ADDENDA:
Went to a yoga basics class this morning tought by the HVS, who is somewhere near the end of her training. Hot n' sweaty, the yoga was excellent though the music was a bit....well, that's a rant for a different kind of blog. Went to the farmer's market before hand to pick up some ingredients for an apple crisp to take along tonight to my cousin's seder.
BREAKFAST: 7:45am, granola with good milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 10am, 2 small pieces of pizza, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Mediocre pizza leftovers from B's Broadway East meal
LUNCH: 1:15am, pork fried rice, shrimp eggroll, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
It would have just been another buck to get the brick and have it delivered, but don't feel like being sick all Passover. Walked out and got a pint of rice. I guess I'm needing the comfort of it, as this afternoon I'll be with relatives I haven't spent time with in years.
DINNER: 6:30pm, matzoh, 1/2 glass wine, diet coke, seltzer, haroset w/ horseradish, gefilte fish, matzoh ball soup, 5 sweet meatballs, chicken breast w/stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, broccoli kugel, small piece of apple crisp, 1 chocolate macaroon, 2.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Went to a cousin's house deep in the dark heart of New Jersey, haven't been to his seder since my parents passed away. It was nice to be able to go with B and have her meet a bunch of people who knew my parents pretty well. I was always a rather shy child, and had my parents to hide behind - many of these people who I've known since I was a baby I've had very few words with - tonight I perhaps doubled the amount of conversation I had with them. It was nice.
Being a seder, there was the pomp and ceremony but it was all about the food in the end. A few dishes were brought by guests were home made, but the majority of the meal was catered - it's a shame, my father and his brother would cook everything from scratch, and it would show. A perfect example were these meatballs in a tomato/ketchup sauce, originally made by my Aunt Vivian, now made by another cousin - no pork in the meatballs, matzoh meal as a filler, ketchup used in both the meat ball AND the sauce....and the sauce is sweet....should be gross, but were absolutely fantastic, like Jewwy Swedish meatballs. The food was good, the banter with my cousin was in the style of my parents, but my food memory recalls something a little bit more....weird tasting. Is it because I'm an adult? I ate the "bitter herb" dipped in salt water for the first time in my life, usually I'd shove it under the plate, he he.
Then again, if I was holding a seder for 24 people, I'd cater it too! A Wildman tradition is to serve hard boiled eggs and crack the egg over a loved one's head. Fortunately, Betsy's skull was quite firm and ready for the task.
Saturday, April 19
Friday, April 18
Jonesing for My Pusherman
ADDENDA:Picked up gefilte-fish loaf from Russ & Daughter's for the seder I'm cooking for Sunday. My mom once picked up a loaf for her seder and it was weirdly good - the jarred stuff is in snot sauce and mushy veg. This loaf of pike & whitefish is dry, no jelly, and cooked carrots came on the side. I wish I could ask my mom where she got hers, it could of been R&D's, or it could of been any of a number of orthodox food shops in the hood.
Picked up my culinary uniform this morning. Crazy. Laid down wearing the white chef jacket embroidered with my name while listening to the new Nick Cave and Breeders records, seasoning it with some good vibes.
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, organic chex with good milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2pm, whole wheat penne with hot italian sausage, sauted mushrooms and homemade tomato sauce, water, 3 bowls, hunger 4/5
Well, I made a big-ass bowl of pasta, which I fried up a raw piece of sausage and some shrooms. I used to eat portions of pasta like this for both lunch and dinner - I haven't had a big pasta meal like this in quite a while, but Ilsa is quite insistent that I up my lunch quantities and low-light my dinner.
Funny thing, after eating this, I started grazing in the kitchen for sweets, but there were none. Then I thought -damn!- I just ate a HUGE lunch, why am I looking for sweets? I'm gonna take care of some stuff, and if I'm still craving, gonna run out and get a good-ass donut from my local donut pusher-man...
PM SNACK: 3:15pm, chocolate glazed yeast donut, .75 bowl, hunger 3/5
Ahhhhhhhhhh......sweet oblivion.....
DINNER: 6:45pm, cod in broth, mushroom pate, small peanutbutter tofu desert, 1 glass presecco, water, 1.5 bowls, hunger 3/5
Not very hungry, but went to the new Broadway East Restaurant on East Broadway with B and Katya, who came down to wish me a happy birthday - my 23rd birthday meal this year. The restaurant, which is in my hood, is surprisingly upscale, about 85% vegan/vegetarian menu, and tasty. I just hope it can make it, must take the HVS there soon...
Thursday, April 17
Ballz
ADDENDA:
Went to bed last night hungry, though not can't-think hungry. I drank a quart of water around 11pm that helped (thank goodness I'm too young for bladder issues!) Woke up mildly hungry, as my stomach is tight when I just rise, but soon enough breakfast was calling
BREAKFAST: 8am, granola with good milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
About twice the amount I've eaten in the past, very satisfying. Once the 'Feed' brand is out, gonna get more hippie-friendly lower-sugar farmer's market granola.
AM BP: 127/98
That's a good number (for me), makes me want to measure me more often to see if it's legit.
LUNCH: 1pm, turkey sandwich, sesame noodles, water, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
After a tour of vegan-unfriendly sandwich shops of midtown with the HVS, finally made it back to the office for a nice lunch.
PM SNACK: 5pm, bag of potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5:15-6pm, 10 or so small matzoh balls, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I went uptown to assist my mother-in-law in making a large batch of matzoh balls for Passover, and once they were done, as she'd turn around or look away, I'd shove one in my mouth. They were goooood. Full of egg and oil. And there is something satisfying about sneaking food behind the back of a parental figure, a pleasure I have not indulged in since I was 11 or so.
DINNER: 6:45pm, tortellini in olive oil & garlic, matzoh ball soup, water, 1.5 bowls, hunger 3/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, small piece of chocolate bundt, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 1am, small cup of pistachios, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was crazy hungry, but was able to stay in control. After creating a ramekin of shells, waited through my insomnia till the hunger became manageable, rather than binging.
Went to bed last night hungry, though not can't-think hungry. I drank a quart of water around 11pm that helped (thank goodness I'm too young for bladder issues!) Woke up mildly hungry, as my stomach is tight when I just rise, but soon enough breakfast was calling
BREAKFAST: 8am, granola with good milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
About twice the amount I've eaten in the past, very satisfying. Once the 'Feed' brand is out, gonna get more hippie-friendly lower-sugar farmer's market granola.
AM BP: 127/98
That's a good number (for me), makes me want to measure me more often to see if it's legit.
LUNCH: 1pm, turkey sandwich, sesame noodles, water, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
After a tour of vegan-unfriendly sandwich shops of midtown with the HVS, finally made it back to the office for a nice lunch.
PM SNACK: 5pm, bag of potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5:15-6pm, 10 or so small matzoh balls, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I went uptown to assist my mother-in-law in making a large batch of matzoh balls for Passover, and once they were done, as she'd turn around or look away, I'd shove one in my mouth. They were goooood. Full of egg and oil. And there is something satisfying about sneaking food behind the back of a parental figure, a pleasure I have not indulged in since I was 11 or so.
DINNER: 6:45pm, tortellini in olive oil & garlic, matzoh ball soup, water, 1.5 bowls, hunger 3/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, small piece of chocolate bundt, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 1am, small cup of pistachios, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was crazy hungry, but was able to stay in control. After creating a ramekin of shells, waited through my insomnia till the hunger became manageable, rather than binging.
Wednesday, April 16
I Browned Almost 9 Pounds of Meat This Evening.
ADDENDA:
At yesterday's meeting, Ilsa yelled at me a bit for not restricting my calories enough, and for not eating enough vegetables. -sigh- I guess some childhood habits are harder to break than others.
I spent a good part of the evening browning 2 pieces / 8lbs of bottom round and making the marinade for sauer braten, which I will be contributing to a friend's Passover this weekend.
Went to a basics yoga class today after putting some hours in at the office. Did a shoulder stand (off the wall) for the first time, actually seeing (a very tiny bit of) progress there.
Culinary starts in less than a week. I'm excited/nervous/curious. Slowly putting together the new blog TBD....
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, good yogurt with honey vanilla raw nuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Milk spoiled, this was my only option. I like how short a shelf-life my unhomogenized organic milk has - it tastes fresher when it's fresh, and when it's bad, you know it right away.
LUNCH #1: 12:15pm, 2 samosas, pumpkin noodles, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Midtown vegan lunch with the HVS.
LUNCH #2: 4:30pm, 1 large piece salad pizza, 1 large piece fresh moz pizza, orange soda, water, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Went to Pie on 4th Ave (pizza by the inch) after yoga, just didn't want anything too healthy!
DINNER: 8pm, 1 pork chop, stir fried broccoli & mushrooms, chocolate soy ice cream, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Pork chop on the bone only marinated for an hour, only browned it for 3 minutes on each side then went for it - it's rareness would of scared most people, but it was SO juicy and delicious and simply porky. Stir fried the veg fast and hot in the wok with salt and sesame oil, and it came out crunchy and flavorful. No sauces, just the flavors of the main ingredients.
Hope avoiding a pasta/rice/potato and having a large serving of broc & mushroom will please Ilsa! :)
At yesterday's meeting, Ilsa yelled at me a bit for not restricting my calories enough, and for not eating enough vegetables. -sigh- I guess some childhood habits are harder to break than others.
I spent a good part of the evening browning 2 pieces / 8lbs of bottom round and making the marinade for sauer braten, which I will be contributing to a friend's Passover this weekend.
Went to a basics yoga class today after putting some hours in at the office. Did a shoulder stand (off the wall) for the first time, actually seeing (a very tiny bit of) progress there.
Culinary starts in less than a week. I'm excited/nervous/curious. Slowly putting together the new blog TBD....
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, good yogurt with honey vanilla raw nuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Milk spoiled, this was my only option. I like how short a shelf-life my unhomogenized organic milk has - it tastes fresher when it's fresh, and when it's bad, you know it right away.
LUNCH #1: 12:15pm, 2 samosas, pumpkin noodles, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Midtown vegan lunch with the HVS.
LUNCH #2: 4:30pm, 1 large piece salad pizza, 1 large piece fresh moz pizza, orange soda, water, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Went to Pie on 4th Ave (pizza by the inch) after yoga, just didn't want anything too healthy!
DINNER: 8pm, 1 pork chop, stir fried broccoli & mushrooms, chocolate soy ice cream, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Pork chop on the bone only marinated for an hour, only browned it for 3 minutes on each side then went for it - it's rareness would of scared most people, but it was SO juicy and delicious and simply porky. Stir fried the veg fast and hot in the wok with salt and sesame oil, and it came out crunchy and flavorful. No sauces, just the flavors of the main ingredients.
Hope avoiding a pasta/rice/potato and having a large serving of broc & mushroom will please Ilsa! :)
Tuesday, April 15
Unintentionally Mostly Vegan
ADDENDA:
Took a nice quick bikeride out to Coney today. I filled my bottle up at a water fountain on the boardwalk, tasted like rust - shame, as it'll turn some kid off from public water fountains forever. The water fountain in Prospect Park tasted A-OK, though.
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, apple, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, homemade power bar, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AFTERNOON WATERING: 11-2pm, 24 oz Gatorade/water mixture, 12 oz water
LUNCH: 3:45pm, butt crazy rice with grilled tofu, stir fried broccoli & mushroom, chocolate soy ice cream, 2.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
I took a picture of this meal, the tofu looked pleasingly charred. However, it tasted unforgivably bland and boring, so I really don't want to trumpet it. The butt-crazy rice I did the other day was with 1 cup of dry rice - this time I tripled the amount, but only doubled the mix-ins, like the porcini, the onion, the chives. Undersalted and the olive oil just didn't deliver the same mouth feel as the butter.
I pressed the tofu between towels to remove moisture and brushed them with oil, but as I grilled it on a non-stick pan, when it came to flip them the browned parts still stuck to the pan! Urrrrg! Well, a few didn't.
I was in a local grocery yesterday to buy broccoli, but it all looked brown and disgusting. So I bought a bag of frozen broc. I microwaved it out of it's frozen state and it came out surprisingly mushy and dull. Stir-frying it briefly almost brought it back to life, but I think fresh is still the way to go.
DINNER: 7:30pm, kimchi, mungbean and leek pancakes, pumpkin noodles, 2 vegetable dumplings, grilled todok and asparagus, mixed grain rice, tofu bibimbop, tofu steak, tofu pudding, tofu icecream, tofu cheesecake, kimchi, water, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Out with B and a friend at Hangawi, the most expensive vegan restaurant in NYC. The tofu steak was just deep-fried triangles of tofu with a thick bbq sauce, the tofu ice cream was waaaay too much like tofutti. Really dug the interesting fibrousness of the todok.
Took a nice quick bikeride out to Coney today. I filled my bottle up at a water fountain on the boardwalk, tasted like rust - shame, as it'll turn some kid off from public water fountains forever. The water fountain in Prospect Park tasted A-OK, though.
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, apple, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, homemade power bar, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AFTERNOON WATERING: 11-2pm, 24 oz Gatorade/water mixture, 12 oz water
LUNCH: 3:45pm, butt crazy rice with grilled tofu, stir fried broccoli & mushroom, chocolate soy ice cream, 2.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
I took a picture of this meal, the tofu looked pleasingly charred. However, it tasted unforgivably bland and boring, so I really don't want to trumpet it. The butt-crazy rice I did the other day was with 1 cup of dry rice - this time I tripled the amount, but only doubled the mix-ins, like the porcini, the onion, the chives. Undersalted and the olive oil just didn't deliver the same mouth feel as the butter.
I pressed the tofu between towels to remove moisture and brushed them with oil, but as I grilled it on a non-stick pan, when it came to flip them the browned parts still stuck to the pan! Urrrrg! Well, a few didn't.
I was in a local grocery yesterday to buy broccoli, but it all looked brown and disgusting. So I bought a bag of frozen broc. I microwaved it out of it's frozen state and it came out surprisingly mushy and dull. Stir-frying it briefly almost brought it back to life, but I think fresh is still the way to go.
DINNER: 7:30pm, kimchi, mungbean and leek pancakes, pumpkin noodles, 2 vegetable dumplings, grilled todok and asparagus, mixed grain rice, tofu bibimbop, tofu steak, tofu pudding, tofu icecream, tofu cheesecake, kimchi, water, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Out with B and a friend at Hangawi, the most expensive vegan restaurant in NYC. The tofu steak was just deep-fried triangles of tofu with a thick bbq sauce, the tofu ice cream was waaaay too much like tofutti. Really dug the interesting fibrousness of the todok.
Monday, April 14
My Wife Is Nutty
ADDENDA:
Went into the Institute of Culinary Education for a uniform fitting. As I was trying on the jacket, got a tingle up my spine, felt really exciting, like when I was selecting gear for my cross-country bike trip. One week from tomorrow, it begins, along with a refurnished blog....
Weigh 231 again this week. I guess I should start thinking in terms of how I'm going to actually lose weight while going to culinary school.
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, granola with good milk, .5 bowl, hunger 2/5
LUNCH: 11:30am, shackburger, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
A visit to the grave, so to speak. Visited B early in the day to take care of some chores, then we wandered into Madison Square Park, where the line to the Shake Shack was only 3-deep. Wasn't particularly hungry, but it was something interesting to do - for you non-NYers, Shake Shack is a fancy burger stand in a public park run by a famous restaurateur, and the burgers are supposedly some of the best in the city. I had a plain burger months ago there, and was extremely underwhelmed. After seeing that picture of the kid shoving the burger in his face like it was going to solve all his problems, I thought hell, what if I'm wrong, what if I'M the crazy one and a good burger really is some sort of good thing.
The shackburger comes on a plain toasted McDonalds-like bun, with lettuce, tomato, crappy American cheese, bacon and mayo (which I don't like, but appreciate it's ability as a barrier to keep the bun from going all soggy), and the meat was tough but juicy, over salted and after eating it, felt greasy all over. Nope, not a good thing. Good thing I only ate one. I don't know what would of happened if I ate fries and a shake with it, eeeeeee.... nope, I will never become a burger connoisseur....I'm a pizza man, through and through.
PM SNACK: 1:15pm. 1.5 homemade power bars, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5:30pm, small amount of undressed spinach salad, .25 bowl, hunger 3/5
B said she left a serving of salad behind....a serving for a 3 foot midget Buddhist on a hunger strike... she gone done become plum insane!
DINNER #1: 6pm, 1 piece lasagna with tomato sauce, small cup of almond ice cream 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had 2 pieces of Dinnerfest lasagna left, but thought it's a bit of a large serving - I should be eating larger lunches and smaller dinners, not the other way around. So I had only one, then found the remnants of Dinnerfest ice cream in the freezer - B said it "might not be good anymore", so when I checked I saw what she meant - she had eaten all but a few scraping from the side of the Tupperware! I guess no good for me, but just fine for her! Nutty! Yet I still love her...
DINNER #2: 7:45pm, 2 pancakes, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Two left over pancakes from the weekend out of the freezer - damn, the microwave is a great thing.
EVENING SNACK: 12am, boca burger on whole wheat, popcorn, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Just got so hungry, couldn't think straight.
Went into the Institute of Culinary Education for a uniform fitting. As I was trying on the jacket, got a tingle up my spine, felt really exciting, like when I was selecting gear for my cross-country bike trip. One week from tomorrow, it begins, along with a refurnished blog....
Weigh 231 again this week. I guess I should start thinking in terms of how I'm going to actually lose weight while going to culinary school.
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, granola with good milk, .5 bowl, hunger 2/5
LUNCH: 11:30am, shackburger, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
A visit to the grave, so to speak. Visited B early in the day to take care of some chores, then we wandered into Madison Square Park, where the line to the Shake Shack was only 3-deep. Wasn't particularly hungry, but it was something interesting to do - for you non-NYers, Shake Shack is a fancy burger stand in a public park run by a famous restaurateur, and the burgers are supposedly some of the best in the city. I had a plain burger months ago there, and was extremely underwhelmed. After seeing that picture of the kid shoving the burger in his face like it was going to solve all his problems, I thought hell, what if I'm wrong, what if I'M the crazy one and a good burger really is some sort of good thing.
The shackburger comes on a plain toasted McDonalds-like bun, with lettuce, tomato, crappy American cheese, bacon and mayo (which I don't like, but appreciate it's ability as a barrier to keep the bun from going all soggy), and the meat was tough but juicy, over salted and after eating it, felt greasy all over. Nope, not a good thing. Good thing I only ate one. I don't know what would of happened if I ate fries and a shake with it, eeeeeee.... nope, I will never become a burger connoisseur....I'm a pizza man, through and through.
PM SNACK: 1:15pm. 1.5 homemade power bars, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5:30pm, small amount of undressed spinach salad, .25 bowl, hunger 3/5
B said she left a serving of salad behind....a serving for a 3 foot midget Buddhist on a hunger strike... she gone done become plum insane!
DINNER #1: 6pm, 1 piece lasagna with tomato sauce, small cup of almond ice cream 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had 2 pieces of Dinnerfest lasagna left, but thought it's a bit of a large serving - I should be eating larger lunches and smaller dinners, not the other way around. So I had only one, then found the remnants of Dinnerfest ice cream in the freezer - B said it "might not be good anymore", so when I checked I saw what she meant - she had eaten all but a few scraping from the side of the Tupperware! I guess no good for me, but just fine for her! Nutty! Yet I still love her...
DINNER #2: 7:45pm, 2 pancakes, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Two left over pancakes from the weekend out of the freezer - damn, the microwave is a great thing.
EVENING SNACK: 12am, boca burger on whole wheat, popcorn, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Just got so hungry, couldn't think straight.
Sunday, April 13
Cradle to Grave, in Food Signs
ADDENDA:In the door to a pre-school, a cute sign announces the early programming of 'snacks' into a child's regime. It's healthy (yogurt, muffins, toast, fruit salad, p&j sandwiches), it's for sharing, it's so wholesome.
Elsewhere, the bat-shit insane eyes of a department store catalog model stuffing a burger in his mouth somehow connected itself to the previous sign in my mind. Somehow, as some grow up and get older and fatter, they go bat-shit insane and start stuffing burgers down our gobs for a 'snack' - 24 hours a day.
BREAKFAST: 10:15am, waffle and home fries, water, 1.5 bowls, hunger 3/5
Rolled over to East River Cafe with B, sat at a table facing the window to the street like I used to with my mom, sometimes with my dad and a bunch of times after he passed. It's definitely comforting, that sort of continuity, because we certainly ain't going for the food! The waffle is soggy on one side, the home fries are pedestrian. Since I had bacon (and pastrami) yesterday, it was easy to skip the over-salty industrial bacon here.
LUNCH: 2pm, spinach salad, 'butt-crazy' rice, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Through some interesting ingredients into the rice cooker with the brown basmanti and water - diced red onion, diced elephant garlic, freeze-dried chives, freeze-dried porcini, sea salt, good butter. It came out so good that Betsy asked me to name it. The first thing that came to my mind is 'butt-crazy', hmmmm....
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, slice o' streetza, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
In Brooklyn, about to head for a bar for a friend's b-day thing, didn't want to have too empty a stomach. The pizza was surprisingly flavorless, but the crisp texture of the crust against the hot oil of the sauce and the gooeyness of the cheese almost made up for it.
PM DRINK: 4pm, 1 pint beer
A scary assortment of kiddy sweets were spread out, pixie sticks, pop rocks, tootsie rolls, yards of licorice. Yick!!
DINNER: 7pm, crusty bread and butter, .5 glass wine, lemon chicken soup, poached shrimp over slaw, hanger steak with grits, chocolate tart, a few bites of olive oil cake, mint herbal tea, water, 2.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Nice meal amongst some of my best friends at ICI in Fort Greene, another birthday dinner in my honor, I think the 3rd this year, makes me feel a little embarrassed but in the end it was an honest expression of luv from my friends, I guess. Kinda like a much more cultured and adult version of Wednesday snack sharing time...
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