Today Kent and I have been married for 24 years, which sounds pretty cool except for how old it makes us sound.
Speaking of old, last week was my 44th birthday. My friend, Mary Jo, took me out to lunch at Marie Catribs…oh myyyyy was that lunch awesome, you'll never be disappointed there. It's one of those places that has SO many delicious sounding foods on the menu that you have trouble picking, and the waiter has to keep checking back over and over as we fretted over what to choose. Everything is prepared fresh, using local ingredients, and you can tell. Here's the post I wrote about Marie Catribs a long time ago. Mary Jo is a true Real Foodie friend because she oohed and aaahed right along with me after each bite. Don't you love going out with friends like that?
ART PRIZE 2011!
You all probably know that I'm the least artsy chick there is, and don't have that left brain thing going on at all – I'm way too Type-A/right brained. But I love Art Prize. I'm hurrying to finish writing this because later we're going downtown to look around and have dinner with Bob & Sonia. (I'll show you some pictures next Monday.) I can't believe how blessed we are to live in a city with SO many cool events. (By the way, you can keep up on them all by following the Big Binder blog.)
See some of my 2010 Art Prize favorites – you have to check out the face, that was my favorite. Or read more about the unexpected public response in the first year of Art Prize, and see the famous “table and chairs” from Art Prize 2009. Here's the post I was inspired to write after seeing an exhibit that year that had me all in a tizzy, Meet Your Meat.
Have any of you been to Art Prize?
If so, tell us which exhibit has been your favorite in the past three years? (I love comparing favorites.)
So all that is cool enough…
But then we got a call from our neighbor friend, Susan, who said her brother-in-law, Mike Sackey, has an art exhibit in Art Prize this year, and they invited us to come meet him at O'Tooles Bar. Here's his awesome sculpture, made from recycled guitars (pictured with my friends, Michele, Shelly, Michelle):
See a better picture of it from the Art Prize site. This is Mike's FB page where you can see more of his work. I especially like his band together collection. And isn't this one neat? I'm surprised some rich rocker hasn't already bought it:
Read the description: “It's a piece about things in the music world that last forever (guitar& drums) and things that are of the past (45's & albums).”
The next picture is with the artist! (Kent, me, Mike, his wife Nora, Susan) No doubt Mike will be famous someday, more than he already is, and I got to meet him!
Anyone sick of my non-food-related rambling? Here are some juicy Real Foodie links this week:
Saturday we had a chili cook-off/driveway party here and had a blast. Kent makes an awesome chili and I just realized that we've never posted his recipe. I'll have to get on him for that. So as we were cleaning up, guess what I found? A small tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Obviously we have some friends and neighbors who don't read my blog, eh?
- I've told you in the past about Kent's Dad, who has Alzheimers. So you'd think I'd be all over sending this article on coconut oil drastically improving patients with Alzheimers to Kent's Mom, right? But I just don't think it's my place, so I sent it to Kent, hoping he'll send it to her. (She reads my blog now and then, maybe she'll see this.) Look at the picture I found of Ron & Mary Ellen the other day (holding our oldest, who is now 19!), and it brought tears to my eyes because it was so obvious that he was there. I showed our younger kids and said, “That is your Grandpa.” Sadly, all they know of him is the blank stare and a little sillyness with them on his good days. (Update, Kent didn't even hesitate, he sent it off to his Mom and all his brothers, too. I love him!)
- This post from Ann Marie, Getting grandparents on board with Real Food, was spot on. It's an interview with her mother-in-law, Nancy, and you will love her! Thankfully both Kent's Mom and mine make most everything from scratch and never take them out for fast food, etc., but I feel for those who have big struggles in that area.
After the two recent posts here on the Wheat Belly book (Lose your man boobs, your bagel butt and your wheat belly), I've got it in my brain to at least try and reduce the grains our family consumes. Cara's Grain Free Meal Plans help a ton, and as soon as I get more almond flour at the store I'm going to try grain-free bread. I'm focusing on recipes without flax as I don't really want to include that (I've never liked the taste and I've heard conflicting reports on whether or not it's good anyway, so I avoid it.) The recipe I'm trying is a nice and simple one from the Paleo Comfort Foods: Homestyle Cooking in a Gluten-Free Kitchen cookbook; I'll let you know how it goes. If you're bored, you could go the conversation about grain-free breads from Facebook last week.- Have any of you had trouble commenting here on my site lately? Some have said that it won't “let them” comment, and I'm wondering how much this is happening? I've been suggesting that they try in another browser, and that has been working for some, but for others I have to go into my spam and fish it out. Please let me know if that's happening to you (email me), and I'm sorry!
- Here's a scary thought: “The Obama administration’s focus on what Americans eat includes Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who said on Monday that Americans will “adjust” their tastes to the food the government says is best for people to eat.” Watch the video. (Thanks to a reader friend, Theresa, for sending the link.)
Saturday we had a chili cook-off/driveway party here and had a blast. Kent makes an awesome chili and I just realized that we've never posted his recipe. I'll have to get on him for that. So as we were cleaning up, guess what I found? A small tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Obviously we have some friends and neighbors who don't read my blog, eh?
After the two recent posts here on the Wheat Belly book (Note: Affiliate links are included above, read all about my icky small print stuff.
Bethany says
Congratulations on your anniversary, sadly that is quite an accomplishment this day and age !
Bethany says
I LOVE art prize, don’t have a favorite yet since we have not gone yet, but am very much looking forward to heading down town a few times pretty soon.
J in VA says
Kelly,
You aren’t old…I celebrated my 24th in July and just turned 46.
I’m going wheat free too (and as grain free as is practically possible). I’m on day 8. Today I was really grumpy.
On a scale of 1-5, most days have been about a 2 as far as inconvenience and extra food in-decision. Friday was difficult as we were helping friends make a massive batch of homemade applesauce to can. It was a bit last minute and I did not have time to pre-plan food to take along. She grinds her own wheat and has 5 kids so I knew wheat would be on the lunch menu. It was and my no grain lunch was a bit puny and not near as filling as I would have liked but I survived the day and had some rice-less stir-fry for supper.
I bought almond flour today to try and some grated coconut and blanched almonds to try grinding myself. I guess my life will be full of science (read kitchen) experiements for the next few days.
J in VA
KitchenKop says
Thankfully kitchen science experiments can be pretty fun for us Real Foodies, huh? LOL! 🙂
Kelly
Jen @ BigBinder says
You are awesome!!
Colleen says
Hi Kelly! Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday!
I laughed out loud (at my desk) when I read about you finding the tub of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter at your house!!!!
I have to share that we were selling Chili and Corn on the Cob as a fund-raiser at my 10 year old son’s football game this past Saturday. When it was all over there was extra cheese, bags of Frito’s and cartons of sour cream being distributed. A carton of sour cream was offered to my husband who told me that he stopped, said to himself “we don’t eat sour cream” (I have changed us over to Greek yogurt) and politely declined. I was so excited!! He has been a tough one to get on board!
I, too, share the pain of elderly parents and in-law’s who eat such bad choices. Sigh…
Thanks again for all you do Kelly!
WordVixen says
Happy anniversary, Kelly! (and Kent, of course!)
I may have to send that article to my mom. My parents are theoretically on board with Real Food, but not so much in practice. They did just switch to lard, though (yay!). Mom was using coconut oil for a while, but dad didn’t like it, so he was still using veg oils until 2 weeks ago.
Stanley Fishman says
Kelly, congratulations on your 24 years of marriage1
and,
Happy Birthday!
You are not old, not even close. Our ancestors who lived on real food usually remained strong , healthy and active into their 70’s and eighties and even longer. They kept their sight, their teeth, their minds, and were able to enjoy life even more with the wisdom of experience. Avoid poison, eat only real food, be thankful and happy, and there is no reason we cannot do as well, if not better.
ValerieH says
I send my in-laws health emails all the time.
(I just sent them this: https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904265504576566820066488938.html)
Would listening to an interview work better for them? Jimmy Moore just interviewed Bruce Fife, who talked about how the coconut oil works in the brain, much like that article does.
ValerieH says
Last week was my 44th birthday too. In July we celebrated our 20th anniversary. I thought getting married at 23 was young!
Liz says
Happy Anniversary Kelly & Kent!
Day 8 wheat free (& grain free so far) for me and yesterday was the first hard day. It was mostly inconvenient. I was at Sunday school and church all morning, and in spite of a good breakfast I was starving when we arrived home. We were heading out for a long’ish run (10 miles) and I need something filling that I knew I could have in my belly for a run. Since I might normally take a slice whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and banana, I just eliminated the bread and ate it anyway. It was a bit messier to eat but I did fine on my run. I may experiment with some other flours, but the almond flour is out for me. I’m VERY allergic to almonds and most tree nuts.
Linda says
Happy anniversary, Kelly. Don’t feel old. I will celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary next month and I am 56. I’m the one who is old, but I don’t feel old. Must be all the good food I eat!
I’m with you on the coconut oil thing. I figure it can’t hurt so why not try it. I have a friend in a retirement home. She is 92 (93 next month). She does not have alzheimers thank goodness, but she told me another woman there does. I keep thinking about talking to the director about including coconut oil in the food they cook for everyone, but she would probably wonder who do I think I am. I’m sure you can imagine what the food is like in a place like that. I think it’s sad because the residents could be so much better off if they had been eating real nurishing food all along. Ok, I’m getting off my soapbox now.
Sandy says
Linda, I’m almost 58 and married for 34 years – talk about old! I’m not feeling quite as old now, though, since trying to eat gluten-free the past 3 weeks. It really requires a lot of olanning and kitchen time, though, plus hours and hours daily reading blogs about living GF.
My mom died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She lived with Crohn’s disease most of her adult life, and I’m positive the non-absorption of nutrients contributed to her dementia. I’ve worked as an activity aide in a home for dementia patients, and the processed bulk foods they feed those poor people MUST contribute to their foggy thinking, arthritis, digestive problems, and who knows what else? Due to the cost of providing whole, natural foods in an institutional setting, I was positive my bosses (and the corporation that owned the facility) would not even consider changing the menus. It’s a crying shame.
Sandy says
P.S. Happy Anniversary, Kelly! Thanks for this most informative blog and all the links, too. You’re an inspiration to those of us trying to heal ourselves from the damage done to our bodies by eating “normally” (whatever THAT means!)
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist says
Happy Anniversary Kelly and Happy Belated Birthday too! Next year is your Silver – how cool!!!! 🙂
bunkie says
happy anniversary! and good for kent sending the info to his mom!
The Coffee Man (Rich) says
I am confused if you have been married for 24 years and I thought you were 34 then you were married when you were 10???? Happy anniversary and birthday and my God continue to blessed you more than enough 🙂
Rich, Michele and Shea (your Frenz)
Peggy says
Happy anniversary! Despite my initial grouchiness, I’ve been grain-free for 9 days. Can’t do the almond flour that’s in all those grain-free recipes due to allergies, so I’ve just been doing without. Oh, and I’ve got a news flash for the administration. The group I hang with won’t just will “adjust” their tastes to the food the government says is best for people to eat. FAR from it! But then, my buddies aren’t sheep. Baaaaaa.
Hayley says
Peggy, have you tried potato flour?
Happy Anniversary, Kelly!
Neeli says
Happy anniversary Kelly! 24 years is a long time, wow! You don’t see too many people nowadays married that long. That’s great.
Jill says
Happy Anniversary, Kelly! I married my sweetie at the same age you married yours, though I think you are a year ahead of us! Have a wonderful day!
Soli @ I Believe In Butter says
Happy anniversary Kelly!