Carol's Gluten-Free Cupcakes, made with Carol's Amazing All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour

Carol is a food writer, cookbook author and television chef who celebrates the abundance of a gluten-free life through her popular website Simply…Gluten-free, gluten-free cooking segments on the nationally syndicated morning show Daytime and is the author of the bookSimply…Gluten-free Desserts which will be published by Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan Press) sometime in 2010.

Yesterday I shared Part I of Carol Kicinski’s fabulous interview as part of the Careers in Holistic Health series. Read on for more great advice.

6. Would this career work well as a part time gig?

Yes, food writing can totally be a part time gig.  Even at my busiest I do other things.  I recently started a company selling a gluten-free flour product I developed.  So I do both.

7. In your opinion, is this a good career for a working mother?

It is not easy to make money being a food writer especially at first so if you need steady income fast then no.  However if you are passionate about food being a food writer fits in perfectly for a mother.

I work at home most of the time, when I want and around the needs of my family.  Sometimes I even work in my PJs!

8. Generally speaking, how is the earning potential?

This is so hard to answer.  I make money from food writing in various ways; through my blog, by freelancing and as a cookbook author.  I am still new to the “making money” part of this job but, like anything if you are willing to work and approach this as a business with professionalism, then you can make money.

9. Any words of wisdom for someone interested in following this path?

Do it because you love it not because you think it is a good way to make money.  The money will come but it is the passion that will get you to that point.

And as I mentioned earlier, be professional!  Think of food writing as a business even if you are not making moiney right off the bat.

Carol Working her Magic

10. Anything else you’d like us to know?

Starting my blog has opened doors for me I never dreamed of – I do regular gluten-free cooking segments on Daytime (a nationally sydicated morning show), I got my cookbook deal beacuse an editor saw my blog, I started producing my flour product (Carol’s Amazing All Purpose Gluten Free Flour) as a result of being unable to find a gluten free flour refined enough for the deeserts I was creating for my cookbook, I write for various publications and do speaking engagements.

As you can see, one thing sort of lead to another.  Be willing to take the journey.  While I do set goals for myself I also allow for the unexpected – sometimes the greatest opportunites come in a different form than one expected so be willing to look at all opportunities.

It also helps a lot to be kind and helpful to people.  You never know when someone you were kind and helpful to may just come up to you and say “I never forgot how nice you were, I want to give you this opportunity first…”

Ask questions and be willing to intern if applicable.  Most people are more than happy to share words of wisdom and advice on how todo what they do.  Ask, the worst that can happen is nothing.

Finally if you really want to be a food writer (or anything else for that matter) then just start doing it!  Start a blog, write for online information sites such as Devine Caroline ar Examiner.com.  If you are doing what you love then you will always be able to find a way to profit from it.  You may not be able to support yourself with your passion in the beginning but if you pursure what interets you, you will be happy and open to new things.  Keep your day job but work at your passion.

Carol Kicinski, Gluten-Free Food Writer

I am beyond excited to bring you today’s interview with the sublime Carol Kicinski. Carol and I connected via Twitter, and when I started this series, I couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be if she would do an interview. Lucky me–and lucky you!–she graciously agreed. When Carol’s interview landed in my email, I was downright giddy. There aren’t a whole lot of gluten-free food writer role models out there, so Carol’s work means a lot to this gluten-free gastronome. I had to restrain myself from adding gleeful commentary after every answer; I’m sure Carol will inspire you just fine without my input.

1. What is the most rewarding aspect of this career?

I am doing what I am passionate about – I develop delicious gluten-free recipes, cook and write about gluten free living, plus I can help others by sharing the knowledge I have gained in being gluten free for over 15 years.  The bedrock of my food writing career is my blog Simply…Gluten-free.

2. What are the biggest drawbacks? What frustrates you about this work?

I always want to do things better – so sometimes I get frustrated that my photos didn’t turn out the way I wanted or I may have a great idea for a recipe and it just does not work.  So I can get temporarily frustrated but that also spurs me to do better.

3. What sort of training is required?

I have no formal training in anything.  I am a self taught cook, self taught photographer and self taught writer.

4. How did you know this career was right for you?

I was doing it for no money anyway!  When I started my first cookbook Simply …Gluten-free Desserts (coming out this year by Macmillian Press) I knew I was doing what I was born to do.  It was a huge amount of work and I loved every seconds of it.

5. Do you like the atmosphere created by most of your colleagues in the industry?

I love the community of food bloggers which I guess are my colleagues.  I can’t think of better people to be associatd with or to be in communication with.

[Editor's Note: I've decided to split these interviews into two parts. There's just way too much goodness to try to try to cram it into one post.]

For starters, I bribed the fella by offering to do all the cooking and cleanup for our meals for two weeks. (Of course, because he’s awesome, he will absolutely chip in, but he didn’t want to feel obligated to come up with meals for this new lifestyle.) He’s a great cook in his own right, and has gotten mighty skilled in the gluten-free pescatarian realm, but vegan meals certainly take it to a realm in which I’m definitely the more comfortable cook.

I don’t have photos, unfortunately, but to give you a sample of the absolute deliciousness we’ll be eating for the next weeks, here’s a recap of today’s meals:

Breakfast: green smoothie for me, Honey Nut Cheerios with cow’s milk for MB. (We’re still finishing up some non-challenge foods and decided not to waste it.) I’m making almond milk tonight, so that’ll bring us closer to the vegan goal.

Lunch: a post-run meal of mushroom quinoa and swiss chard sauteed with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper powder.

Dinner: greens, sprouts, and carrots salad (need to go food shopping!) with homemade dressing; baked blackened tofu, inspired by Bryant Terry; zucchini medallions sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

Snacks: carrot and pear slices with homemade peanut butter.

This is the food that I whipped up in minimal time using what we have on hand to clean out the fridge before I do a big shop for oodles of fresh, colorful produce. Also, as a fun little twist on our food restrictions, MB’s body gets mad when he eats tomatoes or fruit, so this will be a veg-dense two weeks, with fruit for me as snacks and in smoothies.

I’ll be posting food recaps fairly regularly over these next two weeks (and I’ll try to get some foodie shots in there, too, guys) to prove just how delicious fresh, sugar-free, gluten-free, unprocessed vegan food can be.

After some thought and reading responses to my name change post, the current leader for a new URL is GreenJunkieLiving.com. Any last suggestions/affirmations? I’ll likely begin the transition next week.

I also wanted to make sure everyone’s seen the most recent healing bookshelf update. My dear Melinda kindly pointed out that I’d misspelled Bryant Terry’s name when I listed Vegan Soul Kitchen, which is a truly awesome cookbook.

I am also happy to report that Becoming Vegan and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World have just been upgraded from my wish list to my ownership. The former because I needed a bit of a recharge, and the latter because I bought it in error for the Holistic Health Junkie as inspiration for a very special project, only to realize…she already has it. Which means: I get it! Yay!

What I really want to talk about here, though, is that little recharge I need. Around New Year’s, after my information binge regarding all things animal product, I made the switch to pescatarian. (By the way–is that the right spelling? Every source I check doesn’t recognize the word.) Vegan is the ultimate goal, but I have to say, I’m having a really tough time with the idea of no cheese. (That said, my body has a tough time when I eat cheese, so some day my tastebuds and the entire rest of my body are going to have it out; I have an inkling who might win.)

I decided I would begin my transition by giving up land meat. Given my three major reasons for thinking about a vegan diet–my health, the planet’s health, and the desire to reduce animal suffering–this seemed like a solid first step. I admit: lobster and sushi were also considered when making this choice. And I’m happy to say, I really don’t miss bacon. I don’t miss burgers. I wasn’t bummed to miss out on rack of lamb when I visited my parents.

I. miss. ham. This is extra sick considering that pigs are my favorite animal. How could I want to eat Wilbur?! Well, after a few too many drinks the other night, I was making some quesadillas for the fella and me. Mine was just cheese (which has its own problems, believe me, I know), and his had some ham in the middle. When it was time to dig in, though, I wanted just one of those ham-filled quesadilla triangles. I accidentally ate two.

(Seriously. I didn’t realize it until after. Please see previous reference to alcohol.)

In the morning, I woke up more than a little surprised at myself. Five months with scarcely a hiccup or craving, and then I went and shoved some pig in my mouth. What was I thinking? And why have I been craving the sweet, salty taste since then? I want to be moving away from animal products, not adding more to my diet.

Fortunately, I know my information junkie self. What I need now is a little booster shot of reality. Using my dwindling Amazon.com gift card money, I downloaded a copy of Becoming Vegan to my Kindle to read while Michael and I go out of town for a few days. I honestly can’t wait to remind myself of why this journey is so important to me. It’s one thing for me to be able to rattle off a quick list of motivations, but it’s another to (re)read the details of why this is so important.

Are you omnivore/pescatarian/vegetarian/vegan/raw? Why have you decided to eat that way? Is it ever a struggle for you? How do you stay on track when you’re tempted?

How to feed the world ? from Denis van Waerebeke on Vimeo.

I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.

Oliver’s was my favorite (let’s be honest–cute British guy speaking passionately about food education and the health of our children? Yes please!), but there were some other solid food-centric talks in the TED archives.

Mark Bittman is my hero, so of course I was delighted to spend eighteen minutes listening to him talk about what’s wrong with what we eat.

Ann Cooper, head of nutrition for the Berkeley school system, had a great message, but, I have to admit, I found her delivery a bit grating.

I’ll finish out the list with this short (about three minutes) talk by Dean Ornish, clinical professor at UCSF and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, about the world’s killer diet. This one is very direct and has great graphics (check out that map!) so even if you’re in a rush, I really encourage you to give it a watch.

There is, of course, some overlap between these talks, but I love hearing how different people digest, respond to, and relay similar information.

Which of these was your favorite? Learn anything new? Inspired to make any changes?

1. Sunitha Krishnan Fights Against Sex Slavery

2. Mallika Sarabhai: Dance to Change the World

3. Shashi Tharoor: Why Nations Should Pursue “Soft” Power

4. Kiran Bir Sethi Teaches Kids to Take Charge

As is to be expected, some of these talks spoke to me more than others. We had some really interesting discussions about the usefulness and practicality of the ideas presented in the first two videos, and all seemed to enjoy (to varying degrees) the latter two.

If I had to choose, I think the message in the final video resonated the most with me–on both philosophical and practical levels. We wound up having great talks about the essential value of play in education. This is something my sister explores in her inspiring blog, Grow Me a Playground. (She’s a super busy momma and grad student, so it isn’t updated often, but well-worth a spot on your Google Reader so you don’t miss any posts.) It also reminded me of this NYT article about an amazing Forest Kindergarten, which is precisely the type of school the man and I would like to send our little ones to…far far far far in the future when we decide it’s time to enter that phase. (FAR in the future.) And, finally, this great op-ed piece by Susan Engel, director of the teaching program at Williams College, entitled “Playing to Learn“.

Which is what I’m off to do–it’s time for me to sit down for a few hours and play with my poetry homework, which I might finally post about this week. Maybe.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think about the videos above, the articles I’ve linked to, the importance of play in education, and, of course, any gluten-free vegan Indian recipes you care to share.

At this point, I think I’ve got the diet part pretty much down (though I do still have to test my sensitivity to soy and corn when I reintroduce those after the program ends). No surprises here, but: fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs and whole grains are all a-ok for me and my digestive system. I also realized with new understanding just how damaging sugar (Mom’s been telling me for at least a decade) and dairy are for me, and I don’t digest meat well, either. Gluten, as we well know, is my kryptonite, and you couldn’t pay me to ingest it at this point.

I think it’s important to not feel the need to be 100% perfect 100% of the time, though. Even Dr. Lipman says so! Seriously–it was one of the daily pulses: ease up. So, taking that advice, when we had our monthly TED talks evening over the weekend and a friend showed up with a delicious looking bottle of Montepulciano, I decided that I was going to give myself the OK to have a glass. Just one. And what happened as soon as I gave myself permission to do that? It lost the allure. I realized I cared more about feeling healthy than I did about sipping that robust 2007. Towards the end of the evening, I asked myself how much that glass of wine would have improved my experience if I’d had it earlier on. Would I still be enjoying the taste? Would I have been driven nuts by the fact that I couldn’t have a second? Would I have had a second or third? I realized that even if I enjoyed it while I was drinking it, the pleasure would soon be over.

Don’t get me wrong–I’m a big supporter of pleasure! Big time! But lately, feeling healthy and energetic is the real pleasure. Now that my tastebuds aren’t numbed by sugar and freaky oils and additives, fresh salad tastes really good. Long walks with friends leave me smiling for hours. The deep breaths and releases from yoga send me buzzing.

Which brings me to the part I really need to be working on. The food part, I get it. It’s the activity I need to work on. My darling man has been encouraging me to be more active since we met. And I really enjoy lots of physical activity. Hiking, kayaking, yoga, biking–all wonderful. I’ve definitely been better about physical activity since starting this program, but it’s going to be a while before I really make it a habit. I know the benefits, I have loads of inspiration, it’s just a matter of making time and getting off my butt.

And then there are days like yesterday and today when you just have to give in and accept defeat. I’m sick, my body aches and tummy’s funny and I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with my pajamas, tall glasses of water, and wonderful fella. I figure my body’s actually in a position to kick this bug quickly if I can keep giving it what it needs, so I’m trying to take it easy so I can get better. The universe must have heard my whining about having to go work this afternoon (truth be told, everyone must have. I pouted for at least an hour.), and just as I put on my coat, I got a message that my afternoon student wasn’t coming today! Oh hurrah! I stripped down and climbed back into my PJs in record time, grateful for this extra down time before my evening classes.

Let’s start with the awesome.

• In fact, let’s start with vanity: my skin looks brighter and I’ve lost the last bit of weight I wanted to lose. You know, those really stubborn few lbs that bug you? Gone.
• I’m waking up more easily. Some days I still feel really groggy for a while, but I have had more days when I wake up feeling (gasp!) awake than I have in a long time.
• I have more energy. I’m slowly working a little yoga back in, and I actually thought about going for a run the other day. Of course, I didn’t go for a run, but the last time I even thought about it? Maybe in September? Maybe?
• It helped inspire screenless nights, which have been beyond fun. In fact, last night we turned the TV off early and then spent over an hour huddled around the puzzle.

But now for the not so awesome, or the hitting of the proverbial wall.

• Half of that stubborn weight came back. I’m trusting that at the end of the next four weeks it will be gone again though. Right?
• Sunday I was essentially on a high from how amazing I felt, but for the past three days I’ve felt pretty lousy. Foggy headed, fierce headaches, grumpy tummy, the whole bit.  I can’t figure this out–the sugar has been gone for two weeks, I only drink a cup or two of green tea a day, haven’t had meat in weeks, and generally, I’ve been eating really well. (Aside from cheese. That goes out this weekend, but I’ve been indulging a bit.) I don’t feel stressed, and in fact, have been working to add joy to my life. Could this just be the result of so many changes? When will it stop? (And, for the record, it’s not PMS headaches.) I have really been trying to wean myself off of Motrin except for when I really need it, but I have definitely been knocking back a few each day.

So that’s where I stand. I’m definitely not quitting, and the good far outweighs the bad. I’m sure I’m just in a lull, so I’ll stick with the next four weeks, but I’m really looking forward to another surge of energy. Or, at the least, a break from headaches. I’m not being a saint on this program–the portions that require fairly regimented schedules just don’t work for me in my current work situation, but I am trying to do modifications. For example, I’ve tried to eat bigger lunches when I can and not to sleep in even on days when I don’t have morning classes. There are also parts I need to be better about and can be better about, like increasing the restorative exercises and doing more calming practices before sleep, which I think will really help.

If you’re curious about the Spent program, you can enter to win a copy of the book–and a free email consultation with the author, Dr. Lipman, my entering here. (Deadline is this Friday.) If you already own a copy or would prefer a different book, you can also choose from The China Study or Eating Animals, too. Good luck!

I loosely divided it into four sectors, with a nice big “Double Happiness” in the middle–because really, that’s what it’s all about, no? The upper left corner is all about my new-found rediscovered passion for green living. When I was in elementary school, 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth was one of my absolute favorite books. As I got older, I defaulted to green living…when it was convenient. But in the past year or so, I have felt a new sense of urgency when it comes to our planet, and dream of having the greenest home we can.

Contradictory as it may seem, the next corner is all about travel. Given the title and original intention of this blog, this can’t be any surprise. Some of these destinations (those in Asia) are planned for spring of 2011, but the others are a bit up in the air. Seeing the names of places I dream of visiting each day certainly inspires me to find a way to make it happen. And that camera there is my dream purchase so I can play with photography, which I love, and capture my travels.

The upper right corner is focused mostly on health. “Beautiful Back” is my vanity goal. I’m a sucker for backless dresses and halter tops, and I want a strong, toned back when I wear them. Some goals are food related, some sleep, some yoga, some my relationships and spirituality. All pretty straightforward, I think.

Finally, the lower right corner is a bit of a “catch all” category. It speaks to my desire to spend more time in nature, get a puppy or two when we’re settled somewhere, spend more time with poetry and art, and to apply and get accepted to a program for my masters in literature (more on that later).

I realized later that I neglected to add a few things, but had already taken out the recycling and filled up my board. Somehow, I’ll have to find room for these intentions: patience, vegetable garden, head stand, 10 push ups, $0 debt, sunrises, fireplace, Istanbul, Morocco. Most of them are details or expansions or tangents to other items already on the board, but specificity is key, is it not?

Have created a vision board? Do you have plans to? Please share links and experiences in the comments!

*Can you tell I couldn’t come up with a clever title?