I’m better!! 
The results from my iron test today showed completely normal levels! Oh generic-Flinstones-chewable-vitamins-fortified-with-extra-iron – I could kiss you! Instead, I’ll continue to take you twice a day until further notice. 
Seriously though, I feel so much better than I did just a few, short months ago. The persistent tiredness, headache and coldness that I had been experiencing on a daily basis, are currently non-existent. Well, at least that I can blame on low iron levels and not going to bed too late, eating too much sugar and chewing too much ice!
I’ve always been stubborn about going to the doctor, thinking my body would “heal” itself, but it’s results like this that remind me medicine/vitamins/etc are around for a reason. And in my case, they really made my life a whole lot better. Are you stubborn about going to the doctor?
At any rate, it is hotter than a you-know-what, in you-know-where outside right now, so I made some cool, chewy, FRESH Spring Rolls for dinner!
I made them the same way as last time, except I substituted rice sticks for bean thread noodles inside the rolls.
I picked these up at my local oriental food supply store (locals – in the East Village on Grand, across the street from Miaybi 9!) and found them among, I’m not kidding you, a 50 foot aisle of JUST RICE NOODLES. There had to have been HUNDREDS of different types of rice noodles! It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.
Anyways, I had heard that these bean thread or “glass” noodles made good spring roll fillers, so I thought I’d give ‘em a go!
I laid out all my ingredients:
- Tofu (dunked quickly in soy sauce, sesame oil & garlic powder)
- Carrot shreds
- Green onion
- Basil
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Bean thread noodles
Following the same assembly instructions as last time, I rolled those babies up tight,
and had a little Spring Roll army in no time. 
Guys – I can’t get over these things. The chew of the rice paper wrapper, the crunch and sweetness of the carrots, and the hearty tofu all work together so WELL!
I made the same Peanut Dipping Sauce as last time too, except I, um, tripled the recipe. What can I say, we’re big dunkers over here.
3 is just the right amount for me.
Chomp! Bean thread noodles rock, btw!
In other news, I broke my own #5 tip of Tips to Surviving Summer Exercise which is to be smart. It was clearly not smart to attempt a 4 mile run when the heat index is 100 and it’s so humid outside that you can barely breathe. The 4 mile run shifted to a 3 mile run + 1 mile walk so that I could make it home alive. 89 is the new 93 – as in, I will not be running outside if the temperature is over 89 degrees. There, I said it!
Ohhh goodness.
Tonight I’m hydrating and taking it easy. And reading! Still working on Laura’s memoirs. Fascinating stuff, I’m tellin’ ya’!
‘night!
I am seriously missing homecooked meals these days! I have been eating gummy vitamins. Yes, please!
Oh YUM!!!! I LOVE spring rolls!
those spring rolls look amazing!!
You are the second person who has posted about Spring Rolls tonight, I am a tad bit jealous, they look so fresh and refreshing!
The heat and humidity was horrible up here in Minneapolis today, too. I walked out from my office and it felt like a wet blanket was placed over me, eww!
I love making spring rolls like that, SO yummy!
I love spring rolls, but I haven’t attempted them myself! These look awesome!
Glad that your iron levels are good to go! Yay for vitamins!
Mmm, those look absolutely delicious
I’m definitely not a believer in doctors either, I sometimes think it’s such a waste of time to go, but sometimes it’s definitely better to bite the bullet and just go and fix yourself!
So glad you are feeling much better! Food looks yummo
I tried to make these spring rolls the other week but realized that I couldn’t find the rice paper at the store! I’m still so anxious to try them!
I bought the rice paper online when I made the noodles. OMG, it seemed like so much work, how come it looks so easy when you do it!
How do you do it? How do you make it look so easy and fast all the food you make. Wow!!
Glad you are better and YES, me and doctors are not friends, I automatically go in with a chip on my shoulder, I do not trust them.
Anton Chekov said: The difference between lawyers and doctors is that lawyers will take all your money – BUT doctors will take all your money and then kill ya~!
I don’t like their ideas most of the time.
wow, so sad to see doctor bashing. you need to realize that most docs are wonderful people, and most of us would not even be here right now if it weren’t for doctors!
Thats it. I’m putting spring rolls on my list of things to make next week. Hopefully I can find all of the fun ingredients! Do you and Ben eat the same things for dinner? Sometimes I wonder if he’s eating all of the things you post… just curious!
I ALWAYS see those wrappers at the Asian markets downtown here – I’m totally picking some up ASAP
Kristen,
I KNEW you would love these!!! I’ve been eating them since living on my own (only about 2 years now) and as a college student watching her wallet and waistline these puppies are just the best!!! They make for a great entertaining meal too. I just platter-up all the fixins’ and set up a bowl of warm water…batta bing, batta boom people can create their own personal spring rolls!
It made me so happy that you took my suggestion:)
Take care & best!
That’s it, I HAVE to check out the Asian market up the road. These look good minus the tofu… I just don’t like tofu!
I have been taking Flintstones for awhile now. I take ones that specifically have no iron because vitamins usually make me sick and I think I’ve figured out that that was the problem. Some other AWESOME tasting vitamins are the Target brand gummy ones. Oh man, it’s all I can do to only eat the amount you’re supposed to they’re so good.
I actually stopped reading the Laura Bush book. It got to be redundant for me and I needed a break so I took it back to the library. I will sign it out again sometime and finish it because it is bugging me that I didn’t read the whole thing.
Yum, those look absolutely delicious! I will have to try them out sometime this summer b/c it has been unnaturally hot here so far and nice refreshing meal will really help out!
I tried these spring rolls last week. I am a “regular” at Pei Wei for their Viet. salad rolls and the last time I went they were nasty. Also they had forgot my sauce. I was so unhappy that yes..i tried to make them myself! WOW! they are so good and i feel like they are so healthy made by me! the only thing i can’t figure out, KC has no ripe avocados..mine never came soft. I don’t get it! But anyways, THUMBS up! on this recipe SO DELICIOUS!!! thanks!!
Just buy the un-ripe ones and stick them on the counter in a paper bag. They’ll soften up
They’re hit-or-miss here too, but that always works for me.
The humidity today here in Des Moines was so gross!
Those spring rolls look SO good! I think I know what I am having for dinner tomorrow
And I don’t like the doctor either. I always wait until I have tried everything over the counter I can think of before I decide to just suck it up and go.
i am so good about going to the doctor when the signs of a sickness are approaching but as for regular checkups…forget about it! oops! so great what a lil flinstone can do for a gal! ha.
you WIN the runner’s award, seriously WHO are you!? running at 90 degrees and humid. you are my idol, thats who.
happy hump day!
Those spring rolls look fantastic! I may have to put them on next week’s menu. May do some with shrimp instead of tofu, as I suspect my husband will be iffy on the tofu. He can try a bite of mine if he’s game.
I used to be stubborn about going to the doctor, but I’ve been trying to force myself to stay on top of health concerns. Sadly, it took my mother’s death last spring to really shake my perspective. She’d been having severe stomach pains for a few days, but she insisted that it was “just gas,” wouldn’t see a doctor, and tried to treat it with OTC meds. Well, my father came home from work to find her lying on the couch, breathing labored. He got her to the ER only to learn that she had bowel obstruction that had become infected. By then, it was too late to save her. So while I’m still afraid of being considered a hypochondriac when I go to the doctor with a minor problem, that’s better than dismissing what may turn out to be a major problem.
Those spring rolls look great! I made your Asian grilled tofu on Monday – my husband and I LOVED it!
i made ur spring rolls a few weeks ago, and i used the bean thread noodles because i couldnt find the ones you used. i thought they reminded me of those stringy gummy hands you would get at the grocery store vending machine when you were little hahah. what did you think?? i’m gonna try the rice ones next, and then we can swap stories
do you like shrimp? i got the frozen ones at trader joes and they made the rolls FANTASTIC!
btw, al roker was in des moines this morning!! haha
HA! the similarities continue! Not only do I also have iron ‘issues’, but spring rolls were on my menu for tonight’s dinner;) hahahahhaa…yours looked great, so that gives me hope!
Oh geez. I barely made the WALK home from work last night, let alone a RUN. Be safe!!
Did you cook your tofu at all? I need to get on board with this stuff. The BF loves it.
I don’t get enough iron either. Time to take a tip from Popeye, I think.
i made spring rolls once. i need to do it again asap!!
Just made these spring rolls and they were FANTASTIC! Not quite as easy as you make it out to be, but not too difficult either. And those rice wrappers DO in fact rip, and couple of mine did. I used shrimp instead of tofu … DELISH!!!!! My husband was quite impressed, said they were better than any he’d ever ordered in a restaurant. I think the key is the scrumptious dipping sauce
Nice post , this was funny …, keep up your work, webmaster !
[...] Spring Rolls on Iowa Girl Eats – I like reading Kristin’s blog for a variety of reasons: she’s from Des Moines; she’s always introducing me to new products like Chia Seed and Thin Buns; and she inspires me to consistently make healthy food that tastes great, like these summery Spring Rolls. I always order spring rolls when I eat at Thai or Japanese restaurants, but I never would have thought to make them at home. These have been on my mind ever since she posted them. [...]