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DRAFT TODAY, POST TOMORROW: Some posts may be in draft status until I (aka procrastinator extraordinaire) get around to posting them.



Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Agility class

course
course
Cassi
Teka

Wake up!

Looking out to the street
As I was laying in bed trying to wake up, or not, I heard a noise.  I thought the guys working on our patio were there early making noise but I couldn't think of what they would be doing there that early and why it would be loud.  I didn't hear anything else, so I went to feed the dogs and do some things.  And then there was a guy at the front door telling me that he hit our wall in front of the house.  I called my husband down to take care of it.

The guy was probably about 25, staying at his parents' house in our neighborhood so he could look after the other kids(s?) while the parents are out of town.  He works overnight and fell asleep.  He must have jerked to the right to run into the wall at that angle.  It took a while for him to make it to our door, so I wonder if he was passed out for a bit.  I called the sheriff; I was working at home today and it took the sheriff about 4 hours to leave.  The neighbor came over to make sure I knew that they left.  What a mess.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Tea and tacos

cute cups!
A friend sent me to Teavana to get a tea brewing cup.  It's pretty cool, although it costs a little more than she said.  They had some really neat stuff, and I'm wondering if I should have gotten the tea brewing pot instead.  I probably would have procrastinated more, but I went today because I recently bought some bottled iced green tea that is kind of disgusting.  I don't want to buy any more disgusting tea!

I also made it to Victoria's to get a bra fitting.  Now that I'm down 30 pounds, I thought I should make sure I'm the size I think I am before I spend money on new bras.  They confirmed my size and I got a buy one-get one half off set of two basic (that means plain and boring, but can be worn a lot) bras, since I don't have much left from when I was this size.  I had a $10 coupon too, so it wasn't terribly expensive.

We had "date night" with dinner at Ajo Al's.  I had fish (ono) tacos, no cheese on the beans, and corn tortillas (at no charge!) instead of chips.  They have an organic margarita, which is the only one that doesn't use sweet and sour mix.  It was okay.  I wouldn't order it again if I remembered.  I wonder if they gave me a different one...

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thankfilled. Part 2.

V (me!) got 4 strikes and 2 spares
I got my new left-handed high score in bowling today, the first time using my new ball.  Well, technically, I used it already, but it stuck to my thumb, causing me to do a funky dance that looked a lot like someone following their ball past the foul line, grabbing it and coming back, so I had it re-drilled.  Okay, I'm not great, but I'm improving.  This was even after I started with 5 gutter balls because the thumb was still sticking--but my husband let me have some slip grip.

During my excellent-ish bowling of four games averaging a 90 (I know! Don't be jealous!), I was holding my right arm behind my back or over the front so that I wouldn't swing it.  Awkward!  But my right arm-shoulder-neck area was still hurting.  Not as much as it was, but still painful in certain positions.  It seems to be decreasing, so I wonder if I will still have to go to a medical professional.  Of course I mean separate from all the medical appointments I have scheduled in the next two weeks.

I decided that today was a cheat day since we were celebrating Thanksgiving at my niece's house later.  Good decision, as we had lunch at BJ's, which has a severely contaminated menu.  Their gluten-free menu is pretty short to start with, and that's just my non-negotiable diet choices.  So I had some soy and dairy.  *sigh*  The balsamic chicken (no onion strings) was good though.

I asked the waitress if she knew whether the cider had yeast; she came back and told me about their g/f beer and that the cider was not guaranteed g/f (although it's listed on the g/f menu).  Well, isn't that special?  I don't think that's what I asked.  At. All.  Oh, well, as best as I can tell from my online research, cider may or may not contain yeast.  I'll pass.  I should have stuck with water to drink--I had some pomegranate drink that was sugary sweet.  My girlfriends had pazookie and they let me have a tiny bit of vanilla ice cream off the top before they dug in.  It was enough.

At my niece's house, I asked my sister, M, about what was in stuff and she seemed a little upset that she forgot about my issues.  I told her I'd be able to eat, just not everything.  I had a little turkey and ham (really good, cooked with pineapple), candied sweet potatoes (I'd like more sweet potatoes and less candied personally, but I know that's how it's done in the family) and mashed potatoes and gravy.  That's right, I had gravy.  M made it and she uses cornstarch instead of flour.  Not necessarily gluten-free, but it is considered wheat-free.  Close enough for today.  It was great to see everyone after so long.  Again.

Saw this on the web (advice from a 2 year old): "Whether the glass is half empty or half full is irrelevant if you dump it out on the sofa. You’re welcome." 

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Coyotes

We went to a Coyotes game with my husband's parents.  I ate before we went since I knew I wouldn't be eating there.  It's hard to smell all that hot food and eat a Larabar.  *sigh*

It was a give-away night, so we got free hats, good for keeping warm.  I saw my neurologist there with his family.  He didn't recognize me with the hat (and maybe the weight loss) until I said my name.  I really want to rub it in his face that I figured out what was keeping me from losing weight, but (although he's nice) I think he's a little oblivious.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Buffalo Wild Wings

After spending the morning (and part of the afternoon) working around the house with the man and his parents, we went to lunch.  They chose Buffalo Wild Wings.  Pre-allergies, I loved going there for Asian Zing boneless wings and a beer.  As we drove, I found the allergen menu online; I asked the waitress for it anyway, one, to make sure she knew, and two, to confirm what I had found.

According to the menu, the fries and chips and traditional wings were gluten-, dairy-, egg-, and soy-free.  I noticed that the potato wedges had wheat, so I asked about the frying situation, and she came back to let me know that the fries are not fried separately.  Hmmm.  Well, the wings probably aren't either.  But there weren't really any other choices (terrible salad and sandwich choices), so I had traditional wings.

Pear Almond Shake/Smoothie
I found a couple of sauces and a couple of rubs that had no allergens, so I tried the Honey BBQ sauce and the desert heat spice rub.  Since I couldn't have ranch, I had a side of the sauce.  It was actually really good with the desert heat wings.  My MIL used the ranch dressing on her cheeseburger.  Is is that I don't eat ranch anymore, or is that a little unappetizing?  It's been a while and I'm not sure that I feel any better or worse than I would anyway.  It's hard to tell when I've been overdoing it with my activity level, and had a cheat day yesterday.

I was really hungry (stomach growling out loud even) about four hours later, which he did not understand at all since I had 12 wings (no beer).  I had some leftovers and then started looking for inspiration.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankfilled

We went to my grandparents' house for lunch, where I was able to chat with my cousins and my aunt as well.  I had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, salsa with veggies and a few chips, sweet potatoes, gherkins, and black olives.  I wasn't going to have any dessert but I asked my grandpa if I could scoop some chocolate pudding out of the pie no one had cut in to (spreading the pie crust through the pudding) and he gave me the okay.  I know it's not healthy, but it was good!

Borrowing Mr. Potato Head's tiny hat
They had already eaten at my in-laws' house, so after the parents with kids left to see a movie, I had some veggies with hummus and guacamole (my FIL made it and it was very good), and a glass of wine.  My sister-in-law, who has Celiac disease, bought desserts for me from GFC Bakery.  She brought me a little pumpkin pie and chocolate cupcakes.  She wasn't sure if there was eggs or yeast in the cupcakes, so I did not eat them.  The pumpkin pie was labeled with the ingredients: pumpkin, sugar, water, canola oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves; crust: sorghum flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, palm shortening, water, sugar, salt, xantham gum, B vitamins, iron, and folic acid.  Since she does not like pumpkin pie, I ate the whole thing with some canned whipped cream.  The. Whole. Pie.  The filling was a little different texture but good enough; I actually thought the crust was better than a lot of "regular" crusts I have had.  We had coffee later.  Their Baileys was bad, so we had Kahlua.  This had nothing to do with my wardrobe choice.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Cambodian Pineapple Lemon Grass Sauce

One of my fave wines; sauce with chicken and rice

Chic!

The student weighed me today at 164 pounds.  Dr. H came into the room to tell me that she saw me in passing and wondered who that "chic" woman was.  That really boosts my confidence!

They worked on manipulation on my low back and buttocks area; then I flipped over and they worked on my tight shoulder and neck area.  Dr. H wants to give me adrenal support.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Survey says...

I'm still okay--as far as the drug trial monitoring goes.  And I have high energy today.  And I got my (left-handed) bowling ball drilled.

Oh, how my garden grows. -ish.

Some things are making progress, some seem to be the same as last week.  I can't find any more of those green catepillars, since I actually dug up the affected plants and pulled some babies out from underneath.  But there are little green aphid looking things on my lettuce now.  I sprayed this weekend when I saw them.  I'm still struggling with the mushroom invasion, now taking more root in the pots outside the garden but still showing their slimy heads in my raised garden as well.  I'm still uncertain about the amount of water the garden is getting--it seems too wet but what do I know.

I'm doing a little reading from my Linked-in groups and found several ideas and resources.
  • I need to borrow a dehydrator from someone.  I bought this awesome freeze-dried herb mix in the produce section of the grocery store a few months ago, and have never seen it in a store again since then.  I would LOVE to make my own.  I would not love to buy another thing that I don't know how much I will use.
  • For you, K: homemade cleaners, including how to clean your oven without toxic chemicals.  I need more plastic bottles...
  • I can (and should) eat these spices for better health.  I'll have to remember to add cinnamon to my almost daily oatmeal.  I should probably just follow this blog and get it over with.  It's, well, I want to say it's kinda green, even for me, but that's not quite right--it's just a crafty vibe.  Anyway, it has great resources and tips.  And I like the progress reports about the organic garden.  Much better than mine!
  • I'm not sure I completely agree that Wheat is evil.
  • A guide to rose colors.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Party planning

We had an annual party in December from the year we bought our house until the year before we moved.  We've been in our new house over a year and haven't had a housewarming or annual year-end/holiday party yet.  He wants to wait until the patio is done.  I think that people don't care.  He agrees but still wonders if it will be harder to have a huge number of guests when the outside space is dirt.  I still think people won't care.

A few people have suggested going potluck but that seems so hard to coordinate when the group gets large.  We could barely get the right mix when we had a "small" group for his birthday.  But maybe it could work.

When we moved into our previous house, we asked for fake plants for our dust collector shelf, and we got a good number.  I'm tempted to ask for (rather than potluck food) backyard plants.  That could get tricky though.  Maybe a wishlist, but I'd hate to limit the choices when I don't know what's out there.

I ran across this gluten-free bakery blog and am in love with the photos and entertaining ideas.  I'm tempted to contact her to see if she can do something for me.  I'd assume a cheat day, so no wheat or eggs, but maybe dairy...  Yum, cake.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Three for one

Cassi was at the vet in July when she wasn't feeling well.  I got a card saying that it was time for shots, so I checked in and they had some type of computer issue and missed sending out for the other dog.  So I took Cassi and Teka for shots.  Since I was going, I asked if Dr. F could see Jill too.

So Cassi hid under the chair, and tried to leave everytime the door opened and Teka gets so upset that she sweats through her pads and leaves little wet pawprints everywhere.  Jill is just a mess--she lives in the laundry room now, she wears a cone, and I clean her ears, and she does very little cleaning on her own.  Dr. F said Jill is in great shape for her age and he gave me some new medicine for her ears--not the same as what she had before but he thinks it will work similarly.

I was a little nervous about taking all 3 at the same time, but they were well behaved.  Well, Jill scratched the vet when he was cleaning her ear.  But other than that....

Label me, I label you inconsistent.

After getting my hair cut, I went to Sprouts.  Grocery shopping is so frustrating.  Labeling is inconsistent, ingredients are unrecognizable, and apparently the other shoppers can't see me except when they are glaring at me for looking up ingredients on my phone.  And why do the stores that have "natural" products think that we only want to wear lipgloss?  Really, no actual makeup to use with those eco-brushes?  FML.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Magical Shrinking V

I am down to 165 pounds, a size 10.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

MS Research update

I got emails about two different MS events going on tonight.  My friends, D and A, were going to the MS Research update at Miracle Mile Deli, so I went there with my husband.  A doctor from Mayo, Dr. Dean Wingerchuk, had a presentation about MS therapies and research.  Here are my jumbled notes:

Finglolimod or Gilenya is an oral drug on the way
  • Look for macular edema (blurred vision) or elevated liver function (an issue with all MS drugs)
  • Immune suppressent--infections, possible increase in cancer
  • More intensive monitoring
  • Must first use interferon or copaxone
  1. Escalation -- lines of therapy
  2. Induction -- example, cancer -- hit it hard
  3. Combo
Issues "caused" by MS:
  • Thyroid issues - Graves
  • ITP
  • Goodpastures disease
  • Alemtuzamab triggers autoimmune disease  [WTF!]
4 diseases, 2 are autoimmune, 2 have little or no inflammation, oligodenrarogolopy (support myelin), degenerative

New drugs have more power, more risk.

Research is looking at biomarkers, pathology, selective therapy.  29 genes identified so far--immune related.

The Consortium is international and has about 25,000 people registered with MS.

Virus as a cause of MS is still being considered, maybe Epstein Barr, which is common, but more common in MS.

Immunology research: repair, remyelination

Neuromyelitis optica: distinct from MS which doesn't have antibody, but N.O. does.

I asked about Vitamin D deficiency and why everyone with MS isn't tested.  He says there is not yet agreement on what amount of Vitamin D anyone should have so there is no standard to test for.

I also asked about why the drug trials don't do brain and spinal MRIs, only the spine and he gave some explanation that I didn't thoroughly get.

When I asked about CCSVI, he laughed and said he was surprised it took that long for someone to bring it up.  He went on to kind of discount it, in my opinion, but said that if it becomes a viable treatment, it would be used in combo with one of the MS drug therapies.

It was worth the time to go.  I was surprised at what a small group was there.  Of course, I couldn't eat the food provided by the MS Chapter.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Weekend wrap

I had a club event this weekend in the desert.  There was a lot of talk about my diet.  I brought snacks but was able to eat something provided as well.  There was a (award winning) chili verde, and the chef was nice enough to tell me what was in it: hatch chiles (he roasts them himself) with garlic, onion, salt and pepper, cumin.

Saturday was clear skies and even a bit warm; Sunday saw rain, fog coming over the mountains, a rainbow, and great weather the rest of the day.

We got home early enough for some garden time.  My broccoli is still looking sad after the caterpillar damage, so I pulled it out and found more tiny caterpillars.  After drowning them, I replanted the broccoli and tried it on the pepper plant, which did not have any more caterpillars.  The mushrooms have jumped out of the garden box to the tomato garden.  I also sprayed all the roses for aphids, since one is really covered, but there is nothing to save the rose in the corner.  I have never had much luck with white roses, but I don't know what went wrong with this one.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Fries.

At my office, we had our Thanksgiving potluck.  I had turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, and a blueberry soda.

It's pretty expensive and fancy, but at my friend's suggestion, we went to Capital Grille for dinner.  B was willing to hang out with me until I was going to pick up my husband from the airport.  I had a glass of wine with a dinner of salmon, salad, and truffle fries.

The fries are the only thing on their entire menu that they fry, and they are potatoes with some truffle oil, so I was able to eat them.  And they were so awesome.  I don't know if it's because I haven't had fries in three months, but I tried to eat as many of them as I could.  I could see going there just to order fries. And a salad, so it's a balanced meal!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Feeling the love

It's nice to know someone worries about me.  My husband's dad checked in on me because he was worried.  Not that he had to be, but I was surprised by it.

At a club meeting, there was some commentary about how boring my diet must be and I can't eat anything, and all that stuff I'm getting used to hearing.  Lunch will be provided at our event this weekend, so there were comments about how I'd have to bring my own food.  I'm getting used to that, too.

Before we left, I was handed a 6 week old baby who was just starting to get fussy.  Apparently I still have the touch.  I adjusted her position a couple times and then she was quiet and relaxed.  And adorable.  She has hair like my sister had when she was a baby.

I was thinking about the somewhat negative commentary about my limited diet choices and then I saw Mark Bittman's latest blog post about brown rice--not just for hippies.  I plan to try 8 of the 12 suggested combinations.  I'm pretty sure Bittman wrote this article just for me.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Dr. H

I saw Dr. H and L today.  I haven't been feeling well at all since the last time I was in, so they decided I should discontinue the detox pills and maybe resume between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Dr. H doesn't see any issue with me taking the soya so, to make me feel better, she said I could take the lecithin as needed.

Since I was feeling so poorly for so long, she had me lay on the table and she examined me.  She ended up working on me, like massage but more specific, pushing on pressure points, and working on my sacrum or siatica (or both?) for quite a while.  She said she wasn't supposed to spend that much time with me, that she should let the student do it, but my body "is fascinating."  A lot of the work she did felt like she was just barely touching me, but I felt better when I left.

Agility class

Course Map
from tunnel to jump to double jump to weaves
from weaves to tire to jump to dog walk 
jump on far right to front to teeter, u-turn to jumps on left (end)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Shepherd's Pie

Modified turkey shepherd's pie--no repeat expected.

Buca di Beppo

My company's holiday lunch was scheduled at Buca di Beppo.  I love their food but it is served family style, and--against my will--I'm high maintenance now.  Since I had some advance notice, I found their gluten free and dairy free menu items online, and then I emailed:

I have a restricted diet due to a combination of allergies and health issues. The firm I work for is having a lunch at your restaurant soon, and I would like to attend. I loved your restaurant but haven't been in since I found I can't have wheat, bakers yeast, egg whites, dairy, or soy.

I would like a copy of your gluten free/dairy free menu. Can you confirm these--yeast, egg whites, soy--are not in the chicken limone, chicken marsala, green beans or salads, including dressings? Can the salads be modified to eliminate the dairy (such as cheese) or wheat (such as croutons)?

Thank you in advance for your help.

And I received a response, including their gluten-free menu:

Thank you for writing to us. We would like to inform that we make every effort to provide a safe and enjoyable dining experience for our allergic and sensitive guests. Please find attached a list of our gluten-free options. At this time, we cannot prepare gluten-free pasta in our kitchen because of the presence of wheat pasta in the pasta cooker.

In addition, please know that we have forwarded your letter to our Scottsdale location. Our managers will be glad to contact you back and assist you with your other requests regarding food allergies. Also, if you prefer, you can call them directly at 480.949.6622.


We look forward to celebrating with you soon. Thanks again for writing.
Ciao!!!


The Buca di Beppo Famiglia

The bold emphasis is mine.  I learned something new when I received their response.  When I looked at the g/f menu they sent, it gave me more information than online.  The entrees listed online as g/f are really modifiable to g/f.  For example, the chicken dishes are dusted in flour, but don't have to be.  I took the menu, with my notes, to the person who would be ordering for us, and she ordered mine separately to reduce confusion.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Let there be lights!

I went to work, I came home from work.  In between, I had my blood taken for my monthly monitoring.  Looks like a bruise is getting ready to visit.  I had lunch with a friend from an old job.  I haven't seen him in a while.  We ate at Pita Jungle.  I avoided the Chicken Tikka Masala--I don't think it agreed with me last time.  We split the hummus--he had pita and the waitress brought me a plate of tomatoes and cucumbers for dipping.  I requested that he put a line down the middle so he didn't contaminate my side of the hummus; he was amused, and later, when I was done, he contaminated my hummus with his potatoes.  I had the salmon salad, which was pretty good.

chard, yellow tomatoes,
quinoa polenta, red peppers,
and marinara
I got home to find that we have working canned lights and flood lights on our patio now.  Whoo-hoo!  This may seem like a minor milestone, but last night, I had to go to the furthest corner of our yard, in the dark, using a flashlight, to round up my dogs who were barking at a cat on the fence.  It was teasing my dogs and would not leave.  It is not easy to grab two dogs and a flashlight and walk back to the house in the dark!

In addition to new lighting, we have flies.  In the house.  At least they aren't the humongous flies that were in the garage giving me the creeps.  Where can I get a Venus Fly Trap?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Stop me.

Deserves best g/f product award
It's amazing that I'm still losing weight.  My eating is erratic--I eat well one meal, barely eat the next.  Breakfast is so hard for me.  Yes, there are things I can eat.  But they aren't the things I am used to eating on a regular basis. There is no substitute for an Egg McMuffin when you can't eat eggs.  Or cereal with milk that tastes good.  I've been making oatmeal with lots of add-ins and not really finding the combination that works for me.  I found an instant package oatmeal that I like and will probably start ordering online to reduce the price.

I had lunch with a friend at Z'Tejas.  They have a gluten-free menu; my friend made a comment about my choice of 4 things (there were actually 6) I could have.  I had salmon with rice and beans.  It was good, but I thought that I should have had the salmon salad, so I would get more veggies.  So instead of having a salad for dinner, I had leftover chicken mole with corn grits and guacamole.  Then I ate an entire pint of coconut milk peanut butter chocolate ice cream.  I. Ate. The. Whole. Thing.  Like 800 calories at least.  After I ate dinner.  I just could not stop.  I don't know if I felt justified, or I'm being hormonal (chocolate!), or I just sabotage myself or what.  But I did not need (or want) to eat a pint of ice cream.  ugh.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Who ya gonna call?

Seen at Litchfield Park Arts and Crafts event
Chicken and mole for dinner!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Black Chili Mexican Grill

I was invited to happy hour/dinner at Black Chili Mexican Grill in the Biltmore area.  I had a blood orange margarita which was very good and I tasted someone else's strawberry jalapeno margarita which was also very good.  The guacamole came with cheese crumbles on top, but I was able to take a little from the side and had some chicken tacos with rice and beans.  I double checked the ingredients because it was very, very good.  Although there wasn't much on the menu I could have, everything was tasty.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Babbo's

I used to go to Babbo's for lunch about every other week.  I loved their Italian sausage pasta and the mista salad.  I knew that, in addition to their pasta combo lunch, they had recently introduced a "blackboard" menu.  I couldn't understand who was going there and not getting pasta.  Now I know.

I asked about wheat, and soy, and dairy, and yeast.  And I got the roasted chicken breast topped with brussel sprouts, diced beets, almond slivers, and golden raisins.  It came with a side of roasted veggies--broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.  I didn't eat most of the carrots, and there weren't very many cauliflower, but there was some kind of herbs in the veggies that was really good; I just couldn't quite place it.  I haven't had brussel sprouts in a long time and these were good enough that I would try it at home.  Or at least order it again.

I noticed that this lunch cost almost twice as much as the lunch I used to get.  This eating better is expensive.  I can't balance out the more expensive meals with some cheaper meals anymore.  The closest I can get to a "cheaper" meal is a $5 microwave meal.   Factor in a snack for later, since I'll be hungry in 2 or 3 hours, and I might as well get a decent lunch out of the office.

I saw this quinoa polenta in the grocery store recently and decided it might be worth a try.  I had it with leftover potatoes and zucchini and topped with marinara sauce.  It was pretty good.  It could have used some parmesan cheese!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Agility class


We did several exercises. Of note, Teka collected herself before heading back into the weaves.

Revo revisited

I wasn't feeling so great, and decided to get the Revo chicken fajita rice bowl with brown rice for lunch from their gluten-free menu.  I asked the guy if the chips were gluten-free and he said the chips are gluten-free but they are fried in oil that is not gluten-free.  Everything fried goes in the same oil.  A-ha moment!  This may be a portion of my problem--I can't eat corn chips at restaurants without confirming that they use separate oil.  (And they don't, we already know that.)  Do I leave a package of gluten-free chips in my car for when I go to Mexican food restaurants?  The good news is that the corn tortillas are made with corn, water, and lime, so I can eat those.

So, let's go back to the not feeling great.  I did only get 4 hours of sleep, but I don't think that is the big issue.  A lady at work almost always notices when I'm having a painful day.  She said that she can see it my face.  I'm sure I can't totally hide it; I'm feeling successful to not cry sometimes.  I noticed, as I have recently, that my pain and tightness are accompanied by nasal congestion.  I actually took a Benadryl before lunch and felt better most of the afternoon.

Unfortunately, I was in pain again by the time I went to agility class.  A lady I know asked me about my weight and diet, but from a different point of view.  She was concerned because she thought I looked weak, like maybe I wasn't eating or not eating the right stuff.  One of the instructors said she thinks that the dogs do pick up on it when I'm not moving well, so it is more of a struggle for me and them.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Garden Update--eeewww edition

mushrooms are attacking everything in my garden
Caterpillars are eating everything leafy

D-Vine

Today, I felt better than I have for several days.  At lunch break from my class, I walked to D-Vine Bistro for lunch.  I also walked around the building where the class was being held since the weather was so nice.

At D-vine, I had desert blossom ice tea, which I liked.  Most of the menu was burgers or sandwiches that I couldn't really modify, so I found a grilled chicken salad.  They don't candy their own walnuts, but had plain walnuts to substitute.  All of their dressings included soy (soybean oil), so I asked for avocado instead.  Between the avocado and the goat cheese, it wasn't too bad or dry.  But I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to people with allergy issues.