Friday, January 1, 2010

Auld Lange Syne


I never really understood this song. "Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind..."

Hmmm, maybe it should start off more something like "should unpleasant experience and distasteful acquaintance be forgot...." but I guess that wouldn't flow as well.

As much as I believe in learning from our mistakes and gaining prospective from our unfortunate experiences, I also feel that leaving these things behind us is entirely necessary to move forward in life.

As you know (or may not know if you are new to reading), these past few months have been a strenuous ordeal, physically and mentally. I have been going through rather unfortunate and unexpected health concerns that have truly put a spin on my life.

I can't begin to express how grateful I am for all of your support while I take a little time away from blogging. I miss sharing my life everyday; however, there comes a point where your life and health becomes selfishly consuming for good reasons, and one must take full concern of this on top of all else.

Even though I don't have all of the answers quite yet, I would like to share just a taste of what has been going on. Many of you know that I have been battling a rare infection as a result from a disastrous wisdom teeth extraction. Well, in the midst of recovery from this infection, I have discovered another more serious ailment that has developed in my body. Through multiple serious side effects from numerous antibiotics, it appears as though my body may have developed or already have had a colitis disease.

I am in the "testing" phase at this point and I have not been fully diagnosed, but from my symptoms, history, and heredity, there is strong belief that I may have Crohn's Disease or a form of this.

In all honesty, this does not surprise me and actually comes at a more enlightening understanding on as to why my body operates the way it does. I think the hardest part at this point, is not knowing. I am a realist and pragmatic and I don't believe in sitting back in sorrow over something I have no control over. I just want to know what it is, how to deal with it, and move on.

So, there you have it. I will continue to post and keep updating, but please understand if my presence is a bit sporadic over the next few weeks. Things are a bit overwhelming right now with this, starting a new job, and trying to maintain my overall sanity. Writing and blogging serves as a form of relief and I intend to keep this aspect in my life significantly, I just need to remember to keep it at a hobby and not a priority. Plus, you all have been such a blessing and continue to serve as a incredible support system that I don't know how I could ever be without it.

Okay, but enough of that, back to the good stuff.

It does happen to be a New Day in a Brand New Year after all! Actually, a brand new decade!! Does anyone else find this astonishing?

To commence 2010 on nothing less than a fantastic note, breakfast had to be legendary.

An absolute favorite was made in this new year's honor....


Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

These were actually for Toly. He enjoyed his favorite breakfast and I enjoyed one of mine....

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

If someone were to ask me what was the one thing I would want to eat to begin a new year, it would be Pumpkin Banana Pancakes. (Okay, I lie, it would probably be Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal from The Hershey Pantry, but I digress with the practicality of what is attainable)

Lunch was light because we had early dinner plans at my parents.

After an indulgent night of drinks, snacks, and sweets, I felt the need for much needed antioxidants and rehydration.

SIB (Smoothie in a Bowl) came to the rescue

Lots of spinach, frozen blueberries, Wheat Grass, Wheat Germ, Chia Seeds, and Kefir is the perfect hangover remedy.

Even though I didn't actually have a hangover, I am sure this would do the trick.

Also nibbled on some veggies with hummus and Mary's Gone Crackers, which actually are quite addicting from being derived from flax seeds, brown rice, quinoa, and sesame seeds and for being Wheat and Gluten-free. They may just be a new favorite of mine.

This snack induced lunch held me over quite well for a few hours and put me at the perfect stage of hunger to prepare for the most fabulous New Years Day Traditional Feast.

Many celebrate this holiday with the quintessential dinner of Pork and Sauerkraut, but in my family, we have developed a different tradition.

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

My late Grandmother's customary English recipe, we make this incredible dinner one time a year, and ALWAYS think of her.

If you have never had Yorkshire Pudding, you are missing out on something sensational. This delicacy is like a fluffy, flaky, popover that takes a lot of prep work but is worth every minute.

The secret is in the batter. One must whip intensely and for quite awhile to obtain the perfect consistency.



Then you pour the batter into the smokin' hot muffin tins that are pre-heated with oil. Working fast!


Carefully watch the puddings so that they don't burn because they cook fast! 10 min tops!

Enjoy the flaky sweet biscuit, drenched in gravy! Amazing, truly these are amazing!

My dad took a different approach on the beef and chose to grill these massive steaks instead...

Along with my "steak" of a grilled portobello mushroom.

This dinner was the most ideal way to start eating this year.

Roasted root veggies, grilled portobello mushroom, green beans and yorkshire pudding

Perfect meal! I love our New Years Day tradition. ;)

Although I don't really believe in making resolutions, I do think that it's a great thing to remind ourselves of certain goals or aspirations that we wish to strive for. For some reason, the start of a New Year never really felt much different than any other day in my life, so I found it silly to make resolutions for myself just because it was the standard. I think we should strive for overall contentment and happiness every single day and I always want to be the very best person that I can be- so, yes, I do have things that I want to make myself more aware of, but on the other hand, I feel that if I were to set these goals for myself and I did not meet them, I would feel like I failed myself. Truthfully, I fail every single day, but I also succeed in so many things too. All I can ask is that my success triumphs my failure, my accomplishments are remembered and my "acquaintances" be forgot.

Here's to 2010!!!!


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9 comments:

  1. agree with the resolution paragraph :) & those biscuits look amazing..that whole dinner does! & i love the pancakes.. inever make them but i shouldd

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  2. Ah, Lauren, I'm sorry to hear about all you've been going through! I hope you will find out one way or the other very soon so you can make adjustments and just move on with life!

    P.S. Your pancakes look fabulous!! :)

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  3. lauren,

    soooo much love to you! health IS #1, and i am praying for you with all my heart that you figure out what is going on. i can only imagine how scary it is, but we are all with ya girl, sending you lots of love and good vibes! if you need ANYTHING, you just give me a holler :)

    happy new year my dear!

    xoxo

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  4. Lauren,

    Good luck with everything and keep your head up...Great post...your pancakes look delish!
    Happy New Year!

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  5. *hug*

    Having a problem identified is always the best first step!

    Blog when you WANT to, not when you feel you should. We'll still be here.

    :)

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  6. Good luck with everything Lauren, I hope it all gets resolved soon! *big hugs*

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  7. good luck with everything, lauren. what's ironic is that the other day my mother-in-law read a comment you wrote on my blog and asked me what your sickness was. she actually has had crohn's disease the last 15 years - she is currently doing really well.

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  8. I'm glad the doctors are at least providing some information/answers to you! I hope the treatments get figured out quick so you can feel back to your old self!! The pancakes look fantastic. Your pancakes are always perfectly browned and shaped- I love it! And what a new years spread!! Happy New Years!

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  9. Ugh I am so sorry to hear about the Crohn's!! My Dad has Crohn's disease and I know it can be very, very unpleasant and difficult to live with, but that with treatment, it is definitely something you can control.

    It sounds like the diagnosis has provided some insight as to why you've been feeling like you have and like I always say, knowing is half the battle!!

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