Gluten Free Body Ecology Garlic Bread: Overcoming The Desires of Perfectionism

I've been a little behind on my blog posts as of late. In that time I became a Godmother/Aunt to beautiful baby Leah Ann; the joy and love I feel for her is unreal! She is the definition of a perfect beautiful baby ready to take on the world.

Despite this joyous event I've been struggling quite a bit emotionally lately. I've let anxiety consume many moments, sadness replace any ounce of joy, and I've fallen trap to judging myself all to often. Perfection; it's something I've been striving for most of my life. Since I was a child I believed that if I could fool the world into believing that I had a perfect life if I could complete any task perfectly I would make the world believe I was perfect and lovable. Did you notice how I equate perfection with my lovability? Even as I write this statement my inner self looks at me and says, "Sweetie, this makes no sense and it's killing you. This is too stressful for anyone, even Superman!"

My deep seeded desire to be perfect has reared it's ugly head and is begging me to give in, give up, and allow myself to torture my every move and thought. That being said I'm grateful that I'm mindful enough to notice this happening and want to make a change.

Each day is a work in progress. Some are good, some are bad, some are so amazing that I'm smiling ear to ear all day. I have to remind myself that perfection doesn't make me lovable, it's my spirit that does. I obsess about getting that dance combination perfect on the first attempt, having my hair and makeup perfectly set so the world sees me only at my best, I obsess about my food at times feeling unsafe to eat anywhere but my house. It's really stressful to live this way.

I know that there are others out there who feel this way. Will we ever fully recover? I'm not sure. What I do believe is that focusing on the facts in front of you will help clarify what is actually happening.

Thursday after dance class my mentor/instructor looked at me and said, "I love having you here. It makes me so happy to see all the good things happening in your life with Aries and everything. I'm so happy you're here." The actual power of these words didn't hit me until much later in the day. Here I am letting myself get upset because I believe that not performing the combination 100% perfectly makes me a terribly, imperfect, unworthy dancer; in reality I am being received with nothing but love and joy. If that's not an "a-ha!" moment I don't know what is!

I've spent the last few days working out the kinks and becoming aware of my perfectionist ways and I realize that nothing is perfect and that's ok. I need to allow myself to love everything about myself, imperfections and all. I'm am re-engaging in the activities I know make me feel good and keep me happy. I've spent some time in the kitchen to de-stress and today I'm going to share a recipe that hits the spot when you need some comfort food.

What's a go-to comfort food? Garlic Bread! Now since going gluten free and embarking on The Body Ecology Diet I haven't indulged in this treat in over a year. I knew it would be a great accompaniment to some soup and decided to attempt to re-create this warm and gooey treat that would make it both gluten free and Body Ecology friendly. Here's the result :

What I love about this recipe is the basic crust recipe can be used for pizza or anything else that requires a bread-like base. Enjoy and remember to love yourself imperfections and all. Thanks for all your support and love. <3

Gluten Free Body Ecology Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

Base

1/2 cup red quinoa + 1/4 cup white quinoa soaked for at least 8 hours

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Braggs with the mother)

Dried Oregano, Basil, Garlic Powder, or other herbs to taste 

Pinch of Sea Salt

Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Garlic Topping 

4-6 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Fistful of Fresh Parsley finely chopped

2 heaping Tablespoons Ghee

Dash of Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a pizza sheet and line with parchment paper.

2. Drain the quinoa and rinse thoroughly. In a food processor (using the S blade) blend all Base ingredients for several minutes till smooth. You will need to scrape the bowl down 2-3 times. The final consistency will resemble pancake batter.

3. Spread the mixture onto the parchment lined sheet into an even layer. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes till the base becomes crusty.

4. In a small bowl mix the garlic, ghee, parsley, and sea salt till well combined. Remove the base from the oven and spread the garlic mixture evenly. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes till the garlic reaches your desired taste.