Roasted Seeds!

Our girls LOVE spaghetti squash

roasted in the oven! 

Last year when we did our first little garden, 

we grew our own... and that was a BIG hit.

I don't know why I didn't think of it before,

but last week I decided to roast the seeds and

see what the girls thought of them.

I used THIS recipe that involves soaking

and drying them to break down the phytic acid.

(Super Easy!)

I *may* have used a little too much oil...

but they definitely turned out delicious and

got rave reviews from my older two!

 

YUM!!

Egg-Free Ice Cream!

 My husband and I try to make our daughter's life as normal as possible when it comes to food.  

Normal in a healthy way.  

Since she can't have eggs or peanuts, and we limit her store-bought processed and sugary foods... we are often changing and adapting recipes we find to make things she can eat.  I have to give my husband total credit for this one... he rocked out the ice cream recipe!  I don't know if you can find this same recipe on the internet somewhere.  I haven't looked.  But in case you can't... here is how Cory made it. 

And let me assure you, it is oh-so-delicious!

We have a Cuisinart ice cream maker... 

but  imagine it works with any kind!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Whole Milk (preferably raw or organic)

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/8 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Mix-a-Mix-a-Mix-a!

Add to your ice cream maker 

(make sure the bowl thing for the ice cream maker was in the freezer, as per the Cuisinart directions!)

Let it do it's magic for half an hour and Voila!

Yummy Egg-Free, Refined Sugar-Free ice cream!

The texture isn't quite as "creamy"... but it's still SO good!

And if you're like us, you may enjoy adding some chocolate chips!

We get Enjoy Life for the allergy free benefits... 

but you gotta watch for them to go on sale or they can be pricey!

Enjoy!!

Apple Maple Crumble Pie

As parents, Cory and I try to make relatively healthy choices when it comes to feeding our kids.  We're not perfect, of course (especially when it comes to ourselves!), but we try to make sure the girls eat right.  Taking into consideration Eloise's egg and peanut allergies, we are often tweaking recipes to make them "El Friendly" and using as many "whole" ingredients as possible (never margarine!).  This particular recipe that I'm going to share originally calls for white flour and sugar... but I revamped it my way.  And though it's still not necessarily "healthy" (we should never eat too many sweets!)... it is much better than the regular recipes you might come across.  And I wouldn't necessarily call this a pie... it's more of an apple crisp - but no matter what you call it... it's DELICIOUS! 

Read on for the recipe:

5-7 apples (I used Gala), peeled, cored and sliced
2/3 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Honey/Molasses Mix (I did half of each)
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 pinch Salt
3/4 cup Rolled Oats

-Preheat oven to 375*
-Place the apples in an 8x8 glass baking dish.  Pour Maple Syrup over apples and gently toss.  (I also added a little cinnamon, nutmeg and clove just to spice it up a little for my liking - though the recipe doesn't call for it)
-Cream together Butter, Honey/Molasses
-Stir in Flour, Salt and Oats
-Sprinkle mixture over Apples
-Bake 35 mins.

Personally, I enjoyed this after it had been refrigerated overnight!  But it was yummy right out of the oven as well! Eloise didn't even want the apples, of course... just the crumble!  It would be great served with ice cream - I have an easy recipe for that to share another day!  (No ice cream maker needed!)

Let me know if you try this and if you enjoyed it! 

Parsnips Anyone?

In an effort to put something different on our plates at dinner time, my husband decided to try to make some Parsnip Fries.  I had never had a parsnip before and I admit that I was a little skeptical to try them.  But alas, I was pleasantly surprised!  They are pretty darn yummy... so I thought I'd share our little recipe with you.  It's pretty loosey-goosey... you just kind of eyeball it.  Easy enough!

• Preheat oven to 425*
• 2-3 Parsnips, cut into shoe string fries (they are a little tough to cut... so don't cut yourself in the process!)
• Put the parsnip fries into a gallon storage/zipper bag
• Add enough olive oil to coat the fries
• Shake in a bit of salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and parmesan cheese (the amount you use is totally up to you!)
• Seal the bag and give it some crazy shakes to coat all of the fries
• Spread out on a greased baking sheet (not sure if you have to grease the pan, we just sprayed it with cooking spray just to be sure!)
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes!

ENJOY!

**On a side note... please keep Cory's dad, Gene, in your prayers.  He goes in for a scan tomorrow... he's been having some issues and the doctors moved his scan up a week.  We are praying the cancer hasn't spread.**

MMmmm MMmmm Boston Creme! - improvised-

Tuesday was my neighbors 62nd Birthday.

We are very close and I always try to do special things for her (and her husband)... 

not only for birthdays and holidays... but just at random times.  

But since it was Birthday Time, I wanted to do something extra special.

She and I talk a lot about food.  

Neither one of us is a great cook, I admit... 

although I do make more of an effort than she does, 

which makes it even more special when I can share some 

type of goodie with them!

So I remembered that at one point, 

we had been oohing and aahing over how yummy Boston Creme Pie is.

Because, really, it is SO good.

I try to cook and bake healthy...

but sometimes I make exceptions...

especially for the neighbors.

I didn't want to make a plain old cake...

and a Boston Creme Pie seemed a little boring too.

So instead, I decided to come up with my own little rendition of a 

"Boston Creme Cupcake"

I'm sure this is somewhere on Pinterest or some other website...

with homemade and gourmet ingredients...

But I assure you, I didn't go Googling it to find it ahead of time.

I was too lazy!

Plus, how hard is it, REALLY?

Especially if you go the box-cake route!

So... if you're looking for a quick and easy dessert...

This is it!

And let me tell you - they are SO GOOD!

Just bake Yellow Cupcakes according to whatever the directions say on the box.

(Lazy Easy, right?)

Grab a box of instant vanilla pudding and whip it up...

Put in the fridge to chill.

After the cupcakes are cool, 

cut cones out of the top of each cupcake... 

then spoon in the pudding and replace the tops!

I threw the cupcakes in the fridge while I made the chocolate...

I had no idea what kind of chocolate to make... 

so I grabbed my cookbook and browsed until I found this recipe.

Easy and yummy!

In a small saucepan heat 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 

2 T. butter, 1 T. light colored corn syrup and 1/4 tsp. vanilla over low heat, 

stirring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

Use immediately to drizzle over cupcakes!

Store in the refrigerator!

Chocolate will harden and the pudding will be chilled.

MMMmmm MMMmmm... Boston Creme!

I also made "Last Minute Rolls" (thanks to my sis for the YUMMY recipe)...

and Eloise and I went over to share in a Birthday lunch of soup, rolls and cupcakes!!

(Ok, Miss Egg-Allergy couldn't eat that stuff, but she still joined us!)

It was a nice time and our neighbor even cried because she just felt so

special that we would share her birthday with her.

 (Eloise helping to open a present - with a water bottle in her mouth... silly.)

My neighbor truly is a wonderful friend and I'm so glad we could brighten her birthday,

even if only for an hour or so!

"Healthy" Carrot Cake Recipe

For the few of you who had asked for the recipe for the Whole Wheat Maple Syrup Carrot Cake we gave Eloise for her birthday... HERE is the link from my original recipe post.
(Saves me from typing it all out)

I was NOT thrilled with the icing recipe I have in that post...
so if anyone can find or come up with a healthy cream cheese recipe
(meaning, no sugar or processed crap)...
please, email me or comment so I can try it out myself!

Also--make sure you grate your carrots on a small grater or a food processor.
Bigger pieces of grated carrots give it a weird texture, in my opinion!
(We also stored it in the fridge because it's so good chilled!)

And let me know how you like the cake!
We made Eloise's without the nuts...
but MMMmmm... I love it with nuts!

Snowman Mallow Pops!

Seriously. How cute are these?

My mom and I are hosting a Christmas party for the ladies of my former employer. We have been doing it for the past 5 years or so... and every year we try to make some kind of goody for the ladies to take home with them. My mom came up with the idea of marshmallow snowman lollipops. Not sure if she saw the idea somewhere... or if it just popped into her head, but I thought I'd give it a whirl.


I had no directions...

I just took some giant roasting marshmallows
(you can do it with regular ones too)...

skewers...

white melting chocolate
(white choc chips work... but tend to seize up pretty quickly)...

decorations!

After covering the marshmallows in the chocolate, I placed them on wax paper-lined cookie sheets, decorated and then put them in the fridge for about half an hour to set up.

My mom sent over some nifty shrink wrap (totally LOVE!)... so while they were chilled,
I used my blow dryer to shrink wrap them and then tied a little bow!


Great for parties and they would make adorable gifts!
And the best part - they were super easy to make while Eloise napped!

...More Please?

I found this scrumptious banana bread recipe
from the Heavenly Homemaker site.
Let me tell you... I never knew that banana bread
made with no white flour or sugar could taste so good!
I am constantly going to that site to find great recipes!
If you haven't... you should check it out!

Cory was enjoying himself a piece of banana bread the other day...
and to my surprise, he shared a little with Eloise!


"More Please?"

MMMMmmmm... Marinade!!

I am horrible, I didn't take a picture... but bear with me!

You absolutely MUST try this marinade recipe.

For years, I have been trying to figure out how to cook chicken. I try to grill, boil (Yes, boil - not broil) and bake. Since I am so paranoid about having under-done meat, I usually end up cooking the crap out of it... and really, who likes totally dry - have to take a big drink with every bite - chicken?

It gets old.

Well, my sister's family bought Cory a subscription to EATING WELL for his Birthday this year. We got the first issue a couple of days ago and as I was flipping through, I noticed a recipe for a marinade... and we actually had all of the ingredients already in our pantry! I have NEVER used a marinade before. Does that make me weird?

So, I decided to give it a whirl... and WHOA MAMA! It was sooooo delicious!

I wanted to share the recipe with you because it's EASY PEASY!

BALSAMIC MARINADE
(Makes enough for 1 1/4 lb of chicken)
Whisk 1/4 c. each Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, 2 minced Garlic Cloves, 1 T. Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp. Salt and 1/2 tsp Pepper

Place chicken in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over it.
Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1-12 hours.
(The longer it marinates, the more intense the flavor)

Grill on Med/High for 4-8 mins per side...
(only turn once!)

ENJOY!

And, since I didn't take a picture of the chicken, I'll leave you with a picture of my sweetie pie!


Have a wonderful weekend!

Yummy Recipes!

I have mentioned in the past couple of months (especially since Cory's dad found out he had cancer) that our family is trying to get away from white sugar and white flour. It's not as hard as I'd expected. You do have to give up certain things... but there are also tasty alternatives you can make yourself! And isn't it so much nicer knowing what goes INTO your food... rather than buying something in a box and not being able to pronounce most of the ingredients?? I think so!!

(And I must admit... I HAVE cheated off and on... but then I always feel crappy afterward!)

Last week, a nice old couple from church gave us this HUGE zucchini. I don't know about you... but I think the bigger a veggie is... the more bland it tastes. So, I decided to make some zucchini bread. The only recipes I had were regular ones calling for white flour and white sugar. So... off to Google-Land I went... and found this great website called HEAVENLY HOMEMAKERS! Maybe you are familiar with it! There are a lot of great recipes that I want to try from this site... and so far I have made the YUMMY whole wheat and honey zucchini bread.... and just this morning I made the homemade poptarts. Just a tip for the poptarts... make sure you roll the dough out pretty thin or your ratio of jam to dough will be off! I did that on a few... however I don't mind them being more "doughy".

I encourage you to check the site out! I haven't had time to browse all of the recipes... but what I've seen so far looks good and uses healthier ingredients!


I'm leaving you with this sweet pic of El and my sister's boys from last week! I'm going to go enjoy listening to the much needed rain while playing with my sweet baby girl!

Happy Monday!!

Simple Celebration and a Recipe!

Cory's birthday was pretty uneventful.
He was super busy at work...
it was really hot outside (and in)...
and well, it just didn't have any Oomph to speak of.

But I tried!

He opened up some presents... Eloise liked the paper!

And we enjoyed some of this
AMAZING (sugar free)
carrot cake that I made!
MMMMmmmm!


I wanted to share the recipe with you!
I encourage you to try it... for real!

I stored it in the fridge...
and it was so refreshing on a hot evening!

2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
2 c. Grated Carrots
1 c. Skim Milk
1 1/2 c. Apple Sauce
(I used natural so there wasn't added sugar)
1 c. Maple Syrup
1/2 c. Crushed Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Grate carrots and add, along with the rest of the ingredients (except walnuts), to the flour mixture. Mix until "just mixed". Stir in walnuts. Put in a 9x13x2" pan--greased. Bake for 40-50 mins (until a toothpick comes out clean). Cool for 30 mins - Frost!!

Here is the cream cheese frosting I made...
it's not too zippy but when paired with the cake--it's pretty good!

3 blocks cream cheese
1 packet sugar free instant vanilla pudding
milk
nutmeg

Whip cream cheese and pudding together.
Add enough milk to make it fluffy.
Add nutmeg to taste.

(This makes a lot of frosting... so you can probably cut it down to 2 blocks of cream cheese and still have enough to cover the cake!)

You'll have to let me know if you try it!
No white flour... and only the natural sweetness from
Maple Syrup and the Applesauce...
Can't beat that!!

Have a great weekend!

RECIPE: The BEST Pancakes EVER!

When I first made these pancakes... we were afraid to take the first bite. But after that first bite, Cory looked at me and said, "I think these are the best pancakes I've ever had."

I... Agreed.

We aren't going back to "normal" pancakes ever again!!

How could I not share this recipe with you?

I hope you try it!

And if you do... let me know what you think!

YOGURT PANCAKES

Ingredients:
2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
2 c. Whole Plain Yogurt
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 T. Melted Butter

Prepare the night before:
Soak flour in yogurt (covered) in a warm place for 12-24 hours.

(This is after it set for almost 24 hours)

Stir in other ingredients and thin to desired consistency with water.

(I did not add any water to my mixture.)

Cook on a hot, oiled griddle or cast iron skillet.

(I used a non-stick griddle.)

Cook on one side until you start to see little bubbles!

(You will want more than just a few bubbles though!)

These pancakes cook more slowly than regular pancakes.


The texture will be chewy and the taste pleasantly sour...
Serve with butter and maple syrup!
SO GOOD!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Yogurt Dough Pizza

As I've mentioned in some of my previous posts, I'm trying new whole, healthy recipes. This recipe for yogurt dough can be used as an all-purpose dough for whatever you'd like. I just happened to use it to make pizza. It was a little bit of a trial and error... and depending on your oven... you may have to adjust bake times!

This pizza got rave reviews from my niece and 2 nephews (all under 10 yrs of age)... and there isn't even any white flour in it! *gasp!!*

Be forewarned... to make this dough, you have to prepare it a day ahead of time... but it's totally worth it! I'd eat this pizza over regular pizza any day!!

Here ya go!

(I know what you're thinking... WHOLE YOGURT and 2 STICKS OF BUTTER!?
But trust me... it's not these whole foods that make you fat...
it's the processed crap and white flour!!)

Cover and leave in a warm place for 12-24 hours
(this gives you the benefit of the good bacteria that
interacts with the ingredients... it's nothing funky--
TRUST ME! It's healthy!)

I obviously didn't let my dough cook long enough before I put the cheese on.. which is why the cheese is on the verge of well-done... but like I said... the first couple of times--just kind of watch what times work best for your oven... and it'll work out just fine!

Let me know if you try this! It really is very tasty!!

Little Miss Muffett....

I have posted briefly here and there about how I am trying to eat healthier. This doesn't mean "diet food". It primarily consists of more whole foods... Veggies, Fruits and Whole Grains... instead of White Flour (which is pretty much lacking in all nutrients--which is why it's called "enriched". The government MAKES flour companies add in the nutrients. You should look it up... white flour is not good.)... and sugar (natural sugars are OK in moderation). It actually hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to cut out the crap. Although I must say... sometimes I could really go for some cheesecake or something sweet like that!

We also have been trying to eat more organic - but it's hard to find around here - so we do the best we can with our budget.

Anyway--I have been referring to a book by Sally Fallon called Nourishing Traditions for my recipes. I attended a seminar once where Sally was the main speaker. She really put things into perspective when it comes to natural, whole, organic foods. BUT, I won't bore you with that. If you're interested in it... I encourage you to check out her website and books.

(Whey)

Some of the recipes call for homemade whey. I didn't make my own yogurt... but I did get whole plain organic yogurt at the store to make the whey with. It was really simple to make... and not only do you end up with Whey... you get your own Cream Cheese too! YUM! I don't know about you.. but for a $3 tub of yogurt... it's worth it to make my own cream cheese (The organic stuff is expensive!) and also have whey to use in some of the recipes I've been working on!

(Cream Cheese... I got 2 containers of it!)

If you are interested in making your own whey and cream cheese... send me an email or something and I can give you the step-by-step. It's totally easy!

If you are interested in Sally Fallon's book--you can find it on my sidebar!

I really encourage people who want to have a healthier body and lifestyle to look into more whole foods and organics. I have been losing weight, albeit slowly, and I eat butter on EVERYTHING!

Recipe: Flatlander Chili

This is the chili recipe I was telling you about in this post. It's soooo yummy! I highly recommend it... add a little cornbread and you've got yourself a scrumptious meal!
(Recipe was found on Allrecipes.com)

Flatlander Chili

2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 (46 oz) can Tomato Juice
1 (29 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 c. Chopped Onion
1/2 c. Chopped Celery
1/4 c. Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1/4 c. Chili Powder
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
1/8 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper
2 c. Canned Red Beans

-Place ground beef in a large skillet.
-Cook over med/high heat until evenly brown.
-Drain, crumble, set aside.
-Add all ingredients to a large kettle.
-Bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
(Stir occasionally)

ENJOY!

Homemade Ravioli!!

I don't know about you... but I get so frustrated with trying to think of what to have for dinner every night.

To be honest, we have a lot of repeats. We know what we like... how to make it... and well, it's just easier that way.

But sometimes it's nice to have something different.

My problem is that I, admittedly, am not a good cook. Ok cook, maybe.... but that's about as good as it gets. In my own defense though, I never really tried too hard until I was married and had the time to put into it. I'm still learning.

I love finding recipes on blogs and in cooking magazines... but a lot of times they call for weird ingredients... or things we don't eat (I refuse to eat almost all seafood... and I'm picky about spicy foods!).

Well, the other day I thought about getting some ravioli from the freezer section at the supermarket... but have you seen what they put in those!? I'm not too crazy about all of the additives and preservatives.... and who knows what else! So I Googled homemade ravioli and was satisfied with the fact that it only takes 4 ingredients to make the pasta. The filling is whatever you want. If you want the recipe I used... go HERE.

Here is a little peek into the creation of my raviolis...


I am so thankful to have a Kitchen-Aid Mixer. It kneads the dough for me, which frees me up for so many other things!


I do not have any type of pleasant work space in my kitchen to do things like rolling out dough. Our kitchen table has uneven leaf sections that make it hard to do ANYTHING (new table? hopefully someday!). As I was rolling and rolling on my small glass cutting board... I was really thinking about how nice it would be to have one of those pasta press rolly-thing-a-ma-jigs!!


The recipe said to use a glass and trace around it with a knife to get your circles... Yeah. Right.


The great thing about this recipe... is that you can make it ahead of time and stick the raviolis in the freezer. That way you aren't rushing at the last minute to try to get dinner on the table, after making a mess and doing all of the grunt work. I even had 30 extra raviolis left over that I put in freezer bags so that we'll be able to pull them out for later use! (Like, when the baby is here and we're too pooped to do much cooking!)


I must say... the end product turned out quite well! Cory even deemed it one of the best things he's ever eaten! I don't know if I'd necessarily go that far... but it was tasty! (I had filled it with ground beef and ricotta... but you can use whatever!)

Now, I need to learn to make my own sauce!

MMmmm MMmm Bagels!

The other day my sister shared a recipe for
homemade bagels on her blog. I didn't think much of it,
other than the fact that eating a bagel sounded
pretty good at the time.

Yesterday, though, I felt the urge to try my
hand at making those bagels.
I always thought it would be a huge pain.

Wrong.

Seriously, there are only a handful of ingredients... and
I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer to mix/knead the dough...
so that totally took most of the work out of it!

NICE!


After mixing/kneading the ingredients...
most of the time left consists
of letting the dough "rest".


The recipe only makes 8 regular size bagels, but I'm
sure you could make mini bagels
if you really wanted to!


Boiling them for a minute on each side gives them that
nice outer crust that leaves the inside nice and moist!
(I honestly thought this would be the most challenging part... totally wasn't.)


You bake them on one side, then flip and bake the other...
I obviously still need to work on getting my circles right...
but hey, it was my first time!


So, the color didn't turn out as nice as I'd hoped on the
final product... but the taste...
OH SO GOOD!

And after a chat with my sister, she confirmed that
by cheating and using cooking spray, instead
of the oil it called for on the baking sheet,
I lost that nice golden brown I was
looking for.

Now I know better!

Did my pictures make you want to try your hand
at homemade bagels?

Wouldn't it be yummy for Christmas Morning?
Make them a day or two ahead...
your family will thank you!!!

(I may try throwing some blueberries into my next batch! YUM!)

Go HERE for the recipe!

Thanks for the recipe Katy... it's a keeper!

Recipe: Pecan Praline Cookies

This weekend is my baby shower. It may seem odd that we're having it on Thanksgiving weekend, however it worked out to have family in town and extra travel time for those that live out of the area. Of course there are folks that already had plans and won't be able to make it, but out of the RSVP's, we have about 45-50 coming. That's pretty darn good!
(Stay tuned for pics next week!)

My mom likes to go all out for these sorts of things. It's just her nature to go over and above! SO, she decided on having a light soup and sandwich luncheon (with other little things like fruits, veggies and crackers). Instead of a big cake, we are doing dessert trays. Assorted cookies and desserts and goodies.

As the weekend approaches, and with Thanksgiving preparations in the mix, my mom has been a little maxed out. Being the wonderful daughter that I am (ha!), I offered to make some goodies to help take the load off of her shoulders.

Well... I found this recipe for PECAN PRALINE COOKIES in my Great American Cookie Cookbook. I'd never made them before, so I was just kind of winging it... but come on... pecan praline? How could they not be good!?

After tasting one (OK, 2...), I just had to share the recipe with you! It's a really easy recipe to whip up and delightfully tasty! A simple cookie that has a little class... because the taste is amazing!

So... here ya go! If you try them, you'll have to let me know what you think!

Pecan Praline Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Butter Flavor Shortening
(I just used a generic brand w/out butter flavor because it's all I had!)
1 1/2 cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Chopped Pecans

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease baking sheet with shortening.
Place sheets of foil on counter top for cooling cookies.

Combine 3/4 c. shortening and brown sugar in large bowl.
Beat at Med. speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Beat until light and fluffy.
Add flour and pecans.
Stir until well blended.


Shape level measuring Tablespoons of dough into balls.
Flatten to 1/8" thickness.
Place 1" apart on prepared baking sheet.


Bake for 7-8 mins or until edges are golden brown.
Do not overbake!
Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes.
(Trust me, you want to do that part!)
Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.


ENJOY!!

PS: My husband cheated and voted for BOY in the poll on my sidebar, even though he truly thinks we'll be having a girl! haha!

Also, today is another appointment, this time with my actual doctor... dreading... but hoping all goes smoothly! This will be the first I've seen her since her rude comments back in September.
Wish me luck!