Balsamic Vinegar

I feel like I'm swimming in it these days. It's pretty much the only thing with any "twang" that I can eat or drink on this cleanse and so I'm downing it like a college student with a beer bong.

It's in my salad dressings. It's in my marinades. I use it to dip stuff in. I seriously suspect that I have begun to sweat it. That and garlic and lemons. Those come a close second.

In truth, the food part of the cleanse is not that hard. Yeah, it takes a ton of time to prep everything but since I have my primary ingredients for every meal in a baggie at this point - garlic, lemons, onions, spinach - it's getting easier. And it's not like I ate all that bad to begin with.

What I'm missing like CRAAAAAAAAZY is..... coffee.

(Ha! You thought I was going to say wine, didn't you!?)

I don't even drink that much of it: one cup, maaaaybe two each morning, and perhaps a trip to Starbucks with the huzband in the early evening once a week. Yet I just feel like my day can't start without it. I wake up in the morning and seriously am unsure of what to do with myself. I just want to hold a warm cup of rich, french roast in my hands. I want to wake my mouth up with the dark, creamy taste of it. Plus, smelling it brewing for my husband every morning is just torture.

And before you say it: no, it's NOT the caffeine. I have not had any withdrawal symptoms and I would quite happily drink decaf. It's 100% about the taste. I LOVE it. I MISS it. It will be my first indulgence after this thing ends.

Other things I miss? Again, not the food itself but the function of food in my life. On Fridays we usually go out for dinner as a family and now our Friday choices are basically limited to Jack's Urban Eats, which is a "build your own salad" restaurant. Then on Saturdays, Daisy and I usually go out for some kind of treat together, either breakfast, lunch, or a cupcake. Last Saturday I took her to Whole Foods and salivated while she devoured a carrot cup cake and I sipped on bottled water. (TORTURE.)

On the positive side, I have been experimenting more with food than I have ever done. I seared my first ahi tuna steak last week (delicious), made my own marinade for salmon (yummy), and tonight made some KILLER sweet potato fries with garlic, oregano, rosemary, and olive-oil. Finger-licking good! I think I will definitely continue to incorporate some of these basic principles into my diet beyond the end of the cleanse. Eating like this religiously, for every single meal and snack for the rest of my life? Um... no.

I am still waiting for the results from my food-allergens test, however, so I may find that there are foods I should not incorporate back into my diet. We'll see what that looks like.

As to how I'm feeling, I would definitely say more energetic. I'm not getting the afternoon energy slump I was before. I'm not sure how much of that is related to the diet vs. the fact that the constant adjustments and massages are alleviating my neck and shoulder pain more. I'm sure both were/are contributors to my energy level.

So, yes, there is some improvement on the physical side. It's slow and in fits-and-spurts but I'm starting to have more "good" time than "bad" time with my pain. It hasn't gone away completely but has, for the most part, reduced to a manageable level... background noise if you will, vs. the full-on rock concert it was before. Sitting at a computer for any length of time, however, is my key regressor.

The main functional improvement I have experienced is more comfort in bed at night. Instead of the popping and clicking and general feeling of destablization that had forced me to box myself into a back-laying position with pillows, I now find I can freely change positions in bed. This, in turn, is helping my back because I'm not locked into one position all night.

In addition to appointments with my chiro, I have also begun a plan of clinical Pilates sessions at my local gym. The teacher there, Deborah, had a car accident ten years ago, at about my age, has many of the same issues as me (particularly in her neck) and so she is tuned-into what I'm going through, not only physically but functionally and emotionally. In addition to being a Pilates instructor, she also works at a physical therapist's office, and is a a certified BodyTalk practitioner. (More on that later.)

One of the things Deborah has been working with me on is my posture and basic movement patterns, particularly as it relates to the relationship with my pelvis and knee pain (which continues). To put it simply, my various dysfunctions have caused my body to compensate in a number of unhealthy ways and now, to even perform basic activities, I'm using the wrong muscles and/or firing them in the wrong order. So now I'm re-learning to walk, stand still, climb stairs, sit-down, and get-up out of a chair.

Some days I feel like I just need a complete remodel, ya know?

Brit Bits Part Two: Trimstone Manor and Ilfracombe

If you missed Brit Bit Part One : The bit about the journey, click here to catch up.

I simply can't skip to Day One without talking about Night One. Especially since I was traveling with a two year old on an 8 hour time difference. It's not something you skim over. If you're a parent, you're probably DYING to find out just how much of a nightmare it was.

Ok, so it wasn't great. But like the flight, it wasn't a nightmare. 

Ms. Daisy went down around 10pm after being read several books, and we followed not far behind. Unfortunately, she woke up not two and half hours later. Ouch. Granted, her tired body and mind were telling her it should be 4:30pm, not gone midnight.

In our own desperation and exhaustion, we did something we have never done before: we put Daisy in our bed with us. She rolled around for a good 45-60 minutes, trying to get comfortable (she's not used to running into to people in her bed either) but then finally passed out around 3-ish, I think. (The times are a bit fuzzy at this point.)  Since she was so sleep deprived, the only thing we had to suffer was her fidgeting and whispering to herself about the "Wheels on the bus."

At around 5am, the sun started to make it's journey above the horizon and the birds began chirping. The cows began mooing, The hens began clucking. The geese began squawking. I dozed in and out, just happy not to be on mommy duty, until around 8:30am. When I returned from making a coffee upstairs, this is what I was greeted with. Of course, I had to run back upstairs to grab my camera.

Shortly after this, I played mean-mummy and woke them both up. The only way through jet-lag is to pretend you don't have it, I find.

Our first excursion was to Ilfracombe, the coastal village not five minutes from where we were staying. I had been there probably once or twice before, when I was a kid, but didn't really remember much about it except that it was quaint and reminiscent of almost every seaside town I went to on holiday as a child. Since this whole jaunt to Devon was about recreating the "Great British Summer Holiday" for Daisy and Hubby, it was a great place to start.


Most of the British coastline is lined with cliffs.






The harbor, which completely disappears during low tide. Hubby was astonished about how far out the tides go. It is pretty typical in the UK to have two tides a day (semi-diurnal) and for the water to travel 40 feet or more each time. (Don't fall asleep in your deck-chair at low tide!)


Daisy paddling on the rocky Ilfracombe beach. We were not expecting the weather to be so accommodating, or we would have made a trip up to Woolacombe where the sand dunes are. (Note: the nuclear-looking building in the back is in fact The Landmark Theatre.)

We meandered around the town, popping in and out of stores, taking pics (me) and eventually stopping to rest in the garden of a local Bed and Breakfast for lunch, where Mum enjoyed her very first (of many) sandwich-with-modest-filling.



Many of the stores and pubs displayed Union Jacks and the St. George Flag in preparation for the upcoming Royal Wedding celebrations.

The Union Jack represents the U.K. (Great Britain - England, Wales, and Scotland - and Northern Ireland) and the St.George Flag represents England. You'll also see the Old Glory in there too for good measure. (Unsure why, exactly. Maybe they knew we were coming?)





I am doomed to go back soon because, in all the time I was there, I actually did NOT get one of these. Amazing really, given how much rib-sticking food I consumed.





In case you were wondering, I would have picked the Large Cornish Traditional.

I did, however, revel in having some of these. Man, how I miss the great British potato!



Honestly, I think it's time for the U.S. to embrace the Jacket Potato with topping, you know?

Ilfracombe is a pretty and bustling little town, very typical of a coastal town in England. It brought me right back home, literally and mentally, and brought back wonderful memories of my childhood spent in many a similar place.







It was especially fun to begin Daisy's initiation into the children's coin rides that are EVERYWHERE in England and, on which I gained my first love of rides of all kinds. It put a lump in my throat to realize that she loves them too.



We found them everywhere after this and we never passed one by.

Then it was off on a pony-and-trap ride through town before Daisy literally crashed in the minivan back to Trimstone Manor.


Daisy, riding through Ilfracombe.

Later that afternoon, we explored the grounds of Trimstone Manor, which sits on more than 40 acres and dates back some 400 years. (Those in the U.S. can now understand why I don't get too excited about monuments from the 1800s.)














(Our little self-catering cottage was located right in the middle corner.)

There was also a trampoline in a middle of the gardens, which we all bounced on. Bad backs be damned!



And a converted coach-house, turned game room, which we never got to take advantage of.





But most of all, what I enjoyed - what I had missed and wanted to share - was the gently rolling, green countryside, the moist, clean air, the refreshing breeze, and the sounds of so many birds chirping away from dawn to dusk. Next to my spot on the beach in Negril, Jamaica, this comes a close second as my "happy place".



And so ended day one. Tomorrow... The BIG SHEEP. (All will be revealed.)

More random crap - food

Inspired by the comments on yesterday's post about random crap, I decided to continue the theme today.

For some reason, all my pictures ended up being around food. Probably because, by the time I realized I had failed to take a single photo all day long, I was making dinner.






I love the reflection of the kitchen in the spoon here.





Day two of the New/Old Me plan went ok. Doing well on the eating part but didn't have time to work out today. Miss Daisy got up early and ate into my workout time.  Guess I just need to get up earlier tomorrow.

My birthday weekend

That's right. A whole weekend. My self-absorption knows no bounds.

As you know, I threw myself a party on Saturday, with 15 of my favorite ladies.

I have built an amazing and diverse group of friends in the past few years. It was wonderful to have them all (with a couple of notable exceptions) in the room at one time, no kids, no husbands and MIMOSAS! (Of course, mimosas.)







See more pics here

There was also A LOT of food. Since it was a pot-luck brunch, I got to sample all kinds of yummy foods from bacon scones to egg bakes to baked brie and coffee cakes - two different kinds. Yes, the top button on my jeans was threatening to pop open by the time we were done.



On Monday, which also happened to be a day-off for me (score!) Mum, Dad, Daisy and I headed up to Nevada City, a little old town in the foothills. It just so happened that the weather was doing a thing called "inversion" (all weather-girl job offers welcomed) and so it was foggy and dreary in Sacramento but warm and sunshiney 2,500 feet up in Nevada City. (Double-score!)

I had fun taking pictures.















Daisy had fun running around with Nan and hamming it up.







And we had ice-cream. In January. In short-sleeves. I. KID. YOU. NOT.






You can see more pics from Nevada City here.

On Tuesday, my actual birthday, I had to go into the office for a meeting. Boo Hiss! But in the evening we all went out for dinner at Paragary's in mid-town Sac and tempted fate with a two year old in a fancy restaurant. She did ok, by the way, although making it so is getting to be harder and harder work these days.

And thus ended my first day one year younger.

Honey my nuggets are foaming!

Further proof that U.S. food is full of more crap than any other country's.

This came up for us once before when we thought Hubby was gluten intolerant. We found, through our research, that a lot of the food in UK supermarkets was already gluten free by default. Whereas, in the U.S., you had to read down a list of 400 different ingredients to determine if food contained one of the many different gluten culprits, or go to a health food shop - three words that just send Hubby reaching for the puke bag.

For the most part, I don't eat this stuff a lot and, like my awareness that sausages are full of all kinds of stuff I would rather not know about, my attitude is usually: if it tastes good, who cares once in a while?

But I have to say that the anti-foaming agent got me. AN ANTI-FOAMING AGENT for chrissakes!? What the hell is that stuff, which is normally used in silly putty of all things, doing in food?

According to the golden arches, it's to avoid the nuggets splashing the workers when they're dropped in the boiling hot fat. They couldn't find gloves for that?

I for one am boycotting the McNugget from hereon out and I shan't be giving it to Daisy either. BLECH.

How ever did I eat this crap?

In years past, in fact before I had Ms. Daisy, I used to exist almost entirely on frozen diet meals. It was easy to take them to work and throw them in the microwave in the middle of a busy day and I *knew* how many calories I was consuming, which enabled me to fit into all the cute outfits I used to wear to the office.

After I got pregnant, I swore off of these meals and ever since have been trying to keep as many pre-packaged foods out of my diets period.

This past couple of weeks, however, I've been extremely busy, so busy that I frequently find myself skipping meals and/or snacking at weird times. As I'm trying to keep within a certain number of Weight Watchers points, I went to the store to purchase just a few frozen meals for "emergencies" - you know, those days when 4 minutes of microwave time is all you have? Frozen diet meals all have those WW points right on the package, so I thought it would make things so much easier and avoid calorific pig-outs.

I bought several brands - Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, and Safeway's own "Eating Right" brand - and over the past couple of weeks I have been attempting to eat them. I say attempting because two mouthfulls into almost every one of them, I quickly change my mind and throw them in the bin.

THESE THINGS ARE AWFUL on a level of awful that just makes me shake my head and wonder HOW THE HELL I ever put them in my mouth in the past.

Needless to say, I'm going back to tuna and chicken (snore).