Apparently in some stores, the only rice that can be bought is Basmati. Not too bad for gatherers, as it is a superfood grain.

What is the best approach though, to the food shortages we're seeing? The shortages started with wheat, then rice, and will probably affect other foods as well before the year is over. Of course we need to make sure we have enough for our families to eat, and take care to not waste any, since the shortages are worldwide.

A home garden is a great thing, if you have enough land you have many options, if you don't have much flat land, there are other options, like square foot gardening, container gardening and vertical gardening. So if there are some foods you don't want to be without, grow them! Not only are there shortages to worry about, but also food quality issues, like e. coli contamination and some of the other issues we've had with the food supply.

I need to practice what I preach though. I love to garden, but have trouble finding the time and space. I have a spot where I can put a 3X6 foot square foot garden, but I need to fix a sprinkler head and build the box, etc. etc. I did plant a few peas, which are starting to sprout, and a couple elderberry bushes (I hope they survive, they aren't looking great). I can also annex some of the side lawn to put garden boxes on...it's just a matter of actually doing it.

Same would be true for Vegas.

I spent a couple days in San Francisco last week and had a great time, as well as some great food. I couldn't find much written about gluten free food in San Francisco, though most of the nice restaurants have a chef on hand ans I think would do a good job of it. The only place I heard much about was Cafe Gratitude, a great little vegan raw place. I'm not a vegan or raw girl, but it is mostly gluten free (some question on the soy sauce, but I avoided that). It was a really great place, and other than not liking or eating sunflower seeds, the food was awesome. I've never had better guacamole (black dot for gatherers). I don't know what status Irish Moss would have (it's a seaweed that they use to thicken desserts) but the results were amazing...I tried a hazelnut chocolate pie that my husband had them bring me. Wow. It was really nice to be able to order drinks with almond milk and agave...that's a first for any restaurant experience for me.

As I researched other places to eat I was hoping to find an Ethiopian place that uses just teff in their injera bread. I couldn't find one that didn't have at least a little wheat in it. So I googled "dosa" and lo and behold there is a Southern Indian restaurant called Dosa in the Mission district. It's not just the namesake, it's their specialty, and their dosas are too awesome for words. San Francisco has a great climate for sourdough, and although I missed the Dosa filled with lamb that I can get in Sandy at Royal India, the food here was just amazing. I ate way too much, because every bite tasted so good. I tasted my friend's Uttapam, which was also good, a bit like a savory pancake. Now, dosas have lentils in them, a black dot for gatherers, but I couldn't resist as I don't get into a big city very often. I ordered one that had farmer's cheese and peas inside it (two diamond superfoods).

That wasn't the worst of my dietary sins, however...the gelato and ice cream in SF are equally amazing and they had some fun flavors I just couldn't pass up. I only had the kid's size, but whoah, no more for me!

Last night I paid penance by spending two hours making two lasagnas...rice noodle, soy cheese for the boys, and zucchini 'noodle' lasagna for me. They were good, and the leftovers will last a while for all of us. I dig the zucchini pretty well, this time I salted the slices and let them drain for a bit so that the lasagna wasn't so runny as the first attempt. I've also been eating more cranberry flax muffins for breakfast or snacks. They hit the spot and are diamond superfoods all the way. I love using vegetable glycerine to sweeten them, as it seems to make them turn out better.

I've always spent a lot of time analyzing things, trying to figure out why I cheat and eat foods that are in no way good for me. This week I've been reading "Stop Whining, Start Living" by Dr. Laura. I've come to the conclusion, after listening to a caller with a similar problem on her show today, that I am in control of my life and what I eat. Some people just inherently know that, others of us, like myself, forget all too often.

I am in control of what I choose to eat, and my choices will affect the choices my children learn to make... that's a big responsibility. Not to mention the fact that I want to be around and healthy enough to enjoy seeing my boys grow up, and eventually enjoy being a grandma.

I did pretty well today. Honestly, my avoids were 2 grams of avocado, 2 tiny sips of root beer, and 3 grams of dark chocolate. Not too bad, and it'll get better. May the scale be my honest friend again.

I love the new blog software, though I'm not sure I can handle all the power it gives me... I'll get used to it.

I had a great breakfast this morning. Last night I steamed some jerusalem artichokes to go with baked tilapia and green beans + rice for the boys...a common dinner at the last minute in my house. The artichokes aren't really a last minute thing though, they take a while to peel! They're worth it though. When I was a kid we'd buy canned potatoes and roast them over the campfire, I'm sure that sounds weird if you've never tried it, but they were very good...and that's what jerusalem artichokes taste like. My husband began to complain about the potato famine in our house, but once he tasted them he admitted that they are tasty.

Anyway, this morning I sauteed some mushrooms and the leftover jerusalem artichokes (about 1/3 inch pieces) in some olive oil. Then I added 2 eggs and scrambled them with it, later adding some fresh spinach and ume plum vinegar. It was really really tasty. Green onions would have been a nice addition.

Hopefully I can stay on track for the whole day, without any snack attacks.

I'm still here, though I haven't been blogging as much lately. February and March both left something to be desired when it comes to stress and self control, but my mind and kitchen are still very much focused on the Gatherer diet. It came so easy the first month, and I felt quite satisfied, then for some reason I rebelled. The rebellion had nothing to do with the diet, I love the foods I'm allowed, it had everything to do with me.

Anyway, last night I baked these cranberry flax muffins and they're great! I used 1/4 cup of teff flour, for 1/4 cup of the flax meal, as I prefer the way it turns out, I didn't add any vanilla, used ginger instead of nutmeg, used mac nut oil, no orange zest, and agave for sweetener. I mixed most of the pecans into the batter, and put some on top. They aren't very sweet, but are lovely bran muffins, I love the tart cranberries. I had some frozen cranberries from the holidays, and just let them soak a bit longer in the boiling water. So far today they have stopped me from cheating on any of the kid's snacks. (I hid away all the easter candy where nobody thinks about it, that helps