Today I logged on and much to my upset, I found I had lost a follower. Oh no! I've been watching that number slowly climb for the past 2 years, and with each new reader I feel motivated to keep blogging. I realize that I've been a bit of a slacker in the posting department lately, so I can't say that I blame that one person who has decided that my blog is no longer of interest. I'm certain that they came here to read about a girl who travels the world and eats delicious food... and lately, that's not me at all.
That said, in light of this loss I feel like I should keep updating my blog for all of you faithful readers who have stuck around, from adventure to boring day to day life. I love you all! You make me happy!
I may not being in the air, but I still have plenty I can entertain you with... like my adventures trying to obtain a police report from Dubai, or my new crazy way of eating, or my attempts at baking in a makeshift kitchen...
Police report, you ask?! What the heck would a sweet innocent girl like me need a police report for? Ahh, the joys of trying to get my airport security pass. One of the requirements for applying for the certificate is to send fingerprints with your application. I called ahead to make sure that this wasn't something that needed an appointment, and was appalled when the voice on the other end asked if I'd been charged with a crime. Oh gosh, no. I can't even jaywalk without a massive guilty conscious. So I got myself ready, switched on the GPS, and drove to Police Headquarters in the heart of downtown. Now let me tell you, I hate driving downtown. The chaos of traffic and pedestrians combined with the outrageous cost of parking makes me stressed before I even reach my destination. I made it, parked my car, paid the $5 and walked in to get fingerprinted. I was there for all of 30 seconds before the lady at the counter informed me that I needed not one, but two pieces of photo identification. When I'd phone ahead I'd been told that I needed to bring ID, but she didn't specify that it was more than just my standard drivers license. I was frustrated and defeated, and now I had to drive all the way back home. Through downtown. This led to a very grumpy girl and a few ranting text messages to my loving fiancé. I returned the next day with 2 pieces of ID in hand, and proceeded to explore the world that is the police station. I got my fingerprints and set out on my way, happy that the ordeal was over.
All of the stress made me want to do one thing, and one thing only... eat. Junk food, of course. Unfortunately, that's a no-no these days as Ryan and I take a stab at eating paleo style. What's that, you ask? You're probably better to Google it if you want to get into the details of the benefits, but summed up, you eat fruits, veggies, nuts... and meat. That's right, no dairy. No wheat or grains. No candy. Basically, we try to eat like the cave men did, before the agricultural revolution came along and brought us a world of gluten and sugar. Why on Earth would somebody attempt something so crazy? It's not as bad as it sounds. Okay, after the first week it's not. The idea had crossed our mind awhile ago, but it wasn't until the diet had rave reviews from a friend of ours that we decided we'd give it a try. She assured us that since switching her way of eating she feels energized and strong through her workouts... which is important to gym junkies like ourselves. I get that people might not agree with this way of eating. You can never please everyone. We do what feels right for us, and so far, this is going well. Eliminating processed foods is something that I've wanted to do for a long, long time.
Of course, I can't just completely give up my comfort foods. I need carbs and sweets and stuff that tastes unhealthy. I need to fill my urge to bake. Don't think that paleo has stopped me... I'm eating pineapple and raspberries like candy, and my newest obsession is banana pancakes. Made entirely of bananas, cinnamon, peanut or almond butter and eggs, they are easier and more delicious than normal pancakes, and I don't feel a teensy bit guilty downing an entire plate of them. Well, minus the fact that peanut butter isn't actually paleo because apparently peanuts are legumes, not nuts. See?! I'm learning so much! My pancakes have been keeping me satisfied, but I felt like baking something to feel like I was indulging. This was a challenge for 2 reasons. First of those being the fact that I had to bake without using sugar, flour, milk or butter. That was fine. I found recipes online that substituted ground almonds for flour, and bananas are sweet enough that banana bread doesn't need any added sugar. I was set. Until challenge number 2.... that being the mess that is currently our kitchen. The people who installed our cabinets screwed up by making them an inch too short, making it impossible for us to fit our dishwasher in the designated spot. Annoying, yes, but we've learnt to live with it. They finally came to fix their mess this week, and now our beautiful granite countertop is on the floor while we wait for our cabinets to be replaced on Monday.
As if having no countertop wasn't enough, we are also currently without a kitchen sink. That gets to be rather inconvenient. Especially when you are too impatient to wait a few days and make a mess while trying to bake and find yourself with a pile of dirty dishes. That's annoying. So what did I do? I hauled them upstairs, put them in the bathtub, and scrubbed away. Sometimes you have to improvise. While I cleaned, my banana bread muffins baked.
They turned out better than I'd expected, which didn't take much... I am rather prone to baking mishaps. Best of all, they are super healthy! Finally.... I can bake, and eat it too!
That's the last week of my life summed up... thrilling, I know! Ryan and I are about to head to Red Deer for the weekend for some time with family and friends, and a wedding shower just for us! Yay! Can you believe that our wedding is in 41 days?! I certainly can't!
