getting glutened

let my experience on easter sunday be a learning lesson for all of us who get a little complacent with our sensitivity. when you start feeling a little confident and trusting, it's easy to not take all the same precautions you used to take to avoid gluten. getting a little more confident is great, but don't get complacent, y'all! i got glutened at a lovely easter lunch with my husband's family. i still don't know where it came from, but it was terrible. getting to spend easter with family is a huge blessing, but it wasn't fun to ask my husband to take me home because i got so sick. definitely is kind of a kill-joy! thankfully, my husband is a wonderful nurse (plenty of ginger ale and pampering) and i'm finally feeling better. most of us have very different symptoms, but mine are terrible cramping and foggy confusion the day of, then several days of fogginess and weakness. i'm feeling much more like my normal self today, so that's great!

on the food front, my mother in law turned me on to this

coffee like they have it in greece and germany. with a scoop of ice cream! i'm officially hooked. she brought out the ice cream when i asked for a little cream/half and half/milk for my coffee and she was all out. this is so fabulous, and i've been having it at least once a day since then. (with some homemade ice cream, thanks to the ice cream maker attachment for my kitchenaid!).

additionally, we got involved in a CSA that i'm very excited about. we began using Harvest2U and had one delivery last week, and will be receiving another this week. Harvest2U provides all local, all organic produce and even delivers to homes in a rather large area free of charge. for those who aren't in the delivery area, there are several conveniently located pick up locations.

most of the produce is picked within 24 hours of delivery, which i think is pretty fabulous. they have several options for baskets, which you can see on the website. we signed up for the couples harvest, and i was thrilled to see the variety of things we got. (i also signed up for an add-on item of local honey - it's delicious!) we chose to sign up for this to support local growers, to try to eat more seasonally, and to introduce more variety. we eat a lot of produce and are happy to eat new things, but it's really easy to get in a rut and buy the same things over and over. this forces us to eat a larger variety of things, which is great fun. with our basket, all of our produce needs aren't met, but the majority are. we only need to supplement things like onions, carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. maybe things like brussels sprouts and broccoli every other week or so too, for bulk and fun.

here is a meal we ate recently of pulled pork, pureed yam, and a big pile of greens. super southern meal, but so good. i had to call my mother to give me some tips on greens, and lordy, were they good! assorted greens from our basket (radish greens, collard greens, broccoli leaves, and beet greens) and cooked them with some onion, bacon, honey, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. the greens were definitely the star of the meal, and the leftovers were fabulous in scrambled eggs!

we return the box to the nice folks who deliver our produce each week, and the cats seem to love that they get to keep it for a week. they have been having fun with it.

another drink my mother in law introduced me too at a recent girls night?

i don't remember what this was called, but it was x-rated vodka, coconut rum, and pineapple juice. oh, this is a keeper. i was afraid it would be very sweet, but it was so light and refreshing. goodness, did it pack a punch though! tread lightly!

packed lunches for my man!

clockwise from chicken: marinated grilled chicken with maple roasted brussels sprouts and parmesan cheese; plain greek yogurt with raspberry jam; pureed sweet potatoes; salsa with raw broccoli and carrots; bacon wrapped dates; and whole wheat raspberry fig bar

clockwise from greens: leftover greens, pork, and pureed yams; honey noosa-brand yogurt; icebox pickles; bacon wrapped dates; salsa with raw broccoli and carrots

to close things? a cute picture of my man and mushi!