The Gluten-Free Homemaker a Year (or Two) Ago
Baked Oatmeal 
Cheeseburger Casserole

Gluten-Free/Celiac
Gluten-Free Food List 
Vegan, gluten free?  Tips for Safe and Tasty Trips
Is Gluten-Free a Healthier Option of Just a Fad?

Cooking/Recipes (not necessarily gluten-free but adaptable and/or inspirational)
P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wrap Copycat Recipe
Lemon Basil Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Pork Chops with Pan Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Home/Family
How Safe is Your Home from Fire?
DIY Daily To Do Lists
43 Chores Young Children Can Do

Computer/Internet Tools
Opening Files Without Expensive Software
How to Follow Everyone Back on Twitter Without Ruining Your Experience

Animal/Nature Photos
It’s a Big World Out There
Newborn Puppy Doesn’t Want to Go to School Today (video)
Earth: Landscapes That Will Blow Your Mind

To view my disclaimer and previous Surfing Saturday posts, visit the Surfing Saturday page on my blog.

Photo Credit

I thought I would list a few other party foods here.   If you plan to watch the game this weekend, you might enjoy these recipes.

Appetizer

Bacon and Egg Dip

Bacon Popcorn

Cranapple Salsa

Main Dish

Barbecue Beef Sandwich

Our Favorite Chili

Cheeseburger Fries

Biscuit Crust Pizza

Desserts

Brownies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

One day into our P90X2 Experiment and I am unimpressed. The reason: I have the stomach flu* and therefore permission to watch as much crap television as I want without feeling (too) guilty and instead of getting cozy with Project Runway All-stars (How much does this show suck without Tim Gunn and Heidi?!) I’m sitting here listening to Tony Horton and taking notes like a school girl in detention. Albeit a really pale, shivery school girl with a fever. (Although I’m not as bad off as Gym Buddy Allison who puked so much last night she fainted and had to go to the ER. Bad week for Gym Buddies: we be dropping like flies.)

Anyhow, it’s making me a wee bit resentful. The reason? P90X2 doesn’t come with an instruction booklet like the first P90X did. For people who do the program at home with constant access to a DVD player it’s no big deal but for those of us who need to use a gym for the equipment and childcare then it’s, dare I say it, nearly a deal breaker. Because this means I have to watch all FOURTEEN videos and write down every move, a description of how to do it because he makes up some weirdly awesome stuff, sets, reps and rest periods. Instead of the super-helpful booklet (it also had a place to write down your weights so you could track your progress), now I have a 20-page glossy book that the Gym Buddies and I have dubbed “Tony Porn” because it’s just page after page of pictures of his admittedly very impressive physique sprinkled with a few words.

But, aside from the pencil purgatory I’m in at the moment, P90X2 looks pretty awesome. It’s definitely not a repeat of the first version and just judging on this, I think I’m going to like #2 better than the first. Which is saying a lot since I was a huge fangirl the first time around. This time Tony is focusing more on the newest fitness research and streamlining the workouts which is a huge plus since one of the biggest complaints against the first version was how time consuming it was. He is also making it simpler to follow the plan. The kickboxing is totally gone but there’s several new workout formats built around active rest and recovery, presumably to circumvent the injuries for which P90X is also famous for.

Anyhow, despite all my whining, the workouts look solid and I’m really excited to get started on this one. We all really enjoyed the challenge of P90X and it looks like this one will live up to that legacy. There are three phases, just like the original (hence the “90″) but this time he recommends spending 3-6 weeks in each phase plus one week of recovery in the middle. We’ll be doing each phase for three weeks unless we get into it and realize we need more time and then we’ll take it.

There is a nutrition guide that comes with it which is much more comprehensive than the old one and even allows for several different tracks based on your goals and different meal preferences within those tracks – like say you’re a vegetarian who wants to get ripped, Tony has a whole food plan customized just for you. Since I am no longer doing food Experiments however, I’ll just be doing the workouts.

Barre Experiment Results

Honestly this workout was just “meh” for me. It was a good burn – anyone who thinks ballerinas are wimps needs to try this immediately – but the workouts were incredibly long. If I’m going to spend that much time, I’d expect to see some kind of difference in my body from it but I didn’t. All measurements stayed exactly the same. So given that end, I’d rather lift heavy for 30 minutes and reap all the metabolic benefits of that rather than burn out 100 reps with 5-lb ‘bells for an hour and a half.

That said, my ennui could be attributed to the fact we only did the workouts with videos – hah, you should have seen us all crowded around Allison’s tiny 7″ portable DVD player in the middle of the stretching area! – and books. Given what I’ve heard from some of you, taking it in a Barre studio is a totally different and much more fun experience.

And now I think I need to hurl again. Gah. Please forgive my whininess – it’s been A Day. I feel asleep on the floor only to wake up to Jelly Bean screeching “Mommy PWETTY!!!” as she decorated me with my new lipstick. After she’d used up most of the tube on herself.

Any of you trying P90X2 yet??

*AGAIN. I KNOW. I never get sick and now stomach flu twice this season!

A waitress friend of mine recently snapped a pic of an overweight patron’s meal. Why? So she could text it to several of her friends. Sure her customer’s meal was appalling – One of every appetizer? Yes, please – but even more so was the realization that now, more than ever, eating is a spectator sport. People feel they not only have a right to see what other people are eating but also to pass judgment on it. Even though we don’t.

I blame the media for this. Or at least for beginning the trend with shows like the Biggest Loser that have cameras recording participants’ every bite and advertising that relies on monitoring a person’s food intake to sell their product a la Jared the Subway Guy. We won’t even talk about the media hoopla surrounding Marie Osmond, Kirstie Alley, and the grand dame of weight loss struggles, Oprah. Jessica Alba can’t take a bite of food without a telephoto lens documenting it.

I know all this because every weight blip is broadcast to an eager audience, one I am apparently a part of despite the fact that I have never seen even one episode of The Biggest Loser (culturally irrelevant, that’s me!) and the last time I ate in a Subway was Homecoming dance my junior year of high school when I got food poisoning from old ham and spent the rest of the night upchucking in the E.R. Remember when Jared TSG showed up looking a bit meatier and immediately the Examiner exclaimed, “We’re sure Jared will lose the extra weight in no time. After all, his career as a Subway spokesperson depends on it.” highlighting the fact that we have entered the era where losing weight is an official career choice. And a lucrative one.

But if eating has become a sport, not eating (i.e. dieting or “making lifestyle changes”) has become the national pastime. Instead of Ladies Who Lunch, we have ladies who pick at their lunches and talk about how they really should have ordered the salad. I’ve often wondered if my inability to have a conversation with a new acquaintance without talk turning to weight loss, exercise or food stems from what I do for a living or because everyone just talks about it that much. Both?

The weird twist, however, is that while we feel (too?) comfortable commenting on a stranger’s weight whether it be on TV or texting their menu choices to friends, many of us don’t dare broach the subject with our friends. Perhaps we are afraid of offending people or losing a friendship but my personal theory is that people are already keenly aware of what they weigh and whether or not that is healthy for them and therefore do not need me to tell them about it.

And yet.

The other day I came home from the gym and noticed during my post-shower grooming ritual that mostly involves random tweezing and lotioning my brillo-bad kneecaps (they have actually ran my nylons – back in the days when I wore nylons. Which I don’t now, but I digress.) a realllly long, dark hair on my jawline. It was so bad I should have been getting better radio reception everywhere I went. It was clearly visible and so embarrassing. My first thought was: why didn’t the Gym Buddies tell me I was rocking a chin-stache??

My chin hair gave me an A-Ha moment (paging Oprah!): I wish my weight weren’t an issue at all – that nobody would notice it one way or the other – but since that is not the case (not for me, not for anyone) I would rather my friends talk to me about it than a stranger.

Which would you prefer – strangers commenting on your weight or a good friend? (Sadly, “nobody” is not an option.) Do you feel comfortable commenting on a strangers weight? Would you talk to a friend about hers or his? Is anyone else’s worst nightmare having a waitress text pics of your cheat meal to all her friends???

New Motto.

I love it. Today- I am sore. And I am loving it! WOOT! So excited. In fact so excited I shot this vlog tonight after I did an impromptu workout at night!! Check it:

I feel really good about getting back to good habits. I’m taking my vitamins every day at lunch-time, in addition to the GNC Genetix HD supplement stack I’ve shared in the past. Call me crazy, but I feel like I see some leaning out in myself. Probably too early to tell but we’ll see. 

GOAL. 

I’m just looking back at the last few months of 2011, well September- December so a bit more, but seeing what was wrong. It was all WORK and no rest, so I’m putting boundaries in place and re-establishing habits. I can’t be all things to all people or I’m no good to anyone! I have to put me first. And now I am. You’ll see a difference.

Random QUESTION OF THE DAY: When do you go to bed, and when do you wake up?? 

I’m looking forward to seeing all the great recipes, tips and ideas you all link up this week.

If you get this post by email, remember to click over to the site later in the day or sometime tomorrow to see what great ideas have been gathered here.

Giveaway: Don’t miss this week’s Saffron Road giveaway.  Five winners will receive 5 free product coupons.  There aren’t a lot of entries, so your chances of winning are good.

Monthly Theme:  This month’s theme is soups and stews.  I intended to share with you a potato soup recipe last month, but since I didn’t get to it, it fits with this month too.

Last Week’s Highlights:

Easy Potato Soup – Stealthy Mom
Sweet Potato Pancakes – Stuff I Feed Brian
Meatloafins – Sugar & Spice
Celery Root and Potato Au Gratin – Low Amine Recipes
Potato Cheddar Corn Chowder – Hugs & CookiesXOXO

My Submission:  A delicious potato soup recipe.

Potato Soup with Bacon

The Carnival: Please read!

• Keep the links to gluten-free eating ideas (recipes, reviews, menus)
• If you’re new, please read the guidelines.
• Leave a link back (I will not highlight any recipes that do not link back.)
• Thanks for participating!

Last week’s kitchen tip was about putting away ingredients as you use them.  I find that particularly easy to do with certain ingredients that I keep on a magnetic strip.

I have an area of counter space where I do my baking.  My gluten-free flours are stored in the cabinets directly above this area.  On the wall below those cabinets, I have a magnetic strip (which I bought at Ikea) with magnetic spice containers attached to it.

My strip holds eight containers, and I chose to put the following commonly used items in them:

• baking powder
• baking soda
• cinnamon
• gelatin
• guar gum
• salt
• sugar
• xanthan gum

I have labels on the top of each container which you can’t see well in the picture.  I keep them in alphabetical order so they are always in the same place, and I know where to reach for each item as I need it.

When I’m baking, these containers make it so easy to reach for and return the ingredients for which I only need 1 or 2 teaspoons.

Do you have a kitchen tip you would like to share?   Send me an email.

Disaster struck at the gym this morning. We were doing the P90X  fitness assessment to prepare for February’s Great P90X 2 Experiment (I know!! Squee!!!) that we start Wednesday. The test has you check your performance against the P90X standard in pull-ups, push-ups, in-and-outs (abs), vertical jump, biceps curl max, wall sit, flexibility and a high-intensity cardio interval to check how quickly your heart rate recovers, to see if you are fit enough to do the workout. Needless to say, the test to do the workout is a workout in and of itself. But us being us, we had to tack on a few things. We figured if we were testing stuff, might as well test everything!  Plus, I cannot even tell you how much I love a workout that makes me take a test first.

The plank and balancing on one leg with our eyes closed were both hard and hilarious but the problem came when we decided to time ourselves sprinting one lap around our indoor track (1/10th of a mile). Still bent over sucking wind from my sprint, I didn’t see it all happen but just as Gym Buddy Krista crossed the finish line, her ankle rolled and she went down, smacking into a nearby wall. She is a trouper and didn’t shed a tear but as of this evening, she reports it’s so swollen she can’t flex her foot and can barely walk on it. The worst part? She is leaving to go on a cruise in two days.

As Daria got her an ice pack, I did the next most helpful thing and told her stories about other gym injuries I’ve seen (I know, I’m a regular Florence Nightingale) and we had a good giggle remembering how the last time we took this fitness assessment Gym Buddy Allison smacked into a wall doing the vertical leap and got a huge scrape and bruise down her shin that lasted for weeks. (We were laughing about that not because we’re sadists but because we had to spend 15 minutes talking her into doing the jump – all you do is take one step and then jump, touching the wall as high as you can and yet she was terrified she was going to smack into the wall like a muggle at Platform 9 3/4. “There’s no way you’re going to hit the wall! You can’t, you don’t even get a running start!” we assured her. She hit the wall. Really hard. I laughed so hard I was crying. Okay now we really sound like sadists. ANYHOW.)

“It’s like the P90X test is cursed for us,” I joked. But when I got home I wasn’t laughing anymore. What had seemed like coincidence at first glance, ended up looking anything but. We’re all perfectionists and so for a test we were pushing ourselves as hard as possible. Too hard? I don’t know. I don’t think fitness tests are inherently bad but I also don’t think that it’s a coincidence that the times when Gym Buddies get injured are when we are really pushing ourselves – tests, one-rep maxes, online challenges, and race training have all side-lined us over the years.

I’m sure some of this is just par for the course. I don’t know any regular exerciser who doesn’t have a story or two like this. And yet when I came across Gina Kolata’s article in the New York Times “Personal Best: Workouts have their limits whether recognized or not” I saw a lot of myself in it. She writes:

“While public health officials bemoan the tendency of most people to do little exercise, if any, physiologists are fretting over the opposite trend: an increasing focus on extreme exercise among some recreational athletes. Weight lifting with no rest between sets and with no days off. Endurance training with no easy days or days off. Competitions that encourage excess. And there is no shortage of commercial fitness programs promising to push people beyond their limits.”

Um. I wouldn’t know anything about those… Oh wait, I wrote a book about pushing myself beyond my limits.

“People think a good workout is, ‘I am in a pile of sweat and puking,’ ” said William Kraemer, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. But if that happens, he said, “it means you went much too quickly, and your body just can’t meet its demands.”

In the past I have definitely been guilty of that mentality but over the past couple of years – really since Jelly Bean has been born – I’ve gotten a lot better. I don’t do double workouts anymore. I take a rest day every week. Workouts stay under an hour, generally. (This was a hard one with the Barre Experiment – those suckers are long workouts!) But the piece I haven’t mastered yet is of course the most critical: learning to listen to my body. Kolata says, “There are no hard and fast rules, because individual athletes vary so much. A training program that one person thrives on will break another, equally talented athlete.” The best cues to rely on then are the ones that only you can recognize.

And I’m still bad at that. After we finished the fitness test this morning, we still had some time left so Daria and I ran interval repeats. Even though I was already pretty spent and they did not sound fun at all.

This is what I need to learn:

I don’t have to push myself to the limit in every workout.

I can skip a workout and be fine.

Just because someone else can do something and be fine doesn’t necessarily mean I can.

I do not always have to be training for something.

Everything is not a competition.

Writing these all out helps but I’d love some more advice. Obviously there are times when it’s great to push yourself – the amazing results you get from Tabata training* come from the amazing effort you have to put into it – but there are times when rest is equally as important.

What’s your training schedule like? Anyone else feel like they need to constantly be setting goals and meeting them to feel like their workouts are worthwhile? How does your body tell you when it’s time to rest? Also, any prayers for a speedy recovery for Krista will be much appreciated!

*Check out Athletic Ali’s incredible results from her 6-week Tabata experiment! Seriously amazing.

My picky eater had to miss dinner the other night because of work.  When I told him what we were having, he said that if I saved a bowl of soup for him to have when he got home, then he wouldn’t be tempted to eat so much junk food at work (he works at a concessions stand at university games).

Don’t you love it when your kids prefer real food to junk food?  I do.

So I can say this soup is delicious and picky eater approved.  After all, with potatoes and bacon, what is there not to love?  Well, there is the vinegar.  For some reason my kids and husband don’t like it.  I left it out of the soup for them, but I like it with a little vinegar.