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Thursday, January 30, 2014

One of Those Days...


DISCLAIMER:  I started this post last night and simply chose to ponder the implications of my post prior to completing it.

You know those days?

The ones where you wake up and already know the day is going to suck?  Like you thought for a moment that the day was gonna be great and then you looked into the mirror in the bathroom and realize that you have a monster pimple right on the edge of your nose or lip and it's so huge it's practically waving at you?  Then you drive to work and in the process you spill coffee, get stuck behind the slowest person on Earth, and hit every single red light?  Then you pull out your packed lunch only to discover that a bad food choice was made and nothing ends up reheating well?  And then you make the supremely stupid decision to challenge the Fates, God, Mother Nature, WHOMEVER... to bring it on because you're too strong to be taken down by silly first-world problems...

 

Fate called my bluff.


A good friend lost his father today.

Yeah, that kind of day.  I've just had one.

The worst part?  I feel like a complete and total jerk.  Like, logically I know I have my life to live but how can I continue debating between whether or not chicken tortilla soup is the right choice for dinner when there are REAL problems, pain, decisions, and situations in the world?


I think I now know how we continue on.  Well, I know how I continue on at least.  You can make your own choices.  We all own a little bit of freedom.

We are all free to live in our own heads.  Spending our quiet time daydreaming of some amazing and magical separate reality.  To worry about yourself does not exclusively mean that you don't worry about others.  It just means that you were listening to the in flight instructions regarding emergencies and know that you are supposed to see to your own well-being before assisting others with theirs.



Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunday, SUNDAY, Sunday!!!

Totally a football day today.


So diet or not.. it's football day.  And football demands football food.
What is football food you ask?
It's delicious.  It's at least slightly greasy.  It's American comfort food.

Now, football food is bad for you.  Ninety-nine percent of it is swimming in grease or heavily processed goodness.  Like the beloved Velveeta plus Rotel combo.  Classic.


 

I have no idea what goes into that alleged food product, but I suspect it is either made by the gods or some underground crime syndicate looking to create a new, edible drug.

Anyway..  PIZZA for dinner!

Now, pizza is usually pretty much crap when you look at it nutritionally.  Especially for those of us with a gluten issue of any kind.

Pro-tip: Hell's Kitchen Pizza in Manitou Springs, CO has excellent G.F. pizza.  Only them. Everyone else can only pull off a "meh" pizza or a "guess I'll eat it because they upcharged me $5 to make it GF".

Tonight's dinner and the pizza bell without actually being pizza.  It's got a bit of greasy deliciousness but still manages to add some healthy parts from the ol' food pyramid in.  I'm going to need to research the food pyramid after posting this.  I just realized that I have NO idea what the current one looks like or if it's even a pyramid anymore.  I could get behind a "Food Sphere".  Just sounds fun.



Pizza Bake

INGREDIENTS
  • Shredded meat of 1 small spaghetti squash
  • 1 lb browned Italian sausage
  • 1 C pizza sauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 bell pepper, diced
  • Italian seasoning/salt/pepper to taste
  • Turkey pepperoni (as much or little as you like)
  • Shredded mozzarella (as much or little as you like)
DIRECTIONS
  • Mix eggs, squash, pizza sauce, and seasoning in a medium bowl until combined.
  • Add most of peppers, onions, and sausage to mix (reserving some of each as topping)
  • Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, bake at 400F for 35 minutes.
  • When done baking, top with remaining peppers, onions, & sausage.
  • Sprinkle cheese on top and then layer as much pepperoni as you like on top.
  • Broil until cheese is melted and pepperoni begins crisping (about 5 minutes)

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Saturday Brunch

We're bracing for some frigid weather.  No, not frigid.  Deadly cold.
Like, freeze and die if you decide to hang out outside.

So of course, we'll be leaving the house to fight through the grocery store chaos.  I discovered a severe grocery list deficiency that simply must be rectified.  I'm out of cauliflower.  In my #FirstWorldProblems mindset... it's desperate.  I have three recipes on the week's meal plan that call for the ingredient.

But before we venture out on a Saturday, it's brunch time!

I love brunch.  Today's was simple but delish.  Not the prettiest meal ever but absolutely tasty and healthy(ish).


Fresh squeezed juice: 
  • 1 Cara cara orange
  • 1/2 ruby red grapefruit
  • 1 Navel orange

Sausage:
  • Johnsonville breakfast sausage

Paleo pumpkin pancakes
  • 2 ripe bananas, 6 large eggs, 1/2 C pumpkin puree, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Mix all ingredients well in a food processor until smooth
  • Cook on 350F griddle/pan being careful when flipping as pancakes are thin and delicate.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

I Saw the Sign

If you believe in superstition, fate, or a whole bunch of magical stuff...

Today I received a sign.


And yes, I nearly broke out in song when I realized that I saw the sign.
It opened up my eyes...  I saw the sign!

Great!  Now that's stuck in my head again.

Confession time:  I love fortune cookies.
Any fortune cookies.  Novelty, inedible, chocolate, filled, crocheted, giant.. doesn't matter.
I adore the cute little things and the mysteries they tend to hold.


Life is kinda like those little cookies.  Forrest Gump would like you to think otherwise but I disagree with him.


I feel like fortune cookies are always exactly what you need.  Sure, sometimes they're too dry or too sweet or not sweet enough or stale or too crisp or already broken.  And that sucks.  But sometimes they are the perfect palate cleanser after a meal or a much needed sweet that you just remembered you didn't eat after the last Chinese food dinner (BONUS!).

Some desserts or treats are made with a special ingredient: LOVE.

Fortune cookies generally are not.  A lot of them are made in factories in N. Jersey and Brooklyn.  Very few little, old, rosy cheeked grandmothers are involved in the baking process.  But you know what special ingredient they manage to include that can often be in terribly short supply?

HOPE.

I received a little hope today.


Whether that little slip of paper contains some sage truth from the beyond or merely a randomized message meant to fill the four million fortune cookies mass produced each day doesn't matter.

What matters is that I read that little slip and my first thought wasn't regarding the generic nature of the fortune. My first thought was "Darn straight I do!"

I have the ability to accomplish great things.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

January 1st - It doesn't get more "Day 1" than this...


You ready to do this?

No really!  Are you ready?  Because I'm only barely ready.  I seriously need you.  I don't care if you think you'll just bring me down.  You won't.  I've been quite successful the last few years at bringing myself down all by my lonesome.


I'm not gonna let that happen anymore.
So don't worry.  If I can't hurt me, you can't hurt me.
We can just support each other.
Maybe virtually cuddle when times get rough.
OR
Do a long-distance happy dance when things totally rock!
OR
Just be totally weird with you!


I'm also a fan of using my belly like a drum set.
I'm pretty darn talented.


Um.. yeah...  That's a little true too.


Anyway...

Hi.

I like you.

and...  um...


Oh yeah!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm going to try to start this year off right.  By right I mean that I'm going to keep doing what I've been successfully doing, add in a few things that might be a great health boost, and try to stay on track with my exercise and food plans.

No more of this just because I have a long day on my feet and rack up 8 miles at work:


It's so tempting sometimes!

Only this is allowed:



I don't think I'll have too much of a problem since I DO know I need to be in shape for some of the trips planned during this season's hiking season. It's not gonna be an easy one.  I foresee many switchbacks and sore feet.

I HAVE PROOF THAT I'M READY FOR THE NEW YEAR!

LOOK!

I DID A MEAL PLAN!



That's not the amazing part, the amazing part is that I did it early.

The recipes are all tested previously by myself or trusted others, don't have a smidge of gluten anywhere (as I've resolved to not torture myself this year), and are hearty but not as meat-heavy (in general) as a lot of gluten-free diets seem to be.

Until tomorrow....