasted Skillet Breakfast Potatoes with Peppers & Onions (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo)

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I’ve been super tired this past week, how about you? Even though it’s summer, I feel like I’m trying to churn out even more energy than during the school year. Yet, during this season, I’m getting a lot less work done. I did come across an article this week (you’ll find it below in the links!) that talked about how our brains and bodies really do slow down during the summer. For me though, it’s not the heat that slows me down, I think it’s just this mindset of “It’s summer so you don’t technically have to do anything”. But I do, I have my own business + freelance + preparing for post-grad life. I’m feeling zero inspiration to produce any new content or write up posts and edit photos for content I already have. I know I’ll be taking a few slow weeks in August (i.e. 1 post weeks). I don’t know if it’s a rut, but there is a lot of frustration swirling around. Where’s my motivation? Help! Let me know if you find it!

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Classic American Coleslaw (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Allergy-Free)

Wednesday: Easy Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad “Gurkensalat” (Gluten-free, Vegan, Paleo)

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