MM: Marvelous Mondays, Ups & Downs

Hey you.

How was your weekend?

I hope wonderful, just like you.

Good news!  Time for another edition of….

Here we go!

I had some ups & downs of late.

A down was this morning when I decided to have some organic, Dave’s Killer wheat bread.  I’ve been making some dumb decisions lately, haven’t I?

Since then I’ve been a cranky mess.  I’m not sure if it’s wheat, if it’s gluten (pretty sure it’s gluten), but as I’m trying to troubleshoot my body, I’m realizing that if I want to feel optimal, I can’t mess around with these things.  Life is too short to eat food that makes you feel icky–my new mantra.  Will repeat several times a day, in this barren, glutened, vegan wasteland.

Sometimes the discomfort kicks in immediately, always the sick-feeling, tiredness, sometimes headache kicks into gear after a few hours when the food hits the intestines.  Too much information?  Probably.  But am wondering, does wheat/gluten bother you, too?  I’m pretty convinced after a few isolated, not pretty encounters with stuff after staying away from it, that it’s no good for me.

An up was I started a month-long jazz/lyrical/ballet class taught by a friend.  My first class was this morning, & I’m reminded why I tried ballet in college & have truly hated my short, non-ballerina legs ever since.  Nevertheless, I think it’s good for me.  I’m learning rhythm, technique.  Getting out of my comfort zone is definitely a good thing.

Another up, was going on a date with Joseph.  We went to a Mongolian grill.  Have you ever been to one?

You can pick from an assortment of fresh, raw vegetables (broccoli, carrots, onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts, zucchini, celery, cabbage, the list goes on), rice or wheat noodles (I chose rice), & meats or tofu (Joseph chose meat, I chose tofu), you add sauces of your choice, & they stir-fry it (no oil!) on a huge, hot circular, flat “wok.”  I like this place because they don’t use MSG.  If they did I wouldn’t eat there because MSG is another one of those foods that does not agree with muah.

It’s a win, win situation for us.

It’s one of the few places to go out to eat around here where Joseph & I can both get what we want.

Can you believe how much food we get?  Since I get mostly veggies, if I take my time, I can finish my plate in one sitting.  Even still, it is a lot of food, I know.

♥  A DIY project I could see myself doing.

♥  My fave popsicles are the fresh fruit ones.

♥ More on why calories matter for weight maintenance.

♥  Nutrition labeling that makes sense, don’t you think?

♥ 1 minute cleaning jobs–I can do this!

♥ Next time you need to say thank you, here are some lovely cards from ISLY to download for free.

♥ I’m already cutting meat, axing the dairy, conserving energy, recycling.  Can I possibly live a plastic-free life, too?

♥ A new blog I discovered.  Love the photos.

♥ Nora Ephron, the great writer, passed away this pass week.  I don’t know about you, but her work, will live in my mind as some of the great movies of all time.  I hate watching movies more than once.  A few, however, like You’ve Got Mail, I can watch over & over.   Here’s a well written tribute.  Another one by Nat the Fat Rat, & another by Joy of Frock Files.

♥ Some ideas for minimizing sugar.

♥ Need some inspiration for veggie burgers for the fourth?  Here are 9 ideas, all featuring quinoa.

♥ 5 great tips for living with children AND toys.

Yum,
& yum.
Double yum.

♥♥♥

What are you doing for the fourth?  (We’re swimming, parties, parade, fireworks, then camping.  Whew, I’m exhausted already!)

Here’s to another week.  May it be filled with lots of watermelon, ice cream, &/or popsicles.

Thanks for reading, beautiful!

Cheers,