Gratitude Dance

Tomorrow morning I leave on business to California until Thursday night. There is just so much involved with traveling including getting the house ready, squaring away finances, packing clothes, food (when on SCD), and in my case, trying to figure out how to get to Boston Logan airport during Monday morning rush hour. Needless to say this little trip was starting to get me down. Then I received Dr Mercola's health newsletter with this video of the Gratitude Dance.

This is more than a little dance. It is a reminder to be grateful for all of those things that you DO have. In the case of my travel this week, here are the things that I thought of while gratitude dancing around the house packing my suitcase:

1. I have a job
2. I have clothes to pack
3. I feel great
4. I have a wonderful husband and family to come home to
5. I have a special diet to keep me healthy while I am away
6. I have a friend who lives in Cambridge and is going to let me camp out at his house tonight so I am closer to the airport tomorrow morning.

See you all in a week and don't forget to do your own little gratitude Dance.

Brunch- Nibbling on things all day while packing including bites of Lucy's Parmesian Garlic crackers, Amy's Pumpkin muffins (These muffins are truly out of this world. I roasted a whole pumpkin and then puree it in the food processor so it was a little more of a "project" for me but oh so worth it), Mom's Banana muffins (Thanks Mom!), hard boiled eggs, yogurt with fruit, etc.

PICTURE- Getting Lucy's Parmesian Garlic crackers ready for baking. I will enjoy them on the plane with Havarti cheese

Fickle, Fickle Fall

It is fall in New England. It was over 80 degrees today. I wore a tank top. It was pitch black out by 6:30pm. It feels like 90 degrees right now. I have pumpkins and gourdes decorating my table. My fireplace is eager to contribute. But we still haven't removed our air conditioners. We sleep with the windows opened. Do we burn the lilac candles or the spiced cider? Do we eat apple pie or the last of the berries?

My mother closed her pool yesterday. Now it looks like a big blue trampoline. There are leaves and acorns on the ground in her yard. I saw a bunch of birds flying south in a V. Nobody has spotted a humming bird in weeks. School is in session and football games have begun.

I want to start cooking autumn meals but the grill is still my best friend.

It is fall in New England.

Breakfast- Organic SCD banana smoothie with vanilla and honey
Lunch- Burger with spinach salad and tomato
Dinner- Burgers (yes twice) with avocado and tomato and a side of zucchini

Won't You Be My Neighbor

When I was a kid I wasn't a big fan of Mr. Rogers. HE seemed nice enough but Lady Elaine scared the crap out of me. I was heavy into Sesame Street though and as they were on back to back, I often found myself resigned to an episode or two. The one thing about Mr. Rogers that always fascinated me was that he knew all of his neighbors. Now that I am an adult this makes perfect sense seeing how it was called Mr. Roger's Neighborhood but back then when I thought that the Neighborhood of Make-Believe was real, I somehow couldn't wrap my little brain around the fact that one can actually be friends with their neighbors. Perhaps this is because I lived sandwiched between a pizza place and a rental property.

Flash forward 27 years or so and I still spend lots of time reading fiction, watching movies, and going to theatre and lots less time getting to know my neighbors. As a matter of fact, I connect with cyberspace almost every night via this blog, my trips to other websites, and SCD related listserves. I certainly feel like I know these "characters" a lot better than the people around my block.

Well a few months ago my husband bumped into one of our neighbors who was having some people over. My husband overheard them talking about their lack of chairs and being the thoughtful guy he is, he brought over some of ours for them to borrow.

This gesture seemed very appreciated by said neighbors and sparked a letter of thanks from them soon after. The letter also came with an invitation to call them so that we can get to know each other better. Well, I am sorry to say that months went by before this happened. As a matter of fact, we never actually called them. I ran into "the husband" on my way to work and we made casual plans to get together that night for a drink.

So that night we all went out to at a nice establishment within walking distance of our homes. We hit it off right away. I could not believe how much we had in common. We were finishing each other's sentences by the end of the night. I thought this is great! We have new friends who are so hip and they live a broom's length away from our house! We couldn't believe that we had only just met. After all, my husband and I had been at this house for over three years and they had been there for five. Why on earth did it take me so long to meet my neighbors?

"So what?" you might say. "Now you've met and you'll be great friends."

Hopefully that is true but we met them two weeks ago and they are moving tomorrow. Well, closing on a new house tomorrow and moving on Saturday. Not too, too, far away but three towns over which seems like the other side of the world.

Go meet your neighbors people.

Breakfast- Organic SCD yogurt with strawberries and honey
Lunch- meatballs in basil tomato marinara
Dinner- Cod in a sweet and sour medley of red and orange peppers, sweet onions, and pineapple along with an avocado and tomato salad with oil, vinegar, and lemon juice

Scd Legal or SCD Illegal? That is the Question.

Shakespeare may have pondered over things like life and death but for us SCDers the whole Legal and Illegal foods question is just as complicated... especially when dining out. I received a request to share my Can Eat/Can't Eat restaurant card as a result of one of my earlier posts. The card is actually from http://www.scdiet.org/ under the SCD Quick Reference Food List. I almost ALWAYS hand it over to the waiter/waitress whenever I first sit down at a table. I give them a chance to digest the information (pun intended) and then we have our little side bar.

One of the most unpleasant aspects for me on the SCD is this conversation with the wait staff. You see, I waited tables for many years and so I am extremely aware of how busy these people are. I also know that when a waitress approaches a chef with a request to accommodate certain restrictions e.g. vegetarian, vegan, SCDian, etc., the wait staff almost always bears the brunt of the chef's frustration.

Because of such institutional knowledge I usually just request plain meat/chicken/seafood/vegetables, etc. However, if I am in a mood where I feel entitled, and when I see something on a menu that I think looks great and will be SCD Legal with just a few minor tweaks, I sometimes go all out and break it down with the poor server.

This doesn't aways work out smoothly...remember my issue last weekend when I initially received pasta with my seafood. But sometimes it does and most mistakes can eventually be rectified.

Breakfast- Organic SCD yogurt with strawberries and honey
Lunch- Turkey meatballs slow cooked in tomato sauce with fresh basil
Dinner- Natural pork tenderloin with spinach and green beans with almonds and white wine reduction
Snack- Banana bread and Peanut Granola Bar from SCD Bakery

Flaunting my Cookies

Today I brought my homemade Cinnamon Pecan cookies to work for my co-workers. The cookies are from a recipe in Lucy's SCD Cookbook and I think they are absolutely fabulous. However, since I have not had any sugar in over a year I wasn't sure if they were as good as I thought they were.

Well, turns out others agree. Several people stopped by my desk to comment on the delicious cookies. I was proud to tell them that there was no white sugar or wheat flour in them. My co-workers seemed very happy with this bit of news as well.

Since the cookies were a hit I now feel that I must bring in my true favorite from Lucy's Cookbook... the Cinnamon Coffee muffins.

Breakfast- Organic SCD yogurt with raspberries, strawberries, and honey and a coffee roll from SCD Bakery
Lunch- Sage and carrot stew
Dinner- Slow simmered pork chops smothered with fennel, shallots, parsley, capers, and lemon zest in a tomato and white wine reduction
Snacks Throughout The Day- Banana bread from SCD Bakery, Cinnamon pecan cookies

PICTURE- Slow simmered pork chops (aka tonight's dinner)

A Wicked Good Weekend

The word wicked is defined in the Urban Dictionary as a New England slang that adds emphasis. I am a true New Englander in that I do use wicked quite a bit and I find it a very appropriate word to describe my cool weekend.

On Friday night I met one of my old friends and her husband at the Providence Oyster Bar in Providence, RI. My friend was actually the first person I met when I moved to a new high school my freshman year. She took me under her wing for a while and even got me my first job but sooner or later we drifted apart. In our mid twenties we roomed together in a great apartment on Beacon Hill in Boston. She was one of the best roommates I ever had but then, well, when I moved out we drifted apart.

Until Friday I had not seen her in about six years. Funny how time flies. It was great to meet her husband and catch-up. We are both married now and she has a toddler. The food at the Oyster Bar was top notch. I had scallops wrapped in bacon as an appetizer and grilled swordfish with asparagus. My husband and I reserved a hotel in the city using my points and all and all it was a great night.

On Saturday we met some family members in Boston to see the musical Wicked. It was certainly a great production and I hope to see it again some day. Before the theatre we went to Vinalia. I had a little problem with my dinner at first in that it came with pasta (even after I gave the waitress my "can eat" "can't eat" SCD food card). I was going to eat around the pasta but my husband clarified my diet and the waitress took it back. I ultimately enjoyed a delicious meal of shrimp, mussels, and white fish with tomato, garlic, and wine.

Today was pretty much a perfect day. I woke up without an alarm clock, watched my recorded cooking shows while catching up on laundry, did my grocery shopping (and a little more fall clothes shopping), came home and made a carrot/sage beef stew (from Grainfree Gourmet), cinnamon pecan cookies (from Lucy's SCD Cookbook), and yogurt for this week.

Then I took a walk with my 94 year old next door neighbor while she told me stories of growing up in the 1920's and 30's.

Wicked cool.

Breakfast- Cinnamon muffin and banana bread (from SCD Bakery)
Lunch- Organic SCD yogurt with blueberries and honey
Dinner- Carrot & sage beef stew (from Grainfree Gourmet)
Snacks Throughout the Day- Peanut granola chews (from SCD Bakery), Gruyere cheese, coconut macaroons

PICTURE- Cinnamon pecan cookies (better than any candle or air freshener around)

Yes! We Have No Bananas

Growing up I didn't really care for bananas but I remember that my little sister did. When my mom asked me what I wanted for a snack I seem to remember choosing a pickle most of the time. Now, in my adult life, pickles are just OK. Something that I enjoy with a burger, in tuna or on a taco. Maybe I burnt out on them early in life. But BANANAS, well they are a whole different story. I love bananas.

Bananas in the raw, bananas with peanut butter smeared on them, banana ice cream, banana smoothies, bananas in yogurt, banana cake, muffins, and bread. These are all in my SCD favorites collection. But the thing about bananas the SCD way is that even when you have bananas, you might really not have them at all.

What's that you say? Well, when following the SCD bananas must be overly ripe in order to be Legal. That means they must be sporting brown spots. Some people may refer to them as "rotten'." It is not uncommon for my mom to say "Hi honey, I saved you some nice rotten bananas." But luckily for me the aged banana (I prefer this term) is even more palatable than its green or even bright yellow buddies.

I have two bananas sitting on my counter right now just begging to be made into a nice banana cake.

Breakfast - Cinnamon muffin and tea

Lunch- Leftover grilled pork chop with broccoli

Dinner- Spinach and tomato omelet

Snacks (throughout the day)- SCD yogurt with bananas, beet chips, Jennies Coconut Macaroons*

* These are not officially SCD legal. They claim they are approved by the Makers Diet and contain only coconut (unsweetened), honey, and egg whites. I am in the process of requesting a letter from them to verify this.

PICTURE- Non-SCD Legal bananas (but they are working on it)

Wednesday, Thursday, HAPPY DAYS

Today was just my typical Tuesday which looks something like this...

6:10AM Rise & shine (hit the snooze button a few times and then lie in bed wondering what day it is)
7:15AM Set-out on my 50+ mile commute (I spend a lot of time listening to books on CD. Let me know if you have any suggestions!)
8:30AM Arrive at work
9:00AM My typical breakfast of SCD yogurt with some type of fruit (and tea)
work
work
work
work
5:30PM Set-out on the ride home (more books on CD)
6:30Pm Arrive home & start dinner
7:15PM Enjoy a nice SCD dinner

But TODAY was different! Or at least the last part.... My husband and I decided to divvy up the responsibility of cooking. I will cook on Mondays and Tuesdays and he will take Wednesdays and Thursdays. We'll leave Friday, Saturday, and Sunday open since we are oftentimes traveling around the state visiting friends and family. Now we always do about 50/50 in this area but it has never been "official" in terms of who is cooking on what day.

We had to switch nights this week (he traded me Tuesday for Thursday) as he has a work meeting that will run late. It was so nice to come home tonight to the mouth watering aroma of grilled pork chops.

Oh, and more good news. I received my letter from Papa Lena's Gourmet Food company stating that their Beet Chips are just beets, salt, and olive oil. Yeah!

Breakfast- SCD organic yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, and honey
Lunch- Pot roast
Dinner- Grilled pork chops with salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper along with broccoli and peppers grilled with olive oil - All courtesy of my lovely husband

PICTURE- Lime & Sea Salt Tortilla Chips from Eat Well Feel Well

Switching Perspective

I woke up at 5:30AM today just so I could be out of the house extra early and wouldn't you know I ended up in a huge traffic jam due to an accident.

I started to get really frustrated as it took me an hour and a half to get to work but them I changed my perspective and was grateful that I made it there safely and was not part of the accident.

As the old saying goes, sometimes you just need to look on the bright side.

Breakfast- SCD organic yogurt with banana and honey
Snack- Cinnamon muffin
Lunch- Hearty pot roast with vegetables
Dinner- Chicken fajitas with onions and peppers marinated in cumin, corriander, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice sauteed and served with SCD sour cream (yogurt made from Half and Half), SCD salsa, and grated cheddar cheese all rolled up in a Boston Bibb/Butter lettuce tortilla (My non-SCD husband prefers his tortillas with the lettuce wraps as well). Also, we decided to save the rest of the pot roast for lunches.

Picture- Fajita Feast

Cinnamon Muffin of a Day

Today I woke up early and made the yogurt cinnamon muffins from Lucy's SCD Cookbook. If you follow the SCD then these phenomenal muffins are a must have. Each muffin has some sweet gooey frosting on top. While they are baking they make the whole house smell delicious.

Next I decided to slow cook a hearty pot roast. I started it at 10:30AM and cooked it for 9 hours on low. The slow simmering roast made the house smell like a rustic kitchen. The pot roast included carrots, sweet onions, crimini mushrooms, rosemary, white wine, crushed tomatos, and some other spices. We are going to have the pot roast for dinner tomorrow and for lunch during the week.

Later in the afternoon my husband and I met some friends of ours in Falmouth, Mass (on Cape Cod) to bike Woods Hole and the Shining Sea Bike trail. We think we did about 12 miles all together. It was a beautiful, clear, and crisp day for a bike ride and I felt very lucky to live in New England (but check back with me in February on that one).

At the end of the ride we biked to a local seafood restaurant where I enjoyed freshly caught shrimp, scallops, and swordfish sauteed with garlic and a little butter. Oh, and a nice dry Chardonnay.

When we arrived home tonight I took a long bath with lavender salts and drank some peppermint tea while reading my recipe books and thinking about all of the great recipes that I will make this fall.

Breakfast- Organic smoothie with SCD yogurt, bananas, blueberries, vanilla and honey
Snack- Two cinnamon muffins from the kitchen of Jilluck
Lunch- Salmon left-over from last night
Dinner- On the patio of the lovely restaurant in Woods Hole

PICTURE- Cinnamon Muffins

Science Experiment

I found out this week that I will be traveling to San Diego on business the first week in October for about 4 days. San Diego on vacation sounds terrific but San Diego days filled with 14 hours of meetings... not so much. My first thought was " I had damn well better get a direct flight" and my second thought was "how long is my damn yogurt going to stay cold?" Yes, I was swearing a lot but in my head.

As it turns out, there were no direct flights left out of Providence, RI or Boston, MA ( it takes me about an hour to get to either airport). The shortest flight I could find has a lay-over in Phoenix, AZ which will take a total of 8 hours from Boston to San Diego. That realization threw me into a small panic as my little Fridge-To-Go promises only 8 hours of refrigeration power. So....

Today I went into 6th grade science experiment mode. Actually it was probably more like 2nd grade mode but it was a mode nonetheless. Ron from the LongIsland Listserv emailed me a month ago when I was getting ready to go to Kentucky (thanks Ron) and told me that he has traveled with yogurt for about 24 hours and it was fine with some blue ice in an insulated picnic cooler. So I thought I would try to extend the life of my own little lunch bag.

Science Experiment Report
By Jillluck
SCD 101
9/15/07

1. At approximately 8:20AM on 9/15/07 I placed some cool water (that is not a very scientific measurement but I am not expecting an A+) into my Snapware container
2. I then placed the container into the Fridge-To-Go lunch bag along with a small container of blue ice
3. I zipped up the bag and let it sit in my living room for 10 hours which is the total time it will take me to get to the airport, check-in one hour ahead of my scheduled departure time like a good do bee, read some smutty magazines, fly to Phoenix, read some more smutty magazines, fly to San Diego, find my luggage (if I am lucky) and get to my hotel room which will be stocked with a small refrigerator "if one is available."
4. At approximately 6:33PM on 9/15/07 I unzipped said lunch bag, unlocked said container, and submerged my trusty yogurt thermometer into said water.
5. The result?
6. A passable 40 degrees Fahrenheit

After all, passable is all I am really looking for folks. Now grant it 40 degrees is the highest the temperature should rise to ensure the safety of the food but I am feeling pretty comfortable that I will be able to get there within 10 hours. After all, how often do planes get delayed in this day and age (gulp).

Breakfast- Organic SCD yogurt with strawberries, raspberries, and honey
Lunch- Chicken "noodle" soup (from the ice box) with added spinach and Parmesan cheese
Snack- Fuji apple (I got hooked on these after reading Mike Simmon's FLOG
Dinner- Wild king salmon with dill, organic spinach cooked in chicken broth (homemade) and crushed garlic

PICTURE- Tonight's Dinner of salmon & spinach