Tuesday morning was a mason jar full of green smoothie with berries. It’s that time of year again when my coworkers wrinkle up their faces at the sight of my breakfast smoothie and ask, hesitantly, “What IS that?”

I’m getting more spinach in my diet that they are, so I clearly emerge as the winner in that situation.

Dinner on Tuesday was shared with a great friend after an Uptown run/walk on the greenway. With a red face, I cut up a bunch of veg and we took turns rolling up some sushi.

Our rolls were very simple, but tasty and really hit the spot after getting sweaty.

Wednesday’s breakfast was a piece of peanut butter toast at the house and another green smoothie to enjoy once I got to work. This smoothie was made of spinach, flax, banana and pineapple. To help empty out my freezer, I dropped in two blue popsicles. I love the color this ended up as. So vivid and summery! Think I can get some nail polish in this shade? So pretty.

We had a lunch-and-learn at work, and my department was kind enough to order a special GF pizza for me and the other Celiac in our group. Fuel made us a Riviera pizza, with mozzarella, fresh spinach, sliced tomatoes, artichokes and feta cheese, topped with kalamata olives and fresh garlic. It was amazing. I’m more than a little ashamed how quickly I put away half of a pizza.

Dinner that was international! Two quesadillas, fresh and spicy homemade hummus, and roasted edamame. It was just like I imagined a trip around the world would taste like.

I woke up still thinking about my little quesadillas from the night previous, so I made another for breakfast, this time with mozzarella, green onions (snipped from a bunch I have growing in my kitchen!) and a whole bunch of sriracha. Started my Thursday with some heat!

Another gorgeous smoothie at my desk. Berries and two more popsicles gave some awesome color to this bad boy.

Thursday night’s plan was to get as much cleaning, organizing, and packing done as I could. I whipped up a super-quick meal of quinoa and an Indian-inspired dish from Trader Joe’s. I’m a big fan of these little packets on nights when I’m not feeling inspired or am otherwise in a hurry. Usually, I throw some brown rice in the rice cooker and mix the packet in at the end. They always come out great, and they’re insanely easy.

This particular mix had peas, potatoes, cashews, and my all time favorite: paneer. The sauce is a bit spicy. Very good, and great for a quick meal.

This is a ‘clean out the freezer’ smoothie. All of the fruits I had left went into this jar. Pineapple, banana, cherries, blackberries, and the last of my fresh spinach. It’s a pretty family-friendly color, but it still got sneered at by my coworkers. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Remember how I said last week I had found a new favorite way to prepare zucchini? Scratch that. Baked zucchini chips are my new favorite. Zucchini slices are pressed into a mixture of GF bread crumbs, shredded parmesan cheese, salt and pepper before being baked at a high temperature. They came out crunchy and awesome. Served alongside some creamy homemade polenta, which I think I have finally gotten the hang of. This was a great comfort meal to round out a long week.

This right here is one of my crowning culinary achievements. It was super easy and left me with a major sense of accomplishment. It’s a tiny carrot cake! I cooked this little cutie in a half-cup ramekin and from start to finish, it only took twenty minutes; most of which was time in the oven. Most of these ingredients I keep on hand, so I’m excited to add this recipe to my repertoire. The little cake is just enough to satisfy a sweet craving, but without the obligation of a giant cake sitting in my kitchen for two weeks. So pleased!

After a late morning where I only had time to down a handful of almonds for breakfast, I was more than ready for this lunch. A friend of mine graduated on Saturday morning and afterward, we went out to lunch with her family at Harper’s in Southpark. Their GF menu is extensive, but being that I’m also adding ‘vegetarian’ to my restrictions, there weren’t a lot of options. I ended up with the vegetable plate. I chose roasted seasonal vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, red peppers and onions) with garlic mashed potatoes and Carolina cole slaw. A perfect lunch! Each of these choices were excellent.

Saturday ended up being a busy day. After volunteering, I came home feeling great but very hungry. I quickly whipped up a plate of garlicky green beans, polenta fries, dill pickles and marinated cucumbers. After Friday night’s creamy polenta, I spread the leftovers onto a cookie sheet and refrigerated it overnight. When I was ready for dinner, I sliced up the polenta, dusted it with salt, and baked it for twenty minutes to get these crunchy fries. I had high hopes for the cucumbers, but was let down. Sliced Persian cucumbers that sat in some apple chipotle sauce while I was cooking. I really didn’t enjoy the flavor of the sauce, so most of these went uneaten, and the bottle went in the trash. Overall, though, it was a satisfying meal!

Though I chose to unplug on Sunday, my appliances were still on duty. Simple breakfast of PB+J toast to kick off the day.

After a morning full of work and lounging at the pool, I was wanting more carbs for lunch. And cheese. A non-traditional grilled cheese sandwich with mozzarella and cream cheese with some green onions really hit the spot. I ate it in the doorway while I was airing out my apartment after three small kitchen fires. I don’t want to talk about it.

When my deep-frying plans went awry, I chose to bake my mozzarella sticks. They came out tasting great, but were hardly worth the effort!

What do you know! More carbs for dinner! Sunday was far from a nutritionally balanced day. Jovial brown rice spaghetti with Trader Joe’s three cheese pasta sauce. I was more in the mood for a four cheese sauce, so I added what was left of my homemade ricotta from last weekend’s pasta endeavor. Washed down with a blackberry soda from the grocery around the corner which was very tasty, but contained blackberry pulp. I feel like that goes against the rules of soda.

Sunday was capped off with a cup of my favorite tea in my big orange chair. Ahhhh.

Since I’m all out of smoothie ingredients, Monday began with oatmeal. Steel cut oats made in the rice cooker, drizzled with maple syrup and mixed up with a bit of brown sugar. This will stay with me all morning. I usually prefer oatmeal in the cooler months, but it’s just as satisfying when a Monday morning shows up with 70-degree temperatures.

All I wanted to do when I got home on Monday was spend time in the kitchen. After dropping my bags and shedding my heels, I got right to work on making snack bars to get me through the week.

These are similar to the bars I had at the beginning of the month. Oats, almond butter, maple syrup, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, and flax to glue ‘em together. I did a better job of pressing them this time, so they should hold their shape pretty well. No limp granola bars for me, no sir!

While the bars were setting up in the freezer, I threw some dinner together. This is a cleaning out the pantry and fridge dinner if I ever saw one. Potatoes cooked in butter and garlic, roasted cauliflower with cumin and spices, and french-cut green beans with ginger. Quick and filling.

I found myself feeling bored during the basketball game and put myself back in the kitchen as a remedy. I made some raspberry almond thumbprint cookies that I had seen on Oh She Glows. They’re gluten free, vegan, and flippin’ delicious. I filled half of them with raspberry preserves and the other half with lingonberry jam. I may have had one for breakfast on Tuesday. Shhh. It’s okay.

As I was cleaning up my kitchen and wrapping up my cookies, I had a genius idea. See all that leftover coconut on the parchment? Wouldn’t that be awesome over oatmeal?

Yes. It was awesome. Steel cut oats made with whole milk, brown sugar, and toasted coconut. Wow. So pleased with this idea.

I’m always looking for new tofu recipes. This one from 101 Cookbooks was a real home run, even though I had to adapt it a tiny bit. The tofu came out in a glaze with crunchy edges and a pillowy inside. The mixture of brown sugar, garlic, and cilantro was not something I would have come up with on my own, but it really worked. Over a bed of shredded Brussels sprouts, this meal turned out delightfully. If you’re not intimidated by tofu, you should give it a try!

I had two breakfasts on Wednesday morning in anticipation of giving blood. Right after my workout, while I was still cooling off, I threw my last slice of GF bread in the toaster and smeared it with hummus and avocado. While definitely unconventional, this made an awesome post-workout meal.

When I got to work, I dug into my second breakfast. More oatmeal! This time with shredded coconut and some mini white chocolate chips from Caribou. These didn’t add a lot of flavor, but the small amount of sweetness was just enough.

There’s no scientific evidence to this, but I have to call the fact that I ate two breakfasts a winning combination because after being refused time after time, I was able to give blood! My red cell counts are doing great! I had some success about a year ago, but since then I’ve been turned away from each blood drive I’ve walked into. Looks like my diet and lifestyle changes have me pointed in the right direction! Eeee!

To make a great morning even better, I was able to have lunch with my pal Michael. We met up at Nothing But Noodles, where I got the gluten-free version of the Southwest Chipotle noodle bowl. It was creamy and spicy and messy to eat. Let’s be honest, though. Any meal is going to be fantastic with hugs before and after.

I could only manage a small dinner after that giant bowl of noodles. Half of a twice-baked sweet potato, with chickpeas, green onions, garlic, sour cream, and mozzarella. Not a bad way to round out the week!

Going back and looking, there have been a lot of varied eats this month! One more week left!

Number 62: Be a vegetarian for a month. Twenty three days down, eight days to go. Nine days until I eat some shramp.

Between that and my unhealthy draw to reality television (the trashier the better!), I find myself bound to devices through most of my day. I was more than due for a break.

After volunteering on Saturday, I surveyed the next day coming. I didn’t have any solid plans. I had a lot of things I needed to take care of around the house. Sunday’s weather was looking to be iffy. And there was no basketball game on that night. (Go Celtics!)

I couldn’t think of a better day to unplug.

Saturday night, I texted Mama Shum to let her know I’d be mostly unreachable for the day. Can’t have my mother worrying about me.

I shot off a quick message to the Twitter fam and informed them of my plan. Then, at 10:30pm on Saturday night, I turned off my phone.

Gasp!

For good measure, I turned off and unplugged my television and my iMac.

I woke up on Sunday around 8am, which is standard for my sleep-in days. Usually I’ll lie in bed and catch up on the night’s tweets, or I’ll make my way downstairs and watch Sunday Morning on CBS, because I’m an old person.

I got out of bed and went downstairs, standing in the middle of my living room, trying to decide what I was going to do. I had planned to take out my recycling later in the day, so it was a perfect time to read the magazine that had been languishing on my ottoman. When I had finished it, it could leave the house.

I plunked myself onto the couch and leafed through the mag. I made myself some peanut butter and jelly toast. These were the first of a number of accomplishments.

I took out my recycling. It had been awhile. So many Trader Joe’s bags.

I dug out my reusable shopping bags so I don’t have to take out bags of bags to the recycling anymore.

I took four trips to the dumpster.

I filled up my car with windshield washer fluid.

I lotioned up and laid by the pool with my book. Through the course of the day, I read 112 pages. I’m almost to the halfway point in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

I met a slug.

I salted the slug.

I felt really bad about salting the slug.

I swept my kitchen floor.

I made myself a cheesy lunch.

I started three small kitchen fires.

I found out what my smoke detector sounds like.

I ran the dishwasher.

I ate two popsicles. A green apple one and a ‘mystery flavor’ one.

I read the joke on one of the popsicle sticks. Forgot about the first one.

I took a nap on the couch.

I emptied out and cleaned two of my three bathrooms.

I emptied out and cleaned two of my five closets.

I took an amazing shower.

I walked to the grocery store and bought myself a fancy soda.

I did two loads of laundry.

I made a cheesy dinner.

I emptied and cleaned out eight of my fourteen cupboards.

I primed a giant canvas I plan on repainting.

I packed five boxes for my upcoming move.

I took the time to brew some sleepy tea while I reflected on my day.

On a typical Sunday, I never would have gotten this much done. I would have gotten wrapped up in a Jersey Shore marathon and battled back and forth on Words With Friends. I would have packed maybe two boxes. I wouldn’t have cooked both lunch and dinner. I wouldn’t have gotten so much cleaning done. I wouldn’t have made myself tea, even though that has become one of my favorite things to do. I wouldn’t have learned so many things about Steve Jobs. Imagine all the things I could have completed if I wasn’t about to move!

I felt awesome about my day. It was a perfect balance of productivity and relaxation.

I don’t plan on making this a weekly thing, but I do hope to instate a monthly day or two of disconnect. It was a definite change of pace. More than once, I’d find myself standing in the middle of a room, thinking of what I could do next. Usually I’d just grab my phone and update myself until I felt the need to do something else.

I was away from the world until 6am on Monday when my alarm went off.

And then I spent twenty minutes catching up on what had happened the day before.

Number 17: Be completely disconnected for a full 24 hours. Check. Oh man, did it feel good.

I’ve stuck by him for about five years now. I believe in him and I think he’s looking out for people like me.

During his campaign in 2008, I proudly wore my Obama t-shirt and displayed my campaign magnet on the fridge. I handed out voting guides at my school. I convinced friends to become campaign donors. After the election, I even wrote my senior thesis about the Obama campaign.

Yeah, my guy won. But four years have passed, and a lot of people have lost their enthusiasm that drove his victory in 2008. It’s looking especially dicey in North Carolina, even though the Democratic National Convention is about to take place here.

I knew I wanted to do something more to support the President’s reelection.

I’ve been getting emails from the campaign, local organizers, and independent action groups for months and months. I never really knew how or where to be a part of it. Now that we’re getting down to the wire, volunteer opportunities are presenting themselves left and right.

When I got this email, I knew I had to sign up. It was taking place less than five minutes away from my apartment. I had no excuses.

I showed up at the ReStore a few minutes early and it took me a bit to find where I was supposed to be.

A simple command post was set up on the edge of the parking lot. This is where I’d be trained.

I really had no idea what I’d be doing that afternoon. Would I be calling people? Sitting at a booth? I quickly learned that I would be put on a small team and we were going around town, talking to unregistered voters and getting them to sign up.

The trunk was full of clipboards, water bottles, pens, and voter registration forms. At first, there were six of us. We were each given a clipboard holding a stack of forms and were taught a brief script that we would approach people with. Our organizers, Pat and Laura, broke us into groups and sent us on our way. I was set up with two women, Crystal and Alicia, and sent to a new nearby Walmart to wrangle people in the parking lot.

We split up to cover more ground. At first, I was pretty nervous. I’m pretty shy in real life. I was going to have to set that aside if I wanted to make any progress today.

I waited for shoppers to get close to where I was standing and would ask them, “Are you registered to vote?” I got a lot of people putting their hand up and waving me off. I began to feel discouraged.

After about 50 rejections, I wasn’t about to take it lying down. I broke out of my quiet Shum shell and started to walk right up to people instead of waiting for them to approach me. I spoke loudly and made sure to begin with a smile.

Quickly, I found myself surprised at the amount of people that would actually stop in their tracks instead of continuing on their plan to buy goods at low prices. A few people had brief conversations with me. I was getting fewer people blowing me off, and more people thanking me and wishing me a nice day.

The experience was already more pleasant, but I still wasn’t registering anyone. Those I talked with were either already registered, or liars. I had a few people tell me they weren’t legally able to vote. I had one gentleman bluntly tell me that he was in the country illegally. I lost count of the amount of folks that told me, “no English.”

Before, I was only catching people on their way in, figuring that on their way out, they have their hands full and they’re not going to stop and fill out a form. I threw that out the window, too.

I made a friend who was standing at the same store entrance and was trying to give out his business card since he had recently opened a barbershop nearby. He kept me laughing while I was getting rejected from passers-by.

I saw a guy about my age coming out of the store. I sidled up to him. “Hey, how’s it going today?”

“Good, thanks. How are you”?

“I’m doing well. Are you registered to vote at your current address?”

“I am.” I was about to spout my rejection line I’d already perfected (“Glad to hear it! Have a good one!”). “Er, wait. Not at my current address.”

He put his shopping bag in the crook of his arm and reached out to take my clipboard. I was doing cartwheels, on the inside.

Not far behind him, his friend came out of the store and asked what he was doing. I explained and asked him, too. He was willing to wait, and would sign up as soon as his friend had finished.

I was ecstatic.

While the second young gentleman was completing his registration, Crystal and Alicia came up to me and explained that the security guard had asked us to leave.

I snapped a picture with my first two newly-registered voters and we headed back to our command post to be reassigned.

I met up with a new volunteer, Robyn, and we made our way to the Wendover Road Shopping Center.

This was a very different experience than the Walmart challenge. There were too many people to ask everyone there, whereas here it was slim pickings.

Two other volunteers were already here. I got to meet Andrew and David, who had both done this before and were full of useful information and tips.

I began seeking out recently parked cars and started walking with people through the lot to the storefronts, talking the whole way. Again, lots of people who were already registered or people who were lying to me about being registered.

One (clearly inebriated) woman told me she couldn’t register yet because she is “a fuckin’ convicted felon.” Alright.

I did get one other man to register while half of his group went shopping. While he was filling out the form, he asked who I voted for in the last election. When I gave him my answer, he asked if I regretted my choice.

Surprisingly enough, this was the most hostile encounter I had (other than one woman glowering at my question and telling me that she was 47 years old, as if that answered my query). I heard some horror stories from other volunteers, but my experience was overwhelmingly positive.

By afternoon’s end, I had registered three voters. From the small group I had the pleasure of meeting, in our two hour block, we had registered 25 people. This is just in a two-mile radius over two hours!

Sure, they may not all be on my side. I feel great about it, regardless. I met some excellent people that I likely would not have had the opportunity to meet in any other situation.

When we got back to “the base,” I turned in my forms and Laura gave me a big hug and thanked me for my service.

I felt awesome.

I got to meet Tariq Smith, the guy who had organized and hosted the event. I shook his hand and made sure he had my contact information, because I fully plan on doing this again.

Number 74: Volunteer during the 2012 presidential election. Check. Obama 2012!

I have been drawing on Pinterest and my Twitter fam and I’ve found some really great recipes. Being that I don’t eat a lot of meat anyway, I’m finding myself surprised that I never really had any go-to vegetarian recipes on hand, besides fried rice. I’m learning a lot about meal planning, whereas before I would grab whatever was in the fridge. I’m putting a little more thought into what goes well together, and what has a better nutritional profile. Or at least, I’m trying to.

Week two started off unceremoniously with one of my favorite breakfasts: two eggs and buttered GF toast.

So good. Never fails. I think one of the best things in life is to sop up a runny egg yolk on some lightly toasted bread. It’s the simple things, you know? Don’t forget the salt.

Lunch was reheated quinoa mac and cheese at my desk. This may taste even better after sitting in the fridge overnight. I’ll be adding this recipe into my lineup, for sure. Really tasty and healthier than its comfort food moniker may lead you to believe.

I had been looking forward to this dinner for days! After another sweaty bike ride, a friend and I mixed up a Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free pizza crust and made an awesome white pizza with it. That’s olive oil, mozzarella, spinach, garlic, and homemade ricotta cheese on top! On the side, beautiful homemade sweet potato fries and a smattering of kale chips. I like to think the colorful vegetables cancel out the abundance of cheese. That ramekin on the side has brown sugar cinnamon sauce for dipping the fries in. It was also super tasty when I dunked my pizza crust! It’s like dessert built right into the dinner.

Not that I would let that stop me from having dessert, of course. A fat, toasted slice of my banana bread with some Earth Balance while I watched my favorite basketball team lose on Tuesday night. For shame.

In trying to empty out my pantry, dry goods have got to go! Heaping bowl of Panda Puffs for breakfast on Day 9. What I really wanted for breakfast was cold pizza, but there’s plenty of room for that at lunch!

I didn’t get home until 8pm on Wednesday, so I needed something that wouldn’t take long to put together. Pinterest to the rescue, again!

I had pinned this recipe for Quick Chickpea Curry earlier in the week. I surprised myself by finding a can of garbanzos in the back of my pantry; I thought I only had dried beans left. Super easy recipe: can of chickpeas, 1/2 an onion, curry powder, ground cloves, cinnamon, minced garlic, vegetable broth, and some ketchup (?) simmering in a pan until the sauce is reduced. 15 minutes later, and I had a steaming, spicy bowl of curry warming my hands on the couch. Perfect way to wrap up a hectic day.

Thursday morning found me in a mad rush. I was fantasizing about an egg on toast, but there was just not enough time, so I blended up another green smoothie while I brushed my teeth. One of my uglier concoctions, sure, but with spinach, almond milk, flax, banana, pineapple, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, this smoothie was full of goodness. Really hit the spot. Green smoothies make me feel like I start my day off right.

Mid-morning snack was a homemade fruit and oatmeal bar with cranberries, raisins, coconut and almond butter. Totally making more of these sometime soon.

I was craving something sweet all through my workday, so as soon as I got home, I got to work on some cookies. These oatmeal raisin delights aren’t just GF, they’re also vegan and sugar-free, which meshed perfectly with the fact that my fridge is almost empty! Great flavor. A little more moist than I prefer, but still satisfies the sweet craving.

After Tuesday’s pizza, I still had some GF pizza dough needing to be used, so I made some wicked pizza roll-ups. Brushed some olive oil on the rolled out dough, some minced garlic (because everything is better with garlic!) and some mozzarella. Over that, spinach and diced artichoke hearts. Spinach for breakfast and for dinner! Trying to get my iron levels up. It’s not too difficult to sneak spinach into meals, so I do it whenever I can. I got brave and drizzled some sriracha on about half of the roll-ups. Adds an extra bit of heat! The crushed tomatoes were supposed to go inside, but I forgot until I’d rolled ‘em up, so they ended up poured over the top. Sprinkled some spices and threw these guys in the oven. Perfect basketball-watching meal!

Baked these babies until the cheese on top was bubbly, and ate ‘em like cinnamon rolls. Instead of frosting, though, it’s cheese. Ohhhh.

Friday morning! This week has been a long one. I was so thankful to see Friday roll around! Egg and cheese on toast for breakfast while I caught some morning news.

This dinner was far tastier than this picture might lead you to believe. This mountain is a black bean tortilla pie. Layers of corn tortillas covered with a mixture of black beans, corn, and yellow onion. Cheddar and mozzarella cheese to glue it all together and some green onions on top. A complete mess? Oh, yeah. But it was kind of like a super quesadilla, and if nothing else, it was fun to build.

Saturday morning was an up-and-out. My parents came over to the apartment afterward and I made them waffles before they hit the road on a weekend getaway. Gluten free buttermilk waffles with fresh strawberries and maple syrup! I can’t think of a better way to start the weekend!

That heavy breakfast carried me through much of the day, so I was only interested in picking at food throughout the rest of the day. These are teriyaki rice balls. Pretty much exactly what they sound like. Sushi rice prepared in the rice cooker, pressed together while it was still steaming, and twice-fried in a pan. They make an awesome, easy snack that really fills you up. I’ve been experimenting with cooking methods for awhile now; still trying to perfect my method.

I was in the kitchen early on Sunday to tackle the task of making pasta from scratch. It was an exercise in patience, but I learned a lot in the process and will be able to apply that to the next time I give pastamaking a try.

With a belly full of pasta (and the realization that I hadn’t eaten anything green in awhile) I made a pan full of Brussels sprouts. Many people can’t get on the Brussels sprouts train, and I don’t blame them. I think we all grew up with soggy little cabbages and most of us haven’t enjoyed them like this. Cooked up in some olive oil on the stovetop until the leaves on the inside start to crisp up. At the last second, I drizzle them with balsamic vinegar and toss them around in the skillet to coat. The sprouts will be sizzling loudly. Once the vinegar cooks off, they’re ready. They’re sweet and salty and crispy, and so good for you.

So, yes, I wrapped up my weekend with a bowl full of Brussels sprouts. Yes, I know how glamorous my life is.

But seriously, try cooking sprouts this way.

Monday found me clearing out leftovers and emptying out my fridge. By the time I got home in the evening, I wanted something quick. I put together a delicious summery vegetable plate.  Vegetarian baked beans, zucchini and ginger cooked in non-alcoholic mirin, and cheddar chipotle potato chips with a cold glass of grapefruit soda. For as simple as this was, it really hit the spot. This may be my new go-to method of cooking zucchini. The mirin softened the squash and made it taste sweet, while the minced ginger crisped right up like candy. Really awesome.

So, another week in the books! Halfway through, now. I found myself thinking about thick-cut pepperoni over my weekend, and I’m already missing seafood something fierce. But I really like where this challenge is going!

Number 62: Be a vegetarian for a month. Two weeks down, seventeen days to go.

My best summary about everything gluten-free is that it’s always more expensive and it always takes longer. Making pasta is no different.

Some time ago, my father upgraded his pasta maker to one that hooks up to a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I’ve watched him use it, and it looks like a breeze. When he got this new one, he passed his hand-crank pasta maker onto me. I’d also seen him use this one. It never looked like too big of a deal.

Gluten-free pasta can be really unpredictable. I’ve had some that looks, feels, and tastes just like standard wheat-based pasta. I’ve also had some that comes out gooey, slimy, and mostly flavorless. Because of this, I decided that when I was going to make pasta, I would make ravioli. This way I wouldn’t have to worry about cutting noodles and finding a creative way to store/dry/freeze them.

First step: making the filling. I’ve recently started making my own ricotta cheese, and it makes me feel like a million bucks. I busted out the whole milk again and made a creamy ricotta filling with garlic and Parmesan. While I tackled the noodles, I let the filling come together in the fridge.

Mixing up the pasta dough was pretty simple. Potato flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, xanthan gum, eggs, oil and salt.

Once I had it all mixed, I cut the mixture in half and took to the roller. I started with the widest setting and tried placing the pasta dough in.

Let me interrupt myself and say that I have feelings of hatred for this pasta roller. To fit in its box, the handle has to come off. When you’re going to use it, the handle fits into a little hole on the side, but there doesn’t seem to be any locking mechanism. So, sometimes, while you’re rolling, the handle will just pop out. In addition to this, the handle is actually too long for the machine, so you have to put the roller sideways on the edge of your kitchen counter, or put the machine itself on its own little stand. I used cookbooks, which was not the best idea. The glossy covers kept sliding around on themselves and on the counter and I had to chase the damn roller all over the place. The machine definitely works, but it’s maddening. I’ll be upgrading before I make pasta again.

I flattened out the dough as much as I could with my hands and attempted to roll it out. Four times.

Do you know what this is? This is the moment that I just about gave up. Standing in my kitchen in flour-covered pajamas, sweaty and frustrated, I really wanted to give up and try this one again when I had an extra set of hands.

But I stuck with it. Even though I didn’t really feel like I wanted ravioli for lunch anymore.

I figured I start it the old fashioned way; with a wooden rolling pin.

This ended up being my saving grace. Something about the rolling pin helped the dough to stick together much better, and by the time I put it back in the roller, it looked infinitely better.

I passed the dough through a handful of times, each time bringing the rollers closer together to thin out the noodle. A lot of patience and a few deep breaths later, I was left with a handsome sheet of dough that fit beautifully over my borrowed ravioli tray.

I spooned in some of my homemade filling, and repeated the rolling process for the bottoms of my little cheesy pillows.

Once the bottom layer of dough is draped over the filling, the rolling pin comes back out. Rolling over the ravioli tray helps seal the little guys and separates the edges.

When that’s done, I have ravioli! A dozen of them!

I let them sit for awhile as I made a cream sauce from GF flour, milk, garlic, salt and pepper.

I dropped the ravioli into boiling water and cooked them for four minutes. Fresh pasta never takes long to cook, but I wish I would have given these an extra minute. They were a bit chewy.

On a charming little smear of sauce, I present my homemade ravioli. Homemade filling, homemade pasta, homemade sauce. Like a boss.

The sauce was actually pretty terrible. I won’t use that same recipe again.

But you guys! I made my own pasta! And I ate it. And that makes me proud.

Number 12: Make my own pasta. Check.

Firstly, I don’t really understand running. I don’t know why this is an activity people choose to take part in. To me, it has always seemed like a punishment or a means to an end.

I don’t really have any interest in running anywhere unless it’s away from a bear or toward Robert Downey Jr.

But the thing is, a lot of people seem to really enjoy it. And the bottom line is that I could use some extra fitness in my life.

I thought I’d taken the first steps to achieving this list item some time ago when I quietly began a Couch to 5k program. This is generally a ten-week training plan that combines walking and running with the intent of taking someone who is mostly sedentary (Hello!) and getting them to the point where they can run 3.1 miles.

I made it through the first two weeks of the program without much issue. In fact, I felt like a million bucks. I would set up my intervals on a treadmill and put in 20-25 minutes three times a week. I felt like I was making great progress.

When I started week three, I began with my walking warm-up like I had all the other times. When it came time to start running, both of my knees started screaming. I chalked it up to routine soreness and powered through the workout. After a day of rest, I hopped back on the treadmill and had the same experience. I kept hoping that my knees were just a little tight and that they’d loosen up during the run. Nope.

I could only go for so many runs with painful knees before I decided that I needed to stop. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t a typical training hurdle. After talking to a few savvy friends, I came to the conclusion that I needed some for-reals running shoes. The $27 sneakers I’d picked up at Target for spin classes two years ago just weren’t going to be enough.

I snapped up a Groupon for a local business that specializes in running. Charlotte Running Company has a location in Dilworth, and on a recent Saturday morning, Mama Shum and I dropped in to check out the shoes.

I was given a pair of “neutral” Nike sneakers and invited to go for a short run on a treadmill at the front of the store. A Vibrams-clad gentleman analyzed my gait and told me that when I run, I roll my feet inward. Because of this, I’d need shoes with more support to prevent this from continuing to happen.

I tried on at least six different pairs of sneakers, testing them each on the treadmill. Asics, Adidas, New Balance, Brooks… I ended up finding the best pair for me in the Mizuno Wave Inspire.

These babies are ugly, but they really do the trick.

I took them out for an inaugural run on Saturday evening, braving the heat and coming home with a bright pink face. They felt pretty good.

The day following, my whole body was sore. Well, my whole body, less my feet and my knees. Good sign!

Now that I have these fancy new kicks, I have no excuses anymore. I’ve got to get out there and hit the pavement (and/or treadmill) and put some real effort into it.

It’ll likely be a few months before I check back in with an accomplishment, but I’m working on it. I’d love to hear any running tips you may have.

The goal is for Mama Shum and I to be able to run the Susan G. Komen For A Cure event in October. On our way!

Number 86: Run a 5k. I’ll do it.

I don’t eat a lot of it, especially being out on my own. Nine times out of ten, I just don’t have an interest in cooking meat. I don’t mind handling raw chicken or peeling fatty slices of bacon out of the package. I just usually won’t unless I’m cooking for an occasion.

That’s why I figured putting this goal on my list wouldn’t be a very big deal. Of course, I made the list before my diet became much more restricted based on having Celiac disease. It adds another level of challenge to this item, but I’m not about to let it throw me for a loop.

So far, I’ve completed seven days as a vegetarian. It’s been going pretty well!

During the day, especially if I’m at work, it’s very rare that I bring any meaty treats. Usually I graze on granola, crackers, or fruit. This week has been no different.

My first veggie dinner was awesome. Jovial GF brown rice spaghetti with zucchini and crimini mushrooms. Fresh parmesan grated over. Very tasty and filling.

Other highlights of my first meatless week:

A not-so-green Green Monster smoothie! I loved making these last summer and I’m happy to be making them again. A basic green smoothie for me includes spinach, a frozen banana, and ground flaxseed. This one also had some vanilla almond milk and frozen berries. Really refreshing in the morning.

Menchie’s frozen yogurt. This was a great fruity mix enjoyed after Michael and I threw a bunch of stones in the water. Yogurt on a patio in Dilworth; perfect way to wrap up Day 2 of the veggie challenge.

A boring cereal breakfast on Day 3 was followed with The Laughing Buddha Bowl from Fern for lunch. Across the table from one of my all-time-favorite people, I dove into black rice with chickpeas, kale, red cabbage, and other locally grown veg. Amazing, and enough for me to enjoy it again for lunch on Day 4!

After work on Day 3, I whipped up an awesome bowl of lemony garlic hummus in my food processor. The best batch of hummus I’ve made to date! Scooped with Trader Joe’s edamame crackers while another friend and I cooked veggie burgers.

A grueling, sweaty bike ride left us more than ready to tear into these babies. Homemade burgers made with rice, GF oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, parmesan cheese, red onion, red and yellow peppers, and all sorts of spices. Best veggie burger I’ve tasted, hands down. The texture was perfect. Served with roasted balsamic green beans and mushrooms.

Day 4 kicked off with an almost fluorescent Green Monster smoothie, this time with pineapple. This is probably my favorite combination. It was super creamy and so delicious. The color may be intimidating, but I really recommend giving these babies a try!

Lunch was a repeat of the day before, but dinner was a standout. An out-of-town friend and I usually go out for sushi when he’s in my neck of the woods. A tweet from him made him seem devastated that I wasn’t enjoying meat this month. How were we going to enjoy sushi? It so happens that our new favorite sushi joint, Akahana, has a great selection of veggie sushi and the staff was willing to accommodate my GF needs. I had three rolls, but this one was the best. The Zen roll, tempura flakes omitted, featured cucumber, avocado, and spicy mayo. Absolutely divine. Now that I’m practically a sushi chef, I may have to try this combination at home!

On Saturday, I made an awesome Szechwan beef (without the beef). It was a mixture of brown and sushi rice, carrots, celery, and green pepper, topped with a wickedly spicy sauce made from sriracha, teryaki sauce, oyster sauce, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, and fresh ginger. Mama Shum and I descended on it so quickly, I couldn’t get a picture. So spicy and good! And spicy!

That night, I had plenty of time before my evening plans and was itching to get in the kitchen. Still mostly full from lunch and about to enjoy some popcorn at the movie theatre, I opted to bake up a snack. GF banana bread — my first attempt — that replaces wheat flour with a blend of sorghum, tapioca, and potato flours. The texture of this bread is amazing, and as far as I can tell, it doesn’t taste any different from traditional banana bread. Fresh out of the oven with some Earth Balance, I was very pleased with my baking efforts. It’s even a bit short on vanilla and sugar, since my pantry is running low in anticipation of my upcoming move. Loved it!

Sunday was another day of picking at leftovers in between naps and lounging in the sunshine. I was fully embroiled in a butter hangover from the previous night at the movies, so my eats were mostly dry, in an effort to soak up the shiny oil that coated my fingertips while we watched Pirates: Band of Misfits.

Great movie, by the way. I highly recommend a watch, once you’re bored with your sixth screening of The Avengers.

A slightly pink Green Monster smoothie for breakfast left me plotting dinner through the workday on Monday. I took to my food-centric Pinterest board and whipped up some quinoa mac-and-cheese.

It doesn’t look like much, but it’s really tasty. Since it’s made with quinoa instead of pasta, it’s packed with protein. Plenty left over for Tuesday’s lunch. Yum!

So, week one as a vegetarian is in the books. I’m interested to see what other dishes I can whip up before the month is out!

Number 62: Be a vegetarian for a month. Seven days down, twenty four days to go.

I can learn you all sorts of facts about frogs and toads, and I even know how to make the wartier of the two play dead on command. Sure, I can do that, but I never learned to skip stones.

There was a futile attempt to learn when I was in high school, but all we had were shells and a ten-foot-wide creek. Not proper learning conditions, you know.

I am to the point in my list where I am asking others for help. Several of my items require learning a fact or skill, and it’s fun to bring other people into my 1,001 day project.

I have a high-quality friend named Michael who knows all sorts of stuff. It was only logical to ask him if he had the know-how as it came to skipping stones. Lucky me, he does! We were about due for a hangout, so we met at Freedom Park on the sunny second day of May.

Isn’t he handsome? I just adore the guy.

The first order of business, as any stone-skipper will tell you, is to find the right ammunition. The stones. We had to do some hunting, but ended up with a pretty good selection.

Michael began coaching me on the walk to the lake. We found a spot along the water’s edge where we wouldn’t be disturbing anyone’s evening bask. Such a beautiful place!

We dumped our stone bounty into a pile on the grass, and Michael fired a few to show me how it’s done.

After the watching and the learning, I tried my hand at a few. I am by no means a natural.

I managed to launch one stone that skipped on the water four times, but it was clearly beginner’s luck, and it never happened again.

Most of my stones to follow just plunked into the lake with a big splash.

“You’re throwing like a girl!” Michael hollered at me.

It’s very hard to be elegant, wearing a pink sundress and sensible flats, trying to hunker down and throw little rocks.

Eventually, I used up all the stones we had collected. I felt satisfied with my four-fer, and at least now I actually know the proper technique.

I’m not a pro, by any means, but if I put my mind to it and really believe in myself, I know I could get, like, five skips.

Also, there were ducklings.

Number 3: Learn how to skip stones. Check. I’m a skipper, alright.

Living in a city, I love the moments when I can look up and see the stars, and they’re not obscured by street lights and high rises.

It’s been ages since I’ve been to a planetarium. I had gone a handful of times in elementary school on field trips, and I know I have been to Science Centers with my parents when I was small. It’s likely been at least fifteen years since I’ve been able to look up at a dome covered in delineated constellations and learned about Saturn’s rings.

That count continues, even after visiting the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

I decided to work in a visit there because, conveniently, my favorite local-ish band was playing in Carrboro on Friday night.

Thankfully, my friend Megan lives nearby, and opened her beautiful home to me so I could see Lost in the Trees and avoid a three hour drive home in the middle of the night.

The concert was amazing. I’ve seen this group five times now and they wow me at every show. If they’re ever in your part of town, go see them.

I woke up on Saturday morning and dressed comfortably for my planetarium tour and the drive back to Charlotte. Though I had planned on getting there when the planetarium opened, I hit a snag by leaving my phone charger at Megan’s house and was set back twenty minutes. I hoped I would still be able to beat the crowd.

Not a problem.

I parked for free and made my way in.

The main doors open up to a small gift shop, with laminated signs directing visitors to the exhibits downstairs.

Let me take a quick aside and tell you that college campuses really weird me out. I didn’t go to a traditional university, and my only experiences on campus are from visiting friends or going to small events. Something about the super old buildings and ominous hallways really makes me uncomfortable. This planetarium was clearly not built with this purpose in mind. It was likely an office or classroom building before the exhibits moved in. It wasn’t laid out like a common museum or gallery at all. Instead of finding this interesting, I found it somewhat unsettling. That, and the fact that I was the only person that seemed to be visiting that morning.

I followed the signs to the exhibits.

There was a lot of lead-in to the Zoom In! exhibit. The curved hallway leading up to the room where the exhibit was held had backlit posters that hinted at getting a closer look at science and nature. There room itself was small and had a handful of microscopes set up so kids can look closely at items like rocks and bark. There were a few monitors around, but many of them had signs taped to them with apologetic notes that these screens were currently out of order. There was a “touch tank”-type case with bright blue modeling mucus. Not sure what that had to do with anything, but it was there. I briefly inserted my hands into the long, black rubber gloves and splashed around in it. I don’t think I understood the premise.

On to the next exhibit, right up the hall. Well, in the hall. I thought for sure the case in the hallway was a teaser to much more information about Mercury Astronauts, but I was wrong. This was it.

A button on the wall offered visitors a chance to interact with the small exhibit. A red light blinked behind a slowly spinning disc. That was it. Hmm. You can see it in the far right side of the photo above.

A panel below gave some information about the training that took place for this mission.

I kept waiting for some spacey sounds or a to-scale rocket ship replica, but this was all I got.

I would tell you about the third exhibit in this part of the building, but evidently it wasn’t even interesting enough for me to snap a picture of it, and it has slipped my memory. You’re not missing out on anything.

It seemed that I had seen all there was to see in the lower part of this building, so I made my way back upstairs to the gift shop. By this time, there was a line of children and their parents that I quickly learned was there for a birthday party. The line snaked around the gift shop. I asked a mother what the line was for, and she told me that a show was about to start in the theatre. Ooh!

I asked the ticket attendant what show was about to go on. He replied with something about a Magic Tree House. As I turned to enter, he said that tickets for the show were $7.25 apiece for adults. I could hear the kids chattering in the background. “Level with me, is this a show that all ages can enjoy?”

He told me no, that it was very geared toward young children and it was little more than a short film. I decided to save my dollars.

I told the man, obviously a student who was less than thrilled to man the cash register, that this was my first visit to Morehead and I wasn’t sure exactly how to find my way around the place. He rattled off the names of the three exhibits that I had already seen. “Right,” I said, “I’ve been down there.”

“Well, there’s a show at 11:30. It’s free.”

I checked my phone. 10:27 AM.

“Alright, sure. I’ll go to that. Where are the other exhibits to peruse in the meantime?”

“There are the three downstairs.”

So, wait. I had been at the planetarium for roughly seventeen minutes, and I had already seen everything? Where is the dome? Where is Saturn? Where are the damn dippers?

“You guys don’t have an observation dome or anything?”

“No, ma’am. I would not call our facility extensive by any means.”

I’m not sure they could even call it a planetarium, really.

I was immediately glad that I hadn’t made the trip to Chapel Hill JUST to see the Planetarium. Six hours in the car to see a blinking red light? I would have been livid.

Since I was there, though, I figured I’d stick around for the 11:30 show. It was the Science LIVE! Human Body Test. Not sure how that’s applicable to a “planetarium,” but I digress.

I sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather while I waited. I made a few phone calls to pass the time.

I found my way into the Science Theatre, which looked like at some point it had been a small lecture hall. I looked around, and saw that the young host had noticed my entrance.

“Oh… am I the only one here for the show?”

“Looks like it! Have a seat!”

I parked myself in the second row. The host introduced himself. He had a “K” name that I can’t recall. Kent? Kirk? I’m going with Kirk. Only seems appropriate for a planetarium.

Kirk is finishing up his junior year at UNC. He is wearing a Carolina blue lab coat over a UNC t-shirt. I’m pretty sure he still wears braces. He seems nice enough.

The show was about thirty minutes. I kept hoping more people would walk in, but no one did. I wanted to feel special, but mostly I just felt awkward.

Kirk showed me a handful of optical illusions and described why they work. He moved onto tricks with sound waves and busted out a laser to illustrate the layers of sound in a Michael Jackson song.

I got to answer all the questions and volunteer for all of the demonstrations. Kirk stayed bubbly and enthusiastic throughout. Good for him.

When the show was over, so was my visit. I thought about taking some time to explore the UNC campus, but I was already full of disappointment and just wanted to go home.

So, yes, I did visit a planetarium. I left feeling deflated. I’m going to have to find another one to visit, but for now, I will half-heartedly cross this item off my list.

Number 98: Visit a planetarium. Check. Superlame.

I wouldn’t classify this as a full-on phobia, but for as much as I love going to the beach, there is a large part of the experience that I actively avoid.

I have an aunt who makes a point to jump right in the ocean the second she’s presented with the opportunity. Something about the saltwater on your skin. I’d never done it, so I could only speak to the possibility of plankton in the kooka. And that freaks me right out.

During our trip to Charleston, I had been dying to spend some time on the beach. After our long walk up and down the shore, I had to face the music. I wasn’t sure the next time I was going to be able to have a proper dunk. It wasn’t a now or never situation; more like a now or some other time that I can’t officially determine.

I reluctantly shimmied out of my cover up dress and stood there in my mismatched swimsuit. I hadn’t even tested the water temperature before I made the decision that I was going to go for it. Stupid.

I stepped in up to my ankles, and the water felt frigid. I walked out further. Up to my knees. I was rapidly adjusting to the temperature.

I kept going, and evidently reached a sandbar where the water didn’t get any deeper for at least ten steps. This is only adding to my anxiety.

I noticed that my hands were in fists, up by my chin. Kept moving forward. The water was halfway up my thighs and a small wave rolled in. It crashed on my lower stomach and I winced. Ohh. It’s real now.

I started talking to myself. “I hate this. I hate this,” I said as I soldiered on. I turned around to determine exactly how far out I was. Definitely not far enough to be sucked out to sea in reality, but far enough for my brain to shout the possibility at me and far enough for me to tighten my fists.

The water is up to my ribs now, and the waves are getting larger. They’re not the cute little guys lapping on the sand anymore. They’re big bullies, taunting me for even considering this.

I made the call that when the next wave came, I would sit down and let the water crash over my head. As I saw one coming, I took a deep breath and crouched down only to see that it wasn’t a large enough wave to go any higher than my shoulders. I was whimpering.

Here comes another one. This one looks for real. As I brought my body under the water, I turned so that the water would hit my back and therein hopefully avoid a nose full of salt water.

Well, I didn’t get ocean water up my nose. So there’s that.

But standing up after the wave hit left me standing alone in the ocean without my bikini top.

I felt it happening in slow motion. I didn’t have enough reaction time to pull the top back up where it was supposed to be, but I did have a split second to clutch my breasts in my hands and close my eyes as tight as I possibly could.

I sunk back into the water to give myself another chance to grab my ruffled top and resituate it. As the water receded, I wiped my eyes, reluctant as I was to open them. There weren’t many people on the beach when I made my journey out, but I could imagine a small creepy crowd waiting with their mouths open.

Luckily enough, I only saw Mama Shum within sight distance, though there she was with my camera, as I had asked her to be. Walking back toward the sand, I started yelling, “Did you see my boobies? Did you see when my boobies came out?”

I made my way back to our little beach station and wrapped myself in a big fluffy towel. Since she clearly hadn’t heard me before, with my face buried in the towel, meekly I said, “my boobies were out. Could you see them?”

“They were out? No, I didn’t see them.”

“Are you just saying that so I won’t feel embarrased?”

I couldn’t even feel ashamed if I wanted to, though, because I was so proud of myself for having put MY WHOLE BODY IN THE OCEAN.

ALL OF IT.

I dried myself in the sun in front of a beach house that I decided belonged to Bill Murray. And then I went back to the hotel and got in the shower. I lathered, rinsed, and repeated.

Number 50: Be completely submerged in the ocean. Check. I did it.