My first week on intermittent fasting

Week one down for Intermittent Fasting! I was pretty worried the first day and how it would go- it was certainly a mental game. I kept thinking about the fact that I wasn't eating and I just kept chugging water. I thought that I would have to slowly ramp up to 16 hours over a few days so my original goal was 13 hours, but I drank my Hi Caf black tea for caffeine and ended up lasting 17 hours! By the time it was time to eat, I really wasn't even that hungry.

1/23 17 hours

Through some research, I learned of an app called LIFE and it has been really helpful! I can keep track of my fasts and there is a place to post messages if you have a question, need support, etc.

I'm realizing that IF is great for not snacking after dinner! 

1/24 16.5 hours

1/25 17 hours

Saturday morning was the first day I worked out while fasting (the first couple days I would wait until the afternoon after I ate). I thought that I would be woozy or slow, but I ended up doing two MM100 workouts and I felt fine.

Saturday night we had a party at a friend's house for the Lunar New Year so I fasted Friday night through Saturday during the day but knew that I wouldn't be able to fast after drinking. Sure enough, we ended up going out to breakfast Sunday morning and there was only 9 hours between meals.

1/26 No fasting

1/27 19.5 hours

Today was my first day that I was FREEZING during the day. I had a blanket on my legs and a wrap around my shoulders, but still ended up increasing the temperature on the second floor so that I could work. 

1/28 19.5

Making lunch around 2 or 3 is super easy- eggs! I love not having to think about making an elaborate lunch other than scrambling some eggs and eating fruit.

1/29 20 hours

I weighed in this morning and had lost 3 pounds since the previous Wednesday!

1/30 19.5 hours

I ended up making banana bars with chocolate chips out of very ripe bananas for the kids and then ended up eating one close to 9:45pm when they came out of the oven (they were for the kids). It tasted delicious, but I was sort of mad that I ate something so late because then it pushed my fast back.

1/31 16.5 hours

According to the app, I have fasted for 118 hours and have spent 40 hours in ketosis (basically the LIFE app says that you are in ketosis after 12 hours of not eating). This is EXTREMELY easy and I really think that it is something that I can do for better health and to lose weight. I haven't been hungry and my caffeine intake has decreased as I haven't really needed it. Win win!

Have you tried IF?

2020 goals

Goals for 2020

1. Eat one vegetarian dinner a week.

I am mindful of how terrible meat is to our environment. We certainly eat more chicken and turkey than red meat these days, but it still has an effect. I generally don't control what we eat but will push for this change in 2020. I would even be okay if the meal is fish. :-)

2. Lose 25 pounds this year.

I am feeling reinvigorated in my goal to lose weight again. I had a goal before I turned 40, I met that goal, but then have slowly gained 10 pounds after I had to stop running in June. I'm back in the Weight Watchers app, tracking my food and paying attention again. I'm not happy in my clothes or my skin so it's time to get back on track.

3. Finish Morning Meltdown 100 by February 21st.

As of today I have completed 72 out of the 100 workouts- this is the LONGEST I have lasted on any Beachbody program! I love this program. I mean, I hate some of the days, but I push play anyway and then celebrate the days where I feel strong and I love the program. It took me 70 days to complete the first 50 workouts....I have exactly 52 days in 2020 to complete the last 50 workouts. I had two work trips already this month and I stayed dedicated but I really want to finish this workout before we leave for Hawaii on February 21st!

4. Get rid of my plantar fasciitis.

I should have known better than to run the 5k on Thanksgiving after I hadn't run since September. Continuing to do MM100 has not exactly helped but I really scale down my jumping- especially on cardio days. I'm just really sick of heel pain that lasts for months on end. My new Hoka One One shoes help, but I desperately need to do something. There is something called the "strechlab" coming to my town in March, so maybe I need to try that out?

5. Spend at least one day knocking on doors on a get-out-the-vote effort. 

I want to make sure that I have done absolutely everything to get the orange asshole out of office. It's no longer enough to write a postcard or contact elected officials (which I will still do). I need to step up my level of effort in 2020, even if it makes me nervous. 

6. Practice tennis with Izzy. 

We have two tennis courts a few blocks away from our house...I just need to stay patient with her and remember that she will only get better with practice.

7. Try at least one day of Intermittent Fasting.
I've read some articles on the benefits and at a minimum it should keep me from snacking at night. I figure it can't hurt!

I should have more goals, but this seems like a good number since it is already almost the end of January. :-)

Random tidbits

*I finally heard from my doctor after asking them if it was a problem that CP had pneumonia.  They asked what kind he had (viral or bacterial) and I wasn't sure the doctor at the outpatient clinic even told him.  But once I told the nurse that he was taking antibiotics, she said that he had the "good kind" of pneumonia- aka the non-contagious one (bacterial).  However, she was concerned that I had a sore throat and that I was producing some yellow phlegm so she put me on an antibiotic.  I didn't think that it was totally necessary as I basically feel fine, but the Z-pack is safe during pregnancy so I decided to get rid of whatever is in me.

*CP and I went to our local farmer's market on Saturday.  We were getting fresh veggies and fruits to can and freeze.  We ended up making Raspberry Preserves, Caribbean Peach Chutney, tons of pesto from basil in our garden, and tons of chicken stock.  Oh, and I was able to get 12 ears of fresh corn for $4 so I was in heaven!!

Raspberry preserves on the left, Caribbean Peach Chutney on the right

*CP started reading his Expectant Father book.  I randomly picked it up to see if it said anything about being extra nice to your wife (ha ha ha) and noticed that the author had a small section on infertility.  The author was explaining how the embryo is implanted into the uterus during IVF.  Thankfully in the front of the book the author included his email address for any comments or questions.  I decided to email the author to let him know that he should change the terminology from "implanted" to "transferred."  If all embryos were implanted during IVF then everyone would get pregnant!  To my shock the author wrote back a few minutes later thanking me for my email and saying that he was going to be doing an update of the book and that sort of information is helpful.  

*We have one more week of helping lift Fuzzy Britches up and down the stairs to take her out.  I'm crossing my fingers that next Wednesday the vet gives her the all clear to take the stairs herself because it is getting harder to lift most of her 76 pound body up and down a few stairs the bigger I get.

*The past two days my ankles have been swollen despite it not being that hot out outside.  After helping to make dinner, I sat my butt on the couch and put my feet above my heart the rest of the night to try to get the swelling to go down.  It didn't really do anything so I ended up sleeping on my back last night with my feet on the Snoogle plus two more pillows.  Of course when I woke up this morning I was convinced that I had killed the baby because I slept on my back.  I was relieved to feel movement after drinking some orange juice this morning, but I simply don't know what to do with this stupid swelling.  I keep telling myself that although it is annoying, swelling is SO MUCH BETTER than morning sickness and/or not being pregnant.

*I finally was able to sit down and watch MTV's True Life episode about infertility.  I think that the ladies did a great job and I'm proud of them for putting themselves out there.  The random thing about it was that the Chicago couple not only had the same RE doctor as me but also went to the same clinic for both appointments and for the retrieval/transfer (they were in two different locations).  Crazy!!

*On Friday CP and I have three daycare tours lined up.  I have no idea what to ask- any suggestions on things that we should be thinking about?

Fresh dishes

I LOVE FRESH PRODUCE IN THE SUMMER.  Sometimes it makes me want to move to a warmer climate to have a longer growing season, but I would miss the snow and yes, even the cold.

Recently, I have had two AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS dishes that I just had to share.

Lemony Orzo Pasta Salad

Looking for a super easy but also tasty summer salad?  My friend made this a few weeks ago when we were at her house and I had to make it myself.  It's fresh and light- perfect for hot days.  Did I mention that lately I have been a bit obsessed with orzo pasta?

Ingredients:
-2 cups of dry orzo pasta
-2 tbsp olive oil
-juice and zest of 1 lemon
-1 large English cucumber, seeded and chopped
-1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
-1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
-1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
-salt and pepper to taste

*Note: we had fresh basil that we chopped and added into the salad

Directions:
1. Cook the orzo according to package directions.
2. Drain the pasta, then let it cool for a few minutes.
3. Toss pasta with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, cucumber, feta, and herbs.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe originally found here


Eggplant and Red Pepper Salad

My mom made this dish this past weekend and WOW.  I will definitely be making this again soon- especially once we have eggplants to pick from our garden!

Ingredients:
-1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds
-2 tbsp kosher salt
-6 tbsp vegetable oil
-1 large onion, finely diced
-2 large red bell peppers, finely diced
-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-1/4 cup chopped parsley
-1/4 cup lemon juice
-1 tsp paprika

Directions:
1. Sprinkle eggplant with salt, arrange in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined plate and let rest for 1 hour.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions, peppers, garlic, and saute until onion is soft and translucent, 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse salt from eggplant and blot dry.
4. In another saute pan set over medium-high heat, heat 2 tbsp oil until it shimmers.  Working in batches, add eggplant in a single layer and fry until dark brown all over, 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer eggplant to paper-towel-lined plate as you go.  Repeat with remaining rounds, adding oil as necessary.
5. Add eggplant to onion-pepper mixture and cook, stirring to combine, 5 minutes.
6. Remove pan from heat.  Mix in parsley, lemon juice, and paprika.

Not sure where my mom found this recipe, but I know she cut it out from a newspaper!  Maybe the Chicago Tribune?

2013 Goals

Well, the new year is here (although I am few days late with finally getting this post up).  It brings with it a lot of uncertainty and a dash of hope.  I have been waiting for January for a while because my new insurance with IVF coverage finally kicks in this month.

Without further ado, my goals for 2013:

Keep in touch more with friends.  Just “liking” someone’s status on FB or commenting on a picture doesn’t mean that I am catching up with them.  Some friends are harder to get on the phone because of their kidlets, but an email is at least a little more personal.

Take whatever steps are necessary to ensure IVF success (within reason of course).  I don’t want to think that I could have done more if I have one or more failed cycles.  Currently I am taking DHEA, CoQ10,  and L-argigine in addition to my regular prenatal vitamin.  I will be adding to this regime as I will start Myo Insitol that I just ordered and will be delivered by the time I get  home from NYC.  I also would like to add Melatonin, Omega-3 Fatty Acid, Pycnogenol, and extra Vitamin C and Vitiman E (all were recommended by my doctor).  It’s a whole lot of pills, but again, you never know what is going to work and help my eggs!!

Workout 3 times a week- even if it is just walking.  There will be times that I won’t be allowed to work out; there will be times that I will NEED to work out  my frustrations.  I will try to balance this as much as possible and do what I can when I can.

Fewer status updates on FB.  I’m not a daily poster by any means and I try to keep my updates funny and/or interesting, but I'm sure that I could cut down.  I kept my pledge to stay away from political posts last year and will continue to do that this year.

I will look into the Mediterranean diet.  Gypsy Mama’s latest blog had a link to a Huffington Post article on a study showing that the Mediterranean diet could triple IVF success.  Sold!  I love Mediterranean food (had some last night in fact), so that sounds like a win-win to me!

I am going to do my best to stay positive about IVF process.  Despite getting the bad news from the doctor about my hormone levels, I am going to try my hardest to stay positive.  If I start to get stressed, I will use mediation to calm myself down and remember to breathe.

Read at least 30 books.  I think I read 22 books last year but now I have a 30 minute train ride two times a day and can get a lot more reading done this year.

Continue to stay away from the soda!  I have been slipping a little bit because of the 12 hour days in NYC, but I’m hoping to work on getting more sleep the next week or so until I return to Chicago and hopefully that helps.

Finish updating our house in 2013- at least the extent that CP and I can do ourselves….

Read every single entry in the 2012 Crème de la Crème list.  

And finally, my 2013 motto will be:

“If you get caught up in the worst case scenario and it doesn’t happen, you’ve wasted your time. And if you are caught up in the worst case scenario and it does happen, you’ve lived it twice.” -Michael J. Fox

Liebster blog award

How are all of the bloggers out on the East Coast?  I hope that you guys are doing okay today.  One of my friends that lives on the Jersey Shore coast had to be evacuated from her house today- yikes.

The Barren Librarian bestowed a Liebster blog award on me yesterday. Awwww how nice of her!  What is a Liebster Blog Award? The Liebster Blog Award is given to up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers, and nominated by fellow bloggers. Liebster is a German word meaning sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome. I now have the honor of answering her 11 questions, and then nominating 11 awesome bloggers to answer MY 11 questions! So...here are my answers to the questions! 

1.       What’s your favorite pizza?

Being that I am from Chicago my favorite pizza is Edwardo’s deep dish pizza with sausage and green peppers. Thankfully there is no Edwardo’s around me or else I would weigh 100 pounds more than I do.  If you are not in Chicago you can order and have it shipped to you!

2.       What movie could you watch every day for the rest of your life and still not hate it?

Probably something from my childhood like The Goonies or The Princess Bride.  Timeless movies that I hope to share with my kids someday.

3.       If you had to choose between working a job you loved for your whole life or not working at all for your whole life, which would it be?

I would rather work a job that I loved.  I’m the type of person that wants to make an impact on the world and if I just farted around all day, I wouldn’t accomplish anything.  Work gives me structure and makes me feel like I am making a difference.  Even though I am not a fan of my job, I would rather work and help CP pay the bills than watch daytime tv and be bored on the couch. 

4.       Favorite place to buy clothes?

For work clothes I like to shop at New York & Company because they sell pants for tall women and the clothes are not too expensive.  For lounging around clothes I have been buying a whole lot of Columbia stuff at outlets.  Their clothes are seriously comfortable.

5.       Mac or PC?

I’m absolutely a PC girl.  My parents have a Mac and I hate trying to use it.  That being said, I do like our iPad and my iPhone.

6.       Would you live anywhere but where you are living right now?

I’m enjoying living in Chicago again, but I still miss the mountains of Denver.  I would move back there in a heartbeat.

7.       Favorite musical artist?

I’m not really good at these favorite questions because it really depends on my mood and the day.  But there are a few artists that I can ALWAYS listen to:  Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Widespread Panic.  More recently I can’t get enough of Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Of Monsters and Men.

8.       What cause would you champion (not necessarily IF related) if you were a rich and famous celebrity?

The problems with our food these days.  The problems with GMO foods, the ridiculousness behind not labeling GMO foods, and the crap that we as Americans are putting into our bodies every single day.  That also extends to the chemicals that are in so many of our beauty products.  

9.       What number one celebrity would you marry if your significant other wasn’t in the picture?

Honestly?  I wouldn’t marry any celebrity.  Being married to a celebrity means that I would be thrust into the limelight- something that I am NOT interested in doing.  Plus celebrities have all kinds of self-esteem issues and are surrounded by “yes” people.  No thanks.  Not interested.

10.   What words do you hate to say?  

Panties.  I refuse to use that word. 

11.   Biggest pet peeve?

People who are late and don’t call.  We all have cell phones these days….if you are running late just shoot a text or quickly call me to let me know.

My 11 awesome bloggers (I did my best to not award a blogger that had already been awarded):

musings, graces and fate 

Bebe Suisse

Tried and trying

My Hormonacoaster

Growing Griswolds

Breathe Gently

Just Jess in TX

The Future Fords

Eat, Blog and Be Married

Amy Jo....On the Go

Navigating the Mothership

These bloggers must answer the following questions:

1.  If you could do any job in the world (money being no object), what would you do?

2.  What is your favorite Halloween candy?

3.  If the possibility ever arose, would you live abroad?  If so, in what country?

4.  Where is the most romantic place (LOCATION LADIES NOT A BODY PART- get your mind out of the gutter!) you have ever been kissed?

5.  Red or blue?

6.  What movie makes you cry every time you watch it?

7.  Do you watch the Real Housewives on Bravo?  If so, which cast is your favorite?

8.  What would you eat for your last meal if you were on death row?

9.  If you could trade places with someone for a day who would it be and why?

10.  Sunrise or sunset?

11.  How many states and/or countries have you lived in?

Have fun!  Can't wait to read your answers!  

No more soda

I have known for a very long time that soda is no good for my body.  I used to drink about three cans of Diet Pepsi (after college), then cut it down to one for the past couple of years.  I figured that it was Diet so at least it didn’t add any calories to my day.  When Coke Zero came out I switched to it because the Diet Pepsi became too sugary-tasting (image that).  In law school Coke Zero and caffeine pills were the only way for me to make sure I got everything done because I don’t drink coffee.

For a while though, there has been a nagging voice in my head that kept telling me that one Coke Zero a day was still doing bad things to my body.  I mean, something that can clean chrome, clean your toilet, and get grease stains out of clothes isn’t really something that a person should be ingesting, right?  I also kept seeing studies that linked drinking diet soda with obesity.  But it was my only source of caffeine and it was 0 calories, so I continued to drink it.

As soon as I tasted the Very Berry Starbucks Refresher, I knew that it was time to stop drinking soda.  I told CP and my family about my decision so that they could help keep me accountable, and have only slipped up a few times in the almost two months of no soda (they were bad days).  I have to admit that going to lunch and not having a soda was odd for a while, but in addition to being healthier by drinking tap water instead we are saving money!  It’s also really nice to not have to lug the 12 packs of soda out of the grocery store.

Last week my sister posted an article on Facebook of the 7 side effects of drinking soda and I knew that I made the right choice.  If you don’t feel like clicking over, here are the side effects:

1.       Kidney Problems

2.       Messed-up Metabolism

3.       Obesity

4.       Terrible Hangovers

5.       Cell Damage

6.       Rotting Teeth

7.       Reproductive issues

The last reason is (as you know) especially important to me.  Sometimes I do miss the taste of Coke Zero, but I know that it’s simply not worth it.  I think that the longer I go without drinking it the more I won’t miss it.  Now if I could just get CP to stop drinking the stuff too….

Do you drink soda?

June loves

Things that I am loving recently:

HBO GO

For those of you that have HBO, I would highly recommend HBO GO.  HBO puts all of their series, documentaries and even movies up on the site and you can stream them whenever you want.  I have the iPhone app and during my lunch I have been catching up on True Blood.  The site even remembers where you are in the show so the next time you turn on the app or the next time you watch the show at your computer, the show starts up right where you left off. 

By the way, friends begged me to start watching True Blood and although it is cheesy and silly at times, it’s not too bad.  Of course nothing compares to Game of Thrones (a show that I can now watch over and over and over and over because of this site).  :-)

Surface Bassu Hydrating Masque  

When my hair stylist recommended that I start using a hydrating conditioner (in addition to my everyday conditioner), all I thought was, how much is this going to cost?  Turns out not very much.  I think that I might have paid $25 for the bottle and I only use a dime size dollop of it about two times a week (you have to leave it in your hair for about 2 minutes while in the shower).  I have had the bottle for over a year and I'm still not halfway through it.  It smells amazing (almost like a freshly-baked cake) and makes my hair feel 10 times softer.  Even though I only get my hair cut every 12 weeks or so, I don’t have as many split ends and my hair is healthier.  BUY THIS PRODUCT.

Columbia Back Up Just Right Pant

I kid you not- these are the most comfortable pants in the history of the world.  And the best part about them?  You can take them hiking OR wear them to work (yes I wore them to work yesterday).  These pants are extremely comfortable and look like black dress pants.  My only complaint is that they put the Columbia logo on the back side of the pant- which is fine, but I have to make sure that I wear a long enough shirt to cover up the logo when I wear the pants to work.  Yeah.  Love these things.  Will buy another pair soon.

Passion flavored Tazo tea

I generally hate iced tea.  I love hot fruity teas and hot Chai tea, but hate when they are iced.  But this tea changed my mind.  I have been trying to drink less Crystal Light because it has all kinds of artificial ingredients….but needed something else to drink other than water.  Now all I have to do is heat up the tea kettle, hang three bags of the tea into the pitcher and voila!  Three minutes later I have delicious iced tea.  Love it.

The neighborhood around our new house in IL

Yes that’s right!  The seller verbally agreed to our last and final offer yesterday.  We had to come up a bit from our first offer, but my Dad thinks that we got a great deal.  So I have been checking out what is around our new place and have found some cool things about our new place.  It is 2 blocks away from the train station that is going to take me downtown to work every day, 2 blocks away from the Public Library, 2 blocks away from a park, 2 blocks away from another public park (this one with a swimming pool, tennis courts, baseball field, etc), and 2 ½ blocks away from an ice cream shop and other restaurants (that ice cream shop could be deadly to my waistline!).  It even looks like a poultry shop that has free range and hormone-free chicken and eggs is only a few blocks away!  It really is a fantastic location- maybe we can even get rid of one of the cars?

Houzz.com    

I found this site while perusing Pinterest and I LOVE it (it even has an iPhone app).  Designers and regular people can upload pictures of houses they have worked on and people like me can go on to the site, view the pictures, ask questions, and save the pictures to “ideabooks.”  This site is PERFECT for our fixer-upper because they we can get a bunch of ideas together and really decide what we want to do with the house.

Facetime
CP recently got an iPhone and I'm so glad that he did!  Last night was the first time we were able to use Facetime to talk to each other and it was great!  Not quite the same as talking to each other face-to-face, but better than just a phone call.  It will help get me through being stuck in CT until August.

What have you been loving recently?

*Sadly enough I was not compensated for these reviews, or even asked to do them.  Just thought I would spread the word about things that have been making me happy recently.  :-)

Getting into shape

It has been 5 days since I have seen CP.  Currently it just feels like he is away for the week on a business trip.  The only difference so far is that I had to mow the lawn last weekend (not fun people, not fun).  I also stayed busy over the weekend with friends and the dogs so I’m sure that helped.  At least I can look forward to my trip to Chicago in mid July.  CP was just told yesterday that he will have a trip down to Atlanta for work the week that I am flying in- I’m hoping that he won’t stay in Atlanta that entire week!

I’m also trying to keep myself busy by getting back in shape.  I’m sure that it is no secret that I haven’t been exercising much around here.  And my eating hasn’t been amazing either.  So…while I have all the time in the world to myself, I will work on myself and my body. 

First order of business will be whipping myself into shape using 30 Day Shred.  I have tried to do this before and have failed to finish (I don’t think that I have ever made it to Level 3).  My first day was Sunday after I took the dogs for a 45 minute walk and mowed the lawn.  The second day I was a bit sore because I haven’t weight trained in a while….but I pushed through it and felt great afterwards.  Yesterday I tried to talk myself out of it but pushed through that as well.  Today I am going to have to fit in my workout during lunch.  I am DETERMINED to do it every day and look at least a bit more toned come mid July before my trip to see CP. 

I don’t even have to mention that getting back into shape will only be better for any IVF treatments I have in my future.

Second order of business is to eat better.  I am already eating more salads with lettuce and sugar snap peas from our garden.  I currently have a huge bag of swiss chard from our garden in our fridge, just waiting to be cooked.  I also have a bumper crop of yellow wax beans and green pole beans.  With all of these fresh veggies I shouldn’t be hungry for poor food choices because I don’t want anything to go to waste.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

DIY Winter Greenhouse

With our summer garden almost finished (the only plants left- eggplant, leeks, brussel sprouts, swiss chard and hot peppers), a few weeks ago CP and I planted seeds for our fall/winter garden. With some plants still left in our raised beds, we had to work around them. No biggie (especially for things like carrots and beets) because with staggered planting, we then won’t have to pull the whole crop out at once.

So most of the seeds have come up and are starting to grow. We took down the Buster-proof fences in order to turn over the soil after taking out plants and I wish that we had kept them up because we have a bunny (bunnies?) that is eating some of the seedlings. Oh well.

Anyway, this weekend we started to erect our homemade winter greenhouses over our raised beds. For anyone interested, here are the basic DIY steps to do it on your own.

Supplies needed:
Winter seeds
Metal wire
Garden cloth
Plastic greenhouse film
Heavy duty wide tape
PVC piping
Garden staples
Scissors

Our experimental guide to a winter garden:

1. Buy The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman and read it. Coleman is an organic farmer in Maine whose farm produces four seasons of veggies. If he can do it in Maine, why couldn't we do in CT?
2. Buy winter seeds- there are a few seed companies recommended by Coleman (We used Johnny’s Selected Seeds).
3. Plant winter seeds before first frost.
4. Use metal wire from the Home Depot and shape it into a wicket (or really any shape you want). Push the metal wire into the ground as much as you can, but you want to leave 2-3 feet above the ground for the plants to grow.

Metal wire

Metal wire shaped like wicket

5. Drape wickets with garden cloth. Garden cloth (which we also used this spring to keep out pests/protect against the cold nights) can be found at a bunch of places, we get ours from Gardeners Supply. Rain is able to pass through the fabric while it also allows 85% of light to shine through (according to the website).

6. We then used garden staples to hold down the garden cloth. (See picture above.) Use them all around the structure to keep the cloth from lifting up and off the ground.

7. Next we took PVC piping and made hoops. In the spring we put 1 1/2 “ pipe into the ground at all four corners and depending on the size of the bed either one or two more down the sides. We then took 1” pipe and bent it to make the hoop.

PVC piping

8. Then, using the plastic greenhouse film (see picture, CP found it on Amazon) put up a sheet on the hoops at both ends of the bed. Using the big roll of tape (also found on Amazon), tape the film to the hoop with the tape located on what will be the inside of the greenhouse. Tape up most of the hoop, but leave about two feet at the bottom on both sides so that you can access the plants inside.

Roll of plastic and tape

9. Then take another sheet of the plastic film and drape it from end hoop to the other end hoop (make sure there is a little bit of overhang as you are going to tape the ends down to the plastic film already on the end hoops). Use tape to place about five pieces (per hoop) on the inside of the greenhouse to affix the plastic film to the inside hoops.
10. Make sure that the garden cloth does not touch the plastic anywhere around the structure.
11. Tape or somehow affix the plastic film to the wood all around the raised bed. You don’t want any wind to get in there.

Our first bed looks like this:

Not the prettiest thing, but hopefully it works!

We used a bungee cord to keep the plastic down on the left side. Because the top of the raised bed on the right side is flush with the ground (stupid sloping backyard), we currently have bricks holding down the plastic. We will probably have to do a little more once there is danger of freezing temperatures at night.

Coleman claims that we won’t have to water the entire winter. The plastic will keep the freezing temperatures out and as long as the cloth and plastic film don’t touch, the temperatures in the bed will stay right above freezing. Condensation from the cold outdoor temps and the hotter temps inside the plastic will help water the plants. Crazy huh?

This winter we have planted (the plants need to be ones that are hardier/grow in colder temps. They are going to grow at a slower pace, but according to Coleman, things like carrots are going to be very sweet because they do take a long time to mature):

Bok choy
Pak choi
Golden beets
Carrots
Kale
Spinach
Romaine lettuce
Asian greens
Swiss chard
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Radishes

So now that you have a bit of a primer, will you try winter gardening too?

Gasland

Last week I watched the documentary Gasland. I finished the movie completely sick to my stomach and wanting to cry.

About the film: The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a "Saudia Arabia of natural gas" just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown.

Trailer can be found here.

My thoughts:
* Where is an Erin Brockovich when you need her to help out everyone with health problems from the drilling? The filmmaker received a letter offering $4k/ acre for his land in rural PA. He had 19 acres so he stood to make $100,000. I can only imagine how people in rural areas jumped on the chance to make that kind of money before thinking of the environmental and health consequences.

*The fact that the various state Department of Environmental Protection agencies are turning a blind eye to the problem is both horrifying and terrifying. Most agencies received tons of cuts because of the recession. Who is going to protect us from greedy companies that are all too ready to ruin land, animals and people all for a quick buck?

*In one scene the filmmaker talks to an organic beef farmer. He has drills all around him and won't drink his water because of all of the chemicals in it. However, he still allows his cattle to drink the water- he even says that he can't believe that they want to drink it because it smells so bad. How is this even allowed as an organic beef farmer? The cattle may not be getting antibiotics, feed corn, etc. but all of the chemicals in the water will be present in the meat once the cattle is slaughtered. Disgusting.

*Even though CT doesn't have any natural gas drilling, I still went on the website and emailed my senators and representatives about this subject. I really worry for my friends in the shale states.

Have you seen this documentary yet? I would highly recommend a viewing of it as you might be in one of the 34 states affected by the natural gas drilling. Even if you don't live in one of the states, the entire water system will eventually be affected by this drilling.

Weekend in bullets

*Friday night was spent at a friend’s new house. We drank entirely too much, stayed up too late and I came home with about 5 million mosquito bites (give or take a few), but it was a fun night.

*I woke up early Saturday morning with a headache and achy body from the alcohol. I dragged myself out of bed, dressed and picked up my friend. She was feeling equally crappy. We headed down to the center of our town for 1.5 hours of power yoga in the street to celebrate the opening of a Lululemon store. About 200 people set down mats on the pavement while random people took pictures and watched from the sidewalk. Every time the teacher made me close my eyes the world started to spin. Surprisingly, I made it through the class and actually felt better. Yoga really does some amazing stuff!

*Saturday CP and I took his car to Carmax, hoping to sell it for a good price. Kelly Blue Book said we could get $11,000+ from a private sale and $9,000+ for a dealer trade-in. They ended up offering us $6,500 despite nothing wrong with the car. Needless to say, an ad went up on Craigslist that day. Hopefully we can sell it soon!

*I took the dogs to the river again. Buster played with his favorite puppy friend and Koda took other dog’s toys. They were both exhausted after the trip.

*CP and I watched The Kids are Alright on Saturday night and were once again disappointed at a movie that everyone raved about. I think that this is why I don’t see a lot of movies these days- they just aren’t that good.

*Sunday was a day spent making food. We made 5 pounds of Kefta Beef Fingers (a Lebanese dish) and 16 large Natchitoches Meat Pies (kind of like Cajun empanadas). Thank goodness for our freezer downstairs as we now have a bunch of food stored for easy dinners the next couple of months!

*This weekend we signed up for the CSA beef share again. 20 pounds a month of grass fed organic beef for six months. We are still trying to finish the beef that we have left in the freezer from last year’s CSA- we have until November! All of that beef will come in handy while I am on Lupron as the doctor said that you can became anemic on the medication.

How was your weekend?

Twinkies

For the first time EVER in my life, I bought Hostess cupcakes and Twinkies today. Yes, you read that correctly. I have never eaten or bought anything Hostess. It felt dirty buying that crap (I decided it best to NOT look at the “nutrition” label or the ingredients). I felt as if people were looking at me weird (which is silly because most people in America have probably had a Twinkie in their lifetime).

I wasn’t buying it for myself though. This morning my friend/coworker came clean about what is going on at home. For the past month or so her fiance has been going crazy. Literally. Yelling all around the house. Scaring her two kids. No physical violence, but he is very unstable.

This has happened before. She was married to him. He started to exhibit crazy behaviors; she couldn’t and wouldn’t put up with it so they divorced. They stayed in contact for the kids and after a few years of being apart, she thought that he had matured. Things were great. They got engaged again, but weren’t planning on getting married until he figured out his finances (he is out of work and on disability because he has Meniere’s disease).

For the past year things have been going well….until this month.

Thankfully she is not going to take it. She doesn’t want him to scare the kids. She doesn’t want to be scared herself. She doesn’t want her kids to grow up and marry a man that is verbally abusive and/or someone that has anger issues. She has already contacted her attorney. She has called the police to take away his pistol permit. She is going to get a restraining order. She is going to file for full custody. She is not going to be nice this time.

I feel just awful. No one wants to cry at work. She lost 6 pounds in the past week from the stress of living with him. The kids are on her side, saying things like, “You tried Mommy” and “Mommy we are going to be okay.”

So on the way back from a dentist appointment I stopped by CVS and bought her some goodies. We always joke because she is skinny, but only eats crap food. She is appalled that I have never had a Twinkie. So I bought her some high fructose corn syrup food in hopes that she will eat something and not waste away.

I’m not sure if there is anything that I can do but try to be here for her. I’m glad that the Hostess treats cheered her up for a few minutes at least.

Sprouting seeds

At the beginning of the month CP and I planted the following seeds:

Beets

Carrots (two kinds)

Bibb Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce

Spinach

Bok Choy

Kale

Swiss Chard

Zucchini

Leeks

Brussel Sprouts

Sugar Snap Peas

Green Pole Beans

Yellow Wax Beans

Bush Cucumbers

We weren't sure what to expect because last year we only planted romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce and carrots from seed. But so far most everything is doing great!

The start of cucumbers.

Our snap peas. I guess my rows were not very straight.... :-)


Zucchini plants that will eventually take over the raised bed! (Notice the fencing- we put that up because Buster kept jumping into the bed!)

From left to right: Bibb lettuce (in back), Romaine lettuce (not doing as well in front of it), Kale (in back), Spinach (in front), Bok Choy and finally, Swiss Chard.

I can't wait for fresh veggies! If these babies make it (we still have to cull the inferior plants to make sure that there is room for everything to grow), we will have saved a bunch of money over last year because it is so much less expensive to buy seeds than to buy already-started-for-you plants!

Fun with Facebook

Holy crap am I busy AND tired. I only have enough brain cells to put together a bullets post.

• My nine mile training run on Saturday went SO MUCH BETTER than my eight mile crying run. It’s amazing how your emotional state can really affect your run. This weekend we are tackling 10 miles- the first time I will have run in the double digits!

• After my training run CP and I headed out to the breeder to meet the puppies. OH MY GOODNESS THEY WERE SO CUTE. They looked up at you with their adorable eyes and I completely fell in love with all six of them. I’m surprised I didn’t steal one. :-) The puppies are only 5 weeks old so we arrived, played with them for about an hour (which basically meant petting them and laughing at their teething issues. They were all about biting anything and everything- my foot, buttons on my sweater, my jeans, my fingers, etc.), and then they were very sleepy.

• After that we hung out with the breeder’s SIX adult dogs and that was quite overwhelming. All of them wanted attention and petting. One barked if you weren’t petting her; all of them used their nose to ask for attention. The only male in attendance (the grandfather of the puppies) who is a HUGE 120 pound dog would take swipes at your leg if you didn’t pet him before he would roll onto his side and ask for belly rubs. Adorable. CP is hoping that our dog gets to be 120 pounds; I think that he is CRAZY.

• We didn’t get to pick the puppy out, but the breeder will do it for us based on temperament. One of the males will be going to a friend of the breeder’s so there are three left. CP is hoping for the puppy that has a very large head, but honestly, they were ALL adorable so it doesn’t really matter to me. The good news is that we get to pick him up May 7th!!! I can’t believe we have less than three weeks to go!
  

Sleepy puppies


Another sleepy puppy

The adorable face!

• 
  
  This past weekend was also our last pickup of grass-fed beef for the year. I am SHOCKED that we are not sick of beef after picking up 20 pounds every month for six months. I think that we definitely would have been bored with beef if I had been cooking (chili, chili, hamburgers, etc.) but CP has been able to mix it up and we are still really enjoying it. I think that we will definitely do it again. The farm was awesome and even started selling fresh eggs!

• 
  
  One of the reasons that I love Facebook is for the ability to keep in touch with friends in different countries. Sunday was a great example of why it rocks. On our honeymoon we spent a safari day with a couple from Australia. They were really nice and we ended up having a great time with them. We friended each other on FB and have sent messages to each other once in a while for the past year and a half. A couple of months ago we got a message from them that they wanted to take a 5 week trip around the US. So we helped them plan their trip, including some time in NYC. On Sunday we met up with them at the Met and hung out with them all day. Very cool. We didn’t run out of things to talk about and it was great to catch up. So as much as I sometimes get annoyed at Facebook, there are legitimate reasons to keep a profile.

Do you have any fun Facebook stories?

Early Christmas gift

I got an early Christmas gift yesterday- I received notice from my boss that I got promoted! The promotion comes with a 20% raise- this is fantastic news as it should really help CP and I pay off bills. AND it means that this spring we will be getting the anniversary puppy that we put off getting this fall!! YAY!

In addition to my excitement over my promotion, I am actually excited about Christmas. Last year I was sad as it was the first time I wouldn't see my parents over the holiday in my 31 years. It just didn't feel like Christmas. This year though, my parents and sister arrive tomorrow and will be here until Tuesday. I can't wait to show them our house and town.

CP and I have planned a big meal for Christmas dinner (would you expect anything less?):

*Beef roast. CP has been dry aging it in our fridge for the past couple of days. It's from our beef CSA. :-)
*Lobster bisque
*Pear and goat cheese salad
*Squash puree
*Rolls
*Apple pie and homemade vanilla ice cream

What are you doing for the holidays? Do you have family coming in? Are you going somewhere?

Hunks of beef

I got a call yesterday from the general manager from the Holiday Inn Express (the one that has been ridonkulous). She said that they will refund the $148.75 charge on my credit card. I bet that it wasn’t the customer complaint that I filed with the Holiday Inn headquarters. I bet it wasn’t the disputed charge claim I filed with my credit card. I believe that it took filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau to get this refund (which I should have gotten WEEKS ago, but I don’t want to dwell). So thank you to those who suggested that I file a complaint with them!

----------------------------------------

This weekend is our first pickup of our beef CSA. I don’t think that I told you guys about it yet, did I? Well, CP found an article about local farms providing organic meats and cheeses for downtown restaurants. He did some internet searching and found that one of the farms does a beef CSA! For six months we will be picking up 20 pounds of beef (12 pounds of ground meat, bone marrow, stew meat, etc. and then 8 pounds of whatever is the “special”- filet mignon, roast, various steak cuts, etc.).

This experiment should be interesting. CP and I don’t eat a ton of beef. But when we had the chance to jump on grass-fed, organic beef? Well, we decided to try it out. The cost per pound is DRASTICALLY less than the same products at Whole Foods and we can store it downstairs in the freezer. I imagine that it will last all year long.

So will we get sick of eating beef a lot more than usual? Hopefully not. On Sunday some of the ground beef will go into chili that we will have until turkey day. The “special” for next month is a 5lb roast which we have already decided will be our Christmas meal when my family is in town. :-)

Do you eat a lot of beef? Do you have a good recipe using beef for us?

Closing a chapter

This weekend, CP and I will be closing a chapter in our lives. We will make the permanent move into our NEW HOUSE, leaving the rental house in MA behind. This is pretty significant. We have only spent two years there, but it was the first place that we moved into together. That was OURS.

We also have had quite a few things happen while living there:

*I started my first job out of law school. A job that I started with so much optimism and in the past two years, have grown to dislike because I am so bored.

*CP and I got engaged.

*I PASSED THE BAR! How funny that I said that I would never take that test again…and yet CP and I have been discussing whether I should take the CT bar this winter. *sigh*

*I turned 30 and 31.

*I lost weight. I gained weight. I lost weight. I gained weight. I’m working on losing weight yet again. *sigh* (too many posts to link)

*I had the opportunity to be on “Say Yes to the Dress” and promptly said NO.

*CP and I went to Cancun, Mexico with my family.

*CP and I got certified to be scuba divers in anticipation for our honeymoon.

*I spent three months in DC for work, having fun with friends while poor CP was stuck in MA.

*We planned our wedding in the mountains of New Hampshire (again, too many posts to link).

*I had a really fun bachelorette party after having a mental breakdown regarding CP’s bachelor party.

*After our amazing wedding, CP and I went to South Africa and Mozambique for our honeymoon. (that link is the first of a few posts)

*We entertained the thought of moving to Denver, CO, but despite all of the great interviews, we couldn’t make it work.

*We decided to limit our intake of processed foods and haven’t looked back since.

*We planted our first garden!

*We decided to try for a baby. Hopefully that decision will pan out soon!

*We decided to move down to CT, with our focus on starting a family.

I can’t wait to see what we have in store for the two of us (maybe more?) in our new house!

Cooking wins

CP and I have been doing some cooking recently. Here are some of our wins:

Thai noodles with beef and basil

Ingredients:

10 ounces dried flat rice noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 bunch basil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3/4 pound beef bottom round steak (pepper steak cut), cut into thin strips
5 green onions, green parts only, thinly sliced
2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package instructions, then drain and cool. In a large bowl, mix noodles with 1 tablespoon of the oil and soy sauce. Set aside.

Roughly chop 8 large basil leaves, then transfer them to a mortar. Add garlic, chiles and a pinch of salt and grind with a pestle until a paste forms. (NOTE: I did not use a mortar and pestle. You can easily make a paste by chopping up the ingredients and pouring a little salt on the mixture. Then continue to chop. Also, instead of chiles, I used a heaping tablespoon of Singapore hot sauce that CP made last year.)

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and the fish sauce together; set aside.

(NOTE: I sautéed zucchini in a little oil at this point to add to the dish.)

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add garlic-serrano paste and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Season beef with salt and pepper, then add to skillet and cook until brown, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Add sugar mixture, stir and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add noodles and toss until heated through, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons water if it appears sauce is drying up. Once heated through, remove skillet from the heat and add remaining basil leaves. Toss again until lightly wilted, then serve immediately, garnished with green onions and lime wedges.

I would highly recommend this recipe. It was tasty and very easy to make!

Raspberry jam (recipe from this book)

Ingredients:

5 tart apples, stem and blossom removed, chopped coarsely
1 lemon, finely chopped
Water
4 cups raspberries
5 cups granulated sugar

Directions:

Combine apples, lemon and a little water to prevent sticking. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat, partially cover and boil gently, stirring occasionally for 20 min until mixture is soft. Transfer batches to a fine sieve (we used a food mill). Press through sieve to yield 2 cups applesauce. Discard cores and skins.

Prepare canner, lids and jars. (Don't know how to can? This website tells you how.)

Combine applesauce, raspberries and sugar. Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil until mixture thickens, about 20 min. Remove from heat and skin off foam.

Ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim then screw on lid. Process in boiling water for 10 min.

Yum! We currently have 8 jars of our new jam sitting in our basement!

Zucchini quinoa cakes

I don’t have the recipe because CP made this up, but it was delicious! These cakes were pictured prior to baking.

(Not quite a cooking win, but still related to food.) This is our new compost bucket that sits on our kitchen countertop. We put all of our scraps in there- veggie stems, banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc (no citrus and no animal parts) and then dump it at least a few times a week in our neighbor's compost bin. It's made out of bamboo and surprisingly doesn't stink! When we move into our new house we plan on getting a compost bin of our own!

Limiting antibiotics

Yesterday, it was announced that the FDA wants to limit the number of antibiotics given to farm animals due to concern over the overuse of the drugs. The agency is worried that pumping these animals full of antibiotics is spurring bacteria to evolve and become resistant to the drugs. Then when humans take antibiotics to counter an infection, they no longer work. While the guidance issued by the FDA is voluntary, hopefully enough comments come in from concerned citizens and groups urging the FDA to enact real rules and regulations on this topic.

I know that I will be submitting a comment into the FDA. I believe that the FDA and USDA need to form an interagency agreement and work together on making farm animals more healthy by changing the environment in which they are born and bred. If animals are in better environments (i.e. not squeezed together in a small building or standing in their own poop all day) then antibiotics are not even necessary.

Want to submit a comment? Any citizen may do so by going here. Put FDA-2010-D-0094-0001 into the search box and comment away! Don’t be shy! Employees from the FDA will read every submission and every voice counts! If you want to read the short Federal Register entry, go here.