Riley was playing outside in the sunshine yesterday when something went wrong. She ran to the table and chairs on the porch, hiding underneath them and thrashing around. I said something was wrong, but it was possible she was just playing.....until a horrid whine started coming out of her. I let her in, and she kept pawing at her face. My husband halted the game in progress and came to help me get her out of hiding. She's buried herself behind a chair. That's when we notice a lump forming above on of her eyebrows. Apparently our little playful beast had provoked a bee, and it stung her. We have a small nest in the yard we've been unable to eliminate. We iced the sting area. Then she slept for a long time, and her legs were quivering the whole time. From time to time, though, she'd get up and play then go back to sleep. I think the pain confused her and tuckered her out. By evening, her entire forehead was a swollen lump.
Thankfully, this morning, her face is completely back to normal and she's been extremely playful. Whiny still, but playful.
My little girl scared me. I'm glad she's okay.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Greatest Movies You've Never Seen
So, we seem to be having small gatherings to watch what my husband deems "The Greatest Movies You've Never Seen". First up was Boondock Saints. Next Equilibruim. Finally, Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog. We shall continue the series next time with Stardust.
Seriously, if you haven't seen any of these, go find them! I know they should all be available through Netflix: two by disc and two by streaming. If you do, please let me know what you though of them!
Seriously, if you haven't seen any of these, go find them! I know they should all be available through Netflix: two by disc and two by streaming. If you do, please let me know what you though of them!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Food in Review
Welcoming the cold weather was the theme of the week!
Friday: Total cheat. Manicotti from Central Market. It was actually better as a left over than it was for dinner Friday night. So, if you get this, bake it then save it for a day.
Saturday: CHILI!!!! I was so excited to make the chili (which I let cook all day long) that I forgot to take a photo. Fail. It was classic beef served with cheddar and sour cream with homemade cornbread on the side. Perfect for celebrating Halloween with hairdresser bridesmaid.
Sunday: Chili nachos on organic blue corn chips. I think they speak for themselves.
Monday: I used every left over veg in the fridge to make a stir fry. I also used a new-to-me product, bean sprout noodles. Yeah, they were mushy. I wasn't a fan. For a side, I stuffed leftover pablanos with a blend of cream cheese and cheddar, crusted in panko.
Tuesday: I wanted something German-inspired, which is why I got the red cabbage to begin with. This was simply cabbage braised in apple cider and apple cider vinegar with chicken sausage. Hit the spot!
Wednesday: The last of the chili was devoted to stuffed baked potatoes. This is just one of my favorite things! It's one of the reasons I make chili. So good.
Thursday: You've seen these before....stuffed acorn squash with quinoa and sausage. This fulfilled my weekly roasted squash craving.
I hope you're Friday is as much fun as Riley's!
Friday: Total cheat. Manicotti from Central Market. It was actually better as a left over than it was for dinner Friday night. So, if you get this, bake it then save it for a day.
Saturday: CHILI!!!! I was so excited to make the chili (which I let cook all day long) that I forgot to take a photo. Fail. It was classic beef served with cheddar and sour cream with homemade cornbread on the side. Perfect for celebrating Halloween with hairdresser bridesmaid.
Sunday: Chili nachos on organic blue corn chips. I think they speak for themselves.
Monday: I used every left over veg in the fridge to make a stir fry. I also used a new-to-me product, bean sprout noodles. Yeah, they were mushy. I wasn't a fan. For a side, I stuffed leftover pablanos with a blend of cream cheese and cheddar, crusted in panko.
Tuesday: I wanted something German-inspired, which is why I got the red cabbage to begin with. This was simply cabbage braised in apple cider and apple cider vinegar with chicken sausage. Hit the spot!
Thursday: You've seen these before....stuffed acorn squash with quinoa and sausage. This fulfilled my weekly roasted squash craving.
I hope you're Friday is as much fun as Riley's!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Little changes in hope of a big difference
People that know me personally know that I am just the teeniest bit granola (ehm, okay perhaps teeny is the wrong descriptor there). I do, after all, make my own granola, granola bars, and nut butters. I aim for organic and whole grain whenever possible. I try to recycle and be green-conscious (oh how I wish the Element came in a hybrid!) I also have an utterly inexplicable thing for leaves, and nearly all of the jewelry I am attracted to has a leaf or tree somewhere in it. (Look closely at the wedding photos if you don’t believe me.
Still, even with my slightly hippy tendencies, I don’t really feel I’m all that extreme. I’m also not completely disciplined. I won’t turn down every single item of food offered to me solely on the grounds that it’s not “my” style of food. I figure I do as best as I can, so when an indulgence presents itself….why not? Just be selective of which ones, right?
Well, the last two weeks, I’ve been doing research and asking questions about something slightly more extreme, diet-wise. My best friend’s and her family are big proponents of raw food and the benefits of a raw food diet. Well, the whole concept was sort of foreign to me, so as I do with most things I’m unfamiliar with, I started researching. Amidst my research my doctor’s office called and said I’m now going to need semi-annual visits. They’re once again concerned that my cervix is turning cancerous.
Now, I don’t have cancer. Let me very clear about that. I just have some signs pointing toward abnormalities. Plus, my mother had cervical cancer. Being the diligent and totally awesome doctor she is, she’s being cautious, and I appreciate that. My doc and I have been down this road before. Three years ago she was CERTAIN that I had cancer. I underwent biopsies that, after the first one, she said “we have to wait for confirmation but I’m certain I’ll be scheduling to remove your cervix soon”. Turns out….no cancer was found. You should have heard the utter shock in her voice at the result. I cleaned my diet and lifestyle up (I was partying WAY too much) and the next biopsy was totally clean. Nothing had come up since. Well, now it has.
Perhaps I got too lax? There’s no telling really. But I do know that being a bit more diligent has worked in the past. So, let’s hope it works again.
As I said, I’d been researching raw food benefits when I got this news. I turned to my best friend, whose very close family members had shown improvement in various ailments through raw food diets, for advice. Now, going raw is too extreme for me. But I do believe that I can incorporate it into my usual routine. I believe the benefits are worthwhile, and plus I love a challenge.
All week, I’ve tried to replace my usual lunch of a sandwich or leftovers with a raw lunch. I also replaced one of my two at-work snacks with a raw snack. I’m starting small. Lunch all week has been organic mixed greens with sliced sundried tomatoes, organic red bell peppers, organic pablanos, baby bellas, and half an organic avocado. The first day I used vinaigrette, but I wanted to try a raw dressing. So, I soaked two tablespoons each of raw pepitas and sunflower seeds overnight. I added them to some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, and Dijon in the blender. Then I added water to help the blender out. My blender didn’t work so well, but I still came out with a creamy and very flavorful dressing! My snacks have been either an organic apple or banana with my homemade almond butter (not raw….hey, I’m trying here!). I hope to continue incorporating this into my life, but I have no intention of going to extremes. All things in moderation, right?
While I have no idea if this will actually help, I think it’s worth a try!
Here are some links if you’d like to learn more about eating raw.
Still, even with my slightly hippy tendencies, I don’t really feel I’m all that extreme. I’m also not completely disciplined. I won’t turn down every single item of food offered to me solely on the grounds that it’s not “my” style of food. I figure I do as best as I can, so when an indulgence presents itself….why not? Just be selective of which ones, right?
Well, the last two weeks, I’ve been doing research and asking questions about something slightly more extreme, diet-wise. My best friend’s and her family are big proponents of raw food and the benefits of a raw food diet. Well, the whole concept was sort of foreign to me, so as I do with most things I’m unfamiliar with, I started researching. Amidst my research my doctor’s office called and said I’m now going to need semi-annual visits. They’re once again concerned that my cervix is turning cancerous.
Now, I don’t have cancer. Let me very clear about that. I just have some signs pointing toward abnormalities. Plus, my mother had cervical cancer. Being the diligent and totally awesome doctor she is, she’s being cautious, and I appreciate that. My doc and I have been down this road before. Three years ago she was CERTAIN that I had cancer. I underwent biopsies that, after the first one, she said “we have to wait for confirmation but I’m certain I’ll be scheduling to remove your cervix soon”. Turns out….no cancer was found. You should have heard the utter shock in her voice at the result. I cleaned my diet and lifestyle up (I was partying WAY too much) and the next biopsy was totally clean. Nothing had come up since. Well, now it has.
Perhaps I got too lax? There’s no telling really. But I do know that being a bit more diligent has worked in the past. So, let’s hope it works again.
As I said, I’d been researching raw food benefits when I got this news. I turned to my best friend, whose very close family members had shown improvement in various ailments through raw food diets, for advice. Now, going raw is too extreme for me. But I do believe that I can incorporate it into my usual routine. I believe the benefits are worthwhile, and plus I love a challenge.
All week, I’ve tried to replace my usual lunch of a sandwich or leftovers with a raw lunch. I also replaced one of my two at-work snacks with a raw snack. I’m starting small. Lunch all week has been organic mixed greens with sliced sundried tomatoes, organic red bell peppers, organic pablanos, baby bellas, and half an organic avocado. The first day I used vinaigrette, but I wanted to try a raw dressing. So, I soaked two tablespoons each of raw pepitas and sunflower seeds overnight. I added them to some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, and Dijon in the blender. Then I added water to help the blender out. My blender didn’t work so well, but I still came out with a creamy and very flavorful dressing! My snacks have been either an organic apple or banana with my homemade almond butter (not raw….hey, I’m trying here!). I hope to continue incorporating this into my life, but I have no intention of going to extremes. All things in moderation, right?
While I have no idea if this will actually help, I think it’s worth a try!
Here are some links if you’d like to learn more about eating raw.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Voting
I don't know about you, but I love that we get to vote in this country. I love that we have a way to have a voice. Even if the candidates we voted for loses, we had the opportunity to have a say and make a difference in the way we're governed. I take that right very seriously. I try to vote every time I've gotten the opportunity. I'm not perfect; so I've totally missed out on elections since I was 18.
Today was not one of those elections that passed me by unnoticed. I exercised my right, even though it took me an hour and ten minutes to drive to my polling place from work in the pouring rain. It would be easy to be apathetic and just go straight home after that much time creeping down the highway, right?! But I knew I'd feel a twinge of guilt. So many people have fought (and are still fighting today) to make sure I continue to have these rights, and I want to take as full advantage of that as possible.
I hope you joined me in this endeavor! If not, please consider voting in the next election. If we take our rights for granted, we just might lose the privilege. I don't ever want that to be the case.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Prep work
So, Sundays around here aren't strictly football. They're also prep day. I clean whatever I see fit (this week my bedroom), do the laundry, and bake anything that would take longer than half an hour that I want during the week.
Lately, now that the mornings are cooler, I've been making pots of steel cut oats to have for breakfast every morning. Steel cut oats have become my absolute favorites! They're creaming, yet the still retain quite a nice crunch. Plus, they reheat beautifully.
So, I make about 3-4 portions a week. I know I'll want to mix it up a bit, so I try to never make one for every single day. This week, for four portions, I used 3 cups of water, a cup of milk, 1 1/4 cup of steel cut oats an 1/4 cup of flax mill. I've never added the flax to the original batch (only after the fact) and I love how much nuttier the whole batch tastes because of it. Plus, well, flax is full of omega-3. I should use WAY more of it because I'm not a huge fan of oily fish. I combine everything at once, bring to a oil, then cook for about 20-25 minutes until it's nice and thick. Then just portion it out.
In the morning, the precooked oats get plopped in a pot with some milk to loosen it up. It turns into one solid blob in the fridge. Break the blob up and whip it a bit to incorporate the added milk. Then go crazy with any add ins you want! My favorite is little blobs of peanut butter and a scoop of jelly at the very end. You get pockets of PB that way! And the jelly sweetens the batch.
This is a total convenience food for me. I can let it heat while I make breakfast. Then I get to sit with Riley on the couch she's allowed on to enjoy it. It's our morning cuddle time!
Lately, now that the mornings are cooler, I've been making pots of steel cut oats to have for breakfast every morning. Steel cut oats have become my absolute favorites! They're creaming, yet the still retain quite a nice crunch. Plus, they reheat beautifully.
So, I make about 3-4 portions a week. I know I'll want to mix it up a bit, so I try to never make one for every single day. This week, for four portions, I used 3 cups of water, a cup of milk, 1 1/4 cup of steel cut oats an 1/4 cup of flax mill. I've never added the flax to the original batch (only after the fact) and I love how much nuttier the whole batch tastes because of it. Plus, well, flax is full of omega-3. I should use WAY more of it because I'm not a huge fan of oily fish. I combine everything at once, bring to a oil, then cook for about 20-25 minutes until it's nice and thick. Then just portion it out.
In the morning, the precooked oats get plopped in a pot with some milk to loosen it up. It turns into one solid blob in the fridge. Break the blob up and whip it a bit to incorporate the added milk. Then go crazy with any add ins you want! My favorite is little blobs of peanut butter and a scoop of jelly at the very end. You get pockets of PB that way! And the jelly sweetens the batch.
This is a total convenience food for me. I can let it heat while I make breakfast. Then I get to sit with Riley on the couch she's allowed on to enjoy it. It's our morning cuddle time!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Granola - Attempt #4
Mulled Cider Granola
3c rolled oats
1/4c wheat germ
1/4c ground flax
1/2c pumpkin seeds
1/2c slivered almonds
1/3c cider
1/3c brown rice syrup
1/4t each ground ginger, ground allspice, and nutmeg
As usual, I warmed the wet items through, mixed with the dry, and baked at 325 stirring every 10 minutes till dry.
The result.....not nearly apple enough. I'll be adding some applesauce to the next batch! The spices are spot-on though, so I'll devour it nonetheless. Hey....trial and error, right?
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