Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year! Wishing you all blessings and happiness in 2010! I just realized that I didn’t even post in December. Where did the time go, seriously? I’m a bad blogger. Naughty, naughty…


It was quite a whirlwind of a month. My hubby and I threw a housewarming party to celebrate buying our first home! It was then that I discovered the joys of slow cooking with a fabulous chili recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. I downed two bowls of the spicy stuff, aided by Prelief. I’m happy to report that my IC has improved about 50% since I began my new round of supplements. I think it may have more to do with the Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry) and liberal use of Prelief than the homeopathic remedy, but the remedy may have something to do with it, who knows? However, I haven’t ovulated in about 80 days, so it doesn’t look like I’ll be pregnant anytime soon. I must confess, the holiday (and my lapse of willpower), totally blew my GF/CF diet. I ate and ate and ate- everything. I also put on 5 lbs, I’m not kidding. I look like a pumpkin right now. Well, it doesn’t help that I’m wearing an orange sweater, but I’m definitely rounder and plumper. I’m hoping it means that I’m going to ovulate but it probably means I should lay off the Ghirardelli brownies…and tiramisu…and Rice Works chips…and….

Early in December I had hysterosalpingogram (HSG) done to check out my fallopian tubes, just to make sure that my tubes and uterus are hospitable to pregnancy. While the results were good – all clear- the procedure was not fun. Quite a bit more painful than the cramping I was told I would feel. Then to top things off, the radiologist left cotton where the sun don’t shine (unbeknownst to me), so I ended up in Urgent Care four days later when I had some bleeding and fluid that was not normal. I had to endure more pain (and embarrassment), while the doctor cleaned me up. Oh yeah, did I mention that when I went to check-in for the procedure, I was told I was scheduled for a hysterectomy? Yes, a hysterectomy. Whoever pre-registered me for the procedure scheduled a hysterectomy instead of the HSG. The woman checking me in told me that she was about to have me prepped for surgery. I was horrified. I insisted that I was trying to get pregnant, not have all my reproductive organs removed. She fixed the error but I shudder thinking about what would have happened had there been some sort of language barrier.

Now it’s New Year’s Resolution time. I have several. I should probably narrow them down, but I’m hoping to get to them all eventually.

1. Return to GF/CF cooking. I looked and felt better. Plus, I fit into my clothing.

2. Relearn Italian. I spoke it until I was five and can still understand quite a bit. I purchased the Rosetta Stone last year but only used it a few times since my nap time got in the way. I’m hoping to go to Italia this summer, so I need to brush up.

3. Work out 3-4 times a week, for at least 45 minutes (cardio and weights).

4. Create art. I paint using acrylics.

5. Get pregnant. Yeah, that’s one that’s not totally within my control, so that might make a better goal rather than a resolution.

I’ll leave you for today with a fabulous slow cooker recipe that I made up. My measurements and instructions aren’t the best. Just wing it. It’s pretty hard to mess up.

Cioppino alla Claudia

Broth Ingredients

1 28 oz can crushed San Marzano Tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato sauce (Muir Glen Organics)

1 bottle clam juice

1 cup chicken broth or stock

1 ½ cup chardonnay (2 Buck Chuck)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 bulb fennel, sliced

½ large onion, sliced into half rings (should be same size and thickness as fennel)

1 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red pepper seeds (more or less to taste)

1 tsp coarse sea salt (more or less to taste)

Ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Garnish (optional)

Lemon wedges

Chopped Parsley

Put EVOO in bottom of crock pot. Add garlic and then remaining broth ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours or low for 4 hours until fennel is tender.

Add in’s

2 Cod fillets (fresh or frozen)

1 bag Trader Joe’s Seafood Blend

1 box Harris Teeter Mussels in tomato and garlic sauce (or other frozen brand)

Adjust temperature to high. After broth has cooked, toss in frozen fish fillets (if using fresh, add the same time as seafood blend and mussels). Once cod fillets have defrosted, bring pot of water to boil. Defrost TJ’s Seafood Blend in boiling water. Drain seafood immediately after it has defrosted. Seafood can be added frozen to broth at the same time as the cod, but the seafood blend often has a “fishy” taste, that defrosting in boiling water first often helps remove. If using fresh seafood, this step can be omitted. Defrost frozen mussels and add to broth at the same time as the seafood. Stir and cover. Cook on high for an additional hour.

Serve in large bowls with parsley and lemon wedges. Crusty Italian bread or better yet, garlic bread made on crusty Italian bread, would make an excellent accompaniment. Gluten free peeps can serve with GF pasta.

Eat with love.