Half Moon

I had a work lunch at Half Moon. I gave the waitress my allergy card and after some discussion, she came back and confirmed they would make grilled veggies and a bacon burger with no seasoning. They actually made me a new patty since they season all their burgers at once. It was fine. It tasted like it had no seasoning. I salted and peppered everything. Maybe my taste buds are just tired of the same stuff every restaurant gives me: protein with no seasoning or sauce and veggies with no seasoning (and usually overcooked.) So effin exciting.

In a basket--convenient

My coworker sitting closest to me got a little pizza. So for dinner, when I hadn't really planned appropriately, I made a frozen pizza for Mick and I made a little pizza for me. For this one, I used Applegate turkey pepperoni, roasted red peppers, artichokes and olives over pizza sauce and homemade "ricotta" cheese on a crust from Gluten Free Creations Bakery.

Of course I ate all 4 pieces!

Letting my Southern show

I said "putting lipstick on a pig" today. In my outside voice, y'all! Yeah, I said it out loud. I think my Southern is showing more as I age.

Consider this your warning! We're giving out cocktails over here...

Curling

I went to a curling intro with a large group of coworkers. Unlike the cold yoga, this was on ice and it was cold. After a couple hours of "running" back and forth across the ice, I had to take my sweatshirt off though.

Apparently my complete lack of athletic ability and hand/eye coordination has not gotten any better with age. Bummer. I just could not get the hang of the aim and the turn of the stone. Yep, I suck at curling. I'm going to go with the excuse that we didn't get to drink any alcohol. I did work up a sweat though. And it was fun. But no photos apparently. I asked around and haven't found any.

so me. #startreklove

Taco Pasta

I didn't start to learn to cook until I was a teenager. One of the first things I learned to cook was Hamburger Helper. Obviously, Hamburger Helper doesn't work for me these days.

I recently found this Namaste brands Taco Pasta dinner and yes, I HAD to have it. Just add some tomato sauce and canned tomatoes (I used Muir Glen diced tomatoes with chipotles) and follow the directions.

It was pretty good and made enough that I had some leftovers. It's not really economical, especially noticeable if you know how cheap you can get Hamburger Helper. But for someone who has few quick dinner options, this is a good thing to keep on hand.

Namaste is a great brand for people allergic to "everything" like me and I'm glad to see it in limited amounts starting to show up at some of the "normal" stores.

Taco Pasta

Chicken salad

I found a veggie burger that I can have. There are several varieties. Since I can't eat buns, I don't eat it like a burger though. I just use them to get more veggies in my diet.

I think when you eat a veggie burger, you should always attempt to top it with some meat. Ha-ha.  Mick thought this was gross looking (he was eating something else) but he thought it was funny too. I just mixed leftover roast chicken with avocado, some Earth Balance mayo, salt and pepper. Some Kettle Crinkle Chips on the side for some crunch makes it a well-rounded lunch. Where well-rounded means I like it.

Five Guys AND a shake

I had to take my car back into Toyota to get a new radio installed. It had started acting up a few months ago but when I told them about it, they weren't able to duplicate it so they told me to "stop by when it's actually happening." I was able to do that last week when the display faded and the CD spat out when I changed radio stations. So I got a new radio under warranty.

top display is unreadable!

I told Mick that if he wasn't busy, he could pick me up for lunch so he let me know he was coming and then he showed up with a couple of guys from work who I know. We went to Five Guys. They were done eating so fast so I wrapped up my fries to take with me so I didn't hold them up. Plus, my car was ready faster than expected.

I made a smoothie that was supposed to be similar to a Frosty. I have to substitute out the banana so I don't know how much that affects it but it was similar-ish. I think it needs some work though it is good.

Frosty-ish

Makeup and skin

Let's talk about what we put on our skin, the largest organ and most likely to be ignored as being impacted by food allergies.

I know that a lot of people roll their eyes or make fun of all the gluten free products out there but there are SO many products to shift through and oftentimes, the ingredient list is, at best--tiny and hard to read, and at worst--indecipherable and written in quasi-English.

Zoolander via Pinterest

A friend who has Celiac disease gets terrible dermatitis when she uses products with gluten. Meeting her was when I got really serious about my products but it had been a struggle.

Even within brands, some gluten free products may or may not contain soy or dairy. Certified gluten free brands are (of course, why not) more expensive, so I end up spending the first hour of my grocery shopping reading labels and searching online for information for less expensive brands.

I am still figuring this stuff out but I'll share where I'm at so far.

I used to be an Oil of Olay girl. LOVED it. Used it every day. I had beautiful skin. Mostly I still do but to be honest, I'm not really moisturizing on a regular basis anymore. I just haven't found anything I love and is all so much pricier for less product.

Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine. But I can't have dairy!

The best I've found is the container of Yes! Moisturizer. In the little white container like a small Noxema container. NOT the ones on the dispensers--those are thick and hard to rub in. Blech.

My latest find is Everyday Coconut face lotion and eye cream I found at Sprouts. The face/body lotion is in a larger pump dispenser bottle. It's not bad; I still have to check that I don't have lotion residue after application. Still searching and taking suggestions.

I was also a Clinique girl for many years with a little MAC thrown in for makeup. Currently I am using a mix of Mineral Fusion and Arbonne but I'm planning to order some Apple Lipstick products soon. Here's an excerpt from the email response I got when I registered on their website. (because it is funny!)

Please Note: I'm not always able to check my email each day.  If you need ultra quick customer service / order support / order info / additions / subtractions / or if you simply want to pet our pet aardvark, please email my amazing customer support staff at...

Anyway.

For hair--shampoo, conditioner, styling gels--I've mostly used Hugo, Desert Essence, and Yes! Hugo also has good hand lotion and shower gel. The best shave gel so far is Kiss My Face.

We can't talk about deodorant yet. I'm about 15 products in and the best (but not effective) that I've found has been a Primal deodorant. I guess I'm just too stinky to be contained by deodorants and similar products.

So that wraps up our current beauty regime products. I'll try to remember to give y'all more updates as I find and try things!