Though my birthday was yesterday, the birthday eating will continue through tomorrow. I visited an old friend on S.I., who has a baby, and we took lunch of the Mall, a place I spent a lot of time at with my parents. In the late afternoon, on a movie date with my wife, I indulged in diet coke -- fast food and diet drinks, two things from the verboten list. I can't really beat myself up too hard about it, it's a special occasion and I'm not likely to repeat soon (though if I find an Arthur Treacher's, I might have to go in and buy a side of hush puppies....)
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, iced mint green tea, whole wheat waffle, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, fast-food fish n' chips with 2 hush puppies, sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I have not seen an Arthur Treacher's since I was a kid, and when I would visit my grandma with my mom, we'd go to one on 23rd St off 1st ave. It's all deep fried and relatively generic, except for the perfectly round hush puppies. I remember loving these things, and eating one today took me right back, that distinct slightly funky tartar flavor. I gotta find a recipe and recreate these, only healthier...
PM SNACK: 3pm, iced mint green tea
Tired. Need energy.
PM SNACK: 5pm, popcorn, diet coke, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out on a date with my wife, friends babysitting. Needed the caffeine, and despite it being a verboten diet thing, it's a traditional thing from my past life which I got to share with my wife, so I'm not gonna beat myself up.
DINNER: 7:30pm, chicken burrito, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
It was a wholewheat tortilla, but I would not say this was particularly healthful.
Friday, March 26
Thursday, March 25
Energized
A good day. Woke up in a sleep-deprived haze to a chirpy B showering me with birthday presents. A few chores done, cooked up a batch of 'special' brownies, without a bit of it touching my lips. Edles & I went to Brooklyn to eat with an old restaurant friend, then home. I got into my gear, and when B got home, got on the bike and did a loop out to Coney Island. After the clif bar, really felt energized on the way home.
AM SNACK: 9am, glass of iced mint green tea, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST: 11am, toasted pumpernickel bagel with homemade babaganoush and sable, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
My constitution was just now recovering from last night's gout-fest.
LUNCH: 2:30pm, fennel salad, meatball sandwich, jasmine green tea, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Lunch with a friend at Frankies on Court Street. Should have chosen something else, but I just wanted it.
PM SNACK: 6pm, clif bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
At Coney, on bike.
DINNER: 8:30pm, "pitza", 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Betsy's creation. Whole wheat lavash topped with some tomato sauce and cheese, and a mysterious blend of spices. Actually better than I remember.
AM SNACK: 9am, glass of iced mint green tea, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST: 11am, toasted pumpernickel bagel with homemade babaganoush and sable, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
My constitution was just now recovering from last night's gout-fest.
LUNCH: 2:30pm, fennel salad, meatball sandwich, jasmine green tea, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Lunch with a friend at Frankies on Court Street. Should have chosen something else, but I just wanted it.
PM SNACK: 6pm, clif bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
At Coney, on bike.
DINNER: 8:30pm, "pitza", 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Betsy's creation. Whole wheat lavash topped with some tomato sauce and cheese, and a mysterious blend of spices. Actually better than I remember.
Wednesday, March 24
Gout
AM SNACK: 8:30am, 8oz glass of iced mint green tea
Made this last night -- 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of water boiled. Turn off heat, put in the leaves of 2 bunches of mint, let sit for an hour covered. Boiled 8 cups of water, turn off heat, place 4 high quality green-tea bags in for 3 minutes, then removed bags. Put 1 cup of strained syrup into the hot tea, let sit for an hour before refrigerating. This morning, took a sip and....was way too sweet. Added about 1/4 water, still too sweet but better. Next time will do half the amount of syrup. Very tasty, honest green tea vegetal flavor, well complimented by the minty sweetness. My concern like yesterday, is this sweet enough to be considered a dessert?
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, pint of smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, green grapes, mango, blueberries, cherries, acai juice, the good yogurt, fresh ground flax seeds, homemade vanilla extract, sea salt. The acai juice definitely gives a too-berry flavor to the proceedings, and there added-sugar in it. Hmmmm.
LUNCH: 11:45am, sofrito brown rice & beans with cheddar, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Holy crap, the salty-gooeyness of this high-end sharp Australian cheddar made the rice n' beans pop like crazy, a 1 star dish became 3 stars with that adjustment. Glad I made so much now! Still needs more sofrito and beans in it, though...
EARLY DINNER: 5:30pm, 1/2 baked chicken breast, sauteed fresh spinach, samples of 3 kinds of mac n' cheese, seltzer, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Cooking with the students. The center of the class was sauce, so the mac n' cheese was the star, with three versions -- plain, bacon and mustard, and a jerk & onion. Pretty intense, but my once-a-week pasta...
LATE DINNER: 8:30pm, this menu plus about 5 inter-course (he he) amuse-bouches , one gin cocktail, 1 glass of wine, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5 at the beginning and 1/5 by the last amuse-bouche
No pasta during the meal, or anything totally forbidden, but suffice to say, there was red meat, there was alcohol, there were 2 dessert courses and 2 dessert amuse-bouches. Though each plate was tiny, over the course of 2.5 hours, it really accumulated in the stomach. All of the dishes were tiny pieces of art, with many foods in either tube, coin or ball shape.
Two thoughts: This was a fantastic present from my friend E, it was easily the highest-end meal I've had since culinary school, and the privilege of taking so much time with each little thoughtful dish really brought to light how much more I taste and understand the contrasts, harmonies and little jokes a high-falutin' chef can make on a plate. Second: More than once a year of a meal like this is guaranteed gout and obesity.
Made this last night -- 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of water boiled. Turn off heat, put in the leaves of 2 bunches of mint, let sit for an hour covered. Boiled 8 cups of water, turn off heat, place 4 high quality green-tea bags in for 3 minutes, then removed bags. Put 1 cup of strained syrup into the hot tea, let sit for an hour before refrigerating. This morning, took a sip and....was way too sweet. Added about 1/4 water, still too sweet but better. Next time will do half the amount of syrup. Very tasty, honest green tea vegetal flavor, well complimented by the minty sweetness. My concern like yesterday, is this sweet enough to be considered a dessert?
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, pint of smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, green grapes, mango, blueberries, cherries, acai juice, the good yogurt, fresh ground flax seeds, homemade vanilla extract, sea salt. The acai juice definitely gives a too-berry flavor to the proceedings, and there added-sugar in it. Hmmmm.
LUNCH: 11:45am, sofrito brown rice & beans with cheddar, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Holy crap, the salty-gooeyness of this high-end sharp Australian cheddar made the rice n' beans pop like crazy, a 1 star dish became 3 stars with that adjustment. Glad I made so much now! Still needs more sofrito and beans in it, though...
EARLY DINNER: 5:30pm, 1/2 baked chicken breast, sauteed fresh spinach, samples of 3 kinds of mac n' cheese, seltzer, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Cooking with the students. The center of the class was sauce, so the mac n' cheese was the star, with three versions -- plain, bacon and mustard, and a jerk & onion. Pretty intense, but my once-a-week pasta...
LATE DINNER: 8:30pm, this menu plus about 5 inter-course (he he) amuse-bouches , one gin cocktail, 1 glass of wine, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5 at the beginning and 1/5 by the last amuse-bouche
No pasta during the meal, or anything totally forbidden, but suffice to say, there was red meat, there was alcohol, there were 2 dessert courses and 2 dessert amuse-bouches. Though each plate was tiny, over the course of 2.5 hours, it really accumulated in the stomach. All of the dishes were tiny pieces of art, with many foods in either tube, coin or ball shape.
Two thoughts: This was a fantastic present from my friend E, it was easily the highest-end meal I've had since culinary school, and the privilege of taking so much time with each little thoughtful dish really brought to light how much more I taste and understand the contrasts, harmonies and little jokes a high-falutin' chef can make on a plate. Second: More than once a year of a meal like this is guaranteed gout and obesity.
Tuesday, March 23
Shades of gray
Thinking more about sugar-cravings today. Can they be rerouted with complex carbs? Had a big portion of sofrito brown rice & beans this evening, but really, is the lack of something proof that it was suppressed by an action I took?
I'm also thinking about the difficulty of looking at a diet in absolutes. I made olive oil granola this evening, and it's full of whole grains (oatmeal) and nuts (pistachios, almonds and, uh, pumpkin seeds) but it also has brown sugar and maple syrup. I used a total of .75 cups of sweetener in what is about 8 cups of food, about 1/2 what the original recipe calls for. It's on the 'sweet' side, but would it count as dessert because it has added sugar? Is it a whole grain or a dessert? Both? I added sugar to the boiling water of the collard greens, but I doubt anyone would think of that for dessert.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, toasted pumpernickel bagel with babaganoush and sablefish, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, small green salad, slice of streetza, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2:30pm, 1 small homemade black & white cookie
At playdate dropin. Resisted a second.
DINNER: 6:30pm, small cube of Swiss cheese, chicken sausage over braised collard greens and sofrito brown rice & black beans, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Took two heads of collards, cut out the spines and chiffonaded, boiled for an hour in water spiked with vinegar, sugar and salt. Made sofrito in the morning -- caramelized onions, then softened red bell peppers and a bit of tomato paste with them. Blended that mixture with a bunch of fresh cilantro and a full bulb of roasted garlic. Put that in the rice cooker with brown rice, chicken stock and black beans.
The collards were surprisingly good, though the rice was underseasoned. I was expecting a much bigger flavor for the effort but it was just ok. Next time, half the amount of rice for the amount of sofrito and beans and more salt.
EVENING SNACK: 9:15pm, small bowl of freshly baked granola, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I'm also thinking about the difficulty of looking at a diet in absolutes. I made olive oil granola this evening, and it's full of whole grains (oatmeal) and nuts (pistachios, almonds and, uh, pumpkin seeds) but it also has brown sugar and maple syrup. I used a total of .75 cups of sweetener in what is about 8 cups of food, about 1/2 what the original recipe calls for. It's on the 'sweet' side, but would it count as dessert because it has added sugar? Is it a whole grain or a dessert? Both? I added sugar to the boiling water of the collard greens, but I doubt anyone would think of that for dessert.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, toasted pumpernickel bagel with babaganoush and sablefish, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, small green salad, slice of streetza, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2:30pm, 1 small homemade black & white cookie
At playdate dropin. Resisted a second.
DINNER: 6:30pm, small cube of Swiss cheese, chicken sausage over braised collard greens and sofrito brown rice & black beans, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Took two heads of collards, cut out the spines and chiffonaded, boiled for an hour in water spiked with vinegar, sugar and salt. Made sofrito in the morning -- caramelized onions, then softened red bell peppers and a bit of tomato paste with them. Blended that mixture with a bunch of fresh cilantro and a full bulb of roasted garlic. Put that in the rice cooker with brown rice, chicken stock and black beans.
The collards were surprisingly good, though the rice was underseasoned. I was expecting a much bigger flavor for the effort but it was just ok. Next time, half the amount of rice for the amount of sofrito and beans and more salt.
EVENING SNACK: 9:15pm, small bowl of freshly baked granola, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, March 22
The Sweet Tooth Rears It's Head
Last Monday, Friday & Sunday, I was able to go without dessert. Other than the post-ride indulgence on Saturday, the desserts I did eat were relatively conservative. Notable, because there are no 2 non-dessert days in a row. What does that mean? Well, being Monday, start of the new week, I tried to have a fully green-text kind of day. Dinner was lacking in carbs, which I tried to accommodate with some whole-grain corn chips with the salad and a post-dinner big bowl of freshly popped popcorn. I started getting itchy for sweets, and had my last smoothie pop. I was hopefully that it would stop the cravings, but in only primed the pump, and I searched deep into the cupboard to find a small amount of chocolate hazelnut spread, maybe an ounce worth. I was about to wack it on graham crackers when I pulled back, maybe I didn't need THAT much sugar, just a sustaining dose. It worked.
Strategy for next time. Pasta would help with this, but for that reason pasta (like desert) is once a week. I need more & better carbs, but all this whole wheat bread and brown rice is gonna get tired. Carrots should be a fall-back, and I should go get some potatoes. Maybe my sweet-potato aversion should be tested?
BREAKFAST: 9:15pm, organic wholegrain cheerios with dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, a fuji apple, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sitting in the dining area of Wholefoods feeding Edie, I felt really hungry but didn't have anything on me other than what I bought at the farmer's market previously -- a pint of spicy kimchi and 3 NY State fuji apples. It took a second to dawn on me -- duh! I can eat an apple!
LUNCH: 2pm, sardines and avocado on wholewheat with a side of kimchi, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After a long morning out, good to have some fresh stuff to jam in. Sardines this time were skinless and boneless and packed in olive oil. I drained some off, threw in a shot of vinegar and a handful of fresh parsley, mashed it a bit, and it was just fabulous. Definitely not low fat or low calories, but high in all sorts of nutrients and very satisfying. I almost got a big lumpen potato knish on the way home, but the thought of this sandwich got me through.
DINNER: 5pm, large green salad with wholegrain corn tortilla chips, shake-n-bake sole, kimchi, large bowl of popcorn, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 7:15pm, smoothiepop, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate hazelnut spread on ritz-like crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I probably would of eaten a lot more, except there wasn't much left of what I found at the back of the cupboard.
Strategy for next time. Pasta would help with this, but for that reason pasta (like desert) is once a week. I need more & better carbs, but all this whole wheat bread and brown rice is gonna get tired. Carrots should be a fall-back, and I should go get some potatoes. Maybe my sweet-potato aversion should be tested?
BREAKFAST: 9:15pm, organic wholegrain cheerios with dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, a fuji apple, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sitting in the dining area of Wholefoods feeding Edie, I felt really hungry but didn't have anything on me other than what I bought at the farmer's market previously -- a pint of spicy kimchi and 3 NY State fuji apples. It took a second to dawn on me -- duh! I can eat an apple!
LUNCH: 2pm, sardines and avocado on wholewheat with a side of kimchi, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After a long morning out, good to have some fresh stuff to jam in. Sardines this time were skinless and boneless and packed in olive oil. I drained some off, threw in a shot of vinegar and a handful of fresh parsley, mashed it a bit, and it was just fabulous. Definitely not low fat or low calories, but high in all sorts of nutrients and very satisfying. I almost got a big lumpen potato knish on the way home, but the thought of this sandwich got me through.
DINNER: 5pm, large green salad with wholegrain corn tortilla chips, shake-n-bake sole, kimchi, large bowl of popcorn, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 7:15pm, smoothiepop, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate hazelnut spread on ritz-like crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I probably would of eaten a lot more, except there wasn't much left of what I found at the back of the cupboard.
Sunday, March 21
Maybe it's just Spring
End of the 3rd week under the new foodstyle regime, I don't know if I'm losing weight (I'll check at the end of the month), but I definitely have more energy. Maybe it's placebo, maybe it's the biking, maybe it's just Spring, but I ain't complaining.
BREAKFAST: 9am, yogurt with honey, vanilla and mixed roasted nuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Kept it small, knew I'd be packing it in at lunch...
LUNCH: noon, dim sum and a beer, 1.75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Me & the fam met up with friends in Chinatown for some traditional dim sum, in a dining room literally as big as two football fields. Good vibes, friendly neighbors at the communal table, and among other things shrimp dumplings, cold gelatinous/crispy pork, sticky rice with Chinese sausage, and on and on, washed down with some water and a refreshing pale beer. Lots of little bits of red meat and pasta involved, but I think this was my first alcoholic drink of the week....
DINNER: 8:30pm, chickpeas and spinach over rice, potato samosa, whole wheat roti, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out of most foods in the kitchen, Sunday is a good day to be a bit indulgent before resetting...
BREAKFAST: 9am, yogurt with honey, vanilla and mixed roasted nuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Kept it small, knew I'd be packing it in at lunch...
LUNCH: noon, dim sum and a beer, 1.75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Me & the fam met up with friends in Chinatown for some traditional dim sum, in a dining room literally as big as two football fields. Good vibes, friendly neighbors at the communal table, and among other things shrimp dumplings, cold gelatinous/crispy pork, sticky rice with Chinese sausage, and on and on, washed down with some water and a refreshing pale beer. Lots of little bits of red meat and pasta involved, but I think this was my first alcoholic drink of the week....
DINNER: 8:30pm, chickpeas and spinach over rice, potato samosa, whole wheat roti, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out of most foods in the kitchen, Sunday is a good day to be a bit indulgent before resetting...
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