25 Things: Go Gluten-Free! Part 1: Preparation

I am going to spend a month (October 1-October 31) eating gluten-free.  I decided to do this because it is pretty trendy right now and I want to see what all the fuss is about, plus I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds.

So, what is gluten anyways? Even a lot of people who don't eat it don't know what it is, as evidenced by this video made by Jimmy Kimmel Live.


According to Wikipedia, "gluten is a protein composite found in wheat and related grins, including barley and rye, [which] gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture."

Not eating gluten for a month is going to be a HUGE challenge for me.  My diet is very based around carbs, including lots of pasta and bread in the form of sandwiches, wraps, and crackers.  My first step is to find out exactly what I can and can't eat.
-Nothing made with traditional wheat flour.  This eliminates pastas, couscous, cereal, and breads (including flour tortillas) aka my lifeblood.  Also, nothing breaded - pretty much nothing fried.
-No beer or anything cooked in beer.
-No soy sauce.
-Check packaging of soups, teas, processed meats (cold cuts, hot dogs, etc), sugar, coffee, and salad dressings.

So, what CAN I eat?
-Corn-based versions of things normally made with wheat flour, such as cornbread, corn tortillas
-Rice and quinoa
-Things made with alternative flours (rice flour, quinoa flour, millet flour, sorghum flour, amaranth flour, etc.)
-Oats and oatmeal that is labeled as being gluten-free
-Nuts, coconuts, and beans including chickpeas
-Potatoes and sweet potatoes
-Jams and jellies

From what I read, it seems like I have to eat a lot of fresh produce, which should be really great for me anyways.  I can continue to eat plain meat (not processed, ie. chicken breasts, steaks) and eggs.  I can also use plain tofu as a protein source.  Some sources suggested to substitute potatoes for bread to satisfy cravings for starches.  Keep rice as a base for meals rather than bread.  I can eat plain yogurt, which normally I hate, but may be bearable with added fresh fruits or jam.  Most cheeses are still allowed, but I need to check the packaging to make sure.  Substitute wraps made with corn or brown rice tortillas, or lettuce.  I'm going to stick with wines in terms of alcohol consumption, with possible forays into unflavored liquors if I get tired of wines or there is not a good selection available.  While gluten-free products such as breads are available, apparently they taste really different, and it is recommended to wait two weeks before trying any of these products to let your taste buds adjust.

Note: I got a lot of this information from this website:  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/p/how-to-go-g-free.html  Just want to credit them properly!

Since it seems like I'll be subsiding mostly on fresh produce (yay!), I also decided to take a look at what is in season this month, so I can hopefully not spend my entire hard-earned stipend on organic strawberries.  Here's what the Produce for Better Health Foundation says is in season in fall and year-round.

Off to the grocery store I go! I'll post again with how things are going in about two weeks - half-way through my month-long challenge.

25 Things: Update!

So, almost two years ago, I decided to do a project on this blog called 25 Things to do before I turn 25.  As the name implies, I made a list of 25 things to try that I had never done before that I wanted to complete before my 25th birthday.  You can check out that original post here. Well, here it is, almost 2 years later - I will turn 26 on November 30, 2014 - and there are still a large number of things on that list I still haven't completed, and some things I have done that I haven't blogged about.  Some of the things I didn't complete because I didn't have an opportunity to (such as go to a casino or walk the length of Broadway in New York), and others I didn't do out of laziness (like watching Star Wars and getting a manicure).  I still like this idea a lot - I always find myself sinking into the monotony of everyday life without some fun new activities to spice things up.  So, I have decided to try a list of 27 Things Before 27! But to start this on my birthday this year, I want to finish up as many of the things from the original list as possible.

Here is the list of the remaining activities on my list from two years ago:

2. See the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I'm planning on doing this over Thanksgiving break with some friends from high school.

3. Watch all six Star Wars movies.  Instead of my usual habit of having junky tv on in the background while I'm puttering around the house, I'll try to watch one of these per day for a week.

4. Get a facial.  Spa treatments can be expensive, but I'm going to save up my money and hopefully get this sometime in November.

5. Play paintball.  This is one of the things I think I won't be able to accomplish before the end of November.  I don't know anyone who likes to play, my friends aren't interested in accompanying me to play, and it's way more expensive than I expected.  Also, one of my close friends said it really hurts! So I'm not sure I want to do this anymore anyways.

7.  Try a gluten-free diet for a month.  As you can see from the title, I'm about to start this month right now! I would have started in September, but I was concerned about messing with my diet with some important performances coming up.  Once my recital is done, I will start (on September 30) and I'll end on October 29.

8.  Attend a service at a Unitarian church.  This is easy enough... I'm planning on doing this on this coming weekend.

10.  Do yoga.  I purchased a Groupon for a yoga studio, so after my recital, when I will have much more free time, I'm going to take advantage of that.

11. Eat lobster.  I actually already did this, in August 2013, so I just have to write it up.

13. Set off a firework.  I did this in July 2013 as well!  Blog post, here I come.

14. Do 100 push-ups.  There is a program online on how to do this, and it says it will take 7 weeks.  I'm going to start this next week as well.

16. Go to a professional conference.  This is another one that I don't think I can accomplish before my birthday this year, simply due to the scheduling of the upcoming conferences.  However, I still would like to do this, so I think this will carry over into my next list of things to try!

17. Get a manicure.  This is easy and cheap.  Why haven't I don't it yet?!

19.  Go to a casino.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize how difficult this would be when I put it on my list.  The problem is that I didn't get a car until last August, so I couldn't get to a casino.  Then, it turns out that here in Georgia, casinos are outlawed.  I would have to drive at least 5 hours to get to one, and I don't really have the time or money to do that.  But I would still like to do it, and I think I can on a trip that I'm planning soon, so I think it will be on my next list as well.

20.  Keep a thankfulness journal.  Another fairly easy one that I was too lazy to do.  I'm going to do this during the whole month of November.

23.  Use a menstrual cup.  I have done this one, but I need to write a blog post about it.  I've been avoiding it due to the personal nature of the subject, but I should find a way to write about it without giving TMI to any random person who might be reading this.

24.  Walk the full length of Broadway.  Again, this is one I wasn't able to do since I didn't have a full day free in NYC since I made the list.  Again, one I would still like to do, so look for it on the next list as well.

25.  Try a juice cleanse.  From what I've heard, these cause... uhm... intenstinal distress... so I have to find a time when I can be at home pretty much the entire three days.  Also, after doing a bit of research, they are SUPER expensive! Gotta save some money... and knowing myself I'll be extremely HANGRY the entire period... so I will do this in November, but I had to carefully schedule it.  Hopefully nothing will come up last minute to mess up my plan...

So watch for new posts about these things in the upcoming weeks!  Thanks for reading, if anyone is...

Summer, part 2

My summer was so crazy and full of different activities! I'll cover what I did in 4 separate posts.
Part 1 - Oregon
Part 2 - Colorado
Part 3 - Germany
Part 4 - France and Germany again
----

I was in Colorado to participate in a summer music festival called the National Repertory Orchestra (NRO).  It was probably the most intense one I've ever done.  We played an average of 2.5 concerts per week, all with different repertoire.  I definitely grew a lot musically, but of course I made time to have some fun as well.

One of my favorite things about being in Colorado was being surrounded by such amazing natural beauty, once I got used to the 9,000 foot elevation.  At the beginning the elevation and dryness made playing difficult, but I soon got used to it.  In fact, afterwards, when I was in Germany, it was amazing how well I could play! Sadly, though, the effects of the elevation only lasted a few days after my return to sea level.

Here I am playing my horn outside - one of my favorite things, but sadly something I can't do often because of bothering neighbors, extreme temperatures, or other reasons.

This is at Lake Dillon, where we played an Independence Day concert.

I also got to do some hiking.  I'm most proud of one hike, Mt. Elbert, which is a 14-er (a Colorado term for a summit with elevation over 14,000 feet).  I felt bad from the beginning of the hike, due to the elevation and being fairly out of shape, but nevertheless, I kept going, without distractions of other people or music to keep me going.  I even ran out of water partway through, but I forced myself to continue.  And I made it to the top!

I also went on a few solo hikes near the town where we were located.





I had some fabulous colleagues that also made it a summer to remember.  This is another member of the horn section.
































I really really loved my roommates.  Excuse the dark and blurry picture full of red-eye - this is the only photo we took all together!


Maybe this is the reason we all got along so well:




































Our house hosted a party for the final match of the world cup.  It was so intense when it went into overtime!
One of my other colleagues and I made this video during a rehearsal for a pops concert.


It was really musically inspiring to play with such great people!  We played Strauss' Ein Heldenleben with members of the Breckenridge Music Festival.  It was really cool because one of my friends from undergrad plays in BMF, so it was a mini-reunion of sorts! Here are the combined horn sections:


Thanks to the generosity of friends with cars, I was able to take a few little side trips as well.  I went to Fairplay, the town the TV show South Park is based on!  As a super-fan, it was a life-altering experience.




A few friends and I also went to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra at Vail,

Altogether, I had a wonderful time at NRO this summer.  I would love to return if possible, but the festival has a one-summer-only policy for all wind players.

After a very late night and a very early morning, I was en route to Germany!