Free Stuff

Two posts in one day is absurd. I know! But, being the incredibly selfless blogger that I am, I simply had to share.

Dooce is a great blog that I subscribe to. She is in a whole different blogging arena from those of us who write about...oh I don't know...our favorite vegetarian foods and remodels and weight loss and such. She actually makes money from blogging. Like quit-your-job-and-just-blog kind of money. LIKE YOUR-HUSBAND-CAN-QUIT-HIS-JOB-TOO-AND-BE-YOUR-BUSINESS-MANAGER KIND OF MONEY. Dare I dream? Well today, she posted a contest to give away five Wii and Wii fit systems. And all you have to do is leave a comment. The winners will be selected at random and you can comment as many times as you'd like before Thursday. Granted you also leave a viable e-mail address in case you win which may get flooded with a million advertisements from the Nintendo minions. But hey, did you forget about the FREE Wii and Wii Fit system??? FREE.

And lest you wonder how one makes so much dinero from blogging, let me point out that she posted this contest at 1:24pm according to my Google Reader and there are already 2946 comments at 3:00pm. I am number 2501. Dang it. I bet 2500 gets picked.

New People

I am working on a project for the group that manages our kids business at work. As I was talking to the leader of the group, she asked if I had kids. I answered "yes." She asked if they were young kids. I answered "yes." Thinking I was off the hook for further explanations, we continued the discussion. But later as I was trying to explain an experience with a particular product, I ended up mentioning that my daughter would have been almost 4. Then I gave a brief explanation that was initially met with a simple "I'm sorry." The traditional response. So I continued to talk about this product we used and then bam, she started crying and apologizing. She has three kids and cannot imagine... I know. It's best if you don't imagine this scenario. Trust me. I didn't know how else to respond other than some stale platitudes.

"It's been a rough year."
"Thank you."
"We miss her terribly."

UGH. We eventually moved on but it was just one of those tough moments. Meeting new people is hard.

Veggie Favs

I haven't wanted to alarm you. But in order to understand these favorite products, I should probably give you the full story. You may need to sit for this. Okay, here goes.

For the past six months, I have been avoiding meat, dairy and refined sugar. I've been a vegetarian* for years so that's nothing new. I'm lactose intolerant so I really shouldn't eat dairy...but it's just so darn tasty! And sugar? C'mon we all know that sugar is the devil...but it's just so darn tasty!! All of these things make me feel lousy so for the most part, I avoid them...and their tasty goodness. And voila, the pounds practically jumped off my body like rats leaving a meat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free ship.

You may think this would be a tough diet to stick with but it's really been pretty easy thanks to a few of my favorite products.

SAVORY:

• Morning Star Farms Chik'n Nuggets - Meat-free and fast (contains dairy). As a proud carnivore, Jeff claims to dislike any of my "fake meat". But somehow half of these disappear straight off the cookie sheet while I'm out of the room. Strange.
• Lightlife Smart Bacon - Mmmmmmm, bacon (vegan). So many uses, so little time. Toss in some veggie fried rice. BLT. Crumble with melted soy mozzarella and diced tomatoes on a whole wheat tortilla.
• Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative - (vegan, gluten-free) Cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack and nacho flavored. They actually melt which makes for endless possibilities. I used them in a mac & cheese recipe and it was aaaaamazing.

SWEET:

• Pamela's Products Chocolate Brownie Mix - wheat-free, gluten-free, non-dairy (does contain honey so it's not vegan). I make it using applesauce instead of the oil and Ener-G egg replacer. And since I can't make anything from a mix without sprucing it up a bit, I also add extra...
• Tropical Source dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate chips - Use in place of chocolate chips in any recipe. I have served the brownies with these chocolate chips to many unsuspecting people lately and received rave reviews. Then I confessed. But by then they couldn't take it back.
• Zen Soy Chocolate Pudding - Organic, vegan, TASTY! This is my go-to 7:30pm snack. Toss in a handful of sliced strawberries or fresh raspberries and enjoy. And then just try to tell me you feel deprived, I dare you.

I have many more favs but I'll leave you with these for now. I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with such healthy goodness. Your sugar filled little hearts might skip a beat. My one warning is that although these are healthier alternatives, they are still chock-full of calories. In other words, you can't eat the entire pan of brownies in one sitting unless you want to use a rubber band to keep your pants closed. Not that I've had to do that.

*For the record, a vegetarian eats nothing with a face. Yes, fish have faces. So does a chicken. Good for you if you've given up red meat but you're not actually a vegetarian. Okay, I feel better now.

Binge Day

Is it only Wednesday? It can't be. Unless it's next Wednesday because it can't be this Wednesday. Ugh. It's been a looooooong 3 days.

Monday I found out that a co-worker was diagnosed with Lymphoma.

Tuesday I found out that another co-worker was diagnosed with Colon cancer.

Then I e-met 2 new kids battling cancer who are friends of friends.

And then I found out that another kid, who we thought beat the same tumor as Lillian, is fighting it yet again.

I went home last night feeling utterly defeated. Add to that four dozen oreo truffles calling my name and will power suddenly seemed unimportant. Two truffles and a giant bowl of popcorn later, I still felt lousy. Lousy and fat. Great. And then it hit me. So this is how I got myself into the place where I was sporting an extra 50 lbs. Duh!

In an attempt to make something productive from this binge day, I will recap what I have learned:

1. Jeff was right. Oreo truffles are heaven dipped in chocolate.
2. I need to learn how to make better choices when I'm feeling sad/mad/happy/anything. (Don't tell me to work out. That's like pouring salt in the wound for me.)
3. I need to keep healthy food in the house. I'm in sore need of groceries which made the crap look even tastier.
4. One binge day is fine. Especially if I am working out. But I haven't worked out in a week. AND I'm finding it difficult to get back on the wagon. I need to find my motivation again.
5. Cancer sucks. We need to find a cure.
6. 99.99% of the time, people will not take you up on offers to help. Especially if you are a stranger. Sometimes you have to identify a need and fill it without asking.
7. Calling a person who is newly diagnosed with cancer seems impossible but do it anyway. It's not that hard.
8. I don't always say the right things. But at least I say something.
9. If I offer to pray for someone, I do it immediately. There is nothing worth than an empty promise...especially a promise of prayer.
10. Just when you think you must know everyone with cancer, someone new is diagnosed and the journey begins again.

Bake for a Cause

My co-worker Amy is not only a talented artist and all around great gal, she's also a devoted philanthropist. Take this weekend for example. On Sunday she is riding in the LiveSTRONG Challenge, painting our Relay for Life backdrop and meeting with the coordinator of her upcoming volunteer trip to Africa. Geez! She does more in one day than I could hope to do in a year.

Amy is coordinating a bake sale on Thursday to raise money for medical exams for the kids in Kenya that she works with. And hey, I may not be able to ride a bike 40 miles but I can sure as heck bake for a good cause. So last night I made a double batch of Oreo Truffles. (AND DIDN'T EAT A SINGLE ONE, but that's beside the point.) This picture is from the Bakerella website where I found the recipe. I couldn't find any white chocolate coating so I dipped them in dark chocolate instead. Jeff claims that they are heaven wrapped in chocolate. And they're ridiculously easy!

Tonight I'm trying another Bakerella recipe for mini cherry cheesecakes. (Fortunately I'm not a cheesecake-person so these will not be tempting in the least. Again, beside the point.) How cute are these??? And again, easy as pie...er...cake. Hopefully these adorable treats will help Amy raise some serious cash!

Here's your sign

What would your sign say?

Eavesdropping

I was at the grocery store on Friday and overheard this conversation...

Two girls around 9 years old were returning a frozen dessert to the freezer case after clearly getting the "no-go" from the parent-in-charge.

Girl #1 - "You are soooooo good at sarcasm."
Girl #2 - "Thanks."
Girl #1 - "How'd you get so good at it?"
Girl #2 - "I dunno. Practice I guess."

Their parents are gonna have some rough teen years ahead...

Now why don't I ever get compliments like that?