Happy hump day, everyone!
I tell you what, between Lincoln’s cold and him approaching a new developmental milestone (lots of extra singing and new sentences this week!) we’ve been having more late night parties than a frat house lately. My normal 7pm-7am sleeper has been needing extra attention overnight and to be honest, I’m wiped!
That said I need a few days to recollect and regroup, but was recently tagged in a fellow blogger’s “Currently” series, which I thought was super fun and lighthearted, so I thought I’d do the same here on IGE! Pick a few topics then share the answers with me in the comments section below!
Time and place: 2:06pm sitting at the kitchen counter watching the snow fall with a Grapefruit Perrier and a bunny that just hopped by the door, if we’re being thorough.
Cooking: Chicken Shawarma. I’d been craving Chicken Shawarma after eating at a Lebanese restaurant last week so I made this recipe a few nights ago and it was a hit. Lincoln even loved it! Now I just need to find an authentic tasting white and red hot sauce to drizzle on top. I made a tahini-based one but didn’t love it. Any suggestions?
Awaiting: Decorative Clothespins. I ended up buying a couple of the clothespins I featured in my last Friday Favorites, and they’re supposed to arrive this week – so excited! I’m going to put one in a gallery wall in our living room but don’t know where to put the other one. Could be cute near our message center, or maybe in Lincoln’s room to hold up his latest piece of artwork?
Experiencing: acupuncture. I went to my first acupuncture treatment this week (going for a variety of reasons,) and it was nuts! I’ve embraced a more natural style of living in the past year (or as my Dad likes to jokingly say, crossed over to the dark side,) and it was really neat talking to someone who practices traditional Chinese medicine vs a doctor who wants to slap a prescription on a symptom and call it a day. Of course a handful of needles sticking out of my body was interesting, but even more interesting was telling the doc which ones I felt sensations from then learning what part of the body it was connected to – spoiler alert: they were all related to why I was there in the first place! Have you ever had acupuncture? I’m going back for more treatments but have to say, laying there for 40 minutes with nothing to do was slightly torturous. Raging Type A here.
Working on: 7 Day Meal Plan. I’ve been working on a downloadable 7 day gluten-free meal plan with shopping lists for about 2 months now and am alllllmost done with it. It’ll be free for all newsletter subscribers so be on the lookout for it to come ASAP!
Reading: The Nightingale. I love WW2 fiction (All The Light We Cannot See is one of my favorites,) but so far The Nightingale isn’t captivating me. I’m only 1/4 of the way in so hopefully there’s a plot twist just around the corner.
Listening: Another Mother Runner Podcast. Last week I got to chat with the ladies at Another Mother Runner on their weekly podcast. It was so fun to talk all things running, gluten-free, and presidential hopefuls. (And just to add to my record, I missed a Hilary Clinton spotting at my favorite coffee shop two days ago, so there’s that.)
Craving: Sleep! Like I said, Lincoln’s been sleeping really poorly because he’s so stuffed up and has a cough that won’t quit, but he also seems to toss and turn when he’s on the cusp of a developmental milestone like learning to crawl, walk, and talk. It’s brutal going through it (hello singing toddler at 3am!) but it’s pretty cool knowing something new is around the corner. This time around he’s been talking in longer sentences and singing lots of songs. I’m exhausted but also loving having actual conversations with my little man!
Hating: the weather. Total cliche thing to say, but I am counting down the days until Spring – or at least until we can book a long weekend somewhere warm. Now if only plane tickets to Key West weren’t a billion dollars a piece…
Loving: iOS 9 emojis. I was watching Lincoln watch me through the monitor (totally staring into my soul,) a few nights ago around 1am and decided to kill time while he decided what he was going to do next (weep, sleep, or sing,) by scrolling through the new iOS emojis. Ummm, TOO much fun! Champagne bottle, pizza slice, and eye roll emoji, where have you been all my life?
Anticipating: Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo. I haven’t made a batch yet this year and an impending snow storm is as good a reason as any to have a big bubbling pot of gumbo on the stove. Can’t wait to dig in later tonight.
Watching: Veep. I mentioned on Monday that Ben and I started watching Veep last week. It’s basically NBC’s Parks & Rec with a political spin and better writing. Super quick, witty, and so, so funny. It’s a must watch!
Promoting: the Super Bowl! I’ll be on KCCI News Channel 8 on Friday, February 5th demoing some of my all time favorite Super Bowl eats, so be sure to watch at 5:40 and/or 6:25 and/or 6:40am if you can. What are you making this year for the Super Bowl?
Avoiding: Target. I have officially resorted to ordering diapers on Amazon Prime. And ancho chili peppers. And vitamins, and tea, and a knife strip, and, and, and… I’m telling you – best service on the planet and totally worth the cost. I may never need to visit Target again!
Have a great rest of your week and thanks for letting me go off the rails today!
How do you get such fluffy rice??? Mine always seems to be a glued together mess :(
I’ve been a lurker on your blog for years. Love it all. Especially your cauliflower fried rice (kids inhaled it)! Anyway, what has finally prompted me to post is the book I am currently reading: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl. It is fiction set between now and WWII. Hard to explain but James Beard is also involved. Kind of a “foodie” book—I got hungry reading the first couple of chapters. Just a suggestion! Good luck on the cold front. ;)
This recipe (and sauce) has never let me down. Definitely ways to lighten it up, but a little goes a long way with chicken schwarma! For hot sauce, I’d use a combo of Sriracha and sambal oelek.
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016736-street-cart-style-chicken-salad
Aww, I hope Lincoln feels better! I just cleared myself out with a healthy dose of sriracha today, but I don’t quite think it would go over well with the little guy. ;( The weather here in NC has been back and forth, from barely sweater weather to full on winter parka; I’m going nuts.
I’m a Type-A girl too who NEVER thought I would ever try acupuncture. But I started weekly treatments in November and I’m going strong. I find the whole process very interesting, but the actual just laying there part- I want to be all zen and relaxed but I just get bored. So I usually listen music or podcast to pass the time.
I love WW2 fiction too. Have you read Sarah’s Key? That was really good. Just started Finding Rebecca. For some reason I couldn’t get into All The Light You Cannot See. Maybe need to try again…or just wait for the movie :)
fun post! hope Lincoln is feeling better in no time. Sick littles are such a sad sight
Fun post! Stick with the Nightingale…It’s fantastic. I read it first, and I am reading All The Light We Cannot See now.
In Romania they eat shawarma with mayo and spicy ketchup. I can do without those, but they also had a garlic oil that they poured over everything that made it next level amazing! Maybe a chili-garlic oil would give it a kick?
Hang in there with The Nightingale. It is really good! And heart-warming. I loved it.
I’m a total believer in acupuncture! Though I used to keep my phone in my pocket so when the acupuncturist left the room I could play games haha. Now I have 2 kids and I pretty much always fall asleep during that time !
I have to say I’m really disappointed in your comment about doctors “slapping a prescription on it”. Being a doctor I try very hard to not only be educated and up to date on medications- which my patients expect of me- but also to be up to date on wellness, and nutrition. I’ve been following your blog for years for recipes. I refer Celiac patients here regularly. I realize that all is not perfect in western medicine, but only a few bad eggs are that flippant. Most of us have big hearts who sacrificed more than a decade of our lives learning to help others. We care what people think because we care about giving our best. I think you empower people to take charge of the things they can control for their health, and so do I daily. And so do the vast majority of my colleagues. Our culture as a whole needs to get away from trying to take the easy way out when it comes to our health, but I can promise you that the majority of doctors care very much about people getting healthy with the goal of not needing medications in mind.
Of course, and I’m sorry if my comment was insensitive! I was more referring to doctors I’ve personally seen vs doctors in general – a thought bubble that was happening in my mind that maybe I should typed out for clarification. I 100% respect and admire all that you do!
I made that gumbo this weekend. Perfect winter food. I swear it gets even better the next day. My anti rice husband eats his over mashed potatoes.
Would the Lebanese restaurant be Open Sesame? My husband and I love that place!
Oh my golly, I love those giant clothespins. So cute and so many great things you can do with them! Thanks for a great post:)
Follow Dan’s Deals and Krazy Koupon Lady and they are always posting awesome diaper deals on Amazon prime that are hidden! I haven’t paid more than $17 for 170 diapers in six months!
Ha – realized this sounds like an ad! I’ve never met either Dan or Krazy ;)!
I recently began going to acupuncture after it was recommended by my fertility doctor. I don’t know yet if it will lead to the positive outcome we’re hoping for, but at least it’s an hour during my week to turn off my brain. Easier said than done, I know!
Have you tried the Vic’s Vaporub on Lincoln’s feet bottoms, then put on socks before bed? My daughter does this with the grandson’s and it seemed to work to slow that night-time cough down. Many of her friends recommended it…apparently this isn’t a new idea but, I’d never heard of it. Linda
Acupuncture has never really done much for me, though it is relaxing. I do like my chiropractor, however! “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” was the best book I read in 2015. It’s non-fiction but written like a novel. It’s set during WWI. I’ll check out The Nightingale.
I LOVED the Nightingale – stick with it! :)
If you find a good white sauce recipe, please share it! I love shwarma, but I haven’t found a white sauce recipe that I can make.