Waiting Game

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Oh, we played the waiting game HARD today!  We offered on a house last night, heard back, re-offered, heard back, and re-offered again.  Just when I thought all hope was lost, the seller said he’d sleep on it and get back to us tomorrow morning.  I’m not holding out much hope… but we’ll see!

 

I’ve been told this is all a normal part of house huntin’ but BOY – it’s so stressful.  I was on pins and needles all day.

 

Tried my hand at a gluten-free lunch – quinoa, carrots, asparagus, spinach, and chickpeas.  With some creamy balsamic balsamic dressing.

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When people say, “I could never go vegetarian!” I always reply that there are so many meals they eat every day are vegetarian already, and they don’t even realize it!  Perhaps that’s how eating a reduced gluten diet will be… it might be painless (minus the beer issue).  I don’t have to complete eliminate gluten, and I’m not going all the way right away anyway.  Easier transition.

 

Small steps!  Hopefully, little efforts will add up to a healthier and happier me.

 

Cookies for dessert…  I had a few Homemade by Amanda salted caramel sprinkle sticks.  She made them for Tonya and I snagged a few.  

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In the midst of house negotiations, I sat in bed and worked on my book.  I think I finally got tired of Starbucks and park benches.   Needed a change of pace.  Normally, I fall asleep working in bed but it was quite productive.

 

Husband was in charge of dinner – he made a good spread!  A veggie burger, roasted yellow potatoes, steamed red cabbage, asparagus, and broccoli.

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HAPPY FRIDAY, friends!!!!

{ 51 comments }

 

  • Emily June 10, 2011, 10:34 pm

    I hope you get the house you want. Wishing you luck!

    Your lunch looks fantastic. I read your previous post and everything you said really sounded right to me. I get really tired when I don’t have a lot of cooking time, and that is usually because of all the pasta and bread I eat when I’m in a bunch.

  • hippierunner June 10, 2011, 10:37 pm

    Dinner looks so good. I love having a little bit of everything!

  • E. June 10, 2011, 10:38 pm

    Be careful with vinegar – sometimes, balsamic vinegar is not gluten free. A couple of my family members have celiac, and they don’t eat a lot of vinegars.

  • tina June 10, 2011, 10:39 pm

    don’t those cookies have gluten in them? whoops! 😉

    • Caitlin June 10, 2011, 10:40 pm

      hahah yes… i’m not going all the way right away. i need to do more research!

      • tina June 10, 2011, 10:46 pm

        being gluten free is ROUGH! especially if you like bakes goods like me! i just splurged on a chicago diner vegan chocolate chip cookies… at least it was vegan (i’m also dairy intolerant)!

      • Sana June 10, 2011, 11:15 pm

        Don’t ditch the cookies!!!

      • Baking 'n' Books June 11, 2011, 10:47 am

        Nice approach then. I always freak out (I’ve ruined my body!)..:(. Your so much more normal.

        Yeah, a lot of veggie burgers, etc. will have gluten in them too.

        Do you plan to go Completely free?

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) June 10, 2011, 10:39 pm

    Lunch and dinner look amazing! Quinoa is such a great gluten free alternative. I love it! Good luck on the house. My fingers are crossed for you!

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing June 10, 2011, 10:39 pm

    Crossing my fingers that the house still works out!
    I’m loving your veggie filled meals.. My body has been DYING for some!

  • Victoria (District Chocoholic) June 10, 2011, 10:40 pm

    For gluten free bliss, you need to try chickpea chocolate chunk doughballs. Yum.

  • Monika@ Powered by Paprika June 10, 2011, 10:42 pm

    Quinoa makes for such a good grain-

    good luck on being gluten free, I look forward for tips on how to expand my diet more!

  • Carolina John June 10, 2011, 10:47 pm

    Good luck on the house! I know it can be stressful, but once you find one hopefully you’ll be in there for many years to come.

  • Christine June 10, 2011, 10:49 pm

    Veggie burgers are often not gluten free either. My honest opinion is that going gluten free IS a lot like going veggie BUT it is very difficult to do both if you are eating out at a restaurant. Often the GF option is meat and the vegetarian option is a pizza, flatbread, sandwich of some sort. I’m looking forward to seeing your thoughts on this as it is something I find really difficult to deal with! (I’m not a vegetarian but I try to limit meat, which I find difficult to do being very gluten intolerant).

  • Jolene June 10, 2011, 10:50 pm

    I’m still on the fence with quinoa…I’m not in love yet with the flavor yet. Maybe I just need to try a few more recipes?

  • Kate (What Kate is Cooking) June 10, 2011, 10:56 pm

    Whenever someone tells me they can never go vegetarian, I always tell them to go vegan for a week- it makes going vegetarian seem like a piece of cake 🙂 I don’t think I eat THAT many things containing gluten, but I think I would struggle with that even more than meat!

  • Pam @ Spoonful of Fitness June 10, 2011, 10:56 pm

    Waiting is so stressful! I’m waiting on something that’s not necessarily even life changing, like a house purchase, and I’m checking email/phone constantly!

  • Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga June 10, 2011, 10:56 pm

    Patience my dear, patience.

    In real estate, it aint over til the fat lady sings and sometimes she sings just when you thought she had lost her voice 🙂

    If there’s anything having my real estate license and buying and selling plenty of real estate has told me..is expect to be surprised!

    Have my fingers crossed for you guys!!

    🙂

  • Sarah June 10, 2011, 11:13 pm

    I love your attitude to the changes you are making in your food choices:)

  • Khushboo June 10, 2011, 11:23 pm

    Your hubby has quite the hand in the kitchen…such a colorful and fresh-looking spread!

  • Pederson Properties (.com) June 10, 2011, 11:28 pm

    The waiting game is hard – I don’t think that part ever gets easy in real estate, but know this trying process is worth the emotional roller coaster. For every house, there is a special Buyer, and for every Buyer, there is a special house.. Good luck to you and your Husband as you find your future house you two will make a home:)

  • April June 10, 2011, 11:30 pm

    I think there are gluten free beers.

  • katie @ KatieDid June 10, 2011, 11:47 pm

    good luck with the house hunt! It will work out in the end and I’m sure wherever you end up will feel right.
    going gluten free, especially when you don’t feel the symptoms completely, is tough at first. I’m sure as you eliminate it and start feeling better you won’t want to start eating it again! that’s how making the change became easier for me. sometimes random symptoms will disappear that you had no idea were linked to eating gluten too. good luck with the changes!

  • Ashley @ the fit academic June 11, 2011, 12:01 am

    are you still going to have your customary pre-race breakfast before your upcoming tri? Or maybe switch it up to GF bread?

  • maria @ Chasing the Now June 11, 2011, 12:09 am

    Best luck of luck on the house! 🙂

  • Kelsey June 11, 2011, 12:10 am

    Waiting is so tough! Thinking good thoughts for you!! And BTW – your lunch looks so good!!!

  • Jessica June 11, 2011, 12:37 am

    I don’t know what the market is like where you are at, but isn’t this supposed to be a buyer’s market? I felt like we didn’t command in negotiations nearly as much as I thought we would. Although we only had to counter-offer once, we started by offering asking price…CRAZY PEOPLE!

    • Susan June 11, 2011, 2:54 am

      I felt the same way! We got lucky that the sellers accepted our offer, but the real worry was that the bank wouldn’t accept it since it was a short sale. We offered $14k less than asking, but would have offered less if it hadn’t been a short sale. But since short sale offers take so long to get a response on, we didn’t want to take a chance the bank would reject our offer and then we’d have to wait even longer.

  • Jumanah (Healthy Living in the Middle East) June 11, 2011, 4:05 am

    I hope the seller will accept your offer! Waiting is so STRESSFUL!

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin June 11, 2011, 7:13 am

    I hope today brings some good news about the house!

  • Carol June 11, 2011, 7:37 am

    Fingers are crossed for you!! Yes, waiting is all part of the game:) Remember: everything happens for a reason:)

    Glad you were able to try a GF lunch which seemed similar to something you might eat regularly.

  • Cait @ Beyond Bananas June 11, 2011, 8:40 am

    Ahh. Playing the bidding/counter offer game can be really tough! Hope that the seller accepts! 🙂

  • Lee June 11, 2011, 8:44 am

    We went back and forth a few times too. If the seller’s don’t come down enough on price, see if you can get them to pay for other things like closing costs. That might help. Good luck!

    I was at a bar last night that had a gluten free beer. Not sure if it’s any good, but they do exist.

  • Molly @ RDexposed June 11, 2011, 8:47 am

    Salted caramel sprinkles sticks?!! Oh my!
    And rock on with the RGF diet. You have my respect!

  • Kris June 11, 2011, 9:00 am

    Good luck on the house. Whatever way it goes, the right house will be there for you! Have a great weekend!

  • Jenny @ Fitness Health and Food June 11, 2011, 9:02 am

    Best wishes for the negotiations! 🙂

  • Jen June 11, 2011, 9:52 am

    I can’t get over how cute the meals are that your husband makes. I suppose a knowledge of health is part of the whole vegetarian/acupuncturist husband package!

    And I don’t know if I’ve ever said this to you before, but I really admire how moderate you are. It’s no wonder you live such a happy lifestyle (from what I can gather on the blog). You eat a superhero-status healthy lunch, and then have cookies too. I love it! I think moderation is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen June 11, 2011, 9:57 am

    good luck with hearing back on the house!

  • Kathleen June 11, 2011, 10:54 am

    Going gluten free is rough, but once you get the hang of it, you realize that most of the stuff that you already eat really IS GF. And when it comes to baked goods…. you just need to invest in a bunch of GF flours and a kitchen scale. It’s more time consuming to make your own cookies and bread, but it’s fun! I feel like a mad scientist in front of my kitchen scale mixing flours from 5 different jars 🙂

  • Christine June 11, 2011, 12:57 pm

    I read somewhere that some dogs can sleep up to 20 hours a day!

  • Rebecca June 11, 2011, 6:01 pm

    Good luck with the house–the back & forth and waiting is the hardest part.
    I eat mostly gluten free because I try to avoid flour. I don’t have Celiacs and I am not allergic to wheat, but I started to eat flourless (as much as possible) after reading Plan D-the Antidiet by Dee McCaffrey. I could not believe how great I felt. I used to have a lot of acid reflux and get bloated. Not anymore. When I eat pasta, I use brown rice pasta from Trader Joe’s. When I eat bread, I use Ezekiel bread or english muffins. I also started drinking gluten free beer (New Grist by Lakefront Brewery, which is local for me in WI) because I found I got pretty bad headaches from even one glass of wine. I do allow myself treats & try not to make myself crazy if I really have no flourless options, but I work hard to stick to it. Good luck with your changes! Once you get used to it and find some good recipes, it gets easier.

  • Rebecca June 11, 2011, 6:27 pm

    PS-I hope you find you do ok with oats. Oats and oat bran will be great ingredients if they don’t bother you. (I replace flour with oat bran in muffins, etc.) And another plug for GF beer–Although I usually buy New Grist because it’s local, it’s a little on the sweet side. Bard’s is made in NY (or somewhere east??) and tastes a little more like a regular beer.

    • M June 11, 2011, 7:08 pm

      Oh,oat bran sounds a good alternative to oats.
      I happen to buy a gluten free bag of oats by Bobs Red Mill-
      bet you would enjoy that Caitlin.I eat mine with a
      some chopped up dried apricots and sometimes some toasted slivered almonds-yum!

  • Katherina @ Zephyr Runs June 11, 2011, 6:36 pm

    Dinner looks awesome!! I agree about the gluten free diet – it’s probably easier than it seems, and it’s just a matter of experimenting with some staples!

  • lynne @lgsmash June 11, 2011, 7:53 pm

    i’m not sure if someone already posted this (i’m sure they have) but there are gluten free beer varieties available! i tried a 6 pack of New Planet (CO beer) out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised at the taste! it’s different from a ‘real’ beer but definitely a comparable alternative.

  • Kelly June 11, 2011, 9:33 pm

    Believe it or not, gluten free beers exist!

  • Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me June 11, 2011, 10:25 pm

    Yum that lunch looks divine! I absolutely love quinoa and can’t wait to experiment more with it.

  • Lacey @ Lake Life June 12, 2011, 1:44 pm

    Waiting is the worst! I love your point of view that we (non-vegetarians) already eat a lot of meatless meals. So true!

  • Jessica June 12, 2011, 1:58 pm

    I’m more of a liquor & wine girl myself, but just wanted to mention that Woodchuck (and a lot of other ciders) is gluten-free “beer” – it’s not BEER beer, but it’s still pretty good. Good luck – on both the gluten-free and the house!

    • CaitlinHTP June 12, 2011, 3:46 pm

      I heart ciders so that’s a good thing!

  • Kierstan @ Life {and running} in Iowa June 13, 2011, 9:46 am

    Making offers on houses is so nerve racking! When we were looking I laid awake in bed many nights and cried my fair share of tears. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end and we have a house that we (mostly) love!

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