What's For Dinner Tonight?

Thinking about what to make for dinner tonight made me sit down and review what we had earlier this week:

Sunday: Taco night with gluten-free corn tortillas

Monday: Spaghetti and meatballs (I threw out the GF for the night)

Tuesday: Roasted chicken with brown rice and salad

Wednesday: Beef stew with tomatoes and green pepper with garlic roasted potatoes

Thursday: I went to dinner with a friend and Mark had an oven roasted chicken breast sandwich

This is not Winston but it looks kind of like him (Source)

So the question is what should I make for dinner tonight?  I've found a few yummy ideas on one of my favorite food bloggers Eat, Live, Run: 30 minute lemon brown sugar chicken and beef tenderloin with apricot and olives.  Both sound delicious but I'm not quite sure which I'll make tonight.  Maybe I'll buy the ingredients for both and make one tonight and the other a different night!

What are you making for dinner tonight?

Hilarious!

I want a camel for a pet!

A Good Cause: I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

In addition to the clients I have who help me contribute financially to my household budget, I also do pro bono PR for a non-profit group that I've come to hold dear to my heart.  The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation is in place to help young adults (15-39) facing a cancer diagnosis.  Started by Matthew Zachary in 2007, i[2]y helps young adult cancer survivors find resources that help them deal with issues surrounding a cancer diagnosis as well as connect them through social networks in person and online.

This coming March, i[2]y is holding their 5th annual OMG! Cancer Summit for young adults.  If you or someone you know is a young adult cancer survivor, patient or caregiver of a young adult with cancer than this summit is for you.  I encourage you to register and attend the summit either in person in Las Vegas or virtually.  You can register here.

You can also support i[2]y with a financial contribution that is 100% tax deductible and will help Matthew keep the organization running and keep all of the resources that i[2]y provides available for free or at limited cost to participants who are already facing significant financial challenges.  You can make a donation here after reading this appeal from Matthew.

If your corporation can sponsor i[2]y or the OMG! 2012 Cancer Summit, please leave a comment with your contact information and I will contact you.

Thanks in advance!  This is a wonderful organization making a difference.

xo,

Seriously can't wait: Hunger Games

March 23, 2012 could not come any faster.  I'm so excited for the Hunger Games movie to come out.  I'm a day late but better late than never; I just watched the trailer and it looks really good!

 I'll probably be one of those people who goes opening weekend.  I loved the books so much.  The series was the one and only "book club" that Mark and I have done together.  We're still looking for another book to read together ever since.

Are you looking forward to the movie too?

Happy Birthday to Me!

Sunday was my birthday.  Yikes!  The weekend was spent with Mark and Winston.  It was a low key weekend but much needed after time with my mom (not in a bad way but busy way) and then immediately off to Chicago for 36 hours.  It was also nice to start a new routine with our little guy.

Source

Mark took me to dinner on Saturday night to a place called Dahlia Lounge in Seattle.  It was really nice to relax over a romantic meal.  The food was pretty tasty and the wine was delicious.  I started with a glass of Prosecco and we shared a half bottle of wine over dinner.  The service was decent too.  We probably won't go back for some time but only because there are soooo many other places to try here first! 

I didn't get any presents because Winston was my early and very fun birthday present - even though we share him! Mark did give me a very lovely and special birthday card.  I love my husband so much!

On Sunday we took a drive to the suburbs north of Seattle and found that while nice they just weren't really us.  There is one town just outside of Seattle that we didn't see so we'll have to do some more exploring.

Getting to know Seattle is a lot of fun and I know in the coming months we'll start to narrow in on which neighborhood we'll want to settle - either in the city or out.

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday with lots of lovely birthday wishes from friends and family around the globe.

When I turned 30 (several years ago), I was so excited because I knew that many of the "big" things in life would happen in my 30s - marriage, kids, etc.  I've knocked off marriage from that list...I can't wait to see what this next year of life brings me.

xo,

Gluten-Free Update

Life with a puppy is a challenge.  Not having a baby or child, I can't compare but...I change newspapers when they get dirty - sometimes right after I've changed them...I make sure he eats on a schedule...I can't leave him for too long at a time.  It's a lot of fun too.  We play games together and we snuggle together.  He is very consuming right now.  That's my long way of saying that his attention is not giving me much time to blog.  All of my spare time is spent on client work and getting other things done around the house.

 Last week, I was in Chicago very briefly for a client meeting.  I stayed with Mark's sister and her family.  It was lucky because it was Halloween and I got to go along with the trick-or-treaters.  It was a blast.  However, it is hard to travel and eat gluten-free.  It's unfair to impose dietary restrictions on others and it is really hard to eat on the road without encountering gluten.

My two weeks of gluten-free were up last Monday, the day that I left for Chicago.  I tried my best to avoid it but it was inevitable and I'm 99% certain that I ate gluten in my first meal at the airport - a salad.  I picked off the bread crumbs but...then for dinner after trick-or-treating, we ordered in Chinese food and the chicken that I ate had breading on it :(

Now, my reaction was not one that I thought I would have but I'm fairly certain that I do have a gluten intolerance - maybe not though an allergy.  My stomach had some problems that I won't describe but the hives did not show up as I thought they would as that was the symptom that I was trying to eliminate and did successfully once going off gluten.

So, the result?!  I probably have an intolerance.  My plan is to continue to avoid gluten when possible but I won't get too upset if I eat anything with it by accident when out or on the road.  I do feel better when I avoid it and it can't hurt anything by avoiding it!

Eating gluten-free (for the most part) for a little more than three weeks has been a lot easier than I thought and I'm getting the hang of it!  I even bought a blender so I can start to make smoothies for breakfast and snacks.  I'll add kale for my greens :)

Have you been inspired to try a gluten-free diet?  Any good recipes to share?

Winston Update

My mom was in town - yay!  Then I was off to Chicago for a quick business trip.

The first week with Winston has been incredible and exhausting.  I'm in love and having a little puppy is so wonderful.  I'm catching up on life but thought I'd post some photos for the time being!

All photos taken by me on my iPhone.