Hello, everyone!
It's been about a month and a ton has been going on. In that time we went to Seattle to celebrate my Bro-in-law's 30th birthday (which was a surprise, so I could write about it... it was difficult), I packed up the apartment, we signed our lease, we started moving, my volunteer work has gotten busier, life has gotten more stressful... I'm not going to lie, there were a few days of bursting into tears.
With all this stress (and a bit of gluten), my body has been a bit peeved with me.
The trip to Seattle was wonderful. I was gluten-free the entire time with the small exception of some clam chowder from a place in Pike Place and a delicious croissant from a French bakery. If you're going to eat gluten, people- go French. There's my life advice for the day.
Our new apartment is nice. It's on the top floor so it gets tons of happy light without peepers looking in the windows as they walk past. During the move I was very good about not over-lifting- but 50 trips up and down the stairs with 15 pound boxes still isn't a picnic. And then we had to feed our wonderful friend who helped us out. Papa John's to the rescue! That was the end of my splurging, however. I've been good ever since.
Because the whole point of moving was to save money we've been trying to get as much of our security deposit back as possible. Painting, cleaning, cleaning. Ugh. At a certain point I told my hubby that I couldn't do it anymore. So, we recruited some old friends: Molly Maids. They cleaned our place once a month during my intense thesis writing time and I always loved the results. So, they should be cleaning away at our empty apartment this afternoon- leaving only a couple things that I may need to touch up tomorrow afternoon. But then, we're out. And we should get most of our deposit back (minus 150 from the cleaning service... and however much a new screen costs... I doubt they will miss Spartacus's "doggy door" on the slider"). I plan on celebrating by letting my new apartment get absolutely filthy.
It's pretty apparent that the stress has been taking a toll. My most recent appointment with my rheumy I was definitely flaring at the time- joint pain, fever, fatigue. It showed in my labs as well: My antibodies to double stranded DNA was a bit higher than normal (which is rare for me) and my platelet count was low (again). Negative for antiphospholipid syndrome, though. Huzzah!
For more information on lupus-related blood tests check out the Lupus Foundation website.
Well, I'm feeling guilty for not doing work... so I think it's time to sign off for now. Have a good week!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sorry about my absence...
...life has been stressful recently. I'm still working hard for the domestic violence organization which means all or most of my time on the computer needs to be dedicated to work.
In addition, we recently received our lease renewal notice. Holy rate increase, batman! After much thought and grumbling we decided it was just too much to put up with for six months until we move to Oregon and buy a house. We found another apartment in a less-nice area of town where we will be saving close to 500 bucks per month. So, lots of packing in my future...
I will be better about posting. I just need to get a handle on this workload. I miss writing.
In addition, we recently received our lease renewal notice. Holy rate increase, batman! After much thought and grumbling we decided it was just too much to put up with for six months until we move to Oregon and buy a house. We found another apartment in a less-nice area of town where we will be saving close to 500 bucks per month. So, lots of packing in my future...
I will be better about posting. I just need to get a handle on this workload. I miss writing.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Happy Monday! (And Happy Birthday!)
Not only is it Monday- but it's a very important birthday!
Love that quote.
So, let's all take a moment to remember a great man who paved the way for advancement of all civil rights. Let's respect those rights which we've won in this country and remember those rights which many citizens still fight for today.
As for me and Monday, this week is off to a pretty decent start so far.
Well, except for the actual start. Back pain right from the get-go, argh.
I used my foam roller, did some healthy alignment yoga, used my roller, and then rocked the P90X back and biceps work out. Then I used my foam roller again. I'm feeling much better now. Still yearning for a massage, though. After some digging through my insurance benefits I discovered that massage can only be utilized at the same time as physical therapy. Which makes no sense to me... why would I need both?
I'm hoping that an increase in core strengthening exercises (currently at 1-2 times per week) and yoga (P90X once per week, flow/healthy alignment once per week) will give me some relief without having to start in on my high medical deductible.
I started my day with some oatmeal dressed up with flax, chopped pear, walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup. My post-sweat snack was a blood orange Chobani. Not my favorite flavor- but it hit the spot and gave me a nice helping of protein to replenish my aching arms. Planning on a salad for lunch with some canned salmon or maybe some sardines. Dinner (as seen on my meal plan) is delicious kheema spiced ground beef. Can't wait... although I am running low on tomatoes for toppers. Dommage.
So, great workouts and a healthy meal plan for the day. The only thing left to do is to be productive. Haven't gotten a great start on that, yet. I did, however, call on an interview for another social work position. Looking forward to scheduling it- Mama needs a new resistance band.
Start your week off right, folks!
 |
| "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (February 25, 1967 - Los Angeles, Calif.) |
So, let's all take a moment to remember a great man who paved the way for advancement of all civil rights. Let's respect those rights which we've won in this country and remember those rights which many citizens still fight for today.
As for me and Monday, this week is off to a pretty decent start so far.
Well, except for the actual start. Back pain right from the get-go, argh.
I used my foam roller, did some healthy alignment yoga, used my roller, and then rocked the P90X back and biceps work out. Then I used my foam roller again. I'm feeling much better now. Still yearning for a massage, though. After some digging through my insurance benefits I discovered that massage can only be utilized at the same time as physical therapy. Which makes no sense to me... why would I need both?
I'm hoping that an increase in core strengthening exercises (currently at 1-2 times per week) and yoga (P90X once per week, flow/healthy alignment once per week) will give me some relief without having to start in on my high medical deductible.
I started my day with some oatmeal dressed up with flax, chopped pear, walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup. My post-sweat snack was a blood orange Chobani. Not my favorite flavor- but it hit the spot and gave me a nice helping of protein to replenish my aching arms. Planning on a salad for lunch with some canned salmon or maybe some sardines. Dinner (as seen on my meal plan) is delicious kheema spiced ground beef. Can't wait... although I am running low on tomatoes for toppers. Dommage.
So, great workouts and a healthy meal plan for the day. The only thing left to do is to be productive. Haven't gotten a great start on that, yet. I did, however, call on an interview for another social work position. Looking forward to scheduling it- Mama needs a new resistance band.
Start your week off right, folks!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
What's For Dinner: Post-Cleanse!
Happy menu planning day!
This is the first week of not being on the cleanse... even though I wasn't super good towards the end. I wasn't feeling too hot one day- which called for eating a bag of popcorn. Not the worst comfort-food splurge I could do, but I still felt guilty. I also broke my "no liquor" rule after a very long day of volunteering. That gin and tonic was pretty delicious, though.
So, I'm adding in small amounts of dairy this week (should I do provolone or Swiss on my steak sammies?) and a bit of processed food. I'm also happy about the return of Costco chicken Sunday. After two weeks of the cleanse I've been cooking A LOT. I'm excited to have a break. All the while, I will be eating and drinking with purpose- good food, intentional drink pairings (hello, margaritas!).
Saturday
Steak Sandwiches with Horseradish Sauce
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Sunday
Costco Chicken Sunday!
Roasted Veggies
Monday
Kheema Spiced Ground Beef with avocado and tomato
Tuesday
Chicken Pho
Wednesday
Egg Foo Young (Thanks, Kevin @ Closet Cooking!)
Thursday
Spiced Eggplant
Quinoia Salad (From the same recipe, replacing bulgur with quinoia to make it gluten-free)
Friday
Fish Tacos (I found gluten-free breaded fish!)
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Hungry Girl Margaritas
What are you excited to make this week?
This is the first week of not being on the cleanse... even though I wasn't super good towards the end. I wasn't feeling too hot one day- which called for eating a bag of popcorn. Not the worst comfort-food splurge I could do, but I still felt guilty. I also broke my "no liquor" rule after a very long day of volunteering. That gin and tonic was pretty delicious, though.
So, I'm adding in small amounts of dairy this week (should I do provolone or Swiss on my steak sammies?) and a bit of processed food. I'm also happy about the return of Costco chicken Sunday. After two weeks of the cleanse I've been cooking A LOT. I'm excited to have a break. All the while, I will be eating and drinking with purpose- good food, intentional drink pairings (hello, margaritas!).
Saturday
Steak Sandwiches with Horseradish Sauce
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Sunday
Costco Chicken Sunday!
Monday
Kheema Spiced Ground Beef with avocado and tomato
Chicken Pho
Wednesday
Egg Foo Young (Thanks, Kevin @ Closet Cooking!)
Thursday
Spiced Eggplant
 |
| Source: Bon Appetit |
Friday
Fish Tacos (I found gluten-free breaded fish!)
Hungry Girl Margaritas
What are you excited to make this week?
Friday, January 13, 2012
Toe sox!
I thought I would try some yoga this morning to alleviate some of the horrendous back pain I've been having recently. I saw a bit on a local news show about a woman who uses yoga to help her car accident related back pain, so I thought I would give it a shot. It was a bit helpful while I was rocking it- but hasn't fixed my powerful need for a visit to my favorite physical therapist.
I've been without PT for about four weeks now. I did okay for two weeks, but now I find my spine to be generally cranky with me and my hips to be a bit out of alignment.
I have a couple choices- I could ask for a new referral for physical therapy or I could get my lovely husband to authorize my spending a chunk of change on a massage.
But since he bought me those socks for Christmas... I'm guessing not...
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Sunday, January 8, 2012
What's For Dinner: Cleanse Part Two
Hi everyone! I'm pretty shocked at how infrequently I post considering that whole lack-of-a-job thing. But, I'm here, and I'm prepared to be honest in regards to how I'm doing on my "cleanse".
All the meals last week were pretty delicious. I've decided that baby bok choy is one of my favorite new veggies (probably to my husband's dismay). I have five of those cute little cabbages in my crisper. The cider-glazed chicken breasts were delicious, as was the apple-fennel salad. I had never had raw fennel before and was surprised at how well it went with the shallot-y dressing and the granny smith apple. The pumpkin-shrimp curry was the star of last week's menus. Previously, I had just dumped the can of pumpkin in and expected it to be magical. This recipe had us cook the pumpkin for awhile with the onions. Add in the coconut milk and it was a decadent experience. We happily ate the leftovers.
Limiting my drinking to none-or-one was pretty good until Friday. I had a stressful day and we decided to have a date night to unwind. We had sushi (not inherently evil, but the white rice and some of the obviously mayo-based sauces made me feel guilty) and I enjoyed some sake. I'm sure I was well over my one drink. But, I did skip the delicious popcorn drenched in "butter". Last night was just one of those situations where you find that one glass of white wine turns into two... turns into what I thought would be emptying the bottle for a half glass... it wasn't. C'est la vie, right? Back on track...
My morning meals (I usually do two, one small bite before the gym, a bigger one after) usually revolved around hardboiled eggs (so easy!), kefir, and nonfat Greek yogurt. I think I ate the cleanse recommended oatmeal just once- who has the time? I passionately long for my morning coffee, but have been good- drinking green tea and chai roobios instead.
I have one more week of trying to remain in the "cleanse" spirit. After that I will be rocking my New Year's resolution of "Eat and drink with purpose".
Here's my menu for the week:
Sunday
Moroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup with Lamb and Roasted Tomatoes, Caramelized Cumin-Roasted Carrots. (Straight from the cleanse.)
Monday
Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry, Brown Rice Pilaf, Salad with Miso-Lime Vinaigrette
Tuesday
Leftovers
Wednesday
Sake-braised clams with Baby Bok Choy, Soba Noodles (Hopefully a celebration meal from a successful interview!)
Thursday
Greek Chicken Kabobs with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Tomatoes, Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Friday
Sirloin Steak, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Happy eating, everyone!
All the meals last week were pretty delicious. I've decided that baby bok choy is one of my favorite new veggies (probably to my husband's dismay). I have five of those cute little cabbages in my crisper. The cider-glazed chicken breasts were delicious, as was the apple-fennel salad. I had never had raw fennel before and was surprised at how well it went with the shallot-y dressing and the granny smith apple. The pumpkin-shrimp curry was the star of last week's menus. Previously, I had just dumped the can of pumpkin in and expected it to be magical. This recipe had us cook the pumpkin for awhile with the onions. Add in the coconut milk and it was a decadent experience. We happily ate the leftovers.
Limiting my drinking to none-or-one was pretty good until Friday. I had a stressful day and we decided to have a date night to unwind. We had sushi (not inherently evil, but the white rice and some of the obviously mayo-based sauces made me feel guilty) and I enjoyed some sake. I'm sure I was well over my one drink. But, I did skip the delicious popcorn drenched in "butter". Last night was just one of those situations where you find that one glass of white wine turns into two... turns into what I thought would be emptying the bottle for a half glass... it wasn't. C'est la vie, right? Back on track...
My morning meals (I usually do two, one small bite before the gym, a bigger one after) usually revolved around hardboiled eggs (so easy!), kefir, and nonfat Greek yogurt. I think I ate the cleanse recommended oatmeal just once- who has the time? I passionately long for my morning coffee, but have been good- drinking green tea and chai roobios instead.
I have one more week of trying to remain in the "cleanse" spirit. After that I will be rocking my New Year's resolution of "Eat and drink with purpose".
Here's my menu for the week:
Sunday
Moroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup with Lamb and Roasted Tomatoes, Caramelized Cumin-Roasted Carrots. (Straight from the cleanse.)
Monday
Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry, Brown Rice Pilaf, Salad with Miso-Lime Vinaigrette
Tuesday
Leftovers
Wednesday
Sake-braised clams with Baby Bok Choy, Soba Noodles (Hopefully a celebration meal from a successful interview!)
Thursday
Greek Chicken Kabobs with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Tomatoes, Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Friday
Sirloin Steak, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Happy eating, everyone!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
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