I'm sure I've mentioned my dismay at the Ebay NOW commercials I've heard on Pandora.
The first one was some dude at Delores Park who didn't want to harsh his mellow by running around the corner to get sunblock when he realized he was getting a sunburn. He pulls out his smart phone, uses the Ebay NOW app to order sunblock. Delivered to his person in about an hour.
By that time you would totally be sunburned. We have a CVS or Walgreens on just about every corner in San Francisco. He could take 5 minutes to walk around the corner to get some sunblock, but really he should have sunblocked prior to going to the park. Once you start burning, you aren't really going to stop it.
The other commercial is a dude having a BBQ. Oh noes. We're out of charcoal. What does he do? Pulls out the smartphone, uses Ebay NOW and orders some charcoal. For delivery. In about an hour.
I'm pretty sure when I decide to hold a BBQ, I check to see if I have the basics. BBQ. Charcoal. Meat. You know, the things that make it a BBQ. I'm also pretty sure that my guests are likely going to come hungry. I don't want to put the meal behind by up to an hour waiting on charcoal.
Well, Justin used Ebay NOW today and it was perfect. He was in need of NERF.
Our closest retailer is City Target (or as we call it, Rape Target). City Target is somehow different than regular Target. This means they have higher prices, less stuff and bad attitudes. They DO NOT honor Target prices. They will only price match their OWN ad (Not the Target ad, only the CITY Target ad).
So instead of going to Tanforan or Redwood City to go to Target, he used EBay NOW. Order placed. Order Accepted. And we had NERF delivered to our doorstep in about 40 minutes. With a $5 delivery charge. Say what?!?!
If you need to return an item, they will even pick it up and return it for you!
The only drawback is the limited service area for now. They are testing in San Francisco, San Jose and New York City.
Here's Justin's video review.
18 July 2013
15 July 2013
Dem Bones... (chicken bones)
I have to admit I've gotten REALLY lazy about making (and drinking) bone broth as of late.
It's probably been a month or more since I've made any and really, I've consumed so much broth in the last 6 months, it was starting to make me a bit queasy.
I usually use the remnants of a chicken I've either made or purchased (thank you Costco Bachelor Chickens for being so convenient). Most of the time though, the broth won't gel.
Why is this important, you may wonder? Well, it's a good sign that the collagen and gelatin have leached from your carcass and are readily available for your body to utilize. It's actually a sign of a good broth. If you get it to gel, you've done a great job.
I've found the key to getting a good gel pretty much every time is using chicken feet.
I was a bit off put by the idea of putting a bunch of feet in my broth.
But I went to the market in Justin's neighborhood and purchased a package of feet (this was a few years back and chicken feet are remarkably hard to find - if you are looking, check your local Asian or Hispanic market. You'll be hard pressed to find them at Safeway or Raley's).
I threw those feet in with my carcass and veggies and let it simmer away. It didn't seem any different until it cooled down.... Chicken Jello.
Since that time, chicken jello has become a staple of my diet. When I started AIP back in January, I was consuming broth with every meal. I had considered GAPS, which used broth based soups for every meal, but wasn't that willing to commit.
I can say with pretty good certainty that my joint health is markedly better when I am getting a good and continuous source of gelatin and collagen. I don't sound like a bowl of rice crispies when I move. Lay off the broth for a while and it's back to snap, crackle and pop.
It also is a great food to soothe your intestines and help improve digestion.
But when you are drinking that much broth, it gets old. Fast.
Enter gelatin.
It's probably been a month or more since I've made any and really, I've consumed so much broth in the last 6 months, it was starting to make me a bit queasy.
I usually use the remnants of a chicken I've either made or purchased (thank you Costco Bachelor Chickens for being so convenient). Most of the time though, the broth won't gel.
Why is this important, you may wonder? Well, it's a good sign that the collagen and gelatin have leached from your carcass and are readily available for your body to utilize. It's actually a sign of a good broth. If you get it to gel, you've done a great job.
I've found the key to getting a good gel pretty much every time is using chicken feet.
I read about it in Nourishing Traditions.
I was a bit off put by the idea of putting a bunch of feet in my broth.
But I went to the market in Justin's neighborhood and purchased a package of feet (this was a few years back and chicken feet are remarkably hard to find - if you are looking, check your local Asian or Hispanic market. You'll be hard pressed to find them at Safeway or Raley's).
I threw those feet in with my carcass and veggies and let it simmer away. It didn't seem any different until it cooled down.... Chicken Jello.
Since that time, chicken jello has become a staple of my diet. When I started AIP back in January, I was consuming broth with every meal. I had considered GAPS, which used broth based soups for every meal, but wasn't that willing to commit.
I can say with pretty good certainty that my joint health is markedly better when I am getting a good and continuous source of gelatin and collagen. I don't sound like a bowl of rice crispies when I move. Lay off the broth for a while and it's back to snap, crackle and pop.
It also is a great food to soothe your intestines and help improve digestion.
But when you are drinking that much broth, it gets old. Fast.
Enter gelatin.
It blends in pretty easily to whatever I'm drinking. I add it to cold beverages, hot beverages and the like. It seems to blend in pretty easily if you add it to a small amount of room temperature liquid before adding it to hot or cold liquids.
I'm drinking it three times a day currently to see if it has similar effects. I'll let you know how it goes. If my knees stop making a snapping noise, I'd say we're good. (the snapping sounds far more painful that in actually is)
I found this list at my mom's house the other day. This was the list I went to my doctor with in 2011 outlining the pain I was in (and had been in for as long as I could remember). I'm glad to say that it's 2013 and aside from the occasional flare up (usually of my shoulder or hip), I'm free of most of those symptoms.
Might I add that I'm not taking ANY NSAIDS or anti-inflammatory medications for probably the first time in my adult life. Through diet and lifestyle changes, I've managed to turn all of this around (though it's still hard to straighten my hair - so I don't).
06 July 2013
Gone Camping!
Living in San Francisco has given me a new appreciation for "the woods." I grew up in "the woods" and hated going camping there (it was like camping out in the backyard). I always preferred the coast because it was a change of scenery.
I have to say there are definitely times I miss "the woods" now. Living in San Diego or Sacramento didn't make me miss it so much, but San Francisco definitely makes me feel as though I need some sort of return to nature on a regular basis.
I had only been to Yosemite once before (on a school trip with Justin) and we only got one day in the park. We decided to go back and do some exploring for our "honeymoon."
We stayed two nights at the Yosemite Bug Rustic Resort in Midpines, about an hour away from Yosemite. While driving into the park (and out) took a while - there is a place where the road was consumed by a landslide and a one lane bridge is the solution they came up with, it was totally worth it. We had a tent cabin, access to their health spa and didn't have to cook dinner or breakfast!
Normally, I wouldn't really care about cooking (I do it all the time). We did the Panorama Trail hike on Monday (8.5 miles from Glacier Point to Happy Isle).
 |
| We started here! At Glacier Point - Elevation 7214 |
 |
| The view from our starting point! |
 |
| Our finish point. At Happy Isles - Elevation 4000 |
 |
| Once was enough... The "stairs" to the top of Vernal Falls. |
Apparently the John Muir Trail intersects near Nevada Fall, which would have taken us around the stairs of doom. We can say we did it. And once was enough! The rest of the hike was great (about a 3200 elevation change over the course) and I got some cool photos.
We camped two nights in the park as well. We stayed at Tuolumne Meadows camp ground and were pleasantly surprised about the "lack" of bugs. I was sort of expecting something similar to the swarms of mosquitoes that attack a car the second it stops moving at Wright's Lake (both share similar elevations and wetland type areas). We did use bug spray (and busted out the electric wand), but it wasn't necessary to wear a net headpiece or anything.
We drank a lot of cold ones as one should when camping. We took it easy. We took the shuttle (most genius feature of the park). We took pictures. We climbed the dome across from Olmstead Point.
We did not see any bears. That's the first thing anyone asks when they hear you've been to Yosemite. I've seen more bears at my mom's house (and at the Folsom Street Faire). I did see a deer ford the river, a marmot and insanely tame squirrels. I didn't see any hawks. I also didn't see much fungus.
 |
| Hey guys. Look how many tricks I can do. |
 |
| Justin made a new friend. |
 |
| One of the few examples of fungus! |
One of the most exciting parts of the trip was that my beloved Sony V3 camera began working again prior to the trip. I hadn't been able to use it for 2 years. It always said "ACCESS" when you would turn it on. I went to try one more time, and lo and behold it worked!
I like my Panasonic T3 because of it's durability, but it doesn't take the same quality of pictures that the V3 does. I have a macro lens and wide angle lens for it and I am content to take macro photos all day long. I've had the V3 for probably close to 10 years now and nothing compares to it. It has NIGHT VISION. Seriously.
The T3 is waterproof, shockproof and can withstand extreme temperatures. I can take it places I would never take the V3. But the V3 takes far superior photos.
I could go on and on forever considering the number of photos I took, but I'll save those for another post.
AND REMEMBER:
25 June 2013
Tasty Foods: Zucchini Hummus
I'm tempted to run upstairs and whip up a batch of zucchini hummus just so I can take some photos for this post, but I'm out of avocados and there are no grocery stores open after 10 PM in SOMA (don't get me started on the EBAY Now ads that make ZERO sense to me. Who goes to the park, thinks they are starting to burn and orders sun screen for delivery in about an hour????? By the time your sun screen arrives you WILL have a sunburn, I'm sorry to say.).
Rod and Judy were awesome enough to share the recipe they served for zucchini hummus when we went over for dinner at their place the first time. I have to say, I like it more than "standard" hummus, and I really like hummus.
Zucchini hummus is amazingly light and doesn't have the same heaviness that a bean based hummus has (though I guess you may be okay with that fullness). It's raw, it's vegan and it's delicious.
I made two batches for our wedding. Originally I was going to make a double batch using the recipe from ibreatheimhungry, which is pretty darn delicious on it's own. It was the morning before the wedding and I had a couple of avocados that needed to be used so I decided to throw them in the mix.
Zucchini hummus + Avocados = AMAZING!
The original recipe is as follows. I made it the first few times using my Ninja and it took a while to really break everything down and get it smooth. We got a BlendTec (of Will it Blend? fame) and it made short work of the hummus (about 45 seconds). Play with what you've got to find out how awesome this recipe is.
It's amazing as a dip but I've also discovered how rad it goes with just about everything. Top a steak with it. Top a chicken breast with it. Breakfast sausage? It's delicious.
ORIGINAL LOW CARB HUMMUS (from ibreatheimhungry.com)
My modified version of this recipe swaps out the 1/4 cup of olive oil for 2 avocados. The remaining ingredients remain the same as do the instructions.
This was one of the first non-AIP foods I tried eating and it appears I can tolerate seeds (sesame paste), which made me really happy. Cumin is technically not AIP friendly, but I was going a bit nuts and just wanted "regular" food. I haven't had any sort of noticeable reaction to this recipe, so it's in regular rotation.
Speaking of AIP, I think I need to get back to being super serious about it. For days now, my sinuses have been swollen (they feel like they "pop") and I've had terrible headaches. I'm not sure if it's the pressure changes due to the rain or what, but I'm pretty miserable. Loosening up made getting through the wedding a bit easier, but I really need to isolate foods to find out what is tolerable and what is not (the sunbutter cookies I came up with last week were amazing. Hopefully they weren't the issue).
Rod and Judy were awesome enough to share the recipe they served for zucchini hummus when we went over for dinner at their place the first time. I have to say, I like it more than "standard" hummus, and I really like hummus.
Zucchini hummus is amazingly light and doesn't have the same heaviness that a bean based hummus has (though I guess you may be okay with that fullness). It's raw, it's vegan and it's delicious.
I made two batches for our wedding. Originally I was going to make a double batch using the recipe from ibreatheimhungry, which is pretty darn delicious on it's own. It was the morning before the wedding and I had a couple of avocados that needed to be used so I decided to throw them in the mix.
Zucchini hummus + Avocados = AMAZING!
The original recipe is as follows. I made it the first few times using my Ninja and it took a while to really break everything down and get it smooth. We got a BlendTec (of Will it Blend? fame) and it made short work of the hummus (about 45 seconds). Play with what you've got to find out how awesome this recipe is.
It's amazing as a dip but I've also discovered how rad it goes with just about everything. Top a steak with it. Top a chicken breast with it. Breakfast sausage? It's delicious.
ORIGINAL LOW CARB HUMMUS (from ibreatheimhungry.com)
Ingredients:
4 cups peeled & chopped raw zucchini
3/4 cups tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
1 Tbl ground cumin
Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until thick and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Pour into a shallow bowl and garnish with parsley, paprika and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
This was one of the first non-AIP foods I tried eating and it appears I can tolerate seeds (sesame paste), which made me really happy. Cumin is technically not AIP friendly, but I was going a bit nuts and just wanted "regular" food. I haven't had any sort of noticeable reaction to this recipe, so it's in regular rotation.
Speaking of AIP, I think I need to get back to being super serious about it. For days now, my sinuses have been swollen (they feel like they "pop") and I've had terrible headaches. I'm not sure if it's the pressure changes due to the rain or what, but I'm pretty miserable. Loosening up made getting through the wedding a bit easier, but I really need to isolate foods to find out what is tolerable and what is not (the sunbutter cookies I came up with last week were amazing. Hopefully they weren't the issue).
15 June 2013
Going Camping!
I had grandiose plans of taking a month off of work this summer to work on projects, camp, get stuff done around the house, etc. I'm not taking the month off after all, but we did manage to book our camping trip for the summer.
We're headed back to Yosemite!
We went on the most comical trip ever with AAU a few semesters ago, but only got one day in the park (and I think it was only like 7 hours). The cast of characters was AMAZING. Three Stripes, Squirrel Girl and the lot were far more entertaining that I could have asked for.
We're going to stay at the Yosemite Bug Hostel for two nights and camp in the park for two nights. I'm pretty excited. We can take Pi with us to both locations and they have kennels at the park in the event you want to hike a trail that doesn't allow dogs!
We were talking about Half Dome until we found out about the lottery for permit system. Every permit application requires a $4.50 "application" fee ($6.50 if you apply by phone), which is applied to your permit fee of $8 if you get chosen. If you don't get chosen, they keep your $4.50. Best scam ever. They only allow 300 permits per day but get like 3500 applicants for each day during the summer season. It's not like $4.50 is a lot of money but with that sort of volume, that's quite the haul.
I was eaten alive by bugs at work today (not exactly sure how, but hey, it happens). My arm is all itchy and swollen, which reminded me of something I need to pack for our trip.
In the last few years, I have been reacting terribly to bug bites to the point of having to go to urgent care because my leg was so swollen and red. It happens every 6 months or so. I'm not sure if they are some sort of mutant man eating bugs or what, but it's utterly miserable when it happens.
The first time it happened was at my brother's apartment. The second time, at Justin's. The third time, at Yosemite. The last couple of times it has happened, I thought to put Aztec Secret Healing Clay on it.
Night and day difference.
Before, I'd spend a week or two all puffy and itchy and burning. Using the Aztec Secret, the itching, swelling and burning went down in a matter of days.
I will definitely be taking some (along with apple cider vinegar) on our camping trip. As much as I loved an excuse to barefoot at Yosemite (my ankle was so swollen that I couldn't wear my boot or having my pant leg touch my skin), I've become a bit of a tenderfoot living in San Francisco. It's far too dirty to barefoot here.
We're headed back to Yosemite!
We went on the most comical trip ever with AAU a few semesters ago, but only got one day in the park (and I think it was only like 7 hours). The cast of characters was AMAZING. Three Stripes, Squirrel Girl and the lot were far more entertaining that I could have asked for.
We're going to stay at the Yosemite Bug Hostel for two nights and camp in the park for two nights. I'm pretty excited. We can take Pi with us to both locations and they have kennels at the park in the event you want to hike a trail that doesn't allow dogs!
We were talking about Half Dome until we found out about the lottery for permit system. Every permit application requires a $4.50 "application" fee ($6.50 if you apply by phone), which is applied to your permit fee of $8 if you get chosen. If you don't get chosen, they keep your $4.50. Best scam ever. They only allow 300 permits per day but get like 3500 applicants for each day during the summer season. It's not like $4.50 is a lot of money but with that sort of volume, that's quite the haul.
I was eaten alive by bugs at work today (not exactly sure how, but hey, it happens). My arm is all itchy and swollen, which reminded me of something I need to pack for our trip.
In the last few years, I have been reacting terribly to bug bites to the point of having to go to urgent care because my leg was so swollen and red. It happens every 6 months or so. I'm not sure if they are some sort of mutant man eating bugs or what, but it's utterly miserable when it happens.
The first time it happened was at my brother's apartment. The second time, at Justin's. The third time, at Yosemite. The last couple of times it has happened, I thought to put Aztec Secret Healing Clay on it.
Night and day difference.
Before, I'd spend a week or two all puffy and itchy and burning. Using the Aztec Secret, the itching, swelling and burning went down in a matter of days.
I will definitely be taking some (along with apple cider vinegar) on our camping trip. As much as I loved an excuse to barefoot at Yosemite (my ankle was so swollen that I couldn't wear my boot or having my pant leg touch my skin), I've become a bit of a tenderfoot living in San Francisco. It's far too dirty to barefoot here.
Aside from wicked, nasty bug bites it's also great for a bunch of other uses as well. The first (and most obvious) is a facial mask (or any body part that needs a mask). It really draws out the impurities. The label exclaims "feel your face pulsate!" I'm not entirely sure that's how I want my face to feel, but my skin looks fantastic most of the time. It's also supposed to help tighten and tone your skin. It could be placebo effect, but my skin looks and feels tighter to me after using it.
Another use I found for it is making my own toothpaste or tooth powder. I stopped using commercial toothpaste quite some time ago. Even Tom's of Maine because it was too hard to find a fluoride free toothpaste (Check out FAN for information on the negative impact of fluoride). I originally started making my own toothpaste for my brother to try to help remineralize his teeth. My teeth felt pretty clean and I was happy not having to put more fluoride in my body.
The toothpaste recipe I was using was a bit weird tasting (it featured Dr. Bronner's castile soap), so I started making tooth powder using baking soda, cinnamon, ground sage and Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. Sage has whitening properties and cinnamon just tastes good :)
It's a little weird brushing with a powder, but once you get used to it, it's not that bad. My teeth feel clean pretty much all of the time.
It's a little weird brushing with a powder, but once you get used to it, it's not that bad. My teeth feel clean pretty much all of the time.
Aztec Secret Healing Indian Healing clay is super economical and has a variety of uses. I purchased the 2 lb container more than a year ago and still have about half the container. I use it as a mask about once a week and on itchy scratchy skin when it's needed.
12 June 2013
We Are Finally Married!
I've been married a full week as of today!
Justin and I managed to pull together our wonderful wedding (with some help from some wonderful people!). We hit a few bumps along the way, but it ended up being a WONDERFUL time enjoyed by all.
We got married on Blind Beach (which may look familiar - it's the beach from the final scene of The Goonies).
I've always loved this beach, even before I realized it was the same beach as The Goonies. My family has been coming here for 20 years when we go on family camp outs. We always stayed at Cassini Ranch, my brothers and I all had our first coffee at Gold Coast Coffee (I still drive there to buy my beans and my mom drives 3 hours each way to get hers!) and we go out here to remember my brother, Jesse, each year.
Justin and Cody went to the beach the day before the wedding to create a path that was more easily accessible so our grandfathers could make down to the beach (my gramps is 90!). The morning of the wedding, Justin, Cody, Tre, and Nick went out and moved drift wood to make "pews".
It all went by so fast! We made it through the ceremony and were taking pictures when the ranger showed up. Not sure what they said, but they bought us a bit of time to take more pictures before we needed to break it up.
As if the beautiful beach wasn't enough, this is where we had our reception.
Our wedding party and reception were hosted by The Raford Inn and I can't say enough about how awesome everything was. Dane and Rita are amazing hosts and their staff were delightful and so helpful. The property is immaculately maintained and the rooms are charming and comfortable. We had a wonderful time with our friends and families
Ultimately, I think I overplanned a bit (made some wonderful signs and decorations that didn't get used), but I'd rather over plan then under plan.
I'm going to do a post on The HeART of the Rogue Rabbit featuring the full stationary suite we developed for the event, including the super awesome 3D printed Save The Dates. I'm almost done with the Thank You cards that complete the full suite.
Thanks to everyone that came out and celebrated with us (and extra special thanks to those whose help was indispensable).
Justin and I managed to pull together our wonderful wedding (with some help from some wonderful people!). We hit a few bumps along the way, but it ended up being a WONDERFUL time enjoyed by all.
We got married on Blind Beach (which may look familiar - it's the beach from the final scene of The Goonies).
 |
| The Goonies! |
 |
| Our Wedding! |
Justin and Cody went to the beach the day before the wedding to create a path that was more easily accessible so our grandfathers could make down to the beach (my gramps is 90!). The morning of the wedding, Justin, Cody, Tre, and Nick went out and moved drift wood to make "pews".
 |
| Do Work! |
 |
| Kerry (r) and Tre (l) handling things. |
 |
| The Raford Inn - Healdsburg, CA |
Ultimately, I think I overplanned a bit (made some wonderful signs and decorations that didn't get used), but I'd rather over plan then under plan.
I'm going to do a post on The HeART of the Rogue Rabbit featuring the full stationary suite we developed for the event, including the super awesome 3D printed Save The Dates. I'm almost done with the Thank You cards that complete the full suite.
Thanks to everyone that came out and celebrated with us (and extra special thanks to those whose help was indispensable).
13 May 2013
You want my hands to go where?
I've likely mentioned this before, but I am shocked at the lack of flexibility in most of the kids I work with. The kids that take gymnastics or hip hop seem to be somewhat more flexible, but the bulk of these kids can't touch their toes!
I was a chubby kid. I wasn't really active (I'd much rather spend my afternoon with a book or a drawing pad than playing a sport or something like that). I wanted to do gymnastics, I remember being really discouraged when the instructor told me I was too tall. My mom tried to force me into softball in junior high. That didn't last long (I think I made it through 2 or 3 practices). I wanted to take ballet, but we didn't have the money.
But even with all of those things going against my athletic prowess, I was flexible.
I don't remember ever having a time I couldn't touch my toes. I don't ever remember saying it hurt trying to reach those toes.
I sure as heck never said "I think I threw my back out".
Starting back at spring break, I've been trying to do yoga with the kids at least a couple of times a week. When we were doing it regularly (2-3 times a week), I saw a marked difference in their ability to practice. Not necessarily the physical side of it (still not a lot of toe touching going on), but in the mental side of things.
The first few sessions were disasters; everyone touching each other, rolling around on the floor, interrupting me, laughing at the poses.
After the first week, the kids started settling into the routine. They even started asking for yoga. I'm not doing anything wild and crazy with them. Just some simple sun salutations and breathing (they love dragon breath and trying to do ujjayi breathing).
Trying to get this practice in with the kids is two fold for me.
First, it is a great opportunity to teach the kids to be present and mindful.
Secondly, it is allowing me to ease back into a practice. I had to give up yoga in 2010 when my shoulder problems became so bad it hurt to move my arm. I have been told I will never be able to do yoga again.
In the before time, my plan was to be a yoga instructor and freelance artist/designer with a small organic farm.
It's been 3 years. I'm managing my inflammation issues through diet, orthopaedic massage and acupuncture. I am now able to complete several sun salutations. I take it slow and easy. I know I have to respect the limits of my shoulder.
Even 3 years out of practice though, I can still touch my toes. And the kids seemed shocked to see that. There was a lot of "look! she's touching the floor!"
Hopefully I can help the kids reach the floor. And beyond.
Yoga has been such a vital part of my life after stumbling upon a class at my gym when I was 20. It crushed me to give it up, but even that was a teaching tool. I learned about being gentle with my self. I learned to respect my body and what it is saying. Between taking time out of my life to care for my brother (the best choice I could have made - also in 2010) and my injury, I learned to slow down. Other than a paycheck, there is no reward for endless hours at work being miserable. Were it not for my injury, I don't think I would have reached that place. I would likely still be working (out) like a mad woman and pushing my self to go, go, go.
As counter-intuitive as it seems, try slowing down. Skip your P90X or Insanity for a while. Go for a long walk. Connect with nature and your self. Take a break from the punishment of chronic cardio. And listen to what your body is telling you.
I was a chubby kid. I wasn't really active (I'd much rather spend my afternoon with a book or a drawing pad than playing a sport or something like that). I wanted to do gymnastics, I remember being really discouraged when the instructor told me I was too tall. My mom tried to force me into softball in junior high. That didn't last long (I think I made it through 2 or 3 practices). I wanted to take ballet, but we didn't have the money.
But even with all of those things going against my athletic prowess, I was flexible.
I don't remember ever having a time I couldn't touch my toes. I don't ever remember saying it hurt trying to reach those toes.
I sure as heck never said "I think I threw my back out".
Starting back at spring break, I've been trying to do yoga with the kids at least a couple of times a week. When we were doing it regularly (2-3 times a week), I saw a marked difference in their ability to practice. Not necessarily the physical side of it (still not a lot of toe touching going on), but in the mental side of things.
The first few sessions were disasters; everyone touching each other, rolling around on the floor, interrupting me, laughing at the poses.
After the first week, the kids started settling into the routine. They even started asking for yoga. I'm not doing anything wild and crazy with them. Just some simple sun salutations and breathing (they love dragon breath and trying to do ujjayi breathing).
First, it is a great opportunity to teach the kids to be present and mindful.
Secondly, it is allowing me to ease back into a practice. I had to give up yoga in 2010 when my shoulder problems became so bad it hurt to move my arm. I have been told I will never be able to do yoga again.
In the before time, my plan was to be a yoga instructor and freelance artist/designer with a small organic farm.
 |
| There was a time this was NOT a problem for me. |
Even 3 years out of practice though, I can still touch my toes. And the kids seemed shocked to see that. There was a lot of "look! she's touching the floor!"
Hopefully I can help the kids reach the floor. And beyond.
Yoga has been such a vital part of my life after stumbling upon a class at my gym when I was 20. It crushed me to give it up, but even that was a teaching tool. I learned about being gentle with my self. I learned to respect my body and what it is saying. Between taking time out of my life to care for my brother (the best choice I could have made - also in 2010) and my injury, I learned to slow down. Other than a paycheck, there is no reward for endless hours at work being miserable. Were it not for my injury, I don't think I would have reached that place. I would likely still be working (out) like a mad woman and pushing my self to go, go, go.
As counter-intuitive as it seems, try slowing down. Skip your P90X or Insanity for a while. Go for a long walk. Connect with nature and your self. Take a break from the punishment of chronic cardio. And listen to what your body is telling you.
10 May 2013
Waging a war.......... on YOU
I've been really terrible at updating the blog lately.
I've been busy with work, school, wedding prep and projects.
We finally got the invitations done and mailed out. It was the perfect excuse for me to buy a craft cutter and now I just need to find enough time to work on .svg files for paper crafting as well as creating jewelry designs and finishing out the semester :)
I've noticed that weight loss/health has taken sort of an angry path these days. Everyone is intent on getting ripped, demolishing fat, getting their asses kicked, etc. I'm not sure why every woman thinks they need to get below 20% body fat and needs six pack abs. I really don't want to "kill it", whatever "it" may be. I'm sick of the screaming commercials for some new ass kicking workout.
Does it really have to be that way?
Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with being strong. I don't think there's anything wrong with being muscular. I've worked plenty of jobs in my life that required me to be strong. But really, do we need to look like body builders (I've always been rather grossed out by them personally).
I'm not sure what people are into killing, but if killing it equals the above, I'll let it live.
I have to say if I've learned anything in the last 3 years its to be gentle with myself. I didn't get that principle in all the years I did yoga. I pushed myself to be the most flexible in a class. I pushed myself as hard as I could. Which is totally NOT what yoga is about. I pushed my body by working out 3 hours a day, 7 days a week.
My shoulder injury has taught me to be gentle with myself. I have learned my limits. I may not like my limits all of the time, but I accept them.
I don't need to destroy fat. I don't need to punish myself for my food choices by spending an extra hour at the gym if I eat something "bad". Hell, my entire diet is "bad" by the standards of most of the diet industry. I eat fat. Lots of fat. I eat protein, a pretty good amount of protein. I eat veggies, probably more than I ever did as a vegetarian in my youth.
As much as it pained me, I threw out everything I thought I new about health and fitness and I've changed my life for the better. Without supplements. Without shakes. Without punishing my body. Without punishing my spirit.
Take a second to think about it before you wage another war with yourself. Take a second to think about being gentle and kind to yourself. It might make all the difference in your life and in the world. Our lives are full of enough crap - everyone's a warrior, everything needs to be destroyed, killed, ripped, etc.
Think about the impact those words have. Affect a positive change in your mind and you will see positive changes in your body.
I've been busy with work, school, wedding prep and projects.
We finally got the invitations done and mailed out. It was the perfect excuse for me to buy a craft cutter and now I just need to find enough time to work on .svg files for paper crafting as well as creating jewelry designs and finishing out the semester :)
I've noticed that weight loss/health has taken sort of an angry path these days. Everyone is intent on getting ripped, demolishing fat, getting their asses kicked, etc. I'm not sure why every woman thinks they need to get below 20% body fat and needs six pack abs. I really don't want to "kill it", whatever "it" may be. I'm sick of the screaming commercials for some new ass kicking workout.
Does it really have to be that way?
Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with being strong. I don't think there's anything wrong with being muscular. I've worked plenty of jobs in my life that required me to be strong. But really, do we need to look like body builders (I've always been rather grossed out by them personally).
 |
| Is this necessary? Or attractive? |
I have to say if I've learned anything in the last 3 years its to be gentle with myself. I didn't get that principle in all the years I did yoga. I pushed myself to be the most flexible in a class. I pushed myself as hard as I could. Which is totally NOT what yoga is about. I pushed my body by working out 3 hours a day, 7 days a week.
My shoulder injury has taught me to be gentle with myself. I have learned my limits. I may not like my limits all of the time, but I accept them.
I don't need to destroy fat. I don't need to punish myself for my food choices by spending an extra hour at the gym if I eat something "bad". Hell, my entire diet is "bad" by the standards of most of the diet industry. I eat fat. Lots of fat. I eat protein, a pretty good amount of protein. I eat veggies, probably more than I ever did as a vegetarian in my youth.
As much as it pained me, I threw out everything I thought I new about health and fitness and I've changed my life for the better. Without supplements. Without shakes. Without punishing my body. Without punishing my spirit.
Take a second to think about it before you wage another war with yourself. Take a second to think about being gentle and kind to yourself. It might make all the difference in your life and in the world. Our lives are full of enough crap - everyone's a warrior, everything needs to be destroyed, killed, ripped, etc.
Think about the impact those words have. Affect a positive change in your mind and you will see positive changes in your body.
29 April 2013
Back to the Basics
After four months, I thought it was about time to start reintroducing foods. I had pretty successfully ended my runny nose, congestion and sneezing and it had been a while since those symptoms had been present. I also lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the year.
Also, the wedding is rapidly approaching and I wanted to be able to have a few less restrictions on what I can eat by then. (No eggs and no nuts makes it hard to make a good cupcake.)
A couple of weeks ago, we had some wonderful fresh eggs (from my aunt's chickens and from Ray and Rebecca's chickens). I didn't really notice any issues after eating those delicious eggs. (I'm not sure if you've ever done a side by side comparison of pastured hen eggs and grocery store eggs, but the difference in color is AMAZING.)
Last weekend, we went to dinner at a friend's house and they were gracious enough to try to accommodate my dietary restrictions (The whole meal was amazing). Rod and Judy bought an assortment of raw goat and cow milk cheeses and raw cream to make whipped cream for dessert.
That was the first time I had dairy other than butter since November. OMG! It was divine. I did not have any noticeable reaction to the cheese or cream, which gives me hope!
They also made an amazing hummus from zucchini (I'm still not eating legumes) and tahini. It was AWESOME. I have some zucchini in the fridge now. I just need a bit of down time to make it!
I wanted to do some baking to see if I could at least work out some combination of coconut flour/tapioca flour cupcakes since I haven't reintroduced nuts (I usually use almond flour for cupcakes), so I picked up some organic eggs at Costco the other day.
I was excited at the prospect of bacon and eggs for breakfast. That did not work out so well.
I have been sneezy and runny nosed (and have had terrible sinus pressure) for several days now. The only difference in anything has been the eggs.
Time to reset. No eggs until my symptoms go away again and then try to get some eggs from Ray (or some other pastured eggs).
Its amazing how much food effects us. It's also amazing how much food effects our food.
It's also amazing how long it took for me to realize that the way I felt was not normal, even though it was normal for me (at least adult life normal for me). I never had allergies as a kid. I hit my 20's and fell apart. I was discussing this with my chiropractor and a lot of it started after developing an allergy to latex as an EMT. It was an interesting correlation, but I also look back at several other factors that may have played a part.
I was on low dose antibiotics for years as a teenager to try to clear up my acne. It didn't help my acne very much, but that whole time it WAS killing off all of my good bacteria in my gut. Then I was switched to the pill to help with my acne. Again, messing with my gut. I also have been on and off of NSAIDS and various anti-inflammatory medications since about the age of 20.
All of those things can destroy your gut, resulting in permeability of the intestines, which allows microscopic food particles into the bloodstream. Those microscopic particles are seen as invaders and your body tries to fight them off. The end result - a variety of symptoms that include allergic reactions and inflammation.
While my diet has been a pain in the ass, I can see marked differences in how I feel. A big part of healing is to remove the "offending foods" (which may seem like EVERYTHING at first) and getting a good amount of bone broth (which soothes and heals the gut lining) and ferments (living food - kombucha, sauerkraut, fermented veggies) to rebuild.
Some people say they've reversed their food allergies through these changes and can now enjoy most foods they thought they would never be able to again. I haven't reached that point, but I have changed how I feel.
12 March 2013
Sovereign Silver Part II
Okay, after a ton of sleep (and Sabrina The Teenage Witch) yesterday afternoon and last night, I feel doubleplusgood.
I know sleep is an integral part of the body's healing process, but I also think the Sovereign Silver nasal spray had something to do with it as well. I had been masking my symptoms with cold medicine all weekend, which did me no good and I kept feeling worse.
I used the nasal spray 5 times yesterday (7 times is the recommended for short term immune support - being sick). By the time I went back to bed last night (I spent most of the day in bed), I was able to breathe through both nostrils and the crud was making its way out of my body.
I had been trying desperately to netti pot for days with no real luck getting anything through. Well, it started moving yesterday evening after 2 doses of Sovereign Silver. By the late evening the crud was no longer chartreuse, it was only a pale green.
This morning when I woke up, I could actually breathe. Through both nostrils. I didn't wake up all night long due to congestion. I felt well enough to go put some seeds in the ground (only some chard seeds this morning) while walking the dog.
Oh by the way, I did another round of Lavender essential oil/cotton in my ears when I went to bed. My ears do NOT hurt at all today.
Seriously, I feel doubleplusgood today.
I'll keep track of how I feel for the rest of the week. Sovereign Silver may be worth adding to my usual arsenal of immune builders that includes ferments, cod liver oil, coconut oil and honey.
I know sleep is an integral part of the body's healing process, but I also think the Sovereign Silver nasal spray had something to do with it as well. I had been masking my symptoms with cold medicine all weekend, which did me no good and I kept feeling worse.
I used the nasal spray 5 times yesterday (7 times is the recommended for short term immune support - being sick). By the time I went back to bed last night (I spent most of the day in bed), I was able to breathe through both nostrils and the crud was making its way out of my body.
I had been trying desperately to netti pot for days with no real luck getting anything through. Well, it started moving yesterday evening after 2 doses of Sovereign Silver. By the late evening the crud was no longer chartreuse, it was only a pale green.
This morning when I woke up, I could actually breathe. Through both nostrils. I didn't wake up all night long due to congestion. I felt well enough to go put some seeds in the ground (only some chard seeds this morning) while walking the dog.
Oh by the way, I did another round of Lavender essential oil/cotton in my ears when I went to bed. My ears do NOT hurt at all today.
Seriously, I feel doubleplusgood today.
I'll keep track of how I feel for the rest of the week. Sovereign Silver may be worth adding to my usual arsenal of immune builders that includes ferments, cod liver oil, coconut oil and honey.
11 March 2013
Sovereign Silver
I don't get sick often, but I have been fighting something off for more than a week. I have to say over the weekend, I lost the fight. Hard.
I had been feeling under the weather (mostly congested) for about a week and then over the weekend the congestion increased even more and spread to my chest. When I was first feeling ill, everything was still clear... over the weekend it turned green. I had homework to complete and worked diligently through the weekend even though I was exhausted, cranky and just didn't feel good.
This morning I woke up with a wicked ear ache. I'll suck it up most of the time when I'm sick, but when my ears hurt, I am a baby. I did some looking around online and found some herbal/natural earache remedies. I didn't want to take the time to infuse olive oil with garlic or place half a clove of garlic in each ear (there were also some smelly onion based remedies as well).
I finally found a suggestion of putting a few drops of essential oil on cotton and placing that in your ears. I used lavender (still pungent but not quite garlic). I put the cotton in my ears, put on a hat to cover my ears and went to work..
I have to say that my ears hurt slightly less by the time I got to work, but overall I was feeling entirely worse.
I left work to go home and rest, but first I made a stop to the vitamin shop in Redwood City. I picked up some Sovereign Silver nasal spray.
I had been feeling under the weather (mostly congested) for about a week and then over the weekend the congestion increased even more and spread to my chest. When I was first feeling ill, everything was still clear... over the weekend it turned green. I had homework to complete and worked diligently through the weekend even though I was exhausted, cranky and just didn't feel good.
This morning I woke up with a wicked ear ache. I'll suck it up most of the time when I'm sick, but when my ears hurt, I am a baby. I did some looking around online and found some herbal/natural earache remedies. I didn't want to take the time to infuse olive oil with garlic or place half a clove of garlic in each ear (there were also some smelly onion based remedies as well).
I finally found a suggestion of putting a few drops of essential oil on cotton and placing that in your ears. I used lavender (still pungent but not quite garlic). I put the cotton in my ears, put on a hat to cover my ears and went to work..
I have to say that my ears hurt slightly less by the time I got to work, but overall I was feeling entirely worse.
I left work to go home and rest, but first I made a stop to the vitamin shop in Redwood City. I picked up some Sovereign Silver nasal spray.
I've heard good things about colloidal silver, especially when it comes to fighting infection, in the natural health circle. Sovereign Silver is a silver hydrosol. Here is what their website has to say about it:
"A Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol™, such as Sovereign Silver or Argentyn 23, represents the ultimate refinement and purity of the colloidal silver category. It is the suspension of a high content (96%) of ultra-fine, positively charged silver ions (Ag+) in only pharmaceutical-grade purified water. This is not to be confused with ionic silver, an inferior form of neutral silver/silver salt that is in solution (dissolved), rather than in colloidal suspension. The positively charged silver ions (cations) in a Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol™ remain in suspension, maintaining their fully active state for use within the body."
A dose is 20 sprays for an adult up to 7 times a day depending on your needs. Here's the dosing schedule:
20 sprays x 7 times a day for short term immune support (when you are sick)
20 sprays x 5 times a day for long term immune support (long term stress on immune system)
20 sprays x 3 times a day for immune building (when you are surrounded by sick people)
20 sprays x 1 time a day for maintenance (otherwise healthy)
I took the first 20 sprays in the car before I left Redwood City.
It started to feel like I was getting some of the crud moving, but I just assumed it was because I sprayed a liquid up my nose.
I came home, made some tea and went to bed still feeling awful. After an hour or two, I got up to use my netti pot (which really hadn't moved much mucous in the last few days). The crud started breaking free.
I used another dose of the Sovereign Silver spray and went back to bed. I've spent the entire afternoon/evening in bed, which I detest.
I have to say that by about 8 p.m. I am breathing a bit better, the mucous is a far less toxic shade of green and my ears hurt far less than they did this morning.
I'm not sure if it's placebo effect or what, but I definitely feel better than I did when I got up this morning and when I got home from work this afternoon.
10 March 2013
The plot thickens
The other day we spent a bit of time in the garden (we being Justin, Pi and I).
I finished weeding for the most part (those clovers are hard to get rid of!) and pulled the old kale plants.
Speedy's Hardware is just around the corner so I sent Justin over for some Black Gold to amend the soil. Justin surprised me with a cute little gardening bag and some new pruners. Pi was overly excited about being in the garden and ran laps for a bit.
I must have missed the tool shed code during the meeting, but Justin made do with a T post to till the soil and mix in the Black Gold.
I still haven't planned out my plants, but we got some weeding done and added some nourishment to the soil. I also took some coffee grounds to the plot as well (I've got some vinegar-y Kombucha that may be headed over there too).
Speaking of nourishment, I've started a hydroponic garden at work with the kids. I'm having them chart the progress of Tomato and Purple Tomatillo seeds. We'll be allowing them to grow large enough to transplant and hopefully start a small garden in the back courtyard. In another week or two, we'll start some lettuce and spinach seeds as well. I think the kids may be of more interest than the tomatoes/tomatillos because they take off a lot faster. I do have the kids asking to observe and take notes each day. It's so exciting to me that they are getting interested in our "garden" and they are learning to track data.
I'm testing out Smart Gardener and a few of the add ons. The overall website is free to use to plan your garden (or gardens if you are lucky enough). It can recommend plants based on plot size, location, personal preference and the like.
I got a SUPER shady plot and Smart Gardener doesn't do recommendations in the free version for shade. Since my plot is SO shady, I thought it was worth it to add on the "Smart Shade" bundle for $1.99. I've been a bit on the busy side with school and work this week, so I haven't been able to play with it as I would like (and I've been under the weather for the last week), but it did make noticeable changes to recommendations based on the shade factor.
The other add on I purchased was the "Smart Squares" for $4.99. Smart Squares allows you to plan for square foot gardening by calculating using the square foot method. You can also choose between spacing methods when you add a new plant (square foot v. standard).
I've got to start doing a bit of planting. We've (well, Justin) turned the soil and pulled the clovers. The lemon tree looks lovely (but has no lemons). Based on the shade, I know I don't have a ton of options. But really, I just like to play in the dirt.
 |
| This was my space on Sunday after it was assigned. |
Speedy's Hardware is just around the corner so I sent Justin over for some Black Gold to amend the soil. Justin surprised me with a cute little gardening bag and some new pruners. Pi was overly excited about being in the garden and ran laps for a bit.
 |
| Here's Pi sitting like a nice girl while I weed. |
 |
| Doin' work! |
Speaking of nourishment, I've started a hydroponic garden at work with the kids. I'm having them chart the progress of Tomato and Purple Tomatillo seeds. We'll be allowing them to grow large enough to transplant and hopefully start a small garden in the back courtyard. In another week or two, we'll start some lettuce and spinach seeds as well. I think the kids may be of more interest than the tomatoes/tomatillos because they take off a lot faster. I do have the kids asking to observe and take notes each day. It's so exciting to me that they are getting interested in our "garden" and they are learning to track data.
I'm testing out Smart Gardener and a few of the add ons. The overall website is free to use to plan your garden (or gardens if you are lucky enough). It can recommend plants based on plot size, location, personal preference and the like.
I got a SUPER shady plot and Smart Gardener doesn't do recommendations in the free version for shade. Since my plot is SO shady, I thought it was worth it to add on the "Smart Shade" bundle for $1.99. I've been a bit on the busy side with school and work this week, so I haven't been able to play with it as I would like (and I've been under the weather for the last week), but it did make noticeable changes to recommendations based on the shade factor.
The other add on I purchased was the "Smart Squares" for $4.99. Smart Squares allows you to plan for square foot gardening by calculating using the square foot method. You can also choose between spacing methods when you add a new plant (square foot v. standard).
I've got to start doing a bit of planting. We've (well, Justin) turned the soil and pulled the clovers. The lemon tree looks lovely (but has no lemons). Based on the shade, I know I don't have a ton of options. But really, I just like to play in the dirt.
03 March 2013
I've got dirt!
I'm so excited. Today I was assigned a plot in the community garden at Victoria Manalo Draves Park!
This is a park about 1/2 a block away from us. We take Pi there every day to play. There had been no changes to the bulletin boards for a couple of years (I think the last postings were from early 2011), but I always would check to find out where to sign up for the waiting list or who to contact to find out how long the list was.
Most of the community gardens in San Francisco have wait lists that are several YEARS! So when there was finally some updated contact information on the bulletin board in January, I practically ran home to email.
When I got an email saying there were 6 plots opening up (and there were only 5 people on the email list), I was practically jumping for joy.
We had our first garden meeting this morning. It was a good chance to meet some new people with common interests in the neighborhood.
I am a bit under the weather and I had a horrendous amount of homework to finish today, but I allowed myself 2 hours at the garden including the meeting. I did some weeding (okay, a LOT of weeding). There were a couple of kale plants in that jungle and I even ended up pulling a few tiny carrots out of the ground.
So at the moment I'm not entirely sure what I'll be planting. I have to do some research, I think this garden has even more shade than my last garden. I know that greens will do well, so kale and chard are a must (and I eat a lot of both!).
I'm going to try out using www.smartgardener.com to plan my garden. I haven't reintroduced any nightshades to my diet, so a lot of things I normally grow are out (peppers, eggplant, etc.) plus we don't have much of a hot growing season here. It's basically cool aside from a few weeks in July and August here. I have to say, based upon the recommended plants, I'll be growing greens and lettuce. Lots of greens and lettuce.
I just found some add ons to Smart Gardener that I am going to try out. They are the Smart Squares and Smart Shade. My garden is only about 8x3 and is in the shade most of the time. I think these would be worthwhile add ons to try out.
I'll admit though, my excitement isn't because I think I'm going to have loads of veggies or fruits. It's more because it's a ray of sunshine and nature in this grungy place. It felt awesome to be outside, in the sunshine and getting dirty (actual dirt not all the other stuff that makes this city dirty). It was nice to be with people who feel the same way. I've never really had a substantial harvest of anything in all the years of gardening, but I love to do it.
And Pi is going to love basking in the garden while I work. It's fenced in and there is plenty of room on the opposite side of the garden that gets sun for her to enjoy.
This is a park about 1/2 a block away from us. We take Pi there every day to play. There had been no changes to the bulletin boards for a couple of years (I think the last postings were from early 2011), but I always would check to find out where to sign up for the waiting list or who to contact to find out how long the list was.
Most of the community gardens in San Francisco have wait lists that are several YEARS! So when there was finally some updated contact information on the bulletin board in January, I practically ran home to email.
When I got an email saying there were 6 plots opening up (and there were only 5 people on the email list), I was practically jumping for joy.
We had our first garden meeting this morning. It was a good chance to meet some new people with common interests in the neighborhood.
 |
| Here is my plot. It's pretty shady, but I have a lemon tree! |
 |
| Here I am with Pi and my plot (only a bit more clover to pull out!) |
I'm going to try out using www.smartgardener.com to plan my garden. I haven't reintroduced any nightshades to my diet, so a lot of things I normally grow are out (peppers, eggplant, etc.) plus we don't have much of a hot growing season here. It's basically cool aside from a few weeks in July and August here. I have to say, based upon the recommended plants, I'll be growing greens and lettuce. Lots of greens and lettuce.
I just found some add ons to Smart Gardener that I am going to try out. They are the Smart Squares and Smart Shade. My garden is only about 8x3 and is in the shade most of the time. I think these would be worthwhile add ons to try out.
I'll admit though, my excitement isn't because I think I'm going to have loads of veggies or fruits. It's more because it's a ray of sunshine and nature in this grungy place. It felt awesome to be outside, in the sunshine and getting dirty (actual dirt not all the other stuff that makes this city dirty). It was nice to be with people who feel the same way. I've never really had a substantial harvest of anything in all the years of gardening, but I love to do it.
And Pi is going to love basking in the garden while I work. It's fenced in and there is plenty of room on the opposite side of the garden that gets sun for her to enjoy.
20 February 2013
It's a Miracle
I know I had been frustrated with the whole elimination diet thing. I wanted to give up more than a few times.
Well, I just have to say I'm glad I didn't.
I made it through today without sneezing more than a couple of times. I made it through today only blowing my nose once or twice (not including my netti pot time, as my nasal passages feel so dry now that they are not running like a faucet).
In fact, after I started thinking about it, I've made it through the last few days without sneezing or a runny/stuffy nose. After the effects of the miso soup faded (which took about 3 days), I've been pretty allergy symptom free for an entire weekend.
I know that sounds like a weird thing to be excited about, but considering the last 10 years of my life have been filled with nasal misery (at times going through 2-3 boxes of tissues a week and sneezing so uncontrollably that I would have to pull my car off the road), 3 days of minimal sneezing (maybe 3-5 times in a day) and a scant handful of nose blows (maybe 2-3) is a miracle.
I am going to wait a couple of weeks to see how long this lasts (or if it was just a fluke) before I attempt to start adding foods back into my diet. There are somethings I find I don't really miss as much as I thought I would (nightshades) and others I can't wait to add back (eggs and nuts).
It will be a SLOW process trying to add things back in. I plan to try a food and wait 72 hours to evaluate how I feel. If all seems to be good, I will try that food item in small quantities for a week to see if that changes any sort of reaction. If no reaction is present, I will wait an additional week to add the next food.
Let's use an egg as our example.
I try a single yolk (the least allergenic part of the egg) on 2/25. I will observe how my body reacts until 2/27. If all seems good, I will then eat a yolk a day until 3/6. If that seems to be working for me, I will wait until 3/13 to add a new food while continuing to keep to 1 yolk a day.
It really seems like more work than I really want to do, but I have to say that not sneezing and not having a constantly runny/stuffy nose feels AWESOME!
I still have the feeling of some sinus pressure though and I would love to have my sinuses adjusted sometime in the near future. I've taken some time away from the adjustment process to know if my diet is really helping my allergies or if the adjustments were a part of the reduction as well.
Well, I just have to say I'm glad I didn't.
I made it through today without sneezing more than a couple of times. I made it through today only blowing my nose once or twice (not including my netti pot time, as my nasal passages feel so dry now that they are not running like a faucet).
In fact, after I started thinking about it, I've made it through the last few days without sneezing or a runny/stuffy nose. After the effects of the miso soup faded (which took about 3 days), I've been pretty allergy symptom free for an entire weekend.
I know that sounds like a weird thing to be excited about, but considering the last 10 years of my life have been filled with nasal misery (at times going through 2-3 boxes of tissues a week and sneezing so uncontrollably that I would have to pull my car off the road), 3 days of minimal sneezing (maybe 3-5 times in a day) and a scant handful of nose blows (maybe 2-3) is a miracle.
I am going to wait a couple of weeks to see how long this lasts (or if it was just a fluke) before I attempt to start adding foods back into my diet. There are somethings I find I don't really miss as much as I thought I would (nightshades) and others I can't wait to add back (eggs and nuts).
It will be a SLOW process trying to add things back in. I plan to try a food and wait 72 hours to evaluate how I feel. If all seems to be good, I will try that food item in small quantities for a week to see if that changes any sort of reaction. If no reaction is present, I will wait an additional week to add the next food.
Let's use an egg as our example.
I try a single yolk (the least allergenic part of the egg) on 2/25. I will observe how my body reacts until 2/27. If all seems good, I will then eat a yolk a day until 3/6. If that seems to be working for me, I will wait until 3/13 to add a new food while continuing to keep to 1 yolk a day.
It really seems like more work than I really want to do, but I have to say that not sneezing and not having a constantly runny/stuffy nose feels AWESOME!
I still have the feeling of some sinus pressure though and I would love to have my sinuses adjusted sometime in the near future. I've taken some time away from the adjustment process to know if my diet is really helping my allergies or if the adjustments were a part of the reduction as well.
15 February 2013
Where are you hiding now?
Okay, it's been a few days now since the soy and I am STILL all nasally and gross. The day after having the miso soup, I swear I felt like I had been hit by a truck.
It's good to know though.
I was aware that unfermented soy was a bad deal, though I bought into the health benefits of soy in all states when I was younger. I've learned the importance of fermenting for any number of foods we eat, be it soy, wheat, veggies, etc.
Fermenting helps neutralize anti-nutrients that make foods difficult for us to digest. If you eat grains, make sure you soak or ferment those grains. If you're going to eat soy, make sure it is fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, natto or traditionally made soy sauce.
One of the biggest downfalls of soy (at least here in the US) is that most of our soybeans are GMO. I personally don't know the long term effects of eating GMO foods, and don't care to be a part of some grand experiment.
Unfortunately soy is hidden in a great number of processed foods even when they are considered natural or health food using names that may or may not indicate they have soy in them. Especially when switching to gluten free, soy seems to be an additive that is in EVERYTHING. Here are a few that may contain soy but are entirely ambiguous (I pretty much avoid these due to the possibility of containing wheat as well):
Artificial flavoring
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
Natural flavoring
Vegetable broth
Vegetable gum
Vegetable starch
I never really gave much though to the idea that soy was part of my allergy issue. I had started cutting it out for other reasons but wasn't really diligent about the ambiguous soy sneaking in until I went on an elimination diet.
After about 7 weeks of no soy at all, I figured trying miso, which is properly fermented wouldn't hurt. It did and now I know to avoid soy. It eliminates a lot of things such as chocolates (most commercial chocolates are made with soy lecithin), but hey, not having my face feel like it will explode or my sinuses make a weird popping noise is not a bad trade off.
Kids with Food Allergies is a pretty comprehensive resource for food allergens and possibly ambiguous allergen additives.
I honestly think if you don't feel as well as you think you could, AIP (autoimmune paleo) or GAPS (gut and psychology syndrome) or SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) can really help you see how what you eat effects you over all.
Even though I haven't fully been able to ditch my nasal allergies, I have to say that I feel better than I can really ever remember.
It's good to know though.
I was aware that unfermented soy was a bad deal, though I bought into the health benefits of soy in all states when I was younger. I've learned the importance of fermenting for any number of foods we eat, be it soy, wheat, veggies, etc.
Fermenting helps neutralize anti-nutrients that make foods difficult for us to digest. If you eat grains, make sure you soak or ferment those grains. If you're going to eat soy, make sure it is fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, natto or traditionally made soy sauce.
One of the biggest downfalls of soy (at least here in the US) is that most of our soybeans are GMO. I personally don't know the long term effects of eating GMO foods, and don't care to be a part of some grand experiment.
Unfortunately soy is hidden in a great number of processed foods even when they are considered natural or health food using names that may or may not indicate they have soy in them. Especially when switching to gluten free, soy seems to be an additive that is in EVERYTHING. Here are a few that may contain soy but are entirely ambiguous (I pretty much avoid these due to the possibility of containing wheat as well):
Artificial flavoring
Asian foods (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Thai, etc.)
Hydrolyzed plant protein Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
Natural flavoring
Vegetable broth
Vegetable gum
Vegetable starch
I never really gave much though to the idea that soy was part of my allergy issue. I had started cutting it out for other reasons but wasn't really diligent about the ambiguous soy sneaking in until I went on an elimination diet.
After about 7 weeks of no soy at all, I figured trying miso, which is properly fermented wouldn't hurt. It did and now I know to avoid soy. It eliminates a lot of things such as chocolates (most commercial chocolates are made with soy lecithin), but hey, not having my face feel like it will explode or my sinuses make a weird popping noise is not a bad trade off.
Kids with Food Allergies is a pretty comprehensive resource for food allergens and possibly ambiguous allergen additives.
I honestly think if you don't feel as well as you think you could, AIP (autoimmune paleo) or GAPS (gut and psychology syndrome) or SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) can really help you see how what you eat effects you over all.
Even though I haven't fully been able to ditch my nasal allergies, I have to say that I feel better than I can really ever remember.
13 February 2013
You don't soy
I think I may have pinpointed one of my allergens tonight. I went to dinner tonight and tried a bowl of Miso Soup.
By the time the meal was over my nose was running, my sinuses swelling and I had started sneezing.
The only other thing I had was a sashimi plate and if I'm allergic to raw fish, I'm screwed.
At first I thought it was the obnoxious VS fragrance of a patron at the table next to us. Earlier in the day, the drunk girls on the train started spraying that garbage and the nose running and sneezing started but went away within an hour of getting away from the stink.
It's been more than 5 hours now and my symptoms have NOT gone away at all. My poor nose is raw from tissues (and yes, mom, I have the ones with "potion").
I had to take a box of tissues upstairs with me when I was working on my homework. I haven't had to take a box of tissues up to the common area since prior to the start of my AIP diet. For me, more than a month of not having to have tissues available in every room of the house (or in my car, in my purse, in my messenger bag, etc.) is a miracle.
With the obvious triggers, like that VS garbage (how does anyone think that stuff smells good and why do people feel it necessary to carry fragrances and reapply throughout the day? If you shower on a regular basis, you should be good to go.), I have found that smelling something else can ease the reaction. So far the "other smell" that is working for me is peppermint essential oil. It seems to "reset" my sense of smell so I can no longer smell/taste the offending odor, but it doesn't linger and cause me to smell peppermint for a period afterward.
The peppermint oil does NOT alleviate the symptoms I am currently experiencing. I am miserable. I sound like crap. I feel like crap. My nose is running so badly that it's actually dripping. The right side of my sinuses are totally swollen (I can still move some air through the left side of my nose).
The good thing is though, I can live without soy. That is one of the many things that I have eliminated that I can care less about consuming again. It DOES eliminate any number of "convenience foods" that I may have consumed before because almost anything that has an ingredient list has soy or some soy derivative in it. But, if that's the case, so be it. I've grown accustomed to making almost all of my own meals. It's not that hard to do (although if you ask the people in my CA Art in Cultural Context Class, people have no choice but to eat convenience foods because, like, cooking is haaaaaaaaaaaaard.)
What I can't wait to reintroduce are nuts and eggs. I tried an egg yolk a couple of days ago (apparently the whites have proteins that can be more allergenic than the yolk as a defense mechanism). My sinuses felt slightly swollen, but I can't tell if that was coincidence or a reaction to the egg. After my sinuses calm back down from this incident, I will try another yolk to see what happens.
This whole process has been annoying and time consuming but not needing to carry tissues with me everywhere I go or having intense sneezing fits has been pretty awesome. I can say I still feel as though NST adjustments may help with any alignment issues of my sinus cavities but until I get the food sorted out, I'm not going to get my sinuses adjusted.
By the time the meal was over my nose was running, my sinuses swelling and I had started sneezing.
The only other thing I had was a sashimi plate and if I'm allergic to raw fish, I'm screwed.
At first I thought it was the obnoxious VS fragrance of a patron at the table next to us. Earlier in the day, the drunk girls on the train started spraying that garbage and the nose running and sneezing started but went away within an hour of getting away from the stink.
It's been more than 5 hours now and my symptoms have NOT gone away at all. My poor nose is raw from tissues (and yes, mom, I have the ones with "potion").
I had to take a box of tissues upstairs with me when I was working on my homework. I haven't had to take a box of tissues up to the common area since prior to the start of my AIP diet. For me, more than a month of not having to have tissues available in every room of the house (or in my car, in my purse, in my messenger bag, etc.) is a miracle.
With the obvious triggers, like that VS garbage (how does anyone think that stuff smells good and why do people feel it necessary to carry fragrances and reapply throughout the day? If you shower on a regular basis, you should be good to go.), I have found that smelling something else can ease the reaction. So far the "other smell" that is working for me is peppermint essential oil. It seems to "reset" my sense of smell so I can no longer smell/taste the offending odor, but it doesn't linger and cause me to smell peppermint for a period afterward.
The peppermint oil does NOT alleviate the symptoms I am currently experiencing. I am miserable. I sound like crap. I feel like crap. My nose is running so badly that it's actually dripping. The right side of my sinuses are totally swollen (I can still move some air through the left side of my nose).
The good thing is though, I can live without soy. That is one of the many things that I have eliminated that I can care less about consuming again. It DOES eliminate any number of "convenience foods" that I may have consumed before because almost anything that has an ingredient list has soy or some soy derivative in it. But, if that's the case, so be it. I've grown accustomed to making almost all of my own meals. It's not that hard to do (although if you ask the people in my CA Art in Cultural Context Class, people have no choice but to eat convenience foods because, like, cooking is haaaaaaaaaaaaard.)
What I can't wait to reintroduce are nuts and eggs. I tried an egg yolk a couple of days ago (apparently the whites have proteins that can be more allergenic than the yolk as a defense mechanism). My sinuses felt slightly swollen, but I can't tell if that was coincidence or a reaction to the egg. After my sinuses calm back down from this incident, I will try another yolk to see what happens.
This whole process has been annoying and time consuming but not needing to carry tissues with me everywhere I go or having intense sneezing fits has been pretty awesome. I can say I still feel as though NST adjustments may help with any alignment issues of my sinus cavities but until I get the food sorted out, I'm not going to get my sinuses adjusted.
06 February 2013
For the love of sauerkraut
I ran out of sauerkraut last week. I didn't plan ahead. I haven't even started a new batch yet.
And do I miss it already.
I never thought I would love sauerkraut. I remember trying it when I was a kid on hot dogs or with sausage. I thought it was gross and mushy. You couldn't have paid me to eat it.
In 2010 I discovered a book (well, there were two actually) that changed the way I thought about food and my body.
And do I miss it already.
I never thought I would love sauerkraut. I remember trying it when I was a kid on hot dogs or with sausage. I thought it was gross and mushy. You couldn't have paid me to eat it.
In 2010 I discovered a book (well, there were two actually) that changed the way I thought about food and my body.
Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions
One of the most important things I got from this book was the importance of fermented foods.
I had already been making my own Kombucha tea for years. But that was really the only source of "good" bacteria I was getting at that time. (There was yogurt too, but I was eating low fat, pasteurized stuff that really isn't that beneficial)
There are ads everywhere for Probiotic supplements, beverages, even chocolates. That's all good and fine, but what is the point of adding good bacteria to "dead" foods?
Enter SAUERKRAUT. I spent a lot of time that fall fermenting. It's addicting. Seriously addicting. I was making my own sourdough starter. I made sourdough pancakes, bread, crackers.
I got up the nerve to buy a head of cabbage and make my first batch of kraut. All I remember about it was that it seemed too salty to me. I probably let it age about a week before trying it. I can't say I loved it right off the bat. But it definitely wasn't the commercial kraut I remembered trying before.
What makes sauerkraut (and other fermented real foods) so great? Lactic Acid Bacteria. This bacteria helps aid digestion and create good gut health (the health of your gut can make or break your whole body health). Lactofermentation (the use of lactic acid bacteria) has been used for thousands of years to preserve food. Long before we had sterile factories producing our foods, our ancestors used bacteria to help preserve the fall harvest into winter.
Among the benefits are:
Adding Vitamin C to your diet (sauerkraut was once used to prevent scurvy)
Reduction in inflammatory bowel disorders
Increase healthy gut flora (which can help aleviate systemic symptoms)
Reduction in constipation
Reduction in allergies
And it tastes good!
According to most people, sauerkraut is good to go after 2 weeks of fermentation. I have to say the best I've made had been sitting for about 4 months. I say check it at 28 days. It's usually pretty good to go. Don't worry about eating it quickly. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
I didn't get my step by step photos done tonight (I'll post those tomorrow), but I've got some lovely purple cabbage upstairs calling my name.
Also, another thing to note about the wonders of sauerkraut is that it is recommended as a part of many healing diets, such as GAPS and AIP. I'm currently doing AIP and I have to say one of my favorite meals is homemade pork sausage (no sugar, nitrates or nitrites and EASY TO MAKE) with sauerkraut. In fact, I think that is where the entire half gallon of kraut went this month between Justin and I.
There are ads everywhere for Probiotic supplements, beverages, even chocolates. That's all good and fine, but what is the point of adding good bacteria to "dead" foods?
Enter SAUERKRAUT. I spent a lot of time that fall fermenting. It's addicting. Seriously addicting. I was making my own sourdough starter. I made sourdough pancakes, bread, crackers.
I got up the nerve to buy a head of cabbage and make my first batch of kraut. All I remember about it was that it seemed too salty to me. I probably let it age about a week before trying it. I can't say I loved it right off the bat. But it definitely wasn't the commercial kraut I remembered trying before.
What makes sauerkraut (and other fermented real foods) so great? Lactic Acid Bacteria. This bacteria helps aid digestion and create good gut health (the health of your gut can make or break your whole body health). Lactofermentation (the use of lactic acid bacteria) has been used for thousands of years to preserve food. Long before we had sterile factories producing our foods, our ancestors used bacteria to help preserve the fall harvest into winter.
Among the benefits are:
Adding Vitamin C to your diet (sauerkraut was once used to prevent scurvy)
Reduction in inflammatory bowel disorders
Increase healthy gut flora (which can help aleviate systemic symptoms)
Reduction in constipation
Reduction in allergies
And it tastes good!
According to most people, sauerkraut is good to go after 2 weeks of fermentation. I have to say the best I've made had been sitting for about 4 months. I say check it at 28 days. It's usually pretty good to go. Don't worry about eating it quickly. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
I didn't get my step by step photos done tonight (I'll post those tomorrow), but I've got some lovely purple cabbage upstairs calling my name.
Also, another thing to note about the wonders of sauerkraut is that it is recommended as a part of many healing diets, such as GAPS and AIP. I'm currently doing AIP and I have to say one of my favorite meals is homemade pork sausage (no sugar, nitrates or nitrites and EASY TO MAKE) with sauerkraut. In fact, I think that is where the entire half gallon of kraut went this month between Justin and I.
31 January 2013
What the SMELL?
I have to say that doing AIP doesn't seem to be eliminating whatever is causing my sneezing and nasal congestion. Which is really disappointing. I miss a LOT of foods. But I'm sticking it out. I started on January 6. It is now January 31. For the most part I've made it 25 days (I did have a couple slip ups Sushi and Manhattan Chowder).
My sneezing is less than it was when I started (this is a REALLY HARD thing to quantify), but with the deprivation I feel (it's all psychological - I don't like being told I can't have/do something) I had really hoped for better results.
On the up side, I was down close to 10 pounds the last time I weighed myself (almost 2 weeks ago, which was 2 weeks into it). I pretty much only weigh myself when I go visit my mom, so I have no idea what my current weight is. I can tell you my jeans are considerably looser than when I started this.
The other night all I could smell was the Dial hand soap from our bathroom after Justin had washed his hands. There are a lot of smells that once they hit my nose, they don't go away. I can taste them. Every breath I take is tainted by these smells. They linger no matter how long it has been since I was exposed to them. Dial soap happens to be one of them. (I think the list could go on for days, but one of the worst offenders are the garbage sold by Victoria's Secret as fragrance)
An idea struck me as we were sitting on the couch. Maybe I could replace that smell with another!? I ran downstairs to my drawers of essential oils (for my witchery as Justin calls it), grabbed the peppermint oil and started sniffing it. Never mind that I felt like a junior high kid sniffing markers or glue. My nose had just started the sneeze tickle as I was in the process of doing this. After a few strong inhalations, I felt the spasms that I was on the verge of subside. While I didn't have a lingering scent of peppermint stuck in my nose, I no longer had the Dial stuck there.
Is it possible to "reset" my sense of smell? Really, scents have caused me to feel overloaded and overstimulated for years. I despise most things scented (natural occurring scents tend to be okay in moderation) because the overwhelming smell and resulting taste are unbearable).
I've been testing this "reset" idea for the last few days. When I can feel the "tickle" or spasms creeping up on me, I inhale a few times with the bottle of peppermint essential oil right below my nose. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it seems to cut down on the frequency and severity of my sneezing attacks. Again, it's super hard to quantify unless I start counting the number of times I sneeze each day.
My next question to resolve in this "reset" idea is the scent itself. Is there a specific scent that is going to work? Is it just any scent that is more pure and not artificial? I started Sunday night with peppermint (it was the first bottle in my drawer). Would Tangerine work? Thyme? Cypress? Clove?
I plan to switch it up to and test other oils.
Another question is will I become dependent upon a scent in order to control my sneezing? Will I have to "wean" myself off of this method?
Does this all mean that my sneezing is purely psychological in nature? Perhaps it is a neurological dysfunction?
I don't know. All I know is that I can't wait to add foods back into my diet. I really miss eggs, nuts and chocolate.
My sneezing is less than it was when I started (this is a REALLY HARD thing to quantify), but with the deprivation I feel (it's all psychological - I don't like being told I can't have/do something) I had really hoped for better results.
On the up side, I was down close to 10 pounds the last time I weighed myself (almost 2 weeks ago, which was 2 weeks into it). I pretty much only weigh myself when I go visit my mom, so I have no idea what my current weight is. I can tell you my jeans are considerably looser than when I started this.
The other night all I could smell was the Dial hand soap from our bathroom after Justin had washed his hands. There are a lot of smells that once they hit my nose, they don't go away. I can taste them. Every breath I take is tainted by these smells. They linger no matter how long it has been since I was exposed to them. Dial soap happens to be one of them. (I think the list could go on for days, but one of the worst offenders are the garbage sold by Victoria's Secret as fragrance)
An idea struck me as we were sitting on the couch. Maybe I could replace that smell with another!? I ran downstairs to my drawers of essential oils (for my witchery as Justin calls it), grabbed the peppermint oil and started sniffing it. Never mind that I felt like a junior high kid sniffing markers or glue. My nose had just started the sneeze tickle as I was in the process of doing this. After a few strong inhalations, I felt the spasms that I was on the verge of subside. While I didn't have a lingering scent of peppermint stuck in my nose, I no longer had the Dial stuck there.
I've been testing this "reset" idea for the last few days. When I can feel the "tickle" or spasms creeping up on me, I inhale a few times with the bottle of peppermint essential oil right below my nose. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it seems to cut down on the frequency and severity of my sneezing attacks. Again, it's super hard to quantify unless I start counting the number of times I sneeze each day.
My next question to resolve in this "reset" idea is the scent itself. Is there a specific scent that is going to work? Is it just any scent that is more pure and not artificial? I started Sunday night with peppermint (it was the first bottle in my drawer). Would Tangerine work? Thyme? Cypress? Clove?
I plan to switch it up to and test other oils.
Another question is will I become dependent upon a scent in order to control my sneezing? Will I have to "wean" myself off of this method?
Does this all mean that my sneezing is purely psychological in nature? Perhaps it is a neurological dysfunction?
I don't know. All I know is that I can't wait to add foods back into my diet. I really miss eggs, nuts and chocolate.
27 January 2013
Apples and Alpine Mail
I woke up this morning stuffed up, sneezing and my nose running (I know it sounds weird to be stuffed up and running like a faucet at the same time, but that's how my nose chooses to behave some days).
I've been doing AIP for 21 days now with 2 set backs (the sushi and Manhattan style GF chowder last weekend and I had a single cocktail on Friday night when Justin and I went to dinner). For the most part, I've been doing pretty good. Blowing my nose only once or twice in the mornings or actually even waking up clear headed.
Well this morning was the suck! I had a mound of tissues next to me and my nose didn't stop running until I had been out of bed for 2 hours. I tried really hard to enjoy a Sunday morning in bed with Pi and Justin (Pi was trying to "help" me read 1984 by turning the page on my Kindle. Not very helpful.)
I can't think of anything out of the ordinary I had yesterday, other than apples. I haven't had an apple in a while. I really wanted something dessert-y. I had some AMAZING toasted coconut sorbet at LuLu on Friday, which really made me want dessert. (By the way, the food there is amazing. I had Flat Iron Steak with mashed sweet potatoes and chard with bacon). I had a couple of granny smith apples in the kitchen and made some tasty baked apples last night.
I totally didn't think to photograph the apples, but the recipe was simple.
3 Granny Smith Apples, sliced
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Cup shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Cloves
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Melted Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil Extra-Virgin 29 oz. 218566 (Google Affiliate Ad)
Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 400 until apples are soft and coconut is toasted.
Well, I wasn't really thinking about the fact that Nutmeg isn't AIP (This angers me - I love nutmeg). If it was nutmeg that made me all sneezy, I might cry. It could have been dust as well. We're cleaning and reorganizing the Gnomery and the HEPA filter has apparently been doing it's job. The back intake was covered with dust bunnies. Which then got on the bed. We did our best to brush them off.
One of the more exciting (well, exciting for me anyway) was getting my Brown Bag Company Alpine Mail Bag.
I saw this bag at Cole Fox Hardware and immediately wanted it. I've been waiting for weeks to see if I still wanted it. Well, I did. I have been looking for the perfect messenger style bag for ages. I had a laptop bag that was cute, but my laptop barely fit in it. I started looking at canvas/nylon messenger bags (think Timbuk2). Well, they are $100 + and I've never had anything canvas/nylon last longer than a few years. Plus, I was sort of disheartened at their "designed in SF, made with pride world wide" spin for "Made In China".
Well, the Alpine Mail Bag is made in Incline Village (Tahoe) from American leather (Milwaukee). Apparently this company makes made to last tool bags. This bag appears to be made to last as well! It's heavy duty leather with quality stitching and brass fittings. It has two compartments (one zippered and a main compartment divided into 2) with two pen holders and a business card holder. It does not have a billion places to lose something in (I've had purses with so many pockets I could lose things for years in them. Wallets too for that matter.). I have a 17" laptop which barely fit into laptop bags designed for a 17" laptop. Well, it fits wonderfully in this bag with room to spare. It's more than enough for my commute to work on train days AND it fits my rain boots in it!
I've been doing AIP for 21 days now with 2 set backs (the sushi and Manhattan style GF chowder last weekend and I had a single cocktail on Friday night when Justin and I went to dinner). For the most part, I've been doing pretty good. Blowing my nose only once or twice in the mornings or actually even waking up clear headed.
Well this morning was the suck! I had a mound of tissues next to me and my nose didn't stop running until I had been out of bed for 2 hours. I tried really hard to enjoy a Sunday morning in bed with Pi and Justin (Pi was trying to "help" me read 1984 by turning the page on my Kindle. Not very helpful.)
I can't think of anything out of the ordinary I had yesterday, other than apples. I haven't had an apple in a while. I really wanted something dessert-y. I had some AMAZING toasted coconut sorbet at LuLu on Friday, which really made me want dessert. (By the way, the food there is amazing. I had Flat Iron Steak with mashed sweet potatoes and chard with bacon). I had a couple of granny smith apples in the kitchen and made some tasty baked apples last night.
I totally didn't think to photograph the apples, but the recipe was simple.
3 Granny Smith Apples, sliced
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Cup shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Cloves
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Melted Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil Extra-Virgin 29 oz. 218566 (Google Affiliate Ad)
Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 400 until apples are soft and coconut is toasted.
Well, I wasn't really thinking about the fact that Nutmeg isn't AIP (This angers me - I love nutmeg). If it was nutmeg that made me all sneezy, I might cry. It could have been dust as well. We're cleaning and reorganizing the Gnomery and the HEPA filter has apparently been doing it's job. The back intake was covered with dust bunnies. Which then got on the bed. We did our best to brush them off.
One of the more exciting (well, exciting for me anyway) was getting my Brown Bag Company Alpine Mail Bag.
I saw this bag at Cole Fox Hardware and immediately wanted it. I've been waiting for weeks to see if I still wanted it. Well, I did. I have been looking for the perfect messenger style bag for ages. I had a laptop bag that was cute, but my laptop barely fit in it. I started looking at canvas/nylon messenger bags (think Timbuk2). Well, they are $100 + and I've never had anything canvas/nylon last longer than a few years. Plus, I was sort of disheartened at their "designed in SF, made with pride world wide" spin for "Made In China".
Well, the Alpine Mail Bag is made in Incline Village (Tahoe) from American leather (Milwaukee). Apparently this company makes made to last tool bags. This bag appears to be made to last as well! It's heavy duty leather with quality stitching and brass fittings. It has two compartments (one zippered and a main compartment divided into 2) with two pen holders and a business card holder. It does not have a billion places to lose something in (I've had purses with so many pockets I could lose things for years in them. Wallets too for that matter.). I have a 17" laptop which barely fit into laptop bags designed for a 17" laptop. Well, it fits wonderfully in this bag with room to spare. It's more than enough for my commute to work on train days AND it fits my rain boots in it!
I'm excited to finally have a well made bag!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)