I quit drinking coffee cold-turkey a month ago. Maybe it seems out-of-the-blue, but it’s been an idea niggling at the back of my mind for about a year. Soon after I began seeing a counselor for my anxiety disorder several years ago, she told me that for people who suffer with anxiety even a single cup of coffee can push them over the edge into full-adrenaline, fight-or-flight mode. Seeing as how I brought a full travel mug into every afternoon counseling session I quickly dismissed her.  “Well that may be true, but there’s no way I could ever quit drinking coffee.  Ever.” Then I came back from South Asia last…

My mom made homemade cinnamon rolls for us growing up and they were always delectable, but I had absolutely no interest in learning this skill for myself (you can ask my poor mother: I had almost zero desire to learn anything in the kitchen growing up). Once I moved out on my own, the Pillsbury can from the refrigerator section were good enough for me. But in South Asia, I suddenly found myself among American girl friends who all made homemade cinnamon rolls for their families. This was intimidating to me.  Yet, never making me feel ashamed of my lack of from-scratch baking skills, these ladies simply rolled out their…

I’ve had this post brewing for months in response to the questions I get, namely, Are you still seeing your nutritionist?, What’s your diet like these days?, Is it working?, Are you still gluten-free? I’ve wanted to talk about food in our household, but I’m glad it’s taken awhile to form my thoughts into words, because time has allowed us to more or less settle into a routine we can all live with.  Now the challenge is to condense it into a blog post you will actually care to read (and if you skip right over this one, I won’t be offended!). So here goes . . . After all our…

Happy Friday! Here’s a little treat for your weekend: my favorite chocolate mug cake. I’ve tried a few mug cake recipes recently and been largely unimpressed. But now I’ve found it. Yum. I’m not gonna lie, I made this four nights in a row. The serving is small, but don’t be fooled: it’s very rich.  And I like to tell myself that because it’s so tiny it’s practically good for me. I tested the recipe on my mom, and she approves! You can take this basic recipe and tweak it to your dietary needs/preferences like I did. Without further ado . . . Julie’s Favorite Chocolate Mug Cake 2 Tbsp…

p.s. it must be mentioned that every component of tonight’s calzones: mozzarella, ricotta, dough, and sauce, were homemade.  david’s first cheese-making project was a raving success!  it must also be mentioned that i am a die-hard lover of coloring books, just like my girl.  happy olympics, everyone!