A Young Wife’s Tale

My husband David is gluten free, but we do not eat a lot of “gluten free” products. Gluten free pre-packaged foods like pasta and cookies are expensive, and they just don’t taste the same. We prefer to eat naturally gluten free things like potatoes and rice. I’ll make things like flan instead of cake. But, occasionally I do attempt to bake something gluten free. I’ve made gluten free muffins several times, and they’re always so dry.

This time, rather than throw out a bunch of muffins made with expensive gluten free flour, I decided to re-purpose them.

My tip today is simple. It’s what not to wear to Christmas parties.

Pink. Don’t wear a pink shirt, even if pink is your signature color. I looked like a Valentine surrounded by all the Christmas red.

Recently I’ve started using my iPhone to help me with housework. I set up reminders in my gmail account for chores and my phone alerts me when it’s time. For instance, I get a reminder every Friday to change the sheets. I’ve even set up reminders for things like changing the air filter. You can also set up reminders in Outlook. Even if you don’t have a smart phone, email alerts are helpful.

Staying at an extended stay hotel is great. You can save a lot of money by cooking when you’re traveling instead of eating out. It also comes in handy if you have food allergies or special dietary restrictions. Extended stay hotels typically advertise that they have fully stocked kitchens. In my experience, that means two plates, two bowls, a dull knife, a fork and a pot. Not quite everything I need to prepare food.

Here are some things I take when we’re staying at an extended stay hotel.

Dish soap

Extra hand towels and rags (One kitchen towel to get me through a week? How often do these people wash their hands?)

Here’s a tip to help you pack food for traveling. If you’re camping, staying at a cabin or an extended stay hotel, don’t take your eggs in their carton. Crack them at home and transport them in a food storage container.