Hardcore Oatmeal

Lifted weights after B&E left for school, the baby sleeping, the laundry in process. I was disappointed last week -- the first session after the 2 month pause left me pleasantly sore for two days, but the second session of equal intensity did nothing. So this morning I ratcheted it up, 40 push ups, 20 sit ups, close to what I was doing before, and it hurt, felt good.

I've been keeping a healthier diet lately, definitely feel a benefit already. The trick now is to keep a balance of sweets/unhealthy food to stop from getting bored.

TODAY'S COOKING:
Hardcore Oatmeal: I tossed the Wholefoods brand steel cut oats, even toasting them to increase cooking time didn't do much, and still didn't taste right. I bought a tin of McCain's Irish Steel Cut the other day, and not the quick cooking kind -- the only way to cook these is 30 minutes on the stove top. So while I worked out and the baby slept, the oatmeal gurgled away. Four cups of boiling water, 1 cup of oats, 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, a heavy pinch of salt, a heavy pinch of cinnamon, a small glug of vanilla extract. I checked on it every 10 minutes or so, and indeed by the end of the 30 minutes it started sticking on the bottom of the pan. I let it cool for 10 minutes and it thickened nicely.

Taste and texture are equally important for steel cut oats. Taste was spot on, oaty and natural and no weird chemical or metallic tastes. Seasoning was good, maybe a little more brown sugar, but pretty much there. The texture was close, I think I need to cook it lower for a little longer, to soften the grains a bit but there was nice creaminess surrounding the kernels, which were almost too stuff but gave nicely when chewed.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 12:30pm, lamb sausage sandwich with fried potatoes, babaganoush & hummus with a little pita, roasted butternut squash, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 6:15pm, momma style salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 8pm, tabouli with mini bagel wrapped hot dogs, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
The original plan was to saute some shrimp with some interesting dried herbs and condiments, but with B&E in bed and Mil on the edge of sleep & crankiness, I needed something fast. This was my first meal off the tabouli -- I found it a little bit underflavored, could use more lemon, more spice, a little more salt, more everything, but the simple wholegrainy bulgar wheat flavor did ring true. Not so much a good main, but a nice base for something better like a saucy shrimp!


EVENING SNACK: 10pm, nutella with ritz crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5