A Bountiful Harvest

We did it!  Ok, by "we" I mean me, my husband and good old Madre Naturo (I think that's Mother Nature in Spanish).  We did what?  Well, I was getting to that...we grew tomatoes!  How exciting, right?  Or maybe it's not so exciting for you, but it certainly was for us.

Granted, we gave our tomato plants plenty of reasons to fail us ("I thought you had watered them today!"), but they hung in there and finally produced a nice little late September harvest.  They look absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to eat them up for dinner.

Hope your harvest is just as wonderful!!!

The husband holding our cute little tomato harvest!



Gettin' my Conference on in San Diego

I am in sunny California!  Woo-hoo!  Not only am I in California, but I am in San Diego.  Beautiful, warm, and lovely San Diego.  I love this city and am so happy to be here.

Unfortunately, I am not here for rest and relaxation.  Nope, I am here for the annual American Dietetic Association Conference.  Although it's been a crazy few days, it's been so much fun. 

I have met some great people here and have had some amazing conversations as well.  I managed to obtain more samples of food than one person ever should and more autographed copies of books by RD's than I thought I would ever own!  Now I am just wondering how I am going to get it all home and where I am going to put it once I get there.

So, as you know, I am a totally in love with food.  Lucky for me, San Diego has some of my favorite kinds of foods...mainly Mexican food!  Yum!  Last night I went to a great retaurant called the Linkery.  So incredibly fun and tasty.  I had fish tacos and an amazing house salad that had locally grown veggies including arugula, carrots and tomatoes...so good.  Tonight I went to a place called La Puerta.  I found it on Yelp and was pleased to see that it was only a few blocks from my hotel.  Plus, they had half price drinks and appetizers all day.  How can you beat that?  So, I indulged in a delicious margarita (on the rocks with salt) and the street taco plate.  Oh, was I in heaven.  I had the Pastor (Marinated Pork-Pineapple-Avocado Cream-Cilantro-Onion), the Pollo Asado (Grilled Chicken-Avocado Cream-Cilantro-Onion), and the Ranchero Shrimp (Tomato-Onion-Green Chile-Lettuce-Sour Cream).  All were perfection! 

As I prepare to pack my bags with my belly full of tasty, Mexican perfection, I must say, it's nice to be back in this great city.  Thank you San Diego...I will be back!

Chipotle Cultivate Festival Chicago!

Um, so sometimes you realize that really cool things are happening around you, yet you never hear about them.

So, I am in the kitchen (surprise) making dinner and my husband is sitting at the home PC (yes, I just said "PC") doing some internet searching.  I'm actually not too sure how it happened, but he stumbled upon something very cool.  He starts talking about Chipotle (YUM!) and immediately I am wishing that we were indulging in some of their delicious guacamole and chicken tacos.  Anyway, I didn't hear a word he said after that...until....he mentioned some familiar names...Richard Blais (Top Chef), Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto NY and Top Chef Masters), Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia Chicago and Top Chef Masters)....what!?  Now, I was listening!

Turns out, all of these amazing chefs are going to be in town and doing cooking demonstrations at the upcoming Chipotle Cultivate Festival.  What?  Yeah, my thoughts exactly.  Apparently this is a festival that is going on here in Chicago (Lincoln Park to be exact) on October 1st.  To quote  the website, it is a festival that "brings together food, farmers, chefs, thought leaders and musicians."  Awesome!

So, if you are in the Chicago-area and are looking for something fun (and free!) and unique to do, go and check out Chipotle Cultivate Festival...I'll see you there!!!

For more, check out their website: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/html/cultivate.html

Amazing Women

My blog posts are often inspired by things going on in my life.  Sometimes they are funny things, sometimes they are tasty things and sometimes they are personal revelations.

I happened to have a personal revelation recently.  I had the amazing opportunity of seeing a good friend the other night.  She is one of the kindest, warmest, smartest women I know.  She was asking me all about what was going on in my life...listening to everything I was saying and providing honest feedback.  As I was yapping on and on about my crazy life, I realized how awesome she was for 1) asking me about me and 2) for actually listening and hearing what I was saying.  Then I realized, I need to stop yapping on about myself and ask about her and her life.  I am glad that I did.

She told me about her family and her work and the things that were going on with her.  We got on the topic of my baby journey which led to a conversation regarding something she had just experienced.  A sad experience, and one that many women have to endure, a DNC.  She didn't complain...she wasn't mad...she seemed at peace with the whole experience...stating, "there is a plan for everything."  How can someone going through that be so rational?  I have no idea, but it inspired me to write this blog post.

Here's the deal.  Women are amazing (sorry men, you are great too, but this is about women today)!  We are programmed with so many emotions and hormones, it's remarkable that we are even able to function at all.  We have to endure the monthly reminder of our womanhood (think hormones, tears, laughter, bloating, femine products, and cramps), we have to compete to prove we are just as good as anyone else at anything (think jobs, sports, school, etc), we bear children (think nausea, stretchmarks, birthing, etc), we struggle with infertility (think sadness, anger, frustration, jealousy), we have miscarriages (think anger, pain ,sadness), we go through menopause (think hot flashes), and that's just to name a few. 

We go through all of those things and are expected to move about our lives in a "normal" fashion.  It can be extremely difficult, the life of a woman.  However, it can be amazingly rewarding as well.  I guess my point is, we endure a lot of things and many times, we carry it alone.  We have an uncanny ability to "bounce back" from just about everything.  So kudos to us for being such amazingly strong creatures.  Thank you to all of the fantastic women in my life, I learn so much from all of you every day!  Stay strong and remember, "there is a plan for everything."

Happy Birthday Brother of Mine!

Today is a wonderful day as it is the day my truly awesome, smart, loving, hilarious, fun-loving brother was born. 

I'm not so sure my sentiment was quite the same twenty some years ago.  You see, my brother is older than me and I was reminded of this daily during our young exisistence.  Let's just say I adored him...and he tortured me...as older brothers typically do.  My mom likes to re-count the story of how, when I was little, she walked in and saw that my brother was seconds from dropping a big plastic truck on my head.  That was just the beginning.  I can remember being about 6 or so and my brother tempting me to thrust a stick into a hornets nest.  Of course I did (he told me to!) and suffered wasp stings all over my body.  I can also remember almost drowning in the pool once because he thought it would be funny to lay on a raft and hold me under it.  I can also remember when he had a birthday party and he and all of his friends found my stuffed animals (my pride and joy at the time) and destroyed them.  It was the saddest thing ever.

My brother has more than made up for all of the abuse he put me through when we were younger.   Through our adult years, my brother has been a constant source of support and love. He has encouraged me to do things I would've never thought I was capable of.  He was my strength during our parents divorce.  He has helped me through some serious computer problems (he's amazing with computers by the way) and some serious life problems.  Even when he had his own personal problems, he made time for me. 

I like to compare my brother to a big, warm, fuzzy teddy bear.  You want to hug him when you see him and you just want to be around him.  He is a good soul and I couldn't have asked for a better brother.  So, on this day, I would like to wish him the most wonderful birthday ever!  You are a gift to me and I love you!  Now go eat a piece of cake for me!

Chicago...A healthy does of "nice"



Chicago, my kind of town.
Picture from City of Chicago website: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en.html



Living in a big city, you sometimes lose that softness that you once had.  In fact, everyone around you seems to have lost it as well.  I suppose it's that we feel that we need to "rough" ourselves up a bit to sustain urban living.  I mean, if you think about it...it's sort of like survival of the fittest here and you see examples of it everyday...aggressive driving (check out the 290 expressway during rush hour!), shoving and pushing to enter/exit trains (not one "excuse me" in ear shot), and moving throughout the day with your gaze always forward, never looking back or around to see if you stomped on someone else.  Let me tell you, this kind of life is tiresome.  

When I first moved here I was a simple girl from Indianapolis.  While Indy is a relatively large city, it's no Chicago.  So, it was a bit of shock to move to the heart of such a bustling town.  There were people everywhere and it was LOUD!  Plus, I saw things here that I had never seen before....a supermarket on fire (we are talking 5 alarm stuff here), a pedistrian hit by a car, an Astin Martin (that's a pretty nice car for those that don't know), a man urinating in the alley behind my apartment (in broad daylight), the elevated (EL) train...and the list could go on and on. Anyway, it was scary and amazing all at the same time. 

Now that I am celebrating my 9 year anniversary of living here, I have come to fully respect this city.  This is the place that I started my first real job.  This is the place that I met my wonderfully amazing husband.  This is the place that I went to culinary school.  This is the place that has both embraced me and at times, chewed me up and spit me back out.  I love it here and when the weather is nice, I REALLY love it here.

What inspired this post?  Well, I was running some errands and as I was getting into my car after all of them, I found myself smiling (I suppose, like a total weird-o).  I was smiling because every single person I encountered on my errand crusade was...super nice.  I know, it's great!  My point is, even though we Chicagoans are a little "rough around the edges" sometimes, we are good, midwestern people at heart...and I love that.

Thank you Chicago for being so nice to me today and thank you for both a rewarding and challenging existence!

A bit of a break

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been blogging much about the baby-making journey.  Maybe you are hopeful that means I am pregnant...so nice of you to think so.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  I haven't been talking about it too much because we have been officially taking a break from the process.  Yes, a month or so off while we figure out our next path.

I was both relieved and sad about the month off.  Relieved because I wouldn't have to go in for bi-weekly blood draws and ultrasounds.  Happy because I wouldn't have to give myself any injections or medications.  Elated because I could just live my "normal" life. 

However, as with most things in life, there are the downsides.  I was sad because this meant that nothing up to this point has worked for us.  Angry because I am afraid that a month off is one less chance at conceiving.  Upset because I am still without many answers.

So here we are, in a sort of limbo.  I am heading to the doctor this week for some tests and to start  a new process.  I am actually glad for this past month off as it has given me some new perspective...as well as some emotional sanity.  I continue to be hopeful that there will be a baby in our future.  Now that I have had some seriously-needed personal time, I am ready and able to get the proverbial "ball rolling." 

Here we go again.....

Move it!

Yes, I command you to move it!!!  That is, get some exercise, please...pretty please?

If you really need yet another reason to exercise, check out the latest research as discussed on USA TODAY:

Intense Exercise Burns Calories Long after a Workout, Study Says
Men who got 45 minutes of intense exercise on a stationary bike burned an extra 190 calories over the 14 hours after their workout, Appalachian State University researchers reported in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. They said the findings should hold true for women, and also may apply to other activities, such as running or high-intensity basketball or soccer.

Click the link below for the full article:
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/exercise/story/2011-09-01/Bonus-for-exercisers-Calories-burn-long-after-workout/50224116/1


True, 190 calories may not sound like a lot, but if you think about it.....

1) You aren't even exercising during that time to burn those calories.
2) You just burned off that Tall 2% Latte that you enjoyed this morning from Starbucks.
3) That's 190 calories you wouldn't have burned had you not exercised.
4) If weight loss isn't your goal, than burning those 190 calories makes it easier for you to enjoy that little chocolate treat at the end of the day.
5) In about 18 days you will have lost about 1 pound just from those extra calories!  (Fun fact - it takes about 3500 calories to gain/lose 1 pound...keep that one in your back pocket for the next time you are on Jeopardy!)

Go on now...exercise!

Things that Make you go Hmmmm....

Maybe I am dating myself here, but does anyone remember that song from the 90's by C and C Music Factory called "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm?"  The song was catchy and I believe, a Billboard Top 20 (or at least from what I remember) hit. The words aren't super-meaningful, but the name of the song is certainly catchy.  It recently came to mind because, well, at least once a day here in Chicago I see things that make me go hmmmm....

(Disclaimer: So, if you haven't figured it out yet, this is not a serious post.  You are not going to learn anything from this one, so don't even try to.  Just wanted to prepare you ahead of time.)

Here they are, in no certain order, the things I have recently experienced in Chicago that make me go hmmmmm....

1) Walking behind an extremely buff man in business pants and a wife beater, smoking a cigarette and chugging coffee on a 95 degree day. 

2) A tattoo on a woman's neck (Really? I know that had to hurt!).   A tattoo of a credit card number on a woman's ankle (Not sure I get that one).  Full appendage tattoos.  Hmmmm.... Ok, I'll stop, because this one could go on forever.

3) That really weird smell as you step onto a Red Line El Train...a distinct, piquant smell...a cross between body odor, a hot trash can and a dead mouse. 

4) Bacon...EVERYWHERE!  Why?  It's delicious, but everything in moderation...come on people. 

5) Socks and sandals...yes, I see this here in Chicago...even I know this is a fashion faux pas!

6) Massive horse-sized dogs living (with their owners) in small Chicago apartments.

7) A "stop ahead" sign posted about 1 block from the stop sign itself...not a big deal, except the "stop ahead" sign is about about 12 feet off the ground (high!) and completely covered by trees.  So helpful, don't you think?

8) Pancake Sausage Bites...google it.

9) Angry argument between neighbors regarding placement of trash cans in the alley.  The problem?  The trash cans were in the way of getting his large SUV in and out of his garage.  So sad.  (Did I mention that I don't even have a garage???)

10) Leftover Christmas decorations still adorning homes in July.


What makes you go hmmmm????