Green Company Picnic

On Friday night I was in my boyfriend's kitchen, making 107 hamburger patties for this company picnic. There's something to be said for bonding time over singing poorly to the radio and chatting each other up over patty-making. We had a blast.

Nick served on the picnic committee this year to spur on the N&B (Newcomb & Boyd) crew to have a more fun cost-effective event. Like-minded, the rest of the individuals on the picnic committee pulled together a fun event. The N&B picnic committee chose Blackburn Park (a county park just outside of Atlanta) to host their green event. The table cloths were made from the brown paper wrapping that protects rolls of drafting paper. One associate had her Tech co-ops bring plates and silverware from their fraternity houses so there was not any paper product waste. She also made recycling bins for plastic bottles and soda cans. The food was all home-made: burgers (meat and non-meat, cooked on seperate grills), hotdogs, baked beans (veg-friendly), chips, and watermelon. Untouched food was brought to a homeless shelter.


The picnic was a total success. Nick and two of his coworkers grilled while kids played on the jump-around and had their faces painted. While everyone ate, the guests listened to The Newcombers, a band of N&B employees playing classic covers. If that was not enough, a few competative games of volleyball and kickball started up. Everyone had a smile on their face- the company really came together.

Find this awesome company at http://www.newcomb-boyd.com/

Wahoo!

Wahoo! Grill is a Decatur staple. It has been four years since I moved to Decatur, and I just made my first trip to this Zagat-rated restaurant. Tisk, tisk.

From the front, I imagined this historic-looking buiding to hold a small restaurant in it's four walls. My imagination was not large enough to hold the expanse of Wahoo!. Our birthday party of ten was set up on the patio. The restuarant interior opens out into a charming patio, and ends in a lovely garden.

When I called ahead to find out about GF accomodations, I learned they would accomodate with whatever I wanted- making an item on the menu GF or allowing me invent a GF plate of my own. My fellow GF friend and I both ordered the Wahoo!, with two sides of veggies. It seemed like the only dish that was inherently GF. I was not familiar with wahoo, a fish. To me, the fish looked like, tasted like, and had the texture of chicken. Overall, I thought the dish was average.

I would go back with friends who love this restaurant for a second shot, since I've heard rave reviews about Wahoo!. Going to Wahoo! for just a drink would be very enjoyable- their drink menu is extensive and their mixed drinks very interesting and delicious.

56 Hours and Counting

Where have I been?

I started my 120 clinical hours for my post-baccalaureate certification in wound, ostomy, and continence care nursing (CWOCN). Although some people think my job as the "poop, pee, and pus" nurse is revolting, I quite like it. It will have taken me a year from start to finish to complete the program at Emory. Right now I am in the last "semester" (this program is self-study). I have a few projects to complete along with my clinical hours. This translates into my life as a 56-hour nursing work week. Mondays and Thursdays I do 8 hour shifts for clinical, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Friday I do 12 hour shifts for work.

Some of you reading this might scoff at a 56 hour work week. Nursing work is a bit different from other jobs. Imagine doing your office job while walking non-stop around the office. Do that for 56 hours. Don't forget that you'll also have to slide and roll your physically impacitated co-workers aross flat surfaces, keep a caring attitude, continually problem-solve, and remain focused while doing multiple tastks at once.

All the work I've been doing has left me quite exhausted. I sympathize with all the other over-worked people of the world. The "summer cold" has been circulating around a few of the docs and PA's I work with. Lack of sleep and stress impairs any immune system, so I've been trying my best to stay healthy. For breakfast I've been getting my fruit/vitamin C intake by drinking a fruit smoothie. I've made sure my protein intake is adequate, and I have been including garlic in my meals to promote my overall well-being.
Morning Smoothies
Add into the blender:
* One banana
* 1 small handful, or about 1/2 cup forzen fruit- pick your inidivual favorites in bags at the grocery store, a bag of mixed frozen fruit, or make your own mix of fresh fruits thrown into a freezer bag
* Protein powder (I chose rice bran powder)
* Fruit juice- enough to cover about 1/4 of the blender mix or about 1/2 cup

Dill & Garlic Tilapia Sandwich
* 1-2 pieces toasted GF bread
* GF mayonaise
* Dill
* 1 tilapia filet (I bought a bag at the grocery store and I've been defrosting 1 filet at a time.)
* 1-2 cloves of garlic, to taste minced or squished through a press
* EVOO

1. Season tilapia with salt and pepper.

2. Warm EVOO in a pan on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, start toasting the bread.

3. Start sauteeing the tilapia. When the bottom appears opaque, flip the fish (about 3 minutes). Add springs of dill to lightly cover the fish. Cook for a few more minutes, until the fish easily flakes with a fork.

4. While the fish is cooking, spread mayo on the bread. Add the garlic, evenly coating the bread.

5. Add the fish to the slice of bread and enjoy! Serve with a salad, possibly fresh out of the bag.

Gluten Free All-Around

My boyfriend's cousin (Josh) got married (to Tami) last week in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The Mazzolini clan first descended on Mr. & Mrs. Mazz's house in Cleveland before making the drive up to Michigan.

Momma Mazz had a few GF treats for me at home, bought at Heinen's. Thursday Nick and I hit up the zoo, before his brothers and their spouses arrived. Although Nick and I had the best intentions of trying a Cleveland restaurant or two after visitng the zoo, the rain (and consequently our wet clothes) drove us back home. All of the food we ate in Cleveland was cooked at home- 98% of the produce being plucked from the Mazzolini's garden.

We arrived in Mount Pleasant on Friday with just enough time to check into our hotel, say a few hellos to some of the other family members, and get ready for the rehersal dinner. We ate at the POHLCAT. The food was brought in. Although they made sure my meal was GF, they lacked GF dressing and EVOO for the salad. I had no complaints, though. Spending time getting to know Nick's extending family was wonderful.

Saturday we bummed around before the 2pm ceremony. The wedding guests filled up a church- all 340 people. Nick and I snuck a nap in after church and before the reception, held at the hotel. Josh and Tami's reception was beautiful- a very classily decorated room filled with love and support from family and friends. Instead of a buffet or a sit-down dinner, they kept things flowing by having food stations- Mexican, a meat carving station with veggies, an icecream bar, a kid's table, and a 10:30pm hot dog station. The chef came out to talk to me about my food needs, and made me a GF plate of roast, chicken, and grilled red peppers and onions. Since I could eat the roast and the potatoes, I was really not expecting to have any additional accomodations. After Nick and I filled our bellies, we made sure to hit the photo booth and the dance floor. Josh and Tami's wedding was great because of the way everything was freely moving- it kept the reception spontaneous and fun.

Yes, we enjoyed every quick-moving minute. By the time I was back home in the ATL, I realized we'll (oh darn) just have to go back to enjoy some of the GFness Cleveland has to offer.

The best part of the trip through the Midwest: Time with the Mazz Clan
The second-best parts: feeding fish to a Sea Lion; ballroom dancing (i.e., waltzing) to Journey
The worst part of the trip through the Midwest: Rain! Wind!

Ceriously? Ceriously. Cereal.

I remember combing the cereal aisle when I first got diagnosed with Celiac Disease to try and find something that was GF. Each time I saw a new GF cereal on the shelf, I'd give it a try. There were definitely a few boxes I regretted trying. Tastes like sweetened baking powder? Thrown out. Doesn't taste like anything? I might finish it just because it was expensive. Now that there are plenty of GF cereals on the market, I aim for GF and tasty. I could pull a line about being careful on what you spend your mone on in "this ecomony," but I'll spare you. Here are a few cereals I think are top notch.



O's: Whole O's by Nature's Path are not sweet but not dry. These are my favorite GF cereal. I think they taste closer to the "real thing" (Cheerios) than other brand's attempts at O's.



Corn Flakes, Non-Frosted: I really enjoy the Nature's path flakes, especially the lightly fruit juice sweetened ones. They aren't too kid-cereal surgary, and taste great with dried cranberries sprinkled on top.



Corn Flakes, Frosted: If you (or your kids) have a preference for frosted flakes, Amazon Frosted Flakes by Enviro-Kids are my favorites. They are nice and sweet, and don't taste particularly "organic."



Rice: If you are a rice krispy fan, Rice Twice is for you. They are light, fluffy, but don't taste like you are eating moistened carboard bits.



"Kid's" Cereal: If you are looking for the GF version of Kix, try EnviroKids Gorilla Munch. If you are looking for Cocoa Pebbles, try the EnviroKids Koala Crisp.

Wrap it up!

Each member of the Shepherd SCI-A (Spinal Cord Injury Unit) crew seemed to have their own individual plan for health and fitness in 2009. Many ladies joined the Weight Watchers group. One is doing South Beach. Lots of the RNs are working out on days off, with or without a workout buddy. Me? I'm in an eternal state of trying to eat healthy and work out.

One of my coworkers has added wraps into her daily lunches. At first they were wrapped in flout tortillas, but in the interest of eating "low carb," she's been just making lettuce wraps. Here is my delicious GF version. While it involves a few repeat ingredients from sandwich posts, its a healthy choice and a good way to change up the average sandwich.

When using corn tortillas, you must warm them up on a very slightly greased pan before trying to fold/wrap them, or they will break. Make sure when you pull the lettuce leaves off of the head of lettuce, you realease the base of the lettuce leaf to avoid too much tearing.

Salami Wrap
Layer toegher:
* 1 corn tortilla
* 1 teaspoon GF mayo
* lettuce
* 4-5 thin slices of salami

Chicken Wrap
Layer together:
* 1 corn tortilla
* 1 teaspoon GF hummus, tahini, or mayo
* lettuce
* GF chicken or turkey deli meat to cover totilla (not too thick!)
* thin strip of tomato

South City Kitchen

Matt decided we should all go to South City Kitchen for his birthday. This restaurant has been on my list of places to try for some time now. I have been ever so slightly hesitant because Southern food is not exactly the first thing of as GF-friendly. Before we went, I emailed the address listed on the website (http://www.southcitykitchen.com/midtown/index.htm). They assured me I would have no problems, and to let my server know.

At the restaurant, I notified my server about my food concerns. Jeffery, the chef, came out to our table to talk to me. He was very nice and very helpful. I pointed out a few things on the menu that sounded appealing to me. Jeffrey was relaxed and took the time to really find me a food experience I would enjoy. He recommended the Cider and Chile Pork Braised Shanks first, the jambalaya second. I took his enthusiastic recommendation, and ordered the pork. It was an amazing dish. The pork fell off the bone, and the Brussels sprouts were rich and mouth-watering. I sampled a bite of my boyfriend's "Country Captain" and loved it. I highly recommend trying the restaurant and the pork shanks. Next time, I am trying the jambalaya.