8/366 A steaming grok pot of sarcasm soup!!!!

I promised Ben I would name this blog post that. We had a really fun conversation (all of our conversations are fun--except for most of our telephone conversations cuz let's face it the guy HATES phones!) in the car this afternoon where we were both being sarcastic and he said "A steaming hot bowl of sarcasm soup!" and I said... "I am totally naming my blog post that..."

Then we kept building on it and the title above is the agreed on title... Since our soup tonight was cooked in a GROK POT! :D NOMNOMNOM!

So today was a good day. It was beautiful and sunshiny outside. I was supposed to have my CF baseline but the person I was supposed to do it with had to cancel (understandably) because her poor little boy has the flu! But other than that it is a good day. My back stopped hurting, I worked this morning and the ladies there said I looked "less tired" LOL than I did last time (which was day like 2 or 3 of this detox).

During my ULTRA LONG AMAZING BREAK this afternoon Ben and I went grocery shopping. We brought home LOADS of stuff for the rest of the weeks recipes. (We have been trying to plan ahead... we usually each pick one and then come up with one together-between 3 big recipes and eggs and bacon we are HAPPY CAVEMEN!) Today's loot was: 4 lbs ground beef (Grass fed only), 2 chicken breasts (which we got at POM but found equally good ones at HyVee for HALF the price... so that will be where we go next time for them), some bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, lettuce, jalapenos (Canned because they are easier and keep longer), 3 dozen eggs (local farm), 3 lbs of bacon, cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning stuffs, salsa (all natural made here in SF), lemons and COCONUT AMINOES!

SO this week is going to GROCK! We had CHILI tonight  and taco salad sometime in the future as well as STIR FRY (Which I will be using a homemade marinade for). Basically it is going to be a wild ride and you better be in for it! :D

So I started writing this post like 4 hrs ago and my mom called and other things happened and now I am tired so let's cut to pictures and I will fill you in on other things ok?

 Lunch for me today was left over veggies from the other night with the last 3 eggs on top

 This is a pic of Ben browning the hamburger. The recipe doesn't call for it to be browned but we were making it only like 2 hrs or 3 hrs before we were going to eat it... better safe than sorry yeah?

 The veggies... the carrots are on the bottom of the bowl and the peppers are on the top. The recipe (again) called for frozen peppers but COME ON this is South Dakota... we don't sell frozen peppers here silly!

 A REALLY good use for the chicken we had the other night... (this chili was not just a chili... it was a gettin rid of everything we have left over... chili)

 This is all the meat and veggies mixed together in the crock pot.

 We added the crushed tomatoes, and the tomato puree (Our store only had small cans so we got one can of that and one can of tomato paste and then used the LEFT OVER Beef Broth from the other night to loosen it up a bit... )

 Chili!!!! IN A BOWL!!! it was SOOO GOOD

With cheese on top! 

This chili was divine... we both loved every bite we had and didn't miss a single bean! It was really quite good. I think this would be a staple in our future lives... 

Thanks for reading-sorry to cut it *short* 

<3

Manda

7/366 Back pain and weigh ins and 90 days Abstinent.

Day 7 of this wonderful journey. You might say "Yeah but you have a long ways to go" and I would say "you, my friend, are right... but you haven't been listening to what I have to say.... 366 is not my goal. One day at a time is my goal."

I am grateful that I woke today with my Higher Power at my side helping me to stay abstinent through the trials and tribulations of everyday life-and I am going to bed one day richer and fuller with life.

So today was good. I am 90 days abstinent which is a HUGE achievement in my book... I am grateful so much for the people and the love that have helped me get here.

Weigh ins were GREAT! :) I have lost 5 lbs (yep in 6 days) and Ben is down 2.5 :) Rockin' and Rollin' (Not to mention I dropped that on shark week)

I have been in some pain today... my lower back has been very achy... either from the cramps or from the detox-or both-but I want it to be gone!

Tomorrow I return to XFIT! I will be doing a baseline and starting from scratch... i think that is the best way to go.

Food?

Eggs and bacon for brunch. Bacon and bacon and nuts for supper/snacks. (wasn't really hungry and we are out of groceries.

Wanna see a cute picture tho?

Its a spotted egg! Isn't it the cutest thing since ... piglets? which become bacon-MMM which is good with SPECKLED EGGS!

Now I am going to sort some thread and plan out the first 9 days of my X-Stitch adventure... I am looking forward to it. 

Hope you had a great day!

Take care, 

Manda

The Versatile and Dynamic life of a Sign Language Interpreter

Today while working I was reflecting on what I do for a living. There are a lot of facets and aspects to my job. I really hate calling it a job because so often in our culture the word "job" insinuates something that is not enjoyable but must be done... I LOVE WHAT I DO... I don't mind the money I make from it but even if I won the lottery tomorrow (which I won't because buying lottery tickets is a waste of money) I would still be an interpreter-I would just do it for free.

Recent circumstances have allowed me to work a bit more than normal-which I am really enjoying. This also allows Ben more time to work on his artwork which is crucial for his future as a graphic designer and illustrator if he wants to build a portfolio. The way things seemed to have unfolded really has lent itself nicely to our mutual, and individual, happiness in the career department.

I digress.

The job I do... we can call it that now that you understand how I feel about it clearly, is intense at times, draining, stressful, down right HARD and can just about drive a person crazy. However, the exact same job, is peaceful, rewarding, energizing and filled with love and gratitude.
Imagine a life where you had to depend on someone else, always a different person, to have communication with others. A stranger is there to tell you you have cancer. A stranger is there when your sister tells you your Grandfather has passed on. A stranger tells you that your son won his soccer game. A strangers face is the one you are looking at when you tell the person you love most that you miss them desperately and can't wait for them to come home from wherever they are.

That is who I am. I have to tread carefully where I walk. I have to be constantly aware of what is on my face because, if I am not, that means a message is not being communicated accurately and the deaf person is getting less than what they should out of the conversation. Likewise, if the deaf person is not being fairly treated if I do not convey what they mean as closely as possible. For example one time I was in a very upstanding place and the deaf consumer was very upset. They chose to scream and swear at the people around them (all prominent and intelligent people who I respected highly) but I couldn't fudge how the person was speaking. Their arms were flying and it was very clear what they were saying. If I did not interpret how they felt as accurately as I could I would be doing an injustice to them as well as breaking the code of conduct that I agreed to when becoming an interpreter.

Another aspect of what I do is the amazing amount of intimacy I get to be a witness to. I am the voice of mothers screaming at their daughters to get their butts home or else. I am the "voice" through my hands and face, of so many people sharing their love, hate, anger, despair and indifference. All in one day. I probably say "I love you" more in a day than anyone in any other profession. I adore that. I love that I get to be the voice of a child when he says "I love you" to his grandma and grandpa.

*tangent* That is something I have to say would not have worked out very well. Ben is so loving and understanding and absolutely adores me so much that he never questions my love for him. He knows that even though I am a part of these peoples lives it is only for a remote split second. He knows that, even though I love my job with every fiber of my being, I also love him with every fiber of my being. There is no limit to the amount of love I can give (To people, my work, or the world/universe as a whole). John, however, would have had HUGE issues with it. He already had established rules that I could not have a male doctor, I could not interpret for men in the hospital or medical settings, I could not see the same doctor twice (for fear that they might know more intimate details about me than he would), and I could not say "I love you" to or about anyone other than him and my family (and even that was a stretch).

Man it is fascinating comparing how my life *COULD* have been... and is. I am so grateful for the experiences I had for they were tiles to my mosaic which has made this beautiful masterpiece of a life /end tangent.

The problem with a tangent is I don't know where I was going to go next with this... ah well.

I guess I always wanted to be an actress-and with my job I get to play a thousand different roles. I am so grateful to have found a career path and a passion that align so beautifully. My only wish is that others could be so blessed. I know that I have received this gift as a reward for the kindness I have paid to the world, as well as for all the hard work I have put in. There are several times in my life where I could have given up completely, this is something I truly wanted-and I saw it through until the end.

Thank you all for being a part of this beautiful journey. Don't get me started on interpreting-I could go on for days and days about the history of it, and the language, and the culture... but that was the point of this blog, wasn't it? To show my love and gratitude for the things I enjoy most.

Manda

6/366 A DAY OFF!!! Getting stuff done, left over balls, and a marinade recipe

Today was a beautiful day. Ben and I opened the windows and sliding glass door while we got some house work done because that was the kind of day it was. We got up rather late (It was nice to sleep in) due to staying up so late last night. But we are sleeping when tired and eating when hungry and we are doing GREAT!

We did some chores which is awesome because we are really hoping to declutter before our trips this summer (you don't know about these yet...) so that we don't have stuff we don't need in storage and we don't have to haul it around with us across the country. We also really want to start merging our stuff even more so that when we do start a solid home after we are married we can be happy with what we have and not be hauling crap we don't need.

I also have been considering changes in my relationships with people. Getting away from my unhealthy marriage was not hard at all... (once it was done at least) because as soon as the light bulbs were on and I knew I was not being treated nicely I gave up on the idea being a part of that kind of life. I was grateful for having my future back and my life back to myself. Now when it comes to friends for some reason I find it harder. Probably because I have always been so understanding and accepting of people for who they are whether or not I agree with who they are or what they are doing.

I have had to cut ties with friends in the past, I am not great at it. A lot of times it makes me feel very selfish. But my dreams lately have been pointing in a specific direction ... and then today- events that happened today - lead me to decide that cutting ties is not a selfish thing. Sometimes it is a healthy thing. Sometimes unhealthy relationships being severed at the right time in my life (especially a time like this of healing and growth) is exactly what needs to happen.

That being said lets get onto the food shall we?

FOODS! (no pictures <3 sorry...)

Today for lunch we had the last 20 balls of amazing with what was left of the sauce and green beans. I have to say THE BALLS ARE NOT SALTY! (do not fear the saltiness of the balls) ... I think the reason they tasted salty to me on the first night is because I was dehydrated, and about to start my *shark week* ... which is what the headache was for... I tend to get more sensitive to salts as a warning to not getting enough hydration.

For dinner we went to Ben's Parent's house and had a delicious BEEF ROAST with carrots and cauliflower.... there was gravy (made with corn starch) and potatoes right there on the table and Ben and I did not touch either of them. We were both pretty proud of ourselves. I think his mom was beside herself when she found out the 8 potatoes she cooked would not all be eaten <3 (Sorry Pat we love you!) but we have to do what is best for us and we have decided that is a sugar detox-which white potatoes will NOT help with.

I guess since I am not posting any pictures I will do the RECIPE for one of my marinades... **for Mims*

This is my Red Pepper Lemon Marinade (great for chicken)

(for 4 breasts)

Juice of one Lemon.
 Zest of Lemon
Jar of red peppers or half a red bell pepper diced (Depending on your tastes)
Salt and pepper
Enough Olive oil/fat to triple the amount of liquid. (probably about 4 TBSP?... just guessing it has been a while)
pinch of stevia (or honey) to balance the tartness of the lemons
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
Finely chopped onion (about half an onion)


SO that is the day ... as it were. I have a few other things I want to work on now... I really wanted to make a "year in cross stitch" and I haven't even started it... I think I should still do it. Tomorrow I will buy the Aida and I will do 2 days or more until I am caught up ... I want to have something to remember this freaking amazing year by.

Thanks for your support.

Manda

5/366 The most amazing sauce EVER!!! And a headache from hell.

Hello there good men and women of the land of Earth. Tonight I bring you the MOST AMAZING SAUCE CREATED EVER... this would be an overstatement-if it were not the truth. The bit of shock that I must add is that... the sauce was created by none other than yours truly... I have to admit I am quite astonished as well... but it is true never the less. I have to tell you, though, that you must be patient and read through the rest of this blog entry before getting the pictures and recipe. (OR you could skip all the b/s about how my day was and just get to the meat of this story... 'sup to you!)

SO this morning I woke up with THE WORST HEADACHE in HISTORY! it was horrifyingly bad. I was supposed to have a job (community) from like 645-1230 but I got up at 5 to 6 with a headache that hurt when I walked. Hurt when I moved... Heck it woke me up at like 2 am and I just laid there in pain and agony until I thought it went away... then I got out of bed and nearly fell to my knees in pain. I went to the bathroom and prayed for it to go away but it just wouldn't. Fearing for mine, and other people's, safety if I took to the road  I called the person in charge of the job I was supposed to interpret. I canceled and I felt awful about it but you know-you gotta do what you gotta do. I popped 2 ibuprofen (another thing I never do) and went back to bed. Ben got up (at 6 am on a Saturday) to get me a glass of water and a heating pad for my neck/shoulders... and I fell fast asleep. When I woke up 5 hours later I was well rested and feeling 100% again-Miraculously! I am so grateful the headache went away. I think it was a culmination of a few things: the detox, not enough water, and beginning my (as my girlfriend likes to call it) shark week... all of these things can lead to a headache on their own-all of them at the same time... well that lead to the headache from hell.

Now that you suffered through that story-Here is the fun part THE FOODS!

Look at these awesome eggs!! We had eggs and bacon for breakfast and this is what I found in our carton. we can't quite name the middle color--taupe? Green? sage? ... its cute tho!

One quick thing I forgot to mention before is that every night before bed (after supper) our dessert has been a nice hot cup of caffeine free tea... this is our new tea kettle my *future* sister-in-law gave to me for Christmas!

Here is Ben pouring the yummy tea of the night (Earl Grey) ... Those cups are HUGE and amazing and also from Nicole for Christmas.

Now... The moment you have all been waiting for... The BEST RECIPE... for THE BEST SAUCE... EVER...

what you will need:

1 tbsp butter

1tbsp bacon grease

left over pan drippings

2 whole onions (sliced)

approx 20 small mushrooms (sliced)

2 cups of  beef broth (home made preferable-but whatever you got is fine)

about... half a tub of sour cream (I didn't measure sorry) Preferable that this is good sour cream as well not cheap stuff.

Your favorite seasonings: Salt, Pepper... herbs? (we added dried basil)

You can also add (as we did) leftover bacon... or cook it the *alternative way* as mentioned at the bottom

What you need to do is portrayed in these images (mostly captured by Ben as he fixed it based on my instructions while I was working):

First you get your drippings from meatballs and fats all together (i got these together ahead of time for Ben so it would not be too confusing)

Put them in the pan on Medium heat... make sure it is a flat skillet with plenty of wiggle room.

This is what cooked fat looks like... it becomes clear and the chunks there are chunks of caramelized fat and meats from the meatball tray (I know right!?)

Add the sliced and or chopped onions to the fats to cook. This is when you would add seasonings such as salt, pepper, and a few shakes of your favorite dried herbs (Ben's is basil so I am assuming that went in)  

Cook the onions until *transparent* and add the bacon bits (pictured-only one onion... we think it would be better with 2)

Add 2 cups of beef broth and bring to a simmer. 

This is what sliced mushrooms look like. Try to make sure all the mushrooms have similar sizes to ensure equal cooking time. (*TIP* Make sure not to add mushrooms too early in ANY meal because they cook quickly and are best when slightly undercooked-over cooked mushrooms get the rubbery texture that caused me to avoid them my entire life)

Add the mushrooms to the pan stirring and bringing back to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes stirring intermittently. (this is a great time to do some dishes... wink wink nudge nudge MIMI!)

Add the sour cream. I am really sorry I didn't measure. It should be a little over half of a container... Stir it around and look for a creamy coffee color... (that's how I judged)

Let the mixture (once it is all stirred together) simmer for 5 minutes to let the sour cream get melted (stirring intermittently of course) Then you take it off of the heat element and let it stand for 5 minutes to thicken. (doing the rest of your dishes)

Pair this meal with your favorite veggies... Our *veggie of the night* was broccoli and cauliflower... IT TASTED DIVINE with the sauce and we got some green veg in! WOOT

Pour sauce on top of Mimi's Balls or over your favorite steak, meatloaf, veggies, or *GOD FORBID* Pasta... if you are into that kind of thing ;) (I love you CW friends!) We also put some delicious butter on top of our veggies as well... what harm could more good fats do really?

Dinner is served: a nice bowl of AMAZING with a cup of Earl Gray, my favorite man and the TV show "Game of Thrones" which-if you haven't watched it-you SHOULD WATCH!

And... this stuff is so good that it calls for seconds. We both decided it tastes better with all the veggies and balls and sauce all just piled together in the bowl... and then we realized we had a bit of Parmesan left over so WHAT THE HECK RIGHT!?

Oh my god... I can not tell you how amazing this was. Well I tried at least. Please-make this... and tell me what you and your loved ones think of it... We LOVED IT... and will definitely be making it in the future (It might even make an appearance at our wedding *HINT HINT*)

Have a spectacular and healthy weekend!

With so much love and gratitude,

Manda

*Alternative way to make this recipe*

If you choose to make it for something OTHER than the meatballs you could start with a pound or half pound or a few strips of bacon (depending on your bacon-lover scale). Just cut the bacon into small pieces (we feel a pair of kitchen shears does this best) and fry it up in your pan. This will make "pan drippings" as well as the bacon grease you will need (still add butter-it helps with creaminess). Before adding the onions remove the crisped bacon to add back in after the onions are cooked.

<3 <3 <3

4/366: Mimi's Balls and Lack of Tired!

It is day 4 of our adventure and here we are... I am still alive and to be quite honest I feel better than I have in a while. I have been really tired lately but after getting up for my morning job, and coming home and taking a nap, I FINALLY felt normal! :) YAY!

Ben and I went grocery shopping mid-day again when I had a break in my work. We went to POM and got some meats and stuff and then went to HyVee and got some other stuff... (got some hyvee bacon cuz the "super good" was SUPER salty)... and then we had lunch at HyVee again cuz I had to be at work in less than 30 mins so we just grabbed some meat and veggie sides at the deli and it was pretty delicious (AND SUPER CHEAP).

I think we are starting to realize that making dinner at home is not as hard or as time consuming as we were once portraying it to be. As long as we have a plan to what we want to eat we have kept the food coming... it has all been WAY better (and healthier) than what we would have gotten at a restaurant... and more than likely we are saving a lot of money.

So for supper we made Mimi's Balls... Well I made them... Ben took a couple pictures and disappeared into the office to play Star Wars (with my blessing... he has done a lot around the house this week and I had fun cooking alone... this once.)

We did change her recipe a bit. I did half beef half pork, as well as not adding the water or fat of my choice because they seemed a bit wet. Otherwise it was the same exact thing... and they turned out DELICIOUS. Almost a smidge salty for me but I think my salt sensitivity is especially heightened at this time of the month. We shall see as the time goes on.

 Are you ready for some photos:

 WHAT? SHE COOKS?! I know you thought it was all a facade since Ben is the only one in the pictures... Here's your proof!

 I was being silly... and having a lot of fun.

 These are all the "one tbsp" "two tbsp" things that go in the balls. Looks like sand art right!? Gorgeous! (And it smelled divine)

 

 GRRR! Get those hands in there... massage that meat like a real grokette!

 The Balls... We made a double batch as you can probably tell from this picture... LOTS of meat left--shd last us the weekend (we got the fixins for Swedish Balls as well)

 We did not make the sauce. Because seriously people-LOOK at all I made tonight... the sauce was store bought from Pomegranate Market and was 100% organic and free of any sugar or anything else I couldn't pronounce for that matter.

 

This is the green bean pot. It has a bunch of bacon grease in it. YUM

 

This is what the balls looked like when they were taken out of the oven... COME ON RIGHT? The woman knows what she's doing and I am not talking about me... Mims knows where it is at! <3 Thanks for the delicious recipe AGAIN!

 

 The final product! :D That is organic, grass fed, Parmesan cheese... and basil because my fiance's favorite thing on this planet is definitely basil, probably followed closely by mushrooms. 

So that was that... Thoughts? comments? questions? concerns?

My plan is to start CrossFitting again next week. I will do a new baseline and start fresh. :) I am really looking forward to it. 

Next week is super busy with work as well-but that is good. Money is good and work is great (I love what I do) and with the more money we have the more we can give to others. My annual donation to *Make a Wish* is almost through so I need a new place to be giving my money. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your readership. I hope you have a relaxing and beautiful Saturday. 

Manda

3/366: Lemon Chicken, Happiness, and Allergic Reactions

1/122... it's technically the same thing...

Except not.

"Today was a day just like any other... "(Name that song and win a hug)

I had a LONG job this morning which was really enjoyable. For lunch I had the opportunity to eat out (I forgot to pack a lunch and I was a ways away from home) so I ran to the nearest HyVee and had meatloaf, green beans and  mixed veggies. To be honest I wish I would have just gotten a plate of the veggies those things were AWESOME. AGAIN I struggled with the desire to have a Starbucks as I walked right past one. This makes me believe that I may have been replacing my recently relieved addiction to ice cream to the ever expensive addiction to FANCY coffees. Idk what that means for coffee and me in the future-I choose not to think about that since my life is all about ONE DAY AT A TIME... But... We shall see eh?

NOW on to the foods?

For supper we had a delicious Lemon Chicken --Because the pic has zest on top I felt the need to get a SECOND LEMON to zest and then added the juice on the top... we did prep last night so all Ben had to do was add the juice and turn the pot on (Don't worry it was in the fridge all night... silly) It was also my turn to choose the vegetable and I said "I CHOOSE YOU ASPARAGUS!"

This is the Sage and Lemon zest... say HELLO!

  The asparagus before it went in the oven... MMMM Olive oil,salt and pepper, butter, garlic... YUM

 The lemon/garlic stuffed chicken BEFORE

 Look how sexy she is... She was being modest.

 Then the gaping hole got so agape that she lost her lemon!

 It literally rolled that far-The lemon then cooked down even more and turned into a deflated tennis ball LOL

 Asparagus is DONE! YUMMY!

The delicious meal we had... which then lead to:

MY ALLERGIC REACTION!

I am going to assume since the only thing I had not had that I ate tonight was sage... that this reaction was the fault of the sage alone. I was almost convinced it was the chicken (the chicken is grass fed/free range and I am typically used to eating corn fed chicken) but we had the same chicken on Tuesday when we had the amazingness... SO that was eliminated... I am allergic to several plants and animals. I have had bad reactions before but never from food. Within 15 minutes of finishing my meal (i was at work) my nose was running, my eyes were itching, my throat was scratchy, I was wheezing and I couldn't make it through a call without sneezing or coughing... 

SO that is the end of sage in my diet for a while-When we make this chicken again (and we will it was AMAZING) it will be with rosemary instead. 

That is all for now. 

Thank you for reading and HAPPY and HEALTHY FRIDAY for you!

Manda