80205

Sheesh, life is crazy sometimes isn't it? I came down with a severe case of hives (from head to toe!) at the beginning of June & they didn't go away until about a week ago. I think cheese was the culprit. NO MORE CHEESE! My ears were super swollen; my eyes almost swelled shut; my legs were covered in bruises from all the itching. The doc put me on a 12-day pack of steroids. Prednisone. YUCK! I felt like I had no choice. My face was soooo swollen & the hives weren't backing down. I had to trust my gut. If I hesitated & didn't take the steroids to stop the allergic reaction, my throat could have swelled shut. Who knows. I'm glad it's all over now & I hope to never experience that itchy nightmare again! But enough about hives. It's time for the good stuff! :) 


  
80205. My zip code for the time being. What can I say?! The mountains were calling me. Anywho, time for you to gawk. :D

Glenwood Hot Springs Pool! :D

The source of the hot water in the pools. 122 degrees fahrenheit!  

The hotter of the two pools. 104 degrees fahrenheit! 

The cooler of the two pools. 90 degrees fahrenheit!

The old train station! Officially opened in 1904. 

Ever been to Glenwood Springs, Colorado? They're famous for their Glenwood Hot Springs Pool (the 'coolest' pool in the world! HAHA!). You can read about its history here if you'd like! 


A pool that feels like a hot tub. OHMYGOD. If 104 degrees is too hot for ya, you can take a dip in the 90-degree pool. Or you can do what I did; hop from one to the other every 20 minutes or so. That's the way to do it! Having TOO MUCH FUN is inevitable. The pool is a magical free-for-all. Children can float around on their bright & colorful inner-tube or giant alligator without disturbing other swimmers. You can even walk into the pool area with a big honkin' pizza! No restrictions whatsoever (except no running: safety first!). Of course I was the odd man out with a shiny can of tuna in my hand. "One man's trash is another man's treasure". If I close my eyes, a can of tuna is just as tasty as a slice of pizza! :) 


Susie (my darling aunt) & I stuck around the therapeutic pool for nearly 8 hours. Can you believe it?! I barely dodged gettin' crispy like bacon. It's easy to forget how much stronger the sun is here. Sunscreen has to be reapplied more often than you think, especially if you're a pale redhead! 


After spending the entire day at the pool, we arrived back at our motel & slept the night away. We were pleasantly exhausted. It was absolutely faaabulous! On our way out Sunday morning, I managed to get a souvenir: a stainless steel "Glenwood Springs, CO" coffee mug! It'll work great for hot soup in the winter! 


Tonight, the two of us are off on another adventure. A major roadtrip! Our itinerary looks a little something like this. 

Friday: Grand Junction, CO

Saturday: Cedar City, UT

 Sunday: Mammoth Lakes, CA -Yosemite Natl. Park

Monday: Fresno, CA- Kings Canyon Natl. Park

Tuesday: Visalia, CA

Wednesday & Thursday: Los Angeles, CA

Friday: Las Vegas- Hoover Dam

Saturday: Glenwood Springs, CO

Sunday: back to the mile-high city 

I've got 10 cans of sardines, 2 packs of hot dogs, the noodler for zucchini pasta, cucumbers, spinach, lemons, salt, pepper, 6 cans of tuna, & all my vitamins! That's how an SCDer prepares for a roadtrip. I think I'm ready! The computer is coming with me so I'll definitely post pictures as I go along. I better go fill the cooler before I leave without my precious cargo aka my food! ;) Catch ya on the other side! 

~Allie    

Mission Accomplished!!!!!! :)

Afternoon, foodies!!!! :) 


How is everyone? I've missed our chats!! I'm back from Wyoming!! It was truly the most magical vacation I've ever been on!! The SCD diet never even crossed my mind!! The little town of Jackson turned out to be full of hidden treasures & was bursting with personality. Susie & I felt right at home!!! I succeeded in booking us four nights at a cute motel right outside of town, which was extremely convenient!! Spending the 4th of July in Jackson was nothing short of outstanding, either!! Everything about our trip was perfect. :) 


Susie & I spent two full days driving through both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. :) The scenic views & endless sightings of wildlife were absolutely spectacular. Phenomenal weather, beautiful landscapes, animal encounters, infinite perfection. We could not have asked for a better adventure in Wyoming. Believe it or not, we were lucky enough to see a BLACK BEAR!!!!!!!!! I exploded with amazement & excitement. My dream finally came true!!!! On top of that, we also saw several large herds of elk, tons & tons of bison (most up close & personal!), bald eagles, ospreys, pronghorns, antelopes, & a GRIZZLY BEAR with a CUB!!!!!!! WOW! Completely unbelievable!! :) Seeing these graceful animals in their natural habitat really brightened my life. The geysers & hot springs were insanely incredible as well. The sulfur smell... Not too delightful though. On the other hand, Old Faithful was jaw-dropping!!!! I managed to catch her show on film. :) I can relive her performance whenever I please! Thank you Susie for this unforgettable vacation!!! <3 


**MOST IMPORTANTLY** I must say that none of this trip would have been possible had I not come prepared with the proper foods & storage containers. We packed: 

• 11 mason jars full of chicken soup
• about 12 hard-boiled eggs 
• frozen pre-cooked chicken thighs 
• frozen pre-cooked beef meatballs 
• a container of spinach
• a tub of DCCC
• several bunches of ripe bananas
• 10 zucchinis 
• 6 cans of sardines in olive oil
• 4 cans of salmon 
• 2 large bottles of Welch's 100% white grape juice 
• salt (optional) 

Traveling while on the SCD is possible. :) Other big pluses include a large cooler, a micro-fridge (standard in most hotel/motel rooms), & plenty of glass snap-ware containers to keep the food in. Once all those are accounted for, buckle up & take a road trip!!! Never let your dietary restrictions keep you back. Consider going to Wyoming next time you leave the house. ;) I hear it is quite gorgeous there. 


Stay healthy, foodies!!!! Eat plenty of tasty foods & continue on your path to wellness! <3 p.s. check out some photos from my trip, especially the one of our fridge! :)  

Geyser!!! :) 

Bison right across the road from us. WOW :) 

A glimpse of a grizzly bear!!!!! :D 

Yellowstone River, I believe :) 

Our micro-fridge! Isn't the soup gorgeous? :) The meatballs & eggs are in the drawer, along
with some local Wyoming beef on the top row. 

  


   

Traveling on the SCD: Yellowstone Natl. Park

Good morning, foodies!!!
I hope you all had a delightful weekend! :) Perhaps you indulged in a nice helping of creamy banana soft serve. No? Maybe you decided to cook up some grass-fed beef meatballs as a garnish to some hot zucchini noodles. Wrong again?? You must've enjoyed some good old chicken soup then. :) Any of those things (or your own delicious creation) would have been wonderful!!!! Speaking of food, I'm getting ready to go on a trip this Friday to Yellowstone National Park! I've dedicated the entire week to preparing for it. 


Relaxation, rejuvenation, & readiness. My week of "r, r, & r". Nothing too tiring or fatiguing. Definitely very little standing, more walking/sitting/lying down. Fish (wild-caught salmon) will take up majority of my meals, leaving meat consumption for the trip to Yellowstone. Any desire to snack will be fulfilled with chicken soup. I know it sounds a bit extreme but I am willing to do ANYTHING in order to feel as outstanding as possible while in Yellowstone!!!! :) Besides, I need to conserve my energy for Wednesday & Thursday: cooking days!!! A new batch of chicken soup needs to be concocted on Wednesday & all the meat I want to take with me needs to be cooked on Thursday, along with any hard-boiled eggs I want to bring. If I can just stick to the plan, I'll be all ready to go come early Friday morning!!!! 


Before I came up with my stellar plan to cut back on chicken & beef this week, Susie & I bought some bison meat yesterday!!! I made some meatballs & I absolutely loved them!! DEEEELISH!!!! :) Any time I get to introduce a new flavor or texture into my food repertoire without it wreaking havoc on my body, I tend to be pretty ecstatic. Any SCDers out there know exactly what I'm talking about. ;) Yesterday was one of those times!!!!! So for those meat-lovers out there who have maybe not tried bison, I highly recommend it!! Bison meat has loads of protein & iron, but fewer calories than beef & chicken. It's 90% lean!! How can you go wrong? :) I hope some of you are willing to give it a try!!!! Well, I'm off to the kitchen for a dainty bowl of chicken soup. Toodles, foodies!!!!!! <3 

Traveling on the SCD

Snacks for the plane!!!!!! :) SCD style! Ripe banana, two hard-boiled eggs, four broiled
chicken thighs, chicken soup, & pear sauce. MMMM!!!!! 

I did it!!!!  I traveled while on the SCD!!!!  :) YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!  Feast your eyes on those yummy snacks!  The skin-crawling security guards had nothin' on me!!  My travel-sized bottles (thank you CVS!!) were each 3 oz., just below the limit of 3.4 oz.  Pouring the chicken soup & pear sauce in them was no problem, too!!  I used my cute little measuring cup & had no spillage whatsoever.  The hard-boiled eggs were an instant pass, along with the chicken thighs.  I also had a baggie of about nine chicken nuggets made from ground chicken breasts (not in the photo!!).  They didn't raise any questions either!!  It was absolutely perfect.  


Just before I left my mom to go through the stressful security process, I indulged in a giant thermos of hot chicken soup.  DELISH!!  That held me over for about an hour or two.  Being an SCDer means eating practically ALL the time.  Our bodies are hardworking healing machines!  So... my nuggets began to slowly disappear.  I knew my stomach would have to satisfy itself with less because I needed to save some for the flight!!  I managed to put a stop to my mindless nibbling & was left with a few for the three & a half-hour flight.  I chose to save the banana & hard-boiled eggs for later as well.  Smart choice!!  Peeling the super ripe banana during the flight was kind of funny, I must admit.  A bruise here & there, but perfect taste overall.  Although, the sight of it was... not too pretty.  A girl's gotta eat though, what can I say!  I never got around to eating my hard-boiled eggs; the chicken thighs required less effort.  The protein had an astronomical effect on my energy level.  My only gripe about the plane ride was the lack of a cure for my fidgety legs!!!!  Not enough leg room!!!! :(  Maybe next time I decide to fly, I'll run a marathon around the airport in efforts to sedate my uncontrollably active legs.  HA!  ...I can dream, can't I?  


By the time I arrived in Denver, I wasn't sure if I'd ever want to eat another chicken nugget or chicken thigh again.  To say I ate 'a lot' would be incorrect.  I ate a BOATLOAD of chicken!!!  When we got to the house, all I wanted was some chicken soup.  Yes, I am aware there's chicken in it.  But no matter what the circumstance, it always makes me feel better.  Lucky for me I had three little bottles full of that orange concoction!!!  :)  After that, I engaged in some much-needed conversations with my aunt & cousins.  The perfect medicine.  Finally the time difference was too much to ignore; sleep a.s.a.p.  I was ready to call it a night.  


I had actually done it.  I came to Denver on an airplane with security-friendly SCD snacks.  I beat the odds.  I faced my fears.  Sleep was my reward.  Dune, my cousin's big teddy bear of a dog joined me in my subtle decent into dream land, bringing my first evening as a CO resident to a close.  :)     

Destination: DENVER!! Mission: HEAL, THRIVE, EAT!!!!

Hi foodies!!  I'm blogging you all from my Aunt's comfy cozy cottage in Denver, Colorado.  This will be my home for the next six weeks (maybe more...) & I couldn't be happier!!  It is gorgeous here.  The lack of humidity is UNREAL.  I'm so used to the stuffy Maryland weather; this clean mountain air is extremely refreshing!!!!!  Colorado is going to be the perfect place for me to continue my path to wellness.  I hope to blog everyday while I'm here & document my adventures, along with my many SCD creations.  


Since arriving on Saturday night, I've consumed lots of different yummy SCD delights: chicken soup, salmon, DCCC, ground beef meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, spinach, chicken thighs, chicken nuggets, & pear sauce.  **For those of you that don't know, you CAN travel while on the SCD & eat plenty of delicious food!!!**  I'm still having some difficulty coping with the move from MD to CO, but I know I'll feel more like myself by this weekend.  I ate an absurdly large amount of chicken on my departure day though, so I don't feel too bad about going without.  My poor stomach needs some more time to tackle all those chicken nuggets & chicken thighs!!  I'll be posting pictures of my food as soon as I can!!  


Well I hate to cut this short but... it's time to eat SOUP!!!!!!!!!!! :) I'll be back tomorrow.  Stay healthy, foodies!! <3 


~Allie