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Friday Link Love

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This week started out so well! I distinctly remember feeling all aglow on Monday evening. Hugo and I had had the loveliest day. Nothing special happened, but everything just flowed and felt good and right. But, sadly, as the week progressed, things went sharply downhill, ending today in what might have possibly been one of the lowest points of mothering Hugo since the very beginning. Sob. My only hope is that tomorrow will (must) be better. (A propos: For the German-speakers among you who have small children driving you crazy, I guarantee this video will make you cry.)

As for the Whole30, in case anyone is wondering how it's going, I'm on day 18 and I'm ready for it to be over. My headaches and fogginess ended abruptly around day 9 and I feel pretty good. But my insomnia shows absolutely no signs of abating and the monotony of all the meat and fish is getting to me. I miss my grains and beans and yogurt. Still, I'm going to stick with it, if only to prove to myself that I'm capable of being consistent with something for 30 days (my friends who cut out things for Lent every year have a harder job!). I'll keep you posted.

Elsewhere,

Small-batch pulled pork, finally!

I loved reading about this obsessive tinkering with a classic French chocolate loaf cake.

The funniest video on children's first tastes of "strange" food.

Zoe Nathan's walnut-jam scones look like they redefine the term.

Well, this is terrifying.

Craving all three of these hot-weather drinks.

These pork meatballs in broth are pure comfort.

Talk about a picky eater… Ha!

Have you ever grilled your PB & J?

And, finally, if I ever get around to making my own corn tortillas…there shall be Chicken Salad Tostadas.

Have a good weekend, folks!

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48 responses to “Friday Link Love”

  1. JackieD Avatar
    JackieD

    The difference between Lent and Whole 30 is that for lent you give up one thing, typically, vs. 2 ENTIRE food groups (and therefore many, many foods). No wonder you’re bored.

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  2. Julia Schenz Avatar
    Julia Schenz

    That Nivea video is adorable. What’s little Hugo getting you down about? I’m sure that whatever it is, he’s thinking exactly what that little boy in the ad is. You’re looking super lovely in that picture, so it can’t be too bad. 🙂

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  3. Lora Avatar
    Lora

    I have to laugh a little at the grilled PB&J. We ate those all the time when we were kids. If you want to make it really extra good dip the whole sandwich in beaten egg first. Kind of like PJ&B French toast. Delicious!

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  4. ann Avatar
    ann

    Hang in there Luisa! I hope it all gets better soon. Sending you good thoughts from New York!

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  5. katie Avatar
    katie

    I used to have horrible migraines until I read a book by a Johns Hopkins neurologist who researched headaches for 20 years. He said they are caused by food triggers like sulfites, caffeine(includes chocolate), nitrates, msg….(my triggers). His book is called Heal your Headache by David Buchholz MD — yes it was that simple, but only after 10 years of hel… After I quit eating the triggers he listed in his book, I had a withdrawal headache from the caffeine for a few days (he said this would happen) and I rarely have a headache now after 7 years of sticking to his regimen. I also get headaches from certain drugs like birth control pills, anti depressants(took because of the migraines ruining my life), cold meds, codeine, most headache meds…. He lists all this in his book.

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  6. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    In a world of ‘perfect’ blogs, I love your honesty Luisa. Thank you!

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  7. Naz Avatar
    Naz

    Luisa, the insomnia could be linked to the first year (or more) of motherhood. It was (and at times still is) for me. My body was so used to waking up in the middle of the night that even when got the baby to sleep through the night I was still waking up. It gets better. I write this as I get ready for a much needed afternoon nap…

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  8. mllelobster Avatar
    mllelobster

    I’m always so fond of your friday posts! I have to say i’m quite admiring of your whole whole30 journey, keep on! And for Hugo, well, YES, it will be better tomorrow! Every one has its bad days : )

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  9. Maureen Avatar
    Maureen

    I’m on Day 10 of the Whole 30. I’m so over it! Anyway, like you, I’m sticking with it. Tiring of eggs, too.I didn’t get headaches but, I haven’t lost any weight. Not an ounce. That is disheartening. Because that’s the main reason for me, that and joint pain. Seeing if eliminating dairy helps my arthritis.

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  10. devon Avatar
    devon

    As a mom and a cook and a reader, I want to say: I think you’re doing great. Great! Your posting has been so frequent and funny and honest without being over-share-y or navel-gaze-y even once, and full as ever of just what I want to cook and eat. I am impressed. It can be so easy to let life with small people push you away from other passions/projects, but those very things are what keep us sane (and interesting). Thank you for getting it together so often to share with us, despite all of the pleasures and challenges elsewhere. I can’t wait for your penance to end so I can buy you a (theoretical, over-the-ocean) beer!

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  11. Sally Avatar
    Sally

    As the mother of two (both in their 30s), I can guarantee you that there will be other bad days and weeks and occasionally months. Some people will add years. I will also admit that I was blessed with my children because they never gave me more than I could handle.
    The pulled pork, pork meatballs and chicken tostadas all sound tasty.

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  12. Katie Avatar
    Katie

    Oh Luisa, I’m sure tomorrow will be brighter!
    When my family first moved to Australia I went yard-saleing with my mom and we came across what we thought was a funny looking waffle maker… We asked the seller about it and she said it was a toasted sandwich maker (one of the ones that seals the edges, cuts it into triangles and makes a little pattern on the top), and she suggested leftover spaghetti sandwiches which I thought sounded ridiculous… We ended up buying it and I used it to make toasted PB&Js which are AMAZING, unless you leave it in too long/don’t let it cool long enough and burn your tongue on the contents!!

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  13. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    Luisa,
    I love your blog, and enjoy reading about your son’s eating adventures. My children are 12 and 9. The younger of my two children still is super picky. When I read your post the other day it gave me hope that one day she will have more variety in her diet. When she was much younger she would eat anything.
    When you have a young child there are so many days that can be so disheartening. One thing that is true is that the days are long, but the years are short. I remember my son when he was very young, and sometimes really hard to deal with! My husband and I reminisce about him frequently! He is in middle school now, and a fine young man.
    Happy Mothers Day!

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  14. Brittany Avatar
    Brittany

    This is what I was thinking… My daughter is 14 months tomorrow (sob) and has been sleeping through the night for months now, but I still wake constantly throughout the night. I think the most helpful thing is to keep anything electronic out of your bedroom… that seems to have helped me.
    sigh
    One day, we WILL get a full night’s sleep again. We will. We will…

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  15. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    i’ve been living now in Germany for about 1.5 years, and i clicked on the video, and I understood it. So it was said in the voice of a toddler, but still! Excellent recipe by the way for the chicken curry ala Melissa Clark. I didn’t quite brown it enough, and was paranoid that the red liquid on top was blood or something ( i rarely cook meat), and kneeled in front of my oven with my butt up in the air every five minutes while my friends drank wine on the balcony, but it came out wonderful! so delicious!! and i now i know that the red spicy peppers i buy at the markets are just red jalapenos :). Oh, and I checked some of your berlin recommendations on a recent weekend there, they were great!

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  16. Suzy Avatar
    Suzy

    I. So. Hear. You.
    I took 45 minutes today, to drink tea from a chipped mug in Thurman of all places because all 3 children have a cold and are not sleeping.
    I’m wishing I would have gone into the corporate world instead of motherhood. Or you know, scanning groceries. Anything right now…

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  17. Margit Van Schaick Avatar
    Margit Van Schaick

    There are so many of us reading your blog who have raised children and learned some useful things through the experience–mostly from our mistakes. I know that we’re available to you as a sounding board. If you describe what it is that is happening when things aren’t going well, we can probably offer some strategies that worked for us. Not that we are super experts–it’s just that with our shared experience, we can probably come up with some useful ideas. Each of us, mothering alone, kind of have to re-invent the wheel. What I’m suggesting is that we are a community and by sharing, we can help each other. You know that we love you! One thing for sure, it’s essential to use a sense of humor. And, that can be especially hard without enough sleep. I often took a nap along with my babies. It saved me from utter exhaustion.

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  18. tania Avatar
    tania

    Was this meant to make her feel better?

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  19. MizDahlia Avatar
    MizDahlia

    Luisa, I’m on day 14 of the Whole30 and YES, I am totally with you on the monotony of all the fish and meat…I’m finding myself uninspired by the prospect of mealtime. 😦 I avoided dairy prior to the program, and love kale as much as life itself, so those are non-issues, but I miss grains rounding out my meals, and dark chocolate, and quite honestly, the conviviality of cocktails shared with friends :). Ah well – a little food discipline is never a bad thing, and I think what I’ll take away from this is how to better moderate my portion sizes and sugar intake. All the best to you on moving through the next 12 days!

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  20. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    Hang in there. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Enjoy Mother’s Day.

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  21. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    The headaches I referred to in the post were actually just due to the Whole30 – I don’t suffer from them normally. I’m glad you found your fix!

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  22. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Well, thank YOU!

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  23. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Thanks, dear Ann!

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  24. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Thanks, ladies. That made me feel better…

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  25. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Oh dear. Good luck! Hopefully by the end of the 30 days, you’ll have some relief or answers…

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  26. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for your lovely words. Going to read over and over when I’m feeling blue! x

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  27. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    xoxo

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  28. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Thank you, Margit! What a lovely idea. I’ll see if I can put it all down in words! (Hint: NAPS ARE OUR HELL ZONE.)

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  29. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Yes, I totally agree with you on the takeaway. And that alone could be worth it! 🙂 Hang in there, it’ll be over soon.

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  30. marissa @ the boot Avatar
    marissa @ the boot

    the first taste video was hilarious! and i loved the profile of zoe nathan at the end of the scone recipe, how cool is she?! good luck with the rest of the whole30!

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  31. Honeybee Avatar
    Honeybee

    I feel for you. A very bad day is usually followed by a good one. Or so I tell myself. 😉

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  32. Mary Kay Avatar
    Mary Kay

    Hang in there, I have so much faith in you! It’s the tough times that define our character 🙂

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  33. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Grilled peanut butter and marshmallow is another tasty option!

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  34. tracy shutterbean Avatar
    tracy shutterbean

    Thanks for the Chicken Tostada Salad love!!! I appreciate it 🙂

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  35. pam Avatar
    pam

    Luisa, maybe it would make it easier to deal with Hugo’s eating patterns if you look at the size of his fist. That is also the size of his stomach! So he is likely getting plenty of nourishment! Hope you had a happy Mother’s Day–and wonderful news that Max has a new job and you can all be together!

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  36. Anna H Avatar
    Anna H

    Luisa, I love your blog. The recipes and links and Hugo appearances are so great! I first read about Whole30 right here on your beef/eggplant post, and somehow conned my husband into trying the program with me. You inspired what is so far a 7 day adventure, so thank you for sharing about it and know that we’re rooting for you too! The hardest part for my husband is no ice cream or milk in his coffee, and I’m still feeding my 19-month-old all the good stuff, which is a regular reminder of what’s not in my tummy. We too are suffering from meat/fish fatigue. But, we’re sticking with it and having fun trying out new recipes! Can’t wait to try Nigel’s meatballs, thanks for posting it.
    Remember that even on the rough days, you are a fantastic mother! I like to tell myself that when we’re having a tough time (4 days in a row last week), that we’ll look back and remember the drama and laugh about it. Keep up the good work.

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  37. dervla Avatar
    dervla

    Ugh I’m sorry you’re hitting a low point. If it makes you feel any better, Niamh pooped all over me on saturday at a first holy communion party and my WHITE and black dress was ruined. And then she proceeded to go through 3 outfits until she was left in nothing but a nappy (diaper). It was a low point for the weekend. Those meatballs on the other hand, now those look like a high point.

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  38. Ann Avatar
    Ann

    I love grilled PB&J’s! I used to work at a little restaurant that actually had them on the menu. If you want to make them really special add a layer of fresh fruit in the middle. The combination of the gooey peanut butter and the warm fruit make the end result so much more than the sum of its parts!
    In case your wondering, I wandered over here a few weeks ago from The Smitten Kitchen. I spent a summer in Salzburg, Austria studying German many years ago when I was in college and then later travelled through Germany with my parents. So, I was fascinated with the idea of reading about your life in Berlin. I have quite enjoyed the little window into what it is like living and cooking in a different country. It always amazes me that no matter how different things may be from place to place, how much they also remain the same.

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  39. w Avatar
    w

    You’re so pretty Luisa! What are your origins, if you don’t mind me asking. You so remind me of a friend who’s Indian-German. Very photogenic too! Why are you doing this special diet??? And yes, i couldn’t agree with you more. Small-batch pulled pork AT LAST!

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  40. Elle Avatar
    Elle

    Your baby is Gorgeous. Wow. With you as his mother, I suppose that’s not surprising but he is Really Cute : )
    ps: re, citrus = surely everyone can’t expect mono-cropping and breeding seedless trees to be a sturdy ag plan. Not surprised at all to see crops fail under this type of management. Using chemicals to address it only compounds problems. What’s surprising is that this is not understood – it’s basic gardening wisdom.

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  41. Tara Avatar
    Tara

    That video: yup.

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  42. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Thank you!! And yes, what is so frustrating about so many agricultural disasters is that we’ve fully turned away from centuries if not millennia of knowledge…

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  43. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Well, thank you! I’m half Italian, half American. I get asked a LOT if I’m Indian, though! I wrote about why I’m doing the Whole30 here: http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2013/04/frida.html

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  44. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    So glad you’re enjoying it! 🙂

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  45. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Oof! That sounds awful. xx

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  46. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Good for you guys! Hope it’s going alright.

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  47. KatieTheSkinnyChef Avatar
    KatieTheSkinnyChef

    Hang in there! I used to feel the desperation with my babies as well. Now they are six and seven things are much easier. They are more independent, dressing themselves, making their beds, and showering themselves (this is a new one I’m quite proud of). I find I enjoy them more because we can communicate better. I can reason with them when I have to do work, and set aside time for fun activities. My mantra through raising my kids is “this too shall pass.” I remember being so stressed b/c my son was not fully potty trained before preschool started. I had to take a step back and tell myself that he was not going to enter college and not be potty trained. This too shall pass. You will be surprised in a few year at how much easier things are. Enjoy him being little. It goes by fast.

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  48. anne Avatar
    anne

    You were right, that Nivea video did make me cry… My little girl wanted to watch it again, but I couldn’t even show it to her a third time, because I would have been in tears…
    Thank you! Your little one is adorable and your blog is lovely.

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