nye: friends + champagne + gluten-free shopping

New Year's Eve was pretty quiet around here, and I'm definitely okay with that.  It was cold, snowy, cold, windy, cold (and did I mention cold?). Maybe I'm just getting old, but traipsing around downtown in a skirt and heels in below-freezing temperatures doesn't quite hold the allure it might have in college. We did get out for awhile though!

We spent a good chunk of the day grocery shopping. Normally it only takes me about an hour, but we went to a few different places looking for some gluten-free alternatives to use in our favorite recipes. There are some things I just can't give up (I'm looking at you, burrito wraps + bagel chips), so we scoured HyVee's health-food section. Turns out I actually like the gluten-free bagel chips better than the regular ones, so that's good news! The not-so-good news is that they're over $4 a box, so they may have to be a treat instead of a regular thing. We went to get the bulk of groceries outside of that section, and Tyler was cracking me up. He was trying so hard to help, but I hadn't done a very good job of explaining what gluten is, I guess. I told him what to look for on the ingredient lists, and he just kept picking up things we normally get and saying, "Hey, what about.....CRAP" or "Do you think this has......UGH!"

We ended up getting some things that have gluten in them for Tyler to have when I'm not home, or to take for lunch; he acted like he felt so guilty getting them. It honestly doesn't bother me at all, though. I think that's because my perspective on it is that it's a health issue rather than a diet. I'm not allergic to gluten, but my view is that it's something that my body can't have--not that it's something I'm depriving myself of voluntarily. Having replacements definitely helps too. I mean, it's only been a few days, so I'm sure it will be harder at times, but I honestly don't even miss gluten yet. Coming from a carb junkie, that's a pretty big statement! So far, so good.


Anyway, back to New Year's Eve: I had one last gluten-filled lunch at the Aviary. Love that place. I'm still holding out hope that one day, they'll offer a gluten-free crepe, but until then we'll have to part ways. They have salads, too, but I have a severe texture aversion to lettuce, so that's a no-go. I'll miss you, Aviary!

I got a text from my friend Sommer later that evening asking if we wanted to join her + her boyfriend and my brother + his wife for some hibachi. We met up with them, and Tyler had his first hibachi experience! He loved it, of course. We all ended up standing in the parking lot talking until my toes went numb. Then Tyler and I, lame old folks that we are, went home to our couch and our tiny bottles of champagne. We both made it until midnight!

Hope you had a wonderful, eventful (or peaceful) New Years!