#not gluten free (unless you use gluten free pasta)

[sidewalkchemistry]

Why Cleaner Diets (Plant Based, Whole Foods, Raw Vegan, etc) Make People Sick & How to Easefully Adopt a Healthier Diet🦋 | Holistic Leveling Up!

Heard of people breaking out, unbalancing their hormones, getting fatigued, losing hair, developing gut issues, or becoming prone to colds having made a perfectly nutritious upgrade to their diet? (BTW I don't mean anything low-carb or high-fat. These don't meet the body's actual needs and lack fiber. They are not wise to practice unless you want fatigue and constipation).

Apart from the psychological and social difficulties of adhering to a healthier diet, there are also the physiological effects. Many people will claim that fully adequate diets made them sick and it must just not work from them because "everybody's body is different." The actual reason for this is that the body's natural detoxification pathways become less encumbered, and especially if drastic switches are made, the rates of cleansing can be too intense (simply eating more nourishing foods over junk foods is cleansing as it supports detoxification rather than inhibiting it). Most people are unaware that we have to take such permanent lifestyle transformations like this gradually, especially if we come from a history of illness or heavy junk food eating. I always recommend using the transitory principles of the Mucusless Diet Healing System (devised by Prof. Arnold Ehret), no matter how you are changing your diet. So, if you are looking to nourish your body as it deserves, seeking to remove processed foods, towards a primarily-fully whole foods, plant-based, home-cooked, mucusless, and/or frugivorous diet, all of the following applies.

Step 1: Understand that everything in nature makes permanent changes with transitory phases. For example, the life cycles of animals and growth of plants. Ehret says that "Nature's mills grind sure but slow." Overnight, cold turkey methods are not reliably effective because they work against nature. What we eat affects us chemically several times per day. To make a change in our foods is to change the chemical environment within us. (Making continual, progressive transformations to diet & lifestyle can look like this).

Step 2: Eliminate the worst mucus-forming foods first. Pus-forming foods (animal based products) are the most obstructing as they decompose in the digestive tract. They create the most powerful cravings and impediments to healing, since they have gummy residues and are fiber-less, which causes them to struggle to be fully eliminated from the digestive tract. If you are already off of animal ingredients, reduce/eliminate rice, gluten pasta, and other sticky grains from your diet. Opt for more coarse, sprouted, and gluten-free grains, like wild rice, millet, and buckwheat (until you transition away from them if that is your goal).

Step 3: Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, especially the virtually fat-free and starch-free [or starch-free once cooked] ones because they are mucusless (for example, avocados, potatoes, and cassava are mucus-forming). These will help you to adjust to more nourishing meals because they are the best at developing a diverse & balanced gut microbiome. Base your meals around ripe fruits and well-grown vegetables. Have a predominantly or all-fruit breakfast (eg. baked peaches, spiced and stewed apples, smoothie, or fruit salad). Have a large delicious salad as (the bulk of) your dinner. Or follow the principles in the Transition Diet sections of the Mucusless Diet Healing System for most effective results. (For sensitive tummies or those unused to a fiber-rich lifestyle, introduce fiber gradually, focusing on fruit fibers, fresh cold-pressed juices, and smoothies). BTW eat enough! It can take a while to get used to feeling full up on plants. You may feel like you're eating tons, but it's all good :)

Step 4: Assist your body in its detoxification with holistically healthy habits. The most important of these is to undergo colon hydrotherapy. I know it seems strange from some, but since the gut is the foundation to our health and we have a long history in eating so many unsuitable foods don't eliminate completely (as we see with the prevalence of colon cancers and digestive problems), giving that additional cleaning to the intestines is as important as brushing your teeth. After having a natural bowel movement, it is suggested to do a lemon and distilled water enema (once a day to once a week, for best results). Enemas and colonics can also help relieve symptoms caused by lymphatic congestion, like headaches, colds, edema, bloating, toothaches, etc. Other holistic habits to assist cleansing: sweating, exercise & stretching, sauna, sunbathing (start with short periods in sun), salt/herb baths, fresh juice in the morning, breathwork, meditation & mindfulness (reduce stress), laugh more, get fresh air, aromatherapy, herbal teas, rational fasting protocols (begin first with mastering intermittent fasting and proper break-fast), naturally laxative food herbs (prunes, beets, chia seeds, psyllium husk, spinach, dates, etc), sound healing (relaxation), dry brushing, lymphatic massage, use of non-toxic products, etc. Try not to practice extreme things which can "shock" the body into intense detox phases. For example, cold plunging can be unhealthy for people with unregulated nervous systems.

Step 5: Kick out unhealthy cravings naturally. Replace them with whole food plant based, homemade alternatives. Or if you absolutely can not shake them, continue with your regular menus and eat it after your dinner salad. When your cravings are strong, be sure to continue with your colon hydrotherapy routine. Soon, your body will become cleaner and more sensitive to the foods (you will not want to experience their effects) and/or the craving will go away. Your cravings will tend to become healthier, for things like beans and your favorite fruit, rather than pizza and deep fried things.

Step 6: Keep things exciting. People often think eating healthier means more boring meals. Pfft. That's the exact opposite. There's so much intrigue in preparing high quality meals for yourself. And then...Your palate for all the rich plant flavors will expand too. I encourage you to try new fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Try some different beans, nuts, seeds, and grains too (if your goal isn't to be mucusless). Go to farmer's markets, wholesalers, ethnic markets & aisles, big box supermarkets, online specialty organic retailers (for bulk ingredients like dried fruit, herbs, or spices), and even clean convenience store items (eg. I've found unpasteurized tropical fruit pulps for smoothies, with no added ingredients). Research about the cuisines and herbal traditions from your own cultures and others. Often, the meals of the poor citizens were the most nourishing all along. You will discover more flavor combination ideas for salads, dips, sauces, spice blends, and teas. Rediscover that appreciation for simplicity and refreshing flavor in your meals.

Step 7: Enjoy the transition to doing bigger and better and more nourishing things for your body. You will easily become an expert in your own body and empowered to take your health into your own hands via these methods. Sometimes, it will feel arduous to get into the routine of meal prepping and grocery shopping -- but you're absolutely worth that effort. Understand the position you are in. You are making permanent epigenetic changes to the genetic codes you have been passed down. This is a gift that will impact the children you may have, the friends you make, the people you meet, and the generations to come. When we heal ourselves, we are not just healing our individual selves. It is about helping our world which has become so sidetracked with destructive habits & refortifying the influence of the nurturing instinct.

BEFORE YOU GO✨

Here's some extra guidance from 20+ year Mucusless Diet Healing Practitioner and Arnold Ehret expert, Prof. Spira in his article "Art of Transition":

"Although Ehret was a fruitarian thinker who asserted that a mono-fruit diet is the best for humans, he by no means suggested that people in our pathological condition can achieve such a level immediately without a considerable amount of dietary transition and PRACTICE of the Mucusless Diet. Many health seekers hear of fruitarianism and aspire to just jump right in without an extended period of transition...

Ehret’s healing system is not immediate raw-foodism, mono-fruit diet, or irrational extended water fasting, but a SYSTEM that coordinates the use of raw and cooked mucusless and mucuslean menus—in concert with short and long term periods of RATIONAL FASTING—to safety and effectively transition off of all mucus-forming foods. Yes, raw-fruit-mono diet is identified to be supreme, yet we must earn this level of excellence.

Not over night, but only after having paid reparations for the wrong that we, and our relatives, have done to our bodies all the days of our life. The key to sustaining the diet on a long term basis is the mastery of the Art of Transition. Whether it is through intuition, intellect, spiritual awakening, or scientific understanding, emancipating oneself from eating pus and mucus must be a top priority for those interested in physiological freedom.

And after generations of mucus-eating ancestors, it will simply not happen overnight. There is no shortcut around the transition. As Brother Air often says, 'you can be on the transition diet for more than 30 years if you need to be, but you will still be here.'”

May all beings be blissful💚😊🌼

[spooniechef]

Admiral's Gingerbread (3 spoons)

It's been a rough last couple of months and I haven't really had the spoons to try new recipes for the most part, plus I was running out of interesting ones in my few cookbooks.

Thing is ... now I have new cookbooks. My bestie pre-ordered me a copy of B Dylan Hollis' Baking Yesteryear the moment we all learned about it. So I thought, "Hey, how about I pull a 'Julie and Julia' with this, and with Exquisite Exandria when it comes out, and cook my way through it to see how spoon-friendly it is?" So that's what I'm going to do the next little while.

(Well, insofar as I can, anyway. A lot of these are American and I'm not sure exactly how we find Velveeta here in the UK.)

Now, a lot of those recipes (hell, most of those recipes) involve flour, so I did some research to find a good brand of gluten-free flour that wasn't going to break the bank. The brand I found is from Middleton Foods, by the way, and it actually mixes in the xanthan gum so you don't have to do the measurements etc yourself. Plus it fits a lot of the parameters I have for the ingredients you find in good gluten-free pasta, so I had high hopes. I also had a yen for gingerbread.

Though Admiral's Gingerbread is honestly more gingercake, but ... bread in the "banana bread" sense. Thing is, however glorious the result, this is a recipe that, for someone with chronic pain issues, is made of no. Like, entirely no. Unless you own a hand mixer, do not do this one. ...But do get yourself a hand mixer because the results are great. The end result is this moist dense cakey bread with ginger tingling on the tongue and just a bit of that not-quite-bitter flavour of molasses. So I'll provide the recipe and then give the list of Things I Wish I'd Had When I Started This Mess.

Here's what you'll need:

225g (1 cup) butter (at room temperature)

1.5 cups self-raising flour

2 tbsp ground ginger

3 tbsp molasses or dark treacle

5 eggs (separated, yolks and whites both kept)

1.5 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp baking powder

It looks so simple, from the ingredients list. But the fun is just beginning.

Here's what you do:

Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C, 160C fan assist - and, after a bit of a Google to confirm for those in the UK with a gas oven, gas mark 4); grease a 9" by 5" loaf pan

Cream the butter; slowly beat in flour, ginger, and molasses

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and powdered sugar together

In another separate bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff (they should form peaks that don't fall over when you lift the whisk out of the mixture) and then beat in baking powder

Thoroughly mix the egg yolk mixture, and then the egg white mixture, into the creamed butter mixture.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.

My stomach and taste buds do not regret what I put myself through to make this gingerbread. The gluten-free flour was a huge success (seriously, Middleton Foods; if you've got gluten issues, it comes recommended), and I have now had two servings of it - with my evening hot chocolate last night and as breakfast this morning. My arms and shoulders, however, are telling me a tale of woe right now. That's mostly because (with the sole exception of beating the egg whites stiff) I did all of that by hand. So here are my tips and hints.

DON'T DO THIS BY HAND. Get a hand mixer. I do not know how people in the 1910s did this. I mean, I should have known better. Hollis states in the damn cookbook that hand mixers are essential. I'm honestly just glad that my hand blender has a whisk attachment that I could use for the egg whites or I'd be truly boned.

Double-check your loaf pan dimensions. It turned out my loaf pan was just a liiiiiiittle bit smaller than 9" by 5". Thankfully the overflow was only a couple of drips and not Vesuvius, but still, nobody needs that aggravation.

A very flexible rubber spatula is going to be your best friend, particularly when it comes to the molasses. Molasses is a bit of a mess to pour, so unless you're good enough to be able to measure approximately three tablespoons by eye (which some people are, and maybe I will be one day but I am not there yet), having something flexible to help scrape the molasses out of the spoon is a big help.

Another household appliance that feels essential in this one is a dishwasher, especially if doing most of the mixing by hand. Honestly, even with a hand mixer, the mixer attachments are going to need cleaning, and it's still the same number of bowls. If you don't have a dishwasher, it's helpful to keep the sink full of warm sudsy water so that you can at least pre-rinse everything before washing. This especially helps with any implement that's been involved with the molasses. ...Actually, if you have a dishwasher, put everything in warm sudsy water when you're done with it anyway; pre-washing is generally a good idea.

I still recommend that everyone who's interested in baking buy Baking Yesteryear by B Dylan Hollis, no matter what I write here. He's all about the beauty. (Even if that beauty is to be found in horror - HE INCLUDED THE SPAGHETTI-O JELLO RING I DON'T WANT TO MAKE THAT ... actually I don't think I can do that because we don't have Spaghetti-Os here and our equivalent is thickened with wheat flour. First time I've ever been glad to be gluten intolerant. Anyway.) I am just the accessibility person behind the scenes. He's on the Magic Baking Road Trip and I am in the works truck behind him putting up warning signs.

Today, the warning is "Hey, see this, what I did? Don't do that. Do it smarter". I'm doing a Wacky Cake next time, swear to god.

[lukewarmbreadatamoderatepace]

november 2022, purple carrot meal reviews:

penne with pesto and broccolini:

eating straight up roasted broccolini (or any of the brassica oleracea cultivars) not mixed into a larger dish will never be exciting to me, very "well I guess I'll eat these vegetables before I have the good-tasting part," but at least it wasn't just straight up broccoli.

The pesto is fucking delicious. It's made with sage rather than basil, and you put some spinach in there too (which might be typical for pesto but I've never made pesto before.) Taking a bite and discovering that some of it has snuck up into the hollow penne tubes is a wonderful little surprise treat every time.

The pasta was gluten free, I guess, which isn't relevant to me, but also wasn't something I would have noticed if it hadn't been labelled as such, so good job there.

It made me use the food processor, which means I had to clean the food processor, which I don't appreciate from a meal kit. I thought these were supposed to be fast and easy!

Still, extremely tasty, less work than I expected, and I felt very nourished. There's a reason I made this one first. 4/5

"thanksgiving sandwiches"

I don't think there's any way to spend 40 minutes making a sandwich and feel good about it. These are ciabatta rolls on which you put an array of ingredients that will dirty half a dozen dishes in your kitchen. Bowls, a saucepan, a roasting pan, a whisk, the gang's all here. The main "meat" of the sandwich is roasted brussels sprouts, which is not exciting and also incredibly impractical. Putting large solid orbs in your sandwich means the process of eating the sandwich is centered on the effort to prevent those orbs from falling out and rolling away. They had the audacity to expect me to also dip the sandwiches into a gravy mixture, which would be an insane thing to do with any sandwich, but even moreso with one as precarious as this.

The other main ingredient is broccoli slaw, which would stay in the sandwich well enough if the bread were allowed to embrace it, however these huge brussels orbs prevent this, so actually this is a brussels sprout sandwich with a side of broccoli slaw that starts out inside the sandwich.

If you are very very careful, you still can't prevent the entire brussels sprout from ejecting itself from the sandwich and into your mouth the instant you bite, and now you your job is trying to make it through this enormous brussels sprout before you can take another bite of the parts of the food that taste good. My jaw hurts. Possibly I should have roasted the brussels sprouts for longer, but shoving gigantic brussels sprouts into a sandwich was a mistake from the start.

utter foolishness. 2/5

Also unless I'm missing something, both of the above recipes straight up lied about including garlic among the provided ingredients. Luckily I had garlic on hand, but that could have been very annoying.

------

[note from the present: there was a third meal in that kit that I intended to do a silly little review for too but then I never got around to making it. ty to Fen for sending me the free mealkit tho, I was eating really badly around that time and it was really good to eat some stuff that was actually good & nutritious]

[m1d-45]

Its similar to mac and cheese, but instead you put in the meat, pasta/macaron/whatever, add in the egg mixed with milk, spices and put it in the oven for 45+ min., You can either put the cheese gratin/grates? Grated cheese? On top before cooking or 15 min. Before its done.

Its really good when done right, i recommend grinded black pepper, little! Amount of chili mixed REALLY well, salt, a little bit of dried red pepper, dried garlic and... Is it lemon pepper? Anyways, a pepper that has somehow been named lemonpepper.

The best thing? You can change it into vegan. Or milk free, or gluten free, you can use chicken, pepperon or any meat though i haven't tried it with fish since that shit can go wrong too easily and is too pricy for me to wanna experiment-

Im a foodie, alright? I had a test coming up when i was 14 and my mom literally BRIBED me with food and i aced the test!

(of course, you gotta cook the meat and boil the pasta first, before putting it in the oven.)

-🥘Stew

‘lemon pepper’ as a spice is dried lemon bits mixed with pepper, unless you’re talking about an actual plant named ‘lemonpepper’ in which case i’m confused too

also, that does sound good! i’m not a fan of mac n cheese nor casseroles at all (texture of casseroles <<<) but that seems like it’s something really tasty and probably simple after a bit of repetition. thanks for sharing!

[cyarskaren52]

thanksgiving Day is next week! If you have some ideas for a good meal plan just don’t bring these items to the table

FOOD

17 Dishes You BET NOT Bring to a Black Thanksgiving

You'll be better off bringing paper plates than potato salad with raisins.

By

Kalyn Womack

Published12 hours ago

There are more than a dozen things that are off the table (or should be kept off the table) when it comes to what to bring to Thanksgiving. Or rather...a Black Thanksgiving.

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I don’t know what the white folks do over there but over here? We eat sweet potato pies, not pumpkin pies. We eat mac n’ cheese without breadcrumbs. We’d also rather you make one item in its classic recipe versus making it into a casserole.

Black folks stick to the same menu every year and it hasn’t budged for decades now. 

If you’re debating on what to bring to Thanksgiving this year, check out this list of 17 things not to bring. And remember: when in doubt, bring the liquor. 

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2 / 19

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Green Bean Casserole

Amongst the several polls I sent out requesting ideas for this list, this abomination was at the top. The only acceptable form of green beans is with smoked turkey neck and potatoes. Why is it a trend to make this a casserole?

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3 / 19

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Mashed Potatoes

This may be debatable, but trust...you’ll never find this in my household. We have other things to hold gravy. Enter: rice, dressing, and of course, turkey.

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4 / 19

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Potato Salad with Raisins

Matter fact, keep anything you got with raisins in it. Keep ya potato salad, ya pasta salad, macaroni salad and the criminal attempt at a pan of macaroni and cheese if it has raisins. You must do time over this.

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5 / 19

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Pumpkin Things

I don’t have anything against pumpkins for the rest of the Fall/Autumn season, but on Thanksgiving? This is strictly a sweet potato household. If I bite into a pie and it’s pumpkin, we might have to fight.

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6 / 19

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Creamed Spinach

Why? You’re better of bringing artichoke dip for us to snack on while we wait for the food. No one is putting this on their plate.

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7 / 19

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Brussels Sprouts

There’s a specific selection of vegetables that are Thanksgiving-friendly and Brussels sprouts ain’t on the list, sweetheart. Now...if you know how to make them Capital Grille style, you can bring me a pan ;)

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8 / 19

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Canned Greens

Since I was a child, I sat in the kitchen snapping green beans and watching my grandmother clean the collards. You think I don’t know the difference between fresh and canned vegetables? Go head...take the risk of being embarrassed by the shady banter of the entire family if you cut corners and bring canned greens.

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9 / 19

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Boxed Gravy 

Again, we can tell the difference. There are too many leftover greases and turkey juices for you to not be able to make a gravy. Leave that flavorless roux home.

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10 / 19

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Fruit Cake

The main desserts include pie, cobblers, banana pudding and maybe a pound cake. If you walk in with a fruit cake, you will also leave with that fruit cake.

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11 / 19

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Sugar- or Gluten-Free Sweets

Speaking of desserts, we like sugar. We embrace gluten. Even if you’re trying to be conscious of the one guest who has a dietary restriction, please let the rest of us enjoy ourselves.

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12 / 19

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Beyond Meats

On any other day, I will embrace vegan alternatives. But please don’t play with my pork chops and turkey wings.

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13 / 19

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Gelatin-Based Oddities

We’re wayyy past that odd 1980s moment when everything edible was put in gelatin. Leave it alone, babes..unless it’s Jell-O shots. Those are always welcome.

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14 / 19

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Ambrosia

I just learned that this unicorn vomit had a name. That being said, don’t you even dare.

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15 / 19

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Soup

Why?

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16 / 19

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Broccoli-Cheddar Whatever

I get it. Tis’ the season to embrace all variations of broccoli-cheddar dishes. But do us a favor and leave your go-to lunch food in the fridge.

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17 / 19

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Spaghetti

Are you crazy? Your kids have been eating spaghetti for the past week and that’s what you bring to the feast of feasts?!

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18 / 19

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Whatever You Know You’re Not In Charge Of...

Every family has the one relative they can count on for a prominent Thanksgiving dish. If Mama makes the mac n’ cheese every year, please don’t consider this your moment to play Hell’s Kitchen. You will lose.

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19 / 19

List slides https://www.theroot.com/17-dishes-you-bet-not-bring-to-a-black-thanksgiving-1851031675/slides/19

Sent from my iPhone

[funkforbreakfast]

“Let me cook for you”

Cooking is a huge importance to me — food was an activity that brought together my family during the holidays, custody exchanges, and sunday nights. My parents expressed their love to us via homemade dinners and produce grown from our backyard, but I still paid close attention to their techniques so as to pick them up myself. In college, I opted out of a meal plan as soon as possible — slicing and sauteing brought me more joy than an easy meal ever could (with the added bonus that my acid reflux disappeared as soon as I stopped eating from Dewick). But whenever I want to catch up with friends, they suggest a dining hall or Tufts cafe.

“Let me cook for you”

I struggle to choose easy meals to prepare, but I’d rather spend the two hours cooking with a loved one and then eating for twenty minutes. We are making something together, a collaborative effort that reassures our compatibility. Sometimes this is soup or pizza — but most recently, it was butter chickpeas, for 100 people.

The Tufts Mountain Club has been my central community in college. It encouraged me to be more mindful of my health when I was at my worst, but also expanded my definitions on how to enjoy the outdoors (I am now a self proclaimed Everglades lover). It might be a 900 person club, but there are pockets within it that hold the most genuine people I’ve met during my time here. And most of my strongest friendships have only started at the Loj in New Hampshire.

Last weekend, I was in Woodstock, New Hampshire for the return of one of TMC’s favorite traditions — Lojstock. This music festival amongst the mountain welcomes 100 band and audience members for a day of river swimming, barbeque eating, and good tunes. As someone who took on more of the planning process than I would have liked, I naturally opted for the free way to attend Lojstock — joining the cooking team. This crew was assembled of my favorite TMC people to hang with in a warm kitchen — people who let the stress make them a little goofy. Usually, the kitchen crew cooks common cabin staples like overcooked pasta with jarred tomato sauce or crusty chili. But, as a food connoisseur, I vetoed both meals and settled for a much more interesting option: butter chickpeas. I was nervous at the outcome, but people returned for seconds and thirds and even brought home leftovers in tupperware! My favorite thing about this meal is that 1) it tasted significantly better than any other loj meal, 2) was easier on my stomach than chili or gluten, 3) it was relatively high in veggies (which is hard to come by at the Loj). 

Lojstock ‘23 Butter Chickpeas

Contributors: Jeannine Pecoraro ‘25, Lily Pearl Langos ‘24, Danny Rodriguez ‘24, Carmen Smoak ‘25, Gwen Brown ‘24

This dish was a HUGE hit at Lojstock ‘23 and sooo many people asked for the recipe afterwards. It is about as easy as making chili; however, it is a much more interesting and yummy dish. Requires knowledge of spices/general butter sauce taste.

Inspired by https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020739-indian-butter-chickpeas  

Prep: 30 minutes Cook time: 1 hour Yields: ~100 servings

Allergens/restrictions

Dairy, alium

Not vegan unless you swap butter for vegetable oil

Ingredients

20 red onions

16 cans of chickpeas

Eyeballed amount of garlic powder (be generous)

Eyeballed amount of ginger

Eyeballed amount of ground cumin

Eyeballed amount of paprika

Sprinkle of cinnamon

4 sticks of butter

8 cans of crushed tomatoes

15 cans of coconut milk

Eyeballed amount of curry powder

Instructions

Mince or blend the onions

Empty chickpeas into a strainer and rinse with water. Move it a large bowl and combine with the spices (have your friend with the best spice knowledge complete this step, you do NOT want to underseason this dish)

Melt butter in the largest pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook til browned at edges (approximately 30 minutes), stir often.

Add in crushed tomatoes and stir.

Add in coconut milk and stir.

Add in the chickpeas and stir. Let the mixture stew and bubble until chickpeas soften but stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Add curry powder and salt to taste (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, THIS IS WHAT BRINGS THE RECIPE TOGETHER!!)

Serve with rice and enjoy!!

[hasufin]

Ooof.

I can do any two.

Pasta + Rice = Gluten-free pasta

Pasta + Bread = Honestly the hardest of the lot, but pasta made with breadcrumbs is a thing.

Pasta + Potatoes = Gnocchi

Rice + Bread = Rice bread. Not very common but it's a thing.

Rice + Potatoes = Aloo Gobi (curried potatoes and cauliflower on rice)

Bread + Potatoes = Potato bread. Not only a thing, very common and quite good.

I think combining three of the four is possible, albeit challenging. I postulate that one could readily make a bread which uses rice and potatoes. I think I've seen gnocchi which incorporated rice along with potatoes. The other combinations are dubious. But all four? I fear that may be impossible, unless you wish to make spaghetti grilled cheese. And that way lies madness.

people are like 'if you had to eliminate one: pasta, rice, bread, or potatoes, which would you choose?' and that is a dull question. the real question is how do we combine all four

[mulberrytreegranola]

Gluten in Grains. Could Grain-Free be the Answer for Many?

Gluten in grains. It is fairly straightforward right? By now we understand which grains contain gluten, which are gluten-free, and which are not even grains at all. Yet it turns out that it is not that simple, and that things are never quite what they seem. In this article we delve deeper into the subject of gluten in grains and consider why, for many, going completely grain-free may be the answer.

The gluten-free gold standard

Once was a time when gluten-free wasn't actually a thing for most of us. Unless blighted by coeliac disease or a severe allergy to wheat, we could quite happily have our cake and eat it. For those who suffered from the consequences of eating wheat and associated glutens, it was necessary to follow a gluten-free diet. Which back in the day was a lot less complicated. Gluten-free alternatives were available, yet nowhere near as widespread as they are today. The market for gluten-free foods (as oppose to naturally gluten-free produce) came about in response to greater demand from the coeliac community. The entire body of gluten-free literature and law was defined by the specifics of coeliac disease. Which is great. When it comes to the question of allergens, people need to understand the severity of such a disease. What triggers coeliac disease? It is widely accepted that a coeliac reaction is triggered by the gluten proteins in the Triticeae family of grains; wheat, barley and rye. Specifically, the storage proteins known as prolamines, and glutelins. The chemistry is complex, as chemistry tends to be, but it also involves levels of particular amino acids, including glutamine and proline. The point here is that in many (most) countries the measurements that allow foods to be labelled as gluten-free are based upon these specific proteins, in accordance with the lowest levels that may trigger a coeliac response. So far, so good.

Gluten in grains

But here's the thing. There is gluten in ALL grains. Part of the unique genetic make-up that defines a true cereal grain is the presence of prolamines. Those gluten storage proteins which help the seed to sprout. In wheat, it is gliadin. In barley, it is hordein. In rye, it is secalin. In oats, it is avenin. In rice, it is orzenin. In maize, it is zein. And in sorghum, it is kaferin. In theory, although the jury is still out on oats, other than the proteins in wheat, barley, and rye, none of these trigger a reaction in those with coeliac disease. Which is why rice, oats, maize, and sorghum, are all designated gluten-free. EVEN THOUGH they do actually all contain gluten proteins.

Can the gluten in all grains cause a reaction?

It must first be said that there are many good things about grains. We have no intention of vilifying any food and if you are considering eliminating any foods from your diet then it should be with good reason. Nutrition is rarely straightforward and there are times when the benefits can outweigh the risks. Careful consideration is key. But yes, the gluten in all grains has the potential to cause a reaction. Each type is different, just as we are all different. Rice, for instance is considered to be the most benign grain of all. Yet some people do have an inflammatory reaction. Corn, alongside rice, finds its way into most gluten-free alternative foods such as pasta or bread, yet has a high protein content that has been shown to trigger sensitivities in a huge number of people. It is now understood that what may be safe for many coeliacs, can indeed trigger a response in those with a gluten allergy, or sensitivity. And that the reasons that people seek out information, or gluten-free products, may not necessarily be confined to our current definitions and understanding. Take a look at our introduction to gluten free food. Or explore our range of gluten-free groceries. This article was reproduced on this site with permission from operafoods.com.au the “Gluten Free Cereals Manufacturer”. See original article:- Gluten in Grains. Could Grain-Free be the Answer for Many? Read the full article

[hazelandglazed]

8. Pasta Verde (To Celebrate Spring, Goddammit)

These pasta are filled with Spring green vegetables: peas, asparagus, whatever you want to add to the mix, and the good thing? You can do it all year long with frozen veggies if you so choose!!

Plus, I added some salmon to have a complete dish, but you really don’t have to ;)

Ready?

Go!

Ingredients

Some sort of pasta (spaghetti or tagliatelle are my first choice, but really, if all you have is macaroni, go with it)

Asparagus

Peas (I prefer Garden peas, which are a bit larger than regular peas, but that’s just me)

Edamame or Fava beans 

One shallot, diced, plus a teaspoon of butter

One lemon

One salmon fillet per person, shredded*

A spoonful of cream

Salt, Pepper, Turmeric

*If you use fresh salmon, great, you can just leave it be until the end of the recipe. If you use frozen salmon, you’ll need to just put it in the microwave around 45 seconds (in 2 rounds, trust me). You should season it too, whichever the state you use it in.

Cook all the greens in a pot of salted boiling water, with a large wedge of lemon, for 2 minutes, counting when it starts boiling again. Once you strain it, if available, add two ice cubes and leave it to the side.

In a large pan, melt the butter, add some salt, some pepper and a teaspoon of turmeric. When it all forms a sauce of sort, add the diced shallot until it becomes almost translucent.

Then add your veggies and leave it there until it all looks shiny and, well, delicious. Turn off the heat.

(Truth is, you could stop there, but a complete meal also has the protein and one feculent, ergo, pasta)

Cook your pasta just shy of all dente.

Add the spoonful of cream into your veggie pan, with the salmon.

Before you strain the pasta, take some of that pasta water into the pan to make the sauce more homogeneous.

Strain the pasta

Add it to the pan and mix delicately until everyone has gotten acquainted with each other.

Add some lemon juice, and fix the seasoning to your taste.

Bon appétit!

(This dish can be prepared in large quantities and frozen again for later use ;))

[thebibliosphere]

Hiya, I know this probably isn't your area of expertise but if you have any input or know of someone who can help, I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction. My husband almost certainly has undiagnosed celiacs (because the nhs doc has their head up their ass i guess) and since he stopped imbibing it, we stopped buying any of those products containing gluten. This means I have stopped having it for nearly a month and, last night we got snacks at Tesco (including some cookies I love and the custard donuts I miss) and if what I went through is any indicator I have either also celiacs or gluten sensitivity or I have a new to me and unthought of problem.

To get to the main point, not being able to bake is absolutely devastating to me, its been a favorite hobby and a major comfort action all my life. Coconut flour is miserable to work with due to texture problems. Do you have suggestions on what flour-replacement thing would be best to bother with? I doubt we will be getting any help or advice from our gp(even though we asked over 2 months ago) so we must become a boat, as it were, on our little island north of Scotland.

Ah, friend, I’m sorry to hear that. And this is actually something I’m pretty good with because I used to work at a bakery and still baked a lot until my MCAS took away my ability to eat more things.

If you’re looking for a good 1-to-1 substitute flour, “Free” from Dove Farms is a pretty good one. Their rice flours also have a good texture, and their white bread flour (all in the link above) actually makes a really good pizza base.

As far as I’m aware, Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gf flour is available in the UK as well, and also works really well, though I’m not sure how expensive it is over there. I only ever used the Dove range before moving. They also maks things like baking powder and yeast, and I think pasta too, though I’ve never tried the latter.

I’ve also really enjoyed baking with masa harina for certain things like shortbreads and pie crusts--and of course tortillas! It also makes the best gluten-free potato scones I’ve made since going gluten-free and it’s really easy to make wonderful potato scone wraps which can sometimesbe very crumbly and stiff with other gluten-free flours.

You could also use oat flour (just grind oats in a food processor until you get a flour consistency), but be warned that while your husband is going through the healing process, he (and possibly you) may be reactive to oats, even specified gluten-free ones. There’s an enzyme, forget what it is, that’s similar enough that can make celiac guts unhappy. Dairy can also be a problem, but I’d advise not cutting it out entirely unless directed to by a physician because you can actually lose your lactose tolerance by cutting it out.

Anyway, I hope that helps, and I am sure people who still live there and have more access to what’s in the actual shops will have great advice! Good luck and take care.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Exocolonies

Just finished my first playthrough of I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. And ... well, the ending I got was a gut-punch. The game in general was a lot deeper than I expected from the demo, which is obviously a good thing. Just holy crap.

The way they’ve set it up gives a serious amount of replay value, too. Precognition mechanics are generally a little weird to handle, but they managed to make it work here, more than adequately - mostly by hardly ever using them except for either as flavour or a few times it really mattered. All in a game that looks like a basically cute life management sim / card game thing with really cutesy graphics. There’s layers, and so many paths you can end up taking, and the ending sets it up to just ... have another go. Well. I say ‘just’ - depending on what ending you get, you may not entirely want to do another run-through for fear it’ll all go wrong. And then you have to wonder ... what if none of the endings are happy? But there must be one, right? I guess it depends on what you consider ‘happy’. So ... yeah. Deep. Cute, and deceptively simple mechanics-wise, but deep.

So ... indie games, am I right?

Seriously, while it’s a bummer that today’s D&D shenanigans had to be cancelled on account of ill fortune, it’s probably just as well. It’s been a really rough week and I need the chill-time, and I have whole new game that’s begging to be played again some more. Thing is, it’s one of those serious hyperfocus games (almost as good as Lego) so there are things I should probably do before I start up another game. Like, painkillers, and I need to nip out to the shops quickly, and also I need to order dinner because I couldn’t get grocery delivery until tomorrow, forgot to take anything out of the freezer and ... well, I’m not using the Tesco gluten-free pasta unless things are seriously dire. That stuff is gross.

On the subject of the groceries, though, the Making Of The Things continues apace. I am just really into making my own snacks right now, so I got the means to do it more. Like, I’m going to be doing the three-ingredient peanut butter cookies again, but I’m also going to make the peppermint patties that were another successful B Dylan Thomas recipe find. And, while it obviously won’t be ready right away, I decided to make better use of the mint in my windowsill-and-balcony garden and am going to start making my own peppermint extract so I can make more of the peppermint patties later. And on top of all of that? I’m going to be making my own gummy bears. I got some moulds, some gelatine, some honey, and some fruit juice, and that’s all I need.

But today? Today I am not making anything except for a trip to the corner shop. Just going to sit quietly eating a takeaway and playing I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. With maybe finishing Take 2 of Solasta: Crown of the Magister. Though that reminds me I have to finish the IC liveblog for that one and I’m at the perfect point. Maybe I’ll make something after all.

[clatterbane]

I turned out a variation on this one pot pasta for an easy makeshift supper, and it was really good!

We had half a small head of cabbage left in the fridge to use up, and around half a pound of the frozen kebab meat that seems very popular here. (And is super handy to keep.) Seemed like a good start. Since that wasn't as much cabbage as I would have liked, I also threw in a chopped up carrot and a big handful of frozen green beans to fill it out and also add some variety.

For the usual roughly half a pound (200-250g) of pasta to feed two of us--Barilla gluten free fusilli tonight--I added the usual 500-600mL of water along with the tomatoes. Or, just enough to make sure none of the pasta is poking ing up out of it, high and dry. It didn't look like this was calling for enough liquid, even accounting for some cooking out of the cabbage. Plus, a Knorr vegetable broth cube and some extra herbs/red pepper flakes/etc. since the kebab meat isn't as highly seasoned as sausage.

This recipe also calls for about half the cooking time under pressure that most types of pasta will want. Especially in a sauce with tomatoes. A pretty good rule of thumb, IME, is to start with half the usual stovetop cooking time plus another minute, then let it natural release for 5 minutes before opening the pot. If that's not enough time, it's easy enough to simmer a few more minutes with the lid off. Preferably let it sit for a few minutes before digging in!

(In the GF pasta department, IME Barilla or Garofalo work the best for the one pot approach. They behave very much like regular durum wheat pasta in general, and hold up great. No issues with their turning mushy or breaking all to hell if you so much as look at them wrong.

Not at all recommended, from experience: 100% rice or corn pastas, as much as I do like them for some other uses. Or whatever the hell supplier Sainsbury started using for their Free From store brand, unless that's changed again since we left the UK. I just stopped buying any of that except for the macaroni which probably came from a different manufacturer.)

[im-bakugous-bitch]

Mezo Shoji - Quarantine (NSFW!!)  (bnharem collab!)

Hey guys, Sky here!  As I announced the other day, I am participating in the bnharem discord server collab event!  Our topic was being quarantined together and things get kinky, and I ended up with everyone’s favorite arm man.  I really enjoyed writing this and I think it’s the best thing I’ve written in a while - but not the best of the bunch!  You can read the rest of the collab pieces for different characters here!  I hope you guys like it!

Kinks included are: Role-Play, Bondage, Edging/Orgasm Denial, Masturbation, and Biting

The world had been launched into chaos.

With the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 going around, people were in a panic.  Stores were closing, restaurants were closing, and everybody was told to go into quarantine for two weeks.  Even your boyfriend was told to stop doing his daily patrols; Only the more experienced Heroes were patrolling the empty streets of Japan.  

As soon as the quarantine had been announced, you ran to the local department store to stock up on items you and Mezo would need for the next two weeks.  There was hardly anything there, though, as you had gotten there rather late.  You sighed, picking up the few frozen toaster pizzas and boxes of gluten-free pasta that were left on the shelves.

You had no idea what you were going to do for the entire quarantine.  You were excited to be spending so much time with your boyfriend, but you knew you were both going to get bored of just sitting on the couch watching movies all day long.  

You began to browse the other sections of the store until you hit the clothing section.  You spotted a blue dress, the same colors as Mezo's Hero costume.  You walked over to it and examined it, grinning as you noticed the very low cut and short skirt.  You checked the rack for your size and grinned when you found it, throwing the dress into your shopping cart.

You knew exactly what you and Mezo would be doing.

~~~~~     ~~~~~     ~~~~~     ~~~~~     ~~~~~

It took two days until you got tired of watching movies on the couch.

You'd honestly thought it would have lasted longer, but by the time you were on the tenth movie of your quarantine you were going to scream if you had to watch one more opening sequence.  You decided it was time to break out your present for Mezo and excused yourself to your bedroom to get an extra blanket.

You pulled the bag with your outfit in it from the back of your closet and raced into the bathroom attached to your bedroom.  You locked the bathroom door before beginning your work; Shaving your legs, brushing and styling your hair, make up, etc.  Once you were ready, you picked up the bag with the clothes as a knock echoed through the bathroom.

"y/n?" Mezo asked from the other side of the door.  "Are you alright in there?"

"All good," you said as you looked at your reflection in the mirror, a smile creeping across your face.  "I'll be out shortly!"  You opened the bag and first took out the fishnet tights you'd bought, taking off your underwear before putting them on.  The cool March air made your exposed area feel cold, and the wetness already pooling within you was not helping.  

Next you slipped on the dress.  It was a simple dress: Skin tight, off-the-shoulder, blue on the top that slowly turned into a black at the bottom.  Once you had it on you turned to look at yourself in the mirror and saw that the dress just barely even covered your ass.  You smirked before putting on the final article; knee-high black boots.  

You gave yourself one last look in the mirror, making final adjustments to your hair before you reached for the doorknob.  You unlocked it and slowly turned the doorknob, only pushing the door open slightly.  You poked your head out of the doorway to see Mezo laying on your bed, watching the television.  "Babe," you said, but immediately retracted your head before he could see you.

"y/n?" he asked, and you noted the worried tone in his voice.  "You've been in there a long time, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," you said, hand gripping the doorknob tightly.  "Just close your eyes for a second, okay?"

You could hear the hesitation in his "okay", but believed him as you opened the door all the way.  You stood in the doorway with your hands on your hips, finally exposing your whole body to the room.  

"You can look now."

His eyes opened and turned to you, quickly widening when he saw what you were wearing.  He practically jumped up off the edge of the bed and ran over to you.  "y/n?!"

You shook your head as you reached your arms up to hang around his neck.  "There's no y/n here, Tentacole.  I'm your new sidekick, Desire.  Didn't the agency tell you I was coming?"  You furrowed your eyebrow and cocked your head to the side in confusion as you looked up at him.

He took a deep breath.  "y/n, I'm gonna be cumming if you don't-"

"Shh," you said, moving one of your hands from around his neck to cover his lips over his scarf.  "I don't know who this y/n is, Tentacole, but I'm sure she'd want you to enjoy yourself.  Unless..."  You pulled your arms away from him and took a step back, making a pouty-face as you looked at the ground and used one of your hands to grab the opposite arm.  "Unless...You don't want me...?"

Within a second, he was upon you.  Hisips crashed against yours, real hands cradling your cheeks while his dupli-arms pulled you closer to him.  He pressed his crotch against your leg to show you how big of a boner he had.  

"See what you've done, Desire?"  One of his dupli-arms had formed a mouth, and it was whispering directly into your ear.  "It's never good to upset the Pro on the first day, you better take care of this."

You grinned as you looked up at him.  "Oh, I was planning to."  You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, noticing that his scarf had already been discarded.  You connected your lips to his as his hands landed on your nearly-bare ass, squeezing it ever-so-slightly.  

"Jump," he whispered against your lips.

You did as instructed and jumped up, wrapping your legs around him as he pushed you against the wall.  Two of his dupli-arms had formed mouths and began attacking both sides of your neck, sucking and biting on all of the exposed skin.  Your eyes fluttered closed as your head leaned back, you could've finished just from that.

He started grinding his crotch against yours, pushing you into the wall.  "Who's a naughty little sidekick, getting me all worked up on the first day?" he growled as his dupli-arms began pulling the sleeves of your dress down.  "Huh?  Who do you think you are, getting me bothered like this?"  He pressed you against the wall harder, you could practically feel his dick against your slit through his thin pants.

"My apologies," you gasped out as your eyes opened up to look at him.  "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Tenta-cole!"  Your tone jumped in surprise when you felt something pinching your ass, and turned to see he had a dupli-arm with a mouth on it right next to the afflicted area.  The pattern of your tights had been ripped open.  You didn't know what he'd just done, but it felt so good you wanted him to do it again.  "Do that again," you panted into his shoulder.  

He smirked and pulled you away from the wall, still keeping you on his waist.  "You liked that, huh?"  You looked down at your ass and watched as the dupli-mouth bit down on your ass, moaning quietly as it began to suck on and lick the skin.

"Ah-" you moaned as you ground your hips against his to create some friction.  "Ah, if you keep doing that-"

Your sentence was interrupted when you went flying through the air and landed on your bed.  You sat up with wide eyes, watching Mezo as he towered over you and licked his lips.  

"You'll have to be punished, Desire," he said as his hand rested on your lower calf.  His hand slowly slid up your leg as he crawled onto the bed, until he reached the hem of your dress.  Directly above the spot where you desperately needed him.  You reached for his hand and grabbed his arm, trying to pull it down to where you needed him, but he proved stronger than you in holding his arm in place as he shook his head.

"That won't do," he said as he pulled back from you and got off the bed, walking over to his closet.  He opened it up and pulled out two neck ties as he grinned at you.  "Naughty girls don't get to use their hands."

Your eyes widened as he approached you again, grabbing your hands and tying them to the bed-frame so you couldn't move them.

"Mez-Tentacole," you whined as you struggled against your restraints.  "Don't do this."

He lifted his shirt over his head and deposited it on the floor behind himself as he crawled back over you.  "You're being punished, Desire," he growled as his dupli-mouths went back to work on both sides of your neck.

You groaned and pushed your hips upward, just wanting him to pay attention down there.  You watched as he lifted himself above you and slid his pants and underwear off, so he was completely naked above you.  "Tent-oh-cole!" you cried out as one of the mouths bit down extra hard on a certain spot.  "Oh, oh please - fuck me!  Punish me!  I've been a bad sidekick!"

He chuckled above you, staring down at you with lust-filled black eyes.  "Yes, you have," he said as the mouths retracted from your neck.  "And you will be punished."  He grabbed the hem of your dress again, flipping the skirt up so it sat over your chest.  He pressed his face into your crotch, against the fishnets, and hummed lightly as he gave your slit the tiniest lick.

You pulled against your restraints with all of your strength, just wanting to push him harder against you, but to no avail.  You instead watched as he pulled his face from your crotch and smirked.  

"You're already so wet for me," he said as he took the waistband of the tights in his hands and pulled them down your legs.  Once they were discarded, he placed himself between your legs and looked into your eyes.  "You tell me when you're going to cum, you hear me?  I'm your boss, that's your order."

You nodded, breathing heavily and excited at the idea of finally getting some action down there.  "Yes - Yes sir," you gasped out.

His head ducked back down between your legs, taking your clit between his lips.  Your head fell back against the pillows as you pushed your crotch closer to his face, trying to get him to suck it harder.  He got the message and obliged, using his hands to grab your ass and pull you as close to his face as he could.  You let out a loud moan, pulling yet again at your restraints as you wanted nothing more than to push him even closer.

With your closed eyes, you didn't know he was inserting something into your cunt until you felt it.  You opened your eyes, straining to see what he was now pushing in and out of you so rapidly.  You couldn't get a good look at it, though you weren't too focused on it.

You felt it coming.  You felt that familiar coil inside of you getting ready to snap.  "Ah, I'm so close-" you moaned out, hoping that would encourage him to go harder and bring you to orgasam.

Instead, he stopped.

He pulled his face away from you and watched your eyes widen as he licked his lips.  "You're being punished," he reminded you as he sat up on the bed and readjusted himself so his dick smacked against his stomach.  He began pumping his dick with one hand, the other gripping onto your leg so tightly you knew there were going to be marks on it.

"You dirty, naughty girl," he panted as his eyes shut, fist moving faster around his dick.  

"That's no fair!" you yelled as you tried to sit up, but your restraints didn't allow you to.  You could already feel your impending orgasm dying down, and a stronger hunger filled you as you watched Mezo pleasure himself.  

He didn't respond to you, his head leaning back as a dupli-arm began to fondle his balls.  "Oh, y/-Desire!"  You could tell he was already so close.  "Baby let me help you-"

"No," he cut you off.  "You're being punished.  You're lucky you even get to watch."  

You watched, helpless as your cunt throbbed with every stroke of his hand.  When he finished, he moved his hand up to your mouth.  

"Lick it clean," he said in the sexiest, most commanding tone you'd ever heard from him.

You nodded and took his fingers into your mouth, sucking them each clean before you licked his palm and swallowed it all.  "Please, Tentacole, can you please fuck me now?"

He smirked and shook his head, returning to his place between your legs.  He took up the same exact position as before, hands pulling your ass closer to his face as he shoved something in and out of your cunt.  Your eyes closed yet again as you laid your head back, imagining it was his dick that was filling you up.  You imagined him hovering over you, sweat pouring down both of your bodies, your hands clawing down his back-

"Ah-!" you cried out, and he immediately pulled away again.  You were about ready to smack him across the face.  "Please, please stop," you begged as your eyes met his.  "Please, Tentacole, please make me cum."

He climbed further up your body, giving no warning before shoving his dick deep into your cunt.  He didn't move a muscle as his eyes locked with yours.

He bent his head down to capture your lips with his in a surprisingly gentle kiss.  When he pulled away his face hovered only inches above yours, a loving smile on his face.  "I love you so much.  You're so perfect."

You smiled back up at him.  "Then untie my hands.  Please, let me touch you."

His malicious smirk came back, and you knew the moment was over.  He began to move inside of you, pulling almost all the way out before slamming himself back into you.  You screamed at the sensation, moving your hips with his as he finally gave you the fucking you'd been dying for.  

You pulled at your restraints again, and to your surprise the knots gave in.  A huge grin broke out across your entire face as your arms flew around Shoji's neck, sitting both of you up as he continued pounding your cunt like a piece of meat.  He didn't say anything as you connected your lips to his, digging your fingernails into his back and clawing your way downward as he kept going.  Once you'd reached the bottom and were sure you were going to leave a bright red mark, you quickly readjusted yourself so you were sitting over him.  

You pushed him back against the bed, your hands gripping the sheets on either side of his waist as you bounced up and down on his cock.

"Ah baby that feels so good," he groaned as he thrusted up to meet your thrusts.  "I'm not gonna last much longer."

You thought about denying him his orgasm like he'd been doing to you, but that would just deny you of yet another.  You decided to let him have it as a dupli-arm rose up to your breasts, forming a mouth and going below the neckline of the dress you were still wearing to attach to one of your nipples.  You gasped, causing another to quickly follow and attach to your other nipple as something began rubbing against your clit.

"Baby I'm gonna cum!" you yelled as your thrusting became sloppier and sloppier until he switched back to your previous position, him pounding into you with your back arched against the bed.

With only a couple more thrusts you felt him release into you.  You moaned loudly, you were so close-

It washed over you as soon as you felt the bite on your ass.

You rode out your orgasm before dropping yourself down onto Mezo, not bothering to wipe off any of the sweat that was pooling all over both of you.  You laid like that for a while, both of you panting and sticky as you caught your breath.

"Where did that come from?" Mezo finally asked after a few minutes, breaking the silence.

You turned over so you were laying on your stomach, staring up into his eyes.  "Not sure.  I saw the dress at the store, figured it would be a good quarantine activity."

He smiled, planting a light kiss on the top of your head.  "It definitely was."  He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you tightly against him.  "I think that was the best sex we've ever had."

You giggled as you nodded and leaned up to connect your lips with his.  The kiss was abruptly ended when you yelped, realizing Shoji had used a dupli-mouth to bite your ass again.

"Round two?" he asked.

You smiled and blushed slightly as you nodded.  "I'll meet you in the shower."

[beauty-and-passion]

My dear! I needed some time, but you needed to! And I am more than happy to reply <3

---------------------------------

Happy to help with healthy tips!

Oh, don't worry, I know sticking to a diet is HARD. My mother has to stick to some diet, but cannot do it and the same goes for my brother. Food is just too good and relaxing too relaxing, I perfectly know.

In fact, what pushed me wasn't "I want to be slim and cool", it was "I don't want to suffer from winter cough anymore". My body basically said: "Either you do something, or I will keep tormenting you forever". I was forced to do something by my own self.

So, if I can give tips and advice that may help, I am more than happy to oblige!

Cooking: is actually a lot easier than it seems! Especially for basic meals, all you have to do is cut vegetables, cut meat or fish, put everything in a pan with olive oil (it's better than butter) salt and water and voila, the stove will do the rest.

Maybe the most difficult task is cleaning raw fish, but once you try, it's easier too: all you have to do is:

clean the scales

cut the belly and take out the organs (they're all conveniently stored in the front, so once they're out you're done)

cut the head, tails and fins (unless you like them? I don't, so I simply cut them out with a knife)

Or you can just buy raw fish/meat already cleaned and done and use them :P

Meals prep: I learned this from my father, but always cook stuff with water. I used to put olive oil only and that was basically like frying - which is the least healthy way to cook. Now I add some water, then let it evaporate while cooking, so in the end there is just a little bit of it in the casserole.

Also, basically zero sauces aside from olive oil, a little bit of salt and vinegar for salads. Only now I'm slowly adding juniper and turmeric but only to season the meat a little. The rest of the time I use oil, salt and I may add one clove of garlic (that I take out before eating) or a little bit of onion just to give a bit more seasoning.

Meals suggestions: I can gladly share some because I searched for ideas, especially at the start, and couldn't find a lot. So if I can save you the trouble of a long research, I am happy to oblige :D

For example, aside from the couscous+vegetable mix, I also planned for this month:

basmati rice with pumpkin soup (I cut the pumpkin, boil it, blend it, let some water evaporate, cook rice on the side, then add it)

basmati rice + spinach (they cook on two separate pans, then I add them together)

gluten-free pasta + chards (just like rice and spinach)

stuffed peppers (grind some zucchini, carrots and potatoes, then add olive oil, mix and put inside the peppers, then in the oven with some water)

potatoes and pumpkin (cut into big pieces and cooked in the oven)

peas and bacon or tuna

spelt soup with zucchini or carrots

chicken breast / rabbit with broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts (cook separately, then put together)

green beans with potatoes (or any other kind of vegetable)

green beans with corn and olives (cold version for summer)

mackerel with potatoes and zucchini in the oven

cream of pumpkin and carrots (I boil them, blend them, then eat with rusks)

spinach or chard by itself

While for breakfast I planned some meals like:

overnight porridge (I put in a cup oats, greek yogurt, one kiwi, almonds or nuts and honey)

omelet with eggs and vegetables (I can add prosciutto too, to add more proteins)

aged cheese + nuts + honey

rusks and strawberry jam (I use one with no sugar added and no seeds)

cookies with no milk or eggs (they're from a specific brand, so I don't know how they are made. However, I tried to eat them once in a while because they have a lot of carbs - and I'm trying to cut them a bit)

oats + almond milk + fruits

melon and prosciutto or bresaola

fresh fruits and honey

And all of them have one cup of herbal tea included.

Also, if I crave something sweet, I usually go for honey. I am lucky enough to get it from a beekeeper (my cousin), so I am sure it's good. Also, it's natural, so it's way better than any sugary premade/packaged product.

While for exercising, all I can suggest you is:

to arrange a specific room/place/spot specifically for exercising. Put your clothes, mat and everything else already there, so you won't waste time searching for them everywhere.

Possibly, put a mirror too, so you can check if you're doing your exercises well.

Put on nice clothes. They will make you feel better and happier, so you will feel more prone to exercise, just to wear your cute outfit.

There are a ton of apps, so you can rely on them. I used them from the start, because 1) I hate gyms, 2) I hate people around and 3) I'm too lazy to get into the car, go to the gym, change my clothes and follow some training... uuurgh, no thanks. I want something quicker and doing at home it's much better: I decide what to do, do my exercises, take a quick shower and cook my dinner. Best solution for me.

If you get bored easily (like me), apps are great, because you always switch exercises. Don't do the same thing over and over, it will get boring faster. If there's a specific training you like sure, go for it. But if you get bored, you can change anytime.

Last but not least, all you need is willpower and I am sure you will find it. I mean, I found it and I'm a lazy bum, so you can find it too, I am 100% sure of that! And if you need any support, I'm always here, rooting for you! ✨

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A pain that never leaves

My dear, I am near you and I am sending you the biggest virtual hug ever. It's terrible when a loved one leaves and when it's an animal, it's the worst kind of pain.

This one in particular was probably immensely painful and I can only imagine how terrible it was to keep spending time with him, knowing that the clock was ticking and the time was running out. It's terrible and I am immensely sorry for your loss.

The thing is: my neighbours had a very similar experience to your own. They also had a cat and he got sick too. So sick the doctor told them that, if they wanted, they could've kept him alive. But it would've been painful - and for what? Just a couple more months? So, in the end, they decided to let him go.

However, let me point out: their cat was very old. He was 20, so an old boy. And his sickness was something bladder-related, so it was actually very painful for him.

Now I don't know how old your baby was and what kind of disease it was. But if it let him live a bit longer, spend time with his other friend and with you, his beloved owner... I don't think it was a bad decision to keep him alive a bit longer. Also because the other choice is very, very painful.

My neighbors made the other choice and the husband wasn't even able to stay in the same room, when his cat died. He waited outside, crying. His wife stayed with their cat until the end, but seeing her beloved pet close his eyes in front of her... it was heavy. She still remembers it and talks about it with heaviness in her voice.

So... well, maybe it won't be a great consolation, but it would've been hard both ways. Either looking at him go or finding him already dead. It's awful in both cases. It always is.

And you deserve all the time in the world to process this and recover: spend time with your loved one, with your other beloved cat who still needs you, get some time outside, meet your friends. Losses are always hard - and if someone tells you "It's just a cat get over it", tell them from me to jump in a lake.

Also, having both "sides" of what could happen, makes me think about what I will do when my cats will get too old and sick. How will it be? I know it will be painful and I will need a lot of time to recover because they're my first pets too (or, well, my first cats). But what will happen? What will I do? Still don't know. I only know that day will come and I try to cherish our time together as much as possible - and to give them the best possible life. They're our babies and they rely on us: giving them all the love is the bare minimum.

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One step at a time

Again, take all the time, my dear. Find stuff you enjoy, visit friends, eat that sweet sweet treat you were craving. And try to build your life back together one step at a time: sport helps you clean your mind and relax a bit, healthy foods will distract you and make you feel fuller, friends will make you happy and stuff you enjoy will give you more, different stuff to think about.

And don't worry, you will get out. You already did, so you're a tough one! One more bad time? Psssh, that's nothing for a pro like you. You can do anything you want and if you want to get out of it, you will. As always, I am rooting for you 💖

Beau!! Hello! How have you been?

My dearest! I'm sorry for taking this long to reply, but things happened, which means one thing and one thing only: time for a life update post. This time, with healthy tips included ✨

_________________

Sleep is for the weak (and the not-weak)

Last week my mother had knee surgery. She had to do it something like 5 years ago, but hey, better late than never.

The problem wasn't the surgery per se: that went well and she's currently in a clinic for a rehabilitation period, so she can be followed by professionals.

The real problem arose right after the surgery: for the first three days, she was supposed to recover, sleep and start working out asap. But she couldn't do shit, because her roommate was an older lady, who:

had just recovered from Covid but was still suffering from heavy coughs

had dementia and talked by herself all the time

was half-deaf

And that means every goddamn night, that lady kept coughing, snoring and talking. For the entire night non-stop. Loudly.

My mother spent three days without being able to sleep. She managed to get 3/4 hours of sleep in total. With a throbbing, constant pain in the knee because of the surgery.

She asked to be moved elsewhere since day one, but no other room was available. She waited for three days, protesting and crying, until the doctors finally managed to find another room and moved her in immediately.

Now she's still suffering from the pain, but at least she can get some sleep. And the sleep did wonders already: she can bend her knee some more, stand up longer, and do more exercises at the gym. So the moral of the story is that if sleep is important for a healthy person, it becomes essential after such an invasive surgery - and even more if you're stuck in a bed because you can't go anywhere else.

_________________

There is never enough time

This year I finally entered the list of teachers in my area. Thanks to my degree (and the course I followed), I have been able to apply for two positions: German teacher and/or special educator. However, I am also working on getting enough credits to apply for English soon because... well, it's the language I use daily. Even now.

English aside, I know there are a ton of people on that list, so I didn't expect to get a call very soon. And yet, I got one last week and it was for German! Hence why, now (and for a month) I will replace a German teacher in two different schools.

I made something like 6 lessons for now and immediately learned a lot of things, like:

Every student has a different vibe: there's the 16yo who is overexcited, the 17yo who is full of personality and the 18yo who is interesting on a human level. There's the aloof student, the one who wants to learn and the one who looks at you with the happiness of a dead fish.

Speaking of grammar, I don't remember shit about German. Hence why my first "teaching days" have been a race against time of me trying to summarize all the rules of the German language on slides. Imagine putting down all the rules of a language on slides. Now imagine doing it in 3 days, with the nagging fear of "what I will say to the kids next week" and a mother who is constantly crying because she cannot sleep. The word "stress" doesn't convey enough of what I experienced, I was on a tightrope.

There is never enough time. I barely entered the school and immediately found out there are councils to attend and tests to do and students need grades and I should plan them too - but I should prepare the lessons as well and 24 hours are not enough for all this shit.

My need to get everything under control is becoming even more compulsive than usual: every free moment is made of planning, planning and more planning. And yes, that's the reason why I disappeared from Tumblr and from life in general. Only now I am slowly trying to get some of my life back, because after that huge peak of stress, I really need to relax a bit and do something for me and me only - like writing.

_________________

Being healthy can be fun

I've always had symptoms of gastrointestinal reflux, like stomach pains, slow digestion, late meals and being a fast eater in general. And, of course, a goddamn cough that keeps tormenting me for the entire winter, only to magically disappear as soon as spring comes.

Hence why last year I finally went to a gastroenterologist. He too thought I had all the symptoms, but I needed some medical checks to be sure.

Also, since I was bloated and overweight, he told me to follow the typical diet of someone with reflux. Which means:

No milk and dairy products (except very aged cheese), no red meat (i.e. beef, pig), no seafood, no bread, no pasta, no cookies/sweets, no legumes, no fruit (only apples, bananas and kiwis allowed), no drinks except for water, no fried stuff and no spicy/too seasoned stuff

Yes to white meat (poultry, rabbit), fish, vegetables, gluten-free pasta, rusks, eggs

That meant changing A LOT of things. Before that diet, I was eating healthy stuff overall, but I was also eating milk, dairy products, bread, pizza once a week, legumes and a ton of fruits with seeds. Heck, my breakfast was cookies and milk only, every day. Two of the things I couldn't eat anymore.

But hey, the doctor said it, so I followed his advice: I came back home, ate the last piece of my leftover pizza for dinner and gave all the stuff I couldn't eat to my mother. Then I went shopping the day after and got all the "allowed" foods.

I have been following this diet for one year and a half by now. And if the first day I was asking myself "will it work" and "what the heck can I eat", now this is how I live. And a lot of things changed.

First, my breakfast was boring and repetitive. Now I have a ton of options: any kind of vegetable milk, from oat to almond. But also soy yogurt, hummus, rusks, overnight porridge, fresh fruit, almonds and walnuts with honey, aged cheese, prosciutto, bresaola or eggs with vegetables. And always a cup of herbal tea.

Herbal teas are a blessing: almost no calories, but fill up nicely. And I can make them with stuff that grows in my garden, like laurel or mint leaves. Even apple peels are great!

I didn't always eat vegetables before. Now vegetables are on my table 24/7: as a salad, with couscous, with rice, with gluten-free pasta, in a soup, with eggs, together or by themselves.

Vegetables fill you up WAY more than junk foods, for less calories and for a longer time. That means I always eat a full plate of vegetables (sometimes even two plates) and be full for hours, while still losing weight.

Before, I ate too much processed food. It looked healthy (like premade rice, fishsticks, frozen minestrone and so on), but it was not. It never is. That's what made me gain so much weight and I realize it now.

I rediscovered the pleasure of cooking my own meals. Now I cook once a day (for dinner only) and double the amount, so I have the next day's lunch ready. And still, it doesn't take a lot of time: the stove or the oven does most of the job, all I do is cut stuff with a mandoline slicer and put it on a pot/on a pyrex. Also, it's cheaper than premade foods: if I buy the raw ingredients, I spend less money and can make more meals.

Before, my meals were too complicated and I used too many ingredients. Now my meals are much simpler - and that's not just great for my digestive system, but for me too, because I can enjoy the single ingredients more. Also, it takes less time to cook.

In conclusion: what I feared would've been an oppressive regime with limited choices was instead a way for me to discover foods I would've never eaten otherwise. Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, rice cakes, oatmeal, hummus and Greek yogurt: those are all part of my life now and oh boy, how delicious they are.

In addition to the new diet, I also added a more serious exercise regimen. I am too lazy to go to a gym and I hate having people around, so I brought a yoga mat, put the gym clothes in the same spot and set on a daily alarm. Also, searched for different apps to guide me throughout the exercises and make a training session in my place.

I started with 20-min yoga sessions almost every day. Then added more beginner's training. Then tried tabata, moved to HIIT, then pilates. I just kept raising the bar and made my sessions last longer, until it became a routine. And now my routine includes:

20 min HIIT training (I switch focus between cardio, abs and core, lower and upper body)

20 min pilates

20 min yoga

I follow it 3 to 5 times a week, but I also walk more, use the bicycle and take the stairs. This alone would be pointless, if I am not as active as possible the rest of the day.

The result? I am 153 cm (5ft) tall and before I started this new regime, I weighed 64 kg (141 lb). Now I weigh 46kg (101 lb). I lost 18 kg in total and it has been a constant, slow change. At first 2 kilos every month, then one, sometimes not even one.

And during all this time, I never had huge expectations. I didn't even step on the scale for a long time. I just kept following the diet and doing sport and enjoying it. My only goal was to not get the winter cough.

I didn't even notice real changes, until after a while. They came all together and one day, all my pants were too loose and clothes that were too tight before now fit me perfectly.

And now I still keep that chill attitude: I plan my meals at the beginning of every month, so I can be sure of what to eat every day (also, it makes me happy to know what tasty meal will wait for me). I keep doing my exercises, because they help me relax (especially in these last stressful days).

And yes, once in a while, I get a treat not included in my diet. I mean, a diet is supposed to be what you habitually eat, not a temporary thing: it's only fair there may be things you're not supposed to eat too - like sweet treats, seafood, some dairy stuff or a pizza. What matters is that I can control myself, so I know that I get this treat now, but the rest of the time I will stick to my diet.

And, honestly, most of the time I don't even crave these things. I can eat just some and be okay. I am far from starving, after all, especially if I get some nice food, like today's meal: basmati rice with peas, Brussels sprouts, zucchini and pepperoni for a total of 500 grams aka 2 full plates. As I said, starving is out of question :P

So the moral of the story is:

If you're trying to lose weight and you're doing everything right but still don't lose it, seek medical help. I had no idea what I was doing wrong, until I checked with an expert.

If you get a diet, stick with it religiously, especially at the beginning. Ran from all temptations, because they can be very strong - especially at the beginning. Then you can come back and face them, when you will be in control.

Do some sport, especially yoga. It doesn't just help you lose weight, but clears your mind and makes you feel better. And don't push yourself too much: you're supposed to do it more times a week, so just start slowly and build resistance. It's better to do a little every day, than give your full self one day and recover the next 2 weeks because you're too sore. Once you will get enough strength, you will be the first to realize you want to do more.

Have fun and chill. Results won't come the day after, just do your things, eat good food and do some good exercise. And enjoy life in general: it would be all pointless, otherwise.

[no-footprints-in-the-snow]

My Recipes

Resharing my recipes to help out some people looking for foods to eat low-carb, low-cal options! <3 <3 <3 

My favourite foods for meals are hard boiled eggs (72 calories a piece - a dash of salt or pepper, as snacks or sandwich filler), tuna (120 calories a can), tilapia (80 calories a fillet), frozen salmon fillets (130/4 oz), romaine lettuce (5 calories for two LARGE leafs/10 for 4) for salads or in replacement of bread.

For tuna wraps (two cans of skipjack drained (240 calories), tbsp of full-fat mayo (80 calories), pepper medley, (you can add chives or celery), wrap in lettuce (head of lettuce - 5 calories for two LARGE leafs/10 for 4) -- makes multiple 'sandwiches'. (325 calories - 205 calories for 1 can) Sometimes I just drain a can of tuna, throw on some Clubhouse ‘La Grille’ Pepper Medley and eat it straight out of the can with a fork. (120 calories)

Egg salad wraps (two-three-four eggs, depends on how hungry you are), tbsp full-fat mayo (80 calories), yellow mustard to taste (0 cals) -- you can add a dash of salt or pepper, wrap lettuce (5-15) around it to make multiple 'sandwiches'. (229-301-373 calories - 2-3-4 large eggs)

I typically boil an entire carton of eggs in one sitting, remember that it takes more time to cook a whole carton. I also get cartons of egg whites (two containers/250g a container/a cup a container), I use a whole carton, microwave for 2 minutes 45 seconds, and then mix in a big tablespoon of peanut butter. It's surprisingly delicious! And low-carb. (206-286 calories if you use 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter respectively) Veggies with dinner or any meal: Simply Steam Green Giant items (like cauliflower rice and broccoli with cheese sauce, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, and brussel sprouts in butter sauce). All of them are low-cal and delicious. I avoid corn. I'm more a veggie girl than a fruit girl (I've never really been a fan. I don't know why). (40-50-80 calories for half a package - 80-100-160 calories for a full package) You can even make an egg white omelette with one of those 250g cartons and Simply Steam veggies! Just add one cup/250g of egg whites into a frying pan (115 calories), I typically use the broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce package and it comes to 215 calories.

Snacks: Large hardboiled eggs (dash of salt or pepper) - (72 calories a piece), cherry tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, celery, (all great for salads as well), peanut butter, greek yogurt (don't get sweetened ones, they have a LOT of sugar in them). Sometimes, I just slice up a whole tomato (Beefsteak - 33 calories), and put some salt on it, and eat just that as a snack.

Get full fat dressing of your choice to dip or use as dressing. Smoked oysters (good healthy fat) with Clubhouse “La Grille pepper medley”. (130 calories) However, I get light peanut butter.

You can put peanut butter on your celery. Also, 15 almonds is about 100 calories – if you put them in water and in the fridge, they'll double to triple in size, much more filling that way!

Carbs: Whole grain brown rice (usually Uncle Ben's Express roasted chicken, vegetable medley, or mushroom), ready in 90 seconds! I typically only eat half a bag because the carb count can add up, for the second use -- you add a cup of water in the microwave, and heat up for 45-60 seconds. (130-140-150 calories) / (260-280-300 calories for a full bag)

Feel like pasta? They have low calorie options by Slendier – "Calorie Clever", which is gluten free, low carb, and a source of fiber. An entire package is 25 calories.

Feel like pizza? Get the whole wheat 7" tortilla wraps (the smaller size), a dash of tomato sauce spread around with the bottom of a spoon, mozza fat-free cheese slices (X2), top with low-cal toppings, spinach, chicken – 7 minutes in the oven at 400F. (235 calories)

Dessert or sweet tooth? A big spoonful of peanut butter (80-190 calories), or you can make a packet of maple oatmeal (Quaker), and a cup of cottage cheese, is REALLY good as a dessert. Mix it together, it's creamy-deliciousness! Great as breakfast/lunch/dessert, whenever. (271 calories)

Also, ICE CREAM. Plain. Chocolate. Vanilla. Nothing EXTRA in it, is what I mean. Chapman’s even makes a sugar-free, lactose-free kind. Chocolate and vanilla. And yes, Chapman's makes sugar-free chocolate and vanilla, and even ice cream sandwiches – so those are keto friendly! lol

I'm lactose-intolerant so I tend to avoid dairy products. I -love- ice cream, but ice cream does NOT love me. Chapman's makes sugar-free, lactose-free Chocolate, Vanilla, Maple Walnut, Butterscotch Ripple, and Black Cherry Ice Cream! And they taste AMAZING.

Not only that, I find I urinate most of it out, so it doesn’t add to the scale the following day for me.

Broth – I also like chicken bone broth with turmeric and black pepper. Easy to find on Amazon. I add a little bit of chicken bouillon and it tastes like a mug of spicy chicken soup. (75 calories)

I keep vitamins on hand: Essential Electrolytes, K2, Liquid Vitamin D (the pills don't absorb properly), B6, B12, biotin, and I have Apple Cider Vinegar pills (with 'mother') and Turmeric pills on hand. Keep in mind that for some people ACV helps acid reflux, for others it doesn't.

Turmeric is NOT a supplement. Do NOT take it on an empty stomach. I took two pills, then drank coffee. It was like I ate a ghost pepper, I could feel the heat in my mouth for the rest of the day and my stomach hurt. Only take Turmeric BEFORE you eat a meal. I also only take ACV before a meal. Never on an empty stomach.

Remember that the low-fat options typically have a LOT more sodium/sugar in them!

Drink LOTS of water, and don't count coffee or other liquids as your water intake. If you want to determine the exact amount you should drink according to your body weight, you can follow these steps: Take your weight and divide it in half and translate the lbs to ounces. Done.

Avoid sugar-free gum unless you're going to chew the same piece for 60 minutes + because that's how long it takes to burn off the calories in it by chewing it. If you’re going to exercise -- than sugar-free gum won’t matter, but it slows down your weight loss because it causes an insulin spike. You won’t stay in ketosis because of it. This is the same thing with sugar-free energy drinks unfortunately. I find changing your eating window around helps, because it confuses your metabolism. All of these things are easy to make, because I'm lazy. LOL

P.S. I'm a 'dirty faster', and put sweetener in my coffee, albeit I'm learning not to put sweetener in. And lime in my water (you can use lime or lemon), which is scientifically proven to kick your metabolism in the butt. Cool/cold showers instead of hot ones actually burns calories, and clears up skin from acne as well.

P.P.S. I've actually been clean fasting since early February. So now, black coffee, green tea, and water, are the only thing I intake while I'm fasting.

[arctic-hands]

Goddamn I hate this system.

Not only is Medicaid still rejecting physical therapy for my degenerating back, but my EBT has been docked ninety dollars, leaving my celiac-having ass with just one hundred and forty four dollars to buy the expensive food that won't make me gravely ill, and that's on top of the rising food prices nationwide. It takes one hundred dollars of gluten free food just to keep me fed for a week! I can't make it on one hundred and forty four a month!

The DHR won't let you call unless you message someone in the portal first, and it's been my experience that using the portal gets you absolutely nowhere so who know what happens next

I can't even rely on food pantries because half the time it's all bread or pasta or other things I can't have