Monday, May 21, 2012

Spring is in the air....and it is travelling on dust particles. So, to avoid contact with the nasty stuff while hubby cleans the garage, I have hidden myself away in my office with the time to finally catch up on my posts!


I now have to balance my diet to encompass a new concern....kidney friendly. So now? I am keeping a short list of foods that satisfy three dietary requirements. Diabetic, Celiac and now, as I said, kidney friendly. When one diet suggests unlimited protein, the other prohibits more than 20% of my diet be consumed by it....where one says "lots of whole grains" the other says "DON'T EVEN THINK OF IT!!!"  So far the list is short but adequate, and I certainly am not starving! 

For lunch today, I made Vietnamese "egg rolls" -not sure exactly what they are really called, but you get the drift. So easy, and so tasty!  The "innards" consisted of garlic, shredded cabbage and carrot, red and yellow diced peppers and bean sprouts combined with a little leftover meat. Today, it was a lonely chicken thigh hiding in the corner of the frig.  I added a little diced onion and voila...the roll innards!  I wrapped them in two layers of rice paper. A pricey (calorie wise) option at 75 each, but boy, was it worth every single calorie!  To add insult to injury, I deep fried them in grape seed oil. Now this definitely is not an "everyday" food by any stretch of the imagination, but it was totally gluten free, diabetic friendly and who the heck knows how my kidneys felt about it? Low in protein, so I guess they were happy!  Let's not even discuss the deep fried part!  It is not an every day or even every month event, so I think I will survive!


So, this is what we have been up to. The flowers are planted.  Pathetic little petunias and impatience again this year, with the odd "newcomer" to brighten things up a bit. The kitchen herbs are bought, and are living on the kitchen island until we find permanent homes for them in the garden. What a chore that was...three stops and I still don't have my English mint!  Pricey too, but fresh herbs add that certain 'je ne sais pas' to otherwise common place fare.  I want to winter them this year in the house. 

White pepper.  Now I know it gives a lot  more than lack of black flecks in a white sauce! It is that certain something that made my mother's cooking exceptional!  MM M good.  Bought a little bit to try and now I am definitely hooked.

Spring clothing has come out of hiding. On our last trip, I found a 3/4 length black rain coat, with a detachable hood...which has been excellent for those April & May showers. Idid have plans to replace last years duds, but since gaining a bit of weight, the clothing situation is  back to "just fine" on the 'need to address' meter!  I have a few things to wear, and frankly, that is more than enough.  I am enjoying empty spaces throughout the house from our last whip through.  So much more air to breathe in a house that isn't packed to the rafters!  And so much less housekeeping to do, too!