Wegmans

Or, as Stephen and I fondly call it - WEGUHMINS!!!! Yeah, we get kinda silly and excited when we see or even just talk about Wegmans. I've always known that I loved Wegmans. Back when I could eat everything, it was amazing just because it had great food, great options, great prices, and a great store.

But, since restricting my diet, my love for Wegmans has grown in leaps and bounds. They have consistently had every crazy, weird, I-can't-believe-I'm-eating-this food item that I've needed, and at better prices than anywhere else. And they stock Whole-30 approved (read: sugar-free) bacon. This changed my life. Seriously, you try looking for sugar-free bacon, and you'll understand pretty quickly.

Wegmans has become my foodie-safe-place. My I-know-I-can-find-something-to-eat place. My save-money-and-eat-well place.

Most recently, Wegmans became my save-the-anniversary-date place. Because when the ONE restaurant that has a dessert you can eat is randomly closed with out warning, it's a big deal. Like, I legitimately almost started crying over it.

Wegmans to the rescue with coconut-milk ice cream!!!

Guys, it was SO GOOD. It tasted like a super chocolatey coconut macaroon, in ice cream form. And the texture was perfect. In fact, it was so good that Mr. I Can't Live Without Dairy kept trying to steal it from me, even though he had his very own pint of Ben and Jerry's Coffee Toffee Chunk ice cream.

Yeah, it was that good.

So, thank you Wegmans for saving our date night and making me fall in love with you all over again!

A Fresh Start

This poor blog has been so neglected; this past week I was inspired with a way to bring it back to life. It'll require some honesty on my part, and I'm not terribly great at sharing personal struggles. But I think this is important.

This year has been a crazy one for me health-wise. Long story short, after months full of doctors, my own research, experimenting with my diet, and wisdom from others, I find myself dealing with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For those unfamiliar with IBS, it basically means that my stomach is damaged, and therefore very sensitive, and it needs to heal.

What this means is no dairy, grains, or legumes, and limited sugar for an indefinite amount of time. I've been doing it for a while now, and it has been so good for me! Even though I'm still not healed, I have expanded my cooking skills and food horizons and I'm eating such delicious food now.

But still......this means I can't go out to eat just anywhere. It means I can't count on there being food I can eat at a party or a picnic. It means I have to bring my own food, to pretty much everything. And that's hard. So, that's why I wanted to start this blog.

First, I hope to be able to help others. A BIG reason why I've been able to do this as easily as I have is that so many others have done it before me. I basically just have to search for a paleo version of whatever I'm craving, and someone out there has figured it out. Others have lived on a restricted diet, and even flourished, and so I can, too. So hopefully this blog will encourage others that they can do it, too! I hope it encourages YOU. To take charge of your health. Or to find the joy in your trial. Or even just to try a new recipe today.

But also, this is for me. I want this to be a place and reason to celebrate. To celebrate all the yummy things I CAN eat. To find joy in things that make me happy. Thus the name - looking for the gold lining. By the way - did you know that in Sweden their clouds have GOLD linings instead of just silver linings? I think the rest of the world is selling themselves short by only looking for silver linings.

Most of the time, please don't expect tons of writing. I've finally accepted the fact that I like lots of pictures with minimal writing. And it won't be a cooking blog. But, I do want to share recipes that I've tried, and new amazing foods, and all things that make me happy!

So, if you're back after my two-year hiatus, or even if you're new and you've read this far, thanks for sticking around. Let's make this a gold-filled life!