Celebrating #NationalIceCreamDay in D.C. with Jeni’s!

Yesterday, we celebrated #NationalIceCreamDay with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams!

I’d found that they were “going on tour” in a cute ice cream truck and was heading to the northeast! I was pretty excited! Mainly, because I was looking forward to trying Tyler, the Creator’s “Snowflake” debut flavor (mint + white chocolate ice cream. Never was really a fan of mint ice cream, but was willing to try it just because of Tyler, the Creator). A man in front of us enthusiastically asked for “that mint flavor”, to which I perked up because I’m a huge fan of Tyler the Creator and and I looked forward to one of the employees sliding out a small cup of green and white ice cream. But unfortunately, it was unavailable and one of the employees said it was only at select stores. However, I was impressed by the friendly service of those working at the truck and how they even offered coupons to take! Nonetheless, there’s nothing much to complain about when you’re getting delicious FREE ice cream from a truck!

The Brambleberry Crisp flavor that I got was absolutely heavenly! It tastes just like a berry pie and had pie crust pieces in it. The berry filling was rich and sweet, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The ice cream was also smooth and creamy. This is a high quality ice cream that everyone needs in their life!

The truck was located at a local Whole Foods, which I hadn’t been in since late high school early college. (Surprisingly enough, one of my first dates was at a Whole Foods sophomore year of college. He took me to the hot bar, where I shoved Mac + Cheese into a recyclable container and ate it in his car. Very romantic, ladies! I know.) Whole Foods is very big, but it has everything you need. We also noticed a burger and fries station in-store. I also couldn’t help but pass up on the cute llama (or alpaca??) plant holder in front of me!

We eased our way on down to the wharf, but before reaching there, I snapped a shot of some local street art! Then we found this AWESOME pro-feminist Ruth Bader Ginsberg (my queen) jacket that was hand-painted!

We then visited a bookstore that had relatively every modern book that’s out right now. I was hoping for more of a vintage bookstore. Inside, however, were more up-to-date books such as Michelle Obama’s Becoming and Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime. There was a whole teen section that I fangirled over, but quickly realized that I’d read the majority of the books there, like All The Bright Places, Paper Towns, and Turtles All the Way Down. We left the store empty-handed, but wanted to stop by “milk” before we headed home.

I’d seen this place a million times on Instagram and Pinterest, so I was sort of brainwashed by the aesthetic of the place and what they offered from social feeds. The menu was a bit overwhelming for me, and I hadn’t noticed anything on the menu from vlogs or Pins. The employees that were working there also were maybe having a bad day and were just kind of not too nice. Plus, we found that a small cake (the one pictured below) was around $30. Even smaller items seemed overpriced. Going somewhere for the aesthetic and buying something overpriced can be an entire post in itself. (*Let me know if you want to know my thoughts on this!*)

The Wharf was beautiful and relaxing, but only for a few minutes. I enjoy being at the water. But because it was crazy, insane hot with a heat advisory, I began to sweat and my skin began to burn. (This is a common symptom of the psoriasis that I have. But it’s sort of triggering for me because it brings back dreadful memories of last year when I’d sweat and scratch and turn into a burning little ball.) At this point, I was about to have anxiety attack because I was beginning to scratch and I worried myself. We couldn’t find our car for a solid 20 minutes and I was slowly trickling down a spiral of panic and overheating, trying to ignore the stinging at my neck. Luckily, we finally found the car, and on the ride home, we passed by the Washington Monument! (*You can see my mom driving below! Teehee!*)

Comment down below if you’ve ever been to D.C.!

I am now taking submissions for guests posts on this blog! So, if you have psoriatic arthritis, a disability, chronic illness, or struggle with your mental health, I want to hear from you! DM me on Twitter or drop me an email at thepsoriasisclub@outlook.com, if you’re interested.

*Also: Recommend some YA books to me! Looking for some new summer reads!

Love always,

-TPC

Twitter

Uncategorized

what i eat in a day | healthy + easy meals for psoriatic skin

Hi there!

While I am currently struggling a bit with my mental health, and sometimes eating seems like a big task, I realized I had to find joy in the little things. Such as getting creative with food. I just recently quit my job for my health, so now I have more time to focus on myself. I don’t live on my own, because I attempted to do so last year, and it negatively impacted both my physical and mental health. So, I’ve moved back home. On this day, my mom and I decided to get creative with lunch and it turned out surprisingly good!

Breakfast

Breakfast is relatively the same every day. When I was working, all I’d have time for in the morning was cereal. But then as soon as I’d leave my house (at 5:30 a.m.) I’d already be starving on the drive to work. I’ve been wanting to add more to my breakfasts, so this morning I made a green smoothie. I first started making smoothies last year when I used to live on my own. I was obsessed, and would drink one three times a day with my meals. My roommate even started making them with me. I use Dole frozen fruit, which I find to be the most convenient. This one is a mix of pineapple, apples, mangos, spinach, and pineapple juice (my go-to combo). I added a vegan protein powder that sort of ruined the smoothie, was gritty, and I wasn’t used to the texture. But without the powder, it’s very good. When I was a kid I loved the Rice Krispie Treats cereal, but I haven’t found it in years! Frosted Krispies is similar, but definitely not the same.

Lunch

baked beans, ground beef, rice, and corn

Lunch got a little interesting as we decided to experiment. For years, my mom has always made plain baked beans with hot dogs. That was a go-to meal for us. But I dated a boy who’s family used to always put ground beef in their baked beans for special dinners at their house on Sunday. I tried it once and instantly fell in love. Years later, I convinced my mom to do the same. I was reminiscing about when we always used to go to a restaurant called Rosa Mexicana and gorge on their Mexican street corn. We didn’t have all of the tools to make it, but we improvised. It ended up being a hit and we ate it so quickly. No leftovers here! Beans + meat provide protein!

Dinner

Fruits, veggies, and fish all have anti-inflammatory properties that help tame psoriasis. Fish has omega-3 fatty acids that help build a weakened immune system. I’ve always loved the flavor of fish, peas, and mac + cheese. I’ve been eating this same meal since I was a kid. There’s just something about it that gives me a warm and cozy feeling. Knowing that it’s helping me tame my psoriasis is even better. Did you notice that we drink a lot of lemonade?

Thank you so much for reading this post! Hopefully, this will give you some meal ideas if you have psoriasis, or just looking for some healthier meal options versus going out to eat. Comment down below some of your favorite childhood meals.