January Cooking/Baking/Crafting

fitzfizz · January 2020

@mvt2003 I love those! The colors are so homey and inviting

emeraldduchess · January 2020

I might have to learn how to cross-stitch JUST so I can make this "The Office" hanging for my wall.

krystrist2014 · January 2020

@mvt2003 gorgeous!

inthewoods23 · January 2020

@kpearse99 I definitely do not have the skill to make hedgehog cupcakes! But they are super adorable!

emeraldduchess · January 2020

I was doing so well, wasn't going to buy yarn until I completed some of the projects on my list, but then...the KnitPicks clearance sale happened. I'm going to make this blanket in cream and two shades of coral.

linzrunz · January 2020

@emeraldduchess ooo those colors sound pretty. Can’t wait to see the final product!

abarr723 · January 2020

@emeraldduchess that blanket will be adorable! I wish I could do yarn work. I’d have so many blankets!!

emeraldduchess · January 2020

@abarr723 I may or may not have a drawer of little blankets I have made in good faith that I will someday get to use them.

I made the original blanket for my cousin last year and she loved it. It's so basic, but so snuggly soft and pretty.

mvt2003 · January 2020

@emeraldduchess I've held strong all year long (all 17 days of it, snort!) but even I might break at the KnitPicks sale!

emeraldduchess · January 2020

@mvt2003 Baby Yoda says buy the soft squishy yarn.

mvt2003 · January 2020

@emeraldduchess OMG the cuteness!

Image: https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7aCTNjq3qiUbzrHi/giphy.gif

abarr723 · January 2020

@emeraldduchess Do you have an Etsy page?! I’d totally buy blankets from you!

inthewoods23 · January 2020

HELP

Send me all the gluten and dairy free recipes and foods you know!

This might be our only option to get us to conceive 😢

bluetickgal · January 2020

@inthewoods23 we do a zucchini spaghetti that is dairy/gluten free. I have a cheap hand-held veggie spiralizer to make the ”zoodles” and then I use ground turkey & jar sauce. I use about 2 zucchini per serving, so usually 4 (or 5 if they are small) for the 2 of us.

emeraldduchess · January 2020

I've been making this blueberry baked oatmeal and eating it for breakfast through the work week and it's SO good! @inthewoods23 you can probably make this with gluten-free oats and almond milk (or any other nondairy milk). I sometimes make baked oatmeal with almond milk and it tastes the same.
https://www.laurafuentes.com/healthy-breakfast-blueberry-baked-oatmeal/

I have a few other baked oatmeal recipes if anyone wants them (pumpkin spice, banana, etc.)

emeraldduchess · January 2020

@abarr723 I don't have an Etsy page. I did consider it briefly, but I don't really have the time to run one. I've considered doing work on commission for family and friends, but I wouldn't even know where to start or what to charge.

dobiemom11 · January 2020

@emeraldduchess. I would love the pumpkin spice one. I am trying to be better about having food around that I actually like to eat. Otherwise I feel super guilty eating out or just don't eat until dinnertime. Then my husband deals with a hangry wife!

Yesterday I was trying to decide when to make dinner and I was like let's watch another show before I make it, since I am not hungry. He said I feel like this is one of those times that you really need to go make dinner because in the 45 minutes it takes to make it, you will suddenly be past meltdown stage. Like what...that never happens!

kpearse99 · January 2020

I made a new Valentine’s Day wreath today!!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/0y/a0n9ac75otof.jpeg

dobiemom11 · January 2020

@kpearse99. That is so stinking cute!!! Puts me in the festive mood and I want to eat those little heart candies!

I always want to be that person who changes the decor for the different holidays, but that would require remembering and having stuff to switch out. My goal for the new house is to actually decorate it and not just live in it.

flowntheloop · January 2020

Wowwww! Everyone here is so talented!

I'm hesitant to post any of my works in progress, but I may muster the courage a bit later. I'm working on a painting (the paints are made from soil and crushed stones from my land) as well as my first knitted blanket.

dobiemom11 · January 2020

I do a bunch of paint by numbers. I took painting lessons for 10 years and really loved it. But now I just don't have the brain space to be creative and come up with ideas on my own. The paint by number allows me to paint but without having to think so much about composition and colors and such. Currently working on a wave crashing at sunset. My sister got me a picture of our Doberman to paint by number and that is next up.

kiki047 · January 2020

@inthewoods23 moving food stuff over here. What kind of foods do you and DH like? I assume he'll be doing this too since he does most of the cooking?

inthewoods23 · January 2020

@dobiemom11 I have a paint by number too but all the spaces are pretty small so it actually doesn't feel that relaxing for me to do 😆

@kiki047 we're really big on salmon and chicken with the occasional burger. Mexican, Italian. I did download an anti-inflammatory recipe list which should be a good start. Problem is we need quick and easy meals right now being busy with robotics 3 days a week and often times for us that means stuff from a box! I know some things are an easy swap (like gluten free pasta) but I'm worried about having to deal with the hidden stuff. I plan on asking my RE how strict this needs to be, like do I need to care about cross contamination or no. I'm not doing this because I'd be sick otherwise so maybe it's okay? I'll have to see.

mvt2003 · January 2020

@inthewoods23 I totally get the need for quick and easy! Our go-to is ground chicken burgers with veggies. I can get those served up in about 30 minutes. It's boring, but quick.

emeraldduchess · January 2020

@kpearse99 I love that wreath!

kiki047 · January 2020

@inthewoods23 staying away from the really processed foods is so hard when you live a busy lifestyle. We struggled with that too. Meal prepping will be your friend, being able to do some batch cooking. Look at Mediterranean diets for inspiration, or there are tons of Whole30 or paleo meal plans out there that are maybe a little too overly simplified but they already eliminate gluten and dairy. We used to do batches of grilled chicken breast that you can then use for various things like on top of a salad (spinach or kale, tomatoes, olives, cucumber), or with some sweet potatoes and leafy green veggies or broccoli. Chili is another good option if you use canned tomatoes without any added sodium and you can just add your own salt to taste. Eliminate meat all together in the chili, or swap out red meat for a lean ground chicken or turkey and load up on the lentils and beans.

If you like Mexican, taco salads are an easy way to get in some legumes, switch out ground turkey or chicken instead of beef and sautee with low sodium taco seasoning. I make my own "refried" beans using no sodium canned black beans or pinto beans and a little bit of water, chopped onion and spices - https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/refried-beans/ (you can omit the butter in this and just use olive oil). Homemade guac is also a great for snacks. We find this meal packed with flavour, and if you're really desperate you can usually find GF tortillas or chips (look for baked over fried) but I'd avoid it if you can.

For snacks, trail mix is easy to keep on hand. Nuts are good for inflammation and have lots of good antioxidants. If you're picky about store-bought trail mix a trip to the bulk barn is an easy way to just grab the things you like and make a custom mix.

Salmon ideas - https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/gut-healing-dinner-recipe
https://40aprons.com/whole30-fish-taco-bowls-paleo/
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/80388/lemon-rosemary-salmon/

https://www.asaucykitchen.com/tomato-basil-garlic-chicken/
https://www.saltandlavender.com/15-minute-garlic-shrimp-zoodles/
https://www.asweetpeachef.com/anti-inflammatory-diet-meal-plan/
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/whole30-recipes-in-under-30-minutes
https://www.kimscravings.com/easy-whole30-recipes/

dobiemom11 · January 2020

@inthewoods23. I got stuck on a painting of Venice because the spots were too small. I kept sitting down to do it and getting frustrated. The paints ended up drying out before I finished. I did notice that the brushes they give you aren't stiff enough to fill in those small areas. I snagged a firmer brush out of my painting supplies and am doing more pointillism mode to get those little spots.

@kiki047 Thanks for all the great recipes. We are trying to do less dairy and carbs over here, so those will be helpful!

ashaislurking · January 2020

I figured I'd do a little crafting this week. Tonight I made two malas (a traditional mala and a matching wrist mala). I really love how they turned out!