Food. How I love it.

There is something special about food. It can usually be depended upon (with some exceptions), and you can make it what you want it: spicy, garlicky, sweet, salty, savory, cheesy, lots of veggies, lots of meat... whatever. And the more I cook, the more I find that I really enjoy cooking! I'm currently doing the Paleo diet, which means no processed food, no grains (wheat, rice, corn, etc), only occasional potato, and no sugar. But here's what I can eat: MEAT. Vegetables. Real eggs. Cheese (some people don't do the dairy because they're lactose intolerant. I am not. So I do the dairy.) and full-fat Greek yogurt (I had no idea it was so creamy and delicious!). Fruit. There's a lot of coconut usage in this diet: coconut "flour," coconut milk, etc. I can tell you now, I've never gone this long without grains and especially without fast food. But I'm so satisfied with the food I'm eating, I'm okay with not having Taco Bell! And I'm sure my body thanks me for that. Allow me to show you some recent meals: Burgundy pepper lamb tips on a bed of herb salad, served with a generous portion of guacamole.

Or a favorite breakfast, pepper jack cheese with avocado omelette, topped with a healthy sprinkling of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika, served with the rest of the avocado, sour cream, habanero salsa, and bacon. So. GOOD.

I even made a slow-cooked beef heart, served over a bed of creamed kale:

For when I just wanted veggies, I've had mushrooms and onion sauteed in butter and garlic, or this delicious broccoli salad:

I've never had so much fun on a "diet!!" I have tonight off (one night between several working nights, so I keep my night schedule), and I'm going grocery shopping. I'm getting the ingredients for a Thai-style spicy chicken soup that has coconut milk, red curry, and many other yummy treats. I've made it once already, and fell in love. It's good to be me right now.

It's September! Oh, the end of summer..

Ah, September! Bittersweet month, it is. The end of summer... the saddest thing. I adore summer, and I look forward to it every year. It's my favorite time of year. I lose weight, I get tanned, I go out on adventures. But, God has given me the gift of football to ease the pain of summer ending. And International Talk Like A Pirate Day. And my birthday. So it's not all bad. This year I went camping on the Oregon coast. I started just north of Seaside, and made my way down to Brookings. I find it enjoyable to bring my small "hiker's" tent and find a new camping spot each night. It's a special adventure at each spot. Here's a pic of me in Newport, enjoying my first cup of coffee for the day:

I brought a hammock this year, a decision that proved to be invaluable. But back to September. I'm putting last minute touches on the house... or that's the plan... I have to scrape the window frames and repaint. Ugh. This is not a fun task, I've found. I already pressure washed the house - a task I don't intend on doing again. How often is THAT supposed to be done?? It was dirty and disgusting! Oh! Speaking of dirty! I ran in the Dirty Dash this summer! What a hoot! Wanna see how dirty my friends and I got? Yes. Yes, you do:

July was definitely the best month of the whole summer... with too many amazing memories to blog. It may warrant another post later. Goodbye summer. I'll see you in about nine months...