Memorial Day Weekend and other bits and pieces
>> Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A lot to say plus not much time to say it due to a fussy toddler who is a pro at taking 10 minute naps equals the bullet point post.
1. Memorial Day weekend was lovely. We originally planned to visit Lola and Lolo (Hub's parents) but because we only had 4 days to work with and two would have been spent driving, we decided to just stay here. We ended up working a lot on the house, cleaning it up, getting beds ready for my parents who are coming in a less than a week, and kicked off a deep summer house cleanse where I am going to try really hard to pare down our possessions. We did go the zoo, out for dinner, and shopping here and there, too, so it wasn't all work.
2. My thumb is healing. I don't need to use a bandaid on it any more if I'm careful and I finally got all of the matted gauze soaked off yesterday. I have a nice scab formed and I can now wash dishes again. Yay!
3. I wrote not too long ago about my food woes, which are many, but there are also some delights I eat regularly that I never would have before. Part of it is that my taste buds are evolving, and part of it is that I'm willing to try things that I didn't need to prior to figuring out my food allergies. Here are some tips:
- Guacamole is awesome! I eat it on many things, especially sandwiches, instead of cheese. It's creamy and delicious, really good for me, and doesn't bloat me up 10 pounds with every bite so it's a win-win in my case. It's especially good on a BLT. I could make my own, but I am allergic to the skins (go figure) - they make me break out and make my mouth kind of swell up and get really itchy - so it's just easier to buy it pre-made in bulk at Costco so I don't have to handle the part that makes me sick.
- Chickpeas are my new best friend, especially when cooking African or Indian dishes. I use it in place of chicken. Plus Z won't eat chicken or beef unless it's in the form of certain brands of hotdogs, but she LOVES beans and chickpeas and legumes. Any time we can cook for all three of us at one time is a good thing.
- I do occasionally eat some soy because I'd be thoroughly miserable trying to eliminate it in all of its billion forms. Along those lines, for treats, I indulge in Lara Bars (which prior to allergies I used to hate) of the peanut butter, peanut butter/chocolate, and chocolate varieties, available by the box at Target. So. Good. I also do eat occasionally instant sugar free pudding made with coconut milk, which has soy in it (the mix, not the milk). Chocolate pudding over granola is one of my favorite treats of all time.
- One of the foods I miss the most is a grilled cheese sandwich. Goat cheese just doesn't work for that, so instead of using any cheese, I started subbing in nut butters like peanut or almond. So yummy! Especially with a bowl of soup. Nothing can beat a hot grilled peanut butter sandwich and bowl of carrot ginger curry soup. I know it sounds odd and may not work for the average individual, but even as a kid I always dipped my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in minestrone or oxtail soup, so my weirdness and penchant for a grilled version harkens back to my childhood. I blame my Australian roots for my weird food notions.
- I heartily recommend the brand Udi. They make allergen free versions of bread, muffins, pizza crusts, etc, and are really really good. Some stores like the Commissary and Publix have started carrying a lot of Udi's products. They are in odd places in the grocery store, but they can be found, and they are well worth the hunt.
- There are other brands of items I am just learning about via other people with allergens, like cauliflower crust pizza, topping pizza with pan fried artichoke hearts instead of cheese, and other kinds of cheese not made with soy or dairy, so there are a lot of options available that I need to delve into. I also am tempted to make my own yogurt using cashews (I think). It's not the easiest, but it would be useful in Indian cooking, or if I just wanted some creaminess that didn't taste like an avocado or a goat.
4. We are definitely embroiled in teething woes over here. I am waiting rather impatiently for Amazon to deliver some teething oil and clove oil to see if those will help. It's the back molars and I know that because poor Z is shoving her finger back there and gnawing and crying. She's been really fine with her other teeth, and I know we've gotten off rather easily, so I'm not surprised that these last 8 are dealing out so much anguish. Baby ibuprofen and orajel are at least helping somewhat, so that makes it easier.
5. I started exercising again. It's amazing what you can do when you go to bed early because you stopped watching tv. I was up at 5 am and started on week 4 of the C25K program since I'm not entirely out of shape. I downloaded the podcasts to my iPod and love that I am not watching a clock and that someone else is telling me when to run and when to walk. Genius and works well for my personality. I plan on going out again tomorrow morning. My goal is to get up through the 8K before the DeFET. I have the podcasts for the 10K, too, and if I get to them, great. But I'd be happy running the 8K 3x a week.
I am tired today, but that's because I had a hard time falling asleep, I had awful dreams, and Hubby must have too because in the middle of the night he started yelling and grabbed me by both of my arms and started shaking me until I was able to wake him up. He's never done that before (the most that's ever happened is a rogue flying elbow to the face and even that only a couple of times in nearly 7 years of marriage) and didn't remember it when I mentioned it to him this morning. Totally freaked me out because in my dream I was being chased by an ax murderer and I thought he caught me! So when my alarm went off a few minutes later I was totally ready to get out of bed, lol.
All that talk about food has made me hungry. I'm off to make myself a grilled nut-butter sandwich. Really, you should try it. You might just like it!
1. Memorial Day weekend was lovely. We originally planned to visit Lola and Lolo (Hub's parents) but because we only had 4 days to work with and two would have been spent driving, we decided to just stay here. We ended up working a lot on the house, cleaning it up, getting beds ready for my parents who are coming in a less than a week, and kicked off a deep summer house cleanse where I am going to try really hard to pare down our possessions. We did go the zoo, out for dinner, and shopping here and there, too, so it wasn't all work.
2. My thumb is healing. I don't need to use a bandaid on it any more if I'm careful and I finally got all of the matted gauze soaked off yesterday. I have a nice scab formed and I can now wash dishes again. Yay!
3. I wrote not too long ago about my food woes, which are many, but there are also some delights I eat regularly that I never would have before. Part of it is that my taste buds are evolving, and part of it is that I'm willing to try things that I didn't need to prior to figuring out my food allergies. Here are some tips:
- Guacamole is awesome! I eat it on many things, especially sandwiches, instead of cheese. It's creamy and delicious, really good for me, and doesn't bloat me up 10 pounds with every bite so it's a win-win in my case. It's especially good on a BLT. I could make my own, but I am allergic to the skins (go figure) - they make me break out and make my mouth kind of swell up and get really itchy - so it's just easier to buy it pre-made in bulk at Costco so I don't have to handle the part that makes me sick.
- Chickpeas are my new best friend, especially when cooking African or Indian dishes. I use it in place of chicken. Plus Z won't eat chicken or beef unless it's in the form of certain brands of hotdogs, but she LOVES beans and chickpeas and legumes. Any time we can cook for all three of us at one time is a good thing.
- I do occasionally eat some soy because I'd be thoroughly miserable trying to eliminate it in all of its billion forms. Along those lines, for treats, I indulge in Lara Bars (which prior to allergies I used to hate) of the peanut butter, peanut butter/chocolate, and chocolate varieties, available by the box at Target. So. Good. I also do eat occasionally instant sugar free pudding made with coconut milk, which has soy in it (the mix, not the milk). Chocolate pudding over granola is one of my favorite treats of all time.
- One of the foods I miss the most is a grilled cheese sandwich. Goat cheese just doesn't work for that, so instead of using any cheese, I started subbing in nut butters like peanut or almond. So yummy! Especially with a bowl of soup. Nothing can beat a hot grilled peanut butter sandwich and bowl of carrot ginger curry soup. I know it sounds odd and may not work for the average individual, but even as a kid I always dipped my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in minestrone or oxtail soup, so my weirdness and penchant for a grilled version harkens back to my childhood. I blame my Australian roots for my weird food notions.
- I heartily recommend the brand Udi. They make allergen free versions of bread, muffins, pizza crusts, etc, and are really really good. Some stores like the Commissary and Publix have started carrying a lot of Udi's products. They are in odd places in the grocery store, but they can be found, and they are well worth the hunt.
- There are other brands of items I am just learning about via other people with allergens, like cauliflower crust pizza, topping pizza with pan fried artichoke hearts instead of cheese, and other kinds of cheese not made with soy or dairy, so there are a lot of options available that I need to delve into. I also am tempted to make my own yogurt using cashews (I think). It's not the easiest, but it would be useful in Indian cooking, or if I just wanted some creaminess that didn't taste like an avocado or a goat.
4. We are definitely embroiled in teething woes over here. I am waiting rather impatiently for Amazon to deliver some teething oil and clove oil to see if those will help. It's the back molars and I know that because poor Z is shoving her finger back there and gnawing and crying. She's been really fine with her other teeth, and I know we've gotten off rather easily, so I'm not surprised that these last 8 are dealing out so much anguish. Baby ibuprofen and orajel are at least helping somewhat, so that makes it easier.
5. I started exercising again. It's amazing what you can do when you go to bed early because you stopped watching tv. I was up at 5 am and started on week 4 of the C25K program since I'm not entirely out of shape. I downloaded the podcasts to my iPod and love that I am not watching a clock and that someone else is telling me when to run and when to walk. Genius and works well for my personality. I plan on going out again tomorrow morning. My goal is to get up through the 8K before the DeFET. I have the podcasts for the 10K, too, and if I get to them, great. But I'd be happy running the 8K 3x a week.
I am tired today, but that's because I had a hard time falling asleep, I had awful dreams, and Hubby must have too because in the middle of the night he started yelling and grabbed me by both of my arms and started shaking me until I was able to wake him up. He's never done that before (the most that's ever happened is a rogue flying elbow to the face and even that only a couple of times in nearly 7 years of marriage) and didn't remember it when I mentioned it to him this morning. Totally freaked me out because in my dream I was being chased by an ax murderer and I thought he caught me! So when my alarm went off a few minutes later I was totally ready to get out of bed, lol.
All that talk about food has made me hungry. I'm off to make myself a grilled nut-butter sandwich. Really, you should try it. You might just like it!
1 comments:
I LOVE grilled pb sandwiches. :)
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