Monday, June 11, 2012
I miss my buddy
My sweet buddy passed away on Saturday. We buried him on Sunday with DH's childhood pets. There was nothing more that we could have done for him. He was happy up to the end. This was his last car ride. I will always love you, Peter Peter Pumpkin Seed Eater.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Juice of one lemon
Four cloves of garlic
2 Tbs Tahini
3 15oz cans garbonzo beans
Cayenne
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
1 Small jar Roasted Red peppers
Olive oil or juice from beans
Put all of the above (except the olive oil/bean juice) in a food processor. Add liquid to make hummus desired consistency. The roasted red peppers can make the mixture really soup if you add the other liquids first. The above spices are to taste.
Four cloves of garlic
2 Tbs Tahini
3 15oz cans garbonzo beans
Cayenne
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
1 Small jar Roasted Red peppers
Olive oil or juice from beans
Put all of the above (except the olive oil/bean juice) in a food processor. Add liquid to make hummus desired consistency. The roasted red peppers can make the mixture really soup if you add the other liquids first. The above spices are to taste.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
I like tacos
Saturday, May 19, 2012
My buddy has cancer
Peter, our seven year old chocolate lab, was diagnosed with cancer yesterday. The husband and I have been really broken up over it trying to decide what to do. He is the BEST DOG EVER and we just wish there were more options. I personally have been feeling really guilty about not taking him to the vet sooner. He gets regular check-ups, but when he started to limp this winter, we thought he has just hurt himself playing. I doubt it would have made a difference, but I can't help but think about it. For now, we are just doing all we can to keep him comfy and happy. I will always love him with all my heart.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Law School Exam Update
Three classes down, two exams to go! So far, I completed my research class a few weeks ago, and yesterday I had an in-class exam for Juvenile Law and turned in a final paper for my negotiation class.
I have a 24 hour take home exam that's going to be a beast. Disability Discrimination. A huge area of civil rights federal law covering Section 504, the ADA (and the amended ADA), and IDEA. I need to turn it in by midnight tomorrow, so I need to start working on it pronto. I'm an avoider like nobody's business. After that exam is complete, I have a four hour take home exam that should be pretty simple.
More to come. I'm sure I'll update some posts when I need a brain break from my exam. I like listening to the Pretty Lights Pandora station when studying and writing. It really keeps me going without being distracting.
I guess it's time to take the plunge...
Update: 24 hour take-homes give me insomnia! I dozed off a little between 7:00 and 9:00 and had a dream that I couldn't find the correct document to upload and turned in my exam late! Stress!!! Now for a giant cup of coffee.
I have a 24 hour take home exam that's going to be a beast. Disability Discrimination. A huge area of civil rights federal law covering Section 504, the ADA (and the amended ADA), and IDEA. I need to turn it in by midnight tomorrow, so I need to start working on it pronto. I'm an avoider like nobody's business. After that exam is complete, I have a four hour take home exam that should be pretty simple.
More to come. I'm sure I'll update some posts when I need a brain break from my exam. I like listening to the Pretty Lights Pandora station when studying and writing. It really keeps me going without being distracting.
I guess it's time to take the plunge...
Update: 24 hour take-homes give me insomnia! I dozed off a little between 7:00 and 9:00 and had a dream that I couldn't find the correct document to upload and turned in my exam late! Stress!!! Now for a giant cup of coffee.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Why Dairy Free?
I'm allergic to dairy products. Dairy can produce a immune response in some people causing all sorts of health issues. The doctors suspected I had food allergies growing up, but nothing was ever pinpointed. At the very least, my allergy was mild and did not cause any life threatening effects, so no further testing was ever pursued.
This is my recollection from when I was young: I was sick a lot. A lot. I had painful ear infections as a small child, and I would screaming so loudly I would have to be rushed to the hospital. I took the pink bubble gum antibiotics quite frequently for upper respiratory and ear infections. I probably should have had tubes put in my ears. I remember one year having tonsillitis so many times, that I ended up with mono. I was on and off of antibiotics for more than a month. When I had my tonsills removed, the doctor told my mom I had the most infected pair he had ever seen. I've had sinus surgery, twice, but I still got sinus infections. One of my tonsils grew back. Yes, I grew a third tonsil. I wish I was kidding.
I always suspected I was lactose intolerant at times, and I mentioned this in passing to a friend. She has issues with dairy so began telling me of her symptoms and experience. Another friend suggested I read this article:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-allergy-diet
I was convinced I had a dairy allergy. At the time, I was fighting another ear infection that was causing me to experience symptoms of vertigo. I had been fighting basically the same infection for five months that moved from ear to sinus then back to ear. I blamed my busy schedule and lack of sleep. I took four or five series of antibiotics. I had pinpointed my vertigo to happening after breakfast and after lunch. Once, I had to lay down in an empty office at work because I was so dizzy. I also suffered from migraines which I thought were brought on by chocolate, coffee, and sometimes processed cheese. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was suffering from bad reactions to dairy. I can recount several of those now that I look back.
So when I read this article, it was clear that for my body to heal, I needed to give up diary. I have not gone to the doctor to get allergy tests because I've had inconsistent results on them in the past. I do not need a doctor to confirm what I already know. I will avoid dairy for the rest of my life.
I took Dr. Oz's advice, and cut dairy out of my diet. I didn't get migraines from chocolate or coffee; it was the milk in the chocolate and creamer in my coffee. I experienced the vertigo after I had coffee and a yogurt for breakfast, and almost everything I ate at lunch had some sort of milk or cheese content. I also chose to cut out soy based products and any processed foods made with soy, but I'll discuss that in more detail later.
After about a week of my new non-dairy diet, I ate some breaded chicken from Chick-fil-A(r) at the student center. Thirty minutes later, I was sick to my stomach, and I ended up with a migraine. DING. Light bulb. Epiphany. Diary had to go from my life for good.
I've since experimented with dairy and soy. My dairy-free friend suggested to keep a little bit of diary in the diet so when you have a reaction, say from eating out and unwittingly encountering dairy, the reaction won't be as terrible. My lovely friends made a beautiful spinach and mushroom fritatta on Easter with a splash of milk and some hard grated Parmesan cheese. How bad could it be? It wasn't terrible, but I did get a congested sounding cough about my third bite in, and I coughed through the rest of brunch. On Monday, I woke up with a headache. Survivable, but definitely not something I want to experience on a regular basis. Sometimes I still get cravings for cheese, but I'm just too darn scared to try a little!
My husband has been really supportive trying out our new way of eating. We used to eat out almost every night, but now we cook at home. Many of our old standby recipes and cooking methods had to go. We used a lot of butter and cheese. Since we aren't vegan and did not cut out gluten, finding dairy-free/soy-free ideas has been quite an experience. All of the recipes I post here will be DF/SF and some are GF as well. We eat tacos and salads for dinner often because DH, my hubby, can add cheese until his heart is content!
This is my recollection from when I was young: I was sick a lot. A lot. I had painful ear infections as a small child, and I would screaming so loudly I would have to be rushed to the hospital. I took the pink bubble gum antibiotics quite frequently for upper respiratory and ear infections. I probably should have had tubes put in my ears. I remember one year having tonsillitis so many times, that I ended up with mono. I was on and off of antibiotics for more than a month. When I had my tonsills removed, the doctor told my mom I had the most infected pair he had ever seen. I've had sinus surgery, twice, but I still got sinus infections. One of my tonsils grew back. Yes, I grew a third tonsil. I wish I was kidding.
I always suspected I was lactose intolerant at times, and I mentioned this in passing to a friend. She has issues with dairy so began telling me of her symptoms and experience. Another friend suggested I read this article:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-allergy-diet
I was convinced I had a dairy allergy. At the time, I was fighting another ear infection that was causing me to experience symptoms of vertigo. I had been fighting basically the same infection for five months that moved from ear to sinus then back to ear. I blamed my busy schedule and lack of sleep. I took four or five series of antibiotics. I had pinpointed my vertigo to happening after breakfast and after lunch. Once, I had to lay down in an empty office at work because I was so dizzy. I also suffered from migraines which I thought were brought on by chocolate, coffee, and sometimes processed cheese. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was suffering from bad reactions to dairy. I can recount several of those now that I look back.
So when I read this article, it was clear that for my body to heal, I needed to give up diary. I have not gone to the doctor to get allergy tests because I've had inconsistent results on them in the past. I do not need a doctor to confirm what I already know. I will avoid dairy for the rest of my life.
I took Dr. Oz's advice, and cut dairy out of my diet. I didn't get migraines from chocolate or coffee; it was the milk in the chocolate and creamer in my coffee. I experienced the vertigo after I had coffee and a yogurt for breakfast, and almost everything I ate at lunch had some sort of milk or cheese content. I also chose to cut out soy based products and any processed foods made with soy, but I'll discuss that in more detail later.
After about a week of my new non-dairy diet, I ate some breaded chicken from Chick-fil-A(r) at the student center. Thirty minutes later, I was sick to my stomach, and I ended up with a migraine. DING. Light bulb. Epiphany. Diary had to go from my life for good.
I've since experimented with dairy and soy. My dairy-free friend suggested to keep a little bit of diary in the diet so when you have a reaction, say from eating out and unwittingly encountering dairy, the reaction won't be as terrible. My lovely friends made a beautiful spinach and mushroom fritatta on Easter with a splash of milk and some hard grated Parmesan cheese. How bad could it be? It wasn't terrible, but I did get a congested sounding cough about my third bite in, and I coughed through the rest of brunch. On Monday, I woke up with a headache. Survivable, but definitely not something I want to experience on a regular basis. Sometimes I still get cravings for cheese, but I'm just too darn scared to try a little!
My husband has been really supportive trying out our new way of eating. We used to eat out almost every night, but now we cook at home. Many of our old standby recipes and cooking methods had to go. We used a lot of butter and cheese. Since we aren't vegan and did not cut out gluten, finding dairy-free/soy-free ideas has been quite an experience. All of the recipes I post here will be DF/SF and some are GF as well. We eat tacos and salads for dinner often because DH, my hubby, can add cheese until his heart is content!
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