At last

One beautiful morning last spring my parents and I decided to get brunch at a new restaurant that had recently opened and was getting good reviews. We parked about a block away and on the way to the restaurant we passed an adorable little set of apartments, quaint and quiet tucked back from the street. 

"Cute! I want to live there!" I exclaimed. My parents agreed it was a lovely little complex. 

Over the last year I thought about those apartments a lot. Sometimes if I was in the neighborhood I'd drive by just to look at them. Once when my sister was in the car I drove her down that street. "I want to live there." I said, pointing. 

And then one day when I passed there was a for sale sign. I had been looking at houses the last few months with my family, but everything in my price range was either really far away or needed so many thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work that it just didn't seem plausible. I looked up the listing of the complex and found that not only was the place a two bedroom that had just come down in price, it also had vaulted ceilings and a fireplace. I jumped up and down, called my realtor and we went and looked at it that day.

The last several months have been a nearly non stop series of paperwork, phone calls, hoops to jump through, copious amounts of stress and quite a few frustrated tears. But finally. Finally. The pieces of the puzzle got themselves put together (and I mean literally just a few hours before closing) and they handed me the keys. 

It's mine. My perfect new home. 

There are still tears, but now they are of happiness, excitement and gratitude.
 

A huge amount of thanks is due to my family who not only put up with my fretting for the last few months, but have been a constant source of support for me before and after this purchase. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

You'll have to forgive light posting this week as I am up to my elbows in paint and other little projects, but that'll all be over soon and King and I will be able to enjoy our new space. Photos to come. 

Art & Manufacture

I'm really loving on these beautifully simple ceramics by Art & Manufacture. 

Like, a lot.

via this pin board.

Turkey crock pot bolognese

As promised here is the recipe for an easy peasy, healthy, delicious crock pot bolognese sauce that I modified slightly from it's original form here.

Do yourself a big 'ol favor and get all the ingredients at the coop, it makes this dish taste about a hundred times better, especially with quality sausage. You may think you're paying more for this, but for the number of meals you get out of it, it makes financial and health sense. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)

• 1 large white onion, minced

• 2 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup), minced

• 3 carrots (about 1 cup), minced

• 2 lb ground turkey

• 1/4 pound spicy turkey and pork sausage

• 1/4 cup white wine

• 2- 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes 

• 4 garlic cloves pressed

• 3 bay leaves

• salt and fresh pepper (about 2 tsp of each)

• 2 tsp herbs de provance

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Spray your crock pot with cooking spray. Add two cans of tomatoes.

In a large sauce pan heat up your oil or butter. Add garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds or until you can really smell it (don't burn the garlic). Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for a couple minutes, they don't have to be totally cooked or translucent.

Put that mix into crock pot and return pan to stove. Add a bit more cooking spray to the pan and add sausage. Cook until just browned.

Add to crock pot. It's going to feel like it won't all fit, but it will!

Add white wine, bay leaves, salt, pepper and herbs de provance to the crock pot, stir it all up and cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Toward the end of the cooking you'll find there is liquid at the top of the crock pot. I like my sauces a bit thicker so I just siphon that liquid off the top and discard. The consistency is up to you. 

If things are feeling a bit too chunky you can always take a potato masher to the contents of the crock pot to smooth it all out. Works wonders.

Before serving add cream and parsley. I had some fresh basil so I added a bit of that too. 

Serve over noodles and enjoy!

 

Good morning!

image by tatsuro kiuchi.

Gluten Free • An Update

So I've gotten a lot of messages in my inbox lately asking me how this whole gluten free thing is going.

That is a total lie. The only emails I ever get about this blog are ones from my friend Emily's mom telling me she enjoys reading. And that's more than I could ever hope for.

Hi Sheree! Hope you're enjoying the spring!

But for any one of my half dozen readers who does want to know, I'm happy to give an update as to how my first two weeks gluten free went.

Overall, they went very well. 

I knew that this change was going to be a challenge for me because prior to two weeks ago bread and cheese in various forms made up the majority of my diet, starting with breakfast and picking up the pace from there throughout the day. And don't even get my started on the pasta intake.

So I knew two things going in; one, I had to plan multiple ideas for meals in advance because I can be fickle when it comes to eating and I like variety, and two, breakfast was the first place I had to put my attention because it's one of my favorite meals and if I wasn't happy with gluten free breakfasts I was going to fail pretty quickly and head to the closest bagel shop.

The solution thus far has been to cover my bases with both sweet and savory breakfast options. I did a little research online and found this fantastic gluten free granola recipe that's perfect for easy breakfasts at work. I have a second batch in the oven as I type this (more on the great website it came from later). And my other breakfast option is either eggs and potatoes (If I'm in a hurry it's just half a baked potato with a scrambled egg, scallions and cheese) or egg and cheese on a gluten free English muffin (made this style cause it's awesome). I've only tried one version of gluten free English muffins thus far and they are just ok, I got another kind at the co-op recently and am hoping I'll like them better. They're not bad, their just not great either. Maybe I will have to find some recipes online and try my hand at making them myself.

Aside from breakfast my meals are generally fresh, delicious summer salads, meats and veggies and using quinoa and rice in places where noodles or bread may have been before. I tried my first gluten free noodles last night and they were pretty good. I will share the bolognese recipe I made for them soon as it rocked my socks. I could have put that sauce on cardboard and it would have still been good, but the noodles really were good.

In terms of how eating gluten free has made me feel, I feel good. I find that the feeling of hunger is different when you're eating gluten free. Meaning I still get hungry, but it isn't the desperate feeling of hunger I'd get before and my sense of being full and satisfied comes faster and lasts longer. That means my portion sizes are smaller and that's a good thing. I've lost a little over a pound which is good considering my workouts have been few and far between the last couple weeks. I'm not trying to have this be some fad diet (like my sister called it before I started) so I'm not making it too much about weight loss, I'm just testing it out to see if I can find some health benefits of all kinds. 

My energy levels and mental clarity is high, but my fibromyalgia symptoms are still lingering. This spring has been bad for that. One day it's 75 and sunny, the next it's 50 degrees and raining, then sun, then snow and then in the blink of an eye is 90 degrees and humid. That makes my body confused and frustrated, but overall we're doing ok. A hell of a lot better than I would have fared in the past.

In terms of cravings and having to say no to wheat filled things, it's not as hard as I thought. There has been about four different times at work in the last two weeks where people have offered me pastries or muffins and I just declined and didn't really think about it. Maybe because of the aforementioned difference in hunger I just don't really need or want it. I don't know, maybe in a few weeks that'll change, I'm not sure. I did absentmindedly eat a pita chip at our mothers day dinner. Ah well. ;)

One of the best parts of the change though is exactly what I was hoping it would be and that is that I'm forced to shake up my regular diet and come up with some fun new ways of cooking and eating. Like being reminded just how amazing sweet, red, summer watermelon is and eating that instead of a dense brownie. I've ordered new things in restaurants I wouldn't have tried before because I would have went for my usual gluten filled options. And I've been experimenting with different ways to cook quinoa and rices. 

As I mentioned before, at the start of this change I found the blog glutenfreegirl.com when I was looking for granola recipes and in the "about" section I found that I instantly enjoyed this woman and that since her and her husband had put out a cook book I really wanted to explore it. I went to Barnes and Noble that night and picked it up and have been reading it like an actual book ever since. It's great because it not only has both great recipes and really helpful basic cooking tips, it's also a well written and beautiful love story. I'm really enjoying it. I haven't yet made a recipe from it because, well because my mind has been mostly occupied with work and trying to close on a new home, but I can't wait to dive into the different meals soon. Perhaps in the new kitchen of my new place. :)

So that's where I'm at. I set out with the goal of trying this very strictly for a month and that's still what I intend to do. I'm enjoying it. Perhaps after that I'll bring some gluten back into my diet, I'm not sure. I'll just have to wait and see, but for now I can tell my body is thanking me.

My motto this week.

And by week I mean lifetime.

Via Keano ross.

Good morning!

Picture by Pia Jane Bijkerk.

Sister date

For all the great things this city has to offer in spring and summer, traffic is not one of them. In order to both repair the damage the snow, salt and ice caused and make any other changes to the roads they can't do in the middle of winter, summers here are road construction season. Lame.

When you add road construction to the already confusing roads of the University of Minnesota campus it means you get to the authors reading you were going to a hell of a lot later than you intended. 

But man, it was so worth it. 

Last night Jady and I went to a reading by Augusten Borroughs for his new book, This is How. It was a great talk by a fantastic writer and really interesting person, it's always so fun to see an author in person who you've been reading for so many years. 

Admittedly for as different as my sister and I are in all aspects of life, reading habits included, going to an authors reading together is not something I ever thought we would do. Leave it to Augusten Borroughs to bring even the most different people together into one room. The event and the delicious wine and food at The Loring after made for a really nice date night with my sister.

Um yeah, this two week old bunny is about the cutest thing with four legs and totally made my night on Friday. My parents neighbor breeds them and does a fantastic job of making sure they're both litter box trained and extremely friendly. She often carries them around in the pockets of her sweaters, even to the grocery store. So sweet.

Great New Yorker cover to illustrate the presidents support of gay marriage this week. A big step toward equality for all. Thank you Mr. President.

How to use a paper towel

I watched this video a few days ago and now think about it every single time I use the restroom at work. 

Sometimes you just think, "Huh, that makes sense. I'll do it that way."

Chubs

The vet came yesterday and said that King is two pounds overweight. Really, you could just tell he was thinking, "Like dog mother like dog".

So we went for a run.

Then we read.
 

Broken Houses

Loving this series of scale model "Broken Houses" by Ofra Lapid.

Found via ffffound.

I went over and over this line from "A Prayer For Owen Meany" (by John Irving) when I read it. It's good advice.

Gluten Free

Last week on the way to work one day I had to make a quick stop at the gas station to get a small container of milk for that morning's coffee. On the way to the register I walked through an isle and grabbed a strawberry pop-tart off the shelf. "I haven't had one of these in years." I thought, "I've always loved them so much and though I know it's bad for me I just want to have it."

So I got to work and toasted it up and yeah it was kind of good and sweet, but the part that wasn't ok with me was how I felt. Not only did I feel guilty for buying my breakfast at a gas station (seriously, yuck) but I still felt hungry, and frankly, I felt gross for having put that in my body. Was it the end of the world that I ate one pop tart? No. It's just that through this food journey I've been on the last several years I've learned a very simple fact and that is,

putting good food in my body makes me feel good. Putting bad food in my body makes me feel bad.

And I mean that on all the levels physical and emotional. I feel good when I buy food at the coop. I feel good that my food dollars are supporting something I believe in. I feel good when I read the back of my Parmesan cheese container and it tells me the farm in my same state that it came from. I feel good when those foods I buy taste better. I even feel good when I accidentally don't get to eating a food in time and it starts to decay or mold. Foods are supposed to decay, unlike this McDonalds meal that can sit for six months and look the same, foods that don't have an over abundance of preservatives are just better. And my body feels good when I fuel it with the right kinds of foods. 

My mind feels better too. I find when I'm eating healthy and taking my vitamins I have a much clearer head. I'm sharper at work, remembering all the little details of things that need to be done. I'm quicker to have the answer I need in a meeting and I can organize my thoughts in a way that helps me be more productive. And that makes me happy.

Do I follow the perfect diet 100% of the time? No (see above pop-tart story). Do I try my best? Yes.

So with that said I'd like to segue into the real topic of this blog post. 

Which is gluten. 

As you may have noticed on the right of the screen I started reading a new book last week, Wheat Belly. In a nutshell this book talks about the changes in how the wheat in our country has been genetically modified for quicker growth and larger yields over the years and how those changes have effected human health (not that they bothered to do any tests on this matter before, during or after they genetically modified the wheat). To say the least... it seems the effects on human health from this change has been staggering.

I think one of the parts of the book (and to be honest I'm only on like chapter four so far, but was convinced after about five pages) puts it best when they point out that the only difference between males and females on a genetics level is the absence or presence of the Y chromosome. One little chromosome change and you've got a girl or a boy and just think about all the differences that encompasses. So how scary is it that they're just going around playing with wheat chromosomes and then serving that food to us without even bothering to test how it might effect us? (wheat isn't the only time this happens in "food science", but it's the one I'm focusing on in this post).

When I think about diet and how what you put in your body effects a person one idea that's kept running through my mind these last few years is that if something as teeny tiny as a birth control pill (which let's face it is about one of the tiniest pills on the planet and if you accidentally drop yours before you take it you have to search the ground forever to find the damn thing) can do something as drastic as prevent a pregnancy, then think about how the larger things you consume can effect your body.

So I won't go into all the details of the book here and I certainly will try to not come off as preachy or holier-than-thou (at this point that's probably too late) but I just wanted to share some information with you since as of today I will be going gluten free. I am going to try and be really strict about it for at least a month knowing that if I give myself too many limitations in life I'm likely to lash out eventually. But I'm going to try my best and what I hope to get out of this experience is the following


• Less fatigue and hopefully fewer fibromyalgia symptoms
• Clearer mind
• Better digestion (I have a very sensitive stomach)
• Hopefully a drop of five pounds from my wheat belly
• More energy
• Some fun new recipes and foods to enjoy


So I will keep you all posted as to how it goes. Thankfully my friend Genevra has been gluten free for months now and will be a great go-to person for questions and support. I also have another friend whose daughter has ciliacs disease (she cannot tolerate gluten) so she will also be a helpful resource.

PS. The first thing Genevra ever taught me about a gluten free diet is that it still contains rice and potatoes. For some reason in my head I had all starches mixed in the the gluten category so it's helpful that I'm just giving up breads (and pastries), though I've been told there are very good gluten free pasta's and english muffin brands available. I'll keep you posted. 

I'd be lying if I said I truly excited to start (and give up ordering pizza), but I am excited to feel better so here's hoping. Wish me luck!

And for those of you like me who learn better from a quick video, here is one from the books author that's helpful.
  

Good morning!

art by daniel egnèus, found via this pin board.

From our walks

Jumping on and over the diamond (and square) patterns in the side walk, climbing on or pushing every single swing along the way, smelling flowers, going over bridges, counting steps, stopping to touch waterfalls and fountains, duckling viewing and intermittent dance breaks are just a few of the reasons our walk was so long last night.

I'm not complaining one bit. 

I love him.