A Plan

I had a hard time again last week when I got back from America.  Without minimizing how I was feeling (because I had legitimate concerns and reasons to be sad), I'm not entirely sure that a surge of hormones wasn't responsible for the immensity of the emotions.  For a day or two I felt totally worthless, extremely nostalgic for our old life (especially my job), and a strong desire to leave London and return home.  All things I am still feeling right now, but with just a touchhhh less intensity.
I'm a big believer in feeling.  Wrong or right, timely or untimely, over-dramatized or not, I like to feel the feelings.  I'm not a 'sweep it under the rug' kind of person.  I believe that it's important to acknowledge how you feel, cry a little, and then try to move on and make it better.
The good news is, throughout the entire 'two day episode' I was still able to be thankful and be happy about certain things.
I understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.  I know with certainty that I will look back on our experience here with a huge smile as I recall all of our wonderful memories.  But, it's still been a challenge at times, and I realized (almost a year in) that I need to make a change.  I need a plan.

What is lacking from my life right now is the fulfillment and joy that my job in New York offered.  I haven't had that in quite some time (1 year and 3.5 months to be exact) and I am really longing to feel that sense of gratification and pride.  I volunteer at a preschool and a mommy drop-off every week, but it's still not the same.  Something is missing.  Sooo ... we had a family meeting a few days ago and I have decided that my goal for the remainder of our time here is to accomplish something.  Anything!!! I don't want our experience in London to be all about the people we meet and the places we go.  I want to achieve something for myself.  I'm considering taking a graphic design or a photography course, writing a children's book (not dreaming big, just giving me something to work on), or volunteering somewhere I am desperately needed.  There are other ideas orbiting, but those are my favorite so far :)

I am sharing this so that I am held accountable.  It's your job to hold me to it.  Just be easy on me.  It's been quite a year.

Only blue skies, rainbows, and butterflies in our future!!! 

xx

I Made Milk

Almond Milk!!!

It was simple to make & delicious to taste.

Step 1. Soak the almonds overnight.  The longer you soak the almonds, the creamier the milk will be.   I soaked 2 cups of almonds for 36 hours.  

Step 2.  Rinse almonds well.  Place them in your blender or food processor and add filtered water (2:1 ratio).  Add more water to make it thinner, less water to make it thicker.  My ratio gave it a consistency of 2% milk.  Blend for 2 minutes on the highest speed.  If using a food processor you may need to blend for up to 4 minutes. 

Step 3.  Place cheese cloth over strainer (with a bowl underneath).  Pour the almond mixture into the strainer.

Step 4.  Squeeze all of the milk out by twisting the cheese cloth and pressing with your hand to extract as much milk as possible. 

Step 5.  Add to a mason jar.  Sweeten to taste.  My milk was pretty flavorful on its own, but I added a tablespoon of homemade vanilla for a special touch. 

Step 6.  Store almond milk in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days. 

Step 7.  Optional.  Place the almond meal on a pan and throw in the oven on low for a few hours.  They can stay in your freezer for several months and can be used in smoothies, oatmeal, for baking etc.

Voilà 

Good luck

xx

Any Chance I Get

About two weeks ago D told me he needed to go home for work.  Before he could fully ask me if I wanted to go, I jumped with joy and shouted "YES" (much louder than necessary).
I didn't think I was going to get to go home until the end of April.  At the time, I was fine with that.  But, once I knew I was going ... I wanted to go RIGHT THEN.  It felt like an eternity to wait 5 WHOLE days.
We decided to make this trip a surprise ... obviously!  Any chance I get.  This time my dad was the only one 'in the know' to help with logistics.  I thought it was only fair to let my mom be surprised this time.
We showed up at 10pm Friday night (March 8) and surprised the crap out of my mom and my sister just as they were about to head up to bed.  It was the best!!!!!

The next few days were spent happily at home, with a short visit to NYC on the tail end.

Chasing the sunset. Get me homeeee!

Girls dinner for my aunt's birthday. (Wish we got a pic of the 5 of us.)

A highlight reel of baby J

Grace wasn't happy that I was leaving..."Stay, stay, stay, stay Aunt Val"

Off to New York City....

I glided around the city feeling like Mary Tyler Moore in her show's intro song.

I was sooo happy.
Gosh, I miss NYC.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see many people this trip.  As much as I wish I could see all of my family and friends, every time, it's so hard to coordinate with everyone's busy schedules in such a short amount of time.  Sorry people :( 

Sunset in our old hood. (Tried to block out the thought of how wonderful it would be to see this from our apartment. Sigh.)

And of course the guy clipping his finger nails, then brushing them (the ones that didn't flick in our faces) onto the floor.  So gross ... and WRONG! 

My sister/bro-in law came in and we met up with KK and A&J for dinner.  It was such a great night.  

Thanks to D's work schedule, I got a short trip home and it was such a nice refresher.  Although, it definitely makes it much harder to come back after a fun and relaxing week with my family.  Sometimes I wonder if going home does more harm than good.  But then I remember if I say that too many times out loud, it may not bode well for future 'going home' opportunities.  

Until next time ...

Eliminate & Feel Gr-8

. . . well, that's the plan at least.

Day 10 of the elimination diet. Feeling pretty good so far.

After 2 months of experiencing digestive issues (indigestion, pressure in my stomach after eating a small meal, nausea, etc), I was diagnosed with H. Pylori [a bacteria that lives in the sticky mucus that lines the stomach. About 40% of people in the UK have H. pylori - but not everyone has symptoms].

I have had a couple visits with my GP (who I love) and have been working closely (by phone and email) with a Naturopath MD from America  (a freaking genius!!!!), who has been advising natural therapies in addition to the antibiotics and acid reducer, in hopes that I can eradicate this bacteria on the first round.    

The ND had suggested (only if I was up to it) that I try eliminating certain foods to see if my symptoms settle.  After 3-4 weeks I will reintroduce one item every few days and record a reaction/feeling, if any.
I had choices: To eliminate one food per week, to do it all at once, or not at all.  I was hesitant at first because I am a FOOD LOVER!  When I first started my job in New York I had to stand up and tell people about myself.  I chose to say "My name is Val.  I love food.  I go to bed thinking about what I'm going to eat for breakfast in the morning."  And ain't that still the truth!!!
Ultimately I decided to do it all at once!  When I really thought about what this could mean for me (feeling better!!!), I knew I had to give it a shot.
It's amazing how much willpower I have when I "have" to do it.  If I decided to go forward with this diet on my own accord -- without the push from a medical professional, I imagine I would have given in to some sort of temptation by now.  But, I haven't, and for that, I am proud and feeling empowered.  If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right!!!!!
( D is also eliminating with me, which makes it so much more bearable.  Almost everything is easier with a buddy :) )

Eliminating: 

Gluten

Soy

Corn

Sugar

Alcohol

Eggs

Dairy

Citrus Fruits

Beef/Shellfish/Cold cuts

Nightshade veggies

Caffeine 

So, what can we eat? Right? 

We've been making bean soups, pea soups, chicken soups, steel cut oats, quinoa and veggies, salads ...
It's actually been going better than I had anticipated. Even if it turns out that I don't react negatively to any foods, I'll still be glad that I tried.  And at the very least, I was eliminating foods that we all probably shouldn't ingest so much of anyway.
D and I were talking last night about trying to implement this way of eating (during the week) even after the month is complete.  We'll see how that goes.  Can't promise anything. 

Cabbage juice. Isn't as gross as it seems. Good for overall digestive health.
Read below...you'll be shocked!
16 Benefits of Cabbage Juice

Steel cut oats, coconut oil, chia seeds, flax seed, apples, salt.

Quinoa with zucchini, celery, spinach, chicken, & dairy-less almond pesto soup.

White bean soup

Top left: Chickpea "Tuna" Salad - mashed chickpeas, celery, onion, carrots, sunflower seeds, oil, ACVinegar (mayo if you are allowed to eat it)

If anyone has food suggestions or recipes, please send them my way.  I can use all the help I can get.

xx

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**Elimination Diet Update** 

I stopped the elimination diet when I went home.  My doctor said to relax and enjoy eating with my family.  But, for 2 weeks it went well :)